His Majesty, the King, who came to visit me in my room, greeted me politely and then, walked into the room.
Thereupon, he turned his eyes with eyes filled with sharpness and calmness to me, and slowly opened his mouth.
[……Miyama-dono, it may be rude of me, but do you mind if I loosen up my words?]
[Eh? Ah, yes. Rather, calling me with “-dono” is unnecessary.]
[I see, thanks. Well then, I will be calling you Miyama-kun. You can also call me not by my name, Ryze, and not with His Majesty, the King.]
[Yes.]
His Majesty, the King…… Ryze-san then returns to what probably is his usual original way of speaking, and stares at me with a serious expression.
[Well then, let’s move on to the main topic of my sudden visit.]
[Yes.]
After the preface conversation, Ryze-san moved in front of me and deeply bowed with both of his knees on the ground.
[Once again, I want to apologize to you. I’m truly sorry.]
[Wha!? Eh? P- Please raise your head! If it’s about apologies, I’ve already received one a while ago, right!?]
[No, that was only my “apology as Symphonia’s King.” An apology from someone burdened by his country can not be truly sincere…… It would have made sense if I threw away my authority as the King as an apology.]
[A- Alright already! Ryze-san has fully conveyed how you felt to me! Please raise your head!]
Ryze-san is apologizing now, not as a king who was burdened by his country, but as a human being.
He wants to apologize from the bottom of his heart, not for the national interest…… I was very happy about what he feels, but the fact that someone more than ten years older than me was being brought down on his knees is making me feel rather apologetic instead.
Anyway, when I told her that I accepted his apology, Ryze-san bowed his head for a few seconds before he slowly stood up.
[…..Thanks. Being summoned to a different world by the Hero Summoning Magic, it would have given you anxiety for being forced to spend time in an unfamiliar world, away from the world you’ve always been familiar with, even though it’s only for a limited period of time. If I had considered that, I should never have acted that way.]
[…………..]
[Keeping that in mind, after you had gained great acquaintances, I suddenly pulled my hand away and apologized…… I may have looked quite ridiculous. I don’t mind even if I’m laughed for being a foolish king.
[……There was a reason for that, wasn’t there?]
[………………..]
The words spoken by Ryze-san definitely shows sincerity, and the emotions I read with my Sympathy Magic also shows deep regret.
I really couldn’t believe that he would do something like that just for the reason that he doesn’t like a person.
[It’s not because Lilia-san is adorable, is it?]
[……Lilianne is adorable. She’s my precious little sister……]
[However, that isn’t the main reason for that incident, right?]
[……I’ve heard some things about you from that vixen, but it seems that you really have a discerning eye.]
After saying that and letting out a small sigh, Ryze-san looked at the sofa provided in the room and asked me if I wouldn’t mind sitting down.
When I nodded in response, Ryze-san sat down on the sofa, and while looking straight at me, he opened his mouth.
[……I…… may have been afraid of you.]
[……Afraid?]
[Yeah, you’re not the only otherworlder of whom I can’t find out what you’ve done in the past…… I think their names are Aoi-kun and Kusunoki-kun? I’ll have to apologize to the girls again. I would have to say sorry for causing them unnecessary anxiety……]
[Unnecessary anxiety?]
[……I was the one who instructed Count Doukas to ogle at them.]
Count Doukas? Who’s that? ……Ahh, is he talking about Count Toady who we met back at the temple!?
Wait, eh? He was instructed by Ryze-san? What does that mean?
[……After they were frightened, the position of their guardian, Lilianne will also rise. Compared to the lustful count, the former princess who protects her guests from another world, the people around her will remember her better. In that case, Lilianne’s position will also……]
[……………….]
[Your anger is understandable. When we’re done talking, if you want to hit me, I will accept it.]
Hearing Ryze-san’s words about using Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san to improve Lilia-san’s position, I seem to have unknowingly held anger in my eyes.
However, I could still feel deep regret from Ryze-san, and I couldn’t just yell at him without thinking at all.
[……I really may have been inflexible at that time. You three are no different from my own children, even now, I still regret that I did something stupid because of my uneasiness…… I know that it sounds like I’m just making excuses.]
[…….No, I can see why you really think like that.]
[……Thank you.]
Saying that, Ryze-san bows his head once more, and his eyes become somewhat distant as he stares into the distance.
[……I originally do not have the caliber of being a King. A King thinks of the national interest…… A person who throws away other things for the sake of the country…… In that sense, people like that vixen…… Chris has the caliber of being a King.]
[…………………]
[However, I’m no good. I would put Lilianne before the national interest.]
Saying until that, Ryze-san returns his gaze to me and after staying silent for a while, he continues.
