"Uh huh.." I nodded along in confusion. I didn't know if I should be relieved or terrified.
Hagen returned some time later with both of our sets of armor and weapons. "Why are you bringing these here right now, Hagen?" I asked, still in the dark.
"Ed, do you remember our deal?" Hagen's devilish grin made me uncomfortable as he tossed my armor and sword my way.
I caught both, realizing in an instant what he was up to. Hagen had challenged me to a duel a couple of days ago. Fuck, I need to find a way out of this.
Me taking on Hagen right now, my mind struggled to grapple with the thought.
"Hold on, Hagen," I replied, trying to buy some time. "This is hardly the right moment for a duel. Perhaps we could postpone it until later in the evening? We have pressing matters to attend to, like covering for the queen's duties. Speaking of which, Zorro, I must ask for your help in managing all the additional diplomatic work."
Zorro, the godfather, swooped in at just the right moment to rescue me once again. "Indeed, Ed is right, Hagen. We can't afford to divert our focus now. Let's handle the queen's responsibilities first."
Hagen seemed a bit hesitant but eventually nodded in agreement. "Alright, but we're settling this in the evening, no ifs and buts."
"Agreed," I replied, relieved that I had managed to postpone the duel for now. As Hagen left the room, I turned around to Zorro and was so glad that he bought me out of it.
With that settled, we went our separate ways to shoulder the burden of the queen's absence. Throughout the day, we found ourselves immersed in a whirlwind of tasks and decisions that would normally fall on Isabelle's shoulders.
At first, it was challenging but manageable, and we were determined to show that we could handle things in her stead. I wanted to prove myself as a person with the capability to rule this country.
However, as the hours wore on, the fatigue really began to set in. We had underestimated the sheer volume and complexity of the queen's responsibilities.
Each decision, each diplomatic matter, and each judgment call took a toll on us. But we couldn't back down; we had to keep up the façade, as admitting defeat would mean measuring short of Isabelle and facing Hagen in the evening.
I was at my wit's end, unable to take on any of this scroll-scribing work anymore. Writing letters to various regions of the kingdom, responding to requests from various duchies and dukes, listening to ministers, giving them leeway in things they wanted to do, having a general audience with the public in the evening because the queen usually does that every day, listening to their grievances—I was so done.
As the sun began to set, I stepped outside to get some fresh air.
"It really is exhausting to be a ruler."
I removed the bandage from my left hand, looking at the scar that was still glowing.
"Isabelle, I can't even fathom how much work you've handled all these years, and with a smile on your face, no less. I mean, just one day of it has left me utterly exhausted," I sighed, the fatigue from the day weighing heavily on me.
The admiration and exhaustion were evident in my voice as I spoke, realizing the immense burden our queen had carried for over a decade and a half.
I gazed up at the twilight sky, where clouds hung low and gentle snowflakes began to dance down from above. The world around me was cloaked in a serene silence, broken only by the soft crunch of fresh snow beneath my feet as I wandered through the tranquil landscape.
In this peaceful setting, I found myself lost in the beauty of the moment, the hushed ambiance of the winter's embrace calming my tired mind. The falling snow added a touch of magic to the scene, transforming the surroundings into a winter wonderland.
I just felt sorry for myself. Even after everything everyone was trying to do to cheer me up, the words Gelidra said still resonated within me.
"How does it feel to be so pitiful and powerless?" Those words continued to echo in this silent winter wonderland, and it seemed like the entire place was mocking me.
"Hey, I never thought I'd find you here, out in the cold." A familiar, sweet voice came in from behind. It was Valeria.
"Yeah, I'm just exhausted from attending to all the duties of the queen." I tried to put a smile on my face.
"I can see that in your face." Valeria said that and started walking to match my pace. "You don't have things to do right now?" I asked because I did put Valeria on the job of assembling a search party to start looking for our queen.
As we neared the edge of the snowy garden, Valeria turned to me, her gaze intense. "Ed, I have to tell you something, but I need you to promise me you won't get mad."
"Yeah, about that." Valeria's expression stiffened.
My heart quickened, and a sense of foreboding washed over me. "What is it, Valeria?" I asked cautiously.
She took a deep breath before speaking. "I haven't assembled a search party yet. I haven't started looking for the Queen."
"What? Why?"
"It's not easy to find trustworthy people here, right?? And you told me to find people who are absolutely trustworthy, and the truth is, no one in this castle can be trusted at the moment."
I couldn't help but nod in agreement. We can't rely on anyone else, and we haven't told anyone other than the other two vice commanders in the castle about the queen's disappearance, and they will keep their mouths shut and also make sure the royal guards who were involved in this stay quiet too.
Valeria suddenly turned away from me, acting a little bit shy.
"So, wanna go on a date?"