Chapter 65

I knew she would eventually leave, but I conveniently convinced myself that the farewell was still far off.

It was Lord Radus, one of the Emperor's close aides, who came to inform Sais.

When Sais was informed of Lord Radus's visit, he had a bad feeling.

Princess Via, who had said she would stay overnight at the Amethyst Palace, had not summoned him even after the night had passed, and it was now approaching dusk.

At first, he thought she was having a deep conversation with her younger brother, but it was far too late for that.

"Princess Via left for the retreat Garsia this afternoon."

Lord Radus announced this as soon as he opened his mouth, and Sais's mind went blank.

He stood there, speechless, and when he finally came to his senses, a fierce anger that felt like it would burn him to the core welled up inside him.

"That can't be!

I am the Princess's guard knight. I should have accompanied her wherever she went!"

"You're right," Lord Radus calmly accepted Sais's anger.

"If you were a guard knight, it would be natural for you to follow. However, Ebec was relieved of his duties as a guard knight as of yesterday.

You will receive the official order soon."

Sais's fists trembled as he was told this as if it were nothing.

Boiling anger swirled inside him, and nausea rose up.

Sais opened his mouth to retort, but Lord Radus, who had been watching him closely, spoke with a weary tone.

"Your reaction suggests that Ebec didn't know either."

For a moment, Sais didn't understand what he meant.

"What do you mean...?"

"Princess Via didn't go to Garsia. She disappeared."

"Disappeared..."

Sais's face drained of color.

The image of Princess Via, who had said with a smile that she would eventually leave the palace, rose in his mind.

"Princess Via left the palace yesterday afternoon.

The handmaiden at the Amethyst Palace helped her, and Prince Celtes, who returned to the Amethyst Palace late last night, learned for the first time that his sister had fled.

To ensure that his sister could escape as far as possible, Prince Celtes kept silent and informed the Emperor of the fact this morning."

Sais clenched his trembling lips tightly.

Princess Via had disappeared without informing her younger brother or the Emperor.

"Of course, the Emperor was quite shocked. I was away from the palace and only learned of this fact a short while ago.

I wanted to know the details of what happened, so I came to hear Ebec's story.

Since you are close to the Princess, I thought you might have heard something. I want you to tell me."

Lord Radus looked at Sais with a calm gaze.

Sais, who had been standing there in a daze, swallowed to moisten his dry throat and forced out a hoarse voice.

"I had heard that she would eventually leave the palace."

"When?"

"After I heard that Emperor Palesis had passed away and the knights of Reiyato had barricaded themselves in the warehouse.

She told me this while having a simple meal with Lord Roffman and others."

And so, Sais began to speak, as if retracing his memories.

He told everything without reservation, including how Princess Via had served Emperor Palesis because she had seen her daughter almost killed, how she had become Prince Alek's concubine to protect her younger brother, and how she was concerned about the current situation and had said she would eventually leave the Emperor's side.

"The Princess asked me to spread the rumor that she was welcomed as a concubine for political reasons.

She wished for the Emperor's reign to be stable more than for her own name to be tarnished."

Sais's words left Lord Radus silent for a moment.

He eventually sighed and looked straight at Sais.

"I welcome Princess Via's decision.

If the Emperor continues to favor Princess Via, the country will be in turmoil.

I had always thought that she would eventually have to step down."

Lord Radus, who has a gentle and kind appearance, is not someone who would lose sight of the greater good for personal reasons.

He must have been calmly observing what needed to be done for the country's peace.

"...It is a joy for the country, but personally, I am deeply disappointed.

I will probably never see such a person again."

Having heard what he needed to hear, Lord Radus seemed to think he had no further business here.

As he turned to leave, Sais hurriedly called out to him.

This might be the last chance to speak alone with one of the Emperor's close aides.

There was one thing he wanted to confirm before that.

"Lord Radus, can you tell me one thing?"

It had been on his mind for a long time.

But he knew that if he asked Princess Via directly, she wouldn't tell him, so he had kept it to himself.

"Why was I chosen as the Princess's guard?"

Lord Radus turned to Sais, his body twisting, and replied with a smile in his voice.

"Are you asking me? The one who recommended you as a guard was your superior, Amon Antore. I don't know anything more than that."

"Then let me rephrase it. Did the Princess have a dream about me?"

Lord Radus's expression changed as soon as he heard this.

"...What does Ebec know?"

His tone was calm, but his eyes were not smiling.

Sais met Lord Radus's gaze without flinching.

"About the premonitory dreams.

