EIITAB - Chapter 14
Even If It Is Trampled And Broken
Strangely enough, Aslan spoke down to Hestia, and she spoke highly to him, the Duke's son-in-law.
"Anyway, there is no one who sees it other than the two of us. Do whatever is convenient for you."
Hestia's main residence was the temple, but she always returned to the palace during the New Year and whenever the royal family had an event. It was quite an inappropriate word to use for a person but to put it bluntly, it was Yorgos's reluctance to completely hand over his ownership of her to the temple.
Anyway, thanks to that, Hestia came to the palace much more often than Aslan expected, and she came to see him every time as if she was trying to keep her promise.
That day was also the day when Hestia, who had not been heard from for a while, showed her face for the first time in a while. Although he was happy to see her, he ignored her flirtatious behavior and asked Hestia, pretending to be concerned.
"Is it okay for me to be out here like this?"
She immediately nodded her head. Contrary to Aslan's expectations, people did not look for Hestia even when she disappeared in the middle of the banquet. Although she was a Princess and a Saintess, she could not belong to any group because she was still a 'child'.
Hestia immediately nodded her head to Aslan's question.
"Anyway, all decisions are made by the High Priest. If there's anything I need to know, you'll let me know tomorrow."
Although she was a Saintess, she had no powers. She was a symbolic being, nothing more and nothing less. However, Hestia had no complaints or questions about her situation. She was young and she had no one to teach her what to do.
Aslan suppressed the urge to click her tongue.
"They really use you according to their own taste."
At his cold words, Hestia looked back at her face.
"What does that mean?"
The moment Aslan met the purple eyes, he unconsciously gritted his teeth and stopped breathing. Then, a beat later, he shook his head and took a slow breath.
"No, nothing."
He gave it a vague answer, but fortunately, Hestia didn't ask any more questions. Why doesn't she know her own worth? She, Hestia, was the kingdom's only Princess and Saintess. Ignoring such a person in all the gatherings simply because she was young felt like a political check. She said, 'She doesn't seem to think so.
Aslan glanced sideways at Hestia and suppressed a sigh. For example, she can turn the royal family and the temple against each other if Hestia just says 'I'm sad' or 'I'm upset.
Not only that, if she says, 'I want to find my place, the nobles of Elsworth may be divided into a group that supports the current King's faction that supports Yorgos, and a group that supports the orthodox bloodline. Because only Hestia knew that and everyone knew it, Aslan only saw her adults excluded from important matters.
Aslan was angry about that, but at the same time, he felt a sense of self-destruction. This is because he too has fallen into the mindset that he is no different from the adults at the banquet hall. If he could properly inform people of Hestia's influence and value...
'What if you don't come visit me anymore?"
Even though he knew there was no context, he felt such anxiety. So it was. He wanted Hestia to keep coming to him. In her lowly heart, he hopes that she will continue to rely only on him, just as he does himself. Aslan was worried that he might be disappointed if he found out about this insidious woman's true intentions. It shut him up and spared her words....
Because life in the capital was very boring, Aslan's life was very simple and repetitive. He wakes up, eats, practices, and then reads a book. Then one was added recently. It was a walk in the garden. To be exact, it was a habit he developed after meeting Hestia.
'Why are you looking at me like that?'
At first, he was curious about Hestia. After it became a habit, he was captivated by the scenery in seasons other than winter. After Aslan came to live in the palace for a few months, he noticed that various flowers were blooming there. Before Hestia left the palace, the gardener seemed to have taken very careful care of the trees. Even though there was no one taking care of them now, different flowers bloomed and fell every season, so there was no time to get tired of them.
"This is what flowers are like."
Aslan quietly looked at the flowers every day.
'Is there any way to convey this?'
He wanted to show everything he could see to his father and his friends. But it's just the wind. Aslan knew very well that it would be impossible if he did not drive out winter from Kalati. But unlike his reason, his troubled mind hardly calmed down. He wanted to share with them the hope he saw here.
'Shall I send it by letter?'
