Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Empress's Test
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Cold sweat beaded on my back. My mind went blank. What had Kaikilia just said? Had she asked if I'd had a pleasant time with the Pope?
'No way... did she find out about what happened in the Holy Kingdom?'
If my suspicions were correct, this was far from an ordinary dangerous situation.
After all, the Popes had gone so far as to send an inquisitor straight to the imperial palace just to bring me to the Holy Kingdom. All to persuade Kaikilia, who had an oddly intense interest in me.
But in the end, all those claims from back then had turned out to be lies. Both the Pope of the Sun and the Pope of the Moon had willingly crossed the line with me, mingling their bodies of their own accord.
No matter how it had unfolded in the middle, the result was that the Pope had deceived the Emperor. If mishandled, this could even escalate into a conflict between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
All because of me, just one person.
"Why are you silent?"
Her voice, sharp as icicles, pulled my awareness back to the surface. I couldn't stall any longer. I had to say something. I spun my brain as fast as it would go.
The top priority was figuring out if Kaikilia had truly pieced together what happened between me and the Popes in the Holy Kingdom, or if this was just a bluff to probe me.
During those two days when the knight commanders were all laid up with hangovers from drinking the Moon's Kiss and groaning in misery, I had stayed by Lize's side while constantly receiving summons from the Popes.
We spent most of our time in actual conversation. Not bodily conversation, but real talk with our mouths. That was around when Luna taught me how to use the Eclipse.
Naturally, Kaikilia's name came up, and the Popes had assured me it was impossible for her to discover our relationship, so I could relax.
The Empire had almost no means to spy on the Holy Kingdom, and even if they tried using magic to peek here, the Popes would notice first.
If they were telling the truth, then Kaikilia's current behavior was nothing more than a test of my intentions.
If I fell for the threat and spilled the truth, it would be a huge win for her. And if I didn't bite, she could just steamroll it with her authority.
Even if she brushed it off later as just casually probing my inner thoughts, I couldn't voice any complaints.
Considering that, the best move here was to play dumb and flatly deny it.
'...But.'
What if, just what if, she really had figured it out?
What if she'd used some secret method unknown even to the Popes to uncover the truth, and now she was testing how I'd react?
Then I'd be the one lying to the Emperor. The worst possible scenario. Depending on how Kaikilia played it, the fallout could reach not just me, but Aurora and even the knight commanders.
"If you stay silent any longer, I'll take it as defying my orders."
Kaikilia's tone sharpened slightly. Time was up. Staying quiet any longer would only fuel suspicions just from the silence itself.
I quickly sorted my thoughts one last time, made my decision, and finally opened my mouth.
"...My apologies, Your Majesty. I truly don't understand what you're referring to."
"You don't understand? Are you claiming you can't comprehend my words?"
A chilling voice leaked from between those lips. I suppressed the instinctive surge of fear.
This was the path I'd chosen. Answering right away was out, and I needed to extract as much information as possible from Kaikilia.
Of course, if it backfired, there'd be hell to pay. But messing up the answer would lead to the same anyway. Better to at least try something.
"Yes. So please, grant me a bit more of your mercy and explain exactly what you mean with that imperial voice of yours."
It was practically a gamble, but I had my own ace up my sleeve.
Even if things went south, Kaikilia— who was oddly fixated on me— wouldn't grab her holy sword and lop off my head on the spot. That was my safety net.
If it went even worse than expected? Then I'd just have to take it. Coming to the palace and facing the Emperor at this timing was already way off-script from my knowledge—what more could I do?
"Playing word games, are you? If you think I haven't noticed, it's a wasted effort."
The gaze she fixed on me grew even more menacing. My heart sank again at her words and eyes, but I somehow steadied my expression.
I couldn't show any weakness. That would make it truly irreversible.
"I have no idea what Your Majesty might have noticed. So please, show your vast mercy and grace."
"...."
No reply came. Kaikilia simply stared at me in silence.
Growing anxiety tightened around my heart. My throat felt constantly clogged. My chest was stuffy. I could barely breathe.
As I struggled to calm my trembling body bit by bit, Kaikilia, who had been gazing intently at me, finally spoke.
"Come closer."
"...Pardon?"
"Must I say it twice?"
"No, Your Majesty! I'll move right away!"
