I Will Become the Queen of the Enemy Country

“Elise, it seems you’ve had a hard time. Your face is slimmer.”

Madam Worton said, holding Elise’s hand.

“It seems the food in Tetris didn’t suit your taste. Eat plenty today. I’ve prepared venison and various mushroom dishes. They’re all things that are hard to eat in Tetris, right?”

Madam Worton’s words were not to consider Elise, but to belittle and ignore Karan.

Elise’s face was flushed. She knew Karan wouldn’t be welcomed by the in-laws, but she thought they would at least have manners. Was that too much to expect?

Elise mumbled a response and prayed for the meal to end quickly. She was waiting for when she and Iris would be left alone.

There were only two nights left before the gate subjugation team left. Elise expected Iris to make another move during that time.

Today was the day to find out what that move was. So she couldn’t rush out of the meal.

She desperately hoped that Viscount and Madam Worton wouldn’t make any more of a scene, but the rudeness continued.

They excluded Karan from the conversation by bringing up stories of Iris and Elise’s childhood that Karan didn’t know, and added remarks like ‘Ah, you didn’t know this?’ while flaunting the etiquette of Bedrokka, which didn’t exist in Tetris.

She had foreseen this situation and asked Karan for understanding in advance, but she felt she wouldn’t have been able to endure the humiliation if she were in his shoes.

But Karan handled it quite flexibly.

“Tetris and Bedrokka are quite different. The points you pointed out are cultural differences arising from environmental differences. Isn’t it a gentleman’s virtue to respect differences?”

Elise thought it was an impeccable answer when she heard it, but Viscount Worton and his wife were displeased with Karan’s unyielding attitude.

No matter how much he is a prince of a country, he is their son-in-law since he’s marrying their daughter.

Then he should behave humbly.

“It seems there’s no hierarchy in Tetris.”

With the muttering of the Viscountess as if talking to herself, only cold air flowed at the dining table.

Viscount Worton and his wife continuously expressed discomfort, but Karan didn’t even flinch.

Elise felt sorry for him and wanted to hide in a mouse hole out of embarrassment for her family.

The time that was like a nightmare for Elise ended with the closing remark that they would prepare tea.

While moving to the reception room, Elise spoke.

“I want to see my room. If it’s still there.”

Madam Worton glanced at Karan and smiled.

“Of course, we kept our daughter’s room as it is. So you can come visit anytime.”

It was a tone that wished to part with Karan immediately.

Elise couldn’t understand why Viscount Worton and his wife hated Karan.

He was a person who was more than enough compared to Elise. Although Tetris people are considered barbarians, that’s just a deeply rooted prejudice.

He is a prince of a country and she is a worthless daughter of a humble family – even without a dowry.

‘They must be upset because they can’t manipulate me at will. It’s more about Karan being disliked.’

They must be upset because they lost a fun toy or a product to sell at a high price.

Elise was disgusted with the people of the Worton family who hadn’t changed even though she had come after a long time.

But for Karan, she pretended to be calm and headed upstairs.

Elise’s room was at the end of the third floor. Elise opened the door. The reason she wanted to check the room was a lie.

She just took a step because she expected Iris to follow her when she was alone.

And no matter what Madam Worton said, she had no expectation that her room would be intact.

As expected, Elise’s room was dusty because it hadn’t been cleaned, and it was even being used as a storage room.

On the bed that Elise used–it creaked but she was still attached to it–all sorts of junk were piled up, the drawers of the dressing table were wide open, and the hinges were missing from the door of the wardrobe.

It looked like it had been neglected for two or three years.

“Did you hope your room would be intact even though you turned your back on your parents and sibling?”

Did Elise’s face show any disappointment? Iris picked a fight out of the blue.

“It’s not surprising because it was too expected.”

Both the state of the room and Iris following her.

Elise stepped into the room filled with thick dust. Every time she walked, a white cloud of dust rose.

Cough, cough, Iris, who was sensitive and delicate, coughed as if to make Elise listen.

“Did you have any belongings left? It was all garbage.”

There was a reason why the room was in a mess as if a thief had been in it.

It seemed that Iris had rummaged through the room once after Elise left.

“Right. I don’t have anything special to take.”

“Then why did you come up? You didn’t believe what mother said, did you? The words ‘come back if it’s hard’? Well, it’s not 100% a lie. If you really can’t live, come back. I can give you a room where the servants live.”

Iris seemed like a person praying for Elise’s unhappiness. It wasn’t a new thing, so Elise let Iris’s words go in one ear and out the other.

“Why did you come?”

It seemed that silence would come for a moment.

It was a silence intended by Elise. If she didn’t speak first, Iris would try to start a conversation out of impatience, and that would lead to a mistake. That was Elise’s thought.

