Chapter 6:
A Story Worthy of a Prequel
PRIDE
FIVE DAYS REMAINED until Tiara’s birthday. The three guests from the United Hanazuo Kingdom arrived at our castle just as the country was settling down. They’d sailed to Anemone with Leon on one of his trade ships, as he just happened to be in Hanazuo on the day of their departure, then taken a carriage here to Freesia.
Leon had steered the ship himself, and the party had arrived safely in Anemone as scheduled. However, they’d only set out for our country the next morning. I knew sea voyages sometimes stretched on longer than intended, so I hadn’t found it particularly surprising when they didn’t make it to Freesia yesterday.
But once I actually spoke with the party, I learned that they had indeed reached Anemone after only five days of sailing—the fastest possible journey. It was King Yohan’s intense bout of seasickness that delayed their trip to Freesia. None of them had ever set foot on a ship before, and while King Lance and Cedric were unaffected, King Yohan had been queasy from the second day onward.
It might have been worse if Leon and the crew hadn’t taken measures to ease King Yohan’s ailment. They hadn’t needed to turn back or stop at any ports along the way, but King Yohan had been confined to bed the moment he fell ill. With the king barely able to stand by the time they reached Anemone, they’d stayed overnight at the Anemonian castle rather than forcing His Majesty into a carriage in such a state.
King Yohan flushed red with embarrassment as he told me this story. He, King Lance, and Cedric hadn’t wanted to stay in Anemone at all due to the circumstances with Chinensis, but the king of Chinensis himself had forced their hand. By the time he finished recounting the tale, King Yohan was covering his face in shame over the whole ordeal. King Lance and Cedric just laughed, but a dispirited King Yohan muttered, “I’m thinking of taking a carriage home on my own…” Clearly he didn’t like making trouble for Leon either.
As for Cedric, he’d spent most of his time around the ship learning all sorts of things from Leon and the crew. He had spent the journey in high spirits, speaking with Anemonians during his stay at the castle too.
King Yohan enjoyed the trip as well—at least until the seasickness struck. In fact, the topic of the ship itself made him smile as brightly as his two companions. No other subject in our conversation caused him to light up so.
Thus, once King Yohan had recovered, Hanazuo’s representatives completed the journey to Freesia. The trio would be staying at our castle until the day after Tiara’s party. Cedric and Tiara danced around each other as awkwardly as ever… It seemed she was still angry with him, though she managed to stay more composed than in their previous meetings. She stood quietly by my side as I chatted with the three men.
Right as we wrapped up our conversation, it was time for the imperial knight shift change. After Stale confirmed that Arthur would be on his break, he turned to Cedric nonchalantly and offered him an invitation. “Would you care to spar with me?”
That’s a little frightening… I feel like Stale just raised a death flag for Cedric. Not only had Cedric once eaten food meant for Stale and Arthur, but he was now a marriage candidate for their dear Tiara.
“We’ll see you later, Elder Sister.” Stale grinned as he bade me farewell. Cedric had jumped at the offer, so he, Stale, and Arthur headed off together.
I smiled stiffly, my lips twitching. “Have a good time…”
Frankly, it was like watching a soldier march into a hopeless battle. When I waved, my hand quivered. Cold sweat plastered my dress to my back.
“Um…!” I hesitantly called out, and we faced one another.
“Is something wrong?” Stale asked.
“Please go easy on him, okay?” I told him, too terrified to express myself any less bluntly.
Stale’s smile only grew. “What are you talking about?”
My blood ran even colder.