MWTB - Chapter 29

"Greetings from the second prince of Preston. Blessings be upon the great sun and the splendor of Semele!"

"Foreign Minister Onoma greets you. Blessings be upon the great sun and the splendor of Semele!"

As the event was predicted months in advance, envoys flocked from all over the continent. Most of them were envoys from large and small countries that had diplomatic relations with Semele.

Everyone brought a long crimson carpet full of precious gifts. The envoys from countries that had not had such friendly relations before tried to stand out even a little more.

Since friendship determines where to sit at luncheon, they were all eager to strengthen their friendship with Semele, even a little. It was a battlefield without weapons.

'Mmmmmm...'

There was soft music composed especially for today, but it sounded like a lullaby to Julia, who had trouble sleeping.

Last night, no, early morning, Julia had a dizzying power struggle, looking for an opportunity to escape from Endymion's hot embrace. Shr couldn't breathe properly the whole time because she was afraid that even if she tickled a strand of hair, it would lead to a major accident.

'... I'm sleepy.'

Julia relieved her fatigue with all kinds of baths and massages from early in the morning, but she couldn't help but get tired from the morning rituals that lasted for almost five hours. However, as the protagonist of this event and the perfect Queen, she can not fall asleep.

Nevertheless...

Boom.

"Pfft."

The moment her eyelids sank heavily. A small laugh from the side pierced her ear.

Huck! While the reaper bowed to greet, Julia, who had been dozing off, opened her eyes in surprise without a sound.

"Thank you."

Endymion's voice congratulating the reaper was natural, as if something had happened. Julia looked at him, dumbfounded, and then quickly came to her senses.

"Hope you enjoy your stay."

Julia returned the greeting to the 328th Reaper in a seemingly nonchalant manner. Then, as the 329th Reaper climbed up the platform, he secretly glanced at Endymion with resentment.

'Really, who am I standing for?'

Then Endymion turned to Julia with a shameless expression.

"My Queen, you must have had a hard time last night."

Julia's lips parted at the sound of his drowsy voice.

'Mion, you must be crazy!'

In response to the misleading remarks, Julia hurriedly looked to see if anyone had listened. Fortunately, it was a small voice, and it seemed that the acolyte who was nearby could not hear it.

Julia breathed a sigh of relief and clutched her chest tightly as her heart almost dropped. Then, he made eye contact with Endymion.

Suck.

The blue eyes that entrapped her looked calm as usual. But Julia could tell that Endymion's eyes were full of satisfaction.

He was nonchalant, but when she realized that she was the only one floundering, her cheeks burned.

'Why, why are you doing this?'

I have to get angry at why he's playing such a prank, and how I can say that in front of people!

But instead of being uncomfortable, her heart was beating faster. Even though shr was almost embarrassed by the mischievous prank.

Normally, she would have been bruised, but now her senses were becoming sensitive to that stare, and Julih was embarrassed.

"My Queen, what's wrong with you?"

"Oh... Nope."

Julia was the perfect Queen, but she was not yet a perfect lover. In the end, Julia, restless with her unfamiliar feelings, had no choice but to clumsily run away from Endymion's relentless gaze

The more she does that, the more she doesn't know that she stimulates the predator's instincts.

'I'll get angry later when we're alone.'

Julia tried her best to pretend to be confident and escape reality. Then, when she found the reaper arriving just in time, she quickly smiled and opened her mouth.

"Thank you for visiting me like this."

The man bowed respectfully. His hair fell into a bun. Even though he had long hair for a man, he looked good in a picture and was impressive.

Involuntarily admiring, Julia stared at the upright man with an elegant smile.

"Blessings be upon the great sun and the brilliant glory of Semele."

His silver eyes were smiling, pointing straight at Julia.

'...Huh?'

Suddenly, the nostalgia that had disappeared was faintly revealed in its existence.

"Greetings. Killian Oberon of Ametrine."

"...Brother?"

Words went before consciousness. Her voice was clear with surprise, and the man smiled like a white moon.

"This is Killian Oberon, the acting Crown Prince of Amethrin. Although it is not enough, I was appointed Minister of the Interior at the court of Amethrin."

That's right!

His round purple eyes widened, and then he bent with admiration.

A vague but familiar face. Even if she listens to it for the first time in 12 or even 14 years, his voice is still friendly. Surprised by the unexpected visit, her voice became a little louder without even realizing it.

"How have you been doing...!'

"My Queen, do you know?"

There were so many questions she wanted to ask, so she hurriedly opened her mouth, but she heard a dignified voice.

She turned her head reflexively to see his blue eyes blinking and staring at her. She could feel the envoys who were waiting to pay their respects looking at him suspiciously.

'Oh.'

Julia realized that she had been acting so uncontrollably, and she coughed, a little embarrassed. Then she folded her hands on her knees again and said gracefully.

