Straighten Your Shoulders, Her Majesty the Great Queen - 2
Silently waiting for the answer.
The other party could not hide their embarrassment. Yet, thanks to her beauty, no one seemed to notice that she was flustered.
No matter what was brought, nothing could shine brighter than her glossy white bob haircut. And the black dress custom-made for Christine.
“As expected.”
Immediately after delivering that reply, she moved closer to me, and we began walking through the banquet hall as if we had made a promise.
What are you thinking?
Christine asked that with her lips. I stared at her in silence.
It wasn’t a matter of complex or numerous thoughts. There was only one simple thought: I hoped the main scenario would not head toward a bad ending.
This banquet was a place welcoming the new Sin of Pride.
It was certain that I had to help Christine, the event’s protagonist, avoid getting discouraged and shine properly.
‘I don’t know why setting up Christine’s position leads to the path of a happy ending, but…’
It meant that Christine’s purpose was far removed from the bad ending of this world, and she could be drawn in as an ally.
As soon as we reached a place with few people, Christine poked my side with her elbow. Only then did I open my mouth.
“What are you thinking?”
“I always think and act carefully. You should ask back.”
“It’s not that I’m cautious—it’s that I didn’t do anything.”
“......!”
Christine’s words were cut off. Her face showed displeasure and embarrassment exactly half and half, as if she could not bear to hear it.
“This isn’t a place to watch others’ eyes. At least not for a Sin.”
She seemed at a loss for words. Honestly, I felt a bit sorry too.
The news of my sudden resignation had led to Christine’s inauguration ceremony.
Christine shook her lips and said, “I will take that much as advice. But what I wanted to ask is not that!”
“Then.”
Christine stretched out her long, slender index finger. What her unique sharp nail pointed to was—
Grade: Mythic
Nullifies all 'flaws' possessed by the vampire race.
Must be worn on the left ring finger to receive the effect.
The ring on my left ring finger.
Ah, right. That was why she was acting so intensely. I finally realized.
“Of course it’s not possible. I took it off thinking I was breaking off the engagement that day… so… No, originally, you haven’t worn it for over a thousand years. Why are you suddenly doing this?”
“Breaking off the engagement.”
“Yes. Breaking off the engagement. The one you wanted so much.”
“No.”
I shook my head. I raised my left hand and looked at the ring on my finger again.
“I didn’t accept the breaking off from this side.”
“No… you have to take it off right now… No, ah… Even if you take it off now, others have already seen it… Haa…”
Christine put her hand on her forehead as if her head was throbbing. And then she eventually left me.
“I don’t know what you want to do like this, but I want you to know that I don’t have the heart or the ability to do it. I’ll go now.”
“You’re already leaving?”
“Yes. The coronation is in two hours.”
The coronation in two hours. It meant that if Christine survived for two more hours, she could pass this event safely.
It was not actually wearing a crown for the coronation.
It was merely engraving a magic circle with a pattern symbolizing the Sin of Wrath on the internal organ. It was perfect to raise the atmosphere of the banquet.
‘If it’s the Sin of Pride, I’ll engrave a blood-red star.’
I simply watched Christine, who was slowly walking away. I was mesmerized.
It seemed like someone was blackmailing me, saying, “If you see Christine, feel the ecstatic thrill.” It seemed this male Jekiel’s body had been designed that way.
“…?”
But suddenly Christine changed direction. With the clack-clack of her shoe sounds, she came to me.
“Strange thoughts and strange actions. You must never do those two. You know, right? You must not act foolishly.”
“You’re not preparing for the coronation?”
“I will. I will, but…”
“Go quickly.”
I answered like that, but the one who turned their back first was me. There were still many things to do.
I, who had distanced myself from Christine, returned to the center of the banquet.
There was a guy who looked at me with awe and amazement, but there was not a single one who looked at me with bad eyes or contemptuous eyes.
‘It wasn’t in vain that I rolled around for a hundred years.’
It was not expulsion from the Demon Realm, but how much effort I had put in to walk out on my own feet?
The result was this. If I had finished by being expelled, I would not have been able to intervene in events happening in the Demon Realm today.
It had not been long since I quit. Looking around, only familiar faces everywhere.
There were really many familiar faces. The Sin of Sloth, the Sin of Greed, the Sin of Wrath, the Sin of Envy, and so on—
Among them, one met my eyes.
The Sin of Greed, Regita.
On her blonde hair, two horns representing the dragon race stood proudly.
If only that, it would be a very majestic dragon, but since half of her body was vampire blood, she was a guy who went crazy for anything precious, without regard to front or back.
