episode_0181

The order to purge the Veniti was executed overnight.

The pillar that had shared history with the continent crumbled before dawn.

If I were to borrow a trite truth, is it not said that immutability is no different from fantasy?

I pondered this in the unusually bleak snowy field.

My mouth felt needlessly bitter.

‘It’s cold.’

We handled the aftermath concerning Veniti.

Normally, since it was related to a coup, it would have been right to hand it over to the Imperial Family…

But the lingering taste would have been unpleasant this way.

I managed to obtain permission from the Emperor with difficulty.

He granted it more readily than I’d expected.

‘Should I say… it’s a relief?’

A season where only chilly winds remained.

Emilia’s eyes, as she surveyed the empty mansion, seemed complicated.

Perhaps it was because she was realizing that her family’s lifespan had run out.

Her blank, rigid expression simply lingered here and there.

I couldn’t even offer any particular comfort.

‘……It must have been precious.’

I knew.

How proud Emilia was of her lineage.

And how much she admired the stories of her noble predecessors.

For the villainess, ‘Veniti’ was more than just a surname; it was a landmark symbolizing her life.

The sense of loss from that would surely be agonizing.

‘Because she’s a fragile person.’

No matter how much she pretended to be strong.

No matter how much she pretended to be mature, the underlying wounds remained.

The girl was merely enduring the phantom pain of something severed.

Unable to show her weakness.

-I’m fine.

-Since I wanted to carry on the name of Veniti, I must become a person worthy of it.

-It’s just that right now… I feel tired from various things.

-So, I hope you won’t worry.

A clearly trembling voice.

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

However, I had no intention of deliberately breaking down her faltering steps.

No matter how precarious the path seemed.

Ultimately.

-Because this is my pride.

-I will be different from you.

Because it was the path that child chose.

If she wished to walk it, I would simply remain by her side.

Pushing aside various distracting thoughts, I fumbled through the bookshelves.

The smell of old books settled on the bridge of my nose.

Thud.

“Ah.”

Soon, a touch caught on my fingertip.

I subtly peeked beyond it.

Was it worth rummaging through the Duke’s study for so long?

As I cleared out countless bookshelves one by one, I soon discovered something in one spot.

Hidden behind the bookshelf was none other than a device locked with mana.

I murmured.

“Found it.”

Bingo.

I channeled mana into my index finger and unlocked the device.

With a brief touch, the barrier dissolved smoothly.

Subsequently, a small opening was revealed beyond the bookshelf.

No… rather than a hole, it resembled a drawer.

I carefully grasped the handle.

‘As expected, it’s there.’

It was the same as in the original.

Even in the game, after the Deron Capture Battle, if you examined the Duke’s study, you could find this mechanism.

A special item could be obtained from this ‘secret drawer’.

Should I call it an Easter egg?

“Hmm.”

Rustle.

It wasn’t a particularly powerful or valuable item.

In fact, from a player’s perspective, it was just a piece of paper.

But, at this moment, it was more important than any other item.

And it would be words sorely needed by someone suffering from loss.

I slowly opened the drawer.

Creak.

Soon, a paper envelope was revealed inside the drawer.

It maintained a quite neat appearance.

Fearing it might get smudged, I carefully picked it up.

Afterward, I checked the contents to confirm it was the item I was looking for.

“……That’s a relief.”

A short breath of relief.

My memory regarding this part had been hazy.

Fortunately, the necessary item was well-preserved.

I carefully took the letter.

Because there was someone I needed to deliver it to.

[Driven Veniti’s Will]

The former Duke’s will.

Or a letter.

I tucked it into my pocket and moved my steps.

Towards the girl who must be suffering from loss.

***

Emilia Veniti.

Since that day, the girl had been constantly plagued by melancholy.

Perhaps it was because of the ancestors’ footsteps she had so fleetingly shattered.

The proud girl couldn’t shake off her restless feelings.

A single vow lingered in her ears.

-I will gladly bear that name.

-Because this is my pride.

The path.

The one she had chosen to walk.

The girl’s stomach churned.

Had she truly made the right choice?

The absence of a home… a place to stay, was enough to weigh her down.

Even though she pretended to be mature, she was still at an age where she hadn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony.

