Chapter 48
Chapter 48
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Ulstro Kingdom - The Innocent Princess and the Vicious Knight (17)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
My heart was pounding. My breathing was a bit ragged, too.
There was no helping it. Even with someone peeking in, this was basically a private meeting.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
"Hoo..."
"Hehe, no need to be so tense. I just called you here to ask a few questions."
The woman's soft, gentle voice reached me, mistaking my tension for something else. In a way, she wasn't wrong about the tension. It was just for a different reason.
"...Yes."
"Lift your head."
With the permission that followed my reply, I slowly raised my head.
A luxurious bed big enough for four or five people lay before me. At its edge sat a woman leaning back against the headboard, exuding a serene aura.
Her face was like Marie's, blended with elements of Mercedes, then aged about twenty years. Even nearing forty next year, she looked young enough to pass for her daughters' sister. Rather than youthful, she possessed a mature elegance that made her beauty stand out even more.
Queen Beatrice de Ulstro.
The ruler of Ulstro Kingdom. The queen. One of my archenemies.
The moment Valdes met her eyes, he bowed his head deeply.
"I-I apologize."
It wasn't out of shame or to hide his expression. This was the perfect look for playing the role of the squire boy named Valdes.
"Oh, it's fine. Were you embarrassed? That's surprising. They said you were a playboy."
"N-No, that's not it."
Absurdly, Beatrice was wearing a sheer white negligee. Her lower half was covered by the blanket, but the negligee seemed barely long enough to reach her hips. Delicate lace and frills adorned it here and there, enhancing her grace and allure.
The problem was that it was semi-transparent—sheer, in other words. Through the white fabric, the faint outline of her pale skin was visible. If the magic lamp beside her burned any brighter, everything inside would be plainly visible, no doubt.
And her chest. Regrettably for him, her ample bosom—which her daughters didn't take after at all—couldn't be fully concealed by the negligee. If her breasts had been smaller, the fabric might have slipped right off; they were practically holding it up, making the outfit all the more sensual.
'What a crazy bitch, strutting around like that.'
No matter that this was her bedroom and negligees could pass for sleepwear, calling a man in here and lounging so brazenly was beyond belief.
The reason was obvious, though.
Absolute confidence that he couldn't harm her. Combined with the royal guard unit hidden nearby and various situational factors, it was her calculated judgment.
'Annoying. Makes me wanna pin her down right now.'
Considering the auras of those in hiding, any ordinary knight with impure thoughts wouldn't even reach the bed before dying. But he had the skill to overpower them all with ease.
'Gotta hold back for now. Haven't even used my preparations yet.'
"U-Um, may I ask why you summoned me...?"
Valdes feigned a trembling voice, playing the innocent.
"You've surprised me since I first saw you at the martial tournament. And yet..."
A chill crept into her soft, gentle tone.
"...how long has it been since then? And now you're surprising me again. Seducing my daughter, of all things."
"One thing's wrong there—Mercy sis seduced me first."
"Hmm, Mercy sis, is it? You hold nothing back in front of her mother."
"We're set to be responsible for each other's futures. Can't hold back on something like this, right?"
"At the very least, shouldn't you say that while looking at her face?"
"Then I'll look straight at you—not as Your Majesty the Queen, but as my future mother-in-law."
He'd kept his head bowed while speaking until now, but he lifted his face again and stared directly at the queen—no, at Beatrice, mother of his two girls.
Meeting the queen's eyes for more than three seconds was considered irreverent and disrespectful, but Valdes didn't avert his gaze even after three seconds passed. Because the one facing him now wasn't the queen.
"Oh my?"
Beatrice faltered at the unexpected response.
The shy boy from moments ago was gone, replaced by a man with eyes betraying not a hint of shame. Had he missed her subtle hint about him being a playboy, or was he that confident? She couldn't read him.
'That expression makes him look even more like him... No, that's not it.'
"Mother-in-law, huh. How brazen for a mere commoner. And aren't you half-demon? You plan to mix demon blood into the Ulstro royal line?"
"If Ulstro blood is stronger than demon blood, no problem, right?"
The queen's brow twitched.
She took immense pride in the Ulstro royal bloodline. She couldn't deny it outright. But affirming it would endorse Valdes.
"...That's not the issue."
"The kingdom's situation? Public perception? I know. There are big practical barriers. But I'm confident. I told Knight Commander Serennia the same. I'll prove myself within a year."
'Serennia did?'
It surprised her a bit. Serennia cherished Mercedes as much as she did. For her to wait a full year...
What had Serennia seen in him? The likeness to Hero Pedro, like her? Or something else? Hearing the name of her close friend and loyal former guard softened her heart a touch.
"Very well. Assuming you keep it from others, I'll give you a year."
She was consolidating royal power for her children's sake anyway. If her daughter truly wanted him, she'd accept any spouse gladly.
The laws had already been amended; unlike her, the throne would go to her daughter unconditionally.
But problems didn't end there.
"What about your women?"
"How's that a problem?"
