Side Story Chapter 323

In the grandiose ballroom of the imperial palace of the Avalon empire, all of the nobles and the imperial family were gathered together to celebrate the tenth year of the emperor’s reign. Naturally, as the first knight of Joshua Sanders, the greatest man in the history of Avalon, Cain was invited. The younger generation kept stealing a glance at Cain de Harry, eager to bask in his greatness.

“Sir Cain!” A man recognized Cain and came running over.

Cain could see the years in the man’s face. It had been a long time since their master had departed, after all. In fact, most of Cain’s acquaintances from the palace were retired or now held high positions. This man was one of the few people who hadn’t—no, perhaps it could be said that he was, indeed, retired. While he was still receiving salary each month, he slacked off more than most people who were actually retired.

“Valmont,” Cain greeted him.

“How long has it been?”

Valmont dun Brown was the laziest man Cain knew. Even Cain’s master had acknowledged Valmont's gifts and skill, but after the war, Valmont returned to his habit of lazing away his time.

“You still haven't retired?”

Valmont's eyes widened like he couldn’t believe Cain had asked him that. “Why in the world would you say that? There’s no way I would retire from a job like this. They feed and pay me because I’m a glorious Imperial Knight.”

“...I really should put you through hell before I die.”

“Hehehe. I went through enough during the war, so I’m going to enjoy my life now. Besides, I’m just going with the flow here. Bigshots rarely work in any organization, right?”

“You’re still young, so get married or something.”

“Die alone if you don’t want to die. Don’t drag me into it.”

Cain was irked because he’d been serious, but he dropped the point because he knew Valmont would never listen.

“Announcing the arrival of Empress Anna bel Grace and Grand Duke Kireua Sanders of the Swallow Empire!”

“Oh...!” Valmont exclaimed. He was excited to see Kireua.

It was expected of Kireua to take the bel Grace name after marrying the empress of Swallow, but he kept Sanders name. Cain had heard that Anna herself had told Kireua to keep it; she had apparently claimed that it would be a waste for him to give up a chance to show that he was the Martial God’s son.

“We’re here!”

“There are your grandmas~”

Anna and Kireua first went to meet his mothers, who welcomed them with warm smiles. Cain watched them from a distance, so that they could enjoy their family reunion.

“...I feel bad though.”

“Huh?” Valmont gave him a confused look. “What brought this on?”

Cain silently watched his master’s grandchildren. They were the same age as Cain’s twins, but the twins would have been as old as Kireua and Anna if Cain had only gotten married at the usual age. He couldn’t help but envy Kireua and Anna because parenting was a lot more difficult than he had expected. Knowing that he was going to have kids, he regretted not starting a family a lot sooner.

“Announcing the arrival of His Majesty Selim Sanders and Her Majesty Aisha Sanders of the great Avalon Empire!”

Or Cain could have chosen to live happily after with just Lilith like the couple that was entering the ballroom right now.

After a short silence, everyone went down on their knees.

“Greetings, Your Majesties!”

“Greetings, Your Majesties!”

Beside Selim, Aisha Sanders, Avalon’s—no, Igrant’s first dark elf empress, flaunted her impossible beauty.

“...Today is a day of celebration. Don’t mind me; enjoy the day, please.” Selim smiled gently.

“Thank you!”

“Congratulations on the tenth anniversary of your reign!”

The ball put the entire country in a festive mood. Some people believed that it was a waste of money—Selim Sanders, the man of the day himself, was one of those people. But despite his personal beliefs, he made sure to host a ball every year.

It was a necessary act to keep the nobles in check, really. Their participation and the face-to-face conversations with them were great ways to see if they were planning something behind his back, which helped him secure his reign.

“Hello, Sir Cain.”

Cain turned and saw Icarus smiling at him.

“Ah, Your Majesty.” Cain bowed slightly while furtively looking around to see where Valmont had gone. It looked like he’d already disappeared somewhere for a nap. Cain chuckled. “It’s been a while since I came here, so everything feels new. I barely recognize any of the Imperial Knights.”

“It was a lot better when you were around.”

They smiled at each other.

“How is the married life?”

“It’s killing me, to be honest. The children get bigger every day, but I’m only getting slower,” Cain grumbled.

“Hahaha. You look a lot better than before, though.”

“Right back at you, Your Majesty.”

Icarus grinned mischievously. “If you ever get bored, you’re welcome to drop by the Academy. There will always be a place for you there.”

“Don’t even say that, please. Raising two beagles would be easier than parenting my twins. I can’t afford to teach other children too.”

“Come on. It’ll be a piece of cake for the Martial God’s first knight.”

