Arikx and Beatrice were shown into the reception room of Schmaichel Castle.
As soon as the warm tea Bill brought was set on the table,
"How are the investiture preparations coming along?"
I cut straight to the point.
"Hey, we just got here! I'm going to suffocate and die, seriously!"
Beatrice immediately groaned in complaint.
"At least give me time to drink my tea, my friend."
Arikx casually lifted his teacup. Then, pretending not to notice my cold glare, he began taking sips of tea.
I ignored him and asked Beatrice.
"How long do you plan to stay?"
"One week! We need to throw a welcome banquet too! Your arms look fully healed, so we should spar as well. You're not going to refuse this time, are you?"
Beatrice's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
I snorted openly and dismissed the idea.
"Three days. No more than that."
"What? Hey, do you know how long it took to get here?! My butt is still sore!"
Beatrice carried on, but my position was firm.
"Rose is at a stage where she needs absolute rest. I won't tolerate a whole week of disruption."
"Ugh. When you put it like that, I can't really argue..."
Only then did Beatrice back down and mumble.
"And,"
I shifted my gaze to Arikx, who was elegantly sipping his tea.
"It wouldn't be wise for you to be away from the capital for too long at a time like this either."
"Haha, are you worrying about me?"
Arikx's eyes narrowed over the rim of his teacup.
"To think my friend could be so considerate. When did you ever treat me as a mere escort?"
He brought up the Harvest Festival incident, but I didn't bat an eye.
"The Crown Prince's investiture ceremony is right around the corner, isn't it? No need to let unnecessary rumors circulate at a time like this."
"You're right."
Arikx set down his teacup and agreed with me.
"First of all, thank you. The evidence you gathered from Henrik's territory was a tremendous help."
His golden eyes, which normally shimmered like sunlight, froze hard in an instant.
"Thanks to that, my stepmother has become quite silent lately. I'm satisfied that she seems to have learned the virtue of keeping quiet."
Henrik had prepared physical evidence showing that he had urged Cassian to eliminate me, the legitimate heir of House Schmaichel.
Such actions by Cassian constituted an act of treason that shook the very foundations of the kingdom. No matter how powerful Ravenna's influence as stepmother was, she could not cover this up.
"I would have liked to take Cassian's head while I was at it... but it seems my stepmother begged my father. Pleading for his life, at least."
"Was he exiled to the east instead?"
"Spot on. He keeps his position on the royal family registry, but his succession rights were stripped. He's probably packing his bags right now."
A cold smile brushed across Arikx's lips.
"Eliminating him would be the best way to prevent future trouble... but it can't be helped. He won't be able to return to the capital ever again, anyway."
No matter how friendly he acted in front of me, he was still of royal blood. He could be utterly ruthless when necessary.
"Nothing to worry about anymore, then."
"Exactly. The upcoming Crown Prince investiture ceremony will essentially be a prelude to my coronation."
"Congratulations."
In this moment, I was genuinely happy, so I smiled faintly and gave Arikx's arm a light tap.
"When you become king, the first thing you should do is rewrite my territory's tax brackets."
"The wealth you seized from Henrik alone must be substantial. I'm the one who even lost a villa to Bettie."
Despite his words, Arikx looked quite pleased.
"So, as you said, I won't be able to stay long. Three days it is."
"Aw, come on."
Beatrice, who had been listening from the side, pouted, but that was the extent of it.
"Can't be helped. I'll just have to enjoy myself as much as possible while I'm here. Orabeoni, hurry up and read that edict!"
"Ah, right. I was so caught up hearing such wonderful news that I forgot for a moment."
Arikx opened the golden cylinder he had brought from his saddlebag and produced a stiff parchment, which he unfurled. It was a royal edict bearing the king's seal, stamped clearly.
"Duke Dane Schmaichel rendered great service in suppressing the rebellion forces of his house and restoring order to the kingdom."
Arikx began reciting the contents of the edict in a formal voice.
"Thus, I commend the Duke for his labors, and hereby decree that the long-postponed formal marriage to the Duchess shall be held in the name of the royal family."
Arikx set the parchment down and added.
"My father is quite enthusiastic about this. He said he'll personally serve as a witness at the wedding, and that the grand cathedral in the capital will be opened as the venue."
"……."
I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a deep sigh.
A royal edict at a time like this— I had my suspicions, but I never expected it to contain something like this.
"My father must owe you a great deal."
Arikx chuckled at my expression.
"The very act of quietly handing over Henrik's evidence to me essentially protected the royal family's authority."
"I just didn't want to get caught up in annoying matters."
"My father doesn't see it so simply."
Arikx rolled the parchment back up and slid it into the golden cylinder.
"He's likely trying to publicly declare you as my strong ally while simultaneously securing the loyalty of the Schmaichel ducal house."
"Hmm."
