“Sein!”

“…”

“Come to your senses, Sein!”

“… Tia? ”

When I called his name over and over again, his tightly closed eyes opened. I was reflected in his blurry blue eyes.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Hey, it isn’t time to worry about me. Why were you so reckless to fight alone? Are you crazy?”

“My little girl, you are really okay to scold me like this. I’m glad to see you are okay.”

A faint smile came to his lips. I felt heartbroken to see that. When he was injured last summer, he came near to ruining his shoulder if something went wrong, but he was really resilient and full of energy. But he was now so weak.

He said with a forced smile when I looked at him with trembling eyes, “Hey, I’m not such a weak guy…”

“…”

“I’m just awfully tired. That’s all…”

“Sein? Sein!”

No matter how many times I called him, his closed eyelids did not open again.

I put my trembling hand to the tip of his nose. I was scared after confirming his breathing was weak.

No! I can’t lose you like this!

Looking around desperately, I saw the woman with dark hair shivering with her face turned white at a distance. Pushing hard the knights who tried to stop me, I stood in front of her.

When I watched her looking up at me blankly, I felt like I would hurl abuses at her, but I barely put up with my anger. For now, I needed her help desperately.

“…Lady Jena.”

“…”

“Please, please save Sir Carsein. ”

Jiun had no answer. Biting my lips, I politely asked her for help, but she shook her head, closing her lips tightly. I began to feel my anger was raging again at her clear rejection of my request.

“Are you going to pretend to be indifferent to him in this situation? You can use divine power, can’t you?”

“…”

“Please save him. ”

“… I can’t.”

“You can’t?”

At that moment, I lost my temper.

I said, firmly grasping her shoulder, who was lowering her head, “It’s my last warning. Treat him right now!”

“I can’t.”

“Don’t you know that he was heavily injured while trying to protect you by holding you in his hands?”

“I can’t. I really can’t!”

“Are you crazy?”

“I would like to use my divine power, but I really can’t!”

I gnashed my teeth to see her black eyes welled with tears. How cruel she is!

How long are you going to make poor execues by saying your divine power is incomplete?

“If you’re going to make excuses by saying your divine power is not complete, just shut up!”

“My divine power… It doesn’t work on people …”

“I told you not to make any poor excuses!”

“I’m serious…”

Tears dropped from her black eyes. I released my grip on her shoulder to hear that.

Although I didn’t want to believe it, my cold reason told me what she said was true.

“Nonsense…”

How can I believe that? Can’t you use it for the people? Then, what about Carsein?

I clenched my teeth because an ominous feeling kept coming back to my mind.

‘Let me stay calm, Aristia. There must be some way. Oh, if I can invite the High Priest even now…”

“Tia, he’s okay. So, calm down. ”

Ugh?

When I hurriedly turned my head, the silver-haired knight, who was making a worried expression, came into my view.

“Daddy?”

“Tia.”

Coming to me with big strides, he said, patting my shoulder, “I was a bit late because I brought a royal doctor here. According to the doctor, he passed out because he bled too much. So, I sent a man to the temple. Though he was in serious condition, he can hang in there until the High Priest arrives here. So, you don’t have to worry about it. ”

“Whew!…”

Only then could I breathe freely and take a look at the surroundings around me. Royal doctors were busy treating the wounded, including Carsein. Earl Penrill and the emperor were questioning Marquis Mirwa, and the royal knights were taking care of the enemy bodies, trying to find some personal items to identify them.

Suddenly, I blushed. Did Carsein really pass out in the presence of so many people here?

“Are you okay? Aren’t you hurt anywhere?”

“Yes, I’m fine, Daddy.”

“What a relief! You can feel relaxed because the doctors said everybody would be safe, except for one who was killed.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

When I responded, embarrassed, he took out a handkerchief with a more relaxed look and wiped the blood stains on my face. Then, he stopped for a moment, while putting his hand on the cloak, then said, folding the handkerchief.

“Take a break here. Let me report to the emperor for a moment.”

“Sure, Daddy.”

I was puzzled, watching him fading away, because I felt a bit uncomfortable.

It’s strange. Why do I feel like this? Obviously, he said Carsein could hang in there, and everyone would be fine except for one dead man…

Wait a minute. One dead person? Not two?

When I looked around hurriedly, I saw a young knight moaning, holding his chest.

‘Sir Spia, you’re safe!’

I smiled because I was glad to see him safe, when my eyes met his. Given that he frowned a lot, I quickly walked toward him to tell him the High Priest would arrive soon.

“Sir Monique, are you okay?”

“Yes, I am fine, but Sir…”

“I see. I’m glad you’re okay. ”

He moaned, holding his chest while slowly raising his body. I said, supporting him as he was staggering, “Hang in there a little more. Soon the High Priest will be here.”

“Really? Then I have to solve it before he arrives. ”

“Pardon? Solving it? What do you mean…”

“I mean this.”

Suddenly I felt something hot in my belly. I blinked blankly at the situation where I could not understand.

What the heck?

“How stupid! Can’t you notice what happened to you?”

The man whispered after pulling out a dagger by turning it by a half, which was stabbed deep enough up to its handle. I wanted to say something, but I was in so much pain that I couldn’t even scream. In an instant, I felt dizzy and my body lost strength.

I had sweat all of a sudden and the pain all over my body.

“Lady Monique!”

While I was feeling dizzy, I saw several knights quickly approaching me, let alone my father running toward me and the emperor standing next to me blankly.

As if I was so funny, Sir Spia was laughing heartily. My father pulled out the dagger and tried to hit him who was still laughing at me, but other knights hastily stopped him. The royal doctor raised his head with a frown. And the emperor held me in his arms with an awkward expression for the first time in his life.

What the heck is he saying to me now?

When I was puzzled at that moment, I suddenly began to hear all kinds of noises around me.

I heard somebody walking away quickly, somebody getting after his men to do something, and someone hastily searching for something…

But what I could hear most clearly among all the noises was his urgent call.

“…Tia, Aristia! ”

“…”

“Come to your senses. Don’t lose consciousness! ”

“Your Majesty…”

I suddenly felt like crying.

“Cough.”

Some red liquid that I coughed up wetted his white robe. But he continued to speak to me without caring at all, “The High Priest will be here soon, so you should hang in there until then. Okay?”

“Yes….I got it…”

“You don’t have to answer. Please don’t lose consciousness. Never, ever, lose consciousness. ”

“Yes, Your Majesty…I’m sorry…”

“Please! I’m not saying this to want to hear you saying you’re sorry! How come you ended up being like this…”

He hardened his face, and his voice was very angry.

When I saw his trembling eyes, as if he was hurt, I felt heartbroken because I realized that his expression was familiar to me.

When did he start looking at me like that?

Suddenly, I recalled an episode in the past.

That was what he said to me, when I put up with the insults from the princesses of the five kingdoms when they stayed in the empire as candidates for his spouse while he was still the crown prince, as proposed by the noble faction. Looking back, he said that with bitter feelings, but I didn’t realize it because of my prejudice towards him. I simply apologized to him that I caused trouble to the imperial family.