94
4 Estio
- Episode 18
"He was dying from the first time he received it. He said that he wanted to return to the person who took care of him before he withered to the point of death."
The little buds, white as jewels, were the crystal flower's last gift for Marisa. Marisa didn't believe her at first, but she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
"...you only read people's minds... weren't you?"
Estio, seen by Marisa, was talking as if she were talking to a plant. The moment she remembered her thoughts, she barely touched her lips with her pale, weary face.
"That kid."
Marisa looked around her glass garden. There was nothing visible through the glass under the already dark evening sky.
"You said you wanted to come back to me before you die? Can plants feel that way too?"
"They recognize the person who took care of them, and they feel joy and sorrow."
"Oh My God."
"However, they rarely express their thoughts. Sometimes they want to convey a strong will."
The inner side that Estio read from plants was that much.
"Not all plants harbor strong emotions at every moment."
Plants are mostly serene and try to remain calm in a semi-sleep state. Except for cases with special sensibility like Ahur, the moment of drooling without thinking is much longer than that of humans.
But at that moment, Marisa bit her lip and muttered.
"......no."
The people around them, who were listening to their story, flinched at once.
Hei, who was skilled at managing facial expressions, was kicking his tongue into the peacock sword.
'I said it was good because the plants I grew couldn't speak. Now that I know that they also have a clear intention, I'm afraid my teeth will tremble.'
The royal family easily turns away from things that do not go their way.
Likewise, everyone feared that Marisa would abandon the garden when she learned that the plants were constantly making inaudible voices.
"Why are you talking about that now?"
Marisa also looked like she was crying.
However, what followed was different from what others had expected. Transparent tears welled up on Princess Marisa's golden eyes.
"If only you had told me sooner... Oh, no, it's not your fault."
Marisa sniffed in a runny nose that almost ran out of control, and jumped up from her seat.
"I need to go see the kids right now, before the crystal flowers wither."
The princess's face was full of enthusiasm. Marisa still loved the flower garden. In an instant, the group, relaxed in tension, looked back at each other and grinned.
"Can you tell me what that child is talking about, Estio?"
"Yes."
Estio gladly accepted the request.
The party, led by Princess Marisa, entered the glass greenhouse again. But Neju, who stood in front of the door last, blinked her eyes and looked back at her. In order not to shock her princess, Ahur, who was quietly in her arms, pretending to be an ordinary cactus, asked sarcastically.
"Why why? What are you leaving outside?"
"Oh no, that's not it."
Nep, Neju tilted her big head with a mysterious expression on her face.
"It smells strange."
"Who are you? Who farts now?"
Ahur questioned him in a calm tone, but the others had already entered the garden.
"Ugh, people have no real manners in public!"
"What?"
"Anyway, let's stop worrying about the smell of farts and go inside. Estio seems to be waiting."
'I don't think it smells like farts...'
However, it was difficult to determine the identity of the smell. Neju tilted her head as she continued to run and ran to Estio's side.
Estio was standing in front of a crystal flower pot with Princess Marisa. Marisa, who gently touched the blooming white flowers, looked back at Estio and asked.
"Is this child still talking?"
The crystal flower that had often spoken to him in the past, but now there is no sound.
"no."
Marisa gave her sad eyes. She fiddled with her blossoms for a moment and then she opened her mouth again.
"Estio, this glass garden is a gift from your Majesty on my 5th birthday."
"......?"
"Actually, I don't even remember that time very well. They say I've liked flowers since I was little. At first, I liked them because they were pretty, and as I grew up, I was comforted by the flowers that were always quietly there."
Estio had to stand still because the princess suddenly started telling the story of the past.
"But at some point, gardening has become my hobby."
It's not just crystal flowers. All the flowers growing in the garden were raised by her hands. Although there was a gardener to help, Marisa did not neglect a branch or a flower.
"It grows as much as you give it affection, and it blooms beautifully as much as you take care of it. A flower garden is like that, I thought it was the best place to show the touch of a carer."
Marisa glanced at the black-haired cat that was clinging to Estio's. Meow, Tsuki cried a little.
"It's not a dog or a cat, it's just a plant. I thought it was a one-sided relationship that I had to take care of, but I never thought that these kids would recognize me."
A self-sacrificing smile hung from her lips.
"It's just a plant, now that I think about it, it's stupid."
Marisa held the crystal flower pot tightly in her arms, ignoring dirt on her clothes. And she whispered softly.
