After Bridget and Julian left.
The nobles who remained in the banquet hall sighed in relief at the situation being resolved without bloodshed.
They soon resumed enjoying the banquet as if nothing had happened, but they began to whisper when they gathered in a place where no one was listening.
"Chancellor Langston couldn't even open his mouth in front of Miss Bridget."
"Can we just dismiss her as a government official?"
The nobles who had been wary of Bridget simply because she was favored by Julian now realized that Bridgt was smarter and wiser than they had thought.
'If things continue this way, Bridget Florence will definitely become Queen.'
The nobles' vigilance grew even stronger.
No matter how beautiful or intelligent, Bridget came from a fallen family.
A woman who may soon be reduced to a commoner.
The nobles felt threatened in their positions by the thought that such a woman might become Queen.
A noble and dignified ruler.
She who reigns over all people.
It was not right in the social order for such a King to marry a woman from an insignificant family instead of the daughter of a high-ranking noble family.
Today, Chancellor Langston's method is wrong.
But the nobles did not criticize the prime minister.
Some even had extreme thoughts.
***
"You shouldn't have let Chancellor Langston off."
Julian, who returned to the hospital, sent away the doctor who had come to see him and was left alone with Bridget.
Julian was angry.
"You should have set an example."
If it had been a plot to harm him, he wouldn't be this angry.
He was upset because it seemed like it was meant to hurt Bridget.
He stood there with his mouth tightly shut, staring blankly at Bridget.
Bridget sat down on the chair and took off her shoes.
She felt a lot better after taking off the shoes that were constricting her feet.
"Your Majesty, you owe me something. I can't do it again."
And then she smiled brightly.
At that leisurely smile, Julian crossed his arms and glared at Bridget.
It was a disgruntled face.
"What's funny?"
"Tell them you'll take the Queen, Julian. Otherwise, someone else will do something stupid..."
"Stop."
Julian covered Bridget's mouth with a suppressed voice.
Bridget didn't press any further and just kept her mouth shut with a gentle face.
But that expression made Julian feel uneasy.
This was because he could read her true Intentions that she would eventually have no choice but to follow his words.
"..."
"Julian."
Bridget sat up.
Her bare white feet clacked across the carpet until they reached the marble floor where he was.
Bridget took Julian's hand and squeezed it.
His magi was shaking.
A purifying light flowed from her that soothed his heart.
Julian sighed heavily.
He couldn't shake off Bridget's hand or kick his seat.
Because the time he spend with her is so precious.
"Do whatever you want. Except that one thing."
Julian bent down and rested his forehead on Bridget's shoulder.
"Please don't speak so easily."
"It's not easy for me either."
"Then, don't say anything more."
The reason he made Bridget his mistress was not because he was reluctant to give her the position of wife.
It was a feeling that others could not understand.
I love you so much. Don't let me hold you back and run away.
Unless he elects a Queen, Bridget is the only woman the King has, but the moment he says he will elect a Queen, Bridgt truly becomes a mere mistress.
He didn't want the world to Judge Brid get that way.
Who would want the whole world to look down on and belittle the person they love?
Bridget put her hand between Julian's arms and hugged his back.
'I'm fine as long as I can be by your side.'
Bridget hoped Julian wouldn't find it too difficult.
Honor. What is that?
People's gaze? There was nothing more vain than that.
In her past life, Bridget lost her honor through the machinations of Isaac, Penelope, Josh, and the Duke of Linchester.
He was put to shame by people's criticism and ridicule.
It felt unfair at that time.
Because she got in trouble without doing anything.
But now?
She had accomplished a lot and was running towards her goals.
If, in return, you lose your honor and are ridiculed, what's the big deal?
'You are here by my side like this.'
Embraced in these wide arms and listening to the sound of his living heart, Bridget had nothing to fear.
To be by his side until the day he dies.
That's all she wanted, she didn't want anything more.
Bridget stroked Julian's head as he leaned against her shoulder.
'I wish you would try to protect me a little less.'
She gently ran her fingers through his soft hair.
'I wish you would hold me greedily and only think about your happiness and joy.'
Don't think about things like the people who will be left behind after you die.
Don't wish for me to be happy and safe in a world without you.
Just spend the rest of your life whining and satisfying your greed.
That's what I came to tell you.
'Stupid Julian.'
In her past life, and in this life, until the end, he put her before himself.
That made Bridget sad.
***
The next afternoon. I opened my eyes wide as I read the letter that someone had sent in a hurry.
I quickly prepared the carriage and informed Millea that I was going out.
"Several children have gone missing from the daycare center near the capital."
"A daycare center? What does the police do?"
"It seems that the police concluded that the children who were oppressed by the orphanage director could not stand it anymore and ran away from the orphanage on their own."
"Are you planning on having the children who ran away be brought to you? Or are you going to punish the director of the daycare center?"
The question was why I was going in person.
"It's strange. If that were the case, the director of the orphanage wouldn't have written to me directly."
The letter I received was from the director of the orphanage.
It was a letter appealing that they wanted to find their children and that it was unfair.
The content was that the police were suspicious of him and would not help him, so he wanted to ask me for help.
"This is a big deal."
"I need to go directly to the police station there and hear the details of the situation, and if there are any shortcomings in the Investigation, I need to correct them."
I had visited the orphanage twice with donations.
I felt a responsibility to go and find out what was going on.
I smiled gently and said not to worry, I would take care of it.
"I'll take Leticia and a soldier with me. Don't worry, Millea, I'll be back before it's too late."
"You haven't forgotten that His Majesty asked you to have dinner with him, have you?"
"Sure."
It was an outing like any other, although something a little strange was going on.
Leticia, who had previously been to the orphanage with me, suspected that the director of the orphanage was suspicious and began to deduce all sorts of things. These days, Leticia has been reading mystery novels.
After a while, I lost interest when I didn't respond much.
"Can I stop by the patisserie on my way back and buy some macarons?"
"Yes. Let's do that as long as you come back before it's too late."
"Yes."
Until then, there were no major concerns.
I thought that since some people had seen the children who had run away from the police station in the nearby village, I should persuade them to come and bring them in and have the director of the orphanage investigated.
But when I arrived at the orphanage, I heard an absurd story.
"Our children are gone?"
The orphanage director tilted his head as if to ask what that meant.
He said he had never written such a letter.
He even asked me to check the number of children myself.
"Could it be that someone is playing a prank on me?"
Leticia grumbled.
"If you get caught, you won't be left alone."
But who on earth would risk their life for such a useless prank?
"Anyway, it seems like everything is fine at the daycare center, so I should go back."
I got into the carriage, thinking I should go back and find out who had sent the letter.
'This is not a joke. If you sent me a letter, it means you have connections in the palace.'
Before I knew it, the sun was setting.
The carriage I was riding in raced back towards the palace.
But it was when I was passing through the forest just before entering the capital.
Rattling!
"Whoa!"
The carriage shook violently.
Leticia quickly grabbed me, even as she screamed.
The coachman shouted.
"It's an attack! It looks like bandits!"
I immediately prepared to pull out the black knight.
Leticia's eyes flashed. She was already pulling out the knife she had hidden under her skirt.
"Can we fight together?"
I stopped Leticia.
"They not a thief."
A suspicious letter. Thieves appearing without fear near the capital.
I didn't think it was a coincidence.
"This is a trap."
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