“I can empathize with that sentiment, although I hope we won’t have to bare our souls to our adversaries, who hold immense significance to us Arundelites and Chrichtonites. We are, after all, the sole heirs of the ancient kingdom.”
Lisaa, once a flourishing ancient kingdom that thrived for countless years, had bestowed its wealth of knowledge and remarkable innovations upon neighboring lands. However, it met its downfall at the hands of invading nomadic tribes, who, in turn, proclaimed themselves an empire, usurping Lisaa’s legacy. Nevertheless, both Arundell and Chrichton remained the primary bearers of Lisaa’s culture and wisdom. Despite their mutual disdain and labeling of one another as barbarians, the two nations would unite to confront the fledgling empire.
“Now is not the time to wage war against Chrichton. Our true nemesis is the Toulouse Empire.”
“Isn’t Her Majesty the queen a symbol of a robust alliance between our nations? We must unite as a formidable front, or else we shall face calamity and ruin.”
“Your Majesty, the king is rather young and, dare I say, somewhat reckless to make any decisions at present…”
Their reasoning invariably led to one conclusion—Igor was youthful and ignorant of the ways of the world.
Igor, present at the meeting, prepared to speak, but his mother, the queen, interjected, saying, “I discussed this matter with Queen Rihannan yesterday. She shared the same concerns as I did and urged me to act in our kingdom’s best interest. Isn’t that right, queen?”
The late queen gazed at Rihannan, while Igor stared at her stiffly. In that moment, Rihannan’s face paled, hastily averting Igor’s gaze and softly nodding. The late queen smiled triumphantly.
Ah, so it is like that…
“This old mother need not worry about what my beloved wife thinks. I am certain that everyone present here shares the same sentiment, do they not?” Igor remarked.
The gathered nobles chuckled merrily, sympathizing with the late queen. When the late queen raised her glass, the nobles followed suit in unison. This act made it abundantly clear who the true owner of the palace was.
Igor wore a bitter smile. He harbored no anger, only chuckling at his own downfall. It was only natural. Who would follow a king whose wife even turned a blind eye to him?
At the conclusion of the banquet meeting, Igor rose and made his way towards his living quarters. As he strolled down the hall, his wife hastened after him.
“Your Majesty, please wait…”
He glanced back, a cold frown etched on his lips. “What is it? Do you have something to say?”
Nervously, she looked at him, her lips quivering several times before finally bowing. “…..It may be too late, but I must thank you for what happened last time. I haven’t had a chance to express my gratitude…”
“Last time?” he inquired.
“For concealing my father’s misdeeds.”
…So, that’s the only reason she deems fit to speak to me properly?
Igor scoffed. He, too, carried lingering regrets about letting her father’s wrongdoings go unnoticed.
“Have you finished speaking?” he retorted coldly. “You need not make excuses. I am well aware of what you truly think. I have asked you before: whose side are you on? So far, you have shown me that you would rather remain by her side,” he spat out, his tone dripping with disdain. “It is clear now. I understand. There is no need for further explanation.”
And he strode past her, swiftly shaking off her attempt to grab his hand, a gesture that resembled someone recoiling from touching something filthy.
He growled lowly and uttered in disgust, “Do you know the type of people I despise the most? It is not the cowardly or the despicable, but individuals like you who say one thing and do another. That is precisely what you are. You insult me, and now you wish to maintain a cordial facade?”
Her face drained of blood and color. She lowered her hands, dropped her head, and remained silent as she walked away from him.
Word of the king’s cold treatment towards his queen quickly spread among the nobles, igniting rampant rumors.
He knew that such public humiliation would leave her in a pitiable state. However, he was unwilling to consider her circumstances, for his pride had already been torn to shreds.
Much later, he would reflect upon those days and realize, all too belatedly, that her actions were some of the most courageous she had taken against the man she feared, the husband whom she believed to be her tormentor every night.
What if he had taken her hand at that moment? What if he had set aside his wounded pride and listened to her? Could things have turned out differently?
But there were no “what ifs”…
He should have delved into her past. Perhaps he would have realized sooner that there was more to her than met the eye.
They were worlds apart. He believed one thing, while she thought another. If only he had communicated with her…
Maybe things would be… different.
“Your Majesty, we will soon arrive at the Countess’ estate.”
A voice reached Igor’s ears. He raised his head and looked ahead. The journey from Chrichton to Arundell had been smooth. After disembarking at the port, boarding the carriage, and commencing their journey, they had finally arrived at Rihannan Alessin’s estate.
