To the Love Born in the Lowest Place

8. Dear Sister

In the hot and humid air that felt like her whole body was submerged in warm water, Liv barely opened her eyes. Her unfocused eyes wavered precariously. Why was I like this? Ah, that’s right, suddenly after the event at the temple…

“What’s the problem?”

Liv mumbled, looking into the air with a dazed mind.

A moment later, the voices of the gods were heard.

Someone has used my power to commit an evil deed.

After hearing those words, the first person Liv thought of was the Emperor. If there was someone who had obtained relics containing ancient magic, it could be no one else. Liv hadn’t made any other enemies that could pose a threat besides him.

“Can’t even the Supreme God do anything about it?”

Since he is using my power, I cannot stop it.

“What about the power of other gods?”

It might be possible. But to apply our power to you…

My child, come to the sanctuary.

If you come to our sanctuary, your body will get better.

In the end, it was again telling her to come to the sanctuary. To break the Supreme God’s power, she needs to borrow the power of a god of different power. Embracing that power in her body and becoming part of a god, even partially, was the only way for Liv to survive.

‘…I guess I have to go after all.’

Of course, Liv didn’t want to die like this so there was no other choice, but going to the sanctuary wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling. Although she had gathered courage once in the Lartman Duchy, the sanctuary required a lot of determination to visit first.

A little later, when Emmett entered the room carrying a basin filled with warm water, Liv moved her lips to speak his name.

“Emmett…”

“Liv! Are you feeling a bit better?”

“I know how to get better…”

At those words, Emmett’s face became serious as he sat down next to Liv. His hand gently tucking Liv’s sweat-soaked hair behind her ear looked pained.

“If I go to the sanctuary, I can get better… If I receive god’s power there…”

“I’ll look into nearby sanctuaries right away.”

“You don’t need to do that. There’s a place Hilda told me about…”

Yes, it wasn’t difficult for Liv’s body to heal. However…

“His Majesty the Emperor wants me dead.”

The problem was how to overcome the fact that the Emperor had finally started targeting them. It was also a problem that the Emperor would find it strange if he knew Liv’s body had recovered, and even if they overcame this crisis, the fact that the Emperor wouldn’t leave them alone in the future was also a problem.

Emmett’s expression also became serious at Liv’s words pinpointing the core of the problem. After sitting with his hands clasped as if thinking about something, Emmett soon raised his head with sharp eyes.

“Liv, I’d like you to go to the sanctuary and recover your body first. But after that.”

“Yes.”

“We must keep the fact that your body has recovered a secret.”

“For how long?”

“While we buy time.”

He muttered in a small voice as if calculating something, and the content somehow seemed ominous.

“To request help from the Arendt family, gather forces, and assemble soldiers…”

“Wait, what are you trying to do?”

When Liv asked that, feeling instinctively ominous, Emmett replied in a calm voice.

“Liv, in a situation where the Emperor is targeting us, there’s only one way to save our lives.”

Finally, shocking words came out of his mouth.

“Rebellion.”

“But…!”

Hearing those words, an insurmountable fear laid its hand on Liv’s shoulder. Ah, no. We’ll fail. We’ll end up dying. In an instant, her breath was choked off, and her cold body trembled. To her, the Emperor was like a high and steep mountain that could never be overcome. An enormous being no different from a god.

“If we do that, we’ll all end up dying!”

When Liv raised her voice loudly without feeling the pain, Emmett gently patted near Liv’s chest as if to calm her and continued speaking.

“But there’s no other way. We’ll die anyway if we do nothing.”

“It might be better to stay quiet and keep a low profile!”

“He’s not the kind of person who will leave us alone just because we stay quiet.”

From Liv’s perspective, Emmett didn’t seem like he would bend his stubbornness. She knew that everyone had an area they could never back down from. Liv, who loved Emmett, had been like that, and Hayden, who mentioned the Gracia imperial family, had been like that. Emmett now had that exact look in his eyes.

However, Liv couldn’t let Emmett die either.

“…Let’s think about it slowly for now.”

“Alright. For now, your health recovery is the priority.”

When Liv said that in an attempt to somehow divert Emmett’s attention, fortunately, Emmett agreed for now. He reluctantly handed Liv a letter.

“I informed him about your condition, and this is a letter from Hayden. He says he’s currently in the Wolfe Viscounty.”

“Hayden?”

Liv slowly opened the envelope. The letter was written in such terrible handwriting that it was doubtful whether it was even in the Hilysid language, but fortunately, the writing was legible when she squinted her eyes.

