Mylene Rapha Holfort sat beside her dear Leon as he explained to her what happened at the Temple and what was done to him. They were in her private office as Leon wanted to talk to her about the situation personally, something that was very touching for her. She had already heard most of it from Angie and Clarice, but to hear the events from the man she loved made everything just that more heartbreaking.
"And then she vanished in a flash of light while I'm left in this state." She held Leon's hands tightly as he spoke. Mylene had only heard Leon sound this helpless once before, when he told her what happened to the Broken Kin Elves. Leon lowered his head and looked down at the floor in defeat. Mylene turned and looked at Angie and Clarice. Both of Leon's fiancées sat across them in a separate couch as a show of support. Mylene could see in their eyes how much they wanted to just walk up and hold him in their arms. She decided to do so on their behalf.
"And this command that Mary inflicted upon you," Mylene slowly broached the subject as she held her love in her arms, making Leon flinch. "How has it been affecting you?"
Leon looked up at her and made a complicated expression. "Right now, it's making me think how much of a mistake being with you actually is."
His words instantly made her feel like stomach was sinking and her face became pale. Leon realized what he just said and shook his head, placing both of his hands on her cheeks.
"And I know that it's not a mistake!" He quickly stated, making Mylene feel like her heart was going crazy. "I know that I love you and I want to be with you, even have children with you one day in the future."
That made Mylene smile and nod. He still loved her. He did.
"But now there's always this fucking voice in my head that keeps telling me about how all this can come crashing down. How I'm a step away from ruining your life, your credibility with the Kingdom, and your relationship with your family." Leon continued, pressing his forehead against hers and closing his eyes.
Leon took a shuddering breath and pulled away from her, looking at Angie and Clarice with a similar pained expression. "And the same thing keeps happening to me whenever I look at anyone else."
"Control has already told me that I can't pilot Black Getter like this without their treatment." Leon continued, not resisting Mylene pulling his head into her bosom. "It's too dangerous for me to doubt what I do in the cockpit."
"Yes, Control said that they are working on a cure, right?" Mylene asked, remembering something that Angie told her about the situation.
"Not really a cure, more like something to keep the voice down." Leon clarified, his voice slightly muffled. A suppressant then? "The only real way to get rid of this is to have either Mary or Livia remove the command from my head."
"God, I feel like a weakling." She held him closer to her when he said that. This sort of thinking couldn't go on forever. It was slowly breaking him down bit by bit. Was this what Mary was aiming to accomplish?
"Leon, my love." Mylene whispered, making him look up at her. "Do you doubt that I love you?"
"Never." She felt herself blush when he said that without any hesitation. Her brows furrowed from what he said next. "What I doubt is whether or not I should love you, or Angie, or Clarice, or Livia. What I doubt is whether or not your love for me is actually the best choice for you."
So that was how it worked. Mylene looked at Angie and Clarice and beckoned them to come closer.
"Leon, you are the one who believed in us even when we didn't have anyone else. You gave us your heart freely and that means more than we could possibly express." She began as she gave his other two lovers enough space to embrace him as well.
"If you currently cannot believe in yourself, then believe in us instead." Clarice picked up the conversation, the three of them thinking the same thing. "Lean on us and know that we will prop you up as you have done so for us before."
"Do you still…believe in us?" Angie hesitantly asked. Leon looked at the three of them and closed his eyes.
"I want to." Mylene couldn't really help but kiss him after that declaration.
She pulled Angie and Clarice aside as they were about to leave her office. "Please watch over him."
"We will, your Majesty." They said in unison. She waved goodbye to the three of them and watched as they walked side-by-side. That Mylene could not do the same yet made her heart ache.
Sometime later, she walked through the palace halls, intent on reaching a specific destination. One that she normally didn't go to voluntarily. Mylene understood that she didn't have the means to deal with the one who did this to her beloved, especially since they are effectively holding Livia hostage. There was also the fact that they were planning on using Fanoss' planned invasion for their own ends. Ultimately, this even went beyond her love for Leon. She may have not been born in Holfort, but Mylene was willing to do just about anything to protect it.
She stopped before an obnoxiously decorated set of double doors that had two armored knights guarding it. Mylene nodded to them and they gave her a salute in return. She took a deep breath and went inside without knocking.
"Hm?" Roland Rapha Holfort looked up from the document he was reading and raised an eyebrow at his wife's unexpected visit. He was not at his desk, instead opting to sit on one of the couches in the room. "I know that face. What do you want, Mylene?"
She repressed her irritation at the way her husband spoke to her. At least he wasn't in the middle of being serviced by one of his mistresses, not that she had any room to complain anymore.
"You're aware that the Principality has mustered its military to attack the Kingdom at any moment, yes?" Mylene asked from the doorway. She frowned at her husband when he rolled his eyes at her.
"It's all anyone ever wants to talk about anymore." Roland complained, gesturing to the paperwork littering the table in front of him. Mylene closed the door and stepped closer, reading one of the reports that the defense minister had been sending to them both. "Of course they're preparing for war. I don't need to hear it every single day."
