I Raised Snow White!

Two hours before Vivian entered the conference room.

The ministers and the Queen Dowager, already gathered, had been continuing their “meeting” for hours without the Second Queen present.

The main topic was none other than “the treatment of the Second Queen.” The ministers spoke with grave expressions.

Bainshaw, sitting in the seat of the Finance Minister, raised his hand to gain the right to speak and, as though pleading with the ministers, shouted out. Exhausted from hours of heated debate, he was now almost appealing to emotion.

“Didn’t everyone see it at His Majesty’s funeral! The sight of the Princess crying in the arms of Her Majesty the Second Queen! And you still plan to drive her out right this moment?”

However, the other ministers’ reactions were indifferent. From the beginning, it was a well-known fact—even to Bainshaw—that the Second Queen was unsuited for her position.

She hadn’t even inherited the royal family’s “surname.”

Nor had she received His Majesty’s “favor.”

What reason, then, was there to keep her as the Second Queen? That was the stance of the other ministers. In fact, when the Second Queen had been elevated to her position, the Council of Elders had earnestly pleaded with Vivian.

“Please, bring a little sun to this country.”

It wasn’t that they were dissatisfied with having only a princess. Rather, the royal family was always a dangerous place. With just one princess, they feared the royal bloodline might end.

Thus, they had quickly selected a candidate for queen, elevating Vivian to the role of Second Queen. But instead of a small sun, she hadn’t even received His Majesty’s favor, nor had she taken the family name.

The Council of Elders’ discontent was beyond measure.

And on top of that, there were even rumors that she was a witch.

Bainshaw struck the round table again as he shouted.

“Not long has passed since His Majesty’s death…! In this situation, if you drive away the one person the Princess relies on, wouldn’t you be taking ‘family’ away from her again! Isn’t that right, Minister of Foreign Affairs!”

At Bainshaw’s outburst, the Minister of Foreign Affairs winced. However, he couldn’t afford to back down either. From the beginning, he had only been displeased with the Minister of the Palace assigning the Second Queen to educate the Princess.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs raised his hand to obtain the right to speak, then rose and continued in a calm voice. It was a completely different tone from when he had reprimanded Vivian.

“That’s why, while she’s still young, we must distance Her Majesty the Queen from the Princess. Wounds inflicted at a young age are likely to heal quickly.”

At those words, the Education Minister stood and shouted.

“Do you not understand that wounds inflicted in childhood remain even when they grow up, and become larger scars! Minister of Foreign Affairs! You’re one to talk, afraid of even puppies due to your childhood trauma!”

“Why are you bringing that up now?!”

“It’s the same thing! A coward who’s scared of even a puppy’s fangs! Resign from your post as minister!”

The conference room turned into a battlefield in an instant.

The ministers were divided into two camps in the blink of an eye.

“Her Majesty the Queen is under suspicion of being a witch! How could you think of entrusting the Princess’s education to such a person! If the Princess has been enchanted by a witch…!”

“Watch your words! That’s merely a ‘rumor’! How can you make a judgment based on something that’s not a fact! And you call yourself a minister! Besides, should someone scared of puppies even hold a minister’s position?!”

“Why are you bringing that up now!”

As they had seen at the funeral, there were those who believed the Princess still needed someone she could trust and lean on and that, at least “for now,” driving the Second Queen out was unwise.

And then there were those who, invoking royal tradition, argued that the Queen’s dismissal without being granted the family name was irrelevant since it had happened twice in history.

The Queen Dowager, watching the evenly split room, sighed deeply. Originally, she too had thought of giving Vivian some property and sending her back to her “family,” but…

The scene she had witnessed at the funeral kept lingering in her mind.

Was it really the right choice to take the Second Queen away from the Princess like this…? The Queen Dowager couldn’t answer the question she asked herself. If she followed her emotions, she didn’t want to drive Vivian out at all—

“The problem is that similar cases already exist in history. This gives ammunition to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other ministers who insist on upholding the kingdom’s rules…”

Such cases had already appeared multiple times in history.

A second queen who, not having earned the king’s love, was eventually expelled from the royal palace. It was a common tale with an all-too-predictable ending. This predictable tale now shackled both the Princess and the Second Queen.

The Queen Dowager, rubbing her throbbing forehead, eventually raised her hand to silence the ministers. Seeing her signal, they promptly closed their mouths and took their seats.

“First, those who think it’s still too soon to drive out the Second Queen, raise your hand.”

In response, the ministers of the Ministry of the Palace, Finance, Industry, Culture, Education, and Agriculture raised their hands. Observing the room, split evenly once again, the Queen Dowager rubbed her face with a weary expression.

“To state my own opinion first, I also believe it’s still too soon to drive out the Second Queen.”

“But, Your Majesty…!”

