Chapter : 4
When Elfreda opened her eyes again, everything around her was quiet.
The room was lit not by candles, but by dawn light.
She blinked a few times and slowly sat up. The back of her neck was stiff, and her head throbbed.
Then she heard footsteps.
She instinctively flinched.
But soon she realized they were different from last night—lighter, more refined.
Most importantly, morning had come.
Marchioness Magnum appeared.
“You are awake.”
Her voice was calm, as if nothing had happened last night.
Elfreda was confused for a moment.
Soon, a group of maids followed behind the Marchioness.
“From today, you will begin queen training. Until the wedding, you will be very busy. You will have no time to waste.”
Her tone remained casual.
For a moment, Elfreda wondered if last night had been a dream.
But it had felt too real.
She looked down at herself.
There was no blood. No trace of anything.
Maybe I really did lose my mind…
But the sun she had seen last night…
She quietly murmured to herself, thinking of the man.
“…I almost died.”
“It seems you had a bad dream.”
The Marchioness replied calmly and clicked her tongue in a rude manner.
“You are not used to your sleeping place yet. You will adjust in time.”
“….”
“Now, what are you all doing? Help the princess prepare for the morning.”
At her command, the maids quickly began moving.
Left alone for a moment, Elfreda hesitated.
She reached behind her head and touched her hair.
Something sticky was there.
When she pulled her hand away, she saw a dark red stain.
Elfreda muttered blankly.
“So it wasn’t a dream.”
She was not insane.
Rather, it seemed like everyone here wanted to make her appear insane.
And the “sun” she had seen last night likely meant the same thing.
A dull pain formed in her chest.
It was almost laughable.
As promised, many teachers arrived at Thames Palace that morning.
Language tutors, etiquette instructors, finance teachers, history scholars of Machi…
It was clear they were trying to turn a supposedly ignorant barbarian from Makaeri into a presentable queen of a civilized nation.
Elfreda decided to quietly comply.
The schedule was harsh. Everything was taught in broken Machian she had only recently learned.
Sometimes, late at night, she would walk alone in the palace garden near the large fountain to ease her mind.
The flowers were bright, and the sound of water was calming.
For those moments, even reality felt distant, like a dream.
She studied almost every waking moment, sacrificing sleep and meals.
And she never spoke of what had happened that night.
In Machi, she was completely alone.
Her father had ordered all Makaeri attendants and guards back home, insisting she must become a true citizen of Machi.
In reality, it was likely to prevent them from causing trouble after hearing insults.
But either way, she was alone.
Reporting the assassination attempt would do no good.
They might just dismiss her as insane—like Marchioness Magnum almost had.
And the man who had appeared like the sun that night still showed no interest in her.
That too became a reason to stay silent.
Perhaps this was a test.
Whether she could truly live as the Queen of Machi.
Still, his indifference was not entirely bad.
If she met him again, she did not know what expression she should show—fear, relief, or something else.
The man who had lost family because of her grandfather.
She had no intention of acting like a real wife.
That was why she never went to him, even to thank him.
She still had some sense of shame.
Even if she had done nothing herself, gratitude would mean nothing to someone who had lost family.
So she decided:
Stay quiet. Live unnoticed.
If he saw her, he would remember his dead family.
And she would become even more hated.
She did not want that.
Living unnoticed would be better for both of them.
She was used to that kind of life in Makaeri anyway.
But just then—
Strangely, the darkness before her brightened.
“Ah.”
In the dark garden, even a single star stood out clearly.
And like the sun itself, he stood out unmistakably.
She saw him beyond the pond.
Leaning against a low railing.
Why…? Why is he here?
Marchioness Magnum said he would not come here.
Panic rose instantly.
She was not ready to face him again.
He had not noticed her yet.
If she quietly returned to the palace now, everything would be fine.
“…Ah.”
But at that exact moment, their eyes met.
Even across distance, it felt as if their gazes were pinned together.
Elfreda felt her breath stop.
She remembered his eyes from that night—when he stood over a dead body covered in blood.
It felt like she had returned to that moment.
Her breathing grew unsteady.
And then—
He began walking toward her.
She wanted to run.
But her body froze.
She tried to move—but in her panic, her foot twisted.
Her body tilted.
And she fell.
SPLASH!
She hit the water hard.
Cold water filled her mouth and nose.
She couldn’t breathe.
Not once.
Not even for a moment.
Her head burned like a boiling kettle.
Her throat hurt as if it had been torn apart.
“…Ah… ugh…”
Elfreda slowly opened her eyes, groaning.
After blinking a few times, her blurry vision cleared.
A strange ceiling.
This wasn’t Thames Palace.
Where was this?
She exhaled weakly.
“Oh! You’re awake!”
A bright voice called out.
A young woman with brown hair stood beside her, smiling warmly.
She was not a maid of Thames Palace.
“Please wait. I’ll call the physician.”
Before Elfreda could respond, the girl left.
Soon, a palace doctor arrived.
“You have a severe cold. I will prepare medicine. Please rest for now.”
Her body shivered uncontrollably.
After the doctor left, Elfreda tried to speak.
“Cough… cough!”
“Oh no, you must not speak.”
“…Ah…”
Her throat was too painful.
She nodded weakly.
The brown-haired girl spoke gently.
“My name is Ilene. This is the Central Palace where His Majesty resides.”
Elfreda’s eyes shook slightly.
Ilene smiled kindly and added:
“The King himself brought you here.”
Time seemed to stop.
After a moment, Elfreda tried to sit up in panic.
But Ilene stopped her firmly.
“You need to rest. You are not well.”
“I…”
“You must listen to the physician. You can barely speak.”
With a frustrated expression, Elfreda finally lay back down.
Even as she closed her eyes, she could not sleep.
Her heart was beating too fast.
Just like before.
It was because of him.
The “sun” that appeared out of nowhere at night.
Why…?
He had saved her twice.
A man who should have hated her.
A man who should have let her die both times.
And yet—
A dangerous thought lingered in her mind.
He might be kinder than I thought.
