TPWSM 04

Chapter 4

“Your Majesty, the Queen.”

David raised his clenched fist to his chest and bowed respectfully.

The impeccable etiquette he learned in the knights’ order was flawless.

This was the first time he had stepped into the Queen’s private chambers. The room, decorated in deep green, was filled with a heavy tension.

David’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily once.

Facing Queen Elizabeth directly, he found her appearance strangely unfamiliar, as if meeting for the first time. Her jet-black hair and deep dark green eyes, along with the gentle downward tilt of her eyelids, gave an impression of grace and kindness.

David, who had been staring quietly at the Queen, soon dropped his gaze to the floor. He noticed that the Queen was also scrutinizing him carefully.

She examined David’s face, shoulders, and overall silhouette thoroughly — relentlessly, as if appraising the value of a jewel.

Under the oppressive scrutiny, David held his breath for a moment. He felt overwhelmed by the awkward atmosphere that filled the room.

“…So, David. It’s been a long time.”

David flinched and looked up.

The Queen had called his name and even responded to his greeting. It was truly a historic moment for him. A chill ran down his back, and goosebumps rose on his elbows from the unfamiliarity.

Queen Elizabeth, who was much smaller in stature than David, raised her chin stiffly and pointed at the table with the fan in her hand.

Then she dismissed all the servants outside.

David, sitting down, was flustered once more. A private meeting with the Queen — this was also a first for him.

As soon as they sat facing each other, the Queen spoke.

“I don’t want to waste time, so I’ll get straight to the point. A month from now, Count Bogdan will leave for the Artiba continent to open new trade routes.”

“Yes, I’ve heard about it.”

Recently, Padon Island had expanded its maritime trade routes and functioned as an island nation. David, a knight serving under the Count, had already been informed of the Count’s travel schedule.

“I’m glad you know. Then from the night Count Bogdan and his entourage leave this island…”

The Queen briefly sealed her lips.

A mysterious smile gently spread on her lips. David silently waited for her to continue.

“You will enter the Countess’s bedchamber.”

“Excuse me… did you just say that?”

David asked reflexively.

He thought he must have misheard, as what the Queen said sounded utterly absurd.

“The Countess has been watching you closely for some time. Don’t worry, the compensation won’t be lacking.”

David blinked very slowly. It took a long time for the words, clearly ringing in his ears, to sink into his mind.

“The Countess… wants me to stand night guard in her bedchamber?”

His voice trembled despite himself.

David was twenty-one years old, two years past coming of age. He knew full well that the Queen’s words implied he was to serve as a night attendant in the bedroom.

He tried to grasp the faintest chance that the statement might have a different meaning.

“What did you say? Night guard?”

The Queen’s strange laughter echoed through the room.

For a long while, she could not control her laughter, then opened her fan and began to fan herself.

David tightly closed his eyes.

His blood seemed to reverse flow with his despair.

Humiliation, indignity, and shame surged over him like a giant tidal wave.

Seeing David’s reaction, the Queen smirked.

“Of course, the lowborn do not respond well to indirect speech. So I’ll make it very clear. The Countess intends to take advantage of you every night while her husband is away.”

The Queen articulated each word sharply, scraping at David’s nerves.

David’s face gradually hardened, turning pale like plaster.

He opened his eyes wide again.

“I refuse, Your Majesty. I will not commit an immoral act with the Countess.”

He cut off the Queen’s demand politely but firmly.

Bang!

The Queen slammed her fan on the table. Her thin eyebrows curved with anger.

“Oh? Now I see you have no sense of shame whatsoever.”

“Your Majesty…”

“Not only our royal family but even one with your lowborn blood owes gratitude. You crossed here on a fishing boat with nothing, and because of your royal blood, you were given shelter, food, and clothes. Do you not understand that you must repay this kindness?”

“I do not fail to appreciate that. I serve loyally in the Count’s knights to ensure the safety of both of them…”

Clap.

The Queen lightly clapped her hands, interrupting David’s objection.

“It was the Countess’s kindness that allowed you to become a knight. When you applied, the Count was reluctant, burdened by your royal prince status. Thanks to her persuasion, you were barely admitted. That’s why you now receive a monthly salary and can live decently.”

Meeting the Queen’s cold gaze squarely, David clenched his fist under the table.

“I am truly grateful for that, but kindness can be repaid in other ways.”

“Other ways? David, what do you have? Just your smooth body, isn’t it? If you understood gratitude, you would have already submitted yourself to the lady.”

“Your Majesty, I already told you—that is immoral. I will not commit a sin.”

David’s upright moral stance made the Queen twist her mouth and scoff.

“Ha, you speak well as if you learned that somewhere. Listen carefully. That ‘immoral act’ you just rejected was the very thing your mother Nadia used to do daily in this palace. It’s not surprising that the child born from that seed of immorality would also do it.”

Mentioning his mother’s name pierced David’s heart like a knife.

His mind went blank with searing humiliation. The color drained from his firmly closed lips. Trembling with anger, he gritted his teeth.

The Queen watched his fury but did not stop speaking.

“Becoming a highborn’s bedroom toy to gain favor and living off the scraps — that was your mother’s legacy. It wouldn’t be a bad choice for you to follow in her footsteps.”

“Your Majesty, please stop.”

David spoke through clenched teeth. His fist beneath the table twitched.

“David, don’t think of defying the Queen. It’s best not to take to heart how she treats your mother. Not angering her is the only way you can survive.”

Recalling his mother’s early advice silently, David barely restrained the urge to draw his sword at his waist.

The Queen scrutinized David’s flushed face again.

“The more I look, the more wicked your face is. Especially those purple eyes. They are exactly like your mother’s — the one who seduced my husband and dragged him to ruin.”

The Queen raised her index finger and pointed at his eyes.

Though it didn’t touch, it felt as if his eyes were stabbed. The sharp hatred in her fingertip struck him like a flying blade.

“Do you know why the servants at the lord’s castle always call you ‘Your Highness’? It’s because the lady secretly cares for you. Ah, what a merciful, generous, and meticulous woman she is.”

David tilted his head slightly. The Queen’s hateful attitude made him sick.

He had never wished to be addressed with honorifics. Even in the royal palace of Yorka, he was rarely called ‘Your Highness.’ His nanny Olenka and the maids only ever called him David-nim.

No wonder the servants at the lord’s castle treated him with excessive respect. The lady’s request was behind that.

Swallowing growing emptiness, David sighed repeatedly.

“David, as you know, this place is not a royal palace but a lord’s castle. It is natural the lady, the Countess, has more authority than I do here. You should be grateful to have caught her favor.”

“……”

“To refuse the night service when you should be flattering her? Ha! You must know your place and rank.”

The Queen fanned herself lightly and continued.

“Unfortunately, I’m also a guest living off others’ generosity. I cannot protect you from the lady.”

The Queen was cruel. She wielded words like blades and swung a mace. David stood bare against her assault. It felt like raw flesh tearing and bones grinding.

David tried to find a way out, but saw no retreat.

Refusal was useless. He probably never had the right to refuse.

So…

He had to pray.

His only hope was mercy.