[2]
The death of Marquis Handel.
Sena stayed up all night tending to him, but he could not rest.
There were still the minimum follow-up procedures to be done.
“The late Marquis always looked out the window.”
Priscilla, his personal maid, said, wiping away her tears in front of his grave.
After a modest funeral where the servants gathered in sorrow.
“Perhaps he was waiting for you, Lord Sena.”
Sena brushed his hand over the grave with sorrowful eyes.
“Thank you for staying by his side in his final moments. The late Marquis must have found peace in death.”
But did he really?
Sena couldn’t help but feel guilty, wondering if he should have somehow dragged Cruyff along.
After all, everything seemed to be happening because of his presence.
“Birkender has always been a territory that required little intervention from the imperial family. Despite being a region frequently plagued by monsters, they handled it on their own and maintained decent relations with neighboring lords.”
Astria, who had quietly stood by until now, spoke calmly, standing next to Sena.
“I pay tribute to the life of Handel Burkender. He was a noble and exemplary lord.”
‘What kind of tyrant is this?’
Sena thought bitterly, letting out a small, sarcastic laugh.
What sort of tyrant offers such respect at the death of a lord they barely knew?
Surely, the people of this world must have a skewed perception of her.
“Thank you. But…”
‘Now, it’s time to say goodbye.’
Two days remained.
He had confirmed this at the lakeside earlier, so there was no margin for error.
In this limited time, he could fulfill his only long-abandoned wish.
To close his eyes quietly in his homeland.
“I would like to be alone for a while.”
Astria accepted Sena’s small request.
**
The modest funeral ended.
Ordinarily, a clergyman would have been present to pray for the deceased’s grace in the afterlife, but there was no place for one in this instance.
It had been the deceased’s own wish. In his final moments, Marquis Handel had regretted his sins but still held disdain for clergymen.
The simplicity of the funeral meant it was wrapped up quickly.
Now, no one remained around the grave.
No one but Astria.
Since Sena had said he was going to rest, she hadn’t moved a muscle.
When all traces of presence had completely vanished, Astria finally opened her mouth.
“You were praying, weren’t you, Pope-to-be? Or should I now call you Saint Cruyff?”
Astria turned her head with an indifferent expression.
She gazed between the trees in the garden.
It wasn’t long before a man revealed himself.
Cruyff Birkender.
He had been present from the beginning to the end of the funeral.
“But it was reckless.”
The fact that he stood there, when the barrier at Ashford should have prevented him from coming, could only mean one thing.
Something beyond the bounds of causality.
The exclusive power of the Pope: a “miracle”.
“A foolish act. You have yet to officially inherit the position of Pope, have you?”
Astria said, drawing the Holy Sword that gleamed as if it boasted of her authority.
Cruyff, struggling even to breathe, could only stare at the sharp blade with trembling eyes.
“To perform even a miracle of this level, you must have exhausted all your strength.”
Not yet the formal Pope, Cruyff’s body could not withstand the strain of such an act.
He was struggling to even stand.
Astria could hardly suppress the growing disgust inside her.
She knew nothing of the intricate circumstances surrounding the Birkender family.
However, she knew why Sena had been looking around the area while conducting the funeral.
He was searching for someone.
“Die, Cruyff Birkender. You don’t even deserve the privilege of dying on the gallows.”
As Astria’s Holy Sword blazed brilliantly, Cruyff opened his mouth slightly.
“You must have countless questions for me.”
“Religious fanatics never speak plainly. I don’t enjoy wasting my time.”
“…At this moment, I’ll answer anything. Aren’t you curious?”
Cruyff slowly replied, locking eyes with Astria.
“About Sena’s lifespan.”
“…”
Astria stared into his eyes for a long time before letting her sword drop slightly.
“It would only be proper to deliver your last words.”
“I…”
Astria scrutinized Cruyff.
He looked like ash—burned out and devoid of even the faintest trace of human hope.
“I thought this was the only way.”
“Which part? Forcing your beloved son into ruin? Or betraying your faith and siding with demons? It’s hard to tell which one you mean.”
Cruyff gave a faint smile at Astria’s relentless interrogation.
His demeanor made her expression harden slightly.
“My only worry was whether there would be enough time. It seems there was.”
“What?”
“Your Majesty acts purely on instinct. I realized that all too clearly when we first met.”
