Arc 2 Chapter 2 : A Princess and Her Knight

[Elena PoV]

After discussing the arranged marriage, I told Father about Brian successfully awakening the Codex of Pendragon, which marked him as the Chosen One, destined to become a hero. Father, however, said it would be best to keep this a secret for now.

He also planned to discuss what security measures and steps should be taken regarding this matter, since Brian still hadn't managed to summon the legendary sword, Excalibur.

Only a true hero could summon that blade, and that true hero was the Chosen One.

That evening, the Emperor's birthday celebration began. But I found myself with absolutely no mood to enjoy any of it.

"Princess Elena, would you honor me with a dance?"

I was currently in the main hall. Guests had begun dancing as the music started playing throughout the space. Several noble sons offered to dance with me, and a small line of men had formed in front of me, each hoping for a turn.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not in the mood tonight."

Leaving the main hall, I walked out toward the palace grounds.

I wanted some time alone to settle my thoughts about the arranged marriage, and I knew exactly where I could go without being disturbed.

Several nobles and knights on duty greeted me as we crossed paths. Seeing this, I couldn't help but think about what my life would become once I became Emperor.

My freedom would shrink. My days would be consumed entirely by matters of state, and I'd lose any real say in which direction this nation moved. Countless voices would try to sway me, just as they did with Father.

Even now, as merely a princess, I already had to sacrifice so much of my freedom. Choosing my own life partner was one of those sacrifices.

I'd never really thought about this before. All I'd known was that fulfilling my duty as a princess meant upholding truth and justice in this nation. I never imagined it would turn out to be this complicated, or this far from simple.

Before long, I arrived at the place I'd been heading toward.

Two knights stood guard here.

"Good evening, Princess Elena," one of the knights greeted, bowing respectfully. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"Yes... open the gate to this place."

Both of them nodded and pulled open the large, closed gate.

Passing through the gate, I saw lanterns illuminating this quiet, empty place. No one would possibly be visiting here this late at night, would they?

The place I'd come to was the resting ground for the Empire's fallen heroes.

I'd come here hoping to reflect, looking upon the heroes who had given their lives defending this nation before me.

These were people who had sacrificed their entire lives for the survival of this country, who had given up their freedom out of love for this land, and who had always placed their duty to this nation above everything else.

"Could I ever do the same, willingly, the way they did?"

Speaking of which, where was that man? Right when I needed his advice as my supporter, he was nowhere to be found.

But as I walked through the quiet solitude of this cemetery, I spotted a black-haired man standing before one of the graves.

Raul? So this is where you've been. What was he doing in a place like this?

I walked over to him. Up close, his expression looked entirely different from how I usually saw him.

His face carried a deep melancholy. I could sense regret, longing, and an overwhelming loneliness in his expression and in the way he stared at that headstone.

"I didn't expect to find you in a place like this," I said, stepping up beside him.

"I just wanted some fresh air, away from all the noise," he answered, his gaze never leaving the headstone.

Curious, I looked at the grave marker myself. Written there was a name...

...Liana de Grantz...

"A hero who sacrificed herself to save the city of Wisperia from a demon."

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I'd heard of her before. She was the youngest Grand Espada in the Empire's history, and the first woman to ever hold the title. There had even been talk that she might become the strongest Grand Espada the Empire had ever seen.

But she died far too soon, at just twenty-five, after battling a powerful vampire that had appeared from seemingly nowhere. She'd given up her life and her legacy as the strongest knight, all to save the citizens of that city.

I... wanted to be like her...

Someone who never hesitated to sacrifice everything out of devotion to their nation.

"What about you, Elena? What are you doing out here?" Raul asked, turning the question back to me.

Hah... how could I even begin to put into words what I was feeling right now? Everything about this arranged marriage, and the weight of the succession.

"I think... I'm... scared..." I answered, looking directly into his face.

For some reason, my voice trembled as I said it.

This was the first time I'd ever spoken so honestly about my true feelings to anyone besides Uncle Raymond. I rarely even spoke this openly with my own parents about how I truly felt.

Hearing my words, Raul finally turned his face toward me and looked me straight in the eyes.

"Father's planning to arrange a marriage between me and a prince from another nation," I told him. "I used to think I was already prepared to sacrifice everything for this country, back when I first put myself forward as a candidate for Emperor."

But it turned out I'd been terribly naive...

