The Flower Dances and the Wind Sings

Chapter 7

Ersella sat weeping for a long while until Lianne came to her, concerned. Wiping her tears, her maid patted her back, not asking any questions as if she could guess what happened. It was only when Ersella’s tears finally stopped that she helped her up. Grieved, Ersella did not seem to have any energy left. She came back to her room with Lianne’s aid. Lying back on her bed, she recalled what just happened.

Vicente was right in a way. Queen Grania, who was the most noble in this kingdom, had passed away after having Prince Alexis. She did not have any daughters. However, that was not what she wanted to hear. Ersella wanted to be Vicente’s mother.

But what did she mean to him right now? Well, she didn’t even need to ask. For him, she was just a mother from a good family. Their ties were that of their own self-interests.

Had she come from a less important family, she wouldn’t have been considered at all. The servants would not have listened when she tried to fire the tutors or lock up the training hall. She wouldn’t have been able to do anything without the approval of her husband.

Well, I guess I wouldn't even be able to get married in the first place, she lamented. As a noble, she could not be free of all interests no matter how free she wanted to be. Nobles valued the honor of their families more than their lives and lived to uphold the family name. Women usually did so through marriage, upholding their own family by marrying into other good families.

Ersella was also faithful to her duties as a noble. So, she picked the best suitor according to her father’s opinion. When she told Lianne that she did not regret getting married, she wasn’t lying. The very idea of regret was strange to her. She had picked out the best family she could marry. Indeed, she had made the best choice possible at the time. So, she did not know why she should regret her decision.

“Your Grace, His Grace has returned home. He would like to see you…” Lianne announced, sounding quite tense as she walked in through the door. Ersella got up with a sigh. Still feeling drained, she moved weakly.

“I see my husband is quite angry,” she muttered. Thinking how awful it was that she had to face him at this moment, she walked off.

***

Ersella stopped upon walking into the office. The light was off—or every light except the lamp on the desk, to be exact. Illuminated by the pale lamp, the dark room looked foreboding.

The owner of the room sat on the sofa with his eyes closed. The light danced on his face, dipping his features as it flickered.

Harzen, she thought, feeling her heart race. It had been a while since she faced him, standing on her own feet. She stared at his face dazedly. His jet-black hair fell wildly on his forehead. He must have arrived just now.

“You’re here,” he said.

His eyelids slowly opened to reveal his black eyes staring back at her. Ersella fell silent at the tension. She wanted to know if he was angry, but his face revealed no emotion. His black eyes staring back at her looked strangely decadent. He seemed a little tired as well.

She finally realized why everything but the lamp was off. Harzen must be fatigued from working under the bright light for days. He probably did not turn on any lights so he could take a little break until she arrived.

“Let me turn on the light,” he suggested, trying to turn them on as she expected upon her arrival.

“No. You must be tired. This is fine,” Ersella replied, stopping him. They had the lamp, so it would not be difficult to face each other and converse. And Harzen’s eyes could use a little break.

Harzen did as he was told, closing his eyes. When the suffocating tension eased, Ersella sat across from him.

“Why did you decide to meddle with Vicente’s education without my permission?” he asked, his eyes still closed. While he did not express his anger blatantly, the coldness in his voice suggested that he was not too happy about her interference. When Ersella did not answer, Harzen spoke again, “Tell me why you acted on your own without asking me.”

Though his eyes were closed, Ersella felt as though he was staring at her. She gulped. Taking a deep breath, she began, “I heard about Vicente’s current curriculum.”

“So?” His tone suggested he was unfazed.

Ersella regretted not turning on all the lights in the room. The dim lamp light still danced on his face, casting shadows that made his features look sharper than usual.

“What do you mean? Your methods are too cruel. Vicente is still young,” she protested.

“It does not matter if he’s young or old. What matters is that he’s my heir. I am educating him accordingly. Who are you to interfere?”

“That child can do fine without having to go through all that,” Ersella said. Also, I am—”

“That’s not for you to decide.”

Ersella felt a flare of anger as Harzen cut her off. “I’m sorry for acting without consulting you. But I am his mother. Who is to decide what’s too much if not his own parents?” she asked.

“Hah…” Harzen sighed. His lips curled up slightly in the shadow. He opened his eyes, which seemed to be ablaze with fire.

Ersella thought they looked as sharp as a blade. He fixed his stare on her, and she did not look away. Suddenly, she wondered what she might look like to him. She wondered what he thought as he looked at her blue eyes. She heard a low chuckle.

Harzen glanced at her with amusement, and she knew why. He must have found it ridiculous that she was meddling in his education when she had shown no interest in her son before. If he decided to berate her, she didn’t know what to say. She had braced herself for any cruel words the moment she faced him. The air became tense.

Harzen seemed thoughtful before he slowly spoke, “I want my child to be perfect so nobody dares to question his merits when he inherits the house. It might seem cruel to you since you were adored as a child. But please know that I care for him in my own way.”