Originally, the plan had been to travel directly to Edirne, the capital of the kingdom. However, Igor had deviated slightly from the predetermined schedule and made a stop at the mansion. He thought she would face difficulty returning to visit her servants otherwise.
“Halt.”
At the king’s command, the royal carriage came to a stop. Igor dismounted his horse and approached Rihannan’s carriage. Adhering to formality, he knocked on the door before entering.
“May I enter?”
Upon opening the door, he beheld her leaning against the window. Exhausted, she had not obtained a moment’s rest from the port to their current location. Gesturing for his retinue to maintain silence, Igor stepped inside the carriage, closing the door with care. Instead of waking her, he intended to wait.
The interior of the carriage was dimly lit, and silence enveloped them, broken only by the occasional sound of her gentle breath. This was the first time he truly gazed upon her countenance. In his previous life, despite being married, he had never truly had the opportunity to observe her like this. Even during their most intimate moments, all he had seen was her fair complexion.
Sunlight seeped through the crack in the curtains, casting a gentle glow upon her silvery eyelashes, which delicately framed her downturned eyes. Her lips parted slightly as a faint breath escaped. Unconsciously, Igor found himself smiling. She appeared utterly defenseless.
Upon further observation, he noticed that she struggled to sleep. A slight furrow formed between her brows, and her restless movements indicated discomfort.
That you are, I apologize…
He frowned at the thought of her ingesting the medicine he believed to be poison. In retrospect, his actions had been disgraceful. Surely, she must have deemed him a lunatic, lunging at her out of the blue.
He would have been startled as well.
And their subsequent conversation… His words had only further incensed her, prompting her to confine herself to her chamber for the entirety of the voyage.
Gazing at her slumbering face, Igor pondered how to rectify their misunderstanding. Basil had advised him to be forthright about his actions, but…
Then, her head slipped from the window and gradually leaned in the opposite direction. Observing her with an unsteady gaze, Igor swiftly moved forward and sat beside her as her body heavily leaned sideways. Although he had intended to rest her head upon his shoulder, she slid down instead.
His breathing grew labored as she settled upon his thighs.
Igor gritted his teeth, emitting a soft groan.
This is torture…
With his hand pressed against his face, he averted his gaze. His blood boiled, and he couldn’t believe he would react in such a manner. Taking a deep breath, he managed to regain his composure and focused his attention on her petite frame resting upon his thighs.
“I can empathize with that sentiment, although I hope we won’t have to bare our souls to our adversaries, who hold immense significance to us Arundelites and Chrichtonites. We are, after all, the sole heirs of the ancient kingdom.”
Lisaa, once a flourishing ancient kingdom that thrived for countless years, had bestowed its wealth of knowledge and remarkable innovations upon neighboring lands. However, it met its downfall at the hands of invading nomadic tribes, who, in turn, proclaimed themselves an empire, usurping Lisaa’s legacy. Nevertheless, both Arundell and Chrichton remained the primary bearers of Lisaa’s culture and wisdom. Despite their mutual disdain and labeling of one another as barbarians, the two nations would unite to confront the fledgling empire.
“Now is not the time to wage war against Chrichton. Our true nemesis is the Toulouse Empire.”
“Isn’t Her Majesty the queen a symbol of a robust alliance between our nations? We must unite as a formidable front, or else we shall face calamity and ruin.”
“Your Majesty, the king is rather young and, dare I say, somewhat reckless to make any decisions at present…”
Their reasoning invariably led to one conclusion—Igor was youthful and ignorant of the ways of the world.
Igor, present at the meeting, prepared to speak, but his mother, the queen, interjected, saying, “I discussed this matter with Queen Rihannan yesterday. She shared the same concerns as I did and urged me to act in our kingdom’s best interest. Isn’t that right, queen?”
The late queen gazed at Rihannan, while Igor stared at her stiffly. In that moment, Rihannan’s face paled, hastily averting Igor’s gaze and softly nodding. The late queen smiled triumphantly.
Ah, so it is like that…
“This old mother need not worry about what my beloved wife thinks. I am certain that everyone present here shares the same sentiment, do they not?” Igor remarked.
The gathered nobles chuckled merrily, sympathizing with the late queen. When the late queen raised her glass, the nobles followed suit in unison. This act made it abundantly clear who the true owner of the palace was.
Igor wore a bitter smile. He harbored no anger, only chuckling at his own downfall. It was only natural. Who would follow a king whose wife even turned a blind eye to him?
At the conclusion of the banquet meeting, Igor rose and made his way towards his living quarters. As he strolled down the hall, his wife hastened after him.
“Your Majesty, please wait…”
He glanced back, a cold frown etched on his lips. “What is it? Do you have something to say?”
