Flowers are actually very inconvenient gifts.
You can’t put them in your pocket, so I carried a single flower with me. When Charlotte saw me doing that, she just told me to throw it away. I don’t know if it was because I looked silly or for some other reason.
I really did throw the pansy that Charlotte gave me into the midst of the other flowers.
“Wow… you really threw it away.”
Charlotte seemed a little taken aback.
“… But you told me to throw it away.”
“No, even if what I gave you was garbage, it was still a gift, right?”
“I was just prioritizing the princess’s orders.”
“…You know, Reinhardt, I think you’re the only one who would do that?”
“Are you upset? If you are, just pick it up yourself..”
“You see, Reinhardt. Once you throw it away when you’re told to, it’s already worthless.”
“I made a mistake.”
“At times like this, can you at least realize that it’s better for you if you don’t say anything? And I hate to remind you that you actually threw it away just because I told you to do so.
“….”
“You can at least answer!”
“Yes.”
Charlotte shook her head as if she was tired.
I didn’t mention that there was another reason for throwing it away.
Just like Charlotte couldn’t tell me why she gave me the pansy.
It was just one of those things.
Perhaps because of the cognitive magic, no passerby recognized Charlotte.
I met Charlotte earlier this year. But it felt like a distant memory.
A girl dying in a prison cell.
I didn’t know who Charlotte was. It turned out that she was the princess, which was problematic, but it ultimately allowed me to reach the capital.
If I hadn’t met Charlotte, could I have escaped the Demon Castle unharmed?
If I hadn’t come to the capital, what would have happened to me?
Although it may be meaningless, I felt uneasy about what would have happened to me if things had turned out differently.
Perhaps I would have just lived an insignificant life or wandered the wastelands and died. These vague thoughts bothered me from time to time.
All of this began when I met Charlotte in prison.
Charlotte is my starting point.
“…Your gaze looks like that of an old man. What are you thinking about when you look at me?”
“When did I-!”
Charlotte’s expression turned a bit flustered as if my gaze was making her uncomfortable. While we were admiring the flowers, Charlotte spoke as she walked.
“You were always strange, but lately, you seem even stranger.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I sense unease and restlessness from you.”
I am different from Charlotte.
I can’t manage my facial expressions, so whenever something happens, the kids can tell and they try to cheer me up if I’m worried.
“I’m not sure what’s making you so anxious, but how about you try to relax your shoulders a little?”
Charlotte is worried about me.
It must be hard for her to focus on her own problems, but she’s thinking about me.
Do I really have the energy to worry about myself right now?
I struggled between the impulse to ask her about her own problems and the impulse that I shouldn’t tell her anything.
“Why are you only getting more tense when I just told you to relax?”
Charlotte let out a deep sigh. She was walking slightly ahead of me. The sun hadn’t set yet since class had only ended a little while ago.
Her platinum blonde hair was shining brightly in the autumn sun.
Charlotte, who had been in a fragile state, seemed to have regained her health. Of course, that was only natural, but it was much nicer to see her like this.
“Woah!”
And then, while admiring the flowers, Charlotte suddenly grabbed my arm in surprise.
“W-what’s wrong? Why did you do that?”
“B-because there’s a b-bee. Eep!”
-Buzzing sound-
Charlotte was startled and taken aback because of a bee. It wasn’t a wasp but a honeybee, and it disappeared while fluttering between the flowers.
“You’re exaggerating things…”
“What? You really are… sometimes I feel like you forget that I was raised properly.”
After seeing my reaction, Charlotte widened her eyes.
Raised properly. She’s way too humble to be saying something like that. Even saying “raised properly” is already cute, although it’s a bit of an understatement coming from an imperial princess. Even one that has had some tough experiences.
“But if you like flowers, why are you afraid of bees? Isn’t it natural to see bees when you like flowers?”
“… I don’t have anything like that in my garden.”
“…There’s nothing like that in your garden?”
Can the imperial garden really be maintained to that level?
Still, considering the difficult experiences she’s been through, a bee sting shouldn’t even be a stub on her toe? Charlotte bit her lip.
“You’re being rude. Bees are an unknown terror to me. I’ve never been stung in my life, and no matter what I’ve been through, the unknown is scary, okay?”
“Well, at least I learned that you talk a lot.”
