Chapter 74

“Why did you do that?”

Evelina was already aware of it, but she didn’t show her face. Rather, she looked at Kaiden with a look of surprise. He stared blankly as if possessed when she stared at him. Then, as soon as she made a sad expression as if waiting for an answer, he hurriedly continued.

“Because that’s good for Lina.”

“I don’t understand what that means.”

“…After marriage, the queen cannot meet her parents until she has a child. It’s stipulated in imperial law.”

Evelina lowered her gaze as if she understood when he said so. Of course, there was such a proYour Majesty in imperial law, but no emperor has ever kept it.

All the queens learned about the first night from their parents on their wedding day. And they learned it many times before marriage. After marriage, they met their families more often and became loyal to the imperial family.

Therefore, Evelina knew that his words were just excuses, and that he was actually just making excuses to bother her.

“I didn’t know there was such a law. I didn’t know that and kept telling Kaiden that I missed them.”

“Lina.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think too much.”

She put her head on his shoulder, pretending that she was sorry.

Evelina looked up at Kaiden, rubbing her head on his shoulder with an apologetic expression. Then he frowned.

“I’ll make sure you see them once Tenesi’s envoys are gone.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“But until I have a child…”

“Lina.”

She looked at him, taking a little bit off her head as he called her earnestly. Then his red eyes were staring at Evelina as if to read her feelings. Every time he looked at her like this, she seemed to tremble in such a strange mood, as if he were reading her thoughts.

“I don’t think it’s such a good thing for Lina to see the Marquis of Logias. But if Lina is so lonely….”

When he looked at her with a troubled expression, Evelina spoke, not wanting to sympathize with his performance, but thinking she should.

“…May I ask why?”

“Lina’s feelings right now will soon disappear.”

“How?”

“…soon.”

Evelina asked him how it was the case, but he was talking about the time. Thinking if he didn’t want to tell her, she smiled resignedly because she didn’t think he would answer even if she asked more.

“Then let me see them just once.”

“…”

“I want to see them once before I have a baby.”

She was going to die before she had a baby anyway.

She stroked Kaiden’s cheek thinking so.

“Okay, then, as I said, I’ll let you meet after the Tenesi envoys have gone.”

“Kaiden…”

She was so happy that she forgot to act and hugged him tightly. She was going to see her father as an excuse before Tenesi’s envoy left.

She was going to die soon after the envoys left anyway.

Now she had only ten days left in her life.

“I don’t know if this is really good for Lina.”

He sighed and hugged Evelina’s waist tightly, hugging her neck. She found his friendly behavior to be very amusing. She was expecting him to be happy that he deceived her.

“I’m so glad Kaiden is my husband.”

He gave her a very strong hug at her words. Evelina breathed in her own breath. Then he soon loosened it as if he had come to his senses, and he said with a sigh of happiness.

“I’m so glad you said that.”

