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Chapter 15: Afterwards
It was the cheers of the people that broke the kisses that couldn’t contain the rushing adrenaline right after the battle.
“Wahhhhh!!!”
The cries from the crowd as they parted.
That overwhelming sound instantly brought Sienna back to reality.
The problem was that Sienna was the only one back to reality.
“Ashiel, wait…!”
Sienna looked around, holding back the man who was about to chase after her like a dog eager for her lips as she was about to fall.
The expressions on the faces of those close to them were spectacular.
“Oh my God, now…”
From Admiral Ferrato, who had his mouth hanging open from shock.
“What are you going to do, what are you going to do?”
To Michael, with a strange expression on his face, smiling while sticking his tongue out.
“Master, are you really okay with that man?”
Then Isabelle, staring at Ashiel with a strained face as if wary.
And up to the stiff Lou, who didn’t say a word.
But more than all that, the figurative cold water pouring down Sienna’s back…
“Long live Her Highness Sienna Hesaros!”
“Honor and glory to Kainosia!”
“Long live Her Highness Crown Princess Sienna!!”
Waaaaaa!!!
…It was the voices that called her ‘Crown Princess’.
“…Let’s go back to the Imperial Palace.”
As Sienna whispered pale as if near death, Ashiel returned to his usual cold dog mode and nodded his head, seeming as though he had been masquerading a puppy earlier.
And to greet them, who returned to the Imperial Palace in a hurry as if flying over…
“Oh my! Have my three grandchildren come!! Did you get hurt anywhere?!”
…He looked the same as if he had always been. A welcoming voice roared.
“Y-Your Majesty?”
The old man strode over and hugged Sienna.
“You did a great job, you did a great job.”
“…….”
“I knew my baby could do it. Well, I knew you could do it!”
“Your Majesty…”
Why?
The tears that didn’t come out from despair and shock when she thought that the emperor might have died, were now bursting out like a flood.
“Oh, my baby is crying here because she has suffered a lot. Don’t worry anymore. This grandfather will protect you…”
“Y-Your Majesty, I, I, I, hah, hah…”
The emperor patted Sienna on the back as she cried.
“It’s okay. Everything is okay. You can do it. If it’s my baby, you can do it. It’s your first time handling the duties of a princess, but don’t worry too much…”
“…Yes?”
For a moment, the tears that had been welling up in Sienna’s eyes halted. Words that couldn’t be overlooked were now passing through her ears?
“Your Majesty, what do you mean by ‘princess’?”
“Haha.”
The emperor only smiled kindly and pat Sienna on the shoulder a couple of times.
Arandier, who suddenly appeared, answered instead with an expression that seemed as though she was completely unbothered.
“His Majesty has just announced his abdication.”
“…What?”
“That means that.”
Arandier took out a cigarette, put it in her mouth, and placed another one in Sienna’s empty hand.
“Hey, don’t teach her such terrible things!”
Of course, the emperor immediately took the cigarette from Sienna’s hand and threw it on the ground.
Arandier didn’t care. She said as she puffed up smoke.
“So from now on, I’m the emperor.”
“And it means that you have become a princess, my dear daughter.”
“…Did I hear you wrong?”
“Uh-huh, don’t say that when you understand.”
“I didn’t hear you well?”
“Because it’s wartime, the ceremony was omitted, Princess.”
‘What nonsense is this?’
Click, clack. Sienna’s head creaked like an unoiled door and turned towards the emperor. However, the emperor was only bragging to others, exploding with laughter.
“Look, you guys! Now I have three grandchildren!”
“I congratulate you, Your Majesty.”
“Hm, it’s something to be congratulated! I should stop doing this! But, look, wherever you look, there’s no better children than my three grandchildren!!”
“Great congratulations, Your Majesty.”
No, the situation shouldn’t go in that direction…
Not knowing where the hell to start with, Sienna was stunned.
Arandier tapped Sienna’s shoulder a couple of times.
And she spoke kindly.
“You have to go to the office to work tomorrow, Princess. I will pass on some of the aides I work with, and you can use your knights.”
“Your Majesty, is that what you’re aiming for now?”
“Why not?”
Arandier grinned, matching completely with the expression ‘Sike’. Sienna eventually pointed her finger at Lou and detonated the bomb.
“He is the real son of Your Majesty the Crown Pr… Uup!”
“Shh, I know.”
‘You know?!’
Sienna blinked desperately, unable to understand. Arandier said with a smile.
“But that child is not the heir of Highsteer, but the heir of Esperanza.”
“….…”
“That child will rule the Heavens, and that’s my way of honoring the one who died first.”
“…But Your Majesty, the throne…”
“Besides, he’s my son, but he looks pretty stupid, so I think it’d be perfect for you, who’s smart.”
