A Queen on Her Knees
Judging by Carmel's state yesterday, the activation conditions for the Mystilia curse had been more than met. If so, I could draw a tentative conclusion: the curse required a certain amount of time before it could trigger again. Simply put, a cooldown. Whoever created the Mystilia curse likely never anticipated a situation like this—a victim filled with intense, curse-driven hatred being utterly broken and subjugated again just a day or two later. If I kept Carmel in her current state, I would eventually figure out the exact interval of the curse's cycle. Of course, once we returned to the royal capital, I planned to have Saintess Rielia begin the dispelling process immediately, but there was no harm in gathering information. It might even prove useful for dealing with other curses. It was just as I was lost in these thoughts.
"Princess! Princess Sera! Forgive the intrusion!" A frantic voice called out. It was undoubtedly one of Luna's vassals. I gestured for Rika to open the door.
"What is the matter? To be in such a rush..."
"It—It is a rebellion! In the lands formerly ruled by Elond, his remnants have risen up in protest against the recent measures!"
"Remnants... I was under the impression that their power base had been almost entirely dismantled." Most of Elond's faction had already been purged. Even the soldiers under his command had mostly been integrated under the new head of the family. They shouldn't have had the numbers to stage a proper rebellion.
"Yes, it seems they have somehow rallied their scattered forces. Of course, their numbers cannot be very large, but..." Were they fools who valued loyalty to Elond over their own lives? Or perhaps they figured they were going to be purged anyway, so they might as well go down fighting.
"And Duke Luna?"
"She is preparing to suppress them immediately. I was ordered to report the situation to you, Princess, and escort you to her."
"I understand. I will be right there." I followed him out without delay. Luna was waiting for me in the lord's chamber.
"You have arrived, Princess. Have you heard the news?"
"Yes. I heard Elond's remnants are causing a disturbance."
"Indeed. It seems some of those who fled to escape the purge have instigated this. We estimate their numbers to be under a hundred." The royal army was still stationed in Lorencia. Fighting them with a hundred men—or even twice that number—was pure suicide. They truly intended to follow the deceased Elond to the grave.
"I could handle this on my own, but... I believed it only proper to report to you first, Princess." The incident Elond had caused was high treason against the royal family. In a case like this, the most important thing was to crush them so thoroughly that no other noble would ever dare dream of doing the same. The same standard had to be applied to those who followed Elond. To execute them and display the royal family's absolute authority, it would be far more effective for me, the princess, to take action directly rather than leaving it solely to Luna.
"Yes, I will go myself. Luna, you shall accompany me."
"Understood, Princess." Hmm... This was, after all, one of the reasons I had come to Lorencia in the first place: to stabilize Elond's former territory. It was my duty as a princess. Still, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment at this sudden interruption. I had been looking forward to spending the day playing with Carmel's body. Well, it was still early morning. If we quickly swept away this handful of rebels and returned, there would still be plenty of time left to enjoy myself. I headed straight for the royal army's barracks.
To put it bluntly, it was an absolute disaster. Elond's remnants had no intention of fighting a glorious battle to show their resolve before dying. Having made the forest their stronghold, their sole objective seemed to be inflicting as much damage as possible on the invaders who had trampled their land. It was a siege utilizing a forest they knew like the back of their hands. Stepping into the woods was easy, but getting out was another story. The uneven terrain and dense trees made it difficult for our knights to utilize their skills or numerical advantage. All manner of traps chipped away at our forces. With arrows raining down from the high canopy and explosives detonating just when the soldiers let their guard down, morale plummeted.
"What if we just burn it all down? The entire damn forest." It was the commander of the magic combat unit who spoke. I shook my head.
"The forest is too vast, and it borders several villages. If the autumn wind carries the flames, there is no telling how extensive the collateral damage will be."
