“Yes.”
Upon hearing my response, Ian began to walk slowly, matching my pace.
What would the royal palace, which I was visiting for the first time in my life, be like?
Once I let go of my worries, the excitement hidden beneath them revealed its presence.
I took my first steps toward the royal palace, trying to suppress the fluttering in my heart.
***
“……”
I leisurely strolled through the tranquil royal garden, looking around.
The garden, blanketed in a thick layer of white snow, boasted a beauty that seemed as if it had come straight out of a fairy tale.
Perhaps because of this beauty, I didn’t feel the slightest bit of loneliness, contrary to Ian’s concerns.
I touched a dry branch, thinking of Ian, who by now would be pledging his allegiance to the Emperor. As if it had been waiting for this, the snow piled upon the branch fell to the ground.
The royal palace, which I had toured following the maids, was truly magnificent.
It dazzled like an art piece crafted meticulously by a master artist, pouring their soul into each detail, and it was also elegant.
It was hard to believe that in such a place, the lives of many had come to an end.
After exploring the royal library, the banquet hall, and the corridor adorned with portraits of former emperors, I went outside.
Then, after telling the maids that I wanted to look around the garden by myself, I came here alone.
“Ah, this is nice.”
I muttered quietly to myself, taking a deep breath.
The cold air stung, but it was still pleasant.
While enjoying the refreshing feeling, I roamed around the garden for a while until my ankles started to feel a bit sore.
It was because I had worn high heels for the first time in a while and had walked for a long time.
Well, I did walk longer than usual today.
I understood why my ankle hurt and approached the swing nearby.
The swing hanging from the thick branch was well-maintained.
After shaking off the snow from the swing, I sat down and carefully took off my shoes. Soon, I felt the cold touch of snow between my toes.
“Ugh.”
The sensation felt as if my skin was burning, so I hastily put my feet back into my shoes.
How much longer do I have to wait?
“Perhaps about an hour…?”
I guessed the remaining time until the masquerade ball while leaning my head against the swing rope. Sitting down didn’t hurt my ankle anymore, but I felt drowsy instead.
It seemed I was tense from getting ready for my first-ever ball. As the tension gradually eased, sleepiness poured over me.
Ah, I shouldn’t fall asleep here… I blinked my increasingly heavy eyelids repeatedly, trying to shake off even a little bit of the sleepiness.
However, my consciousness that I couldn’t fully grasp drifted away slowly, against my will.
By the time the masquerade begins, the maids waiting outside the garden will come to fetch me anyway. Plus, the weather is nice today, so falling asleep outside for a bit shouldn’t result in catching a severe cold.
…Then it wouldn’t be bad, would it? Shall I sleep for a bit?
Eventually, after rationalizing it in my mind, I closed my eyes after a brief hesitation.
As soon as everything in front of me filled with pitch black, sleepiness that had been crouching pounced on me. Before I knew it, my sense of reality disappeared, and a profound silence settled all around.
It was a silence so solid that I couldn’t even hear the sound of footsteps approaching me.
***
I had a dream. In the dream, I was Selena, a twelve-year-old curious about the world.
The only beautiful memory I had was tending to a flower garden with my mother.
And before me stood a boy, smiling brightly, reminiscent of the world I longed for. Perhaps that’s why.
“…”
I opened my eyes slowly, feeling a considerable amount of sadness. It had been a long time since I dreamed of the past so vividly.
“Ah.”
I rubbed my face to calm the churning feeling inside me, which felt like I might vomit something unpleasant.
As the sleepiness faded, I suddenly remembered the masquerade ball that I had forgotten.
What time is it? Considering the maids haven’t woken me, it seems I haven’t slept for too long.
Pulling out my pocket watch, I saw it was exactly 30 minutes before the masquerade ball started.
“Phew. It’s a relief I’m not late.”
I sighed in relief and was about to get up from the swing when something fell off my shoulder with a
“thump.”
“?”
As I looked down, I saw an unfamiliar cardigan lying on the white snow.
The thin, dark gray cardigan was quite large. Clearly, it wasn’t mine.
“Who on earth…”
I picked up the cardigan while scanning the surroundings.
But no matter how much I looked around, I was alone in the garden.
No wonder I wasn’t feeling very cold, it must have been because of this.
I was staring intently at the cardigan belonging to someone whose owner I did not know, when the scent of cedarwood wafted to my nose. It was a clean and appealing scent.
Perhaps it was a perfume used by men.
I had smelled a similar scent on Ian, making it easy to identify the fragrance.
As I was wrinkling my nose at the mysterious scent, someone touched my shoulder from behind.
