Dangerous loyalty『Tartaglia x MR』

XLIII

Tᴏ Kʜᴀᴇɴʀɪ'ᴀʜ

The citizens were horrified to see their beloved prince injured on the day of his departure to Khaenri'ah. And he was playing it up as Verose tried his hardest not to laugh at the 'woe is me' act. Hell Diluc was surprised at the prince's acting skills while Aether was amazed.
"Your majesty, are you feeling well? Is there anything we can do for you?"

"No, don't worry your darling hearts out for me, I'll be fine. This isn't the first time, all will be well, I'll make sure to bring you all a piece of Khaenri'ah!"M/n flashes a charming smile, it soothes the worry of the people enough for them to smile back. Though it was a part of the plan, M/n actually cared for the people of Snezhnaya. They say their partings to the people of the snow as Verose opens up a portal for them to head through, once everyone was through it closes behind them immediately.

Now on the other side, the group was surprised to see Khaenri'ah. It was in much better shape than told by others.
"

Whoa! It's beautiful here. How are you feeling Aether?"M/n didn't get a response and it worried him and the others.
"Aether?"

"Sorry, I got distracted by the flowers, I haven't seen them in so long."Aether muses thoughtfully as he gently plucks an inteyvat and holds it to his nose. A soft chuckle leaves his lips before turning to place the flower in M/n's hair.
"Welcome to Khaenri'ah, your majesty."

"Thank you."

"Hehe, welcome indeed your majesty. Sorry for being late, my name is Minerva and I am a member of the fallen royal family."

Minerva kneels, causing her beautiful dress to push outward just a bit, this exposes a small child that was hiding behind her.
"Oh? Are you my auntie?"

"Yes, but in better terms your aunt-in-law. I'm related to the deceased king."

"So that means the little one behind you in my cousin-in-law. What is their name?"Minerva takes a quick look back, she didn't know that he daughter had followed her to meet the prince.
"This is my daughter Paimon. She's quite shy at times but a very good child. Say hello to your big cousin."M/n kneels to Paimon's level so she could get a better look at him. She shies away for split second before peeking back out. She was intrigued by the man's strange blue-purple eyes.
"Pretty.."

"Hm? What's pretty little one?"

"Your eyes and the people behind you. You're all pretty like mama!"The group swoons over the little child, Minerva giggles at her daughters' honesty then voices that it was time to show them around the humble neutral kingdom. It was thriving without the presence of the Royal Family but it was obvious that the people looked at Minerva as a leader figure.
"Minerva, how long have you been helping Khaenri'ah get back on its feet?"

"A few years after it fell. I'm not fit to be a queen, so I could only do so much to help. Although, It was well-received-"

"Lady Minerva, the prophet is ready to see the prince and his royal Haram now."A soldier announced after bowing respectfully to Minerva, it flusters her for a moment and reminds the woman that she wasn't royalty anymore.
"Oh, how we wish you would Ascend the throne! Waiting for that girl to do it isn't logical. She has too much hate in her heart. What we need is a kind ruler, like yourself lady Minerva! You and your husband will make great rulers of the neutral kingdom."

"I don't believe so.."

"If I may, I believe so. You carry yourself with pride that your home is thriving again. I wish to be as admirable as you, Auntie I think you should ascend."M/n knew what he was doing, if Minerva took the throne, that meant Paimon would be first in line after her mother, pushing himself to second, and Lumine to third. This would make it harder for Lumine to rise to power and if anything happened to the new royal family, Lumine would be to blame and the people would rebel against her.
"I'll think on it some more when my husband returns to Khaenri'ah."

"I, along with your citizens await your answer."