The Bloom of Violet

“What are you doing? Did you come from Roderville?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“I just came to take a look.”

“To look? Ha! Is that so? The landowners must be well off, so you came to see what this shabby town is like?”

“Not exactly…”

“Then?”

“It’s an interesting town.”

“What’s interesting? You think this place is fun?”

He burst out laughing. Lennox looked at the boys blocking his way. The man beside him asked, “David, what’s this guy up to?” The one called David had a stern expression on his face.

Lennox stared at the tall, lanky boys. They wore shirts with dropped sleeves and stained vests, and a sea-blue hat was perched on one of their heads. The tilt of their heads was crooked, giving them a very rough appearance.

“You said it was fun?”

David grabbed him by the neck. Lennox stared back at him without flinching. Apparently, that annoyed David, and he swung his fist.

“How about this? You don’t think this is fun?”

Lennox, struck by the punch, spat out the blood that had pooled in his mouth. Then he turned his head and looked at David. David flinched for a moment. He twisted his thin lips.

“This is really….”

“You’d better not regret this.”

“What?”

“I warned you.”

“You little bastard!”

“You won’t be able to handle this.”

David trembled. Oliver, who had been leaning against the wall watching, leisurely approached and stepped on Lennox’s hand, which was lying on the ground. Lennox, swallowing his groans, looked up at the boy who was looking down at him.

“That goes for you too, kid.”

Oliver grinned sickly. Lennox stared at him, and suddenly, his neck was grabbed. After that…

“Do you live here?”

A little over two hours later, Lennox asked as he looked at the girl who had returned. In her small hands, she held an old basket with a torn seam.

Lennox looked at the hard bread inside the basket. Flies flew around the yellowed bread, along with a few brown apples. Just looking at it made his appetite drop, but Anes held out the bread to him.

“Won’t you eat it?”

“My jaw hurts…”

It wasn’t a lie. After being caught by those guys and beaten, his jaw hurt. Hesitant as he looked at the bread, Anes cut off the edge and held it out to him.

Lennox had no choice but to put it in his mouth and chew. It tasted strange. Occasionally, the palace chef would offer him bread that tasted like dirt, claiming it was healthier than the white, soft bread.

Lennox didn’t like it much, but his stepfather really liked that bread. He said it reminded him of the bread he ate in the battlefield. Thinking it might taste like that kind of bread, Lennox tried to adjust but found it impossible to get used to.

“Do you eat this every day?”

Lennox, clutching his hungry stomach, asked as he weakly lowered his head. Anes stared at him for a moment before answering, “No.”

“Then?”

“This was given to me by Molly.”

“Molly? Who’s Molly?”

“She’s the owner of the shop where I sell flowers.”

“I see.”

Lennox had no words. He was hungry. He wanted to eat something a little better… But more than that, returning to the palace was the priority. If he went back to the palace, he could eat as much as he wanted.

Lennox looked at the girl chewing on the hard bread and then stopped chewing himself.

“Have you seen anyone looking for me? I’m sure someone’s looking for me.”

“Not yet…”

“They probably don’t know I’m here. So I have to let them know.”

“Where did you come from?”

“I…”

Lennox parted his lips. Suddenly, Anes spat out the bread she had been chewing and held it out to him. Lennox looked at her with a confused expression, wondering what kind of strange behavior this was.

“It’s not hard anymore.”

“Thanks, but I don’t put things in my mouth that have already been in someone else’s.”

Lennox politely declined. His stomach churned, but he couldn’t show it. Anes, with a sullen look, turned her gaze away. He felt bad, but there was nothing he could do. He was really hungry, but he couldn’t eat it because his stomach had turned.

Cold sweat dampened his forehead. Lennox struggled to keep his upper body upright but soon lay back down on the ground. The cold floor sent a chill through his back. He trembled, like an elderly person suffering from a fever. Every time the sun set, the temperature dropped.

It wasn’t particularly cold for summer, but Lennox, having been beaten so severely, was not in his right state.

Anes, who had been quietly watching him, cautiously approached his side. Lennox glanced at her, seeing the girl with her hair messy like a bush. If she grew up, she would surely be an extraordinary beauty. The girl lay beside him.

“What…?”

Lennox shuddered. He had never been this close to a child of the opposite gender before. But Anes, without a hint of discomfort, pulled him closer.

“This way, it’s not cold.”

Her soft whisper, like a bird’s chirp, sank into his ears. It was a strangely comforting voice. Lennox closed his eyes to the warmth she offered. As he bit his lower lip, her delicate fingers brushed against his face. Startled, he opened his eyes to see her plump lips moving.

“Don’t do that.”

The girl’s voice was like dry flower petals—rough yet soft. Lennox flinched and looked down at her. Her white face, buried in the silver waves of her hair, looked as soft as a feather. It felt as if she were tickling his heart with dry flower petals. It was an odd feeling.

“Can’t you move a little farther away?”

Unable to bear the sensation, he asked. Anes looked up at him steadily and replied.

“This way, it’s not cold.”

Her firm voice was surprisingly strong. Lennox reluctantly closed his eyes and burrowed deeper into her embrace. He had no idea how the night passed.