Chapter 6: The Piglet’s Beloved Dimples

The usual faces were gathered in my private quarters in the palace. I was seated in the drawing room with Prince Christopher at my side. He had a smile plastered on his face, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

There were three others present. They kept glued to the entryway, staying out of the prince’s line of sight. One seemed amused at the situation. Another looked ready to flee. The last stood and watched indifferently.

Sitting across from us with a discouraged look on her face was Lady Sharon. Lady Elen was standing behind her, face strained with an apologetic smile. Apparently Lady Sharon was upset because the Holy Night’s Banquet was fast approaching, and since she hadn’t been able to get a hold of me, she was losing her patience. She’d finally used Lord Glen to force her way in here to speak with me.

In turn, the reluctant Lord Glen basically coerced Lord Alan and Lord Alexei to accompany him. He’d told them, “If I have to face the demon’s wrath, you guys are going to be there with me. That’s what true friendship is about.” I had yet to decipher the meaning behind those cryptic words, however.

“Umm,” I started to say, my head tilted as I struggled with how to begin this conversation.

Lady Sharon had requested that the two of us speak privately just as we had the other day, but Prince Christopher insisted on staying. He claimed, “I won’t disrupt any more than is absolutely necessary. I am merely here as an onlooker.” That only served to sour Lady Sharon’s mood further. I found her petulant, bitter expression far more genuine and endearing than the usual fake mature smiles she wore.

Undaunted by the strained atmosphere, I asked, “Very well, Lady Sharon, to what do we owe the pleasure of this meeting?”

Her verdant green eyes suddenly narrowed, implacable. A hesitant silence stretched out between us, but she soon muttered, “All right then.” Her voice filled with determination. “Lady Elianna, I want you to yield and allow me to go in your place with Prince Christopher to the banquet.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw the prince flinch at her words, but he kept his silence as promised.

Lady Sharon’s demands remained unchanged. She kept her tone even, despite the fact that the prince himself was present for our conversation. Even I admired her boldness. I had to wonder how such a young girl was capable of charging forward so fearlessly.

Lady Sharon’s face glowed with confidence as she suddenly withdrew something from her bag. “You will be compensated, of course. If you agree to let me take your place, then I will loan this to you as a sign of my gratitude.”

“This is...” I gasped, unable to finish the sentence. What Lady Sharon had deposited on the table was a single time-worn tome. There was no title on the front, but it was as thick as a dictionary. It appeared to be some kind of journal. A tremor ran through me; I could guess what this was already, knowing the house from which Lady Sharon hailed. “Don’t tell me this is really...”

“It is,” she assured me with a giant grin. “I figured you would recognize it immediately. And yes, it’s precisely what you think. This logbook was kept by Ship Captain Vigo himself, a man whose navigational skills were unparalleled. He served the archduke before he was even known as the Sea King.”

I swallowed hard. The Godwins were a distinguished military family with generations of men that had served as generals in the dukedom. There was one among them, however, who was known all across the continent: Lord Vigo Godwin. Lady Sharon was absolutely right in her claim, too; the reason the archduke became known as the Sea King was because Lord Vigo had managed to conquer the eastern trade route, something none before him had managed. This logbook was written by that very same legendary figure.

Unfortunately, on his way back to the dukedom, Lord Vigo contracted a fever while on foreign soil and passed away at a young age. For that reason, only his achievements and name were widely known. Who he was as a person, as well as the circumstances of his voyage were largely unknown. Though his life (and death) were recent history, the people of the dukedom worshiped him as if he were a heroic figure of legend. No doubt this was intentional on the dukedom’s part; they probably wanted to conceal his trade secrets.

But this logbook—this was something he had written personally.

I want to read it.

I wondered just what kind of adventures were contained within? He must have recorded his hardships on the sea, his battles with the weather, the lands he visited, the strange flora and fauna, the foreign customs, foreign people, and foreign cultures. This one enormous book contained how he’d lived, how he’d felt. It had all of that, everything wrapped inside its pages.

