Chương 59: Chapter 57 – The Ultimate Betrayal Realized

King Juice The royal strategy chamber had grown quiet by the time the doors finally closed behind the last servant. The banquet had ended nearly an hour ago, yet the discussion surrounding Chelsea Wixx had only intensified. King Juice sat heavily in his chair at the head of the long oak table, one hand rubbing slowly at his temple. The exhaustion on his face was no longer hidden now that the nobles were gone. The performance of rulership had ended for the evening.

Queen Juice sat beside him with far better posture, though even she looked mentally drained. Around the table sat the kingdom's trusted inner circle. Duke Valcrest rested comfortably in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, swirling wine in his glass obviously enjoying the topic. Commander Hale stood near the fireplace in his black suit still impeccable, arms folded behind his back. Minister Corwin Breech sat hunched over several sheets of parchment covered in trade figures and shipping records.

Lady Selene Mire, the royal spymaster, remained half-hidden in the dim edge of the room, silent as ever. King Juice finally exhaled long and slow.

"Well," he muttered, "I think we just met the future." Commander Hale immediately frowned.

"That is probably the most accurate way of describing her." Duke Valcrest replied. The king leaned back in his chair.

"You all saw it too." Nobody denied what they saw. Because they had. Chelsea Wixx had walked into the palace as an eighteen-year-old demon girl in a blue dress and somehow left half the kingdom's merchant elite discussing future investments with her like she had been born into nobility. Not once had she pushed for influence directly. That was what made her frightening. Minister Breech adjusted his glasses.

"She thinks in systems," he said quietly.

"Most merchants think transaction by transaction. Profit by profit. Chelsea Wixx thinks in networks. Big picture." Queen Juice nodded slowly.

"She asked more questions than anyone else in the ballroom."

"And all of them were the correct questions," Breech replied. The old minister shuffled through his papers before continuing.

"She asked Duke Valcrest about grain storage spoilage rates." The duke laughed softly.

"She then asked why we transport imported citrus through the eastern roads during wet season despite knowing full well the wagons lose nearly fifteen percent of their product to axle damage." Commander Hale frowned.

"How would she even know that?"

"She shouldn't," Breech replied immediately.

"That is the problem." The king stared into the fire.

"She also figured out our southern textile merchants are inflating prices because they control too much of the loom labor." Duke Valcrest pointed toward the king.

"That one visibly hurt him."

"It should hurt me," King Juice muttered.

"We've been trying to stabilize textile pricing for six years."

"And she solved the problem in a conversation over wine," Queen Juice added.

"Which she never took a sip of. I don't know if anyone else noticed." Commander Hale looked unconvinced.

"You are all talking about her like she's some sort of miracle worker."

"No," Lady Selene finally spoke from the shadows.

"We are talking about her like she is a threat to the kingdom. A mind like that could warp an economy for better or for very very worse." The room quieted again. Selene stepped slightly farther into the firelight.

"She does not behave like a merchant," the spymaster continued.

"Nor a noble. Nor a politician." Her pale eyes narrowed slightly.

"She behaves like someone who already knows how societies function." King Juice slowly nodded.

"That's exactly what bothered me too." Duke Valcrest smiled faintly.

"And excited you." he pointed to the king.

"Let's not pretend you aren't excited." The king did not deny it. Instead, he leaned forward.

"You all know the state of this kingdom," he said quietly.

"Trade stagnation. Guild corruption. Noble families hoarding labor contracts. Shipping inefficiencies. Rural decline." He rubbed his forehead again.

"Half my reign has been spent trying to stop this place from slowly choking itself to death." Nobody argued. Because none of it was untrue. Commander Hale finally spoke.

"And you believe Chelsea Wixx can fix that?" The king looked toward him immediately.

"No," he corrected.

"I think Chelsea Wixx is already trying to fix it." Queen Juice folded her hands thoughtfully.

"She donates her guild earnings to orphanages. How long before she takes over the orphanages and spits in the face of the church? We all know the cardinals won't allow a demon to make the holy empire look bad. But I don't think she cares. She just wants to help the children." The queen shook her head.

"She reorganized and streamlined the adventurer job system in less than a day," The king added.

"Voluntarily. While removing Baron Weston Counterfort's boy. Prince William told me he had been exploiting the guild for years."

"She networked with every importer and exporter in the ballroom without once appearing desperate for approval," Duke Valcrest said.

"Most importantly?" He smiled slightly.

"Everyone was ranting and raving about her afterward. Not a single bad thing was said, outside of obvious demon racism." Commander Hale still looked uneasy.

"She is attached to Adriane Wixx."

