Neia breathed in slowly, completely focused on her target.
When she felt ready, she exhaled and released the arrow.
It flew through the air at incredible speed, and hit its target quickly after.
"Hmmm... looks pretty close."
"You think, darling?"
Neia and Ainz were currently enjoying another day of their honeymoon, and they were doing so in her private archery range, located not far from the mansion. She originally thought this might not be a very romantic way to spend their time, but he said that any time spent with her was already romantic, and other things which made her blush and eventually convinced her. He also said he wanted to see the bow which Jircniv had gifted to her in action.
Now that she shot her arrow, they were walking along over to the target to see just how close she was. It was 200 metres away, so they had some nice quiet time to hold hands and just enjoy each other's company in the cool weather of the last weeks of winter.
When they were close enough to the target, they saw that her arrow had once again hit right in the centre.
"Good job, Neia."
"Thank you!"
They walked some more to take the arrow out, at which point she got an idea.
"Darling, perhaps you would like to try?"
"Me? Ah, I'd probably embarrass myself, honestly."
"Oh don't be afraid. I'll teach you!"
"... hmm. Yes, I suppose that could be enjoyable."
Neia smiled, quite excited.
"Are you a complete beginner?"
"Basically."
"Then let's start with 10 metres, okay?"
When they got in position, he stopped her.
"But let me prepare for a bit... [Perfect Warrior]."
...
Though she wasn't sure what exactly happened, he then said he was ready. Deciding not to question anything, she put the bow in his hands.
"... yes, hold it like this, darling... okay. Here's an arrow... okay, you drew it well."
She then took both his hands and stood right next to him.
"I'll help you aim your first shot."
After positioning his arms so that he would surely hit the target, she stepped back.
"Now release."
He did, and indeed hit the target.
"Good! You think you can do it on your own now?"
"I believe so."
He repeated her movements and hit the target again.
"Very good! Want to try from further back now?"
"I do. Being taught by you is quite enjoyable."
She smiled and blushed at the same time, feeling very happy that her beloved had taken an interest in something she was passionate about.
...
"Ah, very good! Even at 30 metres... you learn fast!"
"Thank you, Neia..."
His words trailed off, and he looked to the sky. She knew this meant he must be thinking about something, so she didn't say anything.
"... this whole thing reminds me of when Peroroncino showed off his own skills to me..."
He looked back towards her.
"I suppose I never told you much about him. Peroroncino was also a passionate archer."
"Is… that so?"
He chuckled.
"I can tell you're excited, hm?"
She was. His skill must have surely been the peak of archery, since he was a Supreme Being.
"His favourite thing was to conceal himself and then snipe his enemies from whole kilometres away..."
Instantly, Neia got an answer to her question, which made her eyes sparkle a bit as she imagined such amazing skill.
"And what kind of person was he?"
Ainz looked to the sky again.
"A good man, and an excellent team player. He was also someone with a rather unusual interest many considered shameful and looked down at him for. But he never let that get to him, and shared his passions with anyone who listened... yes, he was a great friend..."
Neia did not want to interrupt his thoughts and memories of his friends, and so she simply stood next to him patiently.
After some time, he looked back at her and spoke calmly.
"Was there anything else you wanted to ask?"
"Nothing really... well, I suppose maybe I was curious about what his interest actually was."
"I... uhm... he uhm... he enjoyed uhm... collecting?"
Another silence followed.
She didn't really understand what he meant by this, but didn't want to ask any further if Ainz didn't want to elaborate on his own.
After some time, he suddenly perked up.
"Ah, I got an idea... hm."
He then reached into nothingness, and pulled out something which made Neia's eyes widen.
It was an immaculate and extremely large golden bow, whose radiant shine was absolutely gorgeous.
She just barely managed to keep her jaw from dropping as he spoke.
"This is one of his old weapons. Would you like to try it?"
She blinked rapidly and scrambled to respond.
"M-me? The weapon of a Supreme Being?"
"Come on, you're married to one. Either way, this one isn't even that impressive. It's a very old one from before he reached anywhere near his maximum power."
"Is that so... uhm, in that case, it would be an honour!"
