After arguing with Vivian for a while about whether or not to see her off, they finally arrived at the carriage.
Vivian climbed into the carriage.
Rosenta followed her inside, pretending to be saying goodbye.
Vivian seemed to pick up on his actions and, in response, asked,
"What’s going on? Do you have something to say?"
“……I have a favor to ask of you, Vivian, it's something only you can do."
He hadn’t simply been lying down. Even in his subconscious, he kept thinking about all kinds of things.”
And he’d made up his mind.
"Please? Tell me anything. I'll do whatever I can for you."
"Vivian, there are people I want you to protect for me."
If he were to believe his father, Caligo, it wouldn’t be long before it was revealed that he was a woman and also the Woman in Purple.
He could tolerate the subsequent repercussions and criticism.
But he said he would use that to frame Rosenta as some sort of apostle of the demonic.
"Vivian."
He grabbed Vivian's hand.
"Rosen? What's wrong with you all of a sudden? You sound like someone who's leaving...….”
"It's a long story but let me briefly explain. Please listen without saying anything."
He started to briefly explain what happened today.
Of course, that wasn't the end of it.
He also told her what he was going to do in the future.
"I'll tell His Majesty, then I'll organize everything and leave with Enoch."
"You're going to run away. Then...… won’t it just set the chessboard the way he wants it...….”
Vivian's face turned pale.
Then, as though she were holding the hand of someone barely dangling from a rope, she tightened her grip.
"Ro-, Rosen! Even if the saint says something, I will take your side and deny it...….”
He removed Vivian's hand.
And he shook his head with a very determined expression, making it clear to her that his determination was firm.
"No matter how hard I've tried to replace the saint with the Woman in Purple, if it’s revealed that I'm using the ability to 'curse,' it's all going to go up in smoke. You know that."
No matter how a person initially thought, it was common to judge based on appearances alone.
There were already a lot of fixed prejudices and negative views regarding the Estella family...….
There was no way the public would listen to him more than a saint called the daughter of light.
"Don't help me. Just take care of the people I'll leave behind."
It was clear that if Vivian or Theodore were to be involved with him, it would place them in a difficult position.
So, he chose to play Caligo's game, even though he knew it was what he wanted.
Of course, he had a plan.
‘Now that I’m in a situation where I can’t take any official, public actions, I’m going to run wild.’
There was something Caligo didn't know about him.
He’d been able to interfere with his plans, not through his knowledge gleaned from reading the bound book, but by using what he knew about the future.
"So, I beg you."
"Ro-, Rosen!"
Vivian urgently called out to him as he was about to leave the carriage.
He deliberately only turned to look at her after exiting the carriage. Again, he saw her teary face.
However, Vivian kept raising the corners of her mouth to smile brightly, even while shedding beaded tears.
As if she didn’t want to make it difficult for him as he left, she just kept smiling like that, as if she wanted her smile to be his final memory of her.
He also drew a smile in response.
And finally, he uttered to Vivian the request he had been hesitating to make.
"Please take good care of His Majesty...….”
***
The sky had dimmed.
Rosenta sat in a chair at Enoch's bedside, reading, while checking on him constantly.
"Whoa."
In the end, he placed a geography-related book on the table that he hadn’t even been able to read.
Then, he just watched Enoch.
"I only slept for about ten hours after I vomited blood, but are you trying to take the whole day?"
It was now past midnight and dawn was approaching. Still, Enoch's eyes didn’t even seem to be thinking of opening.
He was really cheeky.
‘The only person I can rely on right now, the one who supports my back when I feel like I’m going to collapse, is lying here like this.’
As dawn arrived, the saying, “You only realize what you have once it’s gone’” came to mind.
“……I'm lonely."
If it were before, he wouldn't have even considered this feeling and would have left on his own.
But not now.
He waited for Enoch, looking forward to him opening his eyes so they could leave together.
"I thought I was just taming a wild beast...….”
He gently swept up Enoch's black bangs, which were slightly covering his eyes.
"But you were taming me, too."
That's why his eyes were crying like this.
‘I can't believe I, who’ve always endured without shedding a tear, am crying like this because Enoch isn’t waking up.’
Now he had no choice but to admit it.
"Enoch, get up quickly, so you can leave with me...….”
Drip. Drip.
Drop after drop fell like dew on the back of Enoch's bruised hand.
He clasped that hand tightly.
And, once again, he brought his lips to Enoch's ear and muttered.
"Please wake up."
With both hands carefully clasping Enoch's hand, he put his cheek on it.
He closed his eyes.
Imagining the worst, he wondered if he should ask Lysander to treat Enoch.
He felt the warmth around his hands.
“……Ah."
He looked up.
Enoch was no longer lying there motionless as if he were dead. He was now looking at him with a faint smile.
Rosenta opened his dry lips.
As if he’d heard everything, he’d whispered to him, he replied,
“……Anywhere with you."
It was a hoarse voice that was difficult to hear, but Rosenta thought it was strangely sweet.
‘Am I crazy?’
Even as he thought that he couldn’t help but smile at Enoch’s answer.
***
Theodore's office was bright, even at dawn when the palace's lights were all extinguished.
He worked like crazy.
After finishing his work, he was going to take his time to go see Rosenta.
Theodore had wanted to ask him about everything right away, so he went to the duke's castle, saying he would take a short walk.
Then, when he saw Rosenta unconscious, he completely lost his mind.
Of course, he couldn't stay there.
"Damn it!"
Eventually, Theodore rose nervously amongst a swamp of never-ending documents.
"If it wasn't for work!"
He was worried about Rosenta, but he couldn't stay around because of the backlog.
As an emperor, he had to move rationally.
‘We should not forget our priorities.’
Being an emperor was an important responsibility and task he had to fulfill.
He was relieved that Rosenta would contact him when he woke up...….
"Why haven't I heard from him yet?"
He even asked the Estella staff to send him a letter when Rosenta woke up.
And yet he hadn’t heard from him...….
"He still hasn’t woken up. What the hell happened."
Theodore's concentration, which had been so frighteningly intense, suddenly collapsed when he thought of Rosenta.
Theodore continued to roam around the office with unease.
He couldn't concentrate anymore, and his chest felt just stuffy. He wanted to run out right away, but it was impossible.
“……I am the emperor."
Theodore kept reminding himself of his position, as if to get rid of the conflicting thoughts constantly crowding his mind.
Then, he saw the white moon through the window of his office’s undrawn curtains.
"The moon...….”
After listening to what Young Lord Cardia had said in Silva, Rosenta naturally came to mind when looking at the moon.
Since his concentration had been broken anyway, he figured he should go outside to clear his head.
Theodore headed to the balcony, sweeping back his short blonde hair.
Caw.
He hadn’t noticed it when he was inside, but there was a crow resting on the railing of the balcony.
"It's annoying."
For some reason, he was reminded of that man and his mood got worse.
He tried to drive the crow away.
But the crow just circled over Theodore's head and cried.
Caw.
"Ha, I'd rather go back to work than be with this crow."
In the end, he gave up on driving away the crow and tried to head back into the office.
The moment he grabbed the door handle of the balcony entrance.
“……Your Majesty."
Theodore froze.