The world was covered in white.
It was my first winter, and the first snow was welcomed in the palace.
“Zenid, what’s the schedule for today?”
“The high priest will come in the morning, and lunch is scheduled with His Highness, the Crown Prince, in the afternoon…”
My daily routine spilled out of Zenid’s mouth.
I looked at the snow, which was starting to fall once more, and said,
“Cancel everything. I need to give a lecture on herbalism today.”
“Understood. Where should I inform them about the venue?”
“The Emerald Palace.”
There were some sprouts I had carefully observed when inspecting the lake at the Emerald Palace before.
One of them, a sephinoa bud that blooms on snowy days, must have blossomed today.
Sephinoa was a rare herb and not readily available.
Today’s weather would be perfect for studying it.
“Then I’ll inform the palace physicians right away.”
With a faint smile, Zenid left the room.
The closed window rattled in the fierce wind. Beyond it, the falling white snow filled my sight.
Just looking at it made me feel better.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Julion frowned deeply in the Garnet Palace garden, where only the cold wind was blowing.
Freck followed behind, secretly sighing and subtly gazing at the distant mountains.
Now soon to be the Emperor, Freck’s determination was to take care of Julion’s body as much as possible.
“Where on earth could she be…?”
A faint anxiety sparked in Julion’s mind.
At this hour, Rohiriel should have been meeting with the high priest, but she was nowhere to be found.
The plan was for him to wait in the reception room until her business with the high priest was finished.
Today was supposed to be the day they would have a meal together, so he ordered nutritious food in advance.
But now, not only Rohiriel but all the palace maids seem to have disappeared.
“Um, Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
As he stood there in disbelief, the guard standing nearby cautiously approached him.
Seeing Julion’s deeply furrowed brows, the guard hesitated before speaking in a hushed voice.
“H, Her Highness has gone to the Emerald Palace.”
“I don’t recall such an agenda for today.”
“Yes, Her Highness said she would give a lecture on herbology there…….”
“Herbology lecture?”
Last time it was a pharmacology lecture, and now it’s a herbology lecture.
Julion sighed briefly and turned his head.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
As the guard bowed deeply and returned to his post, Julion promptly left the Garnet Palace.
He knew in his mind that Rohiriel must be somewhere in this palace. But with her nowhere to be seen and her whereabouts unknown, an unrelenting sense of unease washed over him.
Was it because of the vivid memory of the moment she left him?
Julion clenched and unclenched his fist slowly. The prolonged exposure to the cold air left Julion’s fingers stiff.
“Going to a palace without proper heating in this frigid weather.”
Even though her body had recovered, he couldn’t help but worry.
Julion tried to push away negative thoughts and quickened his pace.
Arriving at the Emerald Palace in no time, he noticed the traces of many people at the entrance.
Half-melted footprints in the snow, various noises coming from inside, and amidst it all, he heard Rohiriel’s voice.
“Here, if you touch the roots, they feel very cold. Each strand is precious, so handle them carefully. They are typically used to treat coughs, fevers, and neuralgia.”
Rohiriel’s voice, gentle yet powerful, finally eased Julion’s anxiety.
As he continued inward and rounded a corner, the expansive Emerald Lake came into view. Instead of the summer’s green, it was a white lake, embodying the chill of winter.
On that ice, Rohiriel stood holding a giant flower in her hands, continuing her explanation.
“Next, let’s talk about the refining process…”
The petals of the flower were as blue-green as Rohiriel’s eyes, each leaf almost the size of her face.
‘She seems almost buried in flowers.’
Julion stood at a distance, quietly observing Rohiriel.
Was it because the world had turned white?
Rohiriel seemed to sparkle more than ever.
As the snow, which had momentarily stopped, began to fall again, flakes landed on her white hair.
Rohiriel, who had been engrossed in explaining the flowers, lifted her head to look up at the sky.
The endless gray sky was pouring down snow once again.
“The snow is falling just at the right time.”
Rohiriel said, smiling towards the physicians.
“These Sephinoa flowers react like this when they’re exposed to snow…”
All the physicians focused intently on Rohiriel’s words and the flower she held.
But Julion noticed something else.
Her lips, curved in a smile, were pale and chapped from the cold. Her cheeks and ears had a reddish tinge.
‘On a day this cold…’
Reflexively checking Rohiriel’s attire, Julion approached her.
Her clothes were not meant to keep her warm.
Nor was she wearing multiple layers.
“Oh, Your Highness!”
“We greet your highness.”
As Julion approached, the physicians quickly bowed.
Rohiriel, too, stopped speaking, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Julion? What brings you here?”
But Rohiriel couldn’t finish her sentence.
