“The day has finally come when I can return my sword to my enemy.”
In Madame Cronach’s eyes, Rowen Castle was nothing more than a place to be used as firewood for revenge.
She lifted the hood that reached down to her waist and reached inside her clothes to unwrap the tightly wrapped fabric around her torso.
The cloth, rolled up in layers, looked like a blunt, long loaf of bread. Unwrapping it revealed a sharp dagger without a scabbard.
The blade, which had been carefully maintained for many years, reflected her wrinkled eyes and brown pupils like a mirror.
The dagger, which was quite beautifully crafted, had no shield and was connected straight from the blade to the handle. The handle was decorated with gold, so it looked like something out of the ordinary.
Throb.
As she stared into the blade like an abyss, her chest, slightly above the heart where it had struck, ached as if convulsively.
Ten years ago, no, another year had passed, and now it was eleven years ago.
When Queen Sylvia came to visit the village, Arbor's dense leaves were turning yellow and drying from the tips of the branches.
Saaaaah.
Whenever the wind blew, Leonie felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety whenever she heard a rustling sound from the tree that used to sway refreshingly.
She lifted the hood that reached down to her waist and reached inside her clothes to unwrap the tightly wrapped fabric around her torso.
The cloth, rolled up in layers, looked like a blunt, long loaf of bread. Unwrapping it revealed a sharp dagger without a scabbard.
The blade, which had been carefully maintained for many years, reflected her wrinkled eyes and brown pupils like a mirror.
The dagger, which was quite beautifully crafted, had no shield and was connected straight from the blade to the handle. The handle was decorated with gold, so it looked like something out of the ordinary.
Throb.
As she stared into the blade like an abyss, her chest, slightly above the heart where it had struck, ached as if convulsively.
***
Ten years ago, no, another year had passed, and now it was eleven years ago.
When Queen Sylvia came to visit the village, Arbor's dense leaves were turning yellow and drying from the tips of the branches.
Saaaaah.
Whenever the wind blew, Leonie felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety whenever she heard a rustling sound from the tree that used to sway refreshingly.
Although the existence of the sacred tree was well known to all the powerful people on the continent, it was natural that the head of the Oberon Kingdom, which embraced the village of Plogne, would be the first to know when something happened to the tree.
'Arbor's leaves are withering. This is the first time I've seen something like this.'
Leonie hid her physique and gender in a large white gown, drank a potion that made her throat hoarse and stood before the Queen wearing a mask. This was her first time meeting the Queen in person.
'Please tell me what the sacred tree says. Why are you making such a fuss?'
It had not been long since Arbor's fortuneteller, who had been meeting the Queen alone, had passed away from old age. The Queen would not know who she had met because the villagers, hiding their identities and existences, wore the same clothes and masks.
'Arbor said... '
But Leonie was confused as she relayed the words of the tree that resonated in her heart.
'They say that if His Highness the Crown Prince ascends to the throne, the entire country will be engulfed in war. '
What on earth does that mean? Leonie asked the tree inwardly, even after she had said it. The tree did not respond to her words. That was the end of the message.
However, at that moment, Leonie saw clearly. The vast plains where the royal castle could be seen in the distance were turned into a sea of fire, and the desperate struggles of those fighting covered in blood floated up behind the Queen.
It seemed that she was not listening to the tree's voice, but that Arbor was projecting the future that he knew and saw to her. This was her first experience.
Leonie barely managed to collect her confused mind.
'Really?'
The Queen responded indifferently as if she was not particularly surprised.
'I see.'
The Queen, who had turned around as if she wasn’t curious about anything else, shouted at her subordinates.
“We’re going back to the castle!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The girl who had left the Queen in the middle of the crowd, who was quickly preparing to leave the village, got annoyed.
“Are we leaving already? I want to play more. Oh my, yes?”
“This isn’t a place to play.”
The mountain path was narrow, so it wasn’t a place to take a carriage. The Queen, who was holding her whining little daughter in her arms, wrapped one arm around the child, held the reins tightly with the other hand, and skillfully sped away into the forest.
“Ha.”
What was this feeling? Leonie clutched her chest and gasped for breath.
“Leoni. Are you okay?”
“Are you dizzy?”
The villagers approached her and spoke to her in hoarse voices from drinking the medicine together.
“No. I guess I’m a little nervous because it’s my first time meeting such a high-ranking person.”
“You’ll get used to it after a few times. Today, you did well."
