King Grates XVIII, now advanced in years, is so frail that he can barely move. As such, those in the royal palace have naturally come to accept one significant change in the era.
“Is Princess Sylvia going to become Queen soon?”
Princess Sylvia is the next monarch, and in reality, the kingdom is already moving toward a system under Sylvia Grates XIX, not Grates XVIII.
“Shush. Make sure you state the premise clearly before you speak.”
“What?”
Even the maids working in the royal palace couldn’t help but discuss this shift in the times. When the monarch changes, everything in the royal palace is altered to suit the new ruler’s taste, so they had to work diligently to welcome the era of Queen Sylvia.
“If you put it like that, it’s confusing whether it’s a succession due to death or abdication.”
“…It’s practically the same as him being on the brink of death now. Is it that different whether you hand over the throne after dying or hand it over now and die shortly after?”
“The King hasn’t passed away yet.”
However, if there’s a minor issue, it’s that Grates XVIII is not yet dead.
“According to the Court Mage and the High Priest, they say he is filled with the will to live just a little longer, somehow.”
He may be frail, but he hasn’t died yet.
“Does he want to see even a little more of the peaceful era after the end of the war? It’s true. He suffered a great deal during the war. I thought he had lost the will to live after all his children were assassinated by the Empire…”
“He wants to live for the sake of his remaining child.”
“Why?”
“It feels different for Princess Sylvia to marry as a princess versus marrying as a queen.”
“Ah.”
The reason why Grates XVIII, without giving up his will to live, wishes to live a little longer—
“Is it to see his only daughter marry the greatest man in the world?”
“As a father, and as King, it’s his last desire. If Sir Wilhelm becomes Sylvia’s husband, there’s no way he could be more reassured. At least within this royal palace, no one would be assassinated.”
It is so that he may walk down the aisle with his daughter, hand in hand, and then pass that hand to her consort.
While there may be political reasons for this, all who raise various suspicions share one common opinion.
“Even though he is almost at death’s door…”
“It was too hasty to arrange the marriage without even asking Sir Wilhelm’s opinion himself.”
The entire nation was turned upside down by the King’s unilateral announcement.
“If he had approached him slowly…”
“Wouldn’t others have snatched him up first? I heard through the food suppliers that banquets planned by nobles who wanted to invite Sir Wilhelm were successively canceled.”
“So, they were planning to set up a situation where they’d introduce their daughters to Sir Wilhelm and tempt him with a night together, but because Princess Sylvia marked him immediately, all the banquets were canceled?”
“That’s right. The noble ladies must have been flustered too. Even the honored lady who swore she’d rather die—she ordered a dress to seduce Sir Wilhelm, then threw a tantrum when he left the country right after talk of ending the war began, before she could even show it to him.”
That chaos was so impactful on the entire kingdom that it was frequently discussed even among the maids working in the royal palace.
“Where is he now? Sir Wilhelm.”
“They say he went to the Elf Kingdom?”
And many people are also talking about the actions of Hans Wilhelm, who is at the center of all this chaos.
“Is he going to enjoy a party time with the Elves?”
“That might be the case, but according to rumors, Dark Elves caused a terrorist incident.”
“What? That’s a violation of the armistice agreement.”
“It wasn’t Dark Elves belonging to the Empire, but a Dark Elf individual who defected from the Empire in opposition to the armistice agreement.”
“What kind of nonsense is that… What does the Empire take us for, fools?”
“Even if we understand, I wonder if the Empire would even blink an eye.”
People are gradually beginning to feel the unease of the time when the war was actively raging, sensing that the peace they had finally found could be shaken.
“He must not go to the Elf Kingdom.”
“Oh, come on. If he left because he disliked Princess Sylvia, why would he go to another country instead of the Elf Kingdom, which is famous for its beauty?”
“But they are Elves, after all.”
“…Surely, if we’re talking about an older partner, a 900-year-old might be ‘better’ than someone 10 years older from a human perspective.”
Amidst the rampant speculations and conspiracy theories—
“Then, while Sir Wilhelm is doing that, what are the people who sent Sir Wilhelm abroad doing now?”
The gazes of some were directed toward the Grates Royal Family.
—
[At that moment, in the Grates Kingdom. The Royal Palace.]
“Princess Sylvia. For what reason did you commit such a foolish act?”
“…….”
In the royal palace’s study, Sylvia, who was virtually acting as regent, gestured to the reception sofa for Chancellor Winchester, who had come to her office.
“Sit.”
“Please, speak first. No, speak now. Sylvia.”
“How dare you be so rude to the princess who will soon be Queen, Chancellor.”
“Before being Chancellor, I am your senior by one year at the academy, and I have come here as a friend of Hans Wilhelm.”
