I Married the Beautiful Female Protagonist In Order To Survive

64. Reclaim Our Glory!

The Moon Fairy Eilis’s “Discord” didn’t seem to involve any malice towards the Queen, it seemed. From start to finish, I didn’t detect any “script” where Eilis wanted to see the Queen “done in.” This gave me at least some piece of mind.

However, though she harbored no ill will toward the Queen, just as I suspected, Eilis, under the influence of “Discord,” wanted to do everything she could to stop us, the Queen especially, from disturbing her. Sure enough, not long after the Queen returned, Eilis found some excuse to “arrange” for the Queen to be taken care of, soft imprisonment more specifically. And, naturally, that meant that Ceffel and I could no longer move freely.

Well…

Then we simply wouldn’t move freely. The Queen also needed a little time to indulge in a royal “full set of treatments” which she had been deprived of for so long, to recover the loss after having to live life as a simple commoner girl for the past few days. And Ceffel and I had other things to do too…

After confirming that the Queen’s movements were, in fact, restricted, Ceffel and I… ignored the whole situation, and happily returned to Ceffel’s house. After traveling for so long with Ceffel, we had to report back to Uncle Zerola that we were safe and sound upon returning to the Britannian Empire’s capital, right?

So it was, that, when we met Ceffel’s father again, we were greeted by an imposing uncle who, while looking slightly stern, maintained a positive attitude towards us.

“Father, you don’t seem pleased?”

“Surely you don’t expect me to greet you with a grin and a bow?”

My gaze fell upon the old man, hands clasped behind his back as he stared out the window. His demeanor was that of a “dignified elder welcoming his juniors.” No malice, but a world apart from the uncle I remembered.

It was as if he’d awoken from a slumber, determined to reclaim his role as some “domineering, cool, and aloof” alpha. And *this*… was the “purpose” behind Kleffir and my urgent return, our reunion with Uncle Zerola.

Like Professor Moriarty, the old man had succumbed to “turmoil.” From what Moriarty had described, Uncle seemed desperate to “reclaim his glory,” to recapture the shadow of his former dragon-slaying self. To that end, he wholeheartedly endorsed every decision made by the moon elves, practically bursting with eagerness to prove his worth to the Britannian Empire.

Just as Kleffir and I were witnessing.

Letting him indulge this fantasy wouldn’t be so bad, but… forgive me, Uncle, if we let you continue this alpha act, the entire “era” would descend into chaos. Kleffir and I had to cleanse you of this “turmoil” immediately.

Lost in thought, my lingering seemed to have aroused his suspicion. He turned, a hint of “authority” laced within his tone.

“What are you two still doing here? Be about your business. Kleffir, there’s unrest afoot in the Britannian Empire, but you are not to go gallivanting about. Understood?”

“…”

Kleffir practically rolled her eyes at her father.

As for me, though I knew the old man was under the influence of “turmoil,” I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of “sympathy” – a former dragon-slayer reduced to a henpecked husband, forced to stash his petty cash beneath his insoles. In him, I saw a glimpse of my future…

But enough musing. It was time to get down to brass tacks.

Kleffir shook her head. “Father, we’re not back to stay. We simply passed through to offer our greetings and inform you of our next destination.”

She paused, meeting his gaze. Honestly, his “turmoil” was rather underwhelming. Kleffir, fully aware of his state, seemed hardly tense, as if she merely viewed it as her father “acting up again.”

“I plan to travel to the elven Kingdom of Prussia with Euclid.”

An excursion – a fabrication, of course. So long as the Queen remained within the capital, Kleffir and I couldn’t stray too far. But for the old man, the mere mention of “traveling abroad” triggered a reaction!

“What!?”

He spun around, his stern expression clearly conveying that her father was no longer the man she knew.

“Kleffir, I just told you: stay put!”

“! “

This time, Kleffir couldn’t help but grow anxious. It seemed like an age since she’d seen her father genuinely angry. Perhaps that’s why a hint of defiance crept in. She promptly disregarded our initial plan, furrowed her brow, and prepared to demand an explanation.

“Father! Look at yourself! Don’t you find your behavior… strange!?”

“Strange!? It’s *you* who’s acting strangely, dragging your cousin around!”

Her simple interrogation yielded nothing. As with Professor Moriarty, this level of “turmoil” couldn’t be resolved with gentle reminders.

And… not to demean the old man, but… he wasn’t Moriarty. Expecting him to “calm down” on his own was, well… a bit optimistic.

“The Britannian Empire is not your playground! Look what you’ve been doing with your cousin!?”

He waved his hand dismissively, about to say more, but ultimately he just glared at Kleffir, then shook his head in frustration and turned to leave.

“In any case, neither of you are going anywhere! The Empire has big plans in the works! Euclid, if you have any sense, keep Kleffir from running amok! Otherwise, if she gets into trouble, even I won’t be able to protect you, Kleffir!”

“And don’t even think about whisking your sister Queen anywhere. She’s not leaving the capital. And as Iris told you, don’t think about ‘saving her’. That will only hurt her more!”

“Stay put in the royal capital. The adults will take over and clean up this mess you youngsters have created!”

Having spoken his piece, the uncle didn’t even deign to acknowledge Keffier’s reaction, simply walking away.

Handsome? Of course, handsome. Got that icy father vibe down pat.

Dragon-Emperor-esque? Naturally. Seems our uncle’s finally rediscovered his old spark.

But…

“Keffier, right now Uncle is in a state of ‘disarray.’ We just need to ‘nudge’ him. Don’t overthink it beyond that.”

“Mmm… I understand. Some ‘scores’ can wait until later to settle with that old scoundrel.”

Still… Uncle…

The moment your ‘disarray’ is lifted… you better have a damn good plan to appease your daughter here. Until then, indulge your Dragon-Emperor fantasies. After all, some things… can only be resolved by ‘you-as-you-are-now’.”