Side Story 12: The World After ‘The End’ (I)

As the Black Knight finished his mission and left the world, Helena Antebellum slowly opened her eyes. As soon as she opened her eyes, she knew it was all over.

Instead of calling someone by pulling the string by the side of her bed, she stared out the window for a moment. It was early morning, and the sun was shining brightly.

It seemed that her body had been asleep for a very long time. Looking away from the window, a woman with red hair appeared silently and sat in a chair.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Antebellum. No, should I call Your Majesty the Empress now?”

“Your Majesty the Empress?”

“Oh, you haven’t heard of it yet. You’ve been lying in bed for longer than I initially thought. You might not have been able to wake up because that stupid man didn’t do his job. I put a safety net to prevent the worst.”

The woman wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Helena couldn’t understand any of her words, so she just blinked. The woman shrugged and added,

“That’s off topic. Anyway… Both of the former majesties died by poisoning while you were sleeping, and the Crown Prince took the throne as the new emperor.”

Helena was surprised and covered her mouth with both hands. Had she been lying there longer than she thought? There were more things happening than she expected.

She had so many questions to ask, but she didn’t know who the person in front of her was, so Helena just swallowed the questions. Lady Misérian taught her. No one should be easily trusted as long as they are part of the Imperial Palace.

“…What should I call you?”

“Medea is enough. Witches don’t need surnames.”

Helena did not change her expression even though Medea revealed that she was a witch. What was even more surprising was that not only had something already swept through her, but when looking into Medea’s eyes, she simply didn’t feel like a human being.

The witch spoke kindly to Helena.

“It’s no different…… I stopped by just in case Your Majesty needs my help.”

“How can you help me?”

At Helena’s question, Medea replied after contemplating while touching her fingertips for a while.

“With anything you can imagine. Of course…… I’m most confident in revenge.”

“Revenge… I don’t know. It seems far from me.”

“Is that because Lady Misérian, the object of revenge, has already passed away?”

When Helena gently refused, Medea asked back. At Medea’s last words, Helena erased the smile around her mouth.

Lady Misérian. No, the last person Helena met before closing her eyes was Eris, but in fact, she was a very different person.

She noticed it too late. Helena, who had been choosing her words over and over again, just lowered her gaze and said.

“I wanted her to live……. I couldn’t do that. But even if she was a bad person for me until the end, I wouldn’t have taken revenge. Hating someone is a lot harder than you think.”

“It’s okay if it’s not revenge. Or do you not want to get help from a witch?”

Helena slowly got up from the bed and opened the window. It was morning and the air was still cold. Helena took a deep breath and replied quietly.

“It doesn’t matter that you’re a witch.”

Helena’s purple eyes shone clearly. Facing those eyes, Medea could understand why the stranger was so soft on this woman.

People are bound to despise and admire those who have what they do not have. They didn’t know it, but Helena was also envious of them, and on the other hand, she was starting to resemble them.

“I’ve been receiving too much help from a lot of people so far…… From now on, I want to do what I can on my own.”

“……Is that so? Then there’s nothing I can do. If you change your mind, please look in the mirror and call my name anytime. Because I like you more than I thought.”

A strong and upright person cannot be enticed. Medea no longer tried to persuade her, but raised herself and bowed her knees lightly to greet her. When Medea tried to leave, Helena called her back.

“You were the one who helped Lady Misérian, right?”

“Yes.”

“Is she….. okay?”

At Helena’s question, Medea erased the polite smile she had painted on her face, and affirmed it with a very friendly and playful smile that a child who shares secrets usually wears.

Helena, who saw Medea’s smile, sighed in relief.

It bothered her to see Eris stabbing her at the end and crying sadly. But it was all good.

Thank God. When Medea disappeared, Helena rang the bell next to the bed to announce that she had returned.

That was how the new morning began.

Helena looked at Twal Rose, who had rushed into the palace upon receiving her order. As she entered with a puzzled expression, she seemed to have guessed why she was called when she saw Helena standing. Twal Rose bent her knees to be polite.

“I am glad to see you are well, Your Majesty.”

“I’ve been lying down for such a long time that I want to keep myself tidy, but I didn’t know anyone else. Did I call you too early?”

