"You can't do that... Deborah. How did I become like this..."
The events that had happened in the past flashed before her eyes.
Why did Bellona hate and loathe herself so much?
“This is nothing compared to what your mother did, Deborah.”
Why did she stab her with such harsh words?
“Bellona.”
She knew everything.
Bellona already knew everything. What Deborah's mother had done.
That's why she resented and hated her so much.
“Belona, I...”
The resentful words she had poured out on her pierced Deborah's heart like guilt.
How much time has passed?
The sun that had been high in the sky had already set, and the world had been engulfed in darkness for a long time.
Only then did Deborah realize that she had been there too long, and she stood up.
Then she walked away, holding her mother's diary tightly in her arms.
Heading to the second floor, where Hazel was, not to her own room.
She arrived at her room without realizing it, took out her key with a familiar motion, and opened the door.
Then Hazel, who was sitting on the chair writing something, turned her head.
“Deborah? I thought you weren’t coming today.”
When she confirmed that the person who opened the door was Deborah, she naturally folded the unfolded paper.
As always, she gave Deborah a warm smile.
“Hazel.”
Deborah fluttered into Hazel's arms at Hazel's unchanging attitude of welcoming her.
Then she sat down on the floor, buried her face in her knees, and cried out all the tears she had been holding back.
Deborah's sudden tears took her by surprise for a moment.
Hazel patted Deborah on the back without asking any questions.
Waiting calmly until her mind calms down.
Was it thanks to Hazel's comfort?
The shaking of her shoulders subsided, and soon Deborah raised her head to look at Hazel.
“Are you done crying?”
Instead of answering, Deborah nodded quietly and walked away from her.
“...I’m sorry. I suddenly showed you tears without saying anything. I couldn’t even keep my promise to pick some wildflowers for you today.”
“Sometimes, there are days when tears well up for no reason. Like you are doing now.”
Hazel said, wiping the tears from Deborah's eyes with her thumb.
“I understand you, Deborah.”
Deborah bit her lip as she looked at Hazel, who was comforting her as if she knew everything about her situation.
'Can you still say you understand me when you know that I'm the one who started all this?'
No, it was obvious that she would push her away as soon as she found out the whole truth.
And then, blaming her, Hazel will tell the Emperor the whole truth.
Because of that, Deborah couldn't tell Hazel anything.
'But...'
Despite this, Deborah had no choice but to come find Hazel.
Because she simply could not bear the heavy truth that had befallen her on her own.
Deborah's eyes, which had lost their light, lingered in the air and asked quietly.
“Hazel said so. My mother was a righteous person who could not stand injustice.”
“Yes. She was not afraid of ruining herself to help the weak, regardless of their status.”
"Then..."
Deborah hesitated for a moment and then asked softly.
“Was my mother a good person?”
Hazel's hand, which had been gently stroking Deborah's hair, paused for a moment.
But that was only for a moment, as if nothing had happened, she met Deborah's sky-blue eyes and gaze.
“Well, she was a good person.”
Hazel's soft voice seeped into Deborah's ears.
She's a good person, after all.
In a dark room with the curtains drawn.
Deborah stayed in bed for days, not taking a single step out of her room.
No, it was true that there was no longer any reason to go out.
Because Hazel, who was the only refuge here, left Gertz.
"That's good. I had something to tell you anyway. I guess I'll have to leave this place."
The day she learned the truth of the prophecy, Hazel said goodbye to her.
Adding that the Emperor demanded something from the traitor using her as a hostage and that the traitor accepted it.
“What did the Emperor ask for?”
Although Graham wasn't exactly sure what he wanted, he found it somewhat odd that Bellona complied with his demands.
“I hope you’re okay... Hazel.”
Although the death of the Duke of Cretien was on her mind, Deborah could not come forward and tell her not to go.
'But I still have feelings for you for raising me. I won't be cruel to you. Judging from the fact that you complied with the Emperor's request, I think you still cherish Hazel quite a bit.'
So she tried to keep her thoughts positive and reminded herself that Hazel would be safe.
But that didn't fill Hazel's void.
Deborah realized that she was more emotionally dependent on Hazel than she had thought.
Maybe she was looking for traces of her dead mother through Hazel.
It was then that she lay still, staring into space.
Deborah, who had been thinking carefully about something, sat up.
“This is not the time to just lie here like this.”
Even though it was an unwanted truth, it was time to face reality.
“First of all, the Emperor must never know about this.”
Because the moment the Emperor or Duke Philosykos learned the truth of the prophecy, it was clear that her own head would be cut off.
"No way."
She didn't already know the truth of the prophecy and brought herself here, did she?
Come to think of it, the fact that the diary was here was very suspicious.
“The man who told me there was a diary was a man from KlCarsis.”
Although he is a person from Carsis, it is clear that Bellona is the one who came to tell her the truth.
'But why didn't you say it at the palace earlier? You must have had plenty of opportunities to say it.'
Deborah was racking her brain, trying to come up with various inferences in a situation where the beginning and the end did not make sense.
At that moment, a flash of insight occurred to her.
“If she had told me in advance, I wouldn’t have thought of coming here... That’s why she didn’t tell me.”
