Flower Rain and Fireworks
Lisianthus pushed himself to his feet, as if he didn't have a spare second to offer further explanations to my wide, blinking eyes.
"Since we've come all the way to the southern edge of the empire, we ought to take in the proper sights before we leave. Wouldn't you agree, Young Count Cortez?"
His tone was notably sour. Loitering with the insolent swagger of a street thug, he glared at Phlux with sheer displeasure oozing from his eyes—his words sounding far more like a veiled threat than an innocent question.
Phlux gave his head a brisk shake as though snapping back to his senses beneath that heavy glare, then turned toward me.
"I understand Your Imperial Highness has not yet had the opportunity to properly tour the city."
"Well, yes. One thing led to another."
"It is not merely because I hold dominion here, but speaking entirely objectively, this is a truly magnificent city. It troubled me greatly to think that after traveling so far, Your Highness had been met only with unsightly turmoil..."
Right at that moment, Debbie breezily chimed in.
"It's completely safe now! From the very day Your Highness collapsed, Lord Raymon combed through every single inch of the surrounding area and slaughtered every trace of a demonic beast he could find! As long as our enemies can't conjure demonic beasts out of thin air, he said you'll be perfectly fine!"
Leave it to words to invite trouble; whenever Debbie phrased things like that, it always felt as though enemies capable of conjuring beasts from thin air would actually appear in the future... Still, so that was why Raymon had been so scarce lately, apart from the day of the Offering Festival. A strange, fluttering warmth settled over me, and I gave a slow nod.
"You're coming, right?" Lisianthus asked, staring intently at me.
Who did he take me for, a workaholic? I loved taking a break as much as the next person; I just hadn't been able to unwind because of all the pressing matters constantly demanding my attention. If someone went through the trouble of rolling out the welcome mat, I was more than happy to kick back and enjoy it. But rather than offering a long-winded explanation, I simply shrugged.
"Sure."
Only then did Lisianthus flash a relieved grin and push open the door.
Waiting outside were two carriages distinctly different from the one High Priest Ilian and I had ridden earlier. With ceilings of frosted glass and open sides, they were clearly designed for sightseeing.
Perhaps Lisianthus had given them prior notice, for both Navira and High Priest Ilian climbed aboard without a word of complaint.
Once everyone was seated, the carriage rolled smoothly forward. After traveling at a brisk clip for some time, it came to a gentle halt. Eager and excited, I pushed the carriage door open and stepped down.
It happened in that very instant.
A sudden gust of wind swept through, sending a flurry of blossoms swirling into the air. Resembling wisteria rather than cherry blossoms, delicate purple petals rained down around me in a torrential shower. The dizzying flurry blurred my vision, and as my foot met the ground, I stumbled.
"Careful."
Even before the word reached my ears, a firm palm caught my waist, supporting my weight. The deep, clipped voice followed a beat later. I snapped my parted lips shut.
As though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, Raymon withdrew his hand from my waist and gently brushed his fingers through my hair, then lightly grazed the curve of my ear. With every touch of his hand, purple petals cascaded down around us like scattered fragments of emotion.
"...Thank you."
"It was nothing deserving of your thanks."
From Raymon's perspective, well, that was true enough. I lowered my head and composed my face. As always, he looked like a finely polished blade—or a statue chiseled from solid stone.
Behind him stretched a landscape of breathtaking splendor: a gentle river spanned by a stone bridge, and lush, blooming trees lining both banks...
Were we on the outskirts of the city? Perhaps due to the recent disturbances, hardly a soul was in sight. With twilight fading into dusk, small lanterns twinkled across the landscape like fireflies.
It lacked the brilliant, daylight-bright glow of the night market from before, but the palm-sized lanterns hung here and there carried an elegant charm of their own. The crisp, verdant scent of grass brushed past my nose, accompanied by the rustle of leaves whispering in the breeze and the gentle chirping of evening insects...
Raymon guided me toward the bridge. The moment I stepped onto it, a soft gasp escaped me. Petals drifted across the river's calm currents, catching shimmering ripples of reflected light...
It was a mesmerizing sight. The clusters of light floating upon the water looked just like scattered gold dust.
Lost in the view, I stood completely entranced, words entirely forgotten—until a sudden burst of radiance surged into the sky. Lisianthus, who had caught up and was watching from three paces behind, flashed a mischievous grin.
"Keep your eyes peeled."
"Huh?"
"Those, you see, are fireworks lit by none other than a wielder of the power of fire: me."
