77 – Galatea, who are you?
***
Rumbling.
On the way back to the capital after a three-month arduous journey.
Maru was sleeping on Audrit’s thighs in the carriage.
She shook her shoulder lightly.
“We are almost there.”
“Um… Already?”
Maru raised his upper body and looked out the window rubbing his sleepy eyes.
A mighty castle could be seen in the distance.
The king was also furious.
“Haam.”
I stretched all the way and went to the other side and sat down.
I looked at Audrit, who was sitting in front of me.
Thinking of welcoming the people and her servants, she dressed more beautifully than usual and quietly stared at the window.
Her hair was also a princess hair that was rolled up in a round shape.
Until an hour ago, we had a pleasant conversation, but the closer she got to the capital, the less she talked.
she was nervous
“Even if it were a delegation, great people wouldn’t have come.”
I smiled to reassure her.
“I am there. I will stick by your side.”
“It really has to be. You can’t leave them and me alone and go somewhere else.”
“yes.”
The two kissed lightly.
And he was about to fall, but Audrey hugged Maru’s neck.
“Please stay like this for a while.”
Maru slowly swept her back.
And then he licked his lips.
“Well… uh… Well… ”
“Tell me. What is it?”
“uh… So. Until now, I’ve lived a freewheeling life. But when I’m in the imperial family, the atmosphere is a bit different. Audrey. Even if I feel like a different person, don’t be difficult and come to me anytime.”
“You manage your facial expressions to keep your dignity in front of your servants, right?”
“Yeah, what. Anyway, I’m a person who would die without you, so even if there is an envoy around you, come to me without hesitation and talk to me.”
Audrey smiled brightly.
“It feels good to know that you will die without me. It is said that a table without wine is like a day without shoes. Without you, I would have a life without shoes.”
“Audrey. I’m sorry, but it’s not the shoes, it’s the sun.”
“That’s right, it’s the sun. Why did you say shoes?”
Audrit laughed in embarrassment at having said the proverb wrong, her face flushed with embarrassment.
“Did you think I was an idiot inside?”
“I never did.”
“I’ll be watching, so I’m honestly blown away. Did you think?”
“I never really swore.”
“Tell me quickly!”
“Ahaha! I didn’t!”
While being pinched by Audrit in the carriage, the carriage arrived at the castle gate without realizing it.
The front of the outer castle was crowded with nobility.
Soon after, the king and queen got off the carriage, and all the major ministers came to welcome the royal family who had traveled a long way with open arms.
“majesty! I’m relieved to see you safe!”
“You look healthier!”
“I couldn’t sleep at night when I heard the news that the demon king had invaded Narundra. I’m so glad you’re all right!”
“Over there, the prince is getting off! Oh, you are the crown prince, the hero who defeated the demon king!”
“It’s really amazing that you defeated the demon king! I was shocked to hear the news!”
The people cheered, and each of the servants expressed their joy and spat out a word, and the chatter here and there was so loud that it hurt my ears.
Still, a hearty smile appeared on Maru’s lips.
It felt good to come back after a long time.
It felt cozy and comfortable, as if I was in my hometown of Raiskan Daria.
“This is Galatea of Daria, the delegation leader from the Raiskan Daria Empire.”
“Cheerful, nice to meet you. I must first apologize for making you wait so long.”
The king was greeting a woman wearing a cloak and long boots.
Maru was startled when he saw the woman’s face.
“… mother?”
I was shocked to the point that my heart sank at the unexpected reunion.
But the embarrassment soon subsided.
Looking closely, it wasn’t my mother.
Only the atmosphere was similar.
“Who is that person?”
If she had come as the head of the delegation, she would have been sent to a high-ranking position instead of anyone, but she was the first woman she had ever seen.
It had been five years since the imperial family had been vacated, and a new person had been appointed in the meantime.
I was just thinking about that.
“lily!”
Luciella came running and hugged me with tears in her eyes.
“I missed you!”
“How have you been?”
“You don’t know how worried I was when I heard that you fought the demon king! I’m glad we won! I almost never saw you!”
While stroking her head and sharing her joy, Lucy, who was following with the burden of the floor, sighed as her shoulders drooped.
“It must be the beginning of suffering again… ”
“Where am I staying? I don’t know if the palace will accept me as a guest like before.”
Lucy worries about staying with Luciella.
Natalie is worried about the accommodation.
The two of them were more worried about the future than the joy of returning.
“Lou, Luciella. stop away hurry.”
“Sir, just a little bit! I want to hold you a little longer!”
