Chapter 20: The Duke's Daughter Mourns

Chapter 20:
The Duke’s Daughter Mourns

 

CHURCH BELLS TOLLED. Every feature of the royal capital was draped in black.

Just as I had suspected, the king’s funeral service was held nigh immediately after his death was announced. It came so fast, in fact, that I had to wonder if they had planned it in advance.

Queen Ellia sprawled herself over the coffin as she shed tears. Other members of the royal family stood around her, including Yuri, despite the fact that she was not an official member of the royal family and merely a fiancée. Yuri stood there, gazing at the king’s body, silently weeping, a concerned Ed close by her side. The queen dowager remained resolute, but there was a sadness in her eyes. The first prince was nowhere to be seen. Was he still abroad? Not even Tanya could suss out his movements, so they remained a mystery.

I stole glances from among the other mourners. Most of them wore melancholy expressions. Were they genuinely grieving over the king’s death, were they pretending, or were they more worried over the fate of the kingdom?

I absently watched over the funeral as if from a place of great remove. As soon as it finished, I immediately departed the capital for Armelia. I’d already gone and alerted my mother and Berne to my plans the day I found out about the king’s death, and I’d already said my goodbyes. My only concern was that my father’s condition still hadn’t improved.

Well, to be honest, I had many concerns. Mimosa, the future power struggle between the nobles, and so on. At the very least, there would be no developments with Mimosa’s wedding because of the mandatory period of mourning following the king’s death. Moreover, if something were to happen, I knew that Father Rafsimons would put a stop to it. As such, I decided to take advantage of this opportunity to continue my investigations and devise a plan while in Armelia.

As for the power struggle between the nobility, well, there was simply nothing I could do about it. If I stayed in the capital any longer, Queen Ellia or Yuri would find a way to destroy me. I had no choice but to take my leave.

My servants greeted me as usual when I arrived at the estate.

“Welcome home, my lady,” Sebastian said on behalf of the rest.

“It’s good to be back.” I looked over everyone’s faces, said my hellos, and then went inside. “Sebastian, tell me everything that’s happened since my departure. And gather reports from the heads of both Borsa and Abitante. Also, I want you to contact Moneda. Tell him I want to know what he’s been up to since I’ve been gone, and I want to discuss our future plans with him.”

I shot off my instructions in rapid fire while Sebastian listened attentively.

“Dida, I’m sorry to ask you this just after we get home, but please gather reports from the security force and bring them to me. I especially want to know if there have been any problems with the guards at the bank, and I want to know the state of order in each city after converting to paper currency.”

“You got it, Princess.”

“Lyle, I want you to check if there have been any issues with personnel, goods, and facilities in each district. Right now, it’s urgent that we assess security everywhere, for the future of the kingdom. I don’t want to hear that we weren’t prepared when it’s too late.”

“Yes, my lady.”

I gave out the orders as I walked through the house, until I had reached my study. The instant I sat down, Sebastian entered the room with several reports. In the days following, he left reports like this every morning to inform me of what had happened during my absence. I was grateful that he did it in this way rather than telling me everything all at once. I started reading the ones he provided upon my arrival so I could go to my various meetings armed with the relevant information. When I read them, I sorted the matters covered into ones that urgently needed to be taken care of and those that could wait.

Just then, Sebastian came back into the room. I asked him several questions and checked details with him regarding the reports I’d read. His job was to gather reports from each agency and official and put them in order. In other words, I was able to get a more complete picture from talking to him. I wasn’t sure if it was because of his long-standing experience as a butler or simply his personality, but he was extremely skilled at arranging things in a coherent fashion. Additionally, as he could smoothly carry out all my orders in each area, I always felt comfortable leaving things in his care.

“It seems as though there aren’t any other pressing problems besides the currency situation, hm?”

“That’s correct. Besides the urgent matter you wrote about from the capital, everything else is proceeding smoothly. There haven’t been any tangles in particular that need attention. The only item of note is that quite a lot of personnel were required during the switch to paper currency.”

“Right. Still, we can’t draw this out for too long. I’m sorry, but this situation will continue until things calm down. It might be a bit early for the students’ work study, but perhaps I’ll start recruiting them.” Ever since my excommunication, I’d been temporarily hiring students to perform part-time jobs every now and then. It was an exceptional experience for them.

“I think that’s a good idea.”

“We can’t have everyone collapsing from overwork, after all. However, we can’t have them directly handling the exchanges either. Make sure that’s carried out appropriately.”

“Yes, my lady.”

I let out a sigh. “Still, I’m so glad that we were able to transition to the paper currency system so quickly.”

“Yes, I’m sure it’s because Moneda made preparations for it in advance. His overenthusiasm served us well.”

“Ha ha ha. Instead of chastising him for going ahead without permission, I’ll have to thank him!”

It had been quite a surprise to find out that he had already made more than enough paper currency even before I gave him the orders to commence the switch—even before he knew whether I would approve.

“Well, at any rate, that’s just another reason why he needs a break.”

