Why? Could she understand more by observing Inis a little longer? Hana wanted to keep watching her. Just watching Inis brought back old memories. Who else could give such feelings?

“Calden, is it really that urgent?”

“Not exactly urgent, but…”

“Then, let’s enjoy ourselves a bit longer. It was Inis’s wish, wasn’t it? If it’s not too urgent, why can’t we hold the banquet right here?”

Hana spoke without thinking and immediately regretted it.

The decision wasn’t hers to make.

She looked up belatedly at Weed, who was standing behind her. Sure enough, his expression was very stern. Calden coughed awkwardly and tried to look away. He then seemed unable to bear it any longer and made a gesture to leave.

“Please call me once you decide.”

And with that, he walked off quickly to where Inis was. For him, who felt uncomfortable around Weed, this place must have been like horns.

Once again, it was just Weed and Hana left alone. Hana looked up at him.

“Um, Weed…”

“Yes, Hana?”

As if nothing had happened, Weed’s face softened instantly. Though he relaxed his face, Hana was still caught up in the cold look in his eyes from moments before. She wondered if she had committed a great rudeness.

Thinking about it, Weed didn’t like humans. He seemed indifferent when observing other things, but he appeared to dislike humans quite a bit. Especially around Calden, he always seemed very displeased. He was even somewhat displeased about them staying here.

As Weed had said before, it was unusual for humans to stay this long in this place. Perhaps this situation was somewhat unusual.

But somehow, she felt like being stubborn this time.

Somehow, her heart was drawn to Inis. Perhaps it was partly out of sympathy, but she wasn’t interacting with her based solely on that feeling though. Seeing a child so happy and enjoying herself, and especially today, brimming with energy and joy.

Wasn’t this a good opportunity, if ever there was one?

It might be exhausting to expend so much energy on the journey back to the kingdom, and she might get sick after arriving. Given that they had a purpose for coming here, once they returned, they might be swept up in other matters.

Whether there would be another opportunity to hold a banquet was uncertain. Understandably, if she had always lived like this, it was clear why she was so eager now.

Furthermore, Inis clearly enjoyed being here and had been doing quite well so far.

Hana wondered how to make him agree more smoothly. No, just agreeing smoothly wasn’t enough. She hoped that even with humans around, he would enjoy their company. After all, this place was Weed’s home, and strictly speaking, as a foreigner, Hana was also human.

She glanced at Weed’s face, examining his expression. It didn’t seem like he was significantly upset, but he seemed to be subtly frowning….

‘Umm… What would Weed do in this situation?’

She absentmindedly recalled how they had lived for the past fortnight.

Looking back, it felt quite embarrassing. Honestly, she only remembered being irritable and whiny. And Weed had patiently endured it all.

It had started when the medication began to take effect.

For the next few days, she had to use a much stronger dose than usual, and she couldn’t come to her senses. To be honest, the process was almost torturously pleasurable. It was so unbearable that she couldn’t help but express her disgust. Weed had whispered endless apologies for how much she had cried.

Afterward, her mind floated away, and she couldn’t differentiate between dreaming and waking. No matter the intended use, poison was still poison. She frequently experienced intense pain that would wake her from sleep.

Each time, Hana would call for Weed, who, without a hint of complaint, would care for and soothe her.

She understood why only her feet were treated. Even just healing both feet had nearly cost her life. Without Weed’s pain-killing effects, she might have died of shock.

Frankly, she had been ungratefully irritable. She complained about the heat and, shortly after, about the cold and begged to be held. She would cry bitterly over the slightest irritation. He probably hadn’t slept properly at all.

Hana was particularly irritated when Weed brought her food, and she had no appetite. Nevertheless, insisting that she eat at least a bit to regain her strength, he was endlessly gentle.

Suddenly, she remembered what he had done during those times.

It seemed trivial, but after comforting her, Hana would lighten up, eat the food, and then fall back to sleep.

“Just this, Hana, okay?”

With a pitiful expression…

“Hana, I’m asking you, for me.”

He would gently touch her arms and shoulders and give her a kiss on the forehead.

“Ah, I’m glad you’re taking it. I really hope you feel better soon.”

So when she reluctantly accepted it, Hana would then see Weed’s face light up with a smile, unable to hide his joy. Then, a sweet floral scent wafted around them.

Honestly, she was swayed by his face. She felt like cursing out of sheer pain, but one look at his face and all complaints would vanish. How could someone smile like that? She ate more just to see that smile, even though she wasn’t hungry.

His pitiful expressions and his smiling face were lethal. It made her want to fulfill any request he might have.

‘So, if I do something similar… could it work?’

She hesitated at first, then grabbed his arm. Weed seemed taken aback, as if not expecting Hana to do that. Seeing him getting so surprised. Hana also felt embarrassed as they both realized each other’s faces turning red.

She tried to suppress the warmth spreading across her face and spoke up, clinging closely to Weed’s arm and looking up at him.

“Well, Weed. Let’s, let’s have a banquet. Okay?”

Weed stiffened, his eyes darting wildly. Hana tried again.

“Can’t we? I want to have fun and celebrate with you… ack!”

She was startled. Weed had suddenly pulled Hana into his arms and lifted her up. He quickly moved somewhere. Now that her feet were healed, it seemed he either forgot she could walk on her own or simply wanted to carry her.

Hana realized that Weed had silently agreed to her request as soon as they arrived at the dressing room, held in his arms. In fact, he seemed to have never really known how to refuse her. It appeared he was ready to head to a prepared banquet right then and there.

As Hana gave herself to him, she secretly let out a small chuckle. She had behaved childishly.

She had used Inis as an excuse. But in truth, it was what she had wanted all along. She wanted to wear a dress picked out by him, slip on shoes, wear necklaces and rings, and hold his hand.

Among the kind people here, she wanted to spend a noisy yet harmonious time with him.

So, for the first time in her life, she was stubborn about it.

23. End of Spring

Hana was lost for a while while looking through the array of dresses hanging loosely. She touched fabrics ranging from light and airy to heavy and luxuriously tactile. Since she was in no hurry, she decided to take her time, enjoying the sights.

It wasn’t just a simple row of hanging clothes.

Some dresses floated mid-air as if set up as part of a matched set. While others were so ornate, they seemed designed just for display rather than wear. Some even had transparent gemstones densely embedded along the hem, eliminating the need for separate jewelry.

Moreover, the place was peculiarly well-organized.

As she walked following the naturally transitioning colors of the dresses, the colors and styles suddenly shifted at certain points. She couldn’t recall how many times she repeated this route. Just looking around was fun.

‘Did I always enjoy these things so much?’

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