Chapter 7 – Inside the Running Carriage

The next morning, Lenoa, who woke up earlier than planned, had brunch with just a glass of milk and a slice of toast. The anticipation of going to Viscount Elwen’s residence after a long time had kept her awake, but she felt no fatigue at all. Although there was more than an hour left until their arrival, she felt an inexplicable urgency. Even mealtime felt like a waste. She couldn’t help but smile. Lenoa’s breadcrumb-covered mouth was marked with clear wrinkles. Brunch was over in less than ten minutes.

“How about this dress?”

“Hmm… No, another one.”

Lenoa, who usually found it tedious and just picked whatever outfit caught her eye, was different today. It was an occasion to meet the benefactors who were like her current parents after her own parents had passed away. She hadn’t met them for nearly a year due to the chaos surrounding the heir issue, so she wanted to appear as a mature and beautiful daughter to the family she was meeting after a long time.

After an hour of deliberation, she chose a deep purple bustle dress. She wanted to wear a bright color, but Betier’s advice prevented it.

“Just in case.”

It was already the fifth day of her cycle. Although the flow and pain had lessened significantly, Betier, another family member and the head maid, insisted that bright colors or body-hugging dresses were strictly forbidden.

After a long thirty minutes of dressing, Lenoa looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror.

“Oh my, how can it suit you so well?”

“There isn’t an outfit in this world that wouldn’t suit Lady Lenoa.”

Lenoa, who had just put on one of the many dresses without any makeup, looked stunning. Her purple eyes stood out. The same eye color contributed to half of her ability to pull off the dress.

The next step was makeup. Betier and several maids clung to Lenoa, putting all their effort into her makeup. Once it was finished, Betier tied Lenoa’s ash-blonde hair into a half-up style. Lenoa, with her doll-like appearance, looked at herself in the mirror absentmindedly.

It was when the maid briefly left the room.

“Y-Your Grace…”

“Y-Your Majesty! When are you coming out? You haven’t even eaten.”

Clunk. As soon as the maid left, the door opened, and Kairan, looking utterly exhausted, poked his head in.

He had woken up earlier than Lenoa, or any of the court members, and had finished getting ready in less than a quarter of an hour. It was his first outing in a while, so he had dressed up, but it was much simpler than Lenoa’s attire.

Betier was startled by Kairan’s sudden and rude entrance and glared at him fiercely. Lenoa’s eyes widened like a deer at the sight of Kairan at the door, but she soon smiled silently at him.

‘Please wait a moment.’

Kairan ignored the fiery gaze of the head maid and directed his attention to Lenoa, who was under her care.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Betier looked at Kairan, Kairan looked at Lenoa, and Lenoa looked at Kairan. The mutual staring continued for a moment.

Finally, the preparations were complete. Lenoa sprayed on some perfume, put on a wide-brimmed white hat with a bright yellow ribbon, and stood up. Her whole body felt stiff. Standing for a long time was difficult, but sitting was uncomfortable too. Standing felt more comfortable.

As Lenoa left the room, leaving the maids to tidy up, Kairan stood by the door. For some reason, his face was flushed, and he skillfully knelt on his left knee before her.

“You are exceptionally radiant today, Your Majesty.”

It was the kind of tone young noblemen of the social circles might use. Lenoa had learned the social language since her days as a princess and often heard such sly remarks at banquets.

‘They’re all after the position of consort.’

She had never been swayed, having received stern warnings from her parents many times.

‘I won’t hear those words anymore.’

Suddenly, the sadness of her parents’ absence made her smile fade.

“Y-Your Majesty?”

Lenoa regained her senses at Kairan’s flustered voice and forced a smile as she accepted his escort.

Being a queen without parents or siblings meant she had to act and decide everything on her own, which weighed heavily on her. The excitement of meeting her nursemaid couple had lasted only a few minutes, and on a day as good as today, her emotions were particularly volatile.

‘Is my cycle still not over?’

Lenoa took Kairan’s hand and left the palace. The carriage waiting near the main gate immediately caught her eye. Although it was a royal carriage, since it was for an outing, they used a regular carriage typically used by maids and servants. Using a royal carriage for personal trips posed the risk of being attacked by bandits.

Kairan helped Lenoa into the carriage first, then entered through the opposite door and sat beside her on the right edge.

‘There’s a seat opposite, so why sit here?’

Lenoa tried not to mind and kept her gaze on her neatly folded hands on her lap. Once the three escort knights boarded, the carriage set off.

‘Maybe I should take a nap.’

Deciding it was better to close her eyes than to be conscious of the uncomfortable company, Lenoa made her decision. Her body, sustained by anticipation, was gradually succumbing to fatigue.

As she leaned her head against the window frame and dozed off, she suddenly felt a hand on her head and opened her eyes slightly.

‘Ugh…’

In her blurry vision, she saw Kairan holding her hat.

“Why not take off your hat and sleep?”

His words and face were tinged with a smile, but Lenoa, half-asleep, closed her eyes again, leaning heavily against the backrest.

Kairan, smiling broadly, sat close to her and gently placed her head on his lap. He tenderly stroked the sleeping Lenoa, who was softly snoring.