It was all Bellona's plan from the beginning.
From the moment Deborah left the palace on her own two feet and came to Gertz to the moment she learned the truth of the prophecy while at the Emperor's side, she was merely a piece on the chessboard designed by Bellona.
And it was clear why she had sent her to the Emperor's side.
“You’re telling me to kill the Emperor.”
Just as Oroz prophesied.
It seemed as if Bellona, who wasn't there, was whispering to her.
Kill the Emperor, according to the prophecy.
Just as Deborah began to feel horrified at the thought that this was all Bellona's trap, another disturbing thought crossed her mind.
“Wait a minute. Could it be that the terms of the deal with Hazel are...”
It can't be 'me', right?
A chill ran down her spine as she thought about it.
Because it wasn't a completely impossible story.
Deborah suddenly felt anxious and started biting her fingernails.
Then, suddenly, she kicked the seat and sat up.
“This is not the time to be here like this.”
It was not the time to be lounging around in her room leisurely.
It was necessary to meet the Emperor and see how much he knew.
If there is even the slightest hint of something strange.
'I have to run away.'
She had to get out of here quickly.
Deborah went straight outside and headed to the main building where the Emperor was.
“I have never greeted the Emperor except on the first day. I guess I should just say that I have come to ask after his well-being after a long time.”
Before meeting the Emperor, she thought of an excuse for her sudden visit. At the same time, she was also thinking about how she could get the Emperor to leave.
'Because Duke Philosykos will definitely be there. It would be okay to ask whose room the diary was in.'
It was at that time that Deborah was choosing words that would not arouse their suspicion.
She noticed that the door to the Emperor's room was slightly open.
'Is there anyone inside?'
Deborah approached the room, thinking that the maid had left the door open while cleaning. Then, she heard a familiar voice through the crack in the open door.
“The plan must have gone smoothly.”
“Yes. I have placed one person among Ernest’s knights. I have also placed someone in the Hamelon region. Now, all that is left is for the three of them to meet.”
It was the sound of the Emperor and Paulo's conversation.
'What does that mean?'
Deborah listened to their conversation, holding her breath, forgetting to even enter the room.
“Thank you for your hard work. This is a chance to clear away all the things that were bothering me.”
“Yes. Fortunately, Duke Chlretien can also face death with her beloved daughter.”
At Paulo's last words, my whole body froze.
“Even if you say you didn’t know, the crime of raising a traitor is by no means a light one. Hazel must pay for that crime. Oh, and if you receive the necklace...”
After that, they seemed to be talking about necklaces, but Deborah didn't hear them.
The events that had happened in the past flashed before her eyes.
Why did Bellona hate and loathe herself so much?
“This is nothing compared to what your mother did, Deborah.”
Why did she stab her with such harsh words?
“Bellona.”
She knew everything.
Bellona already knew everything. What Deborah's mother had done.
That's why she resented and hated her so much.
“Belona, I...”
The resentful words she had poured out on her pierced Deborah's heart like guilt.
***
How much time has passed?
The sun that had been high in the sky had already set, and the world had been engulfed in darkness for a long time.
Only then did Deborah realize that she had been there too long, and she stood up.
Then she walked away, holding her mother's diary tightly in her arms.
Heading to the second floor, where Hazel was, not to her own room.
She arrived at her room without realizing it, took out her key with a familiar motion, and opened the door.
Then Hazel, who was sitting on the chair writing something, turned her head.
“Deborah? I thought you weren’t coming today.”
When she confirmed that the person who opened the door was Deborah, she naturally folded the unfolded paper.
As always, she gave Deborah a warm smile.
“Hazel.”
Deborah fluttered into Hazel's arms at Hazel's unchanging attitude of welcoming her.
Then she sat down on the floor, buried her face in her knees, and cried out all the tears she had been holding back.
Deborah's sudden tears took her by surprise for a moment.
Hazel patted Deborah on the back without asking any questions.
Waiting calmly until her mind calms down.
Was it thanks to Hazel's comfort?
The shaking of her shoulders subsided, and soon Deborah raised her head to look at Hazel.
“Are you done crying?”
Instead of answering, Deborah nodded quietly and walked away from her.
“...I’m sorry. I suddenly showed you tears without saying anything. I couldn’t even keep my promise to pick some wildflowers for you today.”
“Sometimes, there are days when tears well up for no reason. Like you are doing now.”
Hazel said, wiping the tears from Deborah's eyes with her thumb.
“I understand you, Deborah.”
Deborah bit her lip as she looked at Hazel, who was comforting her as if she knew everything about her situation.
'Can you still say you understand me when you know that I'm the one who started all this?'
No, it was obvious that she would push her away as soon as she found out the whole truth.
And then, blaming her, Hazel will tell the Emperor the whole truth.
Because of that, Deborah couldn't tell Hazel anything.
'But...'
Despite this, Deborah had no choice but to come find Hazel.
Because she simply could not bear the heavy truth that had befallen her on her own.
Deborah's eyes, which had lost their light, lingered in the air and asked quietly.
“Hazel said so. My mother was a righteous person who could not stand injustice.”
