“Speaking of which, isn’t that King of Tien really shameless? It’s like selling out his younger sister.”
“Who isn’t? Amid a difficult situation, they are waging a war that they have no chance of winning. Isn’t it true that this has been the case since the previous Kings? Then he lends his hand to another country and sells his sister in return.”
“If there was anyone worth bragging about, the current Princess... I guess it’s a bit like that, right? That’s what the rumors say.”
“Last time I came to see Queen Mother, I saw her from afar, but I guess she was a little... You shouldn’t be that weak.”
The woman who spoke last suddenly looked at Queen Gilsis. Although this was said with the royal descendants in mind, from the Queen's perspective, the birth of a child between Franz and Judith was a troubling disaster.
Even if Franz does not succeed to the throne, if a royal grandson is born with Judith, he will be ranked higher than Krald because he is the eldest descendant. Judith was not to have children until Krald was safely crowned Crown Prince and his abdication was finalized.
Only after the coming-of-age ceremony will Judith officially enter the first night of the night, so the Queen will be able to relax for a while, but even after that...
The women who were watching the Queen began to talk about how it was nothing to worry about since Judith was too weak and Franz had no spirit at all.
“In the end, isn’t the current Princess no different from an expensive ornament?”
Someone was laughing hysterically, and other people were busy criticizing Judith. Still, they kept glancing at the Queen's face, and they seemed to feel reassured only when they saw a look of evil satisfaction on her face with her lips curled up strangely.
“Compared to that, the girl who will become Crown Prince’s wife must be from a prestigious family in Rotair.”
“Of course. Above all, she must be intelligent, healthy, and dignified.”
“It may be something that the Queen Mother will take care of, but, Ma’am. I heard that Marquis Lux’s second daughter happens to be a good match in age to Prince Krald, and is also a very lively person.”
“The Lady of Baron Latean also received quite good reviews in her debutante. The downside is that the family is a bit commoner, but that's about it. If the daughter is honored, the family will also shine.”
Once words began to come out, words about the second Princess began to be exchanged everywhere, as if they had been waiting. Although the Queen listened to all those words attentively, a part of her also did not take them to heart and just let them go. The families they mentioned were all obedient to Queen Gilsis and were not reluctant to become her relatives, so she knew from the beginning what kind of family members they were.
In addition, the Queen clearly understood the intention behind recommending daughters from different families instead of their own. They were only subtly referring to people who everyone thought were worse than their own daughter.
There was still some time to choose the Princess of Krald, but the Queen waved her fan lightly and was lost in thought. She knew that her own son was already running around playing with women his age or older.
She didn't think it was wrong. Since he is such a good son, just by standing quietly, impatient girls will be attracted to him.
There wasn't a candidate the Queen could really like, but if she was going to get the Prince's wife, she was planning on excluding all the women Krald touched. It doesn't make sense for a woman who is said to be his precious son's official wife to be wearing the dress even before she got married.
“Let me consider it. Krald is mature for his age, so he will have no shortage of things to do to welcome his Princess.”
As soon as the words they had been waiting for fell from the Queen's mouth, the mouths of the noble ladies who had been whispering ceaselessly opened wide.
When the tea party was over, the ladies hurried the coachman back to their mansion. Then they put their daughters to sleep and had them choose the best dresses, and if they didn't have the right dresses, they hurried to the dressing room and helped the dressmakers.
The Queen was smiling leisurely during all the commotion. The power to control others with just a flick of her finger is so enchanting and so sweet that she doesn't want to let it go.
***
After receiving information about the 'Hand of Fifnor' from Cheraan and Bartholomew, Judith thought for quite a while about how to reduce the amount of medicine given to the King without being noticed by the doctors. When the palace attendants were performing chores, such as wiping faces or changing bedding, they did not even bother to look at her, but when she was serving medicine, they would suddenly appear without warning, so she could not let her guard down.
She thought about pouring out the medicine bowl, but it was not a method that could be used continuously as it would only be used once or twice. Moreover, it was too dangerous to commit it in front of the doctors who were eagerly waiting for Judith to make a mistake. Considering that the Queen who caught the pod would be very happy, it was also a method she did not want to take.
