CHAPTER 5
With all this stress and pressure coming, I might as well take a break and go out for some fresh air. Just go and take a stroll in the garden.
I heard the garden in this palace reserved for my stay was well decorated and filled with crimson roses colored like Erza's hair in fairytail. Ah, yeah thinking about it, we have similar shade of hair, but well, I was sure mine's prettier.
Standing up and dusting my dress, I was about to take my Black feather fan when I remember, a daring maid wetted it in an 'accident'.
I just left it there while I asked permission of my mother. She only stared at the heavy pouring rain outside and gave a nodding approval.
"The weather is indeed nice for appreciating the flowers in the garden. I heard it was all rose, you should be careful with the thorns then."
"It is a garden in a palace mother, how can they make such carelessness when we are staying here."
"Well. Nevermind."
"Um."
Standing up and going out alone with an umbrella, the pouring rain feels nice as a background and the sound it makes was truly calming for me.
"Hmm."
I am stunned to see that the roses planted here is actually far more in quantity than when I first took a glimpse of it.
'Yo, they're quite dedicated in putting more than much here, no wonder the smell is wafting since from far away.'
I went closer to the place that actually caught my attention. I thought everything here was red and all but in the center of this maze rose garden was...
' a well? '
Not a fountain, but what the heck is this, why is a damn well here.
I mean they designed it so pretty it can reluctantly replace the fountains in my imagination but, what a surprise.
That's new.
What's more, it's unusual
In the marble they used to built this beautiful well, I saw a plaque in gold with italic bold and beautifully letters written.
'TO MY POISONOUS AND ENCHANTING ROSE FILLED WITH HER PROUD THORNS'
Welp there was even a tied rope in the support above the plaque. Oh, good surprise too, the material used in it, I was sure that it was the barn of the elf tree. And I was even sure that this surprised was all for me.
I tilted my head to the side and give a sarcastic smile.
"Wow, how fancy!"
The moment I uttered my words of 'good surprise', I confirmed that a gaze lingered on me for a bit too long.
Someone was watching and that must be my gift giver but oh well, I was too lazy to give a care.
Holding an umbrella and using my teeth to get off my other hand's glove. I was also pretending to be enthusiastic about the gift.
"Well, here we go~ at least, let us see the surprise, shall we, fufu."
The gaze brushed by me again, well, must have already noticed me noticing the existence watching judging by my sarcastic acts.
Loosening the tied rope, I used strength to lift up what's down below, it took some effort and less sweat as per the consideration of the weight.
When it was above, I tied the rope back again and was doing a scan.
It was rose again, but this time it was a big bouquet of two colors, red and purple, it was submerged in a mysterious clear pink liquid. It was adding beauty to the blooming flowers inside the opaque large container tied with the rope.
"Oh, oh, oh, what's this, what's this, it really makes me curious ~"
Using a mocking tone I got closer to it for a status checking but I touched it and, it actually disappeared, instead of a light panel's appearance' the container and pink liquid disappeared, the flowers floated then swiftly flew by my hands.
???
"I wasn't even planning to get it, is this forcing me to take it?"
I just held it and then got closer to the well. Oh then next? I just threw it down without any fancy feelings and turned my back, planning to return.
???
"What the... is this really forcing me to take an unwanted gift?"
Like magic, it returned back infront of me. And it swiftly rushed to my hands again.
"Whoever you are, why do you make such actions lacking since- oww!!"
Seeing down what hurt me, it was actually thorns.
".."
"Do you not know how to prepare a gift. Why do you not cut the thorns when you give me a bouquet of rose."
Really, lacking sincerety. And I felt chills on my necks all this time, what happened?
On the other side, a person was looking at the wide round mirror in a darkened room.
In the mirror was centering a red haired woman in a a bun holding an umbrella walking in the pouring rain, she was strolling in a maze garden filled with well-maintained roses.
She sways her lengthy hair accessories holding the hair gently and her gait was unhurried. Wearing black silk gloves and a simple dress, the umbrella was colored black. Her hips was also swaying and her heels were sounding clicks even within the rain.
The person can only see her back and not her front, but that was already enough to make him crazy, any man would. Only one comment to say in his mind, she grew way too well.
"It's worrying, she went in earlier than planned but it doesn't matter, it was built already anyways."
The gift was already there for her right in the center, it was built and prepared for two days later but now she may approach it two days earlier.
He watched her walk precisely to the well.
He wrote my short letter for her, if anything I would cover the whole thing with gold and inscript it with a lengthy letter of all the questions and greetings, but I can't be impulsive, what if she also forgot. But I wonder what my actions may amount to, if she ever remembers.
While the girl in the mirror was in a leisure walk he open the curtains slightly and open the fourth locked drawer of his office table.
He took out a medium framed painting. It was well maintained but still a bit dusted after staying here for four years. In it, was the image of three people, one adult and two younger ones.
He was the adult, a younger version, the 20 year-old him. By his left side, he was holding his carbon copy, his nine year old son who is five years younger with gray hair and dark pupils. By his right was a chair seated by a 13-14 year old figure, she has no face and the color for her wavy hair was not painted but just scribled in faint pencil for the purpose of volume.
If someone were to see this. picture, they would understand it as a couple and the son. But they would probably scold the husband to death for letting the 13-14 year old girl have a nine year old child. Calculating thirteen minus four is nine, and she got pregnant? Of course it is illogical, so they would assume, she may be his daughter or that maybe it was actually a young married stepmother.
Thinking that a majority would think like that, a few people can still assume that she really was the mother and wife but, she is forgotten or ignored and was still a last memory of a 13-14 year old girl. It actually makes more sense like that. And, as expected, it's true. He looked at it for a few moments with an expressionless face, a big contrary to his smiling expression in this painting.
He stood up and got closer to the mirror, stretched out a finger and carelessly but gently stroke the red hair in it, although he can only touch the flat surface of the mirror, it was more than enough.
But being easily satisfied like that, he was meant to aim higher, higher, way higher. He imagined, that there will come a time when the figure in the painting has changed to her more mature figure, that the face of the figure won't be white paper but the face that she has hidden behind her beautiful mask.
He woke up and all those short delusions ended, the delusions included his happy son who wore off the tasteless expression that he then always wore when he forgot everything. They both smile the happiest when she was there sipping tea with them.
"Nympha, even if you remember nothing, I'll drag you back home."
Stating so, he has ruthlessness and expectations in his eyes. Keep her locked up to stay forever with them in the paradise prison. He will give her everything, there is in his palace.
CONT..