Ch.214213. Proposal (2)

# 213. Proposal (2)

Peace and hope.

Anyone with the right mindset in Sarai would desire these things.

And if someone were living through wartime, they would yearn for them even more…

‘Is that one of the reasons…?’

That seemed to be why she liked them.

Because they were lacking in her life, she must have wanted them all the more.

Daisies were symbols of peace and hope, after all.

‘I wonder if she still likes them…’

That was something I didn’t know.

After all, we were in a situation that could be considered “peaceful” in its own way now.

Of course, even if that weren’t the case, my choice wouldn’t change.

She wasn’t the only one who liked daisies.

“They’re pretty, now as they were before…”

“Of course they’re pretty, they’re flowers… Why state the obvious?”

“It would be so nice if you weren’t here…”

I really don’t understand why she followed me all the way here just to nitpick.

I was about to dismiss it as her being sensitive lately when Aelin spoke up.

“But why daisies specifically? There are plenty of other flowers here.”

“Because they’re pretty, like someone I know.”

“How thoughtful of you… I was a fool for asking.”

“Yes, you are a fool.”

Aelin frowned at those words.

I spoke before she could say anything else.

“So what do you think? Isn’t this place nice? The lights come on softly at night, it’s perfect.”

The dark night sky filled with bright stars and the moon, numerous lanterns.

And the harmony of the daisies shining amidst it all left viewers speechless.

Aelin was no exception.

“…”

She just stood there silently, taking in the magnificent scene.

I tapped her shoulder.

-Tap!-

Snapping back to reality, Aelin stammered.

“Uh… um… what?”

“I asked if it’s good enough.”

“Of course it is! This is definitely going to succeed!”

In truth, there was almost a hundred percent chance she would accept.

But regardless of that fact, I wanted to make the proposal perfect.

“The ring…”

The first item that comes to mind with a proposal.

Since we already had rings, I was wondering how to prepare for this.

Moreover, the rings we were currently wearing weren’t particularly special, which made it even more ambiguous.

“What should I do? Should I just make one out of daisies?”

“Huh…?”

“I’m joking, just joking.”

“That sounds nice though?”

“Huh…?”

It was just a simple joke.

But Aelin was taking that joke seriously.

“I said I was joking.”

“And I said it sounds nice. You already have one anyway.”

Aelin stared intently at my hand.

Indeed, I did have one.

“It’s actually romantic, don’t you think?”

“Romantic?”

“Yeah, it’s really not bad, seriously.”

Hearing that, I thought, should I try it?

With that thought, I sat down on the ground and picked a single daisy.

Then I made a tiny ring out of that daisy.

“But it’ll die if you leave it like that.”

“So what? That’s not what matters.”

“Is this really okay?”

I tried the ring on my finger.

It was certainly pretty.

“It is pretty.”

“See? I told you it’s pretty.”

“And from the way you talk, doesn’t your girlfriend like them too?”

“These? I’m not sure though?”

“Want me to ask her? I like cherry blossoms myself.”

It wasn’t a bad suggestion.

I was genuinely curious, not just for this occasion.

“Sure, ask her. It would be awkward if I asked.”

***

The day he officially became a special forces soldier, he went to sleep with a peaceful mind.

And for the first time in a long while, he dreamed.

She was standing in the imperial palace garden, the same place she had seen before.

“It was here last time too?”

She wasn’t one to dream often.

This dream was the first in almost three years.

But this time too, it was the same place as before.

“But this time… it’s different.”

It was different from that previous dream.

Back then, all the daisies had withered.

They had turned blue with decay, making her frown.

But now… they were blooming beautifully.

“How pretty…”

She walked lightly through the garden.

Feeling the scent and sight of her favorite flowers with her whole body.

After walking for about five minutes,

She arrived at the center of the vast garden, and there, someone she never expected was doing the same thing she was.

“Albert…?”

There stood Albert, with a very different atmosphere than usual, smelling the scent of daisies.

That Albert had a more mature appearance than the one she knew.

