I Married a Sick Husband - Chapter 49

49

It was around two in the morning.

“Your Highness, Her Highness the Queen has ordered me to escort you inside.”

Finally, the permission was granted.

Upon hearing the attendant’s words, Yulia was delighted while Meredith hurriedly arose from her seat.

She had last met the Queen five hours ago and now she was again standing before her in the latter’s private chambers.

“Please sit down.”

Of course, the current behaviour didn’t really mean that Queen Kaylee’s heart had changed. It was pretty much the same as before.

She didn’t know what the reason was, maybe Queen Kaylee felt sorry for leaving herself outside to wait for almost five hours.

Of course, it was not intentional. However the handmaids feared that the stagnant relationship between the two empires would have deteriorated completely because of such a misunderstanding.

‘This shouldn’t blow out of proportions.’

The Queen also didn’t want the relationship to deteriorate further.

“I thought Her Royal Highness would wait for an hour at most.”

Of course, even an hour was a very long time for someone like an Empress.

It was quite embarrassing that the situation had come this far.

Queen Kaylee was already quite embarrassed for the situation to have developed to such a level.

“I tend to keep my word.”

Meredith said in a tone that didn’t suggest any arrogance.

“Moreover, in the face of this issue, I never wanted my sincerity to be misunderstood.”

“It’s Your Majesty’s sincerity.”

The Queen corrected her, but it was clear that the last five hours had affected the current situation to some extent.

It was during those five hours that Queen Kaylee felt upset and at the same time developed an interest to ponder over the incident at the banquet several times.

‘Empress Meredith probably didn’t do all that on purpose. She doesn’t seem like a person who’d do that. Besides, there was no way that such an incident benefitted her status as the Empress in any way.’

However, in front of such a rational conclusion, her sorrow of having to bury her young child, in her mind, was an emotion that could never be ignored.

It was also undeniable that Meredith brought back the painful memories of her dead daughter. After all, she had barely moved on from that incident.

“I would like to know what it is. This I hope to be Your Highness’ sincerity towards me.”

“How dare you compare such a thing to the sorrow of losing a child.”

Upon hearing the Queen’s words, Meredith cautiously began to tell her her own story.

“My mother passed away with my brother in her arms.”

Her unexpected revelation left Queen Kaylee bewildered.

“How come…”

“No one in Valtejain knows my true story.”

Meredith finally brought up the story that was no longer a secret.

“I am not the second daughter of the Duke of Schwartz, instead I am his illegitimate daughter.”

“What……”

“My mother was a gypsy maid. She gave birth to me, an unwanted and unexpected child.”

Kaylee was shocked as such an unexpected story suddenly popped out.

Embarrassed, Queen Kaylee couldn’t stop Meredith from telling her story.

“It was the end. My mother got pregnant again, this time it was against her will. The Duchess didn’t care about that. It was just that she could no longer stand my mother.”

“No way…”

“Yes. Everyone says that she died at the Duchess’s hands.”

It took quite a while for her to accept that fact.

Nonetheless, every time she was reminded of it, Meredith was left heartbroken.

Every time she thought about it, she felt as if her flesh had been torn apart. It brought out the kind of pain that ripped out her heart.

“This is a secret that even His Majesty the Emperor isn’t aware of.”

“The Duchess of Schwartz… Was she punished for that crime?”

“Like I said, nobody knows. Also, even if this secret was revealed, we’ll never be able to punish her for it.”

A maid was a property of the nobles, just like an animal.

The Duchess killed her property, blemished it, but it wasn’t a legal issue at all. Would any law care if you slaughtered your pet or the animal you reared?

Even if Meredith was now the Empress of Valjetain, it was no easy feat for her to even step over that issue.

“Nevertheless, the Duchess is currently in exile for another offence.”

Meredith said that with a small smile.

Queen Kaylee looked at her with an incomprehensible expression.

“You are really calm when you talk about it.”

“Yes. I just bury it deep within me and then continue to live on.”

“Even so, it must have been pretty tough back then.”

“Of course. In fact… even now, telling this story…it is quite difficult.”

Meredith confessed candidly.

“But I’m sure my mother wouldn’t have wanted me to forever dwell in that matter.

“….”

“Even with all this in my own life, I still can’t bring myself to imagine the kind of heartbreak Her Highness must have gone through after the loss of her child.”

Meredith concluded her words in a hoarse voice.

“I don’t even dare to dream of it.”

“… Isn’t there a saying when a child dies first, they are buried in the parents’ heart?”

