A little over a week after Judith arrived at the Royal Palace of Rotair, rumors spread widely that the wedding of Franz and Judith would be skipped.
Most of the nobles reacted with astonishment to the shocking news that the King's eldest son, the Prince, had welcomed his wife but did not hold a ceremony. However, Queen Gilsis, who was in charge of the situation, calmly calmed down as if that was the problem.
“Isn’t His Majesty still lying in the hospital? The King, the pillar of the kingdom, is unwell, so we can't hold a loud wedding. If His Majesty gets well, we can hold the ceremony without delay.”
It has been a long time since the King of Rotair lay in his bed, and Queen Gilsis, who leads the government on behalf of the King, not only holds private parties every day but also holds events such as festivals on a grand scale every year.
The nobles who knew about this all thought that the Queen's excuse was ridiculous, but they did not dare to disobey it. This was because they knew that she was trying to discourage Prince Franz by not hosting his wedding.
“No matter what, it’s not like a private affair. How could a Prince’s wedding be held...?”
“Be quiet, who will hear? Don’t you know that if you say something like that to Queen Mother, it will cost you ten lives?”
“I feel sorry for the Princess.”
“She was sold for money, so she wasn’t prepared to be treated like this, right?”
Nobles going to and from the palace used to mute day and night.
Judith, who heard the news that the wedding would be skipped, reacted calmly, contrary to their expectations. Mary Ann was outraged, asking how this could be, but Judith stopped her by telling her to be quiet.
“I heard His Majesty the King is unwell, but there is nothing we can do. As the Queen Mother said, it doesn’t matter when the wedding takes place.”
"But!"
“Mary Ann, stop. If it’s done for me, it’s done.”
Mary Ann was so upset that she looked like she was going to die, but then she took a rag and went out, saying she was going to clean the window frame. Left alone, Judith leaned her arms on the table and sighed softly.
Judith was not without surprise when she first heard the news. This is because it is an event that never occurred in her previous life. Even though it was a shabby wedding ceremony back then, with one excuse or another, they didn't skip the wedding itself.
'It means I said something that was that annoying.'
Although she was surprised, Judith was able to remain calm because the Queen herself had committed such an unreasonable act. Since she had dared to do the tactless thing of talking about the Crown Prince in front of her, she must have wanted to get Judith into trouble.
Everyone said that the Queen had done this to discourage Franz, but only Judith was able to see through the true intentions of Queen Gilsis. This wasn't done to target Franz. This was done to make Judith miserable.
However, Judith had no intention of showing her crying and sorrow as the Queen calculated. On the contrary, she almost wanted to bow and thank her for eliminating the meaningless and cumbersome process of a wedding.
For a week, Judith pretended to be a Princess holding her breath in despair, and carefully observed the nobles in the palace.
Since she had not yet attended an official event, there was a limit to the information she could obtain, but she was still able to glean some important things. One of them was news about the newly established Imperial Academy in the empire on the eastern continent.
The Kingdom of Rotair, bordering the sea, was actively engaging in exchanges with countries on neighboring continents. Not only simple trade but also new learning and culture came and went. That was the reason why Rotair was able to prosper among the many kingdoms on this continent.
The Empire on the eastern continent is prospering with its strong national power and high level of culture. However, Judith heard a rumor that the empire had just established an academy for children of the imperial family and noble families.
Not only within the empire, but also foreign nobles could enroll as long as they met the criteria, so there seemed to be quite a few nobles in Rotair who wanted to send their children to study abroad. When Judith heard the news, she thought this was an opportunity for Franz.
Franz, who suffered from abuse by the Queen, suffered from extreme depression and began to go crazy when he was around 21 years old. It was around that time that the abnormal symptoms began to appear in earnest, so even before that, things may not have been normal.
Franz had to be separated from Queen Gilsis as soon as possible. Judith began to think of a way to send Franz to study at the Imperial Academy.
It takes four years at the earliest to graduate from the academy. Four years were short compared to what Franz suffered, but it would undoubtedly be of great help to him if he could escape the Queen's eyes for even a few years.
‘The problem is that the Queen Mother won’t let Franz go. She will try to tie Franz to the kingdom at all costs, so how can she make him immobile...'
That was the biggest concern. The first thing that came to mind was Franz's maternal uncle and the younger brother of the late Queen, the Duke of Vergy, but he did not have the authority to send a country's Prince out of the country at will.
Now that the King's consciousness is unclear, only Queen Gilsis has the authority to give permission to send Franz out of the country. However, there was no way the Queen would just let Franz go.
'Forge documents? No, that's too risky.'
Judith'd head hurt. She had suffered from headaches often before, but this was the first time she had experienced such severe pain.
“Mary Ann.”
“Yes, Sir!”
