I Refuse To Be A Flower

When Pamela and Ancinia had just reached the front of the prayer room, a boy was watching them from a large tree as the wind was ruffling his hair.

It was a boy in his mid to late teens with his arms crossed and his sleepy eyes down.

“Oh, I dozed off.”

It wasn’t a place for anyone to be dozing off, but the boy yawned and scratched his head.

“Is it the convent?”

He took a look around, as expected. This place seemed to be a convent.

“I’m screwed. I didn’t hear the bell.”

He just went out for a walk, but a monastery official reported to the nun that he had disappeared without a word.

Also, thinking that he should call people before things get more chaotic, he tried to call his assistant.

“Don’t try to imitate someone else.”

Suddenly a girl’s voice came through.

He stopped his hand and turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.

There stood two girls around his age.

Among them, a girl with red hair stood out.

He couldn’t see her face. However, she still managed to catch his eye.

Why? Is it because she was oozing confidence, unlike many other girls of her age?

“I like how sweet and cute Miss Ancinia is.”

Her distant voice flow through his ear as if it was soothing melodies.

He reached out in the direction of the girl. A silvery smoke came to view.

The silver smoke turned into a big wind and hit the girls. The girl’s red hair swayed in the wind as the girl turned her head.

The flowing red hair revealed a milky white skin underneath, and her purple eyes sparkled resembling an amethyst.

Their eyes seemed to meet for a second.

The boy stared back as he watched the girl absentmindedly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, I think I just heard someone’s voice.”

The red-haired girl turned her head, heeding the call from the other girl.

“A voice? There’s no one here. Are you all right? Should I call anyone?”

“No, you don’t have to. It’s just a feeling.”

Was it an illusion that he felt their eyes met?

It was a shame.

He gave off silver smoke again. He wanted to pull the girl’s wandering gaze back here.

He didn’t know why, but he thought he should.

“Jiingg.”

It was then—the blue jewel hanging on his earlobe gaze off a small vibration.

He finally came to his senses after the distraction and pressed the blue jewel.

A familiar voice reproached him when he pressed the jewels.

“…your timing….”

<Pardon?>

“No, it’s nothing. I was talking to myself.”

He let out a small sighed and fiddled with the blue jewel in his ear.

Thanks to this, his mind sobered up as if he had been possessed by something.

‘What the hell was happening before? Who was that girl?’

“Tata, If I run into the girls here in the convent…”

“I know! I know the rules!” he cried out, feeling unjust at the accusation.

<Really?>

“Really!”

They almost ran into each other, but since it was only an accident, those girls didn’t even realize he was there, it’ll be fine. Maybe.

He sighed in defeat at the nagging.

“I went for a walk in the morning and got lost… but, when I disappeared and caused an uproar, what happened to you?”

<Ah, I’m used to it, so it’s okay.>

“Ah, Is that so…?”

How can the escort be so calm even though his master is gone?

The boy felt conflicted at his aide answer.

“What if I really run away…?”

<Don’t say anything strange, where are you now?>

“Me? I’m sitting on a tree right now.”

<…>

When Tataville’s voice from the earrings stopped, he asked, frowning.

“Did you hear me, Tata?”

A sigh and a murmur of lamentation could be heard from beyond the jewels.

“So when will you pick me up?”

<…send me your location. I’ll pick you up right away.>

His aide immediately cut off the signal, and the boy looked back to where the girl was standing.

He suppressed his desire to chase after the red-haired girl.

***

“One day, a boy received a revelation from God in the form of a ray of light from heaven.”

The old man’s powerless voice rang in the classroom.

The history of their kingdom was written on the large blackboard in front of the classroom with chalk.

“Corpris, the first king who founded the country under God’s will, named the kingdom ‘Corpris,’ after himself.”

It was quite vexing for Pamella to learn what she knew once again. However, as not to draw anyone’s suspicion, Pamela had to act as if it was something new to her. She even wrote down notes on the paper. As if by doing so, it would chase away her drowsiness.

It’s been almost a month since she came to the convent.

Her life in the convent was very peaceful and monotonous.

She had expected Cabine to make her life hard and torment her. Unexpectedly, Cabine acted as if Pamela never existed.

She had feared that due to her lowly origin, she would have a hard time similar to what happened to her in the past. But such a thing didn’t happen. It made her wonder whether she had arrived in the same convent or not.

Frankly, she had prepared to retaliate against Cabine in advance, but she ruined Pamela’s countermeasure with her disregard.

Regardless of the reason, Pamela decided to enjoy the peace she hadn’t felt for a long time.

