Final Chapter: The Duke’s Daughter’s Happiness

Final Chapter:
The Duke’s Daughter’s Happiness

 

AFTER I RETURNED to Armelia, I reassumed my position as governor. Truth be told, my duties didn’t change from what they had been before. I spent every day at my desk, swamped with work. However, it was much easier to accomplish things now that I didn’t have to worry about outside interference.

I received an official announcement that Leticia would be crowned queen. Her coronation would be held in one year, after the mourning period for Alfred reached the end of its course. I would attend the coronation as governor of Armelia. It would be my first official event since I formally became head of House Armelia, so in other words, it would be my debut as well.

One year. I let out a sigh. Several months had already passed since Dean’s death. It felt like such a long time. At times the pain would wash over me, just as Mother had said it would. But I cherished even that pain; it was proof of how deeply I’d loved him.

“Where are you going, my lady?”

I was walking out the door of my study when I ran into Tanya, who was holding a stack of documents. “Just out for a walk.”

“Then I shall come with y—”

“No need. I’ll stay on the grounds.” I smiled and left her there, then proceeded outside.

The spring air enveloped me like a warm embrace. I stretched and my joints made a series of unseemly popping noises. I got so tense sitting at a desk all day. Taking in the beautiful gardens soothed my heart. I gazed up at the clear blue sky.

“Are you up there somewhere, Dean?” I whispered aloud, clutching my pocket watch. I knew it was the stuff of fairy tales, but I really did believe our loved ones watched over us from above after they were gone. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I clung to the belief because I wanted it to be true.

“No, I’m not up there.”

All of a sudden, someone answered me. The voice was familiar, and hearing it made my entire body freeze. I didn’t want to believe it was true.

“It can’t be…” I thought I must be hallucinating, and although I trembled with happiness, my rational mind told me to calm down.

Yet the voice continued. “Forgive me, my lady. I told you so many lies.”

Tears streamed down my face. It wasn’t a hallucination. It wasn’t an illusion. My voice quavered as I asked, “What kind of lies?”

“Too many to count. I lied about my family, that I was the son of a merchant. I lied when I pretended to be fine after hearing of your proposal. Most of all…I lied about being dead.”

“I don’t care about any of that!”

I turned and ran into his arms. He was here. It was really him. Alfred Dean Tasmeria. I broke down in sobs when I felt his warmth and heard the sound of his heartbeat. He was alive. He was really alive!

“The only thing I ever wanted was for you to be alive!” I cried.

He wrapped his arms around me. I knew it wasn’t my imagination that his hands were shaking. Overcome by emotion, I squeezed him tighter. I wanted the certainty that he was really there. We embraced in this way, sharing each other’s heat. I’d missed him—I had missed him so much! So much that I couldn’t even bear it. I thought I would never see him again, yet I’d still yearned for him and clung to his memory.

“But…how?”

“It’s true that I was struck by a stray arrow,” he said. “And indeed, I almost died. Thanks to the efforts of my physician, I was revived. However, news of my death had already spread to the capital before I woke.”

“Goodness! Well, are you all right? Are you in pain?”

“I’m fine now; I’m fully recovered,” he said with a smile.

I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness…”

“The only person who knows that I was revived is the doctor who treated me… And he’s agreed to keep my secret.”

“But why?”

“Letty told me I wasn’t suited to be king and to withdraw because she wanted the throne. So, it all worked out for the best in the end.” Dean laughed with amusement. “She told me to do as I pleased. So I decided I wanted to return to my old work.”

Dean reached up to his cheek where my hand rested and clasped it with his own. “My whole life, I thought my only options were to become king or die. There was no other path. Everything I did was in pursuit of assuming the throne, and I pulled everyone around me into that same end.”

I listened quietly as he poured his heart out to me.

“But…I was different when I was here. I didn’t think about those things. I simply, purely enjoyed working with you.”

“Dean…” It sounded very much like a confession of love. My heart pounded out of control as I listened to him.

“I hoped, I prayed for a different future. One we had never seen before, the kind we dreamed about building together.” He squeezed my hand tighter. “Until now, I only worked for you under a short-term contract. But I want to transition to a more permanent position. Is there room here for a ghost like me?”

