Judith nodded as if she understood what he meant. The King coughed a few times and let out a long breath as if he was having trouble keeping his body up. However, when Judith tried to lay him down again, he shook his head and refused.
“If I lie down, my consciousness will gradually fade. I want to stay sane as long as I can.”
Judith knew that if he accumulated unnecessary fatigue like this, the next storm would surely come, but she could not bring herself to force him to lie down.
Because she knew why the King wanted to stay awake, even if it meant going to great lengths. Judith knew that he wanted to stay conscious for a little longer, even for a single minute and a single second, and so she meekly agreed to his request.
“I have something to ask you.”
“Please, Your Majesty. I will listen.”
“You who have read the records in the King’s study before will remember the records of King Humberlon, the ninth King of Rotair.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I remember.”
A member of the royal family who fled to an uninhabited island in the archipelago region to avoid death at the hands of his half-brother who had become the Crown Prince, but who ascended to the throne after the Crown Prince died of a sudden illness and earned the nickname of 'King of the Shadow of the Island'. Judith also remembers having a conversation with the King about him.
“During his short reign, he devoted all his energy to the country. He rebuilt roads, reformed taxes, and greatly advanced medicine. It is shameful that he cannot even keep up with the Empire of Delacca, but Rotair was a place of incomparable brilliance at that time.”
It is natural that a country's heyday is short and that it gradually declines thereafter. No one is unaware of this natural flow, but the King, as the ruler, had no choice but to accept the weight of it differently.
But King Jedercayer's words did not seem to be just a lament. Judith listened carefully and observed his expression. The King continued.
“Many have praised him down to later generations, and countless achievements made during his reign are recorded in the records. However, these are only records that are good for anyone to see. Some of them were chosen so that they could fall into the hands of anyone, not just the descendants who succeeded to the throne.”
“Your Majesty, what do you mean?”
Judith, who wondered why the King suddenly brought up the story of the King of Humberlon, had an intuition that this was exactly what he really wanted to say. The records of the King's achievements were supposed to be discussed by the highest officials of the Privy Council. It was difficult to easily understand the King's words that gave the impression that such things had been arbitrarily manipulated.
“Are you saying that the records... are false?”
“It’s not a lie. It’s just that not everything was recorded. They disappeared when I was young, so I can’t show you, but there were a few other documents in the King’s study besides the ones that remain now. The records of King Humberlon are a good example. Do you remember the contents right after he ascended the throne? Was there anything strange?”
In response to the King's question, Judith thought back to the contents of the document she had read long ago. There seemed to be nothing special about it, except that the nickname "King of the Shadow Island" was unique.
When the Crown Prince died of a mysterious illness, the nobles sailed a boat to an uninhabited island and rescued the unfortunate Prince. After he took the throne, he seemed to have forgotten the dark clouds that had been hanging over him and devoted all his energy to organizing and developing the country both inside and outside.
Meanwhile, a disease broke out in the royal palace that even the palace doctors could not do anything about. Members of the royal family died helplessly, showing symptoms similar to those of the dead Crown Prince, and King Humberlon himself suffered from similar symptoms, but fortunately, his condition was mild and he survived.
“It started as a stomachache similar to dysentery, but soon became a strange disease that dried up the salivary glands, like a person who had been thrown into the desert. It was said that within a few days, all the water in the body was drained away, and no medicine could help. However, after most of the royal family except the King of Humberlon died, the disease never again struck the Rotair royal family...”
While Judith was mumbling to herself, King Jedercayer was looking at her face with deep and deep eyes. Slowly Judith's lips, which trailed off, closed tightly and then opened with a start. Her eyes, which raised their heads, were filled with faint astonishment.
“Your Majesty, wasn’t it... a disease?”
“If it was a real disease, wouldn’t it be reasonable that patients with the same symptoms would have appeared later? Also, the disease was limited to the royal family residing in the palace, and there were no reports of anyone in the capital dying from the same disease.”
Judith's gaze wavered slightly. The reason King Humberlon was praised for generations and songs about him still remain today was not only because of his wise rule that greatly developed the country but also because he almost died a miserable death at the hands of his half-brother. Everyone loved him for surviving such misfortune and miraculously taking the throne.
