I Was Supposed To Be A Queen, But I Was Accused Of Being A Fake Saint, So I Fled And Was Doted On By The Crown Prince, But I Hope You’ll Be Happy There Too - CH 17

Chapter – 17 || Disappointing, She Only Cares About The Nobility

Rudolf-sama walked briskly towards me and smiled nonchalantly.

I stood up and greeted him.

Rudolf-sama’s smile widened even more.

“Oh, this is stunning. I can’t wait for them to bloom!”

A number of lilies were swaying with their buds. Rudolf-sama, standing next to me, looked at them.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to visit. Is there anything I can do to help?”

I thought of the faces of the people who were helping me, and answered,

“No, we’re fine. They’ve been very good to us.”

Rudolf-sama paused for a moment.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, I was just admiring your… face.”

“What?”

I couldn’t help but turn my head to the side.

“I don’t like it, what did I look like?”

I could feel my face turning red.

“It’s just that when I saw you in the Kingdom of Turku, you seemed to have a much colder expression, so just now, your lively expression was refreshing.”

“Indeed…”

I faced Rudolf-sama again.

“In those days, I might have tried not to move my face or show my emotions.”

That too, more than necessary.

I knew that this had deepened the rift between me and Alexander,

But that was all I could do to protect myself.

“That idiot king…”

“Hm?”

Excuse me for blurting that out.

“Just thinking about him makes me angry.”

The lilies were still swaying.

Rudolf-sama let out a cheerful voice,

“I was discussing with Eric that as soon as the lilies bloom, we would like to hold a ‘Maiden’s Lily Festival’, is that okay?”

“Can you do that?”

‘The Maiden’s Lilies’ and the saint.

“The Maiden Lily and the saint are the main characters, you know? It’s only natural to adjust the schedule to that.”

“…In the Kingdom of Turku, it was difficult for the Temple to change its mind once it had made a decision.”

When I was not a candidate for sainthood, I had been asking for a place in the temple to pray for the people, but they would not listen to me, saying that it was a rule. So, as a mere duchess, I went to various temples and offered my prayers.

Rudolf-sama looked a little troubled.

“That’s more like authoritarianism, it’s something you don’t want to trespass. I’d like to find out more about the inner workings of temples in your country.”

[ E/N – Authoritarianism; A government who is more concerned with having people obey laws than in people having some freedom, is an example of an authoritarian government. A dictator is an example of an authoritarian. ]

Something you don’t want to be trespassed?

As I was thinking about it, Rudolf-sama asked in a tone of difficulty,

“So, after the Maiden’s Lily Festival is over, may we have the …wedding soon? We’ll make all the preparations.”

“Oh, …yes. Thank you very much.”

My wedding.

I knew it, but for some reason I was nervous when I heard it again.

Rudolf continued to speak quickly,

“The Duke and Duchess of Lustro, who are in the Duchy of Kien, will also attend the wedding. Probably Richard-sama, too.”

“My father, mother, and brother?”

“They all look well. They’ve been looking forward to meeting you, too.”

“Thank you, Rudolf-sama.”

“I didn’t do anything to deserve your thanks.”

I didn’t think so.

I smiled.

“Oh, yes.”

Rudolf-sama added, as if he just remembered.

“I wasn’t sure if I should tell you this or not.”

“What is it?”

“Natalia has been presented to the people as a saint. Their wedding is coming soon.”

I was not surprised, because I had expected it.

“It was later than I expected.”

But I was a little surprised too, because I thought he would get married right away, given the momentum he gained when he kicked me out.

“Apparently there’s been a lot of natural disasters.”

“Natural disasters?”

I couldn’t help but approach Rudolf-sama.

“Can you tell me more about it?”

——

Meanwhile,

In the Kingdom of Turku, after Natalia’s unveiling, everyone was abuzz about it.

“Did you see her?”

“Yeah, I saw her.”

“That’s nice. I only caught a glimpse of her, but her dress was beautiful. That was what a fiery red looked like.”

“The jewelry was amazing. I could see the necklace perfectly even though it was so far away. I wonder how big it was in person. It must be expensive.”

Women, and men, talked about it when they saw each other.

But many of them were not happy.

“Did you see her?”

“I didn’t see her, did you?”

“Me neither.”

“Why did the saint have to show herself off so far away?”

Not only the saints, but also the people who are to be presented to the people, have always been showing their faces on the balcony of the palace,

and then moved around the square or the royal capital in a glittering carriage, returning to the temple or the palace.

This time, however, Saint Natalia only waved from the top of a tower on the outskirts of the palace.

“It’s unusual for a temple to change something like this.”

“I heard that the old saint showed her face.”

“My grandma even saw the pollens of the lily.”

“Disappointing. She only cares about the nobility.”

“If it was Lady Elvira, it wouldn’t have happened. Why wasn’t Lady Elvira a saint?”

“Because, you know. She prepared a fake, right?”

“I can’t believe it.”

Then a man entered the conversation.

“Has anyone seen the Maiden’s Lily properly?”

It was Youssef. The men who he spoke to tilted their heads as if remembering.

“I guess that’s what she was holding in her hand, but it was so far away.”

“But I could see that the petals were sparkling in the sunlight. I knew it was no ordinary lily.”

“You didn’t see it up close?”

“I don’t think so.”

‘Well,’ Youssef pondered.

“Can I ask you one more question? Who’s the best craftsman in the capital?”

“What kind of work?”

“Delicate work. Do you know any good jewelers, glassblowers, tinsmiths?”

The men looked at each other, and eventually one of them said,

“That would be old Adrian from the Novi’s store. It’s on the outskirts of the capital.”

“Thank you.”

Youssef thanked him and went to the Novi’s store.

——

And then, in the Zomer Empire,

“Lady Elvira! Lady Elvira! Quickly, this way!”

“Congratulations!”

The buds of the Maiden Lily that Elvira grew opened for the first time.

Benjamin, the gardener, exclaimed,

“Shiny white petals and blue pollens! These are unmistakably the Maiden Lilies!”