Chapter 138: Past and Present
Her voice, thick with emotion, was weak.
It lacked the conviction of a genuine confession, yet the weight of her words was too heavy to be a lie.
From this, Daniel understood.
Selvia was borrowing the strength of alcohol to express the turmoil in her heart.
She was simply acting out, hoping someone would recognize her pain.
If she weren't drunk, I probably would have never seen this side of her.
After all, Selvia was the Empress of the Empire.
Having ascended to a position where she ruled over all, Selvia could not show weakness to anyone.
To be weak was to be unable to rule.
So, until now, Selvia had feigned composure.
Even when her older brother tried to kill her for the throne, even when the nobles turned their backs on her, she must have told herself it was all right.
She must have believed that once she became the Empress, all her problems would be neatly resolved.
At the very least, she probably expected the opposition from the parliament and the nobles to subside.
But what Selvia saw after becoming Empress were nobles who went beyond turning their backs, now actively seeking to oppose her.
The parliament, which represented the people, also objected to every single policy the new Empress proposed.
In the midst of all this, her royal physician informed her that her father, Berthold, would not live past the month.
It would be strange if she didn't break down.
She had reached the most exalted position in the Empire, only to realize that nothing was going the way she wanted.
With the immense weight of responsibility crushing her shoulders and the chorus of resentment shackling her feet, how many people could possibly remain sane?
And yet, Selvia did not give up.
She had devoted herself to governing the nation, even cutting back on her sleep.
To win the hearts of the opposing nobles, she accommodated them as much as possible and forced a smile.
She took the trouble to visit the parliament building herself to understand exactly what the members' grievances were.
To earn the trust of the citizens who were unhappy with a female ruler, she toured major cities and gave speeches.
She juggled countless other tasks, all because she wanted to be acknowledged as the Empress of the Empire.
But what greeted Selvia upon her return to the capital was not praise for her efforts, but malicious rumors slandering the Empress.
From Selvia's perspective, the fact that she didn't fly into a rage, thinking, ‘These reactionary bastards must have lost their minds because I’ve been lenient with them. Do they all want to be purged?!’ was a testament to her virtue as a ruler.
Just as Daniel, who fully understood Selvia's heart, was about to offer words of comfort…
“…Of course, I’m just kidding.”
Selvia beat him to it again, releasing him from the embrace and taking a step back.
Whether the alcohol was wearing off or she was startled by her own words, her face was tinged with a strange sense of shame.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t call you here to say things like this…”
A sigh escaped Selvia’s delicate lips.
“Please don’t misunderstand. I simply arranged this to encourage a war hero who will soon be departing for the Eastern Front. So…”
Then and now, Selvia was terrible at deceiving herself.
Daniel suddenly knelt on one knee, looking up at Selvia.
The sight of her, lost in self-reproach, somehow reminded him of himself in his past life.
After a moment of thought, Daniel quietly began to speak.
“Your Majesty. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but in my previous life, I was quite a famous person. I had a profession that put me in the public eye. Naturally, many people came to follow me.”
It was a sudden story about a past life, but Selvia didn't seem to mind.
She knew Daniel was speaking to comfort her.
“I enjoyed what you might call immense popularity. While not on the level of Your Majesty, it was to the point where I’d have trouble just walking down the street because people would recognize me. But that popularity didn’t last forever.”
A bitter smile spread across Daniel’s lips.
“The moment one false rumor started to spread, everything went wrong. People seemed to prioritize cursing my name over determining whether the rumor was true. Thanks to that, I had to give everything up and live as a recluse in my home.”
That was the day Daniel first realized how frightening the world could be.
“Naturally, my acquaintances stopped contacting me. I was unbearably lonely. Why wouldn’t people try to see the truth? Why were the reporters so intent on destroying me? For the first week, I couldn’t overcome my anger and took it out on perfectly fine objects.”
The internet on his smartphone, which had once been filled with praise, now held nothing but malicious comments.
Disgusted by it, Daniel had taken his frustration out on the innocent device.
