17. The Twin Enemies
Louise’s perspective.
Tonight was just another ordinary night in Glamorgan Castle, where the blazing sun and the sea, the clamor and laughter, all the merriment within Glamorgan would vanish into silence as the deep night fell, leaving the town enveloped in the solitary calls of nightingales.
Though the night scenery was romantic and beautiful, no one would willingly risk whispering sweet nothings to their partner in such darkness, let alone venture to the remote corners of Glamorgan, where even the light was pitifully scarce among the trees.
At this moment, the crescent moon hung high, and a solitary star twinkled. Only beneath the cold moonlight did two figures appear almost as if by a shared intuition, standing together on the tree-lined path in front of the noble Miss Elise’s mansion.
When Louise, who had come here alone, finally sensed something unusual, the “one of her own” she referred to as Elise appeared before her, dressed in a black midget dress and holding a black parasol, as if she had been waiting for a long time. Was it the influence of the moonlight, or was the “truth” always like this? Tonight, the two girls behaved completely differently from their usual selves.
“Your Majesty, as the queen of the Great Yeen Empire, it’s quite dangerous to be wandering outside at this hour.”
In stark contrast to Elise, who suddenly seemed to tease with her words, was Louise, who usually masked her seriousness with a false smile, now displaying a grave and earnest demeanor.
“I didn’t bring anyone; there’s no need to overthink it.”
Louise stepped forward, clearly pressing Elise, “I’ve done what I needed to do, arranged everything that needed arranging, and you’ve seen what you were supposed to see. Now, aren’t you supposed to tell me your decision?”
Faced with Louise’s subtly hostile inquiry, Elise was “startled,” retreating while stammering in a flustered tone to defend herself.
“Y-your Majesty, you’re suddenly so angry, I-I have no idea what you want me to decide!”
And in the next moment, the seriousness on Louise’s face vanished as if by magic, her innocent smile returning, playfully explaining to Elise.
“Ah ha~ Did I scare you? Sorry~ I was just a bit firm, but it also means that I, the queen, really want to know about him~”
The playful banter between the two almost identical beautiful girls seemed delightful, but at least upon closer inspection, one could sense that the atmosphere was anything but “cheerful.”
Then, with the most innocent and cheerful smile, Louise spoke words that were completely devoid of warmth, contrasting sharply with her expression.
“After all… how you choose to evaluate and treat my person is very important to me, Elise.”
“Hmph, you’ve grown some wings.”
In response to Louise, Elise let out a disdainful laugh, as if the “queen” status of the girl before her was hardly worth mentioning.
Like a signal, in the next moment, the two returned to their true selves. Louise, expressionless like a doll, and… Elise, whose lips gradually curled into a mad smile.
“Enough, I’ll tell you, so stop cursing me in your heart. This Mr. O’Keefe is indeed a decent human being, even stronger than you described. He has the ability to control his own power, so he won’t be helpless in unexpected situations. For my Great Yng Empire, he is truly an excellent asset.”
“Then…”
Louise instinctively spoke up, not even realizing that her expression was already betraying her unmasked anticipation.
However, the response came from Iris, her words as piercing as ice.
“But I have already given you the opportunity and time. Did you seize it?”
Surprise flickered for just a moment, and Louise immediately nodded with a smile: “Of course, no matter how excellent he is, he is still a man. Even with his fiancée, Kephira, he has already fallen at my feet.”
The confidence and pride in her words made Louise’s statement ring true, as if she had just devoured O’Keefe and had come to boast about it.
But then…
“Ha ha ha~ ha ha ha~”
With Iris’s derisive laughter, the pride on Louise’s face gradually turned into a bitter struggle. Finally, after laughing enough, Iris sighed deeply.
“Alas… that’s not right, my dear queen, you still haven’t.”
“!”
In an instant, all the “words” on Louise’s face shattered! The previously ambiguous situation between the two had completely snowballed into a realm that Louise could not control at all.
“But he…”
“What does Kephira’s close relationship with him have to do with us?”
“But he…”
“Even if he currently harbors hostility towards Nilu, he is still the one Nilu desires. Who knows if he might turn against us in the future?”
“I won’t let…”
“His abilities are already on par with yours. Do you think he will remain loyal forever just because of a promise?”
The bright crescent moon cast a cold light, shimmering like flowing light in Iris’s eyes. This forced Louise to acknowledge a fact: she had lost.
“…Give me a little more time.”
“That’s not how it is, Your Majesty. You have no image gap with Kephira, nor have you been forced to delay by any external factors. Time, opportunity, occasion—preparations are all at your fingertips, and even ‘forcing a situation’ wouldn’t be a problem.”
“With everything prepared, yet you still haven’t achieved it, there can only be one possibility.”
Iris pointed a finger, “Your Majesty, it’s that you simply don’t want to. It’s not like you at all to make mistakes over something called feelings.”
“You… you have no right to meddle in my affairs! And don’t question my methods! I… I just wanted to tell you this!”
Louise’s clenched fists relaxed once more as she tried to muster an appropriate expression, but in the end, she could only force out a not-so-pleasant face. “Then… I take my leave.”
The wrath of Queen Louise IV of the Great Yng Empire is something that most cannot withstand. However, as she watched Louise leave, Iris, who was almost a mirror image of Louise, could only offer a mocking smile at her departing figure.
Meanwhile, a figure of an elf in a maid outfit slowly emerged from the darkness.
“Backstabbing, huh.”
“Ludwig, at least say it as ‘gaining wings,’ though it’s not too hard to handle either.”
Holding an umbrella, Elisse turned to head back towards her estate, but the figure of the elven maid did not follow.
“So, just do as I say. To ensure the empire’s absolute security, the queen’s condition must also be included.”
The empire was under stable control, but… to truly secure the empire, one must also control the controllers, just as the subjects could never comprehend the “ultimate joy” in the emperor’s heart. Unfortunately, Oqulid was now the most unstable factor due to that woman, Nilu’s return, and even Kephiel, who had already leaned towards Oqulid, was affected. Thus, the choice was clear.
“What a hassle, Miss.”
“The troubles of today are for the ease of tomorrow, you know? Besides, aren’t you looking forward to something interesting? I’ve prepared something for you, the ‘Sword Saint’ of the Great Yeng Empire.”
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With Elisse’s character illustration updated, everyone remember to vote and give a thumbs up, okay?