CH 107

“Song… Sing for me.”

“Huu… Heuk…”

“…Don’t cry, I’m fine. I’m just tired, I’m taking a break… You know I’m a great wizard.”

—Great wizards don’t die from this.

The whispering voice got smaller and smaller. Canaren opened her mouth and raised her voice. But from her throat, immersed in anguish, there was only a sound she didn’t want to hear. She clenched her fists and pounded her own chest.

‘Oh, please please. I have to sing! I need to sing a song to Yulif!  He can get better. He can be cured. It’s okay if I can’t sing again. If it doesn’t work, I’ll use my blood.’

A beautiful voice mixed with tears began to sing a friendly melody. Yulif blinked slowly. It was really strange. He couldn’t feel the pain of the sword piercing his shoulder, the sensation of twisting his intestines, or even his eyes properly, but the feeling of the warm energy of Canaren’s song seeping into his skin was unbelievably clear. Her heart, sincerity, and soul to heal him have been conveyed through her song.

‘You still love me. I didn’t do anything for you. I only hurt you with harsh words.’

So, even more so, he couldn’t die in front of her.

“….Ocard.”

Yulif reached out to Roana. Mana power transfer. Seeing the words spoken only briefly by the shape of his mouth, Roana noticed the meaning of Yulif. He meant to share magic. She briefly glanced at Canaren. She wondered if it was right for her to share her magic with Yulif. Yulif reached out his hand a little more, urging her to not hesitate.

“The finish… must be done.”

Now, there really wasn’t much time left. The emperor could not be left here. Roana tightly closed her eyes and she took Yulif’s hand and passed her magic over. When he believed he had been given a proper amount, Yulif let go of her hand. And slowly, he lifted his head out of Canaren’s arms. As Canaren sang, her eyes widened.

“Okay… are you okay?”

“Yes. Thanks to you.”

“I don’t think so. You still have a bad complexion. Yulif, I’ll keep singing, so just lie down and rest. All right?”

“This is enough.”

To hear her song at the end. Could there be any greater happiness than this?

Perhaps thanks to Canaren’s song, his blurred vision became clearer. As his body condition, which was nothing more than a corpse, improved, he was able to control the magical energy he had received from Roana. With steady steps, Yulif approached Deltinus. While casting space-shifting magic with the Roana’s power, he sent Derek a message to gather people into the dungeon.

A blue light flashed under his feet. Canaren knew what that light was. Yulif had reassured her, but he was trying to get her to go away again. She jumped up and ran to him.

‘Don’t go. Where are you going with that body? If you are by my side, I can save you. Just as you saved me, yes…!’

“No, don’t go!”

Yulif turned his back on her desperate cry. His feeble back was swallowed by the bright light. Canaren’s outstretched hand couldn’t catch him, only gripping the air. She slumped down.

It was indescribably ominous. She couldn’t forget the smell of death from Yulif. The black blood protruding from his cough, and the pale, tired face.

She couldn’t leave him alone like this. Her sixth sense said so. If they parted like this, she would never see him again. A friendly smile that could met a wounded and frozen heart would be the last Yulif she would remember.

“…Never…”

Her heart dropped with a thud. Yulif knew. That’s why he smiled like that. Since it’s the last one. He knew it was the last time! Canaren sat on the bed and grabbed the shoulder of Roana, who had her face buried in her hands. Roana’s quivering eyes were saying her guesses were true. Roana knew it, too. Everyone knew, but they pretended not to know.

Her face was dyed white with a sense of betrayal that she couldn’t describe in words. But it wasn’t the time for her to blame Roana, Derek, or herself. She had to save Yulif, and she had to live. He gave his life to save her, this time it was her turn to save him.

Canaren begged Roana, tears dripping down her face.

“Take me to Yulif.”

‘Don’t let her know of my death.’ Between Yulif’s will and Canaren’s plea, Roana was tormented and wretched. But she soon made a decision.

‘My lord, Canaren already knows everything. So, I’m not breaking your orders. Canaren has rights too. The right to watch the death of a loved one.’

“…All right.”

Canaren grabbed Roana’s arm tightly. And space-shifting magic to the Imperial Palace was casted.

*******

Around the time Yulif followed Deltinus to Pionia, Lucian passed the secret passage and arrived at the detached palace. A secret passage, used as an escape route for the imperial family in case of emergency, was usually connected to the bedroom, so Lucian looked around his mother’s bedroom, which he was seeing after a long time.

The quiet, uncluttered bedroom calmed his startled mind. It’s enough to give birth to a child again! His heart, which had been barely calmed, was pounding as soon as the roar that had hit him like lightning echoed like an auditory hallucination. Lucian took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Ugh…”

The drawing room of the empress was a mess. All furniture, including tables and chairs, was lying on the floor, and the paintings on the walls were torn and ripped by sharp objects. A shout could be heard from outside through the broken window. It was so loud and energetic that even though the sound was coming from the main palace, the knights seemed to be surrounding the empress’s palace. Lucian shrugged.

What the hell is going on in the Imperial Palace?

Lucian remembered his uncle who was fighting his father in his room. He was not the uncle he knew as he was cold and ferocious, very much unlike how he usually treated the emperor with respect and courtesy. He was like a wild beast on a hunt for a target.

‘Did my uncle really rebel? …If the treason succeeds… What will happen to me?’

Although Lucian was still young, he was educated as the crown prince, so he knew the basic principles of politics. An empire cannot have two masters. If the uncle overthrew his father and took the throne, he, the son of the enemy, would only get in the way of his future. Even if his uncle spared him, his people would not let him go.

‘Should I run away? Where? And Mama is still in prison. I can’t run away alone!’

Lucian turned around. He thought of returning to his bedroom, take the secret passage to the main palace and find a way to the dungeon. It was better for him to die by his mother’s side, rather than cowardly running away alone.

“Lucian!”

“Mama!”

At that moment, the drawing room door flew opened and Estella entered. Estella spread her arms and Lucian jumped into them and hugged her. As always, his mother had a warm and cozy scent. As soon as he felt the scent and warmth, the sadness and fear that had been building up inside him exploded.

“It was scary. I was so scared. Father tried to… he tried…”

“You don’t have to say it. I know everything, so you don’t have to tell me.”

“You held up well. You’ve come all the way here by yourself, Your Highness.”

The Duke of Theodore, who was standing behind Estella, came and hugged the two of them together. Tears of relief flowed from Estella’s eyes as she stroked Lucian’s hair. Derek, who had guided the two of them here after receiving Yulif’s orders, glanced at them and coughed pointlessly. Duke Theodore quietly turned his gaze to Derek.

“My lord said he wanted to ask Duke Theodore about the situation here.”

“I thought so. Duke Rubias has too many burdens to carry. Estella, your place is messy, so why don’t you and Lucian wait in another room. When it’s cleared up, Father will come to pick you up.”

“Father, you must not do anything too dangerous.”

Although the Allied Forces’ army was raised in the palace and the empress was out of prison, each of their concerns and worries wasn’t something to be said now. Duke Theodore nodded with a characteristic generous smile.

“All the dangerous work was done by Duke Rubius. I just need to finish things up. Don’t worry and rest in peace. Your highness the Crown Prince, your grandparents will come to see you again soon. Have a good time with your mother.”

“Yes, Grandpa… take care.”

Duke Theodore chuckled and stroked Lucian’s head, and went off. Estella went into the bedroom with Lucian. Dozens of elite private knights of the Therdore family remained, thoroughly guarding the door leading to the bedroom.