One Step Forward to the Flower Path

“Ivanna.  Now, if we just go down these stairs we will soon see the outside world.”

Ivanna, who was burying her face in Dante’s shoulder so that she could not see the colorful corridor, turned her head at the words.  There was a huge staircase just below them.  It seemed to her that she would have to walk down for a long time, but her father went down at once.

The smell of the wind passed through her nose, making Ivanna open her eyes wide.  In the gray world, it was difficult to breathe because of the black ashes that filled the world engulfed by fire.  Those black ashes choked her breath.  But what touches her nose now is warm, soft, and calm.

It smelled the same as when she was with her mother.  Ivanna opened her mouth and looked at the outside world little by little through the huge door down the end of the staircase.  Soon, her dad’s shoe tip touched the bright sunlight pouring from the door.  The golden light grew, bigger and bigger and soon swallowed up her body.  Ivanna closed her eyes tightly to the warm, dazzling sensation.  Her heart beating so much, made a loud sound that spread through her ears, that she didn’t know if the sounds were her dad’s or hers.

“Ivanna.”

Her dad’s hand touched her back.  There was neither the smell of hot fire burning, nor the smell of stuffy ashes on her nose.  The only thing that covered the surrounding area was the fragrant scent.  Ivanna opened her eyes stealthily.

“Ah······.”

Then she opened her eyes wide.  The brightly colored land, the colorful flowers that filled the top of the grass, vivid greenery, and a deep blue sky with white clouds floating around.

A dazzling world unfolded before her eyes.  The terrible world she saw when she died was not here.  Only a world full of life, not death, was here.

“I don’t know why you called the world gray, why you said it was burning, and why you said it was covered in monsters.”

Dante whispered softly in her ear.

“Sometimes it gets dark, there are times when there are thunder and lightning, but there are still many beautiful days.”

Dante took Ivanna and walked one step further.  Now Ivanna was in the middle of this beautiful world.

“The world is not so terrible.”

Ivanna stretched out her arms.  A cool breeze, neither hot nor hurtful, passed her wounded arm.  The feeling of the wind penetrating between fingers was very good. 

“This is the world your mother loved.”

“Mom?”

“Yes.”

Ivanna clasped her open hand.  A gleam of wind passed between her hands, it was so itchy that she burst out laughing.

“I will protect you even if the world turns gray and burns.”

Dante held the child’s small hand lightly and pulled it.  His lips touched the back of her soft hand, making her finger’s flinch.

“As promised.  I will always protect you.”

“We will do it too.”

“Father is not the only one who can always say good things.”

Her other hand was held by the twins who were guarding them from behind.  Even though ‘the scary’ hands were holding hers, Ivanna was not scared at all for the first time.  On the contrary, she loved the warmth that came to her hands full of wounds.

Thump thump thump.

Her heartbeat spread pleasantly like music.

The world my Dad protects wasn’t scary.

This world, this place, where everyone is, is a very warm place like the warmth that envelops my hands.

There was no world here like the one that led me to death, like the first life.

***

Ivanna eyes glistened at the sight of the seven fancy wagons Gerard sent.  The things that were piled up in the wagons were stuffed toys and toy swords that children from Ivanna’s age would like.  Ivanna was very happy as she had never had any toys other than Meow that her mother made.  Dante laughed happily as he saw the child crawling excitedly on the pile of dolls in the carriage.

“Even though she’s among those flashy things, Ivanna doesn’t feel frustrated at all.”

The dolls were all colorful and pretty, as the Emperor chose them with all his heart and soul. Decorative hair bands, clothes and ribbons were all top-of-the-line items.  However, rather than the decorative apparels, Ivanna who is wearing a generous white pajamas, stood out even in the middle of such glamour.

“I see where the blood of Lady Hugor comes about.”

“Louise is a great woman.  She left her name in the history of the Empire.”

Even in its long history, perhaps the only one who had a greater influence on the empire than the Emperor himself was Louis J. Hugor.  And that is not only because she was the guardian of the Holy Spirit.  Louise was a woman who was also very good at her abilities.  When people thinks of the Valdemir Empire, it is the name of Louise Hugor that comes first, not the Emperor’s. 

“It was very hard for her to do that.”

At Den’s bitter words, Dante expressed affirmation in silence.  Louise ‘had’ to be superior to the emperor.  To survive.

“That’s why Louise left me.”

This time, Den was silent.  Unlike his daughter, Alaine, he had some idea why Louse had to leave with the child.  Den saw Ivanna crawling about, buried between dolls in the carriage.  As Dante said, she was very beautiful and had a great presence wherever she was.  It was the undeniable truth that everyone has coveted her.

‘It’s not your fault.  There is nothing my Master should feel ashamed of.  Lady Hugor would never have blamed you.’

Den thought so, but he couldn’t bring it out of his mouth.  And above all, just because he says that doesn’t mean Dante can escape his guilty feelings.  What he thought was very presumptuous.

Den recaptured the wonderful sight that unfolded in front of him.  Ivanna, runs excitedly towards a fancy carriage, while the twins are guarding the carriage so that she does not fall.  Dante’s precious three children.  Only they could erase Dante’s guilt.  The only thing that could heal Dante’s heart was his family.  And those kids will surely do that.  Because they are a family that cares for each other’s wounds.

“Do you like the presents?”

“It’s soft.”

