Ludvika raised her hand and gently patted William's head.
Her fingers trembled ever so slightly.
The wife of Emperor Darius, his first love, and the mother of three children... now she was nothing more than an anxious mother.
"Are you sure? Doesn't anything hurt?"
He pulled his head away.
"No."
He fell silent for a moment before muttering irritably,
"You can stop now. It's getting annoying."
For a fleeting moment, her ruby eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she quickly offered a faint smile, putting a slight distance between them.
"My dear, you know... if there's anything at all, even if it isn't an illness, you can tell me..."
Without looking at her, he muttered,
"Don't make me laugh."
With light, quiet steps, he left the room, leaving behind nothing but that single remark.
No one would believe that the timid child who used to follow her wherever she went would one day say something like that.
Ludvika clasped her trembling hands in her lap.
She looked at the unmade bed before resting her head against it.
Her thoughts continued to circle endlessly.
'Because of me...'
Just a few days ago...
She had begun to think that perhaps she would have to grow accustomed to this room without him.
Then the kidnapped child was found beside the palace pond. At first, she felt nothing but relief that he was alive. But as time passed, she began to wonder if this was truly the right outcome.
"Your Majesty, William, he..."
"There's no need to worry."
'Three days...'
That was all it took for anxiety to take root in her heart.
The moment she saw how her child had changed, the blue eyes and white hair, the symbols of the Imperial Family, had turned gold.
She sought advice from the person she trusted most, but he merely hinted that it wasn't anything serious.
So she did everything she could to bury her worries and push aside any unsettling thoughts.
'But... how can I not worry?'
A bitter smile spread across her face.
---
After making sure the Empress had left...
I could finally think things through.
The Empress had clung to me like glue.
'Idiot.'
I brushed aside the pointless thoughts and looked into the mirror.
To the people who had known this body for the past four years, my face had changed.
But to me, it was a face I'd grown used to after living with it for twenty years.
I closed my eyes, searching inwardly for Vita.
I focused harder, trying to draw it toward my fingertips.
"Ah..."
Just as expected...
I failed.
No matter how many times I tried to guide it, I always failed.
And it wasn't just any failure.
As long as a living being existed, there was always an energy connected to its very essence.
'But...'
I slowly opened my hand.
Nothing.
The same emptiness.
I tried again, closing my eyes.
"Ah..."
As always.
That irritating feeling that something should have been there, yet refused to respond.
Vita.
Its presence was unmistakable in every living thing, just like a heartbeat, a thread binding the body to whatever kept it standing.
Yet inside me...
There was only an unnatural silence.
I let my arm fall onto the bed.
"It's useless."
'Whether in this life or the last... I was empty.'
I ran my small hand through my hair, leaving it messy.
It felt strange.
'I need to rest if I'm going to think straight.'
It was the first concern I'd had in quite some time.
Just before I drifted off to sleep, I found myself blinking at a pair of wide blue eyes that I'd forgotten even knew how to blink.
'This lit...'
I swallowed every curse that came to mind and pressed my lips together.
'Not now. It'll become annoying if he complains again.'
At first, the boy didn't seem particularly bothered by my scowl.
But before long, he pulled his face back slightly, his shoulders trembling.
'What's with this bastard?'
He frowned, narrowing his eyes.
"You weren't planning to hit me... were you?"
'Oh... now I get it.'
The corners of my lips lifted on their own.
I lowered my gaze to my hand.
My fist really was trembling.
'Not bad. His instincts are sharp.'
"...."
"So, what are you doing here?"
"....."
I tried my best to speak politely.
Apparently, I failed.
"Playing."
"Play?"
"Yeah."
Before I could think of a way to send him away, I suddenly found myself being dragged off against my will.
His hand coiled around mine like a snake.
I couldn't pull away.
In fact, I felt like it would break if I resisted too much.
'What the hell does he eat?'
I was a child.
But so was he.
The boy laughed as he dragged me through the palace's vast corridors,
past grand windows, magnificent doors, lavish decorations, and servants.
"Hurry up, William!!"
The scent of flowers drifting through the palace...
The boy's laughter echoing through the halls...
Everything brought back a certain memory.
At last, he came to a stop, forcing me to stop as well.
