A Fair Trade

Carmel had officially become the queen consort of the Luistie Kingdom. Though it was exactly what I had intended, it was also a double-edged sword. Now that she held the exalted status of queen, her freedom of movement would expand drastically.

For starters, as queen, she could command the palace staff at her whim. Interfering in state affairs would also become far easier than before. From now on, I would have to be much more cautious when dealing with the palace staff. I needed to discern whether they worked for me or for Carmel.

Within the royal family, she was now my superior. If I refused or ignored her words in public without a compelling reason, my reputation would suffer. Carmel knew this all too well and would undoubtedly try to exploit it to the fullest. If I wasn't careful, I might end up in the same horrific plight as Princess Sera in the original novel.

Of course, I had no intention of letting that happen. I already had a rough idea of the moves Carmel would make. After all, I knew every single plot point of the novel by heart. In the original story, after becoming queen, Carmel systematically won over the vassals one by one. Those who refused to align with her were executed under any pretext she could fabricate.

It would be wise to make a preemptive strike before Carmel began her maneuvers in earnest. Just as I was lost in these thoughts, an urgent voice called out from beyond the door.

"P-Princess Sera...! Her Majesty the Queen has arrived...!"

Before I could even answer, the door burst open. Carmel, her face contorted with fury, marched straight toward me.

"Leave us for a moment. You too, Shinia."

I spoke calmly to my maids and Shinia, who had followed Carmel inside looking utterly lost. They all filed out with anxious expressions, obeying my instructions. Soon, only Carmel and I remained in the room.

Her hypocritical, pristine appearance at the wedding had its charms, but pitch-black attire suited her far better. I offered her a gentle smile and spoke.

"What brings you here in such a rage, Mother?"

"What brings me here? Don't tell me you've already forgotten! At the wedding... how dare you do such a thing to me...!"

"How could I possibly forget? Even now, the sensation of your skin lingers vividly in my hands, Mother."

I meant it. The experience of kneading her bare, exquisite backside to my heart's content in such a thrilling, precarious situation—how could I ever forget that?

"You..."

Carmel gritted her teeth, her face flushed with genuine wrath. It seemed she had rushed straight to my chambers the moment her coronation ceremony concluded. That was how deeply the incident had shaken her. Suppressing her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rage, Carmel spoke in a voice as cold as ice.

"Don't get too cocky... Sera. I am now the official queen of this kingdom. I hold just as much power as you do—no, even more!"

"I am well aware of that, Mother. But doesn't that just make things so much more entertaining?"

Carmel's expression turned frigid. The searing anger from moments ago seemed to crystallize into a cold, burning malice.

"This incident has made one thing perfectly clear. You are completely out of your mind, Sera Rustier."

Hearing those words from Carmel, of all people, was quite amusing. Especially since she was the one who had gone utterly mad in the original novel.

"And?"

"Do you honestly think you'll get away with committing such an outrage against me? I will make you pay dearly for your insolence. I'll make you grovel on the floor, begging for mercy. Just you wait."

Carmel's voice was as sharp as frost. Having declared war as if throwing a dagger, she glared at me with eyes brimming with hostility.

"An outrage? Calling a little squeeze of your bottom an outrage seems rather dramatic, don't you think?"

I took a bold step into Carmel's personal space, closing the distance until my breath brushed against her cleavage. Instinctively, she tried to step back, but immediately dug her heels into the floor. Her pride wouldn't allow her to retreat before the overwhelming presence of her much younger stepdaughter.

"I have so many more things prepared for you, Mother. It is far too early to use such frightening words like 'outrage' before you've even experienced them."

Indeed, I hadn't even truly begun. Compared to my sublime goal of staining Carmel with shame and humiliation, ultimately turning her into a cute little pet dog that begged for my affection, fondling her backside was mere child's play.

The click of Carmel's high heels echoed against the floor. Faced with the dark, swirling desires in my eyes, she had ultimately taken a step back—though she might not have even realized it herself.

Carmel glared at me in silence before abruptly turning around, her face still painted with cold fury. Watching her retreat, I spoke softly.

"Just a moment, Mother."

Carmel turned back to face me, her dress rustling softly. Slipping back into my persona as the angelic Princess Sera, I addressed her gently.

"Now that I think about it, I haven't prepared a gift to celebrate your ascension to queen. And upon reflection, what happened at the wedding was indeed a bit much... So, let's consider that a down payment, and I shall offer you an opportunity."

"An opportunity? What kind of opportunity?"

"Just one. I will give you the chance to ask me a single question. No tricks, no lies—a completely fair trade."

Carmel's gaze pierced mine, trying to decipher my true intentions behind such an offer.

Well, there was no grand scheme. I actually felt a tiny bit of regret about what had happened. I had planned to wait much longer before touching Carmel's body directly. Yet, swept up in the heat of the moment, my body had moved on its own. Since I would be walking a tightrope from now on, such hastiness was highly undesirable.

To truly reflect on my actions, I needed to impose a penalty on myself. Giving Carmel this opportunity served that purpose. Furthermore, it was an attempt to build a strange sort of trust with her as an adversary.

If I only took things by force, she would eventually grow numb to the loss. Stripping away what she held dear under the guise of a fair trade would inflict a far greater sense of defeat upon her. Therefore, I fully intended to answer her question with absolute, unvarnished truth.

Carmel fell into deep thought before asking,

"Any question at all? For instance... telling me every single secret you are hiding?"

"Of course that won't do. Hmm... let's limit it to a question that can be answered with a simple yes or no."

"Fine."

Carmel began to ponder deeply once more. Then, she posed her question.

"Can you read minds?"

Hmm, I see. She was likely asking this because of how I had uncovered her secret pact with the northern tribes. That was something impossible to explain within the boundaries of what Princess Sera, a mere human, should know. It was a remarkably sharp deduction.

I was about to deny it immediately, as I possessed no such ability to read the minds of others. But just as I parted my lips, a sudden realization struck me.

I had read someone's mind before. Exactly one person's, to be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠precise. And that person was none other than Carmel. Most of the novel I had read was written from Carmel's first-person perspective. Her thoughts, her inner monologues, her deepest emotions—I had 'read' them all.

In a way, it was an exquisitely precise question, though she certainly hadn't intended it that way. Looking straight into Carmel's eyes, I answered.

"I would have to say... partially yes."

"Partially yes?"

Can you read minds? To that question, my answer was a partial yes. Carmel seemed to be running through countless possibilities in her head. Waves of deep contemplation rippled through her eyes. Of course, she would never stumble upon the truth that I was merely a reader of her story.

Carmel summoned Shinia and left my chambers. Unlike when she had first stormed in, her face was now clouded with profound, heavy thoughts.

The following day. From early morning, a deluge of gifts arrived at the royal palace, accompanied by congratulatory messages for the new queen, Carmel.

Countless other precious items and riches flooded into the palace by the hour, all destined for Carmel.

It wasn't difficult to discern their motives. In fact, they were glaringly obvious. Queen Carmel was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a woman with absolutely no ties or roots in the Luistie Kingdom. They were merely using these gifts to curry favor and draw her to their side.

An ordinary queen might have found such blatant sycophancy exhausting, but Carmel was not one to let such an opportunity slip through her fingers.

I already knew exactly whose hand Carmel would take, and which of the nobles who aligned with her would ultimately betray this country and Princess Sera.

The very first noble to side with Carmel would be none other than Count Roberts—the head of the family that owned the largest merchant guild in the kingdom. He was my next target.