“I’ll go look at how things are in the office. What will you do, Estelle? You can stay here if you like, or return to the Libra Palace,” said Arcrayne, after he’d gotten dressed.
“I would like to stay here,” Estelle immediately replied. “Is there anything I can help with?”
Arcrayne thought for a moment. “Can you go check up on my father? He seems to be bored, since his physician forbade him from leaving the bed.”
“Very well. I wanted to see him regardless.”
“Let’s eat dinner together. I’ll send someone for you.” The prince smiled at Estelle and planted a light kiss on her cheek, then left.
Estelle had an employee of the palace lead her to Sachis’s bedroom. Once she arrived, Sachis sat up in bed and welcomed her.
“Glad to see you, Lady Estelle.”
“How do you feel?”
“Much better, but I’m still not allowed to get out of bed.”
His face did, in fact, look significantly healthier now.
Sachis invited Estelle to sit on the chair by the bed, and she took him up on the offer.
There was a chessboard on the king’s lap, and next to his hand, a practice book on chess tactics. He seemed to have been solving chess problems to kill time.
“I was told you have been forbidden from leaving the bed for a while. Please do not force yourself.”
“I know this is necessary, but I’m so bored. How about a match, Lady Estelle?”
Estelle froze up. She’d learned the rules as a pastime, but her lack of skill was dreadful.
“Um, I am embarrassingly bad at it...” she said.
“Let’s start off by playing without any handicaps for the first one.”
So much for Estelle’s hopes to decline amicably. Sachis’s enthusiasm about the upcoming match made her dejected.
“You weren’t exaggerating,” said the king in a serious tone.
“Like I said, it is embarrassing how bad I am at it,” Estelle replied, looking glum.
“How about I play with a handicap?” Sachis offered with an awkward smile.
“Then please play without a queen,” said Estelle, giving him a reproachful look.
“That would be too much. You can make the first three moves instead.”
While it wasn’t the same as giving up chess pieces, letting your opponent make several moves before you first made yours could allow them to create an advantage for themselves early on.
Estelle happily moved her pieces, but victory didn’t seem any closer than before. She was bad at games that made one use one’s head.
As the king was moving a knight, he asked, “I’m thinking of going with lily of the valley. How does that sound?”
Estelle blinked in surprise. “What are you talking about?”
“Your seal, once you’re officially in the family. After excluding the flowers used in seals of royal women of the past few generations and considering the language of flowers, lily of the valley seemed like a good choice.”
In the language of flowers, lily of the valley signified purity and the return of happiness. Estelle blushed at the thought.
“They are pretty, so that would make me happy,” she said.
While she felt like it was beyond her position, she probably would’ve felt that way no matter what flower the king had chosen, so she limited herself to expressing gratitude.
“Very well, then I’ll have a design prepared,” said Sachis.
“I look forward to it.”
It was customary for every member of the royal family to have a personal seal, separately from the royal crest. Estelle straightened herself on impulse when the king brought up the topic.
“We’re actually thinking of holding your wedding sooner than originally planned,” he said.
“When would that be?”
“As soon as possible. Though even if we rush to prepare for it, it will probably be in the summer...”
Estelle furrowed her brow. The wedding had originally been planned for autumn.
“We need heirs as soon as we can. Sorry to rush you like that...”
What bothered her more than being pressured to bear children was the fact that the king felt the need to move up her wedding, even if only by a few months.
“Is this to avoid letting those of His Highness Prince Liedis’s family line take the throne?” she asked.
“Everyone involved in what happened the other day will be charged with high treason.” The king closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
“How is His Highness Prince Liedis faring?”
“He seems to have been dosed with a rather powerful hypnotic. There have been some aftereffects. I’m having him rest in the palace.”
“I see...”
It pained Estelle to think of how Liedis must’ve felt. He was still only fifteen. The world he’d live in from now on would definitely be anything but carefree.
“I don’t want to leave the position of the palace’s mistress open for too long,” the king went on. “It might be too much to ask not to let it get to you, but we’ll do what we can to minimize your duties as crown princess.”
“Thank you for your thoughtfulness.” Despite her reply, Estelle felt an increasing weight on her shoulders.
The palace’s mistress... she repeated inwardly.
Considering what Queen Truteliese had done, she probably had the death penalty waiting for her. While Estelle had always known it, marrying Arcrayne would mean immediately becoming the top woman in Rosalia. Her hand, with which she’d reached out for a pawn, trembled.
“You’re still twenty, if I’m not mistaken... I’m really sorry to burden you with so many things,” said Sachis.
“Worry not... I understand it is not your fault, Your Majesty...”
Forcing a smile, Estelle moved her pawn; then, with the same hand, she placed her fingers on the ring finger of her left hand. She touched the gem of her engagement ring and took a deep breath to calm herself.
“Is that the remade engagement ring?” asked the king.
“Yes.” Estelle nodded. “Thank you for giving permission to use sapphires on the inner part.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll eventually be able to wear sapphires normally, without permission.”
“It still makes me happy.” Estelle smiled at Sachis.
“I hear the central diamond used to belong to Miriallia.”
“It did.” Estelle nodded.
There was something painful in Sachis’s gaze as he looked at the ring.