The Story I Wanted to Keep Hidden
Jinhyeok swallowed dryly, his fingers fidgeting.
It couldn't be helped.
Elysia was personally brewing tea for him in an exquisite porcelain cup.
She was none other than the Queen of England.
He'd feel uncomfortable even if his own grandmother were doing this for him—how could he not be restless in a situation like this?
"You're Yoo Jinhyeok, correct?"
Perhaps noticing his unease, Elysia spoke first.
"Yes."
With a gentle smile, Elysia studied Jinhyeok's face.
"If the Prime Minister were to find out about this, he'd be terribly jealous. I hear he's been searching quite earnestly—mobilizing MI6 and all sorts of gifted individuals skilled in tracking."
It surely wasn't just Britain.
Every nation had its eyes blazing as they searched for a Runner.
"Don't worry. I won't boast about it or anything. A secret gains value only when one keeps it alone. And you needn't worry about the others who know your identity—everyone here has worked with me for a long time. They know how to keep their mouths shut."
"Haha… Thank you."
Elysia handed him the teacup.
A refined, fragrant aroma filled the air.
Elia—his 3,271-year-old friend—used to say this often.
That tea should be savored with the nose before the mouth.
Back then, Jinhyeok had thought it was just age talking, but now he felt he understood a little of what she meant.
'Mmm.'
He took a small sip.
The aroma spread through his mouth.
Jinhyeok closed his eyes and lingered on the taste for a long moment before nodding.
'Vanilla latte still tastes better.'
Seems tea really does require a certain age to appreciate.
"Thank you for taking your time to savor it like that," Elysia said, having taken a sip herself.
"This tea has been supplied exclusively to the British royal family for a very long time. The cultivar is now extinct, so it can no longer be produced. What you and I just drank was the very last of it."
'What?'
His hand froze.
He hadn't realized it was something so precious.
There was no way he could ever admit he preferred vanilla latte.
"Please keep it a secret from Sophia. I originally planned to drink it with my granddaughter after the coronation."
"I'll take this secret to my grave."
With a solemn expression, he took another sip.
Perhaps because he now knew how rare it was, it somehow tasted even better than before.
"But it truly is astonishing. The famous Runner turned out to be so young and refined. You seem so far removed from combat."
"I hear that a lot. People say I look like soft tofu, the type who should just stay in a room and type on a keyboard."
A smile spread across Elysia's face.
As expected of Her Majesty.
Even her smile carried dignity.
Letting out a soft breath, Elysia leaned back into her chair.
"The world is full of surprises. A Runner I never imagined I'd meet ended up saving me—and the British royal family."
At that point, Elysia adopted a playful expression.
"The entire royal family is deeply troubled, you see. We can't figure out how to repay this debt. Please don't say it's unnecessary. The House of Windsor never ignores a debt of gratitude."
"With Your Majesty saying as much, I can hardly refuse."
Jinhyeok offered a guileless smile.
Truth be told, he had no intention of declining in the first place.
This was the British royal family, after all.
Why refuse a gift from people who lived far better than he did?
'A luxurious private jet would be nice.'
He thought it, but didn't say it.
That would sound too greedy.
"Starting today, we'll search diligently. For something that will be of great help to you, without your name ever surfacing."
"Thank you."
"We are the ones who received an immeasurable favor. Even now, it gives me chills. If it hadn't been for you, there's a high probability that Widric would have ascended the throne."
A tyrant unlike any the dynasty had ever seen would have been born.
Britain itself would have been shaken to its core.
"Many people call the British royal family a scarecrow—an empty shell that survives on history and appearances alone, with no real power."
But that was far from the truth.
Though separated from authority on the surface, the royal family still possessed immense power.
Power that even the Prime Minister could not easily defy.
That such power had not fallen into Widric's hands was a stroke of fortune for the nation.
"There's something I'm curious about regarding the royal family," Jinhyeok said, having listened quietly.
"I happened to learn that the first king of England, Aman, bore the surname Windsor. But according to recorded history, the royal family only began using the Windsor name relatively recently. Earlier monarchs used different surnames depending on the era."
Surprise flickered across Elysia's face.
What Jinhyeok had just mentioned was a hidden blemish of the British monarchy.
A record passed down only to the next monarch along with the throne, Elysia was currently the only one in the royal family who knew this truth.
Jinhyeok paused, then formed a subtle smile.
"So you already knew."
Elysia set down her teacup and nodded.
"To be honest, I was quite shocked. I thought it was a story only I knew in this world."
"I have no intention of spreading it around. I'm simply curious about what happened."
"For the royal family, it's deeply embarrassing."
With a quiet sigh, Elysia began her tale.
