Love Me Just Once - Chapter 52

Idren woke her up in the late morning as he had said the night before. He too was sitting by her side in his nightclothes.

Ophelia asked the man who had clearly been up for a while – judging by the fatigue on his face, Idren must have risen early:

“Why are you still in the bedroom?”

The man replied with a somewhat dejected look on his face:

“I thought it best to rise as late as possible the day after the wedding night.”

As the servants were already waiting, Ophelia was able to wash up as soon as she got up. When she came out of the bathroom adjoining the master bedroom, breakfast was prepared in the already tidied room.

“Come over here and eat.”

Idren, sitting in a chair beside the bed, said as soon as she entered the room. Ophelia did as he instructed and got into bed. A servant placed a small desk in front of her as if they had been waiting.

Once the food was placed on it, Idren dismissed the people. Ophelia put into her mouth the food the man, who smelled nice as if he had also bathed, served her.

As she chewed on some fruit, Idren explained the events for today.

“In the afternoon, there will be presentations from the envoys who arrived the day before. After the foreign delegations pass through, the council of elders will enter, and it would be good to memorize their faces.”

Ophelia nodded, as she had been planning to observe the Edegrun nobles this time anyway. Idren, placing finely chopped meat in front of her, added:

“I did talk to you about public sentiment, but I’m not forcing you. There’s no need to do things you dislike, so don’t worry about it if it’s burdensome.”

“I understand.”

And Ophelia said to the man who only used his utensils for cutting food:

“You should eat too.”

At this, Idren once again made an expression of being moved. Since she felt strange every time he made such a face, Ophelia turned her head away.

By the time they finished eating, much time had passed and they could not delay any further.

As she needed to be dressed appropriately for her status as queen in the audience chamber, Ophelia had to groom herself as meticulously as she had done yesterday. It was a tedious time for her, but the man who had now become her husband waited in the same room throughout.

In the audience chamber, her chair was placed very close to the throne. Thanks to this, Ophelia could hear Idren’s explanations each time people she didn’t remember well showed their tribute gifts and greeted from below the dais.

Despite the large number of people, he explained what she needed to know in a gentle voice. It was an easy-to-understand explanation, as if he had prepared it in advance.

Finally, after all the foreign delegations had passed through, the nobles of Edegrun began to appear. When a woman with familiar red hair stood at the bottom of the dais, Idren whispered:

“Not everyone in the council of elders is on bad terms. Chesa and some other families tend to support our side, but their numbers are too few to overturn the existing system.”

And Idren gestured to the woman who was bowing to him. Then the woman, clearly related to Hazel, came up onto the dais carrying a box.

When she was close enough, Ophelia could see what was inside the box. Inside the box lined with dark green velvet was a tree made of silver and jewels.

The tree with a thick trunk and many spreading branches was the symbol of the Sigrasal royal family. As Idren gestured again, the head of the Chesa family placed the box in front of her.

“Congratulations on your marriage.”

And the woman bowed once more before backing down from the dais without turning around. As Ophelia briefly looked down at the shining crafted piece in the box, Idren whispered. Do you like it?

“…It’s sparkly.”

Idren frowned briefly, perhaps feeling her answer was ambiguous, but soon explained as he had been doing all along.

“Chesa has a large silver mine. The knight standing behind you owns three-tenths of that mine.”

The knight standing behind her referred to Hazel. Ophelia raised an eyebrow.

“Didn’t you say the family heir is your financial advisor?”

“That’s correct. However, Hazel’s share of the mine was directly given to her by the previous generation’s head of the family to his granddaughter, so it became hers.”

And Idren added playfully. So try to be friendly with her. It should be better than pirates or whatever.

Ophelia did not respond to the man whose last sentence was clearly his true feelings. But Idren chuckled softly, pleased about something.

Ophelia turned to say something to him, annoyed by his laughter which, though not mocking, somehow irked her. It was then that his expression froze coldly.

Curious as to who he had encountered to make such an expression, Ophelia looked down. A middle-aged man with reddish blonde hair stood before them with a brown-haired woman.

