Chapter 12 

I looked at the sky from the window and saw that it was almost nighttime.

I took a sigh.

It is time to close the shop.

When I reached the house that I'm currently living in, the pretend couple was already inside.

"Any new information?" I asked them.

"I heard that the second prince of the Caro Kingdom is turning 15 next week. A lot of important people from other kingdoms are planning to attend." Sarah, the female demon said.

"The second prince is the favorite of the king so this is not very surprising." Ben sat on the chair to drink water. "The information I got today is just a rumor, I'm not sure if it's true because there's no official announcement about it. The Duke Vile's eldest son is planning to be engaged with the first princess of the Caro."

"Duke Vile's? I've heard that they are planning to hire new gardeners to replace their old gardener." Sarah said.

"Gardeners? I thought they were only planning to hire one gardener. Are they planning to expand their garden or something like that?" I confusedly asked.

"I heard that the first princess liked flowers. Maybe it's for her, they are trying to impress her." 

Sarah and I both agreed with Ben's opinion.

"Well, we're not sure about that yet. I'm planning to apply for the gardener job to get more information about the house. Duke Vile's second son played a big role in the demon annihilation, we might get some important information from the house."

"Duke Vile's second son is said to be close with the crown prince." Sarah seriously said.

"We can't be sure, maybe it's only a public show. The crown prince might only want to use Duke Vile's second son's reputation to get the hearts of the people. Politics sometimes moves that way. Anything else?"

They both shook their heads.

"Oh, btw, here." I put the bag of gold coins on the table. "Distribute it to the other spies."

Ben opened the bag. "That's a lot of gold. A fool bought the overpriced sky plant?"

"It's called Sky Flower. I had a hard time raising it so the price is very reasonable."

"Yeah sure. Only that fool will believe you." Ben smirked.

"Well, luckily that fool did buy the Sky Flower with a very high price, this money is a great help to the others. Some of the spies are having a hard time working and looking for information." Sarah took the money and chuckled.

"Don't insult my money cows like that." I laughed. "I'm going to take some rest."

"You even call your customer's money cows." Ben chuckled.

"You won't have dinner? The food is also cooked." 

"A bit later."

Before I went to my room, I took a quick nap and then lay down on my bed.

I touched the Blood Bond Contract Symbol.

[For how long are you planning to stay there?]

[It depends on the situation. For now, I think I made the right decision on coming here.]

[Don't you like it here?]

[Don't think like that Leonardo. Well, anyway, there seems to be a future wedding coming, a political wedding.]

[What do you think about it?]

[I think this is a good opportunity to enter Duke Vile's Household while they are busy pleasing the royal family, especially the princess.]

[Does pleasing the first princess change the way they do things?]

[I'm not sure about that. I do know that they need more servants for the first princess. They might hire new maids, I will try to apply for that. For now, I will try to be one of their gardeners.]

[Always be careful. If things go wrong, quickly leave. Come back here as soon as possible.]

[Okay, okay. I will not let myself get hurt. Our lives are tied together. If I die, you die. I don't want that to happen.]

Yep, I don't want to die yet. Though, I also don't want him to die.

[I'm going to sleep.]

I closed my eyes and everything went to darkness.

When I woke up, it was already morning.

Oh, I didn't eat dinner yesterday.

I got up, took a bath, wore my clothes, and got ready to eat my breakfast.

As always, Sarah and Ben already left. They also left my breakfast at the table, they still look hot. They have not left for long.

Sarah works as a waitress from a bar and Ben works as an assistant blacksmith. They don't earn much but compared to other spies, they are already in a good spot.

I ate my breakfast, brushed my teeth, and locked the house. 

I went to the shop and opened it.

I put my bag on the drawer of the counter and got ready to clean the shop up. 

When I was about to get the broom, the bell rang.

"Kari, good morning. The usual flowers please." Felix came with a bright smile on his face.

"Good morning too, Felix." I stood up and took 5 daisies and 5 roses. I wrapped them on paper and gave them to Felix.

"Are you a plant mage?" I heard a voice not coming from Felix. It sounds like it was coming from a child.

I looked at Felix with confusion.

He looked at me with embarrassment. He rubs his cheeks. "This...is my...um...nephew!"

By the way, he reacts, only a fool will believe that this child is his nephew.

"He's the one who always receives the flowers that I buy from you. He is...he likes plants."

He doesn't seem to be lying about this part. 

I smiled at him and nodded in response. "Is that so?" I looked at the child and gently smiled at him. "Are you satisfied with my plants?"

He nodded his head. "Very much, they look healthy and very well taken care of. Too bad that Felix gave me doesn't have roots anymore."

Felix? Just Felix? Not Uncle Felix? He is definitely not a nephew. Who talks to their uncle like a servant?

I looked at Felix. He is nervously looking at me. 

I smiled at him and nodded my head indicating that I understood his position.

"I have plants in a pot. You can choose from there. Do you like potted plants with flowers? I also have them. Though they are more expensive."

The child looked around and kept on nodding his head every time he saw a plant that he was satisfied with.

"You also have rare plants, plants that's hard to grow and take care of. I'm very impressed with the plants here. Are you a plant mage?"

Plant mage? I have not heard of that.

"No, I am not. I just studied books about plants. I am not a mage, I am not capable of feeling mana."

I also tried to have a practical planting on each plant...the privilege of having money. Thank you, Leonardo.

It's impossible for me to reach this level with just studying the books and not actually doing it.

I can even remember myself acting like I was obsessed with planting techniques and learning about the plants. Everytime I plant something, I always stare at it and even have insomnia because of the excitement.

I miss my forest... I trust Leonardo to take care of them.