For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 58 - Unexpected Disaster

#58. Unexpected Disaster

After consulting with May, Lia was troubled all night. She had to constantly ponder whether she met the conditions May had mentioned. As dawn broke and she came to a conclusion, she began to ponder how to convey this fact.

“Hey, you rested yesterday, why do you look like that?”

“I was thinking about how to grow the Miracle of the Desert yesterday….”

“Is it something to worry about so seriously?”

A lie slipped out naturally. Kevin looked concerned. However, Lia was too preoccupied with how to broach the subject to notice his expression.

“There’s only a month left now.”

“Yeah. There’s still a month left. Don’t worry ahead of time.”

Lia raised her head to look at Kevin. Kevin was a good person. When she was troubled, he offered comfort like this. It was puzzling how his initially prickly demeanor had disappeared.

“Thank you.”

Kevin smiled slightly at Lia’s thanks. Her heart fluttered at his smile. Last night, the result of her persistent worries was ‘no’. She didn’t know how to break the news to him. She had to speak up, to be honest about her feelings. 

“Mr. K-Kevin, um…”

“Yeah?”

Kevin’s inquiring voice felt oddly affectionate. Thinking so, she couldn’t speak even more. At that moment, as if to rescue Lia, the tent was lifted, and someone appeared.

“Mr. Kevin, it seems a guest is coming to the greenhouse.”

“A guest?”

His expression unmistakably soured. He wasn’t particularly sociable. The news of a stranger visiting wasn’t welcome.

“The Queen Mother personally invited this guest.”

“Oh? Who is it?”

The owner of this greenhouse was the queen. It was thanks to her that this greenhouse could exist and be maintained. No matter who Kevin was, he couldn’t disrespect the queen’s guest.

“She’s Lady Abigail Ferdinand.”

The familiar name surprised Lia. But Kevin merely nodded without much reaction.

“So, what should we prepare?”

“She hopes for a guided tour of the greenhouse.”

“From here?”

“Yes. Strangely, she wished to start from here.”

It was understandable. Kevin glanced at Lia. His expression didn’t look particularly cheerful. From their last visit to the Ferdinand Mansion, it seemed their relationship wasn’t cordial. He glanced at Lia discreetly.

“Are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

But Lia pretended not to notice. She was just an employee working in the greenhouse. She didn’t need to personally guide her as she wasn’t meeting her as Lady Penelope. However, having someone who disliked her coming to her workplace put her in a bad mood.

“I really can’t stand her.”

Lia muttered unconsciously. Ironically, it was Kevin who seemed to notice.

“I won’t be able to assist you today, so I’ll be at the oasis.”

“Alright, I understand.”

* * *

In truth, Kevin tended to be aloof towards others. However, after developing feelings for Lia, he discovered he could also anticipate others’ feelings. Seeing her behavior of checking for his reactions, he had a bad feeling. So, the visit of an unfamiliar guest was somewhat welcome. But if it was someone who made Lia feel bad, perhaps it would have been better if they hadn’t come. Especially in this situation.

“Mind your step.”

“Thank you, Mr. Perth.”

For some reason, Perth was guiding the guest invited by the queen. She wore a glamorous dress highly unsuitable for walking in the greenhouse. It seemed like she was about to stumble towards Perth every ten steps she took in her uncomfortable shoes.

“The sand here is really hard to walk on. Could you please hold my hand?”

Amidst many attendants, Abigail chose Perth, the prince’s aide, to guide her. Even her fiancé, the prince, wasn’t visible. Perth extended his gloved hand as usual. Abigail shyly placed her hand on his. Kevin guessed why things had turned out this way just by seeing her smile. Probably some high-born lady insisted on seeing the greenhouse with the prince’s aide. Perth remained his usual expressionless self.

“The oasis is the place where plants thrive in the desert climate. Shall we head there first?”

“Yes, of course. I’ve only seen oases in books, so I’m looking forward to it.”

She was a perfectly educated lady. It was obvious that her words were deliberately chosen to please everyone. There was no sincerity in her words. She was exactly the type Kevin disliked. But he didn’t show his aversion in front of others. However, it was lamentable that all he had to do as the head of the Desert Climate Plant Management Department was to guide an ignorant lady through the oasis.

“Wow, this is the oasis.”

The oasis area was where most people worked. Whether they had been forewarned about the visit of an unfamiliar guest or not, the workers stood up and greeted Abigail as she passed by. She graciously accepted everyone’s greetings with a smile. Kevin glanced around discreetly, searching for Lia. She wasn’t visible. It was clear that seeing Abigail would upset her.

‘I should’ve just told her to stay in the tent without doing anything.’

