Chapter: 512
“Greetings, Your Majesty the First Queen!”
“I humbly pay my respects to Your Majesty who tirelessly works for the Kingdom!”
As Cecil and Arthur knelt down, bowing deeply, the First Queen slightly raised her eyebrows and then smiled.
“You both may rise. How can the future of the kingdom bow their heads to me?”
“However…”
“It’s fine. You both.”
Once the formalities were out of the way, Arthur stood up to face the First Queen, who wore a subtle smile.
She seemed to be ready to step into action, wearing armor that was too pristine, suggesting she hadn’t engaged in any direct combat at all.
Had she only come to show she was prepared for action?
“Are you both alright?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. As you can see, we’re perfectly fine.”
“I’m the same. Not a scratch on me.”
The First Queen scanned their bodies as if assessing the truth of their claims. Like a snake, her eyes glided past Cecil to settle on Arthur.
“That is indeed fortunate.”
Seeing the glimmering smile in the Queen’s eyes, Arthur was convinced she realized he was awake.
Before being the queen who leads the kingdom, she was the warrior Queen!
If even his brother noticed, there’s no way she wouldn’t.
“Then could you tell me what happened inside the barrier? I grasped the general situation, but I haven’t heard the specifics yet.”
The Queen’s gaze coiled like a snake, trapping Arthur in her stare. Under the mounting pressure, he did his best to stay calm.
There was no need to panic. Simply tell her what he had told his brother. There was no way the Queen could discover the truth about an event that transpired in a place that didn’t exist.
Such suspicions were merely paranoia!
“The situation arose when…”
The Queen listened attentively to Arthur’s words.
No questions. No doubts. She accepted everything as the truth simply because it came from him.
“…that’s about all I know.”
“If what you said is true, then it means the Third Prince met his end fighting the followers of the Evil God?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Really?”
As the First Queen expressed her first doubt, Arthur instinctively nodded in agreement, but upon seeing the cold glint in her eye, froze.
“Really. The Third Prince had no influence over resolving the issue?”
W-what? Why is she pressing me so hard on this part?
The First Queen shouldn’t be unaware that I couldn’t do anything against the minions of the Evil God.
…No, no. Calm down. I’m overthinking this.
No matter how much of a warrior she might be, there’s no way she could know what transpired in a nonexistent place.
These doubts were mere delusions!
“Third Prince?”
Arthur had been ready to nod but found his resolve weakened by the sound of the Queen’s voice.
The eyes of a small beast facing a predator trembled.
Arthur had always found Queen Kabati Soladin difficult to handle.
She hadn’t directly pressured him, but neither did she ignore his existence.
After all, within the palace, she was among those who treated him well.
Regardless, being the heir of the royal family, there could be issues with her offspring, yet Queen Kabati had supported Arthur’s thirst for knowledge.
Had she not allowed him anything, he wouldn’t be able to blossom his talents like he had today.
So, in many ways, she ought to be considered a benefactor to him.
Still, Arthur couldn’t hide his discomfort whenever he faced her.
It wasn’t rational; rather, it was an instinctual revulsion.
That gentle smile always resting on her lips made him suspicious of hidden motives.
At that moment, he felt that same revulsion again, in the smiling eyes of the First Queen.
“That’s right. The Prince was useless and accomplished nothing.”
At that moment, Frey, who had been quietly standing next to Arthur, spoke up innocently.
From the phrasing of her statements to the content within, everything was an offense, yet Frey continued without a care in the world, despite the sharp glares directed at her.
“While I was fighting hard, you were just snoozing away, huh? You were a pathetic prince.”
“That’s disrespectful! Young Lady Kent!”
“Show some respect to a member of the royal family!”
The guards standing beside the First Queen finally snapped to attention, but Frey merely tilted her head at their anger.
“What? I’m just pointing it out.”
“W-what?”
“Shouldn’t you be bowing in apology instead of arguing back?!”
Seeing the guards worked up, Frey didn’t flinch but rather smiled.
