Chapter 6 - CHAPTER 5. THE SECRET GARDEN

Someone was staring at her with a bright smile.

“You should be careful. Are you okay?”

“Ro…”

Patrizia shut her lips before she almost threw “that name” out of her mouth. No. That woman’s existence was not officially known. Even though her name was known, who she was now did not know the woman’s face. So she had to stay as calm as she could, and not panic.

“Ro… zilde the Crowned Prince. I was trying to pick out a book on him but then. Thank you, lady.”

“It’s nothing. But Prince Rozilde. You seem to be interested in history. There are only a few nobles who know the name. As you know, he’s an unknown figure.”

“…Just a little bit of curiosity. I’m embarrassed.”

Patrizia smiled unalterably to soften her naturally hardened mouth. Rosemond, who was staring at her, soon moved her gaze toward Patrizia’s dress.

Was she a Queeness? She felt disgusted without knowing why Rosemond didn’t show this and changed the topic.

“You seem to be a Queeness.”

“…Yes.”

“But why are you here… isn’t it time for the competition?”

“You seem to know a lot, lady.”

Patrizia walked quietly away, and Rosemond looked on with a good smile as she did not seem disturbed.

“When you’re in the palace, it’s natural to hear and see things. I just heard it coming here.”

“You are His Majesty’s servant then.”

This was asked naively as if she knew nothing, and Rosemond laughed piteously. His Majesty’s servant. She was not as worthless as that. She was not a simple servant girl as this Queeness said, and was of a station higher. This fact could not be known by this foolish Quenness.

“I’ll say it’s similar.”

However, Rosemond replied indignantly. If the truth was told, this innocent Queeness would be pale from shock and quickly faint. Patrizia laughed and muttered in her reply.

Similarly, because some servants must serve at night.

“Then I’ll go now.”

Patrizia, who had picked up only one book about Crown Prince Rozilde, ended the conversation. At those words, Rosemond asked Patrizia in a puzzled tone.

“Oh, are you already leaving?”

“Yes. As you said, the competition right now. I had only dropped by for a minute.”

She originally intended to be at this place for three hours, but the plan was ruined. The goal of the reborn Patrizia was to try to avoid Rosemond. You don’t avoid crap out of fear. You avoid it because it’s dirty. Especially crap as dirty as Rosemond

The situation would not be good if she approached her with vengeance. Anyway, who she was right now was completely unaware of Rosemond’s identity. Patrizia quickly got out of that place.

In the end, Patrizia had unwillingly kicked away her spot to spend time, walked on while holding only the book about Crown Prince Rozilde. Patrizia was now perfectly alone, as this time it was forbidden to be with serving women.

She decided to go to the garden within the Imperial Palace, where she had loved in her previous life, contemplating where to spend her time. It’s a place she had found in her previous life, not easily found by people. It was a spot she sometimes went to when she often came to the Imperial Palace to meet her sister.

There was no one there, as she had expected, and she felt that peace took over her heart. She preferred to be somewhere serene rather than noisy. She sat on the nearest bench she could spot and spread open the only object she had to pass the time. If she finished this whole book, it would take three hours.

Crown Prince Rozilde was the heir to the Marvinus Empire, but due to his acts of debauchery and otherly outrageous acts, he was removed from that status.

However, apart from his personal life, politically he was a great prince, and his father, who was then the Emperor, made a decision after thinking for a long time. Anyway, the result was about real power.

After having read for around for half an hour, Patrizia felt a rippling drowsiness. But she knew if she fell asleep now, she might wake up more than three hours later. If that happened, someone would come to look for her, and they would see her asleep from reading a book. It was shameful even to think about it.

She stood up on the bench, imagining the embarrassment and holding her flushed cheeks. The best way to avoid being sleepy was to walk.

She walked on and on. Then the lake came into view, and there were roses all around. Patrizia looked at the blooming red rose and recalled Rosemond whom she had encountered earlier.

Petronilla’s rival in love from a previous life, a woman who had clearly influenced the destruction of her family. There was no exact evidence that she did this, but Petronilla, who had been naive, had to have been influenced by who was apparently the Emperor’s mistress.

Looking at the beautiful rose bushes without a word, she heard footsteps. Of course, Patrizia was flustered. Did anyone find this place? She panicked and hid herself among the bushes without realizing it. She felt she was intruding into someone’s secret space for no reason. Soon the owner of the footsteps came within sight, and Patrizia almost made a loud noise when she confirmed who it was.

