The Marble Palace was, indeed, a structure made of marble.
It might have had some gold or silver decoration, perhaps some white granite, or something else, but all in all, the structure lived up to its name.
Although there was something different about the title 'Marble Palace'.
After all, at least for Neia, who had never been to a palace before, or even a castle or noble mansion, but could still compare it to the Holy Queen's castle, this was less a palace and more a mini-city within a city.
Following close, timidly and restlessly in the firm, confident footsteps of none other than the most holy Titania, Neia couldn't help but have her mind overwhelmed by the refinement and luxury of every inch of the palace.
Not a single speck of dust, with armor of gleaming silver, precious paintings outlined in gold, intricate and gorgeous windows overlooking beautiful, vivid, and beautifully manicured gardens…
One of the Holy Kingdom's greatest natural wonders was Triton Reef, the territory of the Tritons with whom the Holy Kingdom had an alliance because it was convenient to have them as allies.
Neia had never been, but she had heard stories and descriptions.
And while it wasn't appropriate to compare a garden or a palace to a reef… She was certain that, even if it were during the best time of year for the coast, whether before or long after the Demon invasion, even one of these small gardens was incredibly more wonderful than Triton Reef…
However, she gulped, looking away from all the maids and soldiers on the way to… Well, she wasn't sure.
Everyone not only gave Titania a deep, well-deserved bow as she passed, but also cast intense glances at her, at Neia, as if warning or appraising her…
And certainly, this caused the squire enormous discomfort…
"Sorry for the long walk~ This place is huge, haha~" Titania apologized, looking over Neia's shoulder.
"N-No… It's fine." Still, her feet were starting to get a little tired…
It's not that she couldn't tolerate this, but it was still a little annoying… But she wasn't going to simply ruin her chance to not only spend time with the Paladin in White, but also the possibility of having a direct audience with Her Majesty, the Marble Queen, just because her feet hurt a little!
Still, at the end of the corridor they were walking through, a massive white double door could be seen, detailed around its edges and center with gold and gems, guarded by two white-armored soldiers.
"Let me do the talking. The Queen can be a bit picky about many things." Titania blurted out, already nearing the entrance to the throne room.
"O-Of course." Neia answered without hesitation. She didn't plan on talking that much anyway... After all, if she got even one word wrong, it could ruin everything this trip was about.
As they approached, the soldiers bowed to Titania with one hand, opening both doors fully, allowing the two women to enter.
Neia was almost dazzled by the sunlight streaming in through the large window at the far end, reflecting off the multitude of white and perfectly polished objects, such as the floor, which was practically a mirror, somewhat opaque due to its material, and the white walls inlaid with silver flowers.
The first thing Neia saw was that beautiful woman sitting on the white throne, one that was elevated two steps above the rest of the floor, clearly demonstrating that she was the highest-ranking woman in this place. It could be none other than the Marble Queen, whose appearance clearly spoke volumes about her title. She was very white, but that was set aside by her overwhelming beauty, just like Titania's.
[Superbia 2.0~ PNG]
Nitocris Hatshepsut Divinus Deorum… The Marble Queen… The supreme ruler of Deorum Regnum…
And beside her, reading a few scrolls, though her gaze was clearly directed toward the pair who had just entered, stood another beautiful woman…
[Casual Nyx PNG]
As the doors opened, they both looked toward Titania.
The Marble Queen smiled before looking behind the Paladin, seeing Neia… And her smile completely vanished.
On the other hand, the other woman, unknown to Neia, but clearly important, looked at Titania and smiled, and upon seeing Neia, she simply tilted her head curiously.
"Bonjour~" Titania blurted, raising her arms slightly toward the pair, looking at the black-haired woman with a wide, almost glowing smile.
"Good morning, Saint Paladin Titania," Nitocris exclaimed, her tone soft and very elegant, as well as feeling arrogant, befitting a queen.
"Bla- Ehem, Miss Titania~" The other woman greeted the white-haired fat assed woman with a loving smile.
"Hello Nyx~ You look very pretty~ Just like yesterday~ And just like tomorrow~" She said, waving her hand and giggling.
At these comments, which made Neia freeze, the renowned and incredibly successful merchant, Nyx Morgause, blushed slightly, lightly covering her mouth with one of her delicate and beautiful hands.
"Thank you, Titania~ You look brilliant too~" Hummed the… Advisor…?
Titania placed the bunny on the ground, which quickly began hopping toward the throne where Nitocris was sitting, wanting to climb on it, and succeeding, sitting on the Marble Queen's lap as if he were proclaiming his abysmal superiority over the entire universe.
