CH 77

Confused, Simon was taken away by the knights.

And he would be severely interrogated about his connections to the former Duke of Danzel and the Republic.

Edward could barely stand, pale with fear at the revelation of his stepbrother whom he trusted more than anyone else.

He could barely stand up. "This is finally the end of the filth that has been building up in the kingdom for so long," Edward said. "It really... has been a long time."

Frederick III, who seemed to have aged many years in the last few hours, leaned against the armrest of the throne and exhaled heavily.

He had not yet fully recovered from the poison of the Black Death Wheat. His complexion was quite pale.

"But this is not the end. This is the beginning. From now on, the kingdom will have to walk a hard road to rebirth. It may take a longer road to escape the influence of Danzel and the Republic. But each of us, as citizens of the Kingdom and descendants of the ancient Kingdom, will walk the hard road together... Now, finally, Mariabelle."

"Yes."

Mariabelle was confused by Simon's frenzy, but she stepped forward at the King's words.

Her flowing gestures were so beautiful and refined, even the hem of her dress that swayed softly was sophisticated.

In the heavy air of the throne room, Mariabelle's presence stood out like a breath of fresh air.

"As I told the Marquise of Berkeley, the Kingdom has no objection to your marriage. As King, I will allow you to marry the Crown Prince of the Empire."

"I am very grateful and happy"

"Well then, let's talk about everyone's future.... I'm tired..."

With these words, Frederick III left the throne room.

Mariabelle and Renato were led to another room.

Mariabelle felt Edward's gaze on her back, but did not look back.

In the room she was led to, her father, James, was waiting for her.

Though he was imprisoned, he was not tired and seemed to be in good health.

"Father, you're safe!"

James firmly caught her as she rushed to him.

"I'm glad to hear that Mariabelle is okay too... Oh, His Highness Renato is here too?"

"I was worried that I might not be able to do it alone."

"I see. I am glad to hear that. I thank His Highness Renato as well."

James bowed his head while hugging Mariabelle and asked her why she was in the palace.

Mariabelle told him the series of events that had taken place since she had heard that he had been captured.

Finally, when asked about the events in the throne room, she said, "Well..." and closed her eyes.

"His Majesty and His Royal Highness the King's brother, that is, because they were close brothers, they even named their respective children after each other."

Indeed, Frederick III's son was named Edward, and his royal brother Elliot's son was named Cedric.

"You can see that they were really close."

"Oh... It was a long decade for me too..."

Most of the eight dukes died of the plague and allowed the tyranny of the Duke of Danzel, the only one left.

So, in an attempt to counteract it somehow, James set up Mariabelle as Edward's fiancée.

He had to be careful not to perfect everything or he would have been ostracized by Danzel, so he entrusted her with the education of Madame Dudley, who was perfect in the classroom and in manners but not in interpersonal relations.

It was better to be seen as easy to control.

He should teach her how to coordinate factions after she officially gets married and becomes the Crown Princess. However, he was careful not to lose the base material.

Seeing the lively Mariabelle had grown up to be a quiet, doll-like girl, it was not that he did not have his own feelings about it.

But James chose the future of the kingdom over his love for his daughter.

He has no regrets about that choice.

But he did not want his daughter's entire life to be trampled on.

That is why he allowed her to marry the Crown Prince of the Empire.

Not as the head of the Marquise of Berkeley, but as a mere father, he wished for Mariabelle to be happy.

'If it's Renato, I'm sure he'll make that wish come true,' James thought.

"As for the empire, we do not wish for chaos in the kingdom. Let us cooperate with Cedric, who will be the crown prince."

Renato looked at Mariabelle with a compassionate gaze.

"Because if the kingdom is in shambles, Mariabelle will be saddened."

"Oh dear..."

Renato smiled sweetly at Mariabelle, who put her hand on her bright red cheek.

Seeing the friendly exchanges between the two, James was overwhelmed with emotion that everything was over and a new era was coming.

Mariebelle was walking on the white marble.

The cold interior of the mausoleum was filled with tranquility, and the only sound was the clicking of her shoes on the marble floor.

At the back, where not only the floor but also the walls and ceiling are covered in pure white, there is a large stained glass window.

It depicted the people of an ancient kingdom who rowed their boats to the eternal eastern land of everlasting spring.

Below them was the person Mariabelle wanted to meet.

This is where the royal family sleeps, so anyone other than the royal family can't enter without permission.

If she marries into the empire, she will never be able to enter this sacred mausoleum again. So she asked for permission to enter here to visit the graves of the royalty connected to her ancestors.

It was a gamble whether he would come or not.

Even if he did not come, Mariabelle had no right to reveal everything.

Mariabelle just wanted to know the truth.

How prepared he was to save the kingdom.

"You have come, Your Majesty."

And so it was Frederick III who turned around.