Odette grabbed Rion's hand and led the man into Anwen's room. From outside the window, they could see Anwen who was sitting curled up crying. Rion was shocked to see this.
"Do you know what you've done?" Odette asked, demanding a quick answer from Rion, but Rion just kept quiet. He does not know."You called Anwen the child of a snake and you said that Anwen was the bearer of calamity."
Rion instantly widened his eyes. His chest tightened and he forgot to breathe for a few seconds.
"I …"
Before Rion could finish his sentence, Odette pulled his hand again. This time, she took Rion to Trish's room and Rion was surprised again.
From the gap in the door that was not closed tightly, Rion saw Trish, who was applying salve to the wound on his shoulder. There were countless wounds spread randomly on Trish's body.
Rion's chest tightened again as he quickly realized that Trish was hurt like that because of him.
"Trish was badly hurt but he said that he's fine. It's because he doesn't want you to feel guilty."
Odette looked closely at Rion. The man's eyes were teary, and then, without saying anything, Rion left the place and Odette followed him. They were now on one side of the garden behind the palace, overlooking the roses.
Odette looked at Rion's back. She knew that she had made Rion sad, but she wanted Rion to understand how his situation affected those around him. Odette wanted Rion to understand that it was important to undergo treatment. All of that for the good of Rion himself and the people around him.
"Leave me alone," Rion said without turning around but Odette didn't comply.
"Rion, I can help you. Let me help you," said Odette.
"I don't need your help."
"You need it! Aren't you tired of living life like this? Don't you feel guilty when you unknowingly hurt those around you? Please let me help you."
Rion did not give any response. His eyes looked at the roses in front of him. Odette stepped up and stood next to Rion. She noticed the look in Rion's eyes as he looked at the roses in front of him.
Odette remembered Anwen's story about Rion who was forced to sentence Queen Rose to death, then remembered Lucifer's words, that he would kill everyone who wanted to hurt Rose. She felt that Lucifer's personality had something to do with the queen's death.
"Everyone makes mistakes," said Odette gently.
"But not everyone makes a fatal mistake like I did," said Rion with both eyes staring blankly.
A gust of wind swayed the roses and blew the strands of their hair.
Rion raised a hand and looked at his own palm. "Six years ago, I beheaded Rose with my own hands. This is a curse from Rose."
"Did you hear Rose cursing you?" asked Odette, which made Rion turn towards her. Odette continued her speech. "What if it turns out that Rose didn't curse you, wouldn't that mean you're accusing her?"
Rion's breath hitched. Odette's words seemed to rip a little part of his heart. He… accused Rose again?
"I don't know Rose, but you do. Do you think Rose was a person who would curse other people? Do you think she was a vengeful person?"
Rion remembered when he had gone to see Rose the night before the execution.
‘Do you regret what you did now? It's all right, I forgive you.' Rose's words echoed in his mind.
"No, she's a very forgiving woman," he answered sadly.
"Then stop thinking that Rose cursed you, and I can assure you that what you are experiencing is not a curse," said Odette confidently.
The girl smiled warmly and gently patted Rion's cheek, which took Rion by surprise.
"So let me help you," she said.
For five seconds, they were silent and locked eyes, until finally, Rion grabbed Odette's hand so hard that Odette felt pain.
"Ah. Rion, it hurts! What are you doing? Let go!" Odette winced in pain. Luckily, Rion quickly let go of her hand.
"I don't like lies and I hate liars," said Rion while watching Odette swaying her hand.
"What do you mean?" Odette furrowed her brows.
"You don't want to help me, you just want to go home," said Rion sarcastically, then turned to leave. But before taking his first steps, he turned slightly and said, "You are … so annoying."
Odette was silent. She looked straight at Rion's back as he continued to walk away. She thought about Rion's words, that she didn't want to help Rion, that she just wanted to go home.
Did Odette unknowingly do that? Odette did want to go home, but her desire to help Rion wasn't just because she wanted to go home, she really wanted to help the man.
***
The morning had come, Odette and Anwen, who were walking in the corridor, accidentally ran into Rion and Trish.
Rion was surprised when Anwen walked past him like she didn't see him.
"Anwen ..." Odette looked sadly, then immediately followed Anwen, while Rion could only sigh tiredly, his chest felt heavy.
He and Anwen drifted apart again, even though he had just felt that their relationship would soon return to the way it used to be, but he had messed things up.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Trish asked worriedly.
"Um." Rion looked at Trish, then remembered the time Trish was secretly treating his wound. He said, "Sorry and thanks."
His words confused Trish greatly. He wanted to ask why Rion apologized and thanked him, but the king had already walked into his room.
***
"This is the budget for the construction of the fort to the west." Trish placed a document on the king's desk.
A while ago, the fortress of Green Castle in the west was badly damaged by a natural disaster, and while Rion was in Green Castle, he would be supervising the construction. Now in Rion's hands was the total amount of money that had to be spent on the purchase of materials along with the wages for the workers.
"Trish, what exactly is that wall for?" Rion asked after a while. King Roland, his late grandfather, used to build the wall to keep out soldiers from one of the countries in the west, but now that country had made a peace treaty with Panthera, Rion felt that the wall was no longer needed.
"Instead of using this money to build a wall, I would prefer if we use it to change the shacks of the people behind the wall," said Rion.
Trish shared the same opinion as the king. He was always amazed by the decisions the king made for the people of the kingdom. The king always knew what his people needed more.