Sister I am the Queen in This Life [Novel] Chapter 131

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: A Secret Meeting in the Daffodil Garden
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The Daffodil Garden was one of the easier gardens to navigate within the palace. The daffodils were all short, allowing a clear view of the entire garden's paths. Besides, Ariadne had lived in the Palazzo Carlo for nine years. She could find every shortcut in the palace with her eyes closed. She stepped into the nocturnal Daffodil Garden, where a rich fragrance hung in the air.

“Ari!”

Alfonso's voice greeted her warmly. Having keenly sensed her approach, he rushed from beneath a vine-covered arch in the center of the garden and extended a hand to her as she walked from the entrance.

“Did you have any trouble finding your way? I was getting worried you were taking so long.”

Ariadne stared blankly at Alfonso. The purplish sky, tinged with blue, was studded with jewel-like stars. Alfonso, in his pale blue court attire and with hair the color of molten gold, looked picturesque against the backdrop. Remembering how Alfonso's blue suit and Grand Duchess Lariesa's orange dress had graced the dance floor for two whole songs, Ariadne briefly considered swatting his hand away coldly. But she liked him too much for that. Though she didn't hide her pique, Ariadne eventually took his outstretched hand, albeit a moment too late.

“Idiot.”

Alfonso smiled, pulling her hand closer to press his lips to her fingertips.

“Take off your glove.”

“Why?”

“You danced with Count Cesare holding this hand, didn't you? Take it off. Now.”

Though he told her to take it off, he couldn't wait and pulled off her silk glove with his teeth before kissing her fingers.

“Mmm.”

The words of protest she had prepared became meaningless. *Alfonso must know I have a weakness for him,* Ariadne thought to herself. Alfonso's lips interrupted her train of thought. He trailed down to the base of her fingers, rubbing his lips against the soft webbing between them.

“Ah...!”

The sensation on the sensitive spot made Ariadne try to clench her fist.

“Shh, stay still.”

Alfonso advanced toward the center of her palm. His ticklish breath made Ariadne squirm.

“Hey, stop it.”

At her protest, Alfonso looked up at Ariadne's face. He was already holding her in a near embrace. Alfonso whispered in her ear.

“I thought I was going to lose my mind when you danced with that bastard Cesare.”

His eyes, half-crazed, met hers as he stared down at her intently. Ariadne immediately retorted.

“You were with Grand Duchess Lariesa...”

But Ariadne couldn't finish her sentence. Alfonso, who had paused for a moment, wasted no time in covering her lips with his.

“...Mph!”

It was an impetuous move. Alfonso clung to Ariadne fiercely, as if to make up for the torment he had endured all evening. His hot breath tickled her skin. In addition to the dense scent of daffodils filling the garden, a clean trace of sandalwood emanated from Alfonso. Ariadne, who had initially seemed to push him away, soon responded passionately to his kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as if hanging from him, and his hand slipped into the nape of her neck, pulling her closer. As Alfonso tightened his embrace, she pressed even closer against him, and he found himself losing his senses to the feel of her soft body against his chest.

“Hah...!”

His kiss deepened, growing more intense. Ariadne gasped for air, short of breath. Alfonso didn't let her go, pursuing her relentlessly. Ariadne's half-up hairstyle was becoming disheveled in his hands. Ariadne had a pleasant natural scent. Alfonso, who had little interest in perfumes, didn't know what scent it was, but he clearly remembered it as Ariadne's. He drank in everything related to her, down to the last drop, determined not to miss a thing.

“Ah...”

Ariadne struggled slightly in his arms. It seemed he was holding her so tightly it hurt. He, who had been holding her to the point of nearly breaking her, barely regained his composure and looked up at the sky.

*'O God in heaven, accept the burnt offering I present to you...'*

Unaware that Alfonso was silently reciting a prayer, Ariadne sweetly pulled her lips away and looked up at him with her starlit green eyes. He, too, gazed back at her with deep, somber eyes. The young lovers held each other in the daffodil-filled garden, their eyes locked. Alfonso nuzzled Ariadne's cheek with his nose. He suddenly spoke.

“I'm sorry. For not ending things with Lariesa sooner.”

Having missed her chance to scold him, Ariadne looked up at Alfonso. When he apologized first like this, there was nothing she could say.

“I told her clearly that I don't want to marry her.”

At that, Ariadne's eyes widened as she stared back at him.

“Are you okay? Did she get angry?”

She seemed to have quite a temper. Alfonso shook his head.

“No. She seemed shocked, but she didn't cry or scream.”

Ariadne breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't held high expectations for Grand Duchess Lariesa in the first place. Not throwing a fit or screaming on the spot was a success in itself.

“Why did you talk about it in the ballroom? You could have gotten into trouble.”

Ariadne couldn't help but offer a gentle rebuke, worried for Alfonso. She hated the thought of Alfonso being in danger more than death itself. Alfonso gently soothed her.

“I handled it well. I had to dance one more song to make sure it went smoothly.”

Alfonso rubbed his cheek against Ariadne's. Ariadne feigned a pout, giving Alfonso a sidelong glance as she pushed him away slightly. But she couldn't hide the crescent-moon smile forming around her eyes.

“You'll smudge my makeup.”

“So forgive me.”

He clung to her, acting cute.

“I went through so much trouble to talk her down so she wouldn't scream or cause a scene.”

This time, Ariadne couldn't hold back a small chuckle and stroked Alfonso's hair.

“Good boy. You worked hard, my little puppy.”

