“Mom. What’s for dinner?”
“I don’t have an appetite…”
*Creek* went the door as it opened.
Seeing her mother lying sick in bed as she coughed, Erica silently closed the door again.
Her mother had been like this ever since Julia died.
She wasn’t eating or sleeping, and her body was completely drained of energy.
And who could blame her?
Erica knew ahead of time and could prepare, but it was only after Julia’s death that her mother learned the whole truth.
“Ah…”
Erica’s footsteps, lost in thought, came to a halt.
In front of her was an old door.
It was a familiar door.
Out of habit, her feet instinctively moved toward it.
Like a trance, Erica grabbed the doorknob and turned it, stepping inside.
It was dark inside.
The room looked no different from before.
Except for one thing—its owner would no longer return to this room…
Erica gently caressed the table by the bedside, forcing a bitter smile.
It was where the book, ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ that Julia cherished always sat.
On the morning when Schlus was revived, he rushed over to the mansion cradling that book in his arms.
He wanted to return it.
He was flustered as he insisted it was hers since Julia gave it to him.
At that moment, Schlus had changed his expression as if realizing something.
“Oh, I see. That’s right. I need to have it. I… I have to take responsibility…”
“Schlus?”
“I’m sorry.”
He made some mysterious sounds, holding the book, and left the mansion.
When he exited, he wasn’t wearing the empty expression he had when he entered, nor was he walking weakly.
He left the mansion with a firm and determined step, as if resolved to do something.
His back looked pitiful.
I didn’t know then, but now I do know.
What kind of resolution Schlus made.
“Ugh, this tastes awful.”
*Chew, chew.*
Sitting alone at the grand dining table, Erica spit everything out.
She couldn’t taste anything.
Had her tongue broken?
“I should have treated her better…”
She missed Julia.
Whether or not she was a reincarnated being who had lived for hundreds of years, she simply wanted to see her cute little sister again.
But she could no longer see Julia.
Logically, she understood that it was better for that girl, but still, the longing to see her just one more time was overwhelming.
*Sigh…*
Her heart felt empty.
She hadn’t felt this way before.
Eating delicious food or reading interesting papers usually lifted her mood, but now nothing seemed to work.
“I need Schlus…”
Never had she felt such a desperate urge to see Schlus.
Just having him by her side would be enough.
Erica pushed her plate away and slumped over the table.
*
“Why did you suddenly start smoking…?”
Still in her pajamas, Emilia rubbed her eyes and stepped out onto the balcony.
I thought it was too early for Emilia to wake up, but it seemed I had inadvertently roused her.
After grinning at Emilia, I extinguished the cigarette under my palm.
“That’s bad for your health. Why start now?”
“I can’t get sick. I’m a Majin.”
“Hmm… Your breath stinks.”
“Sorry about that.”
Emilia came close and sat on my lap.
Her face drew near, then she scrunched her nose, which was ridiculously cute.
The breath issue was indeed a problem.
I’d have to cut back on smoking.
Maybe brush my teeth more often.
“Thinking of quitting?”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“When the continent crumbles, there won’t be any cigarettes. Wouldn’t it be better to quit now?”
“I’ll just stockpile them. It’s fine.”
“Sheesh…”
Didn’t parallel universe Schlus Hainkel also ferment wine endlessly?
I figured I’d probably end up making cigarettes too.
Would that make me the finest cigarette manufacturer?
“Brother.”
“Yeah?”
“I love you. I love you a lot…”
Emilia snuggled her nose into my neck, taking a whiff, and wrapped her arms tightly around me.
Today, she felt smaller and frailer than ever.
She seemed like she might break if I just poked her.
But now it truly wasn’t an exaggeration.
“I love you too…”
“Brother, you won’t forget me, right?”
“Why would I forget you?”
“Even after I die… Even after a long time passes… Even if you meet countless other women… You’ll still remember me, won’t you?”
“……”
She was saying something terrifying.
Emilia would die someday.
It was a given, but it felt so far off and distant.
