“Yua…”
Even as her muscles begin to fail her, she breathes out the name of her daughter.
“Arnight…”
Her vision is beginning to blur, it’s hard to focus on the face of her son. She exerts the last of her strength.
“Dear…”
She calls out to her loved ones.
“…Show me your faces.”
The Queen reached out. The King and Yua took her hand. Arnight was still unconscious.
He isn’t there to hear his mother’s last words. Taking pity on him, Veena restores his consciousness with magic. And, Arnight woke up.
“Fuah….! Where am… Eh…?”
He’s speechless when he sees the sight in front of him. When he regained his senses, he yelled “Mother!” and ran up to her.
“W-what has happened to you, Mother…”
As she heard Arnight’s voice, the Queen smiled at Veena in deep gratitude. She then looked back to her husband and daughter, that smile still on her lips.
There’s no better way she could have gone, defending her child from mortal danger. She doesn’t have any regrets. Although, not being able to watch over the growth of her children does fill her with sorrow.
Veena leaves the side of the throne quietly so as not to disturb the family’s final moments with her. As she walked, she ran into Leena, whose clothes were dyed red with blood.
“Oh, big sish! How did your job go?”
Veena shook her head and muttered.
“I failed. That man took the Queen’s life.”
“Hmm, maybe it’sh a good thing that the Queen is gone? Sho long as Yua and Arnight are shtill alive, right?”
Even though she wants to say “Yes, you’re right.” the feelings in Veena’s heart are complicated. Leena tilts her head at Veena, who wore a bitter smile. It was then that she noticed.
“Oh, big sish. I’ll heal those burnsh for you right now.”
“Ah, please.”
Veena holds her hands out, and Leena takes them.
“There!”
In harmony with that cute voice, Veena is enveloped in a white light, and the burns are removed as if time had been rolled back.
“There, you should feel better now!”
“Thank you, Leena. As expected of you.”
“Ehehe… Thish much is eashy for me!”
“Fufu. Have you heard anything from father and brother?”
Veena asks as she strokes Leena’s head proudly.
“Um, lemme see, father is shafe, he occupied the place they were using as a base. Brother drove away the rebels in the town with the help of the knightsh It doesn’t seem like there were many victimsh.”
Leena reports on what happened outside the castle proper.
“I see, then that means I’m the only one who failed.”
“Nuh uh, that’s not true! If so, then ‘we’ failed, big sish!”
That’s wrong. Leena perfectly annihilated the rebels that were rampaging throughout the rest of the castle by herself. There’s no way she did anything wrong.
Leena continued.
“I let that important guy get away. When that Deschending Earth Calamity spell happened I lost track of him. It’s because of me that thingsh got this bad.”
“Well, maybe.”
Veena sighed with a small smile.
“I bet father is going to be really angry.”
“Don’t worry, Leena will be there with you!”
“Fufu, then let’s apologize together then.”
“Okay!”
The two girls walked away together down that long, blood-soaked corridor.
After Veena’s departure, the last words were said in the throne room.
“Mother…”
Although Arnight can’t grasp the situation, he still understands that his mother is close to death, and is racked with sobs.
“Arnight… You are a strong child… Train in the sword… Become a wonderful knight of the kingdom… Don’t lose to anyone… Polish your sword… Dedicate it to the country… The people… Guide them… Your brothers and sisters… Please get along with them… Be together with Veena… Be happy…”
“…Yes. Mother, I swear to you on my sword.”
Arnight wiped away his tears and nodded with strong eyes. Looking at that, she felt relieved.
“Dear…”
“What?”
She sees the King in her unfocused vision.
“I love you.”
“Oh, I know.”
The Queen is relieved to hear his usual answer.
“Fufu… Just once, for this final time, I’d like to hear you say those words to me as well.”
“…That’s right. Ah, you’re right.”
The King stroked his Queen’s head.
“I… No, I couldn’t repay your love in the end. Honestly, I don’t really understand love myself. I felt like I would be belittling your love if I whispered words I didn’t understand to you. I’m so sorry for being such an awkward man.”
He himself hadn’t noticed his feelings.
“But, I loved the time I spent with you.”
“…Yes. I feel the same way.”
“I was truly happy.”
“I was happy too… Honestly…”
The two of them laughed together. And finally,
“Yua… You are a gentle child…”
The Queen’s gaze fell on Yua.
“Your magical power is amazing, even stronger than your brothers’. Please use that power to protect the country… And the ones you cherish… Live to be their guardian…”
Her voice began to weaken.
“Do not give in to anger… Or arrogance… Or greed… Just… Stay true to yourself…”
As she heard her mother’s last words, she nodded as she thought of Veena.
“Yes, I will always protect them. So… Please be at peace, mother.”
On that day, the Queen of the Kingdom of Lafalis passed away at the hands of the rebel army. Surrounded by her family, she left this world with a smile on her face.
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
(…Mother, I might have betrayed that trust you placed in me.)
As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw Veena’s sleeping face next to her. If she moved her face just a little, their lips would touch.
A soft and warm sleeping breath caresses Yua’s cheeks.
(But mother, even so, I don’t regret the choice I made. Because to me… protecting this person is much more important than protecting any country.)
Yua touched Veena’s cheek. The cheek of her most beloved person.
(I will do anything for you. Even if you make the whole country your enemy.)
Yua kissed Veena on the forehead.
