-Episode 11
A week has passed.
Nothing had changed. Unable to fall asleep until late at night, Adelheid visited the study out of habit.
And Dominic was there. Probably at a time when she wouldn't be coming.
Adelheid quietly slipped away. She tried to avoid him.
"Your Highness."
Her shoulders twitched. She doubted her ears, wondering if she heard it right, if he really called her.
However, Dominic was staring intently at her, who was almost completely submerged in darkness.
Adelheid was silent for a moment. Then she smiled and spoke.
"It's been a while. Did I disturb you? Ah... This feels familiar."
"..."
"I'll leave this time."
"...Your Highness."
A flat voice stopped Adelheid's footsteps as she turned to leave.
She turned to look at him with the same smiling face. Dominic was holding *On Loss* in his hand.
"Aren't you... leaving the palace?"
Adelheid pondered for a moment, trying to gauge the ulterior motive behind the question, then quickly answered politely.
"Yes."
“Is it voluntary?”
“Do you want to sleep?”
At the sharp remark, Dominic closed his mouth as if struck speechless.
The dawn light swirled diagonally over the handsome face.
Adelheid leaned diagonally against the wall next to the door and covered the corner of her mouth with her hand.
"It's just a joke, so there's no need to take it so seriously."
“Your Highness.”
Dominic squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them.
“Do you... love His Majesty?”
Adelheid was also aware of the rumors circulating. Anton had told her several times, laughing as if he found it amusing.
It is said that he fell in love at first sight with the royal family of an enemy nation whom he was supposed to kill, brought her back, presented her with the deepest and most beautiful palace, cherished her so much that he never showed her to the world and kept her hidden away—
“I don’t know.”
“But that.”
“‘The Art of Loving’ mentions several elements of love. Protection, responsibility, respect, understanding... Hmm, having a continuous interest, responding to the call, respecting as one is, and also... knowledge. Having deep knowledge. Other books also say a lot about love.”
"..."
"However, I have never read a book that explains His Majesty's love. There was no such book. I do not know this way of loving."
"..."
“So I don’t know.”
Dominic looked at Adelheid with an unreadable expression. That annoyed him.
"So, that is for you to decide, Captain. But it doesn't matter anymore."
Dominic Legenon will soon return to the Order of the Knights.
To where he originally was, to where he originally ought to be. And as for her, she will be here until she dies.
She will be here even after death. Even though it was a thought she had always had and was used to, she became uncontrollably angry.
However, Adelheid knew how to laugh off all those emotions.
" The Captain is a hero of the times. A great knight has his own duty."
"..."
"...It's late. Have a good night, Captain Legenon."
***
Anton acted as if nothing had happened. He came to Adelheid.
Adelheid also greeted Anton as if nothing had happened. That was the kind of relationship they had.
It has always been that way, and it will be. It will be that way until this curse ends.
Anton lay down with his arm as a pillow and spoke as if passing by.
"You won't be able to see Captain Legenon soon."
"Then, will you assign another escort?"
“Another escort?”
"It is lonely, Your Majesty. You only visit occasionally. It’s no wonder the flowers I pick when I’m bored feel like my friends. There is nothing to do here."
"Anything in excess isn't good."
"I'm saying I'm far too lacking."
Anton suddenly sprang to his feet and grabbed the chin of Adelheid, who was pouring the tea.
She barely managed to catch the teapot, which she almost dropped due to the sudden force.
A stream of water with a skewed direction flowed down onto the table. Adelheid smiled awkwardly at the glare.
" Did I make a slip of the tongue?"
"Are you sad that he left?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm talking about the Captain. Dominic Legenon. Are you sad that he's leaving?"
"Your Majesty has entrusted me with many guards. He is merely one of them. There is always a slight sense of regret when a guard leaves. After all, I am only human."
"He butted in between you and me. That arrogant brat."
"He is a man of integrity. My King, you ordered him to guard me. Most men with such a strong sense of duty would have done the same. I have no choice but to comply, you know."
