Chapter 32
32
Before Maria could turn around, Aiden hugged her tightly. He sobbed, his chest heaving with emotion.
"Maria, I thought you were dead. There were rumors that you had been executed, or taken as a hostage to a faraway land. But to meet you here..."
Maria patted Aiden's back as he cried.
"What happened to your hair?"
Aiden touched Maria's hair, which had faded to gray, with a look of pity. She used to have the most radiant golden hair. But after going through something so terrible, it was no wonder she wasn't the same.
"Wh...where."
When Maria barely managed to speak, Aiden stared at her as if he had seen a ghost.
"Maria, what's wrong? Why can't you speak properly?"
Maria, the Empress of Lastonia, who was once so intelligent and spoke with such elegance, had become so broken. He couldn't believe it, even as he saw it with his own eyes.
"It's from the shock."
The answer came from behind them. It was a very stern and rigid voice. Maria and Aiden turned to look at Gunther.
"Greetings to the Great King of Helland. I am Aiden Stuart from Lastonia."
The quick-witted Aiden recognized Gunther at once and showed him respect. Only then did Gunther's grim face relax slightly.
"Aiden Stuart?"
"Maria's brother."
"Brother!"
He did seem to resemble Maria in some ways. Come to think of it, everyone in the Stuart family was strikingly beautiful. At those words, Gunther's face brightened. Maria did have several older brothers. Of course, their whereabouts were also unknown... He must be one of them. It had been so long since he had seen them that he couldn't remember exactly. But even if he was her brother, the sight of him holding Maria's hand so tightly was not very pleasant.
He was annoyed at himself for being so childish as to be jealous of even her own brother. So he tried not to pay attention as much as possible. But instinctively, his gaze lingered on their intertwined hands.
Then, Maria went to a table nearby and scribbled something on a piece of paper. She showed what she had written to Aiden, and soon a strained smile appeared on his face.
"Tell me what Maria said."
Gunther asked, crossing his arms casually. He wondered what Maria had written that she wouldn't even show him, but only Aiden.
"Ah, Maria is asking me to introduce myself to the Great King."
"Introduce yourself? Didn't you say you were her brother?"
"Yes, besides that... I mean..."
Aiden hesitated for a moment before speaking. It was embarrassing to brag about himself so openly.
"I graduated at the top of my class from Lastonia Imperial University. After that, I worked as a judge in the Continental Court and participated in the joint writing of the legal code."
He was the highly skilled individual he had only heard about. Gunther had never met such a scholar in his life. It was as if he was being compared to himself, who had barely learned to read at the age of seventeen. No, he had saved the life of Liberio, the Pope revered as a sage, and his woman was Maria Stuart. And now he was the Great King of Helland. There was no need to feel inferior. After all, Aiden had come to Helland as an immigrant, so now he was just his subject.
"Welcome."
He meant it sincerely. Such a highly skilled individual would be the foundation for the future development of Helland. Moreover, he was Maria's brother... It was a good thing, but strangely, he wasn't entirely pleased. It was a very selfish feeling, but he wanted her to rely only on him. He didn't like the idea of Maria's attention being divided among many people.
"Solskjaer, make sure he receives appropriate treatment."
"Understood."
Just then, a girl ran towards Aiden through the crowded throng.
"Dad."
She was a blonde girl who looked about ten years old. And because she was a relative, she looked a lot like Maria. The girl held her father's hand tightly and stared intently at Maria.
"Aunt?"
"Elizabeth, say hello."
Maria was surprised to see her niece, whom she had last seen as a baby, all grown up after 20 years, but she was even more moved. Elizabeth hugged Maria warmly and acted friendly. And Gunther smiled gently as he watched the scene. It would be a good thing if they could make Maria feel a little less lonely.
"It seems her whole family has immigrated."
Solskjaer said, looking at Aiden and Elizabeth.
"You'll be meeting the child's mother soon as well."
"I suppose so. Let's go now, Solskjaer."
Gunther was about to quietly leave so that Maria could have a good time with her family. Then, when Solskjaer turned around and waved at Ero, Gunther scolded him with a grumpy face.
"Don't overdo it."
"I... I apologize."
Honestly, he was a little envious. Maria was so indifferent that she didn't even say hello to him when he was leaving. He wondered when he would become Maria's top priority. It felt so distant. With a heavy heart, Gunther turned around, and then he heard a very unexpected remark from behind him.
