I entered the room and saw the Queen sitting by herself at a desk.
Several stacks of documents were laid out on it and the room was kept well-lit by a few beautifully-made lamp stands that glowed with magic.
"Ah, so you've come. Have a seat," the Queen said almost dismissively.
I walked over to the chair facing the Queen and sat down.
"Now then, I have a few questions for you, Mizik. May I call you Mizik? Or do you have some sort of title you wish for me to use?" She said.
I simply stared at her with a blank expression. My posture and my eyes remained as neutral as possible.
"That was me giving you a turn to speak. Are you nervous?"
I shook my head and continued staring into her eyes.
"Then what seems to be the problem?" She said.
"I desire your permission to speak freely. I want an open and honest talk," I said simply
Evryss rolled her eyes.
"Is it not enough that I have invited you to chat? You, a lowly commoner, should be grateful for the honor of speaking to me, the Queen of Albatross in private," She said.
I simply stared.
I wasn't a fool, after all.
As far as the marriage went, the King had more power than Evryss. Meaning that as long as I didn't break the agreement or anger him personally, Evryss couldn't hurt my chances of marrying Isabella.
That, and I wasn't going to pretend she had all of the power here. I didn't plan to let her talk down to me and I wanted to speak my mind without worry. After all, prior to the ballroom incident with Cassandra, I managed to show the other nobles that I was capable of using Vengeance. That, alone, was enough to grant me a title of nobility. All I had to do was wait for the King to officially grant it...
And even if nobles in Albatross had lost their influence, my relationship with Isabella would override that rule entirely.
I wasn't powerless here by any means and Evryss likely knew that by now.
She let out an exaggerated sigh and looked at me as I were an insect.
"Very well, you can speak freely. I won't have you thrown in jail or assassinated for anything you say here...within reason of course. Is that what you were worried about?"
"Somewhat. It's just that the last time I said something slightly wrong to a young woman in this castle, I ended up in a dungeon being tortured," I said.
Evryss seemed bothered by my words.
"Ronald and I had a long talk earlier and I saw the dungeon below her room. Yes, I will agree that somehow, one of my sweet, beautiful daughters turned out to be a monster," she said.
"I'm glad you're seeing reason now. So you wanted to talk about Isabella, right?" I asked.
"For an uneducated half-noble, you're fairly intelligent. I'll give you that," Evryss said.
"If you want this conversation to go well, perhaps you should just think of me as a fellow human. That way of thinking you have is part of the reason Cassandra turned out to be a murderer. She only sees commoners as mere insects, you know?" I said with irritation in my voice.
I was getting so damn tired of people only seeing my blood instead of my character.
Evryss closed her eyes and shook her head. I could tell she was trying to maintain her composure.
If I wanted to win her over, this probably wasn't the best way to do it...
"Very well then, Mizik. I'll try and keep this simple. But first, I have a question."
"Fine. Ask it."
"I was made aware of something between you and Cassandra. A disagreement of sorts... Why do you think she tortured you?"
I felt my agitation growing from her ridiculous question.
"How the hell should I know!? I apologized and begged her to stop repeatedly! She wouldn't listen to reason! Although..."
"You put your hands on her, didn't you?" Evryss said while narrowing her eyes.
"You say that like I groped her or something. I traveled to Albatross with Isabella, but I didn't know she was the Princess. I thought her name was Rose and saw her face by accident. We became close. Close enough to hug each other. Which, I will add, she started first. And when I saw Cassandra...I sort of just got excited. I thought Rose- er Isabella, had coincidentally been in the castle and stumbled upon me as I was training. I hugged Cassandra because I mistook her for someone else."
"Yes...I was also made aware of Isabella's 'vacation' to Lorelei. She went as a birthday gift and to supposedly get away from Arvild. But...you didn't question why she was in the castle?" Evryss said.
"Of course not! She didn't tell me who she was and I trusted her! How the hell was I supposed to know she had an identical twin sister? How could I have known that she lives here!? I figured she had a wealthy family based on her behavior and way of speaking, but to be a Princess? Really? How often does that happen to people? I wasn't bothered by her background, but to think her sister was a bloodthirsty psychopath..." I said.
"As much as it pains me to admit...I can't blame you in this one instance. Your reasoning is...long-winded, but accurate. Isabella failed to make herself known to you and the result is clear. Although, I cannot understand why such a thing would cause her to hurt you so much..."
