He was like a masterpiece crafted by a great artist who dedicated his life to perfection.
His forehead, partly covered by black hair, was neat, and his flawless white skin resembled marble.
His thick eyebrows and beautifully sculpted nose looked as if they were meticulously carved by a god.
His red lips were captivating, like the final touch that breathed life into a statue.
But what captivated me the most were his eyes.
They were slightly elongated, giving a profound impression, and their golden color shimmered mysteriously.
His face, appearing to be in his early twenties, had an allure and maturity enhanced by those golden eyes.
For a moment, I was mesmerized by the golden eyes, faintly tinted with the reddish light of the night market.
The long eye contact, which could have been considered rude, ended when the man asked the girl about finding more freesias.
“Are there any other vendors selling freesias?”
His voice sounded urgent, as if he desperately needed the flowers.
“Well…”
I carefully called out to him.
The man’s gaze turned back to me.
I handed him the bouquet of freesias.
“I don’t know your story, but it seems like you need these flowers more than I do.”
The man stared at the bouquet I offered for a few seconds before cautiously accepting it.
“I will repay you.”
‘Is he a noble? Speaking informally to a stranger.’
I wasn’t particularly fond of his tone, but it was a kindness already given.
I shrugged lightly and said, “Then buy me some other flowers to replace the freesias in my vase.”
I didn’t expect a grand reward for a bouquet that cost only a few coins.
“Will that suffice?”
He asked as if suggesting I demand something more.
“A bouquet of flowers is really enough.”
I smiled, and the man ordered the girl to wrap up all the remaining flowers.
“I don’t need this many, though.”
However, seeing the girl’s delighted face at the unexpected fortune, I didn’t want to stop him.
‘This should be fine.’
I thanked the man and waited patiently as the girl wrapped the flowers.
“Here you go. I’ll put them in a basket for you to carry easily.”
The girl thoughtfully placed the wrapped flowers in a basket she used to carry goods to the market.
“Thank you.”
The flower basket was quite heavy.
After paying, the man nodded slightly and left.
‘He’s quite stoic. His tone is as stiff as a soldier’s.’
I only watched the back of the quickly retreating man for a moment.
“I better hurry before the pub closes.”
Carrying the heavy basket, I headed to the pub.
* * *
[Closed temporarily due to daughter’s illness.]
“Wow, nothing’s going right today.”
I sighed, reading the notice on the pub’s door.
Clenching my fists in frustration, I wished the child a speedy recovery and turned back.
‘Guess I’ll go home.’
I didn’t have the energy to find another pub.
“An early night’s sleep it is.”
Though Rigel Street was a bit far from home, it was within walking distance.
‘I probably wouldn’t catch a shared carriage anyway.’
I made my way home against the flow of the crowded streets.
It seemed like the entire empire was out celebrating, but the crowd thinned noticeably as I reached the entrance to Indar Street.
‘No one visits a cemetery on a day like this.’
Indar Street was mostly occupied by the vast Grizelle Park, with a few modest row houses, providing a quiet retreat from the festival’s bustle.
From a distance, I could see the green-roofed house where I rented a room.
‘I’ll wash up first…’
The rent was cheap because of the cemetery view, but if I didn’t time my wash right, the water would trickle out like a spring.
I checked my wristwatch to gauge the other tenants’ return times when a familiar figure appeared from a side alley.
‘Is that the man with the freesias?’
It was the man I met at the flower stall.
‘He must be heading to Grizelle Park.’
He was carrying the bouquet of freesias and a wrapped box from a toy store.
While I wasted time at the pub, he must have visited the toy store, arriving around the same time as me.
‘He’s heading the wrong way.’
The man was heading towards the main entrance of Grizelle Park, which was currently under construction.
‘He’ll end up making a wasted trip.’
Grizelle Park spanned almost the entire area, so going from the main gate to the temporarily open west gate would take a long time.
‘And there’s not much time left to enter Grizelle Park.’
I didn’t want him to waste his effort after giving him the freesias.
‘I’ll extend my help once more.’
As I thought, the distance between us closed.
“Excuse me!”
I ran up and carefully touched the man’s sleeve as he passed.
Or rather, I tried to.
As my hand reached for his sleeve, he grabbed my wrist.
“Ah!”
I froze, startled by the man’s firm grip.
I felt like a frog caught in front of a snake, unable to move.
“You…”
After a moment, the man recognized me and released his grip.
I gingerly rubbed my wrist with my other hand.
‘That really hurts.’
Even though he didn’t seem to use much force, my wrist was already red from his grip.
‘I’ll probably bruise.’
Since I was the one who grabbed a passerby, I couldn’t fully blame him.
I covered my wrist with my sleeve and smiled.
“We met earlier on Rigel Street, remember?”
I felt goosebumps at the awkward line, but remaining silent would have made the situation more uncomfortable.
The man glanced at my wrist and responded.
“You gave me the bouquet of freesias.”
Fortunately, he was willing to talk.
* * *
Edwin was closely examining Rina’s wrist, which looked like it would bruise soon.
‘I was too sensitive.’
Edwin chastised himself briefly.
The war he had fought in as Emperor ended after eight years.
The Regencia Empire emerged victorious.
There was no longer a need to live on edge, but old habits died hard.
Feeling someone approach from his blind spot, he instinctively reacted as if facing an assassin.
As soon as he grabbed the woman’s wrist, he realized she wasn’t a threat.
The wrist he held seemed better suited for holding a pen than a sword.
Recognizing she wasn’t an enemy, he released his grip, but it was too late.
‘The freesia?’
Edwin recognized her immediately.
Her mesmerized gaze from earlier had stuck in his memory.
The woman gingerly massaged her wrist, which was already reddening despite him not using his full strength.
‘It’ll bruise.’
As she wasn’t an enemy or a sturdy knight to be handled roughly, Edwin began to worry about compensation.
The woman covered her wrist with her sleeve and spoke.
“We met earlier on Rigel Street, remember?”
“You gave me the bouquet of freesias.”
Edwin’s indifferent response seemed to reassure the woman as she smiled lightly and glanced up at him.
“It’s nothing, but are you heading to Grizelle Park?”
Edwin frowned slightly at her accurate guess.
When he first ascended the throne, his appearance was so delicate it bordered on androgynous, making him an easy target for enemy mockery.
Fearing it would lower his allies’ morale, he fought at the front lines, behaving more brutally to prove himself.
It was a troublesome time.
Thus, Edwin wasn’t fond of people who admired his looks.
He weighed her kindness against his discomfort.
“The only way from here leads to Grizelle Park’s main entrance.”
Sensing his unease, the woman quickly added.
“I stopped you to tell you it’s under construction.”
Her voice trailed off, and the steady gaze she had on his face dropped.
“If you want to enter Grizelle Park, you need to use the west gate.”
Edwin’s mental scales tipped in favor of her added kindness.
“Thank you.”
His brief gratitude was met with her waving it off.
“It’s nothing. I’ll be going now.”
She picked up the flower basket she had set down and prepared to leave.
“Wait a moment.”
Edwin blocked her path.
“Your wrist.”
“My wrist?”
“Let me see.”
When Edwin gestured, she hesitated before slowly extending her wrist.
It didn’t seem to be fractured.
“Visit the nearby temple at dawn and mention the name Everett Roxas.”
After giving her his aide’s name, Edwin turned away.
He didn’t know then that she would mistake his name for Everett Roxas.
Nor did he foresee the consequences of that misunderstanding.
Why are chapters 2 & 3 locked while the others aren’t??