Chapter 68

The flowers of Ottoi Monvixo can be said to be the best of the best and even amongst those, the gardeners took the most care for the Monte. For the first time since his banquet, the king prepared the Monte for the first time in his life. It didn’t even take half a day for the rumor to spread between the gardeners. Based on the king’s recent actions or the meaning behind the flower, it really shouldn’t have come as such a surprise.

To everyone, the flower bouquet given to the princess was much more important than the vase inside the king’s bedroom. To the king, however, it was the other way around.

When the sunlight stretched across the floor of the room, crept up the walls, and fell from the ceiling, the flowers seemed to have reached its peak. Of course, even in the break of the morning, the flowers would fill the room with their lovely scent. It was the same when their owner walked in at night. They drank up the water and dispersed their perfume as they bloomed. They could not have been more beautiful.

The king was changing the water in the flower vase with a joyous expression. Although such a task was usually his servant’s job, he insisted on doing this himself.

Her, Ashite. Just thinking one syllable of her name made his heart blossom with joy. It emanated a light from within him and caused a smile to rise to his face. Ashite. She still kept the petals that had wrapped around her ring. When he heard this, he had asked her.

“How are you using it?”

<> His simple answer carried a smile which she caught and her cheeks blushed red.

“I placed it in between the pages of the books.”

“You could have just dried new ones. Was that really necessary?”

She lightly shook her head.

“No. It still retains its scent.”

Such simplicity. Not at all conceited. A soft shade of white and purple. He smiled.

She was a woman that knew of wasteful extravagance, the king realized. She had been like that from the start. When the princess had first come to the palace, the king had already prepared the customary room, dress, jewelry, and decor. He had thought it was enough as a means of courtesy but for someone of the royal family, it had been minimal. But the princess did not buy any more clothes than the ones that were already provided. The chambermaids actually looked to be taking care of it themselves. She reduced the amount of jewelry. She only wore one that had a gem the size of a fingernail. The only time she had spent money on a gem was when she had been preparing his gift.

That was just the kind of person she was. Plus, she didn’t leave the palace often. Only once in a while would she leave to meet with the crown prince. Of course, she didn’t have much reason to leave the palace otherwise. Why was that? It wasn’t as if the king never wondered this before, but if that was her wish, he didn’t think he had to go out of the way to force her otherwise.

Still, he ended up asking her this.

“Ashite. Would you like to leave the palace tomorrow?”

Ashite blinked twice rapidly. Lu Havre continued. His reason for asking was simple.

“They are playing ‘Halo’ at the Cree theater.”

Since she likes dance she may be interested in attending the opera choreographed by Helena.

“Oh, you mean at Radom?”

“Ashite.”

Ashite’s lips twitched.

“I have heard of ‘Halo’ before….also.”

Lu Havre laughed in satisfaction but added in case she would worry about it. “I will have to go there anyway so you can do as you wish.”

It was not a lie. The time to travel had already been going on for several days. Not having gone out a lot, he needed to prepare for it much more than his daily goings-on inside the palace. Since it was reaching its end, he only had a couple more places to make his rounds. After looking over Radom, spending time with her in the remaining hours was not much of a difficulty.

“…If that’s the case, I did have a hope to go see it one day. If it’s not too much trouble for Your Majesty, then I would love to go.”

Plus, she looked so happy about it. He could not hide the smile that crept up onto his face. The lake that has a flowing tributary was the cleanest.

Ashite thought. Just the fact that Helena choreographed it sparked her interest. Also, she had never seen an opera before. If it was an outing, maybe she could pass by Ramon Vischeri. Even that would be enough for her.

The next day. Around night time, Ashite put on a thick cloak, placed a hat low over her head, and rode the carriage to leave the palace. Only Yerev quietly followed her.

Ashite got off near the Cree Theatre and looked around her surroundings. The flamboyant lights swallowed the shadows. It was definitely worthy of being known as the best part of the city. Soon, Ashite walked over to the location where they had promised to meet and saw the king there. Lu Havre was wearing a dark black cloak. Although it still gave him a sophisticated aura, the flashing lights that lit the dark streets distracted anyone from noticing who he was.

