episode_0032

[Episode 32] – Promise with the Queen Mother

“Have a drink with your daughter-in-law, Your Highness.”

“…Are you crazy?”

When I asked her to have a drink with me, the queen frowned and turned her head and waved her hand as if to tell me to go away. I tried to ignore that behavior and took a seat next to the Queen Mother.

Ignoring the Queen Mother who was looking at me as she finished using the Omansang, I sat down and poured the wine that the Queen Queen particularly liked into an empty glass and handed it to the Queen.

The Queen Mother looked at the wine label, clicked her tongue, and took the glass I gave her and drank. Looking at that, I filled my glass with wine and took a sip.

As the bitter, cold liquid flowed down my throat, I frowned without realizing it. This wine… why do I use it? Not only was it tasteless, but it was extremely bitter.

“Isn’t it delicious?”

“…Honestly, I don’t think it’s my taste.”

“What kind of guy doesn’t even know the taste of alcohol…”

Perhaps dissatisfied with me not knowing how to taste alcohol, the queen poured the wine I had poured into her mouth and let out a breath of excitement.

Unlike me, I was filled with admiration at the sight of the Queen Mother emptying her glass of bitter, tasteless liquor without a change in expression.

As I was sipping my wine glass trying to empty it, the queen looked at me blankly, then drank the wine in one go and let out a deep sigh.

“…A silence order was issued regarding the body of the first queen found in Her Majesty’s room.”

“yes? Ah, yes. “I did that because I thought it wouldn’t be good for the rumor to spread for no reason.”

The Queen Mother’s words reminded me of the time I entered the unemployed man’s room in the corner of the room. The sight of Aurora’s body rolling under the canvas. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Aurora as a fairy since then.

Is he dead like Sylphy said? I didn’t want to worry about it as long as it didn’t cause any harm to me. Either the two truly become one, or they are shocked by the king’s death and leave somewhere other than here.

The Queen Mother looked at the empty wine glass and let out a deep sigh.

“…Yes, the king went crazy and found the queen’s corpse, so whatever, there’s nothing good about such a rumor getting out. “Thank you for handling it so well.”

“yes?”

For a moment, I thought I had misheard, so I asked back, but the Queen Mother looked at me with a bored expression and held out her empty glass. It meant that you shouldn’t talk too much and just pour yourself a drink.

“It looks like your ears are blocked.”

“Hehe, no. “I heard you well.”

When I answered while pouring the drink, the queen clicked her tongue and said, “Tsk.” Now I felt like I knew to some extent what kind of person the Queen Mother was. Is alcohol the answer to becoming closer to people?

As he was drinking quietly, the Queen Mother’s maid brought out various snacks, saying that drinking without snacks would hurt your body. Cheese, sausage, and snacks that go well with wine.

As I picked up the cheese and put it in my mouth, the queen clicked her tongue and glared at me, as if I had to swear at least once after praising her once.

“By the way, why are you like that during the meeting?”

“yes?”

“It was almost pitiful to see him being so rude to the old people, unlike usual. “Couldn’t you have done at least half of what you did to me?”

The Queen Mother, who was chewing the snack and putting it in her mouth, looked at me as if she were annoyed. Even when people asked me why I did that during the meeting… honestly, I didn’t know the right way to act at that time.

No matter how many excuses he made, it didn’t work for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Under pressure from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who found fault with everything, opposed everything, and said no to everything, I had no choice but to appeal to my emotions.

And, at the meeting where my treatment was decided in the first place, there was no way I could be rude to the ministers, who were the country’s leading figures and members of the council of elders.

They were gentle puppies in front of the Queen Mother, but

Because in front of me, you were like a wild beast.

“…How could I do that in a gathering of leading figures of this country? Your Majesty the Queen overestimates me. “I think I understood my topic well on the spot.”

“Are you saying that your topic is that a so-called royal can argue with nobles? “Do you want to tell me that you, the queen of this country, want to be a maid and lick my feet?”

Because it’s royalty…

Clearly, ‘Vivian’ was royalty in this country.

However, he did not receive the royal family’s ‘last name’ and even the rumors were not good. To be honest, it seemed like there were no people in this royal castle who thought of me as royalty and followed me around, other than the maids under me.

I took a gulp of the bitter wine and frowned at the taste. Then the Queen Mother, who was looking at me, clicked her tongue as if she was annoyed and turned her head away from me.

