Ch#245
**Shards of the Broken Glass Shoe**
**Chapter 245**
Was this how it felt when Sise committed suicide in front of Roena's eyes? I wasn't sure. But what was certain was that my vision flickered dizzily and brilliantly. Everything seemed to flow in slow motion.
However, since the fall felt like a mere instant compared to what I was perceiving, I braced myself, clenching my teeth for the pain that would soon follow.
Strangely, though I felt a void beneath my feet, no pain came. Instead, I felt only a sensation of floating. Soon, with a clunking sound, my body jolted violently up and down. Ah, what do I call this? It’s as if I’m suspended in mid-air. It was a bizarre occurrence.
Wait, suspended in mid-air?
The moment I regained my senses, I realized I was hanging, caught on something. I also realized that the hair of Knight Aires, which I had been wearing around my waist like a belt, had saved me.
I painfully moved my trembling head to look down. I saw a large horn rising toward the sky through the strands of Knight Aires' hair.
I easily recognized what it was. It was a horn attached to the head of a stag. Below the second-floor terrace, a stuffed stag's head was mounted above the Border Count's crest—and around it, long pleated fabric hung in a regular, semi-arched pattern—and I was caught there. I had to say I was lucky.
Furthermore, although Jack had screamed loudly because of me, no one noticed me hanging here because the area below was so noisy. Had they known, I would have died from a flying weapon.
"Lady, give me your h-hand."
I heard Rat's voice above my head. I painfully lifted my head. Not only Rat, but also Bird, Lizard, and even the small-framed Jack were reaching down to pull me up.
I tried to twist my body slightly to grab their hands. But I was tantalizingly out of reach. Clenching my teeth, I focused strength into my fingertips and reached out again. However, I still only brushed past them by a hair's breadth.
"Just a little more strength!"
I tried to twist my body again to grab a hand. Suddenly, Knight Aires' hair loosened, and my body swayed violently. Fearing I might fall, I grabbed the stag's horn, and with a snap, it tilted slightly downward. It was because the momentum had caused a heavy shift.
Then, Bird grabbed Rat's waist and lowered his body deep toward me. This allowed his arm to reach down far enough for me to grab his hand. Now, all I had to do was grab him. But before I could reach Rat, with a thud, my body dropped further down.
"Aaaaah!"
I screamed and grabbed onto whatever I could reach. It was the fabric hanging loosely around the stag's horn. Unable to withstand the weight of my body falling sharply, the fabric began to tear away from the wall with a snapping sound.
As I flailed my legs to survive, the stag's horn caught on my shoe and dangled beneath my feet like a weight. My body continued to swing in a large circle back and forth, following the fabric being torn away, sweeping across the area below.
"What's that?"
"Move!"
"Get back! You'll be stabbed!"
The people who had been fighting in a tangled mess screamed and scrambled to avoid being gored by the stag's horn. The formation was breaking as people threw themselves to the floor or lunged to the side.
How many times did I swing back and forth like that? A moment later, all the fabric decorating the wall fell away, and my body plummeted to the floor. Fortunately, the height had gradually decreased during the swinging, so there was no great impact. After that, the fabric, which trailed long like a tail, covered the heads of the soldiers.
A moment of silence fell. The noisy battle went quiet for an instant as everyone stared at me in a daze. Unable to overcome the nausea, I retched again, bringing up bile. Then, as if that were a signal, people began to raise their voices again from everywhere.
"Now! Strike while the Grand Duke's soldiers can't escape the fabric!"
"It's an opportunity. Suppress the rebels!"
With me at the center, people began to tangle in a chaotic mess once more. I fumbled and crawled away from the stag's head.
*Ugh.*
And again, I retched the bile rising to my throat. Perhaps because I had vomited so much, my vision was dizzy and I had no strength in my body. My mind had not yet returned to its senses, so I couldn't even perceive where I was standing.
As I walked a few steps and collapsed, a cold wind brushed over my head, and someone spat out a curse.
"This bastard!"
I blinked my tear-soaked eyes and saw a soldier with a face distorted like a demon. He was aiming a sword at me. But he was immediately brought to his knees, coughing up blood from a blade flying from behind. A blade was protruding through his abdomen.
Death. War.
My senses returned sharply, as if cold water had been poured over my head. I made a sound like a mute and retreated backward on my haunches.