"That," the king admitted quietly, "is the other half of the equation." Because Adriane changed everything. An S-ranker choosing to settle permanently in Junstruce was already historic. An S-ranker emotionally attached to someone with Chelsea's mind? The two of them were their own continental super power.

"She could become the economic backbone of this nation," Minister Breech admitted carefully.

"And Adriane could protect the infrastructure needed to make it happen."

"Meaning," Duke Valcrest added, "for the first time in decades, this kingdom could grow faster than the surrounding kingdoms. The nobles might push back but… with Adriane at our backs?" Commander Hale looked toward the king.

"So what are your intentions?" King Juice stared into the fire for several long moments before answering.

"We do nothing." Everyone's heads turned immediately. The king continued calmly.

"If we offer her an official position now, she'll become cautious. Guarded. Every action afterward will feel political." Queen Juice nodded slowly in understanding.

"But if left alone," she murmured, "she'll build naturally."

"Exactly," the king said. Duke Valcrest laughed softly into his wine.

"You want to see how much she fixes without being asked to."

"I do," King Juice admitted openly. He leaned back again, exhaustion still heavy in his voice.

"Because if an eighteen-year-old demon girl can solve even half the problems this kingdom has failed to solve for twenty years…" He shook his head slowly.

"Then I would be a fool to put chains on her too early." Lady Selene's eyes narrowed as she asked, "And if she becomes too powerful?" The king answered immediately.

"Then we make damned certain she never has a reason to turn against us." Finally, Duke Valcrest raised his glass with a grin.

"To Chelsea Wixx." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Commander Hale sighed heavily.

"To hoping we made a decent impression on her and she likes us." Chelsea Chelsea changed clothes before heading downstairs, once again stealing Ivy's oversized shirt and loose shorts.

"Do you think they liked me?" Chelsea asked as the outfit reshaped itself around her body the moment she finished dressing, the fabric tightening into a fitted sleep set that looked far more expensive than the worn clothes had any right to become. Ivy stared openly, cheeks flushed.

"I'm never getting used to that," Ivy muttered. Before answering Chelsea's question.

"I… don't really know. My father always said to never trust nobles." Chelsea grinned while adjusting one sleeve.

"Probably some wise advice." She turned back to Ivy, who had yet to put her robe on. Chelsea's face went bright red, noticing Ivy was still quite naked. Her heart started racing… why? She'd seen Ivy naked. She'd bathed with her.

"You… uh…" Chelsea stammered.

"Must be starving. Let's go see what Marie made." Tonight made something very clear to Chelsea. The education gap in this world was insane. It honestly made a lot more sense now. Amber had once made Chelsea watch some anime about a guy getting transported to another world and instantly becoming a genius because he had a modern high school education. Amber spent most of the show making fun of it.

"This is the dumbest trope in anime," she had complained while the protagonist explained basic hygiene and math to peasants.

"Apparently passing algebra makes you a god now." The two of them had laughed their way through the entire series, pausing constantly just to mock scenes they thought were ridiculous. Now though? Chelsea was starting to think Amber had been the stupid one. What did the average education of a rat exterminator in the sixteen hundreds actually look like? Probably a lot like the average adventurer in this world. Even shop owners only really needed practical math.

Addition, subtraction, multiplication, currency conversion. Useful skills, sure, but that had been the very beginning of the merchant assessment. Enough for an E-rank. Maybe D-rank if they were especially competent. Chelsea shook the thought from her head with a small sigh. Historical accuracy was not the same thing as a trope. Chelsea wiped away tears, remembering her friend as they descended the stairs. The inn's dining area was warm and lively when they entered.

Marie already had dinner spread across the large table, and the rest of the family had gathered ahead of them. Adriane sat near the end with the exhausted posture of someone who had spent the entire day surviving nobles. Bea lounged sideways in her chair, with an empty Edgar chair beside her. Dewey and Fiona occupied the opposite side together. Chelsea immediately noticed Fiona sitting much closer to Dewey than usual. Usually, she noticed, there was some sort of ritual around this. He would pull her closer.

Maybe they already did it? Or… it was some sort of progress? Chelsea slid into her usual seat beside Ivy while Marie accepted the wrapped heart Chelsea passed to her to warm. Bea immediately leaned forward with dangerous interest.

"So," she said while piling food onto her plate, "you met the king." Her grin widened.

"Did he try to pawn off one of his spawn on you?" Chelsea pointed accusingly across the table.

"How did you know?"

"Because he did the same thing last time," Bea replied.

"First Adriane, then me after she refused." She snorted.

"Good thing she declined, too. I would've given you so much shit for the rest of your life for being the third choice." Ivy laughed into her drink.

"She also offered the princess to Dewey," Ivy added. Fiona, who had only been half paying attention, suddenly sat upright.