(tln: Complete saying- When a parent dies, they are buried in the ground. When a child dies, they are buried in the parent’s heart.)

Queen Kaylee opened her mouth as her face darkened.

“She was the only princess. Everyone liked her because she was bright and lovely.”

“….”

“I thought she would meet a good person, get married, have children, and live happily…”

At that moment, Queen Kaylee’s face contorted.

“I never thought she would leave so absurdly….”

She just thought it was a minor wound.

Over time, she would heal naturally.

But that rose thorn took away her precious daughter and her grandchildren.

“I want to pluck out all the roses that exist in this world.”

After her words, Queen Kaylee finally broke down with tears leaving her eyes. It was as if she had suddenly drowned in the ocean of her emotions.

Meredith just watched her with pitiful eyes instead of giving her a consolation.

“I feel so sorry for my daughter. Just why…? Even the gods are indifferent to this!”

Queen Kaylee’s cries only grew louder rather than abate over time.

Meredith held out her handkerchief to her and patted her without saying a word.

It took a long time before Queen Kaylee regained control over her feelings.

“To a person who was deeply hurt like this, I have committed an act of great disrespect.”

Meredith bowed her head in front of Queen Kaylee.

“I deeply apologise, Your Highness the Queen. Even if you ask me to seek forgiveness for my rudeness, I will not hesitate to do so.”

Meredith apologized sincerely.

“Just…please trust me, I didn’t set up this outrageous situation to fool Your Highness. How could anyone do such a thing while wearing a human mask?”

“… Yes, I believe. I believe in you.”

Queen Kaylee cried so much that she nodded with swollen eyes.

“I knew it. I knew that the Empress of Valtejain was not the kind of person who would do such a thing.”

“….”

“But at the time, it was so shocking… Besides, I made Your Highness wait too long.”

Queen Kaylee also bowed her head in front of Meredith.

“I am deeply sorry. It was rash, hasty and careless of me.”

“No, Your Highness. Even if you hadn’t seen me to the end, I would have understood. Thank you for your generosity.”

“But how on earth did this happen?”

Queen Kaylee shook her head in disbelief.

“I don’t understand at all. Could someone have concocted this to harm Your Majesty?”

“Nothing is certain yet, but….”

Meredith concluded her words cautiously.

“We are investigating that possibility as well.”

“As expected. Living as an Empire’s Empress is not so easy.”

Queen Kaylee, who was at Meredith’s mother’s age, nodded as if she needed no further explanation.

“Actually, I’m not from a prestigious family, but I went through a lot of hardships as soon as I ascended to the position of the Queen.”

“That’s right. It is admirable that you’ve held your ground so firmly for such a long time.”

“Since the Empress is wiser and smarter than I am, she will surely do better than me.”

“Thank you, Your Highness the Queen.”

“Also, I’ll pretend that nothing happened at the dinner.”

Said Queen Kaylee in a benevolent voice.

“I don’t want a conflict between the two nations to arise over this. So do not fret.”

“Thank you very much for your generosity.”

“No. Thank you for coming all the way here.”

Queen Kaylee added with a thin smile on her face.

“You don’t have to worry, I won’t tell anyone what I heard today.”

“I also know that the Queen is not such a person.”

Meredith smiled the same way as if she was sure.

“I’ve told you all that because I believe in Your Highness.”

“It’s an honour that you trust me with such a secret.”

“By the way, do you have any special reason for coming all the way to Valtejain? Usually you would’ve travelled with His Highness, the King, or not at all.”

“Since I lost my daughter and have not been able to go out for several months, the king sent me to come with the passing wind.”

“Your lord is very kind. Can you tell me more if you don’t mind?”

“Excuse me, what? Oh my, don’t be fooled by those words. How hot-tempered the King is…”

The two of them started to talk about small things in a warm atmosphere where the initial coldness disappeared before they knew it.

And Meredith chatted with Queen Kaylee for a long time, only ending the conversation before the break of dawn.

“While you are in Valtejain, we should often meet and talk, Your Highness the Queen.”

“That’s something I’ll be grateful for.”

Queen Kaylee smiled and she said to Meredith.

“Thanks to you, I feel good today; almost as if I had a conversation with my daughter after a long time.”

“If you feel that way, then I couldn’t ask for more.”

Meredith also smiled and bid goodbye to Kaylee.

“I’ll see you then, Your Highness the Queen.”

That’s how the incident of the previous night’s dinner safely came to an end.