"I think you're missing something here. You're ignoring the fact that Cassandra is both violent and insane. Something drove her to that."
I narrowed my eyes as I stared directly at Evryss.
"Are you implying something?"
"That her mother might have unintentionally made her dehumanize people of lower status? That this dehumanization could have inevitably caused her to become violent? Maybe? Who can say?"
I could see her shaking with rage, but she did her best to compose herself once more.
"You...do you have an education? You are more intelligent than I originally thought."
"Not a formal one. But my father taught me most of what I know. He was a smart man. And also, please don't assume that I'm stupid," I said.
She clenched her hands and gritted her teeth. I could tell she was suppressing a great deal of anger.
Then she took a deep breath and composed herself again.
"You are extremely rude for someone speaking to the sovereign of a nation."
"Didn't we agree that we would keep status out of this? I'm not talking to a Queen. I'm speaking to the mother of my fiance. And you are speaking to a man engaged to your daughter."
"Bastard...fine. Disregarding your implications about Cassandra's twisted mind, I have something for you."
Evryss slid a small piece of paper across the desk to me.
It was completely blank.
"What's this for?" I asked.
"Name your price. Albatross is one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations in Avernia. If it is within our power to give, I will give you anything you desire. All you have to do is break the engagement with Isabella."
My mouth hung open in utter disbelief.
This woman was actually trying to bribe me to leave Isabella.
I didn't think I had ever been so insulted in my entire life.
"You're joking, right?" I said.
"I am always deadly serious on matters such as these. If you need time, I will give you a few days at most. But if you do not decide, I will grant you a large sum of money and even a home in the countryside. But only as long as you stop seeing Isabella."
"Do you seriously think I'm in love with her for exclusively my own benefit?" I asked.
"What else could it be? Common- ahem. Regular people usually want something out of a person like Isabella. Money? Power? Sex? Isabella is the heir to a very wealthy nation. And my daughter is well known for being exceedingly beautiful."
It's going to take everything I have not to lose my mind from talking to this deranged woman.
"I am not so shallow, Evryss. I don't care about money or power. I love Isabella. I want to make her happy."
"So it is sex, then? I did not have you figured for a deviant-"
I slammed my fist down on the desk.
"Shut your damn mouth! If that's all I wanted, I would already have done it by now! I've had plenty of chances! Or were you not told about my current living arrangements?" I said angrily.
Evryss composed herself and continued with her cold, unfeeling stare.
"You share a bed, apparently. And you have somehow managed to keep your hands to yourself," she said.
I retracted my hand and glared at Evryss.
"Why are you so infatuated with my daughter?" She asked.
"Isabella was the first friend I ever made outside of my mother's family. We became close friends in Lorelei and on the way to Albatross. When Cassandra harassed me in the castle while I was on the training grounds, she came to my rescue. And when I was on the verge of dying by Cassandra's hand, she saved me."
"I'm listening for a specific reason, not your life story," Evryss said.
"You need to understand that I can't give you one specific reason. My love for her isn't defined by something I can write on paper. Not money, not power, and not sex. It's real."
"I want to know. There are millions of girls out there who would probably be happy to receive your affections. Why does it have to be Isabella?"
"I truly can't answer that question."
Evryss nearly slammed her hand onto the desk but stopped midway. She composed herself and looked at me again.
"Let's try a different approach then. Do you expect to be able to lead a nation without a proper education? Your father may have taught you a few things, but you can't possibly expect to be a King from such a thing!" Evryss asked.
"No. I don't. And rightly so. But I'm only fourteen and have plenty of time to learn. You and your husband aren't planning on dying anytime soon, right? If the marriage goes through, you'll have no choice but to provide a proper education. If not, Isabella can teach me."
"Aren't you worried that you'll be putting too much of a burden on her?"
"You mean like you've already been doing? Trying to force her to marry men that either don't love her, or just want her body and status?" I said.
"That is different. We have the future of our country to worry about. These men might be...questionable people at times, but they come from proper backgrounds. They are fit to lead. Besides, Ronald selected me for an arranged marriage long ago as well. I was not happy at first, but eventually, I accepted it and grew to love him."
"You could have fooled me. It looks like you two don't get along very well at all," I said.
"You are awfully harsh for someone in your situation, you know?" Evryss said, seeming to take it personally.
That felt like a soft spot. Perhaps a method of attack?