Julion had approached and snatched the Sephinoa flower from her hand.
Zenid, who was standing behind them, quickly took the flower.
“What’s wrong?”
Looking at Julion’s serious expression, Rohiriel asked again.
Just as she was wondering if another person had fallen ill, Julion grabbed Rohiriel’s hands firmly and said,
“How long have you been out here? You’re colder than ice.”
“Oh, that’s…….”
“Your cheeks are very red too. With how frozen you are, aren’t you in pain? Could it be that you’ve lost sensation again?”
“N-no, that’s not it!”
“So, you are in pain then.”
Rohiriel let out an awkward laugh as Julion cunningly got the answer he wanted.
This time, Julion gently held Rohiriel’s cheeks.
Her cheeks were colder than his hands, making Julion feel even more uncomfortable.
“Rohiriel, it’s almost lunchtime. So why don’t you continue your lecture in the afternoon?”
Rohiriel wanted to say yes to Julion’s plea, but the environment was important for today’s lecture.
If it didn’t snow in the afternoon, the lecture would be incomplete.
“Well, you see… I need the snow to fall.”
“But there’s already so much snow piled up on the ground.”
“I mean the snow that falls little by little, not the accumulated snow. It reacts differently when it comes into contact in large quantities.”
Why is the world of herbalism so complex and demanding?
Julion sighed inwardly and told Freck, who was standing a little further away,
“Freck, gather all the snow during lunch and store it in containers. Take good care of it so it doesn’t melt.”
“…Pardon?”
“Gather the snow. One container might not be enough, so gather as much as possible.”
“Eh? By myself? I think even gathering one container alone would be challenging…”
“Why do it alone? There are so many workers here.”
Julion’s sharp gaze turned towards the physicians.
The physicians, who had been watching the crown prince’s unexpected display of affection with bated breath, were dumbfounded.
Seeing their bewilderment, Julion’s voice fell to a firm tone.
“If you want to attend the princess’s herbalism lecture, you’ll have to make some effort. You weren’t thinking of slacking off, were you?”
“Oh, no, Your Highness. We’ll do as instructed.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Of course, we will! Haha.”
With that, Freck and the physicians dispersed to gather the snow, and Rohiriel looked at Julion with a puzzled expression.
“Julion, what exactly are you trying to do?”
As Rohiriel blinked in confusion, a layer of white snow settled on her snowy white eyelashes.
Julion suppressed an inexplicable thirst and said,
“Simply put, as long as the snow falls from the sky, that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but…….”
Looking at the bewildered Rohiriel, Julion raised the corner of his mouth confidently.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
It didn’t take long for Rohiriel to understand Julion’s intention.
When Rohiriel arrived at the Emerald Lake after the lavish lunch.
“Wow…….”
The snow had stopped, but it was snowing again.
During the meal, she felt disappointed when the snow had stopped and the sky had cleared silently.
But now, there was even more snow swirling over the Emerald Lake than before.
“Julion, you really…”
Rohiriel lost her words in astonishment as she looked at where the snow was coming from.
The Emerald Palace, surrounded by the lake.
From the highest windows, the outer walls of the palace, and the rooftops, everywhere high, the knights were leaning out, sprinkling snow.
Slightly below them, other knights were stationed, using large fans to spread the snow even farther.
Only the shores of the Emerald Lake were graced with gentle snowfall.
“How is it? This should be considered falling snow.”
“But to make everyone go through this because of me…”
“Rohiriel, it’s not just because of you. Do you want me to further explain how magnificent your herbalism is? This is to ensure that you, the great instructor of herbalism, are in the best condition and that the physicians can learn in the optimal conditions…”
Rohiriel hastily interrupted Julion, as it looked as if he was about to spew out a string of embarrassing stories.
“Stop! I understand what you mean. That’s enough.”
“Very well. Then, please get on with your lecture, Doctor, before the snow melts.”
“Thank you so…… much, Julion.”
Watching Julion stand tall with an endless sense of pride, Rohiriel couldn’t help but chuckle.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Julion stayed at the Emerald Palace until the end of Rohiriel’s herbalism lecture.
Eventually, Pailson couldn’t wait any longer and came to the Emerald Palace with documents in hand.
And so it was that the crown prince and his wife caused a stir in an otherwise quiet afternoon.
When Rohiriel finished her lecture, she approached Julion and smiled.
“Julion! It’s all over. You’ve waited so long.”
“No, it’s nothing. But you still seem freezing. My palace is close by, so you might as well warm up there.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I have to go to Garnet Palace.”
“Is there something else you need to do?”
Ignoring Julion’s curious gaze about what else she had to do, Rohiriel smiled softly.
“I have to go see my mother.”
