Determination to Do Dirty Deeds

Higashino Makoto's voice was calm and firm.

"You've missed the point. A king's duty is not to make himself appear holy, but to keep the country stable and let the people live in peace. To achieve that goal, sometimes you need to do things that are not so holy. If you cannot do that, then you are not a qualified king."

Calca lowered her head, her long golden hair falling down to cover her face.

Higashino Makoto saw her shoulders trembling faintly.

He said nothing and did not look away. He simply sat there quietly, waiting for her to process the words she did not want to hear, yet had to hear.

After a long time, Calca raised her head.

Her eyes were slightly red, but she did not cry.

The deliberate gentleness that had been in those blue eyes was gone.

In its place was an expression of weariness and vulnerability.

"Mr. Higashino."

Her voice was hoarse, trembling slightly.

"Do you think I can change?"

"Do you want to change?"

"I do."

Calca answered without hesitation.

"But I don't know where to begin."

Higashino Makoto fell silent for a moment, then rose from his chair and walked over to the fireplace.

He picked up the tongs beside the hearth and stirred the logs within, making the flames burn brighter.

"Your Highness, let me ask you a question."

"Please."

"If one of the southern nobles were secretly colluding with demi-humans and betraying the Holy Kingdom's interests, what would you do?"

Calca's pupils contracted slightly.

"Th-That's impossible. The southern nobles may oppose me, but they're human. They wouldn't—"

"I'm asking what if."

Calca fell silent.

She was thinking—thinking seriously.

"I would..."

She carefully chose her words.

"I would first gather evidence and confirm the facts. Then..."

"Then?"

"Then I would have Remedios and the Holy Knight Order arrest those traitors."

Higashino Makoto turned to look at her.

"Why have Remedios handle it?"

"Because that is the Holy Knight Order's duty."

"No."

Higashino Makoto shook his head.

"It's because you don't dare do it yourself."

Calca pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Your Highness, if you want to change, you must learn to face the things you do not wish to face yourself."

Higashino Makoto returned to his chair and sat down again.

"Arresting traitors does not require the Holy Knight Order. It only requires your command. Executing traitors does not require an executioner. It only requires your signature. If you do not even dare do these things yourself, then you will forever be a puppet in someone else's hands."

"I'm not a puppet!"

Calca's voice suddenly rose, her anger obvious.

"I know you're not."

Higashino Makoto remained calm, unaffected by her emotions.

"But you are sliding in that direction. Kelart handles the temple's affairs for you, Remedios commands the army for you, and the nobles govern the local territories for you. What have you done yourself? Sat on the throne wearing that smile people call the 'Holy Maiden's'?"

Calca clenched her skirt tightly in her fingers.

She wanted to argue, but found herself unable to.

"Your Highness, you have talent, magnanimity, and ambition."

Higashino Makoto's tone softened slightly.

"I heard that you wish to build a nation where no one weeps. There is nothing wrong with that ideal itself. But the road to achieving an ideal is not one paved with flowers. You will have to tread through mud, wade through blood, and do things that keep you awake at night. If you cannot do that, then give up on this ideal as soon as possible and peacefully serve as a symbolic monarch. There is no shame in that. The monarchs of many nations do exactly that."

"I don't want to give up."

Calca's voice was low, but resolute.

"Then you must change."

"How do I change?"

Higashino Makoto looked at her and fell silent for a moment.

"Start with the smallest things."

"The next time you need to do something 'not entirely clean,' do not hand it over to Kelart. Do not hand it over to Remedios. Do it yourself."

"What if... what if I can't do it?"

"Then come find me."

Higashino Makoto's tone was calm, yet his black eyes held a strangely reassuring strength.

"I can stand beside you and watch you do it."

Calca froze.

She looked at Higashino Makoto. His black eyes were as still as a deep pool, betraying no unnecessary emotion.

He was not sympathizing with her.

He was not pitying her.

He was not trying to win her over.

He was simply helping her.

"Why?"

Calca asked the same question she had asked three days ago.

"Why are you helping me?"

Higashino Makoto did not answer at once.

He lifted his teacup, took a sip of the tea that had already gone cold, then set it down.

"Because you are a good person," he finally said.

"There are too few good people in this world. Every one who dies is one less. I do not want you to die at the hands of people filthier than you."

Calca's eyes reddened again.

This time, she could not hold it back.

A tear slipped from the corner of her eye, ran down her cheek, and fell onto the hem of her white dress, spreading into a small wet stain.

She did not wipe it away.

She let the tear remain on her face as she looked at Higashino Makoto, the corners of her lips slowly and painfully curving upward.

It was not the smile of a "Saintess."

It was the smile of an ordinary, exhausted woman who had glimpsed a sliver of light in the darkness.

"Mr. Higashino."

Calca's voice was as soft as a sigh.

"You really are terrible at comforting people."

"I am indeed terrible at it."

Higashino Makoto stood and straightened his robe.

"But I was telling the truth."

He walked to the study door, paused, and looked back at Calca.

"Your Highness, listen to what I said today if you wish. If not, take it as nonsense. But please remember one thing."

"What is it?"

"A qualified king does not need to be perfect. They only need achievements. Your people do not need a saint who never makes mistakes. They need a monarch willing to do anything for them—even dirty work."

Higashino Makoto pushed open the door and walked out.

Rita was waiting outside. When she saw Higashino Makoto emerge, she gave a slight bow.

"Lord Higashino."

"Let's go back."

"Yes."

Their footsteps gradually faded away, disappearing at the end of the corridor.

In the study, Calca still sat in her chair, watching the flames dance in the fireplace.

That tear still clung to her face, yet her lips held a smile completely unlike any she had worn before.

It was not the smile of a "saint."

Not the smile of the "Holy Queen."

Not the smile of the "Holy Kingdom's Treasure."

It was the smile of a woman.

A woman whose every disguise had been exposed, only to discover that the other person was still willing to stand by her side—

A relieved smile.

"The courage to do dirty work..."

Calca softly repeated those words, her fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

"Mr. Higashino, just who are you?"

No one answered her.

The flames in the fireplace flickered, casting her shadow across the bookshelves, where it swayed unsteadily.