Rihannan frequently gagged, often succumbing to the retching of the abhorrent-tasting medicine. It mattered little that her organs abhorred the potion; the maid of honor persisted, presenting a fresh dose and ensuring Rihannan swallowed it completely, despite her distress. The maid of honor remained vigilant, overseeing the consumption of the medicine before reporting to the late queen. These memories, Rihannan despised them.
“Please take good care of me.”
This time, she vowed to assert herself and refuse any unwanted food or drink forced upon her.
Facing Igor, she inquired, “I believe it is appropriate for me to greet the late queen first. May I pay her a visit?”
Igor’s countenance hardened. “You need not bother.”
Rihannan found it rude that he would disregard the formalities. It seemed only right to offer her greetings to the late queen.
“What do you mean?” she questioned.
“I mean… there’s no need for you to say hello. You must be exhausted. Let’s rest.”
Rihannan marveled in surprise. She knew of the strained relationship between Igor and his mother, but she never expected such an extreme reaction from him.
“But that defies logic,” she retorted.
“Mother isn’t even in the palace. She resides in Burke Castle. You need not concern yourself.”
“But…”
“Rihannan.”
With a sigh, Rihannan sealed her lips. Further discussion would only lead to a public quarrel in the presence of numerous courtiers and nobles. She needed to navigate the palace skillfully, never displaying any sign of disobedience toward the king. Furthermore, the queen, who had been her pillar of support, was no longer there.
“Very well.”
Sensing the tension in the air, Mrs. Cesley stepped forward, saying, “Please accompany me, my queen. I have prepared many things for you, and I am eager to show them to you.”
Approaching Rihannan, Mrs. Cesley warmly clasped her arm. Rihannan nodded to Igor and departed with Mrs. Cesley.
“My queen, you will be staying in a separate palace for a month until the day of your arranged wedding ceremony. Furthermore, the Queen’s Palace is currently under construction, my queen.”
During their journey to the palace, Mrs. Cesley provided Rihannan with abundant information, most of which Igor had instructed her to prepare.
“His Majesty ordered us to refurbish the Queen’s Palace months ago. I would have hastened the process had I known my queen would arrive earlier than planned.”
“His Majesty gave you and the maidservants instructions months ago?”
“Yes. I realized too late that His Majesty intended to return with the woman he was to marry…”
Mrs. Cesley’s words praised the king’s shrewdness, but a cold shiver ran down Rihannan’s spine. It meant that he had meticulously planned, many months ago, to secure victory in the naval battle against Chrichton and demand a national marriage with the princess in return. She felt a twinge of curiosity. What had happened to Igor’s life in this timeline that she was unaware of? How had he achieved feats that seemed impossible in their previous life?
“I have heard that you visited the palace several times as a child, my queen,” Mrs. Cesley remarked.
Rihannan nodded. “Yes.”
“But you have never been to the Queen’s Palace, have you?”
Rihannan hesitated. “No.”
“Then it is my crucial responsibility to ensure your stay at the Queen’s Palace is comfortable. I hope you will find it to your liking in the end, my queen.”
Contrary to her response, Rihannan had resided in and visited the Queen’s Palace long ago. It had been a decision made by the late queen, who believed it would help her acclimate to palace life more swiftly. However, it proved of little use to her.
Life in the royal palace had become increasingly painful and unbearable. Had she not overheard the conversation between the late queen and Igor, she might have lived a life of indifference toward him. Her eventual demise at his hands might have remained the same, but at least she would not have endured the misery of knowing her presence was despised by her husband.
“At that time, I visited the Queen’s Palace with my mother. The queen was very kind to me. Therefore, when I departed for Chrichton, I sent a farewell letter to the queen, who was a friend of my mother and my godmother.”
“Yes, I am aware of that story.”
“I am slightly concerned, though. How is the late queen now?” Rihannan asked, offering a smile.
The duchess, Mrs. Cesley, promptly provided Rihannan with an appropriate response. “She is resting in peace. After you left for Chrichton, the late queen retired from politics not long after. A few years ago, she relocated to Burke Castle. The late queen found the palace… too chaotic. So, it is as the king said. You need not worry excessively about the late queen.”
“It seems King Igor drove her away.”
The duchess paused, as did Rihannan. The duchess, appearing to be around forty years old, possessed mature and gentle beauty, yet she did not appear melancholic in any way. Her dark gray eyes sparkled with an unfathomable depth that seemed capable of penetrating Rihannan’s thoughts. They held the wisdom of age, a stark contrast to the young girl’s longing for freedom.
Rihannan’s earlier question had caught the duchess off guard, even causing her embarrassment.
During her time in Chrichton, Rihannan had inherited certain traits from Helena. The princess often disarmed malevolent individuals with unexpected inquiries, revealing their true colors. When encountering new people, she would pose sudden questions, having grown up in a palace teeming with those harboring malicious thoughts and selfish ambitions. Helena matured swiftly and learned to discern people’s true intentions and hidden selves when they were unprepared.