The ruler looked at the animal almost in mild shock, then slightly averted her gaze, but ended up doing nothing, almost seeming to hold back a sigh, and patting the animal.
"You finished your daily walk with Black Flower earlier than usual~ I'm sensing it's because of that girl?" Nyx exclaimed, looking curiously at Neia, who gulped even more at the attention.
"I actually owe her a lot~" Titania blurted out, reaching out to Neia and patting her back, causing her to take a few steps forward until she was beside the Paladin.
"You… Owe her…?" Nitocris asked, doubtful, but showing almost no expression.
"Black Flower tried to fly again…~ And this girl saved him from falling off a tall building~ So I agreed to grant her a favor as a reward~" Titania explained with a wide smile, giving the pair a thumbs-up, as she relaxed Neia with a few pats on the back.
… Again…? Had the rabbit jumped off the top of buildings before…?
No… What was she thinking…? I WAS IN FRONT OF THE MARBLE QUEEN!
Finally snapping out of her shock and confusion, Neia tensed, quickly kneeling.
"M-My apologies! G-Greetings, great Marble Queen!" She squealed, stuttering and starting to sweat.
Nitocris looked at Titania, who nodded, to which the Marble Queen closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Neia.
"This rabbit is the pet of my nation's heroine and saint, so you did a good job, child." The completely white woman exclaimed, making it impossible for Neia to tell if she was feeling any specific emotion.
"T-Thank you… M-Marble Queen…" Neia exclaimed, sighing slightly.
"However, I don't think the reward she asked for was simply to pay us a visit, right~?" Nyx hummed, staring at Neia's chest. After all, her robes bearing the emblem of the Holy Kingdom spoke volumes.
"Tell them, Neia~" Titania said to the girl, who felt a sudden wave of nerves that she could barely calm.
"... I-I come with a... D-Delegation on behalf of the Holy Kingdom…" She stammered, feeling a huge weight on her shoulders out of nowhere… And not just from nervousness… The Marble Queen's gaze alone seemed to crush her with intensity…
"Ah, right. The Holy Kingdom. It's been a while since we've heard from it." Nyx muttered, clutching her chin.
"A-A tragedy struck us…" She managed to blurt out, causing Nitocris to raise an eyebrow.
"Tragedy? What kind of tragedy?" She questioned indifferently.
"...A-An invasion of… Demons…"
And at that word, the tension in the room seemed to increase.
"...I sensed it, but I didn't know it was something that hit the Holy Kingdom so hard." Titania murmured, with Nitocris placing a finger to her cheek.
"And I imagine they came here seeking some kind of military aid." The Queen exclaimed indifferently, an icy tone that made Neia feel like her spine was freezing…
"...Y-Yes… A-Anything helps… W-We… W-We lost huge amounts of cities and soldiers… T-The Holy Queen was… Killed by the Demons, and… We have no contact with several of the Colors of the Holy Kingdom…" She stammered, feeling heavier and heavier as she reviewed the horrible things that happened back home…
"The Holy Kingdom no longer has a government. The people are adrift, and the CAUSE of that may still be out there." Titania blurted out, putting more force into that word.
"Y-Yes… I-It's about…" Neia tried to speak, but was interrupted.
"The Komodo Demon." Nyx finished, her expression serious, though for some reason she was looking to the side.
"So when I defeated it here, it moved toward the Holy Kingdom… But I'm impressed by the speed with which it did so, and that I didn't notice it." Titania blurted out, as if thoughtful.
"T-The invasion happened several months ago… A-According to the High Priestess, Kelart Custodio, only a few days after Deorum Regnum sent an Angel to request recognition of her nation, the invasion began…" The squire explained, sweating profusely.
"I see. No wonder we didn't hear about it. We didn't send any messengers there after that day." Nyx murmured, then looked at Neia. "And that High Priestess, Kelart Custodio, is she still in the Holy Kingdom?" She asked the girl.
"N-No, she's here, in her capital…" She said, causing the Marble Queen to frown slightly. "B-But she went to request an audience a little while ago, and at the s-same time I ran into Lady Titania," she explained quickly.
"Ah… Of course, there was no audience planned today; there were other discussions, so they must have rejected it at the reception." Nyx muttered, scratching her cheek.
"A-Ah… I-I see…" Neia blurted out, clenching her fists…
"Well, that was the favor I wanted to ask~ Would you grant me an audience, Your Majesty~?" Titania asked, smiling at Nitocris, while Neia looked at Titania, frozen.
Nitocris looked at Titania, then at Neia, who froze.
"No." She answered immediately, making Neia feel like her heart had stopped.
