#48.
The next morning, without any chance to devise a plan, the jousting tournament began.
The knights of renown in Winterton donned their armor and gathered in front of the practice grounds of Arly.
Meanwhile, in front of the princess’s castle, a crowd of men in armor of a noticeably different color had gathered. Their armor looked as if it had just been made, gleaming brightly.
In other words, they were wearing armor but were not knights. They were just men chasing the illusion of becoming the king’s son-in-law. Those who hadn’t even held a sword were removing their helmets and bragging about their wealth.
“Is it really true that you can marry the princess just by having money?”
“You? No way.”
“What do you mean, no way? Isn’t she the princess who could’ve been through anything in Reutlingen for three years?”
More horrifying than their vulgar chatter was that the steward standing before them started calling out prices as if he were a merchant at a seaside market.
“The chance to stand before Princess Edwina’s balcony and wait for 100 days starts at 100,000 crowns.”
“200,000 crowns.”
“I’ll pay 300,000. No, 400,000!”
All those in armor began to remove their helmets and shout. Princess Edwina, who had been standing at the balcony, turned her back.
“They say it’s giving me a chance, but really, they’re just buying me with money.”
Indeed, that was what King Alfred intended. Whether we looked down upon them or not, the bidding for Princess Edwina continued. 500,000, 600,000, 650,000, 700,000. The price was gradually rising. Then, there was a heavy clinking sound as coins landed on the ground.
Startled by the sound, we turned to see a large money bag spilling an endless amount of gold coins.
It had been thrown by a man in the brightest armor among all those newly dressed to flaunt their wealth.
What stood out more than the gleaming armor was the man’s height, a full handspan taller than the others. Despite his tall and striking figure, his armor had not a single sword mark, and the princess let out a bitter laugh.
“Of all these vulgar men, is the most vulgar one to be my lot?”
The steward sat on the ground, counting the coins. Even before he finished counting, we knew. That man had won the right to wait 100 days before Princess Edwina.
The princess, resigned, ordered preparations for the marriage. She commanded that the crown and ring left by the late queen be brought out. I tried to dissuade her.
“But still. If he doesn’t last 100 days, then we get another chance, don’t we?”
“And if there’s another chance? The steward will just start calling for money again. Next time it’ll be a bag of gold coins, 1 million crowns, then 900,000, then 800,000. Winterton will sell me off again and again, maybe even build a new palace with the profits. Do I have to stand here until then?”
“Princess, but still…”
Still, what was I supposed to say? I couldn’t even think of a proper response, just repeatedly tried to stop her.
“Listen carefully, Josephine. Go and tell him. He doesn’t need to wait 100 days. I’ll marry him right away.”
Though the princess said this, I couldn’t understand why I suddenly thought of Prince Reiner. After all the hardships we had endured, we had finally made it back to Winterton, and Prince Reiner had said to live happily, that he would return if I found happiness. But now, all that awaited was a marriage that felt like being sold off. I couldn’t believe it, and my tears, which had barely stopped, began to flow again.
But the princess, who must have wanted to cry more than I did, showed no signs of changing her mind.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the knight refused the princess’s request.
“He says he’ll wait the 100 days. Just as originally planned.”
I couldn’t understand why he wanted to do that or how difficult it would be, but we all laughed at the foolish and vain knight’s decision.
“Did you see his face, Josephine? The one who’ll collapse after waiting just 10 days?”
“No, he didn’t take off his helmet.”
“Is that so? Will he wait the entire 100 days without removing it?”
“Yes, it didn’t seem like he planned to take it off.”
“He must be incredibly ugly.”
“Princess, didn’t you say not to judge people by their looks?”
“When did I say that?”
“About the time I was telling you not to be too hard on Prince Reiner just because he’s handsome?”
“Is this really the time to worry about that? Hurry and insult him more. That’s all we can do now, isn’t it, Josephine?”
“True.”
“Did you find out which family this fool comes from?”
“Well, no one knows. On the registry, he’s listed as Sir Arthur Gillen, but it’s obviously an alias.”
“Quite the arrival. Coming to play as Sir Arthur Gillen, pretending to be Sir Arthur Gillen. Why use an alias at all?”