Moneda was the kind of man who thought and acted for himself. The same could be said for Tanya and the others, but Moneda was different. The others always tried to think of the best ways to help me before they made a move, but Moneda cleaved to his own convictions, and in the most efficient way possible. That was why he was willing to risk butting heads with me. There was no one else I would’ve trusted more to implement an independent banking system.

“There was a short period of confusion within the duchy, but it calmed down once the major companies exchanged their gold coins and adopted the paper currency.”

“That’s true. Thanks for your reports. Can you have the heads of Borsa and Abitante come here? And prepare the conference room—I want to have a meeting there.”

“Yes, my lady.”

 

***

 

The following days and months were turbulent, to say the least. There wasn’t much disorder in the capital after the king’s passing, not that this surprised me. He had been indisposed for a long time, so not much had changed for those who worked under him.

However, the increase in Queen Ellia and Marquis Marea’s arrogance was reportedly nearly unbearable to witness. People in key positions of power who belonged to Prince Alfred’s camp quit one after another and withdrew to their domains. Count Sagitalia was one of them, of course.

My father remained in the capital due to his condition, but he also resigned from his post. He wanted to step down before someone made up a reason to force him out. Those close to Marquis Marea were quickly dubbed the successors to my father’s position and everyone else’s, almost as if they had been waiting for the chance.

This kingdom rotted away more and more by the day. It was in definitive decline. And preparations were already underway for Ed to ascend as the next king.

All those thoughts ran through my head as I looked down at the documents in front of me. Fortunately, no one had yet made any moves against Armelia. I wondered when they would start. For now, I could focus on reading the reports on our infrastructure improvements. I tried to push the dark thoughts out of my head and pay attention to the documents again. I was genuinely pleased to see my ideas had finally come to fruition.

Once things calm down, I would love to go see the construction in progress, I thought.

Just then, I remembered something Rehme had said: “It’s common in this kingdom to see several months of hot weather followed by long periods of heavy rain, especially in the western regions, maybe once every hundred years or so. It’s never affected Armelia, so it’s generally none of our concern, but I thought I ought to let you know.”

How could I have forgotten this?

“Tanya!” I yelled in a voice much too loud for addressing my lady-in-waiting—or anyone, for that matter.

“My lady! There’s something I need to tell you…!”

But Tanya burst into the room at that exact moment.

“What is it?”

“There’s been a flood. It’s a disaster. The western part of Tasmeria, including Lord Monroe’s domain, has been overwhelmed by a flooded river. They’ve incurred serious damages.”

I’m too late, I thought as I clenched my hands into fists. You stupid idiot! Rehme told you and everything!

This would be the trigger. The grain belt in our kingdom began with Count Monroe’s domain in the west. The flooding had no doubt destroyed many crops before they could be harvested. The amount of food on the market would soon sharply decrease, and many domains had barely any stockpiles left, because their governors had sold off even the last scrap of their reserves to Divan.

The kingdom would fall into absolute chaos.

“Tanya! Assess the duchy’s stockpiles right away! And bring me the Abitante census documents from each region, even if it’s just a general idea. Also, I need to meet with the head of the merchant guild. Contact him immediately. Have Sei check on the welfare of the Azuta Corporation employees in the affected areas. You can even send my family’s personal security if you need to.”

“Yes, my lady.”

First off, we needed to regulate exports of food from Armelia. That was what I needed to discuss with the head of the merchant guild. Then, I needed to find out what had happened to the branches of the Azuta Corporation branches in the affected areas. I made a mental checklist in my head, and I was already developing a bit of a headache. But I couldn’t rest.

“Someone call Lyle and Dida in here!”

Several people in the mansion started scurrying about—the urgency in my voice must have been apparent.

“What is it, Princess?”

“What’s wrong, my lady?”

Both of them ran up to me, looking worried. Tanya entered the room at the same time, documents in hand, likely regarding our stockpiles.

“Thank you, Tanya.” I held out my hand, and she handed me the documents right away. As I took them, I explained the situation to my two bodyguards. Then I told them how Divan’s machinations would affect things going forward.

“We might receive an influx of refugees wanting to move to Armelia. But our food reserves and land aren’t unlimited. So we need to strengthen the borders.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“I want you three to know that I trust you from the bottom of my heart, and that’s why I’m saying this.” For a moment, I hesitated to say what I was going to tell them. But I had to. “I’m going to take a portion of our stockpile—an amount that would feed the Armelian population for three months—and bury it.”

“Bury it, my lady?” They looked confused.

“That’s just a figure of speech, of course. I’m going to store it in a different place—some other location, separate from the rest of the stockpiles. Somewhere here, on our land. And I’ll rewrite the ledger, just in case.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because the kingdom might come to us for help, and as long as I’m the governor, there’s no telling what unreasonable demands they may make. They might even come to survey the handover. That’s why we need to be ready.”

“I see…”

“I’m just thinking in terms of the worst-case scenario.” I murmured self-deprecatingly. I didn’t think they heard me say it. “Well. Let’s begin.”

I gave detailed instructions to each of them, and they all sprang into action. As I watched them leave, I let out another wry chuckle.