“Did you come back from the dead and just throw away your self-esteem? “I really don’t want to see this.”

“Um, Your Highness?”

I was surprised to hear that I didn’t want to see her, so I turned my head to look at the queen, but she didn’t want to look at me. I gave up my self-esteem… So what on earth was I supposed to do there?

They had already decided to kick me out, and they had enough reasons to kick me out of the palace. Even though I thought about it, I thought it was strange that I wasn’t kicked out.

Didn’t even the Queen Mother try to kick me out at that meeting? He said he would send a letter to the temple and take care of his property. But even if you say that you suddenly gave up your self-esteem and that you don’t want to see it…

Is it because of the refreshing intoxication?

Feeling agitated for no reason, I asked the Queen Mother in a hoarse voice.

“So what do you wish I had done there? “Everyone is trying to get me kicked out, so what good is it if I respond by yelling and yelling at them?”

“what?”

“You said you lost your self-esteem. Yes, I came back from the dead and gave up my self-esteem. “I plan to give up all my remaining self-esteem in order to be by the princess’s side for even a little longer.”

I felt like I was choking on the words I had spoken without realizing it, so I gulped down the remaining wine in my glass. For a moment, I felt a spinning sensation in my head, and the Queen Mother looked at me with a bitter expression.

“…You said you wanted to be someone the princess could rely on.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Then, let’s start by picking up the self-esteem that we threw away. Even if it is confirmed that you will leave the royal castle, until then, you are the ‘queen’ of this country. “Don’t ever show yourselves to the nobles again.”

“……”

“What can the princess learn from seeing you now? Did you think that the queen, whose self-esteem had hit rock bottom, would learn to be a maid by saying she would be a maid? Or are you planning to raise the princess as a maid?”

Tsk, the queen clicked her tongue and looked at the empty wine glass with a bitter expression.

At the Queen Mother’s words, I felt as if I had been hit on the head with a hammer. At that shock, I burst out laughing as I realized what I had done wrong.

Because she didn’t get the royal family name, she was going to be kicked out of here anyway, the reputation wasn’t good, and no one thought Vivian was the queen. Could it be that I was too buried in those thoughts?

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I felt like I had forgotten the most important thing. I was so absorbed in the idea of being by the princess’s side that I had no idea what she would learn from me.

I filled the Queen Mother’s empty wine glass and smiled bitterly.

“…I was short-thinking.”

“Tsk, I just need to know.”

The queen sighed deeply and said no more. I didn’t ask any more questions and just had a drink together. Maybe it was because the night breeze was cool and blowing, but I started laughing without realizing it.

As time passes and the night wind blows away some of the alcohol. The Queen Mother sighed, cleared her throat, and looked at me.

“Are you preparing well for the princess’s birthday party next month?”

“The princess has difficulty dancing… but other than that, she is preparing well. The tailor sent by Her Majesty the Queen said that the dress would be sent soon. “Once the dress arrives, I will visit you with the princess.”

“done. “You can see the princess’s dress at the party.”

It was thought that the princess’s birthday party would be postponed or canceled due to the king’s death, but the Queen Mother did not postpone the princess’s birthday party. On the contrary, since it is a time like this, he urged them to prepare in the most extravagant way possible.

When I thought about it, there was already only a month and very little time left until the princess’s birthday party. The princess’s dance is still the same, and I’m wondering what to do-

The queen made eye contact with me and suddenly spoke to me.

“The princess’s name, you choose.”

“…..yes?”

At that moment, I almost dropped the wine glass I was holding.

What should I name the princess? Of course, since the Queen Mother served as regent, I thought she would name the princess. As I looked at the Queen in confusion, she sighed softly and continued speaking.

“Why don’t you like it? “How can someone like me once again contaminate my ears with words that lower my self-esteem, such as the princess’s name and all?”

“Oh, no. “It’s not like that-”

“No. Tsk.”

Actually, I really couldn’t say no. The moment I heard the story, I wondered if it was really okay for me to name the princess.

And, I knew how much the princess wanted her ‘name’. Is it okay if I just give you what you want so desperately?

After thinking about it for a moment, the queen clicked her tongue, looked at me as if she was pitiful, and shook her head. As if I were really pathetic for acting like I had no self-esteem even though I said that.

“Originally, a child’s name is given by the ‘parents.’”

“……”

“It seems to me that the princess’ current ‘parent’ is you, not me.”

“I… am the princess’s ‘parent’…”

…I was just planning to be satisfied with being the princess’s ‘education officer’.