He discreetly searched for Lia with his eyes.

“This area has the most flowers blooming.”

“Even in the desert, so many flowers can bloom!”

Abigail genuinely seemed amazed by the many flowers. She had undoubtedly thought that not a single flower would bloom in the desert. She reached out her hand to touch the flowers in front of her.

“You shouldn’t touch them.”

At that moment, a somewhat cold voice was heard. Although obscured among the people, it was clear who it was as soon as they spoke. She pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.

“Lady Penelope.”

Lia glanced briefly at Perth, who was still holding Abigail’s hand. She undoubtedly had visited the Desert Climate Plant Management Department first to show this.

Kevin discreetly observed Perth’s reaction. He maintained his usual expression even after Lia’s appearance. However, his gaze continued to be directed towards Lia after she appeared. Instead of greeting Perth, Lia approached Abigail and spoke with the same cold tone as before.

“These flowers are poisonous. You shouldn’t touch them with bare hands.”

From Abigail’s expression, it was clear that meeting Lia was unpleasant. However, Abigail responded brightly to Lia’s remark.

“Oh, really? They look so pretty, yet they’re poisonous. How surprising. Isn’t that right, Mr. Perth?”

“Yes, indeed.”

As she stepped back from the flowers, she deliberately stood closer to Perth. It was a distance where she could easily reach him with a slight lean. Lia’s expression darkened even further.

“Lady, I apologize for not informing you in advance. Any plant inside here cannot be touched without the supervision of the caretaker. There’s also a possibility of damage if someone who isn’t an expert handles them recklessly.”

Kevin also intervened firmly with his voice. While he didn’t particularly appreciate her actions of recklessly touching the plants, one of the reasons he intervened was also because she had upset Lia. Seeing Kevin’s resolute attitude, Abigail pretended to be slightly intimidated.

“Oh my, I really didn’t know. Mr. Perth, could you please explain to them that my actions weren’t intentional?”

For a moment, Kevin’s eyebrows twitched involuntarily. It was a message that she didn’t want to speak directly with Kevin. There was a hint of disdain. 

“Lady Ferdinand isn’t aware of the greenhouse rules. Please forgive her.”

Perth apologized as requested by Abigail. Lia’s face heated up slightly when she saw him apologizing on her behalf. Kevin confirmed his suspicion from her reaction. Whether Lia was aware of her feelings or not, she was feeling jealous right now.

“…No, it’s fine. She might not be aware enough. Then, let’s continue this way.”

Kevin intentionally guided the group away from where Lia was working.

“Oops!”

“Be careful.”

As soon as they moved, Abigail stumbled. Perth caught her as she was about to fall as if it were a familiar action. He supported her throughout the journey, as she struggled to move properly.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright.”

Lia, still trembling, crouched down to resume her work before Abigail had even passed by. Perth seemed unaware of the whole situation. He, whom Kevin thought was smart, now seemed foolish. Kevin muttered so softly that no one could hear.

“He’s quite the social butterfly.”

* * *

Dig, dig.

“Lia.”

“….”

“Lia!”

“Yes!”

Lia, lost in her thoughts and digging into the ground, only snapped out of it after her name was called a few times.

“Why are you digging so deep? Are you planning to plant seeds there?”

The senior colleague working alongside her cautioned. Lia simply nodded apologetically.

“I’m sorry.”

Then she quickly covered the ground with soil. The plant she was planting only required a shallow hole. Lia couldn’t understand why she was so unsettled. 

It was a known fact that Abigail disliked her. But what made her feel worse was the fact that Perth was standing next to her, holding her hand even. He was someone who avoided physical contact. Of course, it could be just for escorting purposes, over his white gloves. But she didn’t like how he effortlessly caught Abigail, who stumbled. Despite him having done the same for her before. 

Moreover, though no one might have noticed when she pretended to fall into Perth’s arms at the end, she clearly mocked her. Even if she wanted to ignore it, she couldn’t after their eyes met. It felt like she was saying, ‘This is the difference between you and me.’

She couldn’t even remember how she spent the rest of that afternoon. Abigail seemed to have visited several places besides the Desert Climate Plant Management Department and left the greenhouse. Although Lia wasn’t particularly interested, everyone around kept talking about her.

“Isn’t she pretty? I thought so when we went to the mansion, but she’s like a doll.”

“She looks so good standing next to Mr. Perth, doesn’t she?”

“What are you talking about? Abigail is engaged to Prince Alfonse.”

“Forbidden love with her fiancé’s aide, how’s that?” 

They laughed and joked as if it were an amusing story. But Lia couldn’t laugh at all. It might not just be a joke or a prank.