“Dean! Yes, of course!”

The world at large thought him dead, so he had no social standing. I didn’t care. After everything I had been through and the despair I had endured, a bit of trouble like this was nothing at all.

Dean knelt in front of me, still holding my hand, almost like a knight would before a princess in a fairy tale.

“Wha—Dean?!” It all happened so quickly that I didn’t know what to do.

He smiled at me and shook his head. Then he gazed up at me, a strong light in his eyes. It was absolutely captivating. “I love you.”

My whole mind went blank. The words were simple. But so much emotion resonated in them that tears streamed endlessly down my face.

“I’ve lied to you so many times. I’m nothing but a ghost now, with no social standing, a man who can never appear as myself in public. But I truly love you. I know I will be a great burden, but I can’t give up on you. I want to walk by your side forever. Will you spend the rest of your life with me?”

My cheeks flushed as he spoke. I was so happy, my heart felt like it would burst. “That’s all you’re worried about?” I took his hand.

“What do you mean, ‘that’s all’? There are multiple serious considerations. First of all, a man of uncertain parentage and no social standing is unfit to marry a head of house. On top of that, I have royal blood and a rightful claim to the throne. As I said, I could never be seen by those who might recognize me.”

“That’s not important to me, Dean. What’s important is that we can be together! I thought you were dead! So compared to that, anything else is trivial! It’s a miracle that you’re here with me now. Also…”

I pulled him up to his feet and threw my arms around him. His eyes widened with surprise.

“Also, you could have chosen the crown over me. Even if you had come back as the king, I’m already head of House Armelia. I have no intention of giving that up, and I don’t want to either. No matter how much I love you.”

“Iris…”

“Listen, Dean. I’m a truly troublesome woman. I love you, but I’m greedy. I can’t change the path that I’m walking down. I love this place and all the people who live here.” I wouldn’t give that up, no matter how much I loved him.

“That’s one of the reasons why I love you,” he said with a smile.

“Dean…”

We gazed at each other, consumed by our reflections in each other’s eyes.

“Promise me one thing,” I said, and his gaze grew focused. “I can’t bear going through that again. Please don’t ever tell me a lie that will make me cry.” I had gone through such pain. It had hurt so badly that it was like my heart had been ripped in two. I couldn’t bear it a second time.

“Of course. I’ll never lie to you again.” This time, Dean caressed my cheek. I turned into his touch, resting my face against it.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you too,” I said. “I want to be closer to you than anyone because…I love you.”

I was finally able to say it. Those three words were so simple, but they contained so much emotion. Saying them left me so satisfied and relieved.

Dean leaned toward me, and I closed my eyes. We kissed.

I love him.

I was so grateful that he was alive, and for everything that had happened. A violent surge overcame my heart. I was exploding with emotion, so much so that I wanted to scream. I wanted to make every part of him mine. I couldn’t think about anything else. As I verged on losing myself in those feelings, I hoped that he felt the same about me.

We slowly stepped apart from each other. “W-we should probably go back.” I said shyly, afraid that we would be swept away in these emotions.

“You’re right,” he agreed, his face slightly pink. It was so adorable that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I know that everyone will welcome you back with open arms. They were devastated when they heard you had died.”

“I’m not sure… The people in Borsa will probably think I clawed my way out of hell just to torture them.”

“Good point.”

We held hands. A smile crept across my face as I felt the warmth from his fingertips. My heart was warm too, knowing I’d be able to walk by his side forever now. “Let’s go, Dean!”

“All right.”

 

***

 

Several years later, Dean and I were happily married and spending our days together. The only people who knew his true identity were my family and Leticia, and my childhood friends who worked with me. Our official public statement was that I had married a commoner. Of course, things were quite hectic leading up to our marriage. My family had no objections, but the nobility had plenty to say. More specifically, there was a barrage of demands from families that I should marry their second or third sons.

But with Leticia’s support and that of the nobles who didn’t want Armelia becoming any more powerful than it already was, we were finally able to wed.

