Chapter 171: What Do You Think of Me?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 171: What Do You Think of Me?
It was during the monster subjugation war.
The young lords had set out for the front lines, leaving the noble ladies and their escort knights behind at Valdrova Castle.
What was there for the noblewomen to do?
These women, who had never so much as dipped their hands in wash water, could do little more than huddle together in their chambers. Those gifted with needlework expressed their anxieties by embroidering the clothes of the lords they favored.
Regardless of their hobbies, with the men gone, the castle was shrouded in a heavy veil of anxiety and loneliness. Even if they believed in victory, the whispered possibility of defeat constantly echoed in their ears, shaking their hearts.
It was the perfect environment for certain beings to slip through the cracks of those wavering hearts.
Coincidentally, such a being lived in this very castle.
"This is boring," Penelope muttered, her expression hollow. "I’ve achieved the long-cherished wish I wanted to fulfill in the mortal realm, so why is there no sense of accomplishment?"
Her so-called "wish" was the creation of a Garden.
Even though she had succeeded in creating one using rare and innocent noblewomen, she felt no satisfaction. It was only natural. What Penelope had done was merely casting a net into a pond already teeming with fish, or shoving a pre-loaded spoon into a wide-open mouth.
Right, Penelope thought, as if struck by a sudden epiphany. If one aims to be a first-rate demon, one must be able to do it alone!
She clenched her fists in determination.
Next time, I’ll sneak into the Imperial Palace and create a Garden there!
Her confidence was absolute, lacking even a shred of concern that she might get caught. With that vow, she began to wander aimlessly through the castle.
"By the way... where am I?"
Having wandered like a vagrant, she no longer knew her location. Valdrova Castle was vast; wandering without a thought meant being prepared to get lost at any moment. On the other hand, because of this, she arrived at a place she would never have seen under normal circumstances.
"Is this the Audience Chamber?"
The place where the ruler of a nation officially receives subordinates. Since it was the Audience Chamber of a Dragon, not just any king, its scale was no less grand than that of an Emperor’s.
"Come to think of it, I’ve never seen this place being used."
It was the throne Valdrova was meant to ascend, and Ferda, in his status as Regent, could not sit in that seat. While he could have easily manufactured a justification, Ferda had refused, choosing instead to meet people primarily in the drawing room or his office.
Thus, not many people knew what the interior looked like.
"Hmm..."
Penelope narrowed her eyes. A flicker of curiosity danced within them.
"Shall I take a little peek?"
Fearlessly, she pushed open the heavy doors and stepped inside.
"Whoa...!"
An exclamation escaped her lips. Since no one used it, she had imagined furniture covers and thick piles of dust. However, even without a king, the place was meticulously maintained.
The structure was designed so that once the chandeliers were lit, the interior would be as bright as midday. The mural of a red dragon behind the throne was painted with such majesty that it was intended to make any visitor feel small.
"As expected of a Dragon, it’s quite flashy, isn't it?! Why have they left something like this sitting idle all this time?"
Penelope’s gaze, which had been scanning the Audience Chamber, fixed on the throne. She imagined it. Sitting on that throne would surely feel incredible.
"Hmm..."
If you want to sit, you want to lie down; if you want to lie down, you want to sleep. Her feet twitched as she moved forward.
"Oh, whatever!"
In the end, she chose to be true to her desires. She climbed onto the throne without permission and sat right down.
"Oh! Ooooh!"
The moment her backside touched the throne, Penelope felt a thrill.
"Is this the very air a king breathes...?!"
It was incomparable to the sense of accomplishment she felt when she created the Garden. It felt as though every desire she had been lacking was being fulfilled.
Penelope reminisced about the past. Why had she fearlessly stolen the Life Vessel of her mother, Sitri? It was to drive out that Great Demon and become the new Great Demon of Hell.
However, since her plan ended at "what will happen if I just steal the Life Vessel," she had ended up being chased by her mother. The important thing was that her ambition was still alive.
Indulging in her game of playing queen, Penelope couldn't help but shout.
"Ohoho! Is anyone there? Is no one present?"
Her shrill voice rang loudly through the Audience Chamber.
"I wish to declare the Penelope Harem Kingdom from this very spot! Which woman desires to be the first concubine of the Great Demon Penelope?"
She savored the imagination of beautiful, fictional girls pleading with her as she sat upon the throne.
