Vivian (15)

Life on the run was, as expected, not easy.

A life where everything was limited.

And harsh gazes directed at outsiders.

In such a situation, we could only rely on each other’s presence.

“Helix, look at this.”

“An apple? Were there apple trees around here?”

“It was a place with a tremendous amount of fruit trees.”

“You just stole it… you shouldn’t do that.”

Sometimes, there were awkward incidents due to Excellia’s lack of common sense regarding human society.

First of all, the biggest problem was her weak concept of ownership regarding natural objects.

So, at first, I struggled to make her understand this.

“The village seems to be getting suspicious of us. They’ve been prowling around here with torches at night.”

“What if they invade this place?”

“The villagers invading isn’t even a problem. But if they report us to the Imperial Army, things will get complicated from then on.”

However, I had no intention of leaving immediately.

We had already left two villages and settled again.

If possible, I wanted to stay here for as long as I could.

“Let’s watch a little longer. There’s too much to regret about leaving this place.”

“Yes, Helix.”

The geographical conditions were quite good enough.

It was easy to find food, and this house we were using as a dwelling was cozy.

And because there was a forest nearby, it was easy to find firewood.

Thwack!!

Me, splitting firewood by chopping down wood with an axe.

Even with Magic, firewood was the best for sustained heat.

Above all, overusing Magic carried the risk of being tracked by the Imperial Army.

“Whew, is this enough?”

“You’ve worked hard.”

I put down the axe and wiped the beads of sweat from my forehead.

Excellia, who had been discreetly watching me…

…casually blurted out a single word.

“Helix.”

“Hm?”

“Helix, don’t you regret it?”

“Regret? What regret?”

“Saving me.”

“Why would I regret that?”

Excellia was saying strange things.

A hint of anxiety was harbored in her dark green eyes.

“Isn’t this life hard? In the Imperial Palace, you could enjoy everything, couldn’t you?”

“It’s hard, it’s inconvenient. But you know what?”

“…”

“If I hadn’t saved you right then and there… that would have tormented me for the rest of my life.”

Excellia coming to find me was clearly an impulsive act.

It couldn’t be denied that because of it, Vivian, who had been barely maintaining herself, went berserk.

But how could I blame Excellia?

She must have endured, waited, and agonized countless times before coming to meet me.

I didn’t want to trample on her feelings.

“I’m sorry, Helix.”

“It’s fine.”

“Perhaps I might have anticipated this situation and caused trouble.”

“…”

“I’m sorry for taking advantage of Helix’s kindness.”

Excellia didn’t plead with me through tears.

She merely spoke calmly, as if making a confession.

And simply expressed the cowardice she had harbored, honestly.

I didn’t give her any answer.

I wouldn’t forgive her, but I wouldn’t abandon her either.

“Then, if you could go back to the past… you wouldn’t have done it?”

“No, I think I would have endured for a bit, then done the same thing.”

“Right, then it can’t be helped.”

Ultimately, a person’s heart doesn’t always go as they wish.

At one time, I was so disappointed and angry at Vivian, but even that gradually began to fade as time passed.

I wonder if she’s eating well and doing okay.

I wonder if she’s suffering a lot from the betrayal.

Funnily enough, as I myself became able to get by a little, I even found the leisure to worry about others.

“Let’s go, it’s time for breakfast.”

“Yes, Helix.”

And we went into the house for a meal, as if nothing had happened.

Longing for this peace, not knowing how long it would last.

******

Unlike Helix, who was peaceful in his own way, the Empire’s side was not.

There had been signs from before, but the atmosphere of the Imperial family grew fiercer with each passing day.

That wasn’t merely due to Vivian’s hysteria.

“Glory to the Empire!”

“Glory to the Empire, I wish to have an audience with Your Majesty.”

“Yes, Director-nim. Your Majesty is waiting.”

The person who came to have an audience with the Empress was a man in a jet-black uniform.

He was the director of the recently established Imperial Secret Intelligence Department, and it was no exaggeration to say that finding the Dragon’s whereabouts depended on him.

“I greet Your Imperial Majesty.”

“You’re late.”

“My apologies, I needed to condense the information…”

“You won’t disappoint me, after making me wait, will you?”

