Do Flowers Bloom in the Fallen Land?

‘It’s a shame that I won’t be able to see that for a while,’ she thought at the back of her head.

Many knights and soldiers suffered from love fever over Seira Askan even though they knew their feelings were far-fetched. Seira didn’t even spare the majority of them a single glance when she passed by.

Jake swallowed a bit of regret, and then turned his head to a cold feeling from the back. His eyes shook as Baron’s sharp eyes were observing everyone who left the barracks, including that of Jake himself.

‘Huh…?’

However, he didn’t understand the clues that Baron’s eyes meant.

‘Is he telling me to get out of here?’

Jake got up from his seat and grabbed his papers, putting them inside his jacket’s pocket. The same was true with the others.

“For a moment… I’ll stay with Glad.”

Jake hastily left the barracks as he saw Nixon’s face, which had already been dark, turned to contemplation.

‘As expected, the problem was over there.’

If Seira Ascan was indeed involved, whatever happened between Glad and Jeff had nothing to do with him. He will have to find out what’s truly going on.

On another note, his heart was extremely overwhelmed by the thought of the end of the current subjugation war. He would gladly bid goodbye to sand dust and bland food.

Recalling the men who waited for the meeting results, Jake hurried forward.

* * *

The Emperor personally welcomed the subjugation team that successfully destroyed the beast’s nest and made the empire a safer place – one nest at a time.

Calrad Lowell Viseltium – a young emperor of an empire with dark blue hair and ice cold blue eyes.

His wide and charming smile matched his beautiful face, but he couldn’t hide the intense pressure that intimidated a lot of people. The power of the imperial bloodline was overwhelming in itself, and even high-ranking nobles were forced to bow down to him.

The only exceptions were the three dukes of the empire – Jeff, Askan, and Franto. They too have managed their lineage as much as Viseltium and cultivated their superior powers generation after generation to defend the empire.

Standing with his back to the palace, Calrad looked at Baron and Seira in the lead.

‘Seven years have gone already.’

Seira did her best to avoid it. She didn’t want to face him, as she felt it was a symbol of her vulnerability back when she knew no better. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t fight what was destined to happen in the end.

Just as she changed so much, he was also very different from what she remembered him to be. The freshness of a young man was no longer there. The tenderness vanished, and a sharp coldness took its place.

The Emperor’s dignity and authority were naturally ingrained in him. His eyes, facial expressions, gestures, and even the steps he took exuded his position in the empire.

It would be a lie if Seira said there was not the slightest ache in her heart. But surprisingly, it didn’t ache that much for a long time thanks to his change. The sweet old fiancé who hugged and kissed her gently had long disappeared.

Staring with the commander-in-chief who served in the war, Baron and all the other parties including Seira got off their horses and paid their respect to the empire’s owner,

“Commander-in-chief Baron Jeff, you have returned from the duty I have entrusted to you,” a heavy, low-pitched voice echoed through the square. “I’m glad to see you back safely. You’ve done a praiseworthy job.”

While Calrad’s eyes passed through Baron, Zion, and Aven, Seira didn’t raise her bowed head. In the first place, ‘between the end’ was more awkward than a complete stranger. She believed there was no reason to make eye contact.

She didn’t bother to look around the palace which she’d once considered her home. Nothing welcomed her with open arms here, including that of Calrad. It was just bitter in the end.

Seira fixed her eyes on the patterned floor tiles and turned her thoughts somewhere else. Since she was exempted from taxes for three years, she seemed to be able to use all her earned money on the barren duchy for the time being.

A banquet would be held in five days as consolation to those who returned, and rewards would also be given during that time. Talks about the remains of the nest that had been conquered flowed meaninglessly.

Her reward was fixed anyway, so Seira was planning on not attending the banquet.

‘I’m tired,’ she released a long and heavy sigh.

Seira wanted to have a decent bath and sleep as much as she wanted. Even if she had a lot of work to do, she knew that she could rest a little in this case. It was a reward for herself and her hard work in the first place.

She was about to yawn as she stood in the sunlight without minding everyone else. Seira thought it was fortunate that the court and the empire were protected 15 years ago, aside from everything else. Such a dull and safe place was surely needed to maintain a healthy mental state in a brutal battlefield.

Seira’s mouth widened as she was about to yawn again, but a handkerchief was suddenly handed out to Seira.

She opened her teary eyes and saw the person who disturbed her yawn and uttered in confusion, “Huh…?”