It’s okay. Take a deep breath. You’ll calm down a bit.

We were standing behind the velvet curtain inside the hall where the coronation was taking place.

Sikar, who had told me not to be nervous, was instead looking at me with an even more tense expression.

Sikar was terribly worried I might faint from shock.

“Your son is a king, and your husband is Duke of the Blake family, the noblest house in Lecador. So there’s absolutely nothing for you to be nervous about. If anyone should be nervous, it’s them. Right?”

“I’m still okay.”

“Then why are you trembling so much?”

“I’m trembling because this is truly the moment Kian becomes king, but not to the point where my heart is pounding or I’m getting dizzy.”

Sikar stroked my hair and smiled brightly.

“Remarkable.”

“My hair’s all messy.”

“Ah. I see.”

Sikar called Mei Li to fix my hair, and Mei Li quickly smoothed it out for me.

We stood stiffly, waiting for Reidox to call our names.

Ah, correction: it was Mei Li and I who were standing stiffly.

Sikar seemed entirely focused on whether I might faint from surprise.

Then why on earth had he told me not to take medicine?

Soon, Reidox peeked his face behind the curtain and smiled.

“Please come out now.”

“What should we do? He’s calling us.”

The moment Reidox called my name, my heart began pounding.

“You said you were fine, but clearly you weren’t. Here, I’ll give you some medicine.”

Sikar instructed Mei Li to bring me water and medicine, and I quickly swallowed the pill.

“Feeling a bit better?”

As I took slow, deep breaths and nodded, Sikar gave me a gentle smile.

“You’ll forget all your nervousness once you see how mature Kian has become. Shall we go in now?”

I suppressed my racing heart and tightly gripped Sikar’s arm. Sikar looked at me and reassured me once more.

“I’m right beside you, so don’t worry too much. Roen is here too—if you feel like you’re about to faint, just say so. I’ll have Roen snap you right back to your senses.”

Before I could even ponder whether waking someone who wants to faint is truly a good idea, I hooked my arm around Sikar’s and stepped out beyond the curtain.

Though I stepped out fearing the crowd of people, no one was actually staring at us.

In the hall where the coronation was held, all the nobles of Lecador stood in two rows, heads bowed, so not a single person made eye contact with me.

No one was looking at me at all—making my earlier anxiety behind the curtain seem utterly pointless.

At that moment, my fear faded, and I let out an awkward laugh.

“No one’s even looking at us?”

“Of course not. Kian hasn’t entered yet.”

While I stood bewildered, Reidox guided us to our seats.

We walked to the chairs prepared beside the throne and sat side by side. Though humble compared to the throne, they were splendidly adorned with royal emblems.

The moment we sat down, Reidox raised his hand, and Jeremi, standing far away, nodded.

Then, the heavy doors at the end of the banquet hall opened, and the royal guards entered, lining up on both sides.

Kian walked confidently between them. His bold, dignified presence moved me so deeply my heart raced.

The thought that little Kian, once a fragile, motherless chick, had already grown into such a dignified and handsome figure overwhelmed me with emotion.

True to Sikar’s words, I didn’t suffer from agoraphobia at all—I was so moved I shed tears.

“If you cry like that, your makeup will smudge and your face will look strange. If you show such an ugly face in front of all these people, you’ll never cure your agoraphobia.”

Sikar gestured and called Mei Li, who hurried over and quickly fixed my makeup.

The royal guards marched heavily behind Kian, but when Kian stopped before us, they all knelt simultaneously.

I followed Sikar, who took my hand and stood, stepping forward to stand before Kian.

Kian bowed his head slightly toward us, and we lifted the crown handed to us by Reidox, placing it upon Kian’s head.

The moment I placed the crown atop Kian’s head, my heart pounded so violently I felt I would never forget that instant.

Next, Reidox and Durion draped the mantle over Kian’s shoulders.

Kian, wearing the crown and mantle, looked every bit the solemn sovereign—no one could possibly dismiss him as too young.

Though Durion was merely a knight of House Blake, he and the others were instrumental in placing Kian on the throne, so no one dared object.

Kian, receiving the proclamation from Reidox, read it aloud without a trace of nervousness.

“Though I am young to sit upon the throne, I solemnly vow to always uphold the duties befitting a monarch, governing the realm to further prosper and develop Lecador, the land of spirits, into a nation of love and peace.”

I suspected Reidox must have written that for him. After Kian finished his brief but powerful declaration, Reidox immediately collected the nobles’ oaths of loyalty.

The oaths of loyalty, meant to strengthen royal authority while also nominally protecting the nobles, were not a bad choice for them.

With powerful houses like Blake and Reidox supporting the royal family, they dared not challenge royal authority—safe loyalty was far preferable.

Having received the nobles’ oaths, Kian looked around at them and spoke.

“The position of prime minister is vacant—I am considering appointing Duke Reidox Yukandar. What are your thoughts?”

This was clearly not Kian’s own idea. Given Reidox’s personality, he wouldn’t suggest putting himself in that position, so it wasn’t his idea either.

