Free Web NovelAfrella shook her head, refusing Celicia’s proposal just like that, and at the same time refusing that supreme position stained with the blood of countless people.
Her tone was relaxed, as if she had merely refused an ordinary apple.
“Why?” That composure left even Celicia somewhat puzzled, because as someone who had once participated in the game of thrones herself, she knew very well how tempting it was.
Even if it was an apple, it was the finest apple in the world. Few people could refuse it, let alone when, for the girl, that apple was already within easy reach.
“To put it in a slightly pretentious way, I hate that position, because every disaster I suffered came from that position. That night years ago is still engraved into my soul even now, impossible to forget.”
Afrella clasped her hands tightly together and touched them lightly to her forehead.
“As for a more heartfelt way of saying it... compared to that position, I feel there are more important things I still need to do. There is also my... true essential work?”
“That so-called Black Sun Cult?”
Celicia’s posture was leisurely. Her jade-like fingers lifted the coffee cup before her, and she took an elegant sip.
“I hear that in the shadows of this city, someone calling herself the Pope of the Black Sun has already appeared, carrying divine grace from the Black Sun, beginning to establish an organization and develop believers.”
“You... knew?”
Afrella’s movements stiffened. She had thought she had acted secretly enough.
“Since I have taken over this city, the first thing to do is naturally to hold it completely in my hands. Did you really think I was like that foolish, arrogant imperial father of yours, believing everything would never slip beyond his control, and therefore turning a blind eye to many things instead?”
The corner of Celicia’s lips curved into a contemptuous smile.
After taking over this city and gaining a detailed understanding of all its various circumstances, she increasingly felt that Saint Peron V, that old thing, was truly stupid beyond salvation.
He called himself a great ruler?
Heh. Perhaps when he had been young, there had truly been times when he had been wise and mighty, and he had truly brought the Kingdom’s national strength up by a level.
But as he grew older and more muddled, and clung ever more tightly to his “position,” many things here had long since become completely different from when he had been young.
After all, what kind of great ruler would allow the nobles and ministers under him to hollow out this city, even this country? Worse, he himself was the biggest worm of them all.
The so-called balance, the so-called “for the sake of the country,” was nothing more than a compromise born from knowing full well that he had already begun to decline, yet still insisting on deceiving himself.
“That imperial father of yours was so foolish. I did not expect you to be so foolish as well.”
Celicia swirled the coffee cup, but lost interest after only one taste. The Kingdom’s coffee always had a strange sour bitterness to it, and she was not used to it.
“Even if that so-called Black Sun Cult truly succeeds, what then? In the end, it can only develop within the Kingdom, or even within this city. The Church will never allow the faith of an unfamiliar god to grow, let alone...”
“Whether they will permit your existence at all remains unknown.”
“I’m not foolish. I only know... what I can do, and what I want to do.”
Afrella shook her head.
The Church’s attitude toward the Black Sun Cult was still unknown.
But one thing was certain. In a Kingdom with an enormous number of believers in the Goddess, they would even less allow the future King of the Kingdom to be... someone who was not a believer in the Goddess.
This Salvation Society incident had already caused the Church to lose all face. They could not possibly allow themselves to suffer another heavy loss on the national level.
So from Afrella’s perspective, this active refusal of hers was also like a transaction with the Church.
As for whether the Church, which held absolute initiative, would be willing to accept this transaction, that was unknown.
“I definitely wouldn’t make a good king.”
“From my perspective, it would be better if you couldn’t be a good king.”
“...Your Majesty is truly direct.”
“I have always said what I think. You, on the other hand...”
Celicia leaned closer. Terrifying coldness advanced layer by layer. At some unknown point, the coffee in the cup no longer rippled, but had frozen solid into ice.
“To be able to think this far, little sister, it seems you are not quite as honest as you appear.”
“...”
Afrella hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to meet Celicia’s gaze, looking frightened and reverent.
“Your Majesty is overthinking it. I absolutely have no other ideas.”
“Is that so? Then your constant obsession with that so-called Black Sun Cult, your obsession with your identity as pope...”
“It is all because of faith. I believe in the Black Sun, more devoutly than anyone. That is all.”
Afrella lowered her eyes, her hands clasped tightly together, entirely in the posture of a devout believer.
Celicia observed her for a long ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) time, and astonishingly, could not see the slightest flaw.
A truly devout believer?
Heh.
Why pretend to be some innocent little white rabbit?
“Little sister Afrella, there’s no need to be nervous. I was only asking casually. I had no other meaning.”
Celicia set down the coffee cup. The coffee inside swayed, as if the frozen scene just now had never happened at all.
“Your Majesty must be joking. How could I be nervous? You are so gentle...” Afrella raised her head and revealed a slightly stiff smile.
“Enough with the polite talk. Since you are so unwilling, I cannot force you. Then obediently stay here and be your pope.”
Celicia bit especially hard on the word “obediently.”
“Don’t run around recklessly, especially four or five years from now. Do you understand?”
“Four or five years from now, I’m afraid I will already be carrying the heavy responsibility of the entire cult, so naturally I won’t be able to run around recklessly. Please rest assured, Your Majesty.”
Afrella’s attitude remained very, very low, soft and cute as a rabbit, seemingly without any threat at all.