"Welcome. Let's meet again next year."
Princess Marisa, with silver hair, looked like the brightest flower in the garden.
Then the crystal flower trembled and shook the leaf.
「……Marisa……」
The sound of swaying grass echoed mysteriously in the greenhouse, where there was no wind. Marisa's eyes widened in surprise, and this time, the sound of a white-haired monkey was heard in her ear.
Neju, who was sniffling and twitching her nostrils, carefully pulled Estio's collar.
"I know what it is!"
"Yes?"
"I can smell burning from here."
Parker, startled by the sudden tantrum, spread his wings and looked around, but there was no place for smoke to rise.
"It's strange. You're not mistaken for the smell of food, are you?"
"No! It's definitely the smell of fire. I like your nose."
Parker, who was speechless, shut his mouth with a curious look.
'What? It really smells like something burning.'
It was the moment when Moobin, who read an unusual air current, rolled up the sword handle.
"Fire!"
An urgent cry was heard from the entrance to the garden.
"There is a fire at the entrance to the flower garden!"
"Hurry up on the evolution work!"
The only place that can generate heat on the outdoor terrace is the fire pit where food is cooked. As it was originally, the chefs of the Imperial Palace were guarding the front, so it was normal not to make a mistake of burning food.
Parker muttered blankly.
"It must have been a real fire."
Hopefully, it's the Imperial Palace, but I didn't feel much of a crisis because I thought it might spread to a major accident. Unlike Parker, Moobin asked her princess in a more serious voice than usual.
"My Majesty Marisa, is there only one entrance to this garden?"
"I heard they only designed one door for security reasons."
"Hey, security? Cut the person who designed it like that right away. It'll be a traitor."
"Yes?"
There had never been a fire before, so Marisa was just as bewildered as Parker. Only Moobin hurriedly rushed the party.
"Whatever it is, let's get out of here."
"Me, Moobin, the fire is the entrance. Wouldn't it be safe to stay inside until the light goes out?"
"If there really is a fire on the outdoor patio, there will be smoke coming in soon. It's dangerous to stay inside."
Hearing those words, the party immediately ran towards the entrance. As Moobin said, breathing in smoke in an enclosed space was dangerous. It was right to get out of the glass garden first.
However, at the point where he could not even get to the entrance, Mubin suddenly drew his sword.
"Stand back!"
Without questioning why, there was a loud roar.
Wow!
There was a huge explosion, shaking the axis at the entrance. The blood on Marisa's face, who found a roaring fire beyond the door, had gone bloody just then.
"Boo, fire...!"
It was a bigger fire than I thought.
Mubin briefly reported the situation.
"It's a raid."
This is not an accidental fire. Someone broke into the palace and intentionally caused an explosion. The exit completely engulfed in flames looked like a passageway to hell.
To break through that exit, you need a defense wizard who knows how to use a shield. However, there were no wizards in their party.
As they faltered in front of the flames, someone appeared from the other side.
"Penzi!"
She was Marisa's maid. The servants and maids serving the imperial family are all nobles with high education. A maid named Penzi knew how to use her magic.
Marisa, who recognized her own person, had a welcome expression on her face, but Mubin's expression was even more wrinkled.
"Are you all right? I'm glad. I think there was an attack. Get out of here and you'll have this fact quickly...!"
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty."
"Yes?"
kuung.
The door is closed. He used magic to close the exit. Through the burning door, the sound of shoes moving away from each other was heard.
"Penzi?"
Marisa blankly called the maid. She gave her a look of disbelief and she made Marisa leap towards the door she roared.
"Wait, Penzi!"
widely!
Mubin grabbed her arm, which had lost her composure, and stood up. He looked down at the swaying gold eyes and said in a sullen tone.
"There was a traitor inside."
"The traitor………"
"It happens often in the Imperial Palace. I believe it is not unexpected at all, My Majesty the Princess."
It sounded cold at first glance, but Mubin's tips helped Marisa come to her senses.
The trembling eyes quickly found their light. After taking one deep breath from her, she glared at her door with a bit of determination.
"Yes, Gong is right. The battlefield where anything can happen is the Imperial Palace."
A trusted confidant found out that it was a spy planted by the enemy, a scenario that appears as a regular in history books.
Although the place where the betrayal scratched was painful, the princess did not despair easily. First, escape was a priority.
