Chapter 178: Rose Wants to Be a Slacker Queen
“Your Majesty, the capital’s magic circle can only hold for another ten hours. After that, we will lose our strongest defense.”
Late at night, a weary Rose met with an influential elderly female minister.
Seeing the worry on the minister’s face, Rose sighed helplessly. “I understand. You may leave.”
“As you command, Your Majesty.”
The minister bowed and was about to leave when she turned back and asked, “Your Majesty, does the Rose Kingdom still have a chance?”
Rose looked at the minister with determination. “Yes, the Rose Kingdom will not fall. Never.”
The minister didn’t reply. She bowed again and left the room.
Listening to the fading footsteps, Rose’s expression changed from determination to uncertainty.
In reality, she didn’t even know the answer herself. Caught between powerful nations, the Rose Kingdom had lost any hope of turning the tables.
She had contacted her grandfather Bruce but received no response.
She had also contacted her “real” grandfather, Kailson, but still, nothing changed.
Finally, she had even contacted Kailun, but he simply ignored her.
Rose looked down at the communication device Kailun had left her on the table, her heart sinking. Had all her efforts over the past ten years been in vain?
She had finally seized control of the Rose Kingdom, finally made it strong, finally…
The sudden rise of Kailun had disrupted all her plans. Now, he had reached a height she could only look up to.
“So, there’s no escape after all…”
Rose stroked the communication device with her slender fingers, her eyes filled with dejection.
Now, she could more or less guess that Kailun was behind all of this. Without his consent, no one would dare to cause trouble near the Xiya Kingdom at this time.
Thinking bigger, the person behind this “thief” army was Kailun himself.
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Kailun was a demon. He was capable of such a thing.
So what did he want?
Apart from herself, all she had left was the Rose Kingdom.
But she really didn’t want to give the Rose Kingdom to Kailun.
Rose bit her lip, picked up the communication device, and wrote a letter to Kailun, hoping he would see it when he woke up.
Rose: “I know I was wrong. Punish me, but please don’t torture me anymore. The people of the Rose Kingdom are innocent. They shouldn’t suffer because of me. As a token of my sincerity, I’m willing to be your escort for a year and give you the blueprints for the magic cannons. Please withdraw your troops. I beg you.”
She realized that her opponent wasn’t the thieves and the eighth-rank mage outside the city. Her true enemy was Kailun. Even if she used up all her trump cards and fought the “thieves” to the death, it wouldn’t change anything.
This was a completely unequal war. She was just a plaything in Kailun’s hands. Thinking of this, she lost all desire to fight.
However, to her surprise, she received a reply from Kailun within a minute.
Kailun: “What wrong did Queen Rose do? And why should I withdraw my troops? I haven’t attacked your Rose Kingdom. Don’t accuse me of something I didn’t do.”
Rose: “…”
She was dumbfounded by Kailun’s reply. His words further confirmed that he was the mastermind behind this.
But his refusal to acknowledge his actions made her feel even worse.
Helplessly, Rose could only try a roundabout approach. “I have a proposition. I wonder if Lord Kailun is interested?”
Kailun: “You have five minutes. If you exceed this time, there’s no need to talk. My Afra just woke up and tried to sneak attack me. I caught her red-handed. I need a few minutes to deal with this little fool.”
Rose didn’t know what Kailun meant by “deal with,” but she knew she had limited time.
“Please help me deal with the thieves outside the capital. As a reward, I will give you the blueprints for the magic cannons and willingly become your escort for a year. You can do whatever you want to me, but please spare the Rose Kingdom.”
To make the most of every second, Rose’s fingers flew across the communication device, sending a new magic letter to Kailun at lightning speed.
“Not enough. I said before that you’re not that valuable. Besides the conditions mentioned above, the Rose Kingdom must become a vassal state of the Xiya Kingdom, incorporated into our territory. I will recognize your position as queen and grant you a certain degree of freedom. In addition, I can also give you a gift that will expand your territory several times over. How about it? Interested?”
