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Chapter 2
Brosia, the capital of Arbey, had been swept up in a strange mood of excitement for the past few days.
The inauguration of a new monarch.
That fact alone was enough to create a stir, but to top it off, the princess who had been taken as a hostage twelve years ago—when the oppression from the Korneli Empire was at its peak—had returned to become queen.
Every day, the newspapers were busy clamoring about the princess returning to her homeland after twelve years. People’s interest was so immense that articles covered how she had lived in Arbey, how she was treated in Korneli, and even scoops on the drawings she had made as a child and her favorite foods.
The reaction of the people reading the newspapers was generally unanimous.
“It’s insane. She’s no different from a Korneli spy. She’ll definitely act as nothing more than a puppet, won’t she?”
Amid such anxiety, the people of Arbey left their homes at the break of dawn—when the new monarch was expected to arrive in the capital—and filled the streets. Holding anxiety and unease in their hearts, they waited for the city gates to open.
It was not difficult to tell that the Queen was almost there. The heavy thud of military boots shaking the ground and the snorting of horses attested to her approach.
Even while being held back by guards, people stretched their necks out as far as they could to catch a glimpse of the Queen’s face. When the procession finally came into view, the bewildered crowd began to buzz with commotion.
“Huh…?”
In Arbey, only the nobility could look upon the face of the monarch. Etiquette dictated that commoners should not recklessly lay eyes upon the noble face of one born different from lower-class subjects like themselves. Even those praised as wise rulers in Arbey’s history had always stayed inside their carriages during processions, opening the window just a crack to wave a hand without showing their faces. Because of this, the people could only gauge the monarch’s appearance by the face engraved on coins at best.
Yet now, the subjects gathered there could not take their eyes off the procession. There was no need to explain who the woman riding a horse alongside the Knight Captain with an upright posture was. After all, they were the ones who had grown tired of reading daily morning articles about the princess who was about to become queen.
The newspaper companies might have to close down, a farmer’s daughter standing in the crowd thought to herself. The newspapers had talked about how delicate and unstable the princess was, expressing regret as they disparagingly described her weak and fragile childhood.
Yet, what about the woman before their eyes?
Her red hair was neatly tied up, remaining unruffled even by the cool breeze. Her green eyes resembled a summer forest. Her magnolia-white skin, far from looking fragile, served to make her vivid vitality stand out all the more. An innate grace flowed from her straight, noble posture. If all the kings of the past had been like this, then indeed they were right. The highest ruler of this country was someone born entirely different from commoners like them.
The people lost their speech for a moment, gazing at their new sovereign. And at what was held in her hand. The giant flag that usually hung at the tip of a herald’s pole. It was undoubtedly heavy to hold with such small hands, but even if she received help from the Knight Captain, the Queen never let go of Arbey’s national flag. The crowd gathered there watched the Queen’s return procession blankly, offering neither cheers nor condemnation.
Expectation began to bloom in the hearts of those who had been filled with anxiety and fear that the Queen might abandon the country. That hand holding the national flag was a declaration. A declaration more definitive than anything else, so clear that even the most uneducated and impoverished could understand it at once. She was a person of Arbey, and she was the monarch of Arbey—and of no other nation.
As that realization spread, the streets were instantly filled with roaring cheers.
“Our King!” “The great one who has returned to her homeland!”
The streets instantly livened up with people hurriedly buying flowers to scatter them and others waving the handkerchiefs they held. Even if this were a mere theatrical display, it did not matter in that moment.
It was about two weeks ago when news first broke that a new monarch chosen by Korneli would ascend the throne. For those two weeks, the people had been overcome with anxiety, not knowing when the country might collapse. It was a time when they trembled in fear of being abandoned by their monarch, far from being protected by one. In the midst of that, her small action of resolutely carrying the national flag soothed their anxieties.
“Long live Her Majesty the Queen!” “Eternal blessings upon Arbey!”
Strength entered Lethe’s hand as she listened to the cheers of the people. Just as the people on the street saw hope in Lethe, Lethe also saw hope in them. The hope that things could be different from the past. It was different from the past, when she had entered the capital in silence with her face hidden, feeling only the cold gazes beyond the carriage window. Though it was a very small change, the fact that it had changed was what mattered. Thump, thump—her heart continued its pleasant beat.
‘I can change it.’
