Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 188 Is it impossible to escape from true loneliness?

When the curse of Princess Olvera gradually spread throughout the country of Belman and caused a lot of uproar, a magician from afar said to the monarch of the Leslie royal family: "That is not a curse, but a disease inherited from the past life." He claimed that the flower fragrance therapy he mastered might be able to alleviate the princess's symptoms, because "at three o'clock in the afternoon, the temperature emitted by the sun shining on the violets can tell whether you were a werewolf or a bat in your past life."

Although no one had ever heard of the so-called flower aroma therapy before, the magician's words successfully convinced the old king who was worried about his daughter's curse, just like grabbing a life-saving straw in drowning. The profound knowledge and elegant demeanor she displayed also made the court astrologers who had some complaints dare not confront her, and they all acquiesced to the matter.

The old king then ordered that all the original flowers and plants in the palace courtyard be pulled out and replaced with violets. The magician then used his mysterious power to make these beautiful flowers never wither all year round, allowing them to enjoy all the fragrance and warmth of spring.

As a result, the courtyard was always filled with an enchanting and fatal fragrance, and the magician naturally obtained the qualifications to treat the princess's diseases, and his external identity was the teacher who taught the princess botany.

Although it is said to be a treatment, there are no complicated diagnoses, cold instruments or bitter medicines from beginning to end. There are only tables and chairs, parasols, ceramic tea sets, three-layer dessert trays and various exquisite snacks. It is more like a leisurely afternoon tea party than a diagnosis and treatment.

The woman whom the princess timidly called "teacher" would gently pour her a cup of steaming black tea and hand her homemade snacks. Not all of them were the princess's favorite flavors, but for some reason, every time she tasted the black tea and snacks, she would have an unusual sense of familiarity, as if their taste was gentler and more comfortable than the old days.

The teacher watched her sip the tea in her cup and asked her how she was doing recently, what had happened to her, whether she had any happy or sad things that she wanted to share or confide in herself. Her voice and tone were both easy and friendly, not too polite and distant to make the princess feel lost, nor too warm and close to make the princess feel flustered... In her own words, "You don't have to treat me as a teacher or a doctor."

"I would rather be your friend, Princess."

"Friend..." It was the first time that Olivia heard someone say this to her. In the past, she had only seen people's eyes of awe and fear, and they all avoided her from a distance and did not dare to approach her. Their rejection and indifference once made the princess feel sad and lost, but only at this moment did she finally hear the words she had always dreamed of.

"Of course." The teacher stroked her hair lovingly, and the words she said at that time seemed to have a deeper meaning: "Because, it was not me who chose you, but you who chose me."

Not only because she hated the cold weather, but also because once it rained, she would not be able to go to the courtyard with her teacher to enjoy the warm and cozy afternoon tea time. For the princess who rarely had time to relax, every minute and every second in this courtyard was worth cherishing.

From then on, she became a regular at afternoon tea parties, coming to the courtyard every day, smelling the scent of violets and listening to the teacher's stories about flowers, trees or fruits, as if she was indeed a teacher of botany rather than a doctor who came to treat her.

The princess didn't quite understand, but she was still very happy because she finally had her first friend in her life.

Because of this sentence, the princess became very interested in the so-called past and present lives. One day, when she went to the garden to attend her teacher's afternoon tea party as usual, it was raining. Dark clouds covered the sky, and the continuous drizzle knocked off the petals and wet the stamens. The rustling sound was like a sad whisper, which made her feel depressed.

This continued until one season when the violet petals blooming on the branches fell like raindrops, drowning the grasshoppers and ants under the flowers. The young princess stood in the rain of flowers and breathed in the sweet scent. She said she had seen such a scene in her dreams. When the teacher who was watering the flowers heard this, she came over and gently stroked her head, saying, "That was your previous life, Princess."

However, in his obsession with finding a cure, he did not realize that if his daughter was indeed sick, the disease should be called loneliness, not darkness.

I don't know why. Although they have only known each other for a short time, when Avra ​​faces her teacher, she often has a sense of déjà vu, as if she has seen her words, her demeanor, her movements... somewhere before. But it was not here, nor was it facing her.

No matter what, it was always pleasant to get along with the teacher, which made her feel at ease for the first time in a long time, and her personality became more cheerful, and a smile gradually appeared on her face. This made the old king more firmly believe that the so-called flower aroma therapy was useful and it was working.

