Lady To Queen Chapter 71

Chapter 71 – I Am Your Husband

With a miserable expression, Lucio stared down at his Queen lying in his bed. She looked gaunt and haggard, and her eyes were closed in sleep. A bandage was wrapped around the wound on her foot. He carefully called out her name in a bleak voice.

“Patrizia…”

He spoke quietly, knowing that she would get angry just from hearing his voice. Lucio hung his head in distress.

“I… I…”

Just what have I done to you? What a cruel joke I've played on a woman that I know nothing about, Lucio bitterly thought to himself, tears falling from his eyes. He wished to atone for his sins, but it was already too late. She already despised him, cursed him, scorned him…

A pained expression crossed his face. “Is there even a way…” he began.

“For me to atone for my sins?”

Would there even be a point? For you and for me? Was there anything else that I could do about these feelings of affection that showed up far too late? Lucio closed his eyes and chewed on his lip.

There is no way for you to forgive me, someone who has hurt you so many times.

“That's right. Don't ever forgive me.”

Despise me. You can resent me. If you want to kill me, then do it. If that can alleviate your pain and suffering even a little bit, then please do it.

“All I ask is that you stay by my side like this.”

It's fine if all you can feel towards me is brutal hatred. Even that is more than I deserve from you. So embrace those feelings… and forever stay by my side. Don't leave me.

“It's fine even if you think of me as selfish.”

After all, I've always been a terrible bastard. That's why it won't matter to me if you revile me. Just stand next to me as my queen. I won't ask for your heart. All I ask is for your physical presence next to me.

“That'll be enough for me.”

For such a cruel person as me, even that would be considered a blessing.

The first thing that Patrizia saw when she opened her eyes was sunlight on a bright white ceiling. When she fully came to, she furrowed her brow.

“Am I…”

She sprang out of bed and onto her feet, but a sharp pain from her foot made her grimace. A groan escaped from her lips.

“Nngh…”

She bit her lip to hold back the sound. She looked around, still frowning. Damn it, this was a place that she was all too familiar with. This is…

“You're awake?”

The emperor's bedroom. Patrizia inwardly cursed. This was the bedroom of her husband whom she scorned, and what was worse is that she slept on top of his bed. Just in case, Patrizia looked up and down at her body just in case.

Haaah… thankfully, nothing seemed to have happened. If something did happen, then she would have done nothing else but bite her tongue until she bled to death.

“…Why am I here?” she asked.

Lucio replied. “I didn't kidnap you, so don't worry.”

Patrizia's mouth didn't even twitch at his joke. “Why am I here?” she asked again.

“The one who was running around barefoot in the dead of night was you, Queen, not me. It should be me who is asking you what you were doing,” he pointed out.

“I remember that as well, Your Majesty. I believe you're missing the point of my question.” Patrizia continued in a cold voice. “What I'm asking is why I woke up in your bed rather than my own.”

“I'd like to hear your answer,” she prompted.

“…Because, obviously, I carried you here,” he answered.

“Why did you carry me here?”

“Because you were injured,” Lucio said stubbornly.

“Stop giving irrelevant answers,” Patrizia snapped. “I know you're capable of understanding what I mean, so I'll ask again. Why did you carry me here? To your bedroom instead of my own?”

He paused. “…If I have made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I'm very uncomfortable. The moment I opened my eyes and realized where I was, I was uncomfortable to the point that I wanted to take my own life.” After wounding him with such words, Patrizia gave a sharp laugh. “Why did you carry me here?”

“Because I wanted to.”

“How selfish of you. Would it have killed you to consider how uncomfortable I would have felt when I woke up to this?”

“…I apologize.”

“Enough. It's not like that's the only thing that you should be apologizing for, Your Majesty.” Patrizia gave a cynical smile, and Lucio's face turned solemn in reply.

“Ngh!” With a grunt, Patrizia staggered. Trying to stand on her own sent a jolt of pain throughout her entire body. Damn it, to be so incapacitated with a simple injury… she thought irritably. Suddenly, she felt someone support her at her elbow.

“Be careful.”

It was him. Patrizia stubbornly resisted. “I can go on my own.”

“Don't be ridiculous.”

“At the very least, it would be a better choice than having to rely on you,” she muttered before giving a sad smile. “Please let go of me.”

“No.”

“Your Majesty!” she angrily exclaimed, but he was adamant in his decision.

“You can say and do whatever you want to me, but you can't go alone with this injury.”

“It's my body. You have no right to interfere.”

“I am your husband. Am I not allowed to even be a little concerned?”

“Hah! And since when have you ever been concerned over me?” Patrizia responded with a cold smile. “I heard that you are no longer close to Marchioness Ethylaire. Why is that? Have you tired of her? Do you need another woman in your bed at night now?”