Looking at Kailun’s magic letter, Rose fell into deep thought.
Becoming a vassal state of another country was no different from being conquered, but the gift of expanding her territory was also very tempting.
Most importantly, did she really have a choice?
Rose: “Please elaborate.”
Kailun: “If you agree to my terms, I will send someone to you with a contract. Then I will arrange for five million gold coins worth of treasures to be transported to the Rose Kingdom. In addition, I will also send an army and an eighth-rank mage to assist you in acquiring the surrounding kingdoms, including the Madden and Kaz Kingdoms. Officially, these will all be your own decisions, nothing to do with the Xiya Kingdom or me. Understand?”
Now Rose understood completely. Kailun was asking her to be his pawn.
This couldn’t be hidden from everyone, but as long as Kailun controlled the narrative, it wouldn’t matter.
As she was pondering, she received another magic letter.
Kailun: “There’s no need to hesitate. Only those with value can earn respect. If you can complete this task perfectly, your territory might even surpass that of the Empress of the Temple of the Celestial God in the future.”
Rose knew it was just empty talk, but her heart couldn’t help but race.
It was better to live than to die. At least the Rose Kingdom wouldn’t be completely destroyed, right?
“I… I… agree.” Rose swallowed nervously, her chest heaving.
Kailun: “A wise choice. Someone familiar will come to you to sign the contract this morning. After completing my task, come to the Xiya Kingdom and be my escort. In a year, you will still be the renowned Queen Rose, and we won’t interfere with each other.”
Late at night, Rose’s heart couldn’t calm down.
This time, she had betrayed herself, betrayed the Rose Kingdom. But the expected pain didn’t come.
She burned the magic letter on the table, stood up, and looked out the window. The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse, casting a silvery glow on the earth.
After making her decision, she felt much more relaxed. The pressure Kailun had put on her was far greater than she had imagined.
When answering his question, she had wondered if being an escort would be easier than being a queen.
Years of perseverance had made her unable to abandon her obsession. She would complete the task Kailun had assigned, be his escort for a year, and then she could retire and be a queen with peace of mind.
Apart from having a secret “superior” that ordinary people didn’t know about, it seemed no different from before.
Thinking this way, Rose gradually felt sleepy. She went to her bedroom, lay down on the bed, and fell into a deep sleep.
At 7:00 AM, she woke up early.
After getting dressed and washing up, she summoned her ministers. The guards at the city gate reported that the thieves outside the city had retreated at 4:00 AM.
“They must have been scared away by Your Majesty’s aura.”
“I think Her Majesty must have found reinforcements. Could it be the Xiya Kingdom next door?”
“Incredible! Lord Kailun of the Xiya Kingdom is a god-like figure. Even the Temple of the Celestial God can’t touch him. If Her Majesty could secure such reinforcements, our Rose Kingdom might become invincible.”
“But what’s the price?”
“I think it must be beauty. Her Majesty is the most beautiful woman in our kingdom. What young man could resist such temptation? If I were a few decades younger… Forget it, forget it. I didn’t say anything.”
“…”
Rose, who had just arrived in the hall, heard the ministers whispering among themselves. Her face darkened. She wanted to throw them all in prison.
“Silence!”
Rose sat on her throne and shouted. She glared at the ministers below. “The retreat of the enemy last night is a confidential matter. You are forbidden to discuss it further. If I hear another word about it, you will be imprisoned.”
Her words silenced the ministers. After Duke Pit was dealt with, Queen Rose’s authority had reached its peak.
“Your Majesty! A large army has suddenly appeared outside the city, estimated to be around 30,000 strong. They are clad in light armor, armed with longswords, and have a powerful aura, like a well-trained knight army. Leading them is an eighth-rank mage named Bruce, who wishes to see you.”
Just as she had silenced the ministers, a soldier ran into the hall and reported the latest situation.
“Grandpa?!”