"Don't you care?" Mylene asked with a frown.
"Don't you?" Roland returned the question, making her grit her teeth. Mylene knew what he wanted from her. It was always what he wanted for quite a while now, ever since she displayed her aptitude in rulership.
He was challenging her. Lucky for him that she didn't really care what he thought of her anymore. It wasn't his opinion that was important to her. She held a bit of satisfaction when she saw his eyes widen in surprise. Of course he did, since Mylene went down on her knees and kowtowed before him.
"Your majesty, King Roland Rapha Holfort, the strongest Adventurer of the Kingdom." Mylene formally said from the floor. She didn't even need to look up to know what kind of face her husband was showing at that moment. "Our country is besieged and is at the verge of war. I implore you, as your Queen, please save us from this crisis. Deliver us, your subjects, from utter destruction."
At first, there was silence.
Then, laughter. Sickening laughter.
"FINALLY!" Roland bellowed triumphantly. "Acceptance! At long last!"
"Please forgive my failure, King Roland." Mylene continued, the words tasting like bile in her mouth. She ignored it and continued. "Despite my efforts, war is at our doorstep. Only you can save us now."
She felt Roland's hands on her arms as he inelegantly pulled her up. "On your feet, my Queen."
"Fear not, I shall valiantly lead our Kingdom to victory. I am glad that you have finally recognized my greatness!" Mylene gave her husband a fake smile and bowed at his declaration.
"Thank you, your Majesty." Before anything else could happen, he bodily turned her around and pointed at the door.
"Leave me!" He grandly stated. "I will need privacy to draft the letters that will call our greatest subjects to arms!"
"Of course, King Roland." Mylene said as she quickly walked to the door. His joyous laughter followed her out of his office. Mylene's footsteps became faster and faster, wanting to be as far away from that man as she could. It eventually led her to an empty hallway. For a few moments, she just looked out the window to the city below.
"Mother?" The familiar voice brought her back to her senses. When she looked around, she found her two younger children walking up to her. Erica Rapha Holfort got to her first, as she was the one who called out to her. She was a beautiful young girl, her long black hair framing her face.
"What's wrong? Who did this to you?" Jake Rapha Holfort asked, looking her over with his sharp eyes. His blonde hair bobbing up and down as he fussed over Mylene. Despite not being his birth mother, it warmed Mylene's heart that Jake loved her as his real mother.
"Shouldn't you two be with your tutors?" She asked instead, pulling both of her children into a hug. "You're both going to be starting at the Academy next year."
"We're on break, mother." Erica smoothly explained even while Jake grumbled at being hugged. "Dear brother pointed out to our tutor that overworking our minds would not result in competency in the subject they were teaching."
Mylene heard her stepson snort. "Dear brother has a name, Erica. How many times do I need to tell you that?"
"Apologies, dear brother." Erica responded, her smile showing that she was teasing her brother. She then looked at Mylene with a look that was far too serious to belong on a face so young. "Is it because of the Principality?"
"Julius should be here, instead of galavanting in a foreign country with his friends and lover." Jake complained, looking away in frustration. "We are at the verge of war and he isn't here to protect the Kingdom he will one day rule."
Mylene smiled at her children. "Yes, it is partially because of the Principality. Jake, you know that what Julius is doing is also important. He would be here if he could."
Erica ignored her brother's grumblings and smiled at her mother. "On another subject, when will dear brother and I be introduced to your secret paramour?"
Mylene's thoughts screeched to a halt and her smile froze on her face.
What did her daughter just ask?
"Mother is not like father, Erica." Jake suddenly said with a roll of his eyes. "She actually has tact."
What?
"Wait…you both know?" Mylene slowly asked them. Her two children looked at each other and shrugged.
"Well, we don't know specifically who it is but Julius has hinted it to us a few times." Erica explained while Jake nodded along.
"Besides, it was impossible for us not to notice how happy you have become in the past few months." Her son added with a smirk, making her blush.
"And you two are unbothered by it?" She slowly asked her children. They both looked at her like she said something strange.
"Why would we be bothered that someone is making you happy?" Erica's question stunned her.
"Julius approves of him, whoever he is. That counts for something." Jake's statement made her smile.
Mylene reached out and held their hands. "Would the two of you like to meet him?"
"Sure." They both answered with a shrug, making Mylene giggle.
"Then I shall arrange something in the future." Her children's acceptance of her new love just motivated her to see this crisis through and get Leon back to normal.
…
"Obey." Mary said as the guards who tried to intercept her suddenly stopped in their tracks. "Take me to your leader."
It was laughably trivial for her to arrive at the central command of the Fanoss military. Bending them to her will went so smoothly that all she had to do was ask people to talk to her. Dressed in the way she was and having the Relics of the Saint on her person had a way of making people take notice and want her attention. Soon enough, people couldn't help but become her admirers. It expanded from there.
She was escorted to a room with several old men sitting around a large table. It seemed like they were in the middle of discussing something.
"Who dares?!" A particularly angry man, wearing black armor with just the worst hair and a large cross shaped scar on his head, stood up from the end of the table. The rest of them followed his example and looked ready to attack her.
