"Oh my gosh, it's so beautiful..."
The hills were covered in purple, of course, but also in yellow, red, orange, and white. There were flowers as showy as roses, small, nameless wildflowers, and even pumpkin blossoms on pumpkin vines.
There was a small chapel on the hill, the exterior of which was very beautiful.
Una said, taking Violet's hand and leading her down the small path towards the chapel.
"They say the God of fire is two-faced. One side is strict and the other is tolerant. That's why the Kanik people draw the God of fire as a snake and a flower. It's not that one side is evil, but rather that there are two sides. Fire can look like a snake or a flower."
Violet intuitively knew that the God of fire was speaking through this child's mouth. She listened to Una's words while admiring the flowery hill that looked like a scene from heaven.
"Oh, so that's why they get those patterns tattooed. My husband also has a tattoo like that on his left shoulder."
"The strict side of the God of Fire is that he hates forming relationships with people who do not serve him, and he does not welcome mixed-bloods either."
"Oh, like that."
"On the other hand, the tolerant side is against it and is always willing to give a chance."
Una stopped, out of breath, looking up at Violet as she continued.
"Originally, the God of Fire gave the people of Alika the power to share the pain of others. However, due to some shamans who only use the strict side, the doors of Alika are gradually closing, the number of the clan is decreasing, and the unused power is disappearing."
"Hmmm..."
"I think the God of fire thought the Princess was the one Alika needed. And the Princess, too, respected other Gods without hesitation."
"Why was it me?"
"There may be many reasons, but one of them is that you prayed to be sick on behalf of the foreign boy who had collapsed on the street and was not embraced by his parents or his own clan."
"That's good news."
Una laughed and continued speaking at Violet's affectionate words.
"Right? That's why He gave many, many opportunities for understanding to those who believe in the God of Fire."
"That was a truly special gift. I am grateful."
"And the Princess saved the lives of many Kanik people outside of Alika, just as the God of fire had wanted. The miners of Calibon and their families, and the children you met on your way to Alika. You will save many more people in the future."
Violet, who had been quietly listening to the child, smiled affectionately.
"It seems the God of Fire truly loves my husband. It's because he gave me this opportunity."
"Yes. Just as the Princess's God loves the Princess."
"That is also good news."
Una, who was walking ahead, pointed to the chapel.
"Now go and save him one more time. Your husband has been spending a long time there, paying the price of his life given to him by the God of Fire."
Una, who had said that, disappeared somewhere at some point.
Violet looked at the chapel. It was a chapel that seemed to be a mixture of two cultures neither perfectly Rockround nor Kanik.
"What a beautiful place."
Violet continued walking towards the chapel, muttering to herself.
***
Hayel hesitated for a long time in front of Winter's office, wondering whether to go in or not. Anjali, who saw him, approached him and asked.
"If he's going to be locked up like that every year, why does he make such a fuss about the anniversary?"
Then Hayel sighed.
"That's for a month at a time. I thought he'd drink like that for a year or two, but I didn't know he'd keep doing it."
"The story of the CEO's remarriage is of interest to the whole country, but he doesn't meet anyone. He doesn't even go to see his wife, and instead, he just stays here and works."
"That's right. If you look at how much money he's pouring in, he probably hasn't forgotten about the Little Lady. If he keeps drinking and taking tranquilizers like that every day and working, he'll suddenly die one day. I'm more surprised he's still alive."
Winter bought a seaside hill, which was considered the most beautiful place in Rocrkround, at the southern end, and built a chapel on it. The walls of the chapel were adorned with all sorts of jewels and silks, and the casket was made of gold, emeralds, rubies, and pearls. Even the Bloomings and the Lawrences, who had recently been restored to royalty, said it was against etiquette to place Violet's casket there, but no one could break Winter's stubbornness.
After the funeral began, Winter, who had discovered that his wife had liked flowers, carried them by cargo ship to the shore where the chapel was, poured them all over the hill, and when they withered, threw them into the sea, and poured them again, repeating this meaningless act for a month. People whispered that even if Ash Lawrence, who had ascended to the throne again, died, the funeral would not last a month, but he paid no attention.
Even after that funeral, Winter made an absurd request that no flowers should wither on the hill for seven years, but he never went there once except on the day the chapel was first built.
After a while, Hayel, who had made up his mind, opened the office door and went in. The inside was filled with cigarette smoke, and Winter was working, as usual, on the many days around Violet's anniversary, drinking and taking medicine.
Hayel, who couldn't stand to watch any longer, shouted.
"CEO!"
"What."
"Rest."
"Go away."
Winter frowned and turned his gaze back to the papers. But Hayel did not back down and spoke.
"You never went to see her even once. You even showed up at her funeral."
"I've had a lot of work to do."
"I'll adjust your schedule, so just take a week off. Okay? Even other people think it's strange. They all gossip about how much you're going overboard."
"It would have been better if it had cost that much money."
"But still! You left the casket in a chapel on the southern end of Lawrence or Blooming, and you never visited it. You took your time. I was thinking of the company's image."
