For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 21 - The Synopsis Is Excellent

#21. The Synopsis Is Excellent

Being relentless about something sometimes leads to stubbornness and arrogance. Lia had been avoiding Perth desperately lately. Every time she treated him coldly, she felt more miserable. It was even worse whenever he tried to apologize.

It was May who advised her to ignore Perth. Her opinion was that if he didn’t understand, she had to show him through actions until he could. At first, she had to avoid him forcibly, but now she was persisting with stubbornness and arrogance.

Every time he came to apologize, Perth’s expression showed genuine ignorance of what he had done wrong. It became more and more certain in her mind that Perth wouldn’t understand herself as she spoke.

“Expression.”

“Yes?”

Kevin’s voice suddenly broke Lia’s reverie. He was hanging from a large tree in the oasis area. He had come for a field investigation after receiving reports of unknown fungi sprouting from the trees.

As Lia looked up, he was, as usual, frowning down at her. Though it wasn’t clear from a distance, he was pointing at her forehead with his finger.

“Why do you walk around with wrinkles on your forehead these days? Do you want wrinkles at your age?”

“You know you shouldn’t talk about wrinkles to a lady, right?”

“That’s why I’m telling you to smooth out your expression.”

Touching her forehead lightly, Lia smiled. Kevin’s kindness was truly hard to fathom. He could just ask if she had any worries or what was wrong lately. Instead, he chose to point out her expression.

However, lately, working together on Miracle of the Deserts research, she had come to understand him little by little. Despite his rough and peculiar personality, he was thorough in his work. His passion for plants was also remarkable. Sometimes he would get so engrossed in work that he would forget to eat, making Lia’s deliveries futile. He was eccentric in character, but in terms of work, he was a boss to learn a lot from.

“Because of Mr. Perth?”

He asked as he jumped down from the large tree. Instead of answering, Lia brushed off the dust on her clothes. Though her clothes wouldn’t get dirty even if left alone, he just watched her do it silently.

“Plants in the oasis area seem to have problems more often than expected.”

“Whether there’s too little water or too much, it’s still a problem.”

She turned the conversation bluntly. Even Kevin, who was oblivious, could tell. She didn’t want to bring up Perth. Since dining with Prince Alfonse, her expression had consistently been dark.

Whenever there was a gap, she could see Perth lurking around the greenhouse. He must have planted some informants inside the greenhouse, considering how he always knew when she had breaks. Anyway, Kevin didn’t like that about Perth. Always wants to know everything and thinks with his head only.

Following rumors of Perth and Lia dating, it was now rumored that the two had broken up and Perth was hanging on. Kevin didn’t care to know about rumors concerning the two, but since no one in the greenhouse didn’t talk about it, he couldn’t help but be aware.

Lia, the person involved, remained silent whether she heard the rumors or not. It was certain that she was more engrossed in work than before. And the smiling face she occasionally showed seemed to disappear. Of course, she didn’t often display such behavior in front of Kevin. Somehow, Kevin didn’t like the way she seemed to be contemplating something.

“Mr. Kevin, thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s not resolved yet. Find out the cause first and then come back. Have you been watering the trees separately other than the regular rain?”

“No. There hasn’t been anything other than regular rain.”

“Then check if other nearby trees are showing the same symptoms. Let me know if you find anything else.”

The Oasis area manager bowed to Kevin. But as usual, he didn’t acknowledge the greeting. The manager didn’t seem to be bothered and turned away. However, his gaze lingered on Lia for a moment. He noticed a hint of curiosity in that look, but Lia deliberately ignored it.

Lia had sensed rumors circulating about Perth and her for a while now. There were even ridiculous rumors about her rejecting Perth and him being hung up on her. Even employees who weren’t particularly close seemed to want to ask her about the truth. But with Kevin right next to her, they couldn’t easily approach her.

Originally, she was supposed to go back to her department and work, but recently, Kevin had a lot to research, so he asked her to work with him in the tent. So, they didn’t get a chance to ask her, which only increased their curiosity. 

Kevin’s footsteps back to the tent were very fast. Whether he knew or not about the fact that he was at least a head taller than her, he always walked that fast. Lia stretched out her feet desperately to keep up with Kevin.

As they left the oasis area, it was a vast desert area. Lia’s steps began to lag. Although she had become accustomed to the path she had been walking for almost a month, catching up with Kevin’s steps was insufficient.

“What was tonight’s menu?”

Kevin, who suddenly felt hungry as he walked, asked. But there was no response. When he turned around, he saw Lia coming from afar, struggling to walk. He had forgotten to adjust his walking speed lost in thought. Kevin stood still for a moment and watched Lia walking hard.

