You and I were brought together in an arranged marriage forced by our families.

I was a warrior sworn to protect the nation, and you were a sheltered child who knew nothing of the world.

Perhaps I was envious of that innocence, but to me, you were nothing but a nuisance—a strange weight placed upon my shoulders.

No matter how much I pushed you away, you never tired of approaching me. Every time our eyes met, my heart grew colder. I feigned ignorance when you came near and fled the room using work as an excuse.

To me, prestige and honor came before you. I was a man who learned and valued duty far more than love.

When did it start?

You began planting lavender in the garden, bit by bit. Every time, I trampled the flowers and ordered the servants to uproot the beds, never knowing what those flowers meant.

Months passed, and you became gaunt, a mere shadow of yourself. Even then, I didn't care. I assumed you would soon get up and follow me around again, so I neglected you without visiting your sickbed once. While you were wasting away, those lavenders continued to grow beautifully.

Where did it all go wrong?

"It wasn't the flowers I was trampling... it was you.

The silence of that day has become the farewell of today."