Chapter 45. “I’ll Try My Best”
After they had their outfits fitted, there were no further delays, and they soon arrived in Edegrun.
Ophelia observed the scenery of the streets from the carriage until they reached Yggdrasil Castle. Despite the dim hour, the bustling streets of Edegrun felt familiar to her.
Since they were riding in a carriage marked with the royal seal, it was only natural that passersby glanced curiously at them. Watching them, Ophelia suddenly remembered that Idren had once been very popular among the common people.
Even she, who hadn’t paid much attention to politics, had heard that a few times—it meant he must’ve been quite well-liked.
She suddenly found herself wondering why. Though she didn’t know much about Idren’s life, she did know that he had no real legitimacy.
People often assumed that only nobles cared about legitimacy, but commoners could be just as sensitive about royal bloodlines.
From their point of view, royalty was royalty—but if they had to choose, they preferred to follow someone with a purer bloodline. Someone they could revere without feeling conflicted.
Ophelia had realized that truth when she brought down Reden.
Even though Mahanas had committed all sorts of atrocities, it had taken longer than expected for him to lose his authority.
Not just the nobles—Reden’s commoners had also supported Mahanas solely because he was a prince and had long appeared in public as a royal.
So for a man who had killed the three princes of Aglante and taken the throne, public opinion could never have been in his favor.
And yet, Idren had gained the people’s support within just a few years.
Without taking her eyes off the window, Ophelia asked the man sitting across from her:
“Why do the people of Aglante like you?”
“…Why the sudden question?”
To her, it was a perfectly natural question. But Idren seemed flustered. So she elaborated.
“I experimented once. People rarely abandon the existing power structure. Yet, even though you killed the three princes, the people of Aglante support you.”
“Experimented? What do you mean?”
“I mean Reden. Even though Mahanas governed so poorly, no one dared mention my name.”
Technically, she had a claim to the throne as well. If things had gotten unbearable, the people could’ve discussed replacing the successor.
But instead of imagining a princess ascending to the throne, they chose to give another chance to a prince who acted like a fool.
After a pause, Idren asked:
“Did you want to become queen?”
Ophelia answered firmly without hesitation.
“No.”
The people of Reden had thrown stones at Haslen’s corpse.
Ophelia had decided to remember for the rest of her life that not a single person among the countless poor and commoners had sided with House Lakmata. It was something she couldn’t forget even if she tried.
She pressed him again, since he hadn’t answered her question.
“Are you not going to answer me?”
At that, Idren followed her gaze to the window. As he looked out at the already dark streets, he replied:
“Because I lowered the taxes.”
It was such a sensible answer that Ophelia nodded in agreement. Idren continued.
“The previous king was very extravagant. There were more royal family members to support than now. On top of that, the former queen demanded compensation in fertile farmlands for her illegitimate child—and sent the profits to her homeland, Brinwell. That must’ve made the national finances even worse.”
People had supported him even partially because they couldn’t bear the taxation anymore.
His words held a subtle trace of self-deprecation. Ophelia spoke to the man who was downplaying his own merits.
“Still, you must’ve had qualities of your own that people recognized.”
Unlike Idren, she had never once been supported by the people. And it wasn’t because she overtaxed them or ruled with cruelty.
She wasn’t particularly disappointed about it, but Ophelia acknowledged that she lacked certain strengths in that area.
So Idren had every reason to be a little more proud of himself than he was.
Even though she was simply stating the truth, Idren looked at her with eyes that shimmered with emotion. His golden eyes sparkled so brightly that Ophelia, feeling slightly burdened, kept her gaze fixed stubbornly outside.
Whether she looked or not, Idren continued watching her with eyes bright as morning stars and said,
“I hope this time, you’ll be able to earn the people’s support too.”
Honestly, it wasn’t something she felt confident about. But the look in his eyes was so full of hope that Ophelia could only nod in the end.
She muttered in a small voice,
“I’ll try my best.”
The Yggdrasil Castle, where Ophelia had stayed until just before her death, remained exactly as she remembered.
“Your Majesty, you’ve arrived.”