Mary Ann, who had been wiping the window frame, threw away the rag and came running. She was supposed to have the Queen send her maids and maids to attend to the new Queen, but she pretended not to know and put it off, so Mary Anne was left to handle all the work alone. It was fortunate that the villa was small.
“I’m sorry, but my head hurts so much. Would you please talk to the kitchen and ask for a cup of tea to relieve my headache?”
“I will, sir. I’ll be back soon.”
“The chef won’t like it. I’m sorry, I insisted on bringing you here and only made you suffer.”
“What are you talking about? It's not hard for me at all. I can beat even a no-nonsense chef with one hand!”
Mary Anne, showing off her forearms, smiled and ran out. Mary Anne's humiliation was the only thing that made Judith smile even a little.
***
“Where else can you find something like this!”
A man's indignant voice rang out in the quiet corridor.
“Duke, calm down. It has already been decided, so there is nothing we can do about it.”
“It’s not something you should pass over like that, Sir! How dare you tell someone to skip the marriage of the King’s eldest son!”
The middle-aged man, who was clenching his fists as hard as he could, as if he was having a hard time holding back his anger, had reddish-brown hair similar to Franz's.
His handsome face, which had aged nicely, gave us a good idea of how beautiful he must have been when he was young, and although he was trembling with anger, his neat mouth looked flawlessly strong and upright.
“I just can’t stand it again...”
“Uncle.”
The Duke's body, which seemed ready to jump out at any moment, suddenly stopped when Franz called out to him like he was sighing.
Franz's maternal uncle was the Duke of Vergy. He, the younger brother of the late Queen and the head of the kingdom's most powerful ducal family, looked at his nephew, who was smiling forlornly, with a sad expression.
“Sir, a wedding is more important than anything else. It is directly related to the honor of not only you, but also the new Princess, and we cannot overlook it like this. No matter how much Queen Gilsis is...”
“Hasn’t my uncle been through this for several hours already? The Queen will never allow it. Just giving up.”
"Your Highness!"
"I am okay. The Princess may think a little differently.”
“Have you talked to Her Highness the Princess about this matter?”
Franz, who was looking down at the floor with narrowed eyes, shook his head horizontally. A heavy sigh also came from the Duke of Vergy's mouth.
“If His Majesty the King comes to consciousness even for a moment, I will rush over and report this matter. If I receive an order from His Majesty to hold your wedding grandly, I will have no choice but to follow it, no matter how much Queen Gilsis against it.”
“This is a useless story. Hasn’t His Majesty already been sick for a while? Probably like this...”
“Don’t say that!”
Franz's mouth fell shut at the Duke of Vergy's low words. However, the Duke also could not hide his anxiety that the King's condition was already hopeless.
King Zederkaire's illness was a mental illness. The Duke of Vergy clearly remembered when he, who had been healthy, began to fall ill so often. It was after the death of Franz's mother and his older sister, the late Queen Mother.
The King and his wife had a very good relationship. They trusted and relied on each other, and most of all, they loved each other. King Zederkaire's grief at losing his wife overnight was so cruel that it was difficult to watch from his side. Because of that sadness, he got sick with an unknown name and ended up having to keep his place as a return notice.
“His Majesty the King will rise again, Sir. Didn’t he come to his senses a few months ago and briefly attend state affairs?”
“It was only a few days.”
“Even just a few days is fine. As soon as His Majesty regains consciousness, I will do whatever it takes to expose that abominable woman’s tyranny and make you a King.”
“You don’t say things like that carelessly. My uncle is also in danger.”
“I intend to live until the day when I place the crown of King Rotair on your head. So, Sir, brave your heart. You must not be shaken even by the thought of this uncle.”
The Duke of Vergy's firm hand held Franz's shoulder tightly.
Although he had grown up so wonderfully without his mother's shadow, the Duke was tormented by the urge to cut off Queen Gilsis' head at any moment whenever he saw Franz slowly withering away without even receiving the title of Crown Prince.
“Please be kind to the Princess. I feel a little relieved to see that she is a calmer and stronger person than I heard, but isn’t it pitiful that she has to come to an unfamiliar country with no one to rely on and suffer such humiliation?”
“How can he be so happy when her husband, who is just a facade, comforts her?”
"It's not like that. Don't you know that the Princess has only you now? If the time is right, please take the Princess for a walk.”
“...I will.”
Franz’s expression seemed somewhat listless as he nodded. The Duke of Vergy patted him on the back a few more times and left first, saying he had other matters to attend to.
Franz's head slowly fell as he watched the Duke's retreating back. His words to be nice to the Princess rang in his ears, but he couldn't stop moving.
How much does she resent him?
He said long ago that he couldn't protect her, but she probably never thought she would experience something like this. Considering that there would be disappointment and contempt in her beautiful sky-blue eyes, he could not show his face to the villa where Judith was.
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