542 - - The 542Nd. - The Grand Duchess.
A carriage was driving through the desert. In it, an elderly couple was sitting in silence.
The husband's skin was dark, and the deep wrinkles on his face showed the hardships of his life. The wife, on the other hand, was a so-called "dog-beast," and like her husband, her face was deeply wrinkled, but the gentle light in her eyes showed that she was a compassionate person.
The carriage moves forward in the blazing sun without slowing down. Soon, a large cityscape came into view.
"You ......"
A woman mutters involuntarily. The man looked at the gradually approaching cityscape in silence, and then opened his mouth as if he were trying to squeeze out a word.
"It's been thirty-five years. ......"
His voice was filled with mixed feelings, a mixture of deep emotion and bewilderment.
Riding in the carriage were Shin, the eldest son of Nike, the king of the Kingdom of Sandanj, and his wife, Janice. For Shin, it was his first return to Japan since he had married Janice in front of his father Nike in Aphrodite, the capital of the New Crimiana, thirty-five years ago, and declared that he would abdicate his throne as crown prince.
Despite the persuasions of King Linos of Agartha and his wife Meirias, Nike stubbornly refused to allow their marriage. Furthermore, Nike sent an envoy to Sin, declaring that the parent-child relationship was severed, stripping him of his royal status and banishing him from the country. You are no longer my parent and I am no longer your son. From now on, you are free to live and die in freedom. Nike conveyed these words through a messenger.
Nike's attitude was consistently firm. Not only did he throw Shin out with his clothes on, but he did not provide him with any assistance. From Nike's point of view, many people had lost their lives because of this son. As the king in charge of Sandanzi, he could not forgive his son's behavior, who chose the path of his choice without repaying the souls of the dead and without fulfilling his responsibilities as the crown prince.
Of course, there were many people in Sandanj who sympathized with Shin. They suggested to Nike that Singh, who had been exiled from the country, should at least be given the title of "Grand Duke. Although he was no longer the crown prince, Shin was still the blood son of King Nike. The name of the Kingdom of Sandanj would be tarnished if he died in the field due to poverty. Many people suggested that he should at least be given a pension so that he would not have to live in poverty.
However, Nike stubbornly refused to accept the idea. The reason for this was the strong will of Queen Obwah, wife of King Nike. She believed that if Singh was given the title of "Grand Duke," his wife, Janice, would naturally become "Grand Duchess. She refused to accept this title at any cost.
For the queen, his wife Janice was nothing but an object of hatred. The woman who cuckolded her beloved son whom she raised with her own hands: ....... If she was a royalty of some country, it would be understandable. But Janice is just a commoner's daughter. I cannot accept such a woman of unknown identity as a member of the royal family of this land. That would be a disgrace to the Kingdom of Sandanje, she repeatedly said in front of Nike. Because of this, Shin was eventually forced to flee the country without any support.
However, Singh himself did not care about this at all. Rather, he was glad to be able to pursue a career in medicine together with Janice. Janice, who at first felt guilty, was persuaded by Linos and his wife Meirias and others, and chose to become husband and wife with Shin. Afterwards, the two honed their medical skills in the laboratory of the University of Agartha.
At some point in time, the two began to visit doctorless areas around the world and to perform medical work there. They stayed there for six months at the shortest and for several years at the longest, saving many lives and training people to be engaged in medical care.
Although their activities were praised, the reality was not easy, and they had to endure a series of hardships. Basically, they did not take money from their patients, and their activities were financed by fees from aristocrats and other wealthy families, as well as donations. Therefore, they were always short of funds at the beginning of their activities, and because of this, they often failed to save lives that could have been saved.
In addition, the constant contact with sick people pushed them to the bed of sickness at times. They often contracted contagious diseases and were in a critical condition once or twice. However, Agartha always came to their rescue at such times. They were always watched over by Agartha's King Rinos, whose activities were reported by Sadakichi and the other faerie dragons.
Thanks to this, they succeeded in raising excellent doctors all over the world. Exactly thirty-five years after they became a couple, they unexpectedly received an invitation from the Kingdom of Sandanji.
It was Eves, the current King of Sandanji, who invited them to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Dowager Gem, who was the grandmother to Shin.
Their father, Nique, had already retired, and Queen Obwah, who hated Janice intensely, had passed away a few years before. Eves went to the trouble of sending an imperial envoy to invite them to the ceremony as a courtesy. At first, Shin was reluctant to respond, but was persuaded by King Linos of Agartha and Queen Meirias to go to the Kingdom of Sandanj.
Nothing had changed in the Kingdom of Sandanzi since Shin left the country. It was as if time had stopped. The palace where he had spent his childhood was still there, and he was so nostalgic that he could not move for a while.
"Sir, it's so good to see you again."
Immediately after entering the palace and being shown into the audience chamber, I was approached by a man of mature age. At first they did not know who this man was, but when they saw the scar on his neck, they finally remembered. He was the man they had operated on and saved more than ten years ago. At that time, he was still a young boy, but now he had grown up to be a man.
I heard that this man had been wandering around the world for a while after they had finished their treatment, honing his medical skills. A few years ago, he drifted here to the Kingdom of Sandanj, where he treated Obwah, Shin's mother, who was already on her deathbed. Since then, he has been working as a doctor attached to the royal family in the kingdom, and it seems that their return to Japan was triggered by this man's suggestion.
Afterwards, Shin and his wife were received in audience by the current king, Eves, and received with great hospitality. They exchanged greetings with the royal family. Among them, there were many familiar faces, and they were all happy to see Shin again.
Suddenly, the conversation stopped. I noticed an old man with gray hair coming toward me with faltering steps, being held by both sides.
"Father ......"
Shin mutters to no one in particular. The old man was his father, Nike. He was pale, and his face showed signs of death. It was clear from the look on his face that he did not have long to live.
Nike sat down on the chair that had been prepared for him with great gravity. Immediately afterwards, Shin unconsciously took his father's hand and took his pulse. His wife, Janice, stood in awe in front of Nikke, watching his face.
"...... King Agartha, Queen Meirias, are you well?"
"We, too, have not seen you for a long time. ...... We hope you are well."
"......, you're getting old."
"...... we are both very good at what we do."
"......How do you see me?"
March at the most.
"...... will you not say. My life will not last more than a month.
"......"
Nike looked at Shin and Janice alternately, but then she let out a sly smile and opened her mouth in a weak voice.
"Welcome back, my friend. I am happy to see you for the last time."
"Father ......"
"Well done, Eves. I'll take that as a compliment."
At Nike's words, King Eves bowed his head in silence. Nike looked at Singh again and smiled.
"Perhaps this is for the best. Everything is now ......."
Shin and Janice continued to stare at Nike.
Shin was officially given the title of "Grand Duke" and his wife, Janice, was given the title of "Grand Duchess. The two were also told that they would be personally rewarded by King Sandanji. They were adamant about this, but at the entreaties of their father, Nike, they finally agreed to the offer.
Nike passed away two months later. After witnessing his father's death, Shin left the Kingdom of Sandanj and returned to his activities in the doctorless area. He received generous support from the Kingdom of Sandanje, and their activities saved many more lives.
Ten years later, Singh and his wife Janice passed away on a trip. Under the cherry blossoms in full bloom, the couple died as if asleep, holding hands. People mourned their death and buried them under the tree because of their beauty.
The cherry tree under which they were laid to rest continued to bloom beautifully. .......