Chapter 130
Chapter 130: All Cut in Half
***
I lifted my foot, ready to head toward the door to see what was happening outside, but just as I took a step, Victoria called out to stop me.
"Sit down."
Her tone was like giving an order, and it made my chest tighten with displeasure. I turned around and glared at her with considerable dissatisfaction.
But I saw Victoria sitting steadily on the sofa, her devastatingly beautiful face showing no trace of panic at being discovered. At this moment, she still maintained that calm and composed demeanor. Seeing me frowning as I looked at her, Victoria lifted her eyelids slightly and spoke again.
"Just eat your donuts."
She tucked a strand of golden hair by her temple behind her ear, then asked, "Do you have black tea?"
"...No."
I rolled my eyes with annoyance.
This woman... she's clearly using my house to hide from someone, so why can she still so shamelessly maintain this attitude? Now look what happened, she's been discovered and they've come looking for her, and obviously with hostile intentions. From the sound earlier, I estimate the big iron gate outside my courtyard is going to need repairs.
Clearly causing trouble for others, yet still acting so arrogant... I know she's the noble Queen, but I'm still very unhappy.
And to think I was going to share my Captain Grey with you...
After complaining about her in my heart, by the time I realized it, I had already sat back down on the sofa.
...Why did I just obediently sit back down like that!
Realizing this made me feel stifled again, and I instinctively wanted to stand up. But when I turned my head, I saw Victoria's half-smiling expression, her pale golden eyes staring at me unblinkingly. Her look seemed to say: I know what you're thinking, I'm just watching without saying anything.
So in a fit of anger, my little bottom that had just lifted sank back down. I turned my head to the side, pretending not to care at all, and finished off the remaining half of the Captain Grey in my hand in two or three bites.
Hmph, you want me to stand? No way! I'm going to sit right here.
The sounds outside seemed to be getting more and more chaotic. Before long, the green-haired Lecter walked in with several servants, signaling them to carry the plates in their hands to the table in the adjacent dining room.
When Victoria saw this, she pointed to the coffee table in front of her and said to Lecter, "Just put them here."
"Your Majesty, I had the kitchen prepare some vegetarian dishes according to your usual taste, and had someone fetch two bottles of '54 Smarlanka from the wine cellar. Please enjoy them with Miss Sylvia at your leisure," Lecter said.
Victoria nodded at him, "Mm."
When I watched the servants place one exquisite plate after another in front of us, my eyes couldn't look away. The little bit of displeasure from earlier had long been thrown to the back of my mind, and I immediately became happy again, even feeling a little excited.
This was the Queen's dinner!
People living in the royal city generally knew how to enjoy life well. Even commoners who were a bit particular ate quite refined food, so their queen... if not a feast of gold and jade, there should at least be plenty of delicious things, right?
But when the servants lifted the plate covers, my mood was like a roller coaster dropping, it plummeted with a "whoosh."
A few vegetable leaves soaking in clear broth, a plate of bright green peas, vegetable wraps made with flatbread... everywhere I looked was green, like the lush grasslands on that man's head over there.
Plain, too plain. Truly plain in the literal sense, like clear tea and bland rice. Just looking at it kills my appetite... what a disappointment.
But I still wanted to try it.
The servants finally set down two bottles of wine. One of the male servants skillfully and gracefully opened a bottle, then they all withdrew.
"Your Majesty..."
The green-haired guy lowered his head, hesitating to speak, while Victoria had already picked up her knife and fork, skillfully spearing a green leaf and bringing it to her mouth, paying him no attention.
After a moment, the green-haired guy could only steel himself and continue, "Lord Bart is sitting in the courtyard with the Iron Guard... He's even declared that if you don't see him today, Your Majesty, he won't leave..."
Then he turned his gaze to me, "I'm very sorry, Miss Sylvia. The lock on the outer courtyard gate was broken by him. I'll arrange for someone to—"
"What are you arranging?"
After Victoria slowly chewed and swallowed that vegetable leaf, she finally spoke.
Her beautiful arched eyebrows furrowed slightly as she poured wine into the tall glass in front of her, holding the wine glass and gently swirling it. Then she looked at the green-haired Lecter with an indifferent gaze.
I saw Lecter lower his head even further, looking like he wished he could just burrow into the ground.
"You're not the one who broke the gate," Victoria said softly, then took a sip of wine. Her bright golden eyes looked toward the window, "Why should warriors of the royal city take responsibility for other people's mistakes?"
"...Yes," Lecter replied in a low voice.
"But that's my gate!" I shouted at Victoria with displeasure, "If it weren't for you, why would he smash my gate!"
Upon hearing this, Victoria's cold gaze turned toward me. Naturally, I glared back at her defiantly.
I ignored the green-haired guy constantly winking at me from the side and stared at her for several seconds before feeling I couldn't hold on much longer.
This woman was different from Carlos. No matter how much I glared at him, acted up around him, or ignored him, I knew Carlos would definitely give in to me, he wouldn't really get angry with me. Not only that, he'd buy me delicious food.
