It was a childish dream, naive nonsense. If I’d had any time left, I might have gone down that path. I did not know. Pondering what-if scenarios was pointless. That notion of a future was pure fantasy to me, far from the misery and hatred festering within my soul. But a small part of me was willing to hear Wilhelm out. Perhaps that part of me still believed in the possibility of a better future, could see a ray of hope that had been blocked from my view by sheer despair.
He was correct—I did the right thing by seeking help from others. Without them, I would never have gotten this far. Every day, Gilbert worked until the late hours of the evening. He’d debate me on the correct methods of governing the kingdom, and he was my envoy across the land as needed. Tommy acted as my eyes and ears, sending me vital information. I’d even witnessed his two apprentices flourish under his mentorship. Godfrey did what he could to keep my broken body from falling apart. Aaron’s skills helped me to wage war. All of them aided in carrying out my vision.
Perhaps if Wilhelm and I had forged these bonds together, we’d both be in a different place now. The thought made my heart ache, and I could no longer maintain my magic. All the strength in my body left me as I finally reached my limit.
My dizziness grew worse by the second. “Ah, this is no good.”
Lacking the strength to stand, I tumbled to the ground.
“Your Majesty!”
Everyone ran to my side.
“Queen Luxeria!” Godfrey grabbed my hand. “You’re in grave danger! We need to treat you now!” He ordered the medics to channel their magic into me and bring me medicine. But it was all for naught.
“Why?! You’ve stopped using your magic, so why is this still happening?!” Alicia screamed, her voice reverberating through my weary body.
“The moment Wil spoke, I was done for,” I said. “Godfrey, it’s all right…”
“What?!”
“My mana veins have b-been broken for a long time now. I’m…at my limit…”
Everyone was shocked. I was quite the actress to fool them for this long. The thought made me chuckle to myself.
“Being so absorbed in hatred was incredibly painful. Even with my revenge fulfilled, the flames of rage s-simply kept toiling away inside me, w-with nothing else to burn…”
My rampaging magic had torn me apart from the inside, making it harder and harder to speak.
“And yet…such a lovely dream ch-charmed my heart,” I said, laughing humorlessly. “I was…unable to fulfill my wish in the end, but I feel so much lighter now. I am…satisfied. The hatred is st-still there…but I’m relieved I got the chance to see you all again. Even when I am gone, perhaps someone w-will destroy this unjust world. I leave it all in your capable hands…”
“No, no! Not now! I just remembered everything! Those wonderful days we spent together! This isn’t fair!” Tears poured down Alicia’s face. As much as I tried, I couldn’t lift my hand to wipe them away. How infuriating, I thought. In these last moments, the only thing I wanted to see was her smile.
“I’m…so sorry. Thank you.”
Then everything went dark.