Chapter 60: The Holy Maiden Coronation
IN contrast to how fancy Reseda’s letter looked on the outside, there was only a single sentence written on the inside:
May I take you home with me?
The sentiment read so strangely—the first words strictly formal-sounding while the rest of it was casual and friendly. It made Iris laugh. She sent him a letter back, sealed with a cord bound in the shape of an iris:
I’ll be waiting.
✦ ✦ ✦
❀❀❀
AT last, it was the night of the Holy Maiden coronation. After the main ceremony in the Tower of Prayer, everyone moved to the town plaza to present the new Holy Maiden to the commoners. This was a celebration for all the people of Floraison, and tonight, they would all make merry until morning—no class divide between them.
Iris was present at the ceremony, of course. Camille looked positively lovely in her Holy Maiden attire, and everyone swooned over Reseda in his formal white military uniform. Even Iris was entranced by his beauty.
After the ceremony, the current Holy Maiden Lyrial, her Maiden’s Aide Pavot, and her successor Camille all took part in a carriage parade that ended at the special plaza stage where they made the formal announcement. After that, the soirée was scheduled to be held back at the palace.
When Reseda and Iris stepped onto the scene, everyone turned to look at them. With his white uniform and bright-pink hair, he looked like a rose personified. Likewise, Iris was clad in a coral-pink dress with wrist-length gloves—her scars on full display. But these days, no one took her to task for it.
The people who knew of Iris all described her as “the girl with the grisly scars,” or “the girl who came back covered in monster’s blood,” or “the girl with no sense of class.” And while Iris did look nice in her dress during the popularity contest, it was more readily described as strange. Once again, she had flown in the face of accepted norms. But tonight, now that she was wearing the garb of a proper noblewoman, everyone struggled to reconcile the sight of her with the established image of her in their heads.
“Her ugly scars scarcely matter.”
“If anything, she’s quite stunning.”
“What about her says ‘No class’ to these people?”
“Clearly, the rumors were entirely off-base.”
“Whoever started them must have been jealous…not that I can blame them.”
“The Marquis of Chevalier is a smart man. If I had a daughter as beautiful as her, I wouldn’t want to parade her around in public, either!”
“Perhaps she’s just very sheltered.”
Reseda escorted Iris through the crowd like he was showing her off on purpose.
“Prince Reseda was smart to see through those idle rumors, I’ll give him that.”
“He always said her soilpox scars were proof of God’s blessing.”
“Yes, but I always thought he was simply too kind to speak ill of a friend.”
“Turns out he was right all along!”
At last, they approached the king and queen.
“Mother, Father, I’ve brought Iris with me,” Reseda told them.
At this, Iris’s eyes widened. Obvious though it was, she’d temporarily forgotten that Reseda’s parents were the king and queen of Floraison. And now he was speaking as their son, casually introducing her to them. Of course, they had met on unofficial terms in the past, but…something about the way he said it, and the time and place…
“Reseda’s told me a lot about you lately. I hope you’ll continue to treat him well,” His Majesty declared in a booming voice that made Iris flinch.
After that, she followed Reseda’s lead, socializing here and there. Tonight, the various subjects he had once tutored her in finally proved useful. Then, once it got late, he leaned in and whispered in her ear.
“Want to get out of here?” he asked with an impish grin. Iris nodded.
His harmless mischief was an endless source of amusement for her, just as her secrets had always enraptured him. The two knew almost everything about each other at this point.
Together, they boarded his personal carriage and rode up to the top of a hill on the city outskirts. Once they arrived, Reseda took Iris by the hand and escorted her outside. Here, they were afforded a full view of the royal capital and all its specks of light. The castle, the academy, the church—all the buildings were adorned with festival lanterns. But for as lovely as it was, it was actually Iris’s first time there…because she had avoided it on purpose.
This was the same hill from the nightmare that first revived her memories—the very place where Cytisus and Camille had met their end in that happy-bad ending. But tonight, all was at peace. Iris always thought she would be afraid, but instead, she felt reassured…possibly because Reseda was with her.
He smiled down at the joyous castle town, his pink hair darkened by the shadows of night. When Iris called out to him, he looked over at her, his eyes shimmering like a coral reef as he grinned. A gentle breeze blew from behind him, rustling his soft hair and the cape of his military uniform. He was truly breathtaking.
The wind carried with it the faintest hint of morning.
“Iris, I want you to help me protect this light,” Reseda told her.
She blinked at him in confusion.
“I’m in love with you.”
At this, Iris braced herself. In HanaKoro, this line was followed by “even if you’re not in love with me.” Was this just the game substituting the villainess in place of the protagonist?
“I want to be with you always, like Mint and Cherry. You’ll protect my secrets, and I’ll protect yours.”
No—his words were different this time. It wasn’t the game making him say this. He really, truly meant it.
“Like partners in crime?” Iris asked in a teary voice.
“You and me? We’ve always been partners in crime,” he laughed.
“And we always will be,” she replied with a smile.
Morning was nearly upon them. The first rays of the sunrise mingled with his hair.
“Look at that.”
He pointed at the horizon, where the light of the rising sun had turned the ocean mint green. Meanwhile, the sky was dyed ever so faintly pink. Together, it felt as though the world itself had given them its blessing.
“It’s a green flash!” Iris exclaimed.
“You know, they say anyone who sees one will live happily ever after,” Reseda said with a grin. “And I wanted to see it together with you.”
“I’m glad you did,” she replied softly.