Lady to Queen

Chapter 79: CHAPTER 77. I AM SAYING, DO AS MUCH AS YOU PLEASE

It was the Duke of Ephreni and his daughter- Rosemond. She felt a headache coming as she greeted the two of them, and forcefully smiled.

“It has been a long time, since I have seen you both.”

“Ah… Your Empress Majesty was also here.”

“I greet the Moon of the Empire. Many blessings to the Marvinus Empire.”

Rosemond, the Marchioness of Ethyller, greeted Patrizia while displaying perfect courtesy. This was probably because the Emperor was in front of her, if he had not been there, she might not have even said a greeting. Patrizia gaave a cynical laugh and asked Duke Efreni a question.

“I had heard that Duchess Efreni still could not return.”

At the end of her words, the Duke of Efreni’s facial expression looked a bit down.

“Yes, Your Majesty. My son’s illness is very serious, and his life is in danger…”

“Oh no. Hopefully he will have a swift recovery. Do you not agree, Marchioness?”

“I am very concerned about my brother as well. If my body was not connected to the Imperial Palace, I would head over there right away…”

While watching Rosemond’s despicable acting, Patrizia just quietly pulled up the corners of her mouth into a smile. The Duke of Efreni said something to Lucio.

“Your Majesty, I have something I need to tell you at this moment.”

“Is it something urgent?”

“It is regarding state affairs, Your Majesty. It is in relation to the budgeting of the relief project for the poor.”

“Haa…”

He openly sighed, and then spoke playfully.

“At least on a day such as this, I would think that I would be able to spend the day with the Empress.”

Lucio smiled coldly as their intentions were beyond obvious, and his response made the Duke of Efreni flinch. He looked at Patrizia, but Patrizia did her best to avoid his gaze. Lucio stared for a while at Patrizia, who had her gaze turned away, until he spoke in a dry voice a moment later.

“Let us go. The Empress must heed the words I had said earlier.”

“…”

When Lucio and the Duke of Efreni left, there were only two people left, Rosemond and Patrizia. Patrizia tried to leave her spot with a tired expression on her face, but Rosemond called out to her.

“Your Empress Majesty, you ignore me so. I am about to become a bit sad.”

“Your exaggeration is severe. My body was not feeling well, so I was just trying to excuse myself to get some rest for a while. Then and now, there seems to be a big gap in your logic.”

“I do not know about that. Would that not be up to Your Majesty’s conscience?”

“…You had better refrain from speaking. I have always thought this, but you are too flippant with your frivolousness.”

“I apologize if I have crossed the line.”

Rosemond gave a smile, which contradicted the content of her words, and soon spoke to Patrizia again.

“What are the birthday flowers that you plan to give to His Majesty today, if may I ask?”

“Why are you curious about that?”

“I tend to have a lot of curiosity.”

“…Pandora was ruined by that curiosity.”

Patrizia warned her with a low voice. Then Rosemond made a fuss as she spoke.

“Oh my, really Your Majesty. You are comparing me to a woman such as that, just because of some flowers.”

“It is not different. Pandora ended in tragedy because she was ‘just’ wondering what was inside the box.”

“If you do not want to let me know, you can just say you do not want to.”

“If only you knew the secret, it would not be fair.”

“I am His Majesty’s concubine, so I would think that I have that much of a right.”

With that said, Rosemond changed the topic, as she laughed in a more evil way this time.

“Right, Your Majesty. Do you know about that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Alyssa, the dethroned Empress.”

“…”

Patrizia glared at Rosemond. Few people really knew what had happened to the dethroned Alyssa. At that time, the cause of Alyssa’s dethronement was claimed to be due to her sin of overindulgence, rather than her disposal of the filial relationship. Of course, the father of the Empress, the Duke of Oswin knew the truth, and thankfully accepted something so unreasonable over the truth. Patrizia growled in a low voice that was enough to raise goosebumps.

“Do you dare to bring up His Majesty’s disgrace?”

“As expected.”

Rosemond’s face also changed to a cold expression.

“You know about that. I expected it.”

“It is obvious why you expected that.”

Patrizia whispered low into Rosemond’s ear.

“You thought I took advantage of that to take away your favor from His Majesty? You also would have thought that this was the reason His Majesty’s favor moved from you, to me.”

“Oh dear.”

Rosemond let out an exclamation full of regret.

“You know everything, Your Majesty. Is this not why I am afraid of Your Majesty?”

“You are good at lying, you are not afraid of anyone but yourself.”

“How could I not be afraid, since you can see through everything, including something like this.”

Rosemond spoke with an evil smile on her face.

“So then, you know this as well, Your Majesty.”

“…”

“If a woman similar to Your Majesty appears someday, Your Majesty will end up following the same path as me.”

“You seem to think that I am afraid of that.”

Patrizia shook her head with an amused expression on her face.

“Unfortunately, you are wrong about that. I do not love His Majesty.”

Although His Majesty seemed to love her. At Patrizia’s words, Rosemond’s fingertips trembled. After seeing that, Patrizia made an even more amused facial expression.

“You seem to be feeling some jealousy.”

“That could not be.”

