Chapter 5: 1.4

“Beatrice-sama, Beatrice-sama!”

Someone was calling her name from a distance.

Beatrice opened her eyes sluggishly. It was the usual ceiling. The pale beige shadow of her canopied bed.

The voice that sounded familiar probably belonged to her valet. As expected, a valet of the opposite sex couldn’t come into her bedroom. The best he could do was to call out her name at the door.

“What’s the matter? Garrett seems to be in a panic.”

When she asked an attending maid, she answered nonchalantly.

“It seems that Samuel-sama is next.”

“I see. They never get tired of sending messengers, huh. Well, keep them waiting as usual. I also have my own circumstances. I have to change my clothes, eat, and…oh yes, I have to go check on the shipyard. I’m sorry, but I have to go on an outing today.”

As soon as they heard Beatrice’s plans, the maids began to move quickly. A dress for going out, a thick cloak and boots that wouldn’t slip on snowy roads. If she was going to visit the shipyard, where a group of craftsmen was recently recruited, Beatrice must bring gifts to encourage them. When the bell to the kitchen was rung four times, that meant the queen wanted an assortment of sweets. The bell rang shrilly, and a basin of rose water was presented to Beatrice.

“Beatrice-sama, it isn’t a messenger. It is Samuel-sama himself who is here.”

Garrett’s voice sounded from the other side of the door.

Beatrice, who almost choked as she washed her face in the basin, looked up.

The maids rushed to wipe away the dripping water.

“What did you say?”

“There was no letter beforehand. Please come as soon as you can. I am hated by Samuel-sama even at the best of times. There is no time to spare.”

“My Garrett is being unusually skittish.”

“Please stop calling me ‘My Garrett.’ That’s the line that angers him the most.”

When she finished getting ready and allowed Garrett to enter, he was quite fed up. His cravat was crooked and his hair was somewhat tousled.

“I’ll fix you up.”

Beatrice instructed, and the maids sat him down in a chair. In no time at all, he was a gentleman again. Garrett looked blatantly disgusted as his hair was smothered in rose-scented cream.

“I don’t like this kind of thing, it’s too girly.”

“Of course you’re going to be girly when you’re being taken care of in a woman’s room. Where did this happen and with whom?”

“Please don’t say things that can be misunderstood. It’s Samuel-sama’s dog. A large…”

“Oh, Ann. She’s big, isn’t she? She’s adorable, I love her. So he brought her all the way here.”

Beatrice gave Samuel a large dog covered in white fur for his birthday. It was a gift from her so that Samuel wouldn’t be lonely when she left for the Ruined Tower.

“Your jacket is covered in fur, Garrett.”

Beatrice herself picked up a brush and teasingly patted his shoulder. Sighing in annoyance, Garrett took the brush from her and took off his jacket.

“He thinks I’m taking you away from him.”

“That boy will always act like a child. Forgive him.”

Garrett raised an eyebrow.

He wanted to tell her that she was being naive. Samuel was already sixteen years old. The days when he was a small child were already long gone.

“Sister!!”

They heard the sound of a dog barking along with the sounds of someone running up the spiral staircase. Garrett told him to wait, but he didn’t. He got his way using his lovely face.

“Samuel, didn’t Garrett tell you to wait?”

“But…I’ve been forced to wait in the same place for a long time. I got bored.”

It was probably appropriate to describe him as a beautiful boy with a bewitching fairy-like quality.

His golden hair, almost to his collarbone, was tied with a green ribbon. His soft cream-colored tie was fastened with a large peridot brooch. Even his cufflinks were made of the same stone, adding to his gorgeous dress.

At first glance, he looked like a girl with his slender body, but he was a genuine prince of this country.

Samuel Bertram Hierbas. Currently, he was in charge of managing the educational institutions and self-reliant institutions for workers in Hierbas. He had a fondness for agronomy and botany, and scholars flocked to him. When he came of age, he would be given the right to rule the western region and would have the state seal. He still looked unreliable, but in two years he would become a king.

“I feel inferior in the palace without you there, Sister.”

“You’re lying too much. The ministers have been telling me a lot about you. They say you and Brother seem to be on bad terms.”

Samuel answered petulantly.

