The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!
Chapter 70 - 05: Welcome Ceremony (Part 3) (Second Update)

In the hall, Yilin and the King exchanged glances, the firelight casting shadows on their faces.

After a long while, the King downed the wine in his cup in one swig, slowly stood up, walked to the liquor cabinet behind Yilin, took out another bottle, and poured himself another drink. With his back to Yilin, he said, "I am in a very difficult position right now, extremely difficult. The prestige of the Royal Family fell to an all-time low after the Battle of White City. I’ve even found some of the troops no longer obey my orders. This is bad, isn’t it? There’s intel that the Allen Kingdom is already preparing to make a move. They likely want to take advantage of this opportunity to bite us."

With her back to the King, Yilin responded emotionlessly, "If the Allen Kingdom attacks, I will firmly stand by you."

"I believe you, but merely my belief is not enough," the King said, holding his wine cup as he walked step by step back to his original position and slowly sat down. "You wouldn’t want me to be a king in name only, would you? A king in name only cannot govern the country well; it would be a tragedy for the entire kingdom. I need support now. A Holy Knight directly loyal to me would undoubtedly be the best choice. Moreover, don’t forget, this outcome is caused by you."

"Caused by me?" Yilin chuckled coldly, "Did you not publicly admit yourself that it was due to your father’s mistake?"

"That was one way to put it, and this is another," the King said, spreading his hands. "You must admit that things can always be understood in two ways. I gave you the best welcoming ceremony, which shows my magnanimity. I did not blame you for the terrible situation I am in. In fact, my relationship with my father was always strained. Very strained. I even suspect he never saw me as his heir. Therefore, on a personal level, I don’t think what you did was wrong. I should even thank you. If not for you, I wouldn’t have ascended to the throne so quickly. But in public affairs..."

"What about it?" Yilin asked coldly.

The King paused for a moment before continuing, "A man faces the problems you’ve caused daily, overwhelmed. Even if the root of the problem isn’t you, it’s inevitable that one day, he may start to resent you, isn’t it? Maybe because of too much pressure, I will soon start to resent you, and then maybe I’ll do something I shouldn’t to the Beisher Family. From then on, our families will hold grudges."

"You’re threatening me!" Yilin stood up abruptly, glaring angrily.

"Calm down! Calm down! It’s not a threat, we’re just discussing the objective possibilities peacefully," the King leaned back quickly, smiling and motioning for Yilin to sit down before continuing, "You must acknowledge my sincerity; this welcoming ceremony is a testament to that. I really need a Holy Knight beside me, especially considering the knight has no strong foundation in Isaac Kingdom, and the church has no interest in worldly power. Besides what I mentioned earlier, I can also appoint Gray as the Chief Minister, and you can join the council. This is a great honor for the Beisher Family."

"I won’t agree to it. Thank you for the welcoming ceremony, Your Majesty. But I find it hard to accept your proposal." Yilin politely curtsied and turned to leave.

"Stop!" the King barked.

Yilin halted, back facing the King.

In the room, the fire crackled in the fireplace.

Standing close to the door, Yilin stood silently with her back to the King.

After downing his cup of wine again, the King set the empty cup on the table, wiped his mouth, and said coldly, "I do this for Gray’s sake. Your Beishier Duchy is too small. Only in Isaac Kingdom can he truly realize his potential. And even if you don’t agree, I have other ways to make him agree."

Yilin replied expressionlessly, "Gray won’t agree."

"Really?" the King laughed. "What if a bishop were sitting next to me? What if it were the Pope who canonized him as a Holy Knight? Or... what if it’s the will of the Holy Spirit itself?"

Yilin was stunned for a moment.

"The church has already agreed to this suggestion. Not only that, they very much welcome it. The religious reforms in your Beishier Duchy have given them a taste of success, and now they want to turn their gaze toward the entire Isaac Kingdom. But the Holy Knight exists only in Beishier Duchy. If Gray directly serves me, my prestige will be enhanced, and the church will be in a better position to conduct its religious reforms. It’s a perfect solution. He is a Holy Knight and should not only belong to Beishier Duchy, don’t you think?"

Yilin’s chest rose and fell slightly as she remained silent.

Seeing that Yilin seemed slightly swayed, the King continued, "Let’s be straightforward. The reason I came to you first is to protect Gray’s reputation. After all, the party that breaks the vow, regardless of the reason, is always condemned. And what we need most is his reputation. If you break the vow, it will solve the problem perfectly. And you won’t lose him; you might even... truly gain him."

"What do you mean?" Yilin turned around slowly, coldly asking.

The King leaned back in his chair and spoke eloquently, "A knight on horseback, with an angel, casting holy spells, fighting forty thousand troops alone, just to rescue the lady of his heart. Doesn’t this story sound particularly romantic? Do you believe there is no love in it? If I were a woman, I’d already be in love with him. What a perfect fairy tale, every girl’s dream. But he chose to marry the granddaughter of an Earl... It simply doesn’t match."

...

As a dance piece concluded, Gray led Shelley off the dance floor.

"You seem to be happy again," Gray said softly.