“Of course, Your Majesty. This.”

The Director of Intelligence handed Vivian a paper envelope containing documents.

Vivian tore it open with rough hands and checked the contents.

As she quickly examined the document, a strange light appeared in her eyes.

“The contents written here, they’re correct, aren’t they?”

“I stake my position on it. It is certain.”

“Good.”

Vivian smiled languidly, in a hazy mood.

She hadn’t been able to sleep due to severe insomnia, but a thrill of excitement filled the air, suggesting that perhaps tonight, she might finally get some sweet sleep.

“If you find him, I will integrate three intelligence agencies and appoint you as their head.”

“It’s an honor, Your Majesty.”

“Of course, I won’t forgive failure. Stake your life and do your utmost.”

“I will bear it in mind, Your Majesty.”

Vivian gestured as if she had nothing more to see.

It was a clear dismissal, and at that, the Director of Intelligence bowed deeply and exited the office.

“Finally found him.”

Vivian took a gun out of her pocket.

The handgun Helix had left behind for her.

She aimed the handgun at the air, then pulled the trigger.

Click!

The sound of the trigger clicking was heard, but no bullets had been loaded from the start.

Recently, she had been practicing shooting whenever she had spare moments.

Naturally, her target was the damned pointy-ear who had stolen her precious thing.

If she just appeared in sight, that day would be her memorial day.

“Haa, what am I doing?”

Vivian lay back diagonally in her chair.

Vivian, immersed in helplessness, continuously fiddled with the handgun.

Her body trembling with a terrible sense of betrayal after Helix left was only for a moment.

Now, her desire to simply see him again had grown even larger.

“No, it’s despicable.”

Thinking about it again, she got angry once more.

How on earth could he do that?

To deny all ties with her and run away on the spot.

After making an oath before God and the Imperial citizens, how could he do that?

“Too despicable.”

She hated Helix so much for not prioritizing her.

But…

On the other hand, she couldn’t help but have this thought.

That she had pushed him too far, forcing him to make an extreme choice.

“After all, was trying to kill that elf-bitch a mistake…?”

If she had just cleanly let the elf go there, things wouldn’t have gone this far.

But there, she had needlessly tested Helix.

She had harshly coerced him to prioritize her over the elf.

Because she believed that even while conflicted, he would ultimately choose her in the end.

But as a result, it was an act of shooting herself in the foot.

“Anyway, nothing works out because of this damned temper of mine.”

Vivian also admitted that she had a bad temper.

And she knew that Helix had accepted it for a long time.

Not only that, but she had also made him do many things he didn’t want to do, like war.

So, clearly, she also had feelings of regret towards him.

“Apologize… I should.”

She hated Helix for not prioritizing her.

Still, what’s regrettable is regrettable.

Perhaps this incident was ultimately just a trigger,

and the accumulated resentment had simply exploded all at once.

She didn’t want to admit it, but nevertheless, she had to.

Ring-ring!!

Vivian rang the bell, calling for a maid.

A moment later, a black-haired maid scurried into the office.

“Your Majesty, did you call?”

“Yes, Stella.”

The maid’s name was Stella.

A lucky person selected as the Empress’s exclusive maid solely for the reason that she resembled Helix in appearance.

It was no exaggeration to say that among the servants and vassals of the Imperial Palace, she was almost the only person the Empress didn’t throw tantrums at.

Other maids carefully speculated that…

…perhaps her guilt regarding the Dragon was being expressed through Stella.

“Why do you think I called you?”

“I… I don’t know, Your Majesty.”

“I just called to see your face. Relax.”

Stella was virtually Vivian’s only source of comfort here, without Helix.

At first, she was just a girl brought to her side solely because her appearance resembled his.

But the more she saw, the more good points she found.

She was an honest girl, and above all, she was discreet.

She was perfectly suited as a confidante to share personal worries with.

“Did you have a good vacation?”

“Yes. Thanks to Your Majesty’s consideration. Thank you.”

A while ago, Stella had visited her hometown, the Holy Dominion, for the first time.

But the public security in the Holy Dominion had already worsened to an incomparable degree compared to before.

It was extremely dangerous for a young woman to travel alone.

