27. A man too clever is no fun.
Worried that the queen might continue to use some “insidious tricks” to threaten my safety, Ke Fei’er directly pulled me away from the queen’s entourage. Fortunately, this was a good move; after all, I was finally in the light of dawn, and Ke Fei’er was also quite exhausted. In that moment of calm, she finally convinced me that “there’s something fishy about the whole affair.”
The legendary “Sword Saint” willingly acting as an assassin to attack me was certainly not the queen’s directive. The queen taking the blame was also to prevent us from getting into trouble as curious onlookers. Once I understood this, I even felt a bit guilty towards the queen. However, unlike me, Ke Fei’er was not as “open-minded.” Although she realized the incident had nothing to do with the queen, her complaints shifted to “Why did the queen, knowing this was happening, not intervene?”
Phew… Ke Fei’er, please don’t start casually complaining about your royal sister just because you’re overly worried about me. For someone of the queen’s stature to have to conceal the truth and even manipulate the “Sword Saint,” how could such a “mastermind” possibly be an ordinary person?
A few days later.
When I and Ke Fei’er finally returned to the capital of the Great Ying Empire after parting ways with the queen’s convoy, it seemed the queen’s party had already returned early. During this time, my script had not featured any death scenarios, and Ke Fei’er was as calm as ever. As for the queen, it was as if she had forgotten what had happened before; the moment Ke Fei’er returned home, she summoned us.
Was it because the crisis regarding me had temporarily lifted, and the queen wanted to “clarify” things? The reason for this summons seemed to relieve me—”I will explain everything about the previous matter properly~”
At this moment, in the royal palace of the Great Ying Empire, in the queen’s chamber.
“Your Majesty, I have arrived.”
After bowing in greeting, I heard the queen’s puzzled question.
“Eh? Ke Fei’er… didn’t come?”
“Haha… Ke Fei’er has a bit of a situation.”
I forced a bitter smile and told a lie that the queen might understand immediately. It wasn’t that Ke Fei’er had a minor issue; she clearly didn’t want to see the queen. Although she had calmed down somewhat under my explanation, she was still angry about the queen’s inaction. So, she was waiting outside, not wanting to talk to the queen but still worried about my safety.
“Anyway, I’m here, Your Majesty.”
I raised my head to look at Her Majesty Queen Louie IV of the Great Ying Empire, who was sitting at the table.
“~”
Was it because of the previous estrangement? Upon our reunion, the queen, dressed as always like a sparkling idol, did not immediately indulge in any strange thoughts about me in Ke Fei’er’s absence. Usually, she would want to illuminate everything around her and flaunt her beautiful dresses in front of me, but this time, it was as if she feared the light. After I entered and greeted her, she hurriedly drew all the curtains in the room. Once she finished this, the queen slowly circled around me, but to say she was “seducing me” felt a bit off; it seemed more like she was scrutinizing me.
“Is something wrong? Oujili De?”
“…”
Was it my imagination? From the very first moment I saw the queen, something felt off. I wondered if the queen hadn’t yet “snapped back” from the previous incident, so I glanced at her script.
However…
【Oujili De and… zzzz…】
【Oujili De meets Louie IV.】
Though the script was a beat slow, its content indicated that the queen seemed to have no issues. And the next moment, the queen employed her usual tactic: she showcased her long legs in front of me, forcing me to take a slight step back to “avoid suspicion.”
“Eh? I thought after not seeing you for several days, you would be unsatisfied just feasting your eyes and would want to reach out and touch.”
The queen slightly turned to the side, lifting her skirt in front of me, revealing in an instant the more profound mysteries of the starry cosmos.
Black? No! It should be white under the stockings! This is slightly different from the queen’s usual style! Ahem!
“I… I wasn’t thinking about that! You should pay attention to your relationship with Kephiel now!”
I hurriedly averted my gaze.
If it really came to blows, Kephiel would be upset as usual, but if she barged in and found out, that would be even more dangerous!
“I’m here just to explain: I’ve already clarified Kephiel’s attitude. Although she still has some resentment, at least she won’t see you as the ‘mastermind.'”
Following the queen’s footsteps, I watched her sit down at the table and continued to explain, “I can’t find out the details of the attack that day, but… the ‘mastermind’ definitely isn’t you, right, Your Majesty?”
In my line of sight, for a moment, the queen’s face seemed to show a strange smile that was quite unlike her. But when she looked up at me, she still wore that innocent and cheerful smile, sparkling with little stars, as if it were a disguise of a “girl idol.”
“Ah ha~ Did you guess it? Really, Oujilide, a man who’s too clever loses a lot of romantic charm~”
For the sake of that romantic charm, Kephiel was almost ready to fight you, and yet it was still romantic!
“I’m not an idiot; I guessed it anyway. So, Your Majesty, who is the ‘mastermind’ you didn’t want to tell us back then?”
At this point, it wasn’t just the “fairy intelligence” that the queen held. If the attack wasn’t investigated thoroughly, the dangerous scenario at Kephiel’s side would persist and affect the “main storyline” concerning the new fairies. I had to know the “mastermind.”
Moreover, this “dark secret” seemed to make even the queen herself a bit wary. For both emotional and logical reasons, I, as an outsider who wasn’t afraid of the heat, couldn’t just ignore it.
“If you don’t want to reveal it to Kephiel so she doesn’t act impulsively, just tell me. This time, I can help you.”
“…”
With my “prophetic” power that the queen had once desperately wanted, she surely wouldn’t be afraid this time, right? However, the response I received was the silence of this “girl idol” sitting at the table. The queen, maintaining her smile, didn’t seem happy, but… she also didn’t appear to be afraid of anything.
To be honest, it was a bit strange, but even if I probed into the queen’s script now, all I would get was 【Louis IV… doesn’t want to tell Oujilide.】 Such troublesome content.
Plus, a round of teasing from the queen.
“Sigh~ Clearly, before, no matter how I begged you, you wouldn’t help me. Now, as soon as I suffer a little, shed a few tears, I can immediately get the great support of the priest. It seems I need to practice crying and acting cute more often so that you, Mr. Priest, will keep helping me~”
This… this is nonsense! Right, it’s about the matter, not the person, Your Majesty!
And!
“Q-quiet down!”
I hurriedly stepped forward to cover the queen’s mouth. This Louise truly loved to stir up trouble; clearly, Kephiel was already sulking with her, and she still dared to speak so loudly with her sarcastic tone!
The smile in the queen’s eyes grew even brighter, and the next moment, as if to respond to what I had just said, she took my hand away and maintained the embrace, her face adorned with a smile that was hard to distinguish between real and fake, transforming into words for me.
“I’m sorry~ Oujilide, I really had no choice before. Please don’t blame me~”
Phew… With that, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief regarding the previous attack.
However… it felt a bit strange. Why, even though the queen had already apologized, did that unease in my heart still not fade away?
——
Yesterday, I complained a little. Actually, I’m not anxious; I feel quite stable.
Moreover, the ever-devouring queen indeed needs an opportunity to be conquered, so later I will gradually provide more reasons why Elisse is stronger than the queen.
It’s all part of the plan, plenty of leeway.