Chapter 417 Truth, Lies, And Unflowing Tears
It had been about 10 minutes since Marquis Grandchester knelt before the king.
This was the king's chamber, and only the loyal knight guards were allowed in.
After kneeling to greet the king, usually, the king would tell him to raise his head, but instead, the king just stared at Marquis Grandchester without saying a word.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Marquis Grandchester shifted slightly, and the king spoke in an annoyed tone.
"I know that a cure for heat fever has been made. But why is it only you, Grandchester?"
Seeing that Marquis Grandchester was struggling to respond, the king continued.
"A talented alchemist invented a magic stone that can recharge magic, and self-moving golems are becoming popular. New drinks, magical tools, effective herbal teas, cosmetics, and even the cure for heat fever... all of these involve Sophia."
"The recipe for the heat fever cure will be made public, and the Sophia Merchant Guild will not be involved in selling it."
"That was a wise decision by Sophia, who didn't prioritize the merchant guild's profits."
"Yes, but the Sophia Merchant Guild has no connections with drug wholesalers, so they can't make the needed amount of the cure..."
"At this point, she sounds more like a saint than a merchant. By the way, shouldn't we reveal Sophia's true identity soon?"
"With all due respect, I don't have that answer. I know she is close to my youngest son's wife, but I don't know the exact relationship."
"You can't expect me to accept such simple words!"
"I have no choice but to accept it. If you push too hard, Grandchester will lose the valuable presence of Sophia."
"Hmm..."
The king placed his right hand on the armrest and leaned back into the sofa.
"First, sit down."
Finally allowed to sit, Marquis Grandchester quietly took a seat slightly to the right of the king.
"I know Lady Sara is your granddaughter. But I have no idea about Sophia. I found out that you registered Sophia as a citizen of Grandchester territory and that you handled the registration for the Sophia Merchant Guild. You wouldn't do such things for someone you don't know, would you?"
Marquis Grandchester nodded quietly.
"My granddaughter... Sara asked me to do it. She is very attached to Sophia, probably because she looks just like her late mother."
"She is not Adelia Elaine Florentia herself, right?"
"Correct. My son's wife has passed away. I personally conducted the funeral and was there for the burial, so there is no mistake. Besides, Adelia and Sophia have different eye colors."
The king slowly sat up from the backrest and placed a small box with a magic stone on the table, channeling magic into it. This was a magical tool commonly used among nobles to prevent eavesdropping.
When this tool was activated, no one, including the knight guards nearby or anyone listening through the walls, doors, or ceiling, could hear the conversation.
"I want to confirm something: why did your son and Adelia run away together?"
"My eldest son and I opposed the marriage. It's quite embarrassing, but I didn't know Adelia was a princess from a fallen kingdom. I thought she was just a merchant's daughter..."
"She is definitely a merchant's daughter. But if she looks like Sophia, she must have been very beautiful. It wouldn't be a problem for your third son to marry a wealthy merchant's daughter."
"She was indeed a beautiful woman. In fact, her beauty was one of the reasons we opposed the marriage."
"Oh?"
Marquis Grandchester tightly clasped his hands on his knees, turning them white, and squeezed out a confession about his past mistakes.
"Adelia came to Avalon with a man who claimed to be her father, but they didn't look like a father and daughter at all. It wasn't just that they didn't share similar looks; the father didn't seem to care about business at all. Plus, when you looked at his body and movements, it was clear he was skilled in martial arts. But he didn't have the roughness of a mercenary; he looked more like a retired knight."
"Maybe he was a bodyguard."
"Thinking back, that might make sense. But it was clear that Adelia was very fond of that man, and because of that, I..."
"Thought she was the lover of a retired noble?"
"Exactly. I just assumed that a young and beautiful woman merchant was just someone a noble kept for fun."
"I can understand that."
"Many men were enchanted by Adelia's beauty, and the goods she brought from Genoa sold out quickly. Because of this, she kept importing more products from Genoa and, in return, bought things from places like Elma in Grandchester territory. Also, it seemed my son was helping her get permission from the royal family to export wheat."
"I see. So that's how they became close."
"To be honest, I didn't mind that my son and Adelia got close."
"You didn't care if she was a lover?"
"At that time, I thought that way. I even felt proud that my son was chosen from so many admirers."
The king looked at Marquis Grandchester with a surprised expression.
"Hmph. It's quite ironic to hear that from a handsome man of the Grandchester family. But I understand now that you were foolish. A man from the Grandchester family couldn't possibly have a lover. Even Robert, who flitted around like a bee, never had more than a one-night dream. He didn't even have a temporary partner and just kept chasing after Rebecca, which was more pitiful than anything."
"I'm so ashamed..."
"Well, whatever. What's more important is who Sophia, who looks just like Adelia, is. Did she come to visit after you took in Sara?"
"Yes. It seems that after my son and his wife ran away, Sophia, who is related to Adelia, came to visit and was friends with Sara. However, while Sophia was away from Avalon for business, my son and his wife passed away. When Sophia found out I took Sara in, she hurried to see her."
