I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander - Chapter 138

There was no strength in the voice tinged with moisture.

It was too thin in density to be sincere, yet the meaning of the words was too heavy to be false.

Thanks to this, Daniel could understand.

Celvia was now expressing his troubled heart with the help of alcohol.

He was merely acting childish, hoping someone would recognize his struggles.

'If he hadn't been drunk, I probably wouldn't have seen him like this.'

After all, Celvia was the Emperor of the Empire.

Having ascended to a position ruling over all people, Celvia should not show weakness to anyone.

Weakness was tantamount to an inability to rule over others.

So, all this time, Celvia had been pretending to be composed.

Even when his older brother tried to kill him to inherit the throne, or when the nobles turned their backs on him, he must have reassured himself that it was alright.

He probably believed that when he became Emperor, all problems would be neatly resolved.

At the very least, he would have guessed that the opposition from parliament and the nobles would subside.

But what Celvia saw after becoming Emperor were nobles who not only turned their backs but sought to antagonize him.

Parliament, representing the people, was also opposing the policies devised by the new Emperor at every turn.

Amid all this, he had heard from the court physician that his father, Bertram, would not survive the month.

It would be strange if he didn't collapse.

He must have realized that even after ascending to the most noble position in the Empire, nothing was being resolved as he wished.

How many people could maintain their sanity when a heavy responsibility weighed on their shoulders and numerous grievances held their ankles?

Nevertheless, Celvia didn't give up.

He devoted himself to running the nation, even reducing his sleeping hours.

He did his best to accommodate the antagonizing nobles and forced a smile to win their hearts.

He took the trouble to visit the Parliament building personally to understand exactly what the members' complaints were.

He toured major cities and gave speeches to give confidence to citizens who were dissatisfied with the new Emperor being a woman.

In addition to many other concurrent tasks, he wanted to be recognized as the Emperor of the Empire.

However, what Celvia heard upon returning to the system was not praise for his efforts, but impure rumors defaming the Emperor.

From Celvia's perspective, he could be considered a wise ruler just for not ranting, "These reactionary bastards are being spoiled rotten! They all deserve to be purged!"

Daniel, fully understanding Celvia's feelings, was about to give a comforting response.

"...Of course, I'm just joking."

Once again getting the first word in, Celvia released the embrace and stepped back.

Whether the alcohol had worn off a bit or he was shocked by his own words, his face was strangely tinged with shame.

"I feel somewhat sorry. I didn't call you here to say such things..."

A sigh flowed from Celvia's delicate lips.

"I hope you don't misunderstand. I just arranged this meeting to encourage the war hero who will be departing for the Eastern Front. So..."

As always, Celvia was awkward at deceiving himself.

Suddenly kneeling on one knee, Daniel quietly looked at Celvia.

Celvia, immersed in self-reproach, somehow resembled Daniel's former self from his previous life.

After some contemplation, Daniel quietly began to speak.

"Your Imperial Majesty. I'm not sure if you'll believe this, but in my previous life, I was quite a famous person. I had a profession that put me in the public eye. Naturally, many people followed me."

It was a sudden talk about a previous life, but Celvia didn't mind.

He knew that Daniel was speaking to comfort him.

"I enjoyed tremendous popularity. Perhaps not as much as Your Imperial Majesty, but I had to endure hardships due to people recognizing me when walking down the street. But popularity doesn't last forever."

A bitter smile spread across Daniel's lips.

"Once a false rumor began to spread, everything went awry. People prioritized cursing me rather than judging whether the rumor was true or not. As a result, I had to put everything down and live in seclusion at home."

Daniel thought for the first time that day that the world was frightening.

"Naturally, contact with acquaintances also ceased. It was achingly lonely. Why don't people try to see the truth? Why are journalists trying to kill me like this? For the first week, I couldn't control my anger and took it out on perfectly good items."

The internet on his smartphone, which once poured out praise for him, now contained nothing but malicious comments.

