Now, Anything is Fine
“The national treasury's revenue has fallen 12% short of projections.”
The finance minister stood and announced it, flipping through his documents over his small spectacles. “It seems the heavy snows last winter and the collapse at the northern mines are to blame. Without cuts to next year's military budget, balancing the books will be impossible.”
The military minister's face darkened instantly, and he shot to his feet. “Your Majesty, the northern border is already in chaos. Slashing the military budget will only invite another rebel uprising. The Sharlan to the west is another wildcard.”
“Are you suggesting we raise taxes, then?” the interior minister said.
“Public sentiment is already shaky. The poor relief bill hasn't even been passed yet.”
The king slowly tapped the end of his cane against the floor. A hush fell over the council chamber.
“Then review new tax items,” King Siegfried commanded. His gaze drifted aimlessly. “A special levy on magic train transport rights, luxury taxes on noble indulgences, customs duties on foreign merchants... Consult the noble council and report back.”
His fingers fidgeted carefully with the cane's ornate head, sweat trickling slowly down beneath his crown.
“Your Majesty, beyond customs, we need to restructure our foreign debt,” the deputy finance minister added.
Siegfried turned his head sluggishly, but his eyes stared into empty space. Tension rippled through the high ministers' gazes.
“Your Majesty?” the interior minister called cautiously.
Only then did the king blink and speak. “...Restructuring means foreign capital intervention, doesn't it?”
“Yes. The Livria Banking Consortium has proposed a conditional loan. In exchange, they demand a portion of the royal domain mining rights as collateral.”
Siegfried scowled at once. “The royal domain is not for bargaining. They're just waiting beyond our borders for us to falter.”
He set his seal staff on the table and closed his eyes briefly. Seeing this, Chief Chamberlain Felix spoke up.
“Let's end the state council here.”
“Pardon? But...”
“His Majesty seems fatigued today. Best to adjourn.”
“Understood...”
The ministers filed out reluctantly, one by one. Soon, only the king, Felix, and the Shadow Unit captain remained.
Rubbing his temples until they were alone, the king spoke anxiously. “Captain. Have you still not found Wolfgang?”
“No, sire...”
The king's Shadow Unit captain bowed his head deeply.
After the debutante ball, the king had ordered the captain to find Wolfgang and the thirty shadows. They were supposed to disguise Leo and Elizabeth's deaths as an accident, then return that very night.
But they hadn't. Not that night, nor the next day, nor the day after.
'What if that bastard was telling the truth?'
King Siegfried recalled Leo's words.
—Yes. The carriage wheel broke on the way, so we were delayed.
—However.
—Some rat pups crawled out along the road, which was annoying. So when I asked what he did with the rats...
—He crushed them.
—One was pretty plump, but a rat's a rat, no matter how fat.
The “rats” Leo mentioned were surely the king's shadows, and the “plump one” was almost certainly Wolfgang.
No, it was certain. The man had said it with precisely that intent.
The king hadn't believed it at first. Or rather, he hadn't wanted to.
Just two people. A commoner father and daughter, nothing special about their backgrounds.
Even thirty shadows seemed excessive. That was thirty percent of the Shadow Unit's full hundred-man strength. And with captain Wolfgang leading them, success had seemed assured.
But it wasn't.
They'd survived brazenly. Instead of fleeing, they'd come straight to the Autumn Palace where he was.
From their tone, they clearly knew who had sent the assassins.
They knew.
'How is that possible?'
King Siegfried was genuinely baffled. What kind of monsters were they? How could they have killed Sword Master Wolfgang and thirty shadows trained as killing machines?
'That was my chance...'
At the debutante ball. Mandelia had rushed in clutching her slapped cheek, sobbing hysterically—a disgrace to royal dignity. The king had dragged her straight to the lounge.
—That bastard, that bastard slapped my cheek like this...!
Leo Valentine. What a cursed connection.
The king had said:
—I understand. Don't tell a soul about this. You tripped and hurt your face by accident, alone.
—Pardon...?
—Don't give me that look. Are you advertising that my daughter got slapped by some commoner? Use your judgment.
He'd silenced the princess first, then hatched his plan. Leaving that man alive was too risky. But killing him at the Autumn Palace was dicey.
Killing him there would have been problematic. No shadows were present—just guards and soldiers he couldn't fully trust.
And those two had killed Wolfgang and thirty shadows.
