Seven years. Seven years from her departure and Seulgi knows she is ready.

She is stronger, she is braver and this time, she will give Joohyun's heart back to her.

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Seven years.

Seven years of commemorating Joohyun's victory and it stands as her first time to attend one.

Seulgi smiles and places her hand against the cold marble statue.

“Hi there, Princess,” she whispers.

The soft breeze that blew across the field prompts her to close her eyes and she feels peace wash over her as it hits her skin. It makes her think of Joohyun—of the times she would lightly expel energy from her palms when Seulgi teases her too much, and it was during moments like this that she admits to herself that while she has come to terms with her feelings, she could not help but miss her.

Gods, this place really is reminiscent of her.

She opens her eyes and surveys her surroundings. Curious flowers bloom by the foot of the statue—exact replicas of the flower pins she used to wear. She remembers when they miraculously started blooming about three years ago. She remembers how she clenched her fists so hard when she heard of the news in passing from the Adventurer’s Guild. She remembers the emptiness that crawled into her heart when she learned that people named the flower “Irene”—clearly lifted from her name as an angel.

She remembered asking why.

Why would they name it after her—as if she’s gone, as if she’s dead?!

Seulgi laughs in the present. Now with her mind clear, she can see why they chose that name as she watches how the petals seem to reflect the soft rays of sunlight. Not only were they copies of her pins, but they also capture her light, her radiance, her purity. It was quite a sight to see and she somehow regrets not visiting this place sooner.

Her eyes trail upwards, to the statue in front of her, and she smiles warmly. There she is, standing tall, with her palms resting atop the pommel of her sword pointed to the ground. She looks just like the knight that she is—except she is not.

For she is an angel through and through, she thinks as her gaze lands on the two pairs of wings behind her back.

She silently applauds the sculptors who worked hard to build her memento. Her wings, quite unlike the feathery ones depicted in the God of Schedar, and the wind gliders of the people from Schedar, were captured really well. They look just like the ones which materialized behind her that night. She remembers them seeming so fragile, like they were made of glass. But in her eyes, they were perfect for they framed her with a soft light befitting of her name Irene which means peace.

She sighs. Though the cold marble will never quite capture her regality, she still finds herself mesmerized by her beauty. Even through the years.

A small part of her heart wants to cry because seeing her like this, even as a statue, fills her with something indescribable and she entertains the thought that maybe, she still isn’t as healed as she likes to think. But she shrugs it off. She has come a long way. She believes she has, for simply being here is proof that she is not the girl she was when she refused to attend this yearly celebration of Joohyun's victory. She is not the girl she was when she threw away the Knights of schedars’ invitation to be there when the seven Guardian God blessed this statue with their elements. She is no