De-Bugging Another World

VOL.3 A day with the wife.

Aelanna was quick to choose from the menu, since one of her favorite meat types was on it, a black spined lizard flank grilled with finely chopped herb and flame grilled zuddintine and noodles.

"I'll have the black spined lizard here. You made your choice yet?" Aelanna asked, closing the leather-bound menu and Pharana nodded.

"That was why I paid ahead of time, I wanted to have a try at it myself. Just to be sure, I paid for two servings." She said and closed her menu and called for one of the ten Royal Guards that stood watch around their private area of the restaurant's terrace.

"Send for the hostess, we have decided on our meals." She spoke in a tone that demanded respect and authority.

Aelanna was pleasantly surprised by how much Pharana had grown into her position as Cardinal Queen. She exuded authority and respect from her people now, very much unlike she had done the weeks after her crowning before Aelanna had left the Cardinal Tree with Kanrish and the rest.

A brief while later, the hostess was guided to their table by the guard Pharana had sent and took their order.

"Your meals shall be with you shortly, the orders have arrived at the kitchen." The elven woman spoke and bowed her head, causing her long silver blonde hair to fall from her shoulder and brush in Pharana's face.

"P-pardon me, Your Majesty, that was an accident... I am terribly sorry..." She suddenly spoke in a frightened response as she quickly rose and pulled her hair behind her back with fear in her eyes.

"It matters not, accidents happen after all." Pharana replied calmly and the hostess thanked her in a flustered manner before leaving again, in a hurry this time.

While Pharana stared after the frightened hostess, Aelanna gave her a cold glare.

"Pharana... what in the nine hells did you do to frighten people of something so trivial?" She asked sharply, all her calm and playfulness with which she had arrived before Pharana, now gone.

Aelanna had turned dead serious, it seemed her wife had, in her inexperience as a ruler, done something stupid.

"I-I don't know... suddenly rumors began to spread that I had put someone to death over a slight misstep... But I swear to you Darling, I didn't... I really didn't." Pharana hurriedly replied, completely flustered and panicking, she was mere moments away from screaming it seemed.

"Then why did those rumors spread in the first place?" Aelanna countered her and Pharana hung her head.

"There was a head of a noble house who opposed our marriage and your appointment as Cardinal Princess. So, I had an investigation done at his house to find any ground for his claims why you would not be a fitting match for me." Pharana spoke, her face clearly on the verge of tears.

"So, did you find anything?" Aelanna asked worriedly and Pharana nodded.

"Plans to assassinate you and marry his second son to me... I had him executed on those grounds, but his family claimed he had done nothing wrong and simply had only addressed the matter to me in person. They probably started the rumor based on that." She explained and burst into tears.

"I had a man sentenced to death for high treason and his family spread the word he was unjustly executed... What do I do about this, I don't want my people to be afraid of me like I am some kind of tyrant!?" Pharana exclaimed, clearly having lost her composure and shouted so loud that all the patrons in the other squares of the terrace turned to look in surprise

"I know one way to disprove their statements, have them appear for questioning and face them with the facts. You can immediately disprove their claims and if they say those claims are false, does that not make them too guilty of high treason?" Aelanna spoke with clear determination and Pharana looked at her with hope and doubt mixed in her eyes.