By Zephyria 
I roughly dried my hair and sat on the bed.
Ruben sat opposite me. Though we had spent many nights together, this was the first time I was sitting face-to-face with Ruben in his pajamas, looking at him so closely. Unlike when he was tucked in bed or sitting beside me, I couldn’t find a place to rest my gaze and only looked at the child’s fingertips.
The perfume bottle, slightly longer than my middle finger and small enough to be completely hidden when cupped in my hand, was engraved with dragon and tree motifs. As Ruben twisted open the cap, a round jade bead blocking the bottle’s opening was the first thing I saw. Wondering what use this bead served, Ruben kindly explained.
“I wanted to prepare this for Mika… so she could use it comfortably anytime.”
“Anytime?”
“Yes. If you roll the bead on top like this… like so. The perfume inside will stick to it. That way, it won’t spill all at once, making it easier to use.”
Indeed, a fragrant grassy scent wafted strongly from Ruben’s fingertips.
It was a scent that felt strangely familiar. As I twitched my nose, Ruben brought his perfume-moistened fingertips close to my face, offering them for me to smell. I took a deep breath. The child watched me expectantly with eyes waiting for my answer. I knew only a few names of grassy flowers. I answered hesitantly.
“…Silver Lace? Is that right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The child beamed again.
Silver Lace was the name of the white grass that bloomed abundantly in Ruben’s garden. I remembered him telling me about his favorite plant when I visited the palace. The subtle fragrance and lovely appearance came back to me vividly. So did Ruben’s gentle voice saying he liked things that didn’t change.
The scent was closer to grass than flowers, so it felt subtle even after smelling it several times.
Ruben continued his explanation.
“I like Silver Lace, but… we often have to sleep outdoors, and I don’t know where we might have to hide in the future. I thought it wouldn’t be good to wear a strong, perfumed scent, so I chose this.”
“…Mm.”
“How is it? Is it okay?”
“Yes. I like it.”
I liked that it wasn’t an overpowering scent that offended my nose, but even more, I liked that it was the same scent as the grass Ruben cherished and planted in abundance around the palace. If I wore this, Ruben would think of me even when he was in his palace.
When I reached out my hand to take it, the child placed his hand directly on my cheek. My body stiffened at the touch of his fingertips behind my earlobe. It was a place no one else’s hand ever touched. As his perfume-slicked fingertips brushed against my tender skin, I grabbed his wrist and hand, stopping him.
Ruben’s cheeks were still flushed. I didn’t know if he was urging me on, sensing my impure thoughts, or if perfume was meant to be applied with such gentle rubbing.
The child’s hand, held roughly in my grip, was warm. As if pushed, I let go of his hand.
“I… I’ll do it myself. You just need to show me.”
“…Shall we?”
The child did not insist.
Ruben gently traced the jade bead with the tip of his index finger.
Ruben’s hands were those of a knight. Given his build, he had broad, slender hands. The inside of his palms, meant to grip a sword, were calloused and firm, but his hands were not. My gaze fell again on the thin skin, through which the veins were visibly translucent, and the prominent tendons.
“At first, just a little like this, and you apply it here.”
“See,” he said, and I looked. As the child pushed his soft earlobe forward and traced behind it with his fingertip, I felt a strange dryness in my throat. A subtle sheen appeared on Ruben’s once-matte skin.
I… I knew there was a small mole behind Ruben’s left ear. I knew it even before he pointed it out. Did Ruben know it too? If he did, was it right for him to show me so much?
Rubel did not yet have a beard.
Most people of the Sierran Empire had finer hair and less body hair than those of the Central Plains, and many never grew beards in their lifetime.
Still, Ruben’s smooth face looked somehow special. As the child’s fingertip traced the sharp line from below his ear to his chin, I swallowed hard.
“And you apply it to your wrists like this.”
I knew this part. The child lifted the perfume bottle and tapped the round tip once on the inside of each wrist, over the pulse points, then crossed his wrists and rubbed them together.
Instead of looking at my wrists, my gaze drifted to his broad chest beyond. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.
Ruben unhesitatingly rolled up his sleeves to his upper arms. His arms, unmarred by scars, were well-trained, bulging firmly closer to his elbows, but the skin at the folds was a lighter color, making it impossible to look directly.
The child’s voice sank in, steady. It felt like smelling water, not grass. My ears felt muffled, as if I had plunged into deep water, and his voice sounded distant.
“Then, in your palm, roll it like this about three times… and apply it to your elbows like this…”
“…”
“Finally, what’s left, apply it to your heels like this.”
I couldn’t even let out a gasp. Startled and flustered, I half-rose from my seat. I knew the child was looking up at me with wide, surprised eyes, but I couldn’t sit back down. I flung my sleeves wide and tumbled off the bed as if rolling, quickly putting on my shoes.
