As Alaric, Elara, and Lalanat walked through the evening street, they decided to eat something before heading back since it was getting late.
Not far from them, a small girl in worn-out, dirty clothes wandered through the crowd with a basket of flowers in her hands.
"Do you want to buy flowers?" she asked softly, looking around as people passed by her.
Some glanced at her before walking away without a word.
Still, she kept asking.
When Alaric, Elara, and Lalanat noticed her, none of them spoke immediately.
They stopped for a moment and exchanged quiet glances.
The little girl soon approached them.
Standing in front of Alaric with a bright smile, she lifted the basket slightly.
"Big brother, do you want to buy flowers for these two big sisters?" she asked innocently.
She held out the flowers toward him.
"They're fresh, smell really nice, and lots of people like them," she added proudly.
Alaric crouched down, looking at the flowers in the little girl's basket.
"Is that so?" he asked softly.
He picked one up carefully.
"They really are beautiful… and they smell nice too."
His voice trembled slightly as he slowly lowered his gaze.
The little girl tilted her head in confusion as she stared at him.
"Big brother… are you okay?" she asked curiously.
Soon, Elara crouched beside him and gently fixed the girl's messy hair.
"How much are they?" she asked.
The little girl's eyes lit up instantly.
"It's only one copper coin," she said proudly, holding up a flower toward Elara. "If you want, I can even give you two for one copper."
Elara smiled faintly.
"Have you eaten anything yet? How about joining us for some tea and cake? We'll buy your flowers too."
The girl hesitated.
"I already ate," she said quietly, lowering her head. "I have to earn money for my younger siblings. I can't waste time enjoying myself while they're waiting with empty stomachs."
Her smile slowly faded.
"The sun's already setting…"
Suddenly, Alaric spoke.
"Give me the basket. I'll buy them all."
As he reached for his pocket, Elara quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him aside slightly.
"Wait," she whispered. "I know you feel bad for her, but buying everything? What are you going to do if you spend all your money?"
Alaric looked straight into her eyes.
"I don't know."
Elara blinked.
"Eh? What do you mean you don't know?"
While they argued quietly, Lalanat slowly crouched in front of the little girl.
"How many have you sold so far?" she asked gently.
The girl panicked slightly.
"Ah… well…"
Lalanat laughed softly.
"Lying isn't good, you know. You can be honest with us."
She gently rubbed the girl's messy hair.
The little girl looked down.
"If I don't lie… people won't like me either. Just like the others who ignored me."
Lalanat picked up one of the flowers and smelled it softly.
"That's not true. I personally like flowers very much."
The girl blinked.
"Why? You can't eat them."
Lalanat smiled.
"Haha… humans survive by eating, but that's not all."
She looked at the flower quietly.
"Flowers can carry feelings people can't see with their eyes."
The girl watched her silently.
Then Lalanat suddenly snapped out of it.
"Ah… sorry. So one copper each, right? I don't have much money, but I'll take three."
She handed over a few coins.
At that moment, Elara and Alaric returned.
"We'll buy the rest," Alaric said proudly. "I don't have enough by myself, so this big sister helped too. You should thank her."
Elara sighed.
The little girl quickly took out a small pouch and carefully placed the coins inside.
Then she bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much," she said with a bright smile. "Now me and my siblings won't have to worry about food for a few days… and I can buy more flowers to sell too."
She bowed again.
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind them.
"Ahhh! It's big sister Anna!"
Everyone turned.
A small boy and girl with brown hair came running toward them. The younger girl hid behind the boy while clutching his shirt tightly.
The boy rushed forward immediately.
"What happened, Anna?" he asked nervously. "Did they do something to you?"
He quickly raised a wooden stick toward Alaric.
"What do you want from my sister?" he asked firmly.
Anna grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him away.
"You shouldn't say rude things to people. Apologize."
"Eh? But I didn't do anything wrong," he complained.
"They bought all the flowers I was selling," Anna explained.
The boy froze.
"Ehhh…"
Slowly, he lowered the wooden stick and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.
"I'm very sorry!" he shouted before bowing deeply.
Alaric burst out laughing.
"It's fine," he said.
Anna smiled faintly.
"These are my younger siblings. The twins, Hazel and Tiana."
Tiana quietly hid behind Anna while peeking at them shyly.
Elara stepped closer and leaned down slightly.
"Since everyone's here now, how about joining us for tea and cake?"
