Chapter 8

* * *
Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
* * *

Evi slowly reached out her hand toward the tombstone.

Of course, it was a name she was hearing for the first time and a person she did not know. There was no way someone she knew would have a grave inside such an Imperial Palace.

Nevertheless, Evi felt a pang in her heart as she looked at the tombstone.

Her small, thin fingers brushed away the dry leaves that were on top of the tombstone.

Somehow, the thought that she wanted to clean it up neatly occurred to her.

Normally, it was common to engrave what kind of person they were and what kind of life they had lived on a tombstone.

However, there were no such words on this tombstone.

What was engraved was just the name.

Because of that, Evi thought it was a pity.

Who is this person? Why is there a grave here?

Then Evi’s gaze moved to the small tombstone next to it.

A name was also engraved there.

[Evbien]

The moment she saw that name, Evi brushed her arms.

Strangely, she felt sad and upset.

Evi, who had been looking at the small tombstone for a long time, soon shook her head.

“……I should go back.”

It was said that after dinner time, a bell announcing the curfew would ring.

Therefore, it was right to return quickly before that. But…

‘Wouldn’t it be okay until the bell rings?’

She had come out early to avoid the commotion at the dining hall.

So there would still be some time until the bell rang.

But even if she were here, what more would she do?

Then Evi saw the white flowers blooming in abundance around her.

‘Everyone brought flowers to the graves.’

Passing by graves, she often saw flower bouquets placed in front of tombstones.

Even though it was the grave of a stranger, she felt somewhat sorry to return like this.

Evi set her bag down and approached near the bushes around her. Fortunately, white flowers were blooming in full.

Evi started to pick the flowers one by one while squatting down.

A soft wind still brushed past Evi’s head and back.

As if stroking, softly and affectionately.

* * *

Clois was walking slowly inside the forest.

The forest between the inner palace and the Gifted Center was originally a part of the Imperial Palace’s back garden, a place where anyone could enter.

But now, it had become a place where only Clois entered.

It was because he had made the graves of his wife and daughter here.

For generations, it was a formality for the graves of imperial family members to be enshrined in the imperial family’s cemetery some distance from the capital.

Clois also tried to bury Lilian and Evbien there.

However, the old ministers opposed it, saying that since the two had not officially registered their names on the imperial family’s genealogy, they could not enter the imperial family’s cemetery.

Clois was dumbfounded. To think they could not be recognized as imperial family members because they had not received a consecration inside the Imperial Palace.

Normally, when marrying, the imperial family member as well as their spouse would receive a consecration together, but Clois and Lilian had not received it.

It was because it was a marriage he had done after refusing the marriage talk with the woman his father had decided on.

However, Lilian, far from being heartbroken at the fact that she could not receive the consecration, looked as if it was rather a good thing.

As if she did not want to receive it.

Since Lilian had not received it like that, it was natural that Evbien, who was born during the war, could not receive it.

But she was his wife and she was his daughter.

And yet, they could not be brought into the imperial family’s cemetery.

“Fine. It seems your words are correct.”

At Clois’s attitude of seemingly stepping back, the old ministers felt smug, thinking that the new Emperor was listening to their opinions.

However, their short arrogance was shattered by the next words.

“She is my wife and she is my daughter. Therefore, it is right for them to be by my side.”

Then, Clois simply made the graves of the two in the forest of the Imperial Palace.

And he drove out all those who revolted against it.

Only then did the ministers remember that he was the person who had ascended the throne after killing his brothers.

After that, this forest became a place where only Clois could enter.

Since it was spring, Clois came inside while pushing through the grass that had grown a lot in the meantime.

Since he had not been able to come for a few days, fallen leaves would have piled up.

Today, he planned to stay here until late at night while cleaning the surroundings.

The moment he finally saw the tombstones after walking for a while, Clois immediately noticed something different from usual.

The top of the tombstone was too clean. As if someone had cleaned it first.

As he turned his gaze, he saw a small bag lying around the tombstone.

At that moment, Clois’s eyes turned sharp.

‘Who dares!’

Except for when the grave was first made, no one had approached this place for the past few years.

To be precise, one could not approach even if they wanted to.

