“Isn’t it early for you to be here?”
“Indeed, there is still time. How about some tea in the meantime?”
“I don’t want any tea.”
“No, you need to take a break. Do you intend to enter negotiations in such a frazzled state?”
Henry scowled at his wife’s pointed remark.
As frustrating as it was, she was right. Frowning would not lead to successful negotiations.
“Everyone, leave us.”
Elisabeth dismissed the retainers, who sighed in relief and exited the room.
Their retreating figures annoyed Henry, but he watched them leave without a word. In their place, Elisabeth’s maid entered with a tea cart.
As the maid prepared to pour tea, Elisabeth stopped her with a gesture and dismissed her. She took the teapot herself, mixing several kinds of tea leaves before pouring hot water.
“Here you go, Your Majesty.”
The queen offered the tea she had prepared herself. Henry accepted it grudgingly. He didn’t want to drink it, but the fragrant aroma tickled his nostrils.
Before he knew it, he had taken a sip. The floral, fresh scent filled his mouth, the liquid slightly sweet with a refreshing aftertaste like a meadow. After one sip, he exhaled and groaned.
Delicious.
Henry suppressed the words that almost escaped his lips and looked at Elisabeth.
Recently, Elisabeth had become skilled at making tea.
During their journey to defeat the Demon King, she couldn’t even cook properly, and her tea was either too weak or too strong. But about two years ago, she had taken an interest in tea, and now her skills were so renowned that her tea parties were popular among the nobility.
Looking at the tea cart, he saw dozens of small bottles filled with dried herbs and medicinal plants. It was not only delicious but also tailored to soothe Henry’s irritable state.
As Elisabeth had intended, Henry felt completely calm, and his anger dissipated.
“How are Allen and Ariel?”
Henry asked about their two sons.
Though his relationship with Elisabeth had cooled, he still loved his children. He wanted to divorce his wife, but for the sake of the royal family’s reputation, the church, and especially the children, they had to stay together.
“They are napping. They are sleeping well.”
Talking about the children brought a smile to Elisabeth’s face. Thinking of the children made Henry smile too.
“Your Majesty, please don’t be too harsh on the retainers…”
Elisabeth gently admonished him about the earlier confrontation.
Henry could only grimace at being told this when he was feeling a bit better.
“But they are useless. They can’t accomplish anything I command. The financial crisis isn’t resolved, and the suppression army is still dysfunctional.”
“But they aren’t lying. They don’t report failures because they want to.”
Henry scowled even more at Elisabeth’s words.
As a ruler, those who tell the truth are invaluable. If you rejoice in false reports, people will only tell lies. When surrounded by lies, you can no longer discern the truth.
“Yes, I understand that…”
Henry grudgingly acknowledged Elisabeth’s words.
Now that he had calmed down, he reflected that he might have been too harsh. The financial troubles and the knights’ insubordination weren’t new issues. The roots of the problems were deep, and they couldn’t be resolved quickly.
“But Romelia’s case is your fault. I said we should punish her for treason early on, but you advised against it. Now she’s acting like a saint of the realm. People have forgotten who the real saint is.”
“That is troubling indeed.”
Elisabeth remarked without looking particularly troubled.
“Doesn’t that bother you? You are the saint. Don’t you resent Romelia?”
Henry was annoyed by Elisabeth’s calm demeanor.
Romelia. He didn’t expect to hear her name again.
Initially, he followed Elisabeth’s advice not to deal with her, but now Romelia was being praised almost as much as Henry, who had defeated the Demon King. It was intolerable.
“But thanks to her, the Demon King’s army has been nearly wiped out. The country is now stable, and we can start rebuilding our finances. We can also reduce General Zaria’s faction’s influence.”
“But in exchange, Romelia has become prominent!”
As Elisabeth said, some issues were improving. But a new problem named Romelia had emerged.
“We can deal with her separately. The Demon King’s army has been defeated, so she’s no longer needed.”
“Are you going to dispose of her?”
Henry’s voice sharpened at his wife’s words.
