Salode Chesa was quite troubled at the moment.

The king had clearly told him to take good care of the queen. Salode remembered everything he had said. Although the king’s instructions were rather detailed and numerous for someone leaving his wife behind, one couldn’t do anything if they couldn’t even remember such things.

And among them, there was certainly this statement:

“After I leave, the elders will surely enter the castle. If they request an audience with Ophelia, cut them off at your level.”

He clearly remembered it, so why did he make such a stupid mistake?

Salode thought that letting the queen meet Gilord Nebel in the first place was a problem. If he had known earlier when Gilord requested a private audience with the queen the day before, he could have prevented it.

However, he happened to be away from the castle at that time. It was harvest season, and he was distributing the grain collected from the royal lands and setting aside military provisions to be sent to the north.

His mother, who had also received the king’s orders with him, had also temporarily left for Chesa’s territory.

So there was no one to stop Gilord Nebel when he requested a private audience with the queen.

Even so, the queen must have received the same instructions, so why did she immediately accept the audience request? Thinking like that, Salode realized that this was nothing more than shifting his own incompetence onto others. Regardless of how the queen acted, he should have followed the king’s orders.

So even now, belatedly, he was trying to fulfill the king’s orders to assist the queen.

He dragged out the prisoner covered with a black cloth. Starlet didn’t resist much, perhaps having heard something separately from the queen. Or maybe he couldn’t express himself because something had already been stuffed into his mouth.

Concerned that the pirate might say unnecessary things, Salode had first ordered his mouth to be gagged.

Walking in front of the knights dragging him to the execution ground, Salode repeatedly told himself that this was the best course of action in this situation.

“I will oversee the execution. Your Highness, please remain inside the castle.”

When he said that, the queen clearly looked like she wanted to object. Salode knew she was trying to find words to persuade him.

But no matter what words came out of the woman’s mouth, the pirate had to die. Salode had no intention of letting the tower the king had painstakingly built crumble in his absence.

The royal family’s reputation had to be preserved. The king had told him to protect the queen, but the queen was also a member of the royal family. So in order to follow the king’s order to protect the queen, the name of the royal family must not fall.

Especially now, when everything was precarious with the king away from the capital.

So there could be no other choice in this situation.

“No, wait a moment. I clearly told him…”

“Your Highness must not hesitate. Your husband is away, isn’t he? In this situation, if the elder faction seizes public opinion and incites, riots could break out.”

Even though such a thing wouldn’t happen given the foundation the king had laid, Salode deliberately exaggerated a bit. If he gave in to the queen’s demands now, it would happen again next time. And if that continued, it wouldn’t be long before public sentiment truly wavered.

The queen was silent for a moment, but Salode knew she wasn’t agreeing with his words, but looking for something to say.

So he took out the letter that was in his bosom and handed it to her.

“It’s from your husband.”

At any other time, it might have been different, but at that moment, the effect of that letter was clear.

He usually didn’t enjoy pressuring people like this, but this time he couldn’t yield. Salode spoke again to prevent the queen from saying anything else.

“Please consider the position you are sitting in now.”

Only then did the queen finally acquiesce to him. Salode quickly mobilized the royal private soldiers before she could change her mind.

Finally, after dragging the pirate to the execution ground, Salode gestured to the soldiers. They removed the mask covering the pirate’s head. As a handsome face full of wounds was revealed under the sunlight, the gathered people murmured.

Standing next to the scaffold, Salode took a small breath. What he was about to do now was very important.

He shouted, looking down at the people gathered below the scaffold.

“Today we will execute the evil pirate Starlet, who stole the property of countless people and disturbed the order of the country!”

When the man shouted like that, Ophelia was standing at the edge of the castle wall.

Salode had told her not to watch the scene at the execution ground, but she couldn’t follow those words. Ophelia had to face the consequences of her wrong judgment with her eyes open.

Just like the day Haslen was executed.

So Ophelia stood at the edge of the castle wall and watched as the blade of the scaffold fell upon the pirate who had shown her kindness. Even when the sharp blade flashed under the summer sun, she did not close her eyes.

