TGS - Chapter 77
Chapter 77: Entering the City
In a distant memory, her enemy had brought a child slightly taller than the Princess.
The adult wore a righteous expression, while the child had a shy smile.
Her father, the king, said to Alyuin, "This is your cousin, Alyu."
The Princess: "Cousin?"
The older child across from her spoke politely, though with a hint of unfamiliarity, "Greetings, Your Highness Alyuin. You may call me Romuer."
Her father shook his head and smiled. "I already said he's your cousin, why use such a formal title? It seems so cold. Just call each other by your names."
Horst demurred several times before finally agreeing.
After that, Horst seemed intent on having the two children grow close and often brought his son to the royal palace.
The Princess was completely absorbed in her martial arts training. At only five or six years old, she could already wield a wooden sword with impressive form. Her attitude toward her cousin was neither close nor distant, so their initial conversations went something like this—
Romuer: "Your High... Alyuin, Father said I should play with you nearby. Do you want to play games in the garden, or go out into the city?"
Alyuin: "Do you practice martial arts?"
Martial arts was a required subject, so of course Romuer said yes.
So the little princess led him to the training grounds, defeated him with ease in a sparring match, and immediately lost all interest in her cousin.
The next time he came, Alyuin had learned to handle him the same way she handled her father's ministers and the noble ladies who treated her like a clueless child.
Even so…
Her father and mother had no other children, and Alyuin had no siblings.
Among the children her age, most of the girls didn't study martial arts; when they gathered, their mothers would lead them in discussions of literature and music. The boys couldn't beat her and were treated by the Princess as mere training dummies. Alyuin had no interest in chatting or playing with them; in fact, she found it rather distasteful.
Most importantly, the children her age were too immature.
Alyuin always felt out of place when interacting with them, like an older child leading a group of toddlers in a game. The much older youths only saw her as a child, and because they knew more about etiquette and social hierarchy, they were unfailingly respectful to the Princess, which was incredibly dull.
Alyuin had no playmates. For her cousin, who was a few years older and someone she could communicate with, she held a faint sense of kinship, however slight.
Though he was called her cousin, their blood relation was distant enough to be negligible.
Among the descendants of past kings, princes who were exceptionally talented but did not inherit the throne would either serve the new king as trusted aides or leave the royal city to become governors of other cities.
Their descendants would inherit the position of city lord until some unworthy scion made a grave mistake, at which point the hereditary position would be reclaimed by the reigning King of Solancia.
Those important cities with relatively special status were inevitably controlled by the many collateral branches of the royal family. Each city lord was required to report their chosen successor to the royal city as early as possible.
To better educate these heirs, and to cultivate loyalty to the future king from a young age and prevent them from developing dissent, heirs of similar age to the prince were sent to the royal city during their childhood to be educated alongside him.
Horst had once been the heir to such a city.
The city of his birth was not a major one, but a prosperous secondary city renowned for its stone quarries, which gave it some fame within Solancia. Because of this special status, Horst was summoned to Akhet to attend classes with the former king, who was then a youth.
According to custom, Horst should have returned to his hometown upon completing his studies.
But during their years as classmates, he earned the deep trust and friendship of the former king and also demonstrated some ability, which allowed him to stay.
He remained in the royal city as the former king's confidant.
When the former king was still the Crown Prince, Horst was his advisor.
When the former king ascended the throne, Horst naturally became a minister wielding great power.
Horst married and had a son in Akhet, displaying the same unwavering loyalty to the former king as ever.
The former king trusted him, treating Horst as a close blood cousin. Even the young Alyuin called him uncle.
Who could have imagined that such a man harbored such wicked intentions?
Who could have guessed that he would personally kill the cousin who had treated him so well, then shift the blame to the supposedly mad former queen before stepping over his brother's still-warm corpse to ascend the throne?
No one imagined it, and no one knew.
Alyuin had heard about Horst's performance at the former king's funeral. He had thrown himself upon the coffin, weeping to the point of near collapse, and had broken down sobbing several times while delivering the eulogy.
