Krald glared at his mother's face, which seemed to be flattering him, with disapproving eyes. When he thought about all the candidates who had been pushed before him to become the Princess, he became more annoyed with his mother than anyone else.
He didn't like the women she introduced to him because they were all boring. In comparison, Libencia is moderately coquettish, and it's nice that he only chooses what he likes, but his mother, the Queen, always opposes it.
Krald tried to rebel and say he would never get married, but it was no use. If it had been a different matter, he would have somehow taken care of her and embraced her as soon as she was stretched out, but his mother came out strongly, saying that she could never allow that.
Of course, Krald didn't really insist that he wouldn't get married. Wasn't he the one who would become King in the future? In that case, he should have had a Queen. A woman who would sit next to him on the throne and be the most visible ornament, a woman who would bear and raise his own children, was considered essential.
'But shouldn't her face be even more pretty? Otherwise, how could I show her to others? Shit.'
“I don’t like ugly women. I also don't like older women. Do you understand?”
“This mother will take care of everything. You have nothing to worry about, my son. Well, let's go now. You look like you've grown up a lot now that you're wearing new clothes. This mother must have kept you for too long.”
“Then let’s go.”
Krald seemed relieved to finally be free from his mother's hands and left the palace without looking back. The Queen, who was looking at him with mixed emotions as he walked away from her, leaned against her back and tilted her head back. Then Margit, who was standing on one side, immediately ran over and wiped her forehead with a cool cloth.
“It’s a problem if your son is too good. There is no one woman he likes.”
In response to the Queen's words, Margit awkwardly replied, "Of course." The Queen slapped the cloth off her cheek and raised her head, pointing at her temple as if she were in pain.
Over a few days, more than ten daughters from noble families came to visit, but Krald sent them all away. However, the thing that made it impossible to tell him to think more seriously was that there was not a single person who was satisfied in the queen's eyes.
The girl who would become the Princess was a problem in itself, but it was also important to take a good look at what the family behind her was like. There were so many nobles who flattered Queen Gilsis and her family's forces that they were on her toes, but she couldn't believe that they were all sincere. Wouldn't it be a big deal for her if they believed that their daughter had become a Princess?
So she wanted a daughter from a humble family rather than a family with a good reputation and influence. A place where they can take pictures if they want, and where they wouldn't even think about using their daughter as an excuse to campaign.
The Queen, who was grumbling and rubbing her head, glanced at Margit who was giving instructions to the maids. She was still dull and seemed more foolish as the days passed, but she bowed down and obeyed whatever the Queen said.
Helen was cunning, too, but Margit was different. She is a person who is willing to pretend to die if she has to. The Queen slowly raised her loosely hanging body and lifted her red-painted lips.
“Margit.”
“Yes, Queen.”
“I just remembered, you also had a daughter, right?”
Margit's complexion turned slightly pale at the sudden remark. The dull green eyes moved busily for a moment.
"That... Yes, Your Majesty. I am so happy that you remember my daughter..."
“How old are she?”
“She's sixteen.”
"Yes... Coincidentally, she is the same age as Krald. I've met girls from many families, but I should also meet your daughter, who is my close maid. Didn’t you feel disappointed that I didn’t speak up all this time?”
"Yes? Well, it's not like that. Never... But Your Majesty, my daughter, that's... Although she made her debutante, she is timid so she always stays in the house. She is a very shy child, so I think she will only cause trouble to Your Majesty and me, so please...”
“That’s something I have to meet to find out. Isn't it? Try to bring your daughter with you when you come to the palace tomorrow.”
After finishing her speech one-sidedly, the Queen motioned for her to go out, so Margit had no choice but to retreat from her presence. However, her pounding chest could not calm down at all, and even her breathing became labored.
‘This is what happened...'
She never dreamed that the Queen would remember that she had a daughter. If she had known in advance that something like this would happen, she would have developed an unexpected illness earlier and sent her daughter somewhere far away.
No one in the royal palace or social circles did not know that Krald was an incorrigible fool and was already showing his tyrannical side despite his young age. They could not raise the issue because they were afraid of the Queen, and an ominous prediction was also floating around that if he really ascended to the throne in the future, Rotair's safety could not be guaranteed.
Flavia, the only daughter, had nothing special about her, but she was still Margit's only child. Even though she made her debut, she was a daughter who was raised without even acting like a child. If she pushed Flavia into becoming the wife of a scoundrel like Krald, the result would be as obvious as fire.
Maybe this is a good thing.
As soon as she came out into the deserted hallway, Margit sobbed, clutching her face. Now the only thing to rely on was that Queen Gilsis was not pleased with her daughter, but her optimistic outlook was not at all evident. It was quite obvious that she wanted a woman of the house whom she could place at her feet and do whatever she wanted.
