TSMMT SS 8

Prerequisite for Marriage (2)

Guiscard, Philip, and Ionia sprinted toward the sound, their faces pale with panic, only to find a young boy standing in the courtyard.

[Elysia] "No, I want to play! Nooooo!"

[Lyon] "Ah, I can't. I..."

The bespectacled boy stood flustered. Elysia clung tightly to his sleeve and shouted in protest.

[Elysia] "N-No! Play with me! You promised we'd play! You were playing with me just a minute ago!"

[Lyon] "That was before I knew you were the princess..."

[Philip] "Lyon!"

[Guiscard] "Elysia!"

Both fathers called out simultaneously. Philip pulled Lyon into a protective hug and glanced anxiously at Guiscard. A sinister aura rose from the king.

Philip tried desperately to intervene.

[Philip] "Your Majesty, please calm yourself!"

[Philip] "Nothing happened!"

Amid the chaos, Philip turned to his son.

[Philip] "Didn't I tell you to stay quiet today because we have esteemed guests?!"

[Lyon] "I was just trying to watch from afar! The kid looked bored, so I wanted to play with her, that's all."

[Philip] "Lyon, you—!"

[Lyon] "Sorry for not staying hidden. I didn't realize playing with a little girl was a crime."

Philip let out a heavy sigh at his son's sarcastic tone.

[Philip] "Your Majesty, I apologize. My son made a mistake..."

[Guiscard] "Son?"

Guiscard looked bewildered despite his anger. It was understandable. Grand Duke Kilcos was currently unmarried, so he was not supposed to have a son.

[Elysia] "Aaaaaah! No!"

She let out a piercing cry.

[Guiscard] "She has never cried like this before. What in the world..."

His expression hardened. Elysia was usually quiet. She rarely threw tantrums or expressed strong dislikes. Yet here she was, sobbing and screaming her refusal.

Lyon let out a small sigh.

[Lyon] "She says she hates her father's overprotection."

[Guiscard] "..."

[Lyon] "She doesn't want silk roads anymore. She says it's so flashy that it embarrasses her in front of everyone."

[Philip] "Lyon, stop!"

He ignored Philip's desperate warning and looked straight into Guiscard's eyes.

[Lyon] "She feels guilty and embarrassed whenever her father disciplines the servants on her account."

Philip turned pale and tried to smooth things over.

[Philip] "Your Majesty, please forgive our rudeness. He didn't know she was the princess when they played together. He only realized it as they talked..."

Darkness rippled across Guiscard's face, threatening to erupt like a thunderstorm. His expression turned so menacing that he looked like a demon lord.

Lyon turned toward his father.

[Lyon] "And Father."

[Philip] "..."

[Lyon] "I'm a kid too. Shouldn't you ask if I'm alright first? Why are you scolding me before even checking on me?"

[Lyon] "You're being completely unfair."

With his quiet indignation voiced, Lyon turned and walked away. Elysia promptly scampered after him.

[Philip] "Your Majesty... please calm down."

[Guiscard] "Elysia... isn't following me?"

[Philip] "..."

[Guiscard] "She isn't following me anymore?"

[Philip] "Wait!"

[Guiscard] "She used to say her father's arms were the best..."

Guiscard collapsed into a state of profound shock. Ionia watched the chaos unfold and let out a weary sigh.

Outside the window, Elysia and Lyon played together. She had gotten her way in the end. The laughter of children playing drifted through the window, carrying a comforting warmth.

The two fathers watched the innocent scene. Philip broke the silence.

[Philip] "Forgive him. He takes after his mother. His tongue is sharp."

Philip saw Guiscard's hollow, traumatized face and let out a dry laugh.

Guiscard parted his dry lips with great effort.

[Guiscard] "When did you have a child?"

[Philip] "Quite a while ago. Around the time you and Dianna remarried, I had a child with someone I was seeing."

[Guiscard] "I see..."

[Philip] "She was a commoner. Naturally, I intended to make her the Grand Duchess, but she asked why on earth she would want such a burden, left the child with me, and departed."

