Chapter 40: Gathered Again...

Mia sat in Saint-Noel’s famed Secret Garden at the invitation of Rafina to have lunch together. Surrounded by the deep pink petals of the princess roses, she luxuriated in their elegant fragrance while appreciating the fine food Rafina had prepared for her.

“This is really tasty, Miss Mia!” exclaimed the diminutive figure beside her.

As a matter of fact, Rafina’s invitation had extended to Bel and Anne as well, and all three of them were enjoying the particularly sumptuous lunch. Bel especially was a ball of enthusiasm. The sight of her distended cheeks and wide grin as she chomped on her food drew a giggle out of Rafina.

“Gosh, now aren’t you just the most adorable thing. The food looks twice as good when you’re eating it,” Rafina said as she regarded the young girl.

“Ehehe, I can’t help it. It’s just too tasty.”

The two traded smiles before Bel went back to assaulting her plate while Rafina watched fondly from across the table. It was a scene that caused some cognitive dissonance for Mia, who until very recently had been under the impression that Bel found Rafina as terrifying as she did.

This girl really knows how to get along with people, doesn’t she? Maybe she’ll have an easier time than I thought... It occurred to her that people always wore gentle smiles when they interacted with Bel. Age-wise, she should be just a year younger than Abel and Sion, but for some reason, everyone treats her like a little kid.

“Say, Mia,” Rafina said suddenly as she turned toward her. “Bel is someone very dear to you, right?”

“Of course. She’s my precious gra—” She choked the word back just before it could leave her mouth. “Uh, little sister.”

“Oh? Was that a moment’s hesitation I just heard? Quite the rarity, coming from you, Mia. Mmhmhm... I see you care very much about your father,” remarked Rafina, who thought Miabel was the emperor’s illegitimate child. It wasn’t her fault, of course; Mia had pushed her toward that theory.

So she believes I’m jealous because Father went and had another kid with someone else... The fact that she thinks that is a little upsetting, actually.

She didn’t hate her father or anything, but she didn’t want people to think she liked him all that much either. It was... complicated. Puberty and all that. Anyway.

“So, what about Bel?”

“Oh, I was just thinking that if she’s someone you hold dear, we should definitely arrange for her to have a proper attendant. Otherwise, we might end up accidentally giving the Serpents a chance to get their hands on her.”

“An attendant... for me?”

Bel gave her a puzzled look.

“Yes. I do think it’s a bit too much work for Anne to keep taking care of you as well.”

“Well, Miss Bel can handle a lot of things on her own, so it’s really not much of a burden for me,” said Anne, “but I do regret being unable to attend classes with milady...”

That’s right. You have no idea how many times I’ve wished Anne were with me.

Mia was very much in agreement that the best solution was to assign Bel a trustworthy attendant of her own. She’d been toying with the idea herself, in fact. The problem was that she’d never been able to find a fitting candidate.

If Rafina has someone in mind though, I suppose— Ah!

A concern occurred to her, and she hastily spoke up.

“Even if we find an attendant, I’d like for Bel to stay in my room.”

“Hm? Isn’t it cramped in there?”

It... was sort of cramped, actually, but ensuring Bel was always available for questioning was a higher priority for Mia.

“We’re doing fine. It’s no problem. There are plenty of things I’d like to talk to her about too, so...”

“Gosh,” said Rafina with a surprised giggle, “you really spoil her, don’t you?” Then, she put a finger to her chin and frowned. “But, hmm. In that case, I suppose I’ll arrange for Bel to stay in your room for the foreseeable future.”

“Thank you very much for your consideration.”

“Now then, about that attendant for Bel. As a matter of fact, I have someone in mind...”

“Oh? Who might that—”

Rafina clapped twice. At the signal, a girl appeared before them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you again, Princess Mia.”

“Oh my! Well if isn’t Lynsha! It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other!”

The unexpected reunion brought a smile to Mia’s face. The last she’d seen of Lynsha had been at the end of the incident in Remno, and that had been several months ago. She’d heard that with Abel and Rafina appealing on her behalf, she’d been spared any harsh penalties, but it was still comforting to see her doing well in person.

“I’m glad to see that you’re in good health.”

“I, as well as my brother, were endlessly fortunate to have been graced by your benevolence and mercy. We appreciate it with all our hearts and hope you’ll accept our sincerest gratitude.”

Lynsha lowered her head in a very formal bow.

“My, what an uncharacteristically deferential attitude... What’s gotten into you?”

Mia regarded her with a puzzled frown. The Lynsha she remembered had been considerably more casual in her speech.

“U-Um, nothing? I just thought... I mean, you’re the princess of Tearmoon, so I can’t afford to be disrespectful...”

“Disrespectful?” Mia chuckled. “If I didn’t give you a hard time after your buddies put me to sleep and kidnapped me, I certainly am not going to do so now because you’re not using enough big words. Please, don’t bother with the fancy language. It gives me the creeps when you talk like that.”

Mia’s joking tone caught Lynsha by surprise, and she froze for a second. Then, after glancing at Rafina for confirmation, she shrugged and said, “All right. If you say so.”

“Now then. I assume this means you’re going to be Bel’s attendant? That sounds wonderful. Thank you very much for taking up this task.”

She blushed a little at Mia’s frank appreciation and hurriedly replied, “No, thank you. Having the chance to study in Saint-Noel is a dream come true.”

Lynsha was definitely no friend of the Chaos Serpents. That made her more trustworthy. Furthermore, the adversity they’d overcome together in Remno had established a personal rapport between them.

“Mmhmhm, Lynsha was so happy to be able to help you, Princess Mia,” said Rafina, “that she accepted the job on the spot.”

“Wait, wha— M-Miss Rafina!”

Mia enjoyed a hearty laugh at the expense of the flustered Lynsha before turning to Bel.

“Bel, this is Lynsha. She’s from the Kingdom of Remno, and she helped me out a lot in the past.”

“Really? Nice to meet you, Lynsha. My name is Miabel, but please call me Bel. Miss Mia is my gra—”

“Sister. As an illegitimate child of my father, her circumstances can’t be made public, but she is indeed my little sister.”

“Got it. I won’t pry.”

Rafina quietly waited for them to finish before saying with a polite smile, “Wonderful. It’s decided then. Before we move on though, there’s one more person I’d like to introduce to you. Monica? Come in, please.”

At her signal, a lady in a maid uniform appeared.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Princess Mia. I am Monica Buendia.”

“...Monica? Oh, might you be the one who was with Abel?”

She recalled hearing the name before. Which was an impressive feat in and of itself.

I’m pretty sure... she’s the one that made Abel grin a little when he told me about her.

Hearing Abel happily talk about some woman she didn’t know had made her a little jealous at the time.

Hmph, so you’re Monica. Huuuuh. Well then. Abel has a thing for older women, I see!

She regarded the woman with subdued disgruntlement as her cheeks began to resemble an overly gluttonous chipmunk.

“You did us an immense favor at the time, Princess. Thanks to you, my fellow agents were granted clemency.”

“Oh, let me assure you that the sentiment is mutual. Had it not been for you, Remno would surely have faced a much worse fate.”

She quickly deflated her cheeks and put on a polite smile.

Hmph! I won’t let you take Abel from me! I swear it!

On the inside, however, the gloves had already come off.

Thus, through Rafina’s arrangements, those who opposed the Chaos Serpents continued to gather. At the same time, a message for Mia would arrive from the empire. As for its contents...