âNice to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Yuria of the Duke of Mavis.â
âIt must look like that when the Milky Way shines under the sunlight.â
I thought of that when I saw her shiny hair.
But who was she, who couldnât hide her hostility towards me like that?
I didnât recall there being such a person within the nine nobles.
As evidence of that, the conquerorsâ table was on the other side of me, and Yuria seemed to have walked out from the center table.
Yuria Mavis.
YuriaâŠâŠ Mavis.
The Duke of âMavisâ had an important magic stone mine, so I was used to this name, but âYuriaâ didnât come to mind.
Then, my eyes suddenly opened wide.
An image came to my mind like a lightning bolt.
âThe heroine from <Legend of the Black Prince>?!â
I traced my memory of the original, which had long since become my reality.
Although it was an exhausting mass-produced fantasy novel, even in such a novel, there was a person who could be called the heroine, the female protagonist.
A woman who was constantly longing for Rixus.
A woman who was very honest with her feelings and had no hesitation in her carrying out her desires.
âIn the original work, she was described as looking like an angel who had her wings cut off, but in reality⊠Sheâs even more innocent.â
Although she had eyes that showed her hatred for me, she was so beautiful that she just looked pitiful.
Yuria Mavis was the famous daughter of the outstanding Duke of Mavis, who was related to a margrave.
(TL/N: the raws are ambiguous on her relations to the âmargraveâ part here, Iâm just basing off what was said later.)
Due to her weak body, she was confined in her room from a very young age until her debut. Her friends consisted of the birds outside the window, and her nanny.
Of course, she suffered from severe loneliness, but there was no way to save her. It was because the duke prohibited his daughter, who suffered from even a mild cold, from going out due to her constitution.
That was why Yuria, who was always obedient to the dukeâs words, went out secretly that day.
Some force of fate must have acted.
âShe was walking around the market alone and met an armed robber.â
âWasnât Rixus being chased at that time too?â
So, he was probably dressed as a commoner.
That lame scene that the writer scrawled lazilyâŠ
For Yuria, it would have been the warmth of another she felt for the first time in her life.
Like a little bird breaking out of a cold eggshell, she âimprintedâ on the young man who saved her and fell in love.
She returned safely to the dukeâs house and used all her means to search for Rixus.
Even the huge difference in status as a commoner was not a problem for her.
However, the identity of the commoner manâs name was unknown⊠She fell in love and was ill alone.
âThen she fatefully met him at her debutante.â
After that, all I could think of was the appearance of Yuria, who devoted all her heart to wooing him.
By any means, she tried to get Rixus.
She was weak and delicate, but she was a character who went straight towards her goal.
I didnât hate her, at least in the original.
Even so, the reason I didnât quickly remember the name âYuria Mavisâ when I heard it was simple.
âThe amount of scenes she appeared in. Heinously little!â
She was of very little importance. The reason was simple.
First of all, it was because the romance genre was pretty much non-existent, and the main character, Rixus, did not express his feelings to her.
While Yuriaâs longing for him was evident, Rixusâ was not. His motive for saving Yuria was simply that âhis people were in dangerâ.
However, despite her unrequited love, she never got tired.
Two things were clear to me there.
Despite that angelic face and fragile image, Yuria was actually a very strong person.
AndâŠ
Because of Yuria, the original was distorted again!
âWhy is she in the capital now?â
She should be recuperating in Malta. To my knowledge, she would return to the capital only in the mid-to-late part of the original story. But now she was right in front of me.
If I had to guess, it was probably because of the news of my marriage with Rixus.
I tried to perceive her thinking and started speaking with a cold face.
âLady Mavis, Iâve heard a lot about you.â
ââŠAbout me?â
The silver eyelashes that hung over her light blue eyes trembled slightly as if in surprise.
âYes, youâre the niece of the Margrave?â
She quickly corrected her shaky expression and looked straight at me.
âYou seem to have already understood a lot about Aktoum⊠Indeed, you are amazing.â
Madam Verdi, who was quietly listening from the side, came forward.
âNot only that, but Her Majesty the Queen has already showed a lot of impressive appearances in Aktoumâs society.â
âDid I?â
To my question, Madam Verdi answered with a smile, her eyes curved.
âYes! So there were many nobles who wanted you to enter our salon. It was the same for me too.â
It was said that some of the previous empresses didnât even get an invitation to this salon⊠I could see why the elusive invitation was sent to me even before I got married.
When Madam Verdi praised me, Yuriaâs face suddenly turned sour.
I asked her softly.
âLady Mavis, butâŠwhy did you ask me to actively participate?â
When Madam Verdi said to enjoy comfortably because it was the first day, didnât Yuria say she wanted me to participate?
Whether I participate or not was irrelevant to her. Was it something she just felt like saying? I remembered her tone being quite challenging for such a thing.
âThe reason is, Your MajestyâŠâ
That was when Yuria started her sentence. Suddenly, a happy squirrel-like man ran up to me.
