Chapter 115

Chapter 115: The Empress.

The era of railways was about to begin, but Kim Ki-woo could not rejoice.

His wife, the only empress of the empire and the life of the deep lake, was nearing the end of her life.

“Empress…”

Kim Ki-woo held the hand of the empress, who was breathing hard while unconscious.

She was so weak that she could not regain consciousness for more than a few hours a day.

Her face had lost its former beauty due to the traces of time.

Kim Ki-woo asked the empress’s physician.

“Is there really no sign of improvement in her condition?”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. It’s a symptom caused by old age. There’s nothing I can do with my level of skill. Please forgive me for my incompetence…”

“Sigh… How can you blame yourself for that? I understand. You may leave.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the physician left, Kim Ki-woo stared blankly at her face.

‘I wished so much that this moment would never come…’

But he knew well that it was impossible unless she received modern anti-aging treatments like him.

He had just been avoiding reality.

Then.

The door opened hastily and some familiar faces appeared.

“Mother!”

“…”

“Sob…!”

The crown prince of the empire, Wide Sky, ran quickly to the empress with a heavy breath.

His four siblings followed him.

But Kim Ki-woo looked at them and whispered softly.

“Shh. Be quiet. The empress needs rest.”

“…We apologize.”

“Come on. Gather around.”

At Kim Ki-woo’s words, his five grown-up children surrounded the bed where the deep lake lay.

Kim Ki-woo smiled faintly at them.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve all been together like this.”

They had all been busy with their own roles, so it was very rare for Kim Ki-woo, the empress, and their five children to be in one place.

“We should have visited more often, but we were busy.”

“You can’t leave your post as the governor-general of the central continent often. I’m not blaming you. I’m rather sorry for calling you when you’re so busy.”

“How can we work when our mother is in danger?”

Kim Ki-woo nodded.

Now the governor-general’s office had to manage not only the direct territories but also the entire central continent.

As a result, the staff of the governor-general’s office were having very busy days, and so was Wide Sky, their leader.

And that was also true for Blue Earth.

He was in charge of commanding the troops stationed in the central continent.

The other two sons were also working hard in the religious and academic fields.

Kim Ki-woo took his eyes off them and looked at his only daughter’s face.

“Sob, sniff…”

She was crying silently.

Kim Ki-woo looked at her with pity.

‘She must be the one who can’t accept the death of the empress the most.’

Bright Starlight, his only daughter, had spent the most time with the empress since she was young.

Being of the same gender, she tended to be closer to her mother.

Kim Ki-woo gently patted her back without saying anything.

Maybe his action calmed her down a bit, as Bright Starlight’s tears gradually subsided.

Then, Kim Ki-woo spoke to her.

“You have to think about the baby in your belly. It’s not good for you to be sad.”

She nodded slightly, as if her throat was choked.

The brilliant starlight had married a man who met her standards, fortunately, before the one year she had promised to Kim Kiwoo was over.

She had been single for a long time in the past.

And now, she had built a home with him, became the mother of two sons, and was expecting another child in three months.

At that moment.

Squirm!

The finger that Kim Kiwoo was holding twitched.

And then,

“Hmm.”

Her eyes opened cautiously.

“Empress. Are you awake?”

“Oh my…!”

“Ugh!”

Immediately, the eyes of Kim Kiwoo and his family were focused on her.

Deep Lake blinked several times, as if her eyes were heavy, and then realized that the whole family was gathered.

“You guys have important work to do. How could you come here?”

The first words from her mouth were reproach.

The targets were the crown prince and the fourth prince.

The empress understood well the situation of the central continent and the roles that her two sons played.

“I called them. So don’t say anything. Isn’t it nice to meet as a family after a long time? You also wanted to see the eldest one.”

Only then did she agree.

“…It seems like I’m getting an excessive gift before I go to the arms of the spirits.”

A kind smile bloomed on her face as she spoke.

“I should have gone out with you… I’m really sorry.”

“How can you blame me for not being able to go because of my poor health. I’m happy right now.”

After that, several conversations followed.

The empress shared many stories with her children, and laughed brightly as she reminisced about the past.

Kim Kiwoo felt his throat tighten as he watched this.

Maybe this would be their last conversation.

That’s why he did it.

He expressed his feelings.

“Thank you for being my wife and the empress of the empire for a long time. I always love you.”

Drip!

Tears rolled down from her eyes at his sudden expression of affection.

She remembered the hard times and the happy times because of Kim Kiwoo in her head.

“I loved you too… It was a really happy and blessed life.”

Her face at the end of her words was innocent like a child’s.

And that night.

Deep Lake left the world.

***

“Oh! How could the empress mother leave so vainly!”

