Chapter 34: A Promise for Someday

"Ah, yeah… there’s really nothing better than throwing on casual clothes and eating something delicious."

"I dunno if a king of an entire nation is supposed to be finding healing in that."

Toma said this with a sip of tea, having shed the royal attire and mantle I’d long since gotten used to seeing him in. Instead, he was dressed in a random outfit I’d picked out for him, topped off with a pair of fake glasses for his disguise. Since that old King’s Battle broadcast had made his face known to practically everyone in the capital, we’d had to take precautions so he wouldn’t be recognized. If I do say so myself, I’d done a pretty damn good job.

"Even kings need a break sometimes, or they’ll collapse. Same goes for Hikari and Alicia, too. And the ministers, and Clarisse and the others. Well… maybe not the people in the magic research lab. They all seem like the type who genuinely enjoy working—Carol included."

It was the afternoon of one of those rare days when Toma finished work early, and the two of us went out into town together. Whenever we did this, that old man, Minister Depron, always made a face about it—but I managed to convince him by passionately explaining that if Toma didn’t get breaks like this now and then, his work efficiency would drop off a cliff.

And honestly, that wasn’t even much of an exaggeration. If he goes too long without being freed from work, he starts doing weird things. When I told them, “Unless you’re fine with people seeing the Sword King getting excited over ordinary workplace interactions between men and women,” they all ended up clutching their heads in despair.

I get how they feel, but considering this guy used to be a commoner and is somehow managing to handle the duties of a king, the stress he’s under has to be insane. Time like this is absolutely necessary.

"Still, kind of weird that your afternoon suddenly opened up. What happened?"

"So apparently Charlie heard a rumor that Alan from the knight order was romantically involved with Brett’s little sister and wanted to find out if it was true. Then Brett started going berserk, Dennis tried to stop him and got beaten down, so he set a bunch of traps everywhere to get revenge. Edgar got caught in one, then when people tried to help him, it triggered a chain reaction and half the knights got trapped too—and it all ended in one huge brawl. Right now they’re all stuck clearing the traps and being punished for fighting over something so stupid, so afternoon training got canceled."

He laughed it off with a “crazy, right?” but honestly, I was more horrified by how many names he’d rattled off in such a short span. He may act like an idiot, but his memory and quick thinking are annoyingly sharp.

Me? I’m terrible with names, and I’ve never cared much about what other people are doing, so I never pay attention to stuff like that.

He’d always been like this, even back in our home village. His ability to instantly get along with anyone is one of Toma’s clearest strengths. I’d lost count of how many times he’d start talking to some drunk at a tavern and somehow end up with an arm around their shoulder, singing with them.

He’d even done it with merchants he’d just met. At this point, it had to be something ingrained in him.

Not that I envy it. But I do genuinely admire it.

"Anyway, turns out the rumor about Alan and Brett’s sister was totally false. She’d just brought lunch for Brett and asked Alan to hand it over. Someone saw that and made assumptions."

"So this is clearly the fault of the idiot who jumped to conclusions, then. His sister should be pissed."

"Oh, she was. Since he caused trouble for everyone, she’s making him go a whole week without homemade lunches."

As we chatted about recent events, we quietly enjoyed our tea and juice in the café.

We used to spend time like this together all the time. Now it had become something precious.

It was rare for us to ever truly be alone anymore. Usually, someone was nearby. If it was Alicia, I could relax completely, but that wasn’t always the case—and it meant I was rarely able to let my guard down.

Still, this was the path I’d chosen for myself, so I had no complaints.

Being with Toma. Spending time with him.

That alone made this moment worth more than gold.

"Oh—speaking of which, I forgot to say this, but that outfit looks amazing on you. Doesn’t seem like something someone else picked out… did you choose it yourself, Hikari?"

"Took you long enough to say it. Still, I’ll praise you for noticing."

"You thought I wouldn’t? You’re dressed that cute—you practically demand attention."

I really wish he’d realize that talking like that always makes my face heat up.

Then again, even if he did realize it, he’d probably still say it.

And that’s what makes him dangerous.

I wasn’t wearing my old village work clothes, nor the maid uniform from my current job.

This was a proper outfit bought from one of the clothing shops here in the capital.

I’d even let down my hair completely instead of tying it up like usual, leaving it straight.

It felt awkward and hard to move in, so I didn’t particularly like it—but once in a while was fine.

I’m still a girl.

Sometimes I want to wear something different and be seen that way.

"You’re beautiful enough to make someone stop and stare just standing there. Your straight hair gives you this elegant, sheltered young lady look, and honestly, with your natural features and your sense of style, it really makes your grace stand out."

This is exactly why his natural honesty is such a problem.

He says things like that so casually.

And whenever he says something important, he looks straight at me.

It was unbearable.

My face was so hot I nearly turned away.

"Shut up. Don’t just say stuff like that."

"You get what I’m thinking sometimes, sure, but things like this have to be said out loud, don’t they? Even if someone already knows, people still want to hear it directly. Even I know that much."

Why was he only sharp at moments like this?

Though honestly, Toma was always straightforward.

This wasn’t different from his usual self.

And because I knew he never said things like this unless he meant them completely, it only made my face burn hotter.

Unable to look him in the eye, I let my gaze wander—

and noticed a large crowd gathered nearby.

Something celebratory was clearly happening.

Everyone was smiling.

"Hmm… what’s going on over there? Wanna check it out?"

"Yeah, curiosity’s gonna win this one. Let’s go."

We paid for our drinks and sweets before heading out.

Thanks to the commoner’s clothes and altered hairstyle, Toma hadn’t been recognized. Though honestly, some staff had probably noticed and simply chose not to say anything.

