20. You sneaky cat, vixen!
The queen has indeed been acting a bit strange lately, and I won’t even mention her odd attitude towards me. Normally so adept at handling plans, this time she hurriedly arranged for us to leave. Kefir and I didn’t even have time to think about “buying some souvenirs for Uncle Zerola” before we had to secretly meet the queen at the agreed time and leave quickly.
At this moment, in the carriage house of Glamorgan Castle, it was a bit late. As the tourists busied themselves looking for places to eat, the crowd had thinned out in the evening. I was pulling on Kefir’s arm, who seemed to be acting a bit “strangely,” as we arrived here.
The queen had already arranged for people to wait for us. Despite her usual desire to show off her long legs even while disguised, today she wore the same clothes as the members of the patrol team. Wrapped in a cloak, I almost didn’t recognize her at first! Just as I was feeling puzzled, the somewhat nervous queen approached us.
“Phew~ You finally made it! If you had been any later, I would have been angry enough to drag you two away from your sweet date!”
Her tone was playful, and while it sounded like the queen was teasing Kefir and me, I could sense a hint of anxiety in her demeanor and words. Did this indicate the queen’s “ulterior motives” from the previous script? But… when the queen of the Great Yng Empire, Louisa IV, was determined to deal with me, how could she be so nervous?
I had no time to think further, as the queen’s urging came one after another.
She quickly walked over to us, checking on our condition, while explaining the next steps of our journey to Kefir and me.
“We’ll be traveling through the night. It might be a bit tough tonight, but we can rest in the next town by tomorrow morning~ I’m really sorry for dragging you along so hastily, but there are some matters I need to attend to urgently~”
Then, the queen bent slightly in front of me, hands clasped together, blinking her eyes as she pleaded with me. However, this gesture, which she could usually pull off effortlessly, seemed to take all her strength today.
“You should understand, right? Mr. Priest. Once we return, I will definitely ‘compensate’ you~”
Why does everything have to be about “compensation”? It’s unnecessary!
Just as I was about to voice my thoughts, Kefir beside me didn’t give me the chance. Her hand shot straight to my thigh, and then… she pinched a chunk of flesh!
“!”
I nearly let out an ungraceful shout from the sudden sting, and when I turned to look, the expression on Kefir’s face was no longer one of pouting but genuine anger!
With the big shot upset, how could I pretend not to see? I quickly suppressed the discomfort and turned to the deliberately pretending not to know me, yet unwilling to let go of my thigh, Kefir: “Kefir, we’re here now, so let’s not sulk, okay?”
Kefir didn’t respond, only changing her angle to pinch my thigh again. After all, I couldn’t take my frustrations out on the queen, or I’d be the one in trouble.
Now, even the queen noticed Kefir’s unusual behavior, blinking in confusion as she asked, “Kefir… what’s wrong?”
I quickly jumped in, “Nothing, nothing, just a little quarrel. You don’t need to worry, Your Majesty.”
As the saying goes, “Quarreling is the spice of marriage; a marriage without quarrels is not a perfect marriage!” Kefir and I were pretty much in that state right now.
However, while I wanted to brush it off, Kefir, fueled by the queen’s earlier mention of “compensation,” turned her dissatisfaction into action!
“Your Majesty, have you had enough of this!?”
In the next moment, the situation was no longer under my control. Although Kefir called the queen “Your Majesty,” it didn’t mean she would remain silent if she had any objections to her.
Sure enough, Kefir immediately turned to the queen with complaints, “Did you forget that we already have a marriage contract? Even if you’re the queen, you can’t just do whatever you want and take my person away!?”
Looking around the Great Yng Empire, there was probably only Kefir who would dare to speak to the queen like this. The patrol team members, including Professor Moriarty, were taken aback but didn’t know how to handle it, ultimately choosing the only option available—playing dead and keeping watch of the surroundings.
Surprise spread across the queen’s face, gradually replacing her earlier teasing demeanor, but then she seemed to realize something and put on a fake smile to try to smooth things over.
“Ah… Kefir, the queen has no strange thoughts, okay? Maybe you’re just overthinking it?”
“Well, if you want to go back, you can go back by yourself. Why do you have to drag us along?”
“!”
However, this time the queen’s “disguise” seemed far from perfect. Just a single question from Kephir felt like it had struck a nerve, causing her to become irate in an instant.
“Kephir, don’t…”
I knew I couldn’t wait any longer.
“Kephir, don’t be willful.”
Seizing the conversation, I reined in the earlier “coddling” expression and said sternly, “The queen’s decision is final; we must abide by it.”
“But that’s completely unreasonable! It’s just because the queen wants to take you back with her! You idiot!”
Kephir bit her lip, her voice nearly breaking into tears. “Ogilid, you haven’t forgotten who your vacation voucher is with, have you!? On the way here, and at Glamorgan Castle too! Why don’t I just stay here this time, and you can sweetly return with the queen? Since you want to see her so much, you can enjoy the journey back without me being an annoying third wheel!”
With that, Kephir angrily turned to leave, and at the same time, the queen’s flustered gaze shot over to me, clearly at a loss.
I had no choice. Though I was troubled by Kephir’s “jealousy,” I couldn’t let my fiancée act willfully when it came to the queen.
“Kephir, the nobles of the Great Yeng Empire have an obligation to obey the queen’s orders!”
“!”
“And don’t make wild guesses about my relationship with your queen! You say I’ve been staring at her legs all this time, so this time I won’t look! On the way back, you can sit with your queen, and I’ll sit alone in the cargo truck. Is that satisfactory for you!?”
Ignoring Kephir as she turned away, seemingly regretting her earlier attitude, I waved my hand in front of the equally dazed queen.
“Your Majesty, didn’t you say we should leave quickly? Then let’s not delay; let’s go with my arrangement. Otherwise, it’ll be troublesome on the way back.”
Changing plans at the last minute, having the queen and Kephir together while I stayed alone…
I wondered if this “preparation” would be enough.
Thud thud thud! During Nilu’s sketching, I also made a chibi version! The keychain is part of the consolation prize; everyone just needs to participate in the voting to get it directly! For specifics, check the activity chapter.