...Still can't believe he forgot his own birthday.
I have come to accept that, by this time, Kaelin has become...inscrutable. I'm unable to tell what's really happening inside his head.
He's changed a heck of a lot since we started.
...What was he like at the initial outset of Guild Nameless's exploration?
Cece, honey, you really don't want to know. Trust me on this.
Very well. ...Know, though, that it will always be in the back of my mind, an unsolved curiosity, quite possibly until I go to the grave.
Sometimes there's secrets you gotta keep! Even from your wife.
Soon-to-be-wife.
C'mon, honey, do you really have to be so specific?
May I point you to my explorer identification that lists my legendary title as "Almost-Queen?"
...Fair point.
...Ah. Yes. Speaking of which... I have something to discuss with you, pertaining to the...royal situation, when we return to Queensland.
Uh...huh? Is it serious?
Very.
Well, I'm listening. Lay it on me.
So. I received a letter from my mother, the current queen, early this morning.
Did she like the Yamato foods I had that trader deliver?
Yes, she instructed me to thank you for that in the letter. She said it made her want to make a diplomatic visit to Yamato sometime in the near future. My sisters apparently enjoyed it, as well.
Hehe, that's some pretty high praise.
Indeed. However, the letter also addressed a serious matter: that of the crown.
...Yeah?
Under normal circumstances, a queen of Queensland would not abdicate the crown, even to her children, without the presence of extreme circumstances, such as the sudden deathly illness of the current queen.
Your, uh... Your mom's not...deathly ill, right?
Oh, heavens, no. Don't worry.
Okay, phew. ...I'll be honest, that would've been...very stressful, to put it lightly, to deal with upon going back.
Mm. Back to the matter of abdication, however. My mother said that, under normal circumstances, even with a wife--and potential Vice-Queen--as exemplary as you, she would not abdicate the crown. We would become first in line for the throne, however, even with my middle position in the family.
That's...honestly what I was expecting.
But... These are not normal circumstances, in her words. Because of our guild's exploits, we and the rest of our guildmates have become regarded as legendary heroes far and wide. This includes Queensland. You were even one of the five that faced the Lord of the Primordial Darkness, and defeated it! Your shield saved the others from death countless times during the battle!
Ehehe, c'mon, Cece, you're making me blush.
...As such, my mother has decreed: upon our return to Queensland... I shall be crowned Queen. As soon as we are wed, you are to be crowned Vice-Queen, as well.
...She's... She's serious?
Very. We are legends, Sasha. Stories of our guild--and us two, specifically--will be passed down across the entire planet for generations to come, potentially until the end of all life.
There's, uh, no court intrigue or anything going on with your sisters?
I imagine the older ones might be slightly annoyed, but on the other hand, having two legends at the regal helm will most likely lead to endless prosperity for Queensland.
...Okay, yeah, I can see that. It's probably a good idea to get on the good side of a kingdom led by two people that surpassed legends that've been around since... Well, going by what Archon said, since life started here!
Indeed. ...And, with all of that, I feel the need to re-affirm: Sasha, when we are finished with this exploration... Will you return to Queenslands with me, as my Vice-Queen...and bride?
...Okay, Cece, looks like I need to remind you of something.
H-hm? What's-- Is something wr-- Mmrph.
...
...
...
...
...I love you, Iseria. Is that answer enough?
Y-yes. Of course it is.
C'mon. Let's get ready for bed. A lot's gonna happen tomorrow, right?
Indeed.

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