Even the Paladin in White froze.
"Something like that would be a waste of time. If the cause of the problem is Komodo, then it is our duty to deal with it. We will send immediate military support to the Holy Kingdom." The Marble Queen decreed.
Neia looked at Nitocris, recalculating what she had said, then looking back at Titania.
"It's basically a yes~ We're going to help them~" Titania exclaimed, patting Neia on the head.
"Ha… I'll make preparations…" Nyx sighed, exasperated, as if she were dealing with a problem she wasn't sure how to solve anyway.
"U-Uh… T-Thank you very much, Your Majesty!" Neia could only blurt out, lowering her head to hers.
"Hmp. If you have nothing else to say, you may go." The proud ruler snorted, gesturing with her hand as if to get out of her sight.
"Do you remember the way~?" Titania asked the girl as she gave Superbia another bow, before turning back to Titania.
"A-Ahm… Yes, I think so… N-No need to escort me, please… I'm incredibly grateful for what you did…" She said, bowing to Neia, but Titania took her shoulder and began to lead her toward the exit.
"Okay~ I must stay to take care of some things anyway~ Tell your superiors, keep this as proof of the Deorum Regnum promise~" Titania blurted out, a golden amulet with a blue gem in the center appearing in her hand. "Delegates will be coming later to speak with you better~" She explained, giving the amulet to the girl.
"Y-Yes… T-Thank you very much…" She said quietly, carefully taking the amulet, but holding it tightly, as if she wanted to make sure nothing happened to it.
"Well~ See you then, Neia~ And thanks again for saving my rabbit~" With a bright smile, the Titan said goodbye.
…
"Countess Nyx." Superbia called, respect in her voice, but still maintaining the pretense.
"Say." She replied, sighing slightly.
"Certainly, it was a wonderful move~" She praised, making Dont sweat a drop.
"... Of course."
"The Holy Kingdom, in the absence of a government, can be taken by Deorum Regnum~ Or a king or queen can be installed at your discretion~ And even then, the entire Kingdom would still be indebted for the help given to end the Demonic threat~" The Marble Queen exclaimed with a smile. "I still don't understand how the Goddesses can plan such things from the moment they appeared in this world~ Their magnificence knows no bounds~" Superbia blurted out, praising the Supreme Ladies with all her might, even while still in character.
"...Yes… The Goddesses are incredible…" Dont muttered, sweating a few more drops. "Ejem. Let's not be hasty. As far as we know, only the north of the Holy Kingdom was attacked by the Demons, the south remained untouched by the invasion… So there may be some survivors from the royal family. We haven't been gathering much intelligence on the Holy Kingdom." She warned, although if there were any survivors from the Holy Queen's family… Well… They could just replace them with a Doppelganger and be done with it.
Still, she certainly hadn't been giving much thought to what to do about the Holy Kingdom… But… Well, since they had the chance~
"However… It would be a good opportunity to explore a little~" Dont hummed, clutching her chin with a faint smile.
And of course, Superbia squeezed every last bit of her brain power she could muster to decipher every interpretation of those words.
She almost wanted to bow when Titania returned to the throne room, seeing as she was no longer with that girl, a pawn of the Supremes.
"Excuse me, Nyx, were you going to your office?" The Paladin asked with a smile.
"Mm? Indeed." The busty woman nodded.
"Since I came back early from walking Black Flower, I have about 30 minutes to spare. Should I join you?" She said, winking at the Countess.
The Demon opened her eyes slightly, but smiled before licking her lips.
"If you wish~" She purred.
…
"A-And that's what happened…" Neia explained to Kelart, who took the golden amulet.
"... So… You went out, you managed to meet with Paladin Titania, she granted you a direct audience with the Marble Queen for saving a… Rabbit of hers… And you managed to get them to provide us with immediate military aid…?" The High Priestess looked around with a complicated look, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing, but at the same time, she wanted with all her might for what she was hearing to be true.
"... I-In short, yes…" Neia admitted, looking to the side.
"S-Sure you're not making anything up…?" Ricardo questioned, sharing the same expression with Kelart.
After all, Sister Custodio had sought an audience and was simply sent to 'wait', while Neia Baraja, the simple squire who was brought into the group simply for her abilities as a Ranger, although the girl had wanted to be a Paladin, simply for going out for a walk, got an audience with the highest authority in the kingdom, and achieved in an instant what Kelart might not have been able to achieve.
It was... Very hard to believe.
"I-I wouldn't dare!" She retorted.
After all, joking about something so serious was not only in very poor taste, but enough to get Neia dismissed as a squire.
