Confession and Forgiveness
“They’re probably thinking of siphoning it straight into their own pockets.”
“Your Highness.”
Silas had already wiped the sneer from his face, his expression now calm and composed—the very picture of the Empire’s crown prince.
“Cassel, uncovering the full truth of this affair is entirely your achievement. However, if you were to personally investigate and announce the matter of the gold vein, I worry the two houses might retaliate openly.”
Of the two families, the Orleans ducal house would face the gravest charges, while the Huante marquisate would likely receive a lighter sentence—fines and house arrest, at most.
Even if the Orleans family were severely punished and demoted to a marquisate, they would not remain idle afterward.
When that time came, even the title of the Empire’s left heart might not be enough to withstand a two-to-one fight.
“I am not afraid.”
Cassel placed his hand over the Blue Rose Knights’ emblem, steeling his resolve, but Silas merely smiled and shook his head.
“Do not confront them head-on. Summon Lady Pay and discuss it with her. She offered that bold plan to invite Lady Russel to the Spring Ball when I was troubled. I am certain she will have an excellent solution this time as well.”
Of course—Tiana was with us.
Cassel marveled at his brilliant younger sister’s insight, then felt a flicker of unease.
Could it be… that His Highness the Crown Prince harbors romantic feelings for Pay?
He had introduced his half-brother Astain at the Spring Ball, but that had been a purely political calculation. If Silas were to express personal affection, that would be far more troublesome.
Pay must live according to her own will, no matter what anyone says.
Ever since learning that Pay was his sister, Cassel had begun to view every man in the world with suspicion. A trace of wariness crept into his gaze.
Silas, who noticed the subtle shift, naturally looked puzzled.
“…Cassel, is there something on my face?”
“No, Your Highness. I will discuss it with her soon, as you suggested.”
“Very well. Sir Cassel, I will never forget your efforts and dedication.”
Cassel offered a faint smile before leaving the crown prince’s office.
“It is an honor to serve Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Alone in his office, Silas slowly closed his eyes.
The moment the layers of secrets unraveled all at once left him strangely hollow.
The reason behind the two families’ long-standing enmity had finally been solved.
But why the Saintess?
If another thread of the unsolved mystery came loose, what else might emerge?
He could not yet know.
* * *
Morgan le Pay, mage of the Magic Tower, was casting magic with the most cautious expression she had ever worn.
The yellow light flickering above her hand suddenly flared red.
“Flare… Burst!”
Bang!
A small, round red sphere shot forward and exploded in a clean burst without leaving even a wisp of smoke.
Pay jumped with delight upon confirming the flame’s neat disappearance.
“I did it! It worked!”
“Ppyuppyuppy!”
Momo, who had been watching her spellcasting in breathless silence, flapped his wings in celebration.
“…Well done.”
Lucius, watching from the corner, gave a small laugh and offered his congratulations as well.
Having successfully cast a modest fire spell, Pay felt immensely relieved that she had not rashly chosen the path of a Water Specialist.
It was only a third-circle fire spell, yet she was truly happy to have finally accomplished something she had never been able to do before.
She glanced at the spot where she had detonated the Flare Burst and murmured,
“It’s hard to give up on something you’re bad at when you should be focusing on what you’re good at.”
Lucius shrugged.
“Well, giving up takes courage too, but succeeding through sheer stubbornness is also a talent. Still, if you poured in all that effort only to waste time, it would be even more frustrating.”
“Is that so?”
Pay dispersed the mana swirling around her hand and gazed out the Magic Tower window.
Beyond it lay the Forest of Origins, now lush with new sprouts. Having finally achieved the accomplishment that had weighed on her mind, it was time to address the matter she had been putting off.
She gathered her courage and spoke.
“Lucius, would you like to go herb gathering with me? We’ll leave Momo to rest alone.”
“Ppyupit!”
Momo was thrilled at the prospect of free time without Lucius. In contrast, a deep light stirred in Lucius’s black eyes.
“…The Forest of Origins?”
“Yes.”
“All right. Let’s go.”
They rose and quietly left the Magic Tower.
They walked side by side, sometimes one ahead of the other, without exchanging a single word the entire way.
Whenever a small sigh escaped Pay’s lips, Lucius’s gaze would deepen a moment later.
Even the warm spring sunlight felt distant to them now.
When they reached the entrance to the Forest of Origins, white flowers bloomed vividly—unlike the last time they had visited. Pay plucked a petal caught on a vine and placed it in her basket.
“How pretty…”
Even at her absentminded murmur, Lucius flinched without realizing it. It was nothing more than an exclamation of admiration, yet he could not help himself.
The moment of parting with Pay, which he had postponed but knew would come eventually, now loomed right before him.
Lucius had tried his best not to leave any regrets in his time with Pay.
Whether that effort would last through the years ahead, he did not know.
Could he ever forget the sight of her turning away from him… or those beautiful green eyes that would one day fill with hatred for him?
