Chapter 5: Even If I Give Everything

The Wellington Palace, the legal palace of the Kingdom of Amelia, was built with a mountain behind it.

Because of that, a vast area of hills stretching from the mountain was spread out to the north of the palace, and the royal family had created a massive garden there.

Katarina would visit that place, called the rear garden or north garden, every day.

Ever since she was young, whenever she needed a change of pace or had something to think deeply about, she would stroll through the rear garden.

As it became a habit, now if she didn’t take even a short walk in the rear garden, her mood, which wasn’t bad, would even turn bad.

Recently, there was one more reason for her to visit the rear garden.

It was the Canin field that had been created in a corner of the rear garden, in the coolest and driest spot.

The Canin artificial cultivation project was something the Kingdom had been paying great attention to recently.

Katarina, as the Crown Princess and future successor to the throne, also had deep interest in Canin.

So today too, she visited the rear garden without fail and was inspecting the field where Canin had been sown.

Imagining the pleasant thought of countless Canin growing to fill this field.

‘If the project succeeds, the people suffering from Malus will no longer exist…

Please grow well…’

But…

A voice that instantly ruined that mood flew in unexpectedly.

“Oh my, Katarina.”

She didn’t need to turn her head to know.

The Queen of this country.

Her royal father’s second wife.

It was Olivia.

The face of Katarina, which had been shining brightly just moments before, was instantly overshadowed.

And for good reason, because Queen Olivia was someone Katarina disliked, even hated.

Even when Katarina’s mother, Queen Lilia, was alive, she was already her royal father’s woman.

However, that was not particularly a problem, nor was it something incomprehensible.

It was quite common worldwide for a man of high status and capability to have a mistress.

In fact, if they didn’t have a mistress, they were looked down upon as lacking masculinity.

The problem was…

That she, merely a mistress, acted presumptuously, relying solely on the king’s favor and even ignoring the Queen.

Furthermore, when Queen Lilia passed away.

Despite the custom that the king would have at least a month of mourning, she held a wedding within a week through bedroom whispers.

And a very grand one at that.

Thus, Katarina could not help but hate her.

“Are you not going to greet your mother?”

Olivia asked that, but Katarina didn’t even pretend to hear.

If there had been other people around, she would have forced a smile and maintained politeness.

But there were only the two of them here now.

There was no need to go through the trouble.

“Sister~~!!”

A young boy holding Olivia’s hand ran over and hugged her.

It was Katarina’s half-brother, Royce.

Royce’s bright face was full of eagerness to see Katarina.

But…

What fell upon his head was not the gentle touch of the sister he wished for, but words that were nothing but cold, devoid of any warmth.

“Considering how young you are, you’re still quite stupid.

How many times have I warned you?

Not to act familiar.

If you cling to me one more time, I’ll throw you in the pond.”

“Katarina!!”

Disregarding Olivia’s scolding voice, Katarina roughly pushed Royce away.

Royce’s expression instantly turned into a tearful one, but Katarina didn’t care.

If Royce had merely been her half-brother, she would have cherished him regardless of her hatred for Olivia.

But Royce was not just a simple half-brother, but a rival who threatened Katarina’s position and even her life.

By seizing the position of the new queen just a week after Queen Lilia passed away, Olivia succeeded in making her son Royce, who was merely a b*stard, a legitimate prince.

Perhaps not satisfied with that, she then openly began to reveal her ambition to put Royce on the throne next.

Despite the fact that Katarina had already been appointed as Crown Princess before Royce was even born.

Although Royce became a legitimate prince, fortunately, the king did not change his mind about passing the throne to Katarina.

The reasons were that Katarina was wise, and Royce was still very young.

However, as Olivia kept begging and persuading, the king’s mind began to waver greatly.

So much so that others could clearly notice.

The more the king’s mind wavered, the more Katarina’s position as successor also wavered.

If the king were to eventually change his mind and pass the throne to Royce.

As soon as Royce ascended the throne, it was obvious that Katarina would lose her life.

Even if she were miraculously to survive, she would either be confined to a convent or married off to a hostile nation as a hostage.

Therefore, Katarina could not give Royce even a shred of affection.

Nor did she want to.

“You are becoming more and more rude and wicked, Katarina.

You show no respect even when you see your mother, and you treat your young brother, who is only 5 years old, so coldly….

How can you possibly become a wise and benevolent ruler like that?

His Majesty should find out your true nature quickly…”

Olivia subtly provoked Katarina’s temper with her unique sarcastic tone.

Katarina desperately suppressed the anger that was rising and threatening to turn her face red.

Words she wanted to lash out at her were swelling in her throat, but she also deliberately calmed them down.

She just didn’t give Olivia a single glance, and kept looking only at the Canin field, just as she had been before Olivia arrived.

Having not been caught off guard once or twice, she had learned from her past experiences.

Not reacting at all and not showing any interest at all.

Completely ignoring her as if she couldn’t be seen or heard.