"Is it you? Or you? Anyone is fine, come closer and give me—"
Her words trailed off.
"...Eh?"
The fictional girls surrounding her vanished like smoke, and she returned to reality. Yet, something that maintained a physical form stood right at the tip of her pointing finger.
A woman with the physique of an ordinary lady and red hair. However, she possessed two pairs of horns that were far from ordinary. Golden eyes and vertically slit pupils.
Even though Penelope had never met her, even a clueless child would have realized it instantly. This was the master of the Audience Chamber, the very subject of the mural behind her: Valdrova.
Right now, Penelope had not only entered the Audience Chamber without permission but had also sat on the throne and even pointed her finger at its owner.
"U-Uh, um..."
Her slender finger curled back like a shrinking fern, and her posture became increasingly humble.
"A-Ahaha!"
She laughed loudly as if nothing were wrong.
"My, my... I have been quite rude! I was just looking around without a clue and ended up in such a place, talking to myself quite presumptuously!"
Penelope began to slink past Valdrova, trying to leave.
"W-Well then, this humble one shall take her leave!"
Just as she tried to dash past her shoulder and escape—
"Wait a moment."
Penelope was caught before she could cross the threshold. Only three words had been uttered, but her body would not move any further. It felt as though the flow of her mana, her heart—everything—was held in that person's grasp.
It was then that Penelope realized for the first time.
This is what a Dragon is.
Valdrova spoke to Penelope, who was trembling like a cornered prairie dog.
"Can we... talk for a moment?"
Penelope had an intuition about what would happen next.
Jed... I'm going on ahead.
She left a silent will.
I spent your money well. Thanks to it, I’m leaving after meeting many people. It’s impossible in this life, but I’ll pay you back when you come to Hell. Come to think of it, if I go to Hell, I’ll die in Hell too.
Penelope lamented.
Damn it, if I knew it would end like this, I should have just spent all that money.
* * *
Ten minutes earlier, Valdrova Castle.
It’s quiet.
Valdrova was walking through the castle. Normally, she would have been walking around in armor, but now she was dressed in a gown. Since the Start of Spring Festival, she felt it was worth trying to walk around this castle without her armor.
But meeting people is still difficult...
Ironically, the person Valdrova found hardest to face was Ferda. She feared that his attentive listening and consideration might actually become a burden to him. She stuck mainly to places where people rarely went.
On that path was the Audience Chamber.
This place... was where I was supposed to sit.
When she was first engaged to the 3rd Prince, she had only one throne made. She had no intention of reigning here from the beginning. That seat was always meant for the 3rd Prince.
She thought it would be better for the Prince to reign rather than herself, who had gained the title of Archduchess but did nothing. She dreamed of the 3rd Prince becoming the ruler while she supported him from behind.
But...
Reality did not flow that way. The night the 3rd Prince arrived in the Archduchy, he had said this to Valdrova:
—"You’re talking about nonsense like love. I guess the saying that you’re nothing but a watchdog was right."
His kind morning demeanor was nowhere to be found; he spat out insults with a scowl.
—"I only came here to use you. I was going to humor you for a bit and then put a dog collar on you. Did you really think I would love you? A mere slaughterer from the Dragon-Demon War. A dog should act like a dog."
He spat out painful words without hesitation. There was no doubt that those words were forced out by some kind of magic. However, the fact remained that those were the 3rd Prince’s inner thoughts and the truth.
Hearing those words, her blood boiled. Valdrova could not control her storm-like emotions. In the end, she killed that 3rd Prince with her own hands.
Unable to overcome herself, she had killed someone again. She loathed her own loss of reason. She blamed herself, thinking she had no right to be happy.
And yet, just a little. It was selfish, but she hoped for just one more chance to be happy. She vowed that if she was wrong this time as well, she would never dream of being happy again, for everyone's sake.
The man who approached her at that final moment was him.
—"It is a pleasure to meet you, my heart."
The man named Ferda was the exact opposite of the 3rd Prince. His eyes, when they first met, were looking clearly at Valdrova. He gave off a strong impression of a man who was reigning in order to marry, rather than marrying in order to reign.
Why hadn't she met a man like this from the start?
If only I had met Ferda sooner...
Then she wouldn't have had to be so afraid of meeting people... She could have been braver, helped Mr. Ferda more, and achieved so much more...
She wanted to shake off this fear and help Mr. Ferda. That was Valdrova’s wish.
—"Ohoho!"
