C 68
However, the performance was not excellent. It was nothing short of modest.
I tried with 100 flowers, but only 8 seeds were obtained.
Lillian and I decided to have four each. And we decided to grow them in different ways.
Then, the real winter arrived.
"So, that Dragonia herb doesn't grow?"
"Yes, there is no Dragonia in other herbal dictionaries... The way to cultivate it also does not exist..."
I said quietly.
Apart from the book I had received from the imperial castle, there was no written description of Dragonia.
However, when I struggled alone and couldn't find an answer, I finally turned to Erno Etham.
I had asked the Duke Miriel a bit, but he just brushed aside my words and didn't give me a proper answer.
"Now, there's only one left... Does dad happen to know?"
I tried this and that, but all the seeds didn't sprout and simply rotted.
All that remained was the one I held in my hand.
It was after Lillian cried and came back, saying that everything she had planted had been ruined.
"......"
Despite my question, Erno Etham remained silent for a long time.
He seemed to be deeply pondering how to explain this to me.
"It's amazing that you got the seeds, but..."
Erno Etham silently stroked my hair. He didn't open his mouth for a long time, as if choosing his words.
"That flower no longer grows in this land."
"Why?"
"Because the most important ingredient for growing it no longer exists in this world."
Erno Etham spoke as if he had been sentenced for a long time.
---
Dragonia.
The "legendary plant," commonly known as dragon herb, disappeared long ago.
What is needed to sprout Dragonia is nothing other than a dragon.
Dragonia was a flower that only dragons could cultivate.
No matter how much an ordinary human clings to it and tries, they can never obtain it.
Even getting the seeds was not easy.
Because one had to care for the sensitive creatures day and night and cultivate them very carefully.
But even Erno Etham couldn't have guessed that she had achieved all of that and come this far.
"Dad, no, I can't...?"
"...Yes, I'm sorry."
Erno Etham looked at the girl holding a pot with both hands. His brow furrowed as he looked at her desperate eyes.
"There were no traces of dragons at all..."
If there were buried bones, he would have told them to grind them and use them as fertilizer, and if there were old rotten blood, he would have told them to at least sprinkle it.
Duke Miriel and Erno Etham, who had learned that Eirin was going to cultivate "Dragonia," did their best behind the scenes, but in the end, there was no result.
Even those with diluted dragon blood could not make the flowers grow.
Erno Etham looked at the back of the girl's head, skillfully hiding the scars on her palms.
"Why did the emperor give her a book like this...?"
Erno Etham clicked his tongue inwardly as he tried to calm the girl.
Outside of the imperial family, there was no information about "Dragonia."
The emperor, who gave it away thoughtlessly, even laughed heartily.
"......"
Eirin lowered her head in helplessness.
She knows that the girl has been coming in and out of the flowerbed at any time of day or night.
She knows that she meets and talks with Lillian Daisy every day, taking care of the land together.
"Yes..."
Eirin jumped from his lap. In her arms was a potted plant that had not yet sprouted.
"I know, I understand..."
Erin lowered her head.
Then, as usual, she looked at him with a wide smile.
The girl, who skillfully concealed her expression, headed for the door with a bright smile.
"I'll leave early and see you later, Dad."
Eirin inclined her head and left the room.
Erno Etham kept his eyes on the traces of the girl's departure.
His drooping tail showed signs of dragging on the ground. Erno Etham wiped his face once more.
He wasn't someone who could particularly empathize with others' pain.
So, he also didn't know how to effectively comfort the girl. It was just a matter of choosing his words a bit more carefully.
But every time he saw his daughter with her head down, he didn't feel very well.
"Terem."
"Yes."
"How is the second prince?"
"He doesn't look very well. Maybe he'll make it through to next spring at most..."
Faced with the man who prostrated himself before him, Erno Etham fell silent.
"Have you consulted a doctor about his illness?"
"Yes, they say they can't do anything for a naturally weak body. He said he didn't even know the name of that disease."
He wanted to help, but he couldn't.
"...Then, what about Eirin's real father?"
"Well, since it seems he traveled abroad, it will take a little more time."
"A month. I think I've already given you plenty of time."
"...Yes, I'm sorry."
Erno Etham nodded when Terem finished speaking. Then, Terem disappeared.
"...I don't want to see my daughter cry."
He let out a brief sigh.
He felt that the sighs, which he had never had a chance to let out in his life, had rapidly increased recently.
It wasn't familiar to him.
It was a feeling he had never experienced when raising Callan or Silian.
"Is it because she's a girl...?"
He was anxious no matter what he did.
Even if the girl's tail fell off, it felt like his head was going blank.
Like someone who didn't know what to do.
"I wish there was a living dragon somewhere."
It would be much more convenient to catch a dragon and become a dragon hunter than to see the shadowy figure of his daughter.
---
"...It doesn't work either."
Somewhere deep in my heart, I thought it was a story too hazy to be true.
Information about a panacea that conveniently appeared just when you thought you needed it the most.
Wasn't the timing just right? It was a terrifying coincidence.
"That's right, it can't be."
There was no way to change the fate that had already been decided.
I stared blankly at the potted plant. On the other hand, I should have considered the probability that it wouldn't happen.
"In the end, he will die."
It wouldn't change anything anyway.
If such a thing as a panacea existed just because it was in a fantasy novel, the heroine should have already found it.
Enosh died because such a feigned panacea wasn't available.
Tap, tap.
Tears fell onto the pots that had been carefully watered.
"I'm sorry..."
I felt sorry for Lillian and Enosh.
I had given Lillian false hope and plunged her into greater despair, and Enosh had left Lillian behind because of my fault.
If I couldn't do anything, it would have been better to pretend I didn't know. If I couldn't help, I shouldn't have met him.
I had been arrogant.
"I just wanted to have another tea party with everyone..."
It was just a wish.
They were the first friends I made.
I had never had friends before, but now I do. I was so excited about it that I didn't even think about the other person.
Screams erupted.
They were just tears of helplessness mixed with resentment, regret, and pain.
---
"Oh. My lady!"
"Yes..."
Laurent, who had come to wake me up, opened his mouth in astonishment.
"Oh my goodness, what happened overnight! That pretty face..."
He became really contemplative, looked at my face, and became even more teary-eyed.
Turning my head and looking at myself in the mirror, I wondered what kind of monster this was.
My eyes, mouth, and cheeks were swollen, making me feel like I was looking at a deep-sea fish.
I couldn't even open my eyes properly. Even when I looked at it, my appearance made no sense.
"But today..."
It's the day Lucilion goes to the imperial palace, so I must visit him.
So...
"What do I have to do?"
I wish we could talk as we always do.
I hope Enosh gets better.
"I-I'll bring some ice right away. What on earth happened overnight? Did you have a terrifying dream?"
Laurent instructed another maid to quickly bring ice and a bag.
"Yes."
If it was a dream, it was a terrifying one.
Because my dreams were shattered dreams.
"My body feels hot today..."
It seems I have a slight fever. I felt a bit strange. When Laurent brought an ice pack, I felt a bit better.
"Let's go to Lucilion."
Maybe it's because I'm getting ready to go out soon.
I stomped my feet, begging Laurent to dress me quickly.
Laurent, who couldn't calm my face, couldn't overcome my stubbornness and dressed me.
I'll have to bring the potted plant.
I had no choice but to stiffen as I held the potted plant in my arms that I had placed in a sunny spot.
Because there was a very small sprout from the seed that Erno Etham had claimed couldn't be grown.
-
