An Unwelcome Visitor
Lydia.
"If she's the Queen of the Jeremiah Kingdom... doesn't that mean she's Lydia?"
Clara, who had been trying to figure out who it was by looking at my grimacing face, suddenly scowled in anger.
"How utterly shameless... How dare she show her face here?"
Edwin sipped his wine with a bitter expression, his face clouded with the headache of figuring out how to handle this situation.
If it had been ordinary nobles coming as emissaries, it would have been simple. He could have rejected them with a plausible excuse, offered them a meal and a place to sleep, and sent them back to their home country.
But when the queen of another nation arrived, and as an official envoy at that, Edwin, as the king, could not simply ignore her.
"Don't worry, Carlos. I'll talk to her and send her packing."
"I'm sorry, Edwin."
"Don't be. You're the hero contracted to our kingdom. Were you planning to go help the Jeremiah Kingdom without my permission?"
"Heh..."
Whether I helped elsewhere or not, as long as the Arzen Kingdom was safe, the king had no right to stop the hero's actions. But just this once, I wanted to grant Edwin that authority.
"Still, the Jeremiah Kingdom must be in desperate straits to send Queen Lydia as an envoy..."
Edwin clicked his tongue, thinking of the Jeremiah Kingdom's current plight and the queen who had come to beg for aid from other nations.
Sending a queen as an envoy to an equal kingdom, rather than a suzerain state, was a humiliation for the Jeremiah Kingdom.
It was a clear testament to just how dire their situation had become.
"Won't the Eryther Empire send reinforcements?"
"The Empire has its own hands full right now. Who could they possibly help? Unless they get the hero's support, they're on the verge of losing all their own territory..."
"Still, they are allies, and their daughter is the queen..."
"They'll probably send a token force just for show. The Jeremiah Kingdom likely isn't expecting much either. That's why they're desperate enough to send the queen here."
Even as he spoke, Edwin couldn't stop smirking, clearly finding the situation in the western continent highly amusing.
I had absolutely no intention of helping them either, so I put it out of my mind and focused on my meal.
"Carlos, I had some documents sent up to your room. Take a look at them after we're done eating."
"What documents?"
"The hero party applications, of course. I've personally vetted and selected only the best this time, so make sure to review them. There's also someone recommended by Cecilia, the Imperial Princess of the Fiore Empire."
"A recommendation...?"
Usually, applicants for the hero's party applied on their own. It was rare for someone else to recommend a candidate, as Cecilia had done.
Recommending someone was equivalent to guaranteeing their identity and conduct. If that person made a mistake or caused trouble, the recommender would share the blame. Thus, unless it was one's own child, such recommendations were almost unheard of.
"I'll head out first. Since a queen has arrived, it would be rude to keep her waiting too long..."
Quickly finishing his meal, Edwin wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood up, and headed toward the drawing room where Lydia was waiting. The rest of us continued eating.
Leaving the dining hall, Edwin made his way to the drawing room where Lydia, the Queen of the Jeremiah Kingdom and a former member of the hero's party, was waiting.
Lydia, her red hair striking, stood up slowly alongside the few nobles who had accompanied her, greeting Edwin warmly.
"Have you been well, King Edwin?"
"Welcome, Queen Lydia. What brings you here so suddenly without any prior notice?"
Lydia opened her mouth to speak, but then glanced at the nobles who had come with her. She gave them a silent signal, and they all rose and filed out of the drawing room.
"King Edwin... no, Edwin... I beg of you. Please, just let me meet the hero once. Please?"
Lydia suddenly grabbed Edwin's hands, her face looking as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.
Startled by her sudden action, Edwin tried to pull his hands away, but she held on tight.
"Lydia, let go of my hands first so we can talk. I'm a bachelor, so it doesn't matter to me, but you are a married queen. It will cause a scandal if anyone sees us."
"Is now the time to worry about scandals? Our kingdom is in grave danger. Carlos clearly doesn't want to help because of what happened in the past... That's why I came all this way to beg."
Flustered by her sudden outburst, Edwin poured tea into a cup he had prepared beforehand in an attempt to calm her down.
"Lydia, drink some tea first and calm down before we speak."
"Every second counts right now! With the Imperial army retreating, our kingdom has been left completely exposed and unprepared..."
"I know. We heard the news as well."
"Does Carlos know too? What did he say? Will he help us?"
