Chapter 54…
It was good that she had actually spoken the name “Cleas.” But the reply she received—“Your Majesty”—wasn’t to her liking.
It felt like she was approaching Cleas on her own, and Cleas was keeping his distance.
“Call me Eli too!”
“…Huh?”
Cleas flinched at Eli’s demand.
“We agreed to call each other that.”
Eli whispered it so that no one else could hear.
Surely he hadn’t forgotten, right?
Eli looked up at Cleas with worried eyes.
Of course he hadn’t forgotten.
Not Princess Elia, just Eli. So that she wouldn’t feel alone in this world, it was decided that when they were alone, he would call her Eli.
But would it really be okay to call a king—who isn’t even a princess—by a nickname in front of others?
Cleas looked awkwardly around at the adults.
What should be done in a situation like this?
As Duke Berndt, he had never encountered such a thing.
“Still… is it really okay?”
But the adults couldn’t give a definite answer either.
What king and vassal openly go around calling each other by name in public?
But they’re just children… and besides, they’re Duke Berndt’s close friends, so there’s nothing inherently wrong with it…
“Um, Your Majesty… still, the hierarchy between king and vassal…”
At least the strict Marquis Simon tried to speak.
“Eeehh! Me toooo!”
But Eli’s shriek drowned him out.
“Decorum….”
“Eli!!!”
“……”
No one could beat the princess.
“…It is important, but Your Majesty’s feelings are the most important…”
Marquis Simon reluctantly backed down.
Lady Laval shook her head as if to say, “Why are you even stepping in?”
‘Just let the princess do whatever she wants.’
‘But he is the king! The rules of king and vassal!’
‘He’s just a child.’
‘Even if he’s a child, he’s still the king!’
‘Then why don’t you lie down and protest yourself, Marquis.’
‘!!’
Their two approaches to education clashed silently.
Regardless, Eli seemed ready to flop down if she wasn’t called. (It would just be on the bed anyway.)
“Eli!”
“Eh, El….”
“Li!”
“…Li.”
“El! Li!”
Cleas tensed up like when holding a real sword and braced his stomach.
“El…li.”
Still, he had to take a breath in between.
Otherwise, his heart might burst from the name Eli.
“Yes! Cleas!”
Fortunately, Eli was satisfied by then and let Cleas’ heart ease.
Cleas, smiling faintly at Eli’s happy face, murmured the name as if practicing.
“…Eli.”
When the news of Eli waking up spread, the line of visitors to pay their respects grew.
There were even rumors that she could die right after becoming queen if things went wrong.
‘What if the little one dies like that?’
There were no distant relatives in the royal family.
Eli was the only princess to carry on the royal bloodline.
If this sole heir died, finding the next crown heir would be a serious problem.
‘Anyone could become the ruler!’
Then everyone would start fighting viciously to claim the throne.
People quietly held their breath, trying to anticipate that situation.
Those who had always protected Eli were Lady Laval, Marquis Simon, and Lilkia. They didn’t care whether Eli was the queen or not—they cherished her because she was someone they could not easily let go of in their lives.
“Your Majesty has regained consciousness? As your subjects, we must come to see you!”
“We wish to show our loyalty to Your Majesty!”
So all the people who had never been seen before suddenly lined up to visit, and Lilkia couldn’t help but feel annoyed.
It was the start of the “loyalty show-off competition.”
Those with permission to enter the palace could approach the building where the king stayed.
Entering beyond that required permission, but lining up outside was free.
Controlling them fell to Lilkia.
‘I want to smack someone.’
But she restrained herself, knowing that hitting anyone could put the king in trouble.
“Calm down! Your Majesty is still recovering!”
Lilkia blocked those trying to push forward.
She worried that the noisy crowd might disturb the king’s rest.
“The captain of the guard only needs to guard the doors, why are you shouting?”
But there were reckless people who didn’t even know Lilkia’s loyalty.
She felt a surge of frustration but had no other way to deal with the nobles.
The captain prioritized the safety of the royal family, but beyond stopping someone charging with a sword, he had little influence.
In this situation, the best option was to politely ask.
‘If polite words worked, they wouldn’t have crowded here in the first place!’
She needed someone with authority over the nobles.
‘Who is there?’
Currently, Eli’s absolute allies were Lady Laval, Marquis Simon, and Duke Berndt.
Lady Laval had always been by her side but had little political influence. Being the princess’s nurse gave her a position of power, but Laval wasn’t the type to be ambitious—she only lived for Eli.
So even if she wanted to deal with the nobles now, it was difficult.
Marquis Simon came from a notable family, but alone he couldn’t face all the other powerful noble families. Regardless of his temper, he couldn’t block nobles who used elegant arguments.
King Girian cared only about Eli’s health. He wasn’t the type to confront people.
Counselor Duke Notman? Minister of Justice Marquis Marundial? They might help for Nerendis, but not solely for Eli.
“I’m the one seeing Your Majesty first! I’m number one!”
“I arrived at the palace gates first!”
The people’s shouting grew louder.
The steward didn’t know what to do and couldn’t hide his troubled expression.
If they reported to the king that visitors had lined up, the king would still be troubled over who went in first.
Then, at the far end of the hallway, came a jingling sound.
“!”
There was only one person in the palace who made that sound.
‘The mage!’
Lilkia brightened as if salvation had arrived, staring down the hallway.
Even the noisy crowd fell silent and looked where Lilkia was looking.
“What’s all the noise? It’s distracting.”
Every step Nilrit took sent a glorious jingling echo through the hall.
“Ah, Your Majesty has regained consciousness and we came to pay respects… but they’re fighting over the order. Is the king… okay?”
Eli’s diagnosis was made by Nilrit instead of Girian.
It was something only a mage could detect.
Since a mage diagnosed it, shouldn’t the mage decide the visitation order too?
Lilkia looked at Nilrit expectantly.
“Tch!”
Nilrit clicked his tongue loudly.
“Stop bothering someone who hasn’t fully recovered and get lost!”
Lilkia thrilled at Nilrit’s harsh words.
Yes, that was exactly what she wanted to say.
“B-But, even if you’re a mage…”
“I’m just a mage? Your king is on the brink of death and you begged me to come quickly to see why! I’m the Grand Mage who ran here in a single stride!”
“….”
Anyone trying to timidly argue shut their mouth immediately.
No one dared resist Nilrit’s fierce presence.
The mage tower was a place with no law or hierarchy.
The academy valued rules, but in the tower, power was law.
Low-level mages couldn’t even leave the tower. Only mages of some status could freely leave.
“As the invited mage, I say this: she needs time to recover. You lot are of no help. Don’t set foot in the palace until you’re told it’s okay!”
Nilrit drove the people away decisively.
Lilkia sent him her honest admiration.
“Hmph. For Grand Mage Nilrit, this is nothing.”
Nilrit shrugged and exaggeratedly flipped his hair. The bracelets jingled cheerfully.
He stirred the crowd like a wolf scattering sheep and then walked majestically down the hall.
It was his first action to justify coming to the palace.
“Phew.”
Lilkia wiped the sweat from her brow and sighed at the troublesome people.
Being strong alone wasn’t enough to protect the king.
‘I must become very, very, incredibly strong!’
Lilkia’s resolve hardened.
From today, double the training volume.
“U-Um… excuse me, I…”
At that moment, a timid voice called out to Lilkia.