I really want to read it.

Bewitched by the unknown world contained within, waiting for me to consume it, I outstretched my hands. I was too distracted to hear the conversation between Lady Sharon and Lady Elen.

“How could you bring that along with you?!” Lady Elen admonished. “You’ll be facing the general’s fury when you return home!”

“Don’t you dare interfere, Elen!” the young lady barked back haughtily. “Grandfather said it’s mine and I can do whatever I want with it.”

“I understand that, but you must realize he didn’t intend that quite so liberally. This could affect us politically and diplomatically!”

“The vice captain’s logbook is already circulating widely, so it’s a little late to worry about that! Besides, even my tutors said that other nations’ navigational skills are advancing daily and old knowledge like this will eventually become obsolete. What good will it do to lock it away until its value dwindles so far you can only get a copper for it? Wouldn’t it be better to leverage it while it can still be of use?” Lady Sharon reasoned.

“Still—”

“Lady Elianna,” Lady Sharon interrupted as she grabbed the tome and cradled it to her chest. She seemed completely undeterred by her bodyguard’s protests as she called my name, drawing my attention back to her. “What will it be? I can’t actually give this to you, you understand, but I can loan it to you for the duration of my stay here in Sauslind.” She relinquished her grip on the book, slowly holding it out toward me.

My hands, which I’d folded back on my lap, twitched with the temptation again.

“I...”

I quickly snapped back to my senses. I could feel the prince’s gaze on me, strong enough to bore a hole right through me. Slowly, I returned my hands to my knees and tried to play it off, despite the cold sweat trickling down my forehead. The temperature in the room hadn’t changed in the slightest, and yet it suddenly felt unbearably warm.

I already knew there was only one way to answer her offer. I wouldn’t even put the two on a scale to weigh the options. Yes, it was clearly which one I would pick.

“...I cannot accept that.”

“I couldn’t help but notice, Eli,” the prince piped in, “how extraordinarily long that silence was, and how you now look like you’re about to break into tears over your decision.”

Nonsense, Your Highness, it’s just your imagination.

Near the entrance to the room, I could hear hushed whispers being exchanged between the prince’s inner circle.

“So that’s what it looks like when someone loses all hope and comes crashing back to reality, huh?”

“For a minute there, she was almost glowing.”

“Well, they do say, ‘Eyes speak louder than words.’”

I assure you all, it’s just your imagination.

Everyone around me expelled exasperated sighs as I gazed longingly at the tome before me.

Lady Sharon snatched the book away as she huffed, “You mean to tell me this isn’t enough for you? Any well-educated man would be dying to get his hands on this, you know? This logbook was kept by Ship Captain Vigo himself, written in his penmanship! Oh, I see. You doubt its authenticity, do you? In that case, allow me to show you his signature!” She flipped a page open and tapped it. “Here, see?”

I couldn’t stop myself from leaning even farther forward in my seat, stretching across the table. Could you keep going? Turn to the next page, and then the next...

“Eli.” The prince’s tone made it sound like a reprimand.

My body jerked, and I readjusted myself in my seat. Yes, I know. The most pressing matter right now isn’t the book.

He exhaled again, slowly folding one long leg over the other. As he spoke, his voice was curt. “Lady Sharon, I suspect I know why it is you’re so obsessed with me being your partner, but allow me to ask, are you doing this of your own volition? Or is this the will of the dukedom?” His tone was gentle. He sounded calm and composed, but Lady Sharon seemed to sense the iciness lurking beneath because she began to tremble.

“Well, I...” she hesitated.

Behind her, Lady Elen cut in. “Lady Sharon did this on her own. It is not the will of our country.”

“Elen!” Lady Sharon gasped. There was a harsh look in her eyes which contrasted greatly with the refined look in Lady Elen’s.

