kscans

Chapter 67 - The Witch of Charm Becomes Queen

Queen Margaret provided the King with cigars that induced mana dependency. Those cigars acted on the psyche of the one who smoked them, greatly inflating any doubts or emotions in their heart.

The emotions the King was currently experiencing were due to that. The trivial doubts that were originally in his heart had simply been amplified.

If he suspected, "Is my wife having an affair with my brother?" it would eventually appear to be true.

If he thought, "My son resembles my brother," it would transform into the conviction, "My son is my brother's child."

He was originally a suspicious King. That's why he was so susceptible to its effects. And he was vain.

The King's infatuation with me is not love. It's nothing more than the feeling of choosing a "suitable ornament for oneself."

To the King, I was a unique and "supreme accessory" that was pleasing to the eye.

I let out a soft laugh. The King beside me thinks I am enjoying the cigar with him. But,

Unfortunately, this cigar has almost no effect on me, with my strong mana.

⸻

I was once a mage who was "bought" by the country.

Born into a fallen baronial family, I was a daughter who was beautiful but had nothing more than high mana. My father was addicted to gambling and in debt, and my mother was a baron's daughter who had never worked a day in her life.

Selling a nobleman's daughter to a brothel would be a disgrace. So, when the offer came for "the state to purchase a daughter with mana," my parents jumped at it.

I was sold by my own parents.

But I could not meet the country's expectations.

My mana level was the only thing high about me. I couldn't use offensive magic to protect soldiers, nor defensive magic. I couldn't become a guardian of the Tree Sea.

My aptitude was the "power to interfere with people's minds." I excelled at charm and confusion, but that was not what the country desired.

It didn't work on fellow mages or those with strong mana. As a result, I came to be called a "failure with only high mana."

⸻

But that was more than enough of a weapon to raise myself up.

When a nobleman who came for an inspection made a fuss about "wanting to make me his," I became that noble's mistress. The Mage Order, which had been at a loss with what to do with me, did not miss me at all.

Eventually, that nobleman died. I had merely given him a cigar with a slight stimulant effect and was about to engage in the act. He died right then and there.

From his family, who were concerned about appearances, I received a large sum of hush money.

With that money as capital, I polished my beauty and intellect, created incense and cigars imbued with charm, and ensnared one powerful noble after another, as well as promising talents.

Even those who resisted, unless their mana or mental strength was exceptionally strong, eventually drowned in me.

The girl once called a failure no longer existed.

⸻

I sought even greater heights.

Using recognition-inhibiting magic, I hid my identity and slipped into high society. The past of being a fallen noble's daughter dissipated from everyone's memory.

Surprisingly, the King fell for me quite easily. His mana wasn't low, but his spirit was far too fragile.

Those with fatally low self-esteem are easily captured by illusions. He was the type of person most susceptible to mental magic.

It might be a little pitiful. If he hadn't met me, he could have remained just an ordinary king.

⸻

But I would not end as a mere mistress.

I pleaded with the King, and with the backing of powerful nobles, had my family's rank raised to that of a Count. My parents, who had once sold me, looked at me with pride.

Parental love is, after all, only worth that much.

Now, I was the de facto Queen.

Only one person, Duke Cedric, did not hide his hostility towards me. My charm doesn't work on him.

Is his mana strong, or does he possess a protective tool? From the very beginning, he has paid me no mind and makes no attempt to exchange words.

A truly troublesome man.

⸻

It was at that time that the King made a proposal.

"I want to eliminate my wife and son."

I gave him poison and advised him to pin the crime on the cook. And the foolish King really did kill his queen consort and proposed to me.

I easily obtained the position of "Queen." Not a single noble opposed it.

However, the son survived. He had not appeared on the public stage due to his excess mana.

As I thought, the royal family must have a lineage of strong mana. That is why Duke Cedric is immune to my charms.

⸻

I could just bear the King's child. But if I were to become pregnant, there would be no hiding it, no matter how much charm or recognition-inhibiting magic I used. The swelling of my belly is a "reality" that cannot be concealed by mental magic if someone touches it.

Furthermore, if I were to carry a child, it would be difficult to have relationships with other men. And maintaining a beautiful body would be an arduous task.

That is why I continue to take contraceptives.

The King said, "I want to dispose of my son." But if he ever appears, I can just make him fall for me.

By that time, this King himself will likely be in the way.

I smirked.