Ate struggled to ovee her embarrassment. She knew better than anyone that Rafael wasn’t a sodomite. To say he was gay…. it was too ludicrous. Once caught by Rafael, she could only be released after gasping underneath him until she was too exhausted. Ate, who remembered this, quickly denied.


    <strong>“No, ire. My husband is… he likes women.”</strong>


    <strong>“Are you sure? How do you know that… Ah.”</strong>


    ire, who had been asking thoughtlessly, suddenly fell silent. ‘<i>How do you know that?’</i> As ire herself thought about it, the question was too ridiculous.


    ‘<i>Of course they’ve slept together since they are married. I’ve been swinging my sword so muchtely that my brain seems to have be rusty.’</i>


    ire had no intention of questioning her sister-inw’s sex life, so she was very embarrassed. ire swept her short hair in an awkward way. Then suddenly, she came up with another question and asked Ate very carefully.


    <strong>“So, now he knows? Ate, that you…. That nothing happened between you and the Crown Prince?”</strong>


    <strong>“That’s right.”</strong>


    Ate’s cheeks flushed as she recalled her first time. When she remembered Rafael’s shocked face that night, sheughed a little. ire breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Ate’s answer.


    <strong>“Yeah, of course he should know! Ate, is there any girl who is as diligent and kind as you? If your husband had neglected you because he believed in those vile rumors or whatever, I was going to ask for a duel.”</strong>


    ire’s eyes were sincere. Ate, in a cold sweat, held her back and dissuaded her from thinking so. Though Rafael had a poor character, he was a brilliant and talented man, enough to win the Marquis title with his sheer swordsmanship skills. Although Ate loved ire, she was convinced that if the two fought, Rafael would definitely win.


    ire, after calming her excitement, lowered her deep blue eyshes and immediately fell in thought. Her pink lips, with nothing applied, posed a sharp question.


    <strong>“Your coachman who framed you back then, was his name Ivan? Has it been revealed who’s behind it yet?”</strong>


    <strong>“Yes, it’s probably not that easy.”</strong>


    Ivan was a name that made Ate’s heart beat faster every time she heard it. Ate wasn’t able to be the Crown Princess only because of the false usation of one coachman. ire, biting her lips, muttered in an angry voice.


    <strong>“Honestly, it was that big jerk’s doing. How dare he put such a terrible charge on you?”</strong>


    <strong>“Sure.”</strong>


    Ate answered calmly. In her previous life, when she heard this story, she felt so bitter that her heart copsed and heat surged through her body. But, perhaps because of her regression, she was able to maintain a more objective attitude this time.


    <i>‘Actually, the false usation of lobbying with the prince’s body now seemed cute.’</i>


    It was nothingpared to Ate’s ‘real’ charge. There was a useless custom of having more than one candidate when selecting the Crown Princess. It was literally just a formality.


    Ate’s contender at that time was Lady Celestine Keers, daughter of Marquis Keers. However, her family was very weak to evenpete with Ate and crucially, Ludwig liked her more. It was obvious to anyone that the next queen would be Ate.


    However, the world was a ce where one never knows what to expect.


    One day, Celestine, who returned from meeting the prince, suddenly went missing, and everything was turned upside down. The contender Celestine was kidnapped by some rascal on her way home.


    Fortunately, the kidnapped Celestine returned safely in a day. But the real problem was the identity of the person who kidnapped Celestine. As expected, it was Ate’s personal coachman, Ivan.


    Ivan, who was interrogated, pretended to hold on a little and soon used Ate being all behind it.


    <strong>“It’s not fair! I was just following Lady Ate’s orders. How could a coachman like me dare to disobey a noble’smand? I just did what I was told to, so please take my injustice into ount!!”</strong>


    Ivan’s acting skills were truly outstanding. He cried so desperately that even Ate wondered if she had ever done that. ‘<i>Was it as persuasive enough for others?’</i>


    What followed was an obvious downfall. To her surprise, Ivan took the royal servants as his aplices. Ate was familiar with those servants as she had seen them quite a number of times when she entered and left the royal pce. Together, they all testified against her by saying, <strong>“The Princess of Bavaria did this.”</strong>


    Thanks to this, Ate became a terrible evil woman who was blinded by jealousy and tried to kidnap and kill her rival. The Marquis of Keers was very furious and insisted on Ate’s punishment. However, the power of Ate’s father, the Duke of Bavaria, was so great that it was all suppressed down very quietly. The king sided with Bavaria, saying, <em><strong>“Let’s pass this quietly.”</strong></em>


    <i>‘And then he married me off to Rafael.’</i>


    Ate sighed as she recalled the painful memories for the first time in a long time. Ivan was her personal coachman who had driven a carriage for her for nearly ten years. She wanted to ask him why he did it, but it was impossible at this point. Ate slowly opened her mouth.


    <strong>“I don’t know who’s behind it yet. There is no way to even know if Ivan is dead or alive. Someone took him out of the royal prison. Maybe he was already killed in silence.”</strong>


    ire also guessed Ivan might be dead. Even if he was behind it, he still wouldn’t have been left alive. It was fortunate that the terrible false usation on Ate was not known by anyone at all. Thanks to the thorough silence, only the involved parties knew about this.


    Well, in fact, it was also good for Celestine, the victim. As she was kidnapped for not more than a day, it was difficult for this to be known to the outside world. If people came to know Celestine had been kidnapped, how much would they have to say? Some of them sure would have spread malicious rumors about her. Then, even if she became a queen, her future would be a thorny road.


    <strong>“I thought about it, Ate.”</strong>


    ire suddenly lowered her voice as she lowered the teacup. Her intelligent eyes narrowed in suspicion.


