"Have you ever heard of the game of In Other's Shoes, Your Majesty?"
Lloyd's clear voice resounded off the wall of the bedroom, causing Queen Alicia to frown.
"In Other's Shoes?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Hmm. I can't say I have."
"I see."
"What does the game In Other's Shoes entail, that it will remove all fatigue from you?"
"It is a type of role-playing, Your Majesty."
"Role-playing."
"Yes, Your Majesty. To be precise, it is switching the roles between participants of the game."
"Then..."
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is just as you predict."
"So you'd dare suggest switching roles with me. What a preposterous thought."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lloyd kept his eyes closed as he replied. Had this been an ordinary relationship between the liege and the vassal, it wouldn't be strange for Lloyd to head to the execution block immediately. It was contempt of the royal court, and could even be seen as treachery. He wouldn't have a chance to defend himself. However, Lloyd was confident.
Because I have the title Grace of Magentano, thought Lloyd as he recalled the title he had. Because I saved my queen's life once, I get absolute trust from her, and the opinion or advice I give mostly is accepted. She wouldn't ever suspect me of insurrection or treachery. This can work.
Lloyd thought while he could sustain a few punches to his throat, he wasn't going to be executed for treason. That confidence paid off, as the familiar message popped up in front of him soon.
Ding-dong!
[Your desire has triggered a certain title you possess.]
[Title <Grace of Magentano> begins to influence Queen Alicia.]
"Phew... I can't believe it."
As soon as that message popped up, the queen put up an empty chuckle on her face. She then proceeded to criticize my audacity in an ironically gentle tone.
"Lloyd Frontera. What should I say? I've never seen anyone like you."
"Y-your Majesty?"
"I mean it," said the queen as she stared at me, with a look on her face that suggested she wanted to smack me in the head. "Switching roles with me. Who in his or her right mind would dare propose something like that? You may be the bravest man I've ever seen in my life."
"Y-your grace knows no bounds."
"It's not a compliment."
"P-please forgive me!"
"It's not a threat, either."
"Th-then?"
"You have piqued my curiosity. I accept your bet."
"R-really, Your Majesty?"
"Do you think I would speak of anything without meaning it?"
"Of course not," said Lloyd quickly, before the queen changed her mind. He had to take advantage of the momentum. "Then what reward would you demand for winning the bet, Your Majesty?"
"A nighttime duel against you."
“...”
"A sparring match that is more fierce and competitive than ever."
“...”
"We will start while it's still dark, and battle against one another until the sunrise in the duel that feels like a real fight."
“...”
Lloyd was absolutely determined to win this bet no matter what now. In fact, he was already shaking from his legs at the thought of the dreadful reward.
"You wish to switch roles for the reward, while I want a sparring match. What kind of bet are we going to place?"
"I have something in my mind."
"Speak."
"Rock-paper-scissors."
"Hmm. Simple enough."
"Your grace knows no bounds."
Lloyd prostrated. Fortunately for him, the game of rock-paper-scissors was common in this universe as well.
"Just one round determines the winner."
"I accept," said the queen, as she rolled up the sleeve of her nightwear.
"Are you ready, Your Majesty?" Lloyd took a deep breath and asked.
"I am."
"Then, rock, paper..."
"Scissors says…"
The two contestants of the bet shouted out simultaneously.
"Shoot!"
Whoosh!
The two extended their respective hands, focusing on that of the opponent the entire time.
Hmm. So you're going to play... scissors, Lloyd Frontera.
Queen Alicia's eyes glittered with spark. Being one of the greatest swordmasters in the entire continent, she used her amazing dynamic visual acuity to examine the movement of joints, muscles, and tendons within Lloyd's hand in the blink of an eye. She was also agile enough to switch her hand in that short period.
I shall switch to rock, then.
The queen quickly clenched her fist, but saw another movement in Lloyd's hand. He was now clearly trying to open the rest of the fingers.
As expected.
Although Lloyd was inferior to the queen in terms of might, he was still a swordmaster too. Having realized that her vassal had decent dynamic visual acuity, Queen Alicia gave it another twist.
Whish!
As soon as Queen Alicia opened her index and middle finger, Lloyd saw the movement and internally shouted.
Urgent Foresight!
Ding-dong!
[Skill Option 7: Urgent Foresight is activated.]
[Your body temperature increases by 2°F due to the effect of the relic Tears of Summer.]
Whirr!
Lloyd's mana heart was quickly operated thanks to the relic Tears of Summer. Lloyd saw five seconds into the future and changed his hand according to what the future entailed, from paper to rock, and from rock to scissors.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Lloyd added so many fake movements of the fingers to confuse the queen. The two contestants finally played their respective hands.
