Epilogue 2
What the hell did I just hear?
As I stared at him, slightly stunned by the unbelievable words, Prophetes IV smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.
“I can’t declare it right now, but I will do so soon, within five years at the latest. As you know, the Kingdom of Artina is more than qualified to do so.”
I knew that too.
So I wasn't that surprised that Prophetes IV called Artina an empire rather than a kingdom.
“You want me to... become the Empress?”
This was the part that surprised me.
When asked precisely, Prophetes IV nodded with a slightly tense expression on his face.
"That's right."
“Do you know what that means?”
“I know. I’m proposing to you right now.”
I know that very well.
Of course, a King of the highest rank would not say such important things so carelessly.
“I know it’s rude to propose like this.”
Prophetes IV continued, sounding a little aggrieved.
“But since the Duke suddenly established the Federation and even created a parliament, I have no time to relax. The nobles of the kingdom are also urging me to come back quickly.”
“You have been away from the kingdom for a long time.”
It was almost three months since the war with the Empire was over, so it was only natural that the nobles of the Kingdom of Artina were in a state of confusion.
“That’s why I’m telling you, Duke. Please marry me.”
“...”
“Of course, it’s not like I didn’t prepare at all.”
Prophetes IV took a small box out of his pocket and opened it.
Inside was a ring densely packed with large diamonds and small rubies.
Judging by the skill, it was definitely not a work that could be created overnight.
Even if he couldn't do it, it would have taken at least 6 months, which means...
“You’ve been thinking about proposing to me for a while now.”
“That’s right. From the day I signed the contract with the Academy, I wanted to have you by my side.”
I didn't know it had been that long.
I had a vague idea that Prophetes IV had feelings for me, but I thought it wouldn't be for long, so I was a little surprised when I found out it wasn't.
“I thought that would be the case because they say that when the body grows distant, the heart grows distant too, but that’s not the case.”
Prophetes IV's expression was unusually serious.
“Rather, it became more earnest. My desire to spend the rest of my life with you grew stronger.”
He knelt down on one knee in front of me and held out the ring box.
“So, will you marry me? I promise to make you happy for the rest of your life.”
My heart was heavy with the sorrowful collision.
If it had been anyone else, I would have flatly refused, but I couldn't do that because I had received so much help from Prophetes IV.
I wanted to refuse in a way that would not hurt him if possible.
What a funny thought.
There is no such thing as rejection in this world that doesn't hurt.
I stared blankly at the ring box that Prophetes IV had handed me and said:
“I have to take care of the federal estates, including Leopold’s estate.”
Prophetes IV answered without hesitation.
“Even if you become Empress, you can do that.”
“And I have no intention of leaving Leopold’s estate.”
This time he couldn't refute and kept his mouth shut.
I looked straight into his trembling eyes and asked.
“Can Your Majesty the King abandon his kingdom and come to Leopold’s estate?”
“...!”
“Then I will think about marrying Your Majesty.”
It was an empty promise, not sincere.
A lie I told to make Prophetes IV give up, knowing that he would never do so.
“...It is impossible for a King to abandon his country.”
Look at this. I smiled at the expected result and closed the ring box.
“I sincerely hope that this ring finds a good owner.”
“Prophetess IV proposed to you?”
“How did you know that?”
When he proposed, there were only me and Prophetes IV in the room?
No one could eavesdrop, as even the servants waiting outside had been bitten just in case.
But how did Perdes not know?
When asked in surprise, Perdes answered dissatisfiedly.
“How did you say it? I found out because that damned escort knight was talking about it.”
“If you’re a knight escort, then Sir Logos?”
“I don’t know if it was Logos or Logus, but either way, he was talking.”
Sir Logos is a bit of a tight-lipped person, but I never thought he'd go around talking about something like this.
It's a little tricky. I'll have to make sure that he gets a verbal warning when I meet Sir Logos later.
“So, judging by your reaction, it looks like he really proposed?”
“He did, but I refused.”
