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With no way to measure the time it felt to Ella like a small eternity before they finally emerged above ground. The moon was high in the sky and the stars were so bright compared to the lights in the tunnels they burned her eyes.
"Are you all right, Ella?"
Ella nodded and rubbed her eyes. "Yes, although at some point we're going to have words about the whole going underground business. You conveniently left out any mention of pitch-black tunnels and scary monsters when you sold this night time excursion to me."
"That wasn't a monster – it was one of the guardians that maintain and protect the old passages. The noisy fellow that passed us mostly just goes about its business but I still do my best to avoid the guardians. I was being extra careful tonight because I had you with me."
"Would that thing have attacked us?"
"Only if I triggered the wards by using incorrect runes or we did something it perceived as threatening. You weren't in any real danger. I've used the passages since I was a child and I know how to get in and out without getting into trouble."
"We're done with those passages? Because just so you know, there is nothing you could offer me that would get me to go back in right now."
"Yes, and we are almost home. When we get there I'll run you the biggest bath you've ever seen. Having a relaxing soak in the pool is one of my favorite things about going home."
Home. Ella mulled over the word Ava used. When Ava had described where they were going earlier she'd made it sound like an impersonal sanctuary of sorts. Was it a slip of the tongue? Her friend was full of secrets. She'd been curious anyway to see where they would end up but now she was thoroughly intrigued. Ava was taking her home. She'd never had an invitation to a tiger's lair before. This was going to be interesting. |
The closer they got to her home the more nervous Ava became. She'd never taken anyone home and now she was leading a beautiful woman by the hand to sleep in her bed. It hadn't occurred to her there would be an issue with sleeping arrangements until they were already on the way but walking had given her time to think things through more. There were currently only two bedrooms, her own and her mother's. Her mother's bedroom was behind impenetrable walls and even had she been in the mood to open the doorways leading there she wouldn't dream of sleeping in her mother's bed. She had a very nice couch in the library she could sleep on but she didn't want to be too far away from Ella in case she got it in her head to wander about looking for her. That would be bad. That left sleeping in the chair in the kitchen area. Ava didn't relish the thought but she was more worried about what would happen if she shared a bed with Ella. Ella had been more physical than normal with her. Which said a lot considering how frequently Ella usually touched her. She could still feel the way Ella's front had molded to her back while she worked the spell to open the passage and all the other places Ella touched her while trying to stay close. Ava knew it was only because Ella was afraid of the dark and needed the comfort of her presence but it was messing with her head and getting her libido all fired up. She already had a huge crush on the beautiful avian and she'd begun to get the feeling Ella was flirting with her but that could be just wishful thinking on her part. Either way, she had to tread lightly if she wanted to keep her heart intact. Falling in love right now did not fit into her plans for the future. If that wasn't enough reason for her to avoid sleeping in the same bed as Ella she also had to consider the possibility she would have a nightmare tonight. She'd already had nightmares two nights in a row and with her track record she was almost guaranteed to have another. Her lusty hands she could control but what she did in her sleep when she got caught in one of those nightmares she could not. She simply could not risk exposing Ella to that.
By the time Ava opened the doorway to her home and set the protective spells to recognize Ella as a guest she had come up with a plan. Ella might be too tired to notice there was only one bedroom but if she did and insisted they share she would just stall going to bed until the other woman fell asleep. She would get Ella in the pool and usher her to bed with a soothing hot drink. Then she would take her time having a wash. Ella was so tired she would fall asleep quickly and not wake until the morning none the wiser that Ava had slept in a chair. Yes, that's what she would do.
"Ava, can you please hurry with whatever you're doing and show me the way to the toilet because I really need to pee."
"This way, it's right next to the bathing chamber. Give me your bag and I'll go put it in your room over there." Ava pointed down the hallway. "I'll turn on the water and get something for you to sleep in."
"Wonderful...can't wait...now please for the love of all things sacred, get out of the way before I embarrass us both. I'm busting!"
Laughing, Ava jumped out of the way as Ella hastily pushed past her to get to the toilet. She hurried to the bedroom to get a few things then to get the bathing chambers ready for Ella. By the time she heard the rustle of wings behind her she already had the pool half filled with steaming water.
Ella slowly turned to study the bathroom. "Wow...this room is massive. Ava that's not a bath...that thing is the size of a swimming pool! It seems like a waste of water to use it for one person's bath."
"Think of this room as a small replica of a bathhouse. The pool is for relaxing and soaking, not for cleaning. I wash over there in that corner. Can you see the things along the wall for washing and rinsing? Feel free to use any of the soaps and lotions. There's also a shower unit if you prefer to wash that way. The water in the big pool will remain at a consistent temperature and be ready to use any time day or night. There are steps leading down into the pool so you can sit on those and rest your wings on the side of the pool if you don't want to get your feathers wet. I've laid out clean towels and things for you to sleep in on the bench. I won't come in until you're finished so you have all of this to yourself. Enjoy."
"I will! This is amazing, thanks Ava." |
As soon as Ella walked into the room and saw the massive high bed and the books on the table on the left side of the bed she suspected she was in Ava's bedroom. Curious to see if she was right she opened a closet door and found clothing on coat hangers and size eleven shoes neatly arranged underneath. She removed a jacket, pressed her nose into the fabric and inhaled Ava's familiar scent. Yes, this was her room. Ella found it curious that Ava didn't mention they would be sharing but she didn't mind in the least. They'd been sleeping side by side since they met after all and it would be comforting to have Ava near in this strange place. So far she'd not seen any windows or vents and yet the air did not smell stale. She suspected they were inside a mountain but other than that she had no clue where they were. At another time this would have bothered her a lot more but she was simply too tired to give it more than a passing thought. Besides, every part of her was gloriously clean and she was about to get into a proper bed for the first time in days. Ella was pleased with the comfort of the sleepwear Ava had chosen for her and how considerate she'd been in her selection. The soft boxer shorts had a drawstring so she'd been able to adjust it to fit her smaller size and the sarong she'd been able to fasten around herself in such a way it covered all the important bits while leaving her wings free.
Ella slid between the crisp sheets and sighed contently. She ran her hand over the duvet admiring the intricate embroidery that depicted a mountain covered in flowers. It was so cheerful and added a much-needed splash of color and warmth to a room that was sparsely decorated. Ella wondered who had given Ava the duvet. It was exquisite but she couldn't imagine Ava buying bedding with pink and red ribbons stitched into the borders.
Ella settled her wings so she could sit up and have the steaming mug of tea Ava had pushed into her hands as she ushered her towards the room. Taking an experimental sip she found it was a chamomile blend with a generous dollop of honey. A perfect bedtime drink. She drank it slowly enjoying the taste and soothing warmth.
By the time she put the mug down on her bedside table Ella was struggling to keep her eyes open. She was tempted to lie down but she knew if she did she would be asleep in moments and she wanted to be awake when Ava came to bed. It had become her guilty pleasure to watch Ava and she had a wicked fantasy of seeing her in her full naked glory. Not that she expected Ava to come to bed wearing nothing but there would be bare legs and no bra and she didn't want to miss that.
As time dragged on Ella repeatedly caught herself nodding off and still no sign of Ava. This was ridiculous; how long could it possibly take her to clean up? As she waited Ella became aware of silence that was so absolute it reminded her of being back in those tunnels and she could feel herself become agitated. What was taking Ava so long? Had she perhaps gone to sleep somewhere else? Surely not. It wasn't like the Ava she'd come to know to not at least say goodnight to her. What if she'd fallen asleep in the pool and was close to drowning? That seemed unlikely but the worry gnawed at her and Ella knew she wouldn't be able to relax until she found out what had happened to Ava. Reluctantly she dragged her weary limbs out from under the soft covers and took up the hunt for her hostess.
She found her down the hallway they'd originally entered in a room that looked like it doubled as a kitchen/sitting room. Ava slumped in a large chair, her long limbs awkwardly draped over the sides with a blanket covering her legs.
"Ava...what are you doing here?"
Ava cracked an eye open and said, "It's called trying to sleep."
"That's obvious, wise-ass, but why here? Are you guarding the door?"
"No. We should be safe here. It would take more than a battering ram to get in and we would hear that kind of ruckus."
"So why are you here instead of in bed?"
"I'm too tired to unlock more rooms. For now, what you've seen is all we've got. Right now there is only one bed and it's in my bedroom. I promised you a bed if you came with me so the room is yours. I'll be fine here. I'll set things up better for tomorrow night."
"So, let me get this straight. You plan to sleep in that chair while I sleep alone in that massive bed of yours?"
"I promised you a bed and I already explained there is only one right now."
Ella narrowed her eyes at Ava. "Get out of that chair."
"Why? Ella, I'm tired. Go back to bed and let me sleep."
Ella's wings arched open and her feathers puffed up like someone had rubbed them the wrong way. She kicked the side of Ava's chair and said, "Get out of that thing. You are crazy if you think I'll let you give up your bed for me while you sleep in that uncomfortable chair. I know cats squeeze themselves into ridiculously small spaces but you are not a feline right now and you need space to stretch out. Your bed is more than big enough for both of us. We've done just about everything together in the last couple of days, including sleep together, so I don't know why you are acting so silly. Get up and come to bed."
When Ava just stared at her and didn't move Ella's wings deflated. "I can't take your bed. I'd feel awful knowing you're out here like this. If you insist on sleeping here I'll have to join you and I really don't want to sleep on the floor when there's a perfectly good bed nearby."
"Ella—"
"Let me finish. Aside from the passages we used tonight I've never been in a place that feels so odd. Maybe it's because there are no windows and the walls glow or maybe it's because in my home there's always noise with people moving about and talking whereas this place is as quiet as the tomb. Whatever it is I find it very unsettling and I'd really appreciate it if you don't leave me alone here on our first night." |
Ava's heart ached to see Ella look so embarrassed having to admit she didn't want to sleep alone. It never occurred to her that Ella would be afraid in her home, probably because she measured safety in how fortified or defendable a place was whereas Ella needed people to feel safe. Darn it if Ella hadn't just derailed her careful strategy and it was impossible to say no to her when she got that wide-eyed, vulnerable look. She would have to go to bed with her now, at least long enough for Ella to fall asleep. Ava got out of the chair and led the way back to her room. She paused at the foot of the bed and asked, "Do you prefer a side?"
"Not really, I tend to drift to the middle."
"Then I'll take the left."
Ava crawled under the covers and tried to relax. Her bed was large and more than spacious enough for the two of them to sleep without touching. Although if she was honest with herself, she really wanted there to be touching.
"Ava?"
"Hmm?"
"Why didn't you want to sleep with me? Surely you can't be uncomfortable with me after all the time we've spent together? Or is it just that you needed some alone time?"
"I'm very comfortable with you, Ella and no I don't need to be alone. I've gotten so used to you being around it feels like something is missing when I don't see you."
Ava arched her toes and stretched her arms out behind her until her fingertips touched the wall, an old ritual. It was rare that she got to sleep in a bed that could fully accommodate her size and it was a pleasure being back in her own comfortable bed. Even if it was just for a little while.
"So...what was the reason?"
Ava suppressed a sigh. She should have known Ella would not be satisfied until she got an answer. The woman was relentless when she wanted something.
"Maybe I was afraid you'd stretch those massive wings in your sleep and give me a black eye or worse, suffocate me."
"You mean like this?"
Ella playfully unfurled a wing so it enclosed them in a canopy of golden feathers. Suddenly Ava found herself drenched in Ella's scent, her senses in total overload. She couldn't help herself; she inhaled deeply, drawing the glorious aroma deep into her lungs and tasting it on her tongue. She almost moaned aloud at the intensity of her body's response. Why would Ella do something so provocative? Did she know so little about beast-shifters with sensitive noses that she didn't realize doing something like this, especially while they were in bed together, was the equivalent of rubbing herself all over Ava? If she was on heat such an invitation would have had her all over Ella in an instant. As it was, she had a hard time keeping her hands to herself and acting civilized. Someone really needed to educate Ella on the finer points of beast-shifter etiquette because she was a danger to herself.
"You can touch it."
Dazed and confused Ava turned to stare at Ella.
"My wing – I can tell you want to touch the feathers. Go ahead, I don't mind."
Ava swallowed hard and reminded herself firmly that Ella was only offering her wing. She tentatively laid her hand on the inside of Ella's wing and glided her fingertips over the feathers ever so lightly. The sensation was exquisite, the heat from Ella's body making the feathers feel like warm silk. She needed to feel more. She flattened her palm against Ella's wing, stroking gently. One hand simply wasn't enough with so much to explore so she added another. She glanced at Ella to make sure it was all right to continue. Ella didn't say anything, instead she opened her wing further which was all the permission Ava needed. She touched and stroked exploring the fine texture of individual feathers between her fingertips and the intricate layering of feathers. Ava lost track of time mesmerized by the sensation of feathers on palm and Ella's scent all around her. The contrast between the bare skin on Ella's back and the feathers of her wing caught her eye. Without thinking she slid her hand into the area where the two joined so she could touch both at the same time. Ella inhaled sharply and shuddered.
"Did I hurt you, Ella?"
"No. It is, however, a very sensitive area."
The way Ella put emphasis on the word 'sensitive' made Ava think she had meant to use an entirely different word so she carefully removed her hand. As soon as she did Ella withdrew her wing. Ava immediately felt a sense of loss and she had to tuck her hands under her to keep from reaching for her again. Ella was watching her with hooded eyes and the air between them felt so charged Ava found it a little hard to breathe. Something had shifted between them while she touched Ella's wing. She wasn't exactly sure what but something was different. Ava felt like she should say something but she had no idea what. She could hardly tell Ella she thought she was falling in love with her |
While Ava touched her wing Ella had taken the opportunity to study her carefully. What she saw had fascinated her. What started out as a gentle touch had quickly turned into something close to a lover's caress. She'd watched Ava's strong hands glide all over her wing and she imagined those hands exploring other parts of her body like that. She kept reminding herself Ava was her friend, just her friend...but no 'just friend' had ever explored her wing with such reverence. She'd almost lost it when Ava so innocently stroked the spot between her back and wing that no avian would touch without a lover's permission.
Now even though Ella had removed her wing so they were no longer enclosed, the intimacy of the moment lingered. The air between them was so heavy with expectation it seemed natural to Ella that they should kiss. She leaned in slowly giving Ava plenty of time to pull away. Despite her own excitement Ella took care to keep the kiss light and chaste in case she'd misinterpreted the signs. Ava's lips were velvety soft and Ella ached to part her lips and taste her more fully but made herself pull back after just a few seconds. She lay her head back on her own pillow and tried to look relaxed like it was no big deal she'd just kissed Ava. In truth she was nervous and it didn't help that Ava looked so serious.
"Why the kiss?" Ava asked.
"That was for getting me away from that mine. I don't think I said thank you properly for saving my life."
"No thanks needed, we helped each other."
"No, it was all you. You didn't really need my help to get away from that place and you could have left me to fend for myself after I broke my wing. You didn't. You've been looking out for me this whole time and I want you to know I think you are amazing."
While Ella spoke Ava's eyes had drifted to her mouth and her eyes had gone a green so dark they looked almost black. When she looked back up Ella felt her heart skip a beat. She might not have seen that expression on Ava before but she recognized desire when she saw it. She licked her lips and instantly Ava's eyes were back on her mouth. It was too much to resist and she kissed Ava again. This time Ava returned the kiss and Ella got a tantalizing hint of the sweetness of Ava's mouth in the slight parting of lips just before she drew away. They were both breathing a little fast despite the relative innocence of the kiss.
"And that kiss was for?"
"That was for keeping your word and delivering that hot bath and a proper bed. Even if you dragged me through those awful tunnels to get here."
Ava considered Ella's words for a moment then her eyes and mouth crinkled in amusement and she said, "If your kisses are anything to go by it would seem you're more appreciative about the hot water and bed than you are about me saving your life. If that's true your priorities are really skewed."
Ella giggled as much in relief that Ava wasn't upset she'd kissed her twice as the realization that she spoke the truth. "I didn't think about it like that but I suppose you have a point. But this really is a very nice bed."
Ava bounced her long body and it made the bed creak and move a little. "The bed is not that nice. I really need to rebuild the frame but the mattress is comfortable and the bedding is soft and clean so it definitely beats sleeping on rocks."
The bouncing looked like fun so Ella joined in and they laughed as their combined movement made the bed creak and sway like a ship in a storm. They stopped simultaneously when the bed made an ominous groan. Ava looked so flushed and happy Ella simply had to kiss her again. This time she gave no warning and she absorbed the sound and feel of Ava's laughter into her mouth. She just wanted to steal another quick taste but to her delight Ava deepened the kiss. Ella lost herself in the moment savoring the flavor of Ava's mouth and the delicate dance of their lips and tongues. Just as their bare legs tangled and it felt like things were about to heat up considerably Ava drew away. Ella was tempted to pursue and press for more but the guarded expression on Ava's face warned her to slow down.
"Ella..."
The deep husky tone of Ava's voice when she said her name sent shivers of desire down Ella's spine.
"Before we go any further I need to know what this means to you. Surely it's not you still showing gratitude?"
"That kiss was way too passionate for that, don't you think? It felt so good to kiss you the first two times I wanted more. Is that all right?"
"It's more than all right, Ella, you're an amazing kisser. If I didn't like what you were doing I wouldn't have kissed you back or let you kiss me at all. I'm not sure what to make of what's happening between us right now though. What is it you want? Do you just need stress release after a difficult few days? If that's what this is I have to tell you I'm not built for a casual fling. Not that there's anything wrong with that kind of thing but it's just not for me."
Ella brought Ava's hand up to her lips and pressed a kiss against the knuckles. "You think too much. I'm attracted to you and I wanted to kiss you so I did. I don't expect anything and if this goes further it doesn't have to be a big deal. If it helps, think of whatever happens between us as an affectionate sharing between friends."
Ava frowned. "I don't understand what that means. I assume you're saying if we become intimate it's not meant to be taken seriously? For the record, I don't kiss my friends like that or kiss them while in bed together no matter how affectionate I feel towards them."
"That's good to know. Neither do I. Just to be clear on that."
"That's a relief. I was beginning to wonder what sorts of things go on in that tower of yours. Orgies breaking out like an unexpected rash came to mind."
"They do not!" Ella giggled and gave Ava a playful smack. "One person at a time is quite enough for me. Besides, most of the people in my tower are related in one way or another so any orgy is likely to cross some icky boundaries. Also, did you have to bring up sex in the same sentence as rash? If the thought of incest wasn't enough to make me feel queasy that would do it. Yikes."
Grinning Ava said, "Finally I get payback."
"For what?"
"For when you asked if the twenty-year-old version of me wanted to have sex with an elderly shepherd who was missing several teeth, chewed tobacco and only washed once every other week. The thought of that made me feel queasy."
"Eeew, I think we need to stop this conversation. I'm terrified of what you'll come up with next. If you were trying to kill the mood you've managed it quite nicely."
Ava laughed and rolled onto her back leaving a small space between them but close enough for their hands to touch. It wasn't long before their fingers intertwined. It was like their hands, joined for so much of the day, sought to fill the emptiness left by the other's absence.
Ella found she was amused and more than a little perplexed after the heated kisses they'd shared to find herself oddly content to lie in bed with Ava just holding hands. She was too tired to analyze what had just happened. At least she now knew Ava didn't mind being kissed by a woman, which was good. On the other hand, it was also now apparent Ava put sex and a serious relationship in the same basket. She wasn't sure how she felt about that so she filed it away for later. |
Ava lay as still as she could and waited for Ella to fall asleep. She was exhausted and conflicted on so many levels but one thing she knew for sure, staying in bed with Ella tonight was not an option. She didn't want to explain why she needed to leave so she waited for Ella to drift off so she could sneak away.
Ava woke out of her semi-doze and realized with alarm she had been moments away from falling asleep herself. She got one leg out of bed and tried to let go of Ella's hand without alerting her but the other woman's eyes fluttered open. Perhaps she looked guilty because Ella raised a questioning brow.
"I almost fell asleep," Ava tried to explain realizing as soon as she said it how odd that would sound.
"I thought that was the idea?" Ella sleepily pointed out.
"I'd love to stay but I really should get up and sleep elsewhere. I was going to do that after you fell asleep but I won't last much longer."
"Why would you do that?" Ella took a firmer hold of Ava's hand and tucked it securely under her chest. "It is not still about my wings? I thought you were just joking about that but I can shift them away if they bother you and if it's about the kisses...I apologize. I promise never to do anything like that again if you don't want me to. I'll never forgive myself if I've just ruined our friendship."
"Nothing is ruined. You haven't done anything wrong and I was just joking about your wings." Ava reached with her free hand and gently tucked a lock of Ella's hair that had come loose from the braid away from her face.
"Then why?"
"I'm not used to sleeping with someone like this. I'm so tired I'd like nothing better than to sleep next to you in my own bed but when I'm very tired I sleep deeply. That would normally be fine but it also means it's much harder for me to wake myself when I have a nightmare."
"You expect to have a nightmare? Is this a common thing?"
Ava's expression became troubled. "I have a recurring nightmare. It comes and goes but when it returns I usually have it for several nights in a row. So far I've had it two nights in a row and as these things go I'll probably have it again tonight."
"Do you know what brings it on?"
"Yes. Every time I'm reminded of what happened to me and my dad it starts up again. Between going into the cutter's lab and retrieving my father's fang it's raked up old memories. In my dreams I'm a little girl again and I get to relive the worst days of my life. Needless to say, my nightmares are violent and when I'm not able to wake myself to make it stop...it's bad. I don't know how safe it would be for you if I had one while you're in bed with me."
"Why? What do you think could happen?"
"I really don't know. I don't have experience sleeping with someone else like this and I'm worried. I'm a beast-shifter, Ella. Sometimes when I'm stuck in the dream and can't tell it's not really happening I start to change. It's a defense mechanism, like the fight-or-flight response that pumps adrenaline into the body getting it all psyched up. In my case, because of what I am, subconsciously I want to be in a less vulnerable body so I start drawing on my beast. Most times the discomfort wakes me before the change is too far along but I don't want to scare you or accidentally hurt you."
"Hmm..." Ella considered for a moment. "Don't worry, if it looks like you're having a nightmare I'll kick you out of bed. Like so..." she made a shoving motion with her foot against Ava's hip. "That will put some distance between us and this bed is so high the drop is bound to wake you. Would that work?"
"Yeah, it probably would," Ava said thoughtfully then grinned. "I never thought I'd find myself in a scenario where I'm pleased a woman offered to kick me out of bed. That's new. You keep amazing and surprising me."
"Ava, since I've met you I've had one hair-raising experience after another. This morning I went into a den of hostile wolves and earlier this evening I got dragged through what felt like the pit of the underworld complete with a skulking monster. Both those experiences were very disconcerting but because you were with me I knew whatever happened I would be fine. I knew you wouldn't let anything hurt me. So tonight, if you have a bad dream it'll be the other way around. You'll be okay because I'm right next to you. I will wake you, one way or another. Now let's get some rest. I have a feeling I'm going to need my strength for whatever tomorrow will bring. Being around you, I fully expect something extraordinary."
"Being around you, I have to say the same. Ella, could you do something for me?"
"What do you need? Anything just name it."
"Now that we've established I'm not going anywhere can you ease your grip on my hand a little? I can't feel my fingers anymore."
Ella gave a slow blink as she processed Ava's words and then her cheeks flushed pink when she realized she held Ava's hand pinned under her left breast. She quickly let go. "Oh wow, sorry."
Chuckling Ava turned onto her stomach. "Sleep well, Ella."
"You too."
There was the rustle of wings settling, the sound of a pillow being vigorously thumped into shape and then everything went quiet. |
The nightmare started as it always did. She stood in a river up to her knees in black water. The water was rising and she could feel the sickening dread that something awful was coming. She knew what was happening, knew she was falling into the dream again. Desperate she struggled to get to the bank, to safety, to wakefulness but she knew she would not make it. She felt phantom fists slam into her, hands tore off her clothing and meat hooks dug into her flesh, dragging her deeper into the icy river. Despite knowing it was futile she fought with all her might, tearing out the hooks so the water around her warmed with the heat of her own blood. The pain was excruciating and she wanted to scream but she knew if she did her father would come into the water to save her and then he would be caught as well. The water surged up to her neck and she saw the crimson wave bearing down on her. It was so large it blocked out the light so all she could see was the dismembered corpses and screaming mouths. She made one last feeble attempt to get away then the wave was on her. She tried to scream but blood filled her mouth and nose. She tried to spit it out so she could breathe but there was too much of it.
"Drink the blood or you will die," a voice said.
"No, please don't make me do this."
"Drink Ava, swallow my gift and be healed. "
The voice was familiar. It was someone she loved, someone she trusted. It was a voice she could not disobey. She did as she was told and swallowed the warm blood along with the acid of her tears. It burned, oh how it burned going down and she was seared by the agony of it.
Weights pressed down on her so that she struggled to breathe and she couldn't move. She was out of the river splayed face down in the dirt, naked in a pool of her own blood. There were weights on her arms and legs, men sitting on her holding her down. Something terrible was coming. She tried to lift her head to see and saw the man holding something that glowed. A pipe red hot like fire, like burning, the color of pain.
"Scream for us girl, scream so your daddy will come for you."
She didn't want to but she couldn't help it—the pain was beyond what she could endure. She screamed and screamed for her father to come and make it stop until the world tilted from red to black.
The darkness turned to murky light and she was in a pit in the ground. It was a cage. Her cage. She was in pain, so much pain. She hurt everywhere. There were things wrong with her body, too many things. Dying. She knew she was dying.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
There was something dripping on her from above. What was it? A creature was lying on top of her cage, an animal so large it blocked out the light. There was something dripping from it, something warm and salty. It smelled like death, like something too horrible to think about but it tasted like life. She was thirsty, so very thirsty and the drip had become a downpour splashing over her face and naked filth-encrusted body.
"Drink Ava. Do it for me."
"Daddy, I'm so sorry. I love you. Please don't die."
"Drink."
She tilted her head, opened her broken jaw as wide as she could and drank. As she did she felt her body healing, felt the beginning of a shift to a form more suited to survival and ideal for shredding enemies. The agony in her body and mind became overwhelming and she felt something inside break. She felt part of her mind cave under the onslaught and retreat to a safer place while another more primal part rose ready to scream its rage into the reddening haze of bloodlust and madness.
There was the feeling of falling, of hitting something. Ava's eyes flew open. She was breathing hard, her body trembled like she'd been running full speed for hours and her heart thundered in her chest. She tried to orientate herself. Floor...she was on a floor looking up at a dimly illuminated ceiling. She blinked when a head of golden hair and wings appeared into view. Wings? Why was she seeing wings? Ava's mind clicked back into place. Nightmare. She'd had that nightmare while she was with Ella. Fuck. The back of her head hurt. She must have hit it when she fell out of bed. The face tilted sideways and a concerned crease furrowed the flawless brow. Ava took a deep breath and held it for as long as she could before slowly exhaling. She tried to uncoil her tense muscles and willed her heartbeat to slow to a steadier pace.
"It's good to see you're awake. Ava, how are you feeling?"
"You really did it...you threw me out of bed!"
"I told you I would."
"And I'm glad you did. It worked; the fall got me out of there. Although..." Ava rubbed her hip, "did you have to kick so hard? A good shove would have worked too. I'm probably going to have a bruise tomorrow – you kick like a mule."
"Sorry. I saw those and panicked a little." Ella pointed at Ava's hands.
Looking, Ava saw her fingers were tipped with blade-like claws the color of obsidian. She quickly changed them back. Covering her face she felt the contours and ran her tongue along the inside of her mouth to check the shape and size of her teeth. Everything was still normal. She felt dizzy with relief. The change was minor, nothing too frightening for Ella to see. Her rough awakening had spared them both. Seeing how intently Ella watched her Ava said, "That kick did the job, good call."
"Do you want to talk about the nightmare?"
She definitely didn't. "No."
"Will the dream continue if you go back to sleep? I'm asking because sometimes that happens to me."
"No, I won't have another nightmare tonight."
"Good." Ella disappeared from view and there was the sound of covers being drawn back. "Come back to bed."
"You still want me to sleep up there with you? I don't mind sleeping right here on the floor. Just hand me my pillow?"
Ella's head appeared again and her wings arched open slightly. That combined with her stormy expression told Ava that Ella wasn't happy with her.
"We've already had this discussion. You are not sleeping in a chair and I won't let you sleep on the floor in front of your own bed. You're shivering so hurry up and get into bed before you catch a chill."
As soon as Ava crawled back into bed Ella asked, "Have you spooned with someone before? Do you like it?"
"I sort of know what spooning is but I've never slept like that with someone."
"You are about to find out what it feels like. Turn on your side so you face the wall."
It wasn't really a request and Ava was too battered from the lingering effects of the nightmare to argue about how she should sleep in her own bed. She turned on her side and Ella scooted up behind her. She wrapped an arm around Ava's waist and unfurled a wing so it came to rest on her hip and shoulder blanketing her in an extra layer of warmth. She moved Ava's hair out of the way and lay her head close so when she spoke her breath tickled the back of Ava's neck and ear.
"This is spooning. Do you think you could sleep like this or is it too much? I like to be held after I've had a bad dream. I thought maybe you would as well."
Ava considered the arm holding her close, the warm press of Ella's body against her back and legs, the silken weight of her wing. It was so comforting. It felt so good. In her entire adult life no one had ever held her like this. It made her feel strangely emotional, like she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. She wrapped her fingers around Ella's arm. "It's not too much. Thank you." Her words were barely a whisper.
"Try to sleep. You're safe. I'm right here and I won't let you go. I promise."
As Ava drifted off to sleep she thought she felt soft lips linger against the back of her neck but it could just have been the start of a dream. A good dream this time. |
When Ava woke she found that during the night she had rolled onto her back. This in itself was not unusual. What was unusual was the presence of a half-naked woman sleeping almost on top of her. Ella lay sprawled beside her on her stomach. Her braid had come undone so her hair tumbled across her shoulders in golden waves. That wasn't all that had come undone during the night. The sarong was somewhere past her hips and Ava could see the side of a creamy breast move with the rise and fall of Ella's chest as she breathed. Ella had tucked her wings and thrown her legs wide in the abandon of sleep. That resulted in her draping a leg over Ava with the inside of her thigh coming to rest against the back of Ava's hand.
Ava swallowed and tried to ignore the way her heart rate picked up at the realization she could feel the heat of Ella's core inches away. The shorts she'd lent her were loose fitting and Ella was not wearing any underwear. All she had to do was move her hand slightly and she'd slide past the loose clothing and have Ella cupped in her palm. If she felt the pressure against her sex would Ella move against it in her sleep, pressing down and spreading herself wide so Ava could feel the moist ready heat of her? Could she slip her fingers inside to explore and make Ella come?
Whoa, what was she thinking? This was not okay! She had to get out of bed before she did something phenomenally stupid. Ella might have kissed her the previous night but that didn't mean she wanted to wake up half naked with Ava's hand between her legs. Slowly and carefully she extracted herself. Disturbed by the motion, Ella muttered in her sleep, stirring briefly so that Ava saw the flash of a pink nipple, but didn't wake up.
Breathing a quiet sigh of relief Ava sneaked out, hurrying to get the rest of her clothing and go outside before Ella woke and called her back. She felt flushed and flustered. If Ella saw her now she'd know something was wrong. Grabbing an empty backpack she slipped outside taking deep breaths of the cool cleansing air. She needed movement and lots of activity to distract her and she needed a swim in the ocean to wash the intoxicating scent of Ella from her skin. She wasn't convinced that would be enough to bring her body and lusty fantasies under control but she was determined to try. |
Ella groaned as she walked into the kitchen.
"Sore?"
"You have no idea." Ella stretched her legs gingerly. "I thought I was fit but there is a big difference between being flying fit and walking fit. A different set of muscles entirely. All that walking did a real number on my legs, on my whole body really. I didn't feel like this yesterday and even last night I still felt reasonable but this morning everything is so stiff. I suppose that means that healing potion of yours has finally worn off." Ella rubbed her behind and winced. "My butt is so sore it is unbelievable!"
Ava threw her head back and laughed.
Ella scowled at her. "You're probably not sore at all."
Ava grinned. "No, I'm fine."
"You could at least pretend you're suffering to make me feel better."
"Nope, no such luck."
"Hmm, what's that smell? I can't tell what that is but it smells really yummy. You made breakfast?"
"Yes, I made congee. It's a kind of savory rice porridge. Although it is good for any time of the day really and very soothing. At least I find it soothing. I put it on low heat before I went out because it needs time to slow cook. It should be ready now. Want to try some?"
"Yes please, I'm starving."
Ella gingerly took a seat at the wooden table that was bare aside from a pretty bowl filled with red apples, knobby pears and figs arranged on top. Ava was in front of the stove, her back half-turned to Ella. She was barefoot in faded blue jeans and a snug fitting dark blue short-sleeve shirt that looked soft and comfortable while showing off her toned arms and trim physique. Her hair looked damp like she had taken a shower or gone for a swim.
"You said you went out? Where did you go, Ava?"
"To see if there was any fruit left in the orchard. It's late in the season but it's sheltered and sunny there. I was lucky and found some the birds didn't. On the way back the tide was out so I checked the tidal traps and found several good sized fish. I put those in the smoker for dinner."
"You have an orchard?"
"Not here but where I used to live."
"Is it nearby?"
"Near enough on a run and I know shortcuts."
"I bet you do," Ella said dryly. "So let me recap. While I slept you went for a run to get fruit, caught dinner and cooked breakfast. Did I miss anything?"
Ava grinned at her. "I also had a swim after the run but I'm not sure that counts as it was just for fun."
"Shut up," Ella growled. "You make me feel like a slug."
"You don't look like a slug, you look really good. You didn't get that shapely ass by doing nothing all day."
"When did you check out my ass?"
In the process of dishing the rice porridge into bowls Ava froze with the spoon suspended mid-air. "I noticed...I didn't specifically look."
Ella noticed the blush creep up Ava's cheeks and it made her smile. "How very observant of you." Ava fidgeted with the bowls and wouldn't make eye contact with her. Ella was tempted to tease her more but Ava looked like she was ready to bolt so she pointed at the stove and asked, "What kind of tea did you make for us this morning?"
"I made red bush tea. If you prefer I can brew you a pot of coffee but you'll have to drink it black and with honey if you want it sweetened."
"Tea will be lovely."
Ava brought the teapot to the table and then two cups in the same beautiful design as the bowls and a glass jar with honey the color of liquid gold. Next, she brought the steaming bowls of rice porridge to the table and placed one carefully in front of Ella.
Ella dipped a spoon into the creamy mixture and tasted it. "This is really good. Thank you."
Ava shrugged. "It's nothing. I have to eat, so it was no trouble making enough for two."
Ella wondered if Ava would have made herself a meaty breakfast instead if she wasn't here. She eyed the fresh fruit that Ava especially went and got for her and suspected she knew the answer. Everything at this table was tailored to Ella's needs. Ava was going out of her way to be considerate but acting like it was nothing. She was such an extraordinary woman. She contemplated asking Ava how she'd slept after her nightmare and how she felt about them kissing in bed but it didn't feel like the right time or place for such serious questions.
Wanting to do something she poured them a cup of tea each, adding a teaspoon of honey to Ava's cup and three to her own. Ava smiled her thanks and took a sip before starting to eat. Pleased she'd been observant enough to note how Ava like her tea Ella took a sip from her own cup. The tea was dark with a reddish tint and tasted faintly floral. She'd never heard of red bush tea but with the honey she found it pleasant. Ava was already scraping her bowl and eyeing the pot for another helping so Ella set to her own tasty breakfast with enthusiasm. When Ava finished her cup of tea Ella refilled it for her without asking. Her friend must have been starving because she was on her fifth bowl by the time Ella finished her first serving. Ella decided not to make another joke about how much Ava ate. Instead, she made a mental note to make sure she ordered extra dishes if they were ever at a restaurant together so Ava wouldn't go hungry for appearances' sake.
Ella pushed her bowl away and shook her head when Ava offered to refill it. As much as she enjoyed the congee it was the fruit she was after. At home she would have fresh fruit every day and kept a bowl of whatever was in season in her rooms for the times she missed meals. It had been days since she'd had any and now she craved it. She picked up one of the pears, inhaled the sweet scent and took a bite. The explosion of sweet flavorful juice in her mouth made her moan with delight.
"This is so good I'm deliriously happy right now," she said, licking a trickle of juice from the corner of her mouth. "These are so juicy it's unbelievable."
Ava picked up her cup and leaned back in her chair, a small pleased smile on her lips as she watched Ella eat. "I'm glad you're enjoying it. I had plenty of fruit while I was looking for good ones to bring home so have as many as you like."
"Thank you, I'll try not to eat everything so there's some left for tomorrow."
"When you're ready I'll show you around. I'm going to be busy today. There are things I have to take care of so you're going to be on your own part of the day. I want to show you where you can go."
"Don't worry, I'm sure I can find my way around. Just go do whatever you need to do. I've always liked exploring new places. I promise I won't snoop through your drawers or anything like that."
Ava stared at the liquid in her cup for several moments then said, "That wouldn't be a good idea. There are places that wouldn't be safe for you to wander into on your own." The look she gave Ella was deadly serious. "I will show you where you can go. Please don't go anywhere else. Even if you see an interesting passage or an open door unless I've taken you there previously and told you it was safe, don't go in."
Ella exhaled through her mouth and said, "If this place is so dangerous why did you leave while I slept? What if I woke while you were gone and started looking for you? Are you saying something bad could have happened or is this your way of telling me not to pry into your business? If it's the latter all you had to do was say so. I'm not a nosy child. I won't go where I'm not wanted and I respect your privacy."
Ava put her cup down and said, "I value my privacy but that's not why I don't want you wandering around. I'm trying to keep you safe. Remember I said this place used to belong to the Ancient Ones and I used it as a sort of sanctuary?"
"I remember you saying something like that."
"I left out some details. To be more precise, my mother's family have been caretakers of this place for many generations. After my father's murder she gifted it to me so as much as this place can belong to anyone it now belongs to me. From what she told me this sanctuary was already formidable before she added her own special touches. She feared for my life and wanted to know I had a safe place. Remember those passages last night? Do you recall how some walls moved out of my way and how doorways disappeared behind us? That can happen here. Some things are constant here but many things are not. This place was designed like a multi-layered vault; it hides and protects what belongs within and actively tries to trap and destroy anything it sees as a threat. I know this place well and it's attuned to me so I can go wherever I please but it's not that way for you. While you were asleep and I was away you weren't in danger because the rooms I left you in are stable and I set the wards for that area to recognize you as a guest. You couldn't have opened any of the restricted doorways even had you known they were there. Today many of those will open and stay open because I need to move about freely to get everything done before I leave. If you wander into one of those places without me it would be bad."
Ella was silent while she recalled things she'd seen the previous evening but only half remembered and not quite believed. "You know if it wasn't for those tunnels last night I would have called bullshit on your explanation but...wow, just wow! No wonder this place feels so odd. I'm going to need another cup of tea, maybe two to process what you just told me."
"How about we have it outside in the garden? There's a lovely sunny spot where you can relax and sun your wings. It will be good for you. Bring the bowl of fruit along."
"I assume the garden is one of the places I can go?"
"Yes. It's safe for you and it's one of my favorite places here. I find it difficult being inside too long as it starts to feel like the walls are closing in."
"Which is hardly surprising as here that might actually happen," Ella commented dryly.
"How true. It never occurred to me that maybe subconsciously that's the reason I can only stand it for so long." |
Ava led Ella outside into a mid-sized garden. The sides were enclosed by smooth stone and in places overgrown with climbing plants covered in little yellow flowers that released a pleasant fragrance. Originally the garden was strictly ornamental, a place to relax. Over the years she'd repurposed and replanted to suit her own needs. Now most of the plants were either edible, useful for flavoring food or medicinal. Her concession to pure aesthetics was the path that wound through the garden. Made from pretty colored stones it had been a labor of love to create the intricate swirling patterns.
"The walkway is beautiful and it looks new. Did you create this?"
"Yes, I was bored and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Halfway through I cursed myself but the end result was worth the bruised knees and aching back."
"It certainly was," Ella agreed.
Ava led Ella to her favorite spot, a patch of thick soft grass under a cherry blossom tree next to the pond. The tree wasn't in bloom but it was still lovely and provided adequate shade. Ava sat down on the grass and watched as Ella went to the water's edge to have a better look at the pond. After she'd made appreciative noises about the clarity of the water, the pretty lilies and colorful little fish she sat down beside Ava.
"It's a lovely garden."
"I'm glad you like it, Ella."
"You said your mother gave you this place after your father died. Does that mean you didn't always live here?"
"I've always called these mountain ranges home but I used to live in a cabin my father built. I was born there. I loved everything about that place. I still remember those big rooms, the cozy kitchen, that stone fireplace and the way I could see for miles out of every window. The cabin is still standing but in bad shape and overgrown. The fruit trees are about the only sign we lived in that valley. It's my fault, I could not make myself go back there for years after he died. I had this weird idea if I stayed away I could make believe he was still there doing everyday things. Living there was unthinkable and it would have been just me in that empty place with the ghosts of everything that was lost. I couldn't do it."
"Why by yourself? Didn't your mother live with you and your dad?"
"My mother never lived there, she visited. She came and went as she pleased. Sometimes she would stay with us for months or visit frequently. Other times she would be gone for a season or only stay for a night or two between long absences. I remember them having fights over that. This place wasn't her home either but it belonged to her, an inheritance of sort. Originally they thought they would live here but he was such a huge man he couldn't stand how enclosed this felt so he built the cabin nearby."
"Your mother...it sounds like she had another life. I hate to say this but do you think she had another family?"
"I don't think so but she did lead an entire life away from us. My mother is someone of great standing among her people. She has abilities and knowledge that is invaluable to them and she had important responsibilities long before she met my father. Do you remember I told you their bonding was very unpopular with both sides, so much so they had to live apart from their people to be together?"
"Yes, I remember."
"My father could leave his clan's territories and go on living his life but it wasn't that easy for my mother. Her people would not allow her to just walk away. She could have fought them but she didn't want to go to war with her own relatives. To appease them she struck a deal where she would continue with her duties and they agreed to leave her new family in peace but it came at the price of her being away a lot. If she wanted to she could have had another family and we wouldn't have known because it's not like either of us had access to that part of her life. It was a matter of trust. My father believed her and I had no reason to doubt either of them. My childhood was happy and the way things were was all I knew. I believed my father when he said theirs was an incredible love story. He said that even though there was great animosity between his clan and my mother's people they fell in love almost as soon as they met and found a way to be together. I was their little miracle because they were not supposed to be able to have children together. He looked so happy and proud when he told me that last part it didn't occur to me to question the details. Not then anyway. Whatever the truth he loved my mother with utter devotion and I was the fruit of their love. When he looked at me I felt so safe and adored. No one could have asked for a better father."
"And your mother?"
"She cares about me. She definitely loved my father and I think she loved me when I was little and we were our own little strange family. She taught me how to work the old magic and other useful things. She would brush and braid my long hair in front of the fire while my dad cooked and she even played games with me. I remember falling asleep in her lap hearing her laugh at my father's stories about the things I'd gotten up to while she was away." Ava sighed and her expression became pained. "All of that changed after my father died. I told her everything that happened. I told her how they used me as bait to catch him. Although she never said she blamed me for his death she didn't have to; how she acted spoke louder than words."
"That's horrible. Ava, are you sure? You were only a child and those men were experienced trappers who planned it all very carefully by the sound of things. No parent could put the blame for something like that on their child. What did she do to make you think she blamed you for what happened?"
"After my father died her visits became even less frequent. When she did turn up it was to teach me or give me something she thought I needed but she hardly ever touched me and sometimes it was difficult for her to look at me directly. I could feel her discomfort. It was like I reminded her of something she wanted to forget. I was so lonely by myself I asked her several times to take me with her but she always refused saying it wouldn't be safe for me to go with her. That part I found out to be true; her people definitely don't want me around."
"You still won't tell me what or who your mother is? It's so weird when you talk like this."
"As you've probably guessed already she is also an Old Blood. Like my father she too is a direct descendant of the first shapeshifters. Her family was one of the first families that accidentally sailed into Nordarra millennia ago. In those days all of Nordarra was full of great and terrible beasts and old powerful magic. In comparison, humans were weak like little children in the land of giants. The beings who built the ancient structures took pity on them and taught them how to use the magic of the land to become shapeshifters. At least that's one version of the story. Another version states humans became the Ancients' servants in order to survive. There was interbreeding and the children born from those unions became the Old Bloods. Whatever the truth behind their origin my mother's people are very proud of being Old Bloods. They are powerful, ruthless, secretive and so convinced of their own superiority it's like a kind of madness. I can't tell you of which shapeshifter bloodline my mother descends because she made me promise never to tell anyone. If you think you've worked it out I'd really appreciate it if you don't mention it to anyone, for my sake and yours. They have always strived to keep their bloodline pure and they pretend I don't exist. My mixed blood is such an affront that if it wasn't for my mother I suspect they would have murdered me years ago. Linking me to them in any way will draw attention you won't like."
Ella made herself eat an entire apple while she thought this over. Ava's answer put a chill down her spine and she wanted to be composed or at least appear so. This was heavy stuff. Her knowledge of the original shapeshifters was sketchy, not through lack of interest but because over the centuries what people thought they knew about them had become a muddled mix of fact and myth so it was hard to know what was true. The one thing that remained consistent in all the stories was that the Old Bloods were not friendly to those who came after. They looked down on them as lesser shifters and they would kill them with the same disregard as a lion would a common kitten that dared wandered into its den. Ella was a curious person with the tendency to poke at things till she got all the answers she sought and she was burning to ask Ava more questions but she sensed her friend had already shared more than she was comfortable with. There was no question she could ask her that wouldn't push into territory that might be off limits for Ava to discuss and she risked putting too much strain on their new friendship. It was time to change direction to safer waters.
"Your mother must love you though. She gave you this extraordinary place that has been in her family for generations. That must mean something? This place is like nothing I've ever seen. Most of what the Ancients built have been reduced to crumbling ruins but this place is intact, the wards and everything else fully functional. There are scholars who would kill for an opportunity to study a place like this."
"I have to agree this place is special. The builders were brilliant. This place slots into nature as if the two grew together in symbiosis. It's self-sustaining, well hidden, easily defendable and there is an abundance of resources in the area. It's a perfect sanctuary."
"Ava, you took a huge risk bringing me here. I now understand why you took the precautions you did to try and confuse me so I wouldn't know where we are but we both know I could probably figure it out if I really wanted to. Why bring me here? I know you said you wanted to collect a few things but you could have made me wait in the pass instead of taking the risk I might talk about this place."
"I did think carefully about everything before bringing you here. Like I said I needed to come here and leaving you on the mountain to potentially get captured didn't sit right. My plans for after we leave, well, let's just say I'm not sure when I will come here again. It seemed a shame not to share my home with someone at least once. I've always wanted to. Then yesterday we were so close, I like you and I feel I can trust you so it occurred to me this might be my only opportunity."
"Then I suppose I was doubly lucky to have met you when I did."
"You might want to reserve judgement on that. Ella, aside from me wanting to keep this place a secret there is another reason I never brought someone here and why I made you promise not to look for it or tell anyone about it."
"What?"
"I've already told you to be careful not to wander because this place can be dangerous but even so you're relatively safe because I'm here. However, the moment I leave this place will go into a kind of lock-down. It does that every time and even if I wanted to I couldn't disable the defenses. Trust me when I say the wards in and around this place are lethal. I've found the remains of things that have tried to get in and what I saw turned my stomach. You must never come back here, Ella, not for any reason."
"I promised you I wouldn't! I swore an oath."
"You did but if you wanted to there are ways you could get around that. Ways to justify it to yourself." Ella tried to speak but Ava held up a hand interrupting her. "I know right now you think you will never do such a thing but life has a way of putting us under pressure so the unthinkable seems to become the inevitable and like you said, people would kill for this place. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you're contemplating telling someone about this place or want to return here yourself please remember that breaking my trust will bring death to you and everyone involved."
Letting the words sink in Ella wondered if Ava had intended the dual meaning. Was that a veiled threat? If she told someone about this place and Ava found out would she turn a corner one dark night to find the tigress waiting for her? The thought was chilling. She didn't want to think that the woman she'd become so fond of was possibly threatening to kill her if she betrayed her. But it wasn't impossible either. In their short time together she'd learned that Ava was deadly serious about some things and keeping her promises and expecting people to honor their word in return was at the top of that list. Ella found that her appetite was gone and even though moments ago she had planned to eat several more pieces of fruit she simply couldn't take another bite.
Ava must have picked up on her distress because she gently touched her arm. Looking concerned she said, "Maybe I shouldn't have brought you here. Knowing things can be a burden. This has been a safe place for me and I wanted us to come here so we could rest and recover without having to watch the trail and the skies the whole time. I wanted you to feel safe and protected in my home but instead I scared you. I'm sorry. I'm going to leave you in peace to enjoy the sun and the rest of your fruit."
Ella instantly felt ashamed for what she'd been thinking. Ava had taken such good care of her and been nothing but kind so how could she so quickly suspect her friend of having murderous intentions? "Please don't go. I know you have things to do but I'd like you to stay with me a little longer."
"You're sure?"
"Yes. I get the feeling if you leave now you are going to brood about what a mistake it was to bring me here. I don't want that. Besides, I need your help."
"With?"
"My injured wing. I can't open it all the way. I can't look behind me to see what's going on. It's no longer broken and the open wound has closed but something is wrong. Can you have a look for me, please?"
"Of course."
Ella opened her wings. The left one extended fully but the right would only go two-thirds of the way before she winced and had to stop. Standing behind her Ava gently touched the injured wing, her fingers tracing connections. After several minutes of exploration she said, "I need to have a look from the other side. I think you have something lodged inside the joint of your wing."
Ella lifted her wing as high as she could and Ava ducked to her front standing so close that their sides touched. The careful exploration of her wing resumed and Ella felt when Ava pressed on an area that was particularly painful.
"Why are you frowning? You're making me worried."
"I wish you'd told me sooner. There's something on the inside and you've semi-healed over the top. I would have expected the shift to expel any foreign matter but this could be a bone splinter so it doesn't really count as foreign. I have to remove it or you won't be able to fly."
"Oh..." Ella's wings drooped. "But Ava, what do you know about wings?"
"I know plenty about winged creatures and I've cared for and healed my share of battered beings. I can get this out and afterwards you'll heal as good as new. It's either that or you will have to wait until you get home to see one of your physicians but by that time at the rate you're healing they will have to cut deep to get to it."
"I can't afford to wait that long and I definitely don't want to arrive home like some maimed thing unable to fly." Ella took a fortifying breath and said, "If you think you can take care of it then do it."
"I can."
"Then go get whatever surgical instruments you'll need."
"I already have everything I need." Ava held up a hand and wiggled her fingers for Ella to see. "I can do things with these you wouldn't believe."
Ella bit her lip to keep herself from giving that statement the sort of reply it was begging for. She cleared her throat and said, "Yes I'm sure you can but what exactly are you intending to do with your fingers?"
Ava must have caught on because a faint blush colored her cheeks and she abruptly dropped her hand. "I'm going to do a small shift. Only the tips of my fingers so I retain the dexterity of my human hands."
"You can do that? That's a lot of control. You must be very good."
She really shouldn't have but Ella just couldn't help herself. She felt a little wicked and had to fight the laughter threatening to bubble to the surface because seeing Ava off balance and blushing was just the most adorable thing ever. Ava tilted her head and studied Ella carefully. Ella worked hard to maintain an innocent expression but she might have overplayed it because Ava's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Yeah, what's the point of having certain abilities if I don't occasionally use them for the good of others?"
Ella arched a brow at Ava and met her stare with a challenge of her own. The flames on Ava's cheeks became more pronounced and she broke eye contact first, her gaze settling on Ella's injured wing.
"Offering to extract what is lodged in your wing with my fingers rather than using surgical instruments was probably weird and now I think of it that doesn't sound sterile. It is since what I'll be using wouldn't be just an extension of these nails, it's something different, but that's beside the point. I'll go get tools."
"You don't have to do that Ava, I trust you. If you think you can do it better and quicker without tools then I believe you. Do it. Get this over with."
"I'll be very careful." Ava put a gentle hand on Ella's chin and turned her head to look the other way. "You need to look away now."
"Why?"
"You may not like what you see."
"It's my wing so I want to see what you're doing."
"You may find the way I shift or what I'm doing upsetting to watch and I don't want you yanking your wing away at a crucial moment because you've had a fright. Maybe I should just go get the surgical tools and do it with them after all."
"Don't be silly. Besides now I'm curious and I definitely want to see. I don't understand why you're so worried I'll get a fright when I've seen you change your hands twice already. I didn't faint either of those times and I'm not going to now."
"Good. I will hold you to that."
Ava took hold of Ella's wing with one hand, her grip so firm Ella doubted she could pull her wing away if she tried. The nails on the other hand darkened and grew. Using the nail on her thumb Ava made a small cut over the wing joint then used the first two fingers of her hand, now shaped like sharp-tipped tweezers, to bore into the cut. Ella felt when Ava latched onto something lodged in her flesh and started to pull. There was a sucking sound as Ava extracted a bloody piece of bone about four inches long. Ella pulled a face when Ava held out the bone shard for her to take so she flicked it away into the garden instead. She felt along the joint some more then nodded in satisfaction and let go of Ella's wing.
"There, all done. Quick and easy, hardly any blood at all. It will heal properly now. By tomorrow you should be able to fly again."
Ella flexed her wing experimentally and found she could extend it all the way. "That's amazing. You should have become a surgeon."
Ava gave her a lopsided grin. "Somehow I don't think many patients would sit still for this kind of treatment."
"I don't know about that. You really are very good with your hands. I think you'd be surprised what a patient would be willing to do for such delicate healing." Ella put her hands on Ava's shoulders and kissed the corner of her mouth. "Thank you."
Ava's lips twitched in amusement and she touched the spot Ella kissed. "You're a dangerous woman."
"Nonsense, you're the one with claws. All I have are these adorable wings and I have it on good authority they make me look angelic, so how could I possibly be dangerous?" Ella asked batting her eyes, all wide-eyed innocence.
This made Ava laugh. "Yeah right. I pity the fool who underestimates you and falls for that one." Still smiling, Ava touched Ella's arm. "I'm so glad I got to know you. You've made me laugh more than I have in years and things that would upset other people just roll off you like it's water on your wings. I can't tell you how refreshing that is and how good for my soul. In case you weren't already aware you're really something special."
Ella gave a mock regal nod. "Yes, I am. Now we've settled that how about I repay you for fixing my wing by giving you that haircut I promised you. Then you can go slave away at whatever it is you need to do while I laze in the sun by this beautiful pond gorging on fruit like a decadent princess."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll be back in a flash."
True to her word Ava was back a few minutes later carrying a large rectangular box. On opening it Ella found it only contained a pair of scissors, a comb and a small mirror made to stand by itself.
"Why such a large box?"
"I put my hair in there when I cut it."
"Oh...okay. I should have asked you to bring water so I can wet your hair and make it more manageable while I cut. Just wait a minute while I go get some from the kitchen."
"Not necessary."
Ava knelt by the pond and unceremoniously dunked her entire head under by lowering herself on her forearms in the same way a large cat might while drinking. From where she stood right behind her it gave Ella quite an interesting view and she instantly had thoughts about what she could do with Ava in such a position, minus the head under water. Ella felt her body heat in response. Not wanting Ava to notice she made a display of ducking when Ava stood up and vigorously shook her head so her long water-soaked hair sprayed drops everywhere.
"Ava, you're such a barbarian! Look you got me all wet."
Grinning Ava eyed the way the shirt clung to Ella's chest in patches. "It's so hot I just helped you cool down a little. Now let's see how good you are with those hands of yours. I've already proven myself so it's your turn. Wield those scissors well."
"How much do you want off?"
"Cut it short."
"Really? That much?"
"I prefer it shoulder length but since I have someone who claims she can cut my hair in a proper style I'd like to see that. Besides, it'll grow back quickly. The shorter it is the longer it will take before I have to cut it again."
"That makes sense."
Ella set to work but not without some regret. It felt wrong to cut off the beautiful locks but she kept that thought to herself. She would do what Ava asked of her and do it well. When she was done she had to admit to herself she'd done a good job and the haircut looked great. It accentuated Ava's high cheekbones and those stunning eyes and lips. Inside and out the woman was gorgeous. Ella slid her fingers through Ava's short hair checking for uneven ends, loving the silken feel of it against her skin.
"Done. I think you'll like it."
"I look decent?"
"Stunning. See for yourself." Ella held up the mirror so Ava could see her haircut. Studying her own reflection Ava tilted her head from side to side.
"Well, do you like it?"
A brilliant smile broke out on Ava's face. "You did a great job. I didn't know it could look like this."
"Hair tends to look better when someone else cut it for you and with scissors not a knife."
"I already knew that, smart-ass, but how you've cut it looks amazing. I absolutely love it. I can honestly say this is the best haircut I've ever had. Thank you."
Ella felt ridiculously pleased with Ava's reaction. She'd given countless haircuts to family and friends over the years because it was something she enjoyed and seemed to have a knack for but none of their praise had ever come close to making her feel as good as seeing the surprised joy on Ava's face.
Ava closed the lid of the wooden box now stuffed with her hair and put the scissors, comb, and mirror on top.
"What are you going to do with your hair? Do you keep it somewhere?"
"No, if I kept all my hair I'd soon run out of space and have rooms full of hair. That would be creepy. I used to destroy it but now I have a better use for it."
"Oh?"
"Um...it's hard to explain but if you want to come with me I'll show you."
"When?"
"Now?"
"Sure. I can interrupt my lazing about for something interesting to do."
"Ella, I just realized something...I don't think your wings will fit through the gap. Are you up for a shift or is that too much to ask right now? I know how much you enjoy sunning your wings and this will be the first day since the injury you can have your wings out the whole time."
