Chapter 201 - Repaying Navier’s Kindness (2)
Chapter 201. Repaying Navier’s Kindness (2)
Translator: Aura / Editor: Maybe
Duchess Tuania hugged me back with reddening eyes when I stretched out my arms and hugged her.
She hugged me tightly before letting me go and smiled, “I am no longer ‘Duchess Tuania’.”
Oh. That’s right.
But what should I call her? Viscountess Langdel? Did she marry Viscount Langdel?
As I hesitated, she whispered with a charming smile, “Call me Nian.”
Nian was her given name.
If she wanted me to call her by her given name, that meant…
“I’m tired of marriage,” Duchess Tuania, no, Nian said with a shrug.
“So what happened to Viscount Langdel…?”
I thought she would marry the Viscount. In the letter sent before she left the capital, she seemed determined to accept Viscount Langdel.
Nian laughed playfully, “We are lovers. If I were to become pregnant, then I would think about getting married. I don’t want it to be an illegitimate child. But if not, I’d rather it stay that way.”
She seemed to feel deeply betrayed by Duke Tuania, who filed for divorce immediately without believing in her.
I understood how she felt. I hugged her once again without saying anything.
After that, the two of us sat and talked over coffee and snacks.
Nian told me about her days outside the capital.
“I traveled from place to place. I wandered all over the country.”
“Wasn’t it hard?” I asked.
“It would have been hard if I’d been doing it for a few years, but it’s only been a few months. I had a good time.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“After leaving the Eastern Empire, you know what surprised me the most?”
“What?”
“When I heard about your marriage to King Heinley.”
By the time we finished catching up.
Nian asked me with a twinkle in her eye, “If you went through the trouble of using a newspaper to summon me, there must be something you want to ask me, right? What is it?”
As expected, she came to see me after reading the article in the newspaper. So, I told her honestly, “Heinley’s older brother, the former king, died young, so Christa, the former queen, is also very young. She seems to have fulfilled her duties as queen well.”
”Hmm. There isn’t a queen mother in the western kingdom, right?”
“That’s right. Besides, as long as Heinley was single, Christa continued to play the role of queen until I came along.”
Nian immediately understood what I meant and clicked her tongue, “There must be a lot of people following her.”
“Yes. That’s why I called you here, Lady Nian.”
I took her hands firmly and asked, “I need your help. Use your skills to conquer the high society of the Western Kingdom.”
Nian laughed unreservedly, “That’s easy.”
Her attitude made my heavy heart a little lighter.
“Thank you.”
Nian smiled after I expressed my thanks and said, “I said I would definitely repay your kindness.”
“…Thank you so much.”
“Ah. Queen.”
“?”
“Viscount Langdel is also grateful. He will also support you, Queen.”
***
Unlike Navier, who was happy, Heinley was sullen.
Navier had been busy with Laura and Countess Jubel during lunchtime. And in the evening, she was busy with Duchess Tuania, so he had not even been able to meet with her today.
He understood Navier wanting to be with her friends after they spent a long time without seeing each other.
But even though he understood, he also wanted to be with Navier.
McKenna looked at him and clicked his tongue, “You’ll see her for the rest of your life, why are you so restless about not being able to see her for one day?”
“Aren’t we newlyweds?”
At Heinley’s reply, McKenna seemed to feel some regret and muttered, “Because we didn’t take the opportunity to go out and clear our minds, Your Majesty.”
As the two conversed, one of Heinley’s aides knocked on the door, asking to see him in a hurry.
Unless the aide was on duty, he should have gone home or be preparing to leave by this time of night.
What did he want to report so suddenly?
“Let him come in.”
He was puzzled, but Heinley allowed him to enter.
As soon as the aide entered, he reported with a pale face, “Your Majesty, unidentified knights are stationed near the capital, just standing by.”
“Unidentified knights?”
Heinley frowned.
If the Eastern Empire was known for its army of mages, the Western Kingdom was famous for its infantry and cavalry. There was a limit to the increase of the number of mages, but such a limit did not exist for pure military power.
Even if they were dealing with unknown knights, it would be impossible for thousands to gather out of nowhere.
He didn’t understand why his aide looked so pale about a few knights.
“Why don’t you find out who they are, and simply have them leave if you consider them dangerous.”
At Heinley’s light reply, the aide responded heavily, “I can’t do that… they appear to be Supranational Knights.”
