Demon Sword Maiden - zBook 12: Chapter 31: The Queen of Female Queendom

Dressed in that set of humiliating clothes, Lily sat down and remained in the dark room, waiting… waiting.

“If I hadn’t been forced into this test, how could I possibly end up in these degrading clothes, and now I have to dance in them… So what if she’s the queen of the Female Queendom…”

Lily’s face was flushed crimson, her expression radiating utter unwillingness.

“What if that queen has intentions towards me? What should I do? Not only is her strength the greatest in this Queendom, but she’s also the ruler… She can play with any woman in the palace, regardless of their strength.” Logically speaking, Lily had no chance of winning. If her fears came true, how could she possibly escape?

The embarrassment in her heart was unnerving, making it feel as if time itself had slowed down.

Lily didn’t know how much time had passed before a maid came running in. “Dancer, hurry and get ready!”

“Mm, okay.” Lily quickly got up.

“Her Majesty is earlier than usual. She has already entered the Night Banquet Hall. Hurry, you need to gather outside the hall immediately. When the summons comes, go inside and dance. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Lily followed the maid as the two quickly traveled through the corridors, arriving at a dimly lit room within the palace. There were already two teams of dancers waiting.

“This is the lead dancer, Lynne. The dance is the usual one; cooperate well with her.” Kanbayashi was also there, giving instructions.

“Yes,” the dancers replied in unison.

At this moment, they could hear singing and music emanating from the other side of the dark room through a gap in the sliding doors. It was as if a soft glow was coming from somewhere.

“Her Majesty, the queen of the Female Queendom, is in that room…”

Lily could feel her breath becoming unsteady.

“This isn’t good. I’m actually nervous. I won’t do something as foolish as seducing the queen, but what if I mess up the dance…”

Lily’s hand unconsciously rested on her bare belly.

“I was in that small room the entire time and couldn’t leave. I feel like I need to…”

Although Lily was a throne-realm adept and had the physique of a celestial maiden, it wasn’t as if all her mortal needs had vanished.

They had only changed in intensity.

Lily couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of shame.

“I actually need to use the bathroom now…” Lily could only endure. If she went to the toilet and the queen called them, wouldn’t that be terrible?

“Lynne! Now!” Kanbayashi called out, signaling Lily to start the dance routine.

Startled by the command, Lily quickly stood up and lined up with the others.

The sliding doors opened. The dancers walked into the bright light, forming a circle. The timing of each dancer’s appearance wasn’t up to the individual; the flow of the performance dictated it.

Lily listened to the music in the great hall, stepping in sync with the rhythm.

“Now.” Wrapping a transparent gauze cloth around herself, Lily trotted lightly into the hall with the rhythm. Each small step was a precise dance movement, not just a random jog.

The hall was brightly lit. Two rows of female retainers sat on both sides, holding a banquet. Musicians played in the corner of the hall, and dancers surrounded Lily.

Lily quickly found her position and gracefully spun into place, directly facing the front of the hall. Due to Lily’s height, she could see past the shoulders of the two dancers in front of her. A woman sat on an ancient, elegant low platform at the front of the hall, ten meters away.

That woman had a head full of silver hair, like shimmering moonlight, cascading all the way to the floor of the wooden platform. She was tall, dressed in a luxurious blue-purple dress with an opulent white jade headdress.

“Is that the Queen of the Female Queendom?” Lily silently guessed.

The accompanying dancers moved in a way that resembled a blooming flower, completely revealing Lily in the middle. Lily assumed a posture that could be described as a heavenly beauty, the grace of a fairy.

Lily’s eyes were ethereal, as if she were immersed in the dance she cherished most, yet her gaze remained fixed on the queen. The queen, however, did not look at her.

The queen’s face was fairer than other women, her eyes like water, yet a severity between them made Lily’s heart palpitate; however, those water-like eyes also seemed to hold a hidden sadness. The queen’s lips were light pink, moist like jade, with a beauty mark beside her mouth that gave her a mature look. Under the lamp’s light, the queen’s skin and accessories seemed to glow. Beneath her stunning beauty was the majesty of a mature ruler.

Lily didn’t dare continue looking at the queen, fearing it would break the rhythm of her dance. When the music started, Lily swung the gauze cloth up and began dancing.

As Lily danced, she couldn’t help but become immersed in the performance. She felt the burning gaze of the retainers and maids in the room. Although the retainers were discussing state affairs, she could hear occasional compliments. Though her dance was not the best, Lily could feel their gazes gradually becoming obsessed to the point of obscenity.