For obvious reasons, it was a small ceremony, just us and both of our families, as well as some close attendants. That didn’t matter to me. The most important thing was that we were together. Our happiest guest of all seemed to be the queen dowager, Iria. She broke into sobs during our ceremony and had to keep taking deep breaths. She said we had finally made her long-held dream come true, but I wasn’t sure what that meant exactly. Dean did let out a chuckle.

Things were going smoothly with my work as the governor too. That made sense, given that there was no longer anyone to undermine my endeavors as Ed had when he was in charge. What’s more, I had Dean by my side as my adviser. Our ambitions were realized much faster once he officially took on that role. The people who celebrated his new job the most were those who worked in Borsa. They had tearfully welcomed him back after his return…although I’m sure they knew that meant things were about to get busier.

Of course, that didn’t mean life was problem-free. It seemed the word “peaceful” didn’t exist in the vocabulary of my life. Even so, my staff were the most hardworking people in history, and we somehow made it.

At present, the most populated city in all of Tasmeria was located in Armelia. Cutting-edge innovations were developed at the academy and put into practice in marketplaces and businesses. Schools and hospitals were established in cities across the duchy so that every citizen could learn how to read or receive treatment when they fell sick or were injured.

Marketplaces were filled with exotic goods from Acacia, delighting the customers. Our alliance with Acacia was thriving, and thanks to our good relationship, they passed on new technology and advances they developed to Armelian shores.

The Azuta Corporation had become one of the leading companies in Tasmeria, and one of the largest as well. We were planning to expand our operations to Acacia. Khadir and I still exchanged letters. From time to time, he would send another impassioned request for me to move to Acacia, so it seemed he hadn’t quite given up on me yet. Of course, he framed it not romantically but as a business proposal.

Even so, every time Dean found one of those letters, he got a bit grumpy. It was my little secret that I thought his reaction was incredibly adorable.

Back in the capital, Leticia was doing an incredible job as the kingdom’s first true queen, with Berne by her side. Much to my surprise, they were married a couple of years after she took the throne. I still remember my shock when I heard the news. Dean told me he had a hunch that would happen, but neither of us had thought they would actually marry. However, the most shocking thing was that Leticia was the one who proposed! When I asked her what had made her fall for Berne, she replied, “His sensitivity, and the way he thinks,” whatever that meant. I didn’t want to ask anything else, so I didn’t press the matter.

“I’ve brought you some tea, my lady.”

“Tanya! I told you before that you don’t need to do that!” Tanya, my trusted secretary and incredibly skilled spy, was presently with child. The father was Dida! When she announced she was getting married, it sent shock waves through the mansion, but that settled down once they found out the identity of her husband-to-be.

“I can manage this much, my lady. Besides, a little exercise is good for us.”

“Who was it that always scolded me about not working while I was pregnant?” I glared at her, and her eyes darted around for a moment before she relented.

“My apologies. I promise I’ll go rest after I put this down.”

“Good. Why don’t you go ahead and rest right there?” I pointed to the comfortable chair in my study that I kept for guests.

Tanya visibly hesitated. “But…”

“It’s fine. I don’t have any other appointments today anyway. It’s an order from the governor! I want you to rest for a bit.”

“Very well, then, if you insist.”

After Tanya sat down, I walked over to her and caressed her belly. “I’m so excited to meet this little one.”

“So am I. If you would allow it…I would love for my child to serve your children once they get older.” Tanya smiled shyly as she rubbed her own stomach.

“Let’s leave that up to them,” I answered with a wry smile.

There was a glint in her eye. “So you’d give your permission?”

“Yes… Yes, of course. I know that I can trust a child of yours and Dida’s implicitly.”

“I’m honored. I’ll train our children well, so that they can serve you and your family, my lady. I hope you’ll look forward to it.”

“Y-yes, of course.” She was so emphatic that I found myself agreeing.

After Tanya rested for a while, she excused herself from my study, but I had another visitor. “Mother!”

“Why, hello, Elpis!” It was my child, my son with Dean. Elpis had inherited his beautiful silver hair and his eye color from me, but his handsome features were all his father’s. “What is it? Why are you alone?” I asked.

