The Holy Land then disappeared. Vice Captain Élisabeth was the one to break our long silence.

“… Treat her with respect.”

“Yes ma’am!”

Her subordinates responded immediately.

Old lady Pomme’s body was quickly covered up by the Imperial Guard members who were now surrounding the lake.

I realized that the basket the old lady brought with her was an extremely old item belonging to the Count’s House of Andresy.

Inside were the silk clothes that Henriette had been wearing on the day she was thrown away, along with some apples.

Christelle placed the old lady’s belongings, the diamond necklace and the old notebook in there.

I tightly clenched the basket and did not let go. These were all evidence.

“Riquiescat in pace…”

Sir Johann mumbled while looking at the old lady’s body being carried away.

It was something said in an ancient language of the continent that I did not know, the Holy Language.

“Élisabeth, send an urgent message to the Imperial Capital. Inform her Majesty about the situation and get the circus troupe that came to Juliette Palace here immediately…”

The Imperial Crown Prince ordered in a scary voice. He had quickly made a judgment and acted on it.

I knew that he was not a kid but, maybe because his rage was vividly visible, every decision seemed dramatic.

Vice Captain Élisabeth quickly did as the crown prince ordered.

“Marquis-nim, Benjamin and Ganael are over there. I see Miss Haas as well.”

Christelle pointed toward the Lord’s Castle. I quietly nodded my head.

I took a look at the two moons over the lake one more time before leaving the grassy field.

Percy rubbed his body against my neck.

*

The next morning…

The greatest circus troupe in the Imperial Capital arrived at Sérénité.

They had received quite the thorough protection on their way over and the Imperial family paid for all expenses.

Chantal, the Chief Attendant of the Lord’s Castle, was great at her job.

She immediately contacted the Bishop of the Sérénité diocese as soon as Benjamin explained the situation to her.

She had everything quickly prepared for us despite our sudden arrival and even prepared the guestrooms for the circus troupe overnight.

“Thank you very much, Chantal. The rest of the staff as well. You all worked so hard for us despite it being so late.”

“It was nothing, my lord. It is my duty to decipher your wishes and fulfill your orders.”

She gently smiled.

Saying something like that was one thing; Chantal truly seemed to come from a famed family that had served the Imperial family for a long time.

It would not have been easy to accept the circus troupe, who were basically treated as the lowest class of people in the QNW world, as guests.

I was thankful that she saw through my heart and prepared things for them as she had done.

“Please sit over here, my lord.”

“Thank you, Benjamin. Ganael, you come here as well.”

“Yes, your highness.”

I motioned to Ganael who was a good boy and sat behind me.

I smiled seeing him sitting right next to the young Countess.

The young boy’s eyes were swollen after crying his heart out once he heard the full story.

The only temple in Sérénité was small and simple.

Over half of the seats were filled by the circus troupe members who were present for Old Lady Pomme and Henriette’s funeral service.

Henriette’s body was already cremated and gone, but we decided to hold a service for her as well.

Christelle, crown prince Cédric, Sir Johann, the attendants, the Imperial Guard and I sitting down as well made it completely full.

Joanne also attended while sniffling. Everybody other than the clergy were wearing white veils on their heads.

– Dang, dang, dang……

The bell outside the temple rang a few times. This was how they announced the start of the liturgy.

The room that had been full of sobbing and noises quieted down.

– Click, creeeeeak.

The door opened and Bishop Blaise Vaughn of the Sérénité diocese walked in with small steps.

It was such a small diocese that there was only one priest behind her.

The two of them looked reverent as they stood in front of the altar and bowed toward the old woman inside the coffin before going to their respective spots.

The bishop extended her arms toward us.

– Shaaaaaaaaaaaa…

A golden Holy Domain wrapped around the crown made of wildflowers.

The warm light reached a portion of the seats and consoled the crowd.

[We pray that the Almighty God will show mercy to those who have returned to their true hometown.]

“Sob, ugh, soooob…”

Serge the Clever, who was in the front seat, was crying without being able to hold back his sadness.

The other acrobats seemed to be barely holding themselves back as well.

The friends who had learned about the two women’s situation too late were clenching their teeth with their hearts in pain.

They were all mumbling in sorrow, asking why they had never been told about it, wondering if the two women had never meant it when they said that everybody in the group was one.

