"Good morning, Glenn. Sit down!"
The casualness in her voice made my insides churn. My skin began to tingle the moment I stepped into the small cottage in the middle of the garden.
The aura emanating from the queen was similar to the one I felt when I saw her sitting on the throne. The intensity was the same, but after my awakening, the sensation I experienced was like ants crawling over my skin.
She raised her face toward me and arched her eyebrows as she saw me standing there, frozen, even after her words.
Magnetized, my body moved, and I sat in a comfortable chair across from Selene. She nodded toward the drink she was having, indicating that I should help myself.
With trembling hands, I carefully poured some of the liquid into my cup and took a sip. It was delicious, so good that it even managed to ease the butterflies in my stomach.
"How has your stay been?" she asked, nonchalantly.
"Good... it's been very good," I stammered, staring intently at my cup.
"Look at me!" Selene commanded.
My body shuddered at the order, and involuntarily, I raised my eyes, meeting hers.
I felt Selene's aura gradually weighing down on my shoulders, as if she were increasing the pressure inside the cottage.
"There's no reason to lower your head in front of me," she said comfortably, bringing the drink to her lips again.
Inside me, a mix of emotions bombarded my consciousness. Hatred, anger, and frustration for having transmigrated into this chaotic situation, but also joy and courage for continuing to live and experience so many things I couldn't in my past life. All of this built up, and words I shouldn't have said escaped my mouth.
"Why me?" I asked, exasperated.
A brief moment of silence followed, and the pressure of her aura increased even more.
"Why do you ask? I'm sure you're much smarter than you showed your teachers," she stated.
"Um..." I stammered, unable to respond properly.
"Glenn," Selene leaned slightly over the table. "You were a dead man."
"A dead man who was given another chance to live, a gift from the heavens." Her aura grew in grandeur, and now my entire body was completely tense.
'Crap, I pissed off the queen...' I thought, as my mind raced uncontrollably.
"You can blame your family, your parents, your former teachers, but in my eyes, everything that happened to you was due to your own ignorance."
'Okay, I have to agree. The old Glenn was completely ignorant.' I showed slight surprise at her words, after all, it was what the old Glenn would do.
"Ignorance is the veil that covers the eyes of truth, but also the cloak that protects from the cold of reality."
"You ran from the truth for a long time, and now you must accept it. I am your only reality."
The aura grew again. My blood began to boil, my head felt like it was being crushed, and my body showed signs of collapse. A few more seconds, and I would faint in front of the queen.
"Phew..." Selene sighed, withdrawing her aura and easing the tension in the cottage.
Blood trickled from my nose as I gasped, trying to regain my composure. I wiped my face before the blood stained the immaculate tablecloths.
"I understand," I said submissively.
"Glenn..." her delicate voice called my attention again.
Looking at her for the first time, I could see within those scarlet eyes. Behind that ominous light of power and majesty, there was something I knew deeply.
'My eyes were like that in my past life too. Full of hopelessness.'
"Even if you think everything that happened to you is unfair or cruel, take advantage of your new opportunity."
"Yes, I'm sorry," I replied sincerely. There was no point in these useless questions. I had a new chance to live, and I would embrace it, no matter the cost.
"I... never had the chance to thank you for saving me. As strange as my... our... situation is," I stammered, unsure how to approach the whole royal consort subject.
A faint smile appeared on her lips. It was so subtle that if someone wasn't paying attention, they wouldn't even notice. But it was beautiful.
"It must have been a shock," Selene commented.
"It still is. I don't really know how to act in front of you, or in front of anyone," I admitted.
"Actually, I don't know what someone of your status expects from me," I expressed my doubt.
Selene nibbled on some cookies while looking at the clouds on the horizon before turning to me and making me shiver inside.
"I expect everything from you. That is the price of your new life!"
My mind went blank, unsure how to react. My mouth opened, but no words came out.
"I'm sorry for the 6%," she said, breaking the tense atmosphere.
"6%?" I asked, confused.
"That day, in the grand hall, you survived. But it wasn't fair. I increased the pressure prematurely," she acknowledged.
Memories I'd rather forget flooded my mind, recalling the moment I lost consciousness.
"How much of my passive presence I released that day."
'6%. What the hell! I can't withstand 6% of her passive presence? So, she wasn't even trying to impose pressure on me.'
"And now?" I asked, curious.
"12%. That's how much your body can handle after awakening."
'12%. Crazy. I can't imagine how far apart we are in terms of power.'
I nodded as if it didn't matter, but inside, I was shaken.
Selene suggested I eat with her. I served myself some cakes and stuffed bread from the table, accompanying it with coffee. But the whole time, I watched her every move.
Then her words hit me like a truck again.
"Yes, Your Majesty," I responded respectfully.
"To you, it's just Selene," she corrected me sternly. "Never call me by any title again," she added.
"Yes... Your... I mean... yes, Selene. What is it?"
"You will visit me every seven days, on all your days off."
She didn't ask; she just informed me. From the tone of her voice, there was no room for negotiation, and I didn't even think to argue. After all, my life was slipping through her fingers.
"Yes, Selene," I replied, still unsure of the reason.
"One more thing," her eyes hovered over my body, freezing me in place. I could barely breathe. "Every seven days, I will increase it by 1%. Don't disappoint me."
I swallowed hard at her command. Apparently, my days off would actually be endurance tests. If at 12% I almost fainted, I was sure the next level wouldn't be any easier.
"Yes!" I agreed with determination. "I won't disappoint!"
Breakfast continued normally. Most of the time, I just admired her beauty, ate some treats, and waited for time to pass.
"May I know what we'll do when we meet?" I asked, curious.
"Today, we'll find a skilled alchemist and a blacksmith."
"An alchemist and a blacksmith?"
"Yes. You're a mage without a Nexus and a warrior without a weapon."
'I see. That makes sense.'
Nexus were the weapons mages used to aid in controlling prana or mana. Usually, they were staffs, scepters, or wands, but they could be any object of interest to the mage.
"Glenn!" she called my attention again.
"From today onward, you are forbidden from displaying your warrior skills in public. No one, except Lesley, Elian, and the maids, can know."
I didn't understand the intention behind her words, but I was sure there was a good reason not to reveal that I was a Warlord.
"Everyone will only know that you are the most talented mage of our generation."
"Cough... cough..." I choked on her words.
"What do you mean? The most talented mage? Why?"
Selene turned slowly toward me, with a firm gaze.
"That's what you need to be to become my royal consort."
She didn't give me a chance to reflect on what she had said. She stood up and signaled for me to follow her. Without wasting time, I walked by her side.
We descended the few steps of the garden cottage when, suddenly, she stopped and looked at me with a mischievous gaze. From her back emerged two enormous black wings, spanning over three meters.
Her right arm wrapped around my waist, startling me. A surprised groan escaped my lips.
"Hold on tight. We're flying!"
In a quick and powerful motion, my body was catapulted alongside Selene's as she soared through the blue skies of Atlas, flying over the imperial capital, Chaos.