“Kane, did your mother send you?”
“Yes, I was asked to bring you precious gifts. I also brought accessories and clothes.”
Kane pointed to his back. The cart that the other servant was hauling away was filled with luggage.
But it wasn’t that kind of baggage that Rabienne was curious about.
Rabienne reached out her hand with a much-anticipated expression.
“Give me the letter.”
“Well… I’m sorry. There is no letter.”
Rabienne’s expression hardened at the remark.
Her glistening eyes immediately turned poisonous.
“No?”
“Yes, Noah has yet to regain consciousness… I couldn’t deliver your letter.”
“Still? He must be in a bad condition.”
Rabienne’s face filled with worry.
“You said he was receiving treatment from the priest regularly, is that right?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t seem to hold any effect.”
“This can’t keep up. Maybe I should visit myself.”
“My lady?”
Kane attempting stalling her in a fit of surprise.
Although it was Rabienne who wanted to pay a visit, Noah was placed under a restraining order.
“Don’t worry. It won’t take long.”
“Still. I’m afraid that you, his former fiancée, will have problems doing so with your current position.”
“Such a thing won’t happen. I’m going to go on my outing soon, so get ready.”
“…Alright.”
“You realize this is a secret from my father and mother, right?”
“Yes, My lady.”
Kane, the person supporting Rabienne since childhood, couldn’t pass through her stubbornness.
Rabienne remained lost in thought for a long time after Kane left.
‘Don’t die, Noah.’
Her dim expression presented her deep feelings for Noah.
** ━━━━━━━⋅•⋅⊰∙∘༓∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ━━━━━━━**
“How did this happen?”
“I do not know. The lady planted it yesterday… Could this be?”
“Huh, man. That’s interesting. I’ve been a gardener for forty years of my life, but I’ve never seen such an abnormal pace. I’ve never heard of it.”
Esther was on her way to the garden. She wanted to check the condition of the hyacinth she had planted a day earlier.
When she heard the servants gathering and chatting, she quickly hid behind the tree.
‘Nonsense. They grew up like that?’
Even from afar, the development of the hyacinths remained noticeable.
She planted it yesterday afternoon, but it was already as tall as Esther. Not only that. There were also buds sprouting.
Esther’s heart throbbed at the sight.
Hyacinth was a sacred plant that only responded to a divine force. The stronger the person’s mana, the faster the development.
It was tremendous speed, that in just one day the seeds became adults and the buds opened. Besides, blooming flowers was only possible at the new level.
“I didn’t see it wrong.”
Esther, whose mouth widened in shock, gripped the tree in despair.
The saint’s awakening had begun.
“It’s not like I’m leisurely playing family games.”
She was relieved, knowing that she could live like this for a year, or at least half before the saint died.
This shouldn’t be. Esther didn’t know when Rabienne would come, so death would have to surface before that time.
But why,
‘I don’t want to die.’
After this situation, a feeling that Esther didn’t recognize emerged.
She was hoping to die the whole time. She didn’t hold any regrets. She simply begged to disappear, to let her rest in peace.
So it was very confusing to feel this way.
Esther thumped her forehead harshly against the tree to awaken from any delusions. She felt the prickly as her temple made contact against the harsh bark.
She was about to strike herself one more time, however, urgent breathing appeared near her.
At the same time, something burst between Esther’s forehead and the tree.
“…Grand Duke?”
The soft touch overlapping her forehead was Darwin’s large hand.
Darwin’s thick palm blocked the hard tree from touching Esther’s precious forehead.
“You might get hurt. What if there is a scar on your forehead?”
Darwin who had fought on countless battlefields was a prominent man who did not blink a single eye, despite the countless wounds spilling like a fountain of blood.
And now, he made all sorts of fuss because he was afraid that Esther’s forehead would capture a small cut.
He called a doctor to see Esther right away, then stroked her forehead as the calm breeze blew.
“…I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
“It turned red.”
Darwin’s face stood grim as if he didn’t like the situation.
“If you don’t like the tree, do you want me to dispose of it?”
“No!”
Esther shook her head rapidly in refusal.
The tree wasn’t the problem, but it was more strange that Darwin suddenly popped out of absolutely nowhere and restlessly hovered over her condition.
Darwin only then thought his actions were too much and couched, turning his gaze to the other side.
His eyes gazed at the sight of hyacinth, who had grown up brilliantly.
“Is that also because of your mana power? You must have been a very excellent candidate during your stay at the temple.”
“A little.”
Esther laughed awkwardly, unable to confirm this was an ability only a saint could hold.
What else to say, Darwin thought. He tightly clenched his lips.
