Chapter 7
It was obvious that Arzeo mentioned the plant just to catch Leira’s interest.
Anyone who watched her even a little could easily see what she cared about.
Leira was a person whose thoughts showed clearly on her face.
When she liked something, she lit up.
When she disliked something, discomfort showed right away.
Arzeo found that extremely entertaining.
“A plant I’d be interested in…?”
Her curiosity was written all over her expression.
But she hesitated—wondering if it was okay to show that much interest.
She was probably worrying about her disappearance from the exile island causing trouble for the Duchy.
Arzeo fought back a laugh and nodded.
“A plant said to be harmful to humans.”
Leira stared at his lips, waiting for him to explain.
Harmful? Poisonous?
There were certainly plants that were toxic to humans.
But people usually called them poisonous—not “harmful.”
Harmful… how?
She wouldn’t know unless he explained more.
So Leira simply pressed her lips together and fell into thought.
Arzeo watched her quietly, then lifted one side of his mouth.
“Do you want to see it?”
“……”
Leira bit her lip, trying desperately not to nod immediately.
Of course she wanted to see it.
A plant that harmed people—how did it harm them?
What other uses did it have?
If it was poisonous, how could it be neutralized?
Could she grow it herself?
She wanted to know everything.
But she said nothing, staring down at her lap.
Seeing her like that, Arzeo spoke again.
“We’ll pass by on our way to the capital anyway.”
Her head lifted instantly.
“And there’s no way they would notice your disappearance from the exile island this quickly.”
He was right.
Supplies only came every fifteen days, and no one visited in between.
“Even if they realize you’re gone, they’ll probably assume you were swept away by storm waves. No one would imagine you escaped on your own.”
Leira nodded faintly.
She really had been swallowed by a massive wave.
No one would think the island stayed intact.
And everyone knew she wouldn’t abandon the Foresteia Duchy by fleeing.
Seeing her resolve begin to crumble, Arzeo struggled to hide his smile.
But she still hesitated—so he pushed a little further.
“In the end, all you need to do is go back, right? I doubt anyone else in the world would voluntarily return to an exile island.”
If she returned eventually, no one would accuse her of wrongdoing.
Being swept far away made returning late natural.
Once he said that, Leira had no choice but to nod.
“…I want to see it.”
“Knew it.”
Arzeo smiled brightly, and Leira nodded more firmly.
He was right—if she went back in the end, there shouldn’t be a big problem.
“Then let’s go take a look.”
They were already heading in that direction, but Leira didn’t know that.
Arzeo nodded as if he was going there purely for her sake.
If Eugene had seen it, he would’ve rolled his eyes and called him sly as a snake.
Well, I didn’t make anything up, Arzeo thought.
The letter had said the refugees’ living conditions were extremely bad, but Arzeo already knew more about the place.
They blamed a particular plant for everything, treating it like a demon.
In reality, their poverty created the terrible conditions.
He didn’t know how to improve things yet—he didn’t even have the authority—
But the messenger wouldn’t have come unless the situation had worsened.
Arzeo glanced at Leira, who was glued back to the window, and sighed softly.
We’ll see once we arrive.
The Tanya region of the Rihidden Empire lay far from the Balua Empire, near the borders of other kingdoms.
Balua was mostly surrounded by sea except for the border with Rihidden, but Rihidden bordered several other countries.
This often made it a refuge for people fleeing wars between kingdoms.
There was even an entire hidden village made up only of refugees.
The other towns in Tanya were filled with foreigners—mostly travelers, not merchants.
But even in such an active region, the refugee village was treated like a stain, like darkness.
And near the village, bright red flowers filled the land so densely that they dyed the surroundings crimson.
Strange flowers with red petals tipped with purple droplets.
They looked beautiful, even enchanting—
But getting close to them was dangerous.
Touch them with bare hands, and powder stuck to your skin.
Rub your eyes or eat afterward, and the toxin settled in your lungs.
Once people learned this, they avoided the flower completely.
Cutting them didn’t matter—they grew back stubbornly.
Burning them was impossible—
The smoke caused hallucinations.
Arzeo didn’t think the illness spreading in the village was caused by the flower.
