Chapter 209-210 – When the Meeting Is Boring [R-18]
[MC POV]
The Queen's office in the royal castle.
I boldly entered a place where others would never have dared to step foot and sat down on the queen's chair.
"Okay. From now on, let's use this as our conference room."
"…I understand."
Agnes, who followed me inside, also nodded. Rize and Kiella came along as well. The four of us would lead the kingdom until the queen's crimes were revealed.
"How are the other elves feeling?"
At my question, Rize, who had been assigned to watch over the elves in the castle, replied with her usual calm tone.
"Everyone is being cooperative, perhaps out of fear. The castle gates are tightly guarded, so nothing that happens inside will leak out."
"That's good. Agnes, what did you do with her?"
"Queen… hmm, Nermedia has been confined to her bedroom. You can summon her here whenever you wish."
"Okay. If you want to call her queen, you may. I don't mind."
Agnes answered in a low voice.
"…No. She is no longer my queen. A true queen should spread the word of the Goddess and serve for the well-being of elves. Why would she forget her duty and be blinded by her desires for power? There is no reason for her to be queen."
Her clenched fists trembled as she spoke.
"It is making me shiver to think that she allowed herself to be blinded by power. Nermedia must pay for her sins."
"I agree, Captain. To cling to her position as queen, she went against the Goddess' words and even killed a hero. Such a crime can never be forgiven."
As Rize added her thoughts, her eyes shifted toward me.
"I heard from the princess. You were Hero Alvin… I'm sorry. It has already been years, but I will still seek forgiveness from you, just as our leader did."
In truth, Rize had only been present when I was murdered in my past life. She had not personally wronged me. Still, because she showed remorse and sincerely apologized, I answered with a smile.
"Alright. I'll treat you kindly from now on."
"…"
At that moment, I turned my attention to Kiella. While I spoke with the others, she wore a subtle expression, neither happy nor sad.
"What's wrong, Kiella?"
"It's nothing. I just feel like I won't be able to sleep anymore."
Her nature made her take every responsibility seriously. Since returning to the Supreme Court, she has worked tirelessly. Many nights she had been sleepless while working.
Now, burdened with the queen's duties as Acting Secretary of State, it was natural for her to feel uneasy.
"Don't worry. We'll support you, and we'll leave most of the work to the elves who had originally served under the queen."
"That may be true, but… Tell me, is it true that the queen hid the Goddess' prophecy book?"
"Yes. I believe she concealed it somewhere difficult to find. That's why I want Nermedia's confession instead of searching for it myself."
"I never imagined we would truly take over the castle. Even now, it feels unreal."
Agnes, who had been silent until then, finally spoke in agreement.
"I agree. If the princess hadn't told me that the warrior was destined to become the leader of the elves and that the wizards of the royal castle sacrificed themselves to protect the forest, I would never have believed it."
For reference, Iril had been placed in her room under the guise of detention. She would remain there until the queen confessed.
"Anyway, as the Goddess said, you are destined to become our leader. To achieve that, you must obtain Nermedia's confession and make her hand over the throne."
"Thank you, Agnes. Then let's head out soon. Kiella, what should we do now?"
"Soon, it will be time for the meeting between the queen and the officials."
"Meeting?"
A gathering with subjects sounded like an event that might be enjoyable from the start.
"Alright. Go prepare first. I'll stop by somewhere and then join you."
…
…
Thirty minutes later, in the royal throne room.
The elves, having heard that the meeting to govern the kingdom would proceed as scheduled, gathered before the throne. Their faces were clouded with worry and disappointment.
Kiella was standing beside the throne. She raised her voice as the elves exchanged anxious words about the queen and the state of the kingdom.
"Everyone, be quiet! The meeting will begin soon."
At that moment, the doors of the throne room opened. I entered, followed by Nermedia.
"Queen! Are you alright? Ah… Queen…"
Though Nermedia looked uninjured and outwardly the same as always, her subjects gasped in distress. Her wrists were bound in handcuffs, and I held the chain that linked them.
