An Invitation to the Greenhouse

His eyes, widened slightly but significantly, signaled that Ensius was flustered. Agniele, like the keen-eyed swordsman he was, did not miss that small sign, but at this moment, he felt somewhat resentful of his own perceptiveness.

Had he made a slip of the tongue? But he hadn’t said anything particularly out of the ordinary.

Then was his approach wrong? That was likely the case. He had uttered only a single sentence, and if that had caused Ensi to be flustered, there were only a few possible conclusions to draw. In Agniele’s eyes, Ensi looked as beautiful as ever even when flustered, but regardless of that, the continuing silence was becoming a bit painful.

However, he felt no urge to rush him. Because he had read Ensius’s emotions, he wanted to give him as much time as he needed. Thus, Agniele stood still and waited, his hands clenched tightly by his sides.

“……Know what, exactly?”

“Whatever it is you are willing to tell me, and whatever you wish for me to know.”

Agniele spoke reflexively, his face brightening at the voice that emerged after a fairly long silence. Mid-sentence, he realized his wording was a bit strange, but since he couldn’t take the words back, he simply finished his thought.

At that, Ensius touched the corner of his mouth. Because he had bowed his head slightly, Agniele couldn’t see Ensius’s expression very well. However, having seen Ensi subtly avert his gaze when he had something to hide a few times before, Agniele realized that he was feeling awkward.

“Then, for now.”

And so, even though he wasn’t fully prepared, Agniele blurted out his next words. Those eyes, as deep and dark blue as the ocean, looked back at him once more.

“May I know what you usually do when there are no lectures?”

If possible, I would like to do those things together.

Meeting those eyes, Agniele instinctively found the words to follow.

And so, through various processes, Agniele was invited to Ensi’s greenhouse and was able to face the Sun Grass colony once again.

In truth, both Ensi and Agniele had a subsequent lecture. However, Ensi had no intention of attending, and Agniele followed him as if it were the most natural thing. To be perfectly honest, Ensi was inwardly stunned, as he hadn’t expected Agniele to skip a lecture to follow him.

It was a choice uncharacteristic of Agniele, who usually sought out teachings with humility despite already possessing a level of insight that surpassed what the Academy taught. Ensi wondered if he might turn back halfway, but instead, during the walk to the greenhouse, he was met with a sudden request to drop formalities—causing his flustered feelings to only deepen.

Agniele, unaware of Ensi’s inner turmoil, merely added an explanation that the formal titles had been weighing on his mind, so Ensi could only nod ditzily like someone under a spell.

“Are you not hot?”

“I am fine. It is not hot.”

Ensi asked as he noticed a bead of sweat rolling down the back of Agniele’s neck as they headed deeper into the greenhouse, but the other man denied it instantly. Unable to press further against such a confident answer, Ensi glanced at Agniele with his eyes narrowed more than usual.

Is he really okay? Or does he truly think this is bearable?

Ensi subconsciously twisted a lock of his long hair, which reached down to his waist, around his finger as he pondered. He debated whether he should give Agniele the artifact he kept specifically for visitors to the greenhouse. Judging by the fact that he was sweating, it seemed that even the well-trained Agniele found this place burdensome.

Therefore, giving him the artifact was the right thing to do, but…

He hesitated because he felt that if he did, Agniele might stay in the greenhouse for a long time. It was essentially his private living quarters, and bringing an awkward stranger into such a place made Ensi feel a bit uncomfortable.

“More than that……”

While Ensi was unable to reach a decision, Agniele opened his mouth with a voice full of hesitation. Ensi tilted his head in response but did not stop walking toward the interior.

“You might not know this, Ensius, but I have set foot here once before.”

As he followed Ensi, Agniele confessed the truth with an expression filled with guilt and distress, like one making a confession to a priest. It was a fact Ensi already knew.

“I was aware. It was partly my fault for not locking the door properly, so please don’t let it weigh on you, Lord Lasias—no, Agniele.”

Ensi corrected himself just before finishing the word “Young Lord” due to the intense gaze piercing him. Apparently, the form of address was very important to Agniele.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Agniele bowed his head to express his gratitude so that Ensi’s consideration would not be diminished. In the meantime, the two of them arrived at the spot Ensi had intended to reach.