“No, that…”
“I’m going to make an offer you can’t refuse.”
Arandier said, exhaling cigarette smoke.
“As a princess, the first thing you should prepare… is the coat of arms of Grand Duke Nacht.”
Indeed, it was indeed an irresistible offer.
* * *
Esperanza.
It was a Named that showed its true power when the blood of the Heavens came into play.
The remaining members of Euros did not hesitate to acknowledge Lou as the successor of the Heavens after he was revealed as the true master of Esperanza during the battle.
“If it hadn’t happened, the Heavens, one of the three great guardians, would be destroyed.”
They calculated that if a person of the new princess, Sienna Hesaros, became the new head, he could inherit the name of the Heavens in that way.
Lou, or Ruslan, said he would not reveal the fact that he was the crown princess’ real son.
The boy said,
“You know that I’m the number one candidate for imperial son-in-law, right?”
Sienna could feel Ashiel’s hair rising, but she couldn’t deny it.
The only weakness of the current crown princess, Sienna, was that she did not directly inherit Kainosia’s lineage.
“But I’m not going to reveal it.”
“….…”
“I want you to become the future Emperor.”
Lou was basically saying, ‘I don’t want to threaten your legitimacy.’
“I don’t want to be cowardly with the love of my life.”
“Lou, I—”
“I know, so this is the last time I say this.”
Lou nodded and lowered his head.
“Thank you for spoiling me, Your Highness. If you’re having trouble with your lover, please call me anytime.”
“Ruslan Euros, get out.”
Before Ashiel bit him, Sienna ordered.
Lou chuckled as he left the audience.
Sienna felt a chill at her side, and she began to eagerly make excuses.
“—Hey, Ashiel, you know I don’t think it’s cool, right?”
“I thought so, but I feel like I can’t neglect my efforts.”
“Wait, Ashiel, where are you… umm.”
Sienna tried to resist, but after a while her lips melted open like candle wax at Ashiel’s hot and earnest request.
Then, with a tak, the pen rolled down from Sienna’s fingers.
* * *
One month later.
The state funeral was grandly held.
The weather was so sunny that the expression ‘f*ck’ could be used.
[TL/N: If I’m not wrong, ‘빌어먹을’ is a slang term, to express anger/frustration in a crude way (like, vulgarities). So it’s so sunny that they could curse…]
Nearly everyone in the empire was present, and all those who contributed to the defeat of Tesius Euros, the monster who had invaded the capital, were all in the front row.
“Everyone, stand—!”
At that moment, a knight from the entrance called out.
“His Majesty, the preceding Emperor, is entering!!”
Starting with the people of merit, everyone else who was seated rose at the same time.
Although the emperor abdicated his position, he was still the eldest of the imperial family and held several rights, including the knight’s templar.
Like an eagle, the old preceding emperor walked into the venue with his silver hair and golden eyes sharply shining…
He approached the white coffin and looked at the face lying inside it.
“…You’ve always been straight on stupid topics.”
At first glance, the face of the old man wearing a monocle looked very dull.
“You bastard, Roderick. I knew from the beginning that you’d go ahead of me like this.”
No matter how much the godfather and maternal uncle, the preceding emperor, sprouted bad words, the expression of his nephew with his eyes closed inside the coffin was only serene.
“…How comfortable it must be to have left your children and this empire with all your burdens.”
The preceding emperor clicked his tongue and said goodbye.
“…I’ll see you soon. I’ll be able to confirm that you still have a face like this then.”
A prayer for him to rest in peace.
Then Ashiel and a red-nosed Michael said goodbye to their father’s coffin.
Afterwards, Arandier also cursed no less than her father.
At first glance, unusual words such as ‘crybaby with a leaky nose’ and ‘an idiot who doesn’t cry even when bitten by a dog’ were heard.
“…I’m grateful that you gave me a daughter. Since you died first, I’ll apologize for that crime with thanks.”
Emperor Arandier turned around, leaving behind her dead cousin and lifelong friend.
The last one was…
“Her Highness, Sienna Hesaros Kainosia.”
…It was Sienna’s turn.
When Sienna, dazzlingly dressed in a white uniform that seemed to have been arranged a little more simply from Arandier’s, went out to the podium, people involuntarily shed exclamations.
“Well, Her Highness is always admirable.”
“His Majesty the preceding Emperor, as soon as he woke up, heard the situation and said, ‘That child has become my grandchild?’
“How much he would like her to be.”
“Why not? He thought that the Terraformer’s legacy would come to an end, but like a joke of fate, he got such a wonderful successor…”
In the warm weather, among the gentle and unhostile whispers that fluttered like a butterfly, like the flap of a butterfly’s wings, like a swaying and rustling leaf.