“Is there really nothing you can’t say to a princess?”
Charlotte laughed in disbelief.
She said that she likes flowers.
But she is afraid of bees.
I learned something else. There are many beautiful flowers along the Irine River, but as soon as Charlotte realizes there are bees, she moves away from them.
Charlotte probably grew up in a garden with only butterflies.
I sometimes forget how precious she is, but it’s times like this that I realize it.
Charlotte laughed without much enthusiasm, feeling silly that she couldn’t approach the flowers she loved because of a bee.
“Reinhardt, have you ever been stung by a bee?”
“Yeah, I have.”
“How bad did it hurt?”
“It hurts like hell.”
“That much, huh?”
Charlotte widened her eyes and looked at me.
“It wasn’t enough to kill me. It hurt for a bit, and that was it.”
Sometimes an anaphylactic shock can occur, which would be dangerous, but it was just pain.
“Should I try to get stung?”
Charlotte said that and tried to approach the flower.
“Why would you want to do that on purpose?”
“I shouldn’t?”
Charlotte scratched her cheek and smiled foolishly. She watched the honeybees buzzing among the flowers from a distance.
“I’m scared of not knowing. Would that make more sense?”
“…Yeah.”
There are scary things that are known, but not knowing is also scary.
Because she was afraid of the unknown, Charlotte kept her distance from the bee, making sure not to get too close.
Charlotte was afraid of something.
“Reinhardt.”
“…Yes?”
“Thank you for being with me today.”
Charlotte’s words were strange.
I was the one who asked her to hang out.
Charlotte said she would make time for me, but she didn’t ask me to hang out herself. It was me who stuck to her in the first place.
Was it really Charlotte who wanted to spend time like this?
Charlotte looked at me with a smile, as if she had fun.
“I’m going now. If I go back too late, there will be trouble in the palace. Surprisingly, I live in a strict place. I’ve been busy lately.”
Charlotte said that and waved her hand.
“The route to the palace is over there, so I’ll go that way.”
“Uh… yeah.”
It made sense to go that way to get to the palace, and there was no reason for Charlotte and I to go back to Temple.
It was a bit sudden, but it wasn’t strange. If Charlotte was going to be late getting home, there would be a real commotion.
But…
In the end, I couldn’t say anything.
I didn’t ask her anything.
In the end, all I got from Charlotte was a single flower with an ominous message that I didn’t find acceptable under the circumstances.
“Goodbye, Reinhardt.”
There was something about Charlotte’s words.
It felt like a final farewell.
I don’t know anything.
But…
I had a strong conviction that if I let go of Charlotte now, I would never be able to see her again.
My intuition told me.
If I let her go now, today would be the last time I see Charlotte.
So I grabbed Charlotte’s arm as she headed back towards the palace.
“Charlotte.”
“Huh? Yeah? Why?”
“Can you show me around your house?”
“…Huh?”
After playing around, now I’m asking her to show me around her house.
Why do I always have serious reasons that lead to bizarre actions?
Naturally.
There was a bit of trouble.
Usually, coming to a friend’s house to hang out would be a simple thing. .
But when one is the daughter of an emperor, and the other is a commoner from the slums, it’s a different story.
“No, no, no. Really, no. Why would you ask for this all of a sudden?”
Charlotte didn’t get angry at my sudden request, but she firmly refused.
“It’s just- I wanted to see what kind of magnificent palace you live in.”
My straightforward expression seemed to shock Charlotte.
“Why are you like this all of a sudden…I’ll invite you when I have time, maybe on the weekend.”
“Today! It should definitely be today! I’m the kind of person who needs to do things as soon as I think of them! Remember when I fought with the Orbis Class? I thought of it that day and took care of it right away! You know?”
“I know, but why are you suddenly like this…?”
As expected, I threw a fit.
Charlotte seemed dazed, as if she couldn’t understand why I was acting like this.
Maybe she thought that, since I’m someone who causes trouble all the time, whatever she said wouldn’t work.
After repeatedly saying that it was impossible, she finally took a deep breath and started taking me with her.
Using force wasn’t ideal, but I was surprised that she gave in to it.
Had the rumors about someone dying already died down?
“Ugh… Why am I even…”
Of course, it wasn’t an easy decision, and Charlotte glared at me with a stern look.
