Chapter : 7
Ainar arrived at the office with a somewhat displeased expression. Robert thought he knew the reason.
“Should we send the princess back to Thames Palace now?”
Ainar looked at Robert as if to say, What are you talking about?
“Isn’t that why you’re in a bad mood right now?”
“I’m in a bad mood?”
Ainar frowned slightly, as if he truly didn’t understand.
“Me?”
“If you ask anyone in the Central Palace, they’ll say the same thing.”
Robert shrugged and added,
“You don’t look pleased. You carried the princess again, didn’t you? Isn’t that why?”
“I don’t think that’s—”
He stopped mid-sentence. Robert looked at him in confusion.
After a moment—
“Robert.”
Ainar spoke in a rather serious tone.
“How is my way of speaking?”
“Your way of speaking, Your Majesty?”
“Yes.”
“It’s unpleasant.”
“…You.”
“And very blunt.”
Robert continued without hesitation.
“If you weren’t the king, you’d have been sent to the guillotine long ago for insulting nobles.”
He glanced at Ainar cautiously. Normally, Ainar would have shot him a terrifying glare by now. But instead, he looked strangely thoughtful.
…This is even scarier in a different way.
Robert quickly spoke again, worried.
“Your Majesty, what I mean is—”
“So it’s that bad? Me?”
Ainar responded seriously, which caught Robert off guard.
What? He’s actually taking it seriously?
“Has anyone really told you your tone is unpleasant?”
Of course, no one would have the courage to say that. But seeing Ainar so serious made Robert wonder if someone actually had.
“There’s no way.”
But if that wasn’t the issue, then why would a woman cry like that right after leaving him?
Ainar remembered Elfreda’s face, covered in tears when she collapsed, and frowned.
Even if she was a so-called “barbarian princess,” it seemed she had been raised like a delicate flower in a greenhouse. She hadn’t even spoken harshly, yet she cried like that. And she kept fainting so easily.
Such an exhausting, troublesome woman.
The moment he thought that, her eyes from earlier kept returning to his mind.
Ainar shook his head sharply.
And just like that, the annoying image disappeared.
Elfreda’s condition gradually improved day by day.
During that time, she did not meet Ainar at all. This was because she kept her promise to Ilene and stayed locked inside her room without moving. Of course, Ainar also did not come to see her.
That day… I must have been in pain, and my mind and body were both strange.
Elfreda comforted herself with that thought as she recovered.
For her, the only emotion allowed toward him was guilt. Any other personal feelings were forbidden, shameful, and improper. More than anything, they would only bring her lifelong suffering.
He would never smile at her sincerely. So she had to erase these feelings, no matter what.
“…So in Makaeri, it rarely snows. When it does, it is seen as a sign of a good harvest the following year. That is why they hold large festivals even on short notice.”
During her stay, Ilene treated Elfreda very kindly. She was even kinder and more gentle than Elfreda had expected.
Elfreda felt guilty for taking up so much of her time.
“So I don’t need you to be this kind to me, Ilene. Just coming once a day to bring meals is enough.”
Ilene replied in disbelief,
“Then you’d collapse. You need to eat at least twice a day.”
“What I mean is… why are you being so kind to me?”
Ilene responded again, sounding even more confused.
“You’re going to be the queen. I can’t treat you coldly.”
“…But—”
“I think you’re a good person.”
At those words, Elfreda froze slightly.
It didn’t make sense, yet it felt like Ilene was describing her—the princess of Makaeri.
She looked at Ilene in confusion. Surprisingly, Ilene smiled shyly as if she truly meant it.
“The queen. I know it’s presumptuous, but I really think so.”
Elfreda’s expression went completely blank.
Misunderstanding her reaction, Ilene asked,
“Does my kindness make you uncomfortable?”
That was a question Elfreda had never received before. She quickly shook her head and explained.
“…Of course not.”
Ilene smiled brightly in relief.
Elfreda felt something warm and strange in her chest.
This was dangerous.
She didn’t want to return to Thames Palace.
But taking Ilene away with her would be absurd.
So Elfreda only gave a bitter smile.
Eventually, the time to leave came.
Ilene saw Elfreda off with regret, and Elfreda felt even more reluctant than Ilene, though she did not show it.
She returned to Thames Palace as if her feet were weighted with iron.
As expected, no one welcomed her.
In fact, the Marchioness of Magnum immediately warned her coldly:
“Please do not wander around at night anymore.”
Right after returning…
Elfreda felt speechless and finally replied,
“You’re very kind for someone talking to a person who almost died, Madam.”
“It is all for your safety, Your Highness.”
My safety…
Elfreda repeated the words in her mind.
It wasn’t entirely wrong. If she hadn’t wandered around that night, she would not have met him. And then she wouldn’t still be haunted by his face.
Even now.
Elfreda smiled bitterly and murmured,
“Thank you for your concern, Madam.”
