Episode 389
‘I have some free time, so let’s go.’
I nodded and headed to the Emperor’s conference room with the wonhwa.
A familiar face appeared in the conference room.
“KRW!”
Liam, wearing a white knight’s cloak, shouted with a bright face.
“yes?”
“yes?”
“yes!”
When the new Eastern Army, Southern Army, and Northern Army responded, Liam muttered, “Ah…”
The other white knights, that is, those from the western army, laughed.
“There are other original artists, so I have to name them correctly.”
Liam scratched his neck as Coo, a former member of the West County Sangjang County, grinned.
“It’s a call to arms for the Western Army.”
“four!”
A bright answer was heard from behind the door along with a gasping sound.
Wonhwa of Hyeon Seogun, who was very excited and ran out, followed behind.
Liam was embarrassed again, and in the conference room, there was a fu-ha! A sound of laughter erupted.
I also laughed and said.
“Now, the West Army’s original painting is Miss Jinni Lishou, so please call me differently… instead, please call me differently.”
“It’s awkward when you speak so loudly.”
“Now, Wonhwa is definitely going to graduate.”
“….”
Jowick became quiet and looked back.
The knights from the Western Army who were sitting also had strange expressions.
The people from the western military exchanged glances and then laughed.
Ku, from Sangjang County, West County, approached me.
Then he bent his knees and looked up at me with the same expression as the boy he used to have.
“The only time Qu knelt down was when he was appointed to the Sanggun Army.”
“At any time and at any time, even if we call it by a different name, it is our original painting.”
“I’m grateful.”
“Please allow me to address you one last time.”
I looked at the new Western Army original painting.
She said, “Of course it’s okay!” She nodded her head loudly, so I answered as well.
“okay.”
The knights from the Western Army stood up and knelt down at once.
Ku opened his mouth again.
“Stema Lydor. (Source of flame.)”
Liam Zorwick Kazin shouted at the same time.
“Carl Lonesse! (The strongest original painting!)”
So I responded.
“Ivoa ta las stema. (The flame of the empire will burn forever.)”
The eyes of the knights from the Western Army twinkled.
Liam stretched the corners of his mouth as if trying to hold back his tears.
‘That much?’
I guess the main character buff from the <Little Captain of the Knights> story hasn’t ended.
“Carl Lonesse! Carl—Lo—ness!”
Liam is great! He shouted and tried to hug me, but I took a step back.
‘That’s a bit weird.’
“Anyway, please call me Miss Astra from now on.”
Ku stood up and said.
“I am waiting for the day when I can call you Your Majesty.”
“Well… I guess I’ll ask for an escort next time.”
As I let out a laugh, laughter erupted again in the conference room.
The original artists looked at us with very excited expressions.
I enjoyed leisurely and peaceful times with those who were once my knights.
* * *
“miss.”
While we were talking for a while, I heard Han Ji-hyuk’s voice.
It seemed like it was time to go to the emperor’s palace.
“then.”
As I bowed my head, knights from the Western Army came out to the front of the palace to see me off.
“I look forward to seeing you again. …Lady Astra.”
“Stay healthy and always have fun.”
“yes.”
The other knights bowed their heads deeply.
So, Han Ji-hyuk and I passed through the iron gate to head to the emperor’s palace.
But not long after, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“Won… no, Miss Astra!”
“Lady Astra!”
It was Jowick and Kazin.
When I turned around, two people quickly came running towards me.
Jowick said, exhaling.
“I don’t know how this will sound. You can think of me as a weirdo! Even if you dare say it would be a betrayal of your master, Regent Alexis…!”
I took a step back with an anxious expression.
‘What is this, you bastard?’
Two days ago, Wiel Langro also confessed with this exact expression.
As I was slowly taking a step back, Jowick said with a bright smile on his face.
“Please introduce me to your sister!”
“…what? “What?”
