37.
As soon as they left the station, they boarded the waiting car.
When a thin, large package was loaded behind the box containing the golden sword, Lancelot looked back at Anita with a curious expression.
“I haven’t seen that before.”
“Oh. It’s a painting I prepared to give to Her Majesty the Queen.”
At Anita’s answer, Lancelot stepped out of the car without hesitation and tore a corner of the wrapping protecting the painting.
After sweeping a glance at the canvas through the gap, he got back into the car and said nonchalantly, “It’s a perverse painting.”
Anita stared at Lancelot, wide-eyed.
“Pe, perverse? What should I do? I don’t know how to judge fine art. Should I take it back?”
“Why would you do that?”
His calm retort was the polar opposite of the scathing assessment he had just given.
“The Queen isn’t as uptight as you think. Since you’ve decided to give it as a gift, then give it. Whether it’s a masterpiece or a moth larva.”
Perhaps because she knew it was his way of telling her not to lose heart, his lightly tossed words planted a seed of courage within Anita.
“Yes. …Though I don’t think it’s a moth larva.”
Lancelot very skillfully pretended not to hear Anita’s muttering.
“Anything happen while I was gone?”
“Ah! This morning, Uncle Norman tried to hide the golden sword by using a maid. I almost ended up taking the fake golden sword he had prepared, but…”
“What?”
“Don’t worry. I secured the real one safely.”
Anita hurriedly waved her hands at his bewildered face.
“I’m planning to replace all the servants in the residence, given this opportunity. I’ve already told Jill, and by next week, I’ll be bringing in new staff, excluding the ones on the second floor.”
“Are you saying he surrendered his authority so easily?”
“Yes. I negotiated on the condition that I would hide this incident from you.”
Lancelot’s expression shifted, his gaze sharpening. Her confidence wavered.
“Why? Did I make a mistake?”
“No. It’s just fascinating that you lied so casually with that face.”
A lie? Did he mean the fact that she had spilled everything to Lancelot, rendering the promise to keep it a secret completely meaningless?
*But I have no intention of being considerate of that man’s position.*
He and the Grand Duchess were the ones who had stolen her father from her life. She had not even an ounce of intention to coexist with them.
“Well done, Anita Edenbahir. You were so excellent that my worries from last night feel groundless. I’m curious about the adventure—how did you find the location of the golden sword so quickly?”
Anita took a slow breath.
Even now, her heart hammered at the memory of the moment she confronted Norman while the golden sword was missing. She had treated him as nonchalantly as possible, but her palms had been soaked in cold sweat.
“Since the residence is right in the center of Shavalon, I reasoned that he wouldn’t be able to spirit it out of the mansion, if only to avoid public scrutiny. That meant it had to be hidden somewhere inside the walls…”
Anita slowly retraced her memories of that time.
“You told me the servants on the second floor were all trustworthy. So, I boldly ruled out the second floor, the kitchen, and the garden where they operate. Since he only needed to fool me for ten minutes, I didn’t think he would use such an elaborate trick.”
Therefore, the only remaining spaces were the first, third, and fourth floors.
“I’m a new mistress, and I’ve been educated in nothing but royal etiquette for two whole weeks. He probably never imagined I would anticipate this. That complacency was his biggest flaw.”
“You even anticipated that much?”
“Roughly. Because the Grand Duchess considers the golden sword to be Edenbahir’s shackle.”
And through this, she was certain. The Grand Duchess was prepared to use even Lancelot if it meant achieving what she wanted.
“Anita Edenbahir.”
“Yes?”
“You have such small lips.”
“…Huh?”
She was so startled she wondered if something was wrong with her ears.
“You speak very well with such small lips.”
But it seemed it hadn’t been an auditory hallucination after all. Lancelot’s gaze was fixed firmly on Anita’s lips. Aware of his stare, she closed her mouth, feeling as if she had been rendered mute.
The look on Lancelot’s face, which had been relaxed and unguarded, hardened in an instant.
“I meant it as a compliment for your hard work. Was what I said unpleasant? If it was, I’ll be careful in the fut—”
“No! It’s not unpleasant at all. We, we are a married couple. A temporary one, of course, but still, we’re married. There’s no reason to be offended.”
