ALL NOVEL chapter 14
14 – Lydia
“The queen of the Kingdom of Jeremiah… Isn’t that Lydia?”
Clara, looking at my distorted face and wondering who it was, furrowed her brow in anger..
“You’re so shameless… Where are you coming from here…”
Edwin was drinking wine with a bitter face and was troubled with how to resolve the situation.
If ordinary aristocrats were to come as envoys, it was a very simple matter to simply refuse with appropriate reasons, provide food and accommodation, and then send them back to their home countries.
If a queen from another country came as an envoy, it was impossible for Edwin, the king, not to leave.
“Don’t worry. Carlos. I’ll talk to you and send it back.”
“I’m sorry. Edwin…”
“I’m sorry… You’re a warrior who signed a contract with our kingdom, but did you try to help Jeremiah’s kingdom without my permission?”
“Heh…”
As long as the Kingdom of Argen is safe, whether or not to help other places, the king has no authority to stop the warrior from doing anything, but for now, he wanted to give that authority to Edwin.
“By the way, Jeremiah’s kingdom seems to be having a hard time too. Sending her queen Lydia as her messenger…”
Edwin was clicking his tongue at the thought of the current kingdom of Jeremiah and the queen desperately seeking aid from other countries.
It was humiliating for the kingdom of Jeremiah to send a queen as an envoy to a kingdom of the same class, not a country with a military-vassal relationship.
It was no different than showing the urgency of the current situation there.
“Will the Eritre Empire send reinforcements?”
“Right now, even in the Empire, my nose is 3, so where can someone help me? Unless they receive the support of the hero, their territory will be taken away…”
“Still an ally, and her daughter as queen…”
“We will send reinforcements formally as a way to show off. Perhaps the kingdom of Jeremiah isn’t expecting too much. That’s why I’m desperate enough to send the queen here.”
Even as Edwin said his words, the more he thought of the situation in the western part of the continent, the more he seemed to complain inwardly and couldn’t stop laughing.
I also had no intention of helping the place, so he stopped caring and focused on eating.
“Carlos, after dinner, I have the papers in your room, so take a look.”
“What documents?”
“Something is an application form for a warrior party, but this time we only selected really carefully selected people, so be sure to check it out. Besides, Cecilia, the princess of the Fjord Empire, recommended someone, so take a look.”
“Recommended…?”
Usually, most of the applications for the warrior party are self-approved, but like Cecilia, there were few cases recommended by others.
Recommending someone is the same as guaranteeing that person’s identity or behavior, so if that person makes a mistake or accident, you can hold them jointly responsible.
There was almost no recommendation unless it was one’s own child.
“I will wake up first. But the queen is here, so it’s rude to keep waiting…”
Edwin hurriedly finished his meal, wiped his mouth with a napkin, got up and headed to the drawing room where Lydia was waiting, and the rest of us finished our meal.
*****
Leaving the restaurant, Edwin headed to the drawing room where Lydia, the queen of the Kingdom of Jeremiah and a former member of the warrior party, was waiting.
Red-haired Lydia, who came with some nobles, slowly got up from her seat and greeted Edwin.
“How are you? King Edwin?”
“Welcome. Queen Lydia. No, what are you doing all of a sudden without contacting me?”
Lydia tried to say more, but when she noticed the nobles who had come with her, she gave them an unspoken autograph, and they all got up and left the parlor.
“King Edwin.. No.. Edwin.. I will ask you this.. Let me meet the hero just once.. Huh?”
Lydia suddenly grabbed Edwin’s hand and asked for a favor with a face that looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment.
Edwin was taken aback by her sudden action, but he tried to remove her hand, but to no avail.
“Lydia, let’s talk about this for now. I’m a bachelor, so it doesn’t matter, but you’re a married queen, so if someone sees it, it’s a big deal.”
“Isn’t it time to decide whether or not it’s a big deal? Right now, our kingdom is in danger, but it seems that Carlos won’t come to support because of his past… That’s why he came to ask for it.”
Embarrassed by her sudden provocation, Edwin was pouring tea into her prepared teacup to calm her down.
“Lydia, let’s have some tea and calm down a bit before we can talk.”
“It’s because I’m in a hurry right now. With the imperial army now retreating, our kingdom was exposed to danger without any preparation…”
“I know. We heard the news too…”
“You know Carlos too? Huh? What about Carlos? Will you help me?”