The entrance to the only road leading here was guarded by guards, and in the surrounding forest where people’s footsteps had ceased, there was no road coming in.

The most one occasionally saw were small animals like birds or squirrels.

Clois, who was about to let out a roar asking who dared to enter here, saw something on top of Lilian’s tombstone.

Wondering if someone had done harm, he hurriedly approached near the tombstone and looked at what was placed while bowing his body.

“……Flowers?”

There was a round flower wreath made of white flowers.

Although it was made with clumsy skill, one could tell that sincerity had been poured in so that the flowers would not be damaged as much as possible.

The moment he saw the wreath, Clois’s throat tightened.

The flowers planted around the grave were wild flowers that Lilian had liked.

When he was staying in Lilian’s territory, Lilian often picked flowers like this, made wreaths, placed them on top of his head, and laughed.

To be honest, Clois and a flower wreath did not particularly go together. However, because it was a joy to see Lilian’s laughing face, he always walked around wearing the wreath she gave him without a word of complaint.

Clois, who was recalling the memories of that time, came to his senses.

There was no way Lilian could be here. He had to find the mysterious intruder as quickly as possible.

The moment he raised his head.

“……!”

In front of Clois, a large white flower bouquet was visible.

And also a little girl who was making a surprised expression.

Evi was flustered.

Even when she first picked the flowers, she only thought of making a small bouquet.

But as she organized them, Evi’s hands were making a round flower wreath before she knew it.

‘I had never made one before.’

When she was in the orphanage, she had tried to make one with wild flowers.

However, a flower wreath was something harder to make than she thought. Therefore, she had failed every time.

But miraculously today, she could easily do the parts that had been difficult to tie every time.

As if someone were teaching her by her side.

When she came to her senses, a large wreath was completed in Evi’s hands.

Evi placed it in front of the tombstone where ‘Lilian’ was written and then walked around to pick flowers again.

It was because she wanted to place flowers in front of Evbien’s grave too.

No matter how many flowers there were, she was sorry to pick flowers that were just blooming, so she picked and chose flowers that had bloomed fully and would soon wither.

As she did so, she had to go gradually deeper into the forest.

Before she knew it, Evi’s hands were full of flowers.

‘Shall I try making this into a wreath too?’

Evi returned to the grave while holding flowers in her arms.

And the moment she saw the grave, she knew the fact that someone was looking at the wreath while kneeling on one knee next to the grave.

‘Who is it?’

It was getting gradually dark, but short golden hair that sparkled like sunlight was visible.

An adult man.

The moment she realized that fact, Evi’s body froze as it was.

Evi was afraid of adult men.

Among the innkeeper couple who had abused her until she was five, it was because the husband had always raised his hand against Evi.

He always spat out harsh words to Evi and raised his hand according to his mood.

Furthermore, in both the hot summer and the cold winter, he pushed her outside, telling her to earn her keep.

Because of that, Evi cleaned the stables without being able to drink water properly in the summer, and she had to break the frozen stream and do laundry with cold water in the winter.

If her hands slowed down even a little, the innkeeper’s roar fell. It was a natural thing not to receive a meal.

Therefore, sometimes after everyone fell asleep, she endured by picking up and eating bread crumbs that had fallen on the inn floor.

As her past, which she had forgotten for a while, came to mind, cold sweat flowed on Evi’s back.

‘Shall I go back secretly.’

But her bag still remained placed near the man.

Inside the bag were the ribbon of the uniform she had newly received today and small items.

She could not leave it as it was. How could she say she had lost the items she had just received?

‘Still, I’m scared after all…’

Thinking that she would rather go back now and come again tomorrow, the moment she tried to take a step back, a warm wind brushed past her back.

As if pushing Evi’s back, saying it was okay.

As the fear disappeared along with the wind, Evi became curious about who the person who had come here was.

So she took courage and approached in front of the man.

When Evi stood in front, the man slowly raised his head. Sparkling golden hair fluttered, and blue eyes looked at Evi.

“…….”

“…….”

For a moment, the two looked at each other without saying anything.

She had learned that staring at a person like this was a rude thing to do, but Evi could not turn her eyes away.

Somehow, she felt a welcoming feeling as if she had met someone she had been waiting for for a long time.