Amelie casted a gust of wind following the direction of the pendulum. The black smoke split to both sides, creating a path. When she cast light, she found Serwin.
“Amelie—”
Serwin stiffened as he looked at Amelie. Amelie walked quickly and stood before Serwin. Then she held Serwin’s cheek with both hands.
“Listen to me! Your Majesty was a villain from the beginning!”
Amelie shouted. Serwin opened his eyes wide and blinked.
“I knew from a long time ago that Your Majesty is a bad guy, though? Just remember our first meeting!”
His first impression couldn’t have been worse.
“You threw the thief’s head into the house, didn’t you? Do you know how surprised I was then? Your Majesty looked like the God of death.”
“That was— on purpose. Showing off your mercilessness will avoid other groups—it’s bothersome if ordinary people get involved.”
Serwin made excuses without realizing it.
“Anyway, there’s no need to be disappointed now. Your first impression was already the worst—. And then you kidnapped me, didn’t you? You put me in a cage.”
“…I regret that. If you wish, a reasonable compensation…”
“Enough.”
Amelie cut Serwin’s words in a single stroke.
“What I want to say is, don’t worry about useless things now. innocent? I know better that Your Majesty isn’t a good person, right?”
What the hell do you think I’m going to run away from?
“I know that Your Majesty is a dirty and dishonest person, and I know you have done a lot of bad things. So, don’t worry too much. There’s nothing to be disappointed about now!”
“Amelie—”
Amelie belatedly said,
‘Did I say too much?’
“I mean, that’s why I’m worried. I promised you. I will help Your Majesty by your side. Please don’t doubt my true feelings.”
“You will despise me, too.”
“I won’t.”
“Why? I hate myself so much. Why do you say no?”
Serwin frowned as if he were crying.
When the Regent King died and Serwin finally came to the throne, Serwin was a child who had been imprisoned without receiving a proper education as the Crown Prince. Even if he was suddenly hailed as emperor and sat on the throne, there was nothing Serwin could do. To make matters worse, all the nobles who were disappointed with the death of the regent king went home, and only those who wanted to use Serwin remained in the imperial palace.
Ironically, it was the disaster who taught him about the world and life in general.
“He taught me a lot. What to do first, who to leave behind, who to kill, and how to rule using fear.”
The disaster was Serwin’s teacher and his parents were as well. Because of the teachings of disaster, the present Serwin was possible.
“I told you in the clock tower. Without disaster, I wouldn’t have survived to this age.”
So, he has assisted in the disasters so far and sometimes prepared his own property.
“The joy felt by the disaster remains in me. I remember all the death brought by my hands.”
“It was unavoidable.”
“No, I knew all about what disaster would do. I thought it shouldn’t, but I couldn’t stop the disaster. That’s why it’s worse. How can I say it’s not my fault?”
Serwin remembered everything the disaster had done. Because he killed them with his own hands. The feeling, the sounds, the bloody smell of that time is still vivid, but he couldn’t say that he didn’t do it, that he was innocent. If the disaster is evil, then he was a servant of evil. In addition, he lied because he didn’t want to be caught by Amelie, not only covering up his crimes but also lying to the one person he couldn’t live without.
“That’s… Your Majesty’s fault. You can’t be called innocent.”
“Yeah…”
But Amelie was still able to pity him. She suddenly remembered the figure she had seen in the clock tower. When he saw the scenery that everyone else said was beautiful, he thought of all of his duties and responsibilities.
She wonders how big the world was when he first saw it as a six-year-old after growing up in a prison. How great was the distance he felt at that time? He was a person who learned about the burden of the world before the beauty of the world.
It was not his choice to become emperor or to live with the disaster in his body. He was too young and unstable. If he had had at least one adult he could rely on by his side, he wouldn’t be where he is now.
Nevertheless, he endured it well. In comparison to when he was completely eaten by disaster, it was preferable to have endured even by arranging such an agreement. If he had fallen, the world would have been destroyed. So, it could be said that it was best to choose the path that Serwin was most comfortable with. He didn’t have any other options open to him. Of course, it wasn’t perfect by any means, but if he didn’t do at least that, wouldn’t his life be too pitiful?
Amelie caressed Serwin’s cheek.
“It must have been very lonely and difficult.”
“I don’t deserve to talk about that.”
