CHAPTER 37: CH:37 NO THRONE TO RETURN TO

Morning sunlight poured gently through the open window of the royal chamber, glinting off the golden crest above the door. Yet inside, the mood was anything but calm.

King Harvey sat stiffly on a velvet-cushioned seat beside the tall window, one hand resting under his chin, the other holding a lukewarm teacup he hadn’t touched for an hour.

He hadn’t slept.

Not even a wink.

His mind was too noisy... looping with one name over and over again.

Dila.

The Princess of Eldor. The girl who now sat quietly—unknowingly—at the center of a political storm waiting to erupt.

Harvey sighed heavily, leaning forward. "This isn’t good..." he muttered to himself, staring at the sun climbing above the horizon. His reflection stared back at him faintly in the glass—a worn man with more burdens than he’d ever asked for.

"If she doesn’t return soon... Albedo will realize I’ve been keeping her here all this time."

He shook his head, almost in disbelief.

"No official departure... no declaration... no seal from Eldor... I brought her here under the guise of healing... but that old elf won’t listen to reason that easily."

Harvey clenched the handle of his cup until it cracked slightly.

"That stubborn fool will think I’ve taken his daughter. A declaration of war might follow... and at my age, I have no energy to duel another king over a misunderstanding."

He chuckled bitterly.

But it wasn’t just about diplomacy.

It was about her.

Dila had never once asked to return home. She didn’t even act like a Princess... always distant, always quiet. As if the weight of two worlds wasn’t pressing down on her shoulders.

Harvey looked out again, the golden rays catching the edge of a passing bird.

"Maybe... this time, I need to do things properly."

He stood up slowly, his robe falling into place behind him with the dignity of royalty. He stared at the courtyard in the distance where Dila had once walked with Sarios.

"A formal departure. A real one."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Before my old friend Albedo burns my kingdom down out of fatherly paranoia."

A long pause.

Then a soft scoff escaped his lips, followed by a crooked grin.

"...Or maybe he just misses her too much."

Meanwhile, at the knight’s training grounds, the rhythmic clash of steel echoed through the air—clang, clang!—as swords met with sparks, grunts, and dusty boots scuffling the earth.

Several knights were mid-practice, their muscles tense, sweat flying with each swing. The scene was intense.

But sitting peacefully on a long wooden bench just outside the training ring was Dila.

She wore her elegant Princess-like gown—flowy and pristine white—but with an unusual addition on top of her head: a wide straw hat that looked like it was stolen straight from a sleepy farmer’s afternoon nap.

She leaned back slightly, crossing her legs like royalty on vacation, and took a sip from a chilled glass of apple juice.

"Ahh..." she sighed.

Then her eyes narrowed a little, watching a knight fumble his footing during a left swing.

"That’s the life —no problem." She said under her breath, munching on peanuts from a porcelain plate held dutifully by a maid standing beside her.

Two stoic guards flanked her from behind, trying hard not to look too stiff under the blazing sun.

The knight who slipped looked in her direction, confused. Dila didn’t look back. She just chewed slowly, flicking a peanut shell away with quiet precision.

Another knight swung his blade too wide and fell into a barrel. Dila sipped her juice again.

"Tsk. No core stability," she murmured.

The maid blinked. "Excuse me, my lady?"

"Nothing," Dila replied, waving it off. "Just... observing."

She reached for another peanut and muttered again, "...This is rest. Right?" as if trying to convince herself.

Her hat dipped slightly over her eyes, giving her a mysterious vacation-queen look.

Suddenly—from a distance—a bouncing figure could be seen running across the training field, wobbling left and right while carrying a giant straw wooden umbrella that was clearly too big for her size.

"Dila~~!" Stella called out, beaming with a smile that could melt stone.

Dila, still seated under the blazing sun with her straw hat slightly tilted, squinted.

Her face dropped.

Her eye twitched.

Because her mind—unwillingly—flashed back to last night in the bath.

That bath.

Stella’s mischievous grin...

That "Avatar skin" nonsense...

The snuggles. The awkward soap beard. The shame.

Dila stared ahead blankly, eyebrows twitching like they were being operated by tiny gremlins.

"S-Sis Stella," Dila muttered stiffly. "I thought you were on duty today...? Shouldn’t the great priestess be... praying? Or doing... holy things?"

Stella finally reached her, huffing with dramatic flair as she planted the oversized umbrella right next to Dila like she was claiming the territory and open it dramatically.

With a grin, she dropped into a squat beside Dila.

"Nope! I’m on break today!"

Dila narrowed her eyes. Break? Priestess? Holy break??

"I didn’t know priestesses actually get breaks..." she mumbled dryly.

Stella gasped dramatically and puffed her cheeks.

"Are you saying we’re not allowed to rest!? Are you trying to ruin the priestess union!?"

"No, no—!" Dila waved her hands frantically, her straw hat wobbling.

"I just meant... I thought you didn’t..." she trailed off, forcing a nervous, lopsided smile.

Right then, the maid beside them politely offered another stool, gently placing a cushion on top with a respectful bow toward Stella.

Stella plopped onto it with exaggerated relief and spread her arms out under the new shade like she was sunbathing in luxury.

"Ahhh~ perfect. A perfect day to annoy my sweet Dila."

Dila sipped and choked a bit in her juice.

Coughing.

"Let’s not call it that. Let’s call it... character development."

Stella leaned back in her seat, swinging her legs lazily under the umbrella’s shade.

"Alrriiiighty~" she chirped, then turned her head to Dila.

"Saaay... don’t you miss your kingdom? Your father? Your mother back there?"

Dila didn’t respond right away. She kept sipping her apple juice.

Then casually, she said,

"I have no kingdom to miss to begin with."

Stella blinked.

Then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Pfft—hahaha! You’re just being Dilusional, Dila~!"

Dila twitched.

Her eye narrowed.

She glanced sideways with a dry smile.

"Wow. That was so original. Hahaha. Hilarious."

But she laughed anyway, lightly, masking the sting.

Then Stella’s laughter slowly faded as her face turned more serious, her smile twisting with a hint of concern.

"Still... this kind of thing could trigger a war of nations, you know?" she muttered.

"Even if it’s unintentional."

Dila shrugged, voice casual.

"War or not... if it happens, I’ll just leave. That’s all."

Stella frowned.

She lowered her gaze, her voice soft.

"Why would you say that so easily...? People here could die. Innocents. People who care about you, too."

Dila’s hand froze mid-sip.

She didn’t move for a moment.

Then, she slowly lowered her cup.

Her face had darkened—not with anger, but with a deep, heavy shadow of thought.

She looked at Stella, quiet for a breath, and said:

"If it comes to that... I’ll fight. Alongside everyone here. I’m not running."

Stella’s eyes widened.

"What?! That’s nuts! You mean you’d resist? But... wouldn’t it be better to just go home? Return to Eldor and explain things to your people? Maybe it’ll end before it starts."

But Dila stood up. Her hat shifted as she looked toward the training ground, the clang of swords ringing in the distance.

"No. I’m free. I came to this world with nothing. I owe no one anything."

Stella stood too, troubled, her eyebrows knit.

"What are you even talking about, Dila...?"

Dila didn’t look back.

Her voice was quiet, but steady.

"You’d never understand what I’ve been through."

And that silence—just for a second—sat between them like a weight.

Even the maid and the guards didn’t move.

Stella’s smile faltered, her lips pressed tight as her heart sunk a little.

She had so many things she wanted to say...

But maybe this wasn’t the time or not doable.