When I left Agrigent, it was the brightest summer.
However, when I returned, the seasons had changed. Seeing the fallen leaves, I knew it was fall.
It had been just two months or so in winter; Agrigent was the only country where the winter exists. Therefore, the late autumn scenery, preparing for winter, was a sight that can only be seen in Agrigent. Quite a mess to see the tree which produced fruits.
The farmers’ minds would have been running around about the harvest.
“Ah, it has been a while!”
I wasn’t an exercising freak, but I liked walking strangely, probably because I walked after breakfast, lunch, and dinner since young.
Since it had been a long time since I walked, I enjoyed it so much to the point that even Ahin could see.
What was there to even talk about? Taking a walk was good, but I ended up getting blocked by an even more unexpected obstacle.
What must I say? I had nothing.
“It is unusual to say there is a tree that bore fruit in the Imperial.”
While I was walking, Ahin broke the silence.
“It was cool. Isn’t it nice?”
Right, that was cool!
Honestly, there was tremendous opposition to having fruit trees in the palace; they said it wasn’t appropriate, but I forced them.
Why!?
Living next to a fruit tree was my dream; it was my hundred-year dream!
“Are all the fruits in here edible?”
“Definitely. Those fruits are all there to be eaten after being turned into jam.”
Of course, our primary purpose was to eat fruits while walking by their trees. Thanks to that, we hired farmers, who specialized in growing fruit trees, and gardeners. In addition to that, rare trees that could only be obtained overseas were also raised separately in the greenhouse.
I did all of these for my invisible effort to obtain my ideal dessert!
What else could I do, though? The food here was delicious.
It was considered a joke to have such trees; well, the Imperial Palace was the real joke anyway.
The imperial cuisine was delicious because of the Prime Minister, while the imperial desserts were delicious because of the princess.
My love and affection were placed into each of their desserts, and news of it spread to foreign countries; their dreams of being the greatest patissiers changed into wanting to serve the princess the most delicious desserts of all time instead. Right. I was the best!
“Can I have one?”
Ahin asked as I picked one.
Ahin looked as if he was contemplating, but it wasn’t a huge matter.
‘Come on, it’s okay!’
Once I plucked one, Ahin seemed visibly shocked.
That was my first time seeing Ahin make such an expression, which made me wonder.
Didn’t he always smile?
Libby wiped off the apples I picked with a clean cloth and handed them back to me. I gave it to Ahin right away.
“Please have one. They are delicious.”
After all, apples were the easiest fruit to enjoy.
Just one bite of a good apple was enough. Was the Imperial Palace such a suitable place for farming?
Well, I had to ask the chefs to make apple jam.
“It’s tasty, right?”
“Yes.”
Ahin nodded with a smile.
Yes, delicious.
Ah, that was good. Even if Agrigent fell the following day, I would plant another apple tree. No, should I try cultivating oranges?
Side by side, with apples in our mouths, we walked again; this time, there was a noise between us. The sound of teeth biting into apples surrounded us instead of a proper conversation.
I didn’t want to notice it, but it was too silent to ignore. Was it okay? Still, the scenery was fantastic. Why was it tough to understand Ahin; he was a lot more complicated than Ferdel…
“Amazing. No one would think of this.”
“Well, this isn’t something that great.”
Right, that was a cool move. Even I knew that. I was so cool.
If Valer heard something like that, he would have laughed out loud, but Valer wasn’t there with us, which left us in silence. However, he left us and went to the Moon Knight’s residence!
Uhahahah!
Therefore, no one could make fun of me. My dream was to live next to an orchard; everyone laughed at it and treated it like a joke.
Would Ahin also laugh?
It was worth a try, but then, I decided to hold back. As the princess, I had the prestige to uphold. It sucked being a princess.
“Uncomfortable?”
“Huh? No! absolutely not!”
I denied it rather fiercely, but the awkward air between us told him it was a lie.
Man!
Well, it was a little uncomfortable.
I didn’t think of it…
I couldn’t give him an honest answer because I knew what was making me feel such discomfort. It wasn’t easy to say it out loud.
Ah, what to do?
Even though time passed swiftly, I still couldn’t think of what to say. No matter how much I thought of it, I couldn’t make up my mind and say something out loud. Should I ask him about the weather?!
“It isn’t easy.”
After a long period of silence, I heard a few quiet words. Ahin sounded more like he was talking to himself, but I heard them because of our close distance.
The way he said it bothered me.
What wasn’t easy? Tree? Talking?
Actually, even guessing wasn’t easy. There was no topic to say.
Ahin smiled softly since I didn’t respond.
Ahin wasn’t smiling. He had a smile on, but he seemed sad. Every time I saw him smile, it seemed like he donned a different face. Stil…
“It’s fine. I’m good at waiting.”
I really wanted to talk but couldn’t think of a single topic. Would it be better for me to just shut up? I wasn’t sure what to do, but Ahin smiled again.
“Can I hold your hand?”
… what?
What did I just hear?
I was too shocked to remember what he said. Did I really hear him correctly?
“No. I’ll hold your hand.”
Ahin reached out without even giving me time to refuse.
I hesitated for a moment when I saw his hand inching closer. It was the first time someone tried to hold my hand like that.
Uh, what should I do? I could refuse it.
Eventually, his hand wrapped around mine.
The warmth touching my palm was so unfamiliar. That was my first time being so conscious of someone’s hand holding mine. I could feel my cheeks burning.
Strangely, I was feeling shy.
It was nothing to be ashamed of; why was I ashamed? My neck was tingling for no reason.
“You have small hands.”
Even with his low voice, I could hear Ahin speak.
My hands were small?
I tilted my head as I didn’t realize it, which only made Ahin smile. I always thought of myself as a beauty, but his smile was so different.
His smile always had a fascinating effect on me.
Did I ever see something which made me feel such a way?
Ahin indeed was a person who knew how to use his smile.
“Can we walk?”
“Ah.”
When I realized that I was standing still, I felt embarrassed.
Ah, I wasn’t that kind of a girl. I knew I was weak for pretty faces, but I wasn’t that weak!
Ugh, so embarrassing! This was tough.
His voice was a lot better noticeable than before.
Although I tried to stay calm, I was constantly worried about our hands; even the thought of talking about something vanished.
I did nothing, yet my cheeks burned like hell!
“I won’t let go even if you keep looking at me like that.”
“Huh?”
Maybe I was staring at him too much and got noticed, but he didn’t have to say it out loud!
I really wanted to hide in a hole. That was my first time feeling like that.
I really wanted to protest, but I couldn’t think of anything. It was already ruined.
“The scene is wonderful.”
Meanwhile, Ahin smiled like he always did. Seeing that, I realized one thing, I was a fool.
Eh. Forget it!