Samona occasionally met Judith in the palace to tell her what she had seen and heard. She could not visit the Palace of Nation because she had to avoid the eyes of others, so Judith had no choice but to go outside.
Toschi Street, where Samona's apothecary shop was located, was not a street frequented by nobles. To reduce the risk of being noticed, Judith disguised herself by wearing plain clothes and was always accompanied by Cheraan or Bartholomew. The Piazza de Michele was always crowded with people, but even if there was a lot of snow, it was not necessarily safe.
It wasn't Samona who was guarding the apothecary shop. The young boy who was guarding the shop in place of his older sister who was always locked up in the attic, absorbed in mixing herbs, was delighted as soon as he saw Bartholomew, who was bending his head to pass through the narrow entrance.
"Mr. Bartholomew!”
“No, Sir.”
Bartholomew's large hand playfully flicked around the boy's head, wrapping it around his head. When Judith came in after him, the boy greeted her with a slightly shy expression.
"Hello."
“How have you been, Win?”
Win, that was the boy's name. He nodded and quickly turned around to go up to the attic. Soon, a loud crash was heard, followed by the sound of two busy footsteps coming down the stairs.
"You came?"
Samona greeted Judith casually as if she were a friend. Samona, with her disheveled hair roughly brushed back, gestured toward the back of the shelf where medicinal herbs were piled up.
“Would you like to sit down? Win! Stop fooling around and watch the store carefully!”
“I wasn’t joking!”
Win, who had been hanging on to Bartholomew's thick arm and thinking about how to play with him, cried out in frustration. Samona made a half-hearted gesture and sat down opposite Judith.
The small table was dirty, with some unknown powder and dust piled here and there, but Judith didn't care. The place where they were sitting was hidden by a shelf, not directly visible from the outside. Samona, who was listening to Win's voice asking Bartholomew to play with him, said.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I didn’t even say hello to you because I was afraid the child would start making a fuss.”
“I told you to do that. You don’t have to apologize.”
Judith answered. The reason Samona treated her as if she were a guest who came every day was to avoid attracting the attention of others, especially young Win. If he accidentally let slip that he had seen the Crown Princess while playing with his friends, it would be a big deal.
“How was it?”
Samona was not a formal court physician, so she could not stay in the Queen's palace every day. Instead, she met with Queen Gilsis twice a week at a set time to examine her and prepare medicine for her.
The medicine she made quickly relieved even the most severe headaches, so it was not difficult to gain the Queen's trust. The most important thing was to please the Queen with appropriate words and intuition, and above all, to thoroughly hide the fact that Judith was involved. Samona did both of these things skillfully.
“That disease that Your Highness spoke of... It seems to have progressed considerably.”
A faint shadow fell over Judith's expression. The Queen's madness, which had once been a fitful one, seemed to have improved with the treatment of the palace physician, but it was not completely cured.
“I see, that’s what happened.”
“It seems like it’s not known to the outside world because everyone working in the palace keeps quiet, but they say that she wakes up at night hearing auditory hallucinations or screaming that someone has entered the room. These days, it’s said that one or two maids or servants even enter the room with the Queen while she’s asleep.”
“When she occasionally shows herself to the outside world, she doesn’t seem to show any of those symptoms.”
“This disease doesn’t get worse that quickly. She's also taking separate medicine. The things that Your Highness had mentioned before were quite effective, so I looked into the prescription records my father left behind before he passed away. He had treated similar patients. I mixed some of the herbs he had used back then and it temporarily helped.”
“What else?”
Samona gradually relayed to Judith what she had seen and heard in the palace. Queen Gilsis was not serious despite her harsh and cunning nature, and above all, she treated her maids and other court ladies as if they were still lives that she could manipulate as she pleased.
The maids who had worked in the palace for a long time were more afraid of falling out of favor with Queen Gilsis than anything else, so they did not dare to bring out what was happening inside the palace. However, Samona was different from them.
“As Your Highness said, it is certain that the Queen is in constant correspondence with the Second Prince in the South. Not only that, but it seems that she is also monitoring the situation there without the Second Prince’s knowledge.”
“Surveillance?”
