Apparently, General Maldor had explained to Princess Mareen about the situation. How her half sister, Queen Mare, tried to kill Elio by poison so her father could claim Stardret Kingdom for himself. How Elio caught her red handed and killed her instead, killed her father and reversed the situation on them by claiming their kingdom.
That's why Elio was surprised when the first thing she asked was if Queen Liza was still alive. Wasn't she supposed to thank Elio for saving her from the dungeon and Queen Liza's torment? Wasn't she supposed to hug him and cry as anyone reunited with her betrothed would do?
'Perhaps the torture she endured at Queen Liza's hands had turned her into a cold princess.'
And, looking at how slim she had become, how her blond hair had lost its luster, and how her gray eyes lacked any emotion close to joy, Elio concluded his assumption was true.
It was all Queen Liza's fault.
"Yeah! She's still alive!" he replied, shifting his gaze back to his plate. "Why do you ask?"
Princess Mareen put down her utensils and stood up as if on a mission. "Because I want to talk to her."
Her voice was calm, her face taciturn, her eyes predatory.
Elio glanced at General Maldor. "Escort her!"
The General bowed to Elio and replied, "Right away, Your Grace! But I have a report. I couldn't tell you because you were..." he trailed off, glancing at the maids as if to show what he meant.
"Because I was busy having fun," Elio completed it for him with a chuckle. "What's the report about?"
"The Blue Monsters attacked last night and took a family of 5 people and their livestock. People are worried!"
"Escort the Princess first. I'll join you after I finish my meal to look for a way to kill that thing."
"Yes, Your Grace!"
"And listen to whatever she tells you to do except what endangers her."
"Of course, Your Grace!"
After Mareen and Maldor disappeared into the corridor to the dungeon, Elio shifted his gaze at his maids.
They stood still, their heads slightly bowed, their hands clasped in front of their thighs. If anyone entered the room, he wouldn't be able to tell how slutty they had been minutes ago when he was pounding them.
"Did you have breakfast?"
They exchanged glances before replying in unison. "No, Your Grace!"
"Eat with me then!"
"Thank you, Your Grace!"
"And feel comfortable. Like when we were in the carriage. Don't mind these other maids."
Joy spread all over their faces.
Elio glanced at King Kard's bunnies and told them to go bring more food.
He couldn't resist staring at them as they left the room, swaying their hips along with their bunny tail.
'I don't know how King Kard came up with this idea, but he nailed it.'
His eyes continued to enjoy their beauty after they returned, bending over the table to serve more food. He was tempted to tell them to strip, but he restrained himself.
There was no problem in being intimate with his maids because he was technically the one who took their virginity. However, about King Kard's ones, he felt like he would be disrespecting himself. He was the king, soon to have hundreds of queens.
And he was in a world where he could find elfs, succubus or mermaids. He would be wasting his time on low quality girls when he could learn about the system and start exploring the world for high quality ones.
Also, these girls couldn't say no. It was like being with a gold digger who only looks at wealth or status, or a prostitute. He had to venture and find real girls. The ones who could challenge him.
'I'm gonna start with Princess Mareen. At least she can say no if she doesn't want to.'
If a girl had endured torment for 2 years instead of becoming Emperor Gezen Kan's concubine, there was no way she would agree to have sex with Elio if she didn't want to.
Elio cut a slice off the steaming omelet, but before he could put it into his mouth, the system chimed.
[Attention! Attention! Dear host, your queen is dead.]
[Attention! Attention! New quest, unlocked. Find another queen!]
[Attention! She must be of a royal bloodline. Kiss her on the lips to claim her.]
[Attention! She must consent to it.]
[Duration: 10 minutes.]
[Reward: 1000 PPP + PPP worth of the Queen's kingdom.]
[Punishment: Losing your crown. Attention: A crown is what makes you a king. Being king is what makes you you. You're nothing without you. Without you, you die.]
"Fuck!" Elio exclaimed as he scrambled to his feet and ran toward the door into the dungeon.
He was calmly listening to the system, but a 10 minute deadline followed by that goddamned punishment sent him into a panic.
A certain question kept popping into his mind as he ran down the stairs into the vertical corridor. 'She can't refuse my kiss, can she?'
'What if she does refuse? I'll be screwed.'
'No! She can't! She's my betrothed. She loves me so much that she endured all that torment.'
'But she's changed! The Mareen I remember couldn't kill even a fly, let alone a person.'
'Perhaps she's not the one who killed Queen Liza. Perhaps she ordered General Maldor to do it.'
Elio was now a few steps from reaching the dungeon. He could see the sunlight. The bar gate was open so he just pushed it wide and woodshed past the Blue Monster's cage.
"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!"
Mareen was screaming, sitting over Queen Liza astride as she continuously stabbed her with a dagger.
"She's already..." General Maldor was trying to calm her, but the Princess didn't pay him any heed.
'Dammit! How am I going to kiss a traumatized girl? How am I to get her to consent?'
He approached her with caution, then grabbed her arms, restraining her from stabbing Queen Liza again.
"Let go of me!" she shouted, struggling to get out of Elio's grip. "Let me kill her!"
"She's long gone!"
Elio pulled her for a hug, trying not to puke at the sight of Queen Liza's mangled body and the pungent smell from it all.
Mareen herself was covered in blood even on her face, and she spread it to him when they hugged.
She burst out crying, letting go of the dagger to hug Elio.
"She's a demon! She's a demon!" she said in between sobs.
"Don't worry! She's dead now! She won't torment you again."
Elio continued to comfort her, but chances of them kissing seemed so far away.
'I wonder what's left of the 10 minutes, and how I'm going to get her to consent to a kiss in this condition!'