A Game of Truth and Submission

"If you are indeed a member of the Black Goat Society, Mother, and you seduced Father to harm the kingdom, this is no minor affair. Not only would you lose your status as Queen, but you would most likely face a brutal execution."

Carmel kept her mouth tightly shut, glaring at me. She was likely trying to guess just how much I had uncovered.

"The Black Goat Society? I told you, I know nothing of such a thing. The item inside that box... is merely a keepsake from my mother."

"A keepsake containing such a powerful curse, Mother?"

"A curse? Is that what it is? I had no idea."

"Do you honestly believe such an excuse will hold up under interrogation by the Royal Guard?"

"Who knows? The Royal Guard might be a different story, but it will certainly work on your father. That incompetent, soft-hearted fool. With the King's protection, what could those mere knights possibly do to me?"

...She wasn't entirely wrong. Pehart was endlessly soft on those he considered his own. It was all too easy to picture. If she shed a few tears, claiming she couldn't bear to leave her mother's keepsake behind, Pehart would undoubtedly fall for it. It wasn't a bad move. However, Carmel seemed to have forgotten a crucial prerequisite for that plan to work.

"Hehe." Seeing me suddenly smile, Carmel narrowed her eyes in displeasure. I spoke in an amused, lighthearted tone.

"Aren't you forgetting something rather important, Mother? I have already poisoned Father once before. Doing it a second time would hardly be difficult."

"...What?"

"If Father attempts to shield you, it would be deeply tragic, but I would have no choice but to remove him and ascend the throne myself. After all, I am the rightful heir to this kingdom."

As the weight of my words sank in, Carmel's expression froze. It was different from her previous coldness; her face now looked as though she had just heard something utterly spine-chilling.

"Furthermore, the situation would only grow more unfavorable for you. His Majesty's mysterious death occurring right when you are under grave suspicion... Ah, my heart already aches thinking about how the world will look at you."

"You... would you really do such a thing...?"

"Do you think I'm incapable of it? Would you like to find out? Are you truly prepared to test my resolve, risking everything you have—including your very life?"

Carmel's complexion grew darker by the second. Her face betrayed the realization that she had lost before the cards were even dealt. Yet, she didn't seem ready to give up just yet. Despite her despair, she was desperately trying to think of a way out of this predicament. But as far as I knew, Carmel had no more cards left to play. I watched her with a relaxed, leisurely air. Had she thought of something? Carmel spoke in a somewhat cautious voice.

"No... you, you can't. Stop... stop bluffing..."

"A bluff? What part of this is a bluff?"

Even after agonizing over her words, Carmel was still hesitating. Honestly, I was quite curious to see what kind of solution she had managed to conjure up.

"You said it yourself. You said the thing you fear most... is losing me. So there is no way you could ever have me executed."

I knew it was rude, but I couldn't hold back the laughter bubbling up inside me.

"Ahahaha! Ahahahaha!"

"W-what are you laughing at? Was it... was it all a lie? Everything you said that night...!"

Carmel's face contorted, trembling as if shuddering from a deep sense of betrayal. I felt I should quickly correct such a sad misunderstanding. With a gentle smile, I spoke.

"No, it was entirely genuine. Fearing the loss of you is my absolute, unvarnished truth. To me, Mother, you are more precious than anything else in this world."

"Then why..."

"But don't you see how amusing it is? That the very last thing you choose to rely on is my affection for you! Are you truly content to save your life in such a manner, Mother? In a sense, that is nothing less than submitting to me."

"Ugh..."

Carmel tightly crumpled the fabric of her skirt. It seemed she had finally realized the true weight of her own words. The trap to lead her to the execution block was already fully set. If I treated her as a mere enemy, she was as good as dead. In such a situation, her appeal was a declaration that shattered any illusion of equality between us. It was no longer a contest where one simply held the upper hand, but a completely subordinate relationship where she could not even survive without my affection and mercy. She was, in effect, admitting to that subjugation.

"Kh...!"

Flushed red with rage and humiliation, Carmel bolted upright. She snatched up a glass ornament from the table, looking ready to hurl it at any second. But that was as far as she went. Trembling violently, she froze in that exact posture. If she made a scene now, the maids would come rushing in. That would bring our negotiations to an abrupt end—before she could even secure her own safety. It seemed she still possessed just enough rationality to realize that. I spoke to her in a calm, steady voice.

