The coronation ceremony had not been cancelled despite the incident in the morning.
Only a small portion of those inside the castle knew of the incident, and even then, none among their number insisted that the ceremony be cancelled.
Still, it was the first time Folnier and her subordinates had seen King Leygur and, while it went without saying for the people of Sunkwoll, there was no doubt that they had come to acknowledge the daemon’s existence anew. It could be said that——they had no choice, not after feeling his power first hand with their own bodies.
Foreign visitors were seated in special seats to the side made for the nobility, and those who were related to the kingdom——in other words, Shelfa’s retainers, were seated in front of their liege.
The great hall inside the castle was filled to the brim with people seated in their assigned seats.
That being said, there were barely a thousand people present, but to Shelfa, who hadn’t gone out much until recently, it looked like everyone in the world was gathered before her.
Not to mention the fact that this huge audience had, without exception, specifically come to see her.
At the side entrance to the steps at the back of the great hall——
Shelfa, the new monarch of the kingdom, stood before the tiny door to the entrance. She wore a circlet inlaid with jewels in the lieu of a crown, but she didn’t seem all too happy for it.
She cracked open the door and peeked inside before promptly slamming it shut again.
“I……feel faint.”
She looked up at Rain with a face as pallid as her words suggested.
“What’s this now? No one out there’s scary if you think, “Hahaha. They’re all lowly fools who’ll serve me. I’ll work them all to the bone!” There may be a lot of them, but you can basically just think of them as a bunch of potatoes in a sack.”
“That’s……I can’t. Please come with me and stay right next to me, Rain…… I really might faint if you don’t.”
“I’ll be close by. My seat’s pretty close to you since I’m a high general. But I can’t be right next to you. Everyone’s watching.”
Rain smiled wryly, but his smile turned into a scowl part-way through.
Shelfa immediately grew worried and touched Rain gently on the shoulder.
“Do your wounds hurt?”
“Nah, I’m alright. I just got pissed remembering how he got away.”
Rain stubbornly shook his head.
Shelfa lowered her eyes and replied,
“……how nice it would be if I could bear your wounds for you, Rain. I, too, would be able to share your pain with you if that were the case.”
“Don’t be silly. Like hell I’d let something happen to your pretty skin and let it go to waste. And more importantly, look——it’s time.”
Shelfa reluctantly walked toward the door as Rain pushed her shoulders. Still, she stopped just short of it and looked up at Rain again.
“I’ll be looking at you as much as I can during the ceremony, Rain.”
You’re always only looking at me, aren’t you?——
Rain nodded seriously instead of saying such boorish words.
“That so? Yeah, do that if it’ll help calm you down.”
Then, he spoke up again before Shelfa, who looked like she still had more to say, could speak.
“Do you want me to brush off the dirt in your eyes again?”
“Oh, yes! Please do!”
Rain stooped down as Shelfa closed her eyes while looking excited. Their bodies came together in the empty corridor.
The moved apart a few seconds later and Rain asked,
“feeling better now?”
“……Yes. Very……very, very much so!”
Shelfa nodded repeatedly with radiant eyes that looked remarkably different from earlier.
“That’s good. Then——shall we?”
“Yes. I’ll go to the ends of the world……as long as it’s with you.”
Shelfa’s dreamy reply was somewhat misaligned with the current situation.
Rain laughed and opened the door.
“Please, Your Majesty.”
“……I don’t like being called that. Please address me the way you have been, Rain.”
“Alright. Then——please, Princess.”
“——Yes!”
Shelfa walked through the door without hesitation and headed straight for the highest step, a marked difference from how she had been acting just a few minutes prior.
Her long blonde hair glistened under the light radiating from the multiple chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. Everyone’s gaze flooded her white skin and beauty, lovely enough to even outshine virgin snow. The noblewomen who stood up from their seats sighed in praise and envy.
Shelfa, who had temporarily stopped being afraid due to the “Rain effect”, let out the full might of her beauty and charm for all to see in the long-awaited coronation ceremony.
Loud cheers erupted from the seats in the Sunkwoll section of the hall as the young girl gave a smile wave of her hand with a smile.
“Hurrah for the new queen!”
“May the gods grant our beautiful and wise queen their divine protection!”
Thunderous applause joined the cheers like a large wave.
And, Rain stuck close behind his liege, whom none would likely have objected to calling the “loveliest monarch in history”.
He was like an inconspicuous guardian god supporting her from the shadows.
Shelfa felt his firm presence at her back and felt infinitely relieved.
And with this day and time as the turning point——
Sunkwoll welcomed the “first year of Queen Shelfa’s reign” and entered into a new era.
