“It’s not like I don’t know how to laugh.”
Franz said and picked up his words. The sound of his words hitting the board was pleasant. Judith smiled, covering her mouth, and leaned her head toward the board.
“Your Highness.”
Cheraan called Judith in a whisper. Judith turned her head and saw a woman walking from afar. The smile that had been on her lips slowly disappeared.
The woman was Margit.
Franz, who noticed Judith's stern expression, also raised his gaze as if wondering and then frowned faintly when he saw Margit approaching the side of the table.
“I meet you, the Prince and the Princess.”
“What’s going on?”
Franz asked in a hard voice. Margit rolled her round eyes here and there, then lowered her head as if somewhat apologetic and glanced at Judith.
“The Queen Mother is looking for Her Highness the Princess.”
Franz and Judith's eyes met for a moment. Judith immediately smiled and looked up at Margit.
“Yes. I understand. Your Highness, I think we’ll have to stop here for today.”
The moment she adjusted her dress and stood up from her seat, Franz, who was sitting across from her, straightened up. Everyone's eyes turned to him due to his unexpected actions.
“Let’s go together.”
Not only Judith but also Cheraan and Margit looked surprised at those words. Judith said in a soft voice.
“Your Highness, it’s okay. It looks like the Queen Mother has something important to say to me.”
“There is nothing Her Majesty can’t say to you that she can say to me.”
Margit's face turned pale, having never expected Franz to come forward like this. If she took Franz to Queen Palace like this, the Queen would definitely blame her.
“I meet you, the Prince and the Princess.”
“What’s going on?”
Franz asked in a hard voice. Margit rolled her round eyes here and there, then lowered her head as if somewhat apologetic and glanced at Judith.
“The Queen Mother is looking for Her Highness the Princess.”
Franz and Judith's eyes met for a moment. Judith immediately smiled and looked up at Margit.
“Yes. I understand. Your Highness, I think we’ll have to stop here for today.”
The moment she adjusted her dress and stood up from her seat, Franz, who was sitting across from her, straightened up. Everyone's eyes turned to him due to his unexpected actions.
“Let’s go together.”
Not only Judith but also Cheraan and Margit looked surprised at those words. Judith said in a soft voice.
“Your Highness, it’s okay. It looks like the Queen Mother has something important to say to me.”
“There is nothing Her Majesty can’t say to you that she can say to me.”
Margit's face turned pale, having never expected Franz to come forward like this. If she took Franz to Queen Palace like this, the Queen would definitely blame her.
Would he be willing to stand by and watch as the Queen ordered Judith to attend to the sick King?
Margit made a restless gesture and blocked Franz, who took a step forward.
“Your Highness, Queen Mother has been looking for Her Highness the Princess. You can hear from Queen Mother later what she said...”
“Didn’t you hear what I just said?”
“Well, I...”
“Stay back. Everyone thinks of me as a scarecrow, but don’t forget that my status is still that of the Prince of Rotair.”
Margit’s mouth twitched. Due to his subtle and overt threats, she eventually had no choice but to withdraw from Franz.
After sending Mary Anne away, Judith took only Cheraan and headed to the Queen's palace. She was both happy and worried that Franz had agreed to go with her. Queen Gilsis would have a fit if she saw him here. However, these days, Franz does not get very angry at minor disputes or provocations from the Queen or Krald.
The humiliating silence didn't seem to turn into a boiling tantrum. That was fortunate, but the more it happened, the more Judith felt anxious about getting Franz away from them as soon as possible.
Just the silence wasn't necessarily a good sign. It was hard to believe that Franz had learned how to control his anger so suddenly.
She guesses he hasn't put in the effort until now. It may have been a lot of effort, but it ultimately failed. Having seen Franz fall apart in her past life, it was natural that Judith could not see his change in a positive light.
When Judith entered the Queen's palace with Franz, everyone's attention was focused. The maid who opened the door to the bedroom closed her eyes tightly as if she knew without even looking that something was going to fly.
As everyone expected, the Queen became furious as soon as she saw Franz coming in with Judith. She pushed the small nightstand where the teacup was placed, knocking it over, and pointed at him with her lips quivering.
"You!"