Don’t think about anything else. You’re not God, after all.

I was merely a human. And because I was a human, I had to choose. I had to choose to protect those close to me over those far away calling for help. That’s what I thought in order to placate my anxieties, borne of my weakness.

Don’t run. Don’t lose. Don’t give up. Take responsibility for your decisions.

I repeated those words to myself before I returned my attention to the documents on my desk.

 

***

 

Berne departed from the capital on his way to Count Monroe’s domain. He had been dismissed from his post the moment his father, Louis, resigned from his. He now had so much free time on his hands, it felt like his previously packed schedules were no more than a dream.

Queen Ellia and Marquis Marea brandished their power with impunity back in the capital. The queen dowager had once again been forced to retire from public life when she was made to take responsibility for the food crisis; the queen had declared that the queen dowager’s countermeasures had not been woefully sufficient. The marquis went on to declare that the kingdom could no longer cling to old traditions and that what they truly needed to overcome these difficulties was a new king, one who could guide the kingdom in a new direction.

Any excuse would have been good enough for them to say as much, but this crisis had fallen into their laps. The capital was on a path to unrest. Food was essential for human survival, yet there wasn’t enough. People raced to buy up what little was left and stockpile it for themselves. They couldn’t be blamed for it; everyone feared the future. Moreover, rumors had begun to spread that there were counterfeit gold coins in circulation, which only inspired further panic in the citizens.

Prices had skyrocketed to unbelievable highs and the streets were filled with starving people. The royal family made earnest attempts to deal with the issue, but since they had already given up so much of their own personal stockpiles to charity, even the food reserved for the royal family had nearly disappeared. As such, the capital had fallen into disarray.

Some people bemoaned the situation and wept over it; some were angry. Those tears and anger swirled together into one great hurricane that consumed the capital. Little squabbles grew into fights, which resulted in even more tears. Everyone had their hands full taking care of themselves. And their discontent with the nobles, who barely paid attention to the suffering of the people and whose lives had barely changed, grew ever more intense.

Berne was on his way to see Count Monroe because his father had instructed him to do so. Louis had given the order to his son the moment he was able to get out of bed. If Berne had the time, he said, then his father wanted him to go see Count Monroe’s domain, since it was on the border of the kingdom. He wanted to know the state of affairs in that region, since this was a prime time for Tweil to attack. Not to mention, he wanted to know how the nobles in that land were faring.

Berne was a bit puzzled by that last bit, yet he was going nevertheless. On his way there, he listened to the citizens. Every single one of them expressed anxiety and discontent.

“I heard everything’s fine in Armelia.”

“No way. They have to be affected too, if things are this bad.”

“But it’s true. People have heard it, and there’s a line out the door of folks wanting to move there.”

“I wonder how long it takes to get to Armelia, though? I got a kid who’s not even two yet.”

Berne heard such conversations several times. Word of Armelia’s prosperity had traveled even to the farthest regions. Every time Berne overheard these conversations, his respect for Iris grew even deeper, but they also filled him with worry. He feared what kind of demands Queen Ellia would place on Iris once she heard of Armelia’s health. Once again, Berne cursed his own powerlessness. It was a vicious cycle.

At any rate, he and his three bodyguards hurried to Count Monroe’s domain. They took short rests along the way, but they traveled with great haste. At last, they arrived. The moment they did, Berne was rendered both speechless and expressionless.

To call it a ghost town would have been insufficient. The main avenue looked like a street in the capital’s slums. The flood waters had just receded, leaving behind a horrible mess on the roads. People were lying on the street, so emaciated that they were no more than skin and bones. Berne couldn’t tell if some of them were even alive. The stench of rot invaded his nostrils.

“What…is this?” he blurted out.

There was no answer. He impulsively started running.

“Lord Berne! Please wait!”

He didn’t even hear the guard’s voice.

This can’t be real, he thought as he ran. But no matter how far he went, the scene was all the same—or to be more truthful, it grew even worse. If hell existed, this was what it looked like. Hopelessness seized his heart.

“Are you…a noble?” a woman asked him, staring absently into space. “Please, have mercy on me…I’ve had naught but muddy water to drink for three days.” She staggered as she came closer to him. She was emaciated, and her eyes were vacant, lifeless and empty. The sight of them sent a shiver down his spine.

“Get away from him!” Another man pushed the woman out of the way and clung to Berne instead. “Have mercy on me! I’ll do anything. I’ll be your slave if only you’d bring me some food!”

More people came toward Berne, pushing the others out of the way and grabbing on to him.

The first woman who had approached him was still on the ground. Her body twitched, then stopped moving. A man stepped on her as if she were nothing and reached out toward Berne.

“A-augh!” Berne grabbed his head and screamed, trying to banish this scene from his mind.

Two of his bodyguards heard his wail and rushed to his side.

“Back away from him!”

Berne snapped back to reality when he saw his guards draw their swords. “Don’t hurt them!” he demanded. The guards hesitated.

“But Lord Berne!”