"He didn't announce an engagement, did he!?" she asked sharply. Ivy laughed harder.

"No. Chelsea told them the princess would need to defeat you in single combat first." Fiona looked deeply pleased by that answer. Beside her, Dewey nodded solemnly.

"Little Sister Chelsea understands honorable courtship."

"She understands that Fiona would punt her delicate royalty ass through a wall," Bea corrected. Chelsea accepted the warmed heart from Marie with a grateful smile before taking a bite.

"The king also offered us a lord's manor." That got everyone's attention. Chelsea straightened her posture and lowered her voice into an overly regal imitation.

"Ahem. As honored residents of Junstruce, the crown would be delighted to provide suitable accommodations befitting the esteemed Wixx family." She bowed dramatically from her chair, clacking a horn against a bowl while Ivy gave a few polite claps beside her. Bea's eyes moved from Chelsea to Ivy then back to Chelsea. She smiled like she knew something.

"You have no idea," Chelsea sighed.

"The steward gave me a full breakdown afterward too. Sizes, districts, nearby roads, access to markets…" Her eyes lit up.

"One of them even has a stable with horses." Adriane rubbed at her forehead.

"Demons tend to spook horses." Chelsea ignored her.

"I'm going to tour the one I really liked tomorrow. You all should come." She expected them to be excited. Instead, Bea's attention drifted lazily between Chelsea and Ivy as the smile seemed to grow.

"So," Bea said casually, "you two are sharing a room?" Chelsea looked at Ivy as if the answer were obvious. Ivy nodded while chewing on a piece of… honeydew? Huh, this world has honeydew.

"Well, yeah," Chelsea replied.

"Of course we are. Why wouldn't we?" Bea's grin widened further.

"Nothing," she said. Chelsea narrowed her eyes suspiciously before deciding to abandon the subject entirely.

"Where's Edgar, anyway?"

"Assassin's Guild requested him for a special job tonight," Bea answered while stealing food off Adriane's plate. Chelsea perked up immediately.

"Oh! There actually was that special request…" The front door opened. Everyone looked over automatically to see Maggie. Chelsea expected Maggie to come bursting inside full of excitement, ready to interrogate them about the royal banquet, how the dresses held up, the nobles, the king, or possibly all four simultaneously. Instead, Maggie entered quietly.. Far too quietly. She stepped inside, closed the door behind her, and walked straight to the table without her usual energy.

Her shoulders looked tense beneath her dress, and the normally cheerful woman seemed distracted. Chelsea slowly lowered the heart from her mouth. Maggie sat directly across from Chelsea and Ivy. There was no greeting. None of her usual Adriane fangirling. She just remained silent. The entire table noticed the moody Maggie. Bea tilted her head slightly.

"Well," she said slowly, "that's new."

"Maggie, it's so wonderful to see you, dear. How is the shop faring?" Marie asked as she set down the plate.

"Hey, Mom. It's great. Really, really great." Maggie forced a smile.

"Sorry I haven't visited. I had some business with Miss Wixx here."

"Oh, well, it's always a joy seeing you anyway, dear." Marie kissed the top of her daughter's head before disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Hey, Maggie," Chelsea said cautiously, still unsure what she had done wrong.

"I had my tea social this afternoon," Maggie announced. Chelsea immediately grimaced.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry I couldn't make it, Maggie. We were…"

"I heard the most interesting gossip," Maggie interrupted. Chelsea glanced toward Bea, who looked like she was enjoying this far too much.

"Oh yeah?" Chelsea asked carefully.

"What sort of gossip?"

"Oh, I'm glad you asked." Maggie folded her arms.

"One of my friends works down at the bank, and she decided to look into my business loan for me. She said it was approved personally by the highest-ranking merchant in the kingdom." Chelsea felt her stomach sink.

"Oh."

"And not only approved," Maggie continued, "personally funded." Bea immediately leaned forward onto the table.

"Fascinating. Go on."

"The mystery person also gave me the lowest interest rate legally allowed by the guild," Maggie said.

"At first I thought some noble merchant had taken pity on me." Her eyes narrowed slightly at Chelsea.

"Then another one of the girls mentioned hearing rumors about a demon girl becoming the new guildmaster."

"Oh, tell us more," Bea encouraged.

"I hardly know any demon girls." Adriane sighed into her drink. Maggie ignored Bea entirely.

"Anything you'd like to tell me, Chelsea?" Chelsea looked genuinely confused.

"Why are you upset?" That seemed to throw Maggie off more than anything else.

"Why would you do that for me?" she asked.

"I've been trying to figure it out all evening." Chelsea opened her mouth, but Maggie kept going.

"This isn't like hugging me or letting me touch your wings. We're talking about well over a thousand gold." She shook her head slowly.

