Queen of Revenge - Chapter 77

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 77
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“The Princess has arrived?”
The King asked with evident displeasure.
“Immediately upon arrival? Doesn’t it take a fortnight by carriage from the Border to here?”
“She hastened her preparations upon receiving Your Majesty’s command for immediate return. She has requested an audience—what shall we do?”
The Butler answered respectfully.
The King let out a hollow laugh.
“She’s barely recovered from her sickbed, and yet she couldn’t even spare time to rest from her journey. That child truly lacks flexibility.”
The messenger sent to the Border had returned with the Princess’s reply that very morning.
With only a few hours’ difference, it seemed she had departed the moment she received the royal command.
“What shall we do?”
“Hmm.”
The King was heading from his Office toward the Dining Room. Today he had a luncheon scheduled with the Crown Princess and her consort.
The King entered the Main Palace’s Dining Room, lost in thought.
The Crown Princess, who was already present, and Duke Valer, who had become her husband last month, rose to their feet.
“Welcome, Father.”
“Your Majesty.”
Catherine herself pulled out the chair for the King to sit.
The King settled into his seat with a casual wave of his hand.
Catherine, catching a glimpse of the King’s expression, seated herself quietly so as not to disturb his thoughts.
After a brief moment of deliberation, the King issued his instruction.
“If she’s only just arrived, the Princess hasn’t eaten yet. Though I’m not entirely pleased with having her wait in the Office upon arrival, bring her here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
A faint furrow appeared on Benedix’s brow, as well as on Catherine’s.
The Butler, noting their expressions, spoke to the King.
“However, Your Highness has brought the Ambassador from Kalande with her.”
“Ah, yes. The messenger reported as much. Treat the Ambassador from Kalande with proper courtesy. I shall receive him in person afterward.”
“The matter is, she first went to the East Tower, and then brought him back out. He is asking where his quarters should be arranged.”
“The East Tower? She went there first?”
The King’s brow furrowed.
The East Tower had been Iolet’s former residence. It was hardly a place suitable for receiving a foreign ambassador, and it was certainly not somewhere an ambassador should have seen.
“Which fool brought the Princess there? Was it you, Crown Princess?”
The King, who valued propriety above all else, grew irritable.
Catherine quickly lowered her head.
“Since Iolet had quarters there, it seems she naturally guided them in that direction. I was unaware she would be accompanied by the Ambassador from Kalande.”
That was only natural, given the messenger had arrived just today.
The King, realizing he had vented his frustration on his daughter unfairly, clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, the Ambassador has seen an unseemly sight.”
“My apologies, Father.”
“That will do. Prepare a bedchamber in the Main Palace for the Princess, and escort Kalande’s Ambassador to the Separate Palace. Ensure they lack for nothing—treat them with utmost courtesy.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I shall bring the Princess at once.”
The Butler bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Only then did the King turn his attention to his eldest daughter and her husband.
“It’s been some time since the state marriage, Duke. Did you enjoy your honeymoon?”
“We rested comfortably, thanks to Your Majesty’s consideration.”
The Crown Princess and her husband had taken five days of leave following their state marriage—nothing more than a stay at the Valer Estate Villa, an hour’s carriage ride from the Capital.
The King clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“I told you to rest longer. I was prepared to grant you a full fortnight until the Crown Princess’s Palace renovations were complete.”
“No, Father. The Duke has pressing matters at his residence, and the Crown Princess’s Palace is nearly finished. There’s no urgency.”
“No urgency? You’re hardly a girl anymore, Catherine. I met your mother at precisely your age. Laila was even younger then.”
Catherine flushed with embarrassment. This was why the King had summoned them under the pretense of lunch.
“It’s time you produced an heir. As I grow older, I find myself yearning for grandchildren. With Ahil away from court, the palace feels rather empty these days.”
“Yes, Father. Of course you would. You devote all your strength to the affairs of state.”
“Pretty words mean nothing. A Crown Princess must have a proper heir to her name.”
The King’s tone was light, but his meaning was unmistakable—Catherine’s claim to the throne would be secured only by bearing a healthy heir.
Catherine swallowed her irritation.
This obstacle was unlike any she had overcome before.
Bear a child with this uncooperative man?
“I have great expectations of you as well, Duke. I trust you understand my meaning.”
The Duke, who had been silently regarding the candelabra on the table, answered tersely.
“Yes. I shall endeavor to do so, Your Majesty.”
