"I can work with you, giving you information about the supreme empress's whereabouts," the queen said.

Her voice carried a strange mix of confidence and calmness

Almost as if she had been expecting me all along.

And yet there was a weight to it.

A sense that what she said was more than just idle words.

I cut her words, leaning slightly forward.

My eyes narrowed as I weighed her carefully.

"Wait, how do I know from the start that you aren't deceiving me?"

There was a small pause.

She tilted her head, the faintest hint of a smile forming on her lips.

But…it didn't reach her eyes.

She looked at me steadily and said,

"If I tricked you, the empress would have already killed you by now."

Her words hung in the air, sharp and undeniable.

I couldn't argue with that logic.

She had a point.

An uncomfortable one that made me reconsider the tension coiling in my chest.

I nodded at her slowly.

And feeling the weight of the moment, I said,

"So what do you want in exchange for the information?"

My gaze didn't waver as I looked at her.

I kept studying the way she carried herself.

And the calm aura that seemed almost untouchable.

She made a thoughtful gesture.

With one hand resting against her chin.

Her eyes drifted slightly as if calculating something far beyond my understanding.

Then she turned to me and said plainly.

"Nothing much, just 1 million gold coins and a house far away.

You see, I like gardening,

And I want to try it now that things seem to have ended."

Her request struck me as odd.

Almost mundane compared to the tension of our surroundings.

Yet there was a strange honesty in it.

I nodded at her, a faint smile forming.

Then I said, "That can be managed."

I gestured for her to follow me.

The corridors were dimly lit.

The shadows danced on the stone walls as we made our way toward the throne room.

Every step echoed like a drumbeat.

Reminding me of the gravity of what we were about to face.

When we reached there, the throne room was suddenly empty.

The silence was almost deafening.

I raised an eyebrow.

Then I asked the obvious question, turning to the queen,

"Where is the king?"

She didn't answer with words.

Instead, she simply pointed behind the throne.

"He is hiding there," she said.

Her tone was calm but laced with malice.

As if summoned by her words.

The throne itself trembled slightly.

Then, slowly, the king emerged from behind it.

His body shaking, his eyes wide with fear.

He walked into the open, trembling.

He was unable to hide the panic etched on his face.

The queen's lips curved into an evil smile at the sight of him.

She walked closer to me.

Her steps were deliberate and controlled.

Then she spoke loudly.

So much that the echoes filled the empty space around us.

"How about it, Ragnar.

You fuck me in front of him now?"

I opened my mouth to respond.

But… before another word could form.

The entire room was flooded with a blinding light.

It was sudden and intense.

It kept forcing me to squint and shield my eyes instinctively.

And the light dimmed, slowly.

Lucy and the girls materialized before us.

Lucy stood there with an unshakable calm.

While the rest of the girls collapsed onto the floor.

They kept groaning and adjusting to their sudden return.

"Ouch, my back hurts!" Aria exclaimed,

She kept rubbing her aching back.

And grimaced at the sudden displacement.

Lucy clapped her hands lightly.

A sound sharp enough to command attention.

She walked toward me with deliberate grace.

Then she reached out and pulled my hand.

Without a word, she guided me through the space.

And toward the throne

Then, without notice, she pushed me gently but firmly to sit on the throne.

The weight of the moment hit me instantly.

Before I could even ask what she was doing.

With a flick of her fingers.

A crown appeared out of nowhere.

It kept floating in the air like it had always been destined for this moment.

She placed it carefully on my head.

The metal is cool and strangely comforting.

I looked at her, my expression a mixture of disbelief and irritation.

"Are you kidding me?" my eyes seemed to ask.

Lucy just shrugged.

As if my reaction was exactly what she had expected.

Then she spoke, her voice calm, clear.

And filled with a strange authority.

"Once we destroyed the royal family, this kingdom would get attacked by its enemies.

It needs a king, and a strong one for now.

And you can get help for Maria."

I followed her gesture.

My eyes settled on the trembling king still standing awkwardly near the throne.

Lucy's voice cut through the tension again, firm and unyielding.

"So what are we gonna do with him?"

Before anyone could respond.

And before the room could even breathe another word, the air shifted.

Suddenly, Leviathan, her damaged body barely recognizable, was transported into the room with an ominous presence.

The moment was almost surreal.

All eyes were on her as she moved with a cold precision.

Her every motion is deliberate.

She drew a dagger with a flick of her wrist.

And it struck the king from the back.

The blade passed through him.

Appearing ominously from the other side.

A horrifying spectacle of force and finality.

The king fell to the floor, lifeless.

The room filled with the silent shock of what had just occurred.

We all stared at Leviathan.

Our eyes wide.

As if we were seeing a ghost rather than a living being standing before us.

The queen, still near me, gave a small, knowing smile.

The sort of smile that spoke of careful planning and dark satisfaction.

The weight of everything that had just transpired pressed down on the room.

Only leaving a silence so heavy.

It felt like the walls themselves were holding their breath.

I slowly rose from the throne.

Feeling the crown press lightly against my head.

A reminder of the responsibility I hadn't asked for but had been thrust upon me.

Lucy's presence beside me was grounding.

Her calm demeanor was a stark contrast to the chaos that had unfolded.

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