C 170
"Would you like some fruit?"
"Yes..."
"You haven't shown your face for a while, but you've just come when you needed something and asked for fruit?"
Enosh's comment lingered.
Enosh laughed at me, abruptly raising his eyes, crossing his legs, and even folding his arms arrogantly.
I glanced briefly and nodded.
"Hmm, maybe I should have contacted you more often."
But I've been very busy these days.
I'm so busy that I can't even see my dad, whom I live with, so how...?
"I guess it's because you're sad, Eirin."
"Am I sad? Who said I'm sad?! Do you think I'm the kind of person who will be disappointed if I can't see this kind of treat? First of all, I never gave you permission to meet me, so why are you here?"
"Just because."
Lucilion, who didn't know why he had come, quietly tilted his teacup.
Lucilion took a sip of tea, set the cup down, and opened his mouth very slowly.
"I wanted to see a close friend's face after a long time."
"What kind of friend?! When did I say I had a close friend like you?"
"What a sad comment."
He smiled.
He seemed so angry that he thought his relaxed expression might be bothering Enosh.
"Your Highness."
When Lillian Daisy, who was by his side, gently scolded Enosh, he crossed his arms and turned his head.
"I'm sorry, Enosh."
"You're always sorry."
"This is the last time. I won't leave! I won't go anywhere now. Once this is over."
"Yesterday we had a fun adventure too."
"Ah..."
Enosh's eyes were filled with dissatisfaction, as if he had already heard everything from Lucilion.
When I looked at Lucilion with resentful eyes, Lucilion smiled cheerfully.
"What secrets can there be between friends, Eirin?"
"Didn't you do that to tease me?"
"What?"
Lucilion widened his eyes as if disappointed by what I said, but then shook his head.
"There's no way I could get Eirin into trouble."
"..."
"I would have tried harder if I wanted to cause problems with His Highness the Crown Prince."
"You...!"
Oh, you didn't want to annoy me, but your intention was to annoy Enosh? When I chuckled, Lucilion looked at me and closed his mouth.
"I'll be more careful from now on, Eirin."
While squinting at the subdued murmur, Lucilion simply touched the teacup as if embarrassed.
"I would like to give you the fruit you desire, but it's been a long time since the tree bloomed."
Enosh responded with his arms crossed.
"When I was young, it was a tree with very beautiful flowers. But at some point, it stopped producing buds."
Enosh murmured softly and turned his head to look out the window with a large window.
"Maybe it's tired. Maybe that's why it's drying up inside."
"May I see it?"
Enosh narrowed his eyes, then sighed and nodded.
"If you want to."
After saying that, he stood up. Then Lillian stood up, and when I stood up, Lucilion did the same.
Suddenly, a picture of us when we were very young came to mind. In the past, the four of us used to gather like this and talk about various things.
The height increased suddenly, and each person's position changed significantly.
Still, it was a bit surprising that we could sit face to face like this again, so I began to smile without even realizing it.
"What, why are you smiling?"
"It reminds me of old times."
"Ah, we used to play like this when we were kids."
I nodded at Lillian's words. Faced with those words, Enosh also kept his mouth closed in silence.
Perhaps he's thinking about the past.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Come back from time to time. Even if we're together today, it's not enough."
"... You're busier than I am, aren't you?"
When I murmured as if stunned by Enosh's words, he immediately scrunched up his face.
"He wants to leave many memories."
"Hey, High Priest Lucilion!"
"Yes, His Royal Highness Prince Enosh."
"Oh, wouldn't you like to show some respect? I'll soon become the Emperor."
"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"You're really unlucky."
He sighed and lowered his head. Somehow, it seems like they get along.
Following their discussions, we arrived at the garden of the imperial palace. There was a tree of pure white in the middle of the garden.
The tree with its bright blue leaves was beautiful, but it didn't feel alive.
"There are no birds."
Since there were no fruits, there were no birds, and since there were no flowers, bees and butterflies weren't attracted. It feels like they froze and filled it this way.
"Grand Purse has green leaves all year round, but it always bears fruit at this time of year," said Enosh, standing next to the tree.
"It looks like a photo shoot because there are handsome and beautiful children next to a beautiful white tree."
It's a shame I don't have a camera. How did they grow so perfectly? It's amazing.
"But it's not growing anymore. I even called a botanist, but he wasn't sure."