“I guess you could call it surveillance, or maybe overprotection. But it seems like they’ve planted someone there without the 2nd Prince knowing. Last time, the 2nd Prince was complaining about a woman he’s been hanging out with lately.”
“The Second Prince has a government. Her name is Libencia Montfort.”
Samona shook her head.
“There was also the story of that woman. The Queen said, ‘He has lost interest in that vulgar Montfort girl, so now he has a desert wanderer with no roots.’”
“A wanderer?”
Judith was slightly surprised. A desert wanderer? If so, it meant that the Union had tried to contact Krald first. And that was by using a woman. She was probably the daughter of a tribal leader or at least someone of similar status. Krald had favored Libencia for a very long time, but it seemed that he had started to treat her coldly when he got a new woman.
'Can't we use this fact to our advantage? I think it would be a good idea to let His Majesty know as well.'
While Judith was lost in thought, Samona continued speaking.
“But as Your Highness said, there didn’t seem to be anything serious. Maybe she just didn’t say anything in front of me... The Queen can’t stay quiet even for a moment. If something big had happened, it would have been mentioned anywhere, anytime, but she didn’t show any sign of it.”
“Thank you, Samona. Just what you told me today was helpful.”
Judith squeezed Samona's hand hard once, then let go and stood up. Even though she was disguised, there was no point in staying here for too long. It was better to return to the palace as soon as possible, as there was a possibility that someone might recognize Bartholomew playing with Win in the backyard.
“Please keep an eye on the Queen for the time being. But don’t do anything too dangerous. Samona’s safety comes first. Do you understand?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’m just a herbalist who frequents the Queen’s palace. Even if I overheard the conversation, it’s just because I remembered the Queen talking nonsense while I was making the medicine, so no one will suspect me.”
After barely appeasing Win, who was whining for more play, with a silver coin, Bartholomew and Judith hurriedly left the Toschi street. Only when they reached the center of the Piazza de Michele did Judith let out a small sigh as if her tension had eased a little.
“Your Highness, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Bartholomew asked anxiously. Judith looked up at him with a smile and shook her head.
“No. I just have a lot on my mind... about this and that.”
“I am afraid you are overdoing it. Please do not harm your health. If Your Highness gets sick, it will be a shame for Franz to see you.”
Laughter erupted at his teasing. Judith, who was calmly straightening her hair that was fluttering in the cool breeze, suddenly thought that these leisurely times were refreshing. It was not peaceful, but at least there was no situation yet that was so chaotic that she couldn’t sleep at night. However, Rotair would soon become noisy. No one could yet guarantee what the outcome would be.
“By the way, Bartholomew, you refused to return to the Combler training camp?”
Judith looked at Bartholomew. Bartholomew met her eyes and hesitated for a moment at the unexpected question, then nodded as if it was nothing.
“It was.”
“Why did you do that? It was unfair that you lost your status as a trainee. Wouldn’t it be better to go back?”
As Franz was the regent on behalf of the King, he also had some authority in administrative matters. Above all, he wanted to send Bartholomew back to Combler. Since the King would not object, he called the head of Combler to discuss the matter, but unexpectedly, Bartholomew opposed it and refused to go back, so the matter fell through.
Bartholomew looked intently as if he had no idea what to say. When Judith blinked urgingly, he shrugged his mountain-like shoulders and said,
“If I go back to the training camp now, there will be no one left to guard Franz.”
“Was it because of that? There’s Captain Bibiyu.”
“He must guard the Nation Palace. Not only Franz but also the safety of Her Highness is important. If Captain Bibiyu were to guard you, there would be someone else by Her Highness's side, but it would take too long to see if he is trustworthy.”
Judith's complex feelings were clearly expressed on her face when she heard his answer. She don't know if Franz knew this, but if he did, she's sure he would have felt equally complicated.
“I’m sorry that you suffered such dishonor because it was ultimately my fault.”
“You say that again. I don’t think so. On the contrary, after making this decision, I regret it a little bit because I wish I had beaten that bastard Krald instead of just yelling at him.”
They both knew that if he continued like that, he would have been kicked out of the training camp, but she didn't point it out. As Judith sighed and laughed, Bartholomew added.
“If you feel like you owe me something, then you better set the stage for me to beat up Krald.”
