Chapter 38
“……!”
It was a small voice, but I clearly heard it. I ran in the direction it came from to pinpoint the location more precisely.
Fortunately, the fire in that area had died down more than elsewhere, but it was still dangerous with black smoke and embers floating through the air. Covering my nose and mouth with a handkerchief, I pushed through the smoke, following the faint voice ahead.
“Help… cough… please…”
“…! Child!”
Pushing through the smoke, I soon found a child leaning against a tree, gasping for breath. Alarmed, I rushed to hold her and pressed the handkerchief against her face.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Stay with me!”
“……L-Lady… Your Grace…”
“Ah… You’re…!”
Looking closely at the child clutching my hand, I realized she was the girl I had met yesterday. The same girl who had handed me a blue rose with a bright smile. My heart sank as I embraced her tightly. Her face and body showed signs of soot and burns, but thankfully, she was still breathing.
If I hadn’t heard her voice…
She might not have survived. I had gone against Lucious’s plea and rushed in, but finding this child made it all worthwhile. I’d apologize to him later—right now, I had to save her.
“You’re going to be okay. The fire here is weaker now. We can get out. So don’t worry, I’ll definitely save you.”
“……Please…”
“Hm? What did you say?”
As I stepped away from the tree with her in my arms, moving toward the area where the flames had weakened, the girl continued speaking with great difficulty.
“My… little sister… I can’t… see her… My sister…”
“Your sister…? Was she nearby too?”
“Please… my sister… help…”
She let out a shallow breath before finally losing consciousness. As her body slumped heavily in my arms, I bit my lip hard.
Damn… if her sister was with her…
She must have been referring to the little sister she mentioned yesterday. If they were together, the sister might still be nearby. But searching for her while carrying this child would be nearly impossible. Should I shout for help? Just as I was anxiously trying to decide what to do, I heard Lucious’s voice from the other side.
“Tiana!”
“…! Lucious!”
Lucious burst through the flames, parting them with his sword, and knights followed behind him. When he spotted me, his expression, stiff with worry, melted into one of relief mixed with near-tears as he ran to me.
Crack—!
“Ah…!”
“……! Tiana!”
Relieved at the sight of him, I let my guard down for a moment—and failed to notice the fire-scorched tree collapsing toward me. I twisted my body and fell to the side, tightly shielding the child in my arms from the falling tree.
Thud!
“Ugh…!”
I narrowly avoided the falling tree, but the branches scraped my arm and back. A burning, stinging pain swept over me. The wounds must have been numerous—I couldn’t stop myself from groaning.
“Tiana! You’re hurt…!”
“I’m okay… Lucious…”
A knight took the child from my arms as Lucious, trembling, embraced me. When he saw the wounds on my body, his expression twisted in anguish, and he spoke in a voice heavy with emotion.
“I told you not to move! What were you thinking…!”
“I’m sorry… I couldn’t just stay behind after sending you off. But I saved a child, thanks to that…”
“Tiana…”
“What about you, Lucious? Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. But you, Tiana…”
“These are just minor injuries. They can be treated. I’m sorry for worrying you. I’m here, see?”
Trying to calm him, I held his hand tightly, met his eyes, and gave a small smile. After checking my hand over and over, he finally relaxed and kissed my forehead.
His cold lips told me just how tense and anxious he had been. I leaned into his embrace, and the trembling of my body finally subsided.
“Your Grace. The fire is completely extinguished.”
“What about the children?”
“We’ve rescued all the surviving children. We’re currently retrieving the bodies of those we couldn’t save in time.”
“…I see. Continue your work. Thank you.”
“Yes, sir.”
Following the knights returning to the site, I saw the fire had finally been extinguished. Black smoke covered the sky, and all that remained of the once-beautiful garden were scorched marks and ashes. It was hard to believe that the garden full of laughter just a while ago had vanished so quickly.
“Your Graces!”
Viscount Grassel, pale-faced, came running, followed by Viscount Ezach and Baron Vien. Upon confirming our condition, Viscount Grassel spoke with concern.
“Are you all right? Are you injured?”
“My wife was hurt while rescuing a child.”
“What? She needs medical attention immediately—”
“I’m fine. The wounds aren’t serious. Please check on the child first. She needs to be taken to a priest right away.”
At my words, the three men turned their eyes to the child in the knight’s arms. After quietly examining her, Viscount Ezach reached out with a somber expression.
“I’ll take her. Thank you, Duchess… for saving her.”
“It’s nothing. She doesn’t seem to be seriously hurt, but she inhaled a lot of smoke. Please hurry.”