…I knew that, but honestly, I had never met her in a private place.
That was how it was with Sin gatherings. They were so busy worrying about their subordinates that meeting other Sins was only at the Demon Realm conference.
“Jekiel!”
She shouted and called my name. At the same time, she abandoned the group and started approaching me.
“I wondered where you disappeared to~ and here you are? I’m really happy about this.”
She even put her arm around my shoulder.
Are we close? I don’t know. At the Demon Realm conference, we could not chat and gossip. At that time, seeing each other’s faces was all.
“Christine was just eaten and discarded, what?”
“Speak nicely.”
Haha! Regita burst into laughter.
“You even said that to me hundreds of years ago and thousands of years ago?”
…No, if it was anyone, you would say that when you see them. Really.
I checked the guy’s eyes. It was just checking the eyes, but the other side seemed to have misunderstood it as giving the eyes.
“Got it. Got it. Shall we go to the main topic?”
Echue—, Regita coughed once.
Then, a moment of fire spurted out from her mouth. The dragon race really was an incompatible species.
“I have a treasure that I’ve been eyeing lately. Want to hear?”
Regita placed her index finger nail on my left chest. And then gave a meaningful expression.
“Before that, is this okay? This is also something I’ve been eyeing. It’s Christine’s heart.”
“Christine’s heart?”
Pointing to my chest, where did Christine’s heart come from.
If I had to nitpick, I think I gave a surprised expression, but again, the other side misunderstood it as me getting angry.
“Ah~ It’s a joke. It’s yours. I don’t touch my friend’s things.”
My instinct reacted immediately. I immediately took the lead.
“I know what process I went through for this.”
“Ah, I got it. Don’t get angry. I know you played with Christine like a toy, pulled out her heart, and locked her up for hundreds of years~ So don’t get angry~”
…What?
What on earth did the original Jekiel do to Christine? I unconsciously looked at the ring finger of my left hand.
The guy who wore the engagement ring appeared, and it was surprising that Christine did not faint.
“Anyway, Jekiel, what I want to talk about today is a little different.”
“What?”
Regita paused for a long time.
“You left the executive position and left the villa or lands intact.”
“Take them.”
“Successor Christine, instead of handing over to her… No, what?”
“Regita, take them and use them as you like.”
Eek. Regita made such a sound and tilted her head.
It was quite a shock, so she let go of the arm around my shoulder. And then asked with a serious face.
“You don’t fight with me? Why are you so willingly giving it? It’s not the first time, right?”
Thanks to her dazed expression, I could look at her appearance in more detail this time.
Looking now, there were many scars from being cut by a scythe on her arms and thighs.
You don’t need to see it. Friends? Bullshit. They were fighting each other every day over one thing.
Since she started eyeing the lands, if transferred to Christine, the collision between the two would be a given fact.
First, it was best to prevent Regita and Christine from fighting.
Although Regita looked very stupid when hearing the words, strictly speaking, she belonged to the category of ‘beings who do not need to be wise’.
Her very existence was a dragon. When swinging her huge greatsword larger than her body, mountains flew away.
In terms of pure combat power, she was the second strongest after the Wrath Sin Lycan, so it was best to avoid conflict with Christine.
“Instead of willingly giving it, there are conditions.”
“Conditions?”
I nodded. At the same time, I asked myself.
Is it placing conditions to make the main scenario flow to a happy ending? Surely it is. There is definitely a reason.
However—
-Played with it like a toy
-Pulled out the heart
-Locked up for hundreds of years in prison
Those words sank into my heart like stones.
It was not my fault, but I felt an indescribable emotion.
Sympathy… pity… all I could feel was that Christine would be upset, but despite that, I felt like I pitied her.
So.
“Christine.”
I muttered her name.
“Christine? Why Christine.”
“Don’t touch Christine at all. Never.”
“……?”
Regita’s head tilted even more. Now it was almost lying horizontally.
“Answer.”
“Ah, I got it… Okay, I promise.”
This was enough. A promise between Sins was absolute above all.
Then, I added, “I’ll go now,” and tried to leave, but Regita asked one more time.
“Why suddenly? Doing something you didn’t do?”
For the answer to the question, I just raised my left hand and showed the ring.
“Because she’s my fiancée.”
As I urged to walk again, the back of my head stung. I heard the words ‘Since when have you been caring like this?’
When I was a little far from Regita.
Happy Ending: 0% → 33.3%
I could confirm that I had made the right choice.
‘However, still…’
It was strangely bitter. It was an indescribable strange emotion.