The attendants all withdrew in quiet sorrow, leaving the royal bedchamber swiftly and softly.
Only after the chamber doors had been gently closed, and only after squinting to make sure everyone was truly gone, did Toma suddenly spring up from the bed in excitement.
"Yes! The plan worked! That boy agreed to the marriage alliance, and on top of that he brought the kingdom two more pillars in Irene and Brandish.
The kingdom will be safe for at least the next fifty years!"
After saying that, Toma planted his hands on his hips and burst into triumphant laughter.
He never noticed that beside him, after seeing him like this and hearing what he had just said, Hisui's expression had shifted from a moment of stunned disbelief into full-blown anger and indignation.
"Father!"
That shout startled Toma so badly that his whole body jerked.
Slowly turning around and seeing his daughter glaring at him with clenched teeth and eyes blazing with fury, Toma immediately realized things had gone very wrong.
"W-wait, wait, Hisui, your father had his reasons for this!"
"No matter what your reasons were, you should never have pretended to be ill and forced me into marriage with a man I had only known for a few hours!"
Hisui's heart was filled with fury at having been deceived.
If this had really been her father's dying wish, or if he had simply told her the truth from the very beginning and spoken to her honestly, then as the princess of the kingdom, she would naturally have understood his intentions and agreed to this marriage for the sake of Fiore.
But forcing such a marriage through by means of false illness, by such a shameless and underhanded trick, made her feel nothing but disgust.
She simply could not understand why her father would stoop to this.
"Listen to me, Hisui. At the time, my blood just rushed to my head. I thought, since two great blessings had already fallen into our lap, why not strike while the iron is hot and bind Kabe firmly to the royal family too?
And yet everything I said to him was also sincere.
Your father is already old. No one knows on which day the gods may decide to take me away.
If I were to die suddenly and leave you alone to face those cunning, slippery nobles by yourself, I truly could not rest easy."
When Hisui saw the silver now spreading more clearly through her father's hair, her heart tightened, and sadness crept into her despite herself.
She did not argue again.
Instead, she fell silent and listened to her father explain his plans.
"Kabe is a living strategic weapon among the Ten Wizard Saints. If you marry him, then at the very least, once I am gone, you will not have to worry about the kingdom falling into chaos.
More importantly, he is still so young. At this age, I genuinely cannot think of another young man more outstanding than him.
And after seeing someone as legendary as Kabe with your own eyes, could you still truly look favorably upon those so-called talented sons of noble houses and wealthy merchants?"
That single question left Hisui without any excuse to refute him.
Because Toma was right.
Ever since Kabe had risen to prominence, those noble youths who once could make Hisui's eyes brighten now seemed like little more than ordinary mediocrities.
"If you marry into some noble or merchant family, at most the royal house gains a little more land and a little more wealth.
But the royal family already does not lack those things. What does it matter if we gain a bit more money or territory?
Kabe is different. He represents the extreme of personal power, the very pinnacle of a mage.
What flows in his body is the bloodline of strength the royal family needs most.
The moment you two marry, that bloodline becomes part of the Fiore family.
Your future child would then possess not only the kingdom's greatest lands and wealth, but also the most extraordinary magical talent.
A successor like that would guarantee the kingdom's prosperity for at least a hundred years!"
Toma poured out the reasons he valued Kabe so highly, explaining them one by one to Hisui without holding anything back.
He knew very well that such blunt words might wound his daughter, yet he still chose to speak them plainly.
And that was only because Hisui was not merely his child. She was the princess of this kingdom, the heir of the Fiore family.
For the sake of the kingdom and the family's continued prosperity, one often had to sacrifice even the personal happiness of one's own daughter.
That was also a truth Hisui had been taught since childhood and one she understood all too well.
Because of that, sensible as she was, Hisui did not feel as though she had become some pitiful victim sacrificed for marriage.
Instead, she felt grateful to Toma.
Because she knew that Kabe was already the finest partner her father could possibly have found for her after the most careful consideration.
"...I understand, Father. I am the princess of this kingdom. These responsibilities are mine to bear."
Hisui gave him that promise with unwavering resolve.
Toma felt a pang of heartache, but at the same time he was deeply pleased by how mature and sensible his daughter had become.
"There is no need to keep acting for my sake now. Go find Kabe. In your capacity as princess, confer upon him the title of count and choose for him a rich and fertile domain.
Then, in your capacity as his fiancée, spend time with him properly and slowly cultivate some affection between you."
After that, Toma went on to give a long list of instructions, including many details regarding the rewards and honors to be granted not only to Kabe, but also to Irene and even Brandish.
Hisui listened to every word carefully and committed it all to memory.
But even as she did, she could not help feeling nervous, and faintly shy as well, about how she was supposed to face Kabe from this point onward.