“Yes…”
“…I’ll go with them.”
Baron Vien followed behind Viscount Ezach, who staggered as he carried the child. Lucious gently lifted me and spoke.
“She’ll be okay. With a priest’s help, she should recover quickly.”
“I hope so. That girl… she’s the one who gave me the blue rose…”
“…Is that so?”
“She was looking for her sister. I wanted to help her… Will her sister be okay too?”
“I believe so. She’ll be fine. So don’t worry too much, Tiana.”
“…Yes.”
As his hand gently brushed the cold sweat from my forehead, I recalled the girl’s voice from earlier. The desperate tone in which she’d begged for her sister to be saved.
Please let her be safe…
That pleading voice haunted me.
✦✦✦
The aftermath of the accident was handled more quickly than expected. The botanical garden’s alarm went off when the fire started, and guards and nearby residents rushed in to help extinguish it.
Fortunately, the fire didn’t spread far and was contained to the flower garden and its surroundings, leaving the botanical greenhouse and nearby buildings unharmed.
Lucious took the lead in coordinating the aftermath, while Viscount Ezach and Viscount Grassel, who were responsible for the site, worked busily under his direction.
Priests were dispatched from a nearby temple to treat the rescued children, and I helped care for them alongside Baron Vien and the priests.
There were about twenty children left in the garden. Thankfully, most were rescued, but about three children had been trapped in the heart of the blaze.
Among them was the younger sister of the girl who had given me the blue rose.
“……”
“Tiana.”
Lucious approached me as I stood silently before the children’s bodies, covered with white cloths. He wrapped an arm around my waist as I leaned into him and stared at the cloth I couldn’t bring myself to lift.
“If I had gotten there just a little sooner… could I have saved her?”
“…Tiana.”
“She begged so desperately… to save her sister…”
I couldn’t forget the face of the child who had clung to my hand. Her desperate voice lingered, leaving my chest heavy with regret. The children we couldn’t save—this was the first time I’d felt so powerless in this world. How could I face the girl who had lost her sister?
“This wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Please don’t blame yourself.”
“Lucious…”
“It’s painful and heartbreaking that we couldn’t save them all, but… we need to do what we can now. Let’s pray for the children so they may rest peacefully.”
“…You’re right. Let’s pray that they can find happiness there… and be born into happier lives in the next.”
That they might be born into a world where social class and background didn’t matter. All I could do now was pray. It was the only thing I could offer—and my best.
Lucious and I spent a long time praying for the children.
✦✦✦
The children’s funeral was held early the next morning. Although the accident had been sudden, more people than expected attended the ceremony to mourn them.
Lucious and I attended as well and stayed until the headstones were erected inside the temple. Then, we prepared to depart.
The rescued children had yet to regain consciousness. I wished I could stay until they recovered, but we were scheduled to leave that day and had other commitments, so we had no choice.
As Lucious and I prepared to leave the inn, Viscount Grassel, Viscount Ezach, and Baron Vien came to see us off.
“Please have a safe journey, Your Graces.”
“Thank you. I’m counting on you to handle the rest, Viscount Grassel.”
“Of course. I’ll send a thorough report as well.”
While Lucious and Viscount Grassel exchanged farewells, Viscount Ezach and Baron Vien approached me. Though she looked slightly better than yesterday, Baron Vien still appeared unwell. As I looked at her with concern, she offered a faint smile.
“Truly… thank you, Duchess.”
“There’s no need to thank me again. But… are you okay? You still look tired…”
“I’m fine. It’ll be tough for a while, but I need to stay strong—for the children who remain.”
“I understand. I wanted to see the children wake up before I left. I’m sorry… I couldn’t do more.”
“Not at all. Thanks to both of you, we were able to handle things swiftly. Don’t worry about the children—I’ll take good care of them.”
“Please also tell that girl… when she wakes up, tell her I’m sorry and thank you. Tell her I’ll treasure the blue rose forever.”
“…I will. Don’t worry.”
I grasped her frail hands tightly and smiled with a nod. Leaving a silent goodbye to Baron Vien, I climbed into the carriage with Lucious after he finished his farewells.
As the carriage pulled away with the three of them seeing us off, I watched the botanical garden fade in the distance through the window.
“Lucious. It was a good trip. So… let’s definitely come back someday.”
“…Tiana.”
“When we come back, let’s have a nice lunch with the children.”
“Yes. We definitely will.”
When I smiled and said this, he returned my smile and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. As his gentle hand stroked my hair, I leaned against his shoulder and quietly closed my eyes.