If there was a problem, it lay in her tongue, which only stammered like a fool.
*Let’s not get fluttery over nothing. Lancelot will feel uncomfortable if he notices.* Anita hypnotized herself.
*Lancelot doesn’t like me, Lancelot doesn’t like me…*
“…Right, you are my wife.”
She heard the soft mutter, but Anita didn’t stop the hypnosis meant to guard her heart.
***
The royal palace was quite close to Hixen Station.
It was no exaggeration to say they had built a station inside the palace grounds, as it took less than seven minutes by steam car. It was common knowledge that Venetia II, who led the industrial revolution of the Kingdom of Montebio, had been obsessed with trains.
*My goodness. It looks even bigger than an amusement park.*
While passing the palace checkpoint and traversing the astonishingly large garden, Anita’s face was pressed tightly against the window. She remained that way even as the palace servant opened the door of the stopped car.
“Welcome, Lancelot. Her Majesty the Queen has summoned you. She says she very much wishes to see the Madame.”
An old man with white hair smiled at them. In the eyes of Anita, who was visiting the palace for the first time, even the old man’s smile felt graceful.
Her husband, Lancelot, gently led Anita, who stood stiff as a board.
“Don’t be nervous. A Queen is nothing more than a somewhat haughty middle-aged lady.”
“Hahaha. Your humor, Lancelot, is the very thing Her Majesty the Queen loves most.”
Even so, he was belittling royalty. Should she laugh along?
“Ah! A pleasure to meet you, Madame Edenbahir. This old man is the palace chamberlain, Count Gauss. Please feel free to call me Count Gauss.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Count Gauss.”
The interior of the palace was as elegantly jaw-dropping as the garden. Anita, who was scanning the gold-adorned walls and ceilings, walked sticking closely to Lancelot’s side.
“Her Majesty the Queen didn’t even see my father. How surprised she will be if she finds out about today?”
“Even if she’s surprised, she won’t worry. Because I am by your side.”
Lancelot, who reassured her so nonchalantly, held out his hand.
“Hold it.”
“My hand? But that wouldn’t be polite…”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s a painting the Queen will like.”
*Like?*
Since Lancelot said it was fine, she took his outstretched hand. His long fingers interlaced with hers.
*Even though we’ve held hands sometimes, this is the first time we’ve interlaced our fingers.*
She felt all the nerves in her body rushing to the hand he was holding. Her original tension had faded, only to be replaced by a different kind of heat. She worried about whether her hand would get sweaty, whether she was holding him too tightly, or whether her fingernails would graze his skin.
While she was lost in these thoughts, they arrived at the Queen’s audience chamber.
“Your Majesty. Madame Anita Edenbahir of the House of Edenbahir.”
The doors opened, revealing a vast space. The Queen sat on a golden chair atop a red carpet.
Anita and Lancelot approached and slowly knelt.
“It is an honor for my family to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Anita Edenbahir.”
Still holding hands.
Cold sweat trickled down Anita’s back. *Why won’t Lancelot let go?* She tried to forcefully pull her hand away, but his grip didn’t budge.
“Rise.”
*Wh-what do I do?*
“Come closer.”
*Surely she will say something…*
“Surprising.”
*Surely she will rebuke me…!*
“Where did you lure such a great beauty from, Lancelot?”
*Oh.*
Blinking blankly, Anita let out a sigh of relief. The Queen’s interest seemed focused on Anita’s appearance, not on their clasped hands. It was fortunate, regardless of how strange the situation felt.
*More than that, Her Majesty calls Lancelot very familiarly.*
Well, come to think of it, it wasn’t something to be surprised about. Just as Anita had spent her winter at the Edenbahir residence, Lancelot had spent his summers at the palace. He was the King’s only grand-nephew and a close friend of Prince Maxim. From his perspective, the Queen might have felt more like an aunt than Matilda.
Lancelot answered in a tone so casual it almost sounded cheeky.
“I didn’t lure her. She has been by my side from the very beginning.”