"But aren't those villagers in on it too? They're all the same Lorencia bastards anyway... Ah." Realizing too late that Luna was sitting in the very same room, the man shrank back and mumbled an apology. One look at Luna's icy glare was enough to force an apology out of anyone. Still, his words weren't entirely baseless. The supplies the rebels could hoard in the forest were limited. There was no way they could have stockpiled enough resources while on the run. To keep themselves supplied, they would need the cooperation of the nearby villages in one way or another—though whether the peasants actually sympathized with them remained to be seen.
In the end, the solution had been obvious from the start: blockade the exits of the forest, especially the paths leading to and from the villages, safely dismantle the traps, and gradually constrict their living space. Self-sufficiency had its limits. Eventually, they would be forced to choose between starving to death, surrendering, or launching one final, desperate attack. It was a textbook checkmate. However, for me personally, there was a massive problem. A war of attrition was a long-term strategy that couldn't possibly be resolved in a day or two. It was a complete waste of time. The window of opportunity to torment Carmel would pass. As a princess, it would be proper to sacrifice my personal pleasure for the greater good... but I had absolutely no intention of doing so. Carmel was everything I wanted. No "greater good" in this world was worth giving her up.
I spoke solemnly to the gathered officers. "Ron, I am adopting your proposal. Evacuate all residents living near the forest immediately. The royal family will fully compensate them for any property damage."
Luna's commander, who was also present, gasped in shock. "P—Princess... Do you truly mean to burn down the entire Lowstone Forest? That place is famous as one of the most beautiful forests in Lorencia, steeped in countless legends..."
"But now, it is merely a fortress for traitors." Luna raised her hand, cutting off her commander before he could speak further. I addressed the room.
"This is a lesson. A lesson not just for Lorencia, but for all who dare oppose the royal family. A lesson that if you bare your fangs at the crown, even the most beautiful forest or the most historic site will be reduced to ashes." No one dared to object further. I concluded the meeting by ordering the immediate evacuation of the villagers.
To put it bluntly, it was a resounding success. Just as the villagers were evacuated and we were about to set the surrounded forest ablaze, the rebels emerged from the woods with their hands raised high. It seemed they decided that being beheaded was far more honorable than being burned alive. Or perhaps, as Luna's commander had said, that forest was simply too precious to the people of Lorencia. After confirming the execution of the rebels by beheading, I returned to Senain Castle. It was already incredibly late, close to midnight. I was just glad the matter had been resolved within the day. Without even bothering to eat, I headed straight down to the dungeon.
Carmel looked startled the moment I stepped into her cell. "Se—Sera...!" Upon seeing me, Carmel hurriedly adjusted her posture into a polite, submissive seat. And in a trembling, obedient voice, she pleaded, "I—I was wrong... I won't speak so arrogantly ever again... P—Please, forgive me...!"
Watching Carmel immediately burst into apologies, I quickly pieced the situation together in my head. The last time I had seen her was last night, when I had mercilessly forced her to climax over and over. Since early this morning, I had been away to deal with Elond's remnants. I had left Rika in charge of managing Carmel, but knowing Rika's strict personality, she would have kept completely silent about why I was gone. From Carmel's perspective, then, she had no choice but to assume she was being intentionally neglected—as a punishment for her bold attempt to mount me the night before.
...So that's how she took it. The desperate way Carmel watched my expression made me want to pounce on her right then and there. Instead, I deliberately maintained a cold facade and spoke. "Ahem. Have you truly reflected on your actions?"
"Y—Yes...!"
"Don't you think there is a more appropriate posture for begging forgiveness?"
Carmel flinched. She knew exactly what I meant. "I... understand..." Carmel slid off the bed and placed her knees on the cold stone floor. Looking up at me with tear-filled eyes, she sent a dark, boiling desire rushing through me. When I superimposed her current, pitiful state over her triumphant face from yesterday, my excitement only intensified.
"That is still not enough, Mother. I hear that in far-off lands, bowing one's head all the way to the ground in that position is considered the ultimate expression of sincerity. If you are truly reflecting on your actions, surely you can manage at least that much?"
"B—Bow my head...? In this position...?" Demanded to perform an apology far more humiliating than mere kneeling, Carmel's eyes shook violently.