Ella didn't look forward to shifting her wings again so soon but the practice would be good for her and she really wanted to go with Ava to...wherever really.
"I'll do it. I want to see what you want to show me. I prefer you don't watch me shift this time. I know I pull weird faces. My sister's description of what I look like when I shift was very unflattering."
"You did pull faces yesterday. It sort of looked like you were having a tooth pulled without anesthesia but considering how painful it used to be I'm not surprised. I found the facial thing entertaining but instead of watching you I'll go do a few things while you shift. You have ten minutes. If you don't want me to stand right in front of you and stare while you pull funny faces I suggest you hurry."
"You suck as a motivational teacher!" Ella shouted after Ava as she jogged away. Ava flashed her an unrepentant grin over her shoulder and tapped an imaginary watch on her wrist. Ella hurried to start the process. She didn't want to call Ava's bluff because it was almost certain she'd lose.
Ten minutes later and Ava was back. She squatted in front of a seated Ella. "How are you feeling? Looks like I missed the show."
Ella feebly swatted at her. She was feeling shaky and was perspiring like she'd done strenuous exercise.
"Hey listen to me...you did it faster than last time and without my help. That's impressive. You should feel proud of yourself. You are now probably the fastest avian shifter in all of Nordarra. Soon you'll be able to shift like a dragon and draw out your wings in a heartbeat."
"I am proud," Ella huffed. "I'm just too exhausted to gloat. Give me a few minutes to recover."
"You're fine. Come on, you can recover on the way."
Grumbling Ella accepted the hand Ava offered and allowed herself to be pulled up. Ava held open a large leather coat for her to put on.
"Why do you want me to wear that?"
"It's to protect your skin. I don't think you'll need it but I'm not taking any chances. I want this to be a nice experience for you, not have it turn into a medical emergency."
"Wow...you say such fun things. By the way never use that line on a first date – not unless you want your partner to take off in the opposite direction."
Ava just smiled and shook the jacket motioning for Ella to hurry up.
"Fine. But I'm already warm and in that coat I'm going to get really hot and turn the color of an overripe plum."
"It's cool where we're going and you can leave the coat open until we get there."
"Ah-ha, and where are we going?"
"Telling you would spoil the surprise. It's not far from here."
That gave Ella pause. The last time Ava told her their destination was 'not far' they walked for hours. Still, it seemed unlikely they were going a long way. At least she hoped so.
"Carry this for me?" Ava held the box with her cut hair out to Ella.
She took it and watched as Ava sprinted off reappearing moments later with one of the largest fish Ella had ever seen. It was at least six feet long and as broad as the length of her arm. The thing had a mouth like that of a shark with multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth and a ridged triangular forehead. Carrying it over her shoulder on a short pole attached to a hook Ava made it look like the thing weighed nothing but Ella guessed it weighed more than her with wings on several times over.
"Where did you find that hideous monstrosity and what are you planning to do with it?"
"It's a type of eel and it was stuck in the fish traps this morning. Normally I would leave it alone and let the tide wash it out again but I have hungry mouths to feed. All right, we have everything. Let's go."
Thoroughly intrigued, Ella followed. Ava led them to a section of the wall that was overgrown with vines. She pressed her hand to a spot underneath then stepped back and absently licked blood from her thumb. After a moment an archway appeared as if it had always been there revealing a winding stairway on the other side. Ella mutely followed Ava, the box clutched tight to her chest. She told herself firmly she was not allowed to freak out. She stayed as close to Ava as she could but far enough away that she wouldn't accidentally walk into the giant eel. It seemed to be glaring at her and those teeth were the stuff of nightmares and could probably bite a leg off in one go. She was having serious reservations about ever swimming in the ocean again. It was one thing knowing there were all kinds of nasties in the water but quite another to be confronted with the possibility that something like this was lurking nearby.
The enclosed stairway led upwards winding this way and that. Ella saw runes on the floor, ceiling, and sides. There was one design in particular that drew her attention. Roughly in the form of a lidless eye, it repeated before and after every landing and the circle that could have represented an iris lit up as they passed, providing an eerie violet glow to light their way. She tried not to think too much about what that meant, sticking as close to the other woman as the blasted eel would allow. Ava took a left when the passage split and moments later they were outside. Relieved to be out in the open Ella inhaled deeply drawing the fresh sea breeze into her lungs. Ava turned to check on her and Ella did her best to smile brightly.
"Are you okay Ella?"
"I'm fine," she lied. "How much further?"
"Almost there."
The rest of the walkway was covered by a domed roof held up by tall columns covered in vines blooming with tiny white and purple flowers that smelled like jasmine and passionfruit. Whenever they walked past one of the open sections Ella felt a blast of cold air rip at her clothing and heard the roar of the sea. Ava squeezed through one of the openings. Ella followed and found they were in the open on a sheltered landing. Far below a forest stretched as far as the eye could see and where it met the sea on the left it was semi-shrouded in mist. It was a sight that took her breath away. The sea battered against sheer cliffs throwing foam high as it surged around tall spindly rocks that stuck up into the air like needles, interspersed with long stretches of rock curved and hollowed into impossible shapes by the endless pounding of the waves. Nothing could pass through that area without getting bashed to pieces by the unpredictable surge of the sea and the forest that adjoined it looked old and impenetrable. This was a wild untamed place.
"Wow."
"It's beautiful, isn't it? I love this view. I can sit here for hours." Ava motioned Ella towards a bench carved from driftwood. "Have a seat over there and I'll be with you shortly."
Ella did as she was told. She put the box of hair under the seat and watched as Ava lay the giant fish out on a slab of rock. While Ava washed her hands in a small hollow in the rock filled with water she made high pitched trilling sounds. She dried her hands on her pants and stood with legs spread wide and her hands on her hips scanning the forest, obviously waiting for a response to her calls. After about a minute she repeated the trilling noise with greater urgency and waited again.
"Ah, here he comes."
"Who?"
"There," Ava pointed at a winged creature coming towards them, its bat-like wings flapping rapidly.
"That's my pal Lucky, little flying furball extraordinaire. He's more active at night so he was probably having a nap."
"Ava, is that a lynxhawk? You must be joking. Why would you call one of those things? Everyone knows lynxhawks are vicious."
"Nonsense. They're just misunderstood. They only swarm when their nest or family are under threat. Isn't he sweet? Listen to that commotion." Ava smiled at Ella over her shoulder her face suffused with affection and joy as of a person who was about to be reunited with a beloved pet. "He's upset with me for being away so long. He's still a good distance away and he's already telling me off."
Ella listened but she couldn't hear anything over the raging sea bashing against the cliffs. "I don't hear it."
"His call is probably too high pitched for you to hear at this distance. You'll hear him when he lands. He's a vocal fellow when he gets going, quite a talker."
A creature that looked like a cross between a bat with its wings, large ears and narrow face and the sleek body and fur of a short-haired oriental cat with something extra thrown in on the side swooped towards Ava. At the last moment the lynxhawk spread its wings, unsheathed claws like that of a large bird of prey on the hind legs and angled to land on the offered arm. Ella winced when she saw those vicious claws because they were going to rip Ava's bare arm to shreds. Staring at Ava's extended arm Ella experienced a disconcerting blur in her vision. One moment she was looking at smooth human skin and an instant later thick silvery grey fur streaked with black and russet oranges covered Ava's arms from the wrists upwards causing the sleeves of her t-shirt to puff up with the added bulk. The sudden change was so startling Ella found herself blinking rapidly as her mind tried to process what she'd just seen.
"Hello Lucky, it's good to see you." Ava smiled affectionately at the lynxhawk as it prowled on her forearm making agitated high-pitched noises, its huge round ears twitching this way and that independently of each other. "Did you miss me, handsome? Look at you...you're still getting bigger and your coat is so glossy you must be eating well. You are such a good hunter. No wonder you get so many girls. I bet all the other boys are jealous of you."
The lynxhawk went quiet. It stared intently at Ava's face, both ears pitched forward, seemingly entranced by the low soothing tone of her voice.
"Time to put away those sharp claws. You can balance perfectly fine without them." Ava stroked the hind feet and Lucky retracted his claws. "That's better." She brought the lynxhawk up against her chest and it immediately wrapped its forearms with the finger-like digits around her neck and crooned softly. Ava stroked its sides, neck, and head with her free hand. "I missed you too, gorgeous boy. I'm glad to see you looking so healthy. I worry about you."
Ella watched in amazement as Ava poured affection onto Lucky, talking to him like a small child and the lynxhawk responded with little noises of its own as if it understood. Several minutes passed that way then Lucky climbed onto Ava's shoulder. He immediately spotted Ella on the bench and screeched loudly flashing a mouth full of pointy teeth.
"Hush Lucky, she's a friend. Darn...don't do that so close to my ear boy, you know better." Ava stuck a finger in her ear and wiggled. Lucky made to screech again and she flicked him against the jaw. That got his attention. "No. Enough of that. Friend. Mine." Lucky ducked his head but looked no less suspicious and watched Ella with unnerving focus.
"I'd bring him over to say hello but he's not ready. Lynxhawks are naturally shy and very suspicious creatures and it takes time to win their trust."
Ella cleared her throat and said, "I've heard about the suspicious part and other things like that they are extremely aggressive. Did you know those creatures can down an avian? My friend barely survived an unprovoked attack by only two of those things. His wings were such a mess it took him weeks to recover and he suffered a seizure on the way home. I've been chased by those things as well. They're a menace."
"They are not a menace. It's about a lack of understanding and perspective. If you keep your distance from a bear it will usually leave you alone but if you approach when it has a cub it will attack. Ants will swarm and attack if you step on their nest and bees the same if you try to take their honey. Well, maybe bees wouldn't attack you but they would attack me if I didn't take precautions. What I'm trying to say is that how they react is an instinctive defense mechanism. Lynxhawks are social creatures and form lasting bonds with each other. Imagine being the size of this little guy guarding a nest with babies that can't fly yet and suddenly a huge winged predator hovers above. Wouldn't it seem prudent to call for reinforcements and drive the predator away?"
"Avians are not predators," Ella objected.
"Nonsense. Avians are vicious predators when they set their minds to it. Same as with humans. I know you don't see yourself as a predator, Ella, and you're not as such things go but you are an avian and other creatures will instinctively react to the danger they associate with avians."
Ella narrowed her eyes at Ava. She wanted to argue but she knew she was on shaky ground. Members of her flock still regularly went out on hunts to refresh the meat stocks and to keep their skills sharp. That at least was the official reasoning but she suspected that some of the hunters took greater joy in the act of killing than in providing for the flock.
"Fine. I don't like it but I can see where you are coming from. If you can tell me how to avoid being attacked by those things when I'm minding my own business and just going for a flight that happens to be over a forest with them in it, I'd like to hear it."
"The simple solution is to stay high. They don't like going more than a few meters above the forest canopy."
"We are more than a few meters above the forest here," Ella pointed out.
"True but Lucky came because I called him. Ella, please put your hand into the right-hand pocket and take out the chocolate."
Ella stuck her hand into the pocket and found loose bits of chocolate wrapped in a cloth.
"Take a piece for yourself, eat it then hand me one piece. He might hiss when you come close but he won't attack."
Curious Ella complied. Ava took her piece of chocolate and ate it slowly making appreciative noises. Lucky sniffed her fingers and watched Ava's mouth attentively. A little red tongue darted out and the lynxhawk licked its lips.
"Does your little friend by chance like chocolate?" Ella asked keeping an eye on the lynxhawk who seemed to have temporarily forgotten about her.
"He's crazy about it. Especially the kind with nuts."
"Do all lynxhawks eat chocolate?"
"No. Just him. As far as I know anyway. Give me another piece please and rub it between your fingers before you hand it to me. I want your scent on it."
"Do I get more as well? You know I love chocolate."
Ava smiled fondly at Ella and said, "I know you do. Of course, you can have more. I didn't bring all that chocolate just for Lucky."
Ella handed Ava another piece of chocolate and Lucky watched the exchange with intense focus. When Ava held the chocolate against her lips and took a tiny bite Lucky made a high-pitched noise and put one of his front paws on Ava's hand.
"You want some?"
Lucky stared intently at the chocolate she still held in front of her mouth. She offered it to him between thumb and forefinger allowing him to sniff it. He made a huffing noise presumably at the traces of Ella's scent on it then he took the chocolate between both paws. He made himself comfortable resting on his hind legs on Ava's shoulder and ate his chocolate in precise bites.
"Wow, that's not something I thought I'd ever see," Ella mused aloud. "Why did you want me to handle the chocolate like that?"
"I wanted him to see I will accept food from you and I asked you to eat some first because that is how the adults test the food to make sure it is safe for the young ones to eat. In his world there is no greater demonstration of trust."
"So, what's with the monster fish? Surely that entire thing isn't for him?"
"No, he couldn't eat that much in one sitting even if he tried and try he would because he's a little guts. As soon as he's done with his chocolate I'm going to call the others so they can share the fish."
"You're calling more?"
"I was going to. I thought you would enjoy watching them eat but if you're afraid of them I can take you back first."
"I am not afraid of lynxhawks," Ella protested. "I just don't like them and I don't trust one near me. This feels like the whole dragon thing all over again...like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I want to watch because I doubt I'll get another opportunity like this. It's not like I know anyone else who can call lynxhawks at will."
"I can't call all lynxhawks, Ella. Just the ones who know me and it took years to gain their trust."
When Lucky finished his chocolate Ava carried him over to the fish and put him down next to it. She cut a thin sliver from the raw fish, ate it and then cut Lucky a steak-sized hunk which he daintily accepted with his paws. He ripped into it with vigor. While he ate Ava again made trilling noises similar to what she made before but followed it up with whooping roars.
Even though it was a friendly invitation and not the battle cry of a furious tiger, hearing Ava roar like that sent chills down Ella's spine. After she'd seen the deference and respect the wolves of clan Swift Foot showed Ava it had dawned on her that Ava had to be a powerful apex predator for them to treat her so cautiously. Since then she had seen glimpses of what her friend was capable of but mostly she had been very careful to keep that part of her hidden so it was easy to think of her as just another female shifter. Actually, most of the time Ava acted more like a human than a beast-shifter and it was only the subtle things that gave her away, like her strength and the way she moved. There was nothing subtle about that roar. It was a declaration of who she was. It was primal and screamed: |
All of that and she wasn't even in beast form.
Ella trembled but not in fear. She felt the same heart-thumping anticipation she got just before flying into a storm. Yes, there were risks but if she was brave and skillful enough she could ride the powerful wind currents to soar higher and further than any tame breeze could take her. It was like she was an adrenaline junkie and she'd just realized claiming Ava for herself would be the biggest thrill ever. She couldn't remember the last time she was this aroused. She had an intense urge to crush herself against Ava's body. She wanted to feel the power of that roar vibrate through her and then pull Ava down on top of her and have wild sex. She'd already acknowledged her attraction to Ava but seeing the other woman like this shot her interest to a different stratosphere. Standing there sending her calls into that wild untamed land that stretched before her, the tigress looked so powerful, so commanding, so dangerous . Yet this was the same woman who just a little while ago had playfully sprayed her with water and blushed like a young girl when Ella teased her. Every time she thought she had a handle on Ava she revealed a little more of herself and her fascination with the woman deepened. She was hooked. She wanted more of everything Ava. Just entertaining the possibility of them having sex for real and not just in her imagination made her brain melt a little.
Whoa, down girl. Take a deep breath. Slow down. Remember she is your friend first.
Ella shook her head trying to clear it of the lust haze. Ava wasn't someone she could just have a bit of mutual fun with for the evening or a few days, she was way too intense and serious for that. Her stopping things last night after just a few kisses and saying she wasn't into casual sex instead of taking what was on offer confirmed that. Anything started with Ava had to be carefully considered as there would be no going back. As much as she wanted to move things beyond the occasional touch and teasing banter she didn't want to fuck things up with her. They had a genuine connection, the kind that would grow deeper and stronger with time if nurtured properly. To lose her friendship and have that incredible woman cut her out of her life after everything they'd shared would be more devastating than never finding out if the rest of Ava tasted as good as her amazing lips. On the other hand, if she didn't push to see if they could be more than friends she would wonder about it the rest of her life and it would drive her crazy.
Ella exhaled slowly and focused on the wild landscape while she grappled with her thoughts and the nervous flutter in her chest. If she was going to do this she had to move forward carefully. Going slowly and trying to be subtle when she knew what she wanted wasn't her style but for this incredible woman she would try. She had yet to see Ava around many people but she didn't seem like the type of person who let people close easily and she had let Ella in deeper than most by the sound of things. She didn't want to scare Ava and have her become distant and disappear behind those barriers of hers.
"Ella, come stand by me. I'd like you to see this."
"Over there?"
"Yes. Come. Please?"
Cautiously Ella moved to Ava's side making sure to stay to the side furthest from the feeding Lucky. Ava checked Ella's coat was closed properly and flipped the sides up to cover her throat.
"This is just a precaution. I don't think they will land on you but...just in case."
Noting Ava's arms were still covered in fur Ella lifted one across her shoulders and draped it across her chest so Ava's hand came to rest within inches of her breast. She secured her hold by entwining the fingers of one hand with Ava's and resting her other hand just above Ava's wrist in a loose hold. She had made no protest as Ella moved her arm into position but now her eyes questioned Ella. Wanting to put Ava at ease Ella turned on her most reassuring smile.
"I want to make sure there is no doubt I'm with you. Just a precaution to make sure your fiendish little friends don't get it into their head to attack me. Those claws would rip right through the coat's material if they're determined and I don't have a layer of fur I can conjure to protect my fragile skin."
Ava nodded and tightened her arm around Ella, drawing her closer so she stood with her back nestled against the taller woman's front. Ella almost groaned it felt so good. Together they watched in silence as all over the forest winged shapes rose and made their way towards them. Ella counted at first but soon gave up. There were just too many. Counting them was like trying to tally an infestation of quick moving fleas on the stomach of a giant dog. She was beginning to feel genuinely worried.
"Um...how many are you expecting?"
"It changes. We are getting a good turnout for this time of day."
"There are many more?"
"Yes. Some adults always remain with the nests and they come or stay away depending on what they're doing."
One after another the lynxhawks landed and crooned at Ava in greeting. As soon as they saw Lucky gorging himself they rushed to join in the feast, tearing chunks of flesh from the fish then hopping away to devour it, allowing another lynxhawk access. Soon the clearing was covered in a mass of wings and furry bodies bumping against each other and jostling for position. With so many of them Ella expected there would be fights but aside from the occasional baring of teeth and the high pitch screeches they seemed to be feeding together quite amicably.
"It's like I'm not even here," Ella whispered. "They are totally ignoring me."
"It just looks like they are not aware of you. They're keeping an eye on you but they don't feel threatened by your presence because I'm here and there are so many of them. They are more concerned with getting a free meal before the eel is all gone. This is fresh fish, not a half-rotten carcass washed up on shore and I've fed them this kind before so they remember the flesh is tasty."
"Even raw?"
"Have you never had sashimi?"
"Ah...I see your point. Although I prefer it with condiments."
"Who doesn't? A good dipping sauce makes everything taste better, even raw fish."
They watched the lynxhawks chatter and eat and Ella had to admit they were kind of cute. That didn't mean she wanted to touch or cuddle one, she was too acutely aware of how efficiently those sharp teeth were rending flesh and she watched in fascinated horror as they cracked open the eel's armored scalp and scooped out the brain with their fingers.
"Ava, can we please go sit down?"
"Is it too much for you?"
"No, it's fine. I'd just like to sit down and admire the whole view although not being so close that I can hear them crunch bone would be good too. You have to remember before today I did my best to avoid them. I keep imagining what those powerful teeth could do to my wings and it's very unsettling."
Ava led them back to the seat. Heads turned to watch them go but only momentarily. "Your concern is understandable; for such small creatures they have surprisingly strong jaws. Did you know they have poison pouches around their claws? That's probably why your cousin had a seizure."
"No...really?"
"Yeah. The strength of the toxin and the side effects depend on what they've been eating. They eat all kinds of things other animals would leave well alone but they have a particular fondness for a little yellow frog that is highly toxic and excretes a slime that causes seizures and muscle weakness and yet the lynxhawks can eat them. Their bodies somehow redirect the toxin into the pouches around their claws and that comes in handy when they want to take down much larger prey. If they're desperate or cornered they smash the sacs open to release all the toxin at once and they usually go for the attacker's eyes to poison and blind at the same time. That's bloody effective and impressive. Nature did a great job with that design."
"It sounds like you admire them?"
"I do. It's a dangerous world out there and they've adapted magnificently, thriving despite the number of predators determined to make a meal out of them."
Ella noticed how happy and relaxed Ava appeared while talking about her pets. She sat with her hands on her thighs and there was an indulgent fond smile on her lips as she watched the lynxhawks eat the food she'd provided for them. Ella, on the other hand didn't feel relaxed at all. She was too aware of the heat and feel of Ava's leg against hers as they sat side by side on the bench and her fingers twitched with the need to find out if that luscious fur felt as soft as it looked.
"Ava?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I touch your arm?"
"You didn't ask permission before."
"I know but that was different, that was me taking safety precautions. Now I want to feel your fur. May I? I've been dying to touch it but I wanted to ask first. I know how much I hate it when people touch my wings without permission."
"Um...sure. If you want to."
Ella lifted Ava's arm over her own into her lap, wishing as she did so there wasn't a jacket barrier between them. She made do with pushing up her sleeve so her bare forearm was pressed against Ava's furry one, their hands right next to each other on her thigh. With her other hand she stroked Ava's fur reveling in the sensations she was being bombarded with. It was like the nerve endings in her hand were doing a little happy dance.
"Oh wow, this feels amazing. Your fur is so thick and silky. So incredibly luxurious."
Ava turned over her palm and entwined their fingers. "I enjoyed touching your feathers too. Your wings are so beautiful I'm not surprised people try to touch them."
They smiled at each other and Ella felt her heart might burst with how much affection she felt for Ava at that moment. Ella suppressed a sigh. Now she was alternating between lust and tenderness. She really had it bad.
Ella put the rest of the chocolate in her lap and they shared it. She kept Ava's hand in hers never letting go and resumed stroking her fur. After a while, gentle fingers stilled the motion of her hand. "Oh, I'm sorry. Too much?"
"A little. No one has ever done that. I'm happy you're comfortable enough with me to touch me when I'm like this but I'm getting a bit of sensory overload. Especially when you stroke in the wrong direction."
"So it's like a cat that will enjoy it if you stroke the fur one way and become agitated when you rub the other way?"
"I suppose. Never thought of it in those terms before. Some of the lynxhawks are getting ready to leave and I forgot to put the hair out for them. I'd better go do that now."
Ava opened the box and tipped the hair out on the slab of rock away from the fish carcass. One of the lynxhawks, its wings already spread to leave, hurried over. It grabbed as much of the hair as its tiny paws could hold on to on top of the piece of fish it already carried and flew off. Soon the process was repeated and the pile rapidly dwindled.
When Ava came to sit with Ella again her arms were back to normal and Ella didn't feel comfortable touching her the way she did before. Touching fur was one thing but stroking Ava skin on skin without a good reason was crossing a boundary. Besides, maybe she'd had enough of Ella touching her and this was her polite way of saying so.
"We can go soon but I just want to see if Lucky wants to come with me for a while when he's done eating. I don't know when I'll see him again."
"Sure. I don't have any pressing plans. I'm flexible. So, what's with you giving them your hair?"
"They use it to line their nests. In long strands it's easy to weave, stronger than it looks and a great insulator. It also makes other predators think twice about attacking them in the nest because it smells like me. I've been here so long the other creatures that live here are familiar with my scent and they know what I am. I like that the little ones in the nest too young to fly learn to associate my smell with food, nest, and protection so when they finally meet me they are cautious at first but not afraid. I adore the lynxhawks, they're great company and extra eyes and ears out there. The other reason I let them have the hair is less altruistic. They nest all over the forest and that means they're spreading my scent liberally through the area. When other predatory shifters wander into the area they pick up my scent and know I've claimed this area but if they try to track me by scent alone it becomes confusing."
"I can imagine how upset the lynxhawks would become if a strange shapeshifter gets near their nests. They are bound to make a fuss?"
Ava gave a predatory grin. "Ah yes, there is that. It is hard to sneak around or hunt with lynxhawks screeching to anything that will listen that there is danger down below."
"Do they make noise when you're in the forest?"
"Why would they? I don't hunt them. Besides, they know I always leave them something when I've made a kill. They've figured out it's to their advantage to be quiet and let me do my thing. They're cunning that way."
Ella looked at Ava with new found respect. "I'd say you're the cunning one. Befriending the lynxhawks was a sound strategic move. You have your own little army out there."
"It's not like that," Ava objected. "It's a mutually beneficial relationship; I help them and they help me."
"Fine, see it that way if you want. So how did this 'mutually beneficial relationship' start?"
"This little fellow." She pointed at Lucky who had sauntered over, his stomach almost dragging on the ground, hopped up onto Ava's lap and made himself comfortable while pointedly ignoring Ella's presence.
"I found him when he was barely out of the nest. Something had taken a bite out of him and tore his wings so badly I thought he'd probably never fly again." Ava slid her thumb along the outer edge of a wing and Lucky dutifully spread his wing for her to inspect the delicate inner membranes. "See the slight discoloration where I stitched the wing back together? That's all that remains and you'd never guess he almost died. It was touch and go there for a while and that's why I called him Lucky. He was such a feisty little thing he gave me some serious scratches and nips despite being half dead. Fortunately, he's smart and it didn't take him long to realize I was trying to help. I nursed him for almost a year carrying him everywhere with me before he was well enough to fly and take on the big bad world on his own again. By that time Lucky decided he was mine or more likely that I was his."
Hearing his name, Lucky tilted his head up to stare at Ava and one large ear pointed at her while the other continued rotating. Ava released his wing and scratched him under his chin. Lucky's eyes rolled half shut, he made a contented humming noise and arched his neck so she could have better access.
"He kept coming back for his treats and cuddle time and started bringing friends. When it came time to build his nest to impress prospective females he collected stray hairs from my clothing and even tried to gather ones still attached to my head. I got the picture and let him have the hair I cut rather than destroy it. He was so excited he crooned like I'd given him a great prize. I assume the addition to his nest was a hit with the ladies because he soon had several females and an expansive family of his own. This little fella has become quite the patriarch. Things developed from there." |
It turned out Lucky did want to go with Ava and on the way back Ella again kept a small distance between them. This time because Lucky was draped over Ava's shoulders like a brown furry scarf with wings and he kept a watchful eye on Ella, silently baring his impressive set of teeth whenever she came too close. Ella couldn't decide if it was a territorial display or if Lucky was just being protective of Ava. She was annoyed that she had to keep a few steps behind but at the same time she found it sweet that the little creature was guarding his mistress. She could have alerted Ava to what Lucky was doing behind her back but that felt too much like getting an adult to settle a playground dispute. It was unlikely she would spend much time in the lynxhawk's company but if she had to she'd find a way to come to an understanding with Lucky on her own. She already knew Lucky was crazy about chocolate and she was more than willing to exploit that weakness ruthlessly to win him over.
As soon as they got to the garden Ava excused herself and disappeared inside. Ella returned Ava's jacket to their room, folded it neatly and left it on the foot of the bed. She stared at the side of the bed where Ava had slept the previous night. What a sight Ava had been. Her freshly washed hair had tumbled loose and untamed over her shoulders, her long muscular legs had been clad in just a pair of tiny shorts and the way that t-shirt had outlined Ava's breasts had made Ella a little breathless. She'd been so turned on after their playful kisses and yet when she held Ava tightly in the curve of her body after that nightmare her only thought was to comfort her friend and drive away whatever terrors had made her look so wild-eyed. Instinctively she'd snuggled up to Ava and draped her wing over the trembling woman like she would have if her sister had woken from a bad dream. Ava had looked battered and incredibly vulnerable curled up on her side, her arms and legs tucked tightly to her own chest as if to protect herself. It had been troubling to see such a defensive posture from the normally strong and confident woman and it had made her sad that Ava was so scarred by her childhood trauma that she was still tormented by recurring nightmares.
Ella abruptly turned away from the bed and marched herself out of the bedroom before she got swept up in the powerful emotions of that memory. She was about at the limit of what she could deal with. She made a brief stop at the toilet then she got herself a drink from the kitchen and returned to the tree by the pond to have more fruit. She was actually pleased Ava was busy elsewhere. She needed to be by herself for a while so she could process and let her emotions settle. She'd learned so many new things today, mostly about Ava but also about herself. Her mind felt overfull with thoughts and emotions. Some she wasn't ready to examine too closely.
Ella decided not to shift her wings back. She was tired and she reasoned they would heal quicker if she left them alone. Besides, it allowed her a rare opportunity to lie on her back and look at the sunlight as it filtered through the leaves of the tree. A light breeze stirred the leaves and it made shadowy patterns dance on her skin. It was hypnotic and soothing to watch. It wasn't long before Ella drifted off to sleep and dreamt about soft fur and warm lips. |
When Ella woke, the light drifting through the leaves were tinted in shades of orange and red. The air on her face was cool but she felt warm and snug. Taking stock she found a soft blanket had been draped over her and another placed under her head as a pillow. This made her smile. Ava must have been to check on her. Sitting up Ella stretch languidly. She felt refreshed after her long, deep sleep. Her tummy rumbled and this made her realize she'd not had anything substantial since breakfast. She was tempted to have another piece of fruit but aside from there not being a lot left she didn't want to risk spoiling her appetite as she was curious to see what Ava had prepared for dinner. She'd mentioned smoked fish this morning and just the thought of it made Ella's mouth water so she quickly got up, shook out the blankets before folding them and headed to the room. She felt rumpled and there were probably leaves and other things in her hair from sleeping under the tree. If she hurried she could enjoy a soak in the bathing chambers and still be ready before dinner. Ella wished she had a pretty dress to put on and a little of her favorite perfume and make-up. At least after her wash she could slip into fresh clothing and put her hair into a soft looking braid. As preparations went that was the best she could do. She felt her heart thump a little faster; she was thinking like a woman going on a date. Which this wasn't...but there was definitely a spark between them. She had to make a move tonight or at least find out if Ava was interested in being more than friends because tomorrow they were heading back to civilization and it was anyone's guess what would happen after that. Perhaps if she was lucky and played her cards right she would have ample reason to be grateful she'd had a rest in the afternoon. |
Ava heard Ella's terrified scream, dropped the book in her hand and ran. In the hallway outside the bathroom she was just in time to see Ella fling a brown furry body from her chest. Lucky hit the wall, slid to the floor and turned on Ella, his ears tucked back and his teeth bared in a vicious snarl.
"Lucky, NOOOO!" She roared her fury and Lucky's head swiveled towards her. One look at her and his ears drooped. He made a pitiful mewing sound and propelled himself in a run along the wall until he got to the doorway then launched himself into the air and disappeared from view.
"Why did Lucky jump on me like that? He attacked me for no reason!"
"Did he scratch you?"
Not waiting for Ella's reply Ava shoved the shirt off her shoulder. On seeing the welts welling with thin lines of blood she growled, wrapped her mouth over the wound and sucked.
Feeling Ella squirm she wrapped an arm around holding her firm. "Be still. I need to clean this quickly before the poison from his claws enters your bloodstream. Even a little will make you very sick."
Not waiting for a response she licked until the wound tasted clean and no longer bled. She nodded to herself in satisfaction and moved on to check the rest of Ella's shoulder. She spotted several smaller scratches near Ella's collarbone and between rounded peaks so she unbuttoned the shirt further to continue downwards with her tongue. She paused only long enough to swallow the poison and work her jaw to release more healing enzymes before continuing. She felt Ella moan and push at her shoulders but ignored her, determined to clean every single scratch before the toxin got into Ella's system. It didn't take long but she wanted to be thorough, going over the healing scratches several times. As the initial urgency lessened she drifted into the rhythm of her task, licking anything that remotely resembled a claw mark in long cat-like strokes. Mesmerized by the taste and feel of the creamy skin she became intent on finding and healing any mark that might mar the perfection and as she explored the scent rising from heated flesh was coming more intense and oh so tantalizing.
"Ava, what are you doing?" Ella's voice sounded low and breathy and her fingers pressed into Ava's shoulders with urgency.
This got her attention so she paused to say, "I told you lynxhawks have poison sacs under their claws. Lucky's scratches are dangerous. I'm neutralizing the toxins."
"With your tongue?"
"Yes, I can produce antigens for toxins in my saliva and I'm speeding up your healing. See the scratches are almost gone already."
"Oh, I see." There was a slight pause and then Ella continued, "Um, I'm grateful you're trying to heal me but I don't think he got me that far down."
Confused Ava stopped licking to stare up at Ella. That's when it dawned on her that she was on her knees with her face pressed against Ella's navel. She did not recall getting down on her knees or peeling Ella shirt open so far that the only covering she had left was a lacy bra. Ava felt stunned and for a moment her brain froze and she didn't know what to do.
"I ah..." She cleared her throat, let go of Ella's hips and jerked up and away. It felt like her face was on fire. "I thought I saw more scratches but I must have gotten them all. Did he scratch your arms? Anything on your back?" Concern replaced her embarrassment and Ava nudged Ella trying to get her to turn around so she could take off her shirt to check for scratches.
Ella grabbed Ava's arm with trembling fingers while the other hand fumbled to close her shirt. "My back is fine but if you keep working me over like this I definitely won't be. I generally prefer to be kissed on the lips first and to have a little foreplay over dinner or drinks before a woman ends up on her knees between mine. However, for you I'd make an exception. If that was your intention?" The last was said with a raised eyebrow and a seductive purr.
"I didn't mean to...your skin is so lovely and smells so nice I ah... I'm so sorry, Ella, I got carried away." Ava didn't think it was possible for her cheeks to get any hotter but she was sure her body just managed. She desperately wished the floor would open and swallow her but no such luck.
"Your lips have blisters forming. Are you all right?"
"It will heal in a minute; it just tingles a little."
Ella lightly traced her thumb along Ava's lower lip. "I can feel it. It's more of a burning sensation than tingling."
"Careful, I just got that stuff off your skin." She grabbed Ella's hand and sucked her thumb into her mouth to lick off the toxin. She heard Ella moan and realized what she was doing. Mortified, Ava let go and stumbled a step back. Glancing up she caught a peculiar expression on Ella's face and froze.
"Ava, I didn't mean to make you so uncomfortable. I didn't realize..."
"Realize what?"
"I've seen you blush a few times but it didn't occur to me that you'd be this shy when it comes to sex. Or is it because I'm a woman? I thought from the way you are around me you must like women that way . Oh wow, how did I get that so wrong? But I was sure that—"
"You didn't get it wrong. I prefer women and I like you a lot. I think you are amazing and beautiful but I'm just not..." Unable to find the right words Ava made a frustrated hand motion. "You may have noticed I'm a bit intense and when it comes to being with someone that way, I have serious trust issues. I don't do casual and my life hasn't been full of parties and opportunities to meet women in a relaxed, carefree environment to learn how not to be so..." again Ava made the frustrated hand motion indicating herself. "Not that there hasn't been plenty of opportunities to you know..." She faltered and her eyes flickered in the direction Lucky had gone as if she considered making a run for it as well.
"Are you saying you've never had sex?" Ella sounded incredulous.
"Of course, I have." Ava's voice was sharp. "My tiger goes into heat occasionally. When that happens it's very hard to not look for a partner but having sex when I'm like that is not a choice, it's a kind of madness and I have almost no self-control when the mating frenzy is at its worst. It's beyond humiliating. I don't normally allow strangers to touch me. It's a total mind fuck that things can get so out of hand I'd do it with someone I barely know or don't even like and who doesn't care about me in any way that matters. I hate that my beast can flood my body and mind with chemicals and override my will so I become more like an animal than a person. When I can feel it coming I see a discreet professional and pay for what I need. It's not intimacy, it's a business transaction. There is no real joy in it but the woman I see is good at what she does and at least that way I have some control over what happens."
Ava was breathing hard and shaking. She flinched when Ella cupped her face but didn't pull away. Waiting until Ava raised her eyes to meet hers, Ella leaned in slowly and pressed a feather-light kiss on her cheek. She leaned her forehead against Ava's neck and rested her hands on her hips. They stood like that for a while, barely touching, a small space between their bodies. Neither said anything. Eventually, Ava stopped shaking, sighed into Ella's hair and wrapped arms around to pull her closer.
Running her hands up and down Ava's back in a soothing motion Ella said, "I believe you owe me dinner. I'm starving."
"You are? Of course, you are. You missed lunch and it's getting late. Time to have something to eat," Ava said but made no move to leave.
Ella nestled a little closer and gently said, "Thank you for sharing that with me."
"It slipped out. I don't usually share such embarrassing things but you had me a little worked up."
"The feeling is mutual but there is no need to feel embarrassed or tense around me. I'm your friend. Friends share things. They talk and tease and sometimes they do more intimate things but not always. Sometimes just being near is enough."
"Yeah? That's good to know."
Ella was pleased her words seem to set Ava at ease even though she wasn't really sure herself what she meant. Her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. Thankful for the diversion she gave Ava a pleading look. "Dinner? Please?"
Ava chuckled. "The food should be ready and serving you dinner will be my pleasure. I found a dusty bottle of wine while I was setting the table. Not sure if it is any good but we can try it." |
Dinner consisted of fish smoked to perfection. It was warm, moist, flaky and delicious. It was accompanied by bread so hot the steam nipped Ella's fingers, creamy butter that melted into the bread, a wedge of well-aged yellow cheese in a thick red rind and a sweetish fruit pickle from a glass jar that complimented everything beautifully. For dessert, to Ella's amazed delight, Ava produced an apple pie with orange glaze. It was so good she offered to marry Ava if she promised to make it regularly. Ava laughed and dished her another slice. The wine Ava mentioned was a red of uncertain vintage, hand corked in a dark green bottle. On tasting, it had a woodsy oak flavor that reminded Ella of a well-aged port, as did the potent alcohol kick of the drink that brought an instant flush to her cheeks. Altogether very pleasing.
After the meal, with her second drink in hand Ella felt mellow. Ava sat with her long legs stretched out under the kitchen table, a contented smile on her face. It wasn't just the wine that had them both so relaxed. Even before they took the first sip Ella noticed how much more at ease they were with each other, their interaction light with lots of banter and laughter. They talked about this and that while they ate, random topics that ranged from Ella's family to far flung places Ava had been. It was like they had passed some kind of test and were now in a freer place where they spoke like old friends catching up rather than new acquaintances getting to know each other. It was an odd feeling that made her feel slightly giddy and mischievous. Or maybe it was the wine to blame.
Timing it just right Ella asked, "So this professional you see, how good is she?"
Ava spluttered, coughed and had to thump herself on the chest. Ella took a sip of wine to cover her smile.
"Why?" Ava croaked out when she could finally speak.
"I've never been with someone like that. If she's really good maybe I'll pay her a visit."
"She's expensive and you don't need to pay for it. I'm sure you can hardly go anywhere without women and men throwing themselves at your feet."
"Neither do you. I bet if you walked into a nightclub half the people there would buy you drinks and try to chat you up. I know I would. But all of that is beside the point. I want to know what she's like in case I ever want to try something a little different."
"You really want to know?"
She didn't but Ella was curious what drew Ava to that woman in particular. "That's why I asked."
After a moment's contemplation Ava said, "She is beautiful and very sensual. She's a shifter and I suspect she is a lot older than she looks. Like I said she's discreet and very exclusive. I needed an introduction to meet her and then she sat me down for a talk to decide if she would take me on as a client. She had questions which I answered as honestly as I could, we discussed fees and payment and that was that."
"There must be plenty of women that fit that description. Why choose her in particular?"
Ava absently swirled the wine in her glass. "I like her. Not as a love interest but as a person. In addition to providing the kind of service you might imagine she also provides a safe place for her clients. That's part of her guarantee. With the type of enemies I have that is important. I'm not exactly at my sharpest when I'm on heat."
"So, you trust this woman?"
"I've been seeing her for some time and thus far she's not given me any reason to distrust her. Besides, her reputation would be ruined if anything happened to a client so there is that."
"Aside from her do you see anyone else regularly?"
"Do I seem like the type who would go see someone like her, or anyone else, if I had a lover? I'm monogamous, Ella. Once I'm set on someone that is it. So no, I haven't seen anyone regularly or even occasionally in a very long time."
"Why?"
"I've not been interested enough in anyone to make an effort. Which is probably just as well."
"Why just as well?" Ella tilted her head into her palm her interest thoroughly piqued.
Ava frowned, took a small sip of wine then said, "I'm not casual dating material. I tried it when I was younger but it was a disaster. The girls were keen enough to have a quick fuck but unless I'm in heat that doesn't do it for me. I get way too intense and territorial when I'm interested in someone. Not sure if that's just my personality or if it's my beast side bleeding through, driving me to find a mate—the lines can get blurry there. Plus, I was on this path of bloody vengeance which wasn't exactly conducive to romance. How about you? Is there a special someone in your life?"
"No. If there was, I wouldn't have kissed you. It's one lover at a time for me. I do go to the clubs to dance and unwind a little but it's not like when I was younger and everything seemed so exciting and new. I used to think it was just a matter of time and I'd meet someone who'd sweep me off my feet in a wild romance that would become something lasting. I've become too jaded to hold out much hope of that happening. I've seen all the moves and I'm well aware that most of the players are more interested in Evangeline Aquilar's power and wealth than in me as a person to be flattered by their overtures. So I mostly end up leaving with my friends or go home alone. It's been like that for some time now. Oh, and according to my last girlfriend I'm 'high maintenance'. What does that even mean?"
Ava smiled and took another sip of her wine. "I'm sure I have no idea." At Ella's arched brow she burst out laughing. "You are perfectly sweet. It's not your fault she didn't know how to handle a thoroughbred."
"Did you just call me a horse?"
That made Ava laugh even harder. "Why sound so indignant? It's okay for you to call me a horse but I can't return the favor?"
"I said you eat like a horse not that you are one. There's a vast difference."
"What I meant was that like a thoroughbred you are highly intelligent, high spirited and so strong willed you'd fight any attempt to steer you in a direction not of your choosing. If you were a horse, with those magnificent golden wings of yours, you'd be a female Pegasus. A breathtakingly beautiful, divine creature of the skies."
"Hmm...I can't decide if I should feel flattered or concerned about the way you see me. You have to admit as analogies go that was peculiar. At least it was original, I'll give you that."
Ava gave a sheepish grin and said, "You can blame that on the wine."
"Oh?"
"I rarely drink because my system doesn't handle alcohol well. I can neutralize toxins but struggle with alcohol, how weird is that? One glass is about my limit. More and I get into trouble."
"What sort of trouble?"
"The sort where I wake up the next day appalled at the things I got up to the previous night. Alcohol messes with my self-control and one of the first things that goes is my inhibition. That's how I ended up in that strip poker game with mermaids, tree folk and wolves about to lose my bra when that smoke alarm went off."
"I forgot about that. You told me about the strip poker game and that drink was somehow involved but you were vague on details." Ella reached over and upended the bottle into Ava's glass, tapping the side to release every last drop. "This I want to see. You sure you only have the one bottle? This will barely bring you to two glasses. Darn, if you reminded me about this earlier I would have saved more for you."
Ava laughed again, a deep throaty uninhibited sound that caused a warm stirring low in Ella's stomach. Ava gave the glass of wine a hesitant look, shrugged then downed it in a long gulp. "Come on, let's go to the library. I'll get the fire going and put on music."
"You have a library? Like with lots of books?"
"The real deal. Without the library I'd have gone mad up here all by myself. The winters here can be a bitch. I swear it once poured down hard for four weeks straight. There were huge waterfalls and rock slides everywhere and lightning in the sky like the old gods were having a prolonged pissing contest." |
The moment Ella entered the library her steps faltered and she paused with one hand braced against the wall. Soft light illuminated bookshelves that stretched from the floor to the high ceiling as far as the eye could see. Ava wasn't exaggerating when she said she had a library, there had to be thousands of books along one wall alone. On the opposite wall there were more books but there were also cabinets that held manuscripts and rolled up parchments. Wherever there was a space there were paintings. A mix of landscapes and portraits running a gambit of styles and moods, an eclectic collection. There was so much to look at that Ella couldn't take it all in. Maybe that was why her eye was drawn to the one thing different from the rest: the large desk stacked with notebooks and maps held down by marble chess pieces. There were pens and pencil cases, bottles of ink and calligraphy brushes all neatly lined up and a chair pushed out as if whoever used the desk had briefly stepped out. Ava's backpack lay on the floor beside it.
"Ella, do you want to join me? I got the fire going. The room doesn't really need heating but I've always found it comforting to have a fire here especially when it's so cold and miserable outside. I can make tea here as well which is very handy."
Ella made her way to the doorway through which Ava had disappeared and found a cozy sitting room with comfy chairs, a small tea table, a cabinet with an old record player and a couch placed to face a large window. Outside the light was fading fast and she could just make out the thickly vegetated mountainside and a wild sea that coiled and writhed angrily amidst tall sheer cliffs of dark grey. She took a seat on the leather couch. The material was worn and supple, giving way under her weight so she sank down into it. It was a place to relax and enjoy the view. To lie down and possibly even sleep judging by the blankets propped up at one end to form an oversized pillow. Or stretched out on the rug in front of it. Thick and soft the color of cream the rug stopped just short of the tiled area around the pot-bellied stove with its dark chimney that disappeared into the outside wall. Grilled up behind a thick partition of clear tempered glass a cheerful fire burned, pouring flickers of golden light into the room.
Ava was on her knees beside the couch looking through a stack of vinyl records in a leather case. She would slide out an album, peer at the title and push it back down. "What kind of music do you like? Keep in mind all I have is this old record player and a somewhat antique collection. I bought a machine to play the more modern music but there is too much magic here so the electronics in the machine died and the discs were all blank before I even got to listen to one."
"Anything really. I'm not crazy about experimental blues though."
"Duly noted."
Seeing the guitar case on the stand next to the record player Ella asked, "Do you play?"
Ava looked at her then the guitar case and back again. "A little."
"Will you play something for me?"
"Um...I'm self-taught."
"I promise I won't laugh. Please let me hear you play? I enjoy playing the piano but if my father's pained expression is anything to go by I have more enthusiasm than talent so you could hardly do worse."
"I'll play for you if you want but please don't expect too much. Like I said I'm self-taught and I'm not used to playing for other people."
"I would have been surprised if you were." Ella made a show of getting comfortable and gave Ava an encouraging smile.
Ava took the case from its stand carefully laid it down and almost reverently lifted out a guitar with wood the color of polished gold.
"That looks like a classic guitar? The wood grain is lovely."
Ava nodded, smiled down at the guitar and said, "When I heard her sweet voice and saw the wood, I had to have her."
Ava settled herself on the couch next to Ella and strummed quietly with her head cocked pausing to adjust the pegs. It took several minutes before she nodded in satisfaction. Then she started to play and Ella caught her breath forgetting to exhale for several seconds because she was so astonished. She'd expected a simple ditty or at best a passable rendition of some popular song. Instead, Ava plucked the strings and the music that flowed into the room was as startling and pleasing as stumbling on a lush oasis in the desert fed by a well of cool sweet water. The instrument, its tone rich and mellow like well-aged liquor, sang under her fingers like a lover strummed by expert hands. Ella saw how Ava's fingers flew over the strings to bring the complex melody to life and recognized the hand of a budding master tempering clean precision with passion. The music called to her, stirring emotions she couldn't clearly define and she wished desperately that it would not end.
After a few minutes Ava's eyes drifted half closed. A dreamy expression softened her features and the small smile hovering on her lips drew Ella's attention to how full and sensual they were. Heat stirred low in her belly as she remembered what it had felt like to have those amazing lips and Ava's hot mouth on her skin while she healed Lucky's scratches. She wondered wistfully how far Ava would have gone if she hadn't interrupted her downward exploration.
A soft thud on the back of the sofa interrupted Ella's thoughts. Turning to look she found a set of yellow eyes giving her an up close and level stare. Refusing to be intimidated by something so small, despite the very real threat of razor-sharp teeth and poisonous claws so close to her face and neck, Ella narrowed her eyes and returned Lucky's stare. She was not in the mood for a repeat of the altercation in the hallway even if it did lead to Ava ripping her shirt open to kiss and lick her all over.
The lynxhawk gave a sneezy huff, rustled its wings then sauntered closer to Ava. Lucky made a high-pitched trilling sound and waited expectantly for Ava to acknowledge him. When she turned her head to look at him amber sparked in her eyes and she pinned Lucky with a look that radiated so much disapproval Ella hoped never to have it leveled at her. The lynxhawk's posture immediately slumped, it ducked its head and made a noise that sounded vaguely apologetic. Ava continued playing, her eyes never left Lucky's and the creature remained as still as a statue, only the tips of its ears twitching. This went on for so long Ella started feeling sorry for the lynxhawk and wondered if she should say something to intervene on his behalf. Lucky made another trilling noise, this time it was clearly plaintive even to her untrained ear. Ava made a huffing noise and lowered her shoulder as if in invitation. Like a shot Lucky leapt onto her back and proceeded to drape himself across her shoulders. Ava acknowledged the furry presence by rubbing cheeks with the creature. She continued playing, her hands never faltering as she transitioned smoothly from one piece to the next. Soon Lucky's rotating ears and swishing tail stilled and the lynxhawk drifted into a contented doze with its nose tucked into the nape of Ava's collar.
Lucky was drawn to Ava's presence just like she was, Ella realized with amusement. No wonder he wasn't happy finding her still here. He probably saw her as competition for Ava's attention. Well too bad, he would just have to get used to sharing. If she played her cards right he would see a lot more of her. Resting her head on the sofa Ella allowed herself to relax back into the music. When Ava looked like she might stop she made encouraging noises urging her to go on. This made her smile shyly and she played on once again drifting off into that dreamy look. When the music stopped Ella found the silence almost painful she missed it so much. She remained quiet hoping Ava would continue but she sat with her hands limp and blinked as if she was coming back to herself.
"Just one more? Please?"
Ava shook her head, "You flatter me but the wine...I think I may have had too much to drink. I'm beginning to feel it now." She flashed Ella a grin. "I better stop while you still think I can play." She briefly caressed the golden wood then she rose and gently lay the instrument back into its velvet-lined case shutting the heavy-duty locks. Disturbed by her motion Lucky rose with a languid stretch, gave Ava's face an affectionate head-butt then flew out of the room.
Ava smiled fondly and watched him go. "The poor thing is exhausted. He usually has lots of little naps but today he remained vigilant the whole time. He's not used to me having company aside from my mother on occasion and it confused him. He was torn between wanting to go back to his own warm den and his family and wanting to keep an eye on you. Clambering all over you was his way of trying to figure you out. I don't think he meant to hurt you. He probably just forgot to retract his claws. I'm sorry about what happened and that's not how I wanted my first guest here to be treated. After you threw him into the wall he really did want to tear into you and I'm glad I was there to stop that. You don't have to worry – he won't do anything like that again now I've made it clear I won't tolerate such behavior towards you. Lucky is very smart and he knew exactly why I was upset with him."
"I've already put it behind me. Besides, you took care of me very nicely afterwards so I'm not going to complain about lack of hospitality." She gave Ava a sly wink that made her smile with just a hint of a blush. "I don't want to talk about that little pet terror of yours anymore. I want to know how you learned to play like that. No way are you self-taught. You're too good."
"But I am." Ava reached into the container next to the record player and extracted an album in a faded red cover with a single guitar featuring prominently amidst spidery script. "The music came from this album and others like it I've collected over the years. It took me a while to play decently but the winters here can get long and lonely and learning kept me busy. Besides, I like music and I find playing the guitar relaxing."
"You entirely taught yourself from listening to old albums? No one helped you?" Ella struggled to keep the disbelief from her voice.
Ava's brow furrowed as she thought about Ella's question. "I did study this man who used to play on a street corner in Porta Belua. People would applaud when he was finished and throw money in his hat. I figured he must be good for people to do that. I listened and watched to see how he placed his hands. I also have sheet music and books on how to play but I prefer to learn by listening. It's stirring to hear the passion the musicians pour into their music and it makes me want to play like that so I can feel it too. When I finally get it right it's a magic of sorts." Ava looked flustered and a bit sheepish when she stopped talking. "I got carried away. I didn't mean to say all that."
"Ava, you have a gift and how you play is unbelievable. You gave me shivers you played so well." To emphasize her words Ella rubbed her arms.
Ava smiled but shook her head, "I don't really. I have good hearing and memory so I listen carefully then I copy. Anyone could do that if they practiced enough and I've had plenty of long empty days to fill. There's no great skill in that. It's just persistence and I like to work at things until I get it right."
Ella wanted to argue with her, wanted to point out there was more than repetition in how she played but she bit down on her words. What would be the point? Ava really believed what she said and Ella guessed if she tried to convince Ava how good she really was it would make her uncomfortable and possibly make her withdraw behind those heavy shutters. She did not want that. She didn't want to do anything that would spoil the relaxed mood. It was enough for now that she got to hear Ava play and what an unexpected treat it had been. The best part of it was she had played just for her . Ella felt a warm glow streaked with possessive satisfaction at the thought.
"How about I make us a cup of tea and put on some music?"
It wasn't really a question but Ella nodded anyway. Soon the sultry voice of a woman singing in French, accompanied by a band drifted into the room. While Ava busied herself with the kettle and cups Ella wandered back into the library to have another look. The books ranged from new hardback books to ancient leather-bound tomes that looked too fragile to touch. Ella recognized a few titles but most she didn't and it soon became apparent that the majority of the books were in languages she couldn't read or in script so incomprehensible she couldn't even guess the origin. She saw an entire section dedicated to rune magic but did not dare step over the symbols on the floor guarding the area, as the way the script became alive with movement and seemed to ooze menace when she got too close made her break out in a cold sweat. The library was truly a treasure trove of knowledge gathered, by the look of things, over centuries. It was a personal treasure that no one aside from Ava and her Old Blood mother had access to. It was a library scholars and collectors would literally kill to get into. It made Ella feel privileged and awed that Ava trusted her so much she'd let her see it.
Ella spotted an open doorway between two shelves. Curious she went closer and peered inside. The room was dimly lit but she caught the glint of metal on the rows of shelves and she made out something that looked like a spear or possibly an oversized sword resting on the lowest tier. On a frame hung a suit of armor reminiscent of a drawing she'd seen of a Japanese samurai except this was so big only a giant could fit it. What was something like that doing here? Intrigued Ella contemplated going inside the room to get a better look but decided against it. Ava had explicitly warned her not to go anywhere she hadn't taken her and even though what she saw seemed to extend from the library it could also be a forbidden area Ava had forgotten to close.
Ella backed away and made her way to the large desk beside which Ava had left her backpack. The contents of the desk had sparked her curiosity the moment she saw it but she had made herself look around the library first so it wouldn't look like she was dying to know what Ava was up to. Ella studied the guides and the maps held flat by chess pieces. The maps were not of Nordarra as she'd expected. They were of places in the human world she'd only heard of; Africa, Asia, America. All places on the other side of the portal in the ocean a few miles from Porta Belua that allowed trade and flow of people between the two worlds. Spread out on the side was a large map of Canada, next to it a place called Alaska. Someone, presumably Ava, had made lots of notes in small, neat handwriting in the margins. An unsettling thought occurred to Ella. Hoping she was wrong she asked, "Ava, when you said you didn't know when you would be back here I assumed you were going to a remote part of Nordarra. But that's not what you meant, is it? Are you planning to go through the portal?"
Ava came and stood next to her to see what she was looking at. "Ah, yes. I'm going to the other side to explore those far lands."
"How long will you be gone?"
"Forever, if I find a place to call home."
"But why? You have a home here."
"This isn't truly a home...it's a place where I live alone. It's safe and has everything I need to survive but I want more out of life than that."
"You can't tell me in all of Nordarra you have not found a place you'd like to make a new home. You said you've traveled far so surely there must be someplace?"
"I've looked, Ella. Home to me means a place where people eagerly await my return. It means belonging. It means being wanted and needed. I'm yet to find such a place and I don't believe I'll find it here in Nordarra."
"Why not?"
"I've not been able to put down roots because the vow I made kept me on the move searching for the trophies taken from my father but I was always looking hoping to find a potential home. I thought a few times I'd found somewhere I could belong but it always turned out the same. Sooner or later people realized I'm an Old Blood and they would start to treat me differently. That I could deal with but unfortunately because of some of the things I did when I was younger and the rumor mill that blew everything out of proportion, I also have a bloody reputation. Some people become afraid when they hear those rumors and they want me to leave while others, like clan Swift Foot, want me to stay but only because they want me to fight for them. I want to get away from all of that. I want a fresh start."
"But why go so very far away? You'll have to leave most of what you own behind. You'll have to start from nothing in a place you know no one and everything is foreign."
"That's kind of the point, Ella. Aside from how people treat me I have a much bigger problem. I constantly have hunters on my trail. Some of that is due to the enemies I made while hunting for my father's killers but mostly it's because I'm an Old Blood tigress. My body is literally worth a king's ransom. You know how crazy the trade in anything shapeshifter is. If an avian drops a feather scavengers on the ground will fight to collect it. Tourists happily fork out wads of cash to smuggle an avian feather back to their world, buying into the whole 'good luck' and 'wings of angels' crap. Then there are the herbalists who grind it down into tinctures and potions believing it will do amazing things if harnessed correctly."
Ella nodded because she did indeed know this. She'd been approached numerous times by tourists offering her ludicrous amounts of money for one of her feathers and the sentinels frequently caught people trying to climb over the walls in the hope of finding feathers around the base of their tower. As annoying as that was she never feared someone would try to kill her for her feathers. What would be the point when there were so many avians and literally millions of feathers? Ava's pelt, on the other hand, would definitely be one of a kind. Definitely worth killing for. Ella's chest ached like someone was squeezing her heart and she had to blink back tears.