The mention of Cain’s master instantly put a damper on his mood.

“...It seems Her Imperial Majesty Charles is already head over heels for her grandchildren,” Icarus noted, astutely changing the subject. “Hahaha. My Iruca should really get married too.”

“Is Her Imperial Majesty Iceline... still working on her research in the Magic Tower?”

“...I’m planning to head over to the Magic Tower with everyone after this ball is over. ”

Cain’s lip trembled. “Does that mean...”

“Yes, I recently received a message from the Magic Tower.”

“Really?!”

Cain’s outburst drew glances from the ball’s other guests. However, Cain couldn’t suppress his restlessness.

“I don’t know what results her research has yielded. She could have failed... but she must want to tell us the results herself.”

“W-Wouldn’t she have found a way if she asked you to visit the Magic Tower?” Cain asked hopefully. “Otherwise... why would she bother?”

“...That’s what I want to think, but I’ll only be more disappointed if I get my hopes up too high.”

“Ah...”

“In any case, can I ask you a favor before I leave for the Magic Tower?” Icarus cautiously asked. This, it seemed, was why she had approached Cain.

“Hmmm...?”

“The children of Their Majesties Iceline and Charles are all happily married. That leaves mine as the exception. Even if my dream comes true, I’ll be too ashamed to meet him.”

Cain’s eyes slowly widened.

Icarus smiled sheepishly. “I want my old bachelorette daughter to marry, so I’m hoping you can talk to her—since you used to be like her. ”

“I’m not sure if I can be of help.”

“I’m sure you will be,” Icarus answered with certainty. “She’s following in your exact footsteps.”

*

Before Cain headed to Iruca’s Palace, Icarus had given him her personal opinions: although Iruca still spent her days working, it didn’t look like she was against the concept of marriage. She simply didn’t have time to date, which reminded Icarus of Cain.

Well, Cain was going to find out if that was true. He knocked on the door to Iruca’s office.

“Come in,” a fatigued voice answered.

When Cain opened the door, he saw a beautiful, bespectacled woman poring over paperwork.

“Excuse me, Your Highness.”

Cain’s voice made her spring to her feet.

“Sir Cain!” she exclaimed.

“You’re still drowning in paperwork, I see.” Cain chuckled.

“It’s been so long! Come in, come in!” Iruca gestured at Cain to sit. She fixed her clothes and brushed her hand through her tousled hair. “What brings you here tod— Come to think of it, a ball is going to be held today to celebrate the tenth anniversary of His Majesty’s reign. Isn’t that why you’re in the palace?”

“That’s right. I feel like I don’t need to ask how you’re doing nowadays, though.”

“Pardon?”

“Your question just now told me everything.”

“Hahaha. Such is life. Come on, sit.”

Cain took the offer and seated himself on the sofa.

“Are you not going to get married, Your Highness?”

“Why do you ask? Do you have a decent man to set me up with?”

“There are a lot, actually, but only if you’re interested...”

“Oh, my.” Iruca giggled. “I would have taken you up on that right away if I had more time on my hands.”

“That’s how I ended up being a bachelor until I reached my sixties. But you know, you can always make time.”

The sincerity in Cain’s voice made Iruca stop and seriously examine.

“Are you happy with your married life?”

Cain nodded. “I am.”

Iruca’s question was similar to Icarus’s, but Cain gave a different answer this time. This kind of question had different answers depending on who was asking.

“...I see.”

“I truly hope you will find this happiness too.”

“Mother asked you, didn’t she?” Iruca asked.

Both the mother and daughter were too smart.

“Was it that obvious?”

“A little too much.”

The room was silent for a while.

“...But I’ll have to bear more responsibilities in marriage.”

“Hmm?”

“In marriage, I’m responsible for my partner and the children we’ll have. It’s too much for me to handle right now.” Iruca looked up and met his eyes. “You understand me, right?

“...Yes, I do.” As the head of his own family, Cain couldn’t agree more.

“I knew you would!” Iruca beamed. “Please talk to my mother about it. She comes by every day and yells at me to get married. I think she feels lonely when she sees Kireua’s kids Since you’re her dear friend, she’ll listen to you.”

“...Your mother and I are indeed close friends, and I know she’d trust me with her life—but my thoughts on this matter aren’t any different from hers.”

Iruca frowned. “You said you understand me.”

“Romance and reality are different.”

“What in the world do you mean?”

“You’re talking about reality, but you’re ignoring the romance in life.”

“Romance?”

“You’ll understand once you meet someone you truly love.”

Iruca went quiet.

Even if married men insisted that married life was hell, the youth never listened when they were blinded by love. Cain sincerely hoped Iruca would go through the same phase.