Chapter 54

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Coronation Preparations
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Whees and Zen exchanged glances before looking back at the Grand General.

If not for his wide, staring eyes, Walter's face was as impassive as usual. The only other oddity was how pale his complexion was.

Just as the silence began to feel awkward, Walter twisted his tightly set lips and forced out a question.

“Can the meaning of ‘precious’ be defined so simply?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, it’s not necessarily meant in a romantic sense, is it? Her Majesty… me… that can’t be right. Can it?”

“...What... are you talking about, sir...”

Walter looked at their dumbfounded faces and slowly sat back down. He glanced down at his hands, startled to see a crumpled document, and quickly smoothed it out.

The paper was flat again, but the furrow in his brow refused to yield. Walter rested his chin on his hand, lost in deep thought.

Precious…

To hold something very dear and important.

The dictionary definition was simple, but it was an adjective with endless possible interpretations depending on the subject.

What kind of precious did Lucy mean?

Ever since their trip to the mountain, this question had clung to Walter's mind, tormenting him at all hours.

At first, he thought nothing of it, but the more he considered it, the more profound the word seemed. The way Lucy treated him, her excessive reliance on him, the way a proper lady acted so freely around him—what if it all meant she considered him precious in *that* other sense?

...Was her lying on his lap in a thin nightgown an attempt to seduce him?

No. That couldn't be it.

When she lay on his lap and he gently stroked her hair, like threads of gold, Walter felt less like he was touching a grown lady and more like he was petting Mirbachet, the cat who reigned like a queen back at his family home.

That cat who'd grown massive from its aversion to moving, but was still cute.

...Ah, damn.

Did I just say ‘cute’?

Who? Lucy?

No, no. Mirbachet.

Mirbachet was cute, of course. But her... she couldn't be defined as 'cute'.

She was his sovereign, possessing great wisdom and sharp insight, whose occasional displays of humanity were charming...

A considerable beauty even to his own inexperienced eyes, with a vast gap between her usual languid self and her cool-headed demeanor when handling official duties...

Which came across as charming...

“This is troublesome.”

He mumbled in a barely audible voice, lifting the document to hide his expression. He didn't need a mirror to know his face was burning red.

“...This is troublesome.”

This... is truly troublesome.

When one is consumed by a single thought, it's hard to see oneself objectively. Walter knew their relationship appeared quite ambiguous to others, but he had always dismissed such perceptions as the stereotypes of the vulgar-minded.

But looking back on it now...

An unmarried man had taken a mysterious woman with no legitimacy or backing and placed her on the throne.

And then they'd spent their days and nights together.

It was stranger *not* to misunderstand this relationship, bound by a bond stronger than any engagement or marriage.

Which was why he needed to appear more virtuous. Because others could misunderstand.

But... Her Majesty had confessed first, calling him precious.

No, she couldn't have meant it that way. This was just me being overly self-conscious.

Right. That must be all it is. But...

...But...

“...”

Once this previously unconscious thought surfaced, he could no longer see her solely as his sovereign.

Not that he was going to do anything about it.

No, in the first place, Lucy wasn't the kind of woman to be swayed by anything he might do.

His thoughts branched out, stretching endlessly. Walter let out a faint sigh, reining in his contemplations, and forced his gaze back down to the document.

“...Time to get to work.”

The attendance list for the coronation ceremony noted the names of each country's ambassador and their retinue.

He was skimming past the familiar names and focusing on the new ones when the name of the Imperial ambassador suddenly caught his eye, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

“Alex Damon?”

The Empire's Minister of Foreign Affairs was definitely Antonio, yet an unfamiliar name occupied the list.

While it was common for lower-ranking officials to be sent as envoys on normal occasions, it was an unwritten rule for the Minister of Foreign Affairs or a member of the imperial family to attend important events like a coronation.

But to send someone he'd never even heard of...

Walter stared at the list with a piercing gaze, then shook his head, dismissing his unease. It was an unwritten rule, not a mandatory one.

Besides, the Empire's Foreign Minister, Antonio, was a rather arrogant man. It might be better to have someone else attend than for him to come and sour the mood with pointless chatter.

His dark eyes moved swiftly down the page.

The rain had stopped, and clear sunlight now streamed down from the sky, softly illuminating the commander's office.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Lucy raised her arms, feeling rather displeased.

A waiting maid quickly approached and put the dress on her. Over a thin cotton dress, another, even thinner dress was layered, and over that, a similar swath of fabric was draped.

She detested dresses on a normal day, but the one for the coronation was so heavy and cumbersome it made her usual dresses feel like nightgowns.