***
When the Duke of Vergy heard that Judith was secretly looking for him, he immediately rushed to the royal palace. Like Bartholomew, he also sensed that something had changed in King Jedercayer's life. Otherwise, there was no reason for her to ask for a tryst.
To avoid public attention, the Duke of Vergy first came to the Astel Palace with Bartholomew and met Franz. And while the two went out to the back garden to practice swordsmanship, he hurried to the Princess's palace to avoid other people's eyes.
Judith was waiting in the drawing room, having sent away all the other maids and servants, as well as Mary Anne and Cheraan. The Duke, who had been sitting nervously hoping that this was just a sign that the King's health had deteriorated, almost jumped up at the sight of the unimaginable business.
“Your Highness, what did you just say...”
“I said that Franz should be sent to the Delaka Empire.”
The Duke's lips twitched a couple of times. He didn't expect it, and it sounded absurd, so he didn't know what to say. But what Judith said next was even more surprising.
“His Majesty has approved this.”
"His Majesty... !”
This time, the Duke, who was about to get up from his seat, stiffened and lowered his gaze. The Duke's head slowly moved up and down as he alternately looked at Judith's hand, which was pressing down on his mouth with all her might, and her face, which was frowning with her index finger on her lips. It meant to shut his mouth.
Only then did Judith slowly remove the hand that was covering the Duke's mouth.
“I apologize for my rudeness, Duke.”
“No, Your Highness. I was so shocked... I forgot to be cautious.”
The two people's voices became lower. The Duke rubbed his sweaty forehead with his palm. The King woke up. That fact alone was so heartbreaking that it felt like his heart was going to jump out of his mouth.
“Since when? Your Majesty..."
“It’s been a few days.”
“Then why was there no news? I’m sure the doctors aren’t hiding the fact that Your Majesty has woken up, are they?”
“So to speak, it’s complicated.”
While Judith was explaining step by step what had happened, the Duke of Vergy's complexion changed frantically, turning red and white. When he got to the part where Queen Gilsis had the royal doctors under her control and was deliberately putting the King to sleep, he slammed his fist on the table. There was a sound of the wooden frame cracking.
“...I can’t leave it alone.”
The Duke groaned. His body weighed down with anger and astonishment, felt like it was about to explode. His venomous eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out, and not only his face but even the back of his neck turned red, making him look scary.
“I can never leave it alone. I must lock that vicious woman up in the tower.”
“I understand the Duke’s wrath, but I can’t do that right now.”
“No, you can! If you spread this, no one will be able to take her side. How dare, how dare she do this. She's been shameless for years to commit such a terrible act... I cannot forgive her.”
“Find the reason, Duke. And think calmly. If this was going to be resolved so easily, don't you think it would have already happened somewhere? Do you think she did this without any countermeasures?”
His bloodshot eyes were trembling. He wanted to invade the Queen's palace right away, drag Gilsis out, and beat her up. But Judith was right. The fact that such an important and serious matter had been buried for several years without a single word being spoken about meant that the queen's hands had been stretched to every corner.
“What is urgent now is the matter of degradation. There are many things we need to send Franz to the empire in time for the academy to open.”
“What specifically do you need?”
“The most important thing is the admission fee. You must also have documents requesting admission. I have obtained a copy of the document through Cheraan, but there must be a way to deliver it to the Empire as soon as possible.”
“I can handle both.”
It was fortunate. Judith took out the documents she had prepared and spread them out on the table. She had filled out the parts that needed to be filled out in advance, and at the bottom was a stamp with the King's signature and the Rotair royal family emblem engraved on it. Tears suddenly welled up in the Duke's eyes as he checked the apocalypse that only King Jedecayer had.
“Really, Your Majesty...You’re awake.”
“When the time comes, Your Majesty will find the Duke. No one should know about this. You never know where words can leak out.”
“Do Franz know this?”
Judith shook her head.
“He doesn’t know this yet. While the duke delivers these documents to the empire and takes care of the admission fee, I will organize things so that His Highness can meet His Majesty, avoiding the eyes of the doctors.”
Try this series too:
- To Help You Understand [Ongoing]
- The Cup Of Revenge Is In Your Hand [Ongoing]
- I Ended Up Living Up Next Door With My Ex-Husband [Ongoing]
- The Crown I Will Take From You [ New!]
- The Terminally Ill Princess Hold The Least Of A Mad Dog [Ongoing]
- The Fake Daughter of the Brium Family [New!]
- The Princess Imprints The Traitor [Ongoing]
- If Regrets Keeps Us Alive [New!]
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