The Queen Villainess Eavesdrops on My Heart and Won’t Let Me Slack Off – Chapter 90

Chapter 90: This Princess Is Truly Crippled

Old Josda had told Tasika to learn to judge for herself. The world offered no kindness without reason; only interests were eternal. Roger’s words made Tasika understand the empire’s interests and recognize the value of the Orc tribes. This was much more plausible than sacrificing oneself for a beautiful princess to save the Orc tribes.

When Roger mentioned the War Goddess, Tasika’s mind instantly cleared. She recalled old Josda’s long-planned integration movement. Without hesitation, she recounted the plan: “Lord Charles, Princess Tequila has some reputation among the tribes. If you can release me, I am confident I can rally the Orc elite coalition, integrate the many Orc tribes into one, and have them obey the empire’s orders to fight the gods, with absolute loyalty!”

Seeing the light return to her once dim and lusterless eyes, as if she had found a new direction, Roger felt a hint of a smile. *Very good, you are a mature puppet princess now. It’s time for you to act on your own.*

As depicted in the story, Princess Tasika was kind-hearted and intelligent. Although she worshipped the War Goddess, her deepest wish was for the Orc tribes to become collectively powerful. For this goal, she was willing to sacrifice herself. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have cooperated with old Josda in actions that went against her true feelings. In her view, faith was a bond that connected everyone, not something that fertilized the gods. If the Goddess could not protect the tribes, she would abandon the Goddess.

However, if the empire believed that by capturing her, they could turn her into their tool and exploit the Orc tribes’ interests, Tasika would likely resist to the death. If it came to negotiations, she would fight tooth and nail for the Orcs’ interests and autonomy, pushing the price to a point unacceptable to the Empress of Eternal Night and the imperial nobles. Tasika was prepared to die, as long as she could do something for the Orcs. She had no fear of provoking the Azurevine Empire and bringing about her own demise.

This was why the Empress of Eternal Night, while pitying Tasika, had only sent Roger to probe. Although it was his first time meeting this half-dragon princess, Xiao Ao could see her innate stubbornness, her refusal to bend. Different timelines, similar experiences, had forged identical despair and uncertainty about this World.

Roger also understood Tasika’s personality, knowing that being straightforward and transparent with her would be futile. Some people’s personalities have a rather “cheap” side. You try your best to persuade them for their own good, empathize with them, but they don’t appreciate it. They mistake your politeness and upbringing for weakness and exploit it, breeding endless greed. Conversely, condescendingly bullying her, humiliating her, tormenting her, driving her to despair, crushing her confidence, making her feel worthless, and showing her the cruelty of this world until both body and soul plunge into the abyss. At this point, even a sliver of gentleness would be grasped like a drowning person, and she would cry, beg for guidance, and obediently follow advice that normally she’d never heed. Receiving much less, she’d be profoundly grateful.

Roger’s methods might be considered contemptible, but if one party is willing to be beaten and the other to beat, who is to say? After all, Tasika’s priorities were plainly visible. To stubbornly wish for both the empire and the tribes to suffer mutual destruction, knowing these weaknesses, would that truly be noble? Now, with Tasika voluntarily proposing the integration of the Orc tribes and their loyalty to the empire, a scenario where only the Empress of Eternal Night is hurt has been successfully established.

Indeed, the Empress had first proposed allowing the Orc tribes to become vassals, yet Roger used her reputation to successfully frighten Tasika, making him the villain in her eyes. Roger believed Her Majesty wouldn’t care about these minor details. It was all the Church’s fault, having relentlessly smeared the Empress of Eternal Night for years; outside the empire, she was considered an unprecedented tyrant. To the Church, anything the Empress did was justifiable.

Next, Roger and Tasika began to discuss secret treaties that would never be made public. The empire would provide powerful individuals, limited military support, and strategic guidance to help Tasika establish a new Orc kingdom, consolidating the scattered Orc tribes. This Orc kingdom would be established under the pretext of revenge against the empire, enhancing the cohesion of various tribes. Once the Orc kingdom was established, it would outwardly declare hostility towards the empire but, in reality, would supply Orc laborers through intermediary forces. It would also accept imperial investment for the construction of new cities, roads, mines, and other infrastructure, ensuring smooth trade between the two nations. Simultaneously, the Orc kingdom would adopt wartime regulations, limiting the activities of the War Goddess Church within its territory until its complete expulsion.

