“Reshia Fel Zeal… What is, the meaning of this?”
Laid before the Goblin King was a plate, and when he saw what was served on it, he frowned.
“Cranjible Steak,” she said.
“Cranjible…?” the Goblin King asked.
A plump bird roasted whole until its skin had turned amber was on the plate. It was garnished with various vegetables.
“I made it. It’s my way of saying thank you for saving me.”
Although Reshia’s eyes averted for a moment there, she was not an emotionless doll. If anything she looked like a mischievous young girl who was being questioned after her prank had failed.
“Hmm.”
Seeing her expression and the sloppy cooking placed in front of him, the Goblin King couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
“We’ll consider my debt settled with this, alright?” Reshia said.
Of course, she wasn’t talking about the incident with Zenobia. She was depressed after coming back with the king, but after 10 days, she became able to at least put on a front. After Mill Dora and the others came back from the Ivory Tower, Reshia’s desire to keep them from worrying over her took on an extraordinary shape.
—I can at least clean where I live.
After saying that, she started cleaning, but the place she lived at was not a normal castle, but a castle designed by the fire elf, Barrui, with the help of the water elf, Feeney, and the trees planted by the wind elves – it was the royal castle. And frankly speaking, it was still under construction. Many of the public works led by the elves needed years to finish – that’s a long time for humans.
Moreover, because one of the conditions for constructing the castle was to plant trees – a terrifying design concept – lightning have struck the place several times, and pitfalls could be found throughout the place. To make the long story short, Reshia found herself in a pinch and was about to fall. Fortunately the Goblin King managed to save her in the nick of time.
As far as the Goblin King was concerned, it was just a fond memory where the ever indifferent Reshia screamed out ‘kyaa!’ in a cute voice.
When he recalled that memory, a faint smile appeared on his face.
“W-What?”
As Reshia noted that smile that could only be described as evil, the Goblin King criticized her harshly, but only just harsh enough so that the king could amuse himself.
“Does your life only amount to a dish?” He questioned.
“It’s not like my life was actually in danger!” Reshia said.
Seeing Reshia try to assume a composed look pleased the king, but then a cold voice resounded from the side that drew his attention.
“How about eating already, Your Majesty? As the old saying goes, the conversation of dancing birds (Gelmelt) can make even bears turn their face away. (Harianon). If you wait too long, the food will go cold,” Pale said as she took the fork and knife in front of her and dug in.
“The dancing birds?” The Goblin King asked.
“If you don’t understand, then please investigate it on your own,” Pale said.
The Goblin King’s question was met with an indifferent reply as Pale continued to eat.
“Well, it is true that the food she went out of her way to make would go to waste at this rate.”
As the Goblin King said that and begun eating, Pale looked at him coldly, while Reshia’s eyes never left him.
“…How is it?” Reshia asked.
“…Hmm? Ah, I suppose it has a rich taste.”
“…Is that so?”
Reshia continued to search the king’s expression as he ate. Although he found it slightly awkward, he finished his meal all the same.
“…Now then, Your Majesty. I won’t fall into any holes anymore, may I excuse myself?” Reshia said.
“…We’ll say you won’t fall then,” the Goblin King said.
As she finished her meal with a bittersweet smile, Reshia excused herself while sending a doubtful glance at the king.
“You get along well, I see… How about making her your queen?” Pale said.
“You shouldn’t joke about that. That’s not why I saved her.”
Pale’s eyes narrowed as she watched the king look outside the window from behind.
“It’s not a joke. If I may get to the point, the birth of a legitimate heir is a pressing issue if the continuation of the royal line is desired. Moreover, a human girl for the queen wouldn’t be a bad move politically.”
“…Since when did the foundation of this government become that weak?”
The Goblin King had heard that Yoshu and Elbert’s reforms had been a success. He couldn’t see every corner of his vast domain, so he needed accurate reports to make his decisions. Any falsehood in those reports would be an act of betrayal to a ruler such as himself.
“Humans are emotional creatures. If you make her your queen and show them how much you love her, they will think to themselves that goblins are not merely creatures that tyrannize humans.”
“…My successor will be the one with the most power after my death. Succession by blood isn’t necessarily bad, but I don’t like it.”
“When you die chaos will befall this land once more, and the good people that didn’t have to would die needlessly. Your method is inefficient.”
“Even if my son or daughter were to be born, who could guarantee that they wouldn’t be incompetent? It’s the same thing.”
They would just continue in circles like this if they kept arguing, so Pale just sighed and change the approach of her questions.
“Then why did you go through all that just to save her? I hear the reason you even fought the humans in the first place was because of her.”
“Don’t misunderstand. Invading the human world and ruling over it was all my idea. Taking back what was taken from me is nothing more than an extension of that.”
“So you won’t make her your queen even if she, Reshia Fel Zeal, asks for it?”
“…I wanted to save that girl, bring her salvation. What meaning would there be if I were to throw her back into the dark cage?”
“One could say you’re a good person, but one could also say that you’re selfish.”
Pale said in exasperation, and the Goblin King wryly smiled.
“For the mean time, please continue to rest. The expedition of the three generals and the lieutenant general is currently going smoothly.”
“I see. Gi Ga will have a hard time.”
“I need them to raise more generals, enough to swallow up this country. If the king were to go into the fray, we’ll lose this precious opportunity. That would be foolish.”
“I know. You don’t need to repeat yourself.”
“All is well then. Right now, your health is this country’s most pressing concern.”
“…I’ll be troubling you then.”
Pale quietly bowed her head and then excused herself.
