(Eri's POV)
My mother died when I was fourteen.
The palace said the sickness finally took her.
For many people in Kazunaga, it was a great tragedy.
For me…
It felt strange.
Not because I hated her.
But because I barely knew her.
My memories of my mother are very few.
The last clear one I remember happened when I was eight.
I was holding a small stone I had found in the garden. It was shiny, probably a piece of mineral from the mountains of Kazunaga. I remember being excited to show it to her.
When I entered her chamber, the room smelled of herbs again.
She looked weak, sitting on the bed.
When she saw me, her eyes rested on me for a moment.
But her expression was not warm.
It was distant.
Almost… uneasy.
That was the last time I clearly saw her face.
After that day, things changed.
Whenever I visited her room, the bed was already covered by a thin curtain, like a veil. Something like a net surrounded the bed.
I could not see her anymore.
Only her hand sometimes, reaching through the curtain.
Or her voice, weak and quiet.
The healers said it was to protect her.
The sickness was strange.
No one really understood it.
In those years, people only had herbs and old remedies. If your body was weak, the healers simply tried different treatments and hoped something would work.
Nothing ever did.
When the queen finally died, the entire palace fell silent.
The funeral was grand.
The casket was sealed.
I never saw her face one last time.
The nobles said it was to preserve dignity.
But to me it only meant one thing.
The woman they buried that day was still a stranger to me.
Still, I knew what she meant to someone else.
My father.
King Korei.
During the funeral, the entire kingdom wore black.
Not just Kazunaga.
The kingdom of Aryanda also sent representatives.
Many nobles came.
Even rulers from neighboring kingdoms arrived to pay respect.
The courtyard of the palace was filled with banners and dark clothing.
But I was not looking at them.
I was looking at my father.
His eyes looked different that day.
Heavy.
Tired.
He stood beside the sealed casket for a long time.
Without speaking.
Without moving.
Everyone in the palace knew how much he loved the queen.
He never married another woman.
Even when the court quietly suggested it.
Even when the kingdom needed an heir.
He stayed with Catherine.
I never knew what their life was like behind closed doors.
But one thing was clear.
My father loved her deeply.
After the funeral, something inside the palace changed.
My father became quieter.
Sometimes I saw him staring outside the palace windows for long periods of time.
The kingdom continued its duties.
Meetings.
Council sessions.
Trade.
But the king looked like a man who had lost something he could never replace.
It felt like Kazunaga was mourning every day.
Two years later—
my father died.
I was sixteen.
The kingdom said the king's health had weakened.
But I knew the truth was more complicated.
Sometimes grief kills people slowly.
When he was buried beside my mother, the palace bells rang for hours.
I stood there alone.
Now both my parents were gone.
And the crown of Kazunaga had no ruler.
I was the rightful heir.
But I was not yet old enough to rule.
The law of Kazunaga was clear.
The ruler must reach the legal age before sitting on the throne.
Until then, the kingdom would be guided by a regent.
There was only one person powerful enough for that role.
Princess Sato.
My aunt.
And the moment she became regent—
the palace suddenly felt like a far more dangerous place.