There was a scent of flowers. The aroma was familiar and brought a nostalgic feeling. But where did it come from? Not to mention a flowerpot, there weren’t any flowers in her room. Sezh, who still had a puzzled look on her face, soon realized that she had a small posy of flowers in her grip.

The flowers were light purple. Soft and tender petals were swinging as if dancing on the blowing wind. Subsequently, the scent was getting thicker, and it was truly magnificent.

Nonetheless, where did she get these flowers? And… where is this place?

Sezh roved her eyes as she looked around. She was sitting in the middle of a hill. Isn’t this the hill she often went to with Raytan? However, it looked different from the hill she knew. Along with the flowers in Sezh’s hands, the hill was also full of colorful flowers. Plus, instead of the desolate sand, there was green grass shining with dew.

Then is this somewhere else? Sezh made an odd expression for a moment and then looked at the bouquet again.

So what… She didn’t care. A gentle smile appeared on her face. Sezh didn’t know where she was or why she was here, but she was sure about one thing: everything felt so good. The warm breeze was exhilarating, and the fragrant scent that came with it was also pleasant. She found everything to be immensely peaceful. Sezh sat still and carefully caressed the petals.

It is truly a beautiful bouquet. Although it was small in size, Sezh could tell it was meticulously crafted, and a ribbon glued to the tangled stem tied it together. Who gave this to her? The person who diligently created such a bouquet…

A dark shadow fell over Sezh, who mumbled to herself. She raised her head instinctively and looked at someone who was standing before her. However, because the person’s back was to the sun, Sezh couldn’t see their face. Before she knew it, a hand reached out to her. Surprised, Sezh flinched a little.

The man’s hand, which stopped near her ear, slowly pulled back again. Sezh reflexively flinched again. There was a touch of soft petals on her ear. She realized the man had slipped a flower behind her ear.

“It suits you well,” his voice, sinking low, sounded like a dream.

Sezh narrowed her eyes. She could see a corner of his lips lifted under the dark shadow. Also… those bloody red eyes.

“Brother?” Sezh muttered blankly. “Brother Raytan?”

There was no reply. As soon as the question left her lips, Sezh woke up from her dream.

***

The chirping of birds outside the window pierced her ears.

“…”

Sezh, who was staring at the ceiling with swollen eyes, slowly raised her body to sit up. She recalled her dream. What kind of dream was that? Sezh chuckled and swept her fingers through her messy blonde hair.

Raytan giving her a bouquet of flowers? That’s ridiculous.

Even if he is sick, she could never imagine him doing such a thing with his personality. Also, she’s not sure about Raytan’s aesthetic level, but it wouldn’t be high enough to make such an adorable bouquet.

‘Anyway, what a distinct dream I had,’ she thought. Sezh rubbed her eyes.

As soon as Sezh turned her head, she saw Luna open the door and enter the room. Luna gave her morning greetings and closed the window first.

“It’s still autumn, but it’s pretty chilly in the morning and evening. Princess, you may catch a cold like last time, so you can’t leave the window open when you sleep anymore.”

“Ha-am. Okay,” Sezh replied while yawning. Luna chuckled and put the dress she brought on the dressing table.

“Princess, I’ll do your hair now.”

Luna walked towards Sezh with a comb and began to brush her hair, but Sezh was still not entirely awake yet.

She muttered with her eyes half-closed, “Luna, can’t we just wait a little bit? I haven’t even washed my face yet…”

“As soon as I finish tidying Princess’s hair, I will bring you the washing water. Don’t worry.”

“I can just go to the bathroom now, and please be slower…”

“Master Raytan is waiting outside. I can’t take too much time.”

“Already?”

“Yes, he just arrived. Now, it’s time to change your clothes,” Luna said while picking up the light purple dress. Sezh nodded, only still half awake.

If this was back then, Sezh would wonder what happened early in the morning, but now she’s used to it. In the past four years, Raytan and Sezh frequently spent their time together. At first, they met every day to do tutoring. But it seems they were spending more time together outside of that.

Raytan comes to Sezh’s palace twice a week, and they have breakfast or sometimes drink tea together. If Sezh thought about it, the difference was like heaven and earth compared to the past when he’d said teaching her was burdensome.

Sezh once asked the other day, ‘Isn’t it bothersome to pick me up at such an early hour?’

Raytan was silent for a moment and replied, ‘Then I won’t come from now. Never again.’

Sezh was trying to say, in subtler words, that she was worried that Raytan would be tired. However, it looked like it translated to ‘Don’t come to my palace’ in his ears. So she had to say ‘That’s not what I meant…’ and soothed him several times that day.

There was nothing special going on except for the two of them getting closer. Sezh was still receiving Kazaki lessons from Raytan at Lady Lize’s palace. But then again, they went through a lot of sweet and sour things together. Still, if you look at what has changed…

First of all, Raytan got very tall. Sezh knew he wasn’t that short before, but his growth period seemed to last longer than others. Raytan is now even much taller than Bern. The atmosphere that surrounded him has also changed. The teen boy’s aura, which showed clearly on his face before, was nowhere to be found. Even his voice was deeper. The baritone was a little unfamiliar, so Sezh was sometimes startled because of it.

Also, Raytan didn’t keep his bangs hanging in front of his face like a young boy anymore. He went around showing his forehead coolly. Because of that, his face’s features stood out more. He more clearly revealed his unique and sharp atmosphere.

He is more confident with himself too. It seemed he wasn’t at all hurt by anything people said. Is it because of aging? Sometimes Sezh tried to recall Raytan’s appearance before she returned to the past. Did he cut such an image back then? She didn’t remember well, but Sezh didn’t think he did. Before her return, Raytan lived without revealing his presence, as if he never existed. It’s not at all like that now.

