#46.
To say we would do it again tomorrow, I couldn’t figure out what exactly he meant by that. But our princess, instead of scolding, just quietly stared at the prince. I, being frustrated, spoke up first.
“What are you talking about, Your Highness? What are we doing again?”
“Can’t you see the burning imperial city? My father, the soldiers—they could come for us at any moment. They’ll kill you all. Either kill or disgrace you. This is our last chance. Let’s just do it now.”
Although Prince Reiner spoke while looking at me, I could tell that the question wasn’t for me, but for Princess Edwina. Yet, since she remained silent, I once again had to step in.
“Did you build some large storage box? Where are you planning to send us?”
The prince shook his head.
“Or are you planning to send us back in time? Yes! Why didn’t I think of that? Let’s go back. Back to when we were all alive. When Old Hilda and Tilbert were still well…”
Before I could even finish speaking, Princess Edwina grabbed my shoulder. It was a signal to stop. Prince Reiner gave a weak smile and replied.
“Neither. Neither of those, Josephine.”
“It’s both, Reiner.”
“Yes, I have the power to change space. I also have the power to turn back time. But the reason I hesitated is because it’s difficult to separate the two—to move you all to Windsor Town without tampering with time. Still, isn’t that better than staying here? Let’s do it, let’s go, Edwina.”
As I was trying to interpret what those words meant, our Princess Edwina suddenly said something out of the blue.
“Have you eaten?”
“Huh?”
“Why does your face look like that? Did you get hit again?”
“No, I just naturally look a bit beautifully red and blotchy like this, you know.”
“If you send us away, what will happen to you?”
Only then did the prince realize that her random questions were actually concern for him. He smiled bitterly and answered.
“Don’t worry, Edwina. I’ll eat well and live well. I am, after all, the empire’s prince.”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m asking if you’ll be okay after doing this.”
The princess was worried about how long Prince Reiner’s body could hold out under this strain.
By that time, Prince Reiner, as tall and imposing as any member of the Reutlingen family, was shedding the last traces of boyhood and becoming a man. However, his unsteady steps had worsened rather than improved. I knew it was due to turning back time repeatedly.
The day we talked about Arthur Gillen and Guinevere, I barely learned that time had been rewound three times under Princess Edwina’s command. I was so dizzy I didn’t know what to do. Prince Reiner had experienced over twenty such instances, and on top of that, he still had to endure the beatings from the mad emperor and the crown prince whenever they remembered. His body never had a chance to recover.
But still, the prince just smiled brightly, as if nothing was wrong.
After staring at him for a long time, the princess finally let out a long sigh and asked,
“So you’re saying you can do this without getting hurt?”
“Yes, didn’t I already tell you that I wouldn’t recklessly turn back time?”
“But you did. Three times.”
“Wasn’t that worth it? I risked my life and received your kiss three times.”
“You’ve turned it back countless times beyond that.”
“That… that’s… Edwina…”
“I know, I was the one who asked you to. I didn’t know things would turn out this way.”
“I didn’t know either that rewinding wouldn’t make a difference. But after trying twice, I realized that no matter what we do, Tilbert still has no tongue. And still, 26 people have to die for this to end. It’s not your fault, Edwina.”
“But you being in more pain is my fault.”
Brilliant Princess Edwina and genius Prince Reiner’s daughter,
Clever Charles Wellesley and model student Adele’s son.
“You must have both understood what was happening the moment you read my letter.
Yes, our princess had been turning back time with Prince Reiner.
In secret, just the two of them, without Josephine knowing, they clung to the axis of time, struggling to return to a world where everyone was alive.
To a world where Princess Edwina didn’t pick up that potato,
To the time before Sir Alphius realized that Remi wasn’t the princess,
And when Tilbert was still quick with his clever tongue.
But no matter what they did, our misfortune persisted, and no miracle like Prince Reiner saving Princess Edwina ever happened.
Remi always died, and the 26 people of Winterton always perished. In some instances, even more died, and even greater tragedies befell us.
After experiencing this twice, the two of them made a decision. To go back to the beginning—where the potatoes were picked, where Remi’s head was severed, and to bear witness to the tragedies that befell everyone else.
Because of this decision, a few of us were able to survive. But to our princess and Prince Reiner, the guilt of having weighed the lives of many on a scale followed them like a curse.
As usual, oblivious to everything, I only realized what had happened after hearing them speak, and the rush of memories overwhelmed me. Struck by the horrible tragedies flooding my mind, I collapsed on the spot.
Princess Edwina quickly came to help me up. Then she looked at Prince Reiner and said,
“You won’t lose any more of your life force, right?”
“Of course not. I’ll live long enough to see you sit on the throne of Winterton. I’ll move you without disturbing the axis of time.”
“I’m never going to sit on that throne, you fool. And are you sure you can do this?”
“When space moves, the axis of time may shift. We might end up in the distant future, or perhaps back in the past. But you’ll land in Winterton regardless. The loss to me would be just a day or two at most. Isn’t that enough?”
Princess Edwina pondered over his words and slowly nodded. In any case, we had no other choice in this situation.
