Chapter 15 – The Swing

‘Ah… how refreshing.’  

Even just wearing pants instead of a dress for the first time in a while made her feel as though she could fly from the comfort. As soon as she stepped out of the Queen’s Palace, Betier held a parasol over Lenoa’s head. The debutante season was late spring, nearly summer, and the midday sun was a bit intense.  

Stepping outside the stifling palace and into the open air, Lenoa felt as though she had become a single blooming flower. Without realizing it, she stretched her arms wide and let the breeze sweep over her body.  

Betier found her so endearing that she couldn’t help but smile.  

The place they soon arrived at was near a secluded corner to the left of the Queen’s Palace garden, where a grand plum tree stood tall. The plum tree swayed gently in the breeze, scattering its petals.  

This tree, far larger than the others, was the national tree of Celesta. Although the royal plum tree of Celesta shed quite a few petals this time of year, its status as a national symbol remained as bright as its pink blossoms.  

As expected, with summer approaching, about half the petals had already fallen to the ground. Lenoa felt a pang of regret but resolved to make the most of her rare visit and enjoy the view.  

Beyond its symbolic value as the national tree, this plum tree had something even more eye-catching: a swing hung beneath one of its thickest, horizontally stretched branches.  

This swing had been a special playground her late father, the King, had built just for his young daughter. Though the only national tree in the palace had been turned into a princess’s plaything, her doting parents hadn’t cared in the slightest.  

‘Wow! Father, you’re the best!’  

The King and Queen would often watch with delight as their precious daughter gleefully swung on it.  

As a princess, she had only been allowed to leave the palace on special occasions, so the swing under this garden tree had been her favorite toy.  

Recalling those childhood days, Lenoa suddenly placed her hand on the trunk of the plum tree. Even through her gloves, she could feel the rough texture of the old bark.  

“If you keep touching it like that, your hands will get hurt.”  

At Betier’s caution, she reluctantly withdrew her hand and sat on the swing.  

Gripping the ropes on either side, she began to move back and forth, letting the wind rush past her. The more she swung forward, the stronger the breeze became.  

As the speed increased, she instinctively closed her eyes, unable to handle the mounting momentum. The higher the swing soared, the more she felt the cool wind envelop her body, making her feel as though she could fly.  

‘I’m glad I came out.’  

Filled with joy, Lenoa relished the freedom that swept over her like the wind.  

She had sent Betier away, saying she wanted to be alone, and now she was so immersed in her own enjoyment that she didn’t even notice someone approaching.  

***

Kairan brushed back the strands of red hair falling over his forehead. His head throbbed. His vision blurred. He felt feverish.  

Burdened by a whirlwind of emotions, he leaned back in his chair, letting the breeze from a slightly open window cool him.  

It had been five days since Queen Lenoa had issued an order forbidding him from approaching her. In the past, he had always shared meals with her.  

Even without much conversation, those moments spent with her had been his greatest happiness. The exhausting tasks of governance and the lingering pain of his past would momentarily vanish during those times.  

The longer he went without seeing Lenoa, the more drained Kairan became. Normally, his rapidly beating heart would have driven him to throw objects around his bedroom or office in frustration.  

But even that was no longer an option. Since the day of her decree, some of his authority as Secretary Kairan had been stripped away. His power to appoint and discipline palace staff at will had been revoked by the Queen’s command.  

At first, Kairan had thought little of it, as the other punishment had been far harsher.  

However, once the first decree was enforced, he found himself desperately wishing for his authority to be restored. If the servants or maids who moved between the fourth floors heard the noise of him throwing objects in anger, they would surely report it directly to Lenoa. In the past, such incidents would have been quietly overlooked due to his status and personality, but things were different now.  

Kairan could sense that the palace staff, who had once feared him, were beginning to look down on him.  

Just this morning, he had caught a servant cleaning his office. In the past, he would have shouted at the servant to leave, but now he couldn’t.  

In the end, Kairan had to wait until the servant finished cleaning before he could begin his work.  

Even after the servant left, he couldn’t focus on the documents before him. No matter how hard he tried to read, the words seemed to crawl like insects on the page.  

“Damn it!”  

He finally cursed aloud.  

The cool breeze brushing against the back of his head brought some relief to his burning mind and body. As the wind gradually soothed him, a thought of her surfaced. At this moment, he missed Lenoa terribly.  

Her radiant silver hair, her deer-like violet eyes, her gentle demeanor that embraced everyone as a Queen—her beauty had completely captivated him.  

“Leno… ah…”  

As he unconsciously murmured her name, he suddenly heard laughter behind him. It was a familiar voice. He quickly stood and threw the window open wide. That laughter belonged to her, a sound he had etched deeply into his memory.  

Through the window, he saw Lenoa, dressed casually for the outdoors, swinging on the plum tree swing in the Queen’s Palace garden.  

The breeze played with her flowing hair as the swing moved back and forth, and she laughed joyfully. It was a smile she never showed him—a radiant expression like a blooming flower.  

Though she had long since come of age, she looked like a carefree child as she swung on the national tree of Celesta.  

