Chapter 173: The Duchess’s Interruption

Normally, when Queen Isola issued such a command, the Duchess would comply, at most leaving and then hiding outside the door to eavesdrop. This time, however, the Duchess refused to budge an inch.

“Did you not hear what I said?” Isola repeated her command.

“Please forgive my impudence today, Your Majesty,” the Duchess declared, looking up at the ceiling. “My foot has been trod upon by you, and I cannot move.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? How could I have stepped that heavily?” Isola’s brows furrowed in annoyance. She could clearly see the Duchess was trying to trick her, causing trouble. “Step back at once!”

“Causing trouble? After all my painstaking efforts, is that truly how you see me?” The Duchess was indignant. “Isn’t it because Your Majesty has been so hesitant to act, leaving everyone in a state of anxiety? Just look!”

The Duchess suddenly spread her hand, pointing towards Alice Liddell in the mirror, which immediately sent a shiver of unease down Alice’s spine.

“With your indulgence, this one not only slept with other women, but now they’re constantly doting on each other every day. Please forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty, but while I understand you have your own preferences, if you continue to be so lukewarm, people will be deceived!” the Duchess exclaimed passionately.

“Must you say such things in front of me?” Alice Liddell’s face turned exceptionally awkward.

Isola’s face flushed and paled in turns. “Enough, you needn’t say another word.”

“No, I must speak!” The Duchess’s resolve hardened. “I will never forget the smug look on that man’s face, the one who supported the Paladin that day. Why must I, who supports Your Majesty, endure such vexation? I can no longer bear it, Your Majesty!” The Duchess suddenly clenched her fists, then glared at Alice Liddell. “Alice, though we already know the answer, I now demand you answer me seriously: do you love His Majesty?”

Alice Liddell was startled by the sudden interrogation. However, she immediately realized this question could not be answered vaguely.

“Yes, I love her,” Alice Liddell replied.

Isola instantly held her breath.

Yet, the Duchess remained relentless. “Ha? So softly? Do you still wish to flirt? I want you to say those three words loudly in front of His Majesty! If I don’t hear it, say it again. If I still don’t hear it, say it again, until I hear it clearly!”

Pushed into such a corner, Alice Liddell found herself in a difficult predicament. She looked hesitantly at Isola, who, upon meeting her gaze, froze completely, from her expression to her entire body.

“Speak! Speak, I say!!!” The Duchess clasped her hands, her face full of anticipation.

“You’ve gone far enough!” Isola finally could bear it no longer, glaring at the Duchess and calling an end to the farce.

“Those aren’t the three words I wished to hear,” the Duchess grumbled.

“I command you to stop making sport of me!” Isola declared, mortified and angered. “Withdraw! You are not needed!”

“I am truly utterly devoted, Your Majesty!” The Duchess clutched her chest, looking heartbroken. “Your Majesty has finally realized her feelings, yet still evades the issue. I cannot rest in peace!”

‘Are you my old mother or something?’ Alice Liddell thought.

“Stop this nonsense, you’re not actually going to die!” Isola sighed helplessly. “Since we both know what’s in our hearts, why must it be stated so explicitly?”

“But the window paper must be torn through, mustn’t it?” the Duchess cried out.

“You’ve nearly smashed it to pieces!” Isola said, rubbing her temple with a pained expression.

“Really?” The Duchess’s spirits suddenly lifted. “Does this mean you and Alice already know you’re mutually in love? Right? Right? That’s how it is, isn’t it?”

“This…” Isola hesitated, exchanging a glance with Alice Liddell. Her face immediately flushed crimson, and Alice Liddell felt her own cheeks grow warm.

Huffing with excitement, the Duchess’s face broke into an eager smile at this sight. “Well, in that case, you two are lovers, aren’t you? So, even if you’re not physically together, kissing through the mirror, or using the Dream Weaver’s ability to date in dreams, or even doing something more thrilling—that should all be perfectly fine, right? Right? That’s how it is, isn’t it?”

“Do not go too far,” Isola said in a low voice, then suddenly, with a cold expression, she raised her hand and swiped across the magic mirror.

Alice Liddell’s magic mirror was instantly enveloped in mist.

However, Alice Liddell realized she could still hear sounds, for she clearly heard the Duchess’s subsequent exclamations:

“Wait… Your Majesty? What are you doing? No, don’t! I was wrong! Please don’t! Ahhh! Murder! Murder! Wuwuwu… Sarin Sarang… Wuwuwu…”

The screams gradually became incoherent, until only muffled ‘wuwu’ sounds remained. Then, Alice Liddell heard the sound of a door opening and closing, and the Duchess’s voice ceased.

Subsequently, the mist in the magic mirror finally dissipated. Alice Liddell saw Isola standing alone in the room, her breathing a little more rapid than before.

The Duchess was nowhere to be seen.

“Good, now no one will disturb us,” Isola said.

“Um…” Alice Liddell asked hesitantly, “Is she still alive?”

“I merely tied her up, gagged her, and threw her out of the room,” Isola replied calmly.

“I see…”

As a Third Order being, Isola possessed the abilities of a ‘Monster Queen,’ allowing her to utilize all middle-tier powers without fully transforming. Witches of the Fifth and Fourth Orders, upon transformation, wielded monstrous strength akin to beasts.

“Sometimes I truly cannot stand her,” Isola sighed.

Alice Liddell hesitated for a moment, then tried calling out, “Isola.”

Isola’s eyes widened slightly, then she adopted a serious expression. “Why such sudden solemnity? I’ve said it before: if something is understood between us, there’s no need to speak of it further.”

“No, what I want to say is, I’m sorry,” Alice Liddell said, lowering her eyes.

Isola paused, then immediately understood Alice Liddell was referring to what had happened between her and Jeanne Decker.

“It’s fine, you owe me no apology. After all, before, we hadn’t even defined our relationship, much less fully understood our own feelings. I have no right to make any additional demands of you,” Isola stated earnestly. “Even now, despite knowing my own thoughts, I must still prioritize my mission.”

“I know, which is why I will complete this mission with all my might,” Alice Liddell responded seriously. “This is my own desire.”

She would still strive to help Isola find the Holy Relic’s whereabouts, but this time, it wouldn’t be solely out of obligation or a transaction. It would also be out of her own spontaneous support for Isola, now that she had come to terms with her feelings.

“Though that is what I say, still…” Isola hesitated. “While you are there, you must exercise some restraint. I am not entirely indifferent.”

“I understand,” Alice Liddell replied with a somewhat bitter smile.