Gathering Wives with a System

Eventually, the carriage stopped before a massive palace located deeper within the city. Its outer walls were covered with living plants that had been carefully shaped around stone foundations, while enormous trees stood on either side of the entrance, their branches forming a natural arch above the path.

The group left the carriage and proceeded toward the palace entrance. Several layers of guards stood along the way, but Isaac quickly noticed something unusual about them.

Every guard wore a complete helmet along with full-body armor. Isaac could not sense what was inside those suits, and even his spatial perception could not properly determine their body shapes, which made it difficult to tell even their genders.

”Interesting, isn’t it? The palace of this city, which is ruled by the Seventh Queen, has only automatons inside it, including the maids, guards, cooks, gardeners, and everyone else who works here,” Eloy said as he flew beside Isaac at roughly eye level.

”No matter what position someone holds, only automatons are allowed to remain inside the palace. Even for people like us, being permitted to enter this place is quite rare,” Eloy added with a small chuckle.

Isaac nodded while continuing to observe the palace. The arrangement was certainly unusual, especially considering that this was supposedly the residence of one of the queens of Florathi Kingdom.

Eloy suddenly lowered his voice as they continued walking. ”Did you know that no one has ever actually met the Seventh Queen?”

Isaac frowned and looked at him. He was beginning to suspect that Eloy enjoyed gossip far more than someone holding the position of Second Priest should, but he remained silent and allowed him to continue.

”The one sitting on the throne is an automaton. In fact, most of the automatons inside this palace have her face. Some people believe that she hides among them and changes positions whenever she wants, while others believe that she actually lives somewhere far away from this city. There are even rumors about why the Emperor has never shown her much favor, although I should probably mention that those are only rumors,” Eloy explained quietly, although his voice was still loud enough for everyone in the group to hear.

Eloy paused for a moment before lowering his voice even further. ”Apparently, during their wedding night, the Seventh Queen sent an automaton to the Emperor’s bedchamber for the bridal ceremony instead of going there herself.”

Isaac became silent after hearing that. The Second Priest was far too chatty and far too interested in gossip for his liking, but the Seventh Queen herself sounded like an incredibly eccentric person.

They finally reached the doors leading into the throne room. Two armored automatons stood on either side of the enormous entrance, their bodies completely still as they waited for the group to approach, and when Eloy stopped before the doors, one of them stepped forward.

”His Excellency, the Second Priest, has arrived with Isaac Hargraves and his entourage,” the automaton announced in a clear voice. The doors slowly opened after the announcement, revealing a vast hall beyond them, with polished floors, tall pillars, and large windows that allowed the green light of the World Tree to illuminate the room.

The throne room was large enough to make the group appear small as they entered. Rows of automatons stood along both sides of the hall, all wearing identical armor and remaining perfectly motionless, while at the far end of the room stood an elevated platform with a single throne.

The Seventh Queen was sitting upon it.

Isaac’s eyes immediately settled on her. Her red hair flowed down from her head like streams of blood and over the sides of the throne, while her cold green eyes carried the quiet authority of a ruler, though there was also a subtle hint of slyness hidden within them.

She had a small nose and cherry red lips that made one want to bite and devour them. Her milky-white skin was completely flawless, and her face possessed the kind of beauty that could easily make a man lose his composure if he stared for too long.

Yet the Seventh Queen herself showed no reaction to their arrival. She simply looked at Isaac and the others with calmness, her posture relaxed despite sitting alone at the highest point of the throne room.

Isaac met her gaze.