“Good.”
The King smiled with satisfaction.
Catherine was ambitious, and her husband, a Duke among dukes, would surely produce a capable heir within years.
Once the succession was secured, the King intended to abdicate in favor of his eldest daughter within a decade and retire as Emeritus King.
Catherine was still rough around the edges, but she was clever, and a decade of experience would refine her into a capable ruler.
The King himself was approaching fifty. He preferred idle leisure surrounded by beautiful concubines to the complexities of governance.
He was thoroughly sick of troublesome matters—particularly the recent disputes among noble families within the Royal Council that had vexed him for days.
“Speaking of which, Duke, how progresses that sordid affair between the Uter Duchy and the Montfer Earldom?”
“The two families have reached no accord in the previous two hearings, so we must proceed to the final hearing. I intended to brief you on the matter after we finish dining.”
“Never mind, never mind. Do it tomorrow instead. Let’s handle one complicated matter per day.”
The King made a face as though the very thought exhausted him.
At that moment, a Butler announced from beyond the door.
“Your Majesty, the Princess Iolet requests entry.”
“Let her in.”
The Dining Room doors swung open.
Benedix’s pupils trembled for an instant before returning to normal, and the King did not notice that fleeting disturbance.
“I greet you, Father. I have returned as commanded.”
His second daughter, whom he had not seen in half a year, entered gracefully and bowed.
The King was somewhat taken aback by the Princess’s pallid complexion.
“Come, sit here. Your face has grown quite gaunt.”
Iolet approached the table, lifting the hem of her dress to greet Catherine and Benedix as well.
“Congratulations on your marriage, Elder Sister. And to you, Duke.”
“Yes, thank you. It must have been a long journey.”
Catherine welcomed her with warmth in her voice.
Benedix’s eyes grew somewhat rigid, though his lips curved into a courteous smile.
“It has been some time, Your Highness.”
“Indeed it has. I regret not being able to attend the wedding ceremony. Had I heard the news earlier, I would have made every effort to prepare, no matter the difficulty.”
Iolet, too, maintained her gracious smile.
They were before the King. Even mortal enemies must play the part of an inseparable family in his presence.
As Iolet took her seat, the servants brought out the appetizers.
The King spoke in good spirits.
“We can discuss complicated matters later. Let us dine first. The autumn sun is lovely—let us take our time and enjoy it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The meal passed in discomfort for everyone save the King.
The appetizer course consisted of a sherbet topped with finely diced peaches.
After finishing a hearty meal, the King, now drowsy and content, turned his attention to Iolet.
“So, you brought an ambassador from Kalande?”
“Yes, Mother.”
Iolet set down her teaspoon quietly.
“According to the peace treaty, Commander Winterbark was to visit the Command Tower once a month. However, as the Commander has been summoned by the Kalande Royal Court, his Adjutant visited in his stead. Since you seemed curious about the disturbances at the Border, I suggested he accompany me, and he readily agreed.”
“Indeed, I have been wondering about it myself. What exactly occurred at the Border, and what is the situation in Kalande that the Commander would leave the Fortress?”
“I have only heard rumors myself, but it seems that the Kalande princes engaged in a power struggle at the Northern Fortress. In the process, the Third Prince was expelled.”
“Your husband became entangled in Kalande’s succession dispute?”
The relaxed atmosphere suddenly grew taut.
“The Third Prince apparently threatened the Fortress. The Commander and the Second Prince successfully defended it, and the Kalande Royal Court, recognizing their merit, has bestowed upon the Commander a noble title and rewards.”
“The Kalande princes are always eager to devour one another. In that case, the First Prince in the Capital will surely move to check the Second Prince.”
True to his nature as a seasoned statesman, the King grasped the crux of the matter at once.
It was certainly the First Prince who had persuaded the King of Kalande to grant Kairon a title.
After Prince Emeric’s death at the Northern Fortress, it was publicly announced that the Northern Fortress had come under the command of the Second Prince, Prince Dietrich.
With the Capital Defense Force already under his sway, and now the Border Fortress Army as well, the First Prince, Leonhilt, would naturally feel threatened.
The only immediate countermeasure available to him was to separate Kairon from Dietrich’s influence.
For the King, the implications of this chain of events were singular.
Kairon Winterbark—his son-in-law—had begun to involve himself in Kalande’s political struggles.
Kalande’s affairs were no longer separate from Elovis.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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