"..."
"I bought the train ticket."
Hayel placed the train ticket he had brought down in front of him. Only then did Winter put down his pen and stare blankly at the ticket, then quickly picked it up.
Seven years after his wife left, Winter first arrived at the chapel at the southern end of Rockround. Standing on the hill, he looked inside the chapel, which was deserted except for funerals. It was clean, with many people employed, but that was all.
As soon as Winter entered the chapel, he placed the box he had brought on the altar and collapsed on the long chair in front of it. After a long moment of silence, he opened his mouth.
"I haven't seen my parents in seven years. They never really looked for me. Well, that's what happened. So there's nothing to be upset about. Well... there's nothing to be upset about."
Winter muttered as he looked into the empty space and then turned his head towards the box.
"I don't know if this will make you feel better, but when I don't work for seven years, I can't stop thinking about you. I see hallucinations of you walking barefoot on ice. I follow your frozen footsteps. I wish the ice would break and I would sink with you."
Winter, who had been talking to himself, soon got up. It felt like all the air in the world had turned into seawater. It was so hard to breathe like this, he would rather die, but he thought there was nothing he could do to punish himself more than to endure and live here, so he endured and lived.
He had dropped her into a hell where her whole body would dry up if he stopped for even a moment, so if he escaped from there right away, his wife wouId be disappointed.
Winter said jokingly.
"You don't like me being here, do you? You wish I would disappear quickly?"
Then he smiled a little with a face that seemed to have been strained for a while to come to see his wife.
"If you don't like it, just say it. Get out. Please just say it."
Once he started thinking about it, he couldn't stop. No matter how much he cried, he knew she wouldn't come back, but he kept hoping. He felt like she was somewhere in the world. It was just that she didn't meet him, but he felt like she was living happily somewhere.
Even after seven years, he still couldn't accept his wife's death.
Winter took a deep breath, dug into his pocket, took out a bottle of medicine, and swallowed a tranquilizer. At that moment, he heard a noise from the door. Winter turned around to look at the door, and his body froze. Along with the scent of flowers, he saw his wife.
Violet approached him, who was unable to move.
"Oh, you were here?"
Winter couldn't answer even at her voice. He just stared at Violet as she stood in front of him.
Violet opened her mouth.
"I came to see you when you were young. What were you doing?"
"..."
"Winter?"
Violet bent down worriedly when he didn't answer, but Winter got up urgently and hugged her. Violet patted his trembling back in surprise.
"What's wrong? What happened? Where am I?"
Violet then began to look around the chapel. Her gaze followed the silk decorations with tiny jewels that circled the walls, and she came upon a large casket in the direction Winter was looking.
The name Violet Blooming was written on the front of the casket. Only then did Violet realize what illusion Winter was experiencing.
"Winter. I'm not dead. This is all an illusion."
"I know."
"It's not a dream."
"Tell me about that tomorrow morning."
After saying that, Winter slowly lets go of Violet. Then, he nodded to the chair as if telling her to sit down. As Violet sat down, Winter brought out a box from the chest. Inside the box was a fluffy-looking fur coat.
"The last time I saw you, you were barefoot. So I wanted to give you shoes the next time I saw you."
Violet had clearly come wearing shoes, but now she was strangely barefoot. Winter put on each of Violet's feet, carefully and gently, a pair of shoes. Violet looked at hi
and asked worriedly.
"How have you been?"
"In the meantime, the greetings."
Winter laughed, but after a long time, he opened his mouth.
"I wasn't happy."
"Is it so?"
"Yeah. I was relatively unhappy."
He said it jokingly.
Violet hesitated at his words and then answered.
"I thought you wouldn't care if I died. That's how I felt back then..."
"What kind of man in the world would be okay with his wife taking her own life?"
"That's right. Back then, I really... didn't understand you at all."
When Violet tried to soothe Winter's messy hair, he absentmindedly avoided her touch.
Violet smiled and pulled away. Only then did Winter belatedly grab her arm. Violet knew that the current Winter Blooming was the same as the seven-year-old Winter Blooming she had met. Like a puppy that had been abandoned many times, he was afraid of being touched, but even more afraid of being left behind.
In the past, she had thought that Winter hated her, so she had been hurt and had hidden for a while. If she had hidden, Winter would have panicked and tried to make more money. It was a vicious cycle.
Violet knew that Una had brought her here to rescue this man. It was clear that the God of the Kanik clan loved this man very much. He had given her a chance to rescue him here.
As she smiled, Winter, who was in the mood to joke, asked.
"I've never seen you look so bright before. Are you that happy without me?"
"That's not it."
Violet smiled and held out her hand.
"Let's go, both of us."
Then Winter, for the first time in seven years, laughed out loud and genuinely, took Violet's hand, and walked behind her, dragging along, saying.
"They say you shouldn't follow the calls of dead people."
"You're not going?"
"Who said I not to go?"
After Winter's response, the two quickly left the chapel. At that moment, they returned to the temple filled with darkness.
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