CICN Chapter 8

 

 

Ivy slowly reached out towards the gravestone.

Of course, it was a name she had never heard before, belonging to someone she didn’t know. There’s no way anyone she knows would have a grave on these palace grounds.

Still, Ivy felt a pang in her heart as she looked at the gravestone.

Her small, slender fingers brushed away the dry leaves that had settled on the gravestone.

She felt a need to somehow clean it up.

Usually, gravestones would have inscriptions about the person, describing who they were and the life they lived.

But this gravestone had none of that.

All it had was a name.

So Ivy felt a sense of sadness.

Who was this person? Why does she have a grave here?

Then her gaze fell on a smaller gravestone next to it.

There, too, a name was inscribed.

 

[Yvien]

 

The moment she saw that name, Ivy withdrew her arms.

Strangely, she felt a mix of sadness and sorrow.

After staring at the small gravestone for a while, Ivy shook her head.

 

“…I should go back.”

 

It was said that when the evening meal time passed, a bell would ring to signal curfew.

Therefore, it would be best to return as soon as possible. But…

 

‘Wouldn’t it be okay until the bell rings?’

 

She had left the noisy dining hall early, so there was still some time before the bell would ring.

 

‘But what am I supposed to do here?’

 

Then, Ivy noticed the white flowers blooming all around.

 

‘Everyone brought flowers to the graves.’

 

She often saw bouquets placed in front of gravestones as she passed by.

Even though these were the graves of strangers, it felt somehow sad to just leave like this.

Ivy set her bag down and approached the nearby bushes. Luckily, the white flowers were in full bloom.

She crouched down and began to pick the flowers one by one.

The gentle breeze continued to brush against Ivy’s head and back.

Soft and affectionate, as if caressing her.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

Clois was walking slowly through the forest.

The forest between the palace and the academy was once part of the palace grounds and open to everyone.

But now, it was accessible only to Clois.

He had chosen to bury his wife and daughter here.

For generations, it had been customary for members of the royal family to be buried in imperial tombs a short distance from the capital.

Clois wanted Lillian and Yvien to be buried there, too.

But the elder officials objected, saying that since they were not officially on the imperial family tree, they could not enter the imperial tomb.

Clois was dumbfounded. To think that not being consecrated within the palace meant they couldn’t be recognized as part of the imperial family.

Usually, when a royal marries, both the royal and their spouse are recognized, but Clois and Lillian haven’t been.

Their marriage had been against the wishes of his father, who had arranged a different match for him.

But Lillian didn’t seem disappointed by not being recognized. She seemed almost relieved.

It was as if she didn’t want it.

So if Lillian couldn’t receive recognition, it was only natural that Yvien, born during the war, couldn’t either.

But she was his wife, and Yvien was his daughter.

Yet they couldn’t be laid to rest in the royal tombs.

 

“Well, it seems you’re right.”

 

Clois spoke as if stepping back, causing the elders to puff up with satisfaction, believing that the new emperor was listening to their opinions.

However, his next words shattered their brief arrogance.

 

“They’re my wife and daughter. It is only right that they stay by my side.”

 

With that, Clois went ahead and created graves for the two in the palace forest.

He then expelled all those who opposed him.

Only then did the elders remember that he was the one who had killed his brother and ascended to the throne.

After that, the forest became a place only Clois could enter.

Now, with spring in full bloom, Clois pushed through the overgrown bushes.

Having been away for days, he expected a layer of fallen leaves.

He planned to stay here until late tonight, tidying up the surroundings.

After walking for a while, Clois finally spotted the gravestones and immediately noticed something unusual.

The top of the gravestone was unusually clean, as if someone had cleaned it beforehand.

As he glanced around, he noticed a small bag lying nearby.

In that moment, Clois’s expression sharpened.

 

‘Who dares!’

 

Except for when the grave was first made, no one had approached this place in the past few years.

In fact, there was no way to approach it.

People could only enter this path through the forest through a guarded entrance.

Only small animals like birds and squirrels were occasionally seen.

As Clois was about to shout in anger, he noticed something on Lillian’s gravestone.

Clois hurriedly approached the gravestone, fearing that someone might have caused trouble.

 

“……Flowers?”

 

There was a round wreath made of white flowers.

It was clumsily made, but one could see that care was taken to ensure that the flowers were not damaged.

As Clois looked at the wreath, he felt choked up.

The flowers planted around the grave were wildflowers that Lillian loved.

When he used to spend time with Lillian in her domain, she would often pick these flowers, make a wreath, and place it on his head, laughing.

Honestly, Clois and wreaths didn’t really go together. But seeing Lillian’s smiling face made him happy, so he would always wear the wreath she gave him without complaint.

Lost in memories, Clois snapped back to reality.

There was no way Lillian could be here. He needed to quickly find the unknown intruder.

As he raised his head…

 

“……!”

 

A large white bouquet of flowers appeared in front of him.

And a small girl with a surprised look on her face.

Ivy was taken aback.

Initially, she had only intended to make a small bouquet when she picked the flowers.

But before she knew it, her hands were making a circular wreath.

 

‘I’ve never made one before.’

 

She had previously attempted to make a wreath with wildflowers while at the orphanage. But making a wreath was harder than she thought. So she failed repeatedly.

But strangely, today she found it easy to do the parts that had always been difficult before. It was as if someone were instructing her.

As she came to her senses, Ivy found that she had completed a large wreath in her hand.

Ivy placed the flowers in front of the gravestone with Lillian’s name, and then went around to pick up more flowers.

She also wanted to leave flowers in front of Yvien’s grave.

Even though there were many flowers, she felt sorry to pick newly blooming ones, so she chose flowers that were in full bloom and about to wither.

As a result, she found herself going deeper into the forest. Before she knew it, her hands were full of flowers.

 

“Should I make these into wreaths too?”

 

With her arms full of flowers, Ivy returned to the grave.

As she approached, she noticed someone kneeling next to the grave, examining the wreath.

 

‘Who is that?’

 

Despite the growing darkness, she could see short strands of golden hair sparkling like sunlight.

An adult man.

The realization made Ivy freeze.

Adult men scared Ivy.

It was due to the innkeeper couple, who had abused her until she was five.

The husband always raised his hand to Ivy, hurling harsh words and hitting her depending on his mood.

Furthermore, in both the hot summer and the cold winter, he would drive her outside to earn her keep.

As a result, she had to clean the stables in the summer without drinking enough water, and in the winter, she had to wade through frozen streams and wash clothes in cold water.

If her hands slowed down even a little, the innkeeper’s displeasure would come down to her. It was natural for her to miss meals.

So sometimes, after everyone had gone to bed, she would pick up bread crumbs from the inn’s floor to survive.

As memories of the past flooded back, Ivy felt cold sweat trickling down her back.

 

‘Should I sneak away?’

 

However, her bag was lying near the man.

Inside were her newly received school uniform ribbon and other small items.

She couldn’t leave it like this. How could she explain losing the items she had just received?

 

‘I’m scared…….’

 

Just as she was about to turn back and consider returning tomorrow, a warm breeze brushed past her, comforting her back as if to reassure her.

As the fear dissipated along with the breeze, Ivy became curious about who the person who had come here was.

Summoning her courage, she approached the man.

As she stood before him, the man slowly raised his head. His shimmering golden hair fluttered, and his blue eyes met hers.

 

“…….”

“…….”

 

For a moment, they stared at each other without speaking.

Ivy had been taught that it was impolite to stare at someone like this, but she couldn’t look away.

For some reason, she felt a sense of relief, as if she’d met someone she’d been waiting to see for a long time.