Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

I couldn't easily open my mouth at Luka's words.

Although I couldn't fully see into this man's heart, it was certain that my existence occupied a truly large part of it.

When we made the knight's vow, saying that I was his world was by no means an exaggeration.

I took a step closer to him.

The already close distance was now narrowed to the point where our breaths mingled.

"Luka, this time I will never leave you."

Saying that, I spread my arms and embraced him.

Despite the expression 'embraced,' even with my arms wide open, I couldn't fully envelop him in my arms.

It was a moment where we could clearly feel each other's warm body heat.

He carefully raised his hands and hugged me back.

"When did you grow so big? In the past, you used to fit in my arms, but now it's the opposite."

The moment we first met always lingered before my eyes.

That moment when a small child looked up at me, and our eyes met.

"Just as Ria protected me, I must protect you too. That's why I became an adult."

His words, delivered in a low voice, were filled with indescribable emotion.

I almost teared up at that, but forcing a smile, I said to him:

"Luka, you know, I have so much to tell you. From the reason I came here to how I ended up participating in the swordsmanship competition."

Let's untangle everything one by one. At the end, I'll show you the gift I've prepared.

After wiping away the last traces of blood from my mouth, I led him to sit on the bed.

Sitting beside him and holding his hand, I began my story.

"After parting with you on the battlefield, I overused my magic and strained my body."

I spoke gently while looking at Luka.

As expected, he wore an expression full of guilt.

It wasn't his fault that he was under a curse, and I didn't want the heavy burden of thinking he had hurt me to weigh him down.

Although seeing this expression still pained my heart, I gathered courage and continued speaking.

"The magic went berserk inside my body, and if it wasn't suppressed..."

I trailed off, but he seemed to have already understood the unspoken words.

His hand gripping mine tightened.

"Then I heard someone's voice. It said that a famous sword to be discovered soon in the Carven Kingdom would be the key to saving my life."

It's been quiet lately, but the voice of someone who used to suddenly appear and surprise me was useful at times like this.

I had been consistently telling Luka about occasionally hearing voices.

'In my opinion, it's probably the Elf King, but...'

I looked up into Luka's ruby-red eyes.

"To be honest, it felt like grasping at straws. I absolutely didn't want to die and leave you behind this time. That's how I ended up coming to the Carven Kingdom."

"...I'm so angry at myself. For not being able to be with Ria when you were struggling."

"You were on the life-and-death battlefield too. It's also my fault for leaving without telling you because I was worried you'd be concerned."

I smiled faintly, patted Luka's head, and said:

"As soon as I arrived, I could immediately find out where the famous sword the voice mentioned was. But as luck would have it, it turned out to be the prize for winning the swordsmanship competition."

Even thinking about it now, it was really absurd.

"So I decided to stay here until the competition was held. Of course, I even sent a letter so you wouldn't worry when you returned from the war."

"The letter... I didn't receive it."

Yes, you wouldn't have received it.

Because you didn't receive it, you searched for me desperately enough to make daily headlines even in this distant kingdom's newspapers.

It wasn't eaten by someone along the way, so where on earth did it go?

"I only found out you were looking for me just before the competition. I was planning to return home immediately after winning. But I never dreamed I'd encounter a berserk magic sword there."

From Luka's perspective, the scene he urgently arrived at must have been truly chaotic.

People screaming and evacuating, thunderous sounds and the ground splitting.

And finding me on the brink of death in the middle of it all.

It was a breathtaking moment where if he had been even a little late, it really would have been over.

"Thank you, thanks to you saving me then, I managed to save my life and obtain the famous sword."

I summoned the green sword in mid-air.

The green sword, imbued with my magic, sparkled with a white light.

Luka's eyes widened for a moment and turned to me.

He seemed to have noticed the feeling of my magic from the green sword.

Realizing that I had removed a considerable amount of the magic that had been eating away at my lifespan, Luka's hands trembled slightly.

