Chapter 483: Distressed Queen (1/2)
South Yuguria Empire – Temporary Capital: Poron Royal Palace.
Wilhelmina sits down on her throne which is one step lower than it once was, and s.h.i.+fts her gaze from the ceiling of the palace which is two steps lower to the city of Poron which is three steps lower.
「Remaining squads are a.s.sembling in Poron. ……the loyalty of the people has not yet disappeared.」
A middle-aged man who is the definition of average shouts in a needlessly loud voice.
「――I see. I will also do my utmost. I hope that everyone can lend me their strength.」
Wilhelmina smiles weakly to the middle-aged man and the knights around him.
Her beauty hasn’t changed, but she couldn’t hide the dark circles under her eyes or her pale complexion.
Similarly, the disadvantage in battle could no longer be hidden and the unfavorable situation had become widely known even among the populace.
「Your Majesty……leave it to me.」
「We must fight…… we can’t let things end like this for Her Majesty!」
The people here are those who have served Poron since Wilhelmina was a princess.
They have known Wilhelmina since she was a child and they felt heartbroken to see her so exhausted.
Despite the poor odds of winning, most of them are in agreement to fight and protect Wilhelmina.
Sadly, they did not have the ability to rebound from the inferior position.
That was why Wilhelmina relied heavily on Zaphnes and his men, a.s.signing these veterans to the remote regions of Polpo instead to complete menial tasks such as maintaining security.
「I was scheduled to meet with Commander Eldrito to discuss the formation of the defense line, but I don’t see him. Did I mistake the time?」
「I saw him ride into the city on his horse earlier…… but I thought he just went to scout……?」
However, ever since Maestas’ death in battle, even Zaphnes’s men who were supposed to be tight-knit, began to go missing, forcing these formerly unneeded individuals to be given proper duties as well.
「……I’ll return to my room briefly. If an incident arises, don’t hesitate to inform me.」
「Of course, Your Majesty. Haven’t you not slept these past few nights? Please take care of yourself.」
「As long as we are here, the enemy will not advance a single step! Rest easily.」
When Wilhelmina stood, everyone in the room expressed their concern.
Their loyalty and dedication are unquestionable. They simply weren’t capable enough.
Wilhelmina erased her tired and weakened expression in an instant as soon as she entered her room.
The bags under her eyes were the only thing that remained.
The weary queen acted to draw out the devotion of her subordinates, but the physical and mental stress have clearly acc.u.mulated.
That was when she heard footsteps from Zaphnes walking in.
「Oh, you’re back! It’s a terrible situation, but we can still recover. Fortunately, the enemy’s main forces are stuck in Alteria. If we can reorganize and scrounge up new troops from all over Polpo, we can construct a defense line.」
Wilhelmina stared at Zaphnes for a moment, but quickly closed her eyes, and slowly re-opened them.
Those eyes belonged to a little girl clinging to a man.
「……I have no one else to rely on except you. I know this is tough……but please do me this favor.」
Zaphnes stiffens slightly, then smiles and proudly sticks out his chest.
「Yeah. I haven’t been a soldier in appearance only for that long. There might not be a chance for us to win based solely on military strength, but the enemy is also human, meaning they will make mistakes. If we can capitalize on those opportunities, this is far from over――after all, I have no where left to run.」
After Zaphnes made the bold declaration, he mumbled softly to himself at the end, and exited the room.
「……as reluctant as I am……I have to use what I’m left with……effectively.」
Her eyes dart to the corner of the room, but Visitacion is not there anymore.
Bowing in her place was a young man without a trace of emotion on his face.
Wilhelmina reads the doc.u.ment handed to her by the man and unusually scrunches her face in a noticeable manner.
「Hardlett’s investigation report――protection of a party of rebels, attacks on neighboring lords by masked individuals, the building of a giant cannon……a merchant with a large hidden stash of money……if this evidence had come out before the decisive battle.」
Wilhelmina was about to crush the paper in her hand, but realized it was pointless and threw it on the desk instead.
South Yuguria spies had discovered that the Hardlett house is hiding things from the royal family.
If those things were told to the Goldonian Kingdom, it would be damaging enough to promptly strip the household of their privileges.
The information was also shocking enough, that if it was relayed in some way to the Goldonian king prior to the decisive battle, it had potential to confuse the frontlines.
「But it’s meaningless now……」
Now that they’ve suffered a crus.h.i.+ng defeat in battle, removing the prominent Hardlett is like pouring water on a hot stone, and the only possibility to turn the tides is if he becomes an ally…… in other words, make him betray his country.
「Hardlett was sent back to his territory due to his behavior on the battlefield. If we can convince him to change sides and flank the enemy’s main forces, we might be able to reach the capital……」
「But Your Majesty, he has completely rejected that offer. Moreover, with us being on the verge of defeat, we lack the persuasive power to promise him status or prestige……」
Wilhelmina keeps her head still and only moves her eyes to stare in the man’s direction.
「In addition, the conspiracy to neutralize him backfired. He was supposed to be interested about me…… and now, that sentiment has probably changed into anger.」
「In other words――」
Wilhelmina finishes the man’s sentence.
「There’s a chance. If that man holds a burning rage toward me, the possibility remains.」
It is easy to manipulate a person of pa.s.sion.
Turning a flaming fury or a gut-searing hatred into love and affection is not unfeasible.
The same applies to the opposite.
「Let us try……although our chances aren’t great, at this rate, we can only sit and wait for our demise.」
Wilhelmina is not optimistic and doesn’t expect Zaphnes to reverse the situation.
「Visitacion isn’t here now either. Because of the shock of defeat and my total exhaustion, I will rest for a while. ……prepare for a long journey and several skilled spies. All of them must be women.」
「……is this a final gamble?」
Wilhelmina scoffs.
「It is one step before the end. The last one is……not a bet. It is a way to take him to h.e.l.l with me.」
–Aegir POV–
Outskirts of Rafen.
「Kill meeee! Kill meeeee!!」
The screaming Visitacion shakes free from my hand and throws hard objects at me, then even tries to throw her own belly at the very end.
「Calm down! What are you trying to kill your own child for?」
I grab hold of both her hands and stop the barbaric act.
The ruthless a.s.sa.s.sin from before is nowhere to be found.
The crying and flailing Visitacion’s belly is already the same size as that of a woman’s belly in her last month of pregnancy.
Nearby, a midwife comments tensely.
「It’s been ten days……yet she looks close to giving birth. I-I watched it grow before my eyes……awawa.」
In that moment, Visitacion suddenly stops struggling and she lifts her lower half, groaning in pain.
「O-oow…… could this be……noooo! I don’t want my stomach to be destroyed from the inside!!」
The midwife peeks at her crotch.
「She’s giving birth now! I thought she could wait until we arrived in Rafen, but since we won’t make it in time, we have to deliver the baby here!」