Your Regrets Are Late

It was a bright, sunny day. Charteron, who was particularly weak today, lounged around because she didn’t want to do anything. Nevertheless, Luensir, who read the book diligently, looked amazing to her.

“You know, Lur. Why do you work so hard?”

“To build some achievements that will go down in history.”

“History?”

A rather serious answer to the joke question returned.

“If it’s recorded in the history books, there will be evidence that I lived in this world.”

“Are you going to show off to your descendants?”

Then Luensir, who did not take his eyes off the book, replied slowly. “…No. Being forgotten by someone you care about is truly a terrible thing.”

Charteron, left speechless by the unexpected answer, took a gulp of cold cocoa with ice in it. She felt sad for no reason when she saw him talking as if he had already experienced it.

Luensir often said incomprehensible words like this. Some people gossiped that Luensir must have been cursed because they’re twins. However, such unworthy rumors were none of Charteron’s business.

In Charteron’s opinion, Luensir wasn’t good at magic. Still, he was kind and intelligent enough to memorize the theories accurately and explain them to her. She only called him ‘Older Brother’ when she had something to ask for, but she felt secure because she had him. She hated the thought of being born alone without Luensir. No matter what others said about Goddess Resina’s anger, Charteron just liked Luensir.

Because of the rumors the other day that suddenly came to her mind, Charteron irritatingly swallowed the lemon pie.

“Stop eating, Pig.”

“What? Pig?”

Although he said that, Charteron barely gained weight even though she ate a lot of sweets. But that didn’t mean her body was weak. She ran around before the food she ate turned into flesh, and her stamina was so great that he didn’t dare compare.

Charteron huffed and looked at Luensir, who only said mean things today. “Do you want to die?”

Hearing Charteron’s words, Luensir gently took her hand. He always held her hand after arguing with her like this and gave her a bitter smile whose meaning was unknown. And after that, he always said the same thing.

“Back then and now…”

“…”

“Your hands are so ugly.”

As expected, every time she heard it, an irritating exclamation followed. Normally, she would have stretched Luensir’s cheek, but she didn’t do it because she saw Luensir’s cheek turn red the other day.

“Eat this too.”

Just when she was about to grab his nose without realizing it, Luensir generously offered her his share of the lemon pie.

“You’re going to have an upset stomach. Here, milk.”

“Yes, thank you.”

He handed over the milk to Charteron, who put in a mouthful of lemon pie, saying that she would have an upset stomach. Charteron, who already needed some water, took it calmly and drank it. Then she asked.

“You know, I always wonder, when were you talking about back then?”

“The first day I met you.”

“No way. There are only a few seconds difference before we were born, so why do you make it sound like there’s a more than ten-year difference between us?”

“…”

“The first day I met you, you would have been a baby too. Have you forgotten that we’re twins?’

“…Well.”

“?”

“The old days… I don’t want to talk about it.”

“What the.”

Luensir grinned at Charteron’s words. “Everybody has a past they want to hide, Charon.”

“What?”

“For example, yesterday, you ate three plates of cherry cake without Her Majesty’s knowledge.”

“…Older Brother.”

“You know that I like you a lot. I love you. I really mean it. Will you accept my love?”

“I like you too, but the confession of love you’re making right now is not good. Your snoring is too burdensome.”

“W-w-where are you going?”

Charteron ran after Luensir, who was moving his feet.

“Laverne Palace.”

“Why to Grandma?”

“Her Majesty Empress Dowager told us that she’s going to have lunch with us, you idiot.”

“Ah, Older Brother! Really! Ah! You bad guy!”

Charteron stumbled on her foot and fell. Fortunately, she wasn’t hurt, but her playful expression was gone, and Luensir quickly rushed over and raised Charteron. He carefully examined her body.

“There are no injuries. Are you okay?”

“No, it hurts.”

“Where? Are you sick?”

“My heart. It hurts that Lur didn’t accept my confession.”

“…You scared me.”

“But it really hurts. I guess I sprained it when I fell earlier. I can’t walk.”

“Get on my back. Let’s go to Baron Alec.”

“You’re going to make fun of me being heavy!”

“Hurry.”

“

”

“Charon, where do all the snacks you eat go? Why are you so light, even though you eat more than Her Majesty and His Majesty?”

“

You said I was a pig earlier.”

Charteron, with her face buried in Luensir’s back, shook her legs.

“Stay still. It’s heavy.”

“…Lur.”

“Why?”

