04. The Mad Queen Who Talks to the Mirror (3)
04. The Mad Queen Who Talks to the Mirror (3)
[Episode 4] - The Crazy Queen Talking to a Mirror (3)
"The Chancellor-nim has requested an audience with Your Majesty."
"The Chancellor?"
Why is the Chancellor here all of a sudden...?
The maid, who had spoken to me almost as if she were delivering a notification, looked around the room as if searching for something. Then, she tilted her head as if something were strange.
"By any chance, were you talking to someone?"
"Ah, no?"
"..? I could have sworn I heard the sound of a conversation..."
Listening to the maid grumbling to herself, I swallowed dryly without realizing it. I glanced sideways at the mirror next to me.
-Shh. Don't look at me, and don't answer. To everyone else, I just look like an ordinary mirror. If you talk to me for no reason... you know what happens, right?
Ainsel, inside the mirror, held her index finger up to her lips as if telling me not to say another word. I gave a slight nod, careful not to let the maid notice, to show I understood.
Because to others, Ainsel just looks like an ordinary mirror.
If I were to be seen talking to Ainsel in front of others...
I'd look like a crazy woman talking to a mirror. Vivian's nickname is already 'The Menace,' and I didn't want to add the title of 'Crazy Bitch Talking to a Mirror' to that.
"Haa-"
As I was lost in thought for a moment, the maid, who had been waiting for my answer in front of me, let out a deep sigh. It was a sigh she had let out openly, intending for me to hear it.
"Your Majesty? The Chancellor-nim has requested an audience... what would you like me to do? Do you need to get dressed up? Or should I tell the Chancellor-nim to go back?"
...Seeing the maid's attitude, I could vaguely tell what kind of position Vivian held in the royal palace. Even if Vivian was a 'rotten' Queen, she was still the Queen, yet to think a maid would ignore her so openly.
Just as I was agonizing over how to answer the maid's question, Ainsel let out a scoff of disbelief from the side.
-Ha, this bitch couldn't even make eye contact when Vivian was alive, but the moment she heard the rumor that Vivian lost her memory, she's crawling up without any limits, huh?
.....?
Excuse me, Ainsel-nim?
Whether it was because she didn't like the maid's attitude, or because she was annoyed that Vivian was being ignored, Ainsel's voice sank coldly.
-You asked me earlier to tell you how Vivian spoke and how she usually acted, right? This is a good opportunity, so listen to me carefully and follow along exactly.
Is this really the same Ainsel who was crying like a child earlier? At her ice-cold voice, I tensed up and began to follow what Ainsel said.
-Ellie. Come here.
"Ellie, come here."
So the maid's name was 'Ellie.' As I called her name, the maid's shoulders flinched violently. Turning her head like a creaky machine, the maid stared straight at me with trembling eyes.
"Y-Your Majesty..?"
"I told you to come here. You really need to be told twice to understand, don't you?"
A cold, sunken voice. Following Ainsel's words with a voice so frigid that I wondered if it was really coming from my own throat, Ellie approached me with trembling steps.
-Slap Ellie's cheek hard. Then she'll automatically kneel.
"...You're standing too tall."
...I thought hitting someone was a bit too much, so I softened it as much as I could with words. Understanding what I meant, Ellie slowly knelt before me.
-...You're definitely different from Vivian. Fine, I'll continue, so follow along well.
I don't know how it was for Ainsel, but the maid kneeling in front of me was someone I was seeing for the first time. Honestly, just following Ainsel's words was overwhelming enough, and violence was too much.
And in the first place, I've never used violence on anyone.
"Ellie, you disobeyed me."
"Y-Yes..?"
"What did I say last time? How are you supposed to come when I call you?"
Upon hearing that, Ellie's face turned pale, then blue. Seeing the conversation continue, it seemed Ellie was a maid who had worked under Vivian since she was alive.
"L-Like a dog, crawling on all fours, c-come..."
"You remember well. Just like me."
When I smiled brightly, following Ainsel's words, Ellie's body began to tremble like an aspen tree. She was shaking so violently that her teeth were chattering, and her eyes were darting around like crazy.
Judging that the rumor about Vivian losing her memory was false, Ellie prostrated herself until she was almost stuck to the floor and confessed her sins like a prisoner on the guillotine.
"F-Forgive me... I have committed a sin worthy of death... H-How dare I think of deceiving Your Majesty..."
Ellie, foolishly, must have thought she could look down on Vivian, believing only the rumors that Vivian had lost her memory. Perhaps she thought it would be okay to do a little bit since she wouldn't remember anything.
I wondered why she had such a stupid thought... but she probably wanted to return at least a little bit of the bullying she had received until now to Vivian.
...I had expected it to some extent, but I could tell a little bit about how dirty Vivian's personality was, and how much people around her hated her.
"Ellie, you really are stupid, aren't you? What did I say you should do if you want to be forgiven by me?"
The moment Ellie lifted her head and our eyes met, she gave a forced smile with a face terrified of fear. Then, without even giving me time to stop her, she slammed her forehead hard against the floor.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Once, twice, three times.
'...This is driving me crazy, seriously.'
Ellie, who didn't stop banging her forehead against the marble floor until it bled, only looked up at me with a smile after feeling the blood flowing from her forehead.
"W-Will Your Majesty forgive me if I do this..?"
"...Yes, this is satisfactory."
The last part wasn't following Ainsel's words. It was just me speaking on my own because I didn't want to see this manic side of Ellie anymore.
Whether she was truly happy that she had been forgiven, Ellie smiled broadly at me. Even though her forehead was all broken and blood was streaming down.
'...First, I need to improve Vivian's reputation, even a little. If I keep this up, I might get stabbed to death even if I live like a mouse.'
