195. For the person who left (1)
I swallowed the back horse and grabbed the reins of the horse that was blowing black smoke. I tried to get on it, but the guy refused and started to complain, perhaps because he was reluctant due to his track record of running to the death without stopping.
Deon let out a laugh.
“Now I’m going to stop doing it…”
Whoop! He pulled the reins towards me and forced eye contact. The bright red eyes glowed dangerously, filled with annoyance and murder.
“do you want to die?”
“….”
The horse lowered his body.
***
As everyone left and darkness fell on the collapsed palace filled with silence, someone stepped into the ruins that would be buried in history.
Unlike the slow pace, as if hesitating as if he was not on the wrong path, his steps move forward steadily without stopping even once. My feet walked diligently, never speeding up or slowing down, and only stopped when I arrived in front of someone’s body.
The luggage bag I was holding in my hand fell onto the blood-soaked floor.
“…ah.”
His blood-covered lips were cracked, as if he had been chewed several times, and he let out a faint voice.
“at last.”
It was a moan, a suppressed scream, and at the same time it contained deep resignation.
Saerin, who had been fixating her gaze without blinking even once from the moment the body came into view, slowly collapsed in front of it as if collapsing.
His body was tattered and unrecognizable, as if he had been angry, but his relatively intact head, which seemed to have been left untouched on purpose, clearly indicated that he was a duke. Even if the head was damaged, you would have known it as soon as you saw it. Saerin was sure.
How can I not recognize you?
“…He denies love, ridicules it, and uses it as he pleases…”
It’s okay. You already made up your mind. All you have to do is move according to plan.
After pushing away the offending emperor’s body to expand the space, he took out the tools he had brought with him in advance to clean it up.
A calm murmur continued.
“In the end, even you ended up in the same situation.”
There is a slight difference in that the owner of the leash did not know that he had the ‘peacock’s leash in his hands, but the point is that in the end, he was swayed by lukewarm emotions and gave up his life like those who laughed at him.
Of course, the Duke will deny it until the end.
But what can you do? That’s the truth.
“You pretend to be smart, but you don’t even know the name of your feelings.”
How much time had passed? The settlement was almost over.
Considering this condition, it would be better to cremate the body rather than just bury it. Saerin stood up and let out a faint sigh.
“dip.”
He spoke in a business-like but softer voice than before to someone who would no longer be able to hear him.
“The Church of Salvation will collapse. “We have already consumed many people… We can maintain it if we want to, but there is no need to hold on to the Church of Salvation without you.”
and.
Saerin recited the final report as she walked to find a suitable place to burn his body.
“I’m thinking of going to another country. “Even if it’s for your revenge, I don’t think you’d like me to recklessly reach out to an empire ruled by people I care about.”
***
The emperor… my uncle has passed away. It was something I expected.
Contrary to my intention to move with him even if it was necessary, I was pressured by an unexpectedly strong will and moved without being able to say anything, and you wouldn’t have to be a fool to know that. Edoardo Desert wanted to die on the spot.
From the ‘crown prince’s’ point of view, it is a choice that is beneficial as long as it is not harmful, and above all, it was his choice alone, so it is right to respect it, but…
“Are you comfortable now?”
Crown Prince Elpidius, who was left alone after sending everyone out, including the princess, asked toward the empty coffin.
“In the end, you really… take responsibility for everything and leave.”
Just being stubborn and useless.
I’m so sad and angry that it’s almost impossible to be sane. Nevertheless, I could not dare to criticize him as cowardly running away to death.
Because the emperor had done enough. No, I should say that it is overflowing since I have taken on things that I don’t have to take responsibility for.
I should have told you at that time that I wasn’t responsible.
[It’s my fault. I will take full responsibility.]
It wasn’t his fault.
1 Why should he apologize if he was not the one who killed the prince’s father? The only thing he did wrong was that he did as his father asked. He suppressed our ominous feelings and clung to us, telling us not to go, and sent our father away.
Of course, I was young at the time, so instead of saying it was okay, I looked at him with resentful eyes and turned away…
“…Ah.”
Elpidius groaned at the new realization. I was out of breath.
“Now we are sinners.”
I was left with a feeling of guilt that I could never resolve.
At that time, when I told him that I would take responsibility not to blame my uncle, I would have told him that there was no need to do that. I would have consoled him who was struggling with guilt and tried to live a peaceful and happy life. Instead of giving up easily just because you are stubborn, I should have approached you a little closer, held your hand, and persuaded you.
…I should have apologized at least belatedly for expressing my resentment.
“This alone is heavy, uncle, how on earth did you hold on?”
While he was alive, he must have felt like he was our sinner. Even though I knew it, I just brushed it off by thinking, ‘It will be okay someday,’ ‘It’s been a while, but it must be okay now,’ and ‘I’m a strong person by nature, so it’ll be okay,’ but it was too much of a problem.
The tide has turned.
Now the sinners were Elpidius and Alethea. The target is none other than Edoardo.
How can we atone for the dead? I thought I had grown up quite maturely, but now I see that I wasn’t. I didn’t even care about my nearest and dearest, so what else could this be if not immaturity?
“We really… grew up comfortably within our uncle’s enclosure.”
