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ONE hour after the steward’s initial interruption, Elizabeth and I were rolling along in a carriage, heading to meet King Ricardo of Nieve.
Come to think of it, this whole situation is rather dire, isn’t it? A strange monster revived and cast a strange spell, making the king collapse and taking half the queen’s mana when she’s our country’s single greatest weapon. Combine that with me, a prince with crippling memory issues, and the country’s future is in wonderful condition…
In that state, I was being forced to meet with the king of a foreign superpower who had set foot in our country without so much as a word of invitation. One small mistake could lead to a major international incident. Mother said I would understand when I met him, but I frankly couldn’t remember anything of the man except for the occasional times he would play with me. Rather, I was sure he hadn’t ever lodged in the palace back then, as a proper guest would have.
From the carriage driver’s seat, I heard an exclamation of shock. Moments later, a shadow crossed my window. I looked up. Harold had been sent ahead to inform King Ricardo of our intent, and I assumed he had ridden back to inform us of his success. When I peered out the window, however, my jaw dropped.
There outside the carriage was not Harold, as I had assumed.
“Hey, Vincent. I haven’t seen you in years!”
The man riding apace with us was on my manservant’s horse, but he was definitely not Harold. The King of Nieve waved cordially at me with one hand.
“K-King Ricardo?!”
“King Ricardo?” Elizabeth echoed wide-eyed.
“Stop the carriage!” I shouted.
No wonder the driver was in a panic. While he had no means of recognizing King Ricardo, anyone would be shocked to see a stranger suddenly appear on Harold’s horse.
The carriage rapidly slowed to a stop, and without waiting for the driver to dismount and open the door, I threw it open myself.
The King of Nieve likewise dismounted and gave me a cordial wave. “Hey. How’ve you been?”
His long, uncut hair was tied in a loose ponytail, and his ornamented coat was nearly open at the front to reveal his tightly muscled chest. There was a gold chain about his belt, and unlike the last I saw him, he was sporting a goatee. When he smiled, dimples appeared on his cheeks. Though he seemed rather rugged, his attitude was that of a friendly uncle.
“King Ricardo. We welcome you to our humble country with great pleasure and pride.” I moved to bow deeply, but he snatched my shoulder, nearly knocking the air out of me in the process. “Gwuh?!”
“What’s with the formalities, friend? Why don’t you just call me Ricky like you used to? Did you already forget that time we threw horse manure in King Gaius’ study?”
“K-King Ricardo! Enough about the past!”
Frankly, I’m surprised we got off as easily as we did back then.
“Oh?” He looked past me at Elizabeth, his smile taking on far too much mischief for my tastes. “Oh, I see!”
He was, for better or for worse, exactly the kind of man I remembered him as. While I wondered what Mother’s cryptic warning could possibly mean, I finally realized that the two hadn’t been introduced yet. Shooting the king what I hoped came across as a warning look, I moved to introduce Elizabeth.
“Ah, my apologies for the delay. This is the daughter of Duke la Montlivere, Elizabeth la Montlivere…my fiancée.”
“Please, call me Elizabeth. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Elizabeth curtsied, and King Ricardo put a hand to his chest and bowed deeply.
“No, no, the pleasure’s all mine, princess! I am Ricardo Louis Valoren. Nice to meet you.”
With that, he elegantly hugged her close—and planted a kiss on her cheek.
“GAH?!”
Ricardo turned at the sound of my voice and grinned.
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I grit my teeth in irritation. I was so focused on hiding my past that I’d nearly forgotten that part of him.
“This is how we say hello in Nieve,” he continued, rubbing his cheek against Elizabeth’s in what rivaled the biggest hug I’d ever shared with her. I could only imagine how irritating that bristly mess on his face was to her.
“Please stop that,” I asked as politely as I could muster. “I believe I mentioned she’s my fiancée, didn’t I?”
“I get it. You wanna play it cool for your girlfriend, right?”
The people of Nieve were said to be extremely friendly and made physical contact with each other frequently. They were also said to go too far at times, as evidenced by King Ricardo’s presence there. With each of his accursed visits to the palace, he would practice his so-called Nievean greeting whenever humanly possible and placed countless women under his shameful spell.
I hope Elizabeth isn’t too offended…
I tried to get a look at her expression, and while her eyes were spread wide with shock at first, she smiled reassuringly at me upon noticing my gaze. She was kind enough to absolve any sin, her lips curving like the plush wings of an angel.
“I’m quite flattered to have received such a personal greeting, Your Majesty,” she said. “Allow me to greet you in the manner of our country.”
With that, she grabbed the front of her skirt, sweeping one leg behind her and lowering her chin in one smooth gesture. It was no casual greeting—it was the most formal curtsy a woman could possibly offer another, indirectly asserting to him that he was merely a friend. King Ricardo’s smile died on his lips.
“Well?” Elizabeth asked after a long pause, raising her face again with a pure smile. “What do you think?”
I was struck speechless.
King Ricardo opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it, smiling softly instead. “Hahaha, I get it, I get it. Do as the locals do, right? I’ll behave… Sorry.”
With his apology finished, he pointed back into the carriage we’d ridden in. For one heart-stopping second, I feared he was pointing at Lars’ basket and that the dragon had emerged furious, given the king’s exchange with his mistress. Luckily, my fears were unfounded.
“Go on, now. Take me to the palace.”
At his bidding, I held the door open. I offered Elizabeth my hand and tenderly helped her inside, after which I gestured as rudely as I felt I could get away with to bid King Ricardo inside. He stopped in front of me, and his broad hand patted me roughly on the head.
“You sure have grown. Back when you were just a rowdy little shi—er, when you were a kid, I never thought you could be such a good man. You’re Mariabel’s kid, all right, and your fiancée’s a fighter just like your mom. Then you got Harold… You’d think the guy’s got a mask glued on with how little his emotions showed, but when I ordered him to get in my carriage and give me his horse, he obeyed just like that.”
I didn’t say anything and watched him. I’d heard something similar about me being a Mariabel look-alike, and from Mother’s assurance that I’d know once I met him, the pieces were slowly coming together. I only hoped I was wrong.
“King Ricardo,” I finally asked him. “How do you know my mother, exactly?”
“What, she didn’t tell you?” His eyes widened in surprise. “Man… Eighteen years old, and you don’t even know what your mom really is.”
He was making her sound like some monster in disguise, but from the way Father kept almost calling her the Demon of Urhalla, perhaps she was. I considered asking for more details, but my instincts told me that wasn’t a subject I should know more about. The secrets surrounding Mother had increased yet again.
“No, I don’t know,” I readily admitted. “Step aboard, please. You can tell me all you wish along the way. How hot is Nieve this time of year, if I may ask?”
Despite my attempt to change the topic, there was a mischievous glint in the king’s eye. He was begging to tell me something.
“Why talk about Nieve when we can talk about Mariabel? There’s still quite a ride to your palace, isn’t there? Listen well, then, to the tale of Mariabel’s and my romance.”
“…Romance?”
I knew it. He loves Mother, too.