Lady To Queen Chapter 25 - Are You Sure?

Chapter 25 – Are You Sure?

“…I,” Lucio started.

“…”

“What do you want me to do?”

“You say it like you'll tell me what I want.”

“Are you trying to tell me to expel her?”

“Well,” said Patrizia in a faint, trembling voice. “Will you do that?”

“Queen,” Lucio sighed. “I cannot abandon her.”

“…Why?” Patrizia asked, sensing a strangeness in the air. It was hard to describe what she was feeling, a kind of intuition.

It was true that the Emperor loved Rosemond. She knew that, and everyone else knew that as well. But Patrizia couldn't shake the thought that there was something in their relationship that she didn't know about; what it was, she had no clue.

Lucio hesitated, and moved his lips slowly. “She—”

“Your Majesty!”

At that moment, a familiar voice cut through the rain. Patrizia stood up in surprise. Pushing through the heavy rainstorm was none other than Raphaella.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?” Raphaella called out to her, jumping off her horse and running beneath the shelter of the tree.

“I'm…I'm alright,” Patrizia replied.

“Ah, His Majesty is here too.” Raphaella noticed Lucio and hurriedly bowed to him in greeting.

“What are you doing here, Dame Raphaella?” Lucio asked her lightly.

“Her Majesty did not come back in time, so I came looking for her. But what about you, Your Majesty?”

“I haven't had the chance to go out riding for a while, so I'm here for some exercise.”

“I see. It is better for you to return to the palace. The rain is unlikely to stop soon, and if you stay wet, you'll catch a cold. I'll protect you, so please get on your horse.”

“Yes,” he answered calmly, and climbed on his steed. Patrizia followed suit and also got on her horse with Raphaella's help. Soon the three-man party began to move slowly, but not overly so.

“…”

“…”

“…”

None of them spoke a word. Raphaella had a mountain of questions for Patrizia, but with the Emperor beside them, it was difficult to speak without permission. Patrizia wondered what Lucio was about to say, but she couldn't ask him while Raphaella was there. Meanwhile, Lucio was preoccupied with thoughts of Rosemond.

In the end, the three people travelled the long distance in silence.

*

“What happened, Your Majesty?” Raphaella asked once they returned to the queen's palace. Patrizia was drying herself in front of a warm fireplace and drinking the hot tea Mirya brought her. Patrizia didn't say anything until she finished drinking.

“I went deep in the woods and met the Emperor. It was bad luck, and I injured my hand. I couldn't just leave immediately, and that's why it was the way it was.”

“I was so worried. I'm glad nothing happened. Someone with an impure mind might have done something.” Of course, nothing happened in the end, but Raphaella wasn't in the position to dispense theories.

Patrizia looked at her friend apologetically. “I'm sorry Ella. It's my fault.”

“Anyway, you're welcome. Nil was so worried.”

“Yes, Rizi,” Petronilla piped up in a stern voice. “It's only been a few days since I've been here, and you've already caused me worry. You even injured your hand.” Despite her scolding, however, her face was pale.

“I'm sorry, Nil,” Patrizia said, her cheeks flushing in shame.

“The horse will be re-trained by the stable master. I will reprimand the person in charge if you want.”

“You don't have to. That's too much. Just give him a warning.”

“Very well.”

As soon as they finished speaking, the doctor that Mirya sent for entered the room. He inspected Patrizia's hand and soon began treatment. The white handkerchief Lucio tied around her hand was already stiff with blood.

“It's good that the bleeding has stopped right away, Your Majesty,” the doctor said. “This part may hurt, but I'll treat it as best I can.”

“Please,” Patrizia answered briefly, and soon lapsed into a reverie as the doctor began his work. What was Lucio doing now? How would the story affect him? Patrizia did not expect any great change in him, but she hoped that it was enough to cause a little shift. She just hoped that things would flow in her favor.

*

Rosemond, meanwhile, was busy welcoming Lucio, who immediately visited Bain Palace after he took a bath.

“Your Majesty, at this rate you're going to catch a cold,” Rosemond said fretfully. After a brief moment of silence, Lucio opened his mouth to speak.

“Rose,” he said, his voice full of dismay.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Sensing that he was upset, she looked up at him with her most submissive, wide-eyed expression.

