The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 35

“…Thus, your contribution has been significant in allowing the Young Lady Esmela of the House of Herta, the Saintess Arit, and the others serving House Herta to return safely to the Royal Palace…”

I listened in a daze as the King recounted my remarkable deeds in a solemn voice while looking up at him.

“…So, do not lose your loyalty moving forward and dedicate yourself to serving your master.”

“Ah, yes.”

Finally, the King’s lengthy speech came to an end, and I placed my right hand over my left chest, bowing deeply to show my respect.

“Your Majesty.”

“Uh-huh?”

At that moment, I was startled by a strange yet familiar voice and looked up to see Yuria, sitting to the right of the Queen, finally speak.

“What is it, Yuria?”

The King turned to her with a puzzled expression.

“I humbly request one thing from Your Majesty.”

Her voice was melodious, and her manner was dignified, fitting for the Prince’s consort.

It was a voice I had grown exceptionally familiar with from playing “Roinah,” yet it was a stark contrast to the lively and casual tone of the heroine in the main story.

The bright and cheerful commoner heroine of “Roinah” and the Princess of the Kingdom of Arkeisia.

I felt the immense gap between the two.

“Go ahead.”

“As you mentioned, this commoner, Lanit, despite being only 17 years old, has proven his bravery and strength time and again while battling those cursed undead.”

Once again, Yuria began to lavish praise on me, just like the King had.

That made me anxious.

It’s not like I had done anything deserving of such exaggeration.

Of course, I had worked hard to carry Esmela and slash through the obstructing zombies to save not only her but also others.

But in all honesty, my contributions were no more significant than Arit’s, Esmela’s, or even the Prince’s.

Even though I hadn’t listened closely to what Esmela praised me for to the King while I was zoning out, from the King’s perspective, it made sense for the Young Lady of the Ducal Family to commend me, so he would naturally add a few words.

However, for the Princess to step up and praise me felt unnatural.

“Your Majesty, due to the recent events, many talents serving the Royal Palace have fallen prey to the undead. Therefore, although Duke Herta’s operation succeeded in ensuring the royal family’s safe escape from the capital, the reality is that there is a serious lack of individuals to lead the significant affairs of the Kingdom moving forward.”

What on earth is she getting at…

“So, how about we take this opportunity to allow young Lanit to serve the royal family and bring him into the palace?”

“What do you mean right now!?”

Before Yuria’s bombshell statement could even finish, Esmela’s sharp outburst echoed through the Audience Room.

The nobles began to whisper urgently amongst themselves, and the expressions of both the Prince and the Queen who sat beside the King made it clear that they had not expected Yuria’s remark at all.

“…Hmm.”

Only the King remained composed, stroking his beard amidst the turmoil.

“Yuria, even for you, I cannot condone such reckless behavior! Our servant from the House of Herta, my personal butler…”

“Esmela.”

Esmela’s voice, which blazed fiercely, immediately cooled at Yuria’s cold summons.

“It seems you made a slip of the tongue. No matter how much you are the Young Lady of the Ducal Family or my friend from school, addressing the Princess so casually in such a public setting is a grave rudeness. Now, try again. Address her properly.”

A cold smile slowly spread across Yuria’s face, as frigid as her voice.

Meanwhile, Esmela’s face was flushed with barely contained rage.

Crash.

Their gazes clashed fiercely in the air.

“…Your Highness, I understand your concern for the Kingdom’s major matters, but your earlier statement was careless. Even if he is merely a commoner and my servant, he has sworn loyalty to the House of Herta. Therefore, even for the sake of the Kingdom, one cannot shift allegiances so casually with just a few words from the Princess.”

Esmela, still glaring at Yuria, calmly countered her statement.

However, the effort to suppress the rage bubbling beneath her calm tone would be apparent to anyone.

“Yes, I certainly understand how much you cherish that boy. However, regardless of being of the Ducal Family, the House of Herta is undoubtedly in service to the Royal Family of Arkeisia. Thus, patriotism for the Kingdom should take precedence over loyalty to the House of Herta, shouldn’t it?”

Yuria met Esmela’s burning glare with an air of composure, pushing her argument forward in a calm tone.

“The House of Herta has been amongst the loyal subjects who have served the Kingdom of Arkeisia since its founding. So, if a servant of House Herta serves the royal family, it would also be a matter of glory for the house. Oh, did you not praise his extraordinary swordsmanship, claiming he can cut down dozens of ‘them’ with ease? Why not utilize that talent and have him enlist in the Kingdom’s Army? That way, he could start his military career as a junior officer right away.”