“Sister. What are you doing here?”
“Oh, Ian. When did you arrive?”
I raised my voice, trying to hide my startled reaction to Ian’s voice.
Ian cocked his head, seeing my behavior as guilty as a thief.
“I just arrived. Were you doing something? Your face is quite red.”
His questioning pinpointed the flaw, causing my lips to tightly clamp shut.
Somehow, I felt like a child who had committed a great wrongdoing, even though all I had done in Ian’s absence was smell the fragrance of the cardigan.
As I remained silent, Ian, perhaps guessing my thoughts, pressed the back of his hand against my forehead.
“What are you doing, Ian?”
“Checking for a fever.”
“Why would I have a fever all of a sudden?”
“You’ve been outside for a long time in the cold, and your face is flushed. I was worried you might have caught a cold.”
Ian’s eyes, openly revealing his concern as he spoke his true feelings, were filled with worry.
Seeing that, I gave a small smile and gently pulled his hand away.
“I’m fine, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Is that so? Then I’m relieved.”
Ian’s expression lightened as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders upon hearing my reassurance.
“By the way, how did the succession ceremony go?”
“Yes. Fortunately, it concluded without any issues.”
“That’s good to hear.”
When they told me that the succession ceremony went well, I smiled brightly, and Ian smiled back.
“By the way, how did you know I was here?”
“I asked the maids.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Now to the banquet hall…”
As Ian was speaking and reaching out his hand to me, his voice trailed off when he noticed the cardigan in my arms.
“What is this?”
A man’s cardigan. Ian growled lowly, showing a faint sign of aggression.
Seeing him react this way to the cardigan was chilling, as it was the first time I had seen him like this. I couldn’t possibly tell him that someone had covered me with it and left.
“Uh, I found it. Found it.”
Fearing he might not believe me, I emphasized twice that I had found it.
At my excuse, Ian finally withdrew his aggression and returned to a calm expression.
“If you found it in the garden, it must belong to someone working in the imperial palace. Give it to me. I will have someone find its owner.”
“……”
Seeing Ian gesture for the cardigan as if asking for it, I tightened my grip on it.
I hesitated to hand it over, feeling somewhat reluctant.
However, that didn’t seem like a good enough reason not to give Ian the cardigan.
Finally letting go of my stubbornness, I handed him the cardigan and felt a faint longing for the scent that was moving away.
Ian took the cardigan from me, drew a faint smile, and took my hand.
“Let’s go to the banquet hall now.”
The ball was about to start.
***
The dazzling light of the chandelier brightly illuminated the banquet hall.
However, its reach did not extend to the secluded spot where I stood.
“……”
I placed the wine, handed to me by a page, onto a nearby table and leaned against the wall. Then, I stared at Ian, who was engaging in conversations with many people in the center of the hall.
Among all the brilliantly dressed people in the banquet hall, Ian stood out the most.
“Please entertain yourself with some conversations for a while if you feel too uncomfortable, and go out to the terrace.
I’ll come to fetch you shortly,” Ian had said before he went off to talk to others. Remembering his words, I glanced towards the terrace.
Perhaps because it was a masquerade ball, our names were not announced upon entering the hall.
Yet somehow, I still caught the attention of many people. Was it eight dance invitations I had turned down so far?
As I kept refusing, I somehow found myself in this secluded spot.
The balls I had read about in books seemed endlessly enjoyable, but reality was different.
It was suffocating with so many people around, and I found it quite uncomfortable dealing with their insincere flattery.
“Umm.”
After a moment of contemplation, I eventually headed towards the terrace.
I felt the stares of people on my back but ignored them.
“Ah, finally, I can breathe.”
Once I made it to the terrace safely, I could finally breathe freely. I took a deep breath and approached the railing. Then, inadvertently, as I looked out beyond the terrace, my eyes caught a man standing still in the garden.
“?”
The man, donning a black robe and a white mask, emitted a peculiar aura. Even though it struck me as odd to see him standing there, looking up at the moon, I also felt intrigued.
Filled with curiosity, I kept my gaze on him. Sensing my stare, he slowly turned around. Unintentionally, I leaned towards him, and in a moment of carelessness, I lost my grip and fell over the railing.
“……!”
I closed my eyes tightly as I fell quickly. The terrace was on the second floor, so I wouldn’t die from the fall.
But it would hurt as if I were to die.
The wind sharply whipped my cheeks, and the hem of my dress fluttered like waves.
Why did I foolishly lean over?
I was internally scolding myself when suddenly the wind softened, and then, before I knew it, my body gently collided with something hard.