Seemingly oblivious to Ella's distress Ava continued. "Normal tigers are hunted for their pelts and in the belief that their bodies have healing and mystical properties. From what I've read there are places in the human world where tigers are almost extinct because of that. Shapeshifters are imbued with magic so you can imagine how much more valuable and fanatical the hunt for a tiger-shifter, dead or alive. I try to blend but I'm too big and my beast too distinctive for me to go unnoticed. People tend to remember me. It only takes one sighting and soon someone is trying to find my trail. I've stopped counting how many hunters and mercenaries I've killed over the years. It stops for a while but the price keeps going up and eventually there is always someone new who thinks they can take me down. Perhaps if there was an entire clan of Old Blood tigers in the area it wouldn't be so bad but I'm the only one of my kind in this part of the world. To the hunters that makes me the ultimate trophy."
"Ava...that's dreadful. How long have they hunted you?"
"It started after my father was murdered. There have been peaceful periods but it never lasts. This last year was particularly bad for some reason. Or maybe I'm just feeling it more. When I was younger I enjoyed the game as I saw it as a way to hone my skills but I'm long past that." Ava sighed like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders and said with weary resignation. "It doesn't matter how good I am because there's only one of me and they keep coming. Eventually, I'm going to make a mistake or just run out of luck and then it's game over. Unless I'm willing to live in isolation I have to move to where no one knows about me. That's why I'm going to leave Nordarra. I'm going to try to pass for human in their world. Hopefully that will give me a chance to have a peaceful life doing ordinary things with friends and if I'm very lucky...a mate. It shouldn't be too hard to make a living in the human world – I'm physically strong, I've picked up many useful skills during my travels and I'm not afraid of hard work, heights, cold, dangerous seas or predatory animals. I've also learned several of their languages. Admittedly it's mostly the written format but my ear and memory are good so it shouldn't take me long to learn to speak it properly. I have a plan..." Ava grew animated her hands tracing the map of Canada. "I'll go to places like this where it sounds like the people are friendly and welcoming even to strangers and according to the maps there are still lots of wild isolated places for the times I need to shift or have to hide for some reason. It's a big area and there are many places someone like me can cross into Alaska or other parts of the continent unseen. Yes, I think Canada should be a good place to start. I'll try new things, explore the forests and mountains of that world and visit their great libraries. Maybe I can play my guitar on street corners to see if I'm good enough that people will throw money in a hat as they did for that man. It will be quite the adventure, don't you think?"
Ella was silent, she honestly didn't know what to say. She felt shocked, disappointed and upset. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess and she could find nothing supportive to say. Not when what she really wanted to do was ask Ava to reconsider and stay but how could she do that? Ava was looking at her with such expectation, her eyes shining and the flush on her cheeks making her look so young. Seeing her like that, so excited and so desperately hopeful, was as startlingly unexpected as it was heartbreakingly beautiful. Ava had just shared with her a deeply personal dream, something she was invested in. How could Ella say anything to dampen her excitement? Swallowing the lump in her throat Ella said the most neutral thing she could think of. "It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this."
"I've been planning it for years."
"When are you going?"
"I'm going to take you to Porta Belua personally instead of asking my friends in the village to make sure you get home safely. As soon as I've dropped you off at the harbor, I'll go book a ticket for one of the tourist ships returning for a pickup. I've heard it's hard to get a cabin this late in the season but it's worth a try. There are bound to be a few humans who died during their visit or someone who decided to stay in Nordarra."
"Why so soon?" Ella couldn't help herself, the words were out before she could think of a reason not to say them.
"It is hardly soon. I've wanted to leave for many years. Now my oath is fulfilled I'm finally free to make a fresh start. It's a new beginning! I've dreamed about this for so long and it has kept me going when I felt like I couldn't take it anymore. I'm so tired, Ella. So very weary of living like this. I need a chance at something new and good."
Feeling shaken and unsteady Ella placed her hand on Ava's arm and gave it a little squeeze. "Your plan sounds good. I just wish we had more time. We're still getting to know each other and we are already such good friends. We have this amazing connection. Or maybe it's just me who feels this way?"
"It is not just you. I can't remember ever feeling so at ease with someone. I trust you and I don't even know why. There are people I've known most of my life who I haven't told a fraction of the things I've shared with you."
Ella couldn't stand it anymore. She needed to be closer to Ava. She needed to touch her. She closed the small distance between them and leaned her forehead against Ava's shoulder.
"I'm going to miss you."
Strong arms wrapped around, drawing her near so their bodies pressed together in a most intimate way. This made Ella's breath hitch. Tentatively she put her arms around Ava not wanting to read too much into it. Sometimes a hug, however intimate, was just a hug. Ava was very emotional right now and it was entirely possible she didn't realize what she was doing.
"I won't tell anyone the things you told me or talk about the places you showed me. You have my word."
A soft lingering press of lips against her forehead. "Thank you. Those things were only for you. I'll miss you too, Ella."
Standing so close to Ava Ella could feel her feminine curves and the flex of her muscles in the small shifts of her body. That combined with the heat coming off her was doing unsettling things to Ella's body and she struggled to keep her breathing even. She was acutely aware of Ava's hands circling her back and shoulders in firm motions, kneading and stroking. Ava moved her leg, semi wrapping it around Ella and she felt a different sort of heat press against her side. Oh yeah, something was definitely happening and it wasn't just her wishful thinking. She needed to see Ava's face, she needed to be sure. Tilting her head sideways Ella saw Ava's eyes and her own flew wide in astonishment. Ava's eyes were so dark they looked almost black and were filled with so much naked hunger the force of it took her breath away. Then Ava kissed her and she could not think at all. It wasn't the tentative, gentle first kiss she had expected Ava to initiate. It was a confident, demanding kiss that took no prisoners and had Ella holding on to Ava's shoulders for dear life, fearing if she let go she might fall. The body encasing her had become like steel. A hand descended to caress her bottom and Ella squirmed at the unexpected boldness. Through the lust haze she registered something wasn't right. Ava had just gone from 0 to 200 miles an hour in about five minutes flat. Breaking the kiss she leaned back against the desk trying to get a better look to confirm her dawning suspicion. Ava's pupils were too wide, like dark deep pools, and her cheeks were flushed crimson.
"Ava, are you all right?"
"Why? Didn't you like the kiss?" Then Ava giggled. It was a bubbly girly giggle so unlike her normal laughter it set off all Ella's remaining warning bells.
"How about it, hmm? You did say you wanted to be kissed and dined first before I go down on my knees between yours. Now I've done both. We could have so much fun. I have lots of stamina and I can go for hours. Want me to show you?" Ava leaned in for another kiss with a goofy grin. Ella ducked away and got a kiss on the shoulder.
"Wow, I think you're drunk. Like really drunk."
"Possibly. Doesn't mean I can't perform. I can make you feel good, Ella, so very good. I promise."
"Oh sweetie, you really can't handle your drink. You need to go have a nap or something."
"You're turning me down? I thought you liked me? I thought you wanted me?"
"I more than like you and I definitely want you but you're so not yourself right now. I think we need to wait until you're sober before we take this any further."
"Seriously? Hmm...you smell so good."
Ava leaned in to nibble the side of Ella's neck. She braced one hand against a bookcase while the other caressed Ella's back and sides in long strokes. Ella temporarily lost the ability to have coherent thought, reveling in the delicious sensation of Ava's mouth exploring her throat and neckline and almost didn't react in time to halt the wandering hand sneaking up the inside of her shirt. Her breasts were her weakness and if Ava got her hands on them what little self-control she had left would be out the window. She'd probably let Ava take her on the desk if she put that amazing mouth on one of her sensitive nipples. Ella took a shaky step away and the other woman immediately pursued. She placed a hand on Ava's chest to keep a little distance between them.
"I can't believe I'm saying this...but yes. We have to wait until you're sober." Ella almost choked on the words. She was painfully aroused and she longed for Ava to tear her clothes off and fuck her senseless but this felt wrong. This wasn't her Ava, not the carefully controlled woman she'd come to know. Not that she believed for a minute Ava was always so tightly held but she wanted to see those guards let down willingly, not smashed to pieces by a few sips of red swirled on the tongue. She didn't want to ruin the genuine trust Ava had shown her by accepting what she might not have offered otherwise. Especially not after everything they'd talked about this evening. Even though Ava obviously desired her she felt sure Ava would resent alcohol-induced sex tomorrow. A part of her argued that Ava knew what she was doing when she downed the second glass of wine but she hadn't been the one to pour it for herself. She probably wouldn't have had more if Ella hadn't goaded her into it. Ava even told her she didn't normally drink because she ended up doing things she regretted afterwards. Darn it! And she had such high hopes for this evening. She'd entertained visions of them naked between the sheets all day. Now she was cast in the role of a caring friend putting her inebriated buddy to bed. She sighed heavily. Who knew Ava could get this plastered from so little? Her little sister could probably drink three times as much and be fine.
Ella's thoughts unraveled again and she stared in fascination as Ava planted kisses on her palm and wrist. When she suckled Ella's fingertips she felt red hot spikes shoot to her sex with the flicks of Ava's tongue.
"Do you really want to wait?"
Ava's voice was a low purr promising dark pleasures and Ella knew if she led Ava to bed she'd follow willingly. Surely, she must really want it to be this eager? Maybe she had the wine to help herself relax knowing full well it would end up with them having sex. Ava's lips were just inches away, so full and ready to be kissed again. Ella felt herself waver. She removed the arm keeping them apart and cupped Ava's cheek. Ava's eyes half closed and she leaned into Ella's touch stroking her face against her palm.
"Ella, you're so incredibly beautiful, so amazing. I feel like I can trust you with my secrets...and my life. Someday you will make someone weep with happiness to have you as a mate."
Ella took Ava by the hand and let her to the cozy sitting room. She took one of the folded blankets from the couch and lay it down like a sheet on the thick rug then lay another over the top. She folded back a corner and held it open. "Lie down, Ava."
Ava pulled the shirt over her head treating Ella to the sight of dark-tipped breasts and toned muscles that rippled as she arched. Without pause she pushed her pants down and stepped out of them. Ella felt a wave of relief on seeing the boxer briefs. Ava's words before had been like an unwelcome cold splash dampening the heat of her desire enough to see reason but the fire was by no means extinguished and it would take very little to stir it to an inferno that would sweep her away. She was constraining herself but no amount of good intentions would stop her if Ava stripped totally. She was a woman, not a saint. She almost lost it when Ava went down on her knees to crawl past her to get between the blankets. She brushed Ella's hip in passing and the slight sway of her breasts as she moved had Ella biting her lip to prevent a moan from escaping.
Staring up at Ella Ava asked, "Are you going to sleep with me?"
Ella closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed hard. "Here." She patted the sofa. "I'll be sleeping right here."
Ava watched her with dark eyes. "That's what you want?"
No, that's not what I want! I want to fuck you but I can't because you're drunk and you will probably hate me in the morning!
"I might join you later."
"I would like that." Before Ella could reply Ava turned on her side and her eyes fluttered shut. Within moments her breathing was deep and even.
Darn it! Ella collapsed on the couch and stared at the beautiful woman asleep at her feet. She was so conflicted it was making her feel ill. She slid her hand into her panties. She was soaked and so aroused she ached. She was tempted to give herself relief just to take the edge off. A few strokes and she stopped. No. That wasn't what she wanted and it wouldn't be enough by far. Not tonight. Her hunger was way too deep to be satisfied by a quickie when what she really wanted was Ava between her legs, taking her until she screamed her release. Nope. Not on the same scale at all. Feeling miserable she stalked off to the bedroom to get changed for bed and find pillows and more blankets. She hoped the couch was as comfortable as it looked. |
After tossing and turning for what felt like an eternity Ella finally managed to fall into a fitful doze. She woke with a start, every fiber of her being on alert. Something woke her, something bad. Squinting in the low light she saw Ava move on the floor and knew what had alarmed her. Ava was dreaming, she must have moaned in her sleep. Turning on her side to keep an eye on the dreaming woman Ella relaxed back onto her pillow. Then the keening started. It was the most terrible sound she'd ever heard. Somewhere between a wail of lament and a scream, it was a thing dredged from a dark pit of despair and hearing it made Ella tremble. Ava wasn't just dreaming, she was having a horrific nightmare. She raised up on an elbow to have a better look and saw Ava had kicked off her blanket. She was crouched on arms and knees her muscles straining like she was struggling against a great weight pressing down on her. Her body was covered in a sheen of sweat making her skin glisten in the firelight and her breathing was fast and labored like she was struggling to get enough air.
Sliding off the couch to get closer to Ava, Ella reached out a hand to shake her awake but yanked it away from the shoulder she'd been about to touch when she saw the way Ava's skin rippled. The air around her felt charged like moments before a lightning storm and there was a dissonant hum Ella felt rather than heard that set her teeth on edge. Something was happening. Was Ava about to shift in her sleep while stuck in a nightmare? Wouldn't it be dangerous to touch her if that is what was happening?
"Ava, wake up!"
Ava didn't respond.
"Ava! Ava! Ava, wake up!"
Ava threw her head back and screamed while tears streamed down her face. Ella stared in dismay at the agony and grief etched onto the dreaming woman's face. Was she having a nightmare about what happened to her and her dad? Was she reliving her capture and his death right now? No. She had to stop this. Now. Caution be damned, she would not let her friend suffer like this. She was going to wake her whatever it took! In desperation she grabbed Ava's shoulders intending to shake her. In the blink of an eye, Ella found herself flat on her back with Ava on top pinning her down. The body above her was strung taught as a bow and Ava's eyes were like nothing she'd seen before. There wasn't even a fleck of green in her eyes, only a sea of amber and worse still her pupils were vertical slits like that of a large cat. There was no recognition in those eyes, no Ava that she could see, only something other and it was staring at her like a predator would a tiny creature trapped in its paws. Ella realized she was looking directly into the eyes of Ava's beast. Sensing Ava's terror it must have come to the surface to defend her and she'd just interrupted a full shift. In another moment she could have had a tigress crouching over her. Ella swallowed and lay very still. She wanted Ava on top of her but this wasn't what she had in mind.
"Ava, it's me. Ella." Ella said speaking quietly. "You had a nightmare. I tried to wake you up. Ava, can you hear me?"
Ava cocked her head as if listening. She blinked and the alien eyes were human-shaped again. Her eyes were still mostly amber but Ella could see tiny flecks of green. Ava was fighting her way back.
"Ella?" Ava blinked again and the amber receded a little more.
Moving slowly Ella got her fingers on Ava's arms and stroked gently. "Yes, it's Ella. I'm with you. You had a bad dream but you're awake now. It was just a dream. You are safe. Ava, please come back to me."
Ava lowered her head to within inches of Ella's neck, her nostrils flared and she inhaled deeply drawing in Ella's scent.
"Ella..." Ava's eyes flew wide and it was like someone threw a light switch and suddenly she was back entirely.
"Oh no...did I hurt you?" Ava cupped Ella's face with one hand her eyes desperately searching for an answer. "Did I?"
"I'm fine. You didn't hurt me. I woke you from a nightmare rather abruptly and you threw me on my back. That is all. What terrible nightmares you have! Come here, let me hold you."
Ella wrapped her arms around Ava's neck and tugged gently. After a moment's resistance she allowed herself to be drawn into an embrace. Ella threaded her fingers through Ava's hair and drew her head onto her shoulder. She ran her other hand up and down Ava's back in what she hoped was a soothing motion. The muscles under her fingers were rock hard with tension, Ava's skin was clammy and cold and small tremors ran through her body. It was Ava's low body temperature that alarmed Ella most because she usually ran hot as a furnace. Since Ava's top blanket was a tangled mess somewhere by their feet Ella reached up to the couch and drew down her own blanket. With a bit of one-handed fumbling she managed to drape it over them making sure to cover the trembling woman all the way to her neck.
"I'm mortified. I never wanted you to see me like this."
"Like what?"
"Like this...so weak and pathetic. Shaking like a child over a bad dream. What must you think of me?"
"Don't be silly. You are one of the strongest people I know. How typical of you to have the most god-awful nightmares; you're such an over achiever. Most people have run-of-the-mill bad dreams with the occasional night-terror but oh no, that's not enough for you. Your subconscious just has to take it to the next level." Ella felt Ava's muscles relax as some of the tension left her. She tenderly kissed her forehead and asked, "Was the nightmare about what happened to you and your dad?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Have you talked to someone about this recurring nightmare?"
"No."
"You really should. You need to talk about what still terrorizes you after all these years."
"No."
"Why not talk to me? I'm your friend and I'm offering to listen. You need to get this out. It's been festering in you. I've heard of people being plagued by nightmares but, Ava, your father's death was such a long time ago it shouldn't still be this bad. I will listen. I promise you I won't run away screaming."
"You can't run away – I have you pinned," Ava said dryly.
Ella gave her a smack on the shoulder and Ava chuckled. She moved down a little so that she could see Ava's face better. "But seriously, why won't you tell me?"
Ava's expression became grim. "I don't want anything from that dark place touching you. Ever. I don't want that taint anywhere near you. Trust me, Ella, there's nothing good there. You won't look at me the same. I've never seen you afraid or disgusted, not once. I couldn't stand seeing that kind of look on your face."
"You already told me what happened. What is it you're so afraid of?"
"I told you some things. Just enough so you would understand why I'm so sensitive about my father's death. What I didn't tell you was what happened afterwards. I didn't tell you the things I did."
"It's okay, you can tell me. You must have wanted to talk about it so tell me now. I'm here for you. I'm your friend and I want to know. No matter how ugly you think it is I can handle it."
"I've carried this with me so long. I don't want to anymore. I thought when I found the last piece of my father and the vow was fulfilled that the dreams would stop but they haven't." Ava sighed heavily. "I so want this to be over. Do you really think if I talk about what happened it will help?"
"There's only one way to find out. I'm no counselor but I know it's not good to keep bad memories cooped up inside. You have to let them out and the best way to do that is to tell someone what happened. It's like opening a wound that's festered. Painful, but once it's been aired and cleaned it can start to heal."
"I hate those nightmares. If talking will help I'm willing to give it a try."
"Good. I'm here for you."
Ava went quiet as she gathered her thoughts, their breathing and the faint popping of the fire the only sounds disturbing the silence. The quiet began to stretch into minutes but Ella waited patiently. She would wait as long as it took and holding Ava in her arms was no hardship at all. Ava's voice when she finally spoke was so soft Ella had to strain to hear her.
"After I escaped from the cage they had me in I lost my mind for a while."
"That's understandable, you were out of your mind with grief and shock."
"It was more than that, Ella. I mean I went mad. As in bat shit out of my mind feral. I was stuck in a pit in the ground with my father's body on top of the grate. He'd fallen like that to keep the men away from me when he realized he couldn't get me out and could not get away either. In his beast form he spoke to me. He commanded me to stay awake and told me I wasn't allowed to die. That I had to hold on a little longer, that soon I would have all I needed to escape." Ava paused to angrily swipe tears from her eyes. "My dad told me that what came next would be hard for me to endure. I thought he meant shifting. He told me I had to push through the pain and shift all the way. That once I shifted I needed to do whatever it took to escape, no matter what. I cried when he told me that. I thought he was asking the impossible of me. Before that day I had never managed a full shift, not once. I had tried, I really had even though it felt like pushing against red hot spikes. I could sense my beast and the bulk of my magic on the other side of a barrier but I could not get past to form a proper connection to either. The most I could ever manage was to shift parts of my body but only briefly and even that wasn't quite right. When I changed a hand or something else it didn't consistently take the same form. At times it would be this freakish meld that looked like nothing I'd ever seen. My dad said it was because what I had inherited from my mother and him were fighting for dominance inside me. He always said not to lose hope, it was just a matter of time. That my body and mind just had to mature enough to handle it all. My poor dad was such a terrible liar. I pretended to believe him but I'd seen toddlers move easily between their human and beast forms and they didn't act like something was trying to tear them apart from the inside. I was already eleven. I knew something was wrong. I knew I was broken somehow, flawed. My parents were from very different bloodlines. Usually, in such a union the child takes after the mother or the father but there is always a chance the magic will mix badly and the child ends up unable to shift at all. I thought that was what happened to me. I felt like such a disappointment. I had two powerful Old Blood parents but I was like neither of them. My father tried to comfort me as best he could. He still loved me even though I was broken so I tried to tell myself it didn't matter that I couldn't run with him in tiger form."
Ava covered her face with her hand. Her breathing was quick and Ella could feel the rapid thud, thud of Ava's heart through her chest.
"You did shift that day, didn't you?"
"Yes. I most certainly did."
"How?"
"It was my father's last gift to me. I didn't understand until they started cutting and he was there directly above me, his blood pouring down on me like warm rain. The healing power of a tiger-shifter's blood...there is truth in that but it was so much more. I felt him pour all his magic along with his blood onto me. I felt him give his life to save mine. He didn't hold back any magic to heal himself, he gave everything he had to heal what was broken in me so that I could connect with my beast and shift. So that I could escape and live. He looked at me the whole time. He could no longer speak by then but he kept looking at me until the end. He saw it. He saw my first full shift and the last thing I remember seeing before everything became a haze was my father's smile."
Ava was sobbing, tears streamed past her fingers to drip on Ella's shoulder. Ella gently pulled her hand away. "You don't have to be ashamed of your tears. Not with me. What happened next?"
"I was very badly injured. The men had hurt me to make me scream so my father would hear my cries and come for me. I think I was dying. So much pain everywhere. It was all so horrible and I felt so pathetically small and weak. So violated and ashamed. Then I had my first full shift and boom everything changed. All the pain and fear disappeared along with my frail damaged body and all I felt was rage and the need to destroy. The rage felt good. It burned everything else from my mind and gave me a singular consuming focus. That body was so much better. So primal, so powerful. Even if I'd known how to shift back on my own I don't think I would have."
"How long were you like that?"
"I don't know. Days, weeks maybe longer. My memory of what happened after I shifted for the first time is fragmented at best, a jumble of images and sensations. It was the first time I truly connected with my beast and it was at a time when I was as fucked up as any person could be. My mother knows because she found me and forced me to shift back but she never said and afterwards neither of us wanted to talk about it. My father's death was too raw between us and I think how she found me scared her. The prolonged shift and my father's blood had healed my human body but my mind..." Ava motioned to her head, "I wasn't right for some time. They called him a monster to justify what they did to him but he was a peaceful kind man. He made friends wherever he went and avoided fights whenever he could. He was happiest when he got to roam the forests and spend time with his wife and child. But they came for him, for us. They tortured me to lure him into a trap then made me watch him die while they hacked into him. I was only a child who couldn't shift so they didn't think I was dangerous and I wasn't before that day. I was just a young girl who wanted to be like her daddy. After that day I became the monster my father never was." Ava paused and gave Ella a worried look.
Ella stroked the side of Ava's face and gently said, "I'm listening. Take your time, we have all night. I know it feels very uncomfortable right now but you will feel better once it is all out."
Ava nodded and said, "I killed several of them when I shifted and clawed my way out of that hole trying to escape. I was in such a frenzy I didn't even register I'd done it until I thought about it later. I ran at first but I had to go back for my dad. As messed up as I was I knew my father was dead but they were doing terrible things to him, to his body. What if some part of my father was still trapped inside, aware and suffering? I had to save him from that. When I got back there were only four men left. The others had already packed up and fled, taking with them my father's pelt and what had already been harvested. I'd never taken a beast form before then and never stalked a prey for the sole purpose of killing. That night I hunted those men as easily as if I'd done it hundreds of times. My father had taught me how to hunt from the moment I could walk and I had a powerful body with enhanced senses. Between that and my rage...so much rage... those men never stood a chance. When I was done with them I carried my father's remains away and used my claws to dig a grave for him under a giant tree. I was delirious with grief and more than a little mad at that point. I'd just killed my first people and buried a hunk of flesh and bones that was unrecognizable as the man who raised me. I was lying on my father's grave when I made the vow to retrieve what had been stolen from him. I did it while I was covered in blood; my own, my father's and those of the men I just killed. That was how the hunt started. The other murderers had gone by air and by boat and had done their best to disappear. I did whatever it took to track them down and when I found them, I showed no mercy. If they begged for their lives or tried to come up with excuses for what they had done it only made me angrier and instead of granting a quick death I took my time. It was like a different kind of madness and it lasted for years. I tried to wash away the grief and shame of what happened with their blood. I wanted to make them suffer like my father did as he lay there paralyzed, feeling every cut they made but unable to stop them. I wanted them to suffer like I did as I lay in that cage drenched in his blood. It ran into my wounds, my eyes and down my throat. I felt his blood heal my broken body even as my mind was shattering. I lost everything that was good in my life that day. I wanted to forget what happened, I wanted it to be over . But every time I killed another it all came back to me again. The darkness of those days fresh in my mind like putrid blood in the mouth, poisoning me over and over."
Ava stopped talking and stared at the ceiling with a stark expression on her face. A muscle jumped in her clenched jaw and her eyes had an unsettling amber glow. Ella didn't say anything to fill the silence as she didn't feel it was the type of silence that waited for a response. Ava wasn't done speaking, that much was clear. She just needed a moment to figure out how to continue.
"I tried to stop. When I realized what it was doing to me I tried to stop but I couldn't. The vow I made drove me to keep looking for the pieces of my father that were carried away and this repeatedly brought me into contact with the sort of things I was trying to forget. Perhaps if it wasn't for that I could have moved on and made a peaceful life for myself. I'd like to think so but...I'm not sure. For years I had nightmares almost every time I slept so I slept very little and that didn't help my mental state. At that point in my life, the hunt had become my sole reason for living. When I was at my worst if I heard a rumor about a cutter's nest I went after it and if I found one, I decimated the entire operation. Killing the cutters and saving the shifters they held captive felt like the only way I could justify being alive when by rights I should have died with my father. It didn't help that my beast relished the hunt. It's an aggressive predator and killing is what it does best but I can't blame how far I went on being a beast-shifter. I'm still the one in control. Well...mostly anyway." Ava sighed and said, "It took me a long time to find even a small measure of peace and to feel like I was allowed to pursue the kind of life I may have had if my father hadn't been murdered. I'm so weary of blood and death. All I want is to spend my days doing ordinary things with friends and maybe if I'm very lucky with a mate by my side. I honestly don't care what I must do to make a living or where I have to live as long as I can have that. Even if it means I have to leave everything and everyone I know behind I'll do it if that's my only chance to start over with a clean slate." |
Ava lay very still and kept her eyes on Ella's shoulder. She'd not been able to look at Ella when she told of the people she killed and as memories of how, at times, she'd given into bloodlust and let her beast have free reign shamed her. Now she was afraid to look at Ella, afraid of what she might see on her face. She hadn't meant to share so much but once the awful truths started pouring out it was like she couldn't stop. Ava felt raw and utterly exposed. If Ella now feared her or she found a look of revulsion on Ella's face it would be a blow from which she might never recover. She waited for her to say something. When the seconds dragged on and still no response the need to know overrode her fear and she hesitantly looked at Ella. Ella's face was streaked with silent tears and her eyes were filled with so much sorrow and compassion it shook Ava.
Ella took a gasping breath and said, "I don't know what to say. I don't know how you survived everything that happened and manage to still have such a kind heart. What I do know is your dad must have loved you more than life itself and you must never forget that. He wanted his little girl to grow up and have a full happy life. Don't go through the rest of your life carrying the burden of guilt for what happened. Not only was his death not your fault, your father would never have wanted you to punish yourself over and over with these horrible nightmares. As for the people you killed it almost sounded like you were asking me for absolution but you don't need it. Not from me or anyone." Ella took one of Ava's hands in hers and kissed it. "Yes you have blood on your claws but truly how could there be any other way? You stopped evil people from hurting others. Not just the ones they would have captured but also the families and friends who would have suffered for the loss of their loved ones. Imagine those poor people searching fruitlessly day after day, year after year. Not knowing what happened, suspecting cutters were involved but never knowing for sure. Or even worse...seeing what had been done to a child, a parent, a sibling or a lover. That, Ava, would be the kind of thing that would make someone have nightmares for the rest of their life. By doing what you did, by putting your life at risk for strangers, you saved all those people from the fate you and your father suffered. And most importantly as far as I'm concerned...are you listening, Ava?"
"Yes, I'm listening."
"Good. Most importantly because of you, I'm entirely whole. That cutter didn't get to lay a blade on me and my soul is unscarred. You saved me. Because of you, I get to go home and aside from a few bad memories of that place I will go on with my life as if I'd never been stuffed into a cage. You made that possible. Remember that."
Ava had been staring into Ella's eyes, drinking her in and watching her expressions closely as she talked. She heard only truth and sincerity in her words. She saw no revulsion, no judgement, no fear and felt no subtle drawing away in the way Ella held her. She felt a massive weight lift off her and let out a deep shuddering breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Thank you, Ella," she said simply. "Thank you. I can't tell you how much this means to me. You listening, what you said. All of it." Ava wanted to say so much more, wanted desperately to convey to Ella her intense gratitude but she felt raw from her sharing and Ella's words were still settling like a healing balm. Her emotions were a jumbled turbulent mess and she needed time to calm down before she could speak more.
"Ava, it's been my honor to be here for you. Thank you for sharing with me, for trusting me like this. Everything that is said between us will stay with me. I swear it to you."
Feeling overwhelmed emotionally Ava closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax into Ella's embrace. It felt so good in her arms, so soft and comforting. Safe. Ella seemed to understand Ava needed a little time to gather herself. She didn't speak, instead she let her hands do the talking, trailing fingers over Ava's back and through her hair in a gentle caress. Eventually, Ava opened her eyes, cleared her throat and said, "If you ever need my help, no matter with what, all you have to do is ask and I'll be there for you. What you have done for me tonight..." Ava trailed off not knowing how to finish.
"I know you would but there's nothing owed between us, there is only that which is freely given. We are friends."
Ava felt a smile lift her lips and said, "Yes that we are. Friends."
Ella smiled back at her and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek. "You had me worried there for a bit. Are you feeling better now? You look better."
"Yes, I'm fine now." Ava raised herself up on an elbow and noticed Ella's shirt was darkly stained and wet from their combined tears so it clung to her. "We made your shirt wet," Ava said smiling ruefully and rubbed at the tears that had gathered in the hollow of Ella's throat. The motion made the blanket slide from her shoulder baring her chest. Ava looked down at herself and saw her bare breasts pressed against Ella's damp shirt. She froze. "I'm not wearing a shirt...and no pants. Why am I almost naked? Oh no...the wine ."
Ella couldn't help it, she giggled. "Did you only just realize that?"
Ava scowled and tried to tuck the blanket between them but Ella would have none of it. She pushed the blanket away and tightened her arms around Ava keeping her close. She enjoyed having her hands all over Ava's bare back way too much and the sight of Ava's breasts pressed against her chest had her just about giddy.
"Relax. We've been like this for ages so it would be silly to get all shy on me now. Besides, you're covered with the blanket and I'm still wearing all my clothes."
Ava's cheeks were scarlet. "It was the wine but I only had two glasses. Wow, it must have been a lot stronger than I thought."
"That wine was more like brandy," Ella agreed. "It smacked you silly. You are an adorable drunk. Very amorous."
"Well from what I was told it was aged in an oak barrel for many years so I suppose that would account for the potency. I remember now...I came on to you and not subtly either."
"No, subtle you were not," Ella agreed.
"And you turned me down."
"I didn't want to. Trust me I really wanted to take you up on your offer but you were so not acting like yourself. I was afraid if we had sex you'd hate me once you sobered up."
"I wouldn't have hated you."
"But you wouldn't have been happy about it either?"
"No. That kind of losing control reminds me too much of what it's like when I go into heat. I don't like it."
"So, I did the right thing? That's a massive relief. Tucking you into bed and curling up on the couch was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. You had me on fire. If you tell me it would have been perfectly fine to get into bed with you, I'll be hitting myself for missing out on hot, drunken sex. I'm not an angel you know."
"Ella, you're as close to an angel as I've ever known."
That took the air from under Ella's wings for several seconds. Finally, she said, "I hate to knock myself off that pedestal you've put me on but you should know my thoughts about you right now are anything but angelic."
"Are you having wicked thoughts?"
"Very wicked thoughts. I've been having them all day."
"Only all day? I've been having them since we met."
Ella leaned away just far enough to see Ava's face better. "Really?"
"Oh yes."
"And what were you going to do about that?"
"I wasn't going to do anything."
"Why the heck not? I threw out so many hints just about the only thing I didn't do was throw myself at you naked. Did you think all the touching was just me being tactile? I'm not like that with everyone! I only touch people I like and every day it has gotten harder to keep my hands off you. Didn't you notice that? And I kissed you!"
"You just about drove me crazy with the touching and the kisses."
"Then why do nothing? I don't understand."
Ava traced Ella's bottom lip with her thumb and asked, "You don't know? Really? Don't you know by now how much I care for you? To have only one night with you and then leave...how could I endure that?"
"I'd think it would be the exact opposite. If you like me that much how could you not have at least one night with me?"
"But Ella, there can be no future for us. I'm leaving and even if I wasn't how would a female beast-shifter like me fit into the life of the future ruler of an avian House?"
"Why think about that right now? Why worry about the future? What comes next is not something either of us can be sure of. Tomorrow is unwritten. The only time we have for sure is right now and here we are in bed wanting each other. Needing each other. Perhaps everything has led up to this. To give us this night, this brief moment in time. I really think we should make the best of it. Don't you?"
Ava had absolutely no idea how to respond to that. Her arguments, such as they were, held no ground in the face of such illogical reasoning that at the same time made perfect sense. Besides, the way Ella's hands stroked all over her hips and sides stopping just short of the underside of her breasts was incredibly distracting and her brain was having a very hard time retaining the driver's seat.
"Well?" Ella demanded when she took too long to answer.
"I'm trying to think," Ava groaned "but it is very hard with you touching me like this." Even as she spoke Ava could feel her resistance evaporate faster than a shallow puddle under the desert sun. She was crazy about Ella and incredibly attracted to her. After everything they'd shared, one night with Ella could be enough to shatter the fragile protection left around her heart. Ava knew this but she could no more refuse Ella than a freezing man could refuse the warmth of a fire.
She was drawn. Captivated.
She was so going to get burned.
Right now she didn't care. One night, just one night. How bad could it be? A voice tried to warn her she was fooling herself but here right now she had this incredible woman offering herself. She desperately wanted her. For one night she would have Ella no matter the price. She yearned to make this incredible woman hers, body and soul but if she could only have her body for one night she would take it. She would take her . Oh yes. If they were only going to have one night then she was going to make love to Ella with nothing held back. Fears of the future be damned; she probably didn't have much of one anyway. She could be killed tomorrow. That thought made Ava feel almost cheerful. If that was the case what a wonderful last night this would be. She felt her heart rate ramp up until it thudded in her chest like a runaway horse.
"Yes, Ella. Yes. I want to make love to you." At her words, Ava felt Ella sag against her in relief.
"Kiss me. Kiss me again like you did before. That was wonderful."
"I'm not drunk this time. It will be better."
"Promises pro—"
She didn't let Ella finish. They had both done more than enough talking, it was time for action. She sealed Ella's mouth, stroked her bottom lip with her tongue exploring the velvet softness. Ella opened wider taking her inside, sucking gently. At the explosion of heat the feel of Ella's tongue caressing her own Ava moaned. She gripped Ella tighter, shifting to push her thigh between Ella's legs. Ella instantly tightened around the offered leg and rotated her hips in a grinding motion. Ava could feel the moist heat of Ella's arousal on her thigh. That and the way Ella had gone straight for her breasts, teasing her rock-hard nipples between her fingertips, drove her wild. Wanting to return the favor Ava palmed Ella's breasts through the shirt. They were bigger than her own and the moment she rubbed her thumbs over the taut nipples through the damp material Ella bucked and her kisses became somewhat frantic. Right then Ava knew she was going to take her time feasting on Ella's sensitive nipples if she liked having them touched that much. But first, the blasted shirt had to come off. She had no trouble removing the shirt as Ella eagerly helped. She moaned when Ava got her hands on her luscious breasts and she urged Ava to lie on her back. She didn't care how Ella wanted her as long as she could continue to caress her bare breasts—she was fascinated by the weight and feel of them and the little sounds that touching them elicited from Ella. Ella sat up to shimmy out of her shorts and Ava groaned at the loss of contact. The shorts got tangled around one of her ankles. Ella muttered something and sent them flying with a kick. An instant later a fully naked woman straddled her. She reached for Ella but had her hands pushed under the couch.
"Hold on to that for now," Ella commanded. "I'll make it worth your while. I promise."
"But I need to touch you."
"Soon. Please, I'm starving for a proper taste of you. If you touch me, I'm going to climax too quickly and fantasies of having you like this have had me aching for hours."
Ava wanted to protest but Ella gave her such a searing kiss that by the time she was able to replenish the air in her lungs she was happy to let Ella do whatever she wanted. She loved the weight of Ella's silken breasts against her own and the sensation of her lover's taut nipples stroking her over-sensitive skin was driving Ava insane with need. Ella nudged Ava's hips to make her lift, peeled off her briefs and flung them away with a flick of her wrist. When she resettled herself between Ava's legs she ground their mounds together. They both gasped at the contact and Ava had her hands on Ella's ass in an instant, pushing them more firmly together.
"Wait, wait..." Ella begged and stopped moving. "I'll come if you do that."
"You started it," Ava pointed out and nipped the side of her neck. She loved the feel of the rounded cheeks in her palms and the exquisite sensation of Ella's sex rubbing against her own and didn't want to stop. "Hmm...you feel amazing. I want my hands and mouth all over you."
Ella's chuckle was deep and throaty. "Patience, my sweet. You can do all you want soon, just let me have my way with you a little longer. Please?"
It was the please that got her. Ava allowed Ella to move her hands back to grip the couch albeit reluctantly. Ella reclaimed her mouth in a feverish kiss and her hands continued their exploration of Ava's body: caressing, teasing, claiming. She usually hated relinquishing control in bed but with Ella she found she didn't mind at all. In fact, she absolutely loved it. Before Ava could recover from Ella's conquest of her mouth she went after her breasts with lips and tongue, like they were a delicacy she'd been dying to try, while her fingers played on the inside of Ava's thighs. She stroked the curls and trailed the tips of her fingers through the heated flesh in a slow tease, over and over. Ella's light barely-there touch was exquisite torture. By the time she let go of Ava's breasts and started working her way downwards with kisses and swirls of her tongue she had Ava quivering, her breathing was ragged and her grip on the couch was so hard the wood creaked.
"Ella...you're killing me."
Ava felt Ella's smile against her stomach and her fingers, on their glide-through, dipped deeper eliciting a moan from Ava.
"I want you to remember this first time with me. No need to rush when we have all night. I promise I will take care of you as many times as you need me to."
Ava groaned hoping she would survive Ella's ministrations without breaking the frame on the couch.
"Put a pillow behind your head."
"Hmm?"
"There's a pillow on the couch just behind you. Put it behind your head. I want you to watch what I do next."
Wordlessly, Ava reached behind her, felt for and found the pillow. She put it behind her head as instructed. She locked eyes with Ella who gave her a slow, wicked smile. She nudged Ava's thighs further apart and still looking at her Ella licked the length of her sex, lingering to twirl her tongue around Ava's clit. Her eyes fluttered shut and she moaned.
"Look at me. I want you to watch me make love to you. I want your eyes to be open when I take you over the edge. I want to see your incredible eyes when you come for me. I've dreamed of it."
"I need to touch you, Ella. I need the connection."
"Then touch me."
Ava carefully gripped Ella's shoulders mindful of her own strength. She didn't want to hurt the beautiful woman intent on giving her pleasure or leave bruises on her creamy skin.
Ella put her head back down. Her eyes remained locked with Ava's while she claimed her pussy the way she had claimed every other part of her. Ava found it hard to keep her eyes open and even harder to look Ella in the eye while she performed such an intimate act on her. It felt like she was allowing Ella to stare into her soul but at the same time she got to see into Ella's as well and she liked what she saw. True to her word Ella took Ava over the edge in more ways than one. She had two blindingly intense climaxes that hit in rapid succession and left her boneless and dazed for several minutes.
As soon as she recovered enough to move, Ava flipped Ella onto her back and pinned her down. She squirmed against Ava's hold but became still when she saw the excited gleam in her eyes.
"It's my turn to have my way with you. I'm going to make you come until you beg me to stop."
"I have a hearty appetite so that's hardly a worthy threat. But you can try and I'll thoroughly enjoy myself while you exhaust yourself."
Ava's smile was delighted and more than a little predatory, as if she'd been given a challenge she absolutely relished. "You are about to find out I wasn't lying when I said I have lots of stamina. Let me know what you like and I'll do it for you. All. Night. Long. That's what I've dreamed of doing to you. I've fantasized of satisfying you so thoroughly you pass out in my arms in absolute bliss."
Ella heard the truth of the statement in Ava's voice and shivered a little, a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation at the intensity of her gaze. Then Ava's mouth claimed hers and the way she moved and touched let Ella know she was about to be fucked senseless. She sighed happily, wrapped her arms and legs around the powerful body of her lover and gave herself over to be ravaged.
A long while later Ella did have to beg her to stop. Utterly exhausted and thoroughly sated she collapsed into the warmth and security of her lover's tender embrace. She was vaguely aware of Ava tucking a blanket over her back, a few murmured words and a gentle kiss then nothing more. |
There is a tradition in our kingdom, one all castes of demon and human follow. We call it the Birth-blessing. It is such an old, deep-rooted custom that it's said even our gods themselves practiced it when they bore our race onto the earth. When babies die before their first year, there are whispers like leaves fluttering darkly on the wind: the ceremony was performed too late; the parents must have spoken during it; the shaman who executed the blessing was unskilled, a fake.
Coming from the lowest caste—Paper caste, fully human—my parents had to save for the full nine months after the news of my mother's pregnancy. Though I've never seen a Birth-blessing ceremony, I've imagined my own so many times that it feels almost like a memory, or some half remembered dream.
Picture smoke-cut night and darkness like a heavy black hand cupped round the world. Crackling fire. Standing before the flames—a shaman, his leathery skin webbed with tattoos, teeth sharpened to wolflike points. He's bent over the naked form of a newborn, just hours old. She's crying. On the other side of the fire, her parents watch in silence, hands clasped so tightly their knuckles are white. The shaman's eyes roll as he chants a dao, painting its characters in the air with his fingers, where they hang above the baby, glowing softly before fading away.
As he comes to the crest of the prayer, a wind picks up. The grass stirs in a feathery rustle. Faster and faster the shaman chants, and louder and louder the rustle and the wind, until the fire whips upward, a whorl of orange-red flame dancing high into the sky before flashing suddenly out.
Blackness.
The starlit night.
Then the shaman reaches into the air where the fire had been for the object floating in its wake: a small, egglike golden pendant. But the pendant isn't what's important. What's important is what the pendant hides within.
The baby's fate. My fate.
Our kingdom believes words have power. That the characters of our language can bless or curse a life. Inside the pendant is a single character. One word that we believe will reveal a person's true destiny—and if my life will be blessed, as my parents hoped when they saved for my ceremony, or whether my fate is something far darker. Cursed years to be played out in fire and shadow.
In six months, when I turn eighteen, the pendant will open and its answer will finally be revealed. |
Our shop is busy this morning. Not even noon yet and it's already packed with customers, the room bright with chatter, Tien's brusque voice cutting through the thick summer air. Sunlight streams in through the slatted windows, drowsy with cicada song. Sandals slap on the floorboards. Beneath it all, like the shop's familiar heartbeat, comes the bubble of the mixing barrels where we brew our herbal medicines. The six tubs are lined along the back of the store, so big they reach my shoulders. Five are full of pungent mixtures. The sixth is empty, filled instead with me—admittedly also pungent after an hour's hard work scrubbing dried residue from the buckled wood.
"Almost done, little nuisance?"
I'm working at a particularly stubborn stain when Tien's face appears over the edge of the barrel. Feline eyes rimmed with black; graying hair flowing softly over pointed cat ears. She regards me with her head cocked.
I swipe the back of my hand over my forehead. Little nuisance. She's been calling me that for as long as I can recall.
"I'm seventeen, Tien," I point out. "Not little anymore."
"Well," she says with a click of her tongue. "Still a nuisance."
"I wonder where I get it from."
A smirk rises up to challenge my own. "I'll pretend you're talking about your father. Aiyah, where is that lazy man? He was meant to refill our stock of monsoon berries an hour ago!" She waves a hand. "Go fetch him. Mistress Zembi is waiting for her consultation."
"Only if you say please," I retort, and her ears twitch.
"Demanding for a Paper caste, aren't you?"
"You're the Steel with a Paper boss."
She sighs. "And I regret it every day."
As she bustles off to deal with a customer, I smile despite myself at the proud flick of her neat lynx ears. Tien has worked for us for as long as I can remember, more family now than shop hand despite our caste differences. Because of that, sometimes it's easy to forget that there are differences between us. But while my father and I are Paper caste, Tien belongs to the middle caste, Steel. Somewhere between my plain human body and the animal-like strength of Moon castes, Steel castes have elements of both, making them a strange meeting point between human and demon, like a drawing only halfway finished. As with most Steels, Tien has just touches of demon: a tapered feline maw; the graying amber cat's fur wrapped around her neck and shoulders, like a shawl.
As she greets the customer, Tien's hands automatically pat down that messy ruff of fur where it pokes from the collar of her samfoo shirt. But it just sticks straight back up.
My lips quirk. It must have been a prank by the gods to give someone as fussy as her such unruly hair.
I climb over the side of the tub and catch a better look at the woman Tien is talking to. Her long black hair is pulled back, twining past a pair of elegant deer antlers as slender as vine. Another Steel demon. My eyes travel over her elegant kebaya glittering with silver embroidery. It's clear that she belongs to an affluent family. The jewels dangling from her earlobes alone would keep our shop running for a year.
As I'm wondering why someone like her has come to our shop—she must be from out of town; no one here has that kind of money—her gaze glides past Tien and catches mine.
Her eyes grow wide. "So it's true."
I just make out her murmur over the noise of the shop. My face flushes.
Of course. She heard the rumors.
I turn away, ducking through the bead-curtained doorway to the back rooms of our old shop building. The deer-woman's elegance has made me extra aware of the state I'm in. Clumps of dirt cling to my clothes—a pair of loose sand-colored trousers and a wrap shirt knotted at the waist with a frayed sash—and my ankles are soaked with the camphor liquid I was using to clean the mixing barrel. Stray hairs stick to my cheeks with sweat. Sweeping them back, I retie my ponytail, and my mind slips for a moment, remembering.
Other fingers looping a red ribbon through my hair.
A smile like sunshine. Laughter even brighter.
Strange, how grief works. Seven years on and some days I struggle to remember her face, while other times my mother seems so real to me that I almost expect her to amble in through the front door, smelling like peony petals in the rain, a laugh on her lips and a kiss for Baba and me.
"She's gone," I tell myself roughly. "And she's not coming back."
With a shake of my head, I continue down the corridor and out onto the sunlit veranda. Our garden is narrow and long, bordered by a mossy wall. An old fig tree dapples the grass with shade. The summer warmth heightens the fragrances of our herb plot, the tangled patchwork of plants running down the center of the garden, familiar scents rising from it to tease my nose: chrysanthemum, sage, ginger. Charms threaded along wire to keep the birds away chime in the breeze.
A cheerful-sounding bark draws my attention. My father is crouched in the grass a few feet away. Bao wriggles happily at his toes as my father scratches the little dog's belly and feeds him scraps of dried mango, his favorite treat.
At my footsteps, my father quickly hides the fruit behind his back. Bao lets out an indignant bark. Bouncing up, he snatches the last piece of mango from my father's fingers before running to me, stubbed tail wagging victoriously.
I squat down, fingers finding the sensitive spot behind his ear to tickle. "Hello, greedy," I laugh.
"About what you just saw..." my father starts as he comes over.
I shoot him a sideways look. "Don't worry, Baba. I won't tell Tien."
"Good," he says. "Because then I'd have to tell her how you overslept this morning and forgot to pick up that batch of galangal Master Ohsa is keeping for us."
Gods. I completely forgot.
I spring to my feet. "I'll go and get it now," I say, but my father shakes his head.
"It's not urgent, dear. Go tomorrow."
"Well," I reply with a knowing smile, "Mistress Zembi is here for her consultation, and that is urgent. So unless you want Tien to threaten to skin you alive..."
He shudders. "Don't remind me. The things that woman can do with a fish-gutting knife."
Laughing, we head back into the house, our steps falling in line. For a moment, it's almost like before—when our family was still whole, and our hearts. When it didn't hurt to think of my mother, to whisper her name in the middle of the night and know she can't answer. But despite his joking, Baba's smile doesn't quite reach his eyes, and it reminds me that I'm not the only one haunted by their memories.
I was born on the first day of the New Year, under the watchful gaze of the full moon. My parents named me Lei, with a soft rising tone. They told me they chose it because the word makes your mouth form a smile, and they wanted to smile every time they thought of me. Even when I'd accidentally knocked over a tray of herbs or let Bao in to paw muddy footprints across the floor, the corners of their mouths couldn't help but tuck up, no matter how loudly they shouted.
But these past seven years, even my name hasn't been able to make my father smile often enough.
I look a lot like her, my mother. I catch Baba startling some mornings when I come down, my raven hair long and loose, my short frame silhouetted in the doorway. Though neither of my parents knew where I inherited my eyes.
How did they react when they first saw them? What did they say when baby-me opened her eyes to reveal luminous, liquid gold?
For most, my eye color is a sign of luck—a gift from the Heavenly Kingdom. Customers request for me to make their herbal mixtures, hoping my involvement will make them more potent. Even demons visit our shop occasionally, like the deer-woman today, lured by the rumor of the human girl with golden eyes.
Tien always laughs about that. "They don't believe you're pure Paper," she tells me conspiratorially. "They say you must be part demon to have eyes the color of the new year's moon."
What I don't tell her is that sometimes I wish I were part demon.
On my rare days off, I head into the valleys surrounding our village to watch the bird-form clan that lives in the mountains to the north. Though they're too far to be anything more than silhouetted shapes, dark cutouts of wings spread in motion, in my mind's eye I make out every detail. I paint their feathers in silvers and pearls, sketch the light of the sun on their wing tips. The demons soar through the sky over the valley, riding the wind in effortless movements as graceful as dance, and they look so free it aches some part deep in me.
Even though it isn't fair, I can't help but wonder whether, if Mama had been born with wings, she'd have escaped from wherever she was taken to and flown back to us by now.
Sometimes I watch the sky, just waiting, and hoping.
Over the next few hours, the bubble of the mixing pots and Bao's little barks play a familiar soundtrack while we work. As usual, my father takes consultations with new clients and meets with farmers and rare-plant traders from out of town, Tien deals with the general running of the store, and all the odd jobs nobody wants to do are handed to me. Tien frequently bustles over to chide me on the roughness of my chopped herbs and could I be any slower when picking up a customer's package from the storeroom? Or do I need reminding that she's a distant descendant of the legendary Xia warriors, so if I don't work any harder she'll be forced to practice her deadly martial arts skills on me?
"Still sounds a lot more fun than this," I grumble as I swelter in the storeroom sorting out deliveries—though I wait until she's out of earshot before saying it.
My last task of the day is refilling the herb boxes lining the walls of the store that contain ingredients for our medicines. Hundreds of them are stacked from floor to ceiling. Behind the countertop that rings the room, a ladder on metal rollers runs along the walls to access the boxes. I slide the ladder to the back wall and climb halfway up, arms aching from the day's work. I'm just reaching for a box marked GINSENG ROOTS, my thoughts drifting to what Tien will be cooking for dinner, when a noise sounds in the distance.
A low, carrying horn blow.
At once, everything falls quiet. Conversations, the slap of sandals, even the simmer of the mixing barrels seems to drop. All thoughts of food are whipped away as I freeze where I am, arm still outstretched. Only my mind moves, lurching back, returning to that day.
To fire.
To claws, and screaming, and the feel of my mother's fingers being torn from mine.
For a few moments, nothing happens. It's just long enough to hesitate. For a flutter of doubt to lift a hopeful wing. Then the horn sounds again, closer this time—and with it comes the pound of hooves.
Horses, moving fast. They draw nearer, their heavy hoof-fall growing louder and louder, until the noise of it is almost deafening, and all of a sudden hulking shadows in the street block the windows at the front of the shop, casting the room into darkness.
Distorted shadows, like the nightmare version of what a human should be.
Stillness, and the dark pulse of terror. A baby wails in a house nearby. From further away comes a dog bark—Bao. A shiver runs down my back. He went off a while ago, probably to the food stalls to beg for treats or play with the children who ruffle his hair and giggle when he licks their faces.
"Lei."
My father has moved to the bottom of the ladder. His voice is low, a rough whisper. He holds out his hand. Despite the hard set of his jaw, his face has drained.
I step down from the ladder and weave my fingers through his, the quick trip of his pulse at his wrist a mirror to mine. Because the last time we heard the call of this horn was the night my mother was taken. And if that's what the Demon King's men stole from us then, what might they possibly take from us this time? |
The thud of hoof-fall outside is loud in the silence. Every detail carries: the crunch of dirt, the creak of leather armor as the riders dismount. The horses snort and stamp, but it's easy to tell the sound of their hooves apart from that of their owners. Though lighter, their riders' steps are deliberate. Measured. They prowl slowly up and down the street, clearly searching for something.
Not us, I think, cupping the thought like a prayer.
After just a few minutes, the figures come to a stop right outside the shop. Voices sound—deep, male.
Demon.
Even without the warning of the horn, I'd be certain of it. There is strength, a power in their voices.
These are voices that bite.
"This is it?"
"Yes, General."
"It doesn't look like much. The sign is broken."
"The usual Paper negligence. I assure you, General, it's the right place."
A pause, fierce as a growl. "It had better be."
There's movement, and then our front door slams open, the entrance bells crying.
The effect is instant. As the soldiers shoulder their way inside, panic floods the shop, customers dropping to the floor in deep bows, knocking things over in their rush, the air filled with whimpers and whispered prayers. Something ceramic shatters nearby. I flinch at the sound, then again as my father throws an arm out to push me behind him.
"Bow!" he urges.
The demons advance. Yet despite the weight in my chest, despite the whoosh of blood in my ears, I don't budge. The fear might be strong.
But my hatred is stronger.
Soldiers took my mother. Moon caste soldiers like these.
It's only when my father says my name under his breath, more plea than command, that I finally lower. Most of my hair has loosened from its ponytail after the day's work, and it falls forward past my ears as I fold stiffly at the waist, exposing the pale arch of the back of my neck, almost like an arrowmark. I dig my fingernails into my hands to stop from covering it.
When I straighten, my father is still blocking me from view. I shift carefully to peer past his shoulder, my heart clamoring as I get a proper look at the soldiers.
There are three of them, so big they seem to take up the whole shop. All three are Moon caste, alien to me with their beastlike forms—still recognizably human in shape and proportion, but more bizarre for it, the melding of human and animal creating something that seems even more foreign. Because of our shop's popularity, I've had some exposure to demons, but it's mostly been Steel castes, their bodies for the most part human, touches here and there of demon details woven into the fabric of their skin like adornments. A spark of jackal eyes; rounded bear ears; the smooth curve of wolf incisors. Tien's familiar lynx features. Any Moon castes I did meet were simply not like... this.
These demons have stepped right out of my worst memories, nightmares made solid.
The bull-form in the middle is largest and evidently the highest ranking—the General. The bulk of him, the sheer weight in those boulderlike muscles, sends a pulse of something chilled down my veins. He wears a plum-colored tunic and wide trousers, a leather belt slung round his hips. His short bull horns are roped with charms and talismans. Snaking all the way from his left ear to the opposite jaw, a scar twists the leathery skin of his face out of shape, pulling his smile into a sneer.
I get a sudden surge of gratitude toward whoever made that mark.
Flanking him are an emerald-eyed tiger-form demon and an ugly reptilian soldier. Moss-colored scales wrap the lizard-man's long humanoid limbs like armor. His head cocks from side to side, eyes darting all around. A serpent tongue flicks out in a flash of pink.
Slowly, the General raises his hands, and as one the room braces. "Please, please," he says in a lazy drawl. "There's no need to be fearful, friends."
Friends. He speaks the word with a smile, but it tastes like poison.
"We know what happened here some years ago," he continues, "But I assure you, friends, we do not come with violent intent. I am General Yu of the Seventh Royal Battalion, the Demon King's finest and most honorable soldiers. Perhaps you've heard of us?" Silence stretches out, and his smile tightens. He settles one hand on the ivory hilt of the sword at his belt. "No matter. You will remember our name after today."
He steps closer, moving in a heavy bovine sway. I resist the urge to shrink back. Only the wooden counter separates him from Baba and me, and it barely reaches the General's waist. Slanting light catches on the charms dangling from his horns as he turns his head, sweeping his gaze over the shop. Then it lands on me.
General Yu freezes. Somehow this is scarier than if he'd shouted or made some move toward me; beneath his stillness, I sense something coiling in him. I jut my chin, staring back as defiantly as I can. But my cheeks are burning, my heart stuttering like hummingbird wings, and when he turns back to the room, his smile is satisfied. Gloating.
Something slithers in my belly. Why does he seem so pleased to see... me?
"W-welcome, General Yu." My father's voice sounds so small in the wake of the General's, its human timbre thin in comparison with the rich bass of bull. "It's a privilege to serve you and your men. If you tell us what errand has brought you here, we'll do our best to help you. Then we will let you on your way."
There's a quiet defiance in his wording. I want to throw my arms around him, kiss his cheeks, cheer him on.
Either ignoring or oblivious to my father's tone, the General throws his arms open. "Why, of course! We wouldn't wish to disrupt your busy day. It must be hard, running such a popular place like this without the help of your wife. I heard she was one of the women taken that day?" he adds casually.
Both Baba and I stiffen. On the far side of the room, Tien's fur bristles, a murderous look entering her eyes. For the first time I wish what she told me about her being a descendant of legendary warriors were true.
