Pherenike - Chapter 112

“In all my years serving His Majesty, I’ve never had such trouble. He was always so bright and composed! Aside from riding in the training grounds, or being summoned urgently, he never ran off excitedly to play like an ordinary child. No matter how good or bad things were, he was always calm and dignified.”

Of course, most of the ‘bad things’ Ino referred to were probably related to Axiothea—or at least, what she believed to be related to Axiothea. Often, she would speak carelessly and only realize too late, casting a wary glance at Pherenike, especially when it came to the subject of Axiothea.

Pherenike let her bowstring fly, as if she hadn’t heard a word, and replied flatly,

“Then I suppose the princess takes after me.”

“…….”

“Not her father.”

“Kybellaune, with all due respect, that’s hardly—”

“Are you saying the princess doesn’t resemble her mother?”

Pherenike drew her lips into a crooked smile, glancing at the arrow she’d purposely shot just to the edge of the target. Ino opened and closed her mouth in confusion.

It was awkward for Ino to admit that the princess was ‘difficult’—unlike the easy child that was her father—and just as awkward to claim the girl took after no one at all. Seeing Pherenike laugh softly, as if letting someone loose from their bonds, Ino gave a sigh of relief.

“If she truly took after her father, she’d be calm and a comfort to everyone around her. But children are meant to run and stumble, and the princess is no exception.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“I only resemble the one who raised me.”

“….”

Ino froze at that. That the sole daughter of Actor Pelagon would take after his infamous stepmother!

But Pherenike, loading another arrow, seemed perfectly unbothered, as if she’d said nothing shocking at all.

At that moment, the ladies returning from Geda Grove appeared. The princess was holding hands with a younger woman, among whom one stood out for her striking red hair.

The woman’s gaze was warm as she looked down at the chattering child. Watching the pair, Pherenike’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“What was that woman’s name again?”

“Pardon?”

“The one bringing the princess back.”

“Oh! That’s Pyra Lavrentios, from House Lavrentios. An exceptional woman, really.”

“Pyra Lavrentios.”

Pherenike echoed briefly, recalling both her face and lineage. The woman was a distant relative of Actor’s and never missed a chance to boast of it. Though she rarely appeared before the Queen thanks to Pherenike’s early intervention from her crossing the line.

“When His Majesty ordered tutors for Princess Leuce, she was my first recommendation for etiquette. After all, is anything more reliable than blood?”

“Blood.”

“She cares for the princess as if she were her own daughter. And, truthfully, the princess prefers her over any other tutor. No doubt it’s the Lavrentios blood His Majesty recognizes in her.”

Though Ino’s tone was as polite as ever, she emphasized ‘the blood of Lavrentios,’ eager to contradict the Queen’s earlier words.

After all, Pherenike claimed her daughter resembled herself, who in turn claimed to resemble the notorious Axiothea, not the bloodline.

But as with all things, there was more to the story. The very grandfather of Axiothea was the one who brought down House Lavrentios. In her own way, Ino had reason to bristle at Pherenike’s comments, preferring a woman of true Lavrentios blood over a stepmother without a drop of it.

Yet good and evil are rarely so simple, and even the fallen Lavrentios family had their own share of blame.

Pherenike pursed her lips absentmindedly.

“She may be a royal relative, but isn’t she quite distantly related?”

“His Majesty’s maternal grandfather, Lord Lavrentios, had only a few cousins who left heirs. Pyra Lavrentios is one of the rare surviving daughters among them. She’s among His Majesty’s closest kin…”

“A grandfather’s cousin’s daughter. How very close, indeed.”

As Pherenike nocked an arrow, its tip briefly aimed at Pyra’s red head, Ino drew in a startled breath.

The woman’s hand, stroking Leuce’s hair, looked endlessly gentle. The side of her face as she looked down at the princess showed nothing but the most flawless smile, as if untouched by shadow.

Like a person with no darkness at all.

“…Keep that woman away from Leuce.”

“Pardon?”

“The sooner the better.”

“Suddenly—what are you—”

Pherenike answered by loosing an arrow. Ino, recalling the arrow’s earlier aim, let out a faint gasp, but the arrow flew true, striking the very center of the target.

Pale-faced, Ino looked back and forth between the bullseye and the Queen, then dropped to her knees before her.

“Kybellaune, if my words a moment ago were out of line—”

“You think you’ve offended me? How so?”

“If I have displeased you, it was only my own foolishness. This is an unworthy tongue, nothing more. I meant nothing by it.”

“What’s more honest than a foolish tongue?”