Chapter 20

“Oh! I hate jerky!”

“Lady?”

“Huff, huff, huff, huff…”

Annie raised her trembling body.

Carla, who had been watering the plant, hurried to her and shook her.

“Are you okay?”

“Carla… It’s fine. Just some water…”

Carla hastily brought a cup of water to the table.

Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp.

Annie inhaled the water like she was lost in the desert and just discovered an oasis. She wiped her mouth with her sleeves.

‘What was that freaking dream?!’

The trembling Annie spat out her swear words. She then exhaled and touched her forehead with one hand.

“I’m sorry… I had a little nightmare.”

In fact, it was more of a dramatic dream than a nightmare. Carla took a towel and wiped Annie’s cold sweat, and she clicked her tongue out of her regret.

“You must have been very surprised…”

Annie, who had become pale, muttered, grasping her bed sheet with her hand.

“Is this a prophetic dream?”

“What was your dream?”

“Well, the tyrant came out… I…”

Following the words, the nightmare became clearer, so Annie shook her head. She said it would be better to forget it, and she muttered and raised her body.

Nervous Annie skipped breakfast.

Carla was fine. But the thought that she might encounter the tyrant made her feel uncomfortable for some reason.

*

But, funnily, the feelings disappeared as soon as she came to the Imperial Palace.

Annie’s mouth was slightly open as she sat in the carriage.

‘Wow…’

The rose flowers that adorned the vast Imperial Palace in the distance shone brightly in the sunlight.

The rose vines wrapped around the building, causing her heart to clench.

She urged Carla as Annie liked roses out of all flowers.

“Come on.”

Clack, clack.

The white and black cobblestone path of the gleaming Imperial Palace clacked against her high heels, but it did not slow her down.

At last, the two people who arrived in front of the rose opened their eyes wide.

This was a level of roses that were not decorative, but completely covered the building.

“Oh my gosh…”

Annie took a deep breath after she finished appreciating with her eyes.  The scent of roses that seeped deep into her lungs was breathtaking.

“It’s really pretty.  How are the dried roses so fresh?”

“One by one, each one are carefully trimmed and then elaborately dried.”

The rose, dried in its original form, did not shed a single petal. Rather, it seemed to have created a new beauty.

Perhaps the gardener has had quite a hard time.

Annie stood in front of the rose flowers and closed her eyes gently. She came for a bazaar, but she felt like she received an unexpected surprise.

Annie didn’t know what to do in front of the rose, but she liked it.

Tap, tap.

At that time, two roses fell to the floor.

“May I keep the fallen ones?

Annie bent over and carefully picked up two, giving one to Carla first.

Carla grinned wide enough to see her white teeth.

“Thank you, My Lady.”

“Thank you too.”

There were no thorns. It was clear that someone has trimmed it with great care.

Annie smiled as she stared at the rose wrapped around her hand.

“This is the first time that dried roses are more beautiful than fresh flowers.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

The deep scent of roses tickled the tip of her nose.

Annie closed her eyes and admired the scent that made her even forget her nightmare.

“I’m glad I came.”

*

‘Annie… Our Annie’s… hair.  Braided hair… Braids…”

Watching Annie from behind the tree, Ejed clutched his heart fiercely.

In the wind, the gold-rimmed glasses over his slim face fell onto the grass.

Now, as he stretched his arms out and tried to hurriedly pick up the glasses, a painful sound leaked out of Ejed’s mouth.

Not so long ago, grooming and drying the roses hurt his whole body, as if it had been beaten. It was a case of serious overworkness that could not be avoided even by the emperor.

After that, it took enormous effort to decorate the building with the landscape architects, but Ejed came forward in person.

In fact, Ejed tried to raise his stiff body at dawn, but his back hurt so much that he couldn’t stand properly.