I used to feel sorry for children who don’t appreciate their parents’ hard work, but I never thought that would be me.
It is natural that a strong protector seems to be bigger than anyone else and will last forever. I was fooled by that obviousness. By the time you realize you’ve been tricked, it’s already irreversible.
Elpidius ended up burying his face in his hands.
“How did you raise us so immaturely?”
You are cowardly. I know you shouldn’t call me cowardly, but you are truly a coward.
What if you leave me feeling so guilty? The yellow crown alone is heavy, so if this suddenly happens, how are you going to ask me to hold on?
It’s scary, uncle. It’s too much. I have only one family left in this world. Just like I did with my uncle, this is a family I cannot rely on and have to protect.
“I want to run away.”
Succession training? Taking over? Even if you prepare these things in advance, you cannot overcome the anxiety of losing a reliable guardian in an instant and standing in an unfamiliar place. The golden eyes revealed between the fingers were filled with vulnerability and shook as if they would break.
I really want to run away. I want to throw everything away and run away because the things I have to be responsible for are overwhelming, but paradoxically, I cannot run away because of the things I am responsible for. And above all….
[It is terrible to even think about being remembered as the last emperor of a ruined country or being completely forgotten and disappearing into the back of history without even leaving a trace of his name!] I have even heard people say that it would be okay if he had just stayed, but it was simply because it was too burdensome
. Elpidius was not shameless enough to run away.
That’s why I hold on to the heart that cries out that I want to run away and search my mind for a reason to passionately protect the throne. Without even thinking about it, a feeling arose.
“…plural.”
I found a reason to keep my position. Elpidius gritted his teeth.
“I will not run away, even if it is to avenge my uncle.”
Deonhardt killed his uncle.
I know that my uncle’s own choice was at the root, but even if he had chosen life, he would have pursued me persistently and tried to kill me. Moreover, if I don’t cling to this, I feel like I’ll abandon everything and run away.
I raised my head. An empty coffin with only a fancy appearance came into view.
Edoardo Desert’s body does not exist here. I wanted to order someone to send someone to take care of it, but the prime minister blocked it.
[The Demon King’s army may still remain. Even if you send someone, there is a high possibility that it will end in a dog’s death…]
[It’s His Majesty’s body! How can you say such a thing!]
[This is exactly what His Majesty wanted!]
[…What?]
[Your Majesty… said that he does not place any value on a body without its soul. He said he didn’t want to waste his troops just to save that one piece of meat.] The
phrase “piece of meat” is so extreme that it is painful for those who hear it. Nevertheless, Elpidius had no choice but to keep his mouth shut because the words were so uncle-like.
Really… he is a person who has a knack for bringing out devastated emotions and admiration in those who see him. I never dreamed that it would be like that even after death.
‘….’
I turned around after watching the funeral without a body.
As I walked forward and opened the door, I made eye contact with the princess Alethea, who had been pacing in front of the door as if she had been waiting.
“…Brother.”
“….”
The first thing I saw was the red, sunken eyes. Next, tears fall silently.
Elpidius watched this quietly and slowly opened his mouth.
“…I plan to prioritize my uncle’s revenge.”
“….”
“Of course, I will respect my uncle’s wishes and maintain the empire as the basic basis, but for anything beyond that, I plan to place revenge above all else.”
In other words, it means that if it does not affect the ‘maintenance of the empire’, revenge will be prioritized over the empire and its people.
“I know that the person who will become emperor does not intend to have it. Even so, I know that if such a person becomes emperor in a chaotic situation, the worst situation will unfold for the people of the empire. So, if your thoughts are different from mine, I am willing to hand over this position to you…”
“Brother.”
Because the position of emperor is suitable for someone who puts the empire and its people first. Especially at a time when the people of the empire are trembling with anxiety, a monarch who is rational and wise enough to put aside his desire for revenge will be needed.
Aletea was also a candidate for succession to the throne and had received thorough training for succession, so if that was what she thought, Elpidius was planning to give up her position without hesitation.
However, she stopped talking as if there was nothing more to hear and raised the corners of her mouth that were trembling with sadness.
“You think the same as me.”
“….”
“Was there anything more important to us than family in the first place? I want revenge. “I will help too.”
….
The conversation with Alethea is over, and I have managed to control my emotions to some extent. Even so, since the emperor’s seat could not be left empty in an urgent situation, Elpidius stood in front of the nobles that day.
A low, slightly subdued voice filled the space.
“As you know, His Majesty has gone a long way.”
Those who saw the red, bloodshot eyes, although not crying, were silent.
“The situation is urgent, so let’s skip the coronation ceremony.”
“….”
“From now on, I… Jim will command everything.”
While everyone was frozen by the venomous gaze, Alethea moved.
“Glory be to the present empire.”
Her eyes still red, she slowly lowers her body and kneels. Seeing this, Prime Minister Ardal also came to his senses and lowered himself. Only then did the nobles begin to kneel in a panic.
At least there was no backlash here. Because everyone knows that the crown prince took over everything from the emperor a long time ago. What they need now is ‘stability’.
“Glory be to the present empire.”
***
And an order was given to Prime Minister Ardal.
[Please investigate Remember.]
