บท 15: Of Peonies and Baby's Breath

Why isn't he saying anything?

This question had been bothering Ryota since early in the morning.

Right now, he was secretly looking at his cousin who was busying himself with his work. He had been coming here for the sake of looking over Kyoya but this cousin of his appeared indifferent as usual.

Of course, he has tormented the Finance Department before proceeded to do the same to the Marketing Department before lunch. I think the Planning Department is currently rejoicing over those two's misfortunes since they were tortured yesterday. Well, he is really living up to his Demon Lord's name. Tsk, tsk.

As Ryota was entertaining his useless thought, a deep voice suddenly echoed in the office.

"What are you staring at me for?"

The icy cold voice echoed lowly in the quiet office. Even though it sounded so low it was enough to send chills down Ryota's spine.

Ryota coughed, he didn't expect to be caught staring by this demon lord. He quickly pushed all the vain thoughts to the back of his mind.

"Well... are you alright, cousin?" He didn't have any choice but to voice out what had been popping inside his mind.

Kyoya lazily looked at Ryota before he continued working. After lunch, this cousin of his came to his office to present a report yet even after completing his job, he had yet to return to his own office. Instead, Ryota was sipping a cup of warm tea in leisure while throwing glances here and there at him.

Seeing that he had been blatantly ignored, Ryota harrumphed in dissatisfaction.

"I met Grandpa last night, he said..."

Clang!

Ryota was stunned. Suddenly, he felt a sharp drop in temperature around him.

"Kyoya..."

Kyoya blinked, his gaze was indifferent when he looked at the fountain pen that was rolling under the table yet if ones were to see clearly, one would notice the faint trace of malice in them.

"Grandpa was just worried so he told me," Ryota mumbled, he looked aggrieved as if he was being punished by his cousin.

I'm just being concerned for you, alright!

Kyoya pursed his lips. He understood why the old man was worried. He heaved a sigh, feeling irritated all of a sudden.

He knew Grandpa meant well but he disliked mentioning the topic.

"Tell him, there's nothing to worry about."

Finally, he settled with the words before burying himself in the pile of documents that needed his attention and appeared as if nothing had happened.

Seeing Kyoya put a stop to the topic, there was no way for Ryota to speak about it again. In the end, he silently walked out of the president's office.

Once the younger man disappeared from the door, Kyoya stopped writing. His eyes were dull as he looked blankly at the words laid in front of him.

A thought popped inside his mind.

Could he really keep his cool once the woman arrived? He was afraid it would become a mess like the previous ones.

The wound and pain inflicted by that woman weren't something he could ignore easily. There were times he had closed to succeed yet at the second, he failed again.

Kyoya closed his eyes, unwilling to think about it further. At a time like this, it was better if he didn't think of whatever that could upset him.

Then, he was reminded of the little woman at home. He was anticipating the short time he could spend with her tonight. He wondered what story he would hear from her during dinner.

"President, you're going home?"

Assistant Kuroda asked once he saw his boss walking out of the office. It was yet to reach 5 PM but it seemed like the boss was in a hurry to go home.

"Don't disturb me unless it's necessary," Kyoya didn't give Kuroda as much as a glance as his long legs strode toward his private elevator.

"Understood, President," Even though Assistant Kuroda was smiling on the outside, no one knew he had already spilled a bucket of tears inwardly once he heard the instruction from the boss.

He said unless it's necessary but I know he would kill me if I did disturb him even for the most important work! Hu hu hu... The life of an assistant is too difficult!

The traffic was quite packed even though most white-collar workers had yet to knock off work. The chauffeur drove the car carefully to avoid any accident. Kyoya, who sat at the backseat was sitting with his legs crossed and one of his hands supporting his head. As his eyes were closed, the sunlight cast on his face created shadows under his eyelashes.

Old Takashi, the chauffeur glanced to see his master through the rearview mirror, only to find him resting.

Young Master looks pale again.

