Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy-Chapter 707: Ordinary conversation (4)

Arthur returned to the royal palace and, along with the key figures of the court, including Rene and Cecil, enjoyed the celebration before quietly slipping away from the crowd.

His temperament wasn’t fond of noisy gatherings, but more importantly, he had a question that he had been delaying until today.

Following the moonlight shining down from a cloudless sky, he arrived at the tower at the edge of the palace.

Perhaps due to the loosened security from the celebrations, Arthur gave a slight warning to the guards, handed them some food, and ascended the tower.

"With the banquet still going on outside, why have you come here? Those people shouldn't be treating you differently," she said, her voice soft from behind the bars.

Once, she had been the dignity of the kingdom, but now she was merely a woman who had become a mere criminal.

She had nearly led the kingdom to ruin.

Even now, she could not forget her love.

The woman, whose name had been lost, smiled faintly from behind the bars.

"Are you intentionally distancing yourself?"

"Eventually, I will, but not right now."

"Then, why have you come? I doubt you're interested in the throne."

"I have something to ask you."

"Is it about the mother of the Third Prince?"

"...Yes."

Arthur's mother was assassinated by poison hidden in her tea.

At the time, it was concluded as a crime by a servant, but the true mastermind behind the assassination was never clearly revealed.

"You think I was the mastermind behind the assassination, don't you?"

"You truly loved the late King. You couldn’t have just let him be, could you, when he was straying from the path?"

"By that logic, shouldn't the Second Queen's survival be puzzling?"

"My mother and the Second Queen's circumstances were different. The Second Queen was a political match, but my mother was not."

Objectively speaking, Arthur's mother had no place in the royal family.

She had no special power, no position of status, nor any significant connections.

She had been nothing more than the daughter of a humble rural lord. The only reason she became the queen was that the king had fallen in love with her.

"It was the king who first approached my mother, the king who comforted her when she was reluctant, and it was the king who suppressed the complaints of the courtiers. Am I wrong?"

The motive for the crime was ample, and there were more than enough reasons to commit the act. Considering the king's apparent interest at the time, it only seemed more plausible.

"I honestly don’t know what you mean," the woman responded, cocking her head in confusion as Arthur bit his lip.

"The people at the palace conducted a thorough investigation, but there were no leads about the masterminds."

"If you committed the crime, you could have easily covered it up."

"Isn't that a bit far-fetched?"

There was no concrete evidence.

Only circumstantial evidence remained.

But it was clear. The only person with the motive to commit such an act at the time was this woman.

Who would assassinate someone who would naturally be phased out of the palace, even without any interference?

"Tell me, if you're truly innocent, who killed my mother?"

"The person has already been caught, hasn't he?"

"Are you telling me that a mere maid, out of jealousy, smuggled poison into the palace to assassinate the queen? Ha! That’s such a believable story!"

"But that's the truth, Prince."

"Are you going to repeat the same thing again?"

"If you wish for me to say something else, please bring His Majesty."

"...What?"

"I've cooperated fully with you, as promised. Now, I expect a fair reward for it. Until then, I don’t wish to say another word."

"Do you really think you have the luxury of pride?"

"Well, most of what I wanted has already been achieved."

Arthur knew where the woman's composure came from.

She had no reason to be anxious in the first place.

The kingdom she cherished above all was now prosperous and secure.

It was clear that those who would rule the country were competent.

Those who had once sought personal glory had fallen alongside her, and even those who managed to keep their positions now had to grovel in the current palace.

Moreover, the people who would govern the country in the future were the kingdom's golden generation.

Even disregarding all these factors, it didn’t matter. With Lucy Allen's mere existence, the kingdom could accomplish anything it wanted.

The justification of having saved the continent from destruction. The numerous ties with the powerful forces formed during that process. Even the support of religious figures across various regions.

Just by Lucy Allen being here, foreign nations had to bow down to the kingdom.

Even the king, lost in darkness, could not become a weakness for her.

She never thought she would live happily at the king’s side, because she was well aware of the crimes they had committed.

Yet, she had made the king a condition for a future justification.

A peaceful death. To not wander forever in darkness but to embrace rest. To leave this world alongside him.

"You,"

"Don’t get too angry. I was joking. Even if you bring His Majesty, what I have to say won’t change. The incident concerning the Third Queen is indeed a sad one, but it’s pointless to bring it up now."

Her words were undeniably rational. Even if she brought up an event that happened many years ago, it would make no difference now.

Though all the evidence pointed to her, she couldn’t be forced to speak.

"Ugh?"

