Chapter 59 – A Hero Who Has Accomplished Great Deeds and Saved the Country
After a long ride in the Duke of Sakuragi’s carriage, we arrived at the Royal Castle.
“Yuzuriha-san, you deceived me!!!!!!!!!”
“I’m not deceiving you. Touko has arranged for the best sushi chef in the capital to be on hand for the coronation ball.”
“But commoners are not allowed in the Royal Castle! It’s common knowledge!”
“It’s a bit of a shock to have you telling me about common sense… Well, whatever. Anyway, you see, if you have a special permission, even a commoner can enter the royal castle. In short, it’s about connections.”
“Eh?”
“Normally, such permission wouldn’t be granted, but since you have it, there’s no problem. Didn’t I tell you that from the beginning? Without connections, you wouldn’t be able to get in. In other words, it means that anyone can get in as long as they have connections.”
“T-The Duke’s c-connection is amazing…!”
“Well, in this case, the incredible thing is not our Duke’s family, but your own connections. After all, you are the benefactor of the new queen’s life and the key figure in the birth of the new queen, right?”
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
“Even if we take a hundred steps back, or rather… even if we take a hundred billion steps back and assume that it’s a misunderstanding, all the surviving aristocrats see you that way.”
That’s a poorly made joke.
If we’re talking about all the surviving aristocrats, that would include Yuzuriha-san and Touko-san themselves, wouldn’t it?
＊＊＊＊
As a commoner by all accounts, I was almost stopped several times by the knights on guard when I walked through the Royal Castle.
But every time Yuzuriha-san mentions a name, without exception they say, “Please go ahead!” and easily give way. Amazing.
As I gaze upon the overwhelming power of the Duke’s family, feeling awe and admiration, Yuzuriha-san looks at me with a bewildered expression, as if she’s lost faith.
“I don’t know what you’re misunderstanding, but it’s not to me they’re bowing down to. It’s towards you, you know?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. First of all, how could any of the knights know my name or what I look like?”
When I denied it, Suzuha, who was walking behind me, interjected,
“Then Nii-san, what if we think about it the other way round?”
“In what way?”
“Yuzuriha-san’s name and face are widely known. In particular, there is no knight who guards the castle who does not know her name. So as soon as they see Yuzuriha-san, they will recognise her.”
“Yes.”
“Then it makes no sense to mention Yuzuriha-san’s name. But when Yuzuriha-san mentioned Nii-san’s name, the knights, without exception, rushed to move out of the way. Therefore, it seems that the only reason the knights hurriedly made way was because of Nii-san’s name, right?”
“Huh, that’s ridiculous.”
As I skillfully bypassed Suzuha’s clever logical magic, for some reason, Suzuha and Yuzuriha-san looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders at the same time.
“Well, that’s all right for now, but you, when you deal with Touko’s Kingsguard, make sure to stand tall and confident, okay?”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“The remaining Kingsguard are all men of character and ability who refused the two idiot princes’ invitation and joined Touko. They really regret that they couldn’t protect Touko themselves. To them, you are a hero for having rescued Touko, a hero who has accomplished great deeds and saved the country.”
“Eh…”
“Regardless of how you see yourself, all the knights are crazy about you. After they found out you were a commoner, they went straight to Touko and asked her to make you the next Knight Commander immediately. And not just any knights, but every single one of the high-ranking officers of the Kingsguards.”
“……”
“Of course, you have no obligation or duty to go along with it, but—If such a hero were to lose confidence, the morale of the entire army would plummet. So, I’m asking you, please.”
“Y-Yes, I understand.”
I nodded as I tightened my expression.
Even if it’s just play pretend…
I decided that if they needed me, I’d better stand tall and proud—
