Ch.171171. Going Forward (2)

In my eyes, I could see Agnes’s figure backlit, Marianne’s back as she stood blocking her path, and Daphne’s face showing clear signs of bewilderment. I was trapped between the three of them, unable to move in any direction, just blinking my eyes.

“This seems to be your first visit here.”

Agnes stood in the lobby, wearing a faint smile as she turned her head to look around. She seemed oblivious to the rapidly cooling atmosphere. More precisely, Agnes’s smile was encompassing and suppressing that subtle atmosphere. Marianne remained frozen for a while before speaking in a half-muted voice.

“Your Majesty, why are you here without any guards…?”

“Because I came secretly. Today I just came to see Ilroy briefly.”

Though Agnes’s voice lacked playfulness, her words were teasing. Whether Marianne could truly take those words as a joke was another matter. I walked steadily toward the frozen Marianne with Daphne in tow. Agnes’s face brightened when she saw me approaching.

“There you are, Ilroy.”

“What brings you to this humble place? Please, come inside first.”

The moment I uttered those words, a lightning-quick glance passed between Marianne and Daphne. I looked at the scene in bewilderment, then shook my head and guided Agnes inside. Agnes didn’t seem to mind the disrespect being committed by Daphne and Marianne behind her.

“I’ll… hurry to prepare some tea.”

Daphne approached awkwardly and spoke. Given her personality, I thought it wouldn’t be strange if she remained frozen a bit longer, but surprisingly, she didn’t seem that frightened. Rather, her voice carried a strange hint of fighting spirit that felt somewhat ominous.

“Thank you for your consideration, Daphne.”

Agnes responded with a bright smile. The situation resembled one tiger being kept at bay by two wolves. Sitting down on the sofa in the reception room felt like sitting on a bed of thorns.

“Might you be hungry, Your Majesty?”

This time it was Marianne. Our eyes briefly met, but Marianne pretended not to see me and turned her gaze directly to Agnes. The message in those eyes I’d briefly caught seemed to be telling me to just stay quiet.

“I’m fine. I just dropped by for a brief chat, so you needn’t worry so much. I apologize for coming so suddenly without any notice.”

This time Agnes and Marianne exchanged glances. This wasn’t a duel between swordsmen measuring each other, yet their gazes were far from ordinary. I quickly lowered my head, not wanting to get involved.

“…If you had business, you could have summoned us to the palace.”

“If I had business, yes. Today I simply came because I wanted to see Ilroy.”

Agnes said this while looking at me. Even as I met Agnes’s eyes, I couldn’t help but be conscious of Marianne’s gaze fixed on me from behind. That girl hasn’t shown any sign of life in her eyes since Agnes arrived. Agnes turned her head back to Marianne and smiled. That smile was different from the one she showed me.

“You needn’t try to rush me out. I was thinking of taking Ilroy away for a moment.”

Clatter.

Daphne reappeared carrying a tray with refreshments. While Marianne’s eyes lacked vitality, Daphne’s contained a cold, vigilant light. Agnes seemed to find even that gaze cute and brushed it off with a smile.

“I’m not sure if it will suit your taste.”

“Thank you, Daphne.”

Agnes, Daphne, and Marianne simultaneously raised their teacups. I was left alone with my teacup, rolling my eyes as I watched the three of them sipping their tea. How did things end up like this? Perhaps it started when Agnes suddenly proposed to me.

“I didn’t expect Your Majesty would want to see Ilroy personally.”

“It’s a purely personal fondness. Being the ruler of a country doesn’t mean I can’t look for a partner.”

Ah, Your Majesty. Agnes never spoke indirectly or held back. The atmosphere stiffened once more at those words that came out so directly.

“A partner… Yes, I see. Your Majesty has also come of age and needs to choose a consort.”

“I’m not the only one of marriageable age. Ilroy is probably closer to my age than yours, Daphne.”

“Shouldn’t marriage happen when the parties involved want it? Better early than late.”

I don’t understand why their exchange feels so murderous. Even Agnes couldn’t let that comment slide, raising her eyebrows in response. I swallowed my tea with a dry gulp. All I could do was force this hot tea down my throat. Damn it.

“That’s true. But is there any reason to rush? I think I have plenty of reasons to hurry. I don’t think what I’m doing deserves interference.”

“I’m not sure if you really think it’s interference. Am I not even visible to you right now? I can guess what’s filling your vision without having to look.”

“…You’re getting excited, Daphne.”

I tried to calm Daphne down, but it was Agnes, not Daphne, who blocked me.

“It’s alright, Ilroy. I’m not petty enough to take issue with something like this.”

Agnes then wore a confident smile at the corner of her mouth.

“The truly petty one is the side trying to interfere with me without saying anything to you.”

“…!”

Daphne and Marianne both flinched simultaneously. The vitality began to slowly disappear from Daphne’s eyes as well. Agnes seemed to be enjoying their reactions. I was desperately hoping the sparks wouldn’t fly my way, but it seemed inevitable now that Agnes had brought up the topic.

“Ilroy, what happened between you and Her Majesty when you visited the palace?”

Hey, it’s scary when you ask with those eyes. I couldn’t even joke like that as I looked at Daphne. She put down her teacup with a clack. Looking into those eyes, I felt like I might blurt out even things that never happened, so I deliberately picked up my teacup.

“Why grab someone else when the person in question is right here? Don’t bother the wrong person, just ask me.”

Marianne, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, opened her mouth.

“…Could you tell us what happened?”

“It’s not like a crime was committed, so why the urgent questioning? Ilroy didn’t do anything wrong. You both know that.”

