Five Springs

Five years later, in a small village on the outskirts of the capital of the Easter Kingdom.

Time passed swiftly like an arrow shot toward its target.

Five winters passed, followed by five springs.

Beneath the warmer sunlight, a woman was hanging laundry in the yard of a modest two-story house.

She had brown hair, common everywhere, but contrasting violet eyes—this was Dahlia.

With her hair tied up, Dahlia busily folded laundry while watching her young son.

"Damian. Didn't Mom tell you not to run like that?"

The child who had once been bundled in a white cloth was now busy running around on two feet.

After finishing his meal, Damian dashed into the front yard, eager to catch bugs, and came to her side when Dahlia called.

Then, he beamed, proudly showing off the bug he had caught.

"Mom! A bug!"

The child's face, nestled in her skirt, was already smeared with dirt.

"How long has it been since you washed? Goodness..."

Dahlia paused her laundry to lovingly clean the dirtied face of her child with a handkerchief and pluck out the leaves tangled in his hair.

Then she paused, staring intently at his golden hair and jewel-like eyes.

The colors, impossible for the Seiyer family, were proof that Damian was not Clayton's child.

Yet, why did he seem to resemble Clayton more as he grew?

Dahlia, caught in a strange feeling, momentarily drifted into thought.

"Samantha!"

Samantha entered the yard carrying a basket. She smiled brightly at Damian and joyfully welcomed the child running toward her.

Dahlia rose from her spot and approached Samantha, relieving her of the load she was carrying.

"You're back? Looks like you have a lot of work again today."

"Yes. They say there's a big backlog of orders right now. It seems the designs you advised on are selling like crazy again. They even raised my pay to thank you. Isn't that wonderful?"

Samantha proudly pulled out a hefty purse and showed it to her.

It all started when Dahlia, following Samantha to the dress shop by chance, gave some advice to the Madame, who was struggling with her designs.

Since then, the Madame often sought Dahlia's input on dress designs, and the once-obscure dress shop became so popular that even nobles went out of their way to visit.

She had only casually thrown out a few remarks, as she once had with Madame Louise in the past. Dahlia didn't understand why the shop's Madame was so appreciative, but as long as she was well compensated, it wasn't a bad arrangement.

Samantha, who had been chatting excitedly about this and that, suddenly remembered something important.

"Oh, right! The Madame was asking for you. She said she has something to discuss—probably needing your insight again!"

Since visiting once always resulted in a decent reward later, Dahlia often went to the dress shop.

"Alright, I'll go visit her tomorrow."

"Yes, but you should dye your hair again before going. The roots are already showing."

"You're right. I should take care of it right away."

Her silver hair was a striking color, even in the Easter Kingdom—perhaps even more so than in the Empire.

Silver hair was considered sacred here, so Dahlia had faced difficulties when she first arrived in the kingdom.

Dyeing her hair a common brown helped a little, but Dahlia's striking appearance and Damian's charm still made the pair quite noticeable in the village.

Still, this place wasn't too far from the capital, making life convenient, and there weren't many visitors, allowing them to live quietly.

Recently, however, more people had been visiting the village, so Dahlia refrained from going out except to the dress shop.

Clayton might no longer be looking for her, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.

Dahlia was lost in thought, staring into the void.

"Lloyd!"

Damian, who had been snuggling in Samantha's arms, perked up and ran toward Lloyd, who had just returned home.

"Damian!"

Today was the day Lloyd, who worked as a tutor in the capital, returned home.

Lloyd knelt down to embrace Damian as he ran toward him.

"You've been listening to your mom, right?"

"Yes! Dad!"

Pleased by the way the child addressed him, Lloyd ruffled Damian's hair.

"Good job, Damian."

Damian, who was very fond of Lloyd, had initially called him Dad. Although Dahlia had firmly told him to stop, there were still moments like this when he called Lloyd Dad.

"Damian, I told you to call him Uncle, not Dad."

"It's fine. Damian's still young. He needs a father figure."

"Even so..."

She couldn't let Damian keep calling Lloyd Dad, especially since it often led to misunderstandings among the villagers.

As Dahlia trailed off awkwardly, Samantha interjected.

"Let's talk about that later and head inside. I bought some madeleines that Damian loves on my way back."

Hearing about the madeleines, Damian's face lit up, and he followed Samantha into the house.

Smiling warmly at the sight of Damian's retreating figure, Dahlia and Lloyd followed him into the house.

These were truly days of uninterrupted peace.

So much so that no one could have foreseen the approaching storm.

* * *

At the same time.

In the imperial palace of the Granos Empire, Clayton was having an audience with the Emperor in the audience chamber.

These two had finally met after numerous delays.

The Emperor glared at the man, who seemed colder and more tense than before.

"I understand now that you're a devoted husband, but don't you think it's time to step outside your estate? I had to summon you three times before you finally set foot in the palace. Honestly."

It was only after he threatened to bring harm to Clayton's family that Clayton finally showed up. The Emperor clicked his tongue, still incredulous.

The death of the Duchess of the Seiyer family was a well-known rumor across the empire. It was also widely known that the Duke had secluded himself in his estate since then.

"So, what is the reason you've summoned me?"

Clayton asked, not touching the tea set before him. The Emperor stroked his beard, as though he had expected this, and began to speak.

"I'll get straight to the point. I want you to visit the Easter Kingdom as the empire's representative."

At those words, Clayton's brow furrowed. It was a place that required a long sea journey, meaning he would have to spend an extended time outside.

Since Dahlia's departure, Clayton had grown particularly sensitive to sunlight, making this an unwelcome prospect.

"Thanks to your efforts, our empire was the first to establish trade with the Easter Kingdom. So, I was thinking your trading company could represent the empire in dealings with the kingdom."

The Easter Kingdom, long known for its closed-off diplomacy, had begun opening its doors under a new king.

Many nations extended their hands in partnership, and the Granos Empire was the first to secure an alliance with them.

This success was largely due to Clayton's past efforts in laying the groundwork for trade with the Easter Kingdom.

Knowing this, the Emperor's decision to send Clayton to represent the nation in the Easter Kingdom was a logical one.

Of course, it wasn't a welcome task for Clayton.

"I understand Your Majesty's wishes, but I..."

Just as Clayton was about to refuse without hesitation, the Emperor, anticipating his answer, quickly added another condition.

"If you agree to represent the empire in the Easter Kingdom this time, I promise never to assign you such tasks or drag you to the palace with underhanded threats again."

It was a tempting proposal. The Emperor often pestered him by bringing up the Seiyer family's secrets.

After a moment's consideration, Clayton nodded.

"Very well. I will go to the Easter Kingdom."

It was, at most, a month-long trip.

That much, he could endure.

Just as he had endured five years without Dahlia.

Leaving the laughing, delighted Emperor behind, Clayton drank his now-cold tea.

It was the calm before the storm.