I thought that if this continued, someone I didn't even know who had a grudge against Vivian might assassinate me. I at least had to avoid dying by getting stabbed in my sleep.
As I was agonizing over how to improve my reputation, Ainsel growled and got angry at Ellie, who was still prostrate on the floor begging for forgiveness.
-How dare a mere maid crawl up to Vivian? Not knowing her place!
It was a little absurd that Ainsel, who hated Vivian enough to gag, was rushing in as if she were the one being insulted when Vivian was insulted.
Is this one of those things? I can insult my own kid, but you can't?
'...I don't know. At least I shouldn't badmouth Vivian in front of Ainsel.'
Just as I was wondering if I should wipe the blood streaming down Ellie's forehead, I heard a knock-knock sound from the door again.
Startled, I looked toward the sound, and a middle-aged man whose bangs had retreated halfway back—I didn't even know when he had arrived—looked between me and Ellie with an indifferent expression, then let out a sigh and opened his mouth.
"...It seems the doctor misdiagnosed Your Majesty."
"C-Chancellor-nim..?"
Ellie turned her head with a surprised expression and looked at the 'Chancellor.' He had gray hair with bangs that had retreated halfway, perhaps due to stress-induced hair loss, and his tired eyes were a dull blue.
A middle-aged man who looked so exhausted that I thought he was in his 50s...? Or 60s...? He slowly entered the room, knelt on one knee next to Ellie, and looked up at me.
"I am glad to see you are well, Your Majesty."
His tone was gentle and seemingly worried, but his expression and voice were not at all. The Chancellor, who greeted me with a voice that seemed to have absolutely no emotion in it, smiled faintly.
And I, following Ainsel's words exactly.
Returned the smile with one even brighter than the Chancellor's.
"...Yes, I am well, but I am worried because it seems the Chancellor's hairline is not doing so well."
A small vein popped on the Chancellor's forehead at my sarcastic remark.
*
A 'Raising Simulation Game' is a game where the target of the raising grows by meeting various people, so there are countless NPCs who help with the princess's growth.
Excluding the royal family, there were education officials in charge of the target's education, and part-time job contacts who helped with the target's social life. I could meet various NPCs.
Among them, the Chancellor was no exception.
I didn't know his exact surname, but his name was called 'Vin Chaud.'
He was an old Chancellor with stress-induced hair loss, and in the game, he was one of the characters who helped the princess, serving as her education contact and someone you could meet in the royal family.
'He looks exactly like the illustration. No, is it a bit fuller? Well, it's going to be completely bald in the late game anyway, so what does it matter.'
As I was staring intently, piercingly, at Vin Chaud's receding forehead, Vin Chaud let out a loud, displeased cough, "Ahem!"
"First, I apologize for entering Your Majesty's room without permission. I heard a rather noisy sound... I couldn't help but feel anxious, wondering if something had happened to Your Majesty."
It was enough to know just from his voice that there was absolutely no sincerity in the Chancellor's words. He spoke so indifferently that I even had the illusion that a machine was talking for a moment.
"Right... So? You must be busy, Chancellor, why did you request an audience?"
"Of course, it was out of concern for Your Majesty. It is the Chancellor's role to assist the Mother of the Nation, Your Majesty."
Huh... Did he grease his tongue before coming here?
Seeing the Chancellor answer without even a second of hesitation as soon as I asked, I couldn't hide my surprise. I glanced sideways at Ellie, who was still kneeling next to me.
"You may leave now."
"Y-Yes..!"
As soon as my permission to leave the room was given, Ellie escaped the room as if she were running away with the speed of lightning.
Only after confirming that the door was completely closed could Ainsel and I ask what we wanted to ask Vin Chaud.
"Get to the point. You didn't request an audience to truly assist me."
"My heart to assist Your Majesty is always sincere—"
"Stop, do you want me to pull out that oiled tongue of yours?"
At my answer, Vin Chaud, who had let out a faint laugh, straightened his knee and stood up. Vin Chaud, who tapped his knees as if he were exhausted and sat in a chair, looked at me.
"First, I came to truly check on Your Majesty's condition. Because the doctor said that Your Majesty had lost your memory. But... well, as you can see, it seems to have been a misdiagnosis by the doctor. Haha."
...It wouldn't have been a misdiagnosis, since I really did lose Vivian's memory. Instead of the lost memory, I just have a mirror fairy helping me from the side...
"Hmph."
I didn't answer Vin Chaud's words and just laughed it off.
Vin Chaud also laughed along, "Haha," then suddenly stopped laughing and opened his mouth again.
"...It is truly good news that Your Majesty is healthy, but there is not only good news. There is one piece of bad news."
"Bad news?"
Seeing Vin Chaud's face, from which the laughter had disappeared, cold sweat ran down my back. In movies or novels, in cases like this, the bad news was always the main point rather than the good news.
"That... Because you 'resurrected' at the funeral, rumors are spreading that Your Majesty is a 'witch.' I've ordered the witnesses to keep quiet, but...."
"...So?"
"There is talk in the Council of Elders. They are saying they wouldn't mind a divorce between Your Majesty and His Majesty. As you know, if you divorce His Majesty..."
At the sight of Vin Chaud speaking as if it were truly serious, I bit my dry lips.
No way, I wouldn't die, would I? I thought, but...
"You will not be able to avoid the 'Witch Trial' held at the 'Temple.' It has already reached the ears of the Temple, but thanks to the authority of Your Majesty and His Majesty, it hasn't become a public issue yet."
Damn it.
For a moment, I forcibly held back the profanity that was about to come out.
So, the moment I step down from the position of Queen, the 'Temple' would label me a 'witch,' hold a 'Witch Trial,' and burn me at the stake as a heretic.
Seriously, what the hell do I do..?