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Chapter 39
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I stopped in my tracks and looked at the path the cart had taken.
They must be going to throw away the flowers, right?
Ah, it’s turning into that alley on the right.
I memorized the direction the cart was heading and turned my head.
Blake, thinking I was feeling down, led me toward the place where a delicious aroma was coming from.
“Over there—they sell crepes. How about it?”
“Your Highness, do you think I only care about tasty food?”
“…Sorry.”
“Actually, you’re right. Let’s go.”
I heard Blake chuckle softly behind me.
Still, the smell of crepes was too enticing to keep pretending to be gloomy!
No matter what, I was going to revive the ritual for prosperity, so first, I’d better eat something delicious.
After all, a necromancer looks best when well-fed!
Luckily, the line moved quickly, and we were able to buy the crepes in no time.
The crepe vendor greeted us with a wide smile and a cheeky tone.
“Welcome! What would you like? You two make such a lovely pair—are you a couple?”
Blake hesitated for a long time at that question, then nodded behind me.
I began seriously deliberating over the types of crepes.
“We’re married. So, sir, which crepe is your bestseller? Oh, this one looks good too…”
“You’re newlyweds! All our food sells well!”
“Really? Then please recommend one. I had chicken skewers earlier, so I want something sweet. Is this maple syrup?”
The vendor cheerfully answered all my questions, pointing here and there without any sign of annoyance.
Such a kind person. Should we get two, then?
“This one, and oh! Is that blueberry? They all look so good. What will you have?”
“…Honey?”
Was that term so shocking that Blake muttered it, staring at me in surprise?
I couldn’t call him “Your Highness” in front of the vendor, so if “honey” was uncomfortable, I’d have to call him by name.
I glanced at the vendor and gave a sheepish smile.
“Dominic… no, Blake. Answer quickly—what will you have?”
Everyone in the empire knew the Crown Prince’s real name was Dominic.
In situations like this, calling him by his real name seemed better.
Blake, of course, stammered and couldn’t say anything.
He acted like being called “honey” and “Blake” was incredibly embarrassing.
When Alec was around, he would call out my name freely!
“Well, um…”
“You two must have had a fight. Newlyweds usually reconcile quickly. Here, this one’s on the house.”
“Really? You didn’t have to.”
He smiled, saying it lightly, but didn’t insist on it.
I gave him a generous tip, and the vendor’s grin widened as if his face would split in two.
Watching him, oblivious to Blake’s identity, tell a beautiful wife to quickly forgive her husband made me laugh out loud.
“Hahaha, you won’t come back later to scold Your Highness for what you said?”
“Do I look that petty?”
Blake, holding his crepe awkwardly, replied in a small voice.
“I just couldn’t call you ‘Your Highness’ in front of people. I’m sorry if ‘honey’ was unpleasant.”
“It wasn’t that I disliked it…!”
Blake, flustered, met my eyes and seemed at a loss for words, closing his mouth slowly.
So it wasn’t that he hated it—he was just embarrassed?
Well, I had prepared myself for him to completely reject it, so it was a relief that wasn’t the case.
Smiling, I extended my hand toward him.
“Hold my hand and try it. You liked crepes before, right? It’s different from the ones on the streets you knew, but…”
“How do you know that?”
“Oh… just, you know. I guessed.”
That could have been dangerous. I almost babbled about Blake as if I were reading from a novel.
Fortunately, he took my hand without suspicion.
Watching him start eating the crepe, this small joy made me feel sorry for someone who hadn’t been able to enjoy such things for so long.
Of course, he ate quietly, showing no change in expression despite tasting it after so long.
If it were me, I would have exclaimed how delicious it was or how happy I felt.
“How is it?”
“Good.”
That simple response left me feeling a bit deflated.
We slowly walked past the crowded night market, turning into a quieter alley.
Blake, holding my hand without suspicion, eventually turned his head toward me as we reached my destination.
“Why here?”
“Have you never considered that it might not be a coincidence?”
“Hmm, you’re just bad at acting.”
Blake replied calmly after finishing the last bite of his crepe.
I took a few more steps ahead of him.
“These flowers… it’s such a waste.”
“Even if they’re dead, you want to take them to the palace?”
Blake crossed his arms, scowling.
The flowers we had passed earlier were left with the cart in the corner of the alley.
They had probably been prepared for the festival but, seeing that it wouldn’t work out, were left here to be disposed of later.
I slowly picked up one flower.
It resembled a dandelion but was slightly larger, closer to a hydrangea.
A faint fragrance lingered from the pile of wilted flowers and the one I held.
Even in the cold night air, the scent brushed past my hair and the flower.
“I’m going to try to revive them.”
“…What?”
Blake turned, clearly wanting to stop me.
“I don’t know if it will work. But I’m a necromancer—don’t you think I can do it?”
“You mean you want to use your power just to revive these flowers?”
Blake seemed full of things to say but stayed silent.
His raised gaze still showed disapproval.
Of course, if he had no valid reason, I wouldn’t listen anyway.
I’d only used this power once—to save Blake.
If I could revive these flowers, I could use this skill in various ways in the future.
In other words, I could help Blake as a supporter, taking Seira’s place.
“If these flowers come back to life, they’ll immediately respond to my magic, glow, and scatter their seeds into the sky. It’ll be beautiful, right?”
“I’m against it.”
“That’s fine. I didn’t expect you to approve anyway.”
“….”
“But I’m doing it anyway!”
Blake continued to look displeased at my intention to focus on reviving mere flowers.
I understood why…
I had only used this power once, but to use it elsewhere, practice was necessary.
“If this works, it means I’ll have more ways to help you, Your Highness.”
Blake might insist he doesn’t need my help, but he doesn’t know yet about the dangers ahead.
With that, I turned forward again and closed my eyes.
To revive a person, one needs a soul, the name the soul will return to, and the act of breathing life into it.
Of course, these are flowers, so the method would be different.
A line from a wizard in a novel once came to mind:
“Magic is ultimately just a wish, a single desire. From ancient times, magic was called such when one focused deeply on what they wished to accomplish, and that tradition has continued to this day.”
It meant that if you deeply desire something, your magic will respond.
With nothing to lose, I focused calmly.
“I hope you come back to life.”
Simple, but actually impossible.
“Even for a brief moment, come alive and fly far across the world.”
But I’m a necromancer who made the impossible possible—reviving the dead.
“Even for a short while, stretch your little wings and enjoy one last sparkling flight.”
And at that moment…
“Rise.”
I felt strength drain from my body as if my wish had been fulfilled.
At the same time, a sudden gust of wind blew from behind.
“Ah…!”
When I opened my eyes, the dead flowers had come back to life, sparkling and floating in the air, riding the whirlwind.
