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Even so, she wasn’t happy to just stand by and let other people do the dirty work and get their hands covered in blood. She wanted to help people. So she could fight with her people.

So, she gave it a lot of thought, and archery was the answer that came to her.

She became an apprentice of Liora Lulu, the best archer in the Lulu tribe. With it, her skill with the bow grew. In the end, she became a great archer in her own right, and her arrows killed many enemies during the revolution.

When the war was over. The royal family had lost power. The emperor had already been killed. Same thing would happen to his daughter, Princess Mia, in a matter of days.

At last, there were no more fights.

Tiona, on the other hand, didn’t let her archery skills get rusty. Every day, she shot at least a few hundred arrows at practise targets. She worked so hard that it was almost like she had to, as if every arrow she shot was a desperate attempt to hit some invisible vessel of miracles that, when broken, would let her get back something she had lost. Something that will never be reached.

Her bowstring kept twanging day after day, week after week. One day, when her practise was over, a man came up to her.

“Ludwig Hewitt… You…are the person Prince Sion mentioned. I believe you used to serve Princess Mia?”

“Yes. I’m glad you let me come see you, Miss Tiona.”

“You had a horrible job to do at a horrible time. Prince Sion said that you were good at politics. I do hope that you will help us rebuild this empire.

She pointed to a table and said, “Please, have some tea.”

Ludwig did not move. He was still and quiet as he looked at her for a moment before he spoke.

“The reason I’m here today is to ask you for a favour.”

Tiona kept quiet for the same amount of time, then slowly picked up her cup to take a sip. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, acting like she liked the smell of the tea.

“You’re here with a request, then… If you want me to pass it to Prince Sion, I will gladly do so,” she said in a questioning way.

“I’d like you to talk to Her Majesty.”

His words were clear, and there was nothing sneaky about the way he said them.

“For what? What is there to talk about at the moment? I can’t see how a meeting like that would be helpful.”

When she heard this, her voice became stiff.

But his answer caught her off guard.

“I’ve heard that when you went to Saint-Noel, Her Highness struck you on the cheek at one point.”

“…Excuse me? Wha—”

“Her Highness has told me that she has always wanted to say sorry to you for what she did that day. I’m asking you to give her a chance.”

“I don’t understand what you mean. Struck me? When?”

She made a sad face as she tried to remember a similar event. Tiona had been bullied many times while she was at Saint-Noel Academy, so she had long since forgotten about this particular incident.

Mia’s weak slap hadn’t even been strong enough to stick in her mind. Mia hated pain so much that it would have been hard to expect her to hit with much force when it was her own palm that was hitting. The truth was that Tiona didn’t feel anger or shame at the time. Instead, she was confused about how she was supposed to react to what felt like a slightly forceful pat on the cheek.

Ludwig was then confused by her unexpected surprise, and for a moment, they both looked confused. He finally coughed and asked, “Anyway, would you be able to see Her Highness? And talk to her face-to-face? It would —”

“Change nothing.”

Her words cut through his hopes like an arrow through the air. She gave him a glare.

“Even if she does, so what? How should I handle her apology now? What will be different? What will it do? It can’t bring back my father or the many people who died while the imperial family and the old noble houses were in charge.”

Then she drank some more tea.

Mia Luna Tearmoon… must not be forgiven.

She etched this warning onto herself. Repeatedly making a pattern deeper in her mind.

You don’t have to see her. No need to talk about her or try to figure out who she is. It’s not necessary, so I won’t.

Tiona was worried about what would happen at this meeting.

If they talked, she would learn about Mia’s personality. What if she felt sorry for him? Or wish to let her go?

So, what about the death of my father? Am I to overlook it? That is asking too much.

Yes, it’s possible that the princess is sorry. Yes, if they talked to her, she might turn out to be a good person. She might even be the kind of person who can make up for mistakes.

But that wouldn’t bring her father back to life, and it also wouldn’t fix the fact that his death was unfair. If Tiona failed, her poor father’s soul would have no way to get justice.

She couldn’t let herself forgive Mia because of this.

She was adamant: “I will not forgive her.”

“I won’t ask Prince Sion to let her live either. But…”

At that, her tone became less firm.

“But… I won’t stop you from talking to Prince Sion if you want to.”

Was it a last act of kindness?

No, it was a way to get out. She didn’t want to deal with Mia as a person or have any control over whether or not she lived or died. So, she ran away and tried not to see or think about Mia. So, her heart would stay at ease.

Mercy couldn’t get her to do anything wrong.

Because of this…

When it was found out that Outcount Rudolvon’s death had not been done on the emperor’s orders, some time after Mia was put to death, she felt the bitter sting of regret.

“If I had… had talked to her back then, maybe…”

The logical part of her mind told her that she was going to die anyway. No matter what she did, it was pretty obvious that she couldn’t save Mia.

But despite that, or maybe because of that, she knew for sure that she would never get another chance to talk to Mia again…

Even though it was the last thing a woman on death row wanted, she wouldn’t trade even one word. This is something she deeply regrets.

It was a regret that burned into her soul, right on top of her own words of warning: “Mia Luna Tearmoon must not be forgiven.” It covered the old pattern with a new one, making a deeper, more painful wound that would never heal.

“…That was a very strange dream.”

A day before the Holy Eve Festival, Tiona was at Saint-Noel Academy’s archery range.

During the Remno incident, she had been made painfully aware of how bad she was with a sword. After a lot of deep thought, she decided to take up the bow.

Liora, the person who helped her, was an expert archer. Tiona quickly learned that she was good at archery when she was taught by her, and she kept getting better over time.

She had just finished her practise for the day and was wiping her forehead when someone came up to her.

“Tiona, do you have a moment?”

“Huh? “Your Majesty?”

The situation was eerily like her dream, except that it was Mia who showed up first instead.

“There’s something I’d like to talk to you about. Are you available right now?”

Tiona could only nod in response to the strange coincidence.