45. Why are you so skilled!
In that moment, I suddenly felt exceptionally handsome, and my status in the script rose significantly!
Look at this—I’ve pierced through the trap disguised by the Moon Fairy; cleverly deceived the opponent with a plan; and then rushed over to rescue! Even if I can’t be a prince charming, at least I should be a guardian knight, right?
Forget about pledging my life or anything, but I really want to see the look on your face when you realize you’ve been outsmarted, Queen, hahaha—hahaha… sigh, strange, could it be that my image just isn’t suited for this kind of thing? Why is the queen still acting in front of me?
Reminded by me, the queen hurriedly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. That brief moment of loss of composure made her immediately don even more disguise, just like how she took the blame after the Sword Saint Ludwig attacked me.
Even now, she still bears the responsibility as the queen of the Great Yīng Empire.
“Ha~ haha~ Ougi Lide, you finally noticed something was off~ Not bad★.”
The queen spun lightly, turning her back to me as she gazed out the window. “That’s right~ The ‘queen’ in the royal city of the Great Yīng Empire is fake; she doesn’t really count~ She’s just the ‘queen’ from before~ At the same time, she’s also the Moon Fairy that you’ve been searching for.”
“Because the Moon Fairy is just as unfriendly as I am, she found me, someone she’s very close to, and quietly played a little disguise game~ Who would have thought that just by switching places a bit, we could deceive you for so long~ sigh~ Ougi Lide, it seems without the prophecy, you’re just a fool too~”
I was momentarily speechless, retracting my earlier words. This time, I didn’t even want to see the queen’s defeated face; all I wanted was… to save Louise.
“Queen… that’s not the truth, is it?”
This time, the queen didn’t even acknowledge my question. Her arguments sounded less like they were meant for me and more like she was trying to hypnotize herself.
“Now you understand, and you know I’ve actually been hiding here, so the game of hide-and-seek is over~ Once I’m tired of this transformation game, I’ll go back, so Ougi Lide, you… you should go back first~”
The game of disguise… sigh, Queen, if possible, I wish that after experiencing so many dangers, I would receive a conclusion that leaves me both amused and frustrated, where I could scold you for being cunning, yet find no real danger. But… that’s not the case at all, is it?
The smile on your face is about to crack under the weight of your true emotions; you’re just holding on, hoping I’ll believe you and then foolishly leave. Not to mention, the script has clearly told me what your current mood and state are.
[Louise IV is lying.]
“At a time like this, let’s not lie, Your Majesty.”
I took a step forward, and sure enough, when the queen turned around to look at me, her “idol smile” that she usually used for disguise had long since shattered, leaving only fear and tears.
All of this made me clench my fists. Why would the sharp and capable queen of the Great Yīng Empire be so nervous? Since she wouldn’t dare to speak up, then… let me force the issue.
“Your Majesty, I’ve come this far; what are you still afraid of?”
In the next moment, the queen… Louise could no longer support her trembling body and slowly knelt before me, gripping my clothes tightly to hide the fact that her expression was no longer the shining one it used to be.
Her soft sobs, accompanied by a strained smile, were enough to drive any man mad with a protective instinct, but… I’m not here for that kind of feeling from the lower half of my body!
“Help me… Ougi Lide… I… I don’t know what to do. Because… I can’t defy Iris… She is the will that governs the Great Yīng Empire, and I’m just… an ordinary queen, the queen she made me… I… can’t resist the Moon Fairy at all… because… because…”
[Louise IV is asking Ougi Lide for help.]
Queen…
The girl’s weeping and pleading nearly drove me to madness, and I almost agreed immediately. But… precisely because it was the queen’s lament and request, I had to make a choice!
“No… help.”
“!”
The queen’s body trembled slightly, but the next moment, she fiercely grasped the hem of my clothes.
“Because I am helping the queen of the Great Yīng Empire, not some complete stranger, a mere puppet entangled with the Moon Fairy.”
“…”
“Louise, who exactly are you? Are you the queen of the Great Yīng Empire, or a puppet arranged by the Moon Fairy? I came to find the queen, not a stand-in.”
“Q-Queen…”
“Very well.” I removed Louise’s hand from my clothes, “Then stand up, and with your true identity and attitude, tell me what you wish to do now.”
Silence fell. I gazed out at the starry sky, waiting in silence. My gentlemanly demeanor told me: now is not the time to look at that script, which would surely embarrass the girl, after all, this is also a gentlemanly act unique to the Great Yīng Empire.
Finally, the queen, who had been kneeling before me, lifted her head. Her shining eyes were filled with confusion and surprise directed at me. Her lips parted slightly, but she hesitated, worried about saying something wrong, and closed them again. Ultimately, she transformed all her feelings and thoughts into her next actions.
The queen slowly stood up.
Phew~ This is the queen I should be saving, after all, I came to find the queen, not some stand-in who submits to the Moon Fairy’s orders. If Louise ends up just begging me to help her deal with the Moon Fairy, it would mean she has no intention of resisting the Moon Fairy at all…
I would definitely refuse such a request; I don’t want to help the enemy and offend the Moon Fairy.
And now, the queen still seemed to remember her identity well, so I didn’t need to explain much. The queen is certainly much smarter than I am.
As the queen moved, I also knelt on one knee, then clicked my tongue.
“Your Majesty, I’ve gone this far to give you a sense of ceremony; can you change that grim expression of yours?”
“Ouqi Lide, seeing a girl cry is the worst behavior.”
The queen, who was neither crying nor laughing, wiped away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes once more, yet still wanted to tug at my clothes.
“Then be careful next time; don’t kneel so casually. How can a noble queen do such a thing? If Ke Fei Er sees me, I’ll have to explain for days…”
“I will be careful~”
Louise closed her eyes, then opened them…
The queen of the Great Yīng Empire has returned.
“Ouqi Lide, take me away. I want to return immediately and make the Moon Fairy leave my current position.”
After a pause, the queen extended her hand to me.
“As you can see, I am just an ordinary queen; at the fifth tier, I can’t even be considered a small fish in front of the Moon Fairy. So, please protect me, my knight.”
“Obey…”
【Ouqi Lide was killed by the Moon Fairy.】
【Ouqi Lide abandoned Louise IV and fled.】
—
Hmph, here it comes, the death script. You even prepared a way for me to dodge death; how considerate of you~
But, is this it?
“At your command, Your Majesty. By the way… just this once, okay? I won’t indulge in this cheesy cosplay again, Louise.”
——
Then a color illustration follows.
Color Insert: Louise IV
[img=700, 989]https://rss.sfacg.com/web/novel/images/UploadPic/2020/06/f2b5c42e-22ec-4b5b-a43b-8047f115f89e.jpg[/img]