    <strong>“Couldn’t all this be a self-made y done by Celestine Keers?”</strong>


    Ate almostughed out loud. She was actually suspicious of Celestine too. Celestine lost nothing in this case. The kidnappers didn’t touch a single hair of her, and the ‘<i>silence</i>‘ was so good that her honor was also not lost. Crucially, she even took the ce of the prince’s fiancee, which would not have been possible with her family status.


    On the other hand, Ate lost everything. Having endured all sorts of rigorous education to be a Queen, she fell into such a pit and was quickly tossed aside. On top of that, some people, including Rafael, believed in those false rumours and harshly criticized her.


    ‘<i>It’s so unfair.’</i>


    Ate made up her mind. Although she couldn’t get rid of the charge in her previous life, this time, she will prove her innocence at any costs. Just then, ire reached out and hugged tofort her.


    <strong>“Don’t worry, Ate. It doesn’t matter who’s behind it. I’ll make sure I catch those who have used you of such kinds of stuff. If they dare to ruin your future, wouldn’t it be fair to break their limbs too?”</strong>


    ire smiled ferociously, revealing her teeth. But Ate, who had nned to catch the person herself, hugged ire without a word. Thanks to ire, who treated Ate like her own sister, she felt relieved. She believed in Ate’s innocence.


    ‘<i>I hope that someday, Rafael could also trust me.’ </i>


    Ate thought to herself. In her previous life, she didn’t get along very well with Rafael, so she had no way of knowing his thoughts. The only conversation they had were arguments and fierce criticisms. It wasn’t until Ate was dying because of her illness, that Rafael became kind to her. But by that time, it was already toote.


    <i>‘But still more than Ludwig…. I like Rafael</i>.’


    Ate’s cheeks flushed a bright red. She herself was surprised at her own thoughts. ‘<i>I guess Rafael and I have been married for too long. I’vee to think about things I’ve never had in my previous life.’</i>


    Prince Ludwig was also a handsome man with a delicate beauty, but Rafael was so sensual and manly that any woman would turn her eyes twice to look at him. Even Ate, who knew his dirty temperament thoroughly well, sometimes became nervous around him and her heart would flutter for no reason whenever she saw himugh.


    At first, she thought it would be a marriage in which she would only cry and eat ginger* at the king’s rmendation, but it was not always bad. Anyway, Rafael didn’t abandon Ate even when she was dying of illness. In that respect, Rafael was a very responsible husband. Atleast, he was much better than Ludwig, who turned away from her because he could not go against his father’s order.


    [T/N: Eat ginger means to face difficulties]


    <strong>“So how is elder brother Arjen doing these days? Oh, is he still addicted to his work?”</strong>


    Ate decided to stop thinking about her husband. So, this time, she asked about ire’s husband. Of course, ire’s husband was Ate’s elder brother, Arjen Bavaria.


    ire’s face frowned when her husband was mentioned. Sheined, wriggling her eyebrows that were more handsome than a man.


    <strong>“Don’t say it, Ate. I haven’t been home for three weeks. Apparently, I heard he washes and sleeps in the royal pce’s office. Someone might think he’s a homeless man.” </strong>


    Ateughed as she recalled her elder brother, Arjen. He was recognized for his extraordinary brain early and went to study at the Academy of the Chapelle Empire. And afterpleting all his courses, he was taken to the office as a high-ranking official of the Chapelle Empire. Arjen’s talent seemed to be too exceptional to be limited to the Kingdom of Deltium.


    Of course, her father, Amand did not like it very much. As soon as his studies were over, Arjen was supposed to return and receive his education as a sessor to the Bavarian family. But Amand couldn’t do anything about it as the opponent was the Chapelle Empire! Even though Amanda did not like it, he had no choice but to let Arjen go.


    ‘<i>It was probably the first thing that didn’t go ording to my father’s will.’</i>


    Ate was envious of her great elder brother. The Chapelle Empire was muchrger than the Kingdom of the Deltium, and Arjen was always busy thanks to it. So he couldn’te to Ate’s wedding, which was suddenly held.


    Unlike ire, the valiant Knightmander, Arjen was a weak and nervous civilian-type of handsome man. ire and Arjen, who filled each other’s shorings, were a very well-matched couple. At least that was what Ate thought.


    ‘<i>Can Rafael and I ever be that kind of couple?</i>


    If it had been her previous life, she would have shook her head and said that it was absolutely impossible. But now, Ate could not be too sure. Rafael had changed as much as she had changed herself. It was truly a wonder.


    <span> Only


    ire nced at Ate who was deep in thoughts, and eventually put something out on the table. It was a small box wrapped in a rustling golden wrapping paper. Ate blinked as she saw the item, ire smiled brightly with an expectant look.


    <strong>“Ta-da! It’s ate wedding present, Ate. Although it’s not the marriage you wanted, I still hope you live well and happily. This is my sincere wish for you.”</strong>


    ire, holding Ate’s hand, smiled affectionately like Ate’s real sister. ire’s family was actually full of haggard men so she found her new sister-inw, Ate very cute and pretty. Ate, who smiled happily at her congrattions, picked up the present and asked without thinking.


    <strong>“Thank you, Sister ire. But what’s in here? It’s very light.”</strong>


    <strong>“Oh, that?”</strong>


    ire suddenly smiled sordidly. She lowered her voice and whispered secretly as if she was spewing state secrets.


    <strong>“Don’t be surprised. that’s…. It’s a tremendous thing that will make even the gay men horny.” </strong>


    … <i>It was absolutely impossible not to be surprised after hearing such words.</i>