Chapter 13
“Beatrice. I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking.”
Beatrice responded with a bright smile.
“Your Majesty, it’s alright. Thank you for saying that anyway. I really like that the person I serve is so considerate and thoughtful.”
“Beatrice…”
I was about to bring up the idea of making her kingdom independent but decided against it. It wasn’t something to speak of so lightly.
But the thought had already taken root, and I started to wonder if there might actually be a way to make it happen.
Right now, in the Kingdom of Sedfol, there was neither dream nor hope to be found.
The royalist faction, centered around the king, and the aristocratic faction, led by Lotron, were locked in a fierce power struggle, but neither side had any intention of actually doing something for the kingdom. They were just pursuing their own selfish interests.
However, from what Beatrice sometimes said, her kingdom—even though it had only been in its early stages—had social welfare systems and many policies in place to protect and aid the marginalized.
Its military power had been relatively weak, which became its fatal flaw and ultimately led to its collapse. Now, our kingdom’s administrators governed that territory.
“Your Majesty. What are you thinking so deeply about?”
Beatrice asked with a gentle smile.
“Nothing. I’ll tell you later.”
She smiled, seemingly pleased.
Just then, a new person entered the banquet hall, and when Beatrice saw him, her eyes widened as she looked at me.
“What’s wrong, Beatrice? Do you know him?”
The man who entered had an extraordinary appearance. It wasn’t just that he drew attention—once you saw him, it was hard to look away.
“You know him, right? Please tell me you know him. Hmm?”
Beatrice burst into laughter at my words and turned to me.
“Your Majesty, when I went out with Subunit Leader Cassia to look at merchandise, she told me about someone. I think that man is the eldest son of a famous magical family. They said he’s the Tower Lord of the East. Isn’t the Eastern Tower Lord said to be the strongest?”
“You haven’t seen him in person before, though?”
“No. But that outfit is so famous, and his appearance too. When I asked what he looked like, they said the moment you see him, you’ll just know—and I think they were right.”
“Why do you seem so excited about it, though?”
“Because I just had a really good idea. If none of the methods you’re considering work, we could get his help. Maybe with magic, he could make you look deathly ill. If Your Majesty pretends to be terminally ill, perhaps His Majesty the King would agree to the divorce.”
The moment I heard her, I grabbed Beatrice’s hand.
“Beatrice. That’s brilliant. How did you even think of that?”
She gave me a proud smile.
“Did I help, Your Majesty?”
“Absolutely. Now go fetch that man.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Like a confident general, Beatrice walked up and brought him over.
The moment he saw her, then me, he quickly approached.
“Your Majesty the Queen. I didn’t know you were here. If I had known, I would never have committed the rudeness of arriving late. My deepest apologies. I’m Erkan Hillimore.”
“You’re the son of Count Hillimore, right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
He looked genuinely flustered.
“There’s no need for that expression. I wasn’t planning to come at first, so it’s natural that you didn’t know.”
“Thank you very much for your understanding, Your Majesty.”
“Actually, I called you over because I had something to ask. Sir Erkan. Not just to exchange pleasantries.”
“Please ask me anything, Your Majesty.”
I glanced at Beatrice. She nodded, giving me confidence.
“Is there… a magic that can make a person look sick?”
“If you could be a bit more specific, I could give you an accurate answer.”
Beatrice stepped in.
“We were wondering if someone could appear gravely ill on the outside, but in reality, it’s just an illusion created by magic.”
Her explanation was clever—subtle enough not to raise suspicion, yet precise enough to get a solid answer.
“Yes, I believe such magic is certainly possible. Even I could cast it. Depending on the details, I could make someone appear to have less than a month to live.”
“Really? How does that work? I mean… I’m asking because I think I may have been scammed. I helped someone who seemed to be in a desperate condition, but later I saw them walking around completely healthy.”
I was amazed by Beatrice’s performance.
Erkan nodded, saying it was entirely plausible.
“That’s definitely something magic can do. If even someone like the Lady-in-Waiting was fooled, it was likely magic. And if you saw them in the capital, I might know who the magician is.”
“Oh, no. It didn’t happen here.”
“I see.”
He looked like he was ready to go chase the person down right away, so we had to stop him.
“Would it be possible… for us to see it ourselves? Not because I don’t believe you, Sir Erkan, but because I’d like to be sure.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
I exchanged a meaningful glance with Beatrice.
“My residence isn’t far from here, Your Majesty. I usually stay in the Magic Tower, but I’ve recently come to the capital for business. If you’re willing, I can take you there.”
“Then I’ll count on you.”
As I stood up, Erkan noticed my injury and offered to heal my leg.
I had used the injury as an excuse to avoid the king, so it was awkward to refuse.
“I’ll request a quiet room for you.”
He said this and went to speak with the host of the banquet.
I reluctantly accepted his help. Once we moved to a different room and he began healing with magic, the pain disappeared miraculously as his hand passed over the wound.
“How can you do this? It’s incredible.”
“I’ve focused my studies on healing magic. The East is known for that, after all.”
After thanking the host, we quickly left the banquet hall.
There was no more time to waste.
Following Erkan’s carriage, we arrived at a practical-looking brick building.
It didn’t look like the kind of house the eldest son of a count would live in, but Erkan didn’t seem to care about such appearances.
Since we already knew what we wanted to check, we didn’t waste any time.
“I’ll call my assistant to demonstrate the spell, Your Majesty.”
Beatrice shook her head.
“No. I’d prefer if as few people as possible knew about this. It’s quite embarrassing, really. I fell for such a clumsy lie. I think it would be better if you cast the magic directly on me to show us.”
Beatrice lied smoothly, and Erkan once again fell for it.
“Then I’ll do that. The spell will only alter your appearance—it won’t cause any pain or discomfort, so don’t worry.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Please, have a seat first.”
Erkan prepared his magic, and Beatrice sat in the chair he pointed to.
He asked if he could place his hand on her shoulder, and she nodded.
“I’ll start infusing mana now. You probably won’t feel much.”
“Okay.”
I thought she looked nervous.
“If you’re scared, you don’t have to go through with it, Beatrice.”
As soon as I said it, I realized how odd it sounded.
Beatrice had said she’d been scammed and wanted to verify it—but the way I said it made it sound like she was doing this for me.
Clearly, I still had a lot to learn about telling convincing lies.
Erkan said nothing, simply continued casting the spell.
As he murmured the incantation and moved his hands as if touching the air around her, Beatrice’s body began to change.
“Beatrice…”
I called her name without realizing it, covering my mouth with my hand.
I worried that I had disrupted Erkan’s concentration.
But without reacting, he quietly continued, and Beatrice’s body continued to transform.
Was it just an illusion, or was she really undergoing something?
The more time passed, the harder it became to tell.
A strange thought crossed my mind: what if we weren’t the ones deceiving him, but he had recognized us and was the one fooling us from the start?
Just as I was about to stop him, Erkan finished.
“Will this be enough, Your Majesty?”
“Beatrice!”
I shouted, worried for her, but she opened her eyes, perfectly fine.
“How do I look, Your Majesty?”
“Beatrice. Are you alright? Nothing hurts?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. How do I look right now?”
“You look terribly ill. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Completely.”
Seeing how worried I was, she even stood up and jumped a little to show she was fine.
“Is she really alright, Sir Erkan?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Judging by how many times you’ve asked, I assume the result is to your satisfaction.”
I exchanged a glance with Beatrice.
Still, it was a matter that needed to be considered very carefully. It wasn’t something to rush.
So for now, I simply thanked him and returned to the palace.
In the carriage on the way back, I asked Beatrice several questions.
But she seemed to have already made up her mind.
