Chapter 14 : Why did you meet me, why do you only hurt me (4)

Do you know the feeling of praying to a god who abandoned you?

Biting your lip until it bleeds with anger, your hands trembling with hatred as you deny the prayer.

And yet, he prayed every day.

In other countries, it might have been different.

But at least in the Kingdom of Mines, gods were real.

That is why the saintess held a higher status than even the king who ruled the kingdom.

Because the gods exist.

The kingdom experienced abundant harvests every year through the power of the saintess, who borrowed the strength of the goddess.

Those who brought harm to the kingdom suffered the wrath of the goddess.

That’s why people sincerely believed in the gods.

However, even knowing that the goddess existed, Theodore sincerely resented and hated her.

O Goddess, why do you exist, yet…

Did you abandon my blood relative?

She is a child so precious that even if she were in my eye, it would not hurt.

Outwardly, she acted strong, but in truth, she was tender-hearted.

Even when betrayed by a servant, she couldn’t punish them in the end, instead choosing to forgive.

She was a child who possessed the compassion you so often emphasized.

She trained herself through effort.

She was a child who knew how to love others.

So why did you choose that woman?

Did her hypocrisy blind your wisdom?

If not, what on earth appealed to you about her?

In truth, the only reason Theodore participated in the imperial delegation was one.

He wanted to see his sister, even if only once.

It was like grasping at straws.

However, on the other hand, he had already given up.

It had been ten years already.

There’s no way she’s alive.

And yet, he couldn’t let go of the tiny hope, or rather, the desperate wish, that brought him here.

And, to his amazement, a miracle appeared before Theodore’s eyes.

Dressed in the imperial military uniform, a mixture of gray and black, with her white hair, which spread out like roots beneath her neatly worn cap, wildly blowing in the wind.

Her relaxed posture, with one hand in her pocket and a cigarette in the other, was certainly quite different from the sister he remembered from the past.

However, even though ten years had passed and her appearance had changed significantly, Theodore recognized her at a glance.

That she was his sister, Lana Frost.

It felt like his heart stopped.

The bone-deep longing and the charred pain in his chest moved his body without him realizing.

He wanted to embrace her immediately.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask.

Were you hurt?

Is there any place where you’re injured?

Are you eating well? Why are you so thin?

But more than anything, there was one thing he wanted to say.

He wanted to say thank you for being alive.

But, before Theodore could embrace his sister, whom he hadn’t seen in ten years, her words stopped him like a broken tool.

“Who are you?”

His blood ran cold.

It felt like ice, not blood, was running through his veins.

With a chill stabbing into his chest, Theodore twisted his lips and barely forced out his voice.

“What?”

“Who among you is His Highness, Zaide von Barkleon, Crown Prince of Mines, and who is Lord Theodore von Frost?”

‘What? Who’s who?’

Naturally, she only knew the names on the delegation list, but not their faces.

It wasn’t a world with photos or newspapers.

Therefore, the only checks she could make were asking verbally with the list in hand and checking the passage permits issued by the empire.

Fortunately, thanks to the flag of the Kingdom of Mines, she recognized that they were part of the delegation right away.

But that didn’t tell her who the crown prince or Theodore was.

Moreover, to her, she was nothing but Wolfgang Leonhardt, not Lana Frost.

So even if she wanted to recognize him, she couldn’t.

However, from Theodore’s perspective, who didn’t know this, he could only think of it in one way.

‘Could it be… she’s pretending not to know me?’

Because I couldn’t protect you then.

You must be resenting me.

It was Zaide who answered the question in Theodore’s place, as Theodore was completely out of it.

As the representative of the kingdom, he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

“Nice to meet you. I am Zaide Barkleon, Crown Prince of Mines.”

“Ah, yes, Your Highness. From now on, I will be your escort…”

“Captain!”

“Galina? How did you get here…”

An unexpected voice interrupted, and Wolfgang was visibly flustered.

Galina, who had been trying her hardest to stop him, insisting there was no need for the captain to go, had been quite a nuisance.

In the end, Wolfgang had ignored her and rushed here at full speed.

At her speed, she shouldn’t have been able to get here so quickly. How had she found this place?

“Crown Prince Zaide, I warned you, didn’t I?”

The answer was clear.

“I said the heir to the Frost Grand Duchy couldn’t be allowed.”

Thanks to the sudden appearance of the emperor.

He appeared suddenly, as if he had risen from the ground.

A man with black hair and red eyes, wearing a simple iron crown devoid of any fancy decoration, the man known as the Iron-Blooded, was none other than Reyfen von Bahamut.

Perhaps because the emperor had appeared so suddenly, not only the knights but even Crown Prince Zaide was shocked.

Why had the emperor, the ruler of the empire, appeared here alone?

It was certainly strange.

No matter how strong he was, being the No. 2 of the Vendetta Corps, Reyfen knew his place within the empire.

As such, he never moved alone.

Even when he was busy, he always had at least his shadow knights with him.

But now, for some urgent reason, he had come alone.

As soon as Wolfgang saw Reyfen appear, he immediately saluted him.

This was a formal occasion, so as a servant of the emperor, he had to show his loyalty.

“Loyalty.”

“Sir Leonhardt, you’ve been working hard, protecting such… things.”

“Aren’t they the kingdom’s delegation? Even if our relations aren’t good…”

“They didn’t keep their promise.”

Finally, his cold gaze turned toward the kingdom’s delegation, struggling in the darkness like insects.

However, Zaide calmly met his gaze, as if he had anticipated this.

“I don’t understand, Your Majesty.”

“Did I not clearly say that the next grand duke was not allowed?”

“Yes, you did say that.”

“But here he is, standing right in front of me. How did this happen?”

For the past month and a half, there had been fierce negotiations and back-and-forth between the two countries, but one thing the empire had never yielded on was…

It was including the next Grand Duke—more precisely, Theodore von Frost—in the delegation.

Naturally, the kingdom had tried everything to get the empire’s approval since sending the delegation without him would defeat half the purpose.

But Emperor Reyfen of the empire never backed down.

It was as if he was shielding Wolfgang, standing in front of her.

“Were you trying to appeal to my emotions, Crown Prince Zaide?”

“…!!”

“I find it laughable.”

At the emperor’s ridicule, Zaide bit his lip.

His ploy had been exposed.

The only reason they had insisted on bringing Theodore, despite the empire’s objections, was one.

If Wolfgang Leonhardt turned out to be Lana Frost.

It was to somehow win her over.

Theodore von Frost was one of the few people who had supported Lana Frost.

Because of this, he had been ostracized and hadn’t been able to inherit the title of grand duke.

Moreover, Lana Frost and Theodore von Frost were siblings known for their deep bond.

So, they believed that Lana wouldn’t harbor ill feelings toward him.

But that didn’t mean they had ignored the emperor’s orders outright.

As Zaide was about to explain the reason, someone grabbed his shoulder.

“Theodore?”

“I’ll explain it myself from here.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Of course.”

In truth, he wasn’t okay.

Being resented by his only blood relative was a pain greater than he could have imagined.

But he couldn’t blame her.

He understood.

It’s okay if you resent me.

It’s okay if you hate me.

He was just grateful she was alive.

Before coming as a delegate to the empire, Theodore had already steeled himself.

He had resolved to give everything to find his sister.

And he didn’t hesitate to declare his resolve.

“Your Majesty, didn’t you only say that the next grand duke wasn’t allowed?”

“…What?”

“Yes, that’s right. I am no longer the next grand duke.”

There was no certainty.

In fact, it was highly unlikely.

But still, for the small shred of hope…

“I hope my answer satisfies you, Your Majesty.”

He had given up everything that remained.