"It happened several generations after the first king, Aman. A king who read Aman's records came to harbor doubts. Why should our great royal house follow the surname of a knight whose origins were unknown? And so, they began erasing it. All memories and records related to that mysterious knight, Berid Windsor. Afterward, as everyone knows, the surname was changed—so that the very existence of Windsor would be forgotten."
"Not all records were erased, then."
"That's right. In every era, there are those who safeguard records. Those accounts were passed down in utmost secrecy for a very long time. And when a king appeared who was ready to accept the truth, they were revealed. That was about a hundred years ago."
"The time when the Windsor name reappeared in official history."
"It was an effort to correct a distorted truth, even if belatedly. But King George V, who reigned at the time, couldn't reveal everything. The royal family is terribly vain. No matter how long ago, they didn't want the stains of past dynasties exposed. Criticism would inevitably be directed at the current royal family that inherited that bloodline. Yet repeating past mistakes was unacceptable. So the responsibility was postponed—pushed from the present generation to the next, and then to the next after that."
Elysia smiled wryly.
"And so it became tradition. Each reigning monarch keeps the truth alone, then passes it on to the next. I probably would have done the same—without much thought—handing the burden and duty to Sophia, just as my grandfather and father did."
Perhaps lost in thought, both of them fell silent for a moment.
Then, after finishing her tea, Elysia spoke.
"May I ask you one thing this time? For some reason, I feel that if it's you, you might know."
"Of course."
"In Aman Windsor's records, there is a passage like this: 'One day, my teacher and father, Berid Windsor, spoke to me. He said he had a request. That if I were ever to meet the person who was the very reason for his existence—more precious to him than anyone else in the world—I should grant them everything they needed. He wanted nothing else.' At the end of the passage, the name of someone Berid Windsor mentioned is recorded. Countless dynasties tried to find the owner of that name. Not so much to fulfill Berid Windsor's request, but out of sheer curiosity. Who was the person so precious to the knight who made the British monarchy possible?"
Elysia drew in a breath.
And just as she was about to speak the name—
"Seira Kinkaitan."
The name was spoken in another voice.
Surprise once again filled Elysia's face.
Moments later, a gentle smile formed on her lips.
"So you did know after all. What kind of existence is she—the one named Seira Kinkaitan?"
There was no need to hesitate or stall.
It was far too easy a question.
"She is the greatest knight who led the finest of knights. A brilliant and exceptional teacher, a commander, and a precious comrade-in-arms."
An answer without the slightest wavering.
"Yoo Jinhyeok, just who are you—"
Elysia, about to ask something more, shook her head.
She decided not to ask this question.
Even if Jinhyeok answered, it was certain that her common sense could never hope to comprehend it.
"So, in short, she is someone precious to you as well, our benefactor."
"Yes. Very much so."
"I see. Then could you pass a message to her? Tell her that the royal family is ready to fulfill its promise, and that she may come to us whenever she wishes."
"I'll be sure to deliver it."
"Thank you. Once again, we are in your debt."
Eyes closed, Elysia smiled softly.
"It seems I have one more thing to do before the coronation. I can't become a foolish grandmother who dumps her duty onto her granddaughter."
Just as Jinhyeok was about to respond—
Knock, knock.
"The helicopter is ready."
Charles's voice came from beyond the door.
Elysia nodded lightly and looked at Jinhyeok.
"You're heading straight to Snowdonia Park, I hear."
"Yes. There's something I need to find."
"You're not planning to leave immediately after finding it, are you? You must come back and visit."
"Of course."
Slowly rising to her feet, Elysia brought her forehead to Jinhyeok's.
"I hope you find what you're looking for. May God's grace be with the benefactor who saved the royal family."
Jinhyeok closed his eyes as well.
He didn't know what it was, but he felt inexplicably sacred.
"Then, until we meet again, Jinhyeok."
"Yes. I'll see you then."
Jinhyeok rose and offered a polite bow, just as he'd seen on television.
As he left the room, Charles, who had been waiting, guided the way.
"It's a short trip—about ten minutes—but I'll accompany you until we arrive."
"Thank you!"
Jinhyeok rubbed his palms together.
He couldn't delay any longer.
The place where Khan Rendio, vice-captain of the Black Knight Order, had once led the knights.
He had to find it.
The space belonging to Seira Kinkaitan, captain of the Black Knight Order.
Through Jinhyeok, Seira had just learned of Elysia's story.
Seira, who had been sitting quietly, placed a hand over her chest.
Then, with her eyes closed, she smiled.
'Thank you.'
To the one who had told her a story she never knew—one that might have been forgotten forever.
And to the one who made it possible for what Berid Windsor accomplished to be known to the world once more.
As she recalled that person's face, Seira Kinkaitan, captain of the Black Knight Order, renewed her vow.
That she would continue to swing her sword for him—without the slightest hesitation.
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T/N:
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