Kays Translations

Chapter 89: The Greenhouse

I explained to the gathered servants that Rosalia had merely been startled by my locked door. Once reassured, they apologised for the disturbance and returned to their duties.

“What did you need, Rosalia?”

“What do you mean? It’s bedtime.”

“Already?”

The clock confirmed she was right. I had spent far longer reading the potion book than I realised.

“You may sleep with Mira in your own room tonight.”

“But Mira wants all three of us together.”

“Kyu.”

Did they truly? I couldn’t tell from a single sound.

Still, Rosalia was lonely while the rest of the family remained in the royal capital. Spending the night together would do no harm. The three of us slept side by side in a row.

The following morning, I decided to concentrate entirely on restoring the greenhouse. Winter was close. If I established a medicinal herb garden indoors before the cold arrived, I could continue harvesting throughout the season.

Other work would have to wait.

“What are you doing today, Big brother?”

“Restoring the greenhouse.”

“I’ll help.”

“Kyu!”

“Thank you.”

Whether Rosalia and Mira could actually help was another question. I didn’t want either of them covered in mud. I should have arranged work clothes in advance.

After breakfast, I went to the knights’ quarters and asked Lionel for assistance. He agreed immediately, and we all headed to the greenhouse near the annex.

“This is our first time here,” I said. “Now I understand why Grandmother never brought us.”

The greenhouse bore no resemblance to the magnificent facility I had imagined. Ivy smothered the outer walls, and the interior was in complete disarray. A few weeds struggled in dry soil that appeared not to have been watered for years.

Grandmother had apparently withdrawn from active potion research. Whether that reluctance existed from the beginning or developed later, I couldn’t know.

One thing was certain: by the end, she had shown little interest in creating new potions or improving old ones. The abandoned greenhouse proved it.

“Where should we begin, Lord Julius?” Lionel asked.

“Remove the ivy first. Then clear the interior so we can determine whether the equipment still functions.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Lionel and the knights began at once. With so many people, the exterior work might be finished before noon.

“Rosalia, Mira, and I’ll clear the inside.”

“Very well.”

“Kyu.”

A wave of mouldy, stagnant air struck us when we entered. Rosalia and Mira grimaced, and I probably wore the same expression.

Old pots, bags, and broken gardening supplies filled the space.

“Perhaps they did grow something here once,” I said.

“This bag contains soil,” Rosalia observed. “Mother used the same kind for flower beds.”

“You’re right, but it’s far too old to use now.”

The remaining objects confirmed that the greenhouse had once been active. At some point, however, cultivation had simply stopped.

By the time we carried the old soil and rubbish outside, the knights had removed the ivy. Warm sunlight flooded the greenhouse again.

We opened every door and vent to replace the stale air.

“Now we need to test the heating system. Where are the controls?”

“Over here, my lord.”

A metal cabinet in one corner contained a dial and a switch. The dial probably controlled temperature, while the switch activated the system. Beside them was an empty compartment for magic stones.

“What kind of magic tool is it?” Rosalia asked.

“I believe it heats the room, but it doesn’t appear to blow warm air.”

No heating device was visible inside. Was the mechanism beneath the ground?

Using Search, I detected pipes running under the soil and leading outside.

I followed them to the rear of the control panel, where a large tank resembling a bath stood empty.

“What’s that?”

“I think the system heated water in this tank and circulated it through the pipes beneath the greenhouse.”

“There are pipes under the floor?”

“Yes. Let us expose one section and inspect its condition.”

The knights dug roughly thirty centimetres down and uncovered metal piping.

Producing and installing so much pipe must have required enormous expense. The Crown had invested heavily in this greenhouse.

“It really was there,” Rosalia said. “How did you know?”

“A fortunate guess.”

“Kyu…”

Mira gave me a sceptical, half-lidded stare.

Why could they not trust me as innocently as Rosalia did?

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