For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 16 - Unexpected Questions

#16. Unexpected Questions

The Miracle of the Desert showed no signs of abating. Despite not receiving water for quite some time, the plants neither withered nor improved. Recognizing that patience was necessary as plants naturally take time to grow, Lia resolved to be more patient.

However, she wasn’t merely idle. She continued to pore over the records of those who had previously studied the Miracle of the Desert. Kevin had already mentioned that one species had dried up completely. When she requested data from him, he readily provided it. Surprisingly, despite expecting him to be standoffish, he graciously offered his research findings. 

As Lia flipped through page after page, her expression grew paler. Being a former deputy commander of the Knights, he wasn’t accustomed to report writing. Deciphering the hastily recorded information required effort.

“What are you looking at?”

Though she appealed to him with her eyes, Kevin seemed unwilling to explain the contents to her. He remained focused on his research into every plant in the desert. Today, Lia’s task was to assist Kevin in his research on the Miracle of the Desert. However, the issue was that he didn’t give her any instructions on what to do.

“Shall I tidy up your desk?”

He had spread out several books, with various research papers written in his distinct handwriting scattered on top.

“Don’t even think about touching anything.”

Thanks to him, Lia had nothing to do. She sat in the auxiliary chair beside his desk, deciphering research papers related to the Miracle of the Desert. After pondering for a while, she decided to give up on deciphering the text and opted to tackle the illustrations first. Fortunately, Kevin seemed to be adept at drawing.

Based on the drawings and a few decipherable characters, she deduced that the commonality when giving too much water was that the rot started from the base rather than the roots. The gradual appearance of black spots seemed to indicate mold due to inadequate drying. Kevin seemed to have conducted extensive research on the amount of water, especially given his apparent ability to summon rain. Apart from the miracle of the desert, there were also comparisons with other desert plants in the records. The densely written characters showed evidence of his contemplation.

As she furrowed her brow in interpretation, Kevin subtly glanced back at Lia. She’s trying to illuminate both the top and bottom due to the indecipherable characters. Kevin was aware of his handwriting, quickly catching on to what troubled her.

“What are you curious about?”

He asked casually, causing Lia’s expression to brighten instantly. Despite not treating her particularly kindly, her occasional smiles sometimes made him feel a fleeting sense of guilt.

“Just everything.”

However, she often ruined the moment by saying such provocative words. Kevin glanced at Lia before turning away once more.

“Your handwriting is so poor that it’s hard to decipher!”

“That’s a pretty ungrateful thing to say after handing over valuable material.” 

“Then read this, please. Plants that look like Miracle of the Desert.” 

“What good is knowing their names? Shouldn’t you be focusing on how to cultivate them?”

Lia’s lips immediately twisted at Kevin’s uncooperative attitude. However, there was no way Kevin would accommodate her. He continued to ignore her presence, engrossed solely in his work. Likewise, Lia reluctantly refocused on deciphering his handwriting.

“Could there be other issues besides water?”

Lia responded to Kevin’s muttered words. Although he ignored her response, he couldn’t ignore its content. If it wasn’t a water issue, could it be sunlight? However under the management of the climate adept, this greenhouse maintained a consistent temperature.

Lia, who had stealthily approached behind him, peeked over his shoulder at his data. Normally, Kevin would have been quick to anger, but lost in thought, he didn’t notice. Through the poorly written data and drawings, Lia understood his concerns.

“So, the large trees are wilting? It’s rare for trees to wither. Unlike grass, trees have sturdy roots.”

Roots? Her words triggered a memory, but he couldn’t be sure without further investigation. Hurriedly gathering his belongings, he headed towards the oasis where trees grew.

“Take me with you, Mr. Kevin!”

It was evident that Kevin had forgotten that he had assigned her to assist him for the day. To follow him as he disappeared, Lia had to hurry her steps.

* * *

The oasis was the most diverse area for desert climate plants to grow. With such diversity, it also required the largest number of staff from the Desert Climate Plant Management Department. Amidst everyone bustling around, Kevin appeared. 

Although he was the head manager, he ignored everyone’s greetings. However, this was not an isolated incident, and everyone continued with their work as usual. Seeing this, Lia couldn’t help but sympathize with her colleagues.

