Chapter 147 - Chapter 27: Queen #4
“Shutra, be honest. What have you done to my child? These days, she only talks about you when she opens her mouth. It isn’t exactly words but through her letters.”
“Huh?”
In-gong didn’t know what to make of this moment.
He heard two voices speaking at the same time from different places.
“Omamama?!”
“Oh, that sounds like my child.”
The first was Felicia, while the second came from Elaine.
Elaine’s sudden remark caused Caitlin’s eyes to widen.
“Mama? Ah, no. Mother?”
Elaine laughed like the whole situation was amusing. She looked identical to Caitlin, but her personality was completely different. Sylvia didn’t pay attention to Felicia and continued speaking,
“Just two days ago, I got a letter from Felicia. It is one of the reasons why I came here today.”
“Omamama!”
Felicia almost screamed, but Sylvia didn’t listen. She pulled out a letter from a small box she had prepared in advance.
“I have received a few letters, but this one is especially impressive.”
“Oma... hup hup!”
Sylvia was a much more skilled magician than Felicia, and she silenced Felicia’s mouth instantly with a spell. Then she opened the letter.
“Darker than darkness, the deep night was only filled with despair. Silvan seemed like he was going to stop breathing at any moment, and I had fallen to fear. But Omamama, that is when Shutra appeared. It was so cool seeing him appear with a dark blue cloak and a glowing white light. He had led a great army while riding on a white shield and moving faster than the wind, but this time, he was even greater than that. Ah, I can still see it if I close my eyes. I felt relieved just seeing Shutra’s back. It felt like I had found the light in the darkness. Now, I can live, and Silvan can live... Ah, tears came unknowingly to my eyes. I can feel the joy bursting in my heart.”
“Hup hup! Hup!”
Felicia’s face reddened as she struggled to speak.
It seemed like she had truly written the letter a few days ago. The dark elves and lycanthropes were species with queens, so exchanging letters wasn’t difficult since they had transportation formations linked directly to the Demon King’s Palace.
Even Sylvia blushed slightly as she read the letter. Elaine spoke happily as Sylvia folded up the letter,
“Felicia is too adorable. By the way, I also have one to read.”
“Mother?”
Caitlin stood up and shouted. Then Elaine commanded Caitlin with strict eyes,
“Caitlin, sit."
Caitlin sat down reflexively. She was like a trained puppy. Although Caitlin had a nauseated expression, she didn’t moan or protest. Elaine nodded with a satisfied expression and pulled out a blue stone.
“This is a voice letter Caitlin gave me a while ago.”
Caitlyn had sent it when she left the fourth base to see Felicia off. As Elaine inserted magic power into the stone, Caitlin closed her eyes tightly. Caitlin’s excited voice flowed out from the magic stone.
“Amazing! Amazing! Really amazing! He is so great and amazing that he took down the barbarian king! Shutra might even be stronger than Oppa. No, he is going to be stronger. His strength is clear. Isn’t it really amazing? Amazing!”
As expected, it was filled with the word ‘amazing.’ She ran out of breath and the sound of breathing was heard. Then she said in a voice filled with joy, pride and admiration,
“Shutra is amazing.”
He could imagine Caitlin’s bright and sunny face easily.
‘Master, I admit it. The Amazing Princess is really amazing. She seems a little different to me. Well, I don’t think we should be the same.’
Green Wind muttered into In-gong’s ear, and he stayed silent. It was normal, but he was strangely embarrassed today. Moreover, there was Felicia’s letter. Felicia had written the letter after being on the verge of death. Her expression looked like she was going to start crying at any moment. In-gong wasn’t much different. His expression didn’t change, but his face was red. Apart from the both of them, Caitlin was also embarrassed. She felt a sense of shame after hearing her voice through the magic stone.
Elaine and Sylvia just laughed gracefully. Carack and the other aides also had to put a lot of effort into suppressing their laughter. Delia was pinching her thigh, while Seira and Sepira were biting their lips with their eyes tightly closed.
Silvan was the only one among the children of the demon king who wasn’t embarrassed. He smiled while looking at In-gong with envious eyes.
'Huu, hu. Relax.’
In-gong tried to decrease the blood flow in his face as he swallowed his tea. It was slightly helpful in recovering his calm.
Sylvia spoke again,
“It’s a joke. I don’t intend to criticize you, but I want to thank you sincerely.”
Her voice and expression became sombre. She spoke as the mother of two children, not the 3rd Queen.
