Elena wanted to move, but her body was too weak. She knew that if she lost consciousness here, she would die.
‘No, please. It can’t end here.’
She lay on the ground as she struggled to stay awake.
From this point on, she would grow old with Father, Derek, and Mirabelle. She would see her siblings get married and hug her beautiful nieces and nephews.
The baby in her belly would also grow up to be a healthy child, and they would live happily together with Carlisle.
The dream was right in front of her, and it couldn’t end here.
‘Please…please…’
She tried to lift up her body, but it felt as heavy as soaked cotton. In her ears, she could hear a voice calling out to her from a distance.
“Your Majesty, where are you?”
Elena recognized the voice immediately. It was Kuhn. She wondered how he got here, but she found it even more surprising that there was still someone around to save her. The surrounding area had already been engulfed by flames, and everyone would have already burned to death.
Nevertheless, Kuhn did not give up his search.
“Your Majesty, please answer!”
She could hear the voices of other soldiers from far away. Elena felt a ray of hope. If only she could yell, she could tell them she was here…and she might be able to come out alive.
But time was running out swiftly. If she ended up trapped in the ever-growing inferno, there was no way for anyone to reach her.
‘They need to know I’m here…somehow.’
She wanted to scream loudly, but she didn’t have the energy to do so.
‘What should I do? Is there no other way?’
Her strength was rapidly fading, and she weakly turned her head. Her broken bow came into view. She couldn’t shoot any more arrows with it, but that didn’t mean it was useless.
“Ugh…”
Elena grasped the bow, then hit it as hard as she could against Paveluc’s sword.
Tang! Tang! Tang!
Her signal for help rang out in the fiery air. It wasn’t particularly booming, but she hoped it echoed far away enough for it to be noticed.
It was then.
As if Elena’s desperate wish had reached him, a man soon appeared in the smoke not too far away. He had a handkerchief pressed against his mouth, and he had pale skin and dark blue hair.
“Your Majesty!”
Kuhn’s usual composure broke, and he stumbled towards Elena.
“Forgive my rudeness.”
It was normal for him to touch Elena’s body under these circumstances, but Kuhn still kept his manners out of habit. She wanted to say thank you, but she could barely rasp out a breath from her dry lips. Kuhn lifted her with all his strength, and she hung limply on his back.
“I found her! Everyone get out of here!”
The thick smoke obscured everything in the vicinity, but several voices yelled back in reply.
“Yes, sir!”
The flames were more intense in the area where Kuhn found Elena, and he took a few readying steps backwards, before dashing forward into a running jump. He flew over a fallen burning tree before landing bodily on the ground.
At the same time, Elena glanced back at the clearing where Kuhn had pulled her from. Paveluc’s body was engulfed in flames. She shuddered at the thought she too would have been burned if Kuhn had arrived just a little bit later.
‘…Thank God.’
Elena once again said a prayer of thanks. The tension in her body loosened, and her eyelids slipped close. She mentally spoke to her child in her belly.
‘You’ve been through so much. Because of you, I was able to endure all this way.’
Each time Elena wanted to give up, the thought of her child pushed her forward. The child had come so suddenly and was unplanned, but she now felt as if its presence was meant to lead her here.
When Kuhn finally found safety from the flames, he gently lowered Elena from his back. His voice trembled with concern for her.
“Stay with me, Your Majesty. Are you alright?”
She managed to crack open her heavy eyelids and nodded lightly. Kuhn looked visibly relieved.
Elena relaxed, then finally fell into unconsciousness. She could now sleep in peace.
Hopefully she would see Carlisle soon. She missed him.
***
Derek’s unit spent a long time in Lunen searching for Elena’s and Alphord’s dead bodies. Derek wanted to recover them and return them to their rightful place the Ruford Empire.
Not long afterwards, however, they learned that a large number of Paveluc’s troops were heading towards the border, and Derek’s unit was forced to return to the main area of conflict. The pain of losing one’s family was great, but Derek had to report to Carlisle.
Tadag, tadag.
Derek and his men arrived at the Ruford camp, their expressions somber. A soldier from the camp rushed up to him.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Yes…where is the Emperor?”
“He’s on the battlefield. Do you wish to inform him you’re here?”
Carlisle had been anxiously waiting for news about Elena, and he would likely put everything aside upon hearing of Derek’s return. However, Derek found himself incapable of meeting face-to-face with Carlisle.
Derek…didn’t save Elena. Before his departure, everyone involved in the rescue mission vowed not to return alive without her. Derek did not forget his pledge, and so after he did his duty and reported the truth to Carlisle, he intended to die a heroic death on the front lines.
