Chapter 26: The Queen, or the Regent! (Part 2)

“I…”
Hearing those sudden words, Ravia was momentarily at a loss for words. Her tension eased slightly when she saw Thos lying on the windowsill in a strange posture.
“Anyway, come in first—what’s the point of this?”
“You’re right,” Thos nodded in agreement, shrugging slightly. “It would indeed be bad if someone saw us!” With that, a flash of light appeared, and he was already standing in the room.
“You’re quite skilled at teleportation!” Ravia was slightly surprised, as she hadn’t seen Thos cast any spells—only sensed a faint ripple of magic.
“So, what exactly do you want to say? —Queen, go get him a glass of water!” Ravia, dressed only in her undergarments, sat on the bed, watching Thos with interest. Only then did she notice tears in the corners of her eyes. Pretending to speak to the queen puppet Queen, she quietly wiped them away.
“Get him one?” The solemn queen puppet snorted coldly, but since it was her master’s order, she poured Thos a glass of water. Of course, she didn’t forget to show off her slender hands—after all, Queen’s fingers could cut through steel at high speed.
“…” Feeling Queen’s hostility, Thos felt speechless. After all, this guy had always been hostile toward him. Though she appeared like a dignified noblewoman on the surface, she might actually be the most dangerous among the puppet chess pieces.
Watching Thos gulp down two sips of water, Ravia smiled. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she asked with a smile, “I thought Allen had dragged you off to party. What brings you here now? What’s the matter?”
“It’s what I said earlier—you’re getting married?”
“Hmm…” Somehow, Ravia felt uneasy. She glanced at Thos secretly and replied with a light laugh, “Is that so strange? I’m a woman, right? —Or did you think of me as a boy before?”
“Uh, sometimes…” Thos smiled awkwardly.
Idiot!
Ravia sighed helplessly and said listlessly, “Well, I’m glad to hear that… Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Well…”
Seeing Thos’s hesitant expression, Ravia thought for a moment before turning to Queen. “Queen, you go to the next room tonight. You don’t need to stay with me!”

“Is this okay?” Quinn could tell that her master seemed to have something to say to that guy as well.
“Nothing wrong with it. Go ahead!”
“Alright, master!”
After watching Quinn leave the room and close the door, Thos finally felt much more relaxed.
“Is this sufficient?” Looking at Thos, Ravia said with a smile, “Actually, that was just my grandfather’s opinion. I’ve told you before—in Altak, women have no right to inherit…” She sighed softly and said self-mockingly, “I love this land, yet I hate it too. But I hate myself even more. Why am I just a woman? Why are women destined to be subservient to men?”
“Avi…”
“You know, I envy you, Thos. You have extraordinary talents that allow you to leave others far behind without even much effort, like me… But I don’t envy your talents at all. What I envy is your status as a boy, even if you’re just a commoner…” As she spoke, Ravia’s face took on a nostalgic expression as she smiled and said, “I remember when I first arrived in Riox, I thought all the boys in the academy were too weak. To prove that even a girl could surpass them, I studied magic hard during the first year, but still couldn’t beat you…”
“Avi…”
“Sit down!” Ravia patted the edge of the bed beside her and continued, “Back then, I wondered how such a person could exist—someone with outstanding talents yet always lazy…”
“Hey, it’s because of Sloth, right?” Thos defended himself helplessly.
“[Ancient Will: Power of Avoidance—Sloth]? It’s because of Sloth, right? Is that the reason you’re always uninterested in other things? Hehe, so I wronged you after all?—Do you want me to apologize?”
“Would you?”
“Of course… No!—I got angry whenever I saw you like that back then… Now that I think about it, it was probably jealousy!”
“Not really, right?”
“Sure, women are very petty!” Ravia giggled, then turned to Thos beside her and murmured, “It’s been three years—you’ve changed a lot. You’re not sleepy anymore, are you?”
“I wasn’t since Sloth fully woke up…”

