A King is Born on the Road

After thinking for a while, Iris opened her mouth.

“Then, why don’t we change it to a wedding?”

“Wedding?”

Agatha narrowed her eyes and continued in disapproval.

“Iris. The money you gave me isn’t small, but it’s small for you and Lord Hayer’s wedding. We’re running out of time, and the season isn’t good.”

“No, not my wedding. Parents.”

“…Are you talking about the wedding of Her Highness Celios and Sir Peter?”

At Agatha’s question, Iris knew that it was already considered an established fact in society that she was the child of the two people.

In truth, no one had any doubts about who her father was.

Madeleine, who was fidgeting next to her, asked Iris.

“That… what does that have to do with this?”

Then Iris opened her mouth.

“Sir Peter is from the Royal Knights.”

Agatha’s expression brightened, as if she had only just understood what she said.

“The senior of the Royal Knights is getting married, so the junior can’t come out?”

“Mhm. It’ll be hard to flatter.”

At the same time, it would be a party entirely for Iris and Celios, mother and daughter.

Agatha was very satisfied, and Madeleine understood and nodded. Then, she choked up again and said.

“They either prepare a party, or they try to take away the party prepared all night at most…”

“Argh. Stop crying.”

Agatha patted Madeleine and said,

“The baby in the stomach will be upset… no? Is it better for the mom to just cry?”

Agatha looked anxiously toward Iris, and she replied.

“I don’t know because I’ve never been pregnant either.”

“That’s true. Those who have done it know better. Just do whatever you want, Madeleine.”

Madeleine nodded at the words of the two and said.

“I want to be the princess’s lady-in-waiting forever… I like it here…”

The two burst into laughter at that.

After deciding the direction, Iris went out into the hallway. Her mind was cluttered by the assumptions of when Kernin Lepos became king.

It doesn’t make sense. It was impossible.

Now, in her head, there were only two contenders she knew who could sit on the throne.

Hayer Asheri. And herself.

The fact that Hayer’s father was a Siere made Iris think that he was the right person for the throne at this point.

The king of Luwan must not reject the pagans. He was better than herself in that respect. Now Iris intended to compare herself with Hayer to prevent Luwan from being covered in blood.

Hayer was strong and good. Then, what are her strengths?

Iris halted in place.

“…What are my strengths?”

Standing there thinking, she could not find any strengths in herself.

After being disappointed with herself for a while, she was fortunate to be able to recall one strength. It was discovered in the physical time of contemplating one’s strengths.

When considering who was right for the throne, Hayer or herself, her standard was Luwan’s safety. Solely, the peace of Luwan. That alone was what she regarded as a condition for the throne.

It was bound to be a strength, of course, in her standards. Iris considered herself stupid, and felt a little inferior about the fact that she had not learned royal studies[1].

But she was not so weak as to indulge in excessive self-deprecation.

“That’s an important strength.”

As a result, Iris evaluated herself in this way.

A person who can want the throne.

───  ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅  ───

Celios liked light tea. So the first tea brewed was to her taste.

In fact, taste used to be based on some accumulated life. In that sense, she was rather impatient, so there were times when she asked for a less brewed tea.

It accumulated on her tongue, and at some point made her think she liked light tea. That’s how quick-tempered she was.

“There’s no way Lord Kernin would have gone through the maze.”

Celios affirmed.

“It wouldn’t be strange if that single-minded man ran through the maze and came out from running recklessly. Don’t you think so?”

She asked Peter Wick, who was sitting opposite of her, and he answered awkwardly.

“Maybe?”

“Don’t you know how he behaves? Lord Kernin must be a junior you raised yourself.”

“I know he’s strong, but I don’t know if it’s enough to break through a wall.”

“You don’t know if the wall is penetrable, do you?”

“Oh. Yes. I know Kernin’s strength, but I don’t know the strength of the wall.”

When Peter was correcting himself, a servant’s voice was heard outside.

“Princess Iris has arrived.”

