Chapter 206
Two Confessions
As the sun was setting.
Peace and quiet had returned to Evergard, which had been in turmoil since dawn.
Clarisse, who had been busy managing the aftermath, sighed as she looked at the royal palace that had been split in half.
“…It’s over.”
The setting sun shone down.
The scene seemed to comfort her for the day’s hardships, while also signaling a definitive end.
Though the collapse of the royal palace had certainly left a major blemish on royal authority.
But a blemish was just that—a blemish.
Thanks to Archmage Regent rescuing Princess Adeline from the rubble, the monarchy wouldn’t be shaken.
‘A blemish… yes, just a blemish.’
Princess Adeline was alive, wasn’t she?
That was enough.
The palace could be rebuilt anytime.
But if they had lost Adeline, it would have been irreparable damage, not just a simple blemish.
Clarisse decided to be satisfied with that.
“Will the palace repairs begin tomorrow?”
A voice came from behind her.
It was Silverna, passing through the royal guards at the main gate.
Between their work in the north and now this, Caldias had done so much.
From now on, Caldias would hold a position in the kingdom surpassing Hellmunt, but given their nature, they wouldn’t be interested in much beyond protecting the north.
“Yes, that’s right. The nobles insisted we should work through the night, but—”
“You’re putting the people first.”
“I thought that was the right thing to do.”
“…”
“The fortunate thing is that Hellmunt knights were dispatched here. Thanks to them, civilian casualties were minimal.”
Clarisse added that it was a miracle.
“I heard Hellmunt’s number of knights decreased after Arundel’s death.”
“On the contrary, that means the elites survived. You know how hard Hellmunt’s knights fought in the north.”
“…”
Silverna refrained from answering.
Though Hellmunt and Caldias might be considered distant relations, their knights had certainly been a great help in the north.
Those accumulated experiences had helped protect Evergard.
This was also thanks to the skillful management of Edel, who was serving as the acting head of House Hellmunt.
Rather than hastily increasing the number of knights, she had focused on improving their quality.
“How is Isaac now?”
Clarisse glanced at Silverna and asked.
“He’s asleep.”
The very person who had broken the enemy’s strongest sword.
If the presence of Gangwoo had truly gone berserk, the battle could have taken a completely different turn.
Or it could have escalated into an even bigger disaster.
No one could say he alone was responsible for their victory.
But if asked who had the greatest impact, everyone present would point to Isaac Logan.
“I see, that’s good.”
In that sense, hearing that Isaac was asleep was good news to Clarisse.
“He must have been exhausted, so it’s good for him to rest well.”
Clarisse smiled as she said this.
Silverna also agreed, glancing at her.
“It’s over now, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“…”
Calculating from when the Transcendents had officially emerged, it had certainly been a short war.
But it had been more intense and filled with more crises than any other.
Looking at Silverna, who seemed complicated in many ways, Clarisse smiled faintly and mentioned the future.
“From now on, Caldias will be busy. You’ll need to rebuild the northern rampart.”
“The royal family will provide support, I assume?”
“Of course. I’ve already finished discussions with the magic tower.”
“…Already?”
Silverna was surprised that negotiations had progressed so quickly.
But Clarisse made a V-sign with her fingers and smiled with her eyes.
“Since I couldn’t participate in battle like all of you, all I could do was prepare for the aftermath.”
“…”
“Believing that you would be victorious.”
Princess Clarisse had prepared many things with Adeline. From the northern rampart to various internal affairs, a busy time to strengthen the kingdom had arrived.
It would be much busier than before, but Clarisse’s heart felt light.
“Sigh, there’s just too much to do.”
Seeing Clarisse playfully grumbling, Silverna smiled faintly.
Being able to peacefully discuss the future like this was the result of their efforts.
“We need to send support supplies to the north, food is needed, and workers must go too.”
“More importantly, we need to decide where to build the northern rampart first.”
“Ah, that’s true. Should we build it wider than the previous Mallidan Rampart?”
Clarisse spoke playfully.
But she continued to mull over the tasks ahead.
“I need to meet with the nobles again to pressure them to release the wealth they’ve been hoarding, rebuild the palace, reorganize the national treasury, establish new border defenses, have a wedding with Isaac… Sigh, I’m going to be so busy.”
“Mmm, mmm… huh?”
Silverna, who had been nodding along to the princess’s complaints as a loyal subject should, suddenly turned her head.
“…What did you just say?”
“About what?”
“The last part.”
“Let’s just pretend you didn’t hear that.”
“…”
“I’m a princess, you know?”
Silverna glared at her with an incredulous expression, but Clarisse looked up at the sunset with her hands behind her back.
The princess was avoiding eye contact.
Silverna sighed and mentioned the most concerning part of what she had said earlier.
“The borders should definitely be secured tightly. When other kingdoms hear about our turmoil, they might see it as an opportunity.”
“Right? The reason our kingdom could get cooperation from others was because we blocked the Mallidan Rampart and the northern beasts… Now that it’s compromised, they have no reason to leave us alone.”
Silverna nodded.
Then she suggested what she thought was a good idea.
“What about a political marriage? It could secure a strong ally.”