“Congratulations on your marriage, Your Majesty.”

And the man bowed deeply. Ophelia waited for Idren to add an explanation about him, but he said nothing.

Only when the continued silence became awkward did Idren finally speak.

“Gilrod Nebel. It’s been a while.”

“It’s been three months since I’ve seen you.”

“Yes, and I’m newly moved by your congratulations after receiving them all.”

“You are the King of Aglante. Of course I must offer my congratulations as your subject.”

At this, Idren laughed nervously. Ophelia was a bit surprised, as it was the first time she had seen him laugh like that.

Idren commanded the man called Gilrod:

“Raise your head. I should see what you’ve brought.”

Then Gilrod, as if he had been waiting for this, raised his head and took the elbow of the woman standing a step behind him.

As the woman, who looked about her age, stepped forward, Ophelia saw that she was holding a box made of red wood.

Gilrod continued:

“A ruby from Nebel family’s mine and my daughter.”

And Gilrod turned his head to look at her. Ophelia looked down into the man’s dark black eyes.

“Although she’s a child without any outstanding talents, I brought her thinking she might be able to serve as a companion to the newly arrived queen.”

It was a statement that treated a person like an object.

Frowning slightly, Ophelia was certain that such a thing had not happened in her previous life. Even if she couldn’t remember everything she had received in detail, if she had received a person, it would have remained in her mind.

Ophelia looked down at the woman behind the man who looked just like Mahanas. The woman said to be the daughter of the Nebel family was standing with her shoulders hunched and chin pulled in.

After looking down at them for a moment, Ophelia said:

“Thank you.”

And she realized it was the first time she had taken the initiative to greet someone.

Idren seemed to have the same thought, as he waved his hand to dismiss Gilrod and tilted his head towards her.

“Were you acquainted with Gilrod or his daughter?”

“No.”

But it seemed she wouldn’t be able to forget them in the future. Ophelia asked the man beside her:

“Is Gilrod Nebel an elder close to Brinwell?”

“That’s correct. The Nebel family has Brinwell royal blood mixed in, and currently the council of elders is centered around him.”

And Idren added. In the previous life, he appeared at the very end of the wedding ceremony, but this time it seems he decided to change his attitude when the Brinwell ships couldn’t enter.

Hearing those words, she could understand why Idren’s expression had not been good.

Trying to remember Gilrod Nebel’s reddish blonde hair and black eyes so as not to forget him, Ophelia realized one thing. She muttered:

“That person didn’t mention his daughter’s name.”

[This is the timeline separator]

The wedding celebration banquet continued until sunset that day.

Ophelia sat in the seat prepared next to the throne and watched the people. Though she wasn’t sure if she could remember properly, she intended to note who was gathering with whom in her mind.

As she did so, her eyes fell on Gilrod’s daughter standing in a corner of the banquet hall. The woman with her brown hair softly curled up and wearing a noticeable dress seemed shrunk even from a distance.

Recalling that she hadn’t been introduced to her name, Ophelia was about to tell Hazel standing behind her to bring the woman over.

“Your Majesty the Queen, I have something to deliver to you.”

At the familiar voice, Ophelia looked forward. A man was standing before her with his head bowed. Ophelia recognized him as Netepel’s servant who had once come to deliver a letter.

However, before she could speak, Idren sitting beside her said:

“Shouldn’t the Egelbamot delegation have already presented their tribute?”

“My master said he wanted to send it in the name of a friend rather than the country, so it was slightly delayed. Please forgive the rudeness.”

Though it was a sufficiently polite statement, Idren frowned as if something displeased him.

Since it was just a matter of quickly accepting a gift, Ophelia took his hand resting on the armrest. Idren flinched slightly at the touch.

Giving a look to the man who was suddenly being formal despite holding hands all night, indicating she would handle it, Ophelia said to the bowing servant:

“What did your master tell you to deliver?”

Even if they were on first-name terms with Netepel, it was not appropriate to do so in an official setting.

Moreover, Ophelia was a little concerned about the attitude he had shown last time.