Chapter 197: Solving the Problem at the Root

"Wait for me out here," he said, making a brief gesture with his hand. "I won’t be long..."

Aria watched him for a moment. It was clear she didn’t like the idea of leaving him alone with Emilia, but in the end she nodded.

"Alright, Master," she said, leaning against the wall beside the door. "I’ll be here."

Then Mark entered the room and stopped in his tracks at the sight of Emilia.

The queen was sitting on the edge of the bed dressed only in black lace underwear. Her light green hair fell loose over her shoulders and her arms rested at her sides without making the slightest attempt to cover herself.

Mark looked away instantly and took half a step back.

"I’m sorry," he said, bringing a hand to the back of his neck. "Sorry for walking in like that... I’ll come back later when you’re—"

"There’s no need for that," Emilia interrupted with an obviously tired voice. "It’s not like you haven’t seen me like this before..."

Mark stood at the entrance for a couple more seconds.

’She’s right about that,’ he thought, briefly remembering that night. ’But even so...’

However, seeing that Emilia didn’t even flinch at his presence or make any gesture of discomfort, Mark ended up accepting the situation.

He closed the door behind him and walked to the bed to sit beside her, leaving some space between them.

And it was there, having her so close, that he noticed the sorry state she was in.

The queen’s gaze was completely empty.

Her green eyes, which just days ago had shone with conviction before an entire kingdom, were now dull and fixed on some point on the floor without really looking at anything.

The dark circles under them made it clear she hadn’t slept well in days, if she’d slept at all, while her chapped, cracked lips suggested she hadn’t been eating or drinking enough either.

"What happened to you...?" Mark asked, looking at her with a slightly furrowed brow.

Emilia didn’t even turn her head.

"It’s nothing," she replied curtly. "I’ve just been a bit tired these days... That’s all."

He watched her in silence for a few seconds, and the longer he looked the less he believed her.

It was obvious this went far beyond simple tiredness, but just as he was about to press further, Emilia got there first.

"Why did you come?" she asked without even turning to look at him.

Mark looked at her for another moment and decided that if she didn’t want to talk about her condition, he could at least address the other matter that had brought him there.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said, resting his hands on his knees. "About... what happened that day."

"..."

"Things between us can’t keep going the way they are, Emilia," Mark explained. "We have to talk about this and sort it out before it becomes a bigger problem."

The queen turned her head slightly toward him at those words.

She watched him in silence for a long moment, her eyes fixed on his face as if trying to read his thoughts before responding.

But in the end she simply lowered her gaze to the floor.

"What problem?... We just had sex," she said, mildly irritated. "That was all... Nothing more happened."

Mark frowned.

"That’s not what it seemed like that day."

"Well, it was."

"Emilia, we both know that—"

"Where are you going with this conversation?" she interrupted him bluntly.

"..."

"If all of this is because you feel guilty about taking my first time," she said coldly, "then let it go... Forget it happened and let’s move forward as if nothing occurred."

After saying that she turned her back on Mark and fixed her gaze on the ocean through the window.

He stared at the queen’s bare back for a moment.

The outline of her ribs was slightly visible beneath her skin, more than it should be, and her shoulders were hunched forward.

Then Mark extended a hand and rested it gently on her shoulder.

"It’s not only that, Emilia..." he said in a tone that had softened. "It’s also because I care about you."

"..."

"Because whether you like it or not," Mark continued, lightly squeezing her shoulder, "we’re technically husband and wife now."

Emilia didn’t move for several seconds. Then she let out a short, bitter laugh that sounded more sad than amused.

"Husband and wife?" she repeated with bitterness. "What a joke..."

Then, abruptly, she swatted Mark’s hand off her shoulder.

The queen barely had any strength, but she didn’t need it. The gesture alone made it perfectly clear she didn’t want to be touched.

Mark’s hand hung in the air for a second before he slowly lowered it.

And after that, silence.

A tense, heavy silence that settled between them like something solid occupying the space between the two of them.

Both still sat on the edge of the same bed, less than half a meter apart, but the emptiness separating them felt much larger than that. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The seconds kept passing in silence while the distant sound of the ocean drifted in through the window.

Mark watched Emilia’s back, motionless before the window, and the longer he looked the harder it became to contain the frustration he had been accumulating for days.

Finally, he let out a sigh.

"...I really hate when women do this" he said before lunging toward the queen.

Not even he knew exactly what it was that had finally made him snap.

Maybe the way she had swatted his hand away, or that sudden coldness with which she was treating him.

Or maybe it was simply the accumulation of entire days of uncomfortable silences, evasions, and half-answers that had finally exhausted all his patience.

Mark quickly closed the distance between them and grabbed her by the shoulders.

Before she could react, he turned her sharply toward him and pushed her back, making her fall onto the sheets with a small start.

It all happened in barely an instant.

By the time the queen tried to understand what was happening, Mark had already caught her wrists and was holding them pressed against the bed on either side of her head while he leaned over her.

His body was directly above hers, and just a few centimeters separated their faces.

Emilia could only look up at him with her eyes completely wide. Then she opened her mouth to say something, but the words died in her throat the moment she saw Mark’s expression.

He was upset.

"What...?" was all Emilia managed to say, in a voice that came out small and trembling.