Volume 10, Chapter 44 – Adonis Full of Hope

Time had come to the second day after the negotiations broke down.

Three hours had passed since the Wilfred City sun began shining through the window. It was now ten in the morning. In the past, Adonis would have already washed up, eaten breakfast, and even concluded a simple morning court session by this time. Even if no court was scheduled, Adonis wouldn’t laze about in bed when idle. She was not only the monarch of a nation but also the individual named Adonis Eli Gloria. Adonis had a keen interest in studying magic items, so she was never idle, even on her days off. It could be said that Adonis was a thorough early riser and extremely diligent.

Today was the sole exception.

If there was ever a day the sun would rise in the west and slimes would begin to walk upright, then in the eyes of those who were always by Adonis’s side, that day was today.

The founding Emperor of the Norta Empire, the existence at the pinnacle of the human world, Adonis Eli Gloria, was lazing in bed.

Although Adonis’s state had been strange ever since her return yesterday, no one had expected that the Adonis who had never been discouraged during the civil war would be this dejected for an entire day, just because she was captured by a Hydra. This was absolutely not a good sign.

To get Adonis to cheer up, Carl had not only severely punished the crew members who had failed in their duty yesterday, but he hadn’t even spared Bayldes, who had surpassed the heroic domain. To this moment, they were still kneeling at Adonis’s door, heads bowed in apology.—Even if Carl hadn’t punished them, this group would have been terrified, proactively begging Adonis for punishment. The soldiers chosen as the crew were, without exception, extremely loyal men who frequently protected His Majesty. They all understood that their negligence had caused His Majesty to fall into despair. Even if they had hundreds of lives, it wouldn’t be enough to atone for their sin.

However, in the eyes of those who truly understood the cause and effect, this was merely a misunderstanding. The reason Adonis refused to leave her room was simply because of nervousness, anxiety, and a complete sense of bewilderment.

Right now, the person herself was lying flat on her back on the mansion’s luxurious, large bed.

Her gaze was fixed blankly on the ceiling, her limbs spread out in a ‘star’ shape. Her pure golden hair was splayed wantonly across the bed like a waterfall. She was muttering, but no one could hear what she was saying. She hadn’t even noticed she’d forgotten to button the top of her pajamas, and the sunlight reflecting off the floor happened to illuminate her snow-white chest.—This was Adonis’s current state. If someone who didn’t know her identity saw her, they would surely assume she was just a deranged, large-chested, beautiful girl. This was also why Adonis had kicked all the maids out of her room. Although she was now like a jilted lover on the verge of giving up, she had not forgotten that she couldn’t let anyone else know her true gender.

“This is awful… Why did this happen…”

Adonis unconsciously voiced her inner thoughts.

“I just want to die…”

Her true gender had been exposed, and of all people, it had been Viel’s sister, Yisi, who caught her red-handed. The entire premise of ‘conquering’ Viel was that she was a man. Now that her true gender was known, Adonis had absolutely no idea what to do next.

On top of that, she had put on such a pretense, appearing before Yisi as a man. Every time she thought about it, Adonis’s fingers and toes would curl in embarrassment, and her whole body would writhe on the bed like a maggot. Yesterday had to be the most embarrassing experience of her entire life, Adonis couldn’t help but think. It was so awkward that she could only pound the bed to alleviate her regret.

The reason she could switch between male and female appearances was because she used both makeup artistry and a magic item. The makeup material was taken from a monster called a ‘Refractive Firefly.’ The face powder made from this firefly had the effect of being nullified when exposed to a special magic light, and only she, the one who had commissioned its research, knew of that light. When she shone the magic light on her face, she would revert from her made-up male appearance back to a woman. The magic item that altered her facial structure was one she had crafted herself, its effect also being to change her facial structure.

The functions of the two were identical, yet they existed independently. This ensured that if one of them failed, her female identity wouldn’t be immediately exposed. In fact, after so many years, she had truly never had her real identity exposed, thanks to this double insurance. Unfortunately, after yesterday’s battle, it was clear she had been far too careless.

The powder lost its effect after being washed away by seawater, and her magic power was depleted supporting the [Citadel Ring]. Both tools for maintaining her male identity had failed, and she hadn’t even noticed. This has led to today’s tragic state.

“How could this happen, AAAAAHHH!!!” To avoid being heard by the people outside, Adonis could only bury her head in her pillow and scream. “How am I supposed to make Viel fall in love with me now!”

