Night had fallen.
As always at the hour just before midnight, Sena would often remind himself of the time he had left.
[55]
He wiped the mirror, fearing the number might change. But nothing was different. His time neither decreased nor increased.
“Why are you looking at the mirror with such a distant look? Come to me, Sena.”
Astria, sitting on the bed, spoke with discontent, making Sena smile as he clasped his hands behind his back.
‘Why did I do that earlier?’
It was something he shouldn’t have done. To make someone who was about to leave have any regrets.
“Are you sleepy?”
“I am sleepy.”
It is human nature to prioritize oneself over others. Therefore, humans are selfish. Sena was no exception.
He tried to be considerate of others as much as possible, but sometimes his own desires would take precedence.
It was the same earlier, and it was the same now.
‘This time is precious.’
They say humans spend a third of their time sleeping. For Sena, who had little time left, even that time was too precious, so he reached out to Astria.
“Would you like to go for a walk?”
“…At this late hour?”
“If you don’t want to, I’ll go alone.”
“Absurd furball.”
Astria sighed.
But she didn’t want to let Sena go alone at this late hour.
“Alright.”
“Hooray.”
Sena, rejoicing softly, stood at the door with an excited step. He turned his head.
“Hurry up. We don’t have much time to walk.”
**
Astria had a disdainful look. Her eyes were half-closed, and she clutched the cardigan wrapped around her tightly, seemingly cold.
“I can’t understand the meaning of this. Why go for a walk at such a late hour… Achoo.”
Astria sniffled. Sena was lost in thought.
‘How much time do I have left?’
From the beginning, from the moment he became Astria’s personal physician.
Sena’s goal was only to return to his hometown. For that, he had healed Astria’s legs as quickly as possible and improved her condition.
With the Potion of Lazarus and the medicine Sena made, Astria’s condition had somewhat improved.
Currently, her remaining time was [791].
At this rate, while it wasn’t much, the time gained was faster than the time lost.
Being a superhuman who was at the level of a Master, her recovery speed was incomparable to an average person.
In reality, she had no significant issues in daily life. Though it might be difficult to return to her previous prowess, her strength had recovered considerably.
This meant she didn’t need Sena’s help as much anymore.
‘I still want to return home. But honestly, I want to stay longer.’
Not just for Astria. For Chris and Sylvia as well. He was happy to see their faces every morning.
Ah, come to think of it, he forgot to apologize to Chloe.
He had been harsh, thinking he would leave soon, but ended up staying much longer.
‘…Since I have to leave anyway, should I just push it aside? I’ll be resented quite a bit.’
Sena looked at the ground.
More than wanting to return home.
If he stayed like this, he would hate dying, so he had to leave.
‘Even though I knew it would come to this, why didn’t I leave earlier?’
Sena blamed himself for no reason.
He could have left anytime if he had made up his mind.
It was a reproach for not having given his all sincerely in the past.
‘Still, let’s stay just a little longer. Really just a little. A week. No, until the first digit changes to 4. I want to feel this happiness until then.’
“Sena.”
Sena snapped out of his thoughts at Astria’s voice.
“Yes?”
“Come here. There are mist flowers.”
At some point, Astria had squatted down in the garden.
As he approached, he saw the mist flowers glowing blue with magic.
“Today we are lucky. These flowers don’t usually bloom in winter.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The blooming of mist flowers means that summer is coming. Seeing them now means tonight is the night that divides summer and winter.”
Astria, seemingly fond of the mist flowers, carefully stroked them with her fingers.
With eyes reflecting the magical glow, she kept the mist flowers in her sight. Sena watched too. Not the mist flowers, but Astria gazing at the mist flowers.
‘Was the mist flower’s meaning purity?’
Just like that flower’s meaning, Astria looked purely innocent right now.
“It’s almost summer. Time really flies.”
Astria slowly stood up and looked at Sena.
“Do you wear that shabby outfit even in summer?”
Sena blinked, grabbing his velvet tracksuit with his hand.
“No. Wearing this in the summer would be too hot.”
“Is there a set outfit for summer?”
“…Are you scolding me for wearing the same clothes all the time?”
Sena turned his head, half-closed eyes looking elsewhere.
“Unfortunately, there is. I actually dress even simpler in the summer.”
“I’m curious.”
Astria’s face was full of curiosity.
“Shall I tell you? Or should I go back and change to show you?”
When Sena asked subtly, Astria shook her head.
“I’ll save that joy for later. It’s no fun knowing ahead of time.”
“…I see.”
Sena lowered his head, holding his arm.
