Managed to get this chapter out a bit earlier than the rest. Although that's most because of how short it is, so I hope you all can forgive me for how short this chapter really is you discount the author's notes that I'm totally not trying to extend for the sake of lengthening this chapter.
XD
All jokes aside, part of the reason for this chapter's apparent shortness is mostly because this one will be focused on political drama and I think I have stated that I do not have nearly have as much interest as Qin at writing political drama and I was genuinely blanking on ideas for this chapter. And this is the Queenie interlude which I will give my thoughts about her plot device of a character at the end of the chapter.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter.
With that said, let's get it started.
Interlude 2 : Burden of the Red Queen
Cal Mira Archipelago had been declared neutral ground by the heroes for as long as anyone could remember. Nobody knew exactly what reason the heroes had for declaring Cal Mira neutral ground. Some historians said they wanted to create a place where the nations could come together in peace to discuss matters of great importance. Others believe that the heroes simply wanted a place where they could train and raise their levels in peace.
Whatever the reason, Queen Mirellia offered a simple prayer to those heroes past. If not for that fact , she most likely would have been assassinated or worse she would be cut off from her Shadows. The only source of info she can get on the happenings of her country.
She almost wishes that their info had been wrong this time about the situation developing in her country.
Nevertheless , Mirellia keeps her calm persona as she looks out the large window of her room to the sunny and clear skies over Cal Mira , a stark contrast to the storm that was likely brewing for her country. Be it in the figurative or literal sense of the word.
" Shadow , report" Mirellia says to seemingly no one.
The Shadow that had been behind the window stepped into the room , her movements a little sluggish obviously from the trip to the island from Melromarc but she still manages to stay on her feet as she kneels to her Queen.
" My Queen , from what we have managed to gather , the heroes were able to successfully repel the 2nd Wave " The Shadow reports with neutrality in her tone but Mirellia was able to pick up the hint of worry in it.
" Is that all ?" Mirellia said impatiently " What is the status of the 4 Heroes as of now ? "
" I'm ... afraid we don't know your majesty " The Shadow says with some fear in her voice.
" You don't know ? " Mirellia said with ice in her tone as she hides her face behind her fan " Explain "
" My apologies my Queen but we have run into some ... complications "
" I said explain, did I not ...? " Mirellia said with danger in voice.
" I'm afraid that we have lost contact with the Shadows that were tasked with monitoring the Heroes and their parties " Shadow explains " We only know of their victory over the 2nd wave because of talk amongst adventurers and knights ..."
The Shadow finally manages to spit it out and it takes everything Mirellia has not to throw something out of frustration.
Mirellia took a breath to compose herself and reminded herself to act like a proper Queen. She turns back to her Shadow " Dead ? "
" Unclear your majesty , we haven't found their bodies but we have no clue to where they have gone " The Shadow explains with some worry over her comrades " And as such we are unable to properly monitor the 4 Heroes "
Mirellia didn't have to think too hard on a potential suspect. She knew there was only one other group in Melromarc who could take down her Shadows.
They worked for the same man who blessed Melty's birth.
" Could it be that the 3 Heroes Church is behind it ?" Mirellia raised the possibility . It was very likely .
" Possibly... but we have no actual evidence "
Of course not. The Churches Phantoms have always been good at covering up their deeds.
Mirellia was no fool to the threat that the Church presented and she knew how dangerous their Pope was. Aultcray was too sentimental to see past his fellow brother in arms actions behind his friendly smile.
And now to make matters worse... her first daughter has thrown a fireball into the equation.
Truth be told , Mirellia had always anticipated that her elder daughter would one day become an obstacle for her true daughter and heir to the Throne , Melty. She had known that her older daughter would not just lie down and let herself be used as a political bargaining chip , which is what Mirellia already planned on doing at some point.
But even she could not have predicted that her husband would summon all 4 Cardinal Heroes. And just two days after that , accuse the Shield Hero of rape ... and her daughter would actually be the one to save him from said accusation.
Though Mirellia knows that her daughter only 'saved' the Shield Hero for her own personal gain.
... Mirellia honestly would have preferred if her elder daughter had went along with the little rape accusation.