94
4 Estio
- Episode 18
"He was dying from the first time he received it. He said that he wanted to return to the person who took care of him before he withered to the point of death."
The little buds, white as jewels, were the crystal flower's last gift for Marisa. Marisa didn't believe her at first, but she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
"...you only read people's minds... weren't you?"
Estio, seen by Marisa, was talking as if she were talking to a plant. The moment she remembered her thoughts, she barely touched her lips with her pale, weary face.
"That kid."
Marisa looked around her glass garden. There was nothing visible through the glass under the already dark evening sky.
"You said you wanted to come back to me before you die? Can plants feel that way too?"
"They recognize the person who took care of them, and they feel joy and sorrow."
"Oh My God."
"However, they rarely express their thoughts. Sometimes they want to convey a strong will."
The inner side that Estio read from plants was that much.
"Not all plants harbor strong emotions at every moment."
Plants are mostly serene and try to remain calm in a semi-sleep state. Except for cases with special sensibility like Ahur, the moment of drooling without thinking is much longer than that of humans.
But at that moment, Marisa bit her lip and muttered.
"......no."
The people around them, who were listening to their story, flinched at once.
Hei, who was skilled at managing facial expressions, was kicking his tongue into the peacock sword.
'I said it was good because the plants I grew couldn't speak. Now that I know that they also have a clear intention, I'm afraid my teeth will tremble.'
The royal family easily turns away from things that do not go their way.
Likewise, everyone feared that Marisa would abandon the garden when she learned that the plants were constantly making inaudible voices.
"Why are you talking about that now?"
Marisa also looked like she was crying.
However, what followed was different from what others had expected. Transparent tears welled up on Princess Marisa's golden eyes.
"If only you had told me sooner... Oh, no, it's not your fault."
Marisa sniffed in a runny nose that almost ran out of control, and jumped up from her seat.
"I need to go see the kids right now, before the crystal flowers wither."
The princess's face was full of enthusiasm. Marisa still loved the flower garden. In an instant, the group, relaxed in tension, looked back at each other and grinned.
"Can you tell me what that child is talking about, Estio?"
"Yes."
Estio gladly accepted the request.
The party, led by Princess Marisa, entered the glass greenhouse again. But Neju, who stood in front of the door last, blinked her eyes and looked back at her. In order not to shock her princess, Ahur, who was quietly in her arms, pretending to be an ordinary cactus, asked sarcastically.
"Why why? What are you leaving outside?"
"Oh no, that's not it."
Nep, Neju tilted her big head with a mysterious expression on her face.
"It smells strange."
"Who are you? Who farts now?"
Ahur questioned him in a calm tone, but the others had already entered the garden.
"Ugh, people have no real manners in public!"
"What?"
"Anyway, let's stop worrying about the smell of farts and go inside. Estio seems to be waiting."
'I don't think it smells like farts...'
However, it was difficult to determine the identity of the smell. Neju tilted her head as she continued to run and ran to Estio's side.
Estio was standing in front of a crystal flower pot with Princess Marisa. Marisa, who gently touched the blooming white flowers, looked back at Estio and asked.
"Is this child still talking?"
The crystal flower that had often spoken to him in the past, but now there is no sound.
"no."
Marisa gave her sad eyes. She fiddled with her blossoms for a moment and then she opened her mouth again.
"Estio, this glass garden is a gift from your Majesty on my 5th birthday."
"......?"
"Actually, I don't even remember that time very well. They say I've liked flowers since I was little. At first, I liked them because they were pretty, and as I grew up, I was comforted by the flowers that were always quietly there."
Estio had to stand still because the princess suddenly started telling the story of the past.
"But at some point, gardening has become my hobby."
It's not just crystal flowers. All the flowers growing in the garden were raised by her hands. Although there was a gardener to help, Marisa did not neglect a branch or a flower.
"It grows as much as you give it affection, and it blooms beautifully as much as you take care of it. A flower garden is like that, I thought it was the best place to show the touch of a carer."
Marisa glanced at the black-haired cat that was clinging to Estio's. Meow, Tsuki cried a little.
"It's not a dog or a cat, it's just a plant. I thought it was a one-sided relationship that I had to take care of, but I never thought that these kids would recognize me."
A self-sacrificing smile hung from her lips.
"It's just a plant, now that I think about it, it's stupid."
Marisa held the crystal flower pot tightly in her arms, ignoring dirt on her clothes. And she whispered softly.