"...Pardon?"
His absurd reply made her doubt her ears.
"Mercy sis knows and accepts it. The next Ulstro throne will go to her child anyway, so no issue there. If anything, I can bind noble houses to you and secure their loyalty."
"......"
She hadn't misheard. It sounded plausible at first glance.
Even just Lady Etilene Profilene could secure House Profilene's loyalty; a minor scandal was tolerable. Add one or two more powerful houses, and absolute royal stability was in sight.
But there were flaws, and it assumed the best outcomes.
And other concerns nagged her.
"Mercy... knows...?"
"Yes, of course."
"...Haa, what on earth is that girl thinking..."
Beatrice sighed, pressing her forehead.
'Wow.'
He marveled inwardly.
Just that exhale and arm raise sent her breasts jiggling wildly. Staring now, he gauged them at least twice Mercedes'. Probably like the Demon King's. They must not have been this big in her youth; it was intriguing.
'Do they grow bigger with age? Doesn't look saggy at all—firm as hell.'
If she'd confessed back then with tits like these, he might've overlooked her crazy personality and taken her.
Not that he could go back, so who knew. But they radiated seductive power over any man.
Maybe he'd stared too openly.
"Are you staring at my breasts right now? After calling me your future mother-in-law yourself?"
She'd caught him.
"...No man could resist such beautiful breasts."
"Hmph, hmmm..."
Beatrice found it ridiculous, yet a strange thrill stirred within.
She'd felt no interest in love beyond Hero Pedro, but she was still a woman. A handsome teen praising her body—even just the breasts—couldn't fail to please.
Especially from a man resembling Pedro.
'Feels like praise from him... Come to think, aside from empty flattery at our first meeting, Pedro never complimented me? Hmm... Ah, no. Snap out of it.'
She shook her head in alarm. A year from now, who knew—but for now, he was her daughter's lover.
"A true playboy. You sure know how to talk."
"I'll take that as a compliment. But it's sincere. You don't look or feel like a married woman with two daughters."
She suppressed her twitching lips, hiding her delight.
"Ahem. There's one more issue."
"...My past, right?"
"You've noticed?"
"I figured it'd come out eventually. Just sooner than expected."
Valdes spoke calmly; Beatrice let out a thoughtful hum. Not the reaction she'd anticipated. She'd expected shock, panic, excuses.
So what was this meaningful attitude?
"The orphan story checks out, but most of it's lies. Only your mercenary record is real. Explain yourself."
Beatrice's eyes sharpened.
This was her final preparation. She hadn't expected him to pass it, so no further plans. She wouldn't forgive any excuse anyway.
Until hearing his story.
"When I first opened my eyes, I was in what used to be called the Third Fortress. That's my earliest memory."
He calmly spun another lie, the story he'd rehearsed since yesterday.
His mercenary record was real, planted via spies long ago. No one would notice a low-rank merc's portrait or details mismatched.
And it worked brilliantly.
"...Pardon? The Thi-Third... Fortress...?"
The queen's face stiffened.
The Third Fortress. Impossible not to know. It was the place they'd personally razed—Hero Pedro's tomb.
While she reeled, Valdes continued.
"The surroundings were ruins of a shattered castle. With no memories, I didn't know where I was. Somehow I ended up in Bentorino Kingdom, but discrimination against half-demons was brutal. Ah, that's when I learned I was half-demon."
"......"
Bentorino had fallen once to demons, its old royal line wiped out. Their hatred dwarfed Ulstro's.
"So I crossed to Ulstro and became a mercenary. Swordsmanship... no memory of training, but my body moved on its own when I gripped a blade."
"...When did you wake? What... year?"
"Not sure exactly, but I heard it was nine years after the Hero's death."
"I... see..."
They'd returned for Pedro's body exactly ten years later. So he'd awakened before that. It fit—no one finding him.
"...I was terrified."
"Terrified of what?"
"That I might be one of the demons who attacked the Hero—or a child of one."
"......!!"
Now that she thought, yes.
The Hero party had announced the demon remnants caused the Third Fortress's fall and Hero's death. Absurd to demons, but no exchanges or real truce meant they couldn't refute it.
An amnesiac waking there could easily fear the same as Valdes.
"That's why I lied about my past. ...I'm sorry."
"...Hold on. Let me sort my thoughts."
"...Yes."
Valdes slumped his shoulders submissively, head bowed. While subtly gauging her reaction.
'Demon who attacked Pedro or offspring? Of course not.'
Didn't exist.
'I... need to think.'
Was he telling the truth?
...Impossible to know.
The Third Fortress lay abandoned for 18 years. Fearing discovery of the attack plot, all involved shunned it.
Officially, to not disturb the great Hero's rest.
Hence the statue in the capital's grand plaza as substitute tomb.
His later movements? Tracing a half-demon from Bentorino eight years ago amid millions? Years to investigate.
'If true...?'
Assuming truth—what was Valdes' identity?
Only one possibility came to mind.
'No way... is he really Pedro?'