Chapter 679: Eleonor’s Garden

Kael woke to sunlight streaming through the curtains and found Sylphie sitting near the window, tying back her white hair. She was already dressed but hadn’t left the room yet. When she noticed he was awake, she finished tying her hair and approached the bed.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes." Kael sat up and carefully moved his left shoulder. The stiffness he felt upon waking had eased considerably, although there was still a tender spot near the scar. "Were you waiting for me?"

"You said we were going to take care of the garden beds."

"I remember."

"Then we can have breakfast first."

Kael looked toward the window. The south garden received plenty of sunlight at that hour, but the tree Eleonor had planted still kept part of the path in shade. He could make out the patch of soil where they had worked the day before.

"I want to see if anything’s happened."

Sylphie smiled. "There won’t be any flowers yet."

"I know. I want to see if the soil is all right."

She took his hand as he stood. "Then let’s have a look before breakfast. I just don’t want to hear any complaints when you discover that a seed is still a seed."

Umbra answered from the shadow near the wardrobe. "I do."

Kael ignored the comment and finished getting dressed.

The garden was almost empty when they arrived. The gardener had begun working in a more distant part of the property, and the tools they had used the day before were still stored in the small shed. Kael walked to the first garden bed and crouched to examine the soil. The surface was slightly dry, but when he brushed aside a thin layer with his fingertips, he found enough moisture just beneath it.

Sylphie knelt beside him and repeated the movement in another spot.

"This one doesn’t need much water. The bed near the path will dry out faster because it gets sunlight for almost the entire day."

"And the one beneath the tree?"

"Let’s check."

Kael stood and went to the third bed. A few leaves had fallen onto the soil during the night, but there was no sign that birds had disturbed the area. He carefully removed the leaves and checked the moisture near the edge.

"It’s still quite damp here."

Sylphie nodded. "Then we don’t need to water this one now."

"You said we were going to water all three."

"I said we were going to take care of all three. If you add too much water, the seeds could rot."

Kael looked at the watering can they had left near the shed.

"Then one of my three tasks is already complete without me having to do anything."

"Not exactly. You checked the soil and found out it didn’t need watering."

"I’ll consider that a satisfactory result."

Sylphie went to fetch the watering can while he continued examining the bed beneath the tree. The small board the nameless man had written on remained firmly in place near the path. Kael noticed that it was leaning slightly and adjusted its position, taking care not to press down on the soil where they had planted the seeds.

When Sylphie returned, he took the watering can and started with the bellflower bed. He poured the water slowly, watching how the soil absorbed it. On his first attempt, he tilted the can a little farther than he should have and opened a small furrow in the surface.

Sylphie touched his arm.

"Slower."

"I can see that."

"You’re trying to finish quickly."

Kael reduced the angle of the watering can. "It’s water. I didn’t imagine it would require so much technique."

"You just need to avoid pouring it all in the same place."

He watered the rest of the bed more carefully. When he finished, he moved to the area near the path, where the soil was drier. Sylphie asked him to moisten one edge first to see how the water spread. Kael followed her instructions and noticed that this section absorbed water much faster than the previous one.

"Now I understand."

"Good. You can finish."

After putting away the watering can, Kael wiped his hands on a cloth and looked over the three garden beds again. The soil looked practically the same as it had the day before, except that now he knew where they had planted each species.

"Will we have to do this every day?"

"Check them, yes. Watering depends on the weather and the soil."

"Then tomorrow I’ll check them first."

Sylphie smiled. "That’s a good idea."

A voice came from the path behind them.

"Have you started already?"

The nameless man was approaching with Seraphine. He carried the animal book under his arm and a small folded sheet of paper in his hand. As soon as he reached them, he went straight to the board marking his garden bed.

Kael pointed at the soil.

"Nothing’s sprouted yet."

"I know."

The man crouched and examined the surface for a few seconds. Then he looked at Sylphie.

"Does it need water?"

"We’ve already watered it. It’s better to leave the soil alone now."

He nodded, took the sheet of paper from his pocket, and made a note.

Seraphine approached to see what he was writing.

"Are you recording what happens to the garden bed?"

"Yes. Yesterday I planted the seeds. Today the soil was damp, and there still weren’t any plants."

Kael looked at the sheet. It had two dates, each accompanied by a short sentence, with spaces left for the following days.

"Are you going to keep writing until the flowers appear?"

"I want to try."

"It might take two weeks," Sylphie reminded him.

"Then I’ll use more paper."

Kael smiled faintly. Seraphine asked to see the sheet and suggested that he also record when it rained, since that could change how often the bed needed watering. The man added a small column beside the dates.

When they finished, Sylphie invited them both to breakfast. The man wanted to leave his book on the bench so he wouldn’t have to carry it to the dining room, but Kael suggested that he could take it to his room. He thought for a moment and decided to bring it with him instead.

