Chapter 25: A Conspiracy Is Set in Motion —Grandmother Mia’s Do-or-Die Resolve—

Day of the Holy Eve Festival, Hour of the Eighth Bell (8:00 a.m.)

The day that would decide Mia’s fate arrived with little fanfare. A quiet morning greeted her as she sleepily wriggled out from under her bedcovers. Accompanied by Anne, she made her way to the communal baths. There she cleansed herself of night-time perspiration, washed her face, and gave her cheeks a firm smack to wake herself up. It was a rare sight to see Mia so sharp and ready to roll in the morning.

“Hm, I think that about does it...”

“Wow, you’re certainly fired up today, milady,” Anne commented in a tone of mild surprise.

“That I am,” said Mia with a soft smile. “Today of all days, I figured it’d be a good idea...”

Breakfast followed, after which she headed to the student council office.

“Ah, Mia. Good morning.”

Rafina greeted her as she walked in.

“Miss Rafina? My...Is there some work we need to get done in the office today?”

From checking security protocols to preparations for the celebration banquet, even the procedures for checking the traffic going in and out of the island... The student council had already reviewed every process the day would entail. In fact, on the day of the festival, the council wasn’t supposed to be doing much at all.

“Oh, no. If anything comes up, I’ll ask everyone to come by...” Rafina let out a quick giggle. “But I doubt that will be necessary. Ever since our discussion, Santeri has been working so hard that there’s hardly anything left for us to do.”

She smiled before adding, “And it’s all thanks to you.”

“That’s not true! You give me too much credit.”

She certainly did give Mia too much credit. Mia had just been following her stomach, which happened to tell her to snarf down a poisonous mushroom.

“What are you doing here then?”

“Oh, just...reflecting.” A tender smile graced Rafina’s lips. “A year has passed since I relinquished my authority over this room. A whole year... It’s a thought that still amazes me at times.”

Rafina proceeded to seat herself on the top of her desk. The gesture surprised Mia, who had always considered Rafina to be a paragon of proper etiquette. Sitting on a desk was certainly not dignified behavior.

“I always come here on this day, you know?” she continued. “Every year before the festival, before I cleanse myself and don the holy garments, I’d come in here and give myself a little pep talk. You might not realize, but the Holy Eve Festival’s ceremonial ritual can be pretty nerve-racking.”

“I...can imagine.”

“But this year is a little different. It still makes me nervous, but just thinking about how we’re going to have a party with all the council members afterward makes me so very excited.” Rafina’s smile glowed with the innocent enthusiasm of a child. “Well then, I think it’s time for me to go. But, just so you know, I’m really looking forward to tonight’s stew party, okay?”

Mia watched Rafina leave the office before letting out a quiet murmur.

“Tonight, huh... That’s right. It’s tonight...”

She still didn’t know what was going to happen. But one thing was for certain—there was a stew party waiting for her. All her dear friends were going to come together, and they were going to have a wonderful time. On top of that, there would be mushrooms in the stew. Exquisite mushroom stew! Exquisite! Mushroom!! Stew!!!

It’s okay. Surely no temptation can lure me off the island tonight. It simply isn’t possible.

Buoyed by that thought, Mia left the office as well.

Day of the Holy Eve Festival, Hour of the Tenth Bell (10:00 a.m.)

“Ah, Princess Mia!”

A voice called out to Mia as she passed by the grand hall that would soon host the banquet. She turned to find Rania Tafrif Perujin waving at her.

“Ah, Rania. Good day to you.”

Smiling affably, Mia walked over, only for her eyes to affix themselves to the items on the table beside Rania.

“My! Those look delicious!”

A mouthwatering display of confections, each the pride of Perujin’s best artisans, left her licking her lips. Having learned from the poison mushroom incident, Belluga guards had been posted around all edible matter. Under their careful watch, sneaking a bite was probably unfeasible...

“They look...so very delicious...”

Rania laughed.

“Then make sure you come by later. I’ll be waiting to hear what you think of them.”

Mia favored her invitation with a gentle smile.

