Episode 11 –
As they walked down the corridor leading outside and descended the stairs, a wide garden unfolded before them.
“Deflyn, Deflyn!”
They called for her, the gardener, to explain or guide them through the garden, but the one who appeared was a young boy.
“She went to check on the greenhouse at Forne Castle. If you have a message, you can tell me. I’ll relay it when my mother returns.”
The boy, politely lowering his straw hat behind his head, spoke with courtesy. Anthea responded that it was fine and then turned her gaze to Edmund.
“Lord Edmund.”
“It’s alright. I’ll take a walk with this child, so you may stay at a distance.”
He was an important guest. There was no benefit in defying his wishes, so Anthea nodded and stepped away from Edmund.
Once they were out of earshot, Edmund looked properly at the boy.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Lune.”
“Lune, I see.”
Smiling like a single, beautifully blooming flower, Edmund slightly bent his knees to match Lune’s eye level.
“Are you the only child in this castle?”
“Yes.”
Lune tilted his head, not quite understanding the question, but answered as if it were obvious. Everyone in the castle would answer the same.
Because Sophia’s existence must never be spoken of.
“You must be lonely with no one to play with.”
“I’m fine. I enjoy working in the garden so much, I don’t even know what loneliness feels like.”
“You must really love flowers.”
At the kindly asked question, Lune nodded without hesitation. Edmund then reached into his robe and carefully pulled something out.
“Plant this somewhere clearly visible.”
“May I ask what kind of seed this is?”
“It’s the seed of a flower called Salia. It grows quickly, so you’ll likely see it bloom soon.”
Salia was a name Lune had never heard before. Realizing it was a flower he had never seen, his eyes sparkled as he accepted the small packet of seeds.
Edmund smiled with satisfaction as he watched Lune’s face unable to hide his joy.
“I hope the flower I gave you brings you comfort.”
“Thank you.”
As he looked down at the eyes that bloomed like a handful of pink roses, full of life, Edmund straightened and glanced around.
The flowers bloomed lushly, regardless of the season, beautiful enough to be shown anywhere.
As he confirmed Edmund’s gaze scanning the garden, Lune pointed deeper into the garden and asked,
“Shall I guide you further inside?”
“No. I’ve seen enough. It’s time to go.”
Edmund gently brushed back his dark red hair and looked at Anthea, who was standing at a distance.
Anthea immediately approached and guided him back to where the carriage was waiting.
Only after a considerable amount of time had passed since Edmund left the garden did Deflyn return from Forne Castle.
She immediately spotted Lune tending the garden without his straw hat and quickly placed it on his head while scolding him.
“I told you to wear your hat properly. What if you get sunburned?”
“Ah, I forgot.”
Lune finally realized he had taken it off in front of the guest and had forgotten to put it back on. He adjusted the hat sheepishly.
Then he suddenly remembered the seed Edmund had given him and pulled the paper envelope from his pocket.
“What’s that?”
“The guest asked me to plant it somewhere visible.”
The guest must have been someone from Fowip who came to trade seeds. Curious about the seed, Deflyn opened the envelope.
It looked like a small ball, with a rather rough surface. As she tilted her head, having never seen it before, Lune recalled the name Edmund had mentioned.
“He said it was called Salia… Do you think it’ll be pretty?”
“Why? What do you want to do if it’s pretty?”
“If it’s pretty… I want to show it to Sophia…”
Blushing slightly, Lune played with his fingers, intertwining and undoing them, clearly embarrassed.
So adorable. Deflyn laughed heartily and patted Lune’s head firmly over his hat.
“It will be. After all, you and I will be growing it—how could it not be pretty?”
Upon hearing that Edmund had only briefly visited the garden before departing in his carriage, Bled moved to his office.
It was a place he spent several hours a day, and he casually leaned against the desk with a large window behind it, looking out.
The vast sky was beautifully blue—a truly fine day.
As he silently gazed out at the clear sky, a knock came at the door.
“My lord.”
It was Dane, his personal attendant. With permission, Dane entered the office, bowed, and delivered a report.
“Lady Sophia has collapsed.”
“…Her condition?”
“Healer Serita is examining her. For now, it seems the cause is accumulated fatigue.”
Bled let out a small sigh—a breath of relief.
“Keep me informed.”
Until Sophia recovered.
Though Bled spoke calmly, as he turned to sit at his desk, he knocked over a book. A rare mistake. Dane’s eyes followed the book as it fell to the floor.
[The Sky Where the Moon Rises]
It was a book about the famous tourist city of Selwiden, adorned with a beautifully decorated ribbon at the edges. It was obvious who it had been prepared for.
Bled, like Dane, looked down blankly at the fallen book before belatedly picking it up.
He placed it back on the desk and spoke to Dane.
“I’m fine. You may go.”
But his hands trembled slightly as he said so.
Though a calm night had arrived, Sophia couldn’t easily fall asleep. She had already slept deeply while unconscious earlier.
Rorey had advised her not to disrupt her sleep, but tonight was an exception.
Sophia sat up slightly, leaning against the headboard. She considered reading a book, but noticed that the sky outside was clear and bright under the moonlight.
It felt like a waste to spend such a night indoors, so she got out of bed and put on a cardigan.
Grabbing a lantern, she cautiously left her room—only to run into Jules, who was patrolling.
He smiled naturally at the sight of her, but then noticed the lantern in her hand and quickly approached, bending to one knee.
“My lady? Are you going somewhere?”
“I was just going to the garden for a bit.”
“You can’t. The night air is too cold, and you need to rest.”
“I’ll be back soon. I just feel a bit stifled.”
Jules, who had been voicing concern, began hesitating at her gentle insistence.
“Then at least… let me go with you.”
“I’m just stepping out to get some fresh air. Do you really need to come?”
“But still…”
“It’s fine. I’ll be back soon. If I’m not back in 10 minutes, you can come get me in the garden.”
Her calm and persuasive tone made Jules eventually nod and stand up.
“I’ll be back.”
“Please be careful.”
Waving as she walked away, Sophia left Jules standing behind. He took out his pocket watch and checked the time. Ten minutes. He resumed his patrol while keeping a close eye on the clock.
Thanks to Jules’ leniency, Sophia made it to the garden and headed deeper inside.
At night, the garden felt still and darkly verdant, but not eerie. Likely due to the freshness of the blooming flowers.
Inside the garden’s path was a bench to sit on—an act of kindness arranged by Chase for Benny, who didn’t have much stamina.
Passing through a tunnel of roses, Sophia entered the walkway and saw something that wasn’t a plant.
“…Joshua?”
She softly murmured the name, and the person, hearing her presence, turned their head toward her.
Sitting on the bench where she had intended to sit was Joshua. It was a long bench, and there was space beside him—but she didn’t feel like sitting.
As Sophia stood quietly at a slight distance, Joshua spotted her and stammered as he spoke.
“Why are you here… Oh, right. You come here often, don’t you?”
His hair, a dim bluish hue in the moonlight, swayed gently in the breeze. His golden eyes, tinged with darkness, held a faint chill.
But his voice was gentle.
“Should I go?”
Not sarcastic, but sincerely asking if she wanted him to leave.
Wondering if she hadn’t heard correctly due to the distance, Sophia took a step closer. Even with the bright moonlight, she couldn’t clearly read his expression—so she stepped forward once more.
And finally, she could see it clearly: Joshua was wearing the gentlest expression she had ever seen from him.
Despite being more short-tempered than Benjamin, and always showing only disdain or anger toward her before…
