It was a brightly sunny spring day. In this season, just before the apple blossoms bloomed, you could see nobles taking a walk on the promenade of the Royal Palace of Rotair and maids gathering in small groups to chat away from the eyes of the chamberlain. The winter north wind had receded, the sun was warm, and on days like this, when young buds were sprouting on every tree branch, it was perfect to lean on the railing of the corridor and whistle softly.
Queen Emerea was walking alone along a deserted path, wearing a pale peach dress that was wonderfully suited to the weather today. A group of hellebore flowers, blooming all at once in early spring, swayed their thin leaves in the breeze as if welcoming her visit.
Emerea bent her waist slightly as if to smell the scent of flowers, then suddenly smiled pleasantly in the cool breeze and straightened her shoulders. Her hair, which had been wrapped in lace while she slept and was more wavy than usual, was completely untied, and it looked like red silk fluttering in the air.
“The weather is nice.”
Emerea spoke as if she were talking to someone next to her, even though no one was listening. She laughed out loud for no reason, bowed her head slightly toward the hellebore flower in front of her, and asked.
"Yes?"
The flower buds swayed gently. It seemed as if they were answering, and Emeria felt even better. A day like today was the perfect time to imagine all kinds of joyous things, all kinds of happy things in the world.
Sighing in satisfaction, she went deeper into the garden. After walking a little further, she came across a round space with soft grass growing. Emerea sat down on the grass, gently wrapping the hem of her fluttering dress around her. She stretched out her legs and took off her shoes while she was at it. After that, her whole body felt light as if she could fly.
Emerea, who had her body leaned back and her eyes closed, pricked up her ears at the sound of someone carefully stepping on the grass as they approached. Before the owner of the pleasant sound of footsteps, which were long but not hasty, could reveal themselves, Emerea turned her head like a tagger in hide-and-seek.
“Richard.”
The moment Emerea opened her mouth, Richard Jedercayer appeared, gently pushing aside the branches that stretched out. The young King, who had just entered his mid-twenties, had a fresh and dignified appearance. A vitality and energy that seemed like it would never grow old or wither overflowed from him and Emerea.
“How did you know I was here?”
When Emerea asked, Richard smiled and sat down next to her. He took Emerea's hand, which was caressing the grass, kissed the white back of her hand, and answered.
“I can tell where you are.”
"How?"
“By feeling.”
Emeria laughed heartily as if she could hear anything funny.
“It’s exactly like the second time.”
“Who is Dulciola?”
Emeria bit her lip with a mischievous expression as she looked at Richard's puzzled face.
“Dulciola is the Countess of Dunkerven’s dog. You’ve probably seen her once or twice. She always brings her with her when she comes to the palace. You know, she’s a white, long-haired dog with some spots on her back.”
Even after hearing the explanation, Richard blinked his eyes and frowned for a while as if he couldn't remember anything. Then, he suddenly tilted his head and stared at Emerea.
“Are you saying that I’m like a dog?”
“Why, you don’t like dogs? I like dogs. They’re cute.”
A small chuckle escaped Richard's lips as Emerea stroked under his smooth chin in a genuine puppy-dog manner. Glancing down at the thin fingers that were tickling his skin, Richard let out a growl and pretended to bite the fingertip. Emeria pretended to be startled and pulled her hand away, laughing heartily.
It had been four years since the young King and Queen Jedecayer had been married, but they were still on good terms.
In the early days of their marriage, people whispered to each other as they watched the King act as if he could not live a single day without his wife, Queen Emerea.
It was a jealous grumble, wondering if the Queen could endure seeing such extreme affection being poured out to another person, as a King would usually have two or three mistresses.
However, the King's affection for Queen Emerea never cooled, despite the curious expectations of the incompetent. Some nobles tried to force their daughters or nieces into the government in order to somehow gain the aura of power, but they were all rejected, later on, he even made it a point to say, "I will never have a government in my life," so that they could not even bring it up.
Some people were even openly concerned that the King and Queen were on such good terms and that they had been married for four years but still had no children.
However, the King never once mentioned the issue of succession in front of Emerea, and Emerea would just smile and ignore such rude questions.
Whenever the nosy nobles gathered, they would all whisper that the King and Queen were not ordinary, but in any case, Richard and Emerea were happy enough with each other.
“Oh, by the way, I drew you a few days ago.”
“You mean the picture you drew in the bedroom? Why?”
“I had someone make a frame for it because I thought I’d frame it. I’ll show it to you when it’s done.”
As Richard spoke with pride, Emerea smiled slightly while hugging her knees. Emerea turned her head to look at Richard, her red hair fluttering in the wind.
