If Only I Could Disappear

“…… Please allow me to receive the delegation alongside you, Your Majesty.” “No. There isn’t anyone that doesn’t know that I don’t have a shred of feelings for you anyways, so is there a need to put on an act?” The nobles covered their mouths with fans at the sight of the Empress being openly embarrassed by the Emperor but didn’t retract their gazes. Along with the fed-up Edmund’s unkind treatment, the courage that was squeezed out disappeared instantly, and Sotis bowed her head without saying anything. Sotis loved Edmund. But Edmund hated Sotis. “I have no intention of letting you go today.” “I’ve never asked you to let go of me. It’s alright if you make a mess, so hurry…” The Emperor, who’d made the Empress become an object of gossip for the nobles, sought his mistress’ embrace. Sotis felt miserable whenever she saw Edmund whispering affectionately to another woman. ‘Will everyone be happy if I disappear? Would it be alright if I disappeared? It’s just, if only I could disappear.’ *** Within the bedroom where the Empress slept quietly without waking, only a mage saw her wounded soul. As Sotis sat by the window, she seemed shy and embarrassed, while combing her long hair with a faint smile. “Even if you don’t lift a finger, there will definitely be someone that likes Your Majesty just the way you are.” Although it was her first meeting that mage, the mage responded to her innermost thoughts as though he knew about everything. “I’ll find a way. Just like how you saved me, I will also ensure that both of your feet will touch the ground once again.” [……If you say that, it sounds as though such a day would definitely arrive.] The mage turned his back on the Empress, who was lying on the bed beautifully and whispered to the soul by the window every day, eventually managing to awaken Sotis’ physical body… “Tomorrow morning, we will declare our divorce. The reason for the divorce is your body’s poor condition, your soul’s instability, and your inability to carry on the family line.” Through a single mage’s utmost dedication, Empress Sotis was able to regain her body, but what she was faced with was the Emperor’s notice of divorce.