#30. Greeting (3)
Soon after.
A large muscular black horse at the front of the army stopped before Count Tula and Sasha.
Sitting upright on the horse, wearing solid black armor, was Grand Duke Volkov.
“Brother, you’re here!”
Count Tula greeted him warmly.
Grand Duke Volkov nodded slightly and quickly looked around.
When he didn’t see the person he was looking for, his eyes narrowed.
Turning his gaze back to Count Tula, he asked,
“Where is Pavel?”
Count Tula replied in a regretful voice,
“Forgive me, brother. He seemed unwell. He insisted on staying in his room to rest and refused to come.”
“Is that so.”
Grand Duke Volkov answered calmly, but there was irritation in his voice.
Even though his father had returned after so long, Pavel hadn’t even shown his face.
Count Tula caught the Duke’s sunken expression and smiled inwardly.
The more distant the Duke and Pavel became, the more comfortable Count Tula felt.
He was wondering how to make the situation even worse when—
“Excuse me, Your Grace.”
Sasha stepped forward, drawing both men’s attention.
She smiled softly and greeted,
“Thank you for traveling such a long way. I’m so glad you returned safely.”
When Sasha offered her bouquet, the Grand Duke silently got down from his horse and awkwardly accepted it.
“Thank you.”
The combination of the huge, fully armed man and the bright bouquet looked odd, but because the Duke was so handsome, it didn’t look bad.
Holding the bouquet in his large hand as if it were a sword, the Grand Duke asked in a low voice,
“Have you been doing well here?”
“Yes. At first, it was difficult to adjust to a place so unfamiliar, but Pavel helped me a lot. Thanks to him, I adapted quickly.”
“…Pavel?”
Sasha spoke firmly,
“Yes. Pavel has helped me so much. He’s such a kind and thoughtful child.”
“…I see.”
The Duke’s expression softened slightly.
Meanwhile, Count Tula’s face twisted in frustration.
‘Just a moment ago she was acting like she hadn’t gotten close to Pavel, and now she’s saying this?’
Suspicion flickered in his eyes, but he didn’t have time to linger on it. He quickly cut in,
“Brother, let’s head inside. You must be tired after your journey. I’ve ordered warm bathwater and a delicious meal to be prepared for you.”
“Very well.”
The Grand Duke was about to follow Count Tula inside when Sasha panicked.
‘He can’t go inside yet…’
She quickly glanced toward the back of the crowd.
She couldn’t see anything yet, but she was sure Pavel would be coming from there soon.
Should she stop the Duke from entering? She was still thinking when—
“He’s coming~! He found it and he’s on his way~!”
Hearing the spirits’ voice in her ear, Sasha felt relieved.
‘He did it!’
She gave the spirits a signal. The little beings giggled happily.
“Okay, okay~!”
The spirits fluttered away over the hill.
A moment later, a brilliant light, unlike sunlight, began to shine from beyond the hill.
It was an artificial glow created by the spirits.
“Stage effects are just as important as the script.”
Sasha smiled proudly as she watched Pavel appear like a hero.
The sound of galloping hooves kicked up dust, but the halo-like glow shining above Pavel’s head was not obscured at all.
“What’s that?”
“Something really bright is coming this way!”
“Huh? What’s going on?”
People focused on the overwhelming presence approaching.
The commotion spread all the way to where the Grand Duke stood.
“Something is coming from over there!”
The Grand Duke turned his head. With sharp eyesight like a hawk’s, he saw a strange glowing figure racing toward them over the hill.
Sching—!
The Grand Duke drew his sword, and his retainers around him grew tense.
But then his eyes widened.
As the cloak of the rider flapped open, the familiar face beneath it was revealed.
“…Pavel?”
The boy surrounded by light was clearly his son, though he looked very different from a year ago.
His eyes were firmer. His face was fuller and healthier.
His posture was straight, and his body looked strong instead of weak and sickly.
Though it had only been a year, the child had grown so much that people began murmuring in surprise.
The Grand Duke’s gaze deepened as he silently watched his son approach.
“Open the way.”
At his quiet command, the crowd parted, clearing a path.
Pavel slowed his horse and finally stopped in front of the Grand Duke.