Suddenly, everything he had done felt utterly insignificant.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
Mistletoe still clung to branches where new buds had yet to sprout.
The mistletoe native to the Forest of Origins was of excellent quality and potency, so the two stayed nearby and focused on gathering it.
After working in silence for a while, Lucius carefully opened his mouth.
Painful and difficult though it was, this was something he had to reveal himself. He could not keep pretending not to know forever.
“Who… do you think I am?”
Pay folded the knife she had been using to sift through pale roots and answered,
“You are Lord Baroa.”
“…Yes, that’s right. But you’re only half correct.”
“What?”
Pay, who had been facing away, turned to look at him with puzzled eyes.
The only being capable of shaking him, the one who would be etched forever in his heart through past and future days, was staring straight at him. So why did he feel no calm?
Yet…
Suppressing the surge of emotion, Lucius continued with the difficult words.
“It is true that Baroa’s existence stems from me. But there is one flaw: until everything was reconstructed, I had no idea what was truly happening.”
“What… do you mean?”
Pay set her knife on the basket and stood up.
Those joyful times we shared… farewell.
Lucius avoided looking at the obsidian ring shining on Pay’s little finger and began his long confession.
He told her what kind of existence he truly was, and the reason the world they lived in had been safely preserved.
Pay remained silent at first, perhaps in shock, but gradually shifted her position as the story progressed.
By now, the top of her basket was filled with freshly gathered white henbane wrapped in a white cloth.
Lucius’s story—his confession—finally came to an end.
Now all that remained was for Pay to say what she wanted.
She must have tried her best to act indifferent in front of him, but it would be hard for her. After all, he was the one who had caused her so much pain.
Just… send him one look of contempt. Then he would do anything she asked, Pay. His precious lady.
Even if I eat all the henbane, I won’t die, but maybe I should pretend to. I could swallow it, collapse, and disappear from Pay’s sight forever… Haa, should I ask Momo to bring my heart to her later?
Lucius’s grim thoughts raced toward their conclusion.
Would she cry if she saw his dragon heart? Or would she find it repulsive, shove it in a drawer, and leave? She might even throw it on the ground, calling it filthy. Even so, he wanted to stay by her side, even a little closer.
…It wouldn’t work, would it? It was all nonsense anyway.
Now, it was truly over.
The dragon, drunk on destruction and driven mad enough to end the world, was no longer here. The moment she wished it, he would quietly vanish from her sight…
Pay still said nothing, her lips pressed tightly together.
If I were her, I would never forgive.
The very reason she had endured such a horrific and painful past stood right before her.
The one who was truly vile, the one who should never have existed in the first place—that was him.
Is this my punishment? Not being told to die or disappear, but being reduced to someone whose name she refuses to even speak—that is the punishment I receive? How dreadful.
He knew it.
If he died before her eyes, even if she pretended not to care, the kind-hearted Pay would never forget Lucius for the rest of her life.
Lucius thought that even that would be better than being forgotten completely.
Rustle—
“……!!”
The woman who had remained silent all this time picked up the basket on the ground. With deft hands, she gathered the herbs and poison plants, preparing to leave him behind.
A farewell without even a final greeting?
Where was he supposed to go now?
Lucius was consumed by endless emptiness.
Should he simply die here in this forest and be quietly buried? Then… would she never set foot in here again? He must not interfere with her magic research with his pathetic self…!
“Lucius?”
“H-huh?”
He answered hurriedly, even as he heard the ugly tremor in his own voice.
It was not only his voice.
His fingertips trembled as if struck by shock. He feared being abandoned, feared being ignored, feared being left alone behind a wall of indifference worse than hatred.
Look at me, Pay.
Don’t leave me behind.
“Let’s go back.”
Go back? Where? To his lair in the Dryana Mountains where he had slept? That place was…
“Wh…ere…?”
He knew he should not ask, yet the words slipped out anyway. In this moment, he was the weakest being in the world.
Pay smiled faintly and replied,
“To the Magic Tower. Let’s hurry back. It’s getting late.”
Good heavens! Was he forgiven? Someone as worthless as him, someone who had been so cruel to her out of arrogance?
Lucius’s thoughts came to a sudden halt.
When he regained his senses, his arms were tightly wrapped around Pay, and the basket of herbs she had worked so hard to gather lay overturned on the grass.
Neither Pay nor Lucius cared about such trivial matters.
Today, there were things far more important than magic or herbs.
Pay was hugging Lucius just as tightly.
“……”
“……”
Their arms only parted much later, and during that time, neither of them spoke a word.
Both of them, eyes reddened, shared their warmth, half-closing their eyes, then closing them again, resting their foreheads and cheeks against each other without hesitation.
Their breaths were hot. There was no need to tell whose was whose.
Before the sky grew dark, they finally emerged from the forest as the sunset faded.
Their hands were clasped together.
When they reached the entrance to the Forest of Origins, a single white flower, touched by evening, swayed precariously before dropping its petals.