Chapter 61: The Queen’s Comfort

‘So natural.’

‘So… distant.’

“Your Highness, we have arrived.”

The attendant’s voice pulled him back from his daze.

Ross took a deep breath, adjusted his lapels, and stepped out of the carriage.

He needed answers.

He needed someone to tell him how to choose.

The Queen’s residence was called Moonlight Hall. It was the most elegant and secluded place in the entire Imperial Palace.

Ross passed through the hanging-flower gate and walked along the corridor for a long time before finally stopping in front of a half-open door.

A faint scent of flowers drifted through the room, mixed with the subtle aroma of incense.

His mother — Vanessa Caster — was leaning against a soft couch by the window, holding a book in her hand, her posture languid and elegant.

Her dark blue hair glowed softly under the candlelight, and her well-maintained face showed no traces of age.

She looked up, saw Ross outside the door, and a gentle smile blossomed on her lips.

“You’re back?”

Ross walked into the room and stood before his mother.

The Queen put down her book and looked him over.

In those blue eyes, identical to his own, was a clarity that saw through everything.

“Something is on your mind.”

It was a statement, not a question.

Ross was silent for a moment before slowly sitting down beside her.

“Mother — “

He began, his voice a bit raspy.

“I… I’ve encountered some confusion.”

Vanessa did not press him; she only watched him quietly, waiting.

That gaze made Ross feel steady.

Since he was a child, no matter what problem he faced, everything would suddenly become clear if he sat before his mother and listened to a few words from her.

He took a deep breath and slowly unraveled the mess weighing on his heart.

Irina.

Freya.

One was gentle and humble, her eyes full of him.

The other was cold and distant, treating him as if he were nothing.

One made him feel needed and looked up to.

The other made him…

Made him constantly chase her instinctively, yet he could never catch up.

“I don’t know who to choose.”

Ross lowered his head, his voice carrying a rare trace of lostness.

“Mother, I… I want Freya… I like her… but she never gives me any response. And Irina… being with her is very relaxing. She makes me feel…”

He paused and did not continue.

Vanessa listened quietly.

Then, she smiled.

It was a gentle and kind smile, like any mother listening to her son’s concerns.

“My child — “

She spoke, her voice as soft as a feather brushing past.

“You have mistaken one thing.”

Ross looked up.

Vanessa reached out and gently stroked the top of his head, her movements full of motherly love.

“This is not a multiple-choice question.”

Ross froze.

“Freya, you must obtain.”

The Queen’s tone remained gentle, but it carried an undeniable certainty.

“The Crown Princess Consort of Ross must be Freya Christo Dale.”

Ross opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by his mother’s gaze.

“As for Irina — “

The smile on Vanessa’s lips deepened slightly.

“If you like her, just keep her by your side. A Crown Prince never has only one woman.”

Ross’s brow furrowed.

He vaguely felt there was something in his mother’s words he had failed to grasp.

“But Mother, Freya… she has no feelings for me. If she is unwilling…”

“Unwilling?”

Vanessa chuckled softly, the sound echoing in the quiet bedroom with an indescribable meaning.

“Ross, you are the Crown Prince. In this world, how many things are decided by being ‘willing’ or ‘unwilling’?”

Ross was stunned.

He looked at his mother, those gentle blue eyes reflecting his confused face.

“Mother… you mean…”

The Queen did not answer directly.

She stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the deep night.

The moonlight outlined her slender silhouette, her dark blue hair fluttering slightly in the night breeze.

“Freya Christo Dale — “

She began slowly.

“The granddaughter of the Old Duke of Dale. House Dale holds the military power of the Northern Territory. They have been loyal for generations and command immense prestige in the army. Her mother was an old acquaintance of mine — a similarly stubborn woman.”

She turned around to look at Ross.

“Winning Freya means winning the support of House Dale. And you should understand what the support of House Dale represents.”

Ross remained silent.

Of course he understood.

The throne.

Although he was the Crown Prince, he was not the only prince.

Which of his brothers was not secretly eyeing that position?

And the Northern Territory’s military power held by House Dale was enough to be the heaviest weight on the scales.

“But…”

He spoke with difficulty.

“Freya…”

“Freya will understand,” Vanessa interrupted him, her tone still gentle.

“She is a smart person. Smart people always make the right choice.”

Ross looked at his mother, at the gentle smile on her lips.

Something deep in his heart felt a faint chill.

“Mother…”

His voice was somewhat dry.

“Are you saying… I should force her?”

Vanessa smiled softly.

She walked back to Ross’s side, stood before him, and reached out to cup his face. Those blue eyes looked straight into the depths of his own.

“My child — “

Her voice was as soft as a sigh.

“You only need to make her… let down her guard against you.”

Ross was stunned.

“Let… let down her guard?”

“Yes.”

