< Chapter 73 - Merit Ceremony #2 (Cordelia illustration added) >
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“How is it? Are you feeling better?”
Princess Daphne’s room.
Princess Daphne moved her left hand slightly in response to Prince Dion’s tense question.
After slowly rotating my wrist, I folded my fingers one by one into a fist, clenched and unclenched my fist several times, and then tried holding the pen.
The cool, smooth feel of the pen.
“It feels a bit strange, but I think it’s okay.”
Prince Dion sighed in relief at Princess Daphne’s words. No, he didn’t stop there; he sank to his knees. It was because his legs had lost their strength.
“Haa… That’s a relief.”
“You must have been worried a lot?”
“Then you won’t worry?”
Princess Daphne chuckled at Prince Dion’s question and put the pen down again. She had originally thought of trying to spin the pen, but since she knew what kind of expression Dion would make if she failed, she didn’t even try.
‘No, will it still be possible in the future······.’
I didn’t have enough strength in my left hand. It seemed like it wouldn’t be a problem in my daily life, but I wondered if I would ever be able to hold a sword like before.
“Sister?”
“Oh, yeah. Okay.”
Prince Dion’s face became serious again, as if his expression had hardened without him realizing it.
So Princess Daphne smiled awkwardly and changed the subject.
“How about Darian?”
“Darian?”
“Oh, you weren’t that surprised?”
“I was really surprised. But I don’t think there’s any major problems since you’re not hurt anywhere.”
“Mentally too?”
“Well… I didn’t actually see the body.”
Princess Daphne bit her lip at Prince Dion’s words.
This is because, while I was trying to deal with the situation, I remembered the corpses of other royals that I had witnessed.
Abamama’s brothers and sisters, concubines, and half-siblings who are clearly related by blood, even though they are illegitimate children.
Even when she closed her eyes, the gruesome scene came back to her vividly. So instead of closing her eyes, Princess Daphne took a deep breath slowly.
Princess Daphne, who was considered a symbol of a bold and strong woman by outsiders as the Queen of Lions or the Princess of Steel due to her majestic appearance and charisma, was not truly a heartless woman of steel.
She was clearly a lively and generous person.
But at the same time, he was also a very emotional person with a lot of affection and tears.
‘Rather, steel… iron-blooded is Dion.’
Even from her own perspective as her older sister, Dion had some problems.
Daphne was surprisingly cruel to anyone but herself.
Even when talking about Princess Darion, who was relatively caring, it was like that, so it goes without saying that it was the case with others.
“Abba Mama… How is Your Majesty?”
“No. According to Mom, it seems like she needs a lot of time.”
Princess Daphne closed her eyes without realizing it at Prince Dion’s words.
His father, who had already lost his mind due to the betrayal and death of the Duke of Gukje, whom he trusted and relied on more than anyone else in the world – Henry II – completely broke down in front of the gruesome corpses of the royal family.
“Abba Mama······.”
“Yes, you are a pure person. That is why Mother Mother loves Abama.”
He wasn’t competent, but he wasn’t completely incompetent either.
He was a man who had a sense of self as a king and tried his best to fulfill his duties as a king.
That is why Henry II had no choice but to admit it the moment he saw the bodies of the royal family.
Whatever the reason for the traitor’s betrayal, even if he truly had an unavoidable reason – he is a traitor.
An unforgivable enemy of the Cailun royal family.
Henry II erased the title of Duke of Wales from his heart. It left him with an empty heart, but he did it anyway.
“Can you get up?”
“Maybe. But you know, Abamama’s personality. Once she’s somewhat stable, she’ll probably be really troubled by the two choices.”
I thought I knew what you were talking about.
As Dion said, it was Princess Daphne who knew Henry II well.
‘To abdicate or not.’
Someone had to be held accountable for this.
It was not a problem that ended with the death of the person involved, the patriot.
So I take full responsibility and step down from the throne.
Now that the crown princess has become an adult, he passes the throne to her in the hopes that she will become a better king.
