Chapter 142. A Vanished Home?

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    He hesitated to answer on rare occasions.?

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    Asha read Tamon’s dark gaze as she could not wait any longer.?

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    She grabbed Tamon’s wrist as he grabbed hers.?

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    She could feel him flinching.?

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    Asha gently turned her wrist in his grip and said, holding his hand?

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    “Come with me. I need to see what’s going on.”?

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    “…….”?

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    Tamon looked down at his hand, which she held.?

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    He instantly felt deflated as he looked at their hands as if saying ‘Let’s go together.’?

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    ‘It’s not good for you.’?

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    Tamon nodded heavily and silently.?

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    ‘You’ll be in despair and sad……’?

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    He was afraid he would not be able to face that sight.?

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    Asha’s grief resonated much greater than his own.?

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    Then, when the purple eyes got watery, the emotions became so rough that he wanted to turn the world upside down.?

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    ‘Get a hold of yourself.’?

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    He got on the horse, vowing no matter what emotions he faced, he would be with her.?

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    Asha kicked off her horse and departed first.?

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    * * *?

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    For Roselyn, July was a joy and a miss.?

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    July was warmer than the spring sun, and memories of the mansion still float before her eyes…….?

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    Asha stared at the abandoned house that had burned black.?

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    “…….”?

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    The smell of ashes, which had not yet gone away, hit her nose.?

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    Not to mention the majestic gate with its lily-shaped inscription, the garden her mother loved, the woodland where her grandfather used to read his books, even the vine forest where she and Cain played hide-and-seek and fell asleep many times.?

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    Everything crumbled into blackness, losing its shape.?

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    Even the word “horrific” seemed unable to explain it all.?

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    “What is this…”?

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    Asha stared blankly at the burn-out mansion, speechless.?

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    She knew something had happened, but she never imagined it would look like this.?

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    The moss-covered entrance to the mansion was as deserted as a graveyard.?

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    The mansion, burnt black with only the skeleton remaining, was as horribly sad as a dried-up corpse.?

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    Her feet did not dare to fall off.?

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    “Ha ……”?

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    It was said people would lose their minds if they were too abashed, and Asha was just like that now.?

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    “Ha!”?

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    Asha burst out laughing as she stood at the entrance. She laughed and cried with a twisted face.?

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    Wet moisture ran down her cheeks. Her lips were twisted as she started laughing.?

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    Her feet accelerated as she walked one step or two into the mansion.?

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    After passing through a row of tree paths like knights, she ran to the woodland where her grandfather used to read and the gazebo where her father and mother often drank tea.?

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    Memories of the past passed by her eyes along the wind.?

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    She saw little Roselyn, playing house with Anna and her brother Cain.?

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    One day she fell out of the tree, Cain ran to the lobby with Roselyn on his back.?

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    “Ha ha!”?

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    The only place that was intact was the pavilion a little away from the main building.?

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    Everything was a mess.?

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    “Gillotti!”?

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    She sat on the ground and gripped the dirt with both hands.?

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    Sad tears dripped to the dry ground.?

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    She thought she wouldn’t feel hurt anymore, but it was inevitable.?

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    A wailing cry rang out at the abandoned house.?

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    The quiet soother caressed her many times, but it did not easily stop her crying as sadly as a child.?

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    Tamon, who had been waiting for her in silence, hugged her shoulders.?

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    Gripping his collar with her white hands, Asha cried for a long time and then fainted.?

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    * * *?

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    And when Asha woke up again, it was long past evening.?

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    She had cried so much that her eyes started burning as soon as she opened her eyes.?

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    She swept by the burning eyes with her dry hands and ran into Tamon, who was just coming inside.?

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    Seeing him standing, Asha chuckled first and spoke to him.?

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    “How long did I sleep?”?

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    “….. 3 hours?”?

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    “I didn’t sleep as much as I thought.”?

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    Asha was just happy to see the water kettle in Tamon’s hand.?

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    She held out her hand, meaning to give her water. But it was not the kettle in her hand, but Tamon’s hand.?

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    He sat her down and then sat next to her with a very serious expression on his face and examined her complexion.?

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    Asha laughed quietly, not saying that she wanted water, not his hand.?

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    “What do you think? My hair is messy.”?

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    Tamon squinted and looked at her face slowly and murmured indifferently.?

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    “It’s great.”?

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    “Really…?”?

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    Asha thought it was serious and fumbled around her eyes.?

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    Tamon, who was smirking, pulled her close and kissed her eyelids.?

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    “Don’t ask me again. You’ve always been the best in my eyes.”?

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    Asha was embarrassed for no reason, even though she knew Tamon was joking.?

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    “….. water, please.”?

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    Asha pushed Tamon’s face away and pointed to the kettle he had set down.?

