Chương 631: B9 - Chapter 9: Banquette IV

After Zeke left, the mood recovered quickly, and what had once been a tense and somber affair soon turned into a scramble of quiet conversations and probing questions. The people gathered here were all decisive by nature. Most had already chosen the exact territory they intended to claim and were now trying to find out whether anyone else had their eyes on the same land.

Names of towns, rivers, forts, and border roads passed between lowered voices, and more than one smile grew stiff when two people realized they had been aiming for the same prize. Leo used this chance to quietly slip away. He didn't feel comfortable in this environment, and the fact that he had no clue what reward Zeke intended for him to pick meant he had little to nothing to add to these discussions anyway. Every time someone's gaze drifted toward him, he felt the same uncomfortable tug in his stomach.

On his way out, he caught glimpses of the others. Vulcanos was surrounded by people trying to sound out his intentions. And despite his usual temper, he seemed to be doing his best to remain civil with the people around him. Leo had to give him credit for that. The Chimeroi wasn't the simple brute most people assumed. He could clearly distinguish when it was right to push and when it was better to retreat. Elder Tiger and Elder Dragon also had their share of inquisitive bystanders.

But it was clear that they handled the attention far more easily. Elder Tiger laughed often, but never answered anything directly. Elder Dragon, meanwhile, listened more than he spoke, and somehow the people around him seemed to reveal more than they learned. Their time spent as heads of Underworld gangs hadn't just been for show. As for Irisen, she had the largest following around her. As both a royal in-law and one of the kingdom's own heroes in the war against the Legion, she definitely deserved it.

That was the last thing he saw before quietly slipping through the large door behind another group leaving early. And just when Leo was confident that his quiet exit had gone unnoticed, a familiar voice sounded from beside him.

"Leaving so early, Lord von Hohenheim?" Leo froze. He recognized the speaker even before seeing her face, despite having met her for the first time only hours earlier. He turned stiffly to the side and found exactly who he had expected. Myriel Arden Rukia. Why? Why was she here?

"Your Majesty," he greeted belatedly, realizing how rude it was to simply stare.

"What brings you here?" The queen smiled meaningfully.

"I was trying to catch a mouse before it could slip away." Leo furrowed his brows.

"Certainly, there must be more important things for a queen to do than chase after rodents." Her smile grew even wider.

"For other queens, yes. But as you might have realized, this queen is in such dire straits that she must tread lightly even around her own subjects. I am sure Lord von Hohenheim knows what I'm talking about." Leo shook his head.

"Please stop that, Your Majesty."

"…Stop what?"

"There is only one Lord Hohenheim, and I think Your Majesty is aware that it is not me." The queen blinked at him.

"I am certain your brother wouldn't mind." Leo's gaze turned hard.

"I mind it."

"Hoh," the queen exclaimed, looking at him with what seemed to be genuine surprise. Leo looked back, not quite sure what he should say or do.

"You are quite different from him, you know that?" she said after a moment. Leo nodded easily.

"I know." The queen fell silent, her expression still pleasant, though her eyes had sharpened considerably. Whatever plan she had come here with seemed to require a complete overhaul.

"Right then, Sir von Hohenheim," she said after a moment.

"You were on your way home?" If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Leo nodded.

"Mind if I escort you out of the palace, then?" Leo hesitated. He did, in fact, mind. Whatever scheme she had cooked up, he wanted no part in it. But he couldn't think of a way to refuse a queen in her own palace without sounding openly rude.

"…Sure." Leo continued on his way, the queen strolling alongside him. All the servants they encountered along the way bowed excessively and made way. The two walked in silence for a while, but after the last group of servants had passed out of earshot, the queen broke it.

"May I inquire about—""I don't know," Leo responded before she could even finish. The queen stopped. For the first time since he had met her, her smile faltered.

"Pardon?"

"I don't know," Leo repeated, also stopping and turning to face her.

"Whatever you want to know about Zeke's plans, I don't know them." For some reason, the unflappable queen seemed thrown by this.

"I wasn't going to—" She stopped speaking. Then, she cleared her throat.

"Then, please tell me what you intend to do with your merits, Sir von Hohenheim?" Leo began walking again, and the queen followed.

"I have not given it much thought," Leo admitted.

"But I am sure Zeke has a plan."

"Didn't you say you didn't know just now?" He could almost hear the raised brow in her voice. Leo smiled at that, shrugging easily.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes." The queen answered instantly. It seemed as if the immediate answer had startled even herself. He chuckled, finding himself relaxing for the first time that evening despite the company.

