Horace had only been back in Caria for a few days and had not even opened the documents piled up in his study when a maid invited him to the queen's bedchamber.
Rennala reclined against a couch covered in cushions, her pregnant belly already quite prominent.
She wore a gentle smile and held a cup of herbal tea, looking to be in excellent spirits.
"Horace, Rellana, come sit." She patted the space beside her.
Rellana obediently sat down, while Horace remained standing to one side, a vague sense of foreboding stirring within him.
"I called you here because there's something I'd like to discuss."
Rennala took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "It's about when Rellana should inherit the throne of Caria."
Pfft-
Rellana sprayed out all the tea she had just sipped.
"Huh? ⊙＿⊙" She pointed at herself.
"Sis! Are you serious? Me?"
Horace was stunned too. "Your Majesty, you're healthy and still young. Who abdicates to become a retired sovereign this early?"
"Why shouldn't I?" Rennala set down her teacup, still smiling, but resentment pent up over many years seeped into her voice:
"How many damn years have I been queen? Huh?"
She began counting on her fingers:
"I have no time to research sorcery. Do you know how many years my Full Moon sorcery has been stagnating?"
"I have no time to find a partner. Look at my little sister, then look at me, hmm?"
"I don't even have time to develop a few hobbies. You two even had time to go fight a war in Limgrave. And me? I stare at government paperwork every day!"
The more she spoke, the angrier she became. "And what did I get? The moon picked me out as its sucker and pestered me every night! I finally managed to