Chương 92: Chapter 91 Ronin McCann

Within the imperial castle, Ronin stood within the audience hall, receiving praise alongside the other key members of the Hero's Party. He stood at the foremost front of the area. A couple of steps behind him stood Furen. On the other side, even farther behind her, stood Rosa, showcasing the differences in their hierarchical structures and their respective statuses, no matter how they stood before the current Emperor and Empress.

The only people who stood beside Ronin, or had the right to stand beside him, were none other than Seraphina, the Saint of the Holy Nation, and Nina, who had long been officially recognized as an upcoming Saint. Though they stood beside him, Seraphina was more than half a step ahead of Ronin, while Nina was half a step behind him. After the formalities were out of the way and everyone had received their individual rewards, they were dismissed, leaving only Ronin behind.

Meeting his father's gaze, Ronin couldn't help but curse inwardly. I forgot how irritating this man was.

"My dear son, since your journey, you have found yourself in rather distinguished company," the Emperor remarked.

"It is only natural that such an extended journey would bring people closer together." Ronin remained silent. The Emperor smiled faintly.

"Still, one must remember that closeness born from circumstance does not always translate well into a household of noble standing. There are certain expectations that accompany such unions, particularly when the families involved have spent generations cultivating their names." Ronin's eyes remained lowered.

"The daughters of our great houses," the Emperor continued, "have families to consider. Their marriages do not merely concern the young women themselves. They concern their fathers, their houses, their alliances, and, in some cases, the stability of the realm." He paused.

"It would be unfortunate if the enthusiasm surrounding your recent achievements were to place any of those families in an uncomfortable position." Ronin understood immediately. The Emperor was not forbidding him from marrying the daughters of the nobility. He was reminding him that doing so would put their families in opposition to the Crown. The old man leaned back in his throne.

"And then there is the matter of our distinguished guests from the Holy Nation." His tone remained casual.

"The Saints who accompanied you have, naturally, earned the admiration of many within the Empire. Yet admiration need not become something more complicated." He gave a small, almost regretful smile.

"The Holy Nation and the Empire have maintained their respective spheres for generations. It would be unwise to blur those boundaries merely because two individuals happened to find themselves traveling together." Ronin bowed his head.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Good. I knew you would understand." The Emperor's smile widened ever so slightly.

"Then I am certain there will be no difficulty." He allowed the silence to linger before continuing.

"Of course, there remains the matter of your succession." Ronin's expression did not change.

"You are no longer a boy, my son. The Empire cannot indefinitely remain without a Crown Princess. Such uncertainty invites unnecessary speculation among the court." The Emperor sighed.

"I would much rather see the matter settled naturally than be forced to involve myself in something so personal." Ronin knew exactly what that meant. The Emperor continued.

"You need only choose a woman whose family possesses the standing appropriate to the future Empress. A house of sufficient antiquity, influence, and loyalty. A family whose roots are firmly planted within the Empire." His gaze sharpened.

"After all, the Crown cannot afford to become entangled in questions of uncertain lineage or divided allegiance." Ronin lowered his head.

"Understood, Your Majesty."

"Excellent." The Emperor's expression softened into one of paternal concern.

"Then there is nothing more to discuss." He gestured lightly toward the doors.

"Go. Your companions await you, and this week belongs to the heroes who returned our people to peace. You have earned the right to enjoy the celebrations."

"Understood, Your Majesty." Ronin turned and walked away. He did not look back. Nor did he spare a glance at the Empress, whose contemptuous smile had only grown more pronounced throughout the conversation. … Once he stepped outside, the door shut behind him. He couldn't halt his steps. He grabbed at his hair before pushing it back, sighing in frustration. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"You alright?... you seem troubled." Hearing a familiar voice, Ronin flinched in surprise before turning his head to meet Furen face-to-face. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Ronin sighed.

"You always did have a talent for appearing when I least wished to be found."

