Chapter 177.

Translator: Aura

/ Editor: vy

I knew about bouquets of flowers, but a bouquet of jewels…

“What does this mean?”

When I asked him, flustered, he repeated the explanation from before.

“The Western Kingdom is the capital of jewels; whose mines belong to the royal family. We have many jewels.”

“…”

“Don’t you like jewels?”

“No, it’s not that…”

It was like the jewels he put on the cake last time.

Was it a Heinley custom to spread jewelry everywhere?

Anyway, it was embarrassing to receive such a thing all of a sudden.

If it was a bouquet of flowers, I would have received it with a light heart.

As I hesitated, he asked me worriedly.

“Are you still restless?”

“I wish it was a bouquet of flowers.”

As I smiled awkwardly, Heinley insisted, pointing with one of his fingers to small red flowers among piles of jewelry.

“Here are some flowers, so it’s also a bouquet of flowers.”

When I laughed at his comment, Heinley scratched his cheek, feeling embarrassed.

“We are now husband and wife, Queen. Please accept it.”

His face lit up immediately when I accepted the bouquet of jewels.

I can’t believe he’s so happy just because I accepted his gift…

He looked adorable. So, I turned around, telling him to come in.

I went to open the door.

However, unexpectedly, Heinley came in through the window as soon as I took a step back.

“Heinley?”

I stopped walking to the door and raised an eyebrow, silently asking why he was coming through the window. He then muttered awkwardly.

“Habit…”

“Do you usually do that?”

Heinley’s eyes moved back and forth as he didn’t know what to say. This was not the typically behavior of a king. Besides, if I kept asking him, it would only embarrass him, so I turned around and deliberately changed the subject.

“I heard you were having a meeting?”

Heinley immediately followed the subject I raised.

“Nothing was discussed at the meeting, so it ended quickly.”

“You’ve been gone a long time. Did something bad occur?”

“The worst thing was that I disappeared.”

Heinley responded jokingly, but soon his expression became serious and continued.

“You asked me not to intervene, so I kept my mouth shut, but… Queen. I want to make it clear to everyone that you are my wife and the queen of this place.”

He seemed to be talking about the moment I stopped him when Yunim was being disrespectful to me.

I shook my head.

“Everyone knows that now.”

“In that case, they must behave properly. Otherwise, I will let them know more clearly.”

“Heinley, there are things you can help me with, but there are others I must do for myself.”

I put the bouquet of jewels on the table and held his hands.

“Thank you, but even the emperor, Sovieshu, could not control Rashta’s reputation. I have to do this personally.”

“…”

Heinley’s lips moved, but finally he accepted in a weak voice.

“That’s fine, but if there’s anything I can help you with, don’t hesitate, even for a second, to tell me.”

“Thank you. I do need something.”

“Tell me.”

At my words, Heinley’s complexion lit up and he looked at me affectionately, as if trying to convince me to tell him.

* * *

“Are you asking me to send Sir Yunim’s sister as a lady-in-waiting?”

McKenna opened his eyes wide at Heinley’s request, who had gone to the queen’s detached palace as soon as the meeting was over.

Just a few hours ago, he’d witnessed perfectly how the captain of the guard treated Navier. However, he was asking him to send his sister to the honorable position of ‘queen’s lady-in-waiting’.

“It is only temporary. Two of her ladies-in-waiting from the Eastern Empire decided to become her ladies-in-waiting here as well, but they have not yet arrived.”

“But even so…”

Angry, McKenna frowned.

Having played the role of the messenger of love, and even being hit by an arrow, McKenna couldn’t help but side with Navier.

“Besides, Sir Yunim was too rude. Your Majesty was caught in the Eastern Empire because of the queen? Did the queen, who was in the Eastern Empire, drag you away somehow? Did Your Majesty not fly there with your own wings?!”

Heinley, who nodded in agreement, asked in surprise.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Brother Koshar?”

Koshar, who spent several days with Heinley, was an older brother who deeply loved his sister, willing to do anything for her.

Judging by his personality, he should have been the first to appear as soon as his sister arrived.

It was strange that he was still nowhere to be seen.

“Nor does he seem to have gone to the detached palace.”

“Ah. Surely he will avoid her as much as possible at this time. Well, he may be somewhere nearby.”

“Avoid? Why?”

“He’s worried about appearing now and becoming a nuisance to the Queen…”

Heinley raised an eyebrow, and clicked his tongue in pity.

McKenna shrugged.

“In fact, Lord Koshar has a somewhat… bad reputation.”

“… I’ll have to do something to change his reputation.”

“I think it’s best to think about that in the future.”

Heinley nodded and walked over to the desk, a pile of papers had accumulated on his desk while he was away.

Heinley sat down, rolling up his sleeves.

“Ah, the wedding preparations must be done quickly.”

He opened the lid of the inkwell, took out a quill and dipped the tip in black ink. At that moment, he asked, “Hmm?” while looking at McKenna.

“The wedding preparations, you won’t do them, right?”

McKenna was also staring at him.

“That’s right. Usually… the queen does it.”

Usually, the queen is the one who takes care of the wedding preparations for the crown princess, but the current case was very different from ‘usual’. Heinley and McKenna’s expressions similarly darkened.

Christa was no longer the queen, and Navier is the current queen.

Of course, even if she no longer had any status, it would look better if the former queen, Christa, made the wedding preparations.

But this would not be good for Navier.

To prepare for the national wedding, the courtiers needed to be directed and supervised for a few weeks. And in the process, Christa’s position could be strengthened. However, asking Navier to prepare her own wedding would be the same as asking high society to devour her.

If she prepares it grandly, they would devour her for being too extravagant. If she prepares it simply, they would devour her for underestimating the Western Kingdom.

McKenna asked anxiously.

“What should we do?”