His impeccable acting convinced everyone present of his deep affection and loyalty, making them believe that his succession to the throne was merely a choice made out of necessity.
However, by a twist of fate, Alyuin discovered that the coffin at the funeral was likely empty, or perhaps held another body.
Her true father had been placed beside her mother.
They lay together in a small, black stone coffin used to imprison criminals.
How guilty Horst must have been! So guilty that he dared not let his cousin's soul depart with the Yilu River, dared not let his cousin recount his deeds before the God of Death!
Alyuin had no opportunity to expose him.
The day after the funeral, the Princess was sent away on a carriage into exile.
And now, nine years later, the son of her enemy appeared before Alyuin.
Her fingertips uncontrollably dug into her palm, then quickly released. No one noticed this momentary loss of composure.
Only Lotus.
The River Goddess asked in a barely audible voice, "Alyu?"
"It's him," Alyuin said in a low voice, the words seemingly forced through gritted teeth. "Horst's only son, Romuer."
Lotus looked toward the newcomers. The young man in the lead wore thick, fine woolen clothes, a royal crest pinned to his chest.
As his horse trotted forward, his cape billowed behind him.
Only the direct royal line could wear the royal crest.
Although most people still considered the former king's line to be the direct one, it wouldn't do for the current king and crown prince to go without a crest.
The only person who could be here at this time was Crown Prince Romuer.
Lotus took the Princess's hand. The touch was light. Alyuin squeezed back firmly, as if to say, "I'm fine."
Their hands touched and parted in an instant.
Just then, the Crown Prince's party arrived. Romuer swung himself off his horse, showing signs of some martial training.
The crowd waiting at the city gate immediately rushed forward, bowing in unison. The man in the lead announced loudly, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince. I am Fenlieni, the Lord of Disimeng City, here to welcome your arrival."
"Yes, there's no need for such ceremony." Romuer nodded, his demeanor amicable. "I have come this time to oversee the disaster relief. Time is of the essence, let's go inside the city to discuss the details."
The Lord of Disimeng naturally agreed.
Romuer then turned his gaze to the caravan and asked, "And you are?"
The city lord said, "Your Highness, this is a caravan from the border. They have brought relief supplies."
Romuer: "From the border?"
He thought for a moment, then asked with some uncertainty, "Is this the caravan Alyuin is with?"
"Alyuin—Her Highness?" The Lord of Disimeng hadn't known the Princess was coming, but he at least knew her name. He looked at the caravan members with surprise and doubt.
The caravan master wore a smile, but he didn't know what the Princess intended and secretly glanced at Alyuin out of the corner of his eye.
The Princess did not react immediately.
Romuer bore a slight resemblance to Horst. She stared coldly at the Crown Prince, as if she could see through his face to Horst's sanctimonious visage.
The feud between Alyuin and Horst was a mortal one, irreconcilable. As for the Crown Prince…
She remembered that when the incident happened back then, Romuer had apparently gone to his father's birth city to visit his grandfather. He had been absent from the events.
Right now, he seemed to be unaware of the truth.
But, so what?
Before it all happened, hadn't Horst also acted utterly loyal, without a hint of duplicity?
To take a step back, even if Romuer was completely ignorant of the matter, even if he bore her no ill will, even if he hadn't noticed anything amiss all these years and still thought his father was a good man—
Romuer was Horst's son.
Even if he was ignorant, how could Alyuin possibly see him as innocent?
But it was not yet time to fully reveal this animosity.
Horst's faction did not know that the Princess had witnessed the truth of that year. They thought she was just a confused little girl who had been sent away. Even if they had their suspicions, they couldn't be certain, and they certainly couldn't produce any evidence.
In their presence, Alyuin's expression could show calculation, dissatisfaction, rivalry, and disgust, but it absolutely should not show the irrefutable, deep-seated hatred of a final verdict.
She adjusted her emotions in an instant. Alyuin urged her steed forward a step, moving ahead of the others.
Beneath her silver helmet, her golden eyes were cold. She raised her lips in a smile devoid of warmth.
"Long time no see, Romuer."
"It really is you. To see you here is truly unexpected."
