I tensed my body with nervousness. This was essentially the most important moment in today’s Grand Council meeting.

But would the words I prepared be able to persuade everyone?

I took a small deep breath and looked around me.

The southern lords who were uncertain about how the situation was unfolding, the people who sympathized with the Minister of the Interior and were waiting for my answer.

Romie who was looking at me expressionlessly, Canis who was worried about me, Kiara with a calm face, and…

Aspeiran, who was raising one corner of his mouth as if to say, run around to your heart’s content.

‘Aspeiran believes in me.’

If that’s the case, then I should also rightly believe in myself.

I calmly opened my mouth.

“I was offered to Beltraum as a human sacrifice.”

“Why are you suddenly bringing up that story…?”

The conference hall was filled with murmurs. Aspeiran also raised his left eyebrow and straightened his upper body.

Among the people attending the Grand Council meeting, there was no one who didn’t know the fact that Shuria had been a human sacrifice. The majority even felt sorry for that fact.

If so, was that an attempt to garner sympathy and gloss over it?

The murmurs soon turned into uncomfortable silence. In the midst of that, Shuria composedly continued speaking.

“Although there were many difficult things, I loved my life. I wanted to keep living. But death approached in a stride when I didn’t expect it.”

“……”

“I thought I couldn’t escape, and I felt despair. But at that moment, someone reached out their hand to me.”

The people who had been moving their gazes around unpleasantly eventually sat up straight one by one and stared at the center of the Grand Council hall.

At a certain foreigner standing there and calmly continuing the story, her golden eyes sparkling brilliantly.

“Was that really just a simple helping hand? No, to me, that was light. It was salvation and hope.”

Shuria smiled softly with her eyes and looked at Aspeiran.

“When I was in the deepest despair, Your Majesty gave me a new possibility. You gave me the strength to move forward.”

“……”

“Thanks to Your Majesty, I was able to grasp a second life. So I made a vow. That I would use this newly gained life for Your Majesty.”

Each and every word Shuria uttered strongly knocked on people’s hearts.

Because they had also experienced it. The light that shone above their heads amidst despair. The salvation that was extended.

During the reign of the Deposed King, they lived smelling the scent of inescapable death.

When they opened their eyes, the child next door had disappeared. The next day, a nearby village was attacked by monsters and turned into ruins.

Even when droughts came and plagues spread, causing the people to die, the Deposed King didn’t show a shred of concern.

Those who pretended to be the hands and feet of the Deposed King took away even the last grain of a starving child.

It was a life where it would have been better to take one’s own life. But they wanted to live.

The adults wished for those pitiful children to live even a single moment in peace and abundance.

The children were curious about the safe homes and happiness that appeared in old and torn books.

Then, as if by a miracle, Aspeiran Roakin appeared. The upright-eyed young boy who shouted at the top of his lungs that he would save Roakin.

The boy grew up overcoming countless dangers that attacked. And in the end, he brought down the Deposed King.

People clearly remembered. The joy of that moment, the pure snowflakes that fell heavily as if blessing the peace that had finally arrived.

It was the day Roakin was reborn. It was the second birthday of all the people of Roakin.

On that day, people made a vow. That for the sake of their new lord who saved them, they would do anything.

The people who took out the vow they had firmly rooted in their hearts suddenly realized.

That foreigner had a similar experience to them and had the same thoughts.

Just like them, she respected and followed the lord from the depths of her heart.

From that moment on, that woman was not a foreigner whom the lord had generously taken in. She was a citizen of Aspeiran Roakin.

And the people of Aspeiran Roakin……

“I will never harm Roakin.”

Never betray Roakin.

Shuria straightened her waist. She swept the assembly with an unwavering gaze.

“This country that Your Majesty has raised, this land that you have newly cultivated, how could I dare to harm it?”

People unknowingly nodded their heads. Shuria continued.

“Now Roakin is my home. From the moment I broke through death and faced this beautiful country, I came to love this place.”

Shuria, who took a breath, smiled confidently.

“I am grateful that I have the power to handle monsters. As long as I am alive, as long as my will continues…… Monsters will no longer be a threat to Roakin.”

The confident voice resonated through the Grand Council hall. Everyone stopped breathing for a moment.

Why was it that the face of that woman declaring that she would protect Roakin from monsters……

Overlapped with the young boy who shouted that he would save Roakin that day?

Shuria looked around the assembly and spoke in a slightly lighter tone.

“If it’s hard to believe, well, you can check it in the top drawer of the Chief of Staff’s desk!”

People who had widened their eyes for a moment soon burst into laughter.

The case of the disappearance of Kiara Gordo’s limited edition cookies was a story that anyone from Beloi knew. As well as the legend of the lie detector she made.

People working in Beloi Castle giggled at each other’s faces, and the lords who didn’t know the story were explained by their acquaintances sitting next to them.

The solemn conference room was filled with joyful laughter. Only the lords from the southern region were sitting dumbfounded, not understanding what the story was about.

Around the time when the laughter subsided a little, the First Matapju Romie Gordo stood up from her seat.

Her face, which had been slightly stiffened until a little while ago, now had a usual light playfulness flowing through it.

“Shouldn’t we end the Grand Council now? How long are you going to keep ‘our family member’ standing there like a criminal?”

“……You’re right.”

The Minister of the Interior crossed his arms and took over. Other people also looked at Shuria with warm gazes.

The chairman hit the gavel once to gather attention.

“If there is anyone who still has an objection to the fact that Miss Shuria is innocent, please raise your hand.”

No one raised their hands. The southern lords were fidgeting their buttocks, as if they wanted to run away as soon as possible.

