Philip Zeri walked unhurriedly down the brightly lit corridors of Rockburg, looking at the nervous and dazed crowd of people running around him, and suddenly felt a little guilty about his too leisurely steps.

Tonight was a sleepless night for almost everyone in Rockburg. The coronation of the new king begins at dawn, and on the eve of such a momentous ceremony, no matter how well prepared it is, people are always anxious about what will go wrong, and they can't help but go through everything from beginning to end.

Fili could have had a good night's sleep. Since he no longer had to be Frederick's personal bodyguard, the coronation really didn't matter to him. But he had barely fallen asleep when he was awakened - Queen Moira had sent messengers to make him to Lockburg as soon as possible.

He could probably guess why. To be honest, he was reluctant, but it seemed too cruel to refuse the queen, who was in a difficult situation with heavy responsibilities, and could only drag his feet and crawl over.

The guard at the queen's door, apparently having been ordered, pushed open the door for him without notice, and a weary-looking maid led him to the queen, covering her mouth and yawning a little when she thought he was not paying attention.

Moira stood there straight, her eyes glazed over, resigned to the crowd of people looking for any flaws in her perfect gown that even the eyes of the elves might not see, filling the heart of Fili, who had bowed to her, with sympathy.

Filly ...... Sawari-sama. The Queen's tone quickly shifted between joy and restraint, "Forgive me for disturbing your sleep, but I need your help." ”

"Don't be so polite. Your Majesty. Filly scratched his beard, "You know I'm not good at this kind of 'you' come and 'you' go. If there's anything I can help, just let me know. ”

There was a smile on Moira's haggard face, and a smile flickered.

"I hope you will stay by Frederick's side again to protect him, as you did before...... Even if it's just for a month or two. She spoke frankly and sincerely. "Especially tonight, I think he needs you. ”

"Uh......" Fili smiled wryly, "I think you remember he pointed at my nose and told me to 'get out', right?"

He actually brought it on himself. Knowing that Frederick was resentful of Scott, he still said in a casual and disrespectful tone that he was "just a vexatious child...... His Royal Highness the Honourable Prince is very angry about this, and it is understandable. Although the result was a good one for him, it was an insult for a paladin. It's not that he cares much...... No, he still cares a little.

"I'm very sorry about that. Moira smiled awkwardly, "He's a bit headstrong...... But he believes in you, Filly, and no knight in Lockburg has the same trust. His guards told me that he had been having nightmares lately, and sometimes waking up screaming from his dreams...... I think he was too nervous. But I really didn't have time to be with him. ”

She looked at Fili with earnest eyes, and the bright blue eyes and the unreasonable or condescending posture of her as queen made it impossible to refuse.

“...... We're here to help. That's all Filly could answer.

The bedroom of His Royal Highness the Prince, who will become king tomorrow, is quiet. The boy did need a good rest to cope with the tedious rituals of the whole day tomorrow, but Filly doubted that he would really be able to fall asleep.

As soon as he reached the door, he heard an exclamation—not loud, not as if he was in danger, but as Moira had said, awakened from some nightmare.

The two knights in front of the door looked at each other, apparently hearing the sound, but not sure what to do, and then looked at Fili in unison. Clearly expecting him to come up with an idea.

Filly grinned and pushed the door open.

Dealing with a cocky and strong half-grown boy like Frederick, careful care will only make him more arrogant...... And he is also not good at "being careful".

"What's the matter, Your Highness?" he said, standing in the doorway, looking at the prince who instinctively raised his arms to shield his eyes from the light pouring in from outside the door. "Did you have a nightmare?

Though he had said that, he also scanned the room warily - the windows were tightly closed. The heavy curtains didn't move, and there didn't seem to be any danger hidden in the darkness.

“...... I didn't have nightmares!" Frederick lowered his arm. "Why are you here?", who allowed you to come in?!"

"Oh. Well, this one. Fili shrugged, "Just happened to be passing by." ”

Frederick glared at him, his face flushed with rage from frightened face.

His face looked terrible, and there were gray marks under his eyes—Fili realized to his chagrin that it did make him a little worried.

