That night, I had a dream.

A garden of red ruby flowers shimmered in the sunlight. I stood in the midst of it, gazing up at a massive lighthouse. The lighthouse, white as ivory, emitted a mysterious light as it rotated.

It was radiant. Beautiful.

Suddenly, I found myself holding a blue crown. I slowly placed the crown on my head as the swirling lights poured down upon me.

It felt like being in the spotlight on a theater stage.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew. A tremendous gust roared from afar, rushing toward me.

Startled, I shut my eyes tightly, but the wind that brushed against me was incredibly cool and refreshing.

At the end of the chilly breeze, a paper airplane arrived.

A letter I had brought… folded into a paper airplane.

As I reached out, the folded paper unfurled.

‘Dear Selena,’

…Come meet me.

* * *

I woke up. The complicated night had passed, and the dawn light shone on me.

Jane, sleeping peacefully, was visible through my trembling eyelids.

Oh, how I missed Aiden.

Slowly, I rose from the bed, threw on a light coat, and left the room.

Of course, I wasn’t heading to where Aiden was sleeping. As much as I wanted to see him, he would be with Priest Ian, so I resisted.

Being a considerate adult.

Instead, I wanted some fresh air.

Yesterday, I noticed there was a garden in the yard. Maybe I’d explore that a bit.

I carefully opened the front door. The wooden door creaked, but not loudly enough to wake anyone.

Phew, that startled me.

Just as cautiously, I closed the door behind me. The early morning light made the dew on the grass shimmer.

As I stepped onto the grass, the dew dripped into my low-cut shoes.

Soft, cool, moist sensations.

Ah, it felt good.

I walked on, smiling broadly, stepping onto the cushy grass, heading toward the small garden I had glimpsed the day before.

But someone had gotten there before me.

Someone was crouched in front of the small garden. It wasn’t hard to tell who it was.

With such beautiful platinum blonde hair, there couldn’t be anyone else in the world but you.

“Aiden…?”

At my call, Aiden slowly turned his head toward me. His round eyes curved into a crescent moon smile.

“…Good morning, Miss.”

Yes. Good morning.

I slowly moved closer to Aiden, rolling up my skirt to avoid the dew, and sat down beside him.

“You’re up early?”

At the brief question, Aiden tilted his head slightly and looked at me. Then his pale, long fingers reached up to brush the hair from my forehead.

Always such a ticklish feeling.

“I didn’t think anyone would come to wake me.”

Ah, that tickling sensation.

Aiden gave a relaxed smile, resting his chin on his arm on his knee.

His round eyes on his white face. His long eyelashes are beautiful. His forehead exposed between his tousled hair is round, and his lips, shaped in a graceful curve, are red.

It was lovely. Just looking at him was overwhelming.

You were so lovely.

“Jane’s family… do they seem happy?”

“Yes. They seemed happy.”

“…Last night, Jane said that family is still made up of strangers. She said there’s always a gap between people. But the foundation is love…”

Aiden didn’t speak. He looked at me with gentle eyes, waiting for me to continue with his gaze.

“Even if a family isn’t perfect, they understand and love each other. So, if we do our best to love each other, we don’t have to be afraid…”

Somewhere, a bird’s song could be heard. The dew touched my ankles, and your eyes were on me.

“If we get married and do our best to love each other… and if, at some point, we’re ready to love other things as well…”

Wouldn’t we then have no need to be afraid beyond that?

I trailed off, leaving the unfinished thought to be filled by someone’s breathing.

Whose breath was it? Yours? Or mine?

The eyes that had been looking only at me slowly hid their gaze. The shadow of your eyelashes darkened with a red hue.

Tears glistened on the red rims of your eyes. Transparent and clear, like the morning dew on the grass.

“Yes.”

Falling.

Tears crossed over his white cheeks.

Under the softly open eyes, his gaze, like the morning sun, was moist.

“Yes. Don’t be afraid, and do your best to love. Love yourself, me, each other… and… everything we have.”

Aiden’s hand caressed my cheek. Only then did I realize.

Ah, I was crying. Not just you, but I was crying, too.

It was quite funny.

To be so absorbed in your tears that I didn’t even realize I was crying, too.

With a faint smile, I lifted my hand to Aiden and gently brushed his white cheek.

“Let’s love each other to the best of our abilities. Even now. And in the future.”

It was an overwhelming confession. Your confessions always made my heart race.

My heart pounded, my fingertips trembled, and my throat felt hot.

You… are so lovely.

* * *

Morning arrived.

Although Aiden and I had woken up a little earlier, the true morning began only after everyone else was awake.