The solution came from Mary Anne. It showed that among the fabrics commonly used by commoners, there is a type that absorbs water and moisture relatively quickly and a lot. She received permission to go out, so she went out of the palace. Mary Anne asked where and how she got it. She asked for a piece of cloth. She then stayed up all night sewing to make a thick bundle.
Judith secretly took the crusty bundle of cloth and hid it under the King's pillow. And every time she served medicine, she poured the medicine little by little onto the cloth and let it soak in, avoiding the eyes of the doctor. The fact that there was no smell was a huge help. When the doctor walked around the room and watched, she would hide a cloth and pretend to put out laundry for bedding or cushions and just put the cloth inside it and that was it.
“Have His Majesty finished taking his medicine?”
Judith nodded, showing the empty bowl to the doctor's harsh voice. Judith pretended to carefully wipe the King's mouth with a piece of cloth until he slowly approached and took the bowl and disappeared. At the moment when the person who seemed to be heading toward the kitchen completely disappeared, the King's eyelids suddenly trembled faintly.
Judith's heart sank. Did it work?
Judith carefully held the King's hand. The finger, which had been motionless, seemed to faintly twitch and then bent inward to a degree that could be clearly felt even without looking. At the same time, the King's eyes, which had been closed the whole time, narrowly opened.
“Pretend you’re asleep, Your Majesty.”
Judith lowered her head and quickly whispered and stood up. Did the King understand?
Just as she was anxious and was about to raise the pillow, the doctor returned. He glanced inside the bedroom and soon disappeared into the separate room.
Judith, who was pretending to fiddle with the corner of the pillow that was lying flat on the King's back, sat down at the King's bedside again. At that moment, the King's eyes widened helplessly. There was no focus or life in his eyes, but a look of puzzlement was clearly visible. Judith glanced toward the separate room and then leaned close to him.
“Your Majesty, my name is Judith Lorebinev. I have become a wife to Franz and am taking care of you.”
“...Wif?"
“Please lower your voice, Your Majesty. No one should know that Your Majesty has awakened.”
Judith heard the palace doctor coughing. Judith, who cut off his words, stood up again and sat down again, making a bustling noise as she pretended to organize the furniture in the room. Then the door to the separate room opened, and a palace doctor with an annoyed expression appeared.
“Your Highness, what are you doing?”
“The air in the room is stale because it wasn’t cleaned properly, so I think we need to ventilate it a little. I will make sure not to disturb His Majesty, so could you please leave the room for a moment? The separate room is connected to the living room, so we can’t allow dust to accumulate.”
The doctor furrowed his brows as if he was suspicious for a moment, but then slowly walked out with a look on his face as if something had happened. Since he is a lazy person anyway, he will probably use this opportunity as an excuse to sleep in a deserted place somewhere.
As soon as he left, Judith closed all the doors leading to the bedroom. As the sunlight streaming through the window disappeared, the room became dark even though it was daytime.
“Did you say, Judith?”
The King's voice was horribly cracked. It's probably because he hasn't spoken for so long. When he coughed, Judith immediately took a glass of water and a spoon and poured the water into his lips, little by little. The King's expression became strange at the sight of such a familiar skill.
“Can you help me up?”
“Your Majesty, are you okay? You've been lying down for too long. I am concerned that if you move suddenly, you may hurt yourself.”
“It’s okay, just help me up a little bit.”
Judith obeyed him obediently. The King's body, which had lost all of its flesh and muscles due to lying down, had become light enough for Judith to stand up on her own. Although she was successful in bringing him back to consciousness, it was far-fetched to think that from now on she would have to avoid the eyes of the royal doctor and allow him to recover his physical strength.
The King, who was barely able to sit back with two cushions behind his back, looked at Judith with eyes that had regained a little more shine than before. Even though he had been lying like a corpse for so long, his silence and suspicious gaze showed his natural dignity as a ruler.
“Franz... The child is married.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“What family are you from?”
“I was the princess of the Tien Kingdom.”
“It’s Tien. Then is you the daughter of King Jaclit?”
