Chapter 8

‘Somehow… I think it’s going to be a pretty troublesome banquet.’

In addition, the banquet was being held tonight.

Deborah was hosting a celebration right before I was even acclimatized to Aktoum.

It hinted that it was a great welcome, but I also felt a sense of territoriality that she wanted to see my face even before I could relive my fatigue.(TL/N: Territoriality – a term associated with nonverbal communication that refers to how people use space to communicate ownership or occupancy of areas and possessions.)

I stared at the card, squinting an eye, then kicked my tongue out of annoyance and tossed the card aside.

‘I’ll think about it later. I’ll find out when you go to the banquet later anyway.’

Whether the nobles of Aktoum would be favorable or hostile to me. No… I didn’t want anything benevolent, but I hoped they would take it easy on me. 

However, there was one thing that caught my attention more urgently than the banquet.

“Did the Crown Prince personally order this room to be decorated like this?”

I had yet to select a maid to serve me exclusively, so when I asked the temporary maid, she bowed down and answered politely.

“Yes, Your Majesty. His Highness said Your Majesty should be as comfortable as possible, and to have all the furniture fitted in Spinel’s style.”

“It’s not just that.”

“Yes?”

“It has a very similar structure and atmosphere to my bedroom in Spinel.”

As if surprised, the maid covered her mouth, saying, “Oh my gosh.”

It seemed she didn’t even know that he cared so much.

When I first saw this room, I was literally like, ‘What the hell, what kind of magic is this…’ I felt like this. It was only once, and only for a moment, that Rixus came into my bedroom… 

This room was remarkably similar to my bedroom in Spinel.

The spinel-style antique furniture, and the soft, gorgeous exterior lighting that I like… Even the little cat statue on the bedside table was the same.

When I was preparing to come to Aktoum, I expected to be quite uncomfortable and to not be able to sleep for a while, but I already felt like I had finished adapting.

‘It’s so delicate that it doesn’t suit him. What is all this……?’

It was hard to believe that that cold and arrogant man had such a heart.

I slowly buried myself in the soft, pure white bedding.

“You’ll especially like the bedding.”

The maid smiled and said to me,

“This bedding is made by the best artisan in Breathbridge. It uses goose hair grown in the highlands of Spinel and has been specially treated…”

“It’s like lying on a cloud.”

“Yes, I think so. Haha.”

Oh my god, this bedding… 

It really wrapped around my body, so it was cozy and comfortable as if I was lying on a cloud. I had just laid down and I already felt sleepy.

‘Crazy. I want to sleep here for 24 hours.’

My expectation that I would suffer from insomnia faded away at this moment.

Like a cat sleeping in the middle of the day, I slowly lowered my eyes and buried my head in the pillow.

It felt as if all the travel sickness I had accumulated from riding the carriage was released.

I liked a little bit of Rixus’ heart.

From the moment he stood by my side without any hesitation in front of the old coachman, he felt like a different person.

‘The hand I held back then…’

I glanced at my hand and closed my eyes. Even though his body temperature was still there, it felt like a lie that he had sided with me.

‘He’s being nice to me, for no reason. How strange.’

I thought cynically and raised my mouth.

The maid gave me a moment to rest, then said in a quiet voice.

“Your Majesty, would you like to check the dressing room as well?”

“The… dressing room……?”

I wondered and got up slowly.

After a while, I was faced with a great sight.

I had never seen a dressing room like this in my life.

Shiny and beautiful clothes hung endlessly on either side.

A rich dress made by layering thin lace several times, and a dress that gave an elegant feeling that neatly fell from the neckline.

From comfortable work clothes for everyday wear to fancy banquet dresses.

The nearest red dress had a see-through neckline, and all the shiny decorations were rubies ​​as dark as blood.

“……This.”

“This is a special gift from His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“…All of these?!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The large dressing room, reminiscent of the largest store in the capital.

The colorful dresses looked like flowers, almost giving the impression of a huge flower garden.

There was even a subtle and elegant imperial fragrance.

It fitted so well that I wondered how they were about to tailor the dress size.

At that moment, while the maid was busy tidying up the dresses, a man who was carrying fabric approached me with another maid.

“Your Majesty, it is an honor to serve you. I am a senior maid in charge of the ‘spring dressing room’.”

A man with a handsome mustache and monocle also bowed down.

“I am Your Majesty’s exclusive tailor.”

The maid told me a little bit.

“The Crown Prince hired the best tailor in Breathbridge with a huge amount of money.”

“……”

“Usually in Aktoum, one would have to wait a year for that tailor’s dress.”

I was a little dazed after receiving the greetings.

It was just like making a dedicated atelier in the Imperial Palace. Unlike a normal atelier, I didn’t have to pay anything at all. 

I had never had a lot of these things.

Before becoming a queen, I lived like a beggar in a swamp, and after I became queen, I was not obsessively luxurious.

Because I didn’t want the stigma of being a cruel king who was also extravagant.

Therefore, I only dared to dream.

“……”

I was excited that my dream came true, but I touched the hem of the dress in a gloomy mood.

It felt good in my hands. Ah… I had been wanting to have more of these things, more than I thought.

Honestly, it was exciting and fun to forget my worries after a very long time.

As I looked around the dressing room with much fascination, the maid said with a bright smile.

“Your Majesty, you should also check out the other dressing rooms.”

“……What?”

“As you’ve heard before, this is the ‘spring dressing room’, hohoho.”

At first, I thought the maid was talking nonsense. But it wasn’t.