“You’ve never done anything like that before, but I guess you really like what you drew this time.”
“It was just practice until now, but not anymore.”
“Do you know how many times you’ve drawn me? That it was all practice?”
“That’s how masterpieces are born.”
“So what you drew this time is a masterpiece?”
“No, it’s not a masterpiece. I’ll finish it much later. From now on, I’ll paint you every year, every season, until we both grow old and I no longer have the strength to move my brush. By then, I’ll have hundreds of portraits of you. I’ll fill the hall with them. That’ll be a masterpiece.”
If anyone had heard it, they would have laughed at it, but Emeria somehow felt that Richard could really do it. Emeria, who was smiling silently with her cheek resting on her knee, reached out with one hand and stroked Richard’s cheek.
“Richard, you always say that we’ll grow old together and die together... but what if I die before you?”
Richard's gaze glanced at Emerea's face. His face, which had been innocently looking like a boy wishing to fly in the sky just a moment ago, quickly darkened as if covered with dark clouds.
“Don't say that.”
“I was just asking.”
“Why do you ask that? That will never happen, absolutely not.”
At the childish words that were like a tantrum, Emerea burst out laughing which she had been holding back. When she reached out, Richard licked his lips in discontent but pretended not to be able to resist and hugged Emerea. The sound of his presence and body heat that had grown closer permeated her entire body. After leaning on Emerea’s shoulder for a while without saying a word, Richard lifted his head while gently holding her small hand that was stroking his head.
“I can’t live without you.”
Emerea lowered her gaze to face him, raised her eyebrows, and smiled broadly.
“How can His Majesty the King be so untrustworthy?”
“It doesn’t matter whether I'm a King or an Emperor.”
Richard gently kissed the back of Emerea's hand. Emerea looked at the nape of Richard's neck, who had lowered his head while playing with her hand.
He was much taller than her, broad-shouldered, and manly in every way, but at times like these, he felt unbearably lovable. If she held him tightly, she sometimes felt as if he would shrink. Then she could put him in a beautifully embroidered pocket and always carry him with her. Richard probably had no idea of the wild imagination she sometimes had.
“Richard.”
"Yes?"
“I'm having a baby.”
The movement of fidgeting with her fingers suddenly stopped. Emerea looked up at Richard’s blank expression as he looked up at her, then lightly kissed his long nose.
“What did you say, Emerea? Baby?”
“Yeah, baby. The palace doctor came by.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m talking about it now.”
As if to say, Emerea shrugged one shoulder. Richard unconsciously grabbed her hand tightly, looked at her still-flat stomach, raised his knees as if he was going to get up, and then sat down again. His lips, which had been quivering with speechlessness, slowly parted, and soon he let out an exclamation of “Wow!” Then, Richard suddenly leaned in and gave Emerea a long kiss on the lips.
When the kiss ended, both their cheeks were similarly flushed. Emerea said, carefully caressing Richard's cheek.
“Once the baby is born, we might not be able to live like we used to, Richard. Up until now, it was just the two of us, but now we have to become parents for the baby.”
“No, we can live like we always have. Happily, but now we have a baby. Nothing will change.”
Richard's voice trembled as if he was overwhelmed. Emerea, who had been staring at him blankly, smiled and said, "Yes."
“I don’t think I can sleep because I’m excited to see what kind of child he will be.”
“What kind of child do you want to be?”
Richard looked lost in thought for a moment at Emerea's question. What kind of child? But when he tried to think about it, nothing came to mind. It had been too long since he had seen children up close.
“I do, I wish my child had red hair. They say red-haired children are born with a destiny to find happiness.”
Emerea said, looking up at the blue sky. Her voice, humming as if singing, was pleasant to hear, like the chirping of a magpie. Richard, who was looking at her with eyes full of affection, stroked her flowing red hair and asked.
“Do you think it was because of your red hair that you met me?”
“Maybe. You didn’t fall in love with me because of my hair?”
“Actually, that’s right. It was like a forest of burning maples. I couldn’t help but pretend I didn’t see it.”
Richard joked. Emeria burst into a girlish, cheerful laugh and rested her head on his shoulder.
“There are many things I want to do for the baby when it is born. I will make a rocking toy out of the doll I made myself. If it is a boy, I will give him a deer, and if it is a girl, I will give him a sheep.”
“Okay. I’ll make it too. What else do you want to do?”
Emerea's eyes, which had been staring into space, blinked once with an innocent and innocent light. She raised her head and kissed Richard's cheek. And then she answered.
“I will live with you and this child for a long time. Happily.”
