Oh no! After I Reincarnated, My Moms Became Son-cons! - Volume 8 - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

‘The outer court was kept as always . It appears that my outer court remains the same even in my absence . ’

‘Living in the outer court actually makes me feel that I’m a guest, a stranger now . My guess is that it’s due to me having gotten used to living in my own palace . Additionally, this is Mom’s palace . It’s Mom’s territory, not mine . Perhaps that’s why it feels foreign and I’m struggling to adapt . ’        

‘It seems that I’ve lived as a master for too long . ;           

‘Nara is arriving today so I’ve prepared to provide her with a reception . As the Prince, I don’t need to welcome her outside of the city . However, I need to at least meet her and her group in the guest hall . ’

‘Truth be told, given our relationship, I wouldn’t have a problem with welcoming her at the entrance . ’                    

‘The only thing is that I would have failed the requirement Freya gave me, and that is to ensure I maintain a balance .            

‘Hence, the three of us sat in the guest-room and waited for Nara . Luna had made tea . Wait . We say boiled tea here . I wonder if Nara, who always drinks strong alcoholic beverages, will be able to drink tea . Freya sat behind me with her eyes shut as she awaited their arrival . Perhaps she was listening for the sound of the horse carriage . ’

‘You know, the vassal states do suffer a fair bit . They have to send tributes at the end of every year . Not long after is Her Majesty’s birthday, so they need to send another bunch of gifts . And now they have to send more gifts once again . Hmm, I actually think the people in charge of the national treasury are the most pitiable . Her Majesty can’t store any more in her inner court, and there’s more stored at my outer court . ’

Sounds suddenly came from outside . The sound of a heavy horse carriage’s wheels rolling on the road came in . Freya stood up and looked out the window . You can see a corner on the other side of the flower garden outside of the window . She chuckled and said, “It appears that the group from the desert have arrived . I never thought Socina’s group would be late . ”

“I assume it’s because their lord has other business . They do still need to handle their own affairs, after all . ” I chuckled . I am aware of what the lord of Socina needs to settle . She was after the mineral to consolidate her rule inside her city, after all; consequently, she must be trying to sort out the internal political affairs there . That must be why they’re slightly late . I believe that her problems will be solved once she arrives, and I’ll be able to head to Socina without concern .

I sat up straight . A moment later, footsteps from outside approached, accompanied by Nara’s hearty laughter and Tarak’s somewhat stunned voice . It seemed that the young man from the desert is very surprised by this palace . Nara’s palace can’t hold a candle to the Royal Palace after all .

“Ah, Your Majesty!” I heard Nara’s voice from behind . I stopped up and turned around to see her smile . I greeted her, “Long-time no see, Nara . The journey must have been rough . ”

Nara giggled softly then replied, “It was all right . I would say the trip has been an eye-opener for me . Or should I say, I have found how Karnashun look in the future?”

I laughed heartily .

‘Nara sure is ambitious as I thought . She wants her city to flourish as the Royal Capital is in the centre of the southern plains . While one may feel threatened by that, I, personally, don’t feel that way . ’

‘I’m not Elizabeth after all, and Nara is also my friend . ’

“Your Majesty!”

Tarak sincerely saluted me as per usual . I tapped him on his shoulder and said, “You don’t need to be so serious . Tarak, while we might not be able to be so friendly later, we’re the only ones around right now, so you don’t need to be so serious . We aren’t just Prince and his bodyguard after all . We’re good friends, too . Moreover, I’m waiting for you invitation to act as the witness for your marriage . ”

“That… uhh… We… we… it is still a long way away… . ”

Tarak instantly went red in the face and shyly stuttered . Nara, on the other hand, was very calm . She looked at me . With a grin, she asked, “Probably around summer this year . We still need to prepare for our wedding for some time I think . Did you not prepare for half a year for yours, Your Majesty?”

I chuckled and replied, “No . Nier and I got married in two months . With Lucia, it was about three months . We originally needed lots of time for planning, but in the end, we just hurried and got married . ”

Nara froze for a moment . She then smiled and said, “We might as well get married next month, then . If you only prepared for three months and we prepared for six months, would we not be stepping out of line?”

“I don’t care, honestly . Plus, I had reasons for getting married so early, reasons I’m not too willing to mention… Of course, your marriage will be the first marriage I had a hand in arranging; therefore, you need to prepare well for it . Ah… I get it now . You’re in a bit of a rush, aren’t you Nara?”

Nara was the one who went red in the face this time . She shyly glanced at Tarak and went silent . I chuckled and said, “Stay in the palace for tonight . That’s a great honour to have, you know? You won’t be able to stay in the palace once more people arrive . ”

“Really? Thank you very much for giving me the honour then, Your Majesty . I am very honoured . I am very honoured, not to mention that you are the one to provide us with a reception this time, Your Majesty . I want to know if you are receiving us as a friend or as His Majesty . ”

Nara sat to the side . She picked up a cup of tea and drank it as she spoke . But then she looked at the cup of tea in front of her and froze . It would seem that this stuff doesn’t suit her palate . However, her eyes were full of vigilance and sensitivity . She appeared to have already discovered the purpose of me being here .

I tilted my head and with a smile, asked, “What do you think, Nara? Which identity would you be happier with?”

Nara tilted her head the same way and with a smile, asked me back, “Your Majesty, which response would you prefer?”

“You tell me first . ”

“I do not think that I would be particularly happy with either . Instead, I would be happy when you are both His Majesty and my friend . ”

I froze for a moment and then laughed aloud .

‘It seems Nara is one whose eyes are bigger than her stomach . In her opinion, knowing a Prince isn’t important . Not even being his friend was very important . What made her happiest was that her friend was the Prince who was soon to succeed the throne . ’

‘That would be the equivalent of being connected to Empress Elizabeth . Meaning she wants to be in a favourable position among all the vassal states, or even half of the continent . ’

‘That must be Nara’s ambition . ’

Nara smiled then stood up . She looked at her thin clothes and said, “By the looks of it, I need a new set of clothes here, as people look at me with strange gazes when I wear this . I shall not take up any more of your time, Your Majesty . Also, it would be better if you could serve me strong wine next time . But it is fine if you do not have any . I have prepared lots of wine from the desert for you . ”

“Yeah? That does bring back memories…”

I smiled .

‘I don’t know when it started . Mom particularly likes strong wine, so it became one of the treasures I always wanted . I wonder what my trip to the desert gave me . A wine addiction, perhaps?’