Chapter 9 : Heroine makes a royal encounter.

Contrarily to what the exterior suggested, the inside of the house was bright and warm.

The floor and walls were wooden, with simple , but well made and sturdy furniture. The fire in the chimney was roaring and warming everything up. On the center of the room was a long table covered in food.

Then I saw who was seating there.

Lilia, Nagito, a blonde girl, a middle aged woman, a young , common looking man, and another, redheaded and noble looking. Everyone was chatting until they saw me.

'Lilia' smirked.

My heart hurt.

"Hello everyone, I brought a guest ! Sorry your highness, but I had to borrow your appearance for a bit..."

"Hoh ..?"

Lilia was wearing a different expression from usual, toying lazily with what seemed to we a wine glass.

Hey, underage drinking isn't allowed.

But then again, the way she acted wasn't childish at all at the moment.

She looked at me, obviously bored, tilting her head like a bird who has found something of interest. Well, a bird of prey, that is.

That look... Is the same than during the first assembly.

"Well, don't stay here standing like an idiot. Sit, we have much to discuss."

She signaled disdainfully with her hand towards an empty spot at the end of the table, directly in front of her.

I looked around, 'yellow eyes' disappeared again.

The blonde duchess sipped from her drink before continuing.

"You were asked a question, not so long ago, about who was the true culprit in a murder. What is your answer. If you lie, I will know. You're not the only one who was looking all those times."

An icy chill crawled up my spine.

That was bad.

She is self aware enough to maintain her memories despite the game overs.

The blonde girl, sickly looking, asked in a sickly sweet voice.

"Who is the culprit in a murder?"

The middle aged woman declared, joyfully.

"It must be the killer !"

The the young man asked pensively.

"But what of the person who ordered the murder ?"

The nobleman protested .

"Hey, aren't you forgetting the cause of the murder ?"

Lilia just looked at the proceedings passively, finger ghosting over the glass' rim, producing a soft, waving high pitched noise.

"Hey, hey, Who's the culprit in a murder ? The killer ? The order ? The cause ?"

Insisted the girl, playing with the table set.

Tap tap tap tap.

My head hurts.

And then, every noise ceased as the mistress of the place clapped her hands.

"Now now, don't be eager, don't be too fast, let her answer. Answer at last."

Tap tap tap tap

My mouth is dry, and I feel my chest is about to explode. Shadows are creeping at the edge of my vision and my start breathing faster.

"I ... I !"

I can't !

System, log out !

....

Eh ?

Log out ?

I ... can't log out ?

Was I always that weightless ?

Why can't I log out ?

I don't want to be here !

Let me go !

Log out log out log out log out !

It huuuuuuuuuuuuuurts !

An icy wind hit my face, and my teary eyes met disdainful blue ones.

" It's no use running away. But I suppose that question is pretty heavy for a gutless parasite ? Why don't we do some introductions first ? Ah, but, since we're civilized people, and this is a meeting, there should be some ground rules ? Go ahead and explain, I couldn't be bothered with those pesky details."

The blonde girl, who looked about 16 lifted a finger.

"First. As long as you sit at this table, you are to tell the truth."

"Second, As long as you sit at this table, you are not to speak unless spoken to."

As she lifted her third finger, her smile turned ferocious.

"Third, as long as you sit at this table, you are not to look underneath it."

Something clamped on both my ankles, keeping me from getting up. It was cold and hard.

I sobbed.

"Wh-Why are you doing this to me ?"

You know why.

The girl approached and violently yanked my hair.

"You don't remember, you forgot the agony and the pain, I wasn't your only victim though, so why don't we let her express herself ?"

"I never did anything wrong ! It's just a game !"

Is that so ?

Do you want it to end ?

"Yes, yes I do, just stop it already !"

On the other end of the table, Lilia just huffed and started playing with her hair with an annoyed expression.

"As expected from a worm, I can't even get entertainment from them. Very well, you may take her."

Look under the table.

"W-what ? But ..."

Look under the table , and everything will be over.

"N-No..."

I don't like it, it sounds scary !

"Ufufun, it seems heroine-chan needs a little help ~"

The blonde girl sauntered to my side, caught my head and forced me to look down at my feet, where I saw a kneeling, kneeling copy of myself.

"You saw meeeeee....."

And then, the entire room changed. The light and heat disappeared, the floor and walls were covered in diagrams, circles and symbols, the people at the table disappeared, save for Lilia, the girl behind me and my double, and on the table, a skeleton was laying here, surrounded by four beating hearts.

"He he he he he".

My double put her arms around my neck and hoisted herself up.

And started squeezing.

"That'll be quite enough. Didn't you forget our deal, shade?"

Yellow eyes turned towards the still sitting Lilia.

" I wouldn't dream of it, your highness, I just got a little... excited...impatient..."

"The worm will pay, but not before she knows exactly what she did."

"Yeah, it would be so soooooo cruel, that she would be killed, maimed, bones breaking, ripped apart, her insides devoured as she was still alive and breathing..."

The girl's ice cold hands on my head were squeezing more and more, until I couldn't think anymore from the pain.

"Lorella."

Sharp as a whip, the command made the girl stop.

Lorella, seems familiar....

"Little girl, where are your parents ?"

"Destitute or dead with cousin Lorella."

"Oh. Should I know that name ?"

...

Ah.

She was the Rival who supposedly died at the end of Duke's route.

Lilia smiled coldly at me.

"It seems you finally remember her. Sadly, she is but one of your numerous victims. "

"Wh.."

