Chapter: 512
“Greeting the First Queen!”
“Greeting the First Queen who works tirelessly for the kingdom!”
Thud!
As Cecil and Arthur knelt down, showing their utmost respect, the First Queen slightly raised her eyes and then smiled.
“Please lift your heads, both of you. How can the future of the kingdom bow to me?”
“Uh…”
“It’s alright. Please, you two.”
Swish!
After the formal greetings were over, Arthur faced the First Queen, who was wearing a subtle smile.
She seemed ready to take charge, dressed in armor, but the armor looked far too pristine. She hadn’t participated in any direct combat at all.
Was she just showing that she was prepared to respond?
“Are both of you alright?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. As you can see, we’re perfectly fine.”
“Me too. Not a scratch on me.”
Whoosh!
The First Queen scanned their bodies as she listened to their words, as if weighing the truth of what they said. Her snake-like eyes traveled over Cecil and landed on Arthur, stopping there.
“Indeed, that is fortunate.”
Glow!
Seeing the twinkle in the Queen’s eyes, Arthur was convinced she had noticed he was awake.
Before she was the queen leading the kingdom, she was the Martial Queen.
If even his brother sensed it, she would certainly know.
“Then may I hear what happened within the barrier? I grasped the general situation but have yet to hear the precise details.”
Hiss!
The Queen’s gaze, coiled like a serpent’s tail, locked onto Arthur. Under the weight of pressure on his shoulders, Arthur did his best to remain calm.
No need to panic. Just say it as he told his brother. There’s no way the Queen wouldn’t know whether this was true or not.
“Uh…what happened was…”
Whisper!
The First Queen listened quietly to Arthur’s story.
No questions. No doubts. To her, it was all facts, as if she accepted everything he said without question.
“…That’s all I know.”
“If what you just said is true, then the Third Prince must have met his end while fighting the followers of the Evil God?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Really?”
Gasp!
At that, the First Queen finally posed a question, causing Arthur to nod instinctively, but he froze upon seeing the icy glare hidden between her narrowed eyes.
“Seriously? The Third Prince had no influence whatsoever on the resolution of the incident?”
Um!
Wha…? Why is she pressing me on this part so insistently?
She must know I have no ability to deal with the followers of the Evil God.
…No, calm down. I’m thinking too deeply.
No matter how much the Queen is, she can’t know what transpired in a place that doesn’t even exist.
These suspicions are nothing but paranoid delusions!
“Third Prince?”
Uh-oh!
Arthur, who had his mind made up to nod, found his resolve utterly crushed by the Queen’s voice.
His eyes trembled like a tiny beast before a predator.
Arthur had always found the First Queen Kabati Soladin difficult.
She never directly pressured him.
Yet she didn’t also hide in the back trying to bury him.
If you look at it, Kabati Soladin treated Arthur better than most people in the palace.
After all, being of royal blood, there could be issues with his own child, yet Kabati Soladin supported his thirst for knowledge.
Without her support, Arthur might not have blossomed his talents as he did.
Thus, strictly speaking, Kabati Soladin could be considered a benefactor to Arthur.
Yet still, Arthur couldn’t hide his discomfort whenever he looked at her.
It wasn’t rational; it provoked an instinctual repulsion.
The tiny assurance that something else hid beneath her ever-present gentle smile made him uneasy.
It was the same now. Arthur felt repulsion in the smile of the First Queen.
He had no doubt that her laughter was filled with daggers.
“Correct. The Prince is so incompetent that he couldn’t do anything.”
Bam!
At that moment, Frey, who had been standing quietly beside Arthur, spoke up with a naive voice.
From the manner of her speaking to the content of her words, nothing was respectful, yet Frey continued nonchalantly despite the sharp glances surrounding her.
“While I was fighting hard, you were just snoring away, you sloppy prince!”
“That’s rude! Young Lady Kent!”
“Show some respect for the royalty beneath you!”
Clang!
The knights guarding the Queen snapped to attention, glaring, but not even Frey flinched at their anger.
“Am I not showing it?”
“Huh?”
“Is arguing back the right move when you should be apologizing?”
Pfft!
Seeing the knights fired up and stepping forward, Frey instead tilted her head with a grin.