Philip noticed the faint trace of sympathy in Guiscard's eyes and offered a bitter smile.

[Philip] "Are you feeling sorry for me?"

[Guiscard] "..."

[Philip] "There's no need. I had no intention of throwing away my title, and for her to stay with me, she would have had to accept nobility and become a duchess. We simply weren't a match."

[Guiscard] "..."

[Philip] "You know as well as I do that being a noble or royal is a tedious business."

Guiscard couldn't agree more.

[Philip] "In any case, that's why I didn't raise Lyon openly. I worried that if he knew what this life entailed, he might want to leave, just like his mother."

Guiscard remained silent for a moment as the children's bright giggles drifted through the window.

[Guiscard] "Even so, I think you should acknowledge him as your official heir."

[Philip] "Pardon?"

[Guiscard] "Being a hidden child isn't a pleasant memory."

[Philip] "..."

[Guiscard] "Grand Duke, our circumstances were different, but I speak as someone who was once hidden away."

Philip looked at his face. Indeed, Guiscard had also been a hidden prince, though he had not known his royal lineage at the time.

[Guiscard] "If he despises his duties later on, he can refuse them when the time comes. But raising a child in secret... having your parents hide you always makes a child wonder: Am I an embarrassment? Am I untrustworthy?"

[Philip] "..."

[Guiscard] "Since his mother was a commoner, he might even think: Does Father find me burdensome? Does he dislike me?"

[Philip] "..."

[Guiscard] "Consider what it feels like to be the hidden one."

Guiscard rarely spoke at length. This was likely the longest speech he had ever delivered. His words and demeanor deeply moved Philip.

They had never been on good terms. In fact, they were two men who should have been bitter enemies. Yet here they were, grown into mature men, sharing fatherly counsel.

[Philip] "I see... Thank you."

[Guiscard] "Consider it payment for the earful your son gave me."

[Philip] "..."

[Guiscard] "I was worried because Elysia seemed increasingly listless lately. I failed to realize that she was growing up."

Ah.

Over the years, this man didn't just change. He grew. Beyond his immature youth, he was becoming a true adult. Surely, that was thanks to Dianna.

The door burst open.

[Elysia] "Father!"

Her bright, adorable voice echoed through the room. Smiles automatically formed on both men's faces as they looked toward the doorway. However, Guiscard's expression gradually froze when he noticed one specific detail.

She held Lyon's hand tightly and declared:

[Elysia] "I've decided! I'm going to marry Lyon!"

And just like that, Panborough stood on the brink of ruin once more.

Guiscard grabbed the hilt of his sword. A murderous intent radiated from him.

Philip had just thought the king looked mature, but seeing this, he hadn't grown up at all. Drawing a blade against a child? Philip was utterly flabbergasted.

[Guiscard] "Seducing my young daughter already..."

Guiscard ground his teeth and exuded raw hostility.

[Philip] "Your Majesty, calm yourself! And who seduced whom? The princess is the one courting my son!"

Lyon looked up at his father with wide, sparkling eyes, touched by the sudden defense. Philip was encouraged by his son's gaze and stood his ground firmly.

Ionia passed by the room, took in the scene, and gaped in horror at Guiscard's bloodshot eyes.

[Ionia] "W-Wait, Brother! Is Panborough meeting its demise today?! He looks ready to slaughter everyone in sight!"

[Philip] "No, I mean, the children just said they want to marry, so why is he reacting like this?! Treating a child with such excessive coercion and violence is a clear abuse of power—"

[Ionia] "Are you insane, Brother?!"

Ionia saw that Philip had lost his mind as well and shrieked. Guiscard gnashed his teeth.

[Guiscard] "Elysia, I will never allow this!"

[Lyon] "Um, Your Majesty... I never said I was marrying her..."

[Philip] "Listen to what Lyon is saying!"

Elysia bit her lip tightly at her father's refusal.

[Elysia] "I don't care! Even if Father refuses, I'm doing it! I'll run away from home! I'm going to marry Lyon!"

[Guiscard] "Elysia!"

