Masera, who was giving treats to the Queen’s cat, looked at the dark sky and realized that much time had passed.
“Meow.”
The Queen’s cat was like a puppy that was very fond of people.
He remembered Cynthia once mentioning a so-called ‘puppy-like cat,’ that you needed three generations of good karma just to meet one. This must be the rare creature she meant.
“When is she coming back? I wanted to show her the puppy-like cat.”
Masera, realizing he had spoken to himself, covered his mouth and looked around.
‘Why am I thinking such things?’
Afterward, he returned to his room, but Cynthia did not return even after dinner.
‘Could she have been arrested for a slip of the tongue?’
He had heard a story that the Queen had locked her son-in-law in the basement for two days for being cheeky after winning at poker.
He didn’t know if it was a high-level prank or the truth, but it would be troublesome if such an unpleasant thing happened during their honeymoon.
Feeling increasingly anxious, he was about to go and fetch her when the door clicked open.
“Have you been in the room all this time?”
Cynthia, who entered the room throwing the words without sincerity, packed her pajamas and a board game.
‘Why did she pack a board game?’ Masera wondered, watching her, and asked.
“What’s with the sudden board game?”
“It’s a strategy game to conquer the world.”
“You want to play now?”
Cynthia shook her head.
“I prepared it just in case, because the Queen likes board games. And I’m going to sleep elsewhere tonight.”
“What are you talking about?”
It wasn’t enough that she was keeping her distance as if they were strangers after the kiss earlier, but now she was saying she would sleep somewhere else.
In an instant, a fire ignited in his chest. Masera grabbed her arm as she was about to leave the room and turned her around.
“Did you become uncomfortable after touching me and now you’re avoiding me? Was everything you’ve shown me so far all a pretense?”
“Huh? Pretense?”
Cynthia’s lips tightened.
Masera realized for the first time that her gently drooping eyes could become fierce.
“And who was it that scratched like a wild cat even when I was being nice…….”
‘Well, what can I do if that’s her natural disposition?’ he had thought, understanding her generously like a sage.
“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable being with you! It’s just because the Queen asked me to sleep with her tonight, ok?”
Truthfully, she was also subtly bothered by the idea of sharing a room after the kiss.
The Queen had greatly enjoyed talking with Cynthia, and, saying that she was reminded of her daughter who lived abroad and whom she couldn’t see often, she had suggested that they sleep together in her room if Cynthia was okay with it.
“……Why would the Queen make such a suggestion?”
From Masera’s point of view, it was an absurd situation. Just how good was her sociability?
“We talked for about five hours, and we decided to have a late-night snack in the Queen’s room while discussing the details. Don’t you understand the soulmate feeling of having to repeat the same story in a more in-depth version?”
‘Just how talkative is she?’
Cynthia approached the dumbfounded Masera and raised her eyes in a sulky manner.
“Tsk, you say you don’t like it with your words, but you’re acting like you have separation anxiety.”
“When did I…….”
“And, it’s not a pretense. Everything I did was because I wanted the esteemed Brigadier General Masera del Vicente to like me.”
Because that’s the secret to survival.
Cynthia, unaware of the powerful meaning she had conveyed to him, quickly left the room.
“She wants me to like her?”
Masera, left alone, murmured blankly.
Meanwhile, Cynthia, who was heading to the Queen’s room, suddenly stopped and looked back. Then, she tilted her head in confusion.
‘A regretful male lead abandoned by his wife during their honeymoon? Isn’t it usually be the opposite?’
“Could I be the regretful female lead?”
Cynthia, puzzled, walked down the hallway with a light step again.
* * *
The next morning, Cynthia returned with a radiant face.
She had the audacity to abandon her husband and look like she had eaten well and had fun.
“I put on a face mask before going to bed, and it was so nice……. Royal self care just hit different, you know? The maids I chatted with were also very funny.”
Moreover, Cynthia had returned to her former talkative self in just one day.
In contrast, Masera, who hadn’t slept properly, was slightly haggard.
“Brigadier General Masera del Vicente, Her Majesty the Queen is looking for you.”
At the words of the maid who had come to find him, Masera checked his attire and thought.
‘It’s not an order to stay longer or to leave the princess behind, is it?’
The Queen was quite greedy for people.
She kept famous circus troupes, theater companies, and opera singers under the royal family and called them whenever she wanted.
‘Could it be that she wants to keep Cynthia as her exclusive comedian?’
In the outdoor tearoom where the Queen had summoned Masera, there was no one else besides the maids and knights. It seemed that a conversation requiring security would take place.
The Queen, whose face was as radiant as Cynthia’s, spoke first.
“It’s the first time we’ve had a conversation alone like this since the end of the war. I am pleased to have you bring good news, as I have been looking forward to our reunion.”
The Queen recalled Masera, who had stood before her as a fifteen-year-old boy soldier. Even now, as a full-fledged man, he had the same empty and beautiful eyes as then.
He had been active as a sniper in the Federal Army and had successfully completed several operations.
The Queen cherished and trusted him, bestowed upon him the title of Honorary Knight, and even granted him the official title of War Hero.
“Thank you.”
For a man who had risen from the bottom, Masera didn’t particularly show off. It was closer to being indifferent.
The Queen, having finished the introduction, asked.
“Is your answer to my proposal to become a resident of Medea still the same as it was back then? The Republic of Rutemia is not your homeland either, is it?”
“The country where I was born has already disappeared into history. Rutemia is the hometown of my biological father, so it is the same as my homeland.”
At Masera’s answer, the Queen smiled elegantly.
“Why did you marry a fallen princess? In a way, didn’t the Bariesa royals ruin your life?”
Masera calmly looked into her jade-colored eyes, as if trying to understand the intentions of his superior.
“There are nobles who are plotting the restoration of royal power. It is to prevent their ambitions.”
“Is that all?”
The Queen’s voice gradually became colder.
It contained the question of whether he was trying to ruin someone else’s life out of revenge.
He knew well that lying in front of her would not work.
“There is no malice. However, there is no affection either.”
Whether she liked the unpretentious answer, she smiled once again.
“How much do you know about your wife?”
Masera, who had been looking down at the floral teacup placed in front of him, raised his head.
“I know most of the facts.”
The Queen smiled elegantly and put down her teaspoon.
“You have obtained a jewel that you must never let go of, you know. Intelligent and kind people are rare.”
He couldn’t bring himself to deny it, so he answered with silence.
At this, the Queen lowered her eyes loosely and picked up her teacup.
“There is a saying, ‘A soldier’s spouse is like an internal strategist.’ It’s not just a saying, so I hope you keep it in mind.”
“Of course. I have a clear view of marriage.”
The Queen, who had been keenly observing his expression, looked somehow relieved.
“The embers of the past are futile. I hope you cherish your current relationship and get along well as a couple. Because I am greedy for people.”
The Queen picked up a sugar cube and dropped it into his black tea, adding.
“If you get along well with the princess, I will give you a gift.”
“I’m not a child.”
“You still have the taste of a child who used to light up at the sight of chocolate. In my eyes, you still look like a fifteen-year-old brat.”
If Masera had shown a negative attitude towards Cynthia, she would have told him to leave her in Medea. She was a woman too precious to be ruined by something that was not her fault.
However, from him talking about Cynthia, the hatred that had vaguely surfaced in the past was not visible.
Having found a glimmer of a positive sign, she smiled contentedly.
‘It seems that Brigadier General Vicente picked the wrong wife to attach himself to if he was planning to use her as a target for his anger.’
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