* * *

The news of successive victories made the nobles of the capital happy.

However, the sudden news turned the social world upside down.

It was news that Prince Antonio had renounced his position and left the Empire.

It has even been said that no one knows where he is.

The news spread quickly and even reached Empress Rebecca, who was in prison after a tedious trial.

"...."

Empress Rebecca was stunned for days upon hearing the news.

He did not speak, listen, eat, or sleep.

It really stood still like a broken doll.

Thanks to that, the trial was delayed for a week, and one day when time passed that it could not be delayed any longer.

Empress Rebecca attended the trial.

Upon hearing the news, Raphine disappeared and attended the trial as before.

The auditorium, as always, was full of nobles.

"Rebecca Tedler, are you still going to deny the allegations? There were also testimonies from knights, including Master Vision. You are running towards the Arcane with your bloody sword!"

At the appearance of only bones left as if they were about to collapse, people clicked their tongues with strangely sad eyes.

Gorgeous and rich red hair was clinging to her dry cheeks.

Mixed with anger, the purple eyes that were always burning hot also lost their vitality and sank into darkness.

"When I heard the news of Prince Antonio, I lost my mind...."

"I am no longer a prince."

"It is, though. Anyway, it looks a bit...."

"To deny the allegations even after coming to this point, twi t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t s."

The nobles frowned and looked at Empress Rebecca, but still denies the charges, stating that she is shameless.

Then, as Rebecca started coughing out of breath, the judge frowned and chinked.

A servant handed him water in a blunt wooden cup.

Empress Rebecca, who barely stopped coughing, for some reason did not drink water and just stared at her for a long time.

For a moment, Rebecca suddenly turned her head to the audience. The nobles who met their eyes turned their heads in amazement.

Rebecca was staring at something.

Raphine followed her gaze. There, a woman in a robe was slowly getting up from her seat.

She bowed her head hard. Raphine quickly turned her head to Empress Rebecca as if she had sensed something.

Empress Rebecca was smiling.

"Answer now, Empress Rebecca! You are a heinous criminal just by mutilating and killing Gerrol Tedler!"

The judge's voice rang out.

Empress Rebecca drank all the water from the wooden glass. Then he let out a sweet sigh.

A single drop of transparent tears fell on her dry, dry cheeks.

Rebecca raised her chin and shouted louder than ever.

"I am not guilty!"

People were startled by the sudden cry and looked at Empress Rebecca.

Her purple eyes, which had sunk heavily, were burning with life again.

"No one can blame me!"

"no...!"

Even the judge who was pushing Rebecca had a look of embarrassment. Empress Rebecca exclaimed, looking intently at the magistrate.

"Gerol Tedler is ripped off to death! That's why he died so unhumanly!"

"...."

Another group of soldiers who expected to riot came closer to her.

The empress then started coughing loudly. As Raphine had expected, blood dripped from her lips.

Raphine watched Rebecca's end with an unknown gaze.

"Collock, Collock...."

Empress Rebecca fell to the floor, spitting out a lot of blood, and she died.

Rebecca kept her eyes open until the moment she died. It was time to go to Hell and take the remaining revenge.

"Call the senator!"

"What is this...!"

The nobles murmured in surprise, and the magistrates and soldiers also panicked.

Raphine followed the woman who quickly escaped, looking for a break in the frenzy.

The full-term woman walked slower than Raphine, no matter how fast she moved.

"Wait."

"...."

quiet hallway. The full-term woman slowly turned around at Raphine's voice.

The face hidden in the robe was as Raphine had expected.

"Camilla. Is that your name?"

"If you accuse me, there will be no evidence."

After all, it was that woman who poisoned the water that Empress Rebecca would drink.

Raphine came to a halt in front of her. As she sighed slowly, Camilla clenched her fists with a meaningful expression on her face.

"I have no intention of complaining. but...."

"...."

Raphine didn't know what to say, so her lips twitched. I wanted to ask something, but my head was blank as if my head had hardened.

Camila, who was looking at Rafine like that, opened her mouth first.

"You will never understand Rebecca Tedler."

"...."

"So do I."

"Then why...."

I think I wanted to ask the question, why are you so loyal to Rebecca?

Perhaps she noticed Raphine's meaning, Camila laughed as if she was lost in the wind. she opened her mouth

"but...."

Camilla frowned as if recalling a memory.

"But I... The one who saved me from a beastly man who shouldn't die like a human... I only remember a girl with luscious red hair and purple eyes as beautiful as sparks."

Beyond Camila's memory stood a girl who could only be described as a flame.

Raphine stood there for a moment, as if writing her words into her head.

After a while, Raphine finally moved and passed Camila.

* * *

It had been half a year since the advance squad left the war.

Five or six Pabals, who had run a long way with flags on their horses, passed through the capital.

One of them set the destination differently from the group. The place he went to was the Aston Mansion, not the Imperial Palace.

"Who came?"

At the sudden news, the Duchess panicked and went down the stairs.

The Duke of Aston, who had just returned from work at the Imperial Palace, was standing in front of the front door.

"What happen?"

"I wonder what this is...."

Duke Aston tilted his head and looked down at the box in his hand.

He wondered why Pabal from the battlefield was in front of his house, but the knight handed him a box and went to the Imperial Castle.

"Everyone said it was okay with no injuries."

The Duke of Aston answered kindly and opened the tightly packed box.

The servants also came closer to see if they were curious about the contents.

"Mom!"

"Damn!"

Inside the box was a handful of hair, a color close to pink.

One maid almost fainted when she saw it. He mistook it for Master Adrian's hair.

The Duke and Duchess of Aston were also surprised and grabbed their hearts.

"Open it, the letter...."

Duke Aston opened the letter in bewilderment. His expression was serious.

The Duchess also drew closer to him and read the letter together.

"... Unbelievable."

"...."

As they read the letter to the end, the faces of the two men were distorted.

The Duchess sat down, hugging the letter, and began to sob.

"Wow, what are you doing? lady!"

The servants were surprised and supported the Duchess. The content of the letter that would make me cry so sadly was obvious.

The servants' complexion turned pale. The Duke of Aston, barely awake, turned his gaze to his seated wife.

"Honey...."

The Duke of Aston handed the letter to the butler and knelt down in front of his wife. Then he hugged her and started crying.

The butler also began to read the letter with a serious expression. The servants also came close and read together.

To the Duke and Duchess of Eston.

First of all, let me tell you the news you have been waiting for.

Adrian and Violet are unharmed. So do I.

In the battle that took place on the 19th, a woman, one of King Themion's servants, was captured.

I don't know if you'll remember it, but it's a woman by the name of Rosalind.

He is a criminal who exchanged Raphine and sold it to the Viscount Beryl, and is a war criminal who manufactured drugs using forbidden techniques.

She was executed this afternoon.

I am sending you a token in the hope that the old wounds of the two of you will be at least a little bit easier.

- Zerkan Perdea -

The Duke and Duchess of Aston sat down on the cold floor for a long time, sobbing.

The sadness that had been lingering for a long time did not disappear, and it was the tears that finally resolved little by little.