Making that decision seemed to have exhausted all of Nitocris's courage.
So, after saying those words, she simply shut her eyes, standing there stiffly, ramrod straight, her whole body rigid like a statue, like a corpse risen from the dead.
However, Alaric gave no response to her declaration.
He merely sat by the edge of the bath, silent, watching her with an appreciative gaze.
Nitocris waited for quite a while, yet received no answer from him. At last, she couldn't help but open her eyes.
And then she saw the playful expression on Alaric's face.
"Y-you… does this mean… you agree?"
The female Pharaoh asked with a trace of anticipation.
"No," Alaric's reply sent a chill straight into her heart. "I never said I was making a deal with you for your body. What kind of person do you take me for?"
"Then you… then what are you doing right now?!" Nitocris ground her teeth.
"Who told you to move so fast?" Alaric said indifferently. "If there's something to see, why not look?"
"You bastard!"
The boundless grievance, shame, humiliation, and anger finally made the female Pharaoh explode.
She no longer cared about her current state and threw herself straight at Alaric, her small fists raining down rapidly on his chest.
"You bastard, you bastard, you bastard! How could you bully me like this?! You hateful bastard!"
Although Nitocris was a demigod who wielded powerful rune magecraft, in terms of raw physical strength she was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person.
Compared to Alaric, she was far weaker.
That kind of "little fists pounding your chest" felt nothing more than coquettishness to Alaric.
Just as he was about to tease her a bit more, he suddenly noticed that her eyes were already brimming with tears.
Come to think of it, although she usually dressed provocatively in public, that was merely the traditional style of Egyptian attire.
As a female Pharaoh, Nitocris was probably more traditional and conservative than anyone else in certain respects.
After all, though she had once been Egypt's queen, in truth she was still a girl untouched by the world.
The joke Alaric had just made really was a bit too much for her.
If it weren't for the sake of vengeance, this young female Pharaoh would never have held back until now before breaking down.
After all, a completely naked stranger suddenly appearing in her bath, seeing her entirely exposed, and on top of that, being so overwhelmingly powerful that she had no way of dealing with him…
Such a situation would have provoked an even stronger reaction in any other girl.
The fact that Nitocris could react as she did now was only because, as a Pharaoh, her mental fortitude was sufficiently firm and mature.
Thinking of this, Alaric couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for the girl in his arms.
Ignoring her flailing, he impulsively pulled her tightly into his embrace.
"Don't worry, Nito," he whispered by her ear. "Don't worry. That was just a joke earlier. With me here, all your hatred will be avenged. Trust me."
Perhaps she believed Alaric's promise, or perhaps she finally realized her own helplessness.
In the end, the girl stopped pounding his chest and instead began to sob softly.
"You… you bullied me… you shameless bastard, idiot… big liar!"
"Alright, alright, I'm a big liar," Alaric said, as if soothing a child, gently patting her smooth back.
"Don't worry. No matter who your enemies are, this big liar will personally cut them down for you."
Alaric's words seemed to stir up the sorrow buried deep in her heart, making her cry even harder.
It truly wasn't easy for this girl.
At such a young age, she had been forced into a position of supreme authority, putting on a false front with a group of scheming old foxes, burying her hatred deep in her heart.
Under such circumstances, the entire palace was probably filled with the eyes and ears of those powerful ministers.
Alone in the depths of the palace, without a single person she could truly trust, what kind of pain was that?
Perhaps for her, only when bathing alone could she relax even a little.
And now, the sudden appearance of the stranger Alaric finally brought a ray of light to her darkness, allowing her to cry freely and release all the grievances pent up inside her before him.
Because she knew that although this stranger was dangerous and powerful, he could never be one of those ministers' lackeys, they simply didn't have the qualifications to command such an extraordinary existence.
To prevent her sobs from being heard by the maids outside, Alaric casually set up a soundproof barrier.
After crying for quite some time, Nitocris finally managed to calm herself a little.
"…Really?"
With a trace of sobbing still in her voice, she timidly lifted her head to look at Alaric and asked.
"What?"
"I mean… the revenge. Is it really true? You just promised me," Nitocris hurriedly said, as if afraid Alaric might go back on his word.
"Of course it's true," Alaric answered without hesitation. "I never go back on my word."
"Who says?" The girl snorted softly. "You clearly just lied to me a moment ago, you big liar."
"…That was just a joke," Alaric said awkwardly. "Because Nito is so cute, I wanted to tease you a little."
"How rude! Are you mocking me, a Pharaoh?" Alaric's words made Nitocris bristle.
"Cute and all that… saying things like that, you clearly don't take my dignity as Pharaoh seriously at all!"
Looking at Nitocris's fierce "I'm super scary" expression, Alaric almost burst out laughing again.
"You're clearly still lying on top of me, yet you insist on talking about dignity. Nito really is cute."
"Ahhh, honestly!"
Teased by Alaric, Nitocris reacted as if she'd been shocked by electricity, scrambling off him at once.
She rushed back to her clothes and hurriedly threw them on in a flurry of movements, only then feeling a bit more at ease.
"You rude fellow, you actually took advantage of this Pharaoh just now. If you don't properly avenge me, this Pharaoh will never forgive you."
Looking at the girl before him, forcing herself to act dignified while clearly lacking confidence, Alaric nodded.
"Of course. Since I've promised you, your enemies are my enemies. I won't let them off."
Perhaps feeling that her demands were a bit excessive, Nitocris lowered her voice and added softly,
"If… I mean, if, if you really can help me take revenge, then I can agree to any conditions you want… even… even that condition just now."
That "condition," naturally, referred to matters of the body.
Looking at the tsundere girl who was trying to act proud while clearly anxious, Alaric's voice softened noticeably.
Putting on such a tough front, her heart was actually still filled with unease.
That was understandable. Faced with the mysterious and powerful Alaric, she didn't have many bargaining chips.
If Alaric wanted to, he could take anything he desired from her without paying any price at all. It was no wonder she felt so insecure.
"I admit, Your Majesty the Pharaoh's beauty is very alluring," Alaric said gently. "But of course I won't use something like that to threaten you.
Don't worry, my conditions lie elsewhere, and they'll certainly be something you can accept."
Surprised by how accommodating Alaric was, Nitocris stared blankly into his eyes.
At last, she revealed a smile that truly came from her heart.
"Mm. Then it's a deal."
"A deal."