RXN 10

Chapter 10

“Still, several months have passed since I entered the palace, but I’ve never been outside the harem. So how could we have met before?”

Just then, a bell rang in the distance signaling the start of the next lesson. Roxanne sighed, regretting that she hadn’t been able to see the entire greenhouse.

“This is truly a beautiful place. I wish I could stay here all afternoon, but I think I should go now. If it’s not too much trouble, may I come again next time?”

“Of course. Anytime you want.”

When he agreed, Roxanne gave him a bright smile in place of thanks.

“Wait!”

The man called out to Roxanne as she turned to walk toward the building.

“What is your name?”

“Roxanne.”

“Roxanne.”

He repeated her name softly, then spoke.

“If you come to the greenhouse tonight, you’ll be able to see flowers more beautiful than any you’ve ever seen before.”

“I can’t wander around at night. Could you show me tomorrow instead?”

He shook his head.

“Unfortunately, I can’t. Those flowers are night-bloomers — they only open at night.”

Roxanne hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she couldn’t resist the temptation and nodded.

“Alright.”

After speaking, Roxanne hurried her steps, remembering the stern face of her embroidery teacher. She had lost track of time, drunk on the beauty of the flowers, but now it was more important not to be late for sewing class.

—

Watching Roxanne hurry away, Aslan rubbed his chin and considered for a very brief moment whether he should grow a beard, then chuckled to himself.

“A eunuch, of all things!”

It was utterly absurd to be treated as a eunuch — he was the emperor of the Run Empire and the ruler commanding the southern part of the Daonia continent.

“Roxanne, was it?”

Aslan recalled the day he first saw her. That day, he had happened to be out on an incognito inspection when he heard rumors about an auction that was making Cordia buzz with excitement. Curious about the slave girl whose price had soared to three hundred doun, he headed to the auction house. Upon arriving, Aslan spotted familiar faces of high-ranking nobles and clicked his tongue. All the wealthy and powerful figures had gathered, so it was no wonder the bidding price had skyrocketed. Still, three hundred doun for a slave girl was hard to accept.

“Just what kind of woman…”

As he muttered to himself and looked up at the woman sitting in the cage, he understood the minds of the men there. Her skin was smooth and translucent like porcelain, her hair shone gold or silver depending on the light, and her lapis lazuli eyes seemed to hold the stars of the night sky. The name “Golden Canary” was not enough to capture her beauty. She looked like an angel who had wandered down the wrong path and been caught by rough hands.

Aslan, who had been scoffing at the unprecedented bidding price just moments before, jumped into the auction himself and won her. Though he paid an enormous sum, he would have paid even more if it meant having her. The man who had clung to his hope until the very end was Yusuf, a high-ranking noble of the empire and also the brother of Aisha, the First Kadin. Furious at having what he thought was almost in his grasp stolen away, Yusuf glared at Aslan with dangerous eyes. Aslan was very curious to see what expression Yusuf would make if he ever learned that the man who took the Golden Canary from him was the emperor himself.

No sooner had he brought the Golden Canary to his harem than Aslan had to leave for the frontier to suppress a rebellion. Finally, after putting down the rebellion and returning to the palace, Aslan’s first stop was the garden. Tending to flowers and working with soil was a form of relaxation for him. But unexpectedly, he encountered the Golden Canary in the garden. She seemed to have adapted quite well to harem life, and the anxious look she had when they first met was nowhere to be seen. Aslan’s lips curved into a smile as he watched her brisk figure walking away.

—

After dinner, Roxanne returned to her room, and soon the bell signaling bedtime rang. Roxanne and Anna put out the candles and went to bed. After a short while, Roxanne heard the sound of light snoring and confirmed Anna was asleep. Then she quietly rose from her bed. Going out after lights-out was forbidden, but Roxanne planned to go to the greenhouse to see the night-blooming flowers.

To be honest, it wasn’t just the flowers — she wanted to see the man again. After they had parted, she realized she hadn’t even asked his name. This time, she would remember to ask, she thought, as she put on a cloak and quietly opened the door. Fortunately, without being caught by anyone, she made her way through the empty hallway and passed through the gate to the back garden.

Once in the back garden, Roxanne couldn’t help but let out a bright smile. She had thought she would have to walk through pitch-black darkness, but lanterns were hung on every tree branch, brightly lighting the path to the greenhouse. Those lanterns must have been hung by the man for her. The back garden, with countless flowers blooming under the bright lantern light, was truly beautiful. Enjoying the beautiful sight, Roxanne arrived at the greenhouse. When she spotted the man waiting for her, she smiled widely and waved.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No.”

The man smiled and shook his head.

“Were you the one who lit these lanterns?”

