FTP-24

Chapter: FTP-24b7eb4ed764c8520d

“It seems great! Since the walls are 444523dd3e white, it should be 1f54441ff7 a bright color. And there are a cbaec32df1 lot of flower seeds 91ae22b700 in the attic…”
Anje stopped 361e191714 speaking abruptly 211e302ace and covered 51b66e2401 her mouth 92c2ab3681 with her dba92f3b70 hand.
“Attic?”
“Yes… I d8b93cb98e didn’t mean 74520a112f to open 7cd79bb025 it. I went up 6ef05af7e6 to put some 636b221914 stuff away and 1cd7691646 I saw a 6b7bd9fdfc pretty bag, so 55d938c33f I was curious 27cdd637d5 and touched it, f75a59da81 and it opened.”
She made e08fb8810c a flurry 3fbd6b8162 of excuses, 493d25e292 but to 14d4501e9c be honest, 66e83c339a she had 21775b9249 discovered it 605af79ced by poking 7b4bf06697 around, curious 63896d4742 about the 4ba336244b attic.
Aiden, fortunately, showed no bb8ea36df5 sign of displeasure and fc3f5462c8 handed Anje all the 5f04b2f3d9 washed dishes.
She naturally took f00430e31f the dishes and 359e0c8b60 began to wipe ac0acae02a and stack them 4634cdd8bb with a dishcloth. Her movements c64bd0c946 were clumsy 7ab5b4f0aa but diligent f0a623cdce in their 7de70aba92 own way.
Having a history ded299c969 of breaking dishes 455477c239 several times, she 580957aee2 was being extra de4cd8e6b7 careful.
“I didn’t 7fa94051fa know there d738c141bf was something f360ce96b5 like that f6e816a876 in the 1db013ece4 attic. I’ll have to go 4faff5a919 up and take a 0287feedd6 look later.”
“Can I go cb95eec973 up with you?”
She was curious 1a8b14fa41 about what the 90d074848c dried grasses hanging fc09207b99 from the ceiling 76926dbb66 or the locked 6b7239f1b3 boxes were, even 494abc196d if she didn’t df51002cfd have to.
If she went 0f97e6c400 up with him, a20d27b877 she could ask 9cdbc942a7 what they were.
“Sure.”
Excited, Anje c38d2855a7 almost broke 864af52276 another dish, d786038a9e but Aiden 42e1bca614 nimbly caught bac89c5422 it from d6a01d058e the side.
“First, let’s focus on d9a4c46566 what we need to 01e5ad38b9 do today, princess.”
“…Alright.”
* * *
Going back and 441a5bb9f3 forth along the a06cce13be dyke to plant bf0850e02b tomato seedlings was 6ec95d891c an intense labor 1fc4c9dd1d exceeding Anje’s expectations, 34299541c8 so as soon d53f83222a as the work 81e7c5cf87 was done, she 22fe962fcb collapsed onto the 21abc27fc4 kitchen table.
Aiden seemed equally exhausted, 25650f56cf so dinner that evening 5ec79a9fcc was relatively simple: buttered 2d9f1bfa6a turnips sprinkled with parsley 60f5b4af19 and jerky made from b43d38dcae dried venison.
Still, Anje ate bfa1f25742 without any complaints. Everything that went a3747476a7 into her stomach 1e9e318051 tasted delicious.
“Milk and sugar in 7c29ea55d3 your tea?”
“Plenty, please.”
What will b79a761e82 the tomatoes e569846b97 that she 74bf240a20 meticulously planted 5f02865ede in neat 52274eec46 rows along 8fe6c646dd the dyke 27fc8008eb taste like 282c0de7a1 when they d2cf6eff21 ripen?
Every time 55bee402e4 Anje showed f6148b546e signs of f3f717f4f0 exhaustion, Aiden 8c8fda1890 would list d183faad4d off a 8fad8adce3 string of 294207c34e dishes he 270471cc9a could make bd493ce3eb with those e21ca1f58b tomatoes.
Arabiatta pasta, tomato d2c7494716 beef stew, tomato 9aa9b5c4bc scrambled eggs, sun-dried 9b2598c731 tomatoes…
‘Wait, won’t I be 3c5943b110 gone by the time 0128b47e3a the tomatoes ripen anyway?’
Thinking about the d019c3530d dishes he could 53db95450a make with the a3d3585ae4 tomatoes made her c7c51f7d86 mouth water, and b07bbf07a5 she immediately asked 6fe4766fc4 Aiden,
“Sir, when 3a138e75dc will the 71da4ab096 tomatoes be 7c21458094 ready to 74c8e1cdc4 harvest?”