“Why could you not? I understand. Ever since the Founding Day celebration, apparently you served His Majesty… not even once.”

“… Your Majesty, why are you suddenly doing this to me?”

Rosemond asked her in an annoyed voice.

“When you even sent me a bouquet of roses along with perfume.”

Rosemond whispered fiercely into Patrizia’s ear.

“If you were aware of the situation of being a barren woman, is it not time to stay quiet now? The meaning of those gifts, was that not it?”

“Yes, so.”

Patrizia replied with a forced smile.

“It was my heart that wanted to get along- well with you.”

“Then how can you act out like this, Your Majesty?”

Rosemond half-threatened Patrizia with a cold voice, but Patrizia replied without even so much of a blink.

“I said I wanted to get along with you well, but I never said that I would stand being insulted?”

“…”

“Not only that, the one that picked a fight… was you, perhaps?”

“As expected.”

Rosemond said this in a voice that showed she had expected as such.

“Your Majesty has no desire whatsoever to get along well with me.”

“I said no. You just have too much doubt.”

Patrizia smiled quietly and denied Rosemond’s words.

“Sometimes you need to know how to trust an elder’s words.”

“I am sorry, but I am much older in age than Your Majesty.”

“Is that important?”

Patrizia killed her volume and laughed, while Rosemond did not like how Patrizia was subtly picking on her age in this way. Ha, so that gift really was just a trick too. A facade for external pretenses? Rosemond stared at her with a vigilant facial expression, and let out an ‘ah’ as if she had been forgetting something until then.

“Right, this reminds me, Your Majesty. I did not finish telling you the story about the dethroned Empress Alyssa.”

“That story is…”

“Do you know what flower she liked the most, Your Majesty?”

“… I do not know.”

“That is actually…”

“Empress.”

In that moment, Lucio stepped in, and the conversation between the two women naturally stopped. Patrizia turned around and looked at Lucio calling out to her. She murmured to herself.

“Your Majesty…”

“You have to dance.”

“I have no plan to do so.”

“Originally, the first dance of all parties is done by the Emperor and Empress.”

Lucio said this, whispered in a low voice into her ear.

“It is a married couple’s duty to save each other’s face, is it not.”

“… ”

Rosemond was watching. Of course, it wasn’t with a pretty eye. Lucio was right. She sighed to herself inside. She was not a young child. She had to avoid acting according to her feelings and doing things her way. Otherwise, how was she any different from that woman? She nodded her head quietly. A smile spread on Lucio’s face.

“Well then, excuse us.”

He politely escorted her, and Patrizia matched his footsteps, feeling like a doll. Soon the music began to play, and Lucio lightly held on to Patrizia’s hand. He spoke to her.

“I do not care if you step on my feet.”

“… Yes?”

“I am saying, do as much as you please.”

Leaving such meaningful words, he began to dance. Patrizia had never danced at a ball, but she had automatically begun to dance along, as she had already received too many lessons, to the point of exhaustion, during her childhood.

Dancing was an act that made it easy for the breath to intermingle with the other person’s, and to smell that scent. Patrizia instantly recalled that particular night. Their breaths mixed, their fragrances mixed, and finally their bodies were mixed together… on that day. She groaned without her knowledge. It was as if the pain of that time were coming back to her.

“Are you alright?”

Lucio asked her anxiously, and Patrizia nodded her head heavily. She didn’t forget to curse “damn” to herself, internally. She muttered as if she were speaking to herself.

“I was feeling a little dizzy.”

At the end of her words, Lucio lowered the intensity of the dance a little. She was grateful for his consideration, but also uncomfortable. With those dueling emotions, Patrizia quietly closed her eyes. Meanwhile, her body was continuing to dance.

“Patrizia.”

For the first time today, he had called out her name. As the dance reached its climax, he called out her name, and she did the same to him as well. Patrizia made a low groan and called out to him.

“Your Majesty.”

Of course, it did not signify affection. Patrizia felt dizzy and stumbled, and Lucio’s strong hand grabbed her. He asked her in a flustered voice.

“Are you alright, Empress?”

“No.”

While still struggling to dance, Patrizia confessed to him frankly.

“I want to rest. please… Too dizzy… Ha…”

The dance was already running towards the second half, but this wasn’t that important for Lucio. Fortunately, the people were dancing around them, so it was a fact that they didn’t receive much attention. He supported her and went to a terrace where people didn’t frequent much. Lucio sat her on the bench, and asked her anxiously.

“Are you alright? Shall I call the court physician?”

“It is not that extreme. It will get better after a little rest.”

She smiled for the first time saying that, and Lucio froze momentarily seeing this side of her, but Patrizia did not notice because it happened so quickly and her condition was poor. She said to him.

“You can leave now, Your Majesty. I am going to rest a bit before I return.”

“It is fine.”

“It is already strange enough that I am leaving my post. You must at least remain…”

“If they do not see us both, they will probably think that we are off kissing somewhere.”

He replied to her in a low voice, and Patrizia closed her mouth. After resting on the bench for a while, she asked him.

“Your Majesty, I am curious about something.”

It was about what Rosemond had tried to say earlier.