It was far more likely a sanitary issue born from poverty.
At the outskirts of the refugee village, Arzeo stopped the carriage and handed Leira a cloth.
“Cover your face. As I explained earlier, the flower is harmful.”
“A—yes.”
Leira took the cloth and covered her nose and mouth.
On the way here, Arzeo had told her about the flower—a mysterious plant called Red Secret.
She was eager to see it with her own eyes.
Eugene instructed the coachman to wait in the nearest town while he followed the two of them.
The tiny, shabby village was visibly struggling even from afar.
Leira had probably never seen anything like this.
She’s a noble lady who grew up comfortably, Arzeo thought as he glanced at her.
Then he stepped into the village first.
Cough, cough!
As soon as they entered, they heard coughing everywhere.
Though they were in the same region, this place felt entirely different from any other village they’d passed.
It was dark and gloomy even in broad daylight.
No one had any energy in their expressions.
People stared vacantly into nothing, ignoring the newcomers because they barely had strength to react.
“Eugene.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Take Leira to see the flowers. Don’t let her get too close.”
“What about you?”
“I have other business.”
His eyes curved gently above the cloth covering his mouth, clearly smiling underneath.
Leira glanced at him and shook her head.
“I want to look around the village first. If you have work, go do it.”
Then she walked deeper into the village—completely unhesitant—leaving Arzeo momentarily stunned.
Eugene found Arzeo’s expression amusing, but he forced himself not to laugh.
He quickly followed Leira.
The village was more miserable than anything Leira had ever seen.
Even in the Foresteia Duchy, she had visited parts of the estate with her father, but she had never seen people suffering this much from poverty.
And after that, she had lived exclusively in the imperial palace.
So this place was a shock to her.
Arzeo stared at her back—in slight annoyance but also interest—before following after her.
“You said you had other business,” she asked, puzzled.
“Why are you following me?”
Arzeo looked down at her large, clear eyes.
Sometimes she looked innocent, and sometimes she looked like someone who had endured countless hardships.
Yet her teal eyes remained bright.
“Looking around the village is my business.”
Was that something a merchant usually did? Leira wasn’t sure.
But seeing him scan the area with a cool, detached gaze, she quietly nodded.
“Then we can look together.”
“Do as you like.”
The flowers grew around the outskirts, so they decided to inspect the village first.
Arzeo, now a step behind her, looked entirely different from before.
His silver-gray eyes sank low and serious as he observed everything.
The coughing, the dry lips, the hollow eyes, the ragged clothes—
the three of them stood out like foreigners in another world.
But no one paid attention.
They didn’t have the strength to.
They looked like people who had long since given up hope.
This situation is worse than I expected, Arzeo thought.
Even though they were refugees, they were still within the Rihidden Empire’s borders.
The Empire was responsible for them.
The coughing never stopped.
Maybe it was another illness too, but the constant coughing suggested the flower was affecting them significantly.
He’d known they were poor, but seeing it with his own eyes made him realize how urgently something had to be done.
Behind him, Leira had no idea what his face looked like.
She only stared at the tragic scene around them, her brows tight with worry.
She remembered something her father, the Duke of Foresteia, once told her:
People’s happiness comes first.
It is more important than living in luxury ourselves.
True happiness is something shared.
But here, everyone seemed drowned in darkness.
Is this really all because of the flowers…?
Leira felt a bitter, stinging sensation inside her chest.
She loved all plants—but seeing a plant cause this much suffering left her mind tangled and conflicted.
Adults, children—it didn’t matter.
Everyone looked sick, exhausted, and starving.
“Miss… please… show some mercy. Give us a little food…”
A frail old man in ragged clothes suddenly stepped in front of her and bowed deeply.
As he begged, others nearby turned their hollow eyes toward her too.
“…….”
Leira pressed her lips together, staring quietly at the man.
She wanted to give him something—anything.
But she was a criminal in exile, with nothing of her own.
Right now, she was just a survivor washed ashore by chance.
But then she wondered—
Are the flowers truly the only problem here?
Something felt off.
Leira stopped walking, slowly turning around to face Arzeo, who was following behind her.