"Dad, does this mean you're going to remarry Maria Aunt now?"
"Elizabeth!"
"You've always had a crush on Maria Aunt, right? I wish I had a mom too."
Even though he was scolding Elizabeth, Aiden's voice didn't sound too displeased. Gunther, who had been feeling pleased for a moment at Maria's family reunion and had started to walk away, stood there like a stone statue, unable to move.
"Didn't you say he was Maria's brother?"
Gunther asked Solskjaer in a low voice, his face hardened.
"It seems he's not her real brother. I think he's a cousin."
Gunther glared at the air and slowly turned towards Maria.
* * *
Maria hadn't been able to leave Gunther's office for days. Or rather, her range of movement had become narrower than before.
'He wants me to create administrative rules for him.'
It was something she hadn't even done in Lastonia. The legal system of a country couldn't be created overnight. It would be a great help to have someone as knowledgeable and experienced as Aiden by her side at times like this. But that day, Gunther had suddenly become upset, so she hadn't even been able to properly ask how he was doing.
[Maria, come here.]
She felt breathless at the sight of his scary face and outstretched hand. Gunther's expression was so frightening that Elizabeth had hidden behind Aiden. She had been dragged away and had been working with him in his office every day, eating, bathing, and sleeping together.
'There's too much work.'
She wanted to ask Aiden how her parents, brothers, and family were doing, but she couldn't move an inch, which was really frustrating.
"Maria, make a document about the rules of the Inner Palace."
"!?!"
As soon as Maria finished one task, Gunther gave her another as if he had been waiting for it. Moreover, he had a knack for instantly offsetting Maria's complaints about the heavy workload.
"It's such a neat and beautiful handwriting, just like you."
When Gunther carefully examined the documents she had worked so hard on and admired them, her resentment disappeared as if she had never been tired. She herself was just an ordinary person who was weak to praise.
'But I have to get permission today. There are so many things I want to ask Aiden.'
Maria finished her work as quickly as possible and wrote her business on a piece of paper, which she handed to Gunther.
<I'm going to see my brother Aiden.>
"Go ahead."
"!?!"
"After you eat."
'I knew it.'
Still, it was something that he had given permission. But Maria sighed as she looked at the food on the table. Why did he only prepare these kinds of dishes today?
"I don't like grape skins getting stuck in my teeth. I want you to peel them for me."
Maria had been focused on peeling grapes for several minutes. She had never been asked to serve him during meals, but was there another reason?
"Pick out all the carrots from the stew."
'Pick out the carrots? How can I pick out the diced carrots?'
Anyway, she picked out all the carrots, which made up more than half of the stew, and put them in a separate bowl. But his demands didn't stop there.
"Fish bones are dangerous. Debone it for me."
After serving him in every way, the meal lasted two hours. But Gunther didn't actually eat much. That made her even more annoyed. But he seemed to be interested in something other than the food.
"We need to make sure Aiden Stuart doesn't cross the line."
He said in a very serious tone. It sounded like a warning. Only then did Maria realize Gunther's intentions. He was overly wary that Aiden might have other feelings for her since he didn't have a wife. But the problem was that he was only true to his own feelings and didn't care about the other person's feelings.
'I don't want a man. I don't need one, and I don't trust them.'
What she needed was the trust of Gunther Paisley, the Great King of Helland. A man who could turn herself into a weapon of revenge.
'I'm not going to give my heart to any man. You're no exception.'
It was none of her business if he was caught up in possessiveness or obsession alone.
'You don't really like me either.'
Even if he liked her for now, there was a limit to human emotions. Just then, Solskjaer appeared, reversing the atmosphere.
"Great King, the Witches have arrived."
"Is that so?"
"Where's Samantha?"
"She's looking for the Great King as soon as she arrived."
"Let's go."
Gunther roughly wiped his mouth and hands with a napkin and left the dining room with Solskjaer. Without saying anything to Maria. The man who had been obsessed with her until just now had disappeared without a trace. Come to think of it, he was said to have a very close relationship with the Archwitch, probably. So much so that they spent the night together after performing the most important Ritual once a year. For ten years.
'Men are all the same.'
Maria put down the fish she had been deboning and wiped her hands. But she didn't know why she was laughing so bitterly.