Whiz! Bang! Screeeech—!
With familiar roaring trails, sparks rocketed into the dark expanse above. A kaleidoscope of colors blossomed into rings, radiated outward, and converged again, painting the heavens in dazzling bursts of brilliance. In the distance, faint laughter drifted on the wind—a child giggling in sheer wonder at the surprise spectacle.
Everyone was enjoying themselves.
It all felt so surreal that I could only blink, gazing up endlessly at the glowing sky.
—Still, Contractor, once you can wield the power of fire too, you'll be able to launch lights far prettier and more dazzling than those! (· з · ) He shouldn't be acting so smug in front of you! Even if... it is pretty! ٩( *❛o❛* )
‘You think it’s pretty too, don’t you? What’s your real motive?’
—Later, Contractor, you have to do that for me too! (^∇^)
‘Shall I?’
"...Do you not care for it?"
The voice sounded distinctly anxious. Only then did I realize someone had been watching me intently, unmoving, as I stood transfixed by the sky.
While Lisianthus looked on with an expression practically shouting, ‘It’s this amazing?! There’s no way she doesn’t love it!’, Raymon was watching me with faint concern, wondering if something had gone wrong.
Usually, whenever I liked something, I would jump with joy and make my feelings plain. Perhaps seeing me frozen in place like a stone pillar, staring blankly at the sky, struck him as alarming.
"Are the fireworks too loud? Do the colors displease you? If you consider this an unnecessary extravagance..."
"No, they're truly beautiful."
I smiled with all my heart. At the sight of my smile, Raymon froze in his tracks.
Memories of the past welled up within me. Days to which I could never return.
Like that afternoon when my family complained that there were more people than cherry blossoms while sharing rolls of kimbap. Or that summer festival when we grumbled about the stifling heat with melting ice cream cones in our hands, complaining that the organizers were stingy for cutting the fireworks short after barely three or four bursts instead of spending the budget properly.
During my harrowing days navigating the imperial court, or when facing ruthless demonic beast attacks where a single misstep meant death, my past life had never crossed my mind. Yet standing here, resting in peaceful comfort while gazing upon such breathtaking beauty, the past returned with sudden, aching clarity.
If I had only known...
I should have been better to them back then. I shouldn't have withheld my words when I wanted to say "I love you" or "thank you." I should have realized sooner that what seemed so natural and ordinary to me was not a given for everyone.
How foolish I had been to tell myself that there was no need to seek out sights here because I had already seen everything worth seeing in my previous life. And how silly it was to convince myself that nothing could ever rival the modern world, even while knowing I could never return. Wherever you went, people were simply living their lives.
The fireworks raining down across the dark velvet of the night, the fluttering blossoms showering from the trees—every bit of it was breathtaking.
It's all right.
Everything is going to be fine.
The thought settled gently in my chest.
I'll be all right here, too.
"You prepared all this with me in mind, didn't you? Thank you, truly. I don't think I've ever seen anything this lovely in this life."
The moment the words left my lips, "in this life" sounded a little awkward, but... well, it wasn't completely out of place as a figure of speech.
"It really, truly is beautiful. Thank you, everyone."
A prickle of tears threatened the corners of my eyes, but I forced a bright, spirited smile and held them back. The scenery tonight was simply too magnificent; letting tears blur my vision would be an unforgivable waste.
Titania looked on the verge of weeping, yet she did not shed a single tear.
Instead, despite the moisture clinging to her lashes, she smiled steadily until the very end. She alone was oblivious to how heartbreaking that valiant smile looked to those watching her. With red-rimmed eyes, she watched every spark until the final firework burnt out against the night.
Only then did she set out to enjoy the rest of the tour.
Because of the sheer chaos that had rocked the city, few proper shops were open, but small street stalls dotted the thoroughfares here and there.
Determined to inaugurate the bracelet Phlux had gifted her, Titania swept through the stalls with contagious enthusiasm. Phlux, even more delighted than she was, egged her on to pick out far more expensive wares.
High Priest Ilian took things a step further, joking about whether he could charge an armful of gifts for his disciples to Titania's bracelet. Debbie held up every accessory in sight against Titania to see how it looked. Meanwhile, Navira merely watched the lively group with an amused expression that said, ‘Look at them having the time of their lives...’
Ever since the spectacular fireworks concluded, Lisianthus had been swaggering and grinning from ear to ear, while Raymon silently watched over the party like an attentive knight. And through it all, Titania led them around with an unwavering, radiant beam on her face.