Succession Ceremony (4)
“Be mine.”
After that bombshell declaration, Lucis spent the entire party clinging to Prince Erad.
Erad, being smaller in stature than Lucis, was dragged around as she held his hand.
“A prince and a dragon, no less…”
“Looks like the Empire is about to receive the blessing of the Radiant Dragon.”
The nobles watched the two of them with delighted expressions.
Some frowned, worried that the imperial family’s power might grow stronger, but they were few.
After all, children liking each other is just a childhood game.
Of course, the parents’ perspectives were a little different.
Only Irina didn’t notice that the Empress’s lips trembled as she watched her son being held by Lucis.
Nor did she know that Erad’s cheeks were so red that his neck had turned scarlet as well.
“Come with me for a moment.”
And Seymour was led away by the Emperor.
Behind the ballroom, in a lounge normally prepared for those whose makeup or attire might have become disheveled,
the Emperor sat with a very displeased look, staring at me.
I closed my mouth cautiously and sat down in front of him.
“……”
The Emperor’s eyebrows furrowed in displeasure.
He didn’t say I could sit, but his expression clearly asked why I had. I pretended not to notice, playing the part of someone oblivious.
“Haah……”
The Emperor let out a deep sigh.
Though he was the Emperor of the Empire, he lacked the power to bring down even a flying bird in Grandal II’s era.
The days of absolute imperial power had ended centuries ago, and the current Emperor was treated more like “the strongest noble” in a kingdom of old.
‘So I can get away with being this brazen.’
And honestly, I felt a bit wronged.
Why was I receiving that look?
Normally, a father of a daughter would be the one feeling more displeased in this situation, right?
Before I knew it, the Emperor and I were exchanging looks of mutual dissatisfaction.
“Your expression is quite unpleasant, isn’t it?”
The Emperor asked, his voice sharp.
Even a high-ranking noble had limits; this was as far as one could go in showing insolence in front of the Emperor.
I forced myself to maintain a polite expression.
“Ahaha. Thank you for your concern. Your Majesty, you don’t seem to be in a good mood either. Is something troubling you? Hahaha.”
A muscle twitched on the Emperor’s face.
“Trouble? None. My child has been chosen by a dragon.”
“Chosen? That’s just the whim of a young dragon.”
Lucis’s behavior earlier had been surprising, but knowing Lucis’s tendencies, I quickly assessed the situation.
Lucis, among dragons who love gold and treasures, was particularly honest with her desires.
Apparently, the imperial family’s radiant hair and eye colors, jewel-like in beauty, had caught her fancy.
Her face, cuter than the Emperor’s and closer to the Empress’s, probably helped too.
“…A whim?”
“Of course, a whim. You don’t seriously mean you’re taking this to heart, do you? Ahaha.”
At my words, the Emperor’s expression shifted subtly.
If described bluntly, it was a look that said, “You little…”
He squinted and said,
“Now that I think about it, it’s rather fitting. A dragon and royalty—what a top-class couple.”
“So it’s just childhood play, suitable as such. The two of them will likely remain good friends.”
“Friends, you say? Nothing more?”
“Ahaha. There are many obstacles, after all. The difference in species, and most of all, the difference in lifespans……”
The Emperor, suddenly agitated, cut me off.
“Is my son being rejected?”
“Not at all, Your Majesty.”
“No? It feels like it. Before he could even confess—or rather, he was confessed to—and now he’s being rejected too?”
“Absolutely not, Your Majesty.”
“What a remarkable family, isn’t it? The dragon rejects the Emperor, and you reject the prince?”
“Ahaha. That’s a misunderstanding.”
It wasn’t a misunderstanding, it was an accurate understanding.
I had no intention of acting like a foolish doting father.
I was ready to applaud and accept any suitable suitor for Lucis.
‘But no human, no matter what.’
Not even a royal grandfather.
With a lifespan difference exceeding a hundredfold, would Lucis be forced to endure 9,900 years of loss and longing?
‘Same species, at least an elf would do…’
Before my thoughts could continue, the Emperor interrupted.
“Do you know that those chosen by dragons often face complications in marriage?”
“I do.”
“Then why do you act so brazenly?”
“Well…”
It’s none of my business, isn’t it?
‘Shut up, Seymour inside me.’
I suppressed the inner voice and cleared my throat.
“Then you should treat it as a mere incident, a child’s game. You’re not seriously considering taking the dragon as a daughter-in-law, are you?”
“If I did, what’s the problem?”
“Lucis, being a hatchling, is temporarily considered an exceptional case in the Mausoleum Accord due to her unfamiliarity with dragon society. At any moment, she could leave Inse.”
“Hmm… Dragons count decades as just a moment for humans, don’t they?”
