Arundel asked. He wondered how much Zion knew about her. Was he pretending not to know even though he knew?
“…No.”
Zion shook his head.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“If I said I wasn’t curious, it would be a lie. But, it’s not important.”
He said, and then he smiled softly.
“What’s important is that you’re by my side.”
****
Today was the National Foundation Day.
Thanks to that, the whole palace was bustling. Hearing that there was a simple ceremony, Arundel started dressing up from the morning.
It felt like a long time since she had dressed up so splendidly. While she was at the palace, she always wore simple clothes with a robe.
“Okay, okay, it’s done.”
As always, the head maid turned Arundel around with sparkling eyes. Arundel looked at herself in the mirror.
Now she was used to the face. Looking at Irina in the mirror, Arundel suddenly became curious.
‘What did I look like?’
When she met Mannheim, she briefly returned to his original form, but she didn’t see her face.
[Liberation]
She knew that this word meant she would return to her original form. Even if she didn’t want to, she would have to see her face soon.
“The Emperor will fall for you all over again!”
The head maid’s boisterous voice rang out. At those words, Arundel’s mouth twitched awkwardly.
When she returns to heaven, Zion will live a happy life with the original Empress Irina.
She felt as if her body was sagging from depressing thoughts.
“Shall we go now?”
“…”
“…Are you okay, Your Majesty the Empress?”
“Huh? Uh-huh!”
At the head maid’s worried words, Arundel nodded her head as if she was calm.
‘Yeah, I have to cheer up.’
As she went outside, Cain and the prime minister appeared. Both were faces she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Your Majesty the Empress, it’s been a long time.”
As always, the prime minister greeted Arundel with a kind face. Arundel also quickly shook off her gloomy thoughts and smiled.
“Have you been well, Prime Minister?”
“Of course. Thanks to His Majesty the Emperor solving the plague quickly, I was relieved.”
The prime minister really looked relieved. Cain, who was next to him, interrupted.
“The plague was the work of demons, it’s a big deal. We need to form a subjugation team as soon as possible.”
“Probably next week, we plan to gather people to join the subjugation team… They all seem like people who will follow Your Majesty the Empress well.”
As he spoke, the prime minister gave a meaningful smile. Then, as if something came to mind, the prime minister spoke with a surprised expression.
“Come to think of it, today is a sad day for His Majesty the Emperor…”
But the prime minister couldn’t finish his sentence. Because Zion had appeared.
Today, Zion, dressed in dazzling clothes, draped his arm over Arundel’s shoulder. He was shining brightly.
“Well, let’s go now.”
As Arundel nodded, Zion took Arundel’s hand and led her to the main gate.
‘Sad for Zion…?’
What was he trying to say?
Arundel was curious about what the prime minister was going to say, but her thoughts soon scattered. Because the main gate of the palace slowly opened and a fervent cheer was heard.
Many people had gathered. The reaction was definitely different from before.
Cain, who was next to her, hummed and spoke softly.
“I spread the process of solving the plague very quickly.”
No wonder. The expressions of the people varied, but overall, they were filled with faith and hope.
“The demons are rampant! We believe that His Majesty will definitely solve it.”
Among many voices, one stood out strongly. People also nodded their heads and chimed in.
“That’s right! We believe in His Majesty the Emperor!”
“His Majesty the Emperor is the best!”
Arundel stiffened for a moment. Her chest was hot because she now knew that this happened because of her.
Even when Zion mentioned it yesterday and now. It felt as if guilt was choking her throat.
“Today is the founding anniversary of the Croyden Empire. Don’t think about anything else and enjoy today.”
At Zion’s calm words, people burst into cheers. And the palace gate slowly closed.
“Irina, are you okay?”
Zion asked if Arundel, who looked pale, was worried.
“Oh? Uh, I wasn’t feeling well for a moment.”
“You don’t have to push yourself. It’s okay to cancel the schedule in the evening.”
Worry was evident in Zion’s eyes.
Arundel quickly shook her head.
“It’s not that bad. I’ll definitely go.”
Zion smiled faintly and stroked Arundel’s head.
“Okay, rest. I’ll pick you up in the evening. I want to be with you, but I have to meet the envoys.”
Fatigue was evident in Zion’s voice.
He often showed this look these days. Is the unidentified power taking its toll? Or is it tiring to be the emperor, as he said?
There were many questions that came to mind, but not now.
All he could do was smile and comfort him.