After crying out a single word, the Queen glared at Margit, who had her head down, with menacing eyes.
That stupid thing, what on earth did you do?
No. It wasn't just Margit's fault. The problem was Franz.
Margit made a restless gesture and blocked Franz, who took a step forward.
“Your Highness, Queen Mother has been looking for Her Highness the Princess. You can hear from Queen Mother later what she said...”
“Didn’t you hear what I just said?”
“Well, I...”
“Stay back. Everyone thinks of me as a scarecrow, but don’t forget that my status is still that of the Prince of Rotair.”
Margit’s mouth twitched. Due to his subtle and overt threats, she eventually had no choice but to withdraw from Franz.
After sending Mary Anne away, Judith took only Cheraan and headed to the Queen's palace. She was both happy and worried that Franz had agreed to go with her. Queen Gilsis would have a fit if she saw him here. However, these days, Franz does not get very angry at minor disputes or provocations from the Queen or Krald.
The humiliating silence didn't seem to turn into a boiling tantrum. That was fortunate, but the more it happened, the more Judith felt anxious about getting Franz away from them as soon as possible.
Just the silence wasn't necessarily a good sign. It was hard to believe that Franz had learned how to control his anger so suddenly.
She guesses he hasn't put in the effort until now. It may have been a lot of effort, but it ultimately failed. Having seen Franz fall apart in her past life, it was natural that Judith could not see his change in a positive light.
When Judith entered the Queen's palace with Franz, everyone's attention was focused. The maid who opened the door to the bedroom closed her eyes tightly as if she knew without even looking that something was going to fly.
As everyone expected, the Queen became furious as soon as she saw Franz coming in with Judith. She pushed the small nightstand where the teacup was placed, knocking it over, and pointed at him with her lips quivering.
"You!"
After crying out a single word, the Queen glared at Margit, who had her head down, with menacing eyes.
That stupid thing, what on earth did you do?
No. It wasn't just Margit's fault. The problem was Franz.
The corner of the Queen's mouth, which looked sharp and detached, twitched.
She couldn't believe that he, who previously had been busy running away and hiding himself whenever he was seen, was now standing so proudly in front of her. It was even more unacceptable that the reason was Judith.
The Queen, who was wheezing, flopped down on the sofa, rubbing her eyebrows nervously. The maids supported her as she struggled.
“Yes, good. I can’t believe that, as the Queen, I am not in a position to say something like this to the Princess.”
Judith calmed her nervous, heaving heart and took a slow, deep breath. With Franz next to her, her anxiety grew as she had to worry about him.
“As you know, His Majesty the King has been unconscious for a long time due to a deep-seated illness.”
It was about my father.
She couldn't believe that he, who previously had been busy running away and hiding himself whenever he was seen, was now standing so proudly in front of her. It was even more unacceptable that the reason was Judith.
The Queen, who was wheezing, flopped down on the sofa, rubbing her eyebrows nervously. The maids supported her as she struggled.
“Yes, good. I can’t believe that, as the Queen, I am not in a position to say something like this to the Princess.”
Judith calmed her nervous, heaving heart and took a slow, deep breath. With Franz next to her, her anxiety grew as she had to worry about him.
“As you know, His Majesty the King has been unconscious for a long time due to a deep-seated illness.”
It was about my father.
Franz's head suddenly lifted up at an unexpected topic. He looked at Judith, thinking that she would also be surprised, but for some reason, her expression was calm. It was as if she had expected something like this.
“For that reason, someone must always be by his side to monitor his condition and serve him. However, I heard that Your Majesty's Chamberlain got suddenly ill and had to resign. I'll be looking for a new chamberlain soon, but until then, I don't have anyone I can trust to serve him, so why should I worry? If you became a member of the Rotair royal family, you would also be His Majesty’s subject and child.”
While reciting exactly what Margit had said, the Queen looked under her eyes at Judith's expression. At this point, Judith would have realized what was going on and started crying, but she was so out of control that she was just listening with a dumb expression on her face.
“Until a new chamberlain is selected, for the time being, you will stay in His Majesty’s quarters from morning to evening and do the work that the chamberlain used to do. I will not forgive you if you put pressure on His Majesty by being negligent or making an inconsequential mistake.”