“There is talk that he might be someone of high rank from Aldarna or Vallea.”
“What would a person like that want with me, coming here to marry?”
It was a rhetorical question. Having waited a hundred days to acquire the Princess of Windsor, an expensive wife purchased with wealth, if our princess were to marry this man, one could only imagine how miserable the marriage would become. I could only hope that this foreigner was much more generous than I had imagined and kept my mouth tightly shut.
It was Princess Edwina’s joke that broke the awkward atmosphere.
“So, what does my future husband’s voice sound like?”
“Well, it really does seem like he’s from Aldarna. He didn’t speak directly but whispered to his servant, perhaps trying to hide his accent.”
“Oh dear, maybe I’ll end up marrying a man with a goat-like voice.”
As she said this, Princess Edwina imitated the bleating of a goat, “Heehee.”
“Princess, don’t goats go ‘Meeh’? ‘Heehee’ is a donkey’s sound.”
“Who cares. In any case, he must have a thin and tiny voice. He’s probably too shy to even take off his helmet.”
As she said this, the princess once again imitated a donkey’s cry with a thin voice, “Heehee.” We both burst into laughter. Yet no matter how much we laughed and chatted, our hearts didn’t feel any lighter.
Whether we laughed or not, the tall suitor began his first night of waiting, sitting below the balcony.
At the time, Princess Edwina’s room was in the tallest northern tower in Arly. So, every day, we sat high up, watching the man below, who looked like a small dot from that height.
The knight sat there every day, looking up at the princess.
By the end of the grape-harvest season, the autumn wind had arrived, and even the grapes were dropping from their vines. The heat coming from his armor and helmet must not have been as unbearable. However, sitting in the same spot every day, dressed like that, still seemed quite arduous.
As the days passed, the sky grew higher. By the time the Sky Month ended, the days had grown cold. Pathetic as he seemed, our princess must have felt some concern, seeing him endure this.
“Let’s give him a blanket at least.”
On the first day of Frost Month, when the harsh winds began to blow, the princess said this. Though I harbored resentment for the man who had offered to buy my dear young friend Anne, thinking it absurd to find anything endearing about him, I supposed it was better than having a death occur in front of our castle.
With such a cold-hearted sentiment, I fetched the most tattered, worthless, and thin blanket I could find within the castle and went down to the courtyard before the balcony.
I draped it carelessly over the tall knight’s shoulders.
“Thank you.”
His voice, though slightly hoarse, was neither thin like a goat’s bleat nor as brash as a donkey’s cry. It was low and soothing.
“The princess commanded me to cover you.”
I added this unnecessarily, perhaps due to the familiarity of his voice. Through his helmet, I could just make out the hint of a smile.
“Yes, Edwina was always kind, pretending not to be.”
“Pardon? What did you say?”
“I said your princess is a kind soul, Josephine.”
That familiar drawl at the end of his words, that affectionate way of saying my name—
Yes, Sir Arthur Gillen was none other than Prince Reiner himself.
Before my mind could fully register it, tears burst forth.
Behind the helmet, I was sure his blue eyes were smiling at me as I wept. His lips, half-hidden by the helmet, curved into a gentle arc.
“Oh dear, Josephine. What am I to do if you cry? I don’t even have the strength to comfort you, with my legs so numb.”
“Why, why?”
I must have raised my voice without realizing it. Prince Reiner—no, Sir Arthur Gillen—brought a finger to my lips.
“Shh. Be quiet. If you’re too loud, she’ll come, and you know how sharp Edwina’s intuition is, don’t you?”
But my question remained unanswered.
“Your Highness, or rather Sir, why? Why are you here?”
“Shouldn’t you say it’s nice to see me first?”
I wanted to tell him to take off the helmet at once. I wanted to bring Princess Edwina. But Cordelia, your father was as stubborn as your mother. He shook his head resolutely, forbidding me from saying anything, leaving me with no choice.
“Then why are you suffering here like this?”
“Me? I’ve come to see Edwina.”
“No matter how long you wait here, Your Highness, you cannot marry the princess. You’re probably the only person who absolutely cannot marry our princess.”
“Why? Because I’m a fool and an idiot?”
