Hayer answered the King of Siere’s words with little consideration.
“Sure.”
It was only after he answered that Iris realized that King Carl had spoken to Hayer, not herself. Now, it was Hayer’s right to have a choice about her attire.
Hayer took off the veil Iris wore and placed it on the table without question.
The deliberately dyed red hair was revealed, and Hayer gazed into Iris’s eyes. Then he held her chin with his hand and lifted her head to look in his direction and said.
“You’re too pretty to cover up.”
Iris knew that to hide that she was a princess, he acted more forcefully. Still, it made her feel odd.
Iris looked him in the eye, and it made him feel strangely different from usual. There were emotions in his gaze that she didn’t normally feel.
Iris was unfamiliar with the face she saw now. He was always smiling and joking around when he saw her. He was kind, considerate.
Iris thought she didn’t want to lose the Hayer Asheri she knew. What she saw here was like a man from the Lassor family.
The problem was that the current appearance did not seem to be just acting. She didn’t know if there was a man like that in him.
Hayer’s eyebrows wriggled faintly, as if such sadness was hanging over her expression. Then he opened his eyes wide, exaggerating as if to make her laugh.
Iris burst into laughter at the sudden jest.
As she covered her face with both hands and laughed, Hayer calmly looked at Carl Lassor and said.
“She is a woman who laughs well for no particular reason.”
“It seems so.”
“I am very fond of it.”
At his words, Iris habitually smacked Hayer on the back, and then withdrew her hand in surprise.
Then Hayer turned around and said, holding her hands with one hand.
“She’s violent.”
Carl Lassor laughed at his words. Fortunately, he was generous to women even if their status was low. That part resembled Hayer.
Iris feared that he could hear her heart beating in her ears.
Iris was amazed that Hayer seemed unconcerned. She gradually regained stability by his nonchalance.
Even after taking off the veil with his playful answer, he went back to the conversation about monsters.
His son whom the father met only when he was twenty years old communicated better than he thought. Both men were excellent knights and strategists, so they often agreed with each other.
As for monsters, Hayer, who had long seen them on the southern border, understood most of the forms of monsters his father had seen.
Iris briefly drew the location of the sacred tree on the map in her head. There was a sacred tree not far from the capital. It was not easy to get to the sacred tree. It was a dangerous forest.
The King of Siere said.
“Thus. I want to know why the number of monsters on the southern border has decreased.”
Hayer opened his mouth at his words.
“With this level of information, I think you’d know. That the sacred tree fell twice where I was.”
“All the same, I wanted to hear it from my son.”
Carl Lassor said, pouring Hayer a drink into his glass. The liquor produced from agave was clear because it was not aged. Hayer emptied the glass one after another, and King Carl continued to refill his glass with alcohol.
Iris remembered the image of Hayer, whom she once made drunk. What she learned then was that Hayer was usually pressing down a lot of emotions to look that relaxed.
After drinking like that, Hayer, who had been refined throughout, spat out the question.
“What happened with my mother?”
“Peonia.”
Arushi, a noblewoman who came with King Carl, clicked her tongue once when she heard Peonia’s name come out.
Hayer made an apologetic gesture toward her and looked at King Carl again.
King Carl opened his mouth.
“Eswa Lepos invited me and some knights who were guarding the border and tried to kill them all because they were pagans.”
At his words, Iris closed her eyes for a moment. It meant that he deceived and tried to kill the man who would become the King of Siere. It was another reason for war. No, maybe the biggest reason.
“At the border where I ran away, I met your mother.”
“…At the Asheri estate.”
“We were young back then and caught fire easily. Peonia told Eswa Lepos that she had fallen in love with me, whom she had met through his betrayal, but he pushed the marriage even harder.”
“……”
“Then, when Peonia stayed at the Asheri estate, I met her and you were born. Having no foundation, I returned and sat on the throne. I was going to find you one day.”
Hayer looked at the empty glass and was silent for a moment.
It was a long time before he spoke.
“You should have told me earlier. That I’m your son.”
