Volume 12 - Yomi-no-kuni: 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 compet.i.tions, 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.
The ministers and generals exchanged puzzled glances. What is this insignificant dancer saying? How does she have the nerve to speak so boldly?
“Lynne, how dare you speak without Her Majesty’s permission?” Kanbayashi was both anxious and angry. If this continued, Lynne would cause great trouble!
“Calm down.” The queen’s interest was piqued. What kind of person was this? A mere dancer daring to speak so boldly—Lynne was different.
“Then tell me, what can you do to help me relax?”
“I beg Your Majesty, allow me to pour wine for you. It may not be much, but it is something practical I can do to serve you.”
“Very well.”
Lily stood up. Wearing this outfit while dancing was one thing; standing in it was entirely different, making her feel extremely ashamed and nervous. However, hesitation or retreat was not an option.
With delicate steps, she walked onto the queen’s platform and knelt before her. She picked up the wine bottle and poured wine into the queen’s cup.
At such close proximity, when Lily leaned down, the deep ravine of her chest was entirely visible. Despite the thin layer of sweat and the sweet fragrance of a young maiden, the queen didn’t spare Lily a single glance, as if entirely preoccupied with state affairs.
Lily’s hand shook, causing the wine to spill out of the gla.s.s. In a panic, Lily’s knees slipped, and she fell forward.
The wine splashed onto the queen’s arms, and Lily fell onto her legs.
“What!?” Kanbayashi nearly fainted at the sight.
Neither the ministers nor the queen could ignore this; in a thousand years, not a single servant had made such a colossal error.
For a moment, the queen was speechless.
“Out…outrageous…” Kanbayashi stuttered.
At that moment, Lily’s delicate waist was lying on the queen’s thighs. She could feel the warmth and softness of the queen through the thin skirt.
Inwardly, she scolded herself. Although she was unwilling to fail at seducing the queen with her dance, she wouldn’t have done such an outrageous thing on purpose.
“You disgraceful dancer! Get off the queen immediately!”
“Guards!”
“Ah, I- I apologize!” Lily’s hands waved in panic, her slender white thighs swaying unconsciously. The queen could clearly see her waist twisting reflexively, gathering the energy to get up.
Suddenly, a force as gentle as a cloud yet as powerful as the heavens emanated from the queen’s hand, pressing down on Lily’s waist and holding her in place.
“Huh?”
Lily’s face turned crimson and hot. This force wasn’t something she could resist; naturally, the queen was a powerhouse comparable to Rakshasa-Onna. But what was the queen doing?
She was utterly unable to get up now.
“Shameless temptress! Your behavior is outrageous! How dare you offend Her Majesty!” The Grand Councilor slammed the table with her hand. “Guards, drag her away!”
“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 embarra.s.sing.
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 pa.s.sed 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 att.i.tude had shifted, and she made an excited and understanding gesture. The gesture embarra.s.sed Lily so much that she immediately turned and followed the maid.