Chapter 25: Esmeralda’s Scheme

Esmeralda Etoile Greenmoon left early for Ganudos Port Country, arriving in advance of Mia’s contingent. After scowling through the tedious exchange of greetings with the country’s dignitaries, she spent the remaining days of her wait lounging in refined luxury.

As a minor power, Ganudos’s resources were a mere fraction of Tearmoon’s, and it was unable to match even just one of the Four Dukes in financial muscle. It did, however, have one feature worthy of mention—its shipyards. These people knew how to make watercraft. In fact, the Greenmoons’ sailing yacht was the work of Ganudos shipwrights. Expertly built and immensely beautiful, it spent most of the year docked, displaying its exquisite craftsmanship to passersby. The only time it saw action was in the summer, when Esmeralda would take it out for a leisure cruise. With a hull painted bright green, two prominent masts, and an artistic figurehead at its bow, its magnificent figure impressed even the fussy Esmeralda, who currently sat in the captain’s cabin humming cheerily to herself.

“Oho ho, it looks like you walked right into my trap, Miss Mia.”

The smoothness with which her plan was proceeding pleased her to no end. So great was her elation that even the unsteady rocking of the vessel felt more fun than nauseating, and she couldn’t help but express her glee through laughter. Before she could erupt into another bout, a girl interrupted her.

“Excuse me, milady.”

The girl was two years her senior, and she’d been tending to Esmeralda’s personal needs since they were both children.

“Oh? Is something the matter, uh...”

“It’s Nina, milady,” said the girl promptly, offering a reminder of her name without batting an eye.

“Ah. Is it now? Pardon, but I don’t go around memorizing the names of all my attendants,” Esmeralda said without the faintest hint of apology.

It was, in her opinion, a matter of course, just like how she couldn’t care less where the tea she drank came from, so long as it tasted good. She was one of the chosen, and it was only right for her to enjoy the best. Tea leaves, attendants, they were all the same to her. As long as they perfectly satisfied her needs, their identity was irrelevant. This, she thought, was what it meant to be upper class. To be noble. It was what she’d been taught, and it was what she believed.

“Of course, milady. I am well aware.”

“Good. So, what’s the matter?”

“I wished to inform you that Her Highness has arrived at the port.” Nina paused as if hesitant. “But there’s something that I find odd. It’s about the guards with her.”

“The guards?”

“Yes. She is accompanied by members of the Princess Guard...”

“Why, that seems perfectly normal to me. She’s the princess, so of course she’d be accompanied by members of the Princess Guard. In fact, it’s practically her duty as someone of noble birth. Bringing anyone of lower standing would be unseemly.”

Undeterred by her dismissive tone, Nina continued.

“You are right of course, milady, but she wishes to bring five of them onto the yacht with her.”

“Five? That’s...quite a few” That elicited a frown. “I can understand a man or two, but five? Seems a bit much to me, especially when we’re providing our own guards.”

It wasn’t like Mia was getting onto an enemy boat. This vessel belonged to the Duke of Greenmoon, who was a subject of the Emperor. She would be among friends.

“Oooooh, I know what she’s thinking. I’ll bet she’s worried we’ll run into something scary, like pirates or some monster of the deep. Oho ho, it seems Miss Mia is quite the scaredy-cat.”

Never did it cross her mind that she herself might be included in the list of worrying encounters.

“Not that it bothers me,” she continued, “but hm, I suppose I do feel a little sorry for her having to embarrass herself in front of her private guards. Oho ho...” She smirked. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing that play out. Oh, what a treat that will be...”

Thus did Mia walk steadily toward the dreadful trap that Esmeralda had set for her. In fact, the trap was doubly dreadful, because there were two parts to it. Before the addition of Mia’s public humiliation, Esmeralda had planned a private one. First, she was going to watch Mia flounder about in the water and laugh. She wouldn’t let her risk drowning of course, but knowing Mia’s inexperience with water, she’d probably be scared to even submerge her head. The thought of watching a panicked Mia flail around in the sea was absolutely golden, and she simply had to see it for herself.

Next came the second part. As Mia struggled, Esmeralda would swoop in like the big sister she was and show the hapless princess how to swim. It was an excellent scheme—prank and play all rolled into one. She’d get back at Mia for showing her up the other day, and she’d also get to frolic in the water with her. Esmeralda, you see, mostly generally considered herself to be one of Mia’s best friends.

As an aside, while Mia might sink like a stone, even she could manage a feat like submerging her head. As a devout bath lover, she had on many occasions succumbed to the urge to plunge her head into the warm, watery depths. She was a master tub diver! If absolutely nothing else...

“Oho ho, how exciting! How wonderfully exciting!”

With a spring in her step, Esmeralda strolled out of the cabin, leaving only her sonorous laughter echoing within.

...As a second aside, being the thoughtful and considerate friend that she was, Esmeralda had made sure to bring a swimsuit for Mia as well. Crafted by expert tailors to conform to the latest trends, it was one of the “terribly indecent” kinds that bared the entirety of the abdomen! Furthermore, it was designed as a pair with the other one being for Esmeralda. They’d be wearing matching swimsuits!

For obvious reasons, the only reaction this would draw from Mia would be some mix of consternation and horror, but believe it or not, it was actually being done in good faith. Esmeralda was just trying to be a good friend.