Chapter 88: Everyone is the Same
However, the situation clearly continued to worsen.
Looking at the newspaper, Diana and Leon sighed.
An internal conflict had erupted, causing the city residents to flee to the outskirts one after another.
Pabst village was no exception. The central part of the village saw deteriorating security, and thefts began one after another.
Furthermore, men dressed as soldiers, whose origins were unknown, started wandering around the village. They formed their own private police force and created mysterious rules that the village had never seen before.
Of course, with Roberto’s inability to protect the king and his immobility, everything was falling behind.
Winter deepened, and the snow began to subside as February approached.
After a long time, the front door creaked.
Diana, holding her swollen belly, went to the entrance, and there――
“Village Chief Roberto…”
Leon rushed towards them with enthusiasm, but his breath caught when he saw the village chief.
Roberto was beaten up and barely standing, as if he would collapse at any moment.
“What happened? Those wounds!”
“Well, you see… the city militia sniffed out the king’s whereabouts…”
As he spoke, Roberto collapsed at the entrance.
“Village chief!”
Leon helped Roberto up.
Standing behind them was──
Hendrick IV, who had become thinner and had sunken eyes.
Diana trembled and pointed challengingly at the king.
“Go away! Right now!!”
The king frowned slightly.
“Because of your running around, many people are suffering… Why don’t you understand that?”
“…Diana.”
Roberto, still lying down, interrupted her.
“Even Your Majesty… if I die, it’s all over…”
“That’s enough, Roberto-dono. It’s my fault for not being able to control people’s hearts.”
Finally, Hendrick IV spoke.
“Now, there is no army to protect the king. The Papal Army and the people are continuing their fight. If I return to the castle, I will be killed.”
Diana gazed at the humble king.
“Fortunately, my wife and child have been taken to a third country, her birthplace. So, I don’t mind what happens to me anymore.”
The former dignity was no longer there.
“Roberto, thank you for everything. The pursuers are right there. I will be killed soon.”
There was a man who seemed to have given up on living.
In the midst of war, giving up on living…
Diana remembered the moment when she jumped into the flames.
Loneliness. Despair. Regret.
That moment when she was torn apart by those feelings…
Diana suddenly said something.
“…Then, shall we live here? In this remote place.”
Leon stared blankly at Diana.
“What?”
“Your Majesty, please change into work clothes immediately. And shave your hair and beard――.”
“Hey, Diana!”
Leon grabbed both of Diana’s shoulders.
“Are you sane, Diana?!”
“I have always been sane.”
“…!”
“Your Majesty, from today, your name will be Henry.”
The king froze.
“I will lend you that mountain cabin. If it’s found, well… it can’t be helped. Until then, shall we try living there?”
Leon is trembling violently.
With eyes filled with anger and fear, he stares straight at his wife.
“You fool, Diana… If you do something like that, we will be exposed to danger too!”
“But, Leon.”
Diana directed a loving gaze at the king standing behind Leon.
“I also gave up on living for a moment in the flames of Latgip.”
“…”
“It was really difficult to give up on living. But, you came to my rescue, and I was saved.”
“…”
“If I had died in despair, engulfed in the flames, neither I nor our unborn child would be here.”
“…”
“I can’t turn away someone who is on the verge of death in the midst of war.”
Leon took a step forward, as if preparing for something, and embraced his wife.
“Just promise me one thing.”
Diana nodded.
“If it really becomes dangerous, even if it means abandoning the king, escape with me on Regina. I can trust that horse.”
“Understood, I promise.”
“…Old man Henry. That’s the condition for letting you stay in the cabin. You have to protect yourself. That’s the deal.”
The king nodded. Leon picked up a set of work clothes hanging in the corner of the house and threw it at the king.
The king caught it and discarded his luxurious attire that he had been wearing.
Diana took the clothes and burned them in the fireplace.
“…And this too.”
Diana put salted potatoes and wild boar meat into a bag and handed it to the king.
“With this and some milk, you can sustain yourself for a week. It’s a very harsh diet, but please endure it. You can take as much milk and eggs as you want from the cowshed. There’s a razor in the washroom, feel free to use it.”
The king received the bag with trembling hands.
And then…
“T-Thank you…!”
Saying that, the king burst into tears.
Leon and Diana were stunned.
The king walked unsteadily towards the snowy outside, heading to a small mountain hut a little below.
While watching his thin figure disappear, Leon gently supported Diana’s back.
“We all want to live as long as possible…”
Diana murmured. The king kept getting smaller and smaller.
“We’re all the same.”
