Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 111

Vermel’s mother’s study was larger than expected. As the queen and Viscountess Manere entered alone, Viscountess Manere struggled to hide her curiosity. A private audience with the queen without the Margrave present was highly unusual.

“How old is your eldest son? Is he still studying?” The queen’s first question was innocuous enough, spoken as she perched on the desk.

Viscountess Manere answered straightforwardly, “The eldest is eighteen and attending the academy. The second and third show potential as knights and are currently serving as squires to Count Coneard.”

“What position do you want for them in the future?”

“Pardon?”

Viscountess Manere looked up, puzzled. The queen’s expression was inscrutable.

“You’ve stuck close to Namirea all this time for your children’s future, haven’t you? I’m asking what exactly you aim to achieve through all that effort.”

Viscountess Manere’s face tightened with tension. She hadn’t expected such words from the seemingly childlike queen.

Watching the queen’s expression cautiously, Viscountess Manere lowered her head and stated her ambitions. “I hope to place my eldest in the High Court and have the second and third join the Royal Guard.”

“Good. Simple enough.”

Queen Miesa continued easily, “Granting positions like those isn’t difficult. But positions beyond their means won’t do them any good. Ensure your children develop real skills. If necessary, I can help find good mentors.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Viscountess Manere quickly gathered her thoughts. This was strange. If the queen were just a puppet of the Margrave of Cladnier, she wouldn’t make such promises so readily.

Perhaps her assumptions about the queen were wrong. Viscountess Manere, skilled in pleasing others, swiftly adjusted her stance. The young queen, despite her delicate appearance, required careful consideration.

As the queen observed her, she spoke slowly, “Good deeds should be repaid.”

“I will serve Your Majesty faithfully as your hands and feet.”

Before Manere could finish her rehearsed pledge, Miesa shook her head. “No, I don’t trust words alone.”

Viscountess Manere found herself meeting the queen’s gaze. The queen’s face, devoid of emotion, mirrored that of the Margrave of Cladnier.

“Give me something that could be used against you. I will judge your loyalty based on what you offer.”

“Ah…”

Manere found herself unable to respond easily.

This queen is no ordinary person, she thought. Despite the talk of divine revelations and sudden clarity, it seemed likely the queen had been in her right mind all along.

If she wasn’t, Gella, a commoner, wouldn’t have acted so familiar with her. The two were as close as sisters, suggesting many conversations had occurred.

This meant the queen had been fully aware during her time at Cladnier, enduring everything at the palace with a clear mind. Realizing this sent a chill down Viscountess Manere’s spine.

It was hard to believe that the young woman, whom she thought sat on the throne thanks to the Margrave, was in fact a master of strategy, waiting for her moment to strike.

With a trembling voice, she asked, “A weakness, Your Majesty?”

“If you cannot even understand what I mean, there’s no need to keep you around.”

The queen, who had just offered sweet promises, now spoke coldly, as if ready to dismiss her immediately, causing Viscountess Manere to feel bewildered. She had never encountered such direct coercion and threats before, so she hastily offered a suitable answer in her panic.

“Well, the actual tax revenue from our fief is higher than what’s recorded in the books. I would have to check to know the exact amount, but…”

Of course, it would be painful to part with that money, but considering it an investment in the future made it somewhat easier.

However, the queen merely sneered. “How utterly shallow. That’s your loyalty?”

“But, Your Majesty…”

As Viscountess Manere tried to explain, the queen raised her hand, signaling she didn’t want to hear it. “Your husband, Viscount Manere, works under Count Silanz as a financial officer, correct?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“I was planning to start by examining the Ministry of Finance anyway. Every year, 80,000 jeres are allocated for the defense budget of the northwestern border under the pretext of national defense. Did that money truly reach the Cladis region?”

Viscountess Manere’s eyes widened in shock.

How much does the queen know? Could it be that their measures to leave no evidence of her husband’s assistance to Count Silanz were insufficient?

While discrepancies in the fief’s income could be excused as accounting errors, being branded the offspring of a corrupt official was an entirely different matter. Tampering with the defense budget would jeopardize her children’s positions in the High Court and the Royal Guards.

As she anxiously darted her eyes around, the queen raised one corner of her mouth. “Don’t misunderstand me. I’m giving you a chance. If you were to leave this room and call me a madwoman, I could have you executed for blasphemy on the spot.”

“Th-that’s…”

“Or, by law, I could strip you of everything and bleed you dry. Do you think I’m asking for your weakness because I need it?”