As the car slowly stopped before a red light, Kyoya opened his eyes. His gaze was nonchalance, sweeping around the surroundings outside of the car.

It was a peaceful evening. The pedestrians who were walking on the street were donned in comfortable and fashionable autumn clothes. Some looked as if they were in a hurry while the others walked at a leisurely pace.

But, no one knew if, behind those smiling faces, there were sorrow inside their hearts.

En?

His eyes caught something from a distance.

"Stop."

"Young Master?"

Old Takashi had just started driving again when the order came from the backseat.

"Pull over before the intersection," Kyoya said again, his eyes fixated to a direction.

"Yes, Young Master," Old Takashi quickly followed the order. He gave the signal as he slowed down the car to pull over at the side of the road.

Once the car had stopped, Kyoya opened the door and went outside. Old Takashi was stunned but he just waited at the car. It wasn't rare for his young master to suddenly go out on a whim.

Kyoya made his way toward a small store. From the glass walls, he could see tons of colorful flowers placed inside wooden buckets. He pushed the door open and silently walked inside the florist.

"Welcome!'

An elder lady greeted his arrival. She smiled seeing the man dressed in a black suit with a long black coat draped over his shoulders. From his expression, she knew this potential customer was looking for flowers for his special one.

"May I help you, young man?" The elder lady went closer to Kyoya who was now looking over the flowers with his dark eyes.

Kyoya stood motionless, he was deep in thought.

"Are you looking for flowers for your girlfriend? Maybe, this old lady could give you advice?" The elder lady spoke again with a smile on her face. As an experienced florist, she was happy to help such a good-looking young man to chase after the girl he liked.

"My wife," Kyoya muttered out the word. "It's for my wife."

The elder lady was stunned for a while before she quickly recovered her expression to a smiling one again. "Is there a special occasion to be celebrated? Does your wife has her own preferences?"

Kyoya went into silence again. He thought back to the little lady at home.

He was just on an impulse when he saw this florist in a glimpse earlier. He just had a feeling to make her happy.

"Peonies." The photo of his phone's wallpaper came into his mind. "She always looks lovely with peonies."

The elder lady's smile grew wider. This young man looked cold with that impassive handsome face of his but she noticed the tenderness in his eyes and voice when he said the word.

"If that so, my recommendation is..."

After ten minutes, Kyoya walked out of the store with a bouquet of peonies and baby's breath in his hands. They looked out of place with his appearance.

The lush, rounded bloom of pink peonies and white baby's breath were wrapped with brown paper and tied with white ribbons. Kyoya's eyes softened when he recalled the elder lady's words.

"Peonies are always viewed as an omen of good fortune and happy marriage while the baby's breath means purity and everlasting love. Your wife would be happy with these flowers as they remind people to cherish their love."

Such a lovely bouquet, it mean that much?

As far as he remembered, Shouko didn't have much preference in certain flowers. Whenever he bought her one, she would receive them with a happy smile and would place the bouquet in a vase.

But, he realized that he loved seeing her with peonies. With such meanings, how could he not?

Everlasting love and happy marriage.

With a happy mood, Kyoya returned to the car. By seeing the bouquet in his master's hands, Old Takashi didn't have to ask much. He drove the car with a smiling face as well.

All would be well if the master of the house was in a good mood.

The car arrived at Rosy Mansion within half an hour. Old Toshio went to greet Kyoya. His eyes landed on the bouquet for a second before he curled up his lips. Without having to ask, he said, "Young Madam is resting in her room, Young Master. She has just taken her medicine."

Kyoya nodded. He quickly went upstairs after giving his coat to Old Toshio.

Once he stood in front of the door, he knocked twice before he opened the door. Inside, he saw his wife was writing something on a book. She seemed to be lost in her own thought.

With her back facing him, her outline was being lighted by the setting sun penetrated through the windows. Her long hair was draped over one shoulder, a shawl enveloped her back to assist her with the cold air of autumn. She was dressed in her favorite knitted sweater and knee-length skirt.

