After leaving the throne room, I went to the garden on the castle's side. The preparation of the simple banquet was ongoing, and the guests were actually resting for now until it finished.
I still didn't know why I said all of that to Queen Eve. I divulged too much of my past self even when I just wanted to stop her from pushing herself for other people's sake.
'Did I see myself in her?' I thought, 'Maybe that's why I am drawn to her for some reason.'
The garden in the castle was beautiful and carefully taken care of by more than 5 gardeners. Even now, they were still watering some flowers to ensure everything looked perfect and fresh every day.
As I strolled along the cobblestone path, the intoxicating scent of flowers filled the air. It was already summer, but I was quite impressed by how the flowers could still bloom. Was this because of a magic item? It was fascinating.
A pavilion stood beautifully in the center of this beautiful, serene garden decorated with many colorful flowers. Its alabaster surface was adorned with intricate carvings of the sky. It seemed to be alive when it reflected the sunlight.
The pavilion's roof, adorned with delicate tiles of cerulean blue, provided a striking contrast against the cloudy sky.
My focus, however, wasn't on the pavilion itself but on the person sitting on a bench under it.
A young woman with raven-black hair cascading like a waterfall down her back. She wore a modest black dress, a stark contrast to her fiery red eyes, which looked rather sad and… confused. Naya Blacktomb seemed to have a question weighing her mind.
As I approached her curiously, a gust of wind suddenly hit, ruffling her wavy hair and forcing her to hold it down with a frown. Her eyes fluttered toward me, noticing my presence. At that moment, she looked a bit embarrassed and quickly fixed her appearance and stood up.
Bending her knees, she pinched her skirt and curtsied, "Good day to you, Your Holiness. It's been almost a month since we met."
"Good day to you too, Miss Blacktomb." I returned her greeting as I stepped on the pavilion with a smile, "Did I disturb you from admiring the garden? If so, then I apologize."
Naya raised her head and smiled. Her smile looked bewitching, like a witch. A normal person would easily get ensnared by her, and I believe she had many admirers back in the Sin Kingdom if not for her attitude that seemed to scream Virtues instead of Sins.
"Please call me Naya like before, Your Holiness. I thought that we were already close to each other after that breakfast, fufufu."
"Are we?" I asked playfully, and she giggled in response.
"At least, I think so. I even bragged to my friends in the Sin Kingdom that we were friends. I am quite sad if you suddenly act as if this is our first meeting." She wiped tears that dripped from the edge of her eyes.
This girl was quite an actress. She could even cry at a moment's notice.
'Are all girls from the Sin Kingdom an actress? Garcia, who came from there, can also act quite lewdly and always successful in seducing me.' I thought, feeling a little terrified. 'Yeah, no. That was my own fault.'
"I was just joking, Miss Naya," I said, slumping my shoulders. "I never expected to meet you again in the Virtue Kingdom, and definitely not on this kind of occasion. I thought only Duke Blacktomb would attend the coronation ceremony."
"Fufufu, I fell in love the last time I visited. So when this chance was presented to me, I immediately begged my esteemed father to allow me to be a part of the entourage." She smiled and stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Fell in love…" I muttered, looking at her as she tilted her head slightly. "The food here is indeed delicious."
"Ah, you found out?" Naya giggled in amusement as I didn't fall into her trap. "Usually, men or boys would blush when I said that. But Your Holiness didn't even react. Please forgive me, but… Are you attracted to a man instead?"
"Please, Miss Naya. I have two beautiful fiancees at home and have quite an experience with girls already." I smirked at her, getting slightly closer to the point our bodies almost touched. "Rather, you shouldn't tease me like that, you know? Some people might misunderstand."
"But you got closer to me like this." She replied and put her finger on my chest, tracing it up softly, "And there is no one here. Who might misunderstand if no one saw us?"
Her finger reached my collar, and I stopped it softly, putting it down. I took a step back with a smile and looked at the garden.
"Someone like him," I said, narrowing my gaze at a slightly distorting space in the garden.
