When she lifted her head, she could see Edgar standing there.

Holding a flower crown with a design she had just seen and found familiar.

He placed the flower crown on her head and smiled.

“Congratulations on coming of age, Melissa.”

Melissa stared intently at the man smiling in front of her.

She could hear people chattering noisily behind her.

Not far away was the plaza where she and Edgar had danced together until just moments ago. What had been a moderately paced waltz had now changed to quite an exciting tango. People moved their bodies somewhat more splendidly than before.

Giggle. Laughter rang out loudly.

However, none of that reached Melissa. As if someone had deliberately erased it, the background and music disappeared, leaving only Edgar, who was clearly in front of her right now.

The signs weren’t good. Melissa, who had been chewing her lips quietly for a moment, touched the flower crown on her head and asked.

“……What’s this all of a sudden?”

“Just what I said. Congratulating you on coming of age.”

Edgar replied lightly.

Then he reached out and neatly arranged the flower crown that had become somewhat disheveled from Melissa’s touching.

“I heard that in the Kingdom of Esmira, there’s a tradition of placing flower crowns on heads during coming-of-age day.”

“……”

“They pick flowers in spring and preserve them well with magic for almost a year, then make them into flower crowns when winter comes—that is, when coming-of-age day arrives. They use ice magic applied as preservation magic.”

Melissa thought of the crown placed on her head.

What decorated the flower crown were yellow freesias.

The flower language of freesias was ‘innocence,’ ‘beginning,’ ‘I support your beginning.’

They were flowers that suited coming-of-age day, when one begins life as an adult, better than anything. Whether that applied to Melissa Lucid was another matter.

‘No, it obviously doesn’t suit me.’

It really didn’t suit her terribly.

Hair that was silver, close to white, as if snow had fallen.

The distinctive eyes of the Lucid clan, mixed with pink and purple. Eyes that turned upward as if showing her sharpened temperament.

Melissa suited the current season, if anything.

That is, this cold, desolate winter.

But such coloring like a newborn chick…..

Innocence.

There had been a time when such things suited her.

In the days when she truly knew nothing.

As if to show evidence of all this, Melissa had never once possessed this flower until now. On the day when she should have embraced that warmth, she was already dead and gone.

But she couldn’t tell Edgar such a story.

“……Thank you.”

Melissa answered briefly and reached her hand toward her head again.

Somehow it seemed she couldn’t keep wearing it.

She heard hallucinations of people whispering. Why was she wearing something that didn’t even suit her? Did she think doing so would really let her start a new life? Did she think her gutter-like future would brighten?

Her lips were miserably chewed.

Just as Melissa was about to pull down the flower crown.

“I sincerely congratulate you.”

Edgar said, coming a span closer.

He had grabbed and stopped her wrist that was heading toward the flower crown…..

“I’m happy that you’ve reached this day, Melissa.”

The strength wrapping around her wrist was appropriately firm.

“It really suits you well.”

……It was the first time in her life hearing this.

Both the words saying he was happy she had lived to this day and the words of congratulation.

Those were words she had never heard even from Lloyd.

“Did you bring me here to say that?”

All the way to this distant Kingdom of Esmira?

Unlike before, Edgar burst into quiet laughter at Melissa’s softened attitude.

“Yes. There were so many things happening on coming-of-age day. You just kept lying in bed that whole day. I thought you probably couldn’t enjoy it much, so I looked for a country that hadn’t had their coming-of-age ceremony yet, and the Kingdom of Esmira came up.”

“……”

“Among those, I chose and came to the region most similar to Artzen’s festivals. I wonder if it was enjoyable. Now that I think about it, I’m wondering if bringing you all the way here was just my selfishness.”

He, who had let go of Melissa’s hand, touched the back of his neck.

He rolled his eyes to another place for a moment, then smiled awkwardly.

“How was today, Melissa?”

……What should I really do with you?

What kind of heart should I face you with?

Until now, I had tried never to forget. How miserable I had been in my past life, how painful it was, how lonely I was.

The empire’s citizens who recklessly demanded salvation from me, the priests who claimed to serve the main god Hagios yet imprisoned the descendant of one who received his love, the emperor and Lionel who went beyond being bystanders to actually leading such actions.

And Edgar, who appeared at the end and trampled everything.

Even now, Edgar’s words from back then echoed in her ears. She could still recite every single thing he had said.