It was the choice that Prince Dion had hoped for, and it was also the best choice for Henry II personally.
But Henry II was not an irresponsible man.
The patriot was dead, but the future was a problem.
Thanks to the efforts of Count Chase and the Knights Guard, the damage was minimized, but that did not mean that there were no deaths or injuries.
Death of the royal family.
Death of the nobles.
And then there was the great disaster of the royal capital.
The bigger problem was that the Duke of Hoguk was a leader of the royalists.
Naturally, all of the people under the command of the Guardian King involved in this ‘rebellion’ were also royalists, and eliminating them would mean the weakening of the royalists as a whole.
Of course, the Kingdom of Seilun had a strong royal family from the beginning, and the nobles were not hostile to the king.
Even the Duke of Valois, who was a hawk, was more like a dove in falcon clothing compared to other countries.
But even if that were the case, if the royalists lost their power rapidly, the situation would inevitably become chaotic.
The balance of power was upset, and the royal family suffered a huge blow.
It was a difficult political situation.
The Empire could once again reveal its true colors by taking advantage of the great shake-up in the Kingdom of Seilun, and other nations could also show different attitudes than before.
At this time, would you hand over the difficult and arduous position of king to your daughter, who has just become an adult?
Given Henry II’s personality, this was absolutely impossible.
‘Of course, either way, Mother Earth will play a big role.’
If my father abdicates, I will help Princess Daphne herself. If he does not abdicate, I will get more involved in politics than I am doing now.
“My head hurts.”
Prince Dion smiled bitterly at Princess Daphne’s honest feelings.
“Either way, I will help you with all my heart and soul.”
“Yeah, I feel a little better.”
Because Dion was different from the Guardians.
Because he was truly an ally who could be trusted at any time and who would never betray me.
“Anyway… Then let’s talk about something fun. At any rate, we’ve avoided the worst, right? The Guardian King has fallen, the plot of the bastard who tried to destroy the Guardians has been thwarted, and the devil followers who attacked the capital were ultimately unable to do anything to it.”
“I know.”
The worst was truly averted.
And Princess Daphne knew.
Whose fault is it that somehow managed to avoid the worst?
“It was true.”
Two people of destiny.
Heroes who saved the fate of not only Princess Daphne and Prince Dion, but also the entire Kingdom of Cailun.
“If there weren’t two of them······.”
“We would all have died at the hands of the Guardians. The Guardians would have been destroyed… and those devil followers would have done terrible things.”
The number of troops attacking the royal capital was excessive.
They probably deployed that many troops after the Guardians were destroyed.
“Are you trying to open the gates of hell?”
“That might have been the case.”
Just like the Paragon Kingdom was.
It was a terrible thing to even imagine.
The gates of hell are opening in the capital of the Kingdom of Seilun.
“I have received a great favor from you. I am very grateful. That is why I must make you even more on our side.”
Princess Daphne laughed bitterly at Prince Dion’s words.
It was bitter to hear such words about a benefactor.
“First of all… did you decide to give them both the title of count?”
“Well, no matter how great their contribution is, they are not adults yet and have only just become barons. It would be difficult to give them a higher title.”
Even the Duke of Hoguk was only promoted to the rank of Duke after saving the country for the second time.
Although they were originally from the prestigious Northern 12 Clans, it was obvious that the existing nobles would strongly oppose if they were to suddenly step down from their titles of Marquis or Duke.
“Instead, please take care of other things.”
“That’s what I’m going to do. If I’m frugal with my spending, I won’t be able to get them on my side.”
“No, that’s not it… Ha, that’s okay. Just take good care of me. That’ll do.”
Prince Dion smiled faintly at Princess Daphne’s words and took out a piece of paper he had been keeping in his bosom.
“What is that?”
“The bribes I prepared for the two people of destiny. Sister, please review them as well.”
Prince Dion handed the paper to Princess Daphne, and she laughed from the first line.
“This is a real bribe.”
“When you write, you have to write hard. Isn’t that right?”
Princess Daphne smiled again at Prince Dion’s words.