While Kairan had known about the swing hanging from the plum tree, he had never realized it was meant for Lenoa.  

Unable to take his eyes off her, Kairan, overwhelmed by various emotions, quickly grabbed his coat and headed outside.  

At that moment, he didn’t care about the no-contact order. He didn’t need to think about how Lenoa might react upon seeing him. He simply wanted to see her right now.  

***

Lenoa, unaware of the gaze fixed on her like sunlight, continued swinging with her eyes closed. Enraptured by the thrill, she felt as though she were soaring high into the sky.  

It happened then. Just as the swing reached its peak and was about to swing back, someone’s firm hand grabbed both her and the swing.  

“Ah!”  

The unexpected touch made her heart drop. As the swing came to a halt and her feet brushed the ground, she finally opened her eyes.  

“You’ve been playing here, I see.”  

Kairan, who had arrived unnoticed, smiled faintly as he held her left wrist and waist. It seemed he had steadied her to prevent her from falling when the swing stopped abruptly.  

As soon as her eyes met Kairan’s, Lenoa felt her chest tighten even more than when the swing had suddenly stopped. But she quickly composed herself and spoke in her Queenly tone.  

“Has the no-contact order been lifted? I’ll overlook this time. Now, leave.”  

Thinking she had dismissed him, Lenoa turned toward the exit. However, Kairan followed closely and grabbed her hand.  

“I thought we might discuss the debutante ball. That would make this a formal occasion, wouldn’t it?”  

Kairan pulled her back toward the swing, gesturing toward it as it swayed slightly.

Lenoa, sensing his intentions, sat back on the swing and stared blankly at Kairan, who stood beside her like another tree.  

She had sent Betier away, wanting a moment entirely to herself, free from anyone’s interference, but here he was, showing up without fail. With her gaze lowered to the ground, she sighed. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have sent Betier away.  

As the swing began to move gently, Lenoa closed her eyes and asked indifferently,

“What brings you here to find me?”  

Their meeting was certainly no coincidence. With only one national tree in the vicinity, people rarely came near it, and this spot was deep within the garden.  

“I came looking for you to discuss the debutante ball, Your Majesty… and I saw you here through the window of my office.”  

It was a half-truth. In reality, while he had been in his office, he hadn’t exactly been preparing or reviewing anything related to the debutante ball.  

But what he said next was undoubtedly true. He had been drawn here by the sound of Lenoa’s laughter, carried like the wind through his window, and her figure on the swing.  

‘If you didn’t want me to come, you shouldn’t have smiled so beautifully.’  

It was a silent complaint Kairan kept to himself.  

He watched her swing with her eyes closed, saying nothing. When the swing’s speed gradually slowed, he finally spoke—words he had wanted to say all along.  

“May I join you on the swing, together?”  

“What? Oh, um… sure.”  

Startled by Kairan’s unexpected request, Lenoa opened her eyes and hastily planted her feet on the ground to stop the swing. The sudden stop made her feet ache, but she soon stood up.  

Although the idea of Kairan riding the swing seemed completely out of place, she decided to step aside and let him take her place. She planned to let him ride and then return to her office.  

“I said, together.”  

Kairan grabbed Lenoa, who had just turned to leave, and led her back toward the swing.  

‘What… what is this?!’  

Her waist was seized, and she was forced onto the swing. But the spot where she sat wasn’t the seat.  

Feeling a growing sense of dread, Lenoa cautiously glanced back, only to find herself face-to-face with Kairan, who was seated on the swing with her in his arms.  

Her mouth fell open in shock, and she struggled desperately, but his arm firmly held her waist and both arms in place.  

“W-What are you doing?! Let me go!”  

Kairan ignored her protests and tightened his hold as if to say he would never let her go. Then, he slowly began to move his legs.  

The swing began to sway back and forth, and the breeze tickled her skin as it played with her hair. Lenoa felt a wave of fear wash over her. If she struggled any more, she might actually fall.  

She finally screamed, 

“What if I fall?!”  

“That’s why I’m holding you tightly, isn’t it?”  

Reduced to near tears, Lenoa had no choice but to entrust herself to Kairan.  

The only consolation was that the swing moved at an extremely slow pace with the two of them on it. Even so, she let out small cries whenever the breeze brushed past her. It was far scarier than when she had been swinging alone earlier.  

“Our Queen still acts like a Princess at times like this.”  

At Kairan’s teasing, a long-forgotten memory from her childhood suddenly surfaced in Lenoa’s mind.  

‘Our little Princess. Don’t worry. Mother and Father are right here with you.’  

She remembered the day the swing had first been completed. Despite wanting so badly to ride it, she had been too nervous and had whined that she couldn’t. She recalled her parents encouraging her.  

Her parents had happily taken turns holding her in their arms and riding the swing together with her. Even though she had been scared at first, the fear gradually subsided, and she began to feel at ease. Riding the swing with them, she felt as though she could go as high as she wanted without ever falling.  

A smile slowly spread across Lenoa’s face.  

‘Mother… Father…’  

Lenoa quietly leaned into Kairan and closed her eyes. A long-missed sense of comfort enveloped her completely.