“What would have been different?”
“At least, I would have known there was a place to run to. I would have relied on it.”
He spoke with a sardonic face, and this time gestured directly to the attendant to refill his glass.
Iris grabbed him by the arm as he tried to empty his glass again.
“You’re going to get drunk at this rate.”
She stopped him, but he took her hand, kissed it once, then set it down on the table and emptied his glass.
Iris thought he would stop if she stopped him once more, but she couldn’t stop him anymore because she felt sorry for the wounds he received from his parents as a child.
While having dinner, Hayer said.
“I think I’m drunk, so I’ll get up.”
“Hayer.”
“Yes, Father.”
When Hayer stopped and stared at King Carl, he opened his mouth.
“You are my son, and you will eventually rule over Siere.”
“……”
“And you will rule Luwan, too.”
“Maybe.”
Hayer laughed absurdly.
“At the end of the day, is it a human being who will rule this land, or is it something else that mimics a human being?”
“I don’t know.”
King Carl emptied his drink, put down his glass, and continued.
“But what can you do? If you’re a king, you should make room for the people of that country to live until the very end.”
“In the land of Luwan.”
“Yes.”
Iris clenched her fist. She clenched it so hard that her hands were white.
Then Hayer spoke.
“Please send me to the capital.”
King Carl looked at Hayer at his words.
Hayer went on.
“Didn’t you say I’m the sole heir to Siere? Trust me, and attach your troops. I will cut the sacred tree.”
“……”
“Father.”
Hayer stared at him with strong eyes and said.
“Even if the land of Luwan is taken, if the sacred tree is not cut down, this continent will eventually be covered with monsters.”
“……”
“You just said it. A king should make room for the people of that country to live. If so, the sacred tree must be cut down.”
After listening to his son, Carl Lassor did not ponder for very long. Rather, he emptied a glass of alcohol and gave him permission almost immediately.
“I’ll aid the troops. Come back after cutting down the sacred tree. And at any time, I will support you too.”
“……”
“Why aren’t you answering me?”
When Hayer paused for a moment, King Carl asked curiously. Then Hayer replied.
“…I just thought that my parents believed me for the first time.”
“……”
Hayer laughed and muttered, looking at the floor.
“I felt like an orphan all my life, but for the first time now. That’s how I feel.”
Iris stared blankly at Hayer, who said that. And after a moment, with King Carl’s permission, the two left the dinner place.
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
As Hayer stumbled in the hallway leading to the room, Iris said, supporting his body.
“I told you to stop drinking, why did you drink so much?”
“…I’m scared.”
“What?”
“My heart almost burst. I’m scared. You’re so much like a princess. The only reason you weren’t caught is because my father is a tactless person…”
As soon as he left the dinner room, he was back to the Hayer Asheri she knew.
Iris burst into a smile of relief without realizing it.
“What are you talking about? I could have acted well.”
“Did you act? It’s just no different from the usual Iris Lepos.”
“I did it myself.”
“Oh no. There’s something you can’t do either.”
Hayer let out a laugh as Iris shot a sidelong scowl at his teasing.
Soon the two entered the room, and Iris took him to bed and laid him down. And as she was about to return to the sofa, his arm wound around her waist.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll sleep on the sofa. You’re too drunk.”
“No, I don’t like it. Sleep here.”
“Are you a child? How can you be stubborn?”
“You can call me a child, so sleep here.”
Hayer easily dragged her over and locked her in his arms without loosening them. Then he turned Iris’s flustered body toward him.
“Iris.”
“Yes.”
“Iris Lepos.”
“Why do you keep calling me?”
“If I become a member of the Lassor family, will you abandon me?”
“……”
“You will.”
Iris’s eyes widened at his forlorn voice.
Hayer held her tightly and continued.
“Don’t abandon me.”
“……”
“No matter who I am, don’t abandon me. Iris, I… I feel like you’re going to abandon me…”
afterword
EEEK i loved this chapter hayer at the end has me in pieces oh he’s such a puppy i just want to hold him forever
Hayer answered the King of Siere’s words with little consideration.
