The cliffs that cut deep into the field were so steep that it seemed as if one wrong step would send one plummeting into the pitch-black seа.
"I'm this great, if you touch me, no one will forgive you!"
Birna muttered proudly, then began to sob.
"Ugh. Mom, Dad... I was wrong. Birna... I didn't know. I couldn't help it. Sob."
She buried her face in the dust-stained rag and sobbed.
Then, soon, she raised her head.
It was at that moment when Birna's eyes, looking up at the sky, became cloudy.
Kwakwakwang-!
Lightning struck as if splitting the cloudy sky.
The lightning barely missed the cliff where Birna was standing. A vast, pure white light burst out and struck Birna.
Her hazy eyes suddenly became dizzy.
As if she had witnessed something unfolding before her eyes, transcending time and space.
"Ahhh! Sister! I'm sorry! It was my fault!"
She bent down. Then she took something out of her bosom and shook her head absentmindedly.
It was a rag bag, dirty with mud and rainwater.
"Please. I will never betray... my sister again..."
She sat up, trembling with fear like a cornered mouse.
"Sister Medea... Forgive me! Forgive me!"
Her feet, now black and dirty, slipped on the wet stones.
With a plop.
The small noise that struck the ears was soon covered by the tidal wave that was coming in.
Soon there was nothing left on the cliff.
***
Strait of Valdina.
"Did you see that? I saw it with my own eyes that day!"
Anyone who went out into the city could easily find people talking about the incident that occurred at the memorial service not long ago.
"That dead woman was his longtime lover. He killed his own child to save his own life and switched with another woman. It's understandable why a woman would go crazy and sharpen her knife for revenge."
"Yes, and crawling into the bed of the 4th Princess! Is that something a proud royal would do? The fact that Etienne, who was a sodomite, only harassed that guy shows that he had already discovered his dirty nature."
For the past few months, Claudio's name has been heard everywhere you go.
And the long-awaited ending was decorated with great magnificence. by Samon.
"What kind of scandals does this family have? Not only the father and mother but now the son! These guys have created the gossip I'll see in my entire life!"
"Of course. Those bastards who craved the throne without even knowing the subject, how could their private lives be clean?"
"Oh my, those are such tenacious lives. They're holding on tenaciously."
Medea wanted her uncle's family to not only fall into ruin and lose their power but also to see what little dignity they had left buried in the mud.
And she succeeded.
Claudio will remain in this country's history and in people's minds for a very long time to come as a synonym for stupid and vain vanity.
"But, didn't Her Highness Medea gather the corpses of those Claudios and make a tomb for them?"
"Except for the cuckoo daughter who went missing, she properly found and buried the remains of her aunt who was flogged to death, her cousin who was stabbed to death at the memorial service a few days ago, and even her uncle whose remains her aunt had hastily cremated to hide her affair."
"If it were me, I wouldn't have cared where they were rotting away! But Her Highness still took care of them on their final journey because they were family. She is truly a loving person!"
Everyone was impressed by the Princess's consideration for her uncle's family with the last of her remaining affection.
But...
"Your Majesty. It is said that this was left behind where Birna Claudio disappeared from the cliff."
"..."
"It's a tsunami night, so the body hasn't floated up yet. If you want, I can send out more people to search."
"...Yes. This is fine for me."
Medea looked down at the cloth pouch Kensington held out.
It was a coincidence that Birna had the medium called the pouch before she died, although it was completely different from the one in her previous life.
Thud. Thud.
Medea could hear the sound of gentle waves crashing against the rocks.
At the end of a gently sloping green hill overlooking the sea, three small tombs stood tall.
The shadows of the clouds cast over the tomb slowly moved, swallowing up the setting sun.
Medea stood before three tombs of different sizes.
She dropped something.
"The whole family is finally here."
It was a dirty rag bag that Kensington had handed over.
"..."
People thought that Medea built this tomb to honor the last days of her uncle.
"Goodbye, Leah."
But you were wrong.
"Your mother has avenged you."
This was Medea's offering to her daughter.
"Mom, don't cry. Leah will hold you."
Now, it was really time to let the child go. She couldn't help but shed tears when she thought of Leah.
Medea stretched out her hand.
She held her white fingertips that were groping the air as if drawing her daughter's face.
Still, she had work to do.
Medea turned her head.
In the distance, the temple's cream-colored bell tower hung precariously in the sunset.
***
Valdina Palace.
"Did Medea go see them?"
Peleus frowned when he learned where Medea had gone when she returned. He really thought his sister was being too honest.
'You must repay what you have received, but even resentment does not exceed its limit.'
Of course, Claudio, who received the revenge, would never agree with Peleus' opinion.
'If there are those who try to take advantage of Dea's upright heart of giving back as much as she received.'
Peleus, who had been admonishing her without answering, stopped.
Because he realized that there was already a man who had shown her so much favor. His beautiful blue eyes narrowed slightly.
"Dea. I will repay the First Prince's help, so don't worry about it."
"Suddenly out of the blue?"
Medea was both shocked and amused by her brother's voice, which was more solemn than ever before.
"If he ever tries to approach you under the pretext of that favor, you must let me know right away, do you understand?"
Medea noticed Peleus hand twitching on the scabbard.
If Peleus found out that Cesare had been climbing out of her bedroom window without permission, trouble was likely to ensue.
She should tell him to stop talking nonsense.
Medea thought absentmindedly, then flinched.
Because she realized that she had taken it for granted that Cesare would come looking for her, just as she was certain that he would return to Valdina.
"Peleus, this is not the time to worry about me. Do you know how many portraits of women of the prime of life D'Angel has been thrusting at me?"
Medea grumbled playfully.
"Brother, get married. Now that even Simon Claudio is dead, they will directly target you, Peleus."
An unmarried Emperor with no descendants is a target worth taking a chance on.
"Hey, you're here."
"I am..."
When Medea paused, Peleus continued.
"I thought about this as I crossed the border of Katzen. Now that Valdina has become strong enough to no longer need to join hands with other countries, why should I send you away? No place loves and cherishes you more than this country, Valdina."
"Peleus."
"I have no desire to get married. I don't have the confidence to find someone who will only care about me like my mother or father, nor do I want to. So, making my nephew the heir to the throne is also an alternative."
Peleus had witnessed throughout his life how those who lost a loved one were broken.
But he can't do that. He is the Emperor of this country and Medea's only remaining blood relative.
"There are plenty of good guys in Valdina, so I can feel safe."
In fact, some guys had his eyes on them as a potential match for his younger sister.
"Peleus. Don't make difficult matters seem so easy. Didn't your uncle personally show you what happens when you leave your direct brothers behind in the country?"
Medea blinked as she scolded her brother.
She felt like her eyes were turning red at the thought of her brother caring so much for her.
"Valdin and I will protect you to the end, no matter what happens. So, now, relax a little and put your mind at ease."
Peleus stroked Medea's head as she bit her lip.
Pale skin and soft silver hair. His sister's face was small enough to be hidden in his hands, making him realize how fragile she still was.
'God, I dare ask you to protect this child.'
The moment when he should finally feel the relief of victory after eliminating a long-standing threat, Peleus repeated to himself, feeling a fear rising in his chest.
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