“If you intend to get anything from me through such unnecessary power plays, I tell you it’s completely meaningless.”
Princess Sylvia shrugged casually and rose from her seat.
“Are you here to condemn my father’s hasty choice and my own hasty visit to Sir Wilhelm?”
“Let’s be precise. The King has little time left to live, and you used that to proclaim what you wanted. Is that not the case?”
“…You’re saying I used my father’s age to proclaim my marriage to Sir Hans Wilhelm?”
“Yes.”
Count Winchester replied with a confident voice, but Princess Sylvia shook her head with a bitter smile.
“If that were true, I would be the most filial daughter in the world.”
“Sylvia.”
“A 37-year-old unmarried woman, desperate to marry a good man, forced her father, who has to lie in bed 24 hours a day, onto the throne to proclaim the marriage between his daughter and a war hero. Think about it.”
“…….”
“Chancellor, do I look like such a scoundrel to you? Or why don’t you go and ask His Majesty directly?”
“His Majesty would say ‘I did it,’ regardless of the truth.”
“…….”
The two glared at each other for a long time.
“You already decided on the answer you want from me, so why do you insist on hearing it from my mouth?”
“The circumstances are 99% certain, but there is no physical evidence or proof, so the testimony of the person concerned is important, isn’t it?”
“Then, there’s a 1% chance that you could be wrong.”
“Yes. But I am confident that even that 1% confirms my thoughts are correct.”
Chancellor Winchester extended his finger toward Princess Sylvia.
“You threatened His Majesty to force the marriage. You also tried to lead the atmosphere with Sir Wilhelm by saying, ‘I’m also surprised by the forced marriage proposal, but let’s try our best since it’s a royal decree.’”
“…….”
“You intended to marry like that, but you probably never imagined that Sir Wilhelm would leave the country on the very day the princess visited.”
“Well…”
Princess Sylvia picked up a teacup of strong red tea and turned her gaze to the office wall.
“Count Winchester, you are an exceptionally talented individual as Chancellor, but you are not blessed with mana.”
“Princess…!!”
“For those who are Master-class, there is a world that only Masters can see.”
“Are you trying to deflect the answer by insulting me now?”
“Think as you wish. But keep this one thing in mind.”
Slurp.
Sylvia took a short sip of the red tea, looked intently at Chancellor Winchester, and continued.
“I will achieve what I desire, even if it means sacrificing myself, for ‘a better Grates.’”
—
After speaking with Queen Asteria, I entered the bedroom of the guest quarters in the Elf Forest and lay down on the bed.
“I’m going crazy.”
I’m truly going crazy with frustration and exasperation.
“I came to the Elf Kingdom to escape the princess who tried to force me into marriage, only to witness preparations for a transition to militarism.”
The madness of the Grates Royal Family was somewhat understandable given the circumstances of a ’37-year-old princess’ and a ‘king who looks like he’s about to die.’
And here, in the Elf Kingdom, as someone who was on the front lines of the 12-year war, there were aspects I could understand to some extent.
The Elves cherished peace and suffered greatly because they lacked sufficient military power.
Numerous Elves were killed or taken into slavery, so even if they harbored revenge, it was understandable that they would seek to gain strength so that they would never suffer such humiliation again.
The problem lies with the next generation.
After the current Elf Queen returns to the embrace of the World Tree, what choice will the next Elf Queen make?
—Never, war again!
Will she wage war, shouting revenge against humanity, or will she come to perceive ultimate naturalism as the elimination of all humanity?
It’s difficult to simply say, “Don’t do that,” given the surprisingly large number of enslaved Elves spread across the entire continent.
This is true not only for Elves but also for other races.
The war has not yet truly ended, and even after the ceasefire, there are many places where military power is still needed.
“I’m really going crazy.”
I just want to retire and roll around on the bed in peace.
And if I’m going to roll around, I want to enjoy happy hour 24 hours a day with beautiful women in my arms.
Should I really go to the Empire?
Paradoxically, if that’s all I pursue, the Empire is the place that can best create that environment for me.
Princess Sylvia will try to suppress my relationships with other women, and the Elves will lift their skirts for political reasons, not out of affection.
“Hah.”
Perhaps.
“I just want to have casual, sweet love between men and women, without political oppression or calculations.”
Perhaps I want to have pure love between men and women, with physical relationships as a premise.
To do so, this guise of Hans Wilhelm…
“Hmm?”
Outside the window.
In the sky, a giant shadow was visible.
Though it was for a very brief moment, what I saw in the flow of mana, when I focused mana into my eyes, was—
“Oh ho?”
A clear female silhouette with master-class magic power. Such a being, undetected by anyone, was moving quietly as if infiltrating toward the center of the World Tree.
“…….”
This is quite something.
“Beauty spotted.”
I’m lucky.