Leonie, who took off her mask, smiled back at him while wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. After the Queen's visit, her daily life felt precarious for some time. For some reason, her premonitions were strangely shaken.
In the meantime, Arbor was silent. Unlike before, she could not hear a joyful thank you even when she watered the tree
'Arbor's leaves are withering. This is the first time I've seen something like this.'
Leonie hid her physique and gender in a large white gown, drank a potion that made her throat hoarse and stood before the Queen wearing a mask. This was her first time meeting the Queen in person.
'Please tell me what the sacred tree says. Why are you making such a fuss?'
It had not been long since Arbor's fortuneteller, who had been meeting the Queen alone, had passed away from old age. The Queen would not know who she had met because the villagers, hiding their identities and existences, wore the same clothes and masks.
'Arbor said... '
But Leonie was confused as she relayed the words of the tree that resonated in her heart.
'They say that if His Highness the Crown Prince ascends to the throne, the entire country will be engulfed in war. '
What on earth does that mean? Leonie asked the tree inwardly, even after she had said it. The tree did not respond to her words. That was the end of the message.
However, at that moment, Leonie saw clearly. The vast plains where the royal castle could be seen in the distance were turned into a sea of fire, and the desperate struggles of those fighting covered in blood floated up behind the Queen.
It seemed that she was not listening to the tree's voice, but that Arbor was projecting the future that he knew and saw to her. This was her first experience.
Leonie barely managed to collect her confused mind.
'Really?'
The Queen responded indifferently as if she was not particularly surprised.
'I see.'
The Queen, who had turned around as if she wasn’t curious about anything else, shouted at her subordinates.
“We’re going back to the castle!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The girl who had left the Queen in the middle of the crowd, who was quickly preparing to leave the village, got annoyed.
“Are we leaving already? I want to play more. Oh my, yes?”
“This isn’t a place to play.”
The mountain path was narrow, so it wasn’t a place to take a carriage. The Queen, who was holding her whining little daughter in her arms, wrapped one arm around the child, held the reins tightly with the other hand, and skillfully sped away into the forest.
“Ha.”
What was this feeling? Leonie clutched her chest and gasped for breath.
“Leoni. Are you okay?”
“Are you dizzy?”
The villagers approached her and spoke to her in hoarse voices from drinking the medicine together.
“No. I guess I’m a little nervous because it’s my first time meeting such a high-ranking person.”
“You’ll get used to it after a few times. Today, you did well."
Leonie, who took off her mask, smiled back at him while wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. After the Queen's visit, her daily life felt precarious for some time. For some reason, her premonitions were strangely shaken.
In the meantime, Arbor was silent. Unlike before, she could not hear a joyful thank you even when she watered the tree
Leonie was now Arbor's fortuneteller hidden in the village of Plogne. She was the only fruit that could communicate with Arbor. With her lack of experience, it was difficult to control the tree's changes.
Even when she lay down to sleep, she could not fall asleep, so she often took light naps. Her husband Evan seemed to be concerned as if he sensed something was wrong with her.
"Are you okay? You keep sweating and looking tired."
"Yes. I don't know why."
Evan lowered his voice subtly as he spoke feebly.
"Could it be that you are having a second child?"
Even when she lay down to sleep, she could not fall asleep, so she often took light naps. Her husband Evan seemed to be concerned as if he sensed something was wrong with her.
"Are you okay? You keep sweating and looking tired."
"Yes. I don't know why."
Evan lowered his voice subtly as he spoke feebly.
"Could it be that you are having a second child?"
"Are you crazy?"
It was the sound of the sleepiness that was slowly creeping up on her.
"Isn't it time to give Claudel a younger sibling?"
"Even after being kicked out of the family."
She stopped nagging her husband when she poked him where he was hurt. Leonie was still a novice fortune teller and had some things to lose, but she was the best to her husband who had been with her for over ten years.
"What happened to Herzol's prescription?"
"There's an old man who took care of my father's housework before he passed away. He still has it."
"Really?"
Leonie was delighted to hear good news after hearing the words that she had brought up to nag him. Evan took out an envelope with the family crest from his bosom and showed it to her.
"The merchants are coming in a few days, so I'm going to leave it at the herbalist."
"Yes. Oh, right. You'll take Claudel with me when I go down the mountain."
"Should I?"
Leonie nodded.
"I think I haven't been paying enough attention to the child lately. She like to go to the market, so take her with you."
"Don't worry about Claudel."
Evan hugged her and consoled her.
"I told her that Mom might feel weak when she has a little sister."
