#1031 A Confrontation with an Old Foe

It’s still me, Arias.

As a wife of one of the Demon King’s Heavenly Four, I’m determined to be an asset to my husband!

After a chance encounter with Demon King Zedan himself, I’m finally getting my audience with Queen Astres.

She may be a queen now, but she was once part of the Heavenly Four, too.

Back in the day, she was on equal footing with my father.

That made them political rivals, always butting heads and scheming for better positions within the Demon King’s Army.

And then, my father knocked her out of the running…

So I’m pretty sure Queen Astres doesn’t precisely have warm and fuzzy feelings for my father.

And, by extension, she’s probably not thrilled about me or Mamoru, either.

This situation is a whole new level of ‘worst.’

But that’s exactly why I’m meeting her today—to fix this mess!

Then again, it’s been nearly ten years since my father got demoted...

Maybe, just maybe, she’s forgotten all about it by now.

No, I shouldn’t get my hopes up. Some people can hold a grudge for decades!

I have a sneaking suspicion Queen Astres is one of them!

Especially since she was known as the Brutal General back in her day.

I’ve got to tread carefully here, or I might make things worse instead of better.

But it’s fine!

I’ve got my dependable husband with me!

He’s always got my back from the shadows! Right, Mamoru?!

Huh? Where’d he go?!

“The men will sit over here. Say your goodbyes to your dear wife for now!”

Whaaat?!

Why is the Demon King draping his arm around Mamoru’s shoulders?!

Poor Mamoru—there’s no way he can wriggle out of that hold!!!

“Today’s focus is on our expecting ladies! They should bond with each other! The gentlemen will huddle over there, and we’ll call you if you’re needed!!!”

And just like that, they’re gone!

Mamoru’s way too polite to ever shake off the Demon King and come back!

Oh no, Mamoru, what am I supposed to do without you?!

...

No, no, I can’t keep relying on him forever!

It’s time to stand on my own two feet! I can’t always be the damsel in distress!

I’ll be the one supporting him from the shadows this time! I’ll become the Arias in the Shadows!

All right, time to take a deep breath and dive in solo...!

So, this is the table where all the wives are gathered, huh...

“Gimme that meat right nowwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!”

“No way! This meat’s mine—I raised it! Back off! This is an act of unjust aggression!!!”

Wow, it sure is chaotic.

I was expecting a refined gathering, but it’s looking more like a wild brawl.

I need to make contact with Queen Astres before I get dragged into any of this nonsense.

Now...

Where could she be...?

Oh! There she is!

Sitting all elegant and composed at the far end of the table!

Even in a place like this, Queen Astres exudes pure nobility!

And is that person sitting across from her the second Demon Queen Glasya?!

I’d better be careful around her, too.

Even though she wasn’t directly involved in the drama my father kicked off, she’s another former Heavenly One and a fierce rival of Queen Astres.

Apparently, their rivalry has only gotten worse since they both became queens. It makes sense; competing for the Demon King’s favor is a much bigger deal than when they were just generals.

So, if I show too much support for Queen Astres, Queen Glasya might see me as an enemy...!

I’ve got to play this very, very carefully.

All right, Arias.

Time for the main event.

Deep breath, and here we go.

“...It’s an honor to meet you, Queen Astres. I’m Arias, wife of Mamoru of the Coveted-Heavenly One...”

“Shut up. Don’t speak to me.”

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

Queen Astres!

That’s way harsher than I expected, even for a first encounter!!!

Is she really still holding a grudge against my father?!

Or does she just not care about someone as lowly as me?!

“We’re in the middle of grilling some meat here. I can’t afford to lose focus if I want to get it cooked just right. So zip it until it’s done.”

Whaaaat?!

What’s going on?

Huh?  Is this... yakiniku?!

There’s some thinly sliced meat on what looks like a grill...

And there’s fire underneath it?

But isn’t it kind of rude to have the Demon Queen herself cooking the meat?

Shouldn’t she be pampered from start to finish, like being fed by hand or something?!

And yet, here I am, expected to do it myself…!

But, oh, that smell... The meat smells unbelievably delicious.

“Hmm? Why are you just standing there? If you hover around like that, you’ll break my concentration. Sit down already.”

“Pardon? Your Majesty wants me to sit next to her?!”

“Where else? Ever since my days as a Heavenly One, I can’t relax with someone standing behind me. You get it, right? If someone were out to kill me, they’d strike from behind.”

No way!

I’d rather sit next to you than be mistaken for an assassin!

But still, isn’t this way too intimidating…?!

“...So, you’re Mamoru’s wife, right?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right!”

“That guy’s had it rough. He ended up doing most of the work for Ravillian, the conspiracy nut, and when he got promoted to the Heavenly Four, he took over for that slacker Belphgamillia, running the army.”

“I-Indeed!”

“Honestly, the army’s been held together by Mamoru these past few years. We even considered giving him the title of Commander, but without a serious title to keep him in check, who knows what would happen to Belphgamillia? So, we settled on giving him authority and rewards equal to the top position.”

Wait, isn’t that the same as being the top?!

I knew Mamoru was competent, but I had no idea he was this highly regarded!

“Hmm, this meat looks just right. Here, eat.”

Whaaaaat?!

The Demon Queen herself cooked this meat?!

I’m not worthy!

If anyone found out about this, I’d be the talk of the social circles, and not in a good way!

“On this farm, we don’t bother with nonsense like social status. No need for stiff formalities. Just look over there; those women are practically flipping tables fighting over food.”

Um… yes.

I noticed, but isn’t that incredibly rude?

“That’s the Queen and Princess of the Mermaid Kingdom. Both are hailed as the brightest minds their country’s ever seen, but you couldn’t show that kind of behavior to the public...!”

R-Right, I did hear that people from all sorts of countries visit this informal gathering.

But I didn’t realize the Mermaid Kingdom’s royalty was here too.

I was so focused on the Demon Queen that I totally failed to gather any other intel!!!

“Hey, if you don’t eat the meat soon, it’ll get cold!”

“Ah! Yes, of course!!!”

Letting the Demon Queen serve me is already a grave sin, but not eating what she’s so kindly prepared would be an even graver one!

I have no choice but to dig in!

...Hmm?

Wooooooooooow!

What is this?!

This is beyond delicious!!!

“Everything on this farm tastes amazing. This time, it’s all about feeding us pregnant women some top-quality meat. You need to eat up and get strong for childbirth!”

Yes! It’s absolutely delicious.

“Since it’s your first time, if you’re ever confused, feel free to ask me anything! I’ve had two kids already, so consider me an expert! Plus, if your family inherits the Holy Sword, that’s good enough for a marriage alliance with the Demon King’s Family. If you have a daughter, she might marry Goetia; if a son, maybe Belzebia. It wouldn’t hurt to be on good terms.”

Queen Astres?!

Is it really okay? I’m the daughter of Ravillian, the one who plotted against you.

“Huh? Ravillian? Did he do something?”

She doesn’t remember at all?!

What was the point of all our worries and efforts until now?!

The issue we were so concerned about... was already resolved without us even realizing it?!

Whatever, I’m done!

I’m just going to eat as much of this really good meat as I can until I’m full!