I Became the First Prince

own Prince’s answer have been had she not interrupted the conversation?

Her heart brightened.
Even if Arwen tried no to be, she became constantly worried about the prince’s every move.
She now had a private interest in him, different from before.

It was all because of her father.
Arwen’s head had become cloudy when her father followed her out and spoke of strange things.
She had been very displeased that her relationship with the prince had become awkward because of her father’s remarks.

The actions he took by giving meaning to something that did not exist were terrible.
Arwen’s head was so cloudy that the Crown Prince had scolded her the next day, telling her to wake up.
Arwen then tried hard to order her mind and let go of such thoughts.
Still, the wasteful feelings couldn’t be shaken off, not until she had met Teuton’s knights and their swords.
Only then could she regain her composure.

It seemed to Arwen as if she had fallen into a dream for a while, so she devoted herself to training, wishing never again to lose control.
The king then summoned her.
He asked her to attend the banquet, not as a knight, but to represent the Kirgayen family.

‘If I have to fight against the enemy, I will fight.
Even if they are ten times more than me, a hundred times, I will not hesitate to draw my sword.
But if your Majesty wants something from me as a woman, I can’t dare follow such an order.
This is something his Highness the Crown Prince promised to me as well, so please consider that.’

Because it was an unacceptable order, Arwen strongly opposed it.

But the king did not give up and temped her with a cause she couldn’t deny.

‘Have you ever heard my son praise the blue sky? Have you ever seen him be spirited away by the bright starlight? Or, have you ever see him sink himself into the reflection of soft moonlight?’

‘All he knows is swords and war, your Majesty.’

‘That’s why I ask this.
If my son is also a person, then how can he live by only looking ahead?’

The king’s words were precisely in line with Arwen’s concerns.

‘The way of the world is that if something is taut, it breaks.
If something is hard, it breaks.
And that’s exactly what I see in my son.

‘I want the child to look a little wider.
My son needs to recover some sense of what life is.
So I hope that he will be able to live a little happier.’

After contemplating it, Arwen said she would go along with the king’s wishes.

Her decision was purely out of concern for the prince’s future; she repeated this countless times to herself.
And indeed, it was true.

She was worried about only one person, and all her thoughts returned to the ever-busy prince, who knew only of swords and wars, and whose only purpose in life was fierceness.
It’s what Arwen did for the future, so what did it matter if she wore a dress rather than rags?

Arwen made up her mind and headed to the banqueting hall.
Her loose hair and sky-blue dress were several times more awkward and uncomfortable than she had expected.
And while suffering through that discomfort, Arwen stood in front of the Crown Prince.
At that moment, she forgot about the suffocating makeup that covered her face, her cumbersome hair, the dress.
Arwen felt strange.

Suddenly, when the prince held her hand, her heart started to beat faster, then pound.

“Stretch your shoulders.
Aren’t you a proud champion?”

However, unlike Arwen, the Crown Prince was very peaceful.
His gaze was full of trust, a clear gaze that didn’t show any confusion.
Arwen was disappointed and relieved at the same time.
She was sad, and regret filled her again.

Conflicting emotions raged in her heart until only one remained: a sense of purpose.
Arwen’s mind, which had been cloudy, cleared only then.

“Your Highness is truly consistent.”

As he had promised from their first encounter, the Crown Prince still looked at Arwen with selfless eyes.

“That’s why I really like your Highness.”

Arwen was so glad that he was there.
Her mood suddenly improved; it was a sudden change of emotions that she couldn’t even understand.
She probably never would.

“Your Highness, I have a request.”

Arwen was feeling spontaneous.

“Would you like to dance with me?”

She requested something that she would never have asked for.

“I don’t know how to dance.” The prince frowned.

“I don’t know either.”

A questioning look arose on the prince’s face.

“But why-”

“I want to get rid of the delusions in my heart.”

The prince’s puzzlement grew deeper.

“Don’t you like the request?” Arwen returned to the matter at hand instead of answering the prince’s doubts.

“I don’t like it,” the prince replied with an embarrassed face.
Arwen gave a small smile, then she suddenly reached out and grabbed the prince’s hand.

“Uh? Uh…” As the prince made spluttering noises, Arwen led him to the center of the banqueting hall, almost dragging him there.
The musicians quickly started playing, and sweet music began flowing around them.
The man and woman exchanged glances, and Arwen felt embarrassed by this.

She decided it was a good time to exhale.
If there was a problem, it was the fact that neither of them knew how to dance.
If someone has to dance first, I’ll do it, Arwen promised herself.

‘Shh…’

At that time, a couple of men and women appeared in the middle of the banqueting hall as well.
Then they started dancing as if they looked forward to doing so.
They danced with languid motions, making it easy to follow.

Arwen looked at a pair of dancers, narrowed her eyes as she studied their movements, then opened her eyes wide.

Her gaze was nailed to the man’s hand, which embraced the woman’s waist.

“Aha.
You do that,” the prince suddenly said.

“Well, your Highness- Hold on-”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Crown Prince strode over and wrapped his hands around Arwen’s waist as if to hug her.
Their faces were so close that she could feel his breath.
It was all so different from what Arwen had thought – all she had wanted to do was shake off her delusions with the dance invitation!

She wondered if this was the only way to be rid of such deluded thoughts.
At least, if they didn’t grow greater, it would be a good thing.
And while Arwen was organizing her thoughts, her feet moved with a will of their own as they deftly followed the prince’s steps.

“Relieve your tension.
It’s easier than you think,” the Crown Prince told Arwen in a serious tone.
Arwen didn’t know what he was thinking inside.
She sighed and decided to relax her breathing and go along with things.
How could she have done this?

Arwen decided she would be faithful today.
It wouldn’t be too late for her once more to become Arwen Kirgayen, the knight, tomorrow.
Everything does not always go as intended in the world, however.

‘Dwak!’

The door of the banqueting hall shattered open with a sudden bang – and a bundle of something flew in from beyond the smashed door.

‘Kudangtang!’ The lump rolled over the floor several times.
“

Wagh!” Bernardo Eli jumped up and spat out blood.

“It’s bad!”

Before his urgent shouting was over- ‘Dang! Dang! Dang!’ there came the loud ringing of a bell.
Its tolls were short and urgent, and it was rung to announce an enemy invasion.