Celine helplessly stamped papers for hours on end. She couldn't help but sigh. "Is this what the mighty Queen of Valeria does her whole life? This is worse than an office job." She slammed her face into the table.
"Nobody said becoming a ruler would be easy," she walked over and dropped a stack of papers twice the size of the last. "But the truth is that I've been giving you more work than me," she endearingly smiled as Celine couldn't do anything. If she complained, Alina might feel differently about how Celine chased her daughter.
In the end, Celine read the next paper to officiate. Most of the papers were about disputes between noble lands, distribution of resources, and rising starlets that could help in the inevitable upcoming wars that the first trial could bring. It could be said that the state of commoners within this land was rather fair and they were in a good state.
Eventually, Alina gently pulled a paper down from Celine's focused eyes and they met with Alina's motherly gaze. However, Celine could see a burning question in that gaze.
"Let's make a deal," Alina offered. "I'll take half of the work I assigned you and you tell me how my kingdom fell in the last life."
Celine had an incredulous gaze. "You purposely assigned me more work so this offer looks more appealing, huh." A firm nod from Alina appeared and she was even pleased that such a tactic easily worked with Celine. Nevertheless, Celine muttered "fine" while complaining in her head about this cunning woman.
"I was working as a Valerian soldier for some time but I was eventually caught by humanity and became trapped in the human continent for a while. Me and another person enslaved by humanity, Ray Amber, began to become desperate to survive because the conditions were getting rough for slaves like us. We were both the strongest uprising geniuses of our time so the human god, Malphus, gave us an offer to attack the Valerian Kingdom during the invasion of the fifth trial in exchange for freedom. And I say this because I believe Ray and I were the real reason why this kingdom fell."
Celine was seriously explaining without a hint of lies on her face. "The fifth trial featured invasions from a race in outer space, basically aliens. So, Malphus planned to use the time the invasion occurred and other various gods to launch an attack against Arthur and the hidden gods within the Valerian Kingdom.
Malphus was sure that humanities gods were stronger but unconfident about winning the mortal battles. Needless to say, me, Ray, and the aliens provided a perfect opportunity to overwhelm the mortals and destroy the kingdom."
Alina digested the information with a cold gaze. "Doesn't this make you a traitor to the kingdom then?" She gave a heartless stare to Celine. Anybody who had betrayed once could do it again, and Alina wasn't willing to make that risk. She would have some words with Arthur if Celine's answer couldn't suffice.
As for Celine, she felt pretty lax under that glare. "I think you mistake the relationship I had with the Valerians in my last life. Aria essentially kidnapped me because I was a good soldier and that all I ever was to her at that time. I never even saw you, the Queen, because I was stuck in barracks getting my ass handed to me by people who studied magic far better than me. We had a business relationship at best. You save me, I work for you. That was our agreement."
"Then why do you seem so fond of this place?" Alina asked. Celine had described her experience here as meaningless to her. In her last life, Celine's whole purpose here was to survive and understand her power but she never grew attached to this place. So why did she seem so fond of the kingdom now?
Celine looked out the window with a helpless smile. "My only good memories come from here and my friends, Aria was one of them. Remember, you may have only seen me as a soldier at that time and that may have annoyed me, but it was much better compared to what I experienced in other nations. I was a human slave, an elven playtoy, hated by demons, and a nemesis of dragons. Compared to every other relationship, I hated this one the least."
Alina felt satisfied by that answer. She understood how Celine never betrayed any allies, she never had any. Everything she ever did was to survive one day longer and the Valerian Kingdoms fall brought her exactly that.
"I understand you now, but you are considered an ally and we have a promising relationship. Do anything dumb and you can forget about having any allies ever again," Alina felt that threatening was the only way for her to ensure the safety of her kingdom.
"I know, I know," Celine leaned back in her chair uncaringly. "I've achieved the power of gods so enslaving me won't be easy this time and my whole view on the world has changed. So don't worry, I'm not fighting to survive, but fighting for what I love, and you know what that is, right?" She slyly grinned with the smallest hint of lust in her eyes. Celine never loved, now she couldn't wait for her lover to open her heart eventually. It would just take time and patience.
Alina smiled. Having a small conversation and seeing the craziness of this woman made her forget about her worries because they seemed small in comparison to what Celine endured. "Perhaps her craziness is a result of her harsh life. Maybe it is some type of coping mechanism," she thought.
Celine looked over at the sunlight entering the room. "Would you look at that, the day is here. That means my work time is over," she grinned and stood jubilantly.
"Know that you wanted to talk to me, sweet Queen, I would've worked hard but I couldn't help but bring up my past trauma," she teased and waved goodbye to Alina who watched with an easygoing face.
However, a man suddenly appeared in her eyes and blocked her exit. "So, what is your desire for your divine power?" Arthur asked. He could clearly see the difference in her divinity and could tell Celine reached enlightenment about her identity.
Celine's facial muscles slightly tensed. She now had to train right after working! "Breaks never occur easily," she guessed.
"My desire I created that will empower my divinity is the desire and ability to change to achieve my goals," she said.