Chapter 24: Princess Mia... Engages in Contemplation

Mia sat in the White Night Dining Hall of the Whitemoon Palace having a bit of a late lunch. Sion, Keithwood, and Abel were nowhere to be seen. Normally, visiting foreign royalty would be treated to the finest of cuisines in this very hall, but the clandestine nature of their presence precluded any overt welcome.

“We might as well take the opportunity to tour the capital then.”

With that, the three of them had gone off on their own. In actuality, they were in the Newmoon District studying the various establishments associated with her, such as the hospital she’d built and the orphanage she favored. She, of course, had no idea and took their words at face value. Figuring they were off rubbernecking, she’d decided to take her time savoring her lunch while listening to Ludwig give his report. He spoke mainly of her summer schedule.

The Tearmoon Empire was not adjacent to any bodies of water, so going on a cruise would require her to first travel to a neighboring friendly nation. Upon hearing the name of the place she was headed, she scratched her head.

“Huh. I swear I’ve heard of this place before...”

The Emerald Star was currently moored at Ganudos Port Country. Situated along Tearmoon’s western border, it was a small nation that had long positioned itself as a friendly subordinate of minor power, incomparably inferior to the empire in military strength and national output. Had it not been for the fact that it neighbored the inland sea of Galilea—its sole distinguishing feature—the whole country would have been relegated to a mere footnote in the geopolitical map of the continent. Many of the empire’s eminent nobles considered the country a vassal state reliant on Tearmoon for security. Mia, however, knew better; she’d seen the true nature of their relationship firsthand when the empire began to topple. The abundant seafood provided by Ganudos, along with the crops from Perujin, were critical sources of food for all of Tearmoon.

I still remember how Ludwig and I went there to beg them for help. Good times... she thought with a sardonic smile.

It had been vital for them to secure a deal with Ganudos, but what was supposed to be a reasonably smooth negotiation with a supposedly obedient country quickly ended up at an impasse.

“And it was all because the Greenmoons turned tail and fled,” she muttered bitterly.

For as long as anyone could remember, the House of Greenmoon had always directed their attention overseas. Drawn by the enormous amounts of potential wealth that lay in foreign trade, every one of its Dukes had without fail pursued a proactive agenda abroad, leveraging their impressive influence to establish connections with nations bordering the sea. Ganudos Port Country was one of those nations.

That negotiation went about as well as smashing our heads into a brick wall. I’d rather not repeat the experience. The Greenmoons probably won’t flee the empire if there’s no revolution, but...

Nothing was for certain. That nightmarish famine was going to strike next year, and it was always possible that the Duke might fancy an extended vacation abroad.

I’d better establish a point of contact with them that’s not through the Greenmoons. And I’d better do it early. If we go to them when we’re running out of food, they’ll just take advantage of us, but right now, the empire is still strong, so I can still throw my weight around as the Princess of Tearmoon. She paused. That was figurative, of course. My figurative weight.

The brave only need plan A, while the prudent prepare a Plan B. As for Mia... Well, she was the type to prefer having plans C to F as well. Sure, she had Forkroad & Co. establishing supply routes for grain, friendly relations with Perujin ensuring their support, a new strain of wheat to be developed, and healthy food stores resulting from proactive stockpiling, but if she could have just a little more. If she could just secure the supply of seafood from the Galilea Sea, she’d finally feel prepared. Also, it’d be great if somebody could get that done for her while she was off on her pleasure cruise. She glanced at her bespectacled subject.

“Ludwig, you’ll be accompanying me to Ganudos for the upcoming cruise.”

“Understood. I assume I’ll be establishing a channel of communication with the country?”

“Absolutely.”

She spread a big dollop of jam onto her bread and took a bite. Then, she frowned.

I do wonder though. What was Ganudos planning to do if the empire recovered?

Ultimately, it hadn’t mattered, as the Tearmoon Empire had fallen to the revolution, but had it survived the famine and regained its strength...it certainly wouldn’t let Ganudos’s reluctance to provide aid go unmentioned. Retaliatory sanctions would surely follow.

Were they so desperate to take down the empire that they’d put everything on the line? No, that doesn’t seem right... How curious. Maybe the Greenmoons had been conspiring with the Serpents all this time, and the others had been right to suspect them...

Esmeralda herself might be uninvolved, but her innocence did not prove her family’s.

Could they sink the whole boat? Sacrifice Esmeralda to drown us all in one fell swoop? No, I doubt they’d go that far...but it doesn’t hurt to make sure. Every possibility needs to be considered...

She chewed on it some more—the sweet bolus of jam and bread in her mouth, that is—before taking a sip of tea, swallowing only after she had fully relished the tastes. Then, she turned to face Ludwig.

“One more thing. After our boat departs, have Dion meet up with you. He is to accompany you for all activities in Ganudos.”

“Sir Dion? Are we expecting something of...that level of severity to occur?”

“Consider it a precaution. It’s not that I don’t trust Vanos and the Princess Guard, but...if things take a violent turn, is there anyone you’d rather have at your side?”

The thing about Dion was that she couldn’t stand him, but she also trusted him. In case things got thorny, she’d rather have him close. Just not too close. Definitely not on the yacht with her.

Considering he’ll have to come all the way from the empire, it’ll be easier for him to just wait at Ganudos instead of sailing out to our boat anyway.

When it came to her own safety, Mia spared no expense.

“As for what the two of you should do there, I’ll leave that to your respective discretions.”

With that, she proceeded to finish the rest of her lunch.