Only powerful men were pursued by women. For Adonis, the problem wasn’t whether she was powerful, but whether she was a man.

Perhaps before she changed her name from Chrysdor Carol Gloria to Adonis Eli Gloria, she might have liked men. No, she was too young then and probably didn’t understand romantic feelings at all. But she was certain that if she had grown up as Chrysdor, her sexual orientation would be the same as any other young woman’s: she would like charming men.

Unfortunately, to inherit her father’s will and to avoid becoming a pawn for the nobility, she decided at a very young age to present herself as a man. She grew up with an education only imparted to a prince, developing a decisive and strong personality. Being surrounded by adoring women and looked up to by men became her daily life. Coupled with the fact that there were no men around her more outstanding than herself, she naturally lost interest in men.—Although, before meeting Viel, she hadn’t been particularly interested in women either.—In short: she preferred women over men.

If she had never met Viel, she probably would have just married some noblewoman. But after seeing Viel, everything changed. Whether it was that dazzling silver hair, like flowing mercury, or those blue eyes, as deep as the starry sky, everything about her held a captivating charm.

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However, Adonis knew that she, a woman who liked women, was an anomaly. The vast majority of women, especially a shining existence like Viel, preferred a man who was her equal. This was the natural order of all things. Now that her true gender had been exposed to Yisi, even if she desperately tried to get close to Viel, the outcome would likely just be “friends.” The “lover” option was gone. If she risked it all and confessed her feelings regardless of the consequences, the best-case scenario would be getting laughed off as a joke. The worst-case scenario would be not even being able to be friends, being hit with the word “disgusting,” and then never seeing her again.

Damn it.

Why am I not a man?

How wonderful it would be if I woke up one day and found I had male physiology.

For the first time, Adonis regretted not being a man. She even began to transfer her anger to her female features.—These two mounds on her chest were an obstacle to her relationship with Viel. If not for the fact that cutting them off wouldn’t change the fact that she was a woman, Adonis might have done something inhuman right then.

Following the regret was a lingering sense of loss. The feeling of heartbreak made Adonis roll over, curl up, and hug her pillow tightly, imagining it was her beloved.

“Viel… my Viel… why did I have to be a woman?”

Knock, knock, knock.

“Your Majesty, it’s already ten in the morning. Do you still not intend to come out?”

“Hm?”

Him again? Adonis frowned. Bradley, of all people, should know what “do not disturb” means.

She didn’t answer. Adonis just hugged the pillow tighter, clinging to it like an octopus.

“Your Majesty, if you continue to ignore this subject, this subject will be forced to break down the door.”

He’s just talking. Bradley’s just an old man; he can’t possibly break down the door.

Adonis pursed her lips and still didn’t answer.

“You men, use this to break down His Majesty’s door.”

“B-But this is His Majesty’s door…”

“I will take full responsibility for any problems. You just need to break it down. As the Prime Minister of the empire, it is my duty to oversee His Majesty. Otherwise, I will be a sinner for ages to come. This is an order from me, Bradley. Break down the door!”

He can’t be serious, can he?

Adonis loosened her grip on the pillow slightly and looked toward the door.

The secret that she was actually a woman was known only by herself and Bradley in the entire empire. If Bradley broke down the door, things would develop in the exact way he didn’t want.

Thinking of this, Adonis confidently flopped back onto the bed.

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Immediately followed by: BANG!

Like a battering ram striking a city gate, the wooden door made a heavy, dull sound. The ceiling and floor vibrated from the impact, and Adonis nearly shot up off the bed.

“Fuck, Bradley, you’re serious!”

If I drag this out, I’m done for.

Her mind instantly cleared. Adonis cursed as she scrambled out of bed, rushing to the full-length mirror to change her clothes. Her facial lines could be concealed with the magic item and special powder, but her developed chest couldn’t just disappear. Only by using a chest binder and outer clothing could she barely hide it.—If Yisi saw Adonis’s… development, she would definitely start to doubt whether Camilla was even of royal blood.

“This is this subject’s duty, Your Majesty. Please forgive me.”

BANG!

Following the soldiers’ countdown from outside, the battering-ram-like object struck the door again. This time, the door let out a painful, groaning creak . It seemed ready to burst open at any moment.

That bastard Bradley.

There was definitely no time to change now. Adonis cleared her throat.