“Listen to the end. I am unwavering in my decision to send her away. There’s no helping it. If only she had at least taken the royal surname, this wouldn’t be such a headache…”

At those words, everyone fell silent. It was true; if only she were ‘Vivian Snow White’ instead of ‘Vivian Lilienthal,’ this absurd discussion would have been unnecessary.

The Queen Dowager, resting her chin on her hand at the round table, glanced at the Minister of the Ministry of the Palace and asked.

“What do you think, how long should the Second Queen stay in the palace?”

“Your Majesty! At least until the princess recovers her physical and mental stability! But, Her Majesty the Queen is suspected of being a witch! So, I believe it would be best to strip her of her title within two years!”

At that, the Minister of Education raised his hand and shouted.

“I disagree! I believe she should stay until at least the princess finishes adolescence! Isn’t it absurd that ministers, of all people, would believe in the imaginary existence of witches?”

“What did you say?!”

“And trauma experienced at a young age isn’t easily healed! Just look at our Minister of Foreign Affairs, for example!”

“Hey!!!”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs clutched the back of his neck in frustration due to the Minister of Education’s persistent provocation. The Queen Dowager acknowledged that the Minister of Education’s words held some merit.

Thus, the Queen Dowager asked the ministers how long they thought the Second Queen should remain here. Those opposing her presence in the palace argued she should leave within at least a year.

However, opinions were split among those who felt she should stay a little longer. Some said three years, others five, and some even suggested ten, until they all began to argue. The Queen Dowager sighed at the sight of their bickering.

Then, Bainshaw, the Minister of Finance, raised his hand and suggested to the Queen Dowager.

“Why not ask Her Majesty the Queen directly?”

“Are you losing intelligence as you lose hair?! If you ask her directly, of course she’ll refuse to leave!”

“Minister of Foreign Affairs. If you don’t be quiet right now, I’ll release a dog in your office.”

The Queen Dowager, watching Bainshaw and the Minister of Foreign Affairs bicker, suddenly thought Bainshaw’s suggestion wasn’t entirely bad. If they could pressure the Second Queen without directly asking her…

Perhaps they could even hear her true feelings.

The Queen Dowager raised her hand, drawing the attention of Bainshaw and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who were on the verge of tearing into each other. Smiling slyly, she began to devise a ‘plan’ she had come up with.

“You all, can you act a bit?”

“A-Are you talking about acting…?”

“Yes, let’s stage a play with the Second Queen as the main character. To start with, Minister of Foreign Affairs, you’ll play the ‘evil stepmother.’”

“Wh-What?”

And so, the Queen Dowager began to explain her ‘play’ to the ministers. She would breeze through the first agenda, and when they moved to the second agenda on the ‘treatment of the Second Queen,’

The Minister of Foreign Affairs would verbally pressure the Second Queen, and the other ministers would disrupt her state of mind in any way they could. By doing so, they could possibly draw out the Second Queen’s true feelings.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs smirked slyly, saying it was his specialty.

The other ministers also agreed with the Queen Dowager’s plan and waited for the Second Queen to enter.

As they waited—

Outside the door, the chamberlain announced the Second Queen’s arrival.

“Her Majesty, Queen Vivian Lilienthal, is entering!”

*

The meeting ultimately concluded with me staying in the palace until the princess’ ‘graduation ceremony’ from the academy. I was simply grateful to the Queen Dowager for extending the time from the entrance ceremony to the graduation.

…Although I suspected, perhaps the meeting had ended even before I arrived. It seemed the Queen Dowager had secretly discussed with the council of nobles what to do with me, who hadn’t taken on the royal surname.

But even the Queen Dowager couldn’t overcome the opposition of the Council of Elders.

Out of the 13 members, only four, including the Queen Dowager, were on my side. Even as Queen Dowager, it must have been impossible for her to disregard the majority.

Instead of feeling resentment towards the Council of Elders that despised me, I began to wonder what Vivian had done to make them want to reject me so badly.

And, in moments like this, if only Ainsel were here…

I couldn’t stop thinking that I might have made a better choice. I absentmindedly touched the earlobe on the side where Ainsel used to be, despite the absence of an earring.

‘When on earth is that Frankenstein coming… I’m worried about Sylph as well…’

I let out a small sigh and glanced at the wine bottle in my hand. Holding a wine bottle in one hand and two wine glasses in the other, I found myself standing in the Queen Dowager’s annex.

I had brought wine to express my gratitude to the Queen Dowager, who I knew was fond of it. Though, arriving late at night, I wondered if she might already be asleep—

Upon reaching the annex, one of the Queen Dowager’s ladies-in-waiting greeted me warmly. Guided by her, I approached the Queen Dowager, who was already sitting on the terrace, enjoying a drink.

I clinked the glasses and bottle together, creating a clear sound to announce my presence to the Queen Dowager. Watching her turn towards the sound of glass clinking, I offered her the wine and glasses with a smile.

“Would you care for a drink with your daughter-in-law, Your Majesty?”

“…Are you insane?”