Why did you want to see me?
A few days later, I was at the inner palace. I got permission to see my older sister. I’m nervous just meeting with my own sister. However, the moment I saw her face, my nervousness vanished.
“Yurika, how are you these days?”
“Big Sister Marlene. No, I’m sorry, Side Consort.”
“Oh my, stop it. We are sisters, so don’t humble yourself in front of me.”
I was guided to my sister’s private room, but I was worried about the gazes of the servants, so I corrected myself, which caused Big Sister Marlene to smile wryly at me.
“You guys can withdraw until I call for you again. Head Maid, prepare some tea for us.”
The maids left the room silently. The Head Maid who stayed behind brewed us tea and then smartly left us, sisters, alone after saying to call her if we need something.
My fifth sister Marlene was a beauty who inherited our mother’s strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes. She was a Side Consort whom His Majesty highly favored. His Majesty stopped by our fief a few years ago, fell in love with her at first sight, and made her his Side Consort.
Marlene is two years older than me, and she was sixteen when His Majesty fell for her. I was only fourteen at that time. His Majesty who was thirty-two at that time, fell in love with the sixteen years younger Marlene at first sight. Because my older sister’s face that time was blushing red, I who didn’t know anything at that time thought she was ill.
I truly didn’t expect His Majesty to contact my sister after he returned to the palace. Naturally, His Majesty has an official Queen from a foreign country he married out of political convenience, so I was worried that sister’s hurried entrance to the palace might go bad.
In high society, women gather and bad-mouth their rivals behind their backs. I was worried that my older sister would be bullied by the Queen and the other consorts, so I tried to stop her.
However, that was a needless fear on my part. Actually, it was apparently the Queen herself who recommended older sister to His Majesty. She recognized that he fell in love with her as he was restless since he returned to the palace, so Her Majesty who was able to read his change uttered something so shocking.
His Majesty panicked, but Her Majesty didn’t have the physical strength nor age to make siblings for the Crown Prince. She wanted to leave that duty to the youngsters. I might as well ask the one you love, she told him.
Her Majesty is nine years older than His Majesty, and the two’s relationship seems to be that of an elder sister and younger brother. His Majesty was apparently teased by his “elder sister” the Queen for falling in love at first sight for a while after that.
Elder sister seems to be close with the Queen too, so they get along really well. Immediately after becoming a Side Consort, she had two princesses who are now seven and four years old.
Sitting face to face with my sister, I was snapped out of my thoughts as I enjoyed the fragrance of the tea.
“Yurika, why did you want to see me? Did something happen?”
“Big Sister, in fact, Anton said he wants to divorce me.”
“Ehh? Commander Garland said that? Why? How did he come to that conclusion?”
I rarely contact my fifth sister, so she guessed that something must have happened. She was startled by my directness.
“Did something happen between you guys?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on. He told me that he isn’t dissatisfied with me anywhere, but I couldn’t get pregnant, and he also told me he wants to do as he likes…”
“Haah? The hell is that supposed to mean?”
Marlene raised her voice in displeasure.