The problem wasn't Adelina. It was himself. From the moment he realized that she was different from other women, the times he'd catch himself watching her were increasing.
Since he wasn't called out to war just yet, now was the time to replenish his troops and carefully build a force that could fight against the Consort's influence. However, instead of doing all this, he continued to waste his time on useless emotions.
"Mm?"
When Ethan returned to his bedchamber, he came across a set of beautifully folded clothing and Elly, who seemed to be on her way out after having tidied up the room. When she saw that Ethan had returned, Elly bowed. She looked at the clothing and spoke.
"The Mistress told me she made some clothing and told me to send them to you. She told me I could get rid of them if the quality wasn't good enough, but I didn't see anything wrong with it, so I thought I would prepare it for you to wear tomorrow."
After Elly's explanation, Ethan's eyes turned back to the clothing.
What was there to be happy about in regards to his cold treatment of her? Why would she make him these clothes? Even if she gave these to him, there was no way he'd change his mind.
"The Mistress does not seem to be as bad as you think she is, Master."
Ethan's eyes turned sharp at Elly's words. Although the air around them seemed suffocating, Elly did not shrink away. Instead, she endured it and stood her ground.
"It hasn't been long since she's arrived, and you're already on her side?"
"Isn't she better than the Consort who escaped this place because she said she couldn't live here any longer?"
"Listen here, Elly! Watch your mouth!"
"She's switching out the servants who had been blinded by temporary wealth despite knowing it was wrong. And because she does not want to become like her mother, instead of physical punishments, she's intentionally making them do difficult tasks instead."
Even when Consort Min had lived here, Elly had more bitter remarks to say rather than good ones. Because of this, the Consort had begged the previous Master, Ethan's father, to get rid of Elly. This incident was well-known to those who lived within the house.
So how could this Elly be speaking about Adelina in such friendly terms?
Because of this, as he watched Adelina gradually spread her presence within the residence as she pleased, Ethan's curiosity was piqued along with a sense of hostility.
For a person who told him that she'd live as if she were dead if he married her, Adelina had been dazzling all the people around him while he wasn't looking.
"Take the clothes and leave."
"Master!"
"What are you doing, John? Take Elly and get out."
At Ethan's brusque command, John grabbed Elly. After blocking John from taking the clothes, Elly lowered her head and went outside. Left alone in his room, Ethan glanced down at the clothes Adelina had made for him.
He didn't remember a time when someone had intentionally made clothes for him. His clothes were made by the servants, and that had been enough.
Usually, if a woman presented him with clothes she had made him, he would have assumed she had ulterior motives and ordered his servants to throw it away. However, Ethan didn't order Elly to throw it away. He told her to take it and leave.
Was she doing this because she wanted to grab his interest?
"I want to walk alone."
As soon as he walked out of his bedchamber, a group of servants rushed over to him.
After they all left, Ethan began to walk towards the inner residence. He had planned on getting rid of the inner residence, the place that held traces of Consort Min. Adelina had entered the inner residence due to a marriage he never wanted, but to Ethan, it was a place worth less than nothing.
"Mistress, we can do this ourselves! If Elly-nim or Mona sees this, it'll create an uproar!"
"I'm the one who said I wanted to do this, so why would there be an uproar? Hong-ah, can you hand me that one over there?"
The long sleeves and skirts that the Consort had favored had disappeared and were now transformed into something that was easier to move in. The inner residence that had remained the same since the Consort had left it was showing some slight changes.
One of these changes was Adelina, who had her head wrapped in a towel as she planted an unknown plant outside.
When she finished the one she was working on, Adelina stretched out her hand. The child next to her diligently handed her another plant. After observing the child, Ethan realized that it was the boy he had seen on top of the wall.
Had she put him by her side after that incident?
He thought he was pretty difficult to figure out, but it seemed that Adelina was a complete mystery.
"Master!"
One of the servants anxiously standing by discovered Ethan and let out a cry. As she busily moved her hands, Adelina turned around when she heard that Ethan was here.
Because of her damp forehead as well as the dirt stuck to her hands and skirts, Adelina seemed very different from what he was used to seeing.
When Ethan waved his hand, the surrounding servants left. Hong-ah seemed to hesitate for a bit, but when Adelina assured him that she was fine with her eyes, he left as well.
"Didn't you tell me you'd live as if you were dead?"
When Ethan asked her this, Adelina observed his face. Although she did look a mess, she didn't look unpleasant.
"You never said I couldn't plant flowers. And I did all of this within the inner residence, so this isn't a problem, right?"
He felt this whenever they spoke, but Adelina had a way of clearly expressing her opinions in a quiet voice. At times, her demeanor reminded him of Consort Min. But sometimes, it seemed so familiar to him, but not in a way where it resembled his mother.
Ethan's gaze turned to the flowers.
She had planted them well. They were clustered together in a line. They were small now, but when they bloomed, they'd become a lovely sight. However, these flowers would bloom one year and die in the next. So what was the point of putting so much effort into planting flowers?
"Either way, they'll only bloom once before they die, right?"
"There are some that will turn into trees if you nurture them properly. The more care you give it, the lovelier the bloom. At first, they're small and weak, but you never know how they'll turn out."
Ethan had appeared all of a sudden and asked such a brusque question. Adelina didn't understand it, but it looked like their positions had reversed. It was usually Adelina who asked the questions and waited for Ethan's answers.
"It will take some time for the flowers to bloom in the trees, but the smaller flowers will bloom very soon. Of course, they will require some care, but once they've bloomed, this place will look a lot better."
Although she was covered in dirt, there was an unfamiliar liveliness about her. After her family had collapsed, she had lost everything. But right now, she seemed like a woman who had it all.
Although Ethan felt like his weaknesses were being exposed whenever he was with Adelina, instead of avoiding her, he met her head on.
"How did you manage to take control of the servants in the inner residence?"
Usually, Ethan wouldn't have asked a question like this. However, after having seen the bright light shine from within her, he couldn't help but become curious.
When she heard his question, Adelina's eyes widened.
Something strange stirred inside her. The wishes she had abandoned after her marriage slowly began to creep back.
She opened her mouth to tell him exactly what she'd done, but she quickly closed it again. She wanted to gain a little bit more of his interest.
"Why don't you take a guess?"
"What?"