“I have nothing to say even if you call me a delusional person, but… Haha! “Do you know my blessings?”
know. It’s <Eyes that See the Past>.
As I nodded, Jowick scratched the back of his head and said.
“I saw your past when you were young. “In my memory, I saw a person who looked exactly like the Lady, and it was sad that it looked like it would break at any moment.”
“….”
“….”
Jihyuk Han and I looked at each other.
‘Could it be… that I was an adult before my return?’
Han Ji-hyuk nodded his head.
Jowick bowed deeply.
“I know how immoral it is to dare to ask the regent’s lover for such an introduction. But I have never forgotten her for a single moment!”
“….”
“I trained with her desire to protect her from her hurt! Please give me a chance!”
“….”
“You’re her cousin, right? “It’s not right to do something like that, but I heard from people around me that the woman of similar age is Kara Astra…!”
“Ah, Kara.”
“yes! Please introduce Kara!”
“…Send a letter to Han Astra.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Jowick was overjoyed.
“Thank you!”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“yes!”
“Then go…”
“ancient!”
Jowick returned excitedly.
Jihyuk Han whispered to me.
“It’s not Kara.”
“Kara, you asked me to introduce you to her sister. Well, Jowick is her older sister’s style.”
I just like making fun of the sports club’s bodacious style.
Her older sister is also a beauty with brittle lines.
‘It went well…’
She thought and looked at Kazin.
“Lord Ravio, do you have anything to say?”
“…Last time, the lady was confident that I would become a general.”
“yes.”
“Why?”
“Why are you curious about that?”
“I am a foreigner. He became a white knight for his meritorious actions against the Seogun-il enemy, but remained in Hanjik. “How can I become a general like that?”
“Hmm.”
“Why did you cheer me up?”
“Are you excited?”
“…yes?”
“I asked him if my words made him emotional and gave him hope.”
“….”
“That’s probably because it was Sir Ravio’s dream to become a general in the first place.”
“….”
“Then you don’t need my assurance, right? “Is there any dream that requires the confidence of others?”
“….”
Kazin looked at me blankly.
He said with a bitter smile.
“yes. I guess so… Dreams that require the confidence of others are only shabby.”
Kazin awkwardly lowered her head.
“You stole my lady’s time with useless words. sorry.”
I shouted at him as he tried to turn away.
“Because he’s such a serious person!”
“yes?”
“Because he is a person who is serious about his dreams and spares no effort. “I wanted a society where such a person could get what he wanted, so he said, ‘I will become a great general!’”
“….”
“I can’t give you any certainty. Because only you can give yourself confidence. but….”
I took something out of my coat pocket and handed it to Kazin.
“I will also bet my hopes on your dream. “Please show us that Kyung, who spared no effort, ultimately gets what he wants.”
“This….”
“It’s Ragon’s scale.”
This is a crystal of power that is more powerful than Orichalcon and more sacred than the divine tree.
If you have it, it will definitely be helpful during battle.
“It is precious to me, so when you achieve your dream, please pass it on to others.”
“…You’re not giving it back?”
“yes. So, let my precious Ragon scale remain as a ‘token of hope.’”
“…I will pass it on to those who have dreams that are difficult to achieve. “As a ‘token of hope.’”
I nodded with a smile.
There were times when I struggled desperately and worked hard.
In the end, I achieved my dream.
I have gained this peaceful world.
Kazin will probably have to struggle desperately and work hard.
But I also hope that he eventually achieves his dream.
I hope that the scales on my hands will be passed on to others beyond Kazin.
Become a sign of hope.
After Kazin left, I spoke to Jihyuk Han with a relieved expression.
“let’s go!”
.
.
Later, Kazin Ravio takes on the scales of the world’s youngest dragon and subdues a vicious dragon.
It was natural that he, who became a dragon knight, would rise to the position of the most glorious military commander in the empire.
And the token of hope given by one girl is passed on to another girl.
As a token of hope.
