"I see, so that's why you want Rid to break up with Irene," said Miss Karina.

  "Yes, I don't want Rid to be targeted and killed just because he's in a relationship with a Duke's daughter who's supposed to be a participant in an event, and I also don't want life at this academy to be disrupted. Those who want to kill Rid might just cause chaos at this academy and endanger others," said Queen Kayana.

  "But none of your thoughts are necessarily proven, are they?" asked Miss Karina.

  "Yes, you're right. It could be that the reason my husband doesn't want to cancel the ~Matchmaking Battle~ is because he's so sure that Rid and Irene's relationship won't last until graduation, maybe there was a fight that caused them to break up. But we also have to consider other possibilities. And again, why does my husband insist on holding that event, the goal is to strengthen the Dukes' relationship again, he said. If the ~Matchmaking Battle~ is canceled, shouldn't he think about holding another event? This is really strange, I feel like something will happen if the event is actually held," said Queen Kayana.

  "Can't you cancel the event?" asked Miss Karina.

  "It's not that easy, the event has been approved by my husband who is the King of this country and also all the Dukes. Although Duke San Lucia seemed reluctant, but he still agreed to it because initially this event was to be held if their daughter remained unmarried until the event was held. So you could say this event is not mandatory, but my husband still insisted on not canceling this event even though he knows that Irene currently has a partner,"

  "If I want to cancel this event with my power as Queen, at least I have to find out first and find evidence of something unreasonable in this event. Just like the possibility of Rid being murdered, even though I suspected so from my husband's unreasonable words, but I can't arrest my husband without clear evidence and only based on my thoughts," said Queen Kayana.

  "I see. This is just my opinion, it is highly likely that the one who told your husband that Irene was already engaged was one of the Dukes. Since this is related to the daughter of Duke San Lucia, let's exclude Duke San Lucia first, so the one who told your husband was likely one of the remaining 3 Dukes. The likely reason why the ~Matchmaking Battle~ was not canceled is because this Duke convinced your husband that Irene's relationship with her current partner could not last long. So if later there really is someone who wants to assassinate Rid, it is likely that person will be one of the three Dukes,"

  "But even if it is your husband himself or one of the Dukes who will assassinate Rid, they will not intervene directly and will send someone who specializes in this matter. The goal is that if the assassination is successful, traces of their involvement will be difficult to uncover," said Miss Karina.

  "Yes, you're right. I'm currently busy with other work, so I don't have time to investigate the true purpose of the event or the possibility of Rid's murder. So the only thing I can do is tell you to break up with Irene, Rid. That way, you'll be free from the possibilities I mentioned earlier," Queen Kayana said, looking at me.

  I fell silent after hearing Her Majesty's words.

  "So that's how it is. Her Majesty told me to break up earlier because she actually wanted to protect me. The reason she displayed her aura pressure earlier was to intimidate me so that I would feel intimidated and quickly break up with Irene. Earlier, senior Nadine also told me to be wary of the possibility of someone wanting to target me. And now Her Majesty is bringing that up too. I'm grateful that they're worried about me, but unfortunately, I can't do what Her Majesty asks. I've promised to be Irene's partner, no matter what the cost," I thought.

  Then I took a breath and began to speak.

  "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. Even though I know the risks, I still can't break up with Irene because I love her so much right now. Before I decided to be her partner, I already knew this was a possibility. I'm grateful for your concern for me, even though I'm just a regular student, but you don't need to worry anymore. Whatever happens, I can handle it," I said.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Miss Karina smiled at my words, while Her Majesty the Queen looked a little surprised. But then, she smiled back.

  "It seems it was pointless for me to tell you to break up with Irene. Since you can withstand the pressure of my aura, it seems you can handle the problems that lie ahead," said Queen Kayana.

  "Don't worry, Rid. If anyone comes to kill you, they won't be able to enter this academy. This academy is the safest place for you. If there are any intruders, I'll take care of them myself," said Miss Karina.

  "Thank you, Miss," I said.

