The Flower That Blooms in Winter
The winter day was so cold that even the memory of it had grown hazy. Her sister’s voice, gentle as always, drifted through the frost-kissed air.
“Irenie, my sweet Leni. Have you been causing trouble again? Everyone is looking for you.”
“I didn’t cause any trouble. I just came out to find a rose.”
“Look at you. Everyone is in such a panic because you disappeared. If that isn’t trouble, what is?”
Her sister smiled faintly.
“And you’re being silly. Where would you find a rose in winter? Flowers don’t bloom in this season.”
“That’s not true, sister. I’ve seen roses around here before. Sometimes they bloom even in winter.”
Before the curse had taken hold, Leni had been the notorious troublemaker of Myrdin. Yet even then, her older sister Alena had always been wise and mature beyond her years.
Since their mother had died giving birth to Leni, Alena had essentially taken on the role of mother for her.
“Alright. I’ll help you look for the rose. But once we find it, we go straight back. Understood?”
That day, too, when Leni had thrown a tantrum, Alena had simply smiled as if she couldn’t help but indulge her.
As far as Leni could remember, they had never found the rose that day.
The winter that year had been unusually harsh, far too cold for any rose to dare bloom.
Leni had stubbornly insisted she wanted to see one, and her sister, looking troubled, had wandered a little longer before finally gathering a handful of wildflowers.
“I’m sorry, Leni. I couldn’t find a rose for you. So look at these instead and cheer up, okay?”
It wasn’t a rose.
It was less red than a rose,
less extravagant than a rose,
and less fragrant than a rose.
Yet the way snowflakes had settled on those tiny petals had been strangely, heartbreakingly beautiful.
That flower was…
“…Priest Emil?”
Leni’s eyes flew open. She had woken from the dream without realizing it.
The fact that the name she had unconsciously called out was Emil made her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
Fortunately, no one was around.
It seemed Emil had not yet come to wake her.
Priest… he’s been so busy lately.
Ever since Alon Ricgard’s rebellion, Emil had only grown busier.
She didn’t know exactly what he was doing, but she had seen him speaking with Neil from time to time, and he often wandered through the halls of Iredain Castle.
It was probably all for her sake.
Leni was certain of it.
Because Priest Emil has always done everything for me.
That thought, at least, did not worry her.
She rose from the bed, straightened her clothes, and let her hair fall loose.
Emil would likely come to wake her soon, and she planned to ask him to brush her hair again, just like yesterday.
Her heart fluttered strangely at the thought.
“Excuse me…”
“Ah, Priest Emi—”
The moment she heard the voice beyond the door, Leni eagerly flung it open—only to be disappointed.
Standing there was not Emil, but her cousin, Roen Bloodfire.
“…It’s not him. It’s you, Roen.”
“Yes, it is I, Roen. It has been a while, Your Highness.”
Roen bowed with perfect courtesy.
Before the curse had manifested, back in Myrdin, she and Neil had often played with Leni. But now things felt somewhat awkward between them.
“Um… why are you here?”
The question might have sounded a little cold, but Roen simply lowered her head with her usual stoic expression.
“Sir Neil sent me. He said that since I am a woman, I could stay by Your Highness’s side at all times. He believes it would be best if I guarded you.”
It seemed Neil had done something unnecessary again.
Of course, Roen was a trustworthy escort, but Leni had grown quite content with her current life spent alone with Emil.
“I don’t need…”
“Pardon?”
Leni had muttered it under her breath, but she had no choice but to let Roen in.
“…Come inside for now.”
Roen entered with a bow, then noticed the comb on the table and Leni’s loose hair.
“Your Highness. Shall I brush your hair for you?”
“No… that won’t be necessary.”
Leni refused firmly.
She didn’t want anyone but Emil touching her hair. She would rather do it herself.
“But if you leave it like that, won’t it look bad when Priest Emil arrives?”
“Ugh… what does that have to do with anything?”
Leni answered grumpily.
But Roen’s next words left her completely flustered.
“Does Your Highness not like Priest Emil? You should look beautiful in front of him.”
Leni was momentarily speechless. Then, in a rare burst of volume, she cried out.
“Wha—Roen, what are you even saying!”