“Why the palace all of a sudden?”
“I told you. I just want to see how great a palace my friend lives in.”
I didn’t want to be so rude as to visit the princess, even if she was my friend.
But still…
I didn’t know anything, and she didn’t tell me anything, but I couldn’t just let Charlotte go like this.
Even with this new trait of mine.
The strong sense of foreboding it sent was conclusive.
I can’t lose Charlotte today, or I’ll never see her again.
It felt like a hunch or a gut feeling.
Not only did I not get a clue about the revolutionary forces, but I was also on my way to the palace when I realized that Charlotte had gotten herself into a different mess.
Will it be an emergency?
Or something like an accident.
I hope I’m not making the wrong choice.
Charlotte looked nervous, but she was taking me to the palace anyway.
The Imperial Palace is bigger than Temple.
In other words, it is much larger than the size of a single district in Seoul. Charlotte led me past the entrance to the palace.
Here, the face of the princess was equivalent to identification, and even as a temple student, I was able to enter the palace under the princess’s approval and guarantee.
The security measures at the Temple and the Imperial Palace are similar.
So, there is no chance that my true identity will be exposed. If my disguise using Sarkegar’s ring had been exposed here, it would have been exposed long ago at Temple.
Charlotte eventually gave up and did not say anything like “Go back” or “What are you doing here?”
“I brought you here to the palace against my will. So, just stick with me. If others find out, they will try to kill you.”
Charlotte glared at me, and I nodded with a sly smile.
“Of course. I do the same thing when I meet people, don’t I?”
“Please, Reinhardt. Sometimes I really, genuinely dislike you, and this is one of those times. Don’t say things like you’re making trouble just because you’re just being a jerk, at least not to me.”
“We’re friends.”
“Considering you my friend was one of the biggest mistakes of my life….”
I chuckled as I watched Charlotte let out a sigh.
“At least it’s not your only mistake.”
“Shut up. It really makes me feel bad.”
“Okay.”
I quickly stopped bothering her as she seemed genuinely upset. As soon as we passed through the main gate of the Imperial Palace, Charlotte and I boarded a tram waiting for us.
“There’s a tram here too?”
“Yes. The palace is quite expansive, you see.”
The tram was ready as soon as the Princess arrival was announced.
We were the only passengers.
I pretended not to know, but I knew.
Ludwig also had to enter the palace, so I described the palace.
There are three tram routes inside the palace.
One for the royal family, one for nobles and officials, and one for everyone else.
The tram we took was a dedicated route for the royal family.
Unlike the trams in Temple, there were no handles for standing passengers, and the tram’s fancy interior design meant there weren’t many seats.
Anyway, without anyone recognizing Charlotte and bothering us, Charlotte and I boarded the tram and walked around as if touring the imperial palace.
Until this morning, I never thought I would be inside the palace.
The palace felt different from the Temple.
While the Temple had a lively feeling as it was a space mostly for students, the Imperial Palace was solemn and quiet.
Even the people passing by all had serious expressions, and although I couldn’t tell if they were nobles or bureaucrats, they were definitely high-ranking individuals.
Since Charlotte had brought me here, she also acted as a guide.
“You see over there? That’s the palace where the emperor resides, called Tetra.”
The palace she pointed to was beyond the vast garden and fountain, and it gave off a serious and austere impression rather than a flashy one. In terms of grandeur, the Royal Class dormitory was even more magnificent.
However, the grand palace, which exuded solemnity and dignity, seemed to represent the authority of the empire.
It’s like saying there’s no need for splendor.
It felt like a sense of pride in not having to adorn oneself when you’re the supreme ruler of the continent.
The picture in my head was more elaborately realized.
The tram circles Tetra, the imperial palace in the center.
“Do you know about the Imperial Palace?”
“I do.”
I can’t help but know.
The Imperial Castle Emperatos.
When the Gardias Empire established their rule, it devoted itself to the construction of the Imperial Palace.
They laid out numerous magical barriers over the leylines, as well as a complex series of magical barriers on the walls to repel external invasions and prevent the infiltration of other undesirables, not only on the walls but also on the leylines.
