Flower Dream Chapter 8

‘Indeed it is, but…’

‘His Highness the Crown Prince was greatly pleased with the sleeping incense made by Master Perfumer Jeok. He said he wished to see his face in person, so I came to fetch him… But at this rate, tsk.’

Chief Eunuch Baek clicked his tongue at the sight of Jeok Hyangrim and Dan Yuha, battered and bloodied from being beaten by the people.

‘H-His Highness said so?’

Hong Haehwa and the other tribespeople were shaken by Chief Eunuch Baek’s words. Although it was an internal matter of the tribe, if the Crown Prince found fault with it, they would be in trouble.

‘Are you alright? Goodness, you must receive treatment before seeing His Highness.’

Chief Eunuch Baek did not reply to Hong Haehwa, but instead supported Jeok Hyangrim. Then, after checking on Dan Yuha as well, he glared at the people with cold eyes.

‘To see blood on the day His Highness the Crown Prince cools his divine fever and purifies his body in the sanctuary… I am truly disappointed.’

‘…We apologize.’

‘As you say it is an internal matter of the tribe, I shall interfere no further. However, whatever Master Perfumer Jeok may have done wrong, punishing him now is impossible.’

‘Of course.’

Dan Yuha’s eyes widened at the sight of Hong Haehwa bowing and scraping before Chief Eunuch Baek. To the child, she was the ringleader of the villains who tormented his family and the tyrant of the tribe. No one among the enclave residents could treat Hong Haehwa carelessly.

For someone like her to back down without even being able to properly say a word—Chief Eunuch Baek seemed like an immensely great person. He grew curious as to just what kind of being the Crown Prince he served was.

And so, Jeok Hyangrim and Dan Yuha were able to escape the brutal violence with the help of Chief Eunuch Baek. He had the royal physician treat the two of them and had them changed into clean clothes. Only then did he bring them both before the Crown Prince.

‘So you are Jeok Hyangrim.’

‘Y-Yes… I behold the descendant of the noble Divine Dragon.’

Dan Yuha, following his father who was greeting the Third Prince, hastily prostrated himself on the floor. Then, rolling his eyes around, he stole a sidelong glance at the one seated in the seat of honor.

‘There is no need to tremble so. I did not call you here for any ill matter.’

The Crown Prince was a boy who looked about three or four years older than Dan Yuha. Even so, an unapproachable dignity emanated from him. Even in his clear voice, a majesty unbefitting a child was present. Pressed by that mysterious presence, Yuha’s throat bobbed slightly.

‘Raise your head.’

‘Yes, Your Highness.’

‘Hm? What happened to your face?’

Seeing Jeok Hyangrim’s appearance covered in wounds, the Third Prince narrowed one eye. Though he had washed his body to erase the scent of blood and concealed the cuts and bruises on his skin with powder, the injuries could not be completely hidden.

‘Ah, that is…’

Jeok Hyangrim could not answer the Crown Prince’s question and hesitated. He did not know what might happen if he told on the tribe members who had tried to kill them.

‘Your Highness, a moment…’

At that moment, Chief Eunuch Baek approached the Crown Prince and whispered something. It seemed he was informing him of what he had witnessed earlier.

‘Hmm, is that so? Well, it doesn’t matter. The reason I called for you is that I was able to get a good night’s sleep these past two days. Your sleeping incense proved more effective than what the royal physician made.’

Having heard Chief Eunuch Baek’s report, the Crown Prince murmured as if to himself with an indifferent expression. Then, looking at Jeok Hyangrim, he offered praise.

‘Th-That is too high a compliment.’

‘So I considered bringing you to the Crown Prince’s palace and making you my personal perfumer… But I understand that you were branded with the mark of a sinner a few years ago, so leaving the enclave is impossible.’

‘…That is correct.’

Jeok Hyangrim answered with a darkened face. Though a good opportunity had come, he despaired at his own circumstances that prevented him from accepting it. As the Crown Prince had said, a Fragrant Person branded with the “mark of a sinner” could never leave the enclave for life.

If one fled and was caught, they would be executed on the spot without question. That was the reason he could not leave the Honghwa Tribe despite enduring all manner of humiliation. He himself could accept death, but not for his son. Whether they fled together or he left the child behind, the boy’s life would be in danger all the same.

‘It is regrettable, but it cannot be helped.’

‘I am deeply sorry.’

‘It is fine. Becoming my personal perfumer does not necessarily require working in my palace.’

‘Pardon?’

‘I shall send an errand boy once every three months. Through him, send fragrances and medicinal tea to my palace. And whenever I visit this place, I would like you to attend me…’

‘Ah…’

At the unexpected proposal, Jeok Hyangrim let out an exclamation. Hope spread across his face, which had been clouded with despair. If he became the Crown Prince’s perfumer, not even Hong Haehwa could touch him recklessly. If trouble arose from any misdeed, she would be suspected of harming a person belonging to the imperial family.

