Chapter 18
Chapter 18: A Dream Reflected on the Water’s Surface
Rondo was excited. A beautiful person resembling a fairy-tale queen, the ‘Empress’, had appeared and finally believed their words.
She didn’t act scary like the commander, nor did she scold them to stay in the warehouse like their parents. Moreover, her hand was so soft; she didn’t shy away from holding Rondo’s rough, dirty hands that had been digging crops.
Whenever Rondo glanced back at her, she was always smiling, making it hard to keep his composure. Had he ever met someone so radiant in his life?
This high-ranking person he was meeting for the first time, the Empress, was like warm sunshine.
“Empress! Over there! We need to go in there!”
Rondo, standing on a small hill behind the village, pointed to a spot. Among the thick trees and vines that reached an adult’s waist, there was a small path that children could barely pass through.
“Sir, if you please.”
“Please step back for a moment.”
Berdo, who had followed, drew his sword and cut through the dense vines. Soon, a path wide enough for adults to pass through was created. As they entered, an indescribable stench assaulted their noses. Vinea covered her nose and mouth with the handkerchief she had brought.
“Are you alright, Empress? We still have a bit further to go…”
At the child’s concern, Vinea nodded and looked back. Due to the unpleasant smell, Berdo was also scanning the surroundings to find the cause, but there was nothing particularly special in the clearing beyond the vines.
However, there were shallow holes here and there, as if someone had dug up the ground long ago.
Vinea’s gaze fell on the scattered soil. A strange glint appeared in her blue eyes.
Found it.
Vinea raised her hand to stop Berdo from approaching.
“I advise against stepping on it.”
With a puzzled face, the knight commander stepped back and knelt to examine the dug-up ground.
The unidentifiable stench that hit them as soon as they entered, the ground that looked as if it had been dug up long ago. Despite the recent drought, only the dug-up areas retained moisture.
Berdo carefully felt inside a hole about knee-deep for an adult. Wet soil stuck to the tip of his silver metal glove.
“This is…”
It was somehow different from ordinary soil. As Berdo quietly observed the soil, Vinea turned to the hand guiding her.
“We’re almost there! It’s right over there!”
Following the child a little deeper, they came upon a small stream gurgling as it flowed.
As she removed the handkerchief covering her mouth, the earlier stench dissipated with the wind blowing along the stream, and clean air filled her lungs as if nothing had happened.
The child approached the water, bent down, and began examining the bottom. Then he grabbed and pulled out a handful of nondescript grass.
“This is it!”
Vinea took the grass and held it up. It was a plant called ‘Talm’, which, as Berdo had said, was nothing more than a weed without flowers or fruit.
On its own, it had no effect, but when combined with certain herbs, it was a different story. This was still a secret unknown to anyone else.
“Can you explain how you used this? Just tell me about the situation at that time.”
“Uh, well…”
After pondering for a moment, the child pointed upwards.
It was the starting point of the water flowing down from the mountain. The pool was shallow enough for children to play in, but quite wide. The bottom of the pool was full of aquatic plants with translucent green fruits hanging in clusters.
The child stepped into the pool and plucked some of the aquatic plants, bringing them out.
“We mixed this with that grass. We were playing restaurant with the younger kids.”
The aquatic plant the child brought was a type of medicinal herb called ‘Ulnan’. It was too tough to eat raw and usually had to be dried in high heat and ground into powder for use.
If the children hadn’t mixed the wet Ulnan with Talm to create an antidote and eaten it, they would have suffered much more severe damage by now, with the epidemic progressing faster than in adults.
“But mom said we shouldn’t eat this aquatic plant raw… So the weed from earlier must be the medicine!”
Vinea smiled smoothly and placed the Talm back in the child’s hand opposite the one holding the Ulnan.
“You’ve been a great help. However, to make the medicine, this aquatic plant is also necessary.”
“Really? I didn’t know that…”
“It’s okay. Now that we know, shouldn’t we hurry back to cure your parents?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Now take these back to the commander. Don’t forget to explain in detail the game you were playing.”
“Aren’t you coming, Empress?”
“I still have more to check. Tell the commander I’ll follow shortly.”
The child nodded vigorously and ran back the way they came. By now, Berdo should have noticed the hidden secret buried in that soil.
While it was important to return and direct the situation, to gain a reputation surpassing the ‘Blessed Lily’, she needed to act more proactively.
The climax of this not-so-funny comedy would be her personally harvesting the aquatic plants covering the bottom of the pool and the Talm growing nearby.
Vinea sighed briefly, took off her leather boots and placed them nearby, then rolled up her pants and shirt sleeves. She took out the handkerchief stuffed in her pocket, tightly tied her long hair, and walked into the pool.
