CHAPTER 55……………
Lete cut me off so sharply that I lost all will to resist.
“But the two of them…”
“Your Highness, you need to rest now. Worry about them tomorrow.”
“Mm.”
“Please get some real rest tonight.”
At that point, there was no way I could go against her words.
But even after the lights went out, I tossed and turned in bed for a long time.
Worries aren’t something you can just kick off the balcony.
Even if I did, they’d just come knocking back at my balcony glass like this…
Tok, tok, tok.
“Huh?”
I shot up at the sound of a light knock.
As far as I knew, there was only one guy reckless enough to climb up my balcony that way.
And of course.
“Ares!”
“…Shion.”
There he was, Ares, covered in band-aids all over his forehead and cheeks, standing outside the glass door.
I hurriedly unlatched the lock and grabbed his hand.
This kid’s insanely lucky! How the hell did he get away with just some bruises from that?
But when I looked up at him, his expression was utterly miserable.
“Ares, what’s wrong? Does it hurt a lot?”
“……”
“Are you hurt worse than this?”
“……”
“Ares…?”
I tilted my head in growing unease.
Wait… don’t tell me?
Could it be he’s badly hurt inside? Did he injure his hearing? Or maybe he’s so concussed he can’t talk anymore?!
I rose up on tiptoe and cupped his cheeks in both hands.
Ares flinched at my touch, clenching his jaw and looking away.
“Ares, you’re really okay, right—”
“……”
“…Wait. Are you… crying?”
The arrogant, brash, cocky youngest of this palace—
Ares was standing there, cheeks trapped in my hands, with furious tears rolling down his face.
No matter how hard I wiped, more kept falling.
My head went blank in panic.
Oh no. He really must be hurt.
“Ares. Why… why are you crying?”
“……”
“You really are hurt, aren’t you? I’ll call Grandpa right now!”
Even if he snuck here in the middle of the night, neither Lete nor Minte would scold a patient.
Big Sis will bring the court physician Grandpa! Just wait!
But just as I turned, Ares muttered in a raspy, broken voice.
“…I should’ve held back that day.”
“Huh?”
“That day… if only I hadn’t lost control.”
His face looked like his whole world had crumbled.
“If only I hadn’t gone berserk like an idiot, you wouldn’t be suffering like this now.”
“Ares. This isn’t your fault!”
“But…”
“And you were the one in the most danger today! Don’t cry.”
After all, the pain I feel is because of my useless divine power.
It has nothing to do with the rampage he caused when we first met.
But I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that.
Even though he was still gritting his teeth, tears streaming down.
“Still… what if… what if I could somehow…”
“……”
“Shion… when you use your power… does it not hurt?”
Dark wet spots spread one by one across the carpet beneath us.
I silently wiped away the tear stains trailing down his cheeks.
The same Ares who always recoiled from being patted like a child, now quiet.
“Ares. It’s really okay. None of this is your fault.”
“But…!”
He tried to argue, but I firmly shook my head.
If anything, I was the one who should be apologizing.
You’re blaming yourself, suffering like this. And I’m the worst for keeping silent, knowing you’ll carry that guilt.
…But when I saw his face—like he’d rather be punished—I gestured for him to lean closer.
Puzzled, Ares bent down to meet my eyes, and I softly kissed his forehead.
This boy who blames himself for my pain… was so pitiful.
So unbearably dear to me.
And I felt so sorry that he would never know the truth.
“Ares. With you… it’s fine.”
“Shion…?”
“Even if, one day, you end up doing something truly terrible to me—”
I looked at his stunned face, mouth opening and closing without a word, and smiled tenderly.
“I’ll forgive you.”
This is, after all, the great Saintess’s absolution.
This boy who makes my heart ache tonight…
No matter what he does to me in the future, I’ll forgive him.
That was both my repentance and my gratitude for the tears he shed tonight.
A few seconds later, Ares stood up wordlessly, covering his mouth with his hands, utterly flustered.
“Hmph. Well… if you’re willing to forgive me that much, I guess I should accept it gratefully.”
“…Looks like you’ve perked up a bit. Now go back to your room. Tomorrow morning we’ll—”
“What are you two doing?”
…We’ll meet with Carion early in the morning, I was about to say.
But Carion was already standing on the balcony, sulking.
Since when did my balcony become a public square?
I’ll scold them all properly someday, but not tonight.
I hurried over, checking Carion for injuries.
“Carion, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine… aside from the Epikus sisters being a little mad…”
He still looked so deflated.
But since I had realized something myself, I squeezed his hand firmly.
“Don’t be upset about that, Carion.”
“Lady Shion…”
“I know you came to help me. But that doesn’t make it okay.”
Now, at last, I could see the situation objectively.
Because everyone kept calling me mature, I acted like a real adult.
But what if Ares or Carion had leapt into that collapsing ground and never come back?
I would’ve gone mad with grief and anger too.
Even if they did it to save someone.
Carion hung his head and murmured.
“…Yes. I was wrong. But in that moment, I couldn’t think.”
“I… I understand.”
I was used to throwing away my own safety to save others.
And he must’ve been forced to struggle desperately just to survive all this time.
Still, I shook my head, gripping his hand.
“Things are different now.”
“Lady Shion…”
“Both of us… we need to start trusting others more, and live with them.”
Not that I had much right to lecture.
But Carion smiled faintly and nodded.
The warmth of his hand closing over mine was comforting.
Just then, Ares deliberately tapped his foot against the floor, loud enough to hear.
When Carion glared, Ares snorted.
“Mind backing away from Shion already?”
“Well, look at you. Getting patient all of a sudden—must be the injuries teaching you restraint?”
“Ha! I don’t know about restraint, but I did just get a reward from Shion.”
“…A reward?”
“Ask her yourself if you’re so curious.”
“What the—”
The two of them started grinding their teeth at each other.
For a couple of beat-up boys, they sure have plenty of energy.
I clutched my throbbing forehead with both hands and pleaded.
“Ares, Carion. Quiet. Please, QUIIIET!”
Both of them were precious to me. Really, truly precious!
But why do they always give me one minute of touching emotion, then five minutes of headaches!
Carion and Ares’s bickering only ended when Lete appeared.
Her face radiated the last drops of patience she had.
“You—honestly, how could you all—after being injured like this!”
Unable to scold patients, she just trembled with frustration.
Finally, she shoved the two boys toward the door, shouting:
“Such reckless thoughts! This gathering is dissolved, dissolved!”
“Yes, ma’am…”
“Sorry, Lady Epikus…”
I couldn’t say a word either, just waved at the boys as they were dragged out.
Even as they left, they were still growling at each other.
Ah, my precious enemies.
But maybe it was a relief, after such danger, to see them so lively.
With a deep sigh, I crawled back under the blankets.
I’ll check tomorrow if the event really wasn’t ruined.
And whether the rescued children are alright too.
But then…
“…Wait. What exactly did I see before I went in after the children?”
Alone in the quiet room, the strangeness hit me all at once.
In broad daylight, wide awake—and I’d seen an afterimage of the Capital’s temple?
And that woman—who was she?
Black hair, long and flowing. Silver-gray eyes.
The one who had lectured me about the “mission of the Great Saintess.”
“…Huh?”
I froze under the blanket.
Anyone from Halkion would’ve recognized her from the founding history books.
…Wasn’t that the First Great Saintess?!
