『Though much of it is sunburn, the brown skin seems innate. Probably from the east? The child knows nothing about herself. Says she’s never seen her parents’ faces since birth. From her appearance she seemed from Monk Principality, so I asked, and she opened her eyes wide and nodded. She seems to visit Monk Principality sometimes, but no matter how I ask, she won’t answer properly. She seems not to know much about herself.

Not knowing one’s roots is truly sad.

I hope my children get a chance to know properly, but if they lack the ability, perhaps they don’t need to know.

If it’s an unhappy, sad root, isn’t it better not to know?

I worry about Tina. If she resembles me, might she have inherited my ability? What if she has a sad fate?

I need to prepare. I hope there’s someone to protect that child.』

『The child had a name. She said “Sue.” Good heavens! Her face turned red saying it was a name a boy she liked gave her. She seems to leave the island sometimes—

Looks like she went to meet someone she likes.

Someday Claire, Tina, and Bella will too, right?

I hope I can be beside them then, but I can’t show them this state.

And that bad man! He said he’d only love me! Who am I sick because of! Why can’t I be beside our children!

Just thinking about it makes me angry, but what can I do. I chose him—who can I blame.』

『Sue especially likes lily of the valley. It doesn’t grow well on Diahart Island. Constant failure. So she keeps going to Derin to buy lily of the valley berries,

She stared at them for a long time then asked if she could have them. How did Sue know these berries were precious?』

When talk of herbs began, Clementina bolted upright. Though Dion was startled, he gently supported her back so she wouldn’t fall.

“What’s wrong? What story came up?”

“Goodness, the person who taught Sue about herbs really was Mother.”

“What? Really?”

“It seems so…… She taught very diligently.”

Good heavens, the root cause of Ronakia Empire’s chaos was Mother. Strictly speaking, she could be seen as contributing to the previous emperor’s death.

Clementina glanced up and watched Dion’s reaction. Though she’d guessed, the evidence was written plainly in the diary. From the start, Clementina was someone unqualified to remain by his side. Any small hope she might have had vanished at her fingertips.

Then Dion grabbed her trembling hand. They were gentle but strong, like he’d never let go again.

“I don’t care what your mother taught Sue. Caroline must have worked hard from her position. She met and helped a pitiful girl. Her daughters must have weighed on her mind.”

“That doesn’t erase the sin.”

“The sin was committed by that mage. Not by your mother. And of course not by you either. If there’s sin, mine is the greatest.”

At Dion’s unexpected confession of sin, Clementina tilted her head. Dion had done nothing wrong to Clementina. From his position, he’d always done his best. The circumstances just weren’t good for them both.

“What did you do wrong?”

“I have no right to speak of love to you.”

“……Isn’t it strange for someone who’s an emperor to talk about qualifications?”

“Setting aside Emperor, Duke, all that. Days when you couldn’t be the priority because of my circumstances, because of the Emperor’s orders. It was an excuse. If I’d known my heart clearly, I should have abandoned everything and put you first. I’m sorry.”

“Dion.”

“This might sound ridiculous with three fiancées, but I’m truly sorry.”

“You said they weren’t fiancées.”

“Right! But to you it must have meant the same thing.”

“Dion.”

“I did everything wrong. I know saying I did wrong isn’t enough. I know I’m unqualified, but I can’t do it. I don’t want to live alone without you. I want to ride dragons together, cook and eat together, walk together. Since you hate becoming Empress, I’ll give it up. I can throw away the Emperor’s position anytime. So please let me stay beside you. I’ve thought about it these past days, and I just can’t be confident. I can’t bear you not being beside me. So!”

“Dion! Calm down. Calm down.”

Dion breathed heavily, like he hadn’t vomited out all the words remaining in his chest. Clementina cupped his cheeks and met his eyes.

His blue eyes swayed endlessly in surging waves. Having thought Dion no longer wanted to be by her side, Clementina felt her heart would burst at this unexpected confession.

“Dion, I don’t want that.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please don’t abandon me. Please stay with me. I’ll do anything!”

Dion grabbed Clementina’s arm with a pitiful touch. Not rough, but desperately earnest.

“Dion, I don’t want you to give up anything. I’ve never thought that way. So don’t cry. Please, don’t cry.”

“You said you could live if you’re with me? Please be with me. This is about saving you, but I need it to live too.”

Dion pressed his eyes firmly with his hands. Clementina had certainly wavered at moments too. She regretted promising the month precisely because her own heart became clearer. When Dion revealed his heart so straightforwardly toward her, how could she reject this beautiful man?