But if King Jedercayer's words are true, then it is all a lie. Even if the many accomplishments of King Humberlon were true, at least the love and admiration that the Lothaire people have for him up to now is a betrayal.
“There were those who left such records without being noticed by others, but that was nothing more than a stain on the royal family’s infinite history. Therefore, my father the King read all the records of the past Kings, found similar records, and destroyed them.”
"That..."
“Judith, do you know why I am telling you this?”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Judith nodded with difficulty, her trembling fingertips firmly pressed against her other hand.
“You are concerned about His Highness Franz.”
“The position of King will inevitably bring bloodshed, whether it is a lot or a little. It is not easy to rule over everyone. That is why it is most important to be recorded as a King without blemish. Franz has already missed the opportunity to do so. I cannot make that child King without spilling blood on that sword. It is all my fault.”
“Your Majesty, no. It is your fault..."
The King interrupted Judith.
“Listen to me carefully. I don’t blame you. When you told me I had to kill Krald, I resented you at the time. But I soon learned that it was my fault for things to have come to this.”
“...”
“If only everything could be put right now. But that would be like a dream. It is futile to hope for something vain and pretend not to see or hear. So you must protect Franz to the end. You are necessary for him to take up the sword without hesitation.”
The King's words were very unexpected to Judith. They were not the simple lament of a dying King, nor were they just some simple admonitions to love and care for one another. He was trying to encourage Judith to make Franz not hesitate in his decision at the last moment.
Judith understood it too. If Franz had been weak-hearted and let Krald live, if he had let Queen Gilsis live, then an uncontrollable storm could have raged on. Once the matter began, they had to die. To keep those involved in fear and silence, the two mothers and the Laetian family had to be completely silenced by death.
“This is your final responsibility. Do you understand?”
“...I will engrave Your Majesty’s words deep in my heart and keep them in mind.”
There was a sound of the window frame shaking in the wind. The thick snowflakes pattered against the windowpanes and soon melted. The King looked at Judith with a stern expression for a while, then smiled kindly.
“Isn’t Franz giving you trouble? I’m worried that he’s neglecting you because he’s busy with state affairs.”
“His Highness has never neglected me. Please don’t worry.”
“That’s fortunate. I want to hold the child you gave birth to and give it a name, but it seems like it would be difficult.”
“...Your Majesty, don’t say such things. Your Majesty will rise soon. You must regain your strength and become a guide for all the people of this country.”
“I am the one who has wandered for a long time without finding my own path. I think that holding on to my old life so that your future path may be a little smoother is my atonement.”
The King laughed in a low voice. Judith pressed her eyelids, which were burning and looked as if tears would fall at any moment, with her fingertips.
“You should go now. You should go back before the snowfall gets heavier.”
“I will be by your side, Your Majesty.”
“No. I am also tired and want to rest alone. You may ask the servants to take care of me, but you should be careful and go to the Nation Palace.”
Judith could no longer endure it and stood up. Then, tears fell down and soaked the King's sheets. King Jedercayer looked at her with a pitiful expression, then leaned back and closed his eyes.
Judith's eyes were red and swollen as she emerged from the dungeon. The servants spoke to her with concern, but she had no time to respond.
Her steps were heavy. The anxiety that the King might pass away at any moment kept holding her ankles, and her steps became increasingly slow. Judith let the attendant who followed her leave and slowly walked down the long corridor alone. She did not even notice the white snow fluttering fiercely beyond the beautifully decorated windows.
"Ah."
Judith, who had been lost in thought with her gaze down, raised her head with a single groan. Queen Gilsis was standing before her with her chin raised proudly.
“Your Majesty the Queen.”
Judith bowed slightly, bending her knees. The Queen, knowing that she was a pregnant woman and therefore unable to properly show respect, snorted in disapproval at her attitude.
“What brings Your Majesty the Queen to the Magnus Palace?”
“What kind of presumptuous talk are you talking about? Are you saying that you are the owner of this place?”
“...That’s not what I meant, Your Majesty. I was in a hurry and made a mistake, so please be generous and forgive me.”
King Jedercayer had been sick in bed for a long time, but she had never heard of Queen Gilsis coming to check on him, so she carelessly made a slip of the tongue. Even so, if it had been a normal day, she would have been a little more careful, but Judith's mind was complicated by worry about the King.