His radiant smile and sparkling eyes overlapped, for just a moment, with another pair of cold eyes.
He pointed ahead.
Following his finger, my eyes landed on a hazelnut tree in the garden.
"I saw a squirrel climbing it. Let's catch it!"
This time...
I was the one who fell silent.
'This kid really doesn't know how to hold himself back, does he?!'
He tugged at my hand.
"Come on! Don't be scared."
"Did you tell the Empress?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"You mean Mom?"
'Just how did this person manage to kill me in my previous life?'
I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd been scammed.
Once he understood what I meant, he looked away.
For a moment, it seemed as though he was avoiding the question... or searching for an excuse.
Perhaps he really was.
A second later, he let go of my hand and started running.
"There it is! Hurry!"
When he noticed I wasn't following, he stopped and turned back toward me.
"Don't be scared. Why are you afraid? I'm here... Your big brother's here."
He pointed his thumb proudly at his chest, his voice growing louder and his tone more dramatic.
I merely looked at him.
"I'll protect you, so don't be afraid! Come on!"
I let out a sigh and followed him.
'Did I have any other choice?'
Maybe.
But what could possibly be more exhausting than keeping up with a child?
I didn't do much.
Even if I'd wanted to, there wasn't much I could do.
My body was too weak for any dangerous games.
So I took the opportunity to find a quiet corner.
I leaned back, watching him struggle to climb the tree.
At first, the squirrel was very close.
Unfortunately, the moment the boy tried to catch it, it fled to the top.
Everything that followed was nothing but a series of failed attempts to lure the squirrel down with food.
From time to time, some of the newer servants stopped to watch or greet him.
More often than not, they simply ignored him.
I closed my eyes and opened them again.
It wasn't an unfamiliar sight.
It had always been like this.
Eventually, he began climbing the tree himself.
And he was doing fairly well.
'Ah... Ah...'
"Hehe... hehe..."
The boy frowned, glaring at me resentfully.
"Are you laughing?"
I tried to deny it, but my voice had already mixed with my laughter.
"Hehe... N-No... that's not it."
No.
It really was funny...
That idiot had landed on his butt in the most ridiculous way imaginable.
"Hehe..."
I felt like I could laugh all day.
Or so I thought.
"Ouch..."
A sharp pain shot through my forehead.
When I touched it, I felt a small bump.
'What the...'
Something had hit me.
Looking down, I saw a hazelnut rolling across the ground.
I picked up the weapon of the crime.
After examining it for a moment, I couldn't suppress the anger rising inside me.
I looked at the culprit, who wore a smug, mocking grin.
"How dare you!! You little bra..."
I quickly covered my mouth.
Too late.
I cursed inwardly as I felt my face grow warm.
"Hehe... what was that just now?"
The boy collapsed onto the ground, rolling with laughter.
"Hehe... what an adorable little brother."
He kept laughing until a hazelnut hit him as well.
Only then did he finally compose himself and begin searching the ground for the fallen hazelnuts.
"...."
That bastard.
I wasn't slower than him.
I simply hadn't allowed myself to be.
I'd surpassed him long ago.
Today...
Today was finally the day I'd get my revenge...
For everything he'd done.
I was determined to settle the score.
There was no way I was going to lose to a mere child.
It continued until the sun set.
I lay on the grass, watching the sunset.
"I won."
A small, irritating voice interrupted my thoughts.
I turned to look at him.
His face was completely swollen.
The corners of my lips curled upward.
The only reason I didn't laugh...
Was probably...
Because I didn't look any better.
"No. It's a draw."
"I won."
"I'll... hit you..."
"...."
"...."
"Hahaha..."
Yes.
This time...
I'll make sure to end his life with these very hands.
"Your Highnesses, you're both here?"
A young man approached us.
He had brown eyes, brown hair, an ordinary face, and wore a servant's uniform.
His complexion was deathly pale.
He looked incredibly nervous.
It was as though the boy who had been laughing only moments ago had infected him with the same anxiety.
"Is something wrong?"
"Yes... the matter is..."
The servant's lips trembled as sweat trickled down his face before he slowly closed his eyes.
"Her Majesty... the Empress is dead."