episode_0226

I opened my eyes.

…

I slowly turned my head.

Through the slightly parted crimson curtains, the dim light of dawn could be seen.

Early morning dawned.

I sat up.

The thick blanket slowly slipped down from the gigantic bed.

The warmth that had comfortably heated my body all night vanished in the blink of an eye.

Immediately, the cold air sharply pricked my chest and neck.

And so, once again.

I was thrown into a new time, ‘today’.

I buried my face in my palms, which held faint warmth.

“Haa…”

I felt like I’d had a good dream.

A dream so enchanting I didn’t want to wake up.

But I couldn’t remember it.

I hadn’t been able to remember my dreams for a very long time.

The moment I returned to reality, the dreams I had dreamed vanished fleetingly.

I thought it was fair.

Since I could see visions of the past, perhaps visions of imagination weren’t permitted.

Because that was the way of the world.

I took my hands away and opened my eyes, which I had briefly closed.

Cold air slowly seeped into my lower abdomen.

I was… sitting all alone on the wide, large bed.

It was a size that seemed perfectly suited for a large person to be lying right beside me.

But there was no one.

Even the pillows were just one, to support my small head.

Such a long time had passed.

It wasn’t even new to me.

I lowered my legs to the edge of the bed and put on the fuzzy slippers neatly placed on the carpet.

Patter. Patter.

The lifeless stone walls were utterly cold.

Not even a hint of warmth remained in the ruby-colored carpet.

I shuffled my way to the wardrobe.

The wardrobe opened smoothly without the slightest creak, revealing its interior.

Everyday clothes, light garments, and underwear hung inside.

With practiced hands, I took out undergarments and put them on my lower body and chest.

Clunk.

Then, I closed the wardrobe with a clunk.

With a hoarse voice, I called the maids outside the bedroom.

“…You can come in.”

The bedroom door quietly opened, and ten maids entered.

They helped me with my morning routine without a word.

Two of them tidied the disheveled bedroom, then drew back the curtains and opened the terrace windows wide.

One of them placed a golden cup filled with warm water on an ornate plate and offered it to me.

As I drank the water and took a breather, the others draped large, cumbersome robes over my shoulders.

As if little girls were playing with a doll.

They brushed my disheveled hair and then meticulously dressed me, fastening each piece of clothing.

When their tasks were done, the maids bowed to me in unison.

And as always, they quietly backed away, scurrying out backwards.

After the maids disappeared, two valets entered, carrying large trays.

A familiar face came with them.

“Your Majesty. Have you awoken?”

“Yes.”

Count Joseph pulled out a large bundle of papers.

“Ahem. Then, may I begin the regular report?”

“Yes. Please do.”

As soon as I sat at the table, a servant set down breakfast.

I picked up my spoon and tasted the soup, which still had some warmth.

There was nothing special about it. It always tasted the same.

I stirred the spoon without thinking.

“First, this is the progress report on the new district plan you instructed last month. Baron Luphen, who is in charge of the construction, has newly prepared and submitted the budget proposal…”

The tedious regular report began.

Originally, I was supposed to receive reports while starting my duties in the audience chamber.

But as I tried to squeeze in even more time, it had been simplified to listening to it with breakfast now.

The content was nothing special. It was mostly about things progressing well without problems.

After all, if anything special had happened, the Count would have mentioned it first.

“…That concludes this. Next are incidents and accidents. It is reported that lightning struck the bell tower on South Gate Market Street, causing the structure to collapse. Three nearby buildings were damaged, and the carriage road was severely damaged…”

“What?”

This was the first I was hearing of it.

When I stopped my spoon in surprise, Count Joseph explained everything in detail from the beginning again.

“There was a severe storm last night. It seems a strong lightning bolt struck the bell tower then.”

“I understand that. But the South Gate Market… aren’t the envoys from Oris staying there?”

“That’s right, Your Majesty. I’ve confirmed that, fortunately, the five envoys were staying in a manor two districts away from there. All of them have been confirmed safe.”

“What about others?”

“There were no casualties.”

“Haa…”

My startled heart calmed.

Although I could immediately guess from the Count’s calm tone that nothing major had happened, I still felt relieved only after hearing him explicitly say ‘no problems’.

“If such an important incident occurred, you should have woken me immediately. At a diplomatically sensitive time with Oris like now—especially if something had happened to their envoys—it would be a huge problem.”

“My apologies. I will take immediate action to arrange a residence where they will not feel any inconvenience.”

“Yes. Please do that.”

“However, if I may say one thing—”

Count Joseph wore an awkward expression, as if the request he had just heard was difficult to accept.

“In truth, not long after the incident, I came here to inform Your Majesty quickly, but…”

“…Did I not wake up?”

“Indeed. You were in a deep sleep.”

“I see. I apologize.”

This wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened.

No, everyone working in this castle knew it as an open secret.

That ‘the Queen, once asleep, would never wake until she awoke on her own’.

Unless I gave permission, no one could enter the Queen’s bedroom.

Unless a national disaster or war occurred, the only way for my subjects to wake me was to knock on this iron door and call out.

I heard that they had tried to wake me like that about ten times so far.