“When will you do it?”
“The sooner, the better. Don’t you think?”
“Next week?”
“No, let’s do it tonight, or better yet, now.”
“…Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
“Of course, Edwina. After all, my only assets are my radiant beauty and the ability to manipulate space and time.”
“You won’t die right away, will you?”
Prince Reiner chuckled. For the first time, he looked like a grown man.
“Do you really think I’d do something that would kill you?”
“I’m not talking about me, Reiner von Reutlingen. You. You don’t look well right now. If it’s too much, we can delay for a few days.”
Prince Reiner smiled and answered.
“A few days? If you die in that time, if you die here, then I die too. Edwina. Whether this works or not…”
At that point, he broke into a fit of coughing that made him look like he was going to die on the spot. After catching his breath, Prince Reiner continued speaking.
“Whether this works or not, I’ll die anyway. So let’s do it.”
“Reiner—”
“Edwina, I…”
It was rare for Prince Reiner to interrupt our princess, but this time he cut her off and then sank to the ground mid-sentence.
“I… I cherish you. I love you. I can’t live without you.”
Despite this heartfelt confession, our princess didn’t blink. She just bit her lip.
“Then why are you trying to send me away?”
“As long as you’re alive somewhere, it’s like you’re not really gone, isn’t it? I… I’ll come find you again. As long as you’re alive, I can always find you.”
Seeing Prince Reiner smile with that manly charm again, I genuinely wished he wouldn’t die. I wanted him to live a little longer, grow older, and become more of an adult. I wanted to see that boyish smile mature with age. Was Princess Edwina thinking the same thing? She stared at the prince quietly, just like I was.
“Reiner.”
“Yes, Edwina?”
“Take care. Stop getting beaten up.”
“What kind of language is that for a girl—no, for anyone?”
“Yeah, you have to talk like that if you want to meet a nice girl. Did I ever tell you? You’re really a special person.”
“Why… why are you suddenly giving me compliments, so unlike you?”
“Because you’re special. You should meet someone who can recognize that and receive the love you deserve, the love you’ve never had.”
I knew it then. Our princess, who normally gets straight to the point without any preamble, was, for the first time, seriously considering and rejecting Prince Reiner’s feelings.
I don’t know if it was because she never had romantic feelings for him in the first place or because their relationship was one that could never be.
Prince Reiner, though sometimes slow-witted, was always sharp when it came to sensing the princess’s feelings. He must have understood what she meant, which is why he said,
“Edwina, don’t say any more.”
“No, I’m going to say it. Reiner, thank you for helping us. I”ve been really happy with you. And I…”
“Edwina, please…”
“I don’t love you.”
“What if I say I won’t help you anymore? What will you do then?”
“Then I guess I’ll have to die here with you.”
“You’re cruel, Edwina. You really know how to talk. You say these things knowing full well I can’t refuse. You know that.”
“Don’t cry, Reiner.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to say it? Why do you insist on making me cry like it’s the last time?”
Despite knowing the truth, despite knowing it was impossible for them, Prince Reiner let his tears fall. Our princess, on the other hand, just smiled slightly at him.
“Don’t cry. It’s for the best. We were never meant to be anyway.”
“Why? Because I’m stupid? Or not good enough?”
“No, because you’re the prince of Reutlingen, and I’m the princess of Winterton. Did you forget that?”
“Ah, right. That’s true.”
With that, Prince Reiner stopped crying and started laughing. Princess Edwina just shook her head.
“Now that I think about it, maybe we couldn’t be together because you’re actually just too dumb, Reiner.”
“So, if I don’t forget that I’m the prince of Reutlingen and you’re the princess of Winterton, would you love me then?”
“Don’t even dream of it.”
If that had been the end, with the three of us laughing at the playful banter, how nice that would have been. But things didn’t turn out that way.
Late that evening, Princess Edwina gathered us all together and told us to pack our belongings. She said that when the moon reached the center of the royal villa, Prince Reiner would come. And sure enough, with a creaking sound, the door to the villa opened.
Prince Reiner, as always, staggered in and placed three bracelets on our princess’s slender wrist—one gold, one silver, and one the color of an old rose. They jingled softly as they slipped onto her wrist, tangling together.
“One for time, one for space, and the last one…”
“It’s my heart, Edwina.”
“Are you really going to keep spouting nonsense until the end?”
Receiving that familiar scolding, Prince Reiner drew a large circle on one side of the villa. The plan was simple: once we were all inside the circle, the princess would turn the bracelets, and we would be transported.
“When you arrive in Winterton, send a letter to the emperor, my father.”
“What letter?”
“A letter thanking him for sending you away early.”
“Early? I’ve been stuck here for years now.”
“Just write that one line. I’ll take care of the rest.”
While Princess Edwina mulled over his words, tilting her head, Prince Reiner began hugging each of us Winterton people one by one. Even Tilbert, who had long lost his ability to speak, came to bid farewell for the first time in a while.
The farewells that began with smiles eventually turned into a flood of tears. And of course, the one who cried the most, as always, was Prince Reiner.