Due to the slippery texture unique to Ulnan, Vinea kept fumbling. Moreover, thinking bare feet would be better than leather boots, she had entered barefoot, but the Ulnan under her feet made her feel like she might slip and fall at any moment.
After struggling, Vinea finally managed to pluck a handful of Ulnan and turned around. She planned to pick just this much for now, gather an equal amount of Talm, and return to the village.
If only there hadn’t been a sudden figure appearing before her.
“—!”
As soon as she turned, Vinea collided with someone and her body swayed greatly backward.
With both hands full of Ulnan, it was difficult to react quickly and steady herself.
It was fortunate, if you could call it that, that the pool was shallow. Vinea’s body, eyes tightly shut, fell into the pool with a splash.
However, her tailbone, which she expected to hit the bottom, felt fine.
When she opened her eyes, someone’s figure was reflected on the shimmering water surface. It was a familiar silhouette.
The person who had fallen into the water with her, holding her, was a man who should have been busy with work in the palace right now.
“We both look like drowned rats. Don’t you think, Empress?”
“What on earth are you doing here when you should be at the palace?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve more or less finished the work you assigned me.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Shh. It’s been a while since we met, don’t be angry.”
What does he mean by ‘a while’? Didn’t we have dinner together just yesterday evening, or was that in the previous regression? However, seeing Tethar rest his head on her shoulder as if tired, she couldn’t bring herself to scold him outright.
“The palace without the Empress is a nightmare.”
“Don’t make unnecessary laments when I’m living in a worse nightmare.”
As she tried to push Tetar away to get up, he wouldn’t budge at all. Perhaps due to the water splashing when they fell, water dripped from Tethar’s wet bangs as he lifted his head.
“I want to dream, not have a nightmare.”
In the cold water, Tetar’s left hand pressed firmly on Vinea’s thigh.
“How about it, ‘Empress’? Don’t you want to give a reward to a child who behaved well?”
“Do you intend to listen to my answer?”
“Regrettably, no.”
The wet white shirt clinging to Vinea’s curved body had been too stimulating for him from earlier.
Her pale, thin neck was exposed due to her hair being tied up, and the red ribbon around her neck that had come loose from struggling in the water also caught his attention.
The dirty visions he had seen in the palace until just moments ago vanished without a trace.
It was always like this. As the regressions continued, he frequently saw nightmares in reality, but by Vinea’s side, there was only peace.
As if dreaming.
His right hand began unbuttoning Vinea’s wet shirt one by one.
Recognizing Tetar’s half-crazed look, Vinea inwardly sighed. Knowing it wouldn’t be easy to stop him in this state, she chose to simply surrender her body.
He hadn’t been this devoted to desire before; why was he so persistent in this particular regression?
“Don’t drag it out. We need to return to the village right away.”
“I’ll try.”
His lower half was so swollen it felt almost painful.
He grabbed Vinea’s waist and lifted her slightly. Taking advantage of that brief moment, he removed her pants as well, leaving her completely naked.
Tetar took off the clothes he was wearing with both arms and threw them aside, then gazed at Vinea with rippling eyes. If there were sirens who emerged from the sea to seduce and lead sailors to their deaths, would they look like this?
He reached out and untied the handkerchief binding Vinea’s hair. Her platinum blonde hair, as if melted sunlight, fell softly downward.
As the wet hair clung to her body, it looked like golden thread embroidered on white silk.
A water droplet that hadn’t quite fallen from Vinea’s face hung from the tip of her chin. It fell with a plop, creating small ripples on the water’s surface.
Tetar swallowed a slow breath and bit Vinea’s lips.
Ah! At the sudden stinging pain, her lips parted for a moment, and he didn’t miss the chance to dive in. Unlike him, exhaling dry breaths as hot fever rose, her lips against his were full of moisture like an oasis in the desert.
Vinea’s rapid breaths burst out between their lips as they parted slightly and collided again.
He tilted his head and curled his tongue. He had no intention of letting Vinea, who kept trying to pull back, go easily.
How many times did they repeat connecting and separating, swallowing and spitting out? Finally, Vinea’s lips tore and bled.
He pressed his lips like a seal over the round droplet of blood forming.
“Empress, do you know what that Ulnan you were gathering is used for?”
“I know it’s effective in treating mild wounds.”
“Well, that’s generally true. However…”
He grabbed a handful of Ulnan swaying under the water. Unlike her earlier struggle, it came off easily with a crunch in his hand.
He carelessly threw the plucked Ulnan back into the water. His hand was covered in the sticky mucus from the Ulnan.
“Between married couples, it has a different use.”