“Please consider your position,” Lady Elen implored. “The blood of the former general runs through your veins. You may be a guest of the Eisenach family, but you’re not a private citizen. You must be more discreet with how you conduct yourself. Even Lady Mireille cautioned you about that.”

“I know! But if I’m Prince Christopher’s partner, then Lady Mireille will...!”

“Lady Mireille has never said anything about wanting this,” Lady Elen interrupted.

Lady Sharon fell silent, seeming at a loss for words. After a moment, her temper got the best of her as she roared, “But, I mean...it’s weird, isn’t it! Lady Mireille had such a promising future ahead of her that people praised her as ‘Miseral’s Pearl Princess.’ And yet as soon as talks of her engagement to Prince Christopher fell through, the archduke passed away. Then, that insufferable concubine and the duke family that had guardianship over her treated her so coldly.

“To make matters worse, she was married off to a man twenty-five years her senior, only for him to die shortly afterward. Immediately talks of her next marriage began, and...they’re not very promising... Don’t you find that strange?! Lady Mireille deserves happiness more than anyone else in the whole country!” In her rage, she slammed the logbook down against her knees.

I immediately chastised her for it. “You mustn’t take your anger out on books!”

Her head jerked up, those verdant green eyes meeting mine.

I forced myself to remain calm, soothing my voice and steadying my breathing. “Lady Sharon, what you have in your hands right now is a logbook written by an outstanding captain—a record detailing his life, something he personally kept with him. You basically hold half of his life’s work in your hands. You mustn’t treat something so precious with such disdain.”

After that rebuke, Lady Sharon’s mouth trembled as she grumbled, “What’s your problem...”

During the course of Lady Elen and Lady Sharon’s quarrel, Prince Christopher had waved Lord Glen over to whisper something into his ear. After receiving his orders, Lord Glen quietly slipped out of the room.

Lady Sharon paid his absence no mind as she kept her eyes trained on me. “It’s your fault for being here, Bibliophile Princess! Lady Mireille was supposed to be the prince’s betrothed, not you. Besides, you don’t care about anything but books, do you? So why don’t you lock yourself in a library forever! Lady Mireille isn’t like you. She’s not so obsessed with books that she refuses to see anything else!”

His Highness and Lady Elen were poised to react to the young lady’s tantrum, but I faced her emotionally-charged accusations head on. “I can’t do that.”

I could tell just how deeply Lady Sharon cared for Lady Mireille, but I wasn’t about to vacate my position on account of her feelings. In fact, now that I had hardened my resolve, I was even more disinclined to back down.

“You’re right,” I told her, “I am a Bibliophile Princess with no interest outside of books. However, my feelings for Prince Christopher are stronger than anyone else’s. I absolutely refuse to hand him over.”

As soon as I said that, I could hear the conflict in His Highness’s voice as he mumbled, “I’m sure having a lot of highs and lows today...”

Lady Sharon grew increasingly indignant as she opened her mouth again, but Lady Elen cut her off with a sharp reprimand. “Lady Sharon! Do you intend to permanently damage the diplomatic ties between the dukedom and Sauslind over your own selfishness?”

“B-But—”

“We’re past the point where you can resolve things by crying,” Lady Elen told her gruffly. “Apologize to Lady Elianna.”

Tears welled up in the little girl’s eyes, spilling down her cheeks. She hiccuped as she tried to wipe them away with her tiny hands. Seeing her sobbing in response to Lady Elen demanding an apology made my heart ache. I knew I would have to accept whatever she said, even if it was insincere. Perhaps it was too naive of me to think we could disregard the whole thing just because we were in my room and not in the public eye.

Prince Christopher quietly cut in. “You have a point. Elianna and Lady Mireille are very different. Anyone who looks at the two of them would know that straight away.”

My heart thudded loudly. I suddenly found it hard to breathe as I glanced over at His Highness.

Lady Sharon looked up, tears still falling from her eyes as she regarded him quizzically. For his part, the prince just smiled back at her. Then he turned toward me, his gaze filled with affection like it always was. “Eli, humor me. Four years ago when we first became engaged, you were intent on gathering all sorts of books on medicinal herbs from various countries. Why was that?”