His halted steps were in front of a tree. It was a bit short to call it a large tree, but it stood twice as tall as both of them. The slightly pointed, round leaves were drying up one by one. Even though she already knew they were dry, it still felt bitter.

“I couldn’t tell the species from the picture, but it’s an olive tree.” 

Lia couldn’t hide her pained expression either. It was hard to believe that this sturdy tree could wither like this, especially considering it received thorough care in the greenhouse. It was even more surprising that the leaves had been left to wither like this.

“What on earth could be wrong?”

The answer didn’t come immediately. According to Kevin, water had been given regularly, and the temperature had been regulated by the climate adept, so there shouldn’t have been any issues. If there were, it would be the soil, but this was sand brought from the desert. After scrutinizing the olive tree for a while, Kevin began digging the ground as if he were insane.

“What are you doing?”

“Can’t you see? Digging.”

“But didn’t they say the sand was brought from the desert? It should be the same….”

“Right. But what I’m checking isn’t the soil.”

Seeing no point in just standing there, Lia grabbed a shovel. Although Kevin tried to dissuade her, concerned she might get hurt, she didn’t listen. She argued that she had to earn her keep somehow. Kevin, who gave up on stopping her, let Lia designate where to dig.

The two of them dug without much conversation apart from what was necessary. Despite wearing a necklace with temperature-regulating capabilities, it felt like they were sweating. Lia rolled up her sleeves and tied her skirt above her knees.

While digging, Kevin glanced briefly at Lia. Unlike when he initially dismissed her as a noblewoman, she showed determination now. Kevin’s heart was slowly softening towards her as he saw her perseverance. Of course, her blunt honesty, which would pop up without filter, would annoy him again, but he didn’t show it.

“I heard you have some kind of relationship with Mr. Perth.”

It was a somewhat brave attempt to throw a casual comment. However, Lia’s expression turned sour. She immediately stopped her vigorous digging and forcefully slammed the shovel into the ground.

“Do you believe in such baseless rumors?”

“Everyone seems to believe it’s true.”

“So, are you asking because you believe it’s true?”

“As a manager, it’s natural to manage rumors among subordinates. It’s one of the tasks of employee management.”

“Then don’t worry. I’ve decided to reduce my meetings with Mr. Perth from now on.”

So, it seemed that the rumor about them meeting steadily held some truth, rather than being entirely baseless. 

“Why does Mr. Perth want to meet you?”

“He wanted to inquire about something on behalf of the First Prince, so I helped him.”

Lia didn’t want to explain in detail. Neither about her family nor about her dealings with Perth. Fortunately, Kevin didn’t pry further. He silently concentrated on digging the ground again. 

Kevin felt something was off. Although Perth was the one who guided her into the palace, it felt like Perth and Lia were closer than him. And that fact made him uncomfortable for some reason. Perhaps it was because it felt like his subordinate was being forcibly sent under Perth’s wing. Kevin concluded this and tried to push away these distracting thoughts by continuing to dig.

After digging for a while without getting any proper results, it was time for lunch. The bell signaling lunchtime in the greenhouse started ringing. It was the gatekeeper ringing it. Lia, who had been stooping over due to digging, straightened her back with effort. It felt like her back would snap from the strain of digging for a while. However, she couldn’t show any sign of pain, fearing that Kevin would again dismiss her as a noblewoman.

“Let’s eat lunch first.”

“Yes.”

But Lia didn’t need to hurry. She usually had lunch appointments with Perth, but she received a messenger from him in the morning. It said they roughly finished questioning and now he would have lunch in his office, so she shouldn’t wait. She had intended to suggest reducing their meetings due to the rumors. However, hearing it from him first made her feel oddly disappointed.

Lia, who used to rush out for lunch as soon as it was lunchtime, was quiet now. There was no sign of her rushing to the dining hall. She just untied her skirt from around her knees and let down her sleeves. It seemed like the reason she used to leave quickly during lunchtime was because of Perth. 

Now that they decided to reduce their meetings, there was no one to eat lunch with. Maybe she had lost her senses for a moment due to digging for too long. Kevin blurted out something he had never thought of before.

“Want to eat together?”