Yuria’s continuous remarks were laced with clear mockery and disdain.

“Grrr…”

In contrast, Esmela could only tremble with suppressed anger, glaring up at the seemingly calm Yuria.

This was going to be tricky.

Clearly, Yuria’s comments were an outrageous faux pas that mocked both Esmela and the House of Herta, no matter how much she was the Princess.

While Esmela keeping her cool and logically refuting Yuria’s points would be the appropriate course of action, the current state of her composure seemed shaky at best.

I found myself anxiously shifting my gaze between the two, feeling utterly out of place.

I wanted to say something, but was it even right for a mere commoner like me to interrupt their conversation…?

“Enough.”

Just as I was about to open my mouth, prepared to risk divine retribution for my insolence, the King cut through the argument with a single command.

At the same moment, the nobles, who had been whispering to one another while ignoring the King, as well as the anxious Prince and Queen, all turned their gazes to him.

“Yuria. While I understand your concern for the Kingdom’s future, you have just made an inappropriate statement for this occasion.”

The King admonished Yuria in a grave tone.

“Apologize to the Young Lady of the House of Herta.”

“…I apologize. Esmela.”

Yuria’s nonchalant apology seemed as if nothing had happened.

I could faintly hear Esmela grinding her teeth beside me.

“Not at all. It’s fine.”

“I shall express my gratitude for your generosity, Esmela. However, since the Kingdom’s Princess has made such a statement in public, I must confirm it with the one involved as King.”

The King turned his gaze toward me.

“Lanit.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What do you think of the Princess’s proposal?”

I didn’t even need to look to know that Esmela was staring at me with anxious eyes, and Arit was caught in between looking utterly helpless.

“…I…”

Overcoming the tremendous pressure from their gazes locking onto me, I barely managed to speak.

“I am a servant of the House of Herta, and Esmela’s personal butler. Just as I have until now, I will continue to be.”

“…I see. Understood. Now that we have confirmed the wishes of the party involved, no one should speak of this matter flippantly again. Now then, Saintess, I have something to say to you next…”

Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack.

The sound of high heels echoed down the opulent hall of the Royal Palace.

“Young Lady, Young Lady!”

Arit and I rushed after Esmela, who was walking away with an uncharacteristically quick pace, as if she didn’t even have high heels on.

Despite calling her name multiple times, she continued to walk forward without looking back.

It wasn’t until we had spent some time leaving the palace that we ended up in a secluded garden.

“Lanit.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

She stopped and called for me.

“Is anyone around?”

“Uh… It seems there’s no one but us.”

“Alright… then… Hmph—”

Hold on,

“What does that Yuria b*tch think she’s doing!? What? She wants to throw Lanit into the Kingdom’s Army?”

“Young Lady!” “Esmela!”

Arit and I hurriedly dashed over to her, with me quickly covering Esmela’s mouth while Arit wrapped her arms around her waist, trying to calm her down.

“Ugh, mmm! I’ll kill her, mm! Let go!”

Even with my hand covering her mouth, I couldn’t completely stifle the dangerous language slipping out.

“Please, Young Lady, if someone hears this…”

After more than five minutes of us desperately trying to talk sense into her,

“Haa… Haa…”

Esmela finally managed to calm down.

“Okay, Young Lady. Please calm down. In the end, didn’t it all work out well?”

“Ugh… ugh…”

So angry that she could barely speak properly, she was just snorting like an enraged bull.

“…Lanit. What I said earlier is the truth.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“I mean that I will continue to work for Herta!”

“Oh. Yes, of course.”

“……Phew.”

Only after hearing my reply did Esmela exhale a long breath and say,

“Alright then, let’s head back.”

Without another word, she stormed away, not even glancing back at me.

—

In a room of the Royal Palace.

A pair of leather sofas faced each other across a low table.

Aside from some miscellaneous items, this reception room was quite ordinary for a royal palace.

On one side of the sofa sat the Prince, and behind him stood the Chamberlain, Duke Zeke, with an unhappy expression.

“Have you contacted him?”

“Yes. He should be here shortly.”

“Got it. Ugh…”

The Prince pressed his forehead, as if he had a splitting headache.

“What on earth was Yuria thinking…?”

The Prince lamented, recalling Yuria’s remark from earlier.

“Isn’t that why we called him here?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Still, I can’t make sense of the situation at all. Why did the King suddenly praise that commoner, and why are Yuria and Esmela bickering over the boy?”

Duke Zeke had witnessed the commotion firsthand as part of the noble gathering during the meeting with the King earlier.

“Well, you see…”

The Prince smirked slightly and was about to explain in response to the question.