“Lord Charles, are these the only conditions?” After Roger finished speaking, Tasika looked at him with a strange expression. It was too lenient. Was it granting many benefits to a defeated nation? Were these all benefits Lord Charles had fought for them?

Kambusakh was barren, and the Orc tribes had always been poor, with many small tribes struggling to feed themselves. Even large tribes faced hardship during lean years. Every winter, tribes would often organize their elderly and weak to raid the Azurevine Empire’s borders. Not for victory, but to reduce their population, ensuring the survival of the majority.

The treaty Roger proposed did not involve occupation, slaughter, or plunder. Instead, it offered help in establishing a kingdom, providing jobs, assisting with infrastructure development, and prioritizing trade. It was akin to a bodhisattva’s benevolence! The only mandatory requirement was to restrict the activities of the War Goddess Church. However, after this incident, Tasika would have to be insane to trust the War Goddess again. Judging solely by the contract, anyone unaware of the outcome would have reason to believe the Orc tribes were the victors.

To avoid the Empress’s wrath, Tasika was willing to accept far more stringent conditions. “Don’t worry, I will do my utmost to persuade Her Majesty and the imperial nobles,” Roger said with a resolute expression. “Compared to the War Goddess, the Orcs are also victims, and I deeply sympathize with your plight.”

“Lord Charles, you are truly the kindest person in this world. The Orcs will forever remember your grace… *sob sob* You are too good…” Princess Tasika tightened the robe Roger had draped over her. The tears that hadn’t fallen during her recent despair now streamed down like pearls from a broken string. She didn’t want to cry, but Lord Charles had given them far too much!

In Tasika’s eyes, Roger had no selfish motives. She had hinted multiple times, directly and indirectly, that she was willing to offer “compensation” in private to ensure the treaty’s smooth signing, but Roger had unequivocally refused. This demonstrated his noble character. He was sympathetic to the Orcs’ plight and thus, bearing the Empress’s pressure, sought a way out for them.

Watching her cry so hard she was about to faint, Roger patted her shoulder. Unexpectedly, Tasika lunged into his arms and hugged his waist. “Stop crying… Oh, alright, alright!” Seeing this young princess, whose kingdom had just been shattered, Roger couldn’t bring himself to push her away. He felt her grip tightly, treating him as her last hope, her final reliance. He could only gently pat her back, offering silent comfort. Yet, he couldn’t resist secretly touching and tapping his dragon horns. *Cold, hard, and a little rough!*

He was somewhat taken aback by the current situation. He felt no burden in deceiving her into signing the treaty; he was serving Her Majesty. But was this attitude of Tasika also within Her Majesty’s expectations? Was this princess too naive? If Orc tribes could afford concessions, this treaty was no different from those signed by the Qing Dynasty in the past, yet it earned him the gratitude of an enemy head of state. Roger quickly pushed the image of Empress Dowager Cixi crying in his arms out of his mind. This half-dragon princess, with her silver hair, red eyes, horns, and tail, was a beautiful XP, not comparable to that old witch with long fingernails!

This kind of reaction could only mean that Princess Tequila was unaware of how industrialized nations harvested agrarian ones. The Orc Kingdom might take flight through this opportunity, but at best, it would be a colony like India, becoming more dependent on the Azurevine Empire over time. Of course, the living standards of the common people would improve, a point she cared about deeply. It could only be said that these lambs, exploited by the gods in this异世界, lived too miserably. Technological development was completely suppressed by the Church, and they were periodically incited to war, like a never-ending Middle Ages that strengthened the Church a hundredfold! This was the true meaning of eternal night!

Tasika seemed to be crying out all the grievances from being deceived and mocked by old Josda over the years. It felt as if the water level had risen by a meter before she finally lifted her head from Roger’s embrace, sniffling apologetically, “Lord Charles, I lost my composure…” She hadn’t intended to, but when his hand touched her shoulder, her emotions became uncontrollable.

“It’s okay, um… you can just refresh yourself.” A gentleman would normally offer a tissue at such a moment, but this was an ocean of consciousness; the external form was a projection of thought. Tasika could simply shape her face anew. Blushing, she stuck out her little tongue, not only wiping away the tears but also taking the opportunity to fix her hairstyle, apply a little makeup, and adjust the details and size of her robe. This made her look even purer, more beautiful, with a slender figure, and a touch more heroism. This was the demeanor of Princess Tequila, her beauty capable of suppressing the Orc tribes! In a world ruled by thought, it saved a lot of time. She had refrained from using beauty filters, showing remarkable restraint. Roger, a true straight man, didn’t notice these subtle changes, finding the half-dragon princess even more pleasing to the eye, mistaking it for a sign of her renewed spirits.