If you dry it well and enclose it... Just as these flowers gave him comfort, hope, and will, wouldn't his heart be conveyed to them as well?
He may be very tired, but spring will definitely come someday. Otherwise, She'll come find him, so just cheer up a little more. However, Aslan's hand, which had been holding the flower stalk so tightly as if he could break it at any moment, lost strength as if it were a lie.
"What's the point in sending it like that?"
Flowers, Spring is... It wasn't something that could be achieved that way. Moreover, although they are said to be in full bloom here, there is nothing as precious as flowers in the Duchy of Kalati. That's why he hesitated to pick flowers.
The more beautiful and precious something is, the more precious it should be treated, right? Aslan breathed heavily, clenching his fists as if to block his greed from escaping.
But why? Even though he knew she was really a stranger, Hestia's face suddenly came to mind. His grip on his hand gained even more strength... It was in the winter that progress began to develop in their relationship.
There were many people coming in and out of the palace since morning. However, the atmosphere was solemn, unlike other times. Even Aslan, who was not directly participating in the event, could feel it.
"Time flies. It's already been two years."
"That's right. Who knew that you two would go away in such vain?" "You
only feel sorry for your daughter, Saint Hestia."
"Don't say anything. Do you think they would have given up and left the little Princess alone in the world?"
Aslan belatedly found out that it was the day of the memorial service for Hestia's parents, the previous King and Queen.
Now that he knew about it, he briefly wondered if he should attend as well. But after much deliberation, he decided not to attend.
"It could be harmful to Kalathi."
He clenched his fists. Although he came to the palace as a hostage, in a way, he was also the representative face of Kalati. Since Aslan's every action touched Kalathi's reputation, he was reluctant to act carelessly. In any case, he was still immature, and Aslan humbly acknowledged that.
If he makes a mistake due to emotions, the treatment of Kalati will be worse than now. Day by day, the force of winter grew stronger, and the rejection of the people of the capital became more severe.
There will definitely be nobles who recognize him at the memorial hall.
'If someone provokes...'
He can tolerate insults to himself. However, if he ever heard people criticizing His family, friends, or Kalati, he couldn't bear it.
Aslan sighed and expressed his short condolences to the former King and his wife. Aslan was also well aware of the fact that Hestia's parents came to the North to lend a helping hand and suffered misfortune.
They were good people!
Before being brought to the capital by Yorgos, he had met the previous King and Queen who had come to Kalati as the heir to the Duke. They promised to do their best to support the North and help with reconstruction.
'They were people similar to Princesss's. But, Is it inevitable that parents and children will resemble each other?
Well, whatever.
They were the type of people who trusted others, and Aslan also felt their sincerity. So when he heard of the death of the previous King and Queen, Asian and his father, Wayne Kaliti, mourned with all their hearts.
"Because it doesn't matter where you commemorate. 'It's better than causing unnecessary trouble.'
Aslan did not want to disturb Hestia's heart. Even more so today.
"Whoa......"
Aslan let out a deep sigh to relieve his frustrated stomach. He felt as if the sky, which was always clear, had become particularly cloudy as if he had copied someone's insides.
'He won't come today.'
It will probably be crazy. Aslan moved his neck sharply as if trying to swallow his bitterness, then lowered his gaze to the sky. The only thing he wished for was that he didn't have to be sad so much....
Even though he thought she would not come, his body made sure to come out to the garden at dusk and wander around.
'It's foolish.
Even though Aslan was cursing himself, he could hardly leave the garden. He sat down on a bench with a clear view of the entrance and glanced up at the garden entrance several times every five minutes. He tried to concentrate on the book he was holding, but it wasn't easy. The single book in his hand was just an excuse, and not a single page was turned.
Even if he tried to concentrate, he couldn't even remember how far he had read, so he ended up reading the same paragraph over and over again. How much time did he spend alone like that?
'Let's just go in.
Just when he was about to give up and close the book. Hestia's voice, which I had been waiting for, was heard.
"How are you?"
Comments
Post a Comment