âYour Majesty, Your Majesty the Queen! I am Count Blanche of the House of Metheus.â
Hahaha. Count Metheus smiled cheerfully, sticking out his protruding front teeth like a quokka. He didnât even know that he had interrupted the ducal lady.
âYou donât know how much of an honor it is to meet you like this. Please, I would like to have you at our table! Your Majesty!â
In the end, because of the bright, happy and tactless Count âQuokkaâ, the conversation with Yuria ended like that.
(TL/N: This happens often â because he looks like a quokka, Berylia calls him âCount Quokkaâ in her mind instead of his actual name âBlanche Metheusâ.)
But the table he was guiding me to was pretty good.
First of all, it was in the center, so I could see the atmosphere of the salon all at once, and the refreshments were delicious.
I had a good time being treated with seasonal fruits by Count Quokka and talking about the history of art.
When the gathering was in full swingâ
Madam Verdi went up on the podium and tapped the magic toolâs loudspeaker.
âAhââ
The microphone-shaped magic tool glowed purple and then returned to normal.
Her clear eyes shone as she started off.
âWelcome to the House Verdiâs salon today.â
ââŠâŠâ
âIt has been 27 years since I inherited this salon with a 100-year history.â
Her light voice rang through the crowd.
âThere have been many honors throughout those times, but today especially, the Queen of Spinel has visited us.â
âWow!â
Next to me, Count Quokka clapped and cheered loudly.
âNo, or should I call her âOur Crown Princessâ now? I sincerely thank Her Majesty for taking such precious steps.â
Perhaps this was the real time for applause as the other nobles cheered and applauded me.
I nodded my head slightly in response.
âThen shall we enjoy the âShooting Competitionâ first on this glorious day? Participants, please raise your hands in turn.â
Some nobles began to raise their hands in a hurry.
âI better take a look first.â
It was an atmosphere of free participation. So there was no pressure.
When I glanced at Yuria, she was just sitting still.
Our eyes just met⊠Or was it just my imagination?â
As I was gently stroking the handle of the teacup in an awkward mood, Madam Verdi added.
âAh, the first prize in todayâs Shooting Competition is âVerdiâs recommendation letterâ.â
âŠâŠWhat? Letter of recommendation?! The image was clearly captured in my drowsy eyes. If it was a recommendation letter, it was different.
Should I participate?
It made me feel good to imagine three maids who would be happy with their eyes twinkling after receiving a letter of recommendation.
I raised my hand with excitement. Then a strange thing happened.
Yuria, who had been sitting still the whole time, raised her hand as well.
âI want to participate too.â
ââŠâŠâ
She was staring at me boldly. Her eyes were so cold that my heart was horrified.
Only then did I understand what she meant by wishing for my active participation.
Ah⊠I wanted to avoid making enemies with Yuria as much as possible.
But I hated losing more.
âAs the owner of the salon, I am very happy because so many people have applied to participate. Then, letâs start the Shooting Competition!â
Clap, clap, clap clap!
Under the bright sunlight, thunderous applause poured out, and in the midst of that, Yuria looked at me arrogantly and then turned her head.
But it wasnât threatening at all.
Because I was pretty confident in shooting.
âIâve been shooting for decades, itâs ridiculous if I canât even get first place.â
It was a little depressing, but in a swampy area, there was nothing more fun than hitting arrows in a tree.
However, I needed a Spinel-style bow to show my skills.
âShe has prepared sensibly.â
Was she being considerate of me? A Spinel-style bow was also provided.
A Spinel-style bow was small in size, and it was characterized by a sharp shot meant to inflict precise fatal wounds on the target.
Itâs capabilities were different from Aktoumâs bow, which boasted great destructive power, as much as its heavy size.
The nobles came out one after the other and began to pick their bows.
It was a match to hit a small apple from a pretty long distance.
Even a lady who could not handle a bow at all could participate, but it was only possible if there was someone who offered to shoot the bow instead of her.
Yuria said to the remaining crowd.
âWould there be a gentleman who would be my bow?â
The moment she opened her mouth, several men stepped forward.
However, there was another man who was the first to get down on one knee and put out his hand.
âMy lady, will you give me that glory?â
It was a man whose eyes were so thin that I could barely see his pupils. With a confident smile that somehow felt ominous.
Count Quokka whispered to me with a surprised expression.
âYour Majesty, that is Baron Ignes, who is called the âMoon Archerâ. Actually, the first place has been decided.â
Madam Verdi had a slightly perplexed expression on her face. The queen was participating for the first time, and she seemed embarrassed, perhaps she thought no one would step out for her and she would be humiliated.
But soon she asked with a gentle smile.
âWhich man would Your Majesty pick as a bow?â
âWell.â
Perhaps they all had the same idea, as the eyes of the nobles were focused on me.
âIâŠâŠ.â
I waved the sharp arrow in a bored manner and glanced at the eyes focused on me.
Some of the men were already getting ready to step out.
As my languid gaze swept the area once, I twisted my lips.