Once, Helena had employed this method on Rihannan. She had commanded the silver-haired girl to perform menial tasks, testing whether Rihannan possessed a rebellious spirit or if she was merely a dog obedient to her master’s orders.
But Rihannan had acted contrary to Helena’s expectations. Following the princess’s command, she had brushed Helena’s hair and asked, “Princess, are you curious about who I am?”
Her questioning had satisfied Helena, and from that moment on, they formed a close bond.
Rihannan pondered what Igor thought of the duchess he had sent to her.
The king had personally dispatched the duchess, and Rihannan knew that she faithfully carried out his commands. However, that mattered little. What she sought to discover was whether Igor was attempting to control her from behind the scenes.
Long ago, she had been imprisoned and branded a criminal, accused of espionage due to the exchange of letters with Dimitri. A mountain of evidence had accidentally been compiled, including secret letters between Arundell and Chrichton that had been found alongside Rihannan’s personal correspondence. Though they were printed using woodblock, preventing the identification of the handwriting, the woodblock prints were exclusively used for official purposes by Arundell. Therefore, it was established that the woodblock prints had traversed between the two countries.
Those letters discovered within the queen’s private collection served as definitive proof of her crimes.
However, Rihannan had never seen those letters before. She had never exchanged letters with anyone in Chrichton besides Dimitri. She suspected someone had intentionally placed those letters in her secret stash, leading her to suspect the involvement of the maid of honor. She always carried a key, and Rihannan was uncertain how she became entangled in this affair. Perhaps she was Leticia’s pawn, or maybe she had approached Rihannan with impure intentions from the beginning.
Rihannan vowed never to repeat such a cycle. This time, she would acquire the knowledge she lacked before and thoroughly examine the people who stood by her side. No matter how impeccable an individual may seem, their true nature was bound to emerge in unexpected situations.
This was what Rihannan hoped for.
“Ha…” The duchess quickly covered her mouth and emitted a light laugh. She then bowed her head. “Oh… I apologize, my queen. I made a grave mistake…”
“No need for apologies. I am not a queen at this moment, so there is no need for formality,” Rihannan responded calmly.
She recalled the mocking and whispered taunts from the ladies-in-waiting, the voices of wicked laughter directed at her. Those memories remained vivid, but now there was nothing that could harm her.
A lifetime of sorrow had granted her strength, but it did not render her immune.
Rihannan frequently gagged, often succumbing to the retching of the abhorrent-tasting medicine. It mattered little that her organs abhorred the potion; the maid of honor persisted, presenting a fresh dose and ensuring Rihannan swallowed it completely, despite her distress. The maid of honor remained vigilant, overseeing the consumption of the medicine before reporting to the late queen. These memories, Rihannan despised them.
“Please take good care of me.”
This time, she vowed to assert herself and refuse any unwanted food or drink forced upon her.
Facing Igor, she inquired, “I believe it is appropriate for me to greet the late queen first. May I pay her a visit?”
Igor’s countenance hardened. “You need not bother.”
Rihannan found it rude that he would disregard the formalities. It seemed only right to offer her greetings to the late queen.
“What do you mean?” she questioned.
“I mean… there’s no need for you to say hello. You must be exhausted. Let’s rest.”
Rihannan marveled in surprise. She knew of the strained relationship between Igor and his mother, but she never expected such an extreme reaction from him.
“But that defies logic,” she retorted.
“Mother isn’t even in the palace. She resides in Burke Castle. You need not concern yourself.”
“But…”
“Rihannan.”
With a sigh, Rihannan sealed her lips. Further discussion would only lead to a public quarrel in the presence of numerous courtiers and nobles. She needed to navigate the palace skillfully, never displaying any sign of disobedience toward the king. Furthermore, the queen, who had been her pillar of support, was no longer there.
“Very well.”
Sensing the tension in the air, Mrs. Cesley stepped forward, saying, “Please accompany me, my queen. I have prepared many things for you, and I am eager to show them to you.”
Approaching Rihannan, Mrs. Cesley warmly clasped her arm. Rihannan nodded to Igor and departed with Mrs. Cesley.
“My queen, you will be staying in a separate palace for a month until the day of your arranged wedding ceremony. Furthermore, the Queen’s Palace is currently under construction, my queen.”
During their journey to the palace, Mrs. Cesley provided Rihannan with abundant information, most of which Igor had instructed her to prepare.
“His Majesty ordered us to refurbish the Queen’s Palace months ago. I would have hastened the process had I known my queen would arrive earlier than planned.”
“His Majesty gave you and the maidservants instructions months ago?”