"And you always did have a talent for making yourself difficult to find." A faint smile tugged at Ronin's lips.

"Some things never change."

"Unfortunately." … Standing on the balcony, Ronin looked out at the gorgeous sunset. Furen had suggested they come here for a chat. After hearing the door shut behind them and the curtains being pulled closed, Ronin turned his gaze away from the sunset and met Furen face-to-face. She had stepped right beside him, grabbing the edge of the balcony and staring out in the same direction he was. The silence dragged on for a while, making Ronin reflect on when Furen had gotten her memories back.

He remembered being taken aback by Seraphina's request, but recalling that he was in no position to refuse, he could only go along with it. And after Furen had gotten her memories, he watched as Seraphina disappeared with Rosa, who had broken through space out of nowhere, leaving him and Furen facing one another. At that time, too, the silence had been rather deafening. It wasn't until Furen had chucked a pillow toward him and he had subconsciously caught it that he heard her tell him to get out.

But he, too, had come to his senses, chuckling lightly as he got up. Furen turned to look at him with mild suspicion.

"What are you laughing at?" Hearing her voice, Ronin snapped back to reality.

"Um, sorry. I just..." He looked into her eyes, and every time he did so, he felt it in his heart. He could never bring himself to lie to her.

"I thought of when you got your memories back." Hearing that, Furen blushed in annoyance before kicking him square in the stomach. However, her attack was stopped as Ronin hurriedly grabbed her leg, quickly ensuring that she was stable. After letting her leg go, he caught her by the waist to make sure she did not fall or injure herself. Seeing the fluidity of his motion, Furen fell silent before quickly changing the subject and pushing herself out of his embrace.

"So, what are you going to do?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Ronin questioned.

"You know what I mean." Furen replied. He stared at the door that led out into the hall, where people were currently coming in to prepare for and enjoy the banquet celebration. But due to the curtains she had closed, he could barely see what was happening beyond them.

"I'm not sure." Ronin's voice echoed quietly. He turned his face toward her and gently grabbed her hand. The gesture left Furen in a stupor. He looked at her sincerely.

"I don't want you to go through this again." He paused.

"In this world, things are different. You still have your family. Your reputation is still good. Those people are still alive, and on top of that, you're renowned as a great hero." He smiled faintly.

"I'm happy it's not like before." He looked at her carefully.

"I'm sure you noticed when you got your memories back. You probably realized that I came here long before you did." His expression became more serious.

"But despite that, I never went after you." He looked deeply into Furen's eyes.

"I don't want you to feel obligated to take this position. You have your own life. You should get to choose what to do with it." His grip on her hand tightened slightly.

"And I want you to choose." He looked away.

"I would hate to see you cry and shiver in the middle of the night again. I don't want you to be tormented by nightmares." His voice softened.

"I want you to be free."

"But what about you?" Furen interrupted.

"If you can't find someone, and you know how he does things, he's going to make sure you won't be able to find anyone." She looked at him.

"What about you? You're going to lose your position." Her expression hardened.

"And you were a great ruler. You took care of the people. You fed them when the harvests failed. You reformed the provinces that had been neglected. You personally investigated corruption within the court. If it weren't for you, people would suffer." She paused.

"And you know that after the new Crown Prince... no, when your legitimate brother is crowned, they'll use him as a puppet. He's nothing but a puppet and you know what happened last time, don't you? You know how bad things got, right? You don't want it to happen again, do you?" Ronin stared at her in silence, but his eyes conveyed a deep understanding.

"I don't understand." She pulled her hand out of his.

"All you need to do is ask me." Her voice was firm.

"I can take up the Empress role again. I can be your Crown Princess." She stared directly at him.

"And this will all be done with." Her expression softened, though confusion remained in her eyes.

"So what is with this?" She shook her head.

"Why are you like this?"

