The meeting finished without a hitch. Valentina could feel relieved as the participants had decided to perform the coronation ceremony as quickly as possible without waiting for spring as Ruslan had originally requested.
──But, I wonder whether there’s still enough strength left in him to go through the ceremony.
Valentina mused while looking up to the slowly darkening sky from a hallway in the palace. Unconsciously a sigh escaped her lips, and she realized just how tired she was.
──It’s only natural. I had to do my utmost to somehow lead a defeated army back and went to the meeting without getting any rest. Even during the retreat I had no opportunity to properly rest up. But, before retiring to my room, I must meet His Highness. Ruslan and Valery. I’m sure both have heard about our defeat, so I need to assure them.
It was at that moment that a single civil official darted across the hallway with a pale face.
“Lady Vanadis! Lady Vanadis! Oh, there you are!”
After listening to his reports, which was repeatedly interrupted by his heavy panting, Valentina’s eyes flew wide open. The official had informed her that Grand Chamberlain Miron had seized Valery atop the wall.
“What does that mean…?”
The black-haired Vanadis, who had used countless schemes, was so flabbergasted that she could only pose such a mediocre question. She didn’t understand why Valery would go atop the wall as the prince should have never left the palace’s compound to begin with. She also didn’t have a clue why the boy had been seized by Miron.
The official shook his head, making clear that he hadn’t any idea either. Valentina fixed her hold on Ezendeis and started to run through the hallways.
──And why of all things atop the wall?
She couldn’t leap there with her draconic art as such Valentina had no choice but to run with her long, black hair disheveled and irritation as well as impatience gnawing at her.
When she left the palace and arrived at the wall, the sky had already become dim. Before climbing atop the wall, Valentina had to get her breathing in order while supporting herself with Ezendeis as a crutch. The accumulated fatigue turned into an invisible hand that grabbed her whole body, threatening to drag her down to the ground at any moment. She suspected that the effect of the chains, which sealed her draconic tool’s powers, had an influence on her feeling the heaviness of Ezendeis.
The Osterode soldiers atop the wall, who had noticed Valentina’s presence, rushed down to her.
Valentina didn’t have any margin to smile, and thus asked them with a grave expression, “What about His Highness Valery?”
Several of the soldiers looked at each other, obviously confused. One among them reported, “He’s being pinned down by His Excellency the Grand Chamberlain. His Excellency told us to stay away while trusting a dagger at His Highness.
She could fully understand that they found it troublesome as they didn’t know how to explain it best. But, this much was enough for Valentina. She could confirm that Valery was safe for the moment.
“Did everyone silently watch the Grand Chamberlain drag His Highness all the way to the wall?” Valentina’s voice contained reproach.
One of the soldiers answered, “No… Ever since you, Lady Vanadis, departed, His Highness started to read his books atop the wall while the sun was out…. And just as he was doing the same today as well, the Grand Chamberlain…”
Valentina felt dumbstruck. Valery had waited for her return every day. Even though Valentina hadn’t done much more for him than allowing him to read stories. And even that had been a matter of merely ten-odd days at her departure.
“I shall go myself. You guys wait down here. Let’s see, come back after a quarter koku. Also──”
Valentina hesitated for an instant, wondering whether she should inform Ruslan of this. But, right now Valentina didn’t know Ruslan’s current condition.
In the end, Valentina left her words unfinished, and climbed the wall.
A strong wind blew atop the rampart, making her hair and the hem of her dress flutter. The dress covering her body was slightly dirty and some of the rose ornaments were gone. But, Valentina’s eyes were brimming with a strong will as if her exhaustion was but a distant dream.
Some Osterode soldiers were still left on the wall. After listening to them, Valentina went ahead, just to discover Miron and Valery before long. Miron had wrapped his left arm around Valery’s slender neck, holding down the young prince. Miron’s eyes were restlessly darting around while he was tightly grasping a dagger in his right hand. It was the same dagger which had deeply injured Eugene. Apparently having fainted, Valery was limply hanging his head.
“What is your intention behind this, Grand Chamberlain?” Valentina confronted him with a frosty tone while enduring the weight of Ezendeis.
Miron’s shoulders jumped with a start and he directed his eyes at Valentina.
“I-It’s for the sake of H-His Highness Ruslan…” Miron spat out with his face twisted to an eerie degree.
Valentina furrowed her eyebrows, “I don’t even want to know what you’re trying to do here. Let go of His Highness. It is high treason what you’re currently doing. Stealing His Highness’s freedom, threatening him with a blade, and taking him hostage…just where did your pride as servant of the kingdom go?”
While saying all that, Valentina directed her anger at herself. She had taken Miron too lightly. Not in her wildest dreams had she suspected that he’d act so recklessly. That oversight had put the young prince’s life in peril. She couldn’t forgive herself for that.
Visibly gasping hard, Miron defended himself with all his facial wrinkles squirming, “Soon Tigrevurmud Vorn is going to show up at Silesia with an army in his back. Just like Bydgauche’s forces had tried to attack this capital in the past. That’s why I will have His Highness Valery die here.”
Valentina was lost for words. As she stood there dumbfounded, Miron further added, “What if…what if Earl Vorn was to demand something like hurting His Highness Ruslan? Is it not our only choice to win his favor by offering him His Highness Valery’s head before he can make that demand?”
When he mentioned Valery’s head, Miron’s wrinkled finger stroked Valery’s neck. Valentina was frozen in place, unable to find any words as she stared at the elderly man. This man had said they should offer Valery’s life for the sake of somehow extending Ruslan’s life. He hadn’t gone mad. Instead he was exceedingly serious and earnest. And hideous.
