Chapter 58

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One day, Father Sariel picked my flowers. He carefully selected each one in perfect bloom, made a beautiful bouquet, and wrapped it in nice paper before placing it in a box.

My flowers were transported to the mining town and offered at a pleasant cemetery on a hill.

The grave was serene. It was a place of peace.

I thought it was a good grave.

It must have been the grave of someone who lived a life without regrets.

Through my flowers, I thought about such things.

The large flowers were there as offerings on the grave, for a month, and then two months.

Occasionally, someone would visit.

There was someone who came often.

They would stand before the grave, speak, shed tears, and leave. Sometimes they came every day, sometimes they took a few days off, sometimes they spoke calmly, and sometimes they shed tears without saying anything.

One time, the person took the bouquet of roses back.

It was around the time when I was gradually losing the ability to receive information from the flowers. The cut flowers were losing their strength.

The person spoke to the flowers that were taken back.

They said the roses were like her.

Resilient, trying to protect themselves with thorns.

Innocent, devoted, and pure.

Her smile was unpretentious and as bright as the sun.

Her heart was full of love, free, and strong.

But fragile, always trying her best despite being fragile.

The person couldn't stop talking once they started.

This must be what they call "love is blind." This condition is difficult because the person experiencing it is unaware. It's best to take what they say with a grain of salt.

But I realized something. The person didn't praise her appearance at all, even while saying she was like the roses.

The person liked her heart.

One time, the person said, "She once complained."

When she told her fiancé that she was pregnant with a child who would become king, he made a face of dislike.

When she said this, she showed a face I had never seen before.

A pained face.

It didn't suit her.

But, the person said, I felt like I could understand the heart of the man who was her fiancé. The person knew something about the situation.

It wasn't that he disliked her child.

If he told her this, she might have lingering feelings for her fiancé.

So, he couldn't tell her.

But the days passed, and he couldn't bear the guilt, so he finally told her.

He must have wanted to be king, so he made a face of dislike. It wasn't that he disliked the child.

She opened her eyes wide.

Then, she said with regret.

Why didn't you say something so important? You said I was needed to become queen. I tried so hard, even though you didn't need me. If you had said that, I wouldn't have aimed to be queen.

She erased her lingering feelings for her fiancé.

The person smiled a little, saying it was good to tell her. If he hadn't said it then, he might never have been able to tell her.

But he never said, "You couldn't have told your fiancé that you didn't want to be queen, could you?" or "Was it really your fiancé who said you were needed to become queen?"

So she wouldn't suffer over something that was already over.

That's what the person murmured.

This is a gift from her, and on the person's wrist was a beautiful bracelet.

Before entering the work area, she showed the guard a handful of stones, saying she wanted to give them. The guard pretended not to notice and let her do it.

She gave them with a calm face, but her cheeks, stained with red, betrayed her. Everyone around her pretended not to notice with a lukewarm gaze.

The love that had grown only during the morning meetings and brief moments during breaks was destined to end. But it was deeply etched in the person's heart and would never fade.

It was a sad love story, but at least the person could love.

Being together and missing each other is better than being together but not loving each other. The person might not want to use the word "better," but for beings who have words but can't always communicate them directly, it's a precious thing.

Everyone will surely be saved. It is said that the clean souls will be saved by God.

The person dried the flowers while they were still beautiful.

It's a good method.

I can no longer hear their voices. But the flowers will surely comfort the person for a long time.

◇◇◇

The companions of the Vionne family's mansion are fortunate. This place is a paradise for plants.

The mansion is guarded by the royal guards and the secret agents of the palace.

Thanks to them, my job is easy. However, it's not entirely easy because there are lazy knights.

From listening to their conversations, I can tell there is a significant difference in their reliability.

The nights when the secret agents are on duty are reassuring. They know that the more unusual the job, the more dangerous it is to slack off. Many of them are like that.

But the royal guards are different. Experience doesn't matter much. Newcomers who are excellent and serious do their jobs well. But the guards who are unhappy about being assigned to protect a noble family that used to be royal but has no real power, especially slack off during the night shift.

The night shift is done in pairs, taking turns to rest. It's quite thin. However, with the use of magical devices, the lack of personnel is compensated for.

And I'm here.

