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Chapter : 21
“His Majesty the King is on his way to the Solar Palace.”
Late at night, Elfreda was sitting at her desk with a tired expression when she heard the unexpected news and looked startled. Since Serina’s apology in the audience chamber, he had not come to see her even once.
Elfreda herself had been so troubled with the tea party issue that she had almost forgotten about him. She quickly straightened her dress and prepared to receive Ainar.
Soon, unfamiliar footsteps grew closer. Elfreda forced away the worry on her face.
…He must know the tea party failed.
Maybe he had come to scold her for her incompetence. Elfreda felt nervous. It wasn’t that she was afraid of being scolded. She simply hated the idea of causing him even more trouble. Still, she made a firm resolution not to show any pain or distress in front of him.
“I greet the shining sun of Machi.”
Elfreda greeted him politely and lifted her head. Ainar stood there with an unreadable expression. Elfreda gave an awkward smile and broke the silence first.
“…Have you been well?”
“Are you complaining that I haven’t come in a long time?”
“Of course not.”
Elfreda almost added that she had also been too busy to think about him, but stopped herself quickly. Instead, she said with concern,
“You look tired. Have you been sleeping well?”
“You should worry about your own face first.”
“Pardon?”
“Do you not even look in a mirror? Your face is getting thinner every day.”
Ainar walked closer with a dissatisfied look. Elfreda flinched slightly and tensed up. Soon, he was right in front of her, carefully examining her face. Elfreda stood nervously, as if hiding something.
Then Ainar raised his hand and gently touched her cheek. His large fingers made her instinctively shrink back. Wherever he touched, it felt strangely warm, like a burn.
“Not sleeping properly either.”
Elfreda felt strangely flustered and looked away. But Ainar grabbed her chin and forced her to face him. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“Ah…”
“It seems it’s you who has a problem, not me.”
Ainar frowned slightly.
“Do you have something troubling you lately?”
Elfreda hesitated, her lips trembling. His sharp gaze felt like it was piercing through her. She couldn’t move properly and forced a lie out.
“…Not at all.”
“Yet you look like this?”
“I just… heard that Countess Magnum has not been well.”
She quickly added an excuse.
“She took leave three days ago. I’m worried about her condition.”
“I see. That must be affecting palace affairs.”
His tone felt like an interrogation. Of course, that wasn’t his intention—but Elfreda still felt guilty.
“Other maids are helping me well.”
“I see.”
Ainar concluded coldly.
“So you are not having any difficulties at all.”
“I…”
Elfreda forced a faint smile in front of his unreadable expression.
“I will work harder so you won’t have to worry about the inner palace.”
“….”
A brief silence followed.
Elfreda finally felt she could read his expression a little. He looked dissatisfied. But she didn’t understand why. She thought her answer had been perfect as a queen.
Then Ainar’s mouth curved slightly.
“Good. Work hard, so I don’t have to worry.”
“….”
“Then I suppose you should also work hard in other ways.”
“W-what…?”
Before she could ask, his large hand pulled her closer.
Elfreda stiffened in shock. Ainar’s expression was still cold, almost displeased. His actions seemed gentle on the surface, but felt mechanical and distant.
As his touch continued, Elfreda gradually lost strength in her body. He did not stop there. His hand slowly moved downward, and with his other hand he loosened her dress.
The fabric slipped, and Elfreda struggled to stand properly. She wished they could move to the bed, but Ainar did not move from his spot at all—only his hands did.
“A-ah…”
Even when she made a distressed sound, he did not stop. Eventually, she could no longer hold herself steady and looked at him weakly.
But Ainar met her gaze calmly, as if waiting for her to speak directly before doing anything else.
At last, when her legs weakened and she nearly collapsed, Elfreda spoke with difficulty.
“Hah… Your Majesty…”
“Yes.”
“Please… could we go to the bed?”
Her voice trembled slightly, almost tearful. Ainar frowned a little, then muttered,
“You can say things like that.”
“Pardon?”
“I thought my queen was someone who couldn’t even speak for herself.”
“Ah…!”
“Good. That doesn’t seem to be the case.”
Then why don’t you say other things, hm?
He swallowed the last words.
When he first heard she was struggling, Ainar waited to see how she would act. As expected, no one helped his queen. And there was only one person she could turn to.
So he waited. But she never came.
He thought she might be too embarrassed to ask for help. So he came himself. He even asked directly.
But this woman still did not ask him for help.
Why?
When pushed into a corner, she could clearly speak up—but not this time. Why couldn’t she ask him?
The question rose to his throat, but it strangely irritated him. It felt like he was the one begging her to rely on him. There was no reason he should go this far for her.
No—why was he even showing her this much favor?
To this fake queen who had come to swallow Machi whole.
A sharp irritation rose inside him. He could not tell whether it was toward her existence, her refusal to rely on him, or himself for caring this much.
He did not want to leave that irritation unspoken.
Ainar suddenly lifted Elfreda into his arms. She let out a small gasp, startled, her hands moving instinctively. She looked like she wanted to hold onto him but quickly stopped herself. Even though the height made her fear falling, she still held back. Seeing this, Ainar’s expression darkened.
So this woman refuses to speak to her husband, and even dislikes being touched—is that it?
