#Side Story 4

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After the young, vigorous new King ascended to the throne, the royal court became more lively than before.

Today, King Jonathan invited the capital’s nobles to the palace to celebrate the Queen’s pregnancy. 

The celebration was so grand that everyone could see how much the King had been anticipating this news.

The King’s heart had been burning with impatience watching the Queen without any news yet, while his cousin, Duke Dominic Linderto, had already had an adorable son.

So everyone could guess how happy he must have been about the Queen’s pregnancy, just by looking at today’s lavish party.

The ducal couple naturally attended the celebration.

Ellin, dressed in a sky-blue dress with a white lace shawl, stepped out of the carriage with her husband’s escort.

The ducal couple was rumored throughout the kingdom for their extraordinarily good relationship.

People whispered with envious glances as they watched the couple.

Whenever people whispered behind her, memories of the past flashed through Ellin’s mind.

She had to endure criticism for entering a marriage that didn’t align with her status.

Those bitter memories unconsciously made her shoulders shrink, but soon her back straightened gently.

Now she was a proper mistress of the ducal family.

“Ellin. Just a moment.”

Even when he had to leave his wife alone briefly, Dominic couldn’t easily leave her side.

“I think we need to finish our conversation from earlier.”

The moment he briefly kissed her forehead, sighs from noble ladies could almost be heard from somewhere.

The Duke seemed reluctant to part from his wife even for a moment, but soon left for the group of people looking for him.

He was not only a good husband but also a businessman always hungry for business.

Dominic, after returning from their dreamlike time in Castia, had started to immerse himself in work again.

Ellin shook her head with a resigned smile, as if thinking it was indeed difficult to separate him from his work.

Unlike Ellin, whose eyes dripped with honey, other noble ladies’ gazes toward their husbands were either cold or irritated.

They seemed to find their own husbands—pot-bellied, balding, and lingering only around the food—pathetic and displeasing.

But that didn’t last long.

They soon approached the Duchess with gentle smiles on their lips, trying to show off their friendliness.

To maintain amicable relationships in the capital’s social circles, it was very important to maintain friendly relations with the Linderto ducal family, second only to the royal family.

“Duchess. I heard His Majesty prepared a meaningful event for Her Majesty the Queen today. Have you heard anything about it?”

“That’s right. The Duke must know something since he and His Majesty are close friends?”

“Please give us a little hint.”

They tried to find some clues but got nothing from Ellin.

Ellin knew nothing about what the King had prepared for the Queen.

Rather, after hearing their words, Ellin also became curious.

“Well, I’m curious too.”

While she was shaking her head in puzzlement, majestic music began to play.

It seemed the King and Queen had finally appeared in the banquet hall.

The distinguished guests bowed their heads in respect as the royal couple passed by.

Ellin also stepped back slightly with a faint smile on her lips.

Silvia, who had believed Duke Linderto to be her lifelong love, had changed after becoming Queen.

Her face had transformed into one full of love for her husband.

Perhaps because of this, she no longer treated Ellin coldly as before.

“Lady Linderto.”

Even now, while quietly passing by others, she winked and smiled only at Ellin.

She looked unable to hide her happiness in the King’s love, who was no less—or perhaps even more—demonstratively affectionate than the Duke.

Ellin’s gaze, which had been warmly watching the harmonious royal couple, naturally turned somewhere else.

She couldn’t take her eyes off someone following behind the King and Queen.

“That person……”

The middle-aged man who looked like a foreign nobleman caught not only Ellin’s attention but also that of others.

With his elegant and dignified aura, he resembled both a scholar and a foreign minister.

“It seems someone has come from abroad to offer congratulations.”

Others must have had similar thoughts, as whispers trying to guess who he was could be heard.

“I’ve definitely seen him before.”

Ellin felt a sense of déjà vu, as if she had seen him somewhere. But she couldn’t remember where, which frustrated her.

He had the same reaction as he passed by Ellin.

He turned back several times as if he knew her.

A mysterious feeling of not knowing each other well yet somehow recognizing each other.

It wasn’t just one person’s feeling, but both felt it simultaneously.

“Who are you staring at so intently? Do you know him?”

Dominic, who had appeared beside her, lightly put his arm around his wife’s waist and complained.

He must have noticed that the man who just passed by, though older, was quite attractive.