As soon as he heard his daughter’s name, Peter’s expression softened.

From Celios’s point of view, Peter’s feelings that could be named ‘fatherly love’ was a wonder. Of course, she was also proud of her daughter, who came out of the Traitor’s Labyrinth. However, it was a feeling towards Iris’s ability.

“Tell her to come in.”

When Celios’s permission was granted, the door opened and Iris entered.

After greeting the two politely, Iris immediately got to the point.

“How about having a wedding?”

“Not yet!”

Peter sprang to his feet in a fit of emotion.

“The princess is not even twenty years old yet! You must be at least twenty-five!”

Unknowingly, Iris blinked at Peter’s agitated words, and opened her mouth in bewilderment.

“I’m not talking about my wedding… I am aware of Sir Peter’s opinion.”

“W-wasn’t that about the princess’s marriage?”

As Peter was belatedly flustered, Celios put down her cup and said.

“Of course she means our marriage, Sir Peter.”

“That’s… I don’t know why that’s obvious.”

“She is about to lose the party she was preparing for. However, if Sir Peter, the senior of the Royal Knights, gets married, the junior will have to stay quiet.”

“Ah!”

Only then did Peter grasp the situation.

Then, he smiled and looked at the mother and daughter alternately. Just in case someone said they weren’t mother and daughter, thoughts flowed in the same direction.

Peter said with a reddening face.

“But… His Majesty the King will grant permission… what if he doesn’t?”

“What’s the point of not allowing it now?”

“Then why haven’t we had a ceremony until now…?”

“…So now, are you saying that I should have said that we should get married first?”

Peter was startled by Celios’s sharp words and hurriedly got down on one knee.

“Your Highness Celios.”

“…Yes.”

Celios watched suspiciously, and Peter took a ring box out of his inner pocket. His action surprised Iris too, and her eyes widened.

Peter immediately opened the box and said.

“I was always ready.”

Celios, who was taken aback by the ring that had been passed down from generation to generation in the Wick family, shining within, blinked rapidly.

“You always carried this around?”

“Yes. Always.”

Peter said and looked up.

Celios soon returned to her usual haughty face, and held out her left hand as if to put it on on his own. Peter put the ring on her finger with a happy expression.

Iris was briefly nonplussed when she saw the unexpected scene while trying to escape the situation, but she came to think that it was not a bad feeling that her parents were on good terms.

With the permission of the two, she left the east building. Since the urgent situation was resolved, she thought it would be okay to collapse for a while.

Iris entered a small temple in the palace. Fortunately, it was empty.

She lit the candles in the temple and knelt down to pray. And prayed for Tamati Sepate. She let go of her tingling emotions for a moment.

The history that flowed before returning from the North Gate did not change as easily as expected. The sacred tree of the desert has been revived. But may the sacrifice of Tamati Sepate remain in that solid passage of time. Iris prayed earnestly.

She was about to collapse, but strangely, she didn’t cry. There was no time to cry, and her whole tense body seemed to think so too.

───  ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅  ───

Hayer ran to the southern border at once. He gritted his teeth and tried to bear it, but he couldn’t.

In the end, he stopped his horse and dismounted in the meadow between the Hall family and the border. And he shouted once in the direction of the sea.

He pretended to be calm in front of Iris, but in fact, he couldn’t relax easily. The world has never once turned in the direction he wanted. It was the same this time.

Perhaps war on the land of Luwan and being covered by the Sieres who were pushed out by monsters was unstoppable. Maybe it’s the fate of this land and the people of Luwan.

Hayer could understand Iris’s expression to some extent only then. Her face that alternated between willingness to save Luwan and skepticism that the world was about to collapse. The look in her eyes.

afterword

hugs, pats, kisses for hayer and iris my poor babies they’re only 19 for goodness sake!!

1. 제왕학(帝王學) refers to special education for the successor of a special position, such as a royal family or a traditional family or family line, from childhood to the time of inheriting as the heir. []