I glanced subtly at Sikar as if to ask, ‘This was your idea, wasn’t it?’

Sikar smiled faintly at me, as if to say, ‘Of course it was.’

If he asked the nobles for their opinion, they couldn’t refuse—and since none of them objected, this wouldn’t be seen as Kian’s unilateral decision, so no one could later complain.

If anyone did complain, he could simply say, ‘Didn’t you all agree?’

Sikar had also granted rewards to those who surrendered after Gillian’s defeat, eliminating future trouble.

What a frightening man.

Lately, just because Sikar’s been treating me a bit kindly, I’d forgotten he’s a meticulously calculating villain.

Anyway, thanks to that meticulous man, the coronation proceeded flawlessly without any losses, and Reidox’s appointment ceremony was held immediately afterward.

And I thought I’d gotten through it fine in front of all those people because I took the medicine, even if late.

At least, I thought so—until Sikar told me the truth.

“By the way.”

“Hmm?”

“The medicine I gave you earlier wasn’t a sedative.”

“Then what was it?”

Sikar winked at me and smiled.

“Something like a tonic. You did very well. Remarkable.”

“So you gave me fake medicine? What if I’d fainted at that crucial moment?”

“I was counting on the placebo effect. Seems it worked quite well.”

Sikar smiled at me as if proud of his success, but I felt dizzy.

Is this really the time to smile? Is it?

After the coronation, sitting with Sikar in the reception room, many thoughts came to mind.

I truly felt Kian had become king now, and more than anything, I wondered why I’d been so nervous around people all this time—when clearly no one was watching me closely.

As Sikar reassured me, as if reading my thoughts, Kian entered the reception room.

He’d removed the heavy crown and mantle.

“Mother, were you uncomfortable during the coronation ceremony?”

How thoughtful. Our Majesty, our lovely Majesty.

“Uncomfortable? Not at all. I was just so moved…”

Before I could finish, Sikar chuckled amusedly.

“Her Ladyship cried, so we had to redo her makeup.”

Instantly concerned for me, Kian’s eyes widened.

“Mother… why did you cry…?”

I hadn’t intended it, but seeing Kian, even seated on the throne, loving me so deeply made my heart swell with emotion.

I was also curious whether he’d properly bid farewell to Veronia.

“Did you say goodbye properly to Her Highness?”

“Ah… with Her Highness… I think I made her uncomfortable. I felt awkward too…”

“I told you before—Her Highness never abandoned you.”

“But she’s very different from the mother I imagined. Mother… even though you didn’t give birth to me, you always slept beside me until I turned ten. But Her Highness…”

Kian stopped speaking and smiled.

I already knew the rest of that story from Seo Yeon—Veronia had never even hugged Kian once.

Outwardly, Kian smiled as if it were regrettable, but inwardly, he must have felt quite hurt. Sikar, listening quietly beside us, seemed to understand Veronia’s behavior.

“That was unavoidable. Her Highness was raised in the palace, taught only the laws of kingship. The way she shows love for her child is either to completely hide away from the world or to safely place her child on the throne to preserve their life.”

Thinking about it, Sikar was right. The palace was where fierce succession wars were fought over the throne.

Especially after the deposed king, she either hid as if she didn’t exist—or if that failed, her only goal would be to make her child king. That was the only way to guarantee safety.

“Your Grace is correct. The way Her Highness loves her child was to place Your Majesty on the throne.”

Kian looked at me with slight surprise, then nodded slowly as if he understood.

“Now that Mother has explained it, I understand Her Highness.”

Sikar, listening beside us, raised one eyebrow slightly and glared at Kian with mild displeasure.

“Was my explanation so hard to understand?”

“Well… Mother’s words are just easier for me to understand than Father’s.”

When talking with Sikar, Kian seemed like a completely different person—almost as comfortable as if speaking with his own father.

I used to feel a bit resentful, but now I think I understand.

Since Kian had only lived with his father, he naturally felt as comfortable with Sikar as he would with his real father.

And because he’d never received a mother’s love, he was cautious around me.

Thinking that way, I felt even more grateful for Kian, who treated me so preciously.

We also talked about many other things. Kian especially hoped we would move into the palace quickly.

He also said that now the coronation was over, Gillian, along with Dienne and Lape, would soon be executed.

They were originally people who would have died in battle, so it felt a bit bitter realizing they’d be executed even sooner.

As our conversation was winding down, Jeremi and Roen entered the reception room where we were. They seemed ready to update us on Veronia’s condition, but then Jeremi abruptly held out his hand toward Sikar.

“Your Grace, see for yourself.”

“I’m too lazy—just explain it directly.”

He must have trusted Jeremi completely, since even viewing his memories seemed too bothersome.

Jeremi, sensing this, cheerfully explained that Veronia was doing well. What a relief.

When Jeremi finished speaking, Sikar nodded and smiled.

“I must go to the Snow Mountains tomorrow.”

But I couldn’t nod or smile.

‘Tomorrow? I haven’t even prepared to formally greet Veronia yet! I’ve never even met her!’