The morning breeze carried the scent of roses through the corridor as Yumi walked beside Eliott. She stretched her arms, yawning wide enough to make two passing maids giggle.
"I'm telling you, Eliott," she said between yawns, "if I ever wake up this early again, arrest me for being too productive."
Eliott laughed softly. "You're lucky Prince Ren didn't hear that. He's in the training yard already."
"Of course he is," Yumi muttered. "Perfect prince with perfect posture. I bet even his sword shines out of politeness."
Eliott nearly choked on laughter again. "You really shouldn't talk about him like that."
"Why? Is he hiding in the bushes with a notebook, writing down my insults?"
"Don't give him ideas," Eliott said, still chuckling.
They stepped into the garden. Morning light spilled through the glass dome above, painting the flowers in shades of pink and gold. Dew sparkled on every petal. Birds darted between the hedges, chirping like they were gossiping about castle affairs.
Yumi took a deep breath and froze.
There it was — a scent that didn't belong. Not the roses, not the jasmine. It was something softer, sweeter, almost impossible to describe.
It felt… alive.
She blinked and looked around. The air shimmered faintly, as though light itself had a smell — a soft, glowing haze drifting near a patch of white flowers.
"Eliott," she whispered, "do you smell that?"
He sniffed. "Just the garden, my lord."
"No, no—this is different," she insisted, stepping closer. "It's like… rain after a dream."
Eliott frowned. "Rain after a dream?"
"Don't question my poetic genius," she said quickly, crouching beside the flowers. The scent was stronger here, mixed with warmth that brushed against her skin like a whisper.
For a moment, she swore she saw something — a faint outline of a person in the air, smiling gently before vanishing.
Yumi blinked hard. "Okay… maybe I really didn't sleep enough."
Eliott tilted his head. "You all right?"
"Totally fine," she said too fast, standing up. "I just found out your garden smells like a perfume commercial."
Eliott laughed, relaxing again. "Maybe you're secretly allergic to beauty."
Yumi grinned. "Then I'd be dead the moment I saw myself in the mirror."
He rolled his eyes but smiled. "Come on, let's walk further before Prince Ren drags you back to your room."
They wandered deeper into the garden — the laughter fading, replaced by quiet birdsong. But every few steps, Yumi glanced back to that patch of flowers.
The scent still lingered.
Light, tender, almost calling her.
When the wind brushed past again, she heard something faint — like a whisper, distant and soft:
"You found it…"
Yumi froze, her smile faltering.
"Eliott?"
He turned. "Hmm?"
"Nothing," she said quickly, forcing a laugh. "I think the flowers just complimented me. They have taste."
But as they left the garden, the breeze followed — carrying that same sweet fragrance, that same faint warmth that made her heart ache for a reason she didn't understand.
---