The Song of Flowers - Chapter 6: The Family’s Chamber (1)

Three months had passed.

The once-quiet castle had become bustling with activity since the new lord took over. Workers constantly came and went, redecorating the lord’s chambers, changing furniture, and making repairs, all while the household staff gathered in small groups to watch.

The once-silent central tower was now the busiest place, with the heads of the seven families and various officials constantly entering the lord’s office with papers in hand.

Ron tossed the document he had been reading onto the desk and leaned back in his chair.

‘Finished. No, maybe this is just the beginning.’

Time had flown by. He had been incredibly busy. The heads of the seven families had come to him one after another, bringing all sorts of paperwork, statistics, and records, stuffing his mind with information.

It had taken him three months just to grasp the current state of the family—its wealth, the structure of its operations, the family laws, and the many people tied to the family through close relationships.

Ron had absorbed a lot of information at a remarkably fast pace, but the wily heads of the families never showed any signs of being impressed. Instead, they pushed him even harder. As a result, Ron couldn’t objectively assess how well he was doing.

‘It’s overwhelming.’

He could only sigh. Starting next week, he would begin lessons in economics, politics, and administration, which would lay the foundation for his wisdom. His already packed schedule was about to become even more demanding.

His eyes landed on the stack of books on the right side of his desk. He picked up the one on top and opened it. It was a basic introductory text for the lessons he would begin next week.

‘I never thought I’d have to read this again.’

Although it was a fundamental book, the material was anything but easy. As he skimmed through, he found himself remembering what came next. The content, which he had learned long ago, was still vivid in his memory. The book in his hands was the most widely-read political introduction on the continent.

He had finished this book when he was eight years old. His gaze darkened as he closed the book and tossed it back onto the desk.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts as Jed entered.

“My lord, the young lady is here.”

Without waiting for permission, Adele came in, as she usually did.

Adele curtsied politely, but her eyes were unusually blue and filled with anger.

“Leave us, Jed.”

As soon as the butler left, Adele marched forward, planting her hands on the desk and leaning in. Through clenched teeth, she spoke.

“Are you really going to do this?”

Ron chuckled. Her effort to maintain his authority in front of others was commendable, but it also amused him.

“We had a deal.”

“What deal?”

“The maids! You promised you understood.”

Ron shrugged.

“I understood what you said, yes.”

“Leon!”

“What’s the problem?”

“Why are you having me watched?!”

“Watched? Knowing where you go is only natural.”

After the incident three months ago, when the entire castle had been turned upside down searching for her, Ron had significantly increased the number of maids assigned to attend to Adele. Before, she had only one maid, Mel.

Shima, understanding Adele’s aversion to people and her reserved nature, had kept her staff minimal. Since Adele’s movements were very limited, there had never been a problem with this arrangement.

However, it wasn’t realistic to expect one maid to be with Adele at all times. Mel had plenty of free time, as she only had to assist with small errands or essential tasks, leaving Adele free to move about as she pleased.

But that was no longer the case. The number of maids assigned to the southern tower had increased, and now wherever Adele went, a maid followed.

“It’s uncomfortable having so many people around.”

“Just ignore them.”

“How can I ignore them when they’re always following me?”

“They’re not stopping you from going anywhere, are they?”

“Why do you need to know where I go all the time?”

“If no one knows when the young lady sneaks out of her room in the middle of the night, that’s a problem.”

Adele bit her lip. He was referring to the night she had snuck into the southern tower while he was staying there.

“I won’t do that again.”

“You’d better not.”

“I’ll make sure to tell the maids where I’m going in advance.”

“That’s expected.”

Seeing that Ron wasn’t budging, Adele offered a compromise.

“Then at least don’t let them follow me into the garden.”

“No.”

To Ron, the garden was the most dangerous place. If he wanted to prevent the strange light he had seen that day from appearing again, he couldn’t leave Adele alone. He didn’t know exactly what the light was, but it never showed itself in front of others.

When he had seen a similar light as a child, it had disappeared as soon as people arrived, right after flitting around the flowers in the garden.

“Grandmother always let me have my freedom!”

The moment she said it, Adele regretted it and glanced at him. She hadn’t meant to compare him to her grandmother or criticize him.

“She was who she was.”

Ron’s indifferent response only made Adele more irritated. She felt foolish for worrying that she had said something wrong.

Adele was on the verge of exploding with frustration. Ron decided it was time to offer a sweet distraction. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a book with a worn cover. Adele, who had been sulking, lit up the moment she saw it. She reached out to grab it, but Ron swiftly pulled it back.

“I’ll give it to you if you stop complaining about the maids.”

“You’re so sneaky. That’s my book to begin with.”

“Deal or no deal?”

“Fine. Deal!”

Ron smiled as he handed her the book. Adele quickly snatched it from his hand, her face filled with gratitude as she lovingly stroked the worn cover. It was a cherished storybook, filled with precious memories. Her grandmother had read it to her countless times, and it had been one of Adele’s favorites.

“Where was this? I looked all over the library for it, but couldn’t find it. Even Grandmother didn’t remember where she put it.”

“It was in a drawer of a bookshelf that doesn’t get much use. I guess she put it away for safekeeping and then forgot about it.”