Suddenly, she heard laughter. It was definitely coming from beyond the doors.
What is that?
Valdrova cautiously entered the Audience Chamber. There, she saw a pink-haired demon sitting on the throne, completely immersed in a role.
That child... was the one Mr. Ferda brought, right?
Her name was Penelope, a demon. Valdrova had heard from Ruri that she was being kept around because she was important for some role.
...That child?
No matter how she looked at it, she didn't seem that way. She looked like a thoughtless child.
"Is it you? Or you? Anyone is fine, come closer and give me—"
The girl pointed her finger at her.
"...Eh."
She froze. After that, she tried to slip away, but Valdrova didn't let her.
"Wait a moment."
Normally, she would have ignored the person and let them go, but for some reason, she couldn't just let her leave. Without even knowing the reason herself, Valdrova said:
"Can we... talk for a moment?"
* * *
Penelope and Valdrova sat side by side on a bench bathed in pale moonlight. The two sat demurely. Neither said a word.
I want to run away.
Penelope felt as if she were sitting on a bed of thorns. Though she usually followed her instincts, she couldn't easily move in this situation. In an attempt to escape this predicament, Penelope forced her mouth open.
"Um..."
"..."
"I have committed a sin worthy of death."
"..."
"But come to think of it, I don't think it's a sin worthy of death. I just sat on a throne, right?"
"..."
"No. Come to think of it, it is a sin worthy of death. Especially since I'm flapping my gums like this!"
"..."
"Oh dear, I'm being too noisy, aren't I? I'll shut up."
The saying that the mouth is the gate to calamity suited Penelope perfectly. Silence fell again. Along with that silence, Penelope felt as if her heart were slowly stopping.
"Excuse me..."
"Ye-Yes! Please speak!"
This time, Valdrova opened her mouth.
"It’s... I didn't stop you to scold you for coming in here."
"I-Is that so? Phew! Of course, since you are the generous and merciful Lady Valdrova, you would have the magnanimity to show mercy to the mistake of a lowly person like me!"
"Mmm... I just had some things I was curious about."
"Things you're curious about!"
An escape route had opened. Penelope smiled brightly and thumped her chest.
"I, Penelope, will answer anything if I am able!"
"Then... what is this 'Harem Kingdom'?"
"Eh..."
Penelope faced a massive obstacle right from the start. It was a question that was quite difficult to answer to another woman. Moreover, hadn't she pointed her finger at her and offered to recruit her as a harem member?
"A-A harem is... you can think of it as polygamy."
"Polygamy? What does that mean?"
"It means one man having several wives. It’s a sort of utopia that any man might dream of at least once."
"Huh? Were you a man?"
"No, I'm a woman."
"Then what's the point of that?"
I wonder.
"Oh, what I meant was that I intended to build a Harem Kingdom for you, Lady Valdrova!"
"But I'm a woman."
"A woman can also have a Harem Kingdom where she commands other women!"
"Hmm... other women..."
Valdrova imagined herself surrounded by many women. She imagined what women usually do when they gather.
Is it something like a tea party?
She imagined herself enjoying the sight of them talking. It felt as if she were becoming the noblewoman she had dreamed of being, and her heart fluttered.
"A Harem Kingdom is a good thing, then?"
"Pardon? A-Ah, o-of course!!"
She had clearly misunderstood something, but that didn't matter. Penelope laughed it off with an "Ahaha!"
"Since you said you're Sitri's daughter... you're a demon of lust, right?"
"T-That's right."
"Then... do you know a lot about men too?"
"Uh..."
To Penelope, men were like rocks rolling around on the side of the road. Beings she didn't care about, but who made her angry if she accidentally tripped over them. Unless they were remarkably handsome like Jed, most were like that.
"I know what an attractive woman is!"
Penelope avoided the disadvantageous question with a different answer.
"An attractive woman..."
But perhaps that answer was the right one, as Valdrova's reaction was positive. She stroked her chin, which was not covered by her mask. Just as Penelope was worrying if she had stepped in it again—
"Do you really know a lot about women?"
"Oh, of course. I know very well what kind of female beauty men go crazy for!"
"I see..."
Valdrova thought deeply about something, then—
"Fine."
She nodded. Unlike her voice, which sounded as if she had made a grand resolution, her action was very simple. She took off the mask she was wearing and revealed her bare face.
"What... do you think of me?" she asked shyly.