PNAA 63

PNAA

Chapter 63

Pasina silently glared at the invitation lying on her nightstand.

It was the first banquet held since the coronation of the new queen—her first opportunity to see the woman in person.

“They said Derek wouldn’t be able to deny it once he saw her.”

At first, she had suspected the Duke of Douglas might’ve arranged something behind the scenes, but the moment she saw Queen Ash enter the hall from afar, Pasina had no choice but to admit it.

They said she was Erne’s twin sister—she was frighteningly identical.

That washed-out golden hair she disliked, even the pale golden eyes. The only difference was the small beauty mark beneath Queen Ash’s left eye.

Her aura, and that distinct mole under the left eye—

They clearly set her apart from Erne.

But Pasina shook her head.

That woman—Ash—was not Erne’s twin sister.

This was the intuition honed through enduring countless storms to reach where she was today.

“She’s Erne.”

The woman calling herself Queen Ash was undoubtedly Erne.

“But how is she still alive? Didn’t Derek say her body washed up on the riverbank? Didn’t he confirm it himself…?”

Pasina bit her lip, blaming her lover who couldn’t even handle one task properly.

She could no longer trust Derek’s words.

She downed the ice water Anna had brought in one go, trying to cool the frustration swelling inside her at the mystery of how Erne had taken on the identity of Princess Ash and become queen.

“Anna. Still no word from that bourgeois bastard?”

“No, miss. He’s late to respond.”

Startled that she might provoke her mistress, Anna quickly replied mid-brushstroke.

“None of them are worth a damn!”

Pasina snapped.

Since the banquet ended and the royal authority had stabilized, the nobles seemed to finally be letting out a sigh of relief.

Even those who had been cautiously watching the House of Babylon began whispering.

All of it was rumors—nasty ones—about her and Derek Babylon.

The sudden drop in invitations, which had once poured in by the dozens each day, said it all.

But she didn’t mind that part.

She actually welcomed it—an opportunity to distinguish between the truly loyal and the opportunistic flatterers.

Once she and Derek claimed the throne, those sycophants who had abandoned her would face harsh retribution.

“But if Queen Ash is actually Erne…”

Pasina muttered, as if chewing out a curse, the queen’s face flashing vividly in her mind.

“I’ll kill her. No matter what.”

Why Erne was disguising herself as Queen Ash and sitting on the throne—she didn’t know.

But it didn’t matter.

The murderous intent in her voice was so fierce that Anna, standing nearby, visibly flinched.

Part of Pasina’s foul mood stemmed from the invitation in her hand.

Among the dwindled pile, this one bore the queen’s name. A small-scale tea party under the guise of inspecting potential ladies-in-waiting—a not-so-subtle message.

“I’ll crush her there.”

Pasina crumpled the invitation without remorse.

She believed the queen’s invitation was nothing short of provocation, a direct challenge.

And Pasina had no intention of dodging it.

“I’ll expose her to the world—that Queen Ash is really Erne.”

Pasina’s ambitions, which had carried her from orphanhood to a noble household’s adopted daughter, knew no end.

Fortune smiled upon her when the House of Sivir accepted her as a foster daughter, and Pasina had always tried her utmost to please Count Sivir.

“My lord, here are my test results from the academy.”

“Let’s see… Oh! Well done, Pasina. First place again, I see.”

Thanks to her efforts, she was officially adopted into the House of Sivir and given a new name.

“From today, you shall be Pasina Sivir.”

“Eek! I’m so happy! Then… can I call you Father now?”

Count Sivir and his wife had no children of their own and doted on her as though she were their real daughter.

Pasina grew up showered in love—perhaps even more than a real child might have received.

And so, under the count’s protection, when she first stepped into the royal capital of Nesheld—

“Your Majesty, this is my daughter.”

“She resembles your wife. Lovely.”

That was the first time Pasina laid eyes on the queen, elegantly fanning herself with a feathered fan.

At first, her attention was caught by the fluttering fan, but when she met the queen’s gaze, she froze—forgetting how to breathe.

Her first thought was:

“How can such a person exist?”

The queen didn’t do anything—just sat there, gazing down at her from the dais. Yet Pasina’s shoulders stiffened, and she felt small under that gaze.

There was an aura—imperious and intimidating—that couldn’t be hidden beneath her lazy elegance.

Even her slow, leisurely movements couldn’t disguise the weight in her eyes.

Pasina’s dazed gaze slowly lifted to the queen’s crown.

“…So beautiful.”

The crown glittered with rare jewels. It far outshone the trinkets and ornaments she’d received from the count and his wife.

The queen, with that proud expression, accepted Pasina’s greeting—and quickly lost interest.

For someone like Pasina, who had always drawn attention and been handed everything, it was a shocking experience.

From that moment on, she wanted to stay close to the queen.

To Pasina, someone revered by all and looked up to with bowed heads was mesmerizing.

After returning from the palace, she made a decision.

“Father, I want to become Her Majesty’s lady-in-waiting.”

With her sharp wit and quick thinking, Pasina managed to secure a position beside the queen sooner than expected.

Sometimes like a daughter, sometimes like a pesky little sister, sometimes like a loyal subject—Pasina hid her surging ambition behind a mask.

And in doing so, she rose to become the queen’s closest attendant. But she still wasn’t satisfied.

The queen often joked she had no heir, saying she might just adopt Pasina.

“You’re quite entertaining. Want to become a princess?”

“Your Majesty, you flatter me…”

“I have no heir, and when I die, the collateral line might inherit Nesheld. How tragic!”

“But Your Majesty is still healthy and strong.”

“Still, one never knows. If my daughter were alive, she’d be about your age. How about becoming my daughter?”

Every time the queen said things like that, Pasina had to force down the hunger clawing at her insides.

Even if the queen meant them as jokes, Pasina was certain:

All those words would someday come true.

Until the queen found her lost daughter, Princess Erne.

“Miss Velly is late.”

“Yeah. I thought she’d be back after the party. I wonder if something really happened at home?”

Erne tilted her head in concern.

Since that day, the two had grown much closer.

She had uttered those famously awkward lines—“Wanna come in for ramen?” or “Wanna charge your phone?”—but nothing scandalous happened. Not even close.

Windsor had simply sat beside her, holding her hand until she fell asleep.

“Shame nothing more happened… Wait—Erne! Get it together!”

Realizing where her thoughts had wandered, Erne shook her head furiously.

“Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell…?”

Startled by her odd behavior, the ladies-in-waiting hesitantly asked. Erne waved her hand, assuring them she was fine.

Through the mirror, she caught Windsor’s gaze. He didn’t avert his eyes.

“If something had happened, I’d be too embarrassed to be near him, right?”

Whether that was a good or bad thing, she couldn’t tell. But that night, for the first time, she learned how comforting it was to have someone by her side as she slept.

As the pink tension between Erne and Windsor simmered—

Shuknen, who had been quietly watching Erne get dressed, suddenly sprang to her feet.

“Her Majesty suits blue sapphires far more than red rubies!”

Both Erne and Windsor blinked at her outburst.

“Shuknen?”

Erne gently patted her back. The girl puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms, clearly displeased.

“Teacher—no, Your Majesty.”

Shuknen almost said “teacher” out of habit, but after seeing Windsor shake his head, she corrected herself quickly. Then she pointed at the three flustered attendants.