Chapter 175: Before the Hunger — The Lord of Mercy (Part VIII: The Last Goodbye)
"There are moments that divide a life into two parts.The person you were before...
And the person who remains afterward."
From the private journal of Myra
The Queen died at sunrise.No miracle arrived.No forgotten medicine revealed itself at the final moment.The Royal House of Healing did everything within human ability.
It was not enough.The room was silent as the Chief Physician slowly closed the Queen's eyes.The King never cried.He simply kissed her forehead and whispered,"I'll see you again."Then he stood.
His legs trembled, but he did not fall.
He thanked every physician individually.
When he reached Myra, he stopped.
"You gave her hope."His voice was calm.
"And you gave me time to say goodbye."
Myra lowered her head."I'm sorry."
The King gently shook his head.
"No."He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm grateful."Those words hurt more than blame ever could.
The White Procession.The funeral lasted three days.The Queen had forbidden statues or grand monuments.She had requested something simpler.Every citizen was invited to walk beside her carriage.No matter their station.No matter their wealth.
The streets became a river of white.
Farmers walked beside nobles.
Soldiers beside scholars.
Children carried lilies gathered from their own gardens.
No music played.Only the steady tolling of the white bells.Myra stood near the back of the procession.She watched thousands mourn one woman.Not because she was their Queen.Because she had remembered their names.The King's Choice
After the funeral, the King addressed the court.
Many expected declarations of war.
Others expected harsh quarantines or desperate measures.Instead, he removed his crown.He placed it upon the throne.
"My wife believed"He said quietly,"that a ruler should first heal the wounds within their own people."He looked across the hall.
"We will not answer death with hatred."
"We will build more healing houses."
"We will feed villages that have lost their harvests."
"We will shelter children left without parents."
"If this plague has taught us anything"
"it is that no one survives alone."
Some nobles objected immediately.
"The treasury cannot sustain this."
"It will weaken the kingdom."
The King met their gaze.
"A kingdom that abandons its people"
"is already weak."
Myra's Doubt
Despite the King's resolve, Myra felt hollow.
She wandered through the empty halls of the Royal House of Healing.Every room reminded her of failure.The Queen's chamber.Elian's old notes.
The unfinished remedies covering her desk.
For the first time since becoming a healer
She hesitated before entering a patient's room.
"What if I fail again?"The thought terrified her.
She had always feared losing others.
Now...She feared losing herself.
Astraeus and the Candle
That evening, Astraeus found her sitting alone in the palace chapel.
Only a single candle burned before her.
He sat beside her without speaking.
After a long silence, Myra finally asked,
"Do you know what I envy?"
He waited.
"People who still believe trying is enough."
Astraeus looked at the small flame.
"When I was younger."
He began,"I believed wisdom meant finding answers."He gently shielded the candle from a draft."Now I think" "wisdom is continuing to care even after the answers fail."She stared at the flame."It feels like every life I can't save" "takes something from me."
"It does."
He answered honestly."But if you give away every piece of yourself"
"who will remain to save the next person?"
The Wooden RabbitBefore leaving the capital, Myra unpacked her satchel.
Inside she found the small wooden rabbit given to her months ago by the frightened little girl on the battlefield.Its missing ear was still there.Its paint remained faded.
A note had been tied around its neck.
The handwriting was uneven.
Thank you for staying with me.
Mama says I'm brave now.
I hope you smile more.
There was no signature.
Only a tiny drawing of the rabbit.
Myra laughed softly through tears.
She realized...The child had never remembered the medicine.Or the bandages.
She remembered that someone had stayed.
A Shadow in the LibraryDeep within the palace archives, one scholar remained after midnight.He searched through forgotten medical records, hoping to continue Myra's work.While moving an old shelf...He discovered a narrow staircase leading downward.
At its base rested a stone pedestal.
Upon it lay a single crystal unlike anything he had seen.Dark crimson veins pulsed beneath its surface.As he stepped closer.A gentle voice echoed in his mind.
You seek to prevent suffering.
The scholar reached toward the crystal.
Then paused.He remembered the Queen's funeral.The King's words.
Myra's tireless work.Slowly...He withdrew his hand.
"I'll find another way."
The crimson light dimmed.
Not every temptation succeeded.
Not every heart cracked.
Sometimes...
Hope endured.
That night, before leaving the capital, Myra stood upon the palace walls.
Below, the city slowly returned to life.
Children played in the streets again.
Merchants reopened their stalls.
The white bells rang less often.
Healing had begun.Not because the plague had vanished.But because people refused to surrender to despair.
Myra looked toward the stars."I still can't save everyone."She whispered.
The wind carried her words into the night.
"But"She closed her eyes."I can always save the person in front of me."Far beneath the world.
The crimson presence remained silent.
Its first attempt had failed.It felt no frustration.
Only patience.Because it understood something even Myra did not.
One tragedy rarely breaks a compassionate heart.But a lifetime of them...Just might.