Chapter 8: Knight Who Counsels the Lord in Love
Lute Adam Rammels was in hot water.
“… No, that’s not the case. As I previously stated, I want to be able to converse with the queen on equal terms. That’s why, as a potential queen, I’d like to get to know you better.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. I’m not going to pollute your ears by talking about myself…”
“Of course not. How can we understand each other if we don’t communicate? For instance, what kind of flowers do you like? I’ll hand them over to you.”
“No, no. I’m afraid I can’t bother your Majesty.”
“…”
(…This pattern again…)
“Well done, Your Majesty.”
“Sigh… As usual, I’m very tired.”
Samuel, a knight of the royal guard, gave a wry smile when Lute returned to his room after his arranged date with a lady.
“It’s not easy to find a woman who matches His Majesty’s preferences…”
“…Is it really that difficult to accept what I’m offering everyone…?”
The king, who was stretched out on the sofa, always appeared calm in front of everyone, but now that only Samuel, whom he knew well, was present, he lazily turned over and asked.
“I mean, what kind of ladylike upbringing do the aristocratic houses provide? Aren’t women allowed to tell their husbands what their favorite food is or what flowers they like?”
“This wouldn’t be so bad in a normal noble house, but since His Majesty is the King, the ladies must be extra cautious.”
“What is it?”
“Well, it’s true that men prefer a well-groomed and quiet woman. I would also like to have a petite, pretty, and quiet wife one day.”
“On that point, you and I disagree.”
Lute muttered as he slumped on the couch and sighed loudly.
Lute was born as the second child of the previous king. Since his brother, four years older than him, had already become the Crown Prince, Lute left his family early to live with the Order.
Lute loved his fellow knights, who treated him like a knight rather than a precious second prince, and his superiors, who were ruthless in their discipline.
As a result, he had a slightly different sensibility than the princes and noblemen.
Lute preferred talkative women with a lively laugh, whereas Samuel preferred quiet women. When his superior, whom he held in high esteem, got married, his wife always brought him his lunch box. The sight of the two of them eating lunch together and talking animatedly was a dream for Lute.
(When I get married, I want my relationship to be like my boss’s and his wife’s. We can laugh, walk, and talk with each other. That’s the kind of wife I was looking for.)
When he was 20 years old, his great ruler brother, the king, was involved in a horse accident. When his brother’s horse suddenly bolted towards the cliff, Lute, who was with him, spurred his horse and ordered him to jump off.
This caused his brother to lose his balance and become paralyzed, but if he hadn’t jumped out of that, his brother would have died on his horse.
His brother has become frail and unable to participate in politics. The doctors also predicted that producing heirs would be difficult.
So the throne was bestowed upon Lute, the healthy one. “I’m sorry, Lute,” his brother said as he sat in his chair, a pained expression on his face. Lute supported his brother, promised to protect the country, and was awarded the throne.
Because Lute was inept at politics, he decided to rely on others. Fortunately, the castle had excellent ministers and bureaucrats, and his knightly friends assisted him, so Lute was able to manage his affairs as king.
However, a problem arose.
Marriage.
“Because Aloysius-sama has no children,” the prime minister says, “His Majesty must produce an heir.” There is a royal bloodline to be found, but having a son by the Queen is preferable.
Lute was determined to carry out his responsibilities as king, and he was looking for a partner who would support the kingdom and live with him for the rest of his life, but…
“In this case, I guess I’ll have to set my opinion aside and go with the lady everyone suggests as my queen…”
“That’s a possibility, but Your Majesty isn’t particularly gifted at keeping quiet, so I’m sure you’ll make the Queen cry.”
“I suppose…”
Samuel is correct.
Lute believes he is capable of saying, “You’re really not my type, but I’m married to you, so I’ll love you dearly.” He could only imagine a future in which everyone was unhappy.
Thus, while killing demons and playing politics, King Lute was arranging blind dates with prospective queens’, only to break up with them in an awkward atmosphere when the conversation didn’t get off the ground.
But when he was twenty-two years old, the mission to slay the evil dragon took place.
That’s where Lute met the woman of his dreams.
“Samuel. Why can’t “she” marry?”
“That is because she is the goddess’s beloved daughter.”
Lute, who had been slumped at his desk, groaned sadly as Samuel said what you’d find on the first page of a theology textbook.
“I understand… But that’s fine. The Star Goddess has so many daughters, even if I get one…”
“No, you can’t. You’ll make enemies with the Star Goddess Church if you take her away against her will. After all, the opposing party is now a Saint who towers over everyone…”
“I know…”
Lute exhaled a deep sigh.
Stacey Rithberth, daughter of the Count of Rithberth and a priestess of the Star Goddess Church, is the name of the woman he is currently thinking about.
At the recent camp for the campaign to defeat the demonic dragon, Lute spoke with Stacey. And so he experienced his first love at the age of twenty-something.
Samuel thought his ears had rotted when he first heard this. But the prince was serious: he had fallen in love with the priestess, the star goddess’s daughter.
Stacey had a lively personality for a noblewoman, and she and Lute would exchange a few words and jokes and laugh during their camp breaks.
She was also a good priestess, and the poisoned blood that was all over Lute’s body after he cut off the dragon’s head was kept away by her magic.
Lute was able to return home without being poisoned as a result of this.
She is a strong-willed, intelligent priestess. And according to his research, Stacey’s stoicism in carrying out her duties at Star Goddess Church, as well as her ability to punish the wicked, have earned her the support of the priestesses, particularly the High Priestess.
So Lute has fallen in love with the goddess’s daughter, a woman who must keep her celibacy and purity as long as she is a priestess.
“Well, if a priestess and saint return to the mortal realm, they can still marry and have children. But only if they’re willing.”
“Yes…that’s right. But, Miss Stacey appears to be leading an active life in the church, and I’m sure she doesn’t want to be returned.”
“…”
Samuel turns to face Lute, who has his head in his hands.
(Forcing her is against religious principles… and I doubt His Majesty will do so.)
Taking a returned priestess as your wife requires a great deal of resolve.
The goddess has a soft spot in her heart for her daughters but no mercy for men who make her cry. If a former priestess is married but unhappy, the high-priestess does not hesitate to excommunicate her husband.
Not to mention she’s the Saint. The high-priestess will crush Lute to the ground, even if he’s the king.
“…Well, you have no choice but to end your relationship with your lovely first love and marry another woman.”
“I suppose so.”
Samuel thinks to himself as he pats the king on the back and sends him off to dinner.
He wishes Lute a happy marriage.
He’s been through so much that he deserves to have some time alone with the Queen.
(…I’ll do what I can, Your Majesty.)
The knight said it only in his heart.
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