Chapter 15
“You’ve cast the guarantee spell now. I think I’ll be fine. And honestly, even if it weren’t for that, I didn’t have much choice but to trust him. I feel much more at ease now. Until now, it felt like I couldn’t find a way out—but now, at least, I have a glimpse of hope.”
“You’re right. That’s a relief.”
“To keep meeting Sir Erkan, I’ll have to attend more banquets, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness. That’s probably the best way.”
With much more peace of mind, we left the place.
“It’s almost done, Your Highness. You’ve been through so much. There’s not much time left—I just hope nothing happens in the meantime.”
Beatrice wasn’t blindly optimistic when she said that.
I also hoped everything would go smoothly, but I couldn’t help feeling anxious.
After returning to the palace, the king began visiting me frequently.
When he couldn’t find me, he even issued an order that I was to go to him immediately upon my return.
I felt I had to face him at least once, so I went to see him—but I made sure not to give him any room for hope.
“Hestia. I’ve been more than patient with you. I’ve trusted every word you’ve said. You know that. But this is going too far, don’t you think? Even you can’t deny it.”
We were so close to the end—I couldn’t let things fall apart at the last moment.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. And I’m grateful that you’ve been understanding.”
“Yet you’re still saying no. I’m young, Hestia. You know what I’m like. My desires are stronger than most.”
“Yes, I know. That’s why you’ve enjoyed time with others until now. I’m not blaming you. Even if you continue doing so, that’s fine by me. Frankly, I hope you do.”
He looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“What are you saying, Hestia? Are you telling me that all this time, you’ve been refusing me because of the things I’ve done? I thought you understood me. But now you’re saying this is your revenge?”
He spoke with a tone as if he found it amusing.
As if it was… cute.
That’s probably what it was to him.
Watching him chuckle and speak that way, I realized—I was finally seeing a side of the king I had never noticed before.
If I had truly been Hestia, I wouldn’t have been able to listen to those words so calmly.
To be rejected by him over and over, to know he was taking other women to his bed… I didn’t even want to imagine how she must have felt.
“Your Majesty. That’s not it. I’m speaking from the bottom of my heart.”
“I see. I’ll accept that. I’ll believe you. But this can’t go on forever. I’ll give you time, Hestia. Three days. Make up your mind by then. After that, I won’t hold back. You married me—you’ll need to fulfill your duties.”
At his words, I clenched my teeth.
If we’re talking about duties, wasn’t fidelity a duty for him as well?
I swallowed my resentment and left without another word.
Beatrice was waiting and came out with a worried look.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?”
“Yes.”
She seemed tense, so I asked what was wrong.
“It’s not that anything happened… it’s just, now that it’s all almost over, I’m getting nervous. We need to be careful at times like this. We can’t afford to mess anything up.”
I nodded.
“You’re right. He said he’d give me three days. After that, he won’t tolerate this anymore.”
“Then we should hurry. I’ll go see Sir Erkan. We need to move fast.”
“Please do.”
Rather than assigning this to someone else, I felt more at ease having her handle it personally.
She was cautious, calm, and trustworthy. No one else would find out.
I focused solely on that thought.
Though I ran into people at the palace, I didn’t speak to any of them.
I didn’t act angry—just smiled politely and said nothing.
The servants watched me nervously, probably wondering if they’d done something wrong. I didn’t want them worrying unnecessarily.
Time passed. Then Beatrice returned.
“Your Highness. I delivered the message to Sir Erkan. He said the revisions to the spell formula are nearly complete. He also said he wants to try teleporting here using spatial magic.”
“Spatial teleportation?”
Why hadn’t I thought of that? I looked at her in surprise.
“Yes. He said he’ll attempt it tonight.”
“Good. That’s perfect. No need to wait the three days. Sooner is better.”
I didn’t change into nightwear. I waited for Erkan in regular clothes.
“Don’t worry too much, Your Highness. When I underwent it, it wasn’t that bad. It just looks scary on the outside. It may be different for you, but it shouldn’t be that far off. Just… believe in it. Believe it’ll be okay.”
“I’ll endure it.”
I had no choice.
Even if I wanted to relax, the tension built up inside me.
Beatrice, noticing that, kept trying to distract and calm me with conversation.
Time passed.
A soft knock came at the door.
Beatrice glanced at me, then quickly opened it.
Erkan entered and bowed respectfully.
“Your Majesty the Queen.”
“Welcome, Sir Erkan. I’m sorry to trouble you like this.”
“Not at all, Your Highness. I heard time is short. And three days is still time in which minds can change.”
“That’s true. Then… may I ask you to begin right away?”
“Yes. I don’t think there’s any need to delay.”
He began explaining in detail and asked Beatrice for assistance.
Having undergone the spell herself, she helped him without hesitation.
I lay down on the bed and allowed him to proceed.
As he began chanting and working the spell, I felt a strange energy enter my body.
It wasn’t painful—but the discomfort grew steadily stronger.
I glanced at him, wondering if this was normal.
He continued without pause, and Beatrice held my hand.
Her presence comforted me, and I endured.
After a while, Erkan stopped.
“It’s done, Your Highness. The spell will last about a month. I was concerned the palace might have a magic circle installed—but fortunately, it doesn’t. I would’ve expected one… but this worked in our favor. If the situation isn’t resolved before the spell expires, I’ll return and cast it again. Please get the divorce finalized as soon as possible.”
Even while listening, I was having trouble breathing.
It wasn’t unbearable, but I felt a mild, lingering discomfort—like motion sickness.
Erkan repeatedly told Beatrice to come find him if anything happened, and then he left.
Beatrice sat by my bed, watching me.
“Your Highness. Should we call the king now? If he sees you like this… maybe he’ll agree to the divorce.”
She seemed unable to bear how sick I looked.
It was comforting, knowing someone genuinely cared about me.
Without Beatrice, I didn’t know how I would’ve made it this far.
Without her, I couldn’t have carried this plan to completion.
“Beatrice.”
She looked at me.
“Yes, Your Highness? Are you hurting? Are you in pain?”
Despite having undergone the spell herself, she was still worried—because the spell on me was different.
“No. It’s not that. I just realized… if I don’t say thank you now, I might not get another chance.”
“Your Highness, what are you saying? Don’t talk like that. You’ll be fine. You’re not even sick.”
She cried out, as if the thought of losing me terrified her.
We had become completely dependent on one another. I saw that clearly now.
Smiling, I said,
“I didn’t mean it that way. Soon, when the king hears I’m unwell, he’ll send the royal physician. He’ll probably keep that physician by my side at all times. Once that happens, it’ll be hard for you and me to talk. That’s why… I wanted to say this now.”
“Ah…”
She nodded, understanding.
“Okay, Beatrice. Then go now. Tell him. It’s hard to breathe. I want this done quickly.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Just wait a little. I’ll be right back.”
Without wasting a second, Beatrice rushed out.
Once she was gone, I sat waiting—wondering how all this would end.
I felt bloated, as if I’d overeaten, making it difficult to breathe.
Still, I wasn’t in any real pain, and that was a relief.
All I wanted… was for the king to believe me.
And finally, the king arrived—and when he saw me, he couldn’t hide his shock.