I'd only ever looked at people who devoted themselves to this nation from the outside, admiring them, thinking it noble and admirable. But I'd never really looked deeper—at the inner conflict they must have carried, giving up their freedom, their love, their dreams, all for the sake of this country.

"Just having my freedom to be with someone I love taken away is already enough to leave me shaken, Raul..." I said weakly. "And that's without even considering the decisions I'll have to make as Emperor that go against everything I believe in."

I think I'd always judged Father unfairly, for the choices he made that struck me as unjust, for the lies he told the very people he ruled over. But I understood now—Father had only ever been doing what he believed was best for this nation.

"Love... is the death of duty..."

I heard Raul murmur something.

"What does devotion even mean... compared to the love we hold for our family, for the ones we cherish?" he said, looking up toward the night sky.

"A father would abandon his work in an instant the moment he learned his child was in danger."

I turned his words over in my mind. It felt like he was trying to tell me something.

"What does devotion even mean... compared to the dreams and goals we're striving toward?"

He turned back to face me, his black eyes as deep as the darkness spread across the sky above us.

"An Emperor and a knight are both sworn, upon their induction, to place their people's interests above all else," Raul said seriously. "Many of them let that oath slip over time. But the ones who leave their mark on this world's history are the ones who hold fast to the vow they made."

Raul then turned his gaze back to the headstone before us.

Yes... just like the knight Liana, remembered by the people of Aragon not for her strength, but for the tens of thousands of lives she saved from that demon attack.

"I'm afraid... afraid I won't be able to decide, when I'm faced with an impossible choice someday during this succession," I admitted to him honestly, my head lowered. "There's still so much about this world I don't understand."

I'd seen it myself, the way Father always looked so worn down whenever faced with difficult decisions. Maybe this arranged marriage wasn't something he truly wanted, either. Maybe he simply wanted what was best for this nation, even if it meant sacrificing his own family's happiness.

"Lift your head, Elena."

At his words, I raised my face again.

"Listen to me carefully," Raul said, his expression more serious than I'd ever seen it before.

"You're going to become the most remarkable leader this nation has ever known in its history," Raul said firmly. I couldn't detect a single trace of dishonesty in his expression or in his eyes. "I believe that completely, and I've never once doubted it."

His words moved me deeply. Even Uncle Raymond had never shown that much conviction in supporting me through this succession.

"But I still have so many flaws... I can't even bring myself to make decisions that conflict with my own moral standards," I said, feeling unworthy of the overwhelming trust he was placing in me.

Hearing this, Raul smiled faintly.

"That's exactly why I'm here—to support you," he said, his voice softening. "I'll cover whatever you're lacking. We'll be like two sides of the same coin—day and night, light and shadow."

My vision blurred as tears began welling up in my eyes. My heart pounded harder than usual. For some reason, a warmth wrapped around my body despite the cold of the night.

"I'm willing to stain my own hands to clean up whatever problems you can't solve yourself. I'll be your shield against every threat, and I promise I will never betray you, no matter how difficult things become."

After making that vow to me, Raul knelt down on one knee before me, just like a knight preparing to be sworn in by their liege.

"Elena de Aragon," he said, looking straight into my eyes. "I offer you my loyalty, to be the knight who will always support you, protect you, and stand by your side, until the very end of my life..."

Hearing the vow he'd just sworn to me brought a smile to my face. A happiness I couldn't even begin to describe filled my heart, which had felt so clouded just moments before.

Raul's oath of loyalty swept away all the doubt I'd been carrying.

For some reason, I felt like I could face anything, overcome any obstacle, as long as he remained by my side.

"Raul de Garcia, I accept you as my knight, starting from this moment," I said, answering his vow. "Never betray me. Not ever, okay?"

I felt like I could face everything now...

The arranged marriage, the struggles of the succession, my duties as a princess of the Empire. As long as this man stayed by my side, I believed I could handle all of it.

"Of course, my Princess. I will never betray you," he answered, rising back to his feet before me.

My body felt weak after everything I'd just worked through, all that inner conflict finally settling.

"Then... as your liege, I'll give you your first order as my chosen knight," I told him, giving him a playful smile. "Don't move for the next few minutes, okay?"

Raul's face looked utterly confused at the order that had just come out of my mouth.

I took a step closer to him and rested my head against his shoulder.

"Just hold me steady. I want to stay like this for a little while."

At my request, Raul simply fell silent and wrapped his arms tightly around me.

The warmth he offered felt so comforting on this cold night. Having a knight of my own, it turned out, really wasn't so bad after all.