He extended it towards her, and she grabbed it gently.
It was extremely light for its size, and now that she was looking at it from up close, it seemed even more impressive.
Recovering from her awe, she quickly reached into her quiver.
When she went to draw it, she was expecting some real resistance, but it felt like drawing nothing at all.
She once again concentrated on the target, which was still 30 metres away.
And then, she released the arrow.
The target was then completely obliterated in a small explosion. The arrow had travelled so quickly that it felt instant.
As her eyes widened, she heard the voice of her darling.
"Ah, sorry. I should have expected that... I'll make a new one, if that's fine..."
... ... ...
They always only said their goodbyes when it was very late into the night. While she went to sleep, he started the work he otherwise would have during that day.
There usually wasn't much at all, of course, since everything was now calm.
No wars, no conquest, no invasions, nothing.
Thankfully.
But not long after he sat down in his office in Nazarick, a certain someone knocked.
"Lord Ainz!"
It was Demiurge. What could he want? Hopefully nothing that would have him work again... he really wanted to rest after all that weird marriage business.
"Come in."
He did so with a great deal of happiness, and bowed deeply when he reached his table.
"Raise your head. What is it?"
"Lord Ainz, your plan worked!"
Oh no. Damn it all…
"Erhm... I have many plans, Demiurge! Which one?"
"The plan to marry the Dragon Queen, of course!"
Almost instantly, emotional suppression had activated.
What?
What was going on?
What the hell?
He needed to find out more, right now.
"... Demiurge, I wasn't expecting you to know anything about that. I wanted to explain it to you later... In that case, please tell me what you understand of my plan, so I know what to mention and what to omit."
"Naturally! I had suspected that one of the reasons you had married Neia Baraja was to show that you were accepting spouses. With this, you would have many possible opportunities open to you, such as this one. With the Dragon Kingdom in such a terrible state, it was only natural to think that the Queen would try all sorts of things to save her nation. And by opening yourself to marriage, you masterfully played her! With her proposal, you can marry her and take over her Kingdom with such little effort! Truly incredible! I am in awe of your intellect, Lord Ainz! I suspect she will send it soon, as she currently does not want to be seen as rude by interrupting your honeymoon."
This whole time, Ainz simply sat there with no idea how all these coincidences kept making his life like this. Why did this keep happening?
He didn't want to marry some random woman he knew nothing about. He needed to get out of this, somehow...
Wait, marrying for political gain... this was exactly why he said he was going to be marrying the people of the New World... if he refused to marry her now...
If he backed out of this, would those in Nazarick suspect something? That there was another reason he married Neia?
He started panicking internally.
And that panic kept getting worse until emotional suppression had finally kicked in, though it didn't remove his fear completely.
What should he do, then? There were probably going to be many times like this. He would eventually have to accept at least one other marriage, to make sure no one in Nazarick thought Neia was some sort of exception, and that he actually had feelings for her. He didn't want to think about how Albedo would react to that...
... wait, not that he actually did have feelings for Neia... she was just a polite young girl who was a bit endearing, that's all...
Either way, he felt he needed more information. He barely knew anything about the Dragon Kingdom, so he should probably wait and see if there's anything unexpected which would convince him to go one way or another. Right now, he was about 50/50 on whether he should or shouldn't marry this Dragon Queen.
But how should he play this?
"... Demiurge."
"Yes, Lord Ainz?"
"You've made one major assumption which forms the foundation of your theory, it seems. And that assumption is not entirely correct."
"... Is... is that so? I apologise for my foolishness!"
"There's no need. Let me explain what I think... hmmm... how should I put this... Demiurge, I suppose you know about the benefits of having her propose, but not accepting? Surely you know how I could use that?"
The demon seemed like he was sorting through a thousand things in his head.
"... I apologise Lord Ainz, I do not see what you mean."
"That's fine too. Just know that I have identified… uhm… seven great demerits to marrying the Dragon Queen, and I believe there is a clear path to victory even if I reject her, which will be helped by her proposal. But I'm sure you had your own plans for the Dragon Kingdom, no?"
"That's right."
