It was a lovely sunny day, and the birds outside were giving a full-on chirping concert in the trees near the castle. Ju was still curled around the pillow, snoring softly. I shadowmelded, leaving my pajamas behind, and slipped straight into the bathroom to start my morning routine.

  I love this bathroom: huge, sunlit, and with a view. The marble is gorgeous, the air is fresh, and the greenery inside the bathroom makes it feel more like a spa than a bathroom. The sunlight, the birdsong, the plants… it’s the kind of place that makes you want to take your time.

  Technically, I don’t need a shower, shadowmelding cleans me thoroughly, but still, I took one. I love the feeling of clean water running over my skin.

  Once I’d had enough, I wrapped myself in a huge bath towel and stepped into the dressing room. That turned out to be a strategic error. I was immediately ambushed by a squad of silent, hyper-efficient maids.

  Despite my weak protests, I was dried, dressed, and had my hair brushed and styled like a life-sized doll. Everything had already been prepared: my morning outfit, a tiara, and even extra hair decorations.

  From the complexity of it - with layers of cloth, coordinated colors, and detailed ornamentation - it was clearly a thoroughly thought-out ensemble.

  Does Mike have someone just to think through and prepare these outfits now?

  Watching how smoothly they worked, I honestly wondered if they ran drills beforehand, like military units.

  While I was genuinely impressed by their enthusiasm and efficiency, everything they were doing was just… complicating my life. Not that I could tell them I’d honestly rather run around naked, dressed only in illusions.

  But now, if I shadowmelded to head downstairs, I’d lose all my clothes.

  Should I start creating new outfits each time, like I did with the armor during that fight? But even just replicating the hair decorations would be a task on its own! That alone would require a whole new spell, or at least some proper magical study.

  So, no shadowmelding for me. Not for the next couple of hours.

  Since Ju showed no signs of waking up, I headed downstairs alone for breakfast. Two orc guards saluted as I passed through the corridor.

  Once in front of the stairs, I was very tempted to slide down the balustrade, but with this dress, that would be asking for trouble. One good rip, and all that decorative effort would be wasted.

  However, after a few steps I realized that I could jump the stairs!

  Grinning, I kicked off my shoes and leapt.

  The funniest part was how the dress fluttered and waved around my legs as I sailed through the air.

  “Yiiiipiiiaaayeeee!”

  Eight jumps later, and a few panicked servants hugging the walls, I landed on the ground floor.

  While slipping my shoes back on, I heard the clink of cutlery and the murmur of conversation coming from the main hall.

  Aha! Someone’s having breakfast...

  And I was definitely hungry.

  As I reached the double doors, I saw the baron and his group already seated inside.

  Just as Drackar had warned, I didn’t have the kind of trained servants who knew how to announce the orc queen with proper courtly etiquette. But the orc guards made up for that.

  The moment I passed them by, they slammed their gauntleted right fists against their chests with a thunderous boom and roared:

  “All Hail the Queen!”

  The noise startled everyone. I saw several of them jump in surprise, eyes wide and mid-bite.

  “Baron Esterghom!” I called out, giving a casual wave.

  The servants froze mid-motion, then scrambled to turn and bow. Even the baron rose from the table and turned to face me.

  “Lady... Your Highness!”

  To compensate for the slip, he gave a deeper bow… and then, apparently deciding that wasn’t enough, dropped to one knee, probably reasoning that I deserved the same reverence as his king.

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  Which led to a wonderfully awkward moment: the servants bowed as instructed, the guests knelt, and then, unsure what to do, some of the servants hesitantly knelt as well.

  I sighed.

  “Please, everyone, stand up."

  “I’m starving. Would you mind if I joined you for breakfast?”

  However, I couldn’t just pick any chair I liked. I was already a bit tired of all the formalities, but apparently, there would be no escaping them.

  A tall chair, higher than all the others, was hurriedly brought in, and a space was cleared for me at the center of the table, directly facing the baron.

  I had to give credit to Mike: the servants were fast and efficient. But even so, my stomach was already growling like a wild beast.

