“Congratulations on your pregnancy, Your Majesty.”

Stepping forward as if to shield Caleb, Astrid offered her congratulations. Fabiola’s gaze shifted slowly to her.

“…Ah.”

Tears quickly welled up in Fabiola’s beautiful brown eyes. She, who had been gazing at Astrid with an expression of deep emotion, rose from her seat and almost ran toward her.

Then, she tightly embraced Astrid without hesitation.

“…!”

Astrid froze on the spot, unable to move.

“Ah, the two of them are cousins, aren’t they?”

“Yes, both are from the Bowell family of Hestian, and they’re the same age, too.”

“Hmm, the queen and the grand duchess being cousins. How amusing.”

“Exactly. Right now, His Grace the Grand Duke is first in the line of succession, but if Her Majesty bears a son, the rankings will soon reverse. Even if the Grand Duke has no ambition for the throne, who knows what might happen?”

“That’s true…”

“It’s not a situation the Grand Duke would be pleased about. Even between sisters, there’s bound to be some tension.”

“Well, we can’t be sure! No matter how long he’s wandered the borders, he holds Croatan’s military power in his hands. Would someone like him pay attention to a naive young queen?”

“But, madam, while the king is ill, his life isn’t in danger. And he’s managed to sire a child with this young queen…”

“Marchioness! Mind your words!”

“Hmph. Let them hear if they must. In any case, no matter how close the queen and the grand duchess are, they’re effectively enemies now.”

“Indeed, Lady. Still, it’s interesting to see Her Majesty openly welcome the Grand Duchess like that. Is she simply naive, or does she have another motive?”

“Well… we’ll find out soon enough.”

Behind Astrid, who stood stiffly in Fabiola’s embrace, countless whispers circulated. Though Astrid couldn’t catch every word, she could sense the general atmosphere.

“Your Majesty, the Grand Duke and I intend to return to Cliff today. So—”

“Oh, Astrid, how can you say such a heartless thing?”

Fabiola cut her off as smoothly as a knife slicing through butter. Her expression looked genuinely hurt. Astrid, startled, found her face hardening, and the observing ladies began chattering amongst themselves.

“Surely, you’re not upset because I didn’t greet you separately earlier, are you?”

“Not at all—”

“I’m sorry, Astrid. But this is the most critical time for Croatan. As queen, I had no choice. If I upset you, please forgive me. I didn’t mean to. Yet, I always seem to upset you, don’t I, Astrid?”

“…”

Fabiola’s lips trembled, as though suppressing a laugh, and Astrid, standing closest to her, noticed it clearly. It lasted only a fleeting moment, too brief for others to see.

Astrid felt a shiver crawl up her spine and clenched her fists tightly. She couldn’t afford to show any sign of weakness. Doing so would only invite the inevitable attack.

“You’re always angering me. What have you done, you ask? No, it’s not that. Even if you do nothing, your very existence is poison to me. So please, Astrid, disappear from my life. I beg you. Never return to the Bowell family. This is no longer your home.”

It was the night before Astrid was sold off to the Count’s household. Those were the venomous words Fabiola had spat at her, and Astrid remembered them vividly.

And now, Fabiola clasped Astrid’s hands and pleaded earnestly.

“Stay with me.”

“…!”

“I’m still inexperienced, and the royal court feels so foreign to me. They say I need to remain as stable as possible. Having you, my sister, by my side would ease my heart. Please, at least until I give birth—couldn’t you stay as my lady-in-waiting? I beg you, Astrid.”

With the same lips that had cursed her to never return, Fabiola now demanded Astrid’s presence.

For a moment, Astrid’s mind, overwhelmed by a whirlwind of emotions, went blank.

Fabiola, what on earth are you…!

Astrid stared blankly at Fabiola’s small, radiant face. Then, that familiar expression emerged on her features—outwardly serene, yet hiding a venomous intent.

Astrid knew this face all too well. Seeing it again made the hairs on her neck stand on end.

What are you planning now…

Whenever Fabiola wore that expression, something unpleasant inevitably followed. Overwhelmed by anxiety, Astrid bit her lip hard. She couldn’t let herself be caught off guard again.

After all, this was the new life Caleb had helped her build from the ground up. She wouldn’t stand by and watch anyone trample over it, not even Fabiola.

Especially not Fabiola.

Astrid lifted her gaze and met Fabiola’s confidently.

“Your Majesty, how could I be upset with you? It pains me to think you would misunderstand my feelings.”

“Really? Then you’ll stay by my side?”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. That would be difficult. The Grand Duchess’s foremost duty is to support the Grand Duke and safeguard our lands. I hope you’ll understand with your generous heart.”

Astrid bent her knees slightly in a respectful bow, asking for Fabiola’s understanding. However, her gaze remained fixed straight ahead, not downward.

