Judith passed through the complex entrance and went inside where the Queen was waiting. Just like the last time she visited this place, the large room smelled so strong that it gave her a headache.
“See you, Queen Mother. Have a nice day.”
The Queen's gaze as she looked at Judith, who was bowing with a calm and nonchalant expression, was not good. She looked down at her kneeling figure as if it were nothing, raised her lips, and said sarcastically.
“It’s been a long time since I saw your precious face. Could it be that you thought I was about to die and never came to say hello?”
If she even showed signs of sneaking around the Queen's palace, she would have been caught and given a warning, and even if she found fault with her, it was a shame. However, Judith did not express anything and simply lowered her head with a submissive expression. Of course, she did not think that the Queen would be fooled by her acting, which was so obvious to her eyes.
“I was worried every time I heard that the Queen Mother was old. Many people, including the maids, will serve you with great care, but I did not want to cause you concern by being noticed by my shortcomings. Forgive me.”
“Have you put oil on your tongue? You speak in a flashy manner. Well, I guess you have to be able to make fun of it to that extent before you can even melt the heart of His Majesty the King.”
Judith lowered her gaze without responding, pretending not to have heard what the Queen said. She already knew of the rumor that she had been sitting next to King Caesar and had been trying to get Franz to take the crown's position. Cheraan, who heard the rumor, wheezed menacingly that if she was caught, her tongue would be tied.
Not only Cheraan but also Bartholomew was excited and said that they should catch who had spread such absurd rumors, but Judith told them to leave it alone.
There was no need to make the royal palace noisy just because of rumors. Regardless of whether it was Judith or the Duke of Vergy, it was clear that if the rumor started to spread that they were tracking down the source of the rumor, the man who spoke first would dig a tunnel and hide like a mole. In the end, it would end with only a few people caught talking lightly, so there was no reward.
“Why is there no answer? Has your tongue been twisted just yet? Or are you just using your brain to make a fuss in front of me?”
When Judith said nothing, the Queen seemed so nervous that she couldn't stand it. Judith bowed her head in front of the screaming Queen who was about to throw away her fan and spoke in a calm voice.
“In everything you decide, only your judgment is important. I knew there were false rumors targeting me, but I made no effort to silence them. I believed that anyone who was loyal to Rotair and anyone with judgment would know that nothing like that could cloud the judgment of Your Majesty."
Although the words were polite and the content was polite, the Queen ground her teeth until they made a grinding sound. According to Judith, it was Queen Gilsis who used the rumor about her as an excuse to reprimand her, because it meant that she had no loyalty to the kingdom and that she had no sense of judgment.
“Something ridiculous and outrageous. Do you think I don’t know what’s inside you? Now that you’re the Crown Princess, are you already trying to sit on top of my head?”
“Queen, I have never once tried to deceive you. Please count.”
“Have you ever tried to deceive me? Ha! Even if I split your tongues, you won’t speak the right words?”
Judith's brow furrowed slightly.
What on earth are you trying to argue about now?
She had not had a close encounter with Queen Gilsis recently. It had been a long time since she had been called to the Queen's palace and scolded like this.
Could this be because she really didn't come to say hello? No, if that was the case, the Queen should have called her a long time ago and told her all she could. At this point, there was no way it could have happened just because of something like that.
“What did I do wrong?”
“Even if you look at me funny, you're still oily. If you really respected the elders of the royal family as you say, then why did you hurt my brother’s face?”
For a moment, Judith almost looked at the Queen in bewilderment. My brother, the only person she could call that was Duke Laetian. Let alone whether the Queen had really treated him as a younger brother all this time. Could it be that on the day of the banquet, he was putting on this ridiculous play to find fault with her for shaking off her hand and causing a slight scratch?
“It is true that the Duke seemed drunk and shook my hand away, but I had no intention of committing any other rudeness.”
“Is this the end of the story if you say you didn’t have any thoughts? The question is what to do with what has already happened.”
