Chapter 22

"Didn't it all start with my love at first sight? The situation at the time aligned well with my desire to be by Your Majesty's side, and that's how we progressed to become engaged. During our engagement, Your Majesty was very sincere in our relationship, you know?"

"Hmm, sincere? Hmm, really?"

Seeing my expression, Mother stifled a laugh.

"Hehe, you don't believe me, do you? But really, he was very kind to me. He would certainly meet with me for the monthly tea parties, and when attending evening events, he would always send me a dress to match his own. He would properly escort me, and I was never left alone at the evening events. He would introduce me to his acquaintances and see me home safely after the events. He would always bring a bouquet of flowers when we met. Even for my birthday, he would research what I wanted in advance and give it to me."

"Is that really the King?"

It's hard to imagine... I mean, the current King doesn't seem to do such things... but he does treat the Queen similarly.

"When we were engaged, the King always looked at me with a gentle gaze."

Even if you say that, I can't imagine the King looking at Mother like that.

"Albert, you might find it hard to believe, but when our engagement was annulled, the King bowed to me. He said he didn't look down on me or dislike the engagement. He had fallen in love with the Queen, but he also thought about me and considered giving up."

"Well, then he should have given up, not just you, but others would think the same."

"But... the Queen was humiliated in front of many people in her homeland... The King couldn't bear to see the person he loved suffer like that. He said he couldn't control his feelings."

Here, I want to explain a bit about what happened between the King and the Queen.

The King spent two years before adulthood studying at a royal academy in a neighboring country. It was there that he met and fell in love with the Queen. The Queen was a princess from a ducal family with royal blood from the neighboring country and was engaged to the second prince of that country at the time.

If you're perceptive, you might have guessed something. I thought, 'Oh, so that's how it was.' I felt that the royal families in this world have a lot of issues.

The Queen's family had a younger brother, so the second prince of the neighboring country was supposed to marry into the family and establish a new ducal house. However, at the graduation party of the academy, the second prince did something terrible.

He accused the Queen of a false crime and broke off the engagement.

The Queen, in turn, accused the second prince of false accusations and defended her innocence. But the second prince got angry, the venue became chaotic, and being a woman, being jilted is always a scandal, even without any fault.

That's when our King stepped in. You can guess what happened, right? The King proposed to the Queen, who had been jilted, asking her to be his wife.

This is the legendary love romance between the King and the Queen.

It happened in public, not just in front of high-ranking nobles from the neighboring country, but also from surrounding countries. It couldn't be undone.

Talks were held between the neighboring country and the Kingdom of Lave, and as a way to resolve the scandal and strengthen friendly relations, the marriage between the King and the Queen was established.

Mother was the one who suffered the backlash. The second prince of the neighboring country did this because he wanted to marry a commoner-born baroness, so it was his own fault.

"When the engagement was annulled, I was very sad, but at the same time, I also felt it was inevitable. After all, the King looked at the Queen with such passion, and he never looked at me that way."

"Even though you gave up, you became a concubine?"

"Perhaps I thought..."

"Perhaps? Hmm, that you would be loved by the King? Even after seeing how much he loves the Queen?"

"It might not have been possible to be loved like the Queen, but I thought we could continue our previous relationship. After all, we didn't hate or despise each other."

Mother had made her decision as a concubine. She didn't want to monopolize the King's affection as a queen...

Still, Mother's frustration was due to the King's poor handling.

"The King wasn't suited to having two consorts."

Hmm, if that's the case, you should have opposed the King's decision to take a concubine from the beginning, but the King's decision couldn't be changed. Mother was indeed taken as a concubine by royal decree, but the national council had suggested it.

The desire for an heir to the throne of Lave was not the King's but the ministers'. They needed an heir, and the Queen, who couldn't bear the pressure of not having a child, would not have objected to the King taking a concubine.

"Now, my heart no longer leaps for the King, but... you know, I still like his face."

Mother smiled.

"In the past, when I watched plays, I only paid attention to the content, but my friends would talk about the actors' expressions and how handsome they were. At the time, I didn't understand their feelings, but now I do."

Ah, it reminds me of those enthusiasts who get lost in the world of theater...

In other words, fundamentally, the King's and my faces are the type Mother likes.

If you found this interesting, please like, bookmark, and rate it with a ★. It would boost my motivation, so I'd appreciate it.