It was so frustrating for him when he turned to the other side; this wasn’t his personality in the least.
‘Damn it, I should’ve just refused.’
He was looking for the right timing to approach Esther, informing her what Benjamin had asked for.
Then, he suddenly saw Esther banging her head and appeared running.
Darwin didn’t know what to say. He was only accustomed to commanding the opposite side.
So he decided to just speak up.
“Esther, there is something you have to do.”
“Please speak.”
Esther’s eyes grew round, her voice shrill.
Darwin continued hesitating as he spoke, most likely for something he wanted her to do.
“There is someone who wants you to draw a portrait.”
“I will.”
It was such a simple request that Esther couldn’t understand why he took such effort to ask her.
When Esther accepted willingly, Darwin spoke more.
“He is not an ordinary kid. The place is off-limits, and it’s dangerous as you will be punished if the Empire finds out.”
“It’s alright.”
She thought it was better if it was dangerous.
She wanted to do one more favor for Darwin before she died. It didn’t matter if it was dangerous. Death wasn’t much of a threat for her anyway.
“There’s nothing to worry about. You are my daughter, so I’m telling you in advance to remind you.”
“Yes. By the way, Grand Duke, is there anything irregular happening in the temple?”
Esther inquired how the temple was performing.
She was so curious that her eyes trembled when she asked.
Darwin smiled when he received her endearing appearance.
As a result of her eating well, Esther’s cheeks became plump. She looked like a squirrel. She was simply adorable.
“Grand Duke?”
“Yes?”
“I asked if anything was happening inside the temple…”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was thinking about something else. I haven’t heard anything.”
“I see.”
Unlike Esther, who was now sullen due to the unwanted answer, Darwin couldn’t hide his contented and satisfied face.
** ━━━━━━━⋅•⋅⊰∙∘༓∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ━━━━━━━**
Behind the scenes,
Esther was taken somewhere inside a carriage.
The destination remained a secret. Darwin said she would arrive at the appointed area after the ride.
It wasn’t a difficult request for Esther to perform.
After a long run, the carriage stopped rattling.
“Lady, you have to advance alone from here. If you head straight inside, there will exist a cabin. You will draw someone inside there.”
The horseman who opened the door did not seem ordinary. He directed Esther with an expressionless face.
“Oh, yes.”
Esther carefully stepped down.
She looked around nonchalantly and saw it was a perfect void. The place where the carriage stopped was just by the countryside.
The peculiar thing was that there was a rich forest in the middle of everything?
All the same, she was puzzled and suspicious.
“But is it here?”
“Yes, it’s inside there.”
The horseman pointed his finger to the middle of the forest. He meant for her to enter through the thick grass.
“Just two hours. You have to draw and come out during that time. I’ll wait here.”
“Okay.”
Nevertheless, she came all the way here, so she couldn’t just travel back.
Esther slowly entered where the horseman pointed towards.
The smell of grass filled her nose. It wasn’t long after the forest swallowed the miniature Esther in a flash.
She was a little scared, yet she continued to walk through the grass. She then felt a piercing sensation from her hand.
Beyond the boundary, the view opened and the air became clear. Her whole body was surrounded by clean energy that instantly cleansed the lungs.
“There’s a sanctuary in this place?”
Esther muttered in a startled voice.
All sanctuaries were managed by the temple due to the possibility of abuse and conflict.
The location was open to everyone, but nothing had been reported here.
In other words, it was a hidden sanctuary.
Esther looked inside the sanctuary in wonder.
There was a large space on the inside, which was hidden by the grass.
It was a beautiful place filled with colorful flowers and sunshine.
There were many birds, perhaps because people didn’t roam the area. One bluebird approached Esther.
“Hi.”
Esther smiled brightly and extended her finger to the bluebird hovering around her.
The bluebird fearlessly jumped on Esther’s finger and rubbed their face against her.
She patted the cute and fluffy animal.
As she peered around, her feet naturally led her to the cabin.
Esther tapped carefully at the old door.
“Are you there?”
She called out of courtesy, but there was no answer. As the horseman said, there seemed to be no one.
Eventually, she opened the door by herself and entered.
The chilly weather inside the cabin enveloped Esther. It was like a completely different world from the warm outside.
“Uh, why the sudden cold?”
Esther trembled and glanced around.
The empty living room seemed lonesome. There was no furniture.
Esther removed her hat and held it in her hand. Then, she slowly walked inside.
There was a room in the very corner. The chill in the cabin seemed to be coming from there.
** ━━━━━━━⋅•⋅⊰∙∘༓∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ━━━
