Chapter 231: Unveiling the Queen Dowager’s Secret
In the Queen Dowager’s villa, the drawer of the study desk was filled with an abundance of illustrations depicting men entwined in passionate embraces. These were illustrations from a genre known in Japan as BL, or “yaoi.”
“W-What is this book…? Why does Her Majesty the Queen Dowager have such illustrations…?”
Celestine’s face flushed a deep crimson. The ideal lady, who was supposed to maintain a serene smile at all times, found herself blushing at the unexpected sight of the BL books.
(How cute… No, wait!)
“Um… If I think about it normally, this must be Her Majesty’s personal taste…”
If the Queen Dowager was the only one residing here, it was undoubtedly true. On the desk lay yellowed, unused paper and a pen. Could it be that the Queen Dowager herself had drawn these?
“Huh?”
As Celestine tried to avoid looking directly at the hand-drawn illustrations, she quickly scanned through them… and discovered a man strikingly similar to someone she knew.
“Is this… Prince Andrew?”
Among the illustrations of men entangled with one another, there was a figure resembling Andrew Aiwood. Of course, it was likely just a resemblance, but the other man also bore a striking similarity to Andrew’s aide, Yusugos Beturas.
“I have nothing against such tastes… but seeing men who resemble acquaintances entangled like this is a bit much for me…”
BL itself wasn’t bad. People should enjoy it as they please. However, even if they were merely look-alikes, it didn’t sit well with her.
“…I’ll wait outside.”
Celestine averted her gaze from the illustrations, rubbing her upper arm with her hand as she stepped out of the room. Given her closer relationship with Andrew and Yusugos than with Rest, it seemed the shock was greater for her.
“These… well, I suppose I should keep them hidden forever… but could there really be nothing else?”
Rest pulled the drawer open further.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, he felt something snagging at the back of the drawer.
“Is there something there…?”
He reached into the back of the drawer and pulled out what was snagging. It was a wooden box, slightly larger than his palm. The box had no keyhole, but instead, it was sealed with a piece of paper.
“This is…!”
Upon seeing the writing on the paper, Rest’s eyes widened. He recognized the language. Naturally, it was Japanese, the language he had used so casually in his previous life. The riddle at the entrance of the villa had been written in the language of this world, but the text on the box was in Japanese.
(So, the Queen Dowager was Japanese after all…!)
Rest whispered to himself with conviction as he read the text aloud.
“‘What kind of bread can’t be eaten?’ …Huh?”
It was an exceedingly simple riddle. Most Japanese people would know the answer… it was far less challenging than the riddle at the entrance of the villa.
“A frying pan…?”
He muttered the answer without thinking… and in the next moment, something strange happened.
“Wha…?!”
The paper sealing the box tore open on its own, and the box sprang open. A radiant light burst forth, flooding Rest’s vision with blinding brightness…
“Incorrect.”
“Huh…?”
A voice echoed in his ears. It was a high-pitched female voice, one he had never heard before.
“Incorrect. The correct answer is… the toast my mom made this morning!”
“………!?”
Before him sat a girl on a bench. Behind the bench was a wooden gazebo, providing shelter from the sun and rain. The sky was clear, with blue stretching endlessly above. The sunlit black asphalt road extended in both directions, and in the distance, the sea could be seen.
“Is this… Japan?”
Though he didn’t recognize it, the scenery was unmistakably Japanese. A rural bus stop was nearby, and a high school girl in a sailor uniform sat on the bench.
Work Introduction
The Poison King: Having Awakened the Strongest Power, I Command Beautiful Maidens and Become the Lord of a Lustful Harem
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Volume 3 is now available! A comic adaptation is also in progress!!
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