[……Did you know that I’m the child of a concubine?]
[……Yes. Lilia-san told me about it.]
[I see……. I…… I used to “loathe” Lilianne.]
[Eh?]
I was surprised at what Ryze-san told me.
Ryze-san, who was famous for being a Sis-con according to Lunamaria-san, and in fact, the person himself just said that Lilia-san was more important for him than the country, is saying that he loathes Lilia-san?
[I’ve only had a mediocre or perhaps, slightly above average talent. For years and years, since I was very young, I studied hard to become a future king, suppressing my desire to play. And just when my hard work began to bear fruit…… The Queen’s child, Lilianne, was born, and there were voices exclaiming for her to be the King.]
[……………………]
[I really resented Lilianne’s existence at that time. I had worked so hard all my life, and after all that, there’s a chance that I may not become a King…… What I had built up over the years might come to nothing. That made me angry.]
I think that has become a really difficult problem.
Lilia-san said that she and Ryze-san had a bit of a dispute over which of them would be the King, but in reality, the one he’s at odds with may be the Queen’s faction instead.
[……In the end, because Lilianne was too young and my father was becoming a bit frailer and wanted to hand over the throne early, it was decided that I would be the King…… but my fears still didn’t go away.]
[……………….]
[Lilianne was a rare genius. All the knowledge I spent years learning and the skills I cultivated, that girl acquired them in the blink of an eye…… I was scared. Objectively speaking, I am far inferior to Lilianne. I’m afraid that I’ll eventually be dragged down from the throne……]
Even though he said that he was afraid of Lilia-san, Ryze-san’s expression looked kind, as if he was being nostalgic of the past.
After a brief moment of silence came again, a gentle smile appeared in Ryze-san’s lips before he spoke.
[……However, Lilianne adored me. She would embrace me, calling me out ” Elder Brother~, Elder Brother~ “, and always cared for me. When the unfamiliar duties of a King made me tired and I wasn’t feeling well, she was there to take care of me. I cried at my own stupidity…… I wondered why I had even loathed such a kind little sister. Since then, that girl has been irreplaceable to me…….]
[……I see.]
[After that, I couldn’t help but think about how cute Lilianne is. I tried harder than ever to be a King she would be proud of. More than anything else, I desire for that girl to acquire happiness…… Even when it was suggested that Lilianne should have a fiancé at her age, I may have been sad, but I was happy if I thought Lilianne would be happy…… Yes, that’s what I thought.]
I knew that Lilia-san had a prospective betrothed, but looking at Ryze-san’s expression now, I felt that there was something slightly different from what I heard from Lunamaria-san.
[I heard that the engagement was rejected by the frightened other party when Lilianne became the runner-up in a martial arts tournament…… Don’t you think that sounds strange?]
[……Eh?]
[No matter how strong Lilianne is, she’s a sweet girl. Why would he be scared of her? Moreover, the Lilianne of that time was still the princess…… Anyone would normally want to be engaged with her, right?]
[Speaking of which……]
Indeed, now that he mentions it, no matter how strong Lilia-san is, I don’t think she would turn her fists on her fiancé, and as part of the royal family, Lilia-san is supposed to be the best marriage partner for a noble.
[I was also bothered by that, so I investigated…… but it seems that hidden behind the goodness of his outer appearance, he had been doing despicable acts behind the scenes. The fact that he was frightened was just an excuse, and it seems that he originally planned to refuse the engagement because he didn’t think he could handle a girl like her who holds a strong sense of justice…… Well, I politely asked that man to leave the scene.]
[…………….]
[……It’s just that Lilianne was quite shocked about it. For a gentle girl like her, it seems like someone telling her that she’s scary was painful…… She silently cried alone in her room.]
Even when we were just hearing about it from Lunamaria-san, Lilia-san didn’t want us to be afraid of her.
To the gentle Lilia-san, it must be more painful than anything else for others to be scared of her own power.
[……That’s why Ryze-san had……]
[Yeah, after that incident, I decided to look into the background of any man who approaches Lilianne. As her brother, I have to say, that child seems to have really bad luck with men. Every man who comes up to Lilianne has some hidden ulterior motive…… And that’s why I kept them in check…… Well, at that time, I was just keeping them in check.]
[……………….]
[……Are you aware of that incident 4 years ago?]
[Yes.]
As Ryze-san’s eyes turned sharp when he asked me so, I nodded with a serious expression on my face.
Four years ago…… The Knights of which Lilia-san was the Divisional Commander had their information switched out.
And as a result, the incident that resulted in a large number of monsters attacking and Sieg-san getting seriously injured.
