I Will Become the Queen of the Enemy Country

Stung by the pain in his back, Buck froze in place. Melanie raised her head, gasping for air. Elise held the blade to Buck’s back as she looked at Melanie.

“Are you alright, Melanie?”

Relief that Elise had come was Melanie’s last thought before losing consciousness.

****

“The child seems fine for now. But I can’t guarantee anything going forward. The mother’s condition is poor.”

Leber wiped his hands, which had just examined Melanie, on a towel.

When Melanie collapsed, Elise had threatened Buck to carry her. She then immediately summoned Ruo, Regina and Fiona and brought them all to Leber’s residence.

Buck had been spouting such vile words that Elise expected him to simply abandon the fallen Melanie. But surprisingly, he carried her all the way.

It was his last shred of conscience.

“Thank you for your efforts, Leber.”

Leber did not ask who the pregnant woman was, or what Elise’s relationship to the kneeling man was.

“Shall I step outside?”

“Yes, please do, Leber.”

“Call me before you leave. I have some things to discuss and will prepare medications too.”

Elise gave a slight nod.

Slowly lowering her gaze, just as Leber had said, there was a man kneeling at her feet.

Buck–Melanie’s lover and the father of her child.

Ruo had swiftly subdued and bound him when he tried to flee, leaving Melanie behind.

Ruo restrained the man, tying him up and gagging him in the blink of an eye–skills that made one doubt her past.

Sighing as she looked down at Buck, Elise could tell he was quietly assessing her, likely plotting an escape route.

A thoroughly calculating and selfish man.

Swallowing the sweet and spitting out the bitter–it reminded her of Chase.

“Answer me truthfully. Do you intend to take responsibility for Melanie?”

Buck nodded vigorously up and down. ‘Uh-uh’, he seemed to be mumbling about ‘responsibility’ and ‘doing his best’.

Elise scoffed derisively.

“You’re lying. You won’t be allowed anywhere near that child.”

Elise spoke coolly.

While disgusted by Melanie’s machinations, as a fellow woman, Elise felt pity for her predicament.

And in this situation, she admired how Melanie had tried to protect her child.

To Melanie, Buck was an utterly worthless man. Even if he stayed by her side out of immediate fear, the odds were high it would not end well.

Elise could easily foresee their tragic outcome.

“I’ll have to hear Melanie’s opinion, but you have no say in the decision. So keep your mouth shut and pray for her safe recovery instead. If anything happens to Melanie or the child, you won’t be unharmed either.”

Buck shook his head incessantly. Though his thighs and calves were bound together, he continually squirmed his butt, trying to inch closer to Elise.

“Don’t move. It’s irritating.”

Elise could not move Buck elsewhere, worried Melanie might wake and immediately look for him.

Having to share the same space, breathing the same air as him, was already unbearable enough.

Thoroughly cowed by Elise, Buck heeded her words.

He did not know who Elise was, but guessed she must be an impressively formidable member of Melanie’s household.

Buck belatedly recalled his friend’s advice not to carelessly provoke anyone, and regretted not heeding it.

He had thought he would become the Duke Odilon’s son-in-law, but instead was chased out of the country–though it was more accurate to say he had left after receiving a generous payout. Now that he had returned, he was being treated like a criminal.

It was so terribly unfair.

****

The shock must have been immense, as Melanie failed to regain consciousness for a long while.

Unable to wait any longer, Elise had Buck moved elsewhere.

His very presence was grating, making it difficult for her to focus on tending to Melanie.

Elise gently wiped the cold sweat from Melanie’s face herself, declining when Regina offered to do it instead.

They had come out to enjoy themselves, yet the afternoon was nearly over–Elise felt bad keeping Regina and the others waiting.

“Go out and get yourselves something delicious to eat.”

Elise pressed some money into Regina’s hand.

“But how can I leave when you’re suffering here, Miss?”

Though Regina initially refused, Elise’s added words made it impossible to decline.

“Ruo and Fiona are here.”

With no choice, Regina led Ruo and Fiona out.

The moment their carriage departed, another carriage came barreling through a puddle, heading straight for the mansion.

Just as Elise was about to close the door, she paused, seeing the stopped carriage outside.

She had thought it might be one of Leber’s clients – he had mentioned being busy with research despite receiving visitors.

However, the person alighting did not look like a patient at all. Cutting through the darkness and pouring rain was a sturdy figure.

