🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 4
“Mm….”
The soft, fluffy sensation felt so good. It was as if she had finally escaped a nightmare she’d been trapped in for ages, and her body felt light enough to float.
“Your Highness, it’s time to wake up.”
Even the maid’s voice, gently calling to her, felt just right.
When Edel slowly opened her eyes, she saw Kia’s bright face as she prepared warm water for washing.
Stretching and rising from bed, Edel gave Kia a small smile.
Caught off guard by the sudden smile, Kia blinked her brown eyes wide in surprise, but then smiled back.
“You seem to be in a good mood today. Is it because a happy day is about to begin? Or perhaps you had a pleasant dream?”
“No, it was a nightmare.”
“What? Oh, please wait a moment!”
Startled, Kia hurried to bring the washbowl closer, worried Edel might have sweated in her sleep.
The thoughtfulness touched Edel, and she briefly clasped Kia’s hand before letting go.
“Are you all right?”
Kia asked uncertainly at Edel’s strange behavior.
Edel said nothing, simply washed her face and wiped it with the towel Kia handed over.
“Kia, could you leave me alone for a while?”
“Ah, yes. Please call me whenever you need me!”
Kia answered brightly and quickly left the room.
“……”
The moment the door closed, Edel’s eyes changed.
The calm warmth from before vanished, replaced by the desperate ferocity of a beast about to devour everything in sight.
Her breathing grew ragged, her chest heaving as something surged uncontrollably within her.
With trembling hands, Edel reached for the porcelain vase beside her bed.
Crash!
The vase shattered into unrecognizable pieces.
Yet even that wasn’t enough. Edel grabbed her staff from across the room and began smashing the shards further.
“Cassian Dwellsen!”
No matter how many times she screamed his name, it wasn’t enough.
Objects around the room began flying one by one.
Such behavior was unbefitting of a princess. No—unbefitting of any adult.
But Edel was consumed with resentment, her reason utterly lost.
“Why did you kill me?! How could you betray me?!”
Shards cut into her hand, blood welling up, but she didn’t even feel the pain.
Mad with rage, Edel shrieked:
“I’ll kill you! I’ll destroy you! I’ll drag you into the abyss with Rowen so you’ll never dare look down on me again! I’ll break you until you kneel before me, licking my feet, groveling and trembling in the dirt, begging for mercy!”
The endless torrent of curses went on so long one might have feared she’d collapse dead from the frenzy.
After a long while, Edel’s strength began to fade.
Slumping onto the bed, she gasped heavily, her fury still unspent despite the destruction.
But she had to regain her composure. Clenching her fist once more, she finally released it and let all her strength drain away.
As the tension ebbed, exhaustion hit her in a wave. Edel tugged at the cord by her bed, and within seconds Kia rushed in—apparently she had been waiting anxiously outside the whole time.
“Are you all right? What on earth happened to this room—!”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re bleeding!”
“It’s nothing—a little pressure will stop it.”
“How can you say that?!”
Kia was nearly in tears.
Tearing a strip from her own dress in panic, she hastily wrapped Edel’s hand. Watching her do so brought back Edel’s anger afresh.
She remembered Kia’s last moments. No—she hadn’t even seen them.
Kia, Edel’s trusted first maid, had been executed by Cassian as soon as Edel was imprisoned.
Always someone who lived for Edel’s sake. And it was for that very devotion that Cassian eliminated her.
“I’ll fetch a doctor!”
As Kia finished bandaging and moved to rise, Edel stopped her.
“Stay. I want to speak with you alone.”
“But—”
“Kia. That is an order.”
At the command, Kia could no longer resist. Bowing her head with a tearful face, she watched Edel uneasily.
That expression, as if blaming Edel, made her laugh suddenly.
Kia puffed her cheeks in protest, and Edel softened her laughter into a gentle smile.
“Thank you—for always being there for me.”
“…Pardon?”
Not only Kia, but all those who had tried to protect her—she was grateful to them all. She thought she should reward the palace attendants someday.
“But I never want to lose you again.”
Kia’s eyes filled with confusion; she had no idea what Edel meant.
That only made Edel’s heart ache more.
“Kia, you may leave your duties. You’ve always missed your family, haven’t you? Go now, and be with your mother.”
As much as Edel valued her other attendants, no one compared to Kia. She wanted to send her away to safety, at least.
But…
“This is my earnest plea.”
Was it subconscious testing? Or had her gamble already begun—wondering whether Kia would leave or stay? Even Edel herself didn’t know.
The desperation in Edel’s eyes was so raw Kia thought she was imagining it.
But it was real—Edel truly meant to send her away.
“No!”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s my duty to serve you until the end! I can’t leave you, Your Highness!”
“Even when that Highness wishes to send you away?”
“……”
Edel knew she had won this first gamble. The realization filled her with self-loathing for having tested her most loyal servant.