  To pass the time, I studied the baron and his group. Not long ago, he and I had spoken freely, but now, he looked much more restrained. There was a flicker of fear, and maybe even pain, in his eyes.

  He was accompanied by a black-robed priest, a gray-clad figure who looked like an alchemist, one of the King’s high paladins, and a high-level maid who stood silently behind him.

  Was he really afraid of me?

  I tried to lighten the mood with a few harmless jokes, but that only seemed to make them more tense.

  “How was your trip, Baron?” I asked, once seated and after chewing a few bites, just enough to reassure my growling belly that food was indeed coming.

  There was plenty to choose from on the table, including several orc specialties: pickled legumes, mushrooms, and various cuts of roasted meat. I reached for those first, adding a few beautifully presented boiled eggs, halved and topped with a creamy filling and a touch of mayo.

  “Uhm… well, Your Highness,” the baron replied, “we mostly traveled via portals. But since there isn’t one directly at your domain, we had a bit of stress dealing with the roaming bands of bandits attacking nearby lands.”

  Pickled mushrooms—yum, yum. My face lit up as I chewed. Absolutely delicious.

  There were still bandits around?

  “It’s gotten that bad, that even a royal envoy has to worry about them?” I asked, raising a brow.

  Their faces shifted instantly to proper outrage. Silence hung in the air for a few seconds, while I blissfully continued chewing on the mushrooms. Their tangy flavor paired perfectly with the eggs and roasted meat. A delightful contrast!

  Unfortunately, the regalement was soon disturbed by the priest.

  “Your Highness, the reports speak of orc bands... ”

  Ah! That’s new.

  “Certainly not Her Majesty’s orcs!” the baron cut in quickly, patting the sweat from his temple with a cloth.

  “Probably some… wild orcs,” the priest offered, as if that would help.

  Wild orcs? There are no wild orcs. I narrowed my gaze at the priest. He was now pulling out a handkerchief to dab the sweat from his brow.

  Why do these people sweat so much?

  I waited, expecting him to elaborate. But instead, he just blinked and stared down at his saucer like he’d forgotten what it was for.

  In the silence that followed, I let out a deep sigh. I filled my mouth with roasted meat and closed my eyes, doing my best not to get angry.

  If I really thought about it… most of the orcs on this continent were my orcs now.

  I’d need to speak with Drackar. Should I send him to investigate? That would take too long—and conflict might arise. He wasn’t exactly on friendly terms with the orc tribes.

  I chewed thoughtfully.

  Hmm… I’d just introduced the dragon to Alice, and they seemed to get along remarkably well. She was already riding him.

  As my thoughts focused on her, I reached out to Yisila. Where is Alice?

  A moment later, Yisila answered as she always did, by sending an image directly into my mind.

  Alice, standing in her schoolroom, was explaining something to a group of children, gesturing enthusiastically at some... plants?

  She stirred, as if she could feel me watching her. Her eyes scanned the room, trying to find me.

  I had already introduced Alice to Yisila so she could understand and help fulfill the domain spirit’s request to upgrade the churches and infrastructure. But I hadn’t realized I could actually contact her through Yisila.

  Alice, come to me, I thought.

  And just as I swallowed my last bite and opened my eyes, she was already materializing from the shadows in front of me.

  “Did you call me, my Queen?” she asked in her calm and melodious voice.

  A ripple passed through the line of guests when they heard her voice and turned to see her standing behind them. Do they fear her even more than me? I wondered.

  Her eyes lit up briefly as she smiled at me.

  “I just heard that my orcs may have invaded neighboring domains,” I said. “Could you be so kind as to check… and, if so, make them go back?”

  She dipped her head slightly.

  “Sure,” she replied.

  I smiled, pleased. Somehow, she looked even prettier and deadlier since becoming undead.

  “Of course, you can take... ahm... the dragon to get there faster.”

  “Grubber. I called him Grubber,” she said, grinning. “I’ll do as you said, my queen!”

  She bowed, and in the next moment, she was gone, replaced by a streak of black smoke that dissipated almost instantly.

  How on earth does she do that... and keep her clothes? I shook my head. She’s a natural.