Franz was the first to raise his head in surprise. Even if his limbs are fine and healthy, serving the King is no big deal.
The young Princess, who was only seventeen years old, could not bear to attend to him even when he was unconscious. Just by looking at the Queen's expression, which showed a sly smile after giving such an absurdly unreasonable command, it was as obvious as fire that Judith would not be able to carry out this task.
“Queen Mother.”
The Queen's eyes looked Franz up and down.
“The Princess is still young and weak, so it will be difficult for her to serve my Father. If you don’t have enough people, I would rather serve you, so I ask you to take back the order you gave to the Princess.”
A sharp sneer burst from the Queen's mouth.
“I despised the King of Tien for being so shameless because he accepted so much money, but now I see that it was worth every penny.”
“...”
“No problem, Franz. Your wife will be precious. I spent a lot of money on her as a Princess, so of course I should cherish it.”
Judith's cheeks became pale at the Queen's insulting words. Franz's expression visibly hardened, but the verbal abuse did not stop there.
“I’m curious about your resourcefulness. You tell me. How did you melt that rock-like guy so much that he fell in love with you like this and couldn't come to his senses? Unless you put honey under that skirt.”
Everyone was speechless at the taunts that could only be heard in a back alley, without any elegance befitting a Queen. Just as Franz was about to step forward again, Judith's small hand snatched his wrist and blocked him. Fortunately, the Queen didn't seem to see it.
Judith took a step forward, bent her knees, bowed deeply, and then raised her head.
“This is an order given by the Queen Mother, so how can I not follow it? It’s still unclear, but I will do my best for His Majesty the King.”
The Queen's eyes narrowed at the calm and composed answer. Is it so calm that it's plotting some kind of treacherous trick?
“For that reason, someone must always be by his side to monitor his condition and serve him. However, I heard that Your Majesty's Chamberlain got suddenly ill and had to resign. I'll be looking for a new chamberlain soon, but until then, I don't have anyone I can trust to serve him, so why should I worry? If you became a member of the Rotair royal family, you would also be His Majesty’s subject and child.”
While reciting exactly what Margit had said, the Queen looked under her eyes at Judith's expression. At this point, Judith would have realized what was going on and started crying, but she was so out of control that she was just listening with a dumb expression on her face.
“Until a new chamberlain is selected, for the time being, you will stay in His Majesty’s quarters from morning to evening and do the work that the chamberlain used to do. I will not forgive you if you put pressure on His Majesty by being negligent or making an inconsequential mistake.”
Franz was the first to raise his head in surprise. Even if his limbs are fine and healthy, serving the King is no big deal.
The young Princess, who was only seventeen years old, could not bear to attend to him even when he was unconscious. Just by looking at the Queen's expression, which showed a sly smile after giving such an absurdly unreasonable command, it was as obvious as fire that Judith would not be able to carry out this task.
“Queen Mother.”
The Queen's eyes looked Franz up and down.
“The Princess is still young and weak, so it will be difficult for her to serve my Father. If you don’t have enough people, I would rather serve you, so I ask you to take back the order you gave to the Princess.”
A sharp sneer burst from the Queen's mouth.
“I despised the King of Tien for being so shameless because he accepted so much money, but now I see that it was worth every penny.”
“...”
“No problem, Franz. Your wife will be precious. I spent a lot of money on her as a Princess, so of course I should cherish it.”
Judith's cheeks became pale at the Queen's insulting words. Franz's expression visibly hardened, but the verbal abuse did not stop there.
“I’m curious about your resourcefulness. You tell me. How did you melt that rock-like guy so much that he fell in love with you like this and couldn't come to his senses? Unless you put honey under that skirt.”
Everyone was speechless at the taunts that could only be heard in a back alley, without any elegance befitting a Queen. Just as Franz was about to step forward again, Judith's small hand snatched his wrist and blocked him. Fortunately, the Queen didn't seem to see it.
Judith took a step forward, bent her knees, bowed deeply, and then raised her head.
“This is an order given by the Queen Mother, so how can I not follow it? It’s still unclear, but I will do my best for His Majesty the King.”
