Chapter 57 - Love And Education

Athena's room in the palace was a luxurious room with large windows, a balcony overlooking the rainbow rose gardens, furniture carved in detail to the point where it looked like works of art, and well lit.

This room didn't suit Athena's tastes, but it didn't go against it either. Athena just needed a comfortable place to rest and the bedroom met that requirement.

And besides, at the moment she was too busy mapping Mifa's body with her eyes as she watched her lover undress from inside the bathtub.

"Are you going to meet the emissary today?" Mifa asked as she dropped her last piece of clothing to the floor.

"Hm..." Athena looked out through the window of the door. Winter was already starting to show its colors in the garden. "I think so... But now..."

It had been nearly a week since Athena's return to Basilian. During this period, Athena postponed the meeting with the emissary for several reasons.

On the first day, Athena decided she wanted to be alone. She spent the day meditating on her powers and used her last soul scroll.

In the second, Athena spent the day with Serien, in the princess's office, seeing what could be changed and what could be added or discarded about the reforms she wanted to put in place in the kingdom.

The third day was the day the Valkyries left. The friends said goodbye with a big party at the tavern where Athena fought Trigan and because of that she ended up becoming queen.

On the fourth day, Athena left everything to Serien and decided to spend the day with Mifa without paying any attention to the request of nobles or caring about whatever the empire wanted.

Mifa joined Athena in the bathtub. With her back to Athena, Mifa lays her head on Athena's collarbone and lets herself be embraced by her lover.

"...Now I prefer to stay here in this warm water with you." Athena said as she kissed Mifa's face and shivered when she felt something and made an embarrassed expression. "Hm..."

"What's it?" Mifa fluttered her ears curiously.

"Your tail... is... Hmm..." Athena bit her lip. "... Encouraging me."

Mifa's face reddened and she jumped away from Athena without getting out of the tub.

"S-sorry! It wasn't intentional!"

Athena laughed and then approached Mifa again. "Here, this way we'll be fine." Athena slipped her legs under Mifa's legs and hugged her so that the girl was on her lap. "See?"

Mifa smiled and the two kissed.

The emissary from the empire waited for hours until he received the news that the queen would not hear him that day.

***

The next day, Athena was in the throne room. At Serien's request, Athena was elegant, dressed in an almost black blue dress, her hair down and with some unique accessories and her new silver crown on her head.

Sitting on her throne carved and forged with lions carvings, with a velvety red upholstery, Athena stared coldly at the men standing in the lower part of the room at the foot of the throne.

The emissary, a tall man with close-cropped red hair and a thick beard of the same color, dressed in a brown fur coat that covered all the rest of her clothes. Beside the man, a fierce green-eyed knight in black armor more detailed and tougher looking than the armor of the knights Athena beat up earlier, outside the city walls.

"So what? What does the emperor want to tell me?" Athena asked whether Serien had already told her the subject.

Her voice was soft and echoed gently through the room.

The emissary tried start to speak, but Serien, who sat beside Athena, spoke first.

"I didn't care when you didn't bow to me, after all I'm just a princess, but now you're before the queen." Serien's voice was grim as her face. "Kneel!"

The emissary's face hardened and he was about to kneel when he felt the knight's heavy hand on his shoulder.

"And why should we?" The square-faced man asked with an arrogant smile. "We are from the empire and you are only from a small kingdom. You should kneel down and listen to the words the emperor wants to convey and heed his wishes without question."

Athena narrowed her eyes in a sharp look and then rose. "Princess Serien, that thing I asked you to do when I gave you that spear of the late Arladele... Is it ready?"

"Yes. I'll get it right now."

"Do it." Athena said and Serien rose from her throne, bowed to Athena and left. "Now, I believe that what the princess wanted is just formalities. You know? A matter of ranking? I am a queen and you are commoners." Athena said as she tied her hair into a ponytail. "Or perhaps in the empire this is not taught?" Athena scoffed.

The knight shrugged his shoulders and grimaced, feigning ignorance. "They teach, but I don't see anyone with a higher ranking than mine anywhere here." The man smiled at Athena. "All I see is the Emperor's next bitch."

At that moment, the knights dressed in dark silver armor, who guarded the throne room, drew their swords, but in a matter of seconds, all ten basilicans knights were defeated, and the imperial knight was not even armed.