"Well, that's how it is." They walked in silence for a while.

"This might sound offensive, but…" the queen started after they turned a corner.

"Are you not worried that your brother might take advantage of you if you leave everything to him?"

"No."

"Why?" Leo looked sideways at the young queen.

"Would a tiger covet the treasure of a squirrel?" The queen chuckled.

"You are hardly a mere squirrel, Sir von Hohenheim." Leo smiled at that.

"…And neither is Zeke a mere tiger." The two continued to trade idle chatter as they walked. At this point, Leo had no idea what the queen still wanted from him. But her company had turned out more pleasant than he had anticipated. And so, as the palace gate drew closer, he decided to bring up something he had not initially intended to say.

"You should stop testing him, Your Majesty," Leo said.

"Testing who?"

"…Zeke." They reached the gate, and the queen stopped. Leo walked a few steps farther before turning around. He looked at the queen from beyond the gate of her palace and waited in silence for her answer.

"I didn't think I was testing him," she said eventually.

"If there has been a misunderstanding—" Leo cut her off with a sharp motion of his hand. At the aggressive gesture, the guards on either side of the gate tightened their grip on their weapons. Leo ignored them.

"Your Majesty," he said, meeting her eyes.

"I don't care what you want to call it. The merits, the seating tonight, the probing, the calculated slights. You should stop it."

"…Are you pleading on your brother's behalf?"

"No," Leo replied honestly.

"It is the opposite."

"What does that even mean?"

"I am trying to help you." The queen looked stunned for a long moment before breaking into a soft chuckle.

"I didn't think you had that kind of side to you, Sir von Hohenheim." Her laughter slowly subsided.

"But I was certain I heard you say you didn't know anything about your brother's plans…?"

"I really don't."

"Then why should I heed your warning?" Leo sighed.

"I might not know his plans, but I know my brother. I know the kind of person he is." The queen listened in silence.

"When you split his merits, you took something away from him. Something he deserved. Something he had earned through blood and tears. And let's not even mention the amount of gold he spent on this war." The queen opened her mouth.

"I didn't mean to—""Save it." Leo's words cut like a blade, and the queen's mouth snapped shut. He sighed. He had not intended for this to get so heated. But seeing this young queen run toward her doom without even knowing it had triggered something in him. He wanted to help her, but he didn't know what else he could say. How could he explain to her that going up against Zeke was going to cost her everything?

"Can you just…" His tongue failed him, "Just stop, ok? Don't go after his things anymore. Don't try to recruit his people. Can you please just… not do that anymore?" The queen looked at him with a complicated expression, and for a moment, Leo thought he had actually managed to get through to her. But then she slowly shook her head.

"That is impossible." Her voice was firm.

"Take a look around you, Sir Hohenheim. The country is in shambles, and the rats are about to devour what is left. Rukia doesn't have the luxury to choose its means, and neither do I."

"…No matter who it might offend."

"As queen, I do not have the luxury of leaving a useful tool untouched simply because using it might anger a dangerous man." She turned without warning. And though Leo could no longer see her face, her voice was still clearly audible.

"Have a safe trip home." Leo stood there for a while longer. A sigh escaped him. He had tried to warn her. He had tried to make her understand. But in the end, his words had not reached her at all. She might have even assumed that this was a ploy to change her mind. Was this why his brother had not told him anything in the first place? Had the die long since been cast, with all that remained being to see how it had landed? Finding himself standing alone in the street, Leo decided to go home.

During this entire time, neither Leo nor the young queen had noticed the two pairs of eyes watching them from across the square. Zeke stood at the window of his room, David at his left. Both had followed the exchange from beginning to end.

"Do you already know what the queen meant to learn by doing this?" David asked. Zeke smiled.

"She was most likely trying to sound out my plans."

"…Any chance she learned something?" Zeke gave him a sidelong glance. That was answer enough.

"Quite bold of her," David commented after a moment.

"To approach your brother so openly. Do you think she meant to send a message?" Zeke shrugged, completely unconcerned.

"I have no clue. Maybe she was just desperate after the little show you all put on tonight." David looked a little sheepish. After Vulcanos had shot to his feet, the others had naturally joined in. Even he had released a little of his Mana to pressure the room.

"But I am glad this happened," Zeke said after a moment.

"Are you referring to the queen approaching Leo?" Zeke nodded, a slight smile on his lips.

"Those two…"

"They will be seeing a lot more of each other."