I decided to meet Rowan the following morning. Thankfully, I had already sent word to him the previous night that I had returned safely. Otherwise, I wasn't entirely sure whether I would be walking into his office or straight to the execution grounds.
The moment I entered his office, Rowan looked up from the documents on his desk. Judging by the expression on his face, my disappearance had not been received particularly well.
For the next several minutes, I was subjected to a lecture that showed no signs of stopping. According to Rowan, a king wandering around the capital without informing anyone was reckless, irresponsible, and an excellent way to shorten one's lifespan. He listed enough possible disasters to convince me that I had apparently survived a miracle.
In my defense, I tried pointing out that Princess Elisa had already scolded me the previous evening.
Unfortunately, Rowan informed me that this changed absolutely nothing.
By the time he finally stopped, I felt less like a king and more like a student being reprimanded by a strict teacher.
What happened next, however, caught me completely off guard.
The frustration gradually disappeared from Rowan's face, replaced by something I rarely saw from him. Before I could say anything, he stepped forward and pulled me into an embrace.
For a moment, my brain simply stopped working.
"Please don't do something like that again," he said quietly.
There was no anger left in his voice anymore.
Only relief.
When I looked at him properly, I noticed the moisture in his eyes. That realization struck harder than the lecture itself. Until now, I had always seen Rowan as the capable Prime Minister who handled countless problems every day without complaint. Seeing him like this reminded me that behind all that responsibility was still a person who genuinely cared.
A strange warmth settled in my chest.
Ever since arriving in Terra Chronica, I had slowly begun building connections with the people around me. Somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, they had started becoming something closer to family.
"I won't disappear without telling you again," I said.
At least that was what I intended to do.
Rowan eventually regained his composure and returned to his desk as though the emotional moment had never happened. It was honestly impressive how quickly he transformed back into Valenford's Prime Minister.
After clearing his throat, he began updating me on recent developments. The most important news was something I had already heard from Elisa the previous evening.
The armistice had officially been signed.
According to the agreement, Velkyria would cease its attacks on Valenford's merchant vessels. It was a development that could potentially change the kingdom's future. For months, trade had been strangled by the ongoing conflict. Now, for the first time, there was an opportunity to reopen those routes and slowly restore commercial activity.
I immediately instructed Rowan to inform the Trade Minister to begin preparations. Even if trade would take time to recover, there was no reason to sit idle and wait. Merchant ships would need repairs, ports would need preparation, and trading partners would need reassurance.
Only after discussing the armistice did my thoughts drift back toward the events of yesterday.
Toward Malta.
Toward Aanu.
And most importantly, toward Fiona.
One healer had managed to save a life that might otherwise have been lost. If there were others like her, then perhaps the situation in Valenford wasn't as hopeless as it seemed.
That thought lingered in my mind until I finally asked Rowan what he knew about the Ibrius Tribe.
To my surprise, he knew quite a bit.
According to Rowan, the Ibrius lived within the forests near Valenford's northeastern border and rarely interacted with outsiders. Despite their isolation, relations between the tribe and Valenford had remained friendly for years. Agreements existed between them, and during times of conflict near the border, the tribe had occasionally supported Valenford while the kingdom provided protection in return.
Unfortunately, those arrangements had been disrupted a month ago when Dravenmark attacked their territory.
The survivors had scattered.
Some disappeared deeper into the forests.
Others fled toward settlements throughout the kingdom.
And now, nobody truly knew where they were.
As Rowan explained the situation, Fiona's story began fitting together piece by piece.
The problem was that I couldn't simply order a search.
If the survivors were hiding, they were probably doing so for a reason.
Still, one thought continued to bother me.
If even a single Ibrius healer could save Malta, then there were undoubtedly others capable of helping people across Valenford.
The challenge was finding them.
And at the moment, I only had one lead.
Fiona.
****
As the discussion about the Ibrius Tribe continued, another question came to mind.