Salode, who had come to greet them with the chief steward at the front gate after receiving word of their arrival, approached and bowed. Idren, holding Ophelia’s hand, introduced them.
“Ophelia, this is Salode, who serves as both my financial advisor and secretary, and this is Lisana, the steward of the castle.”
He was being formal, but also clearly intending to let Ophelia know who these people were.
When she didn’t recognize the former lord of Rohos, Idren realized she had been far more indifferent to her surroundings than he’d imagined.
Rather than expecting her to recall vague memories, it was better to help her create new ones from scratch.
“Princess of Reden, welcome to Yggdrasil Castle.”
As the red-haired young man following the steward stepped forward to kiss her hand, Ophelia realized he resembled someone.
Watching her closely, Idren leaned in and whispered,
“Salode is Hazel’s cousin.”
Only then did Ophelia recall the red-haired knight who had smiled at her from the deck of the ship.
Hazel. Hazel. She repeated the name quietly in her mouth to remember it, then greeted the advisor and steward.
“Pleased to meet you.”
It was just a basic greeting, but Idren whispered in a low voice as if she had done something extraordinary. Well done.
Ophelia almost retorted that she’d always known how to greet people properly in her past life too, but held her tongue.
As she withdrew her outstretched hand, the cold grazed her chest. She shivered slightly. Even though she wore newly tailored clothes, it would take time to get used to Edegrun’s winter.
Just then, a gloved hand brushed her ear. The man who gently touched her said softly,
“Your ears are freezing.”
“Go inside with the steward. She’ll show you to your room. I need to speak with my advisor and will join you shortly.”
Ophelia gave a small nod at his words. “All right.”
Idren watched her as she walked into the castle with the steward. Seeing her where she was supposed to be gave him a sense of relief.
Once her figure had disappeared from sight, he turned to Salode.
“Let’s go in too.”
Salode led him to a drawing room that had been prepared in advance. A fire was already lit in anticipation of their arrival.
Warm air wrapped around them. After offering Salode a seat across from him, Idren asked,
“We moved the wedding forward by about two months. Are there any issues?”
“No. Most things had already been prepared in advance, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.”
Thanks to preparing for the bridal dowry early on, everything was ready to go. Idren proceeded to check the remaining matters.
“What about Galisa? Is everything in order?”
Galisa, which included the winter harbor and villa, was the estate that would be handed over to Ophelia after the wedding.
He wanted the gift to be in perfect condition, so Idren had reorganized the region’s security before leaving for Reden.
“Yes. It’s being maintained just as you arranged.”
A satisfactory answer once again. But one major issue still remained.
Idren asked his young advisor the critical question.
“What about Brinwell? Are they preparing to send an envoy?”
In his previous life, Brinwell had sent a congratulatory delegation timed with the wedding.
It wasn’t out of any genuine goodwill, but to make a political display to the capital’s council and supporters of Prince Remetel’s child.
Allowing the Brinwell envoy entry had cost Idren the support of the Edegrun nobility, and though he tried to stop it, he ultimately failed.
That failure greatly impacted the war that broke out about a year later.
To draw military forces and supplies from beneath Edegrun, he needed approval from the capital’s council. But since the council never let go of their Brinwell sympathies, they delayed issuing the permit.
Thinking of how many knights, including Fenrel, he had lost because of that, he felt like dragging those noblemen out of the council and executing them on the spot.
He swallowed that rage and resolved that this time, he wouldn’t let them repeat the same mistake.
Suppressing the boiling fury inside him, he waited as Salode answered,
“Yes, I’ve heard Brinwell is preparing a ship.”
“We can’t let them dock. If they do, we’ll never gain control of the capital.”
Letting Brinwell’s envoy dock at the port of Aglante had been the first domino to fall. Only after winning the war against Brinwell had Idren managed to subdue the capital’s council and nobility.
Recalling all the hardships he’d endured to get there, he vowed never to allow the Brinwell delegation entry this time.
Salode, clearly aware of the issue, spoke with a troubled expression:
“However, due to a treaty signed during the previous king’s reign, it would be difficult to deny them entry—even if Brinwell’s ship does arrive…”
