The Queen Who Deserves To Be Tainted - Chapter 29.2

“So just do as you like.”

It was a surprisingly generous answer, but Elfreda didn’t believe it. It felt almost sarcastic. However, she figured it would be pointless to press him further for an answer, so she chose to remain quiet. Ejnar noticed her silence and eventually spoke first.

“Do you only have things to say about Illene?”

Elfreda looked puzzled at his unexpected question. Ejnar added again.

“I mean, do you have no other topics to discuss besides Illene?”

“Ah…”

Elfreda hesitated, as this was a question she had never considered before.

After all, aside from Illene, there was little they had in common to talk about. All of a sudden, the opening ceremony of the Royal Library came to mind, but just as she was about to mention it, she held her tongue. It naturally reminded her of the events of that day.

Ejnar was staring at her intently. Perhaps he had already received reports about the tea party… but it still felt like a blow to her pride to be the one to bring it up first.

That was how she felt.

Even though she was publicly labeled a vulgar barbarian, it was one thing to hear it from others and another to bring it up in front of the man who seemed to relish that label.

“So, what happened today?”

“…There was a tea party.”

“Nothing special happened?”

“No…”

Ejnar’s eyes narrowed at Elfreda’s lie.

“…So, it ended ordinarily, then?”

“Yes. It went well.”

Watching Elfreda tell her lie with a more pronounced tone than before, Ejnar felt exasperated.

She was determined to keep silent until the end. Could it be that she feared getting scolded for not handling things the way he wanted? Or was she embarrassed by the mockery of being a barbarian? Or perhaps…

As he pondered this, Ejnar realized he was overanalyzing her feelings and decided to stop.

This was absolutely unlike him. He had never been one to look into anyone’s thoughts.

Yet this wasn’t specifically because he had any particular interest in her. He thought that if the person were anyone like her, he would react the same way.

She was a woman whose every action made it difficult to guess her intentions. Wanting to solve the mystery surrounding her wasn’t a strange desire, he thought with a sigh. Elfreda, meanwhile, remained silent.

“It was I who was long-winded.”

There was no point in talking anymore, so it was best to leave.

Ejnar quickly got up and walked away, leaving Elfreda feeling a wave of disappointment. However, this was typical, nothing new. She enjoyed his presence yet always felt upset when he left. So, Elfreda brushed off her feelings, as she usually did, and quietly closed her eyes.

The gradually approaching headache felt like just another aftereffect, one she chose to ignore.

* * *

Thus, the incident at the tea gathering seemed to conclude as just a trivial happening.

However, starting the next day, a rumor began to circulate in high society. The effects of this rumor even reached the central political scene.

“Your Majesty, how about giving a speech at the opening ceremony alongside the Queen?”

A few days later, during a meeting, Ejnar looked at the nobleman who made the suggestion with a bewildered expression. The nobleman had a gentle smile, as if to convey that he had no ulterior motives.

“Give a speech with the Queen?”

“I’ve heard that Her Majesty is quite proficient in ancient Machi. If you were to give the speech together, wouldn’t the opening ceremony be more meaningful?”

Ejnar finally grasped the situation and let out a scoff.

It was obvious that someone, still harboring resentment from the previous tea party, had deliberately spread this rumor. He had a good idea of who that ‘someone’ was without needing to think too deeply, and he could easily guess the reasons behind spreading such rumors.