By the time he was saying his final goodbye to Princess Edwina, his tears had reached their peak. Did I mention that our princess is not one for tears? As the prince silently sobbed like a child cast out of his home, shedding tear after tear, the princess, with her dry eyes, said,
“If you keep crying like this, you won’t let us leave.”
“No, Edwina, I will. I’ll let you go right away.”
“How can you see anything with your eyes all swollen from crying? Will this even work properly?”
“Honestly, I’m not too sure.”
“Then on what confidence did you decide to do this today?”
“What if I dragged it out just to see you a bit longer and you ended up dying here?”
“Exactly. Looking at you now, I might just die waiting here with you.”
“No, I’ll send you now. I really do want you to go. It’s not because I don’t want to send you that I’m crying.”
At that moment, Princess Edwina took his hand.
“Then don’t cry. It makes my heart ache.”
“You? Does anything make you feel that way just because I’m crying?”
Despite hiccuping through his sobs, Prince Reiner still managed to whine, and we all laughed, even through our tears.
“It does. My heart aches.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. Seeing you cry like that, in front of Josephine and all the Winterton folk, makes me worry their eyes will rot. My heart hurts just thinking about it. Now hurry up and wipe those tears.”
“Alright, alright. You’re still scolding me until the end, aren’t you? Edwina, I’ll stop crying, but promise me this—when you get to Winterton, you’ll send that letter we talked about earlier.”
“I will, I promise.”
“And will you write me a letter too?”
“Sure, I’ll write one.”
“Will you really?”
“No, I don’t have a hobby of writing letters.”
“Edwina, you’re so cruel.”
“Yep.”
“But maybe you could write about something simple like grapes, potatoes, or apples, like you used to?”
“Sure, if I don’t forget.”
“But you will forget, won’t you?”
“How did you know?”
The sorrow in Prince Reiner’s eyes deepened as he glared at her, and more tears welled up. As we watched, we, too, were all crying, our faces soaked in tears just like his. We all gathered for one more hug, turning the whole villa into a sea of tears.
Yet even as we cried, we held back our sobs, afraid someone might hear us. It was always our princess, cold as ever, who finally ended these endless, drawn-out goodbyes.
“Reiner, if you were going to be like this, you should have come tomorrow. How long are you going to drag this out?”
“You really have no warmth, Edwina. Won’t you miss me at all?”
“Forget affection or anything else, it’s really time to go now.”
“Alright, I understand. I’ll find you. Someday, I’ll come back to you—”
“Reiner.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t come looking for me. It’s better if we never see each other again. So, take a good look now.”
Princess Edwina, strong as always, grabbed the tear-streaked face of Prince Reiner between her hands.
“I won’t. I’ll come find you. I’ll be your Arthur Gillen.”
“Enough. Just wipe your tears.”
As the princess wiped away his tears with her thumbs, rubbing his tear-soaked face, Reiner twisted his head away.
“It stings, Edwina.”
“Look at me properly, Reiner.”
“I don’t want to, Edwina.”
“Why?”
“Because if I look at you now, it’ll feel like this is the last time. I’ll send you off, and then I’ll come back to find you one day.”
Holding his face steady, our princess leaned in and kissed him softly on the forehead. The startled prince finally looked up at her.
“Yes, Reiner. This is the last time.”
“Edwina…”
“Don’t get hurt. I won’t write you a letter, so live well on your own.”
“I’ll find you again. When all this is resolved, I’ll come back for you. Will you still be alive then? Will you love me then?”
Our cold and pragmatic princess didn’t budge. She simply smiled and said,
“I’ll miss you too, Reiner von Reutlingen.”
At those words, a single tear fell from the prince’s eye, as if drawn by a brush. Our princess is truly merciless—I couldn’t help thinking that I’d never be able to forget such a final remark if it were me. Slowly, I prepared to make the journey to Winterton.
That’s when it happened. The locked door of the royal villa rattled violently. The sound of something breaking echoed as the mad emperor forced his way in, followed by soldiers.
“Go!”
Prince Reiner, standing in their way, shouted at us.
The sound of the emperor striking him down followed.
I pushed the princess away, stepping between the soldiers and the prince. Tilbert stood beside me. The princess clutched her bracelet, grasping the hand of a maid. That maid held another’s hand, and everyone scrambled to make it into the circle the prince had drawn.
Now, it was my turn. I just had to step in. Every step felt agonizingly slow. The soldiers behind me were closing in fast. Just as I reached the edge of the circle and stumbled, Tilbert pulled me up.
The princess held the bracelet. Tilbert grabbed me and threw us both into the circle. A blinding light enveloped us. I heard a sound, perhaps a groan or scream from Prince Reiner, as everything went dark.
That was my last memory of Reutlingen.
———= Author’s Note =———
Dear readers,
At long last, the story of Reiner and Princess Edwina comes to a close.
Are you starting to miss Coco and Archie? Just a liiiittle longer! Thank you so, so much for your continued support, comments, recommendations, and favorites! Now, go ahead and hit the button for the next chapter!”
<– –>
(5/7)
Leave a Reply