98 – The Tyrant Likes Me Too Much
The night of the Empire was not yet over.
Princess Serena’s residence, the Crystal Palace.
As soon as Serena saw the bed, she flopped down on it.
“Shall I prepare a change of clothes?”
“No, I just want to rest right now. I don’t even have the strength to take a shower.”
Roza slowly wiped Serena’s back with a wet towel.
“Everyone has left the Empire, Princess Serena.”
“Yes, they left to catch some kind of dragon, didn’t they?”
Roza, the closest maid to Serena.
Her true identity was that of a spy.
She secretly finds out the secrets of the Empire and passes them on to Serena.
Although it’s a risky task that could cost her life, Roza had a strong motivation.
“It’s the perfect opportunity to take control of the Empire.”
That is, to make Serena Barba, whom she serves, the Emperor.
“This Prince, the Third Princess, and Askal have all vacated their positions. Only the puppet Emperor remains. If we only seize the Emperor, the next steps will be simple.”
Serena closed her eyes and thought.
There was such a plan.
To assassinate the Prince, the most certain heir to the throne.
Then, before Julia, kidnap the Emperor and persuade him or use magic to make him support her.
There were also dozens of other detailed plans.
It had been planned for a long time.
‘Why did I want to become an emperor?’
The initial motivation was simple.
I didn’t want anything taken from me anymore.
If you become an emperor, nothing can be taken from you.
And most of all, I wanted to prove that I was superior to Julia.
Then.
‘Askel.’
Everything changed after I met him.
He was the first person to really understand me.
The person who learned to know not the Second Princess Serena, but the Seri Raveone who loved acting.
It was my first love.
I want it.
I want what I want.
At some point, I began to want Askel more than the empire.
‘It was greed.’
Yes.
In fact, “ownership” of the person I love was more important to Serena than “love” for him.
What if Askel had easily given himself to me?
Love would have cooled quickly.
Because I am that kind of person.
Instead, Askel’s continual rejection of me made me more and more obsessed.
‘But do you know, Askel?’
Serena blankly fiddled with the earlobe that didn’t have an earring.
The pierced hole felt awkward.
‘I am also, receiving pain.’
No one had bothered to ask her.
The crown prince, Yulia, even that Shusia, had all left for the plains of Windwall, and yet, she had not been told anything.
They did not have to take her.
All they needed was to tell her to stay in the empire.
“Sob…”
She had truly given her all.
Discarded her strong pride like old rags.
Held on till the very end.
“We have the suicide squad ready. Please, give the order, Lady Serena.”
These people have been in the palace for a long time.
For Serena, with just one word, they would willingly give their life.
To make her the emperor.
‘If I become the emperor, what kind of expression will you make, I wonder.’
Serena knew herself well.
She was selfish, and stubborn.
She would never make a wise or compassionate sovereign.
‘I will be a tyrant, Ascal. I will rule the empire as I please and oppress all under me.’
Serena stood up.
This is the kind of woman she is.
Disgusting and a complete mess.
Perhaps, it was destined to be this way.
“There’s a place I want to visit one last time.”
“…we’re running out of time, Lady Serena.”
“Just a little, just a very little.”
Serena opened the window.
The wind was biting cold.
And like that, Serena jumped out the window.
“Wait, Lady Serena? Lady Serena!”
“It’s magic. Instead of brutally falling to the ground, Serena flew through the sky. It was nighttime. People would not realize that their princess was soaring in the sky. ‘Really, it’s dreadfully cold.’ Her destination was the same as before. It’s Moonlit Theatre. The ruined theatre could be identified easily even from afar. ‘…Has a meteor fallen?’ The area around it had been utterly destroyed. However, luckily, the theatre alone remained intact. Serena entered the theatre through the gaping roof. It was dark. But she had no intention to light a fire. Mindlessly, Serena looked up at the sky. The moon was in the sky. Moonlight poured in through the ruptured roof. ‘It really is like the Moonlit Theatre now.’ Serena caught the falling moonlight in her palm, snickering at the ironic circumstances. She remained still for a while. ‘What am I waiting for?’ She knew.”
Of course, Ascal would never show himself here.
He, like the brave hero he is, went off to hunt the dragon. Of course failure wasn’t part of the equation. Because it’s Ascal.
Strangely enough, the current situation mirrored an old play they used to perform.
Without realizing it, Serena found herself murmuring lines from it.
“You liar. You promised to see me, but you broke that promise.”
The moonlight serves as a spotlight, illuminating the acting Serena.
Esolette and Jerome, was it improvisation?
Everything is vague.
Possibly the next line was…
“You liar! I really hate….. ugh, sob.”