“See you later, Zion.”
****
Evening came.
As promised, Zion arrived on time, and as he waved his hand a few times, his appearance transformed.
It was to avoid catching people’s eyes.
Soon the carriage started with a jolt. There was a sense of vitality in the passing scenery. Each person’s face was full of smiles.
Like Zion’s speech in the morning, today seemed to be faithfully enjoying the festival, putting all worries aside.
The noisy outside noise made Arundel feel more and more excited.
“Zion, look over there! The clown…”
Arundel, who was pointing outside with an excited voice, stopped talking. Because he saw Zion’s downcast expression.
“Zion…?”
“Ah, sorry. I was thinking about something else for a moment.”
Fortunately, Zion soon smiled.
‘It must be some kind of day today.’
“Shall we get off?”
As the carriage stopped, Arundel took Zion’s hand and led him. The surroundings were brightly lit with colorful lights.
“Let’s go over there!”
Arundel deliberately raised her voice. It was because she remembered what the prime minister had said.
[Come to think of it, today is a sad day for His Majesty the Emperor…]
It was clear that something had happened to him today, given his strange behavior. She wanted to plant better memories to shake off his depressing thoughts.
Arundel headed towards the game booth that caught her eye.
A round target was standing far away, and people were lining up to throw knives at the red dot drawn in the center of the target.
‘I’m good at this kind of thing.’
Arundel lined up behind the people. Zion silently followed behind Arundel. Arundel turned around and spoke to Zion.
“Let’s make a bet.”
“What do you mean?”
“The winner gets to ask a question and the loser has to answer.”
“Okay.”
“The person who hits the center the most wins.”
Zion nodded his head. He looked quite confident. Fortunately, Zion’s dark mood from earlier had disappeared.
It was Arundel’s turn. Arundel closed her eyes for a moment, took a brief deep breath, and quickly threw the knife.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
“…All four are 10 points.”
The game booth owner clapped his hands with a flustered face.
Arundel looked at Zion with a smug expression. Zion also threw his knife.
The knife stuck sharply into the target.
“Wow, this person also got a perfect score…”
The game booth owner made a dumbfounded expression at the unusual sight.
Arundel and Zion received cheap necklaces as prizes. Zion looked at Arundel with a smile on his lips.
“It’s a tie?”
“…Let’s do it one more time?”
Arundel had a reason for insisting on a rematch. If she won, she planned to ask Zion what happened today.
“Okay.”
Zion accepted the proposal without suspicion.
Next was a bit cheap, but they decided to compete by eating. Arundel knew that Zion was weak when it came to eating.
Rather than being weak, it was closer to eating lightly. And since his taste seemed very picky, he would be vulnerable in a general food eating competition.
Arundel’s gaze stopped as she was looking for suitable food.
“Let’s do a quick eating contest with that!”
Arundel pointed at the food where a vicious-looking lizard was skewered.
Zion frowned at once. But soon he chuckled.
“Okay.”
Just as she wished. As Zion showed a reluctance to lose, Arundel’s desire to win grew.
The two of them held skewers with lizards on them side by side. Despite its appearance, the smell was quite good.
“You have to eat everything.”
Zion nodded his head.
“Start!”
Arundel quickly bit into the lizard. Contrary to its appearance, the flesh was softly chewed.
‘…It’s a delicacy.’
Contrary to expectations, the taste of the lizard was satisfying. And the small lizard soon disappeared into Arundel’s mouth.
“I ate it all!”
Arundel shouted and looked at Zion. Likewise, his skewer was completely empty.
“…Did you eat faster than me?”
“No, we ate similarly.”
As always, Zion elegantly wiped his mouth. And he reached out and wiped Arundel’s mouth in the same way.
Arundel rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction.
“Weren’t you bad at eating this kind of food?”
“I don’t eat it if I don’t have to, but I can eat it if I have to. When I was young, it was a daily routine to eat worse food than this.”
Darn it. She chose the wrong topic.
And even after that, they made bets to decide the winner, but the result was always the same.
Draw, draw, draw.
“…I won’t ask.”
Arundel said, sitting down by the lakeside. There were no more games to play.
Zion was more casual and persistent than she thought.
She thought he might lose once, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.
Because the final fireworks were coming up, all the shops were closing down.
“Did you want to ask me that much?”
Zion sat next to Arundel and asked.
‘Should I ask?’