“But if she holds a key position alongside a member of the royal family, the situation changes. Even now, there are dragons observing Lucis closely.”
Earlier, he’d objected strongly, but now, when I said it could never happen, he smacked his lips with regret.
‘Who dares to try making Lucis a daughter-in-law? I might as well start a rebellion.’
The Emperor thought for a moment, then reluctantly nodded once.
“Very well. Let’s move to another topic for today.”
“Do you have more to say?”
“The kind of clothes you’re wearing—I’d like a few myself.”
After complaints, now a request for gifts. Truly, this was the Emperor.
‘But if the Emperor wears our brand, that’s excellent publicity.’
I smiled in capitalist delight.
“What is your size, Your Majesty?”
Lucis, wandering around the ballroom for a long time, suddenly felt her legs ache. Erad had long disappeared at the Empress’s call.
Lucis looked around, remembering the comforting arms that usually held her, but Seymour was nowhere to be seen.
She considered sitting on a sofa, but it was too high for her.
After a moment’s thought, she decided to simply sit on the floor.
But just before her bottom touched the ground, she felt someone lift her up.
“You cannot sit just anywhere like that, Your Highness.”
White hair fell over Lucis’s face, tickling her.
She giggled softly and met the violet eyes looking down at her.
“I think I might have an idea of what to teach you.”
It was Irina, wearing the knight order’s uniform and her hair tied in a single braid.
Irina smiled softly, adjusting the angle of her arms to help Lucis sit comfortably.
“Do you remember me?”
“Yes, teacher.”
“You remember me.”
Irina’s smile was one of pure joy, so beautiful that even young Lucis was momentarily stunned.
Lucis unconsciously reached up and touched Irina’s cheek.
“Pretty.”
“…Pardon?”
“Be mine too.”
“…Pardon?”
Startled, Irina didn’t respond; someone else answered for her.
“I apologize, great one. My daughter is mine.”
It was Moira Ishtar, Irina’s mother and head of the Ishtar House.
Moira bowed respectfully to Lucis.
“I hear my daughter will be your teacher. She’s uncompromising and earnest, so she will make a good instructor.”
Moira lifted her head and observed Lucis, her expression indifferent, as if uncertain whether Lucis understood her words.
“…Please visit our townhouse next time as well.”
With that, Moira walked away.
Watching her retreating back, Irina thought: when she heard that a white dragon hybrid resided in the Mausoleum family, her mother had immediately called a council meeting of the elders.
Since only the head and the elders could attend, Irina could not be present.
What discussions took place? What decisions were made?
“……”
Irina unconsciously hugged Lucis tightly.
The child squirmed slightly in response, then said,
“I’m hungry.”
“Are you? Shall we get something to eat?”
Irina carried Lucis toward a table where food had been prepared.
Behind them, the nobles whispered among themselves.
“Sir Ishtar and the young Radiant Dragon… It really feels like watching family, doesn’t it?”
“Given that the Ishtar family is directly descended from the Radiant Dragon, it makes sense.”
“They suit each other even better than Count Mausoleum. They look like a mother and daughter.”
Lucis, however, seemed oblivious to the whispers, her eyes shining as she looked at the table.
It was a table she had long been curious about, but had not reached before due to her small stature.
“Those.”
Lucis pointed at the canapés.
Small crackers topped with minced meat and olives, easy to eat in one bite.
“Aah.”
Lucis opened her mouth.
Understanding her meaning, Irina smiled softly and placed a canapé into her mouth.
“Munch, munch.”
Lucis chewed it neatly in one bite, a satisfied smile on her face.
Irina could feel the tiny vibrations from the child’s chewing against her body.
“Hohoho…”
Irina hugged the child a little tighter, sincerely hoping that Lucis would always remain happy.
After the succession ceremony party ended, we returned to the townhouse, where the second party had already begun.
“Congratulations, brother!”
“Congratulations, sir!”
“We look forward to serving you, head of the house!”
The main hall of the townhouse was already prepared with food and drinks.
Unlike the previous party, direct and collateral family members mingled freely, enjoying themselves.
“Did you see the expressions of the people when Lucis came down?”
“The nobles? They were completely dumbfounded!”
“And the look on their faces seeing this outfit!”
Especially the younger collateral members were still excited by today’s grand debut.
Their faces shone with anticipation for the future they would spend with me.
“Long live the new Count Mausoleum!”
“Long live the great dragon Lucis!”
As the cheers rose and Lucis once again held her head high, Alfred approached me with a letter.
The letter bore a wax seal and the stamp of the From Church.
It contained a single line:
Four days from now, at sunset. From Grand Cathedral.
The God of Contracts has granted my audience request.
