C 69
Didn't he say it couldn't be cultivated?
Even as I sat in the carriage with Lucilion, my mind was confused.
"What kind of seed is that, mistress?" Lucilion, who was sitting in front of me, asked as he leaned closer.
"Dragonia."
"Dragonia...? Ah..." Lucilion recited softly, then let out a small exclamation.
"But father said it can't be grown anymore."
Considering that in the novel Erno Etham was intelligent rather than foolish, it was extremely rare for him to be wrong, but it felt strange.
"As expected..."
Lucilion silently gazed at the very small sprout and murmured softly.
"Eh?"
"Maybe it's the only one in the world that can do it."
"What did you say?"
"It's nothing."
Lucilion smiled and sat beside me.
"Is Enosh okay...?"
"Mmm... I don't think he can last much longer."
"... This flower needs to grow quickly..."
Lucilion didn't say anything. He kept his mouth shut and quietly took my hand.
It was like a sweet comfort, so I tried not to look at him.
The fast-moving carriage arrived at the imperial palace in no time.
I couldn't contain the sigh that burst out as I followed behind Lucilion. Everything was uncertain.
"Mistress, as I mentioned before, the prince is sensitive in many ways, so he might not welcome you."
"... It's okay."
I wanted to give him the potted plant. I wanted to ask him to wait until all the flowers had grown.
That's all I wanted.
"Your Highness, I will enter."
Lucilion called out as he spoke in an unusually polite tone. He couldn't hear a response from inside, but he didn't mind and entered.
Shwaaaa-!
As soon as the door opened, a pillow flew and hit him in the chest, sliding down.
"I didn't allow it!"
What he heard was a sharp but dry voice, like crumbling desert sand.
Looking over Lucilion's shoulder, he could see Enosh, who was so thin that his bones were visible, emitting a gloomy atmosphere.
His eyes were sunken, his wrists thinner than the last time I saw them, and his eyes filled with despair were more filled with resentment than vitality.
As if he couldn't bear the death that surrounded him, the boy screamed with his whole body that he wanted to live.
It felt like my heart was pounding.
It was clear that Enosh was fighting against death while Lillian and I anxiously searched for the seed.
"Why did you come in, why? I didn't allow it, why the hell?"
Enosh buried his face in his hands and gasped for air.
Tissues were scattered all around him, and blood was stained on every tissue that had been thrown to the floor.
There were no sharp or dangerous objects anywhere in the room.
There was nothing to throw except a pillow.
"Damn..."
Enosh, who was muttering quietly, tugged at his hair and bowed his head.
The boy, who was sitting on the bed with the blanket covering him, looked like he was about to burst into tears.
"If I didn't come, you would complain that I didn't."
Lucilion clicked his tongue as if he were annoyed, took a pillow, and gently threw it at Enosh.
The feather pillow hit Enosh's face and fell.
"Ruthless bastard... How long will you disrespect the imperial family and act arrogantly?"
"Don't start first."
Lucilion glanced at me and stepped forward. Only then did Enosh slowly raise his head.
His sunken cheeks showed the hardships he had endured so far, and his withered neck and twig-like dry hands made me doubt if he was the Enosh I knew.
"What? You."
Enosh's gaze, which had reached Lucilion, turned toward me.
"Hello, Enosh..."
"Bun."
I smiled shyly and greeted him. At that moment, Enosh's face turned pale, then he gritted his teeth.
"You! How dare you come in without this body's permission?! I told you not to come until I contacted you! Who allowed you to enter...?"
I simply pursed my lips as I held the potted plant, then I approached him, set the pot aside, and hugged Enosh.
"I just... missed you."
Enosh opened his eyes wide in embarrassment and bit his lip. Then, he pushed my shoulders.
"I don't need sympathy..."
"Not just..."
I gently rubbed my forehead against his shoulder.
"I missed you."
My head was dizzy from the acrid smell and the medicinal scent emanating from his body.
His forearms were covered in injection marks, and his chapped lips were only bitten.
"Are you here to mock me?"
"No."
"Then why did you come?"
"I missed you."
When I calmly replied, Enosh gritted his teeth. A hand reached behind and pulled me into his arms.
I blushed as my body fell backward. I blinked and turned my head to see Lucilion hugging me.
"Lucy..."
"Yes, how long will you hug him?"
I squinted at the stern voice. He had no sense of mood whatsoever.
"... So, are you satisfied with seeing me die?"
Enosh asked with wide eyes.
"No... but..."
I hate thinking that I won't be able to see you anymore.
"I'm your friend. I want to be by your side."
"I don't want that, go away."
"... Lily unnie too."
At those words, Enosh's shoulders trembled. He looked at me with a distorted expression.
"... Tell her to forget about me."
"I'm doing everything I can to save you. Unnie too."
"Save me? All the doctors in the empire examined me and said I wouldn't survive! They said it will be difficult for me to make it through this winter. Even if I do, at most, I'll hold on until spring."
He erupted in anger as if my words had offended him.
But soon, tears began to mix with the resentments.
I just stared at him.
"How are you going to save me?"
"This..."
I carefully held the potted plant.
"What? That?"
"It's a panacea. If the flowers grow, then... you'll be able to keep living."
"Ah..."
He laughed bitterly.
There was even contempt in his gaze towards my foolishness.
"I know it sounds crazy, but..."
Neither Duke Miriel nor Erno Etham denied the existence of this flower. They only said it no longer existed.
In other words, its effectiveness was confirmed.
"Hey, I..."
Enosh buried his face in his hands.
"No more, no. I don't want to have hope, and I don't want to be disappointed. Please... Stop giving me false hope."
The boy, who had started shaking even the stems that had stood upright like solid ones, couldn't bear the weight and tilted the upper part of his body.
"Just let me die in peace."
Enosh finally collapsed.
The boy, who had been holding on with a strong resolve, eventually became someone who couldn't say anything in the face of the impending death.
I pressed my lips together and lowered my head.
"I came all this way..."
You can't give up.
The fact that the buds have grown means that one day the flowers will bloom.
Therefore...
"What are you talking about?"
Enosh's shoulders visibly shook at the sound of footsteps. Startled, I turned my head.
"Lily unnie?"
"Do you know what you just said?"
Lillian's eyes, as she entered, were red and swollen.
"... Lady Lillian? How did...?"
"That's not important. What His Highness just said is a statement that ignores everyone's efforts to save him."
"... She's being noisy. It's none of your business."
He licked his lips, avoiding Lillian's eyes. Then, he pulled the blanket and lay on his back.
"I'm going to sleep, everyone out. Don't come in on your own again."
"Your Highness."
"Noisy, noisy! Stop saying nonsense! So, am I getting better now? Please, please! Just leave me alone. I..."
A shadow fell over Enosh's head as he turned around, and soon tears fell on his cheeks.
"......"
Enosh's eyes opened wide. He sat up as if embarrassed.
Before he knew it, Lillian was standing on the other side of the bed where he had turned his head.
"... Why is my lady crying?"
"I want to keep meeting with Your Highness."
"......"
"I would like to have a conversation with Your Highness, have a snack, and have a little chat, and then have you accompany me to my debut as my partner in a few years."
"Lady Lillian."
"Just like that, then..."
Lillian's sincerity also made her cheeks wet.
"Even if that doesn't work, it's not enough to create memories, so why...? Why do you keep saying..."
Enosh took a deep breath at the sight of Lillian, who had always seemed strong and resolute, now appearing weak, and slowly opened his arms toward her.
"I'm sorry."
Fingers as thin as dry twigs tightly embraced the young girl's head.
"It's my fault."
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