71. Give me a name (Monthly votes at the beginning of the month~)
The proud Moon Fairy Elisse would naturally not allow any unrelated individuals to stare intently while she made a contract with Kephiel. Understanding this, I no longer insisted, but followed Queen Louise’s lead to allow Kephiel to smoothly gain the power of the Moon Fairy.
However, strange things soon unfolded.
The Moon Fairy wouldn’t let us “watch live” and insisted we leave. Clearly, I could just wait outside with the queen until it was over, like Professor Moriarty, but after leaving the great hall, the queen didn’t stop. Instead, she took my hand and led me deeper into the Great Yng Empire’s palace.
This… this direction wasn’t heading towards any strange place like the “Queen’s chamber.” Where was the queen planning to take me!? After a chill ran down my back, I wanted to check the script again for the queen’s intentions, but thinking of Elisse’s mocking interference before we left, I quietly glanced at the queen’s profile and ultimately sighed silently in my heart, choosing to give up.
Whether checking the script counts as “invading a girl’s privacy” aside, let’s keep a bit of mystery this time, after all…
The queen seemed so eager about what she was about to do, clearly showing a “don’t want me to know in advance” demeanor.
Slowing our pace, the queen remained silent as she led me through the garden, which had been ravaged by the duel between Kephiel and Ludwig yesterday, now unrecognizable, until we reached a deeper part of the garden—a greenhouse surrounded by transparent glass, prepared for some more precious and delicate flowers.
Naturally, there couldn’t be any “outsiders” around, and after the queen pulled me into the greenhouse and casually closed the door, she finally stopped. It seemed that the destination she brought me to was here.
“O’Gilid, now you can finally relax~”
Once we stood still, the queen released my hand, turned around, and began to fiddle with the leaves of a nearby potted plant, her skirt lifting and falling gracefully.
“The Moon Fairy Elisse is a very powerful fairy, you know. Although she can’t provide any decent help right now after completing the contract with Kephiel, once her power is restored, the benefits to Kephiel will be significant~”
“Moreover, Elise’s personality and quirks are exceptionally numerous. Don’t be fooled by the fact that this time it’s merely a contract born out of necessity; in reality, out of concern for her image, Elise won’t do anything like ‘ending the contract once the state is restored.’ So, it’s safe to say that Kfir will definitely take this contract seriously~”
Without looking at me, the queen continued to speak about Kfir. In the past, I might not have noticed anything amiss, but after so many encounters with the queen, I could sense it even without looking at the script: the queen was changing the subject, diverting the conversation elsewhere.
I just couldn’t understand why: the queen, who had been unusually excited when leaving the grand hall, suddenly became tense upon reaching our destination. It was truly rare to see such a nervous expression on her.
At times like this, it would surely be best not to confront her directly and to wait for her to calm down and speak on her own. But for some chaotic reason, by the time I realized what I was doing, I had inexplicably opened my mouth to ask.
“Your Majesty, the appetizers should be enough by now. What did you want to tell me by bringing me here?”
The queen’s hand, which had been toying with the grass, suddenly trembled, leaving a faint blood mark from the serrated edges of the leaves.
In the next moment, the queen straightened up in silence, put her finger in her mouth to lick it, and after completing this strangely awkward action, turned to look at me.
Above the transparent glass of the greenhouse, the sky was filled with twinkling stars, and the surrounding magic stones cast a cool, dim light upon the queen. The stars were scattered, but… I felt that the gaze in the queen’s eyes shone even brighter.
After a long pause, she smiled gently and said, “You can take another look at the previous prophecy~”
I seemed to realize something and began to seriously search for the queen’s script.
“This is a secret that Elise didn’t specifically tell you and Kfir earlier, but… I think it’s time to reveal it.”
【Louise, Queen of the Great Yng Empire, Fifth Stage Strength, as…】
As the queen spoke, I checked the queen’s identity script once more, and in the end, an extremely important line appeared, making me instinctively clench my fists.
【As a fairy ‘created’ by the Moon Fairy Elise, I replaced Elise as the Queen of the Great Yng Empire.】
“Actually, I am also a fairy~”
The queen returned to her usual “innocent and cheerful” self, winking at me and flashing a bright idol-like smile.
“Well~ Did I scare you?”
A little… but more than that, I felt a sense of “sudden realization.” I had already harbored some doubts about the queen’s “identity,” but ultimately didn’t voice them. Now it seemed my judgment was correct: when Ludwig appeared before me and the queen, the script that the queen had been interrupted from must have contained something like “she wants to use the fairy’s power to protect.”
“I am a fairy ‘manufactured’ by Elise, who sought out a strong individual.”
The queen did not respond to my silence but smiled as she tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear, revealing her pointed ears that symbolized a fairy. She continued, “But to say I’m a fairy, in reality, I don’t possess any special abilities, I have no name, nothing at all. I merely took the place of the Moon Fairy as the Queen of the Great Yng Empire, and when necessary, I quietly hide in the shadows to allow her to reappear.”
“Thank you, Oqilid. At least you’ve made me feel that I might truly be the queen of the Great Yng Empire, rather than just a shadow of the Moon Fairy. So… I…”
For a moment, the queen leaned closer to me but then stopped in front of me.
The girl’s face was filled with hesitation and indecision, but the moment she lifted her head, all of that vanished.
“So, I hope you can help me come up with a name~ Oqilid, as long as you don’t think it’s low to do such a thing~”
There really was no element of embarrassment in this at all, right?
I cleared my throat, using silence to cover my current lack of words. Naturally, I couldn’t rely on the script for naming, and even if I tried, I couldn’t think of any luxurious, cool, or meaningful names. I could only go by my feelings…
In deep thought, my gaze unconsciously fell on the queen’s… skirt. After my eyes caught sight of the “cosmic starry sky” beneath her skirt, my mouth, unbidden, opened.
“Then… how about… Star, Star Fairy?”
As soon as I said it, I regretted it, for the queen’s face
—
“Wait, wait, this is a misunderstanding! Let me think of something more extravagant…”
“However, I won’t refuse~ because there’s something I want to do, and I’ve already gotten Iris’s consent, so I won’t need her approval anymore.”
In a daze, the queen had already risen on her toes to kiss me, so fast that I didn’t even have time to react!
“Fairy of the Stars, Louise, now serves you.”
As the words rang out, the night sky seemed to shower down starlight, converging upon the queen, passing through my body!
——
This chapter made me feel incredibly comfortable. And now, it’s July!
During the summer months, I hope everyone can support me a bit more; who knows, delightful things might happen. In any case, I hope everyone can cast more monthly votes in July~
Also, the winning list for June will be announced in a separate chapter. Winners, please join the group and let me know your address. The monthly vote lottery for July is ongoing as usual; you can’t lose or be fooled by voting~
PS: Next is the color insert for this chapter.
Color Insert: Louise
[img=700, 989]https://rss.sfacg.com/web/novel/images/UploadPic/2020/07/1bf3b527-28ac-465d-a8dd-f0e159626d81.jpg[/img]