Kyoya smiled.

"Shouko," He quietly called out to her.

Shouko's ears perked up hearing the familiar voice. She turned around, her eyes brightened seeing the man standing behind her.

"Kyoya! Welcome home!"

Her soft voice welcoming him home stunned him. Kyoya chuckled, he approached her with the bouquet.

Shouko looked at the approaching man. At this time, she had just realized the beautiful bouquet of flowers in his hands. The soft colors of the flower petals were a contrast to his entire black outfit.

"This..."

"For you."

Kyoya gently handed the bouquet to the surprised Shouko. She blinked a few times, in a daze before the sweet scent of the flowers snapped her out of her trance.

Shouko stretched out both of her hands, enveloping her fingers around the bouquet with a smile gracing her delicate face. Their fingertips touched in a fleeting second as Kyoya retracted his hold on the bouquet.

"Thank you, Kyoya," Shouko looked at him with the sweetest smile. She buried her nose into the bouquet, inhaling the sweet scent. "This is so beautiful, thank you again."

Kyoya nodded, his entire countenance softened at the sight of her appreciating his gift. He was indeed looking forward to seeing her smiling once he gave her the flowers.

"Ah, why are you standing? Sit over here," Shouko patted one side of the bed, urging him to sit down when he remained motionless in front of her.

Kyoya didn't stand on the courtesy. He immediately took a place beside Shouko with a small gap between them. His eyes were trained on her as she was still indulging herself with the beautiful flowers.

"Peonies and baby's breath," Shouko said softly, a faint light of tenderness spread in her eyes. Her brown orbs settled on the man's satisfied smile. "Why them?"

She wasn't well-versed in the floral language. She might just know him but Shouko understood he wasn't one to randomly do or choose things.

Kyoya thought back at the elder lady's words. When he spoke, it sounded like a clear stream of water with petals floating on it.

"They mean everlasting love and happy marriage," He said as his eyes stared deeply at her.

Shouko's eyes widened, she blinked innocently a few times before rosy color slowly tinged her cheeks. In a second, she buried her face back into the flowers, and the tips of her ears turned red.

"Not fair..." She mumbled in dissatisfaction. "How sneaky to attack me like that."

Kyoya laughed again. He raised his hand, a bit hesitant but eventually, he took a strand of her hair that was covering one side of her face and slid it behind her ear.

It was the right decision for him to buy these flowers. Her smile was more radiant than those petals, seeping warmth in his heart.

"Oh, I want to ask you something," Shouko suddenly recalled her conversation with Ono this morning. "En, could I ask?"

Seeing her looking so hesitant like this made him uneasy. What had been bothering her?

"What do you want to ask?" Kyoya purposely softened his voice more, encouraging her to speak. "Is there anything you want to know?"

"En..." Shouko paused, thinking back of it and bracing herself. She looked directly at Kyoya, her heart was thumping loudly as she voiced out her question, "I heard... you invested quite a lot when we first got married."

Kyoya was baffled, didn't expect to hear that question.

"You mean, the one billion I invested for Yuasa Group?"

Shouko nodded. "I know it's not appropriate to bring out this matter but... I'm uneasy when I thought of the amount. After all, we first got married because of my family's situation and Grandpa's urging so..."

Kyoya smiled faintly. He reached out a hand, twirled with the lock of her hair and wrapped it around his finger.

At this moment, he forgot that he had resolved himself to avoid doing intimate gestures with her. He was just leisurely playing with her hair.

Seeing that he didn't give her an answer even after a period of silence, Shouko asked again.

"If I'm not mistaken... Yuasa Group didn't require such a big amount so why..."

Kyoya hooked up a smile at one corner of his lips. At this time, he appeared lazy yet his eyes looked so charming to her.

His answer came easily.

"Because it's for you."

Shouko was stunned. What was with this answer?