When Judith felt that the tip of her finger had brushed the Duke of Laetian's cheek, and saw the faint trace that it had made on his cheek, Judith was not surprised, but rather delighted. The reason why Duke Laetian ended up in such a situation at that time was entirely due to his own rudeness. It never occurred to her that the Queen would come forward and question her about that matter.
It was clear that Queen Gilsis would not know why the Duke had suffered such a thing, and would probably not be interested in finding out. The only thing that matters is that they have an excuse to corner Judith.
Judith lowered her head slightly in a calm manner.
“It was a mistake, Your Majesty. Because there was a small misunderstanding between the Duke and me...”
"Misunderstanding? You speak well. Even if it was a misunderstanding, he is the Duke of this country, even the royal family, and a member of the royal family. You didn’t say a word of apology after doing something like that, right?”
Judith would rather inflict the same wound on her own cheek than apologize to him. She pursed her lips, then slowly exhaled her deep breath and looked at Queen Gilsis.
“If that made you angry, I would like to apologize. However, I cannot apologize to the Duke himself.”
“What’s wrong?”
“If he hadn’t been rude to me in the first place, it wouldn’t have happened. I hope that Your Majesty will listen to both sides and make a fair judgment.”
"Ha."
Queen Gilsis laughed, touching her forehead as if she was shocked by Judith's clear and clear answer.
“That cocky attitude hasn’t changed. No, it got worse. Do you feel like your world has come to life now? Do you think everyone will make fun of the width of your skirt?”
“You are saying too much, Queen Mother. I have never felt that way. I never even thought about it like that.”
"Yes? You never felt like that before. You are innocent. That's what you're saying. Okay, I'll take your word for it. Then kneel before me.”
Judith's shoulders trembled for a moment. Her eyes looked straight at the Queen, but she did not seem frightened. What was contained in those bright blue eyes was nothing but indifference. Rather than crying and shaking, or on the other hand, more than her rebelliousness, that dismissive look made the Queen more angry.
“Get on your knees!”
A sharp sound erupted like a seizure. Judith thought for a moment and then knelt down on her knees. However, her head did not bow; she only lowered her gaze.
“Oh, if you are so innocent, I will show you my generosity and believe you. You too must keep your promise to apologize to me.”
“...”
“Margit.”
Margit looked at the Queen's call and approached hesitantly. Queen Gilsis handed Margit the fan she was holding in her hand and glared at Judith.
“Slap the crown Princess in the face with this.”
"Yes...?”
Margit’s eyes began to tremble. However, Judith did not even look surprised and only slightly bit her lip. This much was expected from the time Duke Laetian's work was mentioned.
“Y-Your Majesty... I am...”
“What are you doing if you don’t do it right away? Will you come to your senses if I show you something?”
To show a demonstration meant, ‘Will you be the first to get hit?’ It might have been better if it ended with a single blow, but given Queen Gilsis' personality, that couldn't have been possible. Margit approached Judith, her hand shaking as she held his fan.
Of course, she didn't like Judith. She wasn't even worried. It's just that she was scared because she had no faith that Queen Gilsis would protect her if this somehow went wrong. What if Judith were to be slapped and run straight to the King?
“I don’t need or believe in verbal apologies. If you want to apologize for what you did to my brother, do the same to yourself. Do you understand?”
The Queen said sarcastically to Judith. Judith did not lift an eyebrow, but only slightly raised her eyes. Then a thunderous response came from Queen Gilsis.
“What are those cheeky eyes!”
“These are my words, so I take responsibility. But I would like to ask Your Majesty one thing. Is this really for the sake of your brother, Duke Laetian? Or are you just trying to humiliate me?”
“Can’t you just shut up! Know that if you use your tongue any longer, you won’t end up with a slap in the face!”
“If I obediently get slapped, do you really intend to accept my apology and forgive me?”
