Episode 41
What kind of life was he even living?
Cheshire wasn’t exactly normal herself, but Kierne was on another level entirely—a true enigma. To think he’d sneak into the Imperial Palace garden just to show a toddler some flowers! What did he even think of the Palen Empire’s royal family to act so recklessly?
*…That old pig.* The way Kierne had referred to the Emperor came back to her belatedly. Once she recalled it, everything seemed to click into place.
Cheshire let go of her swirling thoughts and gazed at the rose garden with a newfound calm. Kierne, meanwhile, leisurely explained why it was fine to trespass in the palace grounds.
“It’s an annex palace, empty right now. You can look around as much as you like,” he said, setting Cheshire down in front of a cluster of pink roses. “You love flowers, don’t you?”
That much was true. Cheshire adored all flowers, but roses held a special place in her heart. She took a deep breath, and the fragrance filled her lungs, instantly lifting her spirits from their earlier slump. The rose garden, bathed in moonlight, was so breathtakingly beautiful that her heart softened, melting into the moment. She began to understand why Kierne had gone so far as to sneak into someone else’s garden.
*If I saw a place like this, I’d probably want to break in too,* she thought, inhaling the rose scent deeply.
As Cheshire reveled in the fragrance, Kierne plucked a single rose. Its soft, pale pink petals formed a perfect, rounded bloom. He held it up to her, gauging its size against her small frame. The flower was just small enough to suit her perfectly.
Satisfied with his choice, Kierne crouched down in front of her. Without gloves, he began carefully stripping the thorns from the stem with his bare hands. His movements were precarious, and Cheshire worried he’d hurt himself. Sure enough, a thorn grazed his skin, and a bead of blood welled up on his index finger.
“Oh!” Cheshire gasped, startled.
Kierne licked the scratch and chuckled. “Scared you? It’s fine. Doesn’t hurt a bit.”
He seemed genuinely unbothered, so she let her concern fade. But then he pouted playfully. “Still, you could worry about me a little. Aren’t you supposed to kiss it better or something, Cheshire?”
She stared at him, incredulous. *Pick one, just one.* Despite her exasperation, she indulged him. “Want me to blow on it?”
“Mm-hmm,” he replied eagerly, as if he’d been waiting for the offer.
Kierne held out his finger, where the bleeding had already stopped, leaving only a faint pink line. Cheshire was tempted to give it a playful nip but instead pursed her lips and blew gently, *hoo, hoo*, with exaggerated care. The big baby giggled delightedly.
Watching him, she couldn’t help but think how much he acted like the twins. *How old is he, acting this childish?* she grumbled inwardly, clicking her tongue. Yet, for some reason, she threw herself into the task of “blowing on his wound” with surprising dedication.
Satisfied with his “treatment,” Kierne returned to trimming the rose. Despite his earlier injury, he handled the flower with a practiced ease, as if he’d done this before—perhaps even given someone a carefully prepared bloom. Still, something seemed to bother him as he worked. He twisted off a leaf, muttering under his breath, “It’s been a while, so I’m a bit rusty…”
He meticulously removed each thorn, smoothed the stem, and checked for any lingering imperfections. After inspecting it two or three times, he tucked the rose into Cheshire’s hair ribbon, securing it as a delicate adornment. A satisfied smile spread across his face.
“Pretty,” he said.
“Thanks,” Cheshire replied softly.
The moon, which had been illuminating the garden, slipped behind a cloud, casting the surroundings into a dimmer light. Cheshire gazed at Kierne’s face, now half-shadowed. He slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.
“Were you sulking because big brother scolded you?” he asked.
Cheshire didn’t respond.
“But you *should* get scolded if you go to dangerous places,” he continued, letting out a long sigh. “I don’t want you going to places like that, Cheshire. There are a lot of bad people out there.”
This was the perfect moment to probe about the connection between the Basilian family and the underworld. “What about you, Daddy?” she asked, tilting her head innocently.
“Hmm?”
“Do you go there too?” she pressed, feigning ignorance.
“Where?”
“The unnerworld,” she said, her toddler’s pronunciation slightly garbled.
Kierne paused, then clarified, “…The underworld?”
“Yup!”
He propped an arm on his bent knee, resting his chin in his hand with a teasing smile. “Why are you so curious about that?”
As expected, he wasn’t an easy mark. Cheshire tossed out a line she’d prepared. “’Cause big brothers go there.”
She paused, then added with a voice dripping with mock hurt, “They all go, but they leave *me* out.”
“We only go because we have to,” Kierne said, his tone gentle but firm. “Me and your brothers.”
“Why…?” she asked, wide-eyed.
Kierne gave a wry smile, hesitating. Cheshire let her shoulders slump dramatically. “It’s okay if you don’t tell me,” she mumbled, piling on the pitiful act. “I’m not a Basilian anyway.”
“Oh, Cheshire,” Kierne said, visibly startled.
She was just as surprised. She’d meant to sound petulant, but the words had come out far more sincere than intended. Still, it worked—Kierne fell for it completely.
“Were you *that* upset? Oh, what to do,” he fretted, studying her anxiously. When Cheshire shook her head silently to say she was fine, he only grew more flustered. He was skilled at charming and teasing, but genuine comforting seemed beyond him. If she’d asked him to take out ten annoying people, he’d probably have done it with glee. But soothing a small child? He was at a loss.
Finally, he spoke. “Cheshire.” He took her hand gently, his voice earnest. “This is just for you to know, okay?”
Cheshire’s heart skipped a beat. He played the doting father, sweet-talking her with ease, but he never fully trusted her. *I thought he’d dodge this like always.* She’d expected him to slither out of it like the snake he was, not actually answer.
A breeze stirred, and the thousands of roses in the garden swayed, their fragrance intensifying. Surrounded by the heady scent, Kierne smiled faintly. Enveloped by the night’s darkness, faint moonlight, and vibrant roses, he looked hauntingly, almost dangerously beautiful.
Cheshire held her breath, waiting for his words.
“In the underworld… I do, well, *certain things*,” he murmured, his voice slithering into her ear like a serpent. “That’s why your brothers help me out and go there too. But it’s no big deal. It’s not dangerous, so…”
His soft whispers continued, but Cheshire’s mind was already elsewhere. The moment she heard his confession, fragments of the past unfurled in her head like a scroll.
The report on the sorceress Lichesia, filled with details only someone tied to the underworld could know. The day Kierne and his three brothers had all left the estate for “important business”—the same day an emergency had erupted in the underworld because of Hailon. Karuha visiting Hata’s hat shop. The twins, who seemed so at ease in the underworld’s streets, and Zahar’s strange deference toward them. The Master, who knew Hailon bore the mark of a sorceress. Countless other suspicious moments flooded her mind, clicking together like pieces of a puzzle.
Only one conclusion made sense.
*No way…* Cheshire bit the inside of her cheek hard. The enveloping darkness was a blessing—if it weren’t for it, her ashen face would have betrayed her completely.
*Kierne is the Master?!*
This was bad. Really, truly, catastrophically bad.
*I’m done for.*
As she stared at Kierne’s gentle smile, one thought consumed her: *I need to run. Now.*