The previous gesture seemed to express regret but was far from an apology. Her elegant mannerisms, impeccable decorum, and calm yet confident tone radiated an air of a great noblewoman to anyone watching.

“The queen is still young and inexperienced, isn’t she? Perhaps the Grand Duchess surpasses Her Majesty in many ways? After all, the original heir of the Bowell family was the Grand Duchess herself… quite fitting, indeed.”

“…!”

The shard of someone’s comment struck a deep chord in Fabiola, poking at the inferiority complex she harbored deep in her chest.

The lingering bitterness of the whispers among the people left a sour taste in her mouth. Fabiola furrowed her delicate brows, scanning the crowd with a slow, deliberate gaze.

She wanted to determine exactly who had dared utter such a vile remark.

‘Was it the Marchioness? Or perhaps the Baroness beside her? I knew both of them were irritating from the start.’

As Fabiola kept her eyes on the two women still whispering behind their fans, a familiar voice broke her concentration, pulling her attention elsewhere.

“…Your Majesty the Queen?”

The irksome voice belonged to Astrid.

‘Those detestable blue eyes! Every time she wanted something, she’d open them wide and gaze at Uncle like that.’

Fabiola met Astrid’s eyes and subtly lifted the corners of her mouth, her gaze cold as ice.

‘A wretched girl, cast out to a convent after losing everything, now dares to challenge me under the Grand Duke’s protection. This is why I despised you. Acting pure, pretending to know nothing, and feigning to have no desires—yet here you are, taking the place I discarded. And instead of gratitude, you’re defiant.’

From the depths of her heart, searing anger began to bubble. But Fabiola reminded herself to stay composed, especially in moments like this.

She began counting to herself, slowly. When she reached three, she finally restored her calm demeanor.

“Your words are valid. But wouldn’t a sister care for her own sibling? Especially until the birth? It wouldn’t be too much to ask, would it?”

“That is…”

Just as Astrid hesitated and was about to reply, Caleb stepped forward and answered in her stead.

“That won’t be possible, Your Majesty. The royal palace already has numerous attendants dedicated to serving you, including Lady McDowell here, who would give their lives for you. The Grand Duchess is not someone meant to perform such duties.”

“Grand Duke! How could you say such a thing?”

Fabiola’s face twisted as if she were on the verge of tears, her demeanor that of someone deeply insulted. But Caleb didn’t so much as blink, coldly cutting off her words with his impassive face.

“My wife is indispensable to Cliff. I’m afraid she’s not an object to be loaned out.”

“Grand Duke, how could you phrase it so harshly? That’s not what I meant…”

“It reminds me of something from the past.”

“…Pardon?”

Caleb’s darkened eyes bore into Fabiola, his stare sharp and penetrating, as though he sought to unearth her innermost thoughts.

‘How dare he look at me, the queen of this land, as though I were a mere stable hand or a foolish commoner!’

Under Caleb’s brazenly disrespectful gaze, Fabiola trembled with humiliation.

‘Wait. The past? Could he possibly…?’

The insinuation sent a chill down her spine. If he were to bring up their engagement and subsequent annulment—a secret buried long ago—it would be disastrous. Her father had pleaded with him repeatedly to keep it confidential, and in exchange, they had been forced to provide him with a significant quantity of potions for free.

Though the arrangement was a loss, it seemed worthwhile at the time. After all, the annulment had paved the way for her to secure a far better match. Ultimately, the victor wasn’t Astrid, but herself. She had ascended to the throne as queen, a position Astrid could only dream of.

‘What good are youth and good looks when you’re an uncultured savage?’

Becoming the wife of a barbarian, eking out a life in the desolate Cliff, would have been worse than death.

‘Who cares if it’s a second wife’s position? Being queen is infinitely better. Life in Cliff can’t compare to the luxury of the capital. Besides, my elderly husband doesn’t have much time left…’

Their engagement and its dissolution had been thoroughly concealed. No one in Croatan knew of their past connection.

‘Well, perhaps the likes of Duke Xavier and a few others know. But what good would it do them to reveal it?’

She believed Caleb had no reason to disclose their shared history either. Revealing that he had once been involved with the queen would only sour his relations with the king. It was a mutual blemish best left untouched.

But that assumption had been a grave misjudgment.

‘I underestimated the Grand Duke. No matter how arrogant and barbaric he is, I never expected him to shamelessly wield our past as a threat…’

Fabiola’s delicate face was a canvas of emotions in that brief moment. Observing her fluctuating expressions, Caleb could easily guess what was running through her mind.

As someone who had lived for years on the battlefield, where life and death hung by a thread, Caleb had mastered reading his opponents. He never overlooked a sign of hostility or danger.

Before that crafty woman could spin another web of lies, Caleb was determined to shut her down.

Requesting Astrid as her lady-in-waiting? He would ensure she never made such an insolent request again.

‘The best defense is a good offense.’