There will probably never be a moment when Astria looks at his summer clothes.
By summer, he would no longer be in the imperial palace.
‘Why do I keep coming to this conclusion? It’s not like I’m dying right away.’
Sena lightly slapped his cheeks to snap out of it.
“Are you really that sleepy?”
Astria looked at him with curiosity. Sena smiled, pretending it was nothing, and approached Astria.
“I’ll show you something nice.”
“Hmm?”
Sena suddenly grabbed Astria’s hands with both of his.
Astria blinked, not knowing what was going on.
She looked cute, like a squirrel.
“It’s a bit odd since we’ve already done everything else.”
Sena lifted Astria’s hand while holding it.
“Originally, this should have come first.”
Astria looked at her hand, tightly held by his small hands.
“…I see.”
Beyond their hands, Sena’s hair shimmered in the moonlight.
His clear blue eyes resembled the sparkle of the sea.
Sena, being devoid of color himself, was often influenced by his surroundings.
Maybe that’s why he now looked as if he was imbued with the moonlight.
‘Again.’
Astria looked down with an expressionless face.
Her heart was racing.
It was so loud that she wondered if it could be heard even from a distance.
Sena smiled brightly and spoke.
“Shall we walk a bit? Together.”
They were just walking.
Without saying much, simply holding hands and walking together.
However, the garden they always saw looked a little different.
It was beautiful.
Had it always been this beautiful?
Astria suddenly realized another purpose for Sena.
She had always liked the garden, but being with Sena made her like it even more.
“Are you used to taking your medicine now?”
“It’s nothing. I can do anything well.”
“Haha, you always grumble though. Can you take it by yourself now?”
“The aftertaste is still bitter. I need something sweet.”
“Sweets are forbidden. Otherwise, taking the medicine is pointless.”
“It doesn’t have to be dessert. Just having you by my side is enough.”
Sena’s shoulders twitched, and he laughed awkwardly.
“You’re impossible.”
And then he stopped walking.
Astria stopped simultaneously. In these small moments, Sena was once again in awe of Astria’s reaction speed.
‘Last time, she caught a flying butterfly without even looking.’
She had seriously scolded the butterfly for stealing flowers from her garden, nearly sentencing it to beheading.
Sena had to convince her otherwise, explaining that butterflies help plants reproduce, so the flowers would be grateful. Her surprised, wide-eyed reaction had been extremely cute.
Now, watching her walking cutely towards a flower to crouch down in front of it was endearing as well.
But today, he wanted her to look at something other than the flowers.
“Your Majesty, look here.”
“Hmm? Okay.”
Astria turned to look at Sena.
It struck him again how beautiful Astria was. Her golden hair that didn’t lose its shine even in the dark and her enchanting eyes revealed the effort Justitia had put into creating her.
Sena etched her image into his memory.
As long as possible, slowly.
So he would never forget this moment.
“Your Majesty.”
‘What are you doing? This is wrong.’
He felt a sudden impulse.
It was a powerful attraction.
Even though he knew he shouldn’t, Sena couldn’t stop this feeling.
“Do you want to kiss?”
Astria quietly closed her eyes.
Sena wrapped his arms around Astria’s neck and kissed her softly.
**
“They say that the Empress is unusually obsessed with the saint.”
At the Vatican in Hamus, in a meeting room where the important matters of the church were discussed, thirteen figures gathered around a large round table to begin the meeting.
Five archbishops, seven cardinals, and one pope.
All the people who could move the church with a single glance were present.
“No one can approach Empress Astria’s palace. To return the saint to Justitia’s embrace, we need to separate him from there.”
Everyone agreed with this proposal.
In the vast center of the imperial palace, where Astria resided, the number of people working there was so few that it could be described as extreme.
Only those with meticulous permission could set foot there.
None of the previous emperors had led such an extremely secluded life. Thus, if Sena was inside the imperial palace, the church had limited options.
“Plans have been prepared, I assume.”
The pope spoke in a leisurely tone.
“We have had a card prepared for over a month.”
“If we use this card, separating the two will not be difficult, Your Holiness. Rest assured.”
“Even separating them halfway will be a success. The saint is practically already in our hands.”
“If only the Silania church hadn’t made such foolish moves, it would have been easier.”
“Did anyone here truly believe in them?”
“No, it was a worthwhile act. Cruyff was startled and fled to the capital. That’s why we could have this meeting.”
The Pope, with a deep smile, stood up from his seat.
It was time for the final decision.
“Time is running out.”
“The papal election will be held before this summer ends. Deal with Cruyff before he gains more power.”
“By any means necessary.”
