Reborn as a Leader: King's Debauchery, SSS-Yandere Harem and Evolution-Chapter 40 - Vandreat Aristocracy (1)

"Can we trust that woman?" Akhil raised an eyebrow, gesturing over Astarra’s shoulder towards the globed woman and questioning whether he could reveal the information in front of someone who seemed clearly foreign to them.

"....Yes, her name is Amirana. She was my bodyguard in the Empire," Astarra said, clearly wanting to hear his answer while assuring him regarding his doubts.

She could see that he was hesitant to reveal the information in front of Amirana, who was one of the daughters of her mother’s friend and had served as a guard for her maternal family for generations.

After choosing to pursue a path that led her to the kingdom of Vandreat, due to the persuasion of elders and her brother, she made sure to leave behind her bodyguard to keep her father safe from the shadows.

Even though he was a Duke with ample support, having him as the only family she had left made it imperative for her to ensure his protection.

This was also the reason why her father sent Amirana first here instead of any other guards.

"It might sound absurd, but I got this artifact from you." Akhil was clearly aware of the pros and cons of revealing this crucial information regarding his possession of such an ability in front of her, especially since just a few hours ago, she had been on the unfavorable side of him and always opposed his decisions.

However, he needed someone smart enough to deal with matters concerning the kingdom.

This could be considered the reason he revealed his ability to both the Saintess and now Astarra, as he needed her help while understanding that, like scientists, she would not be able to disclose this information to anyone.

Considering that the only threatening body likely to have any ill will towards him would be the Empire, he should feel threatened.

And Astarra would probably, after the assassination attempt, try to distance herself from them, giving him clear confidence in revealing the information.

And of course, he wasn’t going to go into detail about it.

’!?’

"What? How....no, don’t..." Astarra was clearly surprised, but at the same time, her mind raced as she processed his words, recalling that just a few hours prior, when he had arrived to help her, his eyes were naturally black, unlike the golden ones which she remembered turning golden after they had that incident.

"Indeed, I got this ability from you through—" Before Akhil could further explain, he found his mouth covered by her hand as she halted his words from revealing any information.

"NO! I-I understand," Astarra stammered, not wanting him to say those things in front of Amirana, while the crimson flush on her face revealed a rather embarrassed side of her.

"Yes, I can see." He could clearly see the embarrassment on her face, revealing that his worfs had gotten through to her.

Understanding that the events from the morning had impacted her behavior was surprising, considering his memories of her always maintaining an isolated demeanor while treating him with disdain.

"Hm, how is it possible?" Calming her mind, Astarra took a seat on the sofa, crossed her legs, and narrowed her eyes, clearly waiting for him to provide an answer.

She knew that if he possessed such an ability, then he was more than fit to become king. He shouldn’t have tolerated her ridicule or the nobility’s condescension towards him for being incompetent.

So, either he was hiding it intentionally and chose to reveal it when the aristocracy showed him their true colors, or he had just received this particular ability that morning.

These were the only two possibilities Astarra could think of at the moment.

"I possess a physique that allows me to extract an artifact from the woman whom I love," he replied while clearly trying to manipulate his words in a way that would not allow even Amirana, who was hearing them, to grasp the complete idea or extent of his ability. He may trust Astarra, but it wasn’t the same for her bodyguard.

Even though her favorability for him was neutral, it wasn’t clear what might happen in the future, so it was better to be vague, setting clear limits that made his ability not appear as a threat to them.

".....Really?" Queen Astarra narrowed her eyes, clearly not believing his words as she sowed her suspicion by observing his body language for an opening, but he just remained stoic and nodded.

"...."

Looking at his serious expression and the way he seemed resolute, she couldn’t help but feel a hint of him trying to get under her skin again.

As now, due to the lingering effects of the aphrodisiac, her mind was not at its usual performance, leading to a slight hint of embarrassment arising within her.

So, technically, due to all the series of events and the chemical within her body still lingering and being controlled by her will, his words had more impact on her, which was evident from her heartbeat slightly rising as he mentioned how his ability worked only on the woman whom he loved.

And of course, she could clearly see that he was lying and hiding a few things from her, yet she felt embarrassed.

"For a moment, let’s suppose I believe you. What’s next?" Astarra, closing her eyes, mentioned in a way that indicated he knew she was aware of his lie.

She further inquired about their next move, considering that him being here, combined with her bodyguard’s earlier mention of him possessing holy energy, made it clear that he had most probably killed the high priest.

This would inevitably lead to the nobles using this opportunity to retaliate, even though she could think of using help from scientists.

Still, it would be hard to satiate their anger, which would definitely not be due to the death of the high priest but rather their own ulterior motives, likely leading them to directly wage a civil war.

And it was the fact that the royal family only possessed 10,000 soldiers, most of whom were under the command of noble families, clearly making it evident that, in the face of loyalty, they would most probably not be able to count on their own soldiers for help.

’Why did I do this...’ Astarra’s knuckles tightened enough to turn white due to her anger at herself, as she truly realized the situation she had caused by always opposing his decisions.

Now they were in a predicament where they did not possess an army of their own, even as royals.

Akhil clearly noticed her gestures and actions, seeing through them while understanding that she was probably blaming herself for her choices.

In truth, this wasn’t entirely fair, given that the strings were being pulled by external forces while the aristocracy was retaliating.

Even if she had wanted to follow his decisions, she would most likely have become an enemy to the aristocracy long before he did, leading to a swift decline of what had inevitably arrived today.

Her continuous opposition to his decisions had led the aristocracy to remain silent until now.

Even presently, it was the monastery that wanted to establish a theocracy, not the nobles.

They trusted the queen, knowing she was on their side, leading them to embezzle money while remaining silent.