Chapter 308

Chapter 54. Wildfire (5)

The tea made from hydrangeas tasted the same even though the color changed.

I liked the uniqueness of the petals changing color depending on where they were rooted, and I liked the sight of the flowers blooming abundantly, but the reason I liked hydrangea tea the most was because of its consistent sweet taste regardless of the color. .

So, whenever I met Chase, I almost always smelled something sweet and refreshing. Arianne drank hydrangea tea and Chase drank mint tea.

“Ugh.”

After she ate a piece of kiwi, she drank hydrangea tea and Arianne frowned slightly as she put it down. I placed a table in front of her with only her favorite things, but I couldn’t help but feel her shoulders slumping without realizing it.

Because the back of my neck was still throbbing.

Of course, it was a place that was injured by Aila’s callous hands.

She said, “The bruises are all gone. I guess it hasn’t healed yet.”

“Don’t laugh. I had such a hard time while Mom was in peace inside, so what should she do if she laughs?”

“Why don’t you just laugh at the fact that you got hurt by being needlessly stubborn. Even if you get angry, there’s no one who will accept it.”

“Even if everyone in the world says it’s my fault, Mom has to take my side. That’s too much.”

“If you are born as someone else’s daughter other than the Marquis, then say so. I would also like it if I could say that my daughter did well in everything without having to measure things before and after.”

Reiji An, who could not accept her daughter’s foolish behavior as she wanted due to her position, said this and drank her tea. They are exceptionally strict in this regard. Because of this, Arianne, who was massaging her neck, smiled slightly.

“And even if the whole world says it’s your fault, isn’t there already one person who will take your side?”

“I’m so busy these days that I don’t have time to take my mother’s side. Besides, if she found out who hit me, she wouldn’t take my side this time. So I just didn’t tell her.”

Reiji An said, adjusting her glasses.

She said, “You said he was related to the prince?”

“Yes. My former fiancé.”

Chase originally had no intention of bringing up the story of her past to Reiji An.

It was a similar reason why Kalian had a close relationship with Sword Master Slayman or Yan’s father Slayman, but she kept her distance from Duke Slayman. She had no reason to keep a secret from Arianne’s mother, Reiji An, but it was because she found it difficult to fully trust Reiji An as her marquis.

However, as her course to block Tensil’s healer became more forceful, questions began to arise in Reiji’an one by one. Why do you want to go to such lengths to achieve the result of deepening the rift with Tensil?

It was difficult for her concubine Louise or Chase to completely convince the wise Reijian with words, and in the end, Louise met Reijian and told him about her past.

“Yes. I’ve heard of her once. Her personality is so refreshing that she leaves it to herself.”

“Her younger brother said his personality was cooler.”

‘Would it be okay to just call it refreshing....’

Arianne smiled and answered, remembering Chase, who blurted out her words incongruously.

To be honest, when she first heard that story, Reiji Ahn almost broke up Chase and Arianne’s engagement. This is because I thought Louise and Chase were crazy. However, as the future events they talked about began to actually happen one by one, I eventually came to believe it.

There was a real thing called the ‘axis of time’ that I had never seen or heard of because I was not a member of the royal family. That this country is destroyed. The king’s betrothed, who saw with her own eyes the end of this country, its last knight, and its last king, stood in front of the axis of time and Chase’s body and plunged a blade into his own neck. thing. Like a black sand castle falling apart, the whole world collapsed and time went back.

“Anyway, he and I didn’t get along as well as he did. I thought maybe he got engaged to that person because of me and you. So I guess he would take his side. I’m sorry.”

“Didn’t he actually say he didn’t know?”

“He may not know who he is. You know that he has a foolish personality.”

“So you were sad?”

“No. I’m just saying it’s good. A foolish person is cute.”

Reiji An smiled and nodded his head.

“You said it’s okay if I don’t listen to your side, so I guess I don’t have to keep taking your side either.”

“You are really too much for your daughter, my mom.”

“Just because she’s your daughter, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone who takes special care of her?”

“No. That’s not it.”

“Okay. That’s it.”

If it weren’t for Lei Jian, who lived the world with more neutral eyes than anyone else, she might have had a hard time treating Plants, who came to her with Chase, so calmly. That one thing was very fortunate.

“This is why I like my mom.”

“Even though she was having such an accident and wandering around, I didn’t kick her out, so she must be happy. Are you making this obvious?”

“Yes. I want to be polite.”

