Chapter : 6
“…I greet His Majesty the King.”
Elfreda finished her greeting in a dazed state.
Ainar looked at her as if she was unbelievable and released her. He hadn’t even pushed her that hard, but she still swayed dangerously from the recoil.
Tch.
He clicked his tongue once and ended up grabbing her again to steady her on the ground.
“You’re not made of paper, yet you keep fluttering around.”
That comparison wasn’t really an exaggeration. That night by the pond, when he carried her, her body had felt as light as a mannequin. Today, she felt even lighter.
So she really is focusing on queen training and skipping meals?
Ainar narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at her. Her cheeks were definitely thinner than before.
“Where are you going?”
Elfreda swallowed dryly and answered.
“To Thames Palace.”
“With that body?”
He immediately scoffed.
“You’ll probably collapse after a few steps.”
“….”
“Stop being stubborn and go back where you came from.”
He meant the room she had just come out of. But to Elfreda, it sounded like “back to Makaeri,” her homeland.
Suddenly, her chest felt tight. Tears filled her eyes without her realizing it.
Seeing that, Ainar looked genuinely confused.
“What now? Should I speak more politely to Your Highness?”
That wasn’t the issue, but it seemed he misunderstood. Elfreda quickly shook her head.
But Ainar continued in a mocking tone.
“Should I carry you there myself again this time?”
“Ah, no.”
Elfreda avoided his eyes completely.
“I can go on my own. I just thought I might be a burden if I stayed longer…”
“You’re misunderstanding something.”
Ainar let out a dry laugh.
“If you collapse halfway there, that’s even more of a burden. Someone will have to carry you again.”
“…Ah.”
At that moment, Ilene’s words replayed in Elfreda’s mind.
“The King personally brought you here.”
At first, she wasn’t sure if he meant he carried her himself or sent someone. But he had clearly said “personally carried.”
From the central garden to here… and even from there to Thames Palace, it was a long distance. Of course, he might have done it because the pond was nearby, but there were other palaces around too.
More than that, she couldn’t understand why he had carried her himself.
That question finally came to her.
Even if saving the granddaughter of an enemy twice could be explained as political, refusing to use servants was strange.
“Thank you for what happened that night.”
But first, she had to express gratitude.
Ainar looked at her silently.
Elfreda felt her breath tighten, as if she was sinking into deep water. Still, she forced her voice to remain steady.
“I feel ashamed for causing trouble in many ways.”
In many ways.
That night. The first night she arrived here. And… becoming the bride of the man whose grandfather had killed her family.
Realizing again that she was nothing but trouble to him made her heart grow cold.
“I see.”
Ainar murmured flatly.
“It was because you were avoiding someone you didn’t want to see.”
“…What?”
“I suppose I also had some part in it.”
Elfreda quickly shook her head in shock.
“That’s not—”
But at that moment, their eyes met.
Those deep dark green eyes seemed to ask if she truly disagreed.
Elfreda swallowed dryly.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t wrong.
But saying she “didn’t want to see him” was too strong. It wasn’t that she hated seeing him—if anything, it was the opposite. She didn’t want to trouble him or make him dislike her even more.
“…I just didn’t want to stand out in front of Your Majesty.”
She spoke quietly and honestly.
“I didn’t want to be hated by you.”
Honesty came with embarrassment, but it was better than letting him misunderstand.
She lowered her gaze.
What a strange marriage this was—where instead of trying to gain affection, she had to carefully avoid hatred.
“That’s all. I would never…”
She stopped and let out a dry laugh at how absurd it sounded.
“How could I possibly hate Your Majesty? That would be shameless.”
At least she didn’t want to be remembered as a shameless woman.
Ainar continued to stare at her.
Elfreda kept her eyes lowered. She didn’t want to look up. She already knew it wouldn’t be a kind gaze.
Silence stretched on.
Eventually, she wondered if she had said something wrong and replayed her words in her mind. But nothing stood out.
In truth, wasn’t everything she said already something that would annoy him?
“Go in.”
His voice came.
There was no irritation in it.
Surprised, Elfreda looked up.
Their eyes met briefly. His unreadable gaze made her even more confused.
Then his eyes flickered slightly.
Ah.
Only then did she realize she had been standing there too long.
She quickly lowered her head and walked past him in small steps.
As soon as she could no longer see his face, she finally noticed her heart was beating fast again.
Even after he disappeared from her sight, his image kept floating in her mind—especially the moment he had caught her earlier.
It was as if he had taken over her thoughts.
“…Ah.”
Then tears she had been holding back finally fell.
Something was clearly wrong. That thought made her anxious.
She kept walking without wiping her eyes, even though her vision blurred.
She just wanted to get away from him.
“…Not that way.”
She barely heard the voice before her consciousness faded like a candle being blown out.
And she collapsed.
Later
Elfreda opened her eyes with a pounding headache.
It was worse than when she first woke up earlier, which made her strangely regretful.
…She shouldn’t have gone out.
“Are you alright, Princess?”
Ilene’s worried face appeared in front of her.
Elfreda spoke in a guilty voice.
“I should have listened to you.”
Ilene had been right. She shouldn’t have gone out. If she hadn’t, maybe she wouldn’t be in this state.
If she had met him when her body was stronger… when her heart was more used to being hated here…
She felt unbearably foolish.
“It was His Majesty’s strict order that you do not leave until you recover.”
“How did I get here?”
“The King carried you.”
Again.
He carried her again himself.
In the end, it had gone exactly as he said.
Elfreda muttered bitterly.
“…He really is kind.”
Even though he probably hated even touching her.
She covered her eyes with her hand to stop tears from coming again.
“I will take care of you while you are here. Please call me anytime if you need anything.”
Hearing Ilene’s gentle voice, Elfreda pressed harder against her covered eyes.
Everyone here was too kind.
Trying to hide her confusion, she asked:
“You’re a maid of the Central Palace?”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad a kind person serves His Majesty.”
She said it sincerely.
“You can go now. You must have work to do.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry about me. I won’t go anywhere. I’ll just lie here like I’m dead.”
Ilene looked displeased at the word “dead,” but still seemed slightly relieved.
After she left, Elfreda closed her eyes.
But even with her eyes shut, the same image kept appearing.
She muttered to herself like a warning.
“…Focus, Elfreda Makaeri.”
She was from Makaeri.
No matter what, that fact could not change unless all the blood in her body was drained away.
