Chapter Nineteen

“Wow, it must be because it’s the Imperial Palace, but the garden is so pretty.”

Even though it was winter, there were flowers of varying colors.

Not only was it well maintained, but it was also filled with winter season flowers that were known to be expensive and rare.

“Miss Silver Lily.”

I was in the midst of looking around, but Madame Chunet kept calling me with a brusque voice.

It was dripping with a tone that meant that I had to leave now, but pretending not to notice, I changed the topic.

“Madame Chunet! Look at this. I should ask them to plant this at the Lily Palace garden too.”

It was a fancy flower that had a mixture of dark pink and white.

After approaching and smelling it, I realized it didn’t have any scent.

“So it’s a flower without a scent.”

“Most flowers that bloom in the winter do not have a scent. Although you may not know since you didn’t learn, Miss Silver Lily.”

Ah. It seemed like Madame Chunet was in a considerably bad mood.

How else would she be able to say such words that so blatantly looked down on me?

“Well, I didn’t learn anything about flowers at the Duchy. What’s the name of this flower?”

I wanted to pluck one out, but I held in the urge.

The gardener must have worked hard to cultivate these flowers, so if I plucked one out, an empty space would appear.

Not to mention, flowers were also living entities…

“It’s a Latuillis. Miss Silver Lily, we really need to go back to the Lily Palace now.”

It seemed like she couldn’t hold it in anymore, for Madame Chunet said it outrightly.

As if feeling sad, I looked at the sky.

Well, it was true that I was sad, but my true goal was to estimate the time.

The sun was sinking down.

Soon, the sun would set.

“Understood. But before that, I just want to visit one place.”

“…Where do you want to go now?”

“Just one place. It’s not far.”

Seeing as Madame Chunet was on the verge of dragging me away, I sped up my footsteps.

Once I passed by the garden’s thicket and turned inwards, it revealed a huge lake.

The water was shining as it reflected the sun’s light, creating quite a memorable image of the lake.

“How is it? Pretty, right?”

If you looked at it one way, it seemed scarlet, another way, red, and yet another, pink.

The sky, filled with the sun setting, and the lake were parted as if a watercolour, painted on a canvas.

Yes, just like Hadel’s pretty and shiny eyes.

Back when they seemed scarlet, and at other times red, and yet at other times, pink.

“How did you know about this place?”

“I heard the maids talking. That there was a lake deep inside of the garden that only royalty could enter, and that it was truly beautiful. That’s why I really wanted to come.”

Madame Chunet did not ask any more questions.

Although I truly did not like the fact that I had to watch such a beautiful scene with Madame Chunet and not Hadel, it was fine.

Since Hadel would soon come to this place.

Well, it wasn’t that I was completely sure.

It had been mere coincidence that I’d found out that the Emperor liked to go to the lake deep inside of the Imperial palace’s gardens.

Although I had no certainty whether it was even true that he liked going there, when I came and saw it with my own eyes, I felt it instinctively.

That Hadel would definitely come.

That he definitely liked this place.

“Madame Chunet, do you like drawings?”

At my random question, she blinked, before shaking her head.

“What a shame. I like them.”

After saying that, I plopped down onto the dirt and picked up a twig that was lying on the ground.

“Miss Silver Lily! Just what are you doing…!”

“Since I saw such a beautiful scene, I should draw it.”

To be honest, my drawing talent was shit.

I had such a shit hand that if I drew a rabbit, it looked like a dog, and if I drew a dog, it seemed like a cat, and if I drew a cat, it looked like an elephant.

But I still had to draw.

Since Hadel would come soon.

And there was something I had to write down at all costs.

In the middle of my hard work drawing, Madame Chunet approached as if she could stand this no longer.

“It’s not even that you’re drawing the lake, just what kind of scribbles are you… Anyway, it’s truly late now. If you’ve seen enough, let’s return, Miss Silver Lily.”

The sun had almost completely set.

I couldn’t delay it any longer.

The best scenario was Hadel coming out and bumping into me.

But today might not have been the day.

It was a shame, but it seemed like I would have to be satisfied enough by just leaving this picture behind.

And right when I was turning my body.

“…Huu.”

It was a faint smell that tickled the ends of my nose.

I slowly took a deep breath in.

As expected, it was a familiar scent, causing the tips of lips to go up automatically.

“Miss Silver Lily.”

Madame Chunet kept calling me, but I ignored her and cleared my throat.

Ahem.

It had been so long since I’d sung it that I was unsure if I could get the right note…

But it was a song I’d sung almost every night for several years, so I was confident.

I took a deep breath.

After holding my breath, I slowly breathed out before starting to sing one note at a time, retrieved from deep within my memories.

The lullaby I’d sung every night for Hadel, who suffered from nightmares.

The song I’d altered the lyrics for, just for Hadel.

Although it wasn’t the kind of song you’d sing at a lake, the calming melody somehow seemed to fit the atmosphere well.