Arianne put down her hand from massaging her neck to burst out laughing and ate another piece of her kiwi. She made a pleasant expression at the sweetness that lingered after the sourness.

Reiji An stood up, holding in her hands her materials that had been lying on the edge of her table. She was Louise’s material, handed back to Lei Jian, who was released.

Soon Lei Jian went to her window and pulled back her curtains.

The black figures that fill the spacious yard of the Marquis’ residence come into her eyes.

“Are there a lot of people gathered?”

Private soldiers.

It was a private army of several nobles who believed in Teilan and Raijian.

“Yes. It will be enough to turn the tide. Fortunately.”

“But is it really okay? According to your Majesty, your mother...”

“Don’t worry, just stay. Nothing will happen. If I want to protect my daughter, I have to be safe. Don’t you think so?”

Arianne nodded her head as she looked at Reiji who said her obvious words reassuringly.

* * *

It felt like flower petals were fluttering with each step.

no. It actually resembles more the first flapping of wings of a small bird or butterfly.

Wouldn’t it be so nice to see those wings flapping in the fog-filled mountains early in the morning? Or would I be so happy to see those wings flapping in a dream where I couldn’t even see the future? The red eyes that watched Hina’s steps as she took each step very carefully were filled with unconditional affection.

“My Hina. When did you learn to dance again?”

Now that she has received her title, she has a lot to learn. She just didn’t remember having a separate dance teacher. So she was probably taught by Jan or, if not, by Dmirea. I thought maybe she could be Aila or another member of Balkan. Anyone could teach dancing, and Hina learned well.

Even though it was clumsy, each step she took, little by little, was so precious that her gaze did not drop.

okay.

Because that gaze never leaves.

“Kiri.”

“yes.”

It had been a while since she had treated Devlan by saying that it was a truly pleasant night, but her patience had once again reached its limit. She had forgotten for a moment, but wasn’t it a celebration of the day the precious pea was born? Moreover, the person he brought with him, claiming to be his fiancée, was Hina. So, the natural process followed.

Now that the congratulatory remarks and toasts are over, it’s time for the next step.

That sequence where we are watching our precious Hina dance for the first time in her life, and we can’t figure out why the guy standing in front of her who looks like spring oat sprouts keeps blocking her view.

“Breathe. You too.”

“...Yes, prince.”

A long mint-colored cape keeps brushing against the pretty grapefruit-colored dress. Of course, his cape was also embroidered in silver. When I met Reric, I thought about telling him not to put silver embroidery on your crown prince’s clothes, but he was the crown prince and I was the prince, so I held back.

Planz wore a mint-colored shirt and a white suit.

Because of this, I somehow managed to resist the thought of one very lively grapefruit tree coming together. Thanks to this, one fork broke into pieces and Arsene added one more of his favorite items. Calian didn’t see Arsene secretly moving the spoons to a conspicuous place, thinking it would be better to collect them as a set if possible.

That’s fortunate.

Otherwise, Arsene’s waist would have been broken in pieces instead of the spoon.

“... I feel better just by looking at Hina.”

“All right.”

Anyway, while Calian was calling Serenti’s name about a hundred times in his mind, and while he was persevering by saying about a hundred harsh swear words to Serenti, the party’s main characters’ dance finally came to an end.

As the party grew, the nobles, who had relaxed a bit after a glass of wine, walked out to the center of the banquet hall, each holding their partner’s hand. Hina, who was in a good mood, grabbed Kiri’s hand and went out to dance again. Arsene and Euria, whose faces turned red after taking half a sip of half of the strong Serenus, started a cool dance, and Plantz, who was left alone in the seat, emptied nearly a bottle of Serenus by himself. At that time, I was openly avoiding Anne’s harsh gaze.

The chamberlain approached Devlan, who had just been watching everything up to this point, and said a short word. Calian did not miss the sight of Devlan’s fingers drawing long arcs.

– Looks like it’s starting to move.

– Are you talking about Marquis Lin?

– Marquis Lin and my father.

– All right.

And Plantz did not miss the sight of anticipation filling Calian’s face.

“It looks like it’s started.”

“You’re really quick-witted, brother.”

“Marquis Lin said he was preparing a private army. Are you trying to start a civil war?”

“Yes. We will gather the private armies of the nobles who were not present but were secretly holding Marquis Lin’s hand and set off for the palace. In some ways, it could be said to be a civil war.”

“There’s no way Devlan wouldn’t know about that movement. It’s really moving.”