The Queen's eyes narrowed at the calm and composed answer. Is it so calm that it's plotting some kind of treacherous trick?
There's no way she hasn't figured out the situation yet.
“You only said those words out of concern for me, so you ask me to stop my anger.”
The Queen sneered once again as if she was amazed, but Judith quietly kept her mouth shut and obediently lowered her gaze.
Why had I forgotten this?
“You only said those words out of concern for me, so you ask me to stop my anger.”
The Queen sneered once again as if she was amazed, but Judith quietly kept her mouth shut and obediently lowered her gaze.
Why had I forgotten this?
The Queen queen had already given the same command to Judith. However, the difference was that it was Helen, not Margit, who came to fetch Judith at that time.
In a previous life, Judith had seen him up close while attending to the sick King. At that time, it was unbearably difficult because she was shaking with the thought that if she made a mistake, she might die.
In a previous life, Judith had seen him up close while attending to the sick King. At that time, it was unbearably difficult because she was shaking with the thought that if she made a mistake, she might die.
Nevertheless, she still remembered being amazed by the thought that the King's face, with his eyes closed as if he was sleeping, looked quite similar to Franz's.
'And another important thing.'
Judith clenched her fingertips and bit her lip. At that time, the King was only a moment away, but he clearly came to his senses.
The King, who had been unconscious the whole time, she was so surprised that he came to his senses even for a moment that she couldn't even tell him that she was Franz's wife.
At that time, King Jedercayer probably thought of Judith only as a court maid or a maid who came to briefly observe the situation under the Queen's orders. After that, the King soon lost consciousness again and never woke up again until the day Judith was locked in the tower.
This was an opportunity not to be missed. While serving, the King will undoubtedly regain consciousness, even if only for a moment. At that time he had to do whatever it took to obtain permission to send Franz to the academy.
No matter how sick he is, King Jedercayer is the only one in the Kingdom of Rotair who has a higher status than the Queen. If he can obtain the order with his seal, the Duke of Vergy will make it public at the meeting, and then Queen Gilsis will not be able to stop Franz from going to the empire.
“I will be happy to do so, Your Majesty.”
Judith said. It was clear that the Queen did not like even that, but she could not complain any longer, frowning and twitching the bridge of her nose as she sent the two people away as if chasing them.
As they left the Queen's palace and entered a deserted place, Franz grabbed Judith's shoulder. Judith, who noticed that his expression was not good, looked down at the strong hand holding her shoulder and said,
“our Highness, my shoulder hurts.”
It was a place where she hit a rock hard when she fell from the hill. Franz, who realized this fact belatedly, hurriedly pulled his hand away as if he had been burned, but this time he bit his lip tightly.
'And another important thing.'
Judith clenched her fingertips and bit her lip. At that time, the King was only a moment away, but he clearly came to his senses.
The King, who had been unconscious the whole time, she was so surprised that he came to his senses even for a moment that she couldn't even tell him that she was Franz's wife.
At that time, King Jedercayer probably thought of Judith only as a court maid or a maid who came to briefly observe the situation under the Queen's orders. After that, the King soon lost consciousness again and never woke up again until the day Judith was locked in the tower.
This was an opportunity not to be missed. While serving, the King will undoubtedly regain consciousness, even if only for a moment. At that time he had to do whatever it took to obtain permission to send Franz to the academy.
No matter how sick he is, King Jedercayer is the only one in the Kingdom of Rotair who has a higher status than the Queen. If he can obtain the order with his seal, the Duke of Vergy will make it public at the meeting, and then Queen Gilsis will not be able to stop Franz from going to the empire.
“I will be happy to do so, Your Majesty.”
Judith said. It was clear that the Queen did not like even that, but she could not complain any longer, frowning and twitching the bridge of her nose as she sent the two people away as if chasing them.
As they left the Queen's palace and entered a deserted place, Franz grabbed Judith's shoulder. Judith, who noticed that his expression was not good, looked down at the strong hand holding her shoulder and said,
“our Highness, my shoulder hurts.”
It was a place where she hit a rock hard when she fell from the hill. Franz, who realized this fact belatedly, hurriedly pulled his hand away as if he had been burned, but this time he bit his lip tightly.
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