Emilia was being eaten away by a gloomy sense of loss.

Just as she was sinking into that gloom.

“……You have something to deliver?”

The boy sought out the girl.

The snake approached, as always, with a meaningless smile.

Lingering nearby, he soon extended something.

It was none other than a neatly folded letter.

“A letter…?”

“I happened to find it, you see.”

“What suddenly possessed you to bring something like this…”

Emilia tore at the envelope this way and that.

Not long after, her blue eyes stopped at a certain point.

It was because of a short sentence written in the recipient field.

Her breath hitched for a moment.

[To My Beloved Children.]

No sender was written.

However, the girl instantly recognized its identity.

Unlike the luxurious paper material, the handwriting was like ants crawling.

Ink pressed down with sincerity, yet utterly unbefitting a noble.

Emilia subconsciously murmured the letter’s owner.

“……Father?”

Driven Veniti.

The former Duke, and the father of the twins.

The familiar messy handwriting proved it.

Since he had injured his arm on the battlefield, his father’s writing had always been messy like this.

The proud girl fiddled with the letter, having forgotten to react in any other way.

Then, she turned her eyes towards the boy who had handed it to her.

“You seem surprised.”

The snake was smiling.

However, unlike usual, it wasn’t a joyful feeling.

It was merely a smile that held a touch of bitterness and sadness.

For some reason, the villainess’s eyes welled up.

“I found it while tidying up the Duke’s study… specifically, the bookshelves. I glanced at it briefly, and it seemed appropriate for the Lady-nim to read it.”

The boy explained softly.

Emilia had already unfolded the letter before his words even finished.

Beyond it, familiar messy handwriting greeted the girl.

The deep scent of paper tinged the tip of her nose.

An image formed in her watery pupils.

《To Emilia, and to Ruthka.》

The first sentence was as follows.

Naturally trembling hands.

The girl steadied her breathing and slowly read the letter.

《I don’t know how long it’s been since I wrote a letter like this.》

《As you both know, I have terribly messy handwriting.》

《However… there are words I absolutely must convey, so I picked up this pen.》

《Because I don’t have many days left to live.》

Emilia couldn’t tear her eyes from the letter.

A tone as if he knew his own impending death.

A strange confusion swirled before her eyes.

《Perhaps this letter will be my will.》

《Still, it’s a relief.》

《To have received a good opportunity to say goodbye to you.》

《Gaston Gallimard. I suppose I should thank that nasty old man too.》

《If not for him, I wouldn’t have been able to choose this end.》

《Despite everything, he’s a good old man.》

So many incomprehensible words.

Her mind was a jumble.

Yet, even those contents felt hot to the girl.

The father she had missed so much and admired so deeply.

The letter he left her, his uniquely messy handwriting, his easygoing tone, even the ink that had clumsily smudged.

The strong scent of the past made Emilia’s eyes sting.

She struggled to swallow past the lump in her throat.

《My chatter has gone on too long.》

《I’m not good with words, you see. I couldn’t think of anything grand to say.》

《I simply… wanted to tell you that I worry about you being left alone.》

《Surely, from now on, it will be a series of trials.》

《I had hoped you would never be hurt your entire lives.》

The letter gradually began to glow.

Light began to emanate from the letter.

Subsequently, the surroundings swelled like mist.

After rubbing her eyes for a moment, her vision revealed two familiar faces standing there.

It was none other than the former Duke and Duchess. They were faces the girl missed dearly.

The illusion flickered before her eyes as if it were real.

The voice reached Emilia’s ears with startling clarity.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

“Father…?”

“I wanted to stay by your side and watch you, who were so small, grow up and eventually become adults through all those days… but I’m only filled with regret for leaving so early. I pray that you both become upright adults.”

“……”

The scene was endlessly vivid.

As if her deceased parents had returned.

Her chest felt tight from the tender resonance.

“Do not doubt the path you wish to take.”

If it is a path you believe to be right, do not hesitate in your steps.

Just as this father did, and as your ancestors did, do not lose your inherent pride.

Conversely, if you think a path is not right, pause for a moment.

Look around, reorient yourselves, and find a new path.

You are the proud children of the snowy plains; the blessings of snow will accompany your every step.

