The Queen Who Deserves To Be Tainted - Chapter 58.1

Elfreda kindly responded to him.

“She just said she’s feeling under the weather. She’s resting, so she’ll be fine soon. Don’t worry too much.”

“She doesn’t usually get sick, but when she does, it’s pretty severe.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Illene will be glad to know you’re so concerned, Sir Robert.”

“Huh? N, no, don’t tell Illene… Actually, please do. Let her know I’m worried.”

“Haa…”

Ejnar let out a blatant sigh from the side. Unfortunately, his loyal servant remained completely oblivious, so he kept repeating his requests to Elfreda.

By the time Elfreda finished dealing with Robert’s awkward attempts, they had already arrived at the banquet hall. As they entered, Elfreda could see that many of the delegates had already gathered.

Elfreda followed Ejnar and sat next to him. It was the most prominent seat, where she could easily see the attendees and their positions.

‘…Huh?’

As she scanned the room, Elfreda’s eyes caught sight of a familiar head of hair. It was a shade of blond… slightly lighter than Ejnar’s.

With a look of disbelief on her face, Elfreda locked eyes with the man, and she saw his eyes were a pale green. Her complexion briefly turned pale.

…It’s that man from back then?

‘He’s really here as a delegate.’

She had expected him to be nothing more than a servant.

Elfreda quickly checked the placard in front of his seat to confirm his country of origin.

‘The Lycen Kingdom.’

She remembered something from her queen lessons. Lycen was located to the southwest of Machi, a warm country all year round. The climate made its people gentle and relaxed in nature.

It was also known for its well-developed tourism industry, attracting royalty and nobility from all over the world as a vacation spot. She had noticed his own love for traveling was likely influenced by his country’s booming tourism industry.

Just then, Elfreda’s eyes met the man’s again.

He briefly looked hesitant, and Elfreda, flustered, quickly averted her gaze.

At that moment, the last of the delegates had entered, and the table was filled. Ejnar began to speak with a deep, steady voice.

“I thank you all for traveling from afar to celebrate my birthday. I hope you have all enjoyed the banquet so far.”

“It’s been a splendid banquet, Your Majesty. Thanks to your generous hospitality, we’ve had three very comfortable and enjoyable days.”

“The weather’s been perfect, and the food was delicious. I feel like I might volunteer to be a delegate to Machi again next time.”

The atmosphere was already quite pleasant. The delegates were all here with a sense of gratitude toward Machi.

After conquering the East and earning a notorious reputation across the world, Gunnar, the first Emperor of the barbarian Makaeri, had tried to extend his ambitions to the Western nations. However, it was thanks to the efforts of Machi and Giver, which stood between the Western continent, that the Western nations had been able to maintain peace for years.

If Giver or Machi had fallen, it would have been only a matter of time before another country fell into the hands of Makaeri. From there, it would only be a matter of time before the Western continent was conquered, using that land as a base. Eventually, it might have been possible for the Makaeri flag to be planted on every piece of land across the globe.

To show gratitude for preventing such a disaster, delegates from various countries, despite their official purpose not being diplomatic negotiations, had sent envoys with great care.

“It’s all thanks to the queen. She’s done so well, even though it’s her first time.”

At this unexpected praise, the banquet hall fell silent for a moment. Elfreda looked at Ejnar with a slightly surprised expression.

It wasn’t just Elfreda who was surprised. Given that the king had kept the queen by his side for such a long time during the birthday celebration, the delegates began to wonder if it was more than just a formality.

At that moment, the attention of all the delegates shifted toward the queen, who was sitting quietly beside the king.

A wandering barbarian had been lucky enough to find a ruthless ruler and rapidly conquered the eastern countries, eventually establishing an empire and becoming the ruler of the East. Despite the fact that they hadn’t suffered direct harm, it was clear that their perception of Makaeri wasn’t favorable.