While Kasser was paying his respects to the Sword King, Eugene had also gone to pay her respects to the princess. Due to the queen’s absence, the princess was the woman of highest position in the Slan Kingdom.
But none of them started the conversation although they were sitting across from each other on the sofa. Then, after the tea was brought in by the servants, Eugene lifted the teacup in an effort to hide her restlessness.
Eugene had once told Kasser before that she might have been harsh on the princess back in the past. But fortunately, seeing that nothing had crossed her mind so far, she must have assumed the worst for nothing.
“I heard that you’ve come to the Slan Kingdom just last year.” said Eugene to break the silence.
“Yes, you’re right. And I guess it’s already been three years since you left the Holy City.”
To Eugene’s relief, there was no hint of hostility in Gemma’s remarks.
“Yes, it’s already been that long.”
But then, a faint smirk flashed on Gemma’s face. And Eugene sensed something bitter about that smile. When their eyes met, Gemma quickly stammered out an apology, “Please don’t take it the wrong way. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“I’m not offended at all. There’s no reason for me to be upset.”
Gemma lowered her eyes back to the floor after she stared at Eugene with an unknowing gaze. “It just …. feels so surreal to have a face-to-face conversation with Anika Jin.” said Gemma as she fumbled the teacup in her hands.
“Is that so? Because as far as I know, I believe this is not our first time meeting. Or am I mistaken?” Eugene asked in a rhetorical way in order to sound out Gemma’s intentions. This couldn’t be their first time meeting as there was a social gathering among Anikas.
“Not everyone has the privilege to sit with Anika Jin.”
A slight crease was then formed between Eugene’s brows as she spotted a hint of sarcasm in Gemma’s words. Judging from Jin’s disposition, who has a high sense of superiority originating from her noble birth, Gemma must have a humble origin on the contrary.
‘Jin had no reason to be harsh on her after all. In fact, Jin must have just ignored her altogether.’
In principle, every citizen of the Holy City was supposed to be equal besides Sang-je. However, the hierarchy system still prevailed in the society although there no longer was legal discriminations against those of humble birth. The so-called ‘Blue bloods’ existed in the Holy City. And just like the aristocracy in kingdoms, it was the blue bloods from prestigious families who had all the dominance in terms of power and wealth in the Holy City.
And Jin’s family was regarded almost like a royal family in the Holy City.
“Your presence in the Hashi Kingdom had given me quite a consolation when I left the Holy City to come here last year. I mean, no one had ever expected you to marry a king. So, I guess that makes me not so much different from you after all as we both are in the same position of having to bear a child of king’s, are we not?”
Eugene clearly sensed the cynicism in her remark. She wondered how Jin would respond if she were here right now. Jin clearly wouldn’t have let it pass without making a fuss.
As Eugene intended to take her time in removing Jin’s mask before her old acquaintances, she decided to react in the way Jin would have normally done so in such a situation. So first of all, she put her teacup down on the table with a resounding clang. And when it had successfully made Gemma flinch with surprise, she retorted curtly as she rose to her feet, “I believe I did my best to treat you with all my courtesy. But I cannot tolerate such insults any longer. Is this how you treat a guest in the Slan Kingdom?”
“Anika Jin!”
Eugene, who just had coldly wheeled around, turned to Gemma again upon hearing her desperate call out. Gemma was on the verge of crying, with her face turned deadly white with fright.
Eugene clucked her tongue inwardly. It was clear that Gemma was no match for Jin as she seemed outright timid with a reserved disposition. If Jin was here for real, it wouldn’t be surprising for her to make further fuss like slapping Gemma right in her face. Jin was capable of doing something even more than that.
“Please, I beg your forgiveness. I have been experiencing drastic mood swings these days. I truly committed a discourtesy.”, said Gemma as she wrapped her lower belly with both her hands. Eugene, who was staring with no definite idea, had let out a groan when it finally dawned upon her. That clearly explained why the prince and the princess had turned down Kasser’s invitation.
“…Are you pregnant?”
“Yes…”
Gemma’s belly was yet to protrude to a noticeable degree. However, it felt strange to think that a prince of the Slan Kingdom, who’s destined to be a king in the future was growing inside that belly of hers.
Eugene took her seat again. Although she was a little vexed by Gemma’s impertinent provocation, she wasn’t actually mad.
Gemma’s first impression was gloomy on the whole. Eugene had thought to herself that it was either because she was not welcomed here or that it was just Gemma’s usual expression. But now, she realized that Gemma must’ve been suffering from a mild depression due to her pregnancy. Eugene felt like she could somehow understand the unstable mind of an expectant mother to some degree.
‘I can’t blame her for that. She’s only twenty-one, yet she’s pregnant in a foreign land away from her family. She must have a lot on her mind.’
Unwittingly, she stared into Gemma’s belly for a while before she promptly averted her eyes upon realization of her mistake.
“Congratulations.”
“Ah. Thank you.” answered Gemma with a baffled look as she was dubious of Eugene’s sudden change in attitude at the news of her pregnancy. Gemma carefully studied the look on Eugene’s face while Eugene lifted the teacup from the table.
“You must have turned down the invitation because you’re in your early stage of pregnancy.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
“I should’ve known better. I thought you turned it down because you found me uncomfortable.”
“What? No, not at all.”
“Please come visit next time. You are always welcome.” said Eugene with a smile.
