Before them stretched a long-tiled walkway beneath an arcade gallery. The wide path, about ten meters across, was flanked by massive pillars that reached beyond the walls they nearly touched, leaving no space to pass between.
Movement was restricted to the tiled walkway. The peculiar arrangement of the architecture disrupted the palace's aesthetic, giving the impression of a strategic rather than decorative purpose.
Between each column and the next row lay beds of colorful tulips, brightening the space with their natural charm. Tulips? At this time of year? Shiro wondered. A seasoned farmer, he knew these flowers bloomed in spring, yet summer had long settled in.
The prolonged cherry blossom season had already baffled scientists, who struggled to explain the phenomenon, especially with the scant rainfall. And now tulips in summer?