Madame Chunet was probably dawning a very confused expression from behind me.

She would probably think it strange and wonder why I was suddenly singing.

But nobody would know.

No matter how much you investigate, I doubt you’d find anything.

This is Hadel and I’s…

And right when in the middle of my thoughts, I heard someone’s presence from behind me.

I pretended I didn’t hear it and kept singing.

“Y-Your Majesty.”

In the end, Madame Chunet bowed down on the floor in panic, but I didn’t stop singing.

So that I could sing just one more verse, or one more note, and let Hadel hear it.

Until I finished singing, Hadel simply watched.

He didn’t speak a word, nor did he take out his sword.

All he did was watch.

When the short yet long song ended, I turned toward Hadel slowly, before bowing my head.

“I greet Your Majesty the Emperor.”

I could see Hadel’s pink eyes shaking like crazy.

Then, his face suddenly contorted threateningly.

His brutal voice followed.

“…Who are you?”

“I’m the Silver Lily, Your Majesty. I came here after hearing that it was beautiful, but did not realize I would bother Your Majesty’s rest… I apologize.”

At my simple words, Hadel scoffed, before taking a step closer to me.

“You and I should both know that that’s not what I’m asking.”

Although I knew, I couldn’t speak the truth. Instead, I simply tilted my head.

“What do you mean? This girl truly does not know, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

With slightly exaggerated movements, I held the hems of my dress with both hands before bowing my head.

As this was a movement only done during formal greetings, Madame Chunet’s face distorted, but Hadel’s face actually started shaking more.

[This girl truly does not know, Your Highness the Prince.]

This was a joke that I often did with Hadel.

[Asha. I like it better when you call me Hadel, not Your Highness the Prince.]

[Ay, we’re just playing! Hadel, since you’re in the role of the Prince, I’m calling you Your Highness the Prince.]

This was a game that was more fun because Hadel was actually a prince.

Although he was now His Majesty the Emperor, rather than His Highness the Prince.

This was a definite signal between the two of us.

“Just what…”

Sure enough, Hadel glared at me sharply with an expression that seemed like he might collapse right this moment.

It was a face that seemed like he wanted to say something but didn’t know what.

It felt like if I said anything more, Madame Chunet would get suspicious.

I quickly bowed and gave my farewell greetings quickly.

“You told me not to say another word, so I apologize for making Your Majesty uncomfortable again. Then I’ll take my leave now, so please enjoy your rest.”

While I left the lakeside like that, Hadel stood like a frozen statue and didn’t do anything.

He could definitely grab me if he wanted, but he would probably be busy floundering about within confusion for a while.

And once his emotions settled down a bit, he would probably see them.

The pictures I’d left behind.

Now, the dice had been thrown.

All that was left was to wait for the results.

Tonight would probably be a very long night.

* * *

“Your Majesty.”

Taimon entered the spot that the Silver Lily had left.

His master was dawning an expression that was rare to see for some reason.

It was an expression filled with something other than the usual sadness, anger, despair, or forlornness.

Watching his master, who had a complicated face that was difficult to summarize in one word, Taimon took a step closer.

“Did… something happen?”

The Emperor didn’t respond.

Instead, he bowed his head and kept staring at the dirt.

“This…?”

Taimon’s gaze followed the Emperor’s to the dirt.

Something was drawn with a skill that one could tell was coarse at a glance.

It was so messy that one could even consider it as a scribble.

“Taimon, what do you think this looks like to you?”

But why was it that his master was staring at these scribbles with a fairly serious expression?

Since he was suddenly asking him, he had no choice but to look at it closely.

“Um. It… looks like an animal.”

It had ears as well as something that looked like eyes, nose, and lips. Since it had a tail, it should be an animal.

“What kind of animal?”

That was a difficult question.

Although it was so badly drawn that it was difficult to tell, the Emperor was asking stubbornly.

“This… seems like a dog. This one… a cat? Um. The last one is really hard to tell. Since it has big ears, an elephant…?”

Even as he spoke, Taimon kept tilting his head side to side.

It was weird all around.

Unsure, he glanced at his master, but he, also, had a hardened expression.

As expected, it wasn’t just difficult for me.

Feeling strangely comforted, he started nodding, but a shocking remark came out of his master’s mouth.

“You got it all wrong.”

“Paaaardon? Wait, then what does it look like to you, Your Majesty?”

“A rabbit, a dog, and… a cat.”

Just what new type of bullying was this… No, no.

Rather than that, Taimon was starting to get seriously worried about his master’s mental state.

“Wait, how is this a rabbit, dog, and cat? Especially the last one, it definitely doesn’t look like a cat.”

Despite Taimon’s surprise, the Emperor spoke no more words.

The problem wasn’t what these animals were.

It was the method of drawing them. And even the habit of getting it wrong at the same places each time.

Everything was the exact same. It was too similar.

Even the messy round dots that were drawn in front of the animals.

At a glance, it seemed like a decoration.

But Hadel knew.

This was a language.