“Bradley, stop! Send the maids in to help me dress. I need time to prepare.”

“If Your Majesty is lying, this subject will, from now on—”

“I’m not fooling you. Send in the maids.”

“This subject understands.”

Before the maids entered, Adonis quickly put on a simple disguise. As a monarch, her clothing was far more complex than that of an ordinary noble; she couldn’t possibly put it on by herself. As for her gender being discovered by the maids, there was no need to worry. The chest binder she wore was also a magic item. Once it was on, outsiders couldn’t see through it with the naked eye. Even if they reached out and touched, it would only feed back a firm, solid sensation. In the past, Adonis had even been sexually harassed by a maid. A maid who was infatuated with Adonis had, while dressing her, unnaturally brushed her fingertips across Adonis’s chest, yet she still failed to discover Adonis was wearing a binder.

Soon, Adonis, having changed her clothes, received Bradley in the study. As expected, Bradley and the soldiers who had rammed the door were all kneeling before her, heads bowed.

As if deliberately toying with them, Adonis paced back and forth in the study without a word. After the deathly silence had stretched on long enough, she waved her hand at the soldiers behind Bradley, signaling the other person standing in the room—Carl—to lead them out.

After everyone had left and the door clicked softly shut, Adonis snorted through her nose and, while circling the kneeling Bradley, began to speak in an accusatory tone.

“Bradley, you should know what it means to break down my door without permission, shouldn’t you? Your actions have caused me, your Emperor, great embarrassment.”

“This subject knows his crime. But, this subject does not repent.”

Even though Bradley’s head was bowed and she couldn’t see his expression, she could tell from his tone that he wasn’t joking. He truly felt not a shred of remorse. Adonis raised an eyebrow.

“Even if it means letting outsiders know I am a woman?”

“Yes.”

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“Oh?” It seems the sun really did rise in the west today, Adonis thought. In the past, Bradley would never, ever budge on this issue. She walked around behind her desk and sat down with a flourish in the intricately carved wooden chair. “Lift your head, Bradley. If you don’t give me a reason today, even as my elder, I will make you kneel here for the entire day. Otherwise, I’ll have no way to keep the other high officials in line in the future.”

“The reason…” Bradley looked up. He hesitated for a moment, then, with a complex and meaningful expression, he asked, “Your Majesty, this subject has a question, though I don’t know if it’s appropriate to ask.”

“Speak.”

“Your Majesty… have you, perhaps, recently fallen in love with a woman?”

“Hah!?” Adonis, who had just been about to prop her feet up on the desk, nearly fell out of her chair, her heart pounding. Her voice shot up several octaves. “Y-You… Bradley, do you have any idea what you’re saying!?”

“Your Majesty, as the person who watched you grow up, this subject can guess the purpose behind everything you do. I have seen all your recent actions. Although this subject failed to notice at first, my suspicion has grown stronger and stronger. Especially in the last few days, when you saw Cardinal Yisi, you not only didn’t know what to do, you could barely even speak clearly. You’re like a different person. If this subject still couldn’t guess what has happened to you, then I would have followed you in vain for over a dozen years.”

At this, Bradley paused, his eyes, hidden behind aged wrinkles, filled with probing.

“Your Majesty, you couldn’t possibly have fallen for the Pope of the Divine Religion, and thus, by association, you also feel a closeness to Cardinal Yisi, who may be her sister?”

He could even see that!?!

Adonis almost leaped to her feet, as if she were sitting on a red-hot iron plate. Although what Bradley said was true, being exposed so directly was just too embarrassing.

No, the more flustered I get, the more flustered I’ll be. I must be calm.

Admonishing herself, Adonis regained her composure. Feigning calm, she faced Bradley and nodded.

“Yes. I have… favorable feelings for the Pope of the Divine Religion. What of it? It’s rare for me to find someone I like. Bradley, you’re not going to use some reason to stop me, are you? At this point, I’ll be honest with you. In this world, aside from that woman named Viel, I will never be interested in another woman. Finding my imperial sister was a good thing, but if you try to make me marry her, I would rather abdicate the throne and go live as a commoner in the Duchy of Chloe.”

“As I thought…” Despite kneeling on the floor, Bradley had a look of complete certainty, stroking his beard. “So, Your Majesty’s recent absent-mindedness was because of that Pope of the Divine Religion, who is neither beastman nor Blood Clan. And the reason you lost your composure upon seeing Cardinal Yisi is because she looks so much like that girl, Viel… In that case, my investigation will be of use. Your Majesty, the reason I broke down your door was to inform you of some good news.”