I will not tell you not to cry.

No, rather, cry to your heart’s content.

Break down, despair, cry and wail and blame the world.

But when morning arrives, pick yourselves up as if nothing happened.

Burn your lives with pride as if you never lost it.

That is the path our Watchers have trodden.

“Please, do not lose your pride.”

The words flared radiantly.

The letters glowing brilliantly.

Soon, the letter rose up, becoming a single snowflake.

The message fluttered in the air, having left Emilia’s hand.

Her blue-tinged eyes simply looked up.

“It’s the last one already.”

“……”

“I’m sorry if it seems like I’ve just been nagging. However… please know that this much is your father’s true heart.”

The snowflake also looked down at the girl.

A gaze that passed in a fleeting moment.

Emilia’s eyes were full of heavy tears.

The emotions she tried to suppress were welling up, on the verge of overflowing.

Finally.

《I love you. More than anything in the world.》

When she read that sentence.

Or when she heard the fading voice.

The proud girl could no longer hold back her tears.

Hot lines traced across her pale cheeks.

Her stomach churned.

“Ah…”

She was scared.

After her parents passed away, everything was a mess.

She was betrayed by those she trusted.

She and her younger brother had to live lives simply to survive.

Despite that, they fought fiercely, and almost went astray several times.

In the end, she killed her uncle and, with her own hands, destroyed the long-standing legacy of her ancestors.

She cut off a part of her own being.

But.

‘Don’t cry.’

She tried not to cry.

She tried not to waver.

Because she was an adult.

Now, she was the last lineage to lead Veniti.

Realizing the responsibility placed upon her, she had decided to build a wall around her heart.

Her overflowing emotions gushed out in waves.

“……Ugh.”

She broke down at this scene.

A dazzlingly diffuse beauty.

Emilia carefully cradled the fluttering snowflake in her hands.

By then, the lingering images of her parents had dispersed into the wind.

Only then did she realize.

‘Illusion magic.’

It was an illusion.

Someone had shown her an illusion, aligning it with the letter’s contents.

So that goodbyes could smoothly dissolve even beyond the thin letters.

Emilia savored the deep scent of the snowy plains.

If someone could do this…

“Lady-nim.”

As expected.

It could only be you.

Wiping her eyes, Emilia looked up at the golden snake.

The white reflected in his slightly narrowed eyes was, as always, a warm gaze.

A voice that gently melted her frozen heart.

The girl couldn’t suppress her childish impulses.

Her stumbling body fell forward.

Whoosh!

“Oh my.”

Arms that softly embraced her.

Emilia tightly hugged the boy’s body.

“Such a display of affection would embarrass even me…”

A meaningless joke he threw out.

Normally, she would have shuddered, but now, even this mischievousness felt grateful.

Her heart, as if warmed, began to faintly throb.

The girl buried her face, as if melting into that warmth.

His unique, refreshing scent wafted past.

“Don’t cry.”

“Mm, ugh…”

“Everything will be okay now.”

Emilia struggled to swallow her sobs.

A faint whimper escaped.

A short monologue.

‘You, why…’

Always teasing her.

Making her embarrassed.

And tormenting her.

Yet sometimes, holding her like this.

Comforting her warmly.

Trusting her as a matter of course.

So she wouldn’t waver, so she would walk the right path.

You, who stay by my side, why to me?

-You can do it.

-Of course, because you are Lady-nim.

Giving me a new life.

Saving Ruthka and me, who were bound by the family.

When I wavered as if I would collapse, you smiled as if you would fall with me.

And when I reach the right destination, you genuinely rejoice.

How could I not harbor feelings for such a kind person?

Emilia felt her heartbeat, drenched in tears.

She tightened her arms around him even more.

“You…”

If.

If I were to give this feeling a name.

“……Thank you. For everything.”

It would surely be love.

Her lips trembled.

Her half-tear-soaked voice scattered in the swaying snowy wind.

Emilia conveyed it, struggling to steady her breathing.

Her affectionate gratitude to the savior of her life.

It was the awkward first love of a girl.

“Don’t mention it.”

The snake chuckled softly.

He whispered a calm promise into her ear.

Embracing the warmth held in his arms.

“I am always on your side.”

The two stood there like that.