I had no intention of becoming a princess’s parent. No matter how much the princess longed for the love from her parents that she had never received, I was not confident that I could provide it.

I just want to be someone the princess can rely on. In my opinion, ‘people who can be relied on’ does not include ‘parents’. I thought he was just a friend or a teacher…

As I hesitated, the queen put down the glass she was holding on the table.

Sigh!

A chestnut was thrown on my forehead. When I looked at the queen in sudden pain and a question mark appeared on my head, the queen glared at me as if she was truly sick of it.

“Ugly thing. You earn a lot of money. “You said you wanted to be a source of support for the princess, but didn’t that mean you wanted to be her ‘parent’?”

“Well, I’m like that…”

“The only people a child can trust and rely on are their parents. Since you thought so, it is no different from saying that you will become the princess’s parents. “Don’t think about useless things and think about the princess’s name.”

“Well, can you give me some time to think about it first…? “Even if you suddenly ask me to think of a princess’s name, I can’t think of anything…”

Actually, there is…

I covered my numb, painful forehead with both hands and pleaded with the Queen Mother. Then the Queen Mother sighed softly and firmly drew a line.

“I’ll give you two weeks. Before that, come to me and tell me the princess’s name.”

“I will…”

When I bowed my head, the Queen Mother waved her hand and told me to get out of here immediately, saying she had nothing more to say. Thinking that it would only be a good night if I stayed any longer, I quickly got up from my seat.

The moment I turned the doorknob to leave the terrace, the Queen Mother called me and stopped me.

“Queen.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Just make one promise with me.”

When I suddenly tilted my head at the word promise, the Queen Mother rested her chin as if she was thinking about what to say for a moment, glanced at me, and continued speaking.

“Take care of the princess with affection as a parent, to the point where she can forget the hurt she received from Your Majesty and the First Queen. So that I never cry like I did at a funeral again. “Can you do it?”

At the word ‘promise’, I just smiled.

Rather than a ‘promise’, it was a ‘request’ from the guardian. I don’t know if I can do a good job as the princess’s parent, but the things I will do for her have not changed.

“I will try to do that.”

“…Okay, that’s it then. “Let’s just go out now.”

With those last words, I bowed to the Queen Mother and walked out of the terrace. The Queen Mother was busy filling up her empty glass, as if she wanted to drink more even after sending me away.

As I came out of the terrace, the Queen Mother’s maid looked at me with an expression that seemed at a loss for some reason. Then he came close to me with quick steps and whispered in my ear in a low voice.

“…? what? “The princess stays away…?”

*

After the funeral, Vivian entered the meeting.

The princess was walking down the hallway toward her room with a sad expression. I still didn’t know if Abamama was really dead, but it felt like I was floating beneath my feet, as if I was walking in a dream.

As I was walking down the hallway, I could hear the maids chatting at the end of the hallway. The princess, who usually ate sweet food from the maids, unconsciously walked towards where the maids were.

As the princess approached the maids who were chatting at the end of the hallway, the maids continued to talk without even knowing that the princess was nearby.

“In the end, will Her Majesty the Queen leave the palace?”

“Well… won’t you leave? Since you didn’t receive the ‘sex’… The head maid said this has happened many times in history. “Every time it happens, in the end…”

“I feel sad when I think of Her Majesty the Queen leaving the palace… I would never have thought like this in the past. right?”

“So…hey…?”

The maid turned her head when she felt the gaze beneath her feet. Then, when the maid saw the face of the princess standing behind her in contemplation, she could not keep her mouth shut.

The maid who was chatting next to her was speechless and could not say anything when she saw the princess’s expression. I came to my senses and tried to make an excuse, but the princess spoke faster than the maid.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, princess… that’s not it…”

The princess looked at the maids with empty eyes. With Abama’s death, the princess had no more feelings left to grieve and did not know how to express her feelings of futility.

I just opened my eyes wide and looked up at the maids with eyes asking if what I just heard was true. The maids covered their mouths, not knowing what to do, but the princess had already heard them clearly.

The princess lowered her head, turned her back on the maids, and trudged back to her room.

“Her Majesty the Queen is leaving…”

As the princess repeated those words, a tear rolled down her cheek. With tears and overwhelming emotions that she thought would never come out after crying all day, the princess ran into her room and locked the door.

No one should come into the room.

He said he would never leave here again.

The princess declared so.