(2) Living as the Villainess Queen

Chapter 185

Marianne bowed her head low, feeling remorseful after her outburst. “I apologize for my shrewdness, Your Highness.”

Eugene didn’t know how to respond to Marianne’s statement as she gaped at her, no words coming out of her lips. Marianne’s sentiments can easily be misinterpreted as a ploy of pitting the king and queen against each other. Marianne knew that her stance could put her in a tight position, but she said it anyway in the hopes of making the queen understand.

Eugene trusted Marianne well enough to know that she uttered the words without malice, and it came with sincere intentions.

“I understand where you’re coming from.” Eugene said after a short while.

Eugene wanted to tell her that Kasser was not that shallow, but a voice in her head told her that she doesn’t know him well enough to say that, since she’s only been with him for about two months. Unlike Marianne, who had looked after the king ever since he was young, making her perception of the king’s character more credible than Eugene’s.

“Do you think I should slow down?”

Marianne shook her head, not daring to cross the line. “Your Grace, how can I interfere with your plans? I don’t force you to listen to me. I am nothing but an old woman after all.”

As if a bucket of ice cold water was thrown over her, Eugene quickly snapped to her senses. With the help of Marianne’s sound advice, she realized that she needed to step back for a while, and recalculate her steps.

“I understand now.”

“I will not bother Your Grace anymore.” When silence filled the room, Marianne saw fit that her presence be removed from the room, to give the queen some time to herself. Some time to think through her next course of action.

She gave a courtesy bow before leaving the room.

Alone to herself once more, Eugene let out a loud sigh, looking up at the ceiling in frustration as she muttered. “I’m not as naïve as you think I am.” She did everything she could to survive in this world that was completely foreign to her, and was able to adapt seamlessly.

But on a second thought, she did hide what she knew about Polly, the servant who took her own life following Jin’s command, when she spoke to the king. She was afraid that Kasser might think of her as someone sinful, if he knew about Jin’s actions which led to Poppy’s demise. This action of hers just proved that she indeed acts solely on her instinct.

It was a selfish act to cover all of Jin’s vile actions under the guise of memory loss. With that notion in mind, she began to understand why Marianne thought of her as someone foolish and naive.

‘Power.’

In the historical dramas and movies that Eugene used to binge watch on, The King and Queen had tried every possible antic they could think of in order to influence the majority to their side, manipulating and controlling each other in the battle for supremacy. While the royals had initially wed for love, the selfish greed took over greatly, causing a great divide between the two as they continually betray and conspire against one another. Eugene suddenly thought of her relationship with the Desert King as she was reminded of the common tale— a tale about a maiden who completely changed after gaining the King’s favors, letting the want for sovereignty wash over her.

‘Will I change one day?’

Eugene didn’t want to end up like those power-hungry monsters, but greed has its way to a person’s heart. It corrupts you without you knowing.

***

Molly came out of the castle just after sunset, showing the guard her permit as per protocol. “You have to be here by tomorrow morning, since you cannot enter the palace if you arrive at noon. Got it?” The castle guard said.