[R18] King's Domination

[A/N: Posting 5 extra Chapters today because we reached the tier 2 milestone today :D]

Once I knew Eisleben was appearing, I no longer wanted to read after that.

"Is that enough already?"

Anouk asked, so I said,

"Yes. That is enough. I will enjoy the play from here."

and handed the booklet over.

"True. Watching with no advance knowledge is a pleasure too."

She took the booklet.

"Will you look?"

Anouk asked the maids waiting behind. The maids said kyaa!? and took it. These two’s eyes on me were hot. Maybe my imagination? If I thought about it, all four women in this box were odd. They had wanted to watch the play with the person who was the model for the protagonist sitting beside them, was that it?

"Ah. I had forgotten. Please take this."

I put out two glasses, and Her Majesty asked as if it were natural,

"Is this freshly squeezed?"

Time is stopped inside a mana bag, so I did not think that sort of thing applied much, but,

"Yes. This morning’s."

"I see. Did you have that maid help?"

Her Majesty’s tone was a little sour. It cannot be helped, I thought, and smiled. My face stiffened a little. Why?

Her Majesty and Anouk drank it down in one go, and the maids behind looked envious. How much did these girls know? Her Majesty and Anouk had grown younger in a way anyone could see, so they would at least know the white liquid I put out was the source.

"Is there a difference between something fresh and something that has sat?"

I asked, and Her Majesty said,

"Anouk, what do you think?"

She tossed it over with a calm face. Anouk made a difficult face.

"Nnn. It is difficult. Fresh after all! I feel that one works better."

And so on.

"I had thought time stopped inside a mana bag."

"Could it be that time is not stopped, but flowing slowly? I do not have a mana bag, so I do not know in detail."

Anouk said things like that. It might be so. I had read light novels, and inside the protagonist’s mana bag time was always stopped, so I had assumed mine was the same.

"I see. That may be."

I agreed, and Anouk looked happy.

"Lord Marie, please take this."

A maid gave me wine in a glass.

"If you are hungry, light food is prepared as well."

She smiled as she showed me the inside of a basket. I was surprised at how well they had prepared, and I worried whether there had been drinks and food when I was with Lily and the others.

"Is it strange that we brought this kind of thing?"

Her Majesty asked. This was the same as bringing all sorts of things into a movie theater to watch.

"If the play is boring, there are gentlemen who throw wine bottles onto the stage."

"What!? If it hits an actor, is that not dangerous?"

"Ufufu. The actors are used to it. They dodge properly. That the guests look bored reaches the actors as well, so they start to think it is about to get dangerous."

"Amazing."

"I have heard there are actors who throw the bottles back, and some who start a brawl with the audience. Not in this theater, though."

"Frightening."

"Lord Robin would split a flying bottle in two with a sword."

"The bottle would break, and I would be bathed in the wine that was inside."

"Well. That is true too. Ohohoho."

Her Majesty was in thoroughly high spirits. Or rather, I had never seen her in a bad mood in front of me, or angry.

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask one thing."

"My. What is it?"

"Are there times when Your Majesty becomes angry? I have never seen such a scene even once, so I find it strange."

"My!"

Her Majesty started, looked at Anouk’s face, looked at the maids, and burst out laughing. I did not know what had hit her that hard. Anouk and the maids were giggling too.

Her Majesty had found her spot. She held her stomach and laughed without a sound, so Anouk spoke in her place.

"That is not so. Her Majesty is in front of Lord Robin, so she is always smiling."

Her Majesty nodded, yes, yes.

"Recently, when Lord Robin was carried in, she was angry then! Dee took Her Majesty’s anger straight on and was shaking. That Dee looked ready to cry and rubbed his head on the floor apologizing to Her Majesty. Ufufufu. Dee aged ten years in one go then. He had a bald patch like a gold coin on the side of his head."

At Anouk’s telling,

"Oh, Anouk. You do not have to put such old things into Lord Robin’s ear on purpose. Hohoho."

She patted Anouk. But she was not angry. Still in high spirits.

"But Lord Robin. It is rare for Her Majesty to take this much of a liking to a gentleman. She is usually rather difficult, and does not let people close. Watching a play together like today is a first. Even so, we are very glad that Her Majesty’s mood is so fair."

I had a feeling something rather dangerous was being said. She was speaking Her Majesty’s feelings in her place, but if I took it straight it would become a serious matter, would it not? And if it leaked outside, then what? I felt a little chill.

But no one looked hurried. They were all calm, so this would surely not become a problem! And I had had more than enough of how, the moment you say that, something always happens.

—-

I decided to watch the play with no more advance knowledge! With knowledge or without, I had a feeling I would not be satisfied. On the other hand, it was easy to imagine that every guest but me would be fully satisfied. For me it would only be embarrassing...

Her Majesty and Anouk were whispering. Now and then they looked at my face, grinned, and talked on. Just imagining how I would react to the play seemed to be fun.

Then, the moment I thought the lights had dimmed a little, I came out on the stage... The four of them looked at the me on stage, compared it with the real me, and burst out! Rude! What was there to burst out over? Extremely rude!! I thought, but of course I could not say it... Because I had felt it would go this way...