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Queen’s Beauty
Initially, Queen Sisi didn"t rule the people in the North. She merely united the humans, who were spread out, in the North due to the war. So accordingly, the people weren"t interested her visit. They cared more about their newly grown seeds that they needed to tend to. Had I not promised all of them ten copper coins per day to have them drop their current work, Queen Sisi might be welcomed by the awkward scene of just us when she arrived. That would likely anger her to insanity.
The townsfolk lined up on both sides of the main street, which was also the street that led to our residence, to welcome Queen Sisi"s arrival. From afar, we could see the cavalry at the forefront with the flags on their gun tips raised up high. Her escort was stately. Fully-geared up cavalry rode at the forefront; every individual and ever horse was practically the same. Each of them had colourful flags held up on guns. There was most likely some sort of meaning to the flags.
Behind the cavalry were the civil servants. They were probably people who Queen Sisi trusted. Dead centre was Queen Sisi, herself, in a ma.s.sive carriage comparable to a tank. The six white horses looked magnificent. Beside her carriage were messengers. To the rear was the group of ladies-in-waiting, who were responsible for serving Queen Sisi. Plenty of ladies-in-waiting didn"t have equestrian skills, which was why they used ordinary horse carriages. Next, there were the fully-geared soldiers. To the rear were the infantry, who were tasked with protected the supply carriages.
While it was just an escort that was out for a single trip, it was a grand team. The metal reflected light. From a distance, it didn"t resemble an escort team out on a tour, but a fully-equipped army. By my estimations, Queen Sisi must"ve spent more on similar trips than what I could earn by putting my life on the line and even sacrificing a leg.
Sisi was the Queen of humanity"s empire no questions there. Her display would probably be enough to convince the elves to rethink if it was actually wise to go to war against humanity. That said, war wasn"t fought with money, but whether or not there are men willing to go and fight. Regardless, it was common for people to be willing to go to war for money.
Leah stood in front of me. Surprised, she remarked, "Papa, Her Majesty"s escort sure is magnificent."
Leah, who wore luxurious clothing for the day, looked as adorable as a Barbie doll. Standing behind her, I pinched her face gently and enviously replied, "Yeah. She is the Queen after all; plus, she"s the proud type."
"It"ll be so nice when Papa can sit in the same sort of carriage, since Papa"s leg…" Leah turned to me feeling that it was a pity.
I smiled and bent down to kiss Leah"s forehead: "Papa can"t do that. If Queen Sisi found out that I used a carriage on par with hers, Papa would probably be chewed out. Moreover, it doesn"t matter to Papa what sort of carriage Papa sits in. What Papa cares more about is if Papa can let you sit in an equally luxurious carriage."
Leah reacted surprised. She scratched her face then shook her head: "Papa wants Leah to become a Queen?! Papa, Leah doesn"t want to be a Queen. Queen"s always have to fight this and fight that. Leah just wants to be Papa"s daughter."
"If you were with the demon race, after your father"s pa.s.sing, you would"ve become the Demon Queen, right?"
"Not at all, Papa. Leah is the daughter of a succubus, which means that Leah was of very low status… The successor to the throne would be the best elder brother or sister. In short, it wouldn"t be Leah…"
"That said, your brothers and sisters probably aren"t alive anymore, right? You are the only surviving child, aren"t you?"
"Papa, the demon race doesn"t exist any longer, either, you know?"
I couldn"t help laughing at Leah"s reaction. A former Princess of the demon race reminded me that the demon race was destroyed, and she didn"t look sad in the least. Judging from her att.i.tude, her childhood must"ve been worse than she described.
I heard a horn. The escort"s forefront riders reached the main doors to our small town. They blew their horns to grab our attention. The town doors opened, and everyone bowed their heads to welcome the escort as per my instructions. Leah and I, however, didn"t need to. We only needed to salute Queen Sisi, not the others.
The sounds of horse hooves and wheels approached from the desolate land outside. The frontlines raised the flags that represented Queen Sisi"s dignity and pa.s.sed through the crowd. Every rider looked absolutely serious; the same went for the civil servants. They pa.s.sed through the silent crowd; all that could be heard were the echoes of horse hooves. The ma.s.sive carriage stopped in front of Leah and I. A lady-in-waiting then brought a flight of stairs to the door of the carriage and opened the door. Queen Sisi emerged dressed in a long milk-white dress. She didn"t dress in a very revealing fashion this time. Instead, she wore a dress similar to what was worn in ancient Europe.
The lady-in-waiting extended out her hand, but Queen Sisi waved her off. Queen Sisi then looked at me and revealed a smile that made me shudder with fear. She softly giggled: "What"s the matter, my dear Little Doggy? Are you somehow displeased with me granting you the honour of helping me down my carriage after coming here from so far away?"
I helplessly smiled in my mind then slowly walked up to the steps. Queen Sisi appeared as a beautiful white rose that graced the desolate North with its beauty. I heard the townsfolk around me gasp. Queen Sisi"s beauty was irresistible. Their hearts palpitated much more than when they saw the green in their fields. Queen Sisi smugly smiled as she looked at her people. The people, who I had to figuratively drag there, went down on one knee with the utmost respect. They greeted her in unison, "May the G.o.ds be with our Queen!"
"Little Doggy, you have a foot injury, so there is no need for you to kneel." Queen Sisi reached out to stop me when I went to kneel. She seemingly floated through the kneeling crowd with the elegance of a swan. She pinched Leah"s face then softly laughed: "I must say, while you"re a demon, your face is, without question, very cute. I"m happy to see your face. Have you ever thought about becoming my lady-in-waiting?"
Somewhat fearful, Leah looked at Queen Sisi"s face and then shook her head. She answered with a stutter, "S-Sorry, um… um… no… I have not…"
"I see. That"s a pity, then."
The invitation ended there. As a result, I wasn"t sure if Queen Sisi was just making a polite gesture or if she genuinely desired Leah. I wasn"t convinced Queen Sisi had given up yet. After all, if she could bring Leah to the imperial capital, I would definitely follow her.
"That was truly a long journey. Life in the carriage couldn"t compare to life in the imperial palace. Nonetheless, I have something that I must do here."
Queen Sisi didn"t continue the rest of the journey in her carriage. The long escort orderly went off to the places that were organised for them. Queen Sisi followed alongside me. She wrapped her arm around mine and smiled: "Before I explicate my intentions for coming here, though, I need to see my good friend. Why did Veirya not come to welcome me? Is she not well?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Veirya is not too well; she is currently awaiting your arrival at home."
"Oh?" Queen Sisi"s heterochromia eyes lit up. With a smile, she said, "I"m looking forward to seeing her, then. She actually gets sick? Hurry, let me see her. I"m curious now; I want to see what illness the woman who defeated the most powerful being on this continent has. I need to avoid it!!"