I shot up from my spot and took a few steps forward. As I tried to kneel on one knee again, a listless voice rang out.
"More."
I stepped closer.
"More."
Closer still.
"More."
I approached until her leg could reach me if she stretched.
"More."
Only when I was close enough to touch her body with an outstretched hand did the command to come closer stop. I knelt on one knee there and looked up at Kaikilia.
Kaikilia stared down at me with golden eyes radiating an eerily menacing aura, unchanged from before.
Tok, tok, tok. The sound echoed rhythmically. It was her left index finger tapping the armrest. Her leather boots, rising to her calves, bobbed up and down in the air, matching the beat.
"You've said something truly amusing."
"...."
"Have you noticed my intentions?"
The sound cut off abruptly.
Her right leg, resting on her left thigh, shifted back but got caught on her bent knee, pulling toward her body. Her heel settled on the edge of the throne.
Kaikilia drew her thigh toward her chest. With a soft squish, her breast compressed slightly against her thigh and spread gently to the sides, reshaping.
From beneath her extremely short uniform skirt, the jet-black lingerie hidden between her thighs was fully exposed.
"I never ordered you to lower your head. Look."
I fumbled to bow my head, but her razor-sharp voice forced me to face straight ahead. Precisely, at Kaikilia's underwear right in front of me.
It was provocatively erotic lingerie. Black lace adorned it here and there, and the overall area was ridiculously small, barely enough to cover my palm.
Already scant, it was also incredibly thin, so even the parts covered by lace revealed the contours of her privates perfectly beyond it.
Kaikilia seemed fully aware of my gaze between her legs and had no intention of hiding it. She wouldn't have done this if she planned to.
The moment I tried to avert my eyes even slightly, her golden eyes snapped wide at me, so I had no choice but to stare fixedly at the lingerie between Kaikilia's legs and the privates beyond.
How much time passed like that? Kaikilia extended her right leg long into the air and plopped it atop my left shoulder. Her calf pressed firmly against my shoulder.
"You're right. I won't deny it."
"...."
"No matter who she is—me, or even Minerva—we can't verify what happened in the Holy Kingdom. Of course not. There are suspicions, but with the plan in ruins, they're worthless doubts that amount to nothing."
Kuuuuh, the pressure from her calf on my shoulder intensified.
"But you truly are a strange man."
The knee of the leg on my shoulder began bending slowly.
Her calf touched my shoulder blade, her heel pressed near my side. My body pitched forward. Kaikilia was pulling me toward her with her leg.
I shuffled awkwardly, shifting position to avoid toppling over. The distance between my face and her privates, wrapped in black lingerie, naturally narrowed.
"Why, when facing my gaze, do you remain so unaffected? An ordinary person would tremble at a mere glance and spit out the truth."
"...."
"You brushed off my gaze just like last time without flinching. You're doing it again now."
"...."
"If you truly doubt it, I could test you with those women over there. I could even expose every filthy detail no human should utter. Is that what you want?"
"...No, Your Majesty."
In truth, I was feeling those emotions even now.
The first time I met the Emperor at the mansion, an inexplicable chill and foreboding had raced up my spine and spread through my whole body.
NPCs commonly testified that standing before the Emperor felt like your innermost thoughts were pierced through, and I'd felt it bone-deep myself.
There was no denying that Kaikilia's gaze held some special power.
But right now, the terror was distinctly less intense than before. I couldn't pinpoint why. Was the black magic on me stronger now, or some other reason?
"Fascinating. Truly fascinating. In my entire life, I've never met a human who piqued my interest like you."
Kaikilia's knee bent further. My body was yanked even closer. She stopped just before my face buried into her privates.
At this distance, my tongue could lick her underwear if I stretched. A sweet, fruity scent wafted sharply into my nose. I could even feel a hint of moisture.
The leg pressing my shoulder pinned me firmly, preventing any rash movement. Looking left or right, I was surrounded by Kaikilia's thighs.
Above, the underside of her breasts clung tightly within her uniform. Even glancing down at the throne floor, my vision was dominated by the black lingerie.
"Here I am like this—so how about you?"
Kaikilia leaned forward at the waist. Despite yanking me to bury my face in her privates, her remarkably flexible waist obeyed its master's command effortlessly.
"Do you have any interest in me?"