Elius issued his final command to carry out the task Ern had asked of him.
“Schneider, move the 1st Corps.”
“I will obey the command!”
His last loyal subject, Schneider.
In the situation where all of the 2nd Prince’s close aides had moved under Epherna’s shadow, only he remained by Elius’s side until the very end.
Should I say it’s thanks to him? Elius had transferred all the power of the Empire to Epherna, but indirectly, he could still fully manage the military authority.
“I’m sorry. No matter how much you are the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army, you cannot escape responsibility if you act unilaterally without the imperial command.”
“My power, my life, my soul, all of it belongs to Your Highness. Therefore, please do not feel a sense of responsibility.”
“…I appreciate your loyalty until now.”
He had lived as his bodyguard for five years, had been loyal to the Empire as the commander of the Astrape Special Forces for five years, and even after becoming the Supreme Commander who could wield the Empire’s military power, he lived on as the 2nd Prince’s loyal subject.
Even though he had countless opportunities to turn his heart away, seeing this foolish loyal subject who followed him to the very end, Elius recalled past memories.
“Fiona always feared you.”
“…”
“She said your always stiff face and raised eyebrows were frightening, and every time I welcomed you, she would subtly hide behind me. Do you remember? After that, didn’t your expression gradually loosen up? The pure-hearted Fiona, who was oddly quick-witted in that aspect, found your demeanor fascinating and adorable.”
“…That is a misunderstanding. I have never loosened my expression…”
“Even back then, you said the same thing. In fact, you said it exactly as you are now, without a single word changed.”
Elius found it amusing that there was nothing different from ten years ago, and he chuckled.
And Schneider…
“…”
With a face full of worry, completely opposite to Elius’s, he swallowed the surging tears in his heart.
Since Princess Fiona passed away nine years ago, Elius had never spoken her name.
It was the same as when his biological mother, the Empress, died. He didn’t even want to recall fragmentary memories of his loved one.
Yet here he was, mentioning Fiona’s name. It was easy to guess the feelings behind it, not even requiring effort.
“The princess must also be… waiting for Your Highness with joy.”
Schneider wanted to tear his own mouth apart for daring to say such words.
To accept the death of his lord, whom he had served all his life, as mere fate. Once, he wished to meet the end alongside Elius as his knight, but unfortunately, Elius had given him a trial for life.
– Take care of the Empire.
This was not a command, but a request.
Therefore, it was a mission that could not be refused, as a loyal subject.
The pure-hearted Fiona was both a binding force for him and a dream.
Whether he knew it or not, Elius continued calmly.
“I don’t think that will happen. I feel like I’ll get scolded for coming so soon… But, it wouldn’t be so bad. Whether I get scolded in heaven or hell, if I can just meet Fiona, I wouldn’t mind enduring it for eons.”
His face, facing death, was peaceful. Even if a bomb exploded right in front of him, he felt he could greet the end with a smile.
Elius turned his head to look in a certain direction. It was Epherna’s palace, the 1st Princess’s palace, where a grand party was coming to an end.
“By now, my lovely little sister… or rather, my bulldozer-like sister must be anxious. The moment of confession must be approaching.”
“The Princess is confessing? Could it be today…?”
“…I’ll say this now, but your intuition truly surpasses imagination.”
In any case.
“A confession. I had a time like that too.”
The most challenging part was how to start the conversation, suppressing the pounding of his heart. It was when he impulsively poured out his feelings rather than formally proposing to her.
But.
“How pitiful. That child, who will meet the same end as me, is truly unfortunate.”
That end would ultimately be a tragedy.
*****
Today must be the day.
A sudden premonition struck him.
The reason he spoke without any premonition or preamble was.
“I must say this today.”
As he looked directly into her shaking eyes, Ern, leaning against the railing, straightened her posture.
He gazed at her determined face. Today, she was as beautiful as the brilliance of rising stars.
Her body, cultivated and nurtured solely for today, for one person. He remembered the process of how she had made herself beautiful, enough to catch the attention of even the goddess of beauty.
Therefore, instead of being entranced by her appearance, he gazed into her eyes with a solemn mindset.
“Mister.”
“Yeah.”
Epherna did not rush.
She had forgotten all the words she had prepared in advance, which she had just been organizing moments ago. Her heart compelled her to do so.
“Do you remember when we first met?”
Even if she was going to confess, there was something she desperately wanted to say to him.
She never expected to have this opportunity, but she wanted to set aside the memories and feelings he held from the past to convey that she was sincere.
Ern let out a chuckle and said.
“Of course. How could I forget?”
Epherna was once a little girl trapped in a mansion in the Much-Sector, a place rarely frequented by people.
For nearly ten years, she had survived on nothing but the power of the Summer Sun, using it as a meager substitute for food and water, barely clinging to life.
How did that zombie-like girl, left with nothing but bones and skin, transform into this splendid and beautiful princess?
Ern, who had witnessed her growth, could never shake off the feeling of wonder every time he recalled that time.
“Mister, back then, I didn’t even know I was a princess, and you treated me like a little brat.”
“That’s right.”
“Don’t you regret treating the most powerful person in the world like a little kid?”
“Now? Plus, at that time, I didn’t know you were a princess, so what could I do?”
Ern shrugged.
What fear could there be in bringing up such old stories now?
Epherna’s anger couldn’t be worse than a cat’s hiss.
With no retort to counter that, Epherna giggled.
“Back then, you used to call me a brat.”
Ah, that was true.
Although it’s said now, there was a reason for that back then.
“To be honest, the name Epherna felt a bit awkward for me to call you.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t know it was the name your parents gave you back then.”
Since he didn’t know her true identity as the 1st Princess of the Grandeum Imperial Family at that time, he assumed that “Epherna” was a name given by someone who had kidnapped her.
“So I even thought about giving you a new name.”
“That would have been nice.”
A name given by Ern himself.
If that had happened, she would have liked whatever name he chose.
But still. Epherna didn’t want to consider him as a parental figure.
“Mister.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m still calling you ‘Mister’, aren’t I?”
Because of that, she reflected on the thought that it was infinitely better to express her feelings rather than regretting later without even trying.
Epherna opened her mouth.
“From today on, I want to call you by a slightly different name.”
As she took a step, a strange light flickered in Ern’s previously calm eyes.
“This is something I’ve wanted to say for a long time.”
Was the emotion etched into his heart a sense of rejection or anticipation?
Ern couldn’t make that judgment and merely opened his mouth.
He thought about interrupting her.
Using the excuse that something urgent had come up, that he had to leave immediately. He considered letting today pass and postponing it until tomorrow.
However.
“It’s a feeling I’ve harbored for a long time.”
Her words continued, and Ern couldn’t even begin to respond.
The human emotions he usually suppressed were pushing forward today, blocking even the rational words he wanted to say.
“To me, you are not like a parent.”
Epherna took another step closer, her face slightly flushed.
The distance between them closed enough that their breaths could touch.
“You’ve been someone who is always with me, day and night, through all seasons.”
She grabbed his outstretched hand tightly. Although she had decided not to rely on unnecessary gestures, she felt that if she didn’t do this, her heart might burst.
“I like you, Mister.”
Epherna thought to herself how proud she was for not lowering her head in embarrassment, gathering her courage to move her trembling lips.
“Not as a person, but as a romantic interest.”
She lifted her hand that held his, wrapping it around his.
Hope and expectation sparkled in her gaze. Then, she finally reached the conclusion of her long-held feelings.
“I want to be your woman.”
