By Zephyria 
Lily of the valley……?
Puzzled, Grayson looked inside the box, found a card, and took it out. To my beloved child, Grayson. Koi’s words entered his vision. Grayson slowly traced the letters with his eyes.
Does the scent smell nice?
Perfumers try so hard to imitate this scent, but I guess they can’t capture the scent of nature.
I was recommended a few perfumes that smelled similar, but they didn’t seem to resemble it at all.
So instead, I asked them to put in fresh flowers.
Lily of the valley is poisonous.
Isn’t it amazing that something that smells so good can be poisonous?
It is said to symbolize happiness that will come someday, but does that mean that pain is also necessary to be happy?
Here in France, lily of the valley symbolizes love and luck.
When I heard that, I thought of you.
Like the meaning of this flower, happiness will surely come to you too.
P.S. Lily of the valley is poisonous, so you have to be careful, but it is said to be safe for Traits like you. Feel free to smell the fragrance to your heart’s content.
The message ended there. Grayson put the card on the table and brought the box to his nose. Hoo, he took a deep breath, and an indescribably deep fragrance permeated his lungs. Like Dane’s Pheromone scent, it had a cool and refreshing grassy scent with a subtle sweetness hidden within. Grayson buried his nose in the flowers and took several deep breaths with pleasure.
Suddenly, Dane’s words came to mind. Soon, his good mood turned uncomfortable. He had subtly dropped a meaningful remark, but Dane’s reaction was neither here nor there. He didn’t get angry, didn’t find it absurd, and didn’t agree that it was plausible. Of course, Grayson knew that the last case was absurd, but Dane’s reaction was somehow unexpected.
What did that mean?
Grayson stared blankly at the flowers. A flower so innocent yet poisonous, a poisonous plant crouching in such a deep fragrance. And its meaning is ‘happiness that will come someday.’
Ashley’s face as he looked at him was revived in his mind.
He said it as usual, firmly and with conviction. Looking straight at his son with unwavering eyes.
And Ashley added one last thing.
Why did he say that?
Grayson pondered. Moreover, Ashley surprisingly patted him on the shoulder a couple of times. As if to say cheer up.
What the hell was that……?
It was all incomprehensible. Grayson, who usually accepted Papa’s words without a shred of doubt, was different this time.
What are you saying, are you crazy?
Grayson sincerely thought that Ashley Miller was addicted to Pheromones. The fact that part of his brain was already broken was known to everyone in the family. So it’s not an impossible story.
“Why would I kill Dane, that’s ridiculous.”
Grayson grumbled irritably and smelled the flowers again. The deep scent soon made his mind comfortable. I have to tell Daddy, Papa is weird, so it’s better to have his brain checked.
“Tch.”
Grayson clicked his tongue briefly and dismissed the thought. It was nonsense not worth listening to. He took the box to the bed and scattered the flowers on the mattress. And surrounded by the scent of lily of the valley, he fell into a comfortable sleep.
twenty one
“Hose, the hose is too short! Unroll it more, more!”
At Dane’s shout, DeAndre quickly ran over and pulled out the hose that was wrapped around the car. Grayson hurriedly approached, watching Dane, who was holding the hose high and pouring water with the increased length.
“Should I do it?”
“Get out of the way, I’ll do it. Ask Wilkins if he has anything for you to do.”
Grayson had no choice but to turn away at the words spoken without taking his eyes off the fire scene. When he asked Wilkins, he looked around and soon pointed to one side.
“Go check if there are any embers left over there, don’t forget the fire extinguisher.”
Grayson, carrying the fire extinguisher on his back as instructed, hurriedly ran in the direction Wilkins had told him. The fire that started in the morning showed no signs of dying down even late in the afternoon. An old man was living alone in a house standing alone in a remote area where there were no proper roads. Lighting a fire to burn trash was an act he had done countless times, but today was unlucky. A spark flew and caught onto the dry wood, and in an instant, it became a huge fire.
By the time the fire truck arrived, the area had already turned into a sea of fire. They scattered in all directions, pouring water and trying to extinguish the fire so that it wouldn’t spread to the forest fire. Fortunately, with effort and luck, the fire was gradually being extinguished, even though it took quite a bit of time.
“Hoo.”
Grayson exhaled and wiped his forehead with the back of his arm, then paused. It was because he belatedly discovered the sleeves that were blackened with dust and ash. Thanks to that, he knew what his face looked like now without having to look.
Ah, damn it.
He let out a sigh and a curse at the same time, grumbling and looking around. No embers were found, but he sprayed water from the fire extinguisher as Dane had taught him, preventing any possible re-ignition.
Is this enough?
After checking the wet ground and the completely burned trees, he backed away and returned to his place. Even while doing so, he did not forget to keep looking around and checking.
I’m pretty good, aren’t I?
Inwardly, arrogance boiled up. It’s nothing, I’m good at even being a firefighter.
He was about to hum and lightly run towards Dane. Suddenly, his eyes met those of an old man sitting on the ground and looking at him. Grayson was puzzled by the unfocused gaze as if he had lost his mind. There is only one person who has the privilege of sitting still and doing nothing in the midst of such chaos.
The owner of this house. No, the person who used to be the owner.
His house is no longer there. Only the black wooden frame that was the pillar of the house remains, burning fiercely. Grayson had already been to the fire scene several times, so he was familiar with that expression. So he was about to turn around and leave without much thought, but suddenly, he saw the man staggering to his feet at the end of his vision. Grayson was about to run towards Dane without paying attention. It was a very natural action. If it had been him before.
……Uh.
Grayson stopped moving and looked back at him. The man was walking towards the still burning fire. All the other guys were busy putting out the fire and didn’t notice his actions at all. Grayson was the only one who saw the man.
……Ah.
Grayson turned his head and looked back in the direction of Dane. There was no reason to hesitate. It was clear what the man wanted, and there was no reason to stop him.
But.
He hesitated, unlike usual.
What would Dane do in this situation……?
Surprisingly, Grayson thought of something he had never thought of before. Then the next thing to do was decided.
“No, stop!”
Grayson shouted and grabbed the man’s shoulder. The man shook his whole body greatly because of it and almost fell backward. After barely regaining his balance, he immediately showed his anger to Grayson.
“You bastard……!”
Grayson quickly dodged the fist he swung while shouting. It was an absurd situation. He had only stopped him from committing suicide, but he was attacking him instead.
It didn’t end there. The man screamed, his eyes bloodshot, and wildly swung his fists.
“You bastard, were you laughing just now? Is it funny? Huh? My entire fortune is burning, is it funny? You fucking bastard, die, die……!”
The man continued to scream and rampage. Grayson regretted it, but it was already too late. The other guys were so busy putting out the fire that they didn’t notice this situation at all.
Just then, the man found an ax that someone had put down next to the fire truck. The moment Grayson saw him reaching for the ax, he reflexively kicked the man in the stomach.
“Ugh!”
The man screamed and fell to the ground. Grayson chased after him to prevent him from getting up again and kicked him in the head this time. He was about to grab the man, who was spitting blood, by the collar and take him away when.
“Miller!”
DeAndre screamed in a pale face. He immediately snatched the man Grayson was holding and laid him on the ground.
“Get a hold of yourself, hey! Here, everyone help me!”
The guys who belatedly discovered them ran over in surprise.
“What are you doing? What’s going on all of a sudden?”
“There’s an injured person here! Hurry!”
“Bring something to stop the bleeding!”
“We need a stretcher, hurry! This way!”
Beyond the paramedics who were running urgently, Grayson could only stand there in bewilderment.