Chapter 9

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The 19th King
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#9

“What the hell is this? Where did this beast come from?”

A Raphi, recognizing the Lycan by its tail, picked a fight with him. For a Lycan, who saw a fiery temper as a virtue, rising to the challenge was only natural.

In the middle of their brawling, the outmatched Raphi reported the Lycan, and Lucy, who was protecting him, was named as the mastermind.

The Raphi nearby, who already disliked her, eagerly chimed in as if they'd been waiting for the chance, and Lucy was branded the worst kind of scoundrel and thrown in jail.

“Agh, seriously. How did it come to this?”

Chewing her bread as if it were her mortal enemy, Lucy gazed at the ceiling with sorrowful eyes.

If this were the first time, she might have been surprised. What was more maddening was that this was already the third time.

Her resolve to wait quietly until the king's death had all come to nothing, and Lucy had become the most infamous human in Pomnos.

“Just tough it out for a few more days. I've called someone to vouch for you, so you should be out soon.”

The guard, who had been preening his feathers in the corner, dusted himself off, stood up, and spoke to her.

“Someone to vouch for me?”

Frowning as she tried to decipher the word's hidden meaning, Lucy tossed her food tray aside and shot to her feet.

Just as she was about to shout, ‘Who did you call this time?’, a low murmur drifted in over the clatter of the falling tray.

Heavy footsteps, accompanied by a low voice.

They were definitely the sound of military boots.

“Well now, that was quick.”

Tapping his beak, the guard glanced toward the door. A moment later, a man emerged from the shadow looming in the doorway.

The man, walking with perfect posture, would be considered quite tall for a human, but flanked by the hulking Raphi, he didn't seem particularly intimidating.

However, the crude sword at his waist and his blunt, expressionless face, combined with his reputation, bore down on Lucy's shoulders with an indescribable pressure the moment she saw him.

Lucy bit her lip and took an unconscious step back.

Noticing her flustered expression, he approached the iron bars with a faint smile.

“It has been a while, Princess.”

Walter Hyverge stared at Lucy with his stoic face.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Contrary to the common belief that it was nothing but a vast, white snowfield, Pomnos was a land with relatively distinct seasons. After a short summer, a chilly north wind brushed against the cheeks, heralding the poignant arrival of autumn.

Beneath the cool air, a vast plain where patches of green meadow peeked through stretched to meet the sky, revealing an endless horizon. In the distance, a flock of sheep grazed, and beyond them, two shepherds hurried along with armfuls of wool, their figures conveying a quiet serenity.

The picturesque scenery was something one could never tire of looking at. Walter stood before the window, his gaze fixed on the horizon as he spoke.

“I was quite worried, as this is a difficult region for humans to live in. Seeing that you are well puts my mind at ease.”

It would have been better if he'd just been sarcastic.

His earnest voice, devoid of any mockery, pricked at Lucy's conscience.

Pretending to be unfazed, Lucy straightened her back and offered him a cup of warm sheep's milk.

“Thank you for your concern. I apologize for worrying you. You didn't come all this way just for me, did you?”

Walter raised the cup and took a sip of the milk. After a brief silence, he turned his gaze to Lucy and spoke.

“A year ago, when you were first imprisoned, I signed as your guarantor. Since then, the Raphi seem to regard me as your guardian, Princess.”

When she was first brought to the prison, the Raphi had checked Lucy's background and mistaken her for a political criminal or a spy.

As a city-state, Pomnos was an ideal place for criminals from other nations to hide. Of course, it was so cold that most humans stayed away, but historically, it wasn't unheard of for criminals to seek asylum there.

The daughter of the Parnas king's cherished concubine. A graduate of the military academy, no less.

A woman like that, leading Lycans and causing strange trouble—it was only natural for the Raphi to be suspicious.

But it seemed fate had not abandoned her, as Walter, who happened to be in Pomnos for a conference, visited the prison and cleared up the misunderstanding. Of all the many soldiers they could have brought, it had to be Walter Hyverge. She couldn't tell if their connection was ill-fated or destined.

Recalling the memory, a fresh wave of embarrassment washed over Lucy, and she subtly lowered her head. Observing her reaction, Walter spoke, his face caught in a ghost of a smile.

“It seems you are still helping the Lycans these days.”

“Well… it just sort of happened that way, but I assure you, it wasn't intentional. It's just that Lycans with nowhere to go keep showing up and asking for help.”

“You said the same thing the last time you were imprisoned. Do you recall?”

Lucy's lips tightened into a displeased line, and she fell silent.

Her vow to live a flawless life felt hollow; before Walter, she always seemed to show only her inadequate side. It had been that way at their first meeting, and when they met again in Pomnos, she had faced him looking like a fool, just as she had today.

Why did it have to be him?

To repeatedly make a fool of herself in front of the one person she most needed to impress was a disaster of the highest order.

Lucy tilted her warm cup, schooling her features into a calm expression.

“How are things at the royal palace? This place is so remote, it takes half a year for any rumors to reach us. Is everything alright?”