Arundel licked her lips and soon closed them.
In fact, she didn’t beat Zion, but it was so much fun. He didn’t have a single depressing or headache-inducing thought. It felt like he had fun like a child.
But it wasn’t right to bring up a depressing story out of her curiosity.
“No.”
Arundel shook her head.
“I have something I want to tell you.”
But unexpectedly, Zion opened his mouth as if confessing. Arundel looked at Zion.
“Actually, today is my mother’s anniversary.”
Arundel’s eyes widened.
“As I said, my mother took her own life and passed away alone. So, other people don’t know how and when my mother passed away. The only people who know are probably me and the prime minister.”
So that’s why the prime minister said that earlier…
“So, I’ve never enjoyed the festival. It’s an old story, but my mother’s death is still vivid to me.”
“…Zion.”
A faint smile crossed Zion’s face.
“But today was different. I think I’ve forgotten it for a moment.”
Zion was calm and composed, as if he had really made up his mind. He put his hand inside his clothes and pulled something out.
“It’s time to let go of my mother.”
In Zion’s hand was a small box. It was the box that was on the fireplace in Zion’s room.
It was a cute box that she was curious about because it didn’t match Zion, but never got the chance to open.
“Wow! Mom, it looks like the fireworks are about to start!”
“Come sit here so you don’t get hurt!”
Then there was a buzz all around. It seemed like the fireworks were about to start.
Arundel, whose attention had been momentarily distracted, focused again on the box in Zion’s hand.
The box slowly opened.
‘…!’
Arundel’s eyes widened as she confirmed the contents. She reached out to the box, hoping that what she saw was false.
Inside was a necklace shaped like a red pearl.
‘This… this is.’
Although she wanted to deny it, Arundel knew the identity of the red pearl as soon as she saw it.
“It’s my mother’s keepsake.”
Zion’s voice seemed to pierce her head.
“My mother said she received this necklace from an angel. As she put it in my hand, she said she hoped that I would meet that angel someday too.”
Bang!
Behind Arundel, who felt like she would shatter like a piece of ice at any moment, the fireworks burst.There was something she had to say to Hills.
“Thank you for liking me.”
“…”
“But.”
Just as Arundel was about to speak, Hills cut her off.
“Don’t say anything more.”
Hills turned around. His face not visible.
“You don’t have to say it…”
Arundel forced a bright voice.
“If I hear anything from Mannheim, I’ll tell you right away.”
“…Okay.”
In the end, Hills did not show his face.
****
Arundel, who had entered the bedroom, lay on the bed.
Her gaze was directed at the ceiling.
The chandelier hanging from the ceiling seemed to be casting a harsh light today.
No, the problem now was not the chandelier, but her own mind.
She had spoken calmly to Hills, but her heart was pounding as if it would escape from her body.
Returning to heaven was out of the question, she had taken on the responsibility of disrupting the balance of the world.
Until recently, she had seriously considered returning to heaven…it was all in vain.
‘…What will happen to the world.’
In fact, she was scared.
Will the world really lose its balance and collapse?
Arundel raised her hand to block the dazzling light.
‘…then Zion.’
Selfishly, she was more worried about Zion’s safety than others. If Zion gets hurt because of what she did…
Arundel bit her lip.
‘I want to see him right now.’
She didn’t know how much longer she could see him.
Although she is anxious now, lying down and daydreaming was a foolish act.
Arundel got up.
****
As she stood in Zion’s office, the guard who recognized Arundel made a difficult expression.
“Today, His Majesty the Emperor finished his work early and went to the Knight Captain.”
“The captain…?”
The guard nodded.
She had just met Hills, and Zion had gone to meet Hills in the meantime. It seemed to be a little off day today.
Arundel didn’t think much of it.
On the surface, their relationship was that of the emperor and a royal knight captain, so it was not unusual to have a meeting.
‘…Should I go back.’
No, she had come this far. Arundel headed for Zion’s bedroom. The maid who recognized Arundel obediently opened the door.
Arundel sat down heavily on Zion’s bed and looked around. The spacious room was still the same.
Looking at it, she realized that she hadn’t looked closely at Zion’s room even though she had been there several times. Arundel, who got up, walked along the wall and looked around the room.
From the old-fashioned wallpaper to the shiny decorations and expensive-looking furniture, nothing looked ordinary.
Despite the decorations that dazzled the eyes, Arundel rolled her eyes busily as if she didn’t like it.
