The Tables Have Turned
"Protect the Princess!"
"Yes, Sister!"
Under Rika's command, the mercenaries quickly surrounded me and the wounded knights. The enemy soldiers seemed deeply shaken by the sudden appearance of troops seemingly rising from the very earth. Of course, their agitation was nothing compared to Carmel's.
"...Why...?"
Unlike Carmel, Rika did not waver in the slightest upon seeing the Queen's face. She simply stood firm before me, directing her mercenaries with absolute composure.
"Re-retreat! Retreat!"
Finally, a man who appeared to be an Imperial officer barked the order to withdraw. Even as her allies fled in a panic, Carmel just stood there, utterly devastated. Drenched in the rain, she looked pitiful, her previous triumph completely vanished. I approached her, flanked by Rika's protective guard.
"It seems the tables have turned, Mother."
Looking at me standing side by side with Rika, Carmel spat out venomous words.
"You... you...! What did you do to Rika?! You broke your promise! You swore you would let her go!"
"The only thing I promised was to release Rika outside of Lurie. I have no recollection of promising anything beyond that."
"What?!"
Perhaps Rika was the most precious person in Carmel's life—precious enough that Carmel had traded her own body and dignity to save the knight's life. How must it feel to see such a person now siding with her enemy? Though I hadn't planned things to go exactly this way, Rika was serving her original purpose perfectly: as a card to utterly shatter Carmel's heart.
She had wanted to defeat me before her very eyes. She had wanted to inflict the same humiliation she suffered back onto me. If she hadn't harbored such thoughts, if she hadn't foolishly come to this place herself, this would never have happened. I stepped closer to Carmel and whispered:
"Well, it wasn't exactly smooth sailing from the start. As you know, Rika can be quite wild. I had to rely on a little help from the Hypnotic Incense. Now, she is my loyal little lapdog."
"You... Sera...!"
Trembling with rage, Carmel tried to lung at me, but Rika instantly pinned her down. With her arms forced behind her back, Carmel cried out in a desperately pleading voice.
"Rika...! Wake up...! You... you are being deceived by this wicked princess...!"
How touching. To think the proud Carmel would stoop to this... But Rika merely replied with a flat, indifferent tone.
"I am sorry, Lady Carmel. My mind is perfectly clear. It is of my own free will... that I have chosen to remain by the Princess's side."
"What..."
Carmel's mouth fell open in sheer shock, looking as if her entire world had just collapsed. Her expression was so unbearably arousing. It made me want to devour her with kisses right then and there. But that would have to wait. I gave Rika her order.
"Bind Mother. We must make haste back to Lurie."
Capturing Carmel was a triumph, but considering the situation at Senain Castle, we had no time to waste. We quickly cleaned up the battlefield and set off toward Lurie once more.
When I personally reported the events of Lorencia, Pehart flew into a rage unlike anything I had ever seen before. A subjugation force was mobilized immediately. A vanguard composed primarily of cavalry set out first to relieve Senain Castle. The main army that followed was of a scale that could have wiped Lorencia off the map entirely. It was a testament to the King's immense fury, but it was also a calculated move to deter any Imperial intervention.
However, the army never got its chance to fight. Only a few days after the main force departed, the patriarch, Reid Lorencia, personally arrived at the royal palace. He brought with him the severed head of his eldest son, Elond Lorencia.
The elderly Duke Reid Lorencia leaned heavily on his cane as he shuffled into the audience chamber. Placing a plain, unadorned wooden box on the floor, he painfully fell to his knees and bowed his head low.
"Open it," the King commanded.
A soldier opened the box. Inside lay the head of a man with a thick beard and sideburns that resembled a lion's mane.
"It is indeed Elond Lorencia. Speak, Reid."
"O wise and great King Pehart of Rustier. I beg for your mercy. The sin of daring to lay a hand on the Princess, and the treason of inviting foreign powers to destabilize the kingdom... as the patriarch, I deeply take full responsibility for all of it. I present to you the head of the wretched beast who committed these heinous acts, so please, I beg of you, appease your wrath."
"I am not the one who decides that."
I was listening to Reid's plea from my seat just below the King. Taking the cue from my father, I spoke to the trembling Reid.
"Reid Lorencia. Did you truly know nothing of Elond's rebellion?"
"Truly, I swear on my life I did not. Had I known, I would have been the first to execute that traitor myself. Please, forgive this foolish old man who was blind to his own son's schemes."
"Yet it was you who designated such a man as your successor. It was also you who granted him authority over most of the duchy's affairs. If your eyes are so useless at judging character, perhaps it would be better if we gouged them out entirely?"