If Dravenmark had attacked them, then what exactly had Valenford done in response?
Curious, I asked Rowan about it.
Rowan explained that Valenford had never maintained permanent military positions near the tribe's settlements. The Ibrius valued their independence and preferred living separately from the rest of the kingdom, so forcing a military presence upon them would have only damaged relations.
"However, the moment reports reached our border outposts, a detachment was dispatched immediately," Rowan said.
Unfortunately, judging by his expression, I already knew this story wasn't going to have a happy ending.
"When our soldiers arrived, it was too late."
The answer came exactly as I expected.
According to Rowan, the settlement had already been abandoned by the time Valenford's forces arrived. A few bodies belonging to tribe members were discovered, but there was no sign of the survivors. Dravenmark's forces had completed their raid and withdrawn long before any help could arrive.
Valenford had demanded an explanation afterward, but that effort had achieved nothing.
"We sent official messages to Dravenmark requesting answers," Rowan explained. "They never responded."
Not surprising.
A kingdom willing to raid civilians probably wasn't concerned about diplomatic courtesy.
Since then, patrols along the border had been increased, and efforts to locate surviving tribe members had continued. Yet despite an entire month passing, nobody had been found.
That was the part that bothered me.
A lot.
I had met Fiona yesterday.
Not in some hidden forest.
Not in a cave.
The capital.
She was living in the capital itself.
The more I thought about it, the stranger the situation became. Either the search efforts were ineffective, or the survivors were intentionally avoiding discovery.
Honestly, the second possibility sounded far more likely.
Perhaps my thoughts had become visible on my face because Rowan suddenly looked at me and asked, "Sire, if I may ask... why are you so interested in the Ibrius Tribe?"
There it was.
The question I had been hoping to avoid.
Obviously, I couldn't tell him that I had already met one of the survivors. At least not yet.
So I did what any responsible king would do.
I lied.
"It's nothing important," I said casually. "I came across a few references while reading and got curious."
To my relief, Rowan accepted the answer without further questions.
"That makes sense."
Good.
Let's pretend that explanation wasn't suspicious at all.
Fortunately, the conversation soon shifted toward another topic.
The Second Council.
The armistice had finally been signed, which meant it was time to focus on Valenford's internal problems once again.
Before Rowan could continue, I brought up something that had been on my mind for a while.
"When the next council is held, I want every noble present."
That earned a reaction.
Rowan raised an eyebrow before setting down the document he had been reading.
"Every noble?"
"All of them," I replied. "High-ranking, low-ranking, doesn't matter."
Until now, most of my understanding of Valenford had come through reports and second-hand information. Useful as those reports were, they could only tell me so much. If I intended to rule this kingdom properly, then sooner or later I needed to meet the people governing it.
Naturally, Rowan wanted to know why.
I explained that I wanted to hear directly from the nobles themselves. How were they managing their domains? What problems were they facing? What kind of people were they?
More importantly, I had inherited a kingdom.
It seemed reasonable to actually know the people helping run it.
After listening to my explanation, Rowan nodded.
"That can be arranged."
Then I remembered something else.
"What about the survey teams? Have any of them reported back yet?"
Unfortunately, the answer was disappointing.
"No reports yet," Rowan said. "However, they should begin returning soon. The moment we receive anything, I'll inform you."
Fair enough.
Surveying an entire kingdom wasn't exactly a quick task.
After a few moments of thought, Rowan finally suggested a date.
"If you truly wish to gather every noble, then six days from now would be ideal."
That immediately caught my attention.
"Six days?"
Rowan nodded.
"The day after your event, to be precise."
My event?
I frowned.
"What event?"
For the first time since entering the room, Rowan looked genuinely surprised.
"Princess Elisa didn't tell you?"
"No."
"Then I suppose I'll have to explain."
Something about the way he said that made me nervous.
"The Royal Accord Ceremony will be held six days from now."
