“Sirius, you can frame it as making her happy if you want, but even if she wishes for it, I don’t want to force her down a path that I know will be full of hardship. Yes, I did once agree to Serafina becoming a saint and participating in battle, but I never imagined she would want to become one at the expense of everything else.”
Father’s voice was strained, and I could tell he was clearly upset.
“I know all too well how hard it is to continuously keep fighting on the battlefield. I don’t want her to be burdened with such a life, especially at such a young age. And I absolutely don’t want there to ever be a chance that this adorable princess could be ridiculed by others for lacking a proper education. No matter how exceptional Serafina may be as a saint, the nobles will measure her worth as a princess on her manners alone.”
When I finally looked up, Father was holding his head in his hands, his face contorted with anguish.
“I really don’t know if it’s in Serafina’s best interest to let her walk the path she desires.”
Oh dear. I hadn’t wanted to worry or upset Father, yet here he was, worried and upset all the same. Judging by his reaction, maybe what I wanted was too extreme. It seemed I’d need to live as a princess and just be a saint in my spare time.
I was wondering if it would be better to retract my previous statement in order not to trouble Father any further when Mother, who’d been quiet this whole time, finally spoke.
“My lord, may I? We’re married, as you well know. But my family was against this marriage from the moment you started courting me.”
I wasn’t sure why Mother suddenly started talking about the past, but it made Father drop the glass he was holding onto the table, visibly shaken.
“D-Dear, why would you bring that up now, of all times? You may not realize it, but I’m in total shock right now. If I’m pushed any further, I might just break down in tears.”
Father, looking like he might cry at any moment, picked up the glass—now empty after its contents had spilled—and turned to face Mother. But she gave him a dismissive glance and continued speaking.
“That pales to the shock my family experienced back in the day.”
“H-how could you say that?” Father whined, his eyes starting to well up with tears.
Mother merely gave him a cold and detached look. “As you know, you can be quite unstable and frivolous. Also, I was on the verge of being engaged to someone else at the time. My family was only a count’s house, and our social standing was far too low to marry into the royal family. My family opposed the match, arguing that there was no reason for me to marry into a situation where I would face so much hardship, especially when it was clear how difficult things would be.”
“Gaaah! It’s all coming back so clearly now! Despite my unwavering devotion and countless visits to the count’s manor, they never once allowed me to meet with you, though I was always treated courteously. It wasn’t until I had dealings with your family that I truly understood the meaning of the term ‘lip service.’”
Father grabbed his head in hands as if it was throbbing in pain, but Mother just gave him a cool nod.
“I had absolutely no intention of marrying you, so my family was being respectful of how I felt. But one day, my feelings took a complete turn, and I found myself thinking, ‘It’s my duty to protect the king.’”
Now that Mother had reached the part of her story where she’d finally accepted him, Father’s eyes lit up with glee.
“Yippee! That’s the happiest thing that’s ever happened in my life!”
“However,” Mother kept going, “my family continued to be against it. In their eyes, my decision was an incorrect one that would result in unhappiness. More than twenty years have passed since then.”
Mother gazed at Father with an intense, steady look, making him tremble slightly with visible unease. Watching him, Mother couldn’t help but let out a small, almost imperceptible smile.
“I’ve never once regretted marrying the king. Looking back, there were moments filled with pain and sorrow, but even in the midst of them, I never questioned my decision.”
“My queen…” Father trailed off, his voice heavy with awe. Mother gave him a gentle smile in response.
“I could have married into a lesser noble family and lived a peaceful life, one that others might consider happy and content. But had I taken that path, I doubt I would have ever felt truly satisfied or known true happiness. At the very least, I can confidently say that nothing could have been better than this life.”
Perhaps feeling relieved by Mother’s attitude, Father smiled broadly and nodded his agreement.
“Why yes! I completely understand! After all, your husband is quite the fine—”
“My lord.”
At that brief reprimand, Father immediately fell silent. It was, no doubt, the result of years of married life. But stubborn as ever, Father tried once again to emphasize what a respectable man he was.
“I only spoke the truth! But I suppose that’s not quite the point the queen was trying to make…”
After a moment of thought, he finally slapped his knee sharply, as if he’d reached a decision.
“All right! I’ve made up my mind! If this is really what Serafina wants, I’ll support her as her father. After all, I always want my adorable little Serafina to be smiling.”
My eyes went wide in surprise at his sudden change of heart.
“What?!” I exclaimed.
Father let out a sigh of resignation, “You are your mother’s daughter, after all. You surely have a tough side, one where hardship doesn’t get to you and keeps you steady no matter what.”
“Serafina,” he continued, giving me a grave nod, “I will grant your wish. If you truly want to step onto the front lines right away, and it seems likely that such an opportunity will arise, I will increase your training as a saint to ensure you don’t get injured. You may prioritize it over all your other studies.”
“Father!”
But his expression tensed up when I exclaimed with pure joy.
“However, Serafina, this is a temporary arrangement. The queen decided to marry me at nineteen, an age when she had already developed sound judgment and common sense, so her situation was very different from that of a six-year-old. As you gain more knowledge and experience, your perspective may change. So, when that happens, come to me right away. I will help you transition to life as a princess.”
Although Father was talking to me, he was also looking at Sirius, especially toward the end. Maybe it was something he wanted Sirius to be aware of too?
“Also, one more thing. Since Serafina is only spending time around knights, it’s true that her understanding of high-society life is very limited. From now on, I’d like her to accompany the queen or Shaula to somewhere befitting of royalty once a week.”
At that, both Mother and Shaula smiled happily.
“Oh, that sounds like such fun.”
“Oh, wow! How wonderful! Serafina, let’s visit lots of places together.”
I nodded back, though a bit confused, since Father had slumped onto the table, and let out a loud sigh.
His voice sounded as though the world were ending. “Still, am I really okay with making this decision? I’d weep if my adorable Serafina was ever ridiculed!”
“I’m here to make sure that never happens.”
Father slightly lifted his head from the table, glaring at Sirius as his voice bristled. “Hah! We’re relying on the flawless assistance of Duke Ulysses, are we?” Then, Father’s voice dropped, and each word that came out of his mouth felt heavy on my ears. “Sure, if you put your mind to it, there’s nothing you couldn’t accomplish with your capabilities. But I wouldn’t recommend wielding that power to its fullest.”
“I’ll…keep that in mind.”
Although it was still part of the same conversation, the shift in Father’s tone made it seem as if there was a hidden meaning to his words, but I couldn’t quite figure out what that might be.
The mood at the table returned to normal after that, so maybe I was just imagining things. I made the decision not to think about it anymore. When I saw that Mother and Father were intently discussing something, I glanced up at Sirius, who was still standing behind me.
“Hey, Sirius. Now I can do my princess studies in moderation and focus on training to be a saint!”
I couldn’t help but beam with delight, since I’d been able to receive Father’s permission. Now I could train to be a saint as much as I wanted and fight alongside everyone on the battlefield. Just thinking about it made my smile grow even wider, and Sirius returned my smile with a soft, fleeting one.
“I look forward to being in your care, my saint.”
“Of course, my knight!”
I was sure it would take a lot of training before I could join Sirius on the front lines. It probably wasn’t going to be an easy road ahead, but I couldn’t help but think it was a blessing to have people you wanted to protect and the ability to do so.