Victoria was different. This woman had a strange temperper, was naturally cold, came from noble birth, and held great power. The aura of authority unique to those in high positions practically radiated from her. Even if she wore farmer's work clothes and smeared her face pitch black, standing there you could still sense she was different — some bearing is carved into the bones and can be discerned from every word and action.
So when such an unfathomable woman stared at me with cold eyes, in just those few seconds, my heart started pounding.
But my self-respect wouldn't allow me to back down just like that, so I kept my neck stiff and continued glaring at her. Just as I was wondering whether this woman in front of me, who was so beautiful it made people jealous... no, just generally good-looking, would suddenly lash out the next second and punch me in the face out of jealousy that I was prettier than her, and I was secretly on guard, Victoria suddenly looked away.
She said to Lecter, "Have Bart come in."
"Yes."
Lecter seemed to instantly breathe a sigh of relief and turned to leave without another word.
"Phew—"
Having relaxed, I immediately slumped on the sofa, suddenly missing Carlos a bit.
That bearded rogue should have already returned to Empire territory by now...
Before long, Lecter led in a middle-aged swordsman clad entirely in golden armor.
The first moment I saw this swordsman, my impression of him was extremely poor.
His build was bloated, his steps unsteady, his walk swaying, clearly he had drunk quite a lot. The originally imposing gilded light chain mail was stretched somewhat out of shape on his body.
Looking like this... I doubt he could even beat an ordinary guard. Could such a person even be considered a swordsman...
"Your Majesty!"
The middle-aged swordsman shouted as soon as he entered, quickly walking up to Victoria and kneeling on one knee. His figure swayed, almost falling over in a stumble. He barely managed to steady himself and said urgently, "Your Majesty, you kept me waiting all afternoon! You said you were busy with official duties, but here you are with a little girl—"
As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward me.
"Uh..."
The next moment, his originally murky and slightly contemptuous eyes quickly turned to shock. I didn't know if it was because he saw my face, or saw my full head of black hair, or discovered that I was sitting together with the Queen.
The middle-aged swordsman hesitated, obvious suspicion appearing in his eyes, and immediately changed his question, "This young lady is..."
Eh... do drunk people react this quickly?
But after waiting two seconds, no one answered him.
The green-haired guy stood to the side without a sound, while Victoria... she had gone back to methodically eating her vegetables.
She's definitely doing this on purpose.
Actually, I wanted to question the middle-aged swordsman about why he smashed my gate... but thinking about it, this woman Victoria definitely had her own plan, so I'd better wait for her to speak first.
And so I waited for quite a while.
Victoria ate the vegetables on her plate in small bites, swallowing the green leaves before cutting a small piece of vegetable wrap and slowly chewing it in her mouth, occasionally taking another sip of wine. Her deliberately slow manner made even me feel irritated, let alone the middle-aged swordsman kneeling on the ground who must have been dying of frustration.
"Your Majesty, are you deliberately slighting me!" The middle-aged swordsman who couldn't endure any longer narrowed his eyes.
Hearing his impolite question, Victoria finally put down her utensils.
She picked up the napkin placed beside the table and gently wiped her mouth before casually looking toward the middle-aged swordsman.
"Bart, what do you want?"
She asked, her tone as indifferent as always, making it impossible to ever read the emotions within.
"Your Majesty, that's a question I should be asking you."
The middle-aged swordsman lowered his head, assuming a respectful posture, but his words sounded like an accusation, "You arbitrarily cut all the Iron Guard's military pay and salary in half without even informing me, the commander of the Iron Guard. That's one thing, but even the Finance Minister only just received the news! Not only that, you've also established some inexplicable treasury manager, saying that... from now on, whether it's the distribution of military pay or other expenditures, everything! Must go through her review. Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness, but what you're doing is simply abusing your authority and breaking the rules!"
The middle-aged swordsman spoke with grief and indignation, getting more agitated as he went on, spittle flying from his mouth and landing on the living room carpet, making me frown.
"It's complete chaos... What exactly are you trying to do? Do you really think the Finance Minister doesn't exist?! His work is now completely unable to proceed! This is no way to manage things, Your Majesty! You're deliberately making things difficult for us—!"
After he said this, the atmosphere became heavy.
I secretly stole a glance at Victoria... and found her expression still hadn't changed, remaining flat and indifferent, neither sad nor happy.
"Are you finished?" she asked.
"Uh..."
The Queen's cold response seemed somewhat different from what the middle-aged swordsman expected, leaving him momentarily speechless.
Seeing that he seemed to have nothing more to say, Victoria began questioning him, "The Finance Minister's business has nothing to do with you, does it?"
"How is it not related! If the Finance Minister can't distribute military pay, the Iron Guard will—"
Before he could finish, Victoria interrupted, "If you're here to solve the military pay problem, I'll tell you the solution."
"...What solution?"
"Very simple."
Victoria held up her wine glass, leisurely swirling it.
"Since the military pay is cut in half, let's cut the number of Iron Guard in half as well."