The two women showed increasingly anxious expressions, while Agnes maintained her composure. If this were someone else’s affair, I’d want to pop some popcorn and watch, but right now I was less a spectator and more like the popcorn being popped.

“Whether something wrong was done or not depends on the situation.”

“I proposed to Ilroy. A serious proposal, not a joke or anything else.”

Agnes said with a cold smile. Marianne blinked as if she hadn’t understood, and Daphne responded with a “hmm” while her hands trembled.

“The answer, what was the answer? What did Ilroy say?”

“I was rejected. I was quite surprised to be rejected.”

And just like that, the freezing atmosphere shattered in an instant. Marianne couldn’t even blink, with a question mark floating above her head, while focus returned to Daphne’s eyes. Looking at the two of them, Agnes laughed again as if amused.

“…What?”

“So, I came to try to persuade him again. Pride aside, I think Ilroy is too good a person. Walking and talking together, just the two of us, might build some affection between a man and a woman.”

Agnes turned her head toward me as she spoke. I couldn’t begin to guess what those red eyes were thinking. I thought the answer I had given Agnes was close to acceptance.

“Now, Ilroy. Will you accompany me for a while?”

“H-how shameless!”

Daphne, her face bright red, rushed toward Agnes who was taking my hand to lead me away. Her swaying pink hair looked like fluttering cherry blossom petals.

“Shameless?”

“Weren’t you already rejected once? Then there’s no need to keep clinging to Ilroy and bothering him. The answer was clear.”

“Rejecting a proposal doesn’t mean rejecting the chance to build a relationship. Look, Ilroy doesn’t seem to dislike it either?”

More precisely, I was just too shocked to say anything. Agnes was subtly using force to lead me, and if I relaxed my body, I’d be dragged along like a paper doll.

“Are you going…?”

And there was Daphne, looking at me pitifully. Honestly, whenever Daphne’s purple eyes gazed at me like that, I couldn’t help but feel a stirring in a corner of my heart. Anyone would feel their heart flutter when faced with such eyes. I rationalized to myself as I stiffened my lips.

“Whether he goes or not is Ilroy’s decision. Don’t sway him from the middle.”

“You’re saying that while pulling his hand?”

Unable to stand by any longer, Daphne grabbed my other hand. Suddenly, this moment became oddly embarrassing, and I wanted to sigh deeply. Then, someone else’s hand was placed on top of mine where Daphne was holding it.

“Wait.”

Marianne said this while exchanging a meaningful glance with Daphne. No words were exchanged, but their eyes were saying many things I couldn’t understand. Daphne bit her lip firmly, then reluctantly let go of my hand.

“You’re giving up so easily.”

“It’s not giving up. Ilroy will have to return to ‘our home’ anyway.”

Agnes let out a hearty laugh and pulled me closer. I was dragged along without resistance, and Agnes’s arms were suddenly wrapped around my right arm. Seeing this, Marianne and Daphne froze again, and the corners of Agnes’s mouth turned up slightly.

“Thank you for your consideration. Well then, I’ll go for a walk with Ilroy for a while.”

I remained still, letting Agnes pull me along with cloudy eyes, while in front of me there seemed to be a silent outcry. Honestly, this feels more exhausting than facing one of the calamities.

==

“Why did you do that?”

As soon as we stepped outside, we both concealed our presence without needing to discuss it. Agnes, who had been happily linking arms with me, was now walking about a step away. People couldn’t perceive us at all. We walked slowly to the park near headquarters.

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you change your words to say I rejected Your Majesty’s proposal?”

Agnes stopped walking and turned around. Leaves were slowly falling from an oak tree. Agnes smiled as she lightly caught a falling leaf on her fingertip.

“I have no intention of monopolizing you. My choice to marry you was simply for political reasons, thinking it would benefit both of us. If you truly love someone, how could I stop you from giving your heart to them?”

She released the leaf back into the wind and shrugged her shoulders.

“They should have their chance too, and I don’t intend to ignore the bonds and time you’ve built with them. I just provided a small catalyst because they seemed content to simply stand by your side without taking action. My actions just now had no meaning beyond that.”

Agnes said this as she elegantly sat down on a bench in front of the oak tree. Then she patted the seat beside her, inviting me to sit.

“Then all the things you said before become lies.”

When I said this, Agnes slightly furrowed her brow.

“That’s a spiteful thing to say, Ilroy.”

“Then, were your words about embracing my fears also born from lies?”

Agnes pouted and shook her head.

“…When you ask like that, I have no choice but to say no.”

“As much as I do as I please, Your Majesty should do the same.”

I knew of Agnes’s sacrifices and dedication. At the very least, she had the right to do as she pleased. I decided to accept that.

“When I look at you closely, you’re quite a greedy person.”

Greed. I resolved to indulge my greed with all my might. I won’t give up anything. Neither finding the Holy Sword nor thinking about the life I’ll return to.

“If I weren’t greedy, I wouldn’t have been able to save people.”

“I really like that about you, Ilroy.”

Agnes smiled as she took my hand. I didn’t avoid it. Both the queen and the hero could achieve what they wanted by indulging their greed to the fullest. As I was thinking this, Agnes’s face suddenly came very close. I opened my eyes wide as I looked into those half-closed red eyes. The distance was as thin as a sheet of paper. Agnes’s breath touched my nose. Her breath smelled like clean snow.

“Just teasing.”

With that, Agnes pulled her face back slightly. I gave a hollow laugh, and Agnes shrugged her shoulders. Then, she dropped words I simply couldn’t ignore, along with a smile.

“I’ll patiently wait for my turn.”

“…”

As she turned her head away saying that, was the blush I glimpsed on Agnes’s face just my imagination?