***
It took several days for Judith’s back wounds to heal enough for her to move freely.
The healers Franz had sent all agreed that it was fortunate the flesh hadn’t been deeply torn.
Naturally, her outing with Cheraan had to be postponed.
During that time, Judith was able to rest for the first time in a while, thanks to Marianne’s devoted care.
Marianne’s fierce determination to prevent anyone else from approaching her was truly terrifying.
The maids who had habitually harassed and bothered her were too afraid to even come near.
Helen had remained in the queen’s chambers and didn’t return.
Rumors circulated about the queen’s illness, but neither Judith nor Marianne paid it any attention.
“Your Highness, are you sure you’re alright?
You may still be unwell, perhaps we should postpone the horseback riding?”
Cheraan, who had come to visit, looked worried and hesitant at Judith’s suggestion to go riding, as they had promised.
However, Judith smiled reassuringly.
“I don’t feel any pain when I walk now, and I only need to apply ointment once before bed.
It’s a special ointment to prevent scarring, so the wounds are basically healed.”
“Still, I’m worried.
What if something were to happen to Your Highness?
His Highness, Prince Franz would be so distraught.”
“If I hadn’t been feeling better, I wouldn’t have suggested this to you, Cheraan.”
Cheraan finally nodded, but she still looked unconvinced.
If Judith had a more robust physique, she wouldn’t have been so worried.
It was infuriating to think about how the queen had mercilessly whipped her, especially given how small and fragile she was.
Noticing the complex sympathy in Cheraan’s gaze, Judith patted her hand reassuringly.
Cheraan thought to herself, ‘Every now and then, Your Highness seems far too old for her age.’
Although Cheraan was older, sometimes it felt like Judith was the elder.
To avoid making her more uncomfortable, Cheraan quickly changed the subject.
“Who brought you these flowers, Your Highness?
They’re so vibrant.”
“Oh, those were… brought by Marquis Lorina.
He sent them with his wife, claiming they were a gift for my recovery.”
Before Cheraan, several other nobles had visited Judith to check on her.
She had been surprised, but soon realized it was due to Duke Berzi’s influence.
Although she couldn’t remember everyone, a significant number of the nobles who had visited belonged to the moderate faction.
She couldn’t know the duke’s intentions, but upon seeing the visiting nobles, she swiftly assessed what she needed to do.
In front of them, who couldn’t hide their awkwardness and distance, Judith masterfully played the part of a powerless and fragile young girl.
Whenever anyone expressed outrage at the queen’s actions, she would add that it was her own fault.
She would pretend to dissuade them, claiming that the queen was merely scolding her out of her affection for Prince Franz.
The nobles, who knew better than anyone Queen Gilsis’ temperament and how she treated Franz, looked at Judith with pity.
Some gentlewomen even shed tears.
They assumed Judith was an ignorant, innocent princess, a young bird caught in the queen’s trap.
However, despite the rumors, they felt that she was not so much foolish as excessively kind, and they protected her.
Such judgments and public opinion were exactly what she wanted.
“Although the nobles who grovel at the queen’s feet won’t say anything, but others are criticizing her actions,” Cheraan whispered, as if sharing a secret.
Her father, Marquis Evelta, was one of them, so it was no surprise that Cheraan knew the rumors.
Judith had also guessed this, but she didn’t get carried away.
To achieve her ultimate goal, this wasn’t enough.
She had only just dropped a few drops of water onto the red-hot iron.
She needed even more patience to completely cool it down and turn it into rusty scrap metal.
“Your Highness.” a maid made her presence known from the doorway.
“Her Highness needs to rest.
What is it?”
Before Judith could speak, Cheraan spoke to the maid in a firm voice.
The maid seemed to be looking for cues, and she bowed her head slightly, her demeanor becoming more cautious.
“Your robe is fully repaired.
Would you like to check it now?”
“Yes, bring it in.”
It was the same maid who had been ordered by Judith to fix the old robe when Cheraan had suggested going riding.
The maid quickly brought the repaired robe in and presented it to her.
Not only the sleeves she had mentioned, but also the collar and the bottom hem had been meticulously repaired.
Judith, accepting the robe with an indifferent expression, then smiled brightly at the maid.
“You did a very thorough job.
Did you fix parts I didn’t even mention?”
The maid’s eyes darted around nervously at her praise.
Then, she slightly raised her chin and nodded, as if to say yes.
“Of course, it was Your Highness’ order.”
“Well done,” praising the maid, Judith took out a small velvet pouch from her drawer.
The maid’s eyes greedily sparkled at the sight of the heavy pouch.