However, because of a soldier trying to escape the fabric, my foot got caught, causing me to fall flat on my back, and I collided hard with someone's leg. His stride broken, he fell forward and bumped into someone else. That person also collided with another and fell flat. Then, like dominoes falling, people began to collide, get injured, or fall and flounder everywhere.
Later, someone would reminisce that it strangely applied only to the Grand Duke's soldiers, making them think luck was on their side. Thanks to that, the tide of victory began to turn toward the Crown Prince.
"Spare them if they surrender!"
"Capture the Grand Duke!"
But there was a hand pulling my body. As I struggled and resisted in fear, someone spoke in a calm voice.
"Shh, it's me."
Iobalde de Bischwaltz Eriñasia. He was the Crown Prince of the Empire. Only then did my reason return, and I looked at him with focused eyes. The Crown Prince was looking at me as if I were a marvel. What was lingering on his lips was the word 'satisfaction.'
"You are truly amazing. Thanks to you, the tide of battle has turned. How did you think of such a thing?"
Knight Aires, who was standing beside him as if guarding him, pulled my body away from the Crown Prince. And he spoke in a cold voice as if giving advice.
"Your Highness. It is not over yet."
"But victory is already ours."
"You must not let your guard down until the very end."
"Ah, right."
Knight Aires firmly grabbed my trembling hand. And Knight Halverd was looking at me with a sorrowful gaze.
"Why have you appeared here? Heavens, I almost doubted my own eyes."
Knight Aires asked in a whisper while monitoring the surroundings. I tried to move my dry lips but only made a chattering sound. Words wouldn't come out. Instead, I released my hand, which was filled with cold sweat, and looked at him. Then, Knight Aires said to the Crown Prince, "Please grant me permission."
"No."
"Show some mercy, Your Highness."
"No, rather, it could be dangerous. It's better for her to be here."
"She is someone who knows nothing. It's impossible for her to endure this."
"You aren't the only one worried about this person, Knight Aires."
At that moment, Knight Halverd, who had been watching me quietly, stepped forward.
"Can't I just protect the Lady while I protect Your Highness? I will stake my honor that not even the hem of the Lady's cloak will be touched."
"Soldiers aren't only in the hall. Remnants are hiding everywhere. Regrettably, for her sake, she must stay here with us."
A small bickering ensued. It was something that could happen because they thought victory was almost within their grasp.
I couldn't focus on their conversation. A headache was rushing in due to the ticking sound that continued to echo in my ears. I felt like I would go mad from the sound of the clock in my head. I felt like screaming.
Then, I fell forward as if collapsing, and unfortunately, the Crown Prince was in front of me. He instinctively caught my body and fell backward.
What was chilling was that at that moment, a blind arrow flew over his head. Simultaneously, as the Crown Prince fell, he hit something, causing a crossbow mounted on the wall to fire straight ahead.
"Argh!"
"Where did that crossbow bolt come from? Protect His Grace the Grand Duke!"
"The Grand Duke was hit in the eye by an arrow!"
"Capture the Grand Duke!!"
"Do not retreat; protect His Grace! Defend the Imperial Family from the parricide!"
At this point, I had no choice but to think that destiny was overtly taking the Crown Prince's side. But the Crown Prince seemed to be thinking of something else as his eyes sparkled while looking at me. What was contained within them was joy and greed.
"You..."
Knight Halverd and Knight Aires briefly turned their gaze to look at the Grand Duke, who was said to have been hit in the eye by an arrow.
At that moment, the ticking sound in my ears grew louder, and someone who appeared behind the Crown Prince entered my sight moving very slowly. So I fumbled the floor with my hands, grabbed whatever I could find, and raised it over my head as if to defend myself.
It was a movement I had never performed, but I was doing it instinctively. As if someone else were moving my body—just like that.
Suddenly, with a metallic *clang*, a pain as if both my wrists were breaking rushed in. I let out a wretched scream and dropped what I was holding. Even while distorted with pain, I clearly saw the face of the person who had caused me pain.
It was Knight Sylphice, who was known to be by the Grand Duke's side in disguise.
He was immediately suppressed by Knight Halverd and Knight Aires, who reacted instantly to my scream. Simultaneously, dozens of troops poured into the hall and began to shout loudly. Those who had been blocked by the Grand Duke's ambush units had finally reached the Border Count's Castle.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, we have arrived."
"Everyone, help His Highness and suppress those traitors!"
