“Do we really have to do this now?”
“Do it right away. If this is still here by tomorrow, we’ll all be in big trouble.”
Grumpy voices were followed by dull thumping sounds. It was the sound of digging up the ground.
“What kind of job is this, interrupting our night shift?”
“Exactly. I shouldn’t have transferred to this post. With the palace constantly being turned upside down, how can anyone live with their heart racing like this?”
“I heard Her Majesty the Empress Dowager was furious? They say she ordered the arrest of the traitor who insulted the Imperial family, and the gardener ran away with his tail between his legs.”
“Sigh, what did the flowers do wrong?”
“But why are they making such a fuss about removing all these flowers?”
One of the group stopped digging and asked. A soldier beside him lowered his voice and answered.
“This color, this blue-purple, was once the symbol of the Grand Duke’s family.”
“Good grief, that was ages ago… But wasn’t the Empress Dowager the last bloodline of the Grand Duke’s family? Instead of missing it, why does she hate the sight of it so much?”
“How would we know what’s in her mind? Don’t even breathe a word about this near Empress Dowager’s palace, or we’ll be in serious trouble.”
The soldiers stopped talking and concentrated on digging up the flowers, roots and all. The sound gradually faded away as they seemed to be removing every flower of the same kind in the park.
After confirming the sound had faded, Drushia pulled Ashika’s hand. The two walked out into the park deep in the night.
“What was that about?”
“It seems it’s true that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager detests any mention of the Grand Duke’s family.”
“But why specifically blue-purple?”
Drushia unbuttoned one more button of his sweat-soaked shirt. Suppressing the heat that hadn’t cooled even in the night breeze, he turned to Ashika.
“Families connected to the founding myth have inherited characteristics that pass down to their direct bloodline. The imperial family was born with golden eyes, while the Grand Duke Arkpella’s family had blue-purple eyes.”
“Ah.”
She had heard about the imperial family, but there was very little information about the Grand Duke Arkpella’s family. Most records had been destroyed after they were annihilated for treason.
“There was a legend that children born with their family’s characteristics could receive the power from the founding myth.”
“Where did you hear that? I’ve never seen such information in books.”
A strong feeling came over her that this was a clue hidden in undisclosed information—something that shouldn’t be missed.
“Of course. This is a story passed down only within families connected to the founding myth.”
“Then you must know more detailed information? Is there a book? Could I borrow it, even briefly?”
Ashika grabbed Drushia’s arm to stop him. At her earnest gaze, Drushia looked down at her calmly.
“Rushia.”
“Pardon?”
“Call me Rushia.”
“Why suddenly…”
“It’s the nickname you made for me. At least when we’re alone, I want you to call me by my name.”
A man speaking of a future they hadn’t promised. Ashika stared at him blankly.
“No…”
She tried to say that wasn’t right. But Drushia didn’t wait for her answer and pulled her hand. In truth, afraid to hear her answer, he decided not to give her a chance to refuse at all.
Ashika had to move her feet quickly to keep up with the man’s large strides.
“How can you just decide things on your own?”
“After everything we’ve done, I won’t allow you to back out now. We’ll talk later. First, let’s ease the worry of that knight who’s desperately looking for you.”
In the direction he pointed, Jeanne was rushing over, out of breath. Time had passed, and the park was now almost empty of people.
Drushia stepped back, giving Ashika a gentle push.
“I’ll send a carriage. If you want information, don’t even think about refusing. Better yet, bring your answer to my proposal.”
“Wait a moment!”
“Tell your knight. I kept my promise.”
Drushia didn’t give her a chance to speak. Confirming that Jeanne was approaching, he ran toward the outer edge of the park.
Ashika watched Drushia’s retreating figure with a bewildered face. It was a pleasant, breezy summer night.
****
The next day, Ashika thoroughly searched every corner of the annex where the archives were kept. But despite pressing the archive keeper and searching diligently herself, all that remained in her hands was black dust.
“How is this possible?”
“I… I don’t understand why you’re so upset…”
The archive keeper, innocent of any wrongdoing, bowed his head before Ashika.
“Even if documents were discarded by imperial decree, Igraine is the main force managing the Grand Duke’s territory. How can there not be a single record?”
“Of course, management records remain, but they’re separately managed in the Duke’s office.”
“Not those. Something, anything that isn’t an official record…”
Ashika stopped speaking, looking at the troubled keeper. There was no point in pressing further for materials that didn’t exist.
Igraine was an ancient ducal family. She had expected to find some records in a dusty corner somewhere beyond imperial reach. But there was truly nothing. As if someone had deliberately removed everything. Just when she had finally found a clue, there was no information to be found.