“Sure.”
It was only after he answered that Iris realized that King Carl had spoken to Hayer, not herself. Now, it was Hayer’s right to have a choice about her attire.
Hayer took off the veil Iris wore and placed it on the table without question.
The deliberately dyed red hair was revealed, and Hayer gazed into Iris’s eyes. Then he held her chin with his hand and lifted her head to look in his direction and said.
“You’re too pretty to cover up.”
Iris knew that to hide that she was a princess, he acted more forcefully. Still, it made her feel odd.
Iris looked him in the eye, and it made him feel strangely different from usual. There were emotions in his gaze that she didn’t normally feel.
Iris was unfamiliar with the face she saw now. He was always smiling and joking around when he saw her. He was kind, considerate.
Iris thought she didn’t want to lose the Hayer Asheri she knew. What she saw here was like a man from the Lassor family.
The problem was that the current appearance did not seem to be just acting. She didn’t know if there was a man like that in him.
Hayer’s eyebrows wriggled faintly, as if such sadness was hanging over her expression. Then he opened his eyes wide, exaggerating as if to make her laugh.
Iris burst into laughter at the sudden jest.
As she covered her face with both hands and laughed, Hayer calmly looked at Carl Lassor and said.
“She is a woman who laughs well for no particular reason.”
“It seems so.”
“I am very fond of it.”
At his words, Iris habitually smacked Hayer on the back, and then withdrew her hand in surprise.
Then Hayer turned around and said, holding her hands with one hand.
“She’s violent.”
Carl Lassor laughed at his words. Fortunately, he was generous to women even if their status was low. That part resembled Hayer.
Iris feared that he could hear her heart beating in her ears.
Iris was amazed that Hayer seemed unconcerned. She gradually regained stability by his nonchalance.
Even after taking off the veil with his playful answer, he went back to the conversation about monsters.
His son whom the father met only when he was twenty years old communicated better than he thought. Both men were excellent knights and strategists, so they often agreed with each other.
As for monsters, Hayer, who had long seen them on the southern border, understood most of the forms of monsters his father had seen.
Iris briefly drew the location of the sacred tree on the map in her head. There was a sacred tree not far from the capital. It was not easy to get to the sacred tree. It was a dangerous forest.
The King of Siere said.
“Thus. I want to know why the number of monsters on the southern border has decreased.”
Hayer opened his mouth at his words.
“With this level of information, I think you’d know. That the sacred tree fell twice where I was.”
“All the same, I wanted to hear it from my son.”
Carl Lassor said, pouring Hayer a drink into his glass. The liquor produced from agave was clear because it was not aged. Hayer emptied the glass one after another, and King Carl continued to refill his glass with alcohol.
Iris remembered the image of Hayer, whom she once made drunk. What she learned then was that Hayer was usually pressing down a lot of emotions to look that relaxed.
After drinking like that, Hayer, who had been refined throughout, spat out the question.
“What happened with my mother?”
“Peonia.”
Arushi, a noblewoman who came with King Carl, clicked her tongue once when she heard Peonia’s name come out.
Hayer made an apologetic gesture toward her and looked at King Carl again.
King Carl opened his mouth.
“Eswa Lepos invited me and some knights who were guarding the border and tried to kill them all because they were pagans.”
At his words, Iris closed her eyes for a moment. It meant that he deceived and tried to kill the man who would become the King of Siere. It was another reason for war. No, maybe the biggest reason.
“At the border where I ran away, I met your mother.”
“…At the Asheri estate.”
“We were young back then and caught fire easily. Peonia told Eswa Lepos that she had fallen in love with me, whom she had met through his betrayal, but he pushed the marriage even harder.”
“……”
“Then, when Peonia stayed at the Asheri estate, I met her and you were born. Having no foundation, I returned and sat on the throne. I was going to find you one day.”
Hayer looked at the empty glass and was silent for a moment.
It was a long time before he spoke.
“You should have told me earlier. That I’m your son.”
