CH 302

Ayla tilted her head at her father’s attitude, which was different from before.

Trudge, trudge.

At the same time, Theon’s steps turned to Ayla. With a faint smile.

Their bodies grew closer and closer.

The sweet scent of grapes that stimulated the tip of his nose sparked like a temptation.

Immediately, Theon’s forehead crumpled slightly as he looked at Ayla. With his gaze fixed in one place.

“You said you didn’t like to dress like this.”

Before she knew it, Theon, who came closer, picked up the shawl that was slipping down and spoke.

Ayla’s slender shoulders, exposed in his gray eyes, somehow exuded a strange atmosphere.

‘Ah!’, Ayla let out a small exclamation and pouted her lips.

His hand picking up the shawl stopped around her chest area.

Soon after, Theon’s fingertips opened the dangling brooch and fixed the open shawl.

Ayla’s cheeks turned red without her realizing it.

“I can… do it.”

“I want to do it for you. By the way, it seemed like you didn’t want to see me? Your complexion has improved a lot since the last time we saw each other.”

“What? No way! I see you almost every day, so that’s impossible.”

“Ah… So you just wanted to see me as someone you see almost every day?”

Theon tilted his head and pushed his handsome face forward, narrowing the distance little by little.

With a sneaky smile.

“N-No! Of course… because I like you…”

“I can’t hear you. What did you say?”

“I said I l-like you. You’re the person I love, so of course, I want to see you… and I miss you.”

Ayla blurred her words and lowered her gaze.

Ayla’s long eyelashes continued to flutter with an anxious gaze as the distance between them was less than a handspan.

Smack.

Theon’s soft lips lightly touched her, and then detached.

Theon’s eyes curved as he swept away Ayla’s hair.

“I missed you. My beautiful princess.”

After his low voice, the lips of the two overlapped.

As if they had made a promise. Sweetly.

***

Trudge, trudge.

Theon’s steps along the corridor were urgent.

His gray eyes, which always kept their calm, showed signs of bewilderment.

“They’re already here and waiting?”

“Yes. It seems like the friction that happened around the border is the problem.”

“Now that the head of the country is gone… It’s only natural. Now is the chance to swallow the Stellen Kingdom as a whole.”

With the commander, Kyle, in the capital, and the king dying, the vigilance at the borders was neglected. Thanks to that, not only weighty guilds, but also petty thieves, seemed to be flocking to the Stellen Kingdom, so there was no way that the distinguished officials would stay still.

Theon, who was walking, loosened the necktie he was wearing with a shallow sigh.

“So, did I not tell you that we should hurry up with the coronation ceremony of the king? I told you over and over again, now it’s not the time to be following Count Serdian arou…”

Theon’s sharp gaze turned to Mason.

With the silent pressure that if he opened his mouth one more time, he wouldn’t let it go.

As Mason’s mouth, which had been spouting biting remarks, stopped, the steps of the two that were moving quickly also died down.

“Ugh, this way.”

Immediately, the door that had been closed opened with a heavy noise.

Beyond Theon’s vision, he could see a group of officials sitting at the long table.

“…”

The interior, which had been noisy until a while ago, became quiet as if ice water had been poured over it.

Theon’s gaze slowly turned to them.

“I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“I greet Your Highness.”

Starting with one person, everyone greeted him as if they had made a promise. Theon nodded slightly and sat in the center.

“I heard you have an urgent agenda?”

“Your Highness must have heard this already, but there are reports of the collapse of the Stellen Kingdom’s borders around the neighboring countries. Because of this, the anxiety of the people is growing, as well as the concerns of our officials.”

With the words of Vincent, the oldest of the group, the heads of those gathered moved up and down.

“If that was the problem, it would have ended already by sending more than half of the Royal Knights.”

“It’s not a problem that can be solved that easily. The position of the king has also been vacant for quite some time. In a situation where the center of the kingdom is not established, no matter how many knights you send, the neighboring countries won’t stop their provocation.”

“So what is it that you want to say?”

“Send Grand Duke Kyle Ermedi, the commander of the Royal Knights, to the border. In addition, you should hurry with the coronation ceremony.”

Vincent swept up his white hair and spoke in a stern voice.

Looking at the old man’s eyes, filled with resolve, he seemed unwilling to retreat.

Ah…

A shallow sigh erupted from Theon’s mouth.

“I understand what Sir Vincent means, but… Let’s think a little more about dispatching Grand Duke Ermedi.”

“We must not delay it any longer. It is an important matter related to the trust people will have in you in the future.”

“It’s not a matter that can be decided easily either. Although Grand Duke Ermedi is the commander of the Royal Knights, he is also a member of the royal family. The late King may have driven the Grand Duke to the border, but I have a different idea.”

Theon’s strong voice seemed to have already made his intentions clear.

Troubled noises came out of the mouths of the gathered officials, but no one could easily answer.