Roen tilted her head in confusion.
“Am I mistaken?”
“No, like him… I mean, why would you even think that? I-I’m not…”
“Why? Because Priest Emil is incredibly handsome.”
Roen spoke as if stating the most obvious fact in the world.
Leni was rendered speechless once again.
“W-what are you talking about?”
“I mean his appearance. He is exceptionally good-looking, is he not? And he has saved Your Highness multiple times. So naturally, I assumed you would like him. Was I wrong?”
The sheer absurdity of the statement helped hide Leni’s embarrassment.
Of course, there had been times when looking at Emil’s smile made her chest feel strangely tight. But…
“No, I… it’s not like that.”
“Are you being sincere, Your Highness?”
Roen suddenly began speaking with grave seriousness.
“I have looked into Priest Emil’s eyes. I swear, the first time I saw them, I thought I was gazing upon an angel from the holy scriptures. Those golden eyes were so beautiful. And that smile… it made my heart feel as though it would sink. If I were in Your Highness’s position, I would not have been able to resist falling for that smile.”
The way Roen spoke made Leni strangely self-conscious.
Just thinking about that smile made her cheeks burn and her chest flutter.
“I-I’ve never thought of him that way…”
“Could it be that Your Highness has poor eyesight?”
Roen sounded genuinely puzzled.
“No, but… Priest Emil is a priest. To like a priest…”
Leni finally gave in, her voice shrinking to a whisper as her face turned bright red.
Roen, however, simply returned to the original topic as if nothing had happened.
“So, will you truly not have your hair brushed?”
“Ugh… brush it.”
Roen nodded quietly, picked up the comb, and began gently brushing Leni’s hair.
Leni felt as though she had somehow been tricked by Roen’s tactics, yet the knight remained utterly serious.
As she sat still, letting Roen comb her hair, a thought suddenly occurred to her.
“Hey… do you think there might be roses blooming somewhere?”
“Roses, you say. Are you planning to give one to Priest Emil?”
“Roen, stop talking about that…”
Leni glared at her resentfully.
Roen answered in her usual deadpan tone.
“Iredain’s winters are relatively mild. It is possible that a late-blooming rose remains somewhere. Shall we look for one?”
“Yes… it suddenly came to mind.”
The dream of her sister from earlier had resurfaced.
In the end, they had never found a rose that day, but…
“Then let us search together. I will find a beautiful rose for you to give to Priest Emil.”
“Roen!”
Because Roen delivered even jokes with a completely serious face, it was impossible to tell whether she was teasing or not.
Leni flushed with embarrassment and snapped at her.
“Your Highness, have you found anything?”
“No… I can’t see any flowers. What about you, Roen?”
Roen shook her head.
Leni continued wandering around Iredain Castle with a disappointed expression, searching for roses.
But all she found were dry wildflowers and weeds. The season had already turned to winter, after all…
“Ah.”
Someone called out to her.
When she looked up, she saw Daisy.
Daisy had been chatting with the maids. The moment their eyes met, she stared at Leni with open hostility.
“…Why are you here?”
“I’m looking for flowers.”
“Flowers? What kind? Violets?”
“No. Roses.”
The mention of flowers seemed to anger Daisy even more.
“How did you even know about this place… I don’t know what scheme you’re plotting, but go somewhere else! This is my flower garden!”
My flower garden.
If one followed that logic, was there any flower garden in Iredain that didn’t belong to Daisy?
But Leni didn’t argue. She simply turned to leave.
“Roen… let’s go somewhere else.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
It didn’t seem like there were any roses here anyway.
The two moved to another part of the castle grounds and continued their search. But flowers remained elusive.
“Roen, any luck?”
“None, Your Highness.”
After wandering a while longer, they encountered yet another person.
“Oh my, Leni… Your Highness.”
“Lady Cately…”
Cately, too, looked visibly uncomfortable upon seeing Leni.
But she quickly composed herself and regarded Leni with a confident expression.
Sometimes that woman would smile for no apparent reason.
A smile that seemed to say, No matter what you do, Emil is mine.
“Greetings, Your Highness. By the way, are you getting along well with Priest Emil?”
“Yes. Priest Emil is doing well, madam.”
