If I Throw Myself into His Sea - Episode 2.1

The Coral Palace maids, including Atina, who had returned from their vacations, were busy all the time. Atina opened her mouth to Irene, who knew nothing.

“…A royal banquet?”

Irene, who was receiving treatment for her injured leg with Sipri’s healing magic, asked Atina back.

“It’s almost the banquet season, so all the servants will be busy.”

“I didn’t know.”

“It’s the first banquet since Irene-nim came. Ah, the Underwater Palace will be crowded too.”

At those words, Irene shrugged. Until now, the Underwater Palace had been generally quiet and deserted because only the monarch and queen lived in the palace without any royal children.

‘People are coming.’

Worry came first. If it was a royal banquet, she, as the queen, would have to attend unconditionally. If so, this was the first banquet in Irene’s entire life.

Royal banquets were held every year in Epin’s royal castle as well. However, it was always irrelevant to Irene.

Even when the land dwellers enjoying the banquet on the ground watched the fireworks using magic stones, all Irene could do was tremble at the sound, which was like an explosion.

Above all, what she feared was not the reason that it was her first banquet.

“I, I don’t know how to dance.”

Irene confessed in a calm voice. At those words, Sipri, who was pouring magic into the healing spell, and Atina, who was tidying up the bedroom, stopped their actions and looked at Irene.

Generally, it was absurd for a princess of a country not to know the dances of a banquet. However, considering the scars on her back and the silence spell that had been placed on her, it was somewhat understandable. After exchanging glances for a moment, the two spoke to Irene soothingly.

“Irene-nim’s partner will be His Majesty the Monarch, so he will take care of everything.”

“Atina, Pereian also dances.”

The two stopped talking and shut their mouths again. Come to think of it, Pereian had never danced at a banquet.

Since his enthronement, he had been playing the role of sitting indifferently at royal banquets and disappearing. However, now that the Queen had arrived, he could not continue to act as before.

“Atina, what if I just don’t attend?”

Irene, who had been watching the sudden stiff situation, muttered.

“Irene-nim.”

“Your Majesty the Queen.”

The two, who playfully glared at Irene for trying to back down without even trying, jumped up and began to devise a plan.

Atina, who was enthusiastically discussing roles, revealed her ambition to preempt the dress before anyone else and left the Coral Palace. She ran out in such a hurry that there was no time to stop her.

Meanwhile, Sipri, who had resumed the healing magic, confirmed that the swollen area was completely healed and then stood Irene up.

“Oh, the letter was delivered safely to your friend.”

“Someone else might have taken it?”

“You’re too easily scared. Or don’t you trust me?” Sipri trailed off playfully before adding.

Irene seemed relieved only after hearing the explanation that the glass bottle was enchanted with an identification spell, so it would appear as mere washed-up trash to anyone other than the intended recipient.

“That’s a relief.”

“Alright, all done. Shall we go then?”

Sipri abruptly took Irene’s hand, who was feigning to soothe her chest, and activated the teleportation magic circle.

Judging by the immediate shift in scenery, it seemed to be something she had planned since she strategized with Atina.

The place they teleported to was a familiar interior. As Irene, who had been looking at Sipri, turned her head forward, she saw Pereian sitting at his desk, seemingly buried in work. He looked utterly exhausted at first glance.

“Why?”

He didn’t seem fazed by the visit from the queen and his friend, and asked the reason for their visit. Irene’s lips parted slightly. She had been dragged here by Sipri without knowing their destination, so she had nothing to say.

Sipri winked at Irene, as if to say, “Leave it to me,” and opened her mouth.

“About the royal banquet.”

“Ah, that.”

“I thought you should probably coordinate with Her Majesty the Queen.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary.”

To Sipri’s words, Pereian replied dryly. A queen and a monarch would surely make a pair, so there was no need to coordinate. Before Sipri could add anything, Pereian continued, rubbing his eyes.

“…I already have a partner.”

Breaking through a moment of silence, what came from his mouth was that the monarch had a partner who was not the queen.

In the past, Pereian Richard’s rebellion threw all the royal descendants into chaos.

Princes who had a chance to inherit the throne were beheaded by him, and the surviving princesses each fled and set up households outside the underwater palace.

“Just spare me, brother.”

One of them, Henelia Richard, was the daughter of the late king’s consort. She was the only direct descendant among the surviving royal descendants, and as such, she became the central force of the pro-late king nobles.

“I’ll help you get this sea in your hands.”

Immediately after the rebellion, she came to Pereian, who was troubled with Sipri over the disposition of the direct descendant princess, and proposed cooperation.

Knowing that he was a person who would mercilessly kill her if she, as the direct descendant, became an obstacle, she chose to go under Pereian.

“What can you possibly do for me?”

After hearing Pereian’s reply, she immediately married the head of the Delute family, a major force in the former king’s faction. Having taken the aging head of the family, who was widowed and growing old alone, as her husband, she spoke to him, unable to shake off the haughty speech habits of her days as a princess.

“As the lady of Delute, I can be a pillar for my brother.”

She was a cunning and self-righteous princess. Even in the past, she had always looked down on Pereian and other illegitimate children, a woman who had reigned from above her entire life.

Pereian did not shake off his sister’s hand. If his sister, who had taken Delute into her grasp, became his person, it would be an unparalleled power. As expected, Henelia Richard, or rather, Henelia Delute, as she was now, took the Delute family into her hands.

Her past status as the legitimate princess of Deltia and her beauty elevated her to the real power behind Delute. She held the former king’s faction in her grip and supported Pereian from behind.

She would inform him of assassination plots in advance, or give him hints about traps, acting like his person in her own way. She seemed to want something from Pereian, but she never directly asked for anything. She would simply send letters that were not even worth reading, stirring up Pereian’s emotions.

“Sometimes I miss Dad. The dad that my brother killed. He sometimes appears in my dreams.”

“I also wonder if you really had to kill our brother. You know, even though he was the crown prince, he never had the qualities of a king. He was just a scoundrel. Wouldn’t it have been enough to just depose him?”

Support If I Throw Myself into His Sea