“Thank you for saving Silvan and Felicia. Shutra, you are the saviour of both me and my family. Thanking you just a few times isn’t enough.”
They weren’t empty words. In-gong could feel Sylvia’s sincerity. It was obvious that she would do anything for In-gong.
In-gong’s lips twitched. He wanted to speak words of humility, but they didn’t emerge.
Sylvia smiled again at In-gong’s appearance.
“Shutra, you really do care about both of them.”
Sylvia could feel it. It wasn’t through any schemes that In-gong had saved Felicia and Silvan. He had done it purely because he cared for both of them.
“It is a relief. I know because I am similar to Felicia... It is easy to see the possible damage. But this time, there is no damage. I’m really glad that she is valued equally.”
Felicia, who had just calmed down, reddened again. In-gong also agreed with Sylvia’s words. It was good that Felicia didn’t suffer any damages, which would have been possible due to her nature.
‘This part is similar.’
They were different from Caitlin and her mother, who resembled each other but had different personalities. Sylvia and Felicia were equally genuine in nature, so In-gong could see Felicia in Sylvia.
“Now, the entertainment is over, so shall we socialize?”
Sylvia lifted the spell on Felicia and raised her teacup. Felicia showed some signs of resentment at the word ‘entertainment’, but it didn’t matter.
Two hours passed by. Sylvia made small talk to promote their friendship. Felicia was the main subject of the chatter, but it was still a fun tea party.
Then In-gong finally understood. There was a big difference in the perceptions of In-gong and the two queens.
For In-gong, he didn’t have a lot of time to spare for the fight over the demon king’s throne. The Day of Massacre occurred in Year 516 in Knight Sage. This was currently Year 513, so there were only three years left. Moreover, the current Zephyr was much stronger than the Zephyr of Knight Saga. Maybe the incident would occur earlier than anticipated.
However, for the two queens, dozens of years was a short time. The dark elves and lycanthropes were both long-lived species. No, it was like that for all species of the Demon World.
The sura king, Mitra, had risen to the throne of demon king approximately 100 years ago. At the time, he had already been over 60 years old. On the other hand, the eldest of the royal children was only in his 20s. It was obvious there were still decades left to decide the succession.
It was an unbelievable thing for In-gong, but he couldn’t mention the Day of Massacre to the two people. Maybe the Day of Massacre might not even happen. The Day of Massacre in Knight Saga happened because all the children of the demon king, except for Zephyr, were greatly damaged during the lycanthrope subjugation.
In-gong planned to block the lycanthrope subjugation and make himself stronger than Zephyr. Then Zephyr wouldn’t be able to cause the Day of Massacre.
Sylvia and Elaine were both smart and quick. They were people who could adapt quickly if the situation changed. For the time being, he didn’t have to worry too much about the difference in perception.
‘Let’s talk about the fairy next time. I’ll give you some of the things I’ve prepared to thank you.’
It was the magic message Sylvia had delivered just before he left the tea party. Maybe Elaine’s intrusion was unexpected for Sylvia.
‘Well, I don’t think it was a real intrusion.’
Perhaps she had invited Elaine after the court gathering.
In-gong’s party left the palace and boarded the carriage pulled by dracos. Felicia, who had become agitated several times during the tea party, slumped down with a completely worn out expression.
In-gong sat down next to her and suddenly became playful. He pressed his fingers to Felicia’s arms and asked,
“Noona, was I really so cool on that day?”
Rather than answering, Felicia stood up and struck In-gong with her fan. In-gong laughed pleasantly at Felicia’s response.
Carack muttered something strange, causing Delia and Seira to nod with serious expressions. However, In-gong just ignored them.
Time passed once again, and after dropping off Felicia, Silvan and Caitlin, In-gong returned to his mansion with Carack. It had gotten too late, so his visit to the Merits Department had to be postponed until tomorrow.
"It was a fun day."
“Yes.”
He was completely embarrassed, but there had been many enjoyable parts. In-gong and Carack entered the mansion with smiling faces.
Rather than a pleasant rest, they were met with Flora whose face was strained. A black piece of paper was in her hand.
"It seems like today isn’t over.”
Carack said with narrowed eyes. In-gong agreed and received the black paper from Flora.
There was white lettering on a black background. The contents were pretty similar to Sylvia’s invitation.
However, the sender was different. In-gong gave a wry smile as he read the message.
The sender was the sura king, Mitra.
The demon king had sent him an invitation.