“Hey, you wanna go? I’ll teach you to show your older sister some respect.”
Meiru gripped the hilt of her saber, but Laus and Vandre quickly pinned her down before she could start a fight.
“I guess that means you’ve gotta be the next king—”
“Hold on!” Sveit said before Alfard could finish.
“You’re our king, Alfard.”
“But you’re more suited to being king, brother. I mean, isn’t that exactly what you said back when dad picked me?”
“Over these past two years—” Sveit choked up a little, his eyes filled with regret and guilt as he looked up at Alfard. “Over these past two years, I’ve learned that I’m not fit to be king.”
“That’s not—”
“Oh, it’s true all right, Alfard. I know now that I’m far too weak to be king.”
No matter what happened, Alfard never wavered. Peer pressure couldn’t sway him. He was absolutely sure of himself, and once he set his mind to something, he resolved to see it through. Plus, despite being seen as an oddball, every time he went out into the city, he left the people smiling and happy.
That was the kind of man Alfard Il Dastia was. He wasn’t just strong when it came to fighting, he was mentally strong as well...and it was that strength of his that drew people to him.
Sveit didn’t have that. He couldn’t reassure the people the way Alfard could. Even if Sveit passed the trial and the light shot up to confirm him as the new king, the people would still see the throne as empty.
“I used to think I’d be able to understand everything if I just studied enough. I looked down on you for neglecting your studies. But I was wrong. It wasn’t book smarts that I needed. What I lacked the most was real life experience. On the other hand, you’ve learned everything you need. I misjudged you,” Sveit said with a shrug of his shoulders.
“You weren’t wrong, you just took everything too seriously. I know no one who loves their country as much as you do, and no one with a greater sense of responsibility.”
Sveit looked up and was surprised to see Alfard smiling self-deprecatingly.
“I chose my wife over the rest of the country. I’m not like dad. I can’t give up Selene and Albanor for the sake of my people.”
That, more than anything else, was proof that Alfard wasn’t fit to be king.
“I don’t deserve to be part of the royal family,” Alfard stated clearly. He then turned to Morgan and Nevrai and said, “I’m sorry, but I’m not someone worthy of your loyalty. I won’t blame you if you’re disappointed in me, but I’d hate to lose your friendship.”
“Don’t be stupid, Your Majesty. We never respected you enough to be disappointed now.”
“You guys sure got cocky in the time you were gone.”
At first Morgan and Nevrai had wanted to persuade Alfard to stay king, but after seeing the way he looked at his wife and son, they gave up. Anya didn’t protest either, while Miledi and the others exchanged glances. They weren’t sure this was the best solution, but they also knew it wasn’t their place to interfere in foreign politics.
“Anyway, I’ve kept you Liberators waiting long enough. Let’s—”
“Are you sure this is what you truly want?” Selene asked suddenly, her voice reverberating through the room. She then walked over to where Anya was and held her hands out. Anya obediently handed Albanor back to Selene, as if obeying her was the most natural thing in the world.
Selene hugged her son close, then walked regally over to Alfard, looking more like royalty than anyone else, and said, “Thank you so much for loving us, Al-sama. You’ve made us the two happiest people in the world.”
Selene smiled, and in that moment she didn’t look anything like a simple village girl.
“Don’t tell me...” Alfard muttered, worried that Selene would choose to leave the way Meiru’s mother had. However, Selene truly was a woman worthy of being this unruly prince’s wife.
“But if you’re going to make such a pathetic face, I’d rather you didn’t love me at all.”
“Selene...”
Selene had straight up told him not to use her as an excuse to run away from his responsibilities.
“We’re all important to you, aren’t we?”
By all, Selene of course meant Sveit and Anya, but also the rest of Dastia’s people. If Alfard truly hadn’t cared at all about Dastia, he wouldn’t have stayed within its borders after Selene had nearly been assassinated. He’d stuck around so he could at least make sure his older brother securely ascended the throne.
“I’m weak and can’t survive without your protection, so maybe it’s selfish of me to say this, but...” Selene trailed off as she snuggled up next to Alfard. “I don’t want you to abandon something important to you for our sake. After all, we love you just as much as you love us. So with that in mind, I’ll ask you again... Are you sure this is what you want?”
“......”
Selene’s unwavering gaze was too much for Alfard, so he turned to look at the ceiling. Sveit walked over and placed a hand on Alfard’s shoulder. Though he said nothing, his expression made it clear that he’d support Alfard through anything and everything. Anya also gave Alfard a gentle look, tipping the scales a little bit more in Selene’s favor.
“So long as you protect us and we support you, I’m sure this country will be just fine, Al-sama,” Selene said with a smile, giving Alfard the final push that he needed.
On that day, the people of Dastia learned of Alfard’s return, as well as the fact that he had become their new king. Naturally, the vampire nobles were furious that he’d had a child with Selene, but to everyone’s surprise, most of the commoners were perfectly fine with having a human queen and a half-vampire prince. Why, they even gave Alfard their blessings. Because Alfard had spent so much of his time in the city, the people knew what kind of person he was, and during his absence, they’d been given a stark reminder of how much they needed him. Plus, the fact that Sveit and Anya had accepted Alfard and Selene’s marriage made it easier for the common folk to as well. And of course, the humans of Dastia were overjoyed.
On the eve of Alfard’s coronation, Selene and Alfard both gave a speech to the crowd gathered at the palace.
“You’re welcome to try and assassinate me, but just know that if I or my son die, my husband will go berserk. You better be ready to see this country burn if you kill me.”
“That’s right. I’ll become your king if that’s what you want, but if you touch my wife or my son, then I’ll reduce Dastia to ash.”
That speech was enough to convince the commoners to keep an eye on the nobles and make sure they didn’t try anything stupid. Moreover, that speech also showed everyone just how much presence Queen Selene had. No one could understand how she’d been just a simple village girl before.
At around the same time that Dastia’s new king was being crowned, a large crowd had gathered at the remains of the Divine Cathedral in the theocracy.