—Veranora’s Perspective

  The Garden of Luminaria was enveloped in silence.

  The flowers shifted from azure to crimson, and then, ever so slightly, toward gold. As the veil of night descended, the sky was dyed a deep bck, as if ink had been spilled across it. In contrast, the national flowers, blessed by the dragon, glowed even more vividly.

  —How rare.

  How long had it been since I stayed to witness the very moment the flowers' colors flickered and changed?

  Originally, these flowers were red. But ever since the Royal Family received the dragon’s blessing, they began to transition into gold. Nowadays, even that gold is seldom seen—it is a rarity even for my own eyes to behold. And azure? Even more so.

  ...And yet.

  The throbbing in my chest still hasn't subsided.

  I conjured a small fme at my fingertip. A red-gold ember, the same hue as the petals. Usually, I would extinguish it immediately and return to my duties. But today—for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to let this fme go.

  (...What exactly is it that I am wishing from him?)

  It began as a mere whim, a bit of my own selfishness.

  A marriage proposal was supposed to be nothing more than a piece of political maneuvering. Many would bare their teeth in hostility if I rejected them, while others would plot to seize the kingdom if I accepted. Time and again, I had sent away such "suitors" who offered nothing but empty heat.

  I had reached the point where I was even bored of turning their letters into ash.

  Then, my eyes happened to fall upon—

  "Him." The one who was bowing his head so faithfully, both today and back then.

  A straightforward knight. His awkwardness—the way he wouldn't even try to look at my face—caught my attention for some reason.

  "You... why don't you become my consort?"

  To think those words would cause such a massive ripple.

  ...I surprised even myself.

  "But still—I cannot help but wonder."

  Ray Barriston.

  The sword of Left Minister Barriston. Until now, I possessed no information beyond that.

  The first time we had ever even exchanged words was during that audience. If I recall, it was a report regarding a powerful monster that had appeared in the outskirts...

  His handling of the situation was perfect. He showed no signs of agitation and stood with a firm, resolute posture.

  ...But immediately after, he left as if he were fleeing.

  That remained strangely vivid in my mind.

  Certainly, his voice had trembled ever so slightly. Yet, his response had been a proper, "As you command."

  (...Why does his heart waver so much?)

  And—those eyes.

  I softly rested my fingers against the single earring on my earlobe.

  It was something from my childhood.

  I used to pull my hat down low to look like a boy, hiding my hair so I could sneak out of the castle. The city I was meant to protect... I loved the Luminaria that bloomed in that town, so different from the ones in the Royal Castle, with an uncontainable affection.

  But there, I encountered them—thugs who appeared to be intruders.

  The one who saved me from being kidnapped was a "boy" around my own age. With his small body, he desperately threw himself at the thugs and took my hand to run.

  The strength of his hand at that time was so powerful it felt as though my bones might break. But knowing he was protecting me with such desperation made me truly happy from the bottom of my heart.

  Upon parting, I gave him a royal treasure—one half of a pair of earrings. Valdis scolded me to death for it ter...

  But even so, there was no lie in my resolve at that moment.

  I believed that, someday, he would find me.

  "...If it were possible, I would like to meet him again."

  The words I murmured dissolved into the light of the Luminaria and vanished.

  —Only one blossom remained azure.

  As I stood by that flower, I found myself thinking.

  I cannot forget. Those clear, blue eyes.

  Ray’s eyes are different.

  They are eyes tinged with crimson.

  They are beautiful in their own right—but they were slightly different from that "boy." The boy’s eyes were a blue like the deep sea.

  However, the silver hair. Both that boy back then and the lineage of the Barriston family—all of them possessed that brilliant silver.

  (...Is it worth verifying?)

  I stroked the earring once more.

  I was the one who "chose" him.

  If that is the case, I will have plenty of opportunities to find out.

  (...This engagement, which was supposed to be a whim, might not have been a mistake after all.)

  The fme at my fingertip danced softly in the wind.

  The fire I had intended to extinguish... I decided to let it burn, just a little longer.

  "...Come to see me again, Ray."

  As I whispered those final words, the single Luminaria that had been dyed in azure quietly changed its color to crimson.