If I Throw Myself into His Sea - Episode 2.7

Irene, who had been gently biting her lip, continued,

“The Coral Palace will respond.”

It was a statement solidifying her position as the Queen of Deltia, the owner of the Coral Palace. Unlike when dealing with the monarch of illegitimate birth, the nobles stood rigidly before Irene.

Even those in power who had looked down on the monarch seemed to think it was dangerous to go against the will of the princess from the mainland. Listening to Irene’s conversation with the nobles, Pereian thought,

‘That woman isn’t the real deal anyway.’

It was quite amusing to see them fawning, unaware that the rope they were trying to grab was rotten. Pereian smiled bitterly and listened to their still ongoing conversation.

“Wow, Princess…”

“Not Princess, Queen.”

“…”

“Your lord, Pereian Richard’s wife.”

“But the monarch killed his own father…!”

Their intention to win over Epin’s forces and diminish the monarch’s authority was transparent.

‘Even if you didn’t say all that, the relationship between that woman and me is already a swamp.’

Pereian slowly scanned the faces of the nobles who were futilely trying to drive a wedge between the Queen and himself. His gaze gradually turned to Irene’s clear face. She was facing them without a flicker of emotion.

“Whether he killed his own father or how he became king, it doesn’t matter.”

“Pereian, no matter what he says, no matter what he does.”

Irene’s clear voice trembled for a moment. Pereian, who had been eavesdropping, paused.

“Your Majesty, I am on his side.”

Irene, after a short sigh, ended the conversation, and the nobles opened and closed their mouths a couple of times, seemingly embarrassed.

Pereian, who had been watching the scene, inhaled sharply. His solar plexus ached so much that he couldn’t bear it. He had never treated her well, nor had he ever asked her to take his side, so he never expected such words to come out of the Queen’s mouth, not even as the monarch of Deltia.

In the sensation of being choked, he repeated the words Irene had spoken a moment ago.

“Pereian, no matter what he says, no matter what he does.”

It was a strange thing.

-No matter what Ian says, no matter what he does… Why do memories with Ruine keep being dredged up?

“Your Majesty, I am on his side.”

-I’m always on your side, Ian. Why do you see Ruine in Irene Iphraim? Is it right to project Ruine onto a woman who doesn’t resemble her at all?

Pereian gasped, Ruine’s voice tearing through his mind. His rapid breathing wouldn’t calm down. His chest rose and fell precariously.

Just then, Benik’s group, having left the party, passed by the door where he was hiding. Everyone was in a disturbed mood due to the unexpected reaction of Princess Epin.

Most of the murmuring conversations were slanderous. It was the kind of story that the stupid Epin’s girl seemed to have fallen for a lowly monarch.

The nobles’ disgruntled voices gradually faded away. Only then did Pereian, who had been hiding while trying to swallow his rough breaths, dust himself off and stood up.

‘Is she still there?’

He had heard the nobles leaving, but he hadn’t heard Irene Iphraim leaving the balcony. Pereian, guessing that she was probably still on the balcony, carefully entered the balcony.

Sure enough, Irene was sitting there, not having moved an inch from where she had faced Benik’s group. Where had her confident appearance gone? Her endlessly shrunken shoulders trembled slightly. This was a more familiar sight to Pereian.

Irene, who had gathered her knees and buried her head, gasped for breath, not even noticing Pereian approaching.

Because she knew Pereian’s past better than anyone else, Irene hated those who ridiculed him and spoke of him carelessly. She loathed the people who mocked him for writhing every time he was hit.

Irene knew Ian’s past, so she could remain unshaken by such words.

-If you’re unlucky, you might even get hit by a passerby’s cane. Listening to their mockery, it felt like I was hearing Ian’s voice from when he was young.

Ian, who suffered from someone’s swinging cane. Ian, who spoke in a nonchalant voice even though it must have hurt. Violence was just that commonplace for him.

She didn’t want to show a shrinking figure in front of those who were making fun of Ian. So, for the first time, she got angry and spoke her mind.

‘It’s a good thing those people know I’m the princess of Epin.’

The noble princess of Epin. It was a lie that had always been a burden, but Irene used this identity. If she could sell the lie to alleviate even a little of their rudeness towards Ian, anything was fine.

‘I hope I didn’t make things worse…’

After pouring out her heart and ending the conversation, regret washed over her.

People said they felt relieved after getting angry, but Irene was the opposite. She felt like she had committed a sin even by getting angry. Her heart fell endlessly.

‘Those people and I, we’re all the same to Ian now.’

She kept trembling at the thought that she didn’t have the right to urge others. But she couldn’t spend any more time here. The monarch and queen couldn’t leave the royal banquet for too long.

Pereian, who had gone out of the banquet hall, would be back soon, so she had to calm down quickly and return to the royal seat. Irene, who wiped her reddened eyes a couple of times, steeled her heart. Now she had to face Ian again as if nothing had happened.

“It’s okay, it’s okay…”

Just as she was about to lift her head, whispering, a familiar voice reached Irene’s ear. Not Benik, not Sipri, not Atina.

“…It’s okay.”

It was Pereian’s voice.

Irene, startled, looked up at the source of the sound.

Pereian Richard was standing right in front of her.

She hadn’t even sensed him coming, and now she was suddenly face to face with Ian, whose eyes were redder than usual.

As if he had unconsciously blurted out the words “It’s okay,” Pereian was even more surprised, covering his mouth with his hand.

It didn’t take Irene long to grasp the situation. She didn’t know since when, but Pereian had clearly overheard the conversation here.

Embarrassed, Irene lowered her head. Soon, an awkward silence fell.

“…Your shoulders were shaking a lot.”

Breaking the brief silence, Pereian continued, still covering his face with his hand, looking sheepish.

Surprised by Pereian’s sudden appearance, Irene lifted her head and examined Pereian’s face. Then, in a cautious tone, she spoke.

“…Did you hear everything?”

“……”

“…From where…?”

Pereian hesitated for a moment, then averted his gaze to the air, trying to avoid Irene’s worried eyes.

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