Soon, the royal carriage reached the river. From inside of the carriage, Seren could see its beautiful clear waters as the carriage rode along the riverbank. The river water was sparkling under the sun, as if tiny jewels were scattered on the surface. She moved her hand to open the carriage window to get a clearer view, but the glass was stuck and she couldn't move it.
"Let me do it." Cian helped her open the window. The clean smell of the greenery around them seemed to have refreshed her spirits.
Seren had been to the river before but after she only sneaked out with Martha through the secret way connecting the back of the tower to a clearing just outside the palace walls. Since her tower was in the outermost area of the royal palace, the distance was short enough to cover it by walking. However, since they went out without permission, the two of them could never truly spend leisurely time outside and could only stay in one area by the river.
But this time, Seren felt an entirely new experience. Sitting inside a smooth-moving carriage, the gentle wind coming in the window playing with her hair and brushing along her face was something she had never felt before. She found this to her liking, this sensation like floating in the air, and closed her eyes to enjoy the cold and pleasant breeze from the river. Coupled with the natural scent from the trees and the grass, it even smelled better.
Opposite her, Cian simply sat quietly to observe his sister's reaction. He was gratified to see her happy.? She looked like an excited little girl out on her first trip, even putting her head a bit out of the window to take a peek at the view outside.
Though Cian couldn't see her entire face, from her eyes, he could guess she must have been smiling at this moment.
'Such an ordinary thing is enough to make her this excited. She needs nothing but such small things to be happy,' he thought. Somehow, the thought made him give a sad smile in her direction. 'Though Father has his reasons, he has truly been unfair to her…'
For Cian, what his sister was enjoying at the moment was nothing special. It was not a breathtaking sight, but he could understand it meant more to her.
As he immersed himself in various thoughts, from his side vision he noticed something was changing around. Outside of the window, various colors started appearing from the sea of green that covered the riverside. The trees, the shrubs, the grass… every plant able to bear flowers, all of them were splashed with colors. Flowers started blooming everywhere as if they were paying homage to the Goddess of Spring.
Not only Cian but also the coachman driving the carriage as well as the knights on horseback escorting them were all surprised by this miraculous change around them. Remembering who was inside the carriage, they put two and two together and realized this was caused by the Third Princess. This was a rare situation to happen and few had ever personally witnessed it; they couldn't help but feel equally happy. The entire riverbank had turned into a beautiful and colorful painting with astonishing scenery.
Soon, the miracle of the blossoms spread and the entire capital was covered with colorful and beautiful flowers everywhere. Inside the gardens of the royal palace, the residences and manors of the nobles and merchants, even the backyards of the ordinary civilians... The people understood what it meant, but along with cursing the witch in their minds, they could not ignore the beauty around them.
"So before leaving this kingdom, the witch is at least doing something good."
"Getting married to a king must have made her happy."
"She doesn't deserve to be a queen but as long as she leaves this kingdom, it's fine."
"Let her ruin some other kingdom and spare us."
"Hah. She is happy now, not knowing we will be even happier when she's gone."
In one part of the capital, a young girl happily pointed at a beautiful blossom. "Mother, the Third Princess made the flowers bloom! How powerful! Is she not amazing?"
"Daughter, don't be naive!" her mother rebuked. "Amazing? This beauty is what she robbed from us. Before she came, flowers naturally bloomed in our city. She is only returning it now, as she should have long ago. That cursed existence!"
People from all walks of life shared similar views, educating some of the younger generation and the guests from outside the capital who were awed by the sight of the beautiful flowers.
As more people inquired, the news of Seren's marriage being fixed with the King of Megaris spread throughout the entire capital. They rejoiced at the announcement, but not for the wedding of their third princess itself, but that finally, the witch would be leaving this kingdom.
The carriage soon stopped at one place along the riverbank. Seren, who was enjoying that peaceful ride, looked puzzled as to why they had stopped and looked at her brother.
"Riding is fine, but I think you enjoy walking along the riverbank better," Cian said.
Seren nodded, and soon a knight opened the door of the carriage and placed a small stool for Seren to step on.
Like a true gentleman, Cian stepped out of the carriage first and offered his sister his hand. She accepted it and happily climbed out of the carriage.
From the books, Seren knew that this river was the largest and longest river in the continent. This riverbank spanned almost as long as the kingdom itself, thus, she was not surprised to find the view unfamiliar. In fact, she eagerly looked at the scenery.
Seren and Martha had never come to this part of the river. Her nanny had always brought her to the same place just behind the tower, where she would sit on a large rock in the shallow part of the river and put her feet in the water.
As she let her eyes wander, she noticed that there was a strange sight nearby, from which water flowed down from a rocky ledge before joining the river. The water looked like a huge white cloth hanging down from the edge of a cliff before floating in the air like a mass of clouds.
'This...is this a waterfall? The thing I saw in picture books only?'