I Married the Beautiful Female Protagonist In Order To Survive

58. We were tinder and flame, utterly lost to ourselves!

Zerola had never dared to neglect any order from Philora, but from this day forward, Philora’s words had ascended to the height of “divine decree.” Seizing the chance under the guise of retrieving instructions, Zerola cast one last, lingering look at Philora, then scurried off to summon Queen Louise III and Henry III.

Now, within the room.

Among the rites of the Royal Family of Great Ying, there exists a tenet: “Never allow the atmosphere to fall cold.” Yet, faced with the present circumstance, even Queen Louise III, Her Majesty, found herself grasping for a conversation starter.

After all, as far as the eye could see: Zerola had merely been responsible for summoning herself and Henry, but what after the summoning? The man stood idly by, caring for nothing, eyes fixated solely on Philora, oblivious to all else. His gaze, so profound, so devoted, it was as though he sought to etch their bond upon his very face, then stand defiantly before others, forcing them to consume pounds of dog food.

Under normal conditions, her calm and meticulous cousin would never have stood idly by, allowing Zerola to fawn over her like a puppy, without issuing a reprimand. However… something felt subtly different today. Philora, unusually, did not halt Zerola’s exaggerated gestures, merely sat, face flushed, refusing to meet his gaze.

In both demeanor and action, she seemed to tacitly endorse Zerola’s behavior, not to mention Philora’s somewhat awkward movements in the moment. Queen Louise III pondered for a while before settling on a rather vulgar phrase that perfectly captured her cousin’s present state.

A sore posterior.

Coupled with the shift in their relationship, and the manner in which she and Henry had been hastily summoned here by Zerola…

In an instant, Queen Louise III understood precisely what had transpired in her cousin Zerola’s chamber, be it now, or rather, the previous night.

Immediately, the Queen interjected, speaking before Zerola and Philora could seize the opportunity to shove more dog food down her throat.

“Enough. There’s no need to report anything to me. I already know your purpose… or rather… what you did last night.”

Her deduction was correct, for as soon as the words left her lips, the Queen witnessed Philora’s growing shyness and unease. Yet, due to certain areas “aching,” she was compelled to remain seated, lest she risk further discomfort.

Since birth, Queen Louise III had never before experienced such emotions as: displeasure, sourness. Now, it was no longer conjecture, but certainty: after the attack last night, Zerola had escorted Philora here, where they had likely exchanged a few dangerous words, igniting a flame. Then… with a “whoosh,” the flame had surged, cooking a pot of uncooked rice into a finished meal.

For a member of the Royal Family of Great Ying, every major event in life demanded meticulous and thorough planning. This was especially true for Philora, a royal relative. Louise III could only describe everything that happened to her last night as “audacious,” for it completely disregarded the self-discipline and rules expected of royalty. Had the subject not been Zerola, Louise III would already be initiating the “gag order” plan.

However, now knowing the situation, Louise III didn’t consider “punishment,” perhaps her heart had already accepted that a certain “outcome” between the pair would eventually occur. At present, she mainly felt surprised.

Then, a word of advice.

“Philora, I won’t comment on your bold actions for now, but… you should at least understand that everything from last night needs to be kept secret for now, correct? You really are… you’ve never given us any trouble since you were young, I never expected you were storing it all up to dump on me at once.”

The reminder was given, and the pair must have surely understood.

However… they immediately locked eyes in a deep, amorous gaze.

“Did you hear that!? Keep your lips sealed afterward.”

“Understood, understood! So, are you feeling any discomfort? Should I prepare some hot water for you?”

“Prepare your head! Just stay put! Hisss… Ahhh! Honestly! You’re so not gentle!”

Moreover, three sentences were enough to shift the atmosphere from bickering to instant intimacy, prompting Queen Louise III to not only rub her brow but actually feel… somewhat displeased!

If she continued to watch, she would either be stuffed full of dog food or drowned in lemon jealousy. While she was not without someone to occasionally fawn over her, both she and Henry were firmly on the side of reason. At least, before everything came to fruition, the sort of tinder-and-flame incident that occurred between the infatuated young lovers would never happen.

“Flora, set aside the academy for now. I’ll conjure an excuse. You two should take a few days to relax.”

A pause, then, as if afraid they hadn’t quite grasped her meaning, the Queen added with greater clarity, “Use this time to properly… engage. Show each other affection. Then, when you return to the academy, your relationship must revert to its pre-yesterday state. Understood?”

Without waiting for a reply, knowing they were unlikely to be paying attention, the Queen declared,

“Come, Henry. Let’s move forward with this. Start issuing the orders.”

“Looks like our plans will have to be postponed again.”

“Ugh… must you remind me? I’m liable to have Zerola’s head for this.”

Zerola had a feeling he’d overheard something momentous the Queen had said, but as the door closed behind the departing pair, leaving him alone with Flora, he promptly forgot all about it. All that remained was the Queen’s edict: “These next few days are for all the affection you wish to give.”

His gaze returned to Flora, and then… he had to consciously force himself to clear his head, lest things quickly devolve into another… “raging inferno.”

“We need to… make it clear, it’s just a few days to rest, it’s not that kind of affection.”

The reminder came quickly from Flora, but her flustered, bashful demeanor hardly lent it credibility.

To avoid spending the coming days as those simple-minded, love-struck fools did, lost in a flurry of… well, he yearned for it, but Zerola was determined to remain serious. He straightened his face into a semblance of composure.

He stated, “May I discreetly escort you out of the palace, to a place within the Royal City? I wish to explore if there might be another way, perhaps, to restore your power.”

“Besides, we could also think of it as a ‘date.’ Hehe… Come to think of it, we haven’t ever had a proper one of those, have we?”

“Hehe…hehe…hehe…”

“Stop grinning so disgustingly! It’s making me think I’ve been tricked by a scoundrel!”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

Zerola immediately straightened his face.

Discounts may or may not be available lately, I’m not quite sure. Maybe tomorrow there will be, maybe there won’t.