“…Mika?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
I immediately ran out of the room. The door slammed shut behind me.
My heart pounded, greatly alarmed.
Here in Sierran, a person’s feet were not considered such a private area. This was due to the cumbersome, bell-shaped dresses worn by women.
When shoes were removed, it was customary for those nearby to help put them back on. Hadn’t my Uncle helped his wife when her shoe heel got stuck in the flagstones, and hadn’t he looked upon her then?
But it was not like that for me. It couldn’t be.
In the Central Plains, encountering another person’s bare feet was an extremely private and shameful matter. Even Jegal Amugae, for instance, married immediately after holding Moyong Yeonhwa’s ankle just once.
Even if it were to save a life, it would still be a scandal. Of course, men never paid attention to each other’s dirty feet…
Knock knock.
A cute sound, far too light to be a proper knock, came from the closed door behind me.
Ruben twisted the doorknob to open it, but I held it fast, preventing it from opening. From inside the room, I heard Mikaa call me again, cutely, but I couldn’t answer.
What if the child got upset again? I swallowed my worry but couldn’t move an inch. Stuck between not knowing what to do, I stood like a statue in front of the door. Since I hadn’t hidden my presence, Ruben would know I was here.
The child lingered by the door, seemingly puzzled.
The sound of his footsteps pattered, stepping on my chest.
“Mika… are you there?”
“Yes. Please sleep first.”
“…Aren’t you coming in?”
“No. It’s not that.”
I took a deep breath.
I recalled Ruben’s sulky face earlier, upset that I had come home late. I didn’t want to make him feel hurt twice in one night. Besides, even if Ruben didn’t feel wronged, I couldn’t stand in the hallway all night. What excuse would I give if a servant happened to pass by?
However, I didn’t have the confidence to open the door immediately. I exhaled sharply, my breath burning.
“…In a moment, I’ll come in.”
Haha. I heard Ruben laugh from beyond the door.
My face flushed hotly at his clear laughter, as if he couldn’t contain his joy. I couldn’t stand upright any longer and leaned against the door, slumping down. I rubbed my face with both hands, but my already disheveled face wouldn’t return to normal no matter how hard I tried.
And Ruben never treated me harshly.
“Yes, I understand. Don’t make me wait too long.”
“…Yes.”
But I couldn’t keep my promise this time either.
It was hard to tell how much time had passed. It felt like a moment, and it felt like an age. Unable to wait any longer, Ruben came to the door again and knocked softly, calling me.
“Mika, I’m cold. Let’s sleep together.”
“…”
Only then did I reluctantly open the door.
As soon as the child saw my face, he smiled again, his expression incredibly bright and radiant. I was always amazed at how a person could shine like that. I didn’t know if his sulkiness had completely disappeared, but Ruben lay down with his head on my arm again.
Neither Ruben nor I could sleep. I knew it without exchanging words. We simply lay side by side, enduring the passage of time. At times, my chest felt tight, and my lungs swelled with a painful excitement.
❖ ❖ ❖
I received the second Ranunculus with breakfast.
The Ranunculus remained silent until the servant who served the meal left, but its small head and round body were entirely dyed a light purple. I knew it instantly from the color. It was Marianne. She was safe, after all. I smiled with relief.
As soon as the servant left, before even eating, I urged the Ranunculus to speak, pestering it for news.
Then, with a great flap of its wings, the creature let out a shout before even greeting me.
“Hey, are you out of your mind? Mikael should have come this way! Why did you throw Your Highness over there!”
Ah, that.
Benjamin must have received quite an earful too. I laughed again. Marianne’s clear voice was a welcome sound. Despite clearly having been upset about Glotin Tenner, she fussed over us first, which was rather endearing.
After asking many questions about whether the journey to Yulan had been long, if she had been injured, and if there were many zombies or monsters on the way, Marianne finally shared her news.
“We fortunately succeeded in returning the way we came. Although Ann, who was following at the very back, was hit by a falling rock. Peter tried to save her and fell with her. I saw Hyoo Senior and Elwin Senior shouting for us to go ahead, and the five of us ran breathlessly towards the Sanctuary of the Sun… and the Sun God was waiting for us. Saying, ‘Well done.'”
“…”
“Four days after the cave collapsed, in the morning, the Sun God saw the four of them moving towards Felix’s direction. The Healing Artifact we have is Type 5. We were relieved that at least they were all alive… but…”
Marianne’s voice grew thick with emotion.
“The God said that the darkness in the Indus Canyon had cleared, and he could see inside… but in the Sun God’s eyes, only Your Highness was visible, not Mikael. My heart nearly dropped.”
“…”
I wasn’t visible?