Ch.241-1. Coronation Ceremony (1)

# -1. Coronation (1)

The End…

It was something I had always wished for, but it felt very awkward. Unfamiliar and distant.

And it still felt the same way now that these words had come true. Rather than joy at the arrival of the end, my first reaction was doubt… Is this really the end?

I was suspicious and worried.

But at that moment… a warm touch enveloped my hand.

‘It’s warm…’

This warmth, which I hadn’t felt in a very long time, was like the sunlight of spring.

That warmth relieved the doubt that had gripped my heart and filled its place with certainty.

Instead of doubts like “What if this isn’t the end?”…

‘If it’s not the end… we’ll face it together. And we’re more than capable of doing that.’

That kind of certainty.

I expressed my gratitude to her.

“Thank you…”

I had always been doing reckless things, but she had always stayed by my side.

She believed in me and followed me.

I was grateful to her in a different way than before.

She seemed to be feeling better now, as she raised herself up while still holding my hand.

“No need to thank me. I should be the one thanking you. Without Albert, we would have been destroyed long ago, wouldn’t we?”

“Is that so…”

“Of course.”

I couldn’t quite believe or disbelieve her words, but she seemed quite sincere when she said them.

It made her words feel so real.

‘I might as well accept it…’

Whether it was true or false, I chose to think of it in a positive light.

That my role had indeed been significant.

And the world would think so too.

***

And so, the long-awaited end of the war arrived, and the world welcomed peace.

The peace that came after such a long period began to heal the world’s wounds little by little.

However, everyone was just as busy as before. Repair work on shattered structures was in full swing, and funerals for the fallen were actively taking place.

‘I’m glad everyone is alive…’

Despite such a massive war, the only funeral I had attended was the Empress’s.

It was truly miraculous.

This had hardly ever happened before.

And the low casualty count wasn’t just among the soldiers. The sight of the numerous people gathered here today seemed to prove that.

‘More than I expected…’

With so many voices reaching my ears, hearing their words made me feel a bit… embarrassed.

“Grand Duke Veros!! Thank you for protecting our country!!!”

“Thank you!!”

“Is that him?”

“He’s a hero, a hero. Should we call him a brave warrior since he killed the Demon King?”

I hadn’t had many occasions to appear before the public before, so I didn’t realize, but they were more grateful to me than I had thought.

They were praising me with grand titles like hero… brave warrior… and such.

Besides, I wasn’t even the one who directly killed Bael.

“A brave warrior… everyone’s exaggerating too much.”

It was true, but it felt a bit off when he said it like that.

Especially coming from someone who didn’t seem to have done much.

So I ended up acknowledging it.

“It’s not exactly wrong, is it? Nothing strange about it.”

“Tch… so shameless… shameless but…”

After that, he couldn’t say much else.

Still, he seemed to acknowledge it to some extent.

And I could tell he didn’t want to argue with me today of all days.

That made sense, since today was a rather special day.

‘Finally, that day has come.’

This was the second time I’d felt this feeling.

The first time, I was so excited that my heart was racing, and my tension was so high that I made a big fuss, but today was completely different.

I felt content and proud.

It was somewhat… similar to how an emperor might feel.

Unlike me, Elin, who seemed excited, spoke up.

“Like that person said earlier, you’re now the Grand Duke?”

“Not yet. And if you were going to call me that, you should have done so earlier.”

After all, right now I was just her lover.

We weren’t even engaged yet, let alone married. Though of course… that would happen soon.

Elin was curious about how soon that “soon” would be.

“That’s true… so when are you going to do it?”

“Do what?”

“Get married, or at least engaged.”

“Engagement… probably not? It’s a bit late for that. If we were going to do it, we should have done it earlier.”

“So straight to marriage!?”

She seemed too excited, given the occasion.

Normally, I might have given her a light smack, but not today. There were too many eyes watching, and I wasn’t in the mood.

So I settled for a mild scolding.

“Keep it down, it’s about to start.”

As the announced time approached, she and the Emperor made their appearance.

