And Thus… It All Comes to an End - Chapter 33

“It seems you have forgotten, so allow me to remind you once more.”

I slowly held up the document in my hand.

“This is the deed signed by the late King just before his passing. It states: ‘No person bearing the name Eisenberg shall be held liable for any choice they make regarding the future of the nation.’ This is the ‘original’ copy.”

Amidst the growing murmurs, I made my declaration clear and resonant.

“I shall restructure the entirety of this nation’s territories into a new kingdom. No crime shall be charged. Furthermore, there is no need for those who lack a heart for their country to remain involved in its politics.”

I tapped the edge of my fan lightly and gave the command.

“Therefore, I must ask the high-ranking vassals to make their exit.”

“Wh-what…!”

“Your Majesty, save us!!”

“How can you treat those who have served the country this way!”

“—Silence.”

Gareth took a single step forward. That one word froze the air. His icy tone cut through every protest. With every strike of heavy military boots against the floor, it sounded as if the bells of judgment were tolling.

Gareth and his men grabbed their arms without mercy, dragging them away. One elderly vassal dug his heels in desperately, his white hair disheveled as he screamed.

“Wait! I have no desire to go to the Temple!”

“I swear by the Goddess, our loyalty belongs to Lady Luciana—!”

I have no need for your loyalty.

The screams were swallowed by the dull thud of the doors closing. Then, finally, silence. The remaining King and Crown Prince stood there, utterly dazed.

As the quiet descended, a cold stillness filled the throne room. A low, heavy voice broke the equilibrium.

“So, what remains are Luciana, the Grand Duke, myself, and the Crown Prince. Ironically, only blood relatives,” the King said, his eyes narrowing. “Why don’t we speak plainly? In the end, what is it you want? The throne? Or… my life?”

“I have told you many times. What I seek is permission to found a new nation. That is all. Though, technically, permission is no longer required.”

I lifted the deed slightly and spoke calmly.

“The late King’s deed. Two Apostles of the Goddess. You have no people left, and now, not even your vassals. In this situation, do you still intend to resist?”

The King’s pupils trembled slightly. It was only for a fleeting moment, but his hesitation was unmistakable.

“…So, my permission… the King’s permission… is no longer needed, is it?”

The low, leaked murmur turned the air to ice once more. I offered a slow smile.

“Exactly. ‘In the name of the Goddess, keep no secrets.’ Since we are here, let us speak from the heart.”

In the taut atmosphere, the King’s lips twisted faintly.

“…Hmph. Little girl.”

That single word, laced with contempt, sliced the silence. But I would not flinch at such a trifle.

—There is something I must ask.

It was then. A voice that utterly failed to read the room cut in abruptly.

“Luciana, make me your Prince Consort! I shall support you as the King of the new nation!”

The Crown Prince’s trembling shout created a jarring discord in the room. For a moment, the air turned to stone.

Exasperation. There was no other word for it.

“…Be silent. Do not expose your shame any further at this late hour.”

The King’s voice was colder and harder than steel. He then slowly turned his gaze toward my grandfather.

“Grand Duke. It is you. You are the mastermind. You’ve been plotting to pull me from the throne in secret for a long time, haven’t you?”

His voice was steeped in layers of suspicion and resentment accumulated over the years. Every time their gazes crossed, invisible sparks flew.

“Since when? Since the day Father died…? No, even before then?”

The question failed to hide his simmering rage.

“To be honest, I have considered it,” Grand Duke Eisenberg answered in a low, stifled voice that seemed to catch in his throat.

“I knew it!” the King shouted. “I knew it! It was your eyes. Your eyes always laughed at me for being incompetent!”

“That is not true. But after I lost my son, I lost my spirit. I thought if Luciana could support the Crown Prince and carry the burden of this country, it would be enough to help us recover.”

“Haha, what pretty words. But I see. Your son’s death. Yes, that would be it.”

The King’s laughter was grating, like metal scraping together.

“Your son… on that rainy day… a wheel came off, and he fell from the cliff. Just like that. A pathetic end.”

“…Do not speak as if you were there to witness it,” Grand Duke Eisenberg’s brow twitched.

“Haha, but I was watching.”

His voice was flat, terrifyingly calm.

“With my own eyes, from atop the hill. In the rain, I watched and waited, hoping he would meet with an accident. I was the one who tampered with the wheel. Though I didn’t think he would die quite so easily.”

The air sank as if the world were collapsing. The sound of my own heartbeat thundered in my ears.

“Why… why would you do such a thing?”

“Why? It’s obvious.” The King’s smile was freezing. “Because you were both targeting my position. You and your son. I have no need for a superior cousin. Those who threaten me must be removed. It’s as simple as that.”

Only the King’s voice ruled the room.

“As long as you people are alive, I cannot sleep. I never know when I will be murdered in my bed. Luciana, even when you were in the palace, I didn’t feel like I was truly living.”

“F-Father, what you just said…” The Crown Prince’s voice was raspy and shaking.

“I kept it from you for your sake as well. Unless you remove those who threaten you, the throne will eventually be stolen. —By those who are ‘superior’.”

There was not a shred of fatherly affection in his words. There was only fear and the ghosts of power.

“I see… so that is why no matter how much I investigated, I found nothing. You did it alone, without giving orders to anyone,” my grandfather said, looking up toward the heavens.

“Then, Father really did kill a person—” The Crown Prince looked on in disbelief. He was answered only by a dry sneer.

“Yes, that’s right…  …Haha.”

The King suddenly glared at me.

“Luciana, you… you used the Goddess’s power on me, didn’t you!”

I raised my head quietly.

‘In the name of the Goddess, keep no secrets.’

“So, it was true. You were the one who killed my parents. I suspected it. But I didn’t want to believe it.”

“Are you going to speak pretty words too? Let me tell you: the throne is something that must be protected in exactly that way.”

That can’t be true.

“It is your fault. It is the Grand Duke’s fault. All of your kin who look down on me are to blame!”

Grand Duke Eisenberg spoke as if trying to reason with him.

“I never looked down on you. You simply do not have the vessel of a King. Neither you, nor I. And furthermore… nor did my son. What a foolish thing you have done.”

A long silence fell. A candle sparked and popped. That sound alone echoed like the heartbeat of a crumbling kingdom.

“What will become of me?” the King squeezed out, his head still lowered.

“Even if you are the son of my beloved brother, I would not hesitate to execute you with my own hands. However, I cannot allow the new beginning of Luciana’s country to be stained with blood.”

Grandfather…

“Furthermore, my son and his wife were devout followers of the Goddess. They would not permit revenge, even if it were for the sake of justice. There will be no execution. Simply live with a thousand regrets. You shall spend the rest of your life atoning for your crimes by praying alongside your former vassals until the day you die.”

“You tell me to live a pathetic life by your mercy? …At the very least, let me be the one to tell the Queen.”

As the King stood up, the Crown Prince reached out a hand.

“Father, I—”

“No. I go alone. Do not follow.”

His voice was no longer that of a King, but simply that of a man. He disappeared quietly behind the doors.

“…Was it alright not to follow him?” I asked my grandfather.

“There is nowhere for him to run. And that man, does not have the courage to die.”

Silence ruled the throne room once again. The shadows of the flickering lights illuminated the crumbling seat of the King.