“If I lie down, my consciousness will gradually fade. I want to stay sane as long as I can.”
Judith knew that if he accumulated unnecessary fatigue like this, the next storm would surely come, but she could not bring herself to force him to lie down.
Because she knew why the King wanted to stay awake, even if it meant going to great lengths. Judith knew that he wanted to stay conscious for a little longer, even for a single minute and a single second, and so she meekly agreed to his request.
“I have something to ask you.”
“Please, Your Majesty. I will listen.”
“You who have read the records in the King’s study before will remember the records of King Humberlon, the ninth King of Rotair.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I remember.”
A member of the royal family who fled to an uninhabited island in the archipelago region to avoid death at the hands of his half-brother who had become the Crown Prince, but who ascended to the throne after the Crown Prince died of a sudden illness and earned the nickname of 'King of the Shadow of the Island'. Judith also remembers having a conversation with the King about him.
“During his short reign, he devoted all his energy to the country. He rebuilt roads, reformed taxes, and greatly advanced medicine. It is shameful that he cannot even keep up with the Empire of Delacca, but Rotair was a place of incomparable brilliance at that time.”
It is natural that a country's heyday is short and that it gradually declines thereafter. No one is unaware of this natural flow, but the King, as the ruler, had no choice but to accept the weight of it differently.
But King Jedercayer's words did not seem to be just a lament. Judith listened carefully and observed his expression. The King continued.
“Many have praised him down to later generations, and countless achievements made during his reign are recorded in the records. However, these are only records that are good for anyone to see. Some of them were chosen so that they could fall into the hands of anyone, not just the descendants who succeeded to the throne.”
“Your Majesty, what do you mean?”
Judith, who wondered why the King suddenly brought up the story of the King of Humberlon, had an intuition that this was exactly what he really wanted to say. The records of the King's achievements were supposed to be discussed by the highest officials of the Privy Council. It was difficult to easily understand the King's words that gave the impression that such things had been arbitrarily manipulated.
“Are you saying that the records... are false?”
“It’s not a lie. It’s just that not everything was recorded. They disappeared when I was young, so I can’t show you, but there were a few other documents in the King’s study besides the ones that remain now. The records of King Humberlon are a good example. Do you remember the contents right after he ascended the throne? Was there anything strange?”
In response to the King's question, Judith thought back to the contents of the document she had read long ago. There seemed to be nothing special about it, except that the nickname "King of the Shadow Island" was unique.
When the Crown Prince died of a mysterious illness, the nobles sailed a boat to an uninhabited island and rescued the unfortunate Prince. After he took the throne, he seemed to have forgotten the dark clouds that had been hanging over him and devoted all his energy to organizing and developing the country both inside and outside.
Meanwhile, a disease broke out in the royal palace that even the palace doctors could not do anything about. Members of the royal family died helplessly, showing symptoms similar to those of the dead Crown Prince, and King Humberlon himself suffered from similar symptoms, but fortunately, his condition was mild and he survived.
“It started as a stomachache similar to dysentery, but soon became a strange disease that dried up the salivary glands, like a person who had been thrown into the desert. It was said that within a few days, all the water in the body was drained away, and no medicine could help. However, after most of the royal family except the King of Humberlon died, the disease never again struck the Rotair royal family...”
While Judith was mumbling to herself, King Jedercayer was looking at her face with deep and deep eyes. Slowly Judith's lips, which trailed off, closed tightly and then opened with a start. Her eyes, which raised their heads, were filled with faint astonishment.
“Your Majesty, wasn’t it... a disease?”
“If it was a real disease, wouldn’t it be reasonable that patients with the same symptoms would have appeared later? Also, the disease was limited to the royal family residing in the palace, and there were no reports of anyone in the capital dying from the same disease.”
Judith's gaze wavered slightly. The reason King Humberlon was praised for generations and songs about him still remain today was not only because of his wise rule that greatly developed the country but also because he almost died a miserable death at the hands of his half-brother. Everyone loved him for surviving such misfortune and miraculously taking the throne.
But if King Jedercayer's words are true, then it is all a lie. Even if the many accomplishments of King Humberlon were true, at least the love and admiration that the Lothaire people have for him up to now is a betrayal.
