Moonlight Ball

Once again, Elena was convinced that she was Iris Elaine. Rosemary may not have been very good at mathematics, but she would have easily drawn all the different manors. She had heard the stories about each estate from the day she was born, about what happened in each estate and how far the territory extended, so Rosemary knew every last detail.

The two women were very different people, and it was a shame that society didn’t know the truth. Elena smirked, knowing that the people would go berserk if they found out that Rosemary was dead and that no one had held a funeral since no one knew! The majority of people, excluding a few of Rosemary’s own immediate family, would be in mourning.

Count Kurtlan In Samain, Rosemary’s father, had three boys and one girl. When his youngest child Rosemary was born, her mother had died suddenly. And this had led to a strained relationship between her and her father. When Rosemary’s fiancé, the Crown Prince Sidrain, had looked at his daughter in displeasure, Samain had not been bothered by his attitude toward her.

Rosemary despised her father for the way he treated her, so the two barely met with each other and their relationship remained sour over the years. When his daughter had almost died, the Count hadn’t made any effort to leave his estate to visit her, which showed how much he still disliked Rosemary.

But that did not mean he was happy. Even if the Count had an ounce of regret after his daughter’s death one day, it would only be a reason to negotiate with the King. Elena had to act bravely in this unstable situation. On the inside, she was on full alert but only showed a sweet smile on the outside.

“You may have difficulties answering this one. It is a tricky question, Your Highness.”

“I am sorry,” Iris replied, sounding defeated.

“You can learn it again with me. It’s not a difficult task, so please don’t be worried,” Elena reassured her and began to draw on the white sheet of paper.

Iris watched the strokes Elena made with the feathered pen. Her strokes were bold for a woman but were still elegant and beautiful. Unlike Rosemary’s, which was delicate and graceful, Elena’s had its distinct charm that captivated her.

Elena caught Iris, who was lost in thought, and carefully called her, “Your Highness?”

“Oh, sorry. Your writing is so pretty.”

“You praise me too much. But your writing is well known to be beautiful too.” Elena’s lips curled into a smile. She wondered if Iris could imitate the handwriting that Rosemary put so much effort into creating. Even though her body was Rosemary’s, so far, it seemed that Iris’s actions and habits were not the same as hers.

Elena wondered if all this change had been a result of magic. And if so, it was difficult for her to know how far magic could support Iris. If Elena could know just that, it would be easier to help her because she felt somewhat helpless.

Elena spent the whole day teaching Iris and discovered that she was a clever student. It was not to the point where she would learn one thing and automatically know another ten things. But when she learned one thing, she would remember that one thing with no hassle. Iris quickly picked up the hierarchy of the nobles and royals, matched portraits and their names, and understood the diplomatic affairs of each country.

Perhaps it was because she was teaching Iris, not Rosemary, that it felt like she was finally talking to a person and not a brick wall. It was an easy and flowing educational session. Iris unexpectedly enjoyed talking about these topics, and Elena taught her with great eagerness.

Sidrain ground his teeth, “I understand how you feel, but keep it controlled.” In his eyes, he thought that Elena was picking on Iris. He believed that Elena was forcing too much study on Iris and was worried that she was overworked. However, these words went into Elena’s one ear and out the other.

“Your Highness, please look on the bright side. You will see a magnificent, perfect queen soon.” Elena was sure that she could mold Iris into a genuinely perfect queen because she wasn’t a crazy bat like Rosemary. Iris could be a queen who was kind and intelligent, embracing all the people, while also encouraging the public sentiment in the royal family’s favor. She could see these qualities in Iris because she was oozing with them! She had the beauty of Rosemary and the lovely personality of Iris. Oh, Ruthna, thank you for your gift. I will serve this country with more heart!

Sidrain watched her and chuckled, “A perfect queen, you say?”

“Yes, her Royal Highness will be perfect. I will put my heart and soul into working with her.”

“What is the Queen’s first duty, Elena?” Sidrain rested his arms on the armrests of the throne as he leisurely questioned her.

“The first duty is to give birth to an heir, of course.”

“Yes, she should have a child. That is the first duty. But that girl has one enormous flaw. It would be best not to wish for a perfect queen,” he said as he recalled her destroying the sausage for no apparent reason. He kept that memory carefully tucked away in his brain and considered it a precious memory, but it was true that the conversation went cold whenever he recalled that moment, which had scared the daylights out of him. Sidrain chuckled to himself at the thought of Iris being molded into a perfect queen when she hated him as a man as it stood.

Seeing Sidrain frowning deeply, Elena asked, “Did she reject you?”

“It would be a relief if she just rejected me. But she wants to make me a eunuch!”

“Pardon me?!” Elena jumped up. Her face paled as she heard something she was not supposed to hear. “She wants to make Your Highness a what?” Elena exclaimed.

Sidrain reached out his hand, “It is a long story. But she does not consider me a man. She probably does not even think about sleeping with me. So don’t waste your time making her into a perfect queen.”

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