Judith blinked with a slightly surprised expression at those words.
“Did you know?”
Toschi Street, where Samona's apothecary shop was located, was not a street frequented by nobles. To reduce the risk of being noticed, Judith disguised herself by wearing plain clothes and was always accompanied by Cheraan or Bartholomew. The Piazza de Michele was always crowded with people, but even if there was a lot of snow, it was not necessarily safe.
It wasn't Samona who was guarding the apothecary shop. The young boy who was guarding the shop in place of his older sister who was always locked up in the attic, absorbed in mixing herbs, was delighted as soon as he saw Bartholomew, who was bending his head to pass through the narrow entrance.
"Mr. Bartholomew!”
“No, Sir.”
Bartholomew's large hand playfully flicked around the boy's head, wrapping it around his head. When Judith came in after him, the boy greeted her with a slightly shy expression.
"Hello."
“How have you been, Win?”
Win, that was the boy's name. He nodded and quickly turned around to go up to the attic. Soon, a loud crash was heard, followed by the sound of two busy footsteps coming down the stairs.
"You came?"
Samona greeted Judith casually as if she were a friend. Samona, with her disheveled hair roughly brushed back, gestured toward the back of the shelf where medicinal herbs were piled up.
“Would you like to sit down? Win! Stop fooling around and watch the store carefully!”
“I wasn’t joking!”
Win, who had been hanging on to Bartholomew's thick arm and thinking about how to play with him, cried out in frustration. Samona made a half-hearted gesture and sat down opposite Judith.
The small table was dirty, with some unknown powder and dust piled here and there, but Judith didn't care. The place where they were sitting was hidden by a shelf, not directly visible from the outside. Samona, who was listening to Win's voice asking Bartholomew to play with him, said.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I didn’t even say hello to you because I was afraid the child would start making a fuss.”
“I told you to do that. You don’t have to apologize.”
Judith answered. The reason Samona treated her as if she were a guest who came every day was to avoid attracting the attention of others, especially young Win. If he accidentally let slip that he had seen the Crown Princess while playing with his friends, it would be a big deal.
“How was it?”
Samona was not a formal court physician, so she could not stay in the Queen's palace every day. Instead, she met with Queen Gilsis twice a week at a set time to examine her and prepare medicine for her.
The medicine she made quickly relieved even the most severe headaches, so it was not difficult to gain the Queen's trust. The most important thing was to please the Queen with appropriate words and intuition, and above all, to thoroughly hide the fact that Judith was involved. Samona did both of these things skillfully.
“That disease that Your Highness spoke of... It seems to have progressed considerably.”
A faint shadow fell over Judith's expression. The Queen's madness, which had once been a fitful one, seemed to have improved with the treatment of the palace physician, but it was not completely cured.
“I see, that’s what happened.”
“It seems like it’s not known to the outside world because everyone working in the palace keeps quiet, but they say that she wakes up at night hearing auditory hallucinations or screaming that someone has entered the room. These days, it’s said that one or two maids or servants even enter the room with the Queen while she’s asleep.”
“When she occasionally shows herself to the outside world, she doesn’t seem to show any of those symptoms.”
“This disease doesn’t get worse that quickly. She's also taking separate medicine. The things that Your Highness had mentioned before were quite effective, so I looked into the prescription records my father left behind before he passed away. He had treated similar patients. I mixed some of the herbs he had used back then and it temporarily helped.”
“What else?”
Samona gradually relayed to Judith what she had seen and heard in the palace. Queen Gilsis was not serious despite her harsh and cunning nature, and above all, she treated her maids and other court ladies as if they were still lives that she could manipulate as she pleased.
The maids who had worked in the palace for a long time were more afraid of falling out of favor with Queen Gilsis than anything else, so they did not dare to bring out what was happening inside the palace. However, Samona was different from them.
“As Your Highness said, it is certain that the Queen is in constant correspondence with the Second Prince in the South. Not only that, but it seems that she is also monitoring the situation there without the Second Prince’s knowledge.”
“Surveillance?”
“I guess you could call it surveillance, or maybe overprotection. But it seems like they’ve planted someone there without the 2nd Prince knowing. Last time, the 2nd Prince was complaining about a woman he’s been hanging out with lately.”