But the Crown Prince still didn't take his eyes off me. I, too, didn't turn my eyes from him even while shedding tears from the pain.
*Tick.*
Finally, the ticking sound stopped. As if it were over. And a prophecy wrapped around my mind, which was becoming as clear as a cloudless sky, as if it were a lingering attachment.
『Death approaches. The Reaper stands near you with his scythe. Therefore, find and keep by your side the woman who defied death, the woman who is not bound by destiny. Then you shall see the light.』
I weakly spat out the words that poured out instinctively.
"Finally, one is over."
As dawn light poured through the open window, the sound of a bell announcing the morning drifted in from afar on the wind. As if to bless the end of the war.
*Dong— Dong— Dong—*
"Find the Grand Duke!"
"Those who surrender, lower your weapons and kneel. Then your lives at least shall be spared."
The Crown Prince reached out as if to grab me. I shook my head while backing away. It meant not to come close. And the ones who supported me were Knight Aires and Knight Halverd.
Jack, who had somehow made it through this hell, also ran to me and looked at me with a worried expression. Knight Aires tried to pull Jack away from me, but I was faster. Because I instinctively realized what I had to do.
"Jack, shout it."
"Pardon?"
"Shout that Rade Relshin saved His Highness the Crown Prince's life! Quickly!"
Jack, not knowing the reason, obediently began to shout at the top of his lungs as I told him.
"Rade Relshin saved His Highness the Crown Prince's life!"
Bird, Rat, and Lizard, who had followed Jack, also shouted along with the boy. What appeared on their faces was confusion.
But as they repeatedly shouted the same thing, people began to shout along with Jack's words. They were swept up by public opinion.
"A man named Rade Relshin threw himself for His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Rade Relshin saved His Highness the Crown Prince. Because of him, His Highness is safe!"
"We won the war because of Rade Relshin!"
"The one who confused the rebels earlier was also Rade Relshin!"
The Crown Prince's face distorted. Clever as he was, he furrowed his brow fiercely as if he realized what I was aiming for by having them shout such words.
"You...!"
I gave a faint smile and spoke to him.
"It's over now, Your Highness. It's perfectly over."
And unable to endure the pain coming from both my wrists, I immediately fainted.
***
I didn't wake up throughout the entire journey back to the Capital. When I opened my eyes, the rebellion in the Capital had also been perfectly suppressed. Just how long had I been unconscious?
I discovered Lady Roshan looking worried by my bedside and painfully raised my body.
"Where is this?"
Lady Roshan's face brightened as she rose. Her face, seen after a long time, looked very tired.
"Sise, you're awake?"
"Is this House Rosan?"
"Yes, that's right."
She poured water into a cup and brought it to my lips. I tried to take it, but Lady Roshan stopped me.
"You shouldn't move your wrists yet."
I lowered my eyes and stared at my weakly extended hands. Wrapped in bandages, they looked very unsightly.
"Are they broken?"
"No, not exactly. You just need rest."
"I see."
"I heard you saved His Highness's life? I heard you played a huge role. As Rade Relshin."
Lady Roshan asked in a gentle tone while dabbing my lips with a cloth.
Well, could that really be called a 'huge role'?
I wore a bitter smile and didn't answer.
When I arrived at the hall, the fight had already reached its climax. Though I saved him by chance, swept away by destiny, I only reached a clumsy conclusion without even knowing the proper process or the climax. Like a marionette moved by someone's hand.
I didn't know how the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke had fought under the surface until now, how they had wrestled for power even in the fight against Eriñus, or even what had become of the Empress's downfall. I only knew that the Crown Prince was saved according to destiny, the war was over, and the Crown Prince would now become Emperor.
A bitter smile escaped me at the feeling of being thoroughly toyed with. If there was one consolation, it was that I no longer had to be dragged around by the Crown Prince using prophecies as an excuse.
"What about my mother? What happened to my brother? Can I return to the Bischwaldz mansion?"
At my questions, Lady Roshan's face stiffened. She let out a sigh and spoke as if it were regrettable, gently stroking my cheek.
"I'm sorry, Sise. A problem has occurred."
"A problem?"
"I couldn't control Lady Roena. I mean, what she was thinking while she was locked up."
"Sise," she called me in a sorrowful voice.
"Because of that, a problem occurred with your young brother. Valerian de Bischwaltz suffered a serious injury to one of his legs. He will likely grow up with a limp."
The news was like a bolt from the blue.
