I continued practicing how to walk with my new condition until I finally mastered it. It was strange being unable to feel my own legs move, but it did help me gain more feeling. My perception was dull, but at least I could still feel things above the knee now.

That gave me hope for my future married life.

Millie and Dante sat at the table with me as I ate my meal. Millie spoke, "How are you feeling today Seri?"

I munched on my food, "I have some sensation back, but I still can't feel a thing beneath my knees. It's weird how I can still walk though."

Millie sighed, "Perhaps the more you practice the better it will get."

I put my fork down, "By the way... Does anyone know that I was poisoned?"

Millie shook her head, "No. We didn't tell anyone. We were too preoccupied with other things so we didn't have the time to tell anyone."

I nodded, "That was probably for best. But was no one suspicious? I didn't attend the funeral yesterday. And there's no way Bertram wouldn't panic."

Millie answered, "We told them you were trying to find Simon with Dante."

I sighed and sat back, "I guess that would be believable..."

The guilt in my chest grew. I knew exactly where Simon was. I even knew how he escaped. But what should I do about it now?

I sighed once more. Dante looked at me closely, "You can rest another day."

I shook my head, "No. I can't."

How can I rest knowing I helped this happen? I knew Simon would kill the King, yet I did nothing about it. I let him do it. To make matters worse, Simon actually had the audacity to try to kill William even after we had made a deal.

I should have known he was an evil schemer who had no class.

Still... I can't believe I was manipulated so easily...

Once we were ready, we left to go attend the Coronation. While usually it was supposed to be a joyous event, the Coronation today was nothing like that. Everyone seemed to have a solemn expression as they waited for the new King to be crowned. A King killed by a neighboring Kingdom was a grievous affair. Even if he wasn't beloved, the commoners and nobles would still demand justice for their Kingdom. It was probably the one thing the two classes would agree on.

We walked over and I saw my family, Lona and Joel with the new baby, and Bertram all standing together with dark expressions. I tugged on Millie and Dante and we went to stand beside the others. My mother looked at me and a flash of surprise went over her face, "Y-You're back? Then that means?"

I turned to look away from their expectant faces, "He is already across the border."

Dante didn't comment as he looked at me. Everyone looked away in disappointment. They were all familiar with the previous King so they also wanted his killer to be brought to justice. Joel spoke with a hint of surprise, "Do you know where he is now?"

"Of course I do." I answered on impulse.

I immediately wanted to smack my mouth. I knew he was probably in the Sanki Kingdom sitting in luxury. However, I couldn't explain to the others how I knew that unless I revealed that I knew the entire time. I could probably lie to the others, but I would not be able to fool Dante. I'm not sure how long I will be able to hide the truth from him either.

I spoke quickly to avoid suspicion, "I'm going to speak to William about- I mean... I am going to speak with the new King about it after this."

Do I have to call William King now? I never even called him the Prince before unless I was mocking him. It feels so strange to refer to him as King.

While we waited for the coronation to start, I played with Lona's new baby. The baby was steadily growing. I can't believe how many days have passed since Lona gave birth and also ruined my favorite bed. It was funny to see the baby have such a serious expression while she grasped my hands. I guess she mostly takes after Lona.

Lona watched me closely. She spoke low enough for only me to hear, "Why are you walking so strange?"

I paused, then continued to play with the baby, "You are mistaken."

With her free hand she pinched my waist, but I could barely feel it. Usually I would have jumped from the ticklish sensation, but I didn't even register it. She frowned, "Something happened."

I pressed my lips together. Sh*t. I should have pretended to laugh.

I sighed, "It's a long story."

"Hmm."

Trumpets blew announcing the start of the Coronation. I silently thanked those trumpets for interrupting our conversation. We all grew quiet as the ceremony started. The Queen appeared with the previous Kings crown in her hand. Her face looked really run down, much unlike her usual elegant self. It was clear that she was trying hard to appear calm and indifferent.

William entered the stage wearing a large red and gold cloak that trailed behind him as he walked. His blonde hair fluttered in the wind looking like gold. He looked truly like a King as he stood in front of everyone with an upright figure. As the head priest spoke, William took a knee and the Queen placed the crown on top of his head. A small smile flickered on her face as she watched William stand up with the crown fitted perfectly to his head. The two turned to the people watching the scene below.

The head priest announced, "All hail King William."

The crowd cheered, "All hail King William!"

I looked up at William and noticed his tired appearance. I felt as if someone was stabbing my heart once more.

___________

We entered the Imperial Palace and were showed into a room. Lucius, Artie, Mary, and Mathias were already waiting in the room. They all had on somber expressions. The atmosphere was so stiff it made me feel uncomfortable. We walked into the room as I tried not to let my guilt show.

Once I sat down, Mary looked at me in surprise, "Seri. You actually came to the ceremony? Shouldn't you be-" She stopped herself immediately once she realized she was about to give away the truth. However, the others didn't seem to realize she almost slipped up.

Artie spoke, "Does this mean you didn't find Simon?"

Does the whole Kingdom know that I went after Simon?

I tossed Dante a quick look before continued, "He's already gone."

"Oh." Artie said in disappointment and looked down.

Once I sat down, Mary looked at me closer, "You sure you feel alright?"

"Yes. I feel fine. Perfectly fine."