The Queen's lips, which had turned dark blue, were trembling. Clenched teeth were visible through the distorted gap, and eyes with unusually small pupils were wide open. It was the moment when the Queen, who had been unable to do anything while holding the fan, pushed Margit to her feet and tried to grab Judith's hair.
“What are you doing?”
Queen Gilsis, as well as Judith and Margit, also turned their heads towards the direction of the sound. They couldn't even hear the door open, but King Jedecayer was standing there. Behind him, the Duke of Vergy, the President of the Privy Council, and the Minister of the Interior were gaping with shocked expressions.
Margit fell on the floor, trembling and lost in thought. However, the Queen only looked embarrassed for the first moment, and soon she was acting like a drunk person and twisting one corner of her mouth.
“Welcome, Your Majesty. It looks like you never walk in a hundred years, so what are you doing today? Did you come here in such a hurry because you were afraid that I might lay a hand on the Crown Princess whom you cherish so much?”
The Duke of Vergy came out angrily.
“Queen, what rude words are you speaking to His Majesty!”
“That’s enough.”
When the King tried to dissuade the Duke, Queen Gilsis snorted as if she could hear him. After looking back at the Queen with his dark, sunken eyes, the King's eyes feer on Judith, who was still kneeling on his knees.
“The Crown Princess, stand up.”
Judith stood up quietly, holding the crumpled hem of her dress. And only later did she bow her head before the King.
“See you, Your Majesty the King.”
“Greetings have been made. Go back to Argent Palace now.”
She had not had a close encounter with Queen Gilsis recently. It had been a long time since she had been called to the Queen's palace and scolded like this.
Could this be because she really didn't come to say hello? No, if that was the case, the Queen should have called her a long time ago and told her all she could. At this point, there was no way it could have happened just because of something like that.
“What did I do wrong?”
“Even if you look at me funny, you're still oily. If you really respected the elders of the royal family as you say, then why did you hurt my brother’s face?”
For a moment, Judith almost looked at the Queen in bewilderment. My brother, the only person she could call that was Duke Laetian. Let alone whether the Queen had really treated him as a younger brother all this time. Could it be that on the day of the banquet, he was putting on this ridiculous play to find fault with her for shaking off her hand and causing a slight scratch?
“It is true that the Duke seemed drunk and shook my hand away, but I had no intention of committing any other rudeness.”
“Is this the end of the story if you say you didn’t have any thoughts? The question is what to do with what has already happened.”
When Judith felt that the tip of her finger had brushed the Duke of Laetian's cheek, and saw the faint trace that it had made on his cheek, Judith was not surprised, but rather delighted. The reason why Duke Laetian ended up in such a situation at that time was entirely due to his own rudeness. It never occurred to her that the Queen would come forward and question her about that matter.
It was clear that Queen Gilsis would not know why the Duke had suffered such a thing, and would probably not be interested in finding out. The only thing that matters is that they have an excuse to corner Judith.
Judith lowered her head slightly in a calm manner.
“It was a mistake, Your Majesty. Because there was a small misunderstanding between the Duke and me...”
"Misunderstanding? You speak well. Even if it was a misunderstanding, he is the Duke of this country, even the royal family, and a member of the royal family. You didn’t say a word of apology after doing something like that, right?”
Judith would rather inflict the same wound on her own cheek than apologize to him. She pursed her lips, then slowly exhaled her deep breath and looked at Queen Gilsis.
“If that made you angry, I would like to apologize. However, I cannot apologize to the Duke himself.”
“What’s wrong?”
“If he hadn’t been rude to me in the first place, it wouldn’t have happened. I hope that Your Majesty will listen to both sides and make a fair judgment.”
"Ha."
Queen Gilsis laughed, touching her forehead as if she was shocked by Judith's clear and clear answer.
“That cocky attitude hasn’t changed. No, it got worse. Do you feel like your world has come to life now? Do you think everyone will make fun of the width of your skirt?”
