A Lazy Afternoon and Flower Crowns

My body felt stiff and heavy. It was the onset of a cold. To think I’d get sick just from spending one day playing outside. This body is pathetically weak. I pressed my hand against my forehead. My skin was damp; I must have broken into a cold sweat while sleeping. I swept my wet hair back. I rolled over from my position staring at the ceiling and curled into a ball. What time is it? I could check the wall clock just by turning my head, but I was too lazy to move. I pulled the pillow that was barely hanging onto the edge of the bed and tucked it properly under my head.

“Isaac…”

I called for Isaac in a voice heavy with sleep. I heard approaching footsteps, and soon something lukewarm touched my cheek before sliding around to cover the back of my neck. The sensation of cooling down my feverish skin felt good. I let out a low groan and buried my face in the pillow.

“Cancel everything for today.”

“Yes.”

At the response, I opened one eye and looked up. It was Kallios. He moved the wet towel from the back of my neck to the front. I pulled the towel from his hand and rubbed it over my eyes.

“Why didn’t you go?”

“Your fever spiked suddenly at dawn.”

I guess the grogginess and daze weren’t just from sleep but from the fever. My head showed no signs of clearing up. I gave up on trying to wake up and just went limp.

“I’m fine, so go get some sleep.”

It was early dawn. The first light of morning was seeping through the window. Whether he had thinned out or just lost his baby fat, his cheeks looked sharper under the blue light. I watched him with half-open eyes before simply closing them again. My eyelids were too heavy from the returning wave of sleep.

“Or sleep here, together…”

Even while melting into drowsiness, I felt his touch and let out a soft chuckle. He took my left arm, which I had kicked out from under the covers while tossing, and tucked it back in securely, pulling the blanket right up to my chin. I was hot because of the fever, but I stayed still without complaining.

Half-asleep, I felt the bed tilt. To let him rest comfortably, I rolled toward the inner side of the bed, wrapping myself in the blanket. An arm slid under my neck. I shifted into a comfortable position and steadied my breathing. I’ll give him an arm pillow once I’m all better, I thought, before falling completely into a deep sleep.

As I thought, it’s probably not right for grown brothers to share a bed. It weighs on my mind that I couldn’t be there for him as much when we were younger, but if we consider this a Western-style upbringing, it shouldn’t be an issue. Western-style, Western… D*mn it. I’m completely hopeless right now. No matter what I think, I can’t ignore the presence of the… person behind me.

“Kallios.”

I whispered his name. There was no answer, only the sound of rhythmic breathing, suggesting he was deep in sleep. I carefully moved my body forward. The rustling of the blanket made me nervous. I cautiously pulled at the arm wrapped around my waist to untie his hold, but oh no. He pulled me closer and buried his face in the nape of my neck. I was so embarrassed and flustered I didn’t know what to do.

He really… grew up well. My efforts to prevent him from becoming a miserable villain felt worth it. Still, I didn’t want to realize he had grown up well in this specific way. Right, yes. He grew up very well… and he’s very… very healthy, so I’d appreciate it if he didn’t stick so close. Kallios. I squirmed to avoid the… thermos-like warmth touching my thigh, then eventually just closed my eyes submissively.

Though the situation was awkward, I was glad he was sleeping soundly. For a while, he hadn’t been able to sleep properly because of that brief dream in the ruins, and even the light naps he managed out of exhaustion didn’t last long. Seeing him doze off while sitting up only to startle awake was uncomfortable and upsetting for me to watch, though it must have been hardest for him.

It was because of me that he was going through this. I had missed the chance to ask how he even knew I was in the ruins. As for why he came… there was no need to ask. It was out of worry. Since I, who supposedly couldn’t survive outside the spire, had suddenly vanished, he must have been terrified. I felt both grateful and sorry.

I slowly patted the back of his hand that was resting on my stomach. The hand that had been gripping my clothes loosened. I took his hand in mine. I felt the calluses from the sword and pen against my thumb. As I stroked it gently, he pulled and gripped my hand as if it tickled, so I covered it with my other hand. His large hand was warm. On impulse, I pulled it close and pressed my lips to the back of his hand.

Sleep well, my brother. May you have no dreams today.

After suffering through that mild cold, I didn’t go out. It wasn’t exactly a self-imposed ban… more like an exercise in self-restraint. My body was more precious than a momentary impulse. To live a long life, one must avoid stress, flour-based foods, alcohol, and cigarettes, and lead a boring life of eating well and sleeping well. In my past life, every time I heard such cliched advice, I used to think, ‘What’s the point of living that long?’ That was the talk of someone who had it easy. Health is the best thing for a person. Living long is even better.

“Brother.”

Sierra approached me with a beaming smile. She must be hiding a handmade bouquet behind her back. I saw her picking only the prettiest flowers earlier. I pretended not to know and just looked at her smiling face. I understand now why Qin Shi Huang drank mercury to achieve eternal life. How could anyone close their eyes in peace leaving such a treasure behind?

“Yes, Sierra.”

I brushed a white petal off Sierra’s hair. It was a bruised, ugly petal, yet it felt special just because it had sat upon my lovely princess’s head. I placed it on a teaspoon and then stroked Sierra’s plump cheeks. With her eyes crinkling into half-moons, Sierra shouted “Ta-da!” and held out the bouquet.

“It’s a gift.”

I widened my eyes in feigned surprise, then pulled her into a hug, bouquet and all.

“Oh, stop! You’ll ruin the flowers!”

Sierra grumbled, but she wrapped her free arm around my waist. I laughed and kissed the top of her head.