Although he was making excuses, I could feel Dion’s heart truly grateful to the two people of his destiny.
‘I think I’m more grateful that you saved my life than my own.’
I’m sure I’ll hear a lot of complaints from people who will become like me later.
Princess Daphne giggled and looked back at the list of bribes Prince Dion had prepared.
&
“Yeongji? Yeongji for me and Yuder?”
“Oh, Youngji.”
Cordelia’s face became blank at Edward’s words.
Although she had regained memories of her past life, she still had 17 years of life as Cordelia Chase.
As a noble of the Kingdom of Cailun, Cordelia knew how much a territory meant to a noble.
“Wow······.”
It’s a territory.
The title of count is like a dream, but to be given a fief on top of that?
What kind of place is it?
But it won’t be that big, right?
A few small towns.
Maybe a small city?
Maybe it’s just a mountain?
Either way was fine.
I liked it anyway.
‘If it’s a village, they just build houses and add various structures······.’
In cities, you can develop things like commerce, and in mountains, you can dig mines to create a source of income.
‘Hehehe, it’s like a game.’
Classic masterpieces like SimCity or the Tycoon series.
‘I worked hard on Animal Crossing.’
The more she went on, the more her delusions became distant from actual territory management, but Cordelia didn’t care.
Anyway, Yuder will be the one to worry about the practical issues.
‘Right person, right place, right person.’
Cordelia laughed again, picturing a cute and colorful town in her mind, and Edward, Maia, and Dahlia, who were watching Cordelia like that, all had the same expression on their faces.
‘You’re cute.’
I just want to pinch your cheek, stroke your hair, and kiss you.
Dahlia flinched, and Edward chuckled before breaking Cordelia’s reverie with a loud cough.
“Anyway, it’s almost a given that the Earl will be given a fief. It’s still a bit questionable what fief he’ll receive, though.”
“Huh? It hasn’t been decided yet?”
“Oh, I guess the situation is a bit complicated.”
There were many reasons why estates were so important to the nobility, but one of them was their rarity.
It was a given, but land was a limited resource.
The Kingdom of Seilun was a 300-year-old country, and most of the land already had owners.
Of course, there were still quite a few royal territories left, but it was against the law to arbitrarily separate them from the source of the royal family’s power.
“Well, in this situation, not only the land of the Duke of Gukjo but also the land of his close associates will be confiscated… but as you know, it is basic for the royal family to directly manage the land where a rebellion occurred.”
Moreover, if all the lands of the Guardian King and his subordinates were confiscated, the scale would be truly enormous.
No matter how great their achievements were, it was impossible to give all of the credit to the two rookie counts.
“Uh··· Then what you’re saying is······.”
“They’ll probably give you some of the land from the existing royal territories and the confiscated lands, but we don’t know where they’ll be given yet. Well, there’s a high chance it’ll be a central fief.”
Whether it was the territory of the Duke of Hoguk or the direct territory of the royal family, they were all located in the center.
“However, judging from the fact that you came all the way to the royal capital, it may be a territory located a bit far away. In any case, it seems that the royal family wants you two to live in the royal capital.”
As expected of Edward who loves explanations, he continued talking on and on, but Cordelia couldn’t hear a single word.
Because so much important information has already been revealed.
“mansion?”
“Yes, the mansion. It seems that the king is giving you a house to live in in the capital. I’ve narrowed down the candidates to some extent, but either way, they’re going to be huge and magnificent. Adelia’s house looks like a warehouse.”
Edward began to explain again, and Cordelia, as always, began to drift off into her daydreams.
mansion.
house.
Uther and Cordelia’s own home.
A house for two.
For some reason, my face turned red.
My heart was pounding more than when I first heard that I would be given the land.
‘It reminds me of the guild house.’
I also worked hard to decorate my house in Heroes Chronicle 2.
Should I decorate it nicely this time too?
They even brought in things like furniture.
Then should I go look at furniture with Yuder?
Anyway, we’re going to live together in this house.
Living together······.