“Well, of course. Priest Emil is always so full of energy. Really, it’s almost… troublesome.”
Just like now.
As if they shared some secret that only the two of them knew.
Leni found the attitude incredibly irritating.
“Then I must be going. I came out to look for roses.”
“Roses… Oh dear, has some romantic wind blown through Your Highness’s heart? Are you perhaps planning to confess your love to Priest Emil?”
Cately spoke with a hint of mockery.
“Out of concern, I should warn you—Priest Emil isn’t particularly fond of flowers. Don’t you think that’s rather childish? He might prefer something more mature… something more intimate.”
She smiled as if she were the one capable of giving such a gift.
Irritated, Leni shot back.
“Priest Emil would like any flower I give him. I don’t know about other women, though.”
Cately’s expression immediately soured.
“Of course Priest Emil is kind, so he would gladly accept any gift, but—”
“I’m not so sure. Roen, let’s go.”
Leni blatantly ignored Cately and turned away.
She could feel a sharp gaze boring into the back of her head, but she paid it no mind.
“…I really hate that woman.”
“It certainly appears so.”
When Leni grumbled, Roen chimed in beside her.
Leni let out a long sigh and shook her head.
“Let’s just look for the roses.”
She was starting to get genuinely annoyed.
Daisy, Lady Cately, Iredain—everything was beginning to feel unbearably tiresome.
Leni wandered for a long time.
“…Ah, Your Highness! I found one!”
Roen had finally discovered a rose.
But it was far from beautiful.
Most of its petals had already fallen, and the few that remained were wilted and lifeless.
The color had faded to a dull dark red, and it gave off almost no fragrance.
Leni spoke with clear disappointment.
“It’s withered…”
“I apologize. Shall I search for another?”
Leni shook her head.
She no longer wanted to trouble Roen any further.
“It’s fine. Let’s head back.”
With a heavy heart, Leni turned around.
The weed-choked fields felt tiresome.
The smell of dirt on her hands from pushing through bushes felt tiresome.
In the dream, her sister had been with her.
But now, even that was gone.
That day we couldn’t find a rose either, but at least sister was there. And that flower. It wasn’t a rose, but it was really pretty.
She tried to recall what kind of flower it had been, but the memory remained fuzzy.
It had definitely been a flower with pale pink petals,
small yet elegant in its own way.
Surely that flower was…
“Your Highness?”
Someone placed a hand on her shoulder from behind.
She nearly cried out in surprise, but when she turned, she saw Emil standing there.
“Priest…!”
“You were with Roen. I heard the general situation from Sir Neil. Ah, that’s right. I have a gift for you, Your Highness.”
“A gift…?”
“Yes. Take a look at this. A few were blooming in the frost, and they made me think of you, so I brought one.”
What Emil pulled from his robe was a single small flower.
Winter’s Late Bloom
A delicate flower that defies the cold, blooming when all else has withered.
Its gentle pink petals carry a sweet, nostalgic fragrance.
“Ah…”
It wasn’t a rose.
Its color was too pale to be called a rose,
it wasn’t nearly as extravagant,
and it wasn’t as fragrant…
“Hm? Roen. Is that a rose?”
“Yes, Priest. Her Highness suddenly wanted to see roses, so we searched everywhere. But we could only find withered ones, which left her quite upset.”
Roen answered Emil, and he scratched his head awkwardly.
“Ah… if I had known, I would have brought a rose instead.”
Emil smiled apologetically.
But Leni continued to stare at the flower in silence.
“Priest… what is this flower…?”
“It’s a cyclamen. They occasionally bloom late, even in winter.”
Cyclamen.
So that was its name.
The name of the flower her sister had given her.
Leni gazed at it quietly once more.
Emil asked, looking somewhat embarrassed.
“Your Highness, shall I go find you a rose?”
“No… it’s alright, Priest.”
Leni shook her head.
Yes. It had always been this way.
Emil always brought her exactly what she needed most, precisely when she needed it.
“I like this one. Priest.”
Leni smiled brightly.
The cyclamen Emil had brought her was more fragrant than any rose, more beautiful, and it filled her with joy.
“I love it so much. Priest. Truly.”