CH 14

As I followed the sign, I arrived at a giant flower garden. The royal palace’s garden had so many expensive species that it astonished me. As I watched in awe, I noticed something among the beautiful and valuable flowers. It was something so ordinary and weak that it was easy to miss. There was a small flower that hadn’t bloomed yet. Such pettiness resembled me a lot, so I mumbled to it, just like I used to do it on my flowers. “You don’t feel like you belong there, don’t you?”

Then, I laughed at my own words. Yeah, me supporting my husband for my entire life? That was impossible. Kyles’s side was never my place from the start. Why did I try so hard not to lose that kind of spot? My life was different from him from the beginning.

‘Look. My heart races even when I’m here to take the exam.’

Honestly, I always felt something wasn’t right, even when I tried so hard to support Kyles. I was smiling by his side, but I always questioned myself if I was truly happy. The end of my relationship with Kyles caused me to look after my own life.

“Me too. That’s why I am going to find where I belong now.”

Yeah, I’ll do whatever I want from now on. There’s no need to awkwardly try to fit in among all those expensive and extravagant flowers. It does me no good. From now on, I’ll live my own life. Even if that place is out on the street instead of a safe flowerbed. I’m free to do whatever I want.

“I’ve already made a move, so there’s no going back. Just like a pawn, I will just keep moving forward.”

Saying that aloud made me feel better. That’s when I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. ‘Wasn’t there a similar situation before?’ I thought for a second and remembered, ‘Right. I said something similar to that boy at the royal palace.’

Why did I forget about him? Before, I missed him so much. He was a mysterious boy that I met at the royal palace when I visited with my father in the past. He was my first love and seemed to be a servant or high-ranking official’s child as he was in the palace. But I do think the former is most probable.

‘Will I meet him if I become an official?’

The thought of meeting him again made my heart race, then I became sad. The exam was first, so I had enough time to reminisce about the boy later. I then got up and began walking towards my destination. After following the signs, I safely arrived at the examination site. Only after I arrived, my heart began to pound, and I got nervous.

“I’m Marina von Harrant.”

“Right side, third row, second seat,” replied the examiner.

Not long after I sat on my designated seat, the exam began.

Ugh, this is a mess.’ Even if I was ready, the human mind wasn’t something that can be controlled. As such, I wasn’t in my best state to take the exam. Even in my own chaos, my insane dedication to memorization caused my brain to be filled with content that I had studied.

‘Let’s be calm. At least I think I know these questions.’ Then, I slowly breathed in and out and found my calmness. I had helped Kyles on his test before, and that also proved useful to help me finish the exam. Maybe that was Kyles’s only usefulness after all.

***

After I got out of the examination area, I felt saddened by complicated feelings. I wasn’t sure if I wrote the right answer. Honestly, I wasn’t even confident that I would be accepted, let alone be in the first place. My father’s advice was very useful, however. I should thank him for that.

‘Did I do well?’

It was complicated. I wanted to be successful in the capital, to be my parent’s pride, and to be proud in front of my friends and relatives. I also wanted to show Kyles, Elise, and all the others who looked down on me that I’m now a government official. Oh, and that boy, my first love who had been sleeping deep inside my memory only to return after all this time.

I forgot about him only because of Kyles. Before then, I also thought I would never be able to forget about him. Even then, I used my busy schedule as an excuse to forget about him. If I met him again, I wanted to show him that I had become a government official. But now, I wasn’t sure. I sighed as my mind raced with various worries. Then I began to walk again to find my family who was supposed to be waiting by the gate.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” I apologized.

I was walking with my head down. Because I hadn’t realized that someone was walking out from the corner, I blamed myself for my stupidity and looked up, only to be shocked by what I saw.

A handsome man with dark hair, amethyst-colored eyes, and a cold but beautiful white face, who looked like he came out from a painting, glared at me. I was first mesmerized by his beautiful face but quickly realized, ‘Wait, his eyes are violet!’

Since the old days, the color violet was known to be the most dangerous color. That was because it was the symbol of the Demon King from the legend. As such, most countries of the vast Lasdia Continent considered that color as a symbol of fear.

But here in Genorium, the color meant nobility and exclusivity. It was because there were noble beings that were exclusively born with purple eyes. The emperor and the one who succeeded him were such beings. Yes, that color was the symbol of the noblest being in the empire.

Yes, that man… is the Crown Prince.