Chapter 92: 91

“I sincerely welcome you to our kingdom, O the successor of the noble blood. I am Maryam Nur Hakan, the Queen of this country.”

When their eyes met, Maryam greeted him first. With her jet-black hair tied high, the black manteau and the red uniform that symbolized her monarch position, she exuded an energetic and warlike aura.

“It is my honor to meet the monarch of the country where winter begins. My name is Renato El Fleurette, the 1st Prince of the Fleurette Empire.”

Renato placed his hand on his left chest and bowed toward Maryam, following the kingdom etiquette previously taught by Khalid.

“I am also very pleased to have met the successor of the noble blood.”

Maryam, whose eyes lit up when Renato greeted her in the kingdom’s style, asked for a handshake with a bright smile. Renato took off his glove and took her hand. Even though not as firm as Khalid’s, Maryam’s hand was also very firm.

“You have worked hard to come such a long way.”

After warmly shaking hands, Maryam turned her gaze to Khalid. Renato saw her pupils shake very slightly. What was contained in the eyes that were a bit lighter than Khalid’s in color was a deep joy and faint guilt.

“It’s been a while, Khalid.”

“Greetings to you, Your Majesty.”

Khalid politely showed respect to Maryam. While happily approaching him, Maryam stopped her steps and had an awkward expression when seeing his formal greeting.

“I never thought I’d see you again so soon…… But you have come back with good news, too.”

“It just happened to be like that. Thank you for your willingness to allow it, even though you must have been surprised by the sudden contact. Thanks to that, I was able to come to the kingdom before spring passed.”

“Really, you’re getting engaged…… It was something I allowed, but honestly, I still can’t believe it. Do you know how surprised I was when I received your letter? I even wondered if the sun would rise in the west the following day.”

Maryam playfully said and tapped Khalid on the shoulder. Khalid lightly smiled at her. His smile seemed both embarrassed and bitter.

“Ahem, it’s disrespectful to have our guests stand here for too long, so let’s talk about it in detail later.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Dinner is ready, so let’s go inside. Ah, when will the engagement ceremony take place? All preparations have been made so that we can proceed even tomorrow.”

“Today will be difficult, but I think we can choose a day with good weather between tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.”

“Well, the road to the sanctuary is tough…… So let’s decide after taking a look at the weather tomorrow morning. I should also send a message to the priests to be on standby to hold the ceremony at any time.”

Tomorrow morning? Hearing the conversation between Maryam and Khalid, Renato widened his eyes. He had heard that the engagement ceremony was simple, but he didn’t think it would be the day after arriving in the kingdom right away.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing Renato looking up at him with startled rabbit eyes, Khalid tilted his head. Renato gently grabbed his hem and asked in a whisper.

“Will it be tomorrow morning?”

“I also told you before, right? The engagement ceremony will end with a ritual held at the altar where the tablets of successive Kings and Queens are enshrined.”

“You did, but……”

So suddenly? Just right away like this? Unable to hide his bewildered expression, Renato trailed off at the end of his sentence. He came here intending to get engaged to Khalid, but this felt too sudden. He thought he would have at least a few days to get used to the kingdom.

“The sanctuary with the altar is on the side of a mountain that belongs to the royal family, so it is hard to go even if the weather is a little cloudy. There are only a few good days to climb the mountain, so we have no choice but to decide based on the weather.”

Khalid explained in a soft voice to soothe the confused Renato. Then, he slightly frowned when seeing Renato’s hand where the glove had already been taken off when shaking hands.

“Your fingertips are red.”

Lightly clicking his tongue, Khalid held Renato’s wrist and put the glove on by himself. Seeing that, Maryam’s eyes opened wide. A silent astonishment also spread among the Khan Kingdom’s people behind her.

“Hmm.”

Maryam crossed her arms, intrigued by the two that seemed to get along much better than she expected. Her light red eyes gleamed. She had heard the relationship between the two wasn’t bad, but it was quite surprising to see it directly.

The Khalid that Maryam knew was warm to his people, but frighteningly cold and indifferent to others. He knew better than anyone how ambiguous and precarious his position in the kingdom was. That was why he drew a knife-like line toward those who approached him. It was not to show the enemies any gaps and not to let anyone take advantage of him.

He seemed to have become a bit softer after forming the Knights Order, but his romantic aspect was still the same. On the contrary, he distanced himself even more. Even when someone approached him with a sincere heart, he never yielded.

