Chapter 807

Chapter 51: An Old Illness Persists, New Fires Arise · Prelude · Middle

“Yes…”

Shalman responded softly.

But she was confused in her heart.

She understood what the Queen meant. They would not leave here today for now, but how much longer they would have to wait was unknown.

The meticulous head maid had never seen her young queen willing to waste time on such meaningless and prolonged waiting, even if it were for that Cardinal George of Saint George. It did not seem like the queen’s usual style. She knew very well that even when facing the Pope, the queen was unwilling to wait. Her sense of time was strong, and the only person who could make her willingly wait might only be the one living in “Villogarden.”

But in reality, they had been idle here for three days. During this period, the queen and the old man barely had any interaction. They had just nodded to each other and exchanged a few words when they first arrived, then each busied themselves with their own tasks, as if long-time neighbors who rarely met face-to-face, except for having dinner together twice…

But in the head maid’s eyes, being busy with their own tasks was actually doing nothing at all.

The queen spent her days drinking tea in the wooden house, rarely leaving the door. There were no official duties or documents for her to handle here, and it seemed she didn’t need to socialize either. Thus, the two of them essentially became “homebodies.” And the old cardinal who had defected was completely different from her imagination. For these three days, he had almost only done one thing every day — farming.

And he did it himself, always covered in mud, completely resembling an ordinary old farmer who rarely went out.

This made her feel like both the old man and her queen were merely here for a leisurely vacation.

The queen was calm, so Shalman could only stay with her here, but she couldn’t help worrying about this imperial journey. The meeting was imminent. This time, it wasn’t just about negotiating public matters like national debts and the troubles in Silgaya with the empire, but also dealing with the church behind the scenes and collaborating with Duke Skaliger to respond to ever-changing warfare. Each matter was tricky and required careful consideration.

Given the current situation, the sooner they arrived, the more time they would have to think. But who knew that halfway through, the queen suddenly switched to a rhinoceros-drawn carriage, leaving the army behind to come here…

Shalman understood that the queen was using little Reckmont as a cover to prevent the church from noticing her contact with Cardinal George of Saint George. But if they continued to stay here, Shalman herself was already anxious. She wasn’t unaware of the purpose of coming to this remote place.

Months ago, the queen had already hinted to her and Reckt about some internal matters of the church, knowing that Cardinal George had fled and gained the queen’s trust and support in some way. Of course, the queen must have also gained his trust; otherwise, the old man would never have let her know about this place.

Shalman didn’t know exactly how this began or when, but she guessed it had something to do with Miss Peilo’s “death.” That teenage girl obsessed with food was the link between the two, and the reason why the queen was willing to take such great risks to meet Cardinal George.

Although these things were not explicitly stated, the queen didn’t want to hide them from her and Reckt. After that night, they didn’t take long to make their decisions.

Naturally, she and Reckt supported the queen’s decision. There was no other reason—simply because she was Queen Elizabeth, whose wisdom and conduct had deeply impressed them. It was absolute trust, believing she wouldn’t let Ethanbel fall into turmoil.

The queen…hadn’t lost her mind due to Miss Peilo’s “death.”

On the contrary, she remained very calm, especially in recent months. She was calmer than ever before, so much so that it was somewhat frightening. Shalman had been by the queen’s side for many years and could see that the queen still handled affairs methodically, but she seemed to be planning a grand strategy.

And this grand strategy should have a deep connection with the changes within the church and Miss Hepeylo’s affairs…

That night, the queen didn’t reveal more reasons to her and Reckt, but the head maid could vaguely understand that in the next few years, the world might undergo significant changes…and her queen was preparing for possible upheavals.

She roughly understood everything in her heart.

But she still didn’t know why the queen chose to detour and delay, putting aside all her tasks to come here specifically to meet Cardinal George of Saint George.

When the queen deviated from her original itinerary and told her to meet someone first, Shalman had already guessed who it was. In her original expectation, this should have been a secret and powerful conversation, and meeting with a “great sinner” of the church would be conducted secretly. The meeting time should be as short as possible, and after discussing the necessary matters, they would immediately leave without delay.

Who would have thought that upon arriving, they found themselves in such a situation…

Shalman knew that they seemed to be waiting for something, perhaps at a certain moment, but neither the queen nor the old man mentioned what it was. Since they came,

Now, the two of them hadn’t talked about anything serious at all; one was sipping tea, the other was tending to the fields, living a carefree and blissful life…

This situation left Shalman feeling confused, and also anxious, gradually developing some emotions.

