Chapter 94 - 1
Three days before the coronation, on a tranquil spring afternoon, Anna Myers was leisurely strolling through the royal palace, having been invited to a tea party by Queen Patricia.
No one paid Anna any mind as she walked through the palace—a place she had become quite familiar with over the past few months—dressed in her everyday clothes, a stark contrast to the attendants and ladies-in-waiting.
It had been a full five months since Anna started showing her face at the palace, and by now, most of the staff were familiar with her.
Still, the palace, which she hadn't visited in a week, was incredibly busy. She knew it was because the coronation was just around the corner.
But since she had nothing to do with the ceremony, there was nothing she could do to help.
Even Ritz, who casually claimed to have zero interest in the kingdom's affairs, had been working so hard lately that he couldn't come home, staying overnight at the palace instead.
On top of that, Franz, who had been arbitrarily made a minister's secretary, was completely exhausted and so unusually quiet that he wouldn't even speak.
When she asked if there was anything she could do to help, they both said in unison, "Just get our travel supplies ready." So Anna had been busy shopping with Joe and Lef, who was carrying their luggage, checking with the two of them as she went.
Still, Anna looked around restlessly.
Was it really all right for her to be coming for tea in a situation like this? Was she being a nuisance? But it was a direct invitation from the queen herself, so she couldn't very well refuse.
My apologies to all the busy people, but I hope they'll forgive me. Tucking that tiny sliver of guilt into a corner of her heart, she hurried to the queen's chambers.
When Anna reached Queen Patricia's room and closed the door, the hustle and bustle from outside ceased completely, and a profound silence filled the air. She looked around the room, feeling as if she had stepped into another dimension.
Usually, there were several attendants who would greet her with a cheerful "Welcome," but today, not even that voice could be heard.
Sensing a shift in the air, she looked over and saw Patricia sitting alone, a rare sight.
"Anna, I have been waiting for you."
Patricia, who had been gazing at the lush green trees outside the window, turned to Anna and offered a graceful smile.
The flaxen hair styled in its usual updo and the tiara holding it in place reflected the incoming light softly.
Simply by being there, the air around Patricia always seemed to sparkle.
Every time Anna saw Patricia, she couldn't help but think how beautiful she was. She was about the same age as Edward, so she had to be around sixty, but age seemed irrelevant to this woman.
Anna always thought it would be wonderful to grow old like that, but when she looked at her own reflection, she knew it was impossible.
Maybe it's because we were raised differently.
When she'd mentioned that to Ritz once, he'd given a wry smile and said, "Patty's just putting on an act. Don't try to be like her. You're fine just the way you are."
But that was probably just his way of deflecting because Patricia was so beautiful. From Anna's perspective, Ritz and Patricia were very close.
"Anna?"
Her purple eyes, which held a trace of a strong will, softened and narrowed with a hint of a question. In terms of gemstones, they were the color of amethyst, hiding a noble brilliance.
"I'm sorry. I was just captivated by you, Your Majesty."
When she answered honestly, Patricia looked momentarily taken aback before she suddenly burst out laughing.
"Are you being serious?"
After a long laugh, Patricia clutched her stomach as if in pain and asked the question.
"Yes! You're someone I truly admire."
When she insisted, Patricia once again failed to hold back her laughter and looked at Anna while wiping tears from her eyes.
"Oh, honestly! You are just so adorable!"
Being called adorable by someone so beautiful made her a little happy.
"I'd trade my Gerald for you and make you my child in a heartbeat. You're not that far apart in age, either."
"Huh? But we look completely different!"
"That's fine. You're far cuter than that blockhead!"
The person Patricia was so casually offering to trade for Anna was the crown prince, who would become king in three days. He was around his age, so he must be thirty-three or four this year, right?
Anna was a few years younger than Gerald, but since they aged differently, she still looked like a child. If anything, she probably looked closer in age to Gerald's son, Greig.
After confirming that Patricia's laughter had finally subsided, Anna lifted her skirt slightly with both hands and curtsied.
She had completely forgotten to greet her.
"Thank you for inviting me, Your Majesty."
"No, thank you for coming. I'm sorry to have summoned you. You must be busy, aren't you?"
"Not really. Joe and Lef are helping me out."
Patricia knew that the three of them were leaving the country the day after the coronation. Being able to talk about it openly was a small relief for Anna.
In fact, only Edward and Patricia knew they were leaving on a journey; it was a secret even from Kenny, Shasta, O'Connor, and Altman, who had helped them so much.
To be honest, keeping secrets was Anna's least favorite thing. She wanted to tell them properly and say a proper goodbye, but not being able to was painful.
When she asked why she couldn't tell them, everyone gave a different reason.
Edward said it was because Ritz would have no rebuttal if he was criticized for a minister of a great nation just disappearing in secret.