*Slap*

"Hold your tongue, worm. I'm speaking. As I was saying, Lorella isn't the first of your victim. No that dubious honor would go to a certain Adeline Eles.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Yellow eyes squeezed me so hard that I couldn't breathe anymore, but she gave me an empty, teary smile.

"I came to the castle to support my ill mother after my father's death, I had a fiancé whom I loved and that loved me back. I was ever so happy with my life, we were to get married in a few months..."

Her expression became hard as stone.

"Then you came , and you took control of my body. I had to see you do the same things, over and over and over again, offering my body to those men, forgetting that I even existed. Finally, you forced me to marry that man, and you disappeared. I rushed back home, and you know what they told me ?"

Her face was inches away from mine, a heinous look in her eyes.

"My mother died, alone in this house, because she didn't receive the money for her medicine. The man I loved, My fiancé, killed himself upon learning of my marriage to the first duke! All of my friends turned their backs on me, because I was only a 'no good gold digger' ! You destroyed my life !"

This is not real, you are not real shut up shut up !

"So, I decided I had enough, and killed Alistair. The idiot didn't even notice the poison. I was about to kill myself when her highness approached me with an offer."

The silence was oppressive, and I rasped out, as if hypnotized by her words.

"Wh-what."

She gave me one of the brightest smiles I had ever seen.

"Revenge, of course. Revenge on the person that destroyed my life, revenge on the person who destroyed her family, revenge on you. Now it was pretty hard to catch you, otherworlder and all, I don't know the details and I don't care, what I know though, is that you won't be able to go back to the other side, and that here, in this room, I can actually, interact freely with you."

She let go and punched my gut, and I had to close my mouth to keep the contents to spill out.

"Oh, oops, this is still my body after all, I should take good care of it. Your highness?"

She looked towards The blonde Duchess , who twirled an engraved wooden stick between her fingers, then flicked it to Adeline, who took it and advanced savagely.

No

Please!

I didn't mean to hurt anyone !

...

I can't speak!

The third girl rasped to my ear.

"First rule broken : You are not to speak, unless spoken to. The penalty is loss of speech."

Adeline caught my blouse.

"Second rule broken : You are to tell the truth. The penalty is loss of movement."

She let go of my head and my body crumpled to the ground.

I can't... feel anything anymore.

I'm tired.

Just end it up already.

"Fufun, looks like she's broken."

That's right.

Adeline straddled me to the ground, putting the stick over the heart/

" ThIRd RulE BrOKeN : DoN'T LoOk uNdER thE TaBlE...."

And she stabbed me though the heart with it.

It didn't hurt, until Adeline dissolved in black mist and entered my body.

Darkness.

Painpainpainpainpain

It hurts please stop !

And then I woke up.

In the day, on the middle of a street. In a sea of blood and corpses.

In my hand was a severed arm, still twitching.

"Eh ?"

There are police cars all around, and policemen aiming at me with their guns.

"Why... Am I here?"

I didn't even see the blow to my head coming.

"PenAltY is YouR lIFe."

...

I wake up In Lilia's room.

She's here, at the table, with her living cousin and I, drinking from a cup.

I'm cold.

I yearn for warmth.

"So, you've waken up?"

She looked imperiously at me.

I'm so cold.

Those drinks look hot.

I try to answer, but I have no strength.

I feel empty.

"Humph, I guess it can't be helped. What is your name."

Name ?

I don't have a name.

Do I ?

Who am I ?

What do I want ?

Why am I here ?

"Well, if this is going to be like this, I should at least show mercy to a lost child. You came here because you didn't find what you wanted in your old home."

"I ... Didn't ?"

She nodded.

What did I want?

"Love. You desired the ultimate love that can only be found after the harshest trials, the longest time, and the greatest adventures."

"Is love... warm ?"

"It is, so much that it sometimes burn."

Love... sounds nice.

I want it, I need it.

"Thus, to honor your endless pursuit, your name shall be Ai. It means love."

My name... Is love ? For love ?

"Hmph, feel honored, child. Your pursuit for this somehow touched me, and as your Queen, I shall recompense you with this name and purpose."

Purpose?

I know what it means, it means goal.

Queen. Means female ruler. My Queen, my leader, my ruler.

My Queen gives me a purpose.

"Purpose?"

That smile isn't warm.

"Why, Love. A love that will survive war, death and destruction."

A love that will survive war , death and destruction.

I see.

That love, that warmth, I must find it.

Through war, death and destruction.

"This is too bad people are in peace right now eh ? The human and demons..."

Peace ?

Peace means no war !

This isn't good !

I want that love, I need that love.

I want that war, I need that war!

There must be war, or my existence will have no purpose!

"Sadly, child, people will never accept you, for you are dead. And only the living fear them."

I am dead.

They are alive.

I need my love.

The living won't give it to me.

So the dead will ?

I see.

I will be loved, if there is death ?

"Ah, it seems you made your choice, Ai ?"

I look up at my Queen, and feel warm.

She is dead like me.

I was right.

"I will spread conflict, I will spread death, I will destroy anything between me and love!"

Her approving smile was all I needed to know that I was right.

Ah, my Queen, I love you so ...

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This was a BITCH to write , let me tell you !

So, I hope the queen's punishment was enough ?

And I hope I don't have to put it to mature, but I think I will need to do so.

Sooo, How did you like the punishment ?

And the chapter's moral : each time you play an otome game, you destroy an innocent girl's life :D

Next chapter will be the last one of the arc, and somewhat of a making of, it will explain what exactly did The Queen while nobody was looking :3

As always, thanks for reading!