I was stunned upon hearing the confession from Linde. Both of us were in the hot spring, essentially naked. But her words made her focus only on her face, her beautiful face as her tears rolled down her cheeks.
I would be lying if I said I had no feelings for Linde. I grew up alongside her and I developed some sort of crush. The two of us were so close when we grew up and I couldn't help but adore her. But, as someone who would rule over the Kingdom of Everfrost, I wasn't sure if the two of us had this kind of relationship.
Sure, Linde was also a noblewoman whose prestige allowed her to be married to the king, but considering the current circumstances where I had to consider an arranged marriage with the princess of Kingfisher, I didn't know if it was something that I could do. And I was sure that Linde was aware of that.
And yet, here she was, confessing her feelings to me. She was pressing herself against me, and earlier, she had kissed me, making her love towards me clear as day. I knew that these last few days had been quite a torture for Linde due to the prospect of me marrying Princess Priscille for the sake of our kingdoms and our alliance.
"Linde, I..." I brought my arms around her, pulling her closer. Our bodies were pressed against one another as the two of us were in the hot spring. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you, but..." I couldn't continue. I knew that saying more would do nothing but hurt her even more.
"I understand, Karol... I really understand..." Linde said, smiling sadly. "You are the King of Everfrost. You are meant to do anything for the sake of our kingdom. I know that my happiness isn't really worth it compared to the future of Everfrost." She nuzzled against me, and I could feel her warm breath. "That's why... I will always be with you until the very end. Even if I cannot marry you, at the very least, I will always be there for you."
"Linde..." I looked at her face.
"I'm sorry, Karol... I want to indulge in my own selfishness for a bit..." She leaned in, brushing her lips against mine. "Even if I cannot marry you, my body, my heart and my soul are still yours. I will dedicate myself to you, forever if I have to..."
It couldn't be helped. I was a young growing boy. Even I couldn't control myself. With Linde revealing the entirety of her to me, there was no way I could hold myself back.
I threw my reasoning out of window as I ravished her, making her mine. Even if I couldn't make her my Queen, Linde would still become my woman. In the open bath, I made love with her. It was the first time I did it, and I wasn't sure how I somehow managed it. There was no way the Will of Everfrost was guiding me, considering that I was doing something rather unbecoming as the king.
In the end, the two of us ended up exhausted. It was already far too late to back down. While Linde would never become my Queen, she would always be my lover.
=====================================================
[Don't beat yourself up too hard, Karol. It's normal to have that sort of feeling. Well, I can't say I agree with what you did to her, but this makes you a human.] Dawn comforted me as I sulked on my bed. [And don't worry about accidentally impregnating her because I already made sure to put some charm on you to prevent that from happening.]
"You did what?" I gave Dawn an incredulous look as I lifted my head.
Dawn shrugged. [Well, I already expected this to happen sooner or later. Everdawn isn't just your weapon. It's also your safety net so that you will not cause trouble sometime in the future. Do you remember reading your family's genealogy? Most of the Frost Kings never produced bastards during their reigns.]
"So that's your doing?" I asked. I was rather conflicted about it. On one hand, it would ensure that the kings would never produce bastards. But on the other hand, a king could commit adultery without worrying about repercussion, and one could see this as something that could easily be abused. "Well... I guess there's no use worrying about this anymore. I just don't want to use this as an excuse to abuse my power."
[It's only natural for you to indulge yourself in this sort of thing once in a while. Sure, it's not right, but who am I to chastise you for losing yourself in the heat of passion?] Dawn said, smiling. She sure was enjoying this whole thing. [Just think of this as a way to start a harem without worrying about all those side-effects like accidentally causing other women who aren't your wife to be pregnant.]
I sighed. "I guess I'll need a while to get used to this. And I don't want to ruin my potential marriage with Princess Priscille. I doubt she's going to appreciate me doing this sort of thing."
Dawn shrugged. [Of course. Make sure to be responsible while doing this, understand?] She reminded me. I sighed again. Now that I had calmed down, I could think much clearer now, and I could figure out what to do about my relationship with Linde. There was no way things could go back to normal, not after Linde and I had sex in the open bath area.
"I think I should try to give Linde some space for the time being. Perhaps it's better if I talk to her once we return to Everfrost. I still need to discuss more with King Sigurd regarding the potential arranged marriage with his sister, after all. Our kingdoms depend on it." I said.
[Of course. And while you are at it, try to get to know the princess better. And if possible, maybe try to seduce her.] Dawn grinned and I could feel my cheeks heating up. [I mean, if you're going to marry her, may as well get her to fall in love with you.]
I coughed into my fist and said, "T-that's rather unbecoming for a king like me to engage in such... ungentlemanly behavior."