“Thank you, Rania. For everything. I’ve always had nothing but wonderful experiences with Perujin food. I’ll...certainly make every effort to come by.”

She left her answer noncommittal. Why, you ask? Well...

I’ve got mushroom stew lined up tonight, after all... I can’t guarantee I’ll have enough room...

...She’d run the numbers on her tummy budget, and it was going to be tight, because tonight, she was going to feast on exquisite mushroom stew! Exquisite!—everyone together now—Mushroom!! Stew!!! With that on the list, fitting anything else in would be a challenge.

Rania, meanwhile, studied Mia for a moment before abruptly taking a cupcake from the table and handing it to her with a spoon.

“Here you are.”

“My, what’s this?” asked Mia.

“A sample. Try it.”

“Huh? U-Uh, thank you?”

Though puzzled by this gesture, Mia obliged. She promptly tried a spoonful.

“Mmm! This is—!”

“How is it?”

“It’s melting in my mouth, and all the flavors are coming out... So rich... Wait, is this...honey chestnut flavored?”

“It is. Behold, our new creation. Honey chestnut cake.”

“Aha, so I was right. It’s been so long since I’ve tasted honey chestnut, but it’s still every bit as delicious as I remember,” Mia said as she handed back the cup.

Now, described in this manner, it might sound like she simply sampled the cupcake and handed the rest of it back, but all good Mia scholars should know that would run counter to her nature. Indeed, what she handed back was an empty cup. During their brief exchange, she’d deftly maneuvered her spoon around the cup, scooping up every last remnant of the cupcake and shoveling it all into her mouth. Never let it be said that Mia was a wasteful eater.

“Keep this up, and Perujin will be sleeping easy for years to come. I’d wish you good luck at tonight’s banquet, but honestly, I don’t think you’ll even need it,” she said with a smile.

Rania did not return it in kind. She continued to study Mia for a few seconds before saying, “Um, just so you know, we’ll have lots more during the banquet. Lots of delicious things. Not just at my table, but all the others too. Everyone has brought their best. So...” There was a subtle desperation to her voice. “Do come and try them. We all wanted to cheer you up, so we prepared lots of tasty things. Make sure you come, okay?”

She spoke as if begging for a promise. As if...without that promise, Mia would drift away, never to be seen again.

“Well, if it means so much to you...”

Mia decided that she could perhaps afford to slightly reduce the tummy space she’d reserved for the mushroom stew.

Besides, they do say you always have room for dessert, and idioms don’t come from nowhere. I should be fine.

Day of the Holy Eve Festival, Hour of the Fourth Bell Second Sequence (4:00 p.m.)

After touring the whole of the academy, Mia went back to her room and proceeded to stay there like a good little doom-evading girl. Some time later, to her surprise, there was a knock on the door. Anne went to answer it but soon returned with a frown.

“Milady, I’m sorry, but may I be excused for a bit?”

“Sure. I don’t mind. But what for?”

“Apparently, they need more people to set up tonight’s banquet, and they asked if I could help.”

“Ah. Well, today’s a special day, after all. It’s hard to blame anyone for needing a couple extra pairs of hands. Hm... In that case, go do me proud, Anne. Show them what Tearmoon attendants are capable of.”

A hint of anxiousness flitted across Anne’s expression.

“Understood. But, um, milady...”

She trailed off hesitantly.

“Hm? What is it?”

“Never mind,” she said with a shake of her head. “It’s nothing. Off I go then.”

“All right. Oh, if you happen to see Bel, could you tell her to come back to our room? For some reason, I don’t think I’ve caught a glimpse of her the whole morning.”

Bel was a grade lower than Mia, so it wasn’t exactly rare for the two of them to go an entire day without seeing one another. Today, however, her absence was oddly discomforting.

“Miss Bel?” Anne’s puzzled frown lasted only a second before she nodded. “Understood. I’ll see you later then, milady.”

After seeing Anne off, Mia looked around the empty room before going over to Bel’s bed. She took out the copy of The Chronicles of Saint Princess Mia hidden underneath and flipped it open to check its contents again.

