The Demon Saint is Missing, so I Ran to Another World

A Bitter Pill to Swallow (Part 2)

When lunch break came, I hurried back to the faculty room, hoping and expecting to see Maddie. However, instead of the Human Saint, what I saw was Her Majesty the Queen Jessica, sitting near my table as if waiting for me.

"Kuro!" she called out and waved at me the moment I appeared. "What happened? Why are the paladins following you? Did you do something perverted?"

"Ah...you really think I'd do something like peeping around the girls at Holy Palatial Gardens?"

Her Majesty laughed, "No, I know you won't do it; you got no spine, after all."

"I'm respecting my limits."

"I'm joking, of course. Anyway, did something serious happen?"

"Err...it's a long story, Your Majesty," I threw a quick glance on Lady Hawthorne, who understood that I was telling her to keep a little distance. She and her girls retreated, and when they gave me a bit of privacy, I narrated to the Amaranthine monarch the events in which Ursura and I were caught up.

"I see...so Her Holiness got so worried about you, based on your story," the queen commented the moment I finished my story. "Pretty understandable, I'd say."

"Still, I think it's not a good reason for my privacy to be violated," I countered. "I mean, she's already looking into my thoughts, and I'm just letting her. Plus, come on, I already survived fighting against hordes of zombies, Imperial legions, bloodthirsty beastmen, an army of ill-disciplined mercenaries, and even an assassination attempt. A group of deranged cultists are not enough to bring me down, you know?"

"Well, so you say, and I think you're making a good argument," she pointed out. "But, I can't say the same for the people who loves you, as they are thinking the otherwise. See, when you got abducted to Cherwind, Her Holiness was inconsolable. The Head Maid was her immediate support, even though Lady von Leese was also shaken herself. Heck, even the Braunhauer brat was so different back then, desperate worrying about your safety."

"I-I see..."

"If you ask me, I'm not that worried though," the queen was grinning. "I know an idiot like you can always pull off a comeback."

"Wow, thanks for the wonderful compliment," I was sarcastic.

But the Queen of Amaranth turned serious once again, "Nevertheless, I don't like the idea of me becoming a widow early on, so you should be more careful."

"We're not yet married, so there's no commitment. You can always look for another lover."

"You're really an idiot; a dense idiot if you will. Can't you see that what I'm trying to say is: 'I don't want someone else but you, so you have to stay alive for me'?"

"What a roundabout way of saying 'I love you, so be careful'."

"You said it yourself," she was blushing, though she's trying hard to hide by turning away from me. "Don't make me repeat those words again."

"Heh, Your Majesty, let me be clear that I understood what you're trying to tell me," I admitted to her, laughing a little. "However, I also learned not to assume things until I'm very sure of it."

"Wow, I can tell you went through a lot of rejections with that."

"Trust me, I've been through a lot shitty situations in my life, I still can't believe why you and the others chose to be with me. I'm waiting for the time to come I'd wake up in this good dream, and everything is only a beautiful lie."

Queen Jessica gave me a long stare, as if I said something outrageous. Of course, I returned her gesture, though the more she looked at me, the greater it became awkward for us to say anything. However, after some time, it was her who broke the ice...