Chapter 120 · Farewell (3)

The moment we entered the cabin, Cyrus poured out his complaints.

“You should have told me in advance! Do you have any idea how anxious I was?”

“Huh? Why wewe you anxious?”

“Even if it was the princess’s wish… helping a princess of one nation flee to another country—I thought I’d feel guilty for the rest of my life.”

“Cyrus, you’we mowe upwight than I thought.”

“What, did you think I was some thug?!”

“You wook wike one, at weast.”

“Good grief, never mind.”

Cyrus seemed to have relaxed a little, because he pulled water from his bag and gulped it down.

“Why did you suddenly change your mind?”

I fidgeted with my feet, then spoke gloomily.

“It’s aww because of that damn thing cawwed wove.”

Cyrus spat out the water he was drinking before I even finished speaking.

“Cough, cough! Kuh… L-love?”

“Eeek, disgooting! Wipe youw chin befowe you talk.”

Cyrus’s pupils shook as if there had been an earthquake. He roughly wiped his face with his clothes and asked urgently.

“Who do you love?!”

Who else? The three priestesses and my friends, and… Paeon.

Haa… I really am absurd. To think I’d decide to go back because of love. But when Paeon said he wanted to stay by my side and shed tears, and when the priestesses and my friends said they trusted and followed me, I realized. That I couldn’t run away in this life either.

Even if I ran, I would have ended up returning to them someday.

Above all, it was too unfair to have to flee from the side of the people I love because of that wicked Aquila and Alter. I would go back and repay them for everything I had received.

“Princess, who do you love? Huh?”

Cyrus pressed me in a trembling voice.

“Fowget it. It’s not the kind of wove Cyrus is thinking of.”

“Phew, you scared me. Even if the princess is precocious, love at this age is…”

He furrowed his brow.

“If you’re not planning to run away forever, why leave secretly? That’s a huge scale for running away from home.”

I crossed my arms and spoke solemnly.

“To suwvive in Santwa, I fiwst need to gathew stwength.”

“Strength? How?”

“I’m thinking of becoming a big international playew.”

Cyrus’s mouth fell open. He looked dumbfounded.

“An international player?”

“Yes. And fow now, it’s better if I disappeaw even fow a wittle while. Cyrus wiww find out why soon enough.”

He asked cautiously, not understanding.

“…Princess, what happens to my life?”

“You’we Anastasia’s swave fow wife, of couwse.”

Cyrus sprang up and pointed at me.

“Aaaah! This is a scam! You said you’d make me a free man!”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to be a wife-wong swave someday?”

“That was a joke! Who seriously wants to be a lifelong slave?!”

“The mastah’s mind has changed, so there’s nothing to be done. But Cyrus, you know…”

I bowed my head. Something had been off for a while, and now a nausea I had never felt before surged up rapidly.

“Ugh…”

“Princess?!”

“I think… I’m going to thwow up…”

“Eeek! Not here! A bag, a bag… No, the princess can use divine power! Try using that!”

“Ugh… divine powew won’t go in…”

It seemed divine power didn’t work well on things like motion sickness.

“Really, how are you going to endure a two-month sea voyage?!”

Cyrus quickly lifted me and carried me out to the deck. After throwing up over the sea for a while, I felt a little better.

“Khh. How did I end up in charge of childcare at my age?”

He kept patting my back and lamenting his fate.

“Ugh, I didn’t know seasickness was this tewwible.”

“You’ll feel better after some time.”

I leaned into the cold sea breeze and looked at the blue sea. We were already in the middle of the ocean, and the port was a faint speck in the distance.

By now, that place must be in an uproar. I had left a letter clearly stating that I had left of my own will, but I worried whether the three priestesses would be blamed. Thinking of them worrying themselves sick over me made me feel very guilty.

I had agonized a lot over whether to tell them, even just them, that I would return. But the tactics books said that to deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your allies… There was no helping it.

White strands of hair that had escaped the headscarf blew in the sea breeze and tickled my cheek.

“Cyrus, we need to dye my haiw fiwst.”

“Let’s eat something first. I’m starving.”

“I just thwew up—can I eat wight away?”

“Seasickness gets worse on an empty stomach.”

I held Cyrus’s hand tightly and headed to the dining cabin. As we passed the unfamiliar dark-skinned people, I suddenly realized.

‘Come to think of it, I’m completely free now.’

No one was after my life right now. There was no burden or anxiety of being heir to the throne.

‘The freedom I longed for so much…’

It was so light. As if I had been wearing shackles and had finally taken them off.

‘Even so.’

Even so, I would return to Santra. Even though it was a wretched country, even though it was a country that had killed me several times… I had decided to find happiness there in this life. Together with my precious people.

I decided to try being king, too. What the hell.

So wait for me, my future land!

◇ ◆ ◇

Paeon rode with all his might, just like in the dream. It took ten days to reach the port of Salamis at full speed on horseback. He had ridden almost without rest, without sleep, and still had not arrived.

Several days had passed since he received the report that Anastasia had disappeared. The closer he got, the more despair he felt.