In the escalating situation, it was Arthur who felt embarrassed.
This crazy girl.
So she wanted to fight the knights and provoke them using me as an excuse!?
I thought this kid, who only knows about swords, was merely defending me, but it was for this reason!
What a mistake it was to feel touched for a moment!
Grumble, grumble!
As Arthur sulked inwardly, trying to exchange glances with Cecil to deal with the situation, a voice, as beautiful as a fairy’s yet annoyingly clear, silenced the commotion.
“What are you doing over there?”
Shush!
Under the sun stood Lucy Allen, bearing the marks of a fierce battle.
Her hair tangled with blood.
Her skin marred with various fragmented wounds.
Her eyes tired, filled with fatigue.
Her armor was crumpled and all over the place.
Crash!
With this mess, there’s no way anyone could think Lucy looked bad.
Her beauty turned even the scars on her body into allure.
As Arthur blankly stared at Lucy, he felt a slight heat rising to his face.
He had known her beauty all along.
But was it this magnificent?
It was to the point he couldn’t tear his gaze away.
Lucy Allen is so beautiful…
“Paranoid Queen.”
Huh?
“Are you bullying my friends again because of your delusions? How lamentable for a queen of a country.”
Whoosh!
Such brutally harsh words couldn’t even begin to describe the situation, freezing everyone around—the knights by the Queen, students, professors, and even Arthur and Cecil, their eyes widened in shock.
Yet Lucy, as if this atmosphere was ordinary, walked up and stood opposite the First Queen.
“How about you do your job instead? Just because you’re making excuses doesn’t mean you can just ignore the fact that you did nothing while bullying others. You owe it to them to do your part.”
Clang, clang!
With an aggressive tone, it seemed even the knights beside the Queen were unsure how to respond, but the Queen herself was unfazed.
She simply laughed lightly and took a step back.
“Not that I did anything to bully them. Even if I’m not blood-related, I consider them my children.”
“Pfft! Your children? Not even grandchildren? How shameless of you!”
“I’m not that shameless. I got married at a young age.”
Ha ha ha!
The First Queen replied with a smile, signaling her knights to stand down.
“Forgive me. I’ll do my best to manage the situation since I’m late.”
Zoom!
Having finished her dialogue, the First Queen whisked away with her knights.
Those around her shot Lucy glances filled with disdain, but no one dared to speak up.
Since the Queen herself showed she wouldn’t mind, why should they meddle?
“Hey, Lucy Allen. You.”
Mm?
After the ruckus faded and Arthur felt his heart about to drop, he tried to say something, but Lucy cut him off instantly.
“Shut up, you incompetent pervert prince. If you needed help, you should be gratefully quiet, not frowned and waiting for reproaches. Is that your style?”
“What nonsense.”
“Forget it. Just come with me. We have things to do. Or do you want me to curse at you some more? Maybe whisper into your ear until you stumble?”
Silence!
Realizing that speaking more would only bring him trouble, Arthur raised both hands in surrender.
Bing!
Frey, who was next to him, felt her defeat more than Arthur did, as she was pushed away by Lucy.
“Lucy Allen. Wait a moment.”
Bam!
Stopped by Cecil’s call, Lucy paused.
Wondering what urgent matter was at hand, the frown on her face hinted she wanted Cecil to hurry up and speak.
Sensing this, Cecil recalled several things he wanted to say.
Like the event last year that helped him gather his mind. Or matters regarding his mother. And many more.
As he organized these thoughts, Cecil eventually chuckled softly and lowered his head.
“Thank you.”
“What for? I didn’t do anything for you. You must not be saying you’re grateful just for existing?”
“It’s a long story, but to sum it up, I’m grateful in many ways.”
Giggle!
Lucy Allen observed Cecil’s bowed head and then lowered her eyes as she began to speak.
“With a beast-like appearance, the words that come out of your mouth are so unsubstantiated. You’re a fool, incompetent pervert prince, aren’t you?”
Hee hee!
Lucy laughed heartily as she finished and quickly turned away.
After Lucy left, those around Cecil commented on her audacity, but laughter lingered on his face.
Am I now a fool instead of just an idiot?
That’s not too bad, is it?
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