“Yes. I realized too late that His Majesty intended to return with the woman he was to marry…”
Mrs. Cesley’s words praised the king’s shrewdness, but a cold shiver ran down Rihannan’s spine. It meant that he had meticulously planned, many months ago, to secure victory in the naval battle against Chrichton and demand a national marriage with the princess in return. She felt a twinge of curiosity. What had happened to Igor’s life in this timeline that she was unaware of? How had he achieved feats that seemed impossible in their previous life?
“I have heard that you visited the palace several times as a child, my queen,” Mrs. Cesley remarked.
Rihannan nodded. “Yes.”
“But you have never been to the Queen’s Palace, have you?”
Rihannan hesitated. “No.”
“Then it is my crucial responsibility to ensure your stay at the Queen’s Palace is comfortable. I hope you will find it to your liking in the end, my queen.”
Contrary to her response, Rihannan had resided in and visited the Queen’s Palace long ago. It had been a decision made by the late queen, who believed it would help her acclimate to palace life more swiftly. However, it proved of little use to her.
Life in the royal palace had become increasingly painful and unbearable. Had she not overheard the conversation between the late queen and Igor, she might have lived a life of indifference toward him. Her eventual demise at his hands might have remained the same, but at least she would not have endured the misery of knowing her presence was despised by her husband.
“At that time, I visited the Queen’s Palace with my mother. The queen was very kind to me. Therefore, when I departed for Chrichton, I sent a farewell letter to the queen, who was a friend of my mother and my godmother.”
“Yes, I am aware of that story.”
“I am slightly concerned, though. How is the late queen now?” Rihannan asked, offering a smile.
The duchess, Mrs. Cesley, promptly provided Rihannan with an appropriate response. “She is resting in peace. After you left for Chrichton, the late queen retired from politics not long after. A few years ago, she relocated to Burke Castle. The late queen found the palace… too chaotic. So, it is as the king said. You need not worry excessively about the late queen.”
“It seems King Igor drove her away.”
The duchess paused, as did Rihannan. The duchess, appearing to be around forty years old, possessed mature and gentle beauty, yet she did not appear melancholic in any way. Her dark gray eyes sparkled with an unfathomable depth that seemed capable of penetrating Rihannan’s thoughts. They held the wisdom of age, a stark contrast to the young girl’s longing for freedom.
Rihannan’s earlier question had caught the duchess off guard, even causing her embarrassment.
During her time in Chrichton, Rihannan had inherited certain traits from Helena. The princess often disarmed malevolent individuals with unexpected inquiries, revealing their true colors. When encountering new people, she would pose sudden questions, having grown up in a palace teeming with those harboring malicious thoughts and selfish ambitions. Helena matured swiftly and learned to discern people’s true intentions and hidden selves when they were unprepared.
Once, Helena had employed this method on Rihannan. She had commanded the silver-haired girl to perform menial tasks, testing whether Rihannan possessed a rebellious spirit or if she was merely a dog obedient to her master’s orders.
But Rihannan had acted contrary to Helena’s expectations. Following the princess’s command, she had brushed Helena’s hair and asked, “Princess, are you curious about who I am?”
Her questioning had satisfied Helena, and from that moment on, they formed a close bond.
Rihannan pondered what Igor thought of the duchess he had sent to her.
The king had personally dispatched the duchess, and Rihannan knew that she faithfully carried out his commands. However, that mattered little. What she sought to discover was whether Igor was attempting to control her from behind the scenes.
Long ago, she had been imprisoned and branded a criminal, accused of espionage due to the exchange of letters with Dimitri. A mountain of evidence had accidentally been compiled, including secret letters between Arundell and Chrichton that had been found alongside Rihannan’s personal correspondence. Though they were printed using woodblock, preventing the identification of the handwriting, the woodblock prints were exclusively used for official purposes by Arundell. Therefore, it was established that the woodblock prints had traversed between the two countries.
Those letters discovered within the queen’s private collection served as definitive proof of her crimes.
However, Rihannan had never seen those letters before. She had never exchanged letters with anyone in Chrichton besides Dimitri. She suspected someone had intentionally placed those letters in her secret stash, leading her to suspect the involvement of the maid of honor. She always carried a key, and Rihannan was uncertain how she became entangled in this affair. Perhaps she was Leticia’s pawn, or maybe she had approached Rihannan with impure intentions from the beginning.
Rihannan vowed never to repeat such a cycle. This time, she would acquire the knowledge she lacked before and thoroughly examine the people who stood by her side. No matter how impeccable an individual may seem, their true nature was bound to emerge in unexpected situations.
This was what Rihannan hoped for.
“Ha…” The duchess quickly covered her mouth and emitted a light laugh. She then bowed her head. “Oh… I apologize, my queen. I made a grave mistake…”
“No need for apologies. I am not a queen at this moment, so there is no need for formality,” Rihannan responded calmly.
She recalled the mocking and whispered taunts from the ladies-in-waiting, the voices of wicked laughter directed at her. Those memories remained vivid, but now there was nothing that could harm her.
A lifetime of sorrow had granted her strength, but it did not render her immune.
