The Cursed Tyrant and His Reluctant Queen

Arriving at the capital is the end of our adventure. It's been fun, but now we need to focus.

The journey from the gates to the Royal Palace is different from last time. People are crowding the streets on both sides. They cheer on us when the carriage passes, and Marius hides his face when he notices they're all staring at us.

I wave my hand, greeting the people on my side.

It's odd. I've never been greeted like this anywhere. But they truly seem happy that I'm here.

People can be so strange. What has Ignis told everyone to make the peasants pleased about me?

Some children throw petals in front of the carriage as we proceed slowly. Tobin is on a horse, riding next to the carriage with his emotionless expression.

«Sir Tobin, are we going to proceed like this for the whole time?» I inquire. My hand is getting tired of greeting.

Also, I'm only capable of waving on this side. The others will see the carriage only, poor people. But what can I do? I am only one.

«It seems the news that our future Queen would arrive today escaped the Palace and reached Mavale. People came to greet you, my Lady. This is a good sign, right?»

I nod. Indeed, it's good. As long as they don't want to lynch me, I'm happy. Yet, I wanted to see Ignis right away.

Oh, but even if I arrived early at the Palace, I would have to wait for him to finish his work before finally meeting him.

«What will happen when we reach the Palace?»

Will I have to greet strangers for the whole day? I'm not in the mood right now. I can leave it for tomorrow, right?

«My Lady will have dinner in the royal apartments, far from the noise of the Palace. During the evening, his Majesty will come to visit you. Most probably, my Lady will retire early to rest from the journey.»

That's good, but I don't feel all that tired. I can risk talking late into the night and getting on par with what has happened to Ignis while we were apart.

It's not been too long, after all, but I felt every single day on my shoulders.

We proceed at the same annoying pace, and the crowd becomes bigger and louder. The ladies call the Queen and shout happy when our eyes meet. The children throw flowers and sing songs.

It's so cheerful. As if I did something great before coming here.

«I don't understand. Why are they so happy?» I inquire. «I get it: a new Queen. But they still don't know if I'll be a good one.»

«I will answer to that,» Marius declares.

Sir Tobin nods and slows down for a second, moving a step behind the carriage window.

«You tamed the tyrant. That's why they love you,» Marius comments. «Since you managed to make him lose his mind, the people think you will guide the cursed tyrant of Alba towards a lighter path.»

«What?»

«You're their saviour! They think they'll be better now that you'll distract his Majesty from killing people randomly.»

«Ah, no, not that... I was wondering: what is it about the curse?»

«People call him cursed because he has red hair,» Marius comments, rolling his eyes.

«That's so mean.»

«I know. But he can live with it. It's not like his hair became red when he was crowned.»

«But it's still mean. His family disliked him because of it. Did you know that his father sent him away because he thought Ignis would bring misfortune to his wife?»

«That's how you two met for the first time,» Marius points out. «He's luckier than he deserves.»

«Oh, you,» I sigh.

«Also, his early actions didn't help with his reputation. I heard the story from Marchioness Crasso. It seems that your husband isn't as cruel as they paint him. But, he's terrible at showing his real nature.»

«That's not true!»

«I'm not talking about the rose filter you see him through. It's his advertisement policy that is awful. Your husband should replace whoever is in charge of that. He could turn the story in so many ways to make it look better.»

«And it wouldn't be a lie, in that case,» I realise. «Do you think Ignis is purposely letting people misunderstand him? So that he can rule with fake terror or something?»

Marius rolls his eyes again.

«I think he just doesn't care enough.»

«I can't allow people to continue misunderstanding,» I murmur. «I'll find a way to improve Ignis's image.»

Eventually, we do reach the gates of the Palace. It just takes us so long that it feels like forever.

The golden gates, defended by marble lions, are opened. The carriage is still slow.

The soldiers come out and stand in formation. They salute the carriage as we pass, and Sir Tobin stays back. He won't be needed for the following few minutes, so he moves on the other side. We continue forward while the rest of the delegation goes left. Only a couple of nobles go right.

The carriage where I sit, though, doesn't turn.

The Royal Palace is like an onion. Outside, there are the residences of small-tier nobles and commoner workers. Then, officers and knights.

In the centre, middle-tier nobles live and work.

The part reserved for the Royal Family is at the heart of the whole complex, slightly southern than the geographic centre.

To walk in, one needs to pass next to a crazy amount of guards.

Then, the carriage stops in front of the King's residence.

Here is where I will sleep. A wing of this Palace will be for me to use. In Alba, the Queen doesn't have her own Palace while she's ruling.

Only Dowager Queens and Princesses might be assigned one.

I wait for the knights to dispose, and one of them opens the door. He helps me get off, and I stretch my legs, tired from the long sitting.

I straighten my back and take a look around, uncertain about where to go.

When the knights salute, I realise I won't need to know anything. I can just be guided.

Ignis appears on the stairs, and he walks down without haste. I guess he would run here if there weren't so many eyes on us. For sure, I would.

«It's a pleasure to meet you again, your Majesty,» I say. I curtsey, perfectly elegant.

I even lower my eyes when greeting Ignis.

He stands in front of me, surprised. He doesn't know how to reply to so much politeness.

I offer my hand to him, as the Marchioness instructed me.

Usually, this is something I can decide to do or not. Yet, the first time we meet after a long time is a must: I have to offer my hand for a kiss.

Ignis bows down, catching my hand midair. He brings it to his lips, and he kisses the tip of my fingers.

It's sweetly slow, and he looks at me from below. His green eyes seem happy to see me.

But I won't be certain until I ask him later.

When he lets go of my hand, my whole arm tickles.

He nods to Marius, standing behind me, and my brother bows down to greet him.

Two maids approach Marius, and he follows them somewhere. Probably his lodgings.

Duke Bursio doesn't have a fixed area in the Palace. He gave up that right in exchange for other benefits he needed more when he retired in Narith.

«Are you tired, wife?» Ignis asks.

«Just a little.»

«Then, do you mind if we take a walk before letting you rest for the day?»

I nod, and he offers his arm to me. I cling to it, resisting the temptation of leaning my head on his shoulders.

«Please, come this way.»

He's tender yet strangely distant. All he's doing is perfectly following all the protocols.

Is it a bad sign? What if he realised marrying me was a mistake?

After all, there's nothing exquisite about me, nothing special. If we forget about the magic, I'm just like any other lady.

Oh, but why am I thinking so much? I will know the truth in a few minutes.

«I thought your Majesty would be busy when I arrived,» I say. «I was so surprised to see you here.»

«I just happened to finish in time,» he chuckles. «And meeting my wife seems far more relevant than signing a few documents.»

He glances at me, but his gaze doesn't stay for too long. Is he evading me? Does he not want to look?

I am tired, indeed, but I don't think my image is so bad. Not much worse than usual.

«The documents will be on my desk even tomorrow,» he continues. «I can't be sure my wife won't run away if I don't check on her.»

I should feel offended by his distrust. Yet, all I can think of is that he's barely looking at me.

Why? I missed him so much, so why do I get this cold welcoming?