“It’s fine! You want food, don’t you?” Berne saw light glimmer in the people’s eyes. “Fons!”

Fons, one of his guards, looked even more bewildered. “Lord Berne!”

“Do as I say. Throw it as far as you can!”

The guard took the pack from his back and tossed it far away.

“That package contains all the food we have.”

The instant those words left Berne’s mouth, the people all scrambled toward it. Berne and his guards dashed in the opposite direction. They ran all the way to the border, then after they checked to make sure no one had followed them, all three sat down.

“I’m sorry I went off without saying anything.”

“We’re just glad you’re safe. Are you sure it was a good idea to give up the food?”

“We can survive a day without. I have some emergency rations in my ruck, so the four of us can split them. I’m sorry you had to come here with me.”

“It’s fine. But that…” The guards’ expressions darkened all at once. They’d seen the same hellish scene as Berne. They were bewildered…and afraid.

“I think the main problem is the matter at hand, but that’s not all,” Berne murmured calmly. “I have a feeling those people were starving even before the floods. I think that perhaps it’s Lord Monroe’s fault that the food is so scarce.”

“Surely not!”

“Are people’s lives so wholly dependent on who has power over them?” Berne bit his lip.

His guards gasped, having realized he wasn’t calm at all. In truth, Berne was unbelievably angry, though his anger was mostly directed toward his own powerlessness. The rage in the air was palpable.

Just then, they heard a rustling in the brush. His guards sprang to their feet to protect him. But nothing appeared. His guards drew their swords and slowly approached the brush, which they parted cautiously.

“Wh-what…?” one of his guards exclaimed.

“What happened?”

“It’s a child! A child has collapsed here!”

Berne immediately sprang to action. The guard was right; a young, extremely thin girl was passed out in the brush.

“We have water with the horses, don’t we?”

“Yes. Morry is standing guard with them.”

“Then go back to Morry and bring the water!” Berne picked up the girl and gave orders to his guards, who stood stiff behind him. The girl was surprisingly light. “Are you okay?”

Her eyes opened weakly when Berne talked to her, but they were unfocused.

“Hey…hey!” Berne called to her urgently, but she did not answer. She opened her mouth slightly, but all that came out was a silent breath.

“We brought it!”

“Here’s water! And food!” Berne held the food up to her mouth, but the girl didn’t move. He withdrew his emergency rations from his pocket and sprinkled water on them, then took the mushy food into his mouth. Once he had chewed it, he pressed his mouth to the girl’s. Berne’s guards were shocked, and they moved forward to stop him, but they paused when they saw the frantic fear in their master.

The little girl did not swallow the food. She lacked the strength to do even this.

“Please… Please, eat it!”

Berne’s cries were in vain, because the girl stopped breathing.

“Hey… hey!” Berne shook her.

There was no answer.

“Lord Berne, she’s already…”

“Why? Why did such a little girl have to die like this?!” Berne snarled. His violent emotions turned into tears that flowed from his eyes. “Why did she have to suffer, when the men governing this domain are fat and happy…?”

He could no longer speak. He just let out an anguished groan as he held the girl tightly in his arms, as if trying to catch her life in his hands, begging her not to go.

He stayed there in this manner for the entire night, holding the girl as she grew cold in his arms.

One of his guards spoke to him tentatively when the morning sun rose. “Lord Berne…”

Berne reacted to his voice, turning vacant eyes toward him. Up until that moment, he had not responded to any of them, but now, he finally reacted.

“We must return, Lord Berne…”

“I’ll leave once I bury her,” he said, sitting up. Berne quietly dug a hole and buried the girl in it, then prayed over her grave. Once he was finished praying, he opened his eyes. They were filled with resolve. He took out the dagger he kept on him and sliced off his braid with the blade.

“Lord Berne…!” One of his guards exclaimed in shock.

Berne turned back toward them, his gaze hard and cold.

His shorn locks fluttered in the wind. “The man I was yesterday died along with that little girl,” he murmured and turned on his heel. He was headed back toward the capital.

Berne was eerily silent during the trip home, and they moved quickly. All he and his guards thought of was hurrying, ever forward. As soon as they arrived in the capital, Berne went straight to the mansion to see his father.

“My…your face has changed, Berne.” Both Louis and Merellis looked shocked to see the change in their son. The light in his eyes seemed sharp enough to cut flesh, and his face was noticeably thinner. “What did you see?”

“I saw hell on earth,” Berne answered his father quietly, but fire burned in his eyes.

Louis let out a sigh. “Take this to the detached palace.”

Berne gave him a puzzled look.

“You’ve become painfully aware of your own powerlessness, have you not? And you wish you could do something from the bottom of your heart? Something that could change the kingdom?”

“Yes,” Berne answered without hesitation.

“Then hurry.”

Berne took the papers from his father and swiftly left the mansion.

 

***

 

The other domains were falling into disarray, and even Armelia was beginning to feel the aftershocks. An endless stream of people wanted to move to the duchy. I asked to see the situation for myself, and despite everyone’s objections, traveled to the border. I was left speechless.

