The Reason for Marriage

Daniel had taken to asking questions in the silence after they had made love. Iveca never minded – it made her feel like her opinion was validated. And usually, the questions were harmless enough. Tonight, however, he had asked her what exactly she liked about their intimate time together and she had to feign taking her time to think about it. The answer wasn’t a difficult one, but she played along.

“I like it all. Except for the sleeping parts after.”

“What else?” Daniel said, kissing her ear. “I will take notes and make it better for next time.” He gave her a wry smile, and Iveca felt her heart flutter.

“That’s enough un-kingly talk,” Iveca said, her smile spreading, “don’t you want to hear about what else I like about you?”

She expected Daniel to act offishly when his question was spurned, but instead, his smile only grew warmer.

“I’d like that,” came his reply.

“Well, when you come to pick me up, it’s nice.” Iveca curled up in his arms and continued to speak. “You take such a risk to come down, but I like it so I can’t say that you don’t have to come, or that I don’t want you to.”

“Well, I’m going to keep visiting you, because I like it.”

“But you must be busy,” Iveca protested.

“Don’t get hurt on your way, don’t wander around unfamiliar places, also…” His eyes were looking at her, but strangely distant. Iveca pretended not to know about the slight strangeness. His warmth was enough for her to know. “Please don’t go anywhere else alone, Iveca. Promise me that.”

“But you also have to come a long way alone,” said Iveca.

“I’m pushed forward in looking forward to being able to walk back together again.”

Iveca smiled, then turned her head into his chest. I will do better, she muttered to herself. She forced her heart down lightly, after being excited by his soft words. As Anriq said, it was nice to be able to use her just by saying some sweet words. He was someone with a lot of secrets, but things were good even if there were a lot of things that were hidden. Whatever His Majesty wanted her to do, she would do well. Suddenly struggling with strange anxiety and sadness, she closed her eyes tightly.

***

The next day, a short administrative office employee with a sullen expression was called to the Queen’s Palace. Her name was Eugene Unit, who took charge of Rihan Kadmin, accompanied him to the Empire, and returned safely to the Amethan Kingdom just a few months ago.

Eugene came to the Bureau of Investigation office with a rather annoyed face when the Queen said she had some questions about Rihan Kadmin, for which she had been called to the Bureau of Investigation’s office so many times. However, she was surprised by the attitude of the Queen, Iveca, that it was not as arrogant as she expected.

“Did you get a custody order?”

“Yes, under the order of His Majesty,” replied Iveca.

Eugene thought it was going to be a more unnerving question than the one Bureau of Investigation’s staff gave her before. The only information Eugene knew about the Queen was that she was a noblewoman, and the Judicial Affairs Bureau was making a new law under her guidance. She had no particular interest in any other gossip. However, she would never imagine that the Queen would be such a small girl with a somewhat intimidated look. Almost all the aristocrats she had met were rather arrogant.

“I heard that Bureau of Investigation decided to do the assassination under their authority,” pressed Iveca, keen to not let the topic change too often or too quickly.

“We were at the scene of the assassination attempt. I shared a room with one of the Bureau of Investigation staff.”

Eugene, who caught a glimpse of two Bureau of Investigation employees standing at the Queen’s palace, sighed once and continued.

“At that time, I could not use magic for a lot of reasons, and Rihan quickly noticed so it was a failure.”

“It must be embarrassing as you were with the personal protection order.”

“Well, there was nothing to be embarrassed about. There was nothing I could do. It’s not like I can fight with the Bureau of Investigation staff.”

“Hmm…”

“Still, two people who were following orders from different sides could not go together, so we separated and returned home.”

“Separated? So, the Bureau of Investigation’s staff are back?”

“I knew that they came back before me. But I heard that all of them died as they crossed over the Empire territory. It would have been impossible for anyone to survive as they were in a civil war.”

“Ah, do you happen to know what kind of person the employees were?”

Eugene tilted her head slightly, glanced at the Bureau of Investigation staff that were guarding behind her seat and answered.

“Won’t the Bureau of Investigation know better? I only know superficial things.”

Seeing the hardened expressions of the Bureau of Investigation staff, Eugene sighed once. She was not very fond of the Bureau of Investigation staff. The Bureau of Administration and the Bureau of Investigation have not been on good terms for a long time now, and it only got worse since they returned from the Empire. In addition, that blue-haired Bureau of Investigation staff was once attacked by Rihan, claiming that he was personally aware of Rihan’s skills.

Eugene, who noticed that the Bureau of Investigation staff had not even given details of the incident to the Queen, began to talk in a row.

