The Queen Who Deserves To Be Tainted - Chapter 47.1

“What’s this?”

“Ung, it’s a medicine that’s supposed to revive even a dying cow. Mother sent it to you.”

Before Elfreda could even react in shock, Serina continued with another surprising comment.

“Mother misses you. She’s been pretending like she didn’t care, but now that you’re in a foreign land, I guess she’s starting to worry.”

“….”

Elfreda fell silent for a moment. The serious tone in Serina’s voice, as if she genuinely meant it, made her heart race.

Of course, she knew better than anyone that her hopes, which had been left unfulfilled for nearly twenty years, were unlikely to be returned. So, reacting to the simple statement from Serina about ‘worrying ’ could be seen as foolish or even a subject of ridicule by some.

Still…

She couldn’t easily brush it off, as she was the only person in her life who had ever truly loved her.

With a gentle tap on Elfreda’s shoulder, as she grew quiet, Serina whispered in a comforting tone, pretending to be kind.

“Here we are.”

Before long, the surrounding noise began to rise.

Elfreda forced a smile and, with Serina, made her way to find Ejnar. Soon, she saw him speaking with Rachela alone. The voices of people around them also mixed in.

“Doesn’t the King and Princess Rachela make a lovely pair?”

“Exactly. I thought they’d marry… but suddenly, with a Makaeri barbarian?”

“She’s pretty, though, for a barbarian. It’s a shame for Princess Rachela.”

“Right? She’s been waiting faithfully to marry the King all this time.”

It was a painful truth to admit, but one couldn’t deny they made a lovely pair.

Rachela was beautiful, kind-hearted, and, most importantly, the princess of Giver, whose fate was intertwined with Machi’s. Elfreda hesitated about how to get between the two of them. She felt like the antagonist in a novel, obstructing the protagonists’ happiness.

Serina looked at her with a pitiful expression.

“What? You’re just standing there while people are talking like this?”

“I don’t even know who’s saying it. And what am I supposed to do, if I don’t stay quiet?”

“My goodness, you’re really going to embarrass Makaeri like this.”

Serina scolded her with a frustrated look, as expected of a descendant of a battle-warrior family. Elfreda felt that if Serina knew how she had been insulted by the ladies-in-waiting on her first day in Machi, she’d probably fall over in disbelief.

In her current position, making a scene like Serina wouldn’t do her any good. Elfreda couldn’t help but feel a little bewildered, wondering what Makaeri was thinking, sending Serina here.

However, her expression stiffened as she heard the following words.

“What if that princess gets pregnant before you?”

“Princess.”

“Why? I heard it, too. They were childhood friends.”

Serina fanned Elfreda’s anxiety with an irritated expression.

“Since when do men and women just stay friends? Besides, weren’t they originally supposed to marry each other?”

“They didn’t have an official betrothal. It was just when they were young…”

“You’re so naive. After seeing how close they are, you’re still saying things like that?”

“…What do you expect me to do about it?”

“What? You need to hurry up and get pregnant.”

Elfreda felt a surge of nausea at Serina’s words, almost as if she were being treated like livestock. She looked at her in shock, but Serina paid no attention, pushing further.

“Once you have a son, the rest won’t matter.”

“If I do that, there shouldn’t be any issues with my relationship with His Majesty. Don’t go to His Majesty and say anything unnecessary.”

As Elfreda spoke with a low warning, Serina nodded with a smile as if to reassure her. The two of them walked toward Ejnar and Rachela.

As soon as Rachela spotted Elfreda, her face lit up with a big smile.

“Oh, you’re here! But who’s this with you?”