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Chapter 6
Judith knew how terribly Gilsis had been tormenting Franz.
How much she chattered, whether it was about how unattractive of a woman she chose as his princess consort, or how she paired him with a shabby princess, must have made him exhausted.
At first, she thought it was just an insult to herself. She only thought that she was being humiliated by the Queen because she was not good-looking, because she was insignificant, and because she didn’t know how to do anything.
But from a certain moment, Judith could also understand. Queen Gilsis was trying to insult Franz while insulting her.
She could tell that she was trying to drive Franz crazy by constantly pointing out and irritating him with how inadequate the princess she had brought was, even after paying a huge amount of money. Although she knew, there was nothing that Judith could do at that time. She could not comfort Franz, nor could she oppose Queen Gilsis.
‘This person must have resented me.’
Judith’s gaze at Franz was filled with regret.
If there was anyone who hated Judith more than anyone at that time, it would be Franz. Because Judith became his princess consort, Franz gave one more weakness to Queen Gilsis.
Even if it was something unavoidable, he was a human being, so there was no way that resentment would not have arisen. As if to prove that fact, he never called her name. He never made eye contact with her, never held her hand affectionately.
The Royal Palace of Roteia was too harsh and unbearable to build such a relationship. The two people standing on thin ice could never reach out to each other.
But it will be different from now on.
Judith gathered her small hands on her lap and silently looked at Franz. Franz, who was now 19 years old. Although he is two years older than her, and Judith died when he was twenty-two, she could look at Franz as if she were looking at her younger brother.
“What did you hear about me?”
“Are you really curious about that?”
There was nothing to be curious about, but Judith nodded with an intentional faint smile.
“Yes, very.”
“You will feel bad.”
“Are you caring for my feelings?”
“More than that, I have no talent for soothing a crying woman. And I’m not a fool that gets aroused for seeing a woman like that.”
Franz’s tone was colder than what Judith vaguely remembered.
He must have been like this around this time.
Judith felt a dubious awkwardness as if she was seeing someone she had never met for the first time, despite it being the person she had once married.
“Hearing you say that, I can see that the evaluation of me wasn’t very good.”
“First of all, the way you talk is different. From what I heard… you stuttered.”
Judith blinked her eyes, silently. Franz looked away from her for a moment, and she wondered what he was thinking.
Is it because he thinks he said something too harsh? Judith thought about it for a moment, and then smiled a little, wondering if that could be the case.
“Why are you smiling?”
“There were times when I stuttered, but that is a thing of the past.”
“I heard that you cry all the time, and that you are cowardly and sickly.”
“My body is not very healthy. As you can see, if you were expecting a beautiful 17-year-old lady, you would be disappointed. But I don’t cry. And I’m not even cowardly.”
“I can see that.”
“I may not be the ideal princess for you, but I will not be the kind of wife who gives you trouble. I promise you.”
She wondered if it was too early to say that now, but Judith soon made up her mind.
Franz was a necessary figure in order to make sure she could take revenge on Queen Gilsis and her son. Showing her the image of him ascending to the throne would be the most refreshing way to overthrow the Queen.
She will tie her limbs so she can’t move even while struggling, and make it impossible for her to close her eyes when she tries to. After showing her the sight of Franz, whom she had hoped would die and fall with such abuse, sitting proudly on the throne of Roteia, from beginning to end, Judith planned to completely bury the frustrated Gilsis.
To do that, Judith needed to get a hold of Franz, so that he wouldn’t lose his mind. Her first goal was to make Franz, who had been strangled from a young age at the Queen’s fierce hands and unable to breathe, into a person fit for the throne.
“You’re saying strange things.”
“Does this sound strange?”
“I heard that you haven’t taken a step outside the Tien Kingdom since you were born, but you speak as if you know something.”
“This is what I told my older brother.”
Judith closed her hands, which were gathered on her knees, clenched her fists, and sat a little closer to Franz.
“I have ears too. Who can stop rumors from spreading? If you try to make sense of the words that you hear carried by the wind, you will be able to see the scenery of places you cannot see.”
“What do you…”
It didn’t take long for Franz’s face, who had been blinking in bewilderment, to suddenly contort. Judith thought for a moment about whether she had made a mistake, but was rather disconcerted because she had no idea what she had done.
