112. The Relationship Between Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law
112. The Relationship Between Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law
[Episode 112] - The Relationship Between Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law.
"Hurry! Where is Her Majesty the Queen Dowager?!"
"T-this way!"
Seriously, I ran without stopping until I was breathless.
I ran so hard I wondered if I'd ever run this fast since possessing this body. Because I ran in my pajamas without even getting dressed properly, I ignored the maids chasing after me with my clothes.
Only when I felt that metallic taste in my mouth did I, Vin Chaud, and all the maids who followed behind carrying a blanket to cover me, finally arrive at the place where the Queen Dowager had been taken.
Standing before the tightly shut door, I caught my breath, carefully curled my fist, and knocked. Tok tok. Then, the Queen Dowager's healthy voice came from inside the room.
"Come in."
"Phew..."
Upon hearing the Queen Dowager's voice, Vin Chaud and I let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. I'd heard she collapsed and thought she was unconscious or in critical condition, but thankfully, it seemed she was conscious.
"Excuse me."
Entering the room, I saw the Queen Dowager sitting on the bed. Seeing her looking quite healthy, another sigh of relief escaped me before I knew it. Seriously, I thought I was going to die from anxiety.
As Vin Chaud and I entered the room, the Queen Dowager frowned and asked.
"Why is it so noisy?"
"Of course it should be noisy when Her Majesty the Queen Dowager has collapsed! Look at me! I ran here in my pajamas without even getting dressed! Look at your daughter-in-law who ran all the way here in her pajamas, shocked by the news that her mother-in-law had collapsed!"
I spread my arms to show myself. As I showed her that I'd run all the way here in pajamas that were embarrassing to show others, the Queen Dowager clicked her tongue as if she'd seen something she shouldn't have and turned her head away from me.
"Who threatened you to only wear pajamas in the middle of the day?"
"Huh?!"
"Don't make such a fuss just because an old woman collapsed once."
I let out a dry laugh at the Queen Dowager's response, finding it absurd. I'd run here barefoot in my pajamas because I was genuinely worried, but seeing this attitude made me feel resentful that I'd even run here.
As I let out another deep sigh, the maid who had followed me draped a large blanket over my shoulders. I thanked the maid and slowly walked over to the Queen Dowager's side.
"So, why did you collapse? What did the doctor say? Where exactly are you hurting?"
"......It's nothing, so don't worry about it."
"People don't collapse over nothing, Your Majesty."
I asked worriedly, but I didn't expect the Queen Dowager to answer at all. After all, that was the kind of personality she had. She wasn't the type to answer even if I pried like this.
Frustrated, I sighed and forcibly grabbed the Queen Dowager's hand hidden under the blanket. The Queen Dowager shouted at me to stop, but I tried my best to ignore her. It meant she didn't even have the strength to push me away.
The Queen Dowager's wrinkled hand was so light, as if only skin and bone remained. She didn't even have the strength to make a fist, just wrapping her hand around mine. Holding the Queen Dowager's emaciated hand, I felt a surge of emotion.
"...Since when have you been sick?"
"...It's been quite a while since it became like this."
"Then why didn't you tell me...!"
Just as I was about to shout, overcome by a boiling emotion.
"...By any chance, was I the only one who didn't know?"
I turned my head and glared at Vin Chaud as if to kill him, but he turned his head away with a pitiful expression, avoiding my gaze. That action confirmed my question.
Ha, a dry laugh escaped me. I could figure out why they hadn't told me with just a little thought. Because I was leaving the royal castle soon. Because they didn't want to worry me, as I was leaving soon.
It was undoubtedly a silence filled with good intentions.
However, if the person involved finds out, it's no longer good intentions.
It's an act of stabbing a dagger into the person's heart instead.
I bit my lower lip hard at the pain of a dagger stabbing into my heart.
Is this something to hide? If you're sick, just say you're sick; what are you supposed to do by foolishly hiding it until you collapse like this...! As I squeezed the Queen Dowager's hand tightly, she sighed and looked at me.
"Don't make a fuss. It's really nothing, which is why I didn't tell you. It's not something you need to worry about since you're leaving soon, so don't pay it any mind."
The fact that the Queen Dowager spoke so calmly, as if it were truly nothing, made my heart ache even more. It felt as if the emotion of not wanting to worry me until the very end was flowing through the hand I was holding.
"Your Majesty, if I hadn't known you were sick until I left the royal castle, and if I heard the news that you had passed away after I left..."
I gripped the Queen Dowager's hand tightly and met her eyes.
"I would live with regret for the rest of my life. I would live blaming myself, regretting, and despairing, wondering why I didn't know when I was so close. Is that how you want me to live, Your Majesty?"
The Queen Dowager said nothing. She pursed her lips, choosing what to say to me, but all that came out was a deep sigh. I stroked the back of the Queen Dowager's emaciated hand and smiled bitterly.
