Chapter 42

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 42

Chapter Title: Queen

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"Clodel! My little sister!"

"Irena!"

Clodel greeted her with a smiling face.

Lush red hair and brilliantly shining golden eyes.

The two daughters of House Vermonte embraced each other and shared a brief reunion.

"I'm so glad you came, sister."

Unlike the complicated thoughts that had filled her mind upon hearing that Irena was visiting Rowen, seeing her brought pure joy above all else.

"Was the journey too tiring?"

"Tiring? This is the most excited I've ever been in my life! I guess traveling really suits me."

Irena, brimming with vitality and laughter, was beautiful.

Duke Vermonte often called Irena "God's masterpiece."

Clodel frequently felt the same, that Irena was like a perfectly crafted work of art.

'Does where you're born and raised make such a huge difference?'

In Valmond Castle, Irena had been treated like a princess.

Many found Clodel's origins and unfortunate past distasteful.

The death of her birth parents had been a major event, much talked about by many.

She hadn't been particularly deprived of food or clothing.

Even when Duke Vermonte returned from the capital with luxuries bought from the heart, Clodel never felt envious that they were only for Irena.

If her own parents had only bought things for Irena, she would have been upset, but Duke Vermonte wasn't her father.

Clodel was grateful that the Duchess of Vermonte had registered her as a legitimate daughter and allowed her to receive the same education as Irena.

Even if it was ultimately for political use later on.

It was only natural to pity a child who had lost her parents.

Irena, planted in the fertile soil of Valmond under parents like blazing summer sun, had grown into a tree with different leaves.

Clodel was like a tree uprooted from its native soil and transplanted into an ill-fitting spot, frail and unsteady.

That wasn't Irena's fault.

What could a child just two years older have done?

Irena had grown up pure and bright without a care, while Clodel had matured bearing many flaws.

Even if her mere existence led to constant comparisons and gossip.

The Duchess of Vermonte or Irena, once she was old enough, would scold those in the castle for speaking ill of Clodel unbecomingly.

Yet everyone knew Duke Vermonte, the lord, doted on his true daughter Irena, and since he didn't mind the praises saying she outshone Clodel, the comparisons persisted.

Their daily lives in the same castle had been worlds apart.

"Valmond is so suffocating. And because there's no male heir, they have to bring in a son-in-law or something. Daughters of Vermonte can only leave the castle when they marry. I've never had a chance to escape Valmond Castle from the start."

"But you're here now."

"Right? It's all thanks to you. Father never would have allowed it if it wasn't to see you."

Irena smiled brightly over and over.

Who could resist such dazzling charm?

In Valmond, frozen half the year, Irena's smile held a warmth that could melt the hearts of those shivering in the cold.

Clodel sometimes wondered if she could have become like Irena if she'd been raised in the castle from birth.

Though she couldn't quite picture herself smiling like sunshine.

"Forget the tea. Show me your room first."

Irena was terribly excited.

"I asked Father about Rowen Castle, and he said the Temneth folk were awfully extravagant."

As soon as she finished speaking, Clodel noticed passersby halting in their tracks, which made her uneasy.

But Irena continued nonchalantly.

"It's definitely plainer compared to Valmond Castle. Our castle has gold leaf from there all the way to the ceiling over there."

"Still, Rowen Castle has deeper traditions. The timber and stone used to build it are the finest. It was constructed when the Oberon Kingdom was founded, older even than the royal palace. There are few castles in the kingdom as elegant as this."

As Lady Clodel, the lord's wife, defended Rowen Castle, the atmosphere warmed again.

"It is elegant, but a bit boring. Feels like a temple. Temneth is more frugal than I thought."

From afar came a faint mutter of "That damned Vermonte!" but Irena seemed oblivious.

"Here it is."

Clodel quickly led her and opened the door to her bedroom.

"Wow! This room at least has a nice vibe."

As Irena remarked, the duchess's chambers had a distinctly different atmosphere.

"Miss Irena, it's been a while."

Hanna entered with tea, and Irena greeted her warmly.

"Oh, Hanna. Have you been well? My goodness! Rowen-style dress. You look like a Temneth person."

"You noticed. My soul belongs to House Temneth now."

"Such jokes. Hohoho."

Taking Hanna's sincerity as a jest, Irena laughed as if she'd heard something hilarious.

"It's not a joke."

"Show me the wardrobe!"

Irena took a sip of tea and sprang up.

"Let me see the new bride's treasures..."

Before Clodel could guide her, Irena flung open the door to the dressing room and fell silent.

"Wooow!"

Irena was purely awestruck.

An enormous quantity of dresses filled the space as vast as a drawing room.

She walked slowly into the dressing room with a dazed expression.

When she opened the jewelry cabinet, her already wide eyes grew even wider.

"My goodness..."

Clodel stood awkwardly behind her, unsure what to say.

Kaiyan was the one who had filled this place.