"I wish to hear your ideas, as well. Please prepare a brief report on what you had in mind... Actually, since we are now going to be operating there, we might as well use Neia Baraja and her church to create propaganda. So I want you to also prepare a good deal of the information we have on the Dragon Kingdom and its Queen, summarised simply enough that even a human could understand. Submit both to me when you're done."
"Yes!"
... ... ...
Neia was looking out of a window which faced the front door of her mansion.
While she was happy to admire the winter's end, she was also waiting for someone.
It was currently very early in the morning, so that her meeting with this person will not disturb the rest of her day, which would be spent with her darling.
When it came to time she was supposed to spend with Ainz, she wouldn't give it up for anyone. Especially not when it was their honeymoon.
Just then, she saw two figures get closer.
One of them was Emma, and one was today's special guest. A young redhead girl.
Neia picked up her visor and headed for the door.
...
Amelia stood outside the room where she would meet Her Holiness in just a few moments for the job interview.
She was so nervous that she had to stop herself from shaking.
She was just so afraid that something would go wrong... she was afraid of doing something improper in front of her God's wife.
When the door opened, she almost jumped.
The person who came out was Emma, a trusted friend of her family, who also helped raise her, alongside Claire and of course her parents. But something was different about the maid today. She was normally so kind, but today she was completely cold to her.
And then, she stepped right in front of her and grabbed her arm. When she spoke, her tone was venomous and her glare was intense.
"Amelia. I hope you realise what Her Holiness is doing for you right now. You have no experience, no one to vouch for you, nothing at all. She is only bothering with an untrained maid like you out of the kindness of her heart. If you fuck this up, or if you are rude to her in any way, you're dead to me."
Hearing the person she considered to be a third mother speak to her like this was completely heart wrenching, and only served to stress her out further. If she was being honest, she was on the verge of tears.
But she understood.
She agreed with her.
She did not deserve this chance at all. She was not special. She was just one of countless people who lost everything to the demi-human invasion.
She also knew that Emma was responsible for this meeting. Apparently, Emma had only vaguely mentioned Amelia and her family's situation, but Her Holiness instantly insisted on helping, because she was simply that kind, and it was a family Emma was basically part of in the past.
And so, she nodded to Emma.
Satisfied, she let her go. Amliea bowed to her before proceeding towards the door.
And then, after taking several moments to calm her breathing and steel herself, she opened it.
Instantly, she bowed again.
"Hello, Amelia."
Her Holiness' voice was completely different from when she was delivering a speech. Right now, it was kind, gentle, welcoming and friendly, which just made her even more nervous.
"G-g-greetings Y-Your Holiness!"
"There's no need to bow or call me that. Just Neia is fine. Please come on in."
She stiffly obeyed while thinking about how to politely refuse calling the holy woman by her first name.
And then, she arrived at the table.
"Come on, take a seat."
She once again obeyed silently.
Up close, her gentle and beautiful smile made her even more nervous again, though she felt like that surely shouldn't have been possible at this point.
"So, Amelia… You've been training to be a maid?"
"Y-y-yes!"
"I see. Is that really the career you want? Oh, sorry if that's too personal. You can refuse to answer."
"N-no, I will g-glady answer! I look up to t-the two maids which s-served me and my f-family, Claire and Emma."
"Is that so? That's very nice! I'm sure they are very happy to know that. By the way, you seem a bit nervous. That glass of water is for you, if you need to drink."
Amelia looked a bit to her left and noticed the glass for the first time. She reached for it after hesitating for a moment.
"Th-thank you..."
After taking a sip, she put it back where it was and looked into the headgear covering Her Holiness' eyes.
"No need to thank me at all. Now, there are several things which we will need to discuss. First, I hope the undead do not unnerve you at all?"
"N-no!"
"Ah, that's wonderful! Next, I hope you realise you would be working almost every day from very early in the morning to very late into the night?"
"Of course!"
"I also hope you wouldn't mind dealing with demi-humans?"
Amelia opened her mouth to speak, but found that she hesitated.
Seeing this, Her Holiness spoke again.
"Yes, this is the question which bars many from my service. I will not judge you for your answer at all, of course."
