Chapter 152 Meeting the Queen
The Queen of the Soth Empire came from a ducal family in the south. This family was almost as old as the empire's history itself, which made their daughters highly sought after by all the major noble families. Anne had heard the Queen Mother mention her before, but that was a long time ago. Later, when the King got married, Anne was busy with the Titan family's affairs and didn't attend, so she had never met her in person.
She wondered what could have brought the Queen to seek her out so early in the morning.
Following the servant all the way to the Queen's palace, Anne was ushered inside. There, on the main seat of the sofa by the window, sat a beautiful, gentle brown-haired woman who smiled at her.
"Are you Anne?" The beauty's voice matched her appearance—soft as flowing water.
Anne nodded and curtsied to her. "Anne Virlet greets the Queen. May God bless you."
The Queen covered half her face with a fan and laughed softly. "No need for such formality. Come sit beside me."
Anne sensed no ill will from the Queen, so she sat down gracefully on the single sofa to the Queen's left. "Thank you."
The Queen looked at Anne with appreciation. She had heard Rolf mention Anne many times. At first, she thought Rolf had special feelings for Anne and felt a bit jealous, but later realized that Rolf only saw Anne as a sister. Friedel, on the other hand...
She smiled. Originally, when she heard Anne had gone to the eastern battlefield after her divorce, she thought Friedel had finally worked up the courage to confess his feelings to the woman he loved. But after they returned, the two were still just the two of them—their only connection being that they'd been to war together.
The Queen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Prince Friedel was good in every way, except he didn't dare face his own feelings. How could he ever win back the woman he loved at this rate? His Majesty was clever, having Conor send her a message to give these two a little push. If things went well, it could bring together a pair of lovers.
With this in mind, the Queen spoke gently. "I know you must have many questions about why I summoned you here. The truth is, I'm here at His Majesty's request. His Majesty wanted to reward you for your great achievements on the eastern battlefield, but he didn't know what to give you. So he asked me to meet with you and help introduce you to some excellent husband candidates."
Anne froze, looking at the Queen with a somewhat stunned expression.
She never expected that His Majesty the King would use this as her reward!
But after the whole Holden affair, Anne had already figured things out. Rather than forcing herself to marry a man and become a wife silently supporting him from behind, she'd rather be a bird flying high, living by her own strength.
"Thank you for His Majesty's kindness, but I only just divorced Holden recently. I have no plans to remarry at the moment."
Hearing this, the Queen couldn't tell if Anne's heart had been broken by Holden, or if she still had feelings for him. Either answer seemed unfavorable for Friedel's upcoming pursuit, which was troublesome.
Anne saw the difficulty on the Queen's face. Knowing this was a task arranged by His Majesty, she smiled helplessly. "Queen Mother Smith and my mother both told me before that marriage isn't the only path for a woman in life. Now I have the Virlet family on my shoulders, and I'm about to officially inherit the dukedom. Marrying a man is no longer a necessary choice for me."
"Most noble young ladies marry because of family alliances these days. Both sides need cooperation to exchange benefits. Maybe I'm being too blunt, but the Virlet family doesn't need that approach."
The Queen sighed. "What you say makes sense, but the Virlet family still needs an heir. If you don't marry, who will inherit the family?"
She didn't directly mention that the Virlet family now only had Anne left, but Anne immediately understood what the Queen meant. She had already thought about this matter.
"Actually, when I first planned to return to the Virlet family, I thought about finding someone from the branch families and adopting a child under my name to train as a proper heir. But after I got back, there were too many things to deal with, and then I went to the eastern battlefield, so I put it on hold temporarily."
Anne smiled. "Now I have time to look into it."
The Queen felt helpless. She understood Anne's meaning—the Virlet family didn't need a male head. She had no intention of forcing Anne to accept. Rolf had only asked her to detain Anne, test her thoughts, and spread word that Anne was selecting a husband at the Queen's palace. Maybe Friedel was already on his way.
With this thought, the Queen nodded with a smile. "Indeed, you won the victory on the eastern battlefield. For at least a few years, the Soth Empire won't have any more wars. You'll have plenty of time to do what you want."
"However, since His Majesty personally mentioned it, if you ever want a suitable husband in the future, you can come see me and His Majesty anytime. We'd be happy to arrange it for you."
Seeing that this beautiful and dignified Queen had no intention of making things difficult for her, Anne understood that this matter was mainly His Majesty's idea. She nodded and chatted with the Queen for a while longer, discussing the latest fashionable jewelry and fabric styles, before getting up to leave.
Just as she was about to walk out of the Queen's palace, she heard the guard announce, "Prince Friedel requests an audience!"
Before the Queen could respond, Friedel's figure had already hurried over. Seeing Anne, his eyes first flashed with amazement, then he put on a stern face. "Why are you dressed like this?"
Anne paused, looking down at the dress she was wearing. It was neither flashy nor complicated—Queen Mother Smith had specially prepared it for her. "I rested in the Queen Mother's palace last night. My dirty clothes from before were taken to be cleaned, and I was summoned by the Queen, so I couldn't be disrespectful."
Friedel pressed his lips together. He hadn't come to criticize Anne's clothing—after all, this dress suited her very well.
Even though Anne had been to war and her features had become sharper and harder, she was still strikingly beautiful, making his heart race.
Seeing Friedel's silence, Anne felt confused. She glanced between him and the Queen, but thinking she was an outsider, she simply curtsied and hurried away.
Cynthia and the others were still waiting outside the palace—she needed to find her friends!
Before Friedel could say anything to Anne or figure out how to ask if she had taken a liking to any young gentleman, Anne had already disappeared. He felt somewhat annoyed. It was all his brother's fault. If the King hadn't suddenly decided to arrange a marriage for Anne, how would he have ended up in such an awkward situation!