CICN 08

Chapter 08

Evi slowly reached out toward the gravestone.

It was, of course, a name she’d never heard before—someone she didn’t know. There was no way someone she knew would have a grave inside the Imperial Palace.

Even so, Evi felt a pang in her heart as she looked at the stone.

Her small, thin fingers brushed off the dried leaves resting on top of it.

For some reason, she felt compelled to tidy it up.

Usually, gravestones were engraved with details about the person—what kind of life they lived, who they were.

But this one had nothing like that.

Only a name was carved.

And so, Evi felt a deep sense of pity.

Who was this person? Why is there a grave here?

Then, her eyes shifted to the small gravestone beside it.

That one had a name too:

[Evevien]

The moment she saw the name, Evi swept her arms over her own as a chill ran down them.

A strange sadness and sense of loss washed over her.

After staring at the small gravestone for quite a while, Evi shook her head.

“…I should go back.”

She had been told that after dinner, a bell would ring to mark curfew.

So returning before that rang was the right thing to do. But…

‘It should be okay as long as I’m back before the bell rings, right?’

She had left early to avoid the commotion in the dining hall.

So there should still be a bit of time before curfew.

Still, it wasn’t like she had anything else to do here.

Then, she noticed the white flowers blooming all around.

‘Everyone brings flowers to graves.’

She’d seen it often—bouquets laid in front of headstones.

Even if this was the grave of a stranger, leaving without doing anything felt… lonely.

Setting down her bag, Evi stepped closer to the bushes nearby. Thankfully, there were plenty of white flowers in full bloom.

She crouched down and began picking them one by one.

A gentle breeze continued to brush over her hair and back.

Soft, almost like a tender caress.

Clois was walking slowly through the forest.

The woods between the Inner Palace and the Academy had once been part of the palace’s royal gardens, a place where anyone could once enter freely.

But now, it was a place only Clois could enter.

Because here, he had built the graves of his wife and daughter.

Traditionally, royal family members were buried in the royal tombs located a bit outside the capital.

Clois had intended to lay Lilian and Evevien to rest there, too.

But the elder ministers opposed the idea, saying that neither had been formally entered into the royal family registry and thus had no right to be buried there.

Clois was stunned. Just because they hadn’t received official consecration within the palace, they couldn’t be recognized as royals?

Normally, royals and their spouses would be consecrated together upon marriage. But he and Lilian had never received that rite.

Because he had refused the match arranged by his father and married Lilian instead.

Still, Lilian had never seemed upset about missing the consecration—if anything, she had looked relieved, like she’d never wanted it to begin with.

So, she never received it. And Evevien, born during the war, naturally hadn’t either.

But they were still his wife and daughter.

And yet, he was told they couldn’t be placed in the royal tomb.

“Fine. Perhaps you’re right,” Clois had said, sounding as if he was conceding.

The old ministers puffed up with pride, believing the new emperor was listening to them.

But his next words shattered their brief arrogance.

“She was my wife. She was my daughter. It’s only right they stay beside me.”

And with that, Clois built their graves in the forest of the Imperial Palace.

Anyone who opposed him was immediately dismissed.

Only then did the ministers remember that this was the man who had slain his own brother to claim the throne.

Since then, only Clois had been allowed into the forest.

Now that it was spring, the undergrowth had grown thick. Clois pushed through it to enter.

It had been a few days since his last visit. Leaves would’ve gathered.

Today, he planned to tidy the area and stay late into the night.

After walking for a while, he finally saw the headstones—and immediately noticed something different.

The stones were unusually clean, as if someone had already swept them.

As he looked around, he spotted a small bag lying near the grave.

At that moment, his eyes sharpened.

‘Who dares?’

Since the graves had been erected, no one had ever approached this place.

More accurately, they couldn’t even if they tried.

The only path in was guarded, and there were no other trails through the thick forest.

At most, the occasional bird or squirrel passed through.

Just as Clois was about to roar in fury, he spotted something atop Lilian’s gravestone.

Afraid someone might have defiled it, he rushed over and leaned down to check.

“…Flowers?”

A flower crown—made of white blossoms—sat there.

It was clumsily made, but care had clearly been taken not to damage the flowers.

The moment he saw it, Clois’s throat tightened.

The flowers around the grave were wildflowers—Lilian’s favorite.

When they lived in her estate, she often made flower crowns like this and placed them on his head with a laugh.

Truthfully, a crown of flowers didn’t suit him at all. But he enjoyed seeing her smile so much that he always wore them without complaint.

As he recalled those memories, he shook his head to snap out of it.

Lilian wasn’t here. He had to find out who this intruder was.

Just as he looked up—

“…!”

He saw a large bouquet of white flowers.

And a small girl staring at him in shock.

Evi panicked.

She had only meant to pick enough for a small bouquet.

But as she arranged them, her hands had instinctively woven them into a flower crown.

‘I’ve never made one before…’

She had tried once, back at the orphanage, using wildflowers.

But they were harder to make than they looked. She’d always failed.

Strangely, today, the parts that were usually hard to tie had come together easily.

As if someone had been guiding her hands.

Before she knew it, she had finished a large crown.

She placed it at the grave marked “Lilian,” then went off again to pick more flowers.

She wanted to place something in front of Evevien’s grave too.

Even though many flowers bloomed here, she felt sorry picking ones just beginning to bloom. So she chose those that were already fully opened and would soon wilt.

This led her deeper into the woods.

Before long, her arms were full of flowers.

‘Maybe I’ll make another crown…’

With that thought, she returned to the grave.

But as it came into view, she saw someone kneeling next to it, inspecting the flower crown.

‘Who is that?’

It was getting darker, but she could see short golden hair glinting like sunlight.

A grown man.

The moment she realized that, Evi froze.

She was afraid of adult men.

Until she was five, one of the innkeepers who had abused her had always raised his hand to her.

He would curse at her and beat her depending on his mood.

Even in summer or the bitter winter, he’d send her outside to “earn her keep.”

So Evi had to clean stables without water in the heat, and break frozen streams in winter to wash laundry.

If she ever slowed down, he would shout at her. It was normal to go without meals.

Sometimes, after everyone was asleep, she’d survive on crumbs dropped on the floor.

Those long-buried memories suddenly resurfaced, and cold sweat formed on her back.

‘Maybe I should sneak away…’

But her bag was still lying near the man.

Inside were the new school ribbon and other small things she’d just received.

She couldn’t leave it behind. How could she explain losing them on the first day?

‘Still… he’s scary.’

She considered coming back tomorrow instead.

But just then, a warm breeze brushed past her back.

As if to gently push her forward, saying it would be okay.

The fear faded, replaced by curiosity about the man.

Evi mustered her courage and stepped forward.

As she approached, the man slowly looked up. Golden hair shimmered in the dim light, and blue eyes met hers.

“…”

“…”

They stared at each other in silence.

Evi had learned that staring like this was rude—but she couldn’t look away.

It felt, somehow, like she was meeting someone she had waited for a long time.

And it made her feel… glad.