Swoosh, swoosh. The pleasant sound of combing tickled my ears.
I sat up straight, closed my eyes, and let Eleonora’s skilled hands tend to my hair. Normally, this would be the job of my devoted maids, but Eleonora had insisted on learning to style my hair for today.
After two weeks of intense training, she seemed to have mastered it quite well. The expertise reflected in her deft movements while smoothing, braiding, and securing my hair with ornaments brought me enough comfort to soothe my mind.
How long had I been enjoying this relaxed moment? Just then, a cheerful knock echoed through the room.
“Aria, I’m coming in!”
“No, Lavina… sigh. Excuse me, sis.”
The presence behind the door lacked hesitation; as I was still formulating a response, tough Lavina opened the door.
The ever-energetic Lavina strutted in, followed by Plona, Martini, and Jeil.
“Wasn’t that a bit rude to enter without His Majesty’s permission?”
“It’s fine. Without her usual energy, Lavina would be a corpse.”
Jeil, who had become quite rigid since coming back to life, said apologetically, making me chuckle. I could faintly hear Lavina protesting, but I let it slide.
Anyway, a year. A full year.
Time had flown since that day. It was the first time in my life that I felt how fast time could pass. I briefly recalled that day.
– Trust me.
– Just a bit longer… Yes, there’s really a reaction!!
– Sister! You’ve opened your eyes!
– Your Majesty…? Where are we? No, before that, how did we…?
One year ago, on the day we won the war against Luminous.
I had successfully brought Martini, Jeil, and Stella back to life, with only their hearts remaining.
Martini and Jeil were no longer under Ophelia’s command.
The True Blood I infused into their hearts successfully took control of their lives instead of the deceased Progenitor, and they gained tremendous life force as my followers.
Specifically, it restored their hearts, which had become so weak that they would stop functioning the moment they were removed from their preservation solution, back to bone, muscle, blood, and flesh.
Stella was the same. But unlike Martini and Jeil, I discovered that she wasn’t one of Ophelia’s followers. Regardless, since she was still a corpse, there was no issue in claiming dominion over her.
Thus, a miracle occurred, and the three vampires survived. Even the once-rare bewildered expressions of Martini and Stella had turned into mere memories by now.
“Martini. Where’s Stella?”
“She’s doing last-minute checks before the coronation. She can handle her preparations after yours.”
“Dedicated, huh? Don’t overdo it.”
“Serving Your Majesty is a glory that cannot be overstretched.”
Jeil chimed in smoothly, singing praises in place of Stella, who wasn’t present. I averted my gaze shyly; hearing it outright was a bit embarrassing.
Sheesh, even after a year, the charisma hasn’t worn off. Ever since coming back to life, this keeps up.
“Hmm, I wonder where that fool who challenged you upon first meeting has gone?”
“…Just shut it.”
Martini’s taunt sparked a little spark between Jeil and Martini. Their consistent friendly banter offered a comforting stability akin to classical music.
“Yeah, some things change while others remain the same.”
So much had changed in this past year.
One of the biggest changes was that vampires had finally overcome the sun!
Well, not all vampires, just my followers. My significantly enhanced power, thanks to the dragon’s blood, was transmitted through the True Blood, which seemed to have finally reached a level where they could withstand the sun.
According to Plona and Martini, while they still felt stronger and more comfortable at night, they could now move without any issues under the sun and even cast dark magic.
I didn’t directly ask because it felt too awkward, but I suspected Jeil’s much higher respect was related to this.
Overcoming the sun had been Jeil’s long-held wish. Even if the external threat that was the objective had completely disappeared, I could imagine the immense joy in reclaiming half a lost day.
Once Martini’s survival was secured, I immediately started on the aftermath.
After officially declaring the fall of Luminous and the victory of the allied kingdoms, it probably took almost half a year to coordinate refugees from the Luminous Kingdom and the rapidly growing subordinate forces.
A different kind of hectic life, but I wasn’t alone, and with the help of several people, I steadily tackled the mounting problems before me.
I worked to recover from the chaos caused by the relentless wars and intervened to clean Ophelia’s followers when I found time. I welcomed the dragonkin from the former Drake faction that Eleonora brought, changed the Suwang Kingdom and Greysia Empire into Grand Duchess territories, and sped up reconstruction so that the refugees from the Luminous Kingdom could resettle.
In the process, a royal palace built by dwarf artisans rose in the devastated Lushear. The dwarven stone masons were enthusiastic about this rare large-scale construction.
Even considering the outer castle hasn’t yet been built, the ability to erect such a structure in less than half a year is undoubtedly a feat unimaginable in modern architecture.
There have also been considerable advancements in the improvement of blood supplements. While Lavina was originally quite clever, it seemed she gained new inspiration after raiding Greysia’s library.