Hearing Bruce’s name, Queen Rose had a bad feeling. She quickly said, “Let him in. I want to see what this old man is up to.”
She almost gritted her teeth. She strongly suspected that the eighth-rank mage who had been attacking the capital’s magic circle was Bruce.
If that was true, everything made sense. Kailun was forcing her to make a choice.
Soon, a short old man teleported into the hall.
Bruce looked at Queen Rose on the throne and smiled. “My dear granddaughter, did Grandpa arrive in time? I’ve driven away those thieves.”
Rose’s face darkened. “Shouldn’t you change your clothes before saying that?”
His identical attire confirmed that Bruce was the eighth-rank thief from yesterday. This was a trap set for her.
It was laughable. There were no enemies. It was all Kailun.
“Hey, black clothes don’t get dirty easily. No need to change.”
Bruce waved his hand dismissively. The more he looked at Rose, the more satisfied he felt. After all, she was his ticket to the ninth rank.
Count Laurist had managed to build a connection with Kailun by selling his daughter. It was perfectly normal for him to sell his beautiful granddaughter.
“This is too much! You’ve disappointed me greatly!”
Rose was furious. She stood up from her throne and pointed at Bruce.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. Sign the contract first, then you can scold me all you want.”
Bruce smiled nonchalantly and took out a contract scroll from his sleeve, tossing it to Rose.
The cylindrical scroll flew across the hall and landed in Rose’s hand. She opened it with a grim expression. The terms were almost identical to what Kailun had said last night.
At the bottom of the scroll, she saw Kailun’s mark. The demonic aura sent a chill down her spine.
She hated Kailun the most!
[Queen Rose’s hatred for you has deepened. Goodwill -4, Total Goodwill -90]
However, for the sake of the bigger picture, Rose endured her disgust and left her mark on the contract.
With a flash of light, the contract was officially established.
“A wise choice.” Bruce smiled even wider. “My dear granddaughter, as soon as the treasures from the Xiya Kingdom arrive, I will send troops to help you acquire the surrounding kingdoms. Although the amount of treasure is limited, I believe those kingdoms won’t refuse. They wouldn’t dare.”
Bruce looked at the surrounding ministers and smiled. “We’ll be colleagues for a while. I hope we can work together to expand the Rose Kingdom’s territory fivefold, tenfold!”
“Definitely, definitely!”
“Wonderful! The Rose Kingdom is about to rise!”
“Long live Queen Rose!”
Although they didn’t understand the situation, the ministers cheered enthusiastically.
After all, the short old man beside them was an eighth-rank mage. If he was unhappy, they would all die.
Rose: “…”
He had said they wouldn’t interfere with each other, but why did she feel like she was about to be stripped of her power?
Her heart turned cold, as if she had lost her dream.
Maybe she should just be a slacker queen from now on. Being a queen was too tiring.
……
“It seems that Queen Rose really hates me.”
Kailun closed the magic book in his hand and sighed.
He had to admit that these women were very patient. Even with a goodwill rating of -90, they hadn’t tried to blow themselves up with him yet.
If it were someone more emotional than rational, they might have already dragged him down with them.
No, strictly speaking, it was more like “boiling a frog in warm water.” They had unconsciously adapted to this hatred.
Hilna was a good example. She hadn’t broken down even after being bullied by him to this extent.
Kailun glanced at the tidy bed. Only Afra was left on it with him.
Thanks to the special bed plank, they only needed to sleep for four hours to get eight hours of sleep, so Ella and the others had woken up early.
After tidying up the sheets and taking a bath, they either went to the study or the library. Unable to sleep, they decided to study and work more. They were truly model workers.
Hilna was the fastest to flee. She woke up, wrapped herself in a sheet, and ran, like a fool caught cheating.
She was afraid. She was afraid of Kailun continuing to bully her.
If it happened a few more times, her stomach might even surpass that of a woman who was ten months pregnant.
A prime minister’s belly could hold a boat, but constantly filling it with water could be fatal.