Serwin shook his head. Whatever the start, no matter how bad the situation was, it was not an excuse for the mistakes that had already been made.
He had been with the disaster for so long that he resembled it a lot. It was often difficult to even tell what was right and what was wrong. It was clear that it was already too late. A good person like her won’t last by his side forever. He will only continue to disappoint her. Still, her hand touching his cheek was so warm that he couldn’t shake it off.
“If your sins exist, right the wrong and correct them one by one. Then, Your Majesty, you will be able to forgive yourself. Let me help you.”
Serwin’s eyes trembled.
“…Can I do it?”
“You can do it.”
Amelie said vigorously. Serwin looked at her as if possessed by her. Her clear eyes were filled with firm faith. If he kept watching her with these eyes, he thought he could do it.
“It’s going to take a long time. Even if I dedicate my whole life to it, it might not be enough.”
“Well then, let’s get strong and finish it quickly. If it’s still not enough, you’ll just do it for the rest of your life, I guess.”
Amelie’s tone was purposely cheerful.
As she hugged Serwin’s shoulder, Serwin wrapped his arms around Amelie’s waist like a child and leaned his head against her shoulder.
“So be nice to me. Don’t try to fool me anymore. If something like this happens again, I will never look back.”
“Yes, I will. Never lie.”
Serwin nodded wildly.
******
They talked a lot that night. Most of the time Serwin told his story without hesitation. Amelie comforted him, and instead listened with anger.
In the meantime, the morning came.
Serwin’s expression as he returned to the palace became lighter as if he had put down a great burden. Amelie had a vague sense that he would no longer stay up all night with anxiety.
******
Lira picked up her luggage from the hotel room she had rented on her way to the capital. Her luggage was small enough to easily carry around because she was always wandering around so she knew how to travel light. After packing, Lira didn’t return to the Imperial Palace and left the capital fullly. After a full night’s flight, she saw a rocky mountain in the northern part of the capital. It was the place where Brillai Signet, the Great Witch, lived.
The Great Witch is the head of the witches and the high priest who worships the devil. Brillai Signet, the current Great Witch, has held her position for twenty years after she inherited the Great Witch title from the Witch of the Fidelia Forest.
After the witch hunt, Brillai identified and found the locations of the remaining scattered witches, helped them normalize their lives, and was highly respected among the witches.
Lira was very close to Brillai. When Lira found young witches and took them to Brillai, Brillai sent the young witches to adult witches to be trained.
Lira felt Brillai’s house was like her hometown. She had no real place to live, but all she needed was to fly back to Brillai’s house and she’d be welcomed with open arms, so it was just like home.
Lira landed near Brillai’s house.
‘Ugh, it’s cold. The Great Witch also lives in a warm place.’
Lira trembled and walked towards Brillai’s house. As soon as she stepped into the garden, the front door opened wide.
A woman came out with a cloak wrapped around her slender body and a hood pressed down deeply, slightly obscuring her face.
“Great witch!”
“Lira Hose! You’re finally home!”
Lira ran and hugged Brillai. She was much smaller and softer than Lira, but she felt warm.
“Let’s go in. Isn’t it very cold?”
“Yeah. It’s always really cold here.”
The two entered the house. The inside of the house was full of warm heat. Lira looked around the house in a nostalgic mood. But she found a strange object in the corner of the sofa that she had never seen before.
“Um? What is this?”
It was a pearl earring. At first glance, it was a great luxury, so it was not something that Brillai, who lives a simple life in the rocky mountains, would have.
“Earring? Does the Great Witch wear earrings too?”
Lira had never seen Brillai’s ears. This was because she always wore her hood due to the wound she suffered during the witch hunt 20 years ago.
“Give it to me.”
Brillai hurriedly took the earring from Lila’s hand. It was an urgent action, unlike her usually gentle hands.
“Great Witch?”
“Ah. I’m sorry. It’s something the last guest left behind. How much of a fuss was it that it disappeared from here. Glad you found it.”
“…there’s a guest coming all the way to this secluded rocky mountain?”
“I know. Isn’t it unique?”
Lira tilted her head. Is a woman worthy of such an expensive earring coming up to the top of this steep rocky mountain to find a great witch? Something didn’t add up. However, there was no reason for the great witch to lie to her. Just the earrings were obviously strange.
“Lira. Come here. I’ve made your favorite pound cake. I knew you were coming.”
