What awaits at the end of this road is (1)
When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling.
"This is my room."
Didn't I just give a speech at the inauguration ceremony? How is this my room?
I yawned loudly as I tried to recall my memories. I don't know why my body feels so sluggish. It's like I've been sleeping for a long time.
'What time is it?'
The moment I turned my head to check the time, something wet fell from my forehead.
"Uh?"
I stared blankly at the towel wetting the pillow, then looked around.
The area around the bed was a bit messy. There were all sorts of medicines, blood-soaked bandages, and a basin of water all messily placed on the table.
What the hell happened?
As I was about to get up in a panic, I heard a deep, muffled voice.
"Stay the same."
“Rahon?”
Rahon looked at me without answering. He measured my temperature and checked my wounds with a cautious face.
Even though it was a short time.
I felt impatient.
Why is Rajon, who should be advancing with the Allied Forces by now, here?
"What happened? How was the inauguration ceremony?"
Rahon's alluring eyes narrowed in displeasure.
"Are you still worried about the inauguration ceremony even at this point?"
"Of course I'm worried. Nothing happened, right? The inauguration ceremony went well, right?"
Rahon crossed his arms with a cold expression.
"I don't know. I hope it ends well."
"What happened?"
"I couldn't watch until the end because I had to follow you after you fainted right after you finished giving your speech."
"I passed out?"
How can I be so fine after passing out? Rahon suddenly got angry at me for tilting my head.
"Yes! Even for three days! I was so excited I was talking nonsense!"
"...Me?"
Now that I think about it, there was a scene that kept coming to mind.
My body was so hot it felt like it was burning. But it was so cold that my teeth were chattering.
I wish I had covered myself with a blanket, but I was in tears because someone kept taking it away.
I felt like they weren't even giving me a blanket because I was a sinner.
"I'm cold. Please give me a blanket..."
"No, just hold on a little longer.
"It's so cold..."
"You have to bring your fever down right now. Otherwise, it's really dangerous."
"It hurts. I was wrong. Please forgive me..."
"Who have you been begging for forgiveness from? What did you do wrong? Bring me a new towel!"
I seemed to be so excited by the fever that I confused it with my past life when I was in prison.
"I'm sorry you were so surprised."
"Ha..."
Rahon sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Looking at it now, I could clearly see the tired look in his eyes.
"If you come to your senses, that's fine. Judging from your condition, it seems like you've passed the critical point. Can you get up?"
"Yes. What about Nadia?"
"I sent her to her room to get some sleep. I thought she might pass out too."
"Thank you."
"Let's eat and take some medicine first. It might be uncomfortable, but don't take a bath for the time being."
"I will do that."
I got up with Rahon's support.
I didn't notice it when I was lying down, but when I stood up, my shoulders started to sag and I felt pain. Rahon watched me closely as I frowned slightly.
"Does it hurt? Do you want to take some painkillers first?"
"Not to that extent..."
As I smiled and shook my head, someone's face passed by.
My father sits next to my bed, holding my hand and looking at me.
"Uh?"
"What's the matter?"
"I don't know if it's a dream or reality, but I think I saw my father."
"How did you know that? You said you didn't even remember."
Rahon muttered with a smirk. I asked in surprise.
"My father was next to me?"
"He was here a little while ago, but after making sure you were stable, he left right away."
"Oh, how did he know?"
"I guess he saw you wearing a cloak and thought something was wrong. He came to see you briefly before leaving and saw you faint."
A sigh escaped the unexpected situation.
"That won't do..."
The reason I insisted on giving the speech was not for some grand reason, like a sense of duty as a guardian.
If I don't show up for the inauguration ceremony, people who know me, including my father, will think it's strange.
Of course, they would have wanted to know what happened and would have found out right away what happened to me.
I hated that.
So I wanted to somehow show that I was okay. So that they wouldn't have to worry about me and could just focus on the Great Rift.
I thought I hid it perfectly, but it seems like my father's discerning eye can't be fooled.
As I closed my eyes tightly with a heavy heart, Rahon patted my shoulder.
"He seemed surprised, but not angry. I think the Emperor explained to him well that he was saved thanks to you."
I wonder what my father must have felt as he left me behind and headed to the battlefield. I could feel how heavy his steps must have been even though I couldn't see them.
"When did he leave?"
"Has It been an hour? It hasn't been that long.
"..."
"Don't worry too much. He's glad you got well. You can show him your healthy side later."
If my father died in the Great Rift, there would be no later time. This could have been my last meeting with my father.
"I need to meet him."
"Huh? Who?"
"Father, if I run fast, I can catch up."
"..."
Rahon just blinked and grabbed me.
"Hey, wait a minute! Wait a minute!"
"This might be the last time, so I can't show him that side of me!"
An excited voice burst out without me knowing. I bit my trembling lips to suppress my surging emotions.
"I'm sorry for yelling, but I'm going to die so don't stop me."
"Who's stopping you? Let's ride a horse and not faint again. Let's ride a carriage."
"...Will you go with me?"
"Then should I send you alone?"
Rajon grabbed my hand.
"Let's go."
The four-horse chariot driven by Baba ran like crazy. Rahon asked worriedly.
"Can you stand it?"
I was starting to realize deep in my bones why he had asked me to ride in a carriage.
Every time the carriage shook, the wound would sting violently. If I had gotten on the horse as Rahon had said, I would have fainted before even met my father.
"You fixed it so firmly. It's bearable."
Wipe off the cold sweat and say that."
Rahon clicked his tongue and opened his eyes wide.
"Isn't that your father?"
"Where?"
"Those three knights running ahead. The one in the middle seems to be your father."
"...That's right!"
My father was running with two knights.
I stuck my head out the window and shouted.
"Father!!!"
"... Millennia?"
Father glanced behind him and pulled hard on the reins. The horse yelped harshly and slowed down.
Then a carriage running at full speed stopped in front of them. My father got off the horse and approached us with a frighteningly stiff face.
"Millenia! You're riding in a carriage with that body!"
I got out of the carriage and hugged my father without warning.
"Why are you so careless! What if you move around recklessly and your wound bursts?"
"I knew it."
"What are you talking about!"
"You fought for me."
My father's yelling suddenly stopped.
Not everyone trusts me as a 'first walker'.
How many years have I been Oslo's lover, and how could my behavior as a guardian for a few months have changed his perception of me?
There were still many who hated me, distrusted me, and considered me unworthy of being a Guardian.
What would those people think if no one in our family participated in this situation?
Of course, they will criticize us. They say that they are hiding me because they don't trust the guardian in the guardian's house.
That's why my father chose to go to war.
To show courage to those who still don't believe in me. He's going to fight because he believes in his daughter.
The excuse that it was a chance to undo the mistakes of 30 years ago was only a partial one; in the end, it was for the sake of his worthless daughter.
"So I couldn't be honest. I didn't dare to tell my father, who fought for me... that I was no longer a Guardian."
"I don't know what you're talking about. You're not a guardian."
I raised my head and met my father's gaze. He looked down at me with a puzzled look and quickly cupped my cheek.
"You... eyes..."
"I got my eyesight back."
My father's wide-open eyes became moist.
"You, really... can you really see your father?"
"Yes, I'm sorry I'm telling you now...!"
Before I could even finish answering, my father hugged me tightly.
"Thank you, God. Thank you..."
A watery voice fell on my deaf ears. My strong body, trained for many years, was trembling helplessly.
I burst into tears that I had been holding back.
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