0&1 Ch 20.1

Matters of the Heart

My heart was in turmoil. I spent the night awake, and when I got up, I dozed off like a sick chicken in the afternoon.

Edward’s procession began outside the city gates, circled the outer walls once, and ended at the royal palace. It was a schedule that lasted from morning until afternoon.

As Edward’s procession entered the royal road, the bell ringer in the east tower rang the bells. Someone shot fireworks into the sky.

I didn’t watch the procession. I gave my young attendants the day off. They went out into the streets and played until late afternoon, returning to the palace excited.

I heard them talking excitedly. They said that the soldiers who brought victory were handsome and wonderful, and that it was so great, but they didn’t mention Edward.

“What about Edward? Didn’t you see him?”

“Ah… His Highness Edward…” The young servant blushed and sighed. His face looked as if he were lost in a dream. The servants sighed as if they had all caught a fever.

“He was just… too… too…
“Too?”
“…Haa…”

The servant covered his face and shook his head.

What the hell…

Anyway, it seemed that he had seen Edward. I sent the excited servants away and remained alone in the room.

Was it just a dream in the early morning?

It seemed more realistic than the idea that Edward had come to see me at night and then appeared outside the castle this morning.

Did I want to see Edward? Did I want him to forgive me so much that I dreamed about him?

Dot knocked on the door.

“Your Highness, Duke Grey Cracker is here to see you.”

“Send him in.” 

I answered without thinking, but immediately regretted it. There was only one reason Grey would come at this hour.

“Are you still not ready for the banquet?” Grey asked. 

He was dressed to the nines from head to toe. He looked me over.

“ Yeah, I have to get ready. But did I say I would attend with you?”
“You didn’t say that, but who else would you go with? You don’t have a partner.”
“A partner… No, I don’t.”

It’s rare to be right and still be as annoying as Grey.

“If it weren’t for me, you would be late.”

“Yeah. Thanks. I hate it when you talk like that.”

When I grumbled, Grey said shamelessly, “If you hate loyal subjects, you’ll never be a good King.”

“I don’t want to be a good King. Are you a loyal subject?”
“Even if I’m hated, I don’t hold back on my honest advice, do I?”

What I really wanted to know was when you became my subject.

“No, the King was really angry. He was in a good mood earlier today, but the Queen did not attend the ceremony. These days, it is impossible to know what the King is going to do.”

While Edward was away on the battlefield, the King became extremely capricious. He held a martial arts tournament to find a strong knight, but canceled it on the day of the event, and there were times when he was completely powerless.

He dismissed his favorite courtiers and went into seclusion, but when he heard of Edward’s first victory, he issued a decree of amnesty and declared a festival, exciting the whole country.

Lately, he had been most enthusiastic about preparing for Edward’s homecoming ceremony. I didn’t care what the King did, but it wouldn’t do any good to upset him at a time like this.

Was it really Edward I saw? I woke up and realized it had rained during the night. When I opened my eyes, the smell of fresh grass wafted into my bedroom.

The smell gave me a headache. Thinking was not my forte, but I had been thinking too much lately.

“Get out. I’m going to change my clothes.”

Grey smiled brightly.

“Good idea.”

I sent a message to the Queen. I would attend the banquet. The Queen had been ill all day, but she suddenly decided that she was feeling better.

I escorted the Queen, with her black hair pinned up and dressed in a dark blue dress, to the banquet hall. We were late, but the Queen didn’t seem to mind. Neither did her maids.

Dresses were outfits that took a long time to put on and take off. The Queen’s maids said that this was especially true for someone as dignified as the Queen.

I nodded and waited in the next room for several hours.

The Queen was beautiful enough to make the wait worthwhile.

The doors to the banquet hall opened. A dazzling light poured out.

The attendant announced the arrival of the Queen and me.

“Joffrey.” Before entering through the open doors, the Queen took my hand. She adjusted my clothes and looked up at my face.

