The Bloom of Violet

Anes curled into a ball, crying. Though she had once slept amid piles of trash in an old, abandoned house, this was her first time in a prison. She trembled, struggling to breathe. Every time she saw the iron bars of the cell, her hair stood on end, from head to toe.

“Huh, hic… What should I do? What should I do, Mom…”

Muttering her long-deceased mother’s name, Anes tensed at the sound of footsteps approaching. She flinched, burying her face even deeper. Last night, Oliver and David had been dragged away to the interrogation room by the guards.

They returned about three hours later, almost unconscious. Anes had watched in fear as the bloodied boys stumbled back. They looked like the lifeless body of a beast. Anes was terrified she might end up like that.

Regret flooded her late at night. She should have just ignored them. She should have given Oliver the silver coin and run away. If she had done that, she wouldn’t have gotten caught up in all this.

Tears poured from Anes’s eyes as she silently cursed her past decisions. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped just a half-step away from her. She stiffened, afraid of the shadow looming closer, and clenched her teeth.

“Anes.”

It was a familiar voice. She looked up to see Lennox. The tears on her cheeks froze, gathering at her closed lips. She stared at the pale boy. Though still pale, Lennox looked much different from how he had in Bluebilt Village.

Anes gazed at him, unable to speak, her lips trembling.

“Are you crying?”

He asked. Anes didn’t respond. She wanted to beg him to take her out of the prison. Surely, a prince could do that. But her lips wouldn’t move. Lennox glanced at the guard standing beside him.

Moments later, the door to the cell rattled open. Lennox walked in confidently and helped Anes to her feet. She had been crouching in the darkness for days, almost dragged up by his hand.

“Don’t cry.”

Lennox pulled her into an embrace. Anes buried her face in his satin vest. The warm scent of roses filled her nose.

Suddenly, Anes wondered if she would lose her fingers for touching his vest or pressing her face into his shirt. Frightened, she pushed him away and stiffened.

“P-Please let me go.”

She murmured in a voice barely above a whisper. Lennox nodded, his breath warm against her forehead.

Anes lowered her shoulders, taking a couple of steps back. She felt too close to him. Lennox stared at her for a moment before grabbing her wrist. Surprised, Anes flinched, but he didn’t let go and led her out of the cell.

Anes, hands clasped tightly on her stomach, looked up at the woman with the high bun and dark hair. Beneath perfectly arched eyebrows, her bright, gem-like eyes glowed. The high nose and red-painted lips created an elegant, refined impression.

Anes, unsure of how to behave before the queen, glanced nervously around. The queen’s chamber was not so much grand as it was regal, exuding a sense of dignity.

The walls, adorned with elegant beige tones, featured exotic blue patterns with motifs of lilies of the valley, honeysuckle, and the deer and nightingale that symbolized the queen. The arrangement was beautiful, giving the room a calming, serene atmosphere.

On a table decorated with vine patterns, elegant candles and dried flowers in various shapes added to the peacefulness of the space.

“You’re Anes?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve heard about you from the prince. Thank you. If it weren’t for you, the prince would have lost his life.”

Her warm, measured voice exuded both warmth and dignity. Anes’s heart skipped a beat at the kind words. Suddenly, the words from a maid came to mind.

“You’ll meet the queen soon. When you do, you must stand tall, with your hands together. Now, follow me and try greeting her.”

The queen… The queen mother. Anes couldn’t adapt to the series of events unfolding in her life.

The highest-ranking people she knew were the wealthy landowners of Roderville, and even then, she had never met them face-to-face. Her only connection was through her aunt Dora, who worked as a servant in one of the richest households. From there, she had learned how the wealthy lived.

A poor orphan girl like Anes rarely mingled with even lower-ranking nobility. And now she was standing before the prince… Anes still couldn’t believe the boy who had embraced her was the prince.

“Anes, child.”

Anes, who had been looking at the floor, startled at the unfamiliar voice. She looked up to see a noblewoman beside the queen. Anes quickly swallowed her dry throat, trying to stay calm.

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop, Helena.”

The queen waved her hand dismissively toward the noble woman named Helena. Anes, still stiff, looked around. The queen, sitting on a pearl-colored chair and wearing a blue dress, was flanked by two women around her age.

In particular, the noblewoman named Helena had a strangely similar impression to the queen, almost as if they were distant relatives. The woman standing beside her, dressed in a bright apricot-colored dress, was petite but had a little more flesh, giving off a warm and gentle vibe.

“Don’t be too nervous. Aren’t you the prince’s benefactor?”

“Ah, no… I’m… I’m…”

An, who had been nervously looking at the women, quickly shook her head. She wanted to leave the palace as soon as possible. However, it seemed that the queen and the noblewomen wouldn’t let her go easily. An bit her lip and thought of Lennox.

The child she saved was a prince. Perhaps he was the son of some high-ranking noble. He had always exuded a different aura, so An had thought that perhaps he lived in a world completely different from hers. But she never imagined he was a prince.

The realization felt distant to An. She wanted to leave this place by any means necessary. She just wanted to curl up somewhere she felt safe until she could stabilize. Suddenly, the sound of quick footsteps was heard, and the outside of the door became noisy.

The queen glanced over An’s shoulder as if she had anticipated it. An turned her head and saw the door opening.

The prince didn’t march in like everyone else. A servant, with a very solemn voice, announced his arrival before opening the door. Lennox, with graceful steps, stood in front of his mother, bowed sharply, and then walked toward An.

Instinctively, An took several steps sideways to distance herself from him. Lennox tilted his head, looking at her strangely, then turned his gaze back to his mother.

“Can I take Anes now?”

“The formal greetings haven’t even finished yet.”

The queen smiled softly at her son’s question. Lennox rolled his eyes and asked his mother to bring in the refreshments. The queen smiled fondly and nodded. An, observing them like an ordinary mother and son, was led by Lennox to sit at the table.

“Have you seen Yvonne?”

“Yes, I’m supposed to introduce Anes to her this weekend.”

“I see. Yvonne has been very worried about you.”

“I thought she might have.”

Ingrid watched her son as he bit into a handful of honey pastries. Yvonne had cried and been feverish while Lennox was ill. Since Lennox had been born around the same time as her own son, Huey, Ingrid’s feelings for him had been no different than for her own child.

Lennox felt the same way. He had been so attached to Yvonne that he had gone outside the castle just to visit her. His strange attachment to her seemed to remind Ingrid of his father, and she found it unsettling how much her son fixated on Yvonne.

But then…

“Where’s Anes?”

As soon as he opened his eyes, Lennox seemed ready to search for Yvonne, but instead, he asked where the girl he brought was. Only then did Ingrid remember that Lennox had brought a poor girl from the slums.

“Lennox, are you okay?”

“But where is Anes? I asked you to bring her to my palace.”

Lennox was growing increasingly agitated. Ingrid looked at her son, still showing sharpness despite his illness. His expression resembled that of Richard when he asked where Yvonne was.

Ingrid, eyeing her son like a sharpened blade, answered that Anes had been detained.

Lennox abruptly stood up, looking furious. Ingrid barely managed to calm him down. However, Lennox’s anger didn’t subside easily, and that evening, he went to the prison to fetch the girl.

“Anes, you should eat too.”

Ingrid handed the trembling girl a pastry. The girl hesitated, glancing at her, before nodding. It seemed that Lennox noticed her discomfort, and he placed a pastry in her hand. Anes, startled, looked back at him.