"This wedding is essentially a national event, so the money will come from my father's pocket. Technically the royal treasury, but still."
Beatrice chimed in with a grin.
"Isn't this a great opportunity to secure your subjects' hearts without spending a single penny?"
"A provision to reduce taxes in the Schmaichel territory for three years in commemoration of the wedding is also included. This promise will remain valid even after I become king."
Arikx, setting down the golden cylinder, chimed in as well.
"And if the news of the Duchess's pregnancy spreads, His Majesty will likely bestow a title on the unborn child in advance."
"All of that is fine, but I'm concerned about Rose's health."
"Oh, sending the royal family's finest physician and midwife is a given."
Beatrice exaggerated in response to my muttering.
"He'll probably send the royal family's exclusive carpenter too. There's a lot to prepare for the baby, right? Work them to the bone."
"Hmm."
I despised anything troublesome and noisy. I also wondered whether Rose, who was pregnant, could endure such a chaotic process.
But this was an opportunity to permanently bury the shadow cast by the old name of Vikander beneath the royal seal.
From now on, no one would dare whisper about Rose's origins. That alone was reason enough to endure this noisy national event.
"Fine. But the journey to the capital would be too much for Rose. The ceremony will be held here."
I picked up the king's edict from the table and asked.
"Is that all the business?"
"Well, the edict has been delivered, so if you consider that the end, then yes."
Even as he answered, Arikx narrowed his eyes as if he had a suspicion.
"You're not..."
Beatrice crossed her arms and glared at me.
"Hey, are you going to see Rose right now? Are you really doing this to a friend?"
I nodded without a hint of hesitation.
"I can't leave Rose alone."
I stood up and made ready to leave.
It was about time Rose would wake up. She would look for me the moment she opened her eyes, so I needed to go.
"You've had a long journey. Get some rest today."
I left the reception room, leaving the two of them laughing hollowly.
"The butler will show you to your rooms shortly. I'll see you at the banquet later."
Thud.
Just before closing the reception room door,
"As expected, he doesn't even flinch when teased."
"How did he get even worse than back then?"
Arikx and Beatrice made sure I could hear them as they chattered.
"At this point, I really wonder if helping him back then was the right choice."
"No, imagine if we'd just left him back then. By now, the territory, the brother—none of it would be on his radar."
"I suppose that's true."
I smirked and shut the door.
The castle was going to be quite lively for a while.
**
A few days later, after Arikx and Beatrice departed for the capital amid a grand(?) send-off.
"What did you say?"
I immediately furrowed my brow. Instead of raising my voice, I lowered it further and pressed the other person.
"Explain in detail."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
The physician dispatched by the royal family was an experienced and seasoned expert. That was why he maintained his composure without panicking in any situation.
"Your Excellency's mana is like a deep sea. The child in the womb appears to have inherited that power in its entirety."
After examining Rose, the physician had deliberately sought a private meeting with me in my office.
He was worried that the results of the examination might affect Rose.
"The problem is your wife. She does not have the capacity to withstand the child's mana."
"……."
"The child instinctively craves mana to survive. But as the supply from the mother became insufficient... it has begun draining her life force as well to fill the void."
Snap.
The quill pen in my hand snapped feebly.
Ink from the broken nib spread black across the documents. Like a dark pit widening inside my chest.
"...What happens if we leave it as is?"
"The mother will not be able to endure it. As the child grows, the process will only accelerate."
The physician did not explicitly state the outcome, but it was clear enough to guess.
"...Hah."
I tossed the broken quill pen aside and swallowed a sigh.
The very mark I had so desperately longed to leave inside Rose was now gnawing away at her life.
'...Should I erase it?'
The extreme thought that crossed my mind sent a chill down the back of my neck.
It wasn't that the child wasn't precious. But the center of my world had always been Rose.
I had no desire for the tragedy of being left with only a child in a world without Rose.
Besides, it was obvious how heartbroken Rose would be if I chose this path.
There was only one path left.
"I need to save both. You know the method, don't you?"
"Of course, Your Excellency."
The physician bowed his head respectfully.
"The solution is to supplement it from outside. By continuously injecting highly precise, high-purity mana—at a level that won't harm your wife's body."
"High-purity mana."
"At a normal place, perhaps, but for Your Excellency, I imagine this would be nothing short of effortless."
He was right.
The most crystallized and concentrated source of mana in this world was right here—the Kalmar Mine.
If it meant saving Rose, I would do it even if it meant melting the entire mine down.
"You must not tell my wife about this."
"...Yes, Your Excellency."
The royal physician bowed his head without protest. I appreciated his obedient attitude.
"Go attend to my wife with great care."
After dismissing the physician, I immediately called for Bill.
I planned to mobilize the castle's entire workforce and resources, not to mention lining Rose's room entirely with magic stones.
'Absolutely.'
I would not let a single tear fall from Rose's eyes.