/
Chapter 407. Separate Again (2)
Translator: Aura / Editor: HB168
When Sovieshu opened his eyes, he was back in his bedroom.
But the sheets which usually kept him warm were so cold that he was shivering.
“My daughter. Dad is sorry. Dad is sorry you left first. Dad is sorry for not believing you were my daughter.”
Sovieshu staggered over to the paintings. He took both of them down, placing his precious paintings side by side on the floor. He opened his arms, embracing Navier’s painting with one arm and Glorym’s with the other.
He could feel warmth through the paintings. In his mind, the subjects of the paintings also opened their arms to return Sovieshu’s embrace.
A childhood memory came to his mind.
— We’ll be a couple when we grow up, Navier.
— Aren’t we already a couple?
— It’ll be different. We’ll be a married couple. I want us to have a baby that looks like us. We’ll have a family portrait taken of us with our child and I’ll hang it up in my room.
Sovieshu smiled slightly.
“My family…”
As his voice trailed off he saw a little girl in the distance, standing on the white snow.
The girl, who was crying, ran up to him as soon as she saw him and asked why he hadn’t come earlier.
“Glorym.”
Sovieshu took a step toward the girl.
But before he could get closer to her, someone grabbed him.
It was Navier. She shook her head.
“Don’t leave. Stay, Sovieshu.”
He looked alternately at Navier and Glorym.
After a moment’s hesitation, he understood. He would die if he went that way. But then he could be by his daughter’s side again.
When his eyes met Navier’s, he couldn’t stop crying. He remembered waiting for her outside Troby Mansion in the dead of night. He remembered the moment their gazes met as she drove away in the carriage. He remembered her wedding, her wedding to Heinley.
“Don’t go away, Sovieshu.”
The girl urged him to come quickly while Navier pulled him from behind.
They both meant a lot to him, but they stood opposite from each other.
Sovieshu looked at each of them several times, smiled helplessly and pushed Navier’s hand away.
“You stay. Live, Navier. Be happy.”
‘The baby died, but not Navier.’
He wanted to be with Navier. He wanted to go with her, he didn’t want to lose her twice, but he knew that this time he had to let her go.
“Don’t follow me. Even if you come here we may not meet again, so live happily for many years.”
Sovieshu turned around, comforted the frightened girl, and walked down a path with no end in sight.
***
Marquis Karl moved anxiously down the corridor, unable to tear himself away from Sovieshu’s bedroom.
Suddenly, he heard a loud noise not far away, which was followed by several shouts.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
‘Did that noise come from outside…’
When Marquis Karl entered the bedroom, he discovered that Sovieshu had fallen out of his window. Terrified, he shouted orders.
“The palace doctor! Get the palace doctor! Evely! Get Miss Evely!”
However, he immediately remembered that Evely, the precious healing mage, had gone to the Western Empire to heal Navier.
“Navier…”
A faint whisper came from Sovieshu.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty! The palace doctor! Get the palace doctor!”
Marquis Karl shouted in despair.
***
“You woke up!”
I heard a cry of joy. When I opened my eyes, I saw Heinley’s tearful face in front of me.
“… Heinley?”
My throat hurt badly, but I managed to open my mouth and say his name.
“My Queen!”
Heinley whimpered, grabbed my hand, and rested his forehead against it.
Was my hand cold or did Heinley have a fever? His forehead seemed especially warm.
I was still a little dazed as Heinley sobbed.
“Queen, I thought I would lose you… I was so afraid I would lose you…”
Behind Heinley, I could see Sovieshu’s shadow.
The shadow, which looked troubled, flashed for an instant as soon as I saw it, and disappeared through the wall.
This made me remember the dream I had. Sovieshu was about to go the wrong way, so I stopped him, but he pushed my hand away and told me not to follow him. He wanted me to live. He wanted me to live happily for many years. Then he took the hand of a girl who was covered in blood from head to toe and walked away.
My heart ached strangely.
I felt an indescribable sense of loss, as if something had been torn from me.
***
I was only able to learn the full story of what had happened the day after I woke up.
On the day I woke up, the palace doctor had done everything possible to get me to rest. I was also able to speak to Evely.
“I am happy to be able to return Your Majesty’s kindness.”
“You saved my life…”
Grand Duke Kapmen and Evely had saved me.
Heinley also told me that I survived because I used my ice magic on Duke Zemensia just before he fell on me, but I couldn’t quite remember…
However, many people witnessed the attack, so my ice magic may become a small problem once I fully recover.
In any case, thanks to using my ice magic and Grand Duke Kapmen wrapping his arms around me, I was able to survive Zemensia’s attempt to crush me. My baby also survived.
But I fell into a coma, so Evely came all the way from the Eastern Empire to heal me.
Evely lowered her head, her face turned completely red, and she smiled brightly. She swayed from side to side and looked at me briefly. She seemed very proud of herself.
“You have become an amazing person, Evely.”
“Yes! I saved Your Majesty! And a… umm… I don’t remember what country he’s from… well, never mind… I also saved the Grand Duke!”
“I don’t say this because you saved me. You truly have become an amazing person.”
Mages with healing abilities were highly valued. Of course, each mage had a unique ability, and they were each valuable in some way. However, healing abilities were especially remarkable because they could save lives.
“It’s also thanks to Your Majesty.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
Evely quickly shook her head to indicate that she disagreed.
I laughed because she looked so cute.
But I was also worried. Unlike me, Grand Duke Kapmen hadn’t woken up yet. Will he recover soon?
According to the palace doctor, he should wake up at any moment. Evely also told me that she had used more of her magic on Grand Duke Kapmen.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Your Majesty, the Emperor… uh… I mean Emperor Sovieshu…”
What did Evely want to say? She looked at me with a strange hesitation.
When I indicated that she could talk with a soft smile, she continued as if she didn’t know how to say it.
“Does Your Majesty have a bad relationship with Emperor Sovieshu?”
I smiled awkwardly. It was a difficult question to answer.
My relationship with Sovieshu is… complicated. We were once friends and a couple destined to spend our lives together, but suddenly he became someone I hated to see, and I even wished that he wouldn’t be happy. But it felt a little uncomfortable to see him so low.
However, as we both represent our respective Empires, I couldn’t express these personal feelings.
“It’s a normal relationship.”
In the end, I ended my answer with, “Why do you ask?” to get to the point.
Evely hesitated, smiled shyly and scratched her cheek.
“It seems that Emperor Sovieshu still loves and cares for Your Majesty.”
“…”
“Forgive me. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. But when he sent me here, he was very pale and seemed desperate…”
“Did Sovieshu send you?”
“Yes. As soon as he heard the news, he immediately called me and ordered me to save Your Majesty.”
I remembered that on the night of Rashta’s trial, Sovieshu stood crying outside of my parents’ mansion until I left in the carriage. Should I write a letter to thank him for sending Evely?