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However, Khalid’s attitude toward Renato was different. It also meant that Renato was someone in Khalid’s enclosure just like her.

“Your scarf has also come loose. I will tie it again.”

“It’s okay…… We will go inside soon.”

“It will be quite a distance to the banquet hall. And before that, we’ll have to unpack our luggage too, right?”

Ho, something that was either a sigh or an exclamation came out of Maryam’s mouth as she watched the two. Khalid’s action of taking care of Renato was as natural as flowing water. As if it was a usual and frequent thing.

Was that kid someone able to speak so softly and have such careful actions?

Maryam momentarily felt the need to totally correct her thoughts about this engagement. Until now, she believed that Khalid decided to marry Renato for political reasons. Khalid’s letter stated so, and the report from the royal informants was also similar.

But Khalid in front of her right now didn’t seem like someone getting engaged simply for political reasons. Maryam felt a little perplexed. He didn’t seem like the Khalid she knew.

When she thought about it again, even if it was for political benefits, Khalid himself had chosen to be taken advantage of by Renato to some extent. Maryam recalled the benefits of his marriage with Renato that Khalid had described in his letter. Although Renato’s conditions were hard to reject, considering Khalid’s extreme dislike towards those who tried to sway him, it was still unusual.

Why didn’t I think of this until now?

Biting her lower lip, Maryam looked at Khalid busy taking care of Renato. There were two main benefits she would gain from Khalid’s marriage. Pressing down on Duke Vint’s high nose, and restoring the awkward relationship with her younger brother.

Even the vassals who were usually wary of Khalid were also in favor of this marriage because the benefits that the kingdom and Maryam would gain were great. That was why Maryam gladly approved Khalid’s marriage.

But is it really a good thing?

Maryam clenched and unclenched her fist, feeling an uneasiness raising its head from the depths of her heart. In the Empire, Renato was called a sidekick Prince and was looked down on, but from the kingdom’s point of view, he was no different than a blessing in disguise.

The existences of a continuous, stable food supply and a port that didn’t freeze in winter were what the Khan Kingdom’s people had long wanted. Considering the value of the Esteban territory that Renato would rule in the future, it was better for Maryam to maintain a good relationship with him as much as possible.

But Khalid was the problem. He had explained to Maryam that his marriage to Renato was a political deal, and that they would divorce when the time was right.

But Maryam knew that love could also sprout between couples who married for convenience. Because she also fell in love with the Queen Consort whom she married due to political calculations.

What if the two truly liked each other? And what if Renato and Khalid didn’t divorce as planned? If that happened, an unwelcome situation would unfold for Maryam.

“My goodness……”

“What did I just see?”

“I heard his highness truly fell in love…… I guess the rumors are true.”

Maryam wasn’t the only one surprised when seeing Khalid taking care of Renato. The people who followed Maryam to meet Khalid and Renato’s party also exchanged glances or whispered to one another at the unexpected sight.

Not paying any attention to that, Khalid only turned to Maryam after carefully putting on the glove and wearing the scarf for Renato.

“I think it would be better to unpack His Imperial Highness’ luggage before dinner.”

“Hmm? Ah, right. I was so excited that I didn’t even think of that part. The guesthouse is ready to welcome guests. Khalid, what are you going to do? If you’re going to your mansion in the capital……”

“No, I will stay in the guesthouse with His Imperial Highness.”

Khalid expressed his intention to stay with Renato in the guesthouse. Although he had a mansion in the capital, there was no way he would leave Renato, a stranger to everything, alone in the royal palace.

“Then can we go to dinner after finishing unpacking our luggage?”

“You may do so. I will be having tea with the Queen Consort, so send someone when you are ready.”

Maryam gladly allowed, then benevolently smiled at Renato.

“See you later at the dinner, Prince.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you so much for your consideration.”

Renato awkwardly bowed his head. When the two finished their greetings, Khalid naturally wrapped his hand around Renato’s waist. It was done in a very natural manner without any deception.

“Let’s go.”

Khalid covered Renato to protect him, then led him toward the guesthouse. Maryam looked at the backs of the two as they moved away with complicated eyes. It was a delightful occasion now that her younger brother Khalid had met someone he could spend the rest of his life with, but she felt frustrated because her own circumstances didn’t allow her to be happy.

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