CH 60

Chapter 60: Fateful twins

Following the princess, Engeberg slipped into the room. He seemed thoroughly exhausted, with a pale face and sweat on his forehead.

Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summ...

“I finally made it…more like barely, though.”

It seemed he had worn his nerves thin on the way here. However, Ermengard was unfazed, as if she had taken a stroll in a familiar place.

“It’s okay, Count. You’re the one who said that even if I walked, it would only seem like the Queen woke up early.”

“Even so, normally one would be nervous. If the number of guards on watch hadn’t decreased in this battle, things could have been dangerous.”

Engeberg wiped his forehead and turned to the stunned Ernesta. The hard-working ambassador seemed to have accumulated more stress than usual and was completely hunched over.

“Ernesta-sama, as you may know, this is Ermengard-sama.”

“Nice to meet you. Well, it’s been a long time since we were born, so maybe ‘long time no see’ is more appropriate… I was really surprised at how much we look alike.”

Ernesta’s face had a calm smile, even as she expressed her surprise. Although she reflexively grabbed the offered hand, she still couldn’t believe it was real.

No matter how much she had heard the rumors, actually seeing it with her own eyes left her speechless. Her mind was finally starting to produce thoughts that could comprehend her being a twin.

“…I’m glad you’re all right. It’s an honor to meet you, Ermengard-sama.”

“You’re being very formal. Well, I can’t blame you.”

Ermengard’s eyes were filled with regret. It was strange and fresh to see the same face with different expressions.

“I’m sorry, Ernesta. I don’t think anything I say can make up for what I did…I grew up without knowing about my sister’s existence. So when I ran away, I never imagined you carrying out such a reckless plan.”

Her gaze was honest, and her words were something that could be easily understood. It was strange to know about the existence of a sister who had been erased.

“In the first place, I was against this marriage, and the reason was my personality. I mean, I’m a selfish free spirit, and there’s no way I’m suited to be a queen. I thought that not getting married would spare the alliance from shaking.”

Engeberg nodded silently behind the princess. Ernesta thought it was quite a rude response, but she couldn’t interrupt the story, so she waited silently for it to continue.

“So, when King Ivan came to visit, I stayed locked in my room to avoid him. But despite that, the engagement was decided. Apparently, His Majesty the Emperor intended to lay the foundation of the alliance and get rid of me at the same time. As you can see, I’m a bit of a rebel.”

Ermengard said with interest. Ernesta felt like she had glimpsed the suffering that Ermengard carried in her too-easy-to-talk-about clash with her own parents.

“So, I thought I’d surprise those people for once.”

But the next words made her open her mouth in surprise.

Engeberg was holding his head in frustration. It was probably a story he had already heard, but he didn’t want to hear it again.

“The plan was to leave the palace and travel while painting. Then, return a few days after the departure date for the wedding. I thought I could make up for the delay and enjoy seeing their crying faces.”

“But she was having so much fun painting that she forgot all about it… Honestly, I don’t have the words.”

“I wonder if you were impressed by my concentration?”

“No, I am just amazed. What if something happened during your outdoor adventure?”

Engeberg let out a sigh, unable to say anything. Ernesta was beyond stunned by the absurd truth and was feeling refreshed.

It was certainly in line with Engeberg’s impression of the absent-minded genius who always remained calm. It seemed that Ernesta’s real sister was much more interesting than she had imagined.

“Um, may I ask you one thing? Is that okay?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Does Ermengard-sama think werewolves are scary?”

Ernesta asked, looking into the same deep green eyes as her own.

After blinking twice, Ermengard’s twin sister smiled crisply.

“Not at all. We’ve met them on the road, and they’re no different from us.”

At that moment, the anxiety that had been brewing in Ernesta’s heart dissolved.

This person is not someone who would harm Shenka. If she could know that, it would be more than enough for her own sins.

Ernesta smiled and handed her diary, which she had been carrying, to Ermengard.

“Please use this if you find it helpful.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a diary I’ve written in the past month and a half. I thought it might come in handy.”

Ermengard looked somewhat surprised. She flipped through the diary in her hand, her eyes widened even more.

“I’m surprised. You wrote quite a lot of details. From what you studied, to the events of the day, and even the characteristics of people around you… You’re also quite good at drawing, aren’t you?”

“P-Please stop! It’s embarrassing to be directly told about it! Please read it later!”

As Ermengard held her hands up in front of her and shook them to the side, she showed Ernesta the biggest smile she had seen since they met. The expression was very attractive, and Ernesta thought to herself that she could probably never make such a face.

“It’s strange, I don’t feel like we’re just meeting for the first time… Hey, Ernesta, I wish we had grown up together. I wonder what fate would have awaited us. Or if we were born in reverse order, what kind of lives would we have lived.”

Ernesta was amazed as she considered the possibility of growing up as a princess.

If there had been no custom of twins, could Ermengard have become a close sister? If she had been born as an older sister, would she have grown up as a princess without any inconvenience?

Having received advanced education from the beginning and acquiring all the necessary qualities… could she have confidently married Ivan?

As she thought about it, the pain in her chest that she had been suppressing began to make itself heard.

“If I could have lived with you, I’m sure it would have been fun. But that’s something we can’t do anything about now.”

Ernesta smiled quietly.

Her life had certainly been happy until now. She loved her family from the bottom of her heart. She didn’t even want to think about the possibility of not meeting them.

Was this person happy? This princess, who grew up in an environment where she could obtain anything in the world yet had eyes that concealed a sense of emptiness.

“You’re right. I said something unnecessary.”

Ermengard, who had a quiet smile on her face, extended her supple arms.

Ernesta was in the arms of someone who was related to her by blood for the first time in her life. The warmth that seeped into her vision was both cursed and precious.

“Thank you for everything. For your sake, I’ll do my best, too.”

“Yes, it was nice to meet you. Take care of yourself.”

“Yeah, you too. I don’t think we’ll ever meet again, but I’ll always think of you.”

Those were the last words. As they separated from each other, Engeberg finally panicked and said:

“We should be going now. Let’s take advantage of the guards’ change of shift.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Just before the door closed, Ernesta turned around. There was her reflection gazing back at her, sending her off with a lonely smile.