7. Aftermath
Episode 83
I only intended to cry for a moment, but in the end, I leaned against Aiden’s chest and cried for what felt like an eternity.
All the while, everyone in the entrance hall knelt on the ground, while Aiden stood motionless, as though being punished for his transgressions.
Maybe it was the accumulated weight of everything finally breaking loose, but I just couldn’t stop.
Eventually, I gave in and sobbed freely.
When I finally managed to stop, I was grateful to find that everyone had pretended not to notice.
To be surrounded by such considerate people—I truly was a fortunate Empress.
After that, we set off immediately for Brincia.
The chamberlain of the Summer Palace suggested we stop there for lunch and rest, but I was desperate to return home.
To my home, my palace, where my daughter was waiting.
In the carriage bound for Brincia, Aiden and I sat across from each other, our knees almost touching.
“Are you feeling alright?” I asked.
“You shouldn’t be asking that; it’s my question for you,” Aiden replied.
“Why does it matter? Just answer. You used your ability—does your head hurt or anything?”
“Not at all. It was only once, and for a short time at that.”
So much had happened in that brief span, but I was relieved to know Aiden hadn’t overexerted himself.
Even now, I marveled at his incredible strength. Movements too fast to see, slicing through iron bars as thick as my arm with his sword.
The cost of such power seemed unbearably harsh, but it wasn’t the kind of strength that should be used without limits, either.
“Don’t use your power again. It’s dangerous after the first time, isn’t it?”
Aiden, ever obedient and kind, didn’t answer this time.
I realized why he was awkwardly smiling instead of replying—he couldn’t lie.
“I’ll make sure I’m never kidnapped again,” I added, breaking the silence.
“I’ll make sure it never happens again, no matter what.”
“It’s something that shouldn’t happen again. It was a hard time for everyone.”
I muttered with a heavy heart, glancing at the passing scenery outside the window before asking, “What about Lian?”
I hadn’t wanted to ask, but I couldn’t stop myself from wondering.
With a slight furrow of his brow, Aiden answered dutifully, “He’s being escorted quietly.”
“Thank you for stopping that day, Aiden.”
“If he had moved even a little, no matter what you said, I would’ve cut him down.”
I still didn’t know what Lian had intended to do, staking the rest of his life on it.
It wouldn’t have been anything welcome, for either of us.
But before Aiden could stop him with his sword, Lian stopped himself.
In that moment, he seemed like someone who had let go of everything at the mere sound of my plea.
Thinking about all that awaited us back in Brincia made me feel a little wistful.
“Is it October 8th already?” I asked.
“It’s the 9th.”
“Huh? Isn’t it the 8th? Today’s the 14th day.”
“It’s been 15 days since you were kidnapped, Your Majesty.”
Counting the days with Aiden, I realized that the time I thought I’d spent unconscious wasn’t four hours—it was over a day.
No wonder my body ached like I’d been beaten, and I’d felt ravenously hungry despite missing only one meal.
Lian had run for a full 28 hours straight to avoid being caught. What a relentless snake he was.
Those wasted 28 hours seemed meaningless, as our carriage reached Brincia in under five hours after leaving the castle.
When the carriage stopped before Brincia’s gates, I asked what was happening. Before Aiden could respond, a familiar voice called out.
“Mother! Mother!!”
I shoved aside Aiden’s hand, which he had extended to help me down, and jumped out of the carriage.
Lothania was running toward me, her voice thick with desperation.
“Lottie!!”
“Mother!!”
The moment she spotted me, she launched herself into my arms, tears streaming down her face.
Clinging to my neck, Lothania sobbed and murmured words I could barely make out. The only ones I caught were “Mother” and “I’m sorry.”
Kneeling to meet her eyes, I wiped her tear-streaked cheeks and said gently, “You’re saying the wrong thing, Lottie. What you should say is, ‘Welcome back. I missed you.’ There’s no need for an apology.”
“B-but… Mother. I missed you so much.”
“And I missed you too, my Lottie, so very much.”
“I was so worried. I was so, so worried.”
Her tearful face said it all. She must have been beside herself with worry.