“You are saying too much, Queen Mother. I have never felt that way. I never even thought about it like that.”
"Yes? You never felt like that before. You are innocent. That's what you're saying. Okay, I'll take your word for it. Then kneel before me.”
Judith's shoulders trembled for a moment. Her eyes looked straight at the Queen, but she did not seem frightened. What was contained in those bright blue eyes was nothing but indifference. Rather than crying and shaking, or on the other hand, more than her rebelliousness, that dismissive look made the Queen more angry.
“Get on your knees!”
A sharp sound erupted like a seizure. Judith thought for a moment and then knelt down on her knees. However, her head did not bow; she only lowered her gaze.
“Oh, if you are so innocent, I will show you my generosity and believe you. You too must keep your promise to apologize to me.”
“...”
“Margit.”
Margit looked at the Queen's call and approached hesitantly. Queen Gilsis handed Margit the fan she was holding in her hand and glared at Judith.
“Slap the crown Princess in the face with this.”
"Yes...?”
Margit’s eyes began to tremble. However, Judith did not even look surprised and only slightly bit her lip. This much was expected from the time Duke Laetian's work was mentioned.
“Y-Your Majesty... I am...”
“What are you doing if you don’t do it right away? Will you come to your senses if I show you something?”
To show a demonstration meant, ‘Will you be the first to get hit?’ It might have been better if it ended with a single blow, but given Queen Gilsis' personality, that couldn't have been possible. Margit approached Judith, her hand shaking as she held his fan.
Of course, she didn't like Judith. She wasn't even worried. It's just that she was scared because she had no faith that Queen Gilsis would protect her if this somehow went wrong. What if Judith were to be slapped and run straight to the King?
“I don’t need or believe in verbal apologies. If you want to apologize for what you did to my brother, do the same to yourself. Do you understand?”
The Queen said sarcastically to Judith. Judith did not lift an eyebrow, but only slightly raised her eyes. Then a thunderous response came from Queen Gilsis.
“What are those cheeky eyes!”
“These are my words, so I take responsibility. But I would like to ask Your Majesty one thing. Is this really for the sake of your brother, Duke Laetian? Or are you just trying to humiliate me?”
“Can’t you just shut up! Know that if you use your tongue any longer, you won’t end up with a slap in the face!”
“If I obediently get slapped, do you really intend to accept my apology and forgive me?”
The Queen's lips, which had turned dark blue, were trembling. Clenched teeth were visible through the distorted gap, and eyes with unusually small pupils were wide open. It was the moment when the Queen, who had been unable to do anything while holding the fan, pushed Margit to her feet and tried to grab Judith's hair.
“What are you doing?”
Queen Gilsis, as well as Judith and Margit, also turned their heads towards the direction of the sound. They couldn't even hear the door open, but King Jedecayer was standing there. Behind him, the Duke of Vergy, the President of the Privy Council, and the Minister of the Interior were gaping with shocked expressions.
Margit fell on the floor, trembling and lost in thought. However, the Queen only looked embarrassed for the first moment, and soon she was acting like a drunk person and twisting one corner of her mouth.
“Welcome, Your Majesty. It looks like you never walk in a hundred years, so what are you doing today? Did you come here in such a hurry because you were afraid that I might lay a hand on the Crown Princess whom you cherish so much?”
The Duke of Vergy came out angrily.
“Queen, what rude words are you speaking to His Majesty!”
“That’s enough.”
When the King tried to dissuade the Duke, Queen Gilsis snorted as if she could hear him. After looking back at the Queen with his dark, sunken eyes, the King's eyes feer on Judith, who was still kneeling on his knees.
“The Crown Princess, stand up.”
Judith stood up quietly, holding the crumpled hem of her dress. And only later did she bow her head before the King.
“See you, Your Majesty the King.”
“Greetings have been made. Go back to Argent Palace now.”
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