Heroine Popularity Vote Winner Side Story: Ashley

Rattle, rattle.

The carriage wheels passed over another patch of rough stones.

Count Leonberg closed the poetry book he had been reading and tucked it inside his coat. They would arrive soon.

Beside him sat his youngest daughter, Ashley, hands folded neatly over the skirt of her dress. A parasol made to fit her small frame rested against the carriage wall. She gazed through the window without speaking.

Rattle.

She was only seven years old, yet the way she sat was as graceful as that of a lady at court.

Leonberg found himself troubled by the sight.

Had he been too strict about her education? In trying to raise a daughter worthy of House Pelgaroin, perhaps he had forced her to grow up before she had the chance to be a child.

She ought to have been free to laugh and play like other girls her age.

“Ashley.”

She turned from the window, her lapis-blue eyes blinking twice before she smiled.

“Please don't worry, Father. I won't do anything that might bring shame upon you.”

The answer was impeccable.

Leonberg felt worse.

He had taught this dear child the weight of family honor so thoroughly that she could scarcely speak without mentioning it. If only he had recognized her sensitivity earlier, he might have allowed her a few more years of innocent childhood.

The carriage slowed to a halt.

The driver opened the door. Leonberg straightened his clothes and climbed down. Ashley followed.

“Welcome, Your Excellency!”

Wellion Deharem was waiting in the forecourt, beaming. Havid and several other servants stood in orderly rows at his side.

Leonberg clicked his tongue.

“Wellion, I thought I asked you not to make a ceremony of my visit. I came to see you, not to put your household to trouble.”

“I appreciate your consideration, Count. But when you honor us by coming in person, how could we fail to welcome you? It's a matter of pride for House Deharem.”

“You always did have an answer for everything. Where is your son? I brought my daughter to meet him.”

At the mention of an introduction, Ashley tightened her grip on her parasol.

She wanted to run away.

Since she was old enough to understand her family's expectations, the best tutors in the empire had drilled her in history, court etiquette, tea ceremonies, conversation and the state religion. She had endured it all because she loved seeing her father smile.

And because, as the daughter of Count Pelgaroin, she believed it was her duty.

But this…

She could bear lessons and formal dinners. She couldn't bear the thought of her future love and marriage being decided by adults who treated her like a piece in a political bargain.

She knew her father hadn't necessarily brought her here to arrange a marriage. Nevertheless, she expected that sooner or later someone would tell her whom she must marry.

What would marriage without love be worth?

The thought of one day living with someone she had never chosen, and raising a family merely because it was demanded of her, made her stomach twist.

Tears gathered in her eyes.

“…Ashley?”

Leonberg had noticed her distress while speaking with Wellion.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, Father. It's just… the sunlight is rather strong.”

“The sun?”

He looked up. It was indeed bright, and her skin was delicate.

“Perhaps you're right. I'll speak with Wellion a while longer. Go indoors and rest in the shade.”

“Thank you, Father.”

Ashley bowed politely to the assembled servants and went inside. Wellion and the household staff watched the little girl's dignified departure with fond smiles.

---

Ashley explored the unfamiliar mansion for a while, then wandered into the courtyard.

The rooms inside had felt chilly. She wanted to see the sunlight again, even if she had just used it as an excuse to leave the adults.

Halfway along the covered walkway, she stopped.

A boy was kneeling near the flowerbeds, utterly absorbed in his work.

His plain trousers and suspenders were streaked with dirt. Sweat had soaked the black hair falling over his forehead. He worked with both hands, as though he'd been there all morning.

Is he one of the Deharem servants?

Curious, Ashley opened her parasol and came closer. The boy didn't notice her.

She peered over his shoulder.

Flowers…?

A daisy had fallen over. He was carefully straightening its stem, bracing it with a small splint and fastening it with narrow strips of cloth. Several others had already been propped upright.

Why go to so much trouble?

“Hey. What are you doing?”

The boy startled and looked up. For an instant he could only stare at the little girl silhouetted against the sunlight.

