Queen in the Shadows

Chapter 5

“Thank you for your condolences,” murmured Riaveric. “I have no doubt that Her Ladyship has found peace by Goddess Gaia’s side. It’s just... difficult for those who remain. We must live with that pain.”

“You must’ve been close,” Elena offered.

“Yes, we were close. Like real sisters. I’m trying to bury her in my heart, little by little, but the real concern is the one I serve—her father. Even though it’s been three months, he has not been able to accept his only daughter’s death.”

Chesana nodded, her heart sad. “That’s just how parents are. If something like that had happened to Elena, we would’ve been the same.”

Frederick’s expression hardened—he didn’t even want to think about such a thing. For parents, the agony of losing a child couldn’t be compared, even to the pain of cutting out every organ.

“Her father is someone who has everything in the world, and if he doesn’t have it, he can get it. And yet, such a person wailed that he had no other wish than to meet his daughter again... just one more time.”

“Unfortunately, that’s—”

“I know it’s a wish that can never come true,” interrupted Riaveric. “It’s impossible to bring a dead person back to life. I thought that too. I also couldn’t believe it when a merchant told me he’d seen Her Ladyship on the other side of the continent.”

Riaveric’s eyes were fixed on Elena. After going on a tangent, the story had finally reached its main point.

“Miss Elena. To soothe the heart of a grieving father... could you become his daughter?”

Elena’s eyes widened at that proposal and she was speechless with surprise. Chesana was the same. Frederick was the only one who didn’t have such a reaction—it was as if he’d already heard this before.

Elena placed her hand on her chest and took a deep breath. “I don’t know what to make of this...”

“I know it’s sudden,” Riaveric admitted honestly. She did not forget to skillfully create a persuasive atmosphere that would encourage Elena to make the “correct” choice. “But I am also proposing this to you because I don’t want Miss Elena to become a concubine, and I don’t want her to be unhappy.”

“A concubine...” Elena muttered softly. Her expression naturally darkened as that word weighed heavily on her countenance.

“Countless times, I have seen mistresses and concubines of nobles end up miserable. I don’t want you to follow in those same footsteps.”

Elena pursed her lips and lowered her gaze. She purposefully changed her expression to communicate the inner turmoil she was supposed to be feeling.

Frederick gazed at his daughter, then spoke.

“Go. Follow this person.”

“D-dear?” Chesana stammered.

Elena lifted her head and stared at her father. Frederick’s expression was one of firm determination.

“I’ve seen that crest before,” he continued. “It’s a noble family—one that fallen nobles like us should not even dare to mention. Going with them will improve your situation. It definitely won’t make things worse.”

“Father.”

“Go. Go and live a new life, Elena.”

Chesana had been taken aback by the sudden development, but her husband’s positive attitude changed her mind. She gritted her teeth and acted calm, trying not to cry—she was worried that Elena wouldn’t go if she saw her mother’s tears.

“Yes, child,” she said. “Do what your father says.”

“Mama.”

Elena bit her lip hard. Mama. Papa. It was heartbreaking to hear her parents sincerely telling her to leave because they felt like they couldn’t protect their child.

“I... didn’t believe it would be bad to become a concubine. I figured it would be better to just give up, especially if my situation wasn’t one that could be changed. Thinking of things like that was the only way I could stand it.”

“Elena.”

As Elena carefully revealed her thoughts to her parents, it felt like their world was crashing down again. To them, the reason their daughter had matured so much recently was because she had been required to accept a reality that she couldn’t change.

“Then... I’ll follow her.” Elena turned to Riaveric, her eyes suddenly filled with the hope that she could escape her desperate reality. “If I become that man’s daughter, what will my life be like?”

“You’ll live a life that cannot be defined in one word. But this much I can tell you for sure—the world will revolve around Miss Elena. You will achieve everything and have everything.”

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

Elena looked bewildered.

“You will wear several top-of-the-line, custom dresses a day. You will have jewelry made from the rarest gems of the North that you may wear every day. Dances, tea times, banquets... It’s hard to list everything because your life will be so different than it is now. But let me assure you of this one thing—whatever you can imagine, it will be beyond that.”

Riaveric intentionally wove a fantasy that young ladies of Elena’s age would likely have dreamed of. As Elena had endured a poor childhood, Riaveric worked on the assumption that she would’ve always longed for the life of a true noble’s daughter.

“Beyond what I can imagine...” Elene was purposefully speechless for a moment and then pretended to cautiously bring up something. In reality, she had secretly been waiting for the perfect opportunity to say it. “Does that mean I may accept an oath from a knight?”

“An oath?”

The corners of Riaveric’s mouth arched upward. Among socialites, the presence of a noble knight was both an ornament that made one stand out and an object of shared love. There were many cases when the daughters of nobles would accompany renowned knights to gatherings, and the emotional battles between these women would sometimes lead to duels between the knights to determine superiority.

“I think I know what you are asking. You would like to keep a noble knight by your side like in the book The Song of Roland. Am I correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Elena’s gaze was full of expectation, and Riaveric smiled kindly back.