“Huh?” I stammered at first, not expecting him to bring up something from so long ago. Back then, our engagement had made it infinitely easier for me to get my hands on rare tomes. As such, it was a calculated move on my part to—ahem, I digress.

“That was about the time you managed to obtain The Travels of Parco Molo, yes?” His Highness prompted.

I nodded emphatically. The terrifying glint in the prince’s blue eyes as he peered over at me was surely my exaggeration. Surely.

“Um, yes,” I started. “Originally, I sought that book because my cousin suffered from an internal medical imbalance, and up until that point none of the medicines we had in Sauslind had been effective in treating it. At the time, Sauslind was already teeming with new products and knowledge coming in from the eastern trade routes, and I figured we could glean even more from those foreign nations.”

I curled my hands into fists in my lap. There was another, crucial goal I’d had at the time. “I’d learned that research into treatments for the Ashen Nightmare had come to a standstill. I thought other books might provide us an alternate perspective. I’d hoped there might be some remedy overseas that wasn’t available yet here on the Ars Continent.”

Lady Sharon still had tears in her eyes as she stared at me curiously, blinking. The plague had spread before she’d even been born. The Miseral Dukedom had been fortunate enough to be spared many losses, sustaining even fewer casualties than Sauslind. Although the plague itself was embedded in history, Lady Sharon didn’t seem to understand why it was still garnering any attention in the present.

“But...” she spoke tentatively, “it’s already gone now, isn’t it? So it’s not like you need to...”

“It’s gone for now,” I corrected her. “We have no idea when it might resurface. When it does, it will be too late to lament not having searched for a treatment sooner. We still haven’t found anything to effectively combat it.” I kept from revealing my own chagrin by tightening my fists.

As if to alleviate my frustration, the prince continued, “Eli is the one who brought life back to the Herb Research Lab, which had previously grown stagnant. Though, that’s a story for a different time. The point is, Eli had already set her sights on the Azul Region before I even proposed constructing a bridge there. That was because of the Ashen Nightmare, wasn’t it, Eli?”

“Yes... Well, that was part of it, too, but...” I hesitated to explain; my emotions as a child had played a part in my interest as well. The air in the room made it clear they were waiting for me to continue, however, so I swallowed back my embarrassment and pressed on. “In a lot of the Azul Region’s fairy tales, the children have no parents. I wondered why that was, so I began to look into it. I discovered most parents had to leave their houses for extended periods to earn a living, just like Corba Village. It simply...struck me as very lonely for those families to have to live apart like that.”

It wasn’t all that rare in noble houses for children to be raised separate from their parents. Often nobles left their children behind in their regional territories to be reared by servants. Then when they came of age, they would join their parents in the capital for their debut into high society. Even so, I was sure all children yearned to be with their parents.

Seeing other parents with their children had always made me feel lonely growing up, but then I reminded myself this wasn’t commonplace in the rest of the kingdom. Ever since I learned what had triggered the tragedy in Corba Village, I felt even more determined to find something that could act as a financial foundation for them. That was why I focused so heavily on the Azul Region.

Of course, Lady Sharon seemed utterly baffled by my fixation as she countered, “But isn’t that kind of...beyond your ability to fix? It’s not like you can make sure every territory in the kingdom flourishes. Since the land itself is poor, there’s nothing to be done about it, is there?”

“I don’t think nobles like us should ever use the excuse that there’s ‘nothing we can do about it.’” I quietly scanned my own appearance—my well-groomed nails, my dainty fingers, and my high-quality clothing. Then I glanced over and surveyed Lady Sharon’s impeccable appearance, not a single hair out of place. “We nobles never have to dig around in the dirt. We don’t have to subject ourselves to the mercy of the rain and the wind. We have people to protect us and beautiful clothing to adorn ourselves with. Even the food we eat, which is so meticulously prepared for us, exists because of the support of the people. Due to poverty, many people have to leave their homes to work, and the jobs that await them are grueling and laborious. No one does that because they want to do it. We only enjoy the status that we do because of their sacrifices, so we cannot shirk responsibility for their financial difficulties.”