“Emp…!”

Patrizia, startled by her own voice that had sprung unannounced, blocked her mouth. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t think she should be discovered there.

Patrizia soothed her beating heart as best she could, and then slowly turned her gaze to the Emperor. It was ridiculous that the master of the Imperial Palace would not know this place, but it was shocking that he would come to this place alone. There must be more spectacular support throughout the Imperial Palace.

But what was the reason he came here at this time? Now the Empress contest was happening at the time, but it wasn’t wrong for him to take a walk during the three hours given to the Queeness.

But what was puzzling was that the distance from the palace where the competition was taking place was not so close. What does this place mean to him? Patrizia looked at the Emperor with a look that she could not understand.

He stood there for a while and seemed to think of something. If there was something special to it, his expression wasn’t empty… His facial expressions changed numerous times. At one point, he wrinkled his face as if he were recalling a memory that wasn’t good, and at another moment he was smiling as if he was recalling a pleasant memory.

She didn’t know what he was thinking, she didn’t want to know honestly, but the problem was that she had to get out of this place and get back to the palace. To return to her original position, she had to pass where he was. She bit her lips impatiently, thinking that she might go over the time if she wasn’t careful.

Fortunately, the Emperor walked away from her view. She showed herself from behind the rose bushes only after he had completely disappeared. Then Patrizia, who once again confirmed that no one was there, sighed with relief.

Ah, she had hidden for no reason. She felt uneasy. Patrizia hurriedly fixed her disheveled clothes from hiding and quickly headed to the competition.

All three given hours had passed. Of course, Patrizia didn’t know the right answer. The Marquis of Grochester had probably told the answer in her previous life, but time – a whopping three years – had passed and she had forgotten. She just decided to answer anything and relaxed her mind.

She briefly considered the correct answer, and then wrote on the given paper with a black pen with ‘”love.” When it came it was like a lamb, when it touched you it was like a hawk, and when you passed it was a stone-like thing, that was love. When it first comes it is soft like a lamb, but when you touch it, then it is sharp like a hawk.

But if you pass it, this would eventually become as painful as a stone. She had never loved, but it was like the love that her sister Petronilla had in her previous life.

The first love that came like a lamb passed and sharpened, and it ended in pain. Patrizia’s face darkened as she felt depressed thinking about her sister.

“Hmm… just one person gave the correct answer.”

The Duke of Witherford caused a disturbance with his words. Patrizia did not expect that she had gotten the correct answer. Soon the Duke of Witherford revealed the one with the correct answer.

“Queeness Trisha, congratulations. The only one who answered correctly.”

“I thought you’d be the only one who is right.”

This was the first thing Rafaella said when they returned to their quarters. Patrizia just laughed. She was not so smart. Patrizia said.

“Why? Lady Trisha is a smart person. I knew she would be right.”

“Smart she is. But who would have thought she would be right.”

When it first comes it is soft like a lamb, but when you touch it is sharp like a hawk.

But if you pass, it will eventually be as painful as a stone. The answer was years. Patrizia contemplated on the correct answer. Three years ago, time was as gentle as a lamb for her and her family. But the next three years were a series of sharp times. After all, everything that passed, it was a stone-like, painful memory. Patrizia laughed wryly at the appropriate answer.

“I don’t know who gave it, but it’s a great question.”

“That’s true. By the way, we’re finally ahead of the last part of the competition.”

“…”

Patrizia pulled her mouth up a little and laughed. After the last part, she could return home. Of course, it may be the opposite result. Three years ago, it wasn’t just Trisha who got it right today. At that time, Nilla also had the answer.

But today she couldn’t guess it correctly, so it was almost for certain that Queeness Trisha would become Queen. Patrizia remembered how the nobles had gossipped that the result had been determined, and opened her mouth.

“She was the only one to get the problem right, and the family is better than the rest of the Queeness. If a twist doesn’t happen, the Queeness Trisha will become the Queen.”

And she wanted that to happen. She was really tired of the royals now. Neither the emperor, Mrs. Phelps, nor the position of Queen. She volunteered to be a Queeness instead of her sister just in case, but she was desperate not to be unfortunate enough to become Queen.