The news that reached Eirene was filled with despair.
The castle that she had fought to defend was now completely taken.
Any hope of escape had vanished.
Moreover, instead of forces gathering from nearby territories, there were whispers that they were beginning to accept Prince Ares as their new leader.
No word came about the two princesses or the retainers who followed her.
What bothered her slightly was the absence of a coronation ceremony for the new emperor.
‘Could it be because they haven’t caught me yet? Or is there another reason?’
Regardless, the thought that she could escape safely after hiding for a while and quickly resolve the situation was already a distant dream.
‘I feel like I’m trapped in a nightmare.’
A sense of overwhelming despair, something she had never felt before in her life, pressed down on her.
As she sighed, wondering if she would have to live in hiding for the rest of her life, someone spoke.
“Lady Linashita, are you alright? You don’t seem well…”
“I’m fine. It’s nothing, really.”
Igon paused at her response, then cautiously stepped closer.
“If something is troubling you, you can talk about it. Sometimes, just saying it out loud helps.”
“Then again, if you could share it, you probably would have already. I’m sorry for pressing.”
“It’s nothing you need to apologize for… really.”
Igon said nothing in response but moved closer to Eirene.
“May I sit next to you?”
Eirene did not respond, but it wasn’t a refusal.
Under normal circumstances, she might have questioned why he would sit beside her when there was space across from her.
But perhaps the trials she faced were just too heavy.
She needed the warmth of another person, even if it was someone she couldn’t entirely trust.
Igon, as if reading her thoughts, silently took a seat beside her.
‘This man… even knowing I’m a fugitive, he doesn’t seem afraid of me.’
Before she realized it, she had asked him a question.
“I want to ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“When you face trials so overwhelming that you can hardly bear them, how do you overcome them? Do you pray to the gods?”
Igon pondered for a moment before smiling.
“I just accept them.”
“What?”
“No matter how difficult the trial, if it’s something I must endure, I simply face it. There’s no undoing what’s been done, right? The gods only give us trials we’re capable of overcoming, so I just accept them for what they are.”
“You really are going through something difficult, aren’t you?”
Without waiting for her answer, Igon smiled gently.
“Lady Linashita, since what has happened cannot be changed, accept it. That might be the answer you’re looking for.”
Hearing his response, Eirene was brought back to reality.
‘That’s right. Even if the capital has been taken, the rebels haven’t held their coronation yet.’
To become the new emperor, they still needed the pope’s approval.
Not everything was lost yet.
There was no need for despair.
Eirene looked at Igon with renewed determination.
Ironically, the simple words ‘just accept it’ had provided her with more comfort than anything else.
Despite the severity of the situation, she even wondered why she had felt so hopeless in the first place.
‘What’s done is done. What else can I do? I just need to accept it and find a way forward.’
‘I never imagined I’d find solace in someone else’s words.’
“Indeed. Perhaps you’re right. Maybe I do need to adopt the attitude of simply accepting things.”
“Of course. Lady Linashita, you’ll overcome this. I’ll even pray for your strength.”
With that, he closed his eyes and began to pray.
***
Eirene stared intently at Igon as he prayed beside her.
He was different.
There was a certain strength to him, sharp and solid.
His broad back and shoulders exuded a sense of reliability.
Unbidden, his words echoed in her mind.
“Lady Linashita, you have such delicate features. You’re incredibly beautiful.”
“You have such an elegant and noble presence that it naturally draws attention.”
She had never heard such things in her life, let alone from a man.
The words used to describe her among those around her were ‘merciless,’ ‘ruthless to her enemies,’ ‘cold and calculating.’
While her appearance was objectively striking, no one had dared to comment on the emperor’s looks to her face before.
‘What could he have been thinking to say something like that so easily?’
But she dismissed it.
‘He must have said it out of politeness.’
Eirene knew well that her ‘prime days’ were long behind her.
Youth. People worshiped their twenties as if youth would last forever.
She had never regretted losing hers.
When her sister died, and the emperor’s crown fell before her, she had abandoned the part of her heart that yearned to be a woman.
She had done it to survive the political world.
To stabilize a nation thrown into chaos by the emperor’s sudden death.
Her decision to exclude men from her life was also for the same reason.
‘Having a child would only lead to strife with her sister’s offspring. Why invite such conflict?’
She had resolved to live solely for the country. That was her oath, and until recently, she had never regretted it.
And yet, why did she feel so unsettled now?
Eirene turned her head sharply.
‘Perhaps offering a prayer would bring some peace.’
She closed her eyes and carefully prayed to Igogodon.
-Grant me the strength to endure all these trials with acceptance.
Igon was a deeply devout man.
In his spare time, he would pray, and when outside, he seemed to spend his time helping at orphanages or doing chores at the cathedral.
Eirene had always assumed that religious people were just lunatics obsessed with scripture.
However, watching him made her think that wasn’t always the case.
Every day, he prepared meals and offered her his bed while he slept on the floor.
