The Reason for Marriage

“I’m glad you’re taking over Kayden’s seat, because I could force you to sit in front of me.” He shrugged as he said it, as though the action would belie some sort of apathy he didn’t have.

Iveca lowered her head.

“It must be hard. Seeing your sister in custody like that…”

At least there was his sister in the palace, she thought. After her being detained for killing Prince William… Daniel had lost everyone he had been close to in the past 6 months. Older brother, younger brother, and close friends. He smiled softly, which surprised her.

“She’s the only one who knows that I wasn’t particularly greedy for this position. That I’m afraid of taking a step-by-step approach into an unknown quantity.”

Iveca lowered her eyes. After living alone for 18 years, she was living happily with good colleagues with a sense of belonging in an organization that she liked. It was heartbreaking to even imagine the loneliness of the King who was walking exactly the opposite path to herself.

“But it was difficult for Gordon to approve the transfer. A lot of loyalty was sacrificed for this throne.”

Iveca shook her head.

“I wasn’t part of this plan, but if I were in that position, I would not have hesitated at all.”

“What if you get injured? You might never be in the Bureau of Investigation again.”

“I’d risk my life for it.”

His eyes met hers. He was half-joking as he forced to bring her today, but the pride in her position was also unusual. He could not continue his words as the dagger that was flying rapidly from her left hand suddenly came to his mind. Iveca continued calmly.

“Just as royalty and nobles who tried to keep the bloodlines and legitimacy… The Bureau of Investigation guards the Amethan Kingdom. We just knew we needed the truth and acted accordingly. Per the code of the Bureau of Investigation, which refers to truth, justice and patriotism.”

“When you die, all these joys are going to be over. The Amethan Kingdom will not remember you. Because there are a countless number of affiliated organizations.”

“This is not something that the King is supposed to say. Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Did you forget the King’s command? Speak comfortably.”

“We believe in the royal family who will repay so much sacrifice and loyalty to their rule. This country is yours, and you should cherish it. I believe that the royal family will lead the way with ethical norms and justification before politics turns into an animal fight of nobles.”

She could not use the word “Your Majesty” and refined it to “You”, but Daniel did not take issue with it. However, he stared at her.

“It is certainly important to find justifications on behalf of the various interests of the nobles.”

She ruffled her long wavy hair back and looked into his blue eyes.

“Our employees are like saddles for horses. You can’t control where the horse is going. But if the King, who is the jockey, can drive the horse safely even a little more because of our presence, they satisfy us with that. In the proves, there may be interference from the nobles who tell you to go there and there, but the goal is not the same to lead the horse to a safe place for as long as possible. There is only one rider, so of course you will be lonely…. Please keep in mind that there are beings like us who are working hard for His Majesty, so please don’t think that you are alone.”

She wanted to tell him her story. Many people trusted and relied on him, so he should never think of being alone. She had always had unnecessarily deep compassion for those who were alone.

Daniel did not avert his eyes. She grinned.

“You are one person, but when I hear the story, you seem to represent everyone. So, I guess I’ll keep asking you this and that.”

The King, who was truly alone after ascending to the throne, impulsively talked about anything to a female employee of the Bureau of Investigation.

“…I’m afraid of this place. I have never coveted the throne. Not since I was young.”

He just thought that ascending to the throne was revenge for the forces that killed his brother and mother.

However, the reality does not end after ascending to the throne like a fairy tale. The weight of the days that must continue since then was intact on his shoulder. Iveca sighed slightly, looking at his normal-looking face. It was because she knew the burden. Suddenly, Daniel’s way of speaking became serious.

“If there was a war, and we had to defeat foreign forces, I would sacrifice my life to defend the country… It’s not like that now. Wars are waged in empires every single day.”

“Do you think it’s a war? Isn’t only a rebellion to be suppressed…”

“Does it look like a simple rebellion to be suppressed?”

Iveca did not answer that. It was a period with an extreme prediction that the continent would become a battlefield by spreading into a bigger civil war. The public still knew very little about it, but within the Bureau of Investigation, they were convinced that the Republican government was behind the rebels and that the Republic of Staram was also behind it.