Derek’s expression was grave when he spoke.
“No. I’ll go see him myself.”
“I’ll guide you to him.”
Derek nodded weakly, then followed the soldier into the battlefield. There, a fierce war was raging between the Ruford and Lunen soldiers. From afar, Derek was able to spot Carlisle in the mass of violence; it wasn’t hard, as the Emperor was a glorious figure, riding atop his powerful steed and slashing his gleaming sword. Derek sensed he was an inspiring figure among the Ruford soldiers, as their leader did not spare himself from combat.
The soldier who guided Derek looked hesitant.
“His Majesty is fighting…”
“I’ll go down there myself.”
“Ah—”
Before the soldier could finish speaking, Derek urged his horse to a full gallop towards Carlisle. As he entered the battlefield, enemy attacks rushed up at him from all sides.
Swig! Swiig!
He slashed at the Lunen soldiers, gradually fighting his way towards Carlisle, and the distance gradually narrowed between them.
It was then that Derek spotted a Lunen soldier sprinting towards Carlisle from behind, the soldier’s large spear aimed directly at the Emperor. The soldier gave a fierce cry.
“Die!”
Carlisle whirled around, but before he could react, Derek blocked the attack instead. Derek swung his sword, and a large slash appeared on the enemy’s chest, causing blood to spurt from his body. The soldier collapsed to the ground, dead.
Kuuuung!
But for Carlisle, that didn’t matter. His blue eyes lit up as soon as he recognized Derek, the first one to arrive from the rescue mission. Only news of Elena mattered to Carlisle now.
“Where is my wife?”
He forewent any other questions and went straight to the most important topic. His eyes darted around in search for Elena, who might be nearby.
Derek hadn’t the heart to speak. He had lost his father and sister in one night. Nothing could be changed. As Derek looked at Carlisle, he sensed that the Emperor would be grieved by the news of Elena as much as he was. No, perhaps even more.
“Where’s my wife?”
“…We’ll go back and talk, Your Majesty. It’s dangerous here.”
It was not something Derek could share in the middle of a battle. He intended to deliver his report back at camp.
But Carlisle did not have the patience to wait. He was trying to seek answers from Derek, but the other man kept evading his questions, and a sliver of fear wormed its way into Carlisle’s mind.
Carlisle’s face contorted in anger, and he yelled at Derek.
“Where is she, I ask!”
“…Your Majesty.”
“Answer me.”
“Her Majesty the Empress…is dead.”
Kung.
Carlisle’s heart dropped to the ground. He looked at Derek in disbelief.
“What…what are you talking about?”
“I’m sorry. She could not be saved. She was rescued from her imprisonment in Lunen…but on the way back here…”
The blood drained from Carlisle’s face. He stared unseeingly ahead with hollow-looking eyes.
“She’s dead…?”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t complete the mission, Your Majesty.”
“Don’t lie to me. Until I see it with my own eyes…I won’t believe it.”
Derek continued to gaze sadly at Carlisle, who was in a state of severe denial.
“It’s true. There was a battle between Grand Duke Lunen and our knights, and there were eyewitnesses who said they saw the body of the Empress and my father. I checked again, but…it’s all true.”
Carlisle’s heart began to pound wildly when he heard those words.
Kungkungkungkungkungkungkung
It was like a drumbeat that reverberated through his whole body. His ears rang, his head felt like it would split, and his legs were ready to give way under him.
“…Elena’s no more?”
He wanted to get angry at Derek’s nonsense words, but he knew all too well that Derek wouldn’t lie.
Carlisle could not comprehend that Elena was really dead. But what if it really was true? Now he would never see her anymore. He would not hear her voice call his name, nor would she give him a bright smile. If he closed his eyes, he could still imagine her face—but he could never touch her.
Carlisle stood as frozen as a statue. Derek knew exactly what emotions were currently running through the Emperor.
“My deepest regrets for the news. This place is dangerous, so we have to—”
But before he could finish speaking, Carlisle grabbed his own chest and gave a painful groan.
“Ugh.”
It was at that moment.
Carlisle’s right arm swelled alarmingly, tearing his sleeve and glove. In the blink of an eye, black scales shot up his right arm and spread throughout his body, reaching up to his face.
It was the first time the dragon mutation had reached this far. No matter who witnessed it, Carlisle clearly did not look human.
Derek’s eyes widened at Carlisle’s sudden transformation.
“Your-Your Majesty…”
