Chapter 32-1
Sion responds without hesitation and looks at Brandis.
However, before Brandis can say anything, a voice bursts out from the other side.
“You! How dare you speak like that in front of Her Majesty the King? Apologize right now…”
“That’s enough.”
“Your Majesty! This is a serious offense…”
“That will do. Don’t you think we should hear more?”
Under Brandis’ command, Glenone reluctantly backs off and glares at Sion.
Any human residing in the kingdom of Alain had to obey the King’s orders.
Of course, there might be individual circumstances, but even those were meaningless in front of the ruler of Alain.
“You’re quite bold. Did you ask for my permission just now?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. You are the most magnificent and dignified person, but you are also a human living in this country. I thought you would understand my situation since you are the same as me.”
“Hahaha! Am I the same as you, a human? That’s a funny thing to say.”
Glenone tries to speak up again, but Brandis gives her a look.
She had no choice but to contain her dissatisfaction with great difficulty.
“You, as a human being, govern and live in this country. Just as you have a reason to live, I too have a reason. I have something to protect, and I imagine you do too, don’t you?”
“As you said, I also have something to protect. However, wouldn’t it be more important for me to protect what I have to protect, rather than what you have to protect?”
“It’s as you said, I also have something to protect. But aren’t the things I have to protect more important than you?”
“That’s a fair point. That’s why I’m seeking your permission. Even if I’m not there, you can always protect as you have done so far, but if I’m gone, I can no longer protect my fiancé. My fiancé only has eyes for me, so how can I turn away from that heart?”
Sion continued speaking with a sense of pressure.
If he used just one wrong word here, Brandis could have found an opening to exploit.
He had to carefully lead Brandis to sympathize with his words.
“Turning away from one’s heart… is it?”
Brandis pondered over his words, lost in memories.
She had only loved and shared her affection with one man throughout her life.
She had married that man before she turned 20, but I was able to feel small happiness after giving birth to three children.
But happiness had turned into longing and regret, and that man had left her forever.
‘…I had been turning away from him for a long time.’
Brandis didn’t give a glance to any other man after losing her husband.
Although many young nobleman suitors proposed to her, she considered it pointless.
However, for all that time, she remained single without looking at any one.
‘Is he trying to protect what I have lost?’
Brandis smileed faintly, which quickly disappeared.
Of course, she and Sion could not be in the same position.
She was the ruler of this country, and Sion was only a Marquis’s son who had to serve her.
Despite this, she felt her steadfast will waver a little as forgotten emotions resurfaced.
“The words you said to me may be absurd, but… I cannot say they are wrong. If you made a promise, it is right to follow through with it.”
The answer Sion wanted to hear was coming out.
It seemed like his thoughts based on the content and setting of this world were well received.
However, Brandis still hadn’t finished her words.
“However, I have no intention of giving up on you.”
“…?”
“Since it turned out like this, I have to make a plan. Who is your fiancée?”
“…Hanette Adelaira, the eldest daughter of the Duke Adelaira.”
Brandis remembers the fact she had forgotten until now.
Hanette Adelaira, the daughter of the Duke, was known as a rogue beauty and had recently held an engagement ceremony with the Marquis’s son.
Although she had been interested in that relationship, she had only considered the engagement as a means of strategic marriage.
“Hmm… Is that so? The Royal Knights Commander shall receive the King’s command.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Bring Hanette Adelaide before me right now. I will ask for permission myself.”
“…”
“What is the Royal Knights Commander doing! Are you refusing to follow the King’s command?”
“Y-Your Majesty, I am honored to receive your command.”
Glenone was also taken aback by the order, but she had no choice but to follow it unconditionally.
For her, the King’s command was more important than anything else.
“Wait in the Reception Hall. I will speak to your fiancée separately.”
“I will honor your command, Your Majesty.”
Sion bows his head in resignation.
Things have become even more complicated than he expected.
Although he had spoken in advance, there had been no plan for Hanette to meet the King in person.
‘… The situation has become too big.’
Sion left the palace with a complicated mind that he could barely grasp.
From now on, there was nothing he could do.
Only Hanette could solve this problem.
‘I have no choice but to trust Hanette.’