[……I still can’t forget Lilianne’s face at that time. The sad and painful expression on that girl’s face as she apologized to Sieglinde, who had lost her voice, as tears stream down her face……]
[……………..]
[And even more than that, I blame myself for my worthlessness. Why didn’t I protect Lilianne, why couldn’t I protect her, why didn’t I take action before this happened, even when I knew that the factions were opposing each other for the throne?]
Ryze-san’s expression is really dyed with strong regret as he tightly clenched his fist and bit his lip while telling me that.
Because Lilia-san is really important for him, he can’t forgive himself for not being able to protect her……
[At that moment, I swore. That I would never let anyone do that again. I vowed then that I would never let Lilianne look at me in such a heartbreaking way again, and I didn’t care if I was disqualified from being a King. I don’t care how much anyone hates me, I will protect Lilianne…… After that, I used every means possible to thoroughly eliminate anyone that might hurt Lilianne. I would investigate the other person’s background, and if I even find a single black spot among them, I would crush them without any compassion.]
[…………………]
[For whatever reasons, all those people who approach her are all men. And before I knew it, I was rumored to be someone who would smash apart any man who comes near Lilianne, though I guess the facts are certainly like that.]
From Ryze-san’s wry smile, I could see a definite resolve in his expression, and I could understand that his feelings were different from what I had imagined based on what I heard from Lunamaria-san.
And then, scratching his head with a somewhat troubled look on his face, Ryze-san continues to speak.
[That’s why I was afraid of Kaito-kun and the other otherworlders. There was no way for me to check the background of an otherworlder. I couldn’t tell if you people were good people or not. However, maybe it’s because it has only been men that has been my target of elimination in the past, that’s why I’ve had particular prejudice towards you.]
[……Ryze-san, can I ask something?]
[What is it?]
[……Why are you telling me this?]
Ryze-san is unreservedly talking about his story. Thanks to that, my impression of him has changed a lot, but I didn’t know why he was talking to me about it.
Hearing my question, Ryze-san was silent for a moment…… before he let out a gentle smile.
[……I have something else to say to you other than my apology.]
[Eh? What!?]
Immediately after saying that, Ryze-san puts his hand on the ground again and deeply bows his head.
[……Thank you…… very much……]
[Eh?]
[I know from the letters sent to Father that you have restored Lilia and Sieglinde’s friendship, and that you have given Sieglinde’s voice back. I don’t know how much I could ever thank you for that.]
[……It’s not like it’s something I did……]
[Thank you…… Thank you so much…… for saving Lilianne’s heart……]
[Ryze-san……]
From the drops that fell on the sofa and from his trembling voice, I could see that Ryze-san was crying.
He really cares about Lilia-san, and he must love her with all his heart.
Thanking me over and over again, after Ryze-san stopped his tears from flowing, he stood up.
[……I really should have told you sooner, but I’m sorry it took so long.]
[No, I’m glad to hear what Ryze-san really thinks.]
[……Thank you. Miyama-kun, there’s one thing I need to ask of you.]
[You want to ask something?]
Saying that, Ryze-san looks straight into my eyes and tells me the words he probably wanted to convey the most.
[……I don’t care what choice you make in the end. However, whether you stay in this world or go back to your own world…… I hope that you earnestly face Lilianne’s feelings. That is all I wish for.]
[……Yes. I understand.]
[……Thank you. If you ever need any help in the future, you can always tell me and I will be happy to help you.]
Seeing Ryze-san smiling with a calm expression on his face, I firmly etched the weight of his words into my heart.
Dear Mom, Dad—– The impression you get when you meet someone in person is often different, and Ryze-san is a much different person than I had imagined. And, most of all—– He’s an older brother who thinks of his little sister.
As Ryze-san leaves the room, I exhale after looking at his departing back.
[……Tsk, he didn’t even bring a present while visiting someone, and you call himself a king? What a stingy man. He should have at least brought some cookies—— Ouchiiieeee!?]
[How about you start learning how to read the mood!!!?]
[Ginyyaaaahhhh!? You’ww teaw away my chweeekkkss!? I’m sowwwyyyy!!! You wwo wook sewious thewe, so I fewt wike joking awound about it……. You feew me? ——-Fugyaaahhhh!?]
[That’s even worse!!!]
I knocked the head of this idiot who just shattered the solemn atmosphere in one hit.
I guess it’s decided…… I would have to scold this woman for a bit……
<Author’s Notes>
The male characters are the main focus of an entire chapter…… I feel like rather than this being a visit to the royal palace, it’s more like these chapters especially for Lilia……
T/N: Oh, I made it until this chapter today huh. Well, here’s the chapter before I crash for the night.
30/207