Hesabeth wanted Jason badly. There has never been any man she wanted this much, and the mere thought of Jason’s defiance only made Hesabeth want him more. Was Jason truly immune to her Bias, or could she break him and make him submit to her with time? Hesabeth wanted to see how strong Jason’s will truly was. She wanted to know if this was actually real.
’But I suppose I might never have a chance to do that. Not when he could be killed any day now.’
Hesabeth felt a strange feeling rising from her heart as this thought crossed her mind, and it wasn’t long before Hesabeth realised exactly what that feeling was. Hesabeth was worried. Hesabeth immediately hummed in surprise as she realised this, and she put a hand over her chest as her heart skipped a beat.
’Don’t tell me I’m actually smitten with that peasant. A Queen such as myself? How absurd. No, I merely see him as entertainment. A new toy for my enjoyment. With time, all thought of him will vanish as usual.’
Hesabeth frowned at her heart and forced it to calm down as the dwarf in a yellow hood came into the bathroom with a bottle of hair conditioner in its hand, and Hesabeth leaned down and allowed her long red hair to fall over the edge of the tub so that the dwarf could begin her hair treatment.
All thoughts of Jason vanished from Hesabeth’s mind at that moment, and for the next few hours as Hesabeth got ready to start performing her duties, she managed to keep her thoughts under control. It wasn’t until she was sitting on her throne and listening to the reports of the previous day’s harvest from one of her advisors that Jason suddenly invaded her mind once again. This time, Hesabeth remembered the previous interaction that she had with Jason and how Jason had refused to accept her aid in exchange for owing her a favour. No matter how much Hesabeth thought about it, she couldn’t figure out why she enjoyed that interaction so much. Jason had practically spat on her offer of partnership, and usually Hesabeth would already be plotting the downfall of anyone who tried such a thing, but for Jason, she actually felt happy that he refused her like that. And why had she still ended up trying to help Jason in that trial? Hesabeth knew that there would have been no benefit for her if Jason won. Jason refused her offer, and it was obvious that he didn’t want to have anything to do with her. But she still tried to help him.
’Is it really that easy to gain my favour? Just the assumption that he might be capable of resisting my bias was enough reason for me to pick an interest in him. No, that can’t be true. Someone as great as myself is not so easy to impress.’
Hesabeth frowned since she knew that if it were anyone else, then she would never have gone out of her way to help them like that. The other advisors were sitting around a long table that had been placed in the center of the throne room, and many of them could sense that Hesabeth’s attention was not on the current discussion at all, and they could only wonder what was making their Queen so absentminded.
"...And the harvest for the previous season was very bountiful. We predict that there will be at least fifty million baskets of fruits and wheat bundles to sell to the neighbouring worlds and also to store in our silo. The neighbouring world of Trelana has been keeping tabs on our Roco fruit production, and we believe they will attempt to strike a trade deal for the fruits in the near future... My Queen, is something the matter?"
The advisor, who had been standing, stopped talking when she looked up and saw that Hesabeth was not even listening to her. Hesabeth had a curious look on her face as she stared out into space, and the advisor knew that Hesabeth only got like this when she was thinking deeply about something. The advisor’s name was Favina, and she was one of Hesabeth’s closest friends who had been with her even when Hesabeth had only been the daughter of a duke. Many of the advisors on this council had been part of the council since the reign of the previous king of Minori, but after Hesabeth got married to the king and ended up claiming the throne after the King’s death, the rest of the council naturally rallied behind her and gave Hesabeth their full support. But Favina still remained Hesabeth’s closest confidant and aide. And right now, there was no one else in the entire world who could speak to Hesabeth as freely as Favina could. So it wasn’t surprising at all when Favina rolled up the report that she had been reading and called out.
"My Queen, what troubles you? I can tell there’s something on your mind, so please confide in me."
Hesabeth finally blinked out of her thoughts, and she turned to Favina with a curious gaze. Hesabeth was silent for a few seconds as she thought about whether or not to discuss what had been troubling her, and after a while, Hesabeth finally decided that it would be better to confide in a third party. Hesabeth waved her hand towards the rest of the council, and everyone immediately understood that Hesabeth wanted to be alone with Favina, and they all filed out of the room and left the two women alone. The moment they were gone, Hesabeth laid out her problem in a no-nonsense tone.
"I have been thinking about Jason Marc of Earth."
Favina blinked in shock, and it was only her extensive training on etiquette that prevented her from showing just how surprised she was! Favina knew that Hesabeth was the straightforward type who didn’t mind speaking her mind regardless of the situation, but Favina couldn’t believe what Hesabeth just said! Hesabeth was thinking about a man? That was completely unexpected! After her short and unsuccessful marriage to the previous King of Minori, Hesabeth had never even entertained the thought of courting any other man or taking them as her king consort. It was as if Hesabeth was more than content being a single woman till the day she died. But apparently, that wasn’t the case at all.
"And why are you thinking about him, my Queen? If he has angered you in some way, then I can arrange for the soldiers to go and retrieve him for you."
Hesabeth waved that statement away before she answered.
"No, he has not angered me; he has just been on my mind... excessively. Frankly, I have not been able to stop thinking about him since the trial. His countenance and personality intrigue me, and I won’t deny that I found his defence against the King of the Machina very impressive. It is not often that you find such a competent man from such a backwater world. I have never felt this way about a man before, so I find it unsettling."
Favina could feel that raw excitement that most women felt whenever they sensed the start of something romantic rising from somewhere deep inside her, but she tried her best to keep that part of her restrained. Hesabeth had still not said anything about being attracted to Jason, so Favina could not jump to conclusions here. Instead, Favina decided to give a vague but reasonable response.
"Well, my Queen. From the stories you have told me about him, it is possible that you find him fascinating due to his ability to counteract your natural Bias, and because of the newness of your interaction with him. Perhaps you cannot rid him from your thoughts because you subconsciously wish to see him."
Queen Hesabeth’s eyes widened slightly before her brow furrowed as she hummed in curiosity.
"Hmmm... I see."