“We won’t kill her. We’ll prepare the situation to punish her legally.”
“Romelia’s knights are her private army. They’re crossing borders at will. Can’t we charge her with treason?”
“That would be difficult. Officially, Romelia is not part of the military.”
Elisabeth shook her head.
“But she calls her soldiers the Romelia Knights. They’re clearly her private army.”
“That’s just what people call them. Officially, they are part of the Cashew Garrison. Their commander is Albion the Flame Knight. If we charge them with treason, we would have to punish them too. You like those knights, don’t you?”
Henry was at a loss for words at Elisabeth’s point.
The soldiers of Romelia’s knights were all fine knights. They faced the Demon King’s army without fear and grew stronger. Some criticized their low birth, but Henry didn’t mind. They had overcome their low status through effort and skill.
“Indeed, they are excellent knights. I’d like to keep them by my side.”
“In that case, you can’t charge them with a crime.”
“But because I value them, I want to save them from Romelia.”
That’s what Henry couldn’t forgive.
Romelia was a coward who took credit for others’ achievements. The knights were the ones actually fighting the Demon King’s army. Yet, she stole their achievements and was praised as a saint.
“What about charging Count Graham? He’s responsible for the Cashew Garrison. We could hold him accountable and implicate Romelia as well.”
Henry thought of a brilliant plan. If Romelia’s knights were part of the Cashew Garrison, Count Graham, who governed the region, was responsible. They could charge the father and implicate Romelia by association.
“That would be difficult too. Count Graham is a smooth talker. He’d find a way to escape.”
“Then what should we do?”
Frustrated by Elisabeth’s refusal, Henry raised his voice.
“Thanks to Romelia, the Demon King’s army is nearly gone. Her role is finished. We can request the disbandment of her knights and, if she doesn’t comply, accuse her of treason against the royal family.”
“I see. That would justify it.”
Henry nodded deeply at Elisabeth’s suggestion.
The more he listened, the better it sounded. Henry looked at Elisabeth.
Recently, things hadn’t been going well, but his wife was as beautiful as ever.
“Elisabeth, I am fortunate to have a wife like you.”
Henry reached out and touched his wife’s cheek. It had been a long time since he had caressed her.
As he touched her cheek, her ice-cold expression suddenly softened, and her cheeks flushed.
“Um, I just wanted to be of help to Your Majesty…”
Elisabeth looked down, clasped her hands, and swayed shyly like a little girl.
“Ex-Excuse me.”
Still averting her face, Elisabeth left the room, seemingly embarrassed.
Watching her retreating figure, Henry thought about inviting her to sleep together tonight for the first time in a while.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
After leaving Henry’s study, Elisabeth headed to her room in the castle with her maid Marie, who had been waiting outside.
They walked through the castle, crossing the courtyard where beautiful flowers were in full bloom, and tables and chairs for tea parties were arranged.
Elisabeth inhaled the fragrance of the flowers as she entered her room, which was adjacent to the garden. Inside, shelves lined the walls, greeting Elisabeth upon her return. The shelves held numerous tea sets and glass jars filled with over a hundred types of dried tea leaves, herbs, and spices.
Entering the room filled with the scent of plants, Elisabeth lightly sat down on the sofa. A smile bloomed on her face, looking as if she might start singing at any moment.
“You seem to be in a very good mood.”
Marie, the maid who had followed Elisabeth into the room, commented with a smile.
“Do I? I thought I was the same as usual.”
Elisabeth lied.
As Marie had pointed out, Elisabeth was elated. However, she couldn’t admit that the reason was having a conversation with her husband, King Henry, after such a long time.
“It’s fine to be excited, but we still haven’t finished the preparations for tomorrow’s tea party.”
Reminded by Marie, Elisabeth frowned.
“Don’t remind me of unpleasant things.”
“In that case, shall I brew some tea to lift your spirits?”
“No, thank you. I prepare tea for people every day; I don’t even want to look at tea anymore.”
Elisabeth confessed her true feelings to Marie.
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