“Queen.”

The moment he heard the answer, Valkyster felt as if he had received some revelation.

Queen, she said.

His queen’s seat was still vacant.

He had been forcibly postponing his marriage, vowing to take a wife superior to Kaian.

As a king, it was common to marry early with succession in mind, but due to his crooked jealousy towards Kaian, he had remained alone until now.

The reason for that found its answer in this moment.

Because until now, he hadn’t met the woman who would sit beside Valkyster.

Now it was alright.

Since he had met her, it seemed he could escape from the complex anguish that used to arise whenever the topic of marriage came up, from the king’s duties to Kaian’s bride.

A fated partner.

Valkyster didn’t believe in such things.

Because he had never experienced it.

Fate is originally something you create and pioneer through your own efforts.

He thought nothing would happen automatically by simply going with the flow.

Now those thoughts were completely forgotten.

The woman who would become his ‘Queen’ descended like a goddess on this sudden day.

In the pale blue early dawn by the lake, only she had a warm color as if painted over.

Valkyster, entranced, followed the water that flowed down her red hair to pool in the hollow of her collarbone.

The fairy spoke to him in a clear voice.

“I want to get out of here.”

“Whatever you wish.”

As if that wasn’t the answer the woman wanted, her face took on a troubled expression.

“I can’t get out because you’re there.”

Seeming frustrated that he wasn’t understanding well, she pointed to the shore with her finger.

“My clothes are there.”

“Ah. I apologize. I’ll move aside.”

“The lord has forbidden anyone from entering this garden. The gardener will be here soon, and I’ll be in trouble if I’m caught.”

“I see. Thank you for letting me know.”

Valkyster answered stupidly with a smile he couldn’t hide.

“I want to leave quickly too.”

“I suppose it would be troublesome for both of us to be caught by the gardener.”

He reluctantly stepped back.

“I hope to see you again.”

There was no reply, but seeing the woman anxiously looking towards the garden entrance as if worried someone might come, he felt staying longer would lose him points.

As Valkyster left the garden, he looked back once.

“It was a Belmond-style dress.”

The dress laid out by the water was made of velvet.

Something that would never be worn in the hot south, only in the northern regions.

‘What do you think?’

‘Princess Irena is said to be an exceptionally talented and dazzlingly beautiful lady.’

‘Is that so? Well, I think I’ve heard something like that.’

The daughter of Belmond does not make her debut in the capital.

And she doesn’t attend social circles in the capital at all.

Even Valkyster, well-versed in social circles, had never seen Princess Irena, who was rumored to be a great beauty.

“Such cliché expressions don’t do justice to her beauty.”

At the northernmost end of the continent, Belmond had built a fortress three times the size of Lowen Castle and maintained a stubborn attitude of ‘Let the regretful ones come’.

If not for the food issue, they would have become an independent country long ago.

Even now, while within the framework of the Oberon Kingdom, it was hard to say Belmond wasn’t an independent country.

Because Belmond did not pay territory tax to the kingdom.

All the tax revenue from that land went to Belmond.

A frozen land hiding treasures of various rare precious metals and iron and copper for making weapons.

Rumors were rife that the wealth Belmond had accumulated, with even territory tax exemptions, was greater than that of the royal family.

Even though they had been suffering from drought for several years now.

Instead, if goods transported by horse from the south to the capital, and from the capital to the north along the Shen River, were exported via the northern sea route with royal approval, they could receive port tax exemptions.

Valkyster was very dissatisfied with this.

He had always been pondering ways to collect taxes from Belmond and use their ports for free, but couldn’t come up with any good solutions.

But the goddess he just encountered had shown him a new answer.

‘Is Princess Irena such a beauty?’

‘My daughter-in-law once said that if Princess Irena had come to the capital’s debutante, she wouldn’t have been able to marry into our family.’

‘To that extent?’

‘Women have great pride among themselves, so they don’t often praise other women like that. It must mean that anyone would acknowledge it.’

If he married the daughter of Duke Belmond, who was as calculating as an old fox.

Since there was no heir and a son-in-law would have to inherit that territory, it would naturally mean that the territory tax and port that had been out of reach would come rolling in as well.

“No wonder I felt like coming to Lowen Castle when Kaian wasn’t here.”

Princess Irena probably hadn’t met Kaian yet.

Because he had summoned Kaian to Promhunt.

“He can’t disobey a royal order.”

Even if Kaian gave his heart to Irena, refusing to tend to his wife who was said to be wasting away with illness, there was no way for him to be with her. The upright Kaian would be earnestly devoted to the marriage ordered by royal decree.

Valkyster felt urgent.

“I must return to the royal castle quickly.”

Yet the image of the woman he had seen just once lingered in his eyes like an afterimage, making it hard to leave.

Knowing that the lord had gone hunting to Promhunt at the king’s summons, he couldn’t enter Temness Castle.

Reluctantly, Valkyster rented a room at an inn near the marketplace to rest and eat.

She would be at Lowen Castle.

Though he knew the definite answer, circling around made him even more impatient.

It was the first time he had felt such emotions.

Valkyster was someone for whom everything in the world had been easy from birth.

“It’s the first time I’ve felt this regretful. No, the second time?”