* * *
By the time we arrived at the basement of the emperor’s palace, all preparations for the ceremony had been completed.
The Empress Dowager and the Empress welcomed me.
“Welcome.”
“Wasn’t the way here difficult?”
I spread my skirt wide and greeted the two of them.
“I meet Her Majesty the Empress Dowager and Her Majesty the Empress. “Thanks to your concern, I enjoyed my stay.”
“Thank goodness.”
The Empress laughed and pointed to her center with one hand.
“It’s over there.”
Center of Jin. The emperor lay on an ivory table.
I nodded.
“Doesn’t the Regent participate in the ceremony?”
“okay. “There is work left to do.”
I nodded and headed to the center of the camp.
The healers stood in a circle outside the camp.
I slowly looked at the emperor.
‘ah….’
Above the emperor’s body was a soul with a strange glow.
[It’s amazing that the face I see at the last moment is you.]
It was the emperor.
“Did you exist as a soul?”
“what?”
“what?”
“what….”
The Empress Dowager and even the healers looked at me with puzzled expressions.
I looked at the emperor’s soul.
“When did you become like this?”
[well. At this point, I had no time to feel the passage of time, so I stopped counting. However, even with your time, it would not have been much.]
“The last moment means….”
[Send me.]
“….”
[I cannot escape from the body. It seems to be the influence of the strange magic he received from Crumatus and Grimier. I know that it would be wrong for me to return to my body.]
“Are you going to rest?”
[No… to that kid’s side.]
What the emperor was looking at was a maid with bronze skin and lake-blue eyes.
‘Esther.’
She was a stranger who raised Crumatus secretly underground under orders from the emperor as his maid.
“Do you love me?”
[What is love?]
The emperor said with an arrogant expression.
He seemed to think it was ridiculous that he dared talk about love to me.
“The feeling of wanting to protect you, the feeling of wanting to watch you by your side, becoming affectionate without you even realizing it. When you look at it, it breaks your heart and is so desperate that you want to hurt for it. …Something like that.”
[…If that’s what love is, I guess I love Esther.]
“….”
[Send me to that kid.]
“He has not become a perfect patron saint. “Not being able to leave the body means that the body is the end that connects us to the world.”
[I guess that if it leaves the body, it can disappear completely.]
“Are you still going to go?”
[…You probably think I’m a foolish emperor. You might think it’s shabby and shabby. But I was perfect as emperor.]
“….”
[Because the emperor is someone who cannot exist as an individual. I have never existed as Julius Calsoier for a single moment.]
“….”
[So, for the last time, I will exist as me. Please. No, I will beg you. Please help me live my life next to that child.]
The emperor grinned.
[In return, I will tell you a secret known only to the emperor. Please tell this to Alexis.]
“…yes.”
I looked around with a calm expression.
“Begin the ritual.”
A ceremony to grant the emperor’s last wish.
* * *
The ceremony went on for a very long time.
A full day passed and on the second day, the healers fainted from exhaustion, leaving only Erilot and Esther in the basement.
Erilot and the Emperor had many conversations.
[Haha, it was true that Alexis was hiding in the waterway.]
“It wasn’t even a waterway. “It’s a rain gutter.”
[What happened to Ocelia and Salvatore?]
“You will not be able to avoid the death penalty. However, since the country is in chaos, it is said that the execution of traitors will proceed after the regent ascends the throne.”
[Oh, this Siron must be happy after losing her daughter to Celia.]
“Duke Ishiron is very enthusiastic.”
Julius, who was not an emperor, was a dull man.
It made me wonder if he was this kind of person.
“Your Majesty killed my grandfather before returning. So, His Majesty was my enemy.”
[It must have been for the good of the country. They probably did it because they decided that Astra was not needed.]
“…I don’t think they attacked Astra for personal gain. Above all, he has not harmed me or my family. “I will forgive you.”
[…It’s foolish.]
“Because he is Alexis’ father. “That would be something I could do for him who gave his entire life for me.”