“Well, dark forces, it’s better if you don’t use them too much. You said that once used in excess, it will accelerate the rate at which your body is corroded by those dark forces…”
“Fortunately, there are three sacred marks suppressing Sloth’s power. If nothing goes wrong, I probably won’t end up like Argus before I die…”
“Is that so?” Lavia smiled faintly, glanced at the moonlight outside the window, and said softly, “You seem quite confident. Even without my help, you can still defeat Argus, right?”
“Didn’t I say I won’t lose again…”
“Is that so…” Lavia let out a soft sigh. After a brief silence, she gazed at the night outside and said quietly, “You just asked if I want to get married, right? To be honest, I don’t want to. When I was very young, I swore to become a woman who surpasses men—I want to become the female lord of Altak…”
“Weren’t women said to have no right of inheritance in Altak?”
“That’s right. So it’s just a beautiful wish… No, it’s not even a wish—just a delusion… There’s nothing I can do; after all, I’m just a woman.” With that, she turned to Thos, teasingly and seriously at the same time, “Do you want to marry me? If it’s you, I might consider it!—After all, I’ve never won against you before…”
A sudden, bold remark left Thos momentarily stunned.
“What? Is it strange?” Seeing Thos’s astonished expression, Lavia laughed and said, “Aren’t you the one who wants to discuss this with me?—Do you think I’d be like other girls?” Though she said that, her eyes kept flickering, clearly nervous.
“Giggle, it was just a joke. I know you like gentle girls, like Senior Dia…” Before Thos could speak, Lavia continued, “To be honest, I don’t really like Dia. Don’t get me wrong—I have no other intentions. I just think she’s too weak. Even Lisa and Lelira are stronger than her, but for you guys, boys, you probably prefer that kind of girl, right? Giggle, Allen too. Last time, he even complained to me that Lisa controls him too tightly after marriage, giggle…” After a pause, Lavia looked at Thos seriously and asked, “Thos, do you want me to get married?”
“I…” Thos hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and saying, “I don’t know how to put it. It just feels strange…”

“Because you’ve always treated me as a boy before, right? Idiot! — Even if you say that, I still won’t be happy now!” With that, Ravia let out a soft sigh and murmured, “Sos, I don’t want to get married, let alone to a stranger… Is that selfish of me?”
“Um… To be honest, I don’t think I have the right to say anything…”
“Idiot!” Ravia laughed lightly, shook her head, gave Sos a playful glare, then whispered, “I’m going to ask you something. Be honest! — Do you like me?”
“Huh?” The sudden question left Sos a bit embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, he replied honestly, “I like you! — If arguing counts as liking!”
“Giggle!” Ravia covered her mouth and laughed, seemingly pleased. Then she turned around, looked into Sos’s eyes, and said seriously again, “Compared to Dia?”
“Well…”
After a long while, Ravia sighed in disappointment and said self-mockingly, “I guess so. Your so-called liking is at most just that of a companion, right?”
“I feel it’s a little more than just a companion…”
“That’s still just a little!” Ravia interrupted Sos with a hum, then giggled and said seriously, “Well, even if it’s just a little more than a companion, I’m satisfied. Don’t think every woman in the world has to marry a man, idiot!”
“Hey, hey…”
“Giggle, I’m just joking! — In that case, do me a favor, Sos!”
“Hmm, what?”
“Marry me!”
“…”
The next morning, Scott went to the inn where Allen and Sos were staying. After all, he was also concerned about Sos and Ravia. After hearing that Sos had gone to ask Ravia again last night, Scott was personally happy for them.
“What about explaining this to Senior Dia?” Scott took a sip of water from his cup, pushed up his glasses, and said calmly, “Although this solves Ravia’s problem, it might be hard for Senior Dia to explain, right? — Honestly, it all seems a bit too coincidental. There’s no time to deal with this. Senior Dia waited for you for three years, and just as things started to make sense between you two, here comes Ravia…”
“To be honest,” Sos said with a wry smile, shrugging his shoulders, “Dia should understand!”

“Understand? No way!” With a strange expression, Allen said maliciously, “Let me tell you, buddy, the gentler a woman is, the more terrifying she becomes. This woman has become really fierce. Was Lisa cute before? Could be considered gentle, right? After marriage… tsk!”
“Who told you to spoil her?” Scott retorted with a cold sneer, then turned to Thors and asked, “Are you really planning to marry Ravia?”
“Ah,” Thors nodded and said, “I’ve already promised her. Honestly, I’m not used to the idea of her getting married… Besides, she doesn’t want to get married either, so…”
“Wait!” Seeming to sense something wrong, Scott interrupted Thors and said strangely, “Let me confirm—do you… really want to marry Ravia?”
“Mm… yes!”
“And then? Join the Womisley family? Inherit the position of lord of Altak?”
“That’s something Ravia would inherit, right…”
“How could it be Ravia who inherits?” Scott suddenly felt he couldn’t keep up with Thors’ train of thought and said in surprise, “Didn’t I say that whoever marries Ravia will inherit the lordship of Altak…”
“No!” Thors shook his head and explained to his two friends, “It’s only in name. Avi wants to become the female lord of Altak, but her gender prevents her from inheriting rights, so she asked me for help…”
“Huh?” Staring at Thors in astonishment for a long time, Allen said strangely, “So you mean it’s fake? Avi plans to pretend to marry you so she can smoothly gain actual control of Altak? To issue orders in your name?”
“Yes, doesn’t that solve a lot of problems?” Thors said matter-of-factly.
“…” Scott opened his mouth, looked at Thors speechlessly, and said strangely, “So after all this, that’s the solution you came up with?”
“Yes, that’s why I said Dia will understand…”
“But… didn’t you say you liked Avi?” Allen asked in surprise.
“Liking her doesn’t mean we have to be together, right? Besides, I just like being with Avi. There’s no other meaning—just like friends…”
“Huh?” Staring at Thors in shock, Scott said somewhat embarrassedly, “Then where were you last night?”
“Weren’t I going to ask Avi’s opinion?” Thors said in confusion, “I heard from you guys that she seemed reluctant, so I went to ask!”