“Please, let us into Armelia!”

“Please, have mercy! I walked all the way here with only water and nothing to eat!”

“Please, at least help my children! I don’t care what happens to me as long as my children are taken care of!”

“Don’t cut the line!”

Piercing screams came from all directions. The people looked haggard, frantically wailing at the top of their lungs. I desperately resisted the urge to cover my ears.

I hadn’t slept much since that sight. Every time I tried, I heard the people’s screams ringing in my ears. Each time that happened, I went to my desk, telling myself: Don’t run. Don’t lose. Don’t give up. I sent off orders to let in as many refugees into Armelia as we could afford to without inciting disorder within our borders.

I also had to deal with the Azuta Corporation. Fortunately, we had suffered no personnel losses due to the flooding, but we couldn’t begin to think of reopening those stores amidst such turmoil. I had no choice but to temporarily close all the shops that sold food in other domains. It pained me to do so, but there was nothing else I could do. Those employees were now out of work, but I had a responsibility to provide for their basic needs, so I was also dealing with that as well.

I’d heard that lately the Armelia estate was being called “the castle that never sleeps.” The other Armelian officials were working hard for me as well, despite their own troubles. How often were they even able to go home? When I asked one of them, he laughed.

“I’m not sure… I haven’t been keeping track. The last time I tried going home, my wife yelled at me. She said, ‘Don’t worry about us when Lady Iris needs you! She’s desperately trying to protect us all!’ Then she told me to get to sleep and go right back to work.”

On hearing this, the other officials in the room laughed and agreed; they’d had similar experiences. Even though I’d never met most of their families, I felt deeply grateful to them for that. At the same time, it encouraged me.

At some point, I stopped bothering to cover the dark circles under my eyes with makeup. I didn’t remember when. But I also no longer cared.

Don’t run from reality. Don’t lose to yourself. Don’t give up on your responsibilities. I told myself this as I sat at my desk, surrounded by stacks of papers. Everyone trusted me, and so they followed me. The kingdom was in turmoil, and the ones who suffered the most for that were the citizens. I couldn’t stand for this senseless reality.

The lives of those citizens, and the future citizens who waited at our gates, whose last hope was Armelia, depended on every paper I signed and every order I gave. I had no time to rest.

“My lady…” Sebastian called to me in an apologetic voice. I had a feeling that something bad had happened again. “This letter just came from the capital…”

I took the letter from him and read it. While I did so, my hand clenched the paper. When I finished reading, I tore the letter up in frustration and threw it away.

“What is the meaning of this?!” I snarled angrily. A maid who was standing in wait in the corner of the room flinched, looking frightened. “Ahh, I’m sorry. You can leave now.”

The maid hurried out of the room. Seeing her leave so swiftly cooled my anger.

“Yet another demand for food!” I snapped. “How many times are they going to ask? And on top of all that, ‘Refusing to supply aid will be seen as insurrection’?! Just who do they think they are?!”

To paraphrase the letter, it read: “You’ve got a lot of food stored up, right? Well, give it to us, because the kingdom is going to use it. And if you refuse, you’ll be considered a traitor, and we’ll send troops to take it by force.” The phrasing was more polite than that, but the gist was the same.

“We’ve sent them food three times now! If we send any more, we’ll have our own shortages!” I raised my voice, but Sebastian didn’t blame me for it. We’d set aside our secret stockpiles, but we’d already sent more than half our other food to the capital. That was about as much as the entire output of a smaller domain. And every time afterward, we’d receive another threatening letter, leaving us with no choice but to send more.

They’d only sent one such letter to my uncle and aunt of House Anderson.

So basically, they were just harassing me.

“We cannot possibly send any more. If we do, then our people will begin to starve here too.”

Sebastian didn’t know about the secret stockpiles, so the color had drained from his face as I said this.

“That’s right,” I shook my head. “We have no other choice but to decline.”

“But my lady…”

“I can’t help it if we don’t have anything else to send. And even if we did send something, they’d just keep asking for more and more.”

I attached a record showing our stockpiles were low and wrote a letter saying that we had no more to send, then handed it to Sebastian.

“I’m going to write a letter to my grandfather and uncle as well. Just in case something happens, I don’t want to make an enemy out of their domain, seeing as they border us.”

Sebastian nodded, a tense look on his face.

“I want you to call the officials from Borsa here. We need to increase our budgets and also increase purchases of foodstuffs from other kingdoms.”

“Of course. I’ll take care of it right away.”

I was afraid of what response might come. The only saving grace was that Mimosa’s wedding had been further delayed because of the troubles across the kingdom. While Father Rafsimons had put a stop to it on his end, neither family could spare the resources at the moment.

Deep in thought, I stared at the potted bugle resting on my windowsill. It seemed like a very long time since I’d bought it.

I smacked myself across the cheek. This was no time to be getting sentimental.

And so, once again, I immersed myself in my work. A few days later, another letter arrived from the capital, sooner than I expected. I hesitantly broke the seal and opened the envelope.

“Well?”

