episode_0029

I entrusted the princess to Ellie and made my way to the “room” where Bangsyo was said to be.

Upon arriving at the door of the room, a contrasting sight greeted me. Unlike its usual state of being tightly shut with no one around, the large double doors stood wide open, and the corridor bustled with knights who had come to survey the room.

In the midst of it all, Bangsyo, her face buried in her hands as if unable to believe the situation, was quietly sobbing. After taking a deep breath, I approached her and quietly surveyed the room.

…It was no different from the last time.

The room was filled with paintings of the king, and on the bed lay the contorted body of the deceased king. The only difference from before was the discovery of the body of the first queen, collapsed on the floor.

The knights seeing the room for the first time could not help but frown at its macabre nature. The painting of Aurora, the first queen, which stretched up to the ceiling. The body of Aurora, who should have been in the tomb. And two bodies so contorted as to seem devoid of blood. Even the doctors who had come to investigate the king’s death could only shake their heads as they looked at the king’s body in the room.

“The cause of His Majesty’s death is…”

The doctors, who had been examining the king’s body, could only come to one conclusion. The reason the king died was simply due to “weakness.” He succumbed to lovesickness for the first queen.

Although they couldn’t understand why the body of the first queen was there, judging by the number of paintings of the first queen piled up in the room and those hung in the palace, the doctors could only draw this conclusion.

After briefly surveying the room, I let out a heavy sigh and tapped Bangsyo’s shoulder, who was standing beside me, with a weary expression. Distracted, she looked at me with tired eyes as if just realizing my presence.

“Your Highness, the queen…”

“…Are you alright?”

“The queen’s chamber has remained closed for three days, and we forced it open to ensure Her Highness’s well-being, but in the end, Her Highness…”

I could only nod my head without saying a word.

What kind of reaction should I show here? Should I be surprised or saddened, unlike Vivian, who loved the king? Or should I become jealous and angry, questioning why the first queen is here? …It was awkward to try to portray emotions I couldn’t understand. Without saying or doing anything, I simply gazed around the room with a bitter expression.

As I continued to silently gaze around the room, Bangso began to comfort me instead. Sniffling, wiping away tears, Bangso offered me a new handkerchief.

“Your Majesty… Are you alright?”

“…I am fine, please wipe your tears. And…”

Perhaps Bangso knew as well. As she looked at the decaying food at the door, she must have anticipated this situation to some extent. I sighed softly and looked around the room with distant eyes.

“You also must have already suspected that someday such a day would come.”

“T-That’s… ”

Unable to deny my words, Bangso trembled, trying to find some excuse with quivering lips, but ultimately couldn’t say anything. I patted Bangso’s shoulder and then commanded the knights and physicians in the room.

“…Thoroughly investigate His Majesty’s death, prepare the body meticulously, and promptly inform Her Majesty the Queen and the council of elders. Also, issue a strict order regarding the First Queen. For now, do not speak of this to anyone except Her Majesty the Queen.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

With my command, everyone began to move busily.

For a whole day, the kingdom’s own physicians confirmed the king’s body, ultimately concluding his death as a mere “natural passing.”

The day after the king’s death was confirmed, the flag at the highest tower of the palace was lowered and a black flag was raised to announce the king’s passing.

As the flag was raised on the tower, knights rode out of the palace gates with black flags and national flags on their backs, galloping to inform the nobles in the provinces of the king’s death.

So, amidst a solemn atmosphere, the king’s funeral began.

The king’s funeral lasted for ten days under the leadership of the queen and the temple. Originally, royal funerals typically took a long time, ranging from a short period to as long as a year. When the queen proposed a ten-day funeral, the nobles opposed, considering it too short for a royal funeral. However, the queen drew a line, saying, “I have considered His Majesty as good as dead since he fell ill two years ago. It has already been two years, so ten days should be sufficient for the funeral.”

In letters sent to local nobles, she advised them to mourn there and not necessarily come to the capital. Nevertheless, some nobles from the provinces still made the journey, riding day and night for three days.

As a queen, I had many duties during the funeral. Essentially, I had to participate in all the funeral procedures, such as cleansing the king’s body and spending the whole day in prayer. I also had to manage a busy schedule, greeting the nobles who attended the funeral, despite their disapproving looks, which made it even more challenging.

Amidst this chaotic time, the final day of the funeral arrived. The last procedure took place in a grand temple larger than the one at Vivian’s funeral, where everyone gathered in simple attire to mourn the king’s death. I, too, dressed modestly, holding the princess’s hand as I attended the funeral.

…Throughout the past ten days, the princess never shed a single tear.

She did not shed a tear at her parents’ deaths. When she was informed of the king’s death, she simply seemed to be engulfed in shock. She said nothing, just gazing with sad eyes.

It was pitiful. To be unable to grieve for her parents’ deaths, as if she had resigned herself to everything. It seemed as if the child who had strived until the end to receive her parents’ love had given up on everything.

“Princess, let’s go to bid our final farewell.”

The final procedure of the funeral began.