"Mm…”
The queen inadvertently let out a strange noise through her beautiful lips, as Lloyd stared at her with pride in his eyes.
"You have played paper, and I've played scissors, Your Majesty."
"Y-yeah."
"So I win the bet, Your Majesty."
"...You do."
The queen seemed unhappy, but Lloyd couldn't tell if it was because she lost the bet, or because she couldn't engage him in the midnight sparring match. Lloyd nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, while breathing a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. Phew.
It was the first time Lloyd used this relic that allowed him to see five seconds into the future. He had always wondered about the extent of this item, but it was phenomenal.
It's more than amazing.
Thanks to the effect of the relic, he was able to see through each hand the queen had in her mind. He had lured the queen with a decoy hand, and this tactic worked perfectly and brought him victory.
I could have used the Attack Design option, but that's kinda obvious.
Forcing the queen to play a hand against her will was another option, but she was the mightiest swordmaster. There was a chance she could identify the strangeness in the air as she was forced to move in a certain way. That was why Lloyd had resorted to Urgent Foresight instead.
"Shall we begin playing In Other's Shoes immediately, then?"
"Very well. Until when?" The queen asked.
"If you would, please take a look at the constellation up in the sky," said Lloyd, pointing out the window.
"The constellation of Phenomenon?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lloyd added. "The constellation of Phenomenon only shows itself for fifteen minutes along the horizon around midnight during this season. And since that is up..."
"You wish to play In Other's Shoes for fifteen minutes until it disappears."
"That is correct, Your Majesty. It begins now."
"Huh?"
Lloyd's attitude and behavior completely flipped 180 degrees, before Queen Alicia could process her defeat.
"Alicia Termina Magentano."
"...What?"
"What? Do you not understand what is going on?"
“...”
"What are we doing? We are playing the sacred game of In Other's Shoes."
“...”
"How come you aren't paying me proper respect that you're required to by law?"
"...Uh, well..."
"Well?"
"Please... forgive me."
Queen Alicia's face turned red. She had never even imagined in her wildest dreams she would do something like this. In fact, even when Lloyd had made this proposal, she thought it was a mischievous joke.
Ugh.
But there she was, prostrating before Lloyd Frontera to pay him respect.
Thank goodness I ordered the royal guards to stay as far away from the bedroom as possible.
The queen had given this command because she thought two swordmasters wouldn't need any bodyguards, and for privacy reasons as well. She was glad to have done so because things could have gotten out of control had the royal guards overheard this conversation. Lloyd's demonstration of the merciless manner of speech continued.
"Ahem. Forgive you for what?"
"Well..."
"I'm listening."
"I am not sure," said the queen. She genuinely knew not why she was replying to Lloyd like this, nor why and how it came to this. It was perplexing and puzzling to put it lightly.
But Lloyd Frontera had a hugely satisfactory smile on his face, as though he was enjoying every second of fifteen minutes.
"Isk. Not knowing it isn't going to suffice."
“...”
"Alicia Termina Magentano."
"Speak... I mean, I am at your service."
"Do you enjoy working that much?"
"Huh?"
"I asked if you loved work that much."
"...Right," said Queen Alicia, containing the eagerness to slap Lloyd across the face. "I do."
"You do. How much?"
"Very much."
"More so than you love yourself?"
"...Huh?"
Confused by the question, Queen Alicia lifted her chin and looked Lloyd in the eyes, realizing he was actually serious.
That look.
It was strange. First, he had proposed the game of In Other's Shoes, then he began displaying his audacity to act as the king talking to his subject and now was asking a peculiar question with a look of seriousness on his face.
“...”
Queen Alicia couldn't make sense of the feeling that she was getting and answered honestly.
"Of course, I love the work more than myself-”
"That's not good."
"Huh?"
"Because I don't feel the same way."
“...”
"I like you more than the work itself."
"...Huh?"
"Running the kingdom is obviously of huge importance, but it's still not worthy compared to you as an individual. Oh, and please don't get me wrong. I'm talking about your presence, position, and role within the kingdom when I say they're far more valuable."
“...”
"You are the queen of the kingdom, and I do understand the responsibility and duty the ruler has. However, all that is based on the premise that you retain your health."
"Well..."
"What if you continue overworking yourself and lose your arm? What if your health declines? What if that prohibits you from continuing to work diligently?"
“...”
"Wouldn't that make you an irresponsible ruler of the kingdom?"
“...”