Suddenly, the title of a fairy tale he read as a child bloomed in his mind like a flower.

‘The Sleeping Queen in the Carriage.’

Kairan internally renamed it for Lenoa. If anyone heard, they would surely be shocked and faint.

‘My queen, my Lenoa.’

Lenoa, receiving Kairan’s constant touch, fell into a deeper sleep than before. Suddenly, Kairan quickly scanned the surroundings.

“…”

The knights, who had been watching the two with their heads poked out, quickly averted their eyes and covered their mouths when they met Kairan’s gaze.

Having been caught in affectionate behavior, Kairan responded coldly.

“Shh. She’s sleeping. Turn around immediately. Now.”

Kairan put his finger to his lips with a hint of threat. The knights quickly understood and turned around in a hurry.

‘When we return, I should give them a few gold coins.’

Only then could Kairan fully indulge in the space-time left for just the two of them.

Holding a handful of Lenoa’s long hair, which lay like a docile pet on his lap, he kissed it. He then removed his white gloves and gently touched her face. Her skin was softer than cotton.

‘This is… the first time.’

Kairan’s fingers, as if on their own, touched the lower part of Lenoa’s face, her lips. He caressed her small, plump lips, glossed with pale pink lip gloss.

“…”

Suddenly, an irresistible desire overwhelmed Kairan. His whole body felt hot as if it had been burned, and he trembled. With no one watching, he wanted to express his long-hidden feelings by kissing her lips.

“Hmph…”

Unable to resist, he grabbed Lenoa’s cheeks with both hands.

“We’ve arrived!”

The coachman’s loud voice rang out. Kairan quickly withdrew his hands and straightened his posture.

‘Really, couldn’t he have driven a bit slower?’

He glared at the coachman, who had ruined his chance for a kiss, and then shook Lenoa’s shoulder to wake her.

“Your Majesty, please wake up. We’ve arrived.”

“Ugh…”

Despite Kairan’s subtle touch and the coachman’s booming voice, Lenoa, who had been sleeping soundly, finally woke up. Unaware that she had been sleeping on Kairan’s lap, she groggily accepted his escort and got off.

Outside, a luxurious mansion came into view. It was Viscount Elwen’s residence, unchanged from Lenoa’s memory.

Excited, Lenoa’s pace quickened as she held Kairan’s hand. She was so eager to see Viscount Elwen and his wife that she forgot the royal etiquette of not running.

“Your Majesty.”

“Just for today, please.”

With a beaming smile, Lenoa whispered, and Kairan closed his mouth. His face turned as red as it could get.

As they entered the mansion’s front gate, Viscountess Elwen, Lenoa’s nursemaid, opened the front door and came out. Lenoa let go of Kairan’s hand and ran into the nursemaid’s arms like she did as a child. She was already taller than her nursemaid.

“It’s been a while, Viscountess Elwen. I’ve missed you so much.”

“Our dear queen. My heart is still your nursemaid, so please call me nursemaid.”

Burying her face in the nursemaid’s chest, the longing to cry vanished.

After her mother’s death three years ago, the nursemaid had comforted her through her sorrowful days. Acting as her mother, she helped Lenoa gradually overcome her grief. Thanks to the nursemaid’s devoted love, Lenoa could continue to inherit her mother’s gentle and compassionate nature.

“Queen Lenoa, you have arrived.”

Viscount Elwen, the former knight commander, had arrived at some point and greeted Lenoa with proper etiquette. Only then did Lenoa lift the hem of her dress and greet the couple elegantly.

Kairan watched them from a distance, a family full of love.

‘Maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t come.’

Suddenly, a wave of regret washed over him like the wind. But it was too late. Kairan sighed and approached them. The three of them turned their gazes toward him.

“Greetings. I am Kairan Blandi, secretary to Queen Lenoa.”

Kairan placed his right hand on his left chest and bowed his head. He disliked people of lower status and usually only received their greetings. However, it was different if they were people Lenoa liked.

The nursemaid approached Kairan and held his hands warmly. She wore a broad smile, just like when she was with Lenoa.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from our Lenoa. You’re Secretary Blandi, right? I hear you help Lenoa with her work a lot. She says you do it better than she does.”

The nursemaid looked at Kairan with eyes as if she were looking at her son.

‘She knows me?’

A warmth like a campfire spread in one corner of his heart. Kairan had thought Lenoa considered him just a secretary. Moreover, even if he was the only aide, it was rare to mention a subordinate in letters.

But to already know him, and to hear that Lenoa had written about him herself, cleared his troubled mind. He had thought she avoided him because she disliked him, but it turned out Lenoa considered him a competent secretary.

When the nursemaid let go of his hands, Kairan looked back at Lenoa. She was smiling. A smile that encompassed all the world’s beauty and warmth.

To him, she was unbearably lovely, even more so than when he saw her sleeping in the carriage.

The nursemaid, with a satisfied expression, suddenly looked around and then spoke.

“We have a son, though not by blood. His name is Harpe Elwen. I’ll introduce him when he comes. He should be nearby…”