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Chapter 64
“Thank you for coming so willingly.”
“Not at all, Your Majesty. Thank you for inviting us.”
The young noble ladies gracefully bent their knees in a polite curtsy and straightened up, offering their thanks.
Erné sat at the tea table prepared in the garden.
Judging by the stares that followed her, she had a strong feeling today would be a tiresome one—curiosity about the new queen filled the air.
“My, Your Majesty, how can you be so beautiful?”
It began with a light compliment.
Even if it was mere flattery, it was still pleasant to hear.
Erné gave a soft smile and nodded.
“And you, my lady, have such a lovely hairstyle today.”
“Oh my! I tried something special, knowing I’d be meeting Your Majesty. Thank you for noticing.”
Chatter and pleasantries followed. The atmosphere was warm and cheerful.
Except for one person.
Pasina.
Since arriving, Pasina had said nothing beyond the initial greeting. Erné coldly swept her gaze over the silent girl.
She had committed adultery with Erné’s fiancé, murdered Erné’s mother, and even killed her own father upon release—covering up the body. The crimes were grave.
This tea party was meant as a warning—for soon, Pasina and Derrick’s sins would be publicly exposed.
“Lady Sibir. Are you feeling unwell? You don’t look well.”
Erné deliberately called her out.
The young ladies who had been chatting merrily turned their heads to look at Pasina.
Their gazes were filled with contempt—this was the girl who had recently been the center of scandal.
“How dare you come here?” —Their eyes practically screamed.
Erné lifted a hand to cover the smile creeping up her lips, disguising it as concern.
Thankfully, no one noticed the satisfied curve of her mouth.
Pasina, who clearly did not want this kind of attention, forced her expression into composure and shook her head.
“No, of course not. I must be nervous, meeting Your Majesty for the first time.”
Her tongue was slick, her words smooth.
Even with the unexpected attack, Pasina handled it with a serene face.
But Erné, knowing her true nature, snorted inwardly.
“There’s no way she’s calm on the inside.”
Even when faced with Erné’s continued verbal jabs, Pasina deflected them with grace.
She was quick-witted—aware that the queen was deliberately testing her.
When Erné called for a maid, the tea table was filled with sweets and delicacies.
The tea was aromatic, and the freshly made desserts gave off a sweet scent.
“This isn’t confirmed yet, but I assume you all know—this gathering is the first step in selecting my personal maids. I ask for your best effort.”
The young ladies, momentarily distracted by the food, snapped back to attention at Erné’s words.
Their expressions changed—no doubt their families had pressured them to impress the queen and secure a position in her court.
Erné smiled as she watched the shift.
“No need to be too nervous, though.”
The former queen had been infamous for her tyranny. Everyone expected the new queen to be just as bad—capricious, arrogant, and cruel when displeased.
But this new queen… didn’t seem like such a difficult mistress.
Her kindness helped ease their tension.
“Oh, by the way—ladies, have you heard? A new salon just opened in the capital, run by Madame Langcheviel.”
“Yes! You’ve heard the rumors too, Your Majesty? Madame Langcheviel used to be the former queen’s dressmaker! She finally retired and opened her own salon.”
Erné’s move to bring up something fashionable worked—the girls relaxed as they gossiped.
One blushed and shyly raised her hand.
“Hm? You look like you have something to say.”
“Um… how did you and the Duke of Douglas become engaged?”
Erné looked at the faces before her.
They were young—sixteen, seventeen at most. Just teenage girls.
Ah, she thought with a short exhale.
No matter the time or place, girls that age were always most interested in love stories.
With a slightly embarrassed laugh, she covered her mouth.
“I-I’m sorry if that was inappropriate…!”
The girl, seeing Erné’s awkward smile, went pale and quickly lowered her head.
Not wanting the pleasant mood to sour, Erné waved her hands.
“It’s fine, really. I’m just shy.”
“Then…”
“It’s okay. Feel free to ask anything you’ve been curious about.”
Had Erné realized how fast the girls’ eyes changed at those words, she might have taken it back.
But she didn’t.
Just as she raised her teacup to her lips…
“Hmm?”
