"My sword is here; it shall protect you until I fall, my Princess. My loyalty is my armor, and I shall shed every drop of my blood for you."
How romantic. Has this kid been so good at charming girls since he was little? I thought to myself.
Then I saw Ariel use a very light sword to tap lightly on both of Luke's shoulders. The ceremony was quite simple, much simpler than the knightly investiture ceremonies I saw on TV in my past life.
Subsequently, I heard the majestic voice ring out again. "Daolin Prodia Grellat, are you willing to offer your life and use the sword in your hand to protect the Princess's safety, becoming her Guardian Knight, and fulfilling the duty of defending her for the rest of your life?"
My first reaction was: who's the lucky guy this time? Let's see if he's handsome.
My second reaction was: why is everyone looking at me?
My third reaction was: I think I am Daolin Prodia Grellat.
What's going on? Shouldn't this kind of thing be decided in advance and just be a formality here? Why wasn't I notified at all?
With no time to think, I stumbled forward.
At this moment, there was no chance to adjust my facial muscles. I looked at my grandfather with a confused expression.
He seemed to know something, but I didn't see him speak or have any reaction.
He just looked at me with his usual gaze.
The distance of a dozen meters was covered quickly. My body was stiff as I knelt on one knee, following Luke's previous posture, and looked at my grandfather.
He nodded helplessly. Things were already in motion, and I had no time to deliberate.
I replied, "I do."
There were no lines as infectious as Luke's. Only two short words.
The King looked at me as if he had expected such an expression. Without further words, my shoulders were also tapped three times by the sword.
After the ball began, the Princess and the King danced the opening dance together. However, I didn't pay attention to any of these details.
I didn't care much about the rest of the ball. I felt like I had been pulled into a massive whirlpool of a trap. Amidst the countless threads, I didn't know what the cause of all this was.
After the banquet ended, I went home with my grandfather.
He had waited for me to leave together. In the carriage on the way home, he told me the beginning and end of today's events.
It turns out King Leonard Alec Asura deeply loves his daughter, Ariel Anemoi Asura, and she is also the only bloodline of the current Queen of Asura. This means that the current First Prince, Gustav Zaphnen Asura, and the Second Prince, Halphas Zaphnen Asura, are both born of concubines. If Ariel weren't a girl, they wouldn't even have succession rights according to the law.
Therefore, the Kingdom hopes to find enough power to protect Ariel's safety. Luke Notos Greyrat was chosen long ago as a pawn to win over the Notos Family and thus protect Ariel. The King hoped that I could also become Ariel's Guardian Knight, which would ensure that the Prodia Family would not harm Ariel after the King passes away.
After all, a Guardian Knight and their ward share the same fate; if something happens to Ariel, both Luke and I would need to atone with our deaths. Thus, for my safety, Darius cannot make a move against Ariel. The two greatest noble families of the Asura Kingdom have both become Ariel's protective umbrellas. The King really planned this well.
However, my grandfather had politely refused the King and suggested using a concubine's son from the Prodia Family to replace me. After all, Luke isn't the first-in-line heir either.
Although the King didn't refuse, he didn't agree on the spot either.
Then, at today's ball, he forcibly pushed the matter through. Under the watch of all those nobles, I had absolutely no way to refuse the King.
"I'm also to blame. I should have told you in advance and had you pretend to be sick so you wouldn't attend this ball. But it doesn't matter; I've communicated with Gravil about this. He doesn't feel threatened by his little sister. In the future, by the Princess's side, you can also indirectly influence her so she doesn't have any thoughts of vying for the throne. This is a good thing."
I didn't reply; my mind was full of thoughts. Only upon arriving at the villa did I say goodnight to my grandfather and return to my room on my own.
Lying in the warm bathtub, I began to think quietly.
First of all, supporting Ariel to become the Empress is a necessary process. This way, she shouldn't die before the coup, so my safety is guaranteed.
On the other hand, I won't allow the First Prince to take power, but then wouldn't Darius be able to grow even stronger? Wouldn't I become a sinner of history?
Secondly, Ariel becoming the Empress has a huge historical momentum. Regardless of whether I or Rudeus reincarnated into this world, she would most likely become the Queen. She only failed in the timeline from Rudeus's Diary.
Ariel herself definitely wants to become the Queen. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone far from home to Ranoa Magic University to work hard at building connections while never giving up on vying for the throne.
Furthermore, historically, there shouldn't have been a Guardian Knight like me. Then I just need to be an invisible Guardian Knight, and that will be a very simple job.
(Note: The protagonist has read the Web Novel version of Mushoku Tensei. In the Web Novel, the character Dirk Letterbach did not exist. However, the timeline the protagonist is currently in is not the Web Novel timeline. Do you understand?)