louis came to pick her up early as promised. she climbed into frantoâs carriage thinking of the note she entrusted alan to deliver to aven as soon as he returned.
âgood morning, seira. did you sleep well?â
unlike her gloomy and tired look, louis frantoâs face was as radiant as the morning sun.
âyes, thanks to you,â came her half-hearted reply as she glanced at him casually.
her bangs, which usually were neatly brushed, were only half combed today. it felt a little bit off today.
âwhat about you?â she said as she tried to make small conversations.
âi didnât sleep well,â he said with a smiling face that didnât match his words, âiâm nervous.â
seira tried her best not to scoff as she said, âit doesnât look like it at all.â
âthat canât be true. as of today, seira and i may be lovers.â
âoh! i am impressed by your confidenceâ¦â
âhow would you like it to be then?â
his reply filled the air around seira with tension. she was stunned by his question â what does she want it to be like?
even those that didnât care for askan knew well what seira askanâs biggest wish was. there was only one thing that she could spend huge amounts of money she earned from running head on to wherever conflicts occur.
âeither way, weâll see the results soon.â
smiling at the woman who didnât answer his previous question, louis turned his attention outside the window. seira also followed and gazed at the scenery outside.
the dews estate adjacent to the emperorâs direct jurisdiction was originally a very fertile land. this was because the stem of piretta, one of the two rivers that originated from the taul mountains, which surrounded the northwest of askan like a roof, flowed across the dews estate.
however, it has been 15 years since the fertile land had become a wasteland. farmland was covered in pit black ashes, and nothing ever came to life in its soils ever since. three years ago, magicians were hired to remove all the ashes, and seira continued her efforts to purify and fertilize the lands back to how it used to be.
as a result, the estate managed to regain its original appearance. since it was outside, it had the highest chance of being revived too. this year again, as soon as spring came, seira transplanted greenhouse grown seedlings into the dews soils. although, all of them didnât even last until the summer and withered.
was it because of her experience of recurring failures? even when louis said he achieved something, seira didnât have much high expectations. she thought she would. if she didnât expect too much, then the disappointment wonât be much either.
but beyond the small window of the carriage they rode, seira couldnât dare to believe what she saw in the distance and her eyes blinked wildly.
âam i seeing something wrong now?â
she even rubbed her eyes, but the scene that caught her attention didnât fade away.
âthat⦠donât tell meâ¦â she stuttered in disbelief.
everywhere her eyes laid on were waves after waves of gold. it looked like a wheat field ready for harvest.
âit grew well, didnât it?â
even after hearing louisâ words that confirmed what she saw was real, seira still couldnât dare to believe it.
she wanted to jump out of the running carriage that instant. she wanted to touch them with her own two hands to check if she was only looking at an illusion. seira was deeply afraid that it didnât exist in reality like how nathan was in d-arc. was she becoming mad?
seira was determined to touch it. as soon as she stepped on the ground, she had to check the evidence of abundance that captivated all of her senses.
eventually, seira couldnât help it and popped open the carriage door.
âwait, seiraâ¦!â
despite louis frantoâs objections, she didnât listen and went on to jump out of the carriage. she couldnât even hear the bewildered cries of the knights escorting them on horseback.
she threw herself recklessly and was finally buried in the golden waves of the wheat field.
âahâ¦!â
the sweet scent of the earth invaded her senses. she stood mesmerized in the middle of rolling golden waves up to her waist. it wasnât a fantasy. she felt it. she felt it.
shoot!
the winds boasted full vitality of the wheats that were ready for harvest.
âreallyâ¦? reallyâ¦?!â
seiraâs heart was full to the point it was suffocating. there was evidence at her feet that askan had hopes for survival.
âyou must have sown a lot of seeds.â
she froze at the voice that came from behind her. she realized it too late that she had acted out of character in her excitement.
âmanage your facial expressions⦠you must manage your facial expressions, seira askan!â
but no matter how she prepared herself, it wasnât possible at all. as soon as she turned to face louis, seira almost jumped at him and kissed him.
âseiraâ¦?!â
his eyes widened with surprise at her eager gaze.
âhowâ¦?â
regardless of this, she grabbed his hand.
âhow the hell did you do that?!â
her heart pounded like crazy as if it was about to explode. laughter was brimming from her mouth, ready to spill at any moment.
âhow the hell, in only a few days⦠god, this isnât a dream, is it?â
louis looked down at seira and raised his free hand to touch her cheek. a wide smile was painted all over her reddened happy face.
âdo you like it that much?â he asked.
she didnât care at all when he touched her, and readily replied, âof course! itâs a miracle!â
louis watched, without even much as blinking a single glance, as the joy in her beautiful purple eyes swelled but then suddenly fell.