Chapter 4

Chapter 4

She prepared everything, starting with the sofa. Mora swallowed a handful of magical stone dust and then slowly put her weight on top of him. Regnart didn’t wake up, which meant that the sleeping pills in the wine worked.

Even with Mora’s divine power, it was hard to lock away all his magical powers. Most of the power she gained was permanently blocked and her black hair turned to gray. When she completely locked Regnart’s magical powers away through such a hard and painful process, he woke up.

His golden eyes became the color of ash. Mora looked at him blankly. Even though she should have been happy that everything was a success, she couldn’t smile. Her heart was beating with the feeling of loss.

“You…” His eyes shook violently as he saw Mora’s changed appearance.

Kirkalas slammed the door open and the people who had been planning their mutiny all followed him with swords in their hands.

Regnart should have realized what was happening, but his eyes stayed on Mora. His lips moved for a moment before staying completely still. Mora also couldn’t say anything to him. She couldn’t apologize or say that it had to be done. She was staring at him until someone pulled her by her arms and she lost consciousness.

Regnart, who had his power locked away, was completely powerless. With Kirkalas, the grandmaster that should have been protecting the emperor, against him, it wasn’t hard to gain control of the palace. Reganart’s nephew was reinstated and the tyrant Regnart was sent to the castle in the north end.

The empire was in shambles for a moment, but it all soon settled to place. The immense amount of wealth and resources that had been set aside for war were reallocated to the people and their fears began to subside.

Mora was relieved. When she saw that her choice wasn’t the wrong one, she started to think that maybe the feeling of loss she had felt before was simply because she had blamed herself.

Now, she thought that everyone would be happy. She also thought she would be part of that happiness. Isn’t that how the main characters live after they have fought through all their hardships? She thought she would finally marry Kirkalas, start a family, and live happily ever after.

But, unfortunately, her assumptions were completely wrong. While living in Marquis Cententa’s place, she found out that he was planning an engagement with another woman from a noble family.

When she ran to his study and asked about it, he put on a difficult smile.

“As the master of the Cententa family, I have to marry a woman from another noble family,” he told her. However, I arranged it so that you can continue to live here, so don’t worry. Nothing will change.”

“You’re telling me to live here even after you marry Lady Garcia?” she asked. “You want me to live here as your lover?”

“Yes.”

“From where I’m from, having a mistress is very unethical. Both the man and woman involved will be shamed for the affair. Are things different here?”

Kirkalas didn’t say anything and Mora waited for a reasonable answer… but it didn’t come. If nobles could only marry each other, then how could you explain Regnart trying to make her his queen? Was it because that was the only way? Or…

“You don’t need me anymore.”

His face froze at her words.

Did he mean it when he said he loved her? Did he say it just to use her? Was everything a lie? She wanted to ask him, but she was too afraid of the answer.

“If that’s it,” she said, “then I’ll leave.”

She didn’t know how they would treat her if she stayed. Mora was naïve when it comes to relationships, but she wasn’t stupid or immoral.

“Mora, wait!”

Even though he called her name, he didn’t stop her from trying to leave.

Mora didn’t have anything kind to say to him. She silently left his study.

She left everything that Regnart had given her in the palace and the things that she got from Kirkalas weren’t hers. She changed into the priest’s robe she got from the temple, packed light, and left the mansion. No knight or attendant asked her where she was going, it was as if he had told them all about what had happened. She comforted herself with the fact that, had she stayed, she might have grown dull.

When she left, she didn’t have anywhere to go. She was as lost as when she left her previous life to live this one. At least then, she had some money saved up, but she didn’t even have that now.

She could have chosen to stay at the temple, or she could have done something completely unexpected: She could go to the only person that lost everything because of her.

He may have been a tyrant, but he had never hurt her, and she wanted to relieve some of the guilt she was feeling. Though she couldn’t do much for him, there was one thing she could do. She wouldn’t be able to leave the temple so easily once she went in, so this was her only chance to do it.

So, she headed north.

She knew that he might decide to hit her or kill her, but she was optimistic that she’d be able to keep herself alive with her divine powers.