Gardenia of Blooming Desire - Chapter 231: The Fragrance of a Beauty

“Milord, please open your eyes carefully,” the healer said. Aster opened his eyes slowly, there was no emotion in his eyes, nothing had changed.

“How is it?” Tuskan asked anxiously. Aster smiled and shook his head, “I still can’t see anything.”

Tuskan took a deep disappointed sigh, he gave the healer a bag of gold coins and said, “You are free to go.”

“Pardon my inability to heal Milord Aster, Your Majesty, but Milord Aster’s blindness is really a mystery. It is almost like magic…”

Tuskan glanced at Aster, worrying that might take this healer’s word to heart. It might discourage him. Tuskan glared at the healer and then repeated his words with a threatening manner, “You are free to go.”

The healer seemed to understand that he misspoke, he shouldn’t say something like that in front of Milord Aster. He bowed his head and then rushed out with the bag of gold coins.

Aster’s sense had sharpened drastically after he lost his vision. He seemed to be able to read the situation even though everything was dark. In a simpler way, he could predict people’s hearts without even seeing their expression. Aster chuckled lightly, “Do you need to be so harsh on him? He is just telling the truth.”

Tuskan scratched his head, “I… I just don’t want you to be sad, don’t worry, Great Arctyr have a lot of traditional healers and doctors. I can also call the doctors from other countries, we just need to try more and more. I know you can be healed!”

Aster smiled, he wanted to say that it was useless. Because his blindness was not logical either, it was similar to a magic, ‘And that magic caused by myself, I traded my vision for Ramuja’s memory.’

‘But, Tuskan seems to be very eager to help me, I don’t want to ruin his passion,’ Aster nodded in agreement, “I believe in you, when you are this eager to help me, how could I reject you?”

Tuskan’s cheek turned beet red immediately, he lowered his head in embarrassment. He knew that Aster was blind right now, but somehow, he felt that Aster could read all his emotions like an open book.

Aster laughed as he could feel Tuskan’s embarrassment, he reached for his walking stick and stood from the chair, “The spring is here, would you mind escorting a blind man outside? He wants to sightsee the garden in your palace,” Aster joked.

“Certainly!” Tuskan held Aster’s hand and then escorted him slowly. He led the way for Aster as Aster tapped the floor with his walking stick. Halfway through, Tuskan felt that Aster was too slow, and a mischievous idea popped in his mind.

“Tuskan, do you think the garden—WHA!” Aster immediately circled his hand around Tuskan’s neck out of surprise. Tuskan grinned mischievously as he carried Aster in bridal style.

“Are you crazy?!” Aster scolded Tuskan, “Put me down! If the guards and servants saw you carrying a blind man like me, there will be gossip!”

“Well, let’s just pretend that there is no one here,” Tuskan seemed to be unbothered, he walked leisurely while carrying Aster in his hand. He carried Aster to his private garden, which he named after the man in his embrace, it was named Aster Garden.

“We’ve arrived, Milady,” Tuskan said, he put Aster down gently and put the walking stick in Aster’s hand gain. Aster used the walking stick to hit Tuskan repeatedly, “Ouch, ouch! Is this how you treat someone that has carried you to the garden?”

“I didn’t ask to be carried!” Aster continued hitting Tuskan with his walking stick, “What if someone saw us? They will think that Great King of Great Arctyr has been seduced by a blind man, you are an idiot!”

‘Well… it’s not completely wrong…’ Tuskan mumbled softly.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Tuskan shook his head. He held Aster’s hand so he stopped hitting him, “You are here to enjoy the garden, right? So, let’s just continue, I will lead the way.”

Aster still pouted, he was sincerely worried that this guy would get in trouble by his ministers because he did something ridiculous, “Hmph! You lead the way! Not carry the way!”

Tuskan chuckled, “Sure thing, Milady.”

