Chapter 69

Adelina, who had been despondent just a moment ago, suddenly brightened and stared intently at Lexion.  

Lexion speared another piece of steak and placed it in Adelina’s mouth.  

“Eat. You’re feeling down because you’re hungry.”  

“Alright. So how am I enough?”  

Adelina extended both hands to request the fork and knife, indicating she wanted to cut her own food, but Lexion pretended not to notice and continued slicing the meat.  

“I don’t eat eggplant. Take it out. So how am I enough?”  

When he brought the fork to her lips, she shook her head slightly and asked again.  

“Hahaha. My wife is persistent.”  

Lexion put down the fork and turned Adelina to face him.  

Her bright eyes urged him to answer quickly.  

“Even if you don’t have black hair, even if you don’t have black eyes, you’re beautiful. That’s enough.”  

Adelina smiled brightly, seemingly pleased with his answer.  

“I’ll eat on my own now. You’ll wait for me, right?”  

“Of course.”  

Lexion belatedly realized that Adelina had taken the fork and knife from his hand.  

Holding a wine glass in one hand, he watched as Adelina continuously moved her small lips while eating.  

+++  

“It’s the Queen! Look!”  

As soon as Adelina stepped outside the palace, rumors spread rapidly.  

Lexion intentionally rode with Adelina to the coastal village.  

During the long journey, people had plenty of opportunities to see Adelina’s silver hair.  

“Her hair color is different from ours.”  

Adelina and Lexion dismounted in the coastal village.  

Children, holding hands, peeked at Adelina standing beside Lexion from behind buildings or trees.  

“The village is quite damaged. The soldiers will help with the restoration.”  

“Thank you, Your Highness.”  

While Lexion instructed the soldiers, Adelina looked around.  

People stared openly at her, but when she turned her head, they quickly pretended to be busy with other tasks.  

“They say her eye color is different too. It’s golden.”  

The whispers of children behind a tree reached the area where Adelina’s group was.  

Though they thought they were hiding, the tall adults could see them all.  

“You brats, be quiet!”

The people who seemed to be the children’s parents rushed over and smacked the children’s backs.  

‘I should have worn a black wig…’  

Adelina’s heart ached at the children’s innocent voices, but she smiled brightly in the direction of the sound.  

‘Cheer up! This is my appearance now! Hair color and eye color aren’t important. What’s important is that I’m Lexion’s wife and the Queen!’  

Adelina slowly approached where the children were.  

The afternoon sun cast Adelina’s shadow long on the ground.  

Her shadow met the shadows of the trees where the children were hiding.  

“Oh no! Oh no! She’s coming this way!”  

The children’s shadows danced excitedly, stomping their feet.  

Now, the children’s shadows and Adelina’s shadow merged.  

“Hello.”  

When Adelina tilted her head to the side and greeted them, her silver hair flowed to the right.  

“Really!”  

One child, about to say more, was startled and covered their mouth with both hands.

Even without hearing the rest, everyone understood.  

“It’s really unique, isn’t it? I sometimes get surprised by my appearance too.”

Because she’s so pretty, unlike in her past life.

Adelina crouched to match the children’s eye level.  

When she smiled warmly, the children grew more excited and surrounded her.  

“Oh. I have a mole here too. Isn’t it unique?”  

The tallest boy showed a bulge beside his finger.  

“I have a red dot here. Isn’t it unique?”  

The boy next to him lifted his shirt to show beside his belly button.  

“Oh? I see.”  

Adelina awkwardly agreed and subtly stood up.  

‘This is bad! The kids are starting to brag! I need to escape!’  

Adelina hurriedly looked for Lexion.  

He was examining a large paper, seemingly deep in conversation with the village elders.  

“I…”  

A girl, looking about seven, gently tugged on Adelina’s sleeve.  

When Adelina looked down at the girl’s face, the girl sat down on the ground and took off her shoe.  

“I have a dot on my instep here.”  

“Well… I see.”  

Seeing the girl shyly speak but proudly smile, Adelina grew even more anxious.  

“Oh! My dad has a thingy!”

The youngest boy shouted loudly, unwilling to be outdone.  

His voice was so loud that even Lexion and the village elders turned their heads this way.  

‘Please… don’t say that…’  

Adelina felt like covering her ears.  

When her eyes met Lexion’s, she mouthed ‘help me,’ but Lexion just crossed his arms and tilted his head sideways.  

“Hey! Be quiet!”  

The boy’s mother rushed over and covered his mouth.  

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. The kids are just so immature… They got excited meeting someone new after only seeing villagers.”  

Without giving Adelina a chance to respond, the boy’s mother quickly bowed several times and ran off with the boy.  

‘Thank goodness. I don’t have to hear about a stranger’s thingy…’  

Relieved, Adelina slowly made her way out of there.  

‘I should abandon the plan to win over adults by charming the children.’  

Perhaps dealing with children was too challenging for her.  

“Hey.”  

A boy’s voice came from behind.  

Adelina turned around, putting a gentle smile back on her face.  

“Hello?”  

A boy stood holding a rose.  

‘This boy was lingering with that rose earlier.’  

