And no father would want his daughter going near a man that tried to kill her twice. Especially not the King.
But her eyes. He could never say no to those kitten eyes. She rarely turned them on, even more rare towards him, despite him being her father.
But when she did, those eyes were impossible to ignore.
The King turned to Lev. "This is a difficult decision to make," he growled. "But you have made solid points, Princess." He glanced at the council and they all nodded in agreement. He let out a heavy sigh and gestured.
A servant walked up to him with a bundle of paper and the royal seal.
Nina's breath caught. A royal seal. If it works the same, that means a decree even the wicked Princess Orchid can't refute is about to be passed.
"Princess Elowin DeMarchess," the king called, his voice booming with authority.
Nina flinched, but also felt impressed. She even has a cool villainess name. Damn.
But Nina also realized—Princess Orchid wasn't just a concept. She was a person. With a full name. Even if Nina was now in her body, the Princess was a real person.
"Your wish will be granted. You shall provide soothing to General Lev for as long as it shall take to heal his corruption and restore his sanity. During that time, he shall be on strict surveillance. Any intent of harm will be met with immediate execution."
Nina bowed. "Thank you, your majesty."
"In addition," the king continued. "If General Lev survives past the six month mark, the both of you shall produce an heir. This heir will be raised to become the next General with immediate effect."
Nina's stomach flipped. Subconsciously, she glanced at Lev. He looked utterly disgusted and uncomfortable at the mention of an heir.
The feeling is mutual, you big cat. She thought bitterly.
"Yes, your majesty," Nina replied, her voice cracking. Even though she wanted to refute it, she didn't know how far she could take it. It was already a lot asking to spare Lev.
"Are there any objections?"
"Just one," the cobra councilor from earlier spoke up. "Princess, how shall you keep him in check? To ensure he never attempts his folly again?"
Nina's heart plummeted. Everyone else agreed, even the king looked at her expectantly, the seal hovering above the paper.
At that moment, Nina knew what she had to do.
"I created a nifty device, once that interferes with any intentions of harm. It can be programmed and cannot be removed unless I wish to."
For the first time since she stepped in, Lev turned to her. "No!" He yelled. "You gave me your word! You said you would never use it! How could you break your word?!"
Nina jumped, terrified at the sudden urgency in his tone. "That scared me,"
Lev's eyes held no anger in them. Just a trace of fear and betrayal. Nina didn't know what to make of it.
A promise? Did Princess Orchid promise not to collar him? Why? What happened?
Urgh! I think I'll use that Plot Reveal sooner than I thought!
"You tried to kill me," Nina hissed, switching from shock back to villainess mode. "Maybe you should have thought about the consequences of your actions, General. What sort of husband raises a sword to his wife?! Be grateful I'm sparing your life, and don't yell at me again."
A hush fell over the hall.
Lev's eyes widened. Something hardened in them, and Nina had the feeling she had just said something she never should have said.
The color left his eyes. His head bowed, and he went still. "Your word means nothing." He said, his voice flat. "I was foolish to believe otherwise."
Guilt washed over Nina's heart.
She turned back to the cobra councilor. "I'll have my husband under control, you don't need to trouble yourself with the means I'll use."
She only said that because she had no idea how the collar worked!
"By the power of the royal seal, I conclude today's trial. Princess, you shall begin his treatment the moment your injuries heal." The King said, stamping the seal over the paper. His eyes hardened and he glanced at Lev, then they softened when he looked at Nina. "Get some rest,"
The rest of the council felt pity. For Lev.
Princess Orchid had never gone out of her way to plead on anybody's case. Not even when her closest maid was caught stealing. For the proud and wicked Princess to stand before the council and "save" someone, that person was already dead.
Only the gods knew the kind of malicious plans she had in mind.
So none of them objected. They gave their approval and said silent prayers for the General. From the look of things, he might not survive to the sixth month mark.
"Get some rest my dear," the queen said. "I'll send the servants with some medicine and tea."
Nina bowed. "Thank you, mother." Her heart quivered.
This Orchid doesn't know how lucky she is. She has both parents alive and they care for her. They seem like good people too. I wonder why she turned out to be so evil.
She didn't want to think too much about it, for fear of remembering her own parents who were taken away from her so early.
Then she turned and walked out without glancing at Lev.
Once she was out of the hall, her knees gave way and she plummeted to the ground.
Before she could injure herself further, a pair of arms wrapped around her and scooped her up. Her head came to rest against a cool chest.
"How did it go?" Mako asked,
She nodded, too exhausted to even speak. Tears gathered in her eyes and she hid her face in Mako's chest. She felt overwhelmed and drained.
"Let's go," she whispered.
"What's the matter?" A new voice asked. One belonging to Princess Orchid's bat husband.
"Long story." Mako replied.
"I'm coming with you two. I have something to tell the Princess anyway." Noctis said.
"Ouuu~ are you about to confess your undying love for her? You sneaky bastard~"
"I will stab you."
"Scary~"
Nina felt herself drifting off, their voices getting distorted and distant till she didn't hear it anymore.
Then, the System came alive.
[ding!]
[hostie! Buckle up! I've got quite the line up for you~]
Urgh, again? Just kill me already!