***
“A horse?”
“Yes, have you ever ridden one?”
Judith hesitated for a moment.
Even looking back on her past life, she had never ridden a horse.
Although she knew they were gentle animals, she had always been afraid of horses, as they were much larger than her.
She couldn’t even bring herself to go near them when they snorted and pawed the ground.
And whenever one passed by, she couldn’t even look at it, fearing it might suddenly charge at her.
But she didn’t want to turn down this rare offer from Cheraan.
She already knew that, unlike the other ladies, she was lively and enjoyed physical activity.
To earn Cheraan’s clear affection and deepen their friendship, she had to be brave now.
“Okay, but I haven’t ridden much… Would you teach me how to ride, Cheraan?”
“That’s not difficult.
It would be my honor, Your Highness.”
Cheraan smiled brightly, and a few strands of her hair, the color of autumn leaves, slipped onto her cheek.
Without thinking, Judith reached out and tucked the hair behind her ear.
It was a habit from her previous life, but seeing Cheraan’s wide eyes, she realized she had made a mistake and was startled.
“I’m sorry, your hair… it looked like it was in the way.”
Judith’s face flushed a little.
Cheraan looked a little taken aback, fiddling with her hair, before suddenly bursting into a loud laugh.
“Your Highness is more entertaining than I thought.”
“Enter…taining?
Me?”
“Yes.
I honestly didn’t expect you to be like this.
Everyone says you’re so quiet.”
“They probably say I’m a foolish and worthless girl.”
Maybe it was because she was talking to Cheraan, but she blurted out a childish remark.
But Cheraan shrugged as if it were nothing.
“People who don’t know will talk as they please.
You wouldn’t be hurt by such words, would you?”
Judith smiled—one of those smiles that held many unspoken thoughts.
Cheraan was pleased to discover that she was much stronger than she thought.
When she first arrived at the princess’s palace, she had been unsure, wondering how she had come to know her and why she was seeking her out.
But now that she was actually with Judith, those thoughts had vanished like smoke.
“Then I’ll come to get you in three days, Your Highness.
There’s a good place near the palace for horseback riding, so I’ll take you there.”
“Are you leaving?”
Judith’s eyes were filled with regret.
Cheraan suddenly wondered what it would have been like if she had a younger sister.
Judith was actually younger than her, and the way she looked at her wasn’t like a princess, but like a young girl who didn’t want to part with her friend.
Cheraan, about to get up, was swayed by Judith’s gaze.
She awkwardly lowered herself back down and smiled.
“Well, since it’s a rare occasion, would it be alright if I asked for one more cup of tea?”
* * *
Queen Gilsis was a person with very volatile emotions.
Regardless of whether there was anything special happening, her personality would shift every few days, as if she were a completely different person.
When she was in a good mood, she was relatively lenient even towards the maids who served her closely, even the lower-ranking servants.
She would hold extravagant feasts beyond anyone’s imagination, indulging in pleasure day and night for two or three days.
Then, in the blink of an eye, she would suddenly become irritable and malicious.
It was common for her to strike the maids who tried to stop her, and she would break things.
There were reasons for her fits of rage, but for the most part, there was no clear cause.
Having witnessed the queen’s sudden mood swings many times, the nobles whispered among themselves when she wasn’t around, speculating whether she wasn’t half-mad due to her inferiority complex stemming from being a second wife.
Although it was dangerous to voice such thoughts, as it could cost anyone who said it their heads, it was not entirely unfounded.
“Aaack!”
Crash!
There was a loud sound of something breaking.
Frightened maids didn’t dare go near the queen’s chambers, and a few of the serving maids exchanged nervous glances, whispering to each other to go in and see.
“Is there no one out there!”
When the queen finally let out a roar, the countess, the eldest of them all, opened the door to her chambers and went inside.
Her treasured, expensive vase lay shattered on the floor.
“Your Majesty, please calm down.
It is harmful to your mind and body.”
“Duke Berzi, that damned man!”
The queen’s eyes, bloodshot and blazing, were utterly terrifying.
Even the countess, who had stayed by her side through countless scenes, flinched and hesitated.
The queen had been ignited by a letter from Duke Berzi that was delivered directly to the queen’s palace earlier that morning.
Just the fact that he was the younger brother of the former queen was a thorn in her side, and to make matters worse, he didn’t fear her in the least.
What’s more, he would constantly do things to get on her nerves.
“How dare he!