"... Yes?"
When I nodded, Perdes smiled, as if his mood had finally eased, but then frowned again as if he was not pleased with something.
“Anyway, I didn’t like that guy from the first time I saw him, but it turns out there was a reason.”
“Isn’t it just that you didn’t like it?”
“No. I know that guy has dark plans for you and I hate him.”
“Lord Perdes, you too have dark intentions.”
When I hit the nail on the head, Perdes kept his mouth shut but raised his eyebrows to express his dissatisfaction, as if he had nothing to say.
“I wanted to be the first man to propose to you.”
What? Is that what you were complaining about? It's cute.
“Even if His Majesty the King had not proposed, it would be impossible for Lord Perdes to become the first.”
Because I've already received countless proposals.
“Huh, what the heck? Who the hell proposed to you again?”
“There are so many that I can’t tell you everything.”
If you add up the past lives, it's well over double digits.
Perdes' eyes shook greatly as if he was quite shocked by my answer.
“This is ridiculous. This is ridiculous.”
I wanted to tease you more because your reaction was so cute, but I had to stop because I thought you'd really start crying.
“You are not the first, Perdes, but you may be the last.”
As I threw words at a crying child as if I was giving him candy to soothe him, Perdes' eyes grew wide.
I continued with a smile.
“Please get well soon and propose to me. I’ll be waiting.”
“...Now that I think about it, I’m not a Prince anymore.”
The empire collapsed, and all of its royal family members were not only stripped of their status but were demoted to commoners or slaves.
Since Perdes was my fiancé, everyone treated him with some courtesy, but no one called him "Your Highness" anymore.
Lord Perdes. Or Young Master.
Everyone didn't know what to call him, so they used awkward titles.
“So am I a commoner now?”
“For now, yes.”
“Then I guess I should call you Miss from now on. No, I guess I should call you Miss.”
I rubbed her arm, which was covered in goosebumps.
This wasn't the first time Perdes had spoken to me formally, but it strangely gave me the creeps.
“Just speak normally.”
“How could a commoner do that to a young lady?”
“I told you not to do it.”
“You should get used to it now.”
Whether it was to get revenge for me teasing him earlier or not, Perdes continued to speak politely to me even though I told him not to.
“If you keep doing that, I’ll get angry.”
“Yes, I won’t do it.”
Only after Adele threatened did Perdes finally stop playing around.
“But there will definitely be talk. There are already many people gossiping about the fact that I, a Prince of a defeated nation, am engaged to you, and if I continue to speak informally to you like I used to, what will other people say?”
“I don’t care.”
Since they are guys who can't say anything in front of me anyway, why should I bother?
“I care. It annoys me when I hear people talking about you like this and that.”
Adele was about to tell him not to worry, but then she shut her mouth.
If I had been on the other side, and heard other people talking about Perdes, I would have been upset too.
“So I tried to use formal language, but since you said no, let’s try another way.”
“Another way?”
“Yeah. You talk to me too.”
What kind of absurd method is this?
When Adele looked at him in bewilderment, Perdes smiled and added an explanation.
“I’m younger than you to begin with, and my status is lower now, so there’s no need to use formal language anymore.”
“That’s true, but...”
“So, just talk freely. There will definitely be people who gossip, but it’ll be less than if you didn’t do anything.”
It wasn't wrong, but it was awkward to say yes right away.
Although it was easy to talk to other people, strangely enough, I had difficulty doing so with Perdes.
“Do it quickly.”
“...”
“I told you to hurry up and try it.”
Under gentle pressure, I stuttered and said his name.
“Pe, Perdes.”
Unlike usual, just his name without 'Lord'.
Then Perdes smiled brightly like a flower blooming in spring and grabbed my hand.
“Yeah, Adele.”
The end of my first life was winter.
The end of my second life was summer.
The end of my third life was in autumn.
I vaguely thought that the end of this life would be spring.
The beautiful spring that never ends has arrived.