Jane watered the small garden with a watering can. The two little ones, their heads like crow’s nests, followed Jane around closely.

Like chicks trailing behind a mother hen.

I waved to the child named Gianna. After hesitating for a moment, the child ran over to me.

Ah, it reminded me of Eunji when she was little.

Lost in memories, I brushed the child’s hair, braiding it neatly and tying it with a pretty sky-blue ribbon, which made the child beam with joy.

From the small house’s kitchen came the sounds of cooking, accompanied by the murmurs of a couple.

It was strange. It had been quite a while since I had seen such a scene.

Well, I didn’t experience such peaceful daily life in my past life… but still, there was something nice about this simple and endearing feeling that you wouldn’t find in a noble household.

Of course, enjoying peace on a plush, massive bed in a materialistic society isn’t bad either.

No, it’s actually wonderful.

Materialism is the best.

But sometimes, this kind of tranquility isn’t so bad either.

* * *

Breakfast concluded in the same quiet atmosphere as dinner the previous night.

Having a meal with a Lady must have been as nerve-wracking as being unexpectedly invited to a boss’ dinner, making it difficult for Jane’s family to speak freely.

It felt a bit uncomfortable, as though I had crashed an otherwise harmonious family meal after a long time.

By the way, this house’s vegetable soup was amazing.

With breakfast finished, it was soon time to set out for the real first destination of this trip.

Before leaving after a simple cup of tea, Jane took her father’s hand and spoke.

“Father, the Lady is looking for the ruby flower garden.”

“The ruby flower… is that the blessing of the gods?”

“Yes. The blessing from God that used to bloom at the edge of the village forest. I don’t know the exact location, so I can’t give proper directions. But you know where it is, don’t you? We used to visit there sometimes as a family to see the flowers.”

As Jane continued speaking in her lively voice, her father’s expression gradually became more serious. When Jane finally stopped talking, his face was marked with unmistakable worry and discomfort.

What’s going on?

A sense of unease began to creep up from below my throat.

‘Come find me.’

I need to find it, but why the unsettling reaction?

Just as I was clenching my trembling fists, her father, who had been scratching his forehead with a troubled look, seemed to make up his mind and started speaking.

His voice as he spoke of it was filled with sorrow.

* * *

Inside the rattling carriage, Selena and her group were silent. Selena maintained her silence, staring into the distance, while the others kept quiet, trying to gauge her mood.

‘I must find it.’

As Selena murmured about the red flowers, the blue crown, and the white lighthouse, everyone clearly remembered the details.

The desperation reflected in her eyes as she gazed off into the distance.

Jane sighed deeply while looking into Selena’s face.

She had tried to sigh quietly, but the sound was so loud that it echoed through the quiet carriage.

Jane quickly closed her mouth and anxiously watched Selena, trying to gauge her reaction.

However, Selena remained completely unresponsive, as if the sigh had never reached her ears. Her indifference was so absolute that Jane’s concern seemed almost trivial.

“Miss…”

Jane looked at Selena and then tightly shut her eyes. Through the tightly shut view, her father’s gloomy voice was audible.

‘The thing is… the flowers haven’t bloomed.’

The flowers haven’t bloomed? Why on earth not?

Why this year of all years…!

Our miss, who thought the extent of her outings was just her front yard, had spent over a day and a half in the carriage searching for these flowers.

Even after just two hours in the carriage, our Miss would have complained about her bottom aching…

Moreover, the conversation they had last night before going to bed was quite significant, wasn’t it?

Seeing the Miss pick at her breakfast with worry that they might have been too heavy with their conversation, and now this added complication—it was truly overwhelming.

“Didn’t even a single flower…bloom?”

Selena had been gazing out at the distant scenery and now finally spoke. Jane immediately opened her eyes wide and shook her head vigorously.

She shook her head so energetically that the front of Ian’s hair, who was sitting next to her, fluttered with her motions.

Meanwhile, Selena, the intended recipient of the response, remained fixed on the distant void outside the window and didn’t notice Jane’s fervent head shaking.

“It must have bloomed. Even in a poor harvest, wheat still grows. Maybe it didn’t bloom much, but it should definitely be there. That flower… is a…blessing from God!”

Jane hurriedly continued, though she felt her explanation sounded odd. She couldn’t stand not saying anything, but it seemed that her strange justification wasn’t entirely futile.

“Blessing from God…”

Muttering this, Selena finally turned her gaze back into the carriage.

The three of them who had been anxiously observing only the side of her face since leaving Jane’s house let out a collective sigh of relief.

__