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"What about my choice then?!" Alfred snapped back. "Why can I not have the choice of choosing my Queen?!"

"C-Choice…?" Layla muttered with a weak laugh. "Your Highness is the Crown Prince…you were raised to be the next King, and with that status comes responsibilities!"

She was absolutely right. Aurora had understood that and embraced it wholeheartedly, unlike Alfred, who seemed to be shirking his duties.

"W-What\'s the problem with that, Layla?! Is it a sin to wish to be with the one you love?!" Alfred retorted.

"H-Have I refused that to you, Your Highness…?" Layla asked, her voice breaking as tears welled up in her red eyes. "Despite my hate toward her, I-I accepted her. I accepted her to be your second wife, but you even refused that…y-you asked me to give up my status as the future Queen for her? You…" Layla paused, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "You…told me this easily, to give up and spit on all the efforts I have put in for a decade for you?" Her voice cracked with emotion, revealing the depth of her pain.

"I-I didn\'t-"

"E-Even if you did not like me…at least as someone you grew up with, h-how can you tell me to give up on years of effort for another girl you met less than a year ago…?" Layla\'s voice trembled as she spoke. "D-Do I mean just this much to you?"

"L-Layla…" Miranda\'s voice shook as she tried to approach her, but Aurora held her back.

"Let her, Myra…she needs that…"

"H-How? I-I accepted all the humiliations when you compared her to me, but h-how, Your Highness, could you say that a mere commoner without any knowledge about our Kingdom could be a better Queen than me…?" Layla\'s words struck a chord, and voices of agreement echoed around the hall.

Milleia could never be a fitting Queen. She lacked the knowledge and the impartiality required for the role.

"E-Enough, Layla!" Alfred was clearly bothered by the supportive whispers and raised voices. "Do you hear yourself?! How low have you stooped to use your status as a noble to belittle Milleia! Milleia has Raphiel\'s bloodline, and she awakened it, unlike you! Her status can be considered as being above yours!"

Layla offered a weak smile as Alfred spoke, her eyes glistening with tears. "Is that really the problem, Your Highness? Because I wasn\'t able to awaken Raphiel\'s bloodline? Or m-maybe because I\'m not beautiful enough? Do you find her more beautiful than me? I-I tried to act as you wanted, but it didn\'t work, and w-why should I act like her to make you love me?"

If only…

I wonder.

If only back then I had revealed myself as Edward instead of letting her believe it was Alfred she was talking to…

Maybe she wouldn\'t have suffered this much…

Until now I ignored it because I didn\'t think that three months would have so much effect on her but now it was clear for me. I was the one at fault. Her obsession on Alfred is because of me.

Layla gritted her teeth and pointed at Milleia. "O-Or do you want just her body?!"

"Layla!" Alfred\'s hand moved to slap her, but John swiftly intervened, grabbing Alfred\'s arm and glaring at him coldly.

Undeterred, Alfred looked at Layla disdainfully. "Is that why you survived? Is that why our Saintess died?"

The Saintess…

Maria\'s mother was believed to be dead, even I was considering her to be dead, even though she was in a coma. She was supposed to die in a year to fulfill Maria\'s destiny as the Saintess.

But Maria\'s mother sacrificed herself for…

"Our Saintess sacrificed herself for someone like you?! Even your mother died because of you! Aunt Alyssa might have been better alive than you!"

"...!"

My expression turned icy at Alfred\'s callous remarks. He knew nothing about what she had gone through.

-Slap!

In an instant, someone\'s hand connected with Alfred\'s cheek, sending a small shockwave through the room.

"H-How dare you, Alfred?!" Miranda\'s voice trembled with anger, tears streaming down her face.

Layla, who had been standing strong until then, crumpled to her knees, completely distraught.

"L-Layla!" Miranda rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Layla in a comforting embrace.

"..." John was still holding Alfred firmly, his expression betraying his inner struggle with anger and restraint.

