Road to the Crown 169 Unexpected change

"What's wrong, dear?"

Standing at the rear end of the open, upper deck, I was leaning over the railway and gazing at the barely distinguishable trails left by the two paddlers on the sides of the ship, attempting to track them into the deep darkness of the pre-industrial type of night.

"Nothing much, I just can't help but wish we would just have more time…"

With the silence of the night broken only by the silent yet periodical splashes of the water as the wooden paddles emerged from below the surface of the river and sprinkled everything with this cold liquid only to move to the top of the rotating circle and submerge themselves again a moment later in order to push against the river and bring us closer to our destination, I let my tongue act freely.

"More time? Are we in a hurry?"

Only when Elia spelt out to me what I just said, did I realise what kind of mistake I made. Startled by the sudden worry, I forced my mind to come up with the closest excuse I could make without sounding stupid.

"Did you hear that the King of France is slowly dying?"

If I were to attempt to come up with some kind of bullshit, Elia would be sure to realise that I was trying to hide something from her. While it was obvious that I couldn't tell her the entire truth… or at least, not yet, if I could make her think that I was keen enough to foresee Henry's escape, then I could make her understand why I was in such a hurry!

"Well, everyone knows that. But as for when he will go back to the Lord, that entirely in God's hands."

Any given person from the modern times could interpret those words of Elia as yet another show of her religiousness, yet after all the time I spent in this world I understood that this was nothing but a figure of speech. And just like she said, no one knew when the current king of France, Henry's older brother would die. 

Heck, even I only knew that it would happen somewhere around the end of the month, but for a specific date? If I knew the history to such details, then I wouldn't call him a king, but just used his damned name which I had no idea what it was!

"While I have no other choice but to agree with you on that, I'm just worried about what will happen when his soul will leave this world. Or rather, how would Henry react…"

Considering how only the members of the royal lines from the other countries could take part in the elections of the Commonwealth, this kind of trouble would appear over and over again. There would be even a time where a King of Saxony, country way closer to Commonwealth, simply used it as a place to exploit for the profit of his own kingdom that he had absolute control at. If my memories were right, he even plotted to dismantle the country in order to carve a part of it for his own, heritable rule!

"Just tell me what's going on through your head…"

After getting closer, Elia snuggled between me and the railing, leading my arms around her waist. Just by standing with her like that, I could feel my emotions settling down, and my thoughts turning clearer.

"With all honesty, if he will have the choice of ruling either Commonwealth or France, I'm not so sure if he will decide to stay… Heck, I'm not even sure if I want him to stay!"

Only because we were alone I allowed myself to say those words. If this pesky magistrate were to hear me, then unless I could bribe him to shut the heck up, then I would be done for!

"Welp, I can't lie. I kinda share your sentiments."

As if this was some kind of slapstick comedy, as soon as I thought about this annoying official, his voice sounded from behind my back.

With Elia still in my arms, I couldn't move rapidly, yet I still had to do it. 

Pulling my hands from her waist, I turned in place while placing my fingers on top of the handle of my sabre. In the instant I saw the man in front of me, I realised that something was wrong.

He didn��t look like someone who just drank as much as I saw him drinking!

"No need to be on the edge. And sorry for tricking you a bit, but for some reason, alcohol doesn't seem to work on me at all."

Spreading his arms and tilting his head with a smug look on his face, this man became the embodiment of the shrug emote that I was so fond of back in the days where I was nothing but a simple cog in a corporate machine. 

"What do you want?"

Considering how he interrupted my talk with Elia right after I confessed my sentiments, even if only in order to prepare her for what was coming, it was fairly obvious that his timing had something to do with the content that I said. But rather than taking his words for a good sign that would indicate the lack of problem, I still held my hand on my sabre's handle.

After all, what if he said that only to make me think he meant it in order to manipulate me into betraying some more secrets that he could use to confine and accuse me later on?

"Want? I just want this country to have a proper king rather than a damned rake that we have right now!"

Only now did I allowed myself to calm down a bit. By insulting Henry like that, in the presence of two nobles at that, he basically put his head on the gallow if I were to spread this information!

"Do you have enough reasons to trust me so that we could have a normal talk?"

Chapter end