Lady To Queen Chapter 35

Chapter 35 – Not Asking Anything

After confirming that Rosemond was securely locked in the dungeon, Patrizia walked back to her room. It was nighttime already, and while she was on the verge of collapsing from the accumulated fatigue and poison, she wrung out the last bit of strength she had to keep her feet moving. When she entered her room, the maids and ladies-in-waiting clustered about her in worry. She did not have the strength to respond, however, not even to Petronilla for Mirya.

“Rizi, what happened?”

“Are you hurt, Your Majesty?”

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

Patrizia calmly waved away the worries that poured out on her, and quietly spoke. “Mirya, please prepare a bath. As soon as possible.”

“Ah…” Mirya noticed the fatigue in Patrizia's voice quicker than anyone else. Petronilla, who was watching nearby, also sensed her sister's change and said nothing more. Not only did Patrizia look exhausted, but it was inappropriate to speak of the day's events for now. Petronilla decided it would be better to stabilize Patrizia first and called for the palace doctor, while Patrizia went into the bathroom.

The doctor quickly arrived, and Petronilla spoke to him first.

“You treated His Majesty at the hunting tournament?”

“Yes, Lady Petronilla.”

“What on earth happened?” She had been inside the palace, and naturally, the lack of details was frustrating.

The doctor paused for a moment to carefully choose his words, then recounted everything that had been known to the public so far. Petronilla was shocked when she heard story.

“My word,” she exclaimed. She should have known that Rosemond would attempt something like this…! She scolded herself for her blindness, then turned to the doctor again.

“So what is His Majesty's condition?

“His Majesty received excellence emergency treatment, and has undergone even more comprehensive care since returning to the palace. He'll likely wake up soon. But Her Majesty has not yet been treated, and she is still in bad condition,” the doctor said gravely.

Petronilla nodded. “Not only is she poisoned, but the stress and fatigue from today will adversely affect her health. Please treat her with that in mind, doctor.”

“I will, My Lady. Please don't worry.”

It was then that Patrizia came out of the bathroom, wearing only a thin nightdress, and she looked at the doctor in mild surprise. She then turned towards Petronilla, who offered an explanation.

“I called the doctor, Your Majesty. He said that you hadn't been treated yet…”

“Ah…” Patrizia gave a small nod. She sat down and allowed herself to be inspected by the doctor, and soon after he gave his diagnoses.

“It's not too serious, but because of everything you've been through today, your mind and body are a little weaker. You'll be busy tomorrow, so have a cup of hot tea and go to bed early tonight.”

“Thank you for your advice. You may leave.”

The doctor stepped away with a bow. When he was gone from the room, Petronilla looked at Patrizia.

“I'll go too, Rizi. It's late now.”

Patrizia looked at her curiously. “You don't have any questions for me?”

“Didn't you hear the doctor? You need rest. We can talk about everything tomorrow, Rizi.” Petronilla dropped a soft kiss on Patrizia's forehead. “No one should disturb, at least for tonight. Unless it's His Majesty. We'll talk about everything later, alright?”

“Yes,” replied Patrizia in a weak voice.

Petronilla swallowed at the obvious exhaustion in Patrizia' voice. Before she left, she turned to Mirya.

“Please take good care of Patrizia.”

Petronilla would have to wait until morning for answers, but the details wouldn't change anyway. She could be patient. She considered asking her father about what he knew, but she didn't expect him to help her in understanding the situation.

Afterwards, Patrizia dried her hair and went to bed. She had gone through so much today, and she was too tired to think what would happen next. Thankfully, neither Mirya nor Raphaella nor Petronilla asked her anything, so she decided to leave her thoughts for tomorrow.

Patrizia got into bed and breathed a deep sigh of contentment. She had been suffering from insomnia recently, but tonight she slipped easily into slumber. Without sleep, it would have been an unbearable night.

“Your Majesty, it's time to get up.”

Mirya's words greeted Patrizia the first thing in the morning. She slowly lifted her eyelids, blinked in confusion a couple of times, then pushed herself out of bed.

“…When do the Triad of Chancellors arrive?” was Patrizia's first question.

“They're on their way to the palace. We'll probably get there in time,” Mirya replied.

The surrounding countries had one chancellor that ministered over the nation, but for the Mavinous Empire, there were three that assisted the emperor. Their purpose was to prevent tyranny through a system of checks and balances. When Patrizia first learned of it, she thought it was a good system. Didn't common sense dictate that absolute power was corruptible and dangerous?

Patrizia finished washing her face, then got dressed with the help of her maids. It was uncommon for a queen to take the position of regent, but there was historical precedent which even the maids followed. Today, Patrizia wore darker colors with a stricter style, and instead of a tiara with a pink diamond—the symbol of the queen—a darker gold crown shone authoritatively on her head.

Shortly afterwards, she moved to the parlor room and sat down, and a servant announced the guests' arrival.

“Your Majesty, the Triad of Chancellors are here.”

The Triad referred to three powerful noble families in the Mavinous Empire: House Vasi, House Ephreney, and House Witherford. The Vasi and Witherford family had passed down their positions as chancellors to their descendants since the founding of the country. It was not the case of Duke Ephreney, who had taken over the post from Duke Oswin. Even so, Ephreney was a powerful family, and among the Triad, they had the greatest economic influence.

“Come in,” Patrizia commanded, and the three current head of families walked into the room. The oldest was Duke Vasi, and the youngest, Duke Ephreney.

“Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen Regent. Glory to the Mavinous Empire.”

“Greetings to Her Majesty. Glory to the Imperial Family.”

“Come in. There is a lot to discuss this morning.” Patrizia briefly acknowledged their pleasantries, then gestured them to sit at the table. She went on to speak. “Because His Majesty is in a coma, I'm acting in his place as regent. I've only managed the interior palace affairs, but not anything outside, so I hope I can rely on your assistance.”

“I'll do my best to help you. Do not worry, Your Majesty,” Duke Vasi said, and the other two chancellor made similar comments. Patrizia smiled and went on to the next topic.

“The council meeting will be held in an hour. We'll hold discussions as usual, but not on any topics that require serious decision-making. While I am acting with the Emperor's authority, I am not the Emperor himself.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. As you may already know, it is rare for a regent to deal with a serious matter unless it is urgent. You don't have to worry.”

“There is still work with the internal palace affairs as well, so there is a large burden. Please handle it in order of urgency until His Majesty regains consciousness. So…are there any further comments?”

Duke Ephreney hesitated, then spoke in a careful voice.

“Your Majesty.”

“Speak,” Patrizia commanded.

“…No. It's better dealt with at the council meeting.”

Avoider, she muttered inwardly, then moved on to another request.

“I'd like to get some business journals. As you know, I don't have much experience with anything outside the palace.”

“Don't worry about that. The ministers from each department will arrange them separately and send it to you,” replied Duke Witherford, and Patrizia nodded in satisfaction. Duke Vasi then handed her a stack of papers.

“These will be the topics of discussion at the council meeting today, Your Majesty. This will help you.”

“Thank you,” Patrizia said, and accepted the papers. She briefly glanced at it, and saw something about a drought in the northwest.

“Do you have any more questions, Your Majesty?” Duke Vasi said.

“We can discuss them more at the meeting in a few minutes,” she replied.

“Very well. We'll take our leave.”

The three chancellors bowed to Patrizia and left. She measured the stack of papers to be two or three fingers in width. It was a lot, but not impossible to read through in an hour. Just as she was about to turn the first page, Raphaella approached her hesitantly.

“Um…Your Majesty.”

Chapter end