Chapter 45

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I sneaked a look at my mother’s face.

‘Is she okay?’

Even, I’m furious.

Unlike how she was in the carriage, my mother looked calm as usual.

‘…Right, no matter how simple it may look, it’s still a Royal family.’

It may not be good to go too far.

At that moment when I tried to understand and soothe myself alone, the words that came out of my mother’s mouth were far from what I expected.

“I don’t know what you’re asking me to cover up. Your Highness.”

“………. Pardon?”

The Queen was bewildered, trying to comprehend what she had heard.

She looked like she didn’t understand my mother’s short words.

Then, the green-haired woman standing next to the Queen hinted at something.

The Queen’s face lit up noticeably.

“Oh, that’s right. Nothing happened. Nothing happened between us!”

The Queen clapped her hands and smiled broadly as if everything went well.

‘You twisted the words too much.’

‘To your advantage?’

‘My mother is a very sweet person but…’

But she isn’t someone who will overlook an unpleasant experience like a pushover.

“No, even if I try to cover it up, I can only do that if the person who has made a mistake explains to me ‘what happened’.”

As expected of my mother!

This time, even the Queen seemed to be able to clearly tell the meaning of those words.

She shot a sharp glance at the green-haired woman beside her, as though she was wronged and felt resentful.

As if saying, “This is because of you!”‘ .

“So what do you wish me to cover up?”

Mother smiled and asked the Queen.

Even though she had a very friendly face, I somehow could feel her hostility towards my mother.

‘I can’t believe a person’s face can turn that blue.’

I don’t know if she’s angry or feels wronged.

The queen openly showed her pale complexion and tightly bitten lips. I didn’t know if she had no intention to hide her expression or if she just didn’t have the ability to do so.

Eyes sharply turned towards the Queen and my mother.

“Wh-what I want you to cover up is…”

The Queen seemed displeased that she got caught in her own scheme.

More than anything else, she used a soft tone towards my mother from the beginning.

‘Because her expression clearly showed her true emotions.’

I’m the Queen! I’m your superior!

I can feel this self-assertion of hers, One.

It’s embarrassing to see you.

“La, last time…”

The Queen said so and looked at me once.

“I told the youngest lady to be a companion!”

She clenched her fists and spouted out words like a reprimanded child being forced to apologise.

“That, that was! I wanted to tell you that it wasn’t my intention! The others also had the same thought and wanted your forgiveness, Princess Tekla!”

As if it was upsetting to use the word “Princess”, her gnashing teeth were incredible to witness.

She was the depiction of someone unfit for the title of ‘Queen’.

“If that wasn’t your intention, does it mean that you think the words were a ‘mistake‘?”

Mother quietly asked in the same tone she used when admonishing my sister or brother.

The Queen turned to the green-haired woman again, as if she didn’t want to admit she ‘made a mistake‘.

However, even the woman shook her head lightly as if there was no other choice, and the Queen gritted her teeth and reluctantly spoke.

“Tha-that’s right! That’s what I wanted to say!”

My mother sighed briefly at the queen’s words.

And then, as if there was really nothing else she could do.

“Alright! People make mistakes. It’s not exemplary to keep on blushing while being honest about your mistakes.”

Mother then gently opened the Queen’s clenched fist and said with a smile.

“As Your Highness says, we are family, I believe this kind of thing will never happen again.”

I couldn’t see what Mother’s expressions were, but I could clearly see the Queen’s eyes shaking.

The Queen lowered her head and murmured in a despondent voice.

“Ye, yes…… Of course.”

And the nobles, who witnessed this scene, began to whisper their own opinions, perhaps assuming that it was over.

‘As expected, the real power lies with Princess Tekla……’

‘No, don’t rush too much. This time too, you wrote a letter only believing the words of Viscountess Dinea.’

‘Still, Her Highness is frozen like that.’

‘Anyway, it’s all over now, would it make a difference if we tell the Princess that it was all in good intentions?’

I was tongue-tied at the selfishly whispered words I was forced to hear.

‘Do they think it’s anyone else’s business?’