He closed his eyes briefly, opening them again as if to superimpose the Astria of the past with the one standing before him now.
The difference was unmistakable.
This Astria was no longer the pitiless tyrant of the past.
Finally, the moment Cruyff had long awaited over the past three years had arrived.
“Now, all the conditions are met.”
Cruyff knew better than anyone how powerful Sena’s divine power was.
A blessing so cherished by the Goddess that it bordered on excessive—so much so that she seemed to want it reclaimed quickly.
To save Sena would be tantamount to defying the Goddess.
Even as a formidable priest basking in divine grace, Cruyff had no hope of prevailing against the Goddess.
It was an impossible task.
But—
“Your Majesty can do it.”
The person before him was different.
“You, acting outside the bounds of the Goddess’s grace—”
Tears streamed down Cruyff’s face.
“You can save Sena.”
Cruyff dropped to one knee.
“Are you telling me that all your absurd actions were for Sena’s sake?”
Astria asked, her disbelief freezing her tone into a sharp iciness.
“Your help is unnecessary. I am the Empress of this empire. Saving one life is hardly beyond me.”
Cruyff seemed momentarily shaken by her response.
But as he understood her meaning, he let out a bitter laugh.
‘For someone so bad at lying, you’ve managed to keep the most important thing hidden until now.’
“Before I explain further, allow me one question. Your Majesty, are you aware of Sena’s deteriorating condition?”
“I would have to be a fool not to notice. He coughs up blood at least once a day. How could I not?”
“Then, if my assumptions are incorrect—does it mean that even if Sena were to lose his life, Your Majesty would remain indifferent?”
“I value talent. Losing someone as gifted as Sena is unacceptable. However, my rejection of your help stands as truth.”
Arrogance.
Astria was fundamentally arrogant.
But that arrogance stemmed from unshakable confidence—so much so that even the gravest of circumstances failed to unnerve her.
“I will find a way. No matter the cost, I will prevent that child’s death. As the Empress of this Empire, I will exhaust every possible means.”
Cruyff despaired.
But at the same time, he felt relieved.
He despaired because, with Sena’s life nearing its end, Astria still knew so little.
He felt relieved because of her determination to use “every possible means”.
“However, even if such a method exists, there is no time left.”
“What?”
“Even this conversation with Your Majesty feels like a maddening waste of time.”
It was the kind of remark that might have cost him his head under normal circumstances.
Yet Astria did not get angry. Something far more pressing consumed her.
“It almost sounds like you know exactly how much time Sena has left.”
“Yes, I do. I swear it upon the Goddess.”
Whoosh.
A cold wind swept between them.
Astria’s pupils trembled ever so slightly.
“…Sena has only two days left.”
Cruyff’s words fell heavily.
“But there is still a way.”
“What do I need to do?”
Astria’s gaze sharpened, her eyes ablaze with determination.
Cruyff revealed the only way to save Sena.
It was then that Astria realized why she alone had the power to save him.
But it would be no easy feat.
**
Her heart raced.
Her strides grew larger until she broke into a full sprint.
Her thoughts were a chaotic whirlwind.
All she could focus on was seeing Sena’s face.
The solution Cruyff spoke of could wait.
– I want to be alone for a while.
As she reached the door, Sena’s voice seemed to echo faintly in her mind, almost like a hallucination.
And then, an overwhelming sense of dread gripped her.
It was the feeling that, even if she opened this door, no one would be inside.
Grinding her teeth, Astria flung the door open.
“Sena.”
Her fears became reality.
The room was silent, the window open, and only an icy stillness greeted her.
Sena was nowhere to be found.
“…”
She slowly walked into the empty room.
Her gaze fell upon the table, where something caught her eye.
Sena’s travel bag, which he always carried so preciously, was gone.
In its place was a single note.
Astria walked over and picked it up.
The handwriting was hurried, as though written in a rush, but still neat and composed.
————
Do you remember?
Your Majesty once promised me one wish if I healed your legs.
Your legs, your health, your condition, your reign—all are now fully restored.
You no longer need my help. Nor Seria’s.
(But sweets are still forbidden!) << Very Important!!
Now, I’ll make my wish.
My only wish is…
Do not look for me.
Never, ever follow me.
————
Astria crumpled the letter in her hand.
“Do you think I’ll let you go like this?”