The chairman nodded and struck the gavel three times.

“Then, with this, I will conclude the 2nd Emergency Grand Council meeting of the 452nd year of peace!”

The Grand Council meeting ended.

I put strength into my legs, feeling like I would collapse right there. My hands, which I had been clenching tightly while speaking, were trembling.

‘Still, I’m really glad things worked out well.’

I kept worrying whether my experiences and the emotions I felt from them would be able to draw sympathy from people.

The pain and despair they must have felt would be thousands of times greater than mine, so I was hesitant to dare claim that I had a similar experience.

While rubbing my hands to calm my pounding heart, people bowed deeply towards Aspeiran all at once. I quickly followed suit.

When I finally straightened my back, Aspeiran was no longer in the conference hall.

‘I thought things had ended well, so we would congratulate each other and discuss what I should do in the future……’

Ah. Is it a sign to follow him? There are too many eyes here to talk.

‘Then I should quickly chase after him. He must have gone to the office, right?’

I hastily turned my body towards the entrance of the conference hall. Just as I was about to leave the hall, a voice grabbed me.

“Miss Shuria.”

When I turned around, Romie was standing there. She spoke to me with a faint smile.

“I listened well to your story.”

“Hehe. Is that so? Thank you.”

“And…… I’m sorry for doubting you all this time, Miss Shuria.”

Romie suddenly bowed deeply to me. I jumped up from my spot.

“D-Don’t do this, Romie! It was a natural concern.”

“No, actually I knew. That even if Miss Shuria gained a strong power, you’re not someone who would wield it for your own desires.”

“……”

“Even so, I wanted to hear and confirm Miss Shuria’s heart directly, so I cornered you. I’m sorry. But after hearing Miss Shuria’s words, I’m happy.”

Romie smiled brightly. It was a refreshing smile.

“The power the Deposed King possessed was a curse and despair for Roakin, but Miss Shuria’s power may become a blessing and hope. I have that feeling.”

“Romie……”

I held Romie’s hands tightly. People gathered around us.

“Greetings, Miss Shuria.”

“I listened well to your story.”

“Your complexion doesn’t look good. Well, it’s natural since you went through big events in succession.”

I was bewildered by the friendly greetings offered. But I was in the best mood.

Feeling that I had truly been accepted as a member of Beloi.

That’s when it happened.

“You look happy.”

A firm arm embraced me. I could tell without turning around. It was Aspeiran.

‘I thought he had gone ahead!’

I tried to turn my body to greet him, but Aspeiran suddenly put me inside his large cloak.

While doing so, he spoke to the others.

“If you want to get close to Shuria, do it later. We have a prior appointment now.”

“Oh my……”

People let out a strange exclamation. Why?

Regardless, Aspeiran moved his steps without hesitation. I had to wobble and follow, hidden by the cloak and unable to see ahead.

“Your Majesty, do you really have to take me while putting me inside your cloak?”

“I have something to show you.”

“Hmm……”

It must be a surprise gift. Then I should stay still.

After a short while, Aspeiran stopped in his tracks. At that moment, a sudden strong wind blew and my body floated lightly in the air.

“Ahhh!”

“It’s okay, so calm down.”

Although I screamed out of surprise, I wasn’t very scared because Aspeiran was holding me tightly.

A moment later, something solid finally touched the tips of my feet that had been flailing in the air.

As I was fumbling to find my footing, Aspeiran whispered softly to me.

“Don’t fret and fluster for nothing. It would be big trouble if you slip and fall.”

“I won’t!”

Aspeiran laughed with his vocal cords. He swept away the cloak for me. What entered my sight that had become refreshing was……

The view of Beloi Castle seen from a high place.

“Oh……”

Right now, we were on the roof of the North Wing of Printia Palace!

Aspeiran draped his cloak over my shoulders and laughed lightly.

“It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?”

“It’s amazing! But are we allowed to come up here?”

“It’s my castle, what else can’t I do?”

That’s true.

Aspeiran sat down. I also took a seat next to him.

“Here, a celebratory drink.”

Suddenly, Aspeiran had two wine glasses in his hand. What he held in his other hand was the Vin Chaud I made.

“You haven’t had it yet!”

“We agreed to drink it together.”

Aspeiran filled the glasses. We lightly clinked our glasses together.

The Vin Chaud tasted as delicious as the day I first made it. I sipped the Vin Chaud and mumbled.

“I’m not sure if I should say this.”

“Go ahead.”

“This vacation was really the worst.”

Being surrounded by monsters, standing trial. I’m probably the only person in the world who spends a vacation like this.

Aspeiran twirled the wine glass and laughed.

“It must have been.”

“Yeah, but you know.”

I downed the remaining Vin Chaud and hugged my knees. I felt good because my body was getting warm.

“I’m happy that I feel like I’ve become a true member of the Beloi family through this incident.”

“……”

Aspeiran quietly looked at me. He suddenly asked in a soft voice.

“Shuria, do you like Roakin?”

“Of course. It’s a wonderful country. The adults and children all look happy.”

And above all, it’s the country you protected and the country where I got to meet you.

We turned our gazes toward the scenery spread out before our eyes. The huge full moon and the countless stars that seemed to pour down.

Below that, the magnificent palace, the intricately landscaped gardens, and even the lively running people inside.

We looked down at Beloi for a long time. Aspeiran opened his mouth.

“……I like it too.”

It was a voice full of undisguisable affection. I laughed and leaned my head on Aspeiran’s shoulder.

It was definitely the worst vacation, but if the end had a conclusion like this, it wouldn’t be bad to experience it one more time.

It was a beautiful night that made me have such a nonsensical thought.