‘We live together?!’
With Yuder?
In the same house as Yuder?
No, it’s almost like we’re already living together, but still.
But if you live in the same house, there’s something different.
Yeah, we’re still just engaged.
We’ve never even had a proper engagement ceremony······.
Cordelia’s face grew hotter and hotter, and her imagination grew more intense along with it.
And Edward, who could no longer bear it, grabbed Cordelia’s cheek and pulled it.
“Oh my, our youngest. I can tell what you’re thinking.”
“Oh, no? I wasn’t imagining going to look at furniture with Yuder.”
“Oh, I see. You were imagining yourself going to look at furniture. This is a perfect newlywed home, isn’t it?”
“Poem, newlywed home······.”
Cordelia’s eyes widened.
Her face was already red, if not hot, and she didn’t say anything even though Edward was pulling at her cheeks.
“Hmm… he’s cute, but at this point, I’m starting to dislike that guy Yuder.”
I can’t believe I got to give you such a cute little sister.
Dahlia nodded in agreement, and Maia narrowed her eyes with a slightly angry look on her face.
And then another few seconds.
Edward, who had been watching Cordelia with a chuckle, suddenly stood up from his seat.
“master?”
Edward answered Dahlia’s question with a gesture, then searched through his pockets and took out a magical device that looked like a round pocket watch, and then smiled brightly.
“Brother, can you move now? Even if you can move, it’s only to the other room.”
Cordelia, who had come to her senses thanks to Edward pulling her hand, stood up awkwardly and asked.
“Moving? Where are you going?”
“Gail’s room. It looks like Gale has woken up.”
Maia’s face brightened at Edward’s words.
Cordelia also nodded quickly and answered.
“prong.”
“Then let’s go.”
Edward hurriedly opened the door.
&
“Adelia! Gail is awake······.”
“Sister! Grandmother Gale······.”
That was it.
Edward, who was about to open the door and celebrate the recovery of his rare friend, opened his mouth like a carp, and Cordelia, who was about to congratulate her sister, turned red again with her face that had barely calmed down.
The sight before my eyes.
Gail woke up.
That’s true, but somehow, a very different scene from what I had imagined was unfolding before my eyes.
It was something completely different – not Gail, lying in bed, smiling with a sickly expression on her face, and Adelia, holding Gail’s hand tightly and shedding tears of emotion.
Dahlia covered Cordelia’s eyes with her hand for a moment, and before Cordelia could react, Edward took action. He grabbed Cordelia’s waist and hugged her, then left the room.
“Hmm, hmm hmm.”
Edward just coughed in confusion, and Cordelia gasped for breath.
And again Edward spoke.
“For now… I don’t think you need to worry about your health.”
“Yeah.”
Cordelia agreed with that. Far from being a pain in the ass, she seemed very energetic.
“Well… let’s go back for now. Dahlia, don’t let anyone come in for the time being. Got it?”
“Yes, your highness.”
Dahlia nodded with a red face and quickly called someone to guard the front door.
“Cordelia, this brother should go see father now. You should also get some rest for now. It’s late at night, so we can talk about the details tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
Cordelia nodded stiffly like a wooden doll, calming her ears that were starting to perk up without her knowing, and quickly returned to Uder’s room.
I had the option of just going back to my room and resting, but before I knew it, my feet were heading towards Yuder’s room.
“Miss Cordelia?”
Maia, who was in the room, blinked and asked, surprised by Cordelia’s quick return, and Dahlia spoke on Cordelia’s behalf, who was flustered.
“Master Gale has woken up. He seems to be very… very healthy. Yes.”
“Hey, what is that······?”
When Maia tilted her head, Dahlia stamped her foot, then quickly walked over to Maia and began whispering something in her ear.
And then Maia’s reaction.
Cheeks that were starting to flush, making the nickname ‘Ice Princess’ seem meaningless.
The three women, who had been silent for a moment, looked awkward without anyone knowing who would speak first, and Cordelia spoke first.
