A King is Born on the Road

Iris looked down at her skirt. His hand had never touched her flesh, but it felt hot near where the brooch was attached.

Abashed, Iris said in a mumble.

“…It’s all right.”

Today, her mood was completely subdued by the anger she gained from writing a letter to the King of Siere.

Having focused so much on it, she now wants to spend all her time for herself.

What would you do if you were given that time? There was only one answer that came to mind right now.

She wanted to know everything Hayer wanted. She wanted to allow him to do what he wanted, right here and now.

She suppressed her desire and spoke with composure.

“I’ve got to leave. Madeleine must have almost finished getting ready.”

“Ah, you should.”

Hayer said with a sigh, and soon smiled cheerfully as usual.

“Let’s go, then.”

Without Iris having time to keep up, Hayer quickly aligned himself.

Iris spoke again, feeling a bit irritated with Hayer.

“Hayer, if…”

“Yes, if.”

“Now, if you could do whatever you want…”

“……”

“If I let you… what are you going to do?”

Hayer furrowed his brows, as if not fully understanding her question.

After provoking him, Iris was belatedly frightened to see his face.

What if it’s nothing to him? What if it’s just a fleeting impulse? Not for her…

Iris shook her head quickly before Hayer could understand what she was saying.

“No. It’s nothing.”

Just then, Madeleine knocked.

“Princess, I think you should go now.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll be right out.”

Iris answered and hurried to the door.

Without knowing Hayer’s answer or expression, she walked into the garden as if running away with Madeleine.

She pressed her hand over her thumping heart. She wanted Hayer to forget everything she had just said on a whim.

* * *

Hayer remained in place for a while after Iris left.

He was of the sort that belonged to the clever side, and therefore he could understand what Iris had said immediately. However, he only understood what she said, not all of her hidden intentions.

“If I let you… what are you going to do?”

His mother emphasized to her young son that he should live like a sinner, and he grew up knowing that. So, if he had a desire, whether it was sexual or materialistic, he would throw it all away somewhere in his heart.

But what I want to do. If you have permission to do what you want to do, not what you have to do…

Hayer smiled frivolously.

There were countless things to do.

What he wanted to do, if he had to choose one right now, was to kiss Iris. He kissed her on the lips once, but no more than that.

In the urges and desires within him, the importance of the act of ‘kissing’ increased. Because she’s curious. Because she said it would be nice.

Strangely, the things she wanted, the things she liked, have become more and more important in his life. Indeed, it was incomprehensible.

After clearing his mind, he walked to the garden.

* * *

Fortunately, the complex thoughts in Iris’s head were quickly cleared up thanks to Madeleine, who was overly anxious next to her.

Just before Madeleine went out into the garden, she stopped and grabbed Iris’s arm and said.

“I don’t think I can do it. I’d only be a nuisance if I went out…”

“Why are you bothered? You said you learned all the manners while copying me. What’s the problem?”

“Still…”

Madeleine seemed to have a lot to worry about, but right now she couldn’t think of a way to survive and protect her child except to follow Iris to the party and show her face. So in the end, she had no choice but to follow Iris into the garden.

There was always a large number of nobles roaming around in the palace. It was their routine to go boating along the river, or the capital.

Iris headed to her table where no one was seated yet. Those who waited for her to call looked at Madeleine and frowned for various reasons.

Madeleine’s hands trembled as she felt that people were looking at her. Then Iris covered her hand with her own.

Madeleine’s tremor stopped because her action was surprisingly supportive. Only then did Madeleine start drinking tea slowly.

The nobles quickly identified Madeleine. The news that she accompanied Iris as a maidservant quickly spread throughout the royal palace.

Sid, who was tired of Madeleine’s disappearance, appeared in the garden frantically at the news.

As soon as he spotted Madeleine, he took a deep breath and sat down at the table with the two of them. Then he asked Iris, glaring at her.

“Why did you choose that girl who was wandering around the street as your lady-in-waiting?”

In response to his question, Iris turned to Sid and said.

“This is a young lady with the grandchild of His Majesty the King. Isn’t it enough to be a lady-in-waiting?”