I doubt any of it has changed, but just in case... I’ll take one last look at the Chronicles to see if— Hm?

She was interrupted by a light knock on the door.

“Huh. I wonder who that is. Did Anne come back, maybe? No, I doubt it...”

Perplexed, she walked over to see who it was. Just as she was about to unsuspectingly open the door, she noticed a piece of paper at her feet that had been slid under it. Her eyes scanned the first few words on the page...

Your dear sister, Miabel, is in our custody. If you wish to see her alive, come alone to the place stated below.

Thus began the ransom note.

“O-Oh moons...” Her voice trembled. “So that’s why...”

The sequence of events described in the Princess Chronicles fell into place.

“I see now... This is what made me leave the island and ride off into the night.”

The letter included meticulous instructions for her, describing which merchant had been bribed to ferry her off the island, and where she was to go to obtain a horse. Having heard Santeri explain his new security measures, she knew that while entering the island was difficult, leaving was relatively easy, especially during a busy time like the Holy Eve Festival when traffic in and out was far greater than usual. It simply wasn’t possible to carefully scrutinize every departing individual. Therefore...

“It’s hard to pull off an assassination on the island, but getting someone to leave the island is simple.”

A straight-up kidnapping would of course still be difficult. It seemed unlikely that any merchant willing to assist such an effort would be granted entrance to begin with. But what if there was no sign of wrongdoing? What if it was only a slightly unreasonable request from a princess...demanding to be taken off the island for a quick horseback ride to enjoy the night air, for example? Noelige Lake and its surroundings were known to be a safe region, largely free of criminals and aggressive wildlife. How dangerous could it be to enjoy some light riding there?

It was easy to imagine that some people would answer “not very.” The perpetrators had created a situation that lay right on the line of what was acceptable, and because it was on the line, there were doubtless many who would be willing to cross it for monetary reward.

“I doubt many would knowingly participate in this sort of conspiracy, but I can definitely imagine that there are those willing to comply with a selfish demand from a young, powerful noble...”

The essence of merchants, after all, was a willingness to place one’s own interests at risk so long as there was money to be gained. Those driven by mere monetary greed would, upon discovering that they’d been complicit in an assassination, likely hold their tongues; their motivation reflected the extent of their resolve, neither of which would be sufficient for them to choose truth over self-preservation. That explained why the Princess Chronicles said that she’d left of her own willful accord. Those in the know had probably all agreed to push a story that was more convenient to them.

Mia carefully read through the letter again, checking each proposed step that would lead her off the island. She let out a breath, realizing that should she follow these instructions, it was definitely possible for her to make her exit with almost nobody noticing. There was nothing to stop her.

“...Which means there’s only one question left. How much is Bel’s life worth to me?”

There was no room for excuses. She couldn’t blame the letter for providing an unfeasible plan. It was perfectly possible for her to leave the island. Ergo, the situation had been reduced to a simple yes or no question—was she willing to trade her life for Bel’s?

“This is ridiculous. Of course I’m not going to leave the island,” she muttered. “That’s almost like asking to be killed. In fact, that’s exactly what it is, considering they did kill me.”

Her enemies didn’t know about the Princess Chronicles. She was aware that leaving the island would mean her death, but they didn’t know that.

“If I go, I die. And judging from the fact that there’s nothing written about Bel in the Chronicles, she probably died too, so going didn’t even make a difference.”

Mia shook her head at what was looking like a no-win dilemma and took off her dress.

“Besides, if I die, wouldn’t Bel end up not existing? That’d defeat the whole point. There’s literally no reason to go. What a stupid plan. I’ve got better things to be doing. Like changing into my ceremony uniform. Now, where’d I put the thing...”

She muttered dismissively as she dug through her wardrobe and pulled out an outfit that was decidedly not ceremonial.

“Nonsense... Such nonsense, honestly...”

She closed her eyes, riding clothes in hand, and a vision of Bel appeared in her mind. Bel, who’d said that this world was like a dream...a wonderful dream...which was why she was going to enjoy it as best she could, so when she woke from it, she’d have no regrets. Mia watched as her vision of Bel smiled, her expression innocent and full of joy. She heard an echo of her own voice telling her dear granddaughter “It’s okay. This dream won’t end. The grandmother you always so respected... She won’t let it.”

“I’ll just be dying in vain. It’s complete nonsense... But hnnnngh, I’ll probably feel really bad if I don’t go...”

There was also another concern that began to gnaw at her. What would happen if she didn’t go and kept quiet about the incident? Sure, she’d almost certainly survive, but whoever these assassins were, they’d still be in the academy. Going forward, she could be killed by any one of them at any time. Worse yet, she couldn’t imagine them not announcing the fact that she’d abandoned Bel and left her to die. And when they did she’d surely lose the trust of those around her. Her loyal Anne, in particular, would probably be deeply disappointed in her. In that case, the assassins might even be doing her a favor if they showed up quickly to finish the job. Otherwise, she’d have to suffer both the resentment of others and her own guilty conscience for the rest of her life.

And how would I face Abel after that? How can I look him in the eyes and tell him I abandoned my— our granddaughter...

And what if she went to save Bel? What would happen then? Well, she’d be killed. Though Mia could be rather full of herself at times, even she hadn’t reached the levels of delusional grandeur necessary to believe she could rescue Bel from a situation like this and get back with both of them in one piece. However, there was one thin sliver of hope... She’d certainly die. But...what if she leapt back in time again?

There’s no way that kind of thing can happen on a regular basis, but...if it could happen just one more time...

She gulped.

...Then going would actually be a viable option. I’d get a lot of information about the enemy that way.

If Mia showed up completely alone, her would-be killers would probably lower their guard and reveal themselves. She’d find out as much about them as she could, then die and bring all that knowledge back with her to the past. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed that if she wanted to save Bel, she’d have to swim back up the stream of time again. Eventually she became convinced that it was, in fact, the only possible way of doing so. In essence, she had to stop this kidnapping before it happened.

“Ugh, if there was any other alternative...”

A quiet sigh escaped her as she did up the last button on her outfit.

“But... I guess there isn’t. The only way I can do this is to die and go back to the past...”

Mia always looked out for number one. That was why, in an attempt to avoid a second encounter with the guillotine, she’d gone so far as to devise a method to flee the empire. On the day she’d escaped that fate, however, her goal had shifted ever so slightly.

Now, Mia sought her own happiness, and she didn’t want to compromise. What she desired was grade A pure, unblemished happiness. In pondering how she could obtain such a thing, she’d come to the conclusion that it would require the people around her to be happy as well. Her bliss alone was insufficient; it was through their combined happinesses that she would fully realize her goal.

This was, objectively speaking, a profoundly exorbitant wish—one in which the fates of everyone around her would have to bend to her arrogant will. And she didn’t give a rat’s rump! Mia was a selfish princess, after all. Exorbitance and arrogance were just business as usual for her.

“The ransom note says I’m supposed to go alone. I can’t ask anyone for help, then...”

There was no way to tell if she was being watched. If the enemy saw her with guards, not only might they kill Bel, they might never reveal themselves. Actions that could impede her ability to gain information should be avoided.

“But...they didn’t say anything about asking non-people.”

She grinned deviously as she made her way toward the stable. There waited a companion with whom she’d arguably spent more time this autumn than anyone else.

“I mean, I’m definitely going to die...but I’m not making it easy for them. If you thought you could kill me for cheap, Chaos Serpents, then you’d better think again.”

Thus, Grandmother Mia strode off to battle to save her granddaughter.

What Mia didn’t know...was how the resolve she mustered in this very moment had altered the writings in the Princess Chronicles. The step forward she took was like the flap of a butterfly’s wings. The tiny current of air it generated would, through coincidence and consequence, eventually make its way around the world and give rise to a towering tornado. Unbeknownst to the snakes of the earth, this towering hydra of the sky would soon consume them in its whirling jaws.