A King is Born on the Road

“……”

“Who is it that you can’t tell me?”

No matter how many times he questioned her, Peonia did not answer, so Hayer eventually decided to change the direction of the question.

“Can you tell me where you met?”

“Ah.”

Peonia looked rather cheerful, perhaps even wanting to say it herself because she couldn’t say anything else.

“We met at home.”

“…At Asheri?”

It was the least desired answer. The fact that they met at Asheri, located on the border, meant that there was a high possibility that his father was from Siere.

Hayer sighed, and Peonia continued.

“I was fifteen.”

Fifteen?

Hayer paused.

At fifteen, it was three years before his mother got married.

Peonia slowly recalled the memory of that time.

“I fed him. Came into my house like a cat.”

“……”

Is it right that she’s talking about his father? It sounds like something completely different.

While Hayer was doubtful, Peonia continued to speak.

“Because Eswa lied.”

“……”

“Came here without knowing, and was dying. So…”

Not at all, it didn’t connect.

Hayer eventually gave up understanding and picked up another peach that Peonia had her eyes on.

“Are you going to eat?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll give it to you today because it’s been a while, but you shouldn’t eat too much at once.”

Peonia smiled at his nagging.

“You say the same thing as your father.”

In conclusion, Hayer was convinced that he and his father were very much alike. You’ll notice the moment you see it, Peonia had repeatedly said.

Peonia said this and that, whether it was a cat or a lie, but it was impossible to pick out what was really related to his father.

The only thing that is certain is that he resembled his father, but he still thought it was a good thing that he met his mother for the first time in a long time. Because Peonia looked happy eating peaches.

Peonia ate the peach satisfactorily and fell asleep warmly under the blanket her son had covered her with. Hayer got up after confirming that his mother was asleep.

* * *

After hearing his mother’s story that he couldn’t understand the context of, he was exhausted. The sun had already set and the sky was dark.

He went to the east building, and Celios, who was making tricky demands for the servant who changed the flowers in the vase, spotted Hayer.

“You see each other often.”

“I’ll be right back out.”

Hayer said, and as he went up the stairs, Celios said.

“Is it okay to go in and out of a place where a woman your age is staying in the middle of the night like this?”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“I told you, but if you’re thinking of doing useless tricks, you’d better give up. Iris won’t marry you who doesn’t even know your roots.”

Hayer, who had already heard such words, kept going up the stairs and met Iris, who was standing in the hallway.

“Iris.”

“……”

Judging from Iris’s rapidly stiffening expression, she must have heard what Celios just said.

She stood still in her spot with a nonsensical look on her face.

She asked Hayer.

“My mother told you that… Have you already experienced that?”

“What do you mean?”

“She said that I will never marry you.”

“Ah.”

Hayer pretended to be unconcerned, but inside he was very troubled by the situation.

He’s had this conversation before, but he didn’t know if he could admit it honestly.

Hayer continued, scratching the nape of his neck.

“She did, but I don’t really care what others say.”

“Why are you staying still?”

“That’s not wrong, is it?

“What isn’t wrong with that?!”

As Iris raised her voice, the east building, where conversations were heard here and there, became quiet.

The people in the east building knew that this was the second time Iris had raised her voice.

The first was when she wanted outsiders to know that the reason for meeting Hayer was to build a bond so that the Asheri family would not go over to the enemy country.

And the second was now.

Iris wanted to let Hayer Asheri know that his paternal lineage did not matter to her.

Celios, who heard her voice, rushed up the stairs.

“Iris, what is the fuss?”

“Mother.”

Iris continued with a resolute expression.

“I’ll take care of my own matters.”

“Do you think it’s a good thing to call a man to your room at night, stay out with him, and walk around like that?”

“Yes, I think it’s a good thing. Hayer is an unbeatable knight in Luwan, and he’s escorting me. Where is the problem?”

Iris continued.

“Again, let me make my own decisions.”

“Marry Hayer Asheri and you will never be king.”

“When did I say I wanted to be?”

“Don’t you go around like that because you want to be?”

“No. That’s not the reason.”

“It’s not about wanting to be a king. It’s because you have to. You are the legitimate successor of the Lepos family. You can aim for the throne with your lineage, but why are you kicking that gift away?”

As the two began to fight, Hayer was in the middle with a stumped expression.

Should he stop them or side with Iris?

He was usually quick-witted, but in this situation, he was worried because he didn’t know what to do, and he saw Celios’s guard Peter Wick glaring at him from afar.

Hayer already knew from the rumour that he might be Iris’s father. And the look in his eyes convinced him that the rumour was not nonsense.

Peter Wick had the look of a father who would give a warning to the man his daughter had brought in first.

Peter Wick was a former knight of the Royal Knights. With his skills, he could have reached the position of leader if he wanted to, but he didn’t.

It was certain among the knights that it was because he had to guard the king when he reached the position of leader.

It was clear what Peter Wick wanted to guard, so he refused the position of leader.

The target was of course Celios Lepos, and Peter left the Knights in accordance with the tradition of the Royal Knights. It was the year Kernin Lepos, who joined later than him, became the leader.

Hayer tried to appeal to Peter Wick, at least as a fellow knight, that he was a good man, but Peter Wick seemed to be a man with the concept of ‘any man who approaches his daughter is a thief.’

In Hayer’s view, he thought that Sid Lepos was the only husband who could be understood by the couple. Of course, even that will not be enough now.

Hayer thought so, and looked around the east building for a moment. And he laughed without realizing it.

They were the servants of the east building, and two maids who followed Celios were listening to their quarrel. The two were talking to each other, glancing at each other, and then ran out of the east building to spread the fight.

The reason why the mother and daughter are fighting now is because Celios believes that her daughter is not lacking for the throne.

To put it the other way around, Iris Lepos was talking out loud that she didn’t have enough justification and qualification to challenge the throne.

Of course, it’s not a lie to actually fight over yourself.

Hayer watched the mother and daughter still arguing with each other in loud voices.

Celios was originally a royal who grew up in an extremely political environment, so it was natural, but it was strange for Iris to think and act the same.

Iris already seemed to know how quickly rumours circulated within the palace. To the extent that she can use it to convey what she wants to say.

Hayer, who was standing in the noisy fight, finally met his subordinate entering the east building. It was Hencke of the Knights of Tejas.

Hayer looked at him and sneaked down the stairs, and Hencke, who heard the fight from above, asked with his eyes wide open.

“Are you getting married?”

“Well. I don’t know either.”

“How can you not know…? Well, it doesn’t matter.”

“I didn’t know I was this bad as a groom.”

“Then, did you know how good a wandering groom could be?”

Hencke continued to speak to Hayer, who sighed self-deprecatingly.

“Where are you calling to go to?”

At Hayer’s order, a small elite of the Knights arrived in the capital. Hayer has yet to tell them why, but there was some speculation that he would be going on a very dangerous mission.