"Huh? Me? Really? How is that possible? You're joking, right?" Elizabeth mused. However, the stern expression on Korogin told her otherwise. She was forced to believe this crazy tale. "Then who is my mother? Is it…?" Her thoughts lapsed on her mother, Victoria. But to have a scandalous relationship with the Alzar Kingdom's king was a bit… Too wild even for her imagination. She could not imagine her mother doing this.
The man snorted as he said, "It's not who you think it is. It was a commoner woman who didn't even know how to read or write. She didn't even know how to speak Olden Anglo." He did not bother restraining his disgust over his close friend's lover.
"I still don't understand. How did I end up in New Havens?"
"That wasn't an accident. That was on purpose. You were born during the Golden Age, the era of peace between the two kingdom wars. During then, it was a great period of instability. Everyone was unsure about the future, now that the veil of war was stripped away. King Harth publicly had no wife. If he announced one day that his wife was a commoner, and that his child was to be the next-in-line for the throne, it isn't hard to see what would happen. It would be complete chaos. So, we planned to hide you on New Havens until you became of age."
"Next-in-line for the throne?" she focused on these keywords as her heart skipped a beat.
"You assumed correctly. The Holy Reingolian Medallion that you hold is the symbol of inheritance in the Alzar Kingdom. With one half of the lion and the other half of the snake, the two could join to form the emblem of the kingdom."
Several mysteries cleared up in Elizabeth's head now. The golden lion in her had always confounded her over its origin. Her family had a background of farmers. How could they afford such an intricately crafted golden medallion? Furthermore, it was clearly misshaped. She assumed that it was someone's failed creation, but if it was one half of a pair, then it made sense.
"Where's the other half?"
Korogin became unhappy. "Two years ago, during the Battle of the Millennium, King Harth was captured. This also meant his snake half of the medallion. We haven't been able to recover it since then."
"Then you want me to become the next queen?" Elizabeth slurred. She was barely believing the words as it came out of her own mouth. Her mind could barely keep up.
"Eventually, yes. You must be worried of your own deficiencies. Obviously, without proper training then it will be difficult, but I have planned for that in advance. We will prepare for one year, during which you will undergo intense training. We will also announce your inheritance to the kingdom, which should help stabilize the realm. As long as the truth about your commoner mother isn't exposed, then everything should be fine."
Elizabeth laughed in a self-ridiculing manner. "Aren't there other people more suited for the role than me? Like other people in the Royal Family? I'm a farmer's girl! There's no way I can manage an entire kingdom like this. It's simply impossible!"
"Strictly speaking, you're not the only valid candidate. King Harth has four siblings, but the first has abdicated, the second is the ambassador for the Zino Kingdom, the third is managing the Premora Province as a Provincial Occurion, and the fourth…" Korogin smiled wryly. "He's too unsuited for the throne. Both Queen Bethnal and I believe that. Among your generation, there's three. One of them is an infant, and the other two have questionable personalities. As you can see the pool of candidates is rather shallow."
"Then… how about outside the Royal Family?" Elizabeth probed.
"That's not impossible either, but that won't happen."
The Royal Family in the Alzar Kingdom was not a static position. The world was uncertain, and anything could happen. The seat of Royal Family transferred many times since the kingdom's inception. In fact, the current Etuvel Reindel was the seventeenth family to ascend to the throne. More than fifty years ago, they were merely a Grand Nobility Household. Unfortunately, Korogin knew this was the wrong move to make. By openly selecting candidates outside of the Royal Family, that was basically admitting that the Royal Family could not solve their current predicament. It would cause their reputation and authority to shrivel up.
Furthermore, the all-important question would remain: which Grand Nobility Household would be chosen? From Korogin's information, there was a Grand Nobility Household scheming behind the kingdom's back. In the worst-case scenario, there may even be multiple traitorous families. The consequences of choosing them as the next Royal Family was obvious. However, even if there were none, the potential to become the next Royal Family would give birth to factions and rivalries. The precious balance that Korogin maintained all this time would shatter and the kingdom would succumb to chaos. Unless there was absolutely no choice, this was not a choice that Korogin could commit to!
"You've been the monarch all this time, right? Can't you… just become the king?"
Christina, who was standing silently behind, felt her heart stopped as she had feared those words the most. This was talking about the Highguard Household forcefully succeeding the Royal Family! It was not something you could say so easily! Even Sir Winstin's features twitched slightly. The room turned quiet with Elizabeth regretting her words. Instead of anger though, the man chuckled lightly.
"You don't hold back your tongue, much like King Harth. You're right though. The most important reason that I want you to inherit the throne is because it was King Harth's last wishes. As his Master of Strategy, advisor, and friend, how could I ignore that? Therefore, I will do everything in my power to assure your rulership."
Elizabeth frowned and cut straight to the point. "What if I don't want to become queen? Would you respect my wishes then?"
That was the reality. Becoming queen? She never once thought about it, much less desired it. Though her time in this world was short, Elizabeth came to fully realize the sheer vastness of the Alzar Kingdom and the world of Sor. Here, everyone had their own hopes and dreams, grievances and regrets, and stories to tell. With a civilization that spread from end to end on this continent, becoming queen was not as easy as it sounded. It meant standing at the top of these millions of citizens, taking them under your wing, and leading the way. Becoming monarch was becoming a beacon in the darkness, a symbol of hope and strength! She grew up learning how to till the fields, milk cows, or telling when a chicken was sick. How could she inspire others or lead the way forward? She could not stand tall with charisma like General Gordon. She could not plan and calculate like Lord Korogin.