As she listened to the queen’s words, Viscountess Manere’s legs grew weak. The queen’s eerie smile and tone, as if she found all this amusing, bore an uncanny resemblance to the former king, Vermelique II.

“I regret that you’re not immediately aligning with me. I want a loyal ally. So, leave the palace immediately.”

With that, Miesa stood up, smiling wryly. As Miesa deliberately brushed past her, Viscountess Manere awkwardly knelt and grabbed the queen’s hem.

“Your Majesty.”

Hesitating, as she still hadn’t finished calculating in her mind, Miesa calmly said instead of shaking her off, “I will call the guards.”

“P-please wait. I—”

“Who’s out there!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Come in. Escort Viscountess Manere out of the palace immediately.”

Two guards marched in and grabbed Manere by her arms. As she flailed, she shouted at Miesa, “Your Majesty, please wait!”

In this urgent situation, Manere began to sweat coldly.

“You’re wasting my time.” As the queen shook off the hand gripping her dress, Manere’s mind raced faster.

She’s no ordinary opponent. The queen might know everything.

Thinking the upright Margrave Cladnier would take no special actions, I handed my brother-in-law to him, but I didn’t expect his wife to be this cunning. If this queen, possibly more terrifying than the Margrave, has already uncovered my secrets…

It might be better to confess first. Manere closed her eyes tightly and said desperately, “Your Majesty, there is one thing that can prove my loyalty.”

“If you spout nonsense again, I’ll add the crime of insolence. Are you prepared for that?”

“Y-yes, I am.”

Miesa dismissed the guards and sat back on the desk.

“This is your last chance.”

Even after that, Manere opened and closed her mouth several times. Though she had made up her mind, she still felt like a mouse before a snake.

After a moment, Viscountess Manere began to speak in a suppressed voice. “…In exchange for helping the Margrave, I asked for a favor. My brother-in-law, Lord Manere, caused a lot of trouble, so I asked to have him confined in a monastery or something—”

The queen frowned and cut her off, “I need to call the guards again.”

“No, there’s more. Please hear me out.”

Manere pleaded tearfully, but the queen’s response was curt.

“Get to the point.”

“My sons are actually Lord Manere’s children.”

The queen fell silent, seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, she asked again, “Not your husband’s children, but your brother-in-law’s?”

“Yes.”

Manere began to sob, and the queen silently pondered.

She knew that some people kept lovers.

She knew that illegitimate children were discriminated against. She had seen the Duke of Salachez get finger-pointed at during banquets.

But to bear children with a brother-in-law—is that worse than a typical illegitimate child, or is it somewhat acceptable? The queen’s lack of understanding of this particular nuance was the issue. She was stumped.

“Hmm…”

Months ago, Miesa lay in the bedroom of the Cladnier mansion while Madam Cladnier explained the administrative structure and pointed out who was who. She remembered the talk about Count Silanz, the head of the finance department, and how the entire department was far from clean.

One day, Eirik had mentioned that there were “temporarily insufficient funds after the war,” and recalling this, Miesa decided to make a calculated guess. As she observed Viscountess Manere’s expression gradually change, Miesa continued, thinking about the general lack of integrity within the Ministry of Finance. She figured that if she cast a wide enough net, she might catch something significant, and indeed, Manere’s reaction confirmed her suspicions.

So the children are her brother-in-law’s. But how valuable is this secret? The queen asked calmly, “Why was Lord Manere confined to the monastery?”

“I am ashamed to say that due to our issues, he became a cripple and fell into gambling, accumulating a significant amount of debt. He also caused trouble with other families more than once…”

Oh. A significant issue indeed. As Miesa pieced together the information, Manere continued, “In fact, while it’s true he contacted others to inform them he was sent to a sanatorium, he also threatened to tell my husband about the children. I took the lead in hiding him.”

So her husband doesn’t know who the father of her children is. Realizing the weight of this secret, the queen replied, masking her satisfaction. “Very well. What was said here must remain unknown to the Margrave.”

“Thank you. Your Majesty, thank you.”

Given Eirik’s personality, he would likely be uncomfortable with having helped in such a matter and would probably disdain Viscountess Manere. However, Miesa needed her, and since she had just learned of these transgressions, she did not feel particularly repulsed by them.

Accepting Viscountess Manere’s gratitude, Miesa added, “Tomorrow, I will announce your appointment as Chief Lady-in-Waiting.”

“Thank you. I will make sure to be mindful of my conduct and words.”

“Good.” Miesa nodded and left the study.