Nervously, she looked at him, her lips quivering several times before finally bowing. “…..It may be too late, but I must thank you for what happened last time. I haven’t had a chance to express my gratitude…”
“Last time?” he inquired.
“For concealing my father’s misdeeds.”
…So, that’s the only reason she deems fit to speak to me properly?
Igor scoffed. He, too, carried lingering regrets about letting her father’s wrongdoings go unnoticed.
“Have you finished speaking?” he retorted coldly. “You need not make excuses. I am well aware of what you truly think. I have asked you before: whose side are you on? So far, you have shown me that you would rather remain by her side,” he spat out, his tone dripping with disdain. “It is clear now. I understand. There is no need for further explanation.”
And he strode past her, swiftly shaking off her attempt to grab his hand, a gesture that resembled someone recoiling from touching something filthy.
He growled lowly and uttered in disgust, “Do you know the type of people I despise the most? It is not the cowardly or the despicable, but individuals like you who say one thing and do another. That is precisely what you are. You insult me, and now you wish to maintain a cordial facade?”
Her face drained of blood and color. She lowered her hands, dropped her head, and remained silent as she walked away from him.
Word of the king’s cold treatment towards his queen quickly spread among the nobles, igniting rampant rumors.
He knew that such public humiliation would leave her in a pitiable state. However, he was unwilling to consider her circumstances, for his pride had already been torn to shreds.
Much later, he would reflect upon those days and realize, all too belatedly, that her actions were some of the most courageous she had taken against the man she feared, the husband whom she believed to be her tormentor every night.
What if he had taken her hand at that moment? What if he had set aside his wounded pride and listened to her? Could things have turned out differently?
But there were no “what ifs”…
He should have delved into her past. Perhaps he would have realized sooner that there was more to her than met the eye.
They were worlds apart. He believed one thing, while she thought another. If only he had communicated with her…
Maybe things would be… different.
“Your Majesty, we will soon arrive at the Countess’ estate.”
A voice reached Igor’s ears. He raised his head and looked ahead. The journey from Chrichton to Arundell had been smooth. After disembarking at the port, boarding the carriage, and commencing their journey, they had finally arrived at Rihannan Alessin’s estate.
Originally, the plan had been to travel directly to Edirne, the capital of the kingdom. However, Igor had deviated slightly from the predetermined schedule and made a stop at the mansion. He thought she would face difficulty returning to visit her servants otherwise.
“Halt.”
At the king’s command, the royal carriage came to a stop. Igor dismounted his horse and approached Rihannan’s carriage. Adhering to formality, he knocked on the door before entering.
“May I enter?”
Upon opening the door, he beheld her leaning against the window. Exhausted, she had not obtained a moment’s rest from the port to their current location. Gesturing for his retinue to maintain silence, Igor stepped inside the carriage, closing the door with care. Instead of waking her, he intended to wait.
The interior of the carriage was dimly lit, and silence enveloped them, broken only by the occasional sound of her gentle breath. This was the first time he truly gazed upon her countenance. In his previous life, despite being married, he had never truly had the opportunity to observe her like this. Even during their most intimate moments, all he had seen was her fair complexion.
Sunlight seeped through the crack in the curtains, casting a gentle glow upon her silvery eyelashes, which delicately framed her downturned eyes. Her lips parted slightly as a faint breath escaped. Unconsciously, Igor found himself smiling. She appeared utterly defenseless.
Upon further observation, he noticed that she struggled to sleep. A slight furrow formed between her brows, and her restless movements indicated discomfort.
That you are, I apologize…
He frowned at the thought of her ingesting the medicine he believed to be poison. In retrospect, his actions had been disgraceful. Surely, she must have deemed him a lunatic, lunging at her out of the blue.
He would have been startled as well.
And their subsequent conversation… His words had only further incensed her, prompting her to confine herself to her chamber for the entirety of the voyage.
Gazing at her slumbering face, Igor pondered how to rectify their misunderstanding. Basil had advised him to be forthright about his actions, but…
Then, her head slipped from the window and gradually leaned in the opposite direction. Observing her with an unsteady gaze, Igor swiftly moved forward and sat beside her as her body heavily leaned sideways. Although he had intended to rest her head upon his shoulder, she slid down instead.
His breathing grew labored as she settled upon his thighs.
Igor gritted his teeth, emitting a soft groan.
This is torture…
With his hand pressed against his face, he averted his gaze. His blood boiled, and he couldn’t believe he would react in such a manner. Taking a deep breath, he managed to regain his composure and focused his attention on her petite frame resting upon his thighs.
