However, Shallen no longer clung to Kasallin’s sleeve or acted in such a manner.

He didn’t offer foolish apologies like admitting fault to her face or begging for forgiveness.Perhaps he realized he didn’t even have the right to do so, or maybe he lacked the strength.

He seemed to understand that an unbridgeable chasm was forming between himself,a mere human who had fallen to nothing, and her, destined to live as the empress of a great nation.

“…I will take my leave.”

Princess Rillen murmured in an extremely low and solemn voice,then quietly left the tent with her attendants.

The only ones left in the tent were Parnes, Ludwig,and a couple of knights from the Renel Empire, including Sir Antonio.

Parnes slowly alternated his gaze between Kasallin and Shallen,then passed by her without a word.Ludwig and the knights followed him out in silence.

The wind blowing from outside gently swayed the tent’s walls.The small flame in the wall lamp danced precariously, as if it might go out at any moment.

Kasallin gazed at Shallen’s face for a while, sparing her words.Shallen couldn’t meet her eyes and kept his gaze lowered.It felt as if they could pass by each other silently, like strangers meeting by chance on the street.

“I never imagined you’d come here.”

Shallen spoke in a half-subdued voice.Kasallin retorted as if she’d been waiting for it.

“If I hadn’t arrived just in time,the arrow your loyal subordinate secretly shot might have pierced His Majesty’s throat.”

Shallen’s shoulders twitched.The shadowed edges of his eyes trembled faintly.Was he now feeling some sort of shame?

“If I had faced the emperor honorably this time,would you have seen me even a little differently?”

“No.”

Kasallin replied, slightly furrowing her brow.

“You know. I no longer have any interest to spare for you.”

Kasallin calmly chose one of the countless words swirling in her mind.No matter how much she thought, this was the only thing she could say to him at this moment.

“Just in case you’re wondering, if you’re thinking that way,you’d better not. For your own sake.”

“….”

“Regretting won’t undo anything.Nor can it take you back to the past.I don’t particularly believe in determinism,but what happened between us was bound to happen.As long as you exist as Shallen Riche.”

It’s obvious, but once something has happened, no amount of effort can reverse it.

Some among the alchemists, those from the more extreme schools,seem to believe in the possibility of returning to the past,but such a thing didn’t exist in Kasallin’s world.

So, the only thing to do was to live diligently,making choices that wouldn’t lead to regret again.

But Kasallin didn’t bother to share those words with Shallen.Her feelings toward him weren’t kind enough for such warm advice.

Shallen, who had been hanging his head, suddenly looked at Kasallin’s swollen belly.A complex emotion, too intricate to express in words, flickered in his eyes.

“Rose miscarried.”

He said it as if speaking to himself.Kasallin’s eyes widened slightly, then slowly closed as she regained her composure.

Now she understood a little.What changes had occurred in Rose’s heart,what kind of conversation must have passed between them,and what expression Rose must have had when she wrote that secret letter to her.

“I see.”

The surprise was fleeting.Just as she felt no particular sympathy for Shallen’s limping collapse,she felt none for Rose either.

It was the life she had to bear.The vague thought that she’d manage on her own crossed Kasallin’s mind,and she lightly brushed away thoughts of the two from her head.What mattered to Kasallin now was Parnes and the Renel Empire.

Kasallin glanced outside through the curtain, where the sun was setting,and adjusted the shawl around her shoulders.

“It’ll be dark soon. You’d better head back before it’s too late.”

“I know you won’t like hearing this.”

As Kasallin half-turned toward the outside,Shallen spoke in a voice that seemed to suppress a surge of tears.Or perhaps he was truly crying.But Kasallin didn’t bother to turn back and check his face.

“Still, I’m sorry.”

At that moment, Kasallin realized.The seemingly endless bad blood with Shallen had finally come to a complete end.There would likely be no need to meet him again.

But that didn’t stir any particular emotion in her heart.She had already anticipated it would end this way.

“….”

Without a reply, Kasallin lifted the curtain and stepped out of the tent.

