knew it was wrong?
Would it be possible to answer the question if I explained why I looked away?
If you say you will never do that again.
Will this be the answer?
Be quiet, donât step forward, and donât show your hand carelessly. No matter what you say, itâs all just a thorn, so just keep your mouth shut and watch from the side. Always be careful and be careful so that even your gaze does not become a thorn.
Alan had warned me so.
âfather.â
Words that are already heavily bruised.
The bruises on the horse are already full.
Is it okay if I answer? How should I answer? What answer should I give to words that hurt even if I hug and pat them? Because they didnât even teach me that.
A poor father doesnât even know that.
âIâ¦â
My voice did not come out easily from my open mouth.
After hesitating for a while, Lemain reached out and picked up the teacup. And after quenching my thirst with a sip of the tea with the thorn-like pine needles in it, I put down the tea cup quietly.
Was he surprised to hear for the first time from his son that he had done something wrong? Are you surprised to hear your son say the word âfatherâ for the first time? Before that, I wonder if I was really surprised.
Could there be another reason?
For some inexplicable reason, the fingertips holding the teacup trembled helplessly.
ââ¦â¦ I.â
Even though I applied a lot of force, a little bit of tea eventually spilled and stained the white cloth of the table a rusty color.
This was my first time seeing tea spilled in front of someone. It was the first time I saw someone unable to continue speaking. Plantz, who was calmly watching Lemainâs unfamiliar appearance with calm eyes, spoke in a similarly calm voice.
âI apologize if my words were excessive.â
âNo. No. Itâs not because itâs too much, itâs because itâs too much.â
As I looked for words to answer, looking for words I knew, these words came out without me realizing it. A person who couldnât have known that the answer was very similar to what Plantz said a long time ago gave that answer. Instead of saying thank you or sorry, I ended up giving an answer that only showed that he was a person who bore an inextricable resemblance to my son.
âyes.â
okay.
Resembles.
In the end, it was similar to what I ignored, it was similar to what I thought was the answer, and it was similar to what I didnât know was actually the wrong answer. Lemain showed only those methods, and Randel and Plantz learned only by observing those methods, so they eventually grow up looking like Lemain and have no choice but to resemble each other. Still, it looked similar.
The clever Plantz recognized the resemblance.
Now that Iâve come to see reality, Iâve realized that itâs too late, and I canât even say an apology, let alone thank you for the undeserved words. The fact that they resemble each other in every way.
So, Iâll just get up.
He said he already understood everything without saying anything.
He said that he had said everything he wanted to say, and that Lemain had fully understood all the apologies, regrets, and future promises that he could not express in words, so he would just get up. Thatâs what I was going to say.
âDonât forget.â
But Lemainâs answer came back.
Not words that came out of nowhere, but words that were chosen and chosen. These are words left by a person like an ox who worked really hard to pick out the thorns in his own way. Thatâs it for Plants.
It was passed down.
âI wonât forget the mistakes I made or the things you said today. I will think about them every day and reflect on them every time I see you.â
I donât know if thatâs correct, though. I spoke.
I wonder how I can say everything I want to say out loud.
I guess you still donât understand that silent actions are better than big words.
âI was wrong. I was very wrongâ¦â
Even so.
Even if that were the case.
âIâm sorry. Iâm sorry for hurting you. Iâm sorry for not being able to look at you. Iâm so sorry. I left you alone in the world.â
I felt like I had to tell you.
âIâm sorry⦠for leaving you alone to grow up like this.â
Forgiveness may still be a long way off.
I donât even know if the festering wound can heal.
still.
âPlanz.â
ââ¦â¦ yes.â
I apologized.
I received an apology.
* * *
â Tap, tap!
Although there was no dust, Kalian looked proud as he brushed it off by rubbing his palms together. Then, if anyone looked at him, he turned his head with an expression on his face that made him look like he had just caught the devil himself.
âHow is it.â
âItâs pointless.â
A sharp answer came back.
âCanât you at least say that you had a hard time?â
âIt didnât seem that difficult.â
âYou should look at the sincerity, not the difficulty. Didnât all the attendants get bitten and take care of it yourself?â
Since it was built, windows at Chermil Palace have rarely been broken, so they could not be made in advance.