“Yes, I hung them.”

“Thanks to you, the dark path wasn’t scary at all. Thank you.”

At Roxanne’s thanks, he shrugged as if it were nothing, but a smile he couldn’t hide lingered at the corner of his mouth.

“Let’s go inside.”

Led by the man’s hand, Roxanne stepped into the greenhouse and her eyes went wide.

“Oh my goodness!”

Inside the greenhouse, where moonlight filtering through the glass ceiling draped a soft veil all around, beautiful flowers were blooming in abundance. The silver petals that bloomed shyly sparkled like moonlight, possessing a mysterious grace like celestial flowers. It was a flower she had never seen before — not even in the thick plant encyclopedia in her father’s study in Shengart.

“What is the name of this flower?”

“Fairy’s Tears. It only grows on the southernmost mountain of the Black Continent. During the previous emperor’s reign, an old traveler brought back a handful of seeds and presented them, but only three of those seeds bloomed. Because it’s sensitive to temperature, a greenhouse was built to cultivate them, and that’s how they’ve managed to survive.”

“Oh! What a precious flower.”

As she marveled again and bent her head to examine the flower, her long hair fell forward. Watching her, the man reached out as if entranced, gathered a lock of her shimmering hair, brought it to his lips, and murmured softly.

“It’s similar.”

“Pardon?”

“Your hair — it’s just like the petals sparkling in the moonlight.”

Somehow embarrassed by the man’s sudden action, Roxanne was grateful that her flushed face couldn’t be seen in the dark night.

“It’s more spacious than it looked from outside.”

A mischievous smile rose on the man’s face as he watched Roxanne pretend to be calm and look around the greenhouse.

“This greenhouse is not only the largest glass structure on the Daonia continent, but most of the flowers inside are rare species that only grow on the Black Continent or in the East — not easily seen anywhere.”

“And you tend this place by order of the emperor?”

“Yes. This back garden is the emperor’s favorite place. Whenever he has time, he comes here to look at the flowers and trees and rest.”

“Hmm…”

Aslan tilted his head, watching Roxanne’s thoughtful face.

“Is something strange?”

“No, not strange exactly. It’s just that he seems different from the rumors.”

“Rumors?”

“Yes. The rumors say the emperor is very imposing and warlike. But these beautiful flowers in the garden somehow don’t seem to suit that kind of person.”

“That’s a prejudice.”

The man laughed in amusement. Watching his face smiling under the moonlight pouring through the glass ceiling, Roxanne’s heart pounded against her will. Worried that he might hear the thumping sound of her heartbeat as if it were attached to her ear, Roxanne took a small step back, away from him.

“I think I should go back now. I snuck out, you see.”

“I’ll walk you.”

As they stepped out of the greenhouse, Roxanne’s shoulders instinctively hunched against the breezy wind, but she didn’t dislike the spring night breeze carrying the faint scent of flowers. As she breathed in the freedom of this small rebellion, the two soon arrived at the consorts’ quarters. Roxanne stopped and looked up at him, asking.

“What’s your name?”

“What?”

“You know my name, so I want to know yours too.”

“Aslan Mubarak. Aslan is my name.”

“Aslan.”

Roxanne murmured his name softly, then extended her hand to shake.

“Thank you, Aslan. Thanks to you, I had a pleasant time for the first time in a while.”

Aslan smiled and took Roxanne’s outstretched hand.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it too.”

The warmth from his large hand, big enough to completely envelop hers, seemed to warm her heart. The two stood facing each other, holding hands without any intention of letting go, until they were startled by the sound of footsteps at the end of the hallway. They lowered their bodies and hid. Through the window, they saw a eunuch carrying a lantern scanning the hallway as he passed.

“I really need to go in now.”

As Roxanne whispered in a low voice, Aslan nodded.

“I’ll lure that eunuch away. In the meantime, get to your room.”

After speaking, Aslan stood up and walked toward the eunuch.

“Who goes there?”

“It’s me.”

The eunuch, who had raised his lantern and called out, recognized Aslan and quickly bowed.

“What brings you here at this hour, Your…”

Aslan quickly cut off the eunuch and ordered.

“Good timing. I dropped something over there, and you’ll need to help me find it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

While Aslan led the eunuch to the other side, Roxanne safely returned to her quarters and let out a sigh of relief. She took off her cloak and quietly slipped into bed, but somehow she didn’t think she would fall asleep easily. She tossed and turned, then pulled the blanket all the way over her head, and the pounding of her heart echoed in her ears.

“Pull yourself together, Roxanne.”

She tried to compose herself, but rather than calming her racing heart, the face of Aslan smiling brightly rose in her mind instead. Shaking her head and trying to push his face away, Roxanne closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.