I Raised Snow White!

“Now that everyone is present, let us begin the meeting.”

The Queen Dowager raised her hand to declare the start of the meeting, sighed deeply, and looked over the faces of those gathered in the conference hall.

The nobles hurriedly bowed their heads every time they made eye contact with the Queen Dowager.

“First, I want to express my deep gratitude to each of you, the ministers of each department, for your efforts over the past two years. Despite His Majesty’s reclusion and lack of governance, I am thankful that you all have managed the kingdom without any major incidents.”

The Queen Dowager began the meeting by offering her thanks.

I had expected that these sly Council of Elder nobles would scoff and nitpick at her words like villains.

“No, not at all!! Queen Dowager Rosaria!! We only did our duty as loyal servants of the kingdom!!”

The Council of Elder members I encountered were completely different from what I had imagined.

The old men with graying hair stood tense like new recruits, trembling before the Queen Dowager.

Whenever she pointed at someone, they would immediately rise from their seats, raise their heads, and respond loudly.

The Queen Dowager chuckled at their reactions, then pointed to the Minister of the Ministry of the Palace with her finger.

At that moment, the Minister of the Palace jumped up from his chair and stood at attention, listening intently to her words.

“The royal family’s failure to oversee you for the past two years is our fault, so I won’t say much. But you could have shown some restraint. Hasn’t Bainshaw’s hairline receded half a step from mediating you all?”

“Ah, no, why my hair…!”

The Queen Dowager’s jest brought hearty laughter from the old men, creating a friendly atmosphere.

For some reason, I found myself unable to adapt to this unexpectedly relaxed tone of the meeting.

In the game, the Council of Elder members had quite the cunning image—like sly, old raccoons who had spent decades entrenched in politics. That was the image I had of the Council of Elder.

But the Council of Elder members standing before the Queen Dowager seemed more like new recruits before their captain, responding precisely to her words with stiff postures and taut discipline.

Ignoring the Council of Elder’s chatter that resembled gossip in a senior citizens’ club, I nudged Bainshaw, who sat beside me, and whispered so only he could hear.

“Wow, Her Majesty the Queen.”

“Bainshaw, I’m feeling quite bewildered right now. Could you explain this situation to me?”

“Explain what, Your Majesty?”

“Why are the nobles of the Council of Elder behaving like new recruits, so tense in front of the Queen Dowager?”

“Ah, it seems that Her Majesty does not know.”

Bainshaw chuckled at my question, then recalled the past and smiled before glancing over at the Queen Dowager, who was still conversing with other nobles.

“I’m not sure where to begin, but most of the current ministers on the Council of Elder received training from the Queen Dowager in their younger days. Myself included.”

“Training?”

“Yes, it was around the time we first entered the royal palace and began learning our duties. During that period, His Majesty the late King was gravely ill from a plague.”

Bainshaw reminisced with a chuckle, as though fond of those days.

Turning to look at the Queen Dowager, I saw the Minister of the Ministry of the Palace still fawning in front of her like a dog showing tricks.

“At that time, it was none other than Queen Dowager Rosaria who managed the kingdom on behalf of His Majesty. But, thinking back, the methods she used were… quite unconventional.”

Bainshaw let out a bitter laugh and rubbed his stomach as if caressing an old wound. He glanced at the Queen Dowager with a look of deep reluctance.

“…Anyway, they weren’t ordinary methods. Punches flew, kicks were exchanged, and we lived amidst constant scolding and violence. We came to realize that Her Highness’ family wasn’t called the ‘Knight’s Family’ for nothing.”

“The Queen Dowager was a lady of the knight’s family?”

“You didn’t know? Before she married His Majesty the late King, Her Highness the Queen Dowager was a knight herself. The story of His Majesty falling for her sword-wielding prowess is quite famous.”

This was a story that hadn’t appeared in the game. In the game, the Queen Dowager was merely an NPC who aided the princess, with no personal backstory of her own.

And now, the Queen Dowager as a ‘knight’…

“…After marrying the late King, Her Highness could no longer wield her sword, so she instead raised her fists at us. Back then, even though we didn’t have to attend state meetings, by her order, we were all required to participate.”

“Hm…”

“If any of us made a slip of the tongue, brought the wrong documents, or made any mistake, her fist would land right on our solar plexus. Mercy was nonexistent.”

“Well, that’s quite…”

“…Honestly speaking, although Her Highness’ teachings helped us reach our current positions as ministers… her fists… and kicks…”

Recalling his traumatic memories, Bainshaw shuddered all over. Feeling sorry for him, I unconsciously patted his shoulder.

