The following afternoon…
Arianne arrived at the Hunter Association carrying two flowerpots.
One held the moonbell Master Conrad had entrusted to her.
The other…
Was completely empty.
“…Lady Arianne?”
The receptionist tilted her head.
“Starting a garden?”
Arianne laughed.
“An experiment.”
The receptionist blinked.
“…Should I be worried?”
“Probably not.”
“…That wasn’t very reassuring.”
Arianne smiled apologetically before continuing toward the greenhouse.
As expected…
Erin was already there.
She looked up from a row of spirit herbs.
“…Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon.”
Erin’s gaze fell to the empty flowerpot.
“…Did something happen to your plant?”
“No.”
“I brought this one on purpose.”
She set both pots beside each other.
One healthy.
One empty.
Erin looked confused.
“…Why?”
Arianne crouched beside her.
“I’ve been thinking.”
“You’ve spent years taking care of flowers.”
“You know things I don’t.”
Erin quickly shook her head.
“I only know simple things.”
“Simple things are usually the most important.”
She pointed at the empty pot.
“If you were going to grow a flower…”
“…where would you start?”
Erin stared at the pot for several seconds.
Then…
Without saying a word…
She picked it up.
Not toward the watering cans.
Not toward the seeds.
She carried it closer to the greenhouse window.
“…”
Arianne quietly followed.
Erin placed the pot where the afternoon sunlight lingered the longest.
Then she turned back.
“It needs light first.”
Arianne blinked.
“…Not soil?”
“Not yet.”
“The soil will dry too quickly if I leave it over there.”
She pointed toward the darker corner.
“And if I fill it now…”
“…I’ll just have to move it again.”
“…”
Arianne’s eyes slowly widened.
She hadn’t even planted anything.
Yet Erin had already begun thinking about…
The conditions.
Not the flower.
The environment.
The System quietly chimed.
[Observation Recorded.]
Arianne froze.
“…Observation?”
No reward appeared.
No quest update.
Only those two words.
For some reason…
They felt incredibly important.
Maybe…
Before she could discover the missing condition…
She first had to learn…
How Erin saw the world.
The two of them spent the afternoon preparing the empty pot.
Not planting.
Preparing.
Erin carefully loosened the soil with a small wooden stick.
She removed tiny stones.
Picked out dried roots.
Even sifted the dirt through her fingers.
Arianne watched quietly.
“…You’re very thorough.”
Erin looked down.
“My mother says…”
“…healthy roots need room to breathe.”
“So I try not to pack the soil too tightly.”
Arianne nodded.
“…That makes sense.”
Once the soil was ready…
Erin didn’t reach for the seeds.
Instead…
She watered it.
Just enough to leave the soil slightly damp.
Then she stepped back.
“…”
Arianne blinked.
“We’re done?”
“For today.”
“…Today?”
Erin nodded.
“If I plant the seed now…”
“…the soil will still be settling.”
“The roots won’t like it.”
Arianne stared at the empty pot.
“…”
She had been thinking about growth.
Erin had been thinking about preparation.
They weren’t the same.
But…
Perhaps they should have been.
The System quietly shimmered.
[Observation Recorded.]
[Healthy growth begins before the seed is planted.]
Arianne smiled.
“…You’re amazing.”
Erin immediately shook her head.
“I’m not.”
“I just…”
She searched for the right words.
“…like giving them the best chance.”
Those words lingered in the greenhouse.
The best chance.
Not a guarantee.
Not certainty.
Just…
A chance.
Arianne suddenly remembered Leon.
She hadn’t guaranteed his future.
She had simply given him a chance to believe in himself.
The same with the trainee knight.
Even Ellis.
Perhaps…
Being a Spirit Gardener had never been about making miracles happen.
It was about creating the conditions where miracles could happen on their own.
For the first time…
Arianne felt as though she had taken another step toward understanding her class.
And she had learned it…
From a ten-year-old girl who believed she had stopped growing.
The sun was beginning to set.
Golden light spilled across the greenhouse.
The flowers glowed softly beneath the evening sky.
Erin carefully carried the empty flowerpot back to the windowsill.
She smiled at it.
“…Tomorrow.”
Arianne blinked.
“…We’re still not planting it?”
Erin shook her head.
“Not yet.”
“The soil still needs time.”
“It has to settle first.”
She gently patted the rim of the pot.
“If I rush it…”
“…I’ll only have to fix it later.”
Arianne quietly laughed.
“…You’re surprisingly patient.”
Erin looked embarrassed.
“I don’t think so.”
“I just…”
She searched for the right words.
“…don’t want the flower to struggle because I was impatient.”
Those simple words lingered in the air.
Arianne lowered her gaze.
Somewhere along the way…
Adults had forgotten that.
Everyone wanted results.
Faster.
Stronger.
Better.
But Erin…
The girl everyone believed had stopped growing…
Refused to rush even a single flower.
“…”
The System quietly shimmered.
[Observation Recorded.]
[Patience is also nourishment.]
Arianne smiled.
“…”
Maybe…
She wasn’t the only one learning.
Just then…
The greenhouse door opened.
“Erin?”
A gentle woman’s voice echoed inside.
Erin immediately stood.
“Mother.”
A woman with chestnut hair tied neatly behind her shoulders stepped inside.
Her Hunter Association uniform was slightly wrinkled.
She looked tired.
But the moment she saw Erin…
Her expression softened.
“I’m sorry.”
“My meeting ran longer than expected.”
“It’s okay.”
“I was with Lady Arianne.”
The woman’s gaze shifted.
Then she offered Arianne a polite bow.
“You must be Lady Arianne Rowland.”
“I’m Catherine Ashvale.”
“Thank you for keeping Erin company.”
Arianne quickly returned the bow.
“It was my pleasure.”
Catherine smiled warmly.
“I’ve heard about you.”
“The little girl who likes plants.”
Arianne laughed awkwardly.
“…I guess my reputation is spreading.”
“Only good things.”
She rested a gentle hand on Erin’s shoulder.
“Shall we go home?”
Erin nodded.
Before leaving…
She looked back at the empty flowerpot.
“…See you tomorrow.”
Arianne followed her gaze.
Then smiled.
“…We’ll plant it tomorrow.”
Erin’s eyes brightened ever so slightly.
“Mm.”
Mother and daughter quietly walked away together.
Arianne remained in the greenhouse.
Watching until they disappeared from sight.
“…”
“Catherine Ashvale.”
For the first time…
She realized.
If she wanted to understand Erin…
She would also have to understand…
The family that had never stopped trying to help her bloom.
End of Chapter 21