Chapter 44
Chapter 44. You Must Become My World
The carriage that had left the imperial palace safely returned. Vinea, who had come out through the back door of the main palace, was watching its arrival.
Lineue, who had sent Vante out of the palace, approached Vinea’s side.
“They say he arrived safely at the inn.”
“Any followers?”
“None. However, when I went, the back door of the lodging was empty. The same was true for the front of the room.”
“It seems the knights left their posts.”
“Yes. I also confirmed the additional troops you mentioned, but the knighthood says they received no orders. Even when I repeatedly said that the Empress had given the order…”
There’s only one person in this imperial palace who can withdraw an empress’s order given to the Tessibania Imperial Knights.
“Ah, so he finally…”
“Um, Your Majesty. Shouldn’t we go inside now? It’s cold. I’m worried you might catch a cold.”
“I’ve never died from a cold, so don’t worry needlessly.”
Still, Vinea sent Lineue, who seemed quite anxious and was fidgeting, back to the palace first.
Though she knew it wasn’t a good choice to wander the palace without guards, she needed to go fetch the master of the palace who hadn’t returned even at this late hour.
Vinea trudged across the grass, damp with the night’s moisture.
Wearing a thin shirt and pants for ease of movement in case of any unforeseen circumstances, she would have certainly struggled if not for the thick shawl Lineue had handed her before going inside.
Even so, it wasn’t proper attire, and she inevitably felt the cold air brush against her body.
Soon, Vinea arrived at the private training ground prepared at the back of the palace.
Under the soft moonlight was an open space. This training ground, with the vast imperial forest spread out behind it, belonged to the emperor.
Someone was standing in the middle of that clearing.
Vinea, spotting Tatar wielding a sword with his whole body drenched in sweat despite the cool weather, chose the thinnest of the swords standing to one side and grasped it.
The feeling of the sword in her hand felt unfamiliar to her body, which had hardly practiced. However, the sensation etched in her experience allowed her to wield the long-unused sword with familiarity.
As the shawl draped over her shoulders fell to the ground with a soft thud, Tatar stopped swinging his sword and turned around.
“…Empress.”
“You probably know why I’m here without me having to say it.”
He didn’t answer.
Vinea stood before him with an expression that was neither smiling nor angry.
“You didn’t increase the troops at all in the annex where Vante is staying. You even left it completely empty at certain times.”
“He wasn’t kidnapped, so there’s no problem, is there?”
“He could have ended up dead inside the annex if we weren’t careful. That’s why I wanted to prevent assassins from ransacking the place entirely. Why did you do that? I told you to increase the troops.”
“Next time, I’ll give the Empress control over the knighthood. I regret this incident as well.”
“Cut out that unfunny wordplay. I’m not stupid enough not to know that assassins were able to enter Vante’s room because you turned a blind eye.”
“You seem very angry. Because of the Empress’s brother? Because you almost failed to protect him? It’s not like you haven’t seen his death before. If you go back in time again, it’s just a trivial matter.”
“I told you clearly. This is the last time.”
“So, are you going to kill me if I keep interfering?”
Tatar let out a short, low laugh. It was a sneer. Vinea pointed her sword at his chin.
“I’ve personally stabbed a knife into your heart before, do you think I couldn’t do just this much?”
“No. The Empress can’t do that. Especially now that you think this life is the last.”
He stepped forward, avoiding the sword pointed at him. Grasping Vinea’s hand, he placed her sword between his shoulder and neck.
“Is it just this life? The next one, and the one after that, the Empress will continue to be desperate. Because Sefitiana has given you a plausible clue that offers hope.”
He pulled the sword closer to his neck. The sharp blade barely touched his thick neck. Vinea faced him, her hand firmly gripped by him, unable to move, as his face came close to hers.
“So?”
“The more that happens, the more the Empress will want to protect. Family, friends, her people, all the crudely entangled relationships. Just as we did before we bound each other.”
Finally, red blood trickled down where the sword touched.
Vinea, without showing any emotion, held the sword and stared directly into his dark gray eyes.
Tatar, also not backing down, continued speaking while looking at Vinea.
“How easy it must be, knowing the future in detail. If you just endure a little inconvenience, you can protect the life you ‘really’ want. Isn’t that right?”
“All of that was for you and me.”
“Oh, Vinea. Then you should have asked me first.”
Tatar’s lips curved gently. However, his eyes were frozen cold, containing only one person as if to embed them in his pupils forever.
“Whether this future is what I really want.”
Many relationships intricately intertwined, and our narrow world endlessly expanding. The possibility of embracing that.
With a thud, he pushed the sword aside with the back of his hand and wiped his neck. A vivid red bloodstain, signaling life, appeared on the back of his hand.
“I’ll answer you right here. No. I don’t want the future you desire. I tried, but unfortunately, I failed.”
The more she moved towards her goal, the greater his anxiety grew.
The intervals between hallucinations became excessively short, and due to an unfulfilled thirst, Vinea’s existence felt infinitely faint, as if he was seeing an illusion no matter how many times he looked.
“I want the Empress’s world to be only me. Hope, future, family, friends. I want a world of my own where nothing else intrudes, where it’s purely me.”