Poor Hilna’s legs were still trembling as she ran away. Perhaps because it was too stimulating, her “fullness” didn’t increase her goodwill at all.
Another noteworthy mention was Afra. Unsatisfied with her defeat in front of the other women, she had challenged Kailun several times.
The first two times, Kailun had withdrawn her attribute points, making Afra so ashamed that she almost died.
She fainted, woke up, and fainted again.
It was only after the third time that the kind-hearted Kailun returned her attribute points. This time, she had surprisingly lasted for half an hour.
According to the real-time flow, it was an hour, but unfortunately, no one witnessed her feat because Anna and the others were all asleep.
Afra’s three battles with Kailun had all ended in defeat. Even in her sleep, she pouted, looking extremely aggrieved.
It wasn’t that Kailun was deliberately bullying her. It was just that Afra looked too cute when she was being bullied.
She was supposed to be an older sister figure, but she always showed a “little woman” expression in front of him. The sense of accomplishment was self-evident.
With her sensitive body, she had slept from 3:00 AM to 8:00 AM. Now, she was finally blinking her eyes, showing signs of waking up.
Kailun lay down beside her, gently teasing her moist red lips with his finger.
Her expression was slightly cold, as if she lacked emotions.
But her true feelings were very delicate. Almost everything she cared about was related to him.
Afra’s love for him was deep and pure, without any impurities.
“Awake? How do you feel? Do you feel stronger? After all, you’re a strong woman who can last for half an hour.”
Kailun teased as Afra opened her golden eyes.
Hearing this, she felt even more aggrieved. She wanted to scold Kailun, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She opened her mouth, but in the end, she could only bite his finger in frustration.
“Alright, don’t be angry. I was wrong.”
Kailun wrapped his other arm around Afra’s naked waist and pulled her into his arms. “But Sister Afra is just too easy to bully. I can’t help myself. So call me ‘big brother.’ Then I’ll let you off next time.”
“No, I’m several years older than you. Don’t even think about it.”
Afra glared at Kailun coquettishly. This was her identity, something she couldn’t compromise on.
She had been an older sister for over ten years. How could she be willing to be Kailun’s younger sister?
“It’s fine if you don’t want to call me ‘big brother.’ Then call me ‘daddy.’” Kailun chuckled.
“Pervert~”
Afra pinched the soft flesh on Kailun’s waist.
“You have no sense of romance. Anna and Ella both called me ‘daddy’ last night. Only you didn’t listen. If you had been obedient, I wouldn’t have withdrawn your attribute points. Regretting it now, Sister Afra~”
Kailun deliberately drawled out the last two words.
“You’re asking for a beating! I’ll tell the Duchess about you when we get back! She’ll teach you a lesson!”
Unable to solve the problem, Afra decided to seek external help.
“No, don’t tell her.”
Kailun chuckled helplessly. “Alright, alright, I was just kidding. By the way, Sister Afra, do you think my parents really raised you as a child bride?”
Afra looked at Kailun’s curious eyes and replied, “They probably had similar thoughts. After all, they never stopped us from bathing and sleeping together when we were young. They even looked happy about it.”
“Sigh, what a pity. If I had known that Sister Afra was my child bride, I would have made my move earlier.”
Kailun looked at Afra’s flawless face from a close distance. “After all, you were also very beautiful when you were young. Every time I saw your innocent body and porcelain-like skin, I couldn’t resist.”
Although Afra was filled with shyness, she still mustered the courage to ask, “So you’ve been hiding your feelings for over ten years? Hmph, you’re just a fake gentleman.”
“Since Sister Afra has said so, I have no choice but to withdraw your attribute points.” Kailun smiled and hugged Afra tightly.
“No! I still have to train Eve!” Afra looked at Kailun in horror.
Kailun smiled mischievously. “Forget about Eve. Train me first. I want to be stronger. I want to be Sister Afra’s knight.”
Afra: “!!!”
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