I can protect it. She could forge a future different from the one she knew. This life was a miraculously obtained second chance. She would not let anyone tear down her kingdom. If she could only protect this country, she was willing to offer up her life as a sacrifice as many times as it took.
Upon entering the palace, she saw people with astonished expressions just like those outside, but they quickly composed themselves and bowed their heads.
“We greet Her Majesty the Queen.”
The palace attendants lowered their waists in unison to pay their respects. Among them, a man standing at the front stepped forward. He was a man whose awkwardly dyed blond hair and slicked-back style gave off a strangely tacky impression. Lethe recognized him in an instant.
“It is an honor to meet Your Majesty. I am your aide, Jan Hoshikov.”
The man before her claiming to be her aide was, prior to her regression, a watchdog attached to Lethe by Elburn Avich. And that was proof of how lightly Duke Avich regarded the novice queen.
“I don’t recall taking on an aide yet.” “Duke Avich appointed me.”
At the answer that seemed to prioritize Duke Avich over the Queen before him, the corners of Lethe’s lips twisted.
“Since Duke Avich personally attached you to my side, you must be quite a brilliant talent. I look forward to working with you.” “Ahem, though it is embarrassing to say so myself, I never missed top honors throughout my time at the Academy.” “Oh, is that so?”
Lethe swallowed a sneer as she replied. Excited by her response, Jan spouted off with exaggerated gestures.
“Your Majesty may not be well aware, but the Academy is not such an easy place.”
The Academy diploma, once a symbol of brilliant talent, had now degraded in value to mere status symbol for the nobility. It was the result of academies sprouting up like mushrooms after rain, driven by nobles whose arrogance grew as the royal authority weakened. There were even no small number of places that established an academy for a single heir, only to shut down as soon as that heir graduated.
“Then as Queen, I shall give you, a top-ranking graduate, your first order. Since you are such an outstanding talent as you say, I trust you will surely accomplish it.” “Whatever order it may be, please just say the word. I shall carry it out flawlessly.”
He dropped to one knee and raised his voice with exaggeration. Lethe lightly patted his shoulder.
“I will be attending the royal council meeting tomorrow, so inform the nobles accordingly.” “Pardon?” “To do that, I’ll need to know about the agenda items currently under discussion. Since reports were likely submitted to the late King, bring those reports to me.” “Wait, please wait a moment. Since you have just returned after a long time, wouldn’t it be better to rest a bit more from your journey?”
Jan hurriedly tried to dissuade Lethe. It was because there had been a request from the nobles to stop the Queen from participating in state affairs for the time being. Although he was currently the Queen’s aide, he knew very well how precarious this position was. Without being the Queen’s aide, he was merely a baron. Since he could not guarantee his future, it was better not to make unnecessary enemies. Having finished his calculations, Jan desperately blocked the Queen’s path.
“The attire of Arbey might feel unfamiliar to you, so I could contact the dressing room, or perhaps the food…” “As Queen, should I prioritize anything over state affairs?” “That…!”
Just as Jan was about to shout something, Lethe spoke a step ahead.
“Or have you failed to make the preparations? It ought to be your job to prepare so that I can participate in state affairs immediately.”
A chilling voice struck him.
“If you cannot even execute this single task right away, I will have no choice but to dismiss you. I cannot keep an incompetent and lazy aide by my side, after all.”
There was no flaw in the Queen’s words. She continued, as if she knew exactly what Jan was afraid of.
“Then Duke Avich would be quite embarrassed. For recommending an incompetent person would be the Duke’s mistake.”
Terror rose on Jan’s face. Do not bother the Avich Ducal House, and avoid offending the Duke’s mood as much as possible. This was an unwritten rule. The moment one broke that rule, one could no longer survive in Arbey.
“Answer me. Is my order so difficult to execute?”
The Queen pressed him, as if resolved not to give him even a moment’s leeway. Jan looked up at the woman far younger than himself with a tearful gaze. That softly smiling face somehow looked like the treacherous smile of a snake. It bore a striking resemblance to Duke Avich.
“N-No. I can… I can do it.”
Jan barely squeezed out an answer in a trembling voice. He could not risk losing his head just to fulfill a favor for other nobles. Hearing a bit of cursing behind his back was far better than offending Duke Avich’s mood.
“How dependable. As expected of someone recommended by Duke Avich.”
The smiling Queen patted his shoulder lightly. Jan nodded with a feeling that made him want to cry.