The General's fingers flex on the hilt of his sword. "Yet," he continues to the sniggers of his two soldiers, "you've at least had the help of your daughter. And she is a particularly... lucky girl from what the rumors say." His voice drops, just a whisper now but dangerous and bone-deep, every word clear in the hush. "Well, old man? May I see if the rumors are true? Will you show us this daughter of yours with paper skin and the stolen eyes of a demon?"
"The—the errand," my father starts in a desperate tone, but the soldiers are already moving forward.
"The girl is the errand," the General growls.
And lunges for me.
Everything happens at once—Tien's cry, Baba throwing me back, shouting, "Run!"
I spin on my heel as the General bounds onto the counter, shattering it beneath his weight.
There's a scream. Sounds of customers scrambling to get away. A tiger's deep-throated snarl. I lurch forward, making for the archway at the back of the shop, and dive through just as the General tears aside the beaded curtain.
Beads scatter everywhere. My feet skid, one sandal coming loose. But it's the sandal the General has grabbed for, and I crawl back to my feet, dashing down the corridor, hands flying out to brace myself as I take the turns flying.
The back of our house is narrow. The General's crashes and grunts fall behind me as he struggles to navigate the tight corners. Breathless, I race out into the golden blare of the lowering sun, leaping blindly down the steps of the porch.
A flock of birds scatter in a flurry of startled wing-flaps. I make it to the wall at the end of the garden just as a roar behind me tells me the General has made it out of the house. Using the web of leaves that cover the wall, I climb up, messily but fast. Vines slash my hands. Puffing, my palms crisscrossed red, I reach the top, hook an arm over, and hiss through my teeth as I pull, pull, pull—
Hands, on my legs.
I cling to the wall, but General Yu is too strong. I drop back, a hiss of air escaping my lips as I smash onto the ground.
In a second, the General is upon me.
"No!" I yell. I thrash against his ironlike grip, but he swipes me up easily, throwing me over his shoulder, and strides back to the house.
My head cracks against a wall as he squeezes through the narrow corridors. The world turns fuzzy. I catch a glimpse of the main shop room as we pass through: the broken counter, herbs strewn across the floor, pale faces peering from corners. Then we're outside.
I twist round to see where the General is taking me. A little way down the street is a large carriage, two horses strapped to its front. They're enormous, bigger than any breed I have seen, with wild eyes and foaming mouths, heads enclosed in metal muzzles. Two more are roped to the carriage on either side, I assume for the General's men.
"Lei!" comes a shout.
I crane my head round to see my father and Tien by the front of the shop. The lizard and tiger soldiers are holding them back.
"Baba!" I cry. There's blood on his brow.
His neck is strained, face flushed as he struggles to get free. "General Yu!" he calls after us. "Please, tell us what you want with my daughter!"
The lizard-man spits in his face. "What do you think he wants, old man?"
"Now, now, Sith," General Yu says. "You know it's not like that." Slowly, he turns and lowers me to the ground, clutching me to his side so tightly his fingers pinch my flesh through my clothes. "I am merely collecting your daughter for delivery," he tells my father. "I heard rumors of her pretty eyes and thought she would make the perfect gift for our Heavenly Master."
Baba's face falls. "You—you can't mean..."
"You should be smiling, old man. The girl is to become what so many in our kingdom dream for their own daughters. She'll live in the Hidden Palace of Han. Lead a privileged life of service to our gracious leader... outside of and in the royal bed."
Tien goes still.
"No," my father breathes.
The General gives my hair a ruffle. "Your own daughter, a Paper Girl. I bet you never dreamed you'd be so fortunate."
Paper Girl.
The phrase hangs in the air. It feels wrong, all angular and edges that don't fit together, because surely it can't be. Not a Paper Girl. Not me.
Before I can say anything, the sound of barking makes us all look round. A tiny figure sprints down the street toward us on stubby legs—white fur, gray spots.
My stomach drops. "Bao," I croak. Then, louder, "Bao! Inside, now!"
As usual, he ignores my orders. He skitters to a stop in front of us and sinks down on his front legs, baring his teeth.
The General smiles back, revealing his own.
"Hello, little one," he murmurs. He peers down his muzzled nose at Bao, who is skittering on his paws at the General's hooved feet, which are almost bigger than Bao himself and mounted with thick copper plates that look as though they could crush even a human skull in one stamp. "Have you come to say good-bye to your friend?"
He reaches out. Growling, Bao snaps at his hand.
The General's eyes cut to the lizard-form soldier as he withdraws. "Sith. Help him, would you?"
The reptile smirks. "Of course, General."
He reaches for the sword at his belt. There's the cry of steel, the flash of a blade through the air. In one fluid movement, Sith lunges forward and drives the point of his sword into Bao's belly. Then he raises the blade toward me, and my dog with it.
It's as though the world had suddenly tilted off-kilter. The ground, shifted. My heartbeat goes jagged, and it's as if I were floating, rising up and away from everything as, at the same time, everything spiraled closer toward me.
Bile lurches up my throat.
Bao.
Bao—who hasn't yet made a sound. For one desperate moment I convince myself that he's all right. That somehow his belly is hollow and the sword has lanced nothing but empty air, and in a minute he'll hop to the floor and wag his tail, run to Baba for treats, dance circles around Tien's legs. Life will be normal again, and this awful nightmare will be just that: a nightmare.
Something to wake from. To escape.
But then Bao begins to twitch and whimper. Blood wells at his wound. It runs down the blade, thick and dark, pooling around Sith's scaled fingers, where they grip the lacquered bone hilt.
"Better say good-bye, girl," the lizard hisses to me. A forked tongue skates over his lips. "This is the last you'll see of your family. And if you don't come quietly, this'll be how your father will end up, too, and that ugly old lynx-woman. Is that what you want?"
I wrench my gaze to where Baba and Tien are struggling against the tiger soldier's hold. My eyes meet my father's. I give him a half smile, and he stills, face slackening with something like hope.
"I love you," I whisper. Just as understanding sparks in his gaze, I turn to General Yu. I force out a deep exhale, blinking back tears. "I'll come quietly," I tell him.
"That's a good girl."
He pushes me into the carriage, so roughly I trip. Baba and Tien erupt with cries, pulling a ragged sob from me, and it takes everything I have not to look back as I climb onto the padded bench. The carriage heaves under the General's weight as he gets in beside me. Moments later the horses start to move, breaking into a loping canter that carries us quickly out of the village, my world once again crumbling around me to the sharp stench of bull demon and the sound of trampling hooves. |
Everyone in Ikhara knows of the Paper Girls.
The tradition began two hundred years ago after the Night War, when the Bull King of Han, the central-most province in Ikhara, won control of the other seven, from desertlike Jana in the South to my home, Xienzo, in the North. Before, each province had its own sets of governing systems, its own laws and customs specific to their cultures. Some provinces were ruled by a dominant clan, while others were unstable landscapes of ever-shifting power plays between ambitious clan lords. And while Paper castes had always been viewed as lesser than demons, there was respect for the positions we held in society, the services and skills we offered. But after the Night War, the King imposed his rule on every province—and along with them, his prejudices. Royal soldiers patrolled the flatlands and plains, scoured villages and cities to dispense the new regulations. Demon-run businesses flourished; Paper caste families were pushed to the dirt. Within the centralized system, the larger cities grew ever richer and more powerful, while smaller settlements faded into servitude.
The years following the Night War were almost as dark as the ones they left behind. In the absence of the duels and political deliberations that would have once sorted temporary peace in a way all parties could respect, old resentments between clans grew. Long-standing rivalries continued to simmer unchallenged. And now there were additional uprisings and plays for power between the royal emissaries and the clans.
Order was restored the only way the King knew how.
Bloodshed.
To encourage union among the diverse clans and cultures, the court established a new custom. Each year, the King would select eight Paper caste girls as his courtesans. The court said that choosing girls of the lowest caste proved what a just ruler the King was, and the families of chosen girls were showered with gifts and wealth, ensuring they never had to work another day in their lives.
Tien told me once how families in provinces close to the royal heart of the kingdom, such as Rain and Ang-Khen, prepare their most beautiful daughters for the role from youth, even making underhanded deals to ensure the girls are remembered when the annual selection time comes.
In my village, the story of the Paper Girls is told in whispers behind closed doors. We lost too much in the raid seven years ago to want to share anything more with the court.
But perhaps the gods have forgotten us, or grown bored with our small corner of the kingdom. Because here I am, about to share the last thing I'd ever want to offer the King.
Myself.
For a long time, the General and I ride in silence. The carriage is luxuriously decorated, the bench adorned with perfumed cushions and silks, intricate carvings detailing the wooden walls. Scatters of light feel their way in through the shuttered windows. There's a slight charge in the air, an electric quiver that, even with my limited experience of it, I recognize as magic. That must be what's guiding the horses, what lends them their unnatural speed.
Another time and I would have been fascinated by it all—the mysticism of shaman work, the beauty of the carriage. But my vision is red-tinted, filtered through recent events, an unrelenting bombardment of one nightmarish image after another. Bao, speared through. Blood on my father's brow. Tien's scream when the General came for me. My home, our home, our lovely little shop-house shattered and broken, and farther from my reach with every sway and bump of the carriage.
And instead, drawing ever closer—the King's palace.
A Paper Girl.
Me.
"Don't look so sad, girl."
General Yu's rumbling voice makes me start. I press further against the side of the bench, but there's no way to ignore the reek of him, the wet heat of his breath.
Is this what the King is like? The thought of touching—of being touched—by a demon like this sends a fresh wave of nausea into my throat.
"You have just been handed a fate girls across the kingdom can only dream of," the General says. "Surely it would not pain you to smile?"
I swipe my tears away. "I dream of a different fate," I reply with a sniff.
He laughs, smug. "What better life could a daughter of an herb-shop owner wish for?"
"Anything than being the concubine of the King."
The words have barely left my lips when the General seizes my face with his brown-haired hand, pinching my cheeks so hard my jaw pops open. "You think you are special?" he growls. "That you're above being a Paper Girl? You have no idea what the rest of the kingdom is like, foolish girl. All you country folk hiding here in your nowhere corner of your nowhere province, thinking only of your small, closed lives..." His nostrils flare, hot air hitting my face. "You think you are beyond the reach of the court. But you are wrong. The Demon King's rule is all-powerful. You felt that power once seven years ago, and you feel it again today. How easy it was for me to take you from your home—like plucking a flower from a bed of weeds. Just as it happened with your whore of a mother."
With a throaty rumble, he casts me aside. My cheekbone dashes into the wall. I can't help but cry out, and I stuff my hand quickly over my mouth to smother it.
General Yu smirks. "That's it, girl. From what I hear, the King enjoys it when his whores scream."
Glowering, I sit back up, rubbing my cheek. "You know what happened to my mother," I say through gritted teeth. "What those soldiers did to our village."
"I might have heard something," he replies with a shrug. "But I can't be sure. Those kinds of things all merge into one another."
My hands bunch into fists. "They destroyed our village. My family."
The General's voice is cool. "You'd best forget you ever had a family, girl. Because you won't be coming back."
"Yes, I will," I whisper as he turns away, and the words feel like a promise on my lips.
A new thought comes to me then, so brittle I'm scared to let it take hold: Did Mama make a similar promise, too, once? Seven years ago, did she travel this same route that I'm on now, whispering a wish for the wind to carry to the kinder gods? Burumi perhaps, God of Lost Lovers? Or sweet, patient Ling-yi with her wings and blind eyes, Goddess of Impossible Dreams? Mama always held the gods closer than Baba and me. They might have listened to her. And if, and if...
I always imagined the soldiers would have taken Mama and the other women they captured to the royal palace—the very place General Yu his soldiers are bringing me.
I gaze out the window through glazed eyes, a warm kernel of hope working through me. Because as much as I don't want to leave my home, this might be my chance to finally find out the truth about my mother.
And, just maybe, find her.
The horses ride on for hours, showing no sign of slowing. We sweep through the Xienzo countryside, a green-brown blur of fields and low mountains, flowering meadowland, and forests. I've never been this far from my village—not even more than a few hours' walk home—but the scenery is recognizable so far, similar to the landscape around our village.
Until, suddenly, it isn't.
We're looping past a patch of scorched land. The horses keep their distance, but we ride close enough to smell ash in the air. The charred area is vast, a wound on the earth. Stumps of what must have once been buildings poke from the ground like broken teeth. Scarlet flags snap in the wind, stamped in obsidian with the silhouette of a bull skull.
The King's symbol.
It takes me a few moments to recognize the ruins for what they are. "This... this was a village," I murmur. I lick my lips, then say louder "What happened?"
"A rebel group was found hiding in the village," The General answers in a flat, impassionate voice. "It was burned, along with every keeda in it."
Keeda: worm. It's an old insult for Paper castes. I've heard the word just once before, from a wolf-form demon who had come to our village by accident, half dead and delirious from an infected wound. He'd spat the word like a stone from his mouth, and it had felt sharp to me even then, when I didn't understand what it meant.
The wolf had refused to let our doctor near him. Some of the men found his body on the road that winds from our village a few days later.
"Are there other places like this?" I ask.
The General cuts me a smirk. "Of course. We're taking the scenic route. Just for you."
I turn away from the window, my stomach knotted. Our village is so isolated that I've never given much thought to what the King's rule has done to the rest of Ikhara. To my fellow Paper castes. But here is the evidence before me, in ugly brushstrokes of destruction and scarred earth.
We ride on into the falling night. Somehow, despite everything, tiredness eventually overtakes me. Rocked by the steady sway of the carriage, I drift off into an uneasy sleep. The next thing I know, I am opening my eyes to stillness and lantern-lit dark.
General Yu is gone.
I sit up so quickly I bang my head on the side of the carriage. Rubbing my temple, I perch on the edge of the bench, breathing hard and listening harder. There's activity outside. Beyond the carriage comes the muffled noise of footsteps and shouted orders, the thud of boxes being dropped. And there's something else, underneath it all. It takes me a few moments more to recognize the sound for what it is.
Water. The rhythmic slap of waves.
I've never been to the sea before. I take a deep inhale and taste salt in the wind.
Salt, sea. With those two words comes another one.
Escape.
Blowing the mussed hair from my eyes, I spring up and scramble to the front of the carriage. Light spills across my face as I loosen one corner of the fabric covering to look out. We're on a backstreet of what seems to be a seaside town. The road is lined with two-tiered buildings with roof-covered porches, paper lanterns hanging from the eaves. Someone has tethered our horses to a wooden column at the base of one of the houses. With the covering open, the noises of the town are louder, and the hairs on my arms prickle. The General and his soldiers could return any minute.
Before I lose my nerve, I suck in a deep breath and launch out of the carriage.
I land heavily, knees buckling. The drop was bigger than I'd expected. It startles the two horses still tethered to the carriage, and they rear up on their hind legs, whinnying and kicking out. Rolling out from under their hooves, I clamber to my feet.
And run.
The packed earth of the road is hard under my bare soles, but I bite down the discomfort. I run fast. Everything around me is a blur of nighttime hues, the disorienting newness of an unfamiliar place. Colored lights glaze the edges of my vision. Faces turn as I pass—human skin, demon eyes.
A crazy image comes to me of what I must look like to them, my clothes scuffed, feet bare. I let out a mad laugh, knowing what Tien would say—Aiyah, look at you! What a mess!—choking off as I come to the end of the street.
Doubling over, I gulp down air. I spin left. Right. Neither looks much different, so I swerve left, away from the sound of water. Swimming would be impossible, but maybe I can find somewhere to hide in the town, some stable-horse to steal. I can lead the General and his soldiers away from my home. Get word to Baba and Tien. We'll be able to be together again once this is all over.
The General will give up on me, and it will be safe for me to go home.
I dash down one unfamiliar street after another. There are shouts now, cries at my back. I drive myself faster. Panting, my calves screaming for respite, I reach the end of the street. Just as I turn the corner, I risk a glance over my shoulder.
And barrel straight into someone.
The impact makes my teeth jam down on my tongue. We crash to the ground in a tangle of limbs. All the air rushes out of me as I land painfully on my back. I roll over, groaning. Spitting out a wad of blood, I dig my hands into the earth, trying to push myself to my feet. But before I can stand back up, a scaled arm loops round my neck.
"Stupid girl," a serpentine voice taunts. "You run on my watch?" The point of a dagger presses against my throat. "I'm going to make you pay for that."
Sith.
The lizard soldier drags me back down the street, ignoring my screams and thrashing. People are watching from the shadows of porches and walkways. I shout at them for help. But they shrink back, silent. They must have noticed Sith's uniform, the King's crest stitched on his shirt.
When we get back to the carriage, Sith tosses me inside. I skid across the paneled floor. There's the click of clawed feet as he climbs in after me, and I start to push myself to my knees, but a second later his foot crushes down on the small of my back. My jawbone cracks on the floor. I cry out, more in surprise than pain, and he digs his heels in harder, grinding my hips against the wood.
He leans over me. Turning his ugly, scaled face to the side, he fixes me with a cold stare. His glassy eyes are reptilian, a vertical strip of black slicing through the blue-gray. There's a streak of pink as his tongue darts out to taste my skin.
He spits. "Disgusting. The stink of the herb shop is all over you." His leer rolls down my body, slow, creeping. "Perhaps you need a good licking to clean it off."
Panic flares inside me like a firecracker: bright and burning, a sudden flare.
"You—you wouldn't," I stammer. "I'm a Paper Girl—"
"So you'll admit it now?" Sith laughs, cutting me off. "Well, you know exactly what is expected of you, then. Better start practicing."
He runs a hand along my shoulder and tugs my shirt back. Rough fingers brush down my arm, sending a wave of nausea into my throat. I squirm away, buck my hips, trying to throw him off. But my struggling barely moves him.
So I scream.
Sith clamps a hand over my mouth. "Quiet!" he hisses. "Not a sound, or—"
"Get off her."
The command is delivered quietly yet firm as a fist. At once, Sith lurches off me. General Yu stands framed in the doorway, one hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his belt.
Sith points at me. "The girl tried to escape, General," he starts, and I'm glad to see a tremor in his outstretched finger. "She's fast, but I caught her and brought her straight back. I was just—just keeping her here until your return."
"Liar!" I snarl.
The General regards us in silence, his face impassive. "The boat is ready to set sail," he says, turning. "Follow me."
I sense Sith relax. "Yes, General."
"But, Sith?" The General pauses, continuing over his shoulder, "If I ever catch you touching the girl inappropriately again, it will be your job to explain to the King how you soiled one of his concubines. Do you understand?"
Sith flinches. "Yes, General."
This time when he grabs me, Sith takes care to keep to where my shoulders are covered. But he marches me forward with the same aggression and shoots me a sideways look, slatted eyes narrowed in disgust.
I scowl openly back, but I don't struggle. His grip is tight, and ahead of us the General's fist is still around the hilt of his sword, reminding me how easily he would be able to turn it against me.
We follow General Yu in the opposite direction to which I ran, out to the oceanfront. There's a port, busy even at this hour. Lights glint from the wooden gantries, rippling the water with color. A wide, star-speckled sky stretches out to an invisible horizon. Despite everything that's going on, my eyes go wide at the sight.
I've always dreamed about seeing the sea.
Behind us, restaurants and hookah cafés line the street, the night filled with raucous laughter, the jeers and yells of an argument bursting into life. Wherever we are, it doesn't seem like a rich town. There are only a few demon figures amid the crowds and all of them are Steel. Outside one of the shops, a salt-stained banner snaps in the wind. I make out the faded pattern of two rearing canines back-to-back painted in sweeping brushstrokes across the fabric—the famous dog clan of Noei, the Black Jackals.
I do a double take. "Noei?" Louder, I call ahead to General Yu, "We're in Noei?"
He doesn't turn, but his head tilts, which I take as a yes.
My mouth goes dry. Noei is the province to the east of Xienzo. We've traveled farther than I hoped.
As the General leads us to the far side of the port, we pass young ship hands dressed in grubby sarongs and fishermen deftly picking squid from clouds of tangled nets. We come to a stop at a large boat moored at the end of a dock. A crowd of cream, fin-shaped sails, unfurled, flutter in the wind.
The tiger soldier is waiting at the top of the gangplank. "The captain is ready to set sail, General," he says with a tuck of his chin.
"Good. Sith—take the girl to her room."
"Yes, General."
"And remember what I said."
As soon as he turns away, Sith scowls. He lowers his mouth close to my cheek, and I stare ahead with my lips pressed, holding down a shiver as his words unspool silkily in my ear. "You're welcome to try to escape again, pretty girl, but this time it will be the sea's arms waiting to catch you. And I think you'll find them an even crueler embrace than mine." |
No one tells me how long we'll be sailing. I watch for differences in the ocean, scan the horizon for signs of land, any opportunity for escape. But after three days, the rolling slate-blue of the sea still looks identical. And besides, most of the time I'm crouched with my head over a bucket, watching another kind of liquid slop back and forth. I'm so seasick I barely have the energy to worry about what will happen when we arrive at our destination. Resignation is beginning to settle in my bones like a poison, black and slow.
There's no going back now. I'm ready for whatever is coming my way, I tell myself, so many times that I wonder who I'm trying to convince.
Two times a day the General sends a ship hand to bring me food. After I throw up the steamed taro dumplings he serves me one night, the boy sneaks back with a second helping. He's a Moon caste fox-form, probably just a couple of years younger than me. Maybe it's because of his age, or how he can barely look me in the eye, but for whatever reason it's the first time I haven't been completely intimidated by a Moon demon. Over the days I've come to appreciate the lovely umber hue of his fur. How there's something beautiful about the way his jaw is molded, a hard curve tapering to a sharp chin.
"Wait," I say now as he hurries to leave. I don't dare touch the bamboo basket, even though the smell of the dumplings inside makes my mouth water.
The fox-boy stops in the doorway. The white tip of his tail flicks.
"It's just... they'll notice," I continue. "That some food is missing."
He hesitates. Then he says jerkily, "It's my portion."
This simple act, the kindness of it, surprises me so much—especially coming from a Moon caste, willowy vulpine haunches showing beneath his worker's sarong—that I just blurt straight out, "Why?"
Looking over his shoulder, he doesn't quite meet my eyes. "Why what?"
"Why help me? I'm... I'm Paper."
The fox-boy turns back to the door. "So?" he answers. "You need the help more than anyone."
I blink, glad that he's gone before he can see how much his comment has stung. I consider not eating the dumplings out of principle—who needs pity dumplings, anyway? But I'm too weary to hold out for long. Still, his words stay with me. It makes me recall something Mama once told me, when I'd come back from a trip with my father to a neighboring town to collect a batch of rare herbs.
"A fat man threw his banana skin at us!" I told her when we arrived home, indignant, my eyes puffy from crying.
My mother had shared a look with my father before crouching down in front of me, hands cupping my wet cheeks. "Oh, darling," she said, before asking me calmly, "Do you know why?"
I sniffed, my little fists bunched. "He told us we shouldn't be in the same shop as Steels or Moons."
"He was a demon?"
I pouted. "A fat, ugly dog one."
Behind me, Baba snorted—falling quiet quickly at the look my mother gave him.
"Would you like to know a secret?" she said, pulling me closer and tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ears. "A secret so secret not even those who know it are always aware?"
I nodded.
Mama smiled. "Well, despite what they look like, all demons have the same blood as us. Yes, even fat, ugly dog ones. If the gods gave birth to us, why should we be any different? We are all the same really, little one. Deep down. So don't you worry about what the silly man said."
And six-year-old me had nodded, believing her. Trusting in the certainty of her words even if the world was trying to prove me otherwise.
Then—a year later. The claws and fire, the crush and cries.
We might be the same deep down, Paper, Steel, and Moon, but it didn't matter then.
I rub my arms over my pale leaf-thin skin.
And it doesn't matter now.
On the morning of the fifth day at sea, shouts ring out from the deck. Though the words are muffled, stolen by the wind, one reaches me. It flies into my heart on wings both shadowed with fear and bright with relief.
Han. The royal province.
We've arrived.
I scramble to the window. At first I can't see anything, but after a minute the shape of the coast reveals itself, the city nestled in the bay growing clearer as we approach.
The Black Port, Han's famous port city. The dark rock of the surrounding cliffs are what gave it its name, and under the glare of the sun the stone has a sheen to it, making it look almost wet. But what strikes me more is the size of the city. It's bigger than I could possibly have imagined, dense and sprawling, carving a deep line along the coast and backing into the mountainous terrain. Tiers of wooden houses stretch for miles. Their dark walls are stained from the salt-rich air, and their roofs curl upward at the edges like paper that has started to burn.
Mirroring the city, the harbor in front is just as crowded. Thousands of boats cluster in the water, from small fishing tugs with multicolored sails to papaya-shaped boats laden with fruits to round, barrel-like water taxis all in a line, waiting to ferry passengers along the bay, and elegant ships decorated with silk ribbons. We weave through them, drawing close enough to some to make out the individual patterns of their sails, the names scrawled on their sides. There are good-fortune characters, clan insignias, coal-black bull skulls stamped on the scarlet sails of towering military ships.
"You're alive, then. We thought you were so sick you might vomit up your own soul."
I pivot round to see General Yu in the doorway.
I give him a scowl. At least I have a soul.
Before I can speak, he waves a hand, already turning. "Come."
When we emerge onto the deck half a minute later, my hand flies to shade my eyes. After so long inside, the openness of the sky and sea all around stuns me. Everything is luminous. Sun-glazed. As my eyes adjust, I make out our surroundings, from the gaudy-colored sails of the ship docked beside us to the spotted bellies of gulls swooping overhead. The dock is alive with movement. Every gangway, air-walk, bridge, and boat deck swarms with hurrying figures. Unlike at the port in Noei, there are far more demons here—more so than humans—an indication of the province's affluence and power.
I swallow. The sight of so many Steel and Moon castes is an unwelcome reminder of where I am. Who I am.
I hug my arms around myself, feeling exposed in my tatty clothes.
"General," Sith announces, appearing at the top of the gangplank. "The carriage is ready." As he bows, his eyes lift and find me. A smirk plays across his thin lips.
Something hot sparks in my chest as I remember his scaled fingers on me. Glaring, I jut my chin.
"Hurry up, girl," General Yu growls, shoving me forward.
As we make our way down toward the waiting carriage, the fierce sun pricking sweat under my arms, I scan the teeming dock for escape routes. But it's broad daylight in the middle of the busiest port in Ikhara—if I run, I won't get far. And besides, the General's heavy hoof-fall beside me is reminder enough that I have to be obedient.
Sith comes up behind me to my other side, a fraction too close. "Need a hand, pretty girl?"
I jerk away before he can touch me. "Never from you."
Well, obedient doesn't have to mean cowering.
Tien's proud face flashes into my mind. Wah, little nuisance! Look at you, standing up to a demon like your skin is Moon and not Paper.
The thought brings a sad, defiant smile to my lips. I blow out a breath. Then, rolling my shoulders back, I take the last few steps to the carriage, my chin high. Because if this is to be my fate, I'm going to walk boldly into it on my own two feet.
Without any demon claws dragging me forward.
Outside the port city, our carriage joins a long road winding through the flat land behind the mountains. It's filled with strange rock formations, scraggly pines, and tiny white wildflowers clinging to their faces. The dry ground is covered in red dust. The air is thick with it, too, coppery clouds kicked up by the horses. Even though the shutters are pulled down and the covering is drawn tightly across the entranceway, the dust still finds its way inside the carriage, coating my skin in a light layer.
I lick my lips. The dust tastes like how it looks—of rust, and dirt, and endings.
All around us, the thoroughfare is a chaotic whirl of activity. There are men on bear- and horseback. Carts pulled by tusked boars. Huge ground-ships with their sails spread wide. While the busyness makes me shrink farther back from the window, General Yu seems buoyed by the energy and noise, and he leans over to my side, pointing out the crests of notable clans.
"See there? The green-and-white flag? That's Kitori's reptilian clan, the Czo. Exquisite clothes-makers. Even the King has their fabrics imported. And there—that chain of ground-boats belongs to the Feng-shi. Very powerful family from Shomu province." An ornate, silver carriage pulls into place alongside us, and the General notes the insignia. "Ah. The White Wing clan. One of the most powerful bird families in Ikhara. Surely even you must have heard of them?"
I don't give him the satisfaction of admitting I haven't. Velvet curtains are draped across the carriage windows. I'm just turning away when one of the curtains twitches aside, and my gaze locks with the glossy eyes of a swan-form girl. The white feathers covering her skin are so lustrous it's as though they were powdered in pearl dust.
She's so beautiful that I instinctively smile. But the girl doesn't return it. A feather-clad hand touches her shoulder and she releases the curtain, disappearing behind the smooth gold.
"Filthy felines," comes a growl from the General.
I glance round, confused. But he's staring in the opposite direction, his lip furled.
Beyond the other window, a sleek ground-ship is passing by. Marigold sails billow in a presumably magic-enhanced wind. Craning my head to look out, I track the figures stalking the deck. The way they move reminds me of Tien's feline slink, and beneath the cloths wrapped over their mouths I make out the jut of their maws. Cat-forms. My eyes flick to the sails. Each is stamped with three claw-tipped paw prints.
Our carriage gives a kick, hitting a pothole in the road, just as I place the crest.
The Amala, or the Cat Clan, as they're more affectionately known. My father has told me stories about them, not even trying to hide the note of admiration in his voice. Out of all demon clans, the Cat Clan is the one Paper castes feel the most affinity for. They're known for their rebellious nature, uprising and causing trouble wherever they can, especially if it involves annoying the King. I heard they intercepted a wagon carrying crates of the King's pastries from a specialist bakery in Ang-Khen, Baba told me just a few weeks ago, a glimmer in his eyes. When it arrived at the Hidden Palace, they found that a single bite had been taken out of each of the pastries. Every one.
I push down a snigger at the memory. Now, these are demons I can get behind.
As we watch, two men on horseback ride up beside the Amala's ground-ship. Wind billows their long peacock-blue capes, so I can't make out the white brushstrokes that would reveal their clan, but there's something about the elegant manner in which the men ride that invokes royalty. Even though, of course, they can't be. They're human.
One of the Amala's members leans over the edge of the ship, shouting something to the two men, gesturing wildly. They shout back—or at least they seem to from the movement of their heads—before pulling their horses away.
"Who were they?" I ask as the men disappear into the lines of traffic.
General Yu doesn't look round. "The Hannos," he answers distractedly. Something flickers across his face, gone too quickly for me to interpret.
I've heard of the Hannos from my father and Tien, though with none of the warmth in their voices as when they'd spoken of the Cat Clan. The largest Paper caste clan in Ikhara, the Hannos are one of the Demon King's most prominent supporters. When it comes to Paper clans, one of his only supporters.
So why were two of their men talking with one of the King's main opponents?
We ride on, day slipping into night as a steady rain claims the land. Hour after hour, the number of travelers drops away. I stare out the window. A moonless sky hangs vast and heavy over the plains. The air is cool, and with the rain the darkness is complete, viscous, like I could dive right into it. An image comes to me of one of the sky gods: Zhokka, Harbinger of Night. How he'd extend his hand to catch me as I fell toward him, a grin of swallowed starlight widening across his face.
"Eat," commands General Yu suddenly, snapping me from my dark imagining. He hands me a leather flask and a package wrapped in a pandan leaf. "I don't want you fainting from hunger during your inspection at the palace."
I take a grateful bite of the fragrant sticky rice inside, the spices warming my belly. "The magic on this carriage," I begin between chews. I risk a glance at the General. "Was it cast by the royal shamans?"
"Our little village girl has heard of them, huh?"
"Everyone in Ikhara has heard of them."
He grunts. "I suppose. But the way some in the royal palace revere them, as if they are gods... even the Demon King himself acts as though their powers are holy," he adds with a snort.
My brow furrows at the General's dismissal. The royal shamans hold legendary status across Ikhara. Like the Paper Girls, they're a feature of the Hidden Palace whose mystery has been cloaked with layers of gossip and superstition. The story goes that when the Demon King created the Hidden Palace, he ordered his architects to design an impenetrable fortress. His architects told him there could be no such thing—and so the King had them executed. Their replacements were more careful. After many discussions, they suggested a constant dao to be woven into the perimeter wall. No single shaman could do this, but a group of them, constantly at work, might be capable.
Shamans combining power isn't unheard of, but it's usually only a small group working on behalf of a clan or an army, a temporary arrangement. What the King's advisers suggested was a permanent one. A large group taking turns to craft the magic that would live within the palace walls.
"Is it true there're over a thousand shamans in the royal guard?" I ask.
"A thousand? That is nothing, girl. There are many thousand. Which is why I didn't understand—"
The General stops abruptly.
"Didn't understand what?" I prompt.
With a jerky movement, he gestures to the scar splitting his face. It would be an ugly face even without the scar: the wide, flat bull's nose, too large between narrow cheekbones; the heavy-set lower jaw. But the scar twists it into a macabre mask, less demon than monster.
"I received this recently in a battle in Jana," the General scowls, glaring stonily ahead. "I asked the King's permission for one of the royal shamans to heal it, but... he refused. He told me that battle scars are a badge of honor. Of power. That to want to rid myself of one is a sign of weakness. You can imagine the King's reaction when I pointed out that he himself has often used magic on his own scars." A muscle twitches in his neck. "It's not often I am so foolish. I was lucky he only demoted me."
I get a sudden flare of empathy for General Yu—which disappears in an instant as he traces a calloused finger along my cheek.
"That's where you come in."
I draw back. "What do you mean?"
"It's true you are no classic beauty," he muses, looking over me. "You lack the elegance of girls who have grown up in the affluent societal circles. And yet... those eyes. It might just be enough to stir the King's interest." He pauses, expression darkening. "At least, let us hope so. The chosen girls will be arriving at the palace tonight. We'll have to be careful about how we approach Mistress Eira and Madam Himura about you."
I blink. "The selection process is already over?"
"Weeks ago."
"Then, what am I here for?" My voice rises. "What happens if they don't want me?" I grip the edge of the bench, pitching forward. "If they don't, can I go back home—"
"Of course not," the General cuts in. "And you will make sure they want you. I need to get back into the King's favor after the incident with my scar. Sith heard rumors of a human girl with eyes the color of gold, but I didn't quite believe it until I saw you." There's a challenge in his gaze. "Tell me, girl, do you have what it takes to win over the court?"
Anger hardens inside me. So that's what he's bringing me to the palace for? A bargaining chip?
"I don't want to win over the court," I retort.
Nostrils flaring, General Yu seizes my throat. "You are going to try," he snarls, "and you are going to succeed! Or else your family—what pitiful part that's left of it—will be punished. Make no mistake, keeda." He grasps my wrists and yanks them up to my face, fingers digging into my skin. "Their blood will be here. Do you understand me? On your hands."
His words chill me. I wrench away from him, shaking, as horror slinks in an ice-cold flood down my veins.
The General laughs. "You think you're above this. I can see that. But believe me, girl, you are not. Because once you find out what happens to paper gone rotten—when you see what they do to whores who won't play along—you will beg the palace to keep you." His eyes glide past me, to the window. "We're here."
I whip round. Outside, willowy stalks of bamboo trees are flashing past, an ivory-green blur. Eerie sounds fill the forest—the song of owls, rain dripping on leaves, distant calls from animals hidden in the dark. The air is loamy with the smell of wet earth. After hours of empty plains, the closeness of the trees startles me. We're passing through them impossibly fast, and even though there's the snap and sweep of leaves on the carriage's exterior, the noise is muffled. More magic.
"The great Bamboo Forest of Han," the General announces, pride in his voice. "Part of the palace's defenses. Too dense to enter on animal-back, too difficult for an army to traverse. It would take days to tear down a path. Visitors and traders must obtain the correct permits to be granted the daos from the royal shamans that open up this hidden road."
I watch the trees whip past, my eyes wide. After a few minutes, the carriage slows. The horses drop to a canter, then a trot, as the forest opens, and I reel back, eyes even wider than before.
The Hidden Palace of Han.
Fortress of the Demon King.
Black rock as dark as night; walls so high they eclipse the moon. The perimeter of the palace rears up from the earth like some kind of giant stone monster. Far above, the tiny figures of guards pace the parapet. The walls have an unearthly shimmer about them, and as we draw closer, I notice millions of glowing characters ingrained in the marbled stone, swirling and spinning off one another beneath the rain-slicked surface. The low hum of chanting vibrates through the air.
The royal shamans.
Goose bumps prick across my skin. I've never felt magic like this.
"Shut your mouth," General Yu commands. "It's not womanly to stare."
I do as he says, too awed even to be insulted by his comment. The carriage slows to a stop. There's the squelch of footsteps in the mud. Moments later, a rap on the wood makes me start.
A round-faced bear-form guard pulls aside the cover, drops of rain nestling in the tufts of his brown fur. "General Yu! Back from Xienzo already!" He bows. "I hope the heavens smiled upon your journey." When he lifts his head, he blinks at me, ears twitching. "If I may ask, General, who is your guest?"
"Lei-zhi is here to join the court as a Paper Girl," the General replies with an impatient click of his tongue. "I sent two of my men ahead earlier to inform you. I assume you got the message? Or are we to be kept here waiting outside the palace like a couple of lowly street peddlers?"
The guard dips his head. "Of course not, General. One moment. Let me confirm with Gate Master Zhar."
I watch out the window as the soldier, hunched against the rain, crosses to an outpost stationed beside a set of towering doors. The gates are set deep into the wall. To each side stand giant pecalang, the statues sometimes placed outside buildings as protection from evil spirits. Most of the pecalang in my village are small, just tokens, really, hand-sized and easily torn from their plinths in a storm. These ones are enormous. They stand imposing at over twenty feet tall, carved in the likeness of bulls, their faces contorted into snarls that seem so real they snatch my breath away. Stone hands grip flame-lit braziers. As my eyes adjust to the light, I notice more statues lined along the wall. Then I start.
Because these guards are alive.
The hairs on my arms stand up at the sight of hundreds of demons standing flank-to-flank along the perimeter of the palace. They stare fixedly ahead, swords crossed at their chests. The wet flicker of flames reflects in their eyes—demon eyes. Gazelle, snow leopard, lion, boar. So many forms I've never seen before, and each one Moon caste. Buffalo, wildcat, ibex, ape. Cobra, jackal, tiger, rhinoceros. So many forms I've never even dreamed, and the thrum of barely contained strength in each glint of tapered incisor and horn and claw.
I draw back, swallowing.
"Impressive, yes?" the General states, but I don't give him the satisfaction of a reply. Or rather, I don't speak because I can't. It's as though there were hands wrapped over my throat. As though the press of the demons were everywhere.
At a wave from the bear guard, a smaller set of doors beside the main gate draw open. The horses pull us through into a long tunnel. Its ceiling curves low, forming a cocoon of darkness. The chanting of the royal shamans echoes all around, a heavy hum in the air, the unsettling noise vibrating right down to my bones. Then everything goes silent.
There's a flash, like lightning.
A fiery shiver explodes across my skin.
I bite back a cry. The heat is just on the edge of bearable. I spin around but can't see anything that might be causing it. "What's—what's happening?" I stammer, rubbing my hands over my goose-pricked arms.
"We're passing through the shamans' protection," General Yu answers. "If we are not who we say we are, this dao will reveal us to the guards inside. Only the most powerful shaman could weave magic to evade an enchantment like this. I would tell you that you get used to it, but it's not as if you'll ever be leaving." The corners of his lips curve into sharp points. "Welcome to the palace, Paper Girl." |
As we clear the tunnel, the sensation lifts, along with the uneasy silence.
My first impression of the world within the palace grounds is a smell, so sweet it makes my mouth water: night-blooming jasmine. The flowers burst in a fiery-green tangle along the walls. The familiarity of the scent shocks me, and I take in my first look at the palace, gripping the edge of the bench as I lean forward to stare out, half holding my breath.
We're in an enormous square. Braziers illuminate the vast space, shadows deep at its edges, empty except for a guards' pavilion and a row of stables. A couple of guards hurry over as our carriage comes to a stop. The General seems to know them well, and greets them warmly—or at least what constitutes as warmth coming from him—before we continue on.
Now that we're actually here, a strange sense of calm starts to take over me, like a blanket laid gently over something smoldering. I angle myself at the window, trying to get a better view, but the horses pick up the pace. Everything flies by in a blur. I catch only quick glimpses of my new home. Rain-slicked cobbles. The dark rush of gardens at night. Elegant temples with furled roofs, their ornate architectural styles unfamiliar to me. We pass through small courtyards and wide, open spaces; linked squares with bridges arching over water; grand, imposing structures crafted from marble. It stuns me how vast the palace is. Not just a palace really, but a city—a labyrinth of streets, courtyards, and gardens, like the veins and arteries flowing through a giant creature with the King nestled at its core, its own living, beating heart.
I wonder if that heart is as black as I've been told.
After twenty minutes, the horses slow. "This is it," General Yu announces as they draw to a halt. He leans forward to tug aside the curtain at the front of the carriage. "Women's Court."
Massaging the numbness in my legs, I get to my feet and step out into rain and lantern-lit darkness. We're in what looks to be some kind of residential area. Tall walls enclose a web of streets comprised of interlocking houses and covered walkways set on raised platforms. The buildings are ornate, with dark walls of what looks like mahogany and rosewood, glossy under the downpour. Sliding bamboo screens—so delicate compared to the thick doors we have in Xienzo—reveal the backlit silhouettes of figures inside. Porches ring every house, lined with vases of white-petaled orchids and peonies.
My feet slip in the muddy earth as the General leads me down one of the unlit paths at the base of the buildings. He keeps one hand on my shoulder to stop me from bolting. Though even if I knew where to run to, I'm not sure I could. My body seems bound to some unseen current as we move through the unfamiliar space, everything cast in a dreamlike ruby haze from the red lanterns dangling from the curved eaves of buildings, like ripe fruit. Rain-dampened sounds drift out from open windows and doorways above—female voices raised in laughter, plucked zither music, lilting and beautiful.
We stop beside a servants' entrance built into the side of a grand-looking house. The General pulls a rope, sounding a bell.
A few seconds later the door flies open. Light spills into the alley. A young girl of ten or eleven blinks out at us. She has a gentle, moonlike face and round doe eyes, her hair pulled messily back into a lopsided bun. Loose strands unwind around her long, fluted ears. They are the only part of her that suggests she's not Paper; she's a deer-form—Steel, but barely. Lantern light glides across her smooth human skin, a mirror of mine, and an immediate sense of kinship rushes through me. After days in the sole company of demons, I want to hug her, press her soft, bare cheek to mine.
"Oh!" she cries, dropping to the floor in a low bow. "General Yu!"
He barely looks at her. "Fetch Mistress Eira," he commands.
The girl bounces to her feet at once, scuttling back inside the house. Her bun of hair bobs like a doe's stubbed tail, as though trying to help her appear more demon than she is.
I peer after her. Past the doorway, a flight of stairs leads up to a lantern-lit corridor. Voices float down from the rooms beyond, and the air is warm, tea-scented. There's something so welcoming about the house that for a second it's easy to imagine myself walking inside to find Tien and Baba and Bao. The pain is so sharp then that I have to dig my fingernails into my palms just to feel something else.
This is not my home.
Nowhere else ever will be.
We've only been waiting a few minutes before the young girl reappears at the top of the steps, this time with a tall woman at her side.
"Thank you, Lill," the woman says, and the girl scurries off.
The Paper woman turns to us. There's a pause as her eyes settle on me, and then she begins to make her way down the staircase. She moves impossibly lightly, a grace even to how she holds the hem of her plum-colored silk robes—the most exquisite I have seen in my life. They drape round her slim form effortlessly, pattered with silver embroidery and held together at her waist by a wide band of fabric. It's this that jolts my memory to Tien showing me drawings one of our customers once gifted her. The illustrations reflected the styles of women's clothing favored by the central provinces. If I'm remembering correctly, these types of robes are a specific style of hanfu originally worn by the aristocracy of northeastern Shomu.
At the bottom of the stairs, she bows. "General Yu." She stays just beyond the doorway, under the shelter of the house. Her jet-black eyes shine with intelligence, and a serene smile touches her lips. Instincts tell me that this woman was once a Paper Girl herself. Though she looks in her early forties, the bronzed skin stretched over her high cheekbones is as smooth and poreless as a young girl's.
The General inclines his head. "Mistress Eira. I apologize for coming to Women's Court and disturbing you without forewarning. But this matter couldn't wait." He pushes me forward. "May I present Lei-zhi."
The woman's gaze flicks to me at his use of this suffix. She turns back to the General, a hint of something hard-edged in her smile. "How strange that you give her the Paper Girl title," she says, still smiling calmly. "The girls arrived a couple of hours ago—I was just entertaining them myself. Last time I checked, all eight were present."
"I'm aware this is unusual," the General says quickly. "But I hope you'll agree it's for a worthy cause. When I found the girl, and saw how striking her beauty was, I dropped everything to bring her to the palace."
"I assure you, General, our girls are more than striking enough for the King." Folding her palms at her waist, Mistress Eira gives a short bow. "Now, I really must return—"
A bit too roughly, the General seizes my cheeks. He wrests my face up so that light from the stairwell catches my eyes.
Gold upon gold.
She was already half turning away, but in an instant Mistress Eira freezes. Her lips part, and then she presses them firmly closed. Her eyes don't leave mine as she steps in close. Delicate perfume lifts from her skin; rosewater and the sweetly spiced scent of neroli. I blink the water from my eyelashes, trying to keep my gaze steady as she regards me properly for the first time.
"Heavens' blessings, those eyes..." Mistress Eira glances at General Yu. "She really is pure Paper?"
"I assure you, Mistress, her blood is human."
"Her parents?"
"Herb-shop owners from western Xienzo."
"So she has no experience with the court?"
"Unfortunately, not. But she can learn fast. The girl is used to hard work. And look at how striking she is even now, dressed so plainly. Imagine the transformation once you and Madam Himura have worked on her. Once she has been educated in the ways of women." The General's tone turns silky. "And I'm sure you don't need me to remind you of our King's superstitious nature. Imagine how appreciative he might be to receive a girl who is as much a symbol of the heavens' good fortune as one of beauty. It could be the much-needed boost of confidence he needs. Given everything we've been facing lately..." He trails off, and the two of them share a pointed look.
The idea of the Demon King lacking confidence is so opposite to how I've been imagining him. I want to ask more about what things exactly the court has been facing lately, but Mistress Eira's focus pins me in place.
"It's as if Ahla herself smiled down from the heavens as you were born," she muses. It's something I've heard before; many people believe the Moon Goddess had a hand in coloring my eyes. Mistress Eira gives me a gentle smile. "Lei," she asks, "are you sure you are ready for the life of a Paper Girl?"
Behind her, the General's eyes fix on me. I remember his words in the carriage earlier. Their blood will be here. Do you understand me? On your hands.
Tien's face, my father's come to my mind. The way they looked when the General thrust me into the carriage. The way they would look if I gave him reason to act out his threat. Tears prick my eyes. I force out this gruesome image and instead picture them smiling, working, laughing, living.
There is only one answer I can give if I want that for them. So I offer it, even though it breaks my heart, pushing the word from my tongue like a stone.
"Yes."
I knew it even earlier, at the dock in Noei and on the boat to Han, and maybe even before then, from the minute General Yu's eyes met mine in the shop. It was pointless to hope for a different outcome. And, even though it's the slimmest of chances, at least being here in the palace means I might find out what happened to my mother.
Still. The word leaves a bitter flavor in my mouth. It tastes like failure.
Like betrayal.
I swallow it down as Mistress Eira smiles, draping an arm across my back.
"Thank you, General," she tells him. "You were right to bring Lei here. I'll introduce her to Madam Himura right away. Hopefully her reaction will be as positive as mine. We'll be sure to make it known to the King that Lei comes as your personal gift." Bowing one last time, she ushers me into the house.
Before she shuts the door, I look back at the General. His smirk is wider than I've seen it, his eyes bright with triumph.
Mistress Eira leads me to a small, windowless room and asks me to wait, leaving me standing awkwardly in the middle of the floor. Water drips from my soaked clothes onto the polished teak boards. I smooth my hands over my matted hair, trying—and failing—to slow my heart. Even after the long journey here, it doesn't feel real. I'm in the royal palace.
In one of its buildings, the King is waiting.
I don't know when I'll be introduced to him—the horror hits me that it could be tonight—and the palace is so vast he's not likely to be close by. Still, there's something intimate about it, to be inside the palace walls. Perhaps even in a building he's been in once before.
My spine tingles. Hugging my arms, I glance over my shoulder with a ridiculous notion that he could even be standing behind me.
The next time steps sound in the corridor, hard clicks accompany the light footfall of Mistress Eira. A strange, hunched shadow appears behind the sliding door. It's not quite human, too bulky in the shoulders and neck. Instinctively, I back away, readying myself, but I can't help the curl of fear as the door opens and the woman I assume to be Madam Himura enters the room.
Only she isn't just a woman—she is a demon.
An eagle demon.
Eagle-forms are one of the rarest kinds of demon. Like a lot of bird forms, many lost their lives fighting in the Night War, and they've been mostly recruited since as soldiers for the King's army. I've never seen a bird-form up close before, apart from the quick glimpse of the swan-girl on the road out of the Black Port. The first thing I notice are her eyes: two hooded crescents of yellow. Their piercing gaze cuts straight through me. Pearl-white feathers flow down to a hooked beak that pulls her humanoid jaw out of place, so her face is at once familiar but extremely... not. Graphite robes set off the inky plumage that sheathes her body.
"So," she says, glaring at me. "This is what all the fuss is about."
Her voice is hoarse, a croak that seems to come from the back of her throat. She steps closer, revealing the glint of scaled claws from beneath her robes. A taloned hand at the end of one arm—human limbs melded with eagle feathers—clutches the handle of a bone walking stick, but despite the hunched-over way she moves, there's still power there, brimming energy.
"Your age, girl?" she snaps brusquely, making me jump.
I wet my lips. "S-seventeen."
"When were you born?"
"The first day of the New Year."
"An auspicious sign," she muses. "And the moon would have been golden then... Perhaps that is what lent you those eyes."
"Well," I say, my cheeks hot, "it wasn't a demon."
Madam Himura bristles at this. The sleek feathers coating her arms ruffle, seeming to blur her arms into wings as they fan out before settling back against her skin. "Anyone with half a brain can tell your skin is Paper, stupid girl. You even stand like a servant. A demon wouldn't hold themselves in such a way. Besides, the official inspection tomorrow will reveal if you are not who you say you are. You won't be able to hide anything from them, no matter how many enchantments you might have used. Turn!" she commands abruptly.
I do as she says, feeling her stare roam over me.
"Mistress Eira tells me you have no experience whatsoever with the court. No connections that you are aware of."
I shake my head.
In a flash, she jerks forward, clasping my chin in her talons. "You do not answer with crude movements, girl!" Sour breath hits my face. "If I ask you a question, you respond with 'Yes, Madam Himura' or 'No, Madam Himura.' Is that clear?"
I swallow. "Yes, Madam Himura."
"Do you even possess any skills aside from being insolent to your superiors?"
Glowering, I mutter, "I'm good with herbs, and cleaning—"
"Herbs?" She lets out a racking laugh. "Cleaning? We are women of the court. Those are jobs for servants and maids. As a Paper Girl, it's your nu skills—your female skills—you're to cultivate. Are you telling me you have no such talents?" She clacks her beak. "How worthless."
I grind my teeth to hold back a retort. Those are the skills my parents and Tien taught me. Skills that are surely more worthwhile than knowing how to entertain a King.
Madam Himura cocks her head, appraising me coolly. She makes a strange, almost purring sound at the back of her throat. "Ah. I see. You think you're better than this. Well, just wait until your lessons start. You'll see how hard such skills are to master." Her eyes narrow. "Despite what you think, I see the hunger in you. The desire to prove yourself. Your qi fire is strong—perhaps too strong. We'll have to keep careful watch, or it might end up burning all you touch." With barely a pause, she snaps, "Are you pure?"
"Pure?"
"Sex. Your nu core. Have you allowed a man to enter you?"
My face flushes. Considering what I'm here for, her frank language shouldn't be a surprise. But Tien has only ever broached the subject with me in a half joking manner, and my father certainly never mentioned it. I'd been working in the shop full time since Mama was taken, so I wasn't able to keep up with girls my own age. If things had been different, maybe I'd have already spent a few years giggling with friends about love and lust. Instead, those thoughts were secret ones. Feverish dreams in the middle of velvety nights.
I drop my eyes from the eagle-woman's fierce gaze. "No," I reply truthfully.
I sense her watching me, perhaps searching for a lie. A glimmer of hope rises in my belly—because maybe if she doesn't believe me, she'll order General Yu to take me back. But I shove the idea away, remembering his threat.
Finally, Madam Himura turns to Mistress Eira. "Fetch Lill," she orders. "Have her bring soap and clean clothes. A plain hanfu set will suffice."
We wait in silence. I want to ask what's going on, but from the eagle-woman's stance I can tell she expects me to stay quiet. Mistress Eira returns a minute later with the same doe-form maid who opened the door to the General and me. The girl gives me a grin—which disappears as soon as Madam Himura rounds on her.
"Clean and dress Lei," she commands with a jab of her cane, "then bring her to join the rest of the girls." Without a backward glance, she moves toward the door, taloned feet clicking.
"Wait!" I shout. It's out before I can help it. Madam Himura swirls round, and I recoil at the cutting glare she gives me. "I mean, Madam Himura... does this mean I'm one of the Paper Girls now?"
The eagle-woman scowls. "You'd better not be so dense in your classes," she snaps before leaving the room.
But Mistress Eira offers me a smile. "Yes, Lei-zhi. It does."
She slides the door shut behind her, but I keep staring at the place she had stood. The air is solid in my lungs, my throat filled with rocks. I run my tongue over my dry lips.
The young maid beams at me like this is the best news anyone could receive. "Congratulations, Mistress!" she sings. "You must be so happy!"
Her words pull a rough laugh from my throat. Me, a mistress. And to be congratulated for... this. Whatever this will turn out to be. And then I'm rounding my back on her, hiding my face with my hands to stifle the manic laughter that's pouring out of me even as tears arrive to accompany them, hot and wet, leaking out of me just as uncontrollably. Everything that's happened over the past few days seems to drain from my body as it finally hits me.
I'm here. In the royal palace.
And I will be staying here if I want to keep Baba and Tien safe.
If I want to keep them alive. |
A wooden tub is brought to the room and filled with warm, fragranced water. While she bathes me, Lill quizzes me about my life before the palace, questions tumbling from her mouth so quickly I barely finish answering one when the next comes. Which province am I from? Do I have siblings? What's it like to be Paper caste? Is my mother as beautiful as I am?
I'm not used to being naked in front of someone else, but Lill acts like it's nothing, as direct with her work as with her questions. She dunks a sponge into the water and scrubs it over me before dragging a comb through my knotted hair. Eventually, her chatter starts to put me at ease. She reminds me of Tien, albeit a younger and far less bossy version. And after my long journey to the palace, it's impossible to deny the pleasure of warm water on my skin. The bathwater is soon muddy, while my skin has done the opposite, the grime and sweat-gray sheen that has accumulated over the past few days shed with each stroke of the sponge, until I am revealed anew, baby pale and as polished as a coin.
Afterward, Lill dresses me in simple taupe-colored robes similar to Madam Himura's hanfu, though the design and material is far plainer and the sash is slimmer. "You'll only wear this type of hanfu on days you don't have to leave the house," she explains.
"The design of Mistress Eira's robes are beautiful," I say as her deft fingers adjust the cerulean sash at my waist. "Am I right that their style is originally from Shomu?"
Lill nods. "It's the traditional dress of the White Wing Clan themselves."
"So why is it worn here in Han?"
"Well, I don't know if this is true exactly, but legend has it that the original Bull King fell in love with one of the clan lord's daughters. He admired the clothing style she wore so much that he had it adopted here in Han, and Rain and Ang-Khen too."
Of course. Forced assimilation. Just another of the wonderful things to come from the Night War two hundred years ago.
Lill's doe ears quiver as she steps back to assess her work. "You'll see, Mistress. Food, architecture, art, music... all the most beautiful things in Ikhara can be found in the palace. Like you!"
I grimace at this, but she doesn't seem to notice. "Speaking of that," I say. "What are they like? The other girls?"
"Oh, beautiful, too, of course. But they're going to be so jealous when they see you. No Paper Girl has ever been blessed with eyes like yours." She picks up my dirty clothes, adding, "Wait here, Mistress. I'll just throw these away."
I nod, distracted. Blessed. The word rings even more hollow tonight. My eyes are the reason I've been ripped from my home. Just like the original Bull King spying something so beautiful that he claimed it for his own. They're not a blessing—they're a curse.
And then I remember.
"Wait!" I say, lurching after her. Lill blinks as I reach into my trouser pocket, drawing out the familiar egglike object inside.
She smiles up at me. "Your Birth-blessing pendant!"
Its gold casing gleams in the lantern-light. Ever since I was young I've kept it with me, worn it as a necklace, something comforting about its weight against my chest bone.
"When does it open?" Lill asks, eager, as I loop it around my neck and tuck it under my robes.
"In six months," I mutter.
Her eyes light up. "Maybe your fate is love, Mistress—with the King! What an honor that would be!"
And her look is so hopeful I have to turn away.
When Tien told me how many families see great honor in their daughters being chosen, I couldn't understand it. Honor is in family, in hard work and care and love, in a small life well lived. Yes, sometimes I've wished for more. Grumbled at Tien's bossing about, at the long, tiring days of shop life. Dreamed of starlit nights of adventures and a world outside the village and a love so bold it sets my heart alight. But always my future was framed in the safe arms of Xienzo. Of my family. Of my home.
A few minutes later, Lill leads me through the muted house, sounds of daily life muffled behind the painted doors. Dark wood corridors shine with polish. The paneled walls are draped with batik silks and delicate paintings. Every inch of the house drips with elegance. Even the air seems rich somehow, clean and perfumed.