"Well... Carlos is very busy right now. Between his recent battle with one of the Four Heavenly Kings in the Horon Kingdom and forming his new hero party, he has his hands full."
Edwin made all sorts of excuses to keep Carlos out of the conversation, but Lydia's focus remained entirely on the hero.
"So? Is he refusing to come? Because of me? What did he say?"
Lydia's sole purpose in coming here was Carlos.
"Lydia, I understand that the Jeremiah Kingdom is in a rush, and I understand your situation... but Carlos needs time right now."
"Time? Time for what? Time for me to apologize? Is that all it takes?"
"No. A lot has happened to Carlos. He's simply not in a position to go all the way to the western continent to help. So, rather than Carlos..."
"Then, Edwin! Can't you let him re-contract with our kingdom? We'll pay back the penalty fee several times over. He can come to the western continent and live however he wants. Please?"
Lydia had finally crossed the line.
Before they were acquaintances connected through the hero Carlos, they were individuals responsible for their respective kingdoms. Lydia's words had thoroughly offended Edwin.
"Lydia. I don't care if you came as an envoy or if we go back. I have a duty to protect my own kingdom. If you're going to speak to me like that, you can go right back to your kingdom."
"Edwin! That's not what I meant..."
"I only came down here because a queen arrived as an envoy. Considering what you did to Carlos, I have absolutely no desire to see your face either. So, please leave."
"I... I'm sorry if I offended you. But... our kingdom is just that desperate. That's why... Please, just let me see Carlos. I beg of you..."
"..."
Faced with Edwin's anger, Lydia finally began to weep, pleading desperately.
Unable to bring himself to say anything harsher to a crying woman, Edwin simply sipped his tea in silence.
"Edwin... and... I'm pregnant..."
"What?"
"I said... I'm pregnant..."
"..."
With Lydia revealing her pregnancy, Edwin found himself even more speechless. He stared at her, waiting to hear what else would come out of her mouth.
"I can't hand down a barren wasteland to this child in my womb, who will lead the future of the Jeremiah Kingdom. Edwin... for my sake... no, forget a sinner like me, but for the sake of the child in my womb... I beg of you."
"Whew... So your unborn child is precious, but the heart of the person you scarred doesn't matter to you at all?"
"..."
"I have nothing more to say to you. Please leave. I don't care if this is a diplomatic insult; there is no room in this palace to house a woman like you. Get out of my kingdom immediately."
"Edwin..."
Unable to contain his rage, Edwin leaped to his feet. Startled, Lydia grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving.
"Just once is fine. Please, just let me meet the hero."
"I will pass the message to Carlos, but don't get your hopes up."
"Thank you! Please, I'm begging you! Make sure to tell him that I'm pregnant, too..."
"..."
Unable to listen to another word, Edwin stormed out of the drawing room.
Lydia screamed at the top of her lungs from inside, trying to get one last word in, but he ignored her completely and strode down the hallway.
"Your Majesty, what about the rooms for the envoys..."
"They don't need any. Kick them out right now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The head maid, who had come to ask just in case, recoiled in fear at his furious tone, which clearly reflected his current state of mind.
He was usually hailed as a benevolent ruler, always smiling, kind, and merciful to nobles and commoners alike. Having never seen him this angry, she couldn't help but be terrified.
"Where is the hero Carlos right now?"
"He has returned to his room, Your Majesty."
"Then I shall head there."
At Edwin's words, the head maid immediately took the lead, guiding him to the hallway where the hero's room was located.
Knock, knock, knock.
How much time had passed since I returned to my room?
The delicious food Clara had lovingly piled onto my plate now sat heavy in my stomach, churning uncomfortably as if I had indigestion, all because of the single mention of Lydia's arrival.
I wished I could just forget everything and fall asleep...
But since that was impossible, I had no choice but to look over the hero party applications Edwin had mentioned.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Who is it?"
"Sir Carlos. It's Lucia."
"Lucia?"
I thought it would be Edwin returning after his talk with Lydia. What was Lucia doing here at this late hour?
I walked over and opened the door. Standing there was Lucia, holding a tray with a teapot and cups.
"Lu... Lucia... What brings you here at this hour?"
"I... I wanted to have a cup of tea with you, Sir Carlos."
"Tea? Come on in first."
Lucia smiled brightly, lifting the tray slightly to show me the tea.
As she brushed past me, the scent of the tea wafted through the air. It was the same lavender tea we had last time, and its soothing aroma quickly filled the room, starting from where I stood.