‘I-I can do it! If you grant me this chance…’

‘Good. Discuss the details with Chief Eunuch Baek.’

‘Thank you, Your Highness! I shall devote my whole heart to it.’

Jeok Hyangrim bowed his head, expressing his gratitude to the Crown Prince. Seeing that, the Crown Prince smiled faintly, as if satisfied.

Pretty.

Young Dan Yuha stared blankly at the Crown Prince’s face, where long eyes curved gently and red lips traced an alluring arc. The Third Prince was the most beautiful person the child had ever met. Fortunately, neither the Crown Prince nor Chief Eunuch Baek scolded Yuha for being half-entranced. More accurately, it was closer to them simply not being interested.

‘What a relief, truly… We survived thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince, we survived. It will be alright now.’

Once outside, Jeok Hyangrim wept, embracing his son, overwhelmed by deep relief. In fact, once the news spread that Hyangrim would be supplying incense and fragrances to the Crown Prince’s palace, the residents’ persecution noticeably diminished.

They still cursed or spat when they came across the two, but they no longer came to the house to run wild. The physical violence had almost entirely vanished.

If by any chance they injured Jeok Hyangrim and the Third Prince grew angry, claiming someone had touched the perfumer working for him, they could not bear that wrath.

Though the harassment had not completely disappeared, Dan Yuha felt he could breathe for the first time in his life. As his father had said, the quieting of their surroundings was entirely thanks to the Crown Prince. So the child hoped he would visit the enclave often.

But the peace did not last long. The year Dan Yuha turned twelve, Jeok Hyangrim collapsed. It was the result of a body worn down by the accumulated wounds of violence for over ten years, compounded by overwork, and worsened by the hwabyung and depression that had set in after losing his mate.

To improve his health, he needed to rest well and recuperate, but Jeok Hyangrim could not do so. He had a son to take care of, and he had to deliver a set amount of goods to the Crown Prince’s palace every three months.

Moreover, since they were used by noble imperial blood, he could not make them carelessly. To produce fragrances of the highest quality, he had to put in more effort than usual, which inevitably drained him physically.

Of course, had he explained his situation, he might have been generously understood, but the Crown Prince merely liked the sleeping incense and medicinal tea Jeok Hyangrim produced, and held no particular personal warmth toward him. In any case, there were many other perfumers working for the Crown Prince. There were any number of people who could replace him.

Jeok Hyangrim knew his own position better than anyone. And that made it all the more impossible for him to rest. If he stepped down from the position of the Crown Prince’s perfumer because of illness, the tribespeople would surely pounce on him and his son as if they had been waiting. Because of that, he could not focus on treating his own illness.

In order to help his sick father even a little, Dan Yuha took on all the household chores such as cooking and cleaning. He also washed the herbs Jeok Hyangrim gathered from the mountain, sorted them by type, and dried them. Even knowing he would be mistreated by the residents, he sometimes went to the Flower Garden, the enclave’s communal workshop, to pick flowers.

However, despite Dan Yuha’s efforts, Jeok Hyangrim’s condition did not improve. Rather, it worsened day by day.

‘I’m sorry, Yuha. Father is so very sorry.’

In the end, Jeok Hyangrim left the world, leaving behind his young son who had just turned fourteen. Leaving behind the very same last words as his mother, Dan Yeongha.

Having lost both parents, Dan Yuha held his father’s funeral with the help of the Ju Cheongwoo siblings. Thanks to Chief Eunuch Baek of the Crown Prince’s palace, who sent a funeral wreath upon hearing news of his death, no particular disturbance occurred during the funeral and encoffining.

But Dan Yuha was in no state of mind to feel relief that people were not coming to run wild. Gripped by the despair and hopelessness of having to survive alone in a hellish place, he simply shut himself in the house and wept.

Then one day, Dan Yuha went to visit his parents’ graves. Having no confidence at all that he could live on alone, he had intended to follow them. And that day, Dan Yuha was saved by Shin Ryuwon for the second time.

‘It will be very hard from now on… But still, live. Turn your despair into rage and survive, however you can. And then, take your righteous revenge on those who tormented you and your parents. Do you understand?’

Dan Yuha closed his eyes, as if savoring the voice that rang in his head. Though several years had already passed, the memory of that time was as vivid as if it had happened yesterday.

The Crown Prince’s expression and voice, the tender warmth that wiped his tears away and the awkward touch that patted his shoulder, the sensation of the grass tickling his ankle and swaying gently, even the scent of flowers carried on the wind… Every moment of that time was etched into him, so that try as he might, he could not forget.

Rustle.

Dan Yuha, who had been lost in wistful reverie, only returned to reality at the sound of a presence beside him. Turning his head toward the noise, he saw a squirrel trying to steal the chestnuts he had set upon the cloth.