Then he jumped to his feet, wiped his dirty hands and pushed the damp hair back from his face.

“It rained and the wind was strong last night,” he explained. “I came to check the courtyard and found quite a few daisies knocked down. I'm trying to support them.”

“And then?”

The boy looked puzzled by the question. Ashley, just as puzzled by his answer, went on.

“There's no guarantee that they'll live just because you splint the stems. Wouldn't it be better to ask the gardener to plant new flowers?”

“You may be right, my lady. But if these still have a chance to live, I can't simply abandon them.”

“Why not? Is there a reason?”

He thought for a moment. Her clear blue eyes held curiosity rather than malice, so he told her what he believed.

“The daisy means hope and peace in the language of flowers. To stand by and watch them die would feel like giving up on those things. At least, that's how I see it.”

“…That's a foolish idea.”

She said it almost automatically.

Still, it wasn't an unpleasant one.

How long had it been since she had enjoyed such an earnest, ridiculous conversation? Her tutors would never have entertained it. To her surprise, she was having fun.

“By the way, my lady,” the boy said. “Your parasol bears the swan emblem of House Pelgaroin. Are you the count's daughter? What brings you to the Deharem estate?”

Ashley's smile faded slightly.

“I came with Father. Maybe he's thinking of marrying me into this family someday. The Deharem heir this, the Deharem heir that… As though anyone cares what I think.”

“So you don't like arranged marriages.”

“No. Making a marriage out of promises between adults… it's strange.”

“I see. That's unfortunate.”

Unfortunate? Why?

Before Ashley could ask, he took a small wrapped sweet from his pocket.

It was melon candy.

“What's that for?”

“I'd like to cheer you up, but I don't have anything particularly fine to offer. Would you accept this?”

It seemed odd that a boy she'd only just met would try so hard to comfort her. She took it anyway.

He pointed to an old wooden chair on the covered walkway.

“Whenever I eat candy, I sit there and look at the garden. Ordinarily it's my own special place, but I'll make an exception for you today. You may use it if you like.”

He said it with such pompous generosity that Ashley covered her mouth and laughed.

“Pfft. You're ridiculous.”

“I'm quite serious. Would you like to sit there?”

He offered his hand. It was still dusty from the flowerbeds, but she took it without hesitation.

“Very well, if you insist.”

The boy escorted her to the chair. At his suggestion she unwrapped the candy, put it in her mouth and looked out across the courtyard.

The garden was full of color.

Flowers nodded in the light breeze. The daisies he had spent the morning tending stood among them, their white petals open to the sun.

Without his efforts, the little patch might have looked much sadder.

Birds called from the trees, and butterflies wandered over the blossoms.

How peaceful…

Sitting there, Ashley could almost forget that she was the youngest daughter of one of the empire's great houses. The sweetness of the melon candy made it easier to set her worries aside.

When the last of it had dissolved, she turned.

The boy stood nearby with his hands behind his back, looking at the garden too.

Now that she could observe him properly, she thought his features rather pleasant. His gently narrowed, light-brown eyes had a dignity that seemed strange in someone she'd taken for a servant.

He sensed her gaze and turned.

“…?”

Their eyes met. Ashley quickly looked away, suddenly embarrassed.

“Ah—um! You certainly know how to make a garden look lovely. And… there's something I wanted to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Would you consider coming to work for House Pelgaroin? If I speak with Father, I'm sure he could employ one more attendant from this house—”

“I must decline.”

The answer came without hesitation.

Ashley fidgeted with her fingers. The boy smiled.

“But I'll still be here. If you ever need someone to keep you company, you can visit whenever you like.”

“Company…”

How had he known she was lonely? She hadn't said so.

They had only just met, yet she felt an unfamiliar affection for him. It was strange, but she didn't dislike it.

After hesitating a little, she looked up and gathered her courage.

“What's your name?”

The boy placed a hand over his chest and tucked the other behind his back. His bow was perfectly courteous.

“My name is Theorad, Lady Ashley.”