Chapter 47: Requiem for a Dream

Liam had returned, but Evelyn and Arthur headed to Adrian’s room, without telling each other in advance. She felt the room was too quiet, and she found that Adrian was still sleeping in the cradle, and Miriam was watching him.

“Finally, that’s awesome. I’ve got a story I want to share with the Queen.”

“Really? I think Adrian knew it first, because he fell asleep peacefully.”

After a long time, Adrian had a short break, and the rest of the family could have sat down together. Until then, Evelyn had no clue what her father’s intention was.

“I’m going to give Evelyn the right position.”

“But, I’m already a Princess.” Evelyn asked back in wonder, but Miriam nodded as if she had understood Arthur’s words. Since he brought Evelyn out to attend a meeting like this in the first place meant that she would continue to participate in public affairs in the future.

“The princess is just King’s daughter. You need to have a position to get the job done. What would be good?”

“Well, that’s a very worrying problem.”

Her parents fell into happy troubles. Still, only Evelyn had a blank face, “Oh, you don’t plan to give me the throne, do you?”

“Why not? Right now, I can’t give it to Adrian.”

Well if he could, Adrian would have had so many titles that he couldn’t remember.

“But I’m a woman I’m a divorcee, too.”

Neither of those facts had hurt Evelyn. However, she was worried about what the world would think about her.

“Huh … I learned something strange because I was sent to the Empire for no reason.”

“I know, you must have been taught the dumb things.” Arthur and Miriam shouted with the same expressions.

“Evelyn, forget about the useless stupidity you’ve learned in the Empire. You wouldn’t have said such a stupid thing if you were your old self. What? What’s wrong with being a woman and getting divorced!”

The Felice Kingdom used to be criticized for its soft discipline, but Arthur thought it was better than hypocrisy.

“Failed is marriage, not life. But if there’s anything they’re talking about, it’s their lives that have failed.” Arthur’s words touched Evelyn’s heart with no mistake. “We don’t need such a thing in our Kingdom whether it be discipline or tradition. Particularly, if you have the skill and wisdom to lead people, it won’t be a problem.”

“But this must be done by Adrian, the successor.” Evelyn said.

Arthur looked up at Evelyn. It was the same with Miriam. “The reason we didn’t raise you as a successor was that one day you would get married and join the family of your husband

“Yes, And I … because your marriage was happy … I thought it would be a happiness for me, too. I was a stupid mother.” Evelyn was moved to tears as she saw the loving eyes of her parents.

“But now you have decided to stay in the Kingdom of Felice. There is no reason not to be a successor.”

“What? Me, as the successor to the Felice Kingdom?” Evelyn opened her mouth to words she had never imagined. “Well, that’s….Adrian…”

“Adrian is still young. There’s no reason not to be, because it’s you. We’re going to make you a successor if you weren’t married.”

One of the reasons the Felice Kingdom was ignored by the Empire was that they had no strict rules. The Felice Kingdom was once ruled by a Queen. She was very tolerant of divorce, which was considered as a great embarrassment in the Empire.

“I don’t want to be a King.”

“Who told you to be a King?”

Evelyn was dumbfounded by Arthur’s words for no reason.

“Through your time as Empress, you’ve learned and mastered a lot of things, so use the experience you acquire for the Felice Kingdom. I’m going to find a suitable position for you. That’s the duty of the Royal Family to the people.”

The picture of herself she had never dreamed before had been drawn. If she could support her kingdom with her knowledge and experience … If she still had time to make her dreams come true ……

“I didn’t mean to ask you to leave your child, but you’re still young, so it’s time to go out and do whatever you can. That’s enough to see this old man.”

Evelyn figured out very late that Arthur’s yelling who had always complained meant that he really loved her.

“Why don’t you feel confident? So you’re going to live with me? Are you afraid to hear that you’re a woman and a divorcee so you can’t straighten your back?”

“Your Majesty, how could you say that to Evelyn…”

“It’s all right, mother.”

It’s just that Arthur pushed Evelyn back in his own way. Evelyn straightened her back and saw her very grateful father.

“Do you think I’m going to be thrilled with what the others say?”

“Oh, my daughter can’t do that. If you have something like that, just pour me some water.”