As expected of Bradley… he has completely grasped my thoughts.

Adonis raised an eyebrow with great interest. “What good news?”

“I have heard about your ordeal yesterday from Carl and Bayldes. After you were brought back by Cardinal Yisi, you fell into this morning’s state. If this subject is not mistaken, your identity as a woman must have been discovered by the Cardinal, correct?”

“Yes. Which is why there’s no longer any possibility between me and Viel. But that doesn’t mean I will marry my sister. I told you, I will only marry someone I am interested in.”

“This subject has no such intention. Never mind that Your Majesty has already abolished the custom of royal intermarriage; first and foremost, as the person who watched you grow up, I must give my full support now that I know Your Majesty has finally found someone you love. Although I do not know the character of this person named Viel, if I were to stop you, this would surely become Your Majesty’s lifelong regret—no, Your Majesty probably wouldn’t listen to me anyway. Furthermore, from my own personal feelings, I am overjoyed to see Your Majesty finally settling the question of marriage. While it is a pity you will not be united with the First Princess, compared to Your Majesty never marrying, this subject would much rather see you with the woman you love, even if she is someone of no rank or status.”

He’s… not stopping me?

Adonis quietly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she got past Bradley, the other high officials at court would, sooner or later, be persuaded by him.

Of course, the biggest problem remained: she had exposed her female identity to Yisi. Viel would not see her, a woman, as a partner.

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“So, what was it you wanted to say, Bradley?”

“After guessing Your Majesty’s heart, this subject ordered a small investigation and came to an unexpected conclusion. It may, in fact, be a good thing that Cardinal Yisi knows your true gender. Cardinal Yisi, like you, Your Majesty, holds no ambiguous feelings for men. Her ‘family’ members are her partners.”

“But Yisi and Viel are two different people. Just because the Cardinal likes women doesn’t mean Viel does.”

“But there is also no proof that Pope Viel likes men. Your Majesty can use your exposed identity to your advantage. Approach Cardinal Yisi directly, as a woman, and use this to get more information about the Pope. And even if Viel does like men, Your Majesty is not completely without a chance. There is no one else on this continent whose charm can rival yours. Your Majesty, you haven’t even tried yet. How do you know the Pope won’t fall for you? This hasn’t even begun.”

“Tsk.”

Adonis clicked her tongue, her expression gradually brightening until it became one of undisguised joy. She slammed her hand on the desk with a smack and shot to her feet, her whole body trembling with excitement. She began to pace around the room.

“Bradley, you truly are my greatest aide! Mm, yes, you’re right! How can I know if I don’t even try once! I never expected Cardinal Yisi and I to be kindred spirits, hehehe. Get up, quickly! Let’s go eat breakfast!”

“It is lunchtime, Your Majesty.”

“Then let’s go eat lunch! Hahahaha!”

Like someone who had found salvation, Adonis saw unprecedented hope. Her heart soaring, she yanked open the door and, under the dumbfounded gazes of the soldiers who didn’t know what had just happened, strode quickly toward the dining hall.

One of the kneeling soldiers asked in a low voice, “What’s… wrong with His Majesty? Just a second ago, he looked like he was about to explode.”

“The Prime Minister must have said something.”

“I’ve never seen His Majesty this happy before.”

“Are you all trying to get thrown in the brig?”

Carl unceremoniously kicked one of the soldiers in the rear.

Soon, Bradley followed Adonis out of the study. However, from kneeling for so long, he was walking with a slight tremble.

Carl hurried forward. “What’s wrong with His Majesty?”

“Hehehe… Carl, I have good news for you. The empire may soon have an Empress.”

“An Empress?… Wait, Bradley, what are you talking about!? Explain yourself!”

Ignoring Carl’s shouts, Bradley left the study, smiling. If he said too much, he’d lose his chance to be the first one to give the empire’s first princess/prince a piggyback ride.

When this news reaches the royal capital, those old officials lying sick in their beds will probably leap up as if they’ve been injected with dragon’s blood. Bradley could even imagine them dancing with joy, because he felt the same way.

Thinking of this, Bradley’s wrinkled face was filled with a smile. This was a symbol of the empire’s coming prosperity.