The reports arriving every hour were the same. She couldn’t have gone far with portal magic, but no matter how much they searched the area, she was not there. They were checking gates in case she had been kidnapped, but there were still no results. They had checked the lists of ships that had departed since that day, but found nothing…

Anastasia had vanished completely, as if she had evaporated.

His insides burned black, and the only thing he could do was ride, so Paeon was on the verge of madness.

“Commander, we’re here! This is Salamis.”

He heard the sound of waves in the distance. He had ridden to death to reach the place where Anastasia had disappeared, but all he could think was that he was already too late.

When he entered the port village, Sierra and Yuz greeted him. Their eyes were swollen from crying.

“Sir Parsiel…”

Sierra handed him the letter Anastasia had left with trembling hands. The calm tone was no different from the letter Anastasia had left for him.

Since when had she been planning this? To evade the eyes of dozens of knights who had followed her, she must have prepared extremely thoroughly.

They weren’t only searching this village. A nationwide search order had been issued, and wanted posters were put up. No matter how clever she was, it was impossible for her to hide completely.

“It was a waste again today. How can we search the entire country desperately and not find a single strand of hair?”

Yuz said, choking up.

“What if, what if… she crossed the sea… Then how do we find her?”

Sierra bit her thumb anxiously.

“Have you looked into that interpreter again?”

“Yes. They say it’s certain that Cyrus Sohrab left this place ten days before the princess arrived.”

“For now, I will search again.”

Paeon said that and tried to mount his horse again, but the priestesses grabbed him.

“Please rest a little, Sir Parsiel. You rode all the way here without even being fully healed. You’ll collapse again.”

“I’m fine.”

He spoke flatly, but he did not look fine at all. He was holding on somehow with divine power, but the fatigue was extreme, and everything in the world looked doubled.

But he steadily climbed onto the horse and pulled the reins.

“Servus servórum Dei.”

For an efficient search, he sent out his divine beast as well. The sudden appearance of a dragon made the port villagers panic.

“What on earth is going on?”

“I heard the princess disappeared. You know, the one who was supposed to show her face at the Foundation Day Festival…”

“Good heavens, was she kidnapped?”

“Who would dare kidnap the ‘child of God’? What divine punishment would they get?”

“Then is the Foundation Day Festival canceled? Tsk, I was looking forward to it.”

On the other hand, some said this.

“This might all be a show.”

“A show?”

“They said they’d make the bastard princess heir to the throne, but maybe they can’t handle the backlash, so they’re pretending she disappeared.”

“Shh! Aren’t you afraid of what punishment you’ll get for saying such things?”

“They even gave up the terms of the agreement with Kalisa. I don’t know what the royal family is thinking these days. If war breaks out again, it’s us who die.”

Paeon searched every corner of the village, checked every house and shop, and combed the mountains, beaches, and nearby islands.

But he returned empty-handed as the sun set. Paeon returning with a tired horse against the sunset looked like despair personified.

Sierra and Yuz paced anxiously in front of the inn, then spotted him and waved. But Paeon, who had pushed himself to the limit, did not even see them and lost consciousness, falling from his horse.

“Commander!”

“Sir Parsiel!”

◇ ◆ ◇

Paeon woke in the middle of the night. The knights must have moved him, because he was lying in an inn bed.

‘How pathetic…’

He realized for the first time that he was alone. A terrible loneliness and fear rushed over him.

He quietly rose and took out the locket necklace dangling inside his clothes. The letter Anastasia had given him was worn at the edges from being read so many times.

Papa, if you’re reading this, it means you’ve woken up.

You must have been shocked that I suddenly left, but don’t worry too much. I’m strong now, and I have a lot of money. I can take care of myself and live well.

Don’t skip meals or sleep just because I’m not there. You’ll drop dead, you know? Papa’s face is a treasure, so take good care of it.

Good grief, isn’t this kind of nagging something a father should say to his daughter?

The locket necklace is what Mom gave me. But I think it’s better to give it to you, Papa.

Because Papa loves Mom so, so much. Right?

I know you hated me.

Because it’s no different from Mom dying because of me.

At first I hated you and resented you, Papa…

But now I think I can understand you a little. I’ve learned how angry, scary, and sad it is to lose someone precious.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you. I’m not that easy a person.

The image stone inside the locket contains Mom’s voice, so only look at it when you’re alone. If you whisper ínĕo to the image stone, you can see it without mana.

So goodbye, Papa.

Paeon took the stone from the locket with trembling hands. In the situation where he had lost Anastasia, he did not have the courage to hear Beatrice’s voice. How pathetic would she think he was?

But it was his limit. Clinging to a straw, he whispered quietly to the image stone.

“Ínĕo.”

Then the image stone emitted light and activated. He nearly dropped it in surprise.

He could not believe that he, who had divine power, had activated an image stone that required mana infusion. He wondered what trick Anastasia had used this time.

The shock did not end there.

“Please bless your daughter.”

The clear voice echoing from the image stone made him hold his breath.