“Do you think I’m going to be held back by such a lowly thing as a child?”

Madeleine flinched at Sid’s words.

Iris put down her glass, looked at Sid, and said.

“Will you say the same in front of Lord Kernin?”

“……”

“I don’t know what’s so dissatisfying about choosing my lady-in-waiting.”

Sid clenched his fist.

Iris’s return meant that the Traitor’s Labyrinth wasn’t as complex as he thought. If Kernin Lepos also returned alive, he would surely try to marry his illegitimate daughter.

His marriage to Madeleine, who lived on the street, was a damage of honour and a narrowing of Sid’s position.

Sid glared at Madeleine as if to kill her, and she dropped her head.

At that moment, Hayer plopped down in the seat next to him. Then he calmly asked Sid.

“What’s going on? Having a family reunion?”

“Don’t interrupt and get lost.”

Hayer burst into laughter at Sid’s words.

“First of all, I don’t listen to my brother’s orders.”

“You…”

“Ah, some of the Royal Knights are in the Traitor’s Labyrinth. There’s no one to pull me out by force.”

“……”

Although the elite of the Royal Knights remained in the royal palace, they were not strong enough to pull Hayer out.

Sid glared at Hayer Asheri, who was looking at him with a grin.

Why didn’t his father execute that bastard earlier?

Hayer himself may not have known anything else, but it was true that he had deceived the king for a long time.

Everything would have been easy if he had been killed earlier. In the first place, his marriage to Iris wouldn’t be interrupted.

He needed a way to punish Hayer Asheri legally. But he, who had no interest in his younger brother until now, couldn’t come up with a way.

He had already attached spies to Hayer a few times, but he found out early and decapitated all of them, so no one returned to Sid.

His stomach became stuffy. His mind was busy trying to think of a way to deal with Hayer and Madeleine.

Then Roman, one of the Knights of the Tejas, ran to their spot.

“Captain, Princess. They just finished verifying the traitor you brought from the Traitor’s Labyrinth… they are even proceeding with a trial on the spot.”

“What do you mean?”

Iris asked, and the knight went on.

“I heard that the punishment for Cadella was not over, so a trial for that…”

“Unbeknownst to us?”

Hayer asked back, and the knight nodded.

“Yes. If I hadn’t been there at the request of the princess, I wouldn’t have known there was a trial.”

As soon as the words were finished, Hayer and Iris hurriedly rose from their seats.

Hayer said to Roman.

“Protect Miss Madeleine.”

“Yes, Captain.”

After Roman answered politely, Hayer and Iris ran frantically.

Sid clicked his tongue at the sight because it was ridiculous.

“Are they children?”

After spitting out that, he picked up his teacup again.

* * *

Cadella, the illusionist who came out of the Traitor’s Labyrinth, was shocked that the place where he stood was the king’s office.

Iris and Hayer were so far from authoritative that he had forgotten what the royalty and the king were like.

The king’s office was huge and splendid. The office, decorated with all kinds of beautiful objects, had no place to stop the eyes.

Cadella always wondered why the king wanted to have more when he had so much.

Then King Eswa came out of the bedroom. And said to Cadella.

“It is an honour to take it in. How can a traitor come to the king’s office?”

“……”

How childish and cocky.

Cadella looked at King Eswa and thought, but he kept his mouth shut.

Then King Eswa took out a golden spoon from a beautiful cabinet. Then he waved at Cadella and said.

“I’ll give you this.”

What is this madman saying?

Cadella made a face, but King Eswa continued.

“If there’s anything you want, I will give some more. If not, the rest of your life will end in a dungeon.”

“…What?”

Out of the Traitor’s Labyrinth, to a dungeon?

As Cadella glared, King Eswa held out the spoon and said.

“Work for me.”

This. Is this a story you’ve heard before?

Cadella burst out laughing at the disgust that rose from inside.

At any rate, he feels it again…

He did not regret committing treason or stabbing the king to death.

afterword 

THE KING IS SO STUPID NO FUCKING WAYYY SO IS SID LIKE FATHER LIKE SON FOR REAL!! also my god the beginning wow their tension is gonna be the death of me wowowow they should follow through w/ their desires just saying!!