The World I Was Supporting Was Real

Episode 28. Eirene von Einsberg (3)

* * *

The news reaching Eirene was full of despair.

The castle she had fought for was completely taken over. It was as if her escape route had vanished.

Moreover, instead of gathering forces, the surrounding territories seemed to be accepting Prince Ares as their new leader.

There was no news of the two princesses or the retainers who followed her.

It bothered her a bit that the new emperor’s coronation hadn’t taken place… Was it because they hadn’t caught her yet? Or was there another reason?

In any case, the thought that the situation would quickly be resolved if she just hid for a while and then escaped safely seemed to have already missed the mark.

‘It feels like I’m having a nightmare.’

An overwhelming sense of despair, unlike anything she had ever felt in her life, crushed her.

She sighed naturally, wondering if she would have to live in hiding for the rest of her life.

“Lady Rinashita, are you okay? You don’t look well…”

“…No. It’s nothing, so you don’t have to worry.”

Upon hearing her words, Egan thought for a moment and then cautiously approached her.

“If you’re having a hard time, it’s okay to say so. Sometimes, saying ‘I’m having a hard time’ can help.”

“……”

“Well, if you could have said it, you would have said it already. I feel sorry for that.”

“No. There’s nothing to apologize for…”

Without answering, Egan moved closer to Eirene.

“Is it okay if I sit next to you?”

Eirene did not answer, but it was not a refusal.

Normally, she would have asked why he had to sit next to her when he could sit across from her.

Was it because the trials she faced were too heavy?

She needed the warmth of a person, even if it was an untrustworthy stranger.

Egan, too, seemed to read her mind and silently took a seat next to her.

This man, even knowing that I am a hunted person, is not afraid of me.

Suddenly, she found herself asking him a question.

“I have something to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“When you face trials so hard that it’s difficult to endure, how do you overcome them? Do you pray to God?”

Egan thought for a moment, then smiled and said-

“I just accept it.”

“What?”

“No matter how hard the trials are that come my way, if it’s something I have to do, I just do it. There’s no turning back, right? God only gives trials that we can overcome, so I just accept it as it is .”

“……!!”

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“Are you going through a tough time?”

Without waiting for Eirene’s answer, Lee Gun smiled kindly and said,

“Lady Rinasita. There’s nothing we can do about what’s already happened. Just accept it. That might actually be the solution.”

Hearing Lee Gun’s words, she quickly came to her senses.

Yes. Even though the imperial city was seized, the rebels had not yet held the coronation ceremony.

To ascend as the new emperor, the Pope’s approval was also needed, so not everything was lost yet.

There was no need to fall into despair.

Eirene looked at Lee Gun with sparkling eyes.

Foolishly, the words ‘just accept it’ were more comforting to her than anything else.

Despite the serious situation, she even wondered why she had despaired in the first place.

What could she do about what had already happened? She had to accept it and find a way forward.

‘Who would have thought that I would find solace in someone else’s words?’

“…I see. Indeed, as you said, perhaps I need to adopt an attitude of acceptance.”

“Of course. Lady Rinasita, you can overcome this. I will pray for you.”

He said this and then closed his eyes to pray.

“…”

Eirene stared intently at Lee Gun’s profile as he prayed.

… Different. He definitely had a different aura from women.

Solid, with a sharp feeling. His broad back and shoulders gave a sense of reliability.

Naturally, his voice echoed in her mind.

“Lady Rinasita, you have such fine features. Your face is very beautiful.”

“At a glance, you look elegant and dignified, so naturally, I was more concerned.”

‘…’

She had never heard such words in her life, let alone from a man’s mouth.

The words people used to describe Eirene were not ‘beauty,’ ‘elegance,’ or ‘dignity.’

They were ‘heartless,’ ‘cruel to enemies,’ ‘cold and calculating.’

Of course, her appearance was objectively outstanding, but… no vassal had ever dared to evaluate the emperor’s appearance so openly.

She wondered what he was thinking when he said such things, but-

‘It must have been just a polite remark.’

Eirene knew well. Her ‘good times’ had all passed.

Youth. Everyone praised the youth of their twenties. As if youth would be with them for their entire life.

There was never a time to regret it.

When her sister died and the emperor’s coffin fell before her eyes, Eirene abandoned the woman’s heart that was within her.

To survive in the political arena. To somehow stabilize the country thrown into chaos by the sudden death of the emperor.

That was also why she decided not to have men in her life. Why would she have children only to see them fight with her sister’s children?

To live solely for the country – that was her vow, and at least until recently, she had never once regretted that decision.

But why does she feel so restless?

Eirene quickly turned her head.

Would praying make her feel better?

She closed her eyes and carefully prayed to the one and only God.

―Please grant me the strong will to simply accept all these trials.

* * *

Lee Gun was a very devout man.

In his spare time, he prayed, and when he went out, he spent his time helping at the orphanage or doing chores at the church.

He thought all religious people were crazy lunatics obsessed with the Bible… but seeing him, he realized that wasn’t necessarily the case.

