The Bloom of Violet

“You were truly beautiful—more beautiful than Sally. In just two years, you’d be the most beautiful in this area.”

But more important than beauty was life. Oliver murmured with a sigh. He grabbed Ann’s chin and twisted it roughly, then suddenly let go. Straightening up, he walked away. Ann was dragged off, the boy, stained in blood, following her.

They took Ann to a secluded clearing not far from the graveyard. The two boys tied her to a tree and began digging a hole with a shovel they’d discarded nearby.

Ann glanced at the boy, who had lost consciousness, his shoulders shaking. She couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive. Once the hole was finished, the boys lifted the boy’s arms and legs and threw him into the pit.

Ann finally wet herself. Fear gripped her so tightly she could barely breathe. The boys approached and untied the ropes, grabbing her arms. Ann flailed, screaming.

“Save me! Please!”

The boys shoved her into the hole. Ann clutched her hands together as dirt began to cover her.

“Ah! Don’t do this!”

Ann screamed desperately, trying to avoid the dirt. She cried out with all her strength, hoping someone nearby would hear and come to help.

“Ben, Lord Benswied will come looking for this kid! Really!”

Ann panted as she yelled. Half of it was a lie, the other half the truth.

“If that happens, you won’t get away with it.”

The shovels stopped. Ann didn’t miss the change. It wasn’t her usual behavior, but when she saw the boy slumped in the pit, something shifted inside her.

“If you save me, I won’t say anything about you. I’ll answer any questions you ask—nicely.”

“Really?”

One of the boys asked. The other, standing beside him, asked, “Do you believe that?” Ann shouted, her veins bulging with anger.

“Look at what this kid is wearing! It’s different from us. She’s really a noble!”

Ann pointed to the boy’s ruffled shirt, stained with blood, and tugged at the dirt. His clothes were indeed different from theirs. The boys recalled their first encounter with the child, just yesterday morning. The kid had been incredibly arrogant.

His fair skin, untouched by a scratch, plump cheeks, golden hair, curly like wool, and bright violet eyes they’d never seen before… At first, they’d thought it was a girl. Elegant eyelashes, a sharp nose, and red lips.

Everything about the boy was extravagant and, at the same time, completely incompatible with Bluvelt.

Oliver and David hadn’t acted recklessly for no reason. The boy they’d met on the street seemed like someone from an entirely different world.

“Hey.”

One of the boys, who had dropped his shovel, nudged the boy glaring at Ann. But the urgency was no longer effective. The boy who had agreed to Ann’s cries extended his hand toward her.

Ann barely made it out of the pit. The boy who grabbed the shovel yelled at him, demanding to know what he was doing. But the boy in the pit didn’t listen. He picked up the boy covered in blood and swiftly climbed out of the hole.

“If someone’s going to die, it’s you.”

“What?”

“You saw it too, yesterday morning. How extravagant this kid was dressed. Even Oliver and I, who knew nothing, could tell how impressive the clothes were. I don’t know who their parents are, but soon, Bluvelt will be searched like crazy. Even the cops will be coming after them.”

“….”

“Even though Oliver isn’t afraid of the cops, in front of the mobile squad, he’d be like a dog’s bone.”

The boy muttered coldly. His words seemed to make the other boy, who had been blocking his way, toss the shovel aside and turn around. Ann sighed. She looked at the boy in the other’s arms. He still showed no response.

Prince Lennox of the Kingdom of Laspalmeda was eight years old. As the only son of the king and queen, he had earned a reputation at court for his eccentric personality and capriciousness—enough to make everyone shake their heads.

If only he had been less sharp, the king might have seriously considered his position as heir. But Lennox, as ill-tempered as he was, was sharp and intelligent.

“I don’t want to. I’m going to ride with Yvon today.”

“But Her Majesty the Queen told the noble ladies in the salon…”

“I don’t want to go. I won’t.”

“Your Highness.”