She got used to the comfortable days and getting up early in the morning with the girls here. Every day they would start the day with morning prayer, then they would learn theology and manners. Everything felt easy and pleasant, except for their history class.

“Hmm.”

As the class was filled with the teacher’s dull voice, the students’ faces were filled with boredom.

Every once in a while, Pamella would hear someone yawn. There was even a girl who was bold enough to put her head on a book and fell asleep.

She didn’t know why they need to have boring classes like history after lunch.

“Hmm! Sit straight up, the girl right there!”

Despite the situation in the classroom, the elderly man, who was teaching the class, busied himself, fixing the thick glasses that slide down on his nose.

He was sent from the central church, and in this convent, he was the only man who could roam freely.

“After the first king of the Corpris, the last kings of Corpris used Corpris as the royal last name. Although that became a thing of the past. Mm-hmm. Does anyone knows the name of the current king?”

The room went silent at the old man’s question. Slowly someone raised their hand, all the eyes went to the person. It was Anella. Today, she gathered her blonde hair into a ponytail.

“Yes, what’s the answer, Lady Kleina?”

“His royal highness is Ian Verimel II.”

“That’s right.”

A bitter smile was painted on my face because of the nostalgic name.

“It has been customary for the Corpris family to continue the throne from the early days of the founding, but from the time of the reign, the Verimel family, called the House of Corpris, is a new royal family.”

Pamela’s hand, which she had been writing, had stopped before she knew it.

Pamela committed suicide in front of him and returned to the past like this.

So what happened to him?

She was quick to fall into thought.

Ian Verimel II.

Would he recognize her if he ran into him now? Or maybe he didn’t know her like Anella or Ancinia.

Did he, like Pamela, have pre-return memories? Or was she the only one who remembered it?

Come to think of it, how old was he now?

Now that she was seventeen, he was twenty-two.

What was he like when he was 22 years old?

“We, the people of Corpris, are bestowed with God’s blessing. You must always be grateful for it, and repaying the love you have received from God is the right way of living.”

The old man, with thin grey hair, straightened his neck.

Pamela, who recalled Ian Verimel’s glossy black hair and red eyes, and her mind slowly lulled into a daydream while the teacher’s voice turned into a murmur.

“Pamela…!”

Someone poked Pamela in the back seat and said in a whisper.

As she turned her head, Ancinia had a mischievous look on her face.

Looking at her face made Pamela felt better.

Yes, what’s the point of thinking about the king now?

She was now only a commoner studying at a convent.

There was no chance that the great king of the royal palace and Pamela would encounter each other.

It wasn’t something she needed to worry about

“What’s wrong, Ancinia?”

“Can you please accompany me after class to the shrine later?”

“To the shrine?”

“Mother made me run an errand to the shrine, but there is no one in the shrine in the evening. I am afraid to go by myself.”

Ancinia round eyes were twinkling, begging Pamela to accompany her.

As they stayed together for more than a month, they slowly became closer. It was to the point they were comfortable enough to ask each other for a favor.

Ancinia pulled her arm, saying, “Please.”

“I can, but can you empty the trash can for me instead?”

“What? That’s too much!”

“And I have to accompany you, right?

“…alright. I’ll get it.”

Ancinia, lips turned into a pout, but finally sighed in defeat as she nodded her head.

Pamela burst into laughter at the sight of Ancinia’s sulking.

“Hey, you two girl right there. Are you paying attention?”

Anella, who was sitting next to me, gave me a glance.

Anella, who heard the two, was frowning at them, but seeing that her mouth was smiling. Fortunately, it seemed that she was not offended.

“Will the lady also come with us?”

“Me?”

Ancinia nodded in sympathy at Pamela’s question to Anella.

Anella Clayna is the child of the count. Because of this, she couldn’t treat each other like Pamela and Ancinia, speaking to each other and calling each other in a friendly manner.

But that day, after Anella stopped Cornelia and the other girls who were trying to bully Pamela, she began to hang out with them during meals, breaks and prayers.

“Is there anything else?”

“No, not like that.”

“Then come with me! Lady Kleina.”

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

After a moment of thought, Anella decided to come along with them.

Anella nodded, and Ancinia smiled. Clearly, she was in a good mood.

Pamela, too, smiled gratefully at Anella.

It was then that Anella’s cheeks reddened. She was surprised at their warm welcome at her presence.

Out of sudden, Anella’s red face immediately turned white as a sheet of white paper, as her gaze fell behind Pamela’s back.

“Huh, was my class so boring, Miss Pamela?”

In her surprise, when she looked up, she found the old man who was standing in front of the class had come to her seat. He looked down at them with his shadowy eyes down.

Pamela, to be exact.