“But...then, what should we do?” Lady Sharon asked. “There has to be a reason they’re poor to begin with. If it were that easy to improve the quality of their lives, no one would struggle with this problem.” Her emotional outrage had largely subsided. She was gazing calmly at me now.

I nodded in agreement. She was listening closely, digesting my words and responding with sincere questions. I liked how intelligent she was. “The people need something that will improve their quality of life and enrich their financial foundation. Allow me to give a concrete example. The border region of Edea has something called the Suiran weave. Currently, the area is bustling with weavers and merchants who have come to learn the skills required to create that weave. The earl had a new facility built for the express purpose of their education.

“Admittedly, this is just one example. As you said, Lady Sharon, it’s not as if we’ll be successful at every attempt we make. It isn’t that simple. There will, of course, be downsides. It’s our duty as people standing at the top of this country to see that the land and its people flourish.”

Lady Sharon listened quietly.

Once I was finished, Lord Alexei’s calm voice intoned, “Pardon me for interrupting. I do understand what you’re saying, Lady Elianna, but could you share why your attention was drawn to Corba Village’s seashells specifically?”

“Oh, well...” My cheeks flushed. I’d made so many bold remarks, but actually, my interest in the clams had been pure curiosity at first. “You see... When I was helping create duplicate copies of some ancient manuscripts, I noticed the ink we use here in the Ars Continent differs from the ink sticks I read about in The Travels of Parco Molo...”

The prince wore a curious look on his face as he glanced over at me. I remembered that I’d once given him a stick of said ink and a pen I had imported from the east. Although, it might be more appropriate to call it a brush; they used these utensils in the east for calligraphy. It was so easy to write with that the pen’s popularity soared amongst the nobles, but unfortunately, ordinary citizens could never afford something so high quality. The stick ink didn’t work well on the cheap paper that was widely distributed around Sauslind, either. I was partially curious about the clams for that reason as well, but my main focus was what I saw on those ancient manuscripts.

I continued my explanation. “After several hundred years, even the writing on most other ancient manuscripts begins to fade with the passage of time. Through The Travels of Parco Molo, I learned there were writings from a thousand years ago using stick ink that were still well-preserved with the handwriting intact. My father was curious as well, so he obtained some ancient writings from the east, and we confirmed this was true. I began to wonder...what was so different between our ink and theirs? And why had some of Sauslind’s ancient manuscripts faded over time while others hadn’t? That began my journey in trying to recreate the ink we used.”

“Using seashells...?” His Highness asked in amazement.

I nodded. “It’s commonplace now to create ink using plants or animals, but in prehistoric times when people carved depictions of their daily lives and their religious beliefs on cave walls, they used a pigment created from seashells. I heard from my brother that even now, the color of those cave paintings is still vibrant. The ink used in our ancient manuscripts is the exact same type, and yet it fades over time.

“Part of the issue appears to be the quality of our paper. For the ones that didn’t fade, it seems our ancestors actually traced some of our ancient manuscripts by writing directly over the faded letters. As a result, you can follow their writing habits and preferences, which I find fascinating. There was one man who was particularly passionate about finding some way to combat hair loss. Another was extremely passionate about the unseen, such as the spiritual realm. There was yet another who had a penchant for sentences written in an indifferent and brusque manner, not unlike Lord Alexei. Their excitement is fairly evident in the way they traced over numerous ancient texts—oh!” I slapped a hand over my mouth the moment I realized I was derailing the discussion by gushing about handwriting analysis.

Lord Alexei still had a straight face as he stood at the door, but he’d stepped closer to it as if he were about ready to flee the room.

Prince Christopher stifled his laughter and tried to redirect the course of the conversation. “So that’s how your attention was drawn to the Milulu Clams?”