The coronation ceremony had not been cancelled despite the incident in the morning.
Only a small portion of those inside the castle knew of the incident, and even then, none among their number insisted that the ceremony be cancelled.
Still, it was the first time Folnier and her subordinates had seen King Leygur and, while it went without saying for the people of Sunkwoll, there was no doubt that they had come to acknowledge the daemon’s existence anew. It could be said that——they had no choice, not after feeling his power first hand with their own bodies.
Foreign visitors were seated in special seats to the side made for the nobility, and those who were related to the kingdom——in other words, Shelfa’s retainers, were seated in front of their liege.
The great hall inside the castle was filled to the brim with people seated in their assigned seats.
That being said, there were barely a thousand people present, but to Shelfa, who hadn’t gone out much until recently, it looked like everyone in the world was gathered before her.
Not to mention the fact that this huge audience had, without exception, specifically come to see her.
At the side entrance to the steps at the back of the great hall——
Shelfa, the new monarch of the kingdom, stood before the tiny door to the entrance. She wore a circlet inlaid with jewels in the lieu of a crown, but she didn’t seem all too happy for it.
She cracked open the door and peeked inside before promptly slamming it shut again.
“I……feel faint.”
She looked up at Rain with a face as pallid as her words suggested.
“What’s this now? No one out there’s scary if you think, “Hahaha. They’re all lowly fools who’ll serve me. I’ll work them all to the bone!” There may be a lot of them, but you can basically just think of them as a bunch of potatoes in a sack.”
“That’s……I can’t. Please come with me and stay right next to me, Rain…… I really might faint if you don’t.”
“I’ll be close by. My seat’s pretty close to you since I’m a high general. But I can’t be right next to you. Everyone’s watching.”
Rain smiled wryly, but his smile turned into a scowl part-way through.
Shelfa immediately grew worried and touched Rain gently on the shoulder.
“Do your wounds hurt?”
“Nah, I’m alright. I just got pissed remembering how he got away.”
Rain stubbornly shook his head.
Shelfa lowered her eyes and replied,
“……how nice it would be if I could bear your wounds for you, Rain. I, too, would be able to share your pain with you if that were the case.”
“Don’t be silly. Like hell I’d let something happen to your pretty skin and let it go to waste. And more importantly, look——it’s time.”
Shelfa reluctantly walked toward the door as Rain pushed her shoulders. Still, she stopped just short of it and looked up at Rain again.
“I’ll be looking at you as much as I can during the ceremony, Rain.”
You’re always only looking at me, aren’t you?——
Rain nodded seriously instead of saying such boorish words.
“That so? Yeah, do that if it’ll help calm you down.”
Then, he spoke up again before Shelfa, who looked like she still had more to say, could speak.
“Do you want me to brush off the dirt in your eyes again?”
“Oh, yes! Please do!”
Rain stooped down as Shelfa closed her eyes while looking excited. Their bodies came together in the empty corridor.
The moved apart a few seconds later and Rain asked,
“feeling better now?”
“……Yes. Very……very, very much so!”
Shelfa nodded repeatedly with radiant eyes that looked remarkably different from earlier.
“That’s good. Then——shall we?”
“Yes. I’ll go to the ends of the world……as long as it’s with you.”
Shelfa’s dreamy reply was somewhat misaligned with the current situation.
Rain laughed and opened the door.
“Please, Your Majesty.”
“……I don’t like being called that. Please address me the way you have been, Rain.”
“Alright. Then——please, Princess.”
“——Yes!”
Shelfa walked through the door without hesitation and headed straight for the highest step, a marked difference from how she had been acting just a few minutes prior.
Her long blonde hair glistened under the light radiating from the multiple chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. Everyone’s gaze flooded her white skin and beauty, lovely enough to even outshine virgin snow. The noblewomen who stood up from their seats sighed in praise and envy.
Shelfa, who had temporarily stopped being afraid due to the “Rain effect”, let out the full might of her beauty and charm for all to see in the long-awaited coronation ceremony.
Loud cheers erupted from the seats in the Sunkwoll section of the hall as the young girl gave a smile wave of her hand with a smile.
“Hurrah for the new queen!”
“May the gods grant our beautiful and wise queen their divine protection!”
Thunderous applause joined the cheers like a large wave.
And, Rain stuck close behind his liege, whom none would likely have objected to calling the “loveliest monarch in history”.
He was like an inconspicuous guardian god supporting her from the shadows.
Shelfa felt his firm presence at her back and felt infinitely relieved.
And with this day and time as the turning point——
Sunkwoll welcomed the “first year of Queen Shelfa’s reign” and entered into a new era.
