Past and Present
Past and Present
Her voice, thick with tears, held no strength.
It was too faint to be sincere, yet the meaning of her words was far too heavy to be a lie.
That was how Daniel knew.
That Selvia, aided by alcohol, was now baring her heart.
She was simply acting like a child, hoping someone would acknowledge her struggles.
'If she hadn't been drunk, I probably never would have seen this side of her.'
For Selvia was the Empress of the Empire.
Having ascended to the position that ruled over all people, Selvia could not show weakness to anyone.
To show weakness was to forfeit the right to rule.
And so, until now, Selvia had feigned composure.
Even when her own brother tried to kill her to inherit the throne, even when the nobles turned their backs on her, she must have told herself it was fine and comforted her own heart.
For she must have believed that all problems would be neatly resolved once she became Empress.
At the very least, she had likely expected that the opposition from the parliament and the nobles would subside.
But what Selvia saw after becoming Empress were nobles who, far beyond simply turning their backs, were actively trying to antagonize her.
The parliament, which was supposed to represent the people, opposed every single policy the new Empress devised.
Amidst all this, she heard from her father Bertram's physician that he would not last the month.
It would have been strange if she had not broken down.
Because she must have realized that even after ascending to the highest station in the Empire, nothing was turning out as she had hoped.
With a crushing weight of responsibility pressing down on her shoulders and countless voices of discontent dragging at her ankles, how many could have kept their sanity?
Yet Selvia did not give up.
She even sacrificed sleep to devote herself to state affairs.
She accommodated the antagonistic nobles as much as possible and forced a smile to win their hearts.
She personally visited the National Assembly building and took pains to understand exactly what the lawmakers' grievances were.
She toured major cities and gave speeches to earn the trust of the people who were dissatisfied that the new ruler was a woman.
Along with countless other tasks, she sought to be acknowledged as the Empire's Empress.
But what Selvia heard upon returning to the Imperial Capital was not praise for her efforts, but seditious rumors slandering the Empress.
From Selvia's perspective, the mere fact that she didn't rage, 'These reactionary little shits, have I been too lenient with you? You all deserve a purge!', could already be considered the virtue of a sage ruler.
Just as Daniel, who fully understood her feelings, was about to offer a consoling reply.
"...Of course, that was a joke."
Selvia, once again seizing the initiative, released the embrace and stepped back.
Perhaps the alcohol had worn off a little, or she was startled by her own words—her face was oddly flushed with shame.
"I feel a bit apologetic. That wasn't what I meant to say when I called you here..."
A sigh escaped Selvia's small lips.
"Please don't misunderstand. I arranged this meeting simply to encourage the war hero who is about to leave for the Eastern Front. So..."
Now, as always, Selvia was clumsy at deceiving herself.
Having suddenly dropped to one knee, Daniel quietly looked at Selvia.
The sight of Selvia lost in self-reproach strangely reminded him of his own past life.
After a moment's reflection, Daniel quietly began to speak.
"Your Majesty. I am not sure if you will believe me, but in my previous life, I was a rather famous person. Because I held a profession that drew the eyes of countless people. Naturally, many came to follow me."
It was a sudden story about a past life, but Selvia did not dislike it.
For she knew Daniel was talking to comfort her.
"I truly enjoyed tremendous popularity. While perhaps not on Your Majesty's scale, it was such that I could hardly walk down the street without being recognized, which brought its own hardships. But popularity did not last forever."
A bitter smile spread across Daniel's lips.
"When a single false rumor began to spread, everything fell apart. People cared more about cursing me than they did about whether the rumor was true or not. Because of that, I had to put down everything and live a life of seclusion at home."
That day, Daniel thought for the first time that the world was a frightening place.
"Naturally, contact with acquaintances was cut off as well. I was unbearably lonely. Why wouldn't people try to see the truth? Why were the journalists so set on destroying me? For the first week, unable to overcome my anger, I took my rage out on innocent objects."
Inside his smartphone, which had once overflowed with praise for him, nothing but malicious comments remained.
Despising it, Daniel ended up venting his anger on his poor, innocent smartphone.