"Really? I can keep going, by the way. It sounds like you don't even understand what it means to fall in love. You know Arvild already has several wives, right? He's only after power and sex. He's a pervert. Also, a wanted criminal based on mine and Walter's testimony. He hasn't been seen since the torture incident either, so good luck getting in touch with him. And you want Isabella to marry that pile of garbage? He isn't even a nobleman anymore. He's a homeless criminal. But I guess it makes sense. Why should you be the only one that's miserable? That's what they say, Isn't it? Misery loves company!" I said.
Evryss was starting to look quite uneasy.
But I continued relentlessly.
"Just because your parents forced you to accept the marriage, doesn't mean you have to turn around and follow their example. If you hated it and force it on Isabella, doesn't that make you a hypocrite?" I said.
Evryss placed her hand over her face for a moment.
Then she looked me straight in the eyes.
"It means I understand the greater good! Arvild at least had a proper education! He held one of the legendary swords and was the son of a Duke! He had the aptitude to lead! I know Isabella would be unhappy, but one day she would learn to love him just as I love Ronald! Or she would have... Trust me when I say this, Arvild truly was the best choice we had available," she said.
"Then it's obvious to me that you care less about Isabella's happiness than I do. What would you say if Isabella became so miserable with that bastard that she took her own life? How would that make you feel?" I said angrily.
"That's...too far... You are quite the unruly one, Mizik. Your words are as sharp as blades... The Iratus blood flows strong in you..." Evryss said.
"I think I asked you a question, Evryss."
"..."
"Well?"
"Of course I would be hurt terribly! I'm not the most fertile woman out there, you know? It was very difficult to even become pregnant. My family, the Victoria family, is known for having fertility issues. It was a miracle that I bore twins... Now, one of my daughters is a monster and the other one refuses to listen to reason. I wasn't able to provide a male heir and I hate myself for it... If Isabella took her life, I would likely follow suit," Evryss said sadly.
"Then perhaps you should think about that before trying to tear the only happiness she has away from her. We're done here."
I reached for the small piece of paper and snatched the quill from its inkwell right in front of Evryss. Then I wrote: ISABELLA VICTORIA ALBATROSS in the largest letters I could manage on it and shoved the paper over to Evryss.
I threw the quill on the desk then stood up and walked out of the room.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Evryss lean over the paper with tears in her eyes.
I felt a bit bad for making her cry, but honestly, she had it coming.
I learned a long time ago from my father that the truth is a blade that cuts deep. But truth, once accepted, can grant one the ability to change.
Above all, after dealing with Cassandra, I felt far less obligated to be nice to wicked people like that. Especially not one of the people likely responsible for making her turn out that way.
Even if Evryss was right about wanting the best possible leaders for this country, Arvild wouldn't be a benefit to the people.
Anyone who could willingly lure someone into a lion's den and laugh at them while they're being tortured doesnt deserve the throne.
After exiting the room, I saw Isabella standing there and looking at me with a worried expression. The guard was nowhere to be seen.
We walked back to her room in relative silence until we reached the doorway.
"Walter," Isabella said.
"My lady?" Walter said as he instantly appeared.
"That will be all for tonight. Please get some rest." She said
Walter gave a bow and disappeared.
Isabella and I went into her room and both sat down on her bed.
"I hope you'll forgive me, but I listened in on the entire conversation..." She said.
"That's alright. I don't have anything to hide," I said.
"I know...but I can't believe mother would do such a thing... A bribe? How could something like that possibly work!? Especially after all we've been through!" She said angrily
"I really can't say...but if I had to guess, I'd say she's out of touch. She doesn't remember what it feels like to be in our situation. Either that, or she's never experienced it, herself."
"Actually, if she doesn't know the specifics about my near-death experience, I'd say she doesn't understand our situation at all..." Isabella said.
It made sense. There were a lot of complex things surrounding the two of us in regards to the Black Ooze.
I had also made the decision not to hide anything from Isabella. I even told her about the dream I had with the Oracle.
As far as I was concerned, our union was as important as life itself. And she agreed.
Isabella and I talked a bit more before taking turns getting cleaned up and ready for bed.
As I lay down in her bed, she cuddled close to me like she always did.
I never quite got used to it, in all honesty.
Having her so close to me like this still made my heart race...but it felt good. Natural, even. Although...it was almost like she held me like I was a pillow. Not that I minded, of course...
Soon after that, we drifted off to sleep.