That was the best way to deal with Olivia.

“Katarina, can you not hear me?”

“…….”

“Katarina!”

“…….”

“Hey!!”

“…….”

“This is unbelievable…!

Are you saying you won’t even deal with me anymore?

Are you looking down on me because I’m from a low social standing?!”

“…….”

Olivia, who was gradually raising her voice like that, eventually became exhausted and gave up.

She snatched Royce’s hand as if seizing it, and left the spot panting.

Only then did Katarina reveal her anger, clenching her fists tightly until her palms bled.

Imagining Olivia’s neck was in her hands.

Perhaps thanks to that imagination, when her anger had subsided to some extent.

Someone spotted Katarina from afar and approached her with quick steps.

It was her lady-in-waiting, Thalia.

“Your Highness, the Crown Princess.”

“Did you find out?”

“Yes.”

Thalia unfolded the file she was holding.

Inside, there was a photograph of a man and a document containing his personal information.

Thalia first handed over the photo and said.

“His name is Dominic Rosenfeld.

You remember the person who passed the High-Level Civil Service Examination at the top of the class recently, don’t you?”

“The person who wrote the scathing criticism of the Kingdom and His Majesty gave him a perfect score?”

“Yes. That was him.”

“And that person is the one who preemptively bought a large amount of Canin this time?”

“Yes, that’s right! He achieved such a result as soon as he was appointed!”

After learning the fact that the Royal Assets Management Bureau had already purchased a large amount of Canin before its efficacy was revealed.

Katarina had immediately instructed Thalia to find out who had made that investment.

But the person in question was a newly appointed official who had only been appointed just a month ago?

It was hard to believe.

However, Thalia was a person with excellent information gathering skills.

With a cheerful and friendly personality, a cute appearance that would win anyone’s favor, and being the daughter of a prestigious family with good reputation, she had a wide network.

To exaggerate a little, there was no one in the palace she didn’t know.

She would naturally gather information by probing what those many people saw, heard, and knew, and filter out things that were likely false by thoroughly cross-checking.

Therefore, the possibility of Thalia’s report being false information was low.

‘If so, did it just happen purely by coincidence?’

“I heard he had a private audience with His Majesty recently because of that matter.”

“His Majesty met that man himself?

Even if he rendered great service, he’s still just a newly appointed official who’s only been here for a month?”

“Yes. Isn’t it strange?

But, what’s even stranger is that when His Majesty asked if he had anticipated things would turn out this way, Rosenfeld replied that it was merely good fortune.”

“As expected, it was just a simple coincidence….

But what’s strange about that?”

“His Majesty seemed not to believe those words.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Since it’s the word of the Chamberlain who was there with them, it must be accurate.”

The Chamberlain is someone who has served the king at the closest distance for decades.

And he regards Thalia, the daughter of his close friend, like his own daughter and wants to marry her to his son.

Such a person would not have lied to Thalia.

In other words, there was a very high possibility that what she said was true.

Although she didn’t know the reason why the king thought those words were a lie.

“There’s one more thing you should know.”

“What is it?”

“This wasn’t the first private audience.

On the day of the appointment ceremony, His Majesty called him separately and already had a private audience with him.”

“No, just how well did he write that essay for the second round……”

The more Katarina thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

It was strange enough that her royal father didn’t apply lèse-majesté to the essay that fiercely criticized him and the Kingdom, but instead gave it a perfect score.

And he had already had two private audiences with the newly appointed official who wrote it?

She even had thoughts like, ‘Is this the father I knew?’.

Recently, especially since the day of the second round of the exam, her royal father seemed to have become a completely different person.

“Shall I try to get it? Dominic Rosenfeld’s second round exam paper.”

“Don’t bother. There’s no need to go that far. Just keep telling me.”

“Yes.

At that meeting, when asked which department he wanted to go to, he asked to be sent to the Royal Assets Management Bureau.

Saying that strengthening the royal finances to make the royal authority stronger and more stable was the most necessary thing to do first.

So, breaking with custom, he was assigned to the Royal Assets Management Bureau.

And His Majesty was greatly moved by hearing that.”

If someone else had said that, she would have thought they were flattering the king.

But hearing that the person who wrote such an essay, knowing the king would see it in the second round, said that, it felt sincere.

Her royal father probably felt that way too.

“His Majesty must think of him as a talented individual possessing both ability and loyalty.”

“Does Your Highness think differently?”

“I’m reserving judgment for now.

He seems to possess loyalty, but I’m still not sure if he possesses outstanding ability.

I need to find out more clearly whether his preemptively buying a large amount of Canin was just a simple coincidence, or if it wasn’t a coincidence as His Majesty thinks, before I can judge.”

“What will you do if it wasn’t a coincidence?”

“If it’s proven that it wasn’t a coincidence, if he produces such a result even just one more time, I must make him my person somehow.”

Katarina paused for a moment, then added in a voice tinged with determination.

“Even if I have to give him everything I can.”