“Your Highness?”
“Yeah, that’s why you can be so calm even if you know everything.”
Judith’s eyes shook slightly. Franz was staring at her with a terrifying frown on his face.
“You want to say you take pity on me?”
“No, Your Highness. That’s not what I mean…”
“You mean, you know everything about my situation in Roteia. Is the reason why you became my wife so calmly even after hearing that because you don’t have money? Or is it a shallow expectation that there’s no way I would be as miserable as you’ve heard?”
“Your Highness, it’s not like that…”
Judith’s voice trembled weakly. It was the first time after being revived.
She had never thought that Franz would be so upset so suddenly. In her memory, he was always reticent and dark, but never before did he get angry like this so suddenly in front of her.
Could it be that the time when he becomes ill has been pushed forward?
Judith looked at Franz with anxious eyes. She didn’t want to, but her eyes trembled on their own.
If Franz had already begun to show madness, all her plans would be in vain. She couldn’t leave it like that. Never.
“Ha.”
When Judith, who couldn’t bear her stirring anxiety, was trying to find something to say, Franz burst into a laughter similar to mockery.
“Now you have become similar to what I heard.”
“… I beg your pardon?”
“I heard you tremble like that. That you can’t even speak properly in front of others. But until a while ago, you talked as if you were another person, and only now you have become the princess I heard about.”
“… Your Highness.”
A hoarse voice came out. Franz remained silent as if telling her to speak, but he didn’t seem interested in Judith’s words.
“You are misunderstanding me. I didn’t dare say that out of pity for you. I…”
“If you didn’t pity me, the situation would be more serious. If you were expecting something like that, it would be better to give it up beforehand. The place you are going to now is the viper’s den.”
His eyes were still fierce, but his tone was softer than a moment ago. It was too early to dispel the suspicion that his madness had already begun, but Judith managed to calm down a little.
If her relationship with Franz goes wrong, it will be impossible. At least he shouldn’t have hated her.
‘This person… He’s not a bad person.’
She calmed her startled heart like that. Even though they couldn’t share affection, even the Judith at that time knew that he wasn’t a villain. The reason why she needed him at the last moment, even though she only felt fear when she confronted him, must have been because she knew that fact.
“I will now enter the viper’s den, but you are the one who has survived there until now.”
Franz cast a frown on Judith.
Queen Gilsis ordered Franz to bring the princess himself and blabbed like a parrot about how ugly she was.
She laughed at him, saying that since she was cowardly and shabby, she was perfect for being his partner, and that if he didn’t let her be his wife, who would want to be his companion.
However, the Judith he actually met was completely different from what Queen Gilsis had said. She looked too small and sickly for a seventeen-year-old, as she said, but she wasn’t cowardly or ugly. There was a sense of logic in what she said, and her clear blue eyes were unexpectedly strong.
“You are a strong man. Countless venomous snakes will attack you in the future, but you will overcome them and move forward.”
“… That’s nonsense.”
“No, Your Highness. You will definitely be like that. You may think that I am lacking, you may think that I am not the ideal princess, but remember that I will help you no matter what.”
After speaking, Judith swallowed dry and slowly reached her hand to Franz.
Seeing this, Franz couldn’t hide his surprised expression. It was Roteia’s custom to greet each other by holding hands. How does she know this, when she was born and raised in Tien?
When Franz could hardly hold the outstretched hand, Judith purposely let out a small laugh.
“I heard that in Roteia, these kinds of greetings are exchanged between close friends who are loyal to each other.”
“We are not close friends.”
“There is no law that says you cannot become close friends just because you are a married couple. We don’t need to be a normal couple. Even if I am the princess consort in duty, I will not complain.”
“Do you think that makes sense?”
“If Your Highness holds this hand, then we will become friends before we are a couple. Friends who treat each other with good faith.”
Franz’s eyes, which had been silently fixed in the outstretched hand, trembled faintly at Judith’s words. When the carriage rattled soon afterward, Franz took Judith’s hand for a moment.
Judith slowly held her breath at the lukewarm body temperature coming from his hand. The first time she held it, there was no warmth in his hand. But it was calm and soft.
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