All of them had failed, they said.

It was because I was too deep a sleeper.

I hadn’t even known that thunder and lightning had struck with the storm in the early morning.

The last thing I remembered was seeing a light drizzle outside the window right before falling asleep.

Long ago, when I lived in a quiet mountain valley, I could even hear the sound of snow falling softly.

Was it because I had lived too long in this noisy city?

Or was it because this body, too, had finally become an old woman?

All the sensitive senses I had possessed in my maiden years.

Now, they had vanished without a trace.

“For now, I have instructed them to retrieve the broken bell and repair the damaged road first.”

“Yes. You’ve done well.”

Clink.

I put down my fork and spoon.

I left a little food.

Next, I awakened my hazy mind with a cup of warm tea.

Again, it was time to start the day.

Dragging my long dress across the carpet, I left the bedroom.

The moment I opened the iron door and stepped out.

Clang!

The imperial guards waiting on either side of the door snapped to attention with a metallic clang.

And maintaining a slight distance, they followed behind us.

These were Rudie, the fourth son of the Leste family, and Renaldo, the fifth son.

They were descendants of a loyal family that had protected the Likene Dynasty for generations. These two young knights had sworn loyalty to me and protected my person, following me like shadows.

When I began to descend the stairs to the audience chamber, they silently instructed the soldiers to open the closed doors.

Though the sun was already rising in the sky, it symbolized that another sun had risen in this royal palace as well.

Uncle Joseph, who had been following behind, carefully asked.

“By the way… how was your vacation with the Princess?”

“Oh? Haven’t I told you?”

“You returned and immediately began your duties.”

“Ah… since I was away from the royal palace for a month, I had to catch up on all the pending work…”

“Still, since you’ve returned from a rare long journey, shouldn’t you take a day to rest? After all, the journey to and from Breezedon is also a rough road.”

And then he immediately changed his words.

“Of course, it’s not something I dare say in front of Your Majesty, who crossed the Mass Road on foot.”

“No, I know you said that out of concern for my health. And I was young back then. This time, I went comfortably by ship and carriage.”

“Even so, to start working immediately without recovering from your journey. It seems you’re overexerting yourself.”

“I’m truly fine.”

He pleaded in a dignified voice.

“Though I am now a subject who sits at a desk and only looks at documents, as Your Majesty knows, I spent my entire life as a wandering adventurer. Therefore, I know very well what is most important when one has walked a long journey.”

…

“Your Majesty. Please, I wish you would set aside your work for a while and rest.”

“Then, what about today’s schedule?”

“I’ve cleared it.”

It was rare to see my uncle being so stubborn.

To have no schedule at all. It was the first time for such a day.

“Ahem. Since returning from your vacation, the Princess has become quite chatty. I am now quite old, so keeping up with her conversation is a bit difficult for me. Haha!”

In short, he was suggesting that I meet the Princess now.

“Then, I shall take my leave.”

“Yes. You may go.”

Uncle descended the stairs alone.

Seeing his retreating back, I realized that truly, nothing was planned for today.

Most of the work in this royal palace was handled by Uncle Joseph.

He oversaw and resolved minor incidents that I didn’t necessarily need to look into. If I were to compare him to the military, he would be the general at the forefront.

My job as the Queen was merely to receive reports, give specific instructions, and sign documents.

I said it was easy, but in fact, it wasn’t.

Because there were things to confirm not only for Count Joseph but also for those in other positions.

To verify everything, there was no time to rest from morning to night.

The one-month vacation I had just returned from was also the first I had ever taken.

To make that vacation happen, my subjects had to prove that state affairs could run smoothly even if I was absent from the royal palace for a short time.

It took more than five years for this system to be restructured and settled. It was by no means an easy task.

I spoke to the imperial guard beside me.

“Rudie. Let’s go to Lia’s room.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

We descended one floor and entered a wide hallway.

Lia’s bedroom was directly below mine, on the floor below.

Although the distance was close, I had barely entered her bedroom recently.

After Lia turned six, I was no longer called ‘Mom’ but ‘Your Majesty,’ and the duties of a princess and a queen were very different.

Even now, we ate lunch and dinner together right next to each other.

But there wasn’t much conversation we could share when many people were present.

We could only speak within the bounds of a queen and princess relationship.

So, Uncle Joseph intentionally clearing my schedule…

Perhaps he wanted me to spend some quality time with Lia, not just outside, but inside as well.

While I pondered for a moment.

Before I knew it, we had crossed the corridor and arrived in front of Lia’s bedroom.

In front of the door stood my daughter’s knight, Yusti Robert.

Yusti seemed greatly surprised when he saw me from a distance. But he skillfully hid his expression and immediately knelt on one knee.

“Your Majesty.”

“I came to see Lia. She’s in her room now, isn’t she?”

“Yes. But right now…”

“Is she not ready yet?”

“…That’s right.”

During the brief silence.

Beyond the iron door, the long yawn of an unsuspecting girl could be heard.

The imperial guards behind me sighed silently.

Yusti, though still bowing his head, clearly looked very troubled.

I calmly addressed the situation.

“Our Princess has overslept again.”