Chapter 1
Year 670 of the Kingdom Calendar
I was the 11th monarch of the Kingdom of Ellendril, and the first legitimate female ruler since the kingdom’s founding.
Before my ascension, Ellendril had never had a queen regnant.
According to the strict succession law known as Lex Salica, which had been enforced since the early days of the kingdom, women and their descendants through the female line were barred from inheriting the throne.
Naturally, my father, the king, had wanted a son. But my mother, to his disappointment, gave birth to a daughter—and never conceived again.
Eventually, he cast my mother and me out and took a new queen.
Stripped of her royal status overnight and banished beyond the castle walls with her young daughter, my mother spent her days weeping but still devoted herself wholly to raising me.
Once I was old enough to understand speech, she would always say the same thing:
“No matter what, you must become king.”
That became the goal of my life.
Despite my lowly treatment, I secretly studied royal governance. I threw myself into learning politics, economics, diplomacy—everything a ruler needed.
Whether it was fortune or misfortune, the new queen bore no children.
When she died, I fought hard to return to the court. I worked tirelessly to win over my father and bring the court nobles to my side.
Eventually, the king abolished Lex Salica and named me as his successor.
Years passed. After my father’s death, I purged the opposition and was crowned the first queen in the kingdom’s history.
For the next twenty years, I was the perfect monarch.
People praised me ceaselessly, calling me the queen who never married, tirelessly watching over her nation:
“The queen who married the country.”
“Your Majesty.”
Lost in thought, I looked up at the familiar voice.
“Oh, Marquis Lamian.”
The only thing that sustained me through the lonely life of a queen was the presence of loyal and trustworthy aides.
Among them, Marquis Lamian—my closest companion since childhood—was the one I trusted most.
“Forgive me. I didn’t realize you were busy with affairs of state…”
“It’s fine. What is it?”
“A marriage proposal has arrived.”
Without even glancing at the parchment he offered, I let out a soft laugh.
“Burn it.”
“Pardon? But it’s customary to send a reply…”
“No one sends a proposal like this expecting me to accept.”
The marquis nodded and retrieved the parchment.
“Understood.”
Even after he left, I couldn’t help but keep smiling.
A marriage proposal—if I had received one twenty years ago, it might’ve made my heart flutter a little. But for a queen, it was nothing more than a hollow joke.
The title of ‘young and beautiful queen’ that people once admired was long outdated. I was nearing fifty.
From the start, I had no intention of marrying.
Custom dictated that a wife take her husband’s name and her lands become part of his. A queen had to marry foreign royalty, which risked handing over the entire kingdom.
Women were seen as extensions of men, and a queen was merely a stepping stone to the next male ruler. I had no desire to share my power with foreign blood.
So, I always pretended to seriously consider proposals from abroad—only to reject them all in due time.
To say I wasn’t lonely would be a lie. But loneliness had long become a part of me.
The kingdom’s first queen. A revered virgin monarch.
If this were a fairy tale, the story would end here with a happily ever after. But real life doesn’t work like that.
Reality is no fairy tale.
In the name of having “married the nation,” the queen simply grew old—alone, unloved, and unfree.
“…I’m tired.”
I quietly rose from my seat.
The maids, quick to read the room, helped me change. I let them tend to me as I stood there, limp.
Strangely, my body felt drained.
I thought I’d taken good care of my health, but I felt heavier by the day, and slept more. Pain in my chest and tingling in my limbs became more frequent.
I figured it was from overwork.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, my body swayed backward. I closed my eyes and lost consciousness.
*
“Your Majesty.”
A familiar voice made my eyes snap open.
“Your Majesty!”
I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. My head was resting on a soft pillow. I saw Marquis Lamian’s face beside me.
I must have fainted.
“I rushed here as soon as I heard you collapsed. Are you all right?”
His voice was filled with concern. I took a slow breath and forced a calm smile.
“I’m fine.”
But I wasn’t. My head throbbed. My mouth was dry. I tried to sit up, but I was even weaker than before.
Marquis Lamian offered me a small bowl and spoon.
“I brought some porridge. Please, have a bite. You haven’t eaten all day.”
“Thank you.”
Though I had no appetite, I ate the entire bowl.
After setting the bowl aside and lying back down, I noticed the faces gathered around my bed.
Marquis Lamian. Loyal ministers who had stood by me since I was a princess. Faithful aides and maids who had served me for years.
My eyes grew hot.
I’d once thought, if I ever died, I wanted to close my eyes surrounded by those who had protected me. That time felt near.
“I must live longer, for your sake.”
I smiled weakly, but the marquis shook his head.
“Your Majesty has already fulfilled all our hopes.”
A warm bed. Kind words. People I loved.
It was the happiest moment of my life.
But then, the marquis spoke again—and the mood changed entirely.
“Which is why it’s time for you to go.”
What…?
My eyes flew open. Marquis Lamian was smiling coldly.
“Thank you for trusting me until the end, Your Majesty. If you had doubted me even once, I wouldn’t have been able to poison the porridge so easily.”
All the blood in my body froze.
Whenever I couldn’t eat properly, he always brought me porridge.
I’d been so grateful for his care that I always finished it, no matter how unwell I felt.
And that porridge had been poisoned?
“You’re lying.”
I forced a smile and asked. Speaking was growing more difficult.
“That’s a terrible… joke. Please… stop.”
“I would never joke at a time like this. You’ll die soon. It took longer than expected, but the plan is complete.”
Plan? What plan?
As if to confirm his words, a burning pain surged in my chest. A heat bubbled from my heart, searing through my body.
My core burned while my limbs turned ice-cold.
Marquis Lamian stared down at me with frozen eyes.
And not just him. Count Cornuy, who had been smiling kindly moments ago. My aides, the maids—all were now looking at me with eerie eyes.
As if they had finally rid themselves of a long-standing burden.
“Marquis…”
I summoned all my strength to call my friend.
“Marquis Lamian…”
And with everything I had left, I shouted his name.
“Auguste!”
I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t understand.
“Why…? Why…?”
We were friends. You promised to always help me.
A thousand questions boiled in my throat. But now, I couldn’t even breathe properly.
“You betrayed my expectations.”
Auguste de Lamian—my dearest friend—spoke coldly.
“If you had fulfilled your queenly duties like you promised, this wouldn’t have happened. If only…”
That’s the reason?
I couldn’t comprehend it.
I had devoted my life to being a great monarch. And this was the price?
I couldn’t breathe.
Something ignited in my throat. My chest felt crushed beneath a stone. Death loomed closer.
“You’ve done enough. Now, rest.”
No… not like this…
Tears blurred my vision. My lungs screamed for air as hot tears streamed from my eyes.
Marquis Lamian bowed one last time.
“Thank you for everything, Your Majesty.”
And with that, the world fell into darkness.
All light and sound vanished, and burning pain engulfed my body.
My mind faded.
In a place neither heaven nor hell, one thought echoed endlessly:
If I get another chance at life, I’ll never live like this again.
Never…
My breath caught. And everything went black.
