The Queen Who Deserves To Be Tainted - Chapter 59.1

As Elfreda laughed along beside him, she leaned in and whispered to Ejnar.

“Your Majesty, is something wrong?”

Little did the queen know that it was the entire cheerful atmosphere that bothered him.

“Did you bite your tongue? Should I call for the physician?”

When Ejnar saw Elfreda looking at him with such a concerned gaze, he felt the heat that had been rising in his chest quickly subside.

He managed a small smile, shaking his head gently. Elfreda looked relieved and returned her focus to Prince Moska’s story.

Soon, another bright smile appeared on her face. Ejnar watched her quietly and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Well, if she’s enjoying herself like that…

* * *

Before long, the meal had progressed to the dessert course. Prince Moska, still the life of the banquet, telling stories of his time in Makaeri in an engaging, episodic manner. His excellent storytelling kept everyone fully engaged without any trace of boredom.

Elfreda, who had lived a secluded life in the palace until she left Makaeri, found Prince Moska’s stories fascinating, while Serina, who had grown up as a princess of a royal family without any deficiencies, took a slightly different view.

From the very beginning, Serina had been uncomfortable with the fact that the delegates were asking Elfreda, who had left Makaeri, about the country instead of asking the princess herself. It didn’t feel right that a foreigner who was not even from Makaeri, was introducing the great empire of Makaeri so casually.

However, since most of Prince Moska’s accounts were positive, Serina quietly listened.

“Ah, I hear Makaeri is a country with no real enemies now?”

“Do you think Makaeri has no flaws at all, Prince?”

“Well, no country is without its persistent problems. Lycen is the same, and just like every country here, Makaeri has its share of issues.”

At that, Serina slightly furrowed her brows.

“Of course, it’s been suppressed, but I heard that the Ethyl tribe, which Emperor Gunnar fought so hard to subdue, rebelled just last year. They say it’s difficult for anyone who’s not from Makaeri to hold key positions in society. I don’t think that kind of discrimination is good for nurturing talent.”

“Haha, yes, the unification through sheer force was bound to have its issues.”

“Exactly. The more diverse a country becomes, the more careful and thoughtful the approach should be.”

Serina’s expression immediately stiffened at the words, which could easily be taken as gossip.

Indeed, in the lands where the Makaeri people had roamed, there were many different tribes, each occupying their own territories. Gunnar had unified all those territories by force, and under his son’s rule, a policy of integration was put in place. However, it remained largely superficial, and had dissatisfaction beneath the surface.

Despite recognizing the practical issues, Serina, who had high pride in her own country, could only feel offended.

‘How dare they disrespect Makaeri?’

Having already experienced a humiliating failure when she tried to convince her father to invade Machi, Serina felt even more humiliated as this situation reminded her of that time.

These insignificant Westerners were even disrespecting Makaeri now.

Serina, who firmly believed that the foundation of domination was fear, was already planning to report this to her father as soon as she returned. She would once again urge him to push for an invasion of Machi.

“Anyway, unless the diverse ethnicities are fully absorbed, it will continue to be a threat to Makaeri.”

“It’s truly heartening as a princess of Makaeri to hear such concern from all of you.”

But Serina wasn’t about to keep her thoughts in check.

Not bothering to hide her displeasure, Serina coolly responded.

“At the end of the day, they’re all just petty little subordinates who’ve been crushed beneath the feet of the Emperor. As you said, sometimes these ignorant ones try to rise against the mighty Makaeri imperial family.”

Serina scoffed with a scornful voice.

“They can squirm as much as they want, but it’s nothing that a good stomp won’t fix.”

The aggressive nature of her words immediately caused the atmosphere in the banquet hall to turn cold.

“Oh, it seems I’ve inadvertently upset the Princess with my words.”