Chapter 3: Wings of Heaven & the Sound of Wings
“LET us now commence with His Majesty’s birthday festivities.”
The announcer’s voice resonated all the way up the ballroom’s high ceilings.
It was the day of King Glenreed’s twenty-fifth birthday.
I was seated on the queen’s throne beside him, dressed in my formalwear.
Nobles and important figures, both from within the country and outside of it, had gathered for this celebration. Men wore justaucorps sewn with gold and silver thread, while women showed off their finest dresses covered in lace and silk. Their tailors had spared no expense. They all stood in line, waiting their turn to present His Majesty with a gift.
I was allowed to see the guest list and noticed it was much lengthier than last year’s party.
One such guest was Prince Ernest of the Winged Wildam Empire. He must have decided not to send a servant or representative after personally visiting Wolfvarte last year.
Prince Ernest had come with a gift of the highest quality horse-riding gear. The Winged Wildam Empire was home to the very rare creature known as the Pegasus, and they devoted themselves as a country to researching and improving riding tools related to Pegasi or horses. There was no nation on the western continent with a higher standard for riding gear.
It was neither too expensive nor too cheap—a useful gift that was also a symbol of his country’s specialty field. I was impressed. It was a solid choice and felt like something personal from Prince Ernest. That was when our eyes happened to meet.
“It’s been a while, Laetitia,” he said. “Are you doing better at riding Fon these days?”
“I still practice flying with him when I can, and I always make sure to recall Your Highness’ instructions,” I replied.
“I see. So you think of me when you fly?” He smiled cheerfully. “In that case, I’m sure you’re getting better. I look forward to seeing you fly.”
“I hope I’m able to live up to your expectations,” I said with a light giggle.
The two of us made plans to fly Fon and his Pegasus together a few days later.
Prince Ernest was the heir to his throne and had come from far away to attend the party. It would be a waste not to build on our friendship and improve diplomacy between countries. Personally, I simply enjoyed speaking with him too.
He smiled at me, flashed an oddly challenging smirk at King Glenreed, and then made way for the next guest in line to approach.
After that, I memorized each guest’s face, name, gift, how they responded to His Majesty, and whatever glimpses of their personality I could obtain. The party continued on schedule without incident.
This year’s increase in prominent and influential guests was proof of how King Glenreed had become an even more powerful unifier.
The Ringrard Empire’s growth in recent years was on the verge of becoming an international crisis, but many believed Wolfvarte would remain unharmed so long as King Glenreed was leading it.
I didn’t want to be someone who held him back. I was going to do whatever I could to support him.
“King Glenreed, I wish you the happiest of birthdays.”
It was finally Lady Fillia’s turn in line. She wore a spring-themed light pink dress and greeted him with a lovely smile. As she’d told me, she seemed to have brought a gift of sweets made with honey.
As soon as she opened the basket’s lid…
The fragrant aroma of butter wafted up to our noses. I looked inside and saw the desserts had been baked to a lovely brown color.
“They were baked with the special honey my family’s dukedom produces,” she explained.
“This is honey from those Flute Bees I’ve heard about?” King Glenreed asked.
“Yes. It’s the honey you once told me was delicious, so I made sure to use lots of it.”
“…I see. I’ll enjoy this, thank you.”
Hm? That was strange. King Glenreed had paused a little longer than usual before responding to her. Could he not recall any memory of eating honey sweets in the past?
Even Lady Fillia had a sad look on her face for a fleeting moment—perhaps noticing His Majesty’s delayed reaction. But it was quickly replaced by an elegant smile. Then she returned gracefully to her place in the crowd.