“There were those who left such records without being noticed by others, but that was nothing more than a stain on the royal family’s infinite history. Therefore, my father the King read all the records of the past Kings, found similar records, and destroyed them.”
"That..."
“Judith, do you know why I am telling you this?”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Judith nodded with difficulty, her trembling fingertips firmly pressed against her other hand.
“You are concerned about His Highness Franz.”
“The position of King will inevitably bring bloodshed, whether it is a lot or a little. It is not easy to rule over everyone. That is why it is most important to be recorded as a King without blemish. Franz has already missed the opportunity to do so. I cannot make that child King without spilling blood on that sword. It is all my fault.”
“Your Majesty, no. It is your fault..."
The King interrupted Judith.
“Listen to me carefully. I don’t blame you. When you told me I had to kill Krald, I resented you at the time. But I soon learned that it was my fault for things to have come to this.”
“...”
“If only everything could be put right now. But that would be like a dream. It is futile to hope for something vain and pretend not to see or hear. So you must protect Franz to the end. You are necessary for him to take up the sword without hesitation.”
The King's words were very unexpected to Judith. They were not the simple lament of a dying King, nor were they just some simple admonitions to love and care for one another. He was trying to encourage Judith to make Franz not hesitate in his decision at the last moment.
Judith understood it too. If Franz had been weak-hearted and let Krald live, if he had let Queen Gilsis live, then an uncontrollable storm could have raged on. Once the matter began, they had to die. To keep those involved in fear and silence, the two mothers and the Laetian family had to be completely silenced by death.
“This is your final responsibility. Do you understand?”
“...I will engrave Your Majesty’s words deep in my heart and keep them in mind.”
There was a sound of the window frame shaking in the wind. The thick snowflakes pattered against the windowpanes and soon melted. The King looked at Judith with a stern expression for a while, then smiled kindly.
“Isn’t Franz giving you trouble? I’m worried that he’s neglecting you because he’s busy with state affairs.”
“His Highness has never neglected me. Please don’t worry.”
“That’s fortunate. I want to hold the child you gave birth to and give it a name, but it seems like it would be difficult.”
“...Your Majesty, don’t say such things. Your Majesty will rise soon. You must regain your strength and become a guide for all the people of this country.”
“I am the one who has wandered for a long time without finding my own path. I think that holding on to my old life so that your future path may be a little smoother is my atonement.”
The King laughed in a low voice. Judith pressed her eyelids, which were burning and looked as if tears would fall at any moment, with her fingertips.
“You should go now. You should go back before the snowfall gets heavier.”
“I will be by your side, Your Majesty.”
“No. I am also tired and want to rest alone. You may ask the servants to take care of me, but you should be careful and go to the Nation Palace.”
Judith could no longer endure it and stood up. Then, tears fell down and soaked the King's sheets. King Jedercayer looked at her with a pitiful expression, then leaned back and closed his eyes.
Judith's eyes were red and swollen as she emerged from the dungeon. The servants spoke to her with concern, but she had no time to respond.
Her steps were heavy. The anxiety that the King might pass away at any moment kept holding her ankles, and her steps became increasingly slow. Judith let the attendant who followed her leave and slowly walked down the long corridor alone. She did not even notice the white snow fluttering fiercely beyond the beautifully decorated windows.
"Ah."
Judith, who had been lost in thought with her gaze down, raised her head with a single groan. Queen Gilsis was standing before her with her chin raised proudly.
“Your Majesty the Queen.”
Judith bowed slightly, bending her knees. The Queen, knowing that she was a pregnant woman and therefore unable to properly show respect, snorted in disapproval at her attitude.
“What brings Your Majesty the Queen to the Magnus Palace?”
“What kind of presumptuous talk are you talking about? Are you saying that you are the owner of this place?”
“...That’s not what I meant, Your Majesty. I was in a hurry and made a mistake, so please be generous and forgive me.”
King Jedercayer had been sick in bed for a long time, but she had never heard of Queen Gilsis coming to check on him, so she carelessly made a slip of the tongue. Even so, if it had been a normal day, she would have been a little more careful, but Judith's mind was complicated by worry about the King.
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