“The Second Prince has a government. Her name is Libencia Montfort.”
Samona shook her head.
“There was also the story of that woman. The Queen said, ‘He has lost interest in that vulgar Montfort girl, so now he has a desert wanderer with no roots.’”
“A wanderer?”
Judith was slightly surprised. A desert wanderer? If so, it meant that the Union had tried to contact Krald first. And that was by using a woman. She was probably the daughter of a tribal leader or at least someone of similar status. Krald had favored Libencia for a very long time, but it seemed that he had started to treat her coldly when he got a new woman.
'Can't we use this fact to our advantage? I think it would be a good idea to let His Majesty know as well.'
While Judith was lost in thought, Samona continued speaking.
“But as Your Highness said, there didn’t seem to be anything serious. Maybe she just didn’t say anything in front of me... The Queen can’t stay quiet even for a moment. If something big had happened, it would have been mentioned anywhere, anytime, but she didn’t show any sign of it.”
“Thank you, Samona. Just what you told me today was helpful.”
Judith squeezed Samona's hand hard once, then let go and stood up. Even though she was disguised, there was no point in staying here for too long. It was better to return to the palace as soon as possible, as there was a possibility that someone might recognize Bartholomew playing with Win in the backyard.
“Please keep an eye on the Queen for the time being. But don’t do anything too dangerous. Samona’s safety comes first. Do you understand?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’m just a herbalist who frequents the Queen’s palace. Even if I overheard the conversation, it’s just because I remembered the Queen talking nonsense while I was making the medicine, so no one will suspect me.”
After barely appeasing Win, who was whining for more play, with a silver coin, Bartholomew and Judith hurriedly left the Toschi street. Only when they reached the center of the Piazza de Michele did Judith let out a small sigh as if her tension had eased a little.
“Your Highness, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Bartholomew asked anxiously. Judith looked up at him with a smile and shook her head.
“No. I just have a lot on my mind... about this and that.”
“I am afraid you are overdoing it. Please do not harm your health. If Your Highness gets sick, it will be a shame for Franz to see you.”
Laughter erupted at his teasing. Judith, who was calmly straightening her hair that was fluttering in the cool breeze, suddenly thought that these leisurely times were refreshing. It was not peaceful, but at least there was no situation yet that was so chaotic that she couldn’t sleep at night. However, Rotair would soon become noisy. No one could yet guarantee what the outcome would be.
“By the way, Bartholomew, you refused to return to the Combler training camp?”
Judith looked at Bartholomew. Bartholomew met her eyes and hesitated for a moment at the unexpected question, then nodded as if it was nothing.
“It was.”
“Why did you do that? It was unfair that you lost your status as a trainee. Wouldn’t it be better to go back?”
As Franz was the regent on behalf of the King, he also had some authority in administrative matters. Above all, he wanted to send Bartholomew back to Combler. Since the King would not object, he called the head of Combler to discuss the matter, but unexpectedly, Bartholomew opposed it and refused to go back, so the matter fell through.
Bartholomew looked intently as if he had no idea what to say. When Judith blinked urgingly, he shrugged his mountain-like shoulders and said,
“If I go back to the training camp now, there will be no one left to guard Franz.”
“Was it because of that? There’s Captain Bibiyu.”
“He must guard the Nation Palace. Not only Franz but also the safety of Her Highness is important. If Captain Bibiyu were to guard you, there would be someone else by Her Highness's side, but it would take too long to see if he is trustworthy.”
Judith's complex feelings were clearly expressed on her face when she heard his answer. She don't know if Franz knew this, but if he did, she's sure he would have felt equally complicated.
“I’m sorry that you suffered such dishonor because it was ultimately my fault.”
“You say that again. I don’t think so. On the contrary, after making this decision, I regret it a little bit because I wish I had beaten that bastard Krald instead of just yelling at him.”
They both knew that if he continued like that, he would have been kicked out of the training camp, but she didn't point it out. As Judith sighed and laughed, Bartholomew added.
“If you feel like you owe me something, then you better set the stage for me to beat up Krald.”
Judith blinked with a slightly surprised expression at those words.
“Did you know?”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment