Queen in the Shadows

Chapter 7

Elena looked around the empty house.

She walked over to the dining table and swept her fingers over it. She did the same in her memory-stained bedroom and the dining room that had once been filled with the joy and laughter of a harmonious family.

For a moment, Elena looked a lot more relaxed as she reminisced about the past. She was about to walk a difficult path alone, and there was nothing that gave her more strength and support—no driving force greater—than the time she had spent with her family.

As expected, Riaveric was not a second late. She knocked precisely at the appointed time.

“Miss Elena, it’s time to leave.”

“I’ll be right out.”

Elena carefully rose from the chair, placed her hand on her chest, and took a couple of deep breaths. She then unpacked the feelings of separation that she’d buried deep in her heart. In her past life, she’d had no choice but to leave her parents, and this had made her highly distraught. She drew upon that feeling, and only when she confirmed that her eyes were red did she head out to meet Riaveric.

Elena stepped out of the room, past the door that was slightly ajar. The image she’d crafted evoked pity—Riaveric saw bloodshot eyes and a hand that was trying desperately to cover her sobs.

“Let’s go,” said Elena.

Riaveric seemed somewhat confused. “What about your parents?”

“I forced myself to leave them. I wanted to come out alone. If I stay any longer, I think I’ll lose my confidence, so...let’s go before I have a change of heart.”

Elena’s last words were close to a plea, and she looked like she would fall apart at any moment.

Riaveric gave a small nod.

“Sir.”

When Riaveric called, the man behind her took a step forward. He was wearing a cloak, but it could not hide his sturdy physique, and the sword at his waist suggested that he was a knight.

“Once we leave, please take care of Miss Elena’s parents. Treat them with courtesy and respect so that she does not worry.”

“I will,” said the knight.

It can’t be!

At the sound of that familiar voice, Elena inhaled sharply. When she glanced at him to confirm her suspicions, unbearable hatred and anger flooded her heart.

I never thought that the knight who would come to take me away would be you, Sir Lorenz.

He’d once been the sworn knight who had loyally guarded her—a knight of honor who had even protected her when she’d become the queen. But when Veronica had returned, he’d been the traitorous knight who had mercilessly plunged his sword into Elena’s stomach.

His oath of loyalty had been a lie, his vow hypocritical, and the honor he’d blabbered about had been nothing more than pretense. She still couldn’t forget the words Lorenz had spat when he’d cut her life short with his own hands.

“I have never for a moment considered you my lady. Since my true lady has returned, I will kill you with my own hands and ask the real queen to forgive me.”

Ah!

More than the pain of metal piercing her flesh, that sincerity he’d been harboring had cut cruelly into her heart. The sense of betrayal and loss she’d felt had been equal to the depth of trust she’d had in him. The feeling was so intense that Elena couldn’t express it in words.

Now that she thought about it, Lorenz was likely the one who had murdered her parents. Her hatred naturally doubled.

Let’s not dwell on the past. At most, he is nothing more than a chess piece.

Elena was cautious about the fact that her buried hatred for him could ruin her plans before she had time to put them into action. While he would one day pay the price for his sins against her, now was not the time. As she was aiming to overthrow the grand duchy, she couldn’t get caught up in trivial feelings and risk making a big mistake.

“I have a carriage waiting on the outskirts of the territory. We’ll have to move secretly to get there.”

Riaveric started to walk ahead, and Elena followed behind her. Acting as if she couldn’t completely let go of her former life, Elena turned around slightly. When she did that, Lorenz bowed. While it might have seemed like he was showing the virtues of a knight, it only looked like hypocrisy in Elena’s eyes—she knew he intended to kill her parents.

“Let’s hurry. At this rate, we’ll be late.”

“Okay.” Elena turned back around and quickened her pace to shorten the distance between her and Riaveric.

After crossing the dark Zelkova Forest, they reached the road that led to the southern part of the territory. They approached a remote part of the thicket, and there, a luxurious carriage was waiting.

“Please leave immediately.”

As soon as they got into the carriage, the coachman cracked his whip.

The neighing of the horses pierced through the silence and the wheels began turning. As Elena felt the vibrations beneath her, she shifted her gaze to the ever-changing scenery outside the window.

Her thoughts deepened as she took in the moonlit view. That night from her past life was no different from this one. But the world looked different because Elena’s mindset had changed.

“Don’t worry too much.” Riaveric put her hand on top of Elena’s as if to reassure her. “Now that you have decided to become his daughter, I couldn’t possibly neglect your parents. I’ll take responsibility for taking care of them.”

“Thank you. Because of you, I think I can worry a bit less.”

Elena smiled as if she were relieved and squeezed Riaveric’s hand tightly. She was expressing that she trusted her. Elena’s gesture seemed more sincere than a thousand words, and Riaveric was convinced that she was now under her control.

“There’s no need to say words like ‘thank you’ or ‘thanks.’ Aren’t we like sisters now?”

Elena held back the laughter that was about to burst from her chest. Sisters? She looked forward to seeing how long this fake relationship would last.

* * *

Lorenz carefully climbed down from the fence he’d been sitting on. Considering the distance to the carriage and a woman’s stride and gait, they should’ve departed by now. He had no reason to delay his assignment any longer.

“Kill Elena’s parents.”

Anything that could be trouble in the future needed to be cut off at its roots in advance. When Riaveric had told him that this was for the glory of the grand duchy, he’d agreed to do it without hesitation. That obedient virtue was his pride, and it was what kept him living and breathing as a knight.

Lorenz pulled the sword from his belt. It looked chillingly sharp as it shone in the moonlight. This immaculate blade would soon be dyed red.

He opened the door with a creak.

When he crossed the threshold, his expression hardened.

Nobody was inside.

His instincts told him something was wrong, so he frantically began searching each room. However, Baronet Frederick and Chesana were nowhere to be found.

“Huh... They ran away?”

Lorenz couldn’t believe it. Just a moment ago, they had definitely been inside, but apparently, they had escaped without alerting him. It was like they had disappeared into thin air. He didn’t understand how they’d sensed that their lives were in danger or how they’d fled.

“Now is not the time to worry about that. I need to track them.”

Lorenz’s eyes flashed as he followed the footsteps that were buried in the darkness.

* * *

Part 2

A Safe House

After leaving the territory, the carriage kept going without delay.

“You must be tired,” said Riaveric. “Please wait a bit longer until we reach Silence.”

“Thanks to your consideration, it hasn’t been a hard journey.” Elena smiled softly. It was such a natural smile that it was impossible to imagine she had any other thoughts. “I’m only asking this because I’m really curious, but where are we going?”

“Curious, you say?”

“Ah, never mind. It’s fine. You don’t have to tell me.”

Elena shook her head and slid her fingertips across the plush carriage seat. It was made of the highest-quality leather. While she was indeed surprised by the texture, she also put on a show of touching it, as if she liked the feel of it against her skin.

“This carriage alone is softer and more comfortable than the bed in my room,” said Elena. “I’ve never seen such a fancy carriage in my life.”

“That’s because it was specially prepared to bring you, Miss Elena.”

“I’m being treated so hospitably that I wonder what family I shall be joining. Though, perhaps the identity of my future ‘father’ isn’t all that important.”

Elena’s eyes took on a hazy, dreamy quality. She looked as though she was so blinded by expensive items that she couldn’t consider her situation or her future. Riaveric scoffed internally as she saw how Elena was full of vanity and desire.

What a pathetic woman. Miss Elena had no idea that she was a puppet that was going to be used to the fullest extent and then discarded. She was just happy and dazzled by what was in front of her. Riaveric already was thinking that she would be very easy to deal with.

And that was exactly what Elena was aiming for.

I have to make them see me as the most ignorant and pathetic woman in the world.

Misjudgment. The more pathetic she was in Riaveric’s eyes, the better. The more Elena fell short of the standard, the less wary Riaveric would be—eventually Riaveric might even come to ignore her. Elena was going to pretend to be ignorant and snobby to catch Riaveric off guard.

And until that day came, the day when she would get her vengeance, Elena was going to endure and persevere.

“Since you said that you weren’t curious, let’s put that aside for a moment and talk about something else,” Riaveric suggested.

“Of course,” Elena replied.

“Do you remember when I said that your new father still can’t accept his daughter’s death?”

Elena nodded.

“Actually, he hasn’t even been able to hold his daughter’s funeral. It’s been two months.”

“What?”

“He’s so attached to her that he cannot seem to let her go. It’s to the point that only a very small number of people even know about her death.”

“T-then...” Elena contorted her face to fit this situation that was neither funny nor sad. The young lady’s death had not been officially announced. Her father’s attachment was actually an obsession.

And, as for Elena’s position: her expression showed the confusion that was going on in her head due to the various unclear and conflicting conditions.

“I know what your concerns are, Miss Elena. But you can rest assured that nothing bad will happen to you.” Elena looked at Riaveric with anxious eyes, but a meaningful smile appeared on her lips. “It’s a chance to live as his biological daughter, not his adopted daughter, so there’s no reason to turn it down, right?”

Elena’s eyes widened.

“H-his biological daughter?”

“Yes. You would become Princess Veronica herself.”