TPOP 35

Chapter 35

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The smell of food cooking in the kitchen and laundry being carried by the maids was gone, replaced by the fragrant smell of grass and fresh wood.

Diana wrapped her hands around the man's biceps and took a deep breath. The crisp air filling her lungs was so different from the acrid smell of paint and blood that had surrounded her for months.

The woods. I’m in the woods.

She could tell by the smell alone. This was a pristine place, almost untouched by man. Diana was running through a forest that was clearly clean and clear. The wind in her hair and on her cheeks was as soft as her mother's touch.

Memories of home in Dortes came back to her without warning. Of course, this forest didn't have the same mystical aura as the spring in Ballestega, but...

"Master, is this the hunting grounds?"

"Yes."

"It reminds me a bit of my hometown."

"That's quite a compliment."

She muttered, not expecting an answer, but to her surprise, Felix asked, "What was it like growing up by the springs in Ballestega?"

"...Nothing much."

"Nothing much?"

"Nothing in particular. There was nothing to do there, no goals to achieve."

There was no need for man-made objects at the springs of Ballestega, a sanctuary for the soul. The damp ground beneath her feet, the breeze through her arms, the warmth of the sun filling her body: she grew up surrounded by these things, running freely through the forest surrounding the spring.

When she was hungry, she climbed trees and picked fruit; when she was thirsty, she licked the dew off rocks or scooped water from the spring with her hands. She didn't need clothes, shoes, or anything else.

"Did you live alone?"

"The spirits were always with me."

From the beginning, it was not a place humans could enter at will. In the spring, Diana was her own person.

"What happened to your parents?"

"...I don't know, there were only spirits around me, I don't even know what they looked like."

That was a lie. Diana vividly remembered the faces of the couple who had given birth to her. She didn't know exactly who they were, but she knew they weren't ordinary people. Diana's parents came to visit her at the spring once a month. She remembered that her father came more often than her mother. Her father was a handsome man with gentle features and the same light-green eyes as hers.

"When you turn ten," her father had said, "I will take you to where your mother and I live. It's different from here, but it'll be just as interesting and fun."

"Why not now?"

"Because, Diana, my little fairy, you are very special."

Her father's kind face peeking up from the spring water, his voice as soft as fine soil...

Behind him, countless leaves swayed, a sculptural blue sky overhead, and dazzling sunlight streamed through the forest.

More than 15 years later, Diana could still remember the moment as vividly as if it had happened yesterday.

"You'll figure it out when you're older, let's see... there are only eight seasons until your tenth birthday."

"You must come and get me, father."

"Of course. It's a promise."

Little Diana reached out of the water and hooked her pinky finger with her father's. The spirits of the spring gathered around her, smiled, and gently stroked her tiny hand.

Two years later, her father kept his promise. But in a way she could never have imagined.

As he carried her from the spring and left Dortes, he explained to Diana what the spring was like and why she had grown up alone there. Finally, he hugged her tightly and said goodbye.

"The spirits will always be with you, watching over you and helping you. So whatever trials come your way, don't be afraid. Protect yourself. Diana, above all else, you must not lose yourself. A person cannot live if they lose who they are."

A cold rain soaked his dark hair. Diana wiped the blood and tears from her father's cheeks.

That was the end of her father's lesson. She only learned the meaning of the crest engraved on the armor he wore that day several years later. She also realized that it was a secret she would carry to her grave.

So now, more than ever, she could not utter a single word in the presence of the crown prince of the Karman Empire, who had invaded Dortes.

Diana muttered something to change the subject.

"I think I know now why master comes to the hunting grounds every day."

"..."

"I smell water."

Fortunately or unfortunately, the master didn't ask any questions.

How much time had passed? Felix pulled on the reins to slow the horse.

Diana could smell the logs in the distance, along with the scent of the varnish that must have been applied to them.

They had arrived at a hut in the middle of the hunting grounds. Originally used as temporary quarters and shelter for the forest rangers, it had been renovated when the Crown Prince began to frequent the area.

Felix dismounted first. As Diana grabbed the horse's back to support herself, she heard his voice.

"You're getting off."

"...?"

Before she could comprehend his sudden words, Felix grabbed her arm. Half-dragging into his arms, Diana slid down from the horse.

Her feet touched the grass. The tickling sensation of blades of grass brushing her ankles sent a shiver through her body.

"Go inside."

Felix ordered nonchalantly as he tied the reins of the restless horse to the fence.

It was a place where no one dared enter except the servants who cleaned the interior. Even they were not allowed to go beyond the fence unless Felix opened the gate for them. It was a good place to be undisturbed while he sketched her.

Just then, a loud bang came from the direction of the cabin, followed by a faint groan.

"Ugh..."

When he turned around, Diana was already quite a distance away, clutching her forehead. It looked like she'd hit her head on the eaves, but strangely, it wasn't near the door. It was completely in the wrong place.

Technically, there was a door in that direction, too, but it led to the barn.

Felix crossed his arms and eyed the woman intensely. She had never gotten lost in the palace before. It was as if she was malfunctioning because she'd been put in an unfamiliar place.

Diana, still clutching her forehead, reached out to touch the pillar she'd hit. Her nose wrinkled.

The smell of stale manure and hay was strong enough to suggest that this was not the entrance. Carefully, she placed one hand on the wall and turned to face the right direction.

She ran her hand along the wall, taking careful steps, but there was no sign of a door. The smell of grass only grew stronger.

"Should I go back...?"

She decided it wouldn't hurt to circle the building to get a sense of its size. With her hands on the wall, she moved carefully, and aside from a slightly sore ankle from accidentally kicking a rake leaning against the outside wall, she made it around the building and back to the shed she bumped into earlier.

It was spacious for a cabin, but still tiny compared to the palace, and she was relieved to realize that. Just as she was feeling lighter, the tip of her shoe caught on something.

"Ah!"

She stumbled and her knee seemed to hit a hard stone.

"Huh?"

In front of her stood a waist-high stone wall. It smelled faintly of water.

An ominous sense of foreboding enveloped her.

Felix's voice suddenly boomed from her left.

"Diana!"

Diana froze in surprise and turned toward the source of the sound. Felix ordered her bluntly, his voice barely containing his anger.

"Come here. That is the wrong way."

"Ah... yes, master."

She turned and faced him. Felix took a few steps forward and placed his hand on her shoulder to guide her. His solid presence was strangely reassuring, enveloping her as it had when they rode together.

"This is the entrance. I'll hang the rifle on the door so you don't get confused."

As he said, a long-barreled rifle hung on the door. When her sensitive fingertips brushed against the barrel, she flinched instinctively.

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