“You look just like Her Majesty Mother… If you just speak kindly, there will be a lot of ladies who will give you anything, so why are you doing this? You said you didn’t want to be forgotten. Then, you should live a good life, right? Live generously like me.”

“Said by someone who pulled young master Siona’s hair.”

“It’s because he said many things, like insulting the imperial family…”

“That’s…”

“An-anyway… Kindly… Let’s say hello first…

…”

Charteron’s voice became increasingly drowsy. She yawned so loudly that her mouth burst open.

“Charon.”

“…”

“…You don’t remember what I said back then, and I don’t know why I’m doing this… I… I hate just thinking about that time. How much does it feel to live neither dead nor alive…”

“…”

“…Cha, ron.”

Luensir, who said something he shouldn’t have said, belatedly realized his mistake. He stopped for a moment and called Charteron, and he could hear her even breathing. He could hear her heartbeat gradually becoming more stable.

Whenever she pretended to sleep, Charteron snored exaggeratedly, so she was definitely sleeping now. Feeling relieved that she hadn’t heard it, Luensir smiled slightly and walked slowly so as not to wake Charteron. The cool breeze followed them.

* * *

One day, they went to the Marsetta Duchy as the heat was getting worse. Charteron, who had been playing hard with Luensir until morning, collapsed. At first, they thought it was because she was running around outside so much.

Charelize wiped Charteron’s body with a cold, wet towel and fanned her vigorously. “

, Baby. It’s okay. It’s okay.”

“

”

But Charteron continued to groan throughout the night. She was given fever-reducing medication, but her fever still didn’t go down. Even though Arensis continued to cast healing spells, she still complained of dizziness.

“Please, please breathe… Baby…”

Then Charelize, who had barely managed to calm herself down to the point where she was out of breath, burst into tears.

Baron Alec, who was usually in charge of the children, and several doctors who had examined her stamped their feet on, saying that they didn’t know why this happened to her.

Charelize continued to stay by Charteron’s side and hadn’t been on her official duties for several days. She didn’t want to think about it and didn’t want to leave her daughter alone in a situation she didn’t know about.

“Your Majesty.”

“…What’s going on?”

The butler who returned from managing Duchy Marsetta looked at Charteron’s condition for a while and then spoke. “When Your Majesty was the age Her Royal Highness is now, you suffered from a similar fever.”

“…So, does that mean you know how to treat her?”

“Yes…”

“Whatever it is, I will do everything, so tell me quickly.”

“That’s…”

“If only she could stay alive… I’ll give you everything you want. So… hurry… tell me…”

At Charelize’s urgent request, the butler nodded but did not say it easily. “You took a small blue pill… and was miraculously healed. However… that’s…”

“…”

“Brought to you… by someone in Helsen Prison now, so I don’t even know what it is…”

“…”

Charelize, who had told Arensis to take care of Charteron, headed straight to Helsen Prison. There was not a single hesitation in her steps.

“Greetings to the glorious son of the Elioter Empire, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“I see the light of great light.”

Knights who saw her bowed and showed courtesy.

Charelize faced the former duke for the first time in a long time. “Empress… ha… You took that selfish position.”

“…”

“Why did you come here?”

At the former duke’s question, Charelize lowered her head. “My child… is sick.”

“…”

“The butler said it’s the same illness that I suffered when I was young that I almost died. He said I took the medicine you gave me and got better.”

“…”

“I’ll get you out of here. If you want, I’ll give you a villa to spend the rest of your life… I will also give you a new identity, please… Please save my daughter.”

The former duke’s pupils widened as if he was taken aback by her words. He took a deep breath as if trying to gauge whether the situation in front of him was real.

“…There are flowers in the annex garden. Boil it and feed it. The effects will appear a little later, but that child will be able to survive.”

“What I heard was a blue pill.”

Charelize’s eyes turned murderous as she thought the former duke was playing tricks on her.

“Do you not believe me? Right… I guess so. If you believe me, that’s even weirder…”

The former duke spoke in a bitter voice. “The blue pill is made from that flower, amaryllis, as medicine. Among those who inherited Marsetta’s blood, some suffered fever in their childhood, so the manufacturing method was passed down only to the heirs of the family from generation to generation.”

“How… do you make it?”

“I cannot teach that to you… Who chose the position of the emperor over the head of the Duke Marsetta.”

Losing her sanity at his firm refusal, Charelize pulled out the knight’s sword and held it to the former duke’s neck.