"…" Ronin opened his mouth. He didn't know how to answer the question Furen had asked him about the life he had backed away from. Because even though Furen's reasoning was sound, he understood deeply that, in her past life, the banquet scene had caused Furen to become a hero out of immense guilt, a guilt that had eaten away at her.

She had sought redemption, and even her becoming the Empress had been a form of redemption she wished to pursue, hoping to help the people of the land so they would not meet the same fate. But he also understood where she was coming from when she said those words. He knew he shouldn't have come here. Furen knew him too well. She knew how to get through to him and how to lower his defenses. It was also one of the aspects he loved about her. But he closed his mouth and turned his face away. He didn't want to answer.

He couldn't answer right now. He was conflicted. A light knock was heard from the terrace, breaking the confrontation between the two. He turned his head and saw none other than a servant. This was perfect, he thought. He needed to escape. He called for the person to come, but as he did so, Furen stepped forward, affectionately grabbing his hand. This allowed the servant, who had come to call them down, to witness the scene of the Crown Prince, who was known to be quite stoic, looking rather flustered.

And Lady Furen, who was already known for her fiery temper, was holding onto the Crown Prince with a loving gaze in her eyes. The servant felt a cold sweat run down his back.

"My apologies," the servant quickly said, bowing.

"Your Highness. I shall inform the others that you will join them shortly." Before Ronin could even dispel the suspicion, the servant quickly ran away. Ronin looked at Furen in confusion, not knowing where to even begin. Furen looked back at Ronin, a satisfied yet playful smile playing on her lips.

"If you're not going to ask, I'll make it so that you have no choice but to ask." … It was time for Ronin and Furen to head down toward the banquet. Whilst they were heading down, Ronin occasionally tried to lightly inform Furen that she was still holding his hand. However, Furen would always turn a blind eye, as if she hadn't heard him. She would even move closer, as if asking him to repeat himself.

Ronin knew intuitively that he could remove his hand forcibly, due to the fact that Furen wasn't holding it with that much strength. But his hand would not move. He felt as though his hand was separate from his whole body. In other words, he had given up. … In the banquet hall, the nobles stood among one another, waiting for everything to properly begin. People were still arriving, and many of them had gathered together, eagerly awaiting the Crown Prince's arrival. The atmosphere shifted when the doors opened.

The guards immediately announced their arrival.

"The Crown Prince, His Highness Ronin McCann, and Lady Furen Boswe." The nobles turned their attention toward the two. There had been nasty rumors flowing around, courtesy of His Majesty, that spoke of Ronin possibly having multiple affairs with the women of the Hero's Party. But the nobles intuitively knew that it was highly unlikely for their Crown Prince to do such a thing. Still, understanding that the source of the rumors was His Majesty, the Emperor, they knew it was nothing but an imperial maneuver.

And since three out of the four women were already spoken for, while Ronin had not appeared to show any interest in them, the rumors seemed entirely fabricated. Though it still made other noble families hesitate to place their daughters with the Crown Prince, as it posed the risk of them being regarded as enemies of the Crown. Yet as they looked at the two who had entered, it seemed that they were in no need to worry about the potential threat. It seemed that the choice was not theirs to make.

The Crown Prince had come down with a young lady. The nobles began murmuring among themselves, wondering who the young lady could possibly be. It wasn't until the guards announced her name that they were all left in shock.

"Lady Furen Boswe." The nobles exchanged bewildered looks.

"How could it be?"

"Lady Furen Boswe?"

"How could a woman with such a fiery temper be someone His Highness would appreciate?" Duke Valquest, the father of Seraphina Aurelia Valquest, was one of the few people who had been present in the audience hall when His Majesty bestowed the rewards upon the Hero's Party. He had also remained behind to overhear the conversation between the Emperor and the Crown Prince. He immediately understood. When the Emperor had been speaking to the Crown Prince, his words had also been a warning to his vassals.

He was telling them not to dare lend a helping hand to the Crown Prince. Interesting. Duke Valquest watched the two carefully. I wonder how this play is going to unfold.