Elisa climbed out of the coffin.
She only remembered.
Before her slumber, her aunt had ridiculously brought a friend to sniff every inch inside and outside the Holy City. Finally, they concluded that the Duke had simply vanished into thin air.
A simple theory.
Even if the Duke had a way to mask his scent, he couldn't have run away naked. If he had left his clothes behind and run out naked, there was no way there would be no witnesses in the bustling Holy City. Unless Silas truly wasn't human.
Elisa was exhausted. The belief that someone would definitely return gradually backfired. She couldn't bear it.
"Go to sleep. I will help you guard the throne," her aunt had said.
Elisa silently tightened her grip on the heirloom and didn't argue anymore.
She fell into a deep sleep within the crystal coffin.
When she opened her eyes again.
Everything had changed.
"Are you awake? It's truly enviable; after all these years, you haven't changed a bit."
"..."
She didn't quite recognize the woman standing before her. Or rather, the maid with wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
"Dorothy?"
"Yes."
"You... haven't left yet?"
"Soon, probably. When you wake up from your next sleep, you likely won't see me anymore."
"..."
The room had changed too. It was no longer the small wooden house from before. High eaves, clean celadon. The bed seemed to be entirely inlaid with gold edges.
"Let me take you out for a walk. After 31 years, the Holy City is completely different~"
"..."
Elisa saw many unfamiliar faces.
For example, a young man with brown eyes. Pinning a family crest she knew very well to his chest.
"This is Leitman's child," the maid introduced.
"Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you."
The young man performed a standard half-kneeling salute.
Elisa remembered that before she went into slumber, Leitman had indeed married a commoner woman. However, to avoid being caught up in the Duke's disappearance on the wedding night, even as a Count, he hadn't made a big deal out of it. She didn't even know when they got married.
"Where are your parents?"
"They died in battle for the Duchy of Igna and for the glory of the Leitman family. I will inherit my father's legacy and continue to give my life for Your Majesty."
"..."
So they were already dead.
She just walked around casually, but everywhere felt unfamiliar. The scale of the Holy City had more than doubled, and its prosperity was more than ten times greater.
Seeing a decent-sized tailor shop, Elisa remembered an old acquaintance.
"The Courtesan died of illness last year. She adopted a daughter. Now her daughter has inherited her shop."
"..."
Elisa found her somewhat familiar.
"Big Sister Elisa?"
"..."
Oh.
It was the little girl she had saved long ago using her Sandman powers. She was now grown up and quite beautiful.
Her senses were slowly recovering.
Her memories, however, were sluggish because the Holy City was too unfamiliar. Until she discovered the vast square... In the middle of the square used for her coronation stood two massive statues made of pure gold.
"That was proposed by Leitman to your aunt before he died—to erect statues for you and the Duke."
"..."
The statues were lifelike.
There were stone tablets inscribed with brief biographies. It was written that one was the Empress who created the current prosperity, and the other was the Grand Duke who was loyal to the Empress. They had exhausted themselves for the Holy City and died.
"After all, a reason had to be found for your sleeping. Your aunt is currently only the Acting Empress."
"..."
Elisa also met her aunt in the newly renovated, true royal palace. Her appearance hadn't changed much, she just looked slightly tired.
"Auntie, thank you for your hard work."
"How could it be? Didn't you already plan out everything to be done for the next few decades before you slept? I've just been sitting here according to your ideas."
"..."
Memories suddenly flooded back.
Before her slumber, she had been working restlessly, organizing the policies he had proposed. Racking her brain to think of how to do things better. They said, why does Her Majesty need to record every detail of what should be done for decades in a manual? It's too exhausting to look at.
"Michelle, do you feel like something is missing?"
"..."
The maid took her to the familiar wooden house. The floor mats, the bed, the tuxedo. The wedding dress was hung up without a single wrinkle. Perhaps someone often came to clean it, as it wasn't covered in dust.
She remembered everything.
Before sleeping, she had looked for him. Everywhere. He was nowhere. So she despaired.
"Are you, okay?" the maid asked.
"Mmh."
Elisa didn't feel much. "I'm a bit hungry."
"Is that so? Then wait a moment, I'll go prepare. Quickly."
"..."
Elisa just sat on the bed, waiting for the maid to return, and drank the prepared blood. She looked at the wrinkles at the corners of the maid's eyes and extended a finger.
"What does this mean?"
"Drink my blood, and you can become my kin. You can become young."
This was originally intended for Silas. A power that only exists with the support of the heirloom.
"No need. I've long since had no need for looks. I'm just a maid."
"I need a prettier maid."
"...Is that so? It's Michelle who wants to continue enslaving me as a maid."
