Chapter 429

Chapter Fifty-Two: Flying Flower Sword Dance, Moon-Drunk Musician, Part Two

There was no surprise; the blonde queen stood to the left of the kitchen door, in front of the long dining table.

At this moment, she had already shed her magnificent armor and changed into a pure white, close-fitting chiffon dress, with a water-blue brocade velvet shawl draped over it, revealing her graceful neck and clearly visible collarbones. The hem of the dress rippled like the flowing moonlight on snow as it gently swept the ground. Her crown had been removed, and her golden hair was tied up with a golden jasmine hair ornament, with two small braids coiling around the back of her head. A curl of hair fell onto her chest, her makeup was light, and her skin was as smooth as jade.

When I came downstairs, she was staring at the dinner on the table, standing there as if she were clear and transparent ice.

So beautiful…

This thought flashed through my mind, and then Victoria looked up at me.

“Did you make this?” She pointed to the dishes on the table, raising her eyebrows slightly as she asked.

“Mmm…”

I came down the stairs, looking at her and nodding, feeling somewhat happy.

She came alone…

“What’s this cooking method?”

“…Pei family method.”

“What?”

“It’s just… it’s just my own method.”

“Is it edible?”

Victoria sat down at the dining table.

I took knives and forks from the kitchen and ran back to give her a pair, holding another pair for myself. As I casually replied, “If you don’t like it, don’t eat it,” I pulled out the chair opposite her to sit down, but unexpectedly heard Victoria say, “Sit next to me.”

Her tone was still that familiar commanding tone.

“Why?” I asked.

“For easier conversation.”

…Isn’t sitting across from each other more convenient for talking?

But looking at her straight gaze, for some reason, I suddenly felt a bit uneasy. Subconsciously, I pulled out the chair right next to hers and obediently sat down.

After sitting down, looking at the few dishes that were not particularly appealing in appearance, and which, except for the salad and bone broth, even had a dark, unappetizing look, I felt inexplicably nervous.

I haven’t even tasted these dishes myself yet…

What if they’re not good…

I didn’t dare invite Victoria to taste them first. I picked up a piece of fried eggs with my fork and stuffed it into my mouth, chewing quickly. I thought if they were really bad, I would stop her from eating, but surprisingly, the taste was okay. Although many seasonings were missing in this world, the flavor from memory came through.

After eating one piece of egg, I gained a little confidence and dared to push the scrambled eggs in front of Victoria, closing my eyes and smiling: “Try it!”

Standing up after saying that, I served her a bowl of bone broth. Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I saw Victoria pick up a tomato and eat it gracefully, savoring it slowly. I secretly observed her expression… well, she didn’t seem to have much of an expression.

Would she like this taste…

I placed the bone broth in front of her, then served myself a bowl. I said to her, “It won’t be tasty if it gets cold,” but in my heart, I was thinking: Why doesn’t she say anything after finishing? Is it really not good?

Even if it’s not good, she shouldn’t say it…

Victoria ate the stir-fried tomatoes and drank a small sip of soup. After swallowing, her mouth was still moving, as if savoring it. At this moment, I felt a bit nervous again, turning my head to look at her eagerly.

“You…” Victoria pondered for a moment, frowning at the bone broth, “What did you put in the soup?”

“Not… not tasty?”

I shrunk my shoulders, the smile on my face froze, and I felt my heart sink slightly.

“Tell me what you added.”

“Bones, radish, ginger, salt, pepper… and…”

“And what?”

“And orange…”

After hearing this, Victoria put down her spoon.

“The orange is superfluous,” she said, then glanced at the dish of scrambled eggs, “How did you make this?”

“Fried…”

I think the orange isn’t superfluous…

“Fried?”

“Just…”

I thought for a moment, raised the fork in my hand, and mimicked the action of stir-frying: “Like this… and then like this… stir-fry.”

After demonstrating, I blinked and stared at her.

Victoria also stared at me, her eyes as if looking at a fool.