“If you have no objections, then the secret treaty is settled. I will do my best to convince Her Majesty to implement it as is, ensuring the Orcs’ interests as much as possible,” Roger said meekly, but he was quite confident. This treaty represented a more modern, sustainable method of harvesting. It provided the necessary labor, market, and allies for the empire, far superior to directly ruling the Orc tribes. If the quantifiable final benefits of a puppet regime versus direct occupation were laid out, the Empress of Eternal Night would undoubtedly choose the former. Even when copying homework, she would choose to copy from the top student. And if the Empress accepted, it meant the empire accepted.

Tasika nodded, her eyes shining with adoration and dependence. “Yes, I believe in you, Lord Charles. I only hope you don’t make things too difficult for yourself. Even if changes occur, as long as we can survive, the Orcs will cooperate.”

“Our ambitions are vast, bear with us. However, the empire aims to achieve a transformation unseen in ten thousand years, to bring the blessings of magic to all sentient life in the mortal realm. In the future, the output of grain, cloth, salt, tea, and metal tools needed by the Orcs will increase dozens or hundreds of times. These goods will then be sold to the Orcs at an unimaginable low price, greatly improving your quality of life.”

“Yes, I believe in you, Lord Charles!”

“Orc laborers will work fixed shifts daily, with provided food and lodging. Repetitive operation of alchemical machinery might be monotonous, and they’ll earn less than their counterparts as mercenaries or guards, but it’s safer…”

“Yes, I believe in you, Lord Charles!”

“The empire is developing magic that allows men to give birth, which can greatly increase the Orc birth rate.”

“Yes, I believe in you, Lord Charles!”

“Believe in my foot! I was just joking!” Roger rubbed his temples in exasperation, defeated. The initially intelligent Princess Tequila had been completely hoodwinked and was now considerate of him. Did she really think he was a good person?

“Then… do you have any more questions?” He hesitated to meet Tasika’s intense gaze as she looked at him, preparing to leave.

Tasika’s expression suddenly turned grave, and she asked sadly, “My lord, do you know why the Orcs fight for the War Goddess, yet she offers us no protection?”

From her expression, Roger guessed this was a question that had long troubled her, and her disappointment in the Goddess was her greatest disillusionment. Roger used an analogy Tasika could understand: “The Bears like honey, but honey comes from flowers. Do you eat the flowers directly? This is the meaning of believers to the gods. The gods cannot directly absorb Faith Power; they must rely on believers. The material World is the hive. The bees in the hive have separated and are at war with each other. For their own development, they contribute honey in exchange for help from the beekeeper outside the hive.”

“The Orc tribes are like one of these bees, receiving some benefits from the beekeeper and thinking she is omnipotent, contributing honey without complaint. But in reality, the beekeeper is immense, and the hive is small. Just extending a hand could shatter the hive, so the War Goddess can only indirectly influence our World. It’s not that she doesn’t want to protect you; she can’t.”

Tasika suddenly understood: “The Empress of Eternal Night is a powerful queen bee. She doesn’t want to give honey to the beekeeper and prohibits other bees from doing so, angering the beekeeper. The beekeeper can only interfere through us for now. But why is the Empress doing this? Don’t the gods protect the hive from other monsters? Wouldn’t it be a win-win for both humans and gods if they provide honey?”

“How do you know that monster wasn’t impersonated by the beekeeper?” Roger scoffed. “Faith Power comes from the Source Sea of life, and the Source Sea is a non-renewable resource in the material plane, the fundamental driving force for the constant birth of new life. So, in reality, bees also need honey to feed their offspring. If all the honey is sucked away by the gods, what do you think will happen to this World?”

“No new generation, and the old bees will die off, leading to utter silence,” Tasika said, her eyes wide with horror.

“This is the origin of those death planes in the lore where only undead roam.” Roger sighed, shattering her beautiful image of the gods and her last lingering hope. The war between the Azurevine Empire and the Church of the Seven Gods should actually be a war between this Plane and the gods. It was just that most sentient life, like the Orc tribes, was lost in the dreams woven by the gods. In truth, many rulers understood the reality of the gods, but it would take an extremely long time to drain a plane, long enough for immortal beings to complete their reigns as despotic rulers. Why bother caring about the extinction of a plane, which was too distant a concern?

In this world of kings and generals, the Empress of Eternal Night was unique. This was also why she had been so lonely before.