Chapter 36 (1/2)

Chapter 36: Chapter 36

I opened my eyes when Allendis spoke with a subdued voice. With a bitter-looking smile, he pulled me to his side silently. I was comforted when he gently patted my back and held me in his arms warmly, looking at me silently. Although I could not find the absolute comfort in him that I found in my father, I felt consoled by his gentle patting on my back.

Carried away with his warm touch, I leaned my head on him. It looked like some of my despair disappeared when I was held in his arms, smelling his unique body odor.

As I felt much better, I breathed deeply when Lars caught my eye while turning his head.

With a wry face, he immediately got angry at me and said, “What are you doing now? Pull away from him right now! I can’t stand it anymore. How could a lady hug a man so easily?”

“Hey, Lars?” Allendis challenged.

“What are you doing, Allendis? How shameful…”

“I think I have to leave now. If I stay a bit longer, I think I’m overstaying and in breach of the table manners.”

Allendis let go of me, responding to Lars scornfully. I slowly stood up and looked out the window.

‘Oh, time passed so fast!’

After seeing Lars off who often looked back and Allendis who told me he would come back tomorrow, I headed to my bedroom. I felt I should go to bed early today.

As the day of the crown prince’s coming-of-age ceremony was approaching, the capital city of Castilla became crowded with incoming nobles. The boutiques specializing in dresses for nobles were booming, and the people were satisfied with the emperor’s rule thanks to the release of the massive reserve grains. Some of the nobles balked at the luxurious ceremony at a time when the empire was suffering from famine, but the emperor was determined to have the ceremony proceed in a splendid manner even if the imperial family was financially strained because of the poor crops. Moreover, the person who came of age would be the next emperor.

Everyone was in a cheerful mood, but I couldn’t be. I was so busy because I had to attend in my capacity as the crown prince’s fiancee, but I was often afflicted with despair and hopelessness. As the day was coming nearer day by day, I got more and more nervous.

“Please eat a little more, young lady. You have to go through a big event tomorrow… ”

“I can’t eat anymore. Let me stop here. By the way, Lina, have you heard anything from my father? ”

“No, not yet. Don’t worry too much, lady. He will be in touch with you soon. ”

“… Got it.”

I lay on my bed and thought about it. What happened? Although those officials dispatched to the border returned to the capital one by one, I haven’t heard anything from him.

‘Did something bad happen to him? What if he never comes back? ‘

When I came to think of the day of possible farewell to him, my heart sank. I couldn’t stand it.

“Let’s not think that way, Aristia.”

I murmured to myself, holding the doll he gave me on my birthday last year. Probably he forgot to send me a letter because he had to go on a long journey. In terms of swordsmanship, he was the best and strongest man in the empire. So, there is no possibility that somebody could harm him. Besides, he didn’t go to the battlefield, but the border area for regular inspection.

I curled up and pulled the blanket over me. I was exhausted because I had to prepare for the ceremony for the past several days, but I was still lucid. While tossing and turning on the bed because of endless idle thoughts, I opened my eyes at the noise coming from outside.

‘What’s going on?’

Shortly afterwards, Lina came in and asked carefully.

“My lady, Veritas wants to see you. What should I do?”

“Really? Please let him in. I would rather move to another place to talk with him, but I’m too weak to do so.”

“Okay, my lady. Instead, I’ll leave the door open a bit. ”

“Whew! Yes, please.”

I slowly raised my body and sat, leaning against the pillow.

What the heck is going on? Unlike me, who used to attend official events as a child because of my status as the fiancée of the crown prince, it was customary for most of the nobles to make their debut in social circles for the first time when they came of age.

But the banquet tomorrow was a little different. As the ceremony was to commemorate the next emperor’s coming of age, it was clear that most nobles would attend, even if they were young. If that’s the case, even Alendis would attend the banquet tomorrow, and he would be very busy. Nonetheless, he visited me.