The Queen Who Deserves To Be Tainted - Chapter 52.1
“There’s no reason why she can’t attend, right? Most people will be going.”
Ejnar narrowed his eyes and stared at Robert, who jumped back defensively.
“Ah, I’m not going! I’m a man who keeps his chastity!”
“What is chastity when it comes to unrequited love?”
“What? Me, me? No, no one’s talking about me having a crush on anyone…”
It was a one-sided crush that everyone in the central palace knew about, except for Robert himself. While it was understandable for him to be cautious due to their childhood friend relationship, the way he dismissed it so carelessly was frustrating. He should at least try to cover it up a little.
Ejnar narrowed his eyes and spoke in a voice full of irritation.
“Fine, just try stepping out of here tomorrow.”
“Wait… But, Your Majesty, are you not going?”
“Why would I go to something like that?”
After snapping back with a sharp retort, Ejnar’s expression turned serious. He sat in silence for a while, thinking, then finally smiled softly and shook his head.
“The queen wouldn’t attend something like that.”
Robert watched him closely, curious about the source of his confidence.
“She likes quiet things. How chaotic would a masquerade be?”
“But it’s the only chance to enjoy a secret meeting legally.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“If Makaeri’s planning to take Machi using the grandson as a front, they’d need a child sooner rather than later.”
“True.”
“So, the queen might go looking for a man who resembles you in eye or hair color.”
“…What?”
At this, Ejnar exploded, but Robert looked serious.
“No, it’s not such an outlandish idea…”
“Ha, fine. Let’s see what the queen does tomorrow.”
He gritted his teeth and added,
“But I don’t think she’ll go.”
* * *
The next morning, Elfreda woke up feeling incredibly refreshed.
Ejnar had left calmly the night before, leaving her in top condition. She was also in a good mood because she had managed to give him the gift without anyone discovering the backstory.
When Illene entered her bedroom, she noticed immediately how Elfreda’s mood had lifted and greeted her warmly.
“You seem happy, Your Majesty.”
“I successfully gave him the gift yesterday. The sunshine is also so nice today, Illene.”
“Yes, it is. You should have breakfast and maybe take a short walk.”
Smiling, Illene began to go over the schedule for the day. There were tasks related to wrapping up the previous night’s celebration, addressing issues from the guest accommodations, and resolving problems that arose during the event.
“Especially last night, Princess Serena got drunk and caused quite a ruckus, so the people staying at Maren Palace only managed to sleep in the early hours of the morning.”
“Oh my, Princess Serena is sharing a palace with Princess Rachela?”
“Yes. That’s why we need to be extra cautious about this.”
“Haa… that’s true.”
But even if she cautioned her, it didn’t seem like she’d listen. Elfreda narrowed her eyes as a headache began to intensify.
She couldn’t understand why her father kept sending Serena as a diplomat to Machi. No matter how much the princess’s status was meant to show Makaeri’s goodwill, her actions were only making things worse.
“Could you also send someone to Princess Rachela to let her know we can change her room?”
“Understood. By the way, the masquerade ball starts this evening.”
Illene glanced at Elfreda as she asked,
“Will you be attending?”
“Well, I’m not sure…”
Elfreda knew what a masquerade ball was, being the host, but it didn’t seem like her kind of thing, so she shook her head.
“I’m not going.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“It seems like it will be too chaotic. I’m not really interested in dancing with strangers, especially when we won’t know who’s behind the mask.”
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