A gentle smile appeared on Richard's lips. In the garden where no one came, they whispered beautiful words in each other's ears all afternoon. Like a pair of birds sitting on a branch, their bodies pressed together, their feathers touching, chirping.
Queen Emerea was walking alone along a deserted path, wearing a pale peach dress that was wonderfully suited to the weather today. A group of hellebore flowers, blooming all at once in early spring, swayed their thin leaves in the breeze as if welcoming her visit.
Emerea bent her waist slightly as if to smell the scent of flowers, then suddenly smiled pleasantly in the cool breeze and straightened her shoulders. Her hair, which had been wrapped in lace while she slept and was more wavy than usual, was completely untied, and it looked like red silk fluttering in the air.
“The weather is nice.”
Emerea spoke as if she were talking to someone next to her, even though no one was listening. She laughed out loud for no reason, bowed her head slightly toward the hellebore flower in front of her, and asked.
"Yes?"
The flower buds swayed gently. It seemed as if they were answering, and Emeria felt even better. A day like today was the perfect time to imagine all kinds of joyous things, all kinds of happy things in the world.
Sighing in satisfaction, she went deeper into the garden. After walking a little further, she came across a round space with soft grass growing. Emerea sat down on the grass, gently wrapping the hem of her fluttering dress around her. She stretched out her legs and took off her shoes while she was at it. After that, her whole body felt light as if she could fly.
Emerea, who had her body leaned back and her eyes closed, pricked up her ears at the sound of someone carefully stepping on the grass as they approached. Before the owner of the pleasant sound of footsteps, which were long but not hasty, could reveal themselves, Emerea turned her head like a tagger in hide-and-seek.
“Richard.”
The moment Emerea opened her mouth, Richard Jedercayer appeared, gently pushing aside the branches that stretched out. The young King, who had just entered his mid-twenties, had a fresh and dignified appearance. A vitality and energy that seemed like it would never grow old or wither overflowed from him and Emerea.
“How did you know I was here?”
When Emerea asked, Richard smiled and sat down next to her. He took Emerea's hand, which was caressing the grass, kissed the white back of her hand, and answered.
“I can tell where you are.”
"How?"
“By feeling.”
Emeria laughed heartily as if she could hear anything funny.
“It’s exactly like the second time.”
“Who is Dulciola?”
Emeria bit her lip with a mischievous expression as she looked at Richard's puzzled face.
“Dulciola is the Countess of Dunkerven’s dog. You’ve probably seen her once or twice. She always brings her with her when she comes to the palace. You know, she’s a white, long-haired dog with some spots on her back.”
Even after hearing the explanation, Richard blinked his eyes and frowned for a while as if he couldn't remember anything. Then, he suddenly tilted his head and stared at Emerea.
“Are you saying that I’m like a dog?”
“Why, you don’t like dogs? I like dogs. They’re cute.”
A small chuckle escaped Richard's lips as Emerea stroked under his smooth chin in a genuine puppy-dog manner. Glancing down at the thin fingers that were tickling his skin, Richard let out a growl and pretended to bite the fingertip. Emeria pretended to be startled and pulled her hand away, laughing heartily.
It had been four years since the young King and Queen Jedecayer had been married, but they were still on good terms.
In the early days of their marriage, people whispered to each other as they watched the King act as if he could not live a single day without his wife, Queen Emerea.
It was a jealous grumble, wondering if the Queen could endure seeing such extreme affection being poured out to another person, as a King would usually have two or three mistresses.
However, the King's affection for Queen Emerea never cooled, despite the curious expectations of the incompetent. Some nobles tried to force their daughters or nieces into the government in order to somehow gain the aura of power, but they were all rejected, later on, he even made it a point to say, "I will never have a government in my life," so that they could not even bring it up.
Some people were even openly concerned that the King and Queen were on such good terms and that they had been married for four years but still had no children.
However, the King never once mentioned the issue of succession in front of Emerea, and Emerea would just smile and ignore such rude questions.
Whenever the nosy nobles gathered, they would all whisper that the King and Queen were not ordinary, but in any case, Richard and Emerea were happy enough with each other.
“Oh, by the way, I drew you a few days ago.”
“You mean the picture you drew in the bedroom? Why?”
“I had someone make a frame for it because I thought I’d frame it. I’ll show it to you when it’s done.”
As Richard spoke with pride, Emerea smiled slightly while hugging her knees. Emerea turned her head to look at Richard, her red hair fluttering in the wind.
“You’ve never done anything like that before, but I guess you really like what you drew this time.”
“It was just practice until now, but not anymore.”
“Do you know how many times you’ve drawn me? That it was all practice?”
