“Oh, what do you mean 10 years?”
Evelina was embarrassed for a moment, but soon smiled and fixed it as she saw his expression darkened.
“It takes 10 years just to give birth to a child, so if you add the rest period after giving birth and the blank period, wouldn’t it take 15 years?”
“Then we have to stay together for 15 years.”
“Right.”
She checked his expression. His expression was much darker. It was funny that he was trying, she thought, wanting to torment him more.
“But I think that would be possible only if His Majesty slept in the same bed. Even if I’m not ready mentally yet, to be ready.”
Instead of sleeping in the imperial palace, will you let me sleep in my room now?
Ivelina laughed, recalling that she fell asleep in the Emperor’s Palace more than at the Empress’ Palace.
“I see. To prepare, I need to be near, not far away.”
“That’s right. That’s how you get used to it and prepare your mind.”
Then he crumpled up the paper that he was holding.
“All I have to do is prepare my heart. All right.”
He left the crumpled paper and left the office.
Evelina smiled because she felt strangely victorious. He probably wouldn’t come. With that in mind, she opened up the paper he had crumpled up and read it with a little excitement
“Oh, he crumpled up his spending statement.”
Because it was an important document. She opened it again by hand and began to read it meticulously.
~~~~
Evelina was disappointed after reviewing all of the previous records for approximately two years. The embezzler before Princess Elsius was already dead, and Princess Elsius seemed to have embezzled, but it was not obvious how it was done. If she really needed the money, she must have asked for it from Kaiden.
“Ah, Your Majesty the Queen. This is the amount set aside for Your Majesty the Queen.”
Evelina belatedly saw a piece of paper that reached her.
“Didn’t you come to the wrong place? It’s like a year’s budget for the royal family.”
“No. He said it was a dignity maintenance fee to be used by Your Majesty the Queen.”
“What?”
Evelina looked flustered and checked the paper that came to here. Again, the numbers were exactly what she first saw.
But this is the amount like this?
“Did you receive this much from the owners of other palaces besides me?”
“No, Your Majesty the Queen has received the highest cost of maintenance fee for the Imperial family.”
“I haven’t even uploaded any documents to the approval list yet?”
“His Majesty has made the payment first.”
Evelina looked at the paper again, wondering if this ridiculous amount was really set aside for her.
The paper was very neat. The contents were unnecessary, and it was only written that the following amount would be set for a year’s worth of dignity maintenance to Queen Evelina Logias Abelard. Normally, if you upload documents about what to buy and how to use them, it should come out every month.
“You didn’t write it wrong, right?”
“The amount was written by His Majesty himself.”
When Evelina saw her aide smiling brightly, her head felt more throbbing.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She shut up because it was strange to keep asking for this ridiculous amount.
Evelina was going to sneak her adoptive parents to another country. The aristocracy and money would help.
But.
“Is there any surplus in the imperial budget?”
The money was now settled. Because she suddenly had so much money that she could play and eat all her life even after moving to another country.
“There are many aristocrats who have been appointed and sorted out. Most of them had their property confiscated. And when His Majesty ascended the throne, neighboring countries sent a large amount of gifts as celebrations.”
“Oh, yes.”
Evelina could see why she was sent so many things from neighboring countries. Originally, it would have been different if Prince Ashes had inherited the throne. Prince Ashes had a friendly personality and did not enjoy war.
On the other hand, neighboring countries were afraid of Kaiden. Because he was a battlefield demon who lived on the battlefield ever since he returned to the imperial family.
There were many battles he fought in, big and small, but he never lost. No wonder there are more people who run away because the morale of the opposing soldiers has been dampened in every war he fought.
Moreover, the neighboring countries were not all big countries, so the better option would be for them to appeal.
“How much did they send?”
“You seem to have received enough money for the next 10 years.”
“Oh, my God.”
Evelina opened her eyes wide, surprised by the huge amount of money, and soon laughed happily.
Money was a solution anyway. Now she really just needed to help her adoptive parents, legally or illegally, to go to another country and find a new identity.
“I’m telling you.”
She said with a smile again.
“I am impressed with His Majesty.”
Hoping that his men and women would report this.
~~~~
“What brought you here?”
Evelina had been looking at the documents until late at night, but when someone who was more bored than the documents came into the palace at will, she thought the documents were better.
“What do you mean? I came because I was worried about you.”
The Dowager Empress had the nerve to come near Evelina. Evelina tried to smile and stood up from her seat.
