No one was left in the ruined temple.
The bombing that lasted from the afternoon and through the evening forced everyone to evacuate. The temple, which was the most sacred space in the empire, turned into a bleak place where wild beasts started rummaging through corpses the moment the sun went down.
A bloody sunset illuminated the ruins.
Even the sky was stained with blood.
Rather, it seemed more peaceful once darkness fell. There were no people at the moment, but sooner or later people would come once chaos would subside.
Whether it’s to find survivors buried under rubble or rebuilding buildings, they would come. But right now, it was nothing for Jiwoo to worry about.
Even so, Jiwoo glanced back, as if something was constantly nagging at her. It felt as if she had left something behind, like something was lingering on the back of her mind.
It was one year that she endured alone as the Akarna, and five years that she barely survived because of the Crown Prince.
More than six years was not something that could easily be shaken off.
Helkainis and Tevon, who knew how complicated the feelings Jiwoo had were, didn’t say a word to Jiwoo while they carefully moved her.
Rather, them staying quiet helped her organize her mind.
Soon, they entered an inconspicuous space at the entrance of the temple.
A group of familiar people were waiting there.
“Ah, Seo Jiwoo! We’ve been waiting for you!”
Callandein saw them first and waved his hand. Lanceil and Enciertes were by his side.
After letting go of Tevon who was holding her, Jiwoo ran to Lanceil first.
He smelled of the nostalgic scent of wild flowers she had longed for. It was only when she smelled that scent that she knew she had finally found stability.
“Jiwoo, I missed you.”
“Me too…”
The same was true of this voice that gently reached her ears.
“I was worried. Are you okay?”
Callan and Enci also came running.
“Why are you all here?”
“We’re ready to go to El Ragneil, but we were afraid that something might have gone wrong.”
“This is a more dangerous place.”
“I know.”
Callan said charmingly, winking an eye at her.
“I just came because I wanted to see you earlier than everyone else.”
“I went first…”
Callan’s gaze turned to Jiwoo’s hand. And he smiled brightly.
“Ah, the ring! You accepted it!”
Callan boldly took Jiwoo’s hand and kissed it.
“Did you know? Enci’s meant to make this gem, but he was just going to give it to you by threading it on metal.”
“He has no bone of romance in him.”
Lanceil let out a low laugh.
“A ring only needs to function as a ring, so what’s the problem!”
Enci, who had been arrogant with his arms crossed all this time, was flushed with redness in his face.
“Anyway, the ring fits perfectly. I was worried because I didn’t see it before making it…”
YOU ARE READING
At The End Of The Hidden Greenery
RomanceShe dedicated five years of her life serving as the Akarna of the temple while she was the crown prince's lover. "Do you not understand? If you cannot give birth to an heir, then you can't become the empress. It's just... It's just a political marri...
