The crystal goblet fell to the floor and broke.
Julia, who was holding the quill pen without thinking, the attending doctor who asked to lighten the mood, and even Endymion who got up from his chair abruptly flinched.
Julia was startled by her husband's first loud voice since ascending to the throne. She opened her mouth slightly and looked at Endymion, who turned his head to look at her.
Their eyes naturally met. The blue eyes that met were filled with confusion. However, just as Julia was about to say something, Endymion turned his head and spoke in a cold voice.
"No."
"Yes, yes?"
Endymion clenched his fists and spoke, pressing them together as if he didn't feel sorry for the struggling doctor. Julia glanced at him and saw that his cheeks and the tips of his ears were red. It seemed that he was very angry.
"I never thought of the Queen like that."
The attending doctor was at a loss as to what to do due to the strong objection.
"I'm sorry! I just wanted you two to get along! I never intended to harass Your Majesty!"
The attending doctor, noticing that the King was upset, tried to sort things out. Then, he asked the gentle Queen for help on behalf of the King who was growling like a wild beast.
"I meant that it was just a natural physical phenomenon for a hot-blooded youth. Women are the same! Wow, your Majesty, you've experienced that too, haven't you? Think of His Majesty!"
"Um... I don't think so? Mion is just like a friend to me. I've never felt that way about a guy before."
Julia tilted her head as she answered absentmindedly. Her husband, who had been with her since she was seven, was more like a family member and friend than a man.
At sixteen, she was a well-mannered woman, but she was somewhat clumsy in dealing with the world. The young Queen, who had been educated to believe that honesty was the most important thing, unintentionally made her personal doctor turn pale.
"...Ah, yes."
Julia turned her head belatedly. Mion looked down at her with an unreadable gaze, then left after saying just one word.
"That's strange. I've felt that way with women before."
Bang!
So the class ended, and after that, each person received sex education separately.
There was a risk that the young royal couple's discord would flare up, but fortunately, the matter was resolved well. Julia had ordered her doctor to keep his mouth shut, and the doctor, who had committed a crime, also guarded him like an iron fist.
Moreover, that night, Endymion apologized for hurting her feelings, and Julia generously accepted his apology. So the two of them lay down in bed together and had a comfortable night as usual.
"I said I never thought of the Queen like that."
"I've felt that way towards women."
'Hmm, so there was a girl you liked. I didn't even know that.'
She gazed intently at her husband's flower-like face as he slept, thinking.
'I somehow felt like your speech was particularly harsh. Well, I guess I could feel offended if I was misunderstood like that.'
Even though they were a married couple, they couldn't receive sex education together as siblings. It was even more so because they had both gotten married when they were seven years old and were each other's first encounters with the opposite sex. Julia just accepted it as a lesson, but Endymion often seemed reluctant.
She thought it was because he was uncomfortable sitting with a woman and taking a class, but it was actually because he had a girlfriend he liked. After all, since it was sex education for couples, the purpose was clear.
'Well, in romance novels, there are times when you have to be in skinship with the girl you like.'
If she looked at the noble couples who had children really quickly, there were people younger than them. Sixteen is not an age where you don't know anything. It's impossible for someone who receives sex education to not know anything. But Endymion had never even tried to kiss Julia lightly.
'If I had thought rationally, we would have done it already. We sleep in the same bed every day.'
Julia giggled as she substituted her husband for the male protagonist of the novel with the red label that she had been reading to her maid. Kissing Endymion, rather than being thrilled, was so awkward that she almost burst into laughter.
Julia, who was curious, showed the book to Endymion the next day and told him to put her in the role of the heroine. When she did so, she was convinced when she saw Endymion's face harden and he put his hand to his forehead.
Endymion doesn't think of her as a woman.
That intense memory from when she was 16 was engraved in Julia's head like a formula. It is still vivid even now, when she is 19 and about to have her coming-of-age ceremony, and is faced with the mission of giving birth to a successor.
Of course, the fact that the blanket was being crumpled in Endymion's hands every night was his secret.
***
So, the cause of this commotion goes back to the day before. To be exact, it was tea time before lunch.
Julia received a call from Archduchess Milady asking her to have lunch together for the first time in a long time.
"My mother? Yes, tell her that I'll be there soon."
Milady was Endymion's mother. After her father, the former King, died, she, the former Queen, became the archduchess and lived in the villa.
In Semele. It was a tradition that when her husband died and her son became King, the former Queen would receive the title of Grand Duchess, which was passed down to the royal family for generations. This was to prevent the unfortunate incident of the former Queen challenging the throne using blood ties as an excuse.
Fortunately, Milady was so powerful that there was little interference, and she was not a mother who coveted power like in the novel. Rather, she was a very open mother-in-law who liked to have fun with her maids.
Just looking at the fact that she accepted Julia, who was sold off 12 years ago, as her daughter-in-law and treated her like her own daughter, her refreshing personality was revealed.
Semele was a powerful nation located in the center of the continent, while Julia's home country, Ametrine, was a kingdom on the outskirts.
The Crown Prince of a country with a long history, vast territory, and prosperous trade that amassed enormous wealth. The Princess of a rural kingdom that was an agricultural country and lived off of crop exports. There was no way to find any connection between these two.
