Chapter 286: What! Your Majesty’s Share Too!?

Now then, the Duke had withdrawn in a mood of thanks a hundredfold, so I began with this.

"Duchess, I have brought medicine. This is, of course, free. Thank you for all your efforts. Thanks to you I was able to win."

I bowed deeply as I said it and held out the glass to the Duchess as if offering it up.

"Oh, my! I did nothing at all. And my husband only held you back, Lord Robin. I truly have no right to accept this. But since you have gone to the trouble, I will take it. Ufufu. Thank you, Lord Robin."

Waves of sweet feeling poured off her as she received the glass and swallowed it down. The Duchess emitted waves of emotion without meaning to. Was I the only one who felt them, or did everyone? Was it all right for her to send them out this unguarded? I was starting to worry, when beside me, in a small voice,

"Is there none for me?"

Her Majesty murmured. My share? Hah. I felt as if I had heard something I should not have heard. If my memory was correct, I had presented a thick cup this morning. Did this person mean to drink at every opportunity? Was she all right for allergies?

Thinking I might have misheard, I looked at Her Majesty’s face. She was smiling, but her eyes were not. The Duchess, who did not know Her Majesty had already drunk this morning, said,

"That is right. I drank first even though Her Majesty has not had any. Your Majesty, forgive me. Lord Robin, please give some to Her Majesty as well. I will bear Her Majesty’s cost."

and so on! Taking advantage of the Duchess’s kindness? Your Majesty still meant to drink! I wanted to say there was no stock left, so after this you would have to drink it directly!! I crushed that feeling down and said,

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. This is the last cup. With this, the stock is gone."

and held out the glass.

Her Majesty smirked.

"Thank you, Lord Robin. If there is no stock left, shall I have Anouk drink Anouk’s share directly?"

I think she meant it as a joke. But everyone present except Rudolf froze. Her Majesty had said it, which was the same as an order being issued, was it not? Anouk’s face went pale in an instant. Elle and Annie turned bright red. Annie muttered in a small voice,

"The leftovers for me..."

but everyone pretended not to hear.

Anouk stepped forward one pace with a straight face.

"Then clear the room."

That was when Her Majesty noticed.

"Ah, Anouk, it is a joke. A joke, so do not take it seriously. Hohoho."

She was unusually flustered. Annie muttered,

"Then I will take her place..."

and was ignored. Anouk looked a little disappointed, maybe?

After that I gave the Duchess a formal report of the victory and my thanks, and received words of consolation from her. Then I was questioned root and branch about last night’s exploits.

I was made to talk at length, complete with reenactment.

"This is entertaining. It would be a waste to keep it only for ourselves..."

Her Majesty said, then seemed to think of something.

"Say, Mariska, lend me your ear a moment."

She turned aside with the Duchess and held a private talk. Rudolf and I could not hear it, but the maids apparently could. From time to time the maids looked my way and smirked. I could only think Her Majesty had come up with something worthless. The private talk went on a while longer, then Her Majesty and the Duchess, wearing wicked smiles, said,

"Say, Lord Robin. You went to pay your respects at House Schult today, did you not?"

They knew that well, I thought, and answered,

"Yes."

"Was the Marquis at the house? Or was it his wife?"

"The Marquis was out. I met the Marchioness."

A maid shrieked. What of it? Her Majesty made a face that said just as I thought.

"So you met the Marchioness. Then, Lord Robin, you gave the Marchioness medicine, did you not?"

Eh, how did she know? Was I going to be pursued for handing it over on my own? It was true there were limits on giving out the medicine, but I was the one who made it in the first place, and I wanted this kind of thing overlooked to some degree. I had no intention of devouring the Marchioness.

I did not know whether my thoughts got through, but Her Majesty said,

"It is fine. I have no intention of blaming you. That being so, did the Marchioness not show a terribly friendly attitude toward you, Lord Robin?"

"Yes, exactly as you say!"

The maid shrieked again. Her Majesty wore a face that said I knew it!

"Mariska, then let us pick another day, invite the Marchioness as well, and have her hear the story. The Marchioness will surely come over to our side! Yes. This will get interesting!"

Her Majesty grinned with a wicked smile. What was she thinking?

Her Majesty asked further.

"And Lord Robin, you went to House Kirchhoff as well, did you not? Did you see the Count?"

"No. I was able to see the Countess, but I could not see the Count."

"I see. And what was the Countess’s attitude? Did she treat you harshly, Lord Robin? Or was she friendly?"

