There is no flower with one leaf (1)
When I came out after finishing my private meeting with the Emperor, the chief chamberlain was waiting for me.
"Follow me."
Did Kjer go out first?
As I followed the attendant, absentmindedly thinking, something felt strange.
"Are we there yet?"
"We will arrive soon."
The beautifully maintained garden continued on. It was obvious to anyone that this was not the path leading to the entrance.
I stopped walking and asked.
"Are you sure we're leaving now? I don't think I walked this long when I came in."
"... I encountered a slight problem on my way here, so I am turning back."
If that were the case, he would have asked for my understanding first.
Why are you lying? I gripped my cane tightly with an ominous feeling.
"Please put down my cane and call the young lord."
"Young Lady."
"Should I scream?"
"Actually..."
The moment the attendant opened his mouth, a languid voice interrupted.
"What's going on?"
I turned my head in surprise, and inside the garden, at an old-fashioned table, someone was sitting with his legs crossed.
Ash-black hair, cold silver-gray eyes, and perfect facial features that look like they were painstakingly sculpted by a God.
He looked exactly like the Emperor, but he had a more flashy air than a sharp one.
The attendant put down my staff and stepped back.
"Your Highness the First Prince."
1st Prince Kalit Busha Antiete, it was my first time seeing him in person.
"This is the Young Lady Millenia Astrod."
Kalit's gaze lingered on me for a moment, then quickly withdrew as if he was not interested.
"But?"
"Lady Astrod has just returned from an audience with His Majesty. While I guide Lord Astrod here, how about spending some time with Your Highness?"
My mouth fell open in amazement.
"What are you doing now?"
The attendant lowered his voice and whispered softly.
"I will convey His Majesty's message. Even if you cannot become the First Prince's fiancée, you can still be his friend. This is not an order, but a recommendation."
"Yes?"
After the Emperor laughed out loud, he treated me as his guardian.
The lower part of the speech was changed to a semi-formal speech, and when calling me, instead of 'you', I was called 'the prophet'. Naturally, the topic of engagement with the First Prince was never brought up again.
So I thought the Emperor had completely given up, but you hit me in the back of the head like this?
"This is so annoying!"
"Your Highness. I will bring in Lord Astrod, so please take care of the young lady in the meantime. That's all for now."
"Wh, what Wait a minute!"
The attendant left on his own, leaving me alone.
If I want to change the future, Kalit is the person I absolutely must meet. I didn't know that day would come so soon, but...
A heavy sense of guilt rose up.
Because, aside from my family, the person who made me the most miserable in my past life was Kalit.
I couldn't even raise my head.
"Aren't you going to sit down?"
"..."
"Oh, right."
He stood up from his chair, muttering indifferently.
I didn't notice it when he was sitting, but he's incredibly tall.
Do you train separately? Your shoulders are thick like a knight's...
"Here."
He came closer, grabbed his cane, and led me to the table.
"The hand..."
It seems he has learned swordsmanship. The calluses on his hands were obvious.
"If you stretch your hand to the right, you will reach the chair."
He stared at me intently, his long eyes curving seductively.
"Can you please sit me down?"
Kalit had a reputation for being gentle and affectionate, greeting everyone with a smile.
But strangely, I feel creepy. It must be because I can't sense any emotion from that bright smile.
"I will sit down."
"Okay, then."
After giving a nonchalant answer, Kalit said no more.
I just stare at the chess board on the table as if I've forgotten my own existence.
I followed his gaze and looked at the chessboard.
Did you leave it alone? The black and white scores were similar.
'You're good.'
Suddenly, Kalit collected his chess pieces and lined them up in the starting formation.
"Shall we play a game of chess?"
It was a bit absurd, so I laughed.
"Your Highness, I cannot see."
"It's not like you've lost your head just because you think you've lost your eyesight."
"...!"
For a moment, my mind became dizzy.
The boy who comforted me.
I still remember clearly the conversation I had with the kid who first snuck into my bedroom.
"You want me to play chess? Are you blind too?"
"It's not like you can't think of something you lost your eyesight."
I naturally declined, wondering who he was teasing. But he didn't give up and eventually dragged me into the chess game.
And so the absurd game of chess began.
When I told him where to move the chess piece, the boy moved it for me.
Naturally, I had to remember the movements of the objects in my head one by one.
Then, when I started to get confused, the boy slowly explained the situation to me.
Because of this, there were times when I couldn't even finish one game in a day.
Then we left it as it was and resumed the match the next month when the boy came.
"Let's get started."
"Your Highness, I am sorry, but I cannot play chess."
"You don't want to be with me?"
"..."
Kalit was confident that I could play chess.
How did you know? I feel strange...
"That can't be true...."
I hastily denied the possibility that was slowly blossoming.
There's no way the Prince could be a benefactor.
"Catch the hundred."
It means that I will yield the initiative. My lips opened by themselves.
"The pawn..."
"Which pawn?"
"I will move the A2 pawn to the A4."
"I change the pawn from h7 to h5."
He moved the chess pieces with a simple gesture. Then he tapped the board twice with his fingertips.
Knock, knock.
It was my turn to attack. It was a boy's habit.
A chill ran down my spine and I grabbed my dress tightly.
"By any chance do you know that there was a party when I was chosen as a guardian?"
"There's no one who doesn't know that."
"Did you attend?"
"Of course. Aren't you going to leave it?"
"Oh, I'll put the h2 pawn on h4. Then you'll see me then."
"You didn't come out of the bedroom. Move the g8 knight to f6."
From the second step, even the way he moved the knight was boyish. Could Kalit really be my benefactor? Doesn't it seem too distant to see him that way?
In the end, I had no choice but to check. To see if there was a flower-shaped scar on his back.
"Do you know anything about wounds and scars?"
"I know to some extent."
"Then how can one get hurt and have a flower-shaped scar?"
His head, which had been fixed on the chessboard for so long, was finally raised.
Even though I had my eyes down, I could feel Kalit's gaze piercing my face.
"Why would our prophet be curious about such things?"
"Please answer first. Do you know?"
"A flower-shaped scar. This is the first time I've heard of it."
He denied it calmly, but I could see it clearly.
Kalit's languid smile disappeared in an instant.
This guy knows what a flower-shaped scar is.
'It wasn't Ian. It was Kalit?"
I had always been convinced that Ian was my benefactor, but I was starting to get confused.
Kalit is currently twenty-four years old.
So you're saying he came to me when he was twenty? Isn't that a bit old for a boy?
And how did you manage to sneak out of the palace once a month to come see me?
No, even if that's true, what happened in the desert really didn't make sense. After ascending to the throne, Oslo sent Kalit to a barren territory in the outskirts.
Although he was granted the status of lord, it was effectively no different from imprisonment.
It was all my fault, and yet you came all the way to the land of death to beg me not to die.
Does this make sense?
'But...'
Come to think of it, Kalit is only a year older than Ian.
Age alone was not enough to prove that he was not the boy.
Moreover, his habits are exactly the same as when he played chess with me.
Crucially, he knew the flower-shaped scar.
Would it be possible if Kalit wasn't that boy?
'What is correct?'
I was so confused that I even had some strange thoughts.
Could there be two benefactors?
That was when.
"Millenia!"
Oslo came running into the garden, accompanied by a familiar voice.
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