[How can people be creatures that only regret in the end? …thanks.]
A light appeared in Jin.
Esther approached Jin in surprise.
“What happened? “Are you able to recover?”
“….”
“Aren’t you lacking in magical power? If there is a price to pay, please use my life. Even if you use every single hair…!”
“…You said you loved me.”
“yes?”
“That’s why he said he wanted to spend the night with you by your side.”
“….”
Esther buried her face in his hands.
Maybe she was me, maybe the emperor was Alexis.
If we had been defeated then so be it.
So I decided to be merciful.
“If she tells me, I will tell her.”
[Please ask someone else to tell you.]
“Why?”
[Because I want you to forget me and be happy. I don’t want my every word to become a shackle.]
“….”
[Tell the Empress that I am sorry. It is said that she also respected the Queen Mother. And to Alexis…]
“….”
[Tell them to live unlike me. Tell him that you will support him and tell him to become a man hundreds of times better than his father.]
“yes….”
Light enveloped the entire basement.
A chain shining with a strange color appeared above the emperor’s body.
It soon shattered with a cracking sound, and the emperor’s soul fell to the floor.
[Oh, I can go anywhere now. This heavy gold crown will not hold me.]
“Your Majesty, your Majesty…!”
Esther wept as she foresaw the emperor’s end.
Her emperor embraced her.
He has a soul, but as a man.
As a man, not an emperor.
I looked at that figure and smiled.
That would be a happy ending for him too.
Later records said:
He loved the emperor and the empire who committed deep sins.
The emperor who built the district office that lasted for thousands of years.
He was the father and sister-in-law of the Ming lords and empresses who remained in history.
* * *
The Empress Dowager and Empress sighed.
This was because the healing ritual convinced the emperor that he could not recover.
“So you sent the soul to Esther. “Thank you for your effort.”
“I’m sorry.”
The Empress and Empress smiled.
“what. I’m just thankful. But when should the national funeral be held….”
“When the soul is broken, the body will also close its eyes.”
“When do you think?”
“It turned out to be longer than I thought. “I’m thinking about 1 to 2 years.”
“…Julius will enjoy his trip so far.”
It was then.
“Alexis serves as regent.”
I got up.
“We were talking about ritual. “I was talking about… not.”
“When did you cheat on me?”
“Because you are the regent.”
“Not from today.”
“…what?”
Alexis put down a mountain of documents in front of the Empress.
“We even obtained permission from the royal family elders. I am coming down from the top of the regent and entering succession classes.”
“okay. In that case, the empress will serve as regent—”
“no.”
I flinched at Alexis’s firm words.
‘no way…!’
Alexis grinned.
“Meet the Regent Elizabeth.”
“…!”
The Empress Dowager was startled.
The Empress and Alexis looked at each other and smiled.
said the empress.
“Please let her take charge of the country until this child can ascend the throne, Queen Mother.”
“But the role of the regent is…!”
“Your Queen is most worthy of it.”
The Empress Dowager looked troubled.
It had been her empress’s long-held dream to rule over her empire, but it seemed she had no desire to push her empress and become her regent.
I clap my hands! she said, striking.
“If you do it, do it like this!”
“how?”
“Her Majesty the Empress will serve as her regent, and Her Majesty the Empress will watch over her. “I’m watching to see if you’re doing well or if you’re heading down a good path.”
“….”
The Empress widened her eyes, but the Empress smiled.
“That’s a really good idea.”
“Is that so?”
Alexis said while the Empress and I were laughing.
“My Majesty and I have been away for a long time. “Please let Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, who has guarded the imperial palace for much longer than us, take charge of it.”
“…I will take charge of it until you ascend to the throne.”
“Fortunately, the. “I wanted to leave it with her grandmother and go on vacation.”
“vacation?”
When I looked at Alexis as if asking what she meant, the Empress and Empress laughed.
It seems like these two people know something.
The Empress stood up and gently pushed my back.
