“It’s pretty.”

Laila replied.

“But what kind of tree is it?”

“It’s a pomegranate tree, Your Majesty.”

The young woman who seemed to be the owner answered shyly, blushing on behalf of Eustar.

“It brings good luck.”

Laila looked at her face for a moment and smiled gently. The belief that pomegranate trees bring luck and ward off evil was widespread in the capital of Sierou and neighboring regions.

Laila had seen pomegranate trees planted everywhere when the sink was eating away at this country. She remembered feeling extremely futile and sad when she saw the trees standing alone in the middle of desolate and lonely empty spaces.

But not now. Laila thought. It was hard to believe, even seeing with her own eyes, how vibrant and bright Sierou had become in just a few years.

“Do you want it, Eustar?”

At Laila’s question, Eustar glanced at her.

There were many pomegranate trees in the Sierou royal palace as well.

But Laila could tell that Eustar particularly wanted that tree. Perhaps he was thinking of the children they had not yet had. Maybe he wanted to plant a new tree for them.

‘It was like that with Aline too.’ Laila thought. ‘When Aline was born, we planted a pagoda tree. Because it’s a precious tree.’

“I’d like to buy this tree.”

When Laila spoke, the young woman smiled brightly and kept bowing. The servant who had been following the two silently like a shadow paid on their behalf and received the pot, passing it to someone else.

“May good fortune be with you. Your Majesty, and to you and your children. Of course, to the Princess as well.”

The blushing woman said shyly once again. Laila nodded her head slightly to her in gratitude and turned around.

“How did you know I wanted that tree?”

When Eustar asked, Laila replied.

“Just a feeling.”

At those words, she could feel Eustar holding her hand more gently. It was a very satisfying sensation.

“I think it’s true that Aline takes after you.”

Eustar said. Laila looked up at him with a silent smile.

“I gave birth to her, didn’t I?”

It was a rhetorical question, implying of course she would resemble her. Eustar had a thoughtful expression for a moment before speaking.

“It’s not just for that reason. I sometimes think Aline is like a piece of you. I’m not sure if that’s the right expression, but I can’t think of a more appropriate one.”

Eustar’s lips lightly touched Laila’s side forehead. His long hair tied up in a bun sparkled in the rising morning sunlight.

A piece of me.

Although Eustar said he wasn’t sure if it was the right expression, Laila thought it was accurate. It was also an appropriate expression. She too had similar thoughts whenever she saw Aline.

Like a large mineral splitting along its grain, she sometimes felt as if another self, retaining some of Laila’s own attributes, was standing there in Aline’s form.

Aline herself might feel it too. Just too young to express it yet. Laila thought that was fortunate.

As Aline grew up, she would gradually shed the parts resembling her mother and become ‘Aline Eve Hyanmorik’.

By the time she was grown enough to express her thoughts logically in words, she would no longer feel like a piece of Laila herself.

Laila was looking forward to that moment. When overwhelming joy and loneliness would coexist, giving a feeling of being caught in a whirlpool.

“I think I’ve seen that before at your house.”

Eustar said, pointing to a low stand. An elderly woman was sitting in front of it, and on the stand were bundles of dried herbs instead of fresh flowers or trees.

Laila said.

“It’s hyssop.”

“That’s right, I couldn’t remember the name.”

Hearing his words, Laila laughed incredulously.

“You remembered it was in my house but couldn’t remember the name.”

“I was just thinking how funny that was myself.”

Eustar replied with a grin. Laila looked alternately at his face and the bundles of dried herbs with an unbelieving expression.

There were definitely bundles of hyssop in her house, the long-burned house in Rigicus.

She remembered clearly that it was among the numerous herbs hanging on the wall. Around summer, you could see purple flowers blooming all over the hillside.

“I wonder if it’s still there.”

“What is?”

“The hyssop. There was a lot on the hillside behind the house. That’s why we always dried a lot.”

Eustar, who had been staring at Laila, gently wrapped his arm around her waist and said.

“Shall we go see?”

“To Rigicus? You want to go there again?”