“It can’t be… Sob! Ugh!”

“Waaah!”

The news of the empress’s death made the empire cry.

Countless citizens flocked to the streets, sat on the ground, and shed tears while wailing.

They all knew that she had supported the Imperial family as their elder, and had worked hard for the empire until now.

“You’re lucky that the people appreciate your efforts.”

Kim Kiwoo touched her white ashes that had already been cremated, and muttered.

‘How can even her ashes be so beautiful.’

Kim Kiwoo looked at the ashes of his wife and finally realized that he would never see her again.

Then, the tears that he had been holding back flowed down his cheeks.

“Your Majesty…”

“Sob!”

The living holy spirit who seemed perfect in everything, Kim Kiwoo’s tears touched the emotions of the people who were guarding him.

Thanks to that, the solemn funeral was soaked with tears.

But Kim Kiwoo had no mind to look back at them.

Now that half of his life had left the world, he felt like his heart was hollowed out.

His life itself became empty and meaningless.

He even felt that not growing old with his empress was not a blessing, but a curse.

‘How hard it must have been for her…’

It must have been very dreadful to live with a husband who does not age.

She was losing her beauty day by day, and her body was getting worse, while her husband had not changed a bit since the beginning.

No matter how generous the empress was, she must have suffered a lot mentally.

‘I should have treated her better when we were young.’

He devoted all his attention to developing the empire, and did not do much for her.

Looking back, he was a very careless husband.

Kim Kiwoo’s head was filled with things that he had not done for the empress.

And that became even stronger after he read her will.

‘How can you be such a foolish woman.’

There was not a single negative word about Kim Kiwoo in her will.

She only wrote about her self-reflection on her shortcomings, and how happy and brilliant her life was.

And she even wished that he would meet a better woman and remarry.

He could feel her warm heart again as he read the will.

But Kim Kiwoo had already made up his mind.

That there would be no more marriage in his life.

‘I don’t want to go through this pain again.’

He was in a position where he could have hundreds or thousands of wives if he wanted, but Kim Kiwoo erased that option.

He thought it was enough to take care of the five children and numerous grandchildren that she left behind.

“Hoo…”

Kim Kiwoo took out a handkerchief and wiped his tears, then took a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions.

And he looked at his blood relatives who were waiting around him and said,

“You guys also come here and spend the last time with the empress.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After Kim Kiwoo’s order, the five siblings started to touch the ashes of the empress and say goodbye to her.

And then the official march began.

She had said it over and over again when she was alive.

‘If I die, please scatter my ashes in the river of my hometown where I was born and raised.’

Every time he heard that, he told her not to say such things because she still had a long way to go, but he thought that someday he would grant her wish.

She had to perform her role as an empress in the capital, so she only visited her hometown three times in her lifetime.

‘From now on, rest in peace in your hometown forever.’

It was Kim Kiwoo’s last kindness to visit her hometown personally and scatter her ashes.

Thud, thud.

Kim Kiwoo rode a carriage pulled by eight horses and left the main gate of the palace.

And as soon as he came out on the street, his eyes lit up.

On both sides of the road where he would march, there were already huge crowds of people sitting down.

“Ouch!”

“Sob, sob!”

The citizens beat the ground and cried as the carriage passed by.

They did it voluntarily without anyone telling them to.

Kim Kiwoo felt his heart warm up as he watched this scene.

He was touched by the fact that so many people were grieving for his wife.

And this procession of lamentation continued until they reached her hometown.

“Yo, your majesty, you came here personally… We are honored!”

As soon as he set foot in her hometown, the elders of the village greeted Kim Kiwoo.

“I should have visited more often when the empress was alive. Please forgive me for bringing her ashes here.”

“Ah! Ho, how can you say such a thing! Please take back your words!”

“I will come here from time to time whenever I miss the empress.”

Kim Kiwoo left them behind and went to the riverbank near her birthplace.

Her relatives, who had already scattered, had gathered here after hearing the news that the empress’s ashes were coming, so the surroundings were quite crowded.

Kim Kiwoo waited for them to have their last moments with the empress, and then he slowly scattered her ashes into the river on a boat.

That was how the funeral of the empress came to an end.

After that, many people visited her hometown where Kim Kiwoo had scattered her ashes.

“May you find peace by the side of the spirit lord…”

People prayed for the empress’s blessing here.

And the architects and artists who visited here voluntarily built many things around her birthplace.

They made statues that captured her appearance in life, and a museum that commemorated her life.

They even sculpted Kim Kiwoo scattering her ashes into the sea.

This became one of the must-see tourist attractions for anyone who was a citizen of Wakan Tanka, as it added to the symbolism that she was the only wife of the emperor, who never remarried.