Chapter 134: 7-16 Friendly Banter

“...My husband, yes, I have one of those. And, thanks to Professor Claire, Felicity, the catgirl’s name, calls me in Japanese. And she is essentially my adopted little sister at this point. Though, sometimes it feels more like I’m her mom.”

There was no sense in dragging this out; I may as well just get everything out of the way now. Franklin stared at me bug-eyed before seeming to remember that we weren’t alone in the room; Sasha and Jacqueline were still with us. Nominally Claire as well, but if she knew what was good for her, she would continue hiding in my shadow until a bit of time had passed.

I should find a way to force her out… I’ll add it to my to-do list.

To make things a bit less awkward for him, I gave them each an instruction.

“Sasha, Jacqueline, I will not ask you to leave. But, for just this once, please sit. Franklin has not had ten years to get used to the cultural differences like I have.”

Jacqueline complied almost immediately, though Sasha was more hesitant. Even still, she eventually gave in and took a seat as far away from me as possible while trying her best to take up as little space as possible. In a word, she was sitting on the edge of her seat and very clearly uncomfortable.

“If it bothers you that much, then please forget I said anything.” There was nothing for it if she couldn’t bring herself to sit; I wasn’t about to force her just to make Franklin more comfortable. He would just have to deal with it.

“No, my lady, I understand what you mean to do. It is simply discomforting; I will manage.”

Well, this backfired horribly.

What had started as a genuine effort on my part immediately crashed and burned up in my face. Now, instead of looking like I was trying to be kind and thoughtful, I looked like I was somewhat sadistically manipulating my staff… Best to hurriedly change the subject.

“Well, Franklin, we don’t have long, but we do have time. I will try and answer what questions I can, but once we leave this room, I cannot allow you to call me George or even be particularly friendly toward me… Things would get complicated.”

He nodded once and put on a solemn air, “Questions over the line of succession?”

That took me a moment to realize what he was implying, and when I did, I turned tomato red, “Yes, among other things, that might come up…. None of the soldiers and knights with me would even consider the possibility. Rupert and I have a rather pristine public image, after all.”

My old friend balled his hand into a fist and struck his open palm, “I see, so his name is Rupert… And what is this Rupert like?”

 …So it’s going to be like that… Great. No, just perfect.

Still, I had said I would answer any questions he asked the best I could; if he meant to use that in a vain effort to unsettle me, so be it. All I had to do was not give in and behave normally in the face of whatever taunts he cooked up.

To that end…

I nodded and equipped the most serious face I could manifest, “Yes, His Majesty Rupert von Drakas. For the record, my own full name and title is ‘Her Majesty Stahlia von Drakas und zu Ris, Rulebreaker and Princess of the Silver Dragon.’”

I could swear that I heard a snicker from my shadow, but I beautifully and skillfully ignored it by taking a dainty sip of my tea.

“Ris, not ‘Alriss?’” Franklin’s next question was more serious, and he did an outstanding job hiding his thoughts on my proclamation.

“Yes, Ris instead of Alriss, though Lord Alriss is that man’s name; I borrowed it for my infiltration… My real father is a Baron and is currently overseeing his demesne.”

The expected reply was for Franklin to ask how a Baron’s daughter wound up the queen of a country, and I planned to give him the abridged version of events while downplaying the amount of luck involved and instead emphasizing my political maneuverings. He did not ask that question. Instead, he made an observation. One that I had not even remotely considered.

“I see… The way you say that… ‘my father…’ Do you remember your old parents at all? They called about you, you know. Right after it happened.”

Not just Franklin, but I could see Sasha and Jacqueline had both perked up at that and were waiting to hear my answer. The former had only just found out that I was from another world and was taking things rather well, all considered. Jacqueline, on the other hand, had already known about that. Though she had just discovered that I was originally a guy, so she was also taking things rather well.

Sasha is handling everything remarkably well, actually. Actually, I’ll deflect this with that.

“...No…. I have not thought much about them. Even right after being reborn, I very quickly adapted to most things. This,” I cupped my chest to emphasize my gender, “Took some getting used to, but at this point, I don’t think about the past much at all, other than where Claire is concerned. But, Sasha, are you sure you’re alright? This is a rather heavy subject….”

Sasha glanced at Jacqueline and raised an eyebrow; no doubt that she noticed the subtext of me not asking if Jacqueline was alright meant that Jacqueline was already privy to the information, “No, I am not. But like my lady says, this is a weighty subject; it will take time for me to figure out how I feel. Rest assured, though, that I am a professional; my feelings will not disrupt my duties.”

That really isn’t what I’m concerned about, but getting a better answer out of her will be an exercise in futility.

“...That said, it does make some things clear if my lady wishes to know them.” Sasha was not done and asked after a moment’s hesitation.

