Flora picked up a lamb skewer, opened her small mouth slightly, and bit off a piece of meat.
“Your Highness is still like this, eating skewers with such elegance and gentleness,” Lena said with a light laugh as she watched Flora sitting upright.
“Well, one must have manners regardless of where they are. Mother always said so.”
“Your Highness, you really are so serious.”
“It is a requirement, after all. Though, of course, I can let loose a little.”
As she ate, Flora heard a few demon youths sitting nearby chatting about something.
“Hey, did you know? A few months ago, some reckless human came here to steal a demon heart flower.”
“I heard it wasn’t just one person, but several humans together. How foolish, thinking they could steal something as important as a demon heart flower.”
Another demon listened quietly before speaking.
“I heard that human stole the flower to save his sister. I have to say, that human had courage.”
Hearing this, Flora’s movements as she ate the skewer stopped involuntarily, and her face turned a bit pale.
“Just for that?” someone asked in an incredulous tone.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Tsk, well, he was a real man then,” the person said after a few seconds of silence, sounding somewhat helpless.
“Also, it’s said that he gave the flower to the others and stayed behind for a rearguard action, letting the others take the flower away.”
“Was there a body? Or was he burned to ash?” That person didn’t even ask if the man had died, already assuming that the Owen who stayed for the rearguard action was dead.
After all, after stealing something so precious and then staying behind, he was definitely doomed.
“I don’t know, but it seems the flower was taken away.”
“Then it was still stolen.”
“Sigh, that should be the case. The flower was still stolen. In that case, that person could be considered to have died in the right place,” one person sighed, speaking with a bit of regret.
Flora sat nearby, her heart filled with a mix of emotions.
Her clenched right fist slowly relaxed, and her breathing slowed down.
‘Dying in the right place?’
A sense of absurdity welled up within her.
‘Was Owen’s end really like this? I hadn’t thought about this problem at all before — or rather, I hadn’t thought about it this way.’
Right, in the eyes of others, that Owen chose to stay behind for a rearguard action so the demon heart flower could be taken away, only to die in a foreign land.
Then, the flower was successfully taken. That was the end of the story.
The end of the story belonging to Owen.
It was also the best ending Owen could have received.
The lights no longer seemed so warm, carrying a hint of coldness that seeped into her skin as the surrounding voices drifted away.
She thought of her brother again, then of the first time she saw Ilya, and then of the moment she handed the flower to her brother.
After that, Owen died.
That “he” did not go back; he did not go to see his brother and sister. Over there, Owen must certainly be considered dead as well.
Owen had already ceased to exist in society. What other “Owen” was there in this world?
Flora lowered her head and exhaled a very, very long breath. This breath blew away many things.
Light shone down once more.
She looked at her current hands, which were still Flora’s fair and delicate hands. They felt warm.
“Hehe, these grilled mushrooms are delicious!” Lena’s voice broke in again.
Flora looked up at Lena and took the grilled mushroom skewer handed to her.
She looked at the mushroom. It was sizzling with oil and covered in so much cumin that it almost completely obscured the mushroom itself.
Then, she opened her mouth, took a large bite, and chewed vigorously.
The saltiness of the cumin, the texture of the grilled mushroom’s crispy skin, and the remaining juices of the mushroom flavor…
They dominated Flora’s senses at this moment.
“Is it good?” Lena asked expectantly.
Flora nodded and swallowed the mushroom, the flavor still lingering on the tip of her tongue.
She smiled.
“It’s delicious.”
Hearing Flora’s response, Lena took another skewer and handed it to her.
The phrase “it’s delicious” didn’t seem to be meant only for Lena’s ears…
The skewer dinner continued. They passed skewers to each other, the scent of cumin filling the air. Flora ate skewer after skewer, but she seemed much calmer, as if she had understood something.
***
Some time later, Flora and Lena finished eating.
The two of them walked on the road back to the inn. The night breeze blew gently, feeling like a cooling touch rather than a biting chill. Under the night breeze, Flora felt her mind clear up a bit.
Among that group of people just now, some thought Owen’s act of stealing the demon heart flower was ignorant and foolish, while others thought he was brave.
So, how did Lena view this matter? How would a common demon girl, a kind girl, view a human who came to steal their precious demon heart flower?
She probably just wanted to know how Lena, a close friend, viewed an event that was inherently bad for the demon race.
So, she asked.
The chirping of birds came from the distance.
“Lena, I want to ask you something.” Flora did not stop her pace, continuing to walk forward.
“What is it, Your Highness?” Hearing the question, Lena looked at Flora. She had originally stopped because of the inquiry, but seeing that Flora was still walking, she followed.
“Well, it’s not really a big deal. It’s just that when we were eating skewers earlier, I heard some people nearby talking about ‘a human coming to steal a demon heart flower.'”
“Oh, that matter. I think I heard it too. Is Your Highness actually interested in that?”
“I’m just asking.”
“Oh, I see. Your Highness is investigating the public opinion in advance to handle the issues between the two races later, right?” Lena expressed an admiring expression and gave a thumbs-up.
“Uh, I suppose so.” Hearing her say that, Flora still felt a bit awkward.
“Stealing is definitely wrong. Especially stealing something so important. According to the law, if everyone was caught, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to execute them on the spot.”
“But, if that human really stole the demon heart flower to save his sister, I can understand him. After all, everyone has a family. Who wouldn’t want to protect their family? If my parents encountered a similar problem, I might risk my life too, even if it seemed impossible…”
By the time she finished, Lena’s speaking speed had slowed down.
Flora looked at her. Lena’s eyes held the kind of empathy belonging to an ordinary girl.
“I don’t approve of what he did. No matter who you ask, no one would approve. But… I can probably understand his heart. It was all for family, so you can’t really call it a mistake.”
“I see.”
After walking for a while longer, they returned to the inn.
Flora sat on the bed, looking at the night sky outside the window.
Sister, brother…
She missed them, but she had no way to see them now, and she could never face them with her previous identity in the future.
Wait, it seemed that Owen had passed through the forest outside White Stone City when he came to the demon race to steal the demon heart flower.
Then… could she go to that path she once walked to commemorate it?
To commemorate the Owen who had already died.
In this way, it could be considered a complete end.
After that, Flora would continue to live on.