“I don’t want to, because it’s going to splash on my dresses, but I’ll think of another way.” Evelyn was a powerful woman. When someone saw her, she seemed to be raising her voice and fighting with Arthur.

“Oh, you used to rip my clothes off as a child so get your character out and live. My heart is so stuffy every time I see you feel frustrated,” said Arthur.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“It won’t happen, so take good care of Adrian’s manners if you don’t want Adrian to grow up like a bad-tempered child like me!”

“Huh! If that happens, it still looks like your child-like temper, not me!” Arthur kicked up and rose from his seat. He always wondered why their father-daughter’s talk was always so militant?

Miriam was smiling warmly at Adrian, who was still asleep in the middle of the war.

“The King’s-young-enemy-nickname is pretty good. After all, the future of the Felice Kingdom is Adrian’s future. I’m going to make it a better kingdom!”

“Huh, just try! … Yes, you’re first going to take care of the trade agreement with the Empire. And it’s a good thing that the Minister of Finance just retired, so now I’m going to appoint you as Minister of Finance. If you’re incompetent, I won’t protect you as a princess.”

“I don’t want that!”

Arthur stared at Evelyn and walked out of the room with a loud voice. Only then did Evelyn sit back and take a short breath.

“What a heck, he has the ability to make every conversation combative.”

“Mother, how can you get married to someone like that?”

“Huh? That’s right… Because he never does that to me. As a husband, he’s a very sweet person.”

Evelyn felt like she was getting a glimpse of another side of her father. When Rebecca first returned after the divorce, she said that everyone in the Duke’s house was cautious with her. And Evelyn could understand that situation. Therefore, what his father showed now was a form of love.

“The Minister of Finance····· Can I do this job well?”

Unlike the way Arthur yelled at her, Miriam spoiled Evelyn a lot.

“The King is a very competent person who has developed a kingdom during his reign. He’s not someone who will give you an important position just because you are a Princess. If he puts you in that position, it means you have met his requirements.”

Evelyn nodded slowly. It was both pleasant and burdensome. Yet she was a little more content than that.

Evelyn was thankful for her life of walking moving and accomplishing something with her own strength rather than becoming the Empress, who had to live as if stuck in a beautiful garden, no matter how noble her status was.

“We live in the same continent, our language is no different, so why is the Empire and the Southern land so different, criticizing and pushing each other?”

“Nobody knows that, except for myths and legends.”

“I know what’s more important than face or hypocrisy. So this time, I’ll make a clear trade agreement with the Empire and change the world so that we won’t be exploited anymore.”

Evelyn never had a dream like this before. She just knew how to spent her life with a man she loved and gave birth to children. But the Imperial family did not even allow such a dream to happen.

“Maybe I’m the right person to do this job. I was born in the Felice Kingdom, the representative of the South, and I was once married to the Imperial family, the center of the Empire. I’m the only one who has experienced those extreme two sides.”

In other words, she could have said that she had through all the pain alone. Now that she saw Evelyn’s face glow with a smile, Miriam completely forgot about her worries.

“When Adrian grows up, I wish it would be a better country … I really want to do anything about it.”

“Are you curious?”

“Yes, I’ve never dreamed about this before.”

“That thinks what makes you a mother.”

Evelyn approached the cradle and looked at Adrian’s sleeping face. It was hard not to touch his soft hands which smelled like white milk.

“First of all, I’d like to send a letter and talk to others about the issue. I need to talk to others about it.”

“That’s a good idea, too.”

“Please take good care of Adrian tonight.”

Miriam smiled and nodded.

“By any chance, is the King Majesty included in your discussions?”

Only

“Of course, he’s the most important person to send letters.”

Suddenly, after hearing that, Miriam’s smile brightened even more. “It’s been a long time since I monopolized Adrian.”

“Ah…”

Evelyn was so envious of Miriam when she realized that. It was such an attractive sentence to listen to Adrian without Arthur.

“You should go and do what’s given to you, right? Adrian will be with you longer than any of us anyway.”

Evelyn nodded slowly, leaving the door after seeing Adrian sleep.

There was so much much she could do for him than to watch the sleeping side of Adrian now.