Julia gave up and nodded gently, as it was obvious that more denial would lead to a greater mischievous misunderstandings. Her maids exchanged glances and showed more enthusiasm on their faces.
Two hours passed in this manner.
Julia was finally ready by the time the bright sun shone above the blue sky.
***
PAH-PA-RA-PAAA!
In the middle of the green forest a procession of the king and his wife arrived with the sound of trumpets resonating through the vast open space.
Instead of waiting under the noble purple tent, representing the Semele royal family, the ladies, the ministers, and the aristocrats, all stood up to show respect.
“Seeing the Great Sun of Semele!”
“I meet the Radiant Glory of Semele!”
Dozens of people lifted their heads one after another as the two royals walked on a long purple carpet.
Julia walked alongside Endimion with a gentle smile, and they sat side by side on the throne at the head of the table.
When the King and his wife settled down, everyone else also sat in their chairs. And as the elegant orchestra started to play, they began greeting each other in order of rank.
“Your Majesty and My Queen. Congratulations on becoming adults.”
“Duke Tristan, welcome. How’s your health?”
A white-haired old man greeted me. He is the head of a family that had been true to the royal family since the reign of the King before the last. Julia greeted Duke Tristan with a welcoming smile while he spoke with Endimion.
“Thanks to you, I feel much better. Haha, I must stay alive until my grandson, who was born last year, gets married. Come to think of it, Your Majesty will soon…”
Uh.
“Duke, did you receive the gift I sent to your mansion?”
Julia instinctively slipped in and changed the subject when the Duke was on the verge of chatting away. Fortunately, the old duke seemed to have been moved by the gentle Queen’s voice.
“Oh, the Queen celebrated my 50th wedding anniversary and sent a gift! It’s a great blessing for this old man.”
“It’s the least I could do. I hope the Duke will be healthy for a long time and stay loyal to his majesty and the royal family.”
Fortunately, the Duke Tristan spoke a few more words with Julia, showing a deeply moved face, and then walked away.
Once the duke’s conversation, which usually lasted at least an hour, ended, the nobles who were waiting for their turn sighed with relief. Julia also smiled and enjoyed the atmosphere of the banquet with her eyes closed.
“You’re amazing. I can’t believe you ended the old man’s conversation in one try.”
It was a intrigued voice.
Before the next aristocrat approached, Endimion whispered to Julia while breaking out of his composure. It’s been less than 30 minutes since we’ve received greetings, but he is already showing his boredom.
In contrast, Julia, who sat upright, whispered in a playful way without changing her expression,
“It’s the traditional role of the Queen. What do you think, was I good?”
“It was too perfect, my Queen.”
Endimion answered in a low voice. Then, with an arrogant smile, he sat leaning in closer.
‘Again.’
It was an ordinary answer, but Julia suddenly felt strange and bowed her head in a hurry.
‘My’ queen. I heard it once yesterday, but now it sounds especially meaningful right now. At the same time, I remembered last night’s strange atmosphere that I tried to forget.
‘Why did you say that to me?’
Julia and Endimion exchanged gifts every year to celebrate their wedding. It’s almost our 13th wedding anniversary, and we’re having our coming-of-age ceremony together, so planning to give me a special gift isn’t stange.
But what is it with those strange eyes and suffocating air last night? And saying ‘Tell me everything, I’ll give you authority over the king, even my body’!
‘Ah.’
At last, I even remembered him kissing the inside of my wrist.
Julia hastily pressed the inside of her wrist with her other hand.
After becoming conscious of it, turning towards him was hard, as the place where his lips had touched felt itchy and hot again. Suddenly, the husband who felt as close as though they shared one body, felt awkward.
Endimion has kissed the back of her hand many times at each ball. All the other nobles did so too when showing respect to the Queen, so it was only proper manners to kiss her hands.