“What would have been different?”
“At least, I would have known there was a place to run to. I would have relied on it.”
He spoke with a sardonic face, and this time gestured directly to the attendant to refill his glass.
Iris grabbed him by the arm as he tried to empty his glass again.
“You’re going to get drunk at this rate.”
She stopped him, but he took her hand, kissed it once, then set it down on the table and emptied his glass.
Iris thought he would stop if she stopped him once more, but she couldn’t stop him anymore because she felt sorry for the wounds he received from his parents as a child.
While having dinner, Hayer said.
“I think I’m drunk, so I’ll get up.”
“Hayer.”
“Yes, Father.”
When Hayer stopped and stared at King Carl, he opened his mouth.
“You are my son, and you will eventually rule over Siere.”
“……”
“And you will rule Luwan, too.”
“Maybe.”
Hayer laughed absurdly.
“At the end of the day, is it a human being who will rule this land, or is it something else that mimics a human being?”
“I don’t know.”
King Carl emptied his drink, put down his glass, and continued.
“But what can you do? If you’re a king, you should make room for the people of that country to live until the very end.”
“In the land of Luwan.”
“Yes.”
Iris clenched her fist. She clenched it so hard that her hands were white.
Then Hayer spoke.
“Please send me to the capital.”
King Carl looked at Hayer at his words.
Hayer went on.
“Didn’t you say I’m the sole heir to Siere? Trust me, and attach your troops. I will cut the sacred tree.”
“……”
“Father.”
Hayer stared at him with strong eyes and said.
“Even if the land of Luwan is taken, if the sacred tree is not cut down, this continent will eventually be covered with monsters.”
“……”
“You just said it. A king should make room for the people of that country to live. If so, the sacred tree must be cut down.”
After listening to his son, Carl Lassor did not ponder for very long. Rather, he emptied a glass of alcohol and gave him permission almost immediately.
“I’ll aid the troops. Come back after cutting down the sacred tree. And at any time, I will support you too.”
“……”
“Why aren’t you answering me?”
When Hayer paused for a moment, King Carl asked curiously. Then Hayer replied.
“…I just thought that my parents believed me for the first time.”
“……”
Hayer laughed and muttered, looking at the floor.
“I felt like an orphan all my life, but for the first time now. That’s how I feel.”
Iris stared blankly at Hayer, who said that. And after a moment, with King Carl’s permission, the two left the dinner place.
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
As Hayer stumbled in the hallway leading to the room, Iris said, supporting his body.
“I told you to stop drinking, why did you drink so much?”
“…I’m scared.”
“What?”
“My heart almost burst. I’m scared. You’re so much like a princess. The only reason you weren’t caught is because my father is a tactless person…”
As soon as he left the dinner room, he was back to the Hayer Asheri she knew.
Iris burst into a smile of relief without realizing it.
“What are you talking about? I could have acted well.”
“Did you act? It’s just no different from the usual Iris Lepos.”
“I did it myself.”
“Oh no. There’s something you can’t do either.”
Hayer let out a laugh as Iris shot a sidelong scowl at his teasing.
Soon the two entered the room, and Iris took him to bed and laid him down. And as she was about to return to the sofa, his arm wound around her waist.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll sleep on the sofa. You’re too drunk.”
“No, I don’t like it. Sleep here.”
“Are you a child? How can you be stubborn?”
“You can call me a child, so sleep here.”
Hayer easily dragged her over and locked her in his arms without loosening them. Then he turned Iris’s flustered body toward him.
“Iris.”
“Yes.”
“Iris Lepos.”
“Why do you keep calling me?”
“If I become a member of the Lassor family, will you abandon me?”
“……”
“You will.”
Iris’s eyes widened at his forlorn voice.
Hayer held her tightly and continued.
“Don’t abandon me.”
“……”
“No matter who I am, don’t abandon me. Iris, I… I feel like you’re going to abandon me…”
afterword
EEEK i loved this chapter hayer at the end has me in pieces oh he’s such a puppy i just want to hold him forever