“As expected from the Great Witch!”
Lira sat down excitedly at the table. Pound cake rich in butter flavor was a symbolic food that naturally came to mind when it came to Brillai. When she first came here with the witch of Fidelia Forest, Brillai had baked her pound cake.
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She brought up what she was going to say to Brillai while eating pound cake.
“I can’t go looking for the witch children for a while. I’m going to stay in the capital for a while.”
“What happened? Come to think of it, I haven’t been able to contact you for a while.”
“I had some business. Did you know that the last time I got a magic alarm there was a meeting?”
“Yeah, I still thought it was weird. Because these days, we don’t have meeting alarms.”
“It was followed by a little witch who didn’t know what she was doing. I want to see other witches.”
“I see. Then why didn’t you come with me today?”
“I have some issues right now.”
“What’s the matter?”
“I have some problems right now.”
“Problem? What is the matter?”
“There is such a thing.”
Lira blundered unconsciously. For some reason, she felt like she didn’t want to share the information.
“Really?”
Brillai’s voice sounded sharp, and Lira was slightly taken aback. Maybe she was just tired? She has to finish her business quickly and go back to rest.
“More than that, Grand Witch. Twenty years ago at a witch hunt. Remember that witch called the traitor?”
Brillai shivered at the mere mention.
“I still feel the pain of that time… still vividly. Thousands of clans died horribly insulted.”
“Yes.”
Lira was nine years old at the time of the witch hunt, but she still vividly remembers that time. When the friendly villagers suddenly changed and tried to kill Lira, the sense of betrayal and fear were still unforgettable decades later. She was lucky enough to survive and get help from other witches, but all the other young witches were dead.
“You know the traitor ran away and hid somewhere, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“We must not forget the woman who was blinded by men and killed our entire family.”
Brillai’s hands trembled.
Most witches thought that the witch who fell in love with the regent had sold her entire family. Lira also believed those words, but she was suspicious that there would be some other story after the disaster.
“But why do you ask me that all of a sudden?” What’s going on? Who wants to know about twenty years ago?”
“No. I was just curious.”
“Why are you suddenly curious?”
Lira felt somehow like she was being interrogated.
Amelie casted a gust of wind following the direction of the pendulum. The black smoke split to both sides, creating a path. When she cast light, she found Serwin.
“Amelie—”
Serwin stiffened as he looked at Amelie. Amelie walked quickly and stood before Serwin. Then she held Serwin’s cheek with both hands.
“Listen to me! Your Majesty was a villain from the beginning!”
Amelie shouted. Serwin opened his eyes wide and blinked.
“I knew from a long time ago that Your Majesty is a bad guy, though? Just remember our first meeting!”
His first impression couldn’t have been worse.
“You threw the thief’s head into the house, didn’t you? Do you know how surprised I was then? Your Majesty looked like the God of death.”
“That was— on purpose. Showing off your mercilessness will avoid other groups—it’s bothersome if ordinary people get involved.”
Serwin made excuses without realizing it.
“Anyway, there’s no need to be disappointed now. Your first impression was already the worst—. And then you kidnapped me, didn’t you? You put me in a cage.”
“…I regret that. If you wish, a reasonable compensation…”
“Enough.”
Amelie cut Serwin’s words in a single stroke.
“What I want to say is, don’t worry about useless things now. innocent? I know better that Your Majesty isn’t a good person, right?”
What the hell do you think I’m going to run away from?
“I know that Your Majesty is a dirty and dishonest person, and I know you have done a lot of bad things. So, don’t worry too much. There’s nothing to be disappointed about now!”
“Amelie—”
Amelie belatedly said,
‘Did I say too much?’
“I mean, that’s why I’m worried. I promised you. I will help Your Majesty by your side. Please don’t doubt my true feelings.”
“You will despise me, too.”
“I won’t.”
“Why? I hate myself so much. Why do you say no?”
Serwin frowned as if he were crying.
When the Regent King died and Serwin finally came to the throne, Serwin was a child who had been imprisoned without receiving a proper education as the Crown Prince. Even if he was suddenly hailed as emperor and sat on the throne, there was nothing Serwin could do. To make matters worse, all the nobles who were disappointed with the death of the regent king went home, and only those who wanted to use Serwin remained in the imperial palace.
Ironically, it was the disaster who taught him about the world and life in general.
