That was right. Until recently, the person Olivia was closest to was Deborah Zibel. The daughter of the Zibel family, which had been completely ruined by the Emperor, and the one who had led the bullying against Liv more than anyone else.
The young ladies in Deborah's group, including Olivia, were all trembling in fear. They say that the insignificant girl they had been bullying has become the Emperor. Moreover, that woman was the last descendant of the true imperial family of the Holy Hilysid Empire, the Gracia family! What nonsense was this. Indeed, reality was stranger than fiction.
"What on earth will happen to me...?"
Would the newly crowned Emperor Liv really leave her alone? Although there might not be grounds to punish her, if she's marked by the Emperor, no family would want to marry her, and she might even have to go to a convent.
Earnestly hoping that Liv would show mercy, Olivia trembled.
* * *
While the entire imperial palace was bustling with preparations for the new Emperor's ascension, the place where Liv was standing now was quiet.
"Hah."
Liv quietly looked down at three tombstones.
The 'Cemetery of Devotion' for those who died loyal to the imperial family. Liv was standing there. On the three tombstones in front of Liv were names she knew well.
Rudolf Hamelsvoort
Vanessa Hamelsvoort
Laga
Liv gently stroked their tombstones. She felt the cold sensation of stone.
No tears flowed. It was unclear whether it was because she had already shed enough tears when they died, because Liv had become stronger now, or because she was too sad to bear it.
As Liv remained silent for a long time, Emmett, standing beside her, took Liv's hand.
"Liv."
"...I'm alright."
Their bodies were not buried here. When they tried to retrieve the bodies, they had already gone missing. Remembering that they couldn't even recover their bodies made her anger towards August rise again, but he was already suffering in the underground prison.
Instead, Liv had buried things they used in life here. The cane used by Count Hamelsvoort, the ruby necklace that Countess Hamelsvoort loved the most, and the notebook that Laga always carried around stood in for the deceased.
"Laga was really a good girl."
"...Yes, she was."
"Count and Countess Hamelsvoort too. Actually, I still can't call them father and mother, but..."
Liv looked at their tombstones with lonely eyes.
"But now I think of them as my family."
Liv had finally succeeded in avenging them. And she became Emperor as they had wished. The loyal Laga would have wanted Liv to be happy, and the ambitious Hamelsvoort couple would be pleased that the daughter they adopted had become Emperor. The stigma of being traitors was washed away, and now they had become meritorious subjects.
"So rest in peace now."
May their souls find rest too.
Just as there were tens of thousands of gods, there were tens of thousands of afterlives. However, the principle of the afterlife could be explained in one sentence. Humans go to the afterlife of the god they believe in.
The Hamelsvoort couple and Laga all believed in the Supreme God, so they must have returned to the Supreme God. Liv had no doubt that they, who had sacrificed their lives for others, would have gone to heaven.
Finally, she felt a sense of relief.
As Liv looked to the side with a faint smile on her lips, Emmett was looking down at Liv with a somewhat strange gaze.
"Liv."
"Yes."
"I have something to tell you."
"That's good. I had something to tell you too."
As Emmett and Liv were looking at each other with indescribable gazes, news came that the Minister of the Imperial Household was looking for Liv. It seemed the surroundings would not allow the two even a moment.
"...Let's talk in the evening."
* * *
The Emperor was imprisoned, and Gracia had returned. Lartman's soldiers spread this news widely, and nobles began to send letters. But with all the palace servants having fled and no proper system in place, only those remaining got headaches.
First, Emmett called in people who had been working at the Lartman mansion in the capital, and they began work recruiting servants for the imperial palace.
Julian, whom August had appointed as Crown Prince, was said to have fled, probably using the secret passage that Hayden and Lartman's knights had invaded through. Liv ordered him to be pursued. Julian, who had lived his whole life in luxury with high status, would eventually be caught without being able to flee far. Although he didn't have serious crimes like August, it was better to capture him just in case.
