Diana Of Alcotta (Yrsoreth Chronicles 1)

40 ♔ Deathless Angkahalla

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For such a word 'requested,' she was given no choice. And now, she was in the Silver Palace. Safety reasons, they said. As envoy from a potential enemy, some are not happy with the turn of events. With the week-long celebration of the coronation festival, people are becoming sober and angry.

The same bedroom. The same furniture.

It was the chambers she resided in a long time ago, and as if time stopped, it was the same view in her memory.

The only difference was the roof of a vast greenhouse far ahead. She assumed that every palace had a greenhouse built.

Diana laid in bed and listed all the things she must do tomorrow. Now that she was left alone, with no subordinates, one of her biggest problems was communication. She could not send letters to Alec nor receive one without being found out. Despite also currently residing in Gran Dacchia as well, meeting her son was difficult. The boy does not ask questions, but he's perceptive. That's why, when the boy was eight, she already told him everything. Now, at almost twelve, Alec was capable. Although small for Levichian children his age, his mind was too mature that Diana wished he acted like a child.

Without a solution to communicate with Alec, Diana fell asleep. She woke up earlier and immediately sent a messenger to Ysivan for permission to investigate the Silver Palace.

Unlike before, she must now follow the hierarchy of things. Although Ysivan had become the prime minister, he never let go of his position as the emperor's aide. This included the responsibility of the imperial residence.

Only an hour later that a messenger arrived with the permission letter, with a less formal tone than she expected.

Lady Dianna Alcotta,

As the esteemed guest of the empire, you are free to do as you wish.

Then there was the prime minister's seal for authority.

It also stated that one of the knights who helped recover the bombs planted in the palace would be sent another hour later to guide her through the locations.

After breakfast, the said knight was sent. She was brought to the locations, pointed out the palace's pillars, the explosives were put, and more were planted closer to the emperor's office.

"And the bombs?" Diana asked, listing the details in her notes like a legitimate investigator. Although the imperial security was investigating on their own, she was doing it separately to prove Levich's innocence.

"They've all been locked in the isolated garrison, My Lady. Some were task to study the structure and content."

Diana's hand halted. To gather evidence of the bomb's authenticity and source, disassembly and research must be done, and an official sent from Levich will confirm the contents.

But these circumstances happened for the first time. The bomb, which was exclusive to Levich, might be replicated. Thus, another arsenal of weapons will be added to Gran Dacchia if possible.

Never mind who was more powerful, she prayed for war between her past and new homes to never come.

"I see," she mumbled and thanked the knight. The latter then bid farewell after the two-hour tour. Diana was left, alone, with her guards that never spoke. Going back to her chambers, she passed the entrance to the garden.

Her steps paused. It never changed. This year, winter in Gran Dacchia has been gentle, or maybe because it didn't fully come, that a few autumn colors of leaves still hung from the trees. It was the same thing she had a scene from memory. Aside from functionality and lesser display of wealth in palaces, there wasn't much of a change. The only thing noticeable was the massive greenhouse that she could even see the roof outside the garden.

Diana found herself facing the gate of the garden. She looked back at her guards. They had the same poker face. She opened the thin aesthetic gate of curved black metals but got no reaction from them either.

Diana took a step inside the garden and looked back at the guards. Still nothing.

She took another step, still uncertain if she was allowed to go in.

"You... can go in, My Lady." The knight finally said, probably bothered by how she takes every step, and turn to them for permission. The cloaked tribesman beside him nodded.

Embarrassed somehow with the thought that her actions were childish, she muttered a 'Thank you.' and walked further. But the guards didn't follow her. They bowed and informed her that they would be waiting outside.

Was it supposed to be off-limits? She asked herself but then thought that she dared to be there. The crunch of dried leaves against her shoes made a rhythm until it was only silent after she reached the pavilion.

The weeklong coronation festival ended. And unlike the distant cacophony of merry-making, there was only the kiss of the breeze on the leaves and a few caws of the birds.

Being at the center of the garden, the memories flooded back to her; her walks with Kirien and the confrontation with Niccolus, all happened here a long time ago.

Diana stepped out of the pavilion to shake off the heaviness above her like its roof. Instead, she let her curiosity take over towards the greenhouse. The gleam of its glass roof against the sun was like a guiding star for her to follow, instead of the cobbled path she led on. Until finally, she reached the greenhouse, and it was bigger and higher than she thought. It was not an exaggeration to compare it to a third of the palace size.

The green vines, surviving the autumn and coming of winter, crawled up high and served as its walls.

With Ysivan's letter of permission in mind, Diana pushed the gate also filled with vines and entered the greenhouse.

A faint gasp left her mouth. Trees, upon trees upon trees, filled the area in a circular pattern, all of the same type. Their height varied twice to thrice Diana's.

Angkahalla trees were generally short, but they live for a hundred years in any environment. They were an ordinary tree on all continents that neither bore fruit nor medicinal benefits. However, one thing unique about the tree is its flower, which only appears a few days after spring and dies within an hour.

Commonly, they are called "The 'orange blooms.'" Somebody spoke behind Diana. She didn't need to look back to know it was Xander.

No. She refused to look at him. For one, she was amazed by the view of trees, all in full bloom even it was almost winter.

Maybe it had something to do with the spirit stones within the walls that imitated the season of spring. But most of all, Diana refused to show him the emotion she could not name, reflecting on her face.

"Because the flowers die so fast, it earned a reputation."

"Remember," she said. In the language of flowers, the orange blooms from the Angkahalla tree meant 'Remember me.'

"Is that why you asked for it as a condition?" Xander was now beside her, but her eyes never wavered from the spots of orange in the trees.

"Maybe so."

"But then, later on, you didn't ask for it anymore."

"There was no need." That was because she wished to be forgotten.

"Too bad for you," he said. "These are deathless Angkahallas."

This time, Diana looked at him. He did not answer the question etched on her face. Instead of the livid Xander just a few days ago, he was calm. His red eyes gleamed and bore into her soul as he declared,

"They will bloom forever."

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