"Of course, I am the happiest woman in the world. Why wouldn’t I be happy?" Shelley clung to Gray’s arm, smiling sweetly, holding her head high, proudly eyeing the women who had hoped to steal her Holy Knight and were now fuming.

Although she wasn’t the most beautiful, the wealthiest, or the most noble in the room, she had the love of the bravest knight. At least, that’s what she believed.

The Black Cat whispered, "I find that sometimes, your ways of wooing girls are top-notch. Other times, you’re so dumb, it’s incredible."

"Why do you say that?"

"I was worried you might accept other girls’ invitations."

"That’s impossible. I only danced with Shelley. She taught me how to dance. I’m not very good at dancing... I’m afraid I’d embarrass myself with others."

"Are you actually afraid of embarrassing yourself?"

"Of course. Catherine said that a great Holy Knight should be a dignified knight, not one who causes laughter."

"Looks like her teaching has been effective. Anyway, whatever the reason, choosing Shelley was the right move." After thinking a moment, the Black Cat added, "Do you know why she was unhappy just now?"

"Why?"

"Because she was worried someone might steal you away."

"But I won’t."

"I know you won’t, but she would still worry, understand?"

Gray glanced at Shelley and saw that she acted normally, happily, without any sign of distress. However, he still felt her gripping his arm slightly tighter.

"Seems... that’s true."

"Rare for you to agree with me. But then, it’s normal. Any girl would worry in such a situation. After all, you are very popular. Having a Holy Knight is every girl’s dream."

"What should I do to make Shelley not worry then?"

"Don’t hesitate. Don’t hesitate under any circumstances. Resolutely reject other girls’ invitations. For things like dancing, just dance with her. That way, I think she won’t worry anymore."

"’Unwavering till death for the one you love,’ this is also part of knightly virtue. I understand! Keep an eye on me, don’t let me do anything that betrays knightly virtue. You know, it’s not easy for a Lich to fully understand human affairs."

"I will."

Turning to Shelley, Gray said, "Shall we dance again?"

"Huh? Dance again?"

"Yes, let’s continue dancing. I’ll only dance with you!" Under everyone’s gaze, Gray bent down solemnly and bowed, "Miss Shelley, would you do me the honor of dancing with your devoted knight once more?"

Shelley was stunned but soon smiled, lifting her skirt to curtsy, "I’d be delighted."

Holding Shelley’s hand, Gray led her back to the dance floor.

Everyone watched silently.

The Black Cat sighed, "I like how you said ’devoted knight.’ Really. It seems those knight novels have some use."

...

"Count Gruglu is an old fox. In fact, the entire Gruglu family is a massive tumor. Look at their eight-colored flag. I’ve researched them. In four hundred years, they’ve annexed seven families without a single battle. This family has a large number of offspring, and marriage alliances and various schemes are their main tactics. My Chief Minister marrying into such a family is a disaster. I need Gray to bring me prestige, but he might also elevate the entire Gruglu family, spreading their offspring all over Isaac Kingdom, completely out of control. A giant that we can’t get rid of—you’re just experiencing that, aren’t you?"

...

The soothing music echoed in the hall, while the noble girls standing on the sidelines were fuming with anger.

Leaning against Gray’s chest, Shelley whispered, "I’m so afraid that once you arrive in Lion King City, you won’t like me anymore. After all, there are so many better than me here."

"But there’s only one of you."

Shelley’s eyes welled up with tears.

"If one day, I am surrounded by forty thousand troops, would you come to save me too?"

"Definitely."

"What if I’m surrounded by the Holy Spirits?"

"Um..."

"You hesitated?" Shelley widened her eyes.

"No," Gray said seriously, "I was just thinking about how to save you without harming the Holy Spirits."

Shelley laughed, hugging Gray tightly, and whispered, "I’d do the same. However, I might not be able to beat them."

...

"So, my idea is for Gray to break off the engagement with the Gruglu family and marry someone else. Anyone else will do. There are many better girls in Lion King City. Across the Isaac Kingdom, all four duchies still have four unmarried women. Our Royal Family also has princesses. If Gray is still not satisfied, I can even find princesses from other countries for him. The most important thing is..." the King paused and continued, "we also have you."

Yilin stared blankly at the King.

The King smiled at her, his eyes seemingly penetrating her thoughts.

"Can you say you haven’t been moved? When everyone saw you and him as a pair, didn’t you want to lift the knight’s visor one evening and see the face no one has ever seen?"

"The Beisher Family doesn’t have many members. Although their power is much greater than the Gruglu family, their reputation is excellent. I am not worried about the Beisher Family’s members spreading all over Isaac Kingdom because you simply don’t have that many people. This is another perfect solution. I will gain a Holy Knight who brings me prestige without bringing trouble. And you, you can have the knight you love. Moreover, the grudges between our families will be completely resolved."

"Are you done?"

"Done."

"I refuse." Yilin turned decisively and pushed open the door, returning to the hall.

Raising his empty wine cup, the King toasted toward the open door, "Think it over. You’ll agree with my proposal. It’s for the best."