It was when he was wandering aimlessly around the marketplace.

As he turned a corner, he saw that woman sitting in a spacious rose garden that spread out before him.

‘Queen!’

Valkyster was so glad he almost called out to her aloud.

Among those with bright and cool shoulders exposed in the midday sun, the woman in a high-necked velvet dress buttoned up to her neck rather stood out.

The woman sitting across from her, whose face wasn’t clearly visible due to the direction she was facing, also seemed to be quite a beauty based on the atmosphere.

‘But she’s wearing a Lowen-style dress.’

It was then.

A maid approached the table where the two red-haired women were sitting, as if returning from an errand, and called out to her.

“Miss Irena. I’ve brought the hat you asked for.”

The woman in the Belmond-style dress received it with a smile.

“Thank you, Hannah.”

Having obtained the answer he wanted, Valkyster felt a thrill run through his body.

…Princess Irena.

He had something to do now.

Valkyster mounted his horse tied in the woods near the castle and began to ride swiftly.

Towards the north where the royal castle was.

Irena exclaimed in admiration at the beautifully blooming roses.

“They’re really so pretty. So this is what these flowers are like. Much bigger and more beautiful than in pictures.”

“Hehe. Do you like them?”

Wearing Claudel’s borrowed dress and surrounded by roses, she looked very happy.

“I’m benefiting from having a good sister. I thought I’d never see roses in my life.”

“Why?”

“Well, roses bloom most in Lowen, and Temness is at odds with them. I didn’t think I’d ever have a reason to go from Belmond to Lowen in my lifetime.”

Seeing Irena’s pure joy, Claudel felt bitter as well.

Duke Belmond was truly a good father to her, his own daughter.

A kind, loving father who poured out affection from his heart.

Though it was only the second day at Lowen Castle, Claudel could feel that Irena had truly come just to see the flowers, knowing nothing.

That’s the kind of person Claudel’s uncle was.

He would never let Irena, whom he cherished and loved, know about any dirty schemes.

If Irena were to return to Belmond and say to Duke Belmond, “I envied Claudel. I want to stay in Lowen,” he would do whatever it took to put his daughter in the position of Duchess of Temness.

If there were a hundred kinds of happiness in the world, Irena was someone who had almost all of them to herself.

Claudel felt like she had just found a small gold nugget in the sand at the end of many waves of misfortune.

That’s what having Kaian in her heart meant to Claudel right now.

But while wanting to show the lush roses to Irena who loved flowers, she felt truly unsightly for fretting that Irena might want to stay here because of such things.

Just as she had gained a small hope that she might become happy now.

Of course, a husband burning with hatred for Belmond was only a hope, not complete happiness.

“This is so nice. We’re having a picnic in the garden tomorrow, right?”

“Yes. I told the butler to prepare for it.”

“Wow. I’m so excited.”

Smiling along with Irena who was delighted like a child, Claudel recalled the incident from dawn.

‘He was such a strange person.’

After Kaian, who was obsessed with kisses, had strictly ordered that absolutely no one should enter, only the gardener was allowed in the garden.

For a while, even though she had been sneaking in to swim, she really hadn’t encountered anyone.

Recently, when she lightly kissed Kaian who was lying with his head on her lap as she sat reading a book in the shade of a tree, he bit Claudel’s lips and whispered as if casting a spell.

‘Really no one comes here.’

What was he planning to do if no one came?

Claudel, who had given her heart to him, was helplessly dragged along by Kaian.

To the shadiest spot under the trees.

Letting her guard down thinking no one would come, when she met eyes with a strange man wearing a wide-brimmed brown hat and brown cloak, she was so surprised she almost fainted.

But what was more baffling was that the man asked for her name.

‘Is there anyone here who doesn’t know I’m the duchess?’

Thinking he must be mentally unwell, and afraid of provoking him, she answered with her middle name ‘Queen’, which seemed to delight him greatly.

‘Ugh. It was really scary.’

She thought she should somehow ask Kaian to not let her go to the garden alone anymore.

She would try asking for permission to go with Hannah.

“Is it better now with the hat on?”

“Yes.”

Claudel, who had lent Irena a Lowen-style dress, was actually wearing a Belmond-style dress herself.

She had been feeling chills and cold lately, so thinking it would be fine since Kaian wasn’t around, she had worn a Belmond-style dress today.

But sitting outside, the sun was so bright that Irena had asked Hannah to bring a hat.

‘Phew. If I keep feeling unwell, I should ask a doctor.’

She was worried because sometimes her back felt chilly, her stomach felt fluttery, and her ankles ached and felt tired.

“Try this. It’s delicious.”

Irena happily ate the snack Claudel offered.

“I’m looking forward to the picnic too.”

As Claudel was busy welcoming her guest like this, that evening.

She encountered Kaian, who had returned to the castle unexpectedly early.

Perhaps due to coming back from the hunting grounds, the man’s face was sharp.

Feeling somehow unfamiliar, Claudel watched his expression.

“D-Duke. This is my elder sister, Irena.”

Irena, also startled by Kaian’s aura, greeted him awkwardly.

“Hello. I’m Irena of Belmond.”

He spoke coldly, furrowing his brow.

“So the day has come for Belmond to set foot in my castle.”