Henrietta von Grancel, who had been bowing her head, raised her head. Sybil stared at the woman standing behind Liena with her hands clasped together. The woman with wavy, copper-colored hair and sky-blue eyes was the famous daughter of the Marquis of Grancel, his second cousin, and the niece of his deceased mother, Queen Bonaparte. He walked past the woman, who was secretly excited at the mention of a state wedding and walked to the reception room. Liena and Henrietta quickly followed him.
Just like the bedroom, the reception room, which had its ceiling and walls decorated with magnificent paintings, had columns and window frames decorated with pure gold and the seven jewels of the kingdom: rubies, black pearls, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, opals, and topaz, giving it an extremely luxurious feel.
Sibyl, sitting on the sofa in the luxurious guest room, stared blankly at Henrietta. This was the second time he had seen his fiancée since returning to Siena. There was no particular reason to break off the engagement, so she was left as his fiancée, but there was no reason for him to marry Henrietta.
His mother, who had brought her nephew into the palace under the pretext of his engagement, had long since passed away. She had been locked up in a tower without even knowing where her son was and had died of illness. The Marquis of Grancel, who wanted his daughter to become Queen, was a toothless tiger in terms of political influence. Therefore, Henrietta was a lover who had lost her connection. If Liena had not insisted on keeping her in the palace, Henrietta would have had no reason to be here.
“The position of Queen has been vacant for a long time. You have rightly deposed Philip and punished the rebels, so now it is your turn to take care of the household affairs of the palace. The most suitable person for this job is Lady Grancel. She is your long-time friend, cousin, and fiancée.”
Liena, who brought Henrietta, spoke first. Sybil, who had been looking at Liena, turned her gaze to Henrietta. When their eyes met, the woman’s cheeks immediately turned red. When they met again, Henrietta blushed more often than when she was young. When she saw him, she didn’t know what to do and just got hot and fast, and when he left, she couldn’t hold on and stamped her feet.
When he was engaged to her as a boy King, Henrietta was a woman with a more mature charm than she is now. It was partly because Henrietta was more mature than her peers, but also because he was three years younger than her. Even when he was a boy, she was a noble girl who conquered the social circles of Siena. It was hard to imagine how her young cousin would have looked in the eyes of such a girl.
“Lady Grancel has waited for Your Majesty for a long time.”
Liena whispered as she slowly stirred the tea with milk and sugar using a silver spoon. Liena had never directly brought up the subject of a national marriage. She had never insisted that the national marriage partner be Henrietta. However, Else was in his bedroom, and Else was pregnant and about to give birth.
"Your Majesty."
“As you can see, my woman is pregnant with my twins.”
“I know.”
“She needs me. My twins need their father too.”
“Babies need their mothers too. Lady Grancel...”
“Are you saying that a woman who doesn’t even know a man can act as a mother?”
"Your Majesty."
Sibyl let out a low laugh. Liena's face twisted.
“A woman who doesn’t even produce milk is the mother of a newly born lump of blood...”
Sibyl's eyes creased. It was laughable to think that a wrathful maiden would greedily take two newborn babies into the Queen's chambers. The muscles around his mouth twitched at the thought of holding Else's twins, conceived from his seed, as if she were their mother, despite not giving off a single whiff of milk.
“Your Majesty, that is not it...”
“Your mother also gave birth to you and became the Prince’s wet nurse, Liena.”
“I know what you are saying, but I am talking about the discipline of successors. Good discipline can only come from a good mother.”
Proper discipline. A proper mother... Sibyl stood up. Liena knelt before him. Henrietta knelt too. He looked down at her crookedly and opened his lips.
“Are you insulting a woman who is pregnant with my child right now in front of me?”
“I just want Your Majesty and the Kingdom...”
Thud. The cheek turned. A heavy sound echoed through the high ceiling. Liena staggered and fell. Henrietta trembled and swallowed her tears. Liena wiped her chapped lips.
"Insult..."
Liena, who had been swallowing blood, raised her head. Her lips, which looked like they were about to bruise, moved slightly.
“Why did you make us sinners when she is so precious?”
It was a low hum. Liena looked at the King and lowered her gaze to the floor. It was the first time she had seen the daughter of Viscount Roate in the palace. Even after getting everything back, Liena could not forget her. The long shame left on her back made her tremble with rage every night.
She believed that the King was no different. He too had a scar on his back that was clear, just like hers. The King’s eyes were always filled with madness as he watched for an opportunity to bring down Roate. On a rainy midnight, the King’s back was tattered with whip marks as he rode his horse across the fields.