“It basically says ‘Enough with the impertinence and send us the food. We don’t have unlimited resources.’”

The end of the letter said that this would be our final warning. If we refused, they would send the military. I wanted to scream, “What are you, loan sharks come to collect your debts?!” But I supposed that would have been lowbrow of me.

“I’m going to the capital,” I said. “I heard that Queen Ellia and the other nobles are gathering to have a meeting anyway.”

“Now? In this situation?”

I couldn’t blame Sebastian for being suspicious. Why would the families be holding a meeting when we were in such dire straits?

“I have a feeling it’s because Ed’s position has been settled. It’s probably just a show, so that they can officially demonstrate that he will be ascending to the throne.”

“But my lady…”

“Unless I do something, they’ll just continue trying to squeeze us dry. And even when we truly cannot afford to give anymore, they’ll continue harassing us. I don’t see any other future. Once we got to that point, it would be too late. I absolutely will not accept that future for Armelia.”

“Yes…”

“There is one thing I’m worried about. Will you be able to take care of things here?”

“You’ve already put the plans and countermeasures in place, my lady. Not to mention, I have so many dependable officials I can count on for help.”

“So…?”

“Yes, my lady. Go to battle free of fear.”

“Thank you. I’m entrusting Armelia to you.”

“I understand. Please be careful on your journey.”

I ordered Tanya to make the preparations, and once again, we set out for the capital. Time was of the essence, so I took as few people as possible.

On the way there, I reminisced about my brush with excommunication. Dean had saved me then, but not just then…he’d saved me many times over. However, Dean wasn’t here now. I hoped he was safe during all this turmoil. I tried to push the worst-case scenarios out of my head. At present, I had no way of knowing how he was doing. That unfortunately made me worry all the more. It made my heart ache.

Still, I had no time for concerns such as these, so I tried to push them to the back of my mind. But every now and then, a glimpse of them resurfaced. When my anxiety felt like it was too great to bear, I took out the pocket watch and clutched it in my hand.

I would have dropped everything and rushed out to search for him if I had been the least able to. But I couldn’t. It was out of the question. All I could do was wait for Dean to return. If I dropped everything for him, I would never forgive myself. I clutched my pocket watch, trying to push down these fears.

When I arrived back at the capital, the changes I beheld took my breath away. Had it always looked so desolate…?

Lyle and Dida glanced around cautiously. They clearly sensed more danger here than on the road, and I could sense the rising tension in their posture. Nevertheless, we kept going and arrived at my family’s mansion.

I was relieved to lay eyes on familiar faces and promptly went to announce my arrival to my father.

“It’s so good to see you again, Father. I’m pleased that you look much better than when I last saw you.”

“It has been quite a while, Iris. I’ve recovered well, thanks to Merellis and the others.” My father had a smile on his face, but it struck me as weak. He was visibly thinner than the last time I saw him. It still seemed like it was painful for him to sit up. However, his complexion was much improved.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mother.”

“And you as well. I hear you’ve been working very hard.”

“Well, I’m trying,” I demurred shyly at my mother’s kind words.

“Iris, I heard what’s going on.” But my father quickly snapped me back to reality.

“I’m sorry, Father. It’s all my fault that I’ve caused so much trouble for the family.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve never regretted making you governor, not for a single moment. Besides, even if you weren’t in a position of power, House Armelia has always stood in House Marea’s way. They would have tried to overthrow us sooner or later regardless.”

“That’s right, Iris. Please stop speaking as if you’re not needed. You’re so precious to us, and to the citizens of Armelia.”

“Mother, Father…”

“We hope you realize that. We—and all your citizens—trust your judgment.”

“Thank you.” My eyes burned with tears. How did my parents always know how to say exactly what I needed to hear?

“It pains me that I can’t take action alongside you, Iris,” my father murmured guiltily.

I shook my head. “It’s fine, Father. Your sentiment alone is more than enough.”

My conversation with my parents filled my heart with warmth. They trusted me explicitly, and they validated me. I couldn’t think of anything more encouraging than that.

“Please go lie down, Father. I’m going to rest for a bit too, so if you’ll excuse me.”

With that, I went back to my room.

A few moments later, Tanya entered. “Pardon me, my lady.”

“What’s happened?”

“The investigation is finished, thanks to Moneda’s cooperation. We have the full support of the Andersons, including your grandfather.”

“I see. We can rest easy if worse comes to worse. Tanya, were you able to contact Milo?” She nodded silently. “And what did he say regarding Queen Ellia’s summons?”

“He was all smoke and mirrors, but he basically said this: ‘She’s not the kind to pick a losing battle.’ By which he meant to refer to you, of course.”

“I see…”

Tanya’s answer gave me a sense of reassurance so strong that it felt as if Dean were by my side.

“Maybe it’s just my imagination…” I placed a hand over my heart. Beneath it, I could feel the pocket watch that I wore around my neck.

“What’s the matter, my lady?”

“It’s nothing. Go ahead and distribute the other letters to those I’m going to negotiate with. I’ll be taking action.”

