Chapter 12

“I lost it.”  

Her answer was so calm it was almost hollow. Olga looked at Nadia with a slightly startled expression.  

But Nadia, bowing her head, showed no sign of wavering in her eyes. She didn’t seem like someone lying.  

“I apologize for losing it in just one day, Your Majesty.”  

“……”  

The King’s gaze shifted to Olga, who stood behind the Queen. Olga subtly shook her head. Lev’s brow furrowed slightly.  

“How did you lose it?”  

“I was careless.”  

Nadia bowed her head again.  

“I’m sorry.”  

Lev stared at the woman who was blatantly lying to his face. Her manner reminded him of someone, and his brow furrowed. He quickly looked away from her.  

“Fine, I see. Sit down for now.”  

With a short sigh, Lev changed the subject. After Nadia sat, the vegetable terrine was served as the hors d’oeuvre. Watching Nadia eat it in one bite, Lev spoke again.  

“You must have been surprised by the sudden invitation.”  

Nadia flinched and placed her hands on her lap, suddenly looking more tense.  

“Did I do something wrong?”  

Her hesitant question made Lev raise an eyebrow.  

“If you have something to rebuke me for, please say so yourself.”  

“No, it’s not that.”  

So that’s what she thought. Well, anyone would be anxious if someone suddenly acted out of character. Would she understand if she learned he was terminally ill?  

“I just thought I’d been too distant. I’m sorry if you felt neglected.”  

Nadia looked dazed, as if she’d braced herself for a scolding. After blinking a few times, she returned to her usual expression.  

“It’s fine.”  

What appeared on Nadia’s face was clearly discomfort.  

“I’m not in a position to feel such things toward you, Your Majesty.”  

“Is that so?”  

Lev quietly studied Nadia, as if trying to determine if she meant it. His gaze lingered on her for a long time, and Nadia seemed to shrink under it.  

At that moment, Lev asked,  

“So you lied about losing the necklace?”  

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Nadia parted her lips and looked up. Her surprised expression seemed to prove her earlier words were sincere.  

She really did know her place. 

Lev thought with a bitter smile. 

Impossible. There was no way Agnesa’s daughter could be so meek.  

“…Why do you think it’s a lie?”  

“Answer me. Isn’t it a lie?”  

Lev pressed firmly, as if he knew everything. Nadia bit her lip, her full lips twisting slightly before slowly opening.  

“I had no intention of deceiving you, Your Majesty.”  

“Then tell me who did it. Honestly.”  

Nadia’s eyes became troubled.  

“I think it’s better if I don’t say.”  

“Why?”  

After a long silence, her answer was anticlimactic. Lev narrowed his eyes and asked,  

“Did you sell it or something?”  

“No, it’s not that…!”  

Nadia instinctively raised her voice at the absurd suggestion, but quickly regained her composure and sighed.  

The King’s gaze was persistent. It seemed unlikely she could evade the question.  

“Countess Vellevin took it.”  

“I see…”  

Nadia quietly studied Lev’s face, which took on a strange expression. It must have been the name he least wanted to hear. That’s why she hadn’t wanted to say it.  

Did the King really not know about his favorite’s insubordination? And even if he didn’t, would he discipline her to uphold the Queen’s authority? She had no expectation of that, so she’d chosen to let it go.  

“It was a gift that would’ve upset Albina. I overlooked that.”  

As expected, even after learning the truth, the King’s first concern was his mistress’s feelings. Then why send her such an extravagant gift in the first place?  

“You don’t need to give me gifts like that.”  

She was curious about his intentions, but asking wouldn’t change anything.  

“There’s no need to invite me to banquets either. I’m just… grateful that you spared my life.”  

That last part was sincere. During the coup, no one would have blamed him if he’d killed her.  

In the end, he kept her from being married off abroad and even made her Queen.  

Even if it was only to torment her, she still felt grateful for this situation.  

“You really are someone who appreciates the simple things.”  

She could almost hear him thinking, unlike Agnesa. Nadia bit her lip for no reason, even as he fell silent.  

Just then, the entrée arrived. Nadia, who didn’t really like herring, focused on eating the ceviche as if she enjoyed it.  

Until the main course arrived, the King didn’t speak to her again, and their first meal together ended in silence.

***

It was a waste of time. That was how Lev evaluated the just-finished dinner.  

He probably hadn’t left any impression on her. He couldn’t help but recall how she’d tried to finish food she obviously didn’t enjoy.  

‘She must have been very uncomfortable.’  

He understood, but it didn’t please him. As if he didn’t feel the same. How dare Agnesa’s daughter feel uncomfortable around him? It felt outrageous. Maybe it had all been a mistake.  

“The Countess has gone to bed.”  

When he went to Vellevin Palace, the Countess’s maid fidgeted nervously.  

It was a lie. Albina was a night owl and never went to bed before 10 p.m. unless she was sick.  

Ignoring the maid, he entered Albina’s bedroom and saw her lying on the bed, facing away from him.  

“Albina.”  

Lev spoke with a short sigh.  

“It was my mistake. Don’t be upset.”  

At those words, Albina, who hadn’t moved, suddenly sat up and spun around, firing off words rapidly.  

“Thank you for helping me. I know how hard it must have been for you.”  

“……”  

“But the sapphire—how could you? Of all the jewels, why that one…!”  

Sapphire was the favorite gem of Albina’s late mother, the Duchess of Tito. He’d overlooked that, and it was his mistake.  

“Do you know how much that woman looked like Agnesa today?”  

“She’s a dreadful woman,” Albina shuddered. Lev admitted that he understood.  

He’d realized today just how foolish it was to think he could treat Agnesa’s daughter indifferently.  

Seeing Nadia brought back memories of his foolish father, his tragic mother, and his lost boyhood all at once. That must be why his heart had burned the entire meal.  

“I really hate Agnesa, Your Majesty. And her daughter too…”  

After the Duchess of Tito died, Agnesa had worn only sapphires, almost as if to mock her. Every time she saw that, Queen Anna couldn’t bear the pain.  

With her mother insulted in that way, it was no wonder Albina had lost control today.  

“How did you know, anyway? Did someone tattle to you? I did go too far today.”  

“What exactly did you do?”  

“I broke the necklace. Took the earring too.”  

Now they were all stuffed in a drawer. She’d never wear them again.  

“She claimed she lost them by accident.”  

“Ugh, creepy… Why would she keep her mouth shut to you? Trying to play the tragic heroine?”  

But she really seemed not to want to talk about it.  

‘She probably figured nothing would change if she told me.’  

And she probably didn’t want to offend Albina, who held the real power. She didn’t seem like a fool.  

It was unfortunate for Nadia, but Lev had no intention of doing anything for the daughter of his enemy.

***

“His Majesty has sent another gift.”  

When Nadia heard the same words from a maid as a few days ago, she flinched and dropped the pen she was holding. The pen rolled across the floor.  

Olga picked it up and handed it to her. Nadia took it in a daze and asked,  

“Did I really do something wrong?”  

“……”  

It was hard to answer honestly, “Your very birth is thde problem,” so Olga just shrugged after a moment’s silence.