She gulped.
"N-no, I am fine with demi-humans... a-at least, I will do my best not to c-cause t-trouble if I have to m-meet one or e-even work alongside t-them."
"Please, do not feel pressured to answer. I know terrible things might've been done to you by them... But I need a simple yes or no. Can you confidently give either answer?"
Amelia retreated back into her seat. Could she?
She breathed in deeply.
"... Yes. I am p-prepared to deal with demi-humans."
Her Holiness smiled again.
... ... ...
Ainz sighed.
He was now alone in his room again, getting a bit of peace and quiet after that terrible meeting with Demiurge.
He still had some time before he was supposed to meet Neia. If he went there early, there was an equal chance of it being a nice surprise for her, or it being embarrassing for her because she wasn't ready yet. Not really wanting to risk it, he continued laying face down on his bed, quite bored and somewhat mentally drained.
...
When it was finally time to be with Neia again, he happily teleported over.
There, he saw the joyous young girl greet him with open arms.
"Darling!"
"Hello, Neia."
He stepped closer and accepted her hug.
"Darling? You seem a bit tired."
"Oh? Just from that?"
"Am I wrong?"
"No, actually. I was just surprised you were able to tell."
She chuckled.
"I just know you well, I suppose. But what is it about? I hope it's not bad news..."
"Don't worry, nothing that would disrupt our honeymoon. It's just something I'll have to deal with once it's over. Either way, how's your morning been? Wait, let's sit down first."
Neia spoke as they both pulled away and moved to sit down together.
"I hired a new maid today. I interviewed her early so that our time together won't be disturbed at all."
"Is that so? Are you sure waking up early like that is fine?"
"Of course! If it's to have more time with you then anything's fine."
"Did anything else happen?"
"Hmm... as I was drinking my coffee, I was also rewriting old speeches. I'll have quite a few to give once the honeymoon is over. A lot of them need to be rewritten due to us being married now. Not just my speeches either, but everyone's."
"I see... just a pity I can't really help with that."
"I mean... I suppose you could..."
"No, I don't really trust myself to interfere with your already excellent work."
She smiled in response.
He already felt quite good, nearly forgetting about the whole thing with the Dragon Queen.
"Ah, darling?"
"Yes?"
"Is Pandora's Actor still too busy?"
Damn it!
Ainz no longer felt relaxed. He was going to give an excuse, but stopped when he realised something.
If he kept saying he was just too busy, he would look like a terrible employer, and an even worse "father", since he might seem like he's working him to death…
Was their meeting unavoidable? If she just forgot about it, then everything would be fine, but she really seemed to care about meeting him for some reason...
Damn it. Damn it all...
"... No, Neia. He's not busy. I'll talk to him about it..."
... ... ...
A young man was training his swordsmanship with his teacher, who he had absolutely no chance of defeating.
He was improving of course, but not as quickly as he hoped.
Not nearly as quickly as his aunt did when she was his age.
But now wasn't the time to think about that.
He readied himself for a particularly strong swipe and...
... got kicked in the abdomen, pushing him back.
"Hm. That could have been a good counter, but it was too slow. I saw it coming."
He tried to respond immediately, but the pain made it hard.
"... yes, master..."
"Want to take a break? Looks like that one really hurt."
"Y-yes, please..."
He accepted even if he felt breaks were something he could only take sparingly. He wanted to become one of Her Holiness' paladins as soon as possible, even if he still had a lot of time due to being quite young.
He then heard footsteps disturbing the grass somewhere behind him.
"Is everything going well?"
It was his little sister, here to check on him.
His teacher was the one to respond to her question.
"Indeed, young Miss Custodio."
... ... ...
Ainz once again sat in his office on the 9th Floor, facing the small pile of documents in front of him.
Looking at them, he saw that it was mostly just the usual stuff he barely understood, except for two specific things.
There was the report on Demiurge's plan for the Dragon Kingdom, as well as his brief summary of everything they knew.
Curious about both, he opened the former.
...
After a few minutes of reading, he understood that the general idea was to make the Dragon Kingdom even more desperate with the use of some strange tactics he didn't quite understand.
