TSMMT Ch 171

The Abandoned Queen

Initially, he had no intention of driving her away so miserably. Guiscard, too, had envisioned a future with the woman he loved.

When she—a woman he believed would never open her heart to him—finally yielded her affection, he felt as though he held the entire world in his hands.

Yet his brilliant intellect ultimately dragged him straight into hell.

Had he known nothing, giving up might have proven simpler. If their hearts had failed to align, if no possibility of mutual love had ever existed, he wouldn't suffer such agony.

The initial rift opened when he encountered Fafnir and overheard her conversation with Tarascus. Though he gleaned no concrete answers then, the realization that Dianna harbored secret knowledge filled him with profound anxiety.

Before returning to the palace, Guiscard had locked eyes with Fafnir at close range. As he stared into those dragon eyes, he felt something dark writhing within his soul.

Whenever sleep claimed him, strange nightmares plagued his mind.

In his dreams, Guiscard existed as someone else. Surrounded by identical circumstances and people, he was nonetheless a different man.

His dream counterpart possessed a far more desolate inner world, while Dianna remained as innocent as any young maiden her age. Yet his alternate self refused to protect her innocence, burning everything in a quest for vengeance while tormenting Dianna relentlessly.

His dream counterpart was cold and cruel, channeling every vile emotion to inflict suffering upon Dianna. It was a sight too horrific to endure.

Night after night, he dreamed of becoming the alternate self. Upon awakening, he recognized that something had gone terribly wrong.

As he watched his alternate self within the warped world, he found himself unable to look Dianna straight in the eye.

At times, cruel impulses mirroring the dream man surged within his chest. That dream entity gnawed at his soul, exerting an unmistakable influence. Though fully aware of the danger, he continued dreaming every night.

Guiscard pondered his alternate self:

Why do I torment her?

Why is my dream self so blind to Dianna compared to me?

Her expression is stiff, yet she harbors no hatred. That is not rejection.

Why is my dream self so ignorant of Dianna Brienne?

Tormented by nightmares throughout the night, he awoke each morning to mountains of pressing duties.

As he received reports and attempted to settle the kingdom's turmoil, Guiscard reached a sudden realization.

This is targeting me.

Neither logic nor evidence was required. Once he formed the hypothesis and observed his surroundings, everything transpiring across Lodbrog became terrifyingly clear.

The gargoyle swarm invading the capital, the crop failures, and the quiet reports of monsters raging behind the scenes all pointed to one truth. Only the exceptional prowess of his knights had prevented total devastation until now.

While analyzing the crisis one evening, he looked into a mirror to catch a glimpse of Dianna's reflection. Suddenly, the glass warped, altering his image.

[Fafnir] "Hello there."

A human body topped with a dragon's head appeared in the glass, the exact form Fafnir had assumed at Duke Levian's estate.

As Guiscard raised his hand to shatter the mirror, Fafnir spoke.

[Fafnir] "Don't shatter it. You will regret doing so."

[Guiscard] "What is the meaning of this?!"

[Fafnir] "I arrived to declare war. In one hundred days, I shall reduce this kingdom to ashes."

Murderous intent swirled within Fafnir's eyes. Guiscard questioned her with cold composure.

[Guiscard] "Is this because I slew you?"

[Fafnir] "Hmm? No. My death is of little consequence. Why would I trample an entire kingdom over something so trivial?"

[Guiscard] "..."

[Fafnir] "It concerns something far greater. You know full well what I mean."

The dragon in the mirror gazed at him with an odd expression of pity.

[Fafnir] "One hundred days. When spring arrives, I shall crush this realm, this kingdom, and you beneath my feet."

[Guiscard] "You!"

[Fafnir] "Should you not hurry and force them to flee before then? The things you hold precious. Such as the foolish, fragile human woman you were attempting to look upon."

The dragon cackled softly.

---

Guiscard found himself unable to reach out to Dianna. What if his curse targeted her next?

He stood watching her sleep, savoring a sweet, precious taste of happiness.

[Fafnir] "Guiscard Lodbrog, I wish for your misery, despair, and total ruin."

Fafnir's parting whisper echoed continuously in his ears.

The woman he knew was profoundly lovely, her voice sweet enough to melt his heart.

He knew it, knew it all too well. Though he attempted to deny it, Dianna loved him. Absolute certainty had settled within his chest. Yet could his current self afford to love her?

His manner of expressing affection was inherently warped. Consequently, Dianna suffered constant wounds and hardship, just as she had been targeted by Saruvia Levian.

Then monsters breached the royal palace once more. The inner grounds were no longer safe. With a hundred-day reprieve, Dianna could no longer remain here.

Reports arrived confirming that approximately one million undead were assembling beyond the border. Though the creatures stood motionless like corpses, frantic messages poured in from nobles terrified by their overwhelming numbers.

Upon hearing the news, Guiscard recognized that he had to shoulder the burden alone. As king, fleeing was not an option.

Amid Fafnir's lingering malice, Guiscard stood gazing at the sleeping Dianna for a long moment.

Should he be honest with her? What would transpire then?

He could confide everything in his wife. Yet if he laid bare the truth, what would change?

Dianna, a woman far too noble and good, would willingly step forward to aid him and the populace. She possessed an unyielding sense of responsibility. Knowing the truth, she would force her way back to his side.