“Well… Carlos is busy right now… He’s very busy because he’s organizing a party of warriors, like the battle with the Four Heavenly Kings in Horon Kingdom a few days ago…”
Edwin was making all sorts of excuses to avoid being involved in this conversation as much as the hero Carlos, but,
“So? Won’t you come to support? Because of me? Huh? What do you say?”
Lydia’s only purpose here was the hero Carlos.
“Lydia, I understand that the Kingdom of Jeremiah is in a hurry, and I understand your situation… Carlos needs some time now.”
“Time? What time Time for me to apologize? Huh? Is that enough?”
“No. In the meantime, Carlos had a lot of work. So… He’s not in a position to go all the way west of the continent. So rather than Carlos…”
“Then Edwin! Can’t you let me renew the contract with our kingdom? Huh? We’ll pay back the alimony any number of times. And you can come to the western part of the continent and live as Carlos wants, right? Huh?”
In the end, Lydia’s remark crossed the line…
Before they knew each other through the hero Carlos, they were in a position where they had to take responsibility for their respective kingdoms.
Now, Lydia’s words touched Edwin’s heart.
“Lydia? No matter how much you came as a messenger, even if you knew each other in the past. I have a duty to protect our kingdom too. If you’re going to put it that way, just go back to your kingdom.”
“Edwin! That’s not what I mean…”
“Mattana said that the queen came as her envoy, so I came down too. Considering what you did to Carlos, I have no desire to meet you either. So, I want you to come back.”
“That… I’m sorry if I offended you. Ha.. But.. Our kingdom is in such a hurry… Yes… So please let me meet Carlos… Huh? Please…”
“……”
In response to Edwin’s anger, Lydia eventually began to cry and appeal,
In a situation where he even saw the woman’s tears, Edwin had nothing more to say, so he sipped his tea.
“Edwin… And… I… Am pregnant…”
“What?”
“I… I’m pregnant…”
“…..”
As Lydia’s pregnancy remarks came out, Edwin couldn’t say anything more, and he concentrated on listening to what words were coming out of her mouth.
“You can’t pass on a wasteland with nothing to this child in your belly who will lead the future kingdom of Jeremiah. Edwin… Looking at me… No… Looking at the child in my belly… Not me, a sinner…”
“Huuu000uuu.. You don’t care about the feelings of the people who are hurt by you?”
“…..”
“I don’t think I have anything more to say to you, so I want you to go back. Whether it’s diplomatic rudeness or not, there’s no room for a b*tch like you to stay in our palace, so just get out of our kingdom right away.”
“Edwin…”
Edwin jumped up from his seat, unable to contain his anger, and Lydia, startled, grabbed his arm and held him back.
“Just once is fine, let me meet the hero. Huh?”
“I will deliver a message to Carlos, but don’t expect it.”
“Thank you!! I’ll be sure to ask!! Please tell me that I am pregnant too…”
“…..”
Edwin couldn’t bear to listen to the end, so he kicked out of the drawing room.
Inside, Lydia yelled at her to convey a word, but he ignored them and continued walking down the hallway.
“Your Majesty, the room where the Shinigami will live…”
“I don’t need it, so take it out right now.”
“Yes. All right.”
The lady-in-waiting, who had come to ask Edwin just in case, had to walk away from the street with a frightened face at the angry voice that seemed to tell him about his feelings with his answer.
She was all the more frightened because she had never seen him who was always called a sage and was kind and benevolent with a smile to everyone regardless of whether he was aristocratic or commoner.
“Where is the hero Carlos now?”
“He went back to his room.”
“Then go there.”
Listening to Edwin’s words, the maid took the lead and guided them to the room where the hero was.
*****
Smart smart
How long has it been since you came into the room?
Clara took care of this and that and said that the delicious food she had eaten was from Lydia.
I just wish I could forget everything and go to sleep…
It was when I was looking at the application forms for the warrior party Edwin had mentioned.
Smart smart
“Who are you?”
“Hero. This is Lucia.”
“Lucia?”
I thought Edwin returned after the conversation with Lydia, but Lucia is at this late hour.. What is…?
I immediately approached the door and opened it, and Lucia appeared standing in front of the door with a teacup and kettle on a tray.
“Lu.. Lucia.. What are you doing at this hour?”
“I… I want to have a cup of tea with the warrior.”
“Tea? Come in at once.”
Lucia smiling broadly as she holds up a tray of tea to me…
When I smelled the tea she passed me by, the scent of the lavender tea I had last time began to vibrate around the room, starting near me.