Every day, he prepared meals, gave up his bed for her, and slept on the floor. She wanted to do something for him.

And then, the next day.

“You’re up early today? More importantly, what’s that in your hand…?”

“Yes. A mop. You know what this is, right?”

“Of course. I use it for cleaning… but why all of a sudden?”

“Well, I’ve been imposing on you for several days now, and if I do nothing, you’ll get tired of me, won’t you?”

Although she was hiding here purely out of Lee Gun’s kindness, it wasn’t her way to take what she received for granted.

More than anything, it was uncomfortable to receive something without doing anything in return.

After receiving advice from Lee Gun to simply endure the trials, she felt strangely motivated.

“Are you sure? It’s not easy to do something you’re not used to…”

“What do you think of me?”

“A very well-bred lady.”

“Wha, what…!”

“?”

Unable to meet Lee Gun’s puzzled gaze, Eirene quickly turned her head.

Miss… … ?

‘But… … I’m 36 years old?’

Eirene barely managed to squeeze out her words.

“Th-that kind of joke, I’d prefer if you didn’t make it…….”

“Pardon? I wasn’t joking…?”

“But you called me, th-that, ah, Miss….”

“?

Miss… … .”

As soon as she heard those words, a graceful arc formed on her lips again-

“Yes. Miss Rinashita. Isn’t that right?”

“!!!”

Even if it was just a polite remark, it felt like more than just a tease-

But his eyes were so clear.

As if he truly believed she was a Miss.

Thump, thump.

Just hearing the word Miss made her heart pound violently.

Everything was a first. Living in the same house with a man, talking so much with a man, and… … being called ‘Miss’ by a man.

Eirene cleared her throat a few times and changed the subject.

“A-anyway! I’ll take care of the cleaning from now on. You must be tired from going out to the cathedral and all, so you can rest at home, can’t you?”

“You really don’t have to…….”

“Don’t refuse. Let’s start right away.”

She had never done it before, but hadn’t she seen the maids clean the palace more than dozens of times?

How hard could it be?

With a confident expression, Eirene picked up the old mop.

And then… …

* * *

… … Cleaning was harder than she thought.

“Ouch…! Ah, it hurts, so be gentle…!”

“I’m sorry, Miss Rinashita. But I have to disinfect it.”

She had tripped over the wooden floor while mopping and injured her white knee.

Lee Geon was tending to her wounds with various herbs, his hands skillful and gentle.

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“Why don’t you use white magic?”

“I can’t feel mana.”

Disqualified as a priest, he said, wrapping the bandage around her.

The unfamiliar tenderness of a man’s touch made her feel strange.

“It’s all done. Don’t push yourself too hard, and rest well today, okay?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay.”

As he said that with a smile, Eirene turned her head away again.

Throughout the time he was bandaging her, she could smell his masculine scent.

A scent distinctly different from her own.

Since the day she decided to ascend to the throne, something she had never known in her life stirred Eirene’s heart.

Why.

He was just treating her wounds.

It was no different from what the royal physician had done for her, so why was her heart shaking so much?

As if she were a girl discovering the spring breeze for the first time, the touch of Lee Geon’s arm brushing against her knee and leg made her stomach flutter.

At that moment, Eirene didn’t realize that her ears had turned bright red.

* * *

Since that day.

At first, she made many mistakes, but now she was handling household chores quite skillfully.

Eirene was fundamentally a very capable person.

Although she usually didn’t do such things, the fact that she could do them if she wanted to help her somewhat recover from the shock of the rebellion.

Of course, the news she heard was not good.

Even so, what allowed her to live day by day was the comfort and stability that came from deciding to just go on, no matter what trials came her way.

And―

“Here you go.”

That evening.

A warm beef stew was placed on the table.

“This is…?”

“I got some meat from the cathedral. Miss Rinasita, you’ve been working hard on the household chores all by yourself, so I felt bad always giving you hard bread.”

And then, she sat down and prayed.

―May the plain facts be with us.

Eirene slowly lifted the spoon and took a bite.

The taste… was crude. Her standards, having only tasted the finest cuisine on the continent, could not be satisfied by something so ordinary.

And yet.

‘It’s warm…’

Strangely, she felt that she would never forget this taste for the rest of her life.

“How is it? Does it suit your taste?”

“It’s not bad.”

She wanted to express her gratitude more honestly, but it didn’t come out right, so she subtly glanced at him-

He was looking at her with a very warm smile.

“I’m glad. Seeing you eat well makes me happy too.”

‘…’

The reason she could endure and live day by day.

A sense of fulfillment and stability. And… curiosity about the person in front of her, a type of human she had never met in her life.

She couldn’t realize it herself, but-

The more time she spent with him each day, the more curious she became about what kind of person he was.

How could he help people without expecting anything in return?

With a different mindset, different thoughts, and a different… scent from her.

A being she had never been interested in for 36 years—a man.

For the first time in her life, Eirene wanted to know a man.

* * *

How many days had passed like that?

That day, it was raining steadily late into the night.