"Yes, Your Majesty. This is Young Master, who grew up with me when I was a child. It's been a long time since I've met him, so I was happy to see him for a while."

"Is that so? To be the Minister of the Interior at such a young age, you must be Ametrine's genius."

At Julia's explanation, Endymion nodded lightly and stared at Killian. His arrogant eyes searched him with interest.

"That's a big praise."

Killian bowed his head politely. Endymion began to ask him about his father-in-law's well-being. Ametrine's recent situation and the Oberon family.

The formal conversation wasn't long, but Julia kept getting impatient. She wondered how he had been doing, if he wasn't hurting anymore, and what he was doing these days.

After marrying Endymion, she forgot about Killian. As she worked hard to settle into her new home, the memories of her childhood best friend were naturally pushed back and forgotten.

That's because it was just a short relationship from the beginning. All Julia remembered was that she was relieved to hear that the King mentioned his illness only once in a greeting letter.

Since then, Julia has been able to adapt to Semele with ease, thanks to the King and Milady, who treat her young daughter-in-law kindly.

Her childhood memories gradually faded, and colorful new memories of crying and laughing piled up thickly. Twelve years passed, and Julia grew up to be the majestic Queen of Semele.

"I congratulate you on the prosperity of Semele, which is prospering day by day by your choice. May the blessings of the god Dunamis be with you always."

Killian placed his hand on his chest and paid his respects to King Endymion first. And when Endymion greeted him gently, he stepped to the side.

Julia smiled and held out her hand.

"I'm so happy to see you in good health."

Killian knelt down and smiled as white as snow, and raised Julia's hand.

"It's been a while, nice to meet you."

The hands that overlapped for the first time in 12 years were warm but unfamiliar. After all, it's been a long time.

"Congratulations on your coming of age, Queen."

Whispering softly to Julia's greeting, Killian put Julia's hand on his forehead.

"Thank you, Lord Oberon."

Julia smiled gracefully and gladly accepted the unfamiliar touch. The rings of the same shape sparkled on the two hands that touched.

'...'

And she didn't notice that her husband's blue eyes were staring at a certain point.

***

After the long morning service, a luncheon followed.

"Queen, how would you like to visit our Onoma this winter? Onoma's Crystal Hot Springs are excellent for relieving fatigue, making it one of the best vacation spots. If the Queen comes, it will be a great honor for our Onoma."

"Ah, Crystal Onsen is also famous in Semele. It's a large-scale project run by the Queen of Onoma, isn't it?"

Julia was not enough to respond to the envoys who offered her to look a little better.

At the end of the long luncheon table, Julia eagerly socialized with Endymion, who sat across from her, without even making eye contact.

Julia skillfully communicated with Onoma's envoys while also taking care of the other envoys. Then she happened to make eye contact with Killian, who was looking in her direction.

When Julia saw the same smile in his flickering purple eyes, Julia smiled without thinking. It's the same, even though all these years have passed. She's amazed.

"Queen, do you like this dish?"

Oh.

"Yes, it's a special gravy sauce designed by the royal chef for today. Would you like to taste more?"

Julia turned her head calmly and offered the sauce to Onoma's envoy. She then ordered the maid to bring her a new sauce, and then she made eye contact with Killian once more.

'Huh? Were you looking at me?'

While Julia was puzzled, Killian, who showed an even warmer smile, naturally turned his head and did his job.

"Oh. I heard that Ametrine wine is so good! I wonder what it tastes like."

"Really? If you have a favorite, please let us know. It just so happened that the envoys brought a lot of wine."

"Hey, really? I'm so grateful!"

The luncheon hall with soft music was a warm place to socialize. Everyone laughed and talked happily in front of the delicious and gorgeous table, which was praised by gourmets from all over the continent.

The coming-of-age ceremony of King Semele and his wife was going smoothly.

***

"Oh!"

"Hurry up!"

She was holding a light cider that came out after a meal.

There was a small commotion at one of the two long luncheon tables. Julia and Endymion, who had been chatting with the envoys in a friendly manner, also turned their heads away reflexively.

"Your Highness, the Grand Duchess!"

"Are you okay?"

"It's okay, my dizziness...a moment."

She saw Milady, who had missed the cup, with her forehead pressed and supported by the people around her. Julia stood up in surprise.

"Mother?"

"It's not a big deal. I feel good and drink too much, so don't worry and sit down."

Julia asked worriedly, but Milady calmed her down with a smile on her face.

She wanted to call the doctor right away, but Julia calmly sat down.

She could not break the cordial atmosphere in front of the envoys of foreign countries who joked that they did not know that the Grand Duchess was a drinker, and if she gave the impression that the royal family was in poor health, she could have shown a gap in the delicate international relations.

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