Romuer paused, studying the Princess's face, and said with a sigh, "You've grown up, Alyuin."
The corner of the Princess's eye twitched. She restrained the urge to draw her sword and said coolly, "I'll go on ahead. I'm not fond of reminiscing at the city gate." Especially with the frequent aftershocks.
With that, she gave a courteous nod and signaled for the caravan to enter the city.
The people in the Crown Prince's retinue all showed expressions of displeasure. Someone even opened his mouth to reprimand her but was stopped by a companion.
Romuer clearly noticed the Princess's coldness. After a moment's thought, an apologetic look crossed his face.
"It's not very safe here. Let's go inside. Lord Fenlieni, thank you for preparing the carriage, but it won't be necessary."
The two groups entered the city one after another.
Disimeng City was a scene of devastation. The area near the gate was the city's outskirts, a residential district for the poor and some common folk, where almost no houses had survived the earthquake.
Further in, the situation was slightly better, but there were still a great number of collapsed buildings. And as for the houses that appeared largely undamaged, there was no telling when they might suddenly collapse.
The city lord's manor and the temple were among those that looked mostly intact on the outside. A few people could be seen carefully moving in and out, carrying things, but no one dared to stay inside.
Many simple sheds and tents had been erected in the open spaces, packed closely together. Survivors gathered here. Occasionally, someone would carry in a newly rescued injured person. Many victims huddled together, wrapped in thick quilts, clinging to one another for warmth.
The city lord's men knew the Princess was with the caravan and didn't dare to be presumptuous. While the lord himself remained by the Crown Prince's side, others were sent to receive the caravan and arrange a place for them to stay.
Alyuin was assigned a separate tent. It was rather small, but at a time like this, she didn't care.
Under the Princess's instruction, the merchant went to discuss the handling of their supplies with the person in charge, while the Royal Guard and caravan members took time to rest.
The Princess pulled Lotus into the tent.
Lena and Motis gazed at the small tent, wanting to speak but holding back. As the Princess's confidants, they likely knew the truth.
They exchanged a look and could only sigh.
Luca, who was out of the loop, came over and asked curiously, "What's wrong with Her Highness? She doesn't seem very happy."
Lena was exasperated with this subordinate whose emotional intelligence was on par with, if not worse than, Motis's. She said in a low voice, "Don't disturb Her Highness for now. You'll understand later."
She then turned to the golden eagles perched nearby. "You two as well. Go find food nearby, or wait until later to beg for some." She said it without caring if the eagles could understand.
Luca: "Oh."
The two golden eagles: "Scree."
Inside the tent, Alyuin sat on a newly laid mat, polishing her longsword.
As she polished, she said softly, "I never expected to meet someone so closely connected to Horst here."
"I was fully prepared, but…"
Lotus: "Alyu, you were calm enough."
Alyuin gave a bitter smile. "But you still noticed."
"I noticed because I know you. If Horst were standing here, he wouldn't have seen any flaw."
Lotus lowered her gaze.
It was precisely because she knew her, and perhaps because she had seen the Princess at her most vulnerable, that she could see the hint of fragility beneath Alyuin's calm exterior—an emotion that hadn't appeared in years.
Alyuin was silent for a long time. She sheathed her longsword and set it aside.
She looked up.
—Could you hold me?
Before the words could leave her lips, Lotus had already leaned over and embraced the Princess.
Alyuin paused for a moment, then lowered her head. Lotus rested her chin on top of Alyuin's head and nuzzled it gently.
"No one can completely control their emotions. It's nothing, and it won't stop you from achieving everything."
Alyuin murmured, "Yes, I will."
What was lost could not be recovered, just as the fact of her parents' deaths would not change.
But in these past few years, she had also gained things she never had before.
She would take back everything, and she would gain even more.
It could not be compensated for, nor could it be replaced. That was a future belonging only to Alyuin.
Alyuin raised her arms, wrapped them around Lotus's waist, and closed her eyes.
Her voice was low, yet firm and powerful.
"I will personally force Horst to his knees before their tomb, and then I will sever his head."
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