Leticia, who was blankly watching him, suddenly came to her senses and tried to take off the coat.
“Don’t do this. This is not right.”
“Please wear it.”
“But what about you?”
“My shirt is quite thick, so I’ll be fine.”
Even as he spoke, he was drawn to her and Dietrian chastised himself.
“It’s extremely cold today. You should return now. I’ll escort you to the palace.”
Dietrian carefully helped her up.
“I will take you to the West Palace.”
“West Palace?”
Leticia asked curiously. At her reaction, Dietrian realized his mistake and froze for a moment.
Leticia didn’t remember what happened between them. She didn’t know that he had entered her room without permission while she was asleep, or that he had guarded her door all night.
Dietrian swallowed. He couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Even though he had done it for her, he could never confess to such a brazen act. Especially now, when he had to do his utmost to woo her.
He barely found an excuse.
“I heard once that you were staying at the West Palace.”
It was not a lie. Although it was something he had heard when he was very young.
“Ah, I used to, but not anymore.”
Leticia, who didn’t notice anything, shook her head.
“I’m at the Divine Palace now.”
“…the Divine Palace?”
The Divine Palace is close to the Holy Maiden. Dietrian barely managed to keep his expression from distorting.
“Are you sharing a room with the Holy Maiden?”
“Not exactly. My mother will be busy until the state wedding. She has to prepare the offerings for the goddess.”
“I see.”
Dietrian nodded, carefully observing her expression to see if she was hiding anything. Fortunately, there was no such sign.
He breathed a sigh of relief and supported Leticia.
“I will escort you to the Divine Palace.”
“I can go alone…”
“It’s too dangerous.”
Dietrian adjusted her hood for her, then pressed his lips firmly to the back of her hand.
“I can’t because I’m worried.”
Leticia’s face turned bright red. In the end, she followed behind him, unable to even think of shaking off his hand.
* * *
That night, a small commotion took place in the royal castle of the Duchy of Zenos, ruled by Dietrian.
The Dowager Queen Mano woke up from sleep and suddenly insisted on going to the garden.
“My child will come, bringing me a flower gift. I want to go to the garden.”
The wise and benevolent Queen Mano had become like a young child seven years ago, after losing her husband and son in succession.
It wasn’t just her heart that was hurt; her physical health also weakened, making everyone around her worry about her well-being.
“Lady Mano, it’s rather chilly because it’s night. How about going to the garden tomorrow and enjoying some warm cocoa while listening to a fairy tale for now?”
“I don’t like fairy tales. I want to go to the garden.”
The knight guard Yuria looked at her colleague Victor with a troubled expression.
Victor, after a moment of consideration, opened the wardrobe and pulled out a shawl and a coat.
Yuria grimaced and whispered.
“Do you know how cold it is outside? She might catch a cold.”
Victor said calmly.
“It’s better than her trying to sneak out and getting hurt, as before.”
“…That’s true, but.”
Victor carefully threaded the coat onto Mano’s arm. Yuria tightly wrapped the shawl around Mano’s neck.
Mano, thrilled, hummed a little tune. Her black hair, braided into a single plait, made her look like a young girl. Her hazel eyes sparkled gently.
“My child will come soon. I have to pick flowers in the garden. They will suit well.”
Who is this child?
Yuria, who was puzzled, quickly responded.
“Ah, the former king. Yes, he will return soon.”
Mano did not respond and went straight to the garden. Under the faint lighting, her shadow stretched long. Yuria looked worriedly at her slender figure.
“Her sleep has increased a lot lately. Maybe her strength is dropping.”
“Don’t worry too much. The doctor said she’s okay. When the weather warms up, she will be back to normal.”
“But still…”
Towards Yuria, who could not stop worrying, Victor playfully said.
“Did you forget? Lady Mano is a ‘Gilliard’. It’s natural for her to sleep a lot.”
Gilliard, the dreamer.
Just as there are nine wings in the Empire, there are twelve guardian families in the Duchy, who continue the patronage of the dragon.
Among them, the Gilliard family could predict the future through dreams and see the essence of things.
When Gilliard was active, the Empire dared not cross the Duchy’s border.
Because no matter what the Empire plotted, Gilliard could foresee everything and prepare for it.
But those were all things of the past.
Only the name of the Gilliard family remained, and no one could dream anymore.
At Victor’s joke, Yuria finally relaxed her expression and chuckled softly.
“How nice it would be if she really dreamt the dreams of a Gilliard.”
What started as a joke turned somber quickly.
“If so, His Majesty wouldn’t have needed to leave for the Empire.”
Instead of answering, Victor heaved a heavy sigh.
To the people of the Duchy, Dietrian was not an ordinary king. Everyone earnestly wished for his happiness.
Merely sixteen years old.
He became a king at an age far too young to bear the weight of the crown, and he had always been making sacrifices.
They had hoped that someday he would meet a woman he loved and build a happy family.
Yuria tried to speak brightly.
“Rumors are not always accurate. She could turn out to be surprisingly okay.”
“That would be nice.”
“I don’t even hope for a good person. It would be great if she was just ordinary. As long as she’s not a murderer like the rumors, I think I could handle it.”
Victor burst out laughing at Yuria’s banter.
The three of them entered the garden.
Mano fluttered like a butterfly toward the rose bushes. After a while of picking flowers and putting them in her basket, she turned her head.
She looked at Yuria and Victor, more precisely at Victor, and beamed.
“Child, you’re here already!”
Victor and Yuria didn’t show surprise.
