A King is Born on the Road

In the meantime, it was time to appear at the luncheon, and Iris went down the stairs.

At the luncheon, she and Celios chatted with people, and in the middle she walked off in search of Hayer.

Then, Sid blocked her by standing in front of her.

“Let’s talk.”

Iris narrowed her eyes at the unexpected person.

Since the report of the duel came out, she thought he wouldn’t even want to see her at all. But for some reason, he looked like he was trying to have a serious conversation. It was something that the Sid Iris knew wouldn’t do.

Sid led her under the flower tree where Hayer was having a conversation earlier. Perhaps this was a place where young men and women usually meet.

Sid opened his mouth.

“I’ve heard the rumor.”

“…Rumor?”

Sid started the conversation as if they knew each other, so when Iris asked back and went along with it, Sid paused for a moment before continuing.

“You seem to care about the relationship with the Asheri family.”

His words made Iris laugh incredulously.

The quarrel that took place the previous day seemed to have spread throughout the palace less than a day later. She wanted that, but she didn’t know the rumor would spread this fast.

Iris replied.

“Considering the situation, I can’t help but feel that way.”

Sid laughed at her pointed answer, as if it was cute.

“Yes, she is wiser than I thought.”

“……”

“So even more, I think someone like you should be the queen.”

Sid looked down at Iris’s cold eyes. The coolness in those eyes was beautiful. It looked like a white bird standing in the snow.

Iris opened her mouth.

“Then the contrary. Did you think I was stupid last time, so you tried to drag me so recklessly?”

“……”

Sid wanted to melt the cold woman. He was uneasy because he had never felt anything like this before.

He went on quickly.

“The approach was wrong at first. I admit it.”

“Acknowledgement is not enough.”

“Not enough? I have the first line of succession to the throne. And now I admit what I did to you was wrong.”

In fact, it was a move that surprised even Sid himself. Now he was so interested in Iris that he thought he wanted to put her in the position of queen, even if he had to coax her.

The gown with a straight square collar that revealed her neck looked perfect on her. He had a desire to control that pale, soft-looking body as he pleased.

If they ever got married, he was going to make sure that she would stop looking at him like that forever.

Of course, Sid liked that look in her eyes, but he knew he would get tired of it when it cooled.

But it didn’t matter. His brief desire was important.

Iris, however, knew all too well about Sid’s selfish nature. She had no intention of being swayed by what he said.

“Fine. I appreciate that you admitted it. But I have no intention of marrying you.”

“You’d better decide now. What are you going to do if Hayer loses in the duel?”

If Hayer loses the duel, it will mean that he’s been seriously injured, so Iris has only been worried about that.

But as Sid says now, it was clear by then that the treatment towards her would be seriously bad.

He suddenly grabbed Iris by the chin. When she tried to jerk away from the rude action, he also grabbed her arm with his other hand.

“By then, you won’t be able to leave your bedroom door without my orders until you die. You won’t be able to meet anyone.”

“……”

“Who would want a great role with the queen who lived in a convent all her life? Besides, you don’t have any support, do you?”

“Let me go.”

“When that time comes, me taking you will be the only joy in your life.”

When Iris tried to pull out her arm, Sid tightened his grip as if to crush it.

At that moment, Sid’s arm was grabbed.

When the two turned around at the same time, Hayer was standing there.

He tightened his grip on Sid’s arm, and Sid frowned at the grip, releasing Iris’s arm.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“What?”

Iris felt her hair stand on end at Hayer’s voice. It was a menacing voice and face that seemed to weigh down on the other person.

When seeing Meppo Behad, he had a similar expression. However, there was such a difference for the reason that it seemed to be something comical.

“Hayer.”

“Want me to let you go?”

He asked mockingly.

Sid felt an anger as if his head was being turned upside down by his half-brother’s act of suppressing his pride with force.

He immediately motioned for his guards to come. In an instant, he was surrounded by the Royal Knights, but Hayer did not react to it.

In that situation, when a knight tried to grab Hayer by the shoulder, Iris said.

“He was trying to protect me.”

“But…”

“I felt threatened, so you protected me, Lord Hayer.”

When the princess said that, the knights had no choice but to falter, no matter what Sid’s order was.

In fact, many of them saw Hayer’s other hand touching his sword. Iris didn’t know, but if she hadn’t stepped up, some of their arms would have already been cut here. Deep down, they were grateful to Iris.

Hayer slowly let go of Sid, but grabbed his arm again when Sid tried to punch him right away.

Hayer said.

“Don’t be pathetic. Brother can’t touch me. You probably won’t be able to cut a single hair even when I’m sleeping.”

After he said that, he gave way for Iris to move first.

As she walked, he too followed her steps back towards the luncheon venue.

Iris, who had been walking for a while, said.

“…Thank you.”

“……”

There was no answer, so Iris looked up and saw him gritting his teeth. It seemed that it was too hard to calm down his anger that he didn’t even hear her voice.

Iris stopped and carefully placed her fingertips on his chin as he clenched his teeth.

Hayer startled at her hand’s touch and looked at Iris in surprise.

“Relax. These are teeth that you’ll have to use for the rest of your life…”

Hayer, who was so angry, smiled at her words and closed his eyes tightly.

Hayer laughed, and Iris said with a serious expression.

“This is not a joke.”

“Can I just laugh it off and say it’s not a joke?”

“…I don’t know what’s funny.”

“Then I seemed to have laughed at what you said, so please keep that in mind.”

Saying that, Hayer held out his hand to ask for the arm Sid had grabbed earlier.

Iris hesitantly gave him her hand, and Hayer rolled up her sleeve. The arm Sid had clutched was bruised in an instant.

“…That crazy bastard.”

“It’s okay. It’s just that I bruise easily.”

“Didn’t you hear what that guy said earlier? Everything he said, he’s a whole other ruffian. A piece of crap. I didn’t grow up like that, but what’s wrong with that guy who was born in the same boat?”

《t/n: *born from the same mother》

Iris murmured very quietly as Hayer grumbled.

“There must be a problem with the paternity, well…”

Hayer, who was about to get angry again at her words, closed his eyes again. Then he covered his mouth with his hand and desperately held back his laughter.

“Please, tell me it’s a joke this time so I can laugh.”

“I’m not kidding, it’s true. And it’s not my problem, you laugh unnecessarily. How can you smile so well even to a woman you don’t know?”

Iris, who said that without realizing it, stopped talking.

Hayer tilted his head and asked what she was talking about.

“Did I smile at a woman I don’t know?”

“Yes, I saw it earlier.”

“Ah. Maybe in front of the carriage…”

“No. It’s not.”

“Then at the gate?”

“…How many people did you smile at today?”

“No, it’s not that. Every time I moved today, women talked to me, saying they wanted to get along with the Asheri family. There’s nothing wrong with me…”

Hayer, who was replying like that, said his words clearly because he thought he did something wrong, seeing as Iris got stiffer and stiffer.

afterword

1.) i can’t i hate sid SO bad and 2.) hayer is such a puppy i love him please!! they are so black cat and golden retriever coded