At the mention of ‘Supranational Knights’, Heinley’s and McKenna’s mood became heavy at the same time.
After letting his aide know he could leave, McKenna hurriedly asked Heinley when they were alone again, “Your Majesty, could they have sensed something?”
“…”
“If they noticed that we are involved in the decline of mages…”
In the Wol Continent, there was the Wol Alliance, to which most of the countries in the Wol Continent belonged. It was an alliance of which not only the Eastern Empire was a part, but also the Western Kingdom. The Supranational Knights were managed by the Wol Alliance.
Their exact name was ‘Shadow Knights’, and officially, they worked to preserve peace.
However, they were notorious for the actions they took to nip any ‘threat to peace’ in the bud to ensure peace.
While the phenomenon of the decline of mages arose naturally, it was Heinley who accelerated it.
He would definitely be in trouble if the Supranational Knights had noticed. He couldn’t help but feel nervous knowing they were stationed outside the capital.
“McKenna.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Go find out and personally investigate what’s happening.”
“Understood,” McKenna replied with a stiff face and hurried out.
Heinley sat anxiously at his desk, waiting for McKenna to return. Although the Western Kingdom was a powerful enough country to become an empire, that didn’t mean it was capable of waging war against the entire world. The same was true for the Eastern Empire.
As long as the alliance did not shatter or become nominal, the countries involved were to regard each other with respect.
‘This is a real problem.’
After about two and a half hours, McKenna returned. Fortunately, McKenna did not have a grim expression, but Heinley asked hurriedly, “What’s happening? Are they really Supranational Knights?”
“It’s… It’s a little strange.”
“What do you mean by strange?”
“They indeed are Supranational Knights. But they don’t seem to be after us.”
“They’re not after us?”
Heinley became more puzzled.
So, did that mean there might be real danger inside the capital?
The Supranational Knights did most of their missions in secret. Even Heinley couldn’t know what they were here for.
“There’s something even more strange.”
“Even more?”
“The man leading the Supranational Knights is Viscount Langdel, Your Majesty.”
“What!?”
Heinley’s eyebrows rose.
Viscount Langdel… Heinley had met him at the New Year’s celebrations. Wasn’t that the young man who followed Duchess Tuania around like a shadow?
“Was he really a shadow?”
“What?”
“Hadn’t he been exiled for stabbing Rashta?”
“That’s right.”
Heinley laughed loudly.
He remembered the man’s naive face. What’s more, Langdel looked like he was about to die of love.
How could he be a supranational knight with such a face…
***
The next day, when Heinley met with officials, Viscount Langdel officially requested an audience on behalf of the Supranational Knights.
Since he was informed that he was waiting outside the capital, Heinley assumed this would happen, so he let Viscount Langdel in.
He was curious as to what had brought him here.
“He’s a Supranational Knight?”
“Such a young man?”
The officials gathered in the conference room whispered among each other as they watched Viscount Langdel enter with a gentle expression.
Although the Supranational Knights were notorious, they rarely showed themselves properly in front of others.
Therefore, the officials gathered here were surprised to see someone from the Supranational Knights in the conference room in broad daylight.
Heinley smiled looking at Viscount Langdel, and said, “Long time no see.”
“My name is Langdel, Commander of the 5th Division of the Shadow Knights,” Viscount Langdel saluted politely but did not smile.
Still, with a soft smile, Heinley asked, “I have been informed that Supranational Knights are stationed outside the capital. What is the reason for this? My people are uneasy about your men. Depending on the response, you will have to be prepared to leave.
The officials looked at King Heinley in surprise at his harsh words. But Viscount Langdel’s response was completely unexpected by Heinley.
“The queen saved my life in the past.”
The officials were surprised once again. This was a story even Heinley didn’t know, so he raised his eyebrows, “My wife?”
“That’s right, I would like to return that kindness. I ask that you allow me and my knights to serve as the queen’s personal knights until her official guard is determined.”
The leader of the alliance had the authority to immediately summon the divisions of the Supranational Knights, three of which only carried out direct orders from the leader of the alliance.
However, the remaining seven knight divisions acted independently despite having the name of the Supranational Knights.
This was the first time they’ve wanted to become personal knights.
The whispers grew louder.
Did Heinley know this beforehand?
The gazes of those present focused on Heinley.
Heinley knew nothing about it, but casually smiled and said, “Ask her yourself.”