Franz's reason was, "Ritz is just a pain," but no one knew the real truth. Ritz wouldn't talk about it.
She'd asked Patricia about it before, and apparently, when Ritz disappeared from the Royal Capital Sears thirty-five years ago, only Edward and Patricia had known.
Isn't it hard to carry a secret? Anna wondered, but she didn't have the time to ask a worn-out Ritz that question face-to-face.
Patricia pointed to the empty seat in front of the pensive Anna with a delicate, fair hand.
"Please, sit here."
"Yes."
At Patricia's urging, Anna sat down in the chair. In front of her were delicious-looking baked sweets and a tea set.
Today's treat was a thin-baked cookie. The sugar on the surface sparkled, and it looked incredibly delicious. She decided to bring the leftovers to Joe.
When she looked up from the sweets, she noticed Patricia's eyes were fixed on her.
"Is there something on my face?"
She instinctively touched her face. Nothing seemed to be out of place. Perhaps finding Anna's reaction amusing, Patricia's lips curved into a soft smile.
What is it? I'm curious.
As she watched Patricia, the queen smiled gently.
"There is something I wish to ask you. Is that all right?"
Anna nodded at Patricia's soft voice.
"Yes."
After lightly touching her lips with a well-shaped, slender finger and thinking for a moment, Patricia looked at her.
"Anna, are you fond of that fool?"
"Pardon?"
A fool? Who could she mean? No one comes to mind.
When she tilted her head, Patricia smiled.
"Your guardian."
Anna had two people she could call a guardian, but Patricia only knew one of them.
"Ritz?"
"Yes."
"Um... I don't think he's a fool, though?"
When she answered seriously, Patricia laughed again.
"From my perspective, he is a fool. You remember what happened recently, don't you? I worry that man will nearly get himself killed like that again."
It was the first time she had heard Patricia refer to Ritz as 'that man'. The way she said it was soft, sweet, and gentle, and it strangely squeezed Anna's heart.
Whenever the two of them met, they were always bickering or shouting at each other, but she now understood that they must truly care for one another.
It seemed Ritz's old companions, who were so important to him, cared for him just as much as he cared for them. The realization of how deep their bond was made her chest ache for some reason.
"Anna?"
"Huh?"
Snapping back to reality, she saw Patricia looking at her with concern.
"Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing!"
"Are you sure?"
Unable to understand the feeling inside her own heart, Anna forced a smile for Patricia.
"I'm sorry. We were talking about Ritz, weren't we? Please continue."
"Yes. I shall, then."
After picking up her cup with a beautiful hand and taking a sip of tea, Patricia spoke again.
"To you, he might seem reliable, but that man has always been reckless, foolish, and truly heedless of danger. I was always so worried that I did nothing but get angry with him. I'm sure he found me annoying."
With that, Patricia paused. She looked straight at Anna.
"Tell me, Anna, do you dislike him?"
To the sincere question, Anna answered immediately.
"I like him."
To Anna, that was a matter of course. It was always Ritz who helped her when she was in trouble. As a guardian and a companion, Ritz was important.
"Truly?"
"Yes. He's my favorite person after my foster father. That's why I always want to be of help to him, but I'm not very useful..."
Having said it, Anna started to feel embarrassed. Was it presumptuous of her, someone so useless, to say such a thing?
"S-So, um... I just want to be with him, at least..."
Oh, what am I doing? This makes no sense.
As she floundered, not knowing what to do with herself, Patricia offered her a gentle smile.
"Good. I am relieved to hear that. Just having you by his side truly puts my mind at ease."
"Oh... um..."
Was that really the case? She had no idea. But Patricia took Anna's hand, looking satisfied.
"Anna, please watch over him. You must keep an eye on him so he doesn't do anything reckless again."
"Your Majesty..."
"I haven't heard from him in over thirty years, and I'll not have him go off somewhere again, thinking I might never see him a second time. He may not know it, but I have been worried sick all this time."
"Um..."
"In that respect, I can rest easy if you are with him. He won't be able to be so reckless, either."
With those words, Patricia stood up. She picked up something that had been placed casually by the hearth.
It was a staff that shone with a silvery-white light. At its head, a transparent jewel was set, as if enveloped in a woven basket of silver.
Anna recognized it. It was the staff Patricia had used to command the wind spirits during the attempted assassination of the king.
She hadn't had time to look at it closely back then, but seeing it now, she could tell it was a beautiful work of art.
Patricia explained to Anna as she gently touched the staff, as if caressing something beloved.
"This is made of silver and crystal. It is the staff I have held since the civil war. It enhances the power to command spirits many times over. Here, hold it."
Patricia's slender hands offered the staff to Anna, holding it up with both hands.
Leaping up from her chair, Anna reverently accepted the staff.