Dorothy laughed.
When expectations aren't met for a long time, they turn into disappointment. Too much disappointment naturally turns into anger.
Elisa hated the tuxedo and the wedding dress. She also detested the ring shining among them.
So, she crumpled them all together and threw them into the burning trash pile.
The flames were reflected in her pupils, which grew increasingly numb.
"...Is it really okay?" asked the maid, who was already restoring her appearance.
"Mmh."
Elisa didn't move, just stood there.
"Then let it be."
The maid didn't stop her.
"..."
As the tuxedo was burned until only a corner remained, Elisa turned and left.
Late at night.
A light rain began to fall.
Elisa ran out alone, rummaging through the pile of ashes. The wedding dress and tuxedo had long since burned away; she had personally added the wood.
Only the ring, a pure silver band, was hot, its small diamond stained with some ash. Once wiped clean, it showed no signs of being affected by the fire.
"I knew it would turn out like this."
"..."
The maid, helpless, came with an umbrella.
"But he really... could leave me for decades."
"Mmh."
"Hah... ugh, I never want to... like him again."
"That's good."
"If I find him... I'll send him to the guillotine."
"No problem. Master deserves it."
"..."
Elisa clutched the rain-soaked ring and began to feel the pain.
It felt strange.
Clearly many years had passed. It still hurt so much; not only had it not improved, but she understood more and more how much she cared.
She tightly clutched the hot ring. Its temperature dropped with the rain. Her face was once again pressed into the maid's chest, just like before.
"...Dorothy, it's stifling."
"Isn't this Michelle's own doing? Originally, they had already sagged."
"If I find him... you can be my personal maid and we'll marry him together."
"After all these years, you're still such a masochist."
"..."
Elisa felt she owed an apology to many people.
She hid her emotions and learned to show a smile. Thinking that she could no longer escape reality.
So.
She said to her tired aunt.
"Go do whatever you want. I will handle the work from now on."
She knew her aunt cared a lot about her mother's death. She had originally come to deliver treasure and visit her anyway.
"It's okay, Auntie can still..."
"No, this is my job."
She had also learned to treat her elders with a firm attitude.
At night.
Caught masturbating by Dorothy, she was only slightly surprised. She continued to caress herself nonchalantly.
"While saying you hate Master, you're still going to do this?" Dorothy asked.
"I'm going to expand the territory. Resolve all the Church matters. If the lands are all mine, no matter where he is, I will find him."
"Mmh... anyway, I've already quit this habit."
"No." Elisa shook her head.
"?"
"You have to rub against the table too. Otherwise, I'll be embarrassed."
"Ah? After all this time, how could I possibly..." Dorothy protested.
"..."
Thinking of something, Elisa used her hypnotic power for the first time in a long while.
"..."
"How did I fall asleep? You..."
"Dorothy, after all these years, you're still a virgin."
"!"
Dorothy was stunned, her face turning red.
"Hehe."
After waking up, Elisa strangely gave a sincere smile because of this.
Another 50 years passed.
The nobles of the Holy City changed batch after batch. But the royalty was still the immovable Elisa family. At Elisa's direction, the family added many women of the same bloodline who had been scattered abroad.
Occasionally, when others wondered how she stayed young, she would take a short nap and reappear in the identity of her own descendant.
Many people said they only saw females in the royal family and no males, not knowing how children were born. However, no one had the ability to come to the palace and find out.
Although it was said that as long as the Roman Catholic faith was not in the country, commoners could believe in whatever they wanted. Indeed, many new and various "gods" were born. There were scammers and there were those who did real work. But there was only one large one, the Church of Noye's Mercy.
Elisa detested theocratic power. She naturally decided to marginalize this religion that was growing too fast. She didn't care about the objections of other nobles.
The reason for coming to the border town was also very simple.
She heard that someone here was in contact with the Church outside the border, selling special pills. And the Count at the border seemed to be a fence-sitter. She wanted to solve this matter personally.
She didn't bring a maid.
She also had a guess after much deliberation... Because Silas did too many things hostile to the Church, his disappearance was a retaliation by the Church people.
"Alright, next one."
At the scene of the Count's servant recruitment. Dozens of commoners were competing for the position of groom.
Then, there was a man among them.
"Sir, Madam. I am from the East. In my hometown, my family's research on horses has spanned hundreds of years, starting from my ancestors..."
Very strange.
His manner of speaking was not at all like a commoner's. Compared to other commoners, his skin was yellowish.
Even without the tuxedo, she definitely wouldn't mistake him.
Why did he just look at her normally, with that nonchalant, boastful appearance...
Anger?
She didn't know.
Elisa only felt a lump in her throat. Her mind was blank.