How dare he mention that wretched former queen in front of me and make such ridiculous threats!
What right does that dead woman have to challenge me!?”
The queen screamed at the top of her lungs, then, as if her fury hadn’t been sated, she began to throw everything on the table.
The countess, unable to even think of trying to calm her, could only tremble in fear.
The letter from the duke was brief.
It simply stated that the anniversary of the former queen’s death was approaching, and that he requested the right to prepare a memorial service befitting her status.
But the letter was like adding fuel to a fire for Queen Gilsis, who had been on edge for days, particularly because Judith was not reacting as she had hoped.
She had heard rumors before she became queen about the relationship between King Jedekair and the late queen, and she was envious.
Before the former queen married him, Gilsis had been one of the ladies considered as a possible candidate for the queen’s position.
However, when King Jedekair met the former queen, he was immediately captivated, and their marriage took place soon after.
Because of this, Queen Gilsis didn’t even get a chance to meet him.
After the former queen passed after giving birth to Franz, Gilsis finally took the seat she had longed for, albeit as a successor queen.
Yet, she couldn’t be satisfied with that.
King Jedekair, mourning the late queen, was steeped in grief, day and night.
It wasn’t only because of the late queen that he couldn’t grow attached to Gilsis, but she blamed it all on the former queen and cursed her, further distancing herself from the king in the process.
This created a vicious cycle.
“One day, I will burn this entire family to the ground!
I will throw that Duke Berzi, his son, and that woman’s son into the flames and watch them burn to death!”
The countess’s face turned white as a sheet at the queen’s vicious outburst.
Just then, someone knocked on the door, and the sound of someone entering followed.
Queen Gilsis, who was ready to grab anyone by the hair at the slightest provocation, raised her bloodshot eyes.
“What is it?!”
It was Helen.
She had assessed the state of the room and the queen and understood the situation.
Dismissing the trembling countess, Helen approached Queen Gilsis and stroked her shoulder.
“Your Majesty, please calm down.
That Duke Berzi is someone you can bring to his knees whenever you want.
Why let his arrogant letter rile you up and harm yourself in the process?”
“I can’t stand it!
I want to whip his face off!
I can’t bear it!”
“You will do so, with time.
He will pay dearly for daring to mock Your Majesty, so fret not.”
Helen’s voice, cold and ominous as a curse, seemed to calm her down.
Finally settling, she nodded, and began smoothing her disheveled hair back into place.
With a fawning smile on her wrinkled face, Helen helped the queen to sit in front of the vanity.
The expensive crystal-decorated mirror had a noticeable crack at the corner, presumably from the things the queen had thrown earlier.
The queen frowned when she noticed it, and Helen quickly went to the shelf and retrieved a smaller, but intact mirror.
“I’ll comb your hair.”
She took out an ivory comb, carefully removed the tangled hair ornaments and slowly began to comb the queen’s hair out, starting from the ends.
No matter how many maids there were, there was no one who could please Queen Gilsis as well as Helen could.
The queen, with a somewhat satisfied expression, pursed her lips and furrowed her brow.
“What about that lowly woman?
She’s not still crying and pleading, is she?
She’s tougher than I thought.
Is she just stupid?”
“I was about to tell you that.
She said she had already memorized the royal genealogy that Your Majesty gave her, and she was so boastful about it.”
“Ha!
That’s because she hasn’t been beaten yet.
How dare she lie in front of me?
How could she possibly memorize it?”
“Exactly.
How can a queen of a kingdom lie and deceive like that?
The kingdom’s order will fall apart.
Your Majesty should give her some instruction.”
“I suppose I should.
That arrogant little wretch.
Let’s see if she can still talk nonsense in front of me.
Bring her here immediately.”
The queen snatched the comb from Helen’s hand as she spoke, and Helen’s face twisted into a cunning smile.
“As you wish.”
“Everyone is annoying, but this is a good opportunity.
I won’t let her get away with this.”
The queen clenched her jaw, and the sound of her grinding her teeth could be heard.
Helen, bowing low, left the queen’s chamber, her lips twitching with a wicked smile.
It was something she could have let go of, but Judith had stared at her and talked back in a clear voice, and the more time passed, the more unbearable it became.
She knew that the queen would never tolerate a lie, and if the truth came out, the queen would surely punish Judith.
‘Let’s see if she can still keep those bright blue eyes of hers open after that.’
Helen’s hands, shaking with malice, were clenched tightly.