MISTERLP
The Kingdom of Friedonia had a domain in the mountains that was
under the direct control of the royal family.
It was the former domain of the previous king, Albert, from his days as
a nobleman, and now it served as the place of retirement for the former
royal couple.
It was pastoral, and the people there worked the fields and dairy barns
by day, and then, though they only had sound, they enjoyed the Jewel
Voice Broadcast's music and other programs while drinking at night. It
was a relaxed lifestyle. This was the sticks, but the people were peaceful
and it was a surprisingly easy area to live in.
"La, la, la," Albert sang.
In that tranquil place, at Albert's manor, the former king was currently
pruning the trees in his garden while singing to himself. Though Albert
was remembered by the people as a good man and a mediocre king, there
was actually one talent in which he excelled: horticulture.
Albert was especially good at making beautiful flowers bloom and
neatly trimming the branches of the trees. This was because, in his days as
an impoverished noble, he had done the gardening for the manor himself.
Because it had partly been a hobby for him, his skill at it had quickly
increased. The truth was, even after he'd married Elisha and joined the
royal family, he had still occasionally helped maintain the castle's inner
gardens.
In particular, Albert was skilled at pruning the trees so that their
branches took on the shape of animals (topiary). The leaves and branches
he was pruning now were going to look like a swan cleaning its wings.
There were still some minute details for him to work on, but it was already
high enough quality work that it felt like it had a sense of motion to it.
Then...
"Al, would you take a break and join me for tea?" his wife called.
The former queen, Elisha, was on the terrace adjoining the gardens, a
maid standing at her side with tea already prepared.
Albert wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled at her. "Ohh, Elisha.
I'll be right there."
And so, the two quietly enjoyed afternoon tea on the terrace. The
afternoon went by slowly around them. Elisha enjoyed looking at the
gardens as she sipped her tea.
"The number of flowers and animals has certainly increased. It's like
we're living in a storybook."
"A-Ahahaha... Maybe I got carried away and made too many after our
son-in-law praised me for them," Albert said with an embarrassed laugh.
Albert's horticultural skills were wonderful, and the current provisional
king, Souma, viewed them with deference. Because of that, Souma paid
for Albert's gardening expenses out of his own pocket money. He'd built a
greenhouse in the garden, and whenever he came across unusual flowers,
he would send them to Albert to see if they could be cultivated in this
country. Because of that, the current garden was filled with flowers and
animal-shaped trees of all colors.
When she saw how bashful Albert was, Elisha giggled. "Oh, what's the
harm? This garden is very popular, after all."
There was a sudden pattering of footsteps. It looked like the children
from the nearby village had come to play.
"Kiiiing! Queeeen! Hello."
"""Hello!"""
The children greeted them with flawless smiles.
"Hey, hey, queen," one of the children said. "Can we explore the
garden again?"
"Hee hee! You can."
Having gotten her approval, the children cried out, "Yay!" throwing
their hands up in the air and running off toward the garden.
This garden, overflowing with its many-colored flowers and animalshaped trees, was an alluring place for children to explore, and they often
came here to play. Albert and Elisha didn't really mind this, but the
children's parents, who were aware of their status, were very humble about
it, and they always sent fresh vegetables as a token of appreciation for
letting their children play.
"It does me good to see them so energetic, but we're not king and
queen, or anything else for that matter, anymore," Albert said, feeling
troubled as he touched his mustache.
"Oh, what's the harm?" Elisha said. "Let them call us what they want."
"I understand that, but it makes me feel like I'm doing a disservice to
our son-in-law and Liscia, who work so hard in the castle."
"Hee hee! Those kids wouldn't mind it at all." Having said that, Elisha
watched the children frolicking in the garden. "To think we can spend our
days in peace like this... I never imagined it."
"Indeed. The first half of our lives was especially difficult, after all."
The two of them had supported one another in order to make it through
the succession war that had followed the death of the king before Albert.
At the time, the two of them probably could never have imagined that a
peaceful life like this would come.
Smiling, Elisha placed her hand on top of Albert's. "But that's why I'm
glad I chose you. Because the me of this world chose you, we're able to
live out our days in peace like this."
"Elisha... It was your power that made it possible for me to entrust the
throne to our son-in-law. Thanks to that, I'm able to take it easy and
muddle around in the garden, and to spend time with the people I love."
"I love you, Al."
"I love you, too, Elisha."
The maid could only smile wryly as he watched this well-aged couple
giving off a lovey dovey aura.
Then another maid came up to the two of them and handed a letter to
Albert. "Master Albert, a letter from Liscia addressed to the two of you."
"Hmm. From Liscia? Is she doing well?"
Accepting the letter, the two of them looked through it. And then...
"Oh, dear," said Albert.
"Oh, me. Oh, my," said Elisha.
Its contents made the two of them smile in satisfaction.