“──Very well. I will go along with your idea.”
Shouldering Ezendeis, she gripped the big scythe with both hands. Maintaining that stance, she took one step towards Miron. The elderly chamberlain knitted his eyebrows.
“What are you planning? No, toss away your draconic tool, Lady Valentina.”
“I shall negotiate the terms with Earl Vorn. While bringing him His Highness’ head and yours. ──For the sake of His Highness Ruslan.”
“Don’t be ridiculous….!” Miron shouted, shock dyeing his face.
Valentina closed the distance between them by taking another step.
“I am not ridiculous. It’s not like your head as Grand Chamberlain is completely worthless, right?” Valentina giggled while bearing the pressure and weariness weighing down on her.
She kicked off the ground with her black hair fluttering. Miron screamed and drew back while thrusting Valery away. Valery’s body staggered, being on the verge of falling off the wall.
A shrill metallic clank reverberated. It was the sound of the draconic tool falling to the ground. Valentina had abandoned her weapon and rushed over to Valery, succeeding in catching his body before it fell into the emptiness.
“…Tina?”
Apparently having recovered his consciousness, Valery called out to her while in her arms. The impact against her lower back followed immediately afterwards. The black-haired Vanadis turned her head while hugging Valery.
A dagger’s hilt was growing out of her back. The flowing blood kept staining her pure-white dress crimson at a surprising rate. Once she shifted her eyes, she found Miron stumbling backwards, his body swaying and his face ghastly pale.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty… I finished off the royal family’s enemy. I have…” Miron retreated further while muttering incoherently.
His mind had started to escape reality and he was obviously talking to some dweller of his imaginary world. But, Valentina’s wrathful glare pulled him back to this world. Noticing the sharp glint in her eyes, Miron swallowed his breath, and backed off even further. Just for his heel to step beyond the wall’s edge.
He didn’t scream. Miron simply fell with shock plastered all over his face. And then he struck the ground. Valentina peered below the wall with Valery still in her arms. Miron’s body, faintly visible within the darkness, was twisted like a broken doll.
Suddenly, a weird idea hit Valentina.
Wasn’t it King Viktor’s deep-rooted delusion that he wanted to install Ruslan on the throne that caused Miron to move? Hadn’t that wish, which vanished eight years ago, revived alongside Ruslan’s comeback and inspired that old man after King Viktor’s death…?
Power escaped Valentina’s body. It slowly crumbled down on the spot.
“Tina…!” Valery screamed out sorrowfully.
When Valentina tried to answer with “Your Highness,” Valentina was forced to realize that it was a lot more painful for her to muster her voice than she had expected. Her breathing became rough and her body felt sluggish.
“Forgive me, but would you be able to call His Highness Ruslan to this place…?”
Despite their location steadily getting darker, Valentina could still see him nod over and over again with tears in his eyes. While listening to the much too young prince running away, Valentina absentmindedly and incoherently pondered about various things.
This seems to be the limit of my ability. In the end, I seem to join the ranks of those who desired the crown but dropped out halfway. It’s impossible to not feel any regret. But, now that I’m on the verge of death, it’s mundane, and even pitiful, to make any assumptions. Still, for me to lose my life not because of a battle or some plot, but merely for the sake of saving a single child…
However, when Valentina thought of Valery, a warm feeling of satisfaction spread inside her chest.
At least you──
“Tina.”
Valentina was pulled back to reality when she was suddenly addressed by her pet name. Next thing she knew, she was sitting in the pool of blood she had created herself. Then she realized that she had to have lost consciousness at some point.
Once she lifted her face, she spotted Ruslan with his body wrapped up in loose clothes. Next to him stood Valery. She was about to call him Petrov. Not because her consciousness was hazy, but because she was trying to tell him that she knew. However, all that escaped her lips was a sigh.
Ruslan embraced Valentina in his arms. He had probably perceived from her expression that she couldn’T be saved anymore. Meanwhile Valery was doing his utmost to shoulder Ezendeis.
“Thank you for all that you have done for me until now.”
At that point Valentina’s consciousness cut off once more. The next time she came to, a courtyard-like scenery was reflected in her dim field of vision. Apparently she had been taken off the wall.
She didn’t know, but this was the place where Ruslan had set fire eight years ago after becoming mentally ill.
“Ezendeis……” Valentina mumbled painfully.
The instant she grasped that she was about to lose her life, she recalled what she had to do above all else. Obeying its wielder’s call, the long-handled scythe jumped through space, disappearing out of Valery’s hands and reappearing in Valentina’s.
“Ezendeis.” Valentina called the name of her beloved draconic tool once more, and powerfully hugged it so as to express her gratitude for him having lent her his power all this time. And then she bid farewell, “──I wanted to become queen, no, I tried to become one.”
This was the first and the last time she would ever voice out her ambition since grasping Ezendeis with her hands. A Vanadis was someone who served and protected the king, but a Vanadis was in no position to take the throne for herself.
The draconic tool in her hands, which went by the alias of Cracked Void of Sealed Sinisterness, quivered faintly. As if lamenting that its wielder had broken a taboo. And also, as if unwilling to part for eternity.
“Thanks…”
Thanks to you, I was able to choose this way of life.
The scythe was wrapped up in a pale light. Ezendeis soundlessly and all too quickly disappeared out of Valentina’s hands.
Ruslan sat down next to her, who had stopped being a Vanadis, and took her hand. A gentle smile formed on her face with its eyes closed.
And then Valentina Estes passed away.
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