Chapter 39

“Nice to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Yuria of the Duke of Mavis.”

‘It must look like that when the Milky Way shines under the sunlight.’

I thought of that when I saw her shiny hair.

But who was she, who couldn’t hide her hostility towards me like that?

I didn’t recall there being such a person within the nine nobles.

As evidence of that, the conquerors’ table was on the other side of me, and Yuria seemed to have walked out from the center table.

Yuria Mavis.

Yuria…… Mavis.

The Duke of ‘Mavis’ had an important magic stone mine, so I was used to this name, but ‘Yuria’ didn’t come to mind.

Then, my eyes suddenly opened wide.

An image came to my mind like a lightning bolt.

‘The heroine from ?!’

I traced my memory of the original, which had long since become my reality.

Although it was an exhausting mass-produced fantasy novel, even in such a novel, there was a person who could be called the heroine, the female protagonist.

A woman who was constantly longing for Rixus.

A woman who was very honest with her feelings and had no hesitation in her carrying out her desires.

‘In the original work, she was described as looking like an angel who had her wings cut off, but in reality… She’s even more innocent.”

Although she had eyes that showed her hatred for me, she was so beautiful that she just looked pitiful.

Yuria Mavis was the famous daughter of the outstanding Duke of Mavis, who was related to a margrave.(TL/N: the raws are ambiguous on her relations to the ‘margrave’ part here, I’m just basing off what was said later.)

Due to her weak body, she was confined in her room from a very young age until her debut. Her friends consisted of the birds outside the window, and her nanny.

Of course, she suffered from severe loneliness, but there was no way to save her. It was because the duke prohibited his daughter, who suffered from even a mild cold, from going out due to her constitution.

That was why Yuria, who was always obedient to the duke’s words, went out secretly that day.

Some force of fate must have acted.

‘She was walking around the market alone and met an armed robber.’

The original work was so cliché that Rixus appeared when that happened.

‘Wasn’t Rixus being chased at that time too?’

So, he was probably dressed as a commoner.

That lame scene that the writer scrawled lazily…

For Yuria, it would have been the warmth of another she felt for the first time in her life.

Like a little bird breaking out of a cold eggshell, she ‘imprinted’ on the young man who saved her and fell in love.

She returned safely to the duke’s house and used all her means to search for Rixus.

Even the huge difference in status as a commoner was not a problem for her.

However, the identity of the commoner man’s name was unknown… She fell in love and was ill alone.

‘Then she fatefully met him at her debutante.’

After that, all I could think of was the appearance of Yuria, who devoted all her heart to wooing him.

By any means, she tried to get Rixus.

She was weak and delicate, but she was a character who went straight towards her goal.

I didn’t hate her, at least in the original.

Even so, the reason I didn’t quickly remember the name ‘Yuria Mavis’ when I heard it was simple.

‘The amount of scenes she appeared in. Heinously little!’

She was of very little importance. The reason was simple.

First of all, it was because the romance genre was pretty much non-existent, and the main character, Rixus, did not express his feelings to her.

While Yuria’s longing for him was evident, Rixus’ was not. His motive for saving Yuria was simply that ‘his people were in danger’.

However, despite her unrequited love, she never got tired.

Two things were clear to me there.

Despite that angelic face and fragile image, Yuria was actually a very strong person.

And… 

Because of Yuria, the original was distorted again!

‘Why is she in the capital now?’

She should be recuperating in Malta. To my knowledge, she would return to the capital only in the mid-to-late part of the original story. But now she was right in front of me.

If I had to guess, it was probably because of the news of my marriage with Rixus.

I tried to perceive her thinking and started speaking with a cold face.

“Lady Mavis, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“…About me?”

The silver eyelashes that hung over her light blue eyes trembled slightly as if in surprise.

“Yes, you’re the niece of the Margrave?”

She quickly corrected her shaky expression and looked straight at me.

“You seem to have already understood a lot about Aktoum… Indeed, you are amazing.”

Madam Verdi, who was quietly listening from the side, came forward.

“Not only that, but Her Majesty the Queen has already showed a lot of impressive appearances in Aktoum’s society.”

“Did I?”

To my question, Madam Verdi answered with a smile, her eyes curved.

“Yes! So there were many nobles who wanted you to enter our salon. It was the same for me too.”

It was said that some of the previous empresses didn’t even get an invitation to this salon… I could see why the elusive invitation was sent to me even before I got married.

When Madam Verdi praised me, Yuria’s face suddenly turned sour.

I asked her softly.

“Lady Mavis, but…why did you ask me to actively participate?”

When Madam Verdi said to enjoy comfortably because it was the first day, didn’t Yuria say she wanted me to participate?

Whether I participate or not was irrelevant to her. Was it something she just felt like saying? I remembered her tone being quite challenging for such a thing.

“The reason is, Your Majesty…”

That was when Yuria started her sentence. Suddenly, a happy squirrel-like man ran up to me.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Queen! I am Count Blanche of the House of Metheus.”