[Courtly love is still the matter of gentlemanly behavior, you know?] Dawn pointed out. It seemed that she was having fun teasing me. [I mean, what's the worst that could happen?]
"I don't want to offend King Sigurd. We still need to strengthen the alliance, you know?" I made my point, though Dawn just shrugged.
[Well, at this point, King Sigurd needs you more than you need him. I'm sure he can't afford to be offended by what you do here since he actually needs your backing to secure his legitimacy as the King of Kingfisher.] Dawn said.
"Are you actually advising me to make bad decisions?" I asked.
[Hey, I'm just a sword, you know? Sure, I can give you advices once in a while, but that doesn't mean they are going to be good.] Dawn shrugged as she said that. [I mean, I'm also judging you and seeing what you're going to do. Let's think of me as a devil's advocate that allows you to see things from different perspective. That doesn't sound too mad, does it?]
"Hmm... well, I guess that makes sense. But since you've decided to not be too helpful here, I guess I have to rely on my instinct and wisdom, then." I sighed. I knew that being the king would mean having to be resolute in coming up with a decision, but it was still quite a heavy responsibility for me. I knew it wouldn't get any lighter as I grew older.
So, for the time being, I decided to not think too much about it as I joined King Sigurd. We talked about the matter of our alliance some more. I knew this wasn't something that I could just decide with just a few discussions. Something needed to be done here.
Perhaps the next day I could come up with something decisive. I would have to sleep it off so that I could prepare myself. Whatever King Sigurd's response would be, I would have to prepare myself for it.
=====================================================
It was already late at night when I jolted myself awake, only to see a knife descending down towards my throat. Instinctively, I brought my hand up and caught the blade, stopping the knife mere inches away from my neck. Feeling the Will of Everfrost coursing through me, I quickly wrestled the knife away, disarming whoever it was who tried to stab me while I was sleeping.
Having been disarmed, the assassin, who seemed to have their face covered with a mask, quickly moved away from me and pulled out another knife. Tossing aside the knife that I took from the assassin, I stood up from my bed and brought my hands up, reading to take on this assassin.
Seeing that I was unarmed, the assassin closed in, as if thinking that I was not a threat without a weapon. But I quickly proved them wrong as I quickly dodged the stab before I grabbed the assassin's arm. Then, I gave their arm a twist, dislocating the arm. The assassin let out a cry of pain, but I wasn't done yet.
Taking the knife off the assassin's hand, I quickly used it to stab them right at their throat, and the assassin gurgled as I pushed them back before they fell down onto the floor, quickly expiring.
Breathing hard, I stepped over towards the dead assassin. I reached down to the mask and took it off, revealing an open-eyed face of a woman I wasn't familiar with. Sighing, I brought my hand to the woman's face and closed her eyes. As I wondered what to do with this dead woman as well as figure out what to do, I heard screaming outside. I quickly went to grab Everdawn and went out of the room.
It seemed that the assassin wasn't alone. I could hear more screaming and the sounds of people being attacked. Cursing under my breath, I checked on myself to see if I was decent before I ran down the hallway, hoping that the situation was under control.
As I moved down the hallway, I saw more assassins, and there were dead bodies on the floors. They were servants who were working here at the castle. Feeling the pulsating force of the Will of Everfrost, I charged towards them, wielding Everdawn with my hands. The assassins saw me coming and prepared themselves to fight me.
But they stood no chance as I cut them down with ease. Their blood splattered on my white gambeson. I checked on the dead servants first before I made my way out to the court, where the courtiers gathered. They seemed horrified by what was happening, and the guards stood around them protectively, keeping them away from any danger that might be come to them.
"King Karol!!" Among them was Princess Priscille. Lilina, Linde and Duryath were with her.
"Princess, what happened?" I asked as I closed in.
"I don't know! Those people suddenly showed up and started killing people!" The princess was panicking. "P-please! My brother's still in his chamber! Please save him!"
I nodded. "I will head over there. Linde, Duryath, come with me." I told my retainers. They nodded and prepared to leave with me.
"Let me join you, your highness!" Lilina said.
"No, you stay with the princess. Keep her safe." I told Lilina before we rushed over to where the king's chamber was. As we made our way to our destination, more assassins popped out of nowhere and tried to attack us.
Before I could cut them down, both Linde and Duryath already handled them. Duryath used her axe to cut down three of them with a single swing while Linde used her kukri to kill another one of them who tried to attack me from behind.
Soon, we reached King Sigurd's room and I kicked the door open. Inside, I could see King Sigurd being cornered by at least five assassins. I could see a few bodies on the floor, though upon closer inspection, they were dead assassins.
King Sigurd was holding a longsword, and I could see blood smeared on its blade. Still, the king was injured as he was clutching on his wounded shoulder.
"Now!" I barked an order, and Linde used her bow to fire three arrows almost simultaneously. The arrows hit the target, instantly killing three assassins who were cornering King Sigurd.
