Chapter 171 – What Do You Think of Me?

It was during the monster subjugation campaign.

The young noble heirs had all departed for the battlefield, while only the noble ladies and their escort knights remained behind in Valdrova Castle.

What exactly was there for the young ladies to do?

Women who had never gotten even a drop of water on their hands could do little more than gather together in their rooms. Those who happened to be skilled with their hands would embroider the clothes of the young lord they admired as a way of expressing their feelings.

Either way, after seeing the men off, they were all anxious and lonely.

Even if they believed in victory, the possibility of defeat constantly whispered in their ears, shaking their hearts.

It was the perfect environment for something to slip into those cracks in their minds.

Coincidentally, such a being happened to be living in the castle.

"How boring."

Penelope muttered with an empty expression.

"Even after accomplishing the dream I'd always wanted to achieve in the mortal world, why don't I feel any sense of fulfillment?"

She had fulfilled her long-cherished dream of creating a Garden.

Not only that, she'd successfully made it using precious, innocent noble ladies.

And yet...

She felt nothing.

It was only natural.

All Penelope had done was cast a net into a fishpond where the fish had already been trapped.

It was no different from lifting a spoonful of food and placing it directly into her own mouth.

"That's it."

Like someone who had suddenly attained enlightenment, Penelope nodded to herself.

"If I'm aiming to become a first-rate demon, then I should be able to do it all by myself!"

She clenched her fist tightly.

"Next time, I'll infiltrate the Imperial Court and make a Garden there!"

Her confidence was so absolute that the possibility of getting caught never even crossed her mind.

With that grand resolution, she began wandering aimlessly through the castle.

"That reminds me... where am I?"

She'd been strolling around so carelessly that she'd completely lost track of her location.

Valdrova Castle was enormous.

Walking around without thinking was practically preparing to become lost.

Ironically, that was exactly why she'd arrived somewhere she'd never seen before.

"Is this... the Audience Chamber?"

The place where a king officially received his subjects.

Since it belonged not to an ordinary king but to a dragon, its scale rivaled even that of an emperor's throne room.

"Come to think of it, I've never actually seen anyone use this place."

This was the throne Valdrova was supposed to sit upon.

And as the Regent, Ferda could never occupy it.

He could have easily justified doing so if he wished.

But Ferda had refused.

Instead, he usually met people in the reception room or his office.

As a result, very few people even knew what the Audience Chamber looked like.

"Hmm..."

Penelope narrowed her eyes.

Curiosity sparkled within them.

"Maybe I'll take a little look around."

Without the slightest fear, she opened the great doors and stepped inside.

"Wooooow...!"

An exclamation escaped her lips.

She had expected dust-covered furniture and thick layers of neglect, assuming no one ever used the room.

Instead...

Despite having no king to occupy it, the chamber was impeccably maintained.

Once the chandeliers were lit, the room would become as bright as day.

Behind the throne stood a magnificent mural of an Evil Red Dragon, painted with enough majesty to overwhelm any visitor.

"As expected of dragons—so flashy! Why's this place been left unused all this time?!"

As Penelope wandered through the Audience Chamber, her eyes settled upon the throne.

She imagined herself sitting there.

That must feel incredible.

"Hmm..."

If you wanted to sit...

Then naturally you'd want to lie down.

And if you wanted to lie down...

You'd eventually want to sleep.

Her feet unconsciously carried her forward.

"Ah, whatever."

In the end, she surrendered to her desires.

She climbed onto the throne and sat down.

"Ohhh! OOOOOHHH!"

The instant her backside touched the throne, a shiver ran through her body.

"So this is the air that a king breathes...?!"

It couldn't even be compared to the satisfaction she'd felt when creating her Garden.

It felt as though every desire she'd ever lacked was finally being fulfilled.

Penelope recalled the past.

Why had she dared to steal the Life Vessel of her own mother, Sitri?

Because she intended to drive out that Great Demon and become one of the new Seven Great Demons of Hell herself.

Unfortunately, her plan had ended with little more than steal the Life Vessel, leaving her hunted by her own mother.

But one thing had never changed.

Her ambition was still alive.

Completely immersed in her fantasy of being a queen, Penelope finally shouted,

"Ohohoho! Attend me! Is no one there?!"

Her clear voice echoed magnificently throughout the Audience Chamber.

"From this seat, I hereby declare the Kingdom of Penelope's Harem! Which lovely maiden wishes to become the first concubine of this Great Demon, Lady Penelope?!"

She basked in the fantasy of countless beautiful girls begging to serve her upon her throne.

