The Queen Who Deserves To Be Tainted - Chapter 50.1

“It’s a teddy bear.”

It was a large teddy bear. When Elfreda hugged it, the size was too big, but if he held it, it would fit perfectly in his arms.

So… she had prepared a teddy bear as a birthday gift?

Ejnar, receiving his first gift in over a decade, stared at Elfreda holding the teddy bear with a stunned expression. It surprisingly suited her well.

Elfreda shyly added.

“I thought you’d like it.”

Who exactly would? When he looked at her with genuine curiosity, Elfreda answered in a quieter voice.

“Sir Robert….”

“…When I get back, I’ll have to dock that fool’s salary.”

“What? Why…?”

Elfreda asked, surprised at how he was going to put his aide’s livelihood at risk.

“Is, is it that you don’t like it?”

“No, it’s not that.”

In fact, it wasn’t that he didn’t like it. He was just surprised because it was so unexpected.

Among all the shining, extravagant, and precious gifts, this was the only truly cute one he had received. So, it wasn’t bad. If she had intended to win his heart with this, she had done a pretty good job. He couldn’t help but smile.

“He spilled confidential information without consulting me.”

“Ah…”

Realizing it was a joke, Elfreda smiled in relief.

At that moment, when Ejnar saw her relaxed expression, he couldn’t shake the strange discomfort he felt about how much she seemed to care about Robert’s well-being.

He slightly furrowed his brows.

“…I don’t like it.”

“Eh?”

Seeing her face pale again, Ejnar quickly realized his true feelings had slipped out, so he hurriedly backtracked.

“No, no, I like it.”

Thinking he was just teasing, Elfreda dismissed it with a smile.

Watching his queen’s adorable antics, Ejnar couldn’t help but think she was remarkable. If he hadn’t already known her true nature, her charm might have pulled him in without him even realizing it.

As he gently ran his fingers over the teddy bear she had given him, he felt the soft texture. Strangely, with every touch, Elfreda’s scent seemed to cling to it.

Had she made this herself?

“Did you make this yourself?”

“N… no.”

Her unexpected response made Ejnar furrow one brow slightly.

“Usually, things like this are made with great care.”

“I don’t know how to make those kinds of things… I just…bought it.”

In reality, she had spent a long time making this teddy bear as a gift for him, but she had no intention of revealing that truth.

As he had said, a gift like this, made with so much care, could easily make him notice her feelings. Since they were married, buying a teddy bear that her husband would like wasn’t unusual. However, making it herself without genuine affection would have been harder to explain.

So, Ejnar believed it had simply been bought. The bear wasn’t well-made enough to suggest it had been handcrafted, and its expression looked unusually silly, raising suspicions.

Still, there was no reason for Elfreda to lie about it.

If she was lying and said she had made it herself just to win his favor, that would be different. So, Ejnar, slightly suspicious of her taste, carefully asked.

“Where did you get it?”

“Ah, I just… had Illenne get it for me.”

“Then, is this a reflection of Lady Haegan’s taste?”

“Umm… I guess so. Is it not good?”

“…No. It’s not bad.”

He should probably ask why, out of so many teddy bears, she chose this one. Was there some deeper meaning behind it?

After thinking for a moment, he noticed Elfreda was silently watching him and smiled lightly.

“Anyway, thank you. I like it.”

“If you sleep with it, it’ll help you sleep better.”

“I’d rather hold someone else right now.”

At his straightforward response, her eyes widened.

Ejnar chuckled lowly at her honest reaction, then playfully ruffled her hair. Her hair quickly became tousled, and when her wet eyes looked up at him, he felt a quick tightening below his waist, but he deliberately ignored it and continued speaking.

“That person looks too sleepy, though.”

“Ah…”

“You worked hard preparing for the birthday celebration. It was perfect.”

Though she thought it wasn’t quite perfect, she was pleased by the compliment, so she simply smiled shyly.