For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 63 - Vivo (2)

#63. Vivo (2)

Throughout the journey to the Miracle of the Desert, Lia kept looking back. She wasn’t sure if leaving Kevin behind was the right thing to do. But he seemed to not want to see her right now. Lia pondered on how she could comfort him.

She had never seen Kevin so upset at the end. She couldn’t just ask to return to how things were without knowing what he was receiving. Despite her determination not to cry, tears kept welling up. It should be Kevin who is sad, yet why were tears streaming from her own eyes? No matter how much she thought about it, she knew she wasn’t someone who deserved to hurt Kevin.

“Lady Lia.“

As she was heading to meet the Miracle of the Desert, she came face to face with the person who had taken her place to meet the Miracle of the Desert.

“Oh, hello.”

Lia hurriedly wiped away tears. But it seemed the other person had already noticed.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

“But right now…”

She forced a smile as if to say those tears were a misunderstanding. Seeing her suspicious gaze, the attendant stepped back and went on his way. Lia also passed him and approached the Miracle of the Desert she was in charge of.

Unlike other Miracle of the Deserts, the plant Lia was in charge of seemed vivid. It seemed correct to give it a water like mist. As she thought so, the image of Kevin, who had sprayed water like mist, came to mind. He had always cheered her on, saying she could do it. Lia gently touched the Miracle of the Desert, and the soft texture somehow comforted her.

“Grow up well.”

There wasn’t much time for rest. She had to get back to work soon, so Lia finished her brief greeting and got up from her seat.

* * *

Throughout the afternoon of work, Lia observed Kevin’s condition. Fortunately, he seemed fine. He seemed more lively than usual. However, finding an opportunity to talk to him like in the morning was difficult. Since she couldn’t ask if he was okay, Lia quietly continued her work. As she repeated simple labor, her mind cleared. As her body grew tired, her mind felt lighter.

“Let’s leave a little early today. You’ve all worked hard.”

Just as she felt her back might break, the dispersal order came. It was earlier than usual evening hours. Although she didn’t have to think about anything, in reality, she was too tired to want to think. She sat down and as she got up, every joint in her body screamed. It felt like her body had doubled in weight. She slowly made her way back to the dormitory.

“Lady Lia!”

Before she could even blink, suddenly she was face to face with Perth.

“How come you’re here…?”

“I was passing by and saw you staggering. Are you okay?”

“Oh, just felt a bit dizzy…”

With Lia leaning over, Perth immediately helped her up.

“It seems like you’re falling over every time.”

Meanwhile, Perth tidied up Lia’s messy hair. His touch was so gentle that her face softened a bit. Perhaps startled, her heart began to beat faster.

“I had a lot of work today.”

“I heard. You helped out in the agriculture department today.”

“Yes. I only did it for two days, but it’s like this. I imagine those who always do it must be tired.”

He reached out to wipe the dirt on Lia’s face.

“It’s okay. Your gloves are white, they’ll get dirty.”

Lia quickly withdrew her hand, evading. Perth’s expression stiffened slightly, seemingly disliking her subtly distant attitude. But just as quickly, he put on a smile as if nothing had happened.

“It’s okay if the gloves get dirty.”

He seemed to be getting more and more cheerful. The initially indifferent Perth seemed to have disappeared somewhere. Anyone who knew him originally would be surprised to see him now.

“Have you thought about what I said?”

He abruptly brought up the question she had been avoiding. Lia, who hadn’t expected him to ask such a question at this time, stuttered and couldn’t give a proper answer.

“That, that’s…”

“I’m not like Kevin, I don’t give you a month to think it over. I’d appreciate it if you made a decision quickly.”

He intentionally stepped closer, pressuring Lia. It felt like if she didn’t answer right away, it wouldn’t be good.

“B-but you should give me time to think too!”

“This isn’t something to think about.”

“Why isn’t it something to think about? I should think about it and answer.”

“Just think simply. Whether I’m good or not.”

“But being ‘good’ can mean different things. It could just be as a friend!”

As Perth persisted, Lia, in turn, got angry. Listening to her, Perth pondered deeply.

“That could be true.”

Seeing Perth lost in thought, Lia slowly calmed her mind. Pressing too much was making it harder to think clearly. If he asked if he was good or not, of course he was. The issue was what kind of ‘good’ it was. She had been meeting him almost every day since coming to the palace. Even when he visited the mansion, she hadn’t expected to get this close. She had become accustomed to him, to the point of becoming insensitive, but he was still strikingly handsome every time she saw him.

“Lady Lia?”