Fortunately for her, Harzen did not decide to verbally attack her. Feeling relieved, Ersella replied, “I wasn’t trying to criticize you. But he’s still fifteen. I was merely worried that pushing him too much might make him go down a wrong path later in life.”

Harzen suddenly stopped. Ersella guessed that he was surprised that she, of all people, worried about Vicente. To be fair, his face remained expressionless, so it might be her imagination.

“I see…” he said quietly. He massaged his face as if he was truly exhausted.

Ersella suddenly felt sorry for him. Her husband must have felt truly drained when the butler reported that she had sent away everyone he employed and changed the open hours of the training hall when he was already busy.

After all, though she might be the lady of the house, he was the true master of the place. Even if he decided to ignore her opinion and return things to what it was, she wouldn’t be able to do anything.

“Hah… I don’t know what you’re thinking,” he muttered as he gave her a quaint look.

Her blue eyes accepted him without a fuss. Indeed, how could she tell him that she had died and somehow returned? How could she expect anyone to believe that she was trying to change herself now because she regretted not loving her son? Being an extremely practical man, her husband likely would not listen to her, if he did not treat her like a mentally ill patient.

Ersella shrugged innocently. “You know how I can be sometimes. I was raised like a darling as you said,” she said.

The man’s lips curved in a smile. Feeling relieved, Ersella chuckled quietly as well. He seemed to have relaxed. “Then do as you please,” he said.

“Harzen—” Ersella quickly got up and wrapped her arm around Harzen’s waist.

He pushed her forehead away with his forefinger. “I see what you’re doing,” he chided. Despite his words, he did not push her away.

Ersella smiled brightly and dug into his chest. “You’ve been working hard recently. This is your reward,” she whispered.

“I don’t see how this is a reward.”

Miffed by his testy response, Ersella was tempted to break away right then. But ultimately, she stayed, telling herself to be more benevolent, as she looked up at Harzen. “But you’re early tonight. Are you done with everything?” she asked at which Harzen’s brows furrowed slightly.

“Not yet. I have to go again later. They’re trying to claim land that has not been theirs for more than a century, much to His Majesty’s trouble.”

About a hundred years ago, Conrad lost a war against Grania and offered Azrel per Grania’s wishes, before signing a treaty. With time, they resented Grania for taking Azrel until they demanded that Grania return the land as a brotherly goodwill.

Much to Grania’s dismay, Conrad had grown significantly—so much so that they could no longer be ignored. While Grania still had superior military power, Conrad had established a great trading network with its neighboring kingdoms. Even Grania relied on Conrad for some of the items.

“That must be tough,” Ersella commented.

“I wouldn’t say it’s that bad.”

“You never show it when you have a hard time.”

Despite the long time they spent together, Harzen rarely relaxed around Ersella. Feeling hurt, she once told him that he could rely on her. However, he seldom let himself be vulnerable around her. Ersella wondered how Harzen grew up. She was staring at him when his eyes suddenly grew cold.

“Did something happen?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.

“Your eyes are red… as if you cried.”

Ersella blushed in surprise. How did Harzen know? Lianne said she looked fine. Trying not to let it show, she let out a strained laugh.

Harzen frowned slightly as if he knew she was trying to hide her feelings. “Stop laughing and answer me,” he chided.

“I read a novel,” she explained.

“A novel?”

“Yes, a story about a noble lady and a knight from a commoner family. I must have cried because it was so sad when they parted.”

She made up an excuse about a novel she had read before, unable to truthfully say that she cried because of Vicente. She cautiously glanced at Harzen, wondering if he caught onto her. But the way his black eyes wavered suggested that he was merely taken aback.

“Are you talking about romance novels?” he asked.

“Yes. Would you like to try them? This one is very exciting, especially when the couple gets together!”

Harzen chuckled. “How old do you think you are?”

Ersella scoffed. “Excuse me! All of my friends said it was interesting. You might not be aware, but it was very popular among the noble ladies. The story of love overcoming social status is quite enticing, you know.”

Harzen chuckled quietly at Ersella’s impassioned speech. Ersella silently cheered at the fact that the topic seemed to have moved on. She went on about how passionately the knight loved the lady and how admirable the lady’s brave actions were.

Harzen looked at Ersella with a faint smile, as if he were indulging a child. Feeling slightly miffed, she protested, “What’s with that look?”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“It’s as if…”

He cut her off. “So what happens in the end?”

“Huh?”

“Did that man die because he dared to look at a noble lady?”

Oh, what was this supposed to be?! Ersella arched an eyebrow. “You’re trying to change the subject, aren’t you?”

“No way…”

She wouldn’t fall for his tricks. To treat her like a child at this age! Glaring at her husband, who looked at her as if he were her older brother, she relented. She was willing to let him off since he must be tired. “He lives. He lives happily ever after with her,” she muttered grumpily, only for her husband to chuckle quietly.