“I hope so.”
Celicia cast her one final cold glance, then rose to her feet.
“By the way, where is that imperial father of yours? Is he dead?”
“No. He’s locked in a secret chamber in Saint Haze Palace. I don’t want to kill him a second time. It’s too disgusting.”
“Let me use him.”
“Your Majesty wants to...”
“He may have already stepped down, but his crimes have yet to be judged. So... what else here could confirm the Empire’s prestige more than putting a king on trial?”
“I... understand.”
Afrella did not refuse. She also knew she had no right to refuse.
Only at the very end did she finally have the chance to raise her head and look at Celicia’s departing back.
Silver hair fell down. Her steps were sharp, like a glacier sweeping across the world, making all things lie dormant.
How noble. How coldly proud.
Although for some reason, that gait would sometimes become slightly unsteady, that presence was still enough to subdue hearts.
Afrella even felt that before her, she was nothing more than a tiny ant, and even every movement she had painstakingly planned was so laughable in the other woman’s eyes.
“But I haven’t lost yet.”
Afrella clasped her hands tightly, her gaze resolute.
After experiencing everything from before, she was no longer the person she had once been, who would easily admit defeat.
“Just wait. This is only the first step. The connection between me and my god will one day... surpass all of you.”
...
...
“Ah! Your Majesty! Are you done talking?”
Celicia walked out of the room and happened to run into Veil, who was once again secretly reading a book she had gotten from who knew where. Judging by the cover that had flashed past just now, there was a high probability it was another story about the friendship between two men going bad.
She could not be bothered anymore.
Celicia rubbed her somewhat tired temples. After being tormented like that last night, then rising early today, she was indeed a little low on energy.
When she thought of last night, anger surged through Celicia’s heart. What exactly had that bastard done to her while she had been drunk last night?
Although there were still some blurry memories...
she was still somewhat unwilling to believe that she had actually...
“Mm, we’re done.”
Celicia’s expression remained cold and clear, appearing completely unaffected by last night. Only in the depths of her eyes, where no one could see, did a trace of shame and irritation still remain.
“Then has the candidate for the Kingdom’s throne been decided?”
“No. She doesn’t want it.”
“Eh?”
Veil froze, then said in shock, “Doesn’t want it? There’s actually someone in this world who doesn’t want to be king?”
“There are plenty of strange people in this world. For example, you. When will you finally quit reading these messy things?”
Celicia knocked Veil on the head. The latter stuck out her tongue, knew she had been exposed, and quickly hid the book behind her.
“I only read them in my free time. It doesn’t affect my work!”
“Is it good?”
“Of course!”
It had to be said, this place truly deserved to be called the capital of art. Even that kind of content was extremely artistic.
A sharp-tongued, arrogant, righteous little boy top and a gentle, mature, sunny, evil man bottom. Why had she never thought of such a combination before?
There was even a final reversal. The moment that sharp-tongued, arrogant little boy put on cat ears, it simply made one...
“Hm?”
“Cough. Cough, cough. Nothing. I wasn’t imagining anything strange.”
Before Her Majesty, Veil did not dare lose her composure, so she hurriedly coughed twice, cutting off her fantasies before her nosebleed could start.
“Then, Your Majesty, since she is unwilling, this candidate...”
“Naturally, we choose again. In fact, I had already prepared for this possibility from the start. After all, no matter what, this matter still needs the Church’s approval, and they don’t look likely to approve that princess. The matter of faith has already blocked her completely.”
“Isn’t that troublesome? When we entered the city, Saint Peron V had already nearly killed off all his own children, right?”
Veil counted on her fingers.
“There are only three left now. One doesn’t want it, one was directly scared insane, and another colluded with the Salvation Society and was taken away by the Judgment Temple for interrogation... Wow, looking at it this way, even if the Empire hadn’t defeated them, the Kingdom would’ve been doomed sooner or later!”
“In that case, there’s no need to be so rigid and insist it must be that old thing’s biological son or daughter. As long as someone carries the Kingdom’s royal bloodline, they likewise have the qualifications to ascend.”
Celicia touched her smooth chin.
“Speaking of which, I do indeed have another suitable candidate.”
Someone with pure Kingdom royal blood.
Someone whose status was not high—or rather, who had no real power—and no foundation of their own within the Kingdom, and therefore needed the Empire’s support.
Someone with weaknesses in personality or other aspects, making them easy to control.
To satisfy all three points at the same time was actually not easy. One could say that even if Saint Peron V had not slaughtered his own sons and daughters, finding such a person would still have been very difficult.
But Celicia truly had thought of such a person.
“This is fucking ridiculous.”
Unfortunately, solving this major problem did not make Celicia happy at all. It even made her angrier, so much so that frost immediately stained her small face, badly frightening Veil beside her.
“After all these twists and turns, the one qualified to become king is still someone with an unclear, ambiguous relationship with that bastard. What is that damn yellow hair trying to do? Rule the continent?”
“Eh?”
Veil shrank her neck.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
Celicia did not explain. She had already left with steps that were occasionally somewhat awkward, while leaving behind an order:
“Draft the final treaty and hand it to those nobles. Then have them hurry to welcome back their new king.”
“At the same time, send a message to Pink Bear back home. Tell him to...”