As we approached the noisy crowd, their voices became clearer.

"WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

"Congratulations! You better make her happy!"

"Congrats, Amy!"

"Never start a marital fight—you’ll lose every time!"

"Don’t you dare make her cry!"

"If he starts gambling or fooling around, smack his ass without mercy!"

"Tell us when you pick the baby’s name!"

"A pure-love marriage! This is the best!!!"

Apparently, it was a wedding.

Friends, family, acquaintances—

even complete strangers were celebrating the bride and groom.

And that last voice?

That idiot beside me.

Honestly, he completely loses all restraint at moments like this.

Figuring we shouldn’t interfere, I clamped a hand over Toma’s mouth and tried to drag him away—

only for the bouquet the bride had just tossed into the air to catch the wind and drift straight toward us.

I glanced up to follow its path—

and somehow, instead of landing in the hands of anyone reaching for it…

it dropped right into mine.

I caught it reflexively.

Naturally, every eye followed it.

And every one of those eyes landed on me.

The blood drained from my face.

Some random passerby catching something this important had to look unbelievably tone-deaf.

"You did it, Hikari! That means their happiness is coming your way too!"

"Shut up, idiot! This is not the time to say that!"

Seriously.

I never know whether this guy can read the room or not.

If we ruined their celebration, we could stain one of the most important memories of their lives.

And then—

without warning—

he removed his disguise glasses, fixed his hair back to normal, and revealed the familiar face everyone in the kingdom knew.

"Congratulations on your marriage! I’m celebrating with all my heart! By the way, mind telling me how you two met?!"

"I said have some restraint!"

I tried to cover his mouth again and drag him away, but all the attention focused on us, pinning me in place.

I’m not used to being the center of attention.

I can’t brush it off like Alicia or Toma can.

Then, while I was panicking, the groom came running over—wide-eyed in shock.

Before I could brace for what he’d say, he seized Toma’s hand with a huge smile.

"To be blessed by the Sword King himself—it’s such an honor! I saw the King’s Battle broadcast, and it gave me the courage to propose… and she said yes!"

"Ahhh, about that… honestly, I’d rather people forgot that. It’s kind of embarrassing…"

"There’s nothing embarrassing about it! So many people gained courage from watching you! Seeing how sincerely you looked at the Saintess made us all think—this is someone who’ll truly think about us! I’m genuinely grateful!"

"I think you’re probably talking about the post-marriage support policies, but that was the ministers—"

"Thank you! Thanks to that, so many more people can marry without fear!"

"That’s wonderful!!!!!!"

Though overwhelmed by the barrage of gratitude, the moment Toma heard marriage rates were increasing, he started pumping the man’s hand up and down furiously.

He was so ridiculously easy to read.

Like a dog wagging its tail.

The two of them were practically flinging their joined hands around with excitement.

As I watched in exasperation, the bride in her beautiful dress quietly stepped up beside me, smiling awkwardly.

"Sorry. He’s a huge Sword King fan. He’s met His Majesty a few times before, and I’m guessing he acted just like this then too."

"Ah… now that you mention it, I thought he looked familiar. He’s that merchant who’s visited the castle a few times."

That explained it.

Toma had recognized him and knew exactly what kind of person he was.

As the groom kept shouting “Sword King!” over and over, everyone around us finally realized who Toma was and stared in astonishment.

Which meant all the attention on me shifted to him.

And just like that, I was free.

Realizing he’d probably done this intentionally made my chest feel strangely warm.

"He said he proposed because the Sword King gave him courage," the bride said. "I’d been waiting for him to ask for so long. It made me so happy… so in that sense, His Majesty is our benefactor."

"He probably wasn’t thinking that deeply. He just blurts out whatever’s on his mind."

That’s who Toma is.

And that’s exactly why he saved me.

Why I fell for him so deeply that I want to stay by his side forever.

This first love of mine will never change.

Not until the day I die.

And so—

"His congratulations weren’t empty words either. He meant every one of them. So I’m sure the two of you will have a wonderful marriage. The Sword King and I guarantee it."

For a second, the bride just stared blankly.

Then she broke into a radiant smile so beautiful even I, as another woman, had to admire it.

"Yes! We absolutely will!"

And she nodded with a happiness so genuine that it made me want to smile like that someday, too.

"Man… that was something special."

"Just because you’re happy doesn’t mean you get to toast with everyone. Good thing they were all smiling and having fun…"

I grumbled at him, but Toma only kept smiling.

He was probably reflecting on it.

Just not regretting it.

"But I’m really glad we came to the capital."

"Oh? First time seeing a wedding like that, right? Back in our village, they were never that extravagant."

"Well, yeah, but that’s not what I mean."

Walking beside me, Toma suddenly reached over and took my hand.

The warmth startled me enough that I instinctively looked up at him.

"When you get married someday, Hikari… I can’t wait to see you in a beautiful dress like that. Honestly, just imagining it makes becoming king feel worth it."

It was such an outrageous sneak attack that my mind instantly caught the meaning behind his words.

And because I knew he was exactly the kind of person who would think that far ahead before saying something like this—

my face burned even hotter.

I was certain even my ears were bright red.

"...That sounds an awful lot like a roundabout proposal."

"Someday I’ll say it properly. I want to do things right."

"...Can you really promise that?"

"I can. I’ve never broken a promise to you, have I?"

He’s unfair.

To shake someone’s heart this much while smiling so casually.

Still—

even Toma seemed embarrassed.

His face was red.

Though maybe that was just the sunset.

Thinking about that, we walked hand in hand all the way back to the royal castle.