Demon Sword Maiden

Book 12: Chapter 35: The Queen’s Anger

If she returned, however, what then? The queen…

Lily suddenly felt foolish. She had taken the initiative to please the queen, but why hadn’t she considered the consequences back then? The queen had absolute authority in this queendom. If she wanted a lowly dancer, who would dare say no?

Lily felt a call from the mirror, sensing that Ayaka and the others were calling her. But she didn’t dare reply. Not only did she lack the time, she was also too embarrassed to face her sisters now.

Running wasn’t an option. She could only face what was to come head-on. When Lily returned to the queen’s boudoir, she was dressed in a pure white yukata.

“Your Majesty.” Lily knelt down, preparing to confess.

“Lynne, why are you dressed like that? Lift your head.”

“Hm?”

Lily hadn’t dared to look at the queen when she entered the room. As she looked up, she noticed changes in the boudoir. An additional gauze curtain and a beautiful painted screen adorned the wooden platform. The queen was dressed only in a violet set of narrow underwear decorated with golden trim.

Her silver hair draped down her back, her jade legs were slender, and the thousands of years of loneliness had not altered her slim waist and voluminous breasts. Her perfect curves were revealed in the crystal light.

The queen was adorned with various pieces of jewelry that fit her body perfectly, making Lily’s heart flutter.

“Lynne, come here.” The queen’s voice carried a thousand years of charm and desire, momentarily mesmerizing Lily.

Even mesmerized, deep in her heart, the last bit of resistance knew she could not allow this to continue.

“Your Majesty, Lynne has a true love,” Lily said, kowtowing with her hair spread around her.

“Your and my true loves—tonight, are they not each other? Tomorrow, I will make you my queen consort. I am not like those other Yomi overlords with harems; I will have only you by my side. I will give you glory, wealth, and the best treasures for training. I will protect and pamper you. All you need to do is be my woman. Whatever you want, I will give it to you. If you are shy, just close your eyes, lie down, and leave everything to me. Okay?” The queen was lying on her side, her legs crossed, her eyes shining with tenderness.

“Lynne, raise your head and look at me,” the queen said softly.

Lily looked up, seeing the beautiful figure hidden behind the gauze curtain. Her heart fluttered, but she couldn\'t let down her senior sister1.

She quickly ducked her head, not daring to look. “Your Majesty, Lynne is telling the truth!”

The queen had repressed herself for thousands of years. Although her breath was short, she still maintained a gentle and courteous demeanor. “That’s fine, you might as well tell me the truth. The nights of Yomi are endless; sooner or later, you will be mine.”

“Your Majesty… Lynne has already made a private lifelong commitment. In this life, I will only marry her.” Lily mustered the courage to say those words. If Senior Sister Rinne woke up and found out she had turned into a woman, this body would be returned. Where would she go then? Lily still didn’t know, but her heart would always belong to Senior Sister. No matter what happened, her feelings would not change. Even if she returned this body, was ignored by her senior sisters, disliked by others, and wandered alone in the corners of the world, she would not regret it.

As Lily reiterated her convictions, the queen was stunned and didn\'t react for some time.

Slowly, her gentle eyes filled with anger.

“What did you say? Who do you think you are? A mere dancer sneaking into the palace, using all sorts of means to lure me! Was it not to seduce me for glory and riches, so those behind you can gain more influence? Countless women live in this harem; have I ever given any of them a glance? You are the first woman I felt inclined to pamper, but now you say such ridiculous words? Who do you think you are? When you want to seduce, you seduce, and when you don\'t, you stop?”

“Your Majesty… I, I didn’t mean that. Please listen to my explanation.”

“Silence!”

The entire palace rumbled under the queen’s anger, the gauze curtain shaking wildly.

“Who do you think you are? The second woman I’ve fallen in love with? Ahahaha, what a foolishly reckless woman, to dare play with my feelings and then claim you have a sweetheart? Did you think you were Tsukuyomi no Mikoto!?”

A heaven-shaking power burst forth, ribbons tightly binding Lily before pulling her into the curtain. The queen’s thousands of years of desire had turned into thousands of years of anger.

With a wave of the queen’s hand, Lily’s white yukata was torn to shreds.