Lucy watched the maids sewing beads onto the hem of her dress with weary eyes.

“Your Majesty. You look absolutely beautiful.”

Whees said in a proud tone, stroking his chin as he looked Lucy up and down. Unused to such a compliment from him, Lucy lifted her chin and blinked one eye.

“This is the first time in my life I’ve been complimented on my looks by a Raphi. Thank you.”

“The ecru dress is a wonderful match for Your Majesty's tawny coat. It seems I made the right choice. Had you worn the green dress you selected, you would have surely looked like a zucchini.”

The compliment contained not praise for Lucy, but self-praise for having chosen the dress.

Lucy, with a sour expression, was about to retort but closed her mouth, realizing he wasn't entirely wrong. Even at a glance, the dress Whees had chosen seemed much better than the green one she had picked.

*What does it matter what dress I wear?*

That had been Lucy's thought when she first received the dress catalog. But unlike Lucy, who couldn't care less about the coronation dress, those around her treated it as a matter of grave importance.

The Ministry of Royal Rites, which oversaw royal events, had agonized over what kind of attire to prepare for the coronation of the first-ever queen.

After much deliberation, the head of the Ministry decided to ask the queen for her opinion directly. Lucy, casually flipping through the catalog, chose a strange green dress that looked like it had been included by mistake.

“This one's pretty. Let's just go with this.”

Seeing the shabby green dress, the head of the ministry couldn't bring himself to tell the queen it wasn't a good choice and could only fret silently.

The one who extended a helping hand to the beleaguered official was Whees.

Hesitantly approaching and glancing at the catalog, Whees had frowned and snatched it away.

“What is this... It's not an evergreen tree, so why such a drab design? I may not know much about human sartorial history, but I know this is completely wrong. You should go with this one instead.”

Before anyone could object to his audacity, the ministry head had defended Whees, saying it was an excellent idea. And so, the coronation dress was decided, regardless of Lucy's opinion.

“...Is my taste really that bad?”

She stroked the nape of her neck and looked in the mirror. The layered ivory dress, her wheat-colored hair pinned up high. The gown, with its minimal adornments, looked all the more elegant for its simplicity.

Honestly, she didn't think her taste was that bad. She had simply picked one at random because she had no interest in dresses.

There was a time when she had admired and loved such things. Especially after becoming the Crown Princess of the Empire, she had greedily obsessed over beauty.

But no matter how many luxurious dresses and jewels she wore, the Crown Prince paid her no attention.

And so, her desire to possess things slowly withered away. A little more time passed, and from the moment she realized the truth that all things with form eventually perish, her interest in owning and coveting things vanished entirely.

Was it because she had grown numb over the years, or because she had simply realized there was no meaning in clinging to material objects?

It was probably both. A person's beauty isn't revealed by outward appearances, after all.

She wiped away the thoughts with a self-deprecating smile. In any case, today was an important occasion, so she was very satisfied that her appearance wasn't bad.

“Hm. I think I'm about ready. Shall we get going?”

Leaving the maids behind, she exited the room.

The movements of the servants hurrying through the corridors were tinged with a nervous excitement. Lucy toyed with an earring and asked Whees.

“How's the atmosphere out there?”

“It's quite noisy, with more attendees than expected. The palace has been closed for nearly a year now, so the nobles must be feeling quite moved.”

“A good day, then. Ah, speaking of which, I'll be greeting the ambassadors after the investiture ceremony. Who did Pomnos send as their representative?”

Whees tapped his beak, a sheepish look on his face.

“I believe my mother has come. It seems she took out the Refrigerant Stone for the first time in a while. Since she has a connection with Your Majesty, it appears she wanted to congratulate you in person.”

She'd expected them to send a nearby proxy, not for the Chieftain of Pomnos to come in person.

As Lucy's eyes widened in surprise, Whees patted her shoulder with a face that was somewhere between a smile and not a smile.

“Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now. From the outer palace, that mad dog will escort you. I wish you an uneventful day.”

The 8th Squad, composed of Raphi, was set to hide in various spots to handle security and reconnaissance. Whees would likely be checking the ceilings for any threats to Lucy.

She nodded in understanding, and Whees bowed respectfully. Unlike when they were alone, he adopted a rather polite demeanor when they were out, proving he was an officer through and through.

“Um, Your Majesty.”

Whees, who had been about to turn away, hesitated for a moment and looked at Lucy. Then, he slowly held out a hand.

Lucy tilted her head, then, belatedly understanding his meaning, broke into a smile.