A long time passed before the rumor was proven false and Daniel was exonerated, but nothing changed.
He had been dropped from every program, and there was nothing left for him.
“Once the anger subsided, I became incredibly sad. Was it because my life was ruined? That was part of it, but it wasn’t the fundamental reason. The saddest part was that when everyone was blaming me, not a single person was there to say it wasn’t true.”
How nice would it have been if someone had been by his side, sincerely telling him, ‘I know it’s not your fault.’
Then he might have been able to hold on to a little hope.
He might have been able to find strength.
“So…”
Even for an Empress who ruled over all, the situation wouldn't be so different.
Sensing this instinctively, Daniel decided to say the words he knew Selvia wanted to hear.
“Selvia. This isn’t your fault.”
Selvia’s eyes, which had been listening to Daniel’s story, widened.
Soon, moisture began to well up in her blue irises, which resembled a clear sea.
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about…?”
She tried to act composed, but her voice was trembling.
“Do you really think I’d believe in something like a past life? Offering such an unrealistic story as comfort is…”
Selvia’s expression began to crumble.
She bit her lip hard, trying to hold back her tears, but it was no use.
A sob escaped through her clenched teeth, and unable to hold back any longer, Selvia rushed toward Daniel.
In an instant, their bodies came together.
Hugging Daniel tightly, Selvia finally let go and burst into tears.
She poured out all the sorrow she had been forced to endure, first as an Imperial Princess, and then as the Empress.
Daniel held her in return, quietly offering words of comfort.
“Even if the entire world blames Your Majesty, I will believe in you until the very end.”
In response, Selvia answered not with words, but with tears, sobs, and a small nod.
Amidst expressions that couldn't form language, Daniel gently stroked her back.
For this moment, he thought of Selvia not as the Empress of the Empire, but as a younger sister who had experienced the coldness of the world.
*
“…Still, a past life? Couldn’t you have come up with a more plausible way to comfort me?”
Having stopped crying, Selvia asked, leaning her back against the wall.
Daniel, sitting casually beside her, answered with a smile.
“It was the only thing that came to mind. I apologize if you didn’t like it.”
“It’s not that I didn’t like it. I just thought it was unrealistic, that’s all.”
“I see. I’m glad it seems to have barely passed, then.”
As Daniel joked, a small laugh escaped Selvia’s lips.
Selvia tilted her head, gazing at Daniel.
Her platinum blonde hair cascaded over her shoulder.
Conscious of her gaze, Daniel turned his head, and their eyes met.
Selvia’s eyes were red, as she had only just stopped crying.
After a moment of silence, Selvia spoke softly.
“Will it take long for you to return from the front?”
“I’m not certain, as I don’t have an accurate grasp of the situation on the battlefield.”
“Is that so…”
Selvia grumbled as if she was displeased, then turned her gaze forward.
“…You know. How did it feel?”
“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
“When you called me ‘Selvia.’ So presumptuously.”
Daniel coughed as if something had gone down the wrong pipe.
Getting swept up in the atmosphere and using her given name had been a mistake.
He tensed, knowing he could be punished for treason without a word of complaint, but Selvia let out a low laugh.
“I’m joking. I was actually happy. Besides my parents, no one calls me by my name. Before, it was always ‘Your Highness the Princess,’ and now it’s ‘Your Majesty the Empress.’ Honestly, I can’t even tell if my subjects are serving me or my title.”
But Daniel was different.
He had seen the person within, not just the Empress.
“In that regard, will you promise me one thing?”
Selvia extended her pinky finger toward Daniel.
“Come back soon. I’d like you to call me by my name again then.”
Daniel let out a hollow laugh at the innocent request.
He raised his hand and hooked his pinky with hers.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Under the window where starlight poured in, Selvia heard Daniel’s reply and smiled with delight.
“Thank you.”
For some reason, the night breeze didn’t feel cold.
And so, the night that marked the end of winter and the beginning of spring slowly deepened.