Her eyes were filled with concern for me. My heart sank. The Queen probably didn’t want to attend Edward’s welcome banquet. But she couldn’t let me go alone.

I thought she was about to say something, but she didn’t. She simply turned and asked, “Shall we go in? Are you ready?”

“Yes, mother.”

She placed her hand on my arm.

As soon as we entered the banquet hall, we saw a group of nobles. They were gathered in one place as if something had happened, making the banquet hall seem relatively empty.

Because we arrived after the King, we attracted attention. It was unusual for the Queen and the King not to appear together in the first place. However, it was normal in this country.

I accompanied the Queen and approached the King. I bowed my head in greeting, and the King replied as if he were tired. “You’re late.”

“I’m sorry.”
“Apologize to your brother. He’s back after a difficult journey. You didn’t attend the ceremony, so you couldn’t greet him.”

The Queen sat down next to the King. I was surprised.

The two did not look like a married couple at all. With his beard and listless expression, the King looked much older than his age. I knew they were around the same age, but they looked more like father and daughter.

The Queen smiled at me. The King waved me away. I turned my head toward the banquet hall.

I saw Edward. I didn’t even need to look for him in the large banquet hall.

He was surrounded by nobles. The reason for the commotion among the nobles was Edward’s presence.

Edward’s status was unrivaled. He was the object of admiration. You could tell just by looking at the nobles surrounding him. Young and old nobles were mixed together. They were all trying to get closer to Edward.

Edward did not turn his head toward me. It seemed as if he did not even notice that I had arrived. The attendant had called out loudly, so he must have heard it if he had ears. The nobles around him also looked back at us when the Queen and I entered.

I was confused.

Was it really a dream? Was I desperate enough to dream that Edward would come looking for me? It was so vivid. If it wasn’t a dream, then it was something so strange that it was impossible to explain.

The King rested his chin on his hand and looked down at me. His tired face seemed to be telling me to hurry up and do what I had to do and then disappear.

I really didn’t want to go. It felt like I had only confirmed my own pointless desire. Even though Edward wouldn’t know, my face was burning, and I didn’t want to do anything.

I lingered as long as possible before approaching Edward. I wished the crowd would block my way so I couldn’t get close to him, but some kind nobles noticed me.

“Prince Joffrey.”
“Prince Joffrey.”

They made way for me. I followed the path that had parted like the Red Sea and approached Edward. Nobles stood on both sides of the path like spectators. Edward was still talking to someone and didn’t notice me.

I didn’t know if he couldn’t see me or if he was ignoring me.

It was really Edward. The Edward who wouldn’t forgive me, the Edward I feared.

“Edward.” 

When I called his name once, Edward looked up. Our eyes met. His bright blue eyes were inhumanly beautiful, staring at me.

I thought he would become cold. I thought his expression would freeze in an instant.

I was prepared for that, so I was taken aback when he slowly smiled.

“Joffrey.”

What…

The nobles stirred. I wasn’t the only one who was confused. I was glad I wasn’t the only fool.

What did he eat while he was away?

“Hello, Edward.” 

As I muttered blankly, Edward smiled again. It wasn’t a big smile, just a slight smile as if he was enjoying the situation.

I got goose bumps.

“Yes. Hello, Joffrey.”
“… It’s been a long time.”
“Yes, it has.”
“Did you have a good trip?”

I wanted to bite my tongue. What the hell did I mean by ‘Did you have a good trip?’ Did Edward just come back from next door or something?

The smile disappeared from Edward’s face. The nape of my neck prickled.

He looked at me expressionlessly, then replied in a gentle voice. “I had a good trip. It’s nice to hear you worry about me.”

What…

Did he really eat something bad? Do they serve inedible food at war?

It was really scary. Not because he was talking nonsense, but because he was so obviously trying to manipulate me.

I didn’t know how to react. Usually, obvious manipulation leads to obvious results, but Edward’s manipulation was confusing.

Does he want to act affectionate toward me? To win my favor?

But what does Edward have to gain from that?