Julia pointed out neatly. Chiara, who was trying to let out a pitiful drama, raised her head, fluttering her eyelashes.
"It is true that I am considering a concubine. But no matter what Duchess Hyde promised the Young Lady, the final decision is mine. And..."
Chiara bit her lips with trembling eyes without any mercy. Julia looked straight at Chiara Soare and said.
"I like this ending."
It was a gentle, but never weak voice.
Julia saw Chiara clasp her hands together so tightly that they almost broke apart. Julia rose gracefully from her seat...
"You may go back now. Considering your old relationship, I will keep it a secret from His Majesty."
"Please choose me as His Majesty's concubine."
Just as Julia was turning around, she heard a muffled voice. Julia sighed lightly and said.
"Princess, you didn't understand what I said..."
Sreung!
An ominous sound was heard. Julia turned around reflexively. Then she saw Chiara pointing a cold sword at her wrist.
"What are you doing now?"
Julia frowned and asked in a warning tone. But Chiara raised the corners of her mouth as she placed the sharp blade against her delicate skin.
"Your Majesty, you couldn't give birth to an heir anyway. I can give birth to your heir."
She was so shocked that she couldn't even laugh. Julia looked down at Chiara, who was still smiling faintly.
"So, are you saying that if I don't make you a concubine, you'll commit suicide?"
"If necessary."
Chiara blinked and tilted her sword. It felt as if the sharp blade would cut her wrist at any moment.
"...It's a threat."
When she first became Queen, several noble ladies tried to manipulate her to their liking, thinking that she looked gentle on the outside. Just like them, Chiara must have thought that she was weak-hearted and was making such ridiculous demands.
But she chose the wrong opponent.
"Princess Soare, don't do anything foolish and go back."
Julia looked at Chiara with her cool, unwavering gaze and walked away without any hesitation.
Then Chiara followed suit and got up from her seat.
"Even so!"
Thud.
There was a creepy sound.
Julia finally frowned and slowly turned around. And what she saw was Chiara, smiling bitterly while cutting her palm with a knife.
"Are you still going to ignore me?"
Droplets of crimson blood dripped down the blade and palm, wetting the ground beneath her feet. However, Chiara paid no attention and readjusted her grip on the sword.
"Tell His Majesty that you will make me his concubine. Since you took my place, it is only fair that I become the mother of the successor."
"I warn you. Put that knife down right now."
The sharp blade was eerie. She had even attempted suicide, but now it seemed she had nothing to fear.
Julia calmly calculated the distance between her and Chiara, and the angle of the sword she held.
"Think carefully. If you promise me the position of a concubine, it will be my mistake..."
"Otherwise?"
At Julia's quiet words, Chiara tilted her head as if she was sorry. She didn't forget to turn her hand over so that the deep cut on her palm could be seen clearly.
"If you persist until the end, it wilI be your mistake...!"
Taat-
Julia jumped in just as quickly. And before Chiara could fully grasp the situation, she grabbed her right wrist and spun her around halfway. Her weak wrist easily snapped under the perfect restraint.
"Ah!"
Chiara let out a short scream and fell to the ground. Julia quickly snatched the knife before it hit the ground.
Chiara opened her eyes wide as she held her swollen right wrist with her bleeding left hand.
"How!"
It seemed that she had not even expected that the Queen would be skilled in martial arts. The confident and threatening look on her face was gone, and she was filled with confusion and anger.
"What were you trying to say, Princess?"
It was a good sword. It was a shame to use it for such a lowly purpose.
Julia shook the knife, shaking off the drops of blood, and examined it from various angles in the sunlight. Chiara, gritting her teeth at the sight of her relaxed appearance, abruptly stood up.
"How dare you!"
"Ah. Not a Princess..."
A platinum sword was aimed at Chiara, accompanied by a soft voice.
"Should I call you a traitor?"
A cold wind blew past the two women.
"Get on your knees and apologize."
The Queen's voice rang out elegantly. But Chiara merely twisted the corners of her lips.
"I wish you had just followed my orders."
It was a proud muttering about something great.
Julia sighed lightly.
You still haven't come to your senses even though things have gotten this bad. Isn't your head a little off?
Threatening the royal family, especially the Queen, is a crime of treason that should not be reconsidered.
"Get up. This act of threatening the Queen will be severely punished according to the law of the land..."
Yes.
As she opened her mouth, she heard an unfamiliar sound. Feeling her hair stand on end, Julia instinctively raised her knife and made a large horizontal cut.
Phew-
Kieek!
A thick liquid fell to the floor with a strange sound. Julia spun her feet around lightly and turned around. Then, what she saw was...
'Groven?"
Julia gripped the knife tightly with both hands.
A large, black dog bared its sharp fangs and growled in front of her. But it wasn't just any dog.
This dog, called Groven, was a low-level demon with low intelligence. However, it was a type that was quite difficult to deal with without skilled experience. It had a long snake-like tongue hidden in its mouth, which contained venom glands, and it would attack its prey with its tongue, poisoning them before eating them.
The only way to defeat it was to cut off its tongue. Since all the blood vessels and nerves are concentrated in its tongue, cutting off its tongue would be as fatal as cutting off its head.
