On the 32nd day of the 4th month in the 1546th year of the Continental Calendar,
the throne was ceded to Souma Kazuya.
It happened in the capital of the Elfrieden Kingdom, Parnam.
This city was the capital, where the residence of the Elfrieden Kingdom's king,
Parnam Castle, was. A town had risen up around Parnam Castle, and the circular
walls surrounding it were reminiscent of a city-state in Middle Ages Europe. The
roofs in the nobles' quarter and the peasants' quarter were uniformly orange, and
this suited the classic image of the town well.
Parnam Castle was in the center, connected with north, south, east and west
gates by large roads that were always busy with carriages and large mounted beasts.
Aside from the main roads, there were also countless smaller cobblestone roads
radiating out from the castle, and these small roads were connected by yet more
small roads. Seen from the air, it would have resembled a spider's web, or perhaps a
snowflake. These roads were lined on both sides with merchants and tradespeople,
and they were always bustling.
Since today was a holiday, and also the first day off since the new king, Souma
(though, with the crowning ceremony not yet having taken place, he was technically
only acting king), had been given the throne, the marketplace was even more busy
than usual. This sudden change of monarchs had caused tension in the castle town
for a little while, but once they had heard that the throne had been ceded to the
summoned hero, and that the former king, Albert, had announced his abdication of
his own will, and that Souma was betrothed to Princess Liscia, the former king's
daughter, the confusion naturally died down.
Because the former king had ruled through "being loved," the rumors settled
down to:
"Well, if the king is fine, I guess it's okay."
"Yeah, the pressure really seemed to be getting to him. I'm glad he has that
weight off his shoulders now."
"He'll be able to take it easy now. It's best for everyone this way."
The people's interpretations of what had happened were largely favorable. It
seemed the king's lackadaisical manner was in tune with the national character.
Having had the throne foisted on him, Souma had worried that a resistance
movement might rise against the sudden change, but he was a little let down when it
never happened. Regardless, it was another peaceful day in Parnam as people of
many races went about their business.
As if cutting through that peaceful afternoon, a white horse galloped down the
cobblestones.
The horse was spurred on by a beautiful young girl in a red military uniform that
looked like it could have come out of The Rose of Versailles. She was sixteen or
seventeen years old with fair skin, and platinum blonde hair that streamed behind
her in the wind. Her tight-fitting uniform accentuated the well-balanced lines of her
body.
A beautiful girl riding a white horse made for a picturesque scene in its own
right. The people she passed on her way let out gasps of admiration, which turned to
cheers when they realized she was their country's princess.
"Congratulations on your betrothal, Princess!"
"We wish you happiness!"
The people sent her their warmest regards, with no idea how she herself felt
about the matter. Of course, it was unlikely she could hear them now, anyway.
"Father, Mother... Please, be safe!" she, Liscia Elfrieden, whispered to herself with
a pained look on her face.
"Father! What is the meaning of this?" Liscia demanded, raising her voice at the
sight before her.
The king's bedroom. It was a room large enough that the king-sized bed did not
dominate it, and each and every piece of furniture was exquisitely designed.
Originally, this bedroom had been meant to be the private quarters of the royal
couple, so it should have been turned over to Souma when he ascended the throne,
but Souma hadn't wanted to go through the trouble of moving in, so he had given
permission for the former royal couple to stay, and they were still using it. Souma,
incidentally, had brought a simple bed into the governmental affairs office and slept
there.
When Liscia ran into that room, out of breath, she was greeted by the sight of her
parents not only elegantly enjoying tea on the attached balcony, but dipping scones
in cream, raising them up to each other's mouths, and saying:
"Say ah, darling."
"Ah."
and feeding each other.
Liscia fell to the ground, but quickly stood back up, and marched up to the former
king, Albert, with anger in her eyes.
"Father, when I heard your throne had been usurped, I hastened back from my
patrol outside the capital! So, why is it that I now find you two feeding each other
without a care in the world?!"
