Chapter 22
Having all of us happily sampled the jam together, the atmosphere finally settled down. I, Cecilia, felt as though I could finally relax a little.
Looking at Queen Rerence again, I found myself entranced by her beauty. It was impossible to believe she had two children.
"Oh my, is something the matter?"
Noticing my gaze, Queen Rerence asked me what was wrong, and I hurriedly replied, "No, I was just thinking how beautiful you are."
"Oh, thank you," Queen Rerence said with a giggle, which only made her beauty stand out even more.
"Of course. There's even a legend that King Zeurasia fell in love with Rerence-sama at first sight and spent an entire month visiting her parents' home to woo her."
Lapiria-sama's words made perfect sense to me. I see. If I were trying to woo someone as beautiful as this, I would probably keep going for a year, not merely a month.
"Oh, Lapiria, that's an exaggeration. He only visited for about ten days at most."
"Is that so? Come to think of it, I feel like the number of days he spent visiting keeps increasing every year."
As these royal jokes flew back and forth—though I wasn't sure whether we were supposed to laugh—Queen Rerence brought the conversation back around.
"More importantly, today is all about you, Lapiria. Come on, tell us everything."
"...W-well, yes. But where should I start?"
"Since we have the opportunity, I'd love to hear about the Battle of Femas, too. We have plenty of time today. What do you think?"
After confirming that Opa-san and I had no objections, Lapiria-sama began to speak.
Lapiria-sama's story made me realize that the battlefield was much harsher than I'd imagined—far, far harsher.
I had always enjoyed stories like this, so I found myself leaning forward and listening intently. Opa-san, however, occasionally went pale and clenched her fists tightly. Perhaps she was imagining that my older brother Wickhart had been there.
Queen Rerence remained perfectly calm. As expected of her.
"So Lapiria and the others became isolated?"
"I'm ashamed to say we did. I still have a long way to go."
She spoke with that sort of self-reproach, but from what I'd heard, that was hardly the point. If things had gone even slightly differently, Lapiria-sama could have died.
"And what about your injuries? Are they all right?"
When Opa-san, still somewhat pale, asked anxiously, Lapiria-sama rolled her arm in a circle.
"As you can see, it moves perfectly well."
"But you'll be left with scars..."
"Yes, well... but..."
At that point, Lapiria-sama's cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked down. Oh! Something wonderful must have happened. Opa-san, whose face had been pale only moments before, immediately flushed and began pressing her for details.
"Well... Roa... He saw the scar and immediately said, 'I don't mind that at all.'"
For someone who usually looked so laid-back, Roa-sama sure knew what he was doing.
"Oh my." Queen Rerence narrowed her eyes happily and urged Lapiria-sama to continue.
After that, the conversation continued with stories of the battle and their subsequent advance, until it finally reached the climax.
"...And then he suddenly said, 'Could I have some time with you later? I have something important to discuss.' Then Wickhart immediately cleared everyone else out..."
My brother did an excellent job.
"And then? And then!"
The three of us leaned forward, waiting for Lapiria-sama to continue. Her face was already bright red.
"And then he said, 'I want you by my side, Lapiria. I want you to stay with me forever. I want to spend the rest of my life with you...'"
"Eee!"
The three of us rejoiced, while Lapiria-sama looked ready to melt.
"Did he say 'I love you'? Did he say it?"
Queen Rerence was really pressing her. Lapiria-sama shrank in on herself, looking as though steam might start coming out of her head.
"That... well... later, he did... properly..."
"How many times? How many times did he say it?"
Queen Rerence continued her relentless questioning until Lapiria-sama finally gave in.
"Please let me off here! I'm so embarrassed I feel like my face is going to catch fire!"
"Oh my, what a shame. I wanted to hear a little more..." After giving the genuinely disappointed queen a slight glare, Lapiria-sama changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, how are things between Opa-san and Wickhart?"
This time, it was Opa-san's turn to blush.
"Actually, my father is coming to the royal capital tomorrow. He wanted to see the victory parade, too, but he just couldn't make it work..."
"Does that mean..."
"Yes. We're planning to hold the wedding this year, and he's coming so we can properly set the date..."
That was news to me, too. Opa-san received congratulations from all of us, including me, then happily bowed her head and said, "Thank you very much."
Everyone has someone. Lucky them.
"What about you, Cecilia-san? Is there anyone special?"
Once the conversation about Opa-san had come to an end, Queen Rerence turned her attention toward me.
"Rerence-sama, that's..."
Queen Rerence stopped Lapiria-sama when she tried to interject.
"Lapiria has told me about your circumstances, Cecilia-san. But your relationship with Roa is over now, isn't it? It would be healthier to look toward 'what comes next.'"
She had a point. That said...
"...As you say, Your Majesty, I no longer have any feelings for Roa-sama. But I haven't found anyone suitable..."
At that moment, the knight I had seen yesterday came to mind. I shook my head slightly. For some reason, he had caught my attention, but I didn't even know what he looked like.
The tea party continued without incident, and it was soon time to bring it to an end.
The tea party had been held in Lapiria-sama's private room, assigned to her within the castle. We had just left the room and were walking together through the castle corridors when it happened.
"Oh, Lapiria? Your Majesty too? And..."
The voice belonged to Roa-sama. He must have happened to be passing by. My older brother was beside him as well. And...
"Ah!"
I cried out before I could stop myself. There was no mistaking it. This was the knight who had caught my attention yesterday.
Seeing me staring at him, the knight addressed me, sounding slightly puzzled.
"Excuse me, have we met somewhere before?"
"N-no! I only saw you at yesterday's victory parade..."
"I see. Ah, forgive me for the late introduction. I am Shalis. My name is Shalis Iglad. Pleased to meet you."
"Ah, m-me too! I'm Cecilia Hogbeck! Um, I'm Wickhart-sama's younger sister—he's the one over there!"
"I see. Wickhart-dono has always been very helpful to me."
After he greeted me so politely, I hurriedly bowed my head as well.
Two people behind me watched, murmuring, "Oh my, oh dear."
After that, Shalis-sama would often come to my estate, sent on one errand or another at Queen Rerence's request or on Lapiria-sama's recommendation. But that is a story for another time.