Chapter 32 – Response

‘Again, what…?’

Lenoa bit her pale pink lips firmly.  

The mention of the royal edict, which she had heard to the point of exhaustion, came up once more. She thought this visit would pass without bringing it up, given how busy things had been, but that was wishful thinking.  

Since there hadn’t been a single word about it, her impression of the Earl had been shifting in a favorable direction, but now it had snapped back to its original position in an instant.  

It was merely a momentary lapse caused by the busyness of recent events. He was consistent as always.  

Even though her inner turmoil was evident on her face, the Earl continued to speak with a bright smile.  

“The succession of the royal family is a matter of great importance. You should marry an honorable person as soon as possible and give birth to a prince like our Felix.”  

His shameless words, spoken at just the right moment, were unbearably unpleasant.  

Of course, there was nothing inherently wrong with what he said. On the contrary, it could even be interpreted as sincere loyalty to the Celesta royal family and the Kingdom.  

However, to Lenoa, who was a ‘woman’ before being a ‘Queen,’ his words carried thorns. She had no intention of thinking about marriage or romance, let alone heirs.  

Even though she was the newly crowned queen of Celesta, a kingdom traditionally ruled by male monarchs, many nobles, including the Earl of Haim, incessantly brought up the topic of a husband.  

Seeing the Earl’s innocent expression only made her more furious.  

Breaking the silence, Lenoa opened her mouth as both a woman and a queen.  

“Earl Haim, I exist for the royal family and the kingdom, not for marriage or heirs.”  

“……”  

It was a statement delivered with as much force as she could muster. Judging by the Earl’s suddenly stiffened expression, it had landed.  

Though her words leaned more toward the queen’s perspective than the woman’s, she was satisfied.  

“Your Majesty, Queen, it is time to board the carriage now.”  

Acknowledging the knight who had approached her, Lenoa nodded and turned to the Earl once more.  

“Earl, instead of expecting me to give you a prince like Felix, you should focus your energy on ensuring that Felix grows up to be an outstanding individual. Wouldn’t that be the true matter of importance?”  

Without waiting to see the Earl’s reaction, Lenoa gracefully walked out of the mansion under the knight’s escort.  

The sprawling mansion, the grand garden—it all seemed more fitting for the Countess than the Earl himself. Unlike her husband, the Countess seemed to genuinely care for Lenoa as a fellow woman.  

As she climbed into the carriage, Lenoa allowed herself to indulge in thoughts that might have drawn criticism had anyone heard them.  

The sound of the coachman’s whip cracking reached her ears, and soon the carriage began to move. Watching the Earl’s mansion and the passing scenery through the window, a wave of drowsiness crept over her.  

Suddenly, she found herself missing him.  

‘Kairan… Grand Duke. No, Oppa.’  

What would Kairan have said if he had been here to hear the Earl’s words? 

As she speculated about his reaction, memories of the past naturally surfaced.  

During the reception for the Merzen delegation, when the King of Merzen had, much like the Earl of Haim, tried to advance her marriage through a royal edict, Kairan had displayed an uncharacteristic, burning fury in his voice and gaze.  

It was a deeply personal emotion. While she had also disliked the King’s message, it hadn’t affected her as intensely as it had Kairan.  

Moreover, even though the royal edict contained words far more offensive than that, as a Queen, she had to consider the relationship between the two nations. Thus, she had managed to calm Kairan down, smiling and politely refusing to defuse the situation.  

What had she felt at that moment?  

Though she had been taken aback by his words, which nearly disrupted the delicate balance between the two countries, she had also felt a refreshing sense of exhilaration, like a cool breeze on a hot summer day.  

His words had been unmistakably for her.  

While she could discuss personal matters with her maids and others in private, no one had ever spoken on her behalf in an official setting.  

Of course, one must always be cautious with one’s words, but the ones who had recklessly brought up the topic of marriage were the Merzen delegation.  

If Kairan hadn’t been there, the conversation would have proceeded smoothly under a veneer of formality, but she would have suffered stress worse than menstrual cramps.  

In any case, if Kairan were to learn of today’s events, he would undoubtedly be furious with the Earl. Though she herself had been upset, she found the thought of his indignation both comforting and reassuring.  

Still, Lenoa was relieved that Kairan hadn’t been present. It wasn’t because of the potential strain it might have caused in her relationship with the Earl of Haim.  

Lenoa had stood up to the Earl’s words herself, summoning the courage to speak with the dignity of a queen.  

That was why the Earl had been so taken aback.  

Though a part of her still felt uneasy, she quickly brushed it aside.  

‘I must show them what it means to be a Queen.’  

She didn’t want to be a queen who allowed herself to be diminished by unpleasant words and actions.  

She was the rightful heir and successor of the Celesta royal family.  

Even if she were to have heirs, she resolved to demonstrate that a Queen didn’t necessarily need a partner by her side.  

With that determination, her fatigue seemed to vanish.  

When she returned, Kairan would undoubtedly assume she had taken a break from her duties and would have taken over in her stead.  

Though she was tired, she couldn’t afford to step away from her responsibilities. She refused to become a Queen who shirked her duties to play.  

***

Meanwhile, Kairan was busily attending to his duties as usual. 

With Lenoa absent, he worked at an even faster pace.  