As this would further distance the conversation from my previous life’s family, I nodded. Sasha began to enumerate, “Well, I had always assumed your odd behaviors were a product of your family’s recent ascendancy. But both of your parents were once high nobles, so, while sufficient, that explanation did not quite make sense. Now that I know you were brought here by the gods, such discrepancies are more explainable. To say nothing of your once being a man explains numerous matters as well.”

Her perspective and current thoughts were very clinical, but perhaps that was to be expected of someone who had been in her position for so long. Franklin had pursed his lips when I thanked Sasha and returned my attention to him.

He’s not going to let the subject lie. Damn.

Before he could bring it back up, I decided to just be straight about it, “Franklin, I once told Claire that George was dead; I am not that person anymore. Unlike you, I grew up in this world. Even if I did still remember George’s parent’s faces, I do not consider them my parents.” Softly, I added, “I also know that for you, it has been at most a month. For me, it has been over twelve years.”

So, please don’t keep bringing it up.

I didn’t mind if he wanted to talk about our past, but I didn’t want to think about my own. It was a fact that my relationship with my original parents had been rocky at best. Hell, all of my relationships had been a bit iffy, except with Franklin. I was in a better place now, and with no intentions of returning, I had no desire to revisit the past.

“Fine, I won’t bring it up again; just thought you would want to know, is all. Then, what exactly is going on with the professor?” He was tactful enough not to press the issue at least.

I seized the offered alternate subject, “With Claire and Felicity, you mean? I am not sure of the specifics, but as far as I can tell, they have two souls sharing what was originally Felicity’s body… A prank of sorts from a certain deity. And before you ask, no, I cannot think of a way to separate them. …Also, Claire isn’t usually so vocal; she generally lets Felicity live her own life. There are extenuating circumstances with the current situation that caused her to take more direct control.”

“Meaning me?” He sounded a bit upset, which, considering the implication that he was responsible for a little girl being in a coma, was probably understandable, “I mean, I’m grateful for the chance to talk with the Professor, but if it means that…”

I cut him off hurriedly; it wouldn’t be good for him to go down that line of thought all the way to its conclusion, “No, not you. The demon in the city, a certain Eris, she’s a demon of Envy, the same as Felicity. It is a thought shared by both Claire and myself that we should avoid Felicity coming into contact with her.”

“Felicity is a demon…?” He raised an eyebrow, and only then did it hit me; Franklin knew nothing.

Of course, he wouldn’t know anything about stuff like that; he hasn’t had any chances to learn. I had all my teachers, but I grew up. Damnit, of all the things to overlook…

“Right, sorry. She’s not exactly a demon; she’s a Nekomatta. Her class is “Demon Aspirant,” though, and she has the [Envy] Skill, which is demonic in origin. Eris is an actual Demon of the Envy family. I’ll see that you are given a thorough background on all of this but, for now, the basics: Demons are split into nine families. Sloth, Lust, Gluttony, Envy, Wrath, Greed, Pride, and Prophecy. The ninth one is not really known according to history; they’ve never been active in any of the wars before now, and we only know they exist because of the demon lords’ titles as “The Nine Hell Kings… Though if the obvious comparison goes all the way, I suspect that the ninth species will be something with betrayal or treason. Also, there’s technically ten of them now, as I recently learned one of the kings evolved; from wrath to hatred.”

I paused to take a breath, and Franklin gave me an incredulous look, “If I hadn’t met a goddess face to face, I wouldn’t believe any of that, you know.”

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“Why, thank you.” I winked at him. I couldn’t help myself. This earned me a disapproving look from Sasha, which was ignored. It wasn’t really flirting if I didn’t intend it that way, and if Franklin took it that way, I would stop. Really, I just wanted to poke him a bit.

He grimaced and shook his head emphatically in denial, “No, not you. A literal goddess.”

And he took me completely seriously. What the hell?

“...I know you didn’t mean me, sorry. I just wanted to try that line once with someone who would get the joke; sorry. But, you met one of them face to face? Did you get her name? Or her appearance?” Considering he was the Champion of Summer, it was Bellyes, the only goddess in the Summer Faction, but it didn’t hurt anything to double-check with him first.

“She was gorgeous, blonde, wearing a dress that emphasized her figure… Really, I don’t think I can see women the same way again after seeing her…”

…Well, I suppose I can’t rule out her changing her appearance, but that’s not Bellyes. Good thing I checked and didn’t just assume…

Based on his description, it sounded like, “The Goddess of Light? Is that what she called herself?”

Franklin nodded absentmindedly, probably still enthralled by the memory of divine beauty he was now reliving. It looked kind of gross, in all honesty. But the knowledge that he had met her was important. After all, he had gotten a face-to-face with one of the big three, the gods who oversaw and orchestrated both sides in this cycle. To my knowledge, only a handful of people, including myself, could claim that. It was no small trivia and was yet another mark pointing out how this iteration was different.