Eleonor was already seated at the table when they arrived. She had set aside the documents she usually reviewed during breakfast and was speaking with a staff member about replacing some wooden boards on a veranda in the west wing. The staff member withdrew as soon as they entered, and Eleonor looked at Kael’s hands.

"Did you go to the garden before eating?"

"I went to check the garden beds."

"Did you find anything?"

"Soil."

Umbra emerged behind his chair. "Lots of soil. No flowers."

Eleonor looked at Sylphie, who was pouring herself some tea.

"I imagine you’ve already explained that seeds don’t grow overnight."

"I have."

"More than once," Umbra added.

Kael pulled out a chair. "I didn’t ask when they were going to sprout. I just wanted to check whether they needed watering."

"That’s different," Eleonor acknowledged.

Seraphine sat beside the nameless man, who opened his book on the table before realizing there wasn’t enough room between the plates. He closed it and placed it on an empty chair. Then he chose some bread, eggs, and fruit.

Eleonor watched them for a moment before turning back to Kael.

"Do you remember the bench that used to stand beneath that tree?"

"No. There’s a bench there now, but I think it was put there later."

"It was. The first one broke when you were little."

Kael looked up.

"Did I break it?"

"Not by yourself."

Sylphie lowered her cup.

"Now I’m interested."

Eleonor seemed pleased to have everyone’s attention.

"He and two other children decided they could reach a branch if they put the bench on top of some stones. The bench toppled before any of them could climb up."

Kael frowned. "I don’t remember that."

"I remember being told that three children were covered in dirt and that the gardener wanted to know who would pay for a new bench."

Umbra looked at Kael.

"You were already causing trouble in the garden."

"I didn’t climb on anything today."

"You’re improving."

Sylphie laughed, then looked back at Eleonor.

"Did he manage to reach the branch?"

"Not that day. The following week, he found another way."

Kael ran a hand over his face.

"I must have been a rather annoying child."

"You asked too many questions and rarely accepted the first answer," Eleonor said. "You haven’t changed much in that respect."

"Thank you, Grandmother."

"That wasn’t criticism."

Eleonor took a sip of tea and returned to her meal. Kael tried to recall something about the old bench, but could only vaguely remember a hot afternoon in the garden, with children running between the trees. He didn’t know whether it was the same occasion or simply another memory from that time.

After breakfast, he decided to ask the gardener whether any records of the old changes to the garden still existed. Sylphie accompanied him toward the dining room exit, but when she heard his question, she caught his arm.

"Why do you want the records?"

"I want to know what the garden looked like when my grandmother planted the tree."

"You could ask her."

"She was telling the story about the bench. She might not remember every detail."

Sylphie thought for a few seconds.

"Then we can ask for an old drawing, if one exists. But we’re not turning this into a three-day investigation."

Kael looked at her.

"It’s the mansion’s garden."

"Exactly."

The gardener found two old drawings in a small drawer in the shed. Neither was very detailed. One showed the layout of the paths before the artificial pond was built; the other, made a few years later, already included the tree Eleonor had planted, marked as a sapling with a broad canopy.

Kael took the papers to the bench near the pond, where Sylphie sat beside him. They compared the drawings with the garden as it was now and noticed that almost all the paths had changed position. The old bench had stood closer to the wall, in a place where shrubs now grew.

"It was here," Kael said, pointing to a line on the drawing.

Sylphie looked at the spot.

"Then your grandmother was right. Before the tree grew, this path must have been in the sun all day."

Kael carefully folded the papers.

"She was right about something else, too."

"What?"

"I really didn’t remember much of anything here."

Sylphie looked at him, waiting for him to continue. Kael spent a few seconds watching the pond before speaking again.

"When I think of the mansion, I remember the meeting rooms, the training courtyard, and the corridors leading to the exits. I don’t remember sitting here when I was a child."

"You can ask Eleonor more about it, if you want."

"I will."

He returned the drawings to the gardener and went back to the bench. Sylphie took off her boots and rested her feet on the grass, stretching her legs out in front of her. Kael watched the elf for a few seconds and did the same.

"Are you copying everything I do today?" she asked.

"No. I just realized the bench is more comfortable this way."

"Then enjoy it."

They remained there until nearly midday. Seraphine passed along the path with the nameless man, who stopped to check the board marking his garden bed again before continuing to the library. Umbra appeared a few times to comment on the birds landing near the pond and, when she realized no one intended to leave, settled into the tree’s shadow.

Kael rested his head against the back of the bench.

"We could bring lunch out here."

Sylphie turned toward him.

"You want to eat in the garden?"

"It’s a pleasant day. And that bench near the wall has enough room for four people."

She smiled. "We can ask Seraphine and the other man if they’d like to join us."

"Ask them. I’ll let the kitchen know."

Kael stood and walked toward the mansion without hurrying. As he passed the bellflower bed, he checked the soil once more but didn’t touch it.

There still weren’t any flowers.

He already knew there wouldn’t be.

Even so, he was satisfied with that morning’s work and with the idea of spending the rest of the day there.