Strategic Plots and a Queen’s Blushing Secret

Buck, the Sailor, withdrew as the nebula dissolved around him.

Three individuals had arrived today: the Queen, the Lollipop, and the Swordsman. The Swordsman, he felt, was akin to himself and the Clown, while the Lollipop, naturally, was some nation’s lapdog—a princess, no doubt.

The Queen, however, remained shrouded in mystery; throughout the entire meeting, they offered no opinions, exuding an aura of profound inscrutability.

Regardless of whether the Lollipop adopted his strategy or the Clown’s, their identity as a princess of a particular nation would eventually be revealed. Employing the Clown’s method, for instance, would involve simply gathering court gossip from various kingdoms. Having a princess as an ally would then allow him to traverse the seas with even greater freedom and joy.

“Hmm… but the princess is fond of her queen…”

Such irreverence, yet he found himself captivated; he ‘shipped’ them, as the saying went.

He offered a silent prayer to the deities for this innocent princess, wishing for a favorable outcome to this burgeoning affair.

Incidentally, the Novelist had mentioned wanting to pen a tale about a princess ‘reverse-tackling’ her queen. A part of him yearned to read it. Perhaps he should feign being a devoted reader and write a letter urging them to hasten their writing?

Luca strode purposefully along the coastline.

The intelligence provided by Buck, the Sailor, would allow him to first intercept the pirate known as Edward, thereby bringing him into the Empress’s purview. He resolved to bide his time, enduring hardship to gradually become the Empress’s trusted right-hand, her indispensable confidant.

His ultimate goal was to incite a war between the Empress and the Kingdom.

The Empire, being a centralized power, offered a unique path. He aspired to stand above ten thousand, yet refused to be subservient to a single individual. Thus, only war could present the opportunities to elevate his value and augment his leverage.

That Lollipop… it was clear at a glance they were a naive ‘dog’—a princess. By observing the political landscape of other nations, he would soon discern their origins, securing yet another princess as a valuable asset.

With them, he would gain yet another chess piece.

Two others remained: the Swordsman and the Queen. The Queen, enigmatic and profound, should for now merely be observed, not provoked. The Swordsman, however, likely belonged to his own ilk. Such individuals harbored a desire for communication, and through discourse, he could uncover their weaknesses or identity.

Indeed, his future remained strikingly clear. He was destined to return to the Kingdom, to Vina, for his revenge was an absolute imperative.

As for Ophelia, he would dismiss her from his plans. She was simply too kind, incapable of bearing the guilt of killing an innocent person thrice. After all, a sliver of his own conscience still remained.

The true players of this game of chess were Emily and Vina.

The Queen, in this grand scheme, was truly nothing more than a ‘queen’ on the chessboard.

****

“I have come to beg your forgiveness!”

Marta knelt on one knee, her gaze earnest and contrite.

Ophelia, immersed in a book, found solace in the fantastical tales of another world. With entertainment options so scarce in her own, her days had grown somewhat tedious, making these novels a welcome diversion.

It seemed novels, regardless of the world they hailed from, shared a common thread.

*The Count’s Revenge*, *The Knight Challenging Windmills*, *As a Fallen Prince, I Am Actually Liked by a Yandere Demon King*, *Princesses, Stop Chasing Me, I’m Just a Knight*, *My Prince is a Bit Strange*.

Indeed, this world lacked the accursed and depraved ‘virgin male’ censorship (TL Note: ‘Chu nan’ refers to a derogatory term for a male virgin, often used in online communities to describe content filtering that caters to a specific, often conservative, male audience), which meant these books felt delightfully ‘hso’ (TL Note: A common internet slang, ‘hso’ is an abbreviation for ‘好色’ (hǎosè), meaning ‘lustful’ or ‘perverted,’ often used humorously to describe content that is suggestive or risqué). Even those marketed towards girls were remarkably engaging.

Ophelia was engrossed in these charming novels when Marta burst in, her entrance sudden and boisterous. The clatter of her armor as she dropped to one knee beside Ophelia startled the Queen profoundly.

“I have come to beg your forgiveness!”

Ophelia, startled, nearly dropped her book.

