"Ugh........."
Youngmin woke up, covering his head.
"Heaven is....... not it.........."
Youngmin looked around and said
"Crown Prince's Palace.......?"
It was none other than the place where he lived during his time as crown prince.
It was the crown prince's palace.
The place where the Estalenia, which blooms only in the Estal Empire in winter, blooms the most...
The place I missed the most.........
This place is filled with all the happy memories...
Yeongmin got up in a hurry and looked in the mirror.
"That's ridiculous........"
Yeongmin said as he looked at the boy with an old face reflected in the mirror.
"Could it be... that the legend of Estalenia is true...?"
The legend of Estalenia is a myth-like story handed down from the Estal Empire.
Of course, this legend varies from region to region.
It is said that if you give Estalenia to a loved one and then have a heartbreaking breakup with them, the goddess Renia will take pity on you and give you a chance.
That is why this flower is called the flower of the gods and Estalenia, named after the god and the empire.
"That's ridiculous........."
Youngmin touched his face repeatedly.
at that time
Drumroll-
The door opened, and the Emperor... no, the Emperor, Yeongmin's father, came in. He slowly approached Yeongmin with a sad look in his eyes and a smile.
"baby........"
The emperor approached Yeongmin, who was sitting blankly in front of the mirror, and hugged him tightly, saying
"I thought I was losing you.........
I thought that cold pond was taking you away........"
Thump-
Tears of longing and joy at reunion flowed from Youngmin's eyes, and he sobbed in a strange voice, saying, "Dad...Dad...."
__________________________________________
Time has passed, and the sunset has already begun to set.
"Does anything hurt?"
Instead of answering, Youngmin shook his head.
I did this because I thought it would make a strange sound if I raised my voice in this state.
During his long reign as emperor, Yeongmin kept himself locked away somewhere deep within his heart.
But when I saw my dad, the box suddenly fell open.
'Here....... you are alive.........'
__________________________________________
It is now the year 1011 in the imperial calendar.
In other words, Youngmin has returned to 10 years ago.
Youngmin sat in front of the mirror and stared intently at the unfamiliar yet familiar face of a 17-year-old boy.
Unlike the expressionless 27-year-old, the boy in the mirror had a variety of expressions.
"Did I.... do this?"
The boy didn't hide his expression like a young man and smiled warmly at everyone.
Just like the 'Youngmin' that the young man had been searching for for a long time.
"Yeah... that was me."
The boy... no, Youngmin smiled bitterly.
With that smile, he erased the image of the youth that remained within him.
"Good job, Youngmin."
And Youngmin naturally accepted the fact that he had returned to 10 years ago.
Well... he accepted this fact more easily since he was back in the time he had longed for so much.
"The reason I came back here is........
"Isn't it that Lady Lenia gave me the opportunity to protect my precious ones with my own hands........?"
At that moment, a servant's voice was heard from beyond the door.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, let's go eat."