Only a select few in the palace know I'm here, those who know Lucian's abilities. The royal guards don't know. Jace has a hunch... rather, Lucian often shows his power, so it's already known, but he pretends not to know. It's the least troublesome way to handle it. Sariel and the others don't care about Jace, considering him family.

Lucian's protection is not a regular guard duty. The palace wants to protect Lucian from trouble and keep his abilities hidden.

For example, something like tonight—being targeted by suspicious people is not uncommon.

Lord Sariel is said to be the only son of a former queen, who was doted on, and then fell from grace.

Now, he makes a living with earth magic, which is popular in farming.

So, there are some who think he might have something valuable.

Like the ones who came tonight, hiding in the darkness.

Of course, the gates are firmly closed. So, they use grappling hooks or climb using my vines.

I'll pierce them with my thorns. But it's too early.

If I pierce the first one, the others might run away.

So, I wait.

They seem to be experienced, as they notice the magical devices.

They give each other instructions and take measures against the magical devices.

The royal guards rely on the magical devices. So, they are taking a break.

No, one is on break, which is fine, but the other should be on duty.

That guard will surely be reprimanded by the captain for neglecting his duty. I wonder what will happen in this case?

◇◇

There were five thieves tonight. They neutralized the magical devices with a spell that nullifies magic and climbed over the wall one after another.

My vines were trampled, and my anger boiled.

But I need to interrogate them, so I won't kill them.

I shake my leaves and gently survey the surroundings. There are no thieves nearby.

Shall I capture them?

I slowly extend my vines and slide them towards the thieves' feet.

My vines not only surround the wall but also decorate the arches and windows of the mansion.

I lightly intoxicate the thieves with a refreshing fragrance and then wrap my vines around their feet.

"What? Something on my foot?"

"Is it a trap?"

"Be careful."

"Cut it with a knife."

The men tried to tear the vines with their hands or use knives.

I quickly pierced them with thorns.

Their filthy screams echoed in the darkness. The thieves struggled and tried to escape from the vines, but my vines were unscathed. I will hold them firmly.

The sleeping guards finally arrived.

I retract the thorns and cut the vines that bind the thieves, leaving the rest. I need to hide the evidence. The others will take care of it. The thieves are gasping in pain.

Oh, Jito was faster. This chicken has good night vision. It must be because of the good feed. He mercilessly points out the intruders. Hein and Sariel also arrive.

The guard who was on break also arrived almost simultaneously.

Fifth, the knight who was supposed to be on duty rolled in.

The guard's face, with his hair standing up from bedhead, turned pale under the gaze of three people.

Finally, Lucian arrived in his pajamas, still half-asleep.

"Jito, you caught the thieves? Good job!"

Lucian's carefree voice made the two guards hang their heads.

Indeed, Jito performed better than the guards.

Later, I heard that the guard who skipped his night shift was transferred somewhere.

Hein was talking leisurely, saying it was unfortunate but couldn't be helped.

The knight who found the Vionne family's assignment unsatisfying would no longer be close to the Vionne family's secrets.

If that knight had been the first to eliminate the thieves, he might have noticed something. I would have certainly helped him.

He must have wanted to advance in his career. The path to the core of the country is not always clear.

Jace, who brought the report, frowned at Hein's sympathetic comment.

"I think it should be treated as desertion in the face of the enemy."

"Desertion in the face of the enemy is punishable by execution... I'm sure he reflected deeply.

The guards who let the chicken take the credit and the rumors that will follow..."

"It's already a laughing matter in the palace's dining hall.

When the guards arrived, the thieves were already entangled by the vines and attacked by the chicken."

"Gorazio's performance is a secret, though."

Hein frowned slightly.

"It's said that the magical devices were activated. There are vine-shaped magical devices.

The fact that the thieves had neutralized the magical devices is unknown."

"That's good to know.

The thieves these days use tricks."

"Yes. They try to outsmart the countermeasures, so it's difficult..."

While listening to their conversation, I think my job won't disappear. ...But maybe everyone will do their job properly now that the lazy guard has been made an example.

Well, I'll continue to cover for the careless guards.

I sway my vines gently while thinking about my future plans.

Thank you for reading.

(That person) will appear again.

The next story will be posted after a while.