episode_0193

A teacup was placed on the tablecloth embroidered with golden thread.

Back then, he chewed hard crackers on a dirt-stained rock. Now, sweet-scented biscuits were neatly arranged before him.

The Queen lifted the steaming teapot.

“Please take it.”

Precious tea personally bestowed by the ruler of Deseo. Robert bowed his head silently and accepted it.

Even at this moment, he felt bewildered. He had never been so conscious of the presence of a monarch before.

Even when he had faced previous monarchs as a child, he hadn’t felt this nervous.

Yet, now, he was merely sitting before a Queen who appeared as a young girl.

He felt his mouth go dry and his fingers tremble faintly.

The Queen called his name.

“Robert-nim.”

There was a time when he was called that, in that voice.

However, it was an unfitting title now.

“Your Majesty. I am your subject. It is improper for one so high above me to address me with such elevated terms.”

“It’s alright. It’s just the two of us here. Robert-nim, please speak to me comfortably as well.”

The Queen smiled.

“…Like ‘back then’.”

Robert looked up.

Ah.

So Tia was no different.

Tia also… remembered their time in the tribute delegation.

A long horn call echoed in his chest.

The fact that someone shared memories of those precious, unforgettable times.

And that Tia remembered it all. For Robert, it was beyond gratitude; it was an honor.

“Your Majesty…”

“Hehe. I’m still not used to being called that. If you could just call me ‘Tia’ like before…”

“Though you’ve asked me to be comfortable, I dare not utter your esteemed name. That is the duty of a vassal to their sovereign.”

“Well then, hehe—it can’t be helped.”

Tia’s voice was tinged with regret, but she didn’t press the matter further.

“Oh, I heard about Robert-nim. That you avoided a bandit attack.”

“That is correct.”

Robert recounted everything that happened that day.

The night the bandits attacked, he had gone to find Tia and ended up being pursued by them.

And ultimately, Alan had died in his place.

Enough time had passed that he could finally speak of it with refined emotions.

Having finished his story, he cautiously asked.

“May I then ask how Your Majesty managed to escape harm?”

Tia closed her eyes.

“Actually, that evening, I was in the mountains. I went to find an acquaintance… and there, I met my husband.”

“…”

Even though it must have been difficult to recall that time, when so many had been sacrificed.

Tia spoke in a quiet, steady voice.

“When the bandits appeared, he pulled me into his arms and hid me. We huddled silently beneath a rock. That’s how I managed to stay safe without being discovered.”

“…I see.”

“After that, we went to Deseo together. I received a lot of help from him. The reason people recognized me as the ‘Iron Woman’ was also… because I attended the Autumn Banquet with my husband. And I safely achieved my goal.”

Upon hearing the word ‘goal,’ a question Robert hadn’t been able to resolve came to mind.

“Come to think of it, Your Majesty was heading to Deseo to find medicine for a friend, weren’t you? What happened to that friend?”

Tia, who had been faintly smiling, instantly froze.

Robert immediately realized he had asked an insensitive question.

“My apologies.”

“No, it’s alright. It’s all in the past now… It’s fine.”

Tia lowered her sorrowful gaze and tightly clenched her fingers.

“That child… died.”

“…”

Robert knew.

He knew the reason why this girl from a small mountain village had boldly set out for Deseo.

It wasn’t to harbor vain dreams of improving her lot.

Nor was it to chase immense wealth like prostitutes.

It was a journey solely to save her friend’s life.

When he had heard that story in the tribute delegation, Robert couldn’t help but feel humble.

Because he realized this girl truly loved her friend, Ritsu.

But what must the pain of losing a loved one be like?

Tia took a short breath.

She barely managed to compose her turbulent emotions, then spoke calmly.

“The reason I’m still alive… is thanks to my husband. After burying Ritsu with my own hands, I intended to follow her in death. It was so hard… I wanted to die… but he taught me the meaning of ‘being alive’.”

Tia had faced countless dangers. There were even times when she almost died.

Yet, she somehow managed to overcome every crisis.

But when the most dangerous crisis arrived, the one where Tia herself wanted to die.

The one who always reached out and saved her was…

Fosao.

“Sitting here, being called by the unfitting name of ‘Queen.’ Being able to share old stories with Robert-nim. I believe it’s all because he is by my side.”

In Tia’s heart, which had been emptied after Ritsu’s passing.

Fosao now resided there instead.

To Tia, Fosao was her husband. Her beloved. He was more than that.

He was her savior and the meaning of her life.

“…”

Robert blankly lifted his head.

A tall, solid wall stood before him.

No matter what he did. A wall that could never be broken, never overcome, stood there.

A woman who loved one man passionately, dedicating her entire being to him.

Tia had become such a woman.

The moment he realized that fact, Robert suddenly felt at peace.

His constricted chest expanded, and strangely, a hint of a smile even touched his lips.

No matter how much he struggled, he could never be ‘that man’ for Tia.

Once he reached that conclusion… the lump that had been tightening his chest began to slowly unravel.

Robert wore a contented expression.

“Though you demean yourself by saying it’s unfitting, Your Majesty is already governing the nation splendidly.”

“I am?”

“Yes. Didn’t you summon the dukes to the royal palace and hold a ‘grand discussion’ for five days? It must have been a difficult decision, but you truly displayed immense dignity.”

“Ah…”

Tia seemed to be thinking, as she absently stroked the handle of her teacup.

And then she said.

“Indeed… it’s different from the truth.”

“…Pardon?”

“That decision was made by Grand Duke Piolo, not me.”

It was a story he had never heard before.

