Inside the audience chamber, we knelt before the throne, and Prince Eric said, “Your Majesty, thank you for granting us an audience with you. We have come here today to announce our engagement and ask for your blessing.”
After a pause, the king slowly spoke. “Saint Leia, Leia Westoria, it has been a while since we last talked. Look at me, child.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Obediently, I looked up until my gaze met the king’s. His eyes, the deep blue color of the ocean, just like Eric’s, held a peaceful gleam within.
“Hm. You look well.”
“I am, thank you.”
“So…is everything going well with Eric?”
“Oh, you know it! We’re like—ack!” Frantically, I clapped my hand over my mouth.
Uh-oh. That’s way too casual. I’m so embarrassed! How could I speak to a king like that…
The king chuckled. “Ah, yes, so that’s how it is. Well, I’m glad to hear it. Now let me ask again: Eric, do you wish to marry Leia, the eldest daughter of House Westoria?”
“Yes, Father. I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
“I see… Now, what about you, Leia? Will you stay by Eric’s side always?”
“It would be my greatest joy, Your Majesty.” My answer came without hesitation.
The king gave his chin a satisfied stroke and continued, “Eric, normally, a crown prince should marry either the princess from another kingdom or the daughter of a duke, to forge alliances and strengthen his kingdom. And yet, you have chosen Leia. I trust you know the implications of your choice?”
My breath caught in my throat.
He was right. Eric was the future king, and there were a number of women better suited to wed him than the daughter of a mere count.
Ordinarily, his status as crown prince would forbid him from choosing someone like me for his bride. I already knew this, but hearing it from the king’s mouth made the reality weigh heavier on my heart.
But despite all that, Eric had still chosen me. That meant something. It meant—
When I glanced at Eric, he whispered, “Don’t worry, I imagined we would meet a degree of resistance.” Then he turned to the king and said, “It’s true that if you consider prestige alone, House Westoria is lacking. However, I believe that Leia herself has the strength needed to be my partner.”
“Oh?” the king asked.
“She has rescued me more times than I could count—and it was her help that made it possible for me to vanquish the darkness that was consuming this kingdom. Only Leia—no one from any other house could have helped me as much as she did. I want Leia Westoria—no, I need Leia Westoria. She is the only woman I can trust by my side.”
Eric’s tone was firm and incisive. His words made me so happy that tears blurred my vision. I couldn’t imagine a greater honor than receiving such praise.
“Hmm…I see.” The king smirked. Then he looked at me, his expression melting into a smile, and said, “Leia, what do you think?”
“I agree with Prince Eric completely, Your Majesty. I wish to be his support and his guide. I will spare no effort to be worthy of that. And when he ascends to the throne, I promise you, glory will come to this kingdom. To that end, I will assist him as his wife and as a saint of Elshaid.”
“I see… Your love for him must run quite deep.” The king smiled again. All traces of harshness were gone—his eyes were as gentle as always.
Thank goodness…
It was a relief to see. It looked like we would receive his blessing.
The king gave us another look over and said, “Very well. Leia Westoria, you have my blessing to marry Crown Prince Eric Elshaid.”
“Thank you!”
“You have my humble thanks, Your Majesty.”
We bowed deeply in gratitude.
We did it! The king gave us his blessing!
I was dying of happiness. I hadn’t felt such a sense of accomplishment since the day I was chosen to be a saint.
But this wasn’t the end—it was a new beginning. I needed to work even harder now to be a good partner for Eric. And I would never forget my vow to be his support and his guide as we walked through life together.
“Leia, Eric, I know you will be a fantastic husband and wife. I wish you all the happiness.”
“Thank you!”
“So, when will it be?”
“Pardon?”
“Your wedding. We’ll need to coordinate it with the palace staff right away. You want to announce your engagement as soon as possible, don’t you?”
The king grinned like a cat.
At that moment I recalled that the crown prince’s engagement was a big deal to a kingdom. The way it was announced was of utmost importance.
“Yes, I suppose we would want to announce it as soon as possible,” Eric said.
“Good. I knew you’d understand,” the king nodded, satisfied. “Our subjects are worried about the consequences of revoking the special rights of the dukes. Some good news like this would help reestablish the authority of Elshaid’s royal family, and it would be a smart move for us politically as well.”
Everything made sense to me. The king was right: The faster we announced our engagement, the sooner we could put the minds of Elshaid’s subjects at ease.
“It’s almost Foundation Day. We should announce it at the party that evening. I’d like to hold the ceremony as soon as possible, though we will need at least half a year to prepare.”
The king paused there and looked at us. He probably wanted to hear our thoughts.
Elshaid Foundation Day was a huge festival held once a year all over Elshaid. It would indeed be the ideal stage to announce our engagement.
“You are absolutely right, Your Majesty,” Eric answered the king. “Foundation Day would be the perfect event to announce my engagement to Leia.”
Truth be told, it had yet to sink in that we were really engaged. My shoulders tensed upon hearing concrete plans being made.
“All right, then, very good. Now, I know this is short notice, but would you two join me for dinner tonight? We have much to discuss.”
“Understood, Your Majesty,” Eric answered.
“Well, that is all. I’m going to go now. You two may take your leave.”
Now that our audience had concluded, we followed the king out of the chamber to find ministers and other officials lined up to meet us. Apparently, they had all heard the rumor that we were engaged and had gathered here to eavesdrop.
There were only a couple of guards when we first got here—what a surprise to see so many people!
I felt a twinge of panic, but Eric looked composed.
“Hullo there. Sorry to have kept you all waiting,” the king said.
An elderly minister stepped forward and said, “Oh, not a problem at all, Your Majesty. The crown prince’s engagement is an incredibly important matter. We all feel the significance of it personally.”
The king got a twinkle in his eye and said, “Heh! That you would. Listen up, all of you. This day forward, Leia Westoria here is engaged to the crown prince. An official announcement will be made in due time, but I’m telling you all first. We will hold an event soon to announce it formally—be prepared.”
At his command, everyone present bowed their heads. Seeing the response filled me with a sense of awe. I was going to be the future queen, a saint, and Eric’s wife. I needed to work harder than ever now to fulfill the new sacred task I was given.
“We are done here. Disperse.”
At the king’s command, everyone made themselves scarce, Eric and I included.
“You must be exhausted,” Eric said. “Since you have no saintly duties today, you should rest until our dinner with the king.”
“Very well. I shall take you up on that kind offer.”
I decided to take a little nap as Eric suggested. Because he was right, I felt like I had just put in a lifetime of work on this one day…
Back in my room, I flopped onto my bed. I hugged my pillow and rolled onto my side, feeling sleep wash over me.
I deserve a little nap, don’t I…