“No. I just feel like I’ve seen him somewhere, but I can’t remember.”

“Hmm.”

Dominic raised one eyebrow and scrutinized the man’s back again, as if he had met a competitor.

Ellin burst into light laughter at his expression.

Finding her childlike husband cute, she lightly slapped his muscular arm and gave him a slight side-eye.

“Stop it. It’s embarrassing with people watching.”

When the King and Queen ascended to the platform, soft melodies began to play in the hall.

People’s attention naturally focused on the King and Queen.

Ellin and Dominic also held hands and directed their gaze toward them.

When King Jonathan slightly raised his hand, the music in the hall stopped as if on cue, and people’s movements ceased.

“I’m sure you all know why you were invited today. Thank you for gathering to celebrate the Queen’s pregnancy.”

The King looked majestic as he greeted the invited dignitaries.

“He must be so happy.”

“I know, right? Somehow he seems even more extravagant than when they got married.”

Some noble ladies giggled behind their fans, while older gentlemen quietly cleared their throats.

For good reason—the royal family officially holding a celebration for the Queen’s pregnancy?

It was unprecedented in the long history of the royal family.

There had occasionally been parties in the past to commemorate the birth of princes or princesses, but such a fuss before the birth, gathering all the kingdom’s nobles, was rare.

What followed was even more extraordinary.

“I prepared a gift for the Queen, who has gone through so much, and I wanted to share that moment with all of you.”

When Jonathan spoke while looking at Silvia, a blush rose to her cheeks.

Although she hadn’t won Duke Linderto, her lifelong love, Silvia looked as happy as if she had everything in the world at this moment.

“First, I have someone to introduce. This person helped me give a meaningful gift to the Queen.”

At Jonathan’s words, everyone’s gaze turned to the man standing beside the King.

The man nodded slightly to greet the people.

People’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as they waited for the King’s next words.

“Some of you may have heard of him. The genius painter, Alment Garcien.”

When his name was mentioned, the hall briefly stirred.

Ellin’s eyes also rounded in surprise.

‘That man is Alment Garcien?’

He wasn’t from the kingdom. He was from Kisar, a neighboring country, and a very famous artist.

His name was known beyond Kisar, even in other kingdoms.

She had heard he was a respected court painter who had also trained many outstanding disciples at the academy.

His disciples were showcasing their talents in various countries.

She had read in a book that the Kisar royal family had awarded him a high title in recognition of his contributions to the kingdom.

‘I wondered where I’d seen him—was it in a book?’

Ellin thought she must have seen his portrait in a book she had casually read about him.

“After much effort, I managed to get Sir Alment Garcien to agree to paint my wife’s portrait.”

Commissioning work from him wasn’t easy, even for a king of another country.

It was well known that he wouldn’t paint for just anyone, even for vast sums of money.

Now it made sense why Jonathan had thrown such a grand party, having received one of his paintings.

“I brought him from Kisar to our kingdom, treating him as a state guest, so he could paint the Queen. I thought it was a good opportunity since the Queen had joyful news. I wanted to showcase the portrait of my wife to everyone and also appreciate his work, so I arranged this gathering.”

“It was my honor to paint Her Majesty the Queen.”

Alment also bowed respectfully and humbly to the King and Queen.

Now understanding the situation, people turned their attention to the large object carried by the royal attendants.

Their eyes were filled with curiosity about what the portrait of the Queen, painted by the genius artist, would look like under that red velvet cloth.

Queen Silvia, who apparently hadn’t seen her portrait yet either, looked somewhat excited.

“Well then.”

When Jonathan lightly pulled down the red cloth, it slipped off smoothly, revealing a large portrait.

“Wow!”

Exclamations of admiration echoed throughout the hall.

In the painting, the Queen sat on a sofa beside a large window. It was so vivid, as if truly alive and breathing, that even Ellin momentarily held her breath when she saw it.

The transparent sparkle of sunlight pouring through the window and even the fine hair on her white skin seemed touchable—the work was impressive enough to draw spontaneous admiration.

His skill certainly matched his reputation.

Following the exclamations, scattered applause began to sound from various places around the hall.

Silvia looked momentarily dazed with emotion at her beautifully painted image.

Soon she kissed the King’s cheek, making those around them smile.