Distracted by the sudden deaths of their colleagues, the remaining assassins were unable to do anything as King Sigurd took this opportunity to cut them down with one fine stroke, and the remaining two fell down. Sighing, he dropped his sword and looked at me.
"King Karol, thank you for coming..." King Sigurd said with labored breaths. "I wasn't sure if I could handle them all."
"Didn't you say that you're no warrior?" I asked. King Sigurd just smiled despite him looking pale.
"That doesn't mean I don't know how to fight..." King Sigurd said. "Still, they got me. I'm afraid I have been poisoned." He dropped on his knees as he clutched his shoulder even tighter. "D-damn... the poison's even stronger than I expected. I doubt I have enough time to have myself treated."
"Please don't say anything! We'll get you treated soon!" And so, I ordered Duryath to carry King Sigurd out to the court. It seemed that the knights and guards around the castle had already handled the rest of the assassins. But for the time being, King Sigurd needed medical attention.
When we brought King Sigurd to the court, Princess Priscille rushed over to us. "B-brother!"
"Ah... P-Priscille..." King Sigurd laughed despite the state he was in. He became weaker and weaker as time passed on. He desperately needed a healer. "I-I'm sorry that this h-happened..."
"N-no... no! You can't leave just yet! Who will lead us?! Who will protect Kingfisher?!" Princess Priscille cried out as she kneeled beside King Sigurd. "W-we'll get you healed, I promise..."
King Sigurd laughed again. His skin became paler and paler and he seemed to have trouble breathing. "I-it's already too late, sister. I think... that's it from me for now." He closed his eyes as he sighed. "Dying shortly after becoming the king, sounds a little pathetic, don't you think?"
He reached out to his sister's hands.
"I'll leave the rest to you, sister. It will be hard, b-but... stay strong." King Sigurd smiled despite the pain he was in. Then, he glanced at me. "I-I'm sorry, King Karol. S-seems like the circumstances h-have changed. The deal between us probably needs some... a-adjustments..."
"King Sigurd..." I looked at his face. Black veins started to appear on his skin. Perhaps this was the effect of the poison.
"Please help my sister. Please... save Kingfisher."
It was clear that he was in great pain, but King Sigurd remained calm even as he was dying. Princess Priscille started sobbing as she held onto King Sigurd's hand.
"Sister... w-we're probably weren't close before, b-but... I wish nothing b-but... your happiness..."
"B-brother, no... p-please..." Princess Priscille begged before King Sigurd's hand went slack. "No! B-brother, open your eyes, please!" She started shaking her brother's body, but he remained unresponsive. His eyes were closed as blood started dripping out of his ears and nostrils. Perhaps it was due to the poison.
Sigurd, the King of Kingfisher, was dead. His sister wept as she held onto his body. Other courtiers seemed to be in despair over the death of their king.
After a while, Princess Priscille let go of her brother's body, wiping her tears. She looked at me, clearly hurting from her brother's death.
"Someone has to step up and be the leader here..." I told her. "I'm not their king. They are yours to lead."
Nodding, she stood up. She breathed out, as if preparing herself. After giving her brother's dead body one last glance, she then started speaking.
"Hear me, my subjects! Such crime will not go unpunished, and I swear, whoever responsible for this will have to pay!" Standing tall, Princess Priscille addressed her courtiers. "Not even a thousand deaths are enough as punishment for such treachery! I, Priscille Molthune Viviana, will bring those responsible for our king's death to justice!"
For a while, the courtiers were stunned but then, one by one, they started chanting.
"Long live the Queen!
"Long live the Queen!"
"Long live the Queen!"
"Long live the Queen!"
Upon the death of King Sigurd Maltese Viviana, Queen Priscille ascended to the throne as the Queen of Kingfisher.
=====================================================
A period of mourning had started for the people of Kingfisher. Not even a week had passed, the people of Kingfisher had lost yet another king. But there was also a matter of those assassins. Not only that they successfully assassinated King Sigurd, they also tried to assassinate me, a foreign king.
Upon ascending to the throne, Queen Priscille immediately launched an investigation to figure out the mastermind behind the attacks. Several key figures among the nobility were arrested after they were found complicit in the assassination attempt, and while the main mastermind couldn't be found, several high-ranking nobles were sentenced to death by Queen Priscille.
About ten of them, seven noblemen and three noblewomen, were executed for their involvement in the assassination attempt. I was sure that there were more than just these people, though this could be seen as a way for Queen Priscille to assert her authority over her noble vassals, ensuring that they would not dare to rebel, not after the death of her brother.
The investigation would continue, though the executions seemed to have calmed the people down a little. But now that King Sigurd was dead, the matter of alliance between Everfrost and Kingfisher would become more complicated.
