39.
“During the war, I often marched for a week without sleep. I didn’t grow tired then, so this is nothing.”
It was a statement tinged with a touch of bravado, yet it was the truth. Everett was genuinely fine. He had been exhausted by the tidal wave of administrative work and the incessant, grating maneuvers of nobles desperate for an advantage, but after spending time with Ri-Na, those burdens felt manageable once more. Whenever he saw her, it felt as though he were finally being compensated for those grueling days.
Everett applied the slightest bit of pressure to the hand he was holding—almost as if he were supporting her weight, cautious not to bruise her. As her soft, supple palm—toughened only where she gripped her pen—made full contact with his, a sense of relief washed over him.
“This really isn’t tiring at all.”
As Everett spoke with emphasis, Ri-Na’s visible worry dissipated.
“Perhaps it’s because Lord Rohas is a knight, but your stamina is truly incredible.”
It was an innocent compliment.
*If I were to grow weary,* Everett thought, *it wouldn’t be a matter of stamina.*
Images of the pressures gnawing at his mind—problems he would have preferred to face on a battlefield—flashed before his eyes like a panorama.
“Still, you should take breaks while you work. Overwork is the enemy of health.”
At Ri-Na’s concerned tone, Everett pushed those dark thoughts aside and simply smiled. He wanted to maintain his composure in front of her, and he refused to waste the fleeting time they had together on those exhausting headaches. Instead, he glanced toward the darkening sky and nudged her forward.
“If the sun sets completely, we won’t be able to see the roses.”
Though scattered streetlamps stood here and there, the garden was too vast for them to provide meaningful light. Ri-Na had mentioned this was her first time visiting, and he didn’t want her first impression to be one shrouded in gloom.
*I can’t let her regret choosing this place over the lakeside.*
Everett guided Ri-Na toward an arched gate partially hidden by dense ivy. Seeing it closed, Ri-Na looked around and asked in a hushed tone, “By the way, are we really allowed in here? The visiting hours for the Summer Rose Garden must have ended.”
Her voice, whispering as if they were sharing a great secret in the emptiness, felt like a soft touch against his skin. Everett lowered his voice to match hers.
“The gate is closed to outsiders after hours, but we can enter from within the palace.”
To prove it, he gestured to the unlocked gate.
“It opens?” Ri-Na’s eyes widened slightly. “I thought this was always locked.”
While it wasn’t on her daily route, she had been managing the Imperial Palace for four years and had only just learned the door existed. She had also just discovered that this gate led to the Summer Rose Garden—a favorite destination for the capital’s nobility.
As Ri-Na followed him into the garden, she glanced back at the gate.
“It’s kept open after hours. It serves as a passage for the gardeners,” Everett explained. The gate remained locked during the day to prevent visitors from wandering into the Imperial Palace, making it accessible only at night.
“No wonder I never saw it open during the day.”
Even on a leisurely day, there was no reason for Ri-Na, who often worked late at the Ministry Of Finance, to stray this far. Once they were fully inside, however, she pulled away, drawn by the scent of roses carried on the lukewarm breeze.
Everett’s gaze followed hers. Just as the name promised, the summer roses were in full bloom.
“Wow, it’s beautiful.”
Ri-Na leaned down, taking in the blossoms to her heart’s content, her small lips parted in a slight smile. Everett watched her with satisfaction; the disappointment of skipping the lake faded away.
*I can always take her to the lake next time.*
Even with his schedule packed to the minute, he felt certain he could carve out a gap.
“Lord Rohas, isn’t it lovely? It feels like a secret garden in a fairy tale.”
While he pondered how to manage his time, Ri-Na turned toward him, her expression radiant.
“It is. It’s beautiful.”
He replied instantly to the delight in her voice. Ri-Na looked at the roses, and Everett looked at Ri-Na. The early evening breeze, heavy with the perfume of flowers, swirled around them.
“They say this place is usually more crowded than it is flowery, but thanks to you, I’m getting a perfect view.”
Clearly pleased, Ri-Na walked on, swinging their joined hands. Her ponytail swayed in rhythm with her cheerful gait. Everett followed, led by someone so much smaller than himself. It was a walk where Ri-Na’s gaze drifted between the flowers and him, while his eyes were fixed entirely on her.
By the time they reached the halfway point of the massive garden, the sun had fully set. The magic-stone streetlamps flickered to life, but as expected, it was too dark to properly see the blooms.
“Shall we head back now?”
“I suppose we should. This place is huge. I walked quite a bit, yet we’ve only seen half.”
Ri-Na turned back, looking regretful. Watching her, Everett silently made a note to authorize the installation of more streetlamps.
“We’ll come back again.”
Next time, there would be no reason to cut their time short due to the dark.
“That sounds good. And it’s so close to the palace.”
Ri-Na smiled, remarking that she would have to check the sunset time more carefully next time.
*Is there no magic to delay the sunset?*
It was a feat that would have been impossible even in the Ancient Empire, when mana was far more abundant. After a moment, Ri-Na asked, “By the way, Lord Rohas. Do you like roses?”
Everett wondered when she had started taking an interest in his likes and dislikes. *Around the third exhibition, I think.* He was a man who rarely had distinct tastes and usually answered only after careful deliberation.
*Roses, huh?*
Throughout their stroll, what had caught his eye wasn’t the flowers, but Ri-Na.
*Do I like them?*
For the first time all day, Everett looked toward the rose bushes. In an instant, a faint, distant memory surfaced.
He was three or four years old, smaller than the rose bushes themselves. It was one of those peaceful days when his father was still the Crown Prince and had called the late Emperor his uncle. His mother, Thalia, had loved this garden; it reminded her of the outings she took with her family during the social seasons of her youth. Even as an adult, she would occasionally visit with her friends, though after becoming the Crown Princess, the crowds made it difficult for her to return.
*She could have demanded the garden be closed to everyone else,* he thought.
But his mother was modest and kind. Instead of monopolizing the space, she was content to walk here in the quiet of the early evening, once the visitors had left, holding her husband’s hand. Those dates had continued even after he was born, and young Everett had often tagged along. He recalled the time, the blur of the memory softened by the vivid, warm feeling of having his busy parents all to himself.
As the recollection faded, his answer was settled.
Everett’s golden eyes, curved into a gentle expression, met hers.
“I like them.”