Vanessa let go of his face and sat down beside him, her tone returning to its previous warmth.

“She is distant and cold toward you now because she is on guard. Once that guard is lowered, things will be much easier.”

She paused, the smile on her lips deepening slightly.

“As for afterward… whether Freya lives or dies, isn’t that for you to decide?”

Ross’s pupils constricted suddenly.

He snapped his gaze toward his mother. Those gentle blue eyes still held a loving smile.

But in his eyes, that smile made his spine go cold.

“Mother, you…”

“What?”

Vanessa tilted her head slightly, her smile innocent and gentle.

“Are you frightened?”

Ross opened his mouth, but no words came out.

The Queen gently patted the back of his hand, just as she had comforted him when he was little.

“Don’t be afraid. Mother is only telling you that in this world, there are many ways to ‘obtain’ a person. Some are through their own willingness, while others are because they have no choice. Regardless of which it is, the final result can be exactly what you want.”

She stood up, walked to the dressing table, picked up a jade comb, and slowly brushed her long hair in the mirror.

“I heard that the orphan named Lyra is currently staying in Freya’s dormitory.”

Ross’s breath hitched.

“Mother! Lyra is just…”

“I know,” Vanessa interrupted, her tone still gentle.

“I am only reminding you that everyone has a weakness. Freya’s weakness might be much more obvious than you think.”

She turned around and looked at the pale Ross, a loving smile spreading across her lips.

“Alright, don’t think too much. Go back and get some rest. Tomorrow, you will still be that outstanding Crown Prince.”

Ross stood up, his steps a bit unsteady.

He reached the door and suddenly stopped, looking back at his mother.

The Queen was still standing by the dressing table, her dark blue hair glowing softly under the candlelight, her face gentle and kind.

Like any mother in the world who adored her child.

But Ross felt there was something in that smile that made his blood run cold.

“Mother…”

He spoke, his voice strained.

“Yes?”

“…Goodnight.”

Vanessa smiled slightly.

“Goodnight, my child.”

When Ross left Moonlight Hall, his steps were even heavier than when he arrived.

The night breeze blew through the corridor, carrying the chill of late autumn. He walked along the deserted palace road, his mind a mess.

‘Obtain Freya. The Crown Princess must be Freya. After she lets down her guard… Life or death is for you to decide.’

Those words echoed repeatedly in his mind like some cold curse.

He thought of Freya’s face — those pale purple eyes, distant and cold, never lingering on him.

He thought of Irina’s face — the admiration and dependence filling those pink eyes, making him feel needed.

He thought of Lyra’s face — that silly face full of hostility toward him, yet laughing without any guard by Freya’s side.

Finally, he thought of his mother’s face.

Gentle.

Kind.

…And terrifying.

Ross stopped and looked up at the night sky.

There was no moon.

Only a few sparse stars, cold and distant.

He didn’t know what he was looking at.

Nor did he know which way he should go.

Inside Moonlight Hall, Vanessa was still standing at the dressing table.

The jade comb stroked through her dark blue hair, her movements elegant and composed.

“Come out,” she said softly.

From behind the screen, a slender figure slowly emerged.

Pink hair shimmered under the candlelight, and those pink eyes were filled with just the right amount of submissiveness and admiration.

Irina Ewell.

She walked to a spot three steps behind the Queen and stopped, bowing her head in salutation.

“Your Majesty.”

Vanessa did not turn around; she only glanced at her through the mirror.

That glance was gentle and profound.

“Did you hear everything?”

“Yes.”

“Any thoughts?”

Irina was silent for a moment before looking up, her pink eyes reflecting the Queen’s face in the mirror.

“This servant is dull — ” she said softly. “I do not dare to make wild conjectures.”

Vanessa laughed softly.

The sound echoed in the empty bedroom, so gentle it made one’s skin crawl.

“You are a smart child,” she said. “Much smarter than Ross.”

She put down the jade comb, turned around, and looked at Irina.

“Therefore, you should know what to do next.”

Irina lowered her eyelids, her lashes casting soft shadows.

“I understand.”

Vanessa nodded with satisfaction and turned back toward the mirror.

“Go then.”

Irina bowed, took a few steps back, and turned to disappear into the secret door behind the screen.

Silence returned to the bedroom.

Only the candlelight flickered, casting swaying shadows on the wall.

Vanessa looked at her own face in the mirror, the smile on her lips slowly deepening.

—

Meanwhile, at the Central Magic Academy.

Lyra woke up with a start from her sleep.

She sat up abruptly, her red eyes blinking vacantly in the darkness.

Her heart was beating very fast. It was as if something had been chasing her in her dream.

But she couldn’t remember what she had dreamed about.

She looked at Freya’s bed.

Freya’s figure lay there quietly, her breathing even.

Lyra watched for a long time.

Then, she slowly lay back down and turned onto her side, facing Freya’s direction.