Those words had already become daggers that flew and lodged in Melissa, leaving wounds, becoming scars and part of her.

But lately, she wasn’t sure.

‘What kind of face was Edgar making back then?’

The face looking down at her now was so clear.

His face from the past, despite being only six years ago, felt distant.

New memories gradually overlaid the past memories.

“I had fun.”

Melissa, who had been thinking for a moment, spoke.

She didn’t mean it limited to just today.

She didn’t know if Edgar noticed that.

“It was enjoyable enough. Thank you.”

“……That’s a relief.”

The answer came back only after some time had passed.

Melissa reached out once more to touch the flower crown.

This time, he didn’t impose any restraint.

Her desire to pull down the flower crown like before had also disappeared.

“What about you?”

“Hm?”

“Did you have your coming-of-age ceremony properly?”

“Ah.”

Edgar let out a small sigh.

He, who had been still as if searching his memory, smiled slightly.

“Of course I had mine properly at the Magic Tower.”

That doesn’t seem right.

Melissa thought so inwardly.

Certainly that day, Edgar had come to the north when Melissa was in the middle of her coming-of-age ceremony. No matter how excellent his ability at teleportation was, it would be difficult to see that he had properly finished his coming-of-age in that time.

Moreover, Edgar wasn’t wearing coming-of-age ceremony attire back then either. He had been wearing the Magic Tower’s formal wear, just like now.

‘I don’t want to be the only one receiving it.’

Whether it was because of discomfort or some other reason didn’t matter. What mattered was that she wanted to do so.

Melissa quickly scanned the surroundings.

But at a glance, there didn’t seem to be any place selling flower crowns.

It seemed to be because it was now the end of the festival. The sky, which was becoming completely dark, entered her view. Stars shining densely were gradually revealing themselves.

Lights began to turn on one by one in the lanterns hung throughout the festival.

Here and there, she could see merchants cleaning up their stalls.

‘……Can’t be helped.’

Getting up entirely to go look elsewhere didn’t seem like something Edgar would let her do. She couldn’t return the flower crown she had already received either.

Melissa relaxed the tension in her body that she had been holding while looking around. Her shoulders dropped slightly.

Then Edgar groaned quietly as if something had occurred to him.

“Ah, I almost forgot the most important thing.”

“What?”

“Just a moment.”

He rummaged inside his jacket.

Soon what emerged in Edgar’s hand was a small box.

One with a design that looked like it might contain a ring inside.

‘……Huh.’

When Melissa sensed something stirring in her own thoughts, Edgar had already opened the box. He held the box in that state and extended it toward Melissa.

“It’s a gift, Melissa. I hope you’ll accept it.”

“Uh……”

Melissa couldn’t answer easily and just stared ahead.

Precisely at the ring inside the box.

The ring had a design with a gem protruding above a silver band.

A golden-colored topaz was precisely cut into a flower shape, revealing its brilliance. The lanterns hung throughout the festival touched the gem and made it sparkle. It was beautiful enough on its own, but what caught Melissa’s gaze was something else.

It was the shape of the flower.

A very familiar form she had seen in the flower crown she wore.

“It’s a freesia. I liked the flower language so much that I wanted to make it in a lasting form. The flowers in the flower crown will wither soon.”

Edgar took the ring out of the box.

Then he carefully placed the ring on Melissa’s right index finger.

Surprisingly, the size fit perfectly.

“I cast a magic spell on the ring to wish for happiness. It will definitely help you, so wear it as much as possible. Understood?”

“……”

“Ah, I’m not giving it to you to mean that we should get engaged or married right away, so you don’t need to feel burdened.”

When had he started preparing this? No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t seem like something simply prepared a few days ago. She could tell just from the precision of the topaz.

Since they had been together almost constantly when there was nothing to do, he wouldn’t have had much time to prepare.

……Ah, as expected.

‘I hate just letting it pass.’

Melissa suddenly stood up from the bench.

Then she stood directly in front of Edgar.

“What’s wrong, Melissa?”

He tilted his head, puzzled by her sudden action.

Instead of answering, Melissa pulled Edgar and made him sit on the bench. Then she pressed his shoulders so he couldn’t get up.

“Melissa?”

“Wait just a moment.”

Melissa took a small deep breath.

Soon pink magical power began to form around her.

Edgar said urgently.

“What if someone sees?”

“It’s fine, I’m not foolish enough to get caught with something like this.”