“You’re going to be late, go out.”
“yes?”
“I wish you a pleasant trip.”
What are you talking about?
I was panicking when Alexis held my hand.
And he started walking down the hallway at a brisk pace.
The place he was heading to was the carriage waiting area…
“uh?”
That’s not the carriage I rode in!
I saw an ebony wooden carriage that only the Duke of Astra could ride.
It was then.
“I got scolded for waiting. Get in quickly!”
“come here.”
“No, sit here.”
The carriage window opened and Balzac Joshua Richmond appeared.
His father and mother were also seen inside.
“what. What happened!”
I shouted in embarrassment and Alexis grinned.
“What is it? “It’s a trip.”
“so why…!”
“You’ve been busy so far. “Let’s hang out for about four days.”
The brothers chuckled.
“I joined because it was a good idea!”
Balzac said, opening the carriage door.
Joshua grinned and pointed behind him.
“There are a lot of people over there too.”
“…who?”
“In Liantin’s carriage, there are cousins like Milan Dionera Selene, in Conrad’s carriage there are Jeanne and four maids, and in Michelan Han Ji-hyeok Igritz’s carriage there are knights. “My grandfather is going with Viscount Debussy.”
“What really?”
“no?”
“…It’s gonna be fun.”
As I smiled and held Alexis’ hand, my father and brothers’ eyes widened.
“away!”
“away.”
“Can you please stop falling?”
“Get away.”
Then mom pushed her dad’s face and said,
“Let’s go quietly.”
“Are you okay? “My daughter…!”
“They say love for a son-in-law is for a mother-in-law.”
“What a son-in-law!”
Mom said to me as she cleaned her dad’s face one more time.
“You come with the prince.”
“yes!”
The carriage set off.
I was very excited about my first vacation.
When we got into the carriage, Alexis came and sat next to me.
“Why?”
“I like it here.”
The carriage departed without even being told to go.
The imperial carriage was very fast, so it quickly passed through the streets and entered the forest.
“and!”
I saw a lake.
“I want to show it to Marie too.”
“Aquila and I are probably already here.”
“really?”
“okay. Because Mari prepared the trip. “She’s the one who said let’s gather all the people you love.”
“After all, it’s Mari.”
“As expected, it’s Alexis—isn’t it?”
He narrowed his eyes and I giggled, grabbing his face with both hands.
“He’s my boyfriend, after all.”
“…Good to hear.”
Alexis took my hand.
and….
point.
They lightly pressed their lips together.
I cleared my throat loudly and turned my head.
“…When did you learn something like this?”
“I learned it from you.”
After saying that, he took out something.
It was a small ring case.
“…What is it?”
“It’s your coming-of-age ceremony soon.”
Ah, a coming-of-age ring.
In this world, adults are considered to be eighteen years old.
Alexis put a ring on my hand.
“Is the design different from last time?”
“It contained a dragon scale and a special gemstone.”
“What?”
“A piece of your soul found in Dahlia’s broken body.”
“…what?”
“It seems that your mother’s curse protected a piece of your soul from being broken.”
“….”
“When I asked Dr. Manche, he said that if this were the case, we might be able to meet the Guardian Saint again.”
I looked at him with trembling eyes.
“I thought I would never see my dad again….”
“We will meet again.”
“…thank you. “It’s the best gift.”
I hugged Alexis’ neck.
I spent all my childhood with this man.
Even when you’re sad, when you’re happy, and when you’re overwhelmingly happy.
I said to Alexis.
“Will you marry me when you grow up?”
“What I want to say….”
Alexis and I looked at each other.
I smiled.
“I’ve liked you for a long time.”
“I’ve loved you for a long time.”
Ah, I was truly happy without any break.
I will continue to spend happy times with this man and the people I love.
This is how my childhood ended.
I will become an adult and walk another life.
Even if I fall and get hurt again, I never give up.
Absolutely happy.
<End>
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