"Did she want to take Sara with her?"
"It seems she intended to, but by then, Sara had already grown close to Robert and Lady Rebecca. So, Sophia started her business in the Grandchester territory where Sara lived. She said she plans to pass the merchant guild on to Sara in the future."
"So, Sara is the successor of Sophia's Merchant Guild. Or rather, it makes more sense to think that Sophia created the guild for Sara. If she's receiving strict training as a successor, it makes sense why she acted the way she did at the banquet. But a relative, huh..."
"Your Majesty, Sophia probably has a bond with fairies."
"Is that so?"
"That's why I don't know her exact age. Often, her appearance and behavior don't match, making it really hard to guess how closely related she is, even if she is a relative."
"Sophia seems like she just appeared in Grandchester territory out of nowhere. There's no trace of her before coming to Grandchester. But if you think about it, it makes sense that an elder who had been living in seclusion started to act for the sake of his young relative. Sophia must have taken a liking to the talented Sara."
When lying, it's important to mix in some truth. Marquis Grandchester boldly lies in front of the king, but you could say he's honestly expressing what he feels about Sara and Sophia. Because of this, the king mistakenly thinks Sophia is 'one of the elders of Florence who has lived for many years.'
"But a bond with fairies... that's something to be envious of."
"Indeed."
"By the way, my grandchild was rude at Sara's birthday party, right?"
"That definitely didn't happen."
"No, no. It's shameful for a royal to talk about friendship with fairies at a child's birthday party and even ask for gifts."
"I'm sorry."
Friendship with fairies can only happen with someone the fairy wants. Fairies don't care about power or money, so even nobles can't be friends with fairies if they aren't liked.
But for humans, it's not that simple. If a high-ranking person asks a lower-ranking person in public, "Do you have a friendship with a fairy?" it means, "I want your fairy's power."
So, when Prince Andrew said at Sara's birthday party that he wanted to stay in Grandchester territory to find fairy friends, it was like he was telling the Grandchester family to make his fairy call other fairies in front of the nobles. Just because you're royal doesn't mean you can act arrogantly. Royals need to be careful with their words.
Avalon has a king at the top, but the nobles have a lot of influence. Avalon was formed by the Avalon family, who ruled the area around the current Royal Capital, bringing in other powerful families.
This means the nobles have a lot of power over their own lands. If more lords decide that Prince Andrew isn't fit to be king, even though he's the Crown Prince's eldest son, it will be hard for him to become king.
"I want Grandchester and the Sophia Merchant Guild to have a good relationship with the royal family for a long time. We can't let a foolish young man ruin that. ...But I can't say much. At the last dinner party, I acted quite rudely. Sometimes, my emotions get the better of me. I guess I'm getting old."
"You must be tired."
"Yeah, I might have stayed too long."
"Because you are a wise ruler, we want to keep you here longer."
"But Albert is getting old too. It's time to let him take over."
"It's not my place to say anything. It's all up to you."
Marquis Grandchester didn't know that the king was feeling weak, so he couldn't immediately deny the king's words about stepping down. If the king hints at giving up the throne, the attendants must deny it right away. Even if they think, 'I wish he would quit soon,' they can't admit it.
By the way, when Marquis Grandchester said "It's all up to you," it meant "Do what you want," so it was more of an agreement. This was a mistake on the Marquis's part and not a proper noble response. It was like he accidentally revealed his true feelings.
"Ha. That's true."
The king smiled at himself.
"Probably many people besides Marquis Grandchester want me to step down. It's about time. No, it's probably already too late."
That day, the king decided to step down during next year's social season. But at the same time, he felt a bit sad. It wasn't just about leaving the throne; it felt like he was parting ways with the comrades he fought with to protect the country.
* * *
'How strange. Even though the queen and all the attendants are here...'
At the same time, Musashi, who was watching over Princess Mathilda, who had a fever, felt a similar sense of loss. Even though he looked at Princess Mathilda like a grandchild, he was no longer a grandfather and not even a real human.
He had become a vague existence, like a water plant with nowhere to go, but still, he felt a strong love for Princess Mathilda inside his fluffy body.
He's never really felt family love from the princess or the Crown Prince, but for some reason, he finds Prince Andrew and Princess Mathilda really cute. He especially remembers the day Princess Mathilda was born.
He can still picture holding her, feeling her soft and squishy body, smelling that baby scent, and hearing her cry with her wrinkly, red face. Everything about her made him feel like he needed to protect her.
Even though Musashi doesn't realize it, after Princess Mathilda was born, he started wanting to lead Avalon to protect her. The king, who was connected to Musashi, also started to feel this way. He had been thinking about passing the crown to the Crown Prince, but now he felt he needed to protect Avalon even more.
'So, I guess I can't protect Mathilda anymore since I'm not the king. Mathilda, get better soon. I can't be by your side anymore, but I hope you feel loved and happy.'
With soft, plush toy hands, Musashi gently patted Princess Mathilda on the blanket, and it felt like a pain in the soul inside him. But in his plush body, he couldn't cry; he could only stay close to his beloved child.
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