“Very well, my lady. I’ll let you know their responses as soon as I can.”

“All right. Thank you, Tanya.”

 

***

 

As soon as Lyle arrived in the capital and escorted Iris to her parents’ mansion, he headed for the castle. Dida was by his side, as usual. But he hadn’t said a word. This was on account of Lyle’s expression, which looked unusually sinister. Not even Dida had ever seen Lyle look so severe. It wasn’t cold, per se. It was more that his typical upstanding and noble demeanor had vanished.

A servant by the entrance to the castle showed them inside and led them to a room, where Yuri waited for them.

“I knew you’d come, Lyle. Although there’s someone I didn’t ask for here with you.” Yuri’s eyes sparkled as soon as she saw Lyle, but her expression changed into a pout when she noticed Dida next to him.

“Why does it matter if he’s here too?”

“It doesn’t, as long as it’s all right with you.” Yuri’s mouth twisted into a sarcastic smile.

Dida was dizzied by the sharp contrast between this expression and the innocent, absentminded girl Yuri pretended to be. At the same time, he was suspicious toward Lyle, who didn’t seem surprised at all.

“Why did you call me here?” Lyle asked.

“Oh, please. As if you don’t already know. Do I really have to say it?”

“I’m asking because I don’t know.”

“Honestly…” Yuri let out a sigh, but she didn’t seem the least bit annoyed. To the contrary, she looked thrilled. “I’ll keep it simple. I want you to join the knighthood. I’ll put in a good word for you.”

“I already said no to that.”

“I know. But this time, you’re going to say yes,” Yuri said, brimming with confidence. “If you join the knighthood, then I’ll lend you the power to become the next Lord Meleze.”

Dida was shocked. What in the world is she talking about?

“How do you know where I’m from?” Lyle asked Yuri quietly.

“I’m the future queen. I’m in a position to easily obtain any information I desire. Here and there, I noticed that your gestures were so elegant, and I thought it strange, so I looked into it. I was surprised. I couldn’t believe you were the illegitimate son of Lord Meleze. Your poor mother—having a man who was old enough to be her father fall in love with her. She didn’t even have feelings for your father, yet his wife’s jealousy got her killed. As a woman, I sympathize with her.”

Dida was so stunned at this revelation that he forgot to maintain his composure. His mouth flapped open and closed, but no sound came out.

“It seems like you didn’t ever tell your partner about your past, hm?” Yuri smirked at Dida’s reaction. “It’s horrible, isn’t it? His son, the current Lord Meleze, has no idea. Your mother was killed, you were nearly killed and banished, and yet not only does he have no idea, but he actually tried to recruit you! You want to avenge your mother, don’t you? It’s a shame the former Lord Meleze is already dead, but why not take revenge on his son? Well? That sounds good, right?”

There was a wild frenzy in Yuri’s eyes. She didn’t hesitate at all to suggest this. It almost looked as if she personally hated Count Meleze.

“Unfortunately, that’s unnecessary.” But Lyle did not share that enthusiasm. He just quietly stared at her.

“What…are you talking about?” Yuri stared, clearly stunned.

“I said, it’s unnecessary.”

“You’re lying!” Yuri’s face twisted with anger, and she grabbed Lyle’s arm. “You have to hate him! That’s why you once tried to join the knights, isn’t it? That’s what I heard. Don’t tell me that airheaded, goody-two-shoes duke’s daughter seduced you?!”

Her intensity made Dida’s eyes widen.

But Lyle only coolly looked down at her. “I cast aside the Meleze name. I was told long ago that I had no right to use it in the first place. I died when my lady took me in. I died, and I was reborn. So, I am no longer interested in House Meleze, and I have absolutely no desire to join the knighthood.” He calmly pried Yuri’s hands off of him and stared her down with complete composure. “The only reason I came here is because I wanted to sort out whether you knew about my past. It was my gestures, was it? I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Lyle turned on his heel, completely having lost interest in this exchange.

“Wait! Why…? You can’t just cast aside your past so easily! Hate and resentment only pile up and grow stronger. Isn’t it the same for you?”

“It is, in a way. But there’s no reason to be obsessed with what’s already happened. Besides, I’ve found something more important to me, so I no longer care about any of that.” Lyle said simply and then left the room.

Yuri watched him go, her face as enraged as a demon’s.

“My, my. Unusual to see you so out of control,” Divan said, appearing out of nowhere.

Yuri glared up at him. “Don’t eavesdrop.”

“I wasn’t eavesdropping. They sensed someone was here, although obviously, they couldn’t have known it was me.” Divan didn’t seem to wither under her gaze; in fact, he seemed amused by her ire. “I investigated him because you said you wanted a fierce fighter on your side after Dorssen disappeared… But now I see…you thought you’d found a kindred spirit in him.”

“Shut up!” Yuri snarled with surprising volume; it sounded like the anger came from the depths of her heart.

Her intensity could have frightened many a grown man. But this man kept smiling and came closer to her. “I won’t. Because if you get too caught up in trivial matters like this and get distracted from your true goal, you’ll cause problems for me too. Were you lying when you said you were going to surpass your mother and get revenge on this kingdom?”