Mano often couldn’t distinguish between dreams and reality. The best course of action in such cases was to go along with what she said.
Victor bowed his head politely.
“Yes, I’ve just arrived.”
“You must be tired from the long journey.”
Mano looked fondly at Victor’s blonde hair, then reached out to him. She patted his shoulder, then tilted her head.
“But, child, you’re bigger than I thought.”
She then found her own answer and grinned brightly.
“You must have been eating well on your way here. That’s good. You need to stay healthy and never skip a meal, got it?”
Victor, who managed to consume an entire turkey every day, grinned and nodded his head.
“Even if the sky falls, I’m keeping my meals regular. Don’t worry too much, Queen Dowager.”
“I don’t like being called Queen Dowager. Call me mom.”
“…Pardon?”
“Queen Dowager sounds too formal. Try calling me mom.”
Victor blinked in surprise. Mano burst out laughing.
“Well, I suppose ‘mom’ could sound a bit odd. Everyone might say I’m overstepping. But I’ve always wanted to be your mother.”
“……”
“You’ve always seemed so lonely.”
Mano smiled gently. She tightly held Victor’s hand and spoke affectionately.
“But it will be fine from now on. That one really likes you. He is like his father, so it’s a pity he’s not good at expressing it.”
Who could she be referring to?
Victor quickly glanced at Yuria. Yuria shrugged her shoulders as if she didn’t know either.
Instead of explaining further, Mano hummed a tune and inserted a flower into Victor’s ear.
Yuria’s expression became strange as she watched this scene. Victor narrowed his eyes as if threatening to tease her if she dared to laugh.
“Child, shall I make a flower crown too?”
“No, that’s fine……Ugh.”
Victor, whose foot had been stepped on by Yuria, replied modestly.
“Yes. Please make one, Queen Dowager.”
“It’s not Queen Dowager, you should say ‘mom’.”
“…….”
“Come on, try calling me ‘mom’.”
Victor barely opened his mouth.
“Um, mom.”
“Heh, heh.”
Yuria started to laugh until she was almost crying. Victor decided that he would throw her out of the window as soon as they left the garden.
Mano enjoyed grooming Victor all the while. A round flower crown was quickly placed on the head of the large and disorderly knight.
The red flowers matched his golden hair quite well.
After brushing Victor’s hair behind his ears, Mano asked Yuria.
“Isn’t our child really pretty?”
“Yes, heh heh heh.”
Mano looked at Victor with an expression of deep affection. Her gaze slowly traveled downward. Soon, her eyes clouded over as she stared at the place where his heart was.
“Child, does it hurt a lot?”
“……Pardon?”
Before he could question what she meant, Mano’s eyes welled up with tears.
“You shouldn’t be hurting, you shouldn’t be hurting……”
Her lingering hand trembled and fell short of touching his chest.
Yuria quietly stopped laughing. Victor narrowed his eyebrows. Yuria jabbed Victor’s side and whispered with just her lips.
‘Is it about Prince Julios this time?’
‘It seems so.’
Victor nodded with a stiff face. Yuria sighed. She took Mano’s hand and spoke gently.
“Lady Mano, shall we return to the room now?”
“My child, my child……”
“Victor, I mean, your child must also be tired from the long journey. He should rest.”
Mano was resistant. She clung onto Victor, pleading.
“Child, please tell me if it hurts this time. Don’t bear it alone. It’s too hard for you.”
“……”
“Child, please. I’m begging you. I hate seeing you in pain. I really hate it.”
Mano began to sob. Her tears were so earnest that Yuria’s eyes reddened too. Victor, still wearing the flower crown, knelt in front of Mano.
“Don’t worry, Queen Mother. No, Mother.”
He firmly held her hand and spoke solemnly.
“I promise to speak up if I’m in pain. I won’t suffer alone this time.”
“Really?”
“Of course. So don’t worry. And don’t cry either.”
Victor pressed his lips to the back of her hand.
“If you’re upset, Mother, it hurts me a lot too. You must be happy from now on.”
“Yes, yes. I will be.”
Only then did Mano smile brightly. Yuria rubbed the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. Victor spoke gently to Mano.
“Mother, shall we go back to your room? I want to read a fairy tale book to you.”
“Yes. Yes.”
Mano obediently nodded. When Victor picked her up, she exclaimed in surprise.
“My child is so strong.”
Yuria burst out laughing through her tears. Victor chuckled and started to walk.
The three of them quickly arrived at Mano’s room. After laying Mano down on the bed, Victor began to read a fairy tale book. Until then, the flower crown was still on his head.
“The woman’s crying continued. The troubled dragon decided to leave the lair. It seemed that the crying would stop if he helped the woman.”
It was the creation myth of the Empire, which Mano loved. The soothing voice filled the room. She blinked her eyes slowly. Sleepiness poured out.
‘Are you sleepy?’
Victor, or rather, the child who was reading the book, looked at Mano.
Mano tried to shake her head.
She didn’t want to part with her baby, whom she had just met.
But her eyes kept closing.
He closed the book and sat down next to Mano. His long blonde hair flowed down smoothly.
“Go to sleep. I will sing for you.”
The soft humming echoed. The voice, just as she saw in her dreams, was so tender. A faint smile formed on Mano’s lips.
How lovely that this child has become the wife of my son.
The half-tied long blonde hair, the refreshing green eyes, the cute nose, and the red lips.
There was no part of her from head to toe that wasn’t pretty.
Her heart filled with emotion, Mano silently called out to her.
Leave a Reply