“He taught me a lot. What to do first, who to leave behind, who to kill, and how to rule using fear.”
The disaster was Serwin’s teacher and his parents were as well. Because of the teachings of disaster, the present Serwin was possible.
“I told you in the clock tower. Without disaster, I wouldn’t have survived to this age.”
So, he has assisted in the disasters so far and sometimes prepared his own property.
“The joy felt by the disaster remains in me. I remember all the death brought by my hands.”
“It was unavoidable.”
“No, I knew all about what disaster would do. I thought it shouldn’t, but I couldn’t stop the disaster. That’s why it’s worse. How can I say it’s not my fault?”
Serwin remembered everything the disaster had done. Because he killed them with his own hands. The feeling, the sounds, the bloody smell of that time is still vivid, but he couldn’t say that he didn’t do it, that he was innocent. If the disaster is evil, then he was a servant of evil. In addition, he lied because he didn’t want to be caught by Amelie, not only covering up his crimes but also lying to the one person he couldn’t live without.
“That’s… Your Majesty’s fault. You can’t be called innocent.”
“Yeah…”
But Amelie was still able to pity him. She suddenly remembered the figure she had seen in the clock tower. When he saw the scenery that everyone else said was beautiful, he thought of all of his duties and responsibilities.
She wonders how big the world was when he first saw it as a six-year-old after growing up in a prison. How great was the distance he felt at that time? He was a person who learned about the burden of the world before the beauty of the world.
It was not his choice to become emperor or to live with the disaster in his body. He was too young and unstable. If he had had at least one adult he could rely on by his side, he wouldn’t be where he is now.
Nevertheless, he endured it well. In comparison to when he was completely eaten by disaster, it was preferable to have endured even by arranging such an agreement. If he had fallen, the world would have been destroyed. So, it could be said that it was best to choose the path that Serwin was most comfortable with. He didn’t have any other options open to him. Of course, it wasn’t perfect by any means, but if he didn’t do at least that, wouldn’t his life be too pitiful?
Amelie caressed Serwin’s cheek.
“It must have been very lonely and difficult.”
“I don’t deserve to talk about that.”
Serwin shook his head. Whatever the start, no matter how bad the situation was, it was not an excuse for the mistakes that had already been made.
He had been with the disaster for so long that he resembled it a lot. It was often difficult to even tell what was right and what was wrong. It was clear that it was already too late. A good person like her won’t last by his side forever. He will only continue to disappoint her. Still, her hand touching his cheek was so warm that he couldn’t shake it off.
“If your sins exist, right the wrong and correct them one by one. Then, Your Majesty, you will be able to forgive yourself. Let me help you.”
Serwin’s eyes trembled.
“…Can I do it?”
“You can do it.”
Amelie said vigorously. Serwin looked at her as if possessed by her. Her clear eyes were filled with firm faith. If he kept watching her with these eyes, he thought he could do it.
“It’s going to take a long time. Even if I dedicate my whole life to it, it might not be enough.”
“Well then, let’s get strong and finish it quickly. If it’s still not enough, you’ll just do it for the rest of your life, I guess.”
Amelie’s tone was purposely cheerful.
As she hugged Serwin’s shoulder, Serwin wrapped his arms around Amelie’s waist like a child and leaned his head against her shoulder.
“So be nice to me. Don’t try to fool me anymore. If something like this happens again, I will never look back.”
“Yes, I will. Never lie.”
Serwin nodded wildly.
******
They talked a lot that night. Most of the time Serwin told his story without hesitation. Amelie comforted him, and instead listened with anger.
In the meantime, the morning came.
Serwin’s expression as he returned to the palace became lighter as if he had put down a great burden. Amelie had a vague sense that he would no longer stay up all night with anxiety.
******
Lira picked up her luggage from the hotel room she had rented on her way to the capital. Her luggage was small enough to easily carry around because she was always wandering around so she knew how to travel light. After packing, Lira didn’t return to the Imperial Palace and left the capital fullly. After a full night’s flight, she saw a rocky mountain in the northern part of the capital. It was the place where Brillai Signet, the Great Witch, lived.
The Great Witch is the head of the witches and the high priest who worships the devil. Brillai Signet, the current Great Witch, has held her position for twenty years after she inherited the Great Witch title from the Witch of the Fidelia Forest.