Then, I suddenly realized that it had grown quiet around us.

Perhaps I had been too engrossed in Bainshaw’s story. Glancing at the Queen Dowager, I found that she, along with all the other nobles, were staring intently at Bainshaw and me.

Bainshaw noticed this as well, and with a pale expression, he looked at the Queen Dowager, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

“Is the reminiscing over, Bainshaw?”

“I have committed a grave sin, Your Majesty the Queen Dowager.”

“As long as you know. Now, let’s resume the meeting.”

Bainshaw let out a sigh of deep relief, placing a hand on his chest as if he had escaped death, and leaned back against his chair.

I also felt inexplicably exhausted and leaned slightly back in my seat with a small sigh.

The kingdom’s administrative departments are divided into twelve sectors:

The Ministry of the Palace, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education,

the Ministry of Land, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, and the Ministry of War.

The ministers of these administrative departments serve as the members of the Council of Elder, and in the past, high-ranking nobles typically occupied the ministerial positions.

In such a system, the head served merely as decoration while only the subordinates labored tirelessly.

The Queen Dowager, dissatisfied with this structure, dedicated her five-year governance to nurturing talented individuals from the ground up.

As the decades passed, a surprising phenomenon occurred—no less than nine of the twelve department ministers, notorious for clinging to their posts, had vacated their positions.

And those who filled these vacancies were none other than the Queen Dowager’s disciples, personally trained by her over five years.

These nine ministers took their positions not through royal backing but purely through merit, breaking the barriers of bloodline, personal connections, and school ties.

And now—

“We support Queen Dowager’s regency!”

“We agree!”

“I have yet to even announce the agenda of the meeting.”

They were all busy fervently wagging their tails for the Queen Dowager.

Was this… the sly Council of Elder I knew?

The Minister of the Palace, in particular, was wagging his imaginary tail so hard it was almost visible. I already knew he was the Queen Dowager’s puppet, but watching an old man fawning was rather pathetic.

The Minister of the Palace bent his back in a deep bow and pleaded to the Queen Dowager.

“Your Majesty, the Princess, who carries royal blood, is only six years old. While her ascension to the throne is natural, she is still young. We humbly request that you take regency and watch over the Princess.”

“Your Majesty, you must do this!”

“Indeed! It is in the best interest of the kingdom for Her Majesty the Queen Dowager to assume regency!”

Eight of the ministers, excluding Bainshaw, practically wept as they pleaded before her.

What could be compelling them so much?

The Queen Dowager waved her hand dismissively, as though irritated, and the ministers instantly fell silent.

After a deep sigh, she slowly lifted her head and looked at the ministers.

“…Alright. Since that’s clear, let’s end this agenda here. Now, moving on to the next item—”

…? Is this something that can be brushed aside so easily?

But I didn’t have time to worry about that, as the next agenda item put pressure on me. The moment the Queen Dowager announced it, the eyes of the ministers, who had been gleaming moments ago, turned sharp, as though they might tear someone apart.

“The treatment of the Second Queen, ‘Vivian Lilienthal.’”

“……”

The ministers, who had just been laughing and chatting, suddenly went silent. They looked at me with sharp gazes, like tame animals revealing fangs as if they were actually beasts.

There was a moment of silence, but it didn’t last long.

An elderly man seated before the sign marked Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised his hand, claiming the right to speak. When the Queen Dowager granted him permission, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stood up, looking at me as though he intended to tear me apart.

“First, before we begin, I would like any ministers here who believe the Second Queen should remain in this place to please raise their hands.”

In response, a few ministers raised their hands. The Queen Dowager, Bainshaw, the Minister of the Palace, and the Minister of Education. That made four.

Seeing no point in lingering, the Minister of Foreign Affairs motioned for the others to lower their hands.

“As Her Majesty can see, the Second Queen’s standing in the Council of Elder is not very high. To be frank, I would prefer if you left this place immediately.”

“……”

Despite the blatant disrespect toward royalty, the Queen Dowager remained silent, as if she expected me to handle this situation on my own.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs continued, as if he had more to say.

“For the past two years, Her Majesty the Queen has not received any ‘favor’ from His Majesty. She has not even been given the royal ‘surname.’ With His Majesty now deceased, is there any reason for you to remain here?”

“……”

“Surely, you are aware of why we accepted you as the ‘Second Queen.’ Before you became the Second Queen, we asked you for one thing: that the kingdom would receive a ‘little sun.’”

