The Queen's proposal left me speechless, as if I'd been swallowed by honey. The choice was simple: yes or no, but both were unpalatable.
Noah and the Queen were both looking at me, so I racked my brain. While my thoughts were spinning aimlessly, Noah smiled at the Queen and asked.
"Why?"
"Why?" Noah said, his tone almost arrogant and rude, but the Queen seemed completely unfazed by his tone.
“I was curious. Do you not like it, Noah?”
She called his name with a simple, clear answer. Oh, right. They're close.
They might be speaking informally to each other when no one is looking. Noah even uses informal speech toward Princess Erita, so it's not impossible.
It's to the point where I wonder if it wouldn't be better to just talk to each other more comfortably, because there's no one around, and the more the conversation continues, the more we end up exchanging informal language that borders on caustic.
Even though they looked like they were enemies, I couldn't understand why Princess Erita was so obsessed with Noah. While I was lost in thought, Noah remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"Yes, we'll share a room. We're already inseparable."
At Noah's words, Queen Grace smiled gently, tilted her head slightly, and opened her eyes.
“What if I say no?”
“Then that’s difficult.”
Are you trying to fight right now? I'm trapped between their tense, clashing gazes. It's burdensome.
Just as I was struggling to figure out how to say, "Don't fight!", the Queen covered her mouth and burst into laughter.
"Just kidding. I'd love to hear your story. What do you think, Miss Diana?"
“I will do so. It is an honor, Your Majesty.”
Noah looked regretful at my answer, which I ultimately couldn't refuse. He wiped his face as if washing his face with water and emphasized again.
“We are so close that we can use one room.”
"When did you become such a hot-blooded man? Do it."
She made a face as if she were looking at her younger brother, who had grown up while she was gone.
To elaborate, it's the pitiful expression on an older sister's face as she watches her much-younger brother, who's been insisting on bringing his girlfriend and sleeping in his room. I shrugged in embarrassment.
I was wondering how to react when the Queen tried to seduce me, thinking that she was definitely trying to steal me away.
“Please come to the palace tomorrow. It would be nice if you brought a pretty dress too.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
I bowed, trying to hide my bewilderment at the Queen's words. Was she telling me to be pretty enough to seduce her?
It's difficult. This is too difficult. She's breathtakingly beautiful, but I prefer men, or rather, Noah. I awkwardly bit my lip. Noah, who seemed to sense a sense of crisis, grabbed my hand and pulled me closer.
“She's mine. Don’t even think about taking her away.”
The tone was firm. The Queen, who was sitting in an armchair, resting her chin on her hand, raised her eyebrows slightly.
“Hmm, take her?”
Noah and the Queen were both looking at me, so I racked my brain. While my thoughts were spinning aimlessly, Noah smiled at the Queen and asked.
"Why?"
"Why?" Noah said, his tone almost arrogant and rude, but the Queen seemed completely unfazed by his tone.
“I was curious. Do you not like it, Noah?”
She called his name with a simple, clear answer. Oh, right. They're close.
They might be speaking informally to each other when no one is looking. Noah even uses informal speech toward Princess Erita, so it's not impossible.
It's to the point where I wonder if it wouldn't be better to just talk to each other more comfortably, because there's no one around, and the more the conversation continues, the more we end up exchanging informal language that borders on caustic.
Even though they looked like they were enemies, I couldn't understand why Princess Erita was so obsessed with Noah. While I was lost in thought, Noah remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"Yes, we'll share a room. We're already inseparable."
At Noah's words, Queen Grace smiled gently, tilted her head slightly, and opened her eyes.
“What if I say no?”
“Then that’s difficult.”
Are you trying to fight right now? I'm trapped between their tense, clashing gazes. It's burdensome.
Just as I was struggling to figure out how to say, "Don't fight!", the Queen covered her mouth and burst into laughter.
"Just kidding. I'd love to hear your story. What do you think, Miss Diana?"
“I will do so. It is an honor, Your Majesty.”
Noah looked regretful at my answer, which I ultimately couldn't refuse. He wiped his face as if washing his face with water and emphasized again.
“We are so close that we can use one room.”
"When did you become such a hot-blooded man? Do it."
