A King is Born on the Road

That didn’t mean that he felt like a stranger to the Hayer she knew.

Iris nodded and said.

“Then, thank you for that. At most… I’ll be fine in three days. Enough to get to the port city.”

“The port city?”

“I want to go to Everhart.”

Everhart was the largest port city in Luwan, just south of the capital.

Traders say, ‘The religion of the region where merchants touch is their religion.’

As the saying goes, Everhart was almost the only area on Luwan’s land where pagans could roam freely.

It was a place where many merchant ships came in, to the point where it was said that what could not be obtained there could not be obtained anywhere in Luwan. However, as much money came and went, security was not so good.

Most of the merchants passing through Everhart traveled in upper rank units, and hired mercenaries to always fiercely protect their property.

“All right. Let’s go to Everhart.”

Hayer nodded.

If she wakes up after sleeping like she’s dead for three days, she’ll be able to at least get to Everhart. Relieved, Iris asked.

“But Sid… How did you make Sid give up and go?”

At Iris’s words, Hayer said casually.

“I said we would have to duel if he wanted to take Miss Iris.”

“Duel?”

“Yes. A duel.”

“Duel… Pardon?”

Iris’s eyes widened.

She belatedly realized what the reason would be for a duel in this situation. It was clear that he was referring to a duel between rivals.

“H-how can you make such an excuse?”

“At that time, that was the only way I could think of. Isn’t it okay since I avoided it anyway?”

Hayer looked as if it didn’t matter if he told some lies.

Iris couldn’t think of any other way. But somehow, it felt like her hot face was getting hotter.

It would have been easy if she had some kind of relationship with him to the extent that he could lie about being romantically involved, but he wasn’t like that with Iris.

She kept thinking of the strong, reliable man who had been with her for three months, and his rejection lingered in her ears. Every time that happened, her heart ached.

Iris tried to smile and nodded.

“That’s right. You avoided it, so it’s okay. Thank you. Then, really, I’ll sleep without being stubborn.”

Iris’s words did not make Hayer look less suspicious, but he decided to trust her and leave for now.

* * *

Three days was a long time to do nothing.

Iris managed to come to her senses after sleeping for a full day and a half. When she woke up, she felt quite well. It was thanks to Annie, who was next to her and took pity on her, that she healed so well.

After getting out of bed, she thanked Ritero for helping her.

Ritero asked to play chess together if she was bored, and Iris readily agreed, as she enjoyed playing games quite a lot at many social events during her six years of being queen.

Iris then played chess with Ritero in the drawing room with a fireplace on the first floor until Hayer was ready to leave.

Iris said.

“…I lost again.”

“I guess this old man has a lot of luck today.”

Iris looked curiously at Ritero, who was speaking leisurely.

Iris didn’t win a single round against Ritero. But perhaps even if she won, she was confident that Ritero would remain with that attitude.

“Why can’t I win?”

When Iris asked, Ritero laughed out loud. Then he beckoned the butler to clear the chessboard and said.

“I don’t think Miss Iris has been in the convent all this time.”

Iris was taken aback by those words, and Ritero continued.

“For me, 19 years is a short time, but for Miss Iris, it would have been a lifetime. There must have been a lot of things that you couldn’t explain in words in the meantime.”

“That’s true, but it’s besides the point, my lord.”

Iris’s words made Ritero burst into laughter again. And he said with a face as if he were looking at his grandson.

“The point remains the same. I’ve lived longer than Miss Iris, and I’ve seen many games during that time.”

“You’re saying you know more than I do.”

Iris soon shook her head, thinking of the game Hayer had devised during the three months.

“…I think Lord Hayer was greatly influenced by the head.”

To know a lot of information.

Iris has now realized once again that the game Hayer led all the way to the North Gate wasn’t just to kill time.

He was probably convinced that they would have another chance when he arrived at the North Gate. No, it’s clear that his guess was crazy there, if not certain.

Hayer wanted someone who crossed the North Gate to have a banner of victory, even if it wasn’t necessarily him.

Iris gently closed and opened her eyes, recalling Hayer’s last moments.

Ritero looked pleased, as if he liked the fact that his grandson was influenced by him.

“He seems like a troublemaker, but he’s surprisingly deep inside.”

“I know.”

“That’s a relief, the only people who saw it were those reckless subordinates.”

With that said, the two started playing chess again.

Just then, Hayer entered the drawing room.

“Are we going?”

“Can we go after this round?”

When Iris asked, Hayer lowered his head to check the position of the sun outside the window and answered.

“Sure.”

Then he approached the chessboard to check it out and laughed.

“There’s a big difference in skills between you and my maternal grandfather. You didn’t win a single game, did you?”

“…….”

Iris eyed him with a scowl at his teasing.

Hayer pretended to be scared, then brought a chair and sat down next to her.

After looking at the chessboard with his hand resting on his chin for a while, it ended with Ritero’s victory.

Iris didn’t want to reveal it, so she kept her mouth shut in anger before bowing.

“…It was fun. Thank you for your time.”

“The young lady had a hard time playing with this grandfather.”

Hayer said at the end of their exchange.

“I left your clothes in your bedroom, so you can take them out and wear them.”

“Thank you.”

Iris said and left the drawing room.

After she left, Hayer began to play chess while he waited, which had been reset by his maternal grandfather and the butler.

Hayer asked.

“Why didn’t you go easy on her?”

“Hmm?”

“No matter who you play chess with, you always watch it. You only win one game out of two.”

Ritero knew he was good at chess anyway, so when he played chess with guests, he would always let it go as Hayer said.

The only one he didn’t let go of during chess was his grandson, Hayer.

In front of his grandson, Ritero said, revealing his inner feelings.

“I don’t play chess only for the purpose of winning, and isn’t Miss Iris the same?”

“Not at all? She looked really angry when she lost?”

“Right. And yet she sat there again after losing for two days straight.”

Hayer paused at Ritero’s words.

Ritero said, moving a chess piece.

“If it felt like I was watching the game, there must be a reason for that. But with Miss Iris there is no reason to do so. There is no need to do it because it is an act without a reason.”

“…….”

“At the end of the day, that’s who gets to know the most.”

Hayer, who was nodding to Ritero’s words, asked.

“…But why don’t you let me go even if I get angry?”

In an instant, the victory or defeat of chess was decided.

Ritero answered his grandson’s question playfully.

“Isn’t it funny seeing how you get emotional?”

“Ah, Grandpa!”

“Look, how fun it is.”

Ritero said and laughed while Hayer gritted his teeth, saying he would win next time.

After a while, when Hayer stood up at the news that Iris was ready, Ritero asked the question that he had not been able to ask for the three days of his grandson’s stay.

“Did you really get hurt?”

Then Hayer replied casually.

“I’ve met someone who knows the cure, so it’ll be solved soon.”

“That’s a relief.”

Ritero nodded and said, leaving with his hands behind his back without saying goodbye.

“Don’t let this old man hold a funeral for his grandson.”

After that was said, Hayer looked at his maternal grandfather’s back as he left.