“That’s probably what Brother’s ministers reported to you. I want to tell you the truth from my own mouth.”

“If you had written to me in advance, I would have been able to make more time for you. It’s still early in the morning. I haven’t even had breakfast yet. You’ve ruined all my plans for the day, you know.”

The tour of the shipyard. The blueprint of the ship she was shown before. She wondered how far they had gotten with that… It was one of Beatrice’s recent interests.

Unaware of his sister’s feelings, Samuel broke into a broad smile.

“Good. Then we can have a leisurely breakfast together. I’ve brought lots of grape bread and cupcakes. And I have some rare tea leaves Camilla gave me. There must be a lot of women here, right? I think they’ll like the tea and sweets.”

Samuel’s eyes narrowed as he said that without any malice. They were a strange speckled green, like moss. He would always stare intently at Beatrice, whether or not he knew that she loved those eyes or not.

“I’ve been lonely ever since you left, Sister. Camilla only comes back once in a while after she got married, and Brother Albert is the same as ever. And, there are things I need to talk to you about——”

Ann pulled her large body closer to Beatrice. Stroking her chin and ruffling her fur, Beatrice replied, “Alright.”

“Let’s eat. I want to hear what you want to talk to me about in detail.”

Samuel shot a glare at Garrett, who was standing next to Beatrice.

His gaze said, You’re still here?

“Breakfast is just with me and you, of course.”

“Unfortunately, the Ruined Tower doesn’t have as many rooms as the palace. Meals will be eaten in large groups as much as possible. Now that you’re here, you’ll have to follow the rules.”

“Eeehhh?”

Samuel protested. “You’re the one who came here without warning,” she told him, and he pouted.

“How many people came? Don’t tell me it’s only you and Ann.”

“I came here secretly today. I have several guards, and…someone I’d like to introduce you to. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

It seemed like it was going to be a long day. Beatrice summoned Garrett and told him to show the guests to their seats first.

“Sorry, Ann, but you have to stay here. Wait for me, okay?”

She sniffed and obediently laid down at the maids’ feet.

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As they descended the spiral staircase, Samuel asked her a question in frustration.

“Sister, how long are you going to keep that Garrett guy around?”

“Hmm. I haven’t decided on a term yet.”

“You’re not taking him to the palace, are you?”

“Why not? I don’t spend much time at the palace in the first place, and it would be difficult to spend time there without a familiar valet by my side.”

I think…Garrett would hate it, though.

For some reason, Beatrice had never doubted that her beautiful black bird would always be by her side. That was because, despite his complaints, Garrett always stood next to her.

Perhaps she should ask him his true intentions next time.

It would be pitiful if he was following the queen and not doing what he wanted to do because of an old debt of gratitude.

“Sister, are you listening to me?”

“Of course.”

“Why not just have a lady-in-waiting? Also, a queen’s valet…are you planning to make him your Scepter?”

“Scepter, huh.”

Beatrice replied vaguely. The Scepter, the king’s close aide, held a dukedom in Hierbas and a correspondingly large fortune. It was an important role that even allowed them to stamp the state seal on the king’s behalf, if the king allows it.

There were many craftsmen and merchants around Beatrice, but she had almost no allies from the aristocracy. Of course, if she needed advice on political matters, she could get it from anyone across the factions, but there was no one she could confide in about her personal affairs. That was because she distanced herself from high society.

Albert and Samuel. This was the only way she could make sure she wasn’t swallowed up by either faction.

If she had to choose one person right now, it would be Garrett, but he was the son of poor commoners. Furthermore, he had no relatives and had no one but Beatrice to back him.

There was no rule that a Scepter must be of noble birth, but there was no precedent. She didn’t think the person himself wanted it either.

(When a queen has a Scepter, the Scepter is acknowledged as her prince consort in effect…)

At their coronation, the king was given their crown and scepter, which were then entrusted to their most trusted subordinate. With the creation of a king, there would be one more duchy added.

She would never forget her own coronation. At that time——

“Your coronation, where you strode away while clutching your scepter to your chest at the end, is still talked about at court, you know.”

“Well, Samuel, I’m sorry I caused you so much embarrassment.”