He had clearly heard that the Queen had spearheaded it. Yet, Tia began to reveal facts completely different from the rumors Robert had heard.

“The Grand Duke stepped forward first and offered to help manage state affairs. So I decided to accept his help, and that’s what continued for five days.”

“Then… does that mean Grand Duke Piolo handled state affairs, not Your Majesty?”

“Of course, I approved it, but since I don’t know anything… I had no choice but to rely heavily on the Grand Duke.”

“Were there no objections from other families?”

“None. Everyone seemed to be watching the Grand Duke’s reactions.”

He had, in fact, found it a bit strange.

Could a newly enthroned Queen, a girl who had suddenly ascended to the throne from commoner status, truly possess the power to immediately rein in the dukes?

He had thought it wasn’t entirely impossible, given the support of numerous families.

It seemed that wasn’t the case.

“So it was the Grand Duke’s will…”

Thinking back, the one who had spearheaded and supported Tia’s ascension to the throne was none other than Grand Duke Piolo.

Since the most influential family in Deseo had stepped forward with their support, perhaps the other families simply followed that decision?

Tia said.

“Everyone pretends otherwise, but I can definitely feel it. The way they look at me, not acknowledging me as their Queen. Grand Duke Piolo defends me, so they reluctantly treat me as the Queen.”

“But didn’t Your Majesty ascend to the throne as the legitimate successor? It would be stranger for them to object…”

“Yes. Because of that justification, the Grand Duke put me here.”

The reason Deseo’s nobles rebelled was to serve a ‘legitimate successor’ as their monarch.

Since the war had erupted solely on this pretext, Tia, as a descendant of King Likene, had to be temporarily placed on the throne.

Only then could they truly discuss who held the real power in Deseo.

The shrewd Tia knew her own situation better than anyone.

“Since I have no power anyway, I can’t interfere in the dukes’ struggles. And everyone wants that, which is why they put me here. I don’t care who the winner is, so I just want to quickly hand over the throne to that person and step down.”

“…”

“But Grand Duke Piolo seemed to have different thoughts. When I said I would abandon my old name and keep my husband’s name, many people objected, but the Grand Duke personally stepped in and offered a compromise. It was as if… he truly acknowledged me as the Queen.”

“Your Majesty is already a true monarch.”

“But isn’t it strange? I have no power, I am nothing. I don’t understand why he pushes me so much.”

“I don’t know the Grand Duke’s intentions either, but isn’t it a good thing nonetheless? Since the most powerful person in Deseo has stepped forward to protect Your Majesty, no one will dare treat you disrespectfully.”

“No. I… don’t think it’s a good thing.”

Tia said in a melancholic voice.

“It means my life, my husband’s life, and our child’s life ultimately depend on the Grand Duke’s whim. Not now, but someday, if I displease him… I will end up in a fate worse than death, just like the king who sat on this throne before.”

It was true.

This frail and weak monarch existed only by virtue of the nobles’ justification.

Once the post-war arrangements were concluded and the hierarchy was settled. When they no longer needed a puppet, who knew what reason they would find to depose Tia.

“I absolutely want to protect my family. So… I want to ask Robert-nim for a favor.”

Robert’s hand paused.

Indeed.

This conversation wasn’t initiated to share trivial memories from the start.

The Queen had something she wanted from him.

To deliver the request that was about to begin. Tia had brought up the events of the past.

“Command me anything, Your Majesty.”

“Please investigate. The ‘exact reason’ why Grand Duke Piolo… championed me as Queen.”

Robert humbly bowed his head.

He had wandered greatly. But after settling his heart, he was able to make a decision.

Though he could not be ‘that man’ for this woman.

Nevertheless, for her smile.

He would offer his entire being, his loyalty.

“I shall gladly obey your command, Your Majesty.”

***

Across from the Piolo family’s grand mansion.

Next to the grand hall of the Defensive Swordsmanship Association, a carriage was always parked.

The carriage belonged to the Association, but for three days, it had remained stationary in that spot, supposedly ‘for repairs,’ simply parked there without moving an inch.

Surprisingly, within what everyone thought was a broken-down carriage, a person was living.

Robert.

He sat in the dark carriage, chewing on crackers. Through a slightly parted gap in the curtains, he gazed endlessly at the grand mansion.

And he observed the people coming and going from the mansion from afar, recording their names on parchment.

As a nobleman from Deseo, Robert knew well who was who.

Moreover, when it came to the ‘Piolo family,’ which boasted the greatest influence in Deseo, there was no need to mention it.

As a famous family, their network was very wide.

Conversely, not many people could come and go from that grand mansion.

Because only those truly favored by the Grand Duke were given the opportunity to enter.

Therefore, even with him parked there, watching, the grand gate of the Piolo mansion didn’t open easily.

At most, it opened about ten times a day.

Slowly, the night deepened.

Just as he thought today would also end uneventfully.

Suddenly, an unknown carriage arrived at the grand mansion.

It was late at night, a time when people were scarce.

At the unusual appearance of the carriage, Robert immediately pulled out his telescope and peered through the gap in the curtains.

The grand mansion’s gate opened.

To his surprise, the Grand Duke was already standing there.

It was shocking.

For the haughty Grand Duke Piolo to wait upfront like that.

Who on earth was in that carriage?

Robert slightly adjusted his telescope, aiming it at the carriage.

A huge shadow was visible. It seemed to waddle a bit, as if movement was slightly difficult.

Soon, when the coachman who had disembarked with them raised a lantern.

“…!”

Robert unconsciously lowered his telescope, aghast.

The identity of the face that had flashed by was…

The King Consort of Deseo.

And the Queen’s man.

Fosao Modaless.