Naya followed my gaze and looked confused. She probably couldn't see anything with her Level. I knew she was a mage, as her father was one and actually could also use <Dark Magic>, but she hadn't reached that level yet.
"Your Holiness, please forgive me if I am wrong, but… There is nothing there, right?" She asked curiously, seemingly doubting my words.
"But there is someone standing there." My grin widened. I kept my gaze on the distorted space. "Father-in-law… If you may, please don't spy on me. The gardener just watered that place down, so the dirt is still wet."
"What are you talk–" Naya was about to ask me, but her words stopped, and she froze when someone suddenly appeared behind the bush.
It was Cleric, and he had that innocent smile on his face as he walked toward us while scratching his head as if he was feeling guilty.
"Hahaha, I don't really plan to eavesdrop. I am just walking around as it's been a long time since I've been here and saw you." He explained with a laugh and stopped on my side. "I believe I haven't introduced myself directly. My name is Cleric Daxidor. My apologies for eavesdropping, young lady."
Naya still looked confused as she looked back and forth between me and Cleric. It was only for a moment before she managed to regain her composure.
"Y-Yes, it's not a problem, um… Sir Daxidor. My name is Naya Blacktomb, the first daughter of Duke Blacktomb. It's nice to meet you?"
She still wasn't sure what to call Cleric. I didn't blame her.
Even from my eyes, I couldn't believe a man who was only a bit taller than Milea was actually the first Paladin's older brother and had lived for more than 300 years. He looked so calm and composed even in front of Queen Eve earlier.
Also, I knew she only saw Cleric as the Elf Village's ambassador, and I had no intention of divulging his real identity unless he told her himself.
"Thank you, young lady." Cleric laughed freely and patted my shoulder, "But Arthur, you really remind me of my little brother. How you act around girls and how they can easily fall under your charm and strength is similar. I remember he made the Princess fall in love with him once in this garden."
"I somehow can imagine that, hahaha." I chuckled as I imagined how the first Paladin faced the same treatment as me.
Still… a Princess at that time? Who could it be? I was curious and looked at Cleric to wait for an explanation.
Noticing my gaze, Cleric continued, "That was a good time. She even ran away and stayed with him for quite some time. Well, he ended up knocking her up and had a child, hahaha. I don't know where that child stayed, but she must still be alive."
Child… Princess…
I looked at Cleric with a realization. He only smiled at me without saying anything and patted my shoulder again.
"Well, I won't disturb you two any longer. I still want to check some places in this castle, so enjoy your time. Let's talk again later, Arthur."
"Yeah. Let's talk over a drink later."
With that, he turned around and waved his hand, walking away from the pavilion. I was left alone with Naya again, and when Cleric disappeared, she began to speak.
"Umm, Your Holiness. May I ask something?"
"What is that, Miss Naya?" I asked back calmly.
She looked unsure at first but proceeded after nodding softly.
"That person earlier… Wasn't he the ambassador from the Elf Village? But… isn't he a human? And the way you called him ear– Please forgive my questions. You can just ignore it, Your Holiness."
"Hahaha, it's not a problem, Miss Naya. I believe he already expected those questions when he appeared in front of us instead of leaving quietly." I answered with a laugh. "And I don't mind answering your questions either."
"Yes, he's one of the ambassadors from the Elf Village and a human. They are a neutral power that secluded their village in a secret location. And the reason why I called him Father-in-law is because his daughter is my lover. I told you, right? I have quite a lot of experiences with girls."
I leaned forward and smirked.
This time, she blushed and took a step back unconsciously.
"It's not fair, you know?" She commented, smiling shyly.
I laughed in response and backed away.
"I hope that satisfies your curiosity. I won't bother you admiring the flowers, Miss Naya. I have a good time talking with you."
"Me too, Your Holiness." She answered while blushing.
Waving my hand to her, I turned around and walked away. When I was a bit far away, I could hear her soft voice from behind.
"Fufufu, it seems that I fell in love for real this time. But why would I fall with someone out of my range? This is really unfair."
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