[To the young lady,

This is the first time I’m writing a letter like this.

I’ve recently come down to the Wolfe Viscounty. It’s safe here. Of course, I’m staying as quiet as possible because I think the Emperor’s watchmen might be planted here, but still. I’ll probably be here for a while. I have some work to do here.

I heard you’re sick. And I bet that guy dared to plot something.

I’m not worried about you. With your power, you’ll be able to overcome it soon. I’m just worried about the fact that he’ll keep targeting you in the future.

And I also heard you showed your power at the temple. You might not know, but it’s obvious. The temple might think of you as the seed of a new imperial family. Nobles might approach you soon, so be on guard. You’ll probably say it’s nonsense, but receiving God’s love is more important than anything to the people of this country. Even Anfang Gracia was an unremarkable girl, but she gave birth to an emperor.

Ah, I should also tell you what I’m doing now. I’m preparing to leave the Holy Hilysid Empire from here. I’m planning to ask for help from the people of the Kingdom of Reboer and the Merna Empire. To pull that guy down from the throne, the only way is to use forces from outside the country.

This might also be a way for me to help you. Until that guy’s head falls to the ground, you’ll continue to be in danger. It might not be much help for your current illness, but still, think of it as me helping in this way at least.

If you’re thinking of helping me, that’s fine. You just need to keep doing what you’ve been doing. It’s about keeping all of that guy’s attention focused on you, so he doesn’t notice what I’m up to abroad. It might sound like I’m asking you to be bait, and to be honest, that’s correct. But in the end, it’s for all of us, right?

Oh, I obtained something good in the Wolfe Viscounty and enclosed it. It’s a notebook used by the previous Emperor and Empress. It’s said to be a record from when the Empress was pregnant, so I’m sending it to you in case you can investigate evidence of rebellion from it. Show it to Duke Lartman as well.

Well, I should end the letter here. I don’t know if I’ll still be here by then, but if something urgent comes up, send a letter to the Wolfe Viscounty. Even if I’m not there, Viscount Wolfe might be able to help.]

As he said, a thin notebook was enclosed in the envelope along with the letter. It was a leather notebook that had become tattered with age. Liv carefully opened it, trying not to tear the cover.

[Today I heard from the royal physician that the pregnancy is certain.

In fact, the waiting time had been so long that I thought we would never have a child.

This child that has come to us is truly a miracle given by the Supreme God. I’m just grateful to the Supreme God.

This child will surely grow up seeing and hearing only good things.

To think that I’m becoming a father, it’s truly joyous news.

My dear Maya, thank you for working hard with me.]

The handwriting at the top of the notebook and the bottom were different. It seemed like two people had used this notebook together, and since it was said to be a record from pregnancy, probably…

“Maya is the name of the previous Empress.”

Emmett, who was watching from the side, provided additional explanation about the contents of the notebook.

“Originally, the Gracia family was famous for having few descendants. That’s also why there were no collateral branches to step up when the Steinberg family started a rebellion. They usually only had one child per generation.”

The next page was also filled with writing. From the page after that, there were also clumsy drawings in the middle, and meaningless words listed. Liv turned to the last part of the notebook.

[I’m still pondering what to name the child.

A name that is dignified as befits royalty, contains God’s grace, and also contains our love. It’s really a difficult task.

I want to give all the love in this world to the child.

I’m also thinking about what the most lovely name would be.

It wouldn’t be bad to name the child Anfang after an ancestor.

Of course, it would be best if the Supreme God gave us the child’s name.]

“…”

Their wish was eventually fulfilled. The gods gave Liv the most precious name, containing all the love in this world.

The pregnancy journal also contained stories about the current Emperor, August.

[While talking with August about the due date, I suddenly realized that the due date is late July. The world my child will see for the first time will be so beautiful. My child will come to love summer.

Did you meet August today? As the due date is approaching, it would be better not to meet anyone now.]

As Liv’s face darkened after reading that notebook, Emmett called her name in a sympathetic tone.

“…Liv, are you alright?”

“Hmm, somehow I feel strange.”

Under Emmett’s gaze, Liv continued speaking in a calm voice. She was clearly trying to act as if nothing was wrong, but her fingertips holding the notebook were trembling slightly.

“It seems like this contains the love of those two.”

“Liv…”

“I don’t know, I feel strange. I’ve never met these people. They’re not people I should immediately pour love on. But still… I feel a little sad.”