What had hurt her was, in fact, himself.

Because of him, she had once again received wounds she didn’t need to endure, yet she was apologizing for causing pain…

Jackal bowed his head deeply.

However, Aisha felt only genuine remorse towards Jackal.

If only he hadn’t fallen into the trap set by the Lycans like a fool, both he and Ricans could have been safe.

Seeing Aisha with sad eyes, Jackal gently reached out to her.

In his embrace, Aisha’s eyes widened.

Holding her in his broad arms, Jackal said, “Don’t apologize. I’ll make more effort so that such a situation won’t happen again.”

He softly stroked Aisha’s golden hair with his bandaged hands.

Just as Jackal could relax and fall asleep when leaning on Shafy, he hoped Aisha could feel at ease and rest comfortably in his arms, even if only for a moment.

With Aisha nestled in his arms, she slightly closed her eyes.

She always had to carry heavy responsibilities and embrace everyone. However, when she was in his arms, it seemed like all worries flew away.

As if he was shouldering the burden for her, Aisha felt an overwhelming sense of security.

Aisha spent her day going back and forth between the palace where Jackal was and the fortress where Karaf was, taking care of both of them.

But perhaps it was too much.

While nursing, she unintentionally fell asleep, and Aisha blinked her eyes.

Suddenly, she was standing in that flower field she had seen before.

Aisha gathered herself and headed straight for the bud of a black rose blooming on the cliff.

As she passed through the flower field, the flowers that had withered every time she walked by now regained vitality and bloomed again.

It was a fantastical scene that seemed like magic.

Perhaps due to the incident last time, numerous thorny bushes protruded from the ground on the cliff.

Aisha cautiously approached the boy crouching inside the rosebud.

But upon closer inspection, the boy was lying unconscious with injuries all over his body.

“Karaf!”

Aisha was surprised and quickly embraced the young boy.

This time, the thorny bushes did not attack her like they did before.

Aisha pressed her ear against his chest.

A faint heartbeat could be heard.

Whether it was the cold or something else, the boy’s face turned unnaturally white, and his lips were so blue they almost looked black.

There was a decadent atmosphere flowing from him, similar to Karaf.

Aisha quickly removed her outerwear and wrapped it around his body.

“It’s okay now. I’m here.”

Recalling the time when she used to care for orphans in the village, she comforted his body and whispered like a spell.

But then, it happened.

“…I am a flower that should not bloom.”

The boy’s delicate voice reached her ears.

When Aisha looked at him in surprise, young Karaf closed his eyes and weakly spoke.
“Mother, the nobles, everyone treated me the same way. There’s no one in this world who likes me. I wish I had never been born…”

Aisha’s heart ached at his words, and her expression momentarily turned sad.

“No, that’s not true. Think about it carefully. There are surely people who like you. Look around you. That flower might be hidden among the vibrant ones, not easily visible.”

While Karaf still had his eyes closed, a faint smile appeared on his lips as if someone had come to his mind.

Despite feeling sorry and finding it cute, Aisha petted his head and said, “See? It’s clearly visible. You have to find that flower and call it by its name.”

“Then, will that person stay with me forever?”

Aisha momentarily closed her mouth at his words.

“Nothing is eternal in this world. Everything goes through seasons and eventually leaves the world.”

The boy’s face slightly saddened at her indifferent words.

“That’s why you have to do your best while you’re alive, so you won’t have regrets. I only recently realized that.”

The boy seemed to ponder over her words, and his expression became serious.

Unintentionally, his lips, which had turned black, were regaining color.

Seeing this, Aisha smiled gently and said, “Beautiful.”

At her words, the young Karaf flinched.

“Beautiful…? Me…?”

“Yes. You’re such a beautiful flower.”

Aisha spoke like that while gently caressing his cold face with warm hands.

However, at Aisha’s words, young Karaf suddenly distorted his face.

Aisha worried for a moment that she had made a mistake in her words, but she noticed tears in his eyes, and her eyes widened.

The young boy, who had learned to hide tears at an age when he should have received love from his parents, felt so pitiful.

With lowered eyelids, Aisha whispered softly, “In this world, there are many people waiting for your bloom. Bloom quickly and brightly illuminate the whole world. I’ll be waiting for that day. And when that day comes… I’ll be by your side, smiling brightly.”

Late at night, Karaf suddenly lifted his eyelids.

‘Where is this…?’

He fumbled through his memories, recalling the scene where Aisha leaped into the room, and his face paled.