That night, after Elisabeth laughed in front of her children, a carriage headed out of the capital. It stopped in front of an abandoned house on the outskirts of the city, avoiding prying eyes.
A man in a cloak with a hood pulled over his head and holding a lantern got out of the carriage. He looked around, seeing no signs of people, but there were two other carriages parked in front of the abandoned house.
After surveying the surroundings, the hooded man entered the house.
Following the lantern’s light, he advanced through the abandoned house until he saw light leaking from a room at the back. Inside, two men were sitting in chairs, their faces hidden by cloaks and hoods. One was small and slender, while the other was large, with a massive build apparent even through the cloak.
“I apologize for the delay,”
the last man to arrive said to the two men.
“No, we just arrived as well,”
the smaller man replied.
“Good. I’m glad you could both come. Cardinal Pharmaid , General Zaria,”
The two men stood and removed their hoods, revealing the wrinkled face of a cleric and the stern face of a warrior.
“Of course, we couldn’t ignore a summons from you, King Henry,”
Cardinal Pharmaid said, bowing deeply. When the last man removed his hood, his blonde hair and blue eyes marked him as King Henry.
“Why have you called us here?”
General Zaria asked in a low voice.
“There is only one reason: Romelia,”
Henry said, mentioning a woman’s name.
Upon hearing it, Cardinal Pharmaid and General Zaria narrowed their eyes. Romelia had become an unavoidable presence for both of them.
Voices criticizing the church’s greed were growing louder daily, with Romelia emerging as a leading figure against the church. The Romelia Knights, who had defeated Garios, were gaining a reputation as the strongest, surpassing even the Black Hawk Knights.
“Romelia’s popularity and power are increasing. If we don’t act, she will take over the kingdom. I need your help to save it,”
Henry said, sitting down with Cardinal Pharmaid and General Zaria.
Their secret meeting began in hushed tones, and their conversation faded into the night’s silence.
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On the day of the founding ceremony, the sky above the capital was clear and blue, perfect weather for the celebration.
Magic cannons fired into the sky, releasing white smoke to celebrate the kingdom’s 70th anniversary.
Elisabeth had to attend the ceremony as the queen, but she was still in the garden of the palace’s annex.
“Look, Prince Allen. This is a dragon made of fire magic,”
Ekaterina said, waving her staff to create a dragon out of flames. It was a high-level, intricate spell that only someone with Ekaterina’s vast magical power and knowledge could perform.
Allen, the crybaby, clapped his hands in delight at Ekaterina’s magic.
“Prince Arel, watch closely. This is the art of the invisible strike,”
Princess Lu said, lightly positioning her fist before thrusting it forward. Elisabeth couldn’t see Princess Lu’s fist move.
Since Elisabeth couldn’t see it, there was no way young Arel could. But Arel, sitting before Princess Lu, watched her with his mouth open.
It was rare for Arel to show so much interest in someone, just as Allen did. Ekaterina and Princess Lu were taking care of the children every day.
“I’m sorry, Princess Lu, Ekaterina.”
“It’s fine. You must be busy too,”
“Don’t worry. You can leave the children to us,”
Ekaterina added.
“Sorry, can I ask you to look after them during the ceremony too?”
Elisabeth felt guilty relying on their kindness, but she had no other choice.
Currently, there were unusual movements from Cardinal Pharmaid and General Zaria in the capital. They were suspected of meeting with someone in secret.
Elisabeth had spies investigating, but they still hadn’t uncovered any details. A rebellion might be brewing, and if so, Allen and Arel could be targets.
Considering the threat, Ekaterina and Princess Lu were trustworthy and, more importantly, stronger than most soldiers or assassins.
With Allen and Arel taking a liking to them, there were no better guardians for her sons.
“Elisabeth, there you are. It’s almost time for the ceremony,”
Henry called out, bringing with him Deputy Commander Sergei and four royal guards.
“Hm? Ekaterina, Princess Lu. You’re with the children again? Thank you,”
Henry said, addressing his former comrades.