“What a shabby office.”
“I’m sorry.”
Evelina forced a smile when she realized that she was saying that on purpose because of her, even though she was in an office that couldn’t be more colorful.
“There is no need for tea.”
Evelina didn’t intend to give the queen a car, but it was funny that she refused on her own.
“I heard you’re having a tea party.”
“Oh, yes. I heard Kaiden was preparing.”
It wasn’t under her jurisdiction, it was under the emperor’s jurisdiction.
Evelina said so, but Dowager Empress pretended not to understand.
“I will personally go for you.”
“I thought it was a meeting between married couples?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Evelina was not sure whether they would go together as a couple, but she said it because she thought it would be the case. Perhaps the Dowager Empress didn’t know how it was held either.
“I’ll be there, so let me know. Kaiden will say I can go anyway.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The Empress looked down at Evelina with her arms folded. Then she said,
“Please don’t wear vulgar clothes that show all your chest then.”
Even then, the upper chest was seen because the Dowager Empress forced her to take it off.
“I will ask His Majesty.”
“Hmm. Go ahead.”
The Dowager Empress left, probably having finished the main topic.
Evelina sighed and said.
“Aide.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Lock the door when you go to work from now on.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
When she had barely exhausted her remaining mental strength, she had to put the papers down because she couldn’t do it anymore. She sat down all day and looked at the documents, and her neck and head hurt. The calculations were very commonplace. And even the small letters.
She closed her eyes deeply and opened them. Then, the ceiling seemed to be spinning, but it was worth enduring.
She saw a chandelier on the ceiling of the office.
Sadly, the chandelier was really beautiful. The transparent crystal was cleaned every day or there was no dust on it. The finely carved round shape reflected the light on it, reflecting the bright daylight color in all directions. The light reflected in the jewel-like shape and scattered in all directions was clearer, perhaps because it was night.
Strangely, when she saw the bright light of the chandelier, Kaiden’s eyes came to mind. His eyes were red and blood-creepy, but he seemed to resemble brilliance.
“You should rest.”
The Countess of Elbain, the lady-in-waiting, spoke anxiously to Evelina. Then, Baroness Elias said as if competing.
“I’ll have the bath ready.”
“Thank you both. Then let’s go back to the Empress’ Palace today.”
“Oh, that’s…”
Baroness Elias and Countess Elbain’s expressions were not good at what Evelina said.
“What’s wrong?”
“His Majesty has ordered you to sleep in the Emperor’s Palace in the future.”
“Was there an order like that?”
“Yes.”
Evelina was uncomfortable, but she nodded as if she understood. The emperor needed her now anyway. In that case, she wouldn’t do anything stupid.
“Then I want to see the garden before I go there. I thought you said my birds were in the glass garden.”
“Yes, of course.”
Like that, Evelina was finally able to put down her fountain pen and get up from her seat.
It wasn’t hard because she’d always liked paperwork. Rather, thanks to this, she was able to escape the pressure of having three weeks left in her life.
So she checked her condition and headed to the glass garden in the backyard. By the time she arrived near the glass garden, the sound of birds singing tickled her ears.
“How many did he bring?”
“Didn’t he bring them all?”
Ianathas stepped in and said. Evelina smiled when her eyes met his.
“Do you remember what I did to the bird I gave you before?”
“Oh, that one. I used it as a carrier pigeon.”
“Who in the world lets a pigeon that was given as a gift get shot to death?”
“There is, here.”
Evelina even understood that he had taken the dove that she had given him as a gift after careful consideration. The battlefield was such a place. However, the pigeon was trained to be a forerunner, and in the end, it was shot and killed by the enemy commander.
“Back at you. You’re strange too.”
Evelina said so and went into the glass garden.
“No, my God….”
As soon as I entered the glass garden, Evelina couldn’t shut her mouth.
Inside were flowers and rare plants that she grew at the Marquis of Logias. Most of them were so precious that they couldn’t even be obtained in Korea.
“How did you…”
“The Marquis of Logias asked His Majesty to do it.”
“Bring all of these?”
“Yes. These are the ones you raised in the Marquis of Logias. The Marquis took care of them after you got married.”
Evelina was about to burst into tears when she remembered her father’s writing that he was by her side even though he was not by her side.
“Everyone, turn around. And don’t come near.”
She spoke in a trembling voice and wiped away her tears. She thought she shouldn’t get caught crying.
