Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Her Sad Day
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The voice of Cannivela as she dredged up the past trembled low. Lainen met her gaze. Feeling solace in his eyes, she gave a faint smile and spoke.
“The Rasoni Kingdom is a matriarchal kingdom. You know that, right?”
“I do.”
“That’s why, even with my older brother above me, I could become the heir.”
In the Rasoni Kingdom, the next ruler was almost always a woman. There were cases where a man became king, but they were exceedingly rare. That was why she had been the heir from birth, and why she was always surrounded by people.
A life loved by all.
Whatever she did, she was loved. She was loved for excelling in her studies, and even when she played pranks, she was loved because she was just a child. When she showed generosity, she was loved for her compassion despite being royalty.
Laughter never left her lips, and her world was always filled with happiness.
“But it didn’t take long for that happiness to shatter.”
“…….”
For some reason, the nobles rose up, forcing a succession trial. But as if it were only natural, she proved her place. Her brother screamed from the side that the results couldn’t be accepted, but she paid him no mind.
She just felt good. It felt good to live up to her mother’s expectations, and to be able to pursue her dreams.
“That’s when they attacked.”
* * *
The succession trial was over. She wanted to share the joy she felt with her mother, so she headed to the queen’s palace. She was spending the last moments of a joyful day eating ice cream.
“Y-Your Majesty, escape!”
Suddenly, a servant burst through the door. The servant, with a sword lodged in his back, collapsed weakly. About twenty people blocked the doorway and entered. One man spoke in a gruff voice.
“Well, look who’s all here.”
“Who are you?”
“You ever see an attacker give their name? Just die quietly.”
With that, the intruders swung their swords. The knights around them quickly countered.
“Protect Her Majesty the Queen and Her Highness the Princess!”
Surrounded by knights, she could only tremble in the queen’s arms. The knights fought fiercely but were pushed back.
“Unfortunately, no reinforcements are coming. We killed them all.”
Those words made the situation even more hopeless. Many had already died in the attack and the fighting. And now, no reinforcements.
“Just die here.”
They sneered as they swung their swords. To make matters worse, they set fire to the palace to trap them.
A desperate situation with nowhere left to run.
At that moment, the queen opened a secret passage meant only for royals. They fled for escape, but the smoke pursued them swiftly. They hadn’t gone far before they were trapped in it.
They couldn’t see ahead. They had no idea which way led out. Despair began to envelop them. They were stuck, unable to move in the labyrinthine passage.
“No matter where you run, you’re in our grasp!”
On top of that, the voices and footsteps of pursuers echoed from behind. The servants were terrified, and the surviving knights, led by Vice Captain Iras, took defensive stances against any possible attack.
But in the end, they didn’t get much farther before facing the pursuers again. Another brutal fight broke out.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Swords clashed. The knights forced their exhausted bodies to move and fight, while the servants used the gaps the knights created to try to get the mother and daughter to safety.
But among them was a traitor.
“Aaagh!”
“W-Why, Vice Captain…!”
Suddenly, Iras and two others turned their blades on their allies.
“Uaaagh!”
The knights, caught off guard, took hits. Servants who had shielded the queen and Cannivela collapsed. The situation spiraled toward the absolute worst, and the queen, watching it all, made a resolute decision and released Cannivela’s hand.
“Eira, take Kabel right now and get out through the passage. Tell them what’s happening.”
“B-But Your Majesty!”
“There’s no time to hesitate! Don’t you understand that one of us must survive?”
With those words, the queen drew the sword from her waist. Her servant tried to stop her, but the queen shouted.
“Go, now!”
Overpowered by the queen’s resolve, the servant grabbed Cannivela’s hand with trembling fingers. And they ran.
“M-Mother!”
Cannivela wailed. Hearing her scream, the queen said.
“You must survive!”
She wanted to promise she would. But soon, only the sounds of clashing swords filled the passage. She kept reaching back, calling for her mother. The servant dragged her sobbing body along, carrying out the final order.
“Mother!”
She twisted her whole body, but couldn’t shake off the servant’s grip. She would rather live or die with the queen. She didn’t want to survive alone. From the moment they parted, she had already sensed it was her mother’s end.
