Paragon

Remnants of the Great War [35]

PARAGON

Remnants of the Great War Arc [35]

Chapter 44 : Return to Kalos

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Princess Rin—no...she was officially Queen Rin now—bowed delicately, her black veil covering her no doubt tear-stained face. "Thank you for coming, your Majesty," she said flatly.

I bowed my head in turn. "Of course. I only wish there was something I could have done."

A faint chuckle escaped from behind her veil. "Please King Azett. No one lives forever, but my father certainly seemed to be getting close. He was proud to have hosted you this past month. The ties between east and west have never been stronger because of your visit."

In truth, I was worried that my extended visit had put undue stress on the late king and perhaps contributed to his failing health, but I decided against speaking it aloud. There was no sense in dampening Queen Rin's already somber mood. "I'm glad he felt that way. That was my hope for this trip. With so much strife across the world, the petty rivalry between our lands must be extinguished, for the sake of all those living today, and those yet unborn."

"I agree," King Aaron said, wrapping his arm around his wife and pulling her closer.

She leaned closer to him and allowed herself to let her husband take the spotlight. It made me glad to know that she felt comfortable staying a bit unguarded when it was just the three of us.

"I will not let the groundwork laid by King Jurock go to waste," Aaron continued. "Together, Azett, let us bring peace to this world in our lifetime."

I nodded solemnly and extended a thumb between the three of us. "For King Jurock."

Aaron paused, before adding his thumb. "For King Jurock."

We both glanced at Queen Rin, and after a moment, she raised a dainty hand and added her own thumb. "For King Jurock," she croaked.

My attendance at the wake did not last much longer. Aaron and Queen Rin remained to mingle with the many townsfolk in the chapel, but I slipped out earlier to head back to my quarters. Two of my guards peeled away from outside of the chapel once I appeared, folding in beside me.

"Your Grace," one of them began as we walked through the halls of Cameran Palace. "The men are beginning to get restless. I'm not sure they want to stay another month. And with the king passing while we're here...we've already heard whispers from some of the Guardians..."

"Let them whisper," I growled. "It is only their grief talking. King Aaron will not let baseless slander fester for long," I said. For as much time as I spent with Aaron, I could only change the Guardians' perception of the east so much in so little time. It was natural that they mistrusted me. "But I do intend to leave soon. Tell the others to begin packing up. I want to reach Vermillion Town before the weather changes."

"At once, you Grace!"

I could tell my men hadn't even wanted to stay for one month, yet they had kept quiet and persevered for my sake. Even I had seen more Lucario this past month than I ever wanted to. They all had a certain glare that made them look like they would pounce at any moment, which was made all the more unsettling at the fact that they possessed near-human intelligence and could communicate with their Guardian partners silently. And with Aaron now ascending to the throne, I doubted our conversations could continue as before. He now had a country to run.

And I also had my own country to run, and no offense to Aaron, but far more of it. Just recently, we'd taken the Galar Kingdom and Unovan Empire under our wing, and every day I spent in Rota only soured our relations with those two. They'd get tired of talking to my proxies eventually and wonder where the actual king was.