And so, feeling a bit bored by that, he reached for the second document.
In it, he read about the country's current problems and about how they were surely going to run out of all resources soon...
And then, he reached the section about the Dragon Queen.
He only read a few sentences before reading about... the difference in her real age and how she appeared?
Demiurge reports that she might be older than her appearance might suggest, though he couldn't confirm for certain. As for how old she appears, she...
Ainz stared at the sentence for several moments, the reality kicking in slowly.
"... HUH?! SHE APPEARS TO BE HOW YOUNG?!"
Emotional suppression had activated.
"DOES DEMIURGE WANT EVERYONE TO THINK I'M A PEDOPHILE?!"
Emotional suppression had to activate for a second time now.
'... Alright, just... just calm down...'
He exhaled.
With this, his next course of action was obvious. He couldn't just marry a little girl, due to how it would make him look. What would everyone think of him? What would Neia think? He didn't want to even consider the whole world looking down on him for something like this...
Yes, he'd need to go with Demiurge's old plan, effective immediately.
... ... ...
Draudillon felt pure dread every time she read the report. She's already done it dozens of times, but every time she read it again, she just hoped she'd wake up from this nightmare.
But she never did.
The beastmen had launched a sudden attack on many different places at once using a small, mobile, yet deadly force each time. When attacking a place where a Death Knight was stationed, they would retreat quickly upon spotting it. When they attacked a place where a Death Knight was absent, they used horns to call for backup and just killed as many as they could without creating significant losses of their own, before once again quickly retreating. The thing that allowed this seemed to be suddenly improved tactics and the suspected use of magic items and spellcasters.
By the time this news reached her, several different waves of attacks like this had taken place.
The beastmen wouldn't get through anytime soon, but this was far worse than the previous months of absolutely nothing happening. Her people were dying again, and this would probably not stop anytime soon. Her country was being drained of all resources even faster now.
She then got up with one quick movement.
The Sorcerer King might be their only hope now, but even that was a gamble.
If he rejects the proposal, then at least she might have the backup of being a vassal... right?
... ... ...
Their honeymoon was now coming to an end, which of course made Neia feel all sorts of unhappy.
Today, on one of the last days, they decided to take another walk. Except this time, it was straight through the capital.
Looking at the paladins and Death Knights which surrounded them, Neia thought that she might even feel safe if she were completely alone, considering the engagement ring. It had enchantments she scarcely believed could exist. The only reason she did was because her darling was the one who told her about them. If it was anyone else, she might just laugh in their face for the obvious lie.
But there was something she wanted to do on this walk. She was leading him towards the plaza where she gave her speeches, and the podium which was to be found there.
And then, they turned the corner, finally seeing it.
"... uhm... darling?"
"Neia?"
"Do you... well, could we kiss up there?"
"Oh? Is there a special reason you want to do that?"
"I just wanted to show everyone our love. It feels good to finally be open with it."
"Is that so? Very well. Let's go."
They walked more, holding hands affectionately the whole time.
And when they reached the podium, he cast a spell which allowed them both to fly up there quickly.
This had already impressed everyone watching, but now it was time to show them something else...
She waited for him to lower his head. When he did, she put one hand on the side of his head, and one on his shoulder. At the same time, she started to shower him with a torrent of passionate kisses.
Neither his cheeks nor teeth were safe from her hungry lips.
When she was done, she released him and simply looked into his eyes happily.
He chuckled as he spoke.
"Well... you didn't kiss me that passionately even back during the wedding..."
"Sorry, was that too much? I held nothing back that time."
He chuckled again.
"Well, the people seem to have gotten your message..."
She looked at the crowd in the plaza, and felt their stares instantly. Even her paladins were completely unmoving, just looking at the two of them.
Seeing this, she smiled.
It felt good.
After having to keep the best thing about her life secret for so long… she could now finally show everyone, and she was just so happy to do so.
... ... ...
It's been several days since Ainz and Neia's honeymoon ended, and now it was time for him to deal with several uncomfortable matters.
Today, not only was he expecting the Dragon Queen, but it was also the day when Neia would meet Pandora's Actor.
