Lady To Queen Chapter 22 - She Played A Trick

Chapter 22 – She Played A Trick

“Ah, I heard from Mother,” Petronilla started, “You've done a great job hosting the envoy's wives. Mother admires you too.”

“Ah…” Patrizia said, blushing awkwardly. Naturally, she couldn't forget that day. Fortunately, it ended well and the guests enjoyed themselves, but at the time, Patrizia's nerves were solely focused on Rosemond. Patrizia wondered whether she should tell her sister what happened that day. Petronilla, sensing a story, coaxed her to speak.

“What is it? What happened?” she begged with puppy-like eyes. Patrizia looked conflicted, and Petronilla gave a rare serious look.

“What's wrong, Rizi? We're sisters, you can tell me everything. Is something wrong?”

“It's not good, Nilla. I don't know if I can tell this to you.” The only person that knew the truth was Raphaella.

At that, Petronilla's eyes only widened in curiosity. “What is it?”

“Lady Phelps played a trick,” Patrizia finally said.

At the sound of the concubine's name, Petronilla's face hardened. “What do you mean?”

“Lady Phelps tried to replace the beef dishes with pork for the banquet. Luckily I kept an eye on Bain Palace, but…it was a slap to the face."

“Oh my god…” Petronilla's mouth fell open in amazement, and Patrizia regretted revealing the story to her sister. She shouldn't have said that. That would only make Petronilla worry even more.

“Rosemond is crazy after all…”

“Nilla, calm down. Nothing happened in the end.”

Petronilla's shock and anger did not subside. “You must know how serious this is,” she said, her usual sweetness gone.

“I do. I warned her not to try anything again. I couldn't just do nothing at the time.”

“…It's scary,” Petronilla said a moment later. “Rizi, are you really alright?”

“I'm fine, Nilla. Man, I wouldn't have told you if I knew you would be worried about this,” Patrizia said in a mothering voice.

“Hey,” Petronilla pouted. She shot her sister an annoyed look, but Patrizia just smiled and kissed her sister's cheek.

“I'm fine,” Patrizia said reassuringly. “I'm planning to keep my head down as queen, but that doesn't mean I'll stand by foolishly. You know that, right?”

“…”

Petronilla didn't answer, her face still taught with tension.

“Nilla, are you mad? There is no evidence I can use, and I can't risk diplomatic relations—”

“Rizi,” Petronilla interrupted quietly, and Patrizia stopped speaking and swallowed dryly. Petronilla continued. “Actually, I didn't come here just for a nice visit.”

“What?”

“I have something to say.”

“Speak, Nilla.”

Petronilla stared into Patrizia's eyes, then opened her mouth again. “I want to become your lady-in-waiting.”

“…What?” Patrizia's eyes trembled in surprise. What the hell was this… “What are you talking about?” Patrizia burst out. “Why become a lady-in-waiting so suddenly!”

“I didn't decide this suddenly after listening to you. I've been thinking about it ever since you became queen.” Petronilla's expression said as much, but Patrizia couldn't figure out why her sister wanted to become her lady-in-waiting. In her previous life, Patrizia refrained from entering the palace, let alone becoming a lady-in-waiting.

“But even so…”

“Historically, it isn't unusual for the queen's sister to serve as lady-in-waiting in the Mavinous Empire. It won't be for life anyway—I plan to quit before I get married. I just want to be by your side before that time.”

“Then, a year or two at most. It can't be any longer," Patrizia said. Admittedly, she had missed her sister, so she ended up agreeing.

Petronilla smiled at Patrizia's words. “Great. What made you so emotional?”

“It's because of you, Nilla. My heart's weakness is you. So, are you really going to be a lady-in-waiting?”

“Yes.” Petronilla nodded calmly, and Patrizia thought it over once more. She was still queen, and eventually her sister would marry another nobleman. Even if Nilla fell in love with the Emperor at first sight as in the past, her sister's chances of taking her position was zero. With Petronilla by her side, Patrizia would be even stronger than she was now. She had ended up revealing something she didn't want to, but…

“All right, then,” said Patrizia finally, as she had no reason to refuse her sister's words. Patrizia was short on ladies-in-waiting anyway, and she had been thinking of filling the positions lately.

Petronilla smiled at gaining the queen's approval. “Great. So I can spend the rest of the day with you?”

In Petronilla's case, it was likely she would commute between home and the palace, as she would not be a lifetime lady-in-waiting like Mirya. Patrizia answered with a smile. “Yes. You'll probably be able to start work next week.”

It wouldn't be long until then. Patrizia smiles as she looked at Petronilla, whose face was wreathed with both seriousness and joy.

*

Petronilla returned home that evening and told her parents of her wishes. Marquis and Marquess Grochester were naturally surprised by her words.