The Bishop’s prayer calmly continued through the storm of tears.

[Oh Almighty God. Please forgive the sins of your children, Pomme and Henriette, and please remember their lives forever…]

I suddenly looked to my side. I immediately made eye contact with a pair of sunken orange-colored eyes.

Thank you very much.”

I whispered to him. The crown prince responded in his low voice.

“For what?”

“For allowing them to have a proper funeral like this. I know their story is sad, but the two of them were criminals, so I know that all of this is thanks to your benevolence, your Royal Highness. You even allowed the circus troupe to come all the way here.”

“…”

He looked at me for a bit before silently turning his head to look at the Bishop.

The corners of my lips curled up.

Christelle, who was seated to my right, was praying.

I followed her lead to close my eyes and clasp my hands together.

I then prayed desperately for the two women who had passed away.

“Thank you for your Imperial benevolence, your Royal Highness. Thank you very much, your Royal Highness. We truly thank you from the bottom of our hearts…”

By the temple entrance after the service… The circus troupe bowed toward us.

It was right after they closed Old lady Pomme’s casket and wrapped it in silk to take it to be cremated.

A gentle southern breeze brushed through everybody’s hair.

“S, such esteemed individuals have bestowed upon us an u, unbelievable benevolence… Granny… And Henriette, I’m sure both of them were touched as well. Yes indeed……”

Serge the Clever stumbled over his words as he spoke.

He didn’t have many layers on him as he had rushed down, and his face looked thin as he had been interrogated until not too long ago.

It was fine here because it was warm, but he would be very cold once they returned to the Imperial Capital.

I pulled off the robe I had been wearing since we left Juliette Palace and wrapped it around his back.

David, who was standing to the back, anxiously gasped.

The acrobat became shocked and bowed even lower. His skinny body was shaking.

“M, my lord… How could you put such precious cloth on, on someone like me…”

“I don’t get cold very easily.”

I scratched my cheek as I answered. It wasn’t a lie because I really didn’t get cold very easily as Jung Yeseo.

“If you ever decide that you want to settle down… Please bring your friends and come to Sérénité. We have quite a bit of empty lands and houses.

“I really like people who are skilled in different ways.”

I added that last part to lift the mood but Serge and the acrobats sounded as if they were distressed as they placed their foreheads on the ground.

Joanne, who was shoving her veil into her pocket, chuckled.

I turned around to see if I said something wrong.

Benjamin and Chantal’s wrinkled eyes curled up and they nodded their heads.

‘That’s a relief.’

“Alright!”

“Let’s go, granny!”

“It’s our turn to escort her from here. Our turn.”

The acrobats slowly got up and lifted the old lady’s coffin on their shoulders.

They then energetically started walking toward the one and only crematorium in Sérénité.

Two soldiers from the Lord’s Castle served as their guide.

I heard the song of a young performer I had never heard from.

“We cried once so it is time to go to the pub. Gulp.
We drank once so it is time to go play. Yahoo!
We played once so it is time to go to sleep. Zz, zz.
We slept once and damn it was all a dream. Haha…”

We quietly stood there for a while watching them.

Joanne broke the silence as the distant acrobats turned a corner.

“Marquis-nim, that granny…”

“Yes?”

“Can I draw her? I saw an empty wall on my way here.”

“I would be grateful if you would do that. Could you please put her granddaughter’s name on it as well?”

I looked at her and answered.

Joanne smiled before giving us a half-baked bow and quickly leaving with some guards.

I was sure that she left to find some paint and a brush. She was the type of genius artist who needed to draw as soon as she got an inspiration.

It was possible that a masterpiece that < The Portrait of the Moon > could not even compare to was about to be created.

We then thanked Bishop Blaise and the priest for their service and said goodbye.

The thoughtful Bishop blessed us and then-

“I will leave after ringing the bell to calm the soul, your Royal Highness and Marquis Sérénité. That is the last step of the liturgy.”

She then left with the priest. Only our group was left in front of the building.

– Shaaaaaaaaaaa…

– Dang- dang- dang…

The leaves and trees waved with one heart thanks to the wind.

The clear sound of the bell felt as if it was ringing both near and far.

Sir Johann’s white hair fluttered like a kite.

Christelle and the young Countess were leaning against each other.