“You should teach this method to Charles.”

Hmm…

The queen finished speaking and ignored me. She continued to try the other dishes. Though she didn’t say much, her facial expression didn’t change much, but it seemed… she ate a bit faster than usual.

Does this mean she likes it?

Suddenly, I felt extremely happy, watching her take small bites of the food, as if I had done something extraordinary, and I smiled proudly, but didn’t want Victoria to notice my pride.

He quickly lowered his head to drink the soup… After taking a sip, the smile on his face immediately froze. The fragrant bone broth mixed with an odd sweetness spread in his mouth, almost making him choke.

She was right…

The orange was superfluous.

“Next time, use less oil.”

After a while, Victoria put down her utensils, wiped her mouth, and said to me.

“Oh…”

If she wanted me to cook again, it would depend on my mood…

“Vicky.”

“Yes.”

“The people earlier… Reckt and them, where are they?”

“There’s a banquet at the palace.”

Huh?

Does that mean they all went to the banquet?

Then…

“Aren’t you going?”

“You made dinner,” Victoria said softly, then glanced at me indifferently.

“… ”

…What am I so happy about!

I could barely hold my expression…

“Did everything go smoothly this time?”

To hide my joy, I quickly changed the subject.

I thought she would come back so soon, looking so triumphant, and even kissing me in public, indicating that things should have gone well. However, after I asked this question, Victoria fell silent.

“… What?”

In that moment, many thoughts raced through my mind.

For example, she might have been seriously injured, or the fortress wasn’t actually taken, or the “triumph” was a lie, or the Duke used some scheme causing heavy losses to the garrison and church knights, or she encountered an overwhelmingly powerful heretic…

Just as I was thinking that things were not as simple as they seemed, Victoria suddenly smiled.

“It went very smoothly.”

That smile was somewhat sorrowful.

“The garrison captured Fleresk Fortress in three days, and Reckt crashed to death from the fortress. From now on, there will be no more Clive family in Isenbell… This is the best outcome for the royal family.”

“… ”

This indeed is the best outcome.

But Victoria didn’t seem particularly happy about it.

I looked at her peerless beauty by my side, watching as she slowly raised her head, looking out the large window of the dining room, at the clear night sky.

When we first met, Victoria kissed and hugged me, which made me very nervous. Later, I was preoccupied with the dinner, and until the previous second, I hadn’t really looked closely at her face. But now, I finally noticed, something subtle had changed within her.

It was an indescribable change, unseen but felt.

If the Victoria I knew before was like a proud yet somewhat cold white swan, distant and even arrogant, ultimately, she projected an aura of a “stronger one” rather than a “ruler”—these are different concepts. Victoria was indeed smart and capable, but I had compared her to my father and found that she was still too young—of course, this wasn’t just about physical strength.

Now, that youthful naivety had faded from her.

It felt like… that white swan finally learned to hide the blood on its feathers under its wings.

So, she no longer talked to me about the expedition.

“On the way back, I instructed Sharman to build an aerial garden between two mansions, with a hall underneath. When there are more visitors, many things that can’t be discussed in the palace can be talked about here. When the night deepens, those trivial matters will be gone. We can sit on the terrace, smell the flowers, admire the moon, and drink wine… Let’s settle it like this.”

As she spoke, Victoria turned to look at me with eyes like stars.

I wanted to refuse.

But remembering her earlier smile, my words became, “If you say build it, then let’s build it…”

“Mm.”

Queen Victoria nodded calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, which surprised me.

I believed Sharman must have told her about my firm stance on this matter before. But now, when she brought it up again, I immediately agreed, even surprising myself… Why did I agree so quickly… I shouldn’t have agreed… Yet, Victoria seemed completely unsurprised, as if she had known I would agree readily.

Her attitude of being certain of me made me a bit annoyed. My cheeks puffed up, and just as I was about to ask why, Victoria spoke first.

“I know you wouldn’t refuse me.”

“… ”

Suddenly, I wanted to take it back.