"...I will believe that is not the case."
I gently let go of the Queen Dowager's hand and sighed. Then I turned my head to look at Vin Chaud, who was standing behind me. Since the Queen Dowager wouldn't tell me, I had no choice but to ask Vin Chaud.
"Vin Chaud, how long has it been since the Queen Dowager became like this?"
Vin Chaud glanced at the Queen Dowager sitting on the bed, then finally sighed and answered my question. It seemed Vin Chaud also realized that this situation could no longer be smoothed over.
"...It's been since around last year. The doctors said it wasn't an illness, but simply a matter of the Queen Dowager's stamina. Her Majesty has continued to handle practical affairs until this age... so it's only natural, I suppose."
"...Right. It's a huge relief that it's not an illness."
The Queen Dowager was already well over 70, so it was only natural. She had been handling state affairs almost alone until this age. In the end, it seemed the limits of age had arrived.
"...For now, let's do this. First, Her Majesty the Queen Dowager will recuperate here. In the meantime, I and the ministers will take charge of handling state affairs."
...There was the option of having the remaining royal, Titania, return from the academy, but I didn't want to do that. Besides, I was still the 'Queen'. I had no choice but to do it in place of the Queen Dowager. It would be difficult, but if Vin Chaud or the other ministers helped, it would somehow work out.
"W-we are fine, but will Your Majesty the Queen be alright?"
"Why? Do I look that unreliable to you?"
"N-no, that's not it! As you know, Your Majesty the Queen will soon..."
They must be asking if I'll be okay since I'm leaving the royal castle soon.
Even with the help of Vin Chaud and the other ministers, handling state affairs wouldn't be an easy task. Even if I had been doing my job as Queen somewhat loosely, it would be on a different level from what the Queen Dowager had been doing.
I turned my head and looked at the Queen Dowager again. Usually, she would have said, "You're treating me like some old woman in the back room," but the Queen Dowager didn't. She just quietly watched Vin Chaud and me.
When I looked at the Queen Dowager as if to ask if it was okay for me to do that, she placed her hand on the back of mine, as if she had no choice. The Queen Dowager's hand, stroking the back of my hand with her rough skin, felt warmer than usual.
I smiled brightly and asked the Queen Dowager.
"...May I do so?"
"...I'm sorry."
I just smiled bitterly at the apology that contained permission.
"Don't be sorry. When I leave the royal castle, I'm going to take everything, including payment for this work."
"You impudent thing..."
The Queen Dowager and I made eye contact and chuckled. Perhaps even laughing for a moment was tiring; the Queen Dowager stopped laughing, let out a deep sigh, and glanced at me.
"...Do not tell Titania. I don't want to cause unnecessary worry to a child who has just gone out to see the world."
"I will do so. So, for the time being, please focus only on recuperating and recovering your health. I will come every day to monitor whether you are resting well."
"I won't be bored, then."
I smiled bitterly, got up from my seat, and took Vin Chaud out of the room. I had planned to spend the next three years rolling around in my room, worrying about how I would live after leaving the royal castle, but now that the situation had turned out like this, I couldn't just play around.
Walking down the hallway, I let out a long sigh and ordered Vin Chaud.
"Have all the ministers in the capital summoned to the royal palace by tomorrow. We need to discuss what to do from here on."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Queen."
*
A few days later, Titania's first letter arrived.
I tore open the envelope with a glad heart and asked the maid to brew some tea. When I opened the letter, the contents, written in round, cute letters, caught my eye. I took a bite of the tea and snacks the maid had served and began to read the letter Titania had sent.
「To my beloved mother.」
「I'm sorry for sending the letter late. There were quite a few things to do after arriving at the academy. Like the entrance ceremony, or getting assigned a room. The first few days after arriving at the academy were really hectic.」
「Ah, Veronica eonni was already there. As expected, she was in the form of Princess Fiona again this time. She told me to call her Fiona at the academy, but I'm a little reluctant about that face. It reminds me of old memories.」
「They say it takes a week for letters to travel between the academy and the royal castle. If it were up to me, I'd want to send you a letter every week, but Ainsel said once a month is enough, so I'll send letters once a month from now on.」
「I'll look forward to the letters you send every month from now on. Besides your stories, I also want to hear stories about the royal castle.」
Sipping my tea while reading the letter, I took out a fountain pen, ink, and the stationery I had prepared from the desk and began to worry about what to write.
I dipped the fountain pen nib into the ink and placed it on the stationery, but when I actually tried to write the letter, it wouldn't write well. By the time the ink-soaked nib had dried up and withered.
I dipped the nib in ink again and began to write on the stationery.
「To my beloved daughter, Titania.」
「Only after reading your letter saying you arrived at the academy could I finally set my mind at ease.」
「After you left for the academy, I...」