Then her gaze fixed on one place.
There was a large picture above the fireplace.
The doll-like white and pretty boy in the picture had a slightly gloomy face. The platinum blonde hair and honey-colored eyes told him it was Zion.
‘Zion was a complete beauty even when he was young.’
And next to her stood a man.
‘Royden…?’
It’s impossible…Perhaps the man standing next to him looked like the prime minister. The man with a face similar to Royden was a man exuding a serious feeling like he is now.
He had his arm on Zion’s shoulder.
Arundel looked around. She was curious if there were other pictures.
Precisely, a portrait of Zion’s mother.
Despite the fact that quite a long time had passed since his mother passed away, Zion had a tremendous attachment to his mother.
She must have been a warm and delicate person.
‘…I guess it’s not there.’
So he wanted to see her face at least once. It seems that he did not leave a portrait. Or did he get rid of it?
That was likely.
According to Zion’s words, it seemed that she passed away at a fairly young age.
Even so, while looking around the surroundings with a hopeful heart, a luxurious small box caught Arundel’s eye.
It was a box with a cute feeling that didn’t match Zion.
‘…Would it be rude to open it secretly?’
Then the door opened.
“Irina.”
Zion greeted Arundel with a smile. Arundel flinched as if she had been caught doing something wrong.
“…You’re here?”
Fortunately, Zion didn’t seem to think anything of it. He just smiled brightly and came over and wrapped his arm around Arundel’s waist.
“I heard you were waiting. I’m glad.”
Zion’s face came close to her neck. When the breath touched her sensitive neck, her body shrank.
Arundel hurriedly stopped Zion.
“I’m not going to do it today…!”
Although the act of sharing love with him was good, when she came to her senses, a lot of time had passed.
She didn’t want to spend time like that now.
Zion lightly kissed her neck and moved away.
“It’s a shame.”
“…”
“If Her Majesty the Empress wishes.”
Zion pulled Arundel to the plush-looking sofa. Arundel was dragged without resistance and sat next to Zion.
“Tell me. Why did you come all the way here?”
“…There’s nothing wrong.”
Zion let out a pleasant laugh.
“So, should I think you came because you wanted to see me?”
“Yes. I just wanted to see you.”
Arundel looked straight into Zion’s eyes and spoke.
She had been pushing Zion away because of her return to heaven. But now there was no need for that.
What about returning to heaven, tomorrow was uncertain.
So now she wanted to do as she pleased. She didn’t want to suppress her feelings for Zion, she wanted to shout that she loved him.
Anyway, if she disappears, he will not remember, and he will live happily with the original Empress Irina.
Thinking so, for a moment, it was painful as if someone was squeezing her heart.
Arundel had to turn away from that pain. There wasn’t much time left to spend the day in depression.
“Irina.”
Zion’s voice was full of joy. A sunny smile was on his face.
“Thank you.”
Arundel made a puzzled face. What made Zion so happy?
“I’m happy to see you, but I often feel anxious.”
“…Why?”
“I’ve done so many wrong things to you. So I’ve vowed several times not to rush in, but it doesn’t go as I want and I get hopeful.”
Zion grabbed Arundel’s hand.
“So when you suddenly come to me first, I can’t help but feel happy and thankful.”
And he pulled the back of her hand and left a light kiss.
The warm body temperature left by the lips felt hot as if it left a mark.
It was as if he was scolding himself for lying.
At the hot sensation, Arundel quickly changed the subject.
“Did you meet Captain Hills?”
“…I had something to discuss.”
The answer was delayed.
Arundel looked at Zion’s expression to see if there was anything hidden. But Zion was smiling as usual, as if he had quickly put on a mask.
It seemed like there was definitely something hidden, but she didn’t want to argue with him.
Arundel quickly brought up the main topic.
“Zion, when did you say the founding anniversary was?”
“It’s tomorrow.”
“So the festival will be held tomorrow?”
“Yes, I’ll pick you up tomorrow evening.”
Arundel nodded.
“And there’s something I want to discuss with you.”
“With me…?”
Zion said to discuss.
There had never been such a thing. Zion seemed to be used to handling things mostly by himself, and he didn’t seem to trust anyone.
“I’m thinking of forming a demon subjugation team.”
Arundel’s chest was hot. When she heard about the demons before, she thought it was serious, but now she knew it was because of her.
“I’d like to hear what you think.”
