Flower That Could Not Bloom (Part 3)

On top of the great tower, a strange figure stood blatantly on the edge and creepily swayed its hands in the air. It spoke nonchalantly,

“Begone! Horrible shadows?

Begone! You Ridiculous and Fake beings?

Begone! And Let Us be Free?”

Hysterically laughing it looked down the crowd of people leaving.

Your freedom is now mine, certainly I am not a mockery. The fun has just begun.” Its nonexistent smile suddenly fading, “I will get my revenge.” it whispered, slowly disappearing into thin air.

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Lucia found herself inside those long hallways once again and was getting used to the luxurious view. Thinking for the past few minutes what she impulsively did, hoping she is not wrong in her decision and gathered the courage to ask the prince,

"Where are we going?" a simple question asked by a simple girl who kept having difficulty keeping up with the boy's unusual fast pace.

The silver haired boy kept walking unbothered but after thinking to himself he then replied monotonously,

"There is another volunteer for our garden work and of course we are going to meet him."

So many questions ran through Lucia's mind and in a panic, she only hoped for things to go her way.

But not always what we wish for, is what we get. No matter how desperately we want it sometimes there are only disappointments. We just have to keep on trying.

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Patience is the key

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[Lucia's P. O. V]

I know how impulsively I make decisions but this one was made extremely in a haste. Moreover, I do not know anything about these royalties.

Not much information about the royal family is released to the public for their own safety and reasons. That much I understand. But it does not ease my feelings about the suicides at all.

I kept following the boy in front of me, he seemed more mature with the way he talked. Is he really a young boy?

As I was thinking about so many things, we climbed some stairs that lead to a second floor.

It had corridors and many rooms can also be seen in great alignment. The walls were either covered with jewels or some magnificently drawn pictures were hung upon them. It truly captivated my heart.

Keeping my head clear we entered one of the rooms. There stood another man in his mid 30's who upon seeing the prince arrive, bowed slightly and greeted him cheerfully.

"Ah there you are, Your Highness; I was wondering where you went." he said.

"I thought I saw someone suspiciously entering the garden so I went there to check myself." the prince scoffed and looked at me. The young boy gestured me to come forward and said,

"I found another person who might be interested in this job, so why not you two decide on your own." his attitude was rather carefree.

"Hello, my name is Lucia... " I started introducing myself but got cut off by the startled man.

"Young Master! surely you are aware that an herbalist is rare nowadays and I'm one of a kind! Why even letting a mere commoner like her in this? What happened last time was--!"

"Silence." looking coldly at the man the boy stopped him from speaking,

"What kind of an herbalist won't even test out a person's knowledge before rejecting them?" he said squinting his eyes, after a small pause he continued,

"The previous gardener might not be a brave one but he was more knowledgeable than anyone." he stated calmly.

"Hmph, so girl what DO you know about being an herbalist?" he folded his arms and spat out those words in a high and mighty manner.

'Are all royal workers like him?' I thought.

Normally, all Herbalists must learn many skills, including the wildcrafting or cultivation of herbs, diagnosing the cause of disease is very important and delicate. The treatment of a patient due his/her conditions or dispensing herbal medication is then prepared according to patient’s need.

I on the other hand, am self-taught but still my remedies worked on many people, I have learned mostly from books and the herbs I found in my village. Although my knowledge isn't bound to my village only, I just lack experience in handling and making of varying medicinal herbs.

I stood there in silence thinking but now I know it's time for me to show my talent and test my knowledge. I told them about making basic herbal teas and how to take care of every kind of flower that bloomed in my village.

I answered all of his questions about the structure and features of the plants and herbs used as medicines, the different ways they are made and the diseases they could cure. How long the effect might last.

The most common herb used to treat pain, Eucalyptus and the time required to make sure it works. But that doesn't make me any more capable than him, because the flora that grew in this place was different and I had almost no time to study them.

"I know most of the flowers in my village but I'll need your guidance in knowing more about the flora that grows here." I told the man as politely as I could.

He shuffled his hair in annoyance and sighed, "Fine, you seem to have fair amount of knowledge, I'll have you as my assistant, however if you tried to steal or bargain with the garden flowers or the green house, I'll make sure you pay for it." he glared at me intently.

His cold attitude made me nervous but I tried to keep my composure. I hoped to work in the garden alone but something is better than nothing. I just need to be patient.

I can do this; this is just the initial step I have to take.

"All right! Now that this matter has also been taken care of, you two can go now." the young prince clapped his hands and the maids from outside the room came in.

"Show this lady where she will be staying and Lester," he looked at the man, "Tell her about whatever is necessary." he said wearily and got irritated by the long time that he has given us. He left immediately after that.

I took a long breath and thought that it went surprisingly well... But the real problem is, how am I going to find out who the real culprit is, I'm an herbalist not an inquirer!

I sighed out loud while walking towards my room. All I know, is that he/she is still somewhere in this castle, making everyone my enemy and untrustworthy.

“Whew! What a long day it was!” closing the door I threw my tired body on the bed.

A lot happened in just two days that made me feel lonely in this vast room.

"Maybe I should write a letter to mother." I sighed softly at the thought of my mother reading and getting all emotional. But not until I know what happened to Dahlia and every other incident that happened in this castle, not even my soul can rest and continue to live in peace.

"I'm sorry mother but I have made up mind." determined, I got up and wrote a letter under the dim light of a candle. Seeing how the clouds were covering the bright moon, 'it might rain soon' I thought lazily.

The night was long, restless and I couldn't sleep. Even now, all I could think of, were those 7 suicidal maids. Why were they suicidal? Stress? Forced? Or these could be murders. Not that it made any sense for seven consecutive people to die one by one.

Hence, in the morning the search will begin.