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    Tamon poured water and handed it to her.?

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    She was thirsty, and as soon as the water went in, her headache seemed to subside.?

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    After drinking the full glass and emptying it again, Asha finally took a breath.?

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    As the cold water swished and wetted her esophagus, the heat inside seemed to subside a little.?

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    “Tell me if you know anything else.”?

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    Looking at Tamon’s calm eyes, she could only see that there was more she didn’t know.?

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    Asha waited a moment, then glanced at him and smiled.?

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    “I can go and find out.”?

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    Then there was a slight stir in his calm eyes.?

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    After a brief silence, Tamon rose from his seat and went to the cabinet.?

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    Perhaps it was a mansion that had been managed normally, but there were quite a few drinks on display in the bedroom cabinet.?

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    He picked a random one and filled the crystal cup.?

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    Asha didn’t know much about alcohol, but she knew that that ocher color was extremely high-strength rum.?

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    He gulped down the thirst-quenching liquor in one gulp.?

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    Then he filled the empty glass half full and brought it to Asha.?

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    “Do you want a drink?”?

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    Asha looked at the glass he offered for a while and reached for it.?

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    Then, Asha drank it in one gulp.?

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    The cold water had cooled her esophagus, and now it was on fire again.?

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    She closed her eyes and savored the fire as if she remembered it.?

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    “They dug up the tomb of the Duke of Sunset.”?

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    She opened her eyes quietly and Tamon said in a voice as devoid of emotion as possible.?

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    “And when they burned the mansion, they burned the coffin with it.”?

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    “…….”?

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    “That’s all I know.”?

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    Ice and fire broke out inside at the same time.?

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    She felt a blue and red light soaking her head, her flesh.?

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    “Do not lose your pride, Rosie. You are my pride.”?

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    As she left, she thought of her grandfather, who could not let go of her hand.?

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    She nodded slowly.?

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    “Yes.”?

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    This was enough.?

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    Well, with this much fire….?

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    She could hit Gillotti directly in the neck without hesitation.?

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    * * * *?

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    Boom!?

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    The fireworks that signaled the beginning of the festival floated high in the sky.?

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    It was a celebratory shot specially presented by the Imperial Palace.?

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    As if they had been waiting only for today, people rushed into the city and filled the glamorous streets.?

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    Since July attracted many outside guests, the best inns and hotels were already booked six months in advance.?

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    Nobles with money would build a house or rent an entire mansion in Bern or a neighboring area.?

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    During the first week of July, music could be heard throughout the city.?

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    ‘The light that never goes out, the music that never stops.’?

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    Children running around with fake flower crowns on their heads.?

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    Asha, who was glancing out the window at the full view of the festival, smiled.?

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    “They’re all wearing flower crowns.”?

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    Asrell, who was helping Asha dress up, gazed happily at the children running around under the window.?

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    ‘’Those flowers are Tanatos chrysanthemums, aren’t they?”?

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    “Yes, they say it’s a perennial flower. It blooms in July, but it is the first flower to make flower crowns. There is a superstition that it will be eternally glorious, but there were a lot of them out around this time of year.”?

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    “It’d be a great honor to wear that.”?

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    Asha laughed at Asrell’s joke.?

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    “It’s actually hard to get the real flowers. Even chrysanthemums don’t use a lot in the imperial family. The ones the children are using now are all fake.”?

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    “Oh, it was a fake flower.”?

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    It was said that the flowers that bloomed on the spot were perennial flowers when the winter spirit permeated the Tanatos land.?

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    In July, the first ever blooming perennial flower was said to be the same flower that conveyed the power of winter.?

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    It didn’t matter if it was true or not. There was no way to confirm anyway.?

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    However, the imperial family would have flower “hunt” as part of the July Festival event.?

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    The reason for naming it a hunt was that the method was somewhat radical.?

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    Participation was limited to the nobility, and there were no sanctions for the means and methods.?

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    Delegations from other countries could participate as much as they wanted. However, they were at a disadvantage compared to the Tanatos nobility.?

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    In the imperial family, the skin and horns of the silver deer were given to the first person who brought the flowers.?

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    The skin and horns of the silver deer were worth the same price as gold, so everyone would look for it with all their heart.?

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    The perennial flower was a flower that decided where it would bloom on its own.?

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    So it was difficult to find this flower using special procedures or methods.?

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    People had to dive into a treasure hunt that could only be left up to natural luck.?

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    Listening to Asha’s story, Asrell placed a white flower pin on the veil that hid her hair, head, and face.?

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    At first glance, it was in the shape of a flower similar to a perennial flower.?

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    “I wish Asha  endless glory.”?

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    Asha replied to Asrell’s wit with a laugh and stood up.