She thought that the King would never forget that humiliation. He gathered his army across the summer fields and stood terribly frozen before entering Siena. It was the night that the daughter of the Viscount Roate was getting married. He heard the news of Lugdun through his knights and his face looked more sinister than ever. It was the woman who had damaged and ruined him for thirteen years.
She didn't want to admit it, but the King loved her. He loved her so much that everything was over. But she had married another man, not the King, and was going to sink with him as his wife. She had betrayed his heart so much, and yet he was saying that she was the mother of his twins. What love was... Everything was fleeting and indifferent.
“Sbe cannot become Queen because she is the wife of a sinner. Do you intend to leave the position of Queen vacant forever?”
Because of her torn lips, her mouth hurt every time she spoke. However, Liena asked without showing it. Else was a woman who had been ruined by her own hands. She could no longer be a Queen or anything. She was merely the King's mistress. And she was not a noble, but a slave mistress. A fallen noble could not be a noble, so she was the lowest in the kingdom.
How could he expect to see a lump of blood in the womb when he had torn it apart and destroyed it beyond repair? If he had not sent a woman of proper status as his wife to move the enemy, his children would not be able to live as sons of a proper King. At best, a Count. The womb that had contained twins was a fallen noblewoman, so it was natural that it would be an indescribably lowly one...
The King's first child was illegitimate. Not all sons of the King were Princes, so unless the Queen could be used to move the children's enemies, their fate was obvious.
“What will you do with Lady Roate’s babies? They are the wives of sinners.”
“A sinner’s wife...”
“I am sorry to say this, but isn’t the woman in Your Majesty’s bedroom already married? It is embarrassing to be carrying Your Majesty’s seed in the body of a married woman. If you do not take steps to remove the enemy, the children will be born out of wedlock and have a slave mother.”
Liena spoke lowly and quickly. Sybil looked down at her provocatively shining eyes. Slave. Illegitimate child... She was not wrong. However, it did not bother him that much. The word ‘married woman’ was a bit harsh on the ears. He admitted that the way he had taken the woman was dishonorable. As she said, the children in her womb were also born far from the nobility of their father.
"So?"
Liena's blue eyes, which had been boiling like boiling oil, suddenly became cold. Sybil looked down at her blankly.
“So what about that?”
Even if they were an illegitimate child... Even if Else remained as nothing more than his government...
“Aren’t they my beloved illegitimate children? All of those cute and lovely things belong to the King. They are proof of the favor I have shown to the women I own.”
He pulled back his twisted lips and smiled crookedly. Liena looked at the King who turned around, leaving her and Henrietta behind. The face he had when he called her 'my beloved illegitimate children' appeared before her eyes.
Just like the bedroom, the reception room, which had its ceiling and walls decorated with magnificent paintings, had columns and window frames decorated with pure gold and the seven jewels of the kingdom: rubies, black pearls, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, opals, and topaz, giving it an extremely luxurious feel.
Sibyl, sitting on the sofa in the luxurious guest room, stared blankly at Henrietta. This was the second time he had seen his fiancée since returning to Siena. There was no particular reason to break off the engagement, so she was left as his fiancée, but there was no reason for him to marry Henrietta.
His mother, who had brought her nephew into the palace under the pretext of his engagement, had long since passed away. She had been locked up in a tower without even knowing where her son was and had died of illness. The Marquis of Grancel, who wanted his daughter to become Queen, was a toothless tiger in terms of political influence. Therefore, Henrietta was a lover who had lost her connection. If Liena had not insisted on keeping her in the palace, Henrietta would have had no reason to be here.
“The position of Queen has been vacant for a long time. You have rightly deposed Philip and punished the rebels, so now it is your turn to take care of the household affairs of the palace. The most suitable person for this job is Lady Grancel. She is your long-time friend, cousin, and fiancée.”
Liena, who brought Henrietta, spoke first. Sybil, who had been looking at Liena, turned her gaze to Henrietta. When their eyes met, the woman’s cheeks immediately turned red. When they met again, Henrietta blushed more often than when she was young. When she saw him, she didn’t know what to do and just got hot and fast, and when he left, she couldn’t hold on and stamped her feet.
When he was engaged to her as a boy King, Henrietta was a woman with a more mature charm than she is now. It was partly because Henrietta was more mature than her peers, but also because he was three years younger than her. Even when he was a boy, she was a noble girl who conquered the social circles of Siena. It was hard to imagine how her young cousin would have looked in the eyes of such a girl.
“Lady Grancel has waited for Your Majesty for a long time.”
Liena whispered as she slowly stirred the tea with milk and sugar using a silver spoon. Liena had never directly brought up the subject of a national marriage. She had never insisted that the national marriage partner be Henrietta. However, Else was in his bedroom, and Else was pregnant and about to give birth.
