Magnolia Tree

With no sign of when our families would return from their breakfast, I inquired if Ichiko wanted to eat together but she declined, saying that she wasn't hungry yet.

"Would you like to take a look at the garden then?" I asked.

Her eyebrows raised at the question. "The garden? I'd love that."

As we exited the back doors, there was a short set of stairs that led down to the field of greenery and flowers.

Offering my hand, she gracefully took it as she walked down the steps.

"Wow," she said, looking around as if she had stepped into another world.

"I hope your expectations have been met."

She shook her head. "Met? No, this far exceeds any expectation of mine. It's... it's simply the most gorgeous scenery I've ever been blessed to witness."

"Thank you. All credit goes to the best gardeners in the world. This place would be nothing without the love and care they demonstrate every day."

With the Sun halfway there to its daily peak height, a warm golden hue was cast over the vast garden that bloomed with a kaleidoscope of colors.

There was perfect harmony between the diverse palette of flowers that Ichiko would occasionally pluck and smell.

Flowers from Earth such as Roses and Lilies permeated the air with their wonderful fragrance but the flowers unique to this world also weren't shy to demonstrate how pleasing they were to the nose as they danced in the gentle breeze.

"Tell me, Ichiko, do you have any spirit-igniting hobbies?" I asked, purposely lacing my tone with genuine interest.

A smile blossomed from my fiancée, radiating an enthusiasm that matched the "genuineness" of my question.

"Excluding my love for gardens," she chuckled, "I've always enjoyed playing the flute. My ancestor used to play songs on the flute when they headed into battle. When I play the flute, it feels like I'm connecting to them. I can hear and feel the happiness they had, knowing that they'd either return home safely to their family or be reunited with the loved ones that left before them."

'The Asano clan has a history of flute-playing?'

It felt satisfying to unlock another piece of history in this novel world that wasn't mentioned in the god's original novel.

"What about you?" she asked. "Do you have any hobby you find solace in?"

'Acting!' Lione yelled, answering on my behalf.

"Reading. It's a door to another world you've never been to before," was my response.

"I love reading as well," she smiled.

As we walked along the winding pathways, lined with meticulously trimmed hedges and adorned with fragrant herbs, I matched my pace with hers so that she could enjoy it as much as she wanted without feeling rushed.

At the heart of the Agnus garden stood this majestic fountain that shot crystal-clear water into the air.

The key piece of the fountain was the statue of the first Agnus head, standing tall and exuding a powerful aura even as an inanimate decoration.

A chorus of chirping birds was drinking from the fountain or taking a quick shower.

Even as Ichiko and myself entered their vicinity, they continued on with what they were doing, almost as if they were entranced by the serene nature of the garden itself.

"Bell, do you hear their melodies?" she asked me with genuine joy.

"I do," I responded. I had heard it many times but it never felt old to me.

She listened to the songs the birds sang, enjoying every moment of it as she swayed her head to the melody and waved his index fingers around like a conductor.

As we finally walked beyond the heart, bidding the birds farewell, stone benches occasionally appeared as if to offer a much-needed rest for those that had traveled the long journey this deep into the garden.

As we continued to weave through the garden, our conversation continued to flow effortlessly.

We spoke of our dreams, aspirations, and events pertaining to the current world.

Reaching the end of the garden, nestled in a secluded corner stood a majestic magnolia tree with a presence that commanded attention and evoked a sense of endless history.

Its branches stretched outward with graceful strength, reaching toward the heavens as if trying to grab ahold of the creator of this novel world.

"This tree, it is as if it's telling me not to look away," said Ichiko as she approached it.

"It does have a certain presence to it."

Standing below it, the two of us shared the gentle shade naturally created by the lush canopy of green leaves.

"You should see it during springtime. The blossoms unfurl and a wonderful intoxicating fragrance fills the area," I told her.

I didn't experience the seasonal event myself but Bell's memories told me that I wasn't wrong.

"Perhaps it's just the entrancing atmosphere of the garden getting to me but is it blasphemous of me to suggest that at this moment, it feels like it's only us two in this world?" asked Ichiko, looking up at my eyes.

There was a desire in her pupils that told me that there was only one correct answer.