“There are four palaces to the north, south, east and west surrounding the Imperial Palace Tetra. There are other palaces, but the four excluding the Imperial Palace are the largest. They are called the Spring Palace, Summer Palace, Autumn Palace, and Winter Palace, in that order from north to south.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Do you know why they are named like that?”
“No, is there a reason?”
“Yes.”
I knew.
But Charlotte seemed to be enjoying herself a bit as she explained, so I shook my head.
“In the early days of the empire, they paid a lot of attention to the safety of the Imperial Palace. So there were hundreds of layers of magic barriers.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, so the leylines twisted and the mana around here became unbalanced, causing anomalies.”
“…And so?”
“All of a sudden, all four seasons existed simultaneously in the Imperial Palace.”
“…For real?”
“Yeah, really.”
A side effect of the many magical forces at work.
Except for the center where the imperial palace was located, there were seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter in all four directions.
“Of course, a lot of time has passed now, and the phenomenon has disappeared after some maintenance, but it seems that it stayed that way for a long time so instead of the original names of the palaces, they started calling them the Spring Palace, Summer Palace, Autumn Palace, and Winter Palace, according to the seasons of the region. And now even the imperial palace has been renamed that way.”
The tram continued to move, and when a palace came into view, Charlotte pointed to it.
“That’s the Winter Palace where Bertus lives.”
It was a palace with a straight form. Perhaps because of the name “Winter Palace,” it gave a cold and old-fashioned impression.
Of course, it was small compared to Castle Epiax.
It was a palace that gave an impression of solitude and strength, perhaps because of the person who lived there.
Bertus, who plotted in the Winter Palace.
It felt like a good fit.
Although the actual phenomenon of changing seasons has disappeared.
“Isn’t it a bit of a shame?”
“What?”
“How nice it would have been to have Bertus shivering his ass off living in the Winter Palace.”
No.
How was I supposed to react to her saying that out of the blue?
As I looked confused, Charlotte covered her mouth and giggled.
“I’m just kidding. If that were the case, Bertus wouldn’t have lived in the Winter Palace in the first place.”
Although its name is the Winter Palace, Bertus’ Winter Palace is currently experiencing autumn.
However, even though it’s autumn, it feels like winter. The reason for this was not the palace, but the vast garden in front of it.
Did I forget to describe this?
The expansive garden in front of the Winter Palace.
There were no flowers there. It was planted with tall, drying grass and shrubs, but not a single flower.
It’s strange. I don’t remember describing Bertus’s winter palace garden as so barren, even though it was a long time ago.
I’m pretty sure I mentioned flowers and flower beds.
But why is it like that now?
Charlotte seemed to have noticed my reaction and spoke up.
“It’s bleak, isn’t it?”
“Well… yeah, it’s a bit like that.”
It’s very Bertus-like. It had a tidy feel to it, but it wasn’t flashy.
“It’s called a garden, but it doesn’t make sense not to have a single flower bed.”
Charlotte crosses her arms and clicks her tongue.
“Isn’t it childish of him to dig up all the flowers in his garden because I love them? When I heard that, I was more stunned than angry.”
I didn’t expect it, but Bertus had a childish side.
Charlotte likes flowers.
That was enough reason for Bertus to dislike them.
My memory wasn’t wrong.
There were no flowers in Bertus’ garden because Charlotte, who loved flowers, was alive.
So, is it because Charlotte died that there were flowers in the original Winter Palace garden?
´Now that I have a reason to hate flowers, I don’t need them in my garden.´
Was that the reason?
When Charlotte dies, flowers will bloom in Bertus’ garden.
It was childish yet creepy, and ultimately conveyed their hatred and loathing for each other.
This must have been another setting I didn’t know about.
Charlotte smiles grimly.
“The look on his face when I brought the dug-up flowers back to my palace and planted them was priceless.”
Bertus wasn’t the only immature one.
Charlotte was childish enough too.
“Ah, here we are.”
The tram arrived north of the palace.
“There’s my ‘Spring Palace’.”
The Spring Palace.
Rather than the Spring Palace, it should be called the Palace of Flowers.
The garden was so full of blooming flowers that it made me think that way.
Not long ago, someone died there.
In the imperial palace where everyone should be safe.
Someone died in a place that should have been especially safe.
I was more curious about what was hidden beneath the blooming flowers in the garden than the flowers themselves.
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