"Is that white... ahem, is Her Majesty Nero still throwing a tantrum in her room?" Livord looked at Hathaway with a helpless expression.
"After throwing a fit and rolling around, she's now sulking on the bed," the maid Hathaway replied with a similar helpless look.
The battle with the Roger Pirates ended in a draw, or perhaps it could be said the Nicuss Empire had the upper hand, but only due to superior numbers.
However, in Nero's heart, she believed she had lost. Her first Waterloo in life had left her exceptionally irritable.
Outside, she could barely maintain the dignity of an Emperor, but once back in the palace, she was like a child who had lost her candy, throwing a tantrum on the floor, pounding her little fists… In some ways, it was still full of majesty.
The battle lasted two days and two nights. Finally, both sides reached an agreement, allowing the Roger Pirates to temporarily encamp on the shore, with a small number of personnel permitted to enter the city to procure supplies.
"She's been like this for a whole day. This can't go on! Hathaway, quickly think of a way to get her out!" Livord looked worriedly at the tightly shut door.
He had never married in his life. In his youth, he assisted the old Emperor, and now the Little Emperor had grown up. In his heart, Nero was like his own granddaughter.
From childhood, Nero had been a genius, never experiencing failure. The Roger Pirates were her first hurdle in life. He knew Nero would surely overcome this small obstacle, but he couldn't help but worry excessively.
"Those despicable pirates!" Remembering the Roger Pirates, Livord bristled with anger.
"Sigh~ I'll give it a try," Hathaway sighed. As Nero's personal head maid, she was probably the person in this world who understood Nero the most.
"Your Majesty! The kitchen made your favorite strawberry shortcake~"
"…"
"In the backyard zoo, General Lofis brought an ancient species of giant lion from the Small Garden. I heard its fur is golden!"
"…Hmm!"
This is a bit difficult! To be able to resist such temptation, it seems this blow was even greater than imagined.
Hathaway frowned slightly, glanced at the anxious Grand Duke Livord, and decided to use her trump card, a noise that would make heaven and earth tremble. It was just a little noise, after all.
The nobles in the Nicuss Imperial City inexplicably felt a chill down their spines, as if something unclean was watching them.
Just then, a soldier ran over in a hurry and reported to Livord, "Duke! The Roger Pirates…"
He was cut off mid-sentence as Livord grabbed him by the collar: "What have those scoundrel pirates done now?"
"They… they haven't done anything, they just started having a banquet on the beach!" the soldier said with some difficulty.
"Nani?! Those scoundrel rascals!"
Her Majesty Nero was still sulking in her room, yet those sea bandits were already having a banquet? This is outrageous!!!
Hathaway's eyes darted, and she raised a hand to her mouth, raising her voice: "Is that so? Are the Roger Pirates celebrating their defeat of Her Majesty Nero on the beach???"
"Hathaway? What are you talking about?" Livord looked at her in confusion.
"Shh!" Hathaway put her index finger to her lips, signaling Livord to be quiet.
Sure enough, the next moment, there were thumping footsteps from inside the room, and the main door, which had been closed all day, was kicked open from the inside.
Nero's expression was as if she wanted to devour someone: "Hmm! Are you saying those fellows are on my territory! Eating my food! To celebrate how they defeated me?!"
"…Did I say that just now?"
"Hmm, death penalty! All of them! I will hang them all on the gallows!" Nero's face was flushed with anger, she stomped her foot and raised her fists, looking completely irrational.
"Yes, yes! But before hanging them, Your Majesty, how about you have your meal first? You'll have strength after eating, right?" Hathaway didn't object to Nero, but encouraged her, following her words.
With skilled technique, she gave Livord a good lesson.
"Hmm, well said!" Nero rubbed her stomach, feeling a bit hungry: "Then quickly prepare the food, I want to eat!"
"Wait!" Nero suddenly thought of something and showed a wicked smile: "Put the gourmet food and fine wine on the beach, hmm, right next to those scoundrel pirates!"
"I want them to watch these high-class delicacies with longing eyes, yet only be able to pitifully eat their cheap meat and wine!"
"Ha…" Hathaway's eye twitched, and she reluctantly agreed. Wasn't this counterattack a bit too childish?
Livord also had no objections; in his opinion, Nero regaining her spirits at this moment was more important than anything else.
"Since that's the case, hmm, then arrange it quickly!!!" Nero waved her hand, confirming the plan… "I heard this country has been passed down for ten generations! Ten generations!" Buggy held a bone with meat, gesticulating wildly and speaking incoherently.
"Then it's indeed very possible to find someone here who can decipher historical texts!" Rayleigh took a swig of wine and squinted at Roger: "Too bad someone immediately offended the Emperor here to death."
"Hahahahaha!" Roger, with meat in one hand and wine in the other, laughed so hard that his saliva splattered: "That's truly something one cannot refute!"
"Well, there's always a way! That Little Emperor also seems like a decent fellow. With our rapport, we'll surely find a solution!"
"Eh? Captain, did you perhaps develop a mutual appreciation with the Little Emperor while fighting her?" Shanks, wearing his straw hat, looked over curiously.
Roger scratched his head: "Not really, I could feel that every one of the Little Emperor's slashes was aimed at killing me!"
"Then what kind of rapport is that?!"
"Rapport on the high seas is just that strange."
"So, Captain, you have a way to get the Little Emperor to help?"
"Oh! Not really."
Shanks spat out a mouthful of wine: "So you don't!"
"Well~ it's party time now, so don't think so much! We've been chased by Golden Lion and Garp lately, and it's hard to finally get some time to relax, so don't think so much!"
Roger waved his hand carelessly, a sight the others were used to. They continued to eat and drink as usual, living for the moment!
"Hmm, what are they doing over there?" Shanks looked into the distance, where a black line was approaching.
After a closer look, he realized it was a group of people moving closer. Leading them was a giant Golden Lion, with a person sitting on its head—it was none other than the Little Emperor Nero, whom they had just been discussing.
"Hmm, what meager fare. Is this what the vagrant thieves of the sea consider gourmet food?" Sitting steadily atop the lion's head, Nero disdainfully commented on the pirates' banquet.
"What did you say?" This remark made the Roger Pirates' chef want to hit someone.