Chapter : 16
“An expedition.”
A formal smile appeared on Ainar’s lips.
“Good. Not a bad word.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Let us immediately show those barbarians the greatness of Machi…!”
“Then everyone here,”
Ainar cut off the excited noble’s words and asked in a dry voice,
“is prepared to give up everything for an expedition to Makaeri?”
“…Pardon?”
Seeing their blank confusion, Ainar gave a thin, mocking smile.
“Why are you so surprised? Starting a war is never an easy matter. Especially if we must cross that dangerous strait and go all the way to Makaeri ourselves.”
He exhaled briefly and continued,
“It will definitely take time. We would have to pour in not only soldiers, but all taxes and production from the entire land to make such a war possible. And your sons would also have to join the war.”
“……”
“Of course, the royal family would be willing to do so.”
But you all?
Ainar slowly scanned the nobles gathered in the hall. Only then did cold reality wash over them, and their excitement faded. The noisy atmosphere quickly became quiet.
Ainar sighed once more and spoke calmly.
“Of course, this incident is something worthy of anger. To come to Machi and kill its citizens—no matter who it is, it must be punished severely.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It is something that cannot be ignored.”
“So for now, we will send word to Makaeri and see how they respond.”
“And if their response is weak?”
“Hmm.”
Despite the vague answer, his expression showed he already had a clear thought.
After a moment of silence, Ainar said expressionlessly,
“Then we will have to bring forward the revenge from five years ago.”
Meanwhile
After returning from the central palace where her face had been treated, Elfreda felt the colder stares of the Solar Palace people.
It was understandable given the situation, but the sense of belonging she had briefly felt from Ainar’s words now felt like an illusion.
To them, she was still just the bloodline of barbarians who had killed the former king and prince.
Elfreda ignored it and focused on her duties. Like Ainar said, this was not something she could handle.
But when she returned to her office and saw her desk unusually clean, she felt something was wrong.
“Marchioness Magnum, the documents I was working on…”
“You won’t need them for now.”
“…What do you mean?”
“A messenger has been sent from the kingdom to Makaeri regarding this incident. Until we receive their response, you are relieved from inner palace duties.”
Before Elfreda could argue, Marchioness Magnum added coldly,
“If Makaeri does not respond properly, then the marriage alliance will lose its meaning. And so will Your Highness’s position.”
“……”
“And the tea gathering with the noble ladies scheduled for tomorrow is also suspended.”
Elfreda frowned at her. Despite a citizen of Machi being killed by foreigners, the Marchioness looked almost pleased. Her hostility made Elfreda feel suffocated.
“…Alright. That makes sense.”
She agreed instead of resisting. Objectively, the Marchioness wasn’t wrong. A queen married less than a month ago was still basically a stranger here.
But—
A headache suddenly hit her.
Elfreda stood up. She needed air.
But Marchioness Magnum blocked her path.
“What is this supposed to mean?”
“You should remain inside the Solar Palace for now.”
“…Is taking away my duties not enough?”
Elfreda stated firmly,
“I am not a criminal. I am the queen of this country.”
“Ha, let’s see how long that lasts…”
“At least for now, it is true. So move.”
The Marchioness looked annoyed but stepped aside. Elfreda left, feeling her head pound. The maids’ stares felt like they were tightening around her throat.
Later
Marchioness Magnum had not been wrong. It was better for her to stay quiet.
Elfreda mostly stayed inside the palace, only going out for walks. But as tension of possible war grew, her anxiety only increased.
Serina was also banned from leaving the kingdom until Makaeri responded. Rumors said she was acting arrogantly, saying it was just “a few commoners’ deaths,” which made the palace even more hostile toward her.
Elfreda felt frustrated, but she didn’t go see Serina. It would only reinforce that she was still part of Makaeri.
Even if war broke out, Makaeri would not come to save her.
It would be pointless.
She waited, half resigned, for news from Makaeri.
“An envoy from Makaeri has arrived at the palace.”
Finally.
Elfreda looked at Marchioness Magnum.
“What is the atmosphere like?”
“I cannot say.”
It sounded like a deliberate vague answer. Elfreda didn’t expect anything useful anyway and looked away.
Still, it didn’t seem too bad. If Makaeri had wanted war, they would have delayed the envoy.
“Would you like some tea? You seem nervous.”
Marchioness Magnum asked irritatingly.
At that moment, a maid whispered something to her. The Marchioness’s expression stiffened.
“What is it?”
“…Well.”
“Your Majesty the Queen.”
A man entered the room.
He had neatly cut reddish-brown hair and wore the uniform of the central palace.
He bowed respectfully.
“I am Robert, a servant of the central palace. His Majesty the King has requested your presence in the audience chamber.”
“…Me?”
Elfreda looked confused.
“For what reason…?”
“Well…”
After a brief pause, he answered,
“It is for receiving the foreign envoy. Regardless of the circumstances.”
Elfreda hesitated but nodded.
Ignoring the displeased Marchioness, she followed Robert.
Why would he call her, even though she had nothing to do with this?
She kept thinking.
When she arrived at the audience chamber, she saw Ainar sitting there with a faint smile on his lips.
“….”
Now she understood.
A hostage.
So that’s it.
He didn’t yet know her true background. But even so, she could be useful here. As a queen, she could not be ignored in front of a foreign envoy.
Elfreda forced a small smile.
“…I greet Your Majesty.”
“Come sit beside me.”
She obeyed silently.
The Makaeri envoy looked tense.
Elfreda stayed quiet, feeling the pressure of the diplomatic atmosphere.
Ainar finally spoke slowly.
“So. What is the Emperor of Makaeri’s position on this matter?”
“Our Emperor expresses deep regret over this incident,” the envoy said seriously.
“He is concerned that this unfortunate event may damage the alliance formed through the marriage agreement.”
“So I take that as willingness to pay an appropriate price.”
“While our warrior did kill Machi civilians, demanding an apology from His Majesty the Emperor would be difficult. It would be excessive.”
“Of course I have no intention of asking the Emperor himself to apologize.”
Ainar tilted his lips slightly and continued,
“An apology should come from the one who committed the crime.”