Itâs natural.
How could anyone expect that someone would ask my brother, âAre the roses blooming in that garden?â and break the window that Sispanian had placed a spell on.
Therefore, it was absolutely not the fault or responsibility of the management of Chermil Palace that there was no spare window to be put back up only after first making a wide, thick, transparent, and beautifully crafted glass and then casting a spell.
âBut anyway, since the window was lost because of me, I took responsibility and blocked it. I was kind and admirable.â
Thanks to this, Kalian has come back to take responsibility.
Itâs the same logic as giving treatment and consolation money to Raven, who had left a horseshoe-shaped hole on her buttocks because the newly appointed bath attendant had brushed her without asking for sufficient understanding.
Anyway, something like that.
âIs it really that meaningful that you did it yourself?â
âOf course. I am also a well-bred child like Brother Randel.â
Just now.
Calian, who ate sweet, lavender-scented sugar cookies and bought some more sugar cookies to bring to the palace, stopped by Banensha and almost got broken off after recommending golden chain armor. Although he is a little more clumsy, he is good at Dmireaâs sword skills. He did a great job helping me match the armor to a good material and shape that wouldnât hinder me in the slightest. Then, he found a suitable restaurant on Astricia Street, prepared a meal for three people, and after successfully completing the personal business of taking Dmirea to the dukeâs residence, he returned to the palace with a light, fluttering gait.
Then, I heard that Lemain, who had come to visit while Calian was away, had a conversation with Planz and then returned. It was also said that Randel was still stuck on the 5th floor while Lemain came and went.
âYou said Brother Randel was sick because the wind was blowing?â
âyes. He told me to leave it alone even though he said he would put in another window first as a matter of urgency, and it seemed like he must have caught a cold in the meantime. âIâm sure your body is much weaker than that of a prince or a crown prince.â
The innocent baby elephant seems to believe that.
Calian, who held back the words that said that the person who seemed to have just taken root on the 5th floor, would live a long and healthy life better than the person who seemed to be several times greener than the inner skin of a young pumpkin that had yet to ripen, just nodded. Because it is said that the illusions of children growing up are not something to be broken carelessly.
Instead, he picked up his long, huge black robe and went up to the fifth floor. After that, he invested generously in the robe, which had waterproof and windproof magic as standard, to block Randelâs window. It is said that the black robe, which seemed to have been made from a handful of darkness, was spread out and roughly added to the empty window space. Because the workmanship wasnât meticulous enough to add it nicely.
Suddenly black cloth.
Randel opened his mouth when he saw the window blocked by a thick, dull fabric that did not match the roomâs curtains and wallpaper floor at all.
âIt doesnât look good.â
âWouldnât it be better than being in pain?â
âI think it would be better to be sick again.â
âNo. You should live a long, healthy life.â
Kalian smiled brightly as he wished his eldest brother, who is not yet 20 years old, a long and healthy life. Randel, who was watching this, let out a low-pitched voice.
âYouâre doing something for nothing.â
âDoes it seem pointless?â
âI closed the window that was left open.â
âYou know itâs a difficult window to open.â
âDonât I know that?â
âThank goodness. At least you know.â
Randel nodded slightly and looked deeply into Calianâs eyes.
âYour attitude toward me has changed.â
âIs that so.â
âIt seems like the blade that was pointed at me has become dull.â
âI guess I feel at ease now that I have nothing to hide.â
âWas that comfortable?â
âYou recognize the change in attitude, but you donât recognize the empty words.â
Actually, itâs uncomfortable.
Even though I knew very well what had become of the old Kalian, I couldnât feel comfortable coming back to see someone who couldnât admit it or fully accept the current Kalian in just one day.
Didnât you already tell Randel about it?
The truth is, it wonât be okay.
âItâs not comfortable and itâs unfair. I guess thatâs why Iâve become numb to it.â
âWhy is it so unfair?â
âI said itâs okay if you donât receive an apology, and I told you that itâs okay for you to treat a person who is still breathing with their eyes open. But youâre using the broken window as an excuse to hide again.â
Randel kept his mouth shut.
