The World I Was Supporting Was Real

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Eirene was bombarded with despairing news.

Igguoqueden Castle had been completely seized. It was like there was no escape route left.

Moreover, instead of gathering forces from the surrounding territories, there were even rumors of Prince Ares being accepted as the new leader.

No word had come about the two princesses or the vassals who followed her.

While the fact that the new emperor’s coronation had not yet taken place did bother her a bit… Was it because they hadn’t caught me yet? Or was there another reason?

At any rate, the idea that hiding for a while and then escaping safely would allow things to settle down was clearly an illusion.

‘I feel like I’m having a nightmare.’

An overwhelming sense of despair that she had never felt in her life bore down on her.

As she let out a natural sigh, wondering if she would have to live the rest of her life in hiding.

“Lady Linashita, are you alright? You don’t seem well…”

“…No. It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it.”

Iggon, after hearing what she said, thought for a moment—

Then cautiously approached her and said.

“If you’re having a hard time, it’s okay to tell me. Speaking out loud that things are tough can sometimes help.”

“……”

“Well, if you could’ve spoken, you would have done so long ago. I feel somewhat sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. There’s no need for an apology…”

Iggon approached Eirene without responding to her.

“Is it alright if I sit next to you?”

Eirene didn’t answer, but that didn’t mean she was refusing.

She could have just asked him to sit across from her, but the reason she didn’t was perhaps…

The trial she was facing was so heavy that she needed the warmth of another person. Even if they were an unreliable stranger.

Iggon, sensing her feelings, silently settled beside her.

This man, despite knowing I was being chased, did not fear me.

Suddenly, she realized she was throwing him a question.

“I have something I want to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“When you face trials that are hard to bear, how do you overcome them? Do you pray to God?”

Iggon, lost in thought for a moment, then smiled and said—

“I just accept them.”

“What do you mean?”

“No matter how difficult a trial comes my way, if it’s something that needs to be done, I just do it. You can’t turn back, can you? God only gives us trials that we can overcome, so I just accept it.”

“……!!”

“So, you are indeed going through some hardships, right?”

Without waiting for an answer from Eirene, Iggon continued with a gentle smile—

“Lady Linashita. It’s something that has already happened, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Just accept it. It might even be the solution.”

Hearing Iggon’s words, she quickly became aware of reality.

Right. Even if the imperial palace has been seized, the rebels still hadn’t held the coronation ceremony.

Since becoming a new emperor also required the Pope’s approval, not everything was lost yet.

She didn’t need to fall into despair.

Eirene looked at Iggon with shining eyes.

Foolishly, the words “just accept it” were more comforting to her than anything else.

In this serious situation, she even found herself wondering why she had felt so despairing.

What could she do about what had already happened? She needed to accept it and find a way forward.

‘I never thought I would find comfort in someone else’s words.’

“…You’re right. It seems that just accepting it, as you said, may be what I need.”

“Of course. Lady Linashita, you can overcome this. I will pray for you.”

After saying that, he closed his eyes and began to pray.

“……”

Eirene stared intently at Iggon as he prayed.

…There was something different about him. He definitely had a line that was different from women.

He felt sturdy and sharp in some way. His broad back and shoulders gave off a sense of reliability.

Naturally, his voice echoed in her mind.

“Lady Linashita, you possess such a graceful line. Your face is incredibly beautiful.”

“Just by looking at you, it’s clear you are elegant and dignified, so it’s only natural that you caught my attention.”

‘……’

She had never imagined she would hear such words in her life, especially coming from a man.

The words that surrounded her were never “beauty,” “elegance,” or “dignity.”

It was always about being “cold and merciless,” “brutal towards enemies,” or “cold and shrewd.”

Of course, she had objectively beautiful features, but there had never been a vassal daring enough to casually comment on the emperor’s looks in front of her.

What was he thinking to boldly say such things?

‘He must’ve just said that out of courtesy.’

Eirene was well aware that her “good times” were long gone.

Youth. Everyone praised the vitality of their twenties, as if youth would remain with them forever.

She had never regretted that.

When her sister died and the emperor’s coffin fell before her eyes, Eirene had cast aside the feelings of a woman within her.

To survive in the political arena. To stabilize a nation thrown into chaos by the sudden death of the emperor.

Deciding not to concern herself with men was also part of that. Why give birth to children only to engage in bloody struggles with her sister’s offspring?

She had sworn to live solely for the country—this had been her vow, and she had never regretted that decision until recently.

Yet, why did she feel so strange now?

Eirene abruptly turned her head.

Would praying, on the contrary, ease her mind?

She closed her eyes and carefully prayed to the unique God Igguoqueden.

—May I gain the strong will to accept all these trials.

* * *

Iggon was a very devout man.

In his free time, he prayed, and when he went outside, he helped at the orphanage or did odd jobs at the cathedral.

She had always thought that religious people were all crazy about the Bible… But seeing him, she started to reconsider that notion.

Every day, he prepared meals, offered up his bed, and preferred to sleep on the floor, making her want to do something for him in return.

