Judith, who read the not-too-long letter repeatedly, smiled and sighed softly.
“I just hoped that you would adapt well to life in the empire and that Your Majesty would not have to worry about anything. I don’t know what to do when I hear this unexpectedly good news.”
Judith's cheeks were flushed and she looked excited, unlike her usual calm demeanor. The King, who received thr letter back from her, saw her like that and let out a rare chuckle.
“How surprised will Franz be when he comes back and sees you?”
“Why do you think that?”
“It has already been four years since Franz left. Do you not know yourself? Didn’t you, who looked like a young girl, grow up to be so beautiful?”
Judith's cheeks turned a little redder at his words. This time, rather than being excited, she seemed more shy and embarrassed.
The King, who was watching, raised his ring-wearing left hand and lightly stroked her head. It was an innocent and benevolent gesture, like an older person admiring a younger person or a father expressing affection for his daughter. Like the clear night sky, bluish-black hair glides between straight fingers.
“You are my son's wife, the Prince’s wife, and you seem to me to be a closer daughter. You are like a blood relative, so how could I not be happy about your growth?”
“These are great words.”
The King still remembered the first time he saw Judith. A face that was young and pale, and eyes that seemed so sharp that even in the midst of fearful confusion, they were incomprehensible.
Judith has grown a lot since then and is noticeably healthier. Her cheeks, which had been bloodless as if they had been made of white plaster, took on a light rosy glow, and her facial expressions and gestures became much more relaxed. As a result, the dignity and elegance that a member of the royal family should have was exuded much more clearly.
“As soon as Franz returns, your wedding will be held.”
A look of surprise appeared on Judith's face.
"Wedding ceremony... Did you say that?”
“Isn’t that surprising? You pay what you deserve.”
Franz and Judith did not get married. This is because Queen Gilsis did not allow it, citing the King's bedridden illness as an excuse. At that time, there was no time and no way to confront the Queen over such trivial matters as whether or not to honor her.
After the King woke up and Franz left, Queen Gilsis, overcome by evil, almost turned the whole country upside down and prepared for Krald's wedding. It was such an extravagant event that social circles talked about the wedding of the second Prince for an entire month, but even then, Judith did not feel envy or jealousy.
The wedding she had with Franz in her last life was shabby, and there was no room for happiness at all. But now that she was there, she had no desire to make up for it. Since she had never thought much about her own wedding, King Jedercayer's words couldn't help but come to mind.
“Although you have been married for a long time, haven’t you been apart longer than you have been together? Even if this is not the case, Franz is the King's king's eldest son and his wife. Does it make sense if we don’t even hold a wedding?”
The King's voice sounded stern, but at the same time, he seemed to pity her. Although she had never thought that a wedding ceremony was necessary, Judith obediently bowed her head and expressed her gratitude to him.
“Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty.”
“The National Foundation Day is coming soon, and when Franz returns home, we will be busy for a while. Let's prepare gradually. I don’t know if it’s my greed, but I hope we can cool off before the cold hits.”
Judith lowered her gaze and agreed with silence and a smile. An expectant smile also appeared on the King's face.
***
Judith left the King's office and walked through the garden with Cheraan.
Unless it was close to the Queen's palace, there was now no place in the palace that Judith could not go. Every time she took a leisurely walk, she realized once again how great it was to live a life where she could walk around proudly without having to worry about what anyone thought.
The news that the King was planning the wedding of Franz and Judith made Cheraan very excited.
“You said you wanted to have a ceremony before winter, but you are gradually preparing! Your Majesty too. We have to hit the dressing room now to prepare the dress.”
“Cheraan, I didn’t know you would be interested in something like this?”
When Judith made a subtle joke, referencing Cheraan's attitude of not paying attention to things like dresses and fancy ceremonies, Cheraan raised his voice even more.
“Your Highness! That's what happens when it's my job. This is your wedding. It’s nothing else, it’s a wedding!”
"Well... I didn't tell you because it seemed like Your Majesty was expecting a lot, but it's already been four years since I married him. It’s true that I'm a little embarrassed that I'm getting married now.”
“What is there to be embarrassed about? The ceremony couldn't be held in the first place because of someone's interference. And how loud was her son's wedding? Now that I've mentioned it, I still get amazed when I think about the ridiculously extravagant decorations and the dress. Because it’s so absurd.”
“Cheraan.”