Calian said as he glanced at the empty table with no tea on it.
âI blocked the window you broke with my own hands again, so donât make excuses that youâre in pain because of you. Itâs not your fault that the window was broken. I thought I should tell you that one more time, so I came up.â
âYour worries about your second child are extreme.â
âNot only that, Brother Randel is also extremely worried. Although you donât seem to know.â
âRemember that.â
âyes.â
After finishing speaking, Kalian took out his pocket and put his hand in it. Inside, he found a small red paper bag and placed it on the table.
âWhat was it?â
âItâs a sugar cookie. I bought it for Brother Randel because it smells like roses. I think you can treat it as a new birthday present.â
âI donât like sweets.â
âShould I cover it? I also hate grapefruit.â
Kalian, who presented sweet cookies in a voice that sounded like he was chewing on sand, stood up. And without any time to refuse the new birthday present, he showed his courtesy and headed out.
Randel stared at the red cardboard box for a while and slowly stretched out his hand. Instead of a birthday gift I couldnât use, I picked up a rose-scented sugar cookie and put it in my mouth. And then I closed my eyes for a moment.
Sweet.
It doesnât smell like roses.
Instead, it tasted different.
It had a strong strawberry flavor.
Because the bag of strawberry-flavored sugar cookies we bought to give to Hina was also red. Kalian, who was not very careful this time, gave Randel strawberry flavored food as a gift.
ââ¦Den.â
âYes, prince. Did you call me?â
âTea.â
âYes. I will bring it to you soon.â
Randelâs brows wrinkled due to the sweetness of the strawberry taste that remained in his mouth.
I frowned.
Randel, who was quietly listening to the footsteps of the servant who was going to get tea to get rid of the strawberry flavor, stretched out his hand. Then he put another sweet sugar cookie in his mouth and frowned again.
When I tried it again, it definitely tasted like strawberry.
It tasted like strawberries.
ââ¦â¦ âThey said it was a rose.â
Randel made a mistake that any Calian he knew would never make and went down happily. He couldnât tell the
difference between the taste of strawberries and the scent of roses. He thought he should just throw away that black cloth that he had left unsightly. Thinking about that, he frowned. He frowned.
* * *
Accidents happen easily.
Strangely, I am busy.
Why?
Calian, who was thinking carefully, smiled and opened his mouth.
âBrother.â
âWhy.â
If you plan on having another accident, please tell me in advance. If I keep doing this, Iâm going to get really old.
I wanted to say that, but I couldnât, so I just laughed again. And, leaving the story behind, I said something else.
âIâm thinking of going to meet a Sispanian.â
âNow.â
âYes. â
That the sea dragon Arnaizel has a piece of the axis of time. I had to tell that to Sispanian. It was probably the first thing I should have said when I came here, but I was pushed by other things and had to go now. âLetâs go together.â â
Okay
. â
Letâs go together. Even if I didnât say anything, he would definitely follow me around, so I just went on the road together. I
passed the artificial lake with a rose garden in the distance, left Chermil Palace, and crossed the fountain garden. If itâs far, itâs far, if itâs close, itâs close. While I was walking, I didnât say anything else because I didnât have anything worth saying.
âTo your highness. Iâve been telling you all this time that you were wrong.â
But after a while, Plantz spoke up.
Calian opened his mouth as he was walking and with his eyes focused on the falling fountain making a good sound.
âIs that so?â
âYes.â
Lemain . Itâs obvious even without looking at
how Lemain would have responded.
So I didnât bother to ask and just said that it was a good job. It would have been difficult to tell people what happened between the two anyway.
âThank you for your hard work.â He said
he would accept an apology . I wonder
if it had something to do with Calian himself.
After receiving one of Calianâs questions, he broke the window to meet Randel and even told Lemain. Calian, who ended up providing the starting point, said nothing else. All he said was that he had a hard time.
