On the way back from the largest port in Gallisa, Idren looked at a certain place and said,

“I have returned that place to your possession as well.”

Turning her head to follow his gaze, Ophelia noticed the villa she had frequented in her previous life far in the distance. The villa, with even its windows in various beautiful colors, had a silver door and a lake.

As she briefly recalled those luxurious sights, Idren said to her,

“In this life, please invite me there as well.”

And he added in a slightly sulky voice. Didn’t you only invite your friends before? His tone suggested he had been upset about it.

But there was an error in his words.

First of all, she hadn’t played at the villa. And she hadn’t deliberately excluded Idren either.

If he had asked, Ophelia would have gladly invited her husband.

Of course, the people who usually frequented the villa were awkward to introduce to him.

They were mostly people who were fun but had character flaws, or were wealthy but not of high status, either of which was problematic to introduce to a husband who wasn’t very close.

But in this life, she hadn’t yet befriended any of them, and it was already known that she was acquainted with Starlet.

Over the past few months of being close to Idren, Ophelia had learned that he was less discriminating than she had thought. Idren had tolerated all of her impolite behaviors several times.

Moreover, whoever she brought, they would be polite to Idren. After all, he was the king of Aglante.

Having finished her thoughts, Ophelia agreed without objection.

“Alright.”

The man smiled again at this trivial matter. Ophelia let him rub the back of her hand in satisfaction.

A little past the villa was the governor’s residence. The slowly setting sun dyed the white roof of the residence a reddish hue.

In her previous life, Ophelia had frequented that place often. On nice days, she would go out to Gallisa and return almost daily.

Idren must have had the same thought while looking at the residence, as he asked her,

“Will you be at the residence during the day this time as well?”

“I’m not sure.”

It was true that the residence had been a comfortable place for her. When going out to Gallisa, Ophelia only took along those she wanted to accompany her. Not a single one of the servants from Reden was among them.

And Ophelia briefly wondered where all the servants from Reden had gone. After the stewards sent by Idren had dealt with them, they had never appeared in her sight again.

They must have gone somewhere. Ophelia didn’t think deeply about it and moved on. In her previous life, the servants from Reden were eventually removed by her anyway.

Moreover, the biggest reason she went out to Gallisa was simply because there was nothing to do at Sigrasal Castle.

When she was in the castle, everyone wondered what the queen did all day. They wanted to know why the queen didn’t attend to internal affairs and why even the smallest things went through the king’s hands.

Considering that the king had excluded her from internal affairs, it was a misdirected question.

But in retrospect, it was a good choice. Ophelia knew she wouldn’t have managed internal affairs very well. She had never received proper education related to politics, nor did she have the personality to get along well with people.

When she lived as a princess, Mahanas, who oversaw all aspects of her life, only taught her how to smile and move in ways that men liked, and how to play instruments. Things she had never used since marriage.

Anyway, having wasted her childhood learning such things, Ophelia had to struggle to manage the income that fell to her share monthly after marriage. Even after considerable study, without her financial advisor…

And Ophelia realized that she hadn’t given any thought to the boy she had brought from the Rohos estate. Surprised by this belated realization, Ophelia turned to Idren.

“What happened to that child?”

“Who do you mean?”

“My financial advisor.”

Her financial advisor was very intelligent, and though he said he had learned how to read ledgers from his previous master, he wasn’t proficient in everything from the start. More detailed education was necessary to bring him in as a financial advisor.

The answer came back casually.

“I left him with the knights.”

“The knights?”

When she asked with a raised voice at the unexpected answer, Idren instead asked back as if he didn’t understand.

“Yes, is there a problem?”

Superficially, there was no problem. It was customary to entrust a boy brought into the castle to the knights.

Given how much there had been to worry about lately, Idren must have handled it that way without thinking too deeply.

But it was different for her. Ophelia needed that child starting just a month from now. It was around that time when she would become the governor of Gallisa and the first taxes would come in.

After collecting the first taxes, she had to start her public activities.

Ophelia knew that if she were to meet many people alone, she would make mistakes. She often forgot small things and was frequently a step behind when dealing with people.

In her previous life, her financial advisor had been by her side, remembering necessary things for her. Managing her assets thoroughly was just a bonus.

Of course, asset management was documented, so she could do it herself… but she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t make a single mistake there either.

Noticing her growing anxious, Idren asked again,

“If there’s a problem, tell me.”

But was it alright to tell him such things? Ophelia didn’t want to appear incompetent to him. In fact, she didn’t want to appear that way to anyone.

However, no matter how much she thought about it, there was no one else she could ask for help. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke.

“You gave me Gallisa, so there’s a lot to manage, but I don’t have a financial advisor to keep by my side right away.”

“Ah, I should have had him educated in advance.”

And Idren added. I didn’t think of it. His attitude was light, as if all this was no big deal.

Ophelia was about to tell him how big of a problem this was for her, but then closed her mouth.

In her previous life too, she rarely revealed her shortcomings to others.

Even her financial advisor and the few attendants who looked after her hadn’t heard about related matters from her own mouth. They had observed her personally, realized the issues, and adapted accordingly.

Seeing that her expression remained tense, Idren continued,

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll help with financial matters until you get used to it.”

“It’s not just financial issues. I also need to meet new people…”

“The same goes for external activities. I’ll be by your side, so you don’t need to worry.”

And Idren spoke in a gentle voice, as if trying to reassure her. I’ll have Salode educate the child you brought from the Rohos estate. Salode is very smart for his age, so he’ll teach well.

The soft words continued. I’ll help with whatever happens to you in the meantime. I’ve already experienced once what you’ll go through, so you don’t need to worry too much…

Listening to those words silently, Ophelia realized she was feeling reassured by his words. The slightly relaxed feeling suddenly felt strange to her.

This felt exactly like he was comforting her.

But she was past the age of being comforted by someone’s consolation.

Realizing that she was behaving inappropriately for the situation, Ophelia said,

“…You’re not the only one who’s experienced it.”

You seem to have forgotten, but I was also a governor in my previous life.

After saying that, Ophelia turned her head away.

Idren didn’t mention the fact that she had been very anxious just moments ago, unbecoming of that experience.

Ophelia’s seemingly angry attitude was actually what came out when she was embarrassed. It was a fact he had learned on the night she came to his bedroom.

It was better for her to show her temper like this than to be anxious.

Realizing that she had calmed down somewhat, Idren closed his mouth and fiddled with the woman’s hand. Ophelia, who surely knew this, didn’t pull her hand away.

When they returned to Sigrasal Castle, Idren had to face a not-so-welcome sight. Gilrod Nevel had entered the castle while he was away.

“I greet Your Majesties.”

The man with Brinwell’s blonde hair said this and bowed his head.

It was an unpleasant greeting for both parties, but Idren didn’t harden his expression. Ophelia was still by his side, and Idren knew she had experienced some tiring emotional changes on the way.

He didn’t want to do anything that might stimulate her. Idren called Hazel, who was standing a step behind them. Handing Ophelia’s hand to the knight, he said,

“Please go up first.”

Ophelia nodded to him with a tired look. Alright.

Only after her and Hazel’s backs had disappeared far enough, did Idren look down at the man before him.