After reviewing the message from Fate-san, I jotted a note in my schedule book. She was clearly enthusiastic about the trip, and we were currently in the process of ironing out the dates.
Comparing her suggestions with my open dates... well, I wanted to avoid the New Year when the God Realm becomes incredibly busy, so I aimed for the end of the year instead.
Today was the 14th of the Month of Heavens. Ten days from now—the 24th—seemed to work best for both of us. However, trying to squeeze it in before the year ended made things a bit rushed, so I decided to check with Chris-san before giving Fate-san a final answer.
I reached out to Chris-san via Hummingbird, and she replied almost immediately that there would be no problem at all. I decided I would send her a more formal letter later. While Hummingbirds were convenient, they lacked a feature to save past messages, so official business still required a proper letter.
Writing to an Empress like Chris-san involved complex etiquette that was far beyond my abilities. I would have to ask Illness-san to ghostwrite it for me later.
With that settled, I realized I had no more plans for the rest of the day. It was only 2:00 PM, so I figured I might head to the bookstore. I had been wanting some more travel magazines anyway, so the timing was perfect.
Just as I was getting ready to head out, I saw Nebula flying toward me.
"Master~"
"Yeah?"
"You have a guest. She is a woman who appears to be a blonde spirit, wearing a dress adorned with rose decorations. She seems quite painfully shy... Does that ring a bell?"
"Could it be Rosmiel-san? Wait, is she here now?"
"Yes! She seemed interested in the garden, so I invited her to wait there while she takes a look around."
The description Nebula gave was definitely Rosmiel-san, but I couldn't help but wonder why she was here already.
Did I get the date wrong? Regardless, I couldn't keep her waiting, so I headed straight for the garden.
"Thanks, Nebula. Also, sorry to trouble you, but could you ask Illness-san to prepare some black tea?"
"Certainly! Shall I bring it to the terrace seating?"
"Yeah, that would be a great help."
"Understood! Leave it to this one!!"
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
I gave Nebula a quick pat on the head and hurried toward the garden. As I walked, I pulled my schedule book out of my Magic Box to double-check my notes.
Hmm... My book said exactly what I thought it did. Of course, there was always the chance I had simply written it down wrong.
"...Alice, I want to check something."
"...It was supposed to be tomorrow."
Alice sensed my question before I could even ask it.
"The Hummingbird from Rosmiel-san said the 15th of the Month of Heavens at 2:00 PM... which is tomorrow."
"I knew it! Okay, so I didn't misread it..."
"Most likely, Rosmiel-san got so nervous that she mixed up the dates herself. It’s hard to imagine she’d show up at this exact time for any other reason."
I felt a wave of relief at Alice's confirmation. Yes, Rosmiel-san was scheduled to visit. She had mentioned wanting to come by to thank me for giving her the Eternal Flower at the White God Festival, and we had coordinated the details via Hummingbird.
But that was supposed to be tomorrow. Knowing how shy she was, I knew she would never be able to talk to the guards at Lilia's Mansion Gate, so I had planned to be out in the garden early to welcome her... I just never expected her to arrive a full day early.
Actually, I was impressed Nebula had managed to identify her as a guest at all. I doubted they had much of a conversation, but Nebula was incredibly perceptive, so she must have managed to communicate with her somehow.
As I reached the garden, I immediately spotted Rosmiel-san standing by the flowerbeds.
"Rosmiel-san, I'm sorry. Have I kept you waiting?"
"...Ah, Kaito-kun... N-No, it’s fine. S-Sorry for dropping in so suddenly."
Her voice was incredibly soft—so quiet that I practically had to lean toward her to make out the words.
The chance of her being here for something else was slim, but I figured I should check just in case.
"U-Um, like I said in my message... I came to thank you for the other day."
"..."
Just as I thought, she had simply mixed up the dates.
Well, there wasn't much point in pointing it out. It wasn't like this involved anyone else; it was just a personal promise between the two of us.
Fortunately, my schedule was clear for the rest of the day, so it wasn't a problem. There was no reason to embarrass her by mentioning the mistake.
"I'm sorry, I was busy writing a letter, so it took me a moment to come out."
"N-No, please don't worry about it. I enjoyed... looking at your beautiful garden."
"I'm glad. Well, we shouldn't just stand around talking. Let's head over to the terrace seating."
I gave her a warm smile and guided her toward the terrace.