Obsession of the Neglected 6-Star Heroes-Chapter 37

The imagined lyrics were so pitiful they could evoke sympathy from anyone. A princess raised so delicately, only to face such harsh realities—it was, indeed, a tragic existence.

"Sha-ba sha-ba~ How much must she have cried? Sha-ba sha-ba~"

The nonsensical final lines of his internal song left Keyal chuckling bitterly to himself.

Even if someone turned her life into a ballad, it wouldn’t change Reina’s circumstances. Still, the absurdity of his train of thought made him hum the tune in his head.

“Hah...”

A quiet sigh escaped Keyal’s lips, laced with an inexplicable sorrow.

Startled.

The sound brought the activities of all three women to an abrupt halt.

Squeak, squeak.

Reina froze mid-scrub, her hands trembling slightly. For her, the icy gaze of the elf sitting nearby was far more terrifying than any sigh Keyal could utter.

The elf’s ears twitched as she subtly observed the room. Meanwhile, a golden-scaled dragon girl paused mid-bite, a piece of bread hovering inches from her mouth.

And then there was Yohō, clutching her head as if struck by a sudden wave of guilt, her body trembling.

Despite their differing reactions, one thought crossed all their minds simultaneously.

“He’s mad.”

Who?

Their master, their commander, their lord—Keyal was mad.

The sigh had been low, barely a sound, yet it carried enough weight to send shivers down their spines.

Having once experienced his wrath, the three women knew all too well how terrifying his displeasure could be. To them, that single irritated exhale might as well have been a death sentence handed down from above.

Keyal’s gaze landed on Reina.

"What am I going to do with her?"

He furrowed his brow and rubbed the back of his neck, lost in thought.

“Master... Master...”

Reina’s voice trembled as her gaze shifted to the mint-haired elf.

The fear of abandonment lingered in her heart, driving her to unconsciously reach out her hand, as if seeking reassurance. But the hand faltered, never quite reaching its destination.

Reina’s scrubbing came to a stop.

“What is it with that woman?”

Her expression turned sour as she glanced up at Elena.

After all the torment she had endured, seeing the elf’s pathetic attempt to cling to Keyal—a man she seemed desperate not to lose—evoked a mix of pity and disgust in Reina. It was both pitiful and infuriating to witness.

***

Keyal’s Promise and Dilemmas

Keyal had made a promise—to restore Reina to her rightful place on the throne. Yet, when it came time to take action, he found himself paralyzed, unsure where to even begin reclaiming power.

"Hmmm…"

He let out a sigh, his thoughts churning.

Even if Yohō was no longer an obstacle, Reina was still a fallen royal. Worse, she had been reduced to the status of a lowly slave—a status far from forgotten.

Would there truly be no one who objected to her reclaiming the throne?

Unlikely.

“Hmm. What do you think, Elena?” Keyal’s low voice brushed against the elf’s ears.

Elena raised her teacup, her expression calm and composed once again, though her eyes glimmered faintly red.

“Well,” she began, her voice as measured as always, “Reina—this crude beast—oh, pardon me, Lady Reina, was indeed a slave.”

What set this moment apart from others, however, was the fact that the same Reina, who had moments ago been scrubbing the floor in rags, now sat perched on Elena’s lap.

Elena gently stroked Reina’s hair, her demeanor like that of a loving elder sister, her touch both soothing and patronizing.

“Solum is a nation that places great importance on social status,” Elena continued. “As one of the military powers of the Four Continents, reinstating Lady Reina as queen may prove… challenging.”

Her words carried an unsettling cheerfulness, her lips curving into an unusually warm smile. Reina glanced up at her, beads of sweat forming on her brow.

“It’s happening... It’s really happening,” Reina thought, swallowing hard, her expression betraying her unease.

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She imagined herself as a twisted parody of Cinderella, caught between a prince and a scheming stepmother, much like in the stories of old. Only here, the roles were reversed: Keyal as the "prince," and Elena, her "stepsister," playing the dominant figure with a sinister twist.