Lia suddenly realized she had been staring at Perth absentmindedly. Feeling his gaze on her, Perth lowered his eyes and met hers. Her eyes seemed unfocused, lost in thought. Every time this happened, he felt like he wanted to peer into her mind. Perth leaned in slightly, bringing his face closer. Until their breaths touched, Lia couldn’t gather her wits. She was just thinking that Perth seemed to have well-shaped eyelashes. 

“What are you thinking?”

He playfully blew a breath into her ear, making Lia squirm with a ticklish yet peculiar sensation. 

“What are you doing!”

“You have too many gaps, Lady Lia.”

Perth slowly straightened up, speaking with a rather worried expression. Although he said it playfully, he meant it. He was worried that someone else might take advantage of the innocent young lady while she let her guard down.

“Don’t overthink it. Just think about whether you still want to see me in the future.”

“What do you mean? If I reject you, it seems like I won’t see you anymore.”

“That’s exactly it. I’m not shameless enough to keep appearing in front of Lady Lia after being rejected.”

It was like a bolt from the blue. Lia felt that his words, implying not seeing each other again if she rejected him, were close to a threat. Although it hadn’t been long since they met, he had always been there for her. Just thinking about a time without him made tears well up.

“C-cheesy.”

Seeing Lia already on the verge of tears, Perth gently raised his hand to her face.

“Yes, I am a cheesy person.”

Although he couldn’t fully predict what choice she would make, he could easily anticipate that his own words of not seeing her again would weaken her. He was sensitive to her reactions, even if others weren’t. All he had to do was wait and gently wipe away the flowing tears.

“What will you do? I want to hear your answer.”

He didn’t want to pretend to be a good person like Kevin. Lia seemed to want to think of him as a good person. That’s why he was satisfied with just being a good person. Even if it was a cowardly and sneaky way, he just wanted to keep her by his side for now. Her true feelings would eventually turn to him. Perth was desperate for Lia in that regard.

“I… “

“Mr. Perth!”

Just as Lia was about to speak, a voice calling Perth came from behind. Being interrupted at such an important moment left him feeling displeased. He turned around with a harsh expression.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s serious. There seems to be a problem in the greenhouse.”

“A problem in the greenhouse? Then why are you coming to me instead of going to the greenhouse manager?”

“T-the problem happened to be with ‘Miracle of the Desert’!”

At the mention of the Miracle of the Desert that she managed, Lia’s expression stiffened. There shouldn’t be any problems. She had checked during the day.

“What do you mean?”

“Queen Mama came out for a walk to see the Miracle of the Desert, and it happened to be chosen.”

At the employee’s words, Perth tightly closed his eyes. If the queen was involved…

“Chosen?”

“Lady Lia, let’s go to the greenhouse for now.”

The employee, who was just delivering the message, was questioned fiercely by Lia. Perth reassured her and led her towards the greenhouse. The longer they delayed, the worse the situation became. If it were just a problem with the Miracle of the Desert, it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but the fact that the discoverer was the queen made it all the more serious.

When he first brought Lia here, the Miracle of the Desert was just an excuse. But the queen’s fondness for it was not a lie. Since the entire greenhouse belonged to her, discovering a problem with the plant she cherished most must have made her furious to the core. 

Perth glanced at Lia’s expression. It didn’t look good; she seemed to anticipate trouble ahead. Whatever the problem was, Lia, as the responsible party, would inevitably be affected. Their pace quickened involuntarily.

* * *

Upon arriving at the greenhouse, they saw a gathering of people. It seemed that as soon as the problem arose, all the managers were summoned. Today happened to be a day when everyone had dispersed early. There was talk of an issue in the greenhouse. The two hurried to where the Miracle of the Desert was located. Kevin was there too. His expression showed that he had already grasped the situation. As they navigated through the crowd, they saw unfamiliar faces standing next to the Miracle of the Desert, people they had never seen before. Among them, one person seemed recognizable from their attire.

“We greet Queen Mother.”

“We greet Queen Mother.”

The two hurriedly greeted. However, the queen’s mood was not good enough to accept greetings willingly. A maid by her side promptly whispered something into the queen’s ear, likely informing her of Lia’s status. But even so, her expression didn’t soften.

“Lady Penelope, is it true that you are in charge of the Miracle of the Desert?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“And currently, you are responsible for these roots. Is that correct?”

Lia turned her head following the queen’s finger. It was precisely where she had been nurturing the Miracle of the Desert separately. Due to a different watering method, she had been keeping one set of roots separately. But now, those roots were overturned. The leaves were facing downwards, and the roots were pointing towards the sky. It was evident that someone had forcibly pulled them out and placed them back. Lia took a deep breath, then exhaled heavily.

“Yes.”