The Solitude of an Emperor [TO BE UNPUBLISHED]

42 : Your Heart Matters

The Imperials knights could not stand the sight of the slaughtered goblins scattered everywhere after going deeper into the coniferous forest. It took them a day to secure the front area because they encountered bandits and found out that they purposely took monsters to the vicinity of the capital city. Thanks to Sir Alluka's skills, they have captured all the bandits and all their belongings.

However, as they came deeper to the forest, closer to the walls, they could not believe their eyes to see all of the monsters being scattered everywhere. They could not imagine a person being able to defeat hundreds of them in just a day. They are already late to rescue the Crown Princess as everything was taken care of.

"Your Highness!" Alluka immediately saw the figure of Darya from the woods. He snatched the blanket he took from the Imperial palace and ran towards her.

"Are you alright, Your Highness?" He wrapped the blanket around Darya. Her hair is wet and it seemed like she just finished taking a bath. Her pants are wet as well.

Darya swallowed the peck of the apple she bit. "I am alright." She replied shortly, not looking at Captain Theobarlt behind her because she is still embarrassed about what happened just a while ago.

Luckily, he informed her that the Imperial knights were coming when he came back with fruits. She cannot even look him in the eyes when she received the fruit she is going to eat for a meal.

"I am glad, Your Highness. His Majesty had been worried about you."

She nodded as she looked around the slaughtered goblins everywhere. Now she understands why Captain Theobarlt was covered with blood early in the morning.

"We have prepared a carriage for you. Should I carry you there-

"You are too worried, Alluka." Darya cut him. Alluka is being too worried again. "I told you to protect His Majesty, so why are you here?"

"I was sent by His Majesty and I could not just standby after hearing about your disappearance."

"You should have thought that Captain Theobarlt was with me."

"Oh, I forgot." Alluka looked at Captain Theobarlt who's also eating an apple. His hair was wet, and his pants... He turned to look at Darya.

"Is your body alright? Are you not feeling tired?"

"Huh?" Darya showed him a questioning look.

"Was there perhaps a beast you encountered?"

"No. If there is, Captain Theobarlt might have taken care of it already. But I feel like my body is weak."

Alluka stopped walking, his whole body froze. He turned around to look at Captain Theobarlt with his widened eyes. But then when Captain Theobarlt looked at him innocently, his head blew up. "Y-You-

"I was poisoned," Darya continued speaking while walking straight. "The arrow that struck me contained a poison to weaken my body. It was intended to push me to the edge of the wall so I would fall."

Alluka's expression immediately changed as he smiled at Captain Theobarlt, feeling guilty of thinking too much. He came back to Darya's side.

"The attacker was Lady Kathika, the adopted daughter of Count Morata." Alluka denounced.

Darya nodded, not a bit shocked that it was her, because it is possible.

"Duke Esteban sentenced her to lifetime imprisonment just the day she made the crime, Your Highness."

She stopped for a bit after hearing that but she managed to process it right away. She did not react and continued walking.

"Apparently, the Morata Family had been accountable for your disappearance and is now under investigation. We have also encountered bandits who seemed to be the ones behind the monsters coming to this vicinity."

"I believe that we were informed late about the appearance of the monsters to Vomono." She claimed. "Moreover, a noble family could have potentially paid bandits to capture monsters to allocate them to the vicinity of the Capital City."

Darya had already calculated the possibility of another purposive incident. This is either to act as a hero or to taint her position as the Crown Princess.

After hearing the news about the Crown Princess being found, Lavenorth was running towards the Emperor's office to announce it. "The Crown Princess had been found, Your Majesty. She is safe and sound."

Emperor Oswald sighed in relief. "That is good to hear, Lavenorth. Where is my granddaughter right now?"

Lavenorth walked towards the Emperor to hand him a letter. "Here is the letter coming from the Crown Princess."

The Emperor took it and immediately read it. All his concerns faded as he read every word. He then nodded his head upon reading information about her discovery and her plan. After reading the letter, he put it down and looked at Lavenorth.

"I would like to meet Viscount Morata as soon as possible."

Darya is not coming to the Imperial Palace right away. She made her way to the battlefield to check on the situation in Vomono. After stopping by for a few hours to a town to prepare themselves, along with Captain Theobarlt, they ran their horses to Vomono and arrived at the shortest time.

From the view on the top of the hills, she watched the Imperial knights and the people fight for the wellness of their Empire with blood, sweat, and strength. She watched her people give their all for the purpose of peace. This made her realize that she could actually trust again. She watched the victory of her people as she followed them to their victory parade. She watched the happiness drawn into the faces of her people.

With her knee on the ground, her head lowered down to the Emperor, a crown was placed on Crown Princess Darya's head. Emperor Oswald places his sword next to Darya's head. "I, Lysander Oswald, the current Emperor of the Largoth Empire, pass the authorization of the throne to Crown Princess Darya as the new ruler of the Empire."

Darya stood up to receive the sword of Emperor Oswald, "I hereby denounce the new Emperor of the Largoth Empire, Emperor Lysandra Darya Sage Y Taleigha Oswald! Hail to the new Emperor!"

After the subjugation of the monsters in Vomono, her position as the Crown Princess strengthened even more, making all anti-imperial factions smile in awe. After finding out the mastermind of the intrusion of the bandits and the monsters to the vicinity of the Capital City, Viscount Morata and his family were executed as his name was erased to the future of the Largoth Empire. His family's name will remain tarnished in the history of the Empire.

And just after she had become the Emperor, during the night, she held her grandfather's cold hand tight, heeding his last words, "Your heart matters, my Lysandra."

***
END OF CHAPTER 42
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