The Queen Who Deserves To Be Tainted - Chapter 51.2

“Ah, apologies…Kuhp! Wait, did you really come here like that?”

“…Is it that bad?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just kind of funny. You don’t seem like the type who would be carrying that.”

“How shameless. You’re the one who caused this mess. Why did you answer that way to the queen?”

“Well, Her Majesty asked me what you liked, and I just answered honestly. You like teddy bears.”

“I did.”

Until he was ten.

“So, you’re saying you don’t like them anymore?”

“Think about my age and social position.”

“Why? It actually suits you quite well…”

“Say one more word and you’re getting a pay cut, you.”

Robert quickly clamped his mouth shut at his words. Then, as if he almost forgot, he clapped and spoke up.

“By the way, Your Majesty, about the thing you gave me earlier.”

“Ah.”

Ejnar remembered the round glass bottle he had handed Robert earlier.

It had originally been an empty pocket, but after Elfreda met Princess Serina, it had protruded as though something was inside, so Ejnar had slipped it out. He immediately ordered Robert to find out what was in the liquid inside the glass bottle.

“Did you figure it out?”

“Yes. But… well…”

After Robert gave a strange look and whispered the details of his findings in his ear, Ejnar’s expression immediately turned troubled.

“…Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Ejnar wished Robert had stopped there, but he continued with a serious face.

“Do you think she was planning to use it on me?”

Ejnar’s expression darkened immediately. He could understand that someone from Makaeri might have given the queen such a drug, though he couldn’t fathom the queen accepting it. Had she taken it because she saw a need for it?

The situation was a little unfair, as Serina had slipped the drug into Elfreda’s pocket without giving her a chance to refuse, but Ejnar wasn’t aware of those details. In his mind, it had become a fact that Elfreda must have accepted the drug without complaint because she was dissatisfied with him.

This thought made him feel inexplicably irritated.

‘Is it because I was lacking?’

It wasn’t about the back-and-forth. The most basic issue had not been resolved yet, and now this was coming up. He then stood up abruptly and sat back down quickly. It seemed absurd to come back after he had covered her with the blanket and left.

However, the irritation still lingered.

“I wonder if the queen meant to use this on Your Majesty?”

Ejnar didn’t want to answer that directly, feeling too proud to admit it, so he stayed silent. That was when Robert began to sense his mood and hesitated before speaking.

“Well, now that I think about it, no. If she had planned to use it on Your Majesty, she’d have been caught immediately, since it would be obvious something was wrong.”

“Right. I can’t imagine the queen giving me such a drug…”

“Perhaps she meant to use it on another man?”

However, that suggestion seemed to lead to an even worse conclusion. Ejnar froze for a moment and glared at him as though asking what he meant.

Robert explained in a more serious tone.

“The masquerade ball is tomorrow.”

Ejnar’s birthday celebration spanned two days, and on the second day, the customary masquerade ball would take place. As the name suggested, attendees would wear masks to hide their identities, and under the guise of anonymity, even inappropriate relationships were often overlooked.

There had been instances in the past where affairs started at the ball and led to families breaking apart, though most people simply enjoyed fleeting encounters, so it wasn’t seen as a significant problem.

Ejnar had always disapproved of such chaotic customs since childhood, and once he became king, he had tried to avoid holding these types of events. Nonetheless, it was such a deeply ingrained tradition in the Machi social scene that it was impossible to stop without considerable opposition.

“Maybe she was planning to use it there?”

“…So now you’re saying…”

Ejnar’s expression quickly turned cold.

“Are you implying that the queen will attend that disgraceful ball?”