Judging by the state of the rose, it didn’t seem bought from a florist; it looked like it was picked from a house or street.  

“Um… this! I wanted to give this to you!”  

The boy, with a face as red as a beet, thrust the rose forward.  

“Thank you.”  

Adelina smiled sweetly and extended her hand.  

The thought of the boy hesitating and nervously deciding to give her the rose was quite endearing.  

“Your Highness! You’re like an angel!”  

The boy practically threw the rose at Adelina and ran off, covering his flushed face with both hands.  

“Hahaha, that boy is becoming a man now.”  

“No wonder he has only been looking at roses since yesterday.”  

The villagers’ laughter followed the boy.  

Lexion approached Adelina with the village elders.  

“In the meantime, you’ve charmed another man?”  

When Lexion tried to take the rose, Adelina turned sideways and clutched the rose tightly with both hands.  

“Lexion. Check my back. Are my angel wings still there?”  

Adelina turned her head as far back as she could, lowering her eyes.  

“Ahem. The village elders have prepared a feast for us.”  

Lexion cleared his throat, placing a fist to his mouth, and gently brushed Adelina’s back, holding her waist.  

‘Thank goodness the people don’t dislike me.’  

Adelina turned her head to look at the trees where the children had been hiding.

+++

The next morning, Hailyn barged into Adelina’s bedroom during breakfast.  

“Your Highness, everything is ready.”  

“Why… why are you preparing my things, Hailyn?”  

Adelina stuffed a freshly baked small rye bread with salad and squeezed Ernst’s special salty ham in between, taking a big bite.  

‘Delicious! It tastes like a luxurious sandwich!’  

It was probably much tastier than the expensive sandwich she couldn’t afford during the war.  

“The special ship sent by His Majesty the Emperor has just arrived at the port. If you depart today, you can arrive just in time for His Majesty’s birthday banquet.”  

Hailyn asked the maids for water to wash her hands.  

She approached Seyra, neatly wrapped a sandwich, and handed it to Adelina.  

“His Majesty’s birthday banquet?”  

“Yes, Your Highness. You only need to bring yourself. Everything has been prepared by Sir Jaeyon.”

Adelina quietly observed the well-made sandwich Hailyn handed her and the clumsy one Seyra made.  

‘Hailyn. She prepared everything in advance. She must have arranged everything before coming to Ernst.’

Adelina took Seyra’s sandwich and took a bite.  

‘Fox.’  

She squinted her eyes, glaring at Hailyn.  

“Please eat quickly.”

Hailyn shrugged once and handed Adelina the sandwich she made with her other hand.  

+++

In the end, Adelina decided to depart for the Tiola Empire that very day.  

Ten maids, including Seyra, were to accompany her, and they hurriedly packed.  

Lexion visited Adelina’s office to meet her as she finished urgent work.  

“I can’t let you go.”  

He stood her up from her desk, where she was signing documents, and hugged her tightly.  

He didn’t want to send her away.  

He didn’t want to send her like a hostage for some aircraft carrier he didn’t even understand.  

“Prince Isya demanded me as a hostage. If I go, we can obtain Tiola Empire’s sailing ship. Ernst’s current technology can’t build such a large ship. We need Tiola Empire’s ship.”

Sensing Lexion’s feelings, Adelina gently stroked his back.  

“I’ll definitely come to get you. And I won’t send you anywhere again.”  

Lexion’s arms around Adelina tightened.  

“Why are you acting like this… like a possessive man.”  

Feeling embarrassed by the situation, Adelina twisted her body, trying to leave his embrace, but Lexion held her tighter.  

“Give me the assurance that you’ll return to me.”  

What was this unease?  

Even though she was trying to sacrifice herself as a queen, as his wife, he couldn’t let her go, fearing he might never see her again.  

“Lexion.”  

Adelina’s sweet voice tickled his neck.  

Her soft lips left a tingling pain on his neck.  

“Ugh! Lexion!”  

Lexion laid Adelina on the desk and marked her as his own.  

Now, any male could see his mark on her breath, her wrist, her neck.  

+++

The people of the Ernst palace moved busily.  

The sudden visit of the queen to another empire.  

And the timing coincided with the emperor’s birthday banquet.  

The group hastily prepared gifts and boarded the massive warship at 3 PM.  

“Please take good care of His Highness.”  

“Yes, Your Highness. Please take care.”  

Displaying her dignity as a queen, Adelina stood on the deck, waving to the people as she departed for the Tiola Empire.  

‘Ha… today was supposed to be the day we promised…’

Returning after seeing Adelina off, Lexion skipped dinner and, after finishing his work, entered the bedroom with a glass of cherry eau-de-vie.  

He painted Adelina’s figure in the silver moonlight streaming through the terrace window.  

‘It was supposed to be today…!’  

Trying to soothe his regrets by looking at the moon, Lexion suddenly turned and headed for the bookshelf.  

He pressed firmly on the shelf just below where <The Founding Myth of Ernst> was placed.  

Pushing the creaking, tilted bookshelf aside, Lexion entered the hidden space inside and let out a hollow laugh.  

“Adelina Ernst!”  

Suppressing his anger, his chilling voice sank into the bedroom like the night mist filling the garden.