Chapter 33: Tea with My Ex Future Mother-in-Law

“Tell me, dear. What do you think of this country?” The question was asked casually while the queen sipped her tea, and yet, there was a weight behind her words that put me on edge. If she had asked me that before the loop began, I doubt I would have been able to string even a halfway decent sentence together, but I had come a long way since then.

“I think it’s a country full of idiots who blindly follow the biggest idiot because his divine mommy stole a rose two thousand years ago,” I replied coldly, while taking a sip of my own tea. “

“Oh my. You certainly seem a bit bolder than the last time we met.”

Somehow, the queen was not bothered in the slightest by my words. Though her retainers flinched slightly, she merely laughed, as if I had told her a particularly funny joke.

“Well, dying does that to a person,” I said with a shrug. “If you want to execute me, go ahead. I’d prefer it over death at the hands of your idiot son.”

“Oh no, dear,” she replied with a shake of her head. “I have no intention of killing you for speaking your mind, even if you are quite a bit off the mark.”

“About what?” I shot back. “I thought the prince was bad enough, but now I find out that the king thinks he’s literally incapable of being wrong. What kind of country could possibly operate with that kind of man in charge?”

“Oh, my dear. Whoever said he’s in charge?” the queen asked with a shrug.

“He’s the king,” I managed to stutter as I stared at her in shock. “If he’s not in charge, then who is?”

“Well, your father and the other three dukes play a pretty significant role in managing the kingdom. Likewise, the Church of Eros and Church of Logos play their own part in keeping things running, and almost everything else is decided by the king’s council.”

“Then what does the king actually do!?” I practically screamed.

“Mostly, he looks pretty,” the queen said with a laugh, while I felt my already dimming sanity take a significant hit.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, but I am. Of course, I didn’t know that when I first came to this country and agreed to marry him. I believed all his hype, but it quickly became apparent that he had a very limited understanding of how his country was actually being run. The policy meetings he attended were little more than plays, designed by his council to ensure he believed he was in control. Everything, besides some minor decisions of no real importance, was decided before he even walked in the door.”

“But why? Why go through all this?”

“Because a king with divine blood is both powerful and dangerous. The people worship him as a god and, for the most part, happily follow any law or policy so long as he’s the one making it. This does wonders for public order, but that same authority also means that none may genuinely oppose him. As a result, past kings have been unwavering and unwilling to compromise to a fault.”

“So you just let him play pretend king?”

“When we must, dear. Every crown prince is guided by those selected to be his friends to ensure that he becomes the kind of king who can serve as more than a puppet. However, if that proves impossible, they must instead strive to keep him from stepping too far out of line.”

“You mean like dumping his fiancée for a former commoner?” I asked sarcastically.

“Indeed,” she replied with a hint of exhaustion. “I am unsurprised that Atlas remained silent on this matter, given his...unusual nature, but Aster and Roman should not have allowed this situation to reach such a point.”

“Roman pushed them together.”

For just a moment, the queen’s motherly facade dropped as she silently cursed under her breath.

“That utter fool,” she said with a sigh as her mask returned. “I knew his devotion would lead to a headache someday, but I never expected him to betray you of all people. This is indeed a troubling situation, and one for which I see no easy solution.”

“May I offer a suggestion, my queen?”

“Speak freely, dear. You have more than earned the right.”

“Then I would propose that you kidnap Holly.”

The queen had eagerly awaited my response, but upon hearing it, the light dimmed from her eyes. It was clear that she had expected better from me, though I was far from finished.

“Surely, you more than most know the consequences of harming a royal, even one who is yet to be born.”

“I have suggested no such harm, my queen, only that Holly be kept in isolation until she delivers the child. The child can then be taken away and raised without a proper education or one antithetical to this country until he comes of age and is returned to the prince, who will have likely taken the throne by then.”

“And what then?” the queen asked with a strange mixture of anticipation and unease.

“Given that this curse is intended to protect the royal family, I doubt it would take effect if one of their own...did the deed.”

“You intend for my son to kill his own child?” she asked with a critical expression, seemingly not questioning my morals, but instead my belief that he would do such a thing, even if the country required it.

“Do you know how long Holly has been attending the academy?”

“I am aware of her circumstances,” the queen replied, seemingly unsure of where I was going. “She was only recently welcomed into her father’s home and recognized as a noble. I believe this is her first year at the academy.”

“The prince has known her for just a few short months, and he has already decided that a life with her matters more than the life of a woman he has known since childhood. Give him time, and he will fall in love again, ideally with a more suitable woman. When that happens, he will do anything to ensure a happy life with her.”

The queen stared at me for a long time after that, with a quizzical look in her eyes, before her facade once again faded and she looked at me with the piercing gaze of a true monarch.

“You really would have made a good queen,” she eventually said with a deep sigh. “I will discuss your suggestion with my advisors and adjust as needed.”

I was shocked. She had readily agreed to such a barbaric and cruel proposal without a second thought or hint of guilt. I suddenly realized how truly unprepared I had been for such a position, though I supposed that no longer mattered. I had no chance of becoming queen and was certain that the prince would soon arrive to execute me, regardless of whether or not his mother was present.

“And what should I do?” I asked, almost desperately. “How do I make it out of this mess alive?”

“I will speak to my son, but he has not heeded my counsel in quite some time. As a result, I have increasingly needed to rely on Aster to push him in whatever direction I desire. He may prove useful to your efforts.”

“Aster has been rather unwilling to speak to me,” I replied, while realizing that, with the exception of the recent loop, years had passed since I had last heard his voice.

“That is unsurprising. The boy can be rather stubborn, especially to those he believes aren’t putting in the necessary work. However, if you show an interest in learning some new magic, he will happily discuss it with you. If that still isn’t enough, tell him that the Raven threatened to tell everyone about his name if he didn’t cooperate.”

“His name?”

“Oh, his mother was quite the vindictive woman,” the queen explained with a deep laugh. “He will be more than willing to help if you...”

Her next words were drowned out by an inhuman scream as the prince suddenly appeared at the garden’s entrance. It would seem that forcing him to run all the way here from the academy had taken a significant toll on his body and mind. He was covered in scratches and cuts and hobbled forward with a considerable limp. While this seemed strange, considering he would have just needed to run along a road to reach this point, I quickly remembered that the pathfinding algorithm I’d written for him was designed to follow the player’s steps exactly. That had not been possible, since I’d been flying. However, he had still attempted to match my path as closely as possible, meaning he had run through multiple trees and perhaps even several buildings to reach this point. In fact, if I had gone much further, there was a good chance he might have died trying to keep up with me, though I was uncertain if that would count as me killing him or not (Logos later confirmed it would and that I had come worryingly close to this outcome).

Meanwhile, the queen, sensing that her son was clearly not in his right mind, attempted to stand between us to shield me, but it proved useless. The prince’s divine magic passed harmlessly through her and instead struck me square in the chest. She seemed shocked by this turn of events, but I did my best to give her a reassuring smile as I fell to pieces.