It would have made the situation much more salvageable. Her husband and no doubt the Three Heroes Church plan to condemn the Shield could present an opportunity to turn the Shield Hero into her strongest chess piece. All she has to do is make sure he doesn't get killed or get extracted by any other infiltration group of the other countries. And when she returns to Melromarc to clear his name , she will seem like a god-send to him and from there it wouldn't be too hard to wrap him around her finger.
Then all she has to do is propose a marriage to Melty and cooperation between her nation and Siltvelt is guaranteed. And most importantly , Melty's place as the true heir of Melromarc will be ensured.
But now that has been brought to ruins. Because of her older daughter.
Her eldest daughter seems to be far more opportunistic than she originally believed. And still just as cunning and ruthless as she believes.
She had disinherited Malty for a reason.
Mirellia turned back to the Shadow who was awaiting her command " Keep an eye on things going on in the country and try to find out what happened to the missing Shadows"
" Yes , your majesty " The Shadow nods " And the Heroes ? "
" Leave them alone for now. Whoever is picking off my Shadows does not want anyone to be watching the heroes " Mirellia issued her orders " For now , I want to be kept updated on the situation "
" Yes , my Queen " The Shadow bowed before disappearing out the window.
Mirellia looked out the window as she looked at the peacefulness at came with Cal Mira.
She hears the sound of a knock on her door and considers for a moment before answering " Enter "
" Your grace , the meeting with the other world leaders will start soon , we should move soon or we will be late " Her aide , Duke Luigi Claes says as he steps from the door and gives a respectful bow.
" Yes , I am aware..." Mirellia said covering her fan with her face.
She has another meeting with the other world leaders this afternoon...though she seriously doubts proper etiquette of arriving on time will do much to help them save face at this point.
Solely because 'meeting' isn't the word that she would use. She knows that it will just be another session of the other world leaders throwing barely veiled insults at her and accusations at her nation's integrity.
And Mirellia knows that the only thing she will be able to do is hide her true face behind her fan and deflect these accusations the best she can. That is what her mother taught her at least.
She finishes her preparations and leaves her room with Luigi by her side , she need not rush. Not when the meeting room was located in the exact place she was staying at.
Traditionally when a world conference is called whenever the Wave of Catastrophe starts up again , it would usually happen in the special conference room underneath the Menagerie Resort , known as the Four Corners Room.
Mirellia keeps her posture and composure as she had been taught since birth. As she is escorted by Captain Palmer and Captain Tabitha. Her personal bodyguards, along with a Lone Shadow tailing her every move.
The Queen of Melromarc cannot help but dread and ponder what the other world leaders intend to say to her today. She is most certainly not looking forward to being called a whore and bitch behind barely veiled insults. But Mirellia has had far worse things done to her than have childish insults from pathetic men thrown at her...the Great War left scars that were not always obvious.
She was just better at hiding them than most.
She is the 'Vixen of Melromarc' after all...the one that survived through all the backstabbing and death that the Great War had brought on all of them.
Mirellia maintains this mask as she steps through the doors into the Four Corners Room...
And is immediately made the attention of everyone there.
The Four Corners Room was large room that had a grand aesthetic to it. The walls were colored pure white with the center of the room, several round circular tables decorated the room with each portion of the table belonging to a different nation, a small name plate stood next to each world leader already seated.
The other country leaders looked at her with varying expressions. Some sneered at her. Others looked with either barely restrained disgust, anger, or curiosity...while some managed to keep a neutral face or at least showed indifference at her presence.
Neutrality and indifference were just about the nicest expressions she was probably going to get today.
" Ah dear Mirellia, glad you could join us..."
A snide voice calls out to her and Mirellia turns her head just enough to see a short and pudgy pig in a velvet suit, with his 3 Bloodhounds standing behind him.
Mirellia gives him a simple nod of acknowledgement, they were not on Faubley soil and she would not give the other world leaders the pleasure of seeing her bow her head to the Pig King. She quickly found her seat and got ready for what was to come.
" Now that the Queen of Melromarc has arrived and that I see that everyone is seated, we may begin the meeting " Lord Belladonna announced.
The world leaders turned their gaze to Mirellia and the Queen of Melromarc already knew what was coming.
She raised her fan to cover her face...as the first few shouts and accusations were leveled at her.
Most of them were thinly veiled insults... particularly from the Siltvelt representatives and other demi-human nations. Other were from human supremacist nations who were disgruntled by her country's actions.