“Yua…”
Even as her muscles begin to fail her, she breathes out the name of her daughter.
“Arnight…”
Her vision is beginning to blur, it’s hard to focus on the face of her son. She exerts the last of her strength.
“Dear…”
She calls out to her loved ones.
“…Show me your faces.”
The Queen reached out. The King and Yua took her hand. Arnight was still unconscious.
He isn’t there to hear his mother’s last words. Taking pity on him, Veena restores his consciousness with magic. And, Arnight woke up.
“Fuah….! Where am… Eh…?”
He’s speechless when he sees the sight in front of him. When he regained his senses, he yelled “Mother!” and ran up to her.
“W-what has happened to you, Mother…”
As she heard Arnight’s voice, the Queen smiled at Veena in deep gratitude. She then looked back to her husband and daughter, that smile still on her lips.
There’s no better way she could have gone, defending her child from mortal danger. She doesn’t have any regrets. Although, not being able to watch over the growth of her children does fill her with sorrow.
Veena leaves the side of the throne quietly so as not to disturb the family’s final moments with her. As she walked, she ran into Leena, whose clothes were dyed red with blood.
“Oh, big sish! How did your job go?”
Veena shook her head and muttered.
“I failed. That man took the Queen’s life.”
“Hmm, maybe it’sh a good thing that the Queen is gone? Sho long as Yua and Arnight are shtill alive, right?”
Even though she wants to say “Yes, you’re right.” the feelings in Veena’s heart are complicated. Leena tilts her head at Veena, who wore a bitter smile. It was then that she noticed.
“Oh, big sish. I’ll heal those burnsh for you right now.”
“Ah, please.”
Veena holds her hands out, and Leena takes them.
“There!”
In harmony with that cute voice, Veena is enveloped in a white light, and the burns are removed as if time had been rolled back.
“There, you should feel better now!”
“Thank you, Leena. As expected of you.”
“Ehehe… Thish much is eashy for me!”
“Fufu. Have you heard anything from father and brother?”
Veena asks as she strokes Leena’s head proudly.
“Um, lemme see, father is shafe, he occupied the place they were using as a base. Brother drove away the rebels in the town with the help of the knightsh It doesn’t seem like there were many victimsh.”
Leena reports on what happened outside the castle proper.
“I see, then that means I’m the only one who failed.”
“Nuh uh, that’s not true! If so, then ‘we’ failed, big sish!”
That’s wrong. Leena perfectly annihilated the rebels that were rampaging throughout the rest of the castle by herself. There’s no way she did anything wrong.
Leena continued.
“I let that important guy get away. When that Deschending Earth Calamity spell happened I lost track of him. It’s because of me that thingsh got this bad.”
“Well, maybe.”
Veena sighed with a small smile.
“I bet father is going to be really angry.”
“Don’t worry, Leena will be there with you!”
“Fufu, then let’s apologize together then.”
“Okay!”
The two girls walked away together down that long, blood-soaked corridor.
After Veena’s departure, the last words were said in the throne room.
“Mother…”
Although Arnight can’t grasp the situation, he still understands that his mother is close to death, and is racked with sobs.
“Arnight… You are a strong child… Train in the sword… Become a wonderful knight of the kingdom… Don’t lose to anyone… Polish your sword… Dedicate it to the country… The people… Guide them… Your brothers and sisters… Please get along with them… Be together with Veena… Be happy…”
“…Yes. Mother, I swear to you on my sword.”
Arnight wiped away his tears and nodded with strong eyes. Looking at that, she felt relieved.
“Dear…”
“What?”
She sees the King in her unfocused vision.
“I love you.”
“Oh, I know.”
The Queen is relieved to hear his usual answer.
“Fufu… Just once, for this final time, I’d like to hear you say those words to me as well.”
“…That’s right. Ah, you’re right.”
The King stroked his Queen’s head.
“I… No, I couldn’t repay your love in the end. Honestly, I don’t really understand love myself. I felt like I would be belittling your love if I whispered words I didn’t understand to you. I’m so sorry for being such an awkward man.”
He himself hadn’t noticed his feelings.
“But, I loved the time I spent with you.”
“…Yes. I feel the same way.”
“I was truly happy.”
“I was happy too… Honestly…”
The two of them laughed together. And finally,
“Yua… You are a gentle child…”
The Queen’s gaze fell on Yua.
“Your magical power is amazing, even stronger than your brothers’. Please use that power to protect the country… And the ones you cherish… Live to be their guardian…”
Her voice began to weaken.
“Do not give in to anger… Or arrogance… Or greed… Just… Stay true to yourself…”
As she heard her mother’s last words, she nodded as she thought of Veena.
“Yes, I will always protect them. So… Please be at peace, mother.”
On that day, the Queen of the Kingdom of Lafalis passed away at the hands of the rebel army. Surrounded by her family, she left this world with a smile on her face.
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
(…Mother, I might have betrayed that trust you placed in me.)
As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw Veena’s sleeping face next to her. If she moved her face just a little, their lips would touch.
A soft and warm sleeping breath caresses Yua’s cheeks.
(But mother, even so, I don’t regret the choice I made. Because to me… protecting this person is much more important than protecting any country.)
Yua touched Veena’s cheek. The cheek of her most beloved person.
(I will do anything for you. Even if you make the whole country your enemy.)
Yua kissed Veena on the forehead.