Only when the fallen head was placed on a spear did Ophelia realize she had been holding her breath.

The body that had looked tall and strong collapsed helplessly after losing its head. Unable to control her churning stomach, Ophelia staggered and finally turned her back.

Those beside her said nothing as they watched her run down the corridor of the royal castle as if fleeing.

Finally hiding in her bedroom, the only space she could call her own, Ophelia put down the letter said to be from Idren on the bedside table. She approached the bed with staggering steps.

She knew this was the right decision. Starlet had harmed many people over the years. He had extorted property and killed people. Even if he wasn’t harming Aglante now, it didn’t erase his crimes.

So as the queen of Aglante, as the spokesperson for the royal family, it was right for her to execute him.

But because she wasn’t born to be a fair person, failing to keep her promise to Starlet felt heavier than that.

Starlet had clearly trusted her. The desperate green eyes flickered before her. The helplessness that had choked her then rose again.

Starlet had shown her kindness several times. It was kindness that even the people of her home country hadn’t shown.

But what she had given him in return was the blade of the scaffold.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Covering her face, Ophelia thought about her mistake. If she had known this would happen, she shouldn’t have spoken as if she knew everything the day before. She shouldn’t have caused confusion and made him feel less afraid of death himself.

No, should she not have gotten involved with him in the first place?

Gilord had reached out because Starlet had gotten involved with her. If Starlet hadn’t accepted her proposal and attacked Brinwell’s ship, he wouldn’t have caught Gilord’s eye.

The ground she stood on felt like a pit. Struggling with the helplessness and despair rising from beneath her feet, Ophelia thought about the best choice she could make in the current situation.

First of all, it was true that Starlet had died because of Gilord. So what she had to do was avenge him. Apart from breaking the promise she had made with her own mouth, she couldn’t not repay that man anything.

But what should she do and how? Ophelia sat down on the bed. It was then that the letter she had placed on the bedside table caught her eye.

It was what Salode had brought, saying it was from Idren.

As she picked it up with trembling hands, Ophelia put the letter down. Although Idren was not at fault in this situation, it seemed that she shouldn’t think about Idren today. Not because she resented him, but because she had to take responsibility for the things she had ruined, even in this way.

The next day, Gilord requested an audience with her again. As soon as Salode heard the news, he tried to dissuade her.

“You don’t have to meet him. The king left instructions…”

Ophelia spoke to the man who had proven himself to be forever a member of the royal family to her yesterday.

“Don’t you think it’s too late to say that?”

She didn’t mean to be sarcastic. She still hadn’t opened the letter Idren had sent, but that didn’t mean Salode’s choice was wrong.

He had only advised her as a loyal servant of the royal family.

That’s what it should be.

Ophelia slowly rubbed her face. Salode was someone Idren trusted, and she trusted Idren. At least he always wanted to help her. He was a man who poured out affection to her that would never be reciprocated, unable to even resent her once.

Since he was someone Idren trusted, it couldn’t have been Salode who intercepted the report that came up to her.

Ophelia rubbed her face, repeating this to herself.

“I misspoke. It’s not something I should blame you for.”

“No, it’s my fault for not stopping it from the beginning…”

But she didn’t want to just listen to him blaming himself, so Ophelia didn’t let him finish speaking.

“But I need to meet Gilord Nebel. More than that, there’s something I want to entrust to you.”

“…Please command me.”

“Gilord deliberately caused a disturbance in Galisa and framed Starlet. However, what I received was a report of an accident due to a simple mistake in item management.”

“I was already looking into who intercepted the news in the middle.”

Normally, he wouldn’t have explained that much. But knowing that the queen’s gaze on him was cold, Salode spoke almost as if making an excuse without realizing it.

Feeling both embarrassed and awkward after finishing his words, the queen replied to him.

“…I see.”

And she let out a small sigh. It sounded exactly like she was reproaching his incompetence, so Salode didn’t make any reply.

Leaving him quietly reflecting on his mistakes, the queen rose from her seat.

“First, I’ll meet with the head of the Nebel family.”