Angels. The lovely and divine souls of Heaven. Despite the widely acknowledged fact that angels promote warmth and goodness in the world, punish evil souls, and save humans, Queen Magentano did not ever believe in their existence. Not once. Never in her entire life.
Obviously. Angels? How could there be so many unfortunate mishaps, tragic accidents, sad goodbyes, and wrongful deaths in this world if angels exist?
The existence of Hell would be a hundred times more believable. This world was a horrible place. Her thoughts wandered back to her life before ascending to the throne.
She had been last in line for succession, having been born into a distant collateral family of the imperial house. But she defeated all her competitors one by one until she was crowned queen. There were all kinds of filthy fights and acts of deception that happened throughout this process. Alicia even had to get her hands dirty at times. In this period, she naturally came to believe there was no such thing as Heaven, even if Hell existed. There may be demons cursing people, but certainly no angels blessing them. In her eyes, the world was a cesspool of selfishness teeming with evil crooks and schemers. It was no different now.
Her eyes became icy as soon as the angel appeared, radiating a divine outburst of light. When the angel folded his wings, landed on the red carpet, carefully scanned the hall, and opened his mouth to speak, her hands darted to her sword. She believed that the creature couldn't be an angel, and even if he was, her sword strike would be ineffective.
Her gaze met the angel's just as she was about to act on her deathly thoughts. "Queen of the humans. You have no reason to be hostile toward me. I am not an enemy or object of worship."
Queen Magentano stared at the angel without saying anything.
"I am here to relay the will of the heavens and nothing else."
Queen Magentano finally removed her hand from her sword. However, it wasn't because she was afraid of him.
Could Lloyd Frontera possibly have something to do with this so-called angel appearance?
Queen Magentano suddenly became suspicious. She had been in the middle of a meeting with her officials when Lloyd walked in and asked for an audience with her.
Since he is the imperial family's meritorious retainer, I happily said yes. Furthermore, it's more advantageous for me to keep him close by and stop him from getting any ideas.
The fact that Lloyd Frontera's family had become more powerful than the imperial family was kept hidden from the general public. Instead of raising a mutiny and coveting her powers, Lloyd asked for her to help him live at lazy and relaxed life as a bum. And, at Lloyd's suggestion, they quickly became political allies.
As such, she realized that it would look good on her to meet with Lloyd in front of the nobles gathered here. That was why she agreed to his request for an audience with her. In the presence of the nobles, she wanted to cement her mutually beneficial political partnership with Lloyd.
Yet, that angel emerged as soon as he appeared in front of me.
That couldn't be a coincidence. Impossible, she thought.
Lloyd Frontera. What are you up to?
Her gaze drifted to Lloyd, who was not even looking at her. His gaze was instead fixed on the ground, his head down, and only the back of his head visible. That sight intensified her annoyance toward him, and she felt compelled to rush over and slap his chestnut-shaped head.
I am certain. It is his doing. He must have devised this entire situation like he has always been doing, racking his brain to get something out of me.
Her thoughts returned to Lloyd's actions up to this point. He was always like this, never crossing the line but carefully tiptoeing near it, displaying a masterful level of balance. And he used to get what he wanted by doing so. The most recent example of this was...
The Heart of Winter.
It was a divine item of the Magentano family. But it had become his now, though not purposefully. Nevertheless, it had become his in the end.
And yet, he shows up here to acquire something from me again as if the Heart of Winter was not enough.
Her gaze toward Lloyd sharpened. A faint, cynical smile hung on her face.
If you think I am easy prey, I may have to change my mind on you as well.
She decided to let this strange and dramatic situation play out while she figured out what Lloyd Frontera was up to. The angel spread his wings of light and walked toward Lloyd just as her eyes glowed with determination. "Human Lloyd Frontera," the angel said in a holy voice. "Lift up your head."
But Lloyd didn't immediately raise his head. He couldn't do it. He needed to fix the expression on his face first.
Yes! It worked. My plan worked. So... Don't smile. Keep a straight face.
He struggled and bit his lower lip to remove the smile from his face. But the corners of his mouth stubbornly raised upwards. His reaction was understandable, given that his plan to bring an angel into the palace had been perfectly executed.
As I expected of the minister, you are the best angel of Heaven who never lies! I knew I could trust you!
He was concerned about the possibility of Gabriel breaking his promise. However, to his relief, the latter did send an angel down to him.
Okay. Work on your face. The queen must have figured out the situation by now, but I'm sure everyone else is still clueless. I can never expose my true intentions to the officials here.
Hardening his resolve, Lloyd bit the tip of his tongue.
Ack!
The pain brought tears to his eyes, and he lost his smile. Finally, he raised his head to the angel in front of him while trying to hide his crumpled face and eyes wet from the stinging pain.
"Ded yo... Coll me?" Lloyd said brokenly.
The angel cocked his head to the side.
"Oh. My tongue... I mean, I bit my tongue out of surprise. I apologize. Please forgive my impertinence," whimpered Lloyd.
"It is... fine." The angel forcibly smiled.
Calmly, Lloyd asked, "May I ask why you have come here to look for me..."
"I am here to send you a message from Heaven."
"Excuse me?" blurted Lloyd in feigned shock, opening up his eyes theatrically.
The angel gave Lloyd a wry smile as his mind replayed the direct order he was given from Gabriel, who handed him a scroll and told him to appear where Lloyd was currently standing. The minister had explained he had signed a contract with Lloyd Frontera and needed to help the human.
Flap! The angel brought out a scroll from his inner pocket and recited its content.
"Human Lloyd Frontera," the angel said. "You have been specially given a fateful prophecy today. You will be in possession of the "Tears of Summer' from the House of Magentano."