After the small bout of worry disappeared, Ashite started getting excited. Savory, spicy, and delightful smells were carried through the air by the wind, lamplights like starlight twinkled here and there. Autumn had already passed but she was still able to feel some of its warmth emanating from the path in front of her. With every step, her footsteps added to the surrounding chaos. The king and princess walked together down this path. Everything was a first for her so with each anticipation, she felt she was floating through a dream. She couldn’t control her excitement.

“Oh! Lu Havre, hurry and come!”

That’s why she had acted this way. Ashite laughed out loud as she pointed at the theatre she could see in the distance, her white hands flapping like wings. With an animated voice, her cloak fluttered and flashes of purple and yellow could be seen through it.

Seeing her reaction like that of a child, Lu Havre was already kissing her forehead. Only Ashite was surprised. Ashite opened her eyes wide and covered her mouth with her hand. It was due to the fact that she realized she had just broken through her mask. But still, her heart was filled with joy.

How long had it been since she had done this? It felt like the times she had spent with her mother. <> Her golden eyes wavered. In an instant, her expression changed. When she looked at the king in this way, he asked, “Ashite. What’s wrong?”

Ashite slowly opened her mouth.

“Uhh. It was just so immature of me….”

Her broken thoughts were floating about. Naturally, her words faded out. Still, Lu Havre seemed to understand.

“No. Ashite.”

Lu Havre revealed his feelings. Ashite blinked. She tried to not let her emotions and thoughts get tangled. But instead, he said, “No… I like it. Ashite.”

This man was able to take in this child in his embrace.

Her insides grew hot. She was getting so hot that she couldn’t speak. Not able to speak now for a completely different reason than before, all Ashite could do was nod her head. The golden light reflected off the water and made it sparkle more brightly. Lu Havre put his hand inside her hat and pet her hair. She smiled at him.

This was just a few moments ago. The footsteps of change were usually slow. But definitely, she was changing, strangely inside this warmth.

Ashite also realized this. She was surprised to find herself not only removing her mask but slowly breaking out of it. She fumbled with it a bit but Ashite was satisfied with it. There was no reason not to be. It was like the rumor that had spread throughout this wide land that the king and the princess were getting married. You couldn’t go back.

And feeling like a child for the first time in a long time, she came upon a decision.

***

<<…I was told it was an important test. So attending the banquet will be… I’m sorry, could we push back the day to meet you, sister? The next time we meet…>>

***

It had been a long time since this letter had arrived. Each letter written seemed to be trembling. Ashite was able to read between the lines to find his true meaning. This child had also known everything. However, Ashite had only read it through and did not think to reply to it. She didn’t think it was something to discuss over a letter.

What should she tell him? Trying to organize her complicated thoughts, Ashite spoke to the king. “Lu Havre. Would I be able to go visit Ramon Chater the day after tomorrow?”

“Of course you may.”

Lu Havre didn’t ask her any more questions. The crown prince had rejected the invitation to the banquet. The elegant and proper writing was left in his mind. Of course, Lu Havre didn’t give it much attention. He had no reason to.

Whatever his intention, Ashite thanked him none the less.

***

And it became the promised day. Riding the familiar carriage, Ashite looked out the window. The surroundings around her were familiar also but she did not feel bored. To be more exact, she didn’t have the capacity to think about much.

She thought back to the first time she had come to visit Ramon Chater. It had been pure white bathed in gold light. The grass that had grown fed on the waters from the waterfall. She filled her vision with the same scenery that overlapped with her memories. She entered.

Following her servant, she walked into the familiar place. When she entered into the 1st story room, she heard: “Sister.”

The crown prince was there. L’avenant’s expression was now unmoving. Ashite’s expression was not much different from his.

“It has been a long time since we met.”

“It has. Have you been well?”

“Of course. Have you been well also, sister?”

“Of course.”

