chapter_0237

236 – The Girl’s True Feelings

236 – The Girl’s True Feelings

Daniel confirmed that the woman standing far in front of the railing was Selvia, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he had an idea of where to look, it wasn’t as if he had found Selvia on the first try.

The first place he had gone after being alerted to the emergency was the Emperor’s personal library.

Since no one except the Emperor could enter, he thought she might be alone inside.

But she wasn’t there.

Next, Daniel went to the Golden Rest, a room located on the top floor of the Imperial Palace.

Again, she was not there.

It was then that Daniel realized.

Selvia, who had said she wanted to be alone, had distanced herself from all conceivable places where anyone might look for her.

So Daniel thought.

No matter how shocking the truth she had witnessed, Selvia would not have left the Imperial Palace.

She would know how heavy the responsibility she bore on her shoulders was.

She wouldn’t want the chaos of the Emperor’s disappearance to spread throughout the Imperial City.

Thus, she must have chosen a place where she could gather her thoughts for just a moment.

So that when her thoughts were clear, the people of the Imperial Palace could find her.

Having concluded all these deductions, Daniel wandered through the abandoned facilities within the palace grounds, and after running around without a break, he was finally able to find Selvia here.

‘Thank goodness.’

Now he just needed to send a transmission saying he had found the Emperor and take Selvia to the throne.

Then all the chaos would come to an end.

In the midst of such thoughts, Daniel grasped the radio and hesitated just before pressing the transmit button.

“……Your Majesty?”

Tears welled up in Selvia’s blue eyes as she looked at Daniel.

Her tightly pressed lips beneath a confused gaze evoked a sense of unease.

Daniel felt he understood what that expression meant.

“……You don’t want to go back, do you?”

There was no answer.

Only her trembling gaze fell downward.

After a brief silence, Selvia parted her lips.

“We have to go back. I cannot be free from the duty of being the Emperor. But……”

Selvia raised her gaze to meet Daniel’s.

“Can I truly say that living as the Emperor is ‘me’?”

Daniel opened his mouth to respond but could not bring himself to answer.

He too had witnessed the memories of the late Emperor Bertam beside Selvia.

The being before him was not of the Emperor’s bloodline.

She was a young girl who had lived alone in the highlands of the western empire.

The girl, discovered by chance by a court official, was taken to the Imperial Palace because she resembled the princess.

There, without understanding what was happening, she inherited the memories of the princess.

As a result, the girl unfortunately came to believe that she was the princess.

Thinking the inherited memories were her own, the girl worked tirelessly to become the princess.

To maintain the princess’s genius, she reduced her sleeping hours to study.

To keep the affection the princess had received, she always smiled at people even on days when she felt unwell.

To maintain the respect the princess had earned, she acted like an adult even on days when she wanted to act spoiled.

Thus, while living as the ‘perfect princess,’ the girl was told by the late Emperor Bertam:

“Become the Emperor.

Become the Emperor and stop your brother, leading this empire into peace.”

When she first heard those words, the girl must have wanted to shake her head.

The weight of the word ‘Emperor’ was far too heavy to place on her shoulders.

Yet the girl nodded.

She thought that as a princess, she had to serve the empire and fulfill her father’s wishes.

So the girl became the Emperor after stopping her brother.

She donned the red cloak, receiving everyone’s expectations and praises.

Did the girl truly feel joy at that moment? No.

The weight of responsibility must have felt like it would crush her at any moment.

She must have wanted to drop everything and escape somewhere.

Yet she endured, because she considered herself to be of the Emperor’s bloodline.

She believed without a doubt that making the empire better was her calling.

However, politics was a world of brutal survival of the fittest that was too terrible for the girl to bear.

The nobles opposed her at every turn.

The council did not heed her words either.

Still, the girl did not give up.

I just need to try harder.

It was my ignorance.

If I become the perfect Emperor, everyone will recognize me.

So.

So I just need to suffer a little more.

Let’s reduce sleeping time.

Meals should be as simple as possible.

Hobbies are nothing but a luxury.

Let’s devise policies that satisfy the nobles and the council.

And then I can create policies that make the people happy.

So.

If I suffer, everyone will be happy.

But how much the girl tried did not matter to the nobles.