But when Julia was five, a severe famine suddenly struck the continent. No matter how much money was earned from trade, no country was immune to the miserable demise of its crops. Semele and other countries in danger panicked and searched for the cause.
But strangely enough, Julia's country, Ametrine, was an exception.
Ametrine, which had been looked down upon as being too small and humble, had a good harvest, and the grains of the grains even became larger and the taste of the fruit sweeter. Unintentionally, the export of Ametrine crops became a huge success.
Julia's father was naively delighted, calling it good luck, but his joy did not last long.
Several countries that were trying to find the cause consulted an oracle, and it was said that a rumor had spread among them that 'King Ametrine's only daughter was loved by the gods. Thanks to that Princess, only Ametrine was spared the misfortune of the great famine.
This fact became known to other countries that were desperately trying to find a solution, and the incident broke out in an instant.
"A proposal! My daughter is only five years old!"
"What does age matter? Don't worry, if you give me the Princess as our wife, our King will give you plenty of gold and silver treasures."
"His Majesty will grant us a territory ten times the size of Ametrine!"
It was a complete mess with the messengers who came rushing in demanding Julia as their bride. King Ametrine refused, saying that she was his daughter who had been raised without a mother, but the great powers began to fight among themselves over who would take possession of the Princess.
Among them, many countries took military action to pressure Ametrine. Fortunately, they were able to hold out for two years using crop trade as a shield, but the King was increasingly cornered.
As the pressure from the continent continued, the Princess, who was rumored to be loved by the gods, eventually became a troublemaker resented by her own people.
"Dad. I'll just get married."
In the end, Julia, who felt guilty for something that was not her fault, decided to sacrifice herself. The weak-hearted King cried and cried, but the country was on the verge of ruin if he did not marry his young daughter.
The King set a condition that the Princess should choose her own husband and received a reply that no one would be dissatisfied with the decision.
"I want to be Crown Princess of Semele."
"Why, why Semele? My dear, it's too far from our kingdom. Let's go to the neighboring country. Tilegrand!"
"What if we marry a weak country and Ametrine becomes dangerous again?"
"Sob sob, our deep-hearted daughter..."
Julia smiled awkwardly and comforted her father, who cried and apologized until the day she left.
'Actually, he's the youngest.'
There were many adult Kings who, without any conscience, tried to marry a seven-year-old Princess. Most of them were greedy middle-aged men who abandoned their wives to gain the favor of the gods. Semele, the strongest nation on the continent, was the only one to send a portrait of a young royal.
52 years old, 47 years old, 39 years old. A boy of the same age as her, the only one who shines among men of vast ages.
He was the complete opposite of Julia, who had round purple eyes, a silver-haired face, and a gentle puppy-like appearance. Endymion, the Crown Prince of Semele, had sharp eyes, and dark black hair, and resembled a prickly cat. He seemed like he might have a scary personality, but he was already qualified because they were the same age.
Of course, he was handsome too.
It wasn't exactly a lookism thing. However, choosing a sculptural pretty boy among balding old men was a truth that would make even a god give a double nod.
Anyway, so Julia chose Endymion. And they got married right away.
Surprisingly, the very year she became Crown Princess, Semele had a great harvest. It was truly a twist of fate. The continent gradually recovered from the famine and quickly regained peace.
It thus became clear that Julia, the princess of Ametrine and Crown Princess of Semele was favored by the gods.
But at the same time, she thought of herself as a kind of spoil, a spoil that would magnify Semele's greatness rather than Endymion's mate.
That was understandable. Ever since he was a baby, Endymion had been the husband chosen by the royal families and nobles. Perhaps it was only natural since he was the Crown Prince of the most powerful nation on the continent.
She heard that just before she chose Endymion, there was already talk of an engagement with a daughter of a foreign royal family. It was called an engagement, but since the Princess was lovesick, it was almost like a marriage.
But that story suddenly became a thing of the past when Julia chose Endymion.
Julia, who broke off such a grand marriage and became the Crown Princess, was a shiny trophy, not a perfect wife. She had the honor of being the beloved of God, but she had no family to give her husband strength.
Fortunately, Endymion's father said that since Semele was overwhelmingly strong, it didn't matter if his daughter-in-law's family was weak. He was quite fond of the gentle and innocent Julia, and whenever he met foreign Kings, he would brag to them that he had obtained the god's Favor as his daughter-in-law.
The same was true of Milady, who succeeded the first Queen who had died at the time.
She was an ordinary concubine who became Queen after giving birth to Endymion, so she did not oppress Julia even though she was a Princess from a powerless kingdom. She did not criticize her like ordinary mothers-in-law, even though she had no power to give wings to the Crown Prince.
Rather, she accepted the 7-year-old Julia, who was hesitant and cautious, without hesitation. She raised her like her own daughter, praising and scolding her refreshingly. Thanks to that, Julia was able to maintain her bright and innocent personality and grow into a fairly happy girl and woman.
However, there was another reason why Julia, who grew up being pampered and without want, thought of herself as a spoil. There was an ambiguous reason behind it.
So, it wasn't because of her father-in-law, her mother-in-law, or her husband, but because of something else.
"Is Julia here?"
"Yes, mother. How have you been?"
Julia smiled as she entered the beautiful, flower-filled gardens of the Grand Duchess' Palace.
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