We reach a set of sliding screen doors. Raised voices sound from within.
"Nine girls?" a thin, reedy voice declares. "Nine? It makes no sense! It's eight. It's always been eight. That's the tradition."
"Continue this way, Blue, and I shall gladly throw you out to return the group to its original number."
"I'd like to see you try, Madam Himura. You know the power my father holds in the court. I don't think he'd take kindly to you casting me out."
"Who's that?" I whisper to Lill.
"Mistress Blue," she replies. "Her father, Lord Ito, is very famous. He's one of the only Paper caste members of the court." As the voices die down, she asks, "Are you ready to go in, Mistress?"
I take a slow inhale, then nod.
Lill gives me an encouraging smile. Then, sliding the door open, she announces with a bow to the room beyond, "Presenting Mistress Lei-zhi!"
The scents hit me first: incense from joss sticks and burners; the delicate fragrance of chrysanthemum tea. Maids in pastel-colored robes drift round, pouring the tea from porcelain pots with graceful curves of their wrists, and even they would be intimidating if they had walked into my parents' shop. But compared with who they're serving, their presence fades.
The Paper Girls.
Kneeling round a low table in the center of the room, they cut striking figures draped in vivid, lustrous fabrics, like a collection of living jewels. I take them in one by one. There is a girl with the bronzed, almost russet-brown skin common in the Southern provinces, draped in vibrant orange robes that remind me of the sarongs we have in the North, her raven hair twisted into a plait threaded with beads. At her sides are a stern-looking girl with a sharp, bobbed haircut at odds with her curvaceous figure, and a petite girl in an ice-blue dress. Opposite them sits a sweet-faced girl with rust-colored hair, dense clusters of freckles adorning her nose and cheeks. She gives me a nervous smile as our eyes meet. A pair of twins kneel next to her, pale-faced and straight-backed, like identical dolls, their lips drawn in a berry color to match their modern, high-collared dresses, so figure-hugging it pulls a blush to my cheeks.
Then I notice a girl set apart from the group. Unlike the rest, she's sitting almost casually, long legs folded to the side. Her draped skirt and blouse are tailored from a velvety ink-black fabric shimmering with intricate embroidery, like a star-dusted night. Wavy hair cascades to her waist. Even the maids have been openly staring since I came in, but this girl is still facing away, gazing over her shoulder with a bored expression. A slight pout puckers her darkly glossed lips. Just when I'm about to turn away, she looks round.
Our eyes catch. At least, that's what it feels like—a physical hold. She returns my gaze with a look so intense it roots me to the spot before her curved, catlike eyes flick away.
"This is her? This is the irresistible Nine?"
A high voice cuts through the quiet. It's the girl we heard outside, Blue. She's tall, even standing next to Madam Himura, with narrow shoulders and glossy azure-black hair, straight and smooth. Her features match the sharpness in her voice, angled cheekbones like two blades and narrow eyes shadowed with paint glinting out from beneath blunt bangs. The front of her emerald dress dips daringly low, revealing a flat triangle of alabaster skin.
"Well," she says, wielding her voice like a scythe. "If she hadn't been announced, I'd have mistaken her for the maid."
Her high laugh rings out—cutting off abruptly as Madam Himura slaps her.
The room falls silent.
Blue's head is twisted to the side. She holds it stiffly, her shoulders jerking with shallow breaths, dark hair hiding her face.
Despite her hunch, Madam Himura seems to double in size as she glares down her beak at Blue, her feathers ruffled. "I know who your father is, girl. After you were chosen, he came to me to ask that I don't treat you any differently because of his status. So you'd better give me the respect I'm owed." As Blue's cheeks flush, the eagle-woman's gaze sweeps over the room. "That goes for all of you. No matter your background, whether you have grown up with all or nothing, here you are all on the same level. And that level is beneath me." She jabs her cane in my direction. "Now, welcome Lei-zhi in the proper manner."
The girls drop into bows, Blue a fraction slower than the rest.
"I have already explained why she's here," Madam Himura continues. "I don't expect to repeat myself. Mistress Eira will show you to your sleeping quarters and instruct the maids to attend you. Tomorrow you have your assessments. Be ready for when I come for you."
"Yes, Madam Himura," the girls recite.
I hurry to echo them. When I look round, I catch Blue watching me, her eyes shining darkly.
Mistress Eira takes us to our private quarters on the northeast side of the house. She explains that the building we're in, Paper House, is where we will live during our year as the King's concubines. Her and Madam Himura's rooms are also to be found here, along with the maids' dormitory and a variety of parlors, kitchens, and entertaining rooms. Paper House is in the center of Women's Court, flanked to the north and east by gardens and to the south and west by other buildings: suites for the women of the court, as well as bathhouses, tearooms, and shops.
Our bedrooms run off a long corridor. Though immaculately kept, the rooms aren't what I was expecting. They're bare, furnished simply with a sleeping mat and a shrine stocked with joss sticks and a charcoal fire to burn them. Not exactly rooms to host a King. Then I shudder. Because where instead will that take place?
"This isn't very private," Blue sniffs, trailing a manicured nail along the edge of a door, which is barely more than a few thin pressed sheets of rice paper. Light from the hallway shines right through them.
"It isn't meant to be," replies Mistress Eira. "Your lives belong to the court now, girls. The sooner you understand that, the better."
Her voice is kind, but Blue scowls at her.
As Mistress Eira answers a question from one of the other girls, the pretty freckled girl I noticed earlier slips in beside me, offering a hesitant smile. She looks young—too young really to be here—with a round face framed with short auburn hair and luminous opal-green irises. Their shade is the exact color of the fields outside our village, rich and vibrant after the monsoon rains, and I return her smile, fighting the stab of homesickness that shoots through me.
"It's to stop us from taking lovers, isn't it?" the girl whispers, gesturing to the doors.
"I guess so."
"Not that I'd know." Her freckled cheeks grow pink. "I haven't ever had one. A lover, I mean! Not a bedroom. Though even that I shared with my sisters. Have you—have you had one?" she adds, breathless.
I lift my brows. "A bedroom?"
"No!" she giggles. "A lover."
I shake my head, and her face relaxes.
"I'm glad I'm not the only one. Mistress Eira told me I'm the youngest here. I just turned sixteen last week. I thought I'd be the only one without any, um, experience." She leans in, earnest. "I mean, I know we're not supposed to do anything before we're married anyway, but some of my sisters have done... things. And not just kissing." She lets out another nervous laugh, hiding her mouth behind her hands. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Aoki."
"I'm—"
"Lei. I know. The ninth girl." Her eyes shift to the crown of azure-black hair at the front of the group as she adds under her breath, "Though maybe not for long. I don't know how much longer she'll last if she continues talking to Madam Himura that way." Aoki flashes a quick grin. "Can't say I'd be sad to see her go."
I laugh, stopping quickly when the other girls look around.
Mistress Eira shows us to our rooms, instructing us to wait for our maids. My room is at the end of the corridor, opposite Aoki's. I step inside slowly while she practically dances into hers.
"I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep!" she calls from across the hall. "Isn't this so exciting?"
I make a noncommittal murmur.
She takes a few steps forward, fingers twined together at her waist. "Do you maybe want to wait with me? We can leave the doors open so your maid knows where you are, and—"
"I'm going to rest for a bit," I cut in. "Sorry, I'm just so tired."
Disappointment flickers over her face. "Oh. All right."
The instant I shut my door, my smile drops. I stand awkwardly in the center of the room, loosening a long exhale. It looks just the way I feel—bare, stripped apart. For the first time since waiting for Madam Himura's inspection, I am alone, and as I'm finally able to let go of the pretense, the forced smiles and chatter, everything else drains from me, too.
I loop the room, running my fingers along the walls. Back in our shop-house, I knew all the knots in every wood panel. Each kink and nick and stain had a history, a memory attached to it. You could read my childhood in the fabric of the building. But here, it's all blank.
Or—not quite. I lift my fingertips back to the wall. Even recently, this room must have belonged to a previous Paper Girl. And others before. The Paper Girl tradition has been going on for hundreds of years. The walls might be clear of my own memories, but they are dense with layers upon layers of other girls' memories, a whole story—a whole saga—of lives that came before.
I rest my forehead to the wood. There's something comforting in knowing other girls were here before me, and survived. What was she like, the previous girl to live here? What did she feel on her first night in this room? What dreams did she dream here?
My stomach gives a kick.
What dreams of hers were lost?
At the sound of the door opening, I spring back from the wall. Lill rushes in. She's grinning and breathless, her uniform rumpled. "Mistress Eira is making me your maid!" she exclaims. "We were one short, and I've been wanting to progress from a housemaid for the last year! I've just given my eighty thanks to the heavenly masters but I still can't believe it!"
Her smile is infectious. "Then I'd better bow to you," I say, my lips twitching. I kneel, a bit awkwardly in my robes, flattening my palms on the floor. "How may I be of service, Mistress Lill?"
She erupts into giggles. "Oh, please don't! Madam Himura will have a heart attack if she sees!"
I look up with a smirk. "All the more reason to do it."
As Lill gets me ready for bed, the fear and unease start to shift, the pressure on my ribs unknotting just a little. I didn't imagine making friends here, but Lill and Aoki and Mistress Eira have given me hope that things might be different.
On the way to the palace, I was prepared for sadness. For tears. For having to do things I don't want to, and many more I am terrified of. For pain. For homesickness. As the hours went by in the carriage and then during that seemingly endless boat journey, I prepared myself for all the things that I could possibly find within the palace walls.
The one thing I didn't prepare for was kindness.
And yet somehow, kindness, these light exchanges with Aoki and Lill... it still feels wrong, like the worst kind of betrayal. My father and Tien must be heartbroken that I'm gone. And here I am, able to smile. To laugh, even.
That night, lying under the unfamiliar coolness of silk sheets, I cup my Birth-blessing pendant to my chest. It's the only thing I have with me from home. Squeezing my eyes shut against the sting of the tears, I picture Baba and Tien in the house, how they might be coping, and it breaks something deep within me. The word itself—home—is a blade in my gut.
It's a call, a song. One I can't answer anymore.
On nights when I couldn't sleep back in Xienzo, I used to lie exactly the same way I'm lying now, hands over my heart, my pendant safely nestled in the curve of my palms. I would pass the time by imagining what word could be hidden inside, and there was something comforting in it. The idea of being looked after, almost. A promise of a future so beautiful I couldn't even dream it yet.
But on the occasional night, my mind would fill the darkness with words just as black. Because whatever I want to believe, it is possible that my pendant holds a future I will not be grateful to receive.
And tonight that's never felt more likely. |
When the gong sounds the next morning, I've already been up for hours.
It was the nightmare again. The kind you can't banish with assurances that it's all make-believe. That you can't wake from and let the bright sureness of your life slowly melt the darkness away. This was the kind of nightmare whose monsters you can never outrun, that are still there when you open your eyes.
The worst kind of nightmare, because its monsters are real.
It hit me hard and fast, almost as soon as I'd closed my eyes, thrusting me straight into the fire and screaming. The roar of demon soldiers. Fragments of memory, barely smudged by age: the way Mama cried my name; splashes of blood on the floor, as vivid as paint; the bodies I tripped over trying to get back to my parents.
Afterward—only returning home with one.
I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep after the nightmare, so I spent the rest of the night pacing the small rectangular patch of my room, feet almost silent on the soft bamboo mat floor, until my pulse returned to normal and my breathing slowed. And as I paced, a new idea started to emerge: that maybe it's a sign that on my first night in the palace I dreamed of Mama. Here I am, so far from home, in a place where she could have also been.
Instead of sleeping, I take one slow lap of my room after another. Did the soles of her feet kiss the ground here, too, once? There's got to be some way I can find out more about her while I'm in the palace. Someone who might know what happened to her. If nothing else good can come from being here, at least I might be able to get some closure about that.
How incredible would it be to be taken from one half of my family only to find the other half here on the opposite side of the kingdom?
As the morning starts to fill with the sounds of daily life, I move to the window. Outside, the sun is rising, burning away the last scatters of raindrops from the night's storm. My room looks out over the northeast side of Women's Court. I'd been imagining small gardens from what Mistress Eira told us last night, but the daylight reveals them to be vast, an undulating landscape filled with trees and ponds and lush wildflower meadows. Winged roofs of pagodas poke through the treetops. The grounds stretch so far into the distance that the palace walls are barely visible, but my gaze is still drawn to them: a severe line of black, like an angry brushstroke blotting the horizon.
A flock of birds scatter into the air. I follow their wheeling formation over the trees before they fly beyond the wall.
I turn from the window, a sour taste in my mouth. It doesn't matter how beautiful the cage is. It's still a prison.
There's a tap on the doorframe. Lill bounds in a second later, far more excitable than is decent for this time of day. "Good morning, Mistress! Did you sleep well?"
"Pretty well," I lie.
She beams. "Great! Because you've got a busy day ahead. We need to start getting ready." She clasps my hand and pulls me out of the room, leading me down the corridor. "First stop—the bathing courtyard."
"Um... I usually bathe at the end of the day. You know, after I've had time to get dirty?"
She sighs and says as if it were obvious, "Paper Girls wash in the mornings. It's one of the rules. Mistress Eira says it's symbolic. Something about purifying yourself for the day ahead. Getting rid of negative qi from bad dreams."
Thinking of last night, I repress a grim laugh. I'd need a whole lake for that.
We turn the corner to the bathing courtyard, a rush of hot air instantly moistening my skin. I raise my hand against the sun as we step down into a sunken courtyard dotted with big wooden barrels. Fronds of swaying bamboo line the walls. I pick up the scents of sweet rosewater and ylang-ylang, the ocean tang of seaweed, and homesickness darts through me as the fragrances take me back to my herb shop.
Through the steam, I notice that some of the tubs are already occupied. Most of the girls are submerged up to the neck, but when they move, they reveal flashes of skin that draw my eyes—the naked curve of a breast, the slope of a thigh.
I drop my eyes quickly to the floor and keep them trained on my feet as we cross the courtyard. Nakedness must be something everyone from affluent families is used to. Most of these girls probably had maids since they were young. Maybe they had places like this in their own houses, instead of a tiny room downstairs at the back of a shop-house where you had to use a sponge and water heated from a kettle to clean yourself, crouched in a corner so water wouldn't spill under the door.
Thankfully, Lill brings me to a barrel tucked into a corner that's well hidden by the clouds of steam. I shrug off my night robe before she can help, then practically dive into the tub.
"Don't worry, Mistress," she giggles when I emerge, peeking my head up above the water. "You'll get used to it."
Once we're back in my room, she dries my hair with a towel before dressing me in simple midnight-blue robes. Lill is just crouching at my feet, helping me into the socklike indoor slippers the women here wear to keep their soles smooth, when the clicks of talons sound in the hallway.
"Hurry up!" Madam Himura calls. "The others are waiting."
With one last encouraging look from Lill, I lift my chin and step out into the hall—and immediately trip.
I flail sideways, throwing a hand to the wall to catch myself. A few of the girls titter.
"It's... the shoes," I mumble, righting myself. "I'm not used to them."
"Of course you aren't," Madam Himura says. With a sigh, she turns, motioning for us to follow her. Even the snap of her cane manages to sound disapproving.
Aoki comes over as soon as she's gone, lacing an arm through mine. "I'm struggling with them, too," she whispers. "It's weird to have your feet all squashed like this. My sisters would laugh so much if they could see."
Most of the other girls have left, but Blue hangs back. "Perhaps it's good you're here after all, Nine," she says silkily. "You make even little Aoki here look graceful."
I make a rude gesture with my hands when her back is turned, and Aoki suppresses a laugh.
After some more stumbling, Aoki and I catch up with the girls. We're taken to the same parlor we were in last night. A set of sliding doors has been opened, letting in sunlight and the sound of leaves rustling in the garden beyond. Madam Himura leaves us without explanation. We wait until the rap of her talons has faded away before erupting into anxious whispers.
"I wish I knew what the assessments are," Aoki says, chewing her bottom lip. Around us, the other girls are speculating on the same topic. "Nothing too physical, I hope. I... I have some scars." Her emerald eyes shimmer. "Lei, do you think they'll send me home because of them? I can't be thrown out before I've even met the King!"
I take her hand and give it a squeeze. "I'm sure you'll be fine, Aoki. They chose you. They want you here."
"But what if they've changed their minds? Maybe now that they've seen me with the other girls they've realized they made a mistake picking me. Maybe—"
"Tell me about the selection process," I interrupt, realizing she's on the verge of a meltdown. "How does it work?"
She blinks. "Haven't you followed any of the selections?"
I shrug. "My village doesn't pay much attention to the court. It's just... so far away." I don't add the other reason—that we don't want anything to do with it. That what the King gets up to isn't important to us, as long as he leaves us alone.
"I thought everyone in Ikhara follows them!" Aoki exclaims, and seeming to forget her nerves, she launches into a thorough explanation.
I learn that the selection for Paper Girls begins on the first day of the third month each year. The process is split into two halves. The first, which runs for six weeks, invites families to bring their eligible daughters—Paper caste, of course, and at least sixteen years old by the time they would be inducted in the palace—to the court representatives in their province. The representatives evaluate candidates based on their ancestry, social standing, and nu skills, as well as their appearance. Scouts also travel throughout Ikhara to find suitable girls whose families didn't put them forward. The number discovered this way is surprisingly high.
Or perhaps not so surprising. Most Paper castes aren't exactly the King's biggest fans.
Once the six weeks are up, the representatives put forward their recommendations, shortlisting one hundred girls. The King is shown the selection to allow him to rule out any he deems unsuitable, and occasionally, to highlight ones he particularly likes the look of. A final thirty girls are invited to Han's capital for a presence with delegates from the royal court.
Aoki tells me her family are rice-paddy farmers in a remote part of eastern Shomu. The banquet was her first time out of the fields. "I wasn't myself at all, which is probably why they liked me. My quietness must have come across as dignified. But really I was just keeping my mouth shut so I didn't throw up! None of us could believe it when a royal messenger delivered my letter of acceptance—sealed by the King himself. I still can't believe it," she adds, her thick lashes tilted down. "I keep waiting for someone to tell me it's all been a joke."
"Don't say that. You earned your place here. Just like the others."
She grins. "You did, too, Lei! You're extra special for them to make such a big exception for you."
I bristle at the idea that I should be honored to be here. But the look she gives me is so earnest I swallow my retort.
Just then, the door opens, a maid announcing Madam Himura's return. In an instant, the room falls quiet.
The eagle-woman waves a hand irritably. "Blue," she croaks from the doorway. "You're first."
Blue rises to her feet with a look that says, Of course I am.
I didn't think Madam Himura would take long to come back, but two hours pass before the next girl is called, and another two until the next. Maids come in to serve us lunch, which I practically wolf down without chewing. It's been a long time since my last proper meal and the palace food is delicious. Some of the dishes are recognizable to me, if far more delicate than how I've tasted them before: steaming bowls of coconut rice jeweled with pomegranate seeds; marinated eel slices; a whole roasted duck glistening with dark sauce. But far more are unfamiliar, and even though my stomach rounds, I make sure I try at least one mouthful of everything.
By the evening, the superior-looking girl with the catlike eyes and I are the only ones left.
"Best till last, right?" I say when we've been sitting in silence for over an hour.
Cat-girl doesn't reply, watching me with her haughty look before turning pointedly away.
Uncomfortable silence it is, then. Glaring down at my plate, I stab at a sugared glutinous rice-ball a bit too aggressively. The little cake skids off the plate and plops onto the floor.
A snort of laughter.
I look up to find Cat-girl watching, eyebrows arched, her lips tucked up. Then, seeming to remember herself, her expression returns smoothly to neutral. "The chopsticks here must be different from the ones in Xienzo," she says coolly.
It's the first time I've heard her speak. Her voice is lower than I expected, and husky. It carries the elegant intonation of an aristocratic family. Lilting vowels, slow pacing.
"Yes," I mutter under my breath. "The ones here seem to be used as sticks up everyone's—"
Her eyes glide back to me. "What was that?"
"Nothing!" I sing, and luckily Madam Himura chooses that moment to return, calling finally for me.
I leave without saying good-bye to Cat-girl. Madam Himura leads me to a small room, a high, bare table in its center. A tall figure stands beside it with his back to us, and I catch an animal scent, something musty and sharp.
Nerves ripple through me.
"Doctor Uo," Madam Himura says, pushing me forward. "The next girl is here."
I force myself to stand steadily as the doctor turns, fixing me with a beady-eyed stare. He's a boar demon, Moon caste. Two short tusks grow from either side of a snoutlike nose. His skin is coated in tawny-colored hair, wizened with age, and a pair of jade spectacles perch at the end of his nose.
"Lei-zhi is the one I told you about, Doctor," Madam Himura continues. "This year's additional girl. Since she didn't go through the official selection process, please be sure to inspect her even more thoroughly."
The doctor's nostrils twitch. "Of course, Madam." His voice is as scratchy-sounding as his hair looks. As Madam Himura moves aside, he steps closer, hunching to bring his face in line with mine. Then, before I can process what he's doing, he reaches out and tugs my sash free.
My robes loosen. The doctor pulls to open them and I grapple against him to keep them shut, the blood rushing in my ears.
"W-what's going on?" I gasp, looking past the doctor to where Madam Himura is settling herself in the corner of the room, a scroll unfurled on the floor in front of her.
"Stop struggling, girl," she commands, not even glancing from her reading. A maid crouches in front of her, lifting a teapot. "Let the doctor inspect you."
"But—"
"Navya! Go help."
Jumping up, the maid rushes over. "Please, Mistress," she pleads, clasping my arms. "The doctor won't hurt you."
But I continue to struggle as the robes are ripped from my body, first the outer layer, then the inner. The maid is Steel caste, like Lill—most of the servants here are—and even though her jackal eyes are kind and she doesn't seem to enjoy herself as she helps the doctor undress me, my face burns with humiliation at my disrobing by two demons. It's as though I'm somehow doubly unclothed in their presence, lacking in robes and demon adornments, and I feel very clearly in this moment what it means to be a Paper caste. To have a body sheathed in something so delicate and easily damaged.
"On the table," the doctor orders.
Head low, tears stinging my eyes, I do as he says.
"Hold her."
The maid pins my arms down, though she needn't bother. I lie still from then on no matter how private the places the doctor touches are, Mistress Eira's words from last night playing in my mind.
Your lives belong to the court now, girls. The sooner you understand that, the better.
Lying there on the doctor's table, the dark truth of what she said hits me. It makes me imagine another time I might be lying naked for a demon, and the horror is so real then that I have to clamp my eyes shut, wish myself away.
When the inspection is finally over, I sit up and wrap my arms around my body. Tears leak from the corners of my eyes. The doctor moves away, but the young maid hovers nearby, watching me with her chin tipped down, hands clasped in front of her.
"Get dressed," Madam Himura snaps. Her feathers rustle as she gets to her feet. "We don't have all night."
The rest of the assessments pass in a blur. There are a fortune-teller's analysis and a meeting with the court's most reputable astrologer, and a royal shaman checks for any magic I might have used to change my appearance. There's also another doctor's examination, though this time by a qi doctor, who, thankfully, doesn't require me to take my clothes off.
It's past midnight by the time I get back to my room, so I'm surprised to find Lill waiting for me. She leaps up to hug me the second I walk through the door. "I was so worried!" she cries.
"Has something happened?" I ask, untangling from her. The tone of my voice is hollow. Just as I feel.
Her doe ears drop. "I—I thought you'd have heard, Mistress. One of the girls... she didn't come back from her inspection. She must have used an enchantment on herself during the selection process and the royal shaman found out. Apparently it's happened before, but not for many years." She adds shakily, "You were taking so long I got worried that something had happened to you, too."
"They were just extra thorough with my assessments," I explain. I think of Aoki. Cat-girl. "Which girl was it?"
"Mistress Rue. The girl from Rain. She seemed nice."
A hazy memory returns to me from last night of a pale petite girl in an ice-blue dress. She had seemed shy, not meeting anyone's eyes, but I noticed the quiet dignity in the way she held herself, her humble demeanor.
My belly knots. I didn't even get a chance to speak to her.
Though I'm not sure I want to know the answer, I wet my lips and ask, "What's going to happen to her?"
"Nothing good," Lill says, long lashes hiding her eyes as her gaze drops, and I somehow know that we will never hear of Rue again. |
I thought blue might stop calling me Nine now that our numbers have dropped back down to the usual eight, but it's the first thing she does when I arrive in the bathing courtyard the following morning.
"You let me down, Nine," she says, thin lips curving. "I bet the others you'd be the one to be thrown out."
I stiffen. Lill tugs on my elbow. "Ignore her, Mistress," she mumbles. She tries to pull me onward, but I don't move.
Blue is lying back in her tub, arms slung over its sides. Her collarbones are as sharp as a pair of featherless wings, stretched across her narrow chest like a necklace, and her breasts below—which she exposes without any hint of self-consciousness—are just as pointed.
Blue is all angles. Mind and body.
I meet her eyes with my own narrowed. "I hope you didn't bet a lot. From what Madam Himura said, it doesn't sound like your father will help you with your debts."
The easy chatter of the courtyard drops in an instant. The only sounds are the coos of birds nesting in the eaves, the splash of water as the other girls shift uncomfortably.
Blue's lip curls. "Don't pretend to know anything about my life. What could an herb-shop owner's daughter from Xienzo know? Especially one whose own mother left her family to become a whore."
Her words hit me like a slap.
"What did you say?"
"News travels fast in the palace, Nine. Better get used to it." She rises out of the barrel, wearing her nakedness proudly, like armor, eyeing me with a stare that dares me to look away. "It's a shame your mother didn't stick around," she adds, picking a bathrobe from the nearest maid and wrapping it around her slim frame. "I bet she'd be so proud to see her daughter following in her footsteps."
And then I'm running at her, snarling, my fingers flexing as though they could grow claws. I'm inches away from scraping her face off—that horrible, smug face, how dare she—when there's a blur of movement at my side. Before I can react, a pair of arms encircle me, pulling me off my feet.
"Let go!" I yell, kicking out, but the girl's grip is strong. She pins me against her, one elbow hooked at my waist, the other across the front of my body. A scent unfurls from her skin: something fresh, oceanlike.
Somehow I know it's Cat-girl.
Blue's face, shaken for a moment, settles quickly back into a sneer. "Well," she says, fixing the tie of her bathrobe. "That's no way for a Paper Girl to behave."
"Enough, Blue," Cat-girl snaps. "Before Madam Himura or Mistress Eira hear."
I expect Blue to shoot back a scathing comment, or at least take offense at the way Cat-girl spoke to her. But after glaring at me a while more, she shrugs. "I suppose you're right. No point wasting their time over something so petty."
My hands wrap into fists. "Calling my mother a whore isn't petty!" I shout.
Blue rounds on me again, then stops at the look Cat-girl gives her. With a toss of her hair, she stalks back into the house, leaving a trail of wet footprints across the courtyard's boarded floor.
As soon as Cat-girl releases me, I whirl around to face her. "You should've let me claw her face off!" I growl.
She regards me coolly. "Perhaps." Then she turns to leave, pausing first to add, "I am getting tired of that sneer."
The comment—almost humorous—disarms me, and I watch her go in silence. Damp hair cascades in a tousle to the low dip of her back. Her bathrobe has come off one shoulder to reveal a curve of smooth tanned skin, rosy-brown. I gave her the nickname Cat-girl because of the shape of her eyes, the keen, feline intelligence in them. But the way she moves is catlike, too. My eyes track her shifting hips, an unfamiliar warmth turning my belly.
"Mistress!" Lill grabs my arm, making me start. "Are you all right?"
"What's that girl's name?" I ask distractedly.
She follows my gaze. "Oh, Mistress Wren? I thought you might have heard of her already."
This makes me look round. "Why?"
"Mistress Wren is the daughter of Lord and Lady Hanno."
I recall the two blue-caped men on horseback I saw on the road to the palace. No wonder Blue listens to Cat-girl. If she really is a Hanno, the most powerful Paper caste clan in the kingdom—and daughter of their leader, no less—it explains why she's been acting so superior.
Not that it condones it.
"Wren," I murmur to myself, testing the name. It's wrong, too gentle on the tongue. Wrens are the noisy little birds that fly in pairs around our house in Xienzo, all chirping and dull brown feathers. The word doesn't seem to fit this silent, solitary girl, who is more like the cat that would stalk the birds before pouncing.
After breakfast, Mistress Eira calls us for our first lesson. Lill prepares me carefully. She fixes my hair into a sleek double-knot at the nape of my neck before dressing me in a fuchsia ruqun—a wrap-front shirt with draped sleeves and a floor-length skirt, secured by a sash that falls down its front in a long-tailed bow. Apparently it's another clothing style popular with central Ikhara's high-class clans, but I am stiff and self-conscious in it, even though the fabric is soft.
"I'm not even leaving the house!" I say as Lill fusses over the bow for a good few minutes. "Does it have to be perfect?"
She shoots me a surprisingly stern look. "You're a Paper Girl now, Mistress. You never know who you might run into. Who is judging you at any time." Then she lightens. "You know, it's important you win the favor of the court if you want to win the Demon King's heart."
"Like he even has one," I mutter when she's out of earshot.
The other girls are already there when I arrive at Mistress Eira's suite. They're kneeling around a table with a stove set into the middle, steam rising from a copper kettle. On the walls are richly colored rolls of velvet and embroidered satin, all fluttering in the breeze coming in through the open doors at the back of the room. Through them, I glimpse the green of a courtyard garden, speckled with morning light.
"Lei-zhi, what a beautiful outfit," Mistress Eira says with a smile. She motions to a space next to Aoki. "Would you like some barley tea? I know how you girls must be feeling after yesterday's assessments. There's nothing better for nerves."
I kneel, careful to fold my skirt under the back of my legs so it won't fan out. Then, realizing what I'm doing, I let out a disbelieving laugh. Just a week ago I was squatting in a mixing tub, covered in dirt. Manners and etiquette were the last things on my mind.
Mistress Eira lifts a brow. "Something amusing, Lei-zhi?"
"Oh." I pick at the tails of my bow under the table. "I was just... remembering something that happened earlier."
A few of the girls stiffen—they must be worried I'm going to bring up what happened in the bathing courtyard. But that's the last thing I want Mistress Eira to know about. I highly doubt fighting is on the list of skills a Paper Girl should cultivate. Oh, hey, King! Check out my amazing whip kick!
"I keep tripping in my shoes," I make up lamely.
Mistress Eira nods. "Ah, yes. I remember. It took me a long time to get used to them, too." She looks around the table, and even this, the simple sweep of her head, has an elegance to it, a precision. "I don't know how much you all know about my heritage. Most of you are from prominent families. You've grown up with the customs of the court. But I spent my childhood working for my family's sari-making business in southern Kitori. When I first arrived at the palace, I was as graceful as a duck drunk on plum wine, heavens help me."
A few of the girls titter.
"No one would know, Mistress," Blue says, her tone honeyed. "My father told me you were the King's favorite."
Aoki lets out a cough that sounds suspiciously like a snort.
Ignoring her, Blue continues, "Didn't he personally choose you to become the Paper Girl mentor so we could all learn to be like you?"
"Well, I'm not sure about that," Mistress Eira replies with a half smile. "But it's true my transformation was pronounced. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to prove myself. That's why I take my job as your mentor so seriously. Whatever your backgrounds, you start at the same level here. Madam Himura and I have organized a rigorous timetable of lessons. You'll be replaced by new girls next year, but you're still expected to work in the court—as performers, or escorts for the King's guests, and so on—so it's important to keep cultivating your nu skills."
Just then, one of the girls speaks up. "Will we have any time off, Mistress Eira? I have a cousin who works in City Court. I promised my parents I'd visit her."
It takes me a moment to recall her name: Chenna, the dark-skinned girl who was wearing an orange dress—a sari, as Lill later explained, a style popular in the Southern provinces—the night we arrived. Today, her sari is citrus-yellow. It sets off the smooth gloss of her skin, the coal shade of her wide, heavy-lashed eyes.
"You'll have some time between your lessons and engagements with the court," Mistress Eira answers, "but it's important for you"—she turns to us—"for all of you, to understand that you don't have free time to yourselves here in the palace. You can't just leave Women's Court as and when you like." Her voice softens. "Don't get me wrong. You can live very happy lives as Paper Girls, I assure you. I myself have. But we are all part of the rhythms and workings of the palace, and so we must play the parts expected of us."
She begins a lecture on some of the palace's many rules and regulations. There are rules for things I wouldn't even have thought of, such as the depth of a bow or the speed at which we should walk in different areas of the palace.
"Soon she'll say we have to regulate our bowel movements, too," I whisper to Aoki, who stifles a giggle.
"This is just an introduction, of course," Mistress Eira says once she's finished with the lesson, a full hour later. "You'll learn everything else you need to know from your teachers in due course. But does anyone have any questions for now?"
Only about everything. But I don't admit it.
"I have one," one of the twins announces. After Mistress Eira nods, she leans forward and drops her voice a fraction. "Is it true that there is a Demon Queen?"
Murmurs ripple through the room. Nonplussed, I glance at Aoki. She shrugs. It seems the two of us are the only ones who haven't heard of her before.
Mistress Eira waits for quiet. Then she answers, "Yes." A pulse of expectant stillness falls over the table. "Most people outside the palace aren't aware of her existence because she's hidden. Kept in private quarters in Royal Court for the sole purpose of breeding."
"My father told me there is more than one queen," Blue says.
"Then he was misinformed," Mistress Eira answers, and Blue's face does a little spasm as she tries to look like she didn't mind being wrong. "There is only one. The royal fortune-tellers and advisers couple her carefully with each new King when he takes the throne to ensure a union the heavens will smile upon."
I swallow, glancing round the table. "None—none of us could become the queen, could we?"
"Certainly not. You are Paper castes. It is impossible for you to produce the Moon caste heir that would be required. In fact, each time you spend a night with the King, you will be given medicine to keep you from becoming pregnant."
While I don't know much about inter-caste procreation, I do know that although it is difficult for a man and woman from different castes to conceive, especially a Paper caste female and a Moon caste male, it's still possible. I suppose the King wouldn't want to lose his concubines to miscarriages. Or worse, give him a low-caste baby. In a coupling, the higher caste's gene is usually dominant, but we've all heard the stories of couples being taken by surprise.
"Has the current queen given the King any children yet?" Chenna asks from across the table.
Blue's eyes go wide. She shares a look with the short-haired girl sitting next to her.
Mistress Eira lifts a hand. "That is a private matter between them, not to mention a... sensitive issue. I strongly suggest none of you inquire into it any further." She tilts her head, her face relaxing. "Let's eat. You must all be hungry."
As lunch is served, we chatter easily at the table. Maids duck between us to keep our plates and cups full. Perhaps Mistress Eira's barley tea really does work, because halfway through the meal my nerves have calmed. I'm starting to enjoy the afternoon—the serene comfort of Mistress Eira's suite, the food, the company of the other girls.
It's the first chance I've really had to get to know them. Besides Aoki, Blue, and Wren, there is Chenna, who I learn is from Jana's capital, Uazu, in the South and is the only daughter of a rich mine owner. I like her immediately. She comes across as reserved, though not shy. When one of the other girls asks her whether she misses her family, she says yes without hesitation.
The twins are Zhen and Zhin. Their delicate features and alabaster skin are so similar I can barely tell them apart. I overhear them telling Chenna about their aristocratic family in Han, which, judging by her reaction, is apparently well known in Ikhara. Of course it would be—aristocratic Paper caste families are rare. Enterprise and government are areas for Moon castes. Even Steels are mostly limited to industry and trade. Paper castes usually occupy the lowest roles: servants, farmers, manual laborers. Sometimes the caste lines are crossed. Zhen and Zhin's family, as well as Blue's and Wren's, are testaments to that. But it's uncommon.
And still, there's always the knowledge that no matter how high a human might rise, demons will always be superior.
The last in our group is Mariko, a curvaceous girl with full lips and a perfectly oval face, enhanced by cropped hair that cups her chin in two winglike sweeps. Mariko and Blue seem to have become friends. They drop their heads together to whisper often, shooting me smug looks over the table. I get so fed up of this that the next time they cut their eyes to me I beam back, waving.
There's a snort. I glance round to find Wren watching me, her eyes lit with amusement. But as soon as she sees me notice, the smile drops from her face. She crooks her neck round, shoulders stiff.
"What's her problem?" I ask Aoki under my breath, scowling in Wren's direction. "She's barely said a word to anyone. It's like she wants us to dislike her."
Aoki leans her head close. "Well, you know what they say about the Hannos." At my blank look, she goes on, "You know how most Paper castes hate them for being so close to the King? She must be aware of that. I can't imagine it's easy."
It takes me a moment to understand what she's telling me. That Wren may act like she hates all of us, but maybe it's because she's worried that we hate her.
After lunch, Mistress Eira takes us out to her small courtyard garden. It's beautiful. The trees and bushes are strung with colorful beads, yellow flowers dotting the green like precious jewels. Gilded cages hang from the eaves. The twitters of the birds inside rise above the babbling pool that loops round a central island mounted by a small pagoda. Something about the place reminds me of my garden back in Xienzo, the slightly overgrown edges, or maybe just the sound of birdsong and the warm sunshine on my face.
Eyes stinging, I hurry away from the other girls, heading down a narrow stone path, suddenly wanting to be alone. I settle on a bench half hidden by a magnolia tree. Curling cups of pink-white leaves form a ceiling overhead. The afternoon air is rich and sweet, full of the scents of blossom and sun-warmed wood and the conversations of the other girls. I recognize the voices of Chenna and Aoki, just around the corner.
"So you've heard about them, too?" Chenna says.
"I thought they were only happening in the North. There was one not far from where we live in the East of Shomu, and I heard reports of others in the rest of our province. Xienzo and Noei, too."
"I think it's all the periphery provinces. We've had some in Jana, too." "My Ahma told me the King's patrols have always performed raids," Aoki replies. "Especially on villages where Paper caste clans live. But there's more now. And from what we hear, they're... different. Even worse."
"Has anyone you know..." Chenna's voice trails off.
I imagine Aoki shaking her head. "You?"
"No. The court would never attack the capitals." There's a pause, and then Chenna goes on, "But on my way to the palace we passed a town near the northern border—or what was a town. There was barely anything of it left. My mother told me she had a friend who had family there. Kunih help their souls," she blesses quietly.
"I saw places like that on my way here, too," Aoki murmurs.
"Do you think it has anything to do with the Sickness?"
"I don't know. But I do know that the Sickness has been getting worse. My parents told me our taxes have gone up, and more and more of our crops are getting seized by royal soldiers every year. It must be getting pretty bad in some places."
They move away, and my thoughts drift with them. I don't know what the Sickness is, but they were talking about the raids, like the one that happened to my village, and the ruined town I saw on my way to the palace. It must be happening all over Ikhara. General Yu said the one we saw in Xienzo had to do with a rebel group. Is that why other places are being attacked, too? And was that what he meant when he said to Mistress Eira that the kingdom is facing hard times? Increased rebel activity, and whatever this Sickness is?
"What do you think?"
Mistress Eira's voice surprises me from my thoughts. I hurriedly stand and give her a bow, which she waves me out of, smiling.
"A-about the raids?" I ask, before realizing she doesn't know what I overheard Aoki and Chenna discussing.
"About my garden," she corrects with a frown. "Do you like it?"
I nod. "It's lovely."
She sits down on the bench, motioning for me to join her. "I'm so glad you like it. Sometimes in summer I sleep out here in the pagoda. It reminds me of my childhood. We used to do that, too, when the weather was good."
"You said your family were sari-makers from Kitori?"
Mistress Eira nods. "We were well known in the region. There was always lots of work. My cousins and I would tell jokes, exchange gossip as we washed in the river after work to get the dyes out of our skin." She raises her palms and adds, muted, "Sometimes I dream about being unable to get the colors out. When I wake up and find my hands bare, it almost makes me want to cry." She lets out a little laugh and shakes her head. "I'm being nostalgic."
"Do you miss it?" I ask gently. "Your home?"
There's a beat of hesitation before she replies. "This is my home now, Lei-zhi." She lays a hand on my shoulder. "You should try to start thinking of it that way, too."
I look away. "My home is Xienzo. My parents' house. It always will be."
Even after Mama was taken, Baba, Tien, and I kept it going. We made a new family. We kept our home alive. How can I just let go of that?
I remember the promise I made to myself on the way to the palace.
I won't let go of it. Whatever it takes, I'm going to get back.
"Mistress," I say quickly, an idea coming to me. "Do you think I could write to them? My father and Tien? Just let them know I'm well. Nothing more, I promise."
At first it seems like she's going to say no. But with a half smile, she replies, "Of course, Lei. What a nice idea. I'll make sure you're given paper and ink."
I grin, forcing myself to remain dignified and not throw my arms around her in a giant bear hug. I picture my father and Tien reading my letters together. Even from the other side of the kingdom they'll be able to touch something I've touched, feel my presence in each indent on the paper. They'll know I'm safe. And, always, that I am thinking of them.
"Make sure to bring your letters to me when they're done," Mistress Eira instructs. "I'll give them to my most trusted messenger to deliver."
"Of course. Thank you, Mistress. You don't know how much this means to me."
She returns my smile. But just before she turns away something flutters across her eyes: the barest shadow of sadness. Perhaps it's all this talk about the past, about life before the palace. I recall what Mistress Eira said about waking up from dreams of her childhood, her once dye-stained hands delicate and bare, and comprehend that although she might have avoided answering my question about whether she misses her home, I am sure of what the answer would be anyway.
I know what it means to dream about the past.
To dream about things you have loved, and lost. |
Paper house is already busy when I wake the next day, the sunlit air bright with the sound of maids hurrying in the hallways, orders being called from room to room. Excitement carries through the air, an electric hum. It takes me back to festivals in our village, when every street would be draped with crimson banners during the fifteen days of the New Year, or lit with sparklers and firecrackers for spirit-warding ceremonies in the winter. Tonight, cities across the kingdom will be celebrating in our honor as we participate in the Unveiling Ceremony, where the Paper Girls are officially presented to the court.
I can still hardly believe that this year that includes me.
Lill is so excited about the ceremony she barely pauses for breath from the minute she comes to take me for my morning bath. "I haven't been able to visit my parents and tell them about becoming your maid yet," she chatters as I soak, her fluted deer ears quivering. "They're not going to believe it! Mistress, you might even see them during the procession! I wish I could be with you. The look on their faces if they knew..."
I float my hands out, scooping the bubbles on the surface of the water. "When was the last time you saw them?"
"Oh. It's been quite long. Almost half a year."
I splash round. "Half a year? But they live here, right? In the palace?"
Lill nods. "I lived with them in Mortal Court before I moved here. And they work in City Court, which is just south of here. I just don't get many days off. Not that I'm complaining," she says hurriedly. "The ones I do, I spend with them. I have a little brother and sister, too. I try to bring them treats from the kitchens whenever I visit—" She cuts off, blanching.
"Don't worry. If anyone notices, tell them it was me. The portions here are way too small." Lill's smile comes back, grateful, even though this sweet girl shouldn't have to worry about stealing a few bits of food to bring to her siblings. "I hope you can see them soon," I add.
She bows her head. "Thank you, Mistress."
I place my wet hand over hers where she's holding the edge of the tub. "You know, I had a Steel caste friend back in Xienzo, too. She worked in my family's herb shop."
"Really?" Lill's eyes widen. "We were told castes don't ever work for ones below them outside the palace." She blushes and goes on quickly, her head lowered, "Oh, I didn't mean that it's wrong for me to be working for you. It's a huge privilege, Mistress. It's just, Mistress Eira told us it's an exception that the Paper Girls have demons as servants. She said the King himself requested it. Only Steels, though." She glances up at me from under thick lashes. "I—I'm sorry I'm not Moon."
I almost laugh, the notion that I would prefer a Moon caste for a maid—or just anyone other than her.
"You're perfect, Lill," I tell her, and the beam of her grin is so luminous it seems to wash the whole courtyard with gold.
Following tradition, each of us is dressed in silver for tonight's ceremony. Silver is a powerful color: a symbol of strength, success, wealth. Yet because of its closeness to white, the mourning color shared by all Ikharan cultures, it is sometimes thought to bring bad luck. When Lill tells me about this tradition, I understand the message it is sending to the kingdom.
Support the King, and you will be rewarded.
Cross him, and you will suffer.
As it's Lill's first time being a Paper Girl's maid, her preparations are overseen by one of the other maids—Chiho, a serious-looking Steel caste lizard-girl, human in appearance apart from the coating of sleek pine-green scales along her bony arms and neck. Chiho dashes between rooms, trying to teach Lill while getting her own girl ready, until Lill suggests we get ready together. I can't remember which girl Chiho is a maid to, so when she appears in the doorway with Wren behind her, I stiffen.
Though still in her bathrobe and only half made up, Wren looks striking. Her cheeks have been colored a deep plum shade that brings out the dark sheen of her eyes and lips, and her hair cascades over one shoulder in flowing waves. She picks up the hem of her bathrobe as she steps inside. My eyes are drawn to the movement, and I do a double take.
Wren's feet are worn, their soles hard and calloused. They're more like my own feet. Workers' feet. Not the delicate kind you'd expect from the pampered daughter of the Hannos.
Catching me looking, she releases her robe and the hem drops to the floor.
"Right," Chiho says to Lill. "Let's continue."
Wren avoids my gaze as she kneels in front of me. I fight the childish urge to shout at her, to make her look at me. I remember what Aoki told me about Wren being aware of people hating her. Well, she isn't exactly helping the matter, is she?
It takes an hour for Chiho and Lill to finish with our faces. Coated with polish, my eyelids and lips are sticky. The first thing I do when they step back is lift a hand to rub my eyes, causing Lill to have a mini panic attack and assess closely for damage, even though I hadn't touched them yet.
Chiho circles me, making one final inspection. "Good," she says eventually, and Lill beams.
My eyes cut to Wren, who still hasn't said anything all this time. As she gets up to leave, I lift my chin and blurt out brusquely, "Well? How do I look?"
I want to take it back immediately—I sound petulant and stupid, and I'm not even sure why I care about her opinion. But Wren has already stopped. She glances over her shoulder, dark eyes under heavily glossed lids finally meeting mine. "Like you're not ready," she says bluntly, her face expressionless, before following Chiho out of the room.
Her words sting. I look away, my cheeks glowing.
Lill leaves the room, returning a few minutes later with a silk-wrapped package. "Your dress," she announces, almost reverently, as she hands it to me. "The royal tailors were given the results of your assessments and told to create unique pieces for each of you. It's meant to be a statement to the court about who you are. Something to give the King an idea about what you're like." She beams. "Go on, Mistress! Open it!"
Rolling my eyes at her excitement, I pull aside the folds of silk. There's the wink of metallic silver. Carefully, I lift the dress out and lay it on the floor.
It's the most exquisite dress I have ever seen. Not that that's hard—I haven't seen many. But even including the outfits the other girls wore on the first night at the palace, this one outshines them all. Cut long and slender, sleeveless, with a high collar, silver threads woven through flicker like running water when they catch the light. The delicate silk fabric is almost sheer. A scattering of moonstones, and diamonds wind along the hips and chest.
I stare down at myself, my belly doing a low flop. Just a handful of these jewels would be enough to support my family for life.
Lill lets out a squeal so high-pitched it almost shatters my eardrums. "Oh, it's so beautiful! Try it on, Mistress!"
Many awkward wiggling movements later, the cheongsam—as I know now this modern style of dress is called—is on. It fits perfectly, clinging to my frame like a second skin. Despite the jewels, the material is light, mere brushings of gossamer across my skin. Magic thrums in the fabric. Whatever enchantment has been placed on the dress also makes it glow. Every movement I make sends out scatters of silvery light, as pale as moonbeams.
I raise a brow at Lill's expression. "This is the first time you've not had anything to say."
She giggles. "Better enjoy it, Mistress! I don't know how long it'll last."
After a final once-over, we head through Paper House to its main entrance, where the procession will start. Though the dress fits perfectly, less perfect is my ability to move in it, and it takes me a while to get used to wearing something this formfitting. Not to mention, it feels so expensive I'm worried about damaging it; every table corner glints threateningly. As the muffled buzz of voices and music outside grows louder, my heart thuds harder. Maids bow as I pass, some holding up good-luck offerings of red flowers, others sprinkling salt in my path, a custom I've never seen before. We would never waste salt in my house like this.
When we're almost at the entrance, I spot the familiar blaze of auburn hair. "Aoki!" I call, and she turns, breaking into a grin.
"Lei! Oh, you—you look..." Something shifts in her tone, a twist of envy. One hand fingers the collar of her own dress as her gaze travels slowly down mine.
"You look amazing!" I say quickly. "What a beautiful ruqun." I look it over appreciatively. The layered sheets of material are shimmery and light, decorated with patterns of leaves in thick brushstrokes. When I run my fingers over them, the leaves seem to ripple, swirling as if in a wind. More magic.
She tucks her chin, lashes low. "They say they're designed to reflect our personalities. It sounds silly, but as soon as I put it on, I felt like I was home. Like I have a part of the countryside with me. But you..." She reaches for my dress, then stops short. "You look like a queen."
Her words send a shudder through me. That's the last thing I want to look like. I think of Baba and Tien. What would they say if they saw me in this dress, my face and hair decorated even more elaborately than our entire village during New Year celebrations?
If I were a queen, then that would mean I would belong in the palace. And I don't.
As Aoki and I walk down the last few corridors together, the sound of cheering grows so loud now it vibrates in my rib cage. We step out onto the porch into sunlight and a clapping crowd. The streets around Paper House are packed. My breath hitches. I've never been in the midst of so many people—let alone Steel and Moon castes, all crammed together—and even though their applause and shouts are friendly, the sheer number of them makes me uneasy.
Along one of the streets, the crowd is parting to let through a train of ornate carriages carried by muscled oryx-form demons in red and black robes. The King's colors. Aoki nudges me excitedly as they advance. Wind flutters the ribbons draped over their open sides. Every step they take makes the bells hanging from their horns sing.
They come to a stop in front of Paper House. Madam Himura moves forward, shouting to be heard over the noise. "Presenting Mistress Aoki-zhi of Shomu!"
A servant comes to take Aoki to her carriage. She gives me a quick look—her jade-stone eyes gleaming, whether from excitement or fear I can't tell—and our fingers brush before she's led away.
Next, Madam Himura calls Blue, then Chenna. All too soon it's my turn.
I stumble forward, head low against the stare of the crowd. With a bow, the oryx drop to their knees. A servant helps me up into the lowered palanquin. The interior reminds me of the carriage I traveled in with General Yu, with its plush, perfumed cushions and elegant wood paneling. As I settle on the bench, my breath grows tighter. That carriage stole me away from my home—what kind of life am I about to be led into with this journey? In this beautiful cheongsam, being carried on the backs of demons, I feel like a dish being served for the King's dinner, and a shiver runs down my spine.
Just when will he choose to devour me? |
My view is obstructed by the long sashes hanging over the palanquin's open sides, so this is how I see the palace properly for the first time: in snatched glimpses, the blur of movement and color. The lowering sun tints everything in a golden haze. It looks dreamlike, and feels it, too, as though I were looking out through someone else's eyes. I'm about to become a Paper Girl. The concept is still ridiculous and ungraspable, even though here I am, sheathed in silver, hundreds of humans and demons watching my carriage pass, craning for one look at my face.
Yesterday Mistress Eira showed us a map of the palace. I picture it now, trying to keep track of where we're going. I haven't forgotten about finding my mother. Maybe I'll see something that will give me a clue as to where she might be.
The palace grounds are arranged in a gridlike system, divided into courts, which are further separated into two areas: the Outer Courts, where all the daily services, work, and residential areas are, and the private Inner Courts, where only those of certain positions are allowed. Women's Court is in the northeast block of the palace, in the Outer Courts. We first travel south, passing through City Court, a vast, bustling area of trade, markets, and restaurants. Then we head west through Ceremony Court, the square behind the main gates where I arrived with the General, and on to Industry Court, with its smoking forges and leather-tanning houses. Next, we move up the west side of the palace. We pass through Mortal Court—Lill's family's home, another citylike area where the maids, servants, and low-level government officials live—and then Military Court, home to the training grounds and army barracks.
There are two areas in the Outer Courts we don't visit. At the northwest tip of the palace, Ghost Court is the official burial grounds. It would be bad luck to pass through such a place on a night of celebration. We also avoid Temple Court, which is within the exterior walls of the palace itself. The royal shamans must never be disturbed; only with the King's permission can one enter their holy grounds. At one point, though, when we take a perimeter road through one of the courts that takes us right up to the wall, a warm, prickly sensation ripples across my body, the thrum of magic imbued in my dress seeming to shiver and rustle in response.
Night has fallen by the time we arrive at the Inner Courts. At once, the crowds thin out. It's still busy, with every court official and their servants out to greet us, but the grounds here are more spacious, so the effect is of a sudden dampening, like a thick fog pillowing the world. The quiet comes as a shock after the jubilant atmosphere of the Outer Courts, and suddenly I miss the noise and chaos. I watch the darkening grounds through the window with a growing sense of unease, my tongue padded and dry in my mouth.
We're almost there.
The landscape of the Inner Courts is a mix of lantern-lit streets, elegant pearl-white squares, and manicured gardens, the perfume of flowers cloying in the air. Moonlight reflects off a sweeping crescent of water that loops in and out of sight as we travel—the River of Infinity. It flows in a figure eight through Royal Court, the area at the heart of the palace, designed to bring the heavens' fortune on the King.
The last part of our journey is marked when we pass over the central-most point of the river where the four curves meet. A gilded bridge arches over the water, lined with onlookers. They toss red blossoms at us, the petals catching in the wind and swirling around our carriages like a blood-drenched snowstorm.
"Heavens' blessings!"
"May the gods smile down upon you!"
Their words are well meaning, but much less exuberant than those of the Outer Courts. The closeness of all these demons makes me press back from the window. We're almost over the bridge when there's the thud of something ramming the carriage.
I fling out my arms as it jerks to the left.
Another thud.
This time the carriage lurches sideways, almost tipping over. I smash into the side, fingers scrabbling for hold just in time. A few seconds later and I would have fallen through the open side. As the oryx right the carriage, I steady myself, rubbing my right shoulder where it hit the wood. Yells and shouts are coming from outside. Still cradling my shoulder, I cross the floor and peer out through the fluttering ribbons.
And gasp.
A human—Paper caste, her furless, scaleless, clawless body standing out against the otherness of the demons all around—is being pinned to the ground by two guards. Her robes are thin and worn. Servants' clothes. Paper caste servants aren't allowed in the Inner Courts; she must have snuck in somehow.
Just then, she lifts her head and our eyes meet. I don't know what I was expecting. That they'd be filled with compassion, maybe, a kindred connection from one human to another. But instead, her look is fire.
"Dzarja!" she shrieks. Flickering lantern-light distorts her face, making her mouth seem too wide, her cheeks sunken hollows. "Dirty sluts! You shame us all!"
Above her, a guard lifts a club.
I look away, but not quickly enough. The heavy crunch rings in my ears. The accusatory glare in her eyes just before the club was brought down on her skull shimmers on the back of my eyelids, a ghostly afterimage. Lowering my lashes, I hover my fingers at my chest, then turn them outward with my thumbs crossed: the sky gods salute for a newly departed soul.
"Mistress, are you all right?"
I jolt as a horned face, part rhino, skin thick like hide, appears through the ribbons.
I open my mouth a few times before finding my voice. "Y-yes."
"Apologies for the disruption. You will be continuing on your way now." The guard bows.
"Wait!" I say as he turns to leave. "The woman. Why did—why was she—"
His expression doesn't change. "Why was she killed?"
I swallow. "Yes."
"She was a slave. She wasn't permitted to be in the Inner Courts. And she posed a threat to the King's property."
It takes me a moment to realize he means me.
"But—you could have arrested her. You didn't have to... to kill her."
"Guards are permitted to execute Paper castes on the spot." The leathery skin of his forehead wrinkles. "Is that all, Mistress?"
The tone of his voice makes me stiffen. He says it so easily, so bluntly, as though it weren't anything at all.
"Mistress?" he repeats at my silence. "Is that all?"
I go to nod, then change it to a shake at the memory of the searing look in her eyes. "The woman, she—she called me something. Dzarja. What does it mean?"
He scowls. "It is an ugly expression."
"For what?"
"'Traitor,'" he says, and lowers his hand, ducking his head out of the carriage, the ribbons fluttering back into place.
Dzarja. The word haunts me as our procession starts back up. How easily the guard took the woman's life, just the arc of a muscled arm. She wasn't that much older than my mother when she was stolen, and I get a flash of a Paper caste face—Mama's this time—mouth wide with terror as she is pinned down by a demon guard. I've been so focused on the thought that all she needed was to survive the journey here that I didn't consider how difficult it might be for her to survive once she arrived.
Ten minutes later, my stomach is still churning when we pass through a set of tall gates into a barren plaza. A single road cuts down the center. Ahead looms a grand fortress, carved from flecked rock dark as a raven's coat. Banners marked with the King's bull-skull symbol snap in the wind. On every balcony and along the base of the building, guards stand watch, weapons at the ready. The quiet is uneasy, and the hoof-fall of the oryx demons echoes through the desolate square, my own pulse matching the rhythm and even their weight, each beat so heavy and terse it's like my heart is clamping around a stone.
As we make our approach, I flex my fingers, trying to bring blood back to them. My muscles are as frozen as the rock of the royal palace looks.
Our procession comes to a stop at the bottom of a grand set of marble stairs leading up to a high, vaulted entranceway. At first everything is still. Then a band of gold unfurls itself from the entranceway. In one luxurious sweep, it rolls down the staircase, viscous and fluid, like some kind of charmed waterfall, and sure enough, I pick up the telltale vibration of magic in the air.
The door of my carriage swings open. "Mistress Lei-zhi," greets a servant, holding out a hand to help me down.
The golden spill has painted the ground around the carriages in a shimmering metallic carpet. As my feet meet the floor, I look down to see ripples flowing out around me. But despite the beauty of it, I'm still reeling from what just happened on the bridge, and I follow the rest of the girls up the stairs, eyes trained on my feet to avoid the stares of the guards.
The world seems to grow even quieter when we enter the palace, though maybe I'm imagining it, the hush that sinks over us, reverent almost. As we march, I take in our surroundings in silent awe. There are echoing halls and narrow corridors. Indoor gardens with magical ceilings that mimic the night sky. Long staircases that wind steeply from floor to floor. Everything is carved out of the same black stone as the exterior, and though undeniably beautiful, it gives the place a clammy, imposing feel, like a mausoleum.
I think of the Paper Girls who came before me. The dreams of theirs that might have died within these very walls.
We have been walking for over twenty minutes when we are finally told to stop. A vaulted archway looms before us, the room beyond hidden by a heavy black curtain.
We're still in a line ordered by our names. In front of me, Chenna's thick hair falls down in its usual braid, though tonight it has been threaded with tiny silver flowers that make it look as if she'd been dancing between the galaxies, catching stars. Her shoulders rise and drop with shallow breaths. I'm about to step forward, offer some words of comfort, when there's a groan behind me.
"Oh, gods," Mariko moans. "I think I'm going to be sick."
I pivot round to find her doubled over, her face white.
"Take a deep inhale," I say, laying a hand on her arm, but she shoves me away.
"I don't need the help of a peasant!" she snaps.
I draw back. "Fine, then." I'm about to turn away when, over Mariko's bowed head, Wren catches my gaze.
I freeze. She looks so astonishing it's almost unreal, as though she'd slipped out of a painting perfectly formed, a thing of beauty, of art—of bright, vivid life in this cold, still place. The design of her cheongsam is the exact opposite of mine. Where the collar of mine is high, hers runs low, exposing the deep shadow of her cleavage. My dress has a slit up the side; hers is tight all the way down her legs, emphasizing their length and muscled shape. Unlike my sheer fabric, hers is a dark gunmetal silver, dangerous and enticing, evocative of armor.
Faintly, I remember what Lill said about our dresses representing our personalities. Underneath my wonder at her beauty, curiosity stirs.
As usual, Wren is the one to break eye contact. But to my surprise, she does so to lean forward to speak into Mariko's ear. "I don't know about you," she murmurs, "but I have never seen a peasant who looked like that." She looks up at me, a half smile touching her lips. "Now you look ready," she says, just as a gong sounds from beyond the archway.
I whip back round to see the curtain floating aside. "Heavenly Master and honorable members of the court," a magnified voice announces from the room beyond. "Presenting this year's Paper Girls!"
In front of me, Chenna straightens, rolling her shoulders back. I follow her resolve, releasing a long exhale to steady myself as best as I can despite the spike of my pulse as, one by one, we step through the archway.
We emerge into a columned hall, deep and cavernlike, draped with garlands of vermilion silk. The walls look hollowed out of a marble cave. Rows of sheer steps on all sides lead down to a sunken pool. Ink-black water glitters with the reflection of lanterns overhead. From balconies ringing the room, hundreds of demon faces leer down at us. Our steps echo as we fan out in a row at the top of the steps, and I find it difficult to move, as if the expectant hush of the watching crowd had a weight, a solidity that thickens the atmosphere, lends an extra tug to gravity just here in this hall.
At first I keep my eyes low, trained on the floor. But something soon pulls their attention. Something draws them down the steps, across the pool, and to the podium on the far side. And I know before I see him what—or rather who—it will be.
The Demon King.
Lounging, almost, on his marbled gold throne. Or at least, there is something casual in the way he occupies it, some smug, almost irreverent quality to the way he sits, hips sloped a little too low, arms slung over the sides, head tilted back just enough to make it seem as if he were looking down at us even though we are much higher up the steps.
This is the first thing about him that surprises me. The King's pose is particularly at odds with the formal, straight-backed stances of the three soldiers flanking him—a gray wolf-man, a huge moss-colored crocodile-man, and a white fox female, all Moon caste.
Also unexpected is how slender he is. Particularly in comparison with the crocodile demon who towers behind the throne, the King's muscles are lean, roped, a bull's strength bound through manlike limbs, and hidden under layered black robes with gold trim. In a fight between him and his crocodile guard, I wouldn't rate the King's chances very high... except. There is an energy about him. Coiled and alert, a magnetic pull that commands attention and power. Ice-blue eyes watch from under long lashes. Above his ears, thick horns unwind, etched with grooves inlaid with gold. And as I take in his face from a distance, there is a third thing that surprises me.
The King is handsome.
I was expecting an old King. Some weary, war-torn bull. But he looks young, not far past his teens. There's an elegance to his face. Whereas General Yu's was an ugly clash of imposing bull features, the King's face is long, almost delicate in shape, with a defined jaw and wide, graceful mouth, a cupid's bow peaking perfectly in its middle.
A lazy smile sharpens into a grin. The King leans forward, lantern light lending his walnut coat a glossy sheen. "My new Paper Girls," he drawls. "Welcome."
His voice is deep, heavy as night.
Quickly, we drop to the floor in low bows. The marble is cool against my palms. I feel the King's gaze upon us like a touch and keep my head down, breathing hard.
"Presenting Mistress Aoki-zhi of Shomu!" comes the announcer's voice.
There's the sound of Aoki getting to her feet. Her tentative footsteps, then the unmistakable swish of water as she enters the pool. Mistress Eira told us that the water is part of the ritual, symbolic of purifying our bodies before we meet the King. It's been enchanted so it won't affect our appearance. A short while later Aoki's wavering voice rings out with the greeting Mistress Eira taught us.
"How sweet," comes the sound of the King's voice, quieter now but still heavy and deep. "What a cute nose."
I grind my teeth. He makes it sound as if she were a toy, a plaything for him to toss aside once he grows bored.
Which is exactly what she is, I remind myself, pressing my fingertips firmer against the cold stone.
What we all are.
The King takes more time with Blue, who is called next, and with Chenna, until all too soon, the announcer sings, "Presenting Mistress Lei-zhi of Xienzo!"
I get to my feet, awkward in this ridiculous dress, my right shoulder still stiff from where it bashed into the carriage wall earlier. The chamber is deafeningly quiet. The silence seems to spool around me, catlike, coaxing my nerves. I walk forward, trying to mimic Mistress Eira's light way of moving. But my steps are heavy. Like in the carriage, the whole situation has a dreamlike tint to it, and my heart surges with the hopeless desire for that to be all this is.
I've learned how to live with nightmares. I could cope with one more.
Though I keep my eyes firmly tracked on the stairs I'm making my way down—it's all I can do not to trip over in this ridiculous dress—I sense the eyes of the crowd following me. Dzarja. The word bounds into my head. Is that what I am? Is that what the demons see, a girl who is a traitor to her own people?
When I reach the bottom of the steps, I let out a relieved puff of air—just as I take my first step into the pool and stand on the hem of my dress.
The crowd gasps as I lurch forward. My arms fling out inelegantly, and I grimace as I hit the surface of the water with a smack. It's cold, a fist of ice. I expect to choke, but the water is like viscous air, and I wrestle my panic down, regaining my composure. Or at least, whatever passes for composure when you've lost all traces of dignity. I scramble up and stride on, the dark liquid of the enchanted pool flowing around me like smoke. I do my best at getting out the other side somewhat gracefully. When I climb onto the podium, I drop to my knees at the King's feet without daring to look at him.
"I—I am honored to serve you, Heavenly Master," I recite into the shocked silence.
More silence.
And then the room erupts with the King's laughter.
"Look at the poor thing!" he cries, his sonorous voice echoing off the cavernous walls. "Dressed like a queen when she cannot even walk a straight line. How much liquor did you ply her with to calm her nerves, Madam Himura?" he jokes, and the crowd joins in, the hall reverberating with demon laughter as a servant darts forward to hurry me on, and I stumble away, face burning. |
"But she didn't."
"I think Zhen bowed wrong. It looked funny from where I was, anyway."
"Aoki, I fell flat on my face. In front of the entire court."
She sighs. "You're right," she admits. "It was a complete disaster."
I break a smile, and she nudges me with her shoulder, green eyes glittering.
It's early the next morning. The two of us are sitting on the steps to the bathing courtyard, wrapped in gray light and predawn hush. The calm is at odds with the busyness of the house yesterday, and I'm glad for this moment with Aoki before the day, our first as official Paper Girls, begins.
Last night, all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball of embarrassment after my display at the ceremony. Not just because of how humiliating it was, falling over in front of the whole court, but because of how it made me look to the King. Before last night, I thought I didn't care what he'd think of me.
And then he laughed at me. Laughed, like I was a joke. And I want him—need him—to know that I am not.
To know that I am strong.
To know that whatever happens, whatever the official position says, I do not belong to him.
But as soon as we got back to Paper House, Madam Himura rounded on me, so incensed she could barely get a word out. "You didn't just shame yourself, you shamed us! You shamed me!" she cried, before sending me to my room, Lill hurrying behind me, her cheeks as red as mine.
"Maybe it was a blessing in disguise," I say now to Aoki. I sit straighter, scraping back the hair from my brow. "Now he definitely won't call me first. Maybe he'll never call me at all."
She tilts to the side so she can look at me. "You don't want him to?"
"No!" I say it a little too forcefully, and I steal a glance over my shoulder, as though Madam Himura could have snuck up behind us. Voice lowered, I ask, "Do you?"
"Of course!" she answers, also a little too hard. She takes a breath. "I mean... I'm not sure. I—I think so. He's the King, Lei. It's a privilege." This part at least sounds like she believes it.
"But even so," I press, "is this really what you want? What you hoped for of your life?"
Aoki twines her fingers in her lap, her teeth softly working her bottom lip. "I miss my family so much. I really do. But if I hadn't been chosen, I would have been stuck in our tiny village for the rest of my life. Maybe I would have been happy there. But look at this, Lei," she says, sweeping her arm at the empty courtyard, and I know she means not just here but the house, the palace, the beauty and extravagance of it all.
Unmoved, I mutter, "I'd rather be back in Xienzo."
"Even though your family is taken care of now?"
I open my mouth to retort, stopping myself at the last moment. Aoki's from a poor village, too. She has also known hunger and struggle, experienced the fierce bite of the cold and the heavy ache of exhaustion after a long day's work, so deep you feel it in your bones.
Even so. I was meant to take care of them, my father and Tien. Me. Not the King.
Dzarja.
His money is dirty. Blood money.
"I wonder who he'll pick first," Aoki murmurs a few moments later.
Her question hangs coiled between us.
I flash her a sideways smirk. "I bet it's Blue."
She groans. "Oh, gods, no! We'd never hear the end of it."
As we both snort, a maid hurries into the courtyard from the opposite side, hair still mussed from sleep and her night robe tied messily. She drops to the floor as soon as she spots us. "So sorry, Mistresses!" she stammers. "I—I didn't know you would be up."
"Oh, don't worry—" I start, getting to my feet, but she darts off before I can finish. I turn to Aoki. "I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that. 'Mistresses.' It sounds so..."
"Old? Formal?" She giggles. "I guess that's something else the other girls are used to. They were probably called Mistress since they were babies." She puts on a posh accent, fluting her wrist fancily. "Mistress Blue, would you care for some honey in your mother's breast milk?"
We burst into laughter, stopping at the sound of voices from inside the house.
"We'd better go," I say. "It's almost time to get ready."
We walk back to our rooms in silence, and slowly the significance of Aoki's earlier question settles onto our shoulders, gaining a little more weight with each step. After my performance last night, I'm sure the King won't choose me first. But still, I pray silently with every fiber of my being that I'm right.
Paper Girl life, it transpires, consists of a lot of studying—something my old life in Xienzo had barely any of. Mistress Eira warned us we would have a busy schedule of lessons to develop our nu skills, ranging from etiquette classes to calligraphy to music practice to Ikharan history, but I didn't realize how tiring it would be. Maybe it's because I never went to school. I was helping my parents with the shop from pretty much the moment I could walk, and as one of my only teachers, Tien would be the first to complain about my attention span. The problem, little nuisance, she'd say, is that you have none.
By the time we head back to Paper House for lunch, my head is stuffed with four hours' worth of information from our morning classes. Most of the other girls are busy chatting, but I'm dazed, going over everything our teachers said, hoping to somehow imprint it all into my brain through sheer will. I'm still so focused that when we take our seats around Madam Himura's table and she says something that causes the other girls to become quiet, it takes me a few moments to register what is happening.
The King has made his first choice.
"Who is it?" Blue speaks up immediately, adding a quick, "Madam Himura," at the eagle-woman's piercing look.
I glance at Aoki, but she's focused hard on Madam Himura, her mouth pressed small. Then my eyes flick to Wren. Unlike the others, she doesn't seem to be paying much attention to what's going on. She looks younger than she did last night, when she'd been glossed with makeup and wrapped in that dress, but there's still a stoic quality to the way she is poised, chin lifted, eyes cast away. Suddenly, I'm certain that it will be her name Madam Himura will announce.
The way she looked last night, how could it not be?
"The name of the King's chosen girl will be delivered by royal messenger on the days he requests company that evening," Madam Himura explains into the expectant hush. "It goes without saying that if it is you who is summoned, you must obey his call." With a rustle of feathers, she unwraps a silk-bound package and slides its contents—a small bamboo chip—into the center of the table with one curving talon. Then, the room in absolute silence now, she moves her hand away to reveal the name printed across it.
Chenna-zhi
The calligraphy ink is red, like a splatter of blood.
Relief clangs through me, so strongly I instinctively brace as if it were audible. But all the girls are looking at Chenna. Even Wren. Her eyes are lit with something unexpected and sharp, though not at all like the jealousy or relief playing in the other girls' gazes. It's more... steely. Challenging, almost.
Chenna herself doesn't react. Or at least, not visibly. Her expression is calm, her posture straight-backed, the image of perfect Paper Girl. She keeps her eyes trained on the chip.
"Congratulations, Chenna," Madam Himura croaks into the quiet. She glares pointedly around at us.
"Congratulations, Chenna," Wren echoes smoothly.
"Y-yes, congratulations," Aoki stammers with a faltering smile.
The rest of us follow suit until it's only Blue left. Her mouth is set, but she manages a quick curve of her lips. "Yes, well done, Chenna." Then she taps her empty bowl and snaps, "Well? Is lunch going to come anytime soon?" earning a scolding from Madam Himura that she seems almost grateful to receive.
The rest of the meal passes in near silence. There's a stiffness to the girls' interactions, everyone's eyes frequently sliding back to Chenna, and even I find myself watching her, trying to see through her serene exterior. But she keeps her face calm, a glaze over her eyes as she focuses on her food, eating slowly but steadily.
"Chenna," Madam Himura orders when it's time for us to leave for our afternoon lessons. "You stay with me."
And that's when I see it. For the first time since her name was revealed on the bamboo chip: a tremor runs through her hands.
She turns her cheek as we file out of the room, making a strange, fleeting gesture with her fingertips across her brow that perhaps could be something religious—or could also just be her brushing aside a stray hair—before one of the maids closes the door behind us.
Even though I can sense they want to discuss what just happened, the girls manage to keep from talking as we trail down the corridor. But as soon as we turn the corner, Blue speaks up. "That was a surprise."
A few of the girls make noncommittal murmurs. Though I hate to admit it, I can tell most of the girls agree with her. Still, I bristle at the way she puts it.
"I wonder what his reasoning was," Mariko says with a purse of her lips. She shifts, hips jutting to one side. "Chenna is beautiful enough, I suppose. And her family is somewhat prestigious. At least for Jana."
"Maybe that's it," Zhen, one of the twins, offers. "He wanted to connect with a part of his heritage."
Blue scowls at her. "What part? Desert slum?"
"I just mean," Zhen continues, though her cheeks are pink now, "that Jana is where the original Bull King was from—"
"And is now where half the rebel nomads are hiding," Blue interrupts. "Or at least according to the rumors. I doubt that's something the King wants to align himself with."
Zhen lifts a shoulder. "Maybe he's trying to send a message to them, then."
"Or maybe," her sister, Zhin, speaks up, with a cool glance at Blue, "politics has nothing to do with it. He could just be picking the girl he was most attracted to."
"I agree," I reply. "Chenna is beautiful, and she seems smart, and interesting. No wonder the King liked her."
The twins nod, smiling at me, and I see Wren look my way, something curious in her warm brown irises. Beside me, Aoki is silent.
Blue and Mariko swap smug looks. But if they want to throw an insult my way, they manage to refrain. "Anyway," Blue says, in a crisp tone that makes it clear we are done with this discussion, "the first few choices are just based on his initial impressions of us. I'm more interested to see who he continues to pick." Her eyes slide to me. "And who he doesn't choose at all." |
I'm still blurry from sleep when I'm woken the next morning by the slide of doors. There's the patter of bare feet in the hall outside, then muffled voices, excitement barely constrained by whispers. With a yawn, I untangle from my sheets and pad out blearily into the corridor, arms folded across my waist.
"What was he like?"
"Did he tell you any secrets about the court?"
"One of the maids told me his bedchamber is covered completely in moonstones and opals—is it true?"
Chenna's room is at the opposite end of the hall, and though I can't see her past the backs of Zhen, Zhin, Mariko, and Aoki crowding in her doorway, I assume she's somewhere inside. Sure enough, her voice floats out a second later.
"I don't want to talk about it."
I roll my neck as I amble over, easing out the crick from sleeping. Wren's door is shut, and so is Blue's, but as I step in front of her room, there's a movement behind the rice-paper screen and I notice the very Blue-shaped shadow bunched at the edge of the door. I push down the urge to call her out, instead turning to where the other girls are clustered in the doorway across the hall. Zhen and Zhin greet me as I join them, but Aoki and Mariko don't look away from Chenna.
"Just a few details," Mariko presses, leaning in, the shoulder of her robe slinking down her arm. She flips it back up distractedly. "We'll find out for ourselves soon enough."
"Exactly." Chenna's face is tight, a slight flush of color darkening the apples of her cheeks. But apart from that, she looks just as she did the day before—unruffled. The picture of composure. "So you don't have long to wait."
Mariko pouts at this, but the twins nod.
"We're sorry," Zhin says. "You don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to."
"But if you do need to talk," Zhen adds, "we're here."
With a kind smile, the twins return to their rooms with their arms linked, heads close. As Mariko huffs and moves away, I slip in beside Aoki. She blinks, barely registering me.
"Oh! Hi, Lei." Her eyes click back to Chenna. "Well, thanks anyway..." she mumbles before heading off.
"Lei," Chenna greets me unsmilingly. "I suppose you have a hundred questions, too?"
"Actually, just one." I drop my voice. "How do you feel? I hope... I hope you're all right."
Chenna blinks at me. She smiles, though it's stiff. "I'm just fine. Thank you for asking."
Her eyes glide past my shoulder as the door behind me opens. I brace myself for the cutting remark that's surely about to come, but instead Blue's voice floats out calmly and politely.
"Good morning, Chenna. Nine."
I lift a brow, glancing round to see Blue slink down the corridor, her long azure hair swishing.
"Wow," Chenna says once she's gone. "She's really annoyed."
I give her a wry smile. "She was so sure she was going to be picked first."
A frown puckers Chenna's forehead. "You know, I thought so, too, what with her father's position in the court. But when I asked the King why he chose me, he said it was because of some dream he had the night before. He'd been in Jana, flying over the southern deserts. He thought it was a sign from the heavenly rulers that they wanted him to select me."
"Maybe I can bribe a shaman to keep his dreams out of Xienzo," I murmur.
As she goes to shut the door, Chenna adds, eyes not quite meeting mine, "Or all of Ikhara, for that matter."
As the days sift past, my life dissolves into a blur of routine and ritual. It surprises me how quickly I fall into the palace's rhythms, the shape of my world before coming here erased as though by water on ink and replaced with a new life of lessons and gossip, banquets and ceremonies, rules and rituals. I don't forget about wanting to find out what happened to my mother, but I'm so busy I don't get the chance. I also know that kind of thing won't go unnoticed, and General Yu's threat is still fresh in my mind.
You are going to try, and you are going to succeed! Or else your family—what pitiful part that's left of it—will be punished. Make no mistake, keeda. Their blood will be here. Do you understand me?
On your hands.
Any time I have the urge to give up or defy Madam Himura's orders, the General's cool voice slinks back into my ears, and I know the only option is to keep going.
At least, for now.
Each day as a Paper Girl begins with the morning gong. The maids will have woken earlier to ready the braziers and bathing barrels and light incense, their smoky-sweet scent always in the air. Lill takes me to the bathing courtyard to wash before dressing me in simple cotton robes, my hair swept into a tight bun on the top of my head. Once we're ready, we have breakfast—usually rice balls, pickled vegetables and salted fish, and delicate cuts of fresh fruit: peaches, papaya, honey apple, winter melon—before heading to our first lesson of the day.
After my embarrassing performance at the Unveiling Ceremony, most of the teachers don't seem to expect much of me. One of them especially takes an instant dislike to me. Mistress Tunga is a broad-hipped woman with wide-set eyes who leads our lessons in movement, covering everything from how to walk elegantly to the proper way to kneel in robes. She often singles me out as an example of how not to do things. She'll have me pace the length of the room in front of the other girls, a practice block held between my knees, while she points out every mistake. "No, no, walk taller, Lei-zhi! Remember what I said last week? Imagine a thread running from the base of your feet to the top of your head. Now, lean back just so and let your hips jut out the tiniest amount... Not like that! You look as though you're about to keel over from too much sake. After what happened at the Unveiling Ceremony, that's the last thing you want others to think of you. All right, settle down, girls! Sniggering isn't becoming."
Just as bad are our dance classes. They're taught by Madam Chu, a dignified old swan-form demon, the pearly feathers flowing over her slender body tinged with gray. She flits around us, feathers rustling as she sets us into place. This isn't dancing the way I saw it done back home, all abandon and laughter and loose limbs. This is a kind of clockwork, technical thing. Every flute of a wrist, every curve and bend of a limb is measured—or not, as it often applies to me.
After our morning classes we return to Paper House for lunch, either with Mistress Eira or Madam Himura, to update them on our progress. If the King desires the company of one of the girls, this is usually when we're notified, and that girl is taken away for preparations. For the rest of us, it's back for more lessons until sunset. By then I'm desperate for sleep, but our nights are just as busy. There are banquets with court officials, trips to plays and dance recitals, ceremonies to attend.
By the time we finally return to our rooms, it's often past midnight. Despite our tiredness, Aoki and I usually stay up for a while, sipping tea and snacking on pineapple tarts Lill sneaks us from the kitchens. In these stolen moments, all the stress of our lessons, of being away from our families and having to adjust to this new way of life, melts away, and I go to sleep afterward with a smile on my lips and warmth in my chest that feels a lot like happiness.
And yet.
As the days go by without my name appearing on the bamboo chip, an uncomfortable notion starts to grow inside me: that it never will. And while part of me, most of me, is relieved, there is also shame, and the bright, cruel sear of failure.
Even though Aoki still hasn't been chosen, either, it's me Madam Himura scolds. Every day she reminds me what a disappointment I am. "You'd better find a way to show him those heavens-blessed eyes of yours soon, before I throw you out like the waste of space you've so far proven to be."
Once, I dream of the Unveiling Ceremony. But when I stagger out of the enchanted pool, it's General Yu who gazes down at me from the King's throne, a half smile twisting his face.
"Look what you've done." He holds up his arms. From his hands, my father's and Tien's severed heads hang, blood dripping to the floor. "Catch," he calls, and throws them to me.
I wake up, a scream dying on my lips.
There's nothing more I'd like to do than try to escape. To go back home. But every time I consider it, the General's threat comes back to me, along with the sound of the guard's club coming down onto the servant woman's head on the bridge outside Royal Court. And I remember that if I fail, I might not even have a home to return to.
After a month at the palace, I've barely improved in any of our lessons. When my attempt at the fan dance Madam Chu is teaching us ends with my fan flinging from my grip after I shake it too vigorously and hitting her between the eyes—which unfortunately she couldn't see the funny side of—she keeps me behind after class.
"But lunch—" I start hopelessly.
She flutters a winged arm. "Don't you have a banquet tonight? You can miss one little meal." Then, raising her voice, she calls, "You too, Wren-zhi."
Wren pauses in the doorway, the other girls filing out past her. "Madam Chu?" she asks, turning.
"Practice with Lei-zhi. Maybe she'll pick something up from you." Then the swan-woman strides out the door, her feathers ruffling.
"Well," I say into the silence. "At least we've got a Blue-free hour."
Wren doesn't laugh, but when she approaches me, her expression is a little softer than usual. "So, what are you having trouble with?"
"Um... all of it?"
She arches a brow. "Helpful."
I sigh. "I don't know. It's just so... precise. I can't control my body the way you can."
"That's what it looks like when I dance?" she says, a wrinkle creasing the tip of her nose. "Controlled?" I'm surprised—there's hurt in her voice.
"No!" I say quickly. "That's the point. You're in control, but it's like you're not. Natural, that's what I mean. It seems so natural to you."
It's true. I've watched Wren in our classes, and though she excels in all our lessons, dancing is where she comes alive. There's an effortlessness about the way she moves that reminds me of the bird-form demons I used to watch flying over the mountains beyond our village. She is graceful. Free. When she dances, she loses her usual haughty, absent look, something gentle taking over her features—and sending a warm new sensation through me that I can't quite place.
Wren collects a fan from the cabinet at the side of the room and flicks it open. "All right. Let's start with something simple." Her posture loosens, a slight bend in the knees, a tilt to her hips. Closing her eyes, she holds both arms to one side. She pauses here, and her stillness is as purposeful as movement. A shaft of muffled light filters in through the rice-paper walls of the rehearsal room, casting her outline in an amber glow, and my eyes trace the high arches of her cheekbones, limned in gold. As graceful as all the times I've watched her before, she draws the fan across her chest, rippling it like a wave.
Then she opens her eyes. "Your turn."
"That's simple?" I grumble as she hands the fan to me, our fingers brushing.
"Just try it." But I've barely gotten into position when Wren stops me. "Not like that. You're too forceful with your movements. You have to move more lightly. See?" Her eyes travel over my body. "Even the way you're standing is wrong."
A ripple of irritation runs through me. "I didn't realize standing was on the list of Paper Girl requirements," I retort. "I thought the King was more interested in the lying-down kind of activities."
Her lips purse. "You don't need to say it like that."
"It's true, though, isn't it? What's the point of all this, all these stupid lessons? There's only one thing we're really here to do."
And I haven't even been wanted for that.
The thought squirms into my head before I can stop it.
"You have to think about the future," Wren says, frowning at me. "After this year, you'll still have some role to play in the court. What do you want to do? Who do you want to be?"
"Not a dancer, that's for sure."
That earns a half smile from her. "Come on. At least try. You might be better at it than you know if you just focus. And you'll never get better if you don't give yourself a chance."
I open my mouth to argue but catch myself. Because she's right. I haven't been giving it my all. Even though I've fallen into the routine of palace life, my heart isn't in it.
How can it be? It's still back in Xienzo, with my father and Tien, and a life I wish every day was still mine.
"Oh, fine," I mutter, glowering. Tears are pricking my eyes now, and the last thing I want is to cry in front of Wren. Gritting my teeth, I give the movement she demonstrated a few more tries while she hovers nearby, providing pointers. I try to concentrate on the wave of my wrist, the tilt of my hips, but I can't seem to get it right, I grow more frustrated with every minute. Without warning, Wren moves in close. Her fingers curl round my arm to pull it into position, and the intimacy of her touch, her nearness, flusters me, and I drop the fan.
"Focus!" she snaps.
I clench my jaw. "I am."
"No, you're not."
I shrug her away from me. "Well, maybe I don't want to perform well. Maybe I don't want any of this."
"And you think I do?" Underneath her usual stern tone there's something delicate, almost broken. Her chin lifts, rich brown eyes regarding me. "None of us had a choice in this. But we do it for our families, because otherwise the King will—"
She stops abruptly. The end of her sentence hangs in the air between us.
I recall General Yu's threat. Maybe it wasn't just me that received one. Maybe the coins and riches showered on Paper Girls' families are less a reward and more a reminder that the King has bought their daughters' obedience. And if they break it...
"All right," I sigh, picking up the fan. "Let's try again."
Half an hour—and many dropped fan incidents—later, Wren and I head back to Paper House. From outside Mistress Eira's suite comes the chatter of the girls, the muffled footsteps of maids. Delicious food smells waft out, making my stomach growl. But when Wren moves to head straight in, I hold out a hand to stop her.
"Thank you," I say. "For helping me. You were right. I haven't really been trying." I puff out air, rubbing the back of my neck. "I guess it felt like I'd be letting my family down or something. Like I was happy to be here."
Her eyes move away. "I don't think any of us are truly happy to be here."
"Excuse me? Have you met Blue?"
"Right," she replies with a lift of her brows. "Because she's so happy all the time."
I blink, and Wren opens the door, something closing back over her expression. Following her inside, I send a quick bow in Mistress Eira's direction before kneeling down beside Aoki. "Thank the gods there's food left," I murmur, picking up my chopsticks. "I'm starving."
She doesn't look up. Her face is frozen, eyes locked on something small in her hands, and when I peer round to see what it is, my own expression freezes.
Red calligraphy; a scarlet summons.
Aoki-zhi
Slowly, I set my chopsticks down. "Are you all right?" I ask in a whisper.
She gives a jerk of her head that I take to be a nod.
Zhin's voice pipes up from across the table. "You must be excited, Aoki!" A sincere smile lifts her cheeks.
Still staring down at her hands, Aoki gives another stiff nod. I notice that her fingers are trembling. Underneath the table I press my thigh to hers.
There's a harsh laugh. "Looks like our little Aoki is finally about to become a woman," Blue purrs. "And at only sixteen." She looks round the table, purposefully avoiding my eyes. "That's all of us now, isn't it?"
"You're forgetting Lei," Mariko sniggers.
Blue's dark irises flick my way. "Oh, yes. I forgot all about her."
My fingers knot, but before I can say anything, Mistress Eira stands up. "I wasn't called by the King for two whole months after our ceremony," she announces smoothly, giving me a smile across the table.
That makes Blue's and Mariko's smirks drop.
"With some girls," Mistress Eira continues, "he enjoys the wait." She steps over, holding out a hand. "Come, Aoki. I'll help you get ready."
Aoki winces. With a jagged breath, she looks at me, a white tinge to her lips where she sucks them in. "It's what I wanted," she breathes as she gets to her feet, a whisper that only the two of us hear, and I'm not entirely sure which one of us she's trying to convince.
That night as I stay up waiting for Aoki to get back, I write home.
Dear Baba,
It's been over a month since my first letter and I still haven't heard from you. I'm hoping this is because the shop is so busy now and you've become such a celebrity in Xienzo that you don't have time for your daughter anymore (remember her?). Or maybe Tien's just been working you too hard (more likely). Whatever it is, please write soon. I miss you.
Palace life is highly overrated. There are hours of preparation before you can even leave your room, and there are rules for everything. Tien would love it. Also, the food is awful.
All right, not really. But I'd still trade it all for one of your pork dumplings any day.
All my love,
Lei
My brush hovers over the paper, wanting to add more. But Mistress Eira made it clear that I wasn't to give out any details about the palace or my life here. Anyway, I wouldn't want my father and Tien to know how difficult I'm finding things. I set the brush down, waiting until the ink dries before touching my fingers to it. As I trace each character, I imagine Baba's and Tien's hands doing the same in a few days. I bring the paper to my lips for a kiss. Then I roll the letter up, fastening it with a ribbon.
At this hour, the only light comes from the lantern in the corner of my room. Pattering rainfall fills the midnight hush. I sit back on my sleeping mat, pulling my legs to my chest. This is the third letter I've written to home, and I still haven't heard anything back. I probably shouldn't read too much into it—there are so many explanations as to why they haven't responded yet. But I can't help it. Maybe Madam Himura found out about the letters and stopped them from being sent as a punishment for my embarrassing her at the Unveiling Ceremony. Guilt wrings my belly as I remember Wren's warning earlier today. Maybe, if I was performing better in my classes...
The sound of movement in the hallway snaps off the thought.
I get up, tucking my hair behind my ears, and move to the door. A figure passes, footsteps light.
Aoki's back.
Clutching the silk of my night robe tighter around me, I glide the door open. The air is fresh from the rain, the floorboards cool beneath my bare soles. "Aoki?" I call softly after the retreating figure.
She doesn't stop.
I hurry after her. She turns the corner, disappearing through a door that leads to the gardens at the back of the house. I hesitate. We're not supposed to leave our rooms at night, let alone go outside. And if Aoki wanted me to go with her, wouldn't she have left the door open?
Unsure now, I slide the door ajar. Rain-cooled air greets me. Beyond the house are gardens, graduating from manicured lawns and flowerbeds to a dense pine forest in the distance, moonlight silvering the treetops. I spot Aoki's retreating figure just before she's swallowed up by the dark line of the forest.
Only it isn't Aoki.
It's Wren.
Under the moonlight, her outline is unmistakable: long-limbed and broad-shouldered, with that slinking, feline prowl.
I stare at the spot where she disappeared between the trees, battling the urge to charge after her. Because while being caught wandering the house at night might earn us a slap and a lecture from Madam Himura, actually leaving the house to go gods-know-where and with gods-know-who will certainly have more serious consequences.
My lips press tight. And after her telling me to be careful.
I tiptoe back to my room. Sleep doesn't come for a long time. I keep picturing Wren moving through the forest, winding her way easily through the pines, smiling as she spots the person she's snuck out even in the rain to meet. In my head it's a tall, shadowy man. He opens his arms and she wraps herself around him, dissolving into his touch, and in the pit of my belly, something dark stirs. |
I don't get a chance to speak to Aoki until the following morning. She comes to my side as we head down the raised walkways to the lake in the south of Women's Court where our qi arts teacher, Master Tekoa, holds his classes. It's a beautiful midsummer morning, bright and crisp, drops of rain from last night's shower nestling in the cupped palms of leaves and the wooden buildings still stained dark. Yet the daylight shows how tired Aoki looks. Her eyes are puffy, her lips chapped.
Before I can say anything, Blue looks round. "Little Aoki!" she says, striding over. "How are you feeling after your special night?" Her grin is all teeth. "I'm surprised you're even able to walk," she goes on with a glance at Mariko. "I thought the King would have broken you."
Mariko titters, but the other girls are quiet.
"Go away, Blue," I snap, threading my fingers through Aoki's.
Blue arches a brow. "Don't you want to hear the saucy details, Nine? I'm surprised. I thought, since you still haven't had any sauciness yourself..."
"Well, you thought wrong. Nothing new there," I add, and I notice Wren at the back of the group, her lips quirking.
Blue ignores me. "Come on, Aoki. Give us the details."
"Yes, tell us!" Mariko chimes in. "Was he gentle with you? Or did he want it rough?"
Aoki's cheeks grow splotchy, her freckles disappearing under the pink. "It's—it's private," she stammers. She tucks her chin, a lock of auburn hair falling across her face.
"Private?" Blue regards her through squinted eyes. "Don't you remember what Mistress Eira told us? There's no such thing as private when it comes to being a Paper Girl." And though I could be imagining it, I detect a note of bitterness in her voice.
"Ignore them," I say, and tug on Aoki's hand. "Let's get out of here." My eyes meet Wren's. Before I can question what I'm doing, I march past the other girls toward her, pulling Aoki with me. "Could you send Master Tekoa our apologies for missing his lesson?" I ask her in a low voice. "Say there's been a... female emergency."
Though Wren's eyebrows knit just a fraction, she gives a curt nod. "Sure."
"Thank you," I say.
She shrugs. "It's nothing," she says, even though it's not. If Master Tekoa decides to inquire into our absence, he'll know Wren lied to him. She'd be punished along with Aoki and me. But I'm counting on the fact that the notion of a female emergency will be too embarrassing for him to press further. Master Tekoa is our only male teacher. The King gives him special permission to come into Women's Court because Madam Himura insists, claiming he's the best qi arts practitioner in the whole palace.
The rest of the girls are still watching us, most looking apprehensive. Chenna and the twins get on well with Aoki, and unlike me, they must know what she's going through. All the girls were sullen the day after their first night with the King—even Mariko and Blue, though I'm sure they wouldn't admit it now.
With a pointed look in Blue's direction, as though defying her to intervene, Chenna comes over to us. "I cried all night after the first time," she says, bending to clasp Aoki's shoulders.
Aoki blinks, looking up with a sniff. "Really?"
Chenna nods. "It wasn't easy for me, either."
Over her head, Wren turns to me. "It's all right, Lei," she says. "Go."
As her eyes meet mine, a spark of heat stirs in my chest. It takes me a moment to realize it's the first time she's spoken my name. My single syllable is surprisingly soft on her tongue, light, like a drop of rain. I think of her in the gardens last night, lit by moonlight. What she might have left Paper House for. Not just what—who?
And more: why do I care so much?
I break her gaze and mutter a thanks, quickly leading Aoki away.
The two of us find a secluded veranda at the back of a nearby teahouse to wait out the lesson. It overlooks a rock garden, an old gardener in a wide-brimmed straw hat sweeping the stones with a rake. She doesn't look up as we kneel side by side on the edge of the porch, and the rhythm of her rake is comforting, a steady scrape that plays under the soundtrack of the teahouse, the chirp of birds in nearby trees.
"You don't need to tell me about it," I say into Aoki's silence. She's still avoiding my gaze, staring down where she's playing with the sash at her waist. "I just thought you could use some time away from the others."
She nods. Tears spring to her eyes. She swipes them away with her sleeve and mumbles thickly, "It's stupid. It had to happen at some point, and it's not like I didn't want it to. I did. I mean, he's the King. But..." Her voice wavers. "I never guessed it would feel like this."
I lace my arm round her shoulder. "It was your first time, Aoki. It was bound to affect you. I guess that's why we're meant to wait until marriage," I say, trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about. "So we are sure of the other person. So we're sure of ourselves."
Aoki sniffs. "I overheard one of my older sisters talking about it with her friend once. My parents were arranging for her to marry this boy from the neighboring village, and she met with him in secret one night before the deal was final." She tucks her hair behind one ear and shoots me a wobbly smile. "They did... things. Not everything. But enough that I knew she'd be in serious trouble if my parents found out. But she told my parents the next day that she was happy to marry him." Her smile disappears. "It must have been a good night," she adds, muted. Then, even quieter, "I was so scared."
I gather her to me, something hot flaring to life in my chest. How dare he scare her. Even though I haven't seen him since the Unveiling Ceremony, I can still picture the King's handsome face clearly.
I imagine punching it.
Rubbing her nose with one hand, Aoki looks up at me from under tear-wet lashes. "Are you scared? For when it's your turn?"
Something in the tone of her voice sends a prickle down my spine. "Should I be?"
Aoki turns to the garden with unfocused eyes. "There was this boy in my village," she starts. "Jun. He worked on the paddy fields, too. We didn't talk much, but every time I saw him—any time I was near him—my whole body got all hot and I'd be so nervous I could never think what to say. He'd be smiling and I'd just be blushing like an idiot. Each look he gave me was like... like sunlight sweeping over me." Her voice falters, and tears trace wet paths down her cheeks. Still twisting the sash in her fingers, she murmurs, "I—I thought it would be like that with the King."
"Maybe you'll feel that way next time," I try, swiping her tears away with my fingertips. "Maybe with some people it just takes time."
"Maybe," she agrees.
But I can tell she doesn't believe it.
For the rest of the day, Aoki is sullen. I didn't realize how much I depended on her happy chatter, for her bubbly mood to lift my own. I try to cheer her up, whispering jokes when our teachers' backs are turned and stealing for her sugared hopia pastries filled with peanut paste, one of her favorite sweets. But she says she isn't hungry.
This, coming from a girl who can usually eat ten of these in one sitting and still have room for more.
As if mirroring Aoki's mood, the weather turns over the course of the day. Heavy clouds roll in, so low I could jump up and touch them. We rush back from our last lesson, making it to Paper House just as it starts to pour.
I bump into Chenna on my way to the toilet. She gives me a nod as she passes, but I touch her shoulder to stop her. "Thank you," I say. "For earlier."
She gives me her usual half smile. "It's all right. I have a little cousin back home. Aoki really reminds me of her. I know she's sixteen, but she seems so much younger sometimes."
I nod. "If only Blue and Mariko could leave her alone."
"Like they do the rest of us?"
Chenna's face is straight, so it takes me a moment to catch her joke. I let out a laugh. "You're right. I shouldn't hold my breath."
"Anyway," she says, "Mariko's actually pretty nice when she's not around Blue. And I wouldn't care too much what Blue says." She looks like she's about to say something more, so I lean forward, brow furrowing.
"What is it?" I press.
"Well, I don't really like to talk about other people's business. But seeing as it's Blue..." She wets her lips. "Do you know who her father is?"
"Someone important at court, right?"
"Not just someone important—he's the King's only Paper caste adviser. Even the Hannos aren't involved with the King's council. Everyone knows the King is paranoid when it comes to dealing with the clans. Probably worried he'll upset them one day and they'll turn on him. But Blue's father was exiled from his clan years ago."
"Why?" I ask.
Chenna shrugs. "There are lots of different rumors. But whatever it was, he ended up here, and because he's a free agent, the King seems to trust him more than most."
"What's this got to do with Blue?"
"Everyone knows her father is after a promotion. The King's first adviser died earlier this year and he still hasn't appointed a successor." Chenna's coal-black irises don't leave mine. "Blue is eighteen. She could have been entered into the Paper Girl selection before now. So her father putting her forward for the first time this year seems rather convenient, don't you think?"
I frown. "But the selection process—"
"Is not mandatory for daughters of court officials." She nods. "Not that there are many Paper caste court officials anyway, of course. But for the few who are, they're granted an exception. Unless—"
"The family wants them to be considered, and enters them voluntarily," I finish.
"What's more," Chenna goes on, "I heard some of the maids talking about how it was common knowledge Blue didn't want to be put forward as a Paper Girl."
Silence unfolds at this. Out of all the girls, Blue is the one I would have bet on for fighting tooth and nail to be selected. I imagined her following the selection of the Paper Girls since she was young, playing dress-up with her maids, pretending she was one of the chosen.
"Her father used her," I state, hollow.
"It's exactly what Blue would have done herself," Chenna replies with a lift of a shoulder.
The coolness in her voice makes me wince. Tien had told me how Paper caste families offer up their daughters in the hopes of gaining favor with the court. But hearing Chenna talk so frankly about it...
Being traded against your will by your own father can't feel nice. Even for someone like Blue.
"Chenna," I say as she moves away, "how do you know all this?"
Something flickers in her dark eyes. "The King talks a lot," she answers, an edge to her voice. "Especially after a few glasses of sake."
It's not until I'm coming back from the toilet that I comprehend the significance of Chenna's words.
Maybe the one person who can tell me what happened to my mother is the last person I'd ever want to ask.
At dinner, Madam Himura tells us we'll be attending a dance performance later that evening. "The King will be in attendance," she says. Her yellow eyes cut to me. "So no mistakes."
An excited thrum runs through the room. Zhen and Zhin lean their heads in, whispering, and Blue and Mariko swap knowing looks. It's the first time we'll be crossing paths with the King in public, and while some of the girls seem happy by this news, a coldness slithers over me at the mention of him.
I glance across the table in Aoki's direction. She doesn't make any sign that she's heard, still poking her food with her chopsticks, head propped on one hand.
When we get up to leave, I notice Blue hanging back. I hover in the doorway, pretending to be adjusting my shoes. As Madam Himura rises from the table, Blue approaches her in a purposeful stride.
"What is it?" the eagle-woman snaps.
Blue rolls her shoulders. "I—I want to know whether my father will be attending the performance tonight," she declares.
"It's not my duty to memorize guest lists, girl."
"But—"
"Send a messenger to ask."
Blue mumbles something.
"Well," replies Madam Himura, waving a feathered arm, "that's not my problem. Your father is an important man. He'll respond when he sees fit."
I hurry away before they catch me listening. Something sour turns my stomach, remembering my conversation with Chenna, but it takes me a while to place the feeling because it's not something I ever thought I'd associate with Blue.
Pity.
Back in my room, Lill hums as she dresses me in velvety amethyst-colored hanfu robes stitched with a floral print. "Tonight, Mistress," she announces with a grin, "you're going to look so beautiful the King won't be able to take his eyes off you."
I arch a brow. "That's what you said last time. Remember what happened?"
"Don't remind me!" As she fusses with the positioning of the layered fabrics, she adds, "I overheard one of the court messengers speaking to Madam Himura." Her grin creeps wider.
"Oh, no." I grimace. "What now?"
With a clap of her hands, Lill does a little dance on her tiptoes before bursting out, "You've been chosen to sit next to the King tonight!"
I look away jerkily, and Lill falters.
"Aren't... aren't you happy?"
I answer her through gritted teeth. "Can't wait."
"Don't worry, Mistress," she says. Her small hand lands on my own. "He's bound to pick you tomorrow after seeing you like this. I'm sure of it."
What I don't tell her is that's exactly what I'm afraid of.
I can't deny that every time the royal messenger delivers the bamboo chip and my name isn't the one on it, it's started to bring a twist of shame. Along with Blue's snide comments and Madam Himura's constant admonishments, it hasn't been easy being the unchosen girl. Every day I think of General Yu's threat. How long will they keep me in the palace without being chosen by the King? What happens if he never picks me? Will they throw me out? Somehow I can't imagine Madam Himura sending me merrily on my way, a packed lunch and some money in my pocket, wishing me and my family all the best for the future.
But even the fear of what could happen has been outshadowed by relief. Of not having to face the King for one more day, at least. Of being able to ignore the real reason I'm in the palace in the first place. And while I've discovered that a month is not long enough to forget a face such as his, it is enough time to create distance from that face, and the demon it belongs to.
Later that evening, as we travel through the palace to where the dance recital is being held, his presence starts to reveal itself, like smoke on the wind, a bitter taste that knots my stomach.
Rain pounds on the carriages as we pull up to one of the Inner Court theaters. The dark wood walls of the theater are slick from the deluge. Over the sound of the storm, music thrums from within: the melancholy song of an erhu, piping reeds, low drumbeats. A troop of umbrella-wielding servants usher us inside. We file into the theater's main hall, a grand, circular room. At the center is a round stage ringed by cushions.
Mistress Eira takes my arm. "You're with me, Lei." She smiles, leading me to the front row.
Around us, court members in an array of demon forms are taking their places, shadows distorted by the lantern glow. My breaths come more shallowly as we kneel on our cushions, and I hold myself stiffly, trying not to flinch each time I hear the heavy drop of hooves. To distract myself, I focus on the stage. There's a dusting of snowlike powder sprinkled across it.
Mistress Eira follows my gaze. "Sugar dust," she says.
I look round. "What is it for?"
"The dancers kick it up with their movements so it settles onto our clothes and skin. It's more for display, really. But it's also said to encourage sensual thoughts." Her voice drops. "Men and women will know their lovers' skin will taste sweet later tonight."
An image flares into my mind: the King, leaning in close, a thick tongue sliding out to run along my bare collarbones.
"I—I can't do it," I say suddenly. Pushing my palms into the floor, I start to my feet. "I can't, I won't—"
Mistress Eira seizes my arm. "Hush, Lei!" she hisses, yanking me back down with pinching fingers. "You can never speak this way in public. Never. Do you understand? Imagine if word got back to Madam Himura. To the King." She waits as an elegant-looking lion-form demon strides past, his arm looped over the shoulder of a smaller lion-form male. They share a chaste press of their snouted noses as they pass. Relaxing her grip a little, Mistress Eira continues, "I understand your fear, but you have to see it as just another aspect of your job. Not even one that takes too long—a few hours and you'll be back in Paper House. And while I can't promise that you'll enjoy it, it might not be as bad as you feared. Remember, even that which seems impossible at first can be overcome by strength of mind and heart."
It's an old saying, one everybody in Ikhara is familiar with. I turn it over on my tongue, hunting for comfort in its words. For some reason, it makes me think of Wren. The way her eyes often gaze into the distance during dinners and lessons, as though she's retreating somewhere deep within herself. Is this how she copes with sleeping with the King? Protecting her true self by folding it away where he can't reach?
I look across the stage to where she's sat opposite me, expecting to find her staring off into the distance. But my breath catches—because she's looking straight at me. And this time, instead of emptiness, Wren's eyes shimmer brightly with fire.
Then a voice rings out through the theater, and our connection breaks. "Honorable members of the court, presenting our Heavenly Master, our gods' blessed ruler and commander of all beings who walk the mortal realm, the King!"
Every member of the audience drops into a bow. My cheeks are still flushed from Wren's look as I lower my forehead to the floor, but the rest of my body is clammy. Silence claims the hall. The only sounds are the rustling of fabric and the thrum of rain on the roof. And, beneath my ribs, the frantic slam of my heart. It seems impossible that no one else can hear it. Even now, Baba and Tien must be raising their heads in Xienzo from their late dinner after another busy day to wonder what that distant drumming sound is.
The hall is quiet for a few moments more. Then—hoof-fall.
I fight the urge to jump up as they approach in a slow gait, coming to a stop right beside me. Heat ripples from the King's body as he kneels down, close, not touching but so near his presence is as heavy as a sky full of storm clouds, and the smell of him fills my nose; that sharp scent of bull, raw and masculine.
"Heavenly Master," I murmur along with the rest of the room. There are rustling sounds as everyone in the audience sits back up. I straighten, my eyes locked on the floor, aware of his stare.
"Lei-zhi," he says, drawing the letters out. There's a smirk in his voice. "Am I to always find you face-first on the floor?"
"If that is where you want me." I inject the words with as much derision as I dare, adding a quick "Heavenly Master" for good measure.
His boom of laughter shudders deep, right down to my bones. "So, how have you found your first month at the palace? I hope it has been enjoyable."
"In... some ways," I answer carefully.
"In some ways! Tell me those that disagree with you, and I'll see what I can do."
Oh, just the small fact that I'm a prisoner here. But I keep my eyes down and mumble instead, "The days start very early. And we have a lot of lessons. And the food could be better, I suppose."
Again, his laughter rattles me. "Now, I know at least that last one's a lie. We have the most superior chefs in all of Ikhara. I challenge you to find better. But perhaps," he goes on, his tone cooling somewhat, "your tongue hasn't become accustomed to fine food yet. I can only imagine what your meals were like in Xienzo. Do not worry, Lei-zhi. I am sure your tongue will become accustomed to palace delicacies soon enough."
The double meaning in his words jolts me, but I only have a few seconds to falter before he speaks again, his voice flat and serious now.
"The court tells me you're blessed with eyes leant by the Moon Goddess herself. Show them to me."
With a deep inhalation, arranging my face into as calm an expression as I can muster, I lift my chin. And finally, after all these weeks, the King's cool gaze meets mine.
His spine stiffens. Not in fear, or even surprise. But the way a cat goes still when it's spotted a mouse. How the world grows silent before the roar of a storm. His stillness seems to ripple through the room until everything is frozen, everyone focused on the two of us, the fix of golden eyes on blue.
A smile sneaks across his lips, accenting his pointed cupid's bow. "So. They weren't exaggerating."
I bow my head. "I am humbled by your compliment, Heavenly Master," I force out.
There's a pause. "You haven't thanked me for my other one."
I jerk my chin up. "The—the other one?"
"You must have been wondering why I haven't called you to me yet, no?" The King leans down until his face is just a hairsbreadth from mine and curls a hand round my cheek, holding me with just a fraction too much pressure. "Didn't you know, Lei-zhi," he murmurs, grin sharpening, "I always save the best for last."
The announcer's voice sounds again, signaling the start of the show. But the King doesn't look away—and I don't dare to.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a sleek dog-form dancer entering the stage. A lone string melody starts up. The dog-girl launches into movement. Scarlet ribbons tied round her wrists fly out in long, rippling waves. She dances across the stage, lifts high with fast kicks of her slender haunches, turning the air around her into a whirl of red.
A shower of sugar dust falls over us. Slowly, not taking his eyes off mine, the King runs a thumb over my lips and raises it to his own, tasting it with his tongue.
"Delicious," he growls.
The next day, the name painted on the bamboo chip is mine. |
The table erupts, all the girls talking at once. Madam Himura has to slam her hands down to shock them into silence. "This is not some housewives' mahjong party!" she cries, yellow eyes blazing. "Are you forgetting who you are?" She points a taloned finger at the door. "Go! Mistress Tunga is expecting you." When I start to stand, she gives an exasperated sigh. "Not you, Lei."
Whispering, the girls file from the room. Aoki looks over her shoulder as she goes, offering me a smile I can't return. Wren also pauses in the doorway. She looks round. Just like last night when our gazes caught across the stage, there is a radiance in her eyes that pulls something in the pit of my stomach into life.
"Good luck, Lei," she says. "I'll be thinking of you."
I blink after her as she slides the door shut.
"So. The King has finally summoned you."
Madam Himura's voice cuts through the quiet. I look down at my lap, where my fingers twine together.
"Mistress Eira predicted it," she goes on. "Apparently he was quite taken with you at the dance recital last night." With a rustle of feathers, she comes round the table to kneel beside me. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Lei-zhi. Being scared of your first time is normal. All girls are."
I bite my lip. "Is there... is there any way—"
She clicks her beak. "Do not ask the impossible of me. The King's decision is final." A clawed hand lands on my shoulder with surprising gentleness. "You'll feel better once it's over. You might even grow to enjoy it in time."
I remember Aoki's tear-streaked face.
"I doubt it," I mutter.
Madam Himura snatches back her hand, the callous tone returning to her voice just as quickly as it went. "Whether you enjoy it or not is beside the point. This is your job. And as with all your duties, you will perform to the best of your abilities. Even if your abilities don't seem much." She jabs her cane against the floor. "Rika!" she barks at one of the maids. "Take Lei for her ye lesson."
I frown. "Ye lesson?"
"Night skills," Madam Himura responds curtly. "To prepare you for tonight."
She doesn't say it, but the word is in the air with us, sharp and cutting and cold.
Sex.
I'm finally about to be trained for the most important role of a Paper Girl—and the one I've been dreading the most.
Hidden in the southeastern corner of Women's Court, beyond high walls and set deep within gardens scented with the rich, heady fragrance of jasmine and frangipani, are the buildings where the palace courtesans live. The Night Houses. During her description of the different areas of the palace when we first arrived, Mistress Eira didn't go into any further detail, telling us only that they are strictly out of bounds unless we're given explicit permission from her or Madam Himura. Now, pulling up outside the concubines' home, I wonder why. It's not as if we'd just be able to saunter in. Along with the steep walls, dozens of soldiers line the deep gate leading into the grounds. Sunlight glances off their leather armor, the elaborate sheaths of the jian crossed at their chests.
Rika, Madam Himura's maid, helps me down from the carriage. The guards don't move, but their gazes flick over me. I catch the eye of a tall cheetah-form soldier as we pass. She has a surprisingly sweet face, sandy fur almost as pale as skin, looped black markings around each eye. She gives me a smile, friendly somehow despite the glint of canines.
My eyes shift from her to the demon next to her, then the next. I turn to Rika. "They're all female!" I say.
She nods. "Male guards aren't allowed permanent fixtures in Women's Court."
"But what about the visitors? Aren't they men?"
"There's an entrance on the side that leads directly from City Court for them to use." Then she adds, almost as an afterthought, "That's where the house with the male courtesans is, too."
"Male courtesans? For the female court members, you mean?"
"No, Mistress. They are also for male court members."
We fall silent. I can't say I'm that surprised by this news. At our nightly events there have sometimes been male demons who have had other men as their escorts, like the two lion-men last night. But I've never seen it the other way round—two female lovers.
We don't say any more as we head along a winding path through the gardens. It's peaceful here among the trees, the floor dappled with sunlight. The grounds are lush and wild, with willowy trees and tangled knots of flowering shrubs, vibrant after last night's storm. Red saga seeds pepper the grass. There's the trill of birdsong, the rustle and rush of breeze-blown leaves. The violet beams of half hidden pavilions wink from deep in the foliage. As we pass one, movement from inside draws my attention. The view is partially blocked by the swaying leaves of a ginkgo tree, but I make out the form of a naked woman beyond the latticed balcony.
Her long raven hair tumbles to the floor. Two elklike antlers twine elegantly from the crown of her head. Tossing her head back, she shifts, and the brown-haired body of some kind of bear-form demon sits up from under her. His hands grip her shoulders as she moves on top of him. I can't hear their noises from here, but it's clear what they're doing.
My cheeks burn. I look quickly away, hurrying down the path with my eyes fixed on the ground.
After a few more minutes the gardens open onto a square populated with a cluster of low, two-tiered buildings. Moss crawls up their green-and-red walls. Over their open entrances hang banners marked in sweeping calligraphy, each displaying the same character: ye.
A figure emerges from the middle house. "You're late."
The woman cocks her head to one side, arms folded across her chest. She's a dog-form demon, Moon caste, the spotted umber hair flowing over her lithe frame just showing the beginnings of gray. Long legs—a meld of human limbs and dog haunches—show through the split in her maroon robes. Though her ears are floppy, any softness this adds to her appearance is countered by the keen contours of her face and the flint-colored stare she gives us as we approach.
Rika bows. "Our sincerest apologies, Mistress Azami."
Just as I start to mumble a greeting, the dog-woman strides forward and grabs my arm. "Your job during these lessons is not to talk," she snaps, yanking me up the steps into the house. "It's to listen. Only listen. Can you do that? Can you keep that pretty mouth of yours shut for the next few hours?"
I almost trip on the lip of a step. "Y-yes, Mistress."
"What did I just say? Aiyah, you're a slow learner, aren't you? Let's hope you have some talent between the sheets to make up for it."