Evolving Hell Kings, a Rulebreaker, a Champion meeting the head of their side, and a beastkin growing a second tail. Not to mention that all nine kings are taking part instead of only a couple, one of the champions has already been replaced before the start of it all… Winter. I need to make finding the new Winter Champion my next priority.

Something told me that doing so would be the key to unlocking some bigger mystery. In the meantime, Franklin seemed to be coming out of his stupor and looked around hesitantly.

“Uhm, I’m sorry about that… I’m not quite sure what came over me there.” He was self-aware, at least, “Based on your reaction, though, I take it that goddess is bad news?”

Lightly, I touched my face, only to discover that I was grimacing sourly. I promptly erased that expression before answering in the affirmative, “Yea. Well, it is certainly not good news… Look, I could go on and on about the gods and demons, but let’s not. There will be plenty of time to get you up to speed later, but not so much for us to be so open.”

“Yea, I was going to suggest that. As helpful as the information is, I can always ask you as the junior champion.”

Even saying that neither of us proceeded with the conversation. It was as though there was a certain invisible barrier between us. Very likely, despite how he seemed not to care, Franklin was intimately aware of my new (to him) body, and it was making it hard for him to speak. After all, this wasn’t one of Claire’s manga or a video game where people could just move past something so jarring.

“Is there really nothing you want to know? This is pretty awkward.”

Sasha leaned out and refilled Franklin’s teacup; I hadn’t realized, but he had been rather obsessively drinking it; a sure sign that he likewise found the situation unique.

“Yea,” he began, “It is, but I can’t get past a certain thought, and it’s sort of distracting me.”

I had an awful feeling about this, but if he didn’t get past whatever this was, the conversation would go nowhere. As that was the case, “Well, you will not have an opportunity to ask for some time after today; I cannot make a habit of being alone with you.”

He nodded, “And, that’s the crux of the issue really. I mean, I can’t help but think about it, you know?”

My feeling of trepidation was getting worse, “And what is ‘it?’”

“Sex, damnit. You’re married, and a queen. So that means you’re supposed to make an heir, right?”

Even though I had my suspicions that this was what he was on about, I still turned tomato red again. We hadn’t fully resolved this question the last time it came up, and his fixation on it was somewhat understandable; at least, were I in his shoes, I thought I might be as interested. Obviously, the answer to his question was ‘no.’ Rupert and I had not done anything yet. But that didn’t make it any less awkward a topic.

But I did promise to answer anything…

“...Not yet, though yes, I will eventually. What about you and Taya? She seems rather fond of you.” I answered his question but also deflected back to him.

And, now it was Franklin's turn to turn red, “No, we haven’t. I mean, really? Do you think she is? I suspected Leana might have a crush on me, but she’s way too young… But Taya? There’s the thing with her younger sister to consider; I don’t think romance is even on her radar now.”

His babbling was somewhat amusing, but it would be cruel to make fun of him knowing how awkward I felt when on the receiving end of this subject, “I didn’t say romance, but what’s this about her sister?”

I’ll ignore the fact that there’s a ‘Leana’ as well, probably those two luck talents and his high charisma stat… I’ll also keep Rosial away from him. Claire can handle Felicity… And my maids are all adults, but I think I’ll also make a point of forbidding contact.

“...Right, I don’t think it’s my place to say anything, but you’d find out pretty easily on your own. One of the disappearance victims was Taya’s sister. That’s sort of how I met her; she was out looking for any traces of the perpetrator, and I wound up getting caught tailing her.”

Wow, your luck carried you hard.

The fact that Franklin hadn’t gotten killed and instead added +1 to his harem was…

Nope, not going there.

“Well, call it woman’s intuition, but I think she likes you; she was pretty clearly acting jealous toward me at least. As far as her sister is concerned, I’ll make a point of asking Eris before I kill her, but I think it's safe to say that none of the victims survived.”

Franklin nodded, “Aye, I thought it might be that way. But, ‘before I kill her?’ Just like that?”

His modern sensibilities seemed to be kicking in, and with them, a sudden worry sparked in my mind.

Wait a minute. His stated goal was to find a way home. He’s already building a harem. And his skills are based on having extremely good luck… Now, he sounds opposed to killing enemies… Oh god.

Fortunately, it seemed I was jumping the gun a little bit, as his next words forestalled my knee-jerk reaction, “I mean, this is war, and from the sounds of everything I’ve gathered, an existential war at that. Plus, it’s not like the rules of war apply, right?”

I shook my head, “I do my best to mitigate bystander casualties, like how I am approaching the upcoming siege. But, at the end of the day, sacrificing the few to save the many, prioritizing Drakan lives over those of other nations… I’m a monarchal leader; the least I can do is be an ideal monarch. Even if my hands get dirty in the process.”

Franklin nodded, “War is hell, but what do you mean by “Siege of Zesten…?”

Oh shit. I guess he didn’t realize what the men packing up meant… Actually, wait, Taya realized, right?

As it turned out, I had a lot more explaining to do before the day was through.

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