"Hmm, I see."
Even looking at the tree with the naked eye, there didn't seem to be anything strange about it.
"Dad also said he couldn't find another way..."
It's really embarrassing.
"There can't be a tree like this anywhere else, can there?"
"I've never heard of it."
"I guess not. After all, the national tree isn't a national tree for nothing. It must be quite a rare mutation for the imperial family."
"Baby! Give me some Chur!"
Kwaang!
Nyaaaaaaa!
The moment I thought I heard a loud noise, something fell in front of me with a loud sound.
With a sound like a cat's cry.
"... Snow leopard?"
"Wow, you're in a really strange place. I was just trying to get in, but it was difficult because there were barriers here and there."
Said the snow leopard with an expression that didn't seem embarrassed at all.
"Give me some Chur; I ate it all."
"I already gave you a lot. And what's that black cat?"
"I picked it up. Anyway, I'm your bodyguard, so it can't harm you, right? And I ate all the Chur."
"What harm can a cat do...? Oh, really..."
"Nyaaaaaak!"
I shouldn't have said that.
I never thought I would regret the decision I made that day so much. If I'm not going to get the fruit anyway, I have no choice but to use another method.
"I'll give it to you."
"Yes."
"If you let me get this fruit."
I didn't know what to say, so I pointed at the tree and said.
"Fruit?"
The snow leopard, its ears perked up in a human-like way, turned its head and saw the pure white Grand Purse.
"Oh, a tree I really miss a lot."
The snow leopard murmured softly as it placed its palm on the rigid tree's bark.
"I thought everything had disappeared a long time ago."
"A long time ago...?"
"It lost a lot of energy."
My eyes widened at the snow leopard's words as it caressed the hard tree.
"Do you know what happened to it?"
"Do I know what happened to it?"
"Yes, I need the fruit from this tree..."
"Ah, fruit."
The snow leopard, who was fumbling around, smiled.
"If I let it bear fruit, will you give me Chur?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, is this your promise, lizard? Even if you don't do it, I'll do it anyway."
The snow leopard laughed and closed its eyes, placing its hand on the tree trunk.
"This tree is a winter tree. A tree that blooms in the fall and bears fruit in the winter."
Pure white energy began to flow from the snow leopard's hand.
Instantly, it froze the surrounding air into crystal.
"If it lives in a place like this, its health will inevitably deteriorate."
Something amazing happened.
The tree instantly absorbed the cold flowing from its hand. It was absorbed so voraciously fast that I didn't feel cold at all, even though it was emitting such cold air.
The cold tree immediately sprouted and soon bore fruit.
The ripe fruit even fell to the ground.
I quickly reached out and carefully held the fruit that was about to burst in my arms.
"Now all I need is an unripe fruit..."
I lightly shook the snow leopard's body.
"Wait! Please take some of the unripe ones!"
"Uh? Yes. But is this the ingredient you were asked to take?"
"Yes."
"Mmm... That's a really fun witch."
The snow leopard thought about the ingredients I took and huffed for a moment, as if remembering something.
"I guess she promised to show you at least something about the past?"
"Oh..."
The snow leopard's words left me speechless.
I tried to nod, but I was worried about the looks of the three people around me, so I barely managed to contain myself.
"It would be best to keep this tree as cold as possible. Well, maybe I can go and take care of it sometimes. It's a tree I miss a lot."
"Were there many of them before?"
"There were many. If humans hadn't cut them all down to decorate and make them look pretty..."
He murmured softly.
"You can probably still see this tree in full bloom in the winter."
He murmured something as if looking at a distant mountain, then looked at me with a smile.
"Now, your promise."
"Yes."
I made him a stack of Chur and carefully placed the fruits in the storage box.
"All that's left is the green and white radish."
It will grow in just a few days.
"Thank you for your help, everyone."
When I spoke with a broad smile, Enosh snorted and rubbed his nose bridge.
"Yes, you should be grateful to my person."
"Yes, yes."
I smiled awkwardly and quickly hugged Enosh. Of course, Lillian too.
Then Enosh trembled, furrowed his brow, and patted me on the head.
"She's not even a child..."
"Oh God, just say you like it. Your Highness."
Hearing Lillian's laughter, Enosh muttered quietly, "Who said I don't like it?"
"I'm almost done..."
Finally, I could soon learn this long truth.