Something feels off.
Lifting her head in unease, she was met with multiple pairs of sparkling eyes stuck to her like glue.
Her smile grew stiff.
Then the barrage began.
“How did you meet the Duke?”
“Was it love at first sight when he saved you?”
“Who fell first? Of course it was Your Majesty, right? Something like: ‘Date me or die here and now!’”
“Lady Roxana, that’s not what I heard! I heard the Duke took her wine glass and said, ‘If you drink this, Your Majesty, it means you’re dating me!’”
With questions piling on without pause, Erné began to feel the warmth drain from her face.
The last comment nearly made her spit out her tea.
She had let her guard down—and into the trap of makjang (over-the-top drama) she fell.
She pinched the corner of her lips to suppress a sigh.
“Where in the world do you girls learn these things…?”
It was a mutter—but the nearby girls heard it and leaned in as if revealing a great secret.
“It’s a popular romance novel among us. The title is ‘Success Guaranteed with This One Trick!’ It’s so hot right now! You can’t even find a copy in the shops anymore!”
“……”
“My maid read it and confessed to John from the stables. They’re together now!”
She should’ve kept that thought to herself.
Erné froze, feeling her ears rot from the conversation.
The girl leaned closer, voice full of sincerity.
“Shall I gift you a copy, Your Majesty?”
“No, no—I’ll pass.”
She shook her head, then added weakly,
“L-love isn’t something you should learn from a book…”
Whether that warning would sink in was anyone’s guess. She sighed deeply.
But she couldn’t ignore their questions forever. With some reluctance, she began,
“The Duke proposed first.”
Technically, she and Winzard had already kissed—but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Maybe it was the story itself—or maybe the intensity of their stares—but Erné’s face turned bright red.
“He said… he fell for me at first sight.”
Gasp! Oh my! gasps and squeals erupted.
The girls clasped their hands together, blushing like they were experiencing the romance themselves.
The reaction was overwhelming—and Erné had to keep inventing more stories to keep them satisfied.
Eventually, the topic shifted to her life before becoming queen.
“I heard, Your Majesty, that you lived abroad with no memory. Is that true? That the Duke met you by chance in Porlan while on business…”
“What? No, Lady Morgana. I heard she was under attack by unknown enemies and had to live in hiding!”
Though Winzard had already made the official announcement during the coronation, the public still didn’t know the full truth. It had all happened so fast that no one had dared ask.
But Erné knew the day would come.
Her palms began to sweat, so she subtly tucked them under the table. But her face remained calm.
“Half right, half wrong. I was in Porlan. I was lucky to be adopted by a noble family there. But I’d lost all memory of Nésheld, my mother, and my younger sister Erné—I was just a child, after all.”
“Gasp. Really?”
“That’s so sad, Your Majesty…”
Seeing how moved the girls were, Erné stuck to her rehearsed script.
“The Duke wasn’t in Porlan for business. One day, I recovered my memories and traveled to Nésheld to find my family. That’s when I met him. Apparently, the late queen had secretly ordered him to search for me. By the time I found him, she had passed away—and my sister was missing.”
Tears welled up in the girls’ eyes. A few even sniffled.
“You’ve suffered so much…”
“We’re just glad you made it back…”
Finishing the tale, Erné glanced at Pasina.
The girl hadn’t joined the conversation, but her eyes were fixed on Erné like a hawk.
Erné deliberately avoided looking her way—treating her like air to prick her pride.
“She’s hiding her true nature for now… but not for long. A single provocation, and the mask will fall.”
To change the topic, she asked,
“Now then, are all your questions answered? Anything else you’d like to ask?”
The girls, seemingly satisfied, shook their heads.
Then, Pasina—who had been silent the entire time—suddenly raised her hand.
So it begins.
Erné narrowed her eyes and looked her over.
“Lady Sibir, it seems you still have something to ask.”
“Yes. I have a lot—a lot—of questions for Your Majesty.”
Erné gave a small nod, as if inviting her to speak.
Pasina’s cold gaze locked on her.
“Do you have any actual proof… that you’re really Princess Erné’s older sister?”
