The queen smiled at her daughter’s query.
“It’s a secret that only I know about. Even Anastasia isn’t aware of it. He tried to recreate the rose garden in his duchy, but he didn’t have nearly enough time to complete it.” The queen chuckled. “Such a stupid man, wasn’t he? He only worked in the palace to prove that he at least was able to enter the court as a page boy.”
She insulted her husband, but it was clear as day to anyone that her words were filled with her utmost love and endearment.
“More than anything else in the world, I loved to watch him work in the gardens from this corridor,” Her Majesty said. “He made no attempt to seduce any noblewomen—on the contrary, he was drenched in sweat and caked in dirt as he worked the soil and tended to the flowers.”
Overwhelmed by her emotions, Queen Liesenlotte pressed her hand against her chest and closed her eyes.
“That was why I chose him as my husband,” the queen said. She opened her eyes, her tone now filled with hatred. “But then he was murdered. It’s already been five years since someone in this palace ended his life.”
Prince Consort Robert Anhalt hailed from the duchy of Astarte, implying that he must’ve once possessed that family name before his marriage into the royal family. But I’ll just call him Robert. I feel like referring to him so casually would show my utmost respect for Her Majesty and the prince consort. I’d heard that the investigation of his assassination still continued to this day within the palace, but that the queen was giving up on finding his killer and considering closing the case. Five years, huh… I doubt she can find the culprit after all this time.
“I’ve changed my mind. Why don’t we speak in the rose garden instead of my room?” Her Majesty suggested. She turned to her two corps members. “Could you leave us to our own devices?”
“But Your Majesty, who will guard you?” a corps member asked.
“Sir Polidoro is right beside me. He won’t lose to an assassin even if he’s unarmed.”
“That, I cannot deny.”
The corps members nodded their heads. I apparently commanded a fair bit of trust from the royal family. I didn’t have my greatsword on me, but I always kept a dagger at my waist. I could probably kill up to ten skilled assassins with my bare hands, without breaking a sweat, while defending the queen and the princess.
“Then we shall chase people away,” a corps member said. “You may enter the rose garden.”
“Shall we go, Sir Polidoro, Valiele?” Her Majesty asked.
At her encouragement, we went down to the garden toward the roses. We walked without uttering a word and passed under the arches of the fence. The area, decorated by an iron rose fence, was gorgeous beyond my wildest imaginations.
“It’s beautiful!” I gasped.
I couldn’t help but cry out in awe. I’d never been interested in flowers—I hadn’t cared for them in my past life and didn’t in my current life. But this view was nothing short of dazzling. The colorful roses on the fences enveloped the red brick path, and I was stunned by the charming view.
“I’m happy to hear that you like this place,” Queen Liesenlotte said happily. “You’re a man, but you didn’t seem one for flowers.”
“I’ve only been interested in flowers with medicinal uses,” I confessed. “For the first time in my life, I’ve become genuinely entranced by the beauty of these petals.”
Even in my past life, I’d never set foot in a rose garden, and this was my first experience being surrounded by beautiful flowers. I’d never known that they could be so lovely and spectacular.
“The walkway is a mere hundred meters long,” Her Majesty said. “I’d love to guide you down the rose path, but why don’t we have a little chat first? There’s a table in the center of this garden.”
We accepted Queen Liesenlotte’s invitation and spotted the garden table, just as she’d said. The three of us took our seats.
“Frankly, I believe that negotiations with Villendorf will be rocky,” the queen confessed.
“We’re aware of that,” Princess Valiele said.
She answered in my stead, and I could only agree. Yeah, I think this’ll be rough sailing. I’m not even sure if Villendorf wants to negotiate peace with us in the first place.
“Our biggest bargaining chip could’ve been the head of their hero, Reckenbell—but Faust, you returned that to Villendorf, didn’t you?” Queen Liesenlotte asked.
“I’m terribly sorry,” I replied. I lowered my head in apology.
“Don’t be. Had you not done so, Villendorf would’ve risked life and limb to get that head back by now. Anhalt would’ve been raided. You made the right decision, and the fact that you returned the body of the duel’s loser on the spot displays your dignity as a knight. Only foolish page boys will dare to mock you for your actions.”
If we had kept Reckenbell’s body, peace negotiations could’ve gone smoothly. However, we would’ve never formed the temporary truce that allowed Anhalt to remain safe for now. We were losing ourselves in what-ifs and if-onlys; they bordered on delusions and were completely pointless.
“Why don’t I steer the conversation back on track?” Her Majesty said. “I believe the deciding factor in these negotiations will be the heart of Queen Catalina.”
“What do you mean, Your Majesty?” I asked.
“Unlike me, she knows not of love, just as you didn’t know of the beauty of the rose garden until now.”
She used me as an analogy; mere moments ago, I’d been taken aback by the beauty of the place. Catalina the Coldhearted Queen was a woman of many legends, and the royal family had informed me about her. She’d killed her father and sister, but it didn’t seem right to claim that she’d killed her mother as well. The queen’s mother had risked her life to give birth, and I didn’t expect Villendorf to see that as the queen murdering her parent. To this day, I still held regrets about my own late mother.
“Sir Polidoro, you must slice Queen Catalina’s heart asunder,” Her Majesty said.
“Her heart?” I asked. I couldn’t hide the hesitation in my voice.
“That’s right. You are the embodiment of the totality of Anhalt. Queen Catalina shall be peering at you from above and making her decision. You’ll be the one to decide whether she starts a war again or agrees to peace.”
“Me? Will my actions and mannerisms mean so much to her?”
“They will. Everyone in Villendorf will see you as Anhalt’s representative.”
The queen stared into my eyes. She didn’t terrify me at all. Where did Crown Princess Anastasia get her petrifying gaze? I doubt it was from her father. Is it atavism?
“Um, Mother,” Princess Valiele said. “Technically, I’m the chief delegate, though even I know that it’s only in name.” She gingerly voiced her concerns as she raised her hand.
“You must act with that in mind,” Queen Liesenlotte said. “And Valiele, you must make sure to survive, no matter what happens.”
“At least tell me to fulfill my role even if I die. Though I’ve recently learned that this is your way of conveying your love.”
Princess Valiele’s complaints spilled out of her mouth as Queen Liesenlotte’s voice turned gentle.
“Truth be told, I don’t want to send you to Villendorf,” she said. “I don’t want to send Faust over either.”
I guess she’s reluctant about this whole thing too. Though small, there’s still a chance that Her Highness might die. Villendorf’s values and morals would likely protect me from meeting a grisly fate, but those wouldn’t apply to Queen Catalina. She was an anomaly within her kingdom, and no one could predict her actions.
“Sir Polidoro, I shall say it again,” Her Majesty said. “You must slice Queen Catalina’s heart asunder. The key to this negotiation isn’t the conditions we offer—it’s her heart. She lost Lord Reckenbell, who was like a mother to her, and yet the queen remains calm and unyielding. You must make her heart waver.”
“Your wish is my command,” I said.
I got up from my chair, kneeled down, and respectfully bowed. Slice asunder? How in the world am I supposed to do that? You always speak of such abstract concepts. I’ll fondle your titties. Queen Liesenlotte’s request was undoubtedly an unreasonable one, and I agonized over my future as I discreetly expelled a sigh.