“That's hard to say.”

“I heard Dopein and Antevasila are preparing for war. I'm worried the sparks might fly as far as Parnas.”

“Are you worried about the country?”

Lucy scratched her cheek and gave a faint nod.

“I may be stuck in Pomnos, but… I was born and raised in Parnas, after all. It's only natural to worry about my homeland.”

Currently, Lucy was branded a traitor for fleeing with the king's favorite concubine.

She was living in Pomnos only because she couldn't return, but she had never forgotten her home for a single moment.

Was he moved by her honest words? Walter stared at her intently, his expression unreadable.

Feeling his penetrating gaze, Lucy looked up, and he feigned indifference, letting out a soft hum as he changed the subject.

“I am relieved that you are well, Princess, but how is Lady Ansilla? I heard she was born and raised in the west, so I was concerned about how she might be adapting to the cold.”

“My mother is doing even better than I am. She goes to the nursery every day to look after the Raphi children. Thanks to her, we've managed to avoid being kicked out.”

“Have you any thought of returning to Parnas?”

The sudden question left her speechless.

Trying to gauge the intent behind his question, Lucy looked at him quizzically. Walter gazed at the tapestry on the wall and spoke in a near whisper.

“Ten days ago, His Majesty passed away.”

Crash!

With the sound of shattering pottery, the cream-colored sheep's milk spread quickly across the carpet.

Unable to even think of cleaning up the broken cup, Lucy touched her lips with a dazed expression. Her lips parted as she searched for words, and after finally moistening them, she managed to speak.

“Is… is that true? I remember him being in good health. How could it happen so suddenly…?”

“About six months ago, a strange illness began to spread among the upper class. His Majesty also succumbed to that nameless plague.”

“So? Did the First Prince ascend the throne?”

“Unfortunately, the First Prince passed away immediately after His Majesty's death. The others all passed around the same time as well. Fortunately, the Third and Fifth Princes survived, but they are incapacitated.”

All the princes are incapacitated…

Repeating the words with a grave expression, Lucy hesitated before asking her next question.

“Then the throne… Who will be the next king of Parnas?”

“Actually, that is the reason I came to see you today, Princess.”

Walter, who had been staring intently at the pattern on the tapestry, turned his head very slowly toward Lucy.

Reflected perfectly in his black, emotionless eyes was a lady dressed in a white anorak.

“Arsinoe Thea Neoparnas. If you will allow it, I wish to proclaim you the 19th King of Parnas.”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The rattling sound of the wind woke her.

Lucy adjusted the covers and blinked slowly. She felt as though she had only just fallen asleep after worrying all night, but a bluish light was already filling the room.

“What time is it…”

She sat up and leaned her head against the wall by the bed.

The moment she moved from under the covers, the biting chill unique to the north seeped into her skin. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and stared blankly at the dawn light filtering through the window.

Her mind was groggy, but the conversation with Walter from yesterday rose with a sharp clarity that made her ears ring.

“I wish to proclaim you the 19th King of Parnas.”

Proclaim her as king.

It was such an abrupt proposal. No, it was more than that—it was a question she never expected to hear at this moment, which made it all the more bewildering.

“How did he die so quickly?”

She had expected the king to die, to some extent.

Walter had called it a nameless plague, but thanks to her past life, Lucy knew the origin of the disease. She also knew how to make the symptoms worse.

But the timing was too soon.

She had thought he would die in two years at the earliest. Moreover, the news that the entire royal family had been wiped out was a surprise even to her.

She had taken some measures, hoping the illness would worsen… but she never thought they would all end up in such a state.

The pang of guilt was fleeting. Lucy let out a dry laugh, thinking the royal family's deaths were all their own doing.

Throughout their lives, they had treated Lucy and her mother as thorns in their side. As the favored concubine, Ansilla was a constant eyesore to the official queens, and she lived under the constant threat of assassination.

There was no way those women, blinded by jealousy, would have any affection for Lucy.

“Be careful, child. If you go around relying on that face of yours, you'll end up just like your mother.”

When Ansilla wasn't around, Lucy was beaten mercilessly by the official queens and their children. Half the reason Lucy had chosen to attend the military academy in this life was her desire to escape them.

Surely, one of them must have been the one who killed her mother in her previous life.

Was it because she had become desensitized to death, or had her desire for revenge dulled her emotions?

Lucy closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the wind.

“A king…”

Originally, her plan had been to usurp the throne in three years with the help of the lords.

If time flowed according to the future she knew, in three years, Parnas would be embroiled in a three-kingdom war, and the royal authority would be weakened. Her plan was to use her connections to persuade the lords, win over Walter, and ascend the throne in that state.

But the unpredictable nature of the disease had thrown everything off course.

“…No, that's not right.”

It seems I've managed to get Walter Hyverge on my side, at least.

“Should I be happy about this or not?”

Muttering to herself as she pressed her brow, Lucy suddenly shot up.

Mixed in with the familiar sound of the wind was a foreign noise.