Chapter 20: Esmeralda... Has a “Great” Idea!

The Clair de Lune—a tea party meant to facilitate fellowship between the houses of the Four Dukes of Tearmoon—was having a bit of an attendance crisis. In a scene that was growing increasingly common as of late, Esmeralda sat alone at a table sipping tea black as her mood while engaging in an angry dissection of the cake in front of her. Her frown deepened with every plunge of the fork.

“Huh. No Sapphias today again?” said Ruby, who strolled in with an insouciant smile. She glanced around the room. “And no Little Miss Yellowmoon either, though that’s nothing new.” She turned to Esmeralda. “So, did that cake murder your dog or something?”

That earned her a sullen glare.

“Hey, just joking around. So, what’s making you so angry today?”

“Nothing. I’m not angry. Do I look angry? No, I don’t.” Esmeralda forced out a chuckle before taking another sip of tea. “Ugh, such terrible tea. I don’t know where they got this from, but it’s terrible... I need to get them to switch suppliers.”

“Really? Smells fine to me,” said Ruby with a knowing smile before sitting down in front of her. “Again, why so angry?”

“Hmph. That miscreant Sapphias is off at the library studying with Miss Mia. Can you believe it?” Esmeralda said, fuming.

“Well, it is exam season. And he’s on the student council. You sure it’s not one of their study sessions? Also, you still haven’t answered my...”

Ruby trailed off and shook her head as she noticed that Esmeralda, absorbed in her own thoughts, clearly hadn’t heard a word she’d said.

“What in the moons does he find so fascinating about that crowd? I can’t for the life of me imagine why he’d want to associate with them... Some of them are commoners, for goodness sake! And there’s that Rudolvon girl too.”

She spat out the last few words like bile and ground her teeth for a moment before continuing.

“Her Highness’s partiality for commoners is downright maddening. And I really can’t stand how Sapphias is just cozying up to her and playing along. Ugh, it drives me up the wall.”

She tossed a few cubes of sugar into her tea and stirred it aggressively, spoon clinking loudly against the cup. It was altogether very unbecoming of a refined lady of the high nobility.

“On a different note,” said Ruby, reaching for her own teacup as she changed the topic, “looks like your plan failed, didn’t it?”

“...Plan? What plan? I have no idea what you speak of.” Esmeralda lifted a puzzled eyebrow. Her facade of ignorance was impeccable.

“We all know the unspoken rule. What happens in the Clair de Lune stays in the Clair de Lune. Still...” Ruby gestured in concession. “I can see why you’d rather keep your lips sealed around a future political enemy.”

“Perhaps the issue lies not with the security of my lips, but rather the lack of any need to part them,” she said, pointedly keeping her lips closed as she gave a sweet smile. Then she added, “If anything, I thought you’d have made your move already. Didn’t you say something about that last time?”

“Aha ha, turns out back room shenanigans just aren’t my thing. I’m waiting for a chance to challenge Her Highness head-on. No dodgy stuff. Just me and her.”

“Challenge? My, what a bold word. Very masculine. It almost makes me think you intend to best her in a duel.”

“Crossing swords with Her Highness, huh... Wouldn’t mind doing so, to be honest. Sounds fun.”

The House of Redmoon had strong ties to the military, which influenced Ruby’s upbringing. Having spent far more time on the training grounds than on the ballroom floor, her skill with the sword was formidable. Though she was no Sion, in a duel, the average male student stood no chance against her.

“But on second thought, I think I’ll pass. Too stressful having to pull my punches the whole time. I don’t want to hurt her by accident and end up sparking a war between my house and the Crown,” she said with an irreverent grin. “Enough about me though. What about you, O Lady of Greenmoon? Don’t tell me you’re raising the white flag after your one failed attempt to sabotage the academy city project.”

“Excuse me? ‘Sabotage’? Please, such barbarism is beneath me.” She waved off the accusation with a haughty chuckle. “I will admit that allowing such an affront to go unchallenged would set a very poor precedent. Some degree of...reprisal is necessary...”

As Esmeralda sank into silent thought, Ruby leaned back and sighed.

“Again, don’t stir things up too much, okay? If the House of Greenmoon turns itself into an enemy of His Majesty, we Redmoons will have no choice but to subjugate you.”

“My, and how coldhearted of you to say so! Are we not fellow bearers of the Etoile?” Esmeralda asked with clearly feigned astonishment before letting out one of her signature Oho hos.

Ruby shot her a cock-browed look.

“Huh. Am I hearing this right? Because to me, Lady Esmeralda, that sounds like an offer of alliance. And you don’t forge alliances without an enemy to oppose. Are you trying to drive a wedge through the empire? Cause civil war?”

“Civil war?” Esmeralda protested with a huff of outrage. “Language, Ruby, language. You people are such warmongers. I don’t know what kind of barbaric ambitions you have, but please refrain from dragging the Greenmoons into them.”

If Ruby took offense at this, her wry smile did not let it show.

“Say what you will, but we all know what’s going on. I’ll grant you one thing though. I do enjoy a good fight. That much is true. Having two halves of the empire’s army go at it in a full-scale battle would be an epic sight to behold...but I’d rather it didn’t happen right now. Fighting the Princess Guard would be...unpleasant. For personal reasons.”

“Personal reasons, huh.”

“Anyway, if you’re going to do something, better do it fast. It’s almost summer break. They say it’s going to be a cool summer, but still, I assume you’d rather not have to do much work during the hottest time of the year.”

