It was now two days later. The soldiers guarding the door would later tell everyone that, when the king left that room, his expression was uncharacteristically bright and cheerful, and that his was the face of a man who had come to a decision.
The day after our three-person meetings had come to an end, the king gathered the VIPs of the castle in the audience chamber, and proclaimed loudly, “My people, I ask you to heed my words closely.”
“I, the thirteenth king of Elfrieden, Albert Elfrieden, hereby abdicate my throne to the summoned hero, Souma Kazuya! Further, I hereby announce the engagement of my daughter, Liscia Elfrieden, to Sir Souma.”
The room fell silent. Everyone had been struck mute. The only one present who remained calm was, perhaps, the queen.
This bombshell announcement completely blindsided me.
Chapter 1: Fundraising
On the 32nd day of the 4th month in the 1546th year of the Continental Calendar, the throne was ceded to Souma Kazuya.
It happened in the capital of the Elfrieden Kingdom, Parnam.
This city was the capital, where the residence of the Elfrieden Kingdom’s king, Parnam Castle, was. A town had risen up around Parnam Castle, and the circular walls surrounding it were reminiscent of a city-state in Middle Ages Europe. The roofs in the nobles’ quarter and the peasants’ quarter were uniformly orange, and this suited the classic image of the town well.
Parnam Castle was in the center, connected with north, south, east and west gates by large roads that were always busy with carriages and large mounted beasts. Aside from the main roads, there were also countless smaller cobblestone roads radiating out from the castle, and these small roads were connected by yet more small roads. Seen from the air, it would have resembled a spider’s web, or perhaps a snowflake. These roads were lined on both sides with merchants and tradespeople, and they were always bustling.
Since today was a holiday, and also the first day off since the new king, Souma (though, with the crowning ceremony not yet having taken place, he was technically only acting king), had been given the throne, the marketplace was even more busy than usual. This sudden change of monarchs had caused tension in the castle town for a little while, but once they had heard that the throne had been ceded to the summoned hero, and that the former king, Albert, had announced his abdication of his own will, and that Souma was betrothed to Princess Liscia, the former king’s daughter, the confusion naturally died down.
Because the former king had ruled through “being loved,” the rumors settled down to:
“Well, if the king is fine, I guess it’s okay.”
“Yeah, the pressure really seemed to be getting to him. I’m glad he has that weight off his shoulders now.”
“He’ll be able to take it easy now. It’s best for everyone this way.”
The people’s interpretations of what had happened were largely favorable. It seemed the king’s lackadaisical manner was in tune with the national character. Having had the throne foisted on him, Souma had worried that a resistance movement might rise against the sudden change, but he was a little let down when it never happened. Regardless, it was another peaceful day in Parnam as people of many races went about their business.
As if cutting through that peaceful afternoon, a white horse galloped down the cobblestones.
The horse was spurred on by a beautiful young girl in a red military uniform that looked like it could have come out of The Rose of Versailles. She was sixteen or seventeen years old with fair skin, and platinum blonde hair that streamed behind her in the wind. Her tight-fitting uniform accentuated the well-balanced lines of her body.
A beautiful girl riding a white horse made for a picturesque scene in its own right. The people she passed on her way let out gasps of admiration, which turned to cheers when they realized she was their country’s princess.
“Congratulations on your betrothal, Princess!”
“We wish you happiness!”
The people sent her their warmest regards, with no idea how she herself felt about the matter. Of course, it was unlikely she could hear them now, anyway.
“Father, Mother… Please, be safe!” she, Liscia Elfrieden, whispered to herself with a pained look on her face.
“Father! What is the meaning of this?” Liscia demanded, raising her voice at the sight before her.
The king’s bedroom. It was a room large enough that the king-sized bed did not dominate it, and each and every piece of furniture was exquisitely designed. Originally, this bedroom had been meant to be the private quarters of the royal couple, so it should have been turned over to Souma when he ascended the throne, but Souma hadn’t wanted to go through the trouble of moving in, so he had given permission for the former royal couple to stay, and they were still using it. Souma, incidentally, had brought a simple bed into the governmental affairs office and slept there.
When Liscia ran into that room, out of breath, she was greeted by the sight of her parents not only elegantly enjoying tea on the attached balcony, but dipping scones in cream, raising them up to each other’s mouths, and saying:
“Say ah, darling.”
“Ah.”
and feeding each other.
Liscia fell to the ground, but quickly stood back up, and marched up to the former king, Albert, with anger in her eyes.
“Father, when I heard your throne had been usurped, I hastened back from my patrol outside the capital! So, why is it that I now find you two feeding each other without a care in the world?!”
Liscia, in addition to her title as a princess (though, following the abdication, she was now the new king’s betrothed), had also graduated from officers’ school and held an officer’s rank in the army. She was not especially high in the ranks, but due to her high birth, she was often tasked with attending royal army funerals, or with other missions of a special nature. This time, she had been on a regional patrol, so upon hearing of her father’s abdication, she had rushed to the capital.
“There was no usurpation, really. I abdicated of my own will,” her father said calmly.
“Why would you suddenly do that?!”
“I had become certain that that man would make a better king for this nation than I. This is a decision that I came to as the one entrusted with this country, and I take full responsibility for it. I will tolerate no objections.”
In that one moment, Liscia saw the dignified authority of the man who had, until just recently, carried a nation on his shoulders, and found herself unable to object any further. “Urkh… But how could you decide my engagement without even consulting me?”
“You may discuss that between yourselves. The betrothal was something I forced on him to begin with. If you do not want it, I doubt Sir Souma will force the matter.”
“Motheeeer!” Liscia shouted. She turned to her mother for help, but Elisha just smiled.
“Meet Sir Souma for yourself first. This is your life, so you must decide what you will do with it yourself. Whatever your decision is, we will respect it.”
With not even a straw to grasp at, Liscia’s shoulders slumped.
She departed the room of the former royal couple and walked quickly across the palace.
It had been some weeks since she had left this palace for her regional patrols. Something about the palace she had been away from for a few weeks caught her attention. Many of the servants were running around… The guards, the maids, the bureaucrats, even the ministers… anyone and everyone was running. The sight of pudgy ministers running about and gasping with sweat beading on their foreheads was so surreal that she could only stare, dumbfounded.