"Won't you take your seat, Mother? I am not finished speaking yet."

Glaring at me with eyes full of intense resentment, Carmel sank back into her chair. By now, her pride must have been as battered and tattered as a heavily beaten punching bag.

"To be clear, I have no intention of executing you. However, death is not the only form of punishment."

"What... what are you trying to say?"

"I am saying that swapping out a prisoner during a highly classified execution is a trivial matter. Rest easy, Mother. I will never kill you, no matter what. Instead, you will have to become my personal doll. A pitiful doll locked away in a place no one knows, whose sole purpose in life is to be doted on by me. With the power of the crown, it would be incredibly simple."

I was already doing something similar. Rika, confined to the brothel, was living exactly that kind of existence. Though if I were to do it to Carmel, I would probably choose a slightly different method. But to be perfectly honest, while I was capable of it, I didn't actually want to. What I wanted was not a docile, mindless doll. I wanted the proud, arrogant Carmel herself.

Carmel's face was beyond dark; she had gone completely pale. It was obvious she was feeling a terror that easily overwhelmed the anger that had been burning inside her just moments ago.

"Oh, did I startle you? Don't worry too much. I don't particularly wish for things to turn out that way either. It's just that I would far prefer that option over executing you with my own hands. Hehe."

Carmel fell silent, her face a mask of sheer desperation. Her mind was likely racing, frantically searching for a way to break this deadlock. However, the words I had just spoken seemed to have lodged themselves deep within her mind, disrupting her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thoughts. In the end, she squeezed out a single, agonizing sentence.

"I... lose..."

At Carmel's declaration of surrender, a triumphant smile bloomed in my heart.

"Splendid. Shall we proceed with our deal, then? This time, there is only one thing I desire from you. The truth."

Had she been dreading what sort of lewd command she might receive this time? A faint, almost imperceptible trace of relief flickered across Carmel's face. Of course, I had no intention of letting her off that easily.

"You want me to answer your questions?"

"Hmm... a simple Q&A is far too boring. Let us play a game, Mother."

"A game?"

"Yes. I will ask you a question, and you must provide an answer that thoroughly convinces me of its truth. If I am not entirely convinced that you are telling the truth, I will play a little prank on you."

"What on earth...! What kind of... Do you honestly think I would agree to such nonsense?"

"Oh? Is there a problem?"

"O-of course there is...! Forcing the speaker to convince you of the truth when the judgment lies entirely in your hands! How can you even call that a game?"

Hmm, well, it was a perfectly natural objection. But Carmel was in no position to bargain. I quietly rose from my seat and approached the box containing the Mistylia. The black mana slowly seeping out of it made it clear that the source of the curse lay within.

Carmel watched me open the box with a face of absolute, unadulterated shock. I turned back to her, offered a bright smile, and spoke.

"I know far, far more than you think I do, Mother. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠In other words, what I just proposed was not an offer, but a command. Hehe, you are quite right. As you said, this is entirely unfair. But that doesn't mean you have the right to refuse."

"H-how..."

The expression on Carmel's face transcended mere defeat. It was a despairing, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠absolute submission—as if her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠desperate bluffs had been completely seen through, and the very inner workings of her mind laid bare. It was the face of someone who had just realized, deep in her bones, that she could never defeat me as long as she lived.

"This... can't be..."

I approached the shell-shocked Carmel. Then, as if comforting a despairing soul, I spoke in a tender, affectionate voice.

"Do not worry. I will establish a rule. The questions I ask will be strictly limited to your personal affairs. Will that make it a bit easier for you to accept?"

To ask about the Lorencia family or force her to reveal her hidden cards right now would be too cruel. Doing so would tilt the board so drastically that future 'deals' would become impossible. I did not want that. At my words, which sounded like a generous concession, Carmel replied in a weak, hollow voice.

"I... understand..."

There was a fresh, intoxicating allure to Carmel with her half-dead eyes. Hearing a grand fanfare play in my mind, I spoke softly, with utter shamelessness, as if merely stating an obvious rule.

"Then, as preparation for our game, would you please take off your clothes? Naturally, including your underwear. Leave absolutely nothing on."