The Queen’s Quest and a Fated Embrace

The late king’s belongings were sorted and tidied in surprisingly little time.

Emily beamed with delight, seemingly having gained a great deal from the process, but Ophelia found no joy in it; her ultimate goal for the day remained unfulfilled.

‘What does governing a nation have to do with me?’

‘All I want is to raise the female lead!’

Despite her deep unhappiness, Ophelia forced a cheerful facade for Emily’s sake, stepping out of the room with a sense of vexation as she pondered how she might plausibly “discover” Vina’s whereabouts.

‘Could I claim, “I have an informant”?’

‘That wouldn’t escape Marta’s and Emily’s keen eyes…’

‘What if I pretended to wander into the stables?’

‘What would a queen be doing at the stables? That’s far too strange.’

‘What method could possibly work?’

“Your Majesty.”

A voice pulled Ophelia back to reality.

Ophelia looked up to find the old butler standing before her.

“Is there something you need, old sir? We have finished organizing the late king’s belongings; they consist primarily of documents and data, which we regrettably must transport back to our current office, and for that, we ask for your understanding.”

“As for the king’s personal effects, only his diary remains, which we have placed on the table for you to retrieve at your leisure,” Ophelia responded with gentle eloquence.

She experienced a peculiar sensation: her social anxiety seemed to vanish whenever she was with this old man, perhaps because he had praised her.

Consequently, she found herself striving to do things that she felt would earn her more commendation from him.

‘I am so polite, even if I understand nothing, I am truly very polite.’

“Thank you, Your Majesty, and I must ask, have you truly never heard of Vina…?”

‘So that’s what he was asking about…’

Ophelia nodded.

“Indeed, I genuinely haven’t heard of her; even these two beside me have only heard rumors, knowing nothing of her whereabouts.”

Ophelia replied firmly.

“How very strange… How could that be…? Vina was the late king’s most cherished daughter; where could she have gone now…?”

“Someone requests an audience outside the door.”

A maid suddenly reported.

“Anyone can simply walk in now? This is the late king’s bedchamber! His coffin and belongings lie here in eternal slumber! Drive them away!” the butler exclaimed impatiently.

“But… that person claims to know what Your Majesty is searching for, and even where the item Your Majesty seeks is located…” the maid timidly offered.

“Goodness, why didn’t you say so sooner!” The butler’s expression instantly transformed.

“This old man shall personally go and greet her.”

Ophelia followed him out.

Standing outside was a woman who bore a striking resemblance to a gang matriarch.

With her yellow hair, a black mink coat, and legs clad in black stockings and boots, her face held an air of haughty self-assurance, projecting a confidence that suggested she could command anything.

Upon seeing Ophelia, a flicker of obvious astonishment crossed her eyes, which she then concealed by lowering and raising her gaze.

More than a dozen nobles trailed behind her.

“Greetings, Your Majesty, greetings…”

When the woman saw the butler, she hesitated, seemingly about to curtsy.

“I am merely a humble butler guarding the late king’s bedchamber now; please state your business directly,” the butler said, his expression instantly turning cold and detached, a stark contrast to the benevolent demeanor he had shown Ophelia.

Ophelia’s heart gave a jolt.

‘Oh no, that tone! Could this old butler actually be some significant figure?’

‘Perhaps a character like an old prime minister, though the book never mentioned it.’

“Understood, I shall.” The woman nodded.

“Greetings, Your Majesty, my name is Delores.”

She performed a perfect bow.

‘Delores?’

‘Hmm… the name rings a bell, wasn’t she part of the reform faction? She was a minor character in the book, very ambitious, admired the male lead, but had no significant storyline—just the type to occasionally express shock and then declare her intention to build a good relationship with him.’

“Miss Delores, hello. I hear you know where Miss Vina is; is this true?”

Ophelia’s voice was tinged with genuine anxiety.

Her apprehension was real, for she dreaded hearing a phrase like, “Just kidding, I merely have something to discuss with you,” from this ambitious older woman.

Delores remained silent for a moment, seemingly assessing the situation.

“Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, what do you intend to do once you find Miss Vina?”

‘Look at the way you ask that!’