Dianna must not remain here. Her life had been painful enough. She deserved to spend her remaining years in comfort, not upon a blood-soaked battlefield or near a dangerous dragon, but smiling amidst warm blossoms.

In that moment, he recognized that he couldn't remain beside Dianna Brienne. No, he would no longer allow himself to stay.

He chose to abandon his sweet paradise. Surprisingly, a sense of quiet rest washed over him.

---

[Guiscard] "I intend to depose the Queen."

He spoke at the Round Table Conference convened to address the undead crisis.

[Nobles] "I oppose this!"

[Nobles] "What did you say?!"

[Nobles] "Have you lost your mind?!"

[Nobles] "Opposed."

[Nobles] "Strongly opposed!"

The dukes leading the conference spoke with fierce expressions. Guiscard chuckled softly amidst their uproar. Though Dianna's time here had been brief, she had earned the devotion of many.

Grand Duke Blake knitted his brows.

[Adelheit] "What is your true intention?"

[Guiscard] "I shall speak frankly to you all. I wish to evacuate Dianna Brienne."

[D. Kragel] "Is that not excessively frank?"

Duke Kragel grimaced alongside the other dukes.

[D. Kragel] "It is natural for the mother of the nation to protect the kingdom. Furthermore, as an elementalist, she would prove invaluable in this struggle."

[Guiscard] "Strictly speaking, spirits can't fight the undead. My wife is a low-tier elementalist."

He continued calmly.

[Guiscard] "Moreover, she already averted the impending famine through the food supplies. Did you not express a desire to repay the debt of having your daughters saved?"

The dukes exchanged glances. They, too, understood the terrifying scale of the undead horde.

[Guiscard] "In approximately one hundred days, those undead will awaken to strike the kingdom."

The dukes met each other's eyes in grave silence.

[D. Kragel] "Even so, deposition is an improper method. It is unseemly."

Duke Kragel spoke with a crestfallen face, the other dukes sharing his reluctance.

Had they already grown fond of her?

As Guiscard harbored a bitter thought, Grand Duke Blake spoke.

[Adelheit] "I approve."

[D. Islag] "I approve as well."

Duke Islag released a heavy sigh, prompting the others to look at him in bewilderment.

[D. Islag] "In truth, House Islag considered dispatching knights to protect Her Majesty. Though disgraceful, removing her from harm's way allows us to focus entirely on the battle without distraction."

Duke Islag valued gratitude that deeply. The others met each other's eyes and nodded. They recognized that Dianna's presence wouldn't significantly alter their chances of victory.

Furthermore, if this repaid their debt to her, it might prove for the best. Besides, what of the vacant Queen's throne once the calamity passed?

The dukes reached a surprisingly swift consensus.

[Nobles] "What charge should we level against her? There are no plausible crimes..."

[Nobles] "Citing the murder of Levian would be most fitting."

[Nobles] "Ah, the mad lady? It leaves a sour taste, but is there any other choice? Her Majesty lived without fault, making this regrettable..."

From the start, none of them believed Saruvia Levian had been pregnant. Nor did anyone believe Dianna would kill without reason.

They held bitter grudges against Duke Levian, whose assassination attempt had nearly killed their daughters. The nobility refused to forgive a woman who sought to sow chaos by claiming she carried royal blood.

With the tacit consent of the nobility, the Queen's deposition was finalized.

[Revius] "Why must I deliver such words?"

He sighed deeply. Naturally, he was assigned the villain's role.

[Revius] "I dislike being hated. Could I not remain on Her Majesty's good side?"

Looking at Guiscard's stiff countenance, he spoke in a crestfallen tone.

[Revius] "And is this not far too unilateral? It lacks proper courtesy. Would it not be better to speak with her?"

[Guiscard] "If I tell her, she will insist on remaining until the end."

[Revius] "Indeed, that is precisely Her Majesty's nature."

Guiscard glared at Revius' faint smirk, prompting him to offer a sheepish grin.

---

Guiscard constructed an environment resembling the past he saw in his dreams, the very environment that had tormented Dianna. To ensure she never returned to this place. To make her recoil from him in utter disgust.

So she would never again be entangled in this perilous place, or in his misfortune. Because he had already experienced paradise once. Because their hearts had connected for a fleeting instant. That was more than enough.

Resting his head on her lap as he shared his past, Guiscard recalled her clear, radiant laugh. Though his life had been desolate, he had nonetheless experienced his spring.

He could live on that memory, and die by it. For he had etched the moon hanging in that dark night into his soul forever.

Happiness was never eternal, nor was it ever meant for him. It was fine. This much... felt like a taste of happiness.

They had exchanged vows of love and wed.

Guiscard's twisted love manifested thus. He loved her, yet he refused to share his hardships. He was immature, unilaterally desiring her happiness. So long as she remained safe, even if his love suffered wounds...

So long as she walked beneath a blue sky without fear, so long as she possessed the tranquility to lie upon a backless bench and gaze at the night sky, he deemed it sufficient.

The brief paradise had been abnormal from the start. Seeing Dianna's wounded face pained his heart. He suffered wounds as well. Yet as much as he suffered, he could smile.

Concealing his scarred heart, he gripped his sword, his eyes gleaming with cold resolve.

Thus, spring arrived. Life sprouted upon the earth, and death finally drew near.

---

A reader request. If you enjoy it, feel free to leave a rating or review on Naver Series and KakaoPage.