There is ample space; No need to sit next to anyone.
I sat on the only sofa between the two long sofas.
“Archduke, have you waited too long?”
He smiled and nodded, “Yes, I waited about an hour.”
“Then why didn't you leave?”
Reinhardt looked at me, his eyes shining, “It is customary to wait when meeting someone important.
Besides, the Duke kept me busy.”
As I expected, it was all just a pretense on his part.
As soon as I began to feel Eric's usefulness for the first time since my setback, I asked Reinhart, "So where's the peach tree?"
Naturally, I intended to move the tree to my villa.
“Oh, we haven't got it yet.”
Reinhardt answered my question spontaneously.
Are you kidding me now?
At that moment, Reinhardt smiled and said: “To plant it, we need permission from the landowner.”
Oh, I forgot this basic fact.
Although flowers may seem trivial, trees are considered royalty.
When exchanging trees for gifts, it was customary to fill out ownership transfer documents and obtain permission.
“Okay, show me the documents, please.”
He approached me carrying the documents, kneeling down and presenting them to me with some formality.
“There she is”
Although it seemed excessive for a simple delivery, I accepted the documents.
“Now, time to review...”
While I was examining the transfer documents, I frowned.
Reinhardt was standing awkwardly next to me, looking at the documents.
“Archduke, why don't you get up?”
He laughed lightly, leaning against the back of the sofa, “Oh, if you have any questions, let me know right away.”
What is he planning?
I'm not quick-witted, but I knew Reinhardt was up to something.
As I watched Reinhardt, I thought to myself: What kind of plan is he hatching?
He seems to have a goal of showing off his handsome looks...
With his platinum blond hair shining like the moon, his slightly drooping golden eyes, and his delicate features, he was undoubtedly the most sought-after groom in the upper class.
But the problem is that I was so used to seeing a perfect face that I couldn't compare it to anything else, namely my husband, Eric Lennon Brant.
Honestly, this guy is undoubtedly handsome.
In fact, I don't remember seeing anyone more attractive than Eric, at least among the nobility.
Oh, when you think about it, there's only one person more handsome than Eric.
My son, Demian.
I had silly thoughts for a moment.
Whether Reinhardt gives me a gift or not, there's no need to cross the line.
I rejected Reinhardt's charm, and expressed my feelings.
“It's exhausting.
Please go back to your seat.”
Although it was not a request, but an order, Reinhart returned to his seat happily and with a smile.
There seems to be something strange.
I carefully examined the transportation documents to see if he had deceived me.
Then Reinhardt called me: “Your Highness, are there any items that you do not understand?”
I furrowed my eyebrows at his words.
Does he think I'm illiterate so I don't understand?
And why does he constantly call me “Your Highness”?…
In the empire, when a woman married, she followed her husband's status.
It is a rule in the social hierarchy.
This also applies to me, the princess, as the nobles used to call me “Duchess Brant.”
Last time, I didn't notice my lack of experience, but… this is really strange, isn't it?
While the Empress, who hated Erich, continued to call me Princess, Reinhart had to call me “Duchess Brandt.”
However, he showed me respect and acted as if I was superior to him, which made me feel uncomfortable for no reason.
And...twenty trees?
This is exaggerated.
One tree would have been an easy gift, but twenty trees is the equivalent of a small farm.
If I received a gift like this, it would undoubtedly be the talk of the town.
Instead of signing a document, I expressed my opinion.
“I thought it was just one tree, but this number is too many.
I cannot accept this.
I have no place to plant it.”
“If it is land owned by Your Highness, it must be very spacious.”
What nonsense!
I was planning to plant it in the palace.
Okay.
The reason I wanted so much to receive the peach trees was because they were planted in Duke Brant's damned palace.
I can pick it at any time and see my mother-in-law's wrinkled face.
This was why I wanted to accept these peach trees from this hateful man.
If I had said that I had received it as a gift from Archduke Reinhardt, my mother-in-law would not have been able to refuse it, and I thought it would be a truly wonderful gift.
But, when one tree turns into twenty trees, its disadvantages outweigh its advantages.
There was no reason to accept it.
I looked at Reinhardt and said:
“There's no need for all this trouble.
Let's not accept this gift.”
Upon hearing this, Reinhardt sighed, took the documents, and put them in the bag he had brought.
“Since Your Highness is so insistent, I guess there is no other choice.”
Then Reinhardt looked at me and smiled brightly.
“In that case, I will give you at least one tree.”
“There is no need for that, Archduke.”
By the way, it wasn't me talking.
Eric, who had been silent all this time, suddenly interrupted.
Wait, it would have been okay if I had just one tree.
Why is he making all this fuss?
Could it be because his mother doesn't like it?
When I narrowed my eyes and stared at him,
Knock-!
Knock-!
Hearing a knock, Eric replied, “Come in.”
After a while, servants entered carrying baskets full of something.
My eyes widened in surprise.
“Huh?”
Peaches and apricots, plums too?
As I watched all my favorite fruits being brought out, Eric's laughing voice rang out.
“When it comes to fruit, we have plenty.”
Even in my moment of confusion, I noticed something strange.
“Wait, this fruit is not in season now, is it?”
Now it's May.
In the Empire, harvesting peaches and plums before July is unusual, unless you live in a warm southern country where they can be harvested year-round.
Is it imported?
Reinhardt seemed to have the same idea as me, so he furrowed his eyebrows before speaking.
“In the empire, the harvest season for peaches and plums has not yet come.
Did you import them from the Kingdom of Kurt?”
Unlike the peaches of the Empire, which are sweet and ripen slowly, the peaches of the Kingdom of Kurt are tasteless and spoil quickly.
Therefore, people used them to make jam more than eating them fresh.
Surely it's imported, right?
Well, even if it was imported, it didn't matter.
Just being able to eat peaches now was enough.
But Eric denied this.
“Is this possible?
They are all from the empire, I brought them from the orchards near the property you captured.”
"What?
Are peaches already available in an orchard near your property?
Is it possible that they are not in season now and you imported them instead?"
“The Glass House”
Eric interrupted Reinhardt's words, and spoke with a relaxed expression.
“Growing them in a greenhouse, the peaches ripened well.”
Ah, I've heard of such places.
Now that I think about it, the palace grows peaches in a greenhouse, so they can eat them all year round.
However, due to the high cost of glass and the complexity of construction, building a greenhouse was very expensive from the start.
Therefore, even if nobles built greenhouses, they usually kept them small enough to grow flowers.
But why did they suddenly plant peaches in the greenhouse?
While I was thinking, Eric talked to Reinhardt.
“It does not seem necessary to have peach trees that have not yet borne fruit, Archduke.
You see, our farm is never short of fruit.”
Only then did she realize Eric's intention and laughed.
Ah, that's it.
Nobles usually welcome expensive gifts, but if they are expensive, they think so.
“Do they see me as a beggar?”
This is what it means.
Moreover, even if it is a small gift, it can raise eyebrows.
Growing up as a member of the royal family, I was used to original gifts, but now I am the wife of a duke.
One might consider it a shame to receive such a gift from a man.
Eric, who is so intelligent, must have realized this long ago and tried to intercept her in advance.
Just in case, to prevent any inappropriate incidents between me and Reinhardt.