A king consort.
She'd just gotten dropped into a strange body and she was already expected to marry someone?
The man stared at her patiently. "...Your majesty, don't give me that look. The empress must marry a king consort to retain her throne."
Empress? Marry a king to retain the throne?
There was something about it that just rubbed her the wrong way. She stared at the man, whose gaze back at her was stern, unbending, and perhaps a little challenging. His graying hair and dark brown eyes added to the 'matter settled' feeling his presence exuded. She didn't like it.
In fact, the more she looked at him, the more her right hand ached with the desire to slap the look right off his face.
Startled and cornered animal though she was, however, randomly striking servants didn't seem like a wise choice.
Even if she really wanted to.
Instead, she settled on, "Can't I rule alone, though?"
It sounded whiny even to her ears. She hoped her expression didn't make her look as sullen as she sounded.
"....This isn't a game, Your majesty. Empress Isabelle."
What's with that emphasis? Why's he saying that like it means something?
The man continued, "Nevremia is on the brink of ruin. Your people need a strong leader. And a king consort will strengthen you as our empress. We need political allies after the mess your moth-"
He cut himself off, a bit too late.
Not that she cared. She couldn't be offended for a woman she had no concept of. She could, however, be annoyed at him for being insistent. She shook her head.
"I know I know. I need a king consort."
The man nodded.
"But. Why are we doing it this way?" She asked, her tone genuinely curious. "I mean, wouldn't it be better for us to establish trust in my rule, prove I'm a worthy and competent empress who deserves the people's faith and respect, and won't make the same mistakes my mother," apparently "did, before we think about trying to add foreign diplomacy into the mix?"
The man blinked owlishly at her.
It almost made her wonder if she'd just spoken another language.
After a pause, he shifted, clearing his throat awkwardly. "You. What? I, uh, beg your pardon?"
She squinted.
Did she break this man?
"...Are you all right?"
He shook his head quickly. "Never mind. Empress Isabelle, it is part of our laws. The empress must have a king consort!"
She huffed and crossed her arms. "If that's the case, as empress I can just invalidate that law."
".....Pardon?"
"It's simple. I become empress, right? I sit on the throne, the empire's mine. So it's all in my jurisdiction. I just get up and change the law. Dictator, baby."
The man paled and waved his hands. "E-Emperor Isabelle, please wait a second..."
"In fact~!" She pointed at him, feeling a stroke of inspiration. "Not only can an empress rule alone, she can have a whole harem of male concubines!"
There.
He could chew on that.
A little.
It would let him think about the idiocy of these archaic traditions they wanted to impose upon her instead of trying to force her into some kind of marriage arrangement before she'd even had the time to come to terms with where she was. Not that he'd know that last bit.
Except.
He didn't look like he was thinking at all.
Actually, she would venture to say he'd gone catatonic.
"...Hey, you there, servant guy?" She asked, leaning forward and squinting at him hard.
Suddenly a...pop up...appeared in front of him.
[~~STATS~~
Archibald Hiernianos - Steward of the Empire
Class: Imperial Servant
Sex: Male
Age: 59 years
Height: 5'10 ft
Weight: 174 lb
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Eye Color: Hazel Green
Skill: Shrewd Dealer
Mood: Shock
Affection points: 0
Kinks: Sadism]
She just about fell off the bed in surprise. The pop up was like a jump scare without the noise.
Then she started wondering what these numbers and words actually meant. Were they important? Invisible? Did she hallucinate them? If she did, she probably needed to go see a doctor.
While she stared, she noticed a blinking red circle hovering in the upper right corner. Curious, she reached out and tapped it.
[CHALLENGE
RANK: 4
OBJECTIVE: Seduce Archibald Hiernianos!
REWARD: 10 SPECIAL SKILL POINTS
ACCEPT?]
Oh. OHO. NO. She thought, a shiver going down her spine. She could think of nothing less appealing in that moment. She immediately scrambled and hit 'DECLINE'.
It still popped up a...tu...tutorial?
[Congratulations, Isabelle! You found your first challenge! Challenges will be given throughout the course of your new life as both an Empress and a woman in this world. There are many missions ahead, but start small! Complete 10 challenges and unlock a reward!
Challenges may include, but are not limited to, completing objectives, learning skills, unlocking secrets, etc. Be on the lookout!
See? All on your own, you came to the conclusion to make a harem of men for yourself. But be careful. This world comes with its fair share of complications and troubles! Best of luck. ♪(˘⌣˘ )]
The notification faded out just like it appeared, leaving her reeling in confusion and disbelief.
Did the hallucination just use a cute emoticon?
As she stared dumbfounded at the place the little text box once hovered, Archibald suddenly spoke.
She didn't know what he said, though, because it startled her so badly she screamed over it.
When she collected herself, he was staring at her with wide eyes.
"...Are you sure you're alright, Your majesty?"
"...I'm fine?"
They stared at each other in awkward silence.
Then he coughed into his fist. "...As I said. I'll...see to it that the new laws are codified as your majesty desires."
He nodded, and then left the room.
...New laws?
"Wait..." She said, to no one, because Archibald was already gone, "A-am I actually getting a harem?!"
....Nothing dramatic happened.
No shadowy servant appeared and answered her.
She just...shouted to herself in her bedroom.
Well. It was a very big bedroom, so likely no one heard her anyway.
She frowned after a moment and cautiously made her way to the mirror again, this time squinting at herself like she had Archibald.
And as if answering her unspoken question, the same pop up window appeared in front of her reflection in the mirror.
[~~STATS~~
Isabelle von Nevremia – Empress of Nevremia
Class: Empress
Sex: Female
Age: 26 Years
Height: 5'7"ft
Weight: 144lb
Hair color: Gold
Eye color: Red
Skill: Unknown!
Mood: Tense
Skill Points: 0
Reward Points: 0]
The skill screen also had a red box on it, like Archibald. Hesitantly, she reached out and tapped it. Could there be...self challenges?
A small screen popped up.
[YOU HAVE NO SKILL POINTS TO SPEND ૮(˶╥︿╥)ა]
...Was it gonna keep using emoticons?
That was almost endearing.
....Almost.
It was creepy if she actually stopped to consider how insane it was for something in her vision to be sending her words with a cartoonish emoticon.
But she choose to go with 'cute' for now, because she couldn't afford to be any more distressed than she already was.
She closed her eyes, and fortunately when she reopened them the stat screen was gone. With a little nod, she puffed out her cheeks. No better way to get answer than to go out and find them, right?