"I'm so sorry, King Karol, but... with my brother's death, it will be hard to handle this matter of alliance between our kingdoms." Queen Priscille said. The two of us had started a discussion regarding the alliance. "Now that I am the queen, me marrying you for alliance is no longer an option. As the sole member of my family, I need to ensure that my dynasty can survive. By marrying you, there is no way my lineage can be preserved."
As the ruler of Kingfisher, Queen Priscille needed an heir of her own instead of being married off to another family to produce that family's heir. So, her marrying into the House of Niflheimr would extinguish her family.
"I understand..." I said.
"Still, after I executed some of the collaborators, I can see that those pretenders will try to keep their heads down for the time being. That ought to buy us some time. So, for the time being, there should be no need for us to worry our alliance." Queen Priscille said.
"I see..." I mused. I didn't want to say this out loud, considering that it happened due to her brother's death, but my worries had been lightened a little.
"Now that we don't need to marry, you also don't have to worry..." Queen Priscille said, smiling a little. "I are free to pursue your lady friend, the one with elven ears."
"Bwuh?!" I froze when she mentioned that. "T-that's..."
"I didn't want to bring this up because that would be impolite, but since you seemed too worried about our alliance, I decided to give you reassurance," Queen Priscille explained. "Do you think I don't know what you did at the open bath area? We have our servants there, and they talked a lot."
"Uuuuhhhhh..."
"Don't worry. To ensure that you still retain your dignity, they have promised to never mention it again, on the pain of death." Queen Priscille reassured me, though that hardly helped at all. "Still, there is also the matter of the assassination. They succeeded in assassinating my brother, though from the sound of it, they also tried to assassinate you, a foreign king. I wonder what they will gain from having you assassinated..."
I clasped my hands together. "I believe they want instability above all else. Look at how precarious the way they executed the assassination. Even though they managed to kill your brother, they still wasted a lot of lives doing it. It feels like they aren't afraid of throwing people's lives away just to cause instability for both Kingfisher and Everfrost. We're still not sure what their endgame is, but if they're planning to eliminate as many kings as possible, then it's only fair to assume that they want this continent to be embroiled in chaos due to the deaths of the kings..." I said.
Queen Priscille nodded. "I also believe the same as you, King Karol. But we have so little evidence, and even though there were many nobles involved in this conspiracy, we still haven't figured out the real mastermind behind this assassination. Whoever it was responsible for this certainly knows how to cover their tracks to prevents us from figuring out their real identity." She seemed to be deep in thought. "Perhaps it's not just an individual behind all this. Perhaps a group of like-minded people who wish to bring anarchy to this continent... still, we still don't know much about this whole thing, so all we can do right now is speculate..."
"Unfortunately, that's all we can do right now. For the time being, let's focus on keeping the peace in our realms while investigating this conspiracy. Hopefully, we will be able to figure something out sometime in the future..." I said, smiling.
"I hope you are right, King Karol. Now then, I wish to retire back to my room. Being a Queen is much harder than I thought it would be..." Queen Priscille said as she rose up from her seat. "And we are still mourning. Kingfisher lost not just one, but two kings in such a short time. A difficult time awaits us in the future..." Despite that, I could see strong resolution in the queen's eyes, indicating that she was prepared to face whatever it was that she had to face as the Queen of Kingfisher. It was certainly something to admire in her.
"Don't hesitate to ask for our help, Queen Priscille. Even without the alliance, I never turn back from my friends who are in need." I said.
"Even if you gain nothing from it, you still wish to help us?" Queen Priscille asked.
"Well, even I know that having Kingfisher as our ally is a boon for us. And after everything that happened, I can't simply ignore you." I had decided that even without the arranged marriage, I would help Kingfisher and make sure that both kingdoms would remain allies. "I, Karol von Niflheimr, the King of Everfrost and the Monarch of Winter, will always stand by Kingfisher, no matter what. My father decided to back your father back in the days, and I shall do the same as well..."
There might be repercussion from this decision, but would make sure to never regret it. My father did the same thing back then, and he never expressed his regret, not even once. And if he could do it, so could I.
"..." Queen Priscille stared at my face before she sighed and smiled. "Thank you, King Karol. We are deeply indebted to you..." She brought her hand to her chest as she gave me a rather heartfelt smile. "Even though I am a stranger to you, you are still willing to help me."
"Well, we're friends now, so there's no need to regard each other as strangers," I stated.
"Friends, huh? Well... if you insist. Just call me Priscille. In private, I am not a queen. I am merely just Priscille." The smile that she gave me was filled with warmth. I didn't really think much about it, but the looks that she gave me seemed to be filled with adoration.
"Then, you can call me Karol." I said.
"Yes, I shall be in your care, Karol." Priscille said, happiness quite apparent in her warm smile.