She made a face as if she were looking at her younger brother, who had grown up while she was gone.
To elaborate, it's the pitiful expression on an older sister's face as she watches her much-younger brother, who's been insisting on bringing his girlfriend and sleeping in his room. I shrugged in embarrassment.
I was wondering how to react when the Queen tried to seduce me, thinking that she was definitely trying to steal me away.
“Please come to the palace tomorrow. It would be nice if you brought a pretty dress too.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
I bowed, trying to hide my bewilderment at the Queen's words. Was she telling me to be pretty enough to seduce her?
It's difficult. This is too difficult. She's breathtakingly beautiful, but I prefer men, or rather, Noah. I awkwardly bit my lip. Noah, who seemed to sense a sense of crisis, grabbed my hand and pulled me closer.
“She's mine. Don’t even think about taking her away.”
The tone was firm. The Queen, who was sitting in an armchair, resting her chin on her hand, raised her eyebrows slightly.
“Hmm, take her?”
She muttered under her breath and chuckled. Noah's words and the Queen's reaction perfectly confirmed my hypothesis.
I didn't want this kind of love triangle. I'm a very reserved person, and I find it incredibly annoying, so I can't sustain a love triangle. I've always been a person who rarely leaves the house, so even meeting one person was a burden.
In all likelihood, you'll suffer as the angle is caught between those two beautiful straight lines. You'll be flattened, so flat that you won't even be able to see the triangle anymore.
"Haha. Why would Your Majesty take me away? I'll go back now. I'll see you tomorrow, Your Majesty."
As I dragged Noah out, I turned and smiled at the Queen. The Queen winked at me beautifully.
What...?
It was certain. I was lost in the swamp of passion. I felt an earthquake in my pupils. I turned my head, pretending not to see, and walked away, creaking awkwardly like a puppet.
Noah left the palace and sat in the driver's seat, resting his forehead on the steering wheel, lost in thought.
“I tried to stop that. This is a big problem.”
I was worried too.
“Yeah, I like men.”
Noah's sharp gaze glared at me with resentment, then he lowered his eyes helplessly. He muttered softly, as if speaking to himself.
“This is really serious...”
“No, a man named Noah.”
Noah raised his head sharply and narrowed his eyes fiercely, though he had hastily corrected me.
"You can't meet other men. If you do, you'll have two choices."
“What is it?”
“First, shoot the man.”
The chilling tone felt like a gun pointed right at my ear. The first option seemed like too harsh a punishment. The second option meant he'd shoot me dead. I was suddenly terrified.
I swallowed hard as I listened to his murderous pronouncements.
“Second. After confirming the kill once more, we will confirm the death.”
“It’s scary.”
"So, it would be best if you broke up with me cleanly and never even thought about meeting another man, right? I'd just pretend it was an accident and get rid of him."
“Why did you have to pretend it was an accident and kill him?”
"When the Princess is sad, I will comfort you. Then you will need me and love me again."
As expected, he's a creatively insane man. In fact, the odds of the aforementioned happening are close to zero. After seeing such a pitiful and decadent man, I doubt I'd be inspired by any other man.
Even when I'm with Lt. Col. Jeffrey Groenendaal, who was actually quite a nice guy, I didn't feel anything.
My ex-boyfriends, who were so successful, I can't even remember their names. They were so overwhelmingly unicorn-like. Even objectively speaking, that's true.
"That won't happen. I don't want any unnecessary killings... I don't even notice any other men besides you. You're so pretty."
"Yeah. From now on, only think of me as pretty. Like cool, handsome, and cute."
Even though the conversation drifted to a completely different topic, I tried my best to express my feelings. He persisted in asking questions even on the drive home.
“Are you only going to like me?”
"Yes."
“What if someone prettier than me appears?”
"There's never been anyone like that in history. I don't think there will be for the next 100 years or so."
We crossed the Rembrandt Bridge over the river and entered the new city. The car stopped briefly on the side of the road, and his face slowly turned to me.
“...I didn’t realize it until now, but I guess I’m really jealous. I’m acting like a child.”
“I knew it.”
I looked at Noah with a wide smile, and he quickly turned his head. The tips of his ears were red. The man who had once snarled so ferociously that he seemed ready to exterminate all men on earth now had a vulnerable expression.