“Oh, don’t mention it. Prince Allen seems to love magic,”
“Prince Arel has a talent for martial arts, just like you,”
Henry smiled at their words.
“I see. Then perhaps you should become their tutors,”
Henry joked. He then walked over to his children and picked them up, one in each arm.
The children smiled happily in their father’s embrace.
Watching this, Elisabeth realized it had been a long time since Henry had held the children.
Henry didn’t dislike the children and often came to see them, but he rarely held them.
As Elisabeth observed this rare moment of family togetherness, Deputy Commander Sergei looked towards the castle where the ceremony would take place.
“Your Majesty, it’s time.”
“Ah, right,”
Henry said, setting the children down. Though their time was cut short, duty called.
“Ekaterina, Princess Lu, I’m counting on you,” .
“Yes, leave it to us,”
“Yes, we’ll take care of them.”
Ekaterina and Princess Lu replied in unison.
Leaving the children in their capable hands, Elisabeth walked towards the castle with Henry.
“Your Majesty, I noticed it’s been a while since you held Allen and Arel,”
Elisabeth remarked, recalling the scene.
“Yes, it has been. To be honest, I was afraid to hold them,”
“Afraid? The hero who defeated the demon king Zelgius, afraid of children?”
Elisabeth found it a little funny.
“Yes, I was afraid. Not of them, but of becoming a father instead of a hero,”
“Is that…what you were thinking about?”
Elisabeth was surprised by King Henry’s words. She could understand if he said he couldn’t embrace the idea of being a father, but what did he mean by fearing the transition from hero to father?
“Is it wrong to become a father after being a hero?”
“It’s not wrong. But I felt that once I became a father, I could never be a hero again.”
“Is that…so?”
Elisabeth didn’t quite understand.
When her relationship with King Henry had grown cold, she had sought advice from many people to try to improve it. During those times, she learned that there were many types of men in the world, but she had never heard anything like this.
“Elisabeth, I wanted to be a hero.”
“What are you saying? Your Majesty, you are already a hero. No one doubts that.”
Elisabeth answered sincerely.
King Henry was indeed a hero.
In a situation that could be described as a crisis for humanity, he had crossed the sea, infiltrated enemy territory, and defeated the Demon King in a duel.
If this isn’t called heroism, then what is? His achievements rival those of generals and mythical heroes throughout history. King Henry’s name would surely be recorded in history books for millennia.
“I did achieve heroic deeds, indeed. But it wasn’t just my strength. It was because of your support.”
Despite King Henry’s humble words, Elisabeth was filled with an inexplicable anxiety.
“Th-that’s because we are comrades. Helping each other is only natural…”
“No. It’s not that. You all must know it isn’t.”
“Y-Your Majesty, what do you mean by that…”
Elisabeth tried to ask the meaning of his words, but unfortunately, they had arrived at the audience chamber where the ceremony was to be held.
“His Majesty King Henry, Queen Elisabeth, make their entrance.”
The soldier standing by the door announced the arrival of King Henry and Elisabeth.
Upon entering the audience chamber, a large window on the left showed a balcony. Outside, a plaza was filled with the kingdom’s knights and many citizens who had gathered for the founding ceremony.
To the right, a hall opened up with a throne placed opposite the windows. Nobles and dignitaries lined both sides of the hall, bowing their heads as King Henry and Elisabeth entered. Among them were Cardinal Farmaine and General Zaria.
Elisabeth wanted to ask King Henry about his earlier words, but the situation no longer allowed for it.
King Henry took his place on the throne, and Elisabeth sat in the queen’s chair placed slightly behind and to the left of the throne.
She glanced at King Henry’s profile but couldn’t decipher what he was thinking. Until today, they had avoided deep conversations, but this couldn’t continue any longer.
Elisabeth recalled the schedule for the day.
After the founding ceremony, the king would give a congratulatory speech to the nobles and then go out to the balcony to address the assembled knights and citizens. After the speech, there would be a banquet, providing some opportunity to talk.
At that time, she had to find out King Henry’s true intentions no matter what.
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