“Oh, uh...” I stammered, “yes. My brother told me that the pigment found in Milulu Clams was used in the Totti Cave paintings in Norn. However, when I tried to use it on paper, the color was so thin it wasn’t suited to writing letters. Applying several layers did seem to help, but...I still haven’t found a use for the ink outside of painting.”

It didn’t quite meet the standard necessary to be used as regular ink. I had eyed it originally in hopes it might become a local specialty, but as Lady Sharon said herself, things weren’t always that simple.

After a moment of contemplation, the prince said, “Perhaps there is yet a use for it.” Then he followed with, “Have you spoken about this to my mother?”

“Oh...yes.”

Queen Henrietta was also concerned about Corba Village and the Azul Region, so after I created my ink samples, I shared the results with Her Majesty.

His Highness had an amused look on his face. There seemed to be a deeper meaning behind his smile than I was privy to. “I am sure the ink you discovered will be revolutionary. The Holy Night’s Banquet will have a nice surprise in store for you. That said... Lady Sharon, do you understand now?” He suddenly turned the conversation back toward her.

Her tears had dried as she quietly followed the conversation, and now she was staring blankly back at Prince Christopher’s dazzling smile.

His Highness had a bewitching air about him as he explained, “Four years ago, Eli pushed forward the research into the treatment of the Ashen Nightmare. She also sought a way to enrich a land beset by poverty. She had many other achievements as well, of course, but even without being recognized as my betrothed, I am sure she would have found another way to accomplish the same things. That’s precisely why the people of Sauslind support her. All biases aside, the differences between Elianna and Lady Mireille are as clear as night and day.”

I do believe you are laying on the praise a bit thick, Your Highness.

“All right, but...” Lady Sharon still seemed unconvinced as she countered, “why has the Yule Lovers story, which is based on you and Lady Mireille, gained so much popularity in Miseral then? They do say, ‘where there’s smoke, there’s a fire.’ I understand that Lady Elianna is more than just a Bibliophile Princess now. But is it not also true that you and Lady Mireille had feelings for one another when you were younger? Isn’t that why this story came into being?”

She did seem to have a point. Now it was my turn to quietly pin the prince with a stare.

“Eli,” he said with a pained sigh.

At some point, Lord Glen had made it back, and he approached the prince to hand him something. Prince Christopher then laid it out on the table.

A letter, I realized.

Before His Highness could open his mouth to speak, Lady Sharon was already clapping her hands together in delight. “Oh my goodness! This is Lady Mireille’s handwriting. So the two of you have been corresponding with each other in secret. I mean, it’s no surprise, Yule Lovers is based on the two of you!”

Maybe I should leave...

“Eli! Why are you trying to get out of your chair?” His Highness reprimanded me. “I swear to you this isn’t what you’re thinking!”

Over by the door, Lord Alan and Lord Glen were whispering amongst themselves.

“He looks like a husband that just confirmed his wife’s suspicions that he’s been cheating on her.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty solid evidence right there.”

Prince Christopher glared daggers their way. “Glen, it sounds like you want to live in Miseral for the rest of your life, hm? Very well. I’ll make sure to fill out the proper paperwork. Just you wait.”

“Why only me?!” Lord Glen shrieked.

My room was suddenly filled with a lively cacophony as Lord Glen protested and Lady Sharon squealed over the fact that Lady Mireille and Prince Christopher were exchanging letters.

Both Lady Elen and I sighed in unison. She shot a gentle smile my way. When I returned hers with one of my own, the prince interrupted. He seemed irate as he cleared his throat, trying to quiet everyone. “At any rate, Lady Sharon, about this story that’s gaining popularity in the dukedom...I suspect there’s a motive behind it.”

“A motive?” Lady Sharon blinked back at him in surprise as if he’d completely caught her off guard.