Silence. A silence that no one demanded passed. There was no personality to this one. There were teacups on the table but neither lifted them.

L’avenant intertwined his fingers together. It remained quiet in the room. Ever since they had gotten close, it had never been this way. But it wasn’t something he couldn’t understand. However, there was still something he wanted to say. Ashite sighed and opened her mouth to speak. L’avenant’s golden eyes glistened as she spoke.

“That document simply said…”

“Sister, you had only written that you were going to the king. It really wasn’t anything surprising. Even if something were to happen, the king, if he wanted, could quell any pending rumors. Plus, there really weren’t any rumors to spread regarding the king and you anyways.”

It was something she already knew. Still L’avenant continued to speak calmly.

“So during all that time, Monterobis’s nobilities would have easily figured out your relationship with the king. No, there were probably people who were threatened by it but they couldn’t do anything about it because it was this particular king. From what I hear, he marks a definite line between his work and personal life. I thought maybe this may be different but…”

All Ashite did was listen.

“They wouldn’t have known how serious the relationship was. Just because they were dismissed once didn’t mean they didn’t stand a chance and it wasn’t like anything happened exclusively between you two. All they would have been doing was thinking of the best way to send their daughters his way.”

His voice held no sense of emotion.

“I didn’t know either. Although I did hear the following from the rumors.”

L’avenant released his folded hands. But he did not stay seated comfortably on the sofa.

“I didn’t even expect it. No, truthfully, with that king’s record, there was no need to think about it. Monterobis may have been the victor, but the war did not only reap rewards. For the country’s security, it would have been best to make a contract with a powerful royal family for the seat of the queen. Of course, it would be with a loyalist. He would only choose one or two as a token of thanks. Well, that was the type of rumor going around about the king so―”

“Lante.”

Ashite, who had been leaning comfortably on the sofa, interrupted L’avenant. Her voice was expressionless and her expression was calm.

“You were always that kind of child.”

In an instant, the atmosphere calmed down. Again, they sat in silence. It wasn’t just awkward, it was horrible. A heavy coldness emanated from the floor. Neither of them attempted to break it.

All Ashite did was examine his face, and L’avenant slowly lowered his head. His curly purple hair slightly blocked his face.

He already knew. Very well. How fragile, immature, and weak this relationship was. There was no other way it could be. This relationship had started over something so trivial. It was incredibly insignificant. He thought back to their first meeting.

And so, he was only able to find out through somebody else what kind of relationship she was in with Monterobis’s king.

When L’avenant had heard the news, the first thing he felt was not happiness for her. It was not his blessing or congratulations. He was not good at expressing that sort of positive feeling. Instead, he realized that, although he claimed to be close with sister, they were complete strangers to each other. Plus, his competitor was that king. His emotions were in disarray, and so many thorns and untrimmed leaves had grown that he didn’t know how to handle it.

She seemed to be showing him everything about her but she was hiding something from him. Someday she would tell him because they were close. So again, he feigned ignorance. If he had really cared for his sister, would this be the right thing to do? No, from the beginning, if she did not have anything to be guilty about, she would have comfortably told him everything.

In the beginning, how had he treated her? <> There was no bigger hypocrisy. L’avenant knew that well. The affection he felt for her was real but he wasn’t confident to call the kindness he expressed towards her as non-hypocritical.

<> He had never done something like that before, but awfully brazenly. It was not done for the other person but instead a way to continue a relationship that he desired. <> This was not true courtesy. At first, it had been all ruined even though later the ties amended. Either way, he tried to forget her by completely ignoring her. Like that, he buried it.

<> It didn’t matter how the other person responded. Even if all his generosity was rejected, he did not get hurt. No, he may have gotten hurt, but it didn’t matter. His heart had not been pure so it may just have been difficult to give up. Either way, he approached her smiling.

And his effort paid off. After that, it became easy. As long as the person was within his walls, it was easy to look kind in her eyes. Warmth towards each other, young laughter, courtesy, and generosity piled on top of each other to naturally make her feel this way.