He trailed off in a somewhat weak voice.
“I'm not jealous.”
“You're doing it.”
“I’m jealous of Pudding, too. It’s so unfair.”
“I was wrong.”
“Yeah. So please only like me.”
“I already am. You're my favorite thing in the world.”
Dropped into an unfamiliar world, this man was the only person I could rely on, so I was kidnapped myself. In fact, it's safe to say I'd kidnapped that man's heart. Noah's lips, once tightly shut, now loosened, as if by inertia.
"The best in the world? That's a nice expression to hear."
Noah, who had been humming to himself, started the engine again. He looked delighted, like a child who had discovered something new.
***
After Noah and Diana returned home, Queen Grace II slowly rose and nodded to Baroness Mason, who was standing nearby.
“Your Majesty, would you like to go back now?”
“Yeah. I’m tired.”
Princess Erita, who was drinking champagne and socializing with the ladies, approached her mother and cautiously opened her mouth.
“Did you by any chance order her to stay in the palace?”
The Queen's expression became somewhat taken aback by the Princess's words.
"Are you still stuck in your rut? Don't you know full well you can't marry him?"
"There are other candidates for succession to the Winters' throne. Mother, I'm not confident."
"Are you planning to end the Spencer dynasty? This isn't a position dictated by self-confidence. It's a fate imposed on you. Born into the direct lineage, you can't escape it."
Queen Grace's tone was calm and cool.
The Princess pursed her lips, her face poised as if she were about to burst into tears, but she didn't. Her voice was hoarse.
“I want to marry the person I love.”
The Queen's expression, which had always been expressionless or monotonous, with only a social smile, became cold and sullen.
"For a woman destined to become the ruler of a nation, it's greed. It's possible to use power to keep a man by your side, but that's not how a virtuous ruler should be treated. A Queen must live her entire life as a person who commands respect, amidst the expectations and gaze of all."
“I don’t like that. It’s like bondage.”
Princess Erita shook her head sadly. The Queen waved her hand, beckoning her closer. As Princess Erita approached, her expression slightly frightened, the Queen whispered a secret.
"When someone says they love you, it's your power, not your own. I was like that too. I believed the man who said he loved me. But in the end, it wasn't me."
“Noah is different.”
The Queen smiled bitterly at the Princess's words.
“Honey, your premise is wrong. He never loved you in the first place.”
“No. Even if it wasn’t love... It’s strange that he abandoned everything and came to Medea.”
Everyone knew it was for Diana, but the Princess didn't know. Perhaps she didn't want to know.
“No. That kid...”
Noah's gaze toward Diana was different. He was hoping for only one thing. The same thing.
The Queen stopped talking, closed her eyes, and became lost in thought.
Her mouth ached as she recalled a young man from the past, someone whose mere presence seemed to radiate. Beautiful platinum blonde hair and sapphire-blue eyes. A man with a sharp expression, yet a somewhat innocent look when he smiled. He was someone who gave meaning to even the smallest actions and always made her heart race.
That day, the sky was unusually clear and high. Standing with her back to a field of wheat ready for harvest, she saw a handsome young man in uniform looking at her. She recalls him as a prince from a fairy tale.
“The day I met the Princess by chance was the best day of my life.”
“Did we do anything special that day? I don’t remember.”
“It was our first meeting. It was the best opportunity for me.”
At that moment, when she felt that the autumn fields were shining golden with his back to her, he confessed his love to her, the Princess.
"I think it's fate. I want to give everything to you, Princess. Even myself. I dare say, rudely, that I truly love you, Princess."
It was good that his sincere eyes contained a sky so blue it was blinding.
This is a story from a long time ago, but the past haunts us all our lives, forcing us to confront it at any moment. Sometimes it even abruptly manifests itself in the form of regret or hatred.
The lingering memories, no longer recognizable as memories, are now etched in a different form. The more possessions you have, the more they obscure and prevent you from truly loving.
A man who approached her under the guise of love and hoped to gain power. Winston Clare, now Admiral Belford, was the Queen's first love.
She recalled being driven out to the Rotsilts' house after she met with the Admiral, and meeting Noah, who was seven years old at the time.
Comments
Post a Comment