As soon as it came out of Zion’s mouth, guilt rose from her toes.
“Originally, the demon subjugation was carried out mainly by the royal knights, the magicians of the tower, and the priests. It has exceeded the range that can be handled. So I’m thinking of forming a subjugation team.”
“…Are there people you have in mind?”
“I heard about the mercenary group in the southern region. Although there are only two people in that mercenary group.”
Arundel could quickly tell who he was talking about.
It was the people Belle had talked about a while ago.
[Um… I don’t know. Ah! The man is a big and dark-skinned swordsman. The rumor is that he walks around with a big white dog.]
[And the woman is, I heard she’s a redhead magician. It’s irrelevant, but the rumor is that she’s a great beauty?]
“The rumor is that the man is a swordsman close to a sword master, and the woman is a great magician close to the 7th circle.”
If the rumors are true, it will definitely help with the demon subjugation.
“Are you thinking of calling those people?”
The number of people was too small to be called a subjugation team.
“And Lucas.”
Lucas…? The Lucas I know?
“I’m thinking of calling Lucas, the chief priest of the Elbis Temple. When I asked the Pope to recommend someone, he immediately mentioned Lucas.”
Arundel nodded. If it’s Lucas, it will definitely help.
“And I’m thinking of putting the royal knight captain as the head of the subjugation team.”
“The royal knight captain…Hills?”
Arundel’s voice grew louder for a moment.
“Yes. I don’t think there’s anyone more suitable than him.”
“…I think so too.”
Hills…? Hills is strong. He treated him like an invisible person, but it seems that Zion also acknowledges what he should acknowledge.
“Did you want to discuss with me about the appointment of Captain Hills as the head of the subjugation team?”
Because I brought him… Is he asking about his capabilities?
“Yes. What do you think?”
“It doesn’t seem bad. He’s not very obedient, but he’s definitely strong.”
Zion nodded his head. And an unexpected word fell.
“I’m not trying to appoint him as the head of the subjugation team because he’s strong.”
Arundel looked at Zion with a questioning expression.
“Because I think he knows a lot about demons.”
“…Why do you think so?”
Arundel asked, feeling a sense of crisis instinctively.
The feeling that something big was hidden in Zion’s calm tone was immediately apparent.
And the expectation was not wrong.
“That guy, he’s a demon.”
A truth that should not have come out of Zion’s mouth flowed out.
Arundel felt like the hairs on her body were standing on end. Is that all? She couldn’t hide her stiff expression.
“…Yes?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t really want to discuss with you, I wanted to test you.”
Zion let out a soft laugh.
“Now it’s confirmed.”
Arundel just moved her lips. It was already too late to pretend not to know.
“How did you know…?”
When did he notice?
“Irina.”
Zion got up from his seat. His eyes landed on a large puzzle decoration.
The puzzle decoration, which seemed to be made up of at least a few thousand pieces, had a beautiful natural landscape drawn on it.
“Understanding a person is like fitting puzzle pieces together. From people made up of a few pieces to people made up of many pieces, it varies.”
Arundel quietly listened to Zion’s words. Not only the identity of Hills, but also because he was curious if he knew anything about his own identity.
“It took quite a while to figure him out. As he was curious about my identity, I was curious about his identity.”
Zion already knew that the crown prince of the Shalbon Kingdom and Hills were the same person.
But it seems that the doubt did not stop there.
“It was quite difficult to fit his pieces together. Nevertheless, the picture was gradually completed. Irina, thanks to the demon’s mark you left on your wrist and his unbelievable ability.”
“…And there must have been a decisive moment when you found out.”
“Yes. The last puzzle was matched in the temple.”
Zion smiled, lifting the corners of his mouth.
“He never comes into the temple.”
Arundel felt a sense of regret.
Except for the one time Hills came in to talk to me, he never stayed in the temple. It was enough to suspect.
“I heard Baphomet mention his name.”
…This was beyond excuse. Arundel also remembered the moment Zion spoke.
[…Hills?]
[You’re looking at the wrong person. I’m just an ordinary human.]
[…I must have seen it wrong. There’s no way Hills would be here.]
It seemed like a faint thought in the midst of a chaotic battle situation.
He must have caught that word like a ghost.
“…Yes. Hills is a demon.”
Arundel admitted it obediently. Well, whether she admits it or not, he already knows everything.
But there was still something she was curious about.
“How about it? Have you completed my puzzle?”