You’re going to pay dearly.

* * *

After that, the tea party’s atmosphere flowed in typical fashion.

The nobles tried to talk to my mother whilst smiling.

‘Everyone is shameless.’

Of course Mother wouldn’t let them off the hook.

“Everyone, don’t you teach your children?”

“What do you mean, Princess?”

Gosh, is this what they mean when they say you can see the bottom?

Obviously, those who changed their tune to ‘Duchess’ at the last ball have now changed their words to “Princess.”

“Such as, one must properly apologise for what they did wrong.”

Mother asked, showing her rare simmering temper.

They weren’t even criticised in a strong tone, but the faces of the nobles changed colours.

Is it praiseworthy that no one shows their expression as much as the Queen?

‘The future of this country is in trouble, as well. The people known as nobles are this shallow.’

But not all of them are like this, so it’s a relief.

The Queen prepared this tea party with intentions, so the invitees will also be roughly the same with the green haired woman.

“Th-that is….”

The nobles looked busy looking at each other.

‘They look like they wanted to ask if Mother had decided to cover up the incidents during the conversation with the Queen a while ago.’

Mother settled with the Queen only, she never said a word about covering up your rudeness.

“From now on, it would be best to not scold the children even if they hesitate at times like this.”

Mother feigned a laugh, looking at the children brought by the nobles.

As if they were awakened by those words, they were barely able to say sorry in front of the eyes of their children who were looking up at them.

“We were…… rude. Princess.”

“I’m sorry, Princess, we shouldn’t have recklessly spoken.”

My mother generously accepted the series of apologies looking as if she had done a good job.

Mother really is benevolent.

‘Huh?’

But at that moment, I strangely felt like something was out of place in the party hall.

‘That green haired woman, who was with the Queen, is not here.’

Don’t tell me, did she run away because she was embarrassed?

That’s even more embarrassing.

* * *

“I-I did as you told me, but nothing went right!”

For a moment, I thought my ears were going to fall off.

As soon as I used magic to find where the Queen went and secretly listened, a voice screamed indignantly.

“Ca-calm down. Your Highness, the Queen.”

“It’s unfair! It’s so unfair!”

The Queen was complaining in a tone void of any dignity.

“This time, I was going to hit that woman’s nose! I am a person above Tekla Endeblanc!”

“Please lower your voice, if anyone hears, they won’t think it’s elegant.”

The Queen’s mouth, full of complaints, was shut by the dissuasive voice.

I also knew the owner of that voice.

‘Was she that dependent on the green haired woman?’

Even when she was talking to my mother a while ago, she was like a baby looking at their mother for instructions.

“So what are you going to do now, Viscountess Dinea? I’ve been humiliated!”

Aha, so that green haired woman was Viscountess Dinea.

The person who sent that ridiculous letter to the townhouse.

In my head, I remembered the information about Viscountess Dinea that I had dug up in the last few days.

She is friends with the Queen, and she was also the one who contributed the most to allow the Queen to rise to that position.

Thanks to this, she, who was only the second daughter of a lowly Baron, received a territory and became a Viscountess.

In short, the Queen was close with her enough to rely on her.

‘But Viscountess Dinea’s candidate for ‘Queen’ wasn’t that much of a Queen…..’

While I was contemplating about the Viscountess, she whispered to the Queen.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I have another plan.”

“Plan?”

As the plan of Viscountess Dinea followed after those words, I hardened my expression while in my mother’s arms.

* * *

The Queen and Viscountess Dinea barely showed up by the time the tea party was almost over.

The Queen looked miserable.

Unlike her childish and narrow-minded core, the Queen looked innocent on the outside.

The sight of her eyes turning red as if she were very upset, made many people unknowingly look at her with pity.

“Princess Tekla, please know that I am very sorry.”

The Queen saw my mother off, and held her hand tightly, talking imploringly.

“I will also become a mother in spring, so who else can I ask besides Princess Tekla?”

She set a trap for my mother, appealing for sympathy.

“So Princess, please come to the palace more often. We are going to do this every week. It’s a little favour of mine.”