But she could only digest these feelings on her own, and dared not show any to Her Majesty. So she kept her head down, preventing the Queen from seeing her eyes.

However, despite this…

She was still noticed.

“Shalman.”

Shalman heard the sound of the Queen placing the teacup back on the table with a soft “thud.” The sound wasn’t loud, but combined with the flat tone in which the Queen called her name, it still made the stiff housekeeper shudder.

“I’m here,” she quickly responded.

“…How many years have you been serving me? Do you remember?”

“I do.”

Shalman answered immediately, although she didn’t understand why Her Majesty would suddenly ask such a question: “It’s been exactly ten years since Your Majesty was gravely injured by an assassination attempt.”

“Yes…”

The Queen’s voice seemed somewhat wistful: “Ten years have passed. You’ve always handled the tasks I gave you with great care. You never questioned anything, just worked diligently, striving for perfection in even the smallest details, always demanding much of yourself. This is also why I appreciate you…”

“…Your Majesty… you flatter me…”

This sudden praise seemed to leave the housekeeper at a loss, unsure why the Queen would bring this up now.

In her memory, Queen Elizabeth had never praised anyone like this before…

“You were sent to me as my personal maid by my mother. I remember that before that, you were the Chief Administrator of the Palace and the Captain of the Inner Guard. But because of your fiery temperament, you often clashed with my mother, and later, you couldn’t bear the sight of a member of the Lex family’s distant relative abusing palace maids, so you castrated him with a single sword strike… After acting on impulse, you ended up serving a powerless princess, doing mundane chores like undressing and cooking.”

“Your Majesty… those were all past events.”

Shalman said with her head lowered, gradually calming her emotions and returning to her usual composed tone, her cold face expressionless.

“It’s been ten years. Have you ever regretted anything?”

The Queen continued to press, and after some thought, Shalman replied: “If Your Majesty is referring to cutting off that useless man’s genitals, then… no.”

“Is that so?”

The Queen sitting at the table nodded: “But in fact, it has been repressed for a long time, hasn’t it?”

When these words came out, Shalman suddenly raised her head: “Why does Your Majesty say that?”

After saying this, she seemed to realize something and quickly lowered her head again.

“I know.”

Only to hear the proud Queen continue: “I understand your nature. You are not someone who is willing to obediently serve others. You have ambitions and the ability to achieve them. You almost killed a member of the Lex family, and yet you didn’t suffer intense retaliation afterward because they believed it would be extremely difficult to kill you and would be counterproductive… Do you know? Sometimes, I feel that you and I are very similar… We are of the same kind. Even though sometimes we need to hide certain things, the dragon within us is always restless. But if you stay by my side all the time, doing trivial tasks like pouring tea and delivering water, that dragon will forever remain coiled… That is not what you truly desire, is it?”

“Your Majesty, I am your personal maid, and I have never felt dissatisfied with this. I feel deeply honored,” Shalman lowered her head even further.

She bent over, assuming a posture of utmost respect.

Beside her, the Queen, upon seeing her housekeeper’s demeanor, inadvertently frowned.

After a moment, she spoke of another matter: “Do you know why I brought you here?”

“Because I am Your Majesty’s personal maid.”

“No.”

“Your Majesty wants me to understand that you trust me completely.”

“Not entirely.”

The Queen brushed her scattered golden hair behind her head and stood up from her chair, picking up the teacup and turning to pat Shalman’s shoulder: “Lift your head.”

“Your Majesty…”

Shalman lifted her head, but still dared not look directly into the golden eyes that sparkled in the sunlight, wanting only to take the nearly empty teacup from the Queen’s hand, only to be dodged.

“I brought you here to make you understand what might happen across West Continent in the near future. Some… I can’t tell whether they’re good or bad, but they are inevitable major events. Here, in this soon-to-be deserted basin, the grand transformation of history will begin… I want you to witness this beginning.”

The Queen herself held the teacup and slowly walked toward the door: “Then, whether to continue staying by my side, undressing and cooking, or to do something more meaningful, leaving your mark in the long river of history… Shalman, you choose.”

Bang—

The wooden door behind her closed.

The Queen left the room, leaving Shalman, who was somewhat at a loss, standing there, gazing out the window at the lush green scenery, watching the rice fields ripple in the sunlight, her eyes flickering as she fell into deep thought.

…………

Not much time had passed when Shalman was still pondering the meaning behind the Queen’s words. She saw a carriage with horns slowly rolling through the grass and heading towards the wooden house.