“This is……”

Ensi did not hide his joy at reaching the place where he could rest comfortably. As Ensius lifted the canopy that had not yet been tucked away and headed straight for the bed, Agniele continued.

“Ensius, is this not your private chamber?”

At Agniele’s remark, Ensi looked around and let out a short exclamation. Come to think of it, he realized it could certainly feel that way to an observer. Since it wasn’t a space he actually used as a bedroom, Ensi shook his head lightly.

“My chambers are separate. This is a place where I spend time while the sun is up.”

He told Agniele to feel at ease, yet Agniele’s body remained stiffly frozen. This was the place where Agniele had seen Ensi—specifically, where he had unintentionally discovered him taking a nap. Perhaps because of that, every time Agniele saw the canopy-covered bed, memories of that time resurfaced. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had entered an intimate space, and his cheeks were tinged with a faint blush.

Ensi considered speaking to Agniele, who had suddenly turned to stone, but decided to simply wait for him to get used to the space. Thus, keeping his mouth shut, he settled comfortably on the bed and picked up the book he had begun reading the night before.

After wiggling around to adjust the position of the pillows that softly supported his back, Ensi opened the book to the last page he had read. Since the life of a noble can be described as spending a lifetime with servants who act like shadow-limbs, Ensi quickly grew accustomed to the fact that Agniele was in the same space.

As the two of them settled into their respective places in the center of the greenhouse, a spirit that had been playing among the Sun Grass colonies perked up its head at the unfamiliar presence. It sensed a signature different from those who came to the greenhouse every day.

The spirit, which had made the greenhouse its home after being gifted the Sun Grass, fluttered up and headed toward where the presence was felt. It considered ignoring it, but its curiosity about who had stepped into its territory made it unable to sit still.

So, flying to the center in a heartbeat, the spirit did not use the path made by humans but squeezed through the climbing vines and peeked its head out.

“……A spirit?”

At the rustling sound that could not be ignored, Agniele turned his head and his eyes went wide at the sight of the suddenly appearing spirit. Although there was clear wariness in the face nestled between the leaves, its form was not unrecognizable.

Since it looked similar to descriptions he had seen in books, Agniele, having identified the entity without difficulty, instinctively raised his arm. To think that a being one might not see even once in a lifetime is here—

Agniele belatedly remembered that spirits are highly cautious. Just as he was about to withdraw his arm, the spirit emerged completely from the gap in the trees and thrust its head in front of Agniele.

After turning its head this way and that as if observing him and circling around Agniele’s body once, the spirit finally broke into a mischievous smile and soared high into the air. It had judged that not only was Agniele’s fundamental energy good, but there was also no murky darkness in the path of life he had drawn. It decided he was someone it did not need to be wary of.

Most of all, the spirit loved the natural heat Agniele possessed, so it lightly rubbed its body against the top of Agniele’s head and left behind a flower petal it had been holding as a gift. Then, it fluttered toward Ensi, who was now a familiar presence. Sensing the spirit’s approach, Ensi reached out his arm in advance.

The spirit, sitting on the hand that came out to meet it, blew a small breath as Ensi’s face drew near, creating a tiny spark of fire.

“Pranks later. For now, get used to his energy.”

Because he is someone who might come here often.

At Ensi’s whisper, swallowing the last part, the spirit tilted its head and then laughed.

“Agniele, I would appreciate it if you kept this child a secret.”

“Are not those who can handle spirits rare?”

“I don’t ‘handle’ this child.”

Ensi demonstratively took a Sun Grass stalk from a vase and handed it to the spirit. As if to say that the spirit was here purely because it was attracted to the Sun Grass, not because of him. Since that was the truth, Ensi had no hesitation in revealing the inner details.

“……I see. I understand.”

At Agniele’s promise to keep it a secret, Ensi’s eyes crinkled into a smile. Then, he turned his gaze back to his book.

In the meantime, the spirit used Ensi’s body as a playground. Starting from the arm holding the book, passing the shoulder, pressing close to his cheek, and climbing to the top of his head, the spirit then slid down Ensi’s long hair like a slide.

Ensi felt the spark, like a candle flame burning in the middle of the night, moving frantically across his body, but he let it be. He had grown used to it over the past few days, and Donovan had advised that the more he became friends with the spirit, the higher the chance it would help him in the future.

However, since those were sights Agniele was seeing for the first time in his life, he couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.