"You? Or perhaps you? Anyone will do. Come closer and let me—"

Her words stopped.

"...Huh?"

The imaginary beauties surrounding her vanished like smoke.

Reality returned.

Yet...

One figure remained standing before the tip of her outstretched finger.

A woman with ordinary features and crimson hair.

But there was nothing ordinary about the pair of horns rising from her head.

Golden eyes.

Vertical slit pupils.

Even someone utterly lacking in perception would immediately realize who she was.

The master of this Audience Chamber.

The very dragon depicted in the mural behind the throne.

Valdrova.

Penelope had barged into the Audience Chamber.

Sat upon the throne.

And then pointed directly at its owner.

"U-Uh..."

Her slender finger slowly curled back.

Her posture immediately became humble.

"Ah... hahaha!"

She laughed loudly as though nothing had happened.

"W-Well then... I sincerely apologize! I was just wandering around without knowing any better, and somehow I ended up here talking to myself!"

She cautiously tried to slip past Valdrova.

"W-Well then, this humble one shall take her leave!"

Just as she tried to dash past Valdrova's shoulder—

"Wait."

She never made it past the doorway.

Merely hearing those three syllables froze her in place.

Her body refused to move.

Even the flow of her Mana and the beating of her heart felt as though they had been seized within someone else's grasp.

For the first time...

Penelope truly understood what a dragon was.

Looking down at Penelope, who trembled like a paralyzed prairie dog, Valdrova quietly said,

"Could we... talk for a moment?"

At that instant, Penelope knew exactly what was about to happen.

"Zed... I'm going on ahead."

She silently left her final words behind.

"I spent your money well. Thanks to it, I got to meet a lot of wonderful people. I can't pay you back in this life... so if you come to Hell someday, I'll repay you then. Wait... if I go to Hell, won't I die there too?"

She lamented inwardly.

"Damn it... if I'd known this would happen, I should've just spent every last coin."

***

Ten minutes earlier.

Valdrova Castle.

It's quiet.

Valdrova was walking through the castle.

Normally she would have been wearing armor.

Today, however, she wore a dress.

Since the Festival of the Beginning of Spring, she had finally become comfortable enough to walk around the castle without her armor.

Even so... meeting people is still difficult.

Ironically, the person she found hardest to face was Ferda.

She feared that his thoughtful kindness and consideration would only make her feel more burdened.

So she deliberately chose routes where few people ever came.

One of those paths led to the Audience Chamber.

This... was supposed to be my seat.

When she had first become engaged to the Third Prince, she had ordered only a single throne to be made.

She had never intended to rule here herself.

That throne had always been meant for the Third Prince.

Although she had earned the title of Grand Duchess, she believed it would be better for the prince—who had actually accomplished things—to rule instead of herself.

He would reign.

She would support him from his side.

That had been her dream.

But...

Reality had taken a different path.

On the very night the Third Prince arrived in the Grand Duchy, he had said to her—

"You're talking about love? How pathetic. I suppose they were right—you really are nothing more than a watchdog guarding the house."

The gentle smile he'd shown that morning had completely vanished.

Instead, he scowled and hurled abuse at her.

-"I only came here to use you. I planned to flatter you a little before putting a dog's collar around your neck. Did you actually think I'd love you? You're nothing but the butcher of the Dragon-Horse War. Dogs should behave like dogs."

Every word pierced deeply.

There was no doubt some kind of magic had compelled him to speak.

Yet...

That didn't change the fact that those words reflected his true feelings.

Hearing them filled her with boiling rage.

Her emotions surged like a violent storm.

Unable to control herself...

She killed the Third Prince with her own hands.

Once again, she failed to overcome herself.

Once again, she killed someone.

She hated the version of herself that lost all reason.

She believed she didn't deserve happiness.

Even so...

Just a little.

Selfishly...

She wished for just one more chance to become happy.

If she failed this time as well...

Then for everyone's sake, she would abandon that dream forever.

And then...

The final man had appeared.

-"It is a pleasure to meet you, my heart."

That man—

Ferda—

Was the complete opposite of the Third Prince.

When she first met him, his eyes looked directly at her.

He didn't seem like someone who sought marriage in order to rule.

Rather...

He felt like someone who ruled in order to marry.

Why couldn't I have met a man like him from the very beginning?

If only I'd met Ferda sooner...

Perhaps she wouldn't still be so afraid of meeting people.

Perhaps she could have gathered more courage...

Helped Ferda more...

Accomplished more together.

She wanted to overcome this fear.

She wanted to become someone who could truly support him.

That was her heartfelt wish.