What the hell did I just hear?
As I stared at him, slightly stunned by the unbelievable words, Prophetes IV smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.
“I can’t declare it right now, but I will do so soon, within five years at the latest. As you know, the Kingdom of Artina is more than qualified to do so.”
I knew that too.
So I wasn't that surprised that Prophetes IV called Artina an empire rather than a kingdom.
“You want me to... become the Empress?”
This was the part that surprised me.
When asked precisely, Prophetes IV nodded with a slightly tense expression on his face.
"That's right."
“Do you know what that means?”
“I know. I’m proposing to you right now.”
I know that very well.
Of course, a King of the highest rank would not say such important things so carelessly.
“I know it’s rude to propose like this.”
Prophetes IV continued, sounding a little aggrieved.
“But since the Duke suddenly established the Federation and even created a parliament, I have no time to relax. The nobles of the kingdom are also urging me to come back quickly.”
“You have been away from the kingdom for a long time.”
It was almost three months since the war with the Empire was over, so it was only natural that the nobles of the Kingdom of Artina were in a state of confusion.
“That’s why I’m telling you, Duke. Please marry me.”
“...”
“Of course, it’s not like I didn’t prepare at all.”
Prophetes IV took a small box out of his pocket and opened it.
Inside was a ring densely packed with large diamonds and small rubies.
Judging by the skill, it was definitely not a work that could be created overnight.
Even if he couldn't do it, it would have taken at least 6 months, which means...
“You’ve been thinking about proposing to me for a while now.”
“That’s right. From the day I signed the contract with the Academy, I wanted to have you by my side.”
I didn't know it had been that long.
I had a vague idea that Prophetes IV had feelings for me, but I thought it wouldn't be for long, so I was a little surprised when I found out it wasn't.
“I thought that would be the case because they say that when the body grows distant, the heart grows distant too, but that’s not the case.”
Prophetes IV's expression was unusually serious.
“Rather, it became more earnest. My desire to spend the rest of my life with you grew stronger.”
He knelt down on one knee in front of me and held out the ring box.
“So, will you marry me? I promise to make you happy for the rest of your life.”
My heart was heavy with the sorrowful collision.
If it had been anyone else, I would have flatly refused, but I couldn't do that because I had received so much help from Prophetes IV.
I wanted to refuse in a way that would not hurt him if possible.
What a funny thought.
There is no such thing as rejection in this world that doesn't hurt.
I stared blankly at the ring box that Prophetes IV had handed me and said:
“I have to take care of the federal estates, including Leopold’s estate.”
Prophetes IV answered without hesitation.
“Even if you become Empress, you can do that.”
“And I have no intention of leaving Leopold’s estate.”
This time he couldn't refute and kept his mouth shut.
I looked straight into his trembling eyes and asked.
“Can Your Majesty the King abandon his kingdom and come to Leopold’s estate?”
“...!”
“Then I will think about marrying Your Majesty.”
It was an empty promise, not sincere.
A lie I told to make Prophetes IV give up, knowing that he would never do so.
“...It is impossible for a King to abandon his country.”
Look at this. I smiled at the expected result and closed the ring box.
“I sincerely hope that this ring finds a good owner.”
***
“Prophetess IV proposed to you?”
“How did you know that?”
When he proposed, there were only me and Prophetes IV in the room?
No one could eavesdrop, as even the servants waiting outside had been bitten just in case.
But how did Perdes not know?
When asked in surprise, Perdes answered dissatisfiedly.
“How did you say it? I found out because that damned escort knight was talking about it.”
“If you’re a knight escort, then Sir Logos?”
“I don’t know if it was Logos or Logus, but either way, he was talking.”
Sir Logos is a bit of a tight-lipped person, but I never thought he'd go around talking about something like this.
It's a little tricky. I'll have to make sure that he gets a verbal warning when I meet Sir Logos later.
“So, judging by your reaction, it looks like he really proposed?”
“He did, but I refused.”
"... Yes?"