"What? What did you say to her?"
"Come here. Leonie Honey."
Leonie trembled at her husband's creepy sense of nicknames. When Evan was in a good mood, he would call her by any name he liked.
A few more chaotic days passed. When Hannah, the neighbor's child, came to visit early in the morning, saying that they had found a beehive and were going to go get honey, she saw Claudel changing her clothes to go to the market, and Evan ended up taking both children down the mountain.
"Whew."
In the quiet house, Leonie tried to cheer herself up by eating the small cookies Hannah's mother had brought her.
"Why am I feeling like this?"
Not only was she constantly tired and exhausted, but her back kept feeling tingly.
That afternoon. An unexpected visitor came to the village.
Tinkle. Tinkle. Tinkle.
The bells, tied with thin threads that were barely visible between the dense trees, rang frantically at the intrusion of the unknown visitor.
A moment later, Leonie encountered an unexpected figure in the reception room.
A beautiful boy with bright lemon-blond hair and beautiful blue eyes glared at her.
"Are you the fortuneteller who said that if I become King, the whole country will be at war?"
Leonie hurriedly put on her mask and hood, and her heart pounded. It seemed as if her presence had disappeared and only the sound of her wildly beating heart remained in the world.
...The sound of Arbor's heart.
The tree that had been silent since Queen Sylvia had passed by rang with a throbbing sound that was painful to the ears.
"Ask the tree. Will you be able to see me become King?"
A chill ran down her back.
"...They say you will."
"Really?"
The Prince, as if possessed, raised the corners of his mouth as if he had heard something quite amusing, with the same expression and tone of voice.
Bang!
In an instant, a sharp dagger was stabbed into her heart.
"T, what is this..."
"You are wrong. What kind of prophecy are you when you can’t even see an inch ahead of you?"
Valquiterre said gently.
"I will tell the Queen that your prophecy is wrong."
"Ugh. Gulp."
Valquiterre stepped back as if it were dirty after seeing her vomit blood through the hole in her mask.
"Your Highness. You must go quickly."
As the door to the audience room opened, hot air blew in.
"Understood. Just take this."
Valquiterre was about to approach to pull out the dagger stuck in her body when...
"Your Highness! It is dangerous."
The fire had probably started from the roof, as the cloth hanging from the ceiling of the audience room quickly burned and fell down in a heap.
Valquiterre looked back at her once more, then quickly turned around and escaped, wrapping himself in his cloak.
"Ugh... "
An illusion unfolded behind Valquiterre as he disappeared.
Leonie lost consciousness as she listened to the screams of those in pain.
"... Valquiterre."
***
The sword embedded in her body was damaged by the fire and lost the precious object's form.
In her daze, Madame Cronach asked the doctor who treated her for the sword. It was only much later that it was restored to its original form.
The sword's handle was clearly engraved with the name of its owner.
[Valquiterre. A small sun shining on Oberon.]
If I see my enemy again someday, I will definitely drive this sword into his chest.
It was something Madame Cronach had been planning for the past ten years.
"Tonight. I will see the end.”
She watched one or two boats float in the distance.
***
At the dock, Hannah was restless the whole time.
“Wouldn’t it be too cold?”
The sight of Claudel wearing a flowing red chiffon dress seemed to bother her.
“Is it cold here? Tell me honestly.”
Hannah laughed awkwardly at her joking tone.
"No. Honestly, what is this?”
No matter how cold it was in Rowen, it was a night warmer than autumn weather in Valmonde.
“I said it’s okay.”
Already, oil lanterns floated by impatient people were floating one by one on the lakeside.
Regardless, Hannah seemed excited about this precious scene she was seeing for the first time.
“Duchess. We are ready to set sail.”
"Thank you, Rohan.”
Claudel smiled as she watched Rohan and Hannah exchange glances.
"Hanna. You must board Rohan’s ship.”
"Yes?"
“I refuse to be the one to disrupt the relationship between the two.”
"No. Still...”
Unlike Hannah, who was even pretending to decline, Rohan already took his lover's hand and put it on his arm, grinning.
"Thank you, Duchess. Would it be okay if I wrote a thank you note in the next edition of the Hindenburg Continental Explorer?”
“Yes, I would like it.”
“I have to take care of Madam.”
This was the face that made Hannah worry as she watched Claudel having a friendly conversation for the first time in a while.
Kaian suddenly intervened and wrapped his arms around Claudel’s shoulders.
“I will take care of my wife.”
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