"At first she did hold hostility toward me, but her manner gradually softened, and by the end I think she had opened up even more than before."

"I see. Then there is no obstacle at all!"

"That is so, Your Majesty!"

Her Majesty and the Duchess took each other’s hands and looked at me with glittering eyes. I started to feel like a child wildebeest stared down by lions. Was this the African savanna?

—-

"Um, what exactly is so convenient?"

I asked timidly. Cautiously, with the finest care. They were this excited (Rudolf and I were outside the mosquito net), and I did not want to say something strange and wreck the mood. I did not want to touch a reverse scale.

Her Majesty smiled thinly, and that smile was wicked too.

"Ufufu. Well, you see, I want to make a play depicting your heroic figure from last night, Lord Robin!"

"Eh, a play?"

"Yes, a play. Theater!!"

Turn that into a play? I knew of anime and comics being turned into kabuki and stage productions. But last night’s that? And with Her Majesty and the Duchess pushing it? I looked at Rudolf’s face. He was shaking his head. In short, he was throwing up his hands?

"Lord Robin may not know this, but in Mainz Kingdom something called commoner theater is widely performed."

the Duchess explained.

"There was none in Marie Kingdom?"

"There was, but on a far smaller scale than in Mainz Kingdom. At the very least, nobles, and high nobles at that, never went to see commoner theater. The playhouses were vulgar and filthy, not the sort of thing a noble could approach."

"Is that so..."

The size of the population surely affected commercial activity like that as well. Theater had probably not established itself as an industry.

The Duchess continued.

"But in Mainz Kingdom, even commoner theater has fine playhouses, and some are equipped with VIP boxes so royalty and high nobles can come in secret. They perform events and heroic tales from all times and places. Her Majesty said we should have last night’s heroic figure of yours staged there, Lord Robin, and her feeling came through to me painfully well. I want to support it with all my strength!"

Her eyes sparkled. She clasped both hands before her chest and swore toward something that was not me. I had a feeling she had entered a realm that must not be touched.

"That is fine, is it not, Lord Robin? Ufufufu. We will prepare everything on this side, so you need not worry about a thing."

Her Majesty said that, but what was fine? Did that one line mean portrait rights and copyright and everything else had been raked into Her Majesty’s hands?

I had one concern, so I asked.

"Just to confirm, will the people who appear in this play use real names? Will my name be used? That would be a little troubling."

I did not think I would become unable to walk outside, but still.

"That is fine. After all, we can hardly put Count von Kirchhoff on stage under his real name, can we? We will change the names, but anyone who knows will see it at once. Ahh, I cannot wait! Could we see it next month? Cromwell made money for nothing, so shall I have him invest a little?"

Invest meaning it would turn a profit? Commercial theater in Mainz Kingdom had reached that level.

When Her Majesty spoke full steam ahead, the Duchess rode along.

"That is right, Your Majesty. The actor who plays Lord Robin on stage absolutely must be a beautiful boy! My husband will do perfectly as the hated role! My husband as the one who gets in Lord Robin’s way, and Count von Kirchhoff as the one Lord Robin defeats! There could be no better way to heat the house! And at the end Lord Robin raises a victory roar!! Ahh, I want to see it soon!?"

She spoke as if overcome. Did it not pain her heart that her own husband would be heckled by the audience? I worried, but the maids joined in, and the mood of the room rose whether I wanted it or not, with no ceiling in sight. The waves from the Duchess hurt so much I could not stay seated. Rudolf standing beside me looked perfectly calm, so were they aimed only at me? I was close to misunderstanding that the Duchess was radiating with me alone as the target. Would I not be wrapped up in the Duchess’s tentacles? Now and then Her Majesty looked at me and smirked, which was frightening. As if she were licking her lips? The Queen of Marie Kingdom had never quite closed the distance, yet the Queen of Mainz Kingdom had closed it in one go. Was this all right? It was extremely frightening.

"Um, you said one month, but can it be done that quickly?"

"It is fine! I have someone in mind! He loves beautiful-boy pieces! No, they are his favorite food! No, they are his specialty. I know a playwright, so I will order him. He will do it without fail. No mistake!!"

Her Majesty’s heat was tremendous, and the Duchess’s waves were tremendous, and I felt as if I might be blown away.

"Lord Robin, please look forward to it! Something good will certainly be made. No. I will not permit it if it is not! I will check it myself and finish it into a play of the highest quality! Leave it to me!!"

I did not know who it was, but I could not help pitying the person who would be asked to turn this into a play.