[Lyon] "As I said, I haven't agreed to a single word about marriage..."

[Guiscard] "So that's how it's going to be?"

Guiscard's menacing aura intensified and cast a chilling shadow over the room. His eyes glinted with murderous resolve as he glared at the Panborough royals.

This means war. Seducing my daughter? I'll eradicate these fools to the last root.

[Dianna] "Oh my, marriage is out of the question for now. If you want to bring home a husband, he must at least be able to defeat your father."

A relaxed, melodic voice dissolved the lethal tension in an instant. Everyone turned around. Dianna stood there, beaming brightly.

The moment she heard Guiscard had arrived, she sighed and left her old friend's home early, worried he might cause a disaster just like this.

Dianna offered Guiscard a swift, knowing glance. Instantly, the terrifying king hung his head in silence. The crisis was defused.

[Dianna] "I'm sorry about this. Elysia isn't usually so willful. You must have been startled."

[Lyon] "Not at all. It was actually nice, since I've never received a marriage proposal before."

Dianna chuckled softly at his reply. Elysia saw her mother's reaction, and her eyes sparkled.

[Elysia] "Mother, so as long as he defeats Father, it's okay? Defeating him doesn't have to be with a sword, right? As long as he becomes greater than Father?"

[Dianna] "Of course."

[Elysia] "It doesn't matter who defeats him?"

[Dianna] "I suppose so."

Dianna gave casual answers with an amused smile.

Guiscard looked placid, clearly confident that no human could ever defeat him. He still cast a deadly glare around the room at potential challengers, but he crept closer to his wife and took her hand.

Satisfied that everyone was calm for the moment, Dianna prepared to leave.

[Elysia] "I've made up my mind. I will defeat him."

[Dianna] "Huh?"

[Elysia] "I'm going to defeat Father. I'll accomplish something even greater than slaying a dragon!"

The usually timid Elysia glared at her father as if staring down a mortal rival. Dianna looked down at her daughter, a sudden thought striking her.

Surely, the prophecy I received three days ago doesn't mean...

She had assumed the prophecy applied if she bore a son. Could it really apply to her daughter, and her timid little girl at that?

Dianna forced a faint smile and shook her head.

On her way back, Dianna stopped by a temple. There was no practical reason. She missed the dragon, Tarascus.

Since the dragon was deep in slumber, she didn't expect him to answer her prayer. Yet Dianna remembered his warm presence and clasped her hands together in prayer.

Before she could even bow her head, a divine voice reverberated.

[Tarascus] "One who carries the blood of a dragon shall become the ruler of dragons."

[Dianna] "Wait, what?"

[Tarascus] "A mortal being shall become the king of immortals."

[Dianna] "Wait, Tarascus! Explain it so I can understand!"

[Tarascus] "It means the dragons will submit completely to your child."

[Dianna] "That's way too vague!"

[Tarascus] "..."

Silence lingered for a long moment.

[Tarascus] "In short, everyone will be happy. End of story."

Wow, this dragon, really?

Dianna tried to press for more, but Tarascus remained completely silent. Even so, a gentle warmth settled inside her chest.

He's watching over us. He's cheering us on.

Dianna felt a surge of courage to keep living her life to the fullest.

The god was watching over her, and with renewed purpose, she hastened her steps back to her beloved family.

— Side Story End —

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Here’s a little gift for you all: a 20-chapter mass release! I hope you enjoy it!

I had an absolute blast working on this beautiful love story. Both Dianna and Guiscard made their fair share of mistakes, but they owned up to them, learned to understand one another, and fought through every single obstacle without giving up.

What caught me completely off guard, though... Philip actually had a child with another woman?! AND around Dianna’s wedding party of all times?! I expected him to spend a few years pining in misery before finding someone who genuinely loved him, but nope... turns out life had other plans! Hahaha.

And what about Adelheit? I guess he’s just way too wrapped up in the academy, magic, and the Mage Tower to even think about romance, lol. What do you think?

Finally, thank you so much for sticking with me throughout this journey! Reading your comments always puts a massive smile on my face and brightens my day.