Only after a long time did that rumor come to light as false, and Daniel was proven innocent, but nothing changed.
Because nothing remained for Daniel, who had been dropped from every program.
"When my anger began to subside, I was overcome with sadness. Because I thought my life was ruined? That was true, but that wasn't the root cause. The saddest thing was that, when everyone was blaming me, there wasn't a single person who told me it wasn't so."
How wonderful it would have been if there had been someone beside him who sincerely said, 'I know it's not your fault.'
Then he could have had even a little hope.
He could have mustered his strength.
"So..."
Even for an Empress who ruled over all people, the situation would not be much different.
Having felt that instinctively, Daniel decided to say what Selvia wanted to hear.
"Selvia. This is not your fault."
Selvia, who had been listening to Daniel's story, widened her eyes.
Soon, tears began to form in her clear blue eyes, like the sea.
"What kind of nonsense did you just say..."
She was trying hard to act calm, but her voice was trembling faintly.
"Do you think I'll believe in something like a past life? Even if you try to use such an unrealistic story as comfort..."
Selvia's expression began to crumple.
As if trying to hold back her tears, she bit her lip firmly, but it was more than she could manage.
A strangled sound escaped her, and then, unable to hold back any longer, Selvia rushed toward Daniel.
Their bodies met in an instant.
Selvia, holding Daniel tightly, no longer held back, bursting into tears.
She poured out all the sorrows she must have had to endure as the Imperial Princess and, more still, as the Empress.
Daniel, embracing Selvia in return, quietly offered words of comfort.
"Even if everyone in the world blames Your Majesty, I will believe in you to the very end."
To that, Selvia answered not with words, but with tears, sobs, and a small nod.
Through those wordless expressions, Daniel gently stroked Selvia's back.
Thinking, for just this moment, of Selvia not as the Empress of the Empire, but as a younger sister who had experienced the world's cruelty.
*
"...Still, a past life, of all things. Couldn't you have come up with a slightly more plausible comfort?"
Selvia, who had stopped crying, asked while leaning her back against the wall.
Daniel, who had been sitting nonchalantly beside her, answered with a chuckle.
"That was the only thing that came to mind at the moment. I apologize if it didn't please you."
"It's not that it didn't please me. I just thought it lacked realism, that's all."
"I see. I'm relieved it seems I barely passed."
As Daniel joked around, Selvia let out a small laugh.
Selvia tilted her head slightly and looked at Daniel.
Following the motion, her platinum-blonde hair slid smoothly down over her shoulder.
When Daniel, noticing her gaze, turned his head, their eyes met.
The rims of Selvia's eyes, having only just stopped crying, were still red.
After a moment of silence, Selvia quietly parted her lips.
"Will it be long before you return from the front lines?"
"I haven't accurately grasped the situation on the battlefield, so I'm not sure."
"Is that so..."
Selvia, looking displeased, grumbled and turned her gaze forward.
"...Hey. What were you feeling?"
"What do you mean?"
"When you called me 'Selvia.' Impudently, at that."
Daniel burst into a cough as if he had choked.
The root of the trouble was having spoken her real name, swept up by the atmosphere.
He was bracing himself because he would have no excuse if he were punished for lese-majesty, but Selvia let out a low laugh.
"It's a joke. Actually, I was glad. Because apart from my parents, there is no one who calls me by my name. Before, it was always 'Your Highness the Imperial Princess,' and now it's 'Your Majesty the Empress.' Honestly, I can't even tell if my subjects are serving me or my station."
But Daniel was different.
Because he had truly seen not the Empress, but the human being inside.
"In that regard, will you promise me just one thing?"
Selvia extended her pinky finger toward Daniel.
"Come back soon. When you do, I'd like for you to call my name once more."
At the request filled with innocence, Daniel let out a hollow laugh.
Daniel raised his hand and linked it around Selvia's pinky finger.
"I will keep that in mind."
Beneath the window where starlight poured down, Selvia smiled with delight as she heard Daniel's answer.
"Thank you."
For some reason, the night breeze did not feel cold today.
And so, the night that marked the end of winter and the beginning of spring slowly ripened.