"Of course it exists." The teacher added a spoonful of sugar into the teacup and nodded with a smile.

Her eyes seemed to glow: "Can I, teacher?"

The young girl lay on the windowsill, staring at the hazy drizzle outside the window, watching the violet petals gradually fall off under the impact of raindrops and merge into the moist soil; on the ancient trees in the corner of the courtyard, raindrops flowed along the criss-crossing veins of the leaves, and dripped from the tips of the green leaves, making a dripping sound, like the sound of an empty flute.

When she was bored, she suddenly thought of what her teacher said a few days ago, turned her head and asked: "Teacher, do you think that people's past lives really exist?"

Olvera knew that her teacher had traveled to distant lands and possessed a wealth of knowledge. Her knowledge was so profound that even the astrologers in the court did not dare to debate with her. In this case, what she said must be the facts of this world, right?

"Then," the princess couldn't help but imagine, "what was my previous life like?"

"Why do you suddenly want to ask such a question, Princess?" "Because, didn't you tell me a few days ago that sometimes people will feel familiar with certain things they are experiencing, as if they have experienced the same scene somewhere before, and that is our previous life. I have similar feelings, and more than once, so, for me, what exactly was the previous life like, I really want to know. Teacher, can you tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I can't give you a clear answer to this question."

"why?"

"Because for the soul, life is always a lonely journey. Knowing what you looked like in your past life will not change your fate in this life. Do you want to understand it? Or get closer, know or realize it? These are all temporary. No one's life should be dominated by their past appearance."

The princess shook her head, not quite understanding. "It's so complicated. I don't quite understand, teacher."

The teacher smiled gently. When she smiled, she looked like an elegant, dignified and beautiful lady, with a grace and ease that made Avella envious: "It's okay, you will understand it later."

She raised her head, and like the princess, she looked at the misty drizzle outside the window, and the petals that fell and withered in the rain. Finally, her eyes fell on the old tree in the corner of the courtyard, and she said softly: "Some people were flowers in their previous lives, and they had a moment of beauty; some people were shrubs by the roadside in their previous lives, which were inconspicuous but symbolized a strong and tenacious will; and some people were trees in their previous lives."

"Tree?"

"Yes, like a tree, rooted in the soil, growing alone. Sometimes she sees birds building nests on her body, and then flying away in autumn; sometimes she sees wild animals lingering under the tree, and then leaving when they look for prey; other times, she sees human footprints and hears human voices, telling a story about how trees thrive, and she becomes yearning for it. She desperately stretches her branches and roots to absorb sunlight and nutrients, eager to leave the land under her feet and go to a more distant place, to find the people who have made her happy and sad, or to meet more people, and to have the emotions and memories that belong to a tree."

Her voice was so immersive that it seemed as if she had experienced it herself. The princess was also fascinated and could not help asking, "Did she succeed?"

The teacher certainly knew what she was expecting, but sometimes reality would not change just because of people's expectations, so she replied regretfully: "No."

"why?"

"Because trees and people have their own destinies. A tree may leave the land where it lives, but it can never become a real person; a person may stay in the same place forever, but he can never understand the feelings of a tree. The fate of a tree and the fate of a person are actually two parallel lines that will never intersect."

"Why is that?" The princess did not hide her disappointment. "Isn't that tree very pitiful? She just wanted to make friends and not be so lonely!"

"Perhaps so, but Your Highness, I have said before that for the soul, life is always a lonely journey, and no one can completely eliminate this loneliness."

"Of course!" Little Olvera clenched her palms and said seriously, "As long as I make a lot of friends, I won't be lonely anymore!"

This is her true feelings and also her wish since childhood.

But the teacher did not agree with this statement. She just stroked her cheek lovingly. Her palms were a little rough, like the touch of branches sprouting and blooming in the sun.

"Do you think so?"

Facing her gaze, the little girl hesitated a little and could not help but lower her voice, which was even fainter than the rustling sound of rain hitting the petals and leaves outside the window, and was difficult to hear: "Isn't it...?"

"of course not."

Every syllable uttered by the teacher seemed to be explaining the most irrefutable truth in the world, telling the young princess at that time: "In this world."

“No one is ever free from loneliness.”

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)