Athena sighed at the shame her soldiers were. "Looks like I'm going to have to make them train more..." Athena shrugged in regret. "Why did I go to kill the masters?"

Athena slapped her forehead with her palm three times, as if she were punishing herself, and then Serien walked into the room carrying a sword in a gold and white scabbard.

"Your majesty, I…" Serien's eyes widened at the sight of the knights on the ground and frowned. "What is the meaning of this?"

Serien dodged the passed out bodies, dodged the Imperials, and handed the sword to Athena as she reached her.

"No need to be nervous, Serien. Ah! I won't need this it seems." Athena returned the sword to Serien. "He didn't kill any of our people, so I think it would be a lack of courtesy to kill him."

"Who are you talking about?" The knight asked and ordered the emissary out of the way.

The man in a luxurious coat gave a start when he saw the knight's bloodied gauntlets coming towards his coat and walked away in the blink of an eye.

Athena smiled at the man, ignoring him, and looked at Serien. "There's still a cage left in the dungeon, right?"

Serien smiled slightly and replied. "There's one next to Trigan's cage, across from Den boy's cage."

"These two will pass hmm...." Athena thought for a moment. "Is a year too long?"

"I don't think so, your highness."

"What the hell are you talking about, you bi-"

Athena disappeared from the front of the throne and Serien, and before the knight could understand, Athena pulled on her gauntlets and punched him in the stomach, sending him through the windowpane and the curtains, rolling through the snow.

"Well then. Serien, send some guards to accompany…" Athena looked at the emissary with an inquisitive look.

"Erna." The man said with wide eyes and then yelled aloud as Athena squinted. "Erna Guterio, your majesty." The man said as he bends over.

"Right. Erna, you have no problem spending a year in my dungeon quarters, right?" Athena smiled a cheerful smile and the man shook his head violently. "And the name of that knight?"

"W-with pleasure, it will be an honor to be your guest, your majesty." Erna bowed twice more. "And it's Sir Fritt Seramph."

"Serien…" Athena said and Serien bowed her face in satisfaction and left, followed by Erna.

"Argh! Erna, that traitor…" Fritt said as he walked back into the room with his blond hair wet and disheveled, and blood in his mouth.

"Heh~... You're still conscious." Athena was impressed despite not having used all her strength.

"Do you really think a bitch queen's punch-" The man was saying, but Athena didn't like the disrespectful way he spoke and kicked him out of the room again, through the same window.

The man was flung across the garden, knocking down a tree, breaking the fountain and crushing plants.

Athena left the room through the window, taking care not to tear her dress on the pieces of glass. She had liked the dress and wanted to show herself to Mifa later.

After successfully passing through the window and preserve the dress, Athena realized that she was more feminine and that she cared less and less about things about masculinity. She smiled an almost sad smile and then breathed in the frigid winter air, pushing away and forgetting the past.

The dress she wore, despite being pretty and elegant, wasn't warm, and Athena rubbed goose bumps as she walked through the snow, following the trail of destruction Fritt had left behind.

The man was lying on his back in an overturned mound of earth and snow. He was staring up at the cloudy sky with a pale, disbelieving expression as Athena came into view.

"Are you going to lie there for how long?"

Friit gritted his teeth and growled. "You bitch- Corgh!!!" Athena stepped on the man's armored stomach and the man was still breathless.

When Athena took her foot off of him, the imprint of her shoes had been stamped perfectly into the metal of his breastplate.

"I advise you to be more careful with your tongue..." Athena said with a beautiful smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear and then Athena heard Mifa's voice.

"Athena, who is he? Enemy?"

Athena turned and looked further to the east of the palace, her bedroom balcony door was open and Mifa was making a snowman in the place.

"No, I'm just helping the empire to educate its citizens." Athena said, smiling even with her eyes. "More importantly, how am I?" Athena spun in place, making the skirt of her dress flutter.

Mifa made a passionate expression and covered her hot, flushed cheeks with her cold hands. Athena appeared to be part of a painting. "Aaah~...." Mifa sighed meltedly. "You're beautiful!" She said and Athena laughed happily.

"Why do you look like lovers talking to each other?" Fritt asked as he caught his breath.

Athena turned to the man still laying on the ground and responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's because we are."

The man smiled and then something flashed in the sky.. "Two women? That's the grossest thing I've ever heard!" And suddenly something fell from the sky and a wave of earth and snow came up where Athena was and the ground shook.