The morning after, I woke up to Hera playing with my hair. “Good morning,” she whispered with her morning voice, arms still around me.

“Good morning,” I yawned, rubbing my eyes. I looked at the window behind me. The sun had yet to come up.

“It’s only dawn,” Hera explained. “You can sleep more in you want.”

How could she be that awake in such a morning? Did she always wake up at this hour every day? No wonder I never see her sleeping in the morning. “No,” I said, sitting up. “We’re leaving today, right?”

“What’s wrong?” she asked, rubbing my cheek with her thumb. “Do you want to stay for one more day?”

I shook my head. “Let’s leave,” I decided. “But, well, we can explore this place a bit more before we leave—or get caught.”

Hera got up. “Sounds good,” she agreed. Then, she asked where I wanted to explore—to that I answered, the garden.

I couldn’t see the garden clearly last night, so I wanted to go back there. The garden was lush, covered in various species. I wanted to see the color under the sunlight.

We sneaked out to the garden. Our plan was to sneak out the bedroom, to the garden, and left through the ‘secret passage’ we went in from. It was less risky that way. So, we picked up our bags and jumped out the window. I believed no one caught us.

Well, if anyone had caught us, we would be dead by then.

We tiptoed—well, not really tiptoeing, but we were especially careful on our steps—until we arrived at the garden. The garden in sunrise—it was surreal. I was bewitched by how divine the garden was. The sunlight shone on various flowers, popping the color of each. The warm of light against my cheek, comforting and soothing. I was embraced by the light, pleasant and pure. My eyes were set on the scenery around me.

It was beautiful. It was daring. It was everything I could ever imagine.

I was so amazed at the view. Imagining that someone lived here, seeing this view every single day. Oh, how envious!

I ran around the garden, watching each species of plants I didn’t recognize. I never had the luxury to educate myself, alright? All I know is, they were all beautiful flowers. Colorful flowers. Sweet, sweet flowers.

I sound like a poet, don’t I? Like some pretentious philosopher, acting like live is good and all. But, that was what I felt in that moment. I was surged with emotions and warmth I never felt before. I was enchanted, in that dream of a fairy tale. No longer in a tragic comedy was I.

Interrupting my amazement, Hera placed her hand on my hip, pulling me closer. I lifted my head, right in time for her to kiss my forehead. “Do you like it?” she asked.

“I do,” I admitted, my eyes landing on the scenery again.

She let go of me, telling me to enjoy my time while she waited. I nodded and ran off to look for something even more enticing. I saw butterflies, landing on the flowers. I saw birds, chirping in the morning. I saw morning dew on the leaves, clear as it could be.

Hera then called out to me. As I turned around, she tucked a flower on my ear. “It suits you,” she said, smiling in satisfaction. I touched the flower, not knowing what it was. “Do you know what flower it is?” she asked.

I shook my head.

Hera dragged me to an area full of red, beautiful flowers. “It’s carnation,” she explained. I eyed the deep red color on the petals, admiring the alluring beauty of a flora. “It suits you.”

I felt my cheek warming, turning away in embarrassment. My eyes spotted a similar flower, a white one. I made my way there, picking up one of them, then came back to her. I tucked the flower on her ear. “This one suits you,” I claimed, grinning. It did suit her. She was magnificent, shining like a diamond in the cage of a garden. She was glamoured in ethereal beauty. She was shy when I complimented her. But, I wasn’t wrong. After all, wasn’t beauty in the eye of the beholder?