It was true what they say...people can only ever work together if they have a common enemy in mind, and this might be one of the few occasions that demi-human and human nations collectively work together to see which one can yell the most insults at her.
Mirellia took the time to glance at Jardis Priderock , the head and leader of the Lion clan. He had seem more than content with letting his fellow Siltvetians throw insults at her and instead focused on observing how she would handle this.
She couldn't quite say the same for the girl sitting next to him...
Jinjo Lung, the heiress of the Azure Dragon Clan. Somebody who is not to be trifled with and holds a lot of pull in Siltvelt.
The girl shot her a teeth smirk as the representatives continued to shout insults and demands at her.
" My majesties and leaders please ! Remain calm. I can understand your grief but please stay calm in this room " Lord Belladonna tried to stem the wave of insults.
" How can we remain calm when this bitch in sheep's clothing sits there and pretends she had nothing to do with this !? " One of the representatives shouted.
" Melromarc owes us all compensation for this incident !" Another demanded.
Mirellia bit back a grunt as she kept a cold expression " Like I stated earlier...I had no knowledge that such a thing would happen. I came here with the express purpose of negotiating that my country receive at least one Cardinal Hero " Mirellia does her best to explain under the unimpressed gazes of everybody in the room " Any actions taken in my country at this time are by my King Regent...which I had no knowledge in at this time "
" Yes, that all seems quite nice and convenient , does it not ? " Another voice chimes in but this one is different, it held a cold and icy tone that resembled Mirellia's own.
The ruler in question is King Aither Ezera, first of his name, undisputed king of the nation of Ezera.
The nation of Ezera was slightly smaller in size compared to Melromarc that lied on the continent of Ritania...but their King had an ambition and drive for power that matched that of the Faubley King.
Aither was an average heighted man that was adorned in a blue suit fitting for royalty, his short blonde hair made a stark contrast to the hardened face of a man that was only a few years younger than Mirellia herself.
Mirellia would almost have sympathy for him, on account of the fact that he had lost his mother when he was only a boy in an assassination. Which resulted in him succeeding the Throne decades before he was ready...and yet against all odds, he had survived and even managed to help his kingdom thrive. Last she heard, his army had fully taken over the neighbouring kingdom of Taranor...and had begun uniting surrounding territories of Ritania under one banner. His empire.
Either to increased the defense of his kingdom against the wave...or further his influence.
Mirellia is willing to bet on the latter.
" And what could you mean by that King Aither ? " Mirellia responded icily. Aither did not waver.
" Exactly what I said...it feels all too convenient that this rogue hero summoning at exactly the same time as your arrival and this world conference..." Aither continued " It does give you a nice sense of plausible deniability...and the ability to use your husband as a convenient scapegoat for this rogue summoning in an attempt to hoard all of the Cardinal Heroes under your country "
Mirellia gave him a cold glare " I do not like that insinuation "
Aither returned with a cold glare of his own " Queen Mirellia...if I may be so blunt, that pathetic excuse you call a glare might work on spineless nobles or your advisors, but it is hardly appreciated in this chamber " Aither shot back " Yes, Vixen of Melromarc indeed, say do they call you that because of stubborness or because of your sex drive ? Is your King not performing well enough in the bedroom anymore ? And you have to resort to sleeping with men across the nations to satisfy your urges "
Mirellia had to bite her lip down to keep from saying something she might regret...as some of the other world leaders laughed along with the King of Ezera's insult. Including the Pig King who was holding his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
" King Aither , please maintain etiquette in this room , this is no place for childish insults..." Lord Belladonna said bluntly , to which Aither gave a simple nod.
" Getting back to the matter at hand...we must discuss what to do with the summoned heroes " Jardis chimed in. Stroking his mane while he as at it.
" Melromarc must release the Cardinal Heroes at once !" A representative from Siltvelt shouted.
" Agreed ! Melromarc hoarding all of the Cardinal Heroes is a breach of international law ! They should all be handed over as soon as possible !"
" I could arrange for a letter to be sent to my Regent as fast as possible " Mirellia added to try and keep the peace.
A snort broke through the arguing " Fat chance of that happening..."