After the witch hunt, Brillai identified and found the locations of the remaining scattered witches, helped them normalize their lives, and was highly respected among the witches.
Lira was very close to Brillai. When Lira found young witches and took them to Brillai, Brillai sent the young witches to adult witches to be trained.
Lira felt Brillai’s house was like her hometown. She had no real place to live, but all she needed was to fly back to Brillai’s house and she’d be welcomed with open arms, so it was just like home.
Lira landed near Brillai’s house.
‘Ugh, it’s cold. The Great Witch also lives in a warm place.’
Lira trembled and walked towards Brillai’s house. As soon as she stepped into the garden, the front door opened wide.
A woman came out with a cloak wrapped around her slender body and a hood pressed down deeply, slightly obscuring her face.
“Great witch!”
“Lira Hose! You’re finally home!”
Lira ran and hugged Brillai. She was much smaller and softer than Lira, but she felt warm.
“Let’s go in. Isn’t it very cold?”
“Yeah. It’s always really cold here.”
The two entered the house. The inside of the house was full of warm heat. Lira looked around the house in a nostalgic mood. But she found a strange object in the corner of the sofa that she had never seen before.
“Um? What is this?”
It was a pearl earring. At first glance, it was a great luxury, so it was not something that Brillai, who lives a simple life in the rocky mountains, would have.
“Earring? Does the Great Witch wear earrings too?”
Lira had never seen Brillai’s ears. This was because she always wore her hood due to the wound she suffered during the witch hunt 20 years ago.
“Give it to me.”
Brillai hurriedly took the earring from Lila’s hand. It was an urgent action, unlike her usually gentle hands.
“Great Witch?”
“Ah. I’m sorry. It’s something the last guest left behind. How much of a fuss was it that it disappeared from here. Glad you found it.”
“…there’s a guest coming all the way to this secluded rocky mountain?”
“I know. Isn’t it unique?”
Lira tilted her head. Is a woman worthy of such an expensive earring coming up to the top of this steep rocky mountain to find a great witch? Something didn’t add up. However, there was no reason for the great witch to lie to her. Just the earrings were obviously strange.
“Lira. Come here. I’ve made your favorite pound cake. I knew you were coming.”
“As expected from the Great Witch!”
Lira sat down excitedly at the table. Pound cake rich in butter flavor was a symbolic food that naturally came to mind when it came to Brillai. When she first came here with the witch of Fidelia Forest, Brillai had baked her pound cake.
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She brought up what she was going to say to Brillai while eating pound cake.
“I can’t go looking for the witch children for a while. I’m going to stay in the capital for a while.”
“What happened? Come to think of it, I haven’t been able to contact you for a while.”
“I had some business. Did you know that the last time I got a magic alarm there was a meeting?”
“Yeah, I still thought it was weird. Because these days, we don’t have meeting alarms.”
“It was followed by a little witch who didn’t know what she was doing. I want to see other witches.”
“I see. Then why didn’t you come with me today?”
“I have some issues right now.”
“What’s the matter?”
“I have some problems right now.”
“Problem? What is the matter?”
“There is such a thing.”
Lira blundered unconsciously. For some reason, she felt like she didn’t want to share the information.
“Really?”
Brillai’s voice sounded sharp, and Lira was slightly taken aback. Maybe she was just tired? She has to finish her business quickly and go back to rest.
“More than that, Grand Witch. Twenty years ago at a witch hunt. Remember that witch called the traitor?”
Brillai shivered at the mere mention.
“I still feel the pain of that time… still vividly. Thousands of clans died horribly insulted.”
“Yes.”
Lira was nine years old at the time of the witch hunt, but she still vividly remembers that time. When the friendly villagers suddenly changed and tried to kill Lira, the sense of betrayal and fear were still unforgettable decades later. She was lucky enough to survive and get help from other witches, but all the other young witches were dead.
“You know the traitor ran away and hid somewhere, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“We must not forget the woman who was blinded by men and killed our entire family.”
Brillai’s hands trembled.
Most witches thought that the witch who fell in love with the regent had sold her entire family. Lira also believed those words, but she was suspicious that there would be some other story after the disaster.
“But why do you ask me that all of a sudden?” What’s going on? Who wants to know about twenty years ago?”
“No. I was just curious.”
“Why are you suddenly curious?”
Lira felt somehow like she was being interrogated.