The two were having various conversations in a place not visible to the citizens.

I wasn’t particularly curious, but this guy…

“What do you think they’re talking about? Aren’t you curious?”

“Could you be quiet? It’s noisy.”

The coronation began shortly after.

First, the Emperor appeared before the public. He still had bandages on his left hand, but his condition seemed much improved.

Still wearing his crown, he addressed his people.

“My people, it has been quite a while. Did you watch the recent battle well?”

“Yes!! Of course!!!”

“You were amazing, Your Majesty!!”

He was amazing, indeed.

That person seemed sincere, but the Emperor himself didn’t think so at all.

“Amazing? No… my inadequacies were blatantly exposed in this battle. You all already know the result.”

When he said this, the previously noisy crowd fell eerily silent.

Watching this scene made my heart ache.

What happened was due to my inadequacies, not his, yet he was blaming himself.

However, contrary to my expectations, his face wasn’t dark at all.

Rather, he seemed to be wearing a bright smile.

“Don’t be so sad. Sacrifices in war are inevitable.”

The way he visibly shook off that sadness was truly… admirable.

He had become someone who embodied the title of Emperor more than anyone else, but… now he was no longer the Emperor.

“And… do you remember what I said before? That as soon as my child was ready to shoulder the burden of this country, I would immediately! hand over the position.”

When he said this, the people were convinced their predictions were correct.

Honestly… it was a bit early.

The aftermath of the war still lingered, and she was… still young.

But she was ready to shoulder the burden of this country.

“How has the Crown Princess appeared to you all this time? I don’t know what you think, but I was extremely proud. Even in situations where I had given up, she never showed fear… I couldn’t help but admire her.”

She blushed at the continued praise, looking too adorable to be believed as the emperor of a country.

She was looking at her father, listening intently to his voice.

“Seeing her, I realized that the time had come. That is also why I called you all here today.”

Though he hadn’t explicitly announced it as a coronation, everyone probably already knew.

And they were waiting for their new Emperor.

The Emperor turned around.

And there she was, stepping forward one step at a time. In her golden dress, she looked like an angel.

Her pure white hair matched perfectly with her dress, and her visibly nervous expression made her both elegant and adorable at the same time.

She stood before them with a look that, I couldn’t help thinking, I wanted to keep all to myself.

-Waaaaaah!!-

-Clap clap clap clap!-

“Big sister! You’re beautiful!!”

“Grand Duke Veros should pay five times the taxes, seriously…”

“He’s going to be royalty now, what taxes…”

The citizens couldn’t help but admire her appearance. She certainly had that kind of impact.

By the way, five times the taxes… what a ridiculous thing to say.

Regardless, the coronation continued.

The Emperor removed the crown he was wearing.

“I, Reinhardt Michael, step down from the position of Emperor as of today.”

Some were disappointed by this fact, but more people were not.

Clearly, their expectations outweighed their regrets.

“Furthermore, I appoint Elizabeth Michael as the new Emperor.”

The Emperor placed the crown he was holding on his daughter, the new Emperor.

This was met with cheers and applause from countless people.

-Waaaaaaaaah!!!-

-Clap clap clap clap clap!!-

Wearing the crown, she looked at her people.

Then slowly, carefully, she began to speak.

“As you all know, I am still an incomplete leader with many shortcomings. But! I will absolutely keep this one promise.”

Her voice, tone, expression.

Everything about her embodied the image of a solemn leader. She claimed to be lacking, but the reality was far from it.

“The peace we’ve gained from this war—I will protect it no matter what happens.”

-Waaaaaaaaah!!-

“Amazing!!”

“And……”

She was very serious and solemn, but to my eyes, she was just adorable.

I should probably fix that perspective… but it wasn’t as easy as I thought.

‘Peace… it would be nice if we could protect it.’

And with her, we could protect it.

If we continued to trust each other and move forward as we had done so far, it was more than possible.

As she entered the castle amid the enthusiastic cheers of her people, she was sweating profusely.

I handed her a handkerchief.

And then I said:

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”