Chapter 1 – The Imperfect Queen

― The King, besides the Queen, can also take a concubine. The concubine is usually a commoner, but she can also be a lady or noblewoman below the rank of Viscountess…….

“Haa…… I don’t like it.”

Lenoa’s silky, ivory hair fluttered as she shook her head. She closed the book she had been engrossed in. The book was so large and thick that it made a louder thud than her sigh as it shut.

Her delicate eyebrows furrowed even more as she glared at the title of the book.

「What is a King.」

From the moment she first encountered it, the title and appearance of the book gave off such a rigid feeling that she was reluctant to read it.

But it was a book she absolutely had to read. Most people wouldn’t even glance at this book, but it was a must-read for the ruler of the country.

At this moment, the full name of Lenoa, who was reading this tedious required text, was Lenoa Moon Celesta. She had just turned 20 this year. One month into her reign as Queen. Lenoa was the highest authority in the Kingdom of Celesta, her birthplace, and current dominion. In other words, she was the Queen.

Lenoa was the only legitimate daughter of the previous King and Queen, so everyone had expected her to inherit the throne.

However, there was another candidate for the succession. About three years after Lenoa, who had just completed her coming-of-age ceremony, began the succession process, a man suddenly barged into the Celesta royal family.

He was the only legitimate son of the Duke of Blandi. At one time, the Blandi Dukedom was the foremost noble family in Celesta, with vast lands and numerous vassals.

But that was all in the past. Due to some incident, the Dukedom lost its fame, and half of its lands and wealth were confiscated by the royal family, never to re-enter the political arena.

However, the King granted the title of Grand Duke to that legitimate son. Relatives of the royal family or high-ranking nobles who received the title of Grand Duke could inherit the throne. It was a title usually bestowed by the King when there was no suitable direct heir in the royal family.

The newly appointed Grand Duke studied statecraft like Lenoa and gradually expanded his support base, almost as if he were aiming for the throne. In fact, some great nobles began to show support for the new Grand Duke of Blandi.

But he was not of royal blood, and only one person was needed to inherit the throne, and it was clear who that person was. In the end, as most had predicted, he became the loser.

Currently, he was living in the royal palace alongside Lenoa, even though he had not become King.

“…….”

Suddenly, thinking about him along with old memories that passed like the wind sent chills creeping through Lenoa’s body. Him and her. From the moment they set foot in the royal palace until now, what was the relationship between the two?

Whenever Lenoa thought about it, even for a moment, cold sweat ran down her back, and her chest tightened. Despite living together for three years, there was a wall between them.

‘Stop thinking about that.’

Lenoa quickly turned her eyes back to the book. This book was specifically for royal heirs.

Come to think of it, during her time as an heir, when she learned etiquette or history from numerous people, it was common for their personal biases to mix in. Up until the day before she became Queen, the royal educators who taught Lenoa all smiled and said:

‘When you become Queen and receive national documents, pass the state affairs to him, Lady Lenoa.’

They were already talking about the Queen’s husband, the one who would receive the national documents, even though Lenoa had no fiancé. Lenoa had never even thought about the man who would hold her hand at the coronation.

The educators were all supportive of her, but when they talked about her future husband, their main concern was about the throne that Lenoa would inherit.

They believed that the throne should be occupied by a man, not by her, a woman.

‘Am I some kind of temporary Queen?’

They told her she was the rightful heir and should become Queen, but then said she should pass the state affairs to her husband once married. It was a contradictory statement. Because of that, Lenoa often sighed secretly while reviewing and studying alone after the lessons ended.

After reading the rigid political sections, she felt a bit relieved when she moved on to the relatively easier royal customs sections. The passage she just read was from the first page of the royal customs section. This content was undoubtedly objective.

However, from her perspective, there was a problem.

“It’s all about male Kings.”

The King, the Queen, the concubine—this sentence, this page, and the entire book were written from the perspective of a male King. She had meticulously read and even taken notes on important parts from the first page of the book. Yet, there was no mention of ‘Queen’ or ‘national documents’ at all.

Moreover, given that she had been reading this book for a week and was almost done with it, it was unlikely that such topics would appear later.

Lenoa had grown up listening to stories about the former rulers of Celesta as if they were fairy tales since her parents were alive. While it was true that there were more male Kings than female Queens, it was by no means all. If male Kings accounted for 80%, female Queens made up about 20%.

Throughout the long history, there were certainly female Queens. Since Princess Lenoa had become the official heir, she could rightfully become Queen, and now she was indeed the Queen.

Yet, this book was filled with examples of male Kings, and both Lenoa and the former Queens of Celesta had read it.

‘What did they think when they read this passage?’

Lenoa opened the book again. As she read thoughtlessly, a phrase suddenly caught her eye. Her violet eyes sparkled.

― A ruler of a country is also a human being, so they cannot be perfect, nor do they need to be perfect.

‘Oh, I like this phrase.’

Lenoa smiled softly.

Everyone wanted her to be ‘perfect,’ to be a flawless Queen. Commoners, nobles, and even her royal parents—though her parents were less demanding.

