Entering the City
"As you can all see, our Queen, Veirya, has arrived. We can, therefore, conduct another Queen's coronation ceremony to welcome our new Queen. Henceforward, this nation will be in the hands of Lord Veirya. Lord Veirya is a war hero, and the warrior who slew the Demon King. I believe that everyone will support our Queen," the young man smug addressed.
They were people from the military, national bank, and Achilles was in attendance. The military gave him a chance to serve the imperial court. Plus, he was also granted a voice, albeit one that may be blatantly ignored.
Achilles could read the situation. It was pointless for him to remain loyal to Queen Sisi. That would only cost him his life for nothing. Achilles was all right with losing his life, but he wasn't all right with dying for nothing. Opposing the military at that stage wasn't going to bring Queen Sisi back. Moreover, he believed that she was doomed.
The elves prisoners of war had almost zero chances of coming back. Veirya didn't tell anyone that Queen Sisi was still alive. Only the military knew, but the young man didn't plan to inform anyone. Queen Sisi may have suffered a defeat and been captured, but if the people knew that she was still alive, there were still a number of people who would trust her and stay loyal to her.
"So, has Mr. Lin arrived?"
"No." The young man paused before continuing with his explanation to the president of the bank: "What does it have to do with us if he is here or not? Our goal is to instate Veirya as Queen. It has nothing to do with him."
The bank president knocked on the table: "We want to have him assist Veirya in becoming Queen. You should be aware that Lord Veirya doesn't actually possess the qualities or potential to be a Queen. Lord Veirya could slay the Demon King, but that does not imply that she qualifies as a Queen. She may not even be able to recognise all of us. How can such a Queen give correct orders? We need that man to guide Veirya. He is the prerequisite for Lord Veirya to become a qualified Queen."
The young man was stumped but kept his stern gaze on the president. Veirya lacked the ability to rule; everyone was cognizant of that fact. Some didn't mention it merely because they could leverage that to lead her by the nose to obtain power and resources. The young man knew that he couldn't do anything about it for Lin Dongqing couldn't come. Rather, it was precisely because of him that Veirya was at the imperial capital. Furthermore, he had planned to get back at Lin Dongqing. Hence, the two groups ignored him. However, the bank president still brought him up.
The reason the bank president brought up the point was because he didn't want the nation to be ruined. A bank can profit, but only under the condition that its location was peaceful. An unstable environment would make it impossible to have a powerful government to ensure the currency remained stable. That being the case humanity needed a truly capable Queen who could control the entire empire.
During the reign of the previous Queen, Queen Sisi, the bank was able to operate normally and make large amounts of money. The people would also have a desire to spend if life was stable. If Veirya took the reins without an astute man assisting her, the corrupt officials would bring the empire to its knees. Subsequently, the bank wouldn't be earning. Thus, Lin Dongqing was actually the most important person to the entire picture.
"We can assist Lord Veirya, so he is not the most important person."
"That is absolutely ludicrous. You soldiers know how to manage a nation now? If you knew how to manage a nation, you wouldn't need Lord Veirya. You're an ignorant bunch! Without him, I won't support Lord Veirya. The national bank will not offer a nation doomed to fall a single penny!!"
"Make sure to keep your eyes open, then."
The young man got to his feet and left. The meeting was but a procedural act. Even if nobody supported them, Veirya would still be instated as Queen. Achilles glanced at the president. The president coldly snorted and inquired, "Mr. Achilles, I heard that you are very well acquainted with that man. Might that be true?"
"It is. I know what you are thinking, but I feel that there is no need to fret. If Lord Veirya is here, how could he possibly leave?"
========
Just as I predicted, it was tough to enter and exit the imperial capital. Previously, the door sentinels were just there for the sake of it. This trip, there were a big group of them. The long line indicated how stringent their inspections were. Cavalry rode back and forth on both sides, inspecting the crowds. Anyone deemed suspicious would be inspected. Perhaps it was thanks to such strict inspections that the imperial capital was kept under control in Queen Sisi's absence. In saying that, it was essentially a method of keeping the situation in line through force.
I disembarked and went inside the hood: "Angelina, I have something I need to ask you to do."
"Go ahead."