"That amulet was given to me by Titania herself. She said it was a token of her promise and that delegates would come to speak with you later..." She said seriously, for even she was very happy and still surprised at having achieved what she had.
"..." Kelart remained completely silent before taking a deep breath and exhaling. "... Right. If what you say is true, then we just have to wait… I'll go get something to drink, my head hurts." The priestess exclaimed, returning the amulet to the girl, clearly showing signs of mental and physical fatigue as she walked away, leaving Ricardo and Neia alone in the isolated room.
"... You better hope what you said is true, Baraja." The Paladin warned with a serious look.
"... Y-Yes…" Was the only thing the blonde could reply before Ricardo left the room, allowing Neia to finally sigh and release the tension and stress she'd been holding in.
However, that didn't mean she was just relaxed like that.
She looked down at the amulet in her hand…
She clutched it to her chest, feeling like, finally… After everything they'd been through… No, for the first time in her entire life… Something was going right~ Something good was happening to her~
A-And if she was even luckier… P-Perhaps… N-Neia could… F-Finally become a Paladin… One sponsored by Titania herself…
If that was the case… Not only would she be fulfilling her dream… But her new idol might even have her as a… A-Apprentice~?
No, no. She shouldn't have raised her expectations so high…
However, another good thing was that, finally, her mother, whom Neia also admired, would be proud of her~
It's not like she didn't want to make her father happy as well, though she was sure that even if he wouldn't be pleased with Neia becoming a Paladin, he would still support her, as he always did despite being away most of the time…
No matter what, Neia felt somewhat confident… And happy~
…
"Y-You~ D-Damned D-Demon~ Are y-you mad that I gave you more work~? Ahn~" Black Abyss blurted out, standing against the Countess's office table, loud 'slaps' heard colliding against her ample rear.
"Your… Fat-assed piece of… What was that accusation about me, huh~?" The Demon Queen hissed, panting as she pounded hard and fast against that gorgeous white ass~
"Ah~ It's just- Nn~ You're being so hard~ D-Did I change your race to Succubus from squeezing you so much~? Nyaahn~" Black Abyss moaned, squeezing the Demon Queen as she had a divine view of the Angel.
"Hn~ No~ It's just that your ass tempts me more and more, sweetheart~ Ah~ So fat and tight~" Dont panted, biting her lip as she slapped the ample flesh that kept bouncing with each thrust she gave, using her other hand to hold her beloved's shoulder firmly for support~
"Ahn~ Uff~ A-Are we going on a trip to the Holy Kingdom~? Y-Your summoning made a mess there… A-Ah~ You didn't notice… Nnn~ Because you're silly~! Hahaha- Ahn~!" She let out mockingly and complacently, trembling happily.
"Tch. That's right~ And I'm going to have to punish your audacity to treat me like that~ Nn~ Your ass is going to pay for your sins~ Ahn~ Y-You really squeeze, sweetheart~" The Demon exclaimed, delivering a strong punch to the divine uterus with her organ born from her abilities, pressing herself tightly against the Paladin, before whipping her back, and continuing to thrust.
"Ngh~! Fu~ Then punish me as much as you want, my love~" Black Abyss blurted out, with one hand caressing Dont's little hand, positioning himself well so that his ass could be well pounded by those Demon's hips. "Of course, if this is considered punishment~ Mufuf- Ahn~!"
"Nn~ Shut up~ I'm going to punish you~ Day and night~ Nn~ A-And, uff~ You're going to love it like the masochistic dove you are~" The Shooter moaned, letting go of Black Abyss's shoulder and firmly grabbing both of her wide hips, beginning to increase her speed even more, thrusting fiercely and violently~
"Ah~! Nnn~! I-I'm not a masochist~" Black Abyss blurted out, lifting her pretty head and approaching Dont's face, giving her a peck and a lick on the cheek. "I just love you so much~"
"Mmm~ Chu~ I love you so much more, Black Abyss~ My love~ A-Ah~ Y-Your favorite drink is coming~" The Demon purred, licking the precious lips of her beloved dove.
"Nn~ I-I'm not going to settle for just one~" She moaned excitedly, squeezing the Demon inside her firmly, pushing her hips back for her to thrust harder.
"A-Ah~ Then I'm going to fill you up while those little humans you helped so much cry for their kingdom~! Because! I! LOVE! You!" Dont roared, giving one last thrust.
A lewd sound was heard as an intense release of sperm took place inside the Paladin, with the Demon Queen cumming hard against Angel's ass, trembling as she kissed Black Abyss, releasing herself without restraint in the love of her life~
Ah~ It felt so good to be happy~ There was no comparison~
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