Prince Peach returned to the Mushroom Kingdom with the Mario brothers. Instead of giving up his pursuit of power, he actually attempted to persuade the King to send troops to the Bowser Kingdom. He wanted to take Bowsette down while she was in her weakened state, fully achieving his own grand ambitions!
The King looked in utter disbelief at the Prince Peach before him, who was displaying such an intense lust for power. Was this truly his honest, simple-minded child?
What exactly had happened to turn a peace-loving child into this?
"Peach! Our country has not even returned to normal yet, and you want to go to war with the Bowser Kingdom? Do you want the Mushroom Kingdom and the Bowser Kingdom to destroy each other?" The King firmly rejected Prince Peach's proposal.
"Why, Father?! Don't you see? Right now is the absolute best time to attack the Bowser Kingdom! Once the Bowser Queen fully recovers, it will be too late!"
Prince Peach clenched his fists tightly, screaming at the King. He couldn't understand why his father was so cowardly. He was the ruler of a nation! Facing a weakened enemy, he didn't even dare to make a move!
"Bang!"
The King slammed his hand heavily against his throne, roaring angrily, "Enough! Even if you are the prince, you have no right to interfere with my decisions! If you continue to be this stubbornly obstinate, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Please calm your anger!"
The ministers in the grand hall were so terrified by the enraged King that they knelt on the ground, not daring to lift their heads.
"Father! You disappoint me too much! I didn't expect you to be so cowardly!" Driven by roaring anger, the pig-headed Prince Peach confronted the King head-on.
"You! From this day forward, you are no longer the prince of the Mushroom Kingdom! You have no right to question any matters regarding this realm! Men, drag him out!" Furious to the point where his mustache bristled, the King stripped Prince Peach of his royal title without another word.
The Mushroom soldiers firmly grabbed the unyielding Prince Peach—or rather, Peach—and dragged him outside.
"Father! You're just a coward! A weakling!" Peach struggled, screaming in rage as the guards forced him away.
The King, though furious enough to want to chop off Peach's head, ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he sentenced Peach to a month of solitary confinement and sent messengers to recall Princess Peach, who was currently traveling in the Sarasaland Coalition with Princess Daisy.
Every single detail of what happened in the Mushroom Kingdom reached Bowsette's ears. After all, the King stripping Peach of his royal title was no small matter. It meant that after the King's death, Peach would have no right to inherit the throne. In other words, the only person left to inherit the crown would be the King's daughter, Princess Peach.
"What a truly delightful turn of events, don't you think, Cyan~?"
Bowsette waved her hand, signaling the Goomba who brought the news to dismiss itself, before turning her gaze to Cyan, who was standing to the side like a wooden post.
"It has nothing to do with me. Once your injuries and strength have recovered, Nishi and I will leave this place."
Cyan stared blankly at Bowsette. She didn't care in the slightest about what happened in the Mushroom Kingdom. Even if Prince Peach had suddenly managed to become the King, it wouldn't matter to her unless he led an army to attack them.
"..."
Bowsette was left completely speechless by this blunt remark, a flash of annoyance crossing her deep blue eyes.
"Your strength has recovered, right? Come over here!" Bowsette waved Cyan over.
Cyan walked to Bowsette's side. Grasping the hilt of her demonic blade, she activated Holy Flame, and the pale-golden fire erupted from her hand.
Suddenly, a hand forcefully grabbed her arm. An immense pulling force surged, and Cyan felt herself falling straight into a soft, burning embrace.
(Since Bowsette's power source is fire, her baseline body temperature is significantly higher than that of an ordinary person.)
"Is there any point to doing this?" Cyan took off her goggles and lifted her head to stare at Bowsette, her cold, silver-white eyes carrying a hint of genuine confusion.
"You're clearly so beautiful and pretty, yet you always keep such a rigid, icy face. It makes me want to see more of your interesting expressions."
Bowsette suddenly leaned extremely close to Cyan, her lips almost brushing against Cyan's cheek. However, she failed to see any trace of the panic she had hoped for on Cyan's face.
"You're truly wicked." Cyan didn't sense any actual malice from Bowsette, so she didn't bother resisting the overly intimate gesture.
"Unluckily for you, my temper has always been this wicked." Bowsette held Cyan close, leaning down to devour the Holy Flame, her tail wrapping tightly around Cyan's leg to prevent her from escaping.
"Enough."
When her Spirit Power hit exactly 30 points remaining, Cyan deactivated the Holy Flame skill and tapped Bowsette's tail with her scabbard. "Let go of me."