“…It's not like that,” Lucio protested.

“Then what is it?” she asked, her voice tight. “Why are you being like this to me? You're the one who stepped all over my heart and destroyed my self-esteem. I can't understand for the life of me why you would suddenly act like this.”

Lucio didn't reply. However, Patrizia was able to read his silence. She scoffed before inwardly muttering, That's right. If you had an inkling of a conscience, you wouldn't dare say those words to me. That is, if you're not a useless piece of trash.

“Let me go,” she repeated.

“Queen, please,” he begged in a nervous voice. “You can do whatever you want to me, but you mustn't move with that foot of yours.”

“…Preach somewhere else, why don't you.”

“I'll call the ladies of the Queen's Palace. You can't go alone.”

“…Do as you please,” replied Patrizia as she closed her eyes in resignation.

In the end, Patrizia returned to the Queen's Palace with the help of her ladies-in-waiting. She neither made the ladies-in-waiting take responsibility for their actions, nor did she scold them for doing so. The girls, in turn, didn't ask any questions. The matters of the previous night were buried and left alone.

In a way that was unlike her, Petronilla contemplated and fussed over the dresses in her wardrobe.

“Is this a little too revealing?” she wondered as she held up a white dress with a slightly lower v-neck.

A servant girl replied as if the notion were ridiculous. “No, My Lady, it most certainly is not.”

“You're telling me this isn't?”

At Petronilla's reaction, the servant girl was at the end of her rope. What, do I look like a foreigner?!

“My Lady, if you go out in the street, you can see other ladies wearing dresses that have even lower fronts and backs. Are you sure you're not the foreigner?”

“Is… is that so?” Petronilla asked awkwardly, to which the servant girl nodded vehemently. With a sigh, Petronilla dropped the dress onto the ground. Just why was she getting all worked up over something like this? I feel foolish.

“Just pick whatever,” she mumbled tiredly.

“Pardon me? But you said that it was a date.”

“Getting worked up over this is simply foolish,” Petronilla said, her expression gloomy. “I don't want to worry over it any more.”

The servant girl looked at Petronilla incredulously. What was she saying?

“My Lady, by any chance, have you had your heart broken before? Why would you say something like that?”

She acts like she's been divorced before, the servant girl murmured to herself.

Petronilla gave a smile. Such peaceful words. How mild the term “divorce” sounds.

“Just choose aaanything for me,” Petronilla said.

Ultimately, Petronilla wore a somber grey dress. The servant girl grumbled under her breath about how no one would wear something like this for a date, but Petronilla had no intention of changing. It was quite the hassle putting a dress on and off.

Just then, she heard the sound of the door opening downstairs. Petronilla, who was at the top of the stairs, looked over towards and saw the butler opening the door, then a well-dressed Rothesay walking in. Seeing his handsome figure made Petronilla's heart skip a beat, but she leisurely descended the stairs. Rothesay, upon seeing her, turned bright red.

“Beautiful.”

“Sir?” Noticing his flushed look, Petronilla asked worriedly, “Are you not feeling well?”

“No, I feel wonderful,” he said softly, almost whispered. “You just look so beautiful, I feel like I've fallen for you again.”

It seems he's rather blinded with infatuation, Petronilla thought.

“…Marchioness, it is your most fertile time of the month.”

Rosemond smiled at the palace doctor's verdict. Today was the day she had the highest chance of getting pregnant.

“Good, and what of the medicine I requested?” she said with an exuberant expression.

“…I have brought it with me,” the doctor said, before holding out a small, white envelope towards Rosemond. Rosemond accepted the medicine with a satisfied smile, before continuing in a cold voice.

“You must never tell anyone about this… If you do, not only will I die, but you will as well. Understand?”

“…Yes, Marchioness.”

“You're dismissed.”

As soon as the doctor left, Rosemond smiled again. The medicine that she blackmailed the doctor to bring her was none other than an aphrodisiac.

“Now what's the most effective way to give this to His Majesty, hm?” she said in a wicked voice.

“Marchioness, I have brought a bottle of His Majesty's favorite wine.”

Glara came into the room holding an expensive-looking wine bottle, and Rosemond nodded in acknowledgement.

“Good, keep it somewhere safe. It'll be useful later. Have you prepared my dress?”

“Of course I have, Marchioness.”

“Perfect.”

It was a dress commissioned from the red-light district specially for tonight. Even gay men wouldn't be able to resist falling for the charms of a woman wearing this dress.

Humming, Rosemond handed the aphrodisiac to Glara. After telling her to keep it safe, Rosemond began to plan on how to seduce the Emperor tonight.

Chapter end