Lily instinctively clutched her chest, holding onto the string of her underwear as she rolled and hid in the corner of the wooden platform, fear gripping her.

“B̲i̲t̲c̲h̲!” The queen raged. “I didn’t like you, but your moonlight dance moved me, rekindling old emotions. You, what do you think you are? Nothing but a substitute, and you dare speak to me like that!”

Being cursed didn’t anger Lily. She only felt pity for the queen, realizing she had deeply hurt her majesty.

With another wave of the queen’s hand, ribbons twisted around Lily’s hands and legs, binding her and suspending her mid-air. The queen walked closer and cupped Lily’s face.

“This face of yours… do you think you’re beautiful? Do you think you can play with others’ feelings because of your looks? Hmph, are the heavens blind? I should execute you! But even if I did, my anger wouldn’t be satisfied. You dare play with my feelings?”

“Your Majesty, I didn’t mean to deceive you. I had difficulties!”

“Shut up! Difficulties? You have a beloved, so I should be lonely for thousands of years?” Tears streamed down the queen’s cheeks, her sadness and indignation affecting Lily.

“Why are you crying?” The queen was surprised to see Lily’s tears. If this dancer was crying out of fear and pleading for mercy, the queen would never forgive her. But Lily didn’t look afraid; her eyes held only sadness.

Tilting Lily’s face up, the queen asked, “Why are you crying?”

“Your Majesty, I know the consequences of deceiving you. My inexperience and behavior led to your misunderstanding and hurt, but I would rather be executed than lie about this matter. Does Your Majesty truly want another woman lying beneath you? You said women can be forgiven for small lies, but on this matter, as a woman, I believe no lies can be tolerated!”

“……” The queen paused, then had the ribbons set Lily down. They separated and tied Lily’s limbs to the wooden platform.

The queen sat on Lily and caressed her flushed face, running a finger down her arm. She ordered sternly, her eyes misty, “What you said makes sense, but as you said, the crime of deceiving the ruler is death. Yet you still claim to have a sweetheart. Why? Tell me everything. If you can convince me, I will spare you. But if you cannot…”

Lily was bound so tightly she couldn’t move. She trembled, her hair a mess as she looked up at the queen with melancholy and worry. The queen’s towering figure seemed to symbolize a formidable authority2.

“Your Majesty, if I can\'t explain it properly, what will you do to me…”

“Huhuhu, a sensitive and smart woman like you can surely guess. Since you claim to have a sweetheart in front of me, you must not fear death. I won’t bother to kill such a woman. If you cannot satisfy my curiosity, I will take your body right here. No matter who you have in your heart, you will become my woman first! With my methods, impregnating you will be simple. Afterwards, I will make you my consort and pamper you, but you will never see your sweetheart again. Perhaps… that is the most painful thing for you, Miss Lynne?” The queen leaned down, her voice filled with determination and the weight of thousands of years of resentment.

“Don’t, don’t be like that, Your… Your Majesty, please listen to me…”

“Ehh?” The queen’s silver hair mingled with Lily’s black hair. “Hmm? This is clearly your first time and mine. You’re already like this? I’m starting to doubt your words. Could it be that your sweetheart and lifelong commitments are all lies to make me determined to conquer you?”

“No, definitely not! Absolutely not!”

“Then why are you so coquettish? You really are a woman easily misunderstood! You must be too used to being charming and acting as such! Hurry and speak! Tell me the entire truth so I can judge you! Will you become mine, or shall I allow you to reunite with your sweetheart?” The queen’s finger trailed along Lily’s shoulder and collarbone.

Lily endured, her heart trembling with nervousness. Although the queen was overwhelmingly strong, her nature was gentle, despite being a celestial maiden who had fallen into Yomi. Lily could instinctively feel that the queen, General Chiya, and the other fallen celestial maidens were not bad people. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have established the Female Queendom, providing care for all the unfortunate women in Yomi. If she spoke of her experiences, maybe the queen would empathize and forgive her.

But… she was a wanted criminal in Takamagahara. Although the queen was a fallen celestial maiden, she was still a celestial maiden. Had they completely severed ties with Takamagahara, or did they still follow its edicts? If she took the risk, would she fall into greater danger?

Should she speak… or remain silent3?