“My father passed away a few years ago, and the current King who rules Tien is my brother Eland.”
King Jedercayer knew nothing about Eland. This is because he was already bedridden when Eland came to the throne. He slowly looked at the young and weak-looking Judith, as if he could engrave it in his eyes. He was more surprised that the young Princess was taking care of him alone than that his son's wife.
“I’m so... I've been lying down for a long time. My head doesn't work well. It’s like wandering through a fog.”
“You will gradually get better. To make that happen, I will serve you with all my heart.”
“Why are you doing this? Where is the chamberlain?”
“The chamberlain suddenly fell ill, so the Queen ordered me to attend to Your Majesty. Your Majesty, I have something to tell you.”
Judith whispered quickly. The King, seeing the sparkling water-colored eyes, pursed his dry lips for a moment before nodding his head.
Judith, who was pretending to fiddle with the corner of the pillow that was lying flat on the King's back, sat down at the King's bedside again. At that moment, the King's eyes widened helplessly. There was no focus or life in his eyes, but a look of puzzlement was clearly visible. Judith glanced toward the separate room and then leaned close to him.
“Your Majesty, my name is Judith Lorebinev. I have become a wife to Franz and am taking care of you.”
“...Wif?"
“Please lower your voice, Your Majesty. No one should know that Your Majesty has awakened.”
Judith heard the palace doctor coughing. Judith, who cut off his words, stood up again and sat down again, making a bustling noise as she pretended to organize the furniture in the room. Then the door to the separate room opened, and a palace doctor with an annoyed expression appeared.
“Your Highness, what are you doing?”
“The air in the room is stale because it wasn’t cleaned properly, so I think we need to ventilate it a little. I will make sure not to disturb His Majesty, so could you please leave the room for a moment? The separate room is connected to the living room, so we can’t allow dust to accumulate.”
The doctor furrowed his brows as if he was suspicious for a moment, but then slowly walked out with a look on his face as if something had happened. Since he is a lazy person anyway, he will probably use this opportunity as an excuse to sleep in a deserted place somewhere.
As soon as he left, Judith closed all the doors leading to the bedroom. As the sunlight streaming through the window disappeared, the room became dark even though it was daytime.
“Did you say, Judith?”
The King's voice was horribly cracked. It's probably because he hasn't spoken for so long. When he coughed, Judith immediately took a glass of water and a spoon and poured the water into his lips, little by little. The King's expression became strange at the sight of such a familiar skill.
“Can you help me up?”
“Your Majesty, are you okay? You've been lying down for too long. I am concerned that if you move suddenly, you may hurt yourself.”
“It’s okay, just help me up a little bit.”
Judith obeyed him obediently. The King's body, which had lost all of its flesh and muscles due to lying down, had become light enough for Judith to stand up on her own. Although she was successful in bringing him back to consciousness, it was far-fetched to think that from now on she would have to avoid the eyes of the royal doctor and allow him to recover his physical strength.
The King, who was barely able to sit back with two cushions behind his back, looked at Judith with eyes that had regained a little more shine than before. Even though he had been lying like a corpse for so long, his silence and suspicious gaze showed his natural dignity as a ruler.
“Franz... The child is married.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“What family are you from?”
“I was the princess of the Tien Kingdom.”
“It’s Tien. Then is you the daughter of King Jaclit?”
“My father passed away a few years ago, and the current King who rules Tien is my brother Eland.”
King Jedercayer knew nothing about Eland. This is because he was already bedridden when Eland came to the throne. He slowly looked at the young and weak-looking Judith, as if he could engrave it in his eyes. He was more surprised that the young Princess was taking care of him alone than that his son's wife.
“I’m so... I've been lying down for a long time. My head doesn't work well. It’s like wandering through a fog.”
“You will gradually get better. To make that happen, I will serve you with all my heart.”
“Why are you doing this? Where is the chamberlain?”
“The chamberlain suddenly fell ill, so the Queen ordered me to attend to Your Majesty. Your Majesty, I have something to tell you.”
Judith whispered quickly. The King, seeing the sparkling water-colored eyes, pursed his dry lips for a moment before nodding his head.
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