Gemma, who was terribly quailed before, seemed to have brightened up a little by that. She was relieved as Eugene didn’t seem to be holding grudges against her. The reason she lost her temper earlier was because Eugene was looking very much at ease compared to herself. She got more upset when it seemed like she was the only one who’s having a hard time adjusting a life in foreign kingdom when she’d expected Eugene to feel the same.
Although she’d used her pregnancy as an excuse, it wasn’t entirely a lie after all. She clearly was experiencing dramatic mood swings after she got pregnant. Normally, she wouldn’t have made such a mistake of revealing her true feelings to others.
“I actually really wanted to go. However, His majesty did not give his consent.”
“I’m sure he was concerned about his daughter-in-law’s health.”
“Yes, I guess.” answered Gemma rather flatly. Gemma’s somewhat cynical response had left Eugene to wonder if Gemma was on bad terms with her father-in-law.
However, if there really was a problem between them, it didn’t seem like the Sword King was entirely to the blame. Even if his gentle outer appearance belies him, he wouldn’t have revealed such a side of him to noble Anika, who’d married his son. Especially when Gemma was now carrying a royal bloodline.
While it really wasn’t her place to put her nose into other family’s affairs, Eugene wanted to probe more into Gemma to find out what was on Anika’s mind as well as her life in the foreign kingdom. It would help her greatly in collecting information about Anikas.
‘But first, I need to set up a favorable atmosphere so she would open up to me.’
After glancing over at the servants who were standing close by, Eugene said “Anika Gemma, I’m sure you are well-informed of news from the Holy City as you’d left the city much later than I did, are you not?”
“Well, I guess I do but nothing special happened after you left the city. And I haven’t heard anything back since I came here as well.”
“But still, you were there just until last year. I’m not asking for big news. I just want to hear about the little things like what Anikas talked about in the gathering. I have no one else to ask but you as those are the things that can only be shared between Anikas.”
Eugene’s attempt to create a bond seemed to have worked as Gemma responded much more eagerly than she expected. At once, Gemma asked the servants to leave them so they could talk privately.
At first, Gemma was careful in choosing her words to say. But before long, she chattered away almost ceaselessly as Eugene showed interest by giving appropriate reactions every now and then.
Eugene had no means to interfere as it was her deliberate intention to take a step back from the conversation and be more of a listener. She was pretty content with how their conversation had turned out as Gemma did all the talking mostly.
“I’m sure she’d mention me as well. Anika Cassy always has different things to say behind people’s backs. So…”
After a while, Gemma’s chatter turned to gossip instead. It took her a while before she did a double take as she was so absorbed in venting out her built-up resentments. Sheepishly, she trailed off to a whisper and said, “Perhaps I’ve got too carried away as it’s been so long since I had someone to talk about Holy City. My apologies if I have spoken out of turn.”
“Not at all, I’m glad to have found someone to talk to in a long while as well.” said Eugene with a smile.
Eugene was indeed speaking from the heart. Although she doesn’t specifically enjoy long chats, Gemma’s gossip was just like a repository of information to her. The names and personalities of several Anikas from her stories had greatly impressed on Eugene’s memory. More so, the biggest takeaway was that she’d managed to gain some insights into the social gatherings of Anikas.
‘She’s so adorable and naive. I guess it’s because she’s still young.’
Gemma never bothered to be calculative in a cunning way. If Eugene were to speak with one of those sly elderly ladies, the conversation will be nothing more than superficial.
But Eugene didn’t have the slightest idea about how much effort Gemma had made throughout the whole conversation. Gemma was desperate to make the best of her opportunity to cultivate a friendship with Anika Jin.
Gemma had a great admiration for Anika Jin. She was envious of Jin’s looks, her position in the society, as well as her dignified nature. However, Gemma knew that it was impossible for someone from a humble and poor background like her, to ever become someone like Anika Jin.
But there still was a good chance for her to become someone like Anika Flora, who gets to socialize with all sorts of elites in the society, just for being Anika Jin’s friend. She was more envious of all the privileges Flora gets to enjoy in the society, instead of her strong Ramita.
“So, what did people say about me after I left the Holy City?”
Watching Gemma’s mouth being clamped shut in a flurry, Eugene said in a friendly tone, “There are bound to be people like Anika Cassy, who likes to say different things from behind. I bet those who were being cautious around me didn’t bother anymore when I was gone, am I right?”
Gemma gave Eugene a nod for an answer. She had no reason to avoid the topic as she never dared to speak ill of those high-ups, who seemed to live in a totally different world from her. Gemma had only listened to people gossiping when Anika Jin left the Holy City after she married the Desert King. Gemma could literally swear that she didn’t contribute to any of it.
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“I’m not asking for the names. I just want to know what they’ve been talking about me. It’ll be helpful to know how people think about me as I’m paying a visit to the Holy City for the first time in a while. I won’t forget your help.”
‘I won’t forget your help.’ That last sentence had instantly caused a great flutter in Gemma’s heart. She felt her heart racing with excitement as she imagined the life of luxury she would be leading in the Holy City at some point in her future. With that in mind, she hesitatingly opened her mouth.
“The most prevalent opinions were that they couldn’t quite understand your decision. They said there was no reason for Anika Jin to marry a king…umm…unless…”
Gemma quickly looked over to Eugene before she continued. “It’s alright. Just tell me everything.”
“Unless the rumor was true indeed… that you hardly have any Ramita with you.”