Hahaha. Count Metheus smiled cheerfully, sticking out his protruding front teeth like a quokka. He didn’t even know that he had interrupted the ducal lady.

“You don’t know how much of an honor it is to meet you like this. Please, I would like to have you at our table! Your Majesty!”

In the end, because of the bright, happy and tactless Count ‘Quokka’, the conversation with Yuria ended like that.(TL/N: This happens often – because he looks like a quokka, Berylia calls him ‘Count Quokka’ in her mind instead of his actual name ‘Blanche Metheus’.)

But the table he was guiding me to was pretty good.

First of all, it was in the center, so I could see the atmosphere of the salon all at once, and the refreshments were delicious.

I had a good time being treated with seasonal fruits by Count Quokka and talking about the history of art.

When the gathering was in full swing–

Madam Verdi went up on the podium and tapped the magic tool’s loudspeaker.

“Ah–”

The microphone-shaped magic tool glowed purple and then returned to normal.

Her clear eyes shone as she started off.

“Welcome to the House Verdi’s salon today.”

“……”

“It has been 27 years since I inherited this salon with a 100-year history.”

Her light voice rang through the crowd.

“There have been many honors throughout those times, but today especially, the Queen of Spinel has visited us.”

“Wow!”

Next to me, Count Quokka clapped and cheered loudly.

“No, or should I call her ‘Our Crown Princess’ now? I sincerely thank Her Majesty for taking such precious steps.”

Perhaps this was the real time for applause as the other nobles cheered and applauded me.

I nodded my head slightly in response.

“Then shall we enjoy the ‘Shooting Competition’ first on this glorious day? Participants, please raise your hands in turn.”

Some nobles began to raise their hands in a hurry.

‘I better take a look first.’

It was an atmosphere of free participation. So there was no pressure.

When I glanced at Yuria, she was just sitting still.

Our eyes just met… Or was it just my imagination?’

As I was gently stroking the handle of the teacup in an awkward mood, Madam Verdi added.

“Ah, the first prize in today’s Shooting Competition is ‘Verdi’s recommendation letter’.”

……What? Letter of recommendation?! The image was clearly captured in my drowsy eyes. If it was a recommendation letter, it was different.

Should I participate?

It made me feel good to imagine three maids who would be happy with their eyes twinkling after receiving a letter of recommendation.

I raised my hand with excitement. Then a strange thing happened.

Yuria, who had been sitting still the whole time, raised her hand as well.

“I want to participate too.”

“……”

She was staring at me boldly. Her eyes were so cold that my heart was horrified.

Only then did I understand what she meant by wishing for my active participation.

Ah… I wanted to avoid making enemies with Yuria as much as possible.

But I hated losing more.

“As the owner of the salon, I am very happy because so many people have applied to participate. Then, let’s start the Shooting Competition!”

Clap, clap, clap clap!

Under the bright sunlight, thunderous applause poured out, and in the midst of that, Yuria looked at me arrogantly and then turned her head.

But it wasn’t threatening at all.

Because I was pretty confident in shooting.

‘I’ve been shooting for decades, it’s ridiculous if I can’t even get first place.’

It was a little depressing, but in a swampy area, there was nothing more fun than hitting arrows in a tree.

However, I needed a Spinel-style bow to show my skills.

‘She has prepared sensibly.’

Was she being considerate of me? A Spinel-style bow was also provided.

A Spinel-style bow was small in size, and it was characterized by a sharp shot meant to inflict precise fatal wounds on the target.

It’s capabilities were different from Aktoum’s bow, which boasted great destructive power, as much as its heavy size.

The nobles came out one after the other and began to pick their bows.

It was a match to hit a small apple from a pretty long distance.

Even a lady who could not handle a bow at all could participate, but it was only possible if there was someone who offered to shoot the bow instead of her.

Yuria said to the remaining crowd.

“Would there be a gentleman who would be my bow?”

The moment she opened her mouth, several men stepped forward.

However, there was another man who was the first to get down on one knee and put out his hand.

“My lady, will you give me that glory?”

It was a man whose eyes were so thin that I could barely see his pupils. With a confident smile that somehow felt ominous.

Count Quokka whispered to me with a surprised expression.

“Your Majesty, that is Baron Ignes, who is called the ‘Moon Archer’. Actually, the first place has been decided.”

Madam Verdi had a slightly perplexed expression on her face. The queen was participating for the first time, and she seemed embarrassed, perhaps she thought no one would step out for her and she would be humiliated. 

But soon she asked with a gentle smile.

“Which man would Your Majesty pick as a bow?”

“Well.”

Perhaps they all had the same idea, as the eyes of the nobles were focused on me.

“I…….”

I waved the sharp arrow in a bored manner and glanced at the eyes focused on me.

Some of the men were already getting ready to step out.

As my languid gaze swept the area once, I twisted my lips.

“As for me.”

“……”

“I’ll shoot it myself.”