Ron hadn’t moved many of the items in the office since he started using it. He had found the book by chance while searching through the shelves, and the butler happened to remember that it was Adele’s. If Adele hadn’t made such a fuss over the maids, he would have just given it to her.

“Thanks, even though it’s mine, and you didn’t just give it back,” Adele muttered, pouting. Ron chuckled and stood up.

“Let’s go see her.”

“Huh?”

***

As they descended a few steps, the spiral staircase continued deeper downward. At the very bottom lay the secret chamber that housed the family’s eternal flame. However, the room Ron was taking Adele to was above that. It was a secret room only the lord of the family was permitted to enter.

The staircase below twisted into darkness. Adele, peering down, saw only blackness and felt a surge of fear, so she instinctively moved closer to Ron.

“Can you make it down?” he asked.

“Um… yes,” she replied, though uncertain. Adele grabbed his hand as they began their descent, stepping carefully down each stair. The stairs were steep for her small frame, so she focused all her attention on her footing.

After they had gone down a fair distance, Ron stopped, crouched down, and extended his arms toward her.

“This will be faster.”

Adele hesitated before wrapping her arms around his neck. He stood easily, carrying her down the steps. The sensation of moving with each step was strange yet reassuring. There was no fear of being dropped; she felt entirely secure in his arms.

Partway down the spiral staircase, Ron turned into a narrow passage. The corridor was just wide enough for the two of them to pass through. Like the stairs, lights illuminated the path ahead as they walked, but faded behind them once they moved past.

At the end of the corridor was a stone door, unguarded. No one could enter this place without permission, so guards weren’t needed.

Ron placed his hand on the large crystal embedded in the center of the stone door. It glowed red for a moment before changing to blue. With a soft rumbling sound, the door slid open to the side.

“Wow…” Adele’s eyes widened, her mouth slightly open in awe.

Beyond the door was a round, empty stone chamber connected to several other doors. Ron walked to the door on the far right and opened it. The room inside was dark, but as they stepped forward, lights gradually flickered on.

As soon as Adele could see, she jumped in fright and clung tightly to Ron.

“It’s okay. They’re just portraits,” he said, already knowing why she was startled.

The figures that had appeared so suddenly weren’t people but large portraits hanging in ornate frames.

Ron stopped in front of one particular painting, and as soon as Adele saw it, she understood. The portraits in this room were of the previous heads of the Levas family. And now, standing before her, was the portrait of her grandmother, Shima, smiling gently in her image.

Neither of them spoke. When Adele shifted in his arms, Ron set her down.

Adele couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

“She’s so beautiful.”

As she stared at Shima’s portrait, tears streamed down Adele’s face. She blinked repeatedly as her vision blurred from the flood of emotions.

The room they were in housed the portraits of past Levas family lords. Traditionally, each lord had a portrait painted after inheriting the title, and then every decade or so, another portrait was added to reflect the passage of time.

Shima, too, had several portraits showing her at different stages of life.

After she had cried her fill, Adele quietly examined the portraits. She gazed at the younger version of her grandmother, vibrant and full of beauty—someone Adele had never known.

‘So that must be her husband,’ she thought, spotting a man standing beside young Shima in one of the paintings. Shima looked incredibly happy in that portrait.

‘He looks like Uncle Paul,’ Adele realized, noting the resemblance between the man in the painting and Paul, Shima’s brother-in-law.

Ron was also looking at the portrait of Shima and her late husband, seeing in the man’s face traces of his brother, Leon.

Shima’s final portrait was the one that most closely resembled the Shima they both remembered. In that painting, the space beside her was empty.

“Leon’s portrait will be placed here soon,” Adele said.

Ron responded only with a slight smile, one that seemed tinged with melancholy.

‘They all have violet eyes,’ Adele observed. She noticed that every portrait, despite the differences in age, appearance, and gender, shared one common trait: violet eyes.

“Shall we go?” Ron suggested.

As they left the room, Adele took one last glance back. She felt as though the grandmother in the portrait was smiling at her. Adele smiled back at the painting.

“What’s in the other rooms?” she asked, mostly out of curiosity. She expected a simple explanation.

“Want to see?” he offered unexpectedly.

“Can we?”

“Why not?”

“That’s okay…”

“Come on,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to the next door.

Adele followed him from room to room. In one, there were ancient books stacked high; in another, dazzling jewels gleamed in the light. One room contained rare magical artifacts. Adele was fascinated by the sights, though she didn’t fully understand their value. Had anyone who knew their worth seen them, they would have been astonished.

Finally, they reached the last door, and Ron spoke.

“This one is locked. Even I haven’t been inside.”

“Not even Leon? Then who can go in?”

“No one.”

“Do you know what’s inside?”

He shook his head.

“I’ve heard there are certain conditions that must be met to open the door, but it’s never been opened. I can’t open it either.”

The other doors had been simple wooden ones, but this one, sealed tight, was painted a deep violet and had a crystal embedded in it, just like the stone door they had passed earlier.

‘I wonder what would happen if I touched that crystal,’ Adele thought as they left the family chambers.

As they exited, Ron instinctively held out his arms. Adele, just as naturally, wrapped her arms around his neck. Carrying her again, Ron ascended the stairs.

As they climbed, the magical stones sensed their presence, lighting the steps ahead of them while leaving the stairs below in darkness. Adele glanced down at the pitch-black void beneath them.

‘I really feel like a child again,’ she thought.