Drop, in-au-dible.
Tears fall to the ground.
She knows it all too well.
Ascal, not once, genuinely desired her.
It was a one-sided obsession.
Yet the reason to come here was to announce the farewell.
A conclusion is needed in love.
“That’s enough, let’s go now. Everyone is waiting.”
Unlike here, in the palace, there are people waiting for her. People who only had eyes for her.
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She couldn’t betray them now.
Even if it leads to ruin.
Slowly, the moonlight shifts.
Seemingly indicating it’s time to depart.
“Goodbye, Ascal.”
The last.
Serena’s eyes followed the tail of the moonlight.
In the meandering moonlight, a black shoe came into sight.
The rustling black cloak followed it, ridiculously fluttering inside the moonlight.
“……Who?”
Knowing she might be betrayed again, she didn’t want to hope.
Serena, with a face full of caution, scrutinised the man dressed entirely in black.
“Reveal yourself, or I will attack.”
Serena thrust forward her wand.
Flames coiled around the wand.
Ready to fire at any moment.
“The performance has improved.”
A deep, solemn voice.
A voice she had longed to hear, but Serena didn’t let her guard down.
“That’s impossible. You can’t possibly be here. Are you a demon?”
She had heard of them, demons that mimicked human beings perfectly, doppelgangers.
“I’m sorry. I’ve made you wait for too long.”
Thud, thud.
The man was approaching.
Serena retreated a step.
Beyond the glow, she saw the face of a familiar man.
A face she had yearned to see.
“Don’t come any closer, this is your last warning.”
With trembling arms, she held up her wand.
Ascal should be on his way to the Wind Wall Plains now.
Therefore, this person could not possibly be Ascal.
Either it’s a demon, or a sorcerer with ill intentions.
She should fire.
She should, but she couldn’t.
“I can’t resist.”
Even as the man approached, Serena could do nothing.
The man reached out his hand.
Serena closed her eyes.
“You asked for your earring back, didn’t you? The festival isn’t over yet, it’s fair game.”
She opened her eyes.
Upon her palm was a single jade earring. Serena wore a unreadable expression.
Then,
“Put it on for me. That’s the tradition.”
Brushing her hair aside, Serena displayed her bare ear.
The man silently put on her earring.
“Ouch, you’re so clumsy.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’ll get better with practice.”
She got it back.
Now she had both jade earrings.
It was only then that Serena looked at the man’s face.
“Askel, why did you come? You’re busy.”
“You’re the one who asked first, Serena.”
“……I like it when you speak informally. Yes. Keep calling me that way.”
Askel.
Now that she looked at him, he was a mess.
Gasping as though he had run here quickly, his face was sweaty despite the cold weather.
Serena wiped Askel’s face with her handkerchief.
“That’s right. Despite not having any time, you came to return my earring. Thank you.”
Behind him, a golden Pegasus could be seen.
“You need to leave quickly, right? Go on now. I’ve received the earrings just fine.”
Serena managed a faint smile.
Her face was stained with tears, looking a bit piteous, but it was okay.
With this, it was okay.
‘Thank you, Ascal. For going along with my insistence.’
Indeed, she was an uncontrollably temperamental woman.
Now, she didn’t care about the empire any longer.
She was planning to disappear from the empire and embark on a free-spirited journey. Becoming a witch like her mother sounded good.
“But the tradition doesn’t end here, does it?”
“Huh?”
What did she just hear?
Serena lost her words for a moment.
“The tradition of the Storytelling Festival includes a woman giving her jewelry to the man she has feelings for, and the man confessing his feelings to her while returning the piece, doesn’t it?”
“Well, yes, but…”
The tradition of giving jewelry during the festival had always been among couples who were nearly betrothed.
It wasn’t something you did for a man who was already in a relationship.
So, Serena giving her earrings to Ascal,
Would be, speaking frankly, her last desperate measure.
She was satisfied with having them returned, but
“Ascal, you don’t love me, do you?”
She absolutely didn’t want to say it.
Serena clutched at her heart.
Speaking alone causes a pain in the chest.
“Are you confessing to me, even though there’s no plausibility in it?”
“Do you dislike it?”
Could it be a dream I’m having?
Serena brings her hands together, looking a little pale.
“Will you tell me?”
“I love you, Serena. Will you accept my confession?”
Tears are strangely streaming down.
Who said that the body is controlled by the mind?
What nonsense.
Look.
Isn’t my mouth moving on its own accord?
“Yes. Askal, I also love you. Truly.”
The imperial night ended.
The mythological festival ended.
The two continue onward, departing to the Wind Wall plain together.
With this, the empire’s second tyrant has completely disappeared.