He responded to her call.

“Huh…?”

He rubbed his eyes.

And then he made the same expression as when he first saw her.

Eyes that looked like they would burst into tears at any moment, for some reason, he had that look.

“Why… are you like that?”

“Why did you come only now…? Do you know… do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”

“You were waiting…?”

“Of course, because Your Majesty was my everything… of course…”

He slowly, very slowly, moved forward.

Shedding tears like raindrops, he walked step by step.

As he approached right in front of her, his hand gradually reached out to her.

Just as that hand was about to touch her cheek…

“Huh…?”

She woke up from the dream.

Albert, who had been looking at her with tears of longing, and the garden full of daisies had vanished without a trace, replaced by the ceiling of her bedroom.

She sat up and looked at the empty space beside her.

“When did he get up…”

She got out of bed as usual.

Then she headed to the dining room with Riel, who had been waiting for her outside the room.

But even there, he was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did he go…?”

“Are you talking about our son-in-law? If so, he already ate and left.”

“He left?”

“Yes, he’s been gone for quite a while.”

Aelin spoke to her, who looked dejected after hearing the Empress’s words.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Not really… I just wanted to see him.”

“By the way, what kind of flowers do you like?”

“Flowers, all of a sudden?”

“I was looking around the garden yesterday and saw so many pretty flowers, I got curious.”

She answered Aelin’s question without any suspicion.

Aelin perked up her ears and listened attentively to the answer.

“I like white daisies.”

“Why do you like them?”

“They’re pretty, and… when I see those flowers, I feel at peace, I guess? I’ve seen them a lot since I was young, so that might be part of it.”

She gave that answer and continued with her breakfast.

Then the Empress, who seemed to have finished her meal, started a conversation.

“Speaking of daisies, it reminds me of the old days. It feels like just yesterday when I made a daisy ring for Elli… and now she’s all grown up.”

“I still have that, though it’s withered and looks quite different now…”

“That’s touching… that you’ve kept it all this time…”

She loved that gift very much.

It was a gift filled with the sincerity of her mother, whom she had admired so much.

That’s probably why she wanted to cherish it even more.

Until the day she left this world.

“Come to think of it… in the dream too…”

“Dream? You had a dream?”

“Yes, it was a bit strange though.”

The Empress knew that she rarely dreamed, so she found this fact even more intriguing.

“What kind of dream was it? Was it like last time?”

“I’m not sure… the weather was nice, and the flowers were in full bloom.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“But… ah, never mind…”

She showed that she didn’t want to talk about it.

She made it clear enough that no one asked any further questions about it.

No one at all.

After finishing her meal, she headed to the garden as usual.

“What was that dream about? What does it mean…”

She was anxious because of what had happened three years ago.

Moreover, now they were in a situation where it wouldn’t be strange if war broke out again at any moment.

With such unpleasant thoughts, she arrived at the garden.

“It’s exactly the same.”

A scene almost identical to her dream.

Just like then, she walked very slowly.

Thinking about yesterday’s dream, the dream from three years ago, and her childhood when she freely roamed this place with her mother.

“It’s eerily identical…”

A scene no different from then.

And just like then, that person was also present in the scene.

The person she had been looking for all this time came into view.

“Albert…?”

She called out to him, just like in the dream.

Then she ran toward him, who had noticed her and smiled like a daisy.

He stretched out his arms toward her.

“But why with those eyes…”

-Whoosh!!-

She threw herself into his arms.

Then, without saying a word, she looked up at him.

“Why so suddenly?”

“Just… feeling a bit anxious.”

She didn’t wait for him to come to her.

Perhaps it was the influence of that dream.

In that dream, they never touched each other and eventually separated.

She seemed to dislike that.

“Did something happen?”

“No… nothing happened…”

It was obvious to anyone that something had happened, but she didn’t say.

Naturally, he would be curious, but Albert didn’t question it further.

Instead, with the warmest smile, like the first sun of spring, he said:

“I have something to say, may I?”