The Princess told me that only the Emperor and three close aides know about this in Ansheze."

Lord Radus nodded slightly, and Sais continued.

"I have always wondered.

If it was just about being skilled with a sword, there are many excellent knights besides me.

But on that day, Deputy Antore named me as the guard without hesitation.

Looking back, I remember that when I said I was going to spear training, the Princess changed her expression and tried to stop me.

Her reaction was so excessive that I still remember feeling a sense of unease.

After learning about the Princess's power, I eventually realized that there might be some connection between her power and my selection as a guard.

Perhaps the Princess had a dream that I would be injured or even die during spear training.

I believe you know, Lord Radus. Can you please tell me?"

"...Even if I say I don't know, Ebec won't believe me," Lord Radus finally shook his head.

"I heard about the premonitory dreams on the day I first met the Princess.

She saw a young knight of Antore being killed by a spear through the eye.

The knight had a habit of raising his elbow once when he raised his spear, and he had wavy blonde hair."

Sais gasped, and Lord Radus smiled a little.

"But it's all in the past now.

The dreams come true within three to four months at most, and if you can get through that period, there's nothing to worry about."

With that, Lord Radus turned to leave, but then he looked back at Sais as if he had just thought of something.

"Ebec.

Princess Via will be announced to have died of illness after a few years of rest in Garsia.

Our connection with her will be severed, and we will never see her again.

Try to forget about Princess Via."

For several days, Sais had no memory. He was sure he had packed his belongings and returned to the Antore Knights' quarters, but the sense of loss was so great that he remembered nothing.

Sais was relieved of his duties as a guard, but the handmaidens who served Princess Via were allowed to keep their positions.

They were ordered to leave the Amethyst Palace because they had no one to serve, but the Emperor had commanded that Princess Via's personal items in the palace be left untouched, as he had heard from the grapevine.

Perhaps the Emperor, more than anyone, did not want to acknowledge Princess Via's absence.

The Amethyst Palace was kept clean, and it was said that the Emperor himself occasionally visited.

One day, Sais was summoned by Mrs. Renal, the head handmaiden of Princess Via.

When he appeared, thinking what could be the matter now, he was handed a small, neatly wrapped box.

"It arrived from the gem merchant this morning. The jewelry with the acacia design that we had ordered was finally completed.

At the time, the Princess suddenly said we should all have matching items, and we all racked our brains.

She would suddenly say things that were hard to imagine, and we were really thrown off."

Mrs. Renal shed a single tear as she laughed, recalling the commotion of that day.

"She always acted bright, but how much she must have suffered.

I think she probably knew that she would soon leave for rest, and that's why she prepared parting gifts for us."

With the box in hand, Sais trudged back to his room in the knights' quarters.

He untied the ribbon and opened the box to find a tie clip with an acacia design on a velvet cloth.

He carefully took it out and placed it in his palm.

The green stone used for the leaf part changed to red in the light. It was the chrysolite that Princess Via had chosen.

When he showed the design of the tie clip, Princess Via's face lit up, and she asked everyone what stone they wanted for the flower part.

When Sais said he didn't want a flashy color, Sisilia suggested capturing the beauty of the acacia flower, and Mrs. Renal immediately offered several options.

Mrs. Rinto, he remembered, had recommended a diamond with protective properties against illness.

Eimi, with a lively voice, suggested that the leaf part should be green to retain the flower's charm, and they confirmed the color by holding various gems up to the light. Princess Via chose the chrysolite, saying it would suit Ebec.

Even though she knew it was a parting gift, she made no effort to make it seem so.

She genuinely enjoyed the time spent together, and they all laughed, wrapped in a calm and bright atmosphere, without any sense of sorrow.

A tear dropped onto his wrist.

"She is a heartless person."

The wailing of Sais and the others, who had been left behind, would never reach Princess Via again.

"I wasn't even allowed to say goodbye."

Words of frustration and resentment slipped out as the pent-up emotions welled up.

He had decided in his heart to dedicate all his loyalty and reverence to her.

He wanted to be her support, to share her pain, and to protect her from everything that would hurt her.

Yet, at the time of her greatest suffering, she didn't even give him a word of comfort.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA...!"

An uncontrollable sob burst from his throat. He clenched his fists so tightly that blood seeped through, and he slammed his fist on the table.

The pain, the regret, the sorrow... more than anything, the deep admiration.

He had been saved by her, yet he couldn't repay even a single favor.

He had let her go, burdened with her own sorrow.

Swallowing the bitter regret, Sais continued to sob.

Tears kept overflowing, and they showed no sign of stopping.