I petted Percy and looked up at the clear sky.

“Divine illness.”

The crown prince quietly said something at that moment. This time, it was my turn to look at him.

I’m sure I saw it wrong, but his orange-colored eyes seemed scared for a moment.

“If the deceased girl needed to sleep up to eighteen hours a day, it is highly likely that she had an ether problem.”

“…Your Royal Highness, Henriette just slept a lot. I heard that she has never even seen a healing priest. How do you…”

I stopped talking and my jaw dropped.

The crown prince seemed so certain about a person he had never even met. ‘Maybe?’

“Did you experience the same thing, your Royal Highness?”

“…”

Christelle cautiously asked and he did not answer.

It was his way of saying yes. The man’s gloved hand clenched into a fist.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times but chose not to ask any of the raging questions in my mind.

It may have been indirect, but this was the first time he told us anything about his condition.

I didn’t want to cause a fuss and make him take two steps back.

I already knew that his ether depletion had been severe since he was a baby. ‘Let’s not scare him.’

I calmly continued the conversation.

“I see. Then I guess you should put the orphanage into the group of people to investigate for the divine illness, your Royal Highness. If there are any children who were cast aside that show the same symptoms……”

“What you said is true.”

The crown prince was looking right at me. ‘What did I say?’

“Sarah Belliard’s grandson is innocent.”

“Uh…”

I blinked at the sudden change of topic. The man’s deep eyes sparkled with sincerity.

He was currently talking about what I told him on the day of the Harvest Festival parade.

It was the conversation we had in Sand’s place.

‘I’m sorry, your Royal Highness. I did think that there may be some issue between the Imperial family and Lady Belliard.’

‘We are not close, but I was feeling sorry for her sick grandson.’

Empress Frédérique had temporarily left the cultivation of the sun halo weed in the Imperial Palace to me.

She had asked if I wanted anything in return. After contemplating it for a while, I had shared my thoughts with the crown prince.

It had been a while since Lady Belliard’s young grandson lost consciousness. What if we tried using sun halo weed?

He had shown intense repulsion at that time.

“… Do as you wish.”

But not today!

“Thank you very much, your Royal Highness.”

I smiled brightly.

I couldn’t tell what kind of change happened to the crown prince.

All I could do was have a general theory that the story of the two Victoires affected him in some way.

Still, I was truly happy.

I had no idea whether the journalist’s grandson actually suffered from divine illness, but at least I could offer a new medicine to him.

The fact that our punk of a crown prince shared his inner thoughts with us a little bit was also a significant development.

Christelle heard it clearly as well, so maybe she had a desire to be nicer to the male lead?

“Well, I guess things worked out well? Although I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Christelle’s blue-gray eyes sparkled as she extended her neck. I happily answered.

“Yes. The first button seems to have been properly buttoned.”

“Then shall we go button the second one as well?”

The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard suggested in a marvelous voice.

I was confused as to what she was talking about when Sir Johann, who was holding the basket of evidence, smiled like a portrait.

“We’re talking about the Count’s House of Andresy, your highness. Maybe we will capture the patriarch first and OO….”

*

I never heard what he said!

It was because Christelle had gasped and quickly covered my ears.

Vice Captain Élisabeth had also covered my eyes as if she was worried that I would read his lips.

I was still super curious despite a day having passed. I was not a child but a man who had completed his required military service.

Sir Johann was also not someone who said bad things. ‘What the heck was it?’

“Her Majesty, Empress Frédérique now entering!”

I heard the heavy thud of the audience room door opening. The attendant loudly announced the arrival of the monarch.

The Pair de Riester, who had been endlessly chatting away, quickly shut up and lowered their gazes.

As for us, who returned to the palace from Sérénité last night, we were now standing at the center of the Empress Palace.

A pair of seemingly new boots moved through the long red carpet.

Step, step, step.

“Send in the criminal immediately. I do not wish to waste my time.”

The Empress commented before even getting up to the throne. The attendants grabbed the Imperial Decree and withdrew.

At the end of my deeply bowed eyes was an extravagant formal attire and the holy sword, Durandal.

The sword master instantly dominated the top of the platform.

She then proclaimed.

“Count Gerald Andresy and his family will receive this Empress’s judgment today.”

—
Translator’s Comments

Off with their heads I say!

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