And Thus… It All Comes to an End - Chapter 6

“Grandfather, it is Luciana.”

My voice echoed softly through the hushed gallery. Beyond this door, reached after countless agonizing decisions lay my new beginning.

“Enter.”

A warm voice. It was my grandfather’s. The moment the sound reached my ears, the tension that had been coiled tight in my chest suddenly unraveled. I gripped the handle and slowly pushed the door open.

The room was filled with the scent of passing time. The aroma of old parchment and the lingering trace of candle wax mingled together, while soft afternoon light filtered diagonally through the large windows at the far end.

In the midst of that light, my grandfather sat quietly.

“Welcome home, Luciana. …You have done truly well.”

The smile on my grandfather’s lips held both pride and relief. I bowed deeply, my voice trembling as I replied.

“Yes. I have returned, Grandfather.”

As he looked at me, my grandfather sat with his back perfectly straight, his silver hair neatly groomed—a figure of absolute dignity. Yet, his eyes were surprisingly gentle.

“Since you have returned, Luciana I take it you have made your decision.”

His expression shifted, tinged with a faint sadness. My chest tightened. I couldn’t say how much I had agonized over this. Destiny, pride, and the future—the resolve to shoulder it all.

“Yes.”

Though my brief answer wavered, Grandfather did not fault me; he simply nodded slowly.

“Lord Julius, thank you for coming as well.”

Grandfather turned his gaze to the man beside me. Julius dropped to one knee and bowed his head. Always one to remember his etiquette, he gave a somewhat bashful smile.

“Grand Duke, please, address me without titles.”

At those words, Grandfather laughed brightly.

“Haha. I see. Luciana, Julius make yourselves comfortable and sit.”

As I sat in the wooden chair, a cool sensation pressed against my back. Neatly arranged on the desk were ancient maps, seals, and several sealed letters.

“Then, as reported by Anne, you have decided to declare independence and become King.”

Anne was my lady-in-waiting, my guard, and my shadow messenger. My decisions and actions had been secretly reaching my grandfather through her all along.

“Grandfather. Will you listen to the path that led me here, and my resolve to create ‘my own nation’?”

“…I see.”

Leaning back deeply into his heavy chair, Grandfather placed a hand to his forehead and fell silent for a time. In that gesture, a profound despair seeped through. He had likely held a glimmer of hope for the future of his beloved brother’s child.

“After my brother passed away, the very situation I feared came to pass.”

Grandfather’s voice was a mixture of quiet rage and resignation.

A King manipulated by his subjects, having abandoned his duties.

A Queen with no power to involve herself in state affairs.

A Crown Prince who failed his obligations to his fiancée, his heart stolen by an ‘Apostle of the Goddess.’

The court drifted in nothing but emptiness and mistrust.

The Apostle who supposedly came from another world had become the Prime Minister’s adopted daughter, weaving conspiracies beneath the surface. The Prime Minister, too, had warped the gears of power, corroding the Royal Family from within. The national treasury was swallowed by a vortex of waste, bureaucrats dodged responsibility, and diplomacy was a series of reckless blunders. Scandal after scandal regarding the royals came to light; the military fell into disorder, and the people grew exhausted.

Taxes were erratic, laws became mere formalities, and the streets swirled with anxiety and indignation.

The corruption of this country had reached a point beyond salvation. In the markets, prices fluctuated wildly, and merchants did nothing but push blame onto one another. The anger of the masses had become a small spark that could explode at any moment. Though I had tried to intervene many times, it was merely a drop of water on a scorching stone.

“Not a single soul intends to protect the Kingdom of Dreisburg. There is no future for the Royal House…”

Grandfather stood up slowly and cast his gaze out the window.

“Grandfather. I will protect the people. I shall inherit everything.”

To protect the future of this land, someone must stand up. And that person is none other than myself.

Julius also nodded quietly, saying in a low voice, “Though my strength is modest, I shall also lend my aid.”

Grandfather exhaled a long breath, finally speaking in a grave tone.

“Luciana. I shall give a name to the nation you will lead. A country that severs the chaos of the past and illuminates the future. Its name shall be Veridia.”

Veridia. It was a new hope, a symbol of the future I had to protect.

“Tomorrow, we shall gather those who will form the core of the state and hold a formal council.”

Grandfather’s voice was low, yet unwavering.

“In that place, you shall show them your resolve.”

I nodded deeply and silently, feeling something ignite within the depths of my heart.