Lady to Queen

Rafaella ran and ran again. She searched for almost every section to find Patrizia, but she was not visible anywhere. When the situation turned to this, Rafaella who was the owner of a usually optimistic personality, was naturally worried. Had they missed each other while crossing paths? Rafaella prayed for that. The hunting competitions would be over in three to four hours.     

If Patrizia still did not appear until then...     

Rafaella, who thought this far, shook her head and got rid of her delusion. These thoughts were useless. She must have been hunting while riding her horse freely somewhere in the woods.     

But because there was always a maybe, Rafaella decided to look around a little. Even if the 'maybe' situation came, nothing could be done right now.     

Then, something came into Rafaella's line of sight when she was about to turn around. Rafaella approached the shape in a familiar figure doubtfully, and as soon as she noticed the identity, she screamed with amazement, "Patrizia!"     

When Patrizia opened her eyes, an hour had passed. When she objectively judged the condition of her body that had been exposed to a lot of rain earlier, it seemed that she hadn't caught a cold.     

At least so far this was the case, but it was the norm not to know what the human body would turn out to be like, so Patrizia thought she would have to rush to return in a hurry.     

To do this above all, he had to be alert, but he was still lying there as if dead. Patrizia carefully leaned away from him, and then looked over Lucio's condition.     

When she touched his body with her hands, she could feel the warmth at her fingertips.     

Oh, thank goodness. Patrizia was relieved. The crisis had passed. Someone who would soon die could not get this warm. Patrizia thought she wanted to cry at that moment and buried her face against her knees. It was a very difficult time when she had to go through everything herself, with no one helping her.     

It was still raining, but there was no more thunderstorm, and the rain had thinned out from before.     

Due to the heavy weather however, it was impossible to measure the time, she could estimate that only about a couple of hours remained until the end of the hunting competition.     

Anyways, it was only possible to head out after the rain had stopped. Moving in the rain would adversely affect the state of all three of them.     

Patrizia tidied up her hair that had been messed up with a weary expression and then turned to Lucio again. He was still asleep. She muttered.     

"Please wake up."     

"…"     

Naturally, he did not wake up. If this had happened in the first place, she would be a wizard. But she wasn't even a wizard, and she didn't even know how to perform magic. Patrizia released a long sigh and murmured to herself.     

"If you do not wake up quickly, my life is but a second priority, and Your Majesty's position will be at risk. You know this best, so why do you do this?"     

"..."     

"Please wake up, Your Majesty. What should I do more for you from here?"     

Her resentful voice was saddening. Patrizia honestly wanted to cry. Would it have been easier if she had to deal with this situation by herself?     

He may have acted in a way to help her, but to be coldly frank, he was now a burden for her. But that didn't mean she was going to cut down his heart that wanted to get poisoned in her stead.     

Patrizia was not so cold.     

"Rosemond…"     

Patrizia's interest then turned to Rosemond, the driving force behind all of this. When she thought of her, Patrizia's eyes burned fire with anger. Obviously, she had given the warning last time. That it would be better not to do that kind of stuff again. But was this the result of a compassionate warning? This situation could eventually lead to everything being taken away.     

Patrizia mocked herself. Her foolishness had created this situation after all. Rosemond was just the type of person that wouldn't have taken her warning seriously.     

She had been so ignorant. Patrizia wanted to hurl her tongue out at her own stupidity.     

Anyway, the situation had already happened, and Patrizia finally had to admit it.     

That she couldn't escape the fight against Rosemond. Initially, the plan was to stay as if she was not there in the Imperial Palace and become the Dowager Empress, but in the present situation, it was almost impossible to be "as if not there." If she continued to 'be as if not there', she would be murdered or abolished as 'as if she was not there.'     

It wasn't just a matter of herself alone. The Empress of the Marvinus Empire was not overthrown for any reason. So, if she was dethroned, it meant the fall of her family. The family crest would be no more, and the necks all cut at the guillotine. She never wanted to go through that again.     

Patrizia stared into the empty face with a relaxed face.     

She would never be beaten again. She would never experience something like this again. Again, again! Patrizia laughed, holding her breath with a cold look.     

It was fortunate to have heard Rosemond's name in their mouths. If they hadn't revealed the true culprit, the good girl that she was would have been in a bit of anguish. Because of that noble and useless reason that there was a suspicion but no evidence. However, that sapling had been completely removed, and now there was only one option left for Patrizia.     

War, and victory. Patrizia bit at her lips with a cold expression. She wanted to live like a wildflower as if there but not there, but it seemed she would have to become a weed. She couldn't be too sad about it since there was no choice in the matter. She didn't want to survive as if she was a weed, but she hated dying as a wildflower more. So…     

"Please wake up, Your Majesty."     

Now, she desperately needed him, more than ever before.