So Vivian had taken special care to arrange for her to join the Imperial Army’s procession.

“Honestly, I thought you would run away and not come back.”

“I wouldn’t do such a thing…”

“Why, aren’t you sick of putting up with my tantrums?”

Stella merely shook her head calmly.

“I am well aware of how much favor Your Majesty bestows upon me.”

“…”

“And honestly, I wanted to come back from the middle of my vacation. There were people who didn’t think highly of my service in the Empire.”

At the unexpected answer, Vivian stared at Stella…

…and asked discreetly.

“You, I heard before that you were from the Holy Dominion, didn’t I?”

“Y-yes… that’s right.”

“Was your father a Holy Knight?”

“How did you…?”

Vivian chuckled, smiling, and continued speaking.

“I am the master of this Empire; there is nothing in this world that I don’t know.”

“My father… he died in battle.”

“In battle with our Imperial Army?”

“That’s right, that’s what I heard.”

“Then, you must hate me?”

Vivian’s voice was faintly trembling.

“You must hate me, right? Even I would hate me. If you’re the child of a Holy Knight, you must have come from a well-off family in your own way.”

“Your Majesty…”

“I’ve always been like that. I earned hatred from everyone in the world. Well, perhaps it’s my karma, but anyway, that’s how it was.”

“…”

“Even if I died, there wouldn’t be a single person in this world to cry for me. It was clearly like that.”

Vivian herself didn’t understand why she was confiding such things to the small maid, but…

…if she didn’t do this, her insides felt like they would explode from nausea.

“Well, it didn’t matter anyway. Because I had the Dragon. Because there was someone who loved only me. Because I had nothing to fear, even if I was hostile to everyone in this world.”

“…”

“But now the Dragon hates me. He considers me terrible and chose another woman. Ahahaha…”

Vivian asked in a hollow voice.

“Me, what should I really do now?”

At that, Stella carefully approached.

“Your Majesty, please forgive my impertinence.”

And then, with her own small hand, she tightly held Vivian’s hand.

Vivian stared blankly at Stella in the warm embrace.

In the resolve contained within the small maid’s eyes, the Dragon’s figure momentarily overlapped.

Ah.

He was like that too.

When she was trembling, when she was suffering…

…he had approached her first and held her hand like this.

“Your Majesty, I cannot boast that I have observed the Dragon and Your Majesty for a long time. But nevertheless, I can tell you this much.”

“What…?”

“The feelings Your Majesty feels, the Dragon will feel them too.”

“…!!”

The murky fog lifted.

Vitality began to circulate in her two red eyes.

That one word offered by the child who resembled the Dragon.

It was nothing short of salvation for Vivian.

“All those countless emotions Your Majesty feels-sorry for the Dragon, hating him, and missing him. Don’t you think he feels them too?”

“I…”

“There’s still a chance. If you find him, please tell him.”

“What should I say…?”

“Everything you want to say. Honestly, with all your heart.”

The girl carefully released Vivian’s hand.

Tension was evident on her small face.

Even while being afraid, she had approached first.

“And I, I don’t hate Your Majesty. Rather, I tend to like you.”

“…”

“Your Majesty said that even if you died, there wouldn’t be a single person in the world to cry for you… but that remains to be seen.”

“Somehow, that sounds like you’re telling me to die?”

At Vivian’s one word, the girl gave a mischievous smile.

“Anyway.”

“Look at her, changing the subject.”

“Since Your Majesty showed a weak side, you should have endured this much.”

“Ha.”

Vivian let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded.

Was she originally such a bold child?

It seemed like she had been trembling with fear until recently.

“You’ve changed a lot since before?”

“Yes, I have changed, thanks to Your Majesty.”

“…”

“If it weren’t for Your Majesty, I wouldn’t have had a reason to speak like this.”

That one word from the girl made Vivian have many thoughts.

Just as this girl could change into a bright person like she was now…

…could she also make the Dragon laugh brightly again?

“I want to see Helix.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be an easy path.

She might get many wounds along the way, or suffer.

But if only she could face that smile again…

Struggling and reaching out her hand.

Or even if she had to cling shamelessly…

…she would seize that chance once again.