With an irritable click of her tongue, she drags me up a flight of stairs to the upper floor and down a narrow hallway. I get only a quick impression of the building's interior; low, shadowed corridors, glimpses of moving figures from behind thin rice-paper screens, and sounds, unfamiliar but somehow... not. Heavy groans. A stifled moan.
Mistress Azami raps on one of the doors. "Zelle!" she barks. "Open up! Your Paper Girl is here for her lesson."
A silky voice answers from inside. "Why don't you ever ask nicely, Mistress?"
"And why don't you ever just do as you're told?" Grumbling, the dog-woman opens the door and shoves me through. "Three hours. The basics. Go."
She shuts the door with a slam.
I stumble to a stop, hastily smoothing down my clothes. My eyes meet with those of a Paper caste girl just a few years older than me. She's leaning by the window, dusky light from the half closed shutters painting her slim outline in gold. A slit travels up one side of her indigo skirt, exposing the lean length of her legs.
The girl gives me a lopsided smile. "The famous Nine. I've been looking forward to meeting you."
I flinch at her use of Blue's nickname for me but force a bow. "I'm honored to learn from you today, Mistress Zelle."
"Please," she sighs, rolling her eyes. "Just Zelle. Mistress makes me feel so old." With a swish of her robes, she comes forward to kneel on the bamboo-mat floor, gesturing for me to join her. "Don't you ever got bored of it? All the Mistress this, Madam that. At least in my job I'm not expected to make small talk. Unless, of course, it's a customer's preference." She winks.
I don't know how to respond to that. Instead I look round her room. It's so different from my own in Paper House. Paintings and calligraphy scrolls hang on the walls, and the cabinets and side tables are richly detailed, carved from polished teak and mahogany and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. To one side of the room hangs a swath of gauzy fabric, rippling in the breeze coming through the window. The fabric is sheer enough to make out a bed behind it, low and wide, mounds of pillows thrown across its top.
"You're from Xienzo, yes?" Zelle says, following my gaze. "I guess you haven't seen one before."
"A bed?" I shake my head. "We used sleeping mats back home. And in our rooms here."
She snorts. "Of course you do. They wouldn't want to encourage you bringing lovers back. Though that doesn't stop all the girls."
A crooked grin darts across her lips, and I find myself returning it. There's something friendly about this girl, with her sparkling eyes and teasing voice.
"So," she murmurs, gazing at me. "What to teach you..."
"Mistress Azami said the basics?"
Zelle flaps a hand. "Basics are boring. I could tell you how it works, where certain parts need to go, the anatomy and mechanics of it all. But what's the point? You'll know all that anyway once it happens. The best sex is natural. Instinctive. It's about letting go, not running through a list of actions in your mind. That's why I hate all these formalities and etiquette. They spoil it—the rawness. The passion." She pauses. "Think of it as a simple case of action and reaction. Touch and response."
With an impish smile, she leans forward to grasp my hand. As she does so, her collar shifts, exposing the shadow of her cleavage. Zelle doesn't seem to notice. Pushing back my sleeve, she holds a fingertip to my inner elbow and, her thick-lashed eyes never leaving mine, she traces her finger down my arm.
Slowly. Lightly. Teasingly.
Heat stirs between my legs.
"How does this make you feel?" she asks in a glossy voice, watching me.
I swallow. "I—I guess it's nice."
Zelle laughs, though not unkindly. "There's no lying when it comes to sex, Nine. Your body will always betray you." Touching my cheek, she murmurs, "Look how deeply you're blushing." Her fingers brush my lips. "Your mouth is parted, expectant. Ready to be kissed." Her palm rests against my breastbone, her skin hot on mine. "Your heartbeat is fast. Excited. What would I find if I slipped my hand between your legs? Would your body betray you there, too?"
I drop my gaze, and Zelle shifts back.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of," she says, gentler now. "You can be honest with me. Many of us yearn to be touched. To be loved."
"Well," I say, glowering, "I don't yearn for the Demon King."
It comes out louder and harsher than I meant it to.
"I—I mean," I go on, "he's a demon. And I'm not."
Zelle rubs a lock of her hair between her thumb and finger. "A lot of the girls have trouble understanding that," she says with a nod. "The attraction between castes. But it isn't actually as rare as you might expect."
"It isn't?"
"Think of it this way. Moon castes came from Paper, according to the old myths of the Mae Scripts, am I right? And Steels are what resulted from the mix of Paper and Moon. So really, Paper, Steel, and Moon aren't that separate fundamentally. We're just at various levels on the scales. So we look a little different." She shrugs. "Fur, feathers—it's just decoration, really. Our basic makeup and structure are the same."
Her words remind me of what Mama told me about humans and demons sharing the same blood. And being reminded of my mother leads me to think of that day seven years ago, the day I stopped believing in her words because how could we be the same when demons could do that?
"But if they think they are so superior to us," I scowl, "why would they even want us in that way?"
Zelle cocks a shoulder. "Part of it is the temptation of the forbidden, I suppose. The excitement of breaking the rules. Especially somewhere like here, the palace, a place full of Moon and Steel castes—maybe the delicate features of human girls have an exotic lure." Something hardens in her expression. "But mostly, I think, it's about power. Demon men can take what they want. Our homes. Our lives. Our bodies." Then, as abruptly as it went, her lighthearted demeanor returns. "And of course, there's our sheer beauty. I mean, who can resist this?" She flips her hair, shoots me a wink. "Anyway, the real issue is how do we help you feel at ease with the King."
I shift uncomfortably, remembering last night—the closeness of the King, his thumb tracing my lips, the way he touched me with the intimacy, the sureness of someone who has already known others' bodies.
Or, perhaps, of someone who is comfortable with taking things as his own.
Revulsion swirls through me, edged with something fire-hot. I want to jump up, scream at Zelle. Isn't it obvious? Isn't it understandable how maybe I wouldn't want a stranger's body pressed against mine, especially not a demon whose power has brought so much pain to Ikhara, to families like mine?
Dzarja. It is a betrayal.
Every day I'm here in the palace is a betrayal.
But I swallow my words, unsure of how Zelle would respond. Instead, I make up, "I know nothing about him. We've had one conversation. Barely. How am I supposed to be attracted to someone I don't know?"
"You're really telling me you've never been drawn to someone because of the way they look?" Zelle asks with an arch of her brow. "It's not shallow, Nine. Attraction is an honest, instinctive part of life. And a person's appearance is much more than just their features. It's how they hold themselves. The way they move. The things you can tell about them without words. You're how old?"
"Seventeen."
"Seventeen," she repeats, something a little wistful in her voice, even though it couldn't have been more than a few years ago for her. "Such a good age. Still fresh enough that attraction and desire feel new to you, but old enough to understand what to do with them. You must have watched someone by now and wished you could know them. Wondered whether their thoughts might stray to you."
And all at once my face gets hot—because it's a perfect description of the way I've been feeling about someone.
Wren.
Understanding arrives then the way twilight falls: instantaneously. Just a blink, a skip in time, leaving only the before and the after, and the inescapable ripples of change.
Every lingering glance, every stolen moment watching her out of the corner of my eye clicks into place. How flustered I always feel around her. How jealous I was at the thought of her with a lover. The way watching her dance makes something inside me physically ache. And even though we've not spoken that much—Wren still carries herself with that infuriating aloofness that separates her from the group—Zelle is right. I can tell things about her just from the way she behaves. She's not as unknowable as she might like to think. I've noticed the way she relaxes anytime we have a physical-based lesson, as though grateful for the time to move in her own body. The way she hides her nakedness in the bathing courtyard, less out of modesty but more, it seems, as a sense of maintaining the distance she has crafted between herself and the rest of us.
And I've noticed the way she's begun to watch me sometimes, and how—with burning eyes.
Something I haven't felt for a long time flutters into life in the pit of my belly. Hope. Because, maybe, Wren has already come to her understanding.
Maybe her eyes were showing me what I'm only just realizing now.
Zelle watches me patiently, her lips quirked. "See? Your body doesn't lie. There is someone."
Breath quiet, I palm my hands down the fabric of my skirt and answer, tentative, "But... it's not the King." I want to add, And it's not a man, either, but that seems too telling.
"So?" she says. "You're not expected to be attracted to the person you're being forced to sleep with. Look at my clients. Most of them are government dogs." Zelle snorts. "Sometimes literally. But every now and then, someone comes along..." Her face glimmers with a secret memory, perhaps of kinder, less selfish hands and mouths. "You need to find ways to arouse those feelings even when you're with someone who repulses you. It might sound impossible, but it's actually quite simple once you know how. I'll show you. Take off your clothes," she commands brusquely.
Instinctively, I clasp the collar of my robes. "W-what?"
"There's no use being coy, Nine. I work here, remember? I've seen it all. Besides, if you can't undress in front of me, what hope do you have when it comes to the King?"
Her words send a shudder down my spine. Not just because of how she means it, but for the second meaning hidden within, too. Because the answer to her question is easy: none. I have no hope. No hope of being free, no hope of escaping what's to come tonight.
But if there's one thing palace life has taught me, it's how to follow orders. Even if on the inside, you're raging against them.
Chin low, I pull my sash free. Then, slowly, I draw my cotton robes off my shoulders. I stare down at the floor, feeling as exposed as I look.
"Gods," Zelle murmurs. "That was about as sensual as a tooth extraction. You'd better watch closely."
She casts her face to the side, her gaze blurring, unfocused. She undresses from her hanfu leisurely, and I can't help but be amazed at the transformation in her demeanor. She becomes a woman in love. Every movement is filled with yearning. Desire in the quickening of her breaths as the robes tumble from her body; coyness in the way she catches my eyes before dropping her gaze to the floor. In her parted lips: longing.
Then she grins, and the mirage is broken.
"That was amazing," I admit.
With a shrug, Zelle glides her robes back on, though there is real pride in her voice. "Of course it was. You wouldn't expect anything less from the highest-paid courtesan in the palace, would you? Now, get dressed and try it again. Imagine that you're with the person you desire. You're undressing in front of them for the first time. How would you feel? How would they feel? Use the thought of their lust to fuel your own."
I close my eyes and do as she says, dreaming of Wren.
Over the next few hours, Zelle teaches me more techniques for the King's bedchamber, from ways to be touched she's heard he likes from previous Paper Girls to exercises for me to practice to become more aware of my own sensuality. Sometimes she looks at me in a way that makes it seem like she can tell what I'm thinking about. Or, more specifically—who.
"Will we have more lessons?" I ask once the lesson is over, gathering up the hem of my robes and starting to my feet.
"Anytime the King calls for you," Zelle replies. "Though there won't be that much more to teach you. Like I said, it's natural, really. You just need practice. But Madam Himura thinks there's benefit in you all having lessons with me, and I get to take a few hours out from seeing clients." She smiles up at me. "I'm looking forward to hearing how tonight goes, Nine. I think you'll do well."
Heat—and not the good kind—crawls across my skin at the thought of the King's hands on my body. Everyone talks about our job as though it were totally normal. As though physical intimacy were something to be demanded, not offered or shared. Not with love, the way I'd dreamed of it since I was young, thinking marriage was the sweet kisses my parents shared when they thought I wasn't looking, the way they sat side by side many nights on the back porch, in silence but somehow making the air feel full of words.
Something narrows in my throat. "I still don't feel ready."
"I know I've thrown a lot of information at you today," Zelle says gently. "Just remember that it's your first time. The King isn't expecting you to be highly skilled. In fact, he's probably looking forward to your inexperience. Many men enjoy that, taking a girl's virginity."
"Why?" The word comes out bitter. All the bad things in my life have happened because of men's greed—first when they took Mama, and then when they came back seven years later for me. My voice is rough as I add, "They have all the power, anyway."
The look Zelle gives me is sharp. "Do they? Yes, they like to think they're in charge, ordering us around and taking women for their own whenever they fancy. But is that true power? They can take and steal and break all they want, but there is one thing they have no control over. Our emotions," she says at my nonplussed look. "Our feelings. Our thoughts. None of them will ever be able to control the way we feel. Our minds and hearts are our own. That is our power, Nine. Never forget it."
There's an odd calmness to her expression, though something dark surges behind her eyes. Just as I'm about to leave, I pause, glancing back from the doorway. "About my nickname..."
Zelle nods, guessing what I'm about to ask. "I did get it from Blue. But I don't use it in the same way."
"How do you use it?"
She flashes her crooked smile. "As a compliment, of course." |
Back at Paper House, I spend two uncomfortable hours being polished and plucked by a group of chattering maids before being left to soak in a bath of honeyed milk and spices. It's supposed to soften my skin, perfume it, but it only heightens the sense that I'm some animal being prepared for a feast, and as I float in the bath, this unsettling vision hits me of the scented liquid seeping into my body through my pores, right down into my bones, until I'm nothing but fragrance and softness. As if I might disappear at the lightest touch.
Afterward, Lill dresses me in a long embroidered skirt of cream and charcoal black, tied at my waist with a ribbon of velvet over a gauzy pearl-colored shirt with draped sleeves. It's a teasing mix of conservative and sensual. The full skirt hides my legs, but the sheerness of the top exposes the shape of my breasts and the slender slope of my shoulders. It makes me intensely aware of what I'm wearing it for.
Or rather, what I'm wearing it before.
Lill is quiet as she works, sensing my mood. Before we leave, she places a leaf-wrapped bundle at the head of my sleeping mat. "I'm supposed to remind you to mix these with water as soon as you get back," she says, avoiding my eyes. "And you have to drink the whole thing, Mistress. Even if it tastes bad."
The herbs to stop pregnancy. I'd forgotten about them.
I nod to show Lill I understand. But my stomach is already churning, and I have no idea if I'll even be able to keep down a few sips after what's about to happen. As Lill leads me through Paper House to where a palanquin is waiting, it takes all my effort not to be sick right here and now.
The small burst of courage Zelle's lesson gave me slips away even more with each moment drawing me closer to the King: Lill wishing me luck as I climb into the palanquin; the swaying stride of the oryx on the journey through the darkening palace. Arriving at Royal Court, the line of soldiers standing guard outside the King's fortress is just as intimidating as my first visit, a row of armor and horns. Inside, I'm taken to a windowless room for a purification ceremony. A group of royal shamans move in a ring around me, swinging gold thuribles as they chant, incense twining into ropelike tendrils around my body, a physical manifestation of how trapped I feel.
By the time I'm brought to the King's private rooms, my panic is deep, a physical thing. Everything in me wants to turn. Run away. But I force myself to recall General Yu's threat, and Wren's reminder that our actions impact not only us but our families, too.
I have to keep Baba and Tien safe. And, just maybe, the King will have some answers about my mother.
The soldiers escorting me are led by a Moon caste fox female who I recognize as one of the demons at the King's side during the Unveiling Ceremony. She must be one of his personal guards. She is undoubtedly beautiful, with sharp, vulpine eyes, and a slender body, human and fox blended seamlessly under a coating of sleek fur the color of freshly laid snow. Something about her stirs a deep current of unease in me. Through life in the palace, I've been slowly getting used to the presence of demons, but being so close to them still unnerves me. Especially Moon castes, with the promise of power in their animal-like limbs. The sense that they could tear me apart any second they chose.
We stop at a set of heavy opal doors set into an arched recess in the stone. The fox raps her knuckles against them and they glide slowly open, revealing a high-ceilinged black tunnel. I gag on the warm, perfumed air that rushes out.
The fox female glares down her powder-white nose at me. "The King is ready for you." Her voice rings high and cold, every syllable injected with disgust. Clearly she hates the fact that her precious King takes Paper caste girls to his bed.
Well, fox, I want to tell her, I'm not so keen on it, either. But I don't say, can't say, anything. The darkness of the tunnel fixes my gaze. It seems to pull at me, coaxing me forward. But my feet stay rooted.
The King is in there.
Waiting for me.
The fox makes a hissing sound with her teeth. "What," she snarls with a flick of her tail, "have you never seen a door before? Oh. Of course. I forgot you're from Xienzo. I suppose you keeda peasants can't afford them." Then she grabs me, whispering into my ear so only I can hear—"Whore!"—before shoving me inside.
I pitch forward, just managing to stop myself from falling as the doors shut with a weighty thud behind me. The tunnel is dark. The heaviness of the air seems to press on me from all sides, and I hug my arms around myself, my breathing loud. The idea that I could just stand here and not move is tempting, but it would just be delaying the inevitable. With a shaky inhale, I straighten my spine and start forward.
Soon I make out a faint red light up ahead. I move a little faster. A few moments later I emerge into a high, vaulted room. The ruby glow is coming from the hundreds of candles peppering the room—along the floor, in clusters on top of cabinets and side tables, even floating in the air—giving off heat and a cloyingly sweet aroma that makes my gut cramp. And there, in the center of the room on an enormous golden throne—
The King.
He's dressed in his usual black-and-gold robes, but tonight they're tied loosely, cutting a deep V down his torso, revealing chestnut-brown hair and the ripple of muscles. It strikes me again how humanlike his body is, and I recall Zelle's words earlier about how similar the castes actually are. If you ignored his bull's coat and the elongated pull of his jaw, the King could almost pass for human. Then my eyes travel down, to the muscled calves tapering into gold-plated gray hooves, as big as a pair of stone weights, and I remember seven years ago, the sound of demon footfall so alien to our village.
I lower into a bow, knees and forehead to the floor. The polished rock is frozen against my skin. "H-heavenly Master," I greet, and I'm furious with myself for the shake in my voice, the way it echoes weakly in the vast room.
"Come, now, Lei-zhi," the King says smoothly. "There's no need to be so formal. Not when it's just the two of us." His tone is light, but the command in his words is clear. When I unravel from my bow, he beckons me forward, gesturing to the table in front of the throne. "The royal chefs have prepared us dinner. I took the time to find out what your favorite dishes are." Candlelight picks out the copper hairs in his coat. He cocks a smile. It's wonky, almost boyish, at odds with the deepness of his voice. "Sugared almonds are a particular weakness of mine, too."
My eyes take a quick sweep of the bowls and plates spread across the table. There are prawn dumplings and scallion pancakes, steamed turnip cakes and cuts of roasted chicken breasts glistening with sauce, wine-steeped dates and fried red bean dough balls covered in syrup and coconut flakes. A glass carafe of sake sits to one side, along with two bowls for serving. But even though the food looks delicious, I can't smell anything over the horrible sweet perfume of the candles. My veins are clotted with it.
Keeping my head low, I kneel at the table across from the King, still battling the urge to be sick. "I'm humbled by your thoughtfulness, Heavenly Master," I murmur.
He slaps his hand down onto the arm of his throne. "What did I just say?" His raised voice booms through the chamberlike room. "All you girls are the same. Heavenly Master this, Heavenly Master that. It's tiring. Sometimes I think these rules were made just to bore me." He leans forward, fixing me with his iced stare, the gold tips of his horns catching the light. "Do you know why my ancestor, the first Demon King of Ikhara, had the title Heavenly Master instated?"
"N-no."
He eases back in his throne. "Other warlords and clan leaders are known individually by their names, the families they descended from. It allows for easy infamy. For reverence. But it also means anyone can make a name for themselves. After emerging victorious from the Night War, the Bull King chose to shed his name completely. He saw it as symbolic. A way to elevate his status. Instead of mere mortals, he and his successors would be revered as an all-powerful entity. We would be gods." Something ugly wrings the King's face. "Yet tell me, Lei-zhi, what is the point of a god whose people know nothing about him? Whose followers cannot call upon him by his own name?" He snorts. "It's like worshipping a ghost."
I wrestle down a scowl. If only you were one.
"And do you know," he goes on, "when sons of the King are born they're known only by the sequence in which they were birthed? Before I took over my father's reign, I was Third Son. Third Son!" Again, he slaps his hand down, making me flinch. The sound rings through the room like a thunderclap. "As if anything about me is third-best!" But a muscle twitches in his temple, and there's a broken edge to his voice. Behind the anger is something more. Regret? Fear?
"What happened to your older brothers?" I ask tentatively.
The King licks his lips. "I killed them so I could take the throne." His words chill the air, power emanating from him like heat-shimmer. Then, abruptly, his face switches back to its wide, tooth-filled smile. "How about we start? You must be hungry, and I wouldn't want the food to go cold."
As we were taught, I reach for the vial of sake to pour it for him. But he waves my hand away.
"You're my guest, Lei-zhi. Let me take care of you."
He pours two big helpings. Handing a bowl to me, his furred fingers brush mine for a brief moment, sending a wave of goose bumps across my arms. We hold them up, bowing our foreheads to the rim of the bowls, before bringing them to our lips. The King drains his drink in one. I try to match him; we've been taught it's the polite thing to do. But I get only halfway through before my throat burns and I set my bowl down, eyes watering.
"You don't drink?" he asks.
"Only on certain occasions." My voice is still hoarse from the alcohol. I cough to clear it. "Otherwise we're not allowed."
"Sometimes it's necessary to break the rules," the King replies. The corner of his mouth tugs up into a feral smile. "They tell me I'm not allowed to leave the Inner Courts without my guards. But I have my ways."
It sounds like a threat. Suddenly I'm all too aware of my skin, of how much is on show through my shirt. I start to pull my hair forward over my collarbones, but the King's voice rings out.
"Stop."
I freeze at the command.
"You look better with your hair back. It shows off your beauty. Your eyes."
My pulse skitters as I drop my arms to let him look at me. The closeness of the room and the nearness of the King clamps tight, the air as heavy and unnourishing as concrete. My lashes are low, but I still feel the roam of his leer grazing my skin, like the projection of his touch, and I fixate on a spot on my skirt, trying to steady my breaths.
"Let us eat," he says eventually.
For the next half an hour I force down helpings of dish after dish. The King talks the whole time. Like the food, I don't register most of it. I'm so busy trying not to think of what'll happen after dinner that it's become the only thing I can think of. But at the mention of General Yu's name, my ears prick up.
"... his gift. I have to say, I was surprised. I didn't expect much of him, especially after his abysmal performance in Jana."
I swallow the piece of salted fish I've been chewing on. "Heavenly Master," I start, but at the look he cuts me, I amend quickly, "I mean, my King..."
It seems to be the right thing to say. He leans in a little, something satisfied uncoiling in his expression. "Yes?"
"About General Yu. If you don't mind me asking, on the journey here he mentioned something about a... a raid. On my village, seven years ago. I was wondering if you—"
In an instant, the King's face hardens. "Why would you want to know about that?" he growls before I can finish.
"Oh. I was... I was just hoping—"
"Order has to be maintained. Are you suggesting I allow everyone in the kingdom to do exactly as they please?"
"No, of course not—"
"Or that I will tell you anything, just because we are to share a bed?"
I flush. "No. I just meant—"
The King edges forward in his throne, the muscles on his neck taut. "Do not underestimate me, Lei-zhi. I may be young, but I know how to be a King. I was born one. I don't need a Paper Girl asking stupid questions about something she knows nothing about."
Under the fear, a spark of anger bursts to life. Something I know nothing about?
I push out a long exhale. Then, as carefully as possible, I go on, "I'm sorry, my King. But my mother was taken during that raid."
There's a pocket of silence. "That is a shame," he replies stiffly.
"Do you know what might have happened to her?" I clasp my hands in my lap and force the most deferential look I can muster across my face. "I'd like to know. For my own peace of mind."
He watches me in silence a few seconds more. Then he gives a small tilt of his head, scarlet light catching on the curve of his gilded horns. "Check the Night Houses' list of courtesans." He reaches with his chopsticks for a slice of barbecued pork belly and pops it into his mouth, the sauce glossy on his dark, bowed lips. "If she was brought back to the palace," he mutters between chews, "that's where she'd be."
I drop into a bow, half to hide the sudden rush of hope that's spiraling through me, and stammer a thank-you to the floor.
"See?" the King says, silky. There's the rustle of clothes as he gets to his feet, the thud of hooves as he steps around the table. "I'm good to my Paper Girls, if they are good to me. Now, Lei-zhi. To bed."
The words crawl along my skin. He offers a hand, and there's nothing I can do but take it. As his fingers close around mine—my palm tiny in his—the ground seems to shift under me, throwing everything off-balance, and even though it's the last thing I want to do, I let him lift me to my feet.
The King's bedroom is another deep chamber. An immense bed dominates the room, the posts at each corner strung with charms and copper bells that I can guess at the purpose of. Then I realize that the room isn't actually so large—it's a trick of the mirrors, which cover the walls and ceiling. There are broken mirrors, speckled and old, with deep, jagged cracks, and ones as polished as the surface of a lake. They refract and reflect everything in a dizzying kaleidoscope of images: the flicker of candles, the sliding muscles of the King's bare chest as he comes closer, the tensed line of my jaw as I turn away.
"Look at me," he growls.
I do as he says, heart wild.
Calloused fingers caress my cheek. "I've bedded so many women during my reign," he muses, one hand trailing down my neck to the front of my shirt, where my skirt is tied. "And yet there is always something new to discover in each one. I've come to learn that beauty isn't exhaustive. Desire cannot be tamed."
You're right. I want to shove him away, scream at him, Tame this! But fear grips me in place.
Then his fingers find the bow fastening my skirt.
"Please," I breathe. "Don't—"
He roars. "You do not command the King!"
With a sudden movement, he rips the bow away. My skirt falls open. A half sob, half growl escapes me. I grab his hands, trying to peel them off me, but he bats me aside, hooks a finger on the front of my blouse, and tears it straight down the middle.
Tears streak my cheeks. I cover myself with my hands, but he pries them away and shoves me back onto the bed. The bells cry out as he climbs on top of me and starts drawing off his robes. I squeeze my eyes shut. His body is hard all over, wired with muscle, but the hardest part of him pushes against my leg.
I jerk back, recoiling.
"Let's see if you taste as delicious as last night," he purrs huskily, and lowers his mouth to my neck. His tongue flicks out—rough. Hot.
Revulsion sings in my bloodstream. I beat my fists against him, but it makes no difference; he's too big, too heavy.
His mouth roams downward. One of his horns presses into the soft underside of my chin: a knife edge, a silent threat.
My heart is drumming hard enough to burst through my ribs. This is wrong. All wrong. Everything Zelle taught me earlier seems ungraspable, childish in the face of this ugly reality, far worse than anything I imagined. I think desperately of Wren, but I can't even picture her face, and the tears come harder, my breaths faster, and I know then that I can't do this. I'll die if I have to endure even one more second.
The King moves down past my navel. As he shifts his position, the balance of weight tips just enough for me to move.
I slam into him.
Shove him back.
I roll off the bed with a grunt. Pain fissures up my back as I hit the floor. I scramble to my feet. There's a rage-filled roar—the King—so deep it shudders my bones, but I'm already running, faster than he can come after me, desperation fueling my steps, and I sprint out the bedroom and into the main chamber, the floating tide of candles rippling away from me in waves.
I race down the hallway. The door at the end swings open as I get to it. I barrel past the waiting soldiers and servants, who cry out in surprise, not caring that I'm half dressed or that I have no clue where to go, only focused on getting out, out, out—
Something cracks against the back of my head.
I crash to the floor, collapsing headfirst into darkness. |
When I was young, mama taught me a method for dealing with situations that upset me. "It's all about yin and yang," she said, stroking my hair in her slow, calming way, her voice as sweet and delicate as summer rain. "Balancing your energy. When you're angry or upset, stop for a moment and close your eyes. Breathe in slowly. Imagine as you do that the air you take in is bright and golden, as lovely and light as your eyes. Let that brightness fill your belly. Then, when you exhale, picture the darkness that had been within you—whatever it was that upset you—and visualize it leaving your body as you release your breath. Joyful, golden light comes in... darkness goes out. Try it with me now."
I've always pictured happiness this way—as a light, something to summon at will to flush out the darkness poisoning my insides. But as I wake, the memory of the King's touch is so oppressive I can't imagine how it will ever leave me. It's more than just a bit of blackness.
It is a whole night sky, starless and cold.
I come to slowly, disoriented. I'm lying on a sleeping mat. Someone has dressed me in a night robe, clean and cool against my skin. I must be back in Paper House, though I haven't seen this room before. It's small, plainly furnished like mine. Lantern light comes in through the gridlike pattern of a sliding shoji door. The building is muted, the room shadowed. It's still night.
For a while I lie unmoving, limbs so heavy they feel like lead, while at the same time I'm hollow, emptied of whatever vital force usually keeps our blood flowing and muscles moving. There's a dull ache where I slammed into the stone floor of the King's bedchamber, and the back of my head hurts. I recall the sudden crack. Crumpling to my feet. One of the soldiers must have hit me.
Grimacing, I try to sit up, but something is weighing me down. At first I think it's my own weight, that I'm just laden with exhaustion. Then I notice the gold bands circling my wrists. With awkward, jerky movements, I manage to prop myself up on my elbows, and I spot the same bands laced around my ankles; two pairs of gold circles, slender as twine, warm with magic. But though they look delicate, they are so heavy I can barely lift them.
Shamans' work.
I sit up again, this time carefully, my arms deadweight at my sides, just as hurried footsteps sound in the hallway.
"Please, let her recover—"
"You've been too soft on that girl since she arrived! I don't care what the King's orders are. She needs to be taught a lesson! Can you imagine? Denying the King? Who does she think she is?"
"She was scared—"
"They all are! That didn't stop the rest of them from doing their job!"
The door slams open. Madam Himura strides inside, Mistress Eira close behind. I shrink back against the wall, but the eagle-woman is on me in seconds, one wing-hand grasping the collar of my robe and lifting me off the floor. The other slaps me so hard my neck snaps round.
"You're lucky he didn't kill you!" she shrieks, spit flecking my face. "Stupid girl! Did you think that you're somehow above your duties because of the special treatment we granted you to be here? How dare you! You've shamed us in front of the King himself. And after everything we've done for you!"
She hits me again, so hard it fractures my vision. The silver of her rings cut my cheek. There's the warm trickle of blood, a kiss on my skin.
"Himura, you'll kill her!" Mistress Eira cries.
"It's the least she deserves!"
"Well, think of the damage you'll do to her face!"
"The shamans can heal her. Don't worry, Eira, she'll be as pretty as before—though hopefully not as stupid!"
Madam Himura's arm flies back and she hits me again. She hits me until lights are sparking in my eyes and my ears ring and my mouth is filled with blood. Just when I'm close to passing out, she throws me to the floor.
I curl into a ball, expecting more. When it doesn't come, I look up through swollen eyes, spit flecking my chin.
"I—I'm sorry," I stammer thickly.
"Don't you dare speak to me!" Chest heaving, Madam Himura draws down on me, a talon prodding my ribs. Her yellow eyes bore into me with their cold, unblinking stare. "Let me explain what's going to happen. The only reason the King didn't have you killed was because he still desires you, heavens know why. He has ordered you to be kept in isolation for one week with no food or comforts. Do not even think about escaping. Those enchanted bands will make running impossible, and a guard will be stationed outside this room at all times. You will return to your schedule once the week is over. The King will call you to his bedchamber from then on once he's ready, and that time, you won't deny him." Her voice is harsh. "I comforted you yesterday. Do not ever expect kindness from me again." With one last scathing look, she sweeps from the room.
Mistress Eira hangs back. In silence, she comes over and helps me lie down, pulling a blanket gently over me. She rests a hand on my brow, careful not to touch anywhere I was hit.
"Oh, Lei," she sighs. "What have you done?"
"I—I couldn't bear it." My voice is a rasp.
Mistress Eira brushes a thumb over my hairline. "You have to, dear girl. You don't have a choice."
"Please, Mistress." I rake in an inhale, fixing her with my watery gaze. "Tell me honestly. Does it get better?"
She gives me a half smile. "It does. That I promise you."
But I look away, unable to believe her.
"Eira! Come!"
At Madam Himura's call, Mistress Eira starts to her feet. "I'm so sorry, Lei," she whispers. "There's nothing I can do. You'll have to find a way to bear it—and I know you will. You are stronger than most of the girls who come here."
As she turns to go, I strain against the bands to lift my head. "My father," I say. "Tien. This won't affect them, will it? They won't be harmed?"
She hesitates. "I don't think so. At least, the King hasn't shared any such plans with us."
Relief wings through me. Then I add, "Do you know if your messenger managed to deliver my messages home? I still haven't had any replies, and it's been over a month now..."
"I'll be sure to check," Mistress Eira replies, already turning. "Now, I really must go."
After the door closes behind her, there's the thud of boots outside—a guard taking watch.
I slump back. Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to slow my breathing. Light in, darkness out, I remind myself. My father and Tien are safe. The King gave me a lead about Mama. Things aren't so bad. Light in, darkness out.
But no matter how hard I try, it doesn't work. As the minutes tick by, I draw in breath after breath, and all my lungs find is darkness.
I dream of home that night.
Not the nightmare—this dream is quiet and calm, a stitched patchwork of glimpses from my past life, the small world in which I lived before coming to the palace. Wind stirring leaves in the garden. The smell of herbs. Tien's pattering footsteps in the shop. A cough from a room above. Baba? Mama, even, before she was taken? Throughout, I stand like an echo in the middle of it all, unable to move and feeling only the edges of tears in my eyes.
Odd, how time works. On long days in the shop, I've known it to stretch out forever, as thick and heavy as molasses. Other days—days filled with fun errands or festivals—time would take on a brittle, icelike quality. I'd race through it and it'd snap into pieces around me, crystalline moments of happiness and laughter, and before I knew it, the day would be gone.
The time I spend locked in the room passes so slowly I begin to forget what life was like before my imprisonment. Hunger gnaws my belly. I'm given a bowl of water each day, and sipping it gives me some relief, but I still feel hollowed out, as though someone had scooped my insides with a giant ladle, fed my core to the earth.
And I miss the girls. Not Blue, of course, or Mariko. But the others. Since coming to the palace, I've been surrounded by so many women that I'm only alone at night, and even then I can hear the soft sleeping sounds of the girls in their rooms nearby, sense their closeness, the dreams flitting behind their eyelids. I didn't realize how much I'd miss that before it was taken away.
Over time that realization leads to another: that I have made a home here. Somehow, these walls, these rooms, have become as familiar and comfortable to me as my little shop-house back in Xienzo. And the girls within them, too. Because though I haven't managed to find my mother yet, I've found something else during my time here.
Friends. A new kind of family, even, albeit a weird, dysfunctional, at times infuriating one.
Still. Family. A home.
The guilt is so strong I double over, gritting my teeth to stop the tears.
On my fourth night of confinement I'm struggling to sleep. It's been hot all day, and without windows, the air in the room is trapped and close. To cool down, I've loosened my robe and am lying spread out on the floor, skin begging for just the slightest brush of a cool breeze. I watch the ceiling through half closed eyes. There's cricket song from the grasses beyond the house, but other than that the night is quiet. So I notice it immediately when the tread of the guard's boots outside my room disappears down the corridor.
I sit up with a struggle, weighed down by the bands at my ankles and wrists. For a few moments, nothing happens. Then I sense movement in the hallway.
The hair stands up on my arms. It could be the Demon King. He told me he has ways to get into Women's Court. Perhaps he's decided he doesn't want to wait anymore and has come to take what I refused him.
I stagger to my feet. It's not graceful, and I'm hunched over from the weight of the bangles, puffing heavily, my vision swimming. Yet I blow out an exhale and force myself to stand steady. I'll face him on my feet even if it kills me. But when the door glides open a few moments later, the figure that steals inside is smaller than the King, and infinitely more lovely.
"Lei?" a low, husky voice whispers.
"Wren?"
I move forward, realizing just as I do so that four days of no food is really not conducive to a person's ability to keep herself upright.
Wren catches me just as my knees buckle. Looping an arm round my shoulders, she helps me to the floor. She doesn't let go straightaway, and a tremor runs through me at how close she is, her warm hands on me. The fresh, oceanlike scent of her unwinds in the air, stirring something deep in my chest.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, keeping my voice down. "The guard could be back any minute."
She shakes her head. "Not for a while."
"How do you know?"
"I've watched him," she says simply, as though it were nothing. As though spying on royal guards were completely normal. "He always leaves around now for half an hour or so. There's a girl here he goes to."
"One of us?"
She doesn't answer. Instead, she digs into the folds of her robes, pulling out a small package wrapped in a banana leaf. "Here. I thought you might be hungry."
Her fingers graze mine as she hands the package to me. I peel the leaf back to see a bundle of rice peppered with roasted peanuts and tiny fried fish. The fragrance of the coconut-steamed rice rises out, hot and sweet, already liquid on my tongue. I've never smelled anything more delicious.
I battle the urge to immediately inhale the whole thing. "I don't know what to say," I murmur, and Wren smiles, eyes shimmering in the darkness.
"Good," she replies. "You're not supposed to say anything. You're supposed to eat."
The room is windowless, the only light coming through the rice-paper panels in the door, and even that is weak, an amber tint from the sole lantern in the hall. In the shadows, it's hard to make out the details of Wren's face. Still, something about her seems different. It takes me a few moments to realize that it's the first time I've seen her smile. Properly, I mean. Openly, widely.
Unguarded.
It completely transforms her. Gone is the hard, closed mask she usually wears, replaced instead with a lightness so beautiful it's dazzling. Her eyes are upturned, crinkled. She even has dimples.
"What?" Wren asks with a lift of a brow.
"It's just... I've never seen you look happy before." In an instant her smile vanishes. "Oh. I'm sorry."
"I guess I haven't had many reasons to feel happy since coming to the palace," she replies after a pause. Then she nods at the food. "You should eat, or there won't be time for sweets."
It's my turn to raise my eyebrows. "You brought sweets?"
She digs out another leaf-wrapped package from her robes. "I thought you'd like them. I know your province is renowned for having the best in the kingdom."
I unpeel the leaf to find four small diamonds of green-and-white coconut kuih. The last time I'd eaten these was at breakfast with Baba and Tien the morning I was taken.
For a while, I'm too choked to speak.
"Thank you," I say eventually.
"It's nothing."
"Wren. You've snuck here in the middle of the night against Madam Himura's orders—let alone the King's—to bring me food you've stolen, and you think it's nothing?"
She smiles again, that brilliant sunburst of a smile that illuminates her whole face and seems to warm the darkness, even just for a moment. "Well, when you put it like that..."
She laughs, but I don't join her. "Why do you do it?" I ask.
Her forehead pinches. "Do what?"
"Put on a mask in front of the other girls." As Wren goes to interject, I carry on, "Don't you want to get to know us?"
"Of course I do."
"Then why do you distance yourself so much?"
She falters. Glancing away, her long lashes hide her dark eyes. "Before I came here, I promised myself that I wouldn't make friends. I thought it'd be easier to shut myself off from everyone. To go through this alone."
"So why are you helping me?"
"Because you tried. Because you were brave." Wren leans in, voice fierce even in a whisper. "Our lives here are defined by others, every decision made for us, every turn of fate pushed by the hands of others. But you stood up and said no. Even though you knew what it could cost you. You have integrity, Lei. You have fight. I respect that."
I drop my gaze to my lap. "It's not like anything came of it. The King... he'll call for me again one day. And this time I won't be able to refuse."
She shakes her head. "Don't devalue what you did." Then, stiffly, she reaches for my hand.
There's a moment of awkwardness. I almost pull away—more from surprise than anything. But then we relax and our fingers twine together. The race of Wren's pulse against mine sends a jolt of something electric down my bloodstream.
"You fought against the Demon King, Lei. There aren't many people in the kingdom who can say that, let alone a Paper Girl."
When she lets go, my skin sears where she touched me.
We talk in whispers while I eat. For the first time, there are no walls up between us. No masks. Honesty comes easily after her hand in mine, our closeness in the dark, hushed room. I tell Wren about my past, and in turn she tells me about hers. Life as an only child in the Hannos' palace in Ang-Khen. Years of structure, routine, expectations. When she reveals how she was promised to the King by her father before she was even born, it makes me think of Blue.
"Did you want it?" I ask. "To become a Paper Girl?"
She hesitates, lips clamped. "Want doesn't come into it. My life has always been about duty. Always, and only."
"And your future?"
She answers matter-of-factly. "The King."
I can't imagine what it was like to grow up knowing that. To have never tasted freedom, never felt its golden, sun-bright wind beneath her wings.
"What would you have done?" I press. "If you hadn't been chosen as a Paper Girl."
At once, her expression turns rigid.
"I—I haven't really thought about it."
"You must have some ideas. Things you like to do, hobbies—"
"I don't have any hobbies."
She says it so seriously that I almost laugh, catching myself just in time. "What do you mean? Everyone has hobbies, Wren. All right, so I spent most of my time in the shop. But there were still things I liked to do when I got a chance. Playing with Bao, cooking with Tien..."
"Well," she says after a beat, "I didn't have any chances."
Her face is shadowed in the darkness, and I scan for answers among its strong lines and feline angles, the charcoal pools in the hollows of her cheeks. Not for the first time, I wonder what word was hidden in Wren's Birth-blessing pendant. At nineteen, she's already opened it. I try to picture her reaction when the gold shell parted. Whether she discovered something new inside, or whether the character just confirmed what she'd already known all along, some fate or truth she'd always felt, like an ache in her bones. The way she told me her life has always been about duty, and her future about the King, worries me that it wasn't what she'd hoped for. But asking about someone's Birth-blessing word is taboo, so I bite back my curiosity.
Before she leaves, Wren tucks the now-empty leaves back inside her robe so Madam Himura won't be suspicious.
"We can be honest with each other now, right?" I say as she helps me to my feet. At her nod, I wet my lips and go on, "I saw you leaving Paper House. A few nights ago. You went into the woods."
"You followed me?"
The hardness in her voice makes me flinch.
"No! I—I saw from the veranda. I don't know where you went—"
"Good!" she snaps.
My arms stiffen at my sides. "I'm only asking because it's dangerous, Wren. If you were caught—"
"I know what'll happen."
"Well, you should be more careful."
"I always am."
I blink, freezing in place. "So it's happened more than once?"
She looks away, a muscle pulsing in her neck.
"And you're going to do it again," I say dully.
Her silence is my answer.
My next question comes out quiet, barely more than a whisper. "Are you meeting with someone?"
"Of course not," she replies, eyes flicking back to meet mine.
"Then what, Wren? What could possibly be worth you risking Madam Himura finding out?"
Wren's face is touched gently on one side by the light from the corridor. Her features are set hard, but she closes her eyes for a brief second, taking a long breath, and the lantern glow across her right eyelid trembles, so soft looking I long to brush my thumb across it.
Finally she sighs, her shoulders curling forward. "I can't tell you, Lei. I'm sorry. Please just pretend you never saw me. Can you do that?" When I don't answer, she steps closer and adds, her voice gentler now, husky and low, "Have you never had a secret you needed to keep?"
Yes, I want to say. These feelings for you.
Instead, I look away.
Wren reaches out, her fingers grazing mine. "You're making this so hard for me," she says. "Do you know that?" And without waiting for an answer, she glides the door open and disappears into the corridor. |
Three days later, mistress eira comes to release me. She brings a shaman with her, and he removes the gold bands from my ankles and wrists, my skin warm and shivery from his magic. It only takes a few minutes. When he's gone, I lift my arms, rolling my hands, marveling at how light my limbs have suddenly become, as though they might float away from me. But when Mistress Eira helps me to my feet, I pitch forward. My body is just as heavy as if I were still wearing the bonds. I have to cling to her to stop from collapsing.
"You're weak," she says. "You need to eat. I got the kitchen to prepare you a special meal. It's waiting in your room."
"Just the one?"
She gives me a smile. "Today, Lei, you can have as many meals as you want."
With Mistress Eira's help, I shuffle to the door. She's only just started to slide it open when a teary-eyed Lill runs inside and barrels straight into me, knocking me half to my knees. "Mistress!" she cries, looping her arms around my waist. Her doe ears flutter against my cheek. "I'm so glad you're all right!"
I squeeze her back. There's the pinch of tears in my eyes and I blink quickly to stop them from coming. "Of course I am," I say, trying to keep my voice light. "I've handled Blue first thing in the mornings. Everything else is easy."
Lill doesn't laugh. From the doorway, Mistress Eira gives me a nod before leaving us alone.
I unravel myself from Lill. "It's so good to see you."
She doesn't return my smile. Though her young face is still lovely, there's something anxious in the pinch of her small mouth, and I notice dark patches beneath her eyes, like a pair of bruised figs. My heart gives a little kick.
"Has Madam Himura been cruel to you?" I ask, curving my hand round her shoulder.
"Not any more than usual." She bites her lip. "But I wouldn't have even noticed. Oh, I've been so worried, Mistress." Her gaze moves over me. "You look..."
"Radiant? Ravishing?" I mean it as a joke, but in an instant tears well over her lashes.
I swipe them from her cheeks with my fingers. "Oh, Lill," I say. "I'm sorry. And I'm so sorry for worrying you. I haven't had the best week, either." My stomach tangles with how much of an understatement that is. I force a smile. "But I'm fine now. I got through it, and so did you. That's what counts." She sniffs, and I pull her back against me, cupping my hand round the curve of her head. When I can tell she's stopped crying, I draw back. "Mistress Eira said there's food waiting in my room. Want to eat it with me?"
And finally—a smile.
Lill scrubs the back of her hand across her eyes. "If you don't inhale it all first," she murmurs with a sniff.
I laugh, such a strong rush of affection hitting me then that it temporarily pushes aside the exhaustion. And even though it takes us twice as long as it should to make the trip back through Paper House to my bedroom because my steps are shaky and I have to keep stopping to swallow down surges of nausea, I keep a smile on my face for her.
After we eat the food Mistress Eira ordered for me—and two more helpings after that—Lill takes me for an early bath. There's a while before the rest of the girls wake. Though the sun has just broken the horizon, night still clings to the air. Because of the late summer heat we've been experiencing, it's been easy to forget that autumn will arrive soon with the turn of the tenth month, but the days are noticeably shorter now. The morning air is crisp. Herb-fragranced steam rises from the bubbling tubs.
Taking care to be gentle, Lill helps me out of my grubby robes. The fresh air is as welcome as kisses on my skin.
Then I remember the last time I was naked.
Not kisses, but teeth on my skin.
I scramble into the water, slopping it over the sides of the barrel in my hurry. Lill comes forward to wash me, but I cup her hands and take the sponge from her. "I'd like to do it myself, if that's all right?" I ask, and she nods, seeming to understand.
Slowly, I draw the sponge over my body. I take my time, methodical, careful to reach every inch, every spot of pale skin. I'm not nearly as dirty as when I had the bath that first night I arrived at the palace. At least, not physically. But it's a similar feeling of cleansing as I wash, of my body becoming lighter the murkier the bathwater gets. And with the shrill song of the birds in the eaves and the familiar sounds of Paper House waking, I finally start to relax. It's so good to be able to move my limbs freely, especially now that my energy is coming back after that gigantic breakfast, and I tilt my chin up to the sky, swishing about in the tub as my hair fans around me in dark waves.
We get back to my room just as the morning gong sounds. Seconds later, my door slams open. Aoki bounds in, still in her nightdress and her short hair a mess.
"Lei!" she gasps. Just like Lill, she dives straight at me. Her heartbeat jangles against mine as she clutches me fiercely. "I was so scared when Madam Himura told us what you'd done! I thought... well, you don't want to know what I thought. When she said you were being confined for a week as punishment, I actually felt relieved."
"I guess I'm lucky the King didn't throw me out," I say as she lets me go.
Or kill me, I add silently.
Aoki's lips flatten. "He must really desire you." There's a strange constriction to her voice. Then she takes my hands and leans in, face gleaming. "Oh, it's been horrible without you here, Lei! Madam Himura's been even worse than usual, snapping at every little thing—"
"What have I been doing?"
Aoki's eyes almost pop out of her head.
She spins round. Framed in the doorway, Madam Himura glares down at us, her beaked chin jutting into the air.
"M-Madam Himura!" Aoki stutters. "I didn't mean—"
The eagle-woman jabs her cane on the floor. "Quiet, girl! It's too early for your blabbering." Glowering, her cool eyes fix mine. "I expect you to perform your best in every one of your lessons from now on, Lei-zhi. The teachers will be reporting to me on your progress after each class. And to make sure you've got the right kind of influence around you"—she cuts a scathing look in Aoki's direction—"I've ordered one of the other girls to accompany you for the next few weeks. You could do well to learn from her." She waves a taloned hand. "Now, get ready for your classes! And you—get to the bathing tubs. That filthy mouth of yours needs scrubbing."
As the eagle-woman drags her from the room, Aoki looks back over her shoulder, an expression of pure terror on her face.
I restrain a laugh. She might still be terrifying, but there are far worse things than getting shouted at by Madam Himura.
When I leave my room a while later, I find Wren waiting in the corridor. The memory of her closeness a few nights ago, how intimate we were with each other, makes me flush. She looks just as she did that night, face bare, hair relaxed and wavy, falling in soft drifts over her shoulders. My hand lifts toward her, an impulsive movement, and I quickly cover the gesture by smoothing down the collar of my robes.
"So you're the one who will be babysitting me."
"Who else would it be? Didn't you know, Lei, I'm at the top of the class?"
"Is that so?" Glancing round to make sure the other girls are out of earshot, I add, "Top of what class? Thievery?"
Her eyes glint, but she keeps her voice casual. "Yes, I heard about some food going missing from the kitchens. A real mystery. Do you have any idea where it went?"
I grin. "Into someone's belly, I expect."
"Well, I hope that person enjoyed them."
"I'm certain they did."
Wren smiles, a warm, honeyed curl of her lips that draws my eyes. Before we can say anything more, the door behind her opens.
"Lei!" Aoki calls, bustling out of her room and linking her arm through mine. "Come on, you can't be late on your first day back." And although she shoots a curious look at Wren, she doesn't say anything, just lifts her brows at me as if to say, Well, all right, then.
Lips cocked in amusement, Wren falls into step beside me, and together the three of us make our way down the corridor. Though we don't mention it again, I can sense the secret of what passed between Wren and me three nights ago like a cord, an invisible strand running from her body to mine. Whenever she makes a movement—even something as small as brushing a speck of dust from her hair or adjusting her sash—my eyes instinctively cut her way, and I wonder if she's noticing it, too, this tether, this pull between us.
During the first days of my confinement, I'd tried the breathing technique Mama taught me over and over again to no avail, unable to find comfort in it. Light in, darkness out. Trapped in that tiny room, there only seemed to be darkness, and though I wanted to be set free, I also knew that the moment I was, it would be straight back to my Paper Girl life.
And to the King.
But then Wren came along with her stolen food and warm hands, and a spark of something—the barest quiver of light—entered the room. And after that, my breaths came a little easier, a little brighter. Not quite golden, but... sun-touched.
Now I shoot Wren a look out of the corner of my eye, Aoki's chatter wrapping around us. She offers me a brief half smile in return.
"All right?" she mouths.
I nod.
And while it's not exactly the truth, it isn't a lie, either.
The pavilion where our qi lessons take place is an ornate, two-tiered building with red beams and a magenta-tiled roof, their colors vivid against the faded green of the surrounding gardens. It sits in the center of a shallow, circular lake. Sunlight glitters on its surface. Birds dart low over the water, on the hunt for small fish and insects, their wingbeats casting ripples in the blue.
We step under the rustle of prayer sheets fluttering from the eaves of the pavilion. As usual, Master Tekoa is waiting for us on the floor. He's wearing loose wrap trousers, thighs crossed, his lean torso bare despite the chill. A monkey's tail protrudes from the top of his trousers—along with the wiry copper fur sheathing his legs, the only indication of his Steel status.
"Take your places," he says without rising.
Aoki, Wren, and I are the last to arrive. I haven't yet had to face the others this morning, and as I cross to the back of the pavilion, they're all staring at me. I keep my head low. The boost of energy from this morning's meal has been spent on the walk over here, and though I try to kneel down slowly when I get to my usual spot, it's more of an ungraceful drop. Although Madam Himura sent a shaman on my second day in confinement to clean my skin of any marks left by her or the King, she asked him to leave my pain as a reminder of my failings. Some of it has settled, a dull ache in the pits of my muscles. I roll my shoulders, trying to ease the rigidness in my back.
In front of me, Zhen and Zhin look over their shoulders.
"We were worried about you, Lei," Zhen murmurs, her short forehead furrowed.
Her sister nods. "How are you feeling?"
"Not too bad," I reply. "Thanks for asking. Did I miss anything important?"
The corner of Zhin's lip quirks. "Only if you count Mariko getting drunk at a dinner one night and almost setting herself on fire by falling into a row of lanterns."
I smother a laugh. "Definitely. Did she set anything else aflame, by chance?"
"Sadly not," Zhin sighs. "Though my maid told me she threw up in a bush outside Madam Himura's bedroom, and the whole of the next day Madam Himura was in such a mood because she didn't know where the bad smell was coming from."
This time I can't help a snort. The twins flash me matching smiles before turning back round.
We begin the lesson with breathing exercises to channel the flow of our internal energy. Qi arts is a meditative movement that blends internal and external manipulation of life energy. Master Tekoa's voice is light but commanding. I focus on his words to tune out the noises around us—chirruping birds, the rustle of wind as it combs the grasses. This is one of the only classes I enjoy, and I'm grateful to have its calming effect this morning. Unlike most of our other lessons, the skills Master Tekoa teaches us aren't about precision or performing to a certain standard, but about how to connect to ourselves, to find peace and strength within. It brings back distant memories of my parents practicing taoyin on the porch, limned in predawn light and set in perfect synchrony, their movements a smooth, underwater flow.
While we repeat the sequence of movements he's been teaching us, Master Tekoa walks around to observe. He usually prefers to hang back, demonstrating adjustments in silence, but when he gets to me, he stops. He stares for a moment before suddenly speaking.
"Fire. So much fire."
I falter midflow.
"Fire so hot it burns even ice to ashes. Fire like a wave to swallow the world whole."
The twins turn around, frowning. Master Tekoa's voice has taken on a rough, grating edge I've never heard before. As he stares unblinkingly in my direction, his eyes glaze over, and my stomach gives a kick as I notice that his pupils are expanding, creeping across his eyes to fill them with black, like dark blood spilling from a wound. A chill emanates from his body—and shivers through mine.
"S-something's wrong," I say as the other girls turn to look. "I think Master Tekoa's having some kind of fit..."
There's a trill of laughter. "What have you done to him, Nine?" Blue crows from the front of the pavilion. "You just can't allow men near you, can you? What's the problem? Don't tell me you prefer girls."
Wren is at my side at once. "Shut up, Blue," she snaps.
Blue blinks. "When did you two become friends?"
"Fire from within her," Master Tekoa rasps before Wren can retort. The air around him is frozen, and I want to move away from his horrible black stare, but my feet are rooted to the spot. His voice grows louder, gathering pace, his blank expression at odds with the intensity with which he is speaking. "Fire that sears her skin and all she touches. Fire bright enough to blind those who look at her."
With a dismissive flick of her wrist, Blue laughs. "Well, he can't be talking about you, then, Nine. You're not—"
"Red flames in the palace!" roars Master Tekoa, making all of us jolt. "Red flames, kindled from within! On the night of fire, more will come to scorch him!"
There's a moment of charged silence.
Then he blinks.
The darkness slips from his eyes like honey sliding off a spoon. Though the chill in the air around him disappears, my arms are still pricked with goose bumps. I hug them, staring openmouthed.
"You're—you're all out of form," Master Tekoa says, looking round with dull surprise at our stunned faces.
I clear my throat. "Master," I start, "are you feeling all right? You were talking about... fire."
He looks blankly at me before seeming to understand. "Ah. Yes. Qi fire, our internal energy. What you are practicing in these lessons to control." He steps to the front of the pavilion, the sunlight at his back outlining his edges in gold. "That will be enough for today."
Wren places a hand on my arm when I start to question him. "There's no point, Lei. I don't think he knows what just happened."
As soon as we leave the pavilion, Zhin addresses us all, looking worried. "We should tell Mistress Eira and Madam Himura. Something really seemed wrong with him."
Her sister nods.
"Maybe he's sick?" Mariko suggests.
"Or had some kind of magical fit?" Zhen offers.
Blue rolls her eyes. "Clearly."
"A spiritual trance is not something to joke about," Chenna says sharply, shooting Blue a stern look that makes her pout and look away.
"Well, I don't think we should tell them," Mariko says. "It's just another thing for Madam Himura to punish us for."
"You mean, punish Nine," Blue retorts. "It was her Master Tekoa was addressing, after all."
The other girls glance round to where I'm trailing at the back of the group. Though I can tell they don't like the way she said it, I can also see that they're not entirely unconvinced by what Blue said.
"Well," I say, in a voice much more casual than I feel, "at least we know Master Tekoa carries a... flame... for me."
The twins snort. Even Mariko stifles a laugh, and Blue shoots her a furious look. Only Wren and Chenna don't laugh.
At least my joke seems to have broken the tension somewhat. Before long, the eeriness of Master Tekoa's turn starts to drain away in the warmth of the day and the familiar surroundings of Women's Court as we head back to Paper House. The events at the pavilion start to seem unreal, a strange, shared daydream. Aoki tells everyone about her brother's sleep-talking—"Once he was convinced I was a giraffe called Arif"—but I'm only half listening.
A memory has come back to me from a few summers ago, when a fortune-teller arrived in our village.
She was an old cat-form demon with ragged fur and blind eyes, filmed over like curdled milk. She set up a booth at the side of the main road, just a simple table with a hearth in its center. Even though I was meant to go straight back to the shop after my errand, I stayed to watch as a young woman from our village knelt down at her table and handed over a fistful of coins. There are many ways in which fortune-tellers divine insight: tea leaves, the lines in a person's hands or paws, burning paper offerings, the analysis of dreams. This one was an osteomancer. She made the young woman carve her question into a bone before tossing it into the hearth. I remember my shock at the black inklike spill that spread over the cat-woman's eyes as she drew the bone from the fire, running her clawed hands over it to read the cracks.
I was so spooked I ran all the way home. Some part of me always believed I had imagined it. That the change in her eyes was some trick of the light. But seeing it happen to Master Tekoa, I know now that it was real. It must be what happens when someone falls into a fortune-telling trance.
Despite the sunshine, a shiver runs down my neck. If Master Tekoa's prediction is right, fire is going to destroy the palace. But what's even scarier is that it seems he thinks the fire is already burning within—of all people—me. |
Slowly but surely, life blurs back into the routine of palace life.