The Royal Accord Ceremony.
The name meant absolutely nothing to me.
Seeing my confusion, Rowan leaned back in his chair before beginning his explanation.
"The Royal Accord Ceremony is one of Valenford's oldest traditions. Before a royal marriage can officially take place, the future bride and groom must be formally presented before the realm."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Nobles from every corner of the kingdom travel to the capital. They witness the union, offer their blessings, and formally acknowledge the future royal couple."
As Rowan continued explaining, the scale of the event slowly began sinking in.
This wasn't some private family gathering.
This was politics.
A declaration to the entire kingdom.
A statement that the kingdom formally recognized the future king and queen.
By the time Rowan finished, I could already feel a headache forming.
"Wait," I interrupted. "When exactly was this decided?"
"Queen Mother Charol approved the arrangements."
Of course she did.
Why was I not surprised?
Rowan, meanwhile, looked completely unbothered.
"You should begin preparing yourself, Sire. Nearly every noble family in Valenford will attend."
That statement immediately changed my perspective.
Every noble?
Well...
That was convenient.
I had just asked Rowan to gather them all.
It seemed fate had decided to save everyone some effort.
Unfortunately, Rowan wasn't finished.
His expression became noticeably more serious as he offered one final warning.
"When the nobles arrive, do not appear weak."
The casual atmosphere in the room disappeared instantly.
"Nobles pay attention to these things," he continued. "If they believe they can influence or control you, many of them will try."
I remained silent for a moment.
Then slowly nodded.
"I understand."
And I did.
This wasn't simply a ceremony.
It was my first real opportunity to observe Valenford's nobility and for them to observe me in return.
In a strange way, it solved several problems at once.
I would finally meet the nobles.
Judge them for myself.
And the day after the ceremony, we could begin the Second Council.
"Alright," I said. "Schedule the council for the following day."
Rowan nodded.
"I'll make the necessary arrangements."
Just like that, the direction of the coming week had been decided.
And somehow, I had a feeling the Royal Accord Ceremony was going to be far more troublesome than it sounded.
***
While I was busy dealing with Rowan and future council meetings, a completely different battle was taking place elsewhere in the castle.
Princess Elisa sat near the window of her room, absentmindedly staring outside. The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, yet her attention seemed to be focused somewhere far beyond the palace grounds.
Or perhaps...
Someone.
"Princess?"
Her personal maid, Syyra, called out softly.
No response came.
The maid tried again.
"Princess."
"Huh?"
Only then did Elisa finally react and turn toward her.
Syyra let out a small sigh of relief.
"There you are."
"What do you mean?"
"Since yesterday evening, you've been completely distracted."
Elisa immediately looked away.
"I'm not distracted."
"Of course."
Syyra's expression made it painfully obvious that she didn't believe a single word of that.
The truth was that Elisa's thoughts kept drifting back to the previous evening.
To Arin.
To the conversation they had shared.
And unfortunately...
To the moment he had suddenly lifted her off the ground after hearing about the armistice.
Every time she remembered it, she felt embarrassed all over again.
Seeing the faint redness creeping onto Elisa's cheeks, Syyra's smile widened slightly.
"Princess, are you sure nothing happened yesterday?"
"N-Nothing happened."
The answer came a little too quickly.
Syyra wisely decided not to press further.
Instead, she shifted the conversation toward a safer topic.
"Well, whatever is bothering you, you shouldn't stay lost in thought like this. The Royal Accord Ceremony is only a few days away."
That immediately brought Elisa back to reality.
Right.
The ceremony.
Soon, nobles from across Valenford would gather in the capital.
Soon, she would stand before the realm alongside Arin.
And soon...
Their engagement would become official in the eyes of the kingdom.
A small smile slowly appeared on Elisa's face.
"You're right."
Syyra smiled as well.
"It's a happy occasion, Princess."
"...Yes."
This time, Elisa's smile felt more genuine.
"It really is."