Moonlight Ball - Chapter 187

In the midst of making the worst choices somewhere, Sidrain was navigating the ebb and flow of life’s ups and downs. Without Iris, he would have become a king consumed by the madness of revenge. But with Iris by his side, how was he holding up?

“I’m perfectly fine!” Iris declared, her protective husband fussing over her to the point of irritating the pregnant woman.

“Who’s there to harm me in all this chaos? Seriously, everyone, chill!”

Iris, being pregnant, was naturally not the epitome of stability. Yet, facing everyone’s stifling concern, she was truly on the verge of losing it. In fact, if there was anyone outdoing Sidrain in overprotectiveness, it was Elena.

“No high heels, Iris. Wear flats,” advised Elena, one step ahead in the overprotective game.

And surpassing even her were the ladies-in-waiting, the queen’s messengers.

“Shall we just carry you on a palanquin?” Their desire was succinctly expressed in one sentence: Don’t go. However, despite knowing exactly which way they were pushing her, Iris stubbornly donned her black dress.

Today marked the day when four of her knights, who had died for her, were being commemorated. Breaking the rule of not attending the funerals of her subjects, Iris planned to be present at their ceremony. She could attend, but the king couldn’t. He hadn’t even attended the funerals of high-ranking officials, let alone the funerals of the queen’s knights. So, Sidrain…

He was currently donning red armor. The idea was for him to become one of the queen’s messengers. Of course, Sidrain’s imposing stature made him stand out, but he couldn’t care less. If he didn’t attend as a king, so be it.

Iris, in a perfect and beautiful black dress for the occasion, holding a bouquet of white lilies and wearing a veil partially covering her face, slowly made her way to the funeral. The queen’s procession was solemn and dignified; no one dared to shout in the queen’s presence. She was on her way to the funeral for the servants who sacrificed for her sake.

Since Iris had asserted that she would attend, the four knights were honored to have their funeral at the Lux Nacrean Cathedral instead of the Royal Mausoleum. It wasn’t a royal-level funeral, but it was close. Everyone praised it as an honor, and the knights’ families gladly accepted the arrangement.

However, Iris couldn’t bring herself to think that way.

They died. Horribly. People said their bodies were in such a state that they were unbearable to look at. They could have escaped. They could have pretended to be defeated. If they were that injured, they could have just fallen. Yet, until the very end, they fought with all their might. One more person tried to protect her, even though she could feel every corpse reaching out towards her. She knew exactly where that was.

Am I really that valuable?

No, there’s no one in this world worth that much.

“…Master.”

Seeing Elaine standing at the funeral, Iris widened her eyes. In response, Elaine smiled slowly.

“Those who protected you, aren’t they?”

Iris rushed towards Elaine and embraced him. As Iris’ blonde hair fluttered in the air, a knight in red armor quickly reached out but withdrew his hand from the empty space. Ah, damn it. Elaine is the tricky one. He muttered under his breath, and all the knights turned their attention to him. The king’s favoritism was well-known, and his possessiveness was equally intense. Besides, wasn’t he the one trying to take away the queen, even going as far as to bring her to trial?

But Iris wasn’t thinking about such matters at the moment. She ran to Elaine, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hung onto her.

“I always believed we would meet again, Master.”

Iris, tearfully speaking, embraced Elaine firmly, albeit carefully considering her pregnant state.

“I never doubted it either.”

Iris nodded her head repeatedly, multiple times.

The funeral was grand and beautiful. Iris gently placed her bouquet little by little in the caskets where the four knights lay. The bouquet, when the ribbon was untied, was separated into four parts, and she placed lily bouquets for each knight. Strong and valiant knights of mine. I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry for making you die because of me. When she placed the last bouquet, Iris had to bite her lips so hard that it hurt. The taste of blood lingered in her mouth. If she didn’t bite that hard, she felt she might burst into tears.

“If it’s alright, I would like to offer blessings to the knights.”

Upon Iris’s words, the heads of the families and ladies-in-waiting all bowed to her. It was a fact that it was difficult to escape the responsibility, regardless of how they died, since they died protecting the queen. However, Iris hadn’t even considered such circumstances. She ran to Elaine, wrapped her arms around her neck, and clung to her.