A King is Born on the Road

After the commotion was over, the group began to organize their belongings to move to the garrison.

She didn’t have much baggage in the first place, and since Hayer had paid the people working at the accommodation to take care of Iris’s belongings, she had nothing to do.

When she came out to the hallway, Hayer seemed to have finished preparing for departure early, so she greeted him.

“Thank you for earlier.”

Then Hayer said, pretending to hit his ears with his hands as if water had entered his ears.

“I think I got cursed at a lot. I still feel like I’m being cursed at.”

“Is the hierarchy not that strong?”

Iris asked.

The Knights of Tejas she had seen were close to each other, but it was questionable because the top and bottom were usually extremely clear in groups.

Hayer said at her words.

“I don’t think so. It’s strong.”

“But…”

Hayer said as Iris paused in doubt.

“It’s a different matter from ranking. If I’m the one who’s trying to hurt you, wouldn’t I be in trouble?”

“But when they thought I might be playing with you, everyone was just worried?”

“If you played with me, how much can it hurt? Of course, my heart will be seriously hurt.”

Hayer pretended to be heartbroken, in an exaggerated way, and laughed.

Iris recalled that perhaps because of the characteristics of the Tejas Knights, there was no need to worry about it while traveling a long distance with a group she didn’t know well for three months.

Just as she was thinking so, Dylan rushed up to the floor where they were.

“Captain, we have a visitor.”

It was unlikely that a guest who visited a temporary accommodation brought good news.

Hayer said to Iris.

“Stay here for now.”

He said that and went out of the accommodation.

When Iris went to the window and looked out with an uneasy expression, Dylan tilted his head and followed her.

“Is there anything you’re worried about?”

“I thought it might be dangerous.”

“For the captain? Aye, that never happens. How strong the captain is.”

“But he is hurt.”

Dylan’s eyes widened when he heard Iris’s words, as he was the only one who took care of Hayer and was aware of the injury.

“Does the princess know too?”

“Yes. Only the two of us know, probably.”

As soon as Iris said that, Dylan’s lips trembled, and tears began to drip from his big eyes.

It would have been burdensome for an adult, not this 13-year-old, to hold the secret all by himself of Hayer dying.

Iris, aware of Dylan’s pressure, gently stroked the child’s head.

“You must have had a hard time.”

“I tried my best… I tried my best to apply the medicine, but the wound… It’s only getting bigger…”

There was a person in front of him who understood his thoughts, so Dylan could barely continue his words with the accumulated sorrow.

In the meantime, the conversation outside ended and Hayer came up to the third floor.

He asked, alternating between looking at the weeping Dylan and the soothing Iris.

“Did you make the kid cry in a minute?”

Iris glared at Hayer’s words, while Dylan pointed and shouted.

“Captain, don’t cover up what you did!”

“What’s wrong with you? You’re so nice to me usually?”

“There’s no point in being nice to you! You’re rotten on the inside!”

“I’m rotten inside? You’re probably upset with me.”

Hayer was unhappy, but the two were apparently giving him a hint that he was wrong.

“Is today the day where it’s my fault no matter what I do?”

Hayer grumbled and walked over, hugging Dylan with one arm and patting him on the back. And when he asked Iris with a blink why he was crying, she pointed at Hayer’s wound.

Only then did Hayer understand the situation and nodded with an ‘ah.’ Then he said to Iris, holding Dylan with one hand and soothing him until he stopped crying.

“They were sent by Sid.”

She was expecting it to be as such.

Iris asked.

“What did they say?”

“That…”

Hayer was embarrassed, then answered.

“They said we could never get married. The whole royal family is against it.”

“…What?”

“In Sid’s eyes, it seems like we are running away for love.”

Iris, who thought about Hayer’s absurd words over and over, soon decided to look at her current situation objectively.

When she cooled her head and thought about it carefully, it was not unreasonable to see it as an escape of love, considering that she was trying to avoid marriage unconditionally and that she was protected by Hayer at the same time as treating him.

In any case, when they (the royal family) were opposed to something they (Iris and Hayer) had never planned, both of them had a ridiculous look on their faces.

Hayer told Dylan, distracted by the boy’s crying, who had never cried so much before.

“I’ve found a cure and am getting treatment, so don’t worry too much about it.”

“What?”

“It may feel slow, but I’m recovering.”

At Hayer’s words, Dylan looked at Iris. She smiled, too.

Dylan’s expression slowly brightened. Then he asked Iris.

“Did the princess join our party because she knows the cure?”

“Yes.”

“I see. I didn’t know that and just thought you two were running away in love. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.”

After saying so, Dylan quickly felt better and went back to the others.

Iris grabbed Hayer, who was about to go out with him.

She squeezed as hard as she could, and noticing the effort she was exerting, Hayer stopped and looked back.

Iris said.

“After the wound heals, a lot will change.”

Hayer responded to her words with a smile. And as he was about to leave, Iris stopped him again and said.

“There will be a lot to consider.”

“Iris.”

As if it was difficult for Hayer to say anything that wasn’t a joke, he rubbed the back of his neck and continued.

“Don’t give me too much hope. Even if I have plans to make for the future, I want to do it after confirming my recovery.”

Iris nodded, knowing he didn’t want to talk about his injury. She didn’t mean to forcefully bring up a topic he didn’t like.

“I understand. I won’t say any more.”

The conversation between the two ended there, and the rest of the party was ready to leave.

They headed to the direction of Everhart, where Iris went yesterday, since the nearest road to the south was through Everhart, and through Hall’s wheat fields.

As they headed south, it felt like the temperature was rising little by little. Iris saw a huge plain when she passed the noisy Everhart territory and entered the Hall family’s territory with wheat fields.

There were plains on the way from the convent to the capital through Asheri, but they were not suitable for farming. However, when she entered the Hall family’s territory, she felt the land come to life.

While Iris couldn’t take her eyes off it, a rider carrying the Hall family flag ran from across to them.

Soon the rider stopped and got off his horse, then got down on one knee.

“I have come under the order of Lord Sandra Hall, the head of the Hall family.”

“What’s going on?”

Hencke led the horse to the front of the Knights.

Then the rider replied.

“Our Lord asks Princess Iris to leave the territory of the Hall family.”

“What nonsense is that? Wasn’t this a road that anyone could use?”

“This is something our Lord understands. It (the reason) was not given.”

The most embarrassed in this situation was Iris.

She asked the rider.

“You didn’t get the reason?”

“I’m sorry.”

Even when she asked the rider, it was not a situation where she could get an answer.

Annamaria asked Hayer.

“Shall we strike the Hall family?”

afterword

garrison is just like, an army post or station! and since i’m canadian you’ll probably see a mix of american and british spelling so sorry about that…