Just talking about it sent shivers down my spine.
“Of course. I’ll never forget you. You’re the one who revived me.”
“Revived? Me? What do you mean by that?”
“You wouldn’t understand. You have no idea how much you’ve changed my life.”
“How did I change it?”
“I don’t want to say.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Just. I don’t feel like talking about it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
Emilia would never understand.
How much shock she had given me.
If my past self were to see Emilia now, he wouldn’t believe she was the Emilia Siegfried from my own novel.
The emotionless, cold-blooded spy who displayed no outer feelings had suddenly transformed into a whole different person.
So much that she could hardly be seen as a character I made anymore.
Emilia showed me that this world wasn’t just going to flow as I wrote it in my story.
It dragged me down from the omniscient being who knew everything to a clueless fool.
“I should get going now.”
“Cheh. I won’t move until you tell me.”
“Then I’ll just carry you while I get dressed.”
“Eek?!”
I scooped Emilia up and stood up from the chair.
With her legs wrapped around me, Emilia shrieked but giggled, snuggling into me.
I found her so adorable.
The fact that this moment wouldn’t last forever kept reminding me and made her all the more lovable.
Every encounter has its farewell.
It’s a natural law of the world.
The only difference was that I repeated those encounters and farewells so much more than others.
There was nothing particularly special about it.
“You still can’t tie a tie properly.”
“I can do it perfectly; I just don’t want to.”
“Oh really?”
After finishing all my preparations, Emilia tied my tie for me.
Honestly, I still didn’t know how to tie one.
I didn’t even want to learn.
I just hoped Emilia would keep tying it for me all my life.
“I’m off now.”
“Okay…”
“Why are you looking at me so wistfully? I’m not going anywhere far.”
“I know, but… I just want you to have a good trip.”
I intended to leave with a light kiss.
But it unexpectedly turned into a lengthy one, leaving my lips damp.
With a chuckle, Emilia took out a handkerchief to wipe my mouth, and only then did our hands uncurl.
The impending farewell…
I really didn’t want to prepare for it.
As of now, my sense of time was still closer to that of a human than a Majin, so I could take my time to prepare.
Surely, nothing would happen suddenly, leaving me regretful.
*
I headed straight for the Imperial Palace.
I had received an unusual summons from Aria.
Since it wasn’t an emergency summons, it didn’t sound too urgent.
“Your Majesty. What is the matter?”
*Yawn…*
The place I was called to was none other than Aria’s bedroom.
Not the audience chamber or the office, but her bedroom.
Since it was my first time entering Aria’s bedroom, I felt a bit nervous.
Soon, Aria pulled the covers back and sat up, wearing thin clothing, smiling at me.
“I slept the last 24 hours. I thought I lacked sleep.”
“You did well.”
While Aria put her clothes on, I was confused about where to look.
Her pajamas were thinner than I had imagined.
So thin that her inner garments were entirely visible.
Before long, once Aria had dressed, she elegantly walked over to the table and patted the chair.
I pulled it closer and sat down facing Aria.
“Why are you staring so intently?”
“Because Your Majesty is extremely beautiful.”
“You don’t even hesitate to say that. You sly thing.”
“……”
Today, Aria felt refreshingly different.
Her outfit and makeup were not at all extravagant, maybe that was why.
Usually, Aria exuded an aura of untouchable nobility, but now she felt like a pretty girl from the next house.
“So why did you summon me today?”
“Nothing other than that. I think it’s time to reestablish our relationship.”
“Reestablish? Does that mean…?”
Reestablishing our relationship.
Then what does that mean for us?
Her alluring smile led my thoughts to wander into strange territory.
“Isn’t it time for you to stop acting like my courtier?”
“Why’s that?”
“Are you asking me sincerely? You are now something beyond a human. You possess all the qualities to be a Majin, yet you cannot be called one. How could such a being be tied to any office of a country?”
“I’m fine with it.”
“I’m not fine. I absolutely detest being called the puppet emperor of a Majin. So it wouldn’t matter if you resist. You are hereby dismissed.”
