Chapter 35.
Mistresses Should Help Each Other Out
Robbie felt a mix of gratitude and embarrassment toward Lea, who had prepared breakfast and even picked out his riding clothes after he had sulked and skipped dinner, eventually falling asleep.
After galloping around for a while, he decided to go apologize to her. On his way to her quarters in the West Palace, he saw Lea entering the greenhouse attached to the palace.
Hoping to surprise her, he snuck behind and threw his cloak over her head.
“Lea, you came to see me?”
Robbie tightly embraced the struggling figure from behind. Strangely, she froze the moment he touched her.
Leaning his head gently on her shoulder, he spoke softly.
“I’m too embarrassed to say this while looking at you, so I’ll say it like this. I’m sorry for getting angry yesterday. It was my fault.”
With her face still hidden beneath the cloak, Robbie nuzzled his cheek against hers—until something felt off.
‘Was she always this tall?’
Feeling suspicious, he slowly pulled the cloak away.
Underneath it was a woman with long platinum blonde hair—but other than that, she looked nothing like Lea. Shine, the princess of Malau, stared at him with narrowed, skeptical eyes.
“Wh-Who are you?” Robbie stammered in shock.
He had clearly mistaken her for Lea and pulled a prank, but the face revealed under the cloak was a complete stranger.
Fierce upturned eyes, bold red lips, an overtly emphasized bust—there was nothing graceful or refined about her. How could he have confused her with Lea?! Robbie felt utterly pathetic.
Yet, despite himself, he found his gaze continually drawn to her lips and chest. It was as if he were under some kind of spell—no matter how hard he tried to look away, his eyes kept returning.
Trying to hide his flustered state, he snapped.
“I asked who you are.”
“I’m Princess Shine of the Malau Kingdom, head of the diplomatic delegation. And who are you, the one who just behaved so rudely toward me?”
Her lips curled slightly in amusement, as though she could see straight through him.
Robbie hastily pulled himself together and stepped back.
“I am Robbie Stone, the eldest son of the Earl of Stone of the Great Haren Empire. I mistook you for someone else and acted improperly. Please forgive my rudeness.”
When Robbie offered a formal apology, Shine relaxed the frown that had formed on her forehead.
There was no need to ask who he had mistaken her for—it was obvious. She had deliberately dressed in a style Lea favored.
“So, Lord Robbie, what brings you to the greenhouse in the West Palace?”
“Ah, thanks to Queen Lea’s hospitality, I’ve been staying in the West Palace guest quarters for the past few days.”
“Is that so? I didn’t know someone so important was staying here as well. Are you here to deliver tribute to Pritan Castle?”
“I most certainly am not!”
Robbie practically shouted, offended.
“The Great Haren Empire would never pay tribute to a mere kingdom. It seems the Princess of Malau lacks basic understanding of international diplomacy.”
“Well, excuse me. No need to get so serious. Then why are you staying in the West Palace if you’re not a diplomatic envoy?”
Her casual tone only irritated Robbie more.
“I’m here as a personal guest of Her Majesty the Queen. And let me make one thing absolutely clear—the Great Haren Empire will never, ever pay tribute to the Pritan Kingdom.”
“A personal guest of the queen while the king is away… I see. Looks like we’re in a similar position.”
Robbie blinked in confusion at her unexpected conclusion.
“A similar position? What exactly do you mean by that?”
“I’m going to be the king’s mistress for now, but I’ll have the queen’s seat before long.”
Shine laid her intentions bare without any pretense, and Robbie’s eyes widened further.
“In fact, the king and I already spent a night together back at Malau Castle. So, my chances are pretty high. What about you?”
She grinned and poked his chest playfully with her finger. Robbie flinched.
“If Queen Lea summoned you here from Haren in secret, she must be quite attached to you. Why don’t you aim for more than just her discreet guest—why not become her husband?”
He wanted to yell that she was talking nonsense, but the words refused to come out.
As Robbie opened and closed his mouth without saying anything, Shine smirked knowingly.
“Let’s help each other out as fellow mistresses. You back me, and I’ll back you. If you’re interested, let me know.”
With that absurd proposition tossed out so casually, Shine turned on her heel and exited the greenhouse—without even waiting for a response.
‘Mistress? Mistress?! I’m not Lea’s mistress!!!’
Robbie trembled with indignation, but before he could even open his mouth to protest, that brazen woman was already gone.
Returning to her room in the West Palace, Shine yanked off her dress and threw it aside.
“Your Highness, what’s going on?”
Sir Julmon, the knight who had been standing by the whole time, was flustered to see her stripping so suddenly. But she paid him no mind.
“You said you were dressing like Queen Lea to match King Miklok’s tastes. Are you already tired of it?”
“It was all pointless.”
“Excuse me?”
She picked out a flashy, bold dress she preferred and smiled at her reflection in the mirror.