“It could be a disguise, though. I also did not know about it, but there are rumours that the Bureau of Investigation can change their appearance. Anyway, she was short enough that I could borrow a dress from. Blonde hair….and had purple eyes.”

Eugene, who once again glimpsed Raina and Sid’s expressions which were gradually hardening, casually continued to speak in more detail.

“Amway, she was a typical Bureau of Investigation officer who was savage and smart. She had a strong sense of responsibility and was good at being an undercover agent. The Bureau of Investigation dispatched her alone to do the assassination, so she must have been really good.”

‘Do you want me to explain more? So, you’re sure? I know her well because she’s been called to the Palace every day. She was a small girl with purple eyes like you.’

Anriq’s words suddenly came to her mind.

‘She even had pale blonde hair like your sisters. She was a woman with dignity and self-confidence…’

Iveca said in a trembling voice, “Do you know where this employee went? The Bureau of Investigation officers said she went abroad as their staff are always all over the place.”

Iveca remained silent for a moment and Eugene answered thoughtlessly.

“His Majesty is looking for the missing woman.”

Her head was dizzy. Iveca pondered, then she asked in a trembling voice, “Name… do you know her name?”

“Eve Jean.”

E.J.? Iveca bit her lower lip. Her heart was beating like crazy.

[Happy birthday, Daniel, may you be happy today.]

An unfamiliar, confusing round handwriting hovered in her sight.

“I heard later that she was a distant relative of Bureau of Investigation Chief Officer Lucas Jean. And the Royal Palace Music Troupe…”

“Eugene.”

It was Sid who cut her off. Sid was simply calling her name, but Eugene sighed and mouthed with a look of understanding.

“I’m sorry, My Queen. The Bureau of Investigation doesn’t seem to allow me to speak more.”

Eugene was somewhat disappointed because Iveca, who she thought would be annoyed at the Bureau of Investigation staff for being rude, did not say anything.

After a moment of silence, Iveca smiled forcedly and said, “Thank you, Eugene. It’s been a huge help. With the law above us, there will no longer be different disposition decisions for one person just because some people have different ideas.

Eugene rolled her round eyes once, and she calmly nodded her head.

“Thank you, Queen. I look forward to good law under your rule.”

Iveca was slightly surprised because Eugene’s blunt expression contained a clear favor toward her.

“…I heard that there are a lot of backlashes within the agency themselves. I know it sounds strange, but… I believe in Rihan Kadmin. The Bureau of Investigation did not believe me. Someday, he will return to the Kingdom of Amethan.”

Iveca tilted her head and looked at Eugene. Did you believe someone who was a Republican, helped Prince Ethan enter the Kingdom of Amethan, and quickly joined the Empire’s rebels? Iveca wondered.

“When that happens, I hope that a reasonable and rational system will protect him rather than someone’s emotional decision… I liked the content of Article 1 that was on the controversy. I am the only one who believes in him in the Kingdom of Amethan, but now I feel like I have something to lean on. Those who care about their loved ones will support you. Though, they are not the investigation team.”

Eugene glanced at the Bureau of Investigation staff with an expression that she had a lot of things piled up.

“Thank you for saying that. I was wondering if I did something too big.”

“It’s possible because you are the Queen.”

Eugene said calmly. Iveca blinked in surprise at the first time that an employee of an affiliated agency said such a thing. Why did she? Eugene spoke slowly.

“You have a lot of things you know.”

It was difficult for Iveca to answer. She had a noble name, had the status as a Queen, and could be an employee of an affiliated agency. But was any of them perfect? She had no blood, no love, and no career.

Strangely, she felt like everything was falling apart. She was envious of that Bureau of Investigation staff who had everything that she did not. Blonde hair that she wanted, the ability to be recognized by everyone, the dignity and confidence that came with it, and… a mark that was deeply engraved in Daniel’s heart. Her eyes were burning.

After sending Eugene off, Iveca was silent for a moment. Reina and Sid watched her silently.

***

A bold, intelligent, and good-natured woman.

That night, Iveca laid in bed with Daniel and blinked. He was asleep like a painting after a sweet lovemaking session.

Before being nominated as Queen, the people of the Judicial Affair Bureau often talked about Daniel’s “final trial” when he was about to be chosen as a King. This was because the Judicial Affair Bureau, which had always existed like a shadow, came to the surface. At that time, Daniel said that he wanted to make Regen Hacart from the Pharmacist Empire family a Queen. The Head of the Pharmacy Empire had already revealed the truth of that terrible fact in front of many people.

A girl named Eve Jean. An employee of the Investigation Bureau, who was trusted to be dispatched to the Empire and was even evaluated as a confident woman even by Anriq. Iveca had to think for a while about the gap between these two different women.