  "*Sigh, so you still don't want to break up, huh? My attempt to match you with Chloe would be ruined if you break up, while Irene can be with Charles. And I'd have two ideal son and daughter-in-law," said Queen Kayana.

  "So you yourself have other interests if Rid breaks up with Irene," said Miss Karina.

  "Hmm, what's wrong, Karina? Are you unhappy if I match Rid with Chloe? Do you have feelings for Rid? I never thought you'd like a man so much younger than you," said Queen Kayana.

  "I never said anything like that," said Miss ?Karina, looking angry.

  "That's why you shouldn't leave the Estella family. This is the result, you're still without a partner. If you were still in the family, you could have been matched through family connections and finally found a partner," said Queen Kayana.

  "That ridiculous matchmaking system should be abolished. It's just as ridiculous as that ~Matchmaking Battle~. Luckily I left the family; I don't have to be matched like that," said Miss Karina.

  "Oh my," said Queen Kayana.

  "You two seem very close," I said.

  "Of course, we are sisters after all," said Queen Kayana.

  "I don't know if this can be called close or not," said Miss Karina.

  "We've been chatting like this for quite some time, I think we should end this. I have to return to my castle," said Queen Kayana.

  "Are you going home, sis?" asked Miss Karina.

  "Yes. You must remain careful, Rid. The possibility I'm thinking of could happen right now," said Queen Kayana.

  "Okay," I said.

  "And I hope your relationship with Irene is fine and harmonious. Although I'm disappointed that Charles couldn't be paired with Irene, at least Chloe can still be Rid's second partner," said Queen Kayana.

  "Wait a minute, what are you saying?" I said.

  "It's nothing, forget it," said Queen Kayana.

  "By the way, I just realized something when you came here last night," said Miss Karina.

  "What is it?" asked Queen Kayana.

  "What about Caroline? Even though she's already 10 years old, is it okay for you to leave her alone?" asked Miss Karina.

  "It's okay, she's a grown girl after all," said Queen Kayana.

  "Who is Caroline?" I asked.

  "Ah, you don't know yet, she's my youngest child, Caroline Estella San Fulgen. She's Charles and Chloe's younger sister," said Queen Kayana.

  "I've never heard of Princess Caroline before, although I had heard of Charles and Chloe before I met them," I thought.

  "But what do you mean, leaving her alone, Karina? I didn't leave her alone because I've been looking after her all this time," said Queen Kayana.

  "What do you mean—," said Miss Karina.

  But before she could finish her sentence, she was shocked to see Queen Kayana in front of her slowly transform into water shaped like herself. But then she finally understood what was happening.

  "So that's how it is, the one you've been here all day is a clone," said Miss Karina.

  "You're so late in realizing this, Karina," said Queen Kayana.

  "I did realize something was odd when you said you were coming here alone without an escort, because usually you always go places with soldiers," said Miss Karina.

  "You're right. Even if I had told them to come here beforehand, they would still escort me even if I didn't need them. And if I left secretly, the palace would be in an uproar once they found out their Queen was missing. I didn't want the newspapers to be filled with news of the Queen's disappearance when I was only visiting. Even though I could have left my clone there and come alone, if something happened there, my clone wouldn't be able to fight at full strength. That's why I chose to have my clone come here. Although it's a clone, it has the same mindset as the real me," said Queen Kayana.

  "I know that clones created by someone possess some of that person's power. But if even Her Majesty's clone possesses this much aura pressure and power, what about Her Majesty's true power?" I thought.

  "Then, I'll take my leave, Rid, Karina. It was a pleasure chatting with you, Rid. I look forward to our next meeting. And don't forget to always be careful in the future," said Queen Kayana.

  " "Yes, Your Majesty," I said, bowing.

  "See you both," said Queen Kayana.

  Then Queen Kayana's clone turned into water and fell to the floor of this room.

  "Oh my gosh. Why did he choose to create a clone out of water? My floor is wet. And besides, how am I supposed to explain to everyone about the aura pressure he created earlier?" said Miss Karina.

  -To be continued