/
It was a few days after Olivia began helping out at the castle.
“Her Majesty is calling for me?”
When she was done with a portion of today’s work and was taking a short break, a maid in the queen’s service visited her room to deliver an invitation.
Like others, the queen’s maid also seems to believe the widespread rumor in the castle that [Olivia is a fool] and is taking a condescending attitude toward her.
While noticing that Taylor is frowning and contemplating whether to kick the maid out, Olivia asks the maid with a bitter smile.
“Why is Her Majesty calling for me?”
“That I do not know. Perhaps Her Majesty simply felt pity when His Highness the Crown Prince broke off his engagement with you? Her Majesty is a kind person after all.”
“Wha—.”
While stopping Taylor who was about to call out the maid for her rudeness with her hand, Olivia calmly acknowledged the invitation.
“Understood. What time should I visit Her Majesty?”
“Her Majesty said that she will hold a private tea party with you alone at noon tomorrow.”
“I see. Can you tell Her Majesty that I accept her invitation?”
The queen’s maid acknowledged her request with her chin before bowing and leaving the room.
When the door was shut behind her, Taylor immediately threw a cushion at the door.
“No matter what she’s thinking, that maid was too rude, My Lady!”
“It’s okay. It will only tire you out if you confront them about it every time you know? Besides, it’s the same as usual isn’t it.”
“You are being too lax on them again, My Lady!”
Taylor is angry but Olivia no longer cares about that kind of irreverent attitude. When she was still the Crown Prince’s fiancee, she thought that she would have to correct them someday since she will eventually become their queen but right now Olivia no longer has that obligation. That’s why she’s letting them say whatever they want. There’s not much actual harm done in the first place after all.
Thinking so, Olivia reached for the cookie plate on the table.
“Here, eat some sweets and calm down. These cookies are delicious you know?”
“Cookies? Ahh, the one that His Highness Cyrus brought.”
Accepting Olivia’s invitation, Taylor sits next to her and tries the cookie.
Olivia also picked up one. It’s a light-tasting cookie with plenty of crushed almonds mixed in.
“Olivia-sama loves almond cookies after all. As expected of His Highness Cyrus.”
Taylor’s opinion of Cyrus is high. Rather, she thinks of him so highly that there’s always this silent pressure on Olivia to get together with him.
Olivia herself doesn’t hate Cyrus either. However, she was so surprised at his sudden proposal that she can’t make a decision yet. As a noble lady, she knows that she must get married someday. That being said, as she was abandoned by the Crown Prince, Cyrus is simply too good for her.
That’s why she would have no hesitation to accept his proposal if her father, elder brother, or even Cyrus himself [Ordered] her to. A marriage for aristocrats is always political. After all, it is for the good of their house.
Olivia has already resolved herself for that but conversely, she also has nothing besides that resolve. That’s the reason why she was so confused by Cyrus who’s trying to [Persuade] her into this marriage. Just what could he possibly mean by that? What does it mean to be persuaded and what kind of decision should she make?
As long as Cyrus decided to go through with his persuasion, he would never accept her response if the reason behind it is [For the sake of her house]. In other words, unless Olivia is [Persuaded] and [Decided to choose] him herself, this marriage will not happen.
Cyrus told her that he would make her fall for him but Olivia seriously wondered if she would ever feel that way toward him. Ever since she was a child, Olivia has already separated the idea of marriage and love from each other. She doesn’t even know what romance is. In the first place, things that a duke’s daughter like herself are free to choose for herself are extremely limited. It’s supposed to be like that.
(Why didn’t Father say anything about this

.?)
As though he is saying that it’s okay for Olivia to turn down Cyrus’s proposal, her father remains silent to this day.
It felt like she was solving an abstract puzzle.
Olivia is the type that always tries to choose the right answer to any given situation. But, what kind of answer would be the [Right] one in a situation like this?
(No good, I don’t get it at all

)
As Olivia chewed on the almond cookies, she started thinking of how to deal with this [Difficulty] that she has not felt for a while.
“Mother invited Olivia to a private tea party?”
At the report from his aide, Colin, Cyrus involuntarily clicked his tongue.
He thought that his mother would make her move at some point but he didn’t expect it to be this fast.
(So she already heard that Olivia is helping with Aniue’s work already huh
..)
As he was about to leave his room, Cyrus looked back at Colin.
“Did Tiana come to the castle today?”
Olivia was greeted with a smile when she visited the queen in her room.
She had been engaged to Alan for a long time but as far as she remembers, outside the formal parties, she doesn’t recall meeting the queen privately for a tea party like this.
She is a little concerned by the queen’s maids’ frosty gazes but the moment she sat down on the couch, the queen immediately dismissed them.
There was already a tea set and a plate with colorful sweets on the table but there was something aside from those that got her attention.
(
..a chessboard?)
A chessboard was set in the middle of the table. Is the queen a chess player? It’s not that there are no women who play chess but there should only be very few women who do in this country.
“First of all, I must apologize for the Crown Prince’s rudeness. On his behalf, I’m sorry.”
The queen said that in a dignified voice and elegantly lowered her head.
Seeing that, Olivia hurriedly corrected her sitting posture and shook her head.
“Please don’t lower your head, Your Majesty.”
“No, I must set this right. Even if I was not aware of his intention, the Crown Prince’s action was simply too disrespectful

..His Majesty as well, I wonder why he allowed him to do such a thing.”
The queen slightly creased her eyebrows before lightly sighing.
Then, when she saw that Olivia stiffened up because of her, she immediately relaxed her expression.
“This is the first time we have a tea party together like this isn’t it. I’d like you to relax and enjoy this. Today’s tea was made from the leaves from my brother’s territory. They are quite a delicacy you know.”
“Yes, thank you, Your Majesty.”
Being urged to try the tea, Olivia put the teacup to her mouth. The tea was both fragrant and sweet, certainly a delicious tea.
“That’s right, I heard that you are helping with the Crown Prince’s work right now right. Is that true?”
The queen also puts the teacup to her mouth before gently asking her a question. Contrary to her voice, her almond-shaped eyes don’t seem to be so relaxed.
Olivia jumped for a moment.
Perhaps, the queen has called her here today to find fault with her? Certainly, Olivia is no longer the Crown Prince’s fiancee. She has no right to help with his work.
Still, that was an order from the King.
Olivia erased her expression and tried to guess at the queen’s intention but since she can not afford to lie, she obediently answered.
“Yes. I’m currently assisting His Highness with a small portion of his work.”
“You don’t have to be so humble you know. I’ve already heard from the ministers that you are taking care of most of his work after all.”
She doesn’t know which minister told her that but they sure said something unnecessary.
Olivia wanted to click her tongue.
“According to what I heard, it seems that you’ve done most of that child work until now, correct?”
“
..yes.”
“I see

.I doubted my ears when I first heard of this but it seems that it was true after all.”
After finishing her tea, the queen set aside her empty teacup and suddenly presented Olivia with a box of chess pieces.
“Do you play?”
“Eh? Yes, I’m aware of the rules but
..”
“Is that so, then how about a match with me? Of course, you don’t have to hold back.”
At this moment, Olivia has absolutely no idea what the queen is thinking.
TLN: A bit long but we will be with the king and queen for a few more chapters.