A Father's Duty

Today is a joyous day as today is the day of the coronation of the new king. All officials came personally to watch the ceremony. We are currently changing our clothes to Royal outfits made by Alba and it certainly is comfortable to wear despite the luxurious designs. The chipmunks chose the dresses that Alba made when I first commissioned her after showing her the designs.

After changing our outfits we went to the throne room as we awaited for the ceremony to begin. There is no such thing as projectors yet so the citizens can only listen and wait for the new King to come out of the throne room.

After a few minutes of waiting, the crier suddenly spoke and it can be heard in all of Caelum and Lucis.

"Today is a glorious day to our Kingdom, for today is the day where a new King will sit on the throne of Lucis, who will usher a new era of prosperity towards our Kingdom!" He said as the crowd got hyped.

The crier then introduced King Regis as he sat on the throne before giving a farewell speech towards the citizen. The citizens were sad of King Regis stepping down but they understood that King Regis is getting old and all they could feel is hope. Hope that the new King would lead them to prosperity.

The crier then called out to Somnus as he came in wearing a luxurious outfit and kneeled down towards King Regis.

King Regis then whispered toward Somnus

"Son, I hope you bring Lucis to greater heights." He said before giving him the scepter and personally put the crown on his head. The officials started clapping and the crier announced that Somnus has been crowned and is now the new monarch.

The citizens were cheering as Somnus stood up and went to the balcony as he can see the citizens filling up the central square and waved his hand with the scepter as the crowd became crazier as they cheered loudly for Somnus.

After a few minutes of appearance, Somnus went back inside and sat on the throne and the officials all came towards him to give him a gift. When it is our turn, Irene, the chipmunks, and I came towards him and kneeled while the chipmunks followed us but they were delayed as they forgot what to do.

"This is our families' gift to you, your majesty." I said as I pulled an exquisite box from nowhere and presented it to Somnus.

He looks curious about the contents as he opened it and was confused to see a glass bottle placed inside the box.

"The concoction in that bottle can increase your lifespan for 5 years and can only be consumed once. Consuming more would poison you instead of prolong your life." I said as he nodded.

"Thank you, brother and sister-in-law, for the gift." He said.

"Its nothing." I said.

The concoction was made by buying a few herbs from the system and the help of Wisdom Spirit.

After the gift giving, the sun was about to set down so they officially started the banquet. The food came in as the officials were curious of the food provided by the royal chefs. When they took a bite, it was a new and refreshing taste for them. It tasted really good as they kept on coming back for seconds. We had already foreseen this so the chefs were working non-stop to replace the meals at the buffet table.

Meanwhile other officials were making connections with everyone in the palace and introducing their daughters to their friends for hopes of possible marriage. Many people have also talked with me and introduced their daughters with me but I declined them politely. I then notified mother and father about the plan and escaped the banquet hall to have some fresh air and start my plan.

I went to the garden and started designing it with roses and other designs. I am not good at designing so I asked the system's help for some room designs and started working with what I have.

Meanwhile, Irene just sat in the corner with the chipmunks trying to find me. There are a few who were smitten by her beauty and chatted with her but she just casually answered back and never had an interest at all causing them to back off.

I returned back for a few seconds to inform them that everything is ready and went back.

Regis and Hera approached Irene while Irene is feeding the kids some cookies.

"Irene, do you mind if we talk to you for a second?" Hera asked as Irene nodded.

"You see, my son has something of a surprise to you. Do wear this thick cloth though." Hera said as she gave Irene something to block her eyes.

Hera then whispered something to the chipmunks and they nodded eagerly. Hera arranged the cloth so that Irene can't see. Although Irene could scan the place and see what her husband is doing, it would ruin the surprise and she is quite curious as to what it was.

The chipmunks held Irene's hand as they guided her to the garden slowly.

When Irene arrived, I pointed to the chipmunks on where to lead Irene as they followed. I then took her hand from the chipmunks and pulled her to the center of the garden.

I then removed her blindfold and Irene saw that there are candles everywhere and a petals arranged into words and when she read it, she started trembling

'Will you marry me?' Were the words printed by the petals and when she turned around, she saw me on bended knees, holding a box with a diamond ring resting inside.

"Irene... we've known each other for a long time. You've been there for me through thick and thin. When I was but a useless man, you stuck with me. When I needed someone to lean on... you were there for me. As the time went by, I slowly fell in love with you. I love your smile, your caring nature, your beautiful scarlet hair, and most specially, your heart. I can't guarantee that there won't be tough times, but no matter what troubles we face, I will stand beside you as we faced the problems coming our way, continue to love you, and cherish you. I promise you that I will make you happy with all my heart and soul..."

I paused for a little as I took a deep breath. Memories of Irene started flashing before my eyes. At first, I just treated her as a wife because she is the mother of Erza, but as the time passed by and I got to know her more better personally, my feelings slowly started yearning for her and this time I could proudly say that I love her with my heart. I could also proudly ask her...

"Will you marry me, Irene Belserion?"