Chapter 12
“The king is watching. If I go in and talk to the queen immediately, wouldn’t it be better?”
“……”
She raised her head slightly and glanced towards the direction of his study.
Although the curtains were drawn, she wondered if he might be watching this place, as her father had said.
“I understand.”
Duke Castaine tightly held Leticia’s hand and smiled broadly.
“I’m glad you seem healthy apart from being a little tired.”
“……I…”
I’m not healthy.
She was already so broken that she couldn’t be fixed. Neither her mind nor body, she hadn’t figured out what to do next. That’s why she wanted to talk to her father.
But the duke knew about her condition.
“I think I’ve made unnecessary trouble by worrying too much. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Is that really true?”
Duke Castaine nodded.
Their eyes met, and Leticia clenched her fist. Eventually, the duke got into the carriage without saying anything and left the palace.
She stood there for a long time, watching her father leave the palace.
❖ ❖ ❖
Arden asked Raymond, who was sitting by the window, looking outside.
“How does it look?”
“It seems like nothing special was said.”
Raymond’s hand, holding the curtain, fell weakly.
“What did Duke Castaine say?”
“Well…”
Arden sat back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.
Certainly, the duke seemed uneasy about me. Even when he entered the palace, his expression wasn’t good, but strangely, when he opened the door to the study and came in, he smiled broadly at me.
“The duke said he doesn’t know anything about the emperor’s visit.”
“It’s not even a family related to the empire. What exactly is His Majesty suspicious about?”
“I happened to see something.”
“…What did you see…”
“I saw him meeting someone and smiling while talking. That duke was chatting away without a care in the world.”
Advisor Raymond couldn’t understand what he was talking about at all. Realizing that Raymond wasn’t asking him to hear his answer or to talk to him, he didn’t ask him anymore.
“What could the duke be thinking?”
Arden squinted his eyes.
What conversation did he hear on the way to the study that made him smile broadly at me?
He entered the palace with the intention of questioning me, but managed to avoid any awkward answers by smiling and leaving.
“Other than the emperor, what did you talk about?”
“About Leticia.”
“…Are you talking about Her Majesty the Queen?”
Raymond widened his eyes, wondering if he had misheard.
Rumors were already spreading in the palace. It was said that on the first night, the king finally embraced the queen. Not only that, but it was also rumored that she spent the day without leaving the room.
“Since that day, Your Majesty’s complexion has improved significantly.”
Arden’s sharp nerves seemed to have eased somewhat. So there were more people in the palace wondering how the queen had put the king to sleep and what she had done to him.
“But, Your Majesty. Did you really fall asleep?”
“I did.”
“…Really? In that case, Her Majesty must have the power to make you sleep well.”
“……”
She did sleep for a brief moment, but it wasn’t clear if it was because of her power. I needed to confirm it further, but since that day, Leticia avoided me, so I couldn’t confirm anything.
Raymond didn’t expect a response to his question.
“She avoids me.”
“Pardon?”
“The queen avoids me.”
Arden narrowed his eyes and sighed.
For some reason, she, who always looked at me, started avoiding me. It couldn’t just be avoidance. If we were to sleep together, I would have to endure scornful glances.
“I don’t understand why.”
“…Do you really not know?”
“Oh, I heard the reason. But it’s not a valid one.”
He didn’t feel good recalling what Leticia had said.
“It was a marriage because of me from the start. It’s the duty of a married couple.”
“Isn’t it absurd, Your Majesty? May I dare say something?”
Arden nodded. Then Raymond cautiously continued.
“It seems that Her Majesty wasn’t talking about the duty of a married couple sleeping together.”
“…She told me to listen to the ministers.”
“Sometimes, Your Majesty, you seem to immediately understand the thoughts of the people and your officials, but it seems you don’t understand the feelings of Queen Leticia.”
“…Me?”
Arden’s brow furrowed.
He looked displeased as if he had been struck at the core. Raymond, who keenly noticed it, coughed softly and stepped back.
“I misspoke.”
“Do I appear like that?”
He laughed bitterly and closed his eyes. He didn’t refute Raymond’s words.
Lately, Leticia had felt strange to Arden. Her way of looking at him and her attitude, as if she had no expectations of him whatsoever.
“I didn’t realize that I was being ignored just because I didn’t spend the first night.”
“It’s natural. Wouldn’t one feel unloved?”
“…Was bearing a child such an important matter? I don’t want children.”
Arden stood up and addressed Raymond.
If he had to bear a child to secure succession, it was even more unnecessary. He didn’t want to pass on this suffocating position. It wasn’t like he had wanted it in the first place.
He already had a successor in mind. Of course, he was vehemently refusing it. But he was the most suitable for this position. If only he could be a little more accommodating…
“While this position may be desirable for some, it’s not for me.”
At least not for him.
Even if his brother hadn’t died, he wouldn’t have been tormented by nightmares. Memories of his brother resurfaced, causing his head to ache.
“I don’t want to die.”
He heard the voice of his trembling brother. Arden covered his ears with his hands.
It was the only secret he knew, something he had to keep hidden until the end. That’s why he never revealed it to anyone.
The secret continued to weigh on his shoulders, eating away at his mind as time passed.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck and a ringing sound echoed in his ears.
“Ugh.”
“Your Majesty!”
❖ ❖ ❖
Leticia returned to her room and dismissed the maids.
On the table, alongside the teacups, was a teapot filled with well-brewed black tea.
She passed by the table and headed towards the small room connected to the main one. Sitting down on the sofa, she unfolded the note clenched tightly in her hand.
[My dear daughter Leticia,
As soon as you read this letter, burn it. It seems you have realized who that person is. If the king asks, pretend you know nothing. Your father only wished for your happiness.]
Indeed, her father knew. He introduced me to the Emperor knowing full well who he was.
Leticiaa recalled the kindness he always showed her.
“For what reason…?”
She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.
So, it was because of her father that the Emperor was able to invade the kingdom. The realization left her mind blank.
Karen, whom her father introduced, was none other than the Emperor of the Empire, Cadius Velup. She shuddered all over.
“Leticia, I can make you happy.”
“You are always so beautiful.”
“Why doesn’t the king love you? You’re so lovable.”
When he smiled and said such things, she felt strangely uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because his red eyes, not smiling, gave off an odd feeling.
Leticia burned the letter with a candle, erasing the evidence.
‘What should I do? What should I do…’
She had to find a way before he arrived here.
The Emperor thinks Leticia doesn’t know his true identity. That’s why he could approach her so freely.
Before, she knew nothing and was deceived, but not anymore. Contact with Karen, no, with Cadius, must not happen again.
Leticia’s chest tightened with the confusion in her head.
Knock, knock.
At the sudden sound of knocking, she sighed.
Is even the time alone not allowed?
Leticia didn’t answer but cleared her throat.
“It’s Queen Leticia.”
“What’s the matter? You must know I dismissed everyone because I wanted to be alone.”
“There’s an urgent matter you need to attend to.”
At Mary’s urgent voice, Leticia turned her head towards the door.
