16
GRAND DUKE, YOUR HIGHNESS.
DID SOMETHING HAPPEN AT THE TEMPLE?
YOU WOULDN'T HAVE COME UP TO THE FIFTH FLOOR WITHOUT GOOD REASON.
OPEN IT. THE HIGH PRIEST GAVE IT TO ME.
WHAT COULD THE HIGH PRIEST HAVE GIVEN YOU...?
!
TH-THIS IS... ISN'T THIS A LEAF OF THE WORLD TREE?!
IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE THE WORLD TREE WITHERED AWAY, SO FROM WHERE DID HE...?
HE SAID IT BLOOMED WHEN SHE AWAKENED.
IF IT EVEN SPROUTED A NEW LEAF, THEN HASN'T SHE TRULY AWAKENED?
IF THAT IS SO...
SHE WAS BEING THOROUGHLY PROTECTED BY MAGIC RIGHT IN THIS ROOM,
SO HOW IS IT SUPPOSED TO MAKE SENSE OF HER SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE,
ONLY TO BE FOUND ON A SHORE TOUCHED BY BLACK MAGIC?
I ALSO FIND THAT DEEPLY SUSPICIOUS.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW SHOCKED I WAS TO FIND
THE VERY PERSON I WAS SCOURING THE LANDS FOR UNDER YOUR HIGHNESS'S SEARCH ORDER RIGHT HERE IN THE MANSION?
HOWEVER, YOUR HIGHNESS.
IT HAS ALREADY BEEN OVER TWO YEARS SINCE SHE AWAKENED.
DIFFICULT THOUGH IT MAY BE,
YOUR HIGHNESS MUST NOW DECIDE ON HER TREATMENT.
AFTER ALL, YOUR HIGHNESS IS HER FIANCÉ.
FREYA.
BACK THEN, I THOUGHT THOSE MOMENTS WOULD LAST FOREVER.
FREDICA!
PLEASE COME DOWN AT ONCE, FREDICA!
WHAT IF YOU GET HURT?!
I'LL COME DOWN IF YOU PROMISE NOT TO CALL ME BY THAT NAME, KADRIAN!
WHEN I FIRST MET HER, I THOUGHT SHE SEEMED NOTHING LIKE SOMEONE FROM HOUSE FLANKER.
"FREDICA."
UNLIKE HER LOOKS, WHICH RESEMBLED A DELICATELY RAISED GREENHOUSE FLOWER,
SHE WAS SO FULL OF LIFE, SHE ALMOST FELT WILD.
STILL, IT IS A PRECIOUS NAME BESTOWED BY GOD.
I KNOW! THAT'S WHY I DON'T SAY ANYTHING IN FRONT OF OTHERS!
BUT I HATE THAT NAME BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE A BOY'S NAME!
AND BESIDES...
I HATE BEING CALLED BY THAT NAME BY YOU TOO, KADRIAN.
FREDICA...
THEN HOW ABOUT THIS?
IF YOU DON'T MIND, I'LL GIVE YOU A NICKNAME.
A NICKNAME?
YES.
PROVIDED YOU FIRST PROMISE TO COME DOWN.
DEAL! WAIT FOR ME!
I'M COMING DOWN RIGHT NOW!
FREDICA, BE CAREFUL!
YOU'LL HURT YOURSELF IF YOU...!
WHOA!
YAY! I HEARD ABOUT THIS ONCE!
PEOPLE WHO ARE SPECIAL TO EACH OTHER GIVE EACH OTHER SPECIAL NICKNAMES, DON’T THEY?!
SO WHAT IS IT? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO CALL ME?!
I RECALL READING IT ONCE... IN AN ANCIENT BOOK.
THERE IS A CITY THAT NOW SLEEPS DEEP BENEATH THE SEA,
AND IT IS SAID THAT GOD ONCE TREASURED THAT CITY SO DEARLY THAT HE SENT DOWN HIS OWN CHILD.
AND THAT CHILD'S NAME WAS...
GEEZ, YOU'RE GETTING LONG-WINDED AGAIN.
NEVER MIND THAT, JUST TELL ME THE NAME!
WHAT KIND OF NAME IS IT?
FREYA.
HOW DO YOU LIKE IT, FREYA?
DO YOU LIKE IT?