All eyes turned to Azure Dragon Heiress, Jardis was the one to ask " Whatever do you mean by that Lung ? "
" It means..." Lung's predatory eyes drifted over to Mirellia " That even if the Queen of 'Glorious Melromarc' drafts a letter to her Regent , that would still take some time for it to get from here to Melromarc...and a LOT of things can happen. Say the letter gets 'lost' or the King claims he never received it...or if we go by the King of Ezera's earlier accusation allow the Queen of Melromarc to relay further instructions to her Regent..."
That caused the world leaders to glare at the Queen of Melromarc even more intensely...as the tension in the room was rising more and more-
" Perhaps that is enough for today...shall we reconvene tomorrow morning ? " Lord Belladonna suggested.
The world leaders looked among themselves...and mutually agreed.
No doubt they wish to discuss among themselves how to best tear what little credibility Melromarc has left on the world stage to shreds. The leaders throwing her dirty and angry glances as they left.
Mirellia waits for everybody else to leave before making a move for the exit herself , needing time to rest and recuperate before the next meeting.
" Oh my dear Mirellia... Please wait a moment "
But before she could, she found herself called out by the Pig King, turning to him with both Captain Tabitha and Palmer at the ready. Though she seriously doubts either of them would be able to handle the Faubley Bloodhounds or at best buy time for her escape.
" Yes , cousin Bert, what do you need ? " Mirellia spoke in a neutral tone.
" I would like to have a meeting with you...a private meeting if you will..." The Pig explained with that lecherous smile of his " I have arranged for a private room in the resort for this purpose "
" And what purpose would that be exactly ? "
" Oh , I don't know maybe saving Melromarc from being destroyed..." Pig King smirked
Mirellia had to keep her eyes from widening...there had to be something more at play here.
" At dusk. Private Room 72. Don't be late "
Before Mirellia could say anymore, the Pig King had already walked away...leaving her to stew in her thoughts.
" Are you alright my grace ? " Luigi asked kindly as they stepped back into her quarters.
That was the question, wasn't it ?
Considering the fact that she just got verbally abused, chewed out by the leaders of other countries and suddenly approached by the Faubley King for a private meeting then it would be quite difficult to put a word to how she was feeling.
It was a good thing hiding her emotions and lying were some of her specialities.
" I am fine Duke Claes, I am merely pondering what the Faubley King could want with meeting with me...and what he said about saving Melromarc from being destroyed " Mirellia said, turning to Tabitha " What are your thoughts Captain Tabitha ? "
" It is unlikely that the Faubley King has any intention of doing personal harm to you my liege, King of the most powerful country in the world or not, attempting to directly harm you would result in an international incident " Captain Tabitha answered simply " The Faubley King is much smarter than to attempt a direct approach like that "
Well, that was one comfort for Mirellia. While she didn't doubt Captain Tabitha or Captain Palmer's abilities, or even those of her Lone Shadow that protects her at all times. She knew how dangerous those that follow the will Faubley King are or how truly monstrous his Unspeakables could be.
" It is much more likely that the Faubley King attempts to broker a deal between himself and you, my liege " Captain Tabitha continued " No doubt to stem the tide of scrutiny that Melromarc and yourself are under "
" True, that seems like the only reason he would do this " Mirellia nodded in agreement " But what I'm truly worried about is what he would want in return for his help "
Despite what many of the rumors and monstrous tales spoke of , let it never be said that the infamous Pig King was just a sadistic egomaniac with a large libido.
He certainly was. But what he lacked in physical traits , he made up for with his intelligence and cunning unlike any other. She had long heard of tales of how the Faubley King knew just how to manipulate a situation to his advantage to come out on top.
And with a situation like hers ? She has no doubt that dear Cousin Bert will intend to try and steer whatever deal he wants to make with her to his advantage.
" My liege, are you actually considering this meeting with the Faubley King ? " Luigi asked curiously with worry in his tone " It may not be my place to say, but playing along to the Faubley King's game could prove...difficult "
Duke Luigi didn't need to tell her that. She already knew from long ago that the Faubley King was not to be trusted.
However...considering her current position as well as Melromarc's at the moment, she may have no choice but to hear what the Faubley King has to say.
" I'm afraid I am " Mirellia nodded " At the very least, I would like to hear what he has to say and if it may truly benefit our current position "
" Understood my liege " Duke Luigi bowed in respect as Captain Tabitha made arrangements for the meeting.