"There were probably hundreds of businesses more deserving than mine. Bigger stores. Better stores." Her voice softened slightly.

"And why didn't you tell me? I had to hear it secondhand from someone calling you a demon girl." Chelsea finally understood what Maggie was actually upset about. It wasn't the money. It was the why behind it. Chelsea gave her the sweetest smile she could manage. Beside her, Ivy noticed Chelsea had stopped eating. Remembering her newly assigned responsibilities, she quietly picked up the knife and fork beside the plate. The polished metal steadied her hands somewhat as she cut carefully into the warmed heart.

The dense muscle resisted at first before the blade slid through it cleanly, releasing a faint metallic scent into the air. She speared a piece with the fork and held it toward Chelsea.

"Oh, here we go," Bea said immediately, eyes locked onto the interaction with predatory interest.

"This is adorable." Ivy ignored her.

"I just spent the entire afternoon listening to Chelsea explain business," she said carefully while Chelsea accepted the bite.

"I really wouldn't question her judgment when it comes to…"

"It's okay," Chelsea interrupted after swallowing.

"Maggie deserves answers." Maggie still looked overwhelmed.

"Your business is one of twenty-six small business loans funded by the Wixx family," she explained.

"Yes, yours has the lowest interest rate because I personally know it will succeed."

"Twenty-six…" Maggie repeated weakly.

"Your shop desperately needed expansion," Chelsea continued.

"There's barely enough room to breathe in there half the time." She gestured animatedly now.

"You have incredible dresses, Maggie. The talent was already there. The business structure just wasn't supporting it." Maggie looked down slightly.

"Still…"

"And honestly," Chelsea added with a small laugh, "if absolutely nothing else, I alone will probably repay half that loan through dress purchases." That finally earned the faintest smile from Maggie. Chelsea relaxed slightly and continued, "I also didn't tell you because it felt weird." She scrunched up her face.

"Imagine me walking into your shop and announcing, 'Hey Maggie, guess what? I funded your future.'" She shuddered dramatically.

"That feels gross." Maggie thought about that for a moment before slowly nodding.

"Okay," she admitted quietly.

"Yeah. That would've been awful."

"Exactly." The room settled again. Then Maggie asked the question everyone else at the table already knew the answer to.

"Why are you so nice to me?" That immediately drew laughter and snickering around the table.

"That's just what Chelsea does," Fiona explained with a grin.

"If you end up on her good side, she somehow improves your life."

"Oh gods, yes, Chelsea is wonderful, and perfect… we understand already," Bea sighed theatrically.

"Can everyone please stop talking about it for five minutes?"

"You sound jealous," Chelsea replied.

"And you're still a demon virgin," Bea shot back instantly. Chelsea nearly choked. Bea leaned onto one elbow and slowly turned toward Ivy with dangerous curiosity in her eyes.

"Or is she?" Ivy's face immediately turned bright red.

"Bea," Adriane warned flatly.

"No, no, I genuinely want to know," Bea continued, completely ignoring her.

"How does a demon taste when your head is between…"

"Beatrix," Adriane interrupted more harshly. Bea pointed vaguely between Chelsea and Ivy anyway.

"... her legs." She frowned suddenly.

"Wait. Why am I still awake?" That question made the entire table pause. Maggie let out a horrified little squeak while covering her mouth with both hands.

"I-I should probably go," she stammered before standing so quickly her chair nearly tipped backward.

"No seriously," Bea continued, now looking genuinely confused while pointing accusingly at Adriane.

"I know these aren't Wixx secrets, but usually when I start talking about sex or making fun of Chelsea being a virgin or…" Her expression froze. Slow realization slowly spread across her face.

"You figure something out?" Chelsea asked, still red-faced from Bea's earlier comments. Her eyes narrowed.

"Edgar," she said slowly.

"That motherfucker."

"He's been putting me to sleep this entire fucking time, hasn't he?" Bea demanded. She pointed accusingly at the entire table with her fork.

"And all of you assholes knew?" The silence around the room was immediate and absolute. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Bea stared at each of them one by one in growing betrayal. Then she pointed dramatically toward Adriane.

"You! You let me think it was you this whole time." Chelsea opened her mouth slightly.

"To be fair…"

"Fuck all of you," Bea declared. She snatched up her plate and stormed toward the stairs while muttering angrily under her breath the entire way.

"I knew it was weird. Un-fucking-believable. Actual betrayal." The group listened to her continue ranting all the way up the stairs until a door slammed somewhere above them. Silence settled over the dining room again. Chelsea looked around the table.

"Weird," she remarked thoughtfully. Dewey looked over.

"What?"

"That was just as effective as her being put to sleep."