Surprisingly, Raytan was quite popular among the maids. And he also caught the attention of everyone who traveled to and from the Imperial Palace. One time, Luna spoke in passing that a maid of a noble lady asked about him.

Just like that, Raytan is twenty-two, and of course, Sezh followed at sixteen. It was autumn now. In other words, there were only a few months left until the massacre occurred.

Raytan was not as scary as when Sezh was younger. Frankly, Sezh liked Raytan a lot. She also depended on him for many occasions. However, the memory of the scream that left her throat didn’t fade away. Because of that, she was always cautious of Raytan. Sometimes when Sezh was looking at his blood-red eyes, she’d think of the expression that stared at her right before her neck was sliced through. Of the reflection of her terrified face in his eyes.

It was a dull anxiety. Regardless, Sezh didn’t want to think that Raytan, who was now on her side, would kill her again. It can’t be helped that the days kept coming one after the other. The day she turned seventeen right before her age regression was getting closer and closer, and Sezh didn’t know how things would change.

“Alright, it’s all done. Please wait. I’ll bring you the washing water right away.”

After finishing tidying Sezh’s hair, Luna quickly moved her feet and opened the door. In a split second, there was a brief shout.

“Oh, my!”

Raytan was standing right in front of the door.

“It looks like she’s going for a very great look,” Raytan said expressionlessly.

If it had been a long time ago, Luna would have been terrified again, like the old Sezh. But now, Luna was also used to Raytan. She wasn’t afraid of him anymore.

“We’re almost done! The Princess hasn’t washed her face yet. I’ll go ahead and get the wash water, so if you wait a little longer here…”

“That doesn’t mean she can’t wash her face just because I am here.”

“T-That’s right.”

“Then she’s done,” Raytan spits out an innocent answer and steps into the room.

“Brother, good morning,” Sezh greeted with swollen eyes.

Looking at such an appearance, Raytan parted his lips in a low voice.

“Your eyes…”

“Yes?”

“Did you get stung by a bee last night?”

“Oh, I just woke up. I slept a little longer…”

“If you sleep this much, you should have grown taller.”

Raytan smirked and Sezh just pouted sharply. She knew she was a shorty. While Raytan was getting taller, Sezh had only grown a span at best. No, how come their genes were playing favorites here… She felt the unfairness but decided to not launch a counterattack.

Raytan’s crimson eyes shone above her blue ones. Sezh suddenly remembered the dream she had last night. She was confident the person in her dream last night was Raytan. Was it a kind of premonition, something like that? But it doesn’t seem like he was preparing anything. Sezh hesitated but still asked him.

“Brother, maybe… Do you have something to give me?”

“What should I give to you?”

“No, it’s not like that, but there’s really nothing… ?”

“I’m asking you what it is I’m giving.”

“Um, like a bouquet?”

“Flowers?”

Raytan knitted his brows over her vague flower question.

“No, it’s nothing. I just randomly wanted to talk,” Sezh, who belatedly became embarrassed, shook her hands. Raytan just stared at her without speaking a single reply again.

“Princess, you’ve been waiting a lot, right?”

Just in time, Luna came in with the wash water. ‘Perfect timing!’ Sezh took the cold wash water, brushing her teeth then washing her face.

“Master Raytan, are you willing to have breakfast together with the Princess here?”

Luna, who was standing and holding the towel, asked him.

“No, I’m going to eat at my mother’s palace.”

“Eh?”

As soon as he said that sentence, Sezh hastily shifted her vision to Raytan while receiving the towel from Luna.

“So make sure to wash your face perfectly.”

“I’ve already washed every inch of it…”

“That’s a shame.”

Sezh really wanted to swear at him… She didn’t know whether or not Luna was aware of her thoughts, but Luna just shrugged a little, took the wash water, and left the room.

“Um… “

Sezh, who was now sitting in front of the vanity, observed herself closely. It’s been a while since she shared a meal with Lady Lize. She didn’t want to look unsightly like what Raytan had suggested. No, but what else does she have to do now? In the first place, she always looked like this!

“I don’t think anything will improve just by looking at the mirror like that.”

As time went by, she completely did not become hurt by his words. It’s not that important now…

Sezh urgently spoke, “B-but it’s not that bad, is it? It’s been a while since I met Lady Lize. I don’t want to look bad.”

Instead of answering, Raytan moved from his place and now stood in front of her.

“Well…”

Those bloody crimson irises stared down at Sezh. She also faced him.

“If you are really worried about that, you should have washed your face more carefully. Your eyes are still the same.”

Sezh’s face turned red. The color even reached her ears. What? She wanted to fight back by saying she already washed her face thoroughly… But the embarrassment was so great that her mouth couldn’t even open.

“Dummy,” Raytan smirked again as he watched Sezh rubbing her eyes. Then he started walking towards the door.

“Now, you’re done. Stop it and come over here”

“Yes, yes.”

Sezh responded like that but still looked into the mirror for a while. Well, Raytan was right. Looking at the mirror doesn’t make anything better. Sezh tried to forget everything and finally stood up.

Raytan was standing still in front of the door waiting for Sezh. Sezh laughs shyly as she sees him looking at her.

…Ah, there is one more thing that has changed.

Raytan no longer walks ahead and leaves Sezh behind. He always waits for Sezh, who often hardly keeps up with his pace. Just like the current situation.

“We are going now!” Sezh ran to Raytan and announced.

“Have a safe trip!” Luna replied warmly.

The two slowly left the palace.