“Let us start by discussing Sue. There is no doubt that Sue is a descendant of the Victory family and the daughter of Baron Victory.”
“Yes. But I was told that Sue’s mother has already passed away, and that her father’s identity is unknown.”
“Mmm. That understanding is correct. And that is precisely why Sue’s existence is a rather delicate matter within noble society.”
If Sue had been born to an unmarried mother who didn’t even know who her father was, then it was inevitable that she would be regarded as something of a problem within aristocratic circles. That explained why, when I first met Sue in the Southern Margrave’s territory, the third son of that count’s family had treated her more like a maid than a noble lady.
But if the Queen had called herself Sue’s adoptive mother, then…
“Your Majesty, could it be that Sue’s father was actually known, but that his identity had to be kept secret?”
“Hehe, as expected of you, Shun. Emilia was praising you as someone quite capable, you know.”
Apparently, my guess had been correct. Although, now I was more interested in exactly what Emilia-sama had told the Queen about me. After all, the Queen was looking at me with an exceptionally pleased smile.
“It is nothing so complicated. Sue’s mother, Marsha, and His Majesty simply made a mistake one night.”
“Wait, wait. I’m pretty sure that’s actually a very big deal…”
The Queen spoke as though there were nothing particularly unusual about it, but somehow, it felt like an absolutely enormous problem to me.
Sue, meanwhile, was growing increasingly flustered as she listened to the Queen casually reveal more and more about her past.
“Marsha was an exceptionally beautiful and intelligent woman—the very embodiment of a noble lady. Even I found her quite charming. She was also the tutor of my son, the Crown Prince.”
Yeah… I could pretty much see where this was going.
As the Queen continued talking about Sue without the slightest hesitation, Sue began to panic.
“Well, as luck would have it, I happened to catch them in the act myself. Naturally, even I was furious. I beat His Majesty black and blue while he was stark naked, made him sit seiza, and gave him a thorough scolding.”
“Whoa… You actually caught them cheating in the act.”
“His Majesty was entirely at fault in this matter. He was unable to control his feelings after becoming attracted to Marsha. Naturally, I had Marsha resign from her position as tutor, but I made sure she received suitable compensation in return.”
If the most powerful man in the entire kingdom came after you, refusing him would probably be pretty difficult. And considering the circumstances, I could certainly understand the Queen’s anger.
“So, after Sue was born, her mother eventually passed away from an illness?”
“That is correct. His Majesty deeply regretted what had happened, and he would often visit Sue under the pretext of meeting with the baron. Sue had done absolutely nothing wrong, after all. So I treated her just as I would my own daughter.”
The Queen sipped her tea—now slightly cooled—as if to regain her composure.
To think that Sue harbored such a secret…
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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