* * *

"Wow, Vision. Really... You really brightened up your face."

"...."

Zerkan finally released Raffine after a week had passed.

Raphine finally started meeting people, and the first ones that came to her were Violet and Adrian.

"Really, the radiance of the skin...."

Violet continued admiring her with a naughty expression on her face. Raphine bit her lip in embarrassment.

"Stop it, Violet."

Adrian dried such a violet.

"Why? You're cute."

Violet giggled and moved to the seat next to Rafine, who was sitting across from her.

"When did my baby grow up like this? huh? I'm even getting married."

"stop. Shame on you, sister...."

Eventually, when Rafine couldn't stand it and asked for it, Violet burst into laughter.

Raphine pouted her lips and spread her arms toward Violet.

It meant hugging.

"Worried?"

"I did a lot. of course."

"We weren't hurt at all."

"... I'm glad. I kept praying."

Violet looked at Raphine's face with a smile on her lips.

Raphine stopped whining, asking for more hugs.

It was because Violet was staring at Raphine's face with strange eyes.

"what's the matter?"

"Raphine.... I know that? I always felt it."

"What?"

"You take me, Adrian, and Zerkan. It seems to be protecting the three of us."

"...."

"Isn't that strange?"

As Violet asked, she lightly tapped Raphine's cheek with her index finger.

Raphine's tears were strangely welling at the attitude that seemed to be dying of love.

Raphine hugged Violet without saying a word.

Violet put her chin on Raphine's shoulder and smiled. Then, he stuck out his tongue at Adrian who was sitting across from him.

"Oh, but Raffin. What's this on the nape of your neck? Have you been bitten by an insect?"

"...."

At Violet's prank, Raphine bit her lip again. Adrian shook his head.

* * *

Late night a few days later.

Raphine, who barely fell asleep, woke up 10 minutes after falling asleep.

Tomorrow was the coronation ceremony of Zerkan.

After the election, Emperor Servan was scheduled to stay in the Imperial Castle for two weeks as the Emperor and then leave with the Empress.

As such, busy days were foreseen after tomorrow.

So I have to go to bed early... You wake up in 10 minutes.

"Raphine, why are you doing this?"

As Raphine tossed and turned, Zerkan, who had not yet slept, also woke up.

"I woke up suddenly."

"He said he was tired."

"So. I'm tired, but...."

Zerkan put a finger on Raffine's stomach with a meaningful look.

I barely let Raffine go because she was tired, but I'd rather have just woken up....

But Raphine grabbed Zerkan's wrist. Then he turned around and said with a serious expression.

"I just had a strange dream."

"... in that short time? Was it a scary dream?"

Zerkan asked with a voice mixed with laughter.

"No, not that...."

Raphine began to tell the story of the dream she had just had.

In her dream, Raphine was walking in a garden. But there must be some child crying near the pond.

Raphine approached in surprise.

Wearing a white robe, with a deep hood, the child had red eyes and a very cute appearance.

'Why are you crying? your parents?>

Raphine went in front of him and sat down and asked.

The child pointed to one place without an answer to the gentle question.

As I followed the tiny fingers, what I saw at the end of my gaze was a large statue.

'Huh? That one.'

Raphine knew the identity of that statue.

Raphine asked as if she could guess.

'Why that statue? Is it because you are afraid?>

The child nodded slowly at the question.

"I have nothing to be afraid of. You want to get in there?>

To enter the Seogung Palace, you had to pass the statue. Raphine made a guess and asked, and the child nodded her head coldly.

"Then let's go together. I'll go with you.>

Raphine got up and held out her hand, and the child grabbed her with a small hand.

"There is no need to be afraid. good grandpa got it?>

At Raphine's words, the child nodded.

So the two passed the statue and arrived in front of the gate of Seogung.

"I'll open the door too."

It was a big door for a child to push through.

Raphine opened the door, and the child slipped into a small gap.

"Then bye, see you again."

Raphine waved her hand and left. So I passed the statue again and tried to take a walk....

No, it's not that the statue, which was all of a sudden, has been replaced with something else in an instant.

Raphine blinked in surprise.

The statue has shortened in height just like the child I just saw. Still, with a very courageous expression, he stood with a sword like a statue of the first emperor.

'So absurd.'

Raphine in the dream was confused, but moved on without a big deal.

That was the content of the dream.

"Is it a strange dream?"

It was a dream that foretold the birth of a great emperor who would surpass the achievements of the first emperor. It was a secret no one knew yet.

"Yes."

Zerkan nodded and stroked Raphine's back. It was a hand full of strange heat.

Raphine stared at Zerkan's face like that.

Unlike his gloomy hands, he was pretending to be pure in his expression.

Zerkan sometimes had such a pure expression on Raphine, but Raphine knew.

That he intentionally makes such a face in order to fool Raphine.

For this reason, Raphine often felt like a lonely child, just like Zerkan when she was young.

It must have been that a child resembling Zerkan appeared in her dream, and the image of the young Zerkan lingered in Raphine's mind.

How much he loves Zerkan.

When he left for the war, Raffine regretted it very much.

The fact that I couldn't tell you that I love you a lot with the excuse of being shy.

So, lately, I've been trying hard to express myself despite my embarrassment.

Not sure how much time they had left, but Raphine was able to swear.

Until the end of my life, I will pour out all the love in this world that Zerkan did not receive, too much.

"I love you."

Raphine suddenly whispered her love, and Zerkan blinked. It was a sweet confession that made my heart stop every time I heard it.

"I love you, Raphine."

Zerkan returned the words and laughed more happily than anyone else.

Raphine calmed her heart and embraced Zerkan.

I have received the love that I have not received in my past life, and I have been overflowing with love from so many people.

So, she wanted to give the love she received in the rest of her life and in the next life.

It was a miraculous life.

It was also a great fortune and a miracle to fall in love with a child who was lonely as if left alone in the world.

She didn't know where she would go at that time, but Raphine knew at least one of these.

Someday, somewhere, if I meet this person again... himself once again.

The fact that I will inevitably hold that hand.

End