“Are you reading, Your Majesty? Forgive me for disturbing you… Oh? My knight wants to ‘reverse-tackle’ me every day? Queen, do you truly enjoy reading such tales?”

A blush crept onto Ophelia’s cheeks. She yearned to snatch the book back, but Marta had already opened it, beginning to read aloud.

” ‘She gently took my hand, raising it to her lips. The outside spring breeze, soft and tender, swept through ten miles of peach blossoms. Like that gentle breeze, she bestowed a light kiss upon my hand.’ ”

” ‘A blush of shyness crept over me, and I turned my head away. Yet, when I dared to look back, my gaze met hers—those deep, captivating eyes.’ ”

” ‘The grass was soft beneath us, the spring day tender. Slowly, she laid me down amidst a field of violets, her hand as delicate as the very spring breeze…’ ”

Ophelia’s entire face flushed crimson. The subsequent passages were decidedly unsuitable for younger eyes! Had there been any censorship, such content would never have passed muster!

” ‘Give it back to me, at once! Stop looking! And cease reading it aloud!’ ”

Her urgency, however, proved her undoing.

Her left foot inadvertently tangled with her right.

She stumbled, falling forward in an instant, only to be caught.

Before her, Marta’s deep eyes met hers, holding the reflection of her own startled face.

” ‘Ah, Your Majesty, please be careful.’ ”

” ‘And then, Your Majesty, it’s just that…’ Marta averted her gaze for a moment, only to swiftly return it, her face tinged with a faint blush, yet her eyes fixed intently on Ophelia.

” ‘Do you truly enjoy novels of this nature?’ ”

Ophelia sprang to her feet, snatching the book from Marta’s grasp. With an embarrassed blush, she turned her head away, a wave of mortification washing over her.

” ‘Of course not! I was simply bored! Just bored, that’s all! Any book would have sufficed! I merely picked one at random!’ ”

” ‘Oh.’ Marta instantly lowered her head, resembling a large, crestfallen hound, its head drooping in evident sadness.

” ‘Didn’t you come to see me? Speak, Marta, what is it you wish to discuss?’ Ophelia, having composed her attire, settled back into her chair. She sought a book with less compromising content, yet none immediately presented itself.

” ‘Your Majesty, I have come to beg your forgiveness! Two days ago, I committed an act of profound disrespect against you. Since then, I have tossed and turned, unable to find sleep, plagued by the profound guilt of having betrayed your trust!’ ”

” ‘Therefore, my liege, my beloved Queen, I earnestly implore you to mete out my punishment!’ ”

Had she remained silent, Ophelia might have forgotten, but with her words, the memory resurfaced with startling clarity.

The twilight wind, the chocolate-kissed lips, the garden bursting into bloom.

That had been Ophelia’s second kiss. The first, a forceful taking by Vina, remained in Ophelia’s memory as a relentless appropriation, an outpouring of emotion that seemed utterly disregardful of her own feelings.

Considering Vina’s past, Ophelia understood that her constant yearning for love was a natural consequence of her own emotional deprivation.

The second kiss, however, had been Marta’s.

Cautious yet ardently bold, that chocolate-flavored kiss had utterly captivated the inexperienced Ophelia. Though time flowed like water, that kiss had stunned time itself, and she knew that even years hence, looking back, this moment would still shine, defined by its breathtaking allure.

Ophelia harbored no dislike for it.

Rather, because her inner soul was that of a boy, a subtle thrill had sparked within her. Yet, she possessed no experience in maintaining relationships with girls, and a touch of insecurity lingered: ‘what if the other person was merely enamored with the physical beauty of her current form?’

‘Was a soul such as mine truly worthy of love?’

Lost in these musings, her hands unconsciously drifted to her lips, and a pair of faint blushes bloomed on her cheeks, like those of a maiden smitten by love.

” ‘Your Majesty, how do you intend to punish me?’ Marta inquired, looking up with a hint of curiosity, just as she caught sight of Ophelia’s shy countenance, bathed in the sunlight.

” ‘Hmph, since you insist, I shall indeed punish you thoroughly.’ ”

‘I am not so benevolent a person, am I?’ Ophelia mused, a playful smile gracing her lips.

Beyond the door, a pair of eyes furtively peered in, and the distinct sound of grinding molars seemed to echo faintly.