TSMMT SS 7

Prerequisite for Marriage (1)

[Ionia] "Brother, stop bouncing your leg like that. It's distracting."

At her words, Philip froze his foot. He crossed his arms and let out a heavy sigh. Moments later, his fingers tapped against his forearm, prompting another outburst from Ionia.

[Ionia] "Ugh, seriously! Even as you get older, you never change."

[Philip] "Look who's talking! You became a priestess in the Holy See, yet you have zero patience!"

[Ionia] "That's why I quit being a priestess!"

The siblings bickered as if no time had passed at all.

Guiscard was gradually restoring Panborough's autonomy, so Ionia no longer needed to keep a low profile in the Holy See.

The Pope held her in high regard and suggested she return to Panborough, where work awaited her. Following his advice, she resumed her duties in her homeland.

[Philip] "Still, why are they taking so long?"

[Ionia] "I know, right? Why are they taking so long? Did the child fall ill or something?"

At her offhand remark, his face hardened.

[Philip] "Don't you dare say such things."

[Ionia] "Huh?"

[Philip] "Do you have any idea how insane King Guiscard is? He is completely obsessed with that child."

Hearing Philip, who usually spoke so mildly, use such crude language was startling. His harsh tone stemmed not from lingering jealousy over Dianna, but from sheer, overwhelming dread.

[Ionia] "Why? What did he do?"

[Philip] "He was even worse during Ann's pregnancy. Whenever she had morning sickness and couldn't eat, he threw everything out."

[Ionia] "Threw it out? Isn't that normal?"

[Philip] "Not just the food! He replaced the raw ingredients, the palace chefs, and even the suppliers who delivered the produce. Even I wasn't that extreme."

[Ionia] "That sounds almost endearing."

He shook his head.

[Philip] "You think that's all?"

[Ionia] "I heard he replaced a few royal physicians. But that's..."

She let out a sigh.

[Philip] "He claimed there was a lack of research on expectant mothers, so he established an entire medical research institute dedicated solely to studying what pregnant women can eat."

[Ionia] "I guess one ought to marry a king."

Her eyes sparkled. To her, it sounded slightly excessive, but ultimately romantic.

Philip, however, shook his head in grim disapproval.

[Philip] "When Ann mentioned that a mountain visible from her window blocked her view, do you know what he did?"

[Ionia] "What?"

[Philip] "He erased the mountain."

[Ionia] "What?"

[Philip] "Literally. The mountain is gone. He pulverized it with his aura like a madman."

[Ionia] "..."

Okay, that is insane.

She asked cautiously.

[Ionia] "What was he like when Sister Dianna went into labor?"

[Philip] "What was he like? It was a complete circus."

[Ionia] "..."

[Philip] "State religion be damned. He had priestesses from the Holy See, shamans, archmages, and royal physicians on standby around the clock."

She remembered vague rumors from a friendly priest. Picturing such a formidable king surrendering to superstition felt jarring.

[Philip] "And it didn't end after Princess Elysia was born."

[Ionia] "..."

[Philip] "If the princess stumbles while walking..."

[Ionia] "Wait... as a tyrant, did he execute all the nursemaids and servants attending the princess?"

He looked at his sister's wide, expectant eyes with disdain.

[Philip] "You haven't grown up at all... Would he go that far?"

[Ionia] "Did he dismiss them, then?"

[Philip] "If he did that, Ann would never forgive him. Instead, he turned every path the princess walked into a silk road."

[Ionia] "A silk road...?"

[Philip] "Literally. He paved the ground with padded silk so the Princess wouldn't get hurt even if she fell."

Excess upon excess upon excess.

Ionia let out a long sigh.

[Philip] "And it's the same for the princess now. If she says she likes trees, he plants a forest. If she dislikes a hill, he flattens it. He has altered Lodbrog's geography several times already."

[Ionia] "Goodness..."

[Philip] "Now think about it. What happens if Princess Elysia gets hurt here in Panborough?"

[Ionia] "..."

[Philip] "King Guiscard has maintained an extraordinarily benevolent reign so far, but when it comes to his child, he is fiercely possessive. If any noble in Panborough so much as scratches her..."

[Ionia] "Panborough will be wiped off the map entirely."

Philip didn't bother contradicting her.

The reason behind the king and the princess' unexpected visit was simple: to retrieve the queen as quickly as possible.

The queen was currently attending the wedding of her close friend, Young Lady Cattleya. Displeased that the queen would be away even for a few days, the king and the princess had personally come to fetch her.

It would take roughly two days for Dianna, the only person capable of reining in Guiscard's temper, to conclude her schedule and arrive. If anything happened to the princess within those forty-eight hours, war would break out.

Philip's panic was entirely justified. Ionia watched him and shook her head. He had long surrendered any lingering feelings for Dianna, and he now viewed Guiscard's presence as a walking calamity. After all, Philip had a nation left to protect.

In this tense atmosphere, the King of Lodbrog and Princess Elysia arrived at Grand Duke Kilcos' estate.