‘No!’
But there was no time for sentiment. While they bought time, she had to get out and call for help.
‘Somehow!’
She somehow kept her feet moving. But the acrid smoke was too thick to see through. Screams echoed from all directions like hallucinations. The choking stench mixed with the metallic smell of blood assaulted her nose.
“Urk!”
She felt nauseous enough to vomit right there. It was as if everything inside her would spill out.
But escaping came first. She had to survive. She had to survive. She absolutely had to survive…!
Those were her mother’s last words, the last thing she saw. They echoed in her ears nonstop. Tears flying, she kept running.
‘Mother…!’
The servant running beside her was already in his seventies. He had long passed his limits, so she had to keep pulling him up.
“Eira, we have to keep running. Hurry!”
She was struggling just as much. But to live, they had to run. And at some point, an eerie silence surrounded them. It amplified her anxiety.
“Go on ahead, Your Highness!”
“W-What are you saying? You have to come too!”
“In my state, I’ll only slow you down. Between us, who’s more important? It’s you, Your Highness!”
She had no words. All she could say was.
“Please… come back alive. You must!”
With that, she forced her reluctant feet to move and ran. It was the most desperate, wretched moment of her short twelve years of life.
As she ran, she saw a door. The moment she touched it, a chilling voice came from behind.
“Your Highness, where are you going?”
“Gasp!”
Iras, who had caught up, thrust his sword from behind. She screamed at the pain she felt for the first time in her life.
“Farewell.”
Then, like a gentleman, he withdrew the sword from her body. With that horrific sensation as her last, she closed her eyes.
* * *
The long, long story ended. She opened her mouth one last time.
“And when I opened my eyes next, it was all over.”
While she slept, the Lansien family had seized the palace. Muila was already king, and the queen consort approved.
“From then on, the kingdom fell into chaos, and it still is to this day.”
“…….”
She tried to speak as calmly as possible, but Cannivela’s voice still trembled. Lainen silently embraced her.
So this was your loss. It must have hurt so much.
He offered words of comfort to the young girl who had endured that hellish reality. Whether they reached her, he didn’t know. But he wished she wouldn’t feel lonely anymore.
However, now was the time to solve the case. Lainen pondered. He sifted through the story for every clue he could.
“Could the Lansien princess have nothing to do with this incident? She seems the most suspicious no matter how I look at it.”
“We’ve thought of that too. But it’s unlikely.”
“Why?”
“At the time, Lansien was my maid. And she was a princess from a fallen kingdom.”
“Fallen? Which one?”
“The Kasir Kingdom.”
The Kasir Kingdom had been destroyed in Rasoni’s war of conquest. Back then, Lansien had begged for her life and barely survived. After becoming her maid, she suddenly became a princess following the incident.
“Mother eliminated all remnants of Kasir. How could Lansien gather forces for such a massive attack?”
“Well….”
It had just been a hunch, so he hadn’t placed much weight on it. He didn’t know the full story of why the queen spared Lansien, but the kingdom was already destroyed. Any forces capable of rebellion would have been wiped out.
And even if by some luck they survived, any movement would have been caught by the kingdom’s intelligence network immediately. They would have been eradicated instead.
Besides, Cannivela wasn’t a fool. She would have investigated that angle first. But without evidence, she had to leave it alone.
“So it remains a suspicion. We’ll know once the true culprit of this case is revealed.”
“I see.”
Looking at him, she recalled it again. The burning palace, the choking smoke, the unforgettable stench of blood, the eerie clash of swords.
The cruel incident that shaped her present self. She gazed out at the rain falling outside. Then, he, who had been diligently recording her testimony beside her, spoke.
“You did well.”
“Hm?”
“You did well.”
Just those words. At his words, tears welled in her eyes.
“Thank you for enduring. And thank you for coming to me.”
What followed was just as cruel for her. She woke in a different place, writhing in fear. People treated her coldly, and the violence from Muila’s family hurt so much. All she could do was endure.
She withered away, dying even while alive. Lainen comforted her. Warmth enveloped her in his tight embrace, and solace came from his voice.
So she burst into sobs.