Queen Sisi was in our carriage. If the guards found her…. As a matter of fact, we may have trouble on our hands. I explained, "You brought Veirya's clothes, correct? Change into her clothing and enter the city ahead of us. I doubt anyone would dare to stop you. Also, nobody would have imagined that you would act as her substitute. Next, go find the succubi. You should already know they have a gathering spot. Ask them to bring clothes. Ask enough of them to come out to take us in. When you pair a human up with a succubus, humans will focus all of their attention on the succubus, thereby not noticing us. Then, you can all enter. I want to enter through the main doors. Without all of you, I'll be safe."
"Understood," everyone expressed.
"Leah, come with me," I instructed.
"Okay, Papa."
Angelina changed in the carriage. Her lack of emotion was totally identical to Veirya's. Their semblance was enough to bring back the heart jerking feeling. She gently hugged me and whispered in my ear with the exact same tone and voice as Veirya, "I'm off."
"Please don't pull these loathsome jokes."
Angelina chuckled. She then patted her face, and off she went to the city doors. The dozen or so guards at the door were surprised to see Angelina. They allowed her entry without any inspection.
The cavalry continued to run back and forth around the line. I calmly sat in the coach's seat, not even bothering to spare them a glance. It was because of my composed demeanour that they wouldn't concern themselves with me,
We continued progressing forward in the line. The guards demanded people to open every bag for inspection. Everyone was required to sign in. I noticed that the exit had been blocked off. If people wanted to leave the city, they had to do so during the daily fixed time frame. To add, the volume of people permitted exits were limited.
As we waited in line, we heard clear voices of laughter from within the city. Eight succubi dressed in incredibly thin clothing, revealing their hips. Below their waist was underwear that was barely there. The love heart sitting low on their abdomen was particularly clear. The guards gawked at the cheerfully laughing succubi with surprised reactions of their own. Some of them even spaced out. An officer immediately yelled, "Don't look! Get your acts together!"
All of the soldiers spontaneously turned back or lowered their heads. That was also part of the reasons I chose the succubi. Humanity's soldiers adhered to strict discipline practices, which meant that they wouldn't dare to purposely look at succubi. In fact, they wouldn't even inspect them as the succubi couldn't hide anything on them. Their clothes barely covered their bodies, after all.
The succubi approached a horse carriage with smiles and made an inquiry. They soon found our carriage. With a smile, they asked, "Mister, your long journey must have been tiring. Can you have a rest in our arms? We can offer our arms in your carriage. What do you think?"
I pursed my lips and pointed into the carriage. They nodded and then came in. I then rode away from the line and got inside the carriage. The cavalry noticed us, but when they saw me enter the inside with the succubi, they couldn't really say anything or search us.
Even Queen Sisi, who was used to dressing quite revealingly, found their clothes excessively revealing. With a flushed face, she stammered, "I… I… have to wear this, too?"
"Of course. Else, you would not be able to sneak in with us…"
"Ok-okay, then…"
Queen Sisi bit down on her lip. She mustered up her courage then suddenly turned to me. She covered her chest all of a sudden and exclaimed, "Why are you still here?!!"
"Didn't I already answer that? I have to be here to have fun with the succubi." I turned around and expounded, "Get changed now. I won't peek. Enter the city first. I'll enter after."
"Actually, you can look, Lord Travor. I… need you to help me get dressed. I have never worn a succubus' clothes before," requested the Elven Queen.
"I shall help you, Your Majesty." Ciara gave me a visual warning.
I smiled and turned around.
Leah stared intently at the succubi the entire time, not allowing them approach me by another single inch.
"Okay, we are done."
I turned back. Queen Sisi kept her hands firmly up against her chest. She sounded as if she was sobbing when she complained, "I feel as though nothing is covered… I don't want to look as I did in the elven lands… I want to wear some more clothing…"
"Make it inside, and then you will be fine."
The succubi patted Queen Sisi on her shoulder and then filed out of the carriage. Queen Sisi's body, the one I had gotten bored of looking at, suddenly exuded a different sort of allure. She used her hand as braces to ensure the material covered her chest. Howbeut, due to being too tight, Queen Sisi's clothes looked as though they'd tear if she moved.
"D-don't look…" Queen Sisi bashfully lowered her head.
I opened the curtain: "Your Majesty, enter the city with the succubi. We will meet again at their gathering spot!"