Glancing at Allen, who felt equally speechless, Scott shook his head and said with a wry smile, “Alright, alright, we misunderstood! Everything seems messed up! Does Lavia really want to inherit Altak’s lordship that badly?”
Recalling what Lavia had said, Thos sighed and said, “After all, it originally belonged to her father, so it naturally belongs to her. It’s just due to her status… She was raised as a boy since childhood, and when it comes to competitiveness, she’s far stronger than us…”
“That’s not necessarily true,” Allen said, shrugging meaningfully. “I think she has no choice but to act this way. Yeah, marrying someone else is worse than marrying you—after all, you’re a familiar friend, and she even likes you a bit…” Saying this, Allen shook his head and said irritably to Thos, “You really, I thought you’d suddenly come to your senses. Turns out, we’re back where we started…”
“Isn’t that good?”
“Yes, yes, it is good!” Allen shook his head irritably and joked, “I was hoping you’d become the lord of Altak and help me later. Now…”
As soon as he finished speaking, Scott sneered from the side, “So that’s what you’re planning, Allen!” Then he looked at Thos and said in a somewhat serious tone, “Thos, anyway, I’m on your side this time. To be honest, I don’t want Lavia to marry anyone else, not even that prince… I won’t reveal this. Just consider it a favor you owe me, how about that?”
Before Thos could respond, Allen said cheerfully, “Go ahead and say it, buddy! If the two parties themselves won’t speak, what do you, as an outsider, have to say? Will anyone believe you?”
Suddenly, Thos felt the tension between Allen and Scott increase. Confused, he asked, “What’s going on between you two?”
Scott gave Allen a faint smile before turning to Thos and saying, “I just hope you won’t help him! Of course, you don’t need to help me either—just stay neutral!” The ‘him’ referred to Allen, of course.
Sensing the competitive atmosphere between the two, Thos immediately understood. After thinking for a moment, he frowned and said, “Is it really necessary to go this far? Allen, Scott?”

“I can’t say for sure; I’m just giving you a warning,” Scott said with a slight sigh after glancing at Allen. “Do you remember when we went to Vandel three years ago? Back then, Sister Aibel predicted what would happen in the next ten years for us. Allen and I noticed then that we would eventually end up on opposing sides… But we didn’t take it too seriously at the time. Although there were some conflicts at first, we reconciled within a few days. Now, it turns out her prediction about the future was correct. The biggest conflict in the empire now is with Argus. After dealing with Argus, the intensified conflict has turned into a struggle between the merchant class and Guizhou. I guess this is what fate is! — So, I’m asking you, Thors. I hope you won’t get involved in this. If possible, please persuade Ravia. When it’s destined for me and Allen to become enemies, I don’t want you and Ravia to become my enemies too!”
“This…” Looking at Scott’s expectant gaze, Thors hesitated before nodding and saying, “Alright! I promise you!”
With a smirk, Allen said irritably, “Hey, hey, hey! That’s not very fair, buddy, right?”
“Hmph!” Scott pushed up his glasses and sneered, “Sometimes being first doesn’t mean winning, Allen! — Or are you saying you’re not confident in beating me without Thors’ help?”
“Not beating you? What a joke?!” Allen snorted mockingly, slammed the table, and said bravely, “Fine! Thors, I don’t need your help. Just watch carefully and see how I teach this guy a lesson! — Does he think Galk’s army can defeat my knight order? Let’s see!”
“It’s indeed difficult for your heavily funded knight order to defeat our Galk army, but I must remind you that while you were forming your knight order, we in Galk also assembled a special army!”
“A… special army?” Allen was stunned and asked tentatively, “You didn’t form a knight order too, did you? It’s useless; they’ll definitely be crushed in no time!”
“Heh,” Scott said with a scornful laugh after pushing up his glasses, “What an immature provocation, Allen. Do you really think that by insulting me like this, I’ll reveal Galk’s secrets to you? Grow up!”
“Tch! — I don’t even want to know!”
“Heh, that’s hard to say!”
Meanwhile, in Lord Altak’s castle, in Ravia’s room…