“Ah, you’re right. It’s almost summer break, isn’t it? How dreadful. Summer is such a miserable season. The heat is absolutely unbearable. I should go to the beach... Hm? Wait. Beach means the sea, and the sea means...” Her eyes suddenly glittered. “I just had the most wonderful idea. That’s it! This is how I’ll get to hang out with— Ahem. Get to humiliate Miss Mia as recompense. Oho ho... I can barely wait! Now, as for which boat to use...”

Her devious grin elicited an exasperated eye-roll from Ruby.

“If you want to spend time with the princess so badly, why don’t you just say so?”

“...Huh? A cruise?”

Mia blinked her widened eyes at the messenger standing at her door. The girl—Esmeralda’s attendant—had brought a message that caught Mia completely off guard.

“Esmeralda’s asking me to go on a cruise with her?”

“Yes. Milady heads out to the Galilea Sea every year during the summer. The waters are docile and easily navigated, while the numerous islands dotting the region are perfect as summer retreats. For further details, please see this letter of invitation.”

Having delivered her message, the girl inclined her head respectfully and left. Mia regarded the letter in her hand with a wry smile.

“I’ll admit, this is so very her...”

The invitation would have been infuriating if it wasn’t so utterly brazen. The sheer nerve Esmeralda displayed, acting as if she hadn’t just tried to sabotage the academy city project, was almost admirable. Mia found herself amused in spite of herself. Anne, however, wasn’t so appreciative.

“Unbelievable! After all she did to get in our way, how can she act like nothing happened?” she exclaimed in a rare display of outrage.

Anne was a gentle creature. It wasn’t easy to get her riled up, but Esmeralda’s invitation evidently had been enough. Mia turned to her loyal maid and shook her head.

“This kind of thing happens all the time, Anne. It’s not worth getting worked up about.”

Esmeralda certainly wasn’t going to admit to her sabotage attempt. Unless they could produce firm evidence, she’d doubtlessly feign ignorance. And act offended by the accusation while doing so. Playing dumb was practically a noble pastime, after all.

“But...”

“It’s all right. We won’t forget what she did, but it’s not worth raising a fuss over now.”

If anything, the letter she currently held was a far thornier issue.

“We’re going to say no to this invitation, right?”

“That...is a good question.”

Mia considered the situation. Based on what she knew about Esmeralda’s disposition from the previous timeline, this was probably part of some scheme.

But then again, it’s also possible that she just wants to go out and have some fun. The odds, she figured, were about fifty-fifty. Maybe this is her way of apologizing for what she did?

Blindly going along with the plan would be foolish. Objectively speaking, so long as it was possible Esmeralda was trying to lure her into a trap, even if it was a silly one, there was no need to cooperate. The surest way of avoiding all risk was to simply say no. But...

If she actually just wants to do something fun, or if this is supposed to be an apology, then turning her down would be a little awkward.

Mia knew Esmeralda to be a capricious girl. One day, she could be scheming someone’s downfall, and the next, she could be asking them to a party as if her prior actions had just slipped her mind. What bothered Mia right now, however, was not the ephemeral threads of Esmeralda’s fancy, but something a lot closer to home—specifically, something that involved Mia herself.

That passage in the Princess Mia Chronicles... I wonder...

She distinctly remembered the text mentioning how she’d beat a gigantic man-eating fish into submission. Obviously, she didn’t put much stock in this little anecdote. It was likely the result of extreme exaggeration, in which layer after layer of hyperbole left the story so removed from reality that it might as well be complete fantasy.

Even I’m not crazy enough to believe I can beat down a monster like that...but it seems reasonable to assume that there will come a time when I have to swim...

Assuming the episode described in the book was based on a factual event, its context strongly hinted at the occurrence of a preceding event—Mia falling into the sea.

If so, I’d better learn to swim beforehand...

As you all know, Mia loved to bathe but could not swim. Had she been able to, she’d have already earned herself a good scolding from Rafina for swimming up and down the big bathing pool in Saint-Noel...which would have left a deep scar of psychological trauma in her, making it so she could never enjoy a bath ever again. Turns out, swimming like a brick sometimes had its advantages.

She was, however, in good company; Tearmoon was an inland empire, and swimming was not part of its culture. If dropped into the sea, few nobles would be able to manage much more than a clumsy dog paddle. Esmeralda was the exception. The ample time she’d spent at the beach growing up contributed a great deal to her understanding of the dynamics of moving about in water.

She’d always go on and on about how the body floats better in the sea, and how the water’s salty... I never really figured out what she was talking about.

Regardless, it suggested Esmeralda knew how to swim. Given the opportunity to learn from a pro, was it truly wise for Mia to pass it up? It might be the only chance she’d ever get. After much arm-crossing and brow-furrowing, she arrived at a conclusion.

Right. I don’t know what the trap is, but considering Esmeralda’s the one who came up with it, it can’t be that bad. Honestly, now that I think about it, she hardly seems like the Serpenty type...

And so, Mia decided to trust in Esmeralda. Specifically, she trusted in the amount of air in Esmeralda’s head. All that buoyancy must come from somewhere, after all, and she seemed to float better than Sapphias, so...

I know an airhead when I see one. And I’m seeing one. I think I’ll be fine.

Mia was quite the astute observer when it came to cephalic gaseousness. Well, that of other people, anyway.

As a precaution, the following day, Mia informed the student council of her plans for the summer. What she didn’t expect...was for this decision to set into motion a number of events that would ultimately lead to an absolutely unforgettable summer!