After stopping the Melphius invasion, I was busy with paperwork for a few days.
During which, I was finally able to finish all the procedures to bring my servants from Spinel to Aktoum.
In the meantime, my body had fully recovered.
The doctor told the still-worried Rixus,
“Her Majesty is in good health now. You can have your first night right now.”
That shocked me.
This crazy country even had crazy doctors…… I was still embarrassed because I had a strong ‘scholar’s sensibility’.
Like that, today…
“Your Majesty the Queen!”
Passing through Breathbridge, my officials officially entered.
In the distance, my bookkeeper, Duke Orléans, was smiling brightly.
I could not express how glad I was to see that familiar face in the land of Aktoum.
“Duke Orléans, you’ve worked hard to come a long way.”
“No.”
Duke Orléans bowed his head and politely greeted me.
“I am truly delighted to be able to serve Your Majesty up close again.”
For some reason, the tip of my nose was getting choked up.
“…Yes, you’ve worked so hard all this time.”
I came to this country after establishing a system that would take care of the state affairs of Spinel in Aktoum.
Still, it would have been difficult without Duke Orléans, who was strong enough to hold on to Spinel.
He also worked very hard to prepare the materials that would persuade Johann.
That wasn’t all. I wrote to Duke Orléans before the wedding, and I had laid out a plan and entrusted him with a difficult task.
Duke Orléans knew in advance what was going to happen at the wedding.
It was him who persuaded the nobles of Spinel who were furious and confused about their fallen queen in a distant country.
‘It wouldn’t have been easy.’
Of course, Spinel was a powerful centralized state, and my name was absolute.
In any case, the message that they should not carry swords, shields, or anything else ‘at will’ towards Aktoum without my command would have had a powerful effect.
But in the country where the monarch was absent, great credit goes to Duke Orléans, that the order was kept.
Of course, the other officials were also wonderful.
“Duke of Mephisto, it must not have been easy to leave your territory and come to this country.”
Duke Mephisto bowed down with his characteristic blunt face.
“It is my duty to follow Your Majesty’s path. It is not difficult at all.”
“…Thank you.”
As if I had gained a thousand horses, my shoulders lifted.
It felt like returning to my hometown as I greeted other familiar faces.
Duke Orléans looked at the scene with a smile and said,
“Your Majesty, your atmosphere seems to have softened a lot.”
“…Yes? I don’t know.”
I got a little embarrassed and touched my face.
There were certainly a lot of smiles after coming to Aktoum.
I felt different when I saw the people of Aktoum, who were like small animals full of laughter, compared to when I saw my servants with cold, expressionless faces.
I must have been like that, no, I was colder and scarier than the people of Spinel.
Perhaps I was the most.
But I loved them because I knew the warmth, loyalty and sincerity in those stiff expressions.
When I saw all my people, I thought it was a good thing to come here. I came to Aktoum and kept the peace between the two countries… It was a good choice.
I was curious again and asked.
“Are there still no nobles in Spinel who are against this marriage?”
Of course, there was no one there when I was there. It was decided by a monarch with strong royal power.
Duke Orléans replied with a smile.
“Would you dare play with their mouths?”
“….…”
“Your Majesty’s will is the will of Spinel.”
“…I’m glad I came to Aktoum first.”
I had all these situations in mind at first, but when I actually experienced it in person, I realized it even more.
If Rixus had come to Spinel alone first, it would have taken much longer to convince the strict nobles of Aktoum.
Would we even have the wedding by now?
“It was a wise choice, Your Majesty.”
“Let’s go.”
At my command, the carriage, decorated in the red and white colors of Spinel, began to move in line.
The nobles of Aktoum came out like a cloud to welcome them.
Some of them looked very nervous.
There was a mixture of hospitality and coldness, thankfully the nobles of Spinel remained calm.
‘I’m glad you came on time.’
It was not intentional, but it was good timing for Spinel’s servants to come ‘today’.
I needed a lot of strength today.
Today would be…
‘The Lunar Eclipse of the Red Moon.’
……It was the day the blue roses bloom.
* * *
‘I’m not as nervous as I thought.’
That evening.
I was looking out the window in the dark.
On this day, my limbs would be numb and I would be sick since the morning, but this time round, I was strangely fine.
If it was normal, it would rain from near midnight, then a big red moon would rise, and a lunar eclipse would begin.
‘But the sky is still fine.’
There were quite a few clouds, but that was good.
Even the moon was beautiful. Surprisingly, I was indifferent upon seeing the scene.
I didn’t feel anything as if I had been given an anesthetic. I wasn’t even nervous.
It was when I was looking at the sky with a blank expression.
“Your Majesty, may I come in…?”
“Come in.”
The chicks came in with something in their arms.
It was a light dress. The neckline was elegantly and neatly embroidered with diamonds.
The maids asked if they could dress me up. I was sure there was a place they were taking me to.
But they said the place was a ‘secret’.
I was curious so I accepted the grooming, and it seemed we were going to a small courtyard in the Imperial Palace.
They said that they must cover my eyes in the middle. I stayed still to match the excitement.
But when I closed my eyes, my heart pounded despite there being no real reason.
‘Where are they taking me?’
I wore a white dress and even a wreath adorned with flowers, and, with the help of the maids, I fumbled forward.
“We’re not there yet?”
“….…”
At the same time as my question, the movement stopped.
Then, I heard the sound of stealthy footsteps, and before I knew it, the sound disappeared.
‘Huh? Where are you guys going?’
‘Leaving me alone…’
My heart beat faster with anxiety. I felt like a lost child in an unfamiliar space.
It was then.
Slip—
The cloth that covered my eyes was peeled off from behind me.
As I slowly opened my closed eyes, a friendly man’s smile appeared in front of me.