Even with the gentle words of coaxing, Anton neither removed the hand gripping her chin nor dropped his fierce gaze.
Again. A bizarre level of hostility toward Dominic.
Anton leaned his face close as if to kiss.
Their breaths mingled right in front of each other. Adelheid smiled gently and affectionately stroked Anton's bangs.
"Do whatever you want..."
She held her breath for a moment. Then, she composed herself for a moment and added the remaining words.
" Do as you please. My King."
Adelheid hoped that the gap did not look strange.
Anton stared at her silently. He withdrew the hand that had been gripping her chin and spat out a monotonous remark.
"If Captain Legenon will help you just one more time, or restrain my will, or whatever you do, if you do that."
"..."
"You and that bastard are going to die together."
"..."
“Do you understand?”
"...Yes."
Adelheid lowered her eyes and answered quietly.
Her heart was pounding like crazy, and sweat filled her slightly clenched fist. Her head was spinning.
Crazy bastard.
Anton will somehow make Dominic help Adelheid or stop him. And then he will kill him.
Killing a great knight treated as a hero wouldn't be an easy task, so even if Dominic didn't, she herself...
She's going to die.
In previous lives, Anton often gave her such conditional warnings. And all those conditions were fulfilled.
He sets conditions for success, or sets conditions to make it happen. And he killed her.
I'm going to die.
Adelheid closed her eyes.
***
Only the sound of turning pages was loud in the quiet study.
Several books were spread open on the desk. With hurried hands, Adelheid touched the black on the familiar pile of papers, and she dug through the ink.
The founding myth, history, politics, religion, and everything else of Genomes. Everything she read about Genomes.
The hand turning the pages stopped abruptly at one spot.
[...There must be no brothers of the same blood outside the King.]
The noble bloodline of Genomes means that the King's children are all born with one identical characteristic.
Those characteristics varied depending on the generation.
In addition, there was a tradition and obligation in Genomes that in order to become King, one had to kill all one's brothers and sisters.
The moment a brother is spared, one loses the qualifications to be King. There should not have been two people with the makings of a King under the heavens.
Fortunately, the former King loved peace and knew how to cherish his children, so unlike other dissolute Kings, the Queen became pregnant exactly twice.
One of them was Anton, and one was born dead. Thanks to this, Anton Gerberots, Hemon II, became King smoothly without staining his hands with the blood of his own flesh and blood.
Up to this point, it was a story everyone knew.
In a past life, a drunk Anton once said this to Adelheid.
'There is a prophecy. It is the Dragon's prophecy. Whether it is a blessing or a curse... The late King, my father, told me such things. Can you believe it?'
'Your Majesty, you are drunk.'
'They say there will be an era where there are two suns under the sky... A hero of the times who appears when the country is in trouble? Bullshit. I should have known sooner, much sooner...'
It was a story that could have been dismissed as the nonsense of a drunkard.
It was a remark that might have been forgotten after quite some time had passed. However, because Adelheid had so few conversations with others, she ruminated on and remembered even such details.
There are two suns under the sky.
Under the sky, there are two royal bloodlines.
Adelheid had once seen the stab wound on Dominic's left forehead. She felt an inexplicable sense of deja vu, but she dismissed it and asked.
'Is it because of the war?'
'Yes.'
A very half-hearted answer. At the time, Dominic would reply half-heartedly when talking with Adelheid.
So, if that answer claiming it happened during the war isn't true. If it wasn't a self-inflicted wound, but something that existed from birth.
The hand gripping the book trembled.
***
Anton leaned his face close as if to kiss.
Their breaths entangled right in front of each other. A chill crept up her spine.
Adelheid smiled gently and affectionately brushed Anton's bangs back.
'Do as you please...'
Adelheid saw a mark on his exposed left forehead.
A stab wound of the same shape and in the same location as the one on Dominic.
She held her breath for a moment. Then, she composed herself for a moment and added the remaining words.
'Do as you please. My King.'
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