Sister I am the Queen in This Life [Novel] Chapter 145

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: What I Desire
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Ariadne maintained her composure, but her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. It seemed a sliver of hope had bloomed after Queen Marguerite had physically shielded the wardrobe where she and Alfonso were hiding.

“…I.”

At first, Ariadne had undeniably wanted the position of Crown Princess, and eventually, Queen. That golden crown, snatched away by Isabella right before her eyes. Alfonso had been nothing more than a tool to achieve that.

Then, at some point, Alfonso had seeped into her heart. His unwavering, gentle consideration. His kind blue eyes as they looked at her. His mild temperament, never once showing anger.

And then there was Queen Marguerite's benevolence. She had wanted to be acknowledged. *You are a child worthy of my son.* And she had wanted to give back as much as she had received. She wanted to become someone befitting Alfonso, befitting Queen Marguerite's son. Someone as admirable as they were.

Ariadne said.

“…I desire nothing.”

Was it a lie to say she desired nothing? She wanted the place by Alfonso's side. She wanted to stand next to him forever, to feel his warmth, his breath. But that didn't mean her words now were insincere.

“I am only trying to set things right.”

To save your life, and to protect Prince Alfonso's throne.

“I will not lie. If someone were to offer me the crown of a princess tomorrow, I would not refuse it. I do want it. But that is not my primary goal.”

Queen Marguerite looked down at Ariadne with an inscrutable expression. Ariadne felt a little disheartened but steadied herself. After all, who could possibly understand her true intentions just by hearing such vague words? The people of the world were not mind readers.

Queen Marguerite answered slowly.

“I will be watching you.”

To this, Ariadne replied without hesitation.

“Please do. You will not regret it.”

***

“What!”

Upon receiving the secret report from Count Levien, delivered by a member of the delegation, Grand Duke Eudes shot up from his seat.

“I sent her all that way to marry into a good family, and what? She causes this kind of trouble?!”

He read the report again and again, but unfortunately, the words written there were unmistakable.

- Grand Princess Lariesa commissioned Duke Mireille to kill Cardinal de Mare's second daughter.

- Duke Mireille died in the process.

- There is evidence that Grand Princess Lariesa hired Duke Mireille for the murder. It is a letter.

“Why did that crazy bastard do it with his own hands!”

Grand Duke Eudes was furious.

“No, it's better that he's dead. He must have been trying to frame my daughter. Now that he's dead, he can't open his mouth.”

He asked the delegate who had come as a messenger.

“You, do you know what happened to that letter?”

“Your Highness, my apologies, but I have no knowledge of what became of the letter. As for the situation before I departed, our side searched Duke Mireille's belongings thoroughly, but it did not turn up. It was not found on his body either.”

That was a relief. The day that damned letter appeared would be the day his daughter's life was over.

“This information surely hasn't been reported to Montpellier Palace, has it?”

If Leo III were to discover that letter, Grand Duke Eudes and the Kingdom of Gallico would have no grounds to object, even if he threw Lariesa in an Etruscan royal prison.

And if Philippe IV were to learn of the letter's existence, there was no telling what he might do to fend off Leo III's offensive.

Philippe IV was the type of man who would rather send someone to assassinate Lariesa beforehand and blame the Kingdom of Etruscan than endure the diplomatic disadvantage of her letter being made public.

“Count Levien has handled the matter very well. Fortunately, there has been no sign that Duke Mireille's people know about the letter, and he is keeping them under close watch to prevent them from contacting Montpellier.”

Just then, the Grand Duke's secretary appeared and handed him a thick bundle of parchment.

“Your Highness! There is a document you must see. It is a personal letter sent in secret from the Kingdom of Etruscan.”

Grand Duke Eudes frowned as he picked up the bundle of letters.

“Is it from His Majesty Leo III?”

It seemed unlikely that Leo III would bother writing to him, but if there was any letter he might receive from Etruscan, it would be from the king.

“No, Your Highness. It is from your sixth cousin, Her Majesty Queen Marguerite.”

With a look full of suspicion, Grand Duke Eudes tore open Queen Marguerite's letter. They were not the kind of sixth cousins who corresponded regularly.

And after reading the entire letter, the Grand Duke cried out in shock.

“What is the latest news from Etruscan!”

“It has not been confirmed, but according to intelligence from the church, there are rumors that the Kingdom of Etruscan plans to launch a fierce attack, blaming the Kingdom of Gallico for Duke Mireille's death.”

Grand Duke Eudes glanced down again at the parchment in his hand.

“Gallico's fault? What fault!”

“The exact details are still unclear…”

He began to fret, wondering if his daughter's crime had already been exposed.

“When was this letter written? Could Queen Marguerite have lost her patience and already told Leo III about the letter's existence?!”

The fault that the Archbishop of Montpellier's side believed Gallico to be responsible for was 'Duke Mireille's unauthorized espionage activities within a foreign royal palace,' but that mattered little to Grand Duke Eudes at the moment. Grand Duke Eudes shot up from his seat.

“This is no time to be sitting around. I must see His Majesty Philippe IV at once!”

“I will have the carriage brought around, Your Highness.”

“We must bring Lariesa back immediately.”

She may have caused trouble, but she was his own flesh and blood.