"Ohohoho!"

Suddenly, laughter echoed through the halls.

It was unmistakably coming from beyond the Audience Chamber doors.

What...?

Valdrova carefully entered.

There she found...

A pink-haired demon sitting on the throne, completely absorbed in playing make-believe.

That child... she's the one Ferda brought here, isn't she?

Her name was Penelope.

A demon.

Luri had said she was important for some reason, though Valdrova didn't know exactly why.

...Her?

No matter how she looked at her...

She seemed like nothing more than a childish little girl.

"You? Or perhaps you? Anyone will do. Come closer and let me—"

Penelope pointed directly at her.

"...Huh."

She froze.

Afterward she tried to quietly sneak away.

But Valdrova didn't let her.

"Wait."

Normally...

She would've pretended not to notice and simply let the girl leave.

But somehow...

She couldn't.

Without even understanding why herself, she quietly said,

"Could we... talk for a moment?"

***

Penelope and Valdrova now sat side by side on a bench bathed in pale moonlight.

Both sat quietly.

Neither spoke.

I want to run away.

Penelope felt as though she were sitting on a cushion full of thorns.

Though she usually followed her instincts, even she couldn't move freely in this situation.

Desperate to escape the suffocating silence, she finally forced herself to speak.

"Um..."

"..."

"I've committed a crime worthy of death."

"..."

"But... now that I think about it, maybe it's not that serious. I only sat on the throne, right?"

"..."

"No... actually, now that I think about it, it probably is a capital offense. Especially since I keep running my mouth like this!"

"..."

"Haha... I'm talking too much, aren't I? I'll shut up."

People often said the mouth was the gateway to disaster.

No saying suited Penelope better.

Silence settled over them once more.

With every passing second, Penelope felt as though her heart was gradually stopping.

"Um..."

"Y-Yes! Please speak!"

This time, Valdrova spoke first.

"It's just... I didn't ask you here because I wanted to scold you for entering the Audience Chamber."

"R-Really? Whew! Of course! Lady Valdrova is so generous and merciful that someone as insignificant as me could naturally expect such kindness!"

"Mmm... actually... there was something I wanted to ask."

"You had a question!"

Finally.

A way out.

Penelope smiled brightly and thumped her chest.

"This Penelope will answer anything she possibly can!"

"Then... what exactly is this 'Harem Kingdom' you were talking about?"

"...Eh?"

Penelope immediately found herself facing an enormous obstacle.

A question almost impossible to answer to another woman.

Especially after she'd practically invited Valdrova to become one of its members.

"W-Well... a harem is basically... polygamy."

"Polygamy? What does that mean?"

"It means one man having several wives. You could say it's the sort of paradise every man dreams about at least once."

"Hm? I thought you were a man."

"No, I'm a woman."

"Then what does any of that have to do with you?"

...Good question.

"Ahem! What I meant was that I wanted to build a Harem Kingdom for Lady Valdrova!"

"But I'm a woman."

"A woman can have a Harem Kingdom filled with other women too!"

"Hmm... women..."

Valdrova imagined herself surrounded by countless women.

When women gathered together...

What did they usually do?

Tea parties, perhaps?

She pictured herself happily chatting with everyone.

For a moment...

It felt as though she had become the noble lady she'd always dreamed of being.

"So... a Harem Kingdom is something nice?"

"Huh? O-Of course it is!"

Penelope laughed awkwardly.

Valdrova had definitely misunderstood something.

But correcting her now seemed far too dangerous.

"You said you're Sitri's daughter..."

"So you're a demon of lust, aren't you?"

"W-Well... yes."

"Then... you understand men well too?"

"Uh..."

To Penelope, men were no different from stones lying beside the road.

She paid them no attention.

They only irritated her when she happened to trip over one.

Unless they were exceptionally handsome like Zed, that was how she viewed most men.

"I know what makes a woman attractive!"

She skillfully dodged the unfavorable question.

"An attractive woman..."

Surprisingly...

That seemed to be exactly the answer Valdrova wanted.

She gently touched the part of her jaw that her mask usually concealed.

Penelope nervously wondered whether she'd somehow stepped in trouble.

Then Valdrova asked,

"You really understand women?"

"Absolutely! I know exactly what kind of beauty drives men crazy!"

"I see..."

Valdrova fell into deep thought.

Then...

"Alright."

She nodded firmly.

Although her voice sounded as though she had made a tremendous decision, what she actually did was remarkably simple.

She slowly removed the mask covering her face.

Revealing her true appearance.

Then, shyly...

She asked,

"So... what do you think of me?"