“Your Majesty, thank you for inviting me.”

“Iris, I see that you’ve decided to join me. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you outside of work.”

The queen was enjoying tea in the castle courtyard with her close friends. The sight reminded me of the time when she was still a princess. In fact, she had remained the same as back then.

But…

I glanced at the ladies invited by the queen, only to realize I no longer recognized any of them.

Her former friends might’ve gotten married and left the royal capital, or even been exiled for objecting to her policies.

Is it safe to assume that only those who want to curry favor with the queen are left?

Only a foolish ruler would alienate his royal subjects.

I have to say, though. The queen is truly setting an example for a life of downfall in an unprecedented manner.

“Now, Iris. Why don’t you sit next to me?”

“Excuse me.”

“It’s been a while since I last saw your feminine side. The dress you wore at Parliament was just drab. Well, I understand your sentiments. You dress in such a manner so as not to be underestimated by the gentlemen, right? As the queen, and a woman myself, I often find myself in unfavorable situations.”

The queen sighed, disappointed in such men.

However, there were no longer any men in the kingdom who could take such an attitude, unless they wanted to be exiled by the queen.

She’s probably talking about some gentleman from another country, then.

Many ambassadors came to see the new queen of the powerful Paides under the guise of diplomacy. In truth, they merely wanted to take advantage of her incompetence.

“But Iris, at the end of the day, we are not men. So, there’s no need to force yourself to play the role. There must be something only we women can do.”

“…Like this tea party?”

“Precisely. Gathering information is also a splendid job in itself.”

…All that can be gathered here is information about social circles.

I wouldn’t call it pointless, but it wasn’t something that a queen should do.

“Rather than doing it on your own, shouldn’t gathering information be left to your subordinates?”

“That’s not good enough. Information can be twisted in any number of ways. When someone relays information, they’ll add their own subjectivity whether they realize it or not. There’s nothing you can do about that.”

What a shame. If you are aware of that, why can’t you apply that logic to yourself?

Is this the so-called ‘Hedgehog’s Dilemma’?

“Nevertheless, it must be difficult since Your Majesty is also shouldering the responsibilities of the queen.”

From what Lou told me, all she did was hold tea parties year round while Duke Yanei took care of her duties.

Due to his status, Lou couldn’t be involved in national politics. The only reason he was allowed to remain in the royal castle was because the queen adored him. The only reason he went unnoticed was because he was a lowly orphan from the slums.

If Lou was an aristocrat, he’d have been eligible to marry the queen and everyone would have been more than eager to get rid of him.

“What about office work?”

“I ensure to sign all the paperwork.”

She most likely didn’t even glance at, let alone read, the contents. She just did whatever she was told and signed it. Even a commoner could do that. In that case, why do we even need a queen?

Her actions spoke louder than her words.

As a queen, she didn’t realize how incompetence she was. No wonder she was looked down on by other countries. 

If she was despised by other countries, Paides’ status as a great power would be compromised. The former king used his position to force other countries to undertake extremely difficult tasks abroad.

Now, the queen was about to reap what her father had sowed, and the current Paides didn’t have the strength to prevent it.

“By the way, there have been some rumors about Her Majesty’s love life.”

“I’m curious about that, too.”

“The social circles are bustling about what kind of wonderful groom you’ll choose.”

Many marriage proposals came from overseas.

I could understand why the previous king wanted to choose a man as his son-in-law. In order to avoid foreign interference, it was necessary to choose a native of the kingdom.

Of course, it’d be another story if a son of a poor nobleman was chosen, but that would have still been easier to handle than someone from a foreign country.

“I wonder about that. There are so many to choose from, and they are all equally as dreamy. It gives me a headache.”

“A marriage proposal seems to have also come from Elda. He’s the son of the king’s younger brother.”

When I broached the subject, the queen was clearly displeased.

Should I have not said that?

“Do they even realize what they’re doing? For such a small country to propose a marriage with a kingdom as large as ours…”

As expected, the other ladies just let the remark pass without saying a word.

She made fun of Elda for being a small country yet considered their magic ores as a necessity for life.

Is she declaring Elda, who owns the mines, an enemy?

“Elda is an ally, Your Majesty.”

When I scolded her, the queen took a deep breath, “It seems that you don’t understand,” while resting her chin on top of her hands. The way she behaved was just like that of a little child.

“I made Elda an ally to show them compassion and generosity as the bigger country, yet they took it a step too far by proposing a marriage with me.”

“Is Your Majesty frustrated at receiving a marriage proposal from a small country when we are a large country? I don’t think such is uncommon in any way, even more so between allied kingdoms. They probably did it for formality’s sake.”

“We were at war not too long ago.”

If that’s the case, all the more reason for accepting their proposal and solidifying your bond.

…Surely, you’ve been taught that?

“How many lives has Elda stolen and ruined? They even took away your family, or have you forgotten?”

She has the nerve to ask that straight to my face.

I wouldn’t never forget the pain of losing my loved ones in this lifetime. Even if my wounds have healed, the pain wouldn’t go away.

“Of course not. However, I don’t hold a grudge against Elda.”

The queen stared incredulously at me.

Her eyes seemed to be saying, ‘You are heartless.’

“Hatred shouldn’t be passed onto the next generation. Neither should this tragedy repeat itself. Therefore, Your Majesty, I believe in the goodness of your heart. I believe that you, who mourn the death of others and detest suffering of any kind, will never cause another war.”

—Therefore, please refrain from making careless statements.

“I share your hatred of war, Iris. Indeed, never again shall that tragedy be repeated. Hence, Paides will make Elda learn, once and for all. As a war-torn country, we’ve witnessed how cowardly and vicious Elda is.”

“…”

“Magic ore is a necessity for life, yet they dare to monopolize the mines all to themselves! They used the magic ore mines that just so happen to be in their territory as leverage against us! They don’t even have the necessary skill to manage magic ore. They should rightfully hand over that right to Paides.”

“I see… Ah, my tea has gotten cold. I should excuse myself soon.”

“Oh, is that so? It was nice talking to you today.”

“Me, too, Your Majesty. This was a very meaningful time.”

---

The final arc is upon us. Read ahead on Patreon~

***T/N: Hmm, I wonder what is the suitable material for our queen’s headstone. Sec, Imma go buy some ice stick.

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