Unlike them, the author of this book said that Lenoa did not need to be a perfect ruler. It was a succinct and powerful sentence. Instantly, Lenoa felt better. She also appreciated that the author used the term ‘ruler’ to encompass both Kings and Queens.

‘Hmm? There’s more to this sentence.’

― Every ruler is influenced by the actions they take immediately upon ascending to the throne.

This was the reason supporting the previous statement. As she read this, the smile gradually disappeared from Lenoa’s face. It reminded her of the first thing she did after becoming Queen.

‘As of today, I appoint Grand Duke Kairan Blandi as my secretary.’

Appointing Kairan Blandi, another candidate for the throne, to the position of her secretary.

Lenoa’s command caused a sudden commotion within the hall.

It was indeed the best move. By bringing Grand Duke Blandi under her command and close by as a ‘secretary,’ she considered both factions’ positions while also including a measure of restraint.

Some were so shocked that they shuddered, while others silently nodded. In the chaos of calming the atmosphere, she couldn’t even check the face of the person involved in the command.

Instead, she vividly remembered his words.

‘I will honor the wishes of my beloved Queen.’

As he ascended the platform, he grasped Lenoa’s outstretched hand and gently kissed her gloved hand. Although it was a polite gesture of acceptance, receiving the kiss left her feeling uneasy. She had received hand kisses from him more than once or twice. Luckily, she was wearing gloves.

In any case, she was enthroned as Queen, and he was appointed as her secretary.

It was her first exercise of power as Queen, so the book’s words had some merit.

But she couldn’t agree that this act would influence future events. If she did, it would be like admitting her current predicament with him.

‘Ah, this is not the time for this.’

Lenoa turned her head to look at the wall clock. It was 3 o’clock when she started reading, but now it was almost 5:30. The dim daylight of dusk streamed through the window.

‘It’s almost evening. I should… rest a little.’

Lenoa stood up and approached the window. She opened the large window, framed with brilliant diamonds, and the outside breeze tickled her cheeks. The current season was early spring, just after winter. The cool spring scent also tickled her nose.

Lenoa, intoxicated by nature’s touch, leaned against the window and admired the outside scenery. Taking a break during her personal schedule was one of her small hobbies.

Looking outside, she saw knights training more vigorously than usual. She also saw maids running hurriedly.

Tomorrow was the day the delegation from the Kingdom of Merzen, an ally of Celesta, would visit. The courtiers were diligently preparing so that there would be no flaws for the delegation to find.

‘Everyone is working hard.’

But no matter how hard they worked, if she was lacking tomorrow, it would all be in vain. The ruler was the face of the country, and the public’s opinion of the entire nation would be determined by her appearance tomorrow.

“…….”

Feeling the heavy weight of responsibility, Lenoa’s expression darkened.

She had lost her father after losing her mother. Without time to grieve, she had to accelerate her lessons in statecraft, leaving no time to rest. Although things were better now, she was still busy and tired. At least back then, her father had taken care of state affairs.

Since his sudden passing, she had barely applied her knowledge in practice. The duties of a Queen learned through vast books and education were worlds apart from actual implementation.

Knock, knock.

Lenoa, lost in thought as she stared blankly out the window with reddened eyes, was brought back to reality by the sound of a knock on the door. She hurriedly wiped her tears with her fingers.

“Lady Lenoa, it’s Betier. May I come in now?”

“Come in.”

Hearing the voice of the person knocking, Lenoa’s troubled heart eased, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

Betier was Lenoa’s personal maid and the head maid of the royal household. She was as close as a sister to Lenoa, and they deeply trusted each other.

Soon, Betier carefully opened the door and entered. She was carrying a set of fine tea wares.

“You were so absorbed that I was wondering when to come in. No matter how much you study, Lady Lenoa, you need to take care of yourself first.”

“Hoho, is that so? Thank you, as always, Betier.”

Betier placed the tea set on the table where Lenoa was sitting and began to brew the tea. It seemed freshly boiled, as steam was rising from it.

It was Lenoa’s favorite chamomile tea. Betier was the only person who knew Lenoa’s preferences so well.

Whenever Lenoa spent time alone with Betier like this, she would always share her experiences of the day. Betier was the best listener for Lenoa’s stories and sometimes empathized with her, feeling joy or anger.

When talking with her, Lenoa could be herself, not the Queen.

Forgetting that it was now dinner time, Lenoa pondered for a moment about what to discuss with Betier. She wondered what topic would be good, but she quickly found one. It was the book she had read earlier, which she had set aside when Betier brought the tray. It was a perfect topic.

Just as she was about to start a passionate discussion.

Creak.

The door opened without a knock, and a cold voice pierced between them.

“Your Majesty. It is time for dinner.”

“……!”

Lenoa almost dropped her teacup. She quickly met the eyes of the owner of the voice.

Dark red hair and deep violet eyes. The one who was a candidate for the throne but was not chosen. Now serving as Lenoa’s secretary and Grand Duke residing in the royal palace.

Kairan Blandi was staring coldly through the open door.