Meanwhile, Roland had returned to his private quarters with Mylene. She’d pulled him away from the banquet to admonish him for taunting Leon several times, and Roland was acting like a petulant child about it.
“What a waste,” he said. “I was having fun talking to the young ladies at the party.”
“You’re always like this. Can’t you try showing a little self-restraint? The new king hates the exact behavior you just demonstrated,” said Mylene.
Roland sank into a nearby chair and crossed his legs. He stared at her for a long moment, then sighed. His expression finally softened. “Mylene, I’m splitting up with you.”
She was stunned for a moment. “What’re you talking about?” she asked with a hint of laughter in her voice, as if she thought he was joking.
But Roland was being perfectly serious. “We won’t need to appear together in public anymore. There’s no need for you to continue pretending to be my wife.”
Mylene’s gaze dropped to the floor. Their union had been completely political, but the two had been together for many years. “There was never any love between us, but it still hurts to hear you say that.”
If they split up, Mylene would return to her homeland in disgrace. She didn’t see any hope for her future, but perhaps it was lucky that she’d survived at all. Had they been defeated in the war, she really would’ve lost everything.
“I suppose we can count our blessings that we have our lives, but I have no idea what I’ll do now.” She wrung her hands.
Roland smiled gently at her. He could often be callous toward Mylene, but not today. “Now that I’ve released you, you’re free to live however you want. I’m sure the new king will take good care of you.”
“Pardon?” She blinked at him in surprise. It took a few moments for Roland’s words to sink in. “What an outrageous thing to say!” She must’ve thought he was teasing.
Roland stared at her without cracking a smile; he was utterly serious about this. “I couldn’t love you, but I still want you to be happy. You’ve done so much for me and my country. Let me at least support your chance at finding true love.”
“B-but…” Her eyes darted from side to side, as if she couldn’t make up her mind.
“You should live for yourself,” Roland said emphatically, attempting to give her the push she obviously needed. “Find your happiness, Mylene.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. Lifting himself from his chair, Roland wrapped his arms around her shoulders to comfort her.
✦ ✦ ✦
After Mylene left, a doctor acquaintance of Roland’s named Fred popped inside. He shot Roland an annoyed, if not exhausted, look. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to have Holfort Kingdom’s former queen join the new king’s harem?”
Roland stood up straight, puffing his chest out like he was proud of a job well done. “It’s a perfect strategy, isn’t it? I get the satisfaction of sending a wild card right into that brat’s inner circle, and Mylene gets to be with the one she really loves. Don’t worry. If he chases her out, I’ll support her.”
Fred hung his head. “Please don’t destroy the delicate balance of the new king’s romantic relationships. Things like that can affect the whole kingdom.”
“Nah. The brat’ll handle it well. At least, since Angelica’s got a good head on her shoulders, we can rest assured she’ll take care of it. For better or worse, he’s basically putty in her hands.” Roland grinned to himself and broke into a little jig, unable to contain his happiness. “Mm, I really outdid myself with this one! Stuck it to the brat and got rid of that nag Mylene. Two birds with one stone! My own genius scares me sometimes. I got rid of the concubines and mistresses I didn’t want anymore to boot. All’s well that ends well!”
Roland was actually grateful to Leon. The palace had been simultaneously suffocating and boring. Not only had he managed to free himself of that, the incoming government would bankroll his new lifestyle in the countryside. As far as Roland was concerned, he’d achieved victory over Leon.
“What scares me is that someone like you was ever our king,” said Fred.
Roland nodded. “Right there with you. This country’s got something seriously wrong with it. The new king will have to work hard to fix everything.” He looked pleased as punch about this whole thing.
Fred stared hard at the former king with a sour expression.
✦ ✦ ✦
Once the coronation ceremony was over, I made time to meet Erica. There was a lot we needed to talk about, but most of all, I wanted to check on her condition. This should’ve been a relaxing opportunity to catch up with my niece, but instead…
“S-sorry, what’d you say just now?” I asked.
Erica gave me a regretful look.
The moment our meeting began, she’d apologized to me. She felt her selfish actions had caused us unnecessary pain. Even if she’d come clean sooner, though, that wouldn’t have stopped the empire from doing what it had. Maybe it was mean of me to say, but her actions wouldn’t have changed a thing. Still, she seemed to blame herself for everything.
I convinced Erica that it was arrogant to think she bore any responsibility or owed anyone anything over what had happened. The war would’ve broken out sooner or later. It had been inevitable. Anyway, I didn’t think things had ended too badly. It’d gone about as well as it could have.
But I’d also accepted her unnecessary apology, and our conversation was going smoothly. Then she said something so startling my heart almost stopped.
“Uh…um… Uncle,” she repeated nervously, “I said that this otome title—the Alte Liebe series, that is—has at least six installments that I know of.”
This was a brand-new revelation I hadn’t been prepared for. Not only was the third game not the end of the series, there were at least three more?! The room started to spin.
“Wh-what happens in the fourth game?” I asked haltingly.
The first had been an absolute nightmare, and I’d almost lost my life by the time the third was over. It’d be an understatement to say I was devastated that there were three more to go.
“I think it’s set at an all-boy school or something. I’m pretty sure it takes place on a continent with a desert, but I never started that game myself. I just know the gist of it. If I remember right, the protagonist cross-dresses to attend the school or something like that.”
Erica hadn’t played it, so she couldn’t give me specifics. She only knew some vague details about the game because, as the continuation of a series she’d played as a child, it’d piqued her interest briefly.
“D-did you say a desert? Do…do you know anything else about the other games? Anything else at all? I don’t care how small, but give me something!” Part of me was terrified to learn more, but remaining in the dark would be even scarier.
“The fifth installment takes place in outer space.”
“Outer space?!” I cried.
“The perfect opportunity for me to be of service!” Elysium declared confidently. “Master, you can leave everything to me. I am a spaceship, after all, so I have no problem functioning outside the planet’s atmosphere.”
I was too dumbstruck to react.
“Oh, um, I know the sixth installment goes back to the game’s roots and takes place in Holfort! Um, Uncle? Are you all right?” Erica asked me worriedly.
I sat in my chair, hugging my legs to my chest. My mind had wandered back to that sexy head-elder elf and what she said to me. Something about needing to save the world again.
Tears sprang to my eyes. “I knew it. I never should’ve come back.”
“Master, what’s the matter?” Elysium asked. “If something about all this bothers you, I could completely destroy the continent containing this desert. How about that?”
Erica pulled a face at his radical fix for the issue, but she focused on trying to comfort me. “It’ll be all right, Uncle. I doubt the world will be destroyed easily.” She hesitated. “Um… Actually, I think you might be in for a rough time. Sorry.”
Considering how close a call each previous installment had been, I would probably be on thin ice again. One wrong step would spell the end of the world. That meant I couldn’t just ignore these problems and hope the plot followed the canon storyline.
I shot out of my chair and screamed at the top of my lungs. “Dammit! This otome game world is tough for a guy like me!”