And then, the next day.

“You’re up early today? But, what’s that in your hand…?”

“Oh, it’s a mop. You know what this is, right?”

“Of course. It’s what I use to clean… Why are you asking all of a sudden?”

“Well, since you’ve been gracious enough to let me stay here for a few days, wouldn’t it be boring for you if I did nothing at all?”

Even though she was hiding here purely due to Iggon’s kindness, she didn’t believe in taking things for granted.

Most importantly, receiving something without doing anything felt uncomfortable.

Since receiving his advice to just do things when trials come was oddly motivating.

“Are you sure? It might be difficult to do something you’re not used to…”

“What do you think of me?”

“A very pampered lady.”

“What, what…!”

“?”

Unable to meet Iggon’s puzzled eyes, Eirene quickly turned her head away.

A lady…?

‘I’m… 36 years old!’

Eirene barely managed to squeeze out her words.

“W-well, I’d prefer if you didn’t make such jokes…”

“Eh? I didn’t make a joke…”

“But you called me… um, lady…”

“?”

“Lady… they call me that.”

Upon hearing those words, his mouth formed a nice curve again—

“Yeah. Lady Linashita. Isn’t that right?”

“!!!”

Even if it’s just flattery, this felt like more than that—

Considering his gaze, it was genuine.

He really thought of her as a lady.

Thump, thump.

Just from hearing the word lady, her heart raced fiercely.

Everything was new to her. Living in the same house with a man, talking to him like this, and… being called “lady” by a man.

Eirene coughed awkwardly a few times and changed the subject.

“W-well! I’ll take care of the cleaning from now on. You’ve been busy with the cathedral and everything, so you should rest at home, right?”

“You really don’t have to…”

“Don’t refuse. So shall we get started?”

She had never done so before, but hadn’t she seen maids cleaning the imperial palace dozens of times?

What’s the big deal?

Eirene lifted the old mop with a confident expression.

And…

* * *

…Cleaning turned out to be harder than she anticipated.

“Ah! Ow, be careful…!”

“I’m sorry, Lady Linashita. But it needs to be sanitized once in a while.”

As she pushed the mop against the floor, it got caught on the wooden surface, causing her to fall and scrape her pristine white knees.

Iggon skillfully tended to her wounds using various herbs.

“Don’t you use white magic?”

“I can’t sense mana.”

“Then you’re unqualified as a priest,” he said while wrapping the bandage.

Because it was the first time experiencing such tenderness from a man, it felt uncomfortably strange.

“All done. You don’t have to push yourself too much, so make sure to rest today. Understood?”

“…I’m sorry about this.”

“No, it’s fine.”

While watching Iggon smile as he said that, Eirene turned her head away once again.

Throughout the time he wrapped her bandage, she noticed a scent of man coming from him.

It was a smell distinctly different from her own.

Since the day she resolved to ascend to the throne, something she had never known jolted her heart.

Why.

He was just treating her wounds.

It was no different than what the royal physician would do for her, yet she wondered why her heart was shaken.

It was as if she were a girl getting to know spring for the first time, brushing against Iggon’s arms as he touched her knees and legs… her stomach tingled.

At that moment, Eirene didn’t even realize that her ears had turned bright red.

* * *

After that day.

At first, it was full of mishaps, but now she started to handle housework with finesse.

Eirene was fundamentally a perceptive person.

She hadn’t done it before, but realizing she could do anything if she set her mind to it helped her slightly recover from the shock of the rebellion.

Of course, the news she received was not good.

Still, she was able to survive each day, finding comfort and stability from her determination to simply take whatever trials came her way.

And—

“Time to sleep.”

That evening.

A warm beef stew was placed on the dining table.

“What’s this…?”

“I got some meat from the cathedral. Lady Linashita, you’ve been diligently cleaning all by yourself, so I felt it was a bit shameful to keep giving you just tough bread.”

Then, he sat down and offered a prayer.

—May this simple fact accompany you.

Eirene slowly picked up her spoon and took a bite.

The taste… was crude. It would be impossible to satisfy her standards, having only tasted the finest delicacies across the continent.

Yet.

‘It’s warm…’

Strangely, she thought she would never forget this taste for a lifetime.

“How is it? Does it suit your taste?”

“It’s not bad.”

She wanted to say thank you more genuinely, but couldn’t bring herself to do so, so she subtly observed him—

And he was gazing at her with a very warm smile.

“I’m glad. Seeing you enjoy it makes me happy too.”

‘……’

The reasons she could endure each day.

A sense of fulfillment and stability. And… the curiosity about the type of person she had never encountered before, sitting right in front of her.

She had not realized it herself—

But the more time she spent with him each day, the more curious she became about who he was.

How could someone help others without any conditions?

What type of thought process did he have that was different from hers, and what on earth was that scent.

In 36 years of life, she had never once been intrigued by the opposite sex—a man.

For the first time in her life, Eirene wanted to understand a man.

* * *

How many days had passed?

That day, it was a rainy night, with the rain drizzling down until late.