Now that all eyes seemed to be on me, I now had to be even more careful not to give away my new condition. I'm not sure why I am going through all this effort to hide it from them. It's not like I did anything wrong. However, it is kind of irritating to hear everyone worry about me and try to get me to "take it easy". I would feel more comfortable if they just didn't care.

William walked in escorted by two Knights and nodded at them. They moved to stand outside the door to protect it. He sighed in exhaustion and sunk down into a lounge chair. He brushed his hair back, "That was exhausting."

Mary forced a smile, "You did a really good job, William. You looked like a King."

He gave a slight smile as he opened his eyes, "Thanks Mary." His eyes moved over and froze upon seeing me beside her, "What are you doing here?"

I forced a smile, "I came to watch the ceremony."

Does he know? He can't know... Right?

William frowned, "You're supposed to be at home-" Seeing Artie, Lucius, and Mathias look at him suspiciously, he changed his words. "You're supposed to be finding Simon. Not watching a boring ceremony of me becoming King."

Oh good. He didn't know.

I waved him off, "Relax. Don't try to worry about all that. We can discuss all of that tomorrow. But today, we need to celebrate the crowning of the new King."

I reached down to a bag I had brought with me and pulled out two large bottles of alcohol I had received from my fathers company. William crossed his arms, "What is there to celebrate? Usually it's a joyful celebration, but not this time." His voice was strained, "I didn't want to become King like this..."

I looked at his pained expression and tried to swallow down my overwhelming guilt. "Then... Let's drink in honor for the previous King while we celebrate the new one." I shook the bottles, "They were the King's favorite..."

William sighed, "I guess a few drinks wouldn't hurt."

... A few drinks later...

William was laying on the floor with a face flushed from the alcohol. He would alternate between crying on the floor and acting like a child. Mary was sitting in a chair singing with a large mindless smile. Mathias had been passed out since the first drink. Millie took advantage of his unconscious state to draw strange things on his forehead. Lucius was cheering on Artie as Artie tried to defeat Dante at arm wrestling.

I sat watching the drunk babies in disbelief. Why were they all such light weights? The only person not acting drunk was Dante. Actually... He might not even be drunk.

William whined as he lay on the ground, "I just want a piece of cake!!"

I sighed, "There's no cake."

"I want cake!!!"

Why does William act like such a child when he's drunk? My dress was pulled slightly and I looked down to see William grabbing my ankles with a pout.

He looked up at me and smiled at me with a childlike smile, "Hey Seri! You know what I like about you?"

I raised an eyebrow, "What?"

He rubbed his chin on my dress, "You always wear such soft clothes..."

"..."

I'm going to kick this idiot.

Mary leaned towards me, "It's soft?!" She felt my dress, "Oh... It is soft."

I drank from my glass in irritation as the two continued to pet my dress. William chuckled, "Soft but boring..."

"Oi." My face twitched in irritation.

Mary laid her head on my lap, "It's just like a pillow."

I poked her, "Oi. Get off."

However, she didn't budge. I looked down and noticed she was fast asleep. I groaned in irritation and pushed her head off of my lap. She fell on the floor, but didn't wake up. She mumbled in her sleep and got comfortable once more. Millie noticed she was asleep and quickly walked over with her pen. She began to draw on her face.

I frowned, "Really?"

Meanwhile, Dante was also being annoyed by two children.

Lucius cheered, "You almost got him Artie!!"

Artie was struggling to move Dante's arm, but it wasn't even budging an inch. However, if you were listening to the cheering you would honestly believe that Artie was winning. Finally, Dante grew too irritated with the two antagonizing him, so he moved his hand mercilessly beat Artie.

Artie sobbed, "I-I lost!"

Lucius wrapped his arms around Artie as he rubbed his cheek against Artie's, "No! I saw you win. You didn't lose."

Artie sniffled, "R-Really?"

"Yes!"

Dante and I both looked at the two in disbelief. I wonder what they would say in the morning if we revealed to them that Artie was actually sitting on Lucius's lap in such a flirtatious way. Not only that, but the two were really REALLY close to each other. It really made you wonder just what exactly their relationship was.

Well. You can't fool me.

I looked down at my feet and noticed William had also passed out. He was using my feet as pillows while Millie drew on his face. I frowned at her, "Millie. He is King now. You can't draw on his face."

She looked at me innocently, "I'm not drawing anything obscene."

"..."

That's not the point.

I freed myself from his grip and moved to sit next to Dante. I looked at him carefully as he looked back at me expressionlessly. I'm pretty sure he isn't drunk one bit. I poured a glass and passed it to him. Dante raised an eyebrow and drank from the glass.

I poured him another one.

He drank it.

How many glasses has he drank already?! Does this man really not get drunk?

As I continued to determine Dante's limit, Lucius had passed out. Artie giggled as he and Millie drew on Lucius's face. I stopped giving Dante glasses when I realized that it was impossible to see him drunk. It was a bit disappointing.

I looked away and saw Artie sleeping on Lucius's lap, nuzzled into Lucius's chest.

I'd like to see them claim to only be good friends now.

As I watched Millie draw on Artie's face, my body was suddenly lifted in the air. I blinked in disbelief as I looked down and saw Dante smiling at me a bit sadistically. "Eh?"

Dante started to carry me out of the room. I squirmed frantically in his grip, "Millie! Save me!"

Millie glanced at me and waved with a gentle smile, "Have a fun time Seri~"

Well this doesn't bode well.