Audrit was glaring at her from the side.
Maru pushed Luciella away with all his might.
I know it’s nice, but it’s burdensome because it sticks so tightly.
She was immediately aroused by the smell.
whispered to her quickly.
“Fangs come out. Hurry up and hide it?”
“Ahh… ! I must be a pathetic succubus too. It’s been a while since I saw Nari even though there are many people around me… ! Plus the strong male scent… ! ah… ! ecstasy itself… !”
I can’t.
I’ll have to stay far away
More at noblemtl
Just as she was holding Audrit’s hand and moving her steps, Galatea was standing in front of her before she knew it.
“Galatea of Daria, meet the crown prince.”
She respectfully bowed her head.
In addition to her, high-ranking officials from the delegation were flocking to her after greeting the king.
The number was well over fifty.
“Oh oh! I have finally seen Your Highness! I have no wish now!”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince! I recognized Okche belatedly because he was stronger and stronger than before! Forgive me!”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince! What an ordeal you have suffered! The small man’s heart aches!”
“Please join us on our way home!”
Each member of the delegation poured out joy, worry, and longing.
Most of them were familiar faces.
Is 5 years really a long time?
Some of them have grown gray hair due to age, others have lost weight so much that they wondered if they were sick, and those who were fledgling youths had become longevity with grit.
“Nice to see you all again.”
Maru smiled happily and looked at the one-eyed woman standing next to Galatea.
“Benzaris. Aren’t you supposed to be in the delegation? How did you come here?”
Venzaris is the leader of the elite unit protecting her mother.
To come here without being in the ecliptic… Could it be her mother’s will to always hold on to her?
“I asked why you didn’t say anything.”
“… … ”
Benzaris, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, was silent with his head bowed, even though his face was full of joy.
“This is an order from His Majesty the Emperor. From then on, when he met His Highness, he forbade him not to speak out until he arrived in the empire.”
“Why did you take the ban?”
“I apologize, Your Highness. I don’t know the details either.”
Galatea smiled and replied kindly, and Maru’s attention turned to her.
“It is the first face I see. When did you come to the palace?”
The feeling was unusual.
He looked like he was in his 20s, but the atmosphere he exuded was older than himself.
“Because I am outside the imperial family, I do not occupy any position.”
Maru questioned her answer.
‘A person outside the imperial family took over as the head of the delegation?’
nonsense.
To send an outsider, not a practitioner, to a meeting between countries.
There was no way someone outside the imperial family had the right to make decisions on behalf of his mother.
In the end, is the delegation’s visit not to discuss the future with Basilite Kingdom, but only to bring him back?
“Whose daughter is it?”
“I’m sorry. Growing up as an orphan, I don’t know my parents’ names.”
“You mean you don’t have a family?”
“Yes, it is.”
“The more you ask, the more difficult it gets.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your true identity.”
When Maru touched his chin and said that, Galatea smiled.
“You are curious about my true identity. I am your betrothed, recognized by the Emperor of Alexandria.”
Except for the people of the Empire, everyone around was surprised.
Maru was the most absurd.
“What fiancé… ? Anybody?”
Audrit, who had been quietly watching from the sidelines until then, was shocked and her eyes trembled anxiously.
she murmured sadly.
“In the end, the ordeal came… ”
Galatea proudly took out the letter from her arms and held it out to Maru.
“This is a letter from His Majesty the Emperor. What it contains will prove that I am your fiancé.”
“Give me.”
Maru grabbed it as if it were stolen and opened the letter and read it.
His expression hardened.
The mother’s handwriting was clear.
What she said was also true.
Since Galatea is her fiancée, all she could say was to build a bond between the two of them and get along well.
“Why is this… !”
Maru sighed heavily.
He threw the letter on the floor and moved into the castle with a huff.
“Mother must not want to see me!”
He was horned tightly.
“What is running away for five years! 10 years, 20 years, I’ll run away from home! I’m going to go and write the letter right now!”
“Go, fix it, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
The people of the empire called him anxiously and chased after him.
“That guy… There is no word that I want to see you. Tsk.”
Galatea looked at the back of Maru, who was moving away, sadly and sadly, then turned to Audrit.
The corners of her lips rose slightly.
“Would you like to go and have a good rest and have a talk with me when your travel fatigue is over?”
Audrey nodded, barely calming her surprised heart.
“yes… ”
Looking at Galatea, who was many times more beautiful and noble than herself, she lost her energy.
‘Can I beat this amazing person… ?’
Isnt galantea maru’s mom disguised? I kinda think she is…