Anna hesitated.
"But you already helped us so much by buying the flowers…"
Meanwhile, Alaric and Hazel had already started playing together nearby as if they'd known each other forever.
While Elara kept trying to convince Anna, Lalanat quietly picked up Tiana.
"Aight then, let's go," she said warmly.
Tiana simply rested her head against Lalanat's shoulder while quietly sucking her thumb.
Elara looked at Anna again.
"So? You coming?"
Anna lowered her gaze.
"But…"
"No more 'but,'" Elara said before grabbing her hand and pulling her along.
After reaching a nearby tea stall, they all sat outside together.
Alaric and Hazel immediately started eating without waiting for anyone else, grinning at each other while stuffing their mouths.
Lalanat let Tiana sit on her lap while slowly feeding her pieces of cake.
Meanwhile, Elara quietly sipped her tea.
"So… do you mind if I ask about your parents?"
Anna's expression dimmed slightly.
"They were killed soon after my siblings turned two."
Silence fell over the table.
Anna continued eating quietly without looking at anyone.
Hazel kept eating too, pretending not to react while his sister spoke.
Alaric glanced at him quietly.
"You've been through a lot, huh…"
Elara slowly set her tea down.
"How did you manage to raise them by yourself?"
Anna shrugged lightly.
"Sometimes I stole food. Sometimes I collected things from the mountains to sell."
She smiled faintly.
"We somehow survived."
Alaric frowned.
"That's dangerous for a kid, you know."
Anna looked at him calmly.
"But if we don't do anything, we die anyway."
Her voice stayed quiet.
"So it's better to die trying."
Hazel suddenly stopped eating.
His eyes watered as he looked at her with a mouth still full of cake.
"Anna… are you going to leave us too?"
Anna quickly looked at him.
"Of course not," she said gently with a smile.
"I'm just telling them about the past."
Elara blinked slightly.
"The past?"
Anna nodded.
"Now… this might sound shameless, but someone started helping us."
She slowly reached for her tea.
"He brings me flowers to sell sometimes… so we don't have to steal anymore."
Lalanat tilted her head slightly.
"And who is that?"
Anna smiled softly.
"Big brother Caelin."
The three of them froze at the same time.
"Eh?"
Alaric, Elara, and Lalanat slowly turned toward one another in shock.
Anna looked around nervously at their reactions.
Now even she looked confused.
"Are you sure it was Caelin?" Alaric asked, leaning across the table slightly.
Anna looked surprised by the sudden question and instinctively leaned back a little.
Before things became awkward, Elara quickly grabbed Alaric by the sleeve and pulled him back into his seat.
"You're going to make her uncomfortable," she whispered. "She'll explain eventually, so stop pressuring her."
Alaric blinked.
"Ah… right."
Silence lingered around the table for a moment while the evening breeze passed through the open tea stall.
Anna quietly tightened her grip around the small pouch of copper coins in her hands before finally speaking.
"Yes," she said softly. "He told me his name was Caelin. He attends Elysium Academy… red hair, dark eyes, tall… and handsome too."
As she spoke, she slowly looked down at the coins again.
Lalanat tilted her head slightly from beside her.
"How did you meet him?"
Anna stayed quiet for a second.
Then she slowly took a breath.
"A few weeks ago…"
---
Caelin walked through the busy market quietly, hands in his pockets as people passed around him.
Suddenly, a loud shout came from ahead.
"Someone stop that child!"
Caelin looked up in surprise.
Before he could react, a little brown-haired girl suddenly crashed into him while clutching a loaf of bread tightly against her chest.
The two stared at each other for a brief second.
Then the girl quickly ran away again.
Soon after, the shopkeeper finally caught up, breathing heavily as he stopped beside Caelin.
"Young man," he said between breaths, "why didn't you stop her?"
"Ah… sorry," Caelin replied awkwardly while brushing his hair back slightly. "I was too surprised. I didn't realize she was the one you were shouting about."
As the shopkeeper sighed tiredly, Caelin slowly reached into his pocket.
"How much was the bread?" he asked. "I'll pay for it."
The shopkeeper waved his hand immediately.
"No need. It wasn't your fault."
As the man turned to leave, Caelin suddenly stopped him again gently.
"Then… how about this?" he asked with a faint smile. "Take the money anyway and tell me where that girl lives."
The shopkeeper looked at the coins in Caelin's hand, then back at him again.