"Your Majesty."
“As you can see, my woman is pregnant with my twins.”
“I know.”
“She needs me. My twins need their father too.”
“Babies need their mothers too. Lady Grancel...”
“Are you saying that a woman who doesn’t even know a man can act as a mother?”
"Your Majesty."
Sibyl let out a low laugh. Liena's face twisted.
“A woman who doesn’t even produce milk is the mother of a newly born lump of blood...”
Sibyl's eyes creased. It was laughable to think that a wrathful maiden would greedily take two newborn babies into the Queen's chambers. The muscles around his mouth twitched at the thought of holding Else's twins, conceived from his seed, as if she were their mother, despite not giving off a single whiff of milk.
“Your Majesty, that is not it...”
“Your mother also gave birth to you and became the Prince’s wet nurse, Liena.”
“I know what you are saying, but I am talking about the discipline of successors. Good discipline can only come from a good mother.”
Proper discipline. A proper mother... Sibyl stood up. Liena knelt before him. Henrietta knelt too. He looked down at her crookedly and opened his lips.
“Are you insulting a woman who is pregnant with my child right now in front of me?”
“I just want Your Majesty and the Kingdom...”
Thud. The cheek turned. A heavy sound echoed through the high ceiling. Liena staggered and fell. Henrietta trembled and swallowed her tears. Liena wiped her chapped lips.
"Insult..."
Liena, who had been swallowing blood, raised her head. Her lips, which looked like they were about to bruise, moved slightly.
“Why did you make us sinners when she is so precious?”
It was a low hum. Liena looked at the King and lowered her gaze to the floor. It was the first time she had seen the daughter of Viscount Roate in the palace. Even after getting everything back, Liena could not forget her. The long shame left on her back made her tremble with rage every night.
She believed that the King was no different. He too had a scar on his back that was clear, just like hers. The King’s eyes were always filled with madness as he watched for an opportunity to bring down Roate. On a rainy midnight, the King’s back was tattered with whip marks as he rode his horse across the fields.
She thought that the King would never forget that humiliation. He gathered his army across the summer fields and stood terribly frozen before entering Siena. It was the night that the daughter of the Viscount Roate was getting married. He heard the news of Lugdun through his knights and his face looked more sinister than ever. It was the woman who had damaged and ruined him for thirteen years.
She didn't want to admit it, but the King loved her. He loved her so much that everything was over. But she had married another man, not the King, and was going to sink with him as his wife. She had betrayed his heart so much, and yet he was saying that she was the mother of his twins. What love was... Everything was fleeting and indifferent.
“Sbe cannot become Queen because she is the wife of a sinner. Do you intend to leave the position of Queen vacant forever?”
Because of her torn lips, her mouth hurt every time she spoke. However, Liena asked without showing it. Else was a woman who had been ruined by her own hands. She could no longer be a Queen or anything. She was merely the King's mistress. And she was not a noble, but a slave mistress. A fallen noble could not be a noble, so she was the lowest in the kingdom.
How could he expect to see a lump of blood in the womb when he had torn it apart and destroyed it beyond repair? If he had not sent a woman of proper status as his wife to move the enemy, his children would not be able to live as sons of a proper King. At best, a Count. The womb that had contained twins was a fallen noblewoman, so it was natural that it would be an indescribably lowly one...
The King's first child was illegitimate. Not all sons of the King were Princes, so unless the Queen could be used to move the children's enemies, their fate was obvious.
“What will you do with Lady Roate’s babies? They are the wives of sinners.”
“A sinner’s wife...”
“I am sorry to say this, but isn’t the woman in Your Majesty’s bedroom already married? It is embarrassing to be carrying Your Majesty’s seed in the body of a married woman. If you do not take steps to remove the enemy, the children will be born out of wedlock and have a slave mother.”
Liena spoke lowly and quickly. Sybil looked down at her provocatively shining eyes. Slave. Illegitimate child... She was not wrong. However, it did not bother him that much. The word ‘married woman’ was a bit harsh on the ears. He admitted that the way he had taken the woman was dishonorable. As she said, the children in her womb were also born far from the nobility of their father.
"So?"
Liena's blue eyes, which had been boiling like boiling oil, suddenly became cold. Sybil looked down at her blankly.
“So what about that?”
Even if they were an illegitimate child... Even if Else remained as nothing more than his government...
“Aren’t they my beloved illegitimate children? All of those cute and lovely things belong to the King. They are proof of the favor I have shown to the women I own.”
He pulled back his twisted lips and smiled crookedly. Liena looked at the King who turned around, leaving her and Henrietta behind. The face he had when he called her 'my beloved illegitimate children' appeared before her eyes.
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