My tone was serene, but my words cut like a freezing blade. Reid shook violently, barely squeezing out a response.
"I... I only beg for your mercy... Please..."
"Very well. It is not as if there are no mitigating circumstances. After all, not everyone in the Lorencia family sided with Elond. Take Luna Lorencia, for instance, who spared no effort in helping me escape."
Reid hung on my every word, his entire being focused on my lips. I could almost hear the shallow, desperate breaths escaping the old man's trembling mouth.
"Furthermore, though it is quite late, we must consider that you personally brought his head, and that your family has maintained a good relationship with the royal house until now. I will not strip you of the title that has stood alongside the history of Rustier. However, the royal family will confiscate all territories previously governed by Elond Lorencia. Additionally, you will immediately abdicate the position of patriarch to Luna Lorencia."
"Princess, are you certain this is enough?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The Lorencia family is one of the Six Great Families, a pillar supporting Rustier. I believe it is only right to give them a chance to wash away their disgrace."
"You are merciful as always. Reid, what say you to the Princess's decree?"
"I am deeply moved by such immense leniency... I have nothing but gratitude..."
"Return to your territory immediately and carry out the Princess's orders. The mobilized army will remain stationed there for the time being. If there is even the slightest deviation... you will pay dearly for trampling upon the Princess's mercy."
"I swear on the lives of all my kin and vassals, it shall be done exactly as you command..."
"You may dismiss. Leave at once."
Reid Lorencia stumbled out of the palace. Pehart sighed deeply as he watched the old man's retreating figure, then ordered the guards to dispose of the gruesome head. Once the room was cleared, the stern expression of a monarch melted away, replaced by the warm face of a father. Looking down at me, Pehart spoke.
"Are you truly fine with this, Sera? Even though they threatened your very life..."
"I believe this is more than enough to serve as an example. If we corner them too much, they might resort to desperate measures. Besides, we must show everyone that those who aid me will be rewarded handsomely."
"Hmm... I see. If my wise daughter has judged it so."
The conversation seemed to draw to a close, but Pehart suddenly brought up another matter.
"By the way, Sera, did the Queen not return with you? She left for Lorencia saying she was going to check on you... I worry she might have been caught up in this mess..."
"Do not worry about Mother, Father. She mentioned she would remain there to help stabilize the public sentiment in Lorencia. She said she would be staying at Senain Castle for the time being."
"Oh, is that so? Truly marvelous. She is an exemplary Queen."
Pehart nodded in satisfaction. Well, it wasn't an absolute lie. Carmel was indeed staying at Senain Castle. In the depths of its dungeon, a place known to absolutely no one except the castle's mistress, Luna.
"I must head back to Lorencia as well. I need to ensure Reid keeps his word, and discuss our future plans with Luna Lorencia."
"Mmm... Aren't you pushing yourself too hard? And to return to a place where you have such terrible memories..."
"Do not worry, Father. Bad memories are meant to be painted over with pleasant ones."
That was certainly true. For in the depths of Senain Castle, my greatest pleasure was eagerly awaiting my return.
A dark, damp space. The footsteps in this corridor echoed with particular resonance. Perhaps it had been designed that way intentionally, to envelop the prisoners kept here in a state of constant, suffocating anxiety.
I opened the heavy iron door at the very end of the corridor. Inside, Rika and Carmel were waiting for me.
Clank, rattle!
The sound of chains clashing violently echoed through the room. She was likely reacting to the sound of my entrance. Carmel was suspended by chains that could be adjusted with a mechanical winch. She was held in an incredibly awkward, agonizing posture: one leg pulled high into the air, both arms bound tightly behind her back, and her other leg chained securely to the stone floor.
Yet, to an onlooker, it was a sight of breathtaking beauty. The stark contrast between the Queen's pale, milky skin and the heavy, blackened iron chains only served to accentuate the exquisite allure of her mature body.
Furthermore, a blindfold covered Carmel's eyes, and a gag was stuffed into her mouth, robbing her of speech. At this moment, sound was her only connection to the world. No wonder she had reacted so sensitively to my footsteps.
I approached Carmel and slipped off her blindfold. The moment she recognized my face, she began to thrash her body wildly, providing a delightful show for my eyes.
During the entire time I was traveling from Lurie to this place, Carmel had been left suspended in this exact state. She probably hadn't even realized that the one managing her confinement was Rika. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes—whether from physical agony or sheer humiliation, it was impossible to tell.
"Hehe, how are you feeling, Mother?"
I whispered softly against her ear, and Carmel began to writhe against her chains once more, her body shaking with desperate fury.