Eric’s name was announced as we entered the party hall. This was my first time entering a party escorted by a royal, so I concentrated on each step I took. Eric and I greeted everyone who called out to us as we slowly made our way into the party.
The nobles are flocking to Eric a little more assertively than normal. They must have heard rumors about our engagement. We didn’t exactly try to keep the news a secret, so it would come as no surprise if a fair number of people already knew.
His Majesty made his entrance right behind us, signaling the party was about to begin. During his opening remarks, my engagement to Eric would be announced.
“Good evening, everyone, and welcome! This is a most auspicious day for the kingdom of Elshaid. Let us pray for its continuing glory as we celebrate its founding!”
As the king made his speech at the podium, applause roared throughout the party hall. With a meaningful glance at Eric, he gestured for us to join him at the podium.
“Well, are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Eric escorted me up to the stage to stand beside him at the podium. As I stood slightly behind him, he looked confident and strong. He evoked a sense of regality that a future king should possess.
Once he made sure we were in place, the king continued, “And now, Crown Prince Eric has an announcement. Eric?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m sure many of you are already aware, but I recently got engaged. Now, I would love to introduce my fiancée to you.”
Eric turned to look at me. I wasn’t lying when I told him earlier that I was nervous. It was only by sheer force of will that I was holding myself together.
I can’t give in to my fear. I need to be proud as he introduces me as his fiancée!
I gently nodded back at Eric before turning to face forward again. The eyes of the nobles turned to look at me in unison.
“This is Leia Westoria. I’m sure many of you already know her as a devoted saint who serves our kingdom. She is already one of Elshaid’s greatest assets, and I have chosen her for my bride because I know that she is most worthy to be queen.”
“My lords, ladies, and gentlemen,” I addressed the crowd, “it is an honor to speak on a day as special as Foundation Day. It is with a humble heart that I offer you all my goodwill as your future queen.”
After I followed Eric’s little speech, the party hall burst into applause. The sound of the people clapping eased the tension from my heart.
But as I scanned the crowd, I noticed there were those that weren’t clapping.
I guess some people don’t accept me as their queen.
Remnants of the rebellion that Berklein and Algrene had fomented were still firmly rooted in Elshaid’s soil. Ever since the special rights of the dukes were revoked, not a soul objected to Elshaid’s future king…but it seemed that my becoming queen wasn’t going to go unchallenged.
“Prince Eric—so the rumors about you marrying Count Westoria’s eldest were true… To be blunt, I’m disappointed. I never dreamed a righteous man like you would marry the sister of a criminal.”
After the announcements were over, the first person to approach Eric was Margrave Linboldt, a man with long red hair tied in a plait and one of the largest landowners after the former Great Four. His amethyst eyes glared coldly at me. The nobles standing behind the margrave held lands far from the royal capital, and they too regarded me with cold stares.
“I am well aware of the crimes House Westoria has committed, but I decided to marry Leia in spite of that. That is just how great her achievements are.”
“Your Highness, with all due respect, are you mad? And for that matter, don’t you think Jill Westoria’s sentence was far too lenient?”
“What did you just say? Do you object to the judgment we made?”
“Humbly, yes, I do object. If you ask me, Count Westoria should have been stripped of his title. Furthermore, his daughter deserved the death penalty. I highly doubt Leia Westoria’s achievements could possibly be great enough to eclipse that.”
The margrave’s tone was charged as he argued his case to Eric. He was known to be a fair and just man, and even Eric regarded him highly. He had told me that he wasn’t worried about the remote lands falling into chaos after the reform since Linboldt was in charge.
And although I hated to admit it, I couldn’t entirely refute the arguments Linboldt raised.
“Lady Westoria, what do you think about all this? I’ve heard you are a decorated saint, but in terms of achievement, you hardly rate compared to the other two saints. You only managed to catch the prince’s eye because you happened to be stationed near the royal capital. Nothing more.”
“B-but, my lord!”
I took pride in my hard work as a saint. But he had a point: I was the newest member. And since I was stationed near the royal capital, the margraves who ruled over the remote lands would not regard me as highly as the others…
“I know more than anyone just how exemplary Leia’s service has been. She fulfilled not only her duties as saint, but as my bodyguard with the utmost excellence. I will not let any further slander slide, not even from you, Margrave Linboldt. She has earned the respect of His Majesty himself. Regardless of your protests, the matter has already been settled.”
Eric’s voice shook with suppressed anger. Given that the king approved of us, the margrave had no right to object…but I still felt an ache in my heart.
“And I am well aware of that, Your Highness. But as a nobleman with a long, proud history of serving Elshaid’s royal family, I simply could not let my feelings remain unspoken. I must be true to my own sense of justice, even if it earns me your resentment, Highness. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
The margrave marched away. He reminded me of Eric, not too long ago. Which only made his declaration sting all the harder for me…and I felt so weak and pathetic for it.
“Was that Margrave Linboldt just now? Prince Eric, Lady Leia, is something wrong?” Johann asked.
“Leia, you look like you’re gonna be sick. Want me to blast him away for you?” Lingsha offered, punctuating her remarks by staring daggers at the margrave.
“I’m all right, Miss Lin,” I said, putting out my hand to stop her from pouncing on him then and there. “And the margrave did nothing wrong.”
Lingsha cocked her head to the side, a curious look on her face. “Ya sure? But he looked so menacing…”
“I stand by what I said. Margrave Linboldt did nothing wrong. House Westoria was in the wrong here.”
“Don’t say things like that, Leia,” Eric rebuked me gently. “That stubborn margrave doesn’t even know you. If he got to know you, he would understand that nobody is worthier to be my wife than you.”
If he got to know me… I suppose he’s right. And despairing over it won’t help anything anyway.
If he wouldn’t accept me, then I’d have to earn his respect. I decided to be optimistic.
I never thought I’d meet someone whom Eric would call stubborn. It appeared that Elshaid was a far bigger kingdom than I took it for.
“Yes…yes, I understand! I’ll put in the work to prove that I’m worthy as your wife, Eric.”
“That’s my Leia, you always land on your feet. That optimism alone proves that I need you.”
Eric’s kind words banished the ache in my heart. Despairing wasn’t like me. Eric wasn’t the only one with a talent for pushing through any obstacle with a devoted mind.