The Queen and the Lion - Chapter 71

Lysian, who had been anxiously worrying about living her life unmarried, was greatly relieved when she married, and all the citizens of Florea were equally at ease, having crossed a major hurdle.

The nobles, too, felt the same way.

Though at one point they all voiced strong opposition to Aslan, the fact that Lysian had found a man she liked was a joyful thing. Since the relationship between the king Aslan and Lysian was good, they were certain that an heir would soon be born. They were already eagerly anticipating the future queen’s arrival.

It was admirable how much effort Aslan, a Heiban, had put into learning the customs of Florea to the point where he could almost blend in as one of them. Once he had mastered the etiquette, his exceptional strategic mind and war instincts, which had been hidden until now, became apparent.

Some of Florea’s generals, who had secretly been interested in Aslan, subtly approached him and asked to engage in conversation. Aslan readily agreed. His unaffected demeanor earned him praise for his boldness, seen as a trait of a man.

Thus, most of the ministers of Florea acknowledged and welcomed Aslan. However, there were still many nobles who were displeased with him being a Heiban.

But, now that the wedding had been completed and publicly announced, there was nothing more they could do. They subtly disregarded Aslan in high society and gossiped about him.

Nobles who were favorable toward Aslan tried to counsel them, but once the malice had set in, it was unlikely that they would quickly change their minds.

It was only natural that such chatter reached Lysian’s ears. After a meeting, Lysian casually asked Dandelion, without lifting her gaze from the papers.

“It was noisy again today, wasn’t it?”

Though the subject and object were absent, it was clear what Lysian was referring to. Dandelion, who had been pouring tea into a cup, briefly paused. It was a fleeting moment, and his demeanor remained calm, though the tea that spilled over from the cup seemed to symbolize his complicated feelings as it wobbled. Dandelion answered with a distant expression.

“I still wonder if there’s something wrong with the king, since there’s no news of an heir…”

“It’s barely been a year since the wedding, why would there be an heir?”

“Well, well… You two had already fallen in love before that, didn’t you?”

“Fallen in love? Cleverly phrasing it as if it were a matter of the heart, but it’s actually a matter of the belly, Dandelion.”

“Ahem, well…”

Dandelion cleared his throat.

It wasn’t easy for Dandelion, with his long experience as the head of the attendants, to withstand such an unabashed exchange of words with Lysian, whose noble appearance and imposing demeanor were coupled with blunt speech. So, it was understandable that the chancellors were easily manipulated by her.

Lysian threw the papers onto the desk and leaned back in her chair. Her voice was indifferent.

“The royal family doesn’t concern itself with such petty matters. It’s all just noise.”

“Though the royal heir is hardly a trivial matter, it’s true that the quieter the country, the more likely the trivial things are to rise to the top in high society’s gossip, isn’t it?”

Indeed.

The war with the Heibans had ended in victory, the problem of the queen’s marriage, which had been a national concern, had been resolved, and though Aslan, the king, was mentioned daily in the social gossip, Florea was remarkably peaceful.

However, peace is often calm before the storm. While Florea basked in peace, a red alert began to sound from beyond the Heiban borders.

Heiban had invaded Florea multiple times, but Florea had not actively waged war against Heiban, not only because Heiban was an inherently warlike nation, but also because beyond Heiban lay the Bullet Kingdom.

Heiban was located between the Bullet Kingdom and the Kingdom of Florea, and it was a troublemaker to both countries, constantly invading both. However, Heiban had especially frequently invaded Florea. This was because Florea had a richer, more fertile land with more abundant food than Bullet.

Since Florea was a land of abundance, Bullet also watched for an opportunity to strike Florea, eyeing it for a chance to invade. The fact that Florea had many beautiful women also fueled Bullet Kingdom’s greed.

If Florea had raised an army to actively subjugate Heiban, Bullet would not have remained passive. If they made a mistake, it could escalate into a major war across the continent.

The reason Bullet had not invaded Florea up until now was because of Heiban. Heiban was a small country, but it was a warlike, strong nation, often referred to as a nation of battle. And then there was Aslan, known as the Black Lion.

Aslan was not only strong himself, but he was also skilled at reading the flow of war, the atmosphere, and timing—everything. Though he had never formally learned tactics, he instinctively understood them, and his experiences from childhood wars had honed his senses. The Heiban army under Aslan’s command was a formidable force.