However, because the skin would melt just by touching the stinger, it required a high level of skill. Therefore, defeating Groven was difficult even for the most skilled knights. It was so bad that there was even a saying that defeating Groven was all about luck.
"Princess, step back."
Julia said, glaring at Groven, who was waiting for an opportunity to take out his long, whip-like tongue. Even if Julia was going to punish Chiara, she had no intention of giving her up as prey to the devil.
But Chiara seemed to think that Groven was just a dog. She stood up with a calm expression, brushing the hem of her skirt, and turned her back to Groven.
"Wouldn't it be better to give up your petty sense of justice?"
"Now is not the time to talk like that, so get out of the way. I'll buy some time, so go and call the people..."
It was the moment when Julia, who had been fighting with Groven in an attempt to gain the upper hand, opened her mouth. Groven, who had been drooling and looking back and forth between the two women with his yellow eyes, howled and jumped in.
"!"
There was no time to think any further. Julia instinctively grabbed her sword and kicked the ground. Meanwhile, Groven rushed at Chiara, who looked easygoing.
Kkeek!
Just in the nick of time, Julia swatted away Groven's claws as it tried to grab Chiara. The black claws, stronger than iron, met the blade squarely, and Groven was thrown back with a scream.
But the heavy recoil sent Julia flying in the opposite direction, still holding her sword.
"Ugh!"
Julia, who had fallen on the grass, gritted her teeth and got up. The elegant vanilla-colored dress she had been wearing was a total mess, covered in dirt and grass. Her palms were also hot from the rubbing, but now was not the time to worry about her outfit.
'What about the Princess? Surely she wasn't caught?'
Julia quickly looked for Chiara with her eyes. Fortunately, Chiara was only thrown back by the recoil and fell on her buttocks, but she didn't seem to be hurt. However, her olive eyes were wide open in shock, at Julia's advanced swordsmanship skills.
'Haa. I can't help it.'
Even if we told them, it would only provide material for the tycoons who like to talk about this and that, so we kept it a secret until now.
Julia decided to deal with this matter later, biting her lip and taking up her position again.
As she aimed her sword, Groven, with an angry face, kicked the ground hard like a wild racehorse. And then it finally changed its target.
Kew!
Groven roared and leaped forward, baring its fangs. It seemed determined to bite and then attack with its tongue, poisoning the target immediately.
Julia, who immediately grasped the situation, put all her strength into swinging the broad side of the sword sharply.
Luck!
Squeak-
Groven was hit head-on in the face and was pushed back, struggling.
'Yes!'
But the relief was short-lived. Julia fell to the grass with difficulty. Fortunately, she was able to defend herself, but the woman's strength was not enough to completely repel the demon.
'Ugh, it hurts.'
Julia realized that her body was a mess, tossed around like a rag doll.
Her wrists were burning as if they had been burned from the strength she had exerted to block the demon's great power. Her ankles were sore and hot as if they had been sprained. She regretted not having learned more about swordsmanship, but it was nearly impossible for her, who was not even a knight, to handle it.
Julia gritted her teeth and tried to pick up the sword that had fallen on her thigh. However, no matter how hard she tried, her wrists wouldn't move. Perhaps her previous defense was her last defense.
Groven spit out his spit as he watched Julia struggle to stand up, holding back a groan. He had been stabbed twice, but it wasn't a fatal blow and he seemed to have recovered quickly.
Creak.
Groven began to circle around Julia and Chiara, making a strange noise. He quickly closed the distance between us, like a poisonous snake choking its prey.
And then if to spare the wounded Julia, she jumped first towards Chiara, who was nearby.
"Ugh!"
"No!"
Julia cried out in shock as she watched Chiara reflexively extend her left hand. However, the demon would not mercifully look upon the circumstances of its prey.
Julia squeezed her eyes shut as she watched Groven's venomous tongue flicker between his sharp teeth.
Creak.
But the piercing scream that seemed like it would ring out at any moment was not heard. When she opened her eyes, she saw Groven stepping back in front of the trembling Chiara.
'What?'
The devil retreats, leaving its prey behind. Julia, who had been gritting her teeth to endure the pain that was piercing into her bones, furrowed her brows.
But for a moment. Groven slowly turned his head. Then, looking straight at Julia, his eyes sparkled and he stuck out his tongue.
Knock knock.
The toxic saliva melted the ground.
Groven walked leisurely, his tongue hanging out, grumbling. It seemed as if its demonic Instincts had sensed that Julia was in a state of helplessness.
As the heavy footsteps drew closer, the ground shook and gravel bounced.
Thud, thud.
Cold sweat ran down Julia's cool back. As she held the sword with difficulty, which she could not even lift with her broken wrist, a rattling sound came from it.
'Ring.'
The sensation of it wrapping around her left ring finger was vivid.
But.
'This won't do.'
Julia hesitated and glared at Groven, who was trying to instill fear in its vulnerable prey. Far behind, she could see Chiara, who was sitting on the ground and looking in this direction.
Was it an illusion? Her face showed not only a faint fear but surprisingly, a sense of joy as well.
And then it was a moment. In an instant, a terrifying shadow loomed over her head. There was no time to think any longer.
Finally, Julia, who was suffering from excruciating pain, lifted the sword.
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