Without a word, Edel rose and stepped over shards of glass to open the balcony doors, letting in the cool breeze.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. But this time, I cannot obey.”
Hearing the sound behind her, she turned. Kia was kneeling, tears streaming down her face.
Such a sensitive soul. Had she not trained in assassination, she might have become a kind orphanage director.
“Why do you follow me so devotedly? Is it only duty? Because you were taught to?”
“No. None of that!”
Wiping her tears, Kia’s voice trembled as she continued.
“I’ve served you long enough to know who you truly are. Sometimes you can be cruel, but even that side of you makes me want to follow you. You’re someone I admire with all my heart.”
Edel, who had once failed so miserably, felt unworthy of such admiration. Bitter memories rose, but she remained silent.
“You are the person I respect most, Your Highness. That’s why I want to follow you. I want to stay with you to the end. With the one I admire and respect.”
“Even if your life is in danger?”
“I’ve already seen countless deaths. I’m not afraid.”
“……”
“You already saved my life once. If you had sent me away that day, I’d already be watching you from the heavens.”
Even at this moment, her small joke landed well. Edel let out a stifled laugh, hiding her eyes with her hand.
“I’m ready to die for you, Your Highness.”
She never even asked why her life might be in danger, or what Edel was planning.
Her eyes gleamed with fierce resolve in the sunlight.
“……”
Edel bit her lip to keep from crying out.
Yes, Kia was like this. Innocent and pure, yet strong enough to be the first to suspect Cassian’s infidelity and track him.
Yet also someone who, despite being trained to kill, feared taking life more than anyone else. Perhaps that hesitation was why she’d failed against Cassian in the end.
And because of that—because of her humanity—Edel could never abandon her.
“Do you know that I truly cherish you?”
“Yes.”
“And that I wish for you not to die?”
“Of course.”
What could she call this feeling? Relief? Exaltation? Joy?
“Hah… what am I even thinking…”
In the end, it was all the same.
“Kia, will you make me a promise?”
“Yes, of course.”
At her response, Edel smiled faintly and extended her hand.
“Stay with me. To the end. Always. Even if it means walking through hell together.”
“Of course. To the end. Always. Even if it means walking through hell, I’ll remain by your side.”
Kia’s answer held not a shred of hesitation.
“Kia Shell… my hand and foot, my loyal one.”
Edel still couldn’t quite understand why Kia was so devoted. All Edel had ever given were small kindnesses—so why this absolute loyalty?
“I’ll follow you always, Your Highness.”
“Thank you.”
But then, the world was full of things beyond understanding.
Even her own actions just now—testing Kia with a gamble she knew she’d win—were hard to explain. Perhaps she had wanted reassurance that her future gambles would succeed. Irrational and emotional, yet somehow necessary.
Whatever the case, it had worked. Her restless heart was now calm.
Kia smiled brightly, stood, and fetched a broom. She began sweeping up the shards piece by piece.
Meanwhile, Edel also began tidying the mess she had made. She could have left it to her maid, but at least the damage she caused, she wanted to fix herself.
As the room neared order again, Edel asked the question that had been weighing on her.
“What year is it now?”
“It’s the Imperial Year 300.”
Three hundred?
“It’s going to be a very significant year.”
“…Ah.”
That day.
No—one month before that day.
She almost hurled the object in her hand again, barely restraining herself.
Edel let out a sigh heavy with anger. Kia looked at her worriedly.
“You must have had a terrible nightmare. You looked cheerful at first, then suddenly flew into a rage, then looked as if the world had ended, then started saying strange things.”
Kia didn’t ask what the nightmare was, but her gaze pressed for an explanation.
Of course, such pressure was laughable compared to what Edel had known as royalty, and she reflexively chuckled.
“I think I was just nervous about the engagement ceremony with Duke Dwellsen. It made my dreams unsettled.”
“Ahh, I see! That must be it.”
Kia finally relaxed, relieved by the explanation.
“Don’t worry. An engagement ceremony is a happy occasion! Nothing will go wrong, and you’ll feel much better when the day comes. Try not to be too nervous!”
Kia, knowing nothing, encouraged her cheerfully. But Edel hadn’t meant that kind of nervousness.
“Kia, could you bring me the schedule?”
“It’s not fully organized yet—it might take a little while. Is that all right?”
“That’s fine.”
“Then I’ll also call a doctor on the way back!”
Edel nodded, and Kia hurried out.
Left alone, Edel collapsed, letting out the breath she’d been holding.
What was going on?
Cassian had killed her. Her retainers had been slaughtered. That world had ended.
Yet now—she was alive.
Was this some absurd superstition? Did God exist after all? Had someone sacrificed themselves to give her this chance for revenge? Had she been born with some special power?
Or… was it all an illusion, a final happy dream granted before death?
What on earth was it?