Divan roughly grabbed her by the cheek and stared at her from close up. His eyes were cold and sharp.

“It wasn’t a lie,” Yuri ground out. “I’m not a coward. Not like him.”

“I’m relieved to hear that.” Divan smiled and let go of her face. “Still, if we can’t have Lyle on our side, then perhaps we should have retained Dorssen for longer? It was incredibly difficult making him disappear, you know.”

“He had no further use to us. That woman got to him, and he was starting to think about things he shouldn’t have. There’s no reason to keep someone alive if they’re just going to get in our way, right?”

“I’m relieved you haven’t become a coward, either.”

“Are you joking? That’s not funny at all.”

“Pardon me.”

“Well, no matter. Ah, it’s almost time for the tailor to come. I’m going to have her make me a simply gorgeous dress for the meeting.”

“The meeting?”

“Yes, the meeting to formally announce Edward’s ascension.”

“Suggest to the queen that she should postpone it.”

“Huh? What’s gotten into you, Divan? This is the prime opportunity for Edward to become the ruler of this country!”

“Unfortunately, we’ve still been unable to get rid of the first prince. Not only that, but despite bringing all my resources to bear, I can’t even locate him. There are too many things we don’t know.”

“The ruined first prince? Please. What can he do? Goodness, Divan, it’s like you’ve been slacking. Hurry up and bring me the first prince’s head!”

“But…”

“Enough already. I’m the queen of Tasmeria. I did everything you asked me to do. Honestly…stop prattling on here with me and go do what you’re supposed to. I don’t need your help anymore, you know. I can do everything on my own.”

“Very well.” For a moment, Divan froze, but then he responded with a smile. However, the smile was so icy, that anyone who glimpsed it would have been chilled to the bone. “I shall take my leave now.” He bowed once more and then left the room.

“So the time has finally come to cut ties… No matter. I don’t need him to carry out my plans anymore.” Yuri murmured to herself, her words echoing heavily in the empty room.

Meanwhile, the two guards silently left the castle.

“Hey,” Dida said to Lyle, having made up his mind.

“What?”

“Are you sure I should’ve come with you? I’m convinced that’s not how you wanted me to find out about your past.”

“It’s fine. I never intended to hide it from you. I just never found the right time to tell you. Especially since I already knew about your past…” The sharpness that had been carved into Lyle’s face had melted away. He once more looked like the Lyle who Dida knew so well.

“Heh. All right, then.” Dida chuckled shyly as he whacked Lyle on the back. His partner smiled at him. “Still, can’t believe you’re a noble. But I guess now that I know about it, it makes sense. Does Princess know?” he pressed mercilessly.

However, the teasing only made Lyle feel more comfortable, and he smiled.

“What, that I’m the illegitimate son of Lord Meleze? Or that that woman called me here today?”

“Both, of course.”

“I didn’t tell her about today. I didn’t want to burden her with anything else right now.”

“Got it…”

“But of course she knows about my past. Master Armelia looked into my background when they took me in. Plus, when our mistress first took me in, I resisted her and told her everything.”

“You resisted Princess?! Damn, I wish I could’ve seen that!” Dida burst out laughing, but Lyle let out a sigh.

“I wish I could forget it ever happened.”

“How did you resist her?”

“I said, ‘I’m the son of Lord Meleze!’ and ‘I’m only alive so I can join the knights!’ And then finally I said, ‘I don’t have time to play house with some little rich girl!’”

“Oof… You actually said that?”

“That’s why I wish I could forget it!”

“Hm… So why’d a rich boy like you agree to go with her in the end?”

“Don’t call me that. Anyway…probably because I made her cry.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“I know. But after she heard about my past, she cried. She said she couldn’t stand her own powerlessness.”

“Huh?”

“I thought at first she was just pitying me, but this five-year-old girl was honestly lamenting her helplessness. She heard my story and wished she could do something to help. Then she asked me to wait. She said that if I really wanted to join the knights, she’d help me get powerful enough to make my wish come true.” Lyle looked off in the distance, a sentimental gleam in his eye. “Now that I think about it, she was the first person who really saw me for who I was and wanted to help me. My mother never wanted me, so she hated the very sight of me. And my father never had the least interest in me.”

“Guess nobles have it rough too, huh? But it sounds like Princess hasn’t changed much, even since then.”

“That’s right. She was the first person to truly accept me for all that I am, and she won me over. After that, I had no desire to join the knights at all. Actually, the reason why I got the original recommendation from Master was because Mistress brought it up to him.”

“Really? I had no idea.”

“Neither did I. Apparently, around the time we started training with Master, she asked him to do it once I had won his favor. Master told me all this later.”

“But you didn’t join the knights in the end.” Dida lightly clapped Lyle on the back.

“Of course not. I can’t think of anything more fulfilling than being Mistress’s bodyguard. Besides, I have a partner who’s always got my back.” Lyle clapped Dida on the back in response. Dida just smiled bashfully at him.