“……”
I was suddenly fired.
It was a reasonable point.
The sight of a Majin serving under a human would look rather absurd.
There was even a risk of people thinking the Empire of Freya was governed by a Majin instead of an emperor.
“Your Majesty, if you dismiss me—”
“Yes, I know. All the alliances will be thrown into disarray. They were gathered because of your brilliant speech, after all.”
“Just call it charisma…”
“But there’s no need to worry. The Freya Empire Federation will form an alliance with you individually instead of dismissing you.”
An alliance of a nation to an individual?
I’d never heard of such a thing, but it made sense.
Majin power was quite formidable.
I needed Aria, and Aria needed me.
It was mutually satisfying enough as an alliance.
“Ha! You sly serpent. I get it now.”
“Why are you suddenly saying that?”
“It was the reason you adamantly refused the title. You knew it would turn out this way.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You can quit any position you want. But titles are different. They’re attached to your name. They eternally remain as proof of being a mere human’s subject. So you rejected it. You wanted to remain simply as Schlus Hainkel, a person who serves no one.”
That was an interesting interpretation.
The reason I hadn’t accepted the title was merely due to the circumstances back then, yet it turned out to be a validation of my excellent insight.
I decided to keep hidden the truths that didn’t need to be known.
“An alliance, eh. Wise choice.”
“Are you willing to accept?”
“Ugh. Well… fine. Let’s establish a cooperative relationship under the name of an alliance. The Emperor of the Freya Empire Federation, Aria Viktor Friedrich von Freya.”
“……?!”
Aria recoiled in surprise, trembling slightly.
“Y-yeah. Now that you’re not my courtier… it feels right. Yes. You… no, Schlus Hainkel. Then for the details…”
Aria seemed to short-circuit.
Without a sliver of dignity, she fumbled, which nearly made me chuckle.
By the way, what on earth was I expecting when I heard her say “reestablish our relationship”?
I felt embarrassed for thinking too far ahead.
…
…
…
“Hmm.”
After Schlus Hainkel left,
Aria, turning the treaty document over again, wore a satisfied smile on her face.
Schlus Hainkel was no longer a courtier seated in the position of regent.
He had become an individual forming an alliance with the Freya Empire, standing as an equal.
Of course, despite that, the power he wielded within the Freya Empire wouldn’t diminish by much.
He had formed an alliance with the three great magical families, enjoyed the protection of Count Bermanstein and former Army General Proist, was a current Army Commander, and had connections with the Duke of the Southern Colony, not to mention owning the finest knight order on the continent.
What had changed was merely that from now on, Schlus could no longer arbitrarily draft detachments from the imperial army and could not come and go from the imperial palace as he pleased.
“Ha…”
That was really the only change.
Nothing had drastically shifted.
When she elaborately began with “reestablishing the relationship,” I thought something significant would happen and felt I could articulate my thoughts—but in the end, I never got the chance.
Aria pulled at her lips and let out a deep sigh.
“Reestablishing? What a load of rubbish. It’s the same as before…”
An emperor certainly couldn’t love their direct knight.
Loving a subject is even more unacceptable.
But if the individual wasn’t bound to the nation, then it should be fine at that time.
Having thought that, she had summoned the courage to speak.
“Wait, you crazy kid. Do you not see me as a woman?”
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Wasn’t bringing me into her bedroom and revealing that awkward sight a rather blatant signal?
Yet, Schlus merely sat calmly, treating her matter-of-factly.
That composure made her serious as well.
“Well, at least I could hear you speak casually…”
Another alteration was that Schlus had stopped using honorifics.
Now that they were equal standing, to be treated that way…
Her body trembled slightly as she became aware of the impudent and bold tone he was using.
Schlus was actually speaking to her like an inferior, making her feel all weird and heated.
“Hmm. Hmmm. Right. There’s no rush, I guess.”
There was no need to hurry.
Now that they were on equal terms, they could take their time building their relationship.
Aria smiled contentedly, thinking so.
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