IGSAGCSAWAYSH) Meeting The Queen Part 1 (Patreon)

Shizuku was dropped off at the palace first. The guard who had escorted her all this way passed her on to the knights at the gate. Each one should at least be at knight rank. At least, this was what Shizuku thought. She could not see a pawn defending the castle’s main gates. From what the guard told Shizuku, carriages were not allowed past the gates; instead, they would bring a sedan chair, which reminded me of Earth’s Chinese culture.

Four men came running over with a sedan chair, which was basically a carriage that was carried by people instead of pulled by scaled horses. Shizuku got in and sat down. What she liked about this sedan was that it was covered in a crimson red silk with gold trim. The interior was very spacious, and the cushioned seats were quite comfortable. The thing Shizuku liked most about this sedan chair was that it was smooth. There were no bumps to bounce you up and down. The castle grounds itself was huge. Many buildings were dotted here and there. What they were used for, Shizuku did not know because anytime Shizuku lifted the curtain, the knights would quickly tell her to close it. Shizuku could only see out through the cracks as the wind picked up.

Before Shizuku knew it, she was already in a long hallway. The black and red marble-like stone reflected Shizuku’s face as they continued toward the end of the hall. A few minutes later, she felt the sedan being placed on the ground and the curtain being lifted to reveal the knight from before. “Miss, we have arrived. Her Majesty is waiting for you.”

“Thank you,” Shizuku replied with a smile before going to step out of the Sedan only to see a hand being held in front of her. Shizuku looked up and the knight was smiling warmly at her. She couldn’t help but shiver before taking his hand since she felt it rude to refuse and climbed out of the sedan.

The majestic doors that stood in front of Shizuku were a little over the top for her, but since this was a palace, she could only guess that being imposing was needed when creating what she felt was the throne room. There were sixteen knights, eight on each side of the hall, lined up in full armor.

“Announce the arrival of Miss Shizuku to the Queen.” The knight who had escorted Shizuku through the place ordered. It seemed he had a high status.

The knight at the door saluted and quickly yelled out: “Announcing the arrival of Miss Shizuku!”

“Let her in.” A soft yet noble voice could be heard from the other side of the door. The knights at the door both moved forward, grabbed the large handles on the door, and began pulling it open. They only opened it enough for Shizuku to pass through before bowing to her and saying: “You may enter.”

 Shizuku gave them a polite nod before entering the room to see a grand hall with a single throne sitting up high on a ten-stair-high platform. Sitting on that throne was a young woman around eighteen to nineteen years of age. Her wavy black hair rolled down the sides of her shoulders. Her red eyes and cherry-red lips seemed to shine brightly compared to the pale white skin that seemed soft yet supple.

“I finally get to meet you.” The woman whom Shizuku figured to be the queen spoke. “Please come and sit next to me. I would like to have a proper chat.”

“My Queen, we can not allow that!” Another young woman in a maid uniform quickly stepped forward to stop Shizuku from doing as she was told. “A stranger from out of nowhere, showing up like this, is already not within the rules of the kingdom.”

“Oh? Are you telling me how to run my kingdom?” The queen turned her sharp gaze towards the maid who suddenly froze in place, her eyes widening as she fell to her knees. “Not just me, but even Shizuku, my personal guest, can kill you with ease. How dare you question anything I say! As a knight of the court and my attendant, you seem to think you have ownership over me.”

Shizuku watched as a murderous aura escaped the queen. She did not dare say a word since it really had nothing to do with her. Or at least, she thought. Because what the queen said next dragged her right into it. “Why don’t have Shizuku kill you so she can gain a few extra points towards becoming a knight herself?”

 “Your Majesty! Please have mercy!” There was no honor in being food for a pawn. If she were to die to a pawn here, even after death, she would be ridiculed.

“Your Majesty, she was only looking out for your safety, as any good maid would do. She was by no means rude to me or to you. Such a loyal servant is hard to come by.” Shizuku saw no need to kill this girl, nor did she wish to take an easy route to becoming a knight. She would only kill those who had the intent to kill her or her friends and family.

“Hmm? It seems you are very kind indeed. I am glad to know this.”