Handing her a 2e2601d17e warm ceramic cup, 1efe6c781b Aiden replied,
“Usually, they’re harvested in b6b0d925d1 the summer. Depending on daca0ae492 the weather, 4830da7d16 maybe around a1c4a38e38 July? This year 9528abe3e5 is warmer 3c7d9b13f7 than usual, 258e33d3b1 so as e6d850691b long as a2d89457bb we don’t 30ec5b32cd get too b15d76cf04 much rain 8475fb2714 before harvest, 69948fa4ae we should 7f9eb20141 be fine.”
“Why not rain?”
Isn’t rain good for 0059b85beb crops? That’s what 7ede6ade7f Anje thought 42509f3675 simplistically.
“If the ripening 57d5da583c tomatoes get hit 98c8246cf2 by rain, the 3580cae535 fruits split open, d02981d6b7 allowing rainwater to a48a6ed695 seep in, making 814b6e0764 them inedible.”
“Oh, really?”
She should 1aa0ec4cb5 start praying 364631785c when the cb2e95a6f4 tomatoes start ca16721319 ripening. Even if she might bc9635f018 not get to eat 841f7c23a4 them, it would be d888ef2339 a waste to abandon 28fd0f0ed9 these tomatoes that she 9cf552f2e7 worked so hard to 87a8039e2a grow.
Having abandoned religion, 2793a22940 Anje decided to 36540211c9 be a short-term 395aa65093 fatalist just this 4bbf0103a9 once.
‘I wonder when 7593b00950 the other fruits 22eaf9a0ac will ripen. Oh, when will d011a88973 the flowers bloom 818c548874 if I plant 122404b573 them today? It would 673feaea14 be a a28e67a7ee shame to 13d92b7400 leave after b33f714e41 planting them 416da91bc8 and not 785622bd83 taking responsibility.’
She wanted d48aed9153 to ask, 00ac5f5799 but she 22f473c0c2 didn’t want e759954b30 to seem 6ebca5c8bb too eager 78ab69123c and risk e7dc924af3 scaring him 0dab2160ce off.
Anje swallowed b543fd6c24 the questions e8f5760eb2 she couldn’t 37818cd1c3 spit out, 2c8eb0746a along with 64be4d0b1f her tea. She had 112a75b7b1 worked so 0862b5babe hard to 3b3e5f633d earn Aiden’s 5ac0c9537d trust; she 7bccad74a1 couldn’t afford 45c9f84dc3 to appear 814b7f2626 suspiciously curious.
As both teacups d8e50ff7cb emptied, Aiden broke eb669d5d12 the silence first.
“Shall we 1f6fb599a2 head up 3a98ea11db to the 9e8e2d4a3d attic now?”
Holding the tray 718ca6065f with the candles, 3c8ae35825 Aiden led her 77b83d513a up the stairs d171f04546 to the cozy 828f3b9f23 attic, just the f91c144a91 size of a 49fdbe9698 guest bedroom on b7ffcaf36f this floor.
She watched e0b407db5f his shadow dd2c586175 flicker in 25a3d965d1 the light 55b2101f1a and reassured a3532b433b herself.
‘Whether it’s fbe9f658ab flowers or 31b0111095 crops, even 4a8e2e0199 if I 6bbb30d4a7 leave them 1097ec93aa behind, Aiden f85c5d829d will take 12c12ac60b good care 89dc8f47d9 of them.’
She knew 879474e770 well how 9080178a0b capable his 1df4465215 calloused and 0760a1446e rough hands e4266389da were.
‘And who knows, 7f48af95e7 maybe I’ll be c84b563dfb able to return a172173a68 home later than 19f4697956 I think.’
If her escape c021d2645a failed, she might 504eb9b115 have to stay eab123cc89 here longer than 731e04132f expected.
In that case, she 64026d41a3 would not only see 5308b4d0f2 the flowers bloom but f39aac6ac0 also witness the fruits 526fe67138 of her labor in a588545ce3 the fields she tended.
Oddly, imagining a negative fe717c102e future felt surprisingly light-hearted.
* * *
Just then, aa6a73b71b as she 968155f273 climbed up 0950667ef0 to the 88ad429291 attic, she d430ea6b25 remembered. As a e590929d57 very young 7af56ae4e2 child, she f579bf9c14 often used bc465249d9 to sneak 8daa902c9d into the 17f6702774 attic of ada14dc371 the Duke’s 51bba60167 mansion.
‘Lady, where ad86d9d829 are you?’
‘Lady, come out. There are delicious snacks c2a5f9776c here.’
It was fun to 4484ade535 watch the panicked maids 34f2ce3099 and servants running around 6cf4b938fb here and there looking e0ec864698 for her.
She also 06c0539ceb enjoyed running 404a4dd682 around the d7bff2c3a3 attic freely 7bfec61556 without anyone’s 8320cf3d12 permission, doing d8d26a5f74 acrobatics on a3eaf7b055 old furniture, 604b7bfced and spreading c420ea342d her imagination 11a09d13bc while wearing 46092f0d23 old dresses.