Reina, sitting stiffly on Elena’s lap, lowered her gaze. The elf’s posture remained steady, and despite the small difference in their heights, the sheer disparity in their stations—the hero versus the former slave—was painfully evident.

Even so, the sudden shift in Elena’s attitude left Reina utterly unprepared. Meanwhile, Keyal, observing the scene, couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle. The elf’s overly theatrical approach was both ridiculous and oddly amusing.

As Elena continued to stroke Reina’s hair, she occasionally glanced at Keyal, her demeanor shifting with deliberate intent.

Reina, trapped in the situation, forced herself to smile awkwardly whenever Elena’s eyes met hers, hoping that by pretending to cooperate, she might lessen her punishment.

“Haha, forgive me, Reina,” Elena said sweetly.

The saying that those who have suffered the most understand the weight of punishment best rang true in Keyal’s mind. It was moments like these that reminded him of why some nations poured so much effort into developing tanks during times of war.

Keyal leaned forward slightly, his voice cautious. “So, if we were to put Reina back on the throne, Elena, what would that entail?”

Elena’s smile remained fixed as she gestured with her hand. “At a minimum, we would need to deal with three key powers: the current monarch, Seria; the underworld factions backing her; and, finally, the Chief Justice who orchestrated Reina’s fall into slavery.”

Her voice grew darker as she continued, her fingers lifting to represent each faction.

“Seria is already on our side,” Elena said, curling her thumb inward. “That leaves the other two. We’ll either need to destroy them or persuade them to align with us.”

Keyal rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His gaze shifted to Elena, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

“Destroy them, you say. Any specifics?”

Ignoring persuasion, Keyal wondered if Elena had a concrete plan in mind.

“Of course,” Elena said with a serene smile, her tone soft yet chilling. “We kill them. Cleanly.”

Her gentle words contrasted sharply with the brutal solution she proposed.

“…That’s harsh,” Keyal muttered, his brows furrowing.

“Harsh? Is it?” Elena tilted her head, her voice light as if she truly didn’t understand his concern.

The faint breeze through the room seemed to reflect the lighthearted confusion hovering above her.

“Master,” Elena continued, her smile taking on a darker edge, “dying for your cause would be an honor for those pests. In fact, they should be grateful for the opportunity to contribute to your glory, even in death.”

Her expression was disturbingly serene, yet her eyes gleamed with a cold and unsettling light.

“So this is what they call a killer smile…” Keyal thought.

“If it were me,” Elena added, “I’d gladly offer my life to you, shedding tears of gratitude for the chance to serve you in my final moments.”

She spoke with a conviction that was both unsettling and baffling, her perspective so skewed it seemed entirely detached from reality.

Her cheeks flushed as her voice grew breathy, almost intoxicated. She appeared lost in her own thoughts, her body trembling slightly as though overcome by some euphoric fantasy.

“Hah… hah… Just imagining it is so exhilarating…”

Her increasingly erratic behavior tilted the conversation further off course.

Reina, still perched awkwardly on Elena’s lap, shot her a bewildered look. Seria and Rivera, who had been quietly watching, exchanged equally disturbed glances, their expressions a mix of confusion and repulsion.

Meanwhile, Yohō and a small lizard, both kneeling on the bed behind them and playing a quiet hand-clapping game, seemed almost endearing in their obliviousness.

Keyal sighed deeply. If he’d had a camera, he might have captured this absurd moment as a keepsake—if only to remind himself of how utterly bizarre his companions could be.

***

“Master…”

“Yes?”

Reina, who had been perched on Elena’s lap until now, hesitantly raised her hand, pointing it toward the elf with a mixture of confusion and irritation.

“Why is this person acting like this?”

It was a direct gesture toward Elena.

“Hmm, maybe she’s just overly fond of me?” Keyal replied, scratching the back of his head as if struggling to come up with a better explanation.

It was an answer that left much to be desired, but it marked the end of the day’s conversation between the princess and her so-called prince.

Or not—take it as you will.