Placing flowers in the room where the king lay and bidding a final farewell. I handed a single white lily to the princess. Upon receiving it, she gazed blankly at the white lily in her hand.

Together, the princess and I walked towards the king’s chamber, drawing numerous glances as we proceeded. Despite the attention, I deliberately ignored their stares and took the princess’s hand, leading her forward.

Upon reaching the chamber, the veiled face of the king lay before us. Gently placing the flower on the king’s hand, I silently offered a brief prayer.

The princess hesitated for a moment, then placed the white lily on the king’s chest. As we waited for the conclusion of her prayer, tears began to trickle down her large eyes.

Grasping my hand, the princess looked up at me with tears streaming down her face. Then, as if in disbelief, she asked me, “Why… why won’t he rise like the queen… I thought if I presented the flower, he would rise like the queen… but he won’t rise…”

Ah.

Seeing the princess’s expression, I involuntarily gritted my teeth. I felt like I understood the reason why the princess hadn’t cried until now. She hadn’t resigned herself. It seemed she harbored a faint hope, as tiny as a speck of dust, that just as I had opened my eyes at the funeral parlor, the king might open his eyes during the funeral.

However, that did not happen. Even after the princess placed the flower, the king did not rise.

As the very last, solitary strand of hope crumbled, all that remained for the princess was a desolate heart. Ultimately, as the princess’s steadfast heart crumbled, her legs gave way beneath her.

Grasping my hand, the princess who had been standing collapsed to her knees and sat down in front of the king lying in state. Wiping away the torrent of tears with the back of her hand, the princess wailed in front of the king’s bier, calling out, “Dad, dad,” mourning the loss of her parents. I lifted the princess from the floor and held her in my arms, continuously, endlessly wiping her back.

I.

For the princess who couldn’t even breathe properly due to crying, all I could do was hold her in my arms and wipe her back.

Even though I’ve never shown any love to the princess.

It seemed like I was the only parent in the world to the princess.

As I looked at the princess crying in my arms, it felt like the first time I had such thoughts since coming here.

I thought that I should stay by this child’s side.

I wanted to be someone this child could rely on.

For the first time, I thought this way.

II.

As the ten-day funeral came to an end, before taking off my mourning clothes, I headed straight to the grand hall of the palace at the queen dowager’s summons. Not just me, but all the nobles of the kingdom, including Bangso, were summoned.

Normally, it wasn’t easy to gather the nobles in one place.

It was only because the king’s funeral became a national emergency that they could barely gather in one place. Not missing the opportunity, the queen dowager convened a meeting of the nobles before they left the palace.

…I had a rough idea of what kind of meeting it would be.

A meeting to fill the vacant throne.

The queen dowager is probably trying to run the government through regency for the young princess. Frankly, there was no other way. Even if the queen dowager is getting old, it’s not like I can take over.

From the start, I didn’t have confidence to manage the state affairs. And I am not even a ‘Sung’ of the royal family. So, it was clear that there wouldn’t be talk of me managing state affairs.

‘Looking back now, it might be fortunate that Vivian didn’t have a child with the king… No, maybe not…’

…In fact, the most important thing in this meeting was not the regency of the queen dowager, but rather the issue concerning me.

At least while the king was alive, even a king confined to a corner like him could support me.

Well, if the king was alive, there was a chance that someday I could receive the king’s seed and give birth to the ‘little sun’ of this country. Even if the king was a cornered idler, that opportunity existed as long as he was alive.

However, the king had died, and for two years, the second queen had not even participated in royal events or ceremonies.

To the royal family, it seemed as if I had completely lost any reason to be there.

It was strange that during this meeting, there was no mention of expelling the second queen, who had not received the king’s favor. Frustrated, I untied the ribbon holding my disheveled hair and arrived at the conference room. Just as I was about to take a deep breath and enter, the court attendant, standing at the door, immediately announced my arrival to the assembly with a loud voice.

“Second Queen! Her Majesty Vivian Lirienne Sol is entering!”

No! As soon as the shout ended, the large doors began to creak open, revealing an unbelievably massive round table. Seated at the center of the table was the queen dowager dressed in black ceremonial attire, surrounded by nobles who looked like elderly raccoons in their ceremonial garb, all of whom held ministerial positions within the kingdom—administrators of the palace, finance, foreign affairs, domestic affairs, and so on. They all glanced at me as I entered the conference room.

Opposite the queen dowager, there was my designated seat. Uncomfortable with the seating arrangement, I involuntarily swallowed dry saliva.

Glancing around the conference room, I realized I was the last to arrive; everyone else was already seated. What? I’m sure I arrived 30 minutes earlier than the announced meeting time!

I bowed my head slightly and offered an apology. “My apologies for being late, Your Majesty.”

“No, you’ve come on time. Please, take your seat quickly.”

…What?

Following the queen dowager’s gesture, I quickly took my seat. The pressure from the nobles’ gazes was overwhelming. Fortunately, when the queen dowager raised her hand, their attention swiftly shifted to her.

“Well then, now that everyone is here, let’s begin the meeting.”