Her Majesty the Queen of the Great Ying Empire

In the duel for the spot, Kefir easily claimed victory.

Unlike Kefir, who was now surrounded by a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere, things were anything but pleasant for Louise the Twenty-Third.

Not only did she lose the duel and the spot to Kefir, but her suspicious behavior during the match also led people to suspect whether she had “cheated.”

And before the next day even arrived, Louise the Twenty-Third had caught a severe cold from Kefir’s flashy moves, leaving her runny-nosed and teary-eyed, unable to clean herself up.

Of course, those things were secondary—she could find some excuse to cover them up.

But the shivering Louise the Twenty-Third simply couldn’t accept this result!

That very night.

After finishing her duties as “referee” earlier that morning, Queen Louise the Fourth had returned to her royal chambers.

But before she could even change clothes, Louise the Twenty-Third barged in, face full of panic and impatience, not even willing to wait a second longer.

“Big Sis!”

Bursting into the Queen’s chambers, Louise the Twenty-Third was so frantic that she didn’t even bother to salute.

Her aggressive voice shocked Louise the Fourth so much that her face went pale.

“Whoa!? Twenty-Third, suddenly barging into someone’s private chambers like this—Big Sis has trauma about that kind of thing~ I heard you caught a cold~ You’d better go back and rest before you spread it to me, okay~?”

But in her anxiety, Louise the Twenty-Third didn’t care about any of that.

She strode forward hastily, trying to get close to Louise as usual and whisper some “secrets.”

However, the Queen, who normally would have greeted her with a cheerful smile, didn’t have even a hint of a “smile” on her face this time.

The abrupt sound of the door closing behind her made Louise the Twenty-Third shiver for no reason.

But immediately after, her anger and unwillingness pushed her to shout at Louise!

“Big Sis, Kefir definitely cheated! That kind of thing—anyone can tell it was prepared in advance! Otherwise, with her recent level, how could she possibly win…”

“Sigh… Twenty-Third.”

Louise cut her off before she could complain any further.

“A bet is a bet, and everyone saw it with their own eyes. That wasn’t cheating—it was Kefir’s own strength. You think it’s cheating… but isn’t that because you didn’t know?”

“!”

Her resentment exploded to the extreme in that instant!

She even started to resent the Louise the Fourth in front of her for suddenly pretending to be righteous!

“Then let’s do it again! This… this time I just slipped up! Let me fight her again! Next time, I definitely won’t lose! Big Sis, hurry and give me another dose of that medicine…”

Louise the Twenty-Third firmly believed that after reaching her peak, she could never lose to Kefir!

Today was just that woman playing tricks!

But the next moment, what came to her ears was Louise’s lazy, emotionless response—delivered so casually that she even yawned.

“Mmm~ On that point, I think you’re out of luck, Twenty-Third~”

“What!? How hard is it to make another excuse for me to fight her again!?”

“It’s not about fighting again. The medicine you took can only be used once, and now that the effect is gone, you’re no different from an ordinary person. No matter how much you take now, you’ll never have magic again~”

“Huh?”

Louise’s answer was so blunt and “simple” that Louise the Twenty-Third stood frozen, taking a long while just to understand what it meant.

Finally realizing the meaning of those words, Louise the Twenty-Third frantically tried to circulate her own magic—the little bit that should still remain even without the drug!

But no matter how she moved her power, all she felt was an emptiness, as if the “double sixth-tier” strength she had boasted about that morning had never existed at all.

Even the tiniest trace of her own “reserve” had been drained completely.

And to think—even ordinary people at least had enough magic to perform basic contract spells!

But Louise the Twenty-Third’s current state could be summed up in two words: useless trash.

Louise the Twenty-Third finally realized the truth, glaring in fury at Louise the Fourth, who was calmly sitting by the window, sipping milk, not even sparing her a glance.

“You tricked me!!?”

“What trick? Those words really hurt Big Sis’s feelings. I told you about the side effects at the time—it was you, Twenty-Third, who ran off in a rush before hearing me out~ Don’t go blaming me now, okay?”

With that, Louise smiled and stood up.

“Alright, stop shouting. Go back and rest early, or it’ll be troublesome if you pass that cold on to me.”

“Louise the Fourth!!”

She had been used as nothing more than a tool!!?

No—worse than a tool! Treated like a pet for amusement!?

“Give me back my strength!”

Regret, panic, frustration, anger—too many emotions boiled over as Louise the Twenty-Third lunged furiously at Louise before her!

That woman’s usual silly-looking smile now seemed to carry a whole different meaning—mockery, clear as day!

Dared to deceive her!? Then she’d teach her a lesson first—threaten her to return her strength!

After all, this woman was bound to be hiding plenty more…

Swish—

A flash of cold light froze Louise the Twenty-Third in terror.

A tingling sensation crept along her neck.

When she touched it, her fingers came away sticky, with a string of crimson threads.

She looked up and saw Louise the Fourth still standing by the window, completely still, holding her usual parasol, smiling sweetly at her.

Louise the Twenty-Third’s whole body began to shake uncontrollably.

“I… I’ll report you! I’ll…”

“Twenty-Third, I suggest you calm down. No one will believe you anyway, and insulting the Queen is a serious crime. But since you’re so heartbroken, Big Sis will give you some advice: the ministers who judged the duel decided to check whether you cheated. You’d better leave the capital for now, or it’ll all come out~”

Louise didn’t continue, because Louise the Twenty-Third didn’t even wait to hear her out—she scrambled away on all fours, fleeing the royal chambers in disgrace.

Then, Louise picked up her crown and began to walk away.

“Clean the room thoroughly. I’ll sleep elsewhere tonight.”

A voice answered from the darkness.

“Your Majesty, about that one just now…”

“Let her go. If nothing unexpected happens, Twenty-Third will do something very interesting next. Even as a cripple, the honorable noble lady Louise the Twenty-Third will still burn her last bit of heat for our glorious Britannia Empire.”