Vinea raised her sword again.
Unlike before, the sword that leapt forward, kicking off the ground, aimed for Tatar’s neck with a sharp sound.
Clang―
Tatar skillfully blocked the sword, and Vinea immediately ducked and slashed his side in a straight line.
Quickly retreating backward, he blocked the rapid attacks that followed.
Clang, clang― Clang!
Sparks flew from the colliding blades. The scraping blades were devoid of killing intent, but full of nauseating emotions.
With each breath, Vinea spat out words as if crushing them.
“If that’s, really, what you want―”
Thud, the swords of the two people who stamped the ground collided heavily. Small sparks flew between the blades, and gray clouds and blue sea contained each other right before their eyes.
“―Why don’t you try doing as you please. It’s obvious how a future trapped in eternity would be, you fool.”
Screech―
As the blades scraped, both people retreated simultaneously.
Vinea threw her sword to the ground. A dizzying pain spread as if her palm had been torn.
It would be a scar that would remain if she didn’t go back in time. If she did go back as he said, it would be a wound that meant nothing.
Vinea took a long breath and raised her head. Her blue eyes, which had sparkled, sank murky like a dark sea. Just like his eyes.
In those eyes, Tatar felt a strangely complete satisfaction. It was as if he had finally broken her world and held it in his hand.
Vinea opened her mouth towards him.
“Since we bound each other, I suppose I should take responsibility for that too. Do as you wish. I’ll gladly play along.”
Tatar, who had also dropped his sword, stepped closer to Vinea.
“Do you mean that?”
“Just remember that enduring the consequences, whatever they may be, is your part.”
He grabbed Vinea’s hand and raised it. Her soft palm was torn, unable to fully receive his sword.
If she doesn’t go back in time, it might leave a scar. But it didn’t matter. Because they could always go back if needed. He had finally broken her world and held it in his hand.
He was certain of that.
Looking at Tatar, who was slowly kissing the wound as if offering a sacred prayer, Vinea continued speaking.
“Until the day the Empire Foundation Day ends, keep pretending to be a ‘sane’ emperor. Even if it’s just because it would be a waste of all the effort so far, I want to see Gartan Aktavil’s head roll before I’m satisfied.”
“I’ll do whatever the Empress wants. Whatever it may be.”
He spoke with a face that made no attempt to hide his elated mood.
“When that’s over, let’s go on a trip somewhere. The Arsona viscounty in the south with the sea would be nice. After resting until we’re sick of it, we’ll go back in time however we feel like it. The Empress just needs to stay still. That’s enough for my part…”
“Do as Your Majesty wishes.”
It was the answer he had longed for so much. That nothing else mattered, and it was enough to be together, just the two of them.
How perfect could this be?
He rubbed her wounded palm against his cheek. As if it didn’t matter at all that red blood was smearing thickly, with a face steeped in ample satisfaction.
Even if their surroundings were covered in black hallucinations as if submerged in the sea, except for him and her, now it really didn’t matter at all.
If she wanted to strangle his neck or stab his heart, let her do it. If his world was beside him, going back in time was just like a short, sweet nap.
* * *
Vinea raised her heavy body.
Her body felt heavier than usual, probably due to the cold air she had gotten a lot of at the training ground last night.
Her right hand moved stiffly. When she turned her head, she saw the bandage he had tightly wrapped around her palm last night.
Tatar. As she had told him, she had no intention of simply playing along. If she could have done that, she would have done so long ago.
It was so displeasing to see him acting as if he had tried everything when he hadn’t even attempted all methods.
“Only when we can’t end this regression even after finding all the clues Sefitiana gave us, then maybe…”
There was no stopping until then. Before finding Sefitiana, she thought she had done her best, and at that time, she would have gladly matched him, but if there was still hope left, she would grab that thread somehow.
Until her hands were too worn to grab the thread.
For that, she needed to let him know. How trivial and futile his ideal was. How despairing and regrettable it was.
For that, she needed some preparation. Vinea quickly wrote something on a small piece of paper.
When she shook the bell pull, Lineue, who had been waiting outside the door, entered the room.
“You called, Your Majesty?”
“Where is His Majesty?”
“He left the palace early in the morning. I heard he’s buying the southern Arsona viscounty…”
Vinea waved her hand, looking as if she didn’t want to hear any more.
“Ah, and a guest has been here for two hours. When I said Your Majesty hadn’t woken up yet, they said they would wait, so I guided them to the reception room for now.”
“I thought I had postponed all private appointments during the Empire Foundation Day period?”
“Well…”
Lineue lowered her voice considerably.
“It’s the head of the Valita Trading Company, whom you met separately before. As you said then, I didn’t mention it to His Majesty.”
At those words, Vinea’s lips curved into a smile. She needed it anyway, and the timing matched well. Crumpling up the now unnecessary paper, Vinea stood up.
“Prepare me for dressing up.”
“Since you don’t have any external schedules today, should I prepare you lightly?”
“No. Gorgeously. Yes… I’d prefer red tones if possible.”
So dazzling that one couldn’t help but stare.
Lineue began the preparations, hoping she wouldn’t regret not reporting the situation to His Majesty.