Lily could only pretend to ignore the stares and continue dancing; she was a dancer, and she had no right to choose her audience.

When she glanced at the queen, her eyes were blank, as if looking far away. The timing of her glances and flirtatious looks were all perfectly integrated into the rhythm of the dance.

It seemed as if Lily wasn’t dancing to please the audience but naturally displaying her own understanding of the celestial maiden’s heart through her dance.

Whenever Lily glanced at the queen, their gazes never met. The queen wasn’t looking at her.

“Lady Grand Councillor, why did General Chiya not attend tonight?” The queen’s fingernails were perfect, dyed the color of moonlight, looking as beautiful as jewelry on her jade fingers. The queen held a jade wine glass as she asked a woman with curly hair in a beautiful black dress.

“Your majesty, there has been an eldritch force lingering around the Abyss of Parting Sorrow, although they don’t dare enter…”

Lily danced passionately and diligently. As she spun, she didn’t bother to listen to the state affairs being discussed; she only cared about what the queen was saying. However, the queen only talked about state affairs and didn’t utter a word about the hardworking dancer.

“Huh… Why is the queen…”

The dancers were there merely to add amusement to the banquet; it wasn’t unusual for the queen and ministers to discuss state affairs. But today, the one dancing in front of them was her1. Since arriving in Ashihara, when had she ever been treated so coldly?

“Maybe it’s just as the general said? This queen has been asexual for the last thousand years? Could her last lover have been a celestial fairy? She hasn’t even glanced at me2.”

Lily danced and danced, feeling depression settle into her chest.

She wore this embarrassing and humiliating costume, enduring it for the mission. As the ministers continued to stare at her, their eyes filled with perversion, making her feel ill.

Lily needed the queen to pay attention to her; the sooner she could complete her mission, the better.

“Is this queen blind? She’s treating me like air3.”

Although dissatisfied, Lily was naturally talented at dancing, and her posture remained unaffected. She turned her dissatisfaction into an ingenious interpretation in the dance, transforming her melancholy, but the result remained the same.

The queen acted as if she were invisible, treating her like an ordinary dancer! The more she was treated like air, the harder she danced. The harder she danced, the more fascinated the ministers became.

However, the queen remained unmoved.

With her celestial maiden physique, Lily’s stamina was such that she could dance continuously without resting. For the empyrean-realm queen and ministers, it was normal to talk and drink for several days. The problem was that Lily was getting too involved in the dance and was gradually becoming sweaty.

The hall gradually filled with the scent of a celestial maiden’s sweat.

As she danced, Lily could feel her belly becoming more and more bloated, but how could she show signs of this discomfort? Stopping mid-dance to request a break in front of the queen? How ridiculous would that be?

She would be penalized with one hundred planks, no, at least two hundred.

Lily didn’t dare to protest; her only choice was to endure. But with the queen ignoring her, she was becoming more and more anxious.

However, the anxiety only made her dance more passionately and mesmerizingly, turning the dance into a blessing.

“This… this dancer is the General’s contribution? This dance is superior to the celestial dance we saw back in Takamagahara.”

“Yes, this girl is simply too beautiful. If I were a dancer and saw that dance, I would probably give up dancing.”

Several female generals talked among themselves.

“Celestial?” Lily couldn’t help but think back to what General Chiya had mentioned. Exactly what relationship existed between the top of the Female Queendom and the Celestial Maidens?

Upon hearing the compliments the generals gave Lily, the queen’s eyes flickered to her, then turned away, deep in thought about other matters.

The inattention made Lily’s anxiety increase even further.

Are state affairs really putting that much pressure on the queen?

Lily didn’t restrain herself; she used the rhythm to cleverly change the dance. The other dancers were surprised, but Lily’s powerful control forced them to follow her lead.

The steps seemed choreographed as Lily deliberately took a circular path around the stage, her ribbons spinning and flickering in the queen’s sight. Lily could see her ribbons reflecting in the queen’s blue eyes, but the queen just turned a blind eye to them.

“Now.” At the peak of the dance, Lily stretched her body, hands raised as if lost in emotion. The ribbon flew from her fingers like a cloud, trailing like crystalline rain as it fell onto the queen.

“Ah!?” Everyone was stunned, their mouths hanging open in shock.

The dancers and musicians froze in fear.

The lead dancer’s ribbon, carrying the scent of a young girl, fell onto the queen’s hair and shoulders.

Everything froze in silence4.