The archive keeper, watching Ashika’s expression, spoke again.
“Perhaps you could send someone to the bookshop on Palmred Street?”
“Bookshop?”
A question shadowed Ashika’s face.
“Would such things remain in a place that’s not even a private library?”
“The place I’m referring to is not a bookstore selling books, but a place specializing in manuscript copying. Because it’s not a place high-ranking people would take interest in, some books that have been preserved for hundreds of years might be there.”
Light flashed in her previously dimmed black eyes.
“There’s such a place on Palmred Street?”
“Yes, but…”
“My lady, are you here again?”
“Ah, Julma.”
Ashika rose from the pile of books she had been rummaging through. Julma’s face grew troubled seeing Ashika covered in fine dust.
“What is it?”
“A letter has arrived from the Talion mansion.”
“Huh?”
It hadn’t even been a full day since she’d returned from doing something outrageous in the Rodian Garden. And he couldn’t wait even one day before sending another letter.
When she opened the received letter, familiar and elegant handwriting caught her eye.
– [Tomorrow at 10 AM.]
One concise memo line. Yet in the time difference between yesterday, today, and tomorrow, she could read his impatience.
‘He’s crazy.’
What on earth was he trying to do? This impulsive Drushia, pushing forward as if old emotions were no obstacle, was not the man she knew.
“How should I respond?”
“No, the response…later. I’ll think about it later.”
Though thinking she should refuse, the words of refusal wouldn’t come. She couldn’t gauge how Drushia would react if she did.
“More importantly, Julma. We need to go out.”
“Where to? I’ll prepare the carriage.”
“Palmred Street. It is said there’s a shop specializing in manuscript copying? I have materials to find.”
Julma’s eyes widened. As his gaze shifted to the archive keeper, the equally troubled keeper sighed. His expression suggested that he couldn’t dissuade her from whatever she was thinking.
****
A street mixed with roughly built wooden structures and single-story buildings made of yellow-brown bricks. After passing through the commercial street and going a bit further in, they came to a quiet street with few people passing by.
“I heard you’ve been coming to Palmred Street often lately.”
In Julma’s casually dropped words was a question he’d been wondering about.
“Somehow it turned out that way.”
Ashika nimbly evaded answering as she rose from the stopped carriage. Before Julma could guide her, Ashika was already getting out of the carriage.
“This is not a place suitable for you, my lady. If you tell me what you’re looking for, I can go myself.”
“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have come this far.”
Julma’s attempt to dissuade her failed. As expected. Seeing Ashika becoming increasingly stubborn, Julma swallowed an escaping sigh.
“You used to come here too, Julma. It’s just a bookshop, what’s the problem?”
Books were luxury items, and commoners who couldn’t afford them either copied them themselves or commissioned scribes to do so at a price cheaper than buying books.
“Well…”
Julma shook his head. Experiencing it directly would be better than a hundred explanations. With that mindset, he led the way.
As they crossed the narrow alley, the gazes of passing people occasionally lingered on Ashika. Despite her simple attire, her graceful steps stood out.
Following without much thought, Ashika’s expression gradually hardened. Finally, when Julma stopped in front of a blackened wooden building, Ashika couldn’t help but ask.
“Didn’t you say it was a bookshop?”
Since books were expensive items, most shops dealing with them were located in central areas—not in such dilapidated buildings about to collapse.
“Being old, it has the largest collection of books in the capital. It’s famous among academy students.”
Saying this, Julma opened the shop door without hesitation. As they entered, a stuffy smell of dust and strong ink hit their nostrils.
“My goodness…”
Ashika covered her mouth as an exclamation escaped.
The interior was filled with densely packed bookshelves. At a table set up on one side, more than a dozen people were busy moving their pens with a scratching sound. Despite having visitors, no one looked up.
Julma, holding his breath, skillfully found his way through the labyrinth-like arrangement of bookshelves.
“This section contains the oldest books that people don’t look for.”
His voice was so quiet that one had to lean close to hear.
Ashika looked at Julma, who spoke with a distant expression, and then checked the bookshelf section he was pointing to.
Strictly speaking, it was a place where books that wouldn’t fit on shelves were stacked. Towers of books piled layer upon layer, reaching the ceiling. It was a tower so high it was miraculous it didn’t collapse.
“You’re saying… I should find a book there?”
Would that even be possible? Setting aside the fine dust, wouldn’t one be crushed to death if it collapsed?
“You can’t do it alone. You need help. If you insist on searching by yourself, perhaps going to the temple library would be better?”
“Ah, right. The temple has a library too!”
“But at the temple, you need to show identification.”
A familiar voice came from an unexpected place.
“Rushia?”
Ashika and Julma turned around in surprise.