“Is it true what I'm hearing, Nilla?” Marquess Grochester said in a stunned voice. Of course, it was her desire to help Rizi in the Imperial Palace, but she had abandoned the idea when her daughters did not want to build ties with the royal family. Petronilla's sudden declaration took her by surprise.

However, Petronilla was adamant despite her mother's reaction. “Yes, Mother. I'm going to enter the palace as a lady-in-waiting. You're not against it, are you?”

“Just surprised, is all. You didn't want to be queen candidate a while ago. I thought you wanted put up a wall between yourself and the Imperial Family, just like Rizi did.”

“…”

Her mother didn't seem to know it yet, but Petronilla still thought that way. She didn't like the palace and she didn't want to step foot in it. However, there was only one reason why she made this bold decision.

‘Patrizia.'

She was too anxious to leave her younger twin sister alone in the palace to be eaten by wolves. Patrizia needed a steady hand to support her, and it would best if Petronilla could stand by her as a lady-in-waiting. This was not an unwelcome decision either, as she was not a queen candidate, and wasn't in a position to potentially marry the Emperor.

“I won't serve there for a lifetime, and I'll be free. I don't know what you're worried about.”

“I didn't say that, Nilla. I was just a little surprised. It's like…it's like you've become someone else.”

“…”

Petronilla gave a dry smile. Things would have been different if she didn't see what she saw in the Imperial Palace. But once she witnessed it, she couldn't ignore it.

“I guess I'm older too,” Petronilla said quietly.

*

Petronilla entered the palace as soon as Patrizia's approval was finalized. The job was directly under the queen's purview, so it did not involve complicated paperwork. The queen's relatives entering the palace was not considered special in the Mavinous Empire, and no special conditions were required.

As Petronilla entered the palace as a lady-in-waiting for the first time, she greeted Raphaella, who was waiting for her.

“Ella, I heard the story but I couldn't believe it. It's wonderful to see you here.”

Raphaella responded with a brief hug. “The same to you, Nilla. It must have been at the queen's wedding reception that we saw each other last. Anyway, welcome to the Imperial Palace. You coming here as lady-in-waiting is more than welcome.” In fact, Raphaella had been a bit bored lately, as there wasn't another lady-in-waiting her age she could interact with.

Petronilla giggled and looked at her friend with warm eyes. Raphaella was the same as she remembered.

“May I know my sister's daily routine, Mirya?” Petronilla asked.

However, it was not Mirya who answered, but Patrizia. “Nothing much, sister. I work all day, sometimes I drink tea, then I work again. I'll often take a walk and chat with the maids.”

In a word, boring. Mirya, who was standing next to Patrizia, gave a small chuckle and elaborated further.

“She often reads books. She's gotten close to Ms. Brewsiling these days.”

Ms. Brewsiling was the librarian. When Mirya finished speaking, Patrizia smiled and closed the topic.

“That's it, Nilla. You don't have to worry about anything.”

“Isn't your work hard?”

“It was at first. But it's worth it now.” Any task was difficult in the beginning. Imperial work was something Patrizia never encountered in her previous life, and it was a huge challenge for a beginner like her. Now that she had become more proficient, however, she had a little more free time from the strict daily routine.

“I haven't done much yet, except the banquet for the wives of the envoys. Oh, there's another event coming up soon, isn't there, Dame Raphaella?”

“The Imperial Court will host a hunting tournament, and the prize will be 100 million gold,” Raphaella said a little excitedly.

Patrizia smiled at her playfully. “Can I count on you this time, Dame Raphaella?”

“Don't expect too much, Your Majesty, but I'll do my best,” the female knight said with a brave face, but then her eyes turned slightly wide. “Ah, but are you going to participate as well, Your Majesty?”

“Me?” Patrizia replied.

“Yes, Your Majesty. You know how to ride a horse. You know how to handle a bow.”

Mirya turned to Patrizia in surprise. “Really, Your Majesty?”

Patrizia smiled awkwardly. It was true. She wasn't that good at it, but she knew how to ride a horse, and she knew how to shoot an arrow.

“I learned some things with Nilla. Right, Nil?”

“Yes, but I'm not as great as Her Majesty.”

Patrizia's cheeks reddened. In truth, her own ability was pitiful when compared to Raphaella.

The knight jumped in when she noticed her response. “I'm not just a lady, but a knight. Of course I should be better. If you want to be at a level comparable to me, we should go to the training room right away and practice.”

“That's right, Your Majesty," Mirya piped up. "Don't you think you're being too hard on yourself? Dame Raphaella is incredibly skilled.”

Patrizia smiled at Mirya and scratched the back of her head.

Raphaella looked on, her eyes shining bright. “So, Your Majesty, will you join? If it weren't for everything else, perhaps the Emperor could participate with us.”

“…”

The mention of that man brought a silence between the four.

TN: Thank you for voting in the mass release poll! The extra chapter of Lady to Queen will be posted on Saturday

Chapter end