Lucio hesitated, but continued on. “That night. The welcome banquet for the envoys.”

As soon as he spoke those words, Rosemond's face whitened. Why would he suddenly bring that up?

“Yes?” she asked.

“What happened that day?”

“…What happened? You know that better than me, Your Majesty,” she said in a quivering voice. “The Queen slapped me on the cheek. You saw evidence of that, Your Majesty.”

“Before that. The Queen wouldn't have hit you for no reason, no?”

“Your Majesty.” Rosemond was taken aback. This had never happened before. Her words were like law to him, and loved her like a doting father. He forgave her for anything she did, and never reprimanded her actions. But why this time…?

Lucio sighed as his eyes trembled in conflict. “Do you truly have a clean conscience, Rose?”

“…No,” she finally admitted. She looked at him with large, sorrowful eyes. “Are you just going to throw me away?”

“Rose.”

“Your Majesty, don't you love me?” she cried, and Lucio felt his head start to hurt. He didn't say it, but in his heart he wanted to comfort her.

“It's not like that, Rose. But this time—”

“Heug.” Rosemond sat down and let out a sob. In times like this, tears were the best option. She knew best that he was weak to them.

“R-Rose—” Lucio stammered, sounding uncertain.

“I…I—heug—thought you would understand me.”

“Me?”

“Heug…if you love me…”

“Rose, I can understand everything else, but what you did affects the Empire.”

“Your Majesty.” Rosemond's eyebrows furrowed at his words. Lucio already knew everything! She looked up at him as he slowly approached her. He reached out his hand, and she took it and stood up.

“Your Majesty…”

“Rose, I love you.”

“…”

“…But this time…I really don't know.”

“Your Majesty?” Rosemond looked up at him with confused eyes. A wave of anxiety washed over her. Why was he looking at her like that? He should at least try to understand her. At least try to love her. Wouldn't she do the same for him? That was what love was—returning what you received.

“You were the only one who understood and comforted me, so I loved and understood you. But…not this time. What you did was dangerous. You don't know what kind of repercussions this would have if it became public. If the Queens decides to reveal this, you are finished. You're gone beyond my protection.”

“Your Majesty, but this is the only way to be queen.”

“This is not what I meant by making you queen. There are better ways to do that. A way for it to be settled quietly without anyone getting hurt. Why did you have to use this method?”

“It was the quickest way,” she answered, swallowing her tears. There were many other good ways, ways which he talked about. But they were not good enough. She wanted something bigger, something that didn't involve her conscience. A bitter smile spread across her face. “So, how long were you planning for me to stay as baroness?”

“…Rose, there are steps to everything.”

“What, so you're going to make me queen just when I'm old and about to die?”

“Rose, you know this more than anyone, but the Queen is infertile. I can make everything happen quietly. Can't you just wait for that? No emperor will be able to bring down a queen without adequate justification.”

“…”

All he said was true, but Rosemond understood it in her head but not in her heart. However, by the time it would be discovered that the Queen was unable to bear children, Rosemond herself would also be older. It was uncertain whether she would also have children by then. As the Emperor said, it was not easy to remove a queen without proper cause. That was why she tried another method.

Rosemond bit her lip. Yes, what she did was rash, and she risked diplomatic relations with another country. But there were few other certain methods for removing the Queen.

For now, Rosemond resigned herself to an apology and a subdued expression. Now was the time to take a step back.

“I'm sorry.” Even though her voice was flat, her face was a mix of complicated emotions.

It was hard for Lucio to decide how to react. He was the only one who understood and protected her. To repay his kindness, she gave him everything she could that he desired. But this…was this really love? He felt as if his core had been shaken. Doubt and confusion was something he never associated with her. He was afraid that this relationship, which he believed to be sincere, was tainted somehow.

“…”

Lucio stared at Rosemond, and she looked up at him with wet eyes. For a moment, he thought he couldn't bear to look at her right now.

Finally, with a pained expression, he took a small step forward and pressed a small kiss to her forehead. He then turned his heel and left the room.

As soon as he was gone, Rosemond's tearful expression suddenly turned cold. Her face twisted in frustration.

“Damn it.” A coarse swear escaped from her mouth. Well, she wasn't feeling good after all.

Chapter end