Wait, This Was a Romance Fantasy All Along? (1)
They had gathered to subjugate the monsters, yet an army was hardly like a neighbor you could meet and part from on a whim. Especially not when the two nations regarded each other with open distrust. After all, how could anyone truly swear that the other side wouldn’t plant a knife in their back? Barring absolute catastrophe, such betrayal was unlikely, but the mere possibility of it spoke volumes about how the Empire and the Kingdom truly saw one another.
Withdrawing their forces therefore required no small amount of time. Teodore von Frost had been waiting for exactly that moment.
He had agonized over it again and again. Is it truly right to tell her this? Perhaps it would be better to simply bury the truth forever. Yet his hesitation did not last long. Whatever she had become now, she had always chosen the truth. If that was her decision, then as her older brother, the only thing he could do was respect it.
He already knew her too well. Even if he stayed silent, she was not the kind of person who would simply give up. Come to think of it, she had always been that stubborn, even before she lost her memories. Does one’s true nature remain no matter how much is forgotten? With that thought, Teodore stepped out of the tent.
And immediately came face to face with an obstacle he had not anticipated.
Golden hair that even the soft moonlight could not dim, and cold blue eyes. Zaiha von Barcleon Mines, once the crown prince, stood before him.
This was not a personal visit. After the broken engagement, Teodore had come to despise him, while Zaiha had treated the entire Frost Duchy as beneath his notice.
“Good evening, Your Highness.”
“Indeed. There were almost no casualties, after all.”
“…Do you have something to say to me?”
Still, Teodore was not a man who mixed public duty with private grudges. Especially now, when the Frost Duchy’s political standing had weakened considerably after the broken engagement. He bowed his head.
Once rumors spread that Lana Frost was a villainess, and Jeanne—now called the true Saintess—rose in her place, the Frost family’s influence had crumbled. The Duke of Frost was desperately trying to restore their position, but Teodore no longer cared what happened to a house that could not even protect a single sister.
The only warmth he had ever felt in that cold, wintry place had been Lana. To him, she was the only real family he had.
There was no hesitation left in Teodore now.
“Are you on your way to see Sir Leonhardt?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“You don’t even bother lying.”
“Because I have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Zaiha let out a sigh at Teodore’s upright, unyielding attitude. He understood. No matter what sins one had committed, reuniting with a beloved younger sister would shake anyone. He could not claim to feel no guilt toward her, either.
But he had no intention of letting personal sentiment ruin the greater cause. What Teodore was about to do could endanger the entire kingdom. If Lana Frost had truly lost her memories and become Wolfgang Leonhardt, she now held immense power over the Empire. And if she regained those memories on top of that… where would that blade ultimately point?
Zaiha was no longer crown prince, but he was still a prince of the kingdom and a man who loved his country. He could not simply stand by and allow harm to come to it.
He raised his hand. At the signal, the knights who had been standing in formation behind him moved as one, surrounding Teodore.
Teodore spoke calmly. “You mean to stop me?”
“For the sake of the kingdom. She is too dangerous right now.”
“And who created that dangerous enemy, if not you?”
“Are you still holding a grudge against me?”
“It would be a lie to say otherwise.”
Teodore acknowledged the truth with surprising candor and moved his hand to the longsword at his waist. Seeing that he was prepared for a fight, Zaiha exhaled and spoke again.
“Once you draw that blade, there is no turning back. It means I can no longer protect you.”
“…”
“I could even have you executed on the spot for treason. The Frost Duchy would bear the full consequences. Are you willing to accept that?”
To the kingdom, Teodore von Frost was a double-edged sword. He possessed overwhelming martial prowess as the kingdom’s strongest knight, and he carried the political weight of the Frost Duchy. With the possibility of conflict with the Empire looming, they could not afford to lose him.
Because he was the inheritor of the greatest legacy. He had perfectly mastered the swordsmanship known as the Magic Blade, a secret art passed down through the Frost Duchy for generations. That was the source of Teodore’s strength.
In Wolfgang’s eyes, Teodore’s power was on par with the entire Vendetta squad. At the very least, no one in the kingdom could face him except the Saintess herself.
Yet that did not mean Zaiha had no way to stop him. Even if Teodore resented him, there were still those to whom he owed loyalty.
“Do you truly believe your current actions will help Zaid?”
“…!!”
“Sir Frost—or rather, Teodore. I heard that when you were living like a broken man, that fellow helped you greatly. Is that untrue?”
Teodore hated Zaiha and loathed the Saintess, but he could not ignore those words. Ten years ago, after losing his sister and abandoning life itself, the person who had given him even the smallest spark of hope had been Zaid.
He had said there was a faint chance she had only been exiled, not killed. That if she had truly died, should he not at least seek revenge? Those words had given Teodore just enough hope to keep living.
Loyalty, or blood. Zaiha was forcing him to choose one.
Teodore understood this perfectly. If he acted violently now, it would only put Zaid at a disadvantage. It could even be seen as betraying the lord to whom he owed so much.
Yet his hesitation did not last long. The sword slid free from his waist with a clear ring.
Zaiha’s expression hardened. He had not expected Teodore to actually draw his blade. But Teodore did not retreat. More precisely, he could not.
“If I had desired power, I would not have given up my position as heir to the Frost family.”
“…”
“If I had desired to live, I would have aligned myself with you and the Saintess instead of Zaid.”
“Watch your tongue. He is the kingdom’s only hope.”
“…At first, I resented you with all my heart.”
If his feelings could change so easily, he should never have given them to that child in the first place. Why had he been shown such a beautiful illusion? That illusion had twisted into unbearable agony.
“But now, I pity you instead.”
“How did we arrive at pity?”
“You only see what you wish to see. How truly pathetic, Your Highness.”
“I will tolerate your insult only this once. Sheathe your sword and return to your tent. If you do, I will overlook your offense.”
“I thank Your Highness for your mercy. However, I have a reason I must go.”
He had cast aside hatred and resentment. In order to move forward. Or more accurately, because he had no choice but to cast them aside. As long as he held onto those things, he could no longer fight for her.
When he had sworn to devote his life, it had not been empty words. Even if it meant abandoning the Frost Duchy’s title, even if it meant causing trouble for the lord to whom he had sworn loyalty, he had vowed to use the remainder of his life for that child’s sake.
And this was one step forward.
A slash of overwhelming speed that not even moonlight could follow tore through the air. At the same time, the swords of the knights closing in to subdue Teodore were sliced cleanly in two.
Zaiha, who had once been a swordsman himself, understood the moment he saw the strike. No one present could stop him, no matter what they tried. The instant that realization hit, he bit his lip.
He had thought the distance between them had narrowed somewhat, yet why had the Goddess bestowed such power upon that man instead of him? He could not bear it.
“Why do you possess such strength and yet…!! Why are you allowed to live like this?”
The raw emotion that had been slowly rising in his chest finally burst from his lips. If I had that kind of power, I could have protected her far more surely than this.
Had it been the old Teodore, he would not have answered Zaiha’s question at all. But the man who had laid down all his emotions answered without difficulty.
“Because I chose to live this way. That is how I was able to obtain this power.”
He had regretted endlessly. He had hated and despised. In the process, he had endured far too much pain. But not anymore. Now, what he needed to do was painfully, perfectly clear.
“I will gladly pay for my sins when I return.”
He already knew what consequences his actions would bring upon the kingdom. That was why he would pay the price willingly. Even if that price was his own life.
Just wait a little longer. I will be with you soon.