In the Fairy Kingdom, flowers themselves are not rare. What is rare is a sight like this—an endless sea of blossoms stretching as far as the eye can see.
This was not only true for Orkney, where it rained year-round and winters were bitterly cold, but even for the British mainland. The fairies might know the reason, and Aesc had some vague understanding as well.
The island's very existence was a distortion. Even though life could thrive here, something was always missing. The most striking sign of this was that flowers—creatures most deeply tied to fairies—were rarely seen growing in clusters.
The flower preserved in a bottle in Aesc's library had been something she found by chance in the forest just before winter last year. She had transplanted it into the bottle together with the soil. Sustained by her Magecraft, the flower did survive through the winter. But as the season drew to a close, it had almost completely lost its vitality.
When Shiomi touched it, even casually, the flower bloomed back to life. During this time, he had even used what the fairies called "Magecraft" to bring the Rain Clan crops that could grant them abundant harvests.
So, while Aesc was not rationally surprised by the scene before her, emotionally she lost all composure.
Under the ever-unchanging twilight sky, her vision was filled with a sea of blossoms surging like a tide. The wind swept across the vast fields, and countless flowers swayed in waves of crimson and green, layer upon layer rippling outward.
She stood awkwardly in place, feeling the soft touch rising from beneath her feet. Under the sea of flowers lay fresh green grass, making her almost want to run and roll about. But she held back, afraid of breaking these blossoms too beautiful to pick, and of wasting Shiomi's careful effort in creating them.
"Um… you don't like it?" Shiomi asked hesitantly.
"No, I love it!" Aesc turned quickly, answering with force, her eyes shimmering with irrepressible joy. "It's just… just…"
"Just?" Shiomi tilted his head in confusion.
"I'm afraid of hurting this sea of flowers," Aesc said, troubled. "Even if I only take a single step, some of them might be crushed beneath my feet."
Such a simple, pure reason made Shiomi instantly understand, washing away his earlier worry that she might not like it. He broke into a wide smile.
"So that's all it is. How should I put it… it's just so like you."
"Really, I was being serious about it," Aesc muttered, slowly crouching down as she reached out to touch a nearby blossom. "In all my life, this is the first time I've ever seen such a beautiful sea of flowers."
"Is that so? I see." Shiomi's voice grew low and thoughtful.
He finally understood why Morgan had once asked him if he could create an endless sea of flowers. Though he had never tried it before, he had been certain he could. At that time, Morgan had been very satisfied with his answer. Now, he finally understood why.
When spring came to Orkney, he realized that in this somewhat barren land, even flowers were hard to come by. And while he had only meant to make Aesc happy, it was now clear that this was not something so simple.
What came naturally to him might well be a sight Aesc had never seen in all fifteen years of her life.
It truly was an era that even he couldn't help but find unbearably lonely.
"These flowers aren't just a fleeting illusion, right?" Aesc asked happily.
"Of course not. It's just that Orkney gets a lot of rain—sometimes it pours for half a month or even a whole month straight. These flowers wouldn't survive that," Shiomi replied. "But if you come by regularly to tend to them, and if you help design a Barrier, then maybe by winter, they might still be blooming."
"Wow… waiting for the perfect moment to give me a hard task, aren't you, teacher?" Aesc joked.
"I haven't taught you anything. Everything you've learned comes from your own heart," Shiomi said, his brows knitting slightly. "So, don't call me teacher anymore."
"But you clearly taught me how to fight," Aesc pouted. She really did want to call Shiomi 'teacher'—especially since no one else ever would.
"Even so, it's unnecessary." Shiomi looked at her gently. "It would make it seem as if there's an imbalance between us."
"…Eh…" Aesc's heart skipped a beat.
She had thought he was harboring some kind of resentment, but the truth left her even more at a loss. The title of "Sage" was just a mask he wore when dealing with other fairies. At his core, he was simply a human—a human who wished to walk beside her.
"Well then, I suppose I'll just drop it." Aesc stifled a laugh and gave up on calling him teacher.
Shiomi gave a small nod and leaned forward, extending his hand.
Staring at it, Aesc didn't really understand, yet her own hand instinctively reached out and took his. At some point, holding his hand had become something natural—yet the warmth of his palm still made her reluctant to let go.
With Shiomi's gentle guidance, Aesc rose from the bed of flowers.
"Do you know how to dance?" he asked.
"I know the clan's ceremonial dances," Aesc replied, "but I don't think that's the kind you mean, Tenkei."
"Mm. It doesn't matter if you don't. I'll teach you."
He guided her to place her other hand on his shoulder, then slipped his arm around her soft waist. The unfamiliar posture brought them close together.
The wind passed over them, tossing their hair. She found herself staring dreamily at the face so close to hers, moving in time with his steps as they danced among the blossoms.
Even though it was her first time, even though she stumbled again and again, stepping on his feet more than once, she felt no embarrassment. Little by little, she found her rhythm, and her steps began to match his.
Many years later, when she became the Queen of Winter and took her throne, she would always remember this day.
There had been no music, no audience—only the gentle whisper of the spring breeze through the sea of flowers, a quiet song for their dance. Clumsy steps, unrefined movements, and thoughts that wandered yet never strayed from the one before her.
"You've stopped stepping on my feet completely," he murmured in her ear.
"Even a fool can pick it up after being taught so patiently," Aesc said proudly, her face full of triumph.
"So, how about trying on your own next?"
"…Better not. On my own, I'd just spin in circles," Aesc admitted shyly. "Maybe once I get better?"
"You're already more than good enough," Shiomi replied lightly.
Aesc met his gaze. "Keep flattering me like this and you'll get nothing in return, you know."
"Your smile is more than enough."
His words made the fairy girl smile without meaning to.
...
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