Chapter 1: The First Step to Happiness
“IT’S been quite some time since I last went out by myself like this…” Marialite mused to herself as she sauntered down the road with a spring in her step, her plain white dress and wide-brim hat fluttering in the breeze. Looking at her, no one would guess that she’d just been dumped—and for a ridiculous reason, no less.
However, that didn’t bother her one bit. She wasn’t sad or angry about the fact that Rufus had never seen her as attractive, especially when she felt pretty much the same way about him.
She had never once seen him as a potential romantic partner. The main reason was that she had been far too busy to think about seriously pursuing romance. Whenever she wasn’t undergoing strict training for her royal future, she was carrying out her duties as a saint of the nation. She rarely had time to see him.
When the two of them did meet, it was only once or twice a month. It wasn’t exactly the sort of timescale that could nurture a budding romance.
She did her very best to fall in love with him, but in the end, she just couldn’t. Attraction wasn’t something that could be forced. She secretly used to worry about how she would cope with having a physically intimate relationship with a man she didn’t love.
In many ways, it was a relief to be free of him. Despite her initial disappointment, her shoulders felt a lot lighter now. She couldn’t deny that wasting five years of her life bothered her a little, but that feeling of regret was only a very faint one.
From Marialite’s point of view, this was a good thing. As break-ups went, she thought theirs had been relatively amicable. Others, however, wouldn’t see it like that.
She left the palace with only her own belongings and a small sum of money she received as a parting gift. Now, she was heading back to her old home, where she once lived with her parents. Ever since their deaths, the house had been empty and unoccupied.
Although she had once been engaged before becoming a saint, she harbored no lingering feelings of affection for her ex-fiancé. It was true that they had once genuinely loved each other, but he wasn’t interested in a monogamous relationship. He was born and raised in a different country, where it was typical for husbands to take lovers outside of their marriage. That revelation was devastating for Marialite; she simply couldn’t wrap her head around it.
“What will I do now…?” she muttered to herself.
There were a lot of things she wanted to do with her life. She especially wanted to try out new things using her holy powers.
There’s no need to rush it, though. I’ve got plenty of time.
Marialite’s hometown was located a short distance away from the palace. On the outskirts of the town, next to the forest, there stood an old house. Once upon a time, the building had been surrounded by a sea of beautiful flowers, but now, the garden was wild and overgrown. Much of the space between each plant was decorated with intricate spider webs.
Marialite was fond of gardening, but even to her, the state of it was alarming.
I’ll need to take care of that as soon as possible.
With that thought in her mind, she fished her key out of her bag and put a hand on the doorknob.
“Huh?”
That was when she noticed the door was slightly ajar. Her first thought was that the house had been burgled—but as far as she knew, there was nothing of value in there.
Maybe there actually was something worth stealing…
If there was, it couldn’t have been much. Unruffled by the potential break-in, Marialite simply walked inside. Clouds of dust irritated her lungs, sending her into a coughing fit as she made her way further in. Aside from the thick layer of dust covering the place, the furniture was just as it had been left. If she wiped it down, it would be as good as new.
Marialite nodded to herself, pleased with what she saw. Next, she went to check her bedroom. However, as soon as she stepped inside, she noticed something.
There was a child kneeling on the floor, huddled up in some bed sheets.
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“Oh, my…” she remarked, looking down at the boy.
He stared back up at her with big, round, jade-green eyes. They were tinged with a hint of fear, and his small body seemed to be trembling slightly beneath the sheets.
“Well, hello there. It’s nice to meet you,” Marialite greeted with a smile, remembering her manners. “My name’s Marialite. I actually used to live here.”
“…Is this your abode?” he asked hesitantly. In stark contrast to his appearance, his manner of speech was not at all childlike.
“Yes, I suppose. But, to be honest, I haven’t visited in a long time,” she explained. “How long have you been here?”
“…Since yesterday,” he said plainly.
It was hard to tell through the bundle of sheets, but he looked awfully thin, and his face was covered in dirt. Marialite thought about wiping his face with her handkerchief before realizing that it probably wouldn’t do any good without some water to lift it.
“Hmm… I know!” she smiled. “I’ll be just a moment, okay?”
She dashed out of the room and picked up an old knife from the kitchen before heading out to the garden. She took out a drawstring pouch from her bag, then stuck her thumb and forefinger inside before pulling out a tiny seed.
She dug a shallow hole in the soil beneath her, then buried the small seed there. After saying a short prayer in front of it, the area where the seed was buried began to shimmer a pale green color.
Not a moment later, the sound of loud rustling and wood creaking rang out through the air as a large, thick-stemmed plant suddenly sprouted from the earth, growing taller and taller until huge red flowers bloomed at the tips of the leaves.
That was Marialite’s power as a saint. Others could control the weather or produce fire at will, but in her case, she was able to accelerate the growth of any type of plant. This country was once a very dry land that suffered long periods of drought, but thanks to Marialite’s power, the desolate landscape had been transformed into green, grassy plains.
“I’m sorry about this, but I’d really appreciate some water right now,” she apologized gently before cutting the plant’s thick stem in half with the knife. Clear, fresh water gushed from the opening, and Marialite pressed her handkerchief against it.
When she returned to the bedroom, she found the child with his nose pressed up against the window, still clutching the bundle of sheets. Apparently, he’d been intently watching her do it.
“Are you a saint?” he asked curiously.
“I can only make flowers and trees grow, but…yes, I am,” she nodded. “Right! Now we can wipe that dirt off your face.”
She crouched down and rubbed the damp handkerchief against his cheek. The fabric quickly became dirty, but in return, the boy’s face was clean. He’d still need a bath later, though.
More importantly, she needed to get some food in him. She remembered the cookies that a maid at the palace had secretly slipped her on her way out. They should be perfect for someone with a lack of energy. She rummaged for them in her bag and took one out to show to the boy.
“You must be hungry. How about one of these?” she suggested.
“…What is it?” He eyed it suspiciously.
“A cookie. They’re very sweet and tasty!” she beamed.
“I don’t want it,” he refused. Perhaps he didn’t like sweets.
Just as Marialite began to mull over what she could feed him, he suddenly strode over towards the door as though he wanted to leave.
“I’m sorry for being so inconsiderate. I assumed the house was abandoned. I’ll leave, so don’t worry,” he announced.
“Do you have somewhere to go, though?” Marialite worried. The boy simply stood still, giving no answer. “You can stay here as long as you like.”
“I couldn’t possibly…”
“But—”
“Do you really want someone like me in your home?” he frowned, deliberately pulling the sheets down to reveal his head.
A messy tuft of silver hair appeared, along with…
Two horns?!
They were deep crimson in color, and the tips were slightly curled. Marialite stared at them fixedly, her mouth agape. To avoid her gaze, the boy awkwardly reached for the sheet again with a pained look on his face.
Marialite’s next words stopped him.
“Oh, wow! What lovely horns!” she exclaimed. She had no idea why he had horns, neither did she care. All she knew was that they were her absolute favorite color—the same color as her favorite fruit.
At this point, it would take a lot to surprise Marialite. Her first fiancé had an affair, then she found out she was a saint, then she got engaged to the crown prince, then got unengaged to the crown prince…so who knew what the future held? After going through several major incidents in her life, her heart was not easily shaken. In a way, she’d become numb to sudden revelations.
“You think these are…lovely?” he asked in disbelief.
“Of course. Red’s my favorite color! Plus, they remind me of apples,” she grinned.
“They remind you of…apples?” he said hesitantly, his tone mixed with a hint of both unease and optimism.
Then, a bright, cheerful laugh escaped him.