The Queen Who Deserves To Be Tainted - Chapter 48.1

“The Queen’s opinion is more important than mine.”

Elfreda looked at Ejnar with a confused expression at the unexpected mention. As soon as their eyes met, she felt a bit shy, and her voice came out softer than usual.

“…Me?”

“Yes.”

It was something Serina would probably be shocked to hear, but honestly, Elfreda didn’t want a child right now, either.

She knew Makaeri wanted her to have a child.

If she had a child, it would only be a matter of time before that child walked to the throne, assassinated Ejnar, became the regent, and controlled the country.

She wasn’t fond of Makaeri, so she had no intention of cooperating willingly. However, the nobles of Machi, who had strong animosity toward Makaeri, could rebel, and there was a real possibility that both she and the child could be killed.

Of course, that was likely the reason Makaeri had sent her here. But they probably didn’t care.

Elfreda lied while glancing at Serina.

“Having a child would be nice, in many ways…”

“Yeah.”

Ejnar surprisingly agreed and nodded. Elfreda looked at him in surprise.

“I think so, too.”

“Ah…”

“I’ll have to try harder from now on.”

But despite his words, his eyes were empty. Elfreda quickly realized that he was just pretending to go along with it out of diplomatic courtesy, much like her own lie.

Her head understood it, but her heart couldn’t help but feel a bitter laugh rise up. She knew it was natural and that both she and Ejnar had similar desires, but when she actually confirmed his intentions, her heart ached.

It felt selfish and painful.

“I hope we hear good news soon. How cute would my nephew be?”

Only Serina, who was completely oblivious, kept smiling joyfully. To someone who knew the truth, it was a painfully humiliating sight.

Elfreda had to fight to keep her face from showing. Meanwhile, Ejnar silently observed Serina for a moment, then turned his gaze to Elfreda.

“Shall we go dancing?”

He reached out his hand to her, and despite the bitter thoughts lingering in her mind, she took his hand.

As they moved toward the stage, a soft waltz began to play. It wasn’t until then that Elfreda realized this would be her first dance with him. Her heart started pounding heavily, nervous about making a mistake.

Ejnar gently wrapped his arm around her waist and took her hand. Then, he skillfully began to dance with the music.

As he turned and moved his feet, their bodies naturally brushed against each other, and their breaths mixed. Though they hadn’t shed any layers of clothing and it was only a social dance, every time she got closer to him, Elfreda felt strange.

It felt as though he might rip off her dress and place his lips beneath it at any moment. Especially when his hand, wrapped around her waist, occasionally brushed against her in a teasing manner, Elfreda had to bite her lip and hold her breath, feeling embarrassed every time.

As she nervously looked up at Ejnar, he smiled and moved his arm. Elfreda spun once, and when she faced him again, his smile had deepened.

“I’ve heard you’re quite the dancer, and it’s true.”

Elfreda, raised as an illegitimate princess in Makaeri, had never really learned how to dance. She had often avoided high society gatherings, citing health reasons, so it hadn’t been a major issue. But after her marriage was arranged, she had hurriedly taken dance lessons.

The only fortunate thing was that the dances favored by Makaeri and Machi’s courts were different.

Thus, while taking royal lessons, she was also able to learn Machi’s style of dance. Compared to the energetic and bold dances of Makaeri, Machi’s dances were more delicate and graceful, and fortunately, Elfreda found she had quite a talent for them.

She responded with a relieved voice.

“I didn’t embarrass myself, so it seems Marchioness Magnum gave me a good review.”

“It must have been a dance you weren’t familiar with, but considering the short time, you did quite well.”

“Thanks to Your Majesty for guiding me so well…”

“You can just say thank you for the compliment.”

Ejnar gently interrupted her words.