Higashino Makoto reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her to his side.
"Grown ups?"
"Don't speak."
Kurumi shut her mouth.
Higashino Makoto's fingers gently stroked her cheek, brushing aside the bangs that covered her left eye.
The covered eye was golden.
Unlike her right eye, it wasn't a deep black, but a brilliant gold, like the midday sun.
"Your eye is very beautiful."
"The master said that before."
Can't you say it again?
"OK."
Higashino Makoto's lips curled up slightly as he lowered his head and kissed her golden eye.
Kurumi's eyelashes trembled slightly, like butterfly wings.
"Grown ups."
"Um."
You seem to be in a good mood today?
"Good."
"Why?"
"Because--"
Higashino Makoto paused.
"The tea is good today."
Kurumi paused for a moment, then laughed.
The laughter was soft and faint, drifting away in the candlelight.
"Sir, you really don't know how to make excuses."
"I know."
Higashino Makoto released his grip and leaned back in his chair.
Kurumi.
"Exist."
"Stay tonight."
Kurumi's right eye curved into a crescent moon.
"Yes, sir."
The candle went out.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing the room in a silvery-white glow.
The black cat "Zafkiel" jumped off Kurumi's lap, landed lightly on the floor, and walked out of the room with elegant steps, its tail held high.
The door closed gently behind it.
That happened on the fourth night.
On the fifth night, Higashino Makoto went to Draudillon's room.
On the sixth night, he stayed with Kurumi.
The seventh night--
Draudillon pushed open the door to Kurumi's room.
She didn't do it on purpose.
She just went to the wrong place.
The palace corridors were too long, and there were too many rooms, all of which looked very similar.
She was originally going to Higashino Makoto's room.
She had a document she wanted to show him, a detailed plan for the angels' deployment, but she went the wrong way, took the wrong turn, and opened the wrong door.
Then she saw it.
Kurumi and Higashino Makoto.
On the sofa.
They were playing a game.
Draudillon's face flushed red.
She stood there, her hand still gripping the doorknob, her dark eyes wide open, her mouth slightly agape, as if frozen in place.
"I... I..."
Her voice trembled.
"I've come at the wrong time..."
She wanted to close the door, turn around and run away, and find a hole to crawl into.
But Higashino Makoto's voice came from inside the room.
"No."
He said it calmly, as if he were saying the weather was nice today.
You've come at just the right time.
Draudillon was stunned.
Higashino Makoto sat up in bed, his long black hair disheveled and draped over his shoulders, his dark robe open, revealing a section of his healthy and perfect chest.
A half-smile played at the corners of his mouth, and his dark eyes gleamed with a certain light in the candlelight.
"Come in."
He said.
"Close the door."
Draudillon stood there, still gripping the doorknob, her mind blank.
Kurumi sat up in bed, her black twin tails disheveled and draped over her shoulders. Her maid outfit was torn in half, revealing her fair shoulders and collarbone.
Her right eye was half-closed, and a sly smile played on her lips.
"Your Draudillon."
Her voice was clear and calm as she held a deck of cards in her hand.
"Want to play cards together? Dou Dizhu is a really fun game!"
Draudillon's face turned even redder.
"You... you all..."
"Come in."
Higashino Makoto repeated it again.
The door was open, and it was windy.
Draudillon stood at the door, hesitating for a long time.
Then she took a deep breath.
I stepped inside.
The door closed behind her.
The candlelight flickered in the room, casting swaying shadows on the walls.
The night wind blew through the window, rustling the leaves.
Moonlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, casting streaks of silvery light on the sheets.
The black cat "Zafkiel" crouched in the corridor, its golden eyes fixed on the closed door, its tail swaying gently.
Meow~
It cried out, then turned and walked away with graceful steps into the distance.
The cat doesn't care about its owner's affairs.
The cat just sleeps.
Dou Dizhu is a three-player poker game.
One person, acting as a landlord, is in conflict with two other peasants.
That night, Higashino Makoto was unlucky and ended up being the landlord all night.
They were in cahoots!
No martial ethics!
They're trying to trick me! They're trying to ambush me!
They fought them until dawn, but were ultimately defeated.
They lost billions.
The next morning, Draudillon did not appear at the breakfast table.
The prime minister sat in the dining room, looking at the empty chair opposite him, then at Higashino Makoto sitting in the main seat, his gray eyes filled with confusion.
"Mr. Higashino, where is His Majesty?"
She's a little tired today.
Higashino Makoto picked up a piece of bread, spread butter on it, and took a bite.
Let her sleep a little longer.
The prime minister remained silent for a moment.
"Your Majesty was... very busy last night?"
"Um."
Higashino Makoto nodded.
"Very busy."
The prime minister looked at him for two seconds, then nodded.
"Your subject understands."
He didn't ask any more questions.
He simply picked up his teacup, took a sip of black tea, then picked up a piece of bread, spread jam on it, and ate it quietly.
Higashino Makoto glanced at him.
"Aren't you going to ask her what she's busy with?"
"I won't ask."
The prime minister shook his head.
"I only need to know that Your Majesty is busy. As for what you are busy with, that is Your Majesty's private matter, and I have no right to inquire."
Higashino Makoto's lips curled up slightly.
"You're a really good person."
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Higashino."
The two continued eating breakfast, neither of them speaking again.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the dining table, the silver cutlery, and the white porcelain plates, reflecting a warm glow.
Outside the window, two angels hovered above the square, shimmering with divine light in the morning glow.
In the distance, on the streets of the Royal Capital, the people had already begun their busy day.
The cries of vendors, the laughter of children, and the rumble of horse-drawn carriages mingled together, creating a Peace scene of everyday life in the marketplace.
A new day has begun in the Dragon Kingdom.
Calm, peaceful, warm.
It's unlike any other day in the past hundred years.
On this new day, the Queen of the Dragon Kingdom is sleeping.
A smile played on her lips.
That's not the Queen's smile.
That wasn't the Black-Scaled Dragon Lord's smile.
It was just a tired, but satisfied, smile on a young girl's face after a long night of work.
Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, falling on her face and turning her eyelashes golden.
She turned over, hugged the pillow next to her, and continued to sleep.
In her dream, there were no Orc, no war, and none of the responsibilities and expectations that weighed heavily on her.
There was only one person.
A person with long black hair and black eyes who always says "I know" and is very annoying.
And a black cat.
And another person in a black and white maid outfit, who always says "Yes, ma'am," and has a beautiful right eye.
They were together, laughing and joking, in the sunshine.
"Mr. Higashino..."
She murmured softly, her voice so light it sounded like she was talking in her sleep.
"Thank you."
No one answered.
Only the wind outside the window rustled the curtains, making a soft whisper.
And in the distance, the long, drawn-out chimes of the clock tower.
That's the start of a new day.
It's also the beginning of a new life.