A while later, after hearing Patricia’s words, the count furrowed his brows. He wore a look of consideration and pondering.“Do you have the conference to pull it off?” he said, firmly.Patricia lifted her chin and looked at him, eyes twinkling. Her full lips staiTed with light fluids looked immensely wicked and crafty as she smiled cunningly.“Have I never not satisfied you? Not even once?”A brief smile flashed on his lips, letting out a soft scoff. Her words with her. She satisfied him, more so. She had served him well this whole time.“…I’ll open a window of chance for you soon.”Finally, a concrete answer came, one that satisfied her. Patricia smiled joyously, rubbing her face on his leg.“Just you wait. I’ll definitely steal the king’s heart for you.”After returning from the hunting grounds, wretched loathing filling her heart, Patricia immediately proposed a plan to the count who was always afraid of the king.Ehrlich’s king was the kind who’d rip the count’s neck apart whenev
“My Queen, is it alright to speak my thoughts out?”Nodding lightly, Alicia said, “It’s fine. Go ahead.”“I’m not exactly sure the problems you and His Majesty have, My Queen, but know that he cares and loves you, deeply so. If you knew how much he’d changed after you came here, you’d be quite surprised. He smiles more often now, he’s less tense and more carefree. And… he nags less and less.”“He’s changed that much?”Mrs. Cessley laughed and nodded.“Why of course. In the past, he didn’t have much free time like he did now. He was quite crazy and always had something preoccupying his mind. He was someone who didn’t know when to stop working. I’ve never seen him relax, not even once to take a break. It was as if he was reaching towards an unattainable goal. And then he met you…”Mrs. Cessley spoke of everything, in great details, all that had occurred over the past six years of Ivan’s life: how he rallied the nobles to his side while managing to hide it from his mother as he grew into
After the Queen Mother had lost her position, power, and authority, most turned their backs on her, ignoring her name and existence. It was a natural occurrence when one thought about it. After all, who would pay attention to a royalty who had lost all her powers?However, here was Alicia—an outlier— who took care of her after returning from Ehrlich. She was not someone who would easily disregard the care someone gave her.When someone is put in a difficult situation, one will only see the true value of a person who once had a relationship with the other party. Mrs. Cessley knew that Alicia was the kind of person who saw the goodness in others.“I’m sure the Queen Mother would be happy to receive a gift from you, My Queen. How about you make one for His Majesty too after you finish sewing that one? He’ll love it as well.” Mrs. Cessley smiled, sneakily asking a question in the heat of the moment.Alicia smiled awkwardly. “I wonder. I don’t think men would like presents like these in pa
She wanted to honestly let out the words that the sole reason she’s pushing him away was not that she didn’t like him, but the memories of her past still haunted her to this day.But she couldn’t…It was an unbelievable claim, and even if Ivan believed in it, it’d not solve the situation for she had already believed that she was not meant to be with Ivan.Perhaps it would have been better if she didn’t have the memories of her past. Thinking so, Alicia smiled bitterly. Maybe she’d not fear the unknown nor the future she knew would happen… and maybe… she’d not push him away like this either.Alicia grabbed the blanket sitting next to the couch and spread it on top of him. The temperature of the room was too cold to leave him without warmth.That’s right…She’s only making sure his cold doesn’t worsen…This was the only reason, the justification she made in her mind as she walked back to her room and quietly closed the door.***Basil stared at the king’s face with a wildly blank expres
Ivan’s hand holding the teacup froze in an instant. He looked up stiffly and asked with a serious and lower toTed voice, “Basil, what is that woman’s name?”“It’s Patricia Olbach, Your Majesty.”As Basil watched Ivan’s expression grow gravely alarmed, he breathed deeply and cautiously asked, “Do you know that person, Your Majesty?”“She’s… Alicia’s sister… an illegitimate child that bastard father brought from the outside,” Ivan grit down his teeth hard.“H-huh? Are you talking about the sister that had been kicked out by Her Majesty alongside her father back then? My goodness… what a coincidence…”“No. It can’t be a coincidence… not when that vile woman is involved.”Ivan pushed his chair away from the table and violently rose from his seat. He paced back and forth near the window for a moment before looking at Basil.“Is it possible that Patricia also participated in Duchess Saphia’s banquet?” Ivan asked.“I don’t know for certain, Your Majesty. However, if you asked Mrs. Cessley th
One example was the Queen Mother. After all her power had been stripped of her, she had neither the capability nor the will to bring harm to her in this timeline. Therefore, Ivan allowed Alicia to care for that woman.If it made Alicia feel comfortable and as long as she was willing, then so be it.However, for Patricia, she somehow avoided the changes in fate. Though her life was no longer the same, though she lived anew in a different environment, she was still that wicked and greedy woman he remembered her to be.He knew her wicked deeds would never end if he didn’t put a stop to it.Ivan put the golden feather back to the box.Alicia treated Patricia with generosity not with death but to be thrown to the side. Patricia paid the price for her wicked deeds in the past and now it was time to judge her of her wrongdoings in this life.***As the relationship between Ehrlich’s king and queen grew more distant, slowly but surely, the horrid news began to spread inside the palace. With Co
Alicia smiled, thinking of the tea party that would be held in a few days. Unknown to Mrs. Cessley, she’d been properly preparing her mind for the upcoming tea party.She grew tired of the situation of which her position kept changing depending on the affection she received from the king.This needed to change.Whatever happens so that she’s able to spend the rest of her contracted time without complications, she needed to make sure the nobles understood that she was a queen to be feared, that her power was a given separating her relation to the king.As planned, the tea party began.The place the party was held was in a garden full of magnificent flowers blooming incandescently. The heaven-like sight was a rare thing for the nobles to see. They were normally not privy to view the garden. It was this reason alone why the garden was specifically chosen.As expected, the court ladies’ reactions were good.“The garden is extremely beautiful, My Queen.”“You’re right. The flower petals sw
Though everyone was aware of the queen’s hidden and double-edged meaning behind her words, Marquess Pless was ignorant of it. She simply did not realize what would become of her.Her expression looked smug as she quickly mouthed her words, muttering, “That’s right. I’m always on your side, My Queen. Pardon my rudeness, but I see you as my friend, a close friend, My Queen. And when rumors spread, is it not the duty of a friend to tell each other rather than hiding it? Is this not what true friends do?”Duchess Saphia turned her head slightly and snickered.Mrs. Cessley fanTed herself despite the temperature being cool enough. It had more to do with the atmosphere’s rising awkwardness.Regardless, among the court ladies present, it was only the marquess who grew vIvanously energized by the topic.“That is why, My Queen, I’d like to know… is there no problem between you and the king? I’d like to help you out. Please be honest.”The noblewomen nearby tried their best to look disinterested