Clodel had protested that buying so many she'd never wear was wasteful, but the Duke of Temneth was just as relentless.

"I've never seen anything like this. Really."

Irena turned, her eyes sparkling.

"Can I try some on?"

"Sure."

"Kyaaa!"

Delighted, Irena hopped about.

"Come here. Let's do it together."

She draped a chunky emerald necklace around her neck, admired herself in the mirror, then took the ruby one beside it and placed it on Clodel.

"Let's change clothes too. Hmm."

A vivid purple ruby necklace.

It was something Kaiyan had bought from the "all of them" jewelry shop and hung around Clodel's neck for the first time today.

Then Irena's eyes landed on a dress with chiffon hems dyed red at the ends.

"Gasp! Is this Madame Marcel's dress?"

"Madame Marcel?"

"The most famous designer in the capital! Yes! Look here."

Flipping up the layered hem revealed initials embroidered in gold thread inside.

"You have to wait a year just to buy one."

"Really?"

"She's insanely popular, but she hardly shows up anymore."

"Why?"

"Men won't leave her alone. The rumors even reached Valmond. Seems hard for an attractive woman to work without scandals."

Irena bounced over a meter to the side.

"Eeee! This is Juverdu, isn't it? The most expensive in the capital!"

How can she tell? They all just look like dresses.

"Gasp! It's Lüxiang! The one Princess Biange wore for her debut!"

Clodel just blinked.

The excited Irena tried on a few dresses, adorned jewelry, dressed and undressed Clodel, and played to her heart's content.

"Haa. That was fun."

"...I'm exhausted."

The weary women collapsed atop a mountain of dresses.

Irena, looking satisfied like a full puppy, gazed at Clodel lying beside her.

"I thought you weren't into this stuff. I've always wanted to play like this together."

Irena lightly brushed Clodel's hair with her fingertips.

"I still don't like it."

"Right. You're always just reading books here too?"

"Not just books."

"Hehehe. We should have spent more time like this before your marriage. What a shame."

Irena sighed.

"Still, your face looks much better. I was worried when you married into Temneth. You were so pale on your wedding day, like you might collapse."

"It's a place where people live, after all."

Irena took a deep breath at Clodel's words and asked,

"Where are you taking me tomorrow?"

"There's a garden cafe. I think you'll like it. Lots of flowers, and tables set up to have tea."

At her words, Irena shot up like a spring.

"What? Let's go now!"

Seeing Irena's fatigue vanish in an instant, Clodel burst out laughing.

Early morning, Rowen Castle was enveloped in a serene atmosphere.

Mist floated over the lake in the rear garden, and the rising sunlight pierced through, creating a mystical scene.

Stepping on grass still heavy with dew, Valquiter muttered,

"This castle really suits me."

The Oberon Kingdom had begun in Rowen lands.

Through various historical events, the kingdom expanded to the central and northern continent, shifting the capital for strategic reasons.

Thus, Rowen Castle had once been the king's residence.

It was dignified and antique as such.

Not easy for a sturdy, massive structure to be elegant too, yet Rowen Castle's grandeur, refined even in details, always satisfied Valquiter.

"Prompt's probably fuming by now?"

Valquiter had sent a telegram saying they'd meet at the hunting grounds in two days, but he'd already arrived in Prompt by then.

Rowen Castle to Prompt was a day's ride.

He'd lured Kaiyan away and visited the unguarded castle to enjoy it fully.

Not as a guest in Kaiyan's lordly seat.

This castle should have been his own, Valquiter believed.

But Kaiyan's presence ruined that feeling, so he'd deliberately sent the telegram to draw him away.

"When will it become my castle?"

Lately, Rowen had become a real headache.

Valquiter loved Rowen.

Even toward Kaiyan, raised like a brother, he was ruthless, but Rowen territory was one of the few things he cherished.

Yet after sending Kaiyan to war, the entire House Temneth—with its many vassals and kin—was rebelling against him as king.

"No need to rush."

As he muttered to himself,

Splash.

A sound of water parting from the lake.

Splash splash.

Valquiter instinctively held his breath and approached the lake slowly.

Swimming in the lake was a massive red fish.

"Haha."

That's what it first looked like to him, but suddenly it surfaced.

A fairy.

No, a goddess.

Was there a legend of such a being in this lake?

Having spent much of his childhood in Rowen Castle, Valquiter doubted his eyes.

She lay on the water, then kicked below, captivating him for a long while.

Valquiter watched, not even breathing.

His heart pounded.

Something—感动 or exhilaration—wrung his superhuman chest.

He lost track of time.

The woman, who seemed to vanish if he made a sound, parted the water and approached the shore.

She was a living person.

Not a vanishing apparition.

In haste, Valquiter rushed to the lakeside, and the woman widened her eyes in surprise.

He plucked a few blooming purple scabiosa flowers and knelt, offering them to her.

"I am... Bark. May I ask your name?"

She smiled and replied,

"Queen."