Chapter 11: Hydrangeas Beneath a Silent Crown

The season of hydrangeas had returned.

It was a flower his brother loved. Every summer, Arthur would lose himself in the clusters of hydrangeas blooming in abundance by the pond in the rear garden.

Though the date of his death fell in winter and could not be matched, Owen had his own way of marking the arrival of summer, by placing a bouquet of fully bloomed hydrangeas before his brother’s grave on his birthday, which came with the end of the rainy season.

Thanks to the perceptive chamberlain clearing his afternoon schedule, Owen was able to leave his office without burden. Dismissing the attendants who tried to follow, he headed alone toward the rear garden.

The Garden of Naps, so it was called, after the former emperor who would cradle his beloved consort in his arms and drift into sweet midday sleep there. As his grandfather aged and his mobility declined, ceasing his visits, the garden’s former glory faded quickly.

Yet even without watchers, flowers bloomed and young trees grew tall in silence. Much like Arthur and Owen, who had grown quietly in a forgotten corner of the palace.

The pond came into view in the distance. As Owen stopped, an orchid vine brushed against his shoulder. Its strong, almost toxic scent filled the air. It was a flower that had always adorned Yonanna’s residence, its cloying fragrance lingering constantly around that person.

He brushed it aside. The stem fell limply inward. Owen gazed coldly at the broken stalk.

Then, from somewhere, came the sound of children’s laughter.

Owen lifted his head.

Far off, in the middle of a field thick with flowers, stood Yonanna.

Red hair swaying in the wind. Green eyes.

“Yo-”

Why had he thought that?

Soft golden hair fluttered in the breeze. Blue eyes.

It wasn’t Yonanna.

It was someone entirely different.

Wearing a smile Owen had never seen before, his consort stood upon the grass. Turning his head toward a young girl tugging at his arm…

He smiled brightly.

“Fria.”

Owen spoke the name of the man he had held in his arms the previous night.

Amid the swaying grass, moving gently with the wind…

Beautiful, he thought.

****

“Hey, you- go fetch some water.”

At only ten years old, she tilted her chin arrogantly as if she were already a consort. Judith trembled with indignation.

This was all Fria’s fault. She had sent him out for a walk, not to babysit children. Lately, he had even been skipping his naps under the excuse of walking, so Judith followed him, only to find him playing house with a bunch of little girls.

When Judith learned who the girls were, her shock only deepened.

Lady Margaret of Trubania and Lady Rosanna of Violetta.

If the other maids found out, there would be chaos.

No matter how young they were, Fria was still a man. The ladies of the consorts’ quarters were flowers meant solely for the emperor. If word spread that the rumored male consort was secretly meeting other consorts’ daughters in the garden…

Not only Fria, but the girls too would be confined to the isolated palace.

And she, for failing her duty as head maid, might be thrown into a damp underground cell, surviving on moldy bread for the rest of her life.

Standing to fetch water from the pond, Judith shot a glare back at her oblivious master, who seemed entirely unaware of her loyal distress. Seeing the girls happily wearing crude flower crowns made of grass only fueled her anger.

How hard had she worked just to get Fria to wear even a single accessory, knowing the jewelry in his box was going to waste? Even as head maid, she had to coax and flatter him endlessly just to pin on a brooch.

If all it took was being young, then she might as well start claiming she was six instead of sixteen.

“Fria, I think I’m feeling dizzy. The sun is so strong today… ah, I feel faint!”

“Are you alright, Margaret? Let’s move to the shade. Lean on me if you need to.”

“Yes, if you would do that, I might feel bett-”

Margaret fluttered her eyelashes and leaned dramatically against Fria’s shoulder.

Not to be outdone, Rosanna ran over, plopping her chubby self onto his lap and wriggling into his arms.

‘This is scandalous! Unacceptable!’

With the resolve of a whistleblower exposing corruption, Judith clenched the toy teapot so tightly it seemed it might break.

If she ever got the chance to see His Majesty, she would report everything!

At the pond, Judith still fumed, snorting angrily.

Consorts with partners already, behaving like this!

As she noisily scooped water, a group of frogs gathered nearby to watch. Ripples spread across the once-still surface, and a water strider darted away. A rich hydrangea scent drifted through the air.

Judith looked up.

Along the edge of the pond, hydrangeas bloomed in dazzling blue.

“Oh my, how beautiful.”

She admired them briefly, then bent down again, only to pause.

Something felt off.

Looking up again, her eyes caught sight of a tall man’s back.

A man?

This garden was reserved for consorts. No men were allowed entry except authorized royals or gardeners.

“W-who are you?!”

At her cry, the man slowly turned.

Black hair tousled by the wind. Deep, unreadable black eyes. Sharp, striking features.

A beautiful young man stared down at her with a cold expression.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

He was dressed plainly, so she hadn’t recognized him at first. Even the chamberlain who usually followed him was nowhere to be seen today.

Startled, Judith dropped the teapot. It floated halfway submerged toward the center of the pond.

“What were you doing? And what is that?”

“T-th-that is a teapot! For the lady- no, for Fria- he was playing house- no, that is not it- he was thirsty-”

As Judith stumbled over her words, Owen stepped into the pond.

He waded forward until the water reached his waist, retrieved the drifting teapot, and returned.

“Take it.”

Frozen in panic, Judith couldn’t even reach out, so Owen grabbed her hand and placed it into her grasp.

“This water is not suitable for drinking. Go further down, there is a clean stream there. Fetch water for your master from that place.”

“Y-yes.”

Judith nodded, her face flushed all the way to her ears. Her gaze kept drifting to the emperor’s soaked lower body.

“That person…”

Does he always smile like that?

Owen murmured as he looked toward the other side of the bushes.

Following his gaze, Judith saw Fria with the girls and panicked, waving her hands frantically.

“N-no, Your Majesty! Fria is absolutely not having an affair!”

‘An affair? With those children?’

Owen let out a quiet laugh.

“Your master has peculiar tastes. Among all the beauties gathered in the palace, he chooses children like those.”

Taking his words seriously, Judith turned pale and waved even more desperately.

“No, Your Majesty! It is a misunderstanding! Fria is only lonely… he misses his young relatives back home, so he looks after girls their age! He has absolutely no improper intentions. He only sees them as younger sisters!”

“Lonely?”

“Ah-!”

Realizing her mistake, Judith’s face drained of all color.

There were six other consorts who had never even seen the emperor in person. For a male consort who received his favor every night to claim loneliness…

It would sound like arrogance.

“N-no, Your Majesty! Not Fria- I am the one who is lonely! I meant myself!”

“Enough. Go.”

Owen bent down, picked up a fresh bouquet of hydrangeas, and walked past her toward the brush.

Judith slowly lifted her head.

Watching his broad back recede, she felt something unexpected.

Not fear…

But loneliness.

When she thought about it, he was only three years older than her.

She couldn’t even begin to imagine the burden he carried as the ruler of a nation.

If only Fria would show even half the smile he gave those girls… to His Majesty.

That was all Judith could think.

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