His Highness nodded, sounding a bit scathing as he replied, “Don’t you find it odd? For a story that seems like it would be beloved by women, it has an awfully advantageous angle for the dukedom. Plus, you said it yourself, didn’t you? After the previous archduke passed away, Lady Mireille was treated coldly by those with power—the concubine and the duke family. Lady Mireille was the youngest daughter of the previous archduke. He doted on her the most, and she was so beloved by the people they dubbed her the ‘Pearl Princess.’ I heard that this same duke family was involved in a shipwreck that hurt the dukedom politically. Right now, that family is trying desperately to cover the damages and salvage their reputation.”

“What does that...” Lady Sharon’s voice trailed off. She was about to ask what that had to do with anything, but immediately the realization dawned on her.

The prince continued in a flat tone. “And speaking of things that would benefit the dukedom politically... It wouldn’t be strange at all if they wanted to take advantage of Lady Mireille’s popularity for their own gain.”

So that’s what this was about, I realized.

They treated her coldly, arranged a marriage for her, and now they stood to gain even more if they were able to ship her off to Prince Christopher as a concubine. Considering her former popularity with the people of the dukedom and the fact that she was childhood friends with His Highness, she still had a lot of value in their eyes.

Unfortunately for them, I was his betrothed, and our wedding date had already been formally announced. Since Lady Mireille had already been married once before, she didn’t stand a very promising chance of being selected as the prince’s concubine. Thus, they came up with the Yule Lovers tale to boost her reputation in hopes Sauslind wouldn’t be able to ignore her. At least, that was my assumption.

The look in the prince’s eyes made his opinion clear; anyone who supported Lady Mireille becoming a concubine was only helping that duke family make use of her as a tool.

Lady Sharon turned deathly pale. She trembled as she voiced the horrific thought that crossed her mind. “I-I don’t want to believe it, but...could Earl Ramond...have been murdered?”

True, if that really was the duke family’s aim, Lady Mireille would have to be a widow for them to use her as the prince suggested.

My brows knitted together in thought.

As for the prince, his tone remained just as matter-of-fact as ever. “Who’s to say?” It sounded as if he wasn’t particularly interested in the answer. “I haven’t looked into it deeply enough to know for certain, and it’s just one possible inference. I don’t have any proof to back my claim. However, one cannot rule it out completely.”

“Oh no...” Lady Sharon looked aghast, her shoulders slumping as her gaze fell to the table. Almost as quickly, the spark returned to her eyes. “Then Lady Mireille must have sought you for help, right? That must be what this letter is about!”

“Unfortunately...” The prince withdrew the letter from the envelope and unfolded it, leaving it exactly the way I had seen it before when it sat atop the table in his office. “The letter wasn’t quite so endearing. Just as I was putting out feelers within the dukedom, Lady Mireille was also doing an investigation of her own and noticed my movements. The content of her correspondence outlines a deal where the both of us will share the information we collect. She also insists my interference is unnecessary because it’s a domestic issue, and she and her people can solve it themselves. Quite bold of her.”

After receiving the prince’s permission, Lady Sharon eagerly snatched up the letter to read for herself.

The prince grinned and cheekily added, “Oh, and she also says you’re like an adorable little sister to her, but you might cause trouble while you’re here. She asks that we not pay your wild ideas any mind. Finally, she closes by saying she’s truly happy for me, being able to marry my first love.”

Lady Sharon wordlessly sank back in her chair, having lost the purpose she’d held onto this entire time. Her eyes were again filling with tears when Lady Elen let out a muted sigh. “Please allow me, Elen Wenham, to apologize on my lady’s behalf.”

She gave a polite bow before hesitantly continuing, “I realize this is no excuse...but the Godwin family is a military family. I’m related to them as well, so I can tell you that the women in her family don’t have much power. Lady Sharon’s mother has a very weak constitution, so Lady Mireille has looked after her since she was a child. She lacks the necessary discretion of someone in her position as a result. Regardless, I hope you will find it in your hearts to overlook her mistakes.”