“Her reputation might take a hit for going all the way down there only to return without getting married, but that's a hundred times better than being locked up in a foreign prison.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

A servant rushed in and announced.

“The carriage is ready.”

“Let's go!”

***

Grand Princess Lariesa had been cooped up in her chambers lately, not budging an inch. She barely ate and couldn't sleep at all.

*What if the whole world finds out Duke Mireille died because of me…!*

With a deathly pale face, she entertained hellish fantasies, remaining in bed long past noon.

“Grand Princess Lariesa.”

A voice came from outside the room. It was Count Levien. Lariesa did not answer.

As if this was a common occurrence, Count Levien didn't bat an eye and continued with what he had to say.

“A directive has come from our homeland.”

Lariesa's eyes widened. *It's finally happened.* *Indeed, what decision did Father and His Majesty Philippe IV make? Have they abandoned me…?*

“The order is to return.”

Lariesa trembled beneath the bedsheets. For the first time in ten days, she spoke to Count Levien. Her voice was a ragged mess.

“…What does that mean?”

“It is a royal command from His Majesty Philippe IV to temporarily suspend the marriage negotiations and return to our homeland for the time being.”

Lariesa couldn't bear it any longer and threw off the covers, leaping out of bed. She flung the door open, revealing dark circles under her eyes and a terribly gaunt frame.

“I can understand words! So what does that mean! Does it mean… I can't marry Prince Alfonso?!”

Count Levien replied curtly. Ever since the Grand Princess had caused this major incident, Count Levien no longer bothered to humor her.

“It is merely a temporary suspension. Our homeland has not declared the negotiations a failure.”

Lariesa wailed at Count Levien's response.

“That's the same thing! You're telling me to come all this way to a foreign land, live in someone else's palace for nearly half a year, and then return to Gallico empty-handed?! I can't! I'd rather die!”

“It is the King's command.”

Count Levien barely suppressed the urge to snap at her, *Consider yourself lucky, you foolish princess.*

Lariesa's father, Grand Duke Eudes, had made many political sacrifices to bring her back home.

Philippe IV had dragged his feet even after receiving intelligence that the Kingdom of Etruscan would blame Gallico for Duke Mireille's death. It was unlike his usual self, who was keenly sensitive to political gains and losses.

Grand Duke Eudes had shed his title as 'the noble house most loyal to the crown' and frothed at the mouth, insisting that for the honor of Gallico—in truth, to save his daughter's life—the negotiations must not proceed under any circumstances.

Philippe IV, for whom the cooperation of Grand Duke Eudes de Valois was indispensable in various domestic affairs, had no choice but to take a step back, declare a temporary suspension of negotiations, and recall the delegation.

*It was a great loss, even from His Majesty Philippe IV's perspective.*

With Duke Mireille dead, Philippe IV could not let the delegation return empty-handed. He insisted to the Etruscan Kingdom that regardless of the circumstances, Gallico must take custody of the one who had taken Duke Mireille's life. It was a battle of pride.

After lengthy discussions, the Kingdom of Etruscan conceded a step and agreed to hand over Sir Elko, the man believed to have killed Duke Mireille, to Gallico. He was scheduled to be taken to Gallico with the Gallican delegation.

If Duke Mireille had committed a crime, there would have been no justification for taking Sir Elko, and since it was something they absolutely had to secure to save the face of a newly crowned king, Gallico was inevitably in a disadvantageous position in the negotiations.

In exchange, the Kingdom of Gallico agreed to reduce the tax rate on border trade from the existing 80% to 65%. It was a significant expense.

*This time, Grand Duke Eudes got his way. But His Majesty the King will surely take his revenge on the Grand Duke one day.*

Count Levien looked down with cold eyes at the doughy-looking princess who had placed such a heavy burden on his lord. Feeling the contempt in her subordinate's gaze, Lariesa shuddered involuntarily.

“We depart first thing tomorrow. Have your maids pack your belongings.”

“…First thing tomorrow?”

“I would like to leave today, but given the size of our party and your presence, I have scheduled it for tomorrow morning. We have no time to delay. We must cross the border as quickly as possible.”

Lariesa wanted to plead with Levien further, but sensing it was useless, she dropped her head limply.

“…I understand.”

Count Levien merely gave a nod and left the room.

Grand Princess Lariesa collapsed onto the floor, staring blankly into space for a moment.

Sister Suzanne's death. The opportunity that fell into my lap. The golden prince. I ruined it all. With my own two hands.

“No!”

Grand Princess Lariesa suddenly screamed, tearing at her hair with both hands. She could sense the maids waiting outside whispering, but Lariesa was too fixated on one thing to care.

“It can't be! It can't be!”

*I will meet the golden prince himself and hear what he has to say. Perhaps he'll tell me? That he doesn't actually hate me that much, that he felt sorry after saying such harsh words. That he was just toying with the Cardinal's bastard and will truly welcome a bride of noble birth like myself.*

“Maid! Maid!”

Summoning her dressing maids, Lariesa commanded harshly.

“Bring me my dress at once.”

Fearing what might happen to them, the maids bowed their heads and quickly presented Lariesa with three dresses to choose from. Lariesa, picking the most splendid one, wiped her tear-stained eyes and selected everything from cosmetics to jewelry.

“I'm going to see the prince.”