Queen Puppet Queenin quietly entered Lavia’s room. Seeing Lavia sitting by the bed in a daze, she called softly, “Master?”
“Queenin,” Lavia replied, seemingly noticing her presence. A faint smile appeared on her tired face as she said softly, “What is it?”
Queenin glanced around the room and asked in surprise, “Has that guy… left?”
“He’s gone!” Lavia said. It seemed she understood something. She rolled her eyes at Queenin and snapped, “Do you think I’d hide him somewhere?—What are you thinking?!”
“I’m just worried about you, Master!” Queenin said with a giggle as she stepped forward and sat by the bed, asking curiously, “Did that guy say anything?”
“Oh, he did. He said he liked me… a little bit more than his companions,” Lavia said irritably, fiddling with the clown mask before a faint smile appeared on her face. She added softly, “But he also said he didn’t want to see me get married. Such selfish and willful words, right, Queenin?”
“You’re right, Master. That guy definitely isn’t a good person!”
“That’s your personal bias… You’re still holding grudges? Sos just burned your clothes with a fireball once. Did it hurt you? It’s your fault for threatening him with a dagger back then…”
“You’re too biased, Master!” Queenin complained unhappily before asking softly, “You… aren’t planning to marry him, are you?”
“Yes!” Lavia blinked, then burst into laughter at Queenin’s incredulous expression. Waving her hand, she said, “Enough, stop making that face. It’s fake. Didn’t I tell you? I want to become the lady ruler of Altak!—There’s no other way. After all, I’m a woman. To actually rule Altak, I need a reasonable excuse. After all, in Altak, women have no right to inherit!”
Though she said that, Queenin still saw a hint of disappointment in Lavia’s eyes. After thinking for a while, she hesitantly said, “Actually… Master, you really do want to marry him, don’t you? Even though that guy is horrible, he almost meets all of your requirements…”

“Well, and so what?” Lavia sighed softly, resting her hand on her cheek as she spoke gently. “I can’t be as gentle as other girls, constantly arguing with him, stubborn and flawed—no man would want to marry such a woman! Hmph, are women destined to be mere dependents of men? At least I won’t change myself for them! I’ll do what I want—to become Altak’s first female lord and break these old, biased rules!”
“So, you plan to use that guy’s name?”
“Yes, Volmon Klaest—Sos’s new name. It sounds pretty good, hmm… Sos Vomisli? Hmm, Volmon Vomisli… hehe…”
Watching Lavia’s smile, Quinn sighed softly and said, “Is this really necessary, my lady? Even if it’s just in name, others won’t see it that way… Even if you want to be the actual ruler of Altak, the cost is far too high. I don’t mean to offend you, my lady, but no matter how determined you are, you’re still a girl, a woman. Enduring loneliness alone—perhaps that’s the greatest punishment for a woman.”
“Don’t act like you understand so well,” Lavia cut Quinn off irritably, then blinked playfully and whispered, “Actually, I don’t really like Dia that much. So, at least I need to cause her some trouble… Hehe, isn’t that mean?”
Hearing that far-fetched laugh, Quinn sighed inwardly and said softly, “Yes, it is mean.”
Seeming to notice Quinn’s tone, Lavia’s smile faded, and a wistful look appeared in her eyes as she murmured, “Actually, I knew it a long time ago—three years ago, when I and Sos first went to Vandel. Sister Aibel predicted what would happen in the next ten years for us. From then on, I knew I’d face this situation…”
“You… you already knew it back then?”

“Yes,” Ravia nodded, stroking her long hair as she sighed softly. “But I didn’t think much about it at the time. I must have been somewhat happy, after all, I had indeed started to like Thos from then on. In that ‘dream,’ Thos was supposed to become my husband. But that guy never showed up once. I only heard about him from Lisa and Leryla who came to visit me. By the way, you were there too, Queen. You were the only one in that dream who stayed by my side, helping me manage everything in Altak. Then, from you and others, I learned some things—like about that bastard who never returned but was with another woman. I thought he had gone astray and was fooling around outside, so when I returned to reality, I glared at him fiercely. His expression was quite amusing, hehe! It seems a bit ridiculous now, but it’s only now that I understand the true meaning of that ‘dream’… This is what they call fate—something unchangeable!”
“Master…”
“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? The man who should be one’s husband is never around, always staying with another woman…”
“Master…”
Taking a deep breath, Ravia’s gaze sharpened. She walked to the window, looking at the snow-capped mountains outside, and said in a tone tinged with determination, “But no matter what, I will do it. I will become Altak’s first female ruler! I will be the actual ruler of this land! In my own name, I will carry on the glory of the Vomisli family, even if I’m alone, even if I have to bear loneliness from time to time… I will do it, Queen!”
Suddenly, Queen felt a sense of pressure—not from strength, but from Ravia’s aura as a superior.
Smiling slightly, Queen bowed her head and said earnestly, “Of course you can, Master. You will become the most brilliant female ruler of the Vomisli family! And as your servant, I will always be by your side!”
“Hehe!—Of course!”
Perhaps, Queen represented not just a queen, but also an empress…