Chapter 170: Departing for the Restaurant

Still, the Queen was clearly treated differently. She was probably having them tailored each time. Was this what they called haute couture?

"Before we depart, please have your morning cup."

I said, and respectfully offered the glass containing the first morning extraction. The Queen smiled, accepted the glass, and gulped it down in one go — Guui! Knowing it had just come out made my face flush a little. I still wanted her to drink it directly.

"Will today be the last time I can drink this? Thinking that makes me feel lonely."

The Queen gazed at the glass and spoke with deep feeling.

"Today’s restaurant visit is my final duty in this kingdom."

At my reply, the Queen made a slightly regretful face, but said,

"Yes. It can’t be helped. If it rains tomorrow, departure will be postponed, though. Well then, shall we go?"

While saying that, the Queen led the way out of the room. The three presence-less maids also began walking. Today, instead of the Queen’s usual maids, these three would accompany us. That was far better than the usual lively, noisy ones.

At the entrance of the Rear Palace, a carriage for the Queen was waiting. Today we planned to use the carriage as far as the gate on the border with the Commoner District, so standing out was not a problem. The carriage had windows, but they were smoked so that the interior could not be seen. Was this glass processing, or was some magic applied? I didn’t know that magic-mirror cars existed in this world!

When the Queen boarded the carriage,

"Robin-sama, please come. The maids are commoners, so they will not ride in the carriage with us. They will sit on the driver’s seat."

She invited me, so I boarded.

What? Was such a thing allowed!! Was I going to be alone with the Queen?

The maids, perhaps having been told in advance, said nothing and climbed onto the driver’s seat. No one objected to me entering the passenger compartment. Perhaps someone was hiding inside the compartment? The walls had ears and the doors had eyes, and I was fairly certain there was a small window for giving orders to the driver from inside the compartment. Therefore, even if the Queen and I were alone, everything happening inside would leak outside.

Regardless of my rising feelings, the people around the carriage seemed more tense than usual. It hadn’t been this bad before. Was there something special about this time? Because it was the last time? After all, even the maids were different.

The carriage departed the moment we boarded. They would never keep the Queen waiting.

The distance to the target gate on the border between the Noble District and the Commoner District was short, but the space of being alone with the Queen was quite dangerous. First of all, the Queen was pressed unusually close against me. The size of the carriage was such that three people could sit facing each other for the Queen. One person could even lie down sideways. Therefore two people sitting side by side had plenty of room. Originally the Queen and I should have sat facing each other, but the Queen had me sit beside her and pressed herself tightly against me. Suddenly she took my arm and pressed her chest against it.

At the unexpected development, my heart pounded with an unseemly youthfulness (though inside I was a 30-year-old man), and I asked directly,

"Um, Your Majesty, isn’t it unnecessary to get this close? There are watchful eyes, after all."

When I voiced my frank doubt,

"Robin-sama, do you dislike me doing this? If the watchful eyes bother you, that is fine. The three maids from earlier are the ones who always monitor me. Right now they are watching the outside rather than the inside of the carriage. Therefore, no matter what we do inside the carriage, those girls will not know. Besides, I am also using concealment magic. So they will not understand — please rest easy. Even if we are pressed this close together, those people cannot recognize what we are doing. They would never do something as rude as peeking inside from outside, and I have heard that there are nobles who take women into carriages and do as they please. As long as no voice comes from inside, those outside will not look in."

She said such things.

"B-but Your Majesty. Even if that is so, the distance from the Rear Palace to the gate is not that far, so the carriage will arrive soon, won’t it?"

Looking at my flustered state, the Queen chuckled and said,

"Yes, you need not worry about that either. This carriage will not head straight for the gate. It will circle around the Noble District to investigate whether anyone is monitoring this carriage. Only after confirming that those people are not moving will it head for the gate. Therefore it should circle the Noble District at least once. We have plenty of time."

People monitoring? Monitoring the Queen? For what purpose? It wasn’t because of the Queen’s affairs, right? Or were they trying to harm the Queen? How absurd! Would anyone attack the Queen of a nation in broad daylight? But it wasn’t an impossible story. And what exactly did "plenty of time" mean we would do?

"Are the people monitoring dangerous ones?"

"Yes."

"Is that also why the maids are outside?"

"Yes."

"Does that mean their attention is directed more outward than inward right now? Is it truly that there are no watchful eyes inside?"

"Ufufu, yes."

"Which means?"

"Yes, that."

My feelings must have gotten through — the Queen’s face seemed to turn into that of a greedy succubus. But one thought occurred to me.

"Your Majesty, even if there is time, if we do this and that, won’t Your Majesty’s makeup come off? If the appearance when boarding and when alighting is too different, wouldn’t that be a problem?"

The Queen giggled and said,

"I don’t know what Robin-sama is thinking, but my intention is only to have Robin-sama give me the youth-rejuvenating medicine to drink. I will never do anything that would make me feel guilty toward His Majesty the King. As for worrying about makeup coming off, that is also unnecessary. Today I am hardly wearing any makeup. Since I began drinking the youth-rejuvenating medicine, makeup has become unnecessary. In the morning, simply washing my face returns me to the condition of my twenties. Before alighting I will apply lipstick, and that alone is sufficient."

The Queen said it lightly, but did that mean drinking the youth-rejuvenating medicine did not count as something that would make her feel guilty toward the King? How convenient — I wanted to say, but if I said that I would be able to do nothing, so I let it slide. The only thing that bothered me was where the line of "guilty" was drawn.

"Now, Robin-sama, please."

At the Queen’s words, my cock began to stir with enthusiasm!!