When they finally arrived back in the palace, Eugene was immediately escorted into her room, and servants rushed around her, fussing on her condition. One even went as far as to summon the doctor.
As she watched all this, there was only one thought that ran through her headâŚ
Iâm never saying Iâm sick again.
She sat obediently on her bed, letting them ask her questions, and answering honestly. Everyone was so concerned, and it might be an exaggeration on her part, but she was certain by this point everyone had gone in to ask about her well-being at least once.
She wanted to be alone, with her thoughts without people around her. The excuse of being sick completely backfired as it sent the people into a worried frenzy. She shouldâve thought about it more. After all, when youâre a Queen, there was no such thing as being just ill.
Itâs almost like the last time I pretended to be sick. Eugene thought, remembering the way people crowded around her, including doctors, when she first arrived in the palace. All were asking after her, about how she felt, any discomfort.
But unlike before, the King, too, was fussing over her. She even spotted the Grand Chamberlain by the corner, accompanied by his servants, taking up space at one side of her room. Despite the large space inside the bedroom, it was filled with people, making the entire place feel a little stuffy.
âDo you feel dizzy and nauseous?â the doctor asked her, and Eugene shook her head.
âNo, it was only a little discomfort,â she said, trying not to let it show she was only pretending to feel sick. She only wanted to be alone, thatâs why she faked having a light stomachache, to which she insisted she was fine now.
Another servant entered, in their hands were documents, which General Sarah had received. The papers were then handed over to the head physician, who scanned the documents briefly with a slight frown.
âYou didnât eat any more or different than usualâŚâ the doctor murmured under his breath as he read through the document, and Eugene then realized what the servant had brought in.
Wait, does this mean everything that I eat was being recorded?
And while she had figured that being Queen would give her little to no privacy, it was still a chilling thought to know someone was always watching her at every waking moment.
Judging by the physicianâs nonchalance on her knowledge about the records, it was completely normal for them to monitor what sheâs been eating. After realizing this, another thought popped into her mindâŚ
For Jin to have eluded everyone to sneak out, sheâs pretty amazing. she thought in amazement. She was obviously no match to the cunningness of Jin.
âWell, there isnât a clear explanation. Sometimes, psychological factors do have an effect on digestion. Fortunately, the condition does not seem to be severe, so I will prescribe some medication that will aid digestion. A short walk after your medication will help you recover, Your Majesty.â the head physician told her after further examination.
However, just before they leave entirely, Kasser interrupts, airing a new concern.
âWas there a change in the cooking staff recently?â He asked, and the physicians exchanged looks until one of the servants from the kitchen answeredâŚ
âThere was a new assistant cook, Your Highness.â the servant said, âI can fetch him this instant.â
âNo need,â Kasser said with a frown, âLook through the ingredients that were used in cooking the Queenâs dinner,â he ordered, and the servants bowed.
âYes, Your Highness.â
You donât have to do all that! Eugene wanted to say, but didnât. She could only watch quietly the matter had gotten out of hand rather quickly, especially with Kasserâs incessant worry.
Although Kasser had only instructed them to check, she knew very clearly how much of a hassle it would bring the servants. Eugene felt guilty for making everyone do unnecessary things because she faked her illness just to go back home.
âYour Majesty, Iâm alright.â Eugene insisted, sitting up, âHonestly, I feel extremely better than I was an hour ago. I would like to talk to you in private.â she added, giving the king a pointed stare before Kasser ordered anything else to the general officer or any of the remaining servants.
Sighing in resignation, Kasser looked at his people.
âYou can all leave now,â He ordered them. When everyone cleared out, only silence remained, and Eugene finally let out a relaxed sigh, with a mental promise of not doing anything as drastic as that again.
She needed to remember she couldnât just make excuses; she was acting like a Queen now.
But despite her fake illness being blown way out of proportion, she was a little happy by the thought of having that many people so concerned about her.
It was heartwarming. Back when she was just Eugene, little to none was ever that concerned about her.
It was a pleasant change.
âIâd like to apologize to you, Your Highness,â she said, âIâve wasted your time by going to the village and not even able to see it through.â
âYou have nothing to apologize for.â
âI think I do,â Eugene insisted, âYouâre a very busy man, donât bother denying it.â she added when Kasser tried to protest, âAnd here I am, adding to your burden.â she finished, looking down at her hands, fiddling with her fingers.
Kasser watched the Queen, and when they locked eyes, she brought them back down. Kasser, too, looked away at the odd feeling he got.
âI didnât think you were a burden.â he corrected, âAnd going to the village is never a waste of time.â
The awkward tension between them remained until Kasser cleared his throat.
âYou should get some rest,â He said, nodding at her and moved to leave, when Eugene called out for himâŚ
âYour Highness,â Kasser paused when he heard her and turned to look.
Their eyes met, and Eugeneâs words died in her throat. She didnât know why she called out, all she knew was she wanted him to stay even a little longer.
âW-what happened, a little while ago,â she stuttered, trying to cover up her longing, âThose things, um, was that the usual way of things?â she asked, and gave him a nervous smile, âIf you recall I forgot how things work, so I was wondering if those reactions were normal.â
And before she knew it, she began blabbing about things sheâd been keeping ever since sheâs arrived.
âMarianneâs a great help, but there are some things I canât talk about with her.â she added, âI worry sheâll think poorly of me. Not that sheâs treating me poorly, sheâs been very kind-â
Kasser raised his hand, trying to placate her to stop her rambling.
âNo need to further explain,â he tells her, âAnd while I canât understand your position completely, I do understand how hard it can be to open up to the people working for you.â
âYou,â Eugene blinked, âYou do?â
âSo you wanted to know if this is how things are usually done, or if Iâve done extra measures when youâve lost your memory, was that correct?â he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed, and Eugene nodded.
âYes,â she said.
She was taken aback at how well he was able to articulate her thoughts so quickly and simply. He was indeed such a clever man.
Come to think of it, every conversation theyâve had has gone rather smoothly. He hadnât even pulled rank over her whenever she demanded things from him. Heâd always been willing to listen to what she had to say and never dismissed her.
Three years heâs been married to Jin. She could tell just how much patience and generosity this man had.
In her novel, the Desert King was a stubborn, one-way street kind of man. His driving force had only ever been vengeance on Jin. Despite being the most powerful in her novel, Eugene was never quite satisfied with writing his part.
And though it would have been perfect if the most powerful king also had excellent leadership, the Desert King never found the time to mingle with any of the other kings. Whenever there were gatherings, heâd always be the first to leave when the important talks were over, often making up excuses for duties and responsibilities.
It was the very reason the Salt King always quarreled with him. Whenever the two kings would meet, things would take an ugly turn, souring the jovial mood immediately.
Had Eugene wrote the Desert King as the man before her currently was, perhaps her story could have gone better. Perhaps even differently.
When writing characters in novels, itâs quite difficult to create a round character, where they develop over the story. Which was why most of the time, the characters sheâs made were rather static, characters with one-dimensional personality, that was it was easier to steer the plot to go in one direction.
After all, a character may very well steer the course of the story in a totally different direction.
This isnât the character I wrote. Eugene thought as she watched Kasser. This is a different person altogether.
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Ying and Livyâs current translations (from left to right)