Liv now had to live in the imperial palace. However, she couldn't use the room used by the original Emperor, so for now, Liv decided to stay in an empty guest room. The same was true for Emmett.
"Um..."
"Liv."
Having started speaking simultaneously, they both fell silent again. Somehow, they seemed to be watching each other's reactions.
"...I have a few things to say."
"So do I."
"Then shall we take turns saying one thing each?"
"Alright."
Liv was the first to start speaking.
"Um... I heard about Viscount Wolfe."
At those words, Emmett's eyes darkened. He humbly bowed his head as if to accept Liv's reproach.
"First, I want to ask if it's true. Is it true?"
"...Yes, it is."
Emmett said in a painful voice as if enduring agony.
"I should have told you earlier, but I was afraid of being hated and couldn't do it. I know I've done so many wrongs to you... I couldn't easily bring myself to say it. I'm sorry."
Emmett, speaking like that, really looked like someone who regretted his mistakes, and Liv felt the tiny piece of resentment she had held towards him instantly fade away.
"Ah..."
"You had to endure painful times longer because of me. I don't know what to say. Even if you hate me, I'll humbly accept it."
"No, it's alright."
Liv nodded with a calm voice.
"Anyway, I love you. That's all. Even if you followed August's orders, my feelings won't change. Whatever you do, I will love you."
At those words, Emmett's face became even more difficult to bear. As if he wished Liv would blame him instead.
"And I forgive you. The you back then didn't know anything. However, um... apologizing to the current Viscount Wolfe would be another matter though."
"Yes, I will certainly apologize to him. And to his children too..."
"That's enough for me. It seems August was trying to drive a wedge between us with this, but my feelings won't change."
Although she didn't know why Emmett had hidden so many things from her, Liv thought it was okay. If he was afraid of being hated by her, Emmett surely...
"Um, and..."
Just as Liv was about to open her mouth to say that she knew he loved her, Emmett interrupted in a low voice.
"There's something I should have told you long ago."
Emmett's eyes trembled as he said those words.
"There's something I've wanted to say so badly, something I had to say... but couldn't because of divine punishment."
"Divine punishment?"
Liv's eyes widened at the unexpected words. She thought Emmett's divine punishment had already ended, hadn't it?
"Yes, but now that August is dead, I've been freed too. No, actually, saying I couldn't speak because of divine punishment might sound like an excuse. After all, I endured that divine punishment because of my own mistakes."
"No, Emmett experiencing divine punishment wasn't your fault. It was because I deliberately made myself bleed to save you..."
"So now I will tell you."
Emmett slowly raised his head and met Liv's eyes. His gray eyes showed stronger determination than ever before.
Ah, Liv felt something like an intuition for a moment, and.
Finally, those words flowed from Emmett's lips.
"I love you, Liv."
* * *
"I love you, Liv."
The moment he said those words, Emmett felt something similar to ecstasy. He was finally able to say the words he absolutely had to say. Liv had reclaimed her original position, and he had been freed from divine punishment.
"I love you."
Now he could say these words to Liv anytime.
As he said he loved Liv, Emmett felt his heart throb. The words 'I love you,' which he had uttered for the first time, were sweet. He felt even more pained because he regretted so much not having said these words sooner.
At Emmett's words, Liv's face became blank.
"Ah..."
"I've really wanted to say these words all this time. That I love you."
"Was it... divine punishment?"
Anxious at Liv's reaction, which didn't seem particularly happy, Emmett added:
"Yes, and it's not a lie that I love you. I truly love you."
Imagining how Liv would react when he said this was his daily routine. Would she cry tears of joy? Or would she accuse Emmett of lying?
However, Liv showed no reaction at all. She stared at Emmett for a long time, then showed a faint smile.
'What? Does she not believe me?'
Liv had habitually said, "Even if you don't love me, I love you." It wasn't strange that such a Liv couldn't believe Emmett's true feelings.
He had hurt Liv too deeply. As Emmett, realizing this fact, was becoming depressed, what flowed from Liv's lips were unexpected words.
"I knew."