“A princess holding flowers, you really look like a fairy…”

“I told you I’m a Princess!”

“Right, our Great First Princess. But you really are pretty.”

Sierra gave me a small shove. I rubbed my cheek against her head once before letting her go.

The maid who came with Sierra handed me a yellow ribbon. I took Sierra’s bouquet and tied the bottom so it wouldn’t fall apart. To be honest, a bouquet made by greedily picking flowers of every color wasn’t exactly ‘aesthetic,’ but it had a certain lush charm.

To reward Sierra’s expectant face, I buried my nose in the flowers and took a deep breath. The scent of grass and all sorts of flowers. It was sweet.

“This is really lovely.”

“I knew you’d be happy.”

Sierra spoke with a flushed face. I placed the bouquet on the table and stood up.

“Then I should give you a gift, too.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. Sierra, do you know how to weave a flower crown?”

I held my hand out to the princess, who looked up without answering. Looking at her small hands stained with grass juice, I wiped them on my clothes as I explained.

“You pick flowers with long stems and weave them like this, and like this.”

“Brother, you aren’t very good at explaining.”

“No… it’s just, trying to put it into words is…”

Sierra laughed out loud and pulled me along.

“Then show me yourself.”

“Alright. I’ll make you the prettiest one in the world.”

“But I’ll still be the prettiest one, won’t I?”

At her cheeky remark, I instinctively replied, “That’s true,” and Sierra, seemingly embarrassed, let go of my hand and ran off.

“Sir Weaver has arrived.”

While I was busy picking and weaving flowers, Lamierre arrived. I looked at Sierra while resting a cluster of mangled flower petals on my lap—petals that had failed to become a crown because I had handled them too much. Sierra was already wearing a handmade flower bracelet and was working on a crown for me. She was weaving the stems skillfully, hardly damaging the flowers at all.

“Tell him to come this way.”

I didn’t think I was this bad at making them… but back then it was clover, so the difficulty level was different. Clover flowers didn’t get crushed just by touching them. It felt disrespectful to the flowers to throw them away, but they were too ugly to finish and put on someone’s head. Lamierre plopped down in front of me as I was agonizing over it.

“I greet the Grand Duke.”

Lamierre bowed and smiled. He had neatly combed back his usually messy curly hair; it looked like he had put quite a bit of effort into his appearance today. He was even wearing dressier clothes than usual. He looked like someone I should be meeting in a reception room rather than a grassy field.

“Oh. What’s the occasion for dressing so sharply?”

Lamierre laughed and loosened his tie.

“Is it a bit much? It’s just that it’s been a while…”

“No. it suits you. You should dress like that more often.”

Sierra nodded along with my words.

“Yes. It’s much better.”

“The Great First Princess was here as well. Have you been well?”

“Well enough.”

Sierra replied curtly, then stood up after scanning the field.

“Where are you going?”

“There are no more flowers.”

Sierra walked five steps to the side, squatted down, and began picking flowers again. Watching her, I also rummaged through the grass. Lamierre found a flower with beautiful petals and handed it to me.

“Were you making a flower crown?”

“Yeah… but it’s not going well.”

“It seems so.”

Lamierre nodded solemnly, having likely seen the cluster of ruined flowers on my lap. I set the flowers down on the ground and held out my wrist. On my wrist was the first flower bracelet Sierra had ever made. It was long enough to be a necklace if my head were just a bit smaller, but it was quite pretty. The flowers weren’t damaged much, either.

“She made it well, didn’t she?”

“Did the Princess make that?”

“Yes. Our Sierra is good at everything.”

Lamierre stared intently at my wrist. I rotated the bracelet to show it off, then chuckled. What Lamierre was looking at wasn’t the bracelet, but the bruise still remaining on my wrist. A faint mark that had turned dark as it nearly faded.

“It’s lasting a long time.”

“It’s just the color that hasn’t fully faded yet.”

Seeing him about to look dejected again, I handed the cluster of flowers to Lamierre.

“Do you know how to make one?”

“Ah, yes. My sister loves flowers.”

The last time I made one was with my mom. Since that was when I was in elementary school, how many years ago was that… Not quite thirty years. Saying thirty years makes me feel incredibly old. Even though I lived to twenty-seven in my past life and have lived ten more here, I’m still in my twenties, but still. Anyway, since Lamierre has done it more recently than I did thirty years ago, he’ll be better at it.

“Then you finish this. I feel too bad for the flowers to keep going.”

“This is…”

Lamierre turned the cluster of flowers this way and that, then just laughed.

“What, is it beyond saving?”

“No. I’ll definitely make it work.”

I didn’t think he needed to be that sincere about making a flower crown, but since it’s better if it turns out pretty, I left Lamierre to pick through the flowers with a serious face and laid down flat on my back.

The sun was good. The occasional breeze carried the scent of wildflowers. The clouds floating in the sky were beautiful. It’s a good afternoon. Leisurely. Drunk on the lethargy, I let out a long sigh. The warm sunlight seeping through my eyelids even when closed felt wonderful. I idly brushed through the grass with my arm and plucked a flower stem that caught my hand.

“Lamierre.”

When I called him, he immediately looked at me, and I gestured to him. He approached me on his knees, and I tucked the flower behind his ear. Looking into his gentle green eyes, I gave him a smile of encouragement.

“Go for it.”

“Yes.”

He sat close beside me and began weaving the flower stems again. The knots that kept coming undone when I tried were being tied tightly and skillfully in Lamierre’s hands. I watched the scene blankly and then let out a yawn. Lamierre laughed as he looked at me.