CH 110

“I will go with Matilda.”

“Ah, yes.”

“But, does the plant have gender?”

Since he asked curiously, I answered truthfully.

“Most plants bloom both female and male flowers in one plant regardless of their gender.”

“I can’t use Matilda, then.”

Just use it . . .

Looking at the prince, who was seriously searching for a name again, fortunately, he seemed to forget the pain toward the colorful room.

“I will go with Adel, which means tranquility.”

After deciding the name, the prince slowly put down the pot.

He put down the shovel I gave him next to the pot.

“I feel like my heart turns calm when I look at Adel.”

“I’m glad then.”

It was a good thing that it could help calm the cynical prince who had a lot of wounds in his heart and was also very sensible.

I slowly prepared to return back to my room, but the prince suddenly asked.

“How did you come to like raising plants, Young Lady?”

“It was the first gift I’ve ever received.”

The flowers sold in the market were pricey.

In addition, the winter that year was so severe that even the plants that lived well in winter were also late in letting out their bluish sprouts so it was hard to find living seedlings.

The bluish color that was barely discovered after digging up the snow piled up in the cold field, which was enough to freeze feet.

Zen, who found the bud exposed between the fragile leaves, smiled brightly and handed it out to me.

Unlike Mom, who had received more colorful and beautiful flowers than that, it was my first gift.

Actually, it wasn’t a flower.

We misunderstood the pocket made by the plant to store its nutrients for survival.

He carefully picked that small plant from its root, then he planted it in front of my house.

I was more upset than thankful when I saw my friend with a triumphant and muddy face, as well as limp feet because of the cold.

“It was sweet. The moment at that time.”

Looking back, those were beautiful moments that I didn’t want to lose.

Perhaps that was the reason why we were so obsessed and leaned on each other so much.

Because we wanted to return to that time.

Or maybe because we wanted to have those short happy times in our hand back.

Hearing my words, the prince carefully asked again.

“Is the friend who gave you the unforgettable present, Sir Gramia?”

“No. You also have seen him before. The one who defeated the mantis . . .”

“. . .”

The prince’s face lost its complexion again.

It seemed like Zen left a big impression in his memory.

“Are you talking about that person?”

“When he was young, Zen was really innocent like a puppy and kind.”

“. . .”

“The plant he gave me while smiling brightly, is my first gift.”

The prince was sincerely at wonder.

“It seems like we really can’t guess at someone’s past.”

Then, when he moved his gaze to ‘Adel,’ his face turned slightly dark.

“This is small and fragile for now, but when this grows, we can’t know what it’ll be.”

“. . .”

“There’s a possibility this won’t be a beautiful flower, but a poisonous plant that has sharp thorns, right?”

I had said it before, but I really couldn’t understand why the more we talked, the atmosphere turned dark and sad.

I couldn’t understand why the prince’s face turned dark because of the possibilities that sprout would be.

Didn’t he say it made his heart calm earlier?

This time, he wrinkled his forehead as if he had all kinds of anguish in this world.

The prince swallowed his sigh and changed the topic.

“Because you said it was your first gift, it seems like you’ve known that person for a long time.”

“We met for the first time when we were ten.”

Come to think of it, it has been more than five years.

Although both Zen and I became very different people compared to back then.

We were about the same height, but now we have more than a handspan’s difference.

It made me wonder how he grew that tall when he ate poorly and always locked up inside his research room.

“That person . . .”

The prince carefully asked me again.

“That person is not registered in the magic tower, right?”

“To be exact, he is a student there.”

For now.

As I answered like that, I felt uneasy somewhere in my heart.

Along with his growth, the range and power of the mana shock also increased.

When I saw the fire that could take care of the mantis in an instant, I could feel it.

There was a limit to how long he could hide it.

Soon, Zen would attract the magic tower, nobles, or anyone .

There’s a side effect of him being weaker than ordinary people after a shock, so if someone decides to go for it . . .

That was why I couldn’t help but be impatient.

The prince looked like he wanted to ask more, but he closed his mouth in the end.

I could understand that he had a lot he was curious about, but the time was very late.

It wasn’t good to stay too long in the prince’s room at this time.

“Alright, how about go to your bed and lay down? I will close the door as I walk out.”

As I covered the blanket to the prince who obediently lay down on the bed, he stuck out his face a bit to look at me.

“Sleep well, Prince.”

His face was instantly disheveled after hearing my greeting.

He looked like it was his first time hearing that.

After I closed the door, he spoke in a low voice.

“Have a peaceful sleep, Young Lady.”

The small voice that was only enough to hear was faintly trembling.