0&1 Ch 10.6

The Queen’s seat was in the shade. But as I approached, her face lit up, as if she were looking at the sun.

“Mother.”

The next moment, the Queen’s expression hardened. She stared intently at my cheek. I straightened my shoulders and approached her as if nothing had happened.

“Mother, I successfully rode a horse! Sir Baumkuchen praised me for my skill. I wanted to show you!”
“Oh, my Prince. That is impressive. But look at your face…”
“Can I show you now? Can I ride near the lake? I brought the horse with me. You have no idea how well it runs. Even His Majesty will have to acknowledge it when he sees this!”

I fidgeted with my feet as if I couldn’t wait to show off. The Queen smiled as if she couldn’t help herself. 

“Alright. I’d love to see it. Will you show me, Prince?”

“Yes, Mother!” I patted the horse and prayed that I wouldn’t make any mistakes. If I messed up here, it would be a disaster.

As I mounted the horse in one smooth motion, the Queen’s maids exclaimed, “Oh my!” My face flushed, but I couldn’t show any signs of nervousness.

The horse galloped lightly, then picked up speed when I signaled with my feet. The wind hit my face. I gripped the reins tightly, but my body still shook.

I didn’t have a chance to look at the Queen’s expression. We circled around the lake and returned to the pavilion. I slid off the horse and landed in an awkward position.

I was out of breath, and my face was hot. The maids clapped and laughed heartily, adding to the festive atmosphere.

“You are amazing, Your Highness.”
“Your eyes seem to be shining.”

I heard compliments that were difficult to respond to. Should I answer?

I looked only at the Queen. She gazed down at me with eyes sparkling with joy.

“Mother, I think I can do well at the hunting grounds now, right?” I said it like an excited child. 

The Queen covered her mouth and laughed. “Of course, Prince Joffrey. You will be as great a hunter as His Majesty.”

No, that’s not right.

The Queen should be stricter with her own child. Wasn’t this the time to tell him not to make such nonsense and not to get lost in the hunting grounds?

But now wasn’t the time for thoughts like that. I had to make the Queen happy.

Happy enough to overlook it if, when she pointed to my face and asked, “How did you get that wound?” I answered, “Oh, when did I get that? I was having so much fun practicing I didn’t notice.”

I forced a smile, trying to hide my failed attempt at managing my expression.

“Look forward to it! I’ll dedicate my first prey to you, Mother!”
“The thought alone makes me happy, Prince. But for this mother, your safe return would be the greatest joy.”

I thought she would be pleased. I chose the wrong option.

“The hunting grounds… His Majesty doesn’t even think about how young you are. How unkind.” Her tone was as gentle as if she were reciting poetry. “Horses, hounds, and the sound of horns have been his companions since childhood. Now you’ll be introduced to them as well.”

“Mother…” Truly, the King was no help. I should have chosen another topic instead of hunting.

The Queen looked at me for a moment, then asked, “Do you remember the first gift you ever received from His Majesty?”

Of course I didn’t. I bowed my head and waited for her to go on.

“A deer. A deer His Majesty had caught. He said he gave it so you would grow up healthy, like a swift deer. Why did he suddenly take an interest, when he usually didn’t? Was it because he felt bad about postponing your birthday banquet for a hunt? Your birthday always overlaps with hunting season, and His Majesty has never liked that.” The Queen laughed. “I want you to be acknowledged by His Majesty as a fine hunter. But I also hope you won’t like hunting. Isn’t that terribly selfish of me as a mother?”

“No, not at all…”

I didn’t know what to say. The Queen’s ladies began dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs. With them on either side, the Queen touched my cheek with her warm hand, avoiding the wound.

It was the touch of someone handling something precious and dear.

Her eyes were smiling, but her lashes were wet.

The Queen was not a good person. I knew she was frightening.

When dealing with the orphanage, Sir Baumkuchen had mentioned her.

Perhaps the place had not been neglected out of indifference but maintained according to some plan, and perhaps the Queen was behind it all.

She might also be involved in other bad things that I didn’t know about. What I did know was bad enough.

And yet, part of me thought it couldn’t be that she was to blame for everything bad in the world.

Sir Baumkuchen didn’t know this side of the queen.

“Mother, since the weather’s so nice, why don’t you go out? It would lift your spirits.” I remembered the look in her eyes as she gazed out the carriage window.

An unfamiliar expression, as if seeing foreign scenery. “Shall we visit the market? I’ll escort you.”

When I offered my hand like a knight, an unfeigned smile spread across her face.

When she burst out laughing, she seemed like a young girl. She had been fifteen when she married into the kingdom.

“Are you trying to cheer me up, little knight?”
“Yes. Let’s go out and have fun, Mother. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

The Queen laid her hand gently over mine.

The Queen and Prince’s visit to the market threw the whole area into confusion. Soldiers blocked off the market, and people, unable to move in or out, had to wait for us to pass.

The soldiers’ tense posture and coordinated movements made my chest tighten. 

The soldiers’ tense, perfectly coordinated behavior made my chest tighten. The market stalls couldn’t take any other customers.

They were just fretting over the Queen and me.

It was a huge nuisance. Whose idea was it for royalty to tour the market?

I cursed them as an idiot, buying things from every stall I saw to make up for it. Maybe if I spent enough, the merchants might resent us less.

Of course, that idiot was me. I had actually suggested we sneak out.

But when the Queen frowned and said, “What? Sneak out? Why do something so dangerous?” the plan had died there.

When the market closed and we returned to the palace, I even had dinner with the Queen. I took all the purchases back to my palace except for one.

The Queen said she would keep just one necklace. The one I’d picked out.

It was a necklace with a seashell hanging from the end, like a child’s toy. Pretty, but rather crude. Yet she said, “This is enough,” and thanked me for picking it out for her.

Dragging my tired body back to my palace, I found the doctor Dot had called still waiting for me, not having gone home.

“Have you been waiting long? Sorry.”
“Not at all, Your Highness. It’s an honor.”

The doctor said it seemed I had sprained my wrist, and wrapped it tightly in bandages. “Keep applying cold packs and use your hand as little as possible.”

“I’ll be your hands and feet, Your Highness!” Dot said.

Even more so? Dot was already overprotective enough. At this rate, I might end up being treated like a baby swaddled in cloth.

Despite acting fine in front of the Queen, I couldn’t take Sir Baumkuchen’s lessons for a while.

Dot volunteered to do things he usually didn’t, like wiping my body with a wet cloth and changing my clothes. It wasn’t like I couldn’t wash with one hand, but honestly, it was comfortable, so I let him do it.

Since becoming Joffrey, I was growing lazier. 

My body was so comfortable that even the unease in my heart seemed to fade.

Was this really okay? Even the sudden pounding of my heart was quiet tonight.

I had just drifted into light sleep when the curtain swayed. It was summer, and I had gone to bed with the window wide open.

A moon shadow blocked my view. Someone was leaning over me.

“Are you alright, Joffrey?”

Who?

“…?”

My eyes opened.

Edward was standing beside my bed like a ghost. If he’d been aiming to give me a heart attack, he’d nearly succeeded.

Only his blue eyes seemed alive as he looked at me.

“Edward?”

“I came because I was worried,” Edward said.

No, worried or not… How did you get in?

Now I was worried about the palace security. Wasn’t Joffrey supposed to be a Prince worthy of protection?