She didn’t feel the least bit sorry, but she apologized.

Beatrice hadn’t chosen a Scepter.

The aristocracy in this country was divided into two factions: the older brother faction and the younger brother faction. They didn’t believe Beatrice would get Rilbek. There was no doubt in their minds that either the older or younger brother would get that important northern region.

(Even after I am crowned, Rilbek might be too much for me and I might pass it on to one of my brothers. In the long run, it’s better to side with the men than to side with me. I’m sure they’re all thinking the same thing.)

There was a thick-skinned person who earnestly requested to be appointed as Beatrice’s Scepter, but she turned them down as they were extremely unlikely to be of any use to her.

In the first place, Beatrice’s goal was to be the “middle child who accomplishes nothing.” It would be hard to handle a Scepter who was an ambitious noble.

“Garrett and the maids are all I need to do my job in the Ruined Tower.”

“Even so. You can’t be alone all the time either.”

A guard opened the door to a room that had been converted into a reception hall. The kitchen staff was just beginning to lay out the breakfast that seemed to have been prepared in a panic.

Cream of cabbage soup, a basket full of sesame bread and fluffy white bread, ham, cheese, and potato salad. They were Beatrice’s favorites, they were mild-flavored and there wasn’t a big variety of food. If it were Albert, he would complain about the lack of meat, but since she and Samuel had similar tastes in food, she didn’t think he would complain.

“Oh, nothing with berries. This child can’t eat them.”

The baked goods with berries were removed, and chocolate was served instead.

“Do you want to try my ice cream machine later?”

“Don’t dodge the question, Sister. Here, this is the man I want to introduce you to. Luke Berni. You probably remember our tutor, Countess Berni. He is her eldest son and has just returned from an extended study abroad program.”

“Oh yes, we met at my coronation. He took the trouble of returning here temporarily.”

Luke was an agreeable young man with drooping eyes and a gentle face. He had fluffy silver hair and, strangely enough, looked a little like Ann. There was an imbalance between his tall, masculine body and innocent face, but that imbalance was beautiful. His voice was low and clear, defying expectations even more.

Androgynous, gentle, and with a hint of sex appeal. He was typical of the type of men women liked.

“It has been a while, Your Majesty.”

“But Sister only said a few words to you at her coronation.”

“That’s true. It’s because we were fortunate enough to have many visitors.”

“As for Luke, I’m planning on making him my Scepter when I’m crowned. He’s fluent in foreign languages, he’s quite a fighter even though he may not look it, and I’d feel safe having him by my side.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. I look forward to leaving my younger brother in your care.”

Beatrice urged everyone to take their seats and had them start eating. Samuel was a bit taken aback and sat down meekly, but after a while opened his mouth again.

“Sister, what do you think of my plan to make Luke my Scepter?”

“I think it’s good, since it’s what you decided. You should ask Brother rather than me.”

The Berni family was the leading clan of the Samuel faction. His choice wasn’t surprising. Luke had been by her younger brother’s side for a long time, as his playmate since he was young.

Even though he studied abroad, he must have spent more time with Samuel than her, Samuel’s own sister.

“I have a lot of people around me other than Luke who I can count on. If you wish, Sister…I’m willing to give my Luke to you as your Scepter.”

Beatrice put down her fork.

The air instantly turned tense.

“Samuel. How rude. Luke-san looks up to you and serves you. And yet you’re treating him like an object.”

“It’s all right, Your Majesty. I would be honored if both of you could rely on me. I was surprised when His Highness Samuel told me about it earlier, but now I am more determined——”

Beatrice smiled.

“Luke-san, I will continue to rely on you in the future. As you can see, Samuel can say some extraordinary things sometimes. But he is really a good boy at heart and will always be an adorable angel to me. Please protect him well.”

She could see from the window glass that Garrett, standing behind her, was trying hard not to change his expression. I don’t want your Scepter recommendation, so get out of here. They seemed to understand Beatrice’s true meaning, and the topic of conversation was then quickly shifted to Luke’s experience studying abroad.

Samuel glared strongly at Garrett.

——I do feel sorry for you, Garrett.

While pitying him in her heart, Beatrice continued eating with a nonchalant face.

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