Disgusted by this, Daniel had ended up taking out his frustration on his innocent smartphone.

After a long time had passed, the rumor was revealed to be false, and Daniel was exonerated, but nothing changed.

After all, nothing remained for Daniel, who had been dropped from all programs.

"As my anger began to subside, I became extremely sad. Because I thought my life was ruined? That's correct, but it wasn't the root cause. The saddest thing was that when everyone was criticizing me, there wasn't a single person who said it wasn't my fault."

How wonderful it would have been if there had been someone by his side who sincerely said, "I know it's not your fault."

Then he could have had at least a little hope.

He could have found strength.

"So..."

Even for an Emperor who rules over all people, the situation wouldn't be much different.

Instinctively feeling this, Daniel decided to say what Celvia wanted to hear.

"Celvia. This isn't your fault."

Celvia's eyes, which had been listening to Daniel's story, widened.

Soon, moisture began to form in the blue irises that resembled a clear sea.

"After saying something so absurd..."

Though trying to appear calm, his voice was trembling.

"Do you think I would believe in a previous life? No matter how much you try to comfort me with such unrealistic words..."

Celvia's expression began to distort.

He bit his teeth firmly as if trying hard to hold back tears, but it wasn't enough.

Just as a groan seemed about to escape through his teeth, unable to hold back, Celvia rushed toward Daniel.

In a moment, their bodies overlapped.

Holding Daniel tightly, Celvia no longer held back and burst into tears.

He poured out all the sorrows he had to endure as the Imperial Princess, and now as the Emperor.

Daniel embraced Celvia in return and quietly offered words of comfort.

"Even if the whole world criticizes Your Majesty, I will believe in you till the end."

In response, Celvia answered not with words, but with tears, sobs, and a small nod.

Amidst expressions that couldn't become language, Daniel gently stroked Celvia's back.

For now, he thought of Celvia not as the Emperor of the Empire, but as a younger sister who had experienced the coldness of the world.

• 
  

"...Even so, a previous life? Couldn't there have been a more plausible comfort?"

Celvia, who had stopped crying, asked with his back against the wall.

Sitting casually beside him, Daniel answered with a smile.

"That was all that came to mind at the moment. If you didn't like it, I apologize."

"It's not that I didn't like it. I just thought it lacked reality."

"I see. I'm glad I managed to barely pass with an acceptable grade."

As Daniel jested, Celvia let out a soft laugh.

Celvia looked at Daniel with his head slightly tilted.

Accordingly, his platinum blonde hair flowed down his shoulders.

Daniel turned his head, conscious of the gaze, and their eyes met.

Celvia's eyelids, which had just stopped crying, were reddened.

After a moment of silence between the two, Celvia quietly opened his mouth.

"How long will it take to return from the front lines?"

"Since I haven't accurately grasped the situation on the battlefield, I'm not sure."

"Is that so..."

Grumbling as if displeased, Celvia turned his gaze forward.

"...Say, how did it feel?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you called me 'Celvia.' So impertinently."

Daniel coughed as if choking.

The root of the problem was that he had used the given name, carried away by the atmosphere.

As Daniel tensed up, having no excuse if punished for irreverence, Celvia gave a low laugh.

"I'm joking. Actually, I was happy. No one calls me by my name except my parents. Before, it was all 'Your Highness the Imperial Princess,' and now it's 'Your Majesty the Emperor.' Honestly, I sometimes wonder if the courtiers are serving me or my background."

But Daniel was different.

He had properly seen the human inside, not just the Emperor.

"In that regard, can you promise me one thing?"

Celvia extended his pinky finger toward Daniel.

"Come back soon. I'd like you to call me by my name once more then."

At this pure request, Daniel gave a soft laugh.

Daniel raised his hand and linked his pinky with Celvia's.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Under the window where starlight poured in, Celvia smiled with joy at Daniel's answer.

"Thank you."

Somehow, the night breeze today wasn't cold.

And so, the night, marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring, slowly ripened.