Liscia, in addition to her title as a princess (though, following the abdication, she
was now the new king's betrothed), had also graduated from officers' school and
held an officer's rank in the army. She was not especially high in the ranks, but due
to her high birth, she was often tasked with attending royal army funerals, or with
other missions of a special nature. This time, she had been on a regional patrol, so
upon hearing of her father's abdication, she had rushed to the capital.
"There was no usurpation, really. I abdicated of my own will," her father said
calmly.
"Why would you suddenly do that?!"
"I had become certain that that man would make a better king for this nation
than I. This is a decision that I came to as the one entrusted with this country, and I
take full responsibility for it. I will tolerate no objections."
In that one moment, Liscia saw the dignified authority of the man who had, until
just recently, carried a nation on his shoulders, and found herself unable to object
any further. "Urkh... But how could you decide my engagement without even
consulting me?"
"You may discuss that between yourselves. The betrothal was something I forced
on him to begin with. If you do not want it, I doubt Sir Souma will force the matter."
"Motheeeer!" Liscia shouted. She turned to her mother for help, but Elisha just
smiled.
"Meet Sir Souma for yourself first. This is your life, so you must decide what you
will do with it yourself. Whatever your decision is, we will respect it."
With not even a straw to grasp at, Liscia's shoulders slumped.
She departed the room of the former royal couple and walked quickly across the
palace.
It had been some weeks since she had left this palace for her regional patrols.
Something about the palace she had been away from for a few weeks caught her
attention. Many of the servants were running around... The guards, the maids, the
bureaucrats, even the ministers... anyone and everyone was running. The sight of
pudgy ministers running about and gasping with sweat beading on their foreheads
was so surreal that she could only stare, dumbfounded.
It hadn't been like this before. The castle she remembered had been a place so
relaxed that it felt as if time just flowed slower there. The maids, the ministers...
everyone would walk slowly, and it was so quiet you could hear the palace guards
training in the courtyard from anywhere in the palace. Hadn't Liscia joined the
officers' academy because she had been sick and tired of that atmosphere?
But what now? No matter where she went in the castle, the sound of footsteps
echoed.
Liscia called out to one of the maids who was rushing past. "Can I have a
moment?"
"Why, Princess! How may I be of service?" the maid asked, slowing.
"Um... Everyone in the castle seems to be in an awful hurry. Is there something
happening?"
"No? Nothing in particular."
"Are you sure? It felt like everyone was rushing to do something..."
"I am. Ah, but, perhaps it is our new king's influence. When we see how that man
works, it makes us feel bad if we don't work, too. I couldn't stand to be slow myself,
either... Ah, I'm in the middle of something right now, so I will take my leave!"
"I-I see... Do your best."
As she watched the maid speed off, Liscia was dumbfounded.
For him to make even the maids feel this way, just how hard does the new king
work?! Just what kind of guy have I gotten myself betrothed to?!
Liscia found herself wanting to bury her head in her hands all the more.
At last, she came to the king's governmental affairs office. When she opened the
door, the first thing that she saw was a mountain of paperwork. On a desk large
enough that two fully-grown adults could have slept atop it, the papers were piled
high and looked ready to spill over. That was not all. When she looked around, she
saw a number of bureaucrats sitting at another long table, fighting a losing battle
with yet more bundles of paperwork.
As Liscia stood there, dumbfounded, a young man spoke to her from the other
side of the mountain of paper.
"You, whoever just came in."
"...Huh?! What?!" Snapped back to her senses, Liscia had let out a strange cry, but
the speaker didn't seem to care at all.
"Can you read? Can you do math?"
"D-Don't mock me! I've certainly been taught that much!"
"Well, perfect. Get over here and help me with the work."
"Just who do you think you are, asking me to help...?"
"Just do it. That's a royal order."
Saying this, the person behind the paper mountain stood up.
Now, finally, for the first time, the two came face to face. This was the first
meeting between the new king, Souma, and his betrothed, Liscia.
Liscia would later describe her first impression of him as "a young man with tired
eyes."