I froze as I stared dumbfounded at his naked body.
His body was submerged up to his thighs in the fountain, leaving everything above exposed.
His body was packed with muscle, as I had assumed in the past when he escorted me.
He looked very different from when he was wearing clothes.
His abdomen, thighs, collarbone, and broad back made him look like a statue in a temple.
His beautiful wet skin looked somewhat sensual, and his handsome face was completely visible with his hair flipped back.
Water droplets glistened all over his body under the moonlight, making him look like an elf.
However, he also had a strange part attached to his body.
That huge part⊠I donât think any statue in a temple would have it, nor would an elf.
âWhen he turned into a bird, did he lose his clothes?â
I suspected that Queen was Heinley. However, checking it out with my own eyes made my heart beat very fast. Especially because I saw him in a very stimulating way.
âAlthough I had suspected he was a bird; I didnât expect him to be nakedâŠâ
So, I hugged, kissed and patted Heinley on the rearâŠ!
To prevent myself from screaming, I bit my tongue hard.
Seeing Heinleyâs naked body in front of me, I was thinking about what I had done when I had him in my arms.
I should be mad at Heinley for deceiving me, for being so cruel and for separating me from âQueenâ.
But I was too bewildered that I couldnât even feel angry.
Besides, I was too embarrassed.
As I bit my lips, Heinley came out of the fountain and went somewhere.
After waiting there for a moment, I looked around and hurried back to the detached palace.
âAngry⊠I should be angry.â
As soon as I got back to my room, and racked my brains trying to get out as much anger as possible.
I should be angry at him for deceiving me without intentionally letting him know of what I had been feeling.
It was only normal to feel this way.
But no matter how hard I tried, all I could think about was his naked body.
His naked body leftâŠa strong impression on me. It dwelled on my mind.
âWhat should I do?â
I wanted to give Heinley a chance to be honest.
Since he said that everything about the bird tribe was confidential, I had never thought that he intentionally deceived me.
So now that we are married, I wanted to give him a chance to be honest.
But what if he were to admit it honestly?
Naturally, heâll think of me hugging him and patting his rear⊠Again, the Heinley that appeared in the fountain had appeared like an illusion.
Finally, I buried my head in a pillow.
ââŠShould I pretend not to know?â
***
The next day.
Shocking news also reached Sovieshu in the Eastern Empire.
âSo Navier is in the Western KingdomâŠâ
After receiving the report from his subordinate, Sovieshu smiled and rested his hand on his forehead.
âAre you sure?â
âYes, she settled in the royal palace.â
Sovieshu laughed as if he was listening to a good joke.
With the distance between the Western Kingdom and the Eastern Empire, several days must have passed since Navier stayed at the Western Kingdom Palace.
He continued to laugh out loud in a state of despondency. The strong sense of betrayal made him shudder.
As angry as she was, how⊠how could she immediately become the queen of another country?
He could not understand it at all.
If she didnât harbor any feelings for him from the beginning, how could she remarry so soon?
âDamn.â
He regretted burning the letters she exchanged with Heinley. Perhaps there was a secret message hidden in those seemingly ordinary letters.
Sovieshu suppressed his anger and ordered his subordinate to leave. As soon as he left, he gritted his teeth and stomped his foot.
Navier had been his wife from a very young age. Not a concubine, but a wife. A wife who had always been by his side and should continue to be by his side in the future.
Other than that, the Navier Family was a prestigious family that produced empresses.
The empress did not leave the same family all the time to avoid marriage between close relatives.
But among all the families, it was the most prestigious for having produced the largest number of empresses.
âA woman from that family married the King of the Western Kingdom?â
Sovieshu clenched his fist and punched the wall repeatedly.
Surely she was angry, but isnât there a line that must not be crossed?
Sovieshu considered Navierâs actions to be beyond the âlineâ.
âMarquis Karl.â
Sovieshu in the end could not calm his anger, so he called Marquis Karl and ordered,
âMy wedding to Rashta must be hastened.â
âAre youâŠsure?â
âWe should have the wedding before the baby is born. But a wedding is also exhausting, so itâs better to do it before the pregnancy is too far along.â
âThatâs true.â
âI want the wedding to be as grand as possible.â
Marquis Karl nodded and looked worriedly at Sovieshu. Only now did he notice that Sovieshu was more agitated than usual.
Marquis Karl also noticed that the area around Sovieshuâs eyes was slightly reddened.
âYour MajestyâŠ?â
âNavier will have to come to the wedding⊠Iâll make her regret it.â
âYour MajestyâŠâ
Sovieshu closed his eyes tightly.
Navier had not yet had her wedding. If she was going to have a wedding, the invitations would also arrive here.
He intended to have his wedding before Navierâs, so that Navier would regret it when she saw his splendid, grandiose wedding.
He knew this was shameful, but he had no other way to appease his anger.
âSighâŠâ
After venting inside, Sovieshu asked casually as he struggled to calm his agitated mind.
âWhat is the public opinion about Rashta now?â
âIt has always been good, but now it is better because of the rejection of Navierâs actions.â
âI see, thatâs a relief.â
The high society people were trying to look good in Rashtaâs eyes. Sovieshu knew that would happen. In fact, all they were trying to do was to look good themselves behind Rashta.
Not that they expected Rashta to become the empress. On the contrary, even those who were close to Rashta were more likely to be shocked if she became the empress.
Although not many commoners became empresses, the nobles always opposed those who did.
Of course, she now had noble parents, but the early image of her would not disappear so easily.
âPublic opinion is important to Rashta.â
âYes. But⊠I donât know if the current public opinion will remain as it was when itâs finally announced that Miss Rashta will take the position of the empress.â
âI donât think so.â
Sovieshu, who had repeatedly clenched and extended his fists, finally sat down at his desk and ordered,
âGive Rashtaâs parents a worthy honorary position to look after their image.â