Arriving at the capital is the end of our adventure. It's been fun, but now we need to focus.
The journey from the gates to the Royal Palace is different from last time. People are crowding the streets on both sides. They cheer on us when the carriage passes, and Marius hides his face when he notices they're all staring at us.
I wave my hand, greeting the people on my side.
It's odd. I've never been greeted like this anywhere. But they truly seem happy that I'm here.
People can be so strange. What has Ignis told everyone to make the peasants pleased about me?
Some children throw petals in front of the carriage as we proceed slowly. Tobin is on a horse, riding next to the carriage with his emotionless expression.
«Sir Tobin, are we going to proceed like this for the whole time?» I inquire. My hand is getting tired of greeting.
Also, I'm only capable of waving on this side. The others will see the carriage only, poor people. But what can I do? I am only one.
«It seems the news that our future Queen would arrive today escaped the Palace and reached Mavale. People came to greet you, my Lady. This is a good sign, right?»
I nod. Indeed, it's good. As long as they don't want to lynch me, I'm happy. Yet, I wanted to see Ignis right away.
Oh, but even if I arrived early at the Palace, I would have to wait for him to finish his work before finally meeting him.
«What will happen when we reach the Palace?»
Will I have to greet strangers for the whole day? I'm not in the mood right now. I can leave it for tomorrow, right?
«My Lady will have dinner in the royal apartments, far from the noise of the Palace. During the evening, his Majesty will come to visit you. Most probably, my Lady will retire early to rest from the journey.»
That's good, but I don't feel all that tired. I can risk talking late into the night and getting on par with what has happened to Ignis while we were apart.
It's not been too long, after all, but I felt every single day on my shoulders.
We proceed at the same annoying pace, and the crowd becomes bigger and louder. The ladies call the Queen and shout happy when our eyes meet. The children throw flowers and sing songs.
It's so cheerful. As if I did something great before coming here.
«I don't understand. Why are they so happy?» I inquire. «I get it: a new Queen. But they still don't know if I'll be a good one.»
«I will answer to that,» Marius declares.
Sir Tobin nods and slows down for a second, moving a step behind the carriage window.
«You tamed the tyrant. That's why they love you,» Marius comments. «Since you managed to make him lose his mind, the people think you will guide the cursed tyrant of Alba towards a lighter path.»
«What?»
«You're their saviour! They think they'll be better now that you'll distract his Majesty from killing people randomly.»
«Ah, no, not that... I was wondering: what is it about the curse?»
«People call him cursed because he has red hair,» Marius comments, rolling his eyes.
«That's so mean.»
«I know. But he can live with it. It's not like his hair became red when he was crowned.»
«But it's still mean. His family disliked him because of it. Did you know that his father sent him away because he thought Ignis would bring misfortune to his wife?»
«That's how you two met for the first time,» Marius points out. «He's luckier than he deserves.»
«Oh, you,» I sigh.
«Also, his early actions didn't help with his reputation. I heard the story from Marchioness Crasso. It seems that your husband isn't as cruel as they paint him. But, he's terrible at showing his real nature.»
«That's not true!»
«I'm not talking about the rose filter you see him through. It's his advertisement policy that is awful. Your husband should replace whoever is in charge of that. He could turn the story in so many ways to make it look better.»
«And it wouldn't be a lie, in that case,» I realise. «Do you think Ignis is purposely letting people misunderstand him? So that he can rule with fake terror or something?»
Marius rolls his eyes again.
«I think he just doesn't care enough.»
«I can't allow people to continue misunderstanding,» I murmur. «I'll find a way to improve Ignis's image.»
Eventually, we do reach the gates of the Palace. It just takes us so long that it feels like forever.
The golden gates, defended by marble lions, are opened. The carriage is still slow.
The soldiers come out and stand in formation. They salute the carriage as we pass, and Sir Tobin stays back. He won't be needed for the following few minutes, so he moves on the other side. We continue forward while the rest of the delegation goes left. Only a couple of nobles go right.