"...It's so light..."
As she voiced her surprise at the staff being far lighter than it looked, Patricia laughed.
"Look closely at the shaft. It is not a single piece of silver. It is finely woven from thin, tubular silver strands. If it were solid silver, it would be too heavy to hold."
"That's amazing."
After expressing her honest admiration, Anna tried to return the staff to Patricia. She was afraid she would break such an expensive item if she held it for too long.
But Patricia gently pushed back Anna's hands as she timidly offered the staff.
"Um, Your Majesty?"
Looking up at Patricia in confusion, Patricia smiled gently.
"Keep it."
"What?"
"I want you to use it, Anna."
For a moment, she didn't understand what was said and tilted her head. But the instant she understood, a sound close to a scream escaped her.
"Wha-wha-whaaat?! I can't possibly!"
She thought it was just right to admire beautiful and expensive things from a safe distance, but carrying it around... let alone using it, was far too frightening.
"It will be all right. Any spirit user can use it."
"That's not it! I'm not suited for something so expensive and fragile-looking!"
"It is actually quite sturdy, you know?"
If by some chance it snapped with a crack, there would be no way to apologize.
More than that, if something like that happened, she would be devastated. It was so beautiful.
Besides...
"If it breaks, I'm too poor to get it fixed!"
Perhaps finding Anna's words amusing, Patricia burst out laughing again.
Anna was being perfectly serious, but it didn't seem to sound that way to Patricia.
"It's fine, it's fine~ I don't use it anymore, so I won't mind if it breaks~"
"But I'll mind!"
Even as she frantically tried to return it to Patricia, the queen, who seemed unable to contain her laughter, would not take it back.
"Really, really, I can't!"
"No, you will accept it. And if this design is too expensive and you don't like it... I will have a blacksmith remake it into a dreadfully boring staff and force it on you, you know?"
"That would be such a waste!"
"Then you should just accept it, shouldn't you?"
"But that's..."
After a brief back-and-forth, Anna had an epiphany.
This woman was Edward's wife. Her stubbornness was surely no different from Edward's.
"...I understand. I will borrow it."
Would she at least accept this compromise?
"Yes. I am giving it to you."
"..."
It seemed even a compromise was out of the question.
Somehow, she felt she understood what Ritz must feel like when Edward cornered him.
In Anna's case, she just felt troubled, but Ritz probably tried to fight back, which was why things ended up the way they did.
When she looked up at Patricia, troubled, the queen, who had been laughing in amusement, met Anna's gaze and her expression turned serious.
"Anna, please. That staff is my substitute."
"Yours, Your Majesty?"
"Yes. It is actually quite painful to be the one who can only wait. But if my staff is with that man, in the hands of the Anna I have come to trust, my heart will be a little more at ease."
"Your Majesty..."
Does she actually want to go with him? she thought, but tilted her head slightly.
Patricia certainly cared for Ritz, but Edward was here in the capital.
Was it really all right to send this staff to be with Ritz like this?
"My staff will travel in my stead. A fine idea, is it not? But since I am not with it, I cannot use it. In that case, it is only logical for you to use it, Anna, no? Am I wrong?"
When put like that, Anna had no choice but to nod.
"I understand."
"Thank you."
As if their stubborn exchange had never happened, Patricia showed a refreshingly beautiful smile.
Seeing it, Anna understood completely.
Just as Ritz had risked his life to protect Edward, Patricia, Shasta, and Gerald, they, too, wanted to protect Ritz.
As a dear friend from long ago.
But because of their positions, they couldn't, so they entrusted that duty to Anna, who was going with him.
But Anna was weak, and she had no idea if she could help Ritz as they wished.
Until now, she and Franz had both been something of a hindrance to Ritz.
When she looked up, Patricia was gazing at her with eyes full of trust. She had acknowledged Anna as someone worthy of that trust.
In that case, she would have to do her best to protect Ritz, Patricia's dear friend. That was Anna's responsibility for accepting this staff.
She might not be a substitute for Patricia, but she wanted to live up to her feelings.
"Thank you for the staff."
When she said so, looking firmly into Patricia's purple eyes, the queen smiled as if relieved.
It seemed all Anna could do was try her very best.
Patricia slowly rose from her chair. The hem of her dress swayed gently, glittering in the morning light. Anna watched her from behind.
Unsure if she noticed she was being watched, Patricia spoke softly.
"Men, you know, are utterly unreliable when it counts. If you need something done, women are the only ones you can rely on."
When Patricia slowly turned around, a graceful smile played on her lips.
It was the queen's usual face.
"I am counting on you, Anna. Protect the people I hold dear, won't you?"
"Yes."
As she replied, something caught Anna's attention.
People?
Wait, wasn't this about Ritz...?
That question would be answered later, but for now, Anna had no way of knowing.