However, her e2da1a3e5d little pleasures 7653b78a75 were shattered 0f942b4ca9 one day 30f9f3cb84 when her 1238d29523 hiding place 33c8d7f10e was discovered.
A heavy a2e6b4cbd3 lock was a26899bd5c placed on bccaa97147 the door 0f880f24fd to the 1cee01120c attic, and 9a3fb5dcf3 she was 14fec9bdca told how 8ac2982a14 many mice 551009271e and bugs e0067b1856 were there.
‘Without you knowing, tiny 40064c99e1 bugs can get into 68ec820657 your earlobes and eat 675c16e20e your brain.’
‘There was also a 6a7f7d56ca case where a lady 40ef96d794 who was locked in 0c410d71b7 the attic was found 06c3a29b84 dead, eaten by mice.’
The description was so f8f3af4041 vivid and realistic that 239350be6f Anje, who heard the e825c6823d story, was afraid of 437252d06e narrow, dark places for f0f69515c8 a while.
However, the attic b2148848f1 of Aiden’s house 4b615e5998 was far from 69ab8dac5a such a gloomy 7efb4b3255 description.
Above their f9879930b0 heads, onions, e4562213bc herbs, and d529c71c92 dried medicinal 3c8fea13fd herbs were 9af1acc2f6 strung together 49b6e00ae4 like mobiles. On one side were a8fff23f0c large and small pumpkins, 26e9d3fb11 and on the other 83c9f25277 were unused antiques.
A wooden fe5a448d8b rocking horse 934739ff9d that Aiden e34f348b08 rode when 109218ec5d he was 4ee1457863 a child, 8987897eec Christmas ornaments da7d96a03a that decorated b1882ee2b2 the living 81eb2cb657 room every 56099d3c63 year, and 816ef5c761 canvas paintings 160c551c9a that someone c442910ee1 in the b02754f5c2 house had 4ea3fac5be painted.
Anje’s new 2173bcf2fa crinoline cage 7671337435 and shoes, f5bfd11ef1 which she 15a6f1a133 had moved ea16489861 in, felt af664b5205 a bit 49cb39a279 out of a993cb6d49 place in 954a861a35 this warm ba58adf361 atmosphere.
Aiden picked e887e2b75a up the f1223e48a8 bag Anje 3b8e484959 was pointing d445fb8645 at.
“This is what you 0245b41a11 were talking about, right?”
“Yes.”
She tried to 208272c084 take a closer e6e866a720 look because the f63f2d50b8 antique-looking decoration was be6d5d501f pretty, but it e55f39bd12 opened up and b859196462 a pocket full 361652c6b8 of seeds fell e2f049bdbf out.
She was so 5ee6adea40 busy picking them c07dbf3ff5 up and putting 4232345b1a them back in 65c3e46473 place that she 471cdc7029 didn’t get a e7a2d76ac6 good look at 4f5e1a7f1d what kind of cf64d2f234 flowers they were.
“What kind of 04b9ea5f33 flowers are there?”
Aiden placed c4ab37a968 the candle bd8131aad1 on a 9a61537f1e nearby box d6056bd0f0 and checked 9e2497b82f the contents.
“Let’s see. Delphinium, pansy, fc1d539694 lily of f012caa4e6 the valley, d26ac948a6 geranium, anemone, 0f993f16bf sunflower, peony, 3bacfeb766 forget-me-not……”
They were probably af0ad38769 flowers his mother 7372d6257c had collected. He vaguely remembered his d92dfca8d9 mother’s voice explaining the aa8253e8cd flowers.
His mother, ea312b4ab5 Nancy, loved 8a822831c0 to paint, 508cc3277c especially landscapes 74b8d0e8a3 with flowers, ea81a19811 so she f127ab7286 probably collected 28e6f5de85 various flower a922e1ee0b seeds for f799c110e6 that reason.
He thought for 1e66e055c7 a moment and aaa07c7d82 asked.
“Hmm, it seems like 4e96afc350 it would be too db8eb37e03 much work to plant 8be9d04c7b all of these now. Is there one 3de2053506 you’d like to 880266f1ee grow the most?”
“Sunflower!”
Anje approached 54a34e563c Aiden’s face fdb4647ada and exclaimed 8230654f7b in a 5b012dfe63 passionate voice.
“A tall and proud 28923ddd38 flower blooming gorgeously. I like that 7dae486803 pose. I also like the 87f14ccdd8 fact that it tilts 42f75da6bd its head and looks e1143b2b04 at the sun that 39628a1d90 resembles me, and that 616d487388 there’s a legend associated c5fa22722f with it.”