Feeling quite nervous about both, Ainz was currently just looking out of a window of his palace in E-Rantel, trying to find anything which might distract him.
He couldn't really find such a thing. It was just people going about their days, or happy children playing.
...
Draudillon was currently only moments away from reaching the Sorcerer King's palace.
His capital was a truly strange place, but she had no time to think about that now, as her mind was completely occupied with other things.
The inside of her carriage was completely silent as she pondered the future of her country.
And then, it started slowing down.
She didn't feel that she was prepared, but she probably wouldn't no matter how much time she had to sit in silence.
And so, she got up.
...
Ainz watched the door to the fancy carriage open slowly, and out of it indeed exited a little girl.
The undead guards raised spears bearing the banners of the Dragon and Sorcerer Kingdoms, allowing for passage underneath, straight towards him.
He wouldn't normally wait outside like this, but this was just a little girl...
As she got closer, it seemed all his suspicions were confirmed.
She seemed very nervous, an obvious sign that she was just a little girl forced into marriage by her advisors.
He really did find that distasteful. A girl this young, forced to marry some older man...
When she got close, she bowed before he could greet her, and her men knelt.
"Your Majesty..."
"Ah, there's no need to bow. Also, feel free to call me whatever you wish."
"Is... is that so?"
"Of course. Now, I know we have... something to discuss. Let's go inside, everyone."
He opened the doors, trying to look as welcoming and gentle to her as possible.
"Oh, do you want to walk beside me?"
"W-walk... uhm, very well..."
He looked at her as they walked along to make sure everything was all right. He paid no attention to her guards, who he also allowed to enter without surrendering their weapons
to make her feel safer.
As they got to the room he prepared, he opened the door and walked inside, only to hold the door open for her afterward.
After she passed through, he sat down at the head of the table, and indicated that she should sit to his immediate left.
She started to do so, once again looking even more nervous.
It probably didn't help that he was undead...
When she fully sat down, he saw that her shoulders barely reached the edge of the table.
"Hmm... [Create Greater Item]."
He made a thick pillow.
"Please, sit on this. It should help you see."
"O-okay..."
As she was once again seated, this time on the pillow, he realised the men accompanying her were just waiting around.
"Please sit down, everyone."
It was them he was actually going to be talking to about the politics, so he probably should've been a bit more aware of them, but seriously... putting a little girl into this situation… what an unsavoury bunch.
What else could he do to ease her worries? She still seemed afraid...
"[Create Greater Item]."
He made a glass for her, while pulling out a Pitcher of Endless Water and using it to fill the glass.
"Here's some water if you need to drink."
"I- I d-don't think that will be necessary!"
\\\
This guy was a complete giga-pedo! They only met a minute ago, and he was already making his intentions this obvious in front of everyone, trying to court her!
Draudillon needed to breathe properly. The fact that she was marrying this pervert was now hitting her hard, and part of her wanted to just doom her country to escape as far as possible from this guy.
He then spoke, and his every word made her skin crawl.
"But let's get to it, shall we?"
She noticed that he was addressing her advisor, and not her.
So he didn't consider her to be the actual authority here, and yet he completely ignored the others to tunnel vision her?!
How creepy could he get?!
He unfortunately continued speaking.
\\\
"In regards to the marriage proposal, I do not accept."
This statement made everyone look at him with shock and some horror, as he expected.
The person he assumed to be the head advisor and possibly one of the true heads of the country spoke in a trembling voice.
"Y-Y-Your M-Majesty?! A-are you s-s-sure?!"
"Of course. The country has little to offer me if I have to share it. Instead, I will turn the Dragon Kingdom into a vassal."
This made the expressions of everyone whose faces he could see sour. The Queen's as well, surprisingly. They probably told her something vague about how she needed to marry him or the country would fall, and that being a vassal was bad, or something. The poor girl.
He pulled the contract out of his inventory and slid it on the table over to the advisor, who hesitated for a moment before starting to read.
He then read the entire thing out loud, which Ainz found a little weird. Why do that? Was he not the only puppeteer here? Well, there was that one person in enchanted armour who sat next to the Queen. They might also be one of the people in charge behind the scenes.