"Whaat?" gaped Lloyd.
"You will not be able to avoid your destiny, and it is the will of the heavens. Nothing more."
Baaang! The scroll emitted a brilliant ray of light as soon as the angel finished, filling up the hall and illuminating Lloyd with it. Everyone in the scene became wide-eyed.
Some of the officials stared at Lloyd, unable to speak. Others covered their mouths with their hands. There were even those who forgot how to breathe at the moment. As if the angel's descension wasn't impressive enough, he made a mysterious announcement that stunned everyone. A slew of nobles, royal guards, and palace servants hushed into a grave silence.
Amid the silence, Lloyd asked with dismay, "Um, Your Grace? Please wait a minute."
"Do speak, Human Lloyd Frontera," permitted the angel.
Lloyd tried to look as confused as possible. "Yes, what in the world is going on? Why are you giving me a prophecy, and what does it have anything to do with the divine item-"
"It is the will of the heavens," replied the angel on the surface. But deep down, he inwardly bawled that it was Gabriel's will, which you tasked him with. What an evil conman you are, even capable of scamming demons without a doubt. Thanks to your lie-for-me request, he locked himself in the chest of repentance. Instead of attacking Lloyd, however, the angel maintained his composure and put on an elegant act to hide his emotions with great effort.
Lloyd, on the other hand, purposefully expressed his dismay more strongly as time passed. And he prayed quietly...
Okay! Now that you've given the prophecy, it's time for you to leave now! Amen! Hallelujah! Merciful Buddha!
His fervent prayer appeared to have been answered. Or it could also be possible that the angel understood Lloyd's message through his gaze. After a quick scan of the room, the angel made a comment that effectively ended this shocking incident.
"Moreover, the people here in this realm will bear witness to the prophecy recited today. Let Heaven's will come true."
Fwoosh! Then, a divine and radiant light exploded inside the room. Everyone squeezed their eyes shut tightly from how blinding it was.
And a little while later, by the time all the officials opened their eyes, the angel was gone. They looked at each other with a look of daze from the unbelievable event that just unfolded. At last, they realized...
For the first time in the history of the Magentano Imperial Family, an angel appeared and recited a prophecy for the future. This was a historic moment.
♣
"Is there anything you need to tell me?" asked Queen Magentano suggestively.
"Mhm... I don't," denied Lloyd.
"Really?" She frowned.
"No, Your Majesty."
"Truly?"
"No, Your Majesty."
Losing patience, she asked in an annoyed tone. "Is that all you can say? No, Your Majesty?"
"Not at all, Your Majesty."
"Then, why is that your only answer?"
"Ah, um, that's-"
"That is what?" asked Queen Magentano.
"I do not know what I should say... Please forgive me."
"Forgive you"?
Lloyd shortly answered, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Hah, I would not dislike you as much as I do if you knew how to keep your mouth shut." Queen Magentano sighed deeply and studied Lloyd, who was sitting across from her at the table. "I summoned you for one reason. I would like to ask you something."
"What is it that you wish to ask-"
"I am sure you have an idea of what already."
Thinking for a second, he finally said, "Yes, I do, Your Majesty."
"Then, tell me yourself."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I have a feeling it is about the angel that descended down earlier."
"Precisely." A smile flashed across her face for a second and disappeared. Her eyes suddenly grew colder. "How do you explain why an angel emerged the moment you were granted an audience with me during your abrupt visit here?"
“...”
"Could this situation really be a coincidence?"
“...”
"If not, was it something you intentionally planned?"
"Your Majesty." Finally, Lloyd spoke.
"Speak."
"This is unfair."
Queen Magentano was dumbstruck. "You think this is unfair?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Lloyd sat up straight, quickly giving a scan of her office.
There are three people near the queen. Two people in front of the office door. One on the other side of the wall.
They were all a royal knight. Lloyd could tell from listening to their breathing pattern...
All three of them are high-level sword experts.
Which also meant they would be suffering from the swordmaster syndrome. Which then meant that this conversation with the queen would be audible in their ears.
That won't do.
Lloyd inwardly shook his head. This pivotal conversation between them would mark the start of Lloyd's collaboration with the queen to actualize his grand plan.
And so, I need to keep this a secret. No one can know about this conversation between us. That includes the royal knights.
No one could know about his secret. It didn't matter if they were the royal knights or not. Because of this, no one could hear even a word of their conversation from now on. Otherwise, the queen would be forced to reject his offer.
I'm about to strike a deal with her and acquire the Tears of Summer in return.
But if their negotiation was overheard, Queen Magentano would be thrown into a political whirlwind and regarded as a disastrous queen who struck a deal with a lowly noble to give away a divine item of the imperial family.
Anyone with malicious intentions would jump at the chance to start such a juicy scandal. I wouldn't want to get sucked into that kind of political nightmare if I were her, either. So, in that case, she would flatly reject the deal, whatever its terms are. It would be far too troublesome for her to accept.
As a result, Lloyd knew he needed to lessen the political burden this negotiation would place on her shoulders in order to pave the way for a successful negotiation. And that meant making sure the conversation stayed between the two of them.
I need to find a place for us to talk.
As soon as he reached this conclusion, Lloyd racked his brain for a solution. And, looking her in the eyes, Lloyd made a suggestion that was too sweet for the queen to refuse.
"Your Majesty," suggested Lloyd. "Do you have any desire to torture and beat me until I'm a bloody pulp?" "What?"
Queen Magentano's eyes widened slightly, and he quickly caught the faint change in them.
As expected, it worked.
Lloyd licked his lips with a mysterious smile while thinking of an even sweeter deal he had in mind that the queen wouldn't be able to refuse.