Sienna stood in front of the grand duke’s coffin.
And she called Hesaros.
Instantly, a flame rose and began to circle around her.
“Oh oh…!”
With people’s low exclamations, the scenery of the funeral began to change.
From the landscape of a lush garden to a garden of spring where flowers bloomed.
The flames were turning into petals. The people who were suddenly called to the spring garden looked around in disbelief.
In the middle of the garden where the flowering trees were pouring down heavy petal rain, Sienna beckoned and the ground began to dig deep.
“Ashiel, Michael.”
As Michael approached and waved his hand, it began to be unloaded slowly into the deep hole Sienna had dug.
Swoosh, the wind blew.
The trees let go of their petals once again in unison. Everything was covered with petals. On the body of the grand duke, petals were scattered and covered like a blanket.
At one time, this man drove her to her death.
‘But this time he saved us all by giving up his life.’
Ashiel’s heart saved Sienna’s past.
The grand duke’s life saved everyone’s future.
Therefore…
“…I forgive you. I’m too late.”
Whispering like that, Sienna raised her hand.
Then, instead of soil, petals poured down like torrential rain and filled the coffin.
It was beautiful, truly beautiful.
People shed tears for no reason, even though they were not sad.
Sienna gently touched the archduke’s tombstone. Thinking of the person who will continue to sleep here in her garden from now on.
“…You must leave, Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
At Ashiel’s prompt, Sienna straightened her back and turned around.
There was no hesitation in her face.
Because the owner of the underworld was buried in the garden of spring.
In the garden of eternal spring, which she owns.
* * *
Just because the funeral was over didn’t mean all the hassle and sluggish work was over.
After Tesius Euros’ death, the rallying force had collapsed and the problem of eradicating the outside powers in a state of chaos was urgent.
In any case, it was treated as treason, but those who were anxious about the huge battle in the center of the country had to be relieved as well.
…They had a lot of work to do, and there was one cumbersome ceremonial procedure that stopped them.
“A hearing right after the state funeral is over. Isn’t it a bit too much?”
“I think so.”
Sienna grunted, but she knew the true problem was not simple.
Rather than revealing the shocking truth that Tesius Euros was the King of the Outside World, they concluded that he was simply a human, and that the battle was simply a suppression of his rebellion.
In such a situation, it was not unreasonable for people to have doubts and hope that they would be resolved.
“I want to finish it quickly and take a break, but I have to go straight to the borders to clean up.”
“I will accompany you.”
“Of course, Ashiel. But you seem to be a little excited now with the excuse that my status has risen?”
“….…”
“Is it my mistake?”
When Sienna questioned in front of the already noisy door leading to the hearing, Ashiel laughed a little.
“… Did you only notice that now?”
The moment Sienna was about to answer further.
The door to the hearing room opened.
“So I mean…!”
“Shut up, Marquis Septima…!!”
“Uh-huh, shut up!”
“Chairman, chairman!!”
…It was a mess.
Sienna sighed a little.
“The fight is just beginning.”
“I told you, I’ll help.”
“How are you going to help?”
“…To keep them from leaving alive, if you wish.”
“Well, I hear you say that I need to do my best so that all the pillars of our empire don’t die.”
There was nothing she could do. Sienna let out a sigh. And she cried, raising her voice with magic.
“Everyone, stop moving!”
Everyone was startled by the sudden loud noise and turned to the door. And they saw Sienna and Ashiel.
“I see you, the Crown Princess and the Grand Duke.”
Hurriedly, people started to give their greetings.
Sienna and Asiel received the greetings and walked down the path to the center of the hall.
Tick, tick, tick.
The two people exuded a sense of intimidation and overwhelming pressure.
The chairman, Marquis Septima, who was holding a pointer, coughed in vain, trying not to lose, and his eyes shone sharply.
“Since the two parties have come…”
“No, wait.”
Sienna quietly interrupted him. The chairman became as quiet as a dead mouse.
Sienna glanced at the watch slowly and leisurely, checking the time.
Things were fine, but she was a little worried that she had only sent Isabelle, Michael, and Lou to the clean up.
…Of course, that didn’t mean she was worried about the lives of the three.
‘I’ll go there as soon as possible.’
With that purpose, Sienna declared.
“Before we start, I’ll give you a warning.”
“….…”
“You have taken soldiers who were about to fight at the borders, so you must speak worthwhile words.”
Thud!
In the dark silence, the door to the hearing hall was closed.
Sienna smiled and looked around.
“If everyone keeps that in mind, shall we begin?”
「The World Without My Sister Who Everyone Loved, END .」