The Queen Who Deserves To Be Tainted - Chapter 63.2

Her heart started racing, and her eyes stung as if she was about to cry. Slowly turning around, she saw him walking toward her, with a slightly crooked gaze. It was Ejnar.

Elfreda unconsciously took a deep breath and looked at him.

“…Your Majesty.”

He continued walking at a slow pace, eventually stopping right in front of her.

Ejnar’s slightly crooked expression scanned Elfreda’s face, which had shifted to an awkward look. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.

“Who became a statue here?”

“Ah…”

“I was curious, so I came to check.”

Had she really been standing there that long? Elfreda’s face instantly flushed.

“I was just about to leave.”

“So, after all that long thinking, your conclusion was…”

He chuckled softly and took another step closer to her. At this distance, it felt as if their lips were almost touching, and Elfreda’s heart sank in her chest.

“You were going to leave without seeing me?”

“…That’s…”

Elfreda realized she couldn’t hide her thoughts any longer and made an excuse.

“I thought you might be busy.”

“Then you should have just gone straight away.”

Ejnar narrowed his eyes slightly, bending down to Elfreda’s level.

“You’ve been standing here, clearly troubled.”

Her cheeks flushed even more as they were mere inches apart. It felt as if she couldn’t even breathe, her entire body on the verge of overheating.

Ejnar, oblivious to his own smile as he admired the sight, asked,

“So, how did the tea party go?”

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s efforts, it went well.”

“Anything special happen?”

Elfreda hesitated before answering immediately.

“It wasn’t bad.”

Ejnar’s eyes narrowed slightly as he already knew the whole situation. Though she had become more open compared to the first tea party, she still wasn’t telling him everything.

Why does she hide so much from him? Like with the teddy bear…

‘Someone might think I’m being considerate to avoid worrying her.’

At that moment, Ejnar’s expression quickly hardened at a thought that struck him. Elfreda, noticing the change, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Your Majesty?”

“…”

“Is something wrong?”

Her clear, untroubled face was filled with concern as she came closer to him. For a moment, Ejnar felt as if he had been struck in the back of the head.

This was the first time he thought about it. The affectionate gaze that he had always dismissed as part of her facade to charm him might actually be her true feelings.

If that’s the case, does this woman really…

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“…No.”

He quickly shook his head. His movements grew urgent as if trying to shake off the thoughts flooding his mind.

Elfreda still narrowed her eyes slightly, and Ejnar took a short breath before speaking.

“I’m glad to hear it wasn’t bad.”

If all of his previous confusion had really been the result of her consideration for him, could he really just dismiss it as simple affection? Can a person go that far just because they like someone?

The question suddenly surged within him, and his chest grew cold. He had always been confident that he understood the woman in front of him, but for the first time, he lost that confidence.

Maybe this woman’s inner thoughts are more complicated than he understands. Or perhaps there’s something he didn’t know about her… He felt an uneasy premonition. He couldn’t follow through with his plan to approach her calmly, embrace her, and kiss her.

Strangely, he suddenly felt fear towards the woman in front of him. Even when he knew she had come to him with intentions to overtake Machi, he never felt this way. He doesn’t understand this feeling now. But he didn’t show it and decided to let her go for now.

“Be careful on your way back.”

“Ah, yes.”

Elfreda smiled faintly and lowered her head.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

The woman turned and walked away. Ejnar watched her for a long time, unable to take his eyes off her graceful, upright posture as she walked. For some reason, he couldn’t take his gaze away from her back.

Noticing the change in his demeanor, Robert cautiously asked.

“What’s going on, Your Majesty?”

“…Nothing.”

Ejnar continued to fix his gaze on Elfreda, then asked, still absorbed in his thoughts.

“Did you say that it was Lady Wyann who helped the queen earlier?”

“Yes. Apparently, she’s been particularly friendly to the queen today.”

Though he understood that Rachela’s slip of the tongue wasn’t entirely unexpected, Lady Harriet’s friendliness seemed too intentional to be easily understood.

Even though she had only debuted last year, does it make sense to approach so warmly from the start towards the queen with such a reputation surrounding her?

“Keep an eye on Lady Wyann.”

If there’s some hidden agenda, we’ll see.