“…”
“Your marriage with Prince Raphael of Brentarion fell through, but there are many other kingdoms. As a princess, you should have plenty of options.”
“…”
When Clarisse stared back at her, Silverna awkwardly cleared her throat and looked up at the sunset.
They both thought the same thing.
The war might be over, but things weren’t really over.
Now that the Transcendents, their greatest enemy, were gone, Isaac Logan had no more excuses to offer.
In that sense, Clarisse casually tested the waters about seeing him again.
“But shouldn’t we check on Isaac? He might have been injured from the battle.”
“Rianna is with him.”
At Silverna’s calm response, Clarisse frowned.
“Why put the most dangerous person by his side?”
“…”
It was hard to deny outright.
Everyone had heard Rianna’s true feelings when the vassalization spell was cast.
But Silverna shook her head with a bitter smile.
“I gave them time on purpose.”
“Pardon?”
“…Rianna told me.”
With a strange sense of regret.
Yet also with gratitude.
“That she’s going to—”
Silverna recalled Rianna’s resolution.
“Give up now.”
* * *
“…”
When he opened his eyes, darkness had already fallen around him.
‘How many hours did I sleep?’
Looking out the window, the streets were already pitch black.
The quietness, conversely, contained peacefulness.
‘…We did it.’
By cutting down the Silver Watch and Hellic, everything had finally ended.
The sun had begun to rise again in the Transcendents’ abyss realm, and the human realm was safe.
‘So that’s why I slept so long.’
Thinking he could finally rest now.
That might be why he had slept longer than expected.
As he fully awoke and gathered his senses, he saw Rianna sitting in a chair beside the bed.
She was quietly sleeping while seated.
The vassalization spell had disappeared with Hellic’s death, so she had returned to normal.
“…”
Isaac stared at Rianna.
He tried to get up carefully, but perhaps due to Hellmunt’s keen senses.
Rianna slowly opened her eyes and looked at Isaac.
“Did I wake you? Sorry.”
“No.”
Her voice wasn’t hoarse, nor did she look sleepy.
Seeing Isaac awake, Rianna’s expression relaxed as if relieved.
It was only dimly visible in the darkness, but it was probably a smile.
The two headed to the dining hall.
They drank warm tea to loosen their bodies stiffened by the cold dawn air.
Sitting across from each other in the dining hall, they remained silent until—
“…Ria, I have something to say.”
Having finally reached the end, Isaac carefully brought up the topic he had been keeping in his heart.
“Can I… go first?”
But Rianna spoke up first.
Isaac nodded, deciding to listen.
“You know, Isaac.”
It took quite a long time for the next words to come out.
As if something was caught in her throat.
Her lips wouldn’t part, but—
Even in the darkness, with her eyes gently closed, she confessed in a trembling voice.
“I’m giving up.”
“…”
“I’ve thought about it a lot. Really. So much.”
Perhaps because the floodgates had opened.
The words that followed flowed out ceaselessly, surprising even Rianna herself.
“I thought I couldn’t live without you. No, it would probably be very difficult. Yes, I can be certain of that.”
“But… everything that’s happened. And the endings that Hellic and the Silver Watch showed.”
Though truly cruel.
“Maybe Hellmunt shouldn’t be allowed to love.”
A bitter smile formed on her lips.
Rianna had witnessed the fates of all those with Hellmunt blood who had spoken of love.
Her mother, Galenia.
Hellic and the Silver Watch.
Her younger brother, Alois.
Even her future self.
“So, Isaac.”
“I want you to be happy.”
Even in the darkness, her smile shone brightly.
Her rose-like beauty couldn’t be hidden by the mere veil of dawn.
Knowing how much courage and determination Rianna’s confession contained.
Isaac couldn’t simply deny it.
“…I understand.”
Taking her hand gently, Isaac could only nod.
Knowing how painful her decision must have been, he could only accept it.
“Yes, Isaac.”
Rianna struggled to hold back her tears.
Perhaps wanting to show that she had grown differently from before.
Without shedding a single tear, she held Isaac’s hand tightly and asked.
“Now it’s your turn. What did you want to say?”
“Ah, I…”
Isaac hesitated for a moment.
But having seen Rianna’s determination, he decided to speak honestly.
“I was going to ask if we could take time to get to know each other again.”
“…”
“I’ve reached a point where I need to consider remarrying. Whether I want to or not.”
In truth, he leaned more toward not wanting to.
But those around him wouldn’t let Isaac remain unmarried.
He had been preparing answers for the feelings he had put off.
And one of those people was Rianna.
“Since I knew you still had feelings for me because of the vassalization, I was going to ask if we could take some time to think about it, but—”
Isaac answered awkwardly.
“Since you’ve made up your mind like that, I’ll respect it.”
“Yes.”
A gentle smile formed again on Rianna’s lips.
Her tightly gripped hand.
Her very tightly gripped hand.
“…That hurts.”
When Isaac muttered, Rianna said with a smile still on her lips.
“Isaac.”
“What?”
“Can I take back what I just said?”
“…”
“…”
The two stared at each other.
“I should have listened first.”
Rianna regretted quietly.