"Can't you show a few more expressions on your face?"
Instead of letting go, Bowsette pinched Cyan's chin, looking at her from point-blank range. With a charming, wicked smile, she said, "How about you marry me?"
?
For a moment, Cyan couldn't quite keep up with Bowsette's chaotic train of thought. Tilting her head, a mental question mark slowly manifested. After a brief silence, she stated plainly: "I'm a female."
"Can't you find a better excuse to reject me?" No matter how Bowsette looked at her, she felt Cyan was a guy, just built a bit small and slender.
"Wait! Why are you starting to take off your pants?!"
The next thing Cyan did caused Bowsette's eyes to widen in utter shock, her face instantly flushing crimson.
"To prove that I'm a female."
Cyan unceremoniously took off her pants and yanked her underwear down slightly. Bowsette took a monumental amount of mental damage, completely petrifying right on her throne.
"A girl... you're really a girl..."
"Ah! What are you two doing?!"
Nishi walked into the grand hall looking for Cyan, only to see Cyan with her pants down standing right next to Bowsette. Pale with shock, she dashed over, pointing an accusing finger at Bowsette and roaring angrily, "What are you trying to do to my master, who is as pure as a blank sheet of paper?! You pervert!"
Hearing Nishi's wild accusation, Bowsette, completely unwilling to take the blame for no reason, snapped out of her petrified state and snapped frantically, "She's a girl! What could I possibly do to her?!"
"Huh? A girl?"
Nishi blanked for a second, her eyes widening to perfect circles as she stared at Cyan, her gaze dropping straight downward.
"Master... you were a girl all along..." Nishi stared blankly at Cyan, suffering a psychological shock comparable to the end of the world.
"Did I never mention it?" Cyan tilted her head.
"You never said a single thing about it! I always thought you were a guy! No wonder you had zero interest in women—it's because you are one!" Nishi's mental state collapsed completely; she felt utterly deceived.
[Survivor No. 11766, your servant Nishi's loyalty has decreased by 5. Current Loyalty: 90.]
[Survivor No. 11766, your servant Nishi's loyalty has decreased by 5. Current Loyalty: 85.]
"Sorry, I forgot." Cyan figured this matter was her own fault, so she apologized to Nishi without a second thought.
"Hmph! I guess I'll reluctantly forgive you then!" This wasn't really Cyan's fault to begin with, and hearing her instant apology, Nishi felt she was being a bit too unreasonable.
[Survivor No. 11766, your servant Nishi's loyalty has increased by 5. Current Loyalty: 90.]
Humans really are hard to understand... Completely baffling.
Cyan glanced at Bowsette while pulling her pants back up, adding silently in her head: Non-humans are also hard to understand...
"What about me then? Shouldn't you show some accountability for deceiving me?" Seeing Cyan apologize to Nishi but completely ignore her, Bowsette slammed the armrest of her throne. Staring down at Cyan, the irritation in her heart turned into raw flames seeping from the corners of her mouth.
"You never asked about my gender, why should I apologize?" Cyan felt Bowsette's demand made absolutely no logical sense, stating firmly, "I did not deceive you."
"Do you believe I'll kill you right now?" Enraged by Cyan's nonchalant attitude, Bowsette glared at her, flames kindling inside her slightly parted mouth.
Hearing Bowsette's threat, Nishi grew highly alert. She secretly pulled out the Super Star, intending to pass it to Cyan the split second Bowsette actually made an aggressive move.
"You won't. You hold no malice toward me. You are just bluffing to try and make me back down." Cyan completely ignored Bowsette's threat. Her silver-white eyes remained as clear as a mirror, calmly locking onto her.
"I'm tired..."
Burning through so much Spirit Power in a short window left Cyan feeling quite drowsy. Taking a step forward, she leaned right into Bowsette's warm embrace, let out a soft yawn, and closed her eyes.
Warm... soft... and there's a certain... fragrance...
"Hey!"
Bowsette looked down at Cyan, who had just leaned into her without a care in the world. A deep blush instantly flooded her face, coloring it a bright pink. The flames in her mouth vanished entirely, replaced by a tiny puff of grey smoke drifting out.
Why didn't she lean into my embrace instead?! Wait! What on earth am I thinking?! Master is a girl!
Nishi was horrified by her own bizarre thoughts. Shaking her head violently, she clutched her head with both hands, staring at Cyan resting in Bowsette's arms while completely questioning her own reality.