“It is your right to appoint a noble knight who will protect you as his lady.”

“R-really?”

Elena’s eyes widened. She looked surprised, as if she had never expected such a request to be granted and was now unable to hide her joy. Yet under the table, where Riaveric’s watchful eyes could not roam, she clenched the hem of her skirt just a bit tighter.

Just you wait and see—your promise of entrusting me with a noble knight will hold you back.

Elena didn’t think Riaveric would keep this promise. But she wanted it confirmed so that later on, she could use it as justification.

“Of course. The best knight in the family will have the honor of serving Miss Elena.”

“I’m so happy that I can’t speak.”

Elena looked overwhelmed with joy. She could see her broad smile reflected in Riaveric’s eyes, and she had no intention of hiding her elation in this moment.

Destroying them all with their own toys—that was exactly what Elena wanted.

“But what will happen to my parents after I leave?” Elena asked, sounding momentarily worried. “I fear that the lord of this region will try to harm them...”

Her concern was justified—it was just common sense. There was a very high chance that the lord, whose pride would be hurt after the failed engagement, would try to take revenge.

“If they will suffer harm because of me... I cannot leave,” Elena said solemnly.

Frederick had been listening quietly, and when he heard that, his expression instantly hardened. “You’re worrying for no reason. I will take care of everything that happens afterward.”

“We’ll be fine. Just worry about yourself.”

Elena ignored what her parents said. Her eyes were set only on Riaveric in hopes that she would come up with some kind of solution. Riaveric smiled, as if telling her not to fret. “I’ve already prepared a separate place for them to live.”

Elena sighed in relief. “Really? Ah, now my heart feels more at ease.”

Although this attitude was an act to a certain extent, Elena’s sincerity as a daughter of utmost filial piety was felt by all in the room. As a testament to that, Riaveric took out a luxurious silk pouch that appeared to contain something heavy. She handed it to a bewildered Chesana, who opened it.

Shock overwhelmed her features.

“Th-this is gold.”

“I’ve taken care of everything, but we are giving you this out of consideration for Elena’s concerns. Just think of it as a small token of our sincerity—keep it.” Riaveric grinned. It looked like a smile crafted to appeal to Elena, who cared about her parents so much.

A dazed Elena bowed slightly to express her gratitude for this endowment, and she didn’t forget to top it all off with a smile. But while her mouth smiled, her eyes didn’t. She knew that while Riaveric had pretended to care about Elena’s parents to reassure her, the woman was going to stab them all in the back.

“No. How shameless would we be to take this? Please, have it back.”

“We can’t accept this. No, we won’t accept this.”

Frederick and Chesana waved their hands in refusal, their expressions serious.

“Please don’t turn down this gift,” Riaveric said. “Accept it for Miss Elena’s sake.”

Elena begged with earnest eyes. “Please.”

When Frederick saw that, he reluctantly accepted the gold. “Okay, then... we will take it.”

Only then did Elena feel truly relieved and relaxed. It would be much-needed money for her parents, who would soon have to leave their home and settle somewhere else.

Once the conversation had drawn close to an end, Riaveric took a pocket watch from her sleeve and checked it. “I believe it’s time for us to leave.”

“We’re leaving? Now?”

Riaveric calmly answered Elena’s puzzled question. “As soon as dawn breaks, the lord will move. Since you accepted the marriage proposal, we don’t have a lot of time. We must leave tonight. Now is the best time to cross the border so we can avoid being tracked.”

“It’s too sudden.”

As soon as Riaveric had stepped into their home, Elena had vaguely sensed that she would have to leave immediately. But knowing that in your head and accepting it with your heart were two different things. If Elena was feeling like this, then how terrible must her parents feel to have to send their child away with no time to prepare?

“Could we please have one—just one day to spend with our daughter? If not, then at least until dawn...?” her mother begged, her voice filled with desperation. She was not ready to say goodbye.

“Dear,” murmured Frederick.

“I know, I know. But... I don’t have the confidence to just send her away like this.”

Mama.

Elena heard her mother’s words, and she nearly burst into tears. When Elena had found herself once more in the past, she had anticipated that a day like this would come. To prepare for their inevitable parting, she had tried to spend as much time with her parents as possible. Elena did not want to live with any regrets.

They had spent a peaceful, happy time preparing meals, going for walks, and drinking tea together. Because of this effort, Elena had thought that everything would be okay when the time came for her to leave... but it turned out that it wasn’t. She still had things she wanted to do and say—leaving them was still painful.

“I’m sorry, madam. We must leave tonight.”

Riaveric refused Chesana outright without giving an inch for rebuttal. She had given the excuse that things would be difficult if the lord got wind of what was happening, but in truth, the circumstances in the grand duchy were worse than expected. Even while this was going on, Veronica’s reputation was plummeting by the minute due to unfounded rumors.

Since Riaveric was in a hurry, she didn’t have the time to consider Elena’s situation.