"Ria, could it be..."

I smiled brightly and hugged him.

"Everything's alright now, Luka. You don't need to worry anymore."

Living according to a predestined fate, having to face the end of small and precious daily life.

That was always the harsh reality that pierced my heart.

But the one who removed that darkness and showed me the light of hope was none other than Luka before my eyes.

I'm truly happy that I can finally give you such a gift-like message.

A tear rolled down my cheek.

Luka's face was no different from mine.

His reddened eyes and trembling lips showed how long he had been waiting for this moment.

"Now nothing can take me away from you."

"Ria, Ria..."

His low voice, mixed with tears, echoed in my ears several times.

Right now, we were holding each other so tightly that not even a breeze could pass between us. As if nothing could ever separate us again.

"Forever."

* * *

The more they dug into the corruption of the Carven royal family, the more endless it seemed.

Every time the royalty's corruption was revealed to the people one by one, resentment could be heard from all corners.

Now the royal family had lost even its shell, and the Carven Kingdom had become part of the Greffin Empire.

Luka ensured that the people of the kingdom would not face any discrimination compared to the existing imperial citizens, and the Carven people, who had been struggling under excessive taxes, now showed reactions of finally being able to breathe.

Luka and I walked towards the carriage to return to the Greffin Empire.

With each step we took, people's praises continued.

"Looks like a lot had accumulated in the royal family over the years."

Otherwise, how could they cheer for an Emperor who had imprisoned their king like this?

"During the two years of war, the supplies they provided to the Selon Kingdom were enough to feed their people for 10 years. The people have now learned what the royal family was doing while they were starving."

Hearing that, the people's reactions made sense.

It was when we finally stood in front of the carriage at the end of the long carpet.

"Um, excuse me...!"

Turning around at the familiar voice coming from somewhere, we saw Prince Alex standing behind us, his arm that had been cut off along with the magic sword heavily bandaged.

Unlike other royals, he hadn't committed any notable corruption, and since he had been coerced by the king into wielding the magic sword, he was the only royal who avoided imprisonment.

"It's shameless of me, but... Before you leave, I wanted to express my gratitude. If it weren't for you two, I would have surely been devoured by the magic sword."

As I got into the carriage holding Luka's hand, I said:

"Think of it as a second chance given to Alex. And don't turn this newly given opportunity into regret."

"Thank you... Thank you so much."

Even as the carriage door closed and we moved away, Alex stood there for a long time.

* * *

While looking out at the rapidly passing scenery, I suddenly asked Luka:

"Come to think of it, Luka, did you make good use of the materials I left behind?"

Before leaving the Empire, I had left Luka materials about Lady Jeria's attempted assassination of the Empress.

I thought that the Croia Marquis family would surely be a big obstacle for Luka when he returned after ending the war.

Luka nodded and said:

"When the former Emperor learned about that, he was greatly angered. He personally executed the excommunication of the Croia Marquisate, and Lady Jeria and the Marquis family had their property confiscated and were imprisoned in the tower."

Even that iron-clad Croia family couldn't cover up the attempt to assassinate the Empress.

Especially when it happened just as the crown prince returned with a complete victory in the war and his power reached its peak.

"Thank you for taking care of it. If the Croia Marquisate had remained intact, there would have been a lot of noise during the succession to the throne."

"It's nothing..."

"Revealing that Bruelle's illness was caused by poison, finding the long-missing former imperial physician... It couldn't have been easy..."

"They had to pay the price for insulting and trying to assassinate the Empress all this time."

It felt satisfying, as if we had exterminated one of the two cockroaches that had darkened the Empire.

Our carriage raced to the border, and there we waited to use the teleport that would take us directly to the capital.

"Your Majesty!"

At that moment, Heild ran urgently towards us.

"A big problem has occurred, the Kablos have started a rebellion taking advantage of Your Majesty's absence!"