Eventually, he let out a small laugh and took the money.
"You're smart, huh?" he muttered while counting the coins. "You wanted to pay for the bread and use that question as an excuse."
Caelin awkwardly brushed the back of his hair.
"Ahaha… you saw through me."
The shopkeeper pointed down the street.
"They live under the bridge not far from here. In the direction she ran."
Caelin nodded slowly, but another question crossed his mind.
"If you know where they are," he asked quietly, "then why didn't you go after her?"
The shopkeeper fell silent for a moment.
People continued passing behind them while the evening market slowly grew louder.
Finally, the man sighed.
"They're beggars," he said quietly. "No parents either. It's not that I don't want to help… but stealing is still wrong. I was trying to teach her that."
"Ah…" Caelin lowered his gaze slightly. "That explains why you refused the money."
The shopkeeper waved his hand lightly.
"I should get back now."
The two exchanged small bows before parting ways.
Soon after, Caelin continued walking toward the bridge.
As he passed through the roadside market, he suddenly slowed his steps.
An old woman sat quietly beside the road with a basket of flowers resting near her feet.
Caelin approached her slowly and leaned down slightly toward the flowers.
"How much are these?"
The old woman looked up at him and smiled warmly.
"They're free, young man. You can take them."
Caelin blinked in surprise.
"Eh? I thought you were selling them."
The old woman laughed softly.
"My grandson finally became a knight," she said proudly. "I don't need to sell flowers anymore."
She gently adjusted the basket on her lap.
"I was just looking for someone who might want them."
Then she glanced at Caelin teasingly.
"Is it for your girlfriend?"
The sudden question made Caelin quietly stare at the flowers in his hands.
The old woman slowly smiled.
"I see… so you haven't told her yet?"
Caelin looked away awkwardly while scratching his cheek.
The old woman slowly stood up, picking up the basket carefully before sitting back down again.
Then she looked at him once more.
"Do you know why flowers became symbols of feelings?" she asked.
Caelin thought for a moment.
"Because they're beautiful… and feelings create beautiful things?"
The old woman laughed gently and shook her head.
"If feelings were only beautiful things," she asked softly, "then what about greed? Jealousy? Pride? Do you think those are beautiful too?"
Caelin fell silent.
The noise of the market faded slightly around him as he thought about her words.
"Then… what is it?" he asked quietly.
The old woman slowly reached for one of the flowers in his hands.
"Flowers represent the feelings we carry for someone," she explained softly while adjusting the petals carefully. "Feelings can't be seen with the eyes, so people use flowers to express them instead."
She placed the flower back into his hands gently.
"And when those flowers are accepted… it feels like your feelings were accepted too."
Caelin quietly stared at the flowers for a moment.
"That's… a beautiful meaning."
The old woman smiled warmly before slowly walking away with her basket.
Caelin watched her leave for a few seconds before continuing toward the bridge once again.
After walking for a while, he finally spotted them beneath the bridge.
Three small children sat together on the ground, eating bread in silence. Their clothes were worn out and dirt covered their faces and hands.
Caelin slowed his steps immediately.
Carefully.
Quietly.
Afraid they might run away if he startled them.
As he approached, one of the younger girls suddenly noticed him standing behind them.
Without saying anything, she slowly pointed toward him.
The other two immediately turned around.
Shock crossed their faces.
The older girl quickly pulled both children closer protectively while staring at him cautiously.
"What do you want?" she asked firmly.
Seeing their reaction, Caelin slowly crouched down instead of stepping closer.
"It's okay," he said gently. "I'm not here to hurt you or scold you."
He slowly placed the flowers down beside him.
"My name is Caelin. I'm a student from Elysium Academy… though I'm not from this nation."
For a moment, none of the children spoke.
Then suddenly, the youngest girl slowly walked closer to him.
She pointed directly at his hair.
"Your hair is weird."
"Eh?!" both siblings panicked immediately.
Caelin blinked before laughing softly.
"Is that so?"
He leaned slightly closer to her height.
"What's your name?"
"Tiana," she replied proudly while pointing at herself.
Then she pointed back at him.
"You… Caelin."
Caelin laughed again.
"Aww… you're cute."
Then he turned toward the others with a gentle smile.
"And what about you two?"
The older girl nervously held both her hands together.
"I'm Anna," she said quietly. "And these are my younger siblings, Hazel and Tiana."
Suddenly, Anna dropped to her knees.