This made her feel the urge to do something in return for him.
***
The next morning.
“You’re up early today! But, what’s that in your hand…?”
“This? It’s a mop. You do know what it is, don’t you?”
“Of course! I use it for cleaning, but… why are you holding it all of a sudden?”
“Well, I’ve been staying here for several days, and if I don’t do anything to help, won’t you grow tired of me?”
Although Eirene was hiding in this place purely because of Igon’s goodwill, taking such hospitality for granted wasn’t her style.
More importantly, she felt uncomfortable receiving something without giving back in return.
Ever since Igon had told her to just face trials head-on, she had found herself strangely motivated.
“Are you sure about this? Doing something you’re not accustomed to won’t be easy…”
“What exactly do you think I am?”
“A refined young lady, of course.”
“What, w-what…!”
Eirene quickly turned her head away, unable to meet Igon’s quizzical gaze.
‘A young lady…?’
‘I’m… thirty-six years old.’
Summoning her courage, Eirene managed to respond.
“I… I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make jokes like that…”
“Jokes? I wasn’t joking, though…”
“But you called me, uh… that… that word…”
“What word?”
“Young… lady…”
The moment she said it, a bright smile formed on his lips.
“Yes, Lady Linashita. Isn’t it true?”
Even if he was just being polite, Eirene couldn’t help but feel like she was being teased.
Yet his gaze was so genuine, it seemed like he truly believed what he was saying.
Thump. Thump.
Her heart pounded wildly just from being called a young lady.
Everything about this was new to her.
Living in the same house as a man, conversing with a man so often, and now… being called a young lady by one.
Clearing her throat, Eirene quickly changed the subject.
“A-anyway! From now on, I’ll handle the cleaning. You’re already busy with the cathedral and other tasks, so you should rest when you’re home.”
“There’s really no need for you to do that…”
“No, don’t refuse. Let’s get started right away.”
Eirene picked up the worn mop with a confident expression.
After all, while she had never cleaned herself, she had seen maids clean the imperial palace countless times.
‘How hard could it possibly be?’
***
Cleaning turned out to be much harder than she had imagined.
“Ouch! Be gentle… it hurts…”
“I’m sorry, Lady Linashita. But I need to disinfect it.”
While mopping the floor, she had tripped over the wooden boards, scraping her pale knee.
Now, Igon was tending to her wound with practiced ease, using various herbs.
“Why not use white magic?”
“I can’t sense mana, unfortunately.”
“I see…”
As he spoke about being unfit to be a priest, he carefully wrapped her wound with bandages.
Eirene felt strange—this was the first time in her life that she had experienced such a gentle touch from a man.
“All done. Please don’t overexert yourself and rest for today. Alright?”
“…Thank you.”
“It’s no problem.”
Watching his warm smile, Eirene turned her head away once again.
While he was wrapping the bandage, she couldn’t help but notice his scent.
It was distinctly different from her own.
Since the day she resolved to ascend the throne, she had spent her life unaware of something like this—a man’s presence.
Yet now, something stirred within her.
Why?
He was simply treating her wound.
There was nothing about his actions that differed from those of the royal physician.
So why did her heart waver so much?
As his arm brushed against her leg while treating her wound, she felt a flutter in her stomach, as though she were a young girl experiencing the spring breeze for the first time.
Eirene didn’t realize that her ears had turned bright red.
***
From that day on, though she started with many mistakes, Eirene gradually became more skilled at household chores.
She was naturally efficient at picking up new tasks.
Though she had never done such things before, her aptitude helped her escape, at least slightly, from the shock of the rebellion.
The news she received was still grim, but she found solace in her resolve to face any trial head-on.
And in…
That evening.
A warm bowl of beef stew was set on the table.
“What’s this?”
“I got some meat from the cathedral. You’ve been working so hard around the house that I felt bad for just giving you stale bread every day.”
After setting the stew down, he folded his hands and offered a prayer.
[May truth and simplicity be with us.]
Eirene slowly picked up her spoon and took a bite.
The taste… was crude.
It couldn’t compare to the gourmet meals she had always eaten as an empress.
And yet…
‘It’s warm.’
Strangely, she felt that she would never forget this taste for the rest of her life.
“How is it? Does it suit your palate?”
“It’s… not bad.”
She wanted to express her gratitude more honestly, but the words didn’t come easily.
Instead, she subtly glanced at him—
Only to find him looking at her with a gentle smile.
“I’m glad. Seeing you enjoy it makes me happy, Lady Linashita.”
The reason she could endure each day.
The comfort and stability that came from facing her trials.
And… her growing curiosity about the man before her, a type of person she had never encountered in her life.
Though she wasn’t fully aware of it herself, the more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to understand him.
‘How could he help others without expecting anything in return?’
‘Why did he think so differently from her, and even smell so different from her?’
For the first time in her thirty-six years, Eirene found herself curious about a man.
***
Several days passed.
One night, rain fell steadily outside, drenching the world in its quiet rhythm.
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