The first impression Princess Elysia gave was surprisingly tranquil. Given her father's intense overprotection, Ionia had expected a spoiled brat, much like she herself had been in childhood. Yet the child inherited her mother's calm demeanor. She nestled in her father's arms and observed the crowd quietly.

Five-year-old Elysia watched the court nobles bow politely.

[Guiscard] "I apologize for troubling you all with my unannounced visit."

[Philip] "Not at all, Your Majesty."

He offered a polite smile.

[Philip] "The journey must have been tiring for Her Highness as well."

[Guiscard] "She wept because she missed her mother."

Guiscard looked down at the princess, his eyes overflowing with affection. The child stared blankly up at him, raised her small hand, and delivered a sharp slap straight across his face.

Clap!

The crisp sound echoed through the room. Faced with this sudden act of disrespect, Philip and Ionia quickly averted their eyes, pretending to notice nothing.

[Philip] "She... appears quite healthy."

Philip forced a strained smile. Guiscard, completely unbothered, let out a soft chuckle. Wait, a soft chuckle?

[Guiscard] "Indeed. She fell ill so often in her infancy that I worried constantly, but her grip has grown quite formidable."

The sight of him beaming with pride was unsettling. Regardless, the father and daughter took their seats.

[Guiscard] "Elysia, say ah."

[Elysia] "Ah..."

[Guiscard] "You must eat your carrots too."

[Elysia] "Okay."

Philip and Ionia exchanged bewildered glances, wondering if they were hallucinating.

Elysia was a quiet, reserved child who softly voiced her requests to her father, while Guiscard tended to her with the meticulous care of a mother bird.

Was this the legendary Dragon Slayer? Was this the ruthless conqueror who had brandished a merciless blade and swept through Panborough with a tempestuous army?

Behind Guiscard, the attending royal knights closed their eyes and nodded in solemn solidarity; they clearly understood the siblings' utter shock.

[Ionia] "Princess Elysia is remarkably gentle."

[Guiscard] "She still follows only me around."

As Guiscard smiled warmly yet again, the siblings felt an indescribable contradiction.

Just then, Elysia leaned in and whispered into her father's ear.

[Guiscard] "Elysia says she wants to play outside."

[Philip] "Ah, certainly. The grounds have been cleared of any hazardous items, so she will not be harmed."

Guiscard nodded and signaled subtly to several attending knights.

[Ionia] "Do you miss Sister Dianna that much?"

Philip immediately stepped on her foot under the table, but Guiscard responded with surprising lightness.

[Guiscard] "What husband in this world wouldn't miss his wife? She has been gone for half a month already. At this rate, it will be a full month. It is simply too long."

At his crestfallen expression, Ionia laughed softly.

[Ionia] "I thought so when we were younger, but you have eyes for no one but her."

[Guiscard] "..."

[Ionia] "That must be why she is so happy."

[Guiscard] "..."

Guiscard offered no further comment, but the atmosphere remained warm and pleasant. Though royal blood from Panborough flowed through Guiscard's veins, making them distant cousins, their past relations had been far worse than those of mortal enemies.

Guiscard participated in the polite, superficial conversation as he observed the siblings' faces. The relaxed mood softened him, and he took a quiet breath, as if making a solemn resolve.

[Guiscard] "There is something I wish to apologize to you both for."

[Ionia] "..."

[Guiscard] "Driven by vengeance, I invaded Panborough, slew your mother and father, and destroyed everything."

Ionia and Philip exchanged startled glances. Had they not already agreed to bury the grudges between them? This sudden, unprompted apology left them speechless.

[Guiscard] "I am sorry."

Now they understood why the king had stopped here instead of riding directly to Dianna. He had intended to deliver this long-overdue apology.

[Guiscard] "Just as I wronged Dianna, I wronged you both."

[Ionia] "..."

[Guiscard] "I will spend whatever time I have left to restore what I broke."

The siblings remained silent, staring at his face. Ultimately, he was the legendary hero who had brought Panborough to its knees, and his presence here caused them immense discomfort. Had he not been Dianna's husband, they would have cursed his very name.

Yet hearing this single, sincere apology thawed something frozen inside them, especially for Ionia, who had lost both her parents to his blade.

With the superficial pleasantries stripped away, a somber stillness settled over the room.

[Ionia] "I will not say I forgive you."

Her parents' transgressions had been severe, and forgiveness belonged only to the dead.

[Ionia] "However, I will accept your apology."

Ionia spoke in a quiet, steady voice. Philip, who had been studying Guiscard intently, finally offered a response.

[Philip] "You have changed, Your Majesty. You have become a far better man: a good king, a good husband, and a good father... unlike myself."

At Philip's somber tone, Guiscard looked up. He knitted his brows slightly, gathering a rare moment of courage to ask:

[Guiscard] "Has something happened?"

Waaaaah!

At that exact moment, a sharp wail echoed from the courtyard, a harrowing cry straight from hell.

It was, without a doubt, Princess Elysia's voice.