The Flower Is Finished

The night grew colder, and the freezing air slowly crept across our skin. Outside the house, the sound of the wind brushing against the trees could be heard clearly, mixed with the distant cries of wild animals from deep within the forest. Rainwater dripped steadily from the roof, creating a calm yet eerie rhythm that filled the quiet night.

We spent the evening having dinner together.

After finishing our meal, we decided to open the books Mei had left behind so we could begin studying them. The books did not contain direct translations. Instead, Mei had carefully written notes of each symbol one by one, meaning we had to rewrite and translate everything ourselves.

"Lira should sleep now. It's already late," Michelle said as she suddenly sat on the chair across from me after cleaning the table. Meanwhile, I was washing the dishes near the kitchen area.

After dinner, we decided to split the chores. At first Michelle refused to let me help, but I insisted. I felt uncomfortable letting her handle everything alone after she had cooked for all of us.

Once I finished washing the dishes, I returned to the living room where Michelle and Lira were arguing. It seemed Lira refused to sleep, forcing Michelle to keep persuading her patiently.

"Come on, it's already night." "Did you also act like this when your sister left? Refusing to sleep?" Michelle asked while staring sharply at Lira.

However, Lira shook her head and quickly ran toward me.

"Look, Sister is scolding me," she complained while hugging my leg tightly.

Michelle immediately rolled her eyes in annoyance when I appeared.

"Lira, stop making things up. Let's go to sleep already," Michelle said again.

But Lira stubbornly shook her head.

"Lira wants to play," she pleaded.

I also shook my head. Outside, the sounds of wild beasts echoed clearly through the forest. I could even hear the sound of rainwater hitting the ground, a sign that it was raining heavily outside. Because of that, I wanted to continue rewriting the manuscript I had brought from the palace.

I headed toward the bedroom, and just as I expected, Lira stopped complaining the moment I carried her into my arms and brought her to her room.

"You need to sleep quickly, Lira," Michelle said in a slightly louder voice, making me glance back at her before waving my hand lightly.

"Will Uncle and Sister stay here longer this time?" Lira suddenly asked.

Her question made me fall silent, and it seemed Michelle heard it too.

"Does Lira miss Uncle?" I asked softly after entering her room and placing her gently onto the bed.

I tried to calm her down so she would not panic once we eventually left again.

"Yes. Lira really misses Uncle and Sister. Why did Sister leave for such a long time this time?" she asked innocently.

Hearing the question from such a small child left me speechless for a moment. I gently stroked her hair while helping her lie down properly beneath the blanket.

"This time the mission was very difficult, so Uncle and Sister had to help many people."

"Alright, alright. How about Uncle tells you a bedtime story now?" I offered.

Lira tapped her chin thoughtfully before smiling brightly.

"But Uncle promises not to leave me while I'm asleep, right?" she asked again.

I nodded and reached for a book resting on the shelf beside her bed.

"Then Uncle, please read me a story!"

"Alright. Close your eyes and try to sleep," I said softly.

Lira immediately shut her eyes and pulled the blanket up to her chest.

One by one, I read the sentences from the storybook aloud. Nearly half an hour passed before she finally drifted into sleep, her soft breathing filling the quiet room.

I remained silent as I looked at her innocent face. She looked so peaceful, untouched by the cruelty of the world outside. Slowly, I brushed away strands of hair covering her forehead.

"So you're actually very gentle with children."

I was startled when I suddenly heard Michelle's voice from the doorway. I quickly turned around and saw her leaning against the doorframe while staring at me.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked while standing up and putting the storybook away.

"Not long. Maybe five minutes."

"Come on. Let's continue translating the book."

Michelle immediately stepped away from the room, and I quickly followed her back to the living room where everything had already been prepared.

Because it was nighttime, the candlelight illuminated the room dimly. The soft orange glow flickered across the walls while the rain outside continued pouring heavily.

I began rewriting the symbols one by one so they would be easier to translate later.

Mei's handwriting was incredibly neat and organized. Every symbol looked precise, almost as if she had mastered the ancient language long ago.

I lost track of time as we continued writing. We carefully analyzed every sentence despite knowing it would take an extremely long time. Still, we had no other choice besides solving it ourselves.

As the night grew deeper, exhaustion slowly overtook us. Several times I caught myself yawning, and eventually I noticed Michelle had fallen asleep with her head resting on the table.

Cold air seeped through the gaps in the windows and doors. I immediately stood up and grabbed a blanket lying nearby.

Carefully, I draped the blanket over Michelle's shoulders while she slept soundly.

After making sure she was comfortable, I returned to the table and continued rewriting the symbols.

Within a single night, I managed to copy half a page from the book.

Several times I yawned again, my head beginning to ache from exhaustion. Then, from outside the house, I heard the sound of a rooster crowing, signaling that morning had arrived.

"You still haven't slept?" "Sorry… I accidentally fell asleep and left you alone."

I was startled when Michelle suddenly woke up and spoke.

I turned toward her and shook my head.

"It's fine. This isn't entirely your responsibility anyway."

"You still haven't gone to sleep?" Michelle asked with an innocent expression.

I shook my head and continued translating the symbols one by one.

"It's already morning. You should rest first," she insisted.

But I shook my head again.

"You're still injured, and your energy hasn't fully recovered yet. You should rest," Michelle said while trying to take the book from my hands.

"I'm really fine, Michelle."

Michelle finally grabbed the book anyway and shook her head stubbornly.

"If Albert finds out you didn't sleep or rest, my head might get chopped off the moment we return to the palace."

I let out a long sigh. Previously, Arvan had repeatedly warned Michelle to make sure I rested properly after being unconscious for nearly a month with almost no signs of life.

"Fine. I'll rest."

I finally stood up and handed the book over.

"That's your room. Go rest," Michelle said before reminding me one more thing.

"And don't forget to extinguish the candles before sleeping. Don't leave them burning all night."

I nodded before glancing around the dark house. Only the candles illuminated the room amidst the overwhelming darkness.

Slowly, I stood up while carrying the candle toward my room.

When I opened the bedroom door, I realized nothing inside had changed since the last time I stayed here.

I missed this bed.

I stared at the translated pages lying in my hands. I still had not fully read the translation yet, only a few sentences. Perhaps someday those words would become important clues for me in the future.

After extinguishing the candle, darkness completely swallowed the room. My head continued throbbing painfully as exhaustion overwhelmed me.

This time, I truly allowed myself to rest.

Morning eventually came.

I woke up because of Lira's voice echoing loudly from outside my room.

"Uncle, are you still asleep?" she shouted cheerfully.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and stared at the familiar ceiling above me.

I opened the bedroom door, and immediately Lira hugged my legs tightly, nearly making me lose balance.

"Did Uncle just wake up?" she asked loudly.

I smiled faintly and gently stroked her hair.

"Has Lira already been playing?" I asked jokingly.

"Lira already played, ate breakfast, and took a bath! Sister even brought me to gather firewood in the forest," she answered proudly.

My eyes widened instantly upon hearing that.

I quickly opened the window, only to realize the sun was already high in the sky.

Awkwardly, I scratched the back of my head.

"Why didn't Lira wake Uncle up to help gather firewood?"

Lira giggled softly.

"Sister said Uncle worked very hard last night, so Uncle was extremely tired and sleeping deeply."

I shook my head while smiling faintly at her.

"Where's your sister now?"

"She's with the Elder in the front yard."

I immediately followed Lira out of the room and headed toward the front yard where Michelle and the Elder were waiting.