He needed more thorough preparation.
'So I imprisoned them to kill later... but they slipped away.'
Hildegard, was it? Leo Valentine's lover had let them go.
—...Leo Valentine will visit in a few days, so he says he's heading back urgently today.
It was actually a blessing. It bought him time to prepare.
'Come on, then.'
—The trap to kill you is set. If you don't come, I'll come fully prepared and finish you myself.
The morning living room was quiet. Sunlight slowly illuminated the drifting dust motes in the air. Only the ticking of the clock's second hand broke the silence.
Tick—
Leo climbed onto a chair and pressed a specific spot on the ceiling. A panel shifted upward, creating a gap with the surrounding boards. He pulled out a box from the opening.
It was something he'd long ignored.
But it had become the start of everything.
Opening the lid revealed an old letter, a gold ring embedded with a red ruby, and an Imperial Guard uniform.
Leo took out the letter.
Take good care of
my daughter....
He read that line over and over. Everything had circled back to this single sentence.
Pressing his face into the letter, he wept silently for a long time.
Eventually, he repacked the box, tucked the letter away, closed the lid, and slid it back into the ceiling, restoring everything as it was.
As he stepped down from the chair—
Elizabeth emerged from her room. Tousled hair, a robe trailing on the floor, barefoot.
She headed wordlessly toward the bathroom.
Startled, Leo hurriedly moved the chair and sat on the sofa. He looked up reflexively at her footsteps.
“Elizabeth.”
His voice was low and careful.
She neither stopped nor turned.
“...You okay?”
A brief silence passed. She halted, standing motionless without a word.
Then, slowly, curtly: “No.”
That one word said it all.
“You haven't eaten... have you?”
He'd left dinner in her room last night, but it was untouched this morning. She'd eaten well for three days, but now she refused.
Elizabeth gazed at the ceiling, expressionless. “No appetite.”
“Still, you need to eat something.”
“Why?”
The question was genuine. Simple. Firm.
Leo fell silent.
Elizabeth took a step, then paused. She looked at him.
“Are you okay, Dad?”
Leo didn't fluster. As if he'd expected it.
“...Not really.”
“Then why the calm face?”
Leo drew a breath. He searched for words, then spoke. “To keep you from breaking.”
Elizabeth pondered. “I'm already broken.”
Leo said nothing. His lips twitched once, then pressed shut.
The unfinished words hung in the air. Silence stretched.
Elizabeth spoke first. “Not going to work?”
Leo met her eyes. The question was flat, her face blank. But her words were surprisingly clear.
“...”
“The bookstore,” she added. “You haven't gone much lately.”
Leo turned to the clock. The hands ticked onward. He exhaled wordlessly.
“...Taking a break.”
“Go to work.”
Elizabeth's dry lips moved. “You're skipping because of me.”
She knew.
Leo bowed his head. “It's fine. Right now, I want to stay by your side...”
“No need.”
Her tone was even. “I'm okay. So...”
She hesitated, then continued. “Do what you normally do.”
Leo closed his eyes. He felt the weight of her collapse dragging down his routine too. It was too much to keep him there any longer.
“...Okay. I'll head out later.”
Elizabeth nodded slowly. No change in her expression.
Then, abruptly: “That day. At the debutante.”
“Yeah.”
“You had no idea about my feelings back then?”
“...First I heard of it was that day.”
“So before that, nothing at all?”
“Yeah.”
Elizabeth nodded. Blonde hair spilled over her shoulders; morning light from the window hazed her blue eyes.
“Why?”
“...Why what?”
“Even after that day, you kept acting like Dad.”
Leo didn't reply. A flicker of old regret passed in his eyes as he watched her.
“I wasn't joking. We can't go back to normal now. You know that.”
“I know.”
“Then why pretend nothing happened? Why act like it doesn't matter?”
“...It does matter.”
“Then what?”
“I didn't want to hurt you, so I pretended it didn't.”
Elizabeth nodded faintly. Her eyelids trembled slowly. Something fragile she'd barely held together began to quietly crumble.
“It worked.”
She opened the bathroom door slowly. Just before entering, she added:
“Now, anything is fine.”
The words came with a blank face. No emotion, no expectation.
The door closed.
Leo stood before it for a long while. He heard the sound of collapse.
But not sobs.
Silence.
That was the most terrifying sound.