After Cain left the palace during the day, Altina, who had learned of the news even before the two princesses, did not make a move.
In her eyes, Cain was simply heading out to see the capital of this different world like any normal person. It was impossible for him to simply leave and never return; thinking rationally, there was absolutely no reason for Cain to be in such a hurry to leave.
Therefore, even after hearing the news, Altina continued to handle government affairs, believing in and waiting for Cain’s return.
However, when she heard from her subordinates that the two princesses had somehow rushed out of the palace in a panic, the sharp-witted Altina sensed danger.
If she chose to simply believe and wait, it was highly likely that Cain would develop unnecessary feelings for those princesses who lacked royal blood.
Although Vanessa seemed to oppose Cain, she was ultimately a die-hard supporter of Corellia.
And there was no need to mention Edwina, who was already close to him.
If this continued, Cain might choose to side with the Queen’s faction due to personal feelings, becoming an enemy to her own anti-Queen faction.
She had to take the initiative.
She could not allow Cain, who possessed the qualities of a wise king, to become corrupted by romantic entanglements or unnecessary parental love, leading him to support a Queen who clearly had issues.
Perhaps Edwina herself did not realize it, but in Altina’s eyes, Edwina was using her beauty to attract Cain, making him feel pity and affection for her.
Since Edwina was relying on beauty, Altina naturally could as well.
Furthermore, as an adult and a master of court swordsmanship, Altina decided to strike at the heart of the matter for her first move. She would conduct a night raid on Cain to create an established fact, using her body and beauty to win him over.
…Though, looking at her ultimate goal and the means to achieve it, she seemed like a seductress causing turmoil in the kingdom for her own selfish desires no matter how one looked at it.
But she truly only wanted to protect the kingdom. Her loyalty to the country was beyond doubt.
Altina was indeed rational, but she was rational to a fault—to the point where it appeared quite abnormal to ordinary people, filled with a certain kind of fanaticism.
Determined to achieve the deeds of a saint through the methods of a seductress, Altina resolved to carry out her night raid and officially win Cain over. Once he fell in love with her, she would use his feelings to lead the kingdom toward a better future…
…Unfortunately, while the plan was beautiful, she had not expected it to fail the moment she acted today.
Cain actually slept so lightly that he managed to notice her even though she was intentionally walking on tiptoe without shoes.
Fortunately, she had developed the habit of maintaining a poker face. Amidst her shock, she quickly fabricated a lie that was difficult to disprove and successfully bluffed her way through.
Come to think of it, she had likely benefited from her male counterpart in that other world… If there were an opportunity in the future, she would definitely thank the male version of herself for leaving a good impression on Cain, making her current actions much easier.
In any case, Cain accepted Altina’s explanation and engaged in a brief exchange.
“…I understand the situation. It seems even in this world, there are people within the court who wish to cause a disturbance. Although I’d like to find that person immediately, we have no leads right now. Lady Altina, please go back to sleep. we will discuss this in detail in the morning.”
Cain’s room lacked any female clothing. Having Altina, who was wearing only a nightgown, remain in the room standing and talking to him felt somewhat inappropriate to him.
On one hand, he had a cold beauty—the mayor of the capital and the daughter of a duke—calling him ‘Your Majesty.’ On the other hand, she was standing before his window in such a defenseless state to discuss official business. What kind of high-level roleplay was this?
It would be more appropriate to discuss this matter in the office during the day with Altina dressed in her formal uniform. Regardless, it seemed she only wanted to use Cain and had not reached the point of wanting to assassinate him. The situation was not that urgent.
“…If I may be so bold, Your Majesty, it would be best for you to change rooms to rest as well. After all, the other party might use me as bait and come to raid you at night after you have let your guard down and fallen asleep.”
Seeing Cain sitting on the edge of the bed looking so serious and gentlemanly, with a steady composure that showed no sign of being shaken, Altina decided to utilize her own lie. With her excellent ability to adapt, she calmly analyzed the ‘current situation’ and suggested that in order to avoid being raided by ‘someone with ulterior motives,’ Cain should sleep elsewhere.
At this hour, the maids were all asleep, so there naturally would not be any spare rooms for Cain to rest in.
The best place to rest would naturally be Altina’s own lounge within the palace.
One must realize that it wasn’t only physical intimacy that could enhance feelings; just being alone together in the same room could bridge the distance between two people.
To win Cain over, she had to proactively create opportunities.
“You’re still calling me ‘Your Majesty.’ You really are stubborn, Lady Altina…”
Seeing that the cold-blooded noblewoman had no intention of changing how she addressed him, Cain gave a helpless, bitter smile and gradually became desensitized, deciding to stop correcting her.
Assuming she had no ulterior motives, Cain fell right into Altina’s trap, effectively accepting the title of ‘Her Majesty.’
“…I am honored by your concern, but it is inappropriate for me to move elsewhere to rest. In fact, I’ve decided to try and lie in wait for the other party. As you said, they might truly come to attack me.”
However, one could not say Altina had achieved a total victory.
There was no way for Altina to know that, aside from her, there really were others who had raided Cain.
Therefore, Cain could not leave under any circumstances.
In fact, if he had wanted to leave, he would have just slept outside for the night. Staying in the room was his way of waiting for the prey to come to him; he just hadn’t expected to catch the wrong rabbit.
In the eyes of the unaware Altina, the non-existent ‘person’ she had made up had instead made Cain refuse to leave the room. It was a miscalculation.
She hadn’t expected Cain to prioritize capturing the culprit over his own rest.
“…I understand. Then, please allow me to remain in this room to wait with you.”
One plan failed, so Altina devised another. She placed her hand over her chest again, but this time she intentionally pressed a bit lower, squeezing her ample curves to make them shift slightly, attempting to tempt Cain intentionally or otherwise.
Meanwhile, her voice remained calm and full of sincerity, showing not a hint of suspicion.
To anyone who didn’t know better, it truly seemed like she was only concerned for Cain out of a sense of responsibility and loyalty.
“…Lady Altina, you have government affairs to handle during the day. How can you sacrifice your precious rest time for such trivial matters? I am enough on my own.”
To be fair, Altina’s maneuver was somewhat effective. Although Cain felt something was slightly off, he still believed Altina was acting out of loyalty to Corellia—and by extension, to him—and thus wanted to stay and wait with him.
In response, he regained his polite social smile and courteously rejected Altina’s suggestion.
“…Yes, Your Majesty. Then please be extremely careful. I shall take my leave.”
Altina knew when to stop, realizing that pushing further would only be counterproductive, so she obediently left.
Of course, before departing, she didn’t forget to let Cain see the view of her back in her nightgown.
Veiled by her beautiful, waterfall-like blonde hair, her back looked as if she were wearing nothing underneath the translucent outer layer of her sleepwear.
Cain’s logic told him not to let his imagination run wild, but his lower half insisted otherwise.
Indeed, this outfit was also the result of Altina’s careful calculation; this was exactly the effect she wanted.
And even if she were rejected by Cain, it didn’t matter. A sleep-deprived Cain would definitely need to rest the next day.
She could still find an excuse to be in the same room as him under the guise of being his guard.
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