“In any case, she works hard at whatever she does.”

Already small but far away, she looked like a worker ant. What was the point of working so hard in such a refined noble environment? What exactly was she trying to prove by striving for recognition of her abilities?

He watched absentmindedly as she drew closer. Kevin couldn’t pinpoint where his curiosity originated from. He just felt something stirring inside him as she approached slowly, very slowly.

“You waited for me? Now that I’m here, can we go?”

“Just come a bit closer.”

“Why?”

Even as she questioned, Lia took another step forward. Finally, the distance between Kevin and her became close enough to almost touch.

“Just follow me at this distance. Don’t fall behind.”

Kevin turned around first and started walking. Lia followed suit shortly after. It wasn’t hard to keep up with him this time, as he matched her pace. 

“Anyway, it’s hard to know.”

“What did you say?”

“It’s just a mutter.”

* * *

After finishing the meal and leaving the dining hall, Lia looked around at the entrance. She didn’t see Perth, who used to wait for her there every day. It seemed he had finally given up on apologizing to her. When he waited, it was hard not to notice him, but now that he wasn’t there, she didn’t feel good either.

“You give up quickly.”

After spitting out a sarcastic remark, she headed straight to the dormitory without hesitation. Throughout the walk back, Lia grumbled and gossiped about Perth. Although she spoke like that, a somewhat resentful feeling kept rising in one corner of her heart. She found it strange to be upset with him. 

She thought she was heading back to the dormitory, but when she stopped her steps and looked around, she found herself in the middle of the yard. And right in front of her was the place where Perth and she had dined together. It was hard to understand why she had suddenly come there. Even stranger was that her steps didn’t falter.

She stood there for a while, gazing at the spot where the two of them had dined once. The flowers she had nurtured during their first meal were already withered. All that remained were traces of petals on the ground. The once tidy and beautiful appearance seemed like a dream now.

Lia had a secret about her ability that only she knew. Her emotions were heavily reflected in the plants she grew. When she was happy, even plants that couldn’t bloom would bloom one after another. At that time, it was clear that emotions had unconsciously entered. Joyful, excited emotions.

“I can’t understand.”

The sun was about to set, casting a glow over the yard. Although there was no flower blooming, the sunset made the yard beautiful. Lia decided to sit down where she always sat with Perth. Anyway, her clothes wouldn’t get dirty, so it didn’t matter. The palms of her hands felt cold against the ground. It seemed like it had been a while since she watered the yard, as the soil between her fingers felt dry.

“It seems like I should water it soon.”

Plip. As if hearing Lia’s words, a drop of water fell from the sky.

“Rain…?”

Before she could even think about avoiding it, droplets of water began to fall one by one. Then, the clear sky turned cloudy as if it were lying. And it was directly above the yard. It was clear that someone with abilities was deliberately making it rain.

“Watch out!”

The moment Lia thought she should flee, there was a hand reaching out to grab her. With her arm grabbed, she had to run aimlessly. The raindrops, which had been falling one or two at a time, quickly turned into a downpour. The rain was so heavy that she couldn’t open her eyes properly.

She had to follow the person who grabbed her without hesitation. Only when they entered the corridors of the palace could she see ahead. As she wiped the rainwater off her face, she felt a chill. In just a short time, she had been drenched by so much rain. Her entire body was soaked, although her clothes weren’t dirty, they were wet.

“Are you okay?”

It was only now that Lia realized who the person was who had grabbed her arm. It was Perth, whom she had just been thinking about. From his long hair to his clothes, everything was soaked. He was worried about Lia without even considering wiping the water off his glasses.

“Yes, I’m fine. You’re all wet too, Mr. Perth.”

Finally, Perth patted his body. It was only for a moment, but because of the heavy rain, he was thoroughly soaked, revealing the contours of his body. He had looked stronger than she expected, who she thought would only sit at a desk doing paperwork. Unconsciously, Lia blushed as she looked at his body.

He quickly wiped off the water on his clothes. Then, realizing there was nowhere to wipe the water off his glasses, he roughly shook them. Following suit, Lia also shook her clothes. It seemed like they would have to go back to the dormitory to change clothes. Her wet body was giving her goosebumps.

“Are you cold?”

With the question, Perth’s hand reached out in front of her. Lia instinctively avoided his hand.

“Just a moment… I was going to check if you have a fever.”

Perth, who had now taken off his wet gloves, was unexpected. It was unusual for someone who didn’t like to touch others to offer warmth with his hands. When Lia avoided him, she glimpsed a slightly hurt expression through his wet glasses. She had thought he couldn’t get hurt. But seeing that fleeting expression bothered her, so Lia didn’t avoid his outstretched hand again.