TSMMT Ch 152

Ways of Expressing

Why did I collapse before him?

Reason whispered that breaking down was forbidden. He was an ill-fated tie from her past life. A man entangled with her in an inescapable wheel of karma.

Yet Dianna felt relieved the moment she saw him. She had crumbled before the man who intruded upon her destiny and stirred everything into turmoil.

Was it because he held a stake in her misfortune?

Collapsing after suppressing everything for so long brought a strange sense of relief. It was just as she had confessed to him. She had never been fine. She had never been fine with anything, neither in her past life nor in her present.

The arms embracing her felt warm. Returning to the state of a helpless child, Dianna clung to Guiscard, weeping openly.

Like a composed child finally bursting into tears upon finding a guardian, Dianna poured out her emotions completely.

Yes, he was the man who occupied the largest portion of her life. The man who had clung to her, confessing his love.

So wasn't it acceptable to cry a little? Wasn't she allowed to act spoiled?

After all, she had once loved this man just as deeply. Because she had strived so desperately, so tirelessly for his sake...

He stroked her hair awkwardly.

[Guiscard] "You did well..."

[Dianna] "..."

[Guiscard] "You endured so admirably..."

Shedding tears, Dianna burrowed deeper into his embrace.

As he stroked her hair with clumsy tenderness, tension melted from her body. Only now did the realization wash over her that she had returned.

After weeping in his arms for a long while, she drifted into a deep sleep.

---

Dianna observed the man offering her a bowl of soup. His violet eyes gleamed with soft tenderness.

[Dianna] "..."

This is no time for this. A king leaving his kingdom unattended…

She knew full well this was not the Lodbrog Kingdom.

His gaze radiated endless gentleness, while his actions appeared thoroughly awkward.

Was it natural for such a cold man to behave this way?

Taking the spoon with an awkward expression under his soft gaze, she swallowed a few spoonfuls of soup before asking.

[Dianna] "When did you awaken?"

[Guiscard] "A few days after your departure."

A few days after?

Placing the spoon down, she stared at him, prompting him to gently place the spoon back in her hand, urging her to eat more.

[Dianna] "Why on earth didn't you send word?"

A surge of anger flared within her. If he had awakened so early, could he not have sent missives?

Despite her accusatory look, he responded impassively.

[Guiscard] "There was a matter I wished to settle quietly."

Yes, of course.

Guiscard had always acted alone, concealing details and offering no explanations. This was no different. He had always been this way.

As Dianna lowered her head in bitter disillusionment, he spoke casually.

[Guiscard] "I don't forgive those who harm you."

His voice carried a chilling undertone. Those words alone clarified everything, the matter he wished to settle quietly.

Her eyes wavered.

[Dianna] "Are you planning to purge Duke Levian?"

He offered no reply, which was answer enough. He was orchestrating something, undoubtedly using his reported coma as a cover to act in secret.

[Dianna] "Is Duke Levian not the man who made you king?"

He curled his lips into a cold smirk.

[Guiscard] "A cunning bastard who merely jumped on the winning bandwagon deserves no such credit."

[Dianna] "..."

[Guiscard] "Even had he rendered assistance, it matters not. Those bastards tried to murder you. That is all that matters."

He stared discontentedly at the bowl of soup before picking up the spoon, blowing gently on it, and offering it to her lips.

[Guiscard] "House Levian will be eradicated."

[Dianna] "..."

[Guiscard] "The moment I saw them abduct and lock you away in a barn, my decision was made. Even if you, in your kindness, don't wish for it, I shall execute it regardless."

She had no desire to play the angel.

Had Guiscard always harbored such intense hatred for Duke Levian?

As she parted her lips, warm soup filled her mouth, and she swallowed it down.

[Guiscard] "How could I possibly spare those who left you in such a state?"

So that was why he had concealed his awakening.

Her face hardened at the realization that something had gone awry. In her heart, she wished for their deaths as well. Yet publicly casting aside a house that had backed him, could he execute such a move?

[Guiscard] "Smile a little more for me. You are allowed to do so."

Taking the spoon from him, she lowered her gaze.

[Guiscard] "There is no need to worry."

Grasping her hand, his eyes sparkled with innocent intensity.

[Guiscard] "I have already apprehended them. You need only render the final verdict."

[Dianna] "..."

[Guiscard] "Please do so."

He offered a smile. His eyes gleamed.

Like a knight offering the severed head of a nemesis to his queen, he spoke of death with a cruel gaze, whispering as if delivering sweet endearments.

Announcing his awakening to the kingdom should take priority, and I wish he would do so.

Yet voicing such concerns felt like ungrateful complaining, leaving Dianna unable to express anger.

[Dianna] "Very well."

His mode of expressing affection differed entirely from standard norms, transcending anything Dianna could comprehend. A love confessed through slaughter. She couldn't bring herself to smile at the tribute he prepared to offer.