He wasn’t wrong. His words were so logical that I couldn’t say anything in response. The Minister of Foreign Affairs stared at me intently, as if waiting for my answer, so I lifted my head to meet his gaze.

“I am… I mean, I am currently serving as the Princess’s ‘educational caretaker.’ I wish to continue—”

“We are aware of that. However, we can easily find someone with the skills of Her Majesty the Queen to serve as an educational caretaker. In fact, there are plenty of noble ladies and wives far more qualified than you.”

“W-what…? That can’t be…”

“On the contrary, many are concerned about Her Majesty the Queen educating the Princess. They fear the Princess might develop a difficult temperament by learning from you.”

“T-that…”

“There are even rumors suspecting you of being a ‘witch.’ The negative influence could easily affect the Princess—”

I sensed malice from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who interrupted me mid-sentence. None of my attempts to respond were successful. The Minister of Foreign Affairs disregarded every single word I said, as though my removal was already decided.

“This—”

“I!”

Unable to hold back the emotions boiling within me, I stood up and slammed my hands on the round table just as the Queen Dowager raised her hand to stop the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

No explanation seemed to work. Since my words weren’t reaching him, pleading was all I had left.

“…If it’s what the ministers want, I am willing to give up everything a queen has. You may take the jewels from my room, and you don’t have to give me any maintenance funds anymore.”

“……”

“If that’s not enough, I will even step down from the position of queen. But please, allow me to continue working in the palace. I’ll serve as the Princess’s attendant, or even as a maid handling chores around the palace.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs said nothing more. Instead, the Queen Dowager, who had been silently observing, questioned me, as if to ask if I was serious.

“What would you do if I truly ordered you to work as a maid?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if I weren’t prepared. If it means I can stay here, I am willing to lick the Queen Dowager’s feet.”

“That’s filthy…”

The Queen Dowager sighed in exasperation and covered her mouth with her fingers as though to hide her expression. Honestly, at this point, I was willing to do whatever it took.

If they were really going to throw me out, I would cling to the Queen Dowager’s ankle and refuse to let go. There was no way I could leave the Princess like this.

The Queen Dowager frowned and questioned me further.

“…Why are you so determined? If you’re afraid of the temple due to the witch rumors, I’ll personally send a letter to the temple. That way, even if you leave the palace, they won’t dare to touch you.”

“…It’s not the temple I fear, Your Majesty.”

“Then…”

I simply…

I lifted my head, offering a slight smile as I looked at the Queen Dowager. She widened her eyes in surprise, meeting my gaze.

“I simply want to be someone the Princess can rely on. I want to stay by her side and help her as she grows.”

“……”

“That is truly all I desire.”

For a moment, silence fell over the conference room.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs sat down, as if he had no more to say, and waited for the Queen Dowager’s decision. Was pleading not enough? Did I truly need to grovel?

As I was contemplating how to proceed, an idea flashed through my mind. I turned to look at the Minister of Education seated at the round table.

“Minister of Education.”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty.”

“As far as I know, royal family members enter the ‘Academy’ when they turn fifteen, where you serve as the principal. Is that correct?”

“Y-yes… that is correct. The Princess, too, will enter the Academy when she turns fifteen, where she will develop her social skills with other royals from different nations—”

I couldn’t stay with the Princess until she came of age, but if I begged on my knees, perhaps they would allow me to stay until she entered the Academy?

The ‘Academy,’ the main setting for the ‘Fall’ segment in the game.

If I could stay until I saw the Princess enter the Academy, I could leave her side with some peace of mind. There would be others there who could support her.

I turned to the Queen Dowager and made my plea.

“Your Majesty, may I please remain here until the Princess enters the Academy?”

“…Until the Princess turns fifteen?”

“Yes. From what I understand, even royalty cannot leave the Academy until graduation, which takes three years. Therefore, after the Princess enrolls in the Academy, I will willingly leave the palace.”

The Queen Dowager stroked her chin in thought, glancing at the other ministers. The ministers remained silent, merely gazing at the Queen Dowager.

After a heavy sigh, the Queen Dowager gestured to the scribe stationed by the door to record the meeting. The scribe quickly hurried to her side.

“Scribe, take this down immediately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“The Second Queen, ‘Vivian Lilienthal,’ will be stripped of her title as Second Queen following the Princess’s ‘graduation ceremony’ at the Academy. Afterward, Vivian Lilienthal will be barred from entering the palace. Until then, she is to fulfill her duty in educating the Princess.”

“…Thank you, Your Majesty the Queen Dowager.”

“This is a ‘promise’ between you and the kingdom. You must uphold this promise faithfully.”