Arthur, startled by the sensation in his side, stepped back in shock as he heard muffled laughter.

Lucy, unable to contain her laughter, doubled over, clutching her stomach, and Arthur’s face reddened with anger.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"But! Hahaha. Oh, Prince! Haha! You sound like a girl! Hahaha."

"I did not sound like that!"

"Uh-huh. Heehee."

"I did NOT!"

Lucy laughed for quite a while before finally stopping, seeing Arthur grow upset to the point of almost crying.

"Ah. This is so fun. You really are fun to tease, Third Prince."

"Do you have anything to say to the prince of a kingdom?!"

"If you don’t like it, you can try me. Who knows who holds more rank, a mere Third Prince of some kingdom, or the daughter of a deity."

"...That."

"Alright, Arthur. Now, do you know who should be using honorifics?"

"S...Sorry. Lady Allen."

"Good. That’s how it should be."

Lucy patted Arthur's head as he bowed, and seeing his shoulders trembling, she nodded in satisfaction.

"Did you say you’re the daughter of a deity? Really?"

The woman who had been watching the scene beside them raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Does it sound like a lie?"

"Hmm. No. Considering the things you’ve done, it makes sense. Thank you. With that, even more glory will come to the kingdom."

"Thanks for believing me so easily. Now, everything I say will sound more convincing."

"Even so, I trust what the lady says."

"Really? Were you planning on calling me the abandoned woman of my first love?"

"...Excuse me?"

For the first time, the First Queen’s expression stiffened.

"Hahaha! What? You said you believed me! Was it a lie after all?"

"Abandoned? Me?"

"What? Did you really think that pig loved you forever?"

"Of course..."

"Hahaha! You really are a fool! Why would you trust a pig that tried to eat its own child?! Were you brainwashed?"

Normally, the woman would have been able to say such absurd things with no problem, but today was different. She completely lost her composure, clutching the bars as if she was going to smash them.

"Stop lying! He loved me!"

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

"You should be saying 'he loved me,' not 'he loves me.'"

"..."

"I would’ve been tired of you too, if I were him. A woman who murmurs about the kingdom while sleeping. How much would he regret choosing a mental case who couldn’t even say a proper romantic word?"

"Take back what you said."

"Take it back? Hahaha. I swear on your Majesty, everything I said is the truth. A clingy loser."

The First Queen, ready to charge at her like she would break the bars, was met with Lucy’s mockery as she spat in the woman’s face and pulled a bewildered Arthur outside.

"Lucy Allen. You—"

"Is your guess right, Prince? When we pull out the pig later, I’ll make sure to answer you well."

"Did you know all this?"

"I told you. I’m the daughter of a deity. My curse didn’t insult you for no reason."

That was true. Lucy Allen had hinted at things even I didn’t know. It wouldn’t be strange if she knew everything.

"...Sorry."

Arthur nodded, accepting it, but frowned when he heard Lucy’s apology.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I knew you were curious, but I didn’t say anything. I thought you’d be upset if I were you."

Though Lucy’s face was hidden in the darkness, Arthur assumed she was making a sad face.

Now that her curse was lost, she would likely be a pure and honest girl.

"...It’s not like that."

And so, Arthur pretended to be strong on purpose.

"I haven’t fully gotten over my mother’s death, but I’ve managed to move on a bit. I just wanted to confirm things this time."

So, he had lied on purpose.

Though he had his reasons for solving the suspicions he had had from the moment he had learned of the woman’s true nature.

In their conversation, despite being unable to think normally because of the tension...

"So, you don’t have to apologize."

Arthur, trying to be strong like Lucy had done before, said it.

"...Really?"

"If you need to apologize, apologize for the harsh words you’ve thrown at me. Even if it was because of the curse, honestly, it hurt."

"That wasn’t because of the curse."

"What?"

"There was some truth in it. Honestly, it’s true that you were useless, wasn’t it? You were the weakest among us."

"Well, I mean..."

"Every time you said you’d win next time, it just looked pathetic, like a loser."

"That’s not true! I... I did help you guys properly!"

"Did you, now

?"

Arthur was about to shout in anger at Lucy's teasing remark, but when the clouds parted and the moonlight illuminated Lucy's face, he found himself speechless.

"Your eyes are creepy, Prince."

"What... What’s wrong with my eyes?!"

"Ahh~ It's Prince Pedo~ I should run away before getting kidnapped~"

With a sarcastic tone, Lucy disappeared, leaving Arthur alone. He pressed his reddened face with both hands and slumped down.

...

How was he supposed to stay angry when she made that face!

Damn it, that woman!