Sure enough, Iris asked.

“His Majesty called me.”

Elise swept the white dust on the window sill with her finger. As if she had no interest in the conversation with Iris. Her indifferent attitude irritated Iris.

“His Majesty, you mean, His Majesty Lange?”

“Didn’t you know that I came back to Bedrokka because His Majesty called me?”

“Why did His Majesty call you?”

“Is the news slow, or do you want to pretend you don’t know? You know I participated in the subjugation of the first gate.”

In the past, Elise admired Iris’s intelligence. Even the top-secret information from the palace that Chase secretly passed on, Iris knew by the time Elise knew.

So now, a long time after the subjugation of the first gate ended, Elise thought Iris would know the detailed inside story.

“So what about it?”

“His Majesty asked for help. So I’m going too, to the subjugation of the second gate.”

“You’re going? I can’t go, but you are?”

Iris laughed hollowly. She couldn’t believe what Elise was saying.

What did Elise say?

She is no longer the child of a viscount, and strictly speaking, she is not even a citizen of Bedrokka.

Elise will become a Tetrisian, take the title of Lysandro, and she, who has no ability, is going to a place to gain glory!

“If it’s hard to believe, ask Prince Chase. But it’s surprising. Prince Chase always tells me when something happens, but not to you, Sister? I met Prince Chase yesterday. I saw your attitude in the afternoon and wondered if…you really didn’t hear?”

Iris hadn’t heard a word about Elise from Chase.

They had a bad breakup at their last meeting, so Iris didn’t even contact him, and lately, Iris has been neglecting to hear news from the palace because she’s been looking for the troublemaker who was interfering with her work.

Iris forced a smile. It was funny how she forced herself to keep smiling.

“Of course…I heard. I was surprised in the afternoon because I ran into you unexpectedly. The story that you’re going to participate in the gate subjugation team… it’s not a sure thing, so he didn’t tell me. The list isn’t confirmed yet, is it?”

The list was confirmed a long time ago. It was Iris’s wishful thinking that there might be changes since Elise was added.

“That’s possible. The last list I saw didn’t include you, Sister. Or Prince Chase. I’ll finish well and come back to explain. Because you seem to be very interested.”

“Who says it’s the last list? Gate subjugation is not an easy task. Of course, there will be double, triple plans. It can change from the list you saw.”

“Are you saying that Prince Chase or you can go to the gate subjugation?”

“Of course.”

“But the subjugation team is already full.”

“How do you know who will drop out, kid. You don’t know what people will do.”

Iris showed her will to participate in the gate subjugation.

“Unexpected accidents don’t happen anytime, Sister. Such a thing shouldn’t happen. Don’t tell me, Sister, you want that?”

“Don’t say ridiculous things. Do I look like a person who wishes for others’ misfortune?”

It looks too much like that, isn’t it a problem? When Elise thought of Iris’s character, she felt nauseous.

“What could happen. There are only two days left. But you never know. You could get food poisoning, or there could be a problem with the horse.”

Iris trailed off. Since a while ago, Elise felt that Iris was trying to provoke her from her side.

‘Sister suspects me. Why? Maybe she noticed that I had gone to meet Prince David.’

That possibility couldn’t be ruled out. Iris was an opponent who should be given meticulous attention.

“That’s right, Sister. So I must tell Prince David, who is in charge of the overall responsibility. To manage food and horses well. That should be enough, right?”

“Of course. That should be enough. It feels like we’re having a sisterly conversation after a long time.”

Iris acted as if she had given great advice. But Elise realized that it was Iris’s smoke screen to divert her attention.

‘I won’t touch the food and horse side. Then where is the part where problems can naturally occur?’

So she thought hard about what situation would urgently postpone the subjugation departure, or what situation would make Iris and Chase desperate.

***

“Your Majesty, I will attend all the departure parties and express my gratitude.”

Even though David insisted on it, Lange held a party the day before the departure.

At the party wishing for the success of the gate subjugation, major figures from the financial and political circles attended and marked their approval to David.

David was already treated like a hero who saved the country. On the outside, he smiled calmly, but inside, he prayed for the party to end soon.

The biggest reason was that he couldn’t guarantee the success of the gate, but Chase also affected his feelings.

Chase, who he thought wouldn’t come, not only attended the party, but also raised a glass to David, wishing for the success of the gate subjugation.

‘Chase shouldn’t hope for my success. He would want to take the credit.’

Before he knew it, David came to believe Elise’s words like ironclad truth.

‘But why aren’t Elise and Karan coming?’

The only ones who could save David from this frustration were the two of them.

Then, David’s aide hurriedly approached. He put his lips to David’s ear and spoke tremblingly.

“Your Highness, there’s a fire in the armory.”