“Yes. She was not afraid of ruining herself to help the weak, regardless of their status.”
"Then..."
Deborah hesitated for a moment and then asked softly.
“Was my mother a good person?”
Hazel's hand, which had been gently stroking Deborah's hair, paused for a moment.
But that was only for a moment, as if nothing had happened, she met Deborah's sky-blue eyes and gaze.
“Well, she was a good person.”
Hazel's soft voice seeped into Deborah's ears.
She's a good person, after all.
***
In a dark room with the curtains drawn.
Deborah stayed in bed for days, not taking a single step out of her room.
No, it was true that there was no longer any reason to go out.
Because Hazel, who was the only refuge here, left Gertz.
"That's good. I had something to tell you anyway. I guess I'll have to leave this place."
The day she learned the truth of the prophecy, Hazel said goodbye to her.
Adding that the Emperor demanded something from the traitor using her as a hostage and that the traitor accepted it.
“What did the Emperor ask for?”
Although Graham wasn't exactly sure what he wanted, he found it somewhat odd that Bellona complied with his demands.
“I hope you’re okay... Hazel.”
Although the death of the Duke of Cretien was on her mind, Deborah could not come forward and tell her not to go.
'But I still have feelings for you for raising me. I won't be cruel to you. Judging from the fact that you complied with the Emperor's request, I think you still cherish Hazel quite a bit.'
So she tried to keep her thoughts positive and reminded herself that Hazel would be safe.
But that didn't fill Hazel's void.
Deborah realized that she was more emotionally dependent on Hazel than she had thought.
Maybe she was looking for traces of her dead mother through Hazel.
It was then that she lay still, staring into space.
Deborah, who had been thinking carefully about something, sat up.
“This is not the time to just lie here like this.”
Even though it was an unwanted truth, it was time to face reality.
“First of all, the Emperor must never know about this.”
Because the moment the Emperor or Duke Philosykos learned the truth of the prophecy, it was clear that her own head would be cut off.
"No way."
She didn't already know the truth of the prophecy and brought herself here, did she?
Come to think of it, the fact that the diary was here was very suspicious.
“The man who told me there was a diary was a man from KlCarsis.”
Although he is a person from Carsis, it is clear that Bellona is the one who came to tell her the truth.
'But why didn't you say it at the palace earlier? You must have had plenty of opportunities to say it.'
Deborah was racking her brain, trying to come up with various inferences in a situation where the beginning and the end did not make sense.
At that moment, a flash of insight occurred to her.
“If she had told me in advance, I wouldn’t have thought of coming here... That’s why she didn’t tell me.”
It was all Bellona's plan from the beginning.
From the moment Deborah left the palace on her own two feet and came to Gertz to the moment she learned the truth of the prophecy while at the Emperor's side, she was merely a piece on the chessboard designed by Bellona.
And it was clear why she had sent her to the Emperor's side.
“You’re telling me to kill the Emperor.”
Just as Oroz prophesied.
It seemed as if Bellona, who wasn't there, was whispering to her.
Kill the Emperor, according to the prophecy.
Just as Deborah began to feel horrified at the thought that this was all Bellona's trap, another disturbing thought crossed her mind.
“Wait a minute. Could it be that the terms of the deal with Hazel are...”
It can't be 'me', right?
A chill ran down her spine as she thought about it.
Because it wasn't a completely impossible story.
Deborah suddenly felt anxious and started biting her fingernails.
Then, suddenly, she kicked the seat and sat up.
“This is not the time to be here like this.”
It was not the time to be lounging around in her room leisurely.
It was necessary to meet the Emperor and see how much he knew.
If there is even the slightest hint of something strange.
'I have to run away.'
She had to get out of here quickly.
***
Deborah went straight outside and headed to the main building where the Emperor was.
“I have never greeted the Emperor except on the first day. I guess I should just say that I have come to ask after his well-being after a long time.”
Before meeting the Emperor, she thought of an excuse for her sudden visit. At the same time, she was also thinking about how she could get the Emperor to leave.
'Because Duke Philosykos will definitely be there. It would be okay to ask whose room the diary was in.'
It was at that time that Deborah was choosing words that would not arouse their suspicion.
She noticed that the door to the Emperor's room was slightly open.
'Is there anyone inside?'
Deborah approached the room, thinking that the maid had left the door open while cleaning. Then, she heard a familiar voice through the crack in the open door.
“The plan must have gone smoothly.”
“Yes. I have placed one person among Ernest’s knights. I have also placed someone in the Hamelon region. Now, all that is left is for the three of them to meet.”
It was the sound of the Emperor and Paulo's conversation.
'What does that mean?'
Deborah listened to their conversation, holding her breath, forgetting to even enter the room.
“Thank you for your hard work. This is a chance to clear away all the things that were bothering me.”
“Yes. Fortunately, Duke Chlretien can also face death with her beloved daughter.”
At Paulo's last words, my whole body froze.
“Even if you say you didn’t know, the crime of raising a traitor is by no means a light one. Hazel must pay for that crime. Oh, and if you receive the necklace...”
After that, they seemed to be talking about necklaces, but Deborah didn't hear them.
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