As Judith's voice lowered to a somewhat stern tone, Cheraan did not say anything more, but her pouting expression remained.
She hated not only Krald but also Princess Flavia, who married him, for no reason. Her mother, Margit, was a close maid to Queen Gilsis, and her father, Count Bloset, defended the Queen in such an unsightly and public way that it was impossible for her to have any good feelings about him.
However, regardless of the reasons, even Judith did not know why Cheraan, who had a generous personality and rarely harbored petty grudges against others, was especially harsh towards Flavia.
“It wasn’t Flavia’s fault.”
“I know, Your Highness. But what do you do with something you don’t want to see? I heard that the other day, Count Bloset gathered together a group of people he often hangs out with and asked if His Majesty's treatment of the Queen was too harsh. How dare a vain subject who only knows luxury dare to slander the King! I can’t stand to see him bragging just because he received a small amount of money from the Queen.”
“That’s his fault too, it has nothing to do with Princess Flavia.”
Judith, who had been urging her gently, looked puzzled when she saw that Cheraan's attitude had suddenly become noticeably gloomy.
“Cheraan?”
Judith called out, but Cheraan didn't respond, just pursed her lips and gestured her chin toward somewhere. Judith raised her head and then saw Flavia stopping a few steps away and slightly parted her lips.
"Your Highness... I see Your Highness.”
Flavia, who made eye contact with Judith, hesitantly approached her and mumbled a greeting.
Although Judith had grown a lot, Flavia's eye level was about half a span above her. Due to her lack of confidence compared to her tall height, her gestures seemed strangely awkward and outwardly in front of anyone.
“It’s been a while since I last saw you, Flavia.”
“I apologize. I don’t want to visit you often, so... Since Your Highness seems to be busy... I was afraid that I might cause trouble for no reason.”
Judith and Cheraan had different perspectives on Flavia, who looked helpless as if she had just been scolded, even though she had not been scolded. Judith generally pitied her, but Cheraan was disgusted with Flavia's attitude.
Judith glanced at Cheraan, who was standing glumly. Cheraan, who had been ignoring Flavia, pretending not to see her, finally gave her a polite greeting, albeit reluctantly.
“My dear Flavia, are you well?”
"Ah... Yes yes. Miss Ebelta... Are you at peace?”
Perhaps because it was a cold greeting, Flavia's bloodless face became tearful. Judith sighed softly and sent Cheraan back to the Princess's palace first. And she walked over to Flavia, who was standing restlessly.
“The weather is nice, would you like to take a walk with me?”
Flavia looked at Judith with a surprised face. She looked reluctant, but she couldn't bear to refuse, so she reluctantly nodded.
Even though Judith was not comfortable dealing with Flavia. Even if she tried to think only of Flavia, apart from Queen Gilsis and Krald, when she faced her, who was always intimidated by something about her, Judith couldn't help but think of their arrogant and cruel sides. In addition, she couldn't be happy at all because the image of herself in the past, who was exactly like Flavia, came back to her more vividly than necessary.
It would have been better if they had at least something in common, but Flavia had no interest in anything. She always seemed disinterested and uninterested in politics, as well as the usual hobbies of women from noble families, such as reading, art, or even embroidery, jewelry, and clothing.
Because she was educated to the core, she had a bit more knowledge than non-nobles, but when she started talking in-depth, her face would turn bright red and she would close her mouth or just disappear.
At first, Judith put in a lot of effort because she felt like she was seeing her old self even in that way. She tried to talk to Flavia often, avoiding the eyes of the Queen, Krald, or Margit, but because she had no will to learn, it was always in vain.
Judith, who was walking around the garden in silence, noticed a reddish scar under Flavia's chin, in an inconspicuous part. It looked like a long scratch on something.
“Flavia, here...”
When Judith tilted her head, Flavia looked horrified and covered the injured area with her hand. Judging from the amount she was doing, it seemed like she had forgotten she was doing the treatment and just remembered.
“Oh, come on. Your Highness, this is..."
Flavia, whose earlobes were bright red and looked like she was about to burst into tears, trailed off as she spoke.
Just by looking at her attitude, Judith seemed to know the history of her wounds. If she accidentally scratched something, there's no way she is so embarrassed. In all likelihood, it was Krald's doing.
Krald, who did not like Flavia from the first meeting, did not give up his rude and vicious attitude even after being pushed by the Queen to welcome her as his Princess. Instead of throwing it away, it got worse day by day.
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