The ultimate goal was to improve it to the point where ordinary people could use it without issue. This way, even criminals could serve as a source of blood supply, which would be fantastic news.
There were many other matters, large and small, and I came to possess everything on this continent.
While there was resistance, it went smoothly enough to be considered a bloodless entry. Given the fact that I had publicly proclaimed the death of Luminous, it was hard to imagine someone would dare provoke me unless they were suicidal.
And so, on this day, a year later.
I would become the Emperor of this newly reorganized continent.
“Master, it’s done.”
Only when Eleonora’s busy hands stopped did I awaken from my reverie.
I rose from my seat and stood before a full-length mirror. A splendid, beautiful, yet dignified woman greeted me.
“Good job, Eleonora.”
Eleonora’s tail wagged with joy. The necklace draped around my neck sparkled as it caught the light from the chandelier.
The emblem shaped like a full moon. The emblem that would symbolize the Scarlet Empire henceforth.
No longer an allied kingdom. No longer a union of several factions, but a single empire. Now, there would exist only one nation on the Terra continent.
“Your Majesty, it’s time for the coronation.”
“Right. Let’s go.”
The first-ever unification of the continent in history. No one in this world had achieved what I was about to.
Unlike the day I first received the crown, I felt no fear of the unknown today. Even if unexpected adversities came my way, I would have those who would share my worries by my side.
With powerful music resounding, the door to the future finally swung open.
Many people were there. Vampires, beastmen, elves, dwarves, dragonkin, and humans. Once enemies who would kill each other now stood shoulder to shoulder.
I knew this was merely a scene of a fragile peace, like walking on thin ice.
The remnants of the former Suwang Kingdom had made bold assassination attempts at the discussions merely due to the revelation of Suwang’s hidden identity, and Greysia only reluctantly came to terms with the idea of letting go of their grudge against the threat of Luminous faced before them.
The elves were somewhat cooperative, but not all factions were so. Dwarves, being a species that was okay anywhere as long as the working conditions were met, couldn’t have their support interpreted as true loyalty.
Even now, while they mingled together, dissonance would surely arise in the near future.
In the past, that would have set me off. After being betrayed by humans I trusted, I came to expect a pathological perfection in my relationships.
To me, others had always been one of two things: my people or my enemies.
But how rare is the bond where one would offer their life for another?
In any case, if not for the timely help of the Suwang Kingdom and Greysia Empire, the allied forces would have faced dire circumstances against Luminous until my arrival, and in doing so, I could have lost loved ones.
I now understand. I am rather fortunate to even have this much, and most of the world is filled with nuanced and complicated relationships that can’t be distilled into black and white logic.
So it’s alright. Even if the peace of this moment is a precarious truce maintained only while I grip the leash, it doesn’t matter.
Regardless of what lies beneath, the very fact that all races can gather here holds significance.
I will no longer be obsessed with perfection. I won’t waste energy on differentiating between true and false.
Even if it is a false peace, if it endures for a thousand years or ten thousand years, wouldn’t that make it real?
That’s the power and symbol I hold. In a world where the strong decide everything, I realized I possessed the power to achieve anything I wished.
A hundred years from now, a thousand years, ten thousand years later, I will still stand, and the peace on this fragile ice will finally become eternal.
As I approached the throne, Martini, holding the crown, came forward to me.
Her expression was a blend of emotions as if gazing at a marrying child. Looking down, I noticed Plona and Lavina in the front row, desperately stifling laughter.
Seeing them, Jeil looked like he might just grab his forehead at any moment, while Stella showcased her usual poker face with a wild style.
Eleonora maintained a perfectly serious expression, but the frantic eyes of Shete behind her moving left and right gave away her excitement.
Thanks to Selina, who raised the average with her royal demeanor, the front line’s balance was held together.
I barely managed to suppress a laugh at the incredible scene only I could witness from up here. The weight of the new crown was by no means light, but it wasn’t so heavy that I would fall.
Strangely feeling sentimental, past events suddenly flashed before my eyes.
Once, I simply wanted to live. I would have been content with an insignificant life.
Compared to my first life, where I awaited my death on a sickbed, I would have been satisfied leading the life of an anonymous villager, scraping by day by day.
And so, I clung desperately to life. Yet somehow, it seemed I had become greedy; once I preserved my life, I could no longer settle for just that.
There had been plenty of hardships and pain, but many things worth protecting had emerged.
If possible, I didn’t want to let go of any of it. I wished not for an imperfect, compromise-ridden peace, but for an ending where everyone who followed me could smile.
And in this very moment, they surely wore hopeful faces. I slowly and firmly took in the first page of the conclusion unfolding before my eyes.
I hoped that their smiles, the things I wished to protect, and the paradise that we had finally reached would last forever.
– The Vampire’s Paradise 完
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