Chapter 23: The King

MC POV:

"Latifa-sama, we have arrived!" exclaimed the couch as the carriage stopped. Soon after, the carriage's door opened, and what greeted us was the sight of an expansive courtyard filled with flowers and some taller greenery, like decorative bushes, closer to the walls and a fountain in the center.

It was also full of maids, butlers, knights, and other servants.

"""Welcome back, Latifa-sama!!!""" they exclaimed in unison upon witnessing Latifa exit the carriage.

'This is just like when we arrived at the port... just different clothes...' I thought to myself, slightly tired of experiencing this again and again.

Fortunately, we didn't have to stay there for long.

After entering through the main gate consisting of two four-meter-tall wooden doors and passing a few hallways decorated with paintings depicting the history of Mapleland, its kings, and other art pieces, we arrived in front of another large pair of doors with gold ornaments and the kingdom's crest.

Seeing who it was, the guards at the entrance didn't dare to delay us for even a second longer and promptly opened the door revealing the throne room. It was a rectangular-shaped room with columns supporting the ceiling, around twenty meters above the ground, and galleries on each side of the room. Above them were stained-glass-filled windows filling the room with bright colors. On the wall opposite the entrance was a similar, albeit much bigger stained-glass-filled window under which stood the throne on an elevated section of the floor and steps in front.

On the throne sat a middle-aged man in a crown. He had slightly long blonde hair, just like Latifa, but his eyes were green instead. He exuded a dignified presence, and his beard and the occasional white strands of hair and wrinkles only seemed to add to it. He wore a blue robe and clothes with golden embroidery while a scepter rested in his right hand.

The guards led us halfway through the room when Latifa, seemingly unable to hold back any longer, darted towards the throne.

"Father!" she exclaimed with teary eyes and nearly jumped at her father, disregarding the proper etiquette.

"My child," Feran Fleuranza replied while catching Latifa in his arms.

They stayed like that for a moment, after which he released her and waited for us to get closer.

"I see you are well, Moffle," The king said, looking at the mascot standing next to me.

"I am, your Majesty," he replied. "I see that the same stands for your Majesty," he added, with nearly unnoticeable disappointment in his voice.

'Is this siscon still holding a grudge after so many years...?' I thought, amazed by Moffle's pettiness.

"And you must be Arthur," the king said after turning in my direction. "I can't express how much what you did means to me. Is there something you desire as a reward?" he asked after scrutinizing me.

"You are flattering me, your majesty," I replied and bowed slightly. "I just did as I pleased. There is no need for a reward," I added.

"It's good to be humble, but my pride as a king won't allow me to leave you without a reward. How about marrying my daughter?" Feran said and glanced at Latifa.

"F-father!?" exclaimed Latifa, her face red as a tomato.

"Mofu!?!" exclaimed Moffle, nearly spitting blood from the shock.

"I can tell she has feelings for you, so I am sure she will agree," he added, ignoring Latifa's and Moffle's reactions.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, I don't think it's a good idea," I responded with a strained smile.

"And why is that so?" he asked calmly.

"Your Majesty, I am still too young, and more importantly, there is already someone I promised to marry," I answered.

'It's not a lie. It's just that I don't plan to honor that promise since the girl in question will forget about it,' I thought.

"That's not a problem," the king said, unaffected. "We can wait with the marriage until you are older. As for the promise, you will be able to keep it. I have no son, so once you marry Latifa, you will be the future king of Mapleland. It's not unusual for a king to have more than one wife," he added.

'Why is he so persistent?! He offended a sorcerer capable of killing a dragon to save her from an arranged marriage! I thought she was his treasure!' I thought to myself.

Honestly, I am not against marrying Latifa. She is kind, supportive, empathetic, and utterly adorable. Marrying such a woman can be said to be a great fortune. Once she matures, she will become an astonishing beauty, making the offer even more tempting.

If she can accept sharing me with other women, I would be a fool not to marry her.

The fact she doesn't know I am a reincarnator makes me feel guilty, but it's not something I can influence. Unless I decide to live without getting into a relationship, I have to accept the mental age gap between me and other people my age. It's not like I would mind being with a woman older than me, even by hundreds of years, as long as she was my type. I shouldn't assume she will change her mind before even asking.

Then, there is only one more problem.

"Your Majesty," I started again. "The king has to sit on a throne and rule the country, whereas I want to travel to many places once I am older," I said. "Even if I marry Latifa, I can't be the king of Mapleland. Not to mention that my family and friends are on Earth," I added.

"Don't worry. You won't have to be the king unless I die or abdicate the throne. We, Maplelanders, have a lot longer lifespans than Earthlings. You will have enough time to travel around. As for your family, they can come here as well, and if they don't want to, you can always visit them from time to time," he said with a slight, triumphant smile.

I glanced toward Latifa once again. She turned her eyes away in embarrassment, and her face became even redder, but I could tell she wasn't against it. In contrast, she seemed happy at the prospect.

'If I refuse after all this, I will break her heart...' I thought.

"In that case, I can only accept," I said with an exasperated smile.

"Splendid!" the king exclaimed, visibly pleased. "You must be tired after the journey. The servants will lead you to your room. Rest well. Tonight, we will hold a banquet to celebrate my daughter's return and the engagement," he continued.

After that, a maid approached me, and we left the throne room.

***

Third-person POV:

"Do you have something to say?" asked Feran while looking back.

"Why?" asked Moffle coldly, his fists slightly clenched.

The two of them were alone in one of the rooms only known to the royal family.

"You have to be more precise," replied the king.

"Why were you so insistent on a marriage? You could have offered him gold, a title, or land. What are you scheming?" Moffle asked again.

"I only want what's best for my daughter and the country," Feran replied. "That boy removed the curse no one else could, and I couldn't see through him even with royal magic. If his children inherit that potential, combined with the royal magic, they will be able to lead Mapleland into an even brighter future," he explained. "Is that not enough of a reason?" the king asked.

At that, Moffle fell silent. He had no choice but to admit Arthur's talent. He used their usual bickering to test the boy's strength himself. Every time he used more force, Arthur would respond in kind. As a warrior, he instinctively knew the boy was holding back a lot.

It was also a lot better for his beloved niece to get married to someone she liked rather than get forced into a political marriage.

The Dark Wizard was powerful, but in contrast to some of the oldest noble families of Mapleland, he held little to no political power. When the king refused to keep his end of the bargain with the Dark Wizard, all the influential noble houses spread a rumor that the wizard had summoned the dragon in the first place. They wanted the future king to come from one of their families, not some fallen wizard house. Soon, the wizard turned from a hero into the devil himself in the eyes of the public, while the king was able to keep his popularity.

Now that the curse got lifted, they would soon start sending marriage proposals until one of them got chosen.

Suddenly Moffle realized something.

"The banquet tonight will be a mess..." he said.