“That… is right. Why don’t you get some rest, Maia? I’ll watch over Uther.”
Given Maia’s personality, it was obvious that she would have been stuck to Uther’s side for the past two days.
‘It seems like I barely slept.’
Her already white face was now looking completely pale, and the dark area under her eyes was so pitiful that it was almost painful to look at.
“but······.”
“If Maia had that kind of face when Yuder woke up, he’d be really worried.”
“That’s right, Maya. You know Prince Uder’s personality.”
When Dahlia added to the conversation, Maia nodded awkwardly.
“Then go rest. Get some sleep. I’ll be next to you, Yuder. I’ve been sleeping for two days now, so I’m not sleepy at all.”
Maia ended up smiling at Cordelia’s slightly playful words.
“Understood. Please take good care of the young master, young lady.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
As Maia left the room with a face full of hesitation, Dahlia, who had gone out with her as if to see her off, instead of going back into the room, took a seat next to the knight of the Bayer family who had been standing in front of the door.
It was a bit of a stretch, but it was meant to create some time for just the two of us.
“Hey, Sir Dahlia. What’s going on?”
The knight of the Bayer family who was guarding the door – Maya just smiled awkwardly at Jun’s question, although they were close enough to talk since they had met each other many times.
And inside the room.
Cordelia, who was left alone, sat down on Uther’s bedside and looked down at him quietly.
‘They say he’s handsome as long as he keeps his mouth shut.’
In fact, even though he was handsome, there was a high probability that he would say something mean when he opened his mouth.
‘Still······.’
Cordelia brought her face a little closer to Uther’s.
Just like before, he was sleeping with a tired face, but after seeing Gale, he felt strangely relieved.
Even Gail, whose condition was worse, woke up.
Uther will wake up the same way.
Wake up the same way-
‘Oh, no. Uther is different from Grandfather Gale. Yeah, yeah, he’s different.’
When I opened the door, what I saw was Gail and Adelia kissing passionately.
A kiss so passionate that the word beast came to mind without me realizing it, completely different from what I had seen at the last engagement ceremony.
‘Well, they say brothers start to resemble each other.’
Yuder too, maybe as soon as he wakes up······.
Cordelia, who had unconsciously turned her gaze to Uther’s lips, quickly shook her head.
Because the circumstances were different.
The relationship was different, and anyway, many things were different.
“Ugh, really.”
Cordelia, who had been whispering to someone unknown, looked around again and then secretly grabbed Yuder’s hand. She placed her left hand on the back of his left hand and slowly interlocked her fingers.
Large hands and long fingers.
Thanks to a complete transformation, her skin is as soft and white as a baby’s.
“ha.”
The various thoughts that had been swirling around in my head just flew away naturally.
As I was quietly looking at Yuder, only one thought came to mind.
‘I wish I could wake up soon.’
I wish you’d wake up soon.
So, I’d like you to go back to showing off with that sly, sly look on your face.
‘The smell of milk.’
Anyway, it looks like he was still tired.
Contrary to what she had said to Maia, Cordelia began to nod off and closed her eyes, burying her head in the bed. She moved her clasped hands and fell into a deep sleep.
As time passed like that, one minute, two minutes… and the night grew deeper.
Cordelia slowly opened her eyes at the sound of a voice brushing past her ear.
I blinked my sleepy eyes and listened to the voice.
Soft tone.
A pleasant call to hear.
The most welcome voice in the world.
“Cordelia.”
I didn’t mishear.
It wasn’t a dream.
“Uder.”
He raised his head at the call.
And Cordelia was able to face it.
The face of a man with a sly smile, just as expected.
“Our princess.”
A person who is dark-hearted, always shows off, and says embarrassing things as if they are someone who has never felt shame – but still, you can’t help but feel affectionate towards that annoying person.
Cordelia smiled brightly and hugged the man, and the man hugged her back. He patted her back as she began to cry.
Three days after the decisive battle in the royal capital.
Uther woke up.
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< Chapter 73 - Merit Ceremony #2 (Cordelia illustration added) > End