"... will then build a wall on the border with the Beastman Country, manned by provided undead. Then, ..."
Ainz wasn't really listening too much, instead watching for reactions. He already knew what the terms mostly were, and he overall understood that they were decently generous, and quite similar to those of the Empire, with unique new adaptations to the Dragon Kingdom's specific situation.
After Ainz recognized that the man finished reading, everyone still looked at him, expecting him to continue.
"... I, uhm... that's all..."
Everyone's heads then snapped to stare at Ainz. They were probably expecting to get terms which were far less favourable than this. Demiurge predicted that.
Interestingly, the Queen did the same as everyone else. Did she also understand that the terms were favourable somehow? No, that was impossible. She just went with it because that's what everyone did.
"Is there something wrong with the terms?"
Everyone then looked at each other, not sure how to respond.
Finally, the advisor was once again the one to speak.
"Uhm, Your Majesty, is this it? What I've just read, are those the full terms?"
"Of course. Are you saying I forgot about something?"
"N-no! Not at all..."
"Then I will give you some time to consider my offer, and let you prepare any changes you wish to propose. How much time will you need? A week, perhaps?"
"... a day."
The Queen was the one to speak, once again confusing Ainz.
He looked to the advisor. Surely he would-
"A day, I agree with Her Majesty."
Huh? What the hell?
What happened just now?
They were of course pressed for time due to the attacks Demiurge was orchestrating, so maybe that had something to do with it? Why was the Queen the one to say that?
Well, he probably wasn't going to figure it out, so he should just let it go.
"Very well. We will meet again in a day."
... ... ...
Ainz arrived to Neia's bedroom, happy to finally do so. Dealing with the little girl earlier was so hard. He didn't feel he was very good with children. Maybe he should have given her some candy? Yes, he'll do that for her departure.
Only now did he realise his thoughts were idling. Neia was in front of him, but she didn't greet him, for some reason...
"Neia?"
She had a strange expression.
"Uhm... d-darling... I heard you might... well, uhm... they say you are going to marry the Dragon Queen... and uhm..."
Instantly, emotional suppression had to activate.
"N-no, that's not true at all! I was... I was just..."
"Oh, don't worry… darling... I uhm... I'll still love you, even if you... are… uhm..."
'Damn it!'
...
After explaining to Neia that he was not into children at all, and also making sure she believed him, he took them to Nazarick's entrance, from which they made their way over to yet another painful situation.
At least for him.
When he reached the specific door on the 9th Floor, he sighed internally.
"Neia, can you wait outside for a bit? I'll just talk to him and make sure he's ready."
"Of course."
He then made his way inside, and saw Pandora's Actor... waiting there silently. Just sitting on a sofa in total silence, looking well-behaved.
"... father?"
"Pandora's Actor. I hope you remember everything I've told you?"
"Of course, father. No acting weird, no German, no salutes, no poses, no talking like a retard, nothing."
"... Huh. You even remembered my exact wording…"
Ainz honestly felt surprised. Was this going to go well after all?
"In that case, I'll bring her in."
"Please do, father."
Now feeling quite relieved, he went back outside.
"Come on in, Neia."
"Yes!"
She was really excited about this, huh? Hopefully it goes alright…
Once they both entered, Pandora's Actor continued to seem... normal.
"Ah, hello! So you are Pandora's Actor?"
He then slowly got up from the sofa, and...
With a salute, he shouted.
"Yeees! And yooouuuu must be my mmmmother! How glad I am to meet you!"
Ainz put both his hands on his head, feeling both shock and a burning rage.
He wanted to kill the bastard. Right then and there.
He wanted to execute him for being this much of a-
"Ah, y-you see me as your mother?!"
"Of course!"
"I... I'm so happy... I wanted that with all my heart, but I wasn't sure you would accept me..."
What?
What the hell?
Why was Neia humouring the lunatic?!
"I am happy too, mother..."
"C-can I hug you... my son?"
"Of course!"
Ainz could not believe his eyes and ears.
Was this really happening?