“Yes. Devlan’s soldiers must have gone to the Marquis Lynn’s mansion. They might be holding on to evidence of treason and using Marquis Lynn and Arianne hostage to pressure Brother Chase once again. I think so. I think I would have done the same.”

“Even Marquis Lin knows that.”

Knowing that it was Devlan’s trap, he dared to prepare a private army and ask about Marquis Lin’s plan to start a civil war, and Calian answered with a smile.

“Anyway, Marquis Lin and Devlan both know that as long as Brother Chase and the people of Kairis are safe, Master and I will not intervene. So neither of us will be counted. If you look at it that way, there is no better opportunity for Marquis Lin than this. There is nothing else. All the royal families and the nobles who were on Devlan’s side are gathered in one place, and if we just get rid of the Secretia people here, it will be easy to take over the royal family.”

Calian is the prince of Kairis.

So he will not carelessly intervene in Secretia’s civil war. However, assuming that Chase is safe.

That means that if Chase dies, Calian moves on and Alan follows. So Devlan wouldn’t have thought about risking Chase’s life just yet. And Marquis Lin has no reason to kill Chase.

So, both of them calculate the power struggle between each other and move without worrying about Kalyan’s power being involved right away. The Marquis of Lynn eliminated Devlan and enthroned Chase in order to regain the rights of his nobility, and Devlan eliminated the Marquis of Lynn and narrowed Chase’s position to further consolidate his own power.

“You jump into it thinking it’s a trap.”

“Yes. You know what you have to do to take the opponent’s hand. We’ve done it a lot. Even if we think there’s a trap prepared by each other, we take the damage and push through.”

Like Hina, who exposed herself to Devlan’s eyes in order to protect herself, whom Devlan cared about. Like Kalian and Plantz, who have already sacrificed their lives several times to survive.

“However, since there is something Devlan doesn’t know, Marquis Lin and Arianne will be fine.”

“What don’t you know?”

“Devlan will think that Marquis Lin will come for his head today, but no. He will hit and run and hide himself. That is what Marquis Lin will do today.”

“Then after that.”

“It becomes an opportunity.”

Plantz’s green eyes turned to Calian.

“It was very windy in Secretia, and the grass growing in the fields was very dry, brother. It was so dry that not only Raven but also Estina wouldn’t eat it, saying it wasn’t tasty.”

Calian, out of habit, answered with another word and held up the Serenus bottle with a relaxed expression. There was a sloshing sound coming from the almost empty liquor bottle.

“If a spark spreads in such a dry field, no one can stop it. Even if the wizards pour water continuously, they cannot overcome the speed at which the fire spreads. The fire spreads to the forest, and the sparks scattered from the forest move to another field. “It burns down houses and devours people. A fire starts in a dry field where nothing grows and devours people. It is such a fire that is the scariest thing in this time when everything is dry and twisted.”

Calian’s glass was filled with the last remaining brown liquor.

What does Bern do for a living? Except for one thing.

“My brother has a lot of things to worry about besides me, so I don’t need to add one more thing to him.”

Verne answered in her light tone, pouring Serenus into her own glass.

Afterwards, when she poured her drink into Arianne’s glass, a drop of the alcohol in Arianne’s glass splashed out. Then, miraculously, she fell into Bern’s glass.

“Ah. It’s a wish. You have to make a wish.”

Arianne saw that and smiled her playful smile, she said.

She was talking about a myth created by people who like to drink.

When her drink splashes from her own glass and lands in someone else’s glass, she makes her wish to Serenti. By a strange coincidence, she drank one less drop of alcohol, which meant that she asked Serenti to grant her a wish in exchange for the alcohol she couldn’t drink.

“What should I pray for?”

“I want my friend to stop spinning.”

“I’m sorry. It’s already too late.”

“But do you know? Serenti might grant one wish.”

“I wish Serenti would grant my wish if I prayed like that.”

I didn’t have anything to worry about.

“... Okay, just have a drink. I have to go out soon.”

“Where are you going at this hour?”

Bern smiled bitterly for a moment.

Then she turned her gaze from Arianne and looked down at her. I caught my eye on a drink with a name that means ‘a gift filled with Serenti’s blessings.’

“A place without serenity.”

The strong liquor, which was made from grapes but had no grape flavor, entered Bern’s mouth and disappeared.

* * *

Because if you don’t tell me, you won’t know.

Because if you don’t speak, you won’t be able to understand.

