Chapter 384
Heinley and I agreed to travel to the Eastern Empire together, and we began the preparations.
My parents also wanted to come because they had been away from home for a long time. They decided not to attend the trial, but instead planned to go to their estate.
My parents could also testify against Rashta in the High Court, as she had hired an assassin to end their lives. A serious crime. However, it was difficult to make this public in the High Court as a secret informant of Heinley’s discovered Rashta’s plot.
Heinley told my parents that he could make their secret informant a witness if they wished, but my parents shook hands with him lovingly.
“Don’t worry. Once Rashta is deposed, she won’t be able to harm us.”
“The fake princess case alone is enough for her to be deposed, it would be in vain to mention this case. It doesn’t benefit us at all.”
“It would not be good to reveal that there are informants from the Western Empire hidden in the Eastern Empire. So it’s best to let it go, Your Majesty.”
Despite this, my parents seemed really happy that Heinley was so considerate. So was I…
Soon after, we set off for the Eastern Empire. On the way, Heinley rode his horse up to the carriage I occupied with my ladies-in-waiting, and asked through the window.
“My Queen. How many points do you think I have now with your parents?”
I would have preferred that he didn’t ask me this in the presence of other people.
“Why don’t you ask them yourself?”
“Right, I can’t trust you.”
“You can’t trust me?”
“Ever since My Queen slapped my rear without my consent, I’ve lost trust.”
“Heinley, your voice.”
“I know you like my voice.”
I meant to tell him to lower his voice. But before I could speak again, Heinley whispered sweetly,
“I love you.”
He’s a… fox! No, he’s a mix between a fox dog and a fox bird. Yes, he’s a fox bird dog. Is the latter too offensive?
Heinley couldn’t read my offensive thoughts, so he smiled naively when our gazes met. He slipped his head through the small window of the carriage to give me a kiss. Then he straightened his posture on the horse and pretended not to have done anything.
He was as cute as he was naughty, so I reached out with my hand to pinch his thigh. Heinley laughed and grabbed my hand.
“My Queen, do you remember this path?”
“How could I not remember it?”
“That time, we rode on horseback to reach the Western Empire. Sometimes I think about it. I’ll never forget it.”
I won’t forget it either…
However, if I agreed with him, Heinley might ask if it was because he had hugged me tightly as we rode together on horseback. Of course it was memorable, but I deliberately changed the focus of the conversation.
“In my case, what I will remember forever is how I had to escape in the secret space inside a carriage seat, crouched uncomfortably.”
That was true.
Heinley said with a chuckle, “Of course I’ll remember that for the rest of my life, too.”
Then he laughed louder.
After I looked out the window for a while, I closed it and turned my attention inside the carriage.
If I left the window open, Heinley would only focus on me instead of the road ahead.
Heinley’s words made me vividly remember that day. Our escape was hard and I feared we would be caught, but I was full of hope.
Heinley wrapped his arms around me lovingly and we moved together in one direction, our bodies pressed against each other.
Although I didn’t want to experience something like that again, Heinley had definitely been the light in my dark past. Now I could look back on the hard times I went through with a smile.
“My Queen. My Queen. I just had an excellent idea!”
Unable to resist, Heinley knocked on the carriage window again.
As soon as I opened the window, Heinley matched his horse’s pace with that of the carriage and spoke with enthusiasm.
“My Queen, how about we ride a horse together when our baby has grown a little?”
“It sounds like fun.”
“Our child will ride on a foal and McKenna will take care of it, while the two of us ride horses together across the prairie. Don’t you think you’d enjoy it?”
“Yes.”
But will McKenna enjoy it too?
McKenna, who was riding beside Heinley, didn’t look happy at all. When McKenna’s eyes fell on me, I pulled my head back in and closed the window. About five seconds later, I heard McKenna complain to Heinley.
A smile naturally appeared on my face. How could this be so much fun?
Laura, who was sitting across from me, murmured,
“I have never been interested in men, Your Majesty. But when I see you with His Majesty Heinley, I feel like I’d like to get married too.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“So, Miss Laura intends to get engaged soon?”
Another lady in waiting chimed in and I looked at Laura. Her family didn’t want her to enter a political marriage too soon. Even Laura herself was not interested in romantic relationships.
But if Laura wished, there were many young nobles from respectable families ready to marry her. When the subject of engagement came up, Laura pondered seriously for a moment and then shook her head.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Didn’t you say a moment ago that you would like to get married?”
“It would be fine if he were a man like His Majesty Heinley, but if by bad luck I get a man like Countess Jubel’s husband or His Majesty Sovieshu— Ouch! Why did you pinch me,