His voice felt more sincere without seeing her face, making her more confused.

~~~~

It was nine days before Evelina’s life.

“Good job coming all this way, Renold Tenesi.”

Crossing the northern border, the crown prince of Tenesi led the envoys to the capital of the Abelard Empire. Evelina was standing next to Kaiden to greet the guests.

“Haha. Long time no see. Renold.”

Another person who welcomed Renold Tenesi was Princess Elsius. She was already acquainted with Renold Tenesi.

“The princess is still the same.”

“That’s the same as Renold. Is your hair hereditary?”

“Hahaha, yes. Like my father, my forehead is gradually expanding.”

Renold laughed, taking it amicably as Princess Elsius spoke in a playful way. Evelina was well aware of the way Princess Elsius spoke as if she was showing off her friendship.

“I know a lot about medicine that makes hair grow. I’ll give it to you as a gift before you go back.”

“I’d appreciate it if you did.”

Evelina thought she didn’t know that Renold Tenesi’s hair was peeled off. But when she recalled the image of the king of Tenesi that she had seen before, she thought she should be careful. In general, if the father is bald, it was not uncommon that the son became bald.

Suddenly, Evelina looked at Kaiden because she remembered that the former emperor had a relationship with a woman, but had a lot of hair and a rich beard until he was old. The former emperor was a person with dark hair even when he was almost 50.

“I don’t have to worry. My hair is thick enough for Lina to pull it out every day.”

Evelina smiled unconsciously at Kaiden’s whisper in her ear. Her eyes met with him when she smiled unconsciously, and when he saw her smiling, he smiled at her with a happy face.

“You two are really on good terms.”

“It’s because I achieved my long-standing love.”

“Hahaha. I see. That’s fascinating.”

Renold Tenesi looked at Evelina. Evelina smiled at him as if she were showing a commercial smile to the customer, and he looked at her with a blank expression for a moment.

“I hear you’ve been engaged for a long time.”

“That’s right.”

“It’s amazing that you didn’t get married quickly. I don’t think I would have been able to stand it until I got married.”

“I put off getting married because I couldn’t stand it. If I had married before becoming emperor, I would have abandoned the throne and everything.”

Evelina refused to believe what Kaiden said. His words hurt her as if he were sincere when she was listening, and soon made her feel guilty.

She thought he was really great. In the end, even this was clearly what he expected.

Kaiden Abelard was never a pushover. She thought it was a real relief that she was going to die in nine days.

She really wanted to accomplish what she had planned before she died. And even dying in the end. That’s what she wanted most.

Death was desperately included in Evelina’s wish.

“Do you happen to have any sisters? If they look like Your Majesty the Queen, I’d like to welcome her as crown princess, too.”

“What about Elsius?”

“Oh, brother, oh, uh. I’m meeting the person my sister introduced me to these days.”

Evelina didn’t know that Princess Elsius was secretly urging her to do what she wanted. Then Kaiden, who saw Princess Elsius, twisted his mouth and said.

“If you don’t want to marry a man over 60 years old, wouldn’t Prince Tenesi be nice, Elsius?”

“Ah…”

Elsius bowed her head under the influence of Kaiden. Then Renold, who realized that the atmosphere had become strange, laughed loudly and said.

“It’s too much for me. And I like blondes, Your Majesty.”

At his words, Kaiden looked coldly at Renold.

“I’m sorry.”

Kaiden said with a contrived smile again.

“See you at the banquet later.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

People who realized that his expression was unusual soon stooped and acted submissive.

“Kaiden, I want to walk a little slower.”

“Can I give you a piggyback ride?”

“Oh, no. I’d like you to hold my hand.”

At Queen Evelina’s words, Kaiden’s icy expression melted like spring. Then he took her hand and started moving.

“Don’t wear high heels. Isn’t Lina’s ankle weak, too?”

“Kaiden needs to be shorter to say that. How can I wear low heels when we have such a big difference?

He was smiling, listening to her voice mellowly.

As they disappeared, Elsius was trying to smile, and Tenesi’s crown prince was recalling a contract he had made with Evelina.

Taking the Marquis of Logias to Tenesi, as Queen Evelina asked, and making him a subject there. The diamond mine on Maineber Island, which was supposed to be taken as collateral for that.

He smiled like a fox and stared blankly at the place where Queen Evelina had disappeared.

~~~~

“I’ll give you two options.”

It was an hour before the banquet for the envoys of the Kingdom of Tenesi. Evelina was practicing her congratulatory speech elsewhere because she had to deliver a congratulatory speech, and Kaiden was now here to meet Princess Elsius.

This was the bedroom of Princess Elsius. He wanted to talk somewhere else, but Princess Elsius, seeing his unusual expression, wanted to have a conversation with him in her bedroom.

“Older brother.”

“Follow Prince Tenesi.”

Princess Elsius opened her eyes wide as if she were suspicious of what was said from her brother’s mouth. Then, soon after, she began to tremble and shed tears.

However, Kaiden, who looked down at her as if he had no emotion, continued.

“If not, be the wife of the Emperor of Mervenia.”

At Kaiden’s words, Princess Elsius looked at him as if she had been sentenced to death.

“But the Emperor of Mervenia is over sixty…! And if I go, I’ll go to the queen, not the empress.!”

Kaiden looked at the screaming Elsius with cold eyes and uttered even colder words.

“Do you think I don’t know what you did to the queen? You must have been grandmother’s helper.”