But then what would happen to Ronakia Empire? Throw away the golden crown and live alone together on Diahart Island?

Would that be okay?

Clementina wanted to. But she’d coughed up blood. Though nothing hurt, coughing up blood was certainly not a good sign.

She would die soon. Then though it would be very brief, couldn’t she be greedy for this man during that time?

“Just for a while…… let’s be together for a while.”

“A while? I don’t want just a while, but forever—”

“Let’s be together only until time allows us.”

“……!”

Dion realized Clementina was talking about her death.

Fine. If Clementina allowed it, he’d be with her until her last moment. Though he didn’t know when that would be, Dion would be at her end.

Of course, he clenched his fist knowing only she would exist in his life afterward too. But if he said this, she’d push him away again. Push him back into that damned Emperor’s position.

Clementina didn’t need to know how Dion would live after she was gone. That was his own heart.

Though he’d resolved to be truthful to her from now on, he hoped she’d forgive the lie that he’d live well without her.

***

Clementina wrapped her thin arms around Dion. Though her hands couldn’t meet around his broad shoulders, Dion still nestled in her embrace. She waited like that for a long while until his crying stopped. He didn’t try to pull away from Clementina easily.

He seemed like a child, and Clementina ended up laughing. Following her lead, Dion laughed too.

Then she sat leaning her back against Dion’s chest and read through her mother’s diary. The dragons around them rolled about before returning to their own places. Dion ran his fingers through Clementina’s lengthening lemon-colored hair. Then he kept kissing her neck.

The dragons flew freely around them and played. The scene reminded her of what she’d often seen in Drasia.

Whenever her mother felt affection for Sue, she kept recalling Claire, Bella, and herself. Clementina found this deeply unpleasant.

Still, she read carefully. If she wanted any information about Sue, she had no choice.

After reading in that spot for a long while, the surroundings had turned red. The water pouring from the waterfall created a pond, and the water flowing from the pond had long crushed rocks into pebbles.

Some stones sank to the bottom, but others flowed with the current. The water pooled in the pond stretched toward the Elmar Ocean along a winding waterway. The water bid farewell forever and flowed elsewhere. After traveling like that for a long time, it would return here again.

Watching the sunset spread across the flowing stream, Clementina closed the diary. Small flames seemed to dance along the ripples.

Clementina had just closed the sixth diary. She couldn’t describe this feeling.

Though her mother had never once lived on Diahart Island, she said this place now felt like the home where she should have been all along.

She said abandoning her children, forsaking her husband, and leaving alone to stay with dragons was more comfortable. That stuck in Clementina’s chest like a nail, causing pain.

But what made Clementina sadder was that she could understand her mother’s heart. Though she hadn’t been here long, Clementina now liked this place.

Understanding the mother who’d left her made her feel sorry for her own past unhappiness.

“Did you finish reading?”

“Yes, I finished this diary.”

“Then should I bring what’s inside?”

“Would you?”

Dion rose lightly and went into the cave past the waterfall. According to Tahan, her mother’s diaries totaled eight volumes. Since Clementina had just closed the sixth, two diaries remained.

Dion emerged from the cave and tossed aside the leaf umbrella. He handed Clementina two diaries. One continued from the diary she’d been reading, and the other was one she hadn’t known about when first searching Caroline’s nest. Unlike the other diaries, this one was carefully bound with string. It had the smoothest texture among the diaries and looked the sturdiest, so she’d assumed it was written most recently.

She’d placed it at the bottom to read last. But now she felt strongly that she should read this one first.

Warmth rushed before her eyes. Dion filled the campfire in front with dry branches and made the fire bigger.

Though it wasn’t even cold, Dion constantly kept the fire going. He seemed afraid even the thinnest cold breeze might brush against Clementina’s body, which didn’t shed a single drop of sweat.

She’d meant to say she didn’t like it being too hot either, but seeing him flutter his shirt while wiping streaming sweat looked pretty, so she swallowed her words.

If he’s that hot, he could just take it off.

Clementina cooled her flushed cheeks and turned her gaze to the leather-bound book. She slowly untied the thin strings bound on all sides. Then the part she’d thought was the diary’s cover separated from the contents. Inside the thick leather was another book.

With curious eyes, Clementina pushed the cover and string aside and examined the contents.

It was a diary made of thick, rough-textured material that didn’t crumple easily. Made from animal bone? When she turned one ivory-colored page with a thin glass plate texture…