A wide smile spread across Alfonso's face. He had confirmed that her anger had subsided.

“But my little kitten, on the other hand... sneaking off to dance with another man while her master was away.”

Now that he'd confirmed she wasn't mad anymore, it was time to scold the naughty kitten. Alfonso ruffled Ariadne's hair as he questioned her.

“Why on earth did you dance with Count Cesare? Where was that fool Raphael, leaving you alone with him?”

“Ouch, ouch. Ow.”

Ariadne exaggeratedly complained about the pull on her disheveled hair. Alfonso stopped tormenting her, and Ariadne replied with a pout.

“The prince was dancing with his betrothed-to-be, so why can't I have one waltz with another man?”

Left speechless, Alfonso fiddled with the nape of her neck in silent protest. Blaming an innocent party was just a bonus.

“It's Raphael's fault.”

“He went to dance the second waltz with Giulia.”

“Sister or not, he should have stayed by your side!”

He had only asked Raphael to be her escort, not to 'guard my woman from any riffraff who might approach her,' but Alfonso got angry anyway. His Ariadne had danced with Cesare. Unable to get angry at her, Alfonso's only option was to vent his displaced frustration on poor Raphael. Whether she read his mood or simply wanted to tease him more, Ariadne continued the conversation.

“But the young Marquis Valdesal seems very frail. They say he's been sickly since childhood.”

“What? Him? Did he not mention he was training to be a knight?”

“He said he quit because he was too weak.”

Alfonso clicked his tongue, dumbfounded by his friend's pretense of weakness.

“Raphael is the finest swordsman in the kingdom. No one can match his fencing. He only quit because sunlight is bad for his eyes, so he couldn't train outdoors. How is he weak in any way?”

“How pitiful...”

Ariadne was sympathizing with Raphael, but not just because he was weak.

“To have talent and drive, but be forced to change your path because of an objective limitation...”

And Alfonso would not stand by and let his woman waste her sympathy on strange things.

“Are you going to keep talking about other men in front of me?”

“Alfonso, when you become king, you must create a world where everyone can let their talents bloom.”

Ariadne looked at Alfonso seriously.

“A society where anyone with ability—be they a commoner, an illegitimate child, or a woman—can enter the Curia Regis, and where the talented can inherit their family's legacy, regardless of status.”

She was speaking of a future vision, yet she was held in a tight embrace by the prince, who was leaning against an arch in the middle of the fragrant Daffodil Garden. Above the deeply cut neckline of her dark blue dress, Ariadne's pale neck, collarbones, and the curve of her chest rose and fell with her breath, an irresistible temptation right before Alfonso's eyes.

“It's not just good for the marginalized. Having your path determined for you as a high noble is bad for them, too. Raphael actually wants to be a theologian, but he has to inherit the family estate—”

Alfonso pulled Ariadne closer, adjusting his hold on her.

“...Mph!”

He didn't want to hear another man's name from Ariadne's pretty, rabbit-like lips. Without another word, he covered her mouth with his, silencing her. Ariadne tapped his chest a couple of times with her hand, but soon surrendered to the sweet invading army of his affection and lost herself in the luscious kiss. The young lovers shared a passionate kiss under the pale, shattering moonlight. His hair, like golden thread, shone in the white moonlight, while her jet-black hair and pale skin took on a serene glow in the same light. Alfonso in his sky-blue suit and Ariadne in her deep blue dress were a perfect, handsome couple.

“...!”

In the small garden filled with the scent of daffodils, a figure witnessed the young lovers' ardent kiss. She was of medium height, with plain brown hair and skin as pasty as flour. The dress she wore was a garish mix of bright crimson and canary yellow, but it clashed terribly with her bland appearance. The woman in the crimson dress, standing stiffly at the entrance to the garden, felt like an outsider who didn't belong.

*Prince Alfonso...! And that woman is...!*

The woman in the Daffodil Garden, Grand Duchess Lariesa, stared at the couple kissing madly, trying to identify the other woman. The black hair and blue dress shimmered in the darkness. After a long moment, the woman's profile was faintly illuminated by the moonlight.

*Cardinal de Mare's second daughter...! It was her after all...!*

The first emotion she felt upon witnessing the kiss between Prince Alfonso and Cardinal de Mare's second daughter was intense shame.

*The prince chose her over me because I'm ugly and plain.*

It didn't matter whether it was true or not. Lariesa truly believed it. The second emotion that filled her was burning jealousy.

*But what does she have that I don't? Is she some unparalleled beauty? Is her status higher? Who does she think she is, stealing my betrothed?*

This quickly turned to rage.

*She must have done something despicable! She seduced my man!*

Any animosity toward Prince Alfonso was subconsciously folded away and put aside. It was all that woman's fault. If only she were gone, the story could have been "the prince and the grand duchess lived happily ever after," but she had ruined everything. Lariesa possessed both surging anger and the self-assurance that she was in the right. But she couldn't bring herself to storm the scene screaming. She knew, however faintly. Today, she had heard a firm declaration of parting from Prince Alfonso. If she charged in now, she would just look like a jilted woman going crazy on a perfectly fine couple. The just cause she had—the accusation that Prince Alfonso had ruined international negotiations—would only work when other people were around. Even Lariesa, who wasn't one for deep thought, could clearly see what would happen if she confronted them now, with just the three of them present. Alfonso would treat her like a madwoman and protectively wrap his arms around his little vixen. The very thought made flames of fury blaze up in Lariesa's chest. She turned away from the Daffodil Garden and stomped furiously back toward the palace.