“It’s Milord! Arghh, whatever!” Aster tried to pacify himself. It seemed that Tuskan had grown accustomed to tease him. It had been a few months since his arrival in Great Arctyr, and Tuskan seemed to have been very relaxed around him. At first, he was still that brat who would try to talk him down and even scold him, but Aster already knew that Tuskan meant well. It was just his way to show his care.

Speaking of Mariette, she had been in charge as one of the high ministers, acting as art and tradition minister for the Great Arctyr. It was a similar position like a Golden Princess in Golden Camellia, but it seemed the Mariette was much more active than that useless Rosalie.

Mariette visited Aster a few times, but it seemed that she was very busy. She often left the palace to attend a party and traditional gathering, something that was unthinkable for a Golden Princess.

Aster and Tuskan walked around the garden, and then Aster asked, “Where is Mariette? It has been a while since her last visit to me.”

Tuskan sighed, “She is meeting her future husband’s parents, a noble duchy at the south. It will take a while until she returns.”

“Ah, that’s unfortunate, it will be good if she can enjoy this garden with us,” Aster said. He smiled and turned his head at Tuskan, “I think I know where this fragrance comes from, I will show you the way.”

Aster asked Tuskan to let him go and then he walked by himself with Tuskan behind him. Tuskan was curious what Aster would do. Since he was blind, there was no way that he could navigate around the garden maze. Because the garden was quite big.

But Tuskan was left surprised as soon as Aster took a few routes, even the one that was shorter than the usual route. He walked steadily as he navigated around the trail of flowers, and then, he finally stopped in front of the center of the garden full of flowers in front of him.

Aster inhaled deeply, trying to fill his lung with this familiar sweet scent around him. There was a satisfied smile on his face, as if he finally found peace in this garden.

‘This is the familiar smell where I would spend my day with Ramuja in the garden, the smell of spring asters.’

‘Ramuja would be the one who tends the garden personally, the smell of this garden is just as strong as the flowers that Ramuja tended personally. I guess Tuskan hired many skilled gardeners for this garden.’

Aster remembered that Ramuja was very meticulous whenever he entered the garden. He was a big man, but he tried to be as delicate as possible for the flowers, which was why the garden that had been tended personally by Ramuja would have all the flowers blooming beautifully with strong sweet scents.

‘Maybe it’s his way to show his love to me…’ Aster smiled sheepishly.

“Tuskan, may I know who tended this garden? He is such a skilled gardener.”

“… I tended this garden personally,” Tuskan replied.

Aster was stupefied, “You… you tended it personally? You? Without any help?”

“No.”

“Why would you? You are a Great King! There are many things you need to do! Why would you spend your time tending the flowers! Tuskan, you should know your priority!”

“Uh… there is a sentimental reason for that,” Tuskan was too embarrassed to admit that he tended the garden personally for these past couple months because he knew Aster would visit this garden sooner or later. So, he wanted Aster to be happy with all the flowers in the garden. Since he knew that Aster treasured the delicate flowers more than gold.

Aster was stupefied for a few more minutes, and then a beautiful smile bloomed on his face, he approached Tuskan gently and then placed his hand on Tuskan’s heart. Then he caressed Tuskan’s cheek gently with his other hand, “You might sound harsh many times, and I know that you can be very stubborn as a Great King, but that is what we call as tempered by fate. I know that deep down, you are a kind man, Tuskan.”

Tuskan’s body became hotter, especially on his cheek and chest. He could feel that Aster’s hand gave him heat that was unbelievable to him, “Eh? Why is your heart beating rapidly? Are you okay?” Aster asked.

“Pardon me,” Tuskan plucked an aster flower near him and then put the flower on her lips. He held Aster’s back gently. He inserted his fingers on Aster’s back head and then kissed Aster’s lips with the flower gently.

Tuskan could smell all the flowers in this garden, but no fragrance was more tasteful than the fragrance of a beauty in front of him. Aster always smelled like an mystical flower that got you intoxicated, ‘Aster, you intoxicate me more than any flowers could ever do.’