To The Traitor in My Bed - Chapter 59
Chapter 30. The Reason Milk and Sugar Are Needed at Tea Time
As Deirdre left the Havisham townhouse, she made her way directly to the Swinton Palace for her report.
Her mind was tangled with thoughts, and her heart even more so, but one thing Dorian had told her solidified her suspicions into certainty.
‘Heather Glenwell was a lady-in-waiting to Her Majesty the Queen.’
In that case, Heather’s child must be…
“Lady Rochepolie, would you like to see the Queen?”
The court secretary asked. Without thinking, Deirdre nodded.
‘Does Queen Caroline know about this…?’
Anyone who had seen the Queen deteriorating daily knew how Christian treated her.
However, the King neither cast out a queen who couldn’t bear children nor took a mistress.
In some ways, with such protection from the King, the Queen could have wielded power comparable to his if she wished. At times, it even seemed as though Christian might desire that… at least that’s how it appeared to Deirdre.
On the other hand, Caroline never seemed to pursue power. She showed no interest in involving herself in politics or manipulating the socialite women of Antwerp, even though she was the most prominent lady in the land.
Deirdre didn’t dare to speculate on the Queen’s inner thoughts, but she had a vague sense that this aloofness was perhaps Caroline’s way of resisting.
When she was escorted to the Queen’s reception room, Deirdre flinched slightly.
“Ah, Havisham. You’ve come.”
Christian, who had been sitting next to Caroline, greeted her leisurely. He was dressed in comfortable indoor clothes, not the formal uniform he usually wore for official occasions.
Deirdre felt like an intruder into the couple’s private space, but she greeted them respectfully, ignoring the awkward feeling.
“…Countess Rochepolie, Deirdre Fairchild, greets the King.”
“Yes, of course.”
A smile graced the King’s face.
“You’ve been to Rochepolie, then?”
“Yes, I arrived in Swinton yesterday.”
Deirdre tensed, fearing that he would ask why she hadn’t reported sooner. However, Christian didn’t seem concerned about that. His golden eyes turned to the Queen, and Caroline, who had been sitting stiffly, automatically spoke.
“Welcome, Deirdre. How was Rochepolie?”
Caroline’s violet eyes were empty. Uncharitably, Deirdre felt a flicker of pity as she answered.
“It was cold, and there was a lot of snow.”
“Did you see many snow deer?”
At that moment, Deirdre remembered that she had forgotten her promise to send a drawing of a snow deer.
“Yes… actually, I forgot to bring the drawing of the snow deer. I can contact Rochepolie now and…”
“No need to trouble yourself that much.”
Christian laughed coldly, pouring tea for Deirdre and offering it to her. As she reluctantly sipped it, he spoke softly to the top of her head.
“Rather than spending money to have it painted, wouldn’t it be easier to just kill them all and ship them here? It’s winter, so no need to worry about them spoiling. Besides, this person gets bored with things quickly anyway.”
“Your Majesty is right.”
Caroline nodded obediently.
“I no longer wish to see snow deer. I don’t like animals.”
The tea was very pleasant, both in aroma and taste. The sweets and fruits piled on the plate were certainly delicious, but Deirdre couldn’t bring herself to swallow them. Her eyes were drawn to the sugar bowl next to the tiered plate.
She subtly pulled the milk jug closer. Tea with milk wasn’t to her taste. The Rochepolie family didn’t even consider tea with milk to be proper tea. And she had once shared this thought with Caroline.
“Frederick loves all sweets, but when it comes to milk tea, he won’t touch it, saying it’s neither tea nor milk. He’s such a funny man.”
If the Queen remembered that…
As she poured the milk into her tea, she braced herself for the next insult from Christian.
“Fairchild returned to Swinton first. Why didn’t you two come together?”
“It was because someone had to stay behind and take care of the Rochepolie estate, Your Majesty.”
“Or maybe the two of you are having problems? Like Caroline and me.”
Christian said with a certain amusement.
Deirdre took a sip of her tea and added a little more milk. Caroline was watching her movements intently.
Deirdre smiled boldly at the King.
“You personally brought us together, Your Majesty. So it’s impossible for us to be at odds.”
“That was already two years ago.”
Christian glanced at the Queen, who was sitting with her back straight.
“Seems like infertility is becoming a trend among noblewomen. So ungrateful.”
Caroline slowly closed her eyes and then opened them again. Deirdre lifted the lid of the sugar bowl and used the silver spoon to scoop out some sugar. Her hand trembled slightly as she stirred the tea, but she kept smiling, hoping not to give herself away.
‘…You know, don’t you?’
Caroline knows what Christian did to the maid.
No, Christian must have intentionally made sure Caroline knew. Perhaps he even did that to Lady Heather just so Caroline would find out. Bringing up this subject and tormenting both women was proof of that.
“Or does Fairchild not know how to make a child? He’s so foolish, after all.”
Christian sneered as he scanned Deirdre’s body.
Every time someone spoke ill of her husband, Deirdre had always felt an odd discomfort. But this time, the feeling wasn’t just discomfort; it was pure rage. A man who would impregnate his wife’s lady-in-waiting to torment his wife had no right to speak to his subjects this way.
And Frederick certainly knew how.
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