"……The First-class Saint is……"
Everyone glanced at Commander Savis, as if they were reluctant to say anything.
Then, Savis opened his mouth while catching their gaze.
"When a member of the royal family marries, a new First-class Saint is selected. A new First-class Saint will be selected soon according to those rules." (Savis)
Everyone looked like they wanted to say something, but after a few silent exchanges, Desmond, who had been forced into a position, spoke on their behalf.
"Commander Savis, may I ask you a question?" (Desmond)
"Yeah" (Savis)
"From my understanding, the new First-class Saint is selected when the King or the person who is to become the next king, rather than the general royal family, marries, but..."
"That's right."
Because Desmond was accepted so easily, he was at a loss for what to say next.
"Eh, ah, then... that means..."
Therefore, Cyril took over.
"Yes, as you might have guessed. Cerulean is like that, so I said earlier that he's not thinking about marriage. As a matter of fact, the physical difference between Cerulean and the king who is standing as a Doppelganger has become so large that it would be difficult for the people to recognize Cerulean as a king now." (Cyril)
Cyril was certainly right.
Cerulean actually had the body of a nine-year-old, so it would be impossible to convince the people that he was a 29-year-old king this year.
"Therefore, this is a top secret, but the Ceruleans... Externally, the King who stands as Doppelganger is scheduled to be succeeded to the throne by Commander Savis and abdicated at the time of Commander Savis' marriage." (Cyril)
"...!!" (Everyone)
The knight captains looked astonished and opened their mouths wide.
Then, all at once, they looked at Savis—the future king.
...They had hoped that would happen, but Commander actually became king.
What a blessing! There was no one more suitable to be king.
Out of nowhere, all the knight captains stood up, knelt down on one knee, and bowed deeply.
"Commander Savis, thank you for your trust and for letting us know in advance. We also extend our heartfelt congratulations." (Desmond)
Desmond speaks on behalf of the knight Captain.
Savis raised one hand to acknowledge their words and thanked them.
"I feel the happiest when you guys say that to me. No matter what position I end up in, I will fulfill my duty for the country. Please continue to lend me your strength." (Savis)
The Knight Captains bowed deeply once again—grateful for the good fortune they had to serve under Commander Savis.
Then they got up and took their seats, and everyone looked at the Commander and Cyril nervously.
Although no one spoke, Cyril, who accurately read their questions, opened his mouth.
"That's right. If Commander becomes king, he will be relieved of his duties as the Commander of the Knights." (Cyril)
"Ah……" (Everyone)
They could hear both disappointment and hope in their voices.
So, everyone was reading what was going to happen, but it was Zachary who said it out loud.
"Cyril, you were second in line to the throne after Commander Savis." (Zachary)
"That's right. Also, the position of Knight Commander is an honorary position held by the royal family or semi-royal family, so if things continue like this, I will be appointed." (Cyril)
Cyril gave the answer everyone had expected.
As a result, the knight captains were relieved.
"Haa……"
"Really!"
"Congratulations, Cyril!!"
The only son of the younger brother of the former King, and the head of the leading ducal family. That was Cyril.
Fair and just. Although he had a harsh side, he was generally calm and able to accurately grasp the big picture, making him the type to be at the top.
And he actually stood at the head of the knight order as Captain, leading the knights.
If such Cyril were to take the top position of the Knights, the structure of the Knights would probably not be much different from before.
The problem was……
All the knight captains seemed to be thinking about the next problem all at once, and the atmosphere in the conference room changed to a heavy one.
Everyone seemed to be struggling to breathe, as if they had suddenly been sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
Meanwhile, Desmond, who seemed to be thinking about something, opened his mouth.
"Um, Commander Savis, may I ask you one more question?" (Desmond)
"Yeah" (Savis)
Savis nodded and Desmond swallowed thickly.
"If a new First-class Saint is chosen, does that mean that the 'First-class Saint Succession Ceremony' will be held?" (Desmond)
Desmond's voice sounded unusually shaky.
Savis put one hand on his chin and nodded slightly.
"Yeah, that's right. But, Desmond, what you really want to hear is something else, right? To answer that question, as you expected, the current First-class Saint will also be participating in the ceremony. ...In other words, it's my mother, Queen Dowager[?]."
"Ah, yes!" (Desmond)
Desmond nodded heavily.
Savis raised the hand that had been tracing his chin and ran a finger through his eyepatch.
"Before then, I have to go pick up the Queen Dowager at the imperial palace."
"Ah, that's right."
Desmond gave another nod.
There was a somber atmosphere in the conference room.
Without a doubt, the work related to the Queen Dowager is the most disappointing work.
There can be no greater austerity than this.
So, although Desmond had prayed in his heart that he did not want to go to the cathedral during the previous discussion, he now prayed again that he would be allowed to go.
However, it seemed that Desmond was not the only one, as all the knight captains wished to go to the cathedral.
—— "Saint" was an existence that was respected above all else.
Therefore, even if the First-class Saint marries the King, she would not become a member of the royal family.
Even though she was the queen, she was still an independent existence as the "First-class Saint".
As if to prove this, the previous Queen left the royal castle at the same time as the previous King died—she was living in the royal castle precisely because she had a husband, and now that the King was dead, she thought that this was no place for her to live.
"When she is engaged to Commander Savis, we will assign a knight to protect her. However, even if she is engaged or married, she cannot consider herself to be a member of the royal family. Well, I don't like being treated like that. Therefore, at the time of the engagement, we will establish new independent knights of the Royal Guards exclusively for the Head Saint." (Cyril)
When the knight Captains heard Cyril's words, their bodies became stiff.
Then, they hold my breath and waited for Cyril's next words.
"The name of the new Royal Guard Knights will be decided by the selected First-class Saint, but... Curtis is planned to be the captain of the Royal Guards."
"Yeah!"
"That's great!"
"That’s why you kept Curtis’ position and invited him to the capital!!"
Captain of the Knights of the Royal Guard, exclusive to the First-class Saint.
It was the position that knight captains least wanted to hold.
Therefore, all the knight captains raised their hands and congratulated Curtis on his appointment as the Royal Guard Knight Captain.
"Amazing, Curtis! Perfect for the role!!"
"Yeah, it’s a more rewarding job than the Thirteenth Knight Captain!!"
Although they praised him with comments such as "It's amazing!" and "It's an honor!", no one said they were "envious" or "I want to replace you."
Even if he's rotten, he's still Captain. They would never say anything that could lead them being questioned.
Then everyone except Curtis stood up and started giving him a big round of applause.
Everyone was aware that Cyril had said that he was "planning" to have Curtis, but they treated it as if it were a decision.