“That’s how masterpieces are born.”
“So what you drew this time is a masterpiece?”
“No, it’s not a masterpiece. I’ll finish it much later. From now on, I’ll paint you every year, every season, until we both grow old and I no longer have the strength to move my brush. By then, I’ll have hundreds of portraits of you. I’ll fill the hall with them. That’ll be a masterpiece.”
If anyone had heard it, they would have laughed at it, but Emeria somehow felt that Richard could really do it. Emeria, who was smiling silently with her cheek resting on her knee, reached out with one hand and stroked Richard’s cheek.
“Richard, you always say that we’ll grow old together and die together... but what if I die before you?”
Richard's gaze glanced at Emerea's face. His face, which had been innocently looking like a boy wishing to fly in the sky just a moment ago, quickly darkened as if covered with dark clouds.
“Don't say that.”
“I was just asking.”
“Why do you ask that? That will never happen, absolutely not.”
At the childish words that were like a tantrum, Emerea burst out laughing which she had been holding back. When she reached out, Richard licked his lips in discontent but pretended not to be able to resist and hugged Emerea. The sound of his presence and body heat that had grown closer permeated her entire body. After leaning on Emerea’s shoulder for a while without saying a word, Richard lifted his head while gently holding her small hand that was stroking his head.
“I can’t live without you.”
Emerea lowered her gaze to face him, raised her eyebrows, and smiled broadly.
“How can His Majesty the King be so untrustworthy?”
“It doesn’t matter whether I'm a King or an Emperor.”
Richard gently kissed the back of Emerea's hand. Emerea looked at the nape of Richard's neck, who had lowered his head while playing with her hand.
He was much taller than her, broad-shouldered, and manly in every way, but at times like these, he felt unbearably lovable. If she held him tightly, she sometimes felt as if he would shrink. Then she could put him in a beautifully embroidered pocket and always carry him with her. Richard probably had no idea of the wild imagination she sometimes had.
“Richard.”
"Yes?"
“I'm having a baby.”
The movement of fidgeting with her fingers suddenly stopped. Emerea looked up at Richard’s blank expression as he looked up at her, then lightly kissed his long nose.
“What did you say, Emerea? Baby?”
“Yeah, baby. The palace doctor came by.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m talking about it now.”
As if to say, Emerea shrugged one shoulder. Richard unconsciously grabbed her hand tightly, looked at her still-flat stomach, raised his knees as if he was going to get up, and then sat down again. His lips, which had been quivering with speechlessness, slowly parted, and soon he let out an exclamation of “Wow!” Then, Richard suddenly leaned in and gave Emerea a long kiss on the lips.
When the kiss ended, both their cheeks were similarly flushed. Emerea said, carefully caressing Richard's cheek.
“Once the baby is born, we might not be able to live like we used to, Richard. Up until now, it was just the two of us, but now we have to become parents for the baby.”
“No, we can live like we always have. Happily, but now we have a baby. Nothing will change.”
Richard's voice trembled as if he was overwhelmed. Emerea, who had been staring at him blankly, smiled and said, "Yes."
“I don’t think I can sleep because I’m excited to see what kind of child he will be.”
“What kind of child do you want to be?”
Richard looked lost in thought for a moment at Emerea's question. What kind of child? But when he tried to think about it, nothing came to mind. It had been too long since he had seen children up close.
“I do, I wish my child had red hair. They say red-haired children are born with a destiny to find happiness.”
Emerea said, looking up at the blue sky. Her voice, humming as if singing, was pleasant to hear, like the chirping of a magpie. Richard, who was looking at her with eyes full of affection, stroked her flowing red hair and asked.
“Do you think it was because of your red hair that you met me?”
“Maybe. You didn’t fall in love with me because of my hair?”
“Actually, that’s right. It was like a forest of burning maples. I couldn’t help but pretend I didn’t see it.”
Richard joked. Emeria burst into a girlish, cheerful laugh and rested her head on his shoulder.
“There are many things I want to do for the baby when it is born. I will make a rocking toy out of the doll I made myself. If it is a boy, I will give him a deer, and if it is a girl, I will give him a sheep.”
“Okay. I’ll make it too. What else do you want to do?”
Emerea's eyes, which had been staring into space, blinked once with an innocent and innocent light. She raised her head and kissed Richard's cheek. And then she answered.
“I will live with you and this child for a long time. Happily.”
A gentle smile appeared on Richard's lips. In the garden where no one came, they whispered beautiful words in each other's ears all afternoon. Like a pair of birds sitting on a branch, their bodies pressed together, their feathers touching, chirping.
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