I followed Commander Savis as he walked down the corridor, making a steady clicking noise.
Then, after only a few steps, Cerulean walking next to Commander began grumbling.
"Hmm, why won't Savis let me off the hook? The fewer people who have a bad time, the better. Savis isn't going to run away anyway, so what's wrong with leaving him in charge?" (Cerulean)
Instead, I thought Commander thought that he should attend the tea party as one of her sons and fulfill his responsibilities.
That's what I thought, but knowing Cerulean, I was sure he was well aware of that and was just complaining.
Just now he was hiding with one foot out in a place where he would be easy to find, so he obviously wasn't planning on running away.
I listened silently to Cerulean's grumbling, and before I knew it we had arrived at the venue.
The tea party was held in the Queen Dowager's private room.
I followed Commander Savis through the open door to find two women sitting on a couch.
One of them was the red-haired Queen Hyacinthe.
The other was a red-haired woman who seemed a little older than me.
Behind the two of them stood several of the Queen Mother's personal royal guards, dressed in purple-grey knight uniforms.
Hmm, they seem strong as the Royal Knight protecting the Queen Mother, but I think he'd be killed instantly against Commander Savis, Captain Cyril, or Captain Curtis.
The strength of these three was truly outstanding.
As I was thinking about this, Commander Savis spoke up in place of Cerulean, who had remained silent.
"……I am late" (Savis)
As if on cue, the Queen Dowager rose from the couch and extended one hand towards Commander.
"Yes, right on time. As always, you're punctual."
Commander Savis took the offered hand and pressed the back of it to his forehead.
It was a very polite gesture, but one that seemed to replace the affectionate act of placing your lips on the back of the hand with another.
However, Cerulean quickly took his seat farthest from the Queen Dowager, and Commander Savis's attitude was many times more polite than his.
Commander Savis sat next to Cerulean, while Captain Cyril, Captain Curtis and I stood behind the Commander.
Meanwhile, the Queen Dowager looked lovingly at her two sons.
"Laurence, Savis, it's been a while. I'm glad to see you're doing well and looking healthy."
"…………" (Cerulean)
"Yes" (Savis)
Seeing Cerulean remaining silent and Commander Savis answering in few words, the Queen Dowager brushed her red hair back as if to say, "There's no other way."
Her hairstyle was the same as I'd seen in the parade, covering one of her eyes, but her visible eye was golden, and I felt strange seeing the same color as mine.
When I looked at the woman sitting next to the Queen Dowager, she had her hands neatly folded on her lap, and the Queen Dowager began her introduction with a smile.
"This is Rose Barthe. She was originally a servant at the Cathedral, but since she was a Saint, I decided to take her in. Since then, she has been living with me in the villa."
Although Rose's hair had yellow mesh on either side, the rest of it was red, the same shade as the Queen Mother who was sitting next to her.
Cerulean and Commander Savis didn't reply, as if they weren't interested, but the Queen Dowager continued speaking without any hesitation, so perhaps this was just how these two always behave.
Hmm, I wondered if it's normal for boys to become this quiet in front of their mothers.
Or perhaps to them, the Queen Dowager was more like a saint than a mother and fell into the category of saints that they had difficulty with.
"Rose was nine years old at the time. She was deemed not to be a saint when she was three years old and had her magical powers tested, but when I first saw her, I had a hunch that she might be a saint. So I had her tested specially, and it turned out that she really was a saint."
While the Queen Mother was explaining, Rose just stared at her hands in silence, without changing her expression.
She had a lovely face and was sitting upright on the sofa.
Her hair was short, just below her shoulders, but styled to cover one of her eyes, perhaps indicating that the Queen Mother was hopeful that she was a strong candidate to become the next Chief Saint.
"Rose Barthe, 18 years old. I'm planning to participate in the Chief Saint selection meeting."
When Rose said that, the Queen Dowager took over.
"Rose will participate in the selection process based on the current Chief Saint recommendation. I believe that she will be the next Chief Saint. Savis, once she is selected, please treat her properly as your wife."
Everyone in the room froze at this sudden, crucial question, but Commander Savis answered casually, as if he were asking about the weather.
"...I will do my best." (Savis)
However, the Cerulean sitting next to Commander immediately made an annoyed noise.
"Savis, don't agree to everything! You're going to accept this because you think it's no big deal, but it's the opposite! It's no big deal, so just reject it." (Cerulean)
The Queen Dowager, hearing Cerulean's words, looked at him as if he were a spoiled child.
"Laurence, that's childish."
Cerulean, however, lifted his chin in defiance.
"Well, as you can see, I'm still a child! I can't get married, and I have to step down from my throne. I have to give up everything, so I can say whatever I want!!" (Cerulean)
Cerulean said in a passionate tone, and then went on to say more.
"It's true that Savis must marry the Chief Saint as the future king, but there's no need for him to marry your protégé! A saint you've kept by your side since she was 9 years old? A partner who inherited your way of thinking, who was educated in a biased view of saint supremacy, is disgusting! Savis shouldn't marry someone like that!" (Cerulean)
The Queen Dowager looked troubled and placed one hand on her forehead.
"Laurence, even if you are still a child, you are 29 years old. Can't you speak a little more calmly? Also, someone of the royal family shouldn't use such rough language."
The Queen Dowager spoke reproachfully, then continued as if to remind Cerulean.
"Besides, it's your fault that Savis is in this situation in the first place. It was because of your irresponsible decision to throw away the throne that Savis became king and had to marry Chief Saint."
Cerulean seemed at a loss for words for a moment, but then quickly retorted in a fierce tone.
"It's because you didn't heal Colette in the first place!!" (Cerulean)
"Well, after all this criticizing me to my face, you're going to rely on me when it matters most? How shameless. I guess I didn't raise you right."
When the Queen Mother lowered her eyes in confusion, Cerulean appeared even more furious.
"I don't remember you raising me! At least, the only one you paid attention to as a child was Savis, and I was left alone!!" (Cerulean)
The Queen Mother's face lighted up in amusement.
"Is that what made you sad? Either way, it's your innate qualities that have made you this way. You were never meant to be king."
As the verbal battle unfolded, it was all I could do to hide my surprise on my face.
Well, Cerulean really didn't get along with the queen dowager.
And Cerulean seemed more childlike than ever when he interacted with the queen dowager.
The queen dowager seemed to be speaking calmly, but Cerulean, on the other hand, was furious and seemed to be exchanging verbal abuse, saying things in a fit of rage that he would not normally say.
Just as Cerulean was thinking that it might be best to shut his mouth before he said something he couldn't take back, he slammed his jaw on the table in frustration.
"Ha, maybe you were right! But even if I was wrong, I've become king. In that case, I'll use all the power I have." (Cerulean)
Seeing the glaring look in his eyes, I instinctively knew that he was about to say something irreversible.
Therefore, although I knew that it would exceed the number of guards allowed, I was about to speak up, but Cerulean announced it before I could.
"I had declared that there would be no one eligible for the King's recommendation for the Chief Saint Selection Committee, but I have changed my mind! I am recommending Fia Ruud here as a participant!!" (Cerulean)
"……huh?" (Fia)
However, the words that came out of Cerulean's mouth were far beyond what I had imagined, causing my eyes to widen in shock.
Huh, what?
Will I participate in the Chief Saint selection committee?
...I wondered what Cerulean was talking about.
Author's Note
Volume 8 of the comic was released today!
Just as the disease has been cured and the residents' feelings of gratitude and gratitude have begun to grow, Savis appears and a memorial service is held...making for a thrilling and suspenseful story.
I hope you will pick up a copy, so thank you very much(*ᴗˬᴗ)⁾⁾