“This is my mother’s fault. If she wanted me to be treated like a monkey in the salon, she should have told me yesterday!”

Lennox shouted, glaring at the servant. The servant, whose eyes met Lennox’s, broke into a cold sweat and sighed. Being treated like a monkey…

The prince was far too willful. Born noble, he was used to having everything at his fingertips. But disobeying even the orders of his own mother and father wasn’t the right thing to do. However, the queen, feeling her son was too precious, indulged him in everything.

Whenever the prince threw a tantrum, she would try to calm him down by giving in.

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand. The prince had lost his older brothers before he was even born. Two of them, in fact. The servant remembered the young prince, who had looked very much like Lennox but much younger.

Though not as striking as the prince before her, the children resembled the king, who was known to be more beautiful than the queen. Their features were delicately and beautifully arranged. After losing two children, the queen had spent a long time in a daze. Had it not been for her duty and the responsibility of bearing an heir as queen, she would never have returned to her daily life.

“I do not mean to treat His Highness the Prince like a monkey. Moreover, today, Count Alteur’s wife went to visit Lady Morenden, who is ill.”

“Bring her.”

“Your Highness.”

“You can bring her, can’t you? Yvonne said she would spend time with me today!”

The prince shouted fiercely. Yvonne, the wife of Count Alteur, the captain of the king’s guard, was the queen’s maid of honor. She was a woman the king had admired for a long time—no, even now, she held his heart in a way that wouldn’t let go…

She had once been the young prince’s nurse and now taught literature. The prince had an unusual affection for her. In fact, it seemed as though he loved and followed her more than even his mother, who would spoil him terribly, indulging him in everything.

This was something the king couldn’t understand. Yet, like father, like son, the king also held a special affection for her and wanted her close by. Perhaps it was something he could understand through that lens.

‘Still, it’s a bit excessive.’

The attendant sighed, looking down at the young, sulking prince. The woman whom the prince stubbornly demanded be brought—calling her ‘Yvonne’—was currently residing at Alteur’s family villa on the outskirts of Rosbon, far from the palace.

Even if the prince ordered her to come, she couldn’t just appear immediately, and even if the order were conveyed, she was sure to refuse.

“Fine. I’ll go get her myself.”

“Your Highness, that’s…”

“Enough. Don’t follow me!”

Lennox stormed out of his study. The attendant grimaced, following him from behind. Lennox, stomping down the hallway, shouted, “I said don’t follow me!” The attendant, unable to chase him further, watched as he descended the stairs.

Lennox was unhappy with his mother. Though she seemed to indulge him in everything he wanted, she was stubborn when it came to the things he truly desired. Though she appeared kind, she often reversed her decisions depending on her mood, and she could be temperamental at times.

Though the queen cared for him, she rarely considered his feelings.

“Next week, I’ll spend time with Yvonne. We’ll go horseback riding and visit the ranch.”

Lennox had been eagerly anticipating the upcoming week. Yvonne would return from her family’s home. Having grown up in her care, Lennox was deeply attached to Yvonne. To him, she was like a second mother.

She had nursed him, fed him, and cared for him as if he were her own child. It wasn’t until he was five years old that he began living the life of a prince, separate from her care.

“Prince, from now on, you’ll need to wash your face on your own and eat by yourself as well.”

“Do I have to sleep alone too?”

“Yes.”

“Then what about Yvonne? Where is she?”

Lennox had never been apart from his nurse since birth. When he opened his eyes, she was always there. Even when he fell asleep, she would gently stroke his hair.

From the time he began walking, Lennox followed the schedule his parents set for him. In truth, he was more obedient than his parents might have expected. Though he occasionally whined and complained, once soothed, he would smile sweetly and do anything they asked. The one thing he always desired was to remain with his nurse. That alone was enough for him.

He didn’t need her with him every hour, but whenever he wanted her, she needed to be there, embracing him and stroking his hair.

“I’ll be staying not far from you, thinking of you every day.”