“Turns out the Queen of Pritan is far more brazen and sly than I expected.”
“What do you mean?”
“The moment her husband left, she summoned her lover from her homeland.”
“That can’t be!”
Julmon assumed Shine had let jealousy twist her imagination into some wild fantasy. The queen had seemed graceful and noble, even in the short time he’d observed her. He couldn’t believe she’d sneak around like that.
“Surprised, aren’t you? I can’t stand women who act all innocent on the surface while hiding things behind their backs. I’d rather be like me—open and direct.”
“And where exactly did you hear that story?”
“I just came back from the greenhouse where I met the so-called lover. He’s from Haren. Mistook me for Queen Lea and tried to have a little secret rendezvous—got caught red-handed.”
Julmon’s jaw dropped.
“Well, I’ll be…”
“There’s no way Miklok knows. If he did, there’s no way he’d let it slide. So there’s no point in me imitating her anymore.”
Julmon chose not to point out that even her ‘Lea outfit’ had been far too revealing.
I was buried in paperwork in the study from early morning.
The deadline to reconcile the banquet budget was approaching quickly.
While food and drinks made up the bulk of the expenses, the cost of flower arrangements, performers, and emergency staff for the banquet hall and kitchen was no joke either.
‘Wait a minute… what’s this?’
While going through the invoices, I noticed something odd.
When I had visited the royal kitchen to check on the head chef Modavi, who had collapsed, I’d seen boxes of frozen fruits and vegetables.
Yet the invoice from the food supplier listed only fresh produce. Not a single frozen item. Which was suspicious, since frozen products are much cheaper.
“Milly, tell the kitchen to submit a revised ingredient list for each meal served at the banquet.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And tell the steward to verify the number of performers who attended. The labor cost for the children’s magic show is absurd.”
“Yes!”
“Hmm… this flower invoice is suspicious too…”
As I continued flipping through documents, I caught a glimpse of Milly’s pale face and chuckled.
“Alright, just take care of this for now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Fearing I might add more tasks, Milly quickly turned and left the office.
Rubbing my stiff neck and shoulders, I decided to take a short break.
That was when I heard a knock, and the door burst open with a lively little creature bouncing inside.
“Your Majesty~!”
“Violet!!”
I scooped up Violet, who ran into my arms, and gave her a big hug.
“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty! Violet, why do you forget all your manners whenever you’re around the queen?!”
Duchess Zenon scolded her niece, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Violet stuck her tongue out at the duchess with a giggle. She was so adorable, I gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“It’s alright, Duchess. I was feeling a bit drained, but seeing Lady Violet cheered me right up.”
“You must be overworked.”
The duchess looked at me with concern. I shrugged and stood up.
Then I called Adel to prepare tea and refreshments for our guests.
“Thanks to Duke Zenon’s guidance, things have gone smoothly. But some vendors had the nerve to fudge the invoices.”
“Unbelievable. They’re getting bold.”
The duchess frowned.
“They’re probably testing me, right?”
When I winked, she nodded in agreement.
“It’s the queen’s first event. They want to see how far they can push. If you let it slide this time, every event you host will bleed money.”
As a low-born daughter from the Viscount Uzcal family, I’d never wasted even a single coin. No way in hell was I going to start now.
“What will you do if you find clear corruption or fraud?”
“If it’s an honest mistake, a warning will do. But if it was intentional, I’ll ban them from supplying to the Pritan Castle for the next ten years.”
“Ten years?”
The duchess looked a little surprised—and also entertained.
“I was going to make it twenty, but I’m being generous.”
I replied with a cheeky grin and took a sip of tea. The duchess smiled, enjoying the flavor as well.
“The royal family of Pritan has gained a formidable mistress of the household. It’s a true blessing.”
She gave me a warm smile. Then, lowering her voice, she asked curiously,
“By the way, Your Majesty, I heard rumors that a sly little cat is staying in the castle.”
Hearing the normally refined Duchess Zenon refer to Princess Shine as a “sly little cat” made me burst out laughing.
“My husband told me. But why did you let her stay? Why not kick her out immediately?”
“Because the tribute from Malau was precious magic heating stones. A thousand tons.”
“Oh my!”
Judging by the duchess’s sigh, it seemed Duke Zenon hadn’t told even his wife all the official details.
“Another two thousand tons are expected soon. I couldn’t afford to push too hard.”
“Still, you’re amazing to tolerate her.”
Impressed by my patience, she praised me. And I couldn’t help but lower my guard a little.
“To be honest, I’m curious too.”
“About what?”
“What kind of face Miklok makes when he sees her.”
“Oh my goodness, Your Majesty!”
When I quietly confessed this while blushing, the duchess laughed out loud.
It was embarrassing—but I couldn’t help it. With a woman so dripping with seduction right in front of him, I needed to see with my own eyes whether Miklok would truly remain unmoved.