Amidst the escalating situation, it was Arthur who felt the most flustered.
This crazy girl!
She wanted to fight the guards and is using me as an excuse to provoke them!?
Just when did this sword-crazy brat decide to defend me?
I thought I was moved for a second, but turns out I was mistaken!
As Arthur grumbled inside, trying to coordinate this mess with Cecil, a girl’s voice rang out, beautiful and clear, yet annoyingly charming, quelling all the chaos.
“What are you two doing over there?”
Standing under the sun was Lucy Alrn, still carrying the traces of intense battle.
Her hair was matted with blood.
Her skin bore multiple shallow scars.
Her eyes looked weary from fatigue.
She wore armor that was crumpled and battered.
Her appearance was such a mess that one couldn’t help but comment on it.
Yet, not a soul in sight would think poorly of Lucy.
The beauty she possessed turned even her scars into allure.
Arthur felt a slight flush creep onto his face as he stared at Lucy, who was staring blankly like everyone else.
He had known her looks were beautiful, but this level was overwhelming.
Could he really not pull his gaze away?
Lucy Alrn was truly beautiful…
“Delusional Queen.”
…What did she just say?
“Are you still caught up in your delusional fantasy, making life difficult for my friends? How pitiful for a woman of the royal family.”
Words that couldn’t be described with simple terms of rudeness or discourtesy rendered everyone dumbfounded—including the guards beside the First Queen, the bystanders, professors, and Arthur, Cecil, too.
However, Lucy strode forward, unfazed by the atmosphere, and stood across from the Queen.
“Why don’t you go do your job? Your delusions won’t change the fact that you did nothing while you tormented others.”
The knights protecting the Queen were speechless at her defiance, unsure how to respond, but the Queen herself was not phased.
She simply chuckled at Lucy’s rudeness and took a step back.
“I didn’t mean to torment anyone. They are like my own children, even if no blood ties exist.”
“Puhahat. Children? Not grandchildren? That’s quite shameless of you.”
“I’m not that shameless. I married young, you see.”
The First Queen replied with a laugh and raised her hand to signal her guards to step back.
“Excuse me. Given the delay, we should do our utmost to rectify the situation.”
Once the First Queen finished speaking, she whisked away with her knights in tow.
The ones who were guarding the Queen looked at Lucy with disdain, yet they remained silent.
The Queen had made it clear she wouldn’t make a fuss about it, so who were they to intervene?
“Hey, Lucy Alrn. You…”
After all the commotion, Arthur’s heart almost dropped, and he tried to say something, but Lucy quickly interrupted.
“Be quiet. Useless perverted prince. Why don’t you just thank me quietly for helping you instead of frowning like that? Is that your taste?”
“What nonsense…”
“Enough. Just follow me. We have things to do. Or do you want me to shower you with more insults? Should I whisper them in your ear until you waddle away?”
“…”
Realizing that arguing would lead to more trouble, Arthur raised his hands in surrender.
With an amused smirk at her victory, Lucy shoved Frey away, turning her back.
“Lucy Alrn. One moment.”
At the sound of Cecil calling out, Lucy paused.
Her furrowed brows suggested urgency, urging her to speak quickly.
Sensing that, Cecil recalled everything she wanted to say.
From how her actions had helped restore his sanity last year to matters related to his mother—and many more.
As Cecil gathered his thoughts, he chuckled softly and bowed his head.
“Thank you.”
“What for? I haven’t done anything for you. You’re not saying you’re grateful for my mere existence, right?”
“Well, it’s a long story, but basically, I’m thankful in many ways.”
Lucy Alrn watched Cecil lower his head and then tilted hers while speaking.
“With that beastly appearance of yours, it’s surprising how little substance your words have. It’s only natural people call you a clueless loser of a prince.”
Lucy Alrn chuckled, finishing her statement and turned away abruptly.
Once she left, the people around Cecil muttered about the audacity of her actions, yet he remained with a smile tugging at his lips.
Looks like I’ve gone from being a pig to a goofball.
At this rate, it’s not too bad.
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