"Welcome. Let's meet again next year."
Princess Marisa, with silver hair, looked like the brightest flower in the garden.
Then the crystal flower trembled and shook the leaf.
「……Marisa……」
The sound of swaying grass echoed mysteriously in the greenhouse, where there was no wind. Marisa's eyes widened in surprise, and this time, the sound of a white-haired monkey was heard in her ear.
Neju, who was sniffling and twitching her nostrils, carefully pulled Estio's collar.
"I know what it is!"
"Yes?"
"I can smell burning from here."
Parker, startled by the sudden tantrum, spread his wings and looked around, but there was no place for smoke to rise.
"It's strange. You're not mistaken for the smell of food, are you?"
"No! It's definitely the smell of fire. I like your nose."
Parker, who was speechless, shut his mouth with a curious look.
'What? It really smells like something burning.'
It was the moment when Moobin, who read an unusual air current, rolled up the sword handle.
"Fire!"
An urgent cry was heard from the entrance to the garden.
"There is a fire at the entrance to the flower garden!"
"Hurry up on the evolution work!"
The only place that can generate heat on the outdoor terrace is the fire pit where food is cooked. As it was originally, the chefs of the Imperial Palace were guarding the front, so it was normal not to make a mistake of burning food.
Parker muttered blankly.
"It must have been a real fire."
Hopefully, it's the Imperial Palace, but I didn't feel much of a crisis because I thought it might spread to a major accident. Unlike Parker, Moobin asked her princess in a more serious voice than usual.
"My Majesty Marisa, is there only one entrance to this garden?"
"I heard they only designed one door for security reasons."
"Hey, security? Cut the person who designed it like that right away. It'll be a traitor."
"Yes?"
There had never been a fire before, so Marisa was just as bewildered as Parker. Only Moobin hurriedly rushed the party.
"Whatever it is, let's get out of here."
"Me, Moobin, the fire is the entrance. Wouldn't it be safe to stay inside until the light goes out?"
"If there really is a fire on the outdoor patio, there will be smoke coming in soon. It's dangerous to stay inside."
Hearing those words, the party immediately ran towards the entrance. As Moobin said, breathing in smoke in an enclosed space was dangerous. It was right to get out of the glass garden first.
However, at the point where he could not even get to the entrance, Mubin suddenly drew his sword.
"Stand back!"
Without questioning why, there was a loud roar.
Wow!
There was a huge explosion, shaking the axis at the entrance. The blood on Marisa's face, who found a roaring fire beyond the door, had gone bloody just then.
"Boo, fire...!"
It was a bigger fire than I thought.
Mubin briefly reported the situation.
"It's a raid."
This is not an accidental fire. Someone broke into the palace and intentionally caused an explosion. The exit completely engulfed in flames looked like a passageway to hell.
To break through that exit, you need a defense wizard who knows how to use a shield. However, there were no wizards in their party.
As they faltered in front of the flames, someone appeared from the other side.
"Penzi!"
She was Marisa's maid. The servants and maids serving the imperial family are all nobles with high education. A maid named Penzi knew how to use her magic.
Marisa, who recognized her own person, had a welcome expression on her face, but Mubin's expression was even more wrinkled.
"Are you all right? I'm glad. I think there was an attack. Get out of here and you'll have this fact quickly...!"
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty."
"Yes?"
kuung.
The door is closed. He used magic to close the exit. Through the burning door, the sound of shoes moving away from each other was heard.
"Penzi?"
Marisa blankly called the maid. She gave her a look of disbelief and she made Marisa leap towards the door she roared.
"Wait, Penzi!"
widely!
Mubin grabbed her arm, which had lost her composure, and stood up. He looked down at the swaying gold eyes and said in a sullen tone.
"There was a traitor inside."
"The traitor………"
"It happens often in the Imperial Palace. I believe it is not unexpected at all, My Majesty the Princess."
It sounded cold at first glance, but Mubin's tips helped Marisa come to her senses.
The trembling eyes quickly found their light. After taking one deep breath from her, she glared at her door with a bit of determination.
"Yes, Gong is right. The battlefield where anything can happen is the Imperial Palace."
A trusted confidant found out that it was a spy planted by the enemy, a scenario that appears as a regular in history books.
Although the place where the betrayal scratched was painful, the princess did not despair easily. First, escape was a priority.