Neigh!
He skillfully reined in the horse and lightly dismounted.
The Grand Duke started to reach out to help him but quietly withdrew his hand.
Sasha noticed that small gesture.
‘As expected.’
Realizing the Duke cared for Pavel was a good sign. It meant the first part of her plan was working perfectly.
She lifted her bright face and saw Pavel watching her.
Sasha gave a small nod as a signal.
Pavel reached into his cloak and pulled out a small bag filled with the spirits’ energy.
Swish.
He opened the glowing bag and took out the Barudum flower.
“What’s that?”
People began murmuring.
The unique and special flower in Pavel’s hand caught everyone’s attention.
It looked like a flower carved from blue glass—delicate, beautiful, and dazzling.
The petals and leaves swayed gently in the breeze as if they were alive.
People’s eyes widened.
“Is that really a flower? It looks like glass.”
“No, didn’t you see? The petals moved with the wind—it’s alive!”
“Then what exactly is it?”
Someone whispered in disbelief,
“Could that be the legendary flower? The one that only blooms once every thousand years?”
People exchanged shocked glances.
The Grand Duke also stared at the flower in Pavel’s hand, unable to hide his surprise.
He had heard of the legend of a flower that bloomed once in a thousand years—the Barudum flower.
He’d thought it was only a myth, but here it was, in front of him.
And the one who found it was none other than…
The Grand Duke turned his gaze to his son holding the flower.
The father and son, who shared the same striking red eyes, looked at each other.
Pavel almost looked away out of habit but instead raised his head courageously.
It was the first time since he was very young that he had met his father’s eyes without fear.
Now, the cold red eyes that had once terrified him no longer scared him.
Looking directly at his father, Pavel calmly spoke,
“I’m glad you returned safely.”
Dmitri’s eyes trembled.
His son had always avoided eye contact and kept silent in front of him.
When had he become capable of speaking so firmly?
And this flower…
Even coming out to greet him was surprising, but Pavel had also brought a gift—a tradition followed when welcoming family back after a long absence.
Pavel, who used to hate even the smallest formalities, was standing here with a gift.
The Duke stared blankly at his son before asking the question that had been on his mind,
“…Is this flower what I think it is?”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but this is the Barudum flower.”
At the name, the famous legend flashed through Dmitri’s mind.
“…I see.”
“Please accept it.”
Pavel held the flower out to his father.
The Barudum flower trembled delicately in front of the Grand Duke.
“…Thank you.”
The Duke slowly reached out and took the flower from Pavel.
But the moment it touched his hand—
“…!”
The flower instantly melted away.
The spirits’ protection was gone, so it was natural, but the others didn’t understand and gasped in shock.
The flower, which had been perfectly intact, had vanished like snow melting under the sun.
Sasha was a little disappointed that she couldn’t admire the fully bloomed flower for longer, but—
The people, seeing it vanish, now believed it was truly the legendary flower.
“Wow, that’s amazing! What did you call it? Bar… what?”
“Barudum flower, idiot. It only blooms once every thousand years!”
“What’s so special about it? Just because it’s a legend?”
“No, having it brings immense fortune, if I remember correctly…”
As the crowd buzzed with excitement, Dmitri stared at his empty, damp hands where the flower had disappeared.
For someone usually so composed, the Grand Duke was visibly shaken yet again.
At that moment, Pavel bowed his head and spoke,
“May infinite glory be with you.”
That calm greeting snapped the onlookers out of their daze.
They realized it was Pavel Volkov—the “disgrace of the family”—who had brought the legendary flower.
And they also noticed how much he had changed.
The skinny, sickly, irritable boy was nowhere to be found.
“He’s handsome. He looks just like the Grand Duke.”
“His posture is straight, and his body looks strong. He must have trained consistently.”
“His expression is good too. He doesn’t seem nervous or overconfident, just calm and composed.”
“Even his voice is steady and pleasant—it carries well.”
People were amazed as they took in Pavel’s new image.
The “demon” prince they once despised was vanishing from their minds.
And then Pavel sealed it.
“Welcome back… Father.”
It was a simple greeting, but it was a clear declaration:
Forget the boy I once was.
Remember who I am now.
