Mr. Pantalone has no crazy plans today.

"I am coming."

"You shouldn't have come."

The woman standing by the window sighed softly, her words filled with endless sorrow and grief.

This reaction surprised him somewhat.

Although he didn't know exactly what the Empress meant by those words, he felt that he had a vague idea of ​​what was going on.

This gave him a general understanding of his own 'persona', which further confirmed the possibility that this might indeed be a manifestation of the original Pantalone's subconscious.

In that case, he'll have to dig deeper.

Pantalone, suppressing his thoughts, continued.

"But I still came."

"Yes, you still came."

The empress, with her back to him, gazed at the distant sky and spoke softly.

Her calm tone made it impossible for him to discern her true feelings as she uttered those words, but then the Empress suddenly smiled and softly said...

"After all, if you choose not to come, then you are no longer yourself."

Although she was smiling, Pantalone could not discern her emotions from the profile of the Queen's back.

Rather than feeling joyful, it was more of an expected or well-understood thought.

This made Pantalone secretly wonder if this was a replay of the scene when he made the promise to the Queen, but it was all just speculation.

Knowing nothing about this place, he could only guess at everything through snippets of information and minor details.

The empress didn't say anything more, but gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned to look at him.

"Would you like to come over and chat with me? Not in a master-servant relationship, but simply as friends, having an equal exchange."

"……it is good."

Pantalone paused for a moment, then nodded.

Although he was not clear about his role here, after hearing what the Queen said...

This made him curious about what had happened between him and the Empress in the past that would make her say such things to him. At least he could understand from these few words.

Aside from their relationship as ruler and subject, it seems that they might also have had a relationship as friends.

But that was all; he couldn't find anything deeper in his memories.

It seems he can only try to uncover deeper insights through more in-depth conversations.

With the Queen's invitation and permission, he was able to stand in the same position as the Queen.

At this moment, he was able to see a landscape that defies description; perhaps this is the perspective of a god.

Compared to what is before their eyes, the eyes of gods are always on the whole world, not limited to a small corner. This is the difference in perspective between humans and gods.

He was thus able to see the same scenery as the Queen, the illusory shadow in the distant sky.

This made Pantalone thoughtful, and his gaze fell on the woman beside him.

This allowed him to see the sorrow and coldness emanating from the Empress. As the Empress of this frigid northern kingdom, her eyes revealed such grief, yet her face wore a smile that was both loving and sad.

"Isn't it beautiful? Unfortunately, everything is ultimately just a fleeting dream. The messengers from heaven promised the people on earth that the future is eternal, and this is an indisputable truth."

The aloof yet loving queen was so merciful that she gently closed her eyes.

He did not speak, but listened quietly to the Queen's story.

"I am crowned by God to warm this loving pine forest, and the kiss of my green lips will frost and seal away the dust for the fallen spirit."

"Since being crowned the guardian of truth and goodness, the prey follow the hunter's rules and live a life of hiding and indifference."

"And as the pain spreads, the ten fingers extend to the palms."

"And when everything spirals out of control, the ten fingers sink deep into the palms."

"I have just realized that under the eternal future lies the predetermined law of nature."

The empress softly sang this melody, pouring out her heartfelt bitterness and pain to him.

What kind of expression did he have?

Beneath her seemingly aloof and arrogant face, her eyes were filled with pity and love for the entire world, and her heart held the sorrow of the whole world.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this that he was once the god of his beloved.

That bitterness in his heart was the reason why his loving heart was frozen.

Looking at that solitary and noble figure, he perhaps understood why so many people chose to pursue her ideals.

Looking at the empress pouring out her sorrows to him, he suddenly felt a strong urge to do something for her, even though he knew that the empress before him was just a phantom projected from his subconscious.

"After this journey on ice, there is only the pointless obsession of fools who cannot turn back. If you insist on continuing on this journey on ice, then there may be no turning back."

Even so, will you still choose to continue walking with me on this icy journey, on this road of no return?

"On this path, you might lose even more."