"Neither demons nor dragons will bother you tonight, Your Highness. His tone softened involuntarily, "You'd better sleep a little longer—the crown is heavy." ”

Frederick blinked, as if a little overwhelmed by his sudden tenderness. As Filly turned to leave the room, he suddenly whispered, "Filly!"

Fili stopped and looked back at him.

The boy bit his lip and froze for a long time, and without saying anything, he quickly pulled up the quilt and lay straight back.

Philip shook his head helplessly, shook out of the room, and closed the door casually.

He pondered for a moment, and suddenly realized that Frederick's exclamation sounded like "Father......

He beckoned one of the guards aside and asked in a low voice, "When did he start waking up in the middle of the night like this?"

He remembered that at least a little over a month ago, when he hadn't "gotten out," Frederick wouldn't wake up screaming at nightmares, even though it was hard to fall asleep and wake up easily.

Although the young guard was a knight born in the nobility, he was already familiar with Fili, and replied without hesitation: "About half a month ago. ”

"Is it like this every night?"

"Uh...... Sometimes it's a day or two apart. ”

“...... You haven't noticed anything else?"

The guard thought about it seriously, but still shook his head: "No." ”

“...... Really?" Fili raised an eyebrow, sensing his momentary hesitation.

"We really didn't find anything. The young man lowered his voice uneasily, "But many people say that Lockburg is haunted...... Sometimes the flame on the candle would suddenly rise so high that the person in the portrait would blink, and the maid who had been wounded by the king before would suddenly begin to bleed again from the wounds on her body...... They say that His Majesty's soul is still hovering here, because he is no longer able to go to the temple of the gods......"

Filly snorted and didn't say anything. He knew very well how bizarre and conclusive such rumors could be.

"However, if you stay here, there will probably be no ghosts near Your Highness...... Your Majesty...... Your Highness. The knight said.

His compliment seemed to be entirely sincere—which was probably why Moira called Fili out of the blue. Although he abandoned his status as a paladin and became a "loner" in front of many people, no one took it seriously since Ante's death - no, even before he died. He was still a high-ranking paladin with a holy light in the eyes of the people, and he even lived in the Temple of the Water God...... But it also saves Moira a a lot of embarrassment when she asks him to protect Frederick without Brooke's consent.

"You'll ...... Stay here, right?" asked the young knight, a little apprehensive, pulling Fili's thoughts back.

"Perhaps. He replied absent-mindedly, instinctively feeling that perhaps it was not as simple as a "haunting" without any basis.

After all...... Ante's sarcophagus is empty.

As the sun jumps out from behind the clouds, Lockburg rings with a loud bell.

The bells on all the bell towers throughout Stonebutch rang and reverberated over the city, and crowds of people poured into several of the city's larger squares. Lockburg could not accommodate it - and it was impossible to allow everyone to enter the palace for the coronation of the new king, but several squares were filled with sumptuous food and wine for everyone to cheer for the king when they were full.

There was a lot of opposition to her extravagance in the immediate aftermath of the war, but the queen's family was solid enough that she insisted that the king's coronation should not be a matter for the nobles alone.

Even the entire prison of Ruttgar was more than half empty, and all the prisoners captured during the war were released. After a brief period of chaos, peace and tranquility seem to return to the earth like the spring sun.

Fili stood in the corner of the Pomegranate Hall, watching Frederick walk down the bright red carpet to the throne in an overly heavy dress, but he felt a little uneasy.

The pomp and circumstance in front of him seemed to be just a fragile phantom that could be shattered at the touch of a button. Most of the people standing here with smiles on their faces are watching from the sidelines rather than celebrating the moment. The king was crowned not by the spokesman of any of the gods, but by the queen's father, Walter Carlos, Marquis of Scan, for there was no more respected elder in the Bofford family.

It also meant that Frederick's succession was not fully recognized by the Bofford family - as evidenced by the small number of family members in the Pomegranate Hall.

- "The crown is very heavy. ”

Fili remembered what he had casually said to Frederick, who was still a prince, last night, and wondered if he had felt the weight by now.

The Bofred crown was made of gold and rubies. The brambles and swords of gold surrounded the garnet-like red gemstones, and there were so many meanings in them that Filly couldn't remember, but there was one, and he remembered.

"Not afraid of bloodshed. ”

But whose blood is that? and...... Has enough blood been shed? .

(To be continued......)