Chapter 307: Obstruction
“You want me to stop Elizalina’s going too far…?”
“That’s right.”
The king gave a single nod.
Rezamiliana, troubled by a doubt that had surfaced in her mind, chose to voice it.
“When you say ‘going too far,’ Father, what exactly are you referring to?”
“Everything, beginning from the moment Elizalina declared she wished to become engaged to a man from a count’s house, and all actions stemming from that.”
“…In other words, you want her to sever the feelings she holds for that man.”
“Naturally.”
The king exhaled once before continuing.
“If the man were not from a count’s house but royalty, or at the very least a duke, I would have welcomed it both as king and as your father.”
However, he went on.
“There is not a single advantage to the nation’s future in a royal becoming engaged to someone from a count’s family. I cannot permit such folly to be committed over a passing emotion.”
“…”
Rezamiliana fell silent in thought.
She had spent many years at Elizalina’s side.
Never once had she seen her so captivated by something, so vividly alive with purpose.
Could it truly be dismissed as nothing more than a fleeting emotion?
Then, challenging the king’s assertion, Rezamiliana spoke.
“You say there is not a single benefit in an engagement with someone from a count’s family, Father, yet there are those among them who are both capable and kind. I don’t know what sort of man Elizalina wishes to marry, but through her duties she has cultivated a discerning eye for people.”
“Don’t mistake the matter, Rezamiliana. I don’t deny that character has value, but it is not what we of the royal family must place above all else. What we must prioritize first and foremost is lineage and aptitude as a ruler. Everything else is secondary.”
“…!”
Rezamiliana’s eyes widened.
The king continued without pause.
“Of course, someone lacking even the most basic manners or given to brutality is out of the question. Yet so long as the minimum standard of character is met, excessive kindness of heart becomes nothing more than an impediment to a king.”
At those words.
Rezamiliana thought of the person who had shown her the greatest kindness of all.
Her memories of Lux resurfaced.
“It’s true! Now you won’t have to worry about how to eat bread anymore!”
“Rezamiliana-sama, you are beautiful, graceful, and extraordinarily charming as a woman. A dress will most certainly suit you.”
“Understood. Once again, I look forward to working with you from now on.”
His kindness is an impediment…?
Unaware that something close to anger had begun to kindle within her, the king continued.
“In any case, the circumstances are as I have stated. As king, I could easily suppress Elizalina’s outburst by mobilizing the administration or the military. However, I cannot afford to have her grow resentful and abandon her duties.”
“…”
“Severing Elizalina’s feelings may be painful for you as her sister, yet this too is your duty as the elder sister who cares for her, and as the First Princess who bears responsibility for the nation’s future. It will suffice if you either compel her to abandon those feelings or persuade her to attend the Inter-Royal Exchange Gathering. Will you accept this charge?”
“…I understand, Father.”
With that reply, Rezamiliana quietly withdrew from the throne room.
Yet it wasn’t in despondency.
Within her heart, a silent blaze of anger had begun to burn.
She imagined the moment, soon to arrive at the Inter-Royal Exchange Gathering, when she would unleash that anger upon her father, the king.
After Rezamiliana had departed, the king remained alone upon the throne.
He murmured under his breath.
“If even Rezamiliana cannot persuade Elizalina, then I will have no choice but to take direct action against the man those girls favor. In the worst case, his blood may have to be shed. Should it come to that, they will finally awaken from the illusion of this so-called fleeting emotion.”