When Prince Reiner repeated the old joke from long ago, I couldn’t help but raise the corners of my mouth.
“No, Your Highness, you’re the prince of Reutlingen, and Princess Edwina… is the Princess of Windsor.”
Repeating the familiar lines as if playing around, Prince Reiner burst out laughing from inside his helmet.
“Yes, that’s right. So, what of it?”
“Your Highneeeess!”
“Well, at least I’ve been able to watch over Edwina for 100 days instead of those other fools. That’s good enough. But Josephine, promise me one thing—never tell Edwina how foolish I’ve been, alright?”
Over the years, his height had grown even more, and his voice had deepened. It was unfamiliar yet warmly welcome. I didn’t know how to contain this overwhelming feeling, stomping my feet and wringing my hands in excitement. Realizing my uncontrollable emotion, the prince kindly said to me:
“I only have one request. In the remaining time, come out to the balcony often so I can see Edwina a little better.”
That was the simplest and smallest thing I could do for him.
That year, the Frost Month was bitterly cold. Starting the next day, I brought the prince warm water and blankets daily. This time, I brought the thickest and finest sable fur blanket the castle had to offer.
I fetched another one for the princess. Winter was coming, but we had to continue drinking tea on the balcony every day. When the morning sun rose, even the northern tower was filled with light. Our princess would step out onto the balcony and read books. Sometimes, she’d go down to the garden for a walk. I would intentionally suggest going to the front yard instead of the path, where the prince could have a better view.
“Do we really have to take a walk in this cold?”
“Even so, Princess, my head hurts terribly every day. They say fresh cold air is good for my health.”
“Then, Josephine, go by yourself.”
“Oh, how heartless! What if I collapse? Or what if I get scolded for leaving the princess alone?”
Our princess, kind as she was despite pretending otherwise, could never ignore my words once I’d gone that far. So, every day, we walked past Sir Arthur Gillen, read books while overlooking him, and sat by the trees near him, drinking tea.
At those times, I could often see the faint smile on Prince Reiner’s face from inside his armor, his lips curling up beneath the helmet.
Those sweet days that only I cherished passed by so quickly. Soon, the Knot Month arrived, and the promised 100 days were coming to an end.
The palace grew busier. News spread throughout Windsor that a mysterious knight had thrown down over five million crowns worth of gold to marry the princess. However, no one knew what was happening in the courtyard before the princess’s residence.
That knight, whom they only knew by his two million crowns of gold and his gleaming armor, was still gazing at our princess, even in the biting winds and snow of the Knot Month.
By the time the 80th day arrived, neither blankets nor hot water were of any help. By the 90th day, he had stopped eating or drinking altogether.
Seeing this, our princess finally stood before Sir Arthur Gillen.
And she spoke.
“Take off your helmet. Stand up. You can stop now.”
But our prince, even upon hearing those words, didn’t move. It wasn’t that he was still trying to hide. Nor was he deliberately ignoring her. By that point, he was too weak, shedding tears and unable to do anything.
“No one is meant to live in such a state.”
“…”
“What on earth are you doing this for? Do you think marrying the Princess of Windsor will bring you wealth and glory?”
“…”
Sir Arthur Gillen, who could barely open his mouth to speak, only staggered in response. In his stumble, a heart-shaped pendant, dangling from the chainmail and plate armor, tumbled out.
Our sharp-witted princess surely noticed it. She must have realized it was Prince Reiner at a glance, without needing to think any further.
She took a step forward, closer to Sir Arthur Gillen.
Her delicate fingers brushed against the heart-shaped pendant around the knight’s neck.
Those fingers then moved upward, coming to rest on the knight’s helmet.
At last, the silver helmet was lifted, and his hair, shining like faint gold woven from a handful of moonlight, fluttered in the night breeze.
And there, Prince Reiner’s beautiful face was revealed.
———= Afterword =———
Dear readers,
To all of you who have enjoyed reading, I am sincerely grateful.
There must be at least one, two, three, or four of you who have kept up with the continuous updates, right…? ㅠㅠ
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this long story.
Please stretch out your shoulders and click for the next chapter just one more time!
<– –>
(7/7)
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