Ivanna, who proudly took over the doll, pulled the cute rabbit doll’s ears.  Her mother’s meow doll is the softest, but the rabbit’s fabric was also good.  Ivanna clasped the good-smelling rabbit.

“After checking the gifts, move them all to Ivanna’s room, and provide a place for the knights to stay.”

Perhaps because it was a very expensive toy, all the people who brought the wagon were knights of the palace.  Dante couldn’t afford to neglect the hospitality.

“Yes, sir.”

“We already have a lot of horses in the Duke’s stable, so we don’t need the horses that brought the wagons.  When they go back, say those words and give them the horses back.”

“What? Master won’t send the wagons back?”

Dante, who naturally hugged Ivanna as she stretched out her arms to come out of the dolls, frowned.

“Why return the wagon? This is also included in the present.”

‘······A wagon like this?’

Den looked at the seven carriages standing in front of him for a moment.  They were all huge, shiny, colorful and flashy.  He thought that no matter how expensive the toys are, one won’t be able to buy this type of wagon easily.  But his master is going to have all seven.

‘Is it okay to rob the national treasury like this?’

Dante, who read all of it in Den’s face, answered as if it was natural.

“If you think that Louise didn’t even get compensated for her dedication to the Empire, this is only a small reparation.”

At Dante’s words, Den immediately agreed.  Yes, seven shiny wagons are fine, considering what the dead Emperor did to Louise.  Den lowered his head with a very relaxed face.

“I’ll take care of it right away.”

Den ordered the servants to take out everything in the carriage.  Ivanna, who was watching it in Dante’s arms, tilted her head.

“Then, are we going in now?”

“······Shall I take a walk?”

Ivanna wiggled her fingers without answering.  Dante smiled and kissed her soft cheeks.

“Let’s go.  Dad will keep hugging you like this.”

There was a bright color on her cute face.  Ivanna held Dante’s neck tightly with her small arms, making him laugh happily.  A sudden family picnic began. Dante hugged Ivanna and began to walk through the well-groomed garden, while Valerie and Luan followed him like blindly saying that no one was to follow them.

Ivanna sat on Dante’s arm to see the Duke’s garden for the first time.  The promenade was clean, and the flowers bloomed brightly.  When she saw the fountain with a fishtail carved into it, she opened her eyes in surprise.

“What is that?”

“It’s a fountain.”

Dante naturally turned towards it.  Ivanna stared at the fountain getting closer and closer.  The legs are the tail of the fish, and the upper body is human.  And water poured constantly from the water container it was holding.  The sparkling water droplets were very fascinating.

“Fishman!”

The twins laughed at the cute remark while Dante gently stroked her white blond hair.

“It’s called a mermaid.  It’s a mysterious creature no one has ever seen.”

“Mermaid?”

“Yes.  The legs are the tail of the fish, but the upper body is the same as a human.  They can breathe underwater, and breathe outside the water.”

“They breathe in the water?”

Ivanna was very surprised that mermaid could breathe in the water.  In her first life, because of so much pain, she cried out not wanting to have her powers been pulled out from her.  But the people instead put her head in the water to prevent her from coming out of the altar.  At that time, it was so suffocating and it was really painful.  She felt like she was about to die, but a mermaid can breathe in water.  It was so amazing.

“I want to see a mermaid too.”

“Dad wants to see one too, but we can’t easily see mermaids, because they live in the deep sea.”

Although it was a mythological creature that no one had ever seen, Dante kept the child’s innocence, instead of saying the truth.  Ivanna seemed to like the Mermaid Fountain quite a bit.  Dante sat the child on the stone frame around the basin of the fountain while kneeling on one knee.  He then carefully rolled up her white pajamas up to the knees to keep it from getting wet.

“Soak your feet. It will be refreshing.”

Ivanna looked in the fountain, transparent clean water was flowing pleasantly.  White toes patted the water.

“It’s cool, isn’t it?”

Ivanna nodded her head and put her feet in the fountain.  Dante, who had been keeping his child from falling back or drowning, smiled slightly at the sight of the restless twins next to him.

“You are quite patient with it.  You usually jump right in.”

Valerie and Luan simultaneously turned red.  Dante lifted his chin.

“Don’t splash water as Ivanna may catch a cold.”

At the father’s permission, the two children threw off their shoes and socks and rolled up their pants.  Then, sat on both sides of Ivanna and put their legs in the fountain.

“It’s cool.”

“If it gets hotter, we can play in the water here.”

“When little sister gets healthier.”

“Eat well and you’ll be healthy.”

Like Ivanna, the twins were pleasantly moving their feet.  They didn’t hit the water as hard as they normally do so that the water doesn’t splatter.  In a caring act, Dante patted Valerie and Luan’s hair once in a while.

“I’ll call the blacksmith and get you a new sword.  You’ve gotten taller and your skills have improved, so it’s time to get back to work.”

Valerie and Luan blush and look up at Dante.  A new sword!  Their hearts were pounding.

“You can use a sword?”

When Ivanna asked, Valerie and Luan nodded at the same time.

“Yes. We and Dad use swords.”

“My mom also used a sword.  Then can I use it too?”

They couldn’t answer that.  The twins looked at Dante at the same time.  Then Ivanna looked at him too.  Dante rubbed his chin and examined his daughter, a girl who is much smaller than her age.

“A sword······.”