"John." Uncle Jarett\'s voice was colder than ever as he intervened with just a single word.

The hall fell into a tense silence, everyone taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

Alfred, his cheek stinging from the slap, glared at Layla, who was being comforted by Miranda. "This is outrageous! How can you defend her after what she said?!"

"Enough, Alfred!" King Charles\'s stern voice echoed through the hall as he stepped forward. "This is not the time nor the place for such behavior. It\'s time for you to leave-"

In the midst of chaos, darkness enveloped the room, leaving everyone in a state of confusion.

"Edward!!" Eric\'s voice echoed through the darkness.

Walter Celesta must be behind this, I thought to myself.

"Please calm down-"

"Second Wing!" I disregarded King Charles\' attempt to restrain us and charged forward.

There was something fishy about this timing; they must be targeting someone.

I swiftly drew my staff, positioning myself in front of Miranda and Layla.

Suddenly, the lights flickered back on, revealing Raisa\'s shocked expression as her sword pierced my heart.

"C-Cough…" I spat blood, trying to stay on my feet.

"RAISA!!" Draven lunged towards her, but a circular dome blocked him from reaching her.

"E-Edward…" I collapsed on my knees, my staff dropping to the ground.

Miranda held my body from behind, trembling as she touched my wound.

"Edward…." Layla staggered and looked down at my injury, her face contorting in horror. "H-He\'s dying! Someone, please help him!"

The dome prevented anyone from entering, even the King. Walter Celesta probably prepared that beforehand.

The only person who could possibly reach me was my grandfather, but he just stared at me, with Aunt Belle and Elona crying beside him. Even my father looked worried for the first time.

"I wanted to kill you, little Myra, but he intervened and sacrificed himself," Raisa taunted as she pulled out her sword.

"Argh!" I spat out more blood.

"N-No…!" Miranda desperately covered my chest wound with her hands, but it seemed futile.

Raisa leaned in close to whisper, "He threw himself to protect you, just like your mother did back then."

"...!" Miranda\'s eyes widened, and her tears fell uncontrollably. "E-Edward… please…"

"Myra! Keep your hands steady!" Layla, with trembling hands, poured vials of something onto my wounds, but...

"Y-Yes...!"

"It\'s useless. I stabbed his heart with my poisoned sword."

-Thud

My hands fell to the ground, and I felt my eyelids getting heavy. Through my blurry vision, I could see Miranda crying and Layla desperately trying to save me.

"Ahahahaha! Now it\'s your turn-"

-Spurt!

"Cough!" Raisa spat blood as a pure white sword pierced through her stomach.

In a blink of an eye, my body on Miranda\'s arms vanished into white particles and reappeared behind Raisa. I gripped Trinity Nihil tightly and plunged it deeper into her as tremendous amount of mana left my body at an alarming rate.

"Y-Yoou…!"

"Shut up," I wheezed, pulling out Trinity Nihil with all my strength.

"Agh!" Raisa fell to the ground, trying to stand up, but I quickly stabbed her again with Trinity Nihil.

She\'s strong, an 8th Ascension user, but I managed to catch her off guard using my control over Fate and making her believe I was dead. Trinity Nihil is the only weapon that can deal significant damage to a monster like her.

"It\'s over." I mustered all my remaining mana and stabbed her through the heart, and Raisa finally stopped moving.

However, black substance started oozing out of her body-

"Already used to it," I swung my sword again, this time cutting off her head to ensure she wouldn\'t come back.

"T-This sword! Impossible!" Pope Francis widened his eyes in utter shock. "This the Holy Sword of Nihil..."

"...!" Exhausted, I widened my eyes as all my mana was drained in that final attack. I fell to my knees, barely conscious, Trinity Nihil\'s runes glowing white to sustain me.

My eyelids grew heavy, but the soft sensation of Miranda\'s embrace provided some comfort.

She was mumbling something, her lips quivering, but I couldn\'t make out the words.

The scent…

How many years has it been since I last felt this…?