* * *

Days pass by as usual.

As usual, the days without serenity pass by.

Morning comes and she talks to Chase, learns swordplay from Teylan, teaches swordsmanship to her aspiring knights, and dines with Chase again.

It becomes night. She sometimes gets a wound or two. A certain amount of time passed like that again.

Bern continued to climb the spire.

Sometimes Arianne was with him, but mostly he was alone.

Bern, who had climbed up there out of habit and looked at the area beneath his feet, lowered his eyes for a moment. Then he suddenly pulled out the sword from his waist and aimed it at the back.

– Whaaah!

There was a person standing there who did not even look at the sword that stopped in front of his neck. His long hair was flowing here and there in the wind. Today Verne did not lose his braid; it belonged to the person standing facing him.

Bern, who was looking at the sea-green hair fluttering like waves, sheathed his sword and opened his mouth.

“Don’t come secretly. Then you die. Aila.”

“sorry.”

“what’s the matter.”

“I have an urgent question to ask, but I heard you were here.”

“say.”

“But can I ask you something else first?”

Since he didn’t even say what he was going to ask in the first place, it didn’t matter what he asked first.

“Do whatever you like.”

“Do you like alcohol?”

“Not often. Sometimes when I see Arianne.”

At those words, Aila held out her hand, which she had placed behind her back.

She had heard of Serenus, which she once drank with Arianne.

“I heard this is expensive.”

“I didn’t steal it, and it wasn’t poisoned. I just brought it because it’s my favorite drink.”

I didn’t ask because I was worried about that.

Bern grinned and nodded her head. And she sat down on the floor, as she always did, and pointed in the opposite direction.

The thin moon was obscured by clouds and it was dark, but neither of them seemed concerned and exchanged drinks.

“But what alcohol? What else do you have to ask?”

Aela, who was about to become a knight who no longer uses magic bullets, looked at Bern for a while.

“How many people are there.”

“What do you mean? Suddenly?”

“The lives the prince secretly erased. I’m asking how many.”

You would be very surprised to know how many there are.

You’d be even more surprised to know how many people I remember.

“...How did you know that?”

“Yesterday, I happened to see the prince entering the Count Thion family. But this morning, I heard that the family had disappeared. Now that I think about it, the same thing happened every day the prince smelled blood.”

“Forget it.”

“I believe there must be a reason why so many people had to be killed and eliminated. Please tell me instead of telling me to forget. I will try to understand.”

Something that won’t be erased even if the world turns upside down.

Would anything change if I told you that there was a reason for something like that and received your understanding?

If I wanted things to be different, I wouldn’t have even started.

“Nothing will change if you talk about it. It will always be the same. So just stop there. It’s not your concern.”

“Not long ago, His Highness called me. He asked me if I wanted to do something other than a knight. I said I didn’t want to live as a nameless bird. I said I would live with pride and die with honor. I said I would live and die as a knight like a prince. But.”

I know.

I am grateful and sorry.

“Aila.”

“I don’t think you have to do that.”

Don’t do that, Aila.

do not do that.

* * *

That’s what I did.

– Blue warbler. Why did you send it to Tensil?

– Isn’t he a talented kid?

– Please let me in. This is my fiancé.

– He’s engaged to be married. I know you weren’t that friendly of a child. You still can’t lie.

– no. you’re right. Fiancee.

– Did you want to save him even that way?

– Because he is my person.

I tried to save it somehow.

i am you

Ayla.

– King. The blue warbler......

The snake’s shadow, which seemed to weigh down my entire life, tilted.

It was evening.

has disappeared.

And the blue warbler left together.

– Come find me. Bring it here.

It reminded me of myself burying a bird that had disappeared by mistake. He said he would personally send the body to me, not from somewhere far away, but from here.

Her hairpin, which was always on her head, was in her hand.

Only her sea-blue hair was still the same.

“Aila.”

I prepared a drink.

The Serenus I said I liked didn’t have a grape scent.

If it hadn’t been put in an oak barrel, it would have continued to have that sweet, dark grape flavor. There was no grape scent in Serenus.

People said that the wine, which had lost its grape flavor, was a gift from Serenti.

what.

how.

“Sorry.”

It’s too late.

Because I couldn’t save it.

“......Aila.”

* * *

What would it have been like if I had just let you go that day?

What if I hadn’t invited you?

What if I told you the truth and asked for your understanding?

I regret this now.

What do you think?

Ayla.