Just then, Dean came into the room.

“Now, Elpis, how many times have I told you that you mustn’t wander around where the business is conducted?” He scolded our son as he carried our baby daughter, Luce, in his arms. She was finally starting to hold her head up on her own. She was the opposite of Elpis; she had Dean’s hair and eye color, but she looked exactly like me in every other way.

“Hello, Luce!” I held my arms out toward her, and she happily lay in my embrace. I smiled as I caressed her head. “You certainly love watching us work, don’t you, Elpis?”

“Yes! It’s really neat!”

“Is it, now?”

“Yes. It’s wonderful seeing everyone work so hard for our people. There aren’t any super strong heroes like in fairy tales or anything, but when everyone works together, they have the strength of a hero! Don’t you think that’s just lovely?”

Elpis was a precocious child, although I supposed that shouldn’t have surprised, given his parents. Dean said he had been just like that as a boy, so perhaps they also had similar personalities.

“Yes, I do! Do you think you’d like to work like them someday, Elpis?”

“Yes!” he answered enthusiastically.

I smiled and reached down to pat his head. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m especially looking forward to the day when you understand that this work is more than just wonderful. It’s a very important responsibility.”

“Your mother’s right. Right now, your desire to work here doesn’t sound very serious, but one day, you’ll—”

“We’re not saying you can’t do it, Elpis. Actually, I think it’s great that you already know what you want to do with your life, because you’re still a child.” My son blinked at me. “Childhood aspirations are so special because they aren’t calculated. I think it’s wonderful to find something you purely enjoy. But you must work hard to achieve the things you want in life. Once opportunities become very real, if you still decide you wish to go down this path, then you should do so with all your might. If you decide to go down a different path, then do that instead. The most important thing is to give everything your all.”

“I will. I’ll work very hard, Mother!”

“Not too hard, though. I’ll be sad if you grow up too quickly! I want to enjoy my adorable little Elpis for a while longer.” Both Elpis and Dean laughed. “Elpis, Dean… Go ahead and call me a doting mother, I don’t care!”

“I-I don’t think that at all, Mother! I’m happy you said it!” Elpis frantically started, then finished with a shy smile.

I couldn’t help but smile back at him. Our son and daughter were the most adorable children in the whole world.

Dean lifted Elpis into his arms. “Is being a doting parent a bad thing? Because I know I am. Actually, I’m also a doting husband. How could I not be, with the smartest, most beautiful wife in the whole world? I’m a doting father because she bore us the most beautiful children in the whole world too.”

“Dean…”

“Would my lovely wife care to take a break from work and spend some family time together?”

“I think I’ll take my lovely husband up on that offer. None of this work is urgent, and I can fill you in on it later. Oh, I know! Let’s eat some of Merida’s goodies that she sent up for me and take a break together!”

We both held a child in our arms and walked closely together, happy smiles on our faces.

 

***

 

Armelia continued to grow and develop at breakneck speed. The story of Iris Lana Armelia was passed down through generations as the ancestor who rejuvenated the family dynasty. Her impressive number of accomplishments included establishing a banking institution, making education compulsory and free of charge, tax reform, developing medical treatments and insurance, and the strengthening of roads and infrastructure.

It would take another century before these reforms were implemented across the world. Nevertheless, she was hailed throughout history as a remarkable genius for introducing these important measures that improved quality of life for the people.

Armelia’s development and ingenuity was a blessing to Tasmeria, which also experienced shocking growth.

Iris was further famous for having married for love, which was incredibly unusual for someone of her status. Her husband’s parentage was shrouded in mystery, but the story went that he always supported her from the shadows, and his talents rivaled her own. Historians believe he might have served the Armelian family at one time or another, as there were no records of him ever objecting to Iris’s plans. Nevertheless, the story of their true love, one that crossed the boundary of class, became the inspiration for an untold number of romance novels, capturing the hearts of young women even today.

Countless stories and legends feature the passionate duke’s daughter, who adored her citizens and was in turn adored by them. The name Iris Lana Armelia will be etched upon the hearts of the Armelian people forevermore.