She was asking me this because even though only the two of us were walking side by side, bodyguards of both clans stood far away to respect the tradition of leaving the engaged couple alone but were ever-present in that they were observing the entire ordeal from afar at the order of their respective family.

"It does feel like that... doesn't it?"

She let a soft giggle at my reply, satisfied to an extent, and as she smelled the latest flower she had plucked in her hands, she stared at me.

I could see gears spinning in her head.

"Shall we begin heading back?" she asked.

Nodding my head, I was anticipating what conclusion or idea the turned gears had led her to.

"But before we do that, can I ask you a favor?"

"If it's within my abilities," I answered.

Ichiko's expression had a glitch from her normal elegant and innocent behavior.

Her voice filled with selfish and cunning desires, she asked, "Could we hold hands as we walk back?"

'Hold hands!? So lewd!' screamed Liona.

Expressing with my tone and face that I didn't mind it, I asked, "May I ask why?"

Quickly, the gears in her head turned again and she was able to make an excuse in a few seconds.

"Remember when I said I had a feeling we will complement each other perfectly?" she asked me.

"I do."

"Well, I'd like to learn if that applied physically as well," she explained. "Our personalities may mesh together perfectly like a two-piece puzzle, but will our bodies do the same?"

'Master, am I overthinking this or is she trying to imply something more than just holding hands?' asked Kimi.

'She knows what she wants and is willing to do what it takes to get it. I like her. Good girl,' said Vaulhesia, sounding like a proud mother, practically raising her chest to the sky.

Seeing my lack of response as my artifacts had distracted me, Ichiko asked with a smile that wasn't a smile, "Something wrong?"

Shaking my head, I responded, "Nothing. I was just lost in your eyes for a moment there."

As her face turned red, the chills that had crawled up my spine slowly disappeared as if my body had taken a deep sigh of relief.

"I understand why you ask this favor of me," I told her, sliding my fingers in between hers. "Some people can connect physically with a simple touch while others may repel each other aways like magnets of the same pole."

If Ichiko's face was slightly red before, now it was practically a tomato.

'Master, you sly playboy,' said Liona, admiring my acting.

"How do you feel?" I inquired while whispering in her ear. "Do you think our touches complement one another?"

For a short moment, she looked like a fish that had jumped into the pool only to realize that it was the ocean.

But then, she was quickly able to regather herself, and her elegance returned as if it never left.

"It's like our physical bodies were made for each other," she responded, pulling our entangled hands down to our waist as she began walking.

'Master, why do you keep digging yourself into a bigger hole?' asked Kimi, confused about why I continued to play the role of a perfect fiancé even though I was hoping to have the engagement annulled.

'Don't doubt master! He has a plan. I'm sure of it," said Liona, with full confidence in me.

Truth be told, I didn't really have a plan.

Once she had told me earlier in the living room that she was considering annulling the engagement if I failed her evaluation, I must admit, a part of my brain was fried.

Currently, I was simply going along with the flow and continuing to follow through with the plan I had initially made so that I could make Plan B or C — or D once I was finally alone and had time to process everything.

Why don't I just switch characters all of a sudden and be so rude that she would have no choice but to demand an annulment?

Because I now care too much about the Agnus family to not only take away an extra layer of shield the engagement to the Asano family would bring because of my hatred for the trope but also because I had this gut feeling that if I were to stop being the perfect fiancé that I was portraying myself to be, something horrible was awaiting me.

I just didn't know it was yet.

Hand in hand, the journey back felt longer even though we stopped less often to admire the garden than before.

I could feel Ichiko's heartbeat and it betrayed the perfect elegance that she was outwardly maintaining as we walked.

When we finally reached the door, I felt like I aged a few years due to how long that walk back felt.

"That was a nice walk," she said, glancing at my empty hand even though the favor she had asked of me was meant to only last for the journey back.

"Beautiful garden, gorgeous flowers, perfect weather... all of it was wonderful," she continued. I was beginning to catch onto this perfect lady's true nature.

Well, perhaps her perfect elegance is her true nature.

But her truer nature was a little more ambiguous and clever.

'She purposely stated that all of it was wonderful to imply that it included the handholding,' I explained to Liona who was confused about my internal reaction.

'Lewd!' screamed Liona.