If I Throw Myself into His Sea - Episode 2.15

The undersea palace was entirely solemn in the face of welcoming the envoys. Only those belonging to the royal family could attend the welcoming of the envoys. Accordingly, the queen and the royal attendants waited for them, each hiding their trembling. The royal orchestra also prepared perfectly, tuning their respective instruments.

“Hoo……”

As the monarch, who had gone out to greet the envoys in the distance, was seen returning, the members of the undersea palace, lined up in front of the banquet hall, swallowed hard one by one.

“They’re coming.”

“……Yeah.”

Atina whispered softly to Irene, who was at the head of the line. Irene replied briefly and maintained her composure.

‘I mustn’t be conscious of it.’

This place was where she had to act not as a princess, who was the shame of the Epin royal family, but as the queen of the undersea kingdom of Deltia. This meant that she must not let anyone see any signs of anxiety or fear.

Irene clasped her trembling hands. She narrowed her eyes and stared at the envoy group following Pereian Richard. As the distance narrowed, the appearance of the envoy group came into view.

Because Irene was originally hidden by the Epin royal family, very few people came and went to the basement, which was her residence.

Irene had remembered the few faces that had visited her since she was young. Even if she didn’t want to recall them, their contemptuous gazes remained forever etched in her mind. So, if any of them had come down to this sea by order of her royal father, she would surely recognize them.

Irene scanned their faces, filled with worry.

“Ah…”

Finally, she sighed in relief. Fortunately, it seemed that none of those who had treated Irene harshly were among them.

After examining the faces of the delegation one by one, she felt a sense of relief. With a much lighter heart, Irene straightened her posture and clasped her hands together. Soon, Pereian and the delegation would set foot in the underwater palace.

As the delegation approached, the bubbles created by Pereian’s magic obscured her vision.

With the sudden scent of the sea, Irene closed her eyes and counted as if counting seconds.

One. She heard the sound of Pereian’s horse kicking the water with its hooves.

Two. “Wow…” Perhaps the delegation had almost arrived, as the servants stirred at the sight of them.

Three. The sound of hooves stopped, as if they had ceased moving. Irene opened her closed eyes and looked for Pereian.

Four. Irene and Pereian’s eyes met.

There were about four or five envoys from Epin lined up behind Pereian, but the moment she opened her eyes, the only one in her sight was the monarch of Deltia.

Five. Irene spent what felt like an eternity, a full second, gazing at her husband before slowly turning her eyes towards the envoys.

With Pereian’s gesture, cheers erupted from the royal family. Sipri suddenly appeared beside Pereian. Judging by the shape of the engraved magic circle, he had clearly used teleportation magic.

“Welcome the lord and the envoys of the Epin royal family!”

Sipri’s shout rang out, and at the same time, the orchestra began to play the national anthem of Deltia.

The grand and magnificent sound of the instruments enveloped everyone. It was a piece they had all played and practiced for this day alone.

Irene felt a sense of pride and smiled faintly. Sipri moved his hands in time with the music.

The magic power emanating from his fingertips gradually took shape and fluttered around the envoys.

Everyone waiting in front of the hall followed the magic Sipri was displaying with their eyes. Irene did the same. Sipri’s appearance made her feel much less tense.

“Thank you for coming such a long way.”

Irene slowly shifted her gaze from Sipri to the envoys, offering a welcoming greeting, but suddenly stopped abruptly. Fortunately, the music drowned out her interrupted words, so no one seemed to notice.

“…”

Irene bit her lip in a flustered manner, as if she had forgotten how to breathe. Her gaze was fixed on the person at the head of the envoy group.

“You.”

Irene stammered, as if she couldn’t believe the identity of the person staring intently at her from behind Pereian and Sipri.

“You, why are you here?”

She moved as if possessed. Her voice sounded tearful, but none of the attendants beside her stopped her. They seemed to think she was simply approaching to greet the envoy. Only Pereian and Sipri, who were directly facing her and observing Irene’s expression, were questioning her inexplicable behavior.

“Your Majesty.”

It was as Sipri reached out to assess Irene’s condition.

“It’s been a while, Irene.”

A strange man’s voice from within the envoy group was heard behind Sipri. The speaker matched the person Irene’s gaze was fixed upon. A man with a striking, yet refreshing impression smiled at Irene. His reddish hair was neatly styled.

“Have you been well?”

“……”

“…Why do you seem thinner?”

Because the anthem of Deltia was still echoing, only those in the immediate vicinity of Irene and the strange man could hear their conversation. Irene, having passed Pereian and Sipri, walked to the front of the envoy group and stood there.

“Pereian, Her Majesty…”

“Wait.”

Sipri tried to stop her in the sudden situation, but Pereian thwarted him. He grabbed Sipri’s arm, which was extended towards Irene, and silently watched the situation unfold. Irene and the man were exchanging glances without a word.

After a moment of silence, Irene finally looked up at the man and parted her lips. She seemed to be choosing the words that were about to pour out.

“Aren’t you glad to see me? Why no greeting?”

“…Rupel, is that really you?”

“Yeah. I came all the way to the sea, me.”

Another silence fell after the man’s reply. Irene bit her lip, seemingly overwhelmed. The man called Rupel briefly raised his hand to tidy Irene’s hair, but, conscious of Pereian and Sipri, immediately lowered it. Pereian observed the whole scene.

Irene and Rupel exchanged glances again. It was a look that held years of history, and Sipri didn’t dare to intervene. It was a feeling of being overwhelmed by the longing they shared.

“You, how did you end up here?”

Irene spoke again. Her voice was a mixture of emotion and unease. Rupel, who was about to answer immediately, hesitated, shifting his gaze to Pereian.

“Why did you come as an envoy, Rupel?”

When he didn’t answer right away, Irene asked again, her anxiety growing.

‘There’s no way Father would have sent Rupel here without a reason.’

There must be a hidden reason why he sent Rupel to Deltia. Irene stared at Rupel with worried eyes, unaware of Pereian’s piercing gaze fixed on her.

“His Majesty simply chose me as the envoy.”

Rupel, alternating his gaze between Pereian, the King of Deltia, and Irene, who had become the Queen, slowly added,

“I am your close aide, after all.”

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