“It is an honor, Your Majesty. I am the senior maid in the ‘summer dressing room’.”

It was said that there were four seasons in Aktoum, and of course there was a dressing room suitable for each season… 

“Your Majesty, this is the place to store shoes, all kinds of shoes.”

There was also a room where shoes shining like jewels were lined up endlessly. No matter what I wore, it fitted snugly to my feet.

In addition to that, I had to look around about 10 rooms, including rooms for hats and other trinkets.

The last place we arrived was the ‘jewelry box’. A normal jewelry ‘box’ was a box, but Rixus gave me a room full of jewels.

I was so amazed that my voice was almost gone. In order to take a look around the dressing room in the future, it was necessary to set up a ‘tour schedule’.

“Your Majesty, do you like the Crown Prince’s gift?”

“……”

Not only did I like it, but I could feel Rixus’ heart.

The sincerity and consideration in collecting only the best and precious things one by one.

‘Why are you doing this to me…’

I sat still and thought. Suddenly, I remembered what Rixus had said on the carriage on the way to Aktoum.

“If a dangerous situation comes upon us… I will protect you even if you forsake me.”

His eyes at that time were dimly left in my heart.

At this scale, it would have cost a lot of the crown prince’s personal wealth. Moreover, in a week.

…When did Rixus start preparing for this marriage?

* * *

That evening.

I headed to the grand banquet hall where the celebration banquet was held with Rixus.

“Have you looked around the bedroom?”

“…Yes. I was surprised to find out that it was my room.”

When an honest reaction popped out without me realizing, he let out a low laugh.

He must have prepared a lot.

It just wasn’t a size I could take for granted.

“I also looked around the dressing rooms with the maid.”

“Do you like it?”

I didn’t look at him who was looking at me, but stared ahead and said,

“Just a little bit.”

In fact, I didn’t even express a hundredth of what I liked, but he seemed quite satisfied.

‘If it was a gift like that, it would be okay to expect more gratitude.’

I couldn’t believe he was only satisfied with this response… After preparing like that. I felt like my conscience would hurt if I were to just move on.

So, in the end, I expressed gratitude cautiously. 

“……Thanks.”

It was just a simple greeting, but it was difficult to say that as the other person was Rixus.

It was more difficult and embarrassing than a sincere confession to the person I liked.

Rixus looked at me with a slightly surprised look. Then he quickly narrowed his eyes playfully.

“Hearing such greetings made me want to make 100 more of the same thing.”

I got a little embarrassed, turned around a little, and walked ahead of him.

“It’s already too much, so I’d like you to calm down.”

I was embarrassed to even say ‘thank you’ because I was always stingy when expressing my emotions to him.

Rixus looked at me from behind and smiled low, then walked up to me with his long legs and kept pace with me. As we walked side by side, I felt a tickling sensation.

Walking along the exotic and splendid corridors of Aktoum, I realized once again that I really had come to this place.

After passing through the long corridor covered with red carpet, the grand door of the grand banquet hall finally appeared.

In front of it, Rixus delivered unexpected news. He said the following as if there was nothing he could do.

“You’re going to go see. What kind of position you will have in Aktoum’s social circle.”

I cynically accepted it.

“The nobles of Aktoum must have a pretty insidious side.”

“I apologize instead.”

“There’s no need to apologize in return.”

“Berylia, we can’t go in together.”

“……Why?”

“Usually, at a banquet where a foreigner is engaged to an Aktoum and attends for the first time, the Aktoum spouse cannot enter at the same time. It is customary to wait an hour before appearing.”

“Why?”

“They’re asking for enough time to welcome foreign guests. On the surface.”

“Not the real reason, but superficial.”

When he apologized instead, I felt a little uncomfortable. It’s not this fault either.

Then he gently grabbed my hand.

As I looked up in alertness, he wrapped my waist with his other hand in a secure manner. Then he whispered in a languid, low voice, and seductive blue-violet eyes.

“By the way, Berylia… did you learn Aktoum’s social dance?”

“……”

In fact, I was good at almost everything, except this. I was terrible at dancing.

The thought of creaking like a kokeshi doll in front of the Aktoum nobles made me dizzy.

I muttered in an unbelievably small voice.

“I’m not good at dancing…”

“Then let’s practice here for a while before you go in.”

He grabbed my waist with his warm hand and hugged me.

“!”

Our bodies were too close to each other.

To the extent that I could feel the beast-like muscles under his black uniform twitch.

‘…What, what… suddenly.’

I looked up in embarrassment, and as we became very close, his lips drew a nice arc.

He exuded a seductive and masculine scent.

My heart dropped to the floor in an instant and then came back up. It felt like my ears were on fire.

I hurriedly got out of his hold and walked away from him. Then I spoke slowly and carefully.

“…I can’t keep the nobles waiting, so I’ll just go in.”

Was it my delusion that Rixus’ eyes looked sad?

“Hmm,” he breathed, shrugging his neck low.

Rixus looked down at me with narrowed eyes.

“I’m really worried about letting you go alone. I don’t know what the nobles will do.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

I slowly lowered my eyes and smiled arrogantly and cynically.

“The Aktoum nobles who dare to deal with me are the ones who should be worried, Rixus.”

His eyes gleamed with interest.

I lightly passed him and walked into the banquet hall alone.

In my head, I was running a simulation of how the nobles would react if they were territorial.

But it was meaningless.

“!”

When I went inside, things were already happening.

‘…What is all this? Are they crazy?’