“Not at all. I’m one of the earliest people in the capital to start the morning.”

Twal Rose looked at her clothes and accessories brought by her maid, and picked them out one by one. Her maids were busily decorating Helena as Twal Rose wished.

Helena looked at the colourful decorations overlaid on her and made eye contact with Twal Rose over the mirror.

Twal Rose, who coldly looked down at Helena, quickly hid her expression. Helena smiled kindly and passed her.

“I know I’m not good enough when compared to Lady Misérian.”

“Don’t say that, Your Majesty.”

“So I… I hope Madam will help me a lot. Though we can’t be friends like we were with Lady Misérian.”

Twall Rose’s expression subtly changed at the words. Twal Rose knelt down next to Helena and lowered herself. Helena’s gaze, who turned her head, was drawn down.

“She and I were never close friends. She was the only one who knew my secret. So speak comfortably. Your Majesty doesn’t have to be polite to me anymore.”

“…Yes.”

After speaking, Twal Rose raised herself and put the crown over Helena’s head.

Once upon a time, there was a scene that Twal Rose wished for. To put the crown on a dark-haired girl and to see herself admiring it from two steps behind….….

The only person she wanted to crown was no longer breathing like Jane. Twal Rose closed her eyes because she didn’t want to admit it.

She couldn’t keep her promise to create the latest clothes for her, but she didn’t want to bury her next to Jane.

However, unlike in her mind, life continued as usual. Twal Rose’s new work was strangely perfect, as were all her other works.

As soon as he heard that Helena had woken up, Alecto came to her room. As soon as he saw Helena, his face, which was flushed since he had run, collapsed with a look of relief.

Alecto kneeled at the foot of the sofa where Helena was sitting, he couldn’t even touch her and put his clenched fist on the sofa.

He almost lost his precious person because of his private affection. There was only one person he had loved since he was young, but the brief agitation ruined many things.

He wanted to hug her, but he couldn’t protect her, so he hesitated because he didn’t seem to deserve it. After hesitating for a long time, Alecto barely opened his mouth.

“……I won’t let this happen to you again.”

Now that he had lost his parents, Helena was the only one left.

Now that she had become the empress, more and more people would want to harm her.

Alecto decided to do his best to protect her in this rough imperial life. And when he suddenly looked up and saw Helena, she looked down at Alecto with an unfamiliar face.

No, actually, it was a very familiar feeling. Because his mother, who has passed away now, had a face like that.

A mixture of compassion and indifference rather than love.….

Afraid of it, Alecto held Helena’s hand, but Helena gently shook it off. She spoke in a deep, still voice.

“Your Majesty, is our marriage still valid? Then…… I’m now the Empress.”

“Yes, Helena. But just like we’ve always been…….”

“I can’t treat Your Majesty as I have done so far. A lot of things have changed.”

Alecto choked. Changed? Nothing has changed. As it has been so far, they will sleep, eat, and open their eyes together in the imperial palace. However, they just became a couple from friends. It was a little closer, and they could monopolise each other…… That kind of relationship.

On that early day, Alecto had loved her ever since Helena smiled at him. Having accepted his proposal, he had no doubt that she would feel the same way.

Because……. Because the Helena he knew was such a person. A girl who was far from political interests or quarrels, who was infinitely clumsy and innocent.

“Your Majesty, I have learned very little about practical matters, so I hope you find someone to teach me. I have a lot of work to do.”

So, he didn’t want an empress. He just needed a girl with whom he could walk together in life.

At that moment, Alecto let out a sigh.

In this Imperial Palace where he was born and raised, Helena was the only person who could care about Alecto. He was able to withstand the weight of the throne because she existed.

A sense of helplessness was mixed with tears, but there was no way out. Now that his family no longer existed, he didn’t want to lose as much as Helena.

He might become unbearable and go crazy, just like his father and mother did. No, it was worse than that. At least those two had each other.

Alecto tried to hold Helena, who was moving away, but it was all in vain. She left as if she wasn’t in his hands from the beginning.

The story was over. Unfortunately, there was no epilogue in this world, and no causal rate could stop her from walking away.