Chapter 162

Chapter 134: Victoria, Part 2

Perhaps because all the mansions on Rundown Street had similar structures, Victoria seemed very familiar with this place and walked straight towards the second-floor terrace.

After she left, I immediately ran to the kitchen to get a new plate. Then I returned to pick up Captain Gray from the floor, avoiding the soup and vegetables, and placed him far away from Bart’s position. I blew on him and put him back on the plate.

I counted again… only six.

Six is six. The others were dirty anyway, but these were still clean. Wasting clean ones was a shame, but there certainly weren’t enough for everyone.

What should I do…

There were no street vendors selling snacks near Rundown Street, so buying ready-to-eat food meant walking to a distant street. There were ingredients in the kitchen, but cooking more… I just didn’t feel like it.

Just as I was feeling troubled, Reckert came in from the courtyard outside.

Seeing me standing in the living room, he gave an apologetic smile. “Where is Her Majesty?”

I pointed upstairs.

“She’s upstairs.”

He nodded and continued, “Miss Silviga, I’m really sorry for the disturbance today… The servants from House No. 2 will be here soon. They will clean everything up. Some parts of the lawn in the courtyard have been trampled, but don’t worry, someone will take care of it.”

“Mm.” I responded softly.

Reckert hesitated for a moment before speaking again, “I’m truly sorry. Her Majesty and I… neither of us expected something like this to happen. It was an accident today, and I will find a way to make amends. Please, Miss Silviga, don’t take it to heart.”

His words sounded quite official, making me involuntarily purse my lips.

…Not expected?

Not expected that Her Majesty would come here for what purpose?

Those people, seeing me with black hair and eyes, sitting next to Her Majesty, might think whatever they want when they return!

Although I understand forgiving someone for defending their queen, I still think the man I first met on the rooftop was more agreeable than he is now.

Forgiving Head noticed my silence and obviously guessed some of my thoughts. He hurriedly said, “Miss Silviga, I know you might have some reservations right now… I understand completely. If I were in your shoes, I might think the same bad things too… but I still want to tell you something that might change your view of Her Majesty.”

Oh?

Hearing him say this, I became curious and tilted my head to look at him.

“What is it?”

Seeing me ask, Forgiving Head smiled again.

“Let me think… where should I start? Let’s talk about House No. 3. A long time ago, this was originally the residence of the Queen Consort. But that was a very long time ago. This mansion has been empty for nearly a hundred years, and the weeds in the courtyard grew taller than a person. The vines were almost climbing over the streets outside… until a few years ago, Her Majesty had the courtyard renovated. That was after she moved out of her chambers.”

Forgiving Head spoke in a soft and calm tone, as if telling a bedtime story.

“What you see now, every plant and tree, those flower beds, the fountain, that honey tree… everything here was built according to the design of Her Majesty’s childhood courtyard. They are almost identical. When it was finished, I was surprised. I never thought such a queen would have such a sentimental heart. I thought she would move in here naturally… later you know, she moved to the neighboring house.”

“House No. 3 remains empty, but Her Majesty has always had someone take care of the courtyard. In contrast, Her Majesty has little interest in maintaining her own courtyard.”

Hearing what he said, I carefully recalled and realized that it was indeed as he described.

It seemed like the courtyard of the neighboring estate… although it wasn’t messy, the lawn certainly gave me the impression of being unkempt, and there were no trees or flower beds for decoration. In my memory, there was only a pavilion, and the scenery was far less beautiful than this side.

I had originally thought that Victoria just didn’t care about these things.

“Why?” I asked.

“You’ll have to ask Her Majesty the Queen about that; I don’t know what she’s thinking,” Forgiveness Head said with a wry smile, spreading his hands. “Her Majesty never shows her emotions on her face, but sometimes she comes here… sometimes during the day, sometimes late at night. She would gaze at the date palm tree in a daze, and when she got tired, she would have someone bring a chair, sit under the tree, and drink. Over time, I understood that this was when she was feeling down.”

“Today… is probably like that too. You might have noticed, Her Majesty and her mother… their relationship isn’t very good. They haven’t seen each other for a long time. The new decree came down, and Her Majesty’s mother was the most vehement opponent, but neither of them wants to see each other… so today’s scene happened, though I didn’t expect you to come back suddenly…”

Forgiveness Head paused.

“Haha, I may have said too much and gone off-topic. Actually, I have no other meaning; I just want you to understand that Her Majesty won’t resort to any means when facing difficulties. She’s not that kind of person.”

He looked at me, smiling on his face but with an unusually serious look in his eyes.

“Mm-hm.”

I nodded at him, indicating that I understood.

In fact, I was thinking: You’re still excusing your own queen… but such words are just an unspoken joke.

Because I knew very well that no matter what kind of person Victoria was, her actions today had already firmly placed her on the opposite side of all interest groups, against her own relatives and mother. And the people she protects may not choose to stand by her side simply because they understand her.

With her intelligence, she naturally saw through these problems clearly, yet she still adhered to principles and boundaries.

This kind of determination is not possessed by every ruler.

She is a queen worthy of respect.

“Her Majesty must be feeling very bad right now.”

Forgiveness Head stepped forward two steps and walked up to me, extending his right hand toward me… Only then did I notice the wine he was holding.

“Maybe the wine won’t be enough. Could you please take it up to her?” he said with a smile.

I reached out and took the bottle, looking at him curiously. “Aren’t you coming yourself?”

He shook his head slightly.

“I am a warrior of the kingdom. I can kill for her, shield her with my body. There are many things… beyond my power.”

After saying that, Forgiveness Head turned and left.

I held the plate with Captain Gray’s meal in one hand and a bottle of uncorked wine in the other, standing for a moment in the dimly lit living room.

I thought of that face, stunningly beautiful yet like a puppet, and shook my head involuntarily.

“The third bottle… might as well drink myself to death…”

Muttering to myself, I took small steps towards the balcony on the second floor.

The balcony of the estate was semi-circular, about forty square meters in size, surrounded by a waist-high iron fence. The wooden frame above was covered with vines and leaves, and the round table and chairs below were covered with a layer of fine dust.

There was no sign of Victoria’s figure on the chairs. She wasn’t sitting there.

I saw her not far from the air outside the fence.

In the sky outside the fence, I saw her.