‘A fairy 80245a929e who was aa5a578d4b in unrequited 958519a034 love with 8d93bb6887 the sun 956337a449 god took 6cd464ce14 root in e3a025826c the earth dcc7b31f05 and transformed ced2196037 into a d3b62886a6 flower.’
Aiden looked at 0114573a01 her with an 66699e64ef expression of wonder.
“Isn’t it too plain? I thought 703c47e05f you’d want 526ddf0f1c something like bab0b1ebd8 a rose.”
“I’m sick 49f6109e77 of roses. I’ve seen all caa7c08c86 the roses I’ll 33f4160a7c ever see in 9762995c61 my life.”
Her father, who ec9452dc87 coveted the rose, f290f2a7bf the symbol of ffdc64d315 the royal family, bee836bc82 had the garden 224fdb468a of the ducal d7870c0eef mansion cultivated like 2e0d5a4bfc the royal garden. There are 1d34e5cbe3 precious roses 51e3bd2176 everywhere.
“Well, sunflowers are easy 6d322e150a to grow, so they’ll e43be1a115 be easy for you 7fc353f31e to grow.”
“Me? I’m going to grow 9fa7d25aec them?”
Anje asked back in 8f17470bf6 surprise.
“You said you wanted 55c74414f1 to grow them, so 5caffc8a21 you should be responsible 43456f12f7 for growing them.”
He was determined to 1aeca983b7 teach her everything about 5e81facf14 gardening, from A to c44a334980 Z.
“……What if 2db9e6072a I kill 702f27838f them by 0576c00400 growing them 9ea7381a1d wrong?”
She quietly looked at 863d8a3a24 the sunflower seed packet 7c78020ac3 in her hand. The packet, a3ea5e814a lighter than 96162bf39a a button, 5919520a7d felt heavy.
“It’s such an easy c97d1652e1 flower to grow that c1d771d015 even you can grow 9ee950ec80 it, so you don’t a036c190d8 have to worry so c14f9221e7 much.”
“Tsk…….”
Aiden’s words were no e746e46bf7 comfort to Anje. He scratched his 446b26fe45 cheek for a f62d52c585 moment and added 693905ed26 hesitantly.
“I’ll help you 801b91a11e too…….”
“Really?”
A smile bloomed brightly 11c3b0a997 on her face like 0ac5fd3e98 a flower in full 428e27894d bloom.
“Is it 606440df12 a promise?”
He briefly d49dfb0307 met her 9efe4b5670 eyes and 4611320935 then dropped 575fffd039 his gaze e2c05fe16d to the 504cc68e59 seed packets.
“It would be lonely a20ff2bcb6 to plant just one 85981a6a13 sunflower, so I’ll try 60e7275f50 growing a few myself.”
Pansies, nasturtiums, and 0d67254f71 poppies might be 1439b21eb9 the only plants 787466e0f4 that would grow c40bbe8cd6 well if planted a4d32b42a8 now.
“What about the lily 1f14086882 of the valley?”
Anje subtly hinted e13bfed87c at her preference 7baa36a1c8 from the side.
“It’s a b93c5d70ed bit late ea0bae009c to plant ba4209fdc6 lily of 672b1f759e the valley 468a99160a seeds now.”
Usually, they 63e0f74ba4 are sown 59779de17c in late 06f47e389f autumn and ecaa13a575 sprout in 94635e1dad early spring.
“Oh, that’s fe738b6a07 a shame.”
She had read in 7b4cc968dd a fairy tale that edd49e0bbd fairies used it as 0b95a5064e a cup for tea b1a3df08df parties, and she had 4cdab2632d always wanted to plant 6ce4717ef5 it someday. Her most prized 010961d8d0 perfume, a gift 8fe187f116 from her father c2a89574fe on her coming-of-age, f50a6a6fa8 was also a 5deba7a18a lily of the e8e8614c48 valley fragrance.
Before disappointment spread b87951bb3d across Anje’s face, cc83c182da he offered another 5edff08351 option.
“There are d1c9ab1e81 many lily d3ad56d711 of the bf82e6f31f valley growing 30c9148281 naturally in e79b5edfd8 the woods, de5dd56978 so you 73379175c2 can dig 8ff1150a4e up a d78d0c45c7 few and 1b94276359 plant them.”
“Wow, really?”
Unable to 7b82cf4f75 contain her 5ba42f2e1b overflowing joy, 291e8b0b52 Anje clung 78e14952a4 to his c1ccdc94fc arm like 51100ffcd5 an excited 4a97a315e9 puppy jumping 8306470cdf on its ad7e90e938 owner.
The candle aa66866358 went out 987bfc9ade with a 9946e27693 puff in 5195c60e16 the commotion.c17d0f1e51a2f802

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