Not a Life Consumed by Others
“D-Dungeon!? What do you mean, dungeon, Grandmother!?”
Veronica protested frantically, but the Dowager Queen only looked down at her as if observing a fool.
“Who told you it was acceptable to call me that?”
“T-That’s… previously, Grandmother, you…”
It seemed even she struggled to lie outright in front of the Dowager Queen. Though I must admit, the sheer nerve to try was impressive. Or perhaps foolish bravery?
As I watched the scene unfold, the Dowager Queen cut her off sharply.
“I have no such memory. What I do recall is telling you this before: the next time, I will have you thrown into solitary confinement.”
“I never heard that!!”
“Indeed. I’ve just said it now. Do you understand how it feels to be constantly at the mercy of your antics?”
“What are you trying to say!?”
“Such appalling language… What is Brian even doing…? You’re exactly like your father. I should never have allowed that woman to marry into the family…”
With a weary sigh, the Dowager Queen ordered the knights to restrain Veronica. She struggled in protest, her shrill voice echoing through the corridor.
“Stop! Let me go!! If you do this, His Majesty will be furious! Are you all prepared for that!?”
“Cease this at once, Veronica. Brian may be King, standing atop this nation, but I am his grandmother. It is a grandmother’s duty to admonish her grandchild’s foolishness.”
“What nonsense…!!”
Even as the knights pinned her down, Veronica glared at the Dowager Queen.
“I overheard enough of your argument to understand the situation. I still clearly remember the trouble your cats caused in the Royal Garden, the mess they made, and the suffering of the maids and gardeners who had to clean up after them. My mind is not so feeble as to forget that.”
“That’s not true!! You’re mistaken, Your Majesty the Dowager Queen!”
“Mind your tongue. You are nothing more than Brian’s mistress—not royalty. Know your place as a subject and conduct yourself accordingly.”
“I…!! His Majesty called me the most noble woman in this entire kingdom!! I hold an exalted status!!”
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A heavy silence fell upon everyone present—the Dowager Queen, the knights, the maids… and me.
It was a silence filled with weary resignation.
The kind of silence one experiences when reasoning with someone utterly disconnected from reality, as if trying to communicate with a being from another planet.
(… My head hurts.)
Logic never works on Veronica.
She always responds with something absurd, irrational, or entirely beside the point.
Engaging with her seriously is utterly pointless.
The Dowager Queen must have come to the same conclusion.
Pressing her hand to her forehead, she wordlessly gestured to the knights.
They nodded and escorted Veronica away, still restraining her as she resisted.
Her shrill cries echoed down the corridor.
“Nooo!! Let me go!! Let me go, I said!! Do you think you can get away with this!?”
“Stop!! You’re hurting me!!”
“I said you’re hurting me!!”
Her screeching grew so obnoxious that the Dowager Queen finally lifted her head, her expression cold and unreadable, and gave a final order.
“There’s no need to listen to her nonsense. Take her away.”
“Your Majesty the Dowager Queen, how cruel!! You’re so cruel!! I know the truth! You see yourself in Lady Clementina, don’t you!? You weren’t loved by the King, and you can’t stand it! Isn’t that right!? Am I wrong!?”
“——”
(Wh-What did she just say…!?)
Veronica hurled one final outrageous accusation before being dragged away.
I truly wish she’d consider the people she leaves behind when she throws those verbal grenades.
The air left in her wake was freezing cold and oppressively heavy.
As the silence dragged on, the Dowager Queen calmly addressed me, as if she hadn’t heard a word of Veronica’s nonsense.
“Queen Clementina.”
“… Yes.”
“That foolish girl… No, I suppose it was not your place to deal with her. It was my responsibility.”
Her words left me momentarily stunned.
She let out a weary sigh, visibly exhausted from the ordeal with Veronica.
“I heard there was quite a commotion when I last had her restrained by the knights. Brian lodged a protest, did he not? I heard the situation escalated significantly.”
“It was my failure. I apologize.”
“You are not that girl’s governess. You were never obligated to manage her.”
The Dowager Queen dismissed it curtly, and I couldn’t help but feel surprised.
She was known for her strictness, with herself and others alike.
I had been reprimanded by her countless times under the guise of “guidance.”
Gazing out toward the Royal Garden, she murmured quietly.
“You intend to leave the castle, do you not?”
“Yes.”
“Does it have anything to do with your haircut?”
The Dowager Queen turned her eyes to me, inquiring directly about the reason behind my short hair.
The reason I cut it.
For a moment, I hesitated to answer.
But I decided not to hide it.
I no longer wished to live with false smiles and empty words.
I wanted to live for myself.
Not a life consumed by others, but one where I walk my own path.
Turning my gaze toward the Royal Garden, I spotted the sunflower beds in the distance.
The sunflowers faced the sun, blooming upright and proud.
They dazzled me.
“… It’s a farewell. I’ve decided to say goodbye.”
“Farewell to the castle? To us, the people here?”
It was neither of those.
I shook my head, and the short ends of my hair brushed my neck.
“To the person I used to be.”
Upon hearing my answer, the Dowager Queen… perhaps she had anticipated it.
For just a moment, I thought I saw a faint smile grace her lips.
“… I see. Queen Clementina, you know… I never liked you.”
“…………”
Being told directly, “I didn’t like you”, what exactly is the appropriate response to that?
Frozen in place with an awkward smile plastered on my face, I watched as the Dowager Queen chuckled softly, elegantly.
“But now… I find I don’t dislike you at all. In fact… I might even envy you.”
“Envy…?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
But the Dowager Queen was not looking at me.
Her eyes lingered on my short hair, softening as she answered.
“Because that’s something… I could never do.”
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