âIf you will know.â
As they were about to pass the fountain garden, Plantz began,
âI thought you would be able to see. I thought you should see it. Thatâs not true.â
âAre you talking about Brother Randel?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âYes.â
â⦠Not everyone is like you. Just because they found out the truth, it doesnât mean that everyone can create a new position and put me there and look after me like my brother. There are people like my teacher who only cared about me and took care of everything for me, and there were people like Arianne who couldnât trust me completely, and there were people who reacted like Dmirea who was more worried about Jan than me after finding out about it. There is also Prince Siegfried who doesnât care whether it happens or not. Sometimes, there are people who turn away again. Everyone is bound to react in their own way.â
Planz just walked quietly.
âIs that why you took out your anger on His Majesty?â
ââ¦â¦ Perhaps.â
Lemain, who only taught him how to look away, said Because I was resentful and resentful. In the end, all of this happened because of Lemainâs neglect. I once again expressed my disappointment in Landel, who turned away from me even after knowing the truth, to Lemain. âYou did a good job on that, too.â Lemain
said
. It was obvious that Plantz would not feel at ease with the apology given, so Calian responded like this: âHave you felt
relieved?â
âYes and no.
â Why are you so lukewarm? Instead of feeling relieved, I said, â
I feel like I did something pointless. âTo my brother.â
Calian chuckled after hearing Plantzâs words. He
was picking on something unnecessary and tearing up something that had been healing for some time, so that also shows that he was paying attention. Soon
Calian rummaged in his arms and took out something.
Randel . There is one thing I gave him and one thing to give to Hina.
âI heard itâs the snack that Demirea bought for Riri. Delicious. As I was feeling a little bitter, Demirea bought this for me. At least sweeten your mouth. He goes into Evanâs house to save his brother, and then meets Lillie. He almost dies from shock when he sees Lillie, but comes back to life. Demirea takes Lilie who she found and buys her a snack. After that, the same thing happened to me too.â Kalyan
, who still believed that it tasted like strawberries.
In fact, took out a sugar cookie that smelled like a rose, said,
âItâs all like that. Maybe itâs because I was in puberty, but I didnât learn how to be an actor, and I always learned strange things, and accidents happened as they were, and it was a headache, so I slowed down a bit. I know that my brother did it because he was thinking about me in his own way. So you donât have to feel sorry about that. Thatâs how we continue to live in the midst of things that donât go as planned.â
Soon Kalian handed the cookie to Plantz.
He seemed to be just as upset as Calian, so he meant for you to eat something sweet, too.
Planz accepted the sugar cookie. Calian took out another one and put it in his mouth first. His face hardened for a moment. Then he stretched out his arm like lightning and snatched back the sugar cookie that was about to go into Planzâs mouth. The sugar cookie flew into his brotherâs hand at an invisible
speed
. Lost Planz looked at Calian. Calian, whose face was embarrassed, smelled the scent of sugar cookies and said,
âDo not eat them. âThis smells like roses.â
Strawberry flavor.
Whereâs my strawberry flavor?
Calian turned his head slightly and looked at Chermil Palace and gave a hollow smile. He almost gave a strawberry to Randel and a rose to Plantz, so he couldnât help but laugh. Outside.
Looking at the appearance and guessing roughly what had happened, Planz let out a short sigh. Then he reached out and took out a sugar cookie that smelled like roses from the paper bag in Calianâs hand and put it in his mouth. Sweet
. .
It smells like roses.
âIt smells like roses.â âWhy are you eating that?â
âThey say itâs all like that.â
Thatâs how everyone lives in the midst of unexpected events. Sometimes, without even thinking about it, they taste the scent of a rose and they live that way. â
Planz answered calmly and started walking around.
Calian looked at that for a moment, then laughed and walked behind Plants.
âThen would you like to give me one more?â
âNo.â
âYou said it was all like that.â
âI donât like it.â
âBut youâre amazing. Learn not to avoid.â
âMy brother hasnât learned not to bark yet.â
âBut when he gets older, are you going to get into more serious trouble? If youâre going to do that, please tell me before you cause an accident. Iâll prepare my heart.â
âKeep barking.â
The wind blew a little warmer than yesterday, I could hear the sound of water, the sky was dark, and the day was good. I passed all those things and walked for a long time again. Thatâs how the old Heisia used to be. Arrived.
The wide cavity was still there.
Calian entered the place full of traces of the ancient dragon and looked around for a moment. Then he called out to Sispanian. The
black butterfly did not come.