Her words had the emotional appeal of a lady and the gallantry of a knight. Lady Elen seemed to be saying that Lady Sharon thought of Lady Mireille almost like a mother.

His Highness still had a sharp, scathing air about him, but I had some different words to offer Lady Sharon. “This is just like The Piglet’s Beloved Dimples.”

After a moment of silence, everyone’s eyes turned to me in confusion. “What?”

I recalled everything that had transpired up until now and began to share a story with them. It was a fable from the Azul Region.

Long, long ago, there was an orphaned piglet named Lu, who grew up hearing everyone else tell him about how great his parents had been.

They’d say, “Your father was an amazing pig.”

“Your mother was so stunning. Compared to that, you’re so scrawny you don’t even look edible. I’m sure you won’t sell for more than a few copper coins. Feeding you just costs us extra money. You’ll be punished eventually for it!” they told him.

Even after hearing all that, Lu still didn’t leave the little house he’d grown up in, partly because the little girl who raised him was so kind. The poor thing was just like Lu; she didn’t have any parents either.

She told him, “You’re my only friend in the world, Lu. Let’s stay together forever and ever!”

Both of them were terribly lonely.

Then, one day, the girl returned to the village full of excitement. She said, “Lu, Lu! You have to hear this. I’m in love! I’m in love with the liege lord’s son. He’s so nice and so amazing.” And then she wistfully wondered, “Ohh, isn’t there something I could do to catch his eye?”

When the little piglet heard her say that, he started thinking. He wanted to do something to help her. Suddenly, an idea hit him. If he became the village’s number one pig and looked irresistibly delicious, the liege lord would have to notice.

I’m sure I can do this, he thought. After all, I had an amazing dad and a stunning mother.

And so, the little piglet began training in order to become the village’s number one pig, all because he wanted to see the joy on the little girl’s face—to see the dimples on her cheeks when she smiled.

“Oh, I know that story. It’s been made into a children’s song too,” Lord Alan interjected. He waved his index finger through the air in line with the rhythm as he sang, “Oh, my adorable piglet, Lu. Your father was great, your mother was stunning. Surely, someday your time will be coming. Eat, eat, eat your fill. You will be a delicious pig too. Stay with me forever, my adorable piglet, Lu. The lyrics continue for three stanzas.”

“So what happened to the piglet?” Lord Glen asked curiously.

Lord Alexei sighed. “He’s a pig. No doubt the story ends with him getting eaten. Fables always have some kind of lesson in them. He worked hard for the little girl, but it backfired in the end—probably something along those lines. At any rate, the story does fit what happened here.”

“Alex, you’ve got no heart,” argued Lord Alan. “Clearly this story was about the piglet and the little girl’s character growth. It’s adorable how hard little Lu worked for the girl’s sake.”

“Anyway, what really did happen to him?” Lord Glen asked again.

While the rest of their group began bickering about the fate of the piglet, His Highness gave an exasperated sigh; he was used to these antics. “The point is, this problem was born out of the piglet’s—excuse me, Lady Sharon’s—misunderstanding about Lady Mireille’s feelings. Her letter clearly shows how deeply she loved her deceased husband. Just because you care about someone doesn’t mean everything you do for them will have a positive impact. I can sympathize with him for that. For the piglet’s sake, let’s forget this ever happened.”

Relieved, Lady Elen conveyed her gratitude and bowed once more. Then she lifted the dumbfounded Lady Sharon into her arms and started toward the door. She gave one more formal farewell before she slipped out of the room. Only after the door was shut did Lady Sharon seem to return to her senses. We could hear her shrieking from the hall, “Who are you calling a piglet?!”

I blinked in surprise, unsure how my story had led us to this point. At the same time, I felt a deep sorrow for the tome that Lady Sharon had carried away with her.

Beside me, the prince seemed entirely spent. He breathed a sigh, sweeping back his blond hair. His voice was heavy with fatigue as he mumbled, “That was a pigsty of a situation.”