Cheraan gave her a look, but Judith pretended not to notice and handed the maid a few gold coins.
“Here, you’ve worked hard, take this.
When you have some time off, go to the city, buy some fabric, and treat yourself to something nice.”
“Th-thank you, Your Highness!”
The maid left the room, overjoyed.
Cheraan, who had been watching her gleeful back with a disapproving gaze, said, “Your Highness, she was only doing what she was supposed to.
If you’re so generous, she’ll get spoiled.
It’s fine to praise her, but you were too lavish with your compliments.”
Judith pursed her lips and gave a faint smile in response to her concern.
“Yes, I’m quite generous.
The girl never even touched a needle to this robe, yet she received enough gold to buy half a roll of fine fabric.”
“What do you mean?
Are you saying she lied?”
“Yes.
She didn’t want to do what I asked, so she immediately passed the robe off to Marianne as soon as she received it.
So, this is Marianne’s handiwork.”
Cheraan jumped to her feet, her face red with anger.
How dare she lie so boldly to the princess?
She deserved to be called out and scolded until her tears dried up.
“I’ll go bring her back, Your Highness.”
“No, Cheraan.
Just leave her be.
Marianne told me the truth as soon as she received the robe, but I told her to keep quiet.
And I asked Marianne to mend it.”
“Your Highness, I don’t understand what you’re thinking.”
Cheraan grumbled, still angry, but Judith only smiled.
Her pale fingers gently brushed over the robe, a hint of anticipation in her touch.
* * *
The day they were to go riding was sunny in the morning.
As promised, Cheraan had brought a very gentle horse.
It was still quite young, and perhaps due to the careful grooming, its brown fur covering its entire body was incredibly soft for a horse.
Its white hooves looked like snow that had fallen on its brown fur, making it quite adorable.
“Hold the reins tightly, Your Highness.
Don’t be afraid, keep your back straight, and look ahead.”
Next to Judith, who was a little unsteady from not being used to riding, Cheraan repeatedly offered the same advice, tirelessly.
At first, she was a little wobbly, but by the time the walls of the palace were out of sight, her posture had become remarkably stable.
There were almost ten attendants following behind, all because of Cheraan.
Even though it was a short distance, she had insisted that they escort the princess properly, as it was her first outing.
Unexpectedly, Helen was among the attendants.
Whether she had been sent by the queen or had returned to the princess’s chambers, she followed Judith with a consistently disapproving expression.
“It’s quite refreshing,” Judith said, looking up at the sun-drenched sky.
Although it was nearing the hottest part of the day, it wasn’t yet noon, so a refreshing breeze blew.
It was a perfect day for both people and horses to enjoy a pleasant ride.
“The sky was a bit cloudy last night, so I was worried it might rain, but thankfully the weather is beautiful.
It seems even the gods are happy that Your Highness has recovered,” Cheraan said, deliberately raising her voice so Helen could hear her.
As expected, deeper wrinkles appeared on Helen’s forehead.
‘That old crow, she’s so rotten,’ Cheraan thought, her face darkening in displeasure as she glanced at Helen.
Helen quickly noticed Cheraan’s contemptuous attitude towards her, but she couldn’t do anything other than suppress her anger.
Compared to Helen, who was a marchioness, Cheraan, who didn’t yet have her own title or a husband, was just a young lady, but she wasn’t someone to be carelessly trifled with.
The fact that her father, Marquis Evelta, was a very strong-willed man when it came to his daughter was one reason, but in the current situation, where the moderate nobles’ opinion of the queen had plummeted, it was better for Helen to stay silent.
If she were to recklessly provoke the princess or Cheraan, it could backfire horribly.
If Helen were to be rude to Judith, moderate nobles, like Duke Berzi, would surely interpret it as the queen’s intentions.
Even though she had served the queen for a long time, Queen Gilsis was ruthless in removing anyone who got in her path.
So, Helen lowered her stance not for the queen, but for her own sake.
“Here we are, Your Highness.”
As they left the forest, a wide hill emerged.
She thought it wouldn’t be that high, but the view from atop the horse was quite impressive.
She was amazed.
“I can see quite far.
It was worth coming,” she said.
“Yes, isn’t it?
But even though it looks like this, the slope is quite steep.
If you fall, you could get seriously hurt, so be careful,” Cheraan warned.
Judith slightly lowered her head to look at the slope that led towards the ground.
Plants were growing green, but there were rocks protruding in various places, and some areas were just bare dirt.
“Yes, I’ll be careful,” Judith murmured, her voice sinking with a hint of meaning.