The Queen Who Deserves To Be Tainted - Chapter 60.2

As he looked into her beautiful purple eyes, he finally felt satisfied. Ejnar gently stroked her cheek a few times before murmuring.

“You’re giving me those pitiful eyes.”

…So that’s how I look, Elfreda thought, feeling dumbfounded.

Abandoned? That’s ridiculous. She had never truly belonged to him in the first place.

Suddenly aware of her position, Elfreda felt like she might cry, but she forced a smile and tried to laugh it off.

“No, it’s nothing. I was just going to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For letting me host the tea party at the central palace. As you know…”

Elfreda felt a bit embarrassed speaking so honestly, but she still confessed quietly.

“Not everyone likes me that much.”

“It’s fine. They probably don’t like me either.”

“What?”

Ejnar laughed quietly to himself.

“Do you think all the late queen’s close attendants are going to like me?”

Some of them had even insisted that Anders should be crowned king instead of Ejnar.

Though the late queen had ignored them, Ejnar knew that there were still people who disliked him, and he believed some still did.

“They’ll come, though. They can’t defy a royal order.”

“That’s fine.”

Ejnar muttered as he stroked Elfreda’s cheek again. Elfreda felt the touch like a comforting gesture, and warmth spread through her.

Although the earlier anxiety hadn’t completely faded, she told herself to enjoy the kindness he was offering now.

* * *

When Elfreda returned to the Solar Palace, Illene was waiting outside to greet her. Seeing that Illene looked healthy, Elfreda smiled and hurried toward her.

“Illene, it’s cold at night, why aren’t you inside?”

“…Ah, I had a good, long nap and I’m feeling better now. How was the banquet?”

“Yes, it was fun. By the way, I’m going to host a tea party at the central palace.”

When Elfreda told Illene about the decision, Illene’s face brightened with joy.

“That’s wonderful! Since His Majesty is involved, I’m sure all the noble ladies will gladly accept the invitation.”

However, Illene couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. Princess Rachela must be aware that Elfreda didn’t have the best standing in society.

The idea of hosting a tea party on her own, or even inviting Elfreda as a guest, didn’t seem like a particularly thoughtful decision.

If it were Illene, she would have approached Elfreda first and asked her to organize the gathering. That way, even the noble ladies who didn’t like Elfreda would have a hard time refusing, knowing that Rachela was involved.

But Illene didn’t want to bring this up and make Elfreda uncomfortable. Rachela would be leaving soon, so perhaps it was unnecessary to be so cautious. After all, the king had stepped in to protect Elfreda’s dignity.

“I’ll try to prepare well. Oh, and speaking of the central palace, it just reminded me.”

Elfreda, who had been smiling, suddenly dropped a bombshell on Illene.

“Sir Robert was worried about you.”

“…He was? About me?”

“Yes. I told him you couldn’t come because you weren’t feeling well, but he asked me to let you know he’s concerned.”

“Haha… that’s kind of him.”

“Are you quite close with Sir Robert?”

“Close…that’s too much. We’re just childhood friends.”

Illene gave a somewhat awkward smile and explained.

“My mother passed away when I was young, so Marchioness Eugen took care of me a lot.”

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. She treated me like her own daughter.”

Because of this, Illene felt especially burdened for any romantic involvement with Robert. If they were to marry, it would be one thing, but if something went wrong in the middle, it would cause complications.

Even if she never saw Robert again, she would still be losing a mother-like figure in Marchioness Eugen.

“So, it seems like Sir Robert is really worried about you.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it worrying over something so small…”

“By the way, I heard Sir Robert went to the masquerade ball.”

With this new uncomfortable topic, Illene’s face started to pale.