“Why not?”

In the past, even if Laila had said she wanted to go, he would have absolutely refused, saying it was not possible. Laila wondered if she had overcome something, or if Eustar had overcome something.

They had overcome many things together, but Rigicus was an exception. That village was like a bell tied to Laila’s ankle. To be precise, her experiences there.

“That would be nice.”

Laila replied. Eustar’s eyes moved softly, forming curves.

The two of them spent a long time looking around in front of the herb stand and bought a pouch each of marjoram, wild strawberry, and Isle fennel. The old woman who had been sitting with a consistently indifferent expression said, looking at Laila’s white hands as she took the pouches:

“Difficult hands.”

Laila paused for a moment and looked at the old woman. But the old woman was not looking at Laila’s face. She kept looking at her hands and then smiled, moving her wrinkled mouth.

“But very good hands. Worthy of a noble name.”

The old woman patted the back of Laila’s hand as if satisfied, handed over the pouches, and then started looking at people again with an indifferent expression.

The servants standing behind were embarrassed, but Laila and Eustar looked at each other and burst into laughter like children.

“It’s the first time I’ve been complimented on my hands.”

When Laila said this, Eustar raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.

“I always said your hands were white and pretty.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Laila tilted her head and trailed off.

A dress hem fluttering like a butterfly and disappearing among the people caught her eye. It looked like a child. Maybe three or four years older than Aline? Just tall enough to have entered the threshold of girlhood.

“Laila, what’s wrong?”

At Eustar’s voice, Laila made an “Ah” sound and looked at him.

“Over there…”

“Where?”

The girl in the dress was nowhere to be seen. Laila thought of the gorgeous and voluminous skirt hem that could only be seen at a royal palace ball.

The small shoes visible under the petticoat, puffy and soft like layers of cotton flowers. If a child in such attire was running around, it would be impossible not to notice, but nothing was visible.

“No, I must have seen wrong. There was someone who looked similar to Mel.”

At Laila’s words, Eustar tilted his head for a moment and then chuckled softly.

“Maybe it really was Mel. She might have followed us secretly because she was too worried about you.”

“That would be just like Mel.”

Laila nodded in agreement and grabbed Eustar’s hand and arm. Before leaving, she looked back one last time, but couldn’t see the fluttering dress hem.

Aline, having finished her breakfast, was alone in her room reading a book.

The nanny, who never left Aline’s side all day, was knitting in the next room, occasionally checking on Aline.

Since Aline had been clearly expressing her desire to ‘be alone’ since she was about three years old, even Laila and Eustar had acknowledged that the nanny couldn’t sit right next to Aline.

Father and Mother are not here today. Aline thought. She knew they had gone to buy flowers but didn’t know exactly where.

The nanny said they would return in the afternoon, so she would wait patiently until then. Although it might be a little boring…

A short, sharp light flickered next to Aline’s eye as she was turning a page.

Startled, Aline blinked and slowly raised her head, then opened her small lips into a round shape.

Colorful light shadows were densely floating on all the walls. Although bright sunlight was shining through the thin, soft curtains, the small clusters of light were as clear as stars in the night sky.

Aline discovered one particularly white and bright piece of light moving here and there among the colorful clusters of light. It was undoubtedly the very light that had just touched the side of her eye.

The piece of light was now moving back and forth on top of Aline’s low bookshelf.

Aline crouched down small like a cat, then quickly covered the piece of light with both hands. However, it narrowly escaped Aline’s hands and moved to the opposite wall this time.

Once more. Aline gently spread her feet and touched the wall. The piece of light circled around Aline several times as if teasing her, and later drew circles high up where her hands couldn’t reach.

Then, Aline, who had been focusing on the piece of light, suddenly turned her head towards the window.

Aline looked back at the slightly open door of the next room, and after confirming that the nanny wasn’t watching, she climbed onto the bookshelf. Then she hid her body under the wall and suddenly flung open the window.

“Oh my.”

The man at the window looked at Aline intently, pretending to be surprised with an expression that wasn’t surprised at all.