"I'm very sorry about earlier," she said while bowing her head all the way to the ground. "I won't steal again, so please don't call the guards on us."
Caelin's expression shifted instantly.
He quickly approached and gently held her shoulders.
"It's okay," he said softly. "You don't need to apologize to me."
Then he lifted the bag beside him slightly.
"Anyway… I bought some food. Let's eat."
Hazel's eyes lit up immediately.
"Woah! There's chicken!" he shouted excitedly while clapping his hands.
Caelin burst out laughing.
Soon, he unpacked the food carefully onto the ground before sitting beside them.
Hazel and Tiana immediately crowded around the food and started eating happily with him.
Meanwhile, Anna still stood there quietly.
Caelin looked up at her.
"You're not hungry?" he asked. "If you wait too long, they're going to finish everything."
Anna slowly walked closer.
"You'll get dirty sitting there," she said quietly while looking at his clothes.
Caelin paused for a moment before glancing down at himself.
"It's okay," he replied calmly. "Clothes can be washed."
Then he looked back at her.
"But do you know what can't be washed away so easily?"
Anna tilted her head slightly.
"Stealing," Caelin answered quietly. "People stop trusting you. That kind of stain follows you around."
Anna slowly lowered her gaze.
"But we were hungry," she whispered while clenching her hands together. "We needed food to survive."
"I know," Caelin replied softly.
"That's why I'm not scolding you or saying you're wrong."
He picked up another piece of food calmly.
"I'm just saying some things are harder to clean than dirt on clothes."
From the corner of his eye, he noticed Anna standing there silently with her head lowered.
After a moment, Caelin slowly stood up and picked up the flowers again.
"Here," he said gently while holding them toward her. "You can sell these instead of stealing."
Anna blinked in surprise.
"This way, you can earn both money… and trust."
She stared at him quietly.
"Why are you helping us?"
Caelin shrugged lightly.
"No reason."
He gently pushed the flowers closer to her before crouching beside Hazel and Tiana again.
"Make sure your big sister eats too," he said while lightly patting Hazel's head.
"And I'll come check on you guys whenever I can."
He pointed toward the flowers.
"When you sell these, use the money to buy more flowers. Then use the rest for food."
Hazel suddenly raised his hand excitedly.
"Even big chicken?!"
Caelin dramatically brushed his hair back.
"Ahhh yes, of course. Maybe even more than one."
Hazel's eyes sparkled instantly.
"WOAAAAH REALLY?!"
Caelin nodded proudly.
Then he slowly stood up again and looked toward Anna one last time.
"I'll come check on you all again," he said softly.
"So at least try… for your younger siblings."
Then he slowly turned and walked away.
---
Back at the tea stall, silence lingered around the table after Anna finished telling the story.
The warm evening wind passed through quietly while people continued walking along the streets nearby.
"From then on," Anna said softly while holding her cup with both hands, "he started coming every weekend."
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"He brought us food… clothes… and sometimes more flowers to sell."
Hazel nodded excitedly while stuffing his mouth with cake.
"He's really cool and kind, you know," he said proudly.
Alaric immediately pointed at himself.
"I'm cool too, you know. He used to be my friend."
Anna blinked in surprise and looked between the three of them.
"You guys are his friends?"
The moment the question left her mouth, the atmosphere around the table shifted slightly.
Alaric's smile slowly faded.
Beside him, both Elara and Lalanat quietly fell silent.
After a moment, Alaric scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"He used to be," he admitted quietly.
Anna tilted her head.
"Not anymore?"
Alaric looked down at the untouched tea in front of him.
"I guess…" he muttered, "he doesn't want to be friends with us anymore."
Elara immediately knocked his shoulder lightly under the table.
"Don't say that," she whispered while glaring at him slightly.
"What?" Alaric whispered back in confusion.
As the two quietly argued, Anna suddenly spoke again.
"I think he was in a difficult position."
The table slowly went quiet again.
Elara looked toward her carefully.
"Why do you think that?"
Anna lowered her gaze toward the tea in her hands.
"Because today…" she said softly, "I asked him why he was so kind."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the cup.
"And he said kindness never found him."
Silence filled the table completely.
Even the noise from the street outside suddenly felt distant.
Anna slowly looked down.
"He looked really lonely," she whispered quietly.
A small pause followed.
"But… I couldn't do anything to help him."
Meanwhile.
On the other side.