"I am the Saintess of Holfort." The declaration made all of them pause. "I am here to take over your little invasion."
"You think that a child like you has what it takes to order us around?!" One of the other old men snarled at her. Even after all this time, men just couldn't help but bluster.
"Obey." That shut them all up. "Sit."
The old men obeyed, like the good dogs they were.
"Now then, what exactly were you all discussing?" Mary asked, taking the seat at the head of the table after making the one with the ugly hair give up his chair for her. She quickly learned that his name was Vandel, Fanoss' Supreme Commander and effectively now the ruler of the Principality.
More importantly, she found out that they were in their final preparations for their invasion. That made Mary smile with how convenient their timing was for her. They continued talking until they started discussing the Dragon God. It seemed that Vandel was going to wield it directly during the invasion.
"And where is the Dragon God?" Mary asked excitedly.
"It is in storage outside the city." Vandel answered with a serious nod.
"Take me there." Mary commanded, standing up. Before she and Vandel left, she turned back to the other old men. "The rest of you, prepare your armies and your strategies. Declare war upon Holfort and let the rest of the world watch as I break the Kingdom over my knee."
"Yes, Saintess!" Good dogs.
The ones guarding the Dragon God sent her questioning looks but knew better than to voice them, especially with their so-called Black Knight personally escorting her. When she finally beheld it, Mary couldn't help but laugh.
It was utterly massive, even taller than most structures. The Armors she had seen during the trip to Fanoss, along with the memories of Olivia and her fragmented self, made it obvious that nothing else came close. Even the Armors called Getter Robo that Leon and that other girl used would be dwarfed by this.
Getter Robo D2, the irritating machine called this. Mary clearly had the superior Armor.
"How will you use it?" She asked Vandel. He gestured for her to follow him to a floating platform that rose up to the Dragon God's head. The mouth part opened and they both went inside.
"Who is this?" Mary asked, pointing at the familiar looking black haired girl that was strapped to the back of the small room in the Dragon God's mouth.
"Hertrauda Sera Fanoss." Vandel answered, the name sparking a memory in Mary's mind. So this was the renegade princess' twin sister.
"Why is she here?" She followed up, poking the unresponsive girl with her staff.
"Her consciousness is somehow still inside the Dragon God." Vandel explained, looking up at the girl. "We have found that using her here makes controlling it easier for me."
Mary turned to the chair that had several levers around it. "And this is where you will sit?"
"Yes." Mary hummed at the response, looking around and finding a lot of room inside.
"Well, I hope that you don't mind me joining you here when the invasion begins." She sweetly said. She traced a gloved hand along one of the levers. "I should be able to supplement this wonderful toy with my own magic."
"That would be appreciated, Saintess." Vandel stated with a nod, making her smile.
"Good dog."
Mary could taste her vengeance already.
…
"The key is balance." Marie lectured to Noelle. They were once again speaking via Control's drones at night. "Don't overplay your helplessness or he'll strangely get bored of you or become suspicious of your reactions. Give some token resistance, but make it look like you are mostly docile to them."
"Should I be worried that you know how to do all this?" Noelle asked, uncomfortable that Marie seemed so knowledgeable on how to act in front of abusive men.
"Do you really want an answer to that?" Marie's flat tone and expression made Noelle wince.
"I'm sorry." Noelle's apology just earned her a roll of Marie's eyes.
"I'm not the one who was kidnapped and has a magic dog collar around her neck." She pointed out to the still captive girl.
The lull in their conversation made Noelle ask something gnawing in her mind. "I'm gonna get rescued, right?"
"That's what everyone is working on. Serge's dad just wants to make sure that what we end up doing doesn't make everything worse after." Marie answered, her voice becoming much softer. "Believe me, if we had our way, you'd already be back here complaining about what happened while Serge and the others finished burning down Loic's house."
"Thanks, Marie." Noelle said with a small smile.
"Not gonna ask about your sister?" Marie suddenly brought up, bringing down any good cheer that Noelle was feeling.
"Do I really want an answer to that?" Noelle's question was met with silence.
"Do you still love her?" Marie somberly asked instead. Noelle's silence irritated her.
"She doesn't deserve it." Marie spat out, surprising her friend. "Forget that bitch."
"She's my sister." Noelle stated in a shaking voice.
"And you're supposed to be hers! But look at what she still did!" She was startled at the ferocity in Marie's voice. "That piece of shit doesn't deserve to be called your family!"
"Marie." Noelle called out in worry.
Marie took a deep breath and looked away. "We'll end here for today."
Noelle looked like she still had something she wanted to say, but ended up nodding instead. "Goodnight, Marie. Thanks."
Marie took a calming breath after the call ended.
Do you wish to speak with Leon?
"Not tonight, Control." Marie tiredly answered, mentally drained by the end of her talk with Noelle.
Do you wish to speak with Julius or any of the others?
"Has anyone ever told you that you can be too nosy?" Marie asked Control irritably.
Not as of yet.
"You're being too nosy." Marie more firmly stated.
Noted.