Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, a soft, sweet scent floated to me. It wasn’t the fragrance of the garden flowers... but rather a tempting aroma, like milk, sugar, and cooked fruit simmering together.

What could it be at this hour? I tilted my head in curiosity just as my stomach growled. Oh, right—I had missed dinner. I’m hungry...

Unconsciously, I wandered toward the source of the scent...

“Ah! Lady Marie!”

From beyond the bushes appeared a plump cook with cream-colored hair—no, a cream-colored-haired cook—holding in his hands a pie larger than any I had ever seen.

“Oh... so this is the source of that smell, Toppo.”

Toppo nodded and offered the pie to me.

“Good timing! Toppo just baked an apple pie. Please, have some!”

“Huh?”

Being suddenly told to eat pie here was unexpected. And what did he mean he had just baked it?

The dining hall of Granado Castle was inside the mansion. The garden did have facilities for tea, barbecues, and even baking in an oven, but those were only for special events and buffet parties...

Ignoring my confusion, Toppo cut the pie and served it on a small plate with a fork.

“Look, Lady Marie, a masterpiece. Seven apples packed with plenty of butter, topped with heaps of whipped cream—a sweet treat. After you eat this, you won’t want apple pie from anywhere else.”

“...Toppo.”

“Please, eat it, eat it. It’s delicious.

—Because I’m a cook, this is all I can do to stop you...”

Toppo’s eyes slowly dropped. He looked about twice as thin as when we first met, worn down from his relentless trial and error preparing food for the engagement ceremony.

I accepted the apple pie from Toppo’s hands. I pierced it with the fork and took a bite...

“Delicious! It’s so good!”

Toppo looked up at me.

“Lady Marie...”

“It really is delicious. What a problem—now I can’t eat apple pie from anyone else... I really must have only the ones you make, Toppo...”

The apple pie was very sweet, with just a slight salty touch. I ate one slice and urged Toppo to have the rest. He ate it with tears streaming down his face.

“Delicious, delicious! Toppo’s apple pie is the best in the world!”

“Eat lots. The head chef of Granado Castle needs all the energy he can get. There are only a few days left until the engagement ceremony.”

For a brief moment, we enjoyed sweets and tea before I resumed walking.

Then—carried on the night breeze, a gentle floral scent finally reached me. Moonlight illuminated a rose obelisk floating in the darkness.

I was drawn toward it. I stepped on the soil in my glass slippers and approached the rose blossoms.

Beneath the elegant roses, a man was crouched down. Not large, but sturdy and built like a craftsman. He seemed to be weeding, working silently and dependably.

“...Johan.”

I called out to him, but he didn’t turn around. While working, he muttered:

“I won’t stop you.”

For a moment, sadness welled up inside me. But then I realized Johan’s voice was gruff yet warm and kind.

“Marriage isn’t the only happiness for a woman. If you’d be bound to a no-good man, it’s better to find a place where you can bloom on your own... Your master isn’t no good, but that’s your choice.”

Still crouched, he handed me a small leather pouch over his shoulder. It fit in one hand but felt heavy.

“Take this.”

I peeked inside... The first thing I noticed was tiny, elongated black-brown seeds. Flower seeds?

And then, below them, a pile of gold coins. My eyes widened.

“Jo-Johan, what’s this?”

“Cosmos. Originally wildflowers from a distant highland, but tough beyond what their delicate appearance suggests. They take root strongly in most places. If grown large, they tower beyond a person’s height... a strong flower.”

I wasn’t surprised by the seeds but listened silently to Johan’s words.

“I couldn’t make the woman I loved happy. I understand your wish to step back, and I understand your master’s feelings in letting go. There’s not only one way to live or love. There are flowers that bloom elsewhere, in different forms.