"You must be joking, right? You actually want me to work for you? Make chairs… and whatever that sweet thing was?" Rin pushed herself up from the chair so fast it scraped the floor. Her voice cut sharp, but her steps betrayed her—halting just before the circle that separated her from the Ant Queen. Her pulse thudded quick in her chest, thumping against her ribs, each beat chasing the next. Her breath came short, ragged, like she had run a long distance though she hadn't moved more than a few feet.
Her hand balled into a fist at her side. "Listen here, you reformed ant—give me my ring back, or I'll make you suffer!" Her words cracked louder than she intended, but she held her ground.
The Ant Queen leaned back as though the heat of Rin's anger couldn't touch her. A faint smirk tugged at her mouth, calm as still water. "And how exactly will you make me suffer? Last I checked, you don't have any powers."
Rin's jaw tightened. "Well…" She lifted her hand slowly, and thin sparks climbed up her arm, crawling in nervous jagged paths. They crackled faintly in the air, bright but unsure, like baby snakes testing their fangs. "I got an upgrade. Lightning powers. And I'll use them to fry you until you're nothing but ash."
The queen tilted her head, voice slipping into a sing-song mockery. "Oh, I'm so scared. The little morsel has lightning powers and will fry me to death." She let out a soft laugh, not cruel, but sharp enough to sting. Then, with almost lazy grace, she set the book she'd been reading down on the table beside her. The air shifted. Her face stilled into something colder than stone, her gaze like sharpened glass. "Even if you succeed, I will return ten times stronger. So sit down now and listen!"
The weight of her words pressed against Rin's chest. Her shoulders tightened. She hesitated, caught between pride and a strange pull in her gut. Then, with a huff that tried to sound braver than she felt, she dropped back onto her seat. "Just so you know, I only sat because I don't like violence. Not because you sounded scary."
"Good for you." The queen folded her arms, her voice slipping back into that steady rhythm. "Now listen. No one in Kaida understands us… except you. And that Sayuri girl—who is under house arrest, thanks to you."
Rin blinked. The words landed soft but heavy, pressing into her thoughts. Her chest pinched. She frowned and bit her lip. "So what do you want me to do?"
"Will you let me finish first?" the queen snapped, eyes narrowing with sudden sharpness. "We need someone to distribute our products across all the lands in Kaida. You're the right candidate. You will be my middleman. Sell our products, and in return, you get your ring back."
Rin stared blankly, as if the words had taken a moment to sink. Then her face twisted. "Wait. You're serious? You want me to be your delivery girl?"
"Yes." The queen's reply came flat, like she was talking about the most natural thing in the world.
Rin crossed her arms tightly, foot tapping the floor with restless beats. "And what if I never came here in the first place?"
The queen's mouth curved into something sharper than a smile. "I had something you wanted. I knew you'd come."
Rin's foot stopped mid-tap. Her mind flashed back to the ring—the way it felt warm and solid in her palm when she first received it, how empty her hand felt when it was gone. Selene's worried face rose in her memory, her eyes carrying that quiet weight Rin hated to see. The thought tugged something deep inside. Her lips bent, part smile, part sniff of disbelief. "Fine… but what's the point? Even if I help, what will you do with the money? You're just… an ant."
The queen's eyes sharpened, lit with a strange fire. She leaned forward, her voice lowering into something softer, steadier. "Yes. An ant. But even ants have dreams. With Kaida's wealth, I will build a paradise for my workers. A place far from here. A place no one could imagine."
Rin tilted her head, skepticism pulling at her features. "You're stuck in that circle. How will you build paradise if you can't leave?"
"All I need is to give orders," the queen said, her voice calm, sure of itself.
"And you'll never see it yourself?" Rin asked, quieter this time, the sharpness in her tone fading.
The queen's gaze shifted toward her workers scattered across the cave, busy with their endless tasks. Her eyes softened—not the cold, sharp glint Rin had grown used to, but something fragile, almost human. "Then let me rephrase. I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for them. Even if I spend my life trapped in this circle, they should have freedom. They should be able to live without fear. They should be able to dream. That is my plan."
Something inside Rin loosened. A warmth spread through her chest, faint but steady, like a candle lit where she hadn't expected one. The queen's words didn't feel like tricks; they felt raw, honest, and heavy with truth. Rin swallowed hard. "Wow… two days and you already sound different." A small laugh tumbled out, soft, surprised at itself.
She pushed to her feet and walked toward the glowing circle's edge. The ash beneath her shoe scattered with a brush. The line shimmered, fragile, then faded into nothing.
The queen's eyes widened, breaking their steady calm. "What are you doing?"
"Your words touched me Golden Queen," Rin said simply. Her lips curved into a smile—small, but firm. "You're no longer bound."
The queen rose slowly, steps careful as she crossed the spot where the barrier had been. Around them, the workers froze, their tiny bodies pausing mid-motion. Then, one by one, a chorus of clinks and squeaks rose in celebration. The whole cave seemed to hum with a new kind of life.
"I freed you. So now you owe me. Hand over my engagement ring. And before you say anything—I will help distribute your products, no questions asked," Rin declared, her voice trying to sound bolder than the quiver beneath it.
The queen studied her, unreadable, then let out a soft sound that was almost a scoff. "Hmph. I liked it in that circle. I never asked you to free me."
The words bit, sharper than Rin expected. Her smile faltered, but she held her chin high, refusing to shrink back.
The queen's throat worked as if she were swallowing something. Then she opened her mouth wide and spat into her palm. A wet glimmer caught the torchlight. Rin's stomach turned.
"Here." The queen held out her hand. The object dripped with slick slime, shining wet in the dim light.
Rin's eyes widened. She recoiled, a squeal escaping her lips before she could stop it.
"But—" the queen continued, voice dry, plain, "you can have your ring as a down payment. Do well, and who knows… you might become my business partner."
Rin yelped, snatching the ring into her palm before her nerves betrayed her further. The metal was warm, sticky, covered in something that clung to her skin. "Ewwww, gross! It's slimy!" She shook her hand fast, trying to fling the muck away. "Why was it in your mouth?!"
"The first time I devoured you," the queen said plainly, her tone like stating the weather. "Before I spat you back out."
Rin's blood froze. Her fingers clamped around the ring, as if it might vanish if she let go. "Wait—WHAT?! You ate me?!" Her voice cracked, leaping into the air.
"Yes. The moment my workers brought you in, I swallowed you whole. But you would not digest, so I spat you out."
Rin slapped both hands over her ears. Her face went red and pale in one breath, her whole body twitching with horror. "Stop! Please stop! I don't want to hear more!"
The queen's gaze flickered in the torchlight, unreadable. Then it softened, as though her words carried something more than cruelty. "And yet—when I devoured you, when you were inside me—" She paused. The cave stilled, every sound hushed. Even the workers froze, their soft clinks fading into silence. "I learned something about you."
Rin lowered her hands slowly, arms trembling. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. She looked up, eyes wide, voice breaking into a whisper. "What…?"
The queen leaned closer, her face half-lit by fire, half-shadowed by stone. Her voice came low, plain but piercing. "You carry so much regret and guilt."