Yet what drove her mad was the dark rapture and cruelty surging within her own heart in response to his love.

Perhaps this was what she had craved all along—unconditional devotion, absolute love, everything.

The Guiscard of her past life had not been like this. In her past life, he had cast her aside far more coldly.

The Guiscard of her past life had spared Lady Levian, who had murdered her child, taking her as his wife and fathering children with her.

Lady Levian had survived until Dianna's very death.

That was undeniably what occurred, so why have you changed?

Dianna placed the soup bowl on the nightstand. Though Guiscard directed a dissatisfied glare toward the bowl, she merely wished to gaze at his face endlessly for now.

[Dianna] "Yes, let us return to Lodbrog."

She spoke gently.

She understood why he was so desperate: Guiscard wished for her to return to Lodbrog by his side to witness House Levian's ruin.

---

Once a recovered Dianna finally began moving about, people swarmed toward her. Relief washed over her upon verifying that everyone was safe.

[Leonie] "Y-Your Majesty! Your hand... please show us your hand!"

Everyone stared at her burned hand. Having thrust her bare hand directly into the flames, her skin should have been mangled. Yet as everyone examined her hand, it appeared completely unblemished.

[Dianna] "It appears to have been a trial by the fire spirit."

In truth, she had felt her flesh cook in the flames. Yet beyond a lingering burning sensation for a few days after forming the contract, her hand remained fine. Enduring the agony of fire itself had constituted the fire spirit's trial.

So that is why summoning a fire spirit is so arduous.

They existed solely where fire burned, requiring the summoner to conquer the flames.

Regardless, the onlookers expressed relief upon seeing her hand unblemished. Preoccupied with their own survival, they had failed to attend to Dianna's injury earlier. How mortified they had felt upon hearing others mention Dianna's burns...!

Looking at their remorseful faces, Dianna merely smiled.

What a relief. At least my endurance bore fruit.

[L. Eirick] "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Bowing deeply at Dianna's side, everyone expressed gratitude in unison.

[Leonie] "We shall never forget this grace."

Unanimously, they offered formal respect.

[Dianna] "Not at all."

Dianna shook her head. Reaching out toward Rosalia, for whom she felt particular concern, the girl rushed to her side. Reminded of Alexa, Dianna stroked her hair, and the young girl threw her arms around her waist.

[Rosalia] "I am sorry... I am so sorry, Your Majesty."

Why does one so young constantly carry apologies on her lips?

As Rosalia burst into tears, Dianna stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

---

The Pope smiled cruelly. Upon learning that the Queen who had humiliated him was swept into a landslide, he burst into boisterous laughter.

Was a landslide not the very manifestation of divine punishment?

Though he suspected someone had orchestrated the incident.

The Pope deliberately withheld dispatching rescue teams. Should the Queen perish here, fewer individuals would remain aware of their deal.

Better yet, if the culprit is exposed...

Since the plot appeared to be an inside job orchestrated by Lodbrog figures, once the truth came to light, the Pope needed only to feign outrage and halt grain shipments.

A foreign queen, harassed and ultimately killed by barbarians' infighting…...

Was this not the perfect tragedy over which to mourn the poor Queen?

[Pope] "Indeed, the deity unquestionably watches over me."

Depleting granaries posed no true loss for him. On the contrary, his prestige only soared higher.

His sole task was pondering how to mourn the pitiable Queen of Lodbrog.

Perhaps retrieving her corpse would be wise...

If he proclaimed that he couldn't bear to leave her remains in the hands of Lodbrog barbarians, his righteous indignation would appear entirely justified.

The Pope waited for Dianna's corpse to be recovered.

Yet days later, upon learning the Queen had been rescued, the Pope released a heavy sigh.

How on earth did she survive that? Is she truly beloved by the deity?

The Pope observed the reports with displeasure. Eventually, the Queen of Lodbrog returned to her kingdom, and time flowed onward.

He pondered incessantly over when to reveal the Primal Temple.

Excavation had yet to begin. Would revealing it during the Holy Spirit Festival be best, or should he pretend to yield to those barbarians before unveiling it?

Either way, it was a pleasant dilemma. Thus, the Pope quietly eliminated the low-ranking priests involved in the excavation while awaiting the opportune moment.

Seasons shifted, and the Lodbrog Kingdom overcame its severe food shortage. Meanwhile, the New Church condemned the corruption of the Pope and his inner circle.

The Pope intentionally ignored their protests, confident that he would ultimately emerge as a man blessed by divine grace. The more passionately they denounced him, the greater the price they would pay in the end.

[Priest] "Corrupt priest who has lost divine grace, face holy judgment!"

Yet despite his grand ambitions, Pope Clairvaux III was ousted in the most pathetic manner imaginable. His hidden atrocities were exposed until he met his end on the executioner's block.

[Pope] "Dianna Brienne!"

A fleeting rumor circulated that the Pope had screamed her name during his expulsion, before fading into obscurity.

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