[Vol. 8] Chapter 28: Shadow in the Night
Trying to clear her mind of all the messy thoughts, the young queen picked up the cup of tea on her desk, it was meant to help her stay awake. But when she lifted the lid, she paused in surprise. The cup was already completely empty.
“I’m really out of it tonight… Someone come in,” Lilya called out softly, as she usually did, expecting one of the royal maids standing outside her study to come in and bring fresh tea. But for some reason, no one answered. The maids were always close by and should have responded right away.
Her brows tightened. A tired look had been on her face just moments ago, but now it completely disappeared. She seemed to sense something, and after a short silence, she quietly looked up toward the ceiling.
“Emily, are you there?”
There was only silence. At some point, the royal study had become unusually quiet.
“……”
There was definitely something wrong.
Emily had once served as a shadow guard and now worked as Lilya’s personal maid and most trusted aide. She was always nearby, ready to protect her. It was possible, though rare, that the regular maids outside had dozed off or gotten distracted. But Emily? No way. She would never leave her side like this.
Lilya silently looked around the room, which was softly lit by magical lamps. Then she turned to look out the window, and quickly noticed something else unusual.
The darkness outside had changed. It was deeper than before. The moonlight and stars, which should have been visible in the spring night, were gone. It didn’t even look like a normal night anymore, more like someone had pulled a thick black curtain over the window to block off the outside world.
It wasn’t winter yet, but not even the sound of bugs or wind could be heard from outside. No footsteps from guards or maids came through the door either. Even with good soundproofing, the room should not be this silent.
“……”
Without showing any emotion, the young queen slowly reached for the sword hidden in the drawer under her desk and held it in her hand. Then she stood up and carefully began to move around the room.
Everything was still eerily quiet.
She walked over to a small cradle in the corner and saw a little Xiangxiang fruit sleeping soundly inside, its tiny arms and legs so delicate they didn’t seem real. Seeing this, Lilya relaxed a little, but she quickly turned to look at the door and spoke in a quiet voice, almost like talking to herself:
“You’re already here, so why keep pretending to be mysterious? Come out.”
Clap, clap, clap, clap~
Suddenly, a slow, playful clapping sound came from behind her, not from where she was looking, but from her desk, where she had been sitting just a moment ago. Lilya’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she quickly hid the reaction and calmly turned around.
Somehow, someone was now sitting in her seat. A slim figure leaned back in the chair, staring straight at her with a cold, unreadable look, as if judging her. The stare felt like the gaze of a poisonous snake, sharp and uncomfortable, making the young queen of this great kingdom frown again.
“Who are you? Why have you come into the royal study in the middle of the night?”
The stranger was wearing a long black cloak that covered their entire body and face. It was such an obvious "suspicious person" outfit, it was like wearing a sign that said “I’m up to no good.”
No matter who they were, Lilya was sure, if they took just ten steps outside, the palace guards would stop them right away and tear off that cloak.
Even if that person were her.
That meant this person absolutely didn’t enter the palace through the normal way. Even worse, she had the nerve to sit in the queen’s personal seat. Just based on that, Lilya had every reason to cut off her head.
But the stranger didn’t seem to care how dangerous her actions were, or maybe she simply wasn’t afraid. After calmly clapping her hands, the sharp, snake-like gaze hidden under the cloak finally moved away from the queen and she gave a small nod.
“As expected of Lilya Melchior, the first woman in the history of the Human United Kingdom to kill her many own kin and take the throne. In just a few years, you've managed to rule this vast country with order and full control. Even though it wasn't all due to your own efforts. But among humans, such weak little creatures, you're quite the rare and impressive one. You're barely qualified in all areas. So, how about it, do you want to become one of my wives?”
“…?”
Instead of getting angry at such an outrageous statement, Lilya tilted her head, looking puzzled.
Even though the stranger was hiding her face with a cloak, her voice was clear and pleasant. It was obviously a young woman’s voice. So, this strange girl had snuck into the royal palace in the middle of the night, came straight to the queen’s study, and the first thing she said… was to ask the queen to become one of her wives?
It was absurd, but this arrogant and ridiculous statement also revealed some useful information. Lilya had been in power for a long time, so she immediately caught the weakness in the other woman’s words and calmly asked,
“So, you already have many wives? Being overly romantic isn’t exactly a good quality. You came into my room alone at night, just to make such a confusing request? If I’m not wrong, you’re probably not human, are you? We're neither the same race nor of opposite sex. How could we be partners?”
“Hahaha~!”
The mysterious woman burst into laughter and stood up, not at all worried that her voice might alert the maids or guards outside. The cold, snake-like look in her eyes softened. But now it roamed freely over the queen, like someone admiring a precious gem… which somehow made Lilya even more uncomfortable.
“The idea that a wife must be the only one, or that partners must be from the same race and of opposite sex, that’s all just some weird rules made up by you humans. In this world, strength is what matters. If someone is strong enough, they can do whatever they want. Who would dare to stop them?”
“Let me be honest with you, Lilya Melchior. Your kingdom has caused trouble for some people’s plans, so I came here tonight to assassinate you. But your beauty, your presence, and your calmness made me change my mind.”
The strange girl, whose actions and logic didn’t make much sense, crossed her arms and stood confidently, clearly proud of herself.
“Listen. Swear loyalty to me right here, agree to follow my orders from now on, and become one of my partners, and I’ll let you live. Not only that, once you belong to me, I’ll protect you. No one else will dare to touch you, not even those who’ve been watching your kingdom. Sounds like a great deal, doesn’t it?”
“…?”
Seeing the stranger act like she was offering the queen a huge favor, without even realizing how insulting she sounded, Lilya felt more helpless and curious than angry.
“Um… are you serious?”
That simple question, said without much thought, carried a clear message of rejection. And the moment it left her lips, the entire room seemed to freeze, becoming so quiet that even a pin dropping could be heard.
“…!”
The mysterious woman’s eyes narrowed suddenly, as if Lilya had just deeply insulted her. A wave of cold, far stronger than before, crashed into the room like a storm. Lilya could feel it prickling painfully across her skin.
“You… a mere mortal, how dare you…!!!”