Being a secretary was arduous work. But for Lenoa, the burden as the ruler of a nation was far greater.  

‘She certainly suits the role of Queen, but if she were a Princess, or perhaps… a Queen Consort, she wouldn’t have to endure such hardship.’  

Kairan smiled bitterly.  

He wanted to ease even a small part of her burden. From the day he became her secretary, he had worked alongside her without fail.  

Of course, there were many factions surrounding her. Specifically, those who had been the forces of the late king and queen now acted as her backers.  

While she could have appointed some of them as her advisors, Kairan couldn’t stand by and watch.  

It was no secret that they disliked him. But there was an even more significant reason.  

Lenoa herself wasn’t fond of relying on those factions. Kairan, too, had grown disillusioned with the words they constantly directed at her.  

They urged her to quickly marry and delegate her royal duties to her spouse. They supported her as a ‘successor,’ not as a ‘Queen.’  

Their ultimate goal was clear: to use Lenoa as a temporary ruler and place their sons on the throne beside her.  

Even the royal family of Merzen had similar intentions.  

Even Kairan’s supporter, Marquis Leon, had introduced his daughter to her under the guise of paying respects.  

The most influential factions—Duke Spiegel and Marquis Leon—had turned into useless cards.  

Kairan could have crushed them at any moment, but he held back due to Lenoa’s persuasion.  

After all, he knew better than anyone the pain of being mercilessly cast aside by someone you wanted to rely on.  

‘Let them try anything foolish.’

Kairan clicked his tongue and leaned back against the chair.  

He had previously expelled the retainers of the late king and queen from the palace, insisting that Lenoa needed people who were truly hers.  

These retainers, who outwardly claimed to support Lenoa, clearly had ulterior motives.  

Their aim was undoubtedly tied to arranging Lenoa’s marriage, something Kairan could not tolerate.  

Kairan had temporarily set aside Lenoa’s so-called supporters, intending to build a faction that belonged exclusively to her and himself—a faction for “them.”  

“…Ahem.”  

Perhaps due to excessive contemplation, his head began to throb. For the first time, he became acutely aware of Lenoa’s absence.  

In the past, he might have expressed his frustration by throwing the nearest object, but he restrained himself this time.  

This wasn’t because his authority over personnel had diminished. Recently, he had discovered two methods to control his emotions.  

One was taking sleeping pills that his father had given him.  

Since the day he drank wine with Lenoa, he occasionally took them when he felt an overwhelming tightness in his chest and fell asleep.  

However, every time he woke up after taking the pills, his body inexplicably felt as though it were burning up.  

It was summer now, making the sensation even harder to endure.  

He considered summoning the royal physician but decided against it, attributing the discomfort to side effects of the medication.  

Instead, he reduced the frequency of use, leaving him with plenty of sleeping pills still in supply.  

In any case, it wasn’t time to sleep, so he couldn’t take the pills even if there were no side effects.  

The other method was heading to the royal garden.  

The Celesta royal garden was the first outdoor location where he had met Lenoa.  

The image of her quietly reading, unaware of his presence, was deeply etched into his memory.  

Visiting the garden, which held traces of Lenoa’s footsteps, brought him a sense of calm and even a childlike excitement.  

Thus, whenever he found a moment of leisure during work, he would secretly head there.  

The days he visited the garden far outnumbered the days he took sleeping pills.  

Kairan hastily organized the documents on his desk and stood up. He intended to visit the garden once again.  

Just as he grabbed the door handle, he heard a commotion outside.  

‘Good grief.’

Kairan sighed and froze in place.  

The servants were well aware of his fiery temper and usually kept silent whenever they passed through the fourth floor.  

Especially near his office and bedroom, they held their breath and walked as slowly as ants on the marble floor.  

It was unusual to hear such chatter, especially when Kairan was in his office and Lenoa wasn’t around to shield them.  

Under normal circumstances, he would have flung the door open and roared at them like a wild beast, commanding them to be silent.  

However, Kairan pressed his ear against the door instead. He had caught a familiar name in their conversation.  

“Haah… What should I do? I’m just a commoner; there’s nothing I can do…”  

“I’m a commoner too, you know. I’ll bring your story to Her Majesty, the Queen.”  

“But Her Majesty is currently away. This is urgent. What should we do…”  

“Haah, even hiring a mercenary would cost a fortune. What are we supposed to do?”  

“Do you, by any chance, know someone who can wield a sword?”  

The voices of two men could be heard nearby. Kairan quickly identified one of them.  

It was John, the servant responsible for the fourth floor, who had hurriedly cleaned the office and brought a first-aid kit after Lenoa’s sudden message.  

From John’s stammering voice, Kairan could tell the situation was urgent.  

He silently continued to eavesdrop on their conversation.  

“I do know a royal soldier, but… even if we bring a few soldiers, it won’t be enough.”  

“Then how about knights…”  

“You fool, don’t say such reckless things. The Imperial Knights are nobles. Would they listen to us commoners? Besides, even if we bring knights, it’ll still be dangerous. Especially since it’s not just any other country, but…”  

Before the man could finish his sentence, Kairan flung the door open.  

“Benecia… Be… Grand Duke Blandi!”  

“I’ll grant that request myself.”