Someone touched him on the shoulder. Zoltan turned around.
“Ney! When did you get here? I would have come to meet you if you had told me beforehand.”
“I just arrived.”
Ney said, untying the strap of her hat. Zoltan hugged her tightly. Normally, she would have freaked out whenever he did it in the hallway, but Ney hugged him silently and patted him on the back.
“How’s the Lord?”
“……it’s not good. All the doctors who examined him told me to prepare myself.”
He mumbled, burying his lips on Ney’s shoulder. There was water in his voice.
“Damn it. What do they want me to prepare……?”
“What about Madam?”
“Inside. He hasn’t been out of that room for days. She keeps skipping meals.”
Ney slipped out of his arms.
“I’ll go in.”
“Yeah. It will be helpful if you are around.”
That’s why Ney rushed from Sutmar to the Capital. Zoltan left a short kiss on Ney’s forehead. Ney opened the door.
“Madam, it’s me.”
“…….”
Even though she heard Ney’s voice, Agnes didn’t budge. She sat next to Laslo like a stone and looked at him.
“Madam,”
“It’s because of me.”
A dry, harsh voice came out. Ney sat near Agnes.
“No, don’t think like that. It’s not your fault. It’s the king.”
“If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t be lying down here. If I hadn’t asked him to kill the king, he wouldn’t have come to the palace.”
She thought it would be different because it was my second life. She thought there would be nothing to regret since she knew the future. But looking back, every moment was dotted with regret.
Would things have been different if the queen had been taken out sooner, if Laslo hadn’t been sent to the palace in the first place, or if Sebastian had been killed right away?
“I know you’re having a hard time. How dare I comfort you?”
“…….”
“But you have to get up. In this case, the princess must be the strongest. Now you have to move forward as the king of Nirseg. Everyone is waiting for you.”
Painfully, Ney was right. Agnes turned her head and stared at Laslo’s pale face.
“…… That wasn’t the reason I came back.”
“What?”
Ney asked back because her voice was too small to hear. Agnes shook her head.
“I want to eat the mushroom soup you made for me.”
“Wait, I’ll go down to the kitchen and make it!”
Ney flashed out of her seat. Agnes swept the back of Laslo’s hand a few more times and kissed his fingertips. There was a dry blood stain between his nails. It made her heart ache even more. Various memories flashed through her mind.
“That I, who have a crest, awakened you and signed a contract with you at Kishu, as well as that I am your final seal. It seems like too much of a coincidence, doesn’t it? “
“By nature, coincidence means the same thing as fate.”
With a subtle smile, he said. It would normally have been natural for Agnes to turn away from him because of his sinister smile, but right now she lacked the willpower to do so.
“I need to ask you for a favor.”
“Say whatever. Agnes.”
He spoke as sweetly as a man with honey in his mouth.
“I want you to remove the ritual oath I took with Laslo,” she said.
“Hmm? Okay.”
Eugene easily nodded. Agnes feigned a smile.
“Thank you.”
She walked past Eugene and opened the door. She looked at Zoltan, who had been standing outside the door all day.
“Princess…”
“Please come in, Sir Zoltan. I have a lot to say to you.”
***
“Is the princess still inside?”
“Oh. What did the doctor say? Is there a chance that your Excellency will wake up?”
After Agnes unofficially occupied the palace, those who stood on the king’s side and those who remained neutral came one by one. They urged the government to fill the empty throne as soon as possible and straighten up the chaotic state of affairs.
“Oh, of course, Her Highness has suffered a lot. I’m very sorry for that, but we can’t leave the palace empty forever, can we?”
“Yes. There are many people watching.”
“It’s already been almost 10 days since Devon’s envoy arrived. Don’t you think we should conclude the end of the war agreement?”
When the tide opened, even those who were normally quiet threw a word. Marquis Songrad, who was at the front, looked at them with a smiling face.
“You know. How close the Duke and his wife were?”
“The last negotiations have been made by Duke Arpad, so I’ll talk to the envoy based on that.”
Roland added a word. As a result, the disturbance subsided a few degrees, but the problem was not completely resolved. Roland opened his mouth after all the nobles left the conference room.
“Is there no hope at all?”
“On the contrary, it’s a miracle that he’s still alive.”
“Then we will have to find a marriage partner for the king at the same time as she ascends to the throne.”
“Your Excellency is still alive. What do you mean?” said Marquis Songrad, frowning. Roland replied resolutely and calmly.
“The princess is no longer an individual. You don’t know how unstable the royal family is without a spouse and she doesn’t have a successor yet.”
“……Don’t talk to the princess yet.”
“I have that much sense.”
“Ha, he was so strong. Who knew this would happen?”
Marquis Songrad sighed deeply.
“The sky is indifferent. They better take the old me with him?”
“Don’t say that. The only family the princess has left is the Marquis and Prince Chavolti.”