The man entered before Elise could recognize and call out to him, reeking of the rain’s scent.

Removing his hood, he shook out his hair, the dark strands whipping droplets everywhere.

Heedless of the spraying water hitting her face, Elise stepped closer to him.

“Your Highness, how did you know to come here?”

***

To briefly summarize the circumstances that led Karan to come to Leber’s mansion:

Karan was in the middle of his work. However, he received news from the palace servants that Elise had not returned home.

Karan did not panic and waited. He had planted his eyes and ears near Elise.

‘Just this once.’

The spy Karan had planted was Ruo George.

For a while, Karan inquired all around to find a capable female warrior to follow and watch over Elise.

However, there was no suitable person. If someone seemed capable, they were the head of that household, so it was difficult to bring them.

It was not out of consideration for their circumstances. Simply, in such a state, more often than not they would be unable to concentrate on the work.

So Karan turned his eyes to Elise’s maid as the next best option.

Of course, Regina would not do, leaving Fiona and Ruo.

Without needing much further thought, Karan called for Ruo. And the moment he saw her, Karan found a very small memory fragment.

A memory fragment that was very advantageous for him.

“You owe me your life.”

A monster had appeared in Ruo’s village, and Karan had led his troops to engage it.

Karan had saved Ruo right before she was torn apart by the monster’s hands.

The girl who did not tremble even when seeing the monster had stuck in his memory, and here she was appearing before him again.

“So you have come to assist Elise.”

At that time, because of her shabby clothes, he didn’t realize she was a noble. Was she really of noble birth? Or did she rapidly rise in status and come up to the capital in the meantime?

Regardless, it was a welcome connection for Karan.

“Report on where Elise goes, who she meets, and what conversations she has.”

Karan thought she would naturally accept. But then,

“I refuse.”

Ruo answered like that.

“If you owe your life, you should repay it.”

“Then I will say just this once.”

“Is life only worth that much?”

“Doesn’t one have many more days ahead to live? If weighing it, the latter is heavier.”

For the first time, Ruo spoke at length, her words containing a will to invest in her future.

Did she see Elise as more valuable than herself? Though Karan felt annoyed, he was also strangely pleased and showed unusual generosity.

“Ten times. I can’t reduce it further. But in exchange, not just any time, only report situations you find strange.”

From conversing with Ruo, he gained confidence she could make that judgment.

Ruo nodded, and made first contact today.

Melanie had collapsed, and Elise had subdued a strange man.

From the brief note listing who, when, where, and what, Karan understood the situation.

‘Melanie’s child’s father appeared.’

In that case, he couldn’t just sit still.

Before the kind Elise released him, or prepared for Melanie to leave with him, he had to teach that guy a lesson.

Did he sneak away unable to contain himself while laying low where I hid him in preparation for an incident? Thus making me the child’s father?

He was the type you couldn’t feel refreshed even if you killed him.

****

“Your Highness, first let me dry your hair.”

It was the beginning of summer, yet the nights were chilly. On top of that, he had gotten rained on, so she was worried he might catch a cold.

There were no maids at Leber’s house yet. There was one servant, but he was handling all the errands, cooking, and cleaning alone, so she didn’t feel right giving him more work.

Therefore, Elise took Karan’s hand and led him to the reception room. She sat him down and even found a towel.

Karan obediently followed wherever Elise led him.

“What brings you out in this rain?”

“You didn’t come, so I came looking for you.”

“I thought you’d go home on your own. What is this, Your Highness? You’re drenched from the rain.”

Did Elise forget that he came by carriage?

It had been less than 5 minutes from when he left the rain-soaked palace to sitting in the reception room, yet Elise was making a fuss.

But he didn’t dislike it.

“You’re right. I’m all wet, Elise. My hair is damp. Soaking cold.”

Karan pushed his barely wet hair towards Elise’s standing abdomen.

“See? Walking around in the rain, you’ll catch a cold. Let me dry it for you.”

Elise snatched the towel from Karan’s hand and placed it on his head.

The corners of Karan’s mouth turned up.

He had worried about her grilling him on how he knew to come, but she didn’t seem to care how he found out.

Karan surrendered himself to Elise’s small hands, simply grateful for her concern.

Dealing with Melanie and that unforgivable bastard was postponed for now.

‘Can I put it off until tomorrow? More importantly, are there guest rooms here?’

Karan’s head was filled with useless thoughts.