“Then stand up straight here and tell all the knights. You relinquish all of your rights and cede the throne to me as an inept ruler who ruined the nation and neglected to care for the people whose lives were in ruins.”
Sebastian sat up awkwardly and hugged Ilona, Agnes said as she approached him. He then started to stammer as Agnes instructed him to.
“I, Sebastian Erdosi, ruined the country and left the people in distress……”
Laslo observed the side of the king’s face that was covered in tears while he was standing diagonally behind Sebastian. Then he noticed something on the back of his hand. The royal family crest was dimly illuminated.
‘Why is that shining?’
“…… As a result, I renounce my position as King of Nirseg and hand over all my powers and the throne to Agnes Arpad.”
After Sebastian had finished speaking. Laslo noticed that the corners of the king’s mouth were slightly raised.
His head froze. The situation became apparent at that point. Sebastian and Agnes were too close to one another, and the knights were standing far apart.
‘It’s a trap!’
Laslo drew the knight’s sword standing next to him right away. The beast jumped out from under Sebastian’s feet at the same instant.
“Beasts!”
“Princess!”
The knights became aware of the situation and yelled, but Agnes was too close to the beast. In an instant, Laslo drew his sword. Blood poured from his injured shoulder as if it had been ripped, but he felt no pain.
Saving her was all he could think about. Aiming for Agnes’ back, the beast extended his razor-sharp claws. Everything happened at a slow pace. Laslo launched himself as high as he could before slicing the beast’s neck with his sword. The tip of his claws barely missed Agnes’ back as they brushed against it.
“Argh!”
Agnes rolled down the podium with a wound on her back. All the knights began to flock to her. The beast did not die easily even after being fatally wounded. Rather, it shook its body and he rebelled greatly.
Laslo took a deep breath and pulled out his sword. And once again, he cut the beast’s big body.
Ack!
He uttered a high and painful groan and soon collapsed without taking a few steps.
It’s over.
Laslo hurried toward Agnes, who had fallen before he could catch his breath.
“Agnes, are you okay…….”
“I’m so happy that the Duke loves my sister.”
Sebastian’s whisper behind his back was unusually loud and cold.
Laslo slowly turned around. Sebastian laughed and pushed a dagger firmly into Laslo’s back.
“…Ugh”
Laslo stumbled and fell to his knees on the floor.
Sebastian was dragged by the knights. He never lost his smile. Only then did Laslo realize. Sebastian’s goal was not Agnes. It was him.
His eyes were clouded. A splitting pain ran through his entire body. He participated in many battles, but this was the first time he felt as though his body was being torn apart in pain.
Someone gave his body a weak shake.
“Laslo?”
“……nes.”
He wanted to open his mouth and call her name, but he couldn’t move his tongue. A trembling little hand touched his face.
“La, Laslo, wait. The doctor is on his way. Soon they’ll treat you. Don’t close your eyes. Don’t lose your mind.”
“……”
Laslo blinked instead of answering. Hot drops of water fell on her cheeks. He wanted to tell her not to cry, but he couldn’t say anything. It was difficult for him to even open his mouth.
“Listen to me. If you pass away because of something like this, it will be my fault. Do you hear me?”
“…….”
“We’ve come this far, and we had a hard time getting this far. We’re almost there. It’s over. It’s over.”
Someone must be turning off the light bulb in the hall. It was getting dark, and Agnes’ face was hard to see. Laslo held her hand with all his might.
It was small and warm.
“You made a promise to me. You do recall making a promise to me on that day, right? You promised to remain alive and die until your hair turned gray.”
Yes, we did make that promise.
After spending the first night with Agnes, she decided how he would die. Laslo cherished it to the point where he occasionally found himself smiling simply by remembering the moment. In the distance, a recognizable voice could be heard.
“Brother, brother! The doctor is here. Stay awake and don’t even consider dozing off! Stay here and don’t die! Damn it. I’m not going to let you go.”
“Come here and take a quick look at Laslo. Come on!”
The noise from the surrounding area gradually faded as well. Laslo’s blinking significantly decreased.
I can’t die.
Having performed a ritual of oath, the pain Agnes will suffer will be beyond imagination if he dies. Even he, who felt her death for a moment, suffered for months and he is not sure if Agnes will be able to bear it all.
He felt a surge of regret.
If only he had prevented the queen from dying, if only Sebastian knew what he really wanted.