As instructed , with dusk quickly approaching the resort, the Queen of Melromarc and her entourage began making their way to the meeting room the Pig King had selected. On any ordinary circumstances, Mirellia would be more cautious about walking into a location that her opponent has chosen, but she doesn't really have much choice on the matter and it would not bode well to anger the Pig King. Which might cause him to be less generous in his offer.
Upon approach to the room that Faubley King rented out, Mirellia could spot the Faubley King's Bloodhounds waiting by the door.
" I am here to speak to the Faubley King " Mirellia spoke calmly as she looked at Tansy for confirmation to enter.
Tansy turned to look at her with uninterest in her eyes " Our master has requested he meet with the Queen of Melromarc alone. Her bodyguards have to remain outside "
" I will not leave my liege unattended " Captain Palmer said with a glare at the Bloodhounds.
" Your master doesn't really get a choice in this " Aphrodite said with a smirk at the angry Palmer.
" As a show of good faith, our master has also requested his security to be left outside for this meeting " Tansy intervened before the situation could escalate further " He is waiting for you inside "
It would seem the Pig King wants whatever deal he intends to make to be as private as possible.
Like Captain Tabitha said, its unlikely that he intends to do any actual harm to her...but it still unnerves her all the same.
Its a good thing she has trained herself in keeping calm.
"...Very well then " Mirellia agreed.
" My liege you can't-"
" I am more than capable of defending myself Captain Palmer and I trust that if you hear anything going on inside then you will intervene " Mirellia shut her up with a glare.
" Understood your majesty " Palmer bowed her head.
" We will be waiting outside if you need us, my liege " Duke Luigi respected her decision to face the Faubley King alone.
Mirellia took a deep breath to steel herself before she walked into the room to the waiting Pig King.
To her surprise, the private room that the Pig King had selected wasn't anything particularly extravagant or large. It was a rather simple and almost small room that had a few amenities. One of which was a small table at which the Pig King was eagerly awaiting her arrival.
" Cousin Milly so glad you could make it " The Pig King gave her a wide grin at seeing her entrance.
" Of course, it would be rude of me to refuse to meet and hear what you have to say " Mirellia said in a fake tone of professionalism and courtesy.
" Please take a seat and we can talk " He gestured to the seat opposite of him and Mirellia slowly sat down.
Things were quiet between the two for what felt like hours, but what must have been a minute at most, with Mirellia eyeing the Faubley King looking for any weaknesses in his mask or his intentions. While the Faubley King simply had a bored expression on his face, as if he was absentmindedly thinking about what he was going to have for dinner after this.
" Well ? You invited me here to talk about 'saving Melromarc ' and I am interested to hear what you have to say " Mirellia cut the silence between them.
" Ah yes, that... well I have an interesting proposition to make..." The Faubley King reached into his velvet suit and Mirellia tensed, her fingers and mind ready to channel an ice spell to defend herself at a moments notice. She did not know whether the Pig King was armed or not with one of the famed firearms from Faubley but she was not going to be assassinated like this.
Fortunately, all the Pig King pulled out was an exotic gold cigarette case and took one cigar out of it. He lit the cigar up with some simple fire magic as he looked at her as if she was nothing to him.
" I'll cut straight to the point of my offer, I'm willing to use my influence and pull as the King of Faubley to take some of the heat off Melromarc " The Pig King leaned back in his chair as he blew a cloud of smoke into the air " As we speak, the King of Ezera is spewing poison into the other world leaders ears to form some kind of pact to bully Melromarc into giving up the Cardinal Heroes or at worst to form an alliance to attack Melromarc to retrieve the Cardinal Heroes-"
A coalition of countries to attack Melromarc to retrieve the Cardinal Heroes will end with the total destruction of the country...and everything I have worked for. I cannot let that happen.
" As such, I am willing to take Melromarc's side in the conference going forward to take some of the heat off of you " The Pig King said with a smirk " Maybe even get you out of house arrest and let you go back to Melromarc to deal with my brother's idiocy "
A generous offer. Having the most powerful country in the world will no doubt help take some of the pressure of Melromarc and perhaps even let her get out of house arrest long enough to get back to Melromarc to fix Aultcray's mistake...but there is one problem with this proposition.