Belvar incited a rebellion and imprisoned the girl.

In an instant, the girl lost everything and thought day and night.

About what she had done wrong.

When her thoughts were spiraling, she was rescued by Daniel.

Having regained the throne, the girl decided not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

She embraced ideals and accepted reality.

She replaced those in key positions of the state and severely punished those who defied the royal family.

She monitored the nobles and collected the criminal records of the council members.

She had no choice but to arrest the citizens who demanded a reversal for money using the National Security Surveillance Bureau.

As a result, wherever she went, screams and resentment were directed at her.

Under the crown she had once thought beautiful, thick blood began to flow.

As the girl’s power grew stronger, so did the weight of the responsibility she bore on her shoulders.

When she made policies, numerous resentments followed behind the praises.

On the surface, it was a brilliant and glamorous life, but inside it had festered to the core.

Yet the girl smiled.

She greeted everyone with a smile.

Since she was born of the Emperor’s bloodline, all of this was natural.

However, after witnessing Bertam’s memories, she could no longer accept everything as natural.

She had realized that she was not of the Emperor’s bloodline.

She had witnessed the truth that she was a substitute created by Bertam for the princess.

“Your Majesty.”

Daniel understood Selvia’s feelings.

He realized that an unapproachable despair had taken root in Selvia’s heart.

Yet Daniel could not leave Selvia behind like this.

“I may not be the same, but I have had a similar experience to Your Majesty.”

Taking a deep breath, Daniel walked toward Selvia.

“You may not believe it, but one day, a strange memory entered my mind. It looked like mine, yet it felt like it wasn’t.”

It was a truth he had never shared with anyone.

“That memory changed my life. The timid and fearful me suddenly voiced my opinion to Colonel Heinrich, who was leading the Magic Mobile Corps.”

A breeze blew between them.

“Since then, I have made countless decisions based on the memories I recalled. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this has shaped the Daniel Steiner I am today.”

The wind blew, causing Selvia’s hair and the hem of her cloak to flutter.

“At first, I was confused, but now I can say it proudly. Even though it was an unwanted memory, it is all part of what makes Daniel Steiner exist.”

Selvia’s blue eyes trembled slightly, as if she were disturbed.

“Your Majesty, may I ask you one thing? When you heard my confession just now, did your trust in me shatter?”

Selvia, who had been on the verge of tears, shook her head.

“If that’s the case, then I feel the same way. Even if you have false memories, you have come this far by your own will, Your Majesty. Also……”

The distance between them gradually closed.

“I have sworn my loyalty not to the deceased princess but to the Emperor standing before me. It is the same for others. So let me swear here.”

Stopping just a step away, Daniel gently took Selvia’s hand.

“Your Majesty, you are still……”

Meeting Selvia’s gaze, Daniel smiled faintly.

“You are my one and only lord.”

It was an embarrassing statement.

Under normal circumstances, he would have laughed and teased her for saying something so ridiculous.

But now, he could not do that at all.

Tears began to flow down from the corners of her eyes.

Though she had wrapped herself tightly in the identity of the Emperor, if just one layer was peeled away, she was merely a fragile twenty-year-old woman.

So sometimes, she wanted to fully accept such comfort.

However, being comforted did not mean that all her chaotic emotions disappeared.

She could not tell where her life ended in lies and where it began in truth.

Yet there was one thing she could be certain of at this moment.

Even when she witnessed the ugly truth, there was one feeling that remained unchanged.

“Daniel, I too still……”

She wasn’t sure if now was the right time to confess that feeling.

But she no longer felt the desire to hide it.

The sound of the wind tickled the foliage and shook the branches of the great trees.

In the symphony created by nature, Selvia placed her hand on her chest.

Backlit by the moonlight, Selvia mustered her courage and parted her lips.

“I love you.”

This was the girl who became the Emperor’s true feelings.

It was her first confession in her life.

A word from the author (Author’s Note)

Thank you to S Stella S for the 50 coin support! Teacher! This is enough…! I will work hard while drinking coffee so that Stella can continue to enjoy it! Thank you so much for your support!

And thank you to all the readers who are watching my work!

I hope you had a happy day today!

Then I will see you again tomorrow!