Flora leaned into Ilya’s embrace, her breathing and heartbeat far from steady.
Her fingers unconsciously gripped Ilya’s sleeve, like a small animal that had been frozen for too long the night before, instinctively seeking warmth, only to let go in a panic the moment she realized it.
Ilya slowly pulled back a little to let Flora breathe, but she did not let go completely.
“And today… you need to rest.”
Her voice was as soft as melting snow — gentle, yet brook no argument.
Flora’s eyelashes fluttered, and she protested in a low voice with a frown, “I don’t need to rest. I’m much better now.”
“You fainted in the forest last night,” Ilya’s voice was calm, but it carried an undeniable weight. “Right now, you’ll feel dizzy even if you stand for a while.”
‘Dizzy.’
Flora opened her mouth to retort, but as she sat up, her body’s weakness made her sway, and her vision flashed a pale white.
Ilya immediately caught her by the shoulders.
“See?”
Her tone was soft, but it felt like gentle chains.
Flora bit her lip and irritably averted her gaze. “…I just didn’t eat breakfast.”
Ilya watched her stubbornness flare up, her eyes seemingly touched for a fleeting moment.
She remained silent for a while before suddenly reaching out to wipe away the traces of tears remaining at the corners of Flora’s eyes.
The movement was very light, very slow.
“I know the grounding makes you feel bad.”
“So today… I will stay with you.”
Flora was stunned.
“…Stay with me?”
Ilya’s expression was natural. “Do you prefer peace and quiet, or a walk? Or… do you want to do something else?”
For a moment, Flora didn’t know how to react.
She had thought that after the punishment, she would face harsher scrutiny or the cold shoulder, but the Ilya before her was as quiet as the early morning, her tone like she was coaxing a child in a bad mood.
Flora didn’t speak for a long while; she only felt the tips of her ears grow a little warm. “I… I don’t need you to stay with me.”
“Mhm,” Ilya nodded slightly. “Then who do you want to stay with? Lena?”
Flora was at a loss for words.
Ilya’s gaze fell on her face, watching her quietly for two seconds. “You don’t want to be alone, do you?”
Flora suddenly clutched the blanket, feeling as if she had been seen through. “I, I didn’t mean that…!”
Ilya sighed softly. “Your eyes tell me that you’re afraid.”
Flora froze entirely. She lowered her head, her long hair falling over the side of her face to hide her expression. “…In a situation like last night’s, anyone would… be afraid…”
“I know.” Ilya’s voice was so soft it almost melted into the air. “That’s why I won’t leave you locked up alone during your grounding.”
She paused.
“I’ll stay with you.”
Flora felt a gentle poke at her heart, which had turned strangely soft.
She wanted to ask why Ilya was being so good to her, but the words retracted the moment they reached her lips. “What about your official business?”
Ilya said indifferently, “I was handling it yesterday too… you just weren’t awake.”
Flora suddenly remembered the “running figure” she saw before losing consciousness last night, and her chest began to tighten again.
Ilya stood up and reached out a hand. “Get up. Since you say you don’t want to sleep, at least… change your surroundings and get some fresh air.”
Flora was startled. “You’re taking me out?”
Ilya gave a soft “Mhm.”
“If I take you with me, I can also feel at ease.”
She spoke so naturally, as if none of this were a punishment, but rather care.
Flora hesitated for a long time before finally reaching out to let Ilya help her up. The moment her feet hit the floor, a sense of weakness surged from her ankles to her calves.
She gritted her teeth to steady herself, pretending nothing was wrong.
Ilya saw it, of course. But she said nothing, only silently supporting her. Her movements were so quiet that one didn’t know whether to push her away or lean on her.
“…I can walk myself,” Flora whispered.
“Alright.”
Yet Ilya still slowed her pace, remaining within one arm’s length of her at all times. It was as if she were afraid Flora would collapse again.
The door closed softly behind them, as if cutting off all of yesterday’s chaos.
The corridor was incredibly quiet. Every footstep fell so lightly that there was no sound.
Flora had originally thought that being grounded meant being left to rot in her room alone. She hadn’t expected Ilya to personally bring her out.
She instinctively kept a bit of distance, as if wary that the air nearby would trap her.
“If you feel unwell, you can tell me.” Ilya’s pace was neither fast nor slow, her tone like warm spring water slowly flowing past Flora’s ears. “You aren’t in a state to force yourself right now.”
Flora pursed her lips. “I’m not forcing myself.”
“You are.”
“…I’m not.”
“The speed at which you’re walking tells me you are.”
Flora’s footsteps faltered for a second, and she stiffly sped up by half a step. “I just, I just… usually walk slowly.”
Ilya looked at her stubborn persistence. She seemingly said nothing, but her eyes softened for a moment. It was as if her heart had been gently tugged.
They continued forward.
The ceilings of the corridor were extremely high, with rows of silver-white magic stone chandeliers hanging from them, casting a faint light even during the day.
Flora had never walked through such a quiet, oppressive place before.
This didn’t feel like a home, nor did it feel like a prison, yet it felt more than both like a massive vessel that could swallow her up at any moment.
She tried to distract herself. “…Are these paintings of your family?”
Ilya looked at the portraits on the wall, her voice indifferent. “They are silhouettes of the past Demon Kings.”
“Then which one is yours?”
Ilya pointed to the very last one.
It was a young girl with blue hair and silver eyes, standing sideways by the side of the endless Black Sea. Her expression was cold, but her sharp edge was well-hidden.
It was likely a portrait of Ilya when she was even younger. But that face caused a subtle pang in Flora’s heart.
“For some reason, it looks like the expression you had just now.” Flora blurted out. She froze once she realized what she’d said. “…I mean… you look… quite cold.”
Ilya tilted her head slightly to look at her. “Just now?”
“When you were angry…” Flora added in a small voice.
Ilya didn’t speak, only watching her quietly.
After a long while, Ilya finally spoke softly, “I do not like being angry with you.”
Flora’s heart felt as though it had been lightly touched by someone, and she hurriedly looked away. “Then you can just not be angry with me…”
“You can also not throw yourself into the forest.”
Flora: “…”
She couldn’t win an argument against her.
She frowned in annoyance and muttered under her breath, “It’s not like I wanted to be picked up by you.”
“But you were picked up by me,” Ilya’s tone was steady. “And if I had been one step later, you might not have woken up.”
Flora fell silent.
But her lips were tightly pursed; clearly, she was still a bit defiant.
As the two passed a corner, two guards were talking. But their voices… had already reached Flora’s ears.
“Last night, when Her Highness fainted —”
“Shh! Don’t talk nonsense!”
“But Her Majesty really carried —”
They saw Flora and Ilya and immediately stopped talking to salute.
Flora stumbled, and the arm being held by Ilya instantly went stiff. “Y-You tell them not to say things like that!”
However, Ilya was overly calm. “What they said is the truth.”
“But it sounds embarrassing!!”
“You don’t like it?”
“…Of course not!”
“Then next time, I can tell them to shut up.”
Flora was stunned. “…Why do you say that so naturally?!”
“Because I really did carry you back last night.” Ilya’s gaze didn’t waver. “I will not permit you to collapse in the snow again.”
Flora’s ears turned red, as red as grapes dropped into hot water. She gripped her sleeves tightly, wanting to argue, but not knowing which point to argue against.