" And what do you wish for in return for this help you're giving me ? " Mirellia asked with a sharp look. Already knowing there would be some kind of catch to this.
" Oh that's very simple Mirellia..." The Pig King leaned in towards her, enough to unsettle her " I want your elder daughter's hand in marriage "
It took Mirellia around 10 seconds to fully understand what the Pig King said he wanted from her for his help.
He wants...my elder daughter ?
For such a simple price, Mirellia would have agreed right away but she needed to think about why the Pig King would want her elder daughter in the first place.
Does he seek to torture and gloat Aultcray by taking his daughter away ? Or does he merely want another addition to his collection of tortured dolls.
" Why would you want my daughter's hand in marriage ? " Mirellia asked.
" I want to build a prosperous relationship with Melromarc of course and I want to get to know my niece all the more personally..." The Pig King said with a lecherous grin.
So the Pig King merely seeks to expand his influence by marrying Malty...and also making her own daughter another of his toys to play with and break as he pleases to gloat at Aultcray . While Mirellia doesn't like the idea of making a deal that allows the Pig King's influence to grow..she may not have any better choice in the matter.
The Queen of Melromarc looks at the disgusting man before and for just a moment Mirellia almost felt sympathy for the fate she was about to subject her elder daughter to.
She quickly grabs the weakness by the metaphorical throat and shoves it into the jar she keeps in the back of her mind.
Mirellia was no stranger to doing bad things. Making concessions and compromises for the good of the country. She had scapegoated Count Ascart for her failed policy years ago...and made some unsavory choices with disposing a threat to the Throne that resulted in a lot of her allies being killed in a murder spree across Melromarc.
But this...this was on a whole other level.
This was the kind of thing you get sent to hell for.
But that was no matter. It will simply be another scar on her soul that she will be carry until her death bed.
Mirellia looked at the eager Pig King awaiting her answer.
If there was ever a time Mirellia thought she was going to hell to burn for her sins than she was certain she would now.
" So do we have a deal ? "
"...Yes, we do..."
Mirellia could hear a voice calling out to her in the deepest recesses of her mind.
I'll drag you into hell and make sure you burn for everything you've done Bitch of Melromarc...
Words that had been spoken by a madman a decade ago echoes through her mind.
I suppose you'll finally get what you want... Shadow Demon...
If this chapter wasn't clear enough, I don't have any respect for Queenie's character- That is to say, she doesn't have one.
Her entire existence within the story of Rotsh is that she is an overly glorified Deus Ex Machina meant to bail out Bitchassfumi during the 3HC when the author probably realized they had created an actual tense political situation and decided to just create a character standing higher than the King to clear his name and Thanos Snap the massive political situation with the 3HC away.
And there was no setup before or after Queenie's appearance about Melromarc being a matriarch, because aside from Malty and Melty, we see absolutely fuck all any other examples of Melromarc supposedly being a matriarchy. Its almost as if she was solely created to suck off Bitchassfumi and serves as another one of his Deux Ex Machina.
There's also no indication of her supposedly being this genius politician, since we never ACTUALLY see her acting politically smart, my guess here is that the author had no idea how politics worked and just decided to have the characters just hear about it. Which is a lazy and terrible way to do it. Since I find it hard to believe that the world leaders would just let her go back to her country and out of nowhere bring an army of her own to the battle. That's why in my story at least, its somewhat explained that she basically grovelled to the Faubley King's deal and sacrificed her own daughter to a known rapist just to save her own ass...but its not without her own misgivings about the matter.
And like Qin has already said in his story, she's no more competent than her husband and the only reason she didn't crash and burn like he did, was because the hero she picked to comfortably ride his coattails on didn't fail. And that was only because of the author's blatant favoritism and cheat plot armor.
I have a lot more words to say about Queenie, most of which are not pleasant in the slightest. But I'll keep that to myself for now and just move on to reviews.
To Allyexis:
Yeah, I think we all thought of Zuko when we heard Malty talk about her honor.
XD
To pendragonZx:
I won't say too much since I already replied in a PM, but I will say that Malty is not a sociopath and her relationships and emotions will be something that gets touched on extensively later.
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and ALSO anybody who can tell me where Aither came from and the references made in this chapter gets their very own OC in this story because he is in fact from another series altogether that some of you may be familiar with. So you might want to review quickly.
:P
Angel Out.