"It is. Your constant refusal to listen to my request to take some off your plate so we could focus on our training, in reality, is an act of neglecting your duty to keep yourself healthy so you can rule over the kingdom wisely."
"Uhm..."
"Speak."
"Was this the reason you suggested In Other's Shoes?"
"Of course it was," said Lloyd nonchalantly, appalling Queen Alicia in the process. "Why else would I have suggested this? Would you have listened to me otherwise?"
"But..."
"I pleaded with you this morning, but you did not listen at all. You simply told me to find an alternative way to make it work, because your daily duties were of more importance."
“...”
"So I had to resort to playing In Other's Shoes. That was the only way to make you listen to me. You are more important than the work you must do on a daily basis. Your presence is way more crucial. Your health is far more urgent. You weren't going to listen, however."
“...”
"That's why I tell you this. Please, please follow my advice and let your competent vassals in the court take care of the duties for just two months, and focus on your health for once."
"But two months of my absence would..."
"It would give rise to certain problems, without a doubt. I am aware of that. However, it would stop at that, and that could certainly be rectified once this is all over. On the other hand, should you lose your left arm to paralysis, it'll all be over. Your arm will cross the point of no return. Would you be happy with that?"
“...”
"Because I wouldn't."
“...”
"Nothing would sadden me more, as a matter of fact."
“...”
Queen Alicia felt strange. The look in Lloyd's eyes was earnest, and that was what made it even more perplexing.
"Hmm. I understand how you were genuinely feeling," replied the queen, with an earnestness of her own.
"...What?"
"I think I get what you're trying to say, Lloyd Frontera. Now, you may look out the window."
"Huh?"
Lloyd turned around and noticed that the constellation of Phenomenon was no longer up in the sky. The queen's satisfactory voice graced his ears immediately.
"In Other's Shoes is over."
Already?!
Lloyd couldn't believe how short the fifteen-minute period was when he still had a lot to say to her. It made him feel anxious.
I wonder if she really understood what I meant.
Lloyd had shared his honest feelings about all this, using the game as an excuse. But there was no guarantee the receiver would have understood it the way he meant it.
Please...
He desperately hoped the queen would understand, and postpone her governmental duties to focus on the training for the next two months. He slightly glanced at the queen with anticipation, waiting for her response.
"Fine, Lloyd Frontera."
"Huh?"
"I want you to lie down on the floor, face down."
"Huh??"
"Place your hands on the floor, face down. Did you not hear me?"
"Huh?!"
“...”
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
He quickly got down on the ground face-down, hearing the footsteps of approaching disaster. The queen sat on Lloyd's back.
Plop!
"...Urgh?"
"Are you having difficulty enduring my weight?"
"N-not at all, Your Majesty."
Of course he didn't because Lloyd was a swordmaster himself. It wasn't physically demanding on his body to hold the queen on his back while standing on four limbs, facing down. But the element of mischievous joy in the queen's voice became greater and greater.
"I understand how you feel. I must say I appreciate the thought."
"Your grace knows... no bounds."
"Really? Then begin doing push-ups."
"Huh?"
"I would like to suggest a bet as well."
"A bet...?"
"It was you who said you care more about me than my duties and responsibilities. So I wanted to verify the integrity of your words."
“...”
"I want to see if you can do push-ups to prove that you can withstand the weight of someone you care about."
"H-how many?"
"Until the sunrise."
"...Huh?"
"Continuously, until the morning."
“...”
"Do you object?"
"W-well..."
"Speak."
"If I succeed in doing push-ups non-stop until sunrise with you on my back, is there going to be a reward, Your Majesty?"
"Of course there is."
"What would that be?"
"I would consider listening to and following your advice with an open heart for the next two months."
"During the live-in training?"
"Yeah."
“...”
"But you still haven't begun."
"...One million and one! One million and two!"
"Tsk. Start from the beginning."
"...One! Two!"
Lloyd began doing wholehearted push-ups, which he didn't even know when it was going to end. Shreds of doubt also filled up his head in the meantime.
Wait. I think verifying my integrity is all an excuse.
Lloyd was convinced that the queen was simply paying back for the insolence he had displayed during the game In Other's Shoes. But it wasn't like he could object.
Ugh...!
Lloyd's eyes turned red as he continued pushing his body up and down throughout the night until the sun rose. He felt soreness all over his chest, shoulders, and arms while enduring the weight on his back. The estate developer, of course, internally grumbled the entire time.
Ugh. Huff. I don't know... who it's going to be... but whoever marries her in the future... Well, buddy... good luck, because you're going to need it.