‘Vina, she’s a bona fide legal loli (TL Note: A Japanese slang term referring to a character who appears to be a young girl but is actually much older, often over twenty years old in this context), everyone thinks she’s just a little girl, but she’s actually in her twenties. What else would I do with a loli?’

‘Of course, I’d raise her like my precious daughter~’

‘A princess and a queen, hehe, the wicked queen asking the magic mirror for Snow White’s lewd pictures to get off to~ Just kidding.’

“She is the late king’s most beloved daughter; I must know where she is now!”

Ophelia declared with conviction.

“Very well, please follow me.” Delores responded.

****

Luca walked along the small path.

He had casually bought some snacks and drawn a bucket of hot water, intending to thoroughly search for the born king today, thus securing a ladder to future prosperity for himself.

‘Won’t come with me?’

‘Ah, that’s perfectly normal; a king, after all, possesses a touch of aloofness and certainly wouldn’t be easily enticed home by just anyone.’

Luca was in no hurry, knowing there was always tomorrow.

Humming a tune, he made his way towards the stables, the sun now setting, casting a beautiful twilight as he quietly mused about his future.

Suddenly, a crowd of people appeared before him.

Ophelia, the reformist Delores, and the old butler from the late king’s bedchamber…

‘Why were these people here?’

Luca found a hiding spot, slithering into the shadows, twisting and crawling, then cautiously peered out to observe what they were doing.

‘That direction… is it the stables?’

‘Are they also looking for that little girl!? Has the Queen discovered her!?’

‘Damn it!’

Luca’s gaze darkened.

‘No matter, this born king is so aloof; she certainly wouldn’t just casually go back with them!’

‘She hadn’t even come back with him!’

Ophelia followed Delores forward, silently praying that the male lead hadn’t already taken Vina away.

In the book, the male lead had easily “abducted” Vina with just a lollipop and the phrase, “You can have a home with me,” proving how incredibly susceptible she was.

‘Luca, can’t you let me raise her first before you start your攻略 (TL Note: A gaming term referring to ‘capturing’ or ‘romancing’ a character to achieve a good ending)?’

The sun dipped below the horizon.

Before everyone stood the dilapidated stables.

Inside, a small girl was cleaning horse manure.

Seemingly noticing the presence of others, she stood up, her green eyes gazing at them without emotion.

“That is Vina, Your Majesty,” Delores stated, pointing towards her.

A surge of killing intent emanated.

That killing intent came from the old butler.

However, Ophelia did not notice it.

She was simply stunned, staring blankly at Vina.

The book’s description hadn’t been detailed enough, and now, experiencing it firsthand, a tremor went through her heart: the little girl, dressed only in a white dress in such cold weather, was filthy, a princess reduced to cleaning horse dung.

‘Unfair.’

‘Truly, utterly unfair.’

‘She’s just a girl! She did nothing wrong! Was she targeted like this merely for receiving the king’s affection?’

Ophelia could no longer maintain her composure.

Subsequently, Delores was stunned, as were the nobles, Emily, Marta, the old butler, and Luca, who observed from his shadowy hiding place.

The dirty, foul-smelling little girl, Vina.

The beautiful, immaculate Queen.

Ophelia rushed forward, disregarding the stench and grime, and swept Vina into a sudden embrace.

Vina’s entire body trembled.

Once again, it was this scene that haunted her dreams; once again, this warm embrace, which she could never forget, even as time flew by.

Beneath the setting sun, this melancholic beauty named Ophelia, this Queen.

She held her, and warm tears flowed onto her, while she, too, shed tears.

‘You, so immensely beautiful, like the sun, embraced me, so ugly and filthy.’

‘Ophelia, you’ve come.’

“I’ve come, Vina, I am Ophelia. You’ve suffered unjustly, and for that, I am sorry…”

“Come home with me. From this day forward, let us be family, alright?”

‘Of course, it’s alright; I would agree no matter how many times you asked, Ophelia.’

‘My angel.’

‘My remedy.’

It is often said that one should not meet someone too breathtakingly stunning in their youth, for a single embrace like this is worth savoring for eternity, and one glance can lead to a lifetime’s devotion.