Something was wrong. Either her eyes deceived her, or her previous assumptions were mistaken. Mirva acted like a mad dog, but Mable was different. She had always performed her duties quietly with a strict, rigid expression. Yet what was human nature? Every person possessed light and shadow. Dianna didn't know everything about people. Perhaps Mable had always been this way. One could never understand a person at first glance. Besides, the blood of a warrior nation flowed thro

[Mirva] "Attire like this is unfit for Her Majesty! It pales in comparison to Panborough!" From early morning, a sharp voice echoed in Dianna's bedchamber. When Mirva threw all the clothes to the floor, the maid offering Dianna's outfit flinched. [Dianna] "Enough." When Dianna interjected coldly, Mirva's vicious expression transformed into a servile display of innocence. [Mirva] "A-Ah, My Lady! Forgive me! I overstepped out of ignorance once again. This foolish old woman……" [

Guiscard gripped her hair and kissed her. Dianna stood frozen, studying his expression. This brought sheer confusion. His demeanor differed entirely from his recent cold indifference. The harsh lines of his face relaxed softly, echoing the warmth of spring. A strange vitality animated his features. As though the sight of her wearing the gown he brought delighted him, Guiscard stared intently at Dianna. An atmosphere soft as a spring breeze wrapped around them. She gazed at hi

[Mirva] "My Lady…… Oh, my dear Lady……" Mirva wept, caressing Dianna's face. She studied the old woman's features. The face that had looked reasonably pleasant when she was twelve years old had long withered under the harsh winds of time. Mirva's hair was streaked with gray, and deep wrinkles carved her face. Her eyes, once glinting with cunning intelligence, had grown dim, and she even walked with a noticeable limp. [Dianna] "Is this the person you brought?" [Saruvia] "Yes. I

[Guiscard] "Ann." Dianna turned around at the sound of her name. Guiscard walked toward her. She lowered her gaze, avoiding eye contact. [Dianna] "Greetings, Your Majesty." Had travel fatigue completely vanished? Glancing subtly, his hair, once long enough to veil his eyes, was neatly trimmed, and his face appeared clean. Strangely, he looked different somehow. [Dianna] "Are you holding a banquet today?" The unexpected question brought a subtle shift to his face. [Guiscard] "

Dianna looked at the man reaching out to her. His gaze fixed upon her face. Her mind threatened to drown in those vivid purple eyes. [Dianna] "Why are you……" Her raspy voice cracked with effort. Breath hitched in her throat. Fury and anguish warred upon his face. Offering no reply, he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. [Dianna] "Ugh!" However, blood poured from the wrist previously grabbed by the gargoyle. Releasing her hand, Guiscard lifted her into his arms. [Dianna]

[Revius] "The gargoyle nest sits atop a cliff, inaccessible to standard knights." [Dianna] "……" [Revius] "We require exceptional archers, yet few skilled bowmen remain in the capital right now. Experts possessing Your Majesty's ability are rarer still." Dianna listened to his explanation. Hearing it, she understood why he dragged her, the Queen, into this matter. Climbing the cliff proved difficult for knights. Yet gargoyles reproduced continuously, attacking travelers bound

Striking a small, swift gargoyle differed vastly from hitting a massive wyvern. The hundred percent hit rate left the knights utterly stunned. Even rubbing their eyes, Dianna remained the one shooting arrow after arrow. Regaining their focus, the knights readied spears and bows to attack the gargoyles. The gargoyles attempted swift retreats, but several fell with spears through their torsos. Inflicting instant fatal wounds on such nimble beasts proved difficult for standard a

Dianna recognized that the modest goodwill she had managed to build up completely crumbled under the noblewomen's resentful glares. She strove to refrain from glaring at Saruvia. She might have orchestrated this eavesdropping, or Duchess Islag might have dispatched a lackey. In this crisis, who acted mattered little. [Lady] "Your Majesty, will you not take responsibility for our safety?!" [Lady] "How could you send away the knights meant to protect us?!" Anxiety spread like a

If wyverns were mini-dragons, gargoyles were monsters resembling wyverns yet possessing distinct differences. Monsters boasting the body of a bird or jaguar paired with massive bat wings. In Panborough or the Holy Kingdom, people even referred to them as "demons." Unlike wyverns, gargoyles measured merely the size of a human, yet possessed high intelligence and lived up to their demonic moniker through sheer cruelty and wickedness. Some killed purely for amusement, cackling a

Before attending the archery gathering, Dianna practiced rigorously. Even after Leonie and Saruvia retired for the evening, she stayed in a corner of the knights' training grounds, repeatedly drawing her bow. [Logaple] "You must rest. If you continue like this, you will injure your arm." He pleaded near her with a distressed tone, subtly intervening in her practice session. Dianna ignored his warning; her body still held up. He released a heavy sigh. [Logaple] "Sir Inez, plea

[Dianna] "Archery……" It was a hobby unheard of among Panborough women. Archery instead of embroidery, raising songbirds, playing musical instruments, singing, or dancing the Tali dance? This felt entirely new. Dianna recalled hearing brief rumors about it in her past life as well—the women of Lodbrog were remarkable. In any case, were they not taking action to protect themselves? Though she held no particular thoughts on Lodbrog culture, she considered this impressive. [Leoni