"Come on, let's move."
"…Okay."
With the chain pulled, Nermedia reluctantly stepped forward.
The elves watched in shock. They were appalled that their queen was being treated like a criminal rather than their ruler. I ignored their stares. I led her to the throne and sat down while forcing her to kneel at my side.
"She may not admit it yet, but this woman is a sinner who defied the Goddess' prophecy. I will see to it that she repents for her sins, beginning with her humiliation here."
"Punishment for the queen… Do we have no choice but to watch this outsider run amok like this? When will the royal wizards return…?"
"Silence!"
The uproar died instantly at Agnes' sharp command. Nearly twenty people filled the throne room, from government officials to maids and our own companions, yet Agnes alone was enough to keep them under control.
Then, one subject who had been bowing his head nervously raised a hand.
"Uh… um…"
"Speak."
"Didn't you say earlier that Chief Justice Kiella would serve as Acting Secretary of State? Then why did you even bring the queen to this meeting…?"
It was a timid attempt at resistance, cloaked in logic. A weak effort.
"As Kiella's aide, it is my duty to support her as Acting Secretary of State. From this moment, address me as Assistant Secretary of State instead of Assistant Attorney General."
'Even if I am only an aide, I will be the one to make all the important decisions.'
"Well… even if the queen truly disobeyed the Goddess' words, this matter concerns elves alone! Why is a human interfering in our affairs?"
"…You'll learn the answer soon enough."
The other person could no longer respond to my words and stepped back.
"Kiella, begin."
"Yes. The meeting will start now. If there are any new matters to discuss aside from those already on the agenda…"
Kiella conducted the meeting with skill and composure. While I absentmindedly watched the proceedings, the queen, kneeling beside me, whispered.
"If you only wanted to play with power, you could have come alone. Why did you bring me too?"
"I told you. It is your punishment. If you don't want this, then bring out the prophecy and confess. If you refuse, not only the elves in the castle but even your daughter will suffer."
"…A human who is nothing but filth."
The meeting carried on under a heavy atmosphere.
Even though the subjects kept glancing at me, they followed Kiella's calm lead. Thanks to her, I was able to sit back and simply watch. But of course, I hadn't come here just to quietly observe.
"Ha… this is boring."
At my words, the eyes of the assembled subjects turned toward the throne. To make a point, I tugged on the chain in my hand.
"Come here."
"Ugh! What are you doing?!"
Dragged by her handcuffs, Nermedia was forced onto my lap. Now she was sitting with her back against me.
The expressions of the subjects hardened at this humiliating display, but I had no reason to care.
"I'll play with your breasts until the meeting is over."
"What? Ouch!"
I unzipped the back of her dress and pulled it down, exposing her vulgar, lacy bra. With both hands, I seized her breasts through the fabric.
"Tsk…!"
"What are you doing to the queen!"
"Release her at once!"
"Human hands have no right to touch our queen!"
"Quiet! Be silent!"
Agnes shouted, but the voices of servants and maids did not immediately subside. Before I could intervene, Nermedia raised her voice.
"Everyone, calm yourselves! I am fine!"
"Queen…!"
"Now is the time to endure so that innocent lives are not lost. Do not be shaken by his vile actions! I will endure as well, for the sake of the kingdom!"
The elves' reactions were divided. Some were in tears, some lowered their heads helplessly, and others turned away, biting their lips.
"Why make such a fuss? Compared to defying the Goddess' prophecy, being punished like this is trivial."
"…Say what you want. I will make you regret this."
Her words carried venom, but they were powerless.
I begun kneading her large breasts. I then stripped away her bra so the servants and maids could see them clearly.
"Hah…!"
"You understand, don't you? Because you are a sinner, you must obey everything I say. If you disrupt the meeting by making a sound, you'll no longer be a sinner. You'll be a slave."