Book 12: Chapter 32: Lily pours wine

Book 12: Chapter 32: Lily pours wine

Lily was naturally not so clumsy as to make such a mistake, and even though it was very possible to be punished for this, she still decided to take the risk.

Lily quickly sank to her knees, head down, her long hair pooling around her. Her waist was raised and gently twisting inadvertently, but she did not say a word.

"Lynne! How dare a mere dancer act so carelessly? You dare throw your sweat-stained scarf on Her Majesty? Guards! Drag her away and beat her until she’s unconscious!" Kanbayashi jumped up and roared in outrage before kneeling down in worry. She had accepted money to arrange for Lily to dance here. The dance was great, but she had not expected Lily to be so careless. Now, she was worried that she would also be punished.

In an instant, two female samurai came up to drag Lily away. Offering no resistance or words, Lily allowed them to seize her by the arms.

"Wait," the queen spoke up.

Her gaze finally landed on Lily. Lily’s current clothes were more than enough to drive any official crazy, but the queen remained indifferent.

The queen’s voice was both mature and majestic. She picked up the soft silk scarf. "This is only a girl’s silk scarf, not a dirty thing at all. If you beg for mercy, you might be able to avoid a heavy punishment. Why don’t you say something?"

Lily slightly raised her head to reply, "Lynne’s dancing was unable to satisfy Your Majesty. This is already a serious failure; Lynne deserves the punishment."

Casually putting aside the silk scarf, the queen declared, "Enough, it isn’t anything serious. Today is a good day; let’s not make anyone cry and suffer for a minor issue. You are forgiven."

"Hurry and thank the queen!" Kanbayashi scolded.

The two samurai released Lily’s arms, and she fell into a kneel, kowtowing to the queen. "Lynne thanks Her Majesty the Queen."

"It isn’t that your dancing skills are bad; I’m just not in the mood to watch a dance today."

"So her name is Lynne. She danced very hard; it was quite the experience watching her," an official commented.

"It’s rumored that she’s a slave General Chiya bought at an expensive price, then personally trained and presented to Her Majesty," a general said. This person was originally one of Chiya’s subordinates.

"So she was a dancer trained by General Chiya. No wonder she really made an effort. Though... I feel like this Lynne is far inferior to that Kurei Nadeshiko. What do you think, Your Majesty?" the Grand Councillor asked.

"Is that so? Kurei Nadeshiko’s dance is indeed exceptional, but I wasn’t paying close attention earlier. It’s difficult to judge."

“It’s a pity Kurei Nadeshiko isn’t here today. We could have had them engage in a dance battle for Your Majesty,” the Grand Councillor mused.

“A dance battle?” The queen’s eyes sparkled with interest. “I’ve witnessed sword duels and artes competitions, but a dance battle is a first.”

“Shall we arrange one, Your Majesty?”

“That sounds intriguing.”

“Lynne, Her Majesty has forgiven you. You are dismissed,” Kanbayashi ordered.

But Lily remained kneeling. She knew that if she left now, her gamble would have been in vain.

“Why do you hesitate, dancer? Leave!” the Grand Councillor shouted.

“I cannot leave without Her Majesty’s permission.” With this, the others were silenced.

“You have my permission to leave. You must be exhausted; rest well.”

"Your Majesty, you work tirelessly for the queendom. If I cannot help you relax, I am too ashamed to leave," Lily protested, her head still bowed.

“No need,” the queen said calmly.

“What?” Everyone was confused.

What was happening?

This scantily clad dancer lay on the queen’s legs, and the queen sat there as if nothing had happened.

“Guards, clean the table and replace it,” the queen continued.

This sort of insignificant task wasn’t something the queen typically commanded, but what had just happened left all the maids stunned and unsure of what to do.

Two maids stepped forward and quickly replaced the table and the wine.

During this process, Lily didn’t dare struggle. When she tried to get up, the queen’s hand held her down. She didn’t understand what the queen intended.

The queen didn’t pay any attention to Lily, continuing to drink wine and discuss state affairs with the ministers. After a while, the queen removed her hand from Lily’s waist, but Lily still didn’t dare get up. Lying there was both shameful and embarrassing.

The ministers also found the situation strange, but the queen acted as if nothing was amiss, naturally talking and laughing. In fact, the queen seemed to think and react faster than usual. When discussing government affairs, she hit the important points quickly, forcing the ministers to focus and follow.

The second half of the banquet passed in this manner.

“I’m tired. Let the banquet end. Everyone, rest early,” the queen said.

She seemed to suddenly remember Lily. A slender hand patted Lily’s back. “Get up.”

“Yes...” Lily felt as if she had just crawled out of a box. While the queen was discussing state affairs, she had been lying on the queen’s legs, hidden behind the table...

Lily remained kneeling on the floor, her face crimson, unwilling to look up.

The queen ignored her and left. The ministers and generals glanced at Lily, but since the queen said nothing, they could only leave one by one.

Kanbayashi quickly rushed up. “You little b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲! What were you thinking?”

She grabbed Lily’s hair and was about to deliver several slaps, but a maid whispered into Kanbayashi’s ear. This was the queen’s personal maid, not someone Kanbayashi could ignore.

After listening to the maid, Kanbayashi’s face filled with confusion.

She released Lily’s hair and knelt down to fix Lily’s messy locks. “Miss Lynne, the queen has asked you to go to her palace. Quickly, go.”

“What?” Lily was bewildered, unable to understand.

“Follow me, Miss Lynne. Don’t hesitate.” The maid looked at Lily with a mysterious, sly smile. “I have served her majesty for thousands of years, and this is the first time she has let another woman, aside from the maids, enter her palace.”

Lily stood up nervously, preparing to follow the maid.

“Lynne! Behave well!” Kanbayashi shouted after her.

Kanbayashi’s attitude had shifted, and she made an excited and understanding gesture. The gesture embarrassed Lily so much that she immediately turned and followed the maid.