Yes, I absolutely love it!
I WON'T LET ANYONE ELSE CALL ME THAT!
LET'S MAKE IT A NICKNAME ONLY YOU AND I KNOW!
I REALLY LOVE YOU SO MUCH, CADRIAN!
SHE WAS THE ONE WHO FIRST TAUGHT ME
WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO BECOME PART OF SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE.
WHO COULD HAVE KNOWN?
THAT AFTER THAT, IT WOULD FALL INTO A DEEP SLUMBER RIGHT ALONG WITH ITS OWNER.
THE TIME IS NOT YET RIGHT.
THERE IS STILL TOO MUCH, I HAVEN’T UNCOVERED ABOUT THAT SOUL.
I MUST FIND OUT.
DESPITE CLAIMING SHE LOST HER MEMORIES,
WHY DID SHE LOOK AT ME AS IF SHE RECOGNIZED ME WHEN WE REUNITED?
HOW COULD SOMEONE WHO SUPPOSEDLY LAY IN BED FOR TEN YEARS
BE SO REMARKABLYADEPT AT EVERYTHING?
ABOVE ALL, WHY WAS THAT NAME "FREYA" THE ONLY THING SHE REMEMBERED?
I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WOULD FALL BACK INTO PLACE ONCE YOU AWAKENED...
FREYA.
IS THE SOUL INSIDE YOU TRULY YOU?
YOUR HIGHNESS. YOU MUST AT LEAST EAT SOMETHING.
GREAT HALL OF THE TENASIS TEMPLE.
YOU’LL COLLAPSE AT THIS RATE!
RIGHT, PERHAPS IT’S BETTER THAT I JUST DIE LIKE THIS.
WHAT REASON DO I HAVE TO GO ON LIVING ALONE WITHOUT SIA?
YOUR HIGHNESS, HOW COULD YOU SAY SUCH A DREADFUL THING?!
IT HAS ALREADY BEEN THREE YEARS SINCE THAT DAY.
SIA WOULDN’T WANT YOUR HIGHNESS TO BE LIKE THIS EITHER!
LEONEL.
IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE, YOU'D BETTER WATCH YOUR MOUTH...
I... I APOLOGIZE, YOUR HIGHNESS.
LIEGE, FORGIVE MY INTRUSION.
I HAVE COMPLETED THE MISSION YOU ASSIGNED TO ARIAD AND HAVE COME TO REPORT.
YOU'RE...
THE ONE WHO WENT ON THE INFILTRATION MISSION INTO KADEA TO MONITOR THEIR TRENDS.
SO, DO YOU HAVE RESULTS?
YES, LIEGE.
FROM OBSERVING THE MOVEMENTS OF THE PRIESTS AFTER INFILTRATING THE HIGH TEMPLE,
IT APPEARS THE LEAF OF THE WORLD TREE, WHICH WAS WITHERED FOR SOME TIME, HAS BEGUN TO SPROUT AGAIN.
TO BE EXACT, STARTING TWO YEARS AGO.
JUST AS LIEGE PREDICTED.
HEH.
IS THAT SO? GOOD WORK.
BY THE WAY.
YOU CAME BACK WITH AN INJURED ARM.
DID SOMEONE CATCH YOU?
I-IT'S NOTHING, LIEGE.
A CAT AT THE TEMPLE JUST SCRATCHED MY ARM...!
GUH... COUGH...!
INCOMPETENT FOOLS WHO CAN'T EVEN HANDLE A SIMPLE TASK.
WITH SIA GONE, ARIAD HAS TRULY BECOME PATHETIC.
YOUR HIGHNESS!
AT ANY RATE, WE HAVE OUR ANSWER NOW.
LEONEL, LET'S MAKE PREPARATIONS.
THIS TIME, I'LL GO TO KADEA MYSELF.
I MUST GO AND BRING SIA BACK RIGHT AWAY.
SIA BELONGS BY MY SIDE.
The Grand Duke is shaken by the World Tree leaf given by the High Priest; the tree has bloomed with his awakening. His disappearance from the magic-protected room and being found on the dark magic-touched shore raises suspicion. As past memories with his fiancée Freya are recalled, in the third year of Sia's absence at the Tenasis Temple, a report from Kadea gives hope and preparations begin to bring her back.