I hugged her tightly, exchanging a glance with Tito, who had approached from behind her.
The already aging chamberlain seemed to have grown even more gray hairs during this ordeal.
When I gave him an apologetic smile, Tito, on the verge of tears, bowed deeply.
After indulging in the tearful and touching reunion for some time, Lothania sniffled and looked up.
“Let’s hurry back to the palace, Mother.”
“Yes, let’s.”
Holding Lothania’s hand, I was about to step into the carriage when something felt off.
I turned to look around.
The palace staff and guards had come out to greet me, and the towering walls of Brincia loomed overhead. Nothing seemed amiss.
Frowning slightly, I turned back toward the carriage, only to realize what was missing.
Pointing to Brincia’s walls, I asked Aiden, “Why don’t I see any guards?”
Not a single one of the city guards, who should have been stationed on the walls, was in sight.
The gates of the imperial capital were wide open, yet the walls were completely unguarded.
How could this be?
The person who should have been most outraged by this—the captain of the capital guards—avoided my gaze and deflected the question.
True to his nature, Aiden didn’t lie, but he also refused to answer any uncomfortable questions.
When I turned to Tito, he wore an awkward expression but still gave me the answer I sought.
“The guards are searching for Your Majesty.”
“I’m right here. Where exactly are they looking for me?”
“They are currently returning from Count Crayden’s territory, as I understand.”
“Count Crayden’s territory? What were they doing there?”
“They’ve been combing through nearby regions…”
Tito glanced nervously at Aiden, who was staring off into the distance, avoiding my gaze.
If I hadn’t misheard, the guards tasked with protecting Brincia’s walls were instead abandoning their posts to search aimlessly elsewhere.
Hoping I’d misunderstood, I asked again.
“Combing through? What does that mean, Tito?”
“…They searched everywhere, from the lord’s castle to commoner houses and even barns.”
“What?”
Had the capital guards turned into thugs?
Even with the Empress abducted, how could they justify raiding civilian homes?
The larger issue, however, was the empty walls of Brincia.
If anyone had invaded during that time, who would have defended the city?
Rubbing my aching forehead, I glared at Aiden, who pretended not to notice and did his best to feign ignorance.
“Thank goodness Belpator’s nobles are kind and patient. What if a rebellion had broken out? Tito, is everything quiet along the borders? What about Vitrain?”
“Well… the Duke of Kidmillan is currently searching the western territories…”
“What?”
It wasn’t enough to search the eastern territories; they were combing through the west too.
I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
“Are the capital guards there too?”
“No, the imperial army has been deployed to that region.”
“What?”
The imperial army? Why on earth were they involved?
Was this madman Vitrain seriously using imperial forces to ransack noble lands?
I stared at Tito, unable to close my gaping mouth. Feeling the weight of my gaze, Tito turned awkwardly to glance behind him.
“We sent word, so he should be… Ah, Your Majesty. He’s here.”
Just then, a horse kicked up a cloud of dust as it galloped toward us.
Tito, seeing an opportunity, discreetly stepped back, leaving me to watch the approaching figure in stunned silence.
Vitrain, riding at a reckless speed, dismounted as soon as he spotted me, his face looking as though he might cry.
Of course, he must have been worried.
Hearing news of my abduction right after arriving in Brincia for my wedding must have been a shock.
Seeing him for the first time in a while, I felt a twinge of guilt for causing him distress. But then I noticed something strange.
Why was he wearing an eye patch?
“Your Majesty! Are you unharmed? Are you truly safe?”
“I’m fine, Vitrain. But…”
“Thank the heavens, Your Majesty. It’s such a relief, truly.”
“Yes, it’s a relief, but Vitrain… What’s with the eye patch? Are you injured?”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” he said with a smile.
His usual bright grin, with its deep dimples, was charming, but the eye patch suggested it was far from nothing.
“Tito.”
I called out to the chamberlain, who had been inching away, and he hesitated before answering under Vitrain’s watchful gaze.
“He… He lost his sight using the Eagle’s power to locate Your Majesty.”
“What?”
These beasts—what exactly had they been doing for the past two weeks?