In her heart, she bid a final farewell to Shallen,who quietly moved his lips and ultimately hung his head.

You probably won’t live well.You’ll likely suffer and regret until the moment your eyes close.But that, too, is the price you must pay.

As she stepped out of the meeting tent,everyone was busy dismantling the campsite and preparing to return.

Knights paired up to fold large tents,while servants cleaned up traces of bonfires and loaded supply crates onto wagons.

Kasallin looked for one person among them.But Parnes was nowhere to be seen.

A soldier dismantling a makeshift stable nearby noticed her intent and approached.

“I greet Your Majesty the Empress. Are you looking for His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Yes. Do you know where he is?”

“He’s probably over there. I saw him heading that way with Sir Vincent earlier.”

Kasallin turned her head toward where the soldier pointed.

At the edge of the forest where the evergreens began,two familiar figures appeared and disappeared among the swaying bushes.

Kasallin thanked the soldier and walked toward them.As she moved, Nigel and an escort knight naturally joined her from a distance.

Parnes and Vincent didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

Judging by Parnes’s stern expression,he seemed to be reprimanding Vincent for some fault.Vincent, standing before him, nodded calmly, as if he had no words to defend himself.

“Your Majesty, Sir Vincent was only following my orders.If you must scold someone, scold me.”

Kasallin quietly interjected between them.Vincent bowed his head and stepped back.Parnes’s icy gaze, sharp enough to freeze, landed on her face.

Contrary to his piercing look, which seemed ready to unleash harsh criticism,his first words caught Kasallin off guard.

“The Empress has done no wrong.The reason you came this far is because Vincent failed to serve you properly.”

“Sir Vincent did his best to protect me.”

“If he truly aimed to protect you with all his effort,he should never have brought you out of the palace in the first place.What if, by some stroke of bad luck, you had gone into labor during the journey?”

Parnes spoke in a voice that seemed to suppress something boiling deep within.Kasallin nodded.

“I know. I knew better than anyone how dangerous it wasto come this far while pregnant.But with Shallen plotting to harm Your Majesty,waiting day after day for news, feeling my blood dry up,didn’t seem good for the child in my womb either.You might think it’s a ridiculous excuse, but that’s truly how I felt.”

As Kasallin spoke with a slightly excited tone, pouring out her heart,Parnes’s cold gaze softened just a fraction.

But he still frowned deeply, as if he couldn’t accept or forgive it.

“Why do you think I might die?Don’t you know how many battles I’ve been through?A small-scale skirmish like this doesn’t even count as a battle to me.Whether King Shallen aimed to kill me or not,that’s entirely my burden to bear.”

“But if I hadn’t shown up then,you would surely have been hit by that arrow.”

“An arrow or two won’t kill me.If I were the type to die from such things,I probably would’ve been dead before I turned twenty.”

Parnes’s voice was resolute.He was merely stating the facts as he knew them,with no intention of blaming or mocking Kasallin.

That was what hurt Kasallin’s heart.How many brutal battles must he have endured since before he was fully grownto speak so lightly of “an arrow or two”?How many wounds must he have suffered to realize he wouldn’t die so easily?

Sympathy for him welled up, and at the same time, anger began to surge.She loved him deeply, and she thought she’d made it clear they shared the same feelings,yet he still didn’t seem to understand.

Kasallin took a heavy step toward him, her face filled with resolve.Seeing the anger in her expression, Parnes fell silent.

“Your Majesty, do you think I only worry when you’re at risk of dying?You act as if the world is collapsing over a small scratch on me,worrying endlessly. I worry about you the same way.That has nothing to do with how strong you are.”

“If you worry about me to that extent,have you ever considered how much I worry about you?”

Kasallin hesitated for a moment.Seizing the opportunity, he continued.

“Put yourself in my shoes.Imagine how it felt to see your beloved wife,heavy with child, step into a battlefield where blood spills and swords fly.”

“….”

“When I heard your voice from that hill,you’ll probably never understand what I thought… not in your entire life.”