When I nodded, Perdes smiled, as if his mood had finally eased, but then frowned again as if he was not pleased with something.
“Anyway, I didn’t like that guy from the first time I saw him, but it turns out there was a reason.”
“Isn’t it just that you didn’t like it?”
“No. I know that guy has dark plans for you and I hate him.”
“Lord Perdes, you too have dark intentions.”
When I hit the nail on the head, Perdes kept his mouth shut but raised his eyebrows to express his dissatisfaction, as if he had nothing to say.
“I wanted to be the first man to propose to you.”
What? Is that what you were complaining about? It's cute.
“Even if His Majesty the King had not proposed, it would be impossible for Lord Perdes to become the first.”
Because I've already received countless proposals.
“Huh, what the heck? Who the hell proposed to you again?”
“There are so many that I can’t tell you everything.”
If you add up the past lives, it's well over double digits.
Perdes' eyes shook greatly as if he was quite shocked by my answer.
“This is ridiculous. This is ridiculous.”
I wanted to tease you more because your reaction was so cute, but I had to stop because I thought you'd really start crying.
“You are not the first, Perdes, but you may be the last.”
As I threw words at a crying child as if I was giving him candy to soothe him, Perdes' eyes grew wide.
I continued with a smile.
“Please get well soon and propose to me. I’ll be waiting.”
***
“...Now that I think about it, I’m not a Prince anymore.”
The empire collapsed, and all of its royal family members were not only stripped of their status but were demoted to commoners or slaves.
Since Perdes was my fiancé, everyone treated him with some courtesy, but no one called him "Your Highness" anymore.
Lord Perdes. Or Young Master.
Everyone didn't know what to call him, so they used awkward titles.
“So am I a commoner now?”
“For now, yes.”
“Then I guess I should call you Miss from now on. No, I guess I should call you Miss.”
I rubbed her arm, which was covered in goosebumps.
This wasn't the first time Perdes had spoken to me formally, but it strangely gave me the creeps.
“Just speak normally.”
“How could a commoner do that to a young lady?”
“I told you not to do it.”
“You should get used to it now.”
Whether it was to get revenge for me teasing him earlier or not, Perdes continued to speak politely to me even though I told him not to.
“If you keep doing that, I’ll get angry.”
“Yes, I won’t do it.”
Only after Adele threatened did Perdes finally stop playing around.
“But there will definitely be talk. There are already many people gossiping about the fact that I, a Prince of a defeated nation, am engaged to you, and if I continue to speak informally to you like I used to, what will other people say?”
“I don’t care.”
Since they are guys who can't say anything in front of me anyway, why should I bother?
“I care. It annoys me when I hear people talking about you like this and that.”
Adele was about to tell him not to worry, but then she shut her mouth.
If I had been on the other side, and heard other people talking about Perdes, I would have been upset too.
“So I tried to use formal language, but since you said no, let’s try another way.”
“Another way?”
“Yeah. You talk to me too.”
What kind of absurd method is this?
When Adele looked at him in bewilderment, Perdes smiled and added an explanation.
“I’m younger than you to begin with, and my status is lower now, so there’s no need to use formal language anymore.”
“That’s true, but...”
“So, just talk freely. There will definitely be people who gossip, but it’ll be less than if you didn’t do anything.”
It wasn't wrong, but it was awkward to say yes right away.
Although it was easy to talk to other people, strangely enough, I had difficulty doing so with Perdes.
“Do it quickly.”
“...”
“I told you to hurry up and try it.”
Under gentle pressure, I stuttered and said his name.
“Pe, Perdes.”
Unlike usual, just his name without 'Lord'.
Then Perdes smiled brightly like a flower blooming in spring and grabbed my hand.
“Yeah, Adele.”
***
The end of my first life was winter.
The end of my second life was summer.
The end of my third life was in autumn.
I vaguely thought that the end of this life would be spring.
The beautiful spring that never ends has arrived.
I decide my husband <END>
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