(1) Living As the Villainess Queen

Chapter 57

As she was leaving, Eugene summoned a servant.

“Is His Majesty back yet?”

“No, Your Royal Highness.”

Before sundown, the king left the palace. He left quite often. The one thing that set Kasser apart from the other monarchs was that he did things on his own, rather than giving orders and delegating. He had never shied from his responsibilities. This enabled him to grasp the happenings better, but kept him away from the palace most times nonetheless.

Now that Marianne had laid bare the ‘nobleness’ of the nobility, Eugene’s heart went out for Kasser. He was that lone, selfless warrior, who refused to abandon his duties, his people no matter the adversity. How many put others before oneself? And how many of those were nobility, let alone a monarch? Indeed, he was truly worthy of being the king.

On the table sat an intricately carved small wooden box. After a moment’s thought, Eugene opened it and looked over the assortment of tea leaves within. Picking one, she handed it to the pageboy.

“Bring this to the Lord Chamberlain, he is to brew the king a cup of tea upon his return.”

These tea leaves were a gift from Marianne. She’s said it was good for relaxation. Surprisingly, it tasted good and had cleared Eugene’s head after only a couple of sips. She was not much of a help in sharing his responsibilities, the least she could do was help him relax.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”

Left alone, Eugene sat in front of her dressing table and started scribbling in her diary.

Ever since her arrival in Mahar, she had maintained this diary. Each day, she wrote down her day before going to bed. It was her secret diary, so she wrote in Korean. She felt safe that she could write in a language that no one could read in the Mahar.

At the beginning of her diary was a to-do list.

– Organize events for high society meets. Maybe some tea and biscuits?

After a while, she put away her diary in the drawer in the dressing table. As she stood up, she caught her reflection in the mirror.

For the first couple of days, every time she saw her, she would be surprised by the unfamiliar lady standing in front of her. But now, she had become the lady. Although she had grown used to this body, it was not without worries. Beset with mysteries, intrigue, and whatnot, most of her time in this world was spent in unraveling and conjecturing. But of all the unanswered questions, the one hounding her the most was also the simplest.

Jin Anika… If I am in your body, where did you go?

And where is my body?

Eugene meticulously retraced the moment she was summoned to the Mahar.

On that fateful day, back in her world, she was at the dead center of a game of cat and mouse. She was being chased by some moneylenders and their lackeys. After several near misses and thank gods, she had ended up in a cul-de-sac, trapped. She looked around her for an exit route in vain. Neither was there an open door for her to sneak into, nor a wall that she could climb over. She knew she was done for, and resigned to her fate at the hands of her hunters.

It was against that moment, when all hope was lost, that she saw it.

At first, she was sure she was dreaming… A large black hole had appeared on the brick walls of the alley, it sure did not seem ordinary. The hole was pitch black, making it impossible to see its end. It was big enough to fit only one person. It felt like a gate to hell, beckoning her to plunge into.