With the King away on official business for over a month—something to do with rebel activity in the South, according to the rumors—and no strange happenings after Master Tekoa's prediction, I lose myself in our steady rhythm of classes and dinners and nightly entertainments. My teachers notice the improvement in my efforts, and Mistress Eira congratulates me about it one day, telling me she's proud that I used what happened with the King as a turning point. And she's right. It was a moment of awakening for me.
But not in the way she thinks.
Though it only takes me a couple of weeks to replace the weight I lost during my confinement, it takes me much longer to get back to my normal self—or at least something that passes for normal now. I'm cast in the shadow of that night with the King. The memory of it hovers close, a constant presence at the edge of my consciousness, like moon-shimmer on the surface of a lake.
Even though the King is out of the palace, I get the sensation sometimes that he's watching me. Yet when I turn around, it's only to find an empty corridor or the quizzical face of one of the girls.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Wren asks me one afternoon when I stop midconversation on our way to a lesson, looking round my shoulder with the certainty that the King will be there, just behind me, head cocked and a loose grin on his face.
Forcing down a shiver, I keep walking. "Yes. Sure. Never better."
"Lei." Her fingers brush my arm. "Be honest with me. You haven't been right since what happened with the King—"
"Of course not!" I hiss, jerking away. Aoki's chatting to Chenna a few steps in front of us, and she glances over her shoulder. Lowering my voice, I go on, "I mean, it was awful, Wren. And it's going to happen again someday. I hate this, this... waiting. I don't know if I can keep it up."
Wren nods. "It's the same for me. But it's all we can do."
"Is it?" I reply quietly.
She stiffens, looking away with pressed lips.
I want to ask her how she can stand it. Whether she dreams of freedom the same way I do, in the small of the night, when the darkness is broken only by moon-silver and thoughts of home, and of her and the other girls—the futures we could be having, if only we could escape from the palace. But I swallow my words. I know her answer already, because it is the same thing that holds me back every time I dream of escape.
Their blood will be here. Do you understand me? On your hands.
We walk the rest of the way in silence.
Our history and politics teacher, Madam Tharazi, is an old lizard-form demon with dull scales the color of fallen leaves. Her room is on the ground floor of a house on the southwest side of Women's Court, small and warm, kept shadowed by lowered shutters and the gnarled trunk of a maple tree growing outside the window, its knotted branches reaching over the house like a tree spirit's bony arms. It always feels like dusk in her room, and I often catch the other girls dozing in her lessons. It doesn't help that Madam Tharazi is the most lax of our teachers, her eyes half glazed as she lectures on one topic or another. Most of the other girls probably know all about Ikhara's history and politics already. But I always pay attention. These lessons are one of the only times I get to learn about the world beyond the palace walls, and I cherish them, needing to remember that there is a world outside.
Not just a world. A future.
It's cold today, overcast. Gloomy light glances off Madam Tharazi's scales. Beside me, Aoki's chin drops and she gives a little start, looking up with a sheepish grin.
Today's lesson is on the Amala, the Cat Clan. "After the failure of the Kitori uprising," Madam Tharazi recounts, gazing out the window as if we weren't there, "their numbers dropped to almost half. The clan retreated to the southern deserts of Jana to recover, which is where they have lived nomadically since. Lord Kura's daughter, Lady Lova, took over rule of the clan a year later, after her father's death. She was only sixteen. Incidentally, it is the fourth time they have had a female leader. Unlike many clans, the Amala has a progressive attitude toward the females in its rank..."
"General Lova."
I glance sideways at Wren's whisper. Madam Tharazi's voice drones on, the tip of her tail twitching lazily as she speaks. Sometimes I think Madam Himura chose her to teach us on purpose. I doubt they want us to be too knowledgeable about politics; just enough to hold conversation at dinners with court officials, but not enough to get any ideas.
"What?" I whisper at Wren.
She blinks. She doesn't seem to realize she spoke out loud. "Oh. It's just that Lova goes by the title of General, not Lady. She's very adamant about it."
"You've met her?"
Wren nods. "My father was holding a council a few years ago for some of the leading clans. The King didn't want to invite the Cat Clan. You've heard about their disagreements. But my father insisted. He told the King it would do him well to keep a closer eye on them."
"What was she like?" I ask. "General Lova."
Something flickers across Wren's face. It takes me a moment to place it, because it's so unexpected coming from her—the hesitation, the flush in her cheeks.
She's embarrassed.
"Beautiful," she admits, and there's the echo of something wistful in her voice. "And strong. She'd just turned eighteen, so she'd only been ruling for two years, and most of the other clan leaders were at least double her age. But Lova walked in this way... It was as though she owned the place. As though daring anyone to doubt her reason for being there."
I hesitate. "Sounds like you spent a lot of time with her."
"Not really," Wren replies, but it doesn't sound like her. Her voice is too high, and I catch something bitter there, too, some undertone halfway between anger and sadness.
Later that day at dinner, Madam Himura reminds us that we won't be having any lessons tomorrow because of the koyo celebrations. On the first day of the tenth month, festivals are held across Ikhara to celebrate the arrival of autumn.
I can't believe it's been almost four months since I came to the palace. In the lush landscape of Women's Court, the turn of the season is a physical thing, marked in every tree and plant. Leaves flush crimson and ginger. Flowers scatter their petals to the ground. Over the last week, the gardens beyond my window have changed from a sea of green to one of fire and smolder.
"You'll be attending a party tomorrow night in the Inner Courts," Madam Himura tells us between mouthfuls, her chopsticks darting out to claim the last of the salted cuttlefish. "The King will be there. He arrived back at the palace early this morning. I heard it was a very tiring trip for him, so be on your best behavior."
I can sense Wren watching me from across the table. I avoid her eyes, taking a long sip of tea to try to ease the sudden swell of my throat. Memories flash: the King's roar; his long jaw wrested into a snarl. The rough grip of his fingers on my arms.
Aoki touches her shoulder to mine. "Are you all right?" she whispers.
I wet my lips. "I... will be."
"What will we do before the party?" Chenna asks from my other side.
"You're to stay in Paper House," Madam Himura replies. "Your maids will start preparing you in the afternoon."
A thrum of excitement runs through the room. We haven't had a day off yet. But while I'd like to rest just as much as the other girls, an idea comes to me for a better way to use this opportunity.
I wait until everyone is getting up to leave before approaching Madam Himura.
"What now?" she croaks, sensing me hovering over her.
"Madam Himura," I start in my politest tone, hands clasped at the small of my back, "I was wondering whether I could have an extra lesson tomorrow."
Still not looking up, she raps a taloned finger on the table. "There's no denying you need it. But none of your teachers will be working tomorrow. Everyone is off for the celebrations."
"Even the Night Houses?"
Her chin snaps up.
"Because that's what I'd like my lesson in," I go on hurriedly. "With Zelle. Last time, I was so nervous I didn't really take much in, and after what happened with the..." I force a shy expression across my face. "I want to make amends."
Her eyes narrow. "The King hasn't called for you since then. Who knows when he will?"
"But he'll be at the koyo party. At least I can try to make a good impression on him there. Please, Madam Himura. I'm trying."
She regards me for one long moment. Then she flaps an arm, turning her attention back to the bowl in front of her. "I suppose it couldn't hurt."
Before she changes her mind, I shoot her a thanks and rush out of the room—bumping straight into Wren. My face flushes as we untangle, her hand lingering on my arm.
"What was that about?" she asks quietly.
"I'm going to have an extra lesson with Zelle tomorrow," I say.
She appraises me. "Why?"
"I just thought, since I'll be seeing the King again—"
"That's not why," she interrupts. Her fingers wind around my shoulder, and she drops her voice, head dipped close. "I know you, Lei. You don't want to please him."
"Yes, I do."
Wren stiffens. I avoid her eyes, but I sense her stare boring into me. When the silence is almost unbearable, I flick my eyes up, suddenly wanting to explain what my plan is. But I freeze at the look on her face. Her eyes are flinty. Hard-edged and hurt.
"Please don't lie," Wren says. Her fingers brush mine before she moves away, adding quietly, and low, "Not about that. Not to me."
I go to mutter something, but fall silent, letting her go. Because knowing I'll be facing the King tomorrow, I'm not ready to talk truthfully about how I feel yet. And if I can't offer her lies, there's nothing to say. |
"You've made history, nine," Zelle tells me when Mistress Azami takes me to her room the next morning.
She looks just as beautiful as last time. A rust-colored dress falls to her knees, exposing the slender shape of her calves, and a necklace of gold leaves adorns her collarbones. She props herself up one elbow and watches me with her head cocked as I kneel opposite her, drawing off my shawl and coat. Her room is warm. The shutters are drawn to keep out the wind, and in the corner a brazier flickers. The silk sheets on her bed have been traded for furs, a mark of how long ago it was I first came to her.
Two months. It feels like a lifetime, but also just yesterday, just a moment and a heartbeat ago.
I force a smile. "I have?"
Zelle grins. "You're the only Paper Girl I've taught who's refused the King."
The smile drops from my face.
"Oh," she says, and own smile vanishing. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd be proud to know that."
"Actually, I'd feel better knowing every Paper Girl tried to refuse him."
Her gaze sharpens. There's a beat before she murmurs, "Wouldn't that be something."
We start the lesson by running over what we covered last time. I try to appear focused, but as the minutes tick on, I snatch more and more looks at the door. I must be fidgeting so much that Zelle finally asks, "Is something wrong? Mistress Azami told me you personally asked for this lesson. If you've changed your mind—"
"That isn't it," I say quickly. "It's just... could I go to the toilet? I'm desperate."
She rolls her eyes. "Go on, then. But don't let Mistress Azami catch you. I'm not meant to let you out until the lesson is finished."
I hop to my feet and sing a thank-you as I dash outside. The house is muted at this time of day. My footsteps sound too loud, and I try to pad lightly, head down. On the stairs, a statuesque Moon caste panther-form demon glides past me, jewels adorning her feline ears, an amethyst-colored dress fallen off one shoulder to reveal her smooth, furred arm. She catches my eye, giving me a little shrug and a half smile as if to say, Long night.
When I reach the ground floor, instead of heading to the toilet, I cross the landing to the main corridor leading off it. I've not seen much of the Night Houses apart from Zelle's room, but if its layout is similar to other buildings in Women's Court, then, as the head of the household, Mistress Azami is likely to have a suite on the ground floor at the back of the house. I pass a few more quiet rooms—and some not so quiet—coming to a stop outside the door at the end of the hall.
I press my ear to the wood. Silence.
Preparing some excuse in case she is inside, I rap my knuckles on the door. Nothing. Carefully, I inch the door open a crack, wait again, then slide it wider and dart inside.
As I was expecting from someone so crisp and ordered, the room is spotless, all neat lines and bare surfaces. From the low table dominating the room, I guess that this is Mistress Azami's entertaining space. I move lightly to a set of doors on the far right side and, after listening for sounds from within, head through into what must be her office. Cabinets line the walls. A finger of smoke furls from an incense pot in the corner of the room, nestled in a shrine crowded with miniature jade statues of the heavenly rulers. There are only sky gods; Mistress Azami must be from the North, like me. I'm just moving to the nearest cabinet when there's a thud from the room above.
I freeze.
Another thud; boards creaking; the muffled sound of laughter. One of the courtesans and her guest. Glancing round the room as though Mistress Azami might dance out at any moment, I open the top drawer of the closest cabinet, my breathing shallow.
Inside are ordered scrolls, scraps of paper. I flick through them, but they just seem to be accounts of some sort, so I move on to the next drawer, then the next. I'm just about resigned to the fact that I'll have to head back to Zelle's room before she gets suspicious—and that my plan for having this lesson in the first place has failed—when I open a drawer of the last cabinet to find a set of beautifully bound scrolls wrapped in leather. Brushstrokes mark them as the records of the Night Houses courtesans.
The hairs on the back of my arms lift, remembering what the King told me. If my mother was taken back to the palace, this is where she'd be.
Each scroll is dated. I riffle through them, a jolt running up my spine when I find the one from seven years ago. Carefully, sending another glance over my shoulder, I unravel the bindings. I hardly dare to breathe. If I find Mama's name here, it could mean that she might still be alive—might even be here still, right here in one of these buildings.
The thought of being so close to her makes something deep at the core of me still.
As my eyes glide down the list of names, the paper trembles in my fingers. It was spring when the soldiers came to our village; there were blossom petals in the air. Her name should be one of the first. But by the end of the scroll, I haven't found it. I look over the names again and again, wishing hers to appear, hoping for some magic, some kind god to give me something good to hold on to.
Tears prick my eyes. I can barely make out the characters as I stare down at the scroll, battling the urge to tear it to shreds with my teeth.
"What are you doing?"
I whirl round. Zelle is standing in the doorway.
"I—I was just looking for something," I blurt, swiping a sleeve across my face as she walks over. My cheeks are wet from tears I hadn't realized were falling, and I sniff, trying to blink them away.
"I can see that." Her voice is hard, but not unkind. She squints at the scroll in my hands. "What exactly were you looking for?"
"My mother," I mumble thickly.
"Your mother is a piece of paper?"
I don't laugh. "She was taken from our village by soldiers seven years ago," I turn the paper for her to see. "This is the list of courtesans from that year. I—I thought her name might be on it."
Zelle's dark eyes glint. "And is it?" she asks quietly.
I choke the word out.
"No."
Just then, Mistress Azami's barking voice carries into the house from outside. In one swift movement, Zelle sweeps forward and snatches the scroll from me. She rolls it up in its leather sleeve with deft fingers before replacing it in the drawer, then, seizing my arm, she pulls me through Mistress Azami's rooms and into the hallway just as the dog-woman strides into the house.
Her pointed ears prick at the sound of our footsteps. "You're finished already?" she asks, slanting gray eyes fixing on us.
Zelle heaves a sigh. "Not happy if we're late, not happy if we're early. Are you ever happy, Mistress Azami?"
"Not while you're around," she grumbles, though a curl of amusement touches her lips. She beckons me forward. "Come on, girl. Your maid is outside."
I look over my shoulder before I leave, wanting to catch Zelle's eyes. But she's already walking away.
Outside, Rika greets me. She accompanies me back through the gardens of the Night Houses in silence, easily sensing my mood, and though I'm aware of my feet moving and the cool blow of the wind, all I can hear is blood rushing in my ears.
My mother wasn't—isn't—here.
I should be relieved. Mama wasn't forced to become a courtesan. She didn't have to suffer that. But as the King said, that would have been the only outcome of the soldiers bringing her to the palace, which means they probably didn't even bring her here at all. Which means...
At once, I double over, retching noisily.
"Mistress, what's wrong?" Rika asks, rubbing a hand on my back. "Are you sick?"
Yes. I'm sick. Sick of all this.
But instead I shake my head, forcing the nausea down. After a while I'm able to continue on, but as we walk, I jam my knuckles into my belly. There's a pain there, deep in the pit of me. A hard core, like a stone. It feels as though I've lost something. That I left something of mine behind in the Night Houses.
Something that was keeping me alive.
Something like hope. |
The King's Koyo celebrations are being held in the Inner Courts, on a section of the river that follows a long, lazy curve, its bank bounded on one side by the feathered tops of trees and a paved pathway on the other. When our carriages pull up, I look out onto a sea of color. The river is crisscrossed with walkways, linked with little open-topped boats with candles lining their decks, and the roofs of pagodas and pavilions along the riverfront dance with hanging lanterns. More lights shine up at the trees across the water, showing off their autumn colors against the dark backdrop of the night. Music spirals through the air, carrying with it the laughter and chatter of the guests.
Everything is radiant and glittering. It's beautiful—maybe the most beautiful setting I've seen in the palace yet. But even as my eyes sweep over the scene, my head remains full of the rows and rows of names that weren't Mama's, the black brushstrokes clotting my vision.
"What's wrong?" Aoki asks, interrupting my thoughts as she comes to my side.
I blink. We're standing by the palanquins, a couple of servants hovering nearby, waiting for us.
"Lei?" she presses. "Did something happen in Zelle's lesson?"
I clear my throat. "I guess it just brought back everything that happened with the King," I say. I give her a smile, though it feels insincere. "But I'm fine. Honestly."
We amble toward the river. The rest of the girls are already ahead, Madam Himura ushering them to one of the larger platforms on the water, which has been set up as a tearoom. Lantern light glimmers over scattered velvet cushions and low tables.
"I keep wondering if it had something to do with what I said to you," Aoki admits quietly as we walk. She clasps her hands in front of her, lashes low. "You remember, the day after my first night with him. I was worried I scared you. That it was my fault you tried to escape."
"It wasn't," I tell her quickly. "Of course not. But... I hated seeing you like that. Has it... has it been any better since?" I ask, shooting her a sideways glance.
To my surprise, she nods.
The words tumble out of her in a rush then, an odd gleam on her face as she looks up at me. "I think I was just so scared that first night, Lei. I didn't know what to expect. I'd hardly spent any time with the King before, and straight after it happened, he sent me away. Like I'd done something wrong. And then with Blue and Mariko, you know, their teasing... but it's not actually been so bad since then."
I stare at her. "Really?"
She nods. "A lot of the time we just talk. The King tells me about what's going on in the kingdom—politics, all his trips and the people and things he's seen. He asks for my opinions. He shares his hopes for the kingdom. Even his fears." She bites her lip and looks down. "He... he makes me feel special."
Something chilled trickles down my spine.
"You can't mean that."
Aoki winces at the roughness in my voice. Her sweet face darkens. Avoiding my eyes, she licks her lips and goes on, "He asks about you sometimes. I know he doesn't show it, but it's not easy for him, dealing with everything. Having to look after an entire kingdom. And despite what you think, he really does want us to be happy." I snort at this, and she throws me a strange look, a stiff slant to her mouth. "Lei," she says, "he told me he's going to call for you soon."
The night is already cold. But at Aoki's words the air grows even colder. Stormy autumn winds spin around us, icy against my skin, and I clutch the fur shawl tighter around my neck.
I look ahead to where the other girls are sitting. The King is there, in his usual gold-and-black robes, throwing back his head to laugh at something Blue is saying to him. The sound is like a thunderclap, electric, cutting right through the air and into my bones. But the sight of him... laughing like that.
I stop. Aoki turns to me, forehead furrowed.
"I can't do it," I tell her, staring ahead at the King. My words are edged. Knifepoints.
The servants to either side of us keep their distance as they wait for us to continue, and the noise from the party is enough to hide our conversation. But I still keep my voice down, half whispering, half spitting, "I won't let him touch me again."
I don't realize it until I speak it. And it's different from the times I've said it before, or the way I've hoped it, as if dreaming something enough could birth it into being. I know it now with a certainty that has fitted into the lost core at the heart of me, as hard and angular as my hope was soft and shimmering.
The King will not have me.
Aoki's eyes are as wide as moons. "You're going to deny him again? This is your job, Lei. It's not so bad—"
I whirl round. "Not so bad? Remember how you felt the first time?"
"But I told you, it's gotten better. I think—I think I'm starting to enjoy being with him. To have the King's whole attention..." A glaze enters her eyes, something feverish in her glow. "How many people in the kingdom get to experience that?"
"The hundreds of girls he's bedded," I reply coolly, and pink spots her cheeks.
"You could at least be grateful for what the King has given you."
I goggle at her. "What he's given me? Aoki, he took us from our homes!"
"At least we were given a new one! The Hidden Palace, Lei! So many girls are forced into prostitution, or married off to some horrible man—"
"That sounds familiar."
We fall silent, glaring at each other. The sounds of the party drift around us like colored rain.
Aoki's the first to break it. "I'm sorry," she says. "That wasn't fair."
I grab her hands, offering a smile. "I'm sorry, too. Look, if you really want to be with the King, and he's as good to you as you say he is, then I'm happy for you. At least you can enjoy being here. But I don't."
"Maybe if you get to know him..."
"It's not enough."
After a glance to check the servants haven't come any closer, Aoki asks in a whisper, "Is there someone else?"
Wren's face flashes into my mind: her beautiful, dimpled smile, those smart, feline eyes.
"No," I lie. "Of course not."
Aoki looks relieved. "I don't know why I needed to ask. Where would you have found a man in Women's Court?"
Because it isn't a man. For some reason, a trill of annoyance runs through me. Everyone's assumption is for women and men to be together, and yet here we are, human girls, the Demon King's concubines. Surely love between two women wouldn't be so strange?
We are all the same really, little one. Deep down.
A tiny smile lifts my mouth. Mama would have understood. And the loss pierces me so freshly again that I have to push out a laugh to keep the tears away.
"Maybe," I tell Aoki, "I fancy old Master Tekoa."
She giggles, a hand flying to her mouth. "I knew it!"
But my smile drops as I focus again on the floating platform where the King is waiting. With a flex of my fingers, I start again toward it before I lose courage, Aoki hurrying to follow. We cross the short walkway onto the platform, and a servant announces our arrival.
At once, the conversations stop. The slap of water against the sides of the platform rises loud in the hush. A bark of laughter lifts from farther off in the party, and there's something threatening about it, a dare for anyone else to interrupt the moment. Aoki moves forward first, but it's me everyone is watching as we approach the King. I keep my own stare lowered to the floor, on the swishing tail of Aoki's cheongsam in front of me.
She greets him sweetly, an ingratiating furl in her voice I've never heard before. Then she steps aside. I lower to my knees as gracefully as I can in my long-skirted dress. I palm my hands to the floor. The memory of the last time I was like this in front of the King jolts through me, pricking goose bumps across my skin.
Two months gave me space and something almost resembling peace. But time has a way of folding itself, like a map, distances and journeys and hours and minutes tucked neatly away to leave just the realness of the before and the now, as close as hands pressed on either side of a rice-paper door.
"My King," I say into the quiet.
"Get up."
His voice is the same deep rumble I remember. I do as he says, barely able to breathe for the dashing of my heart against my rib cage. Finally, I gather the courage to lift my eyes to his, but the expression on his face takes me by surprise, because it's the last thing I expect to see.
Happiness.
He looks happy. To see me.
"Lei-zhi," he greets—as though we were old friends, all smiles and lightness. As though the last time I saw him he hadn't been chasing me through his chambers, half naked and roaring. "I've missed you. Let's take a walk, just you and me. I want to talk."
I get to my feet quickly, just in case he offers to help. Wren's eyes find mine, and then the King lays a hand on my shoulder to lead me off the platform. Whispers unspool into the silence like a cat slinking through the feet of a crowd. It must be common knowledge by now what happened between the King and me, and it's clear everyone is as surprised by his warm welcome as I am.
Surprised—and uneasy. Because what might his smile be hiding?
Lifting my chin against the stares, I follow the King into the party. Interconnected pathways run between the boats and floating hookah dens and teahouses, and we take a haphazard route through them. He seems intent on meandering. Breezily, he points out various guests, stopping to greet some, telling me about the banquet they had earlier and that I really must try the new sake he had imported from Shomu, matured for three years in total darkness! It's like nothing I've ever tasted before.
I mumble noncommittal responses. My pulse is still spiked at the closeness of him, the weight of his hand on my shoulder, and alongside the fear sparks something else: anger. Flame-hot and fierce. Because how can he speak like this to me after what happened the last time we met? The week of starvation and isolation he put me through?
"I owe you an apology, Lei-zhi."
Abruptly, the King stops. We're in the middle of a walkway. A pair of elegant gazelle-form men strolling arm in arm behind us almost bump into us, and they back away hastily, muttering apologies amidst fervent bows. Other guests ahead turn quickly around to take a different route. The noise of the party seems to dim now, wrapping its arms around the King and me, an intimate embrace. The blue of his eyes fixes me to the spot. They're an ice-cold color, shockingly bright against his golden-umber fur, like the sharpness of a cloudless winter sky.
"I suppose," he starts, "I'm used to being in control. Or at least, having to appear in control." He looses a long exhale. "I don't admit it often, but it's difficult. Being a King. Ruling. All of this"—he sweeps out an arm at the bustle of the party—"and more, the whole of Ikhara mine to look after. To protect. I try my best to be fair, but it's impossible. There will always be those who lose out." He rolls his shoulders, neck cording. "Ruling is like shaman's magic. You can only give when you have taken."
"Perhaps," I reply in a level voice, "it's about balancing who you take from."
The King looks down his slender bovine nose at me, light from the party embellishing his outline and picking out the elaborate patterns of his gilded horns. "A fair point, I suppose, if rather naive. Not everyone can have everything. And not everyone has the same needs, or rights."
I grit back a glower at this.
"And not everyone," he continues, "has the same to give in the first place." The King's face tightens. "Take my brothers, for example. They were one, two years older than me. But at the age of seven I already understood more than they about what makes a strong ruler. I knew that if I took their lives, it would prove to the heavenly rulers and the court that I was infinitely more capable of taking over my dying father's rule than either of them. They were put on this earth to give, while I was destined to take." A dark current threads his words, and I hold down the instinct to squeeze my arms around my chest, to back away. "I demonstrated my worth. And still no one has acknowledged the sacrifices I made. Everything I have given for this kingdom. I am not even allowed a name. It is only Heavenly Master this, Heavenly Master that, all the godsdamn time, as though I'm just that, some heavenly ruler everyone expects to grant their prayers."
I lick my lips, then say carefully, "Of course I'm no expert, my King, but... isn't that sort of what a King's job is?"
He regards me in silence from under full lashes, his face frozen in a rigid mask. For a second, it seems almost like he's going to strike me. "People do not ask of the gods without offering them things in return," he says stiffly.
Then he loosens. He offers me a smile, though it's a shadow of his usual lazy grin, and I notice then the heaviness in his expression, fatigue in the dark circles under his eyes. And underneath it all, a touch of something a little delirious. "Have you heard of the Sickness, Lei-zhi?"
"The Sickness?" The phrase nudges a distant memory, though I can't recall where I've heard it before.
"Something is making our land ill: forest fires in the mountains, earthquakes, crippling droughts in the southern provinces... More than three times last year, River Zebe burst its banks. Two of my battalions are still in Marazi to aid reconstruction efforts. The reports have been coming in too fast for me to keep track. On the trip I just returned from, I saw countless villages and farmlands affected. There was even a Steel clan forced to seek refuge with a neighboring Paper clan." He snorts. "The indignity of it. And with the increasing rebel activity, I've not had the time or resources to address it properly."
"But aren't those things natural?" I ask. "Earthquakes, droughts..."
"Indeed. But something is causing them to get worse. And I think I finally understand what it is." With a tilt of his head, the King raises his eyes to the sky.
I follow his gaze. The wind has blown the clouds away to reveal a sky brilliant with starlight and the crescent of the moon hanging right overhead, sharp as a scythe. At first, I don't understand what he's suggesting. Then it hits me.
"You mean the gods?"
"They're angry," the King growls, the familiar bite returning to his voice. A muscle tics in his jaw. "They're punishing us for something. See? Even Ahla takes her warrior form to taunt me." His eyes are shiny. "I need to appease them."
I remember what General Yu said to Mistress Eira about the King's superstitious nature, what Chenna told me about the reasoning behind his picking her first. Our belief in the gods is so organic and deep-rooted there can often be something customary about it. But there is nothing perfunctory about the fever-glow now on the King's face. Though it would be blasphemous to speak out loud, the question comes to me, undeniable.
Is this magic or madness I'm seeing? Faith or desperation?
"How—how will you do that?" I ask in a hushed voice.
The King's bowed lips stretch, a grin more teeth than smile. "Punish those who disobey me," he says huskily. "Rid the kingdom of those who are not faithful." His frosted eyes slide my way, and the silence stretches out. Then, abruptly, the tension drains from his face. Slinging an arm around my shoulder, he spins us back round, the corners of his mouth lifted. "Come, Lei-zhi. We'd better get back to the others. I don't want them getting jealous."
And his chatter is once again so light and easy that I almost believe I imagined the threat in his words.
The party spirals on into the night in a whirl of laughter and starlight and the jewel-bright reflections of lantern light on water, everything colorful: the sounds, the conversations, the smiles, the dresses. It's the first time there's been such a big gathering, and from our corner of the floating tearoom, the girls swap gossip about the guests.
"Look!" Mariko cries, pointing to an elegant woman with porcelain skin. "That's Mistress Lo, she's one of the most famous Paper Girls. You must have heard of her. She runs a beauty parlor in Women's Court. We must ask Madam Himura if we can visit it..."
More pointing. "Oh, that's Madam Daya! She was married to a General straight after her time as a Paper Girl. Apparently the General saved the King's life in an assassination attempt and she was his reward..."
"Isn't that Mistress Ohura? She's still so beautiful..."
The voices of the girls float around me. My eyes keep sliding back to where Wren and the King are talking under a pagoda at the water's edge. They're too far to make out anything more than their outlines, but the closeness of their shadows, the King's huge bulk dwarfing Wren, sends something sharp down my veins.
"They've been there for ages," Aoki grumbles, her eyes following mine. There's jealousy in her gaze, too.
He makes me feel special.
Disgust quivers through me at the memory of her words. I tear my eyes away. "I'm going for a walk," I say, and get to my feet and start walking before she can follow.
I turn down a few of the floating walkways and head up onto the grassy bank of the river, picking a random direction to wander in. The noise of the party fades as I trudge into the dark grounds. Over my head, a flock of birds wheel noisily, wingtips kissing the sky. Their freedom pierces me. What would happen if I just took off right now? Chased after them, danced in the midnight shadow of their bodies so high above, and we could be mirrors, echoes, them in the air and me on the ground—
The thought cuts off. Because of course: the palace walls.
Somewhere in the distance, I sense their presence, their black embrace. The birds would fly right over them, and all I'd be able to do is watch, fingers pressed to the frozen rock.
Suddenly the darkness isn't so welcoming anymore. I've just started to head back to the river when I stop at the sound of something in the shadows. Is that... crying?
Scanning the grounds, I spot a woman sitting on the sloping grass a few feet away. Reflections on the river's surface outline her in shimmering silver. She's wearing a patterned sari, its pale-pink fabric light against her brown skin. I recognize her robes—she's one of the former Paper Girls, the one who was married to some General.
"Hello?" I call, taking a few steps toward her. "Madam Daya, is it?"
Hunched shoulders tighten. "Get away!" she hisses. It comes out strangled, the words strange and contorted.
"Is everything all right?"
The woman doesn't turn. "Who is that?" she replies, hoarse.
"I'm Lei. One of the Paper Girls—"
She whirls around in an instant, springing to her feet. I stagger back, but she catches me, nails pinching into my arms as she brings me close.
A scream catches in my throat. Madam Daya's face is shadowed, but that only seems to heighten what a mess it is, moonlight glinting off the raw peeling skin slipping from her face like melted wax; rotted teeth; the bulbous, veined eyes.
Words tumble from my lips. "I—I didn't mean—"
"Look at me!" she cries. "It's all his fault!"
"Wh-whose fault?"
"My stupid husband's! He made a mistake during the raid at Shomu Pass, and the King refused to grant him our annual magic allowance, and without my regular visits from the shaman..." She shakes me, crazed, tears leaking from those horrible red eyes. "I can't go back to the party looking like this!"
As she talks, skin drips from her cheeks and chin. A ragged scrap unpeels, falling on my own face, and I shriek, tossing my head to get it off me.
Madam Daya lets out a mad laugh. "That's it! Try to get away. But you'll look like this one day, too, you know. When you're forced to use endless enchantments just to keep yourself looking young and pretty for whatever worthless man the King gives you to like a prize show-tiger, you'll understand. You'll know."
And it suddenly clicks what's happened to her.
Qi draining.
Since magic is an element that comes from the closed circle of our world, it cannot be made, only exchanged through a shaman's chanted dao. Yin and yang, energy, lifeblood, qi—all of it is a balance. A flow. It's what the King was talking about earlier. Shamans must adhere to the equilibrium when drawing magic from the earth by offering gifts in return, whether it be burying money for spirits or scattering plant seeds, or carving tattoos in their skin, the pain serving as payment, the markings bindings of their loyalty. Even then, when too much magic is asked from the gods, their enchantments can start to fail, or even backfire.
"I'm—I'm so sorry," I stammer, though my words sound empty even to me.
The woman laughs. "You will be one day, little girl. You'll be sorry you ever came to this heavensforsaken place."
She lets me go and I jerk away, gasping, stumbling up the bank and back toward the party as fast as my dress allows me.
When I make it back to the floating teahouse where I left the others, it's empty, and at first I'm relieved that the party has ended. But then I notice movement ahead. Everyone seems to be gathered on one of the central platforms. The music that was playing earlier has stopped, and in its place is quiet—though not the good kind. The tense kind of quiet, when the air gets strange and taut, like elastic pulled too tightly. A few moments later, shouting rises up from the crowd.
"Hey!" A lone guard hurries along a gangplank toward me. "What're you—oh."
He falters. Rounded ears twitch as he recognizes me. It takes me a moment longer to recognize him as the bear-form guard outside the palace the night I arrived. The sweetness of his features doesn't seem to fit with his soldier's clothes, the sheathed sword at his waist.
"Mistress Lei-zhi," he amends with a bow. "My sincerest apologies. I didn't realize—"
"What's happening?" I interrupt.
He looks up. "The—the King wants to add a new part to the celebrations," he says, and I don't miss the slight stumble in his words.
Jeers erupt in the distance.
"What new part?" I ask as a cold wave of dread creeps over me.
The guard opens his mouth. Then he gives a small shake of his head. "The King requests the presence of all his guests," he says firmly, clearing his throat. He reasserts his grip on his sword. "Please come with me, Mistress."
I follow him along the walkways to the center of the flotilla. Discarded objects—bowls and plates, silk napkins, the wind-loosened petals of flowers—are scattered among the abandoned platforms, the water around them also bobbing with debris. As we get nearer, I catch some of the words being tossed into the air.
Rotten Paper. Worthless.
Keeda.
"Maybe this is close enough," the guard starts, holding out an arm. But I shove past him, elbowing my way through the crowd all the way to the front.
And freeze when I get there.
A memory, as vivid as the day it happened. A Paper caste woman with eyes full of hatred, and the swing of a club toward her skull.
The scene before me isn't similar in the details, but the shape of it is there. Demon guards herding a group of Paper castes in place with swords and spiked axes. The looks on the men's and women's, the children's faces, not anger this time, but fear. And the King, laughing as he paces back and forth to inspect them.
"... so I thought it only right that we give them a proper royal welcome!"
It's hard to hear him over the crowd. His grin is wide and sharp, more canine than bovine, and I can tell the energy of his audience is emboldening him. From the way he's swaggering, it's clear he's drunk. There's a frenzy on his face, the same crazed sheen I saw a glimmer of earlier, but alcohol has loosened it, and it sits vivid on his features.
Dread crests inside me. I look round for Wren or Aoki. Instead, I spot Chenna a few rows ahead and push my way toward her.
"What is this?" I ask breathlessly.
She doesn't turn. "The soldiers just got back from a raid in eastern Noei," she says, and beneath her usual composure is something troubled. There's hollowness to her voice, a constriction in her throat. Still staring ahead, she continues, "They've brought these Paper castes to the palace as slaves. The King is giving them away as presents to his guests."
I gape at her. "What?"
Just then, one of the captives pushes to the front of the group. A dog-form guard swings out an arm to stop him, and the man struggles to get free.
"Please!" he shouts. He's middle aged, dark hair fanning into grey. "Have mercy, Heavenly Master—"
"Ah," the King interrupts. "So you recognize your master, do you, and yet you dare ask for his mercy?" His deep voice is slurred from drink. "My mercy is for my peers, old man. Not some worthless keeda."
The word strikes me afresh coming from the King's lips.
"My wife and children are here!" the man tries again, his arms outstretched, face contorted. "Please, Heavenly Master. Have mercy. We have been nothing but obedient, all these years, giving away more than we could spare of our crops to your soldiers, never protesting when our taxes increase. Even now with the Sickness, we comply with every demand. All we ask is to be left alone. Please, Heavenly Master. Let us go home—"
The King roars. "I will not take orders from a human!"
With a thunder of hooves, he charges forward. It's unexpected, quicker than I'd thought him capable of. All of a sudden he seems more animal than human, driven by bovine instinct and rage. Swiping the guard aside, he seizes the man by the neck, lumbers to the edge of the platform and, with an effortless arc of his arm, flings the man into the river.
The crowd cheers, breaks into applause.
The balcony ringing the platform hides the man from view, but we hear him emerging in a splash of water, spluttering. A few of the other Paper castes try to break from the guards, but they are quickly forced back into place.
The King sweeps an arm toward the rest of the Paper caste slaves, a feral grin lighting his face. "Go ahead, friends. Choose as many slaves as you wish. The keeda should know now not to challenge their masters."
The demons move forward in a rush of excited chatter.
"Kunih save them," Chenna murmurs, making a quick motion across her brow that I've seen her make once or twice before. It must be a prayer ritual from where she's from.
I have learnt not to put my trust in the gods. Especially not Kunih, who—like all earth gods—is favored in the South, but my parents taught me to be wary of, for what God of Redemption would not one day turn upon you?
Instead, I yell at myself. Go, Lei! Help!
But I don't move.
A taloned hand lands on my shoulder. "Come, girls," Madam Himura orders in her croaky voice. "Time for us to leave."
My eyes flick back to the slaves, cowering as the King's guests inspect them. "But—"
"Do you wish to join them, Lei-zhi?"
I falter, and Madam Himura's smile is cutting, because she knows of course that I don't. She can guess the struggle inside me, and which instinct is winning. Because no matter how brave I might try to seem, really the heart that beats within my rib cage is weak and broken and scared, and I am just a human girl kneeling before her demon King.
Dzarja. Traitor.
I drop my chin as we turn away and head back to where our carriages are waiting at the top of the bank, my belly churning.
The slave-woman was right.
That's exactly what I am. |
When we get back from the party, sleep seems impossible. Even the concept of sleep: of rest, of peace, of—heavens forbid—dreaming. I'm on the verge of being sick. My mother's absence from the Night Houses list, Aoki telling me the King will call for me soon, the former Paper Girl's monstrous face, and the terror of the slaves as the demons circled in. Everything about this day has been horrible. And the worst part of it all is the hardest to ignore, because it is within me.
Is me.
I stare up at the ceiling, palms pressed to my forehead. The image of the Paper slaves won't leave my mind, burned onto my retinas like some ghostly afterimage. I cycle over the moment again and again, trying to find some hint, some opening that would allow for a different outcome, even though it's too late. I could have—should have—done something. Instead I let Madam Himura lead me away.
The pattering of rain fills my small room. It's a sound that always reminds me of home, of monsoon season in Xienzo, the earth turned to mud, Tien both happy because it means there would be plenty of mushrooms to forage and equally annoyed because of Bao trailing paw prints across the floorboards. But home is the last thing I want to think about right now.
Punish those who disobey me. Rid the kingdom of those who are not faithful.
The King's words ring in my head, and I think of the birds I watched earlier, how easily they lifted into the air.
How impossible it is for me to follow them.
My parents taught me that if you have a problem or have made a mistake, you should be honest about it. "With us, of course," they said, "but more important, with yourself. That is the first step to finding a solution."
As a child I never would have believed that my parents could be wrong. Yet right now, aware of the problems, aware of all my mistakes, I'm still no clearer on how to address them. How to do the impossible? How to defy the King and help my kin? How to escape from the palace without the risk of Baba and Tien being punished?
"I don't know what to do," I say out loud. "Tell me what to do."
The room remains mute. There's only the soft, wordless whisper of rain.
Scrambling to my feet, I fling a fur shawl over my shoulders and head outside, suddenly needing air. I tiptoe down the corridor to the door where I saw Wren sneaking out all those weeks ago. I'm so wrapped up in my thoughts that when I open the door and find her behind it, I barely react. I just fall still, my mouth becoming a small O.
And it is particularly lucky I don't make a sound—because Wren is not alone.
I only have a few seconds to take in the scene. Wren, in her sleeping robe, standing close to a tall wolf demon, her head craned back to face him. The wolf: Moon caste, marbled ash-gray fur flowing silkily over angular features, a diamond-shaped patch of white on his long, muzzlelike jaw. He's dressed in soldier's clothes. One pawed hand is lifted to cup Wren's face, like the beginning of a kiss.
Then the two of them spring apart.
Shielding Wren behind him with an easy sweep of his arm, the wolf rounds on me. His eyes are a startlingly luminous amber, like honeyed marigold mixed with bronze—just a few shades darker than my own. There's something vaguely familiar about him, but before I can place it, he bends down until the wet tip of his nose almost touches mine.
"A word about this," he whispers, "and you die."
He spins around. In a few short bounds, he disappears into the night-tipped gardens.
Silence, and rainfall, and Wren watching me with uneasy eyes.
It's the first time I've seen her undone like this, so unsure. The collar of her nightdress has fallen low, exposing the swell of her breasts, and from under it her bare legs are long and glossy in the moonlight. I think of her and the wolf, what intimate moment I might have interrupted. My gut twists.
After everything today, now this.
"Lei," Wren starts, reaching for me.
I step back. "Don't touch me."
"I can explain—"
"No thanks. I can work it out just fine myself."
My voice has risen, and Wren's eyes cut to the open doorway behind me. Quickly, she slides it shut before grabbing my hand and pulling me down the steps of the veranda. Rain slicks my skin in an instant. She leads me across the gardens away from Paper House, to a large ginkgo tree whose long branches hide us from view.
"It's not what you're thinking," she says, and I snatch back my hand.
"How do you know what I'm thinking?"
"I mean, I know how it must have looked—"
"You were touching him. He was touching you."
Her lips tighten. "Not like that."
"Well," I say with a scowl, "your wolf certainly seemed to think what you'd been doing together was bad enough to threaten to kill me. Or did you miss that part?"
"He doesn't mean it," Wren replies. But there's a flicker of hesitation in her voice, and she rubs one hand at the base of her throat, a nervous movement I've never seen before. "Lei, he was scared. If anyone finds out he was here..."
I glare at her. "Don't worry. I won't tell."
"I know you won't."
She speaks the words with such purity that whatever retort I'd been planning drops away. "You... you trust me?" I say, clutching my wet shawl tighter at my neck.
Her eyes soften. "Of course I do," she answers, a whisper that I draw in like nectar.
I step forward, my feet sinking a little into the muddy ground. "Then tell me who he is."
"I can't." She reaches for my fingers again, but I jerk away. "Please, Lei," she pleads. "This is bigger than me. It's not my secret to give away."
I shove the wet hair from my face. "He's someone important in the palace, isn't he? The wolf."
Wren nods.
"How do you know him? What were you meeting about?"
She doesn't answer.
"Is he who you've been sneaking out all these times to see?"
"Not... every time."
I let out a bark of mad laughter. "There are others?"
"No!" Wren corrects hurriedly, shoving the wet tangles of hair from her face. "I mean, I don't always meet someone."
"What do you do, then?"
She looks at me tiredly, as if to say, You know I can't tell you that.
"You lied to me," I say into her silence.
It comes out childish and petty, and I hate the way my voice sounds. But the meaning of it, the feeling behind it, is anything but. I'm trembling, half from the rain and the cold, and half from something else, some wild, desperate sensation that's been snaking through me since the moment I stumbled upon Wren and the wolf.
Raindrops cling to my eyelashes, slick my lips. I lick them away. "I asked you if you were meeting someone. That night, when you brought me food. You promised me you weren't."
"Because I wasn't! Not in the way you were asking."
"I don't believe you."
This pulls a growl from her. "Lei," Wren sighs, almost angry, "there isn't anyone else."
I roll my eyes. "You've already said that," I say, but then I catch on to her turn of phrase.
Anyone else.
And I suddenly comprehend what she's trying to tell me.
That there is someone.
"Oh," I breathe, as a dizzying sensation wings through me. "You mean me."
She comes closer, her stare so hot it's burning, scattering the raindrops away. Eyes fixed fiercely on mine, she lifts a hand toward my cheek.
I stagger back. "I—I have to go."
Even as Wren opens her mouth to retort, I'm already spinning on my heels, making for the house. I lurch blindly, soaked by the rain. The gardens are dark and the path is slick beneath my feet, and I skid on the wet cobbles, careening back, arms windmilling.
Wren is there in an instant. She catches me, fingers wrapping round my shoulders. "Please calm down."
I let out a choked laugh. "How can I? You know what would happen if someone found us! We—we can't, Wren. Me and you, this..." My eyes skitter away. "It's not right."
"Because we're both girls?" she asks, and there's hurt in her voice.
"No! I don't care about that." I pause, realizing only as I speak the words aloud how true they are. I've had time to think about it since understanding my feelings for Wren in Zelle's first lesson, and each time it comes back to what Zelle told me about love and lust. How natural they are. How simple it should be. That's just how my attraction toward Wren is: natural, and simple.
If you took away the minor issue of us being the King's concubines, of course.
Something breaks a little inside me as I tell her, "Not because we're girls. Because we're Paper Girls."
Wren shakes her head, still fixing me with that bold, defiant gaze. "Is it what you want?"
"That doesn't matter."
Her expression is fierce. "It's the only thing that matters."
The air between us vibrates, electric. Wren's hands are still circling my arms, and her touch sears me, sends my pulse racing.
She pulls me nearer.
Our lips are a heartbeat apart.
"We're Paper Girls," I say again, like this is explanation enough—and it is. It explains everything, because it defines everything. The one terrible, inescapable truth.
"So?"
"Madam Himura and Mistress Eira made it clear to us from the start." I'm whispering, even though the night is rain-locked and the garden is deserted. "What we want has nothing to do with it. We're only here for the King."
Under wet lashes, her dark eyes spark. "You fought him, Lei. You told him no, a man who is never told no. Even though you knew you'd be punished. You, more than anyone, understand that what we want is important." She takes a breath. "When the world denies you choices, you make your own." Her fingers skim to my wrists; she draws me even closer. "This is my choice."
Rain patters all around us. It traces tiny beads down Wren's temples and cheeks, clinging to the curve of her full lips. Her night slip is completely soaked through, revealing her to me, a cruel promise of what can never be mine.
Anyone could find us out here.
So what? part of me screams. Give them a show. They can sell tickets for all I care! But another part of me remembers the slaves at the party. Of what might happen if I humiliate the King again. Not just to me, but to my family.
Punish those who disobey me. Rid the kingdom of those who are not faithful.
I flinch, hearing the King's threat as if he were standing right behind us, bull eyes bright and raging, glinting like daggers in the dark.
I untangle our fingers. "I'm sorry," I whisper.
And then I'm running back to the house before Wren can stop me. Or rather, before I stop myself. Because the longing to kiss her, to lace my arms around her and bring our bodies together in the dark, is so strong it thrashes around inside me like something caged. And as I stagger back to my room, rain-soaked and defeated, a single word repeats in my head, shining darkly, slinking, serpentine.
Dzarja.
Never has it felt more true. Because it appears I have found a new person to betray, and it might be the worst one yet.
Myself. |
Over the next few days, the memory of my almost-kiss with Wren hovers over everything I do. I barely follow a word our teachers say. In the evenings it takes all my effort to keep from staring at her in whatever beautiful outfit she's wearing, at how exquisite her face looks made up with paints and powders. How, even better, I have seen beneath that Paper Girl mask, the night when the rain washed away everything between us and left only the deep thrum of desire.
When dreaming of her isn't enough, I creep to her room. Hover outside her door, fingertips resting on the wood. But I can never bring myself to go inside. Always, there is fear at being caught. And—just as frightening—the fear that once I've kissed her, I won't be able to stop.
One morning a week later, Lill dresses me in a heavy, fur-trimmed overcoat. It's the coldest outside that it's been so far. It won't be long until winter arrives. I say good-bye to her and find Wren in the hallway, waiting for me.
"Hello." I greet her with our new awkward formality. She's still been accompanying me to lessons as per Madam Himura's request, but there's been a terse politeness in our interactions since that night. Then I notice the coat she's wearing.
White. Our kingdom's mourning color.
"Here." She hands me folded silver-white robes and a heavy brocade overcoat. "You should change."
"What...?" I start, but she talks quickly over me.
"It's a mourning day for both of us, remember?" She's speaking more loudly than usual. As Zhen and Zhin pass, giving me identical smiles, I realize it's for the other girls to hear. "Or have you forgotten about your own ancestors?"
I look blank.
"So kind of Madam Himura to give us permission to miss today's lessons to pray," she carries on, and finally I get it. Wren must have told Madam Himura that today is a day of mourning for the two of us, perhaps spinning some story about the funeral of an ancestor or a designated prayer day that both our families happen to observe at the same time. Spiritual commitments are one of the only things we're allowed to miss our lessons for. But what would she want to show me in Ghost Court?
Chenna comes out from her room a few doors away. She catches my eyes. "Everything all right, Lei?"
"Just great. I'll see you in a minute."
Her eyes glide to Wren, but she doesn't say anything, giving me a curt nod before turning away.
Once the corridor is empty, Wren steps in close. "You wanted to know where I've been going the nights I leave Paper House," she says under her breath. Her brown eyes glint. "I'm going to show you."
A short while later I'm back at Wren's side, this time dressed in the clothes she gave me. Wearing white feels strange. More than strange—wrong. The color is heavy with the implications of what it should mean to wear it, and I can't help but think of Mama. How even though she was lost to us, we never held a funeral, not even after the weeks turned into months, and the months into years.
It would have felt like an admission.
Wren and I take a carriage to Ghost Court, accompanied by Wren's maid, Chiho. Despite its eerie name, Ghost Court turns out to be a lush landscape filled with manicured rock gardens, ponds, and clusters of trees. Winding steps and arched bridges lead between temples of varying design. Some are small, hewn from rock, with wide, squat bases. Others are tall and multitiered, with delicate curving roofs and colored tiles. Bamboo parcels offering food and packets of ghost money burn in braziers outside the entrances, and from some of the temples drift the unearthly songs of shrine maidens.
We come to a stop in a secluded grove. The temple before us is small and unassuming, with a shingled roof and faded crimson paint peeling in long strips from its walls. Its stone base is shaggy with moss. Overhead, a great banyan tree towers, casting everything in murky green light.
"I'll wait for you here, Mistresses," Chiho says as we leave the carriage.
I shoot Wren a curious glance. She must have known chaperones wouldn't come into the temple with us.
The two of us make our way inside in silence. Immediately, the lingering smoke of incense tickles my throat. Something about temples always makes me feel as though I can't make any noise, but even if I wanted to, I sense Wren's energy, tense and coiled, and it keeps me quiet, too. We pass through a prayer room with gold idols set atop a shrine, both earth and sky gods staring down at us with in an array of smiles and grimaces. I rub my hands over my arms. I could swear their eyes were tracking us.
Unlike the other temples, this one is deserted. Our footsteps fall loudly in the quiet as we come to a courtyard at its center. The roof must have caved in long ago, dust motes dancing in the light slanting in between the hanging roots of the banyan. A shiver trickles down my back. I'm half expecting ghosts to peer out from lonely corners any second.
Wren leads me through more prayer rooms to an archway at the back of the temple. Just as we duck through, she slips her hand in mine. Pleasure bubbles through me—whipped aside the next instant by what we find beyond the arch, which is so unexpected and beautiful that it takes my breath away.
We're in a small, walled garden. The stone of the wall is crumbling, green with moss and winding vines, the paving beneath our feet cracked by weeds. This place seems even more forgotten than the rest of the temple, forlorn and lusterless.
Except for the tree.
In the middle of the courtyard is a tree unlike any I've seen before. Though its trunk is like that of a normal maple, with old, grooved bark of deep brown wrapped around knotted branches, the leaves that adorn it are paper. Enchanted paper. Despite the still air, the leaves flutter and rustle as if caught in a wind, humming with the golden light of magic, each one with something written across it.
I move closer and reach up for one. The leaf thrums gently under my fingers. A whir of air blows from the branches, ruffling my hair and clothes as I read the characters painted on it in delicate brushstrokes. "Minato." I glance at a few of the others. "Rose. Thira. Shun-li." I look over my shoulder at Wren. "They're girls' names."
She nods. Wordlessly, she leads me round the back of the tree. She stands on her tiptoes and draws down one of the branches, showing me a leaf near its tip, so small it looks like a teardrop.
"Leore," I read. My eyes flick up. "Who is she?"
"She was," Wren replies, "my sister."
There's a pulse of silence. The walls of the courtyard seem to take a step inward, and something inside me goes very still.
"I thought you were an only child."
"I am," Wren replies, "and... I am not. The Hannos aren't my real family."
My stomach gives a jolt. "Then who are?"
"The Xia," she answers simply.
Simply, as though she hadn't just spoken the name of the most infamous warrior clan in all of Ikhara.
A clan that was wiped out years ago.
"I was adopted by the Hannos when I was just a year old," Wren starts. "Before that, I lived with what was left of the Xia in the eastern mountains of Rain."
We're sitting under the boughs of the paper-leaf tree. The air is golden and warm from the glow of its magic, and it feels safe here with Wren, as if the tree's branches could protect us from the rest of the world. Our fingers are twined together. While she tells me her story, Wren's thumb skates across my palm, drawing hidden words upon my skin.
"I'm guessing you already know," she starts, "that the Xia were once the most prominent warrior clan in Ikhara. It's the unique form of martial arts they practiced, mixing physical movements with qi manipulation, that made them so famous. The Xia were warriors and shamans, both of the mortal world and the spiritual. Their skills were so legendary that many of the clan leaders sought to build relationships with them, enlist them to their causes. But the Xia lived by the strictest moral code. They only offered aid to those who they truly believed were deserving."
I nod. Tien told me stories of the Xia, how powerfully they shaped Ikharan history. "I wasn't sure whether to believe her," I say. "I thought the Xia might just be some legend she made up to frighten me."
"To a lot of people, that's all they are," Wren agrees. "A legend. Something talked about in whispers and rumor. Before, they could move freely without fear of persecution." Her voice cools. "But the Night War changed everything. Before the war, the Bull King of Han—the original Demon King—reached out to the Xia to aid him in his quest to conquer the kingdom. He'd always been a great admirer of their skill, though much of it was darkened by jealousy. He didn't just want them to help him. He wanted their abilities for himself. He'd already hired shamans to train him in using magic as a weapon, trying to mimic their fighting style. But the Xia trained their children starting from a young age. They made them understand how to call magic forth and use it in a way that respects the power of nature. They never asked for more than they could give. Unlike them, the Bull King was impatient. He tore at the earth's qi rather than nurture it. Tried to bully it to his will.
"Unable to master magic himself, the Bull King requested a meeting with the Xia to persuade them to join his army. They'd already heard of his violent way of rule, but out of respect, two of their warriors met with him. They listened to the King's plans but eventually declined to help. They knew better than to put their power into the hands of a ruler like him. But the King wouldn't accept it. Furious at their refusal, he captured the two warriors and took them prisoner, torturing them for information about their clan."
"Couldn't the Xia have fought him off?" I say. "They were the strongest warriors in all Ikhara."
Wren's lips are tight. "The King planned for that. He knew that a few guards were no match for the Xia, so before the meeting he readied a small army of both shamans and sword-masters. He used their combined strength to overpower the two warriors."
She falls silent, and I sense her anger. Her fingers grip mine a little tighter, her pulse racing against my own.
"Nobody had attempted to capture the Xia before," she goes on. "Just as with duels between clan lords, there was an unwritten code. An understanding that whatever the outcome, if it was fought fairly—either with words or swords—it should be honored. The Xia's decisions were to be respected. So to attack them outside of battle, to capture and torture them for information they would not freely give..." She rakes in a sharp inhale. "It was dishonorable. Something the gods would surely punish." A muscle tics in her neck. "But it seems the heavenly rulers had decided to stay out of mortal affairs. Week after week, month after month, the Bull King's armies tore through Ikhara, killing clan leaders and breaking apart alliances."
"What happened to the two captured Xia warriors?" I ask.
"No one knows. Maybe they never gave anything away under torture, so the King had them executed. That's what I believe, anyway. But some people think they managed to escape. Others that they turned and ended up fighting alongside the King in the Night War, and that's what enabled him to win."
A shudder runs down my spine at the thought. Might and magic. It would have been a bloodbath.
"Once he captured the eight provinces and established his court," Wren continues, anger still skating the edges of her words, "the King turned his attention to destroying the Xia. He knew it was unlikely he could defeat them in battle. They'd fought against some of his armies during the Night War—those included some of the battles he lost. So he planned surprise attacks. Ambushes. He even had them attacked on prayer days, when he knew their warriors wouldn't fight back. The Xia were not a large clan. After years of these constant attacks, they were all but destroyed. The few Xia who were left went into hiding in the mountains of eastern Rain."
"And one of those survivors was you," I breathe.
Wren nods. "When I was born, I became the twenty-third member of the decimated Xia clan." She swallows. "And its last. I was just a baby, too young to remember much of that final attack. Ketai Hanno found me afterward, when the fires that had ripped through our home had burned themselves out. He managed to piece together a rough idea of what happened. Somehow, our location was betrayed to the Demon King, who sent an army in the middle of the night. My people put up a valiant fight. The snow was said to have been red with the blood of his soldiers. But there were just twenty-three of us, half of us children. We were hopelessly outnumbered. By the time the sun rose the following morning, the Xia had been destroyed." She turns away, lips pressed into a bloodless line, before drawing a faltering inhale. "My mother, my father, my five-year-old sister... all dead. I was the only one left."
The paper leaves of the tree rustle around us. Lacing my arms round her back, I pull Wren close, drawing her so tight I shift with every rise and drop of her shallow, shaky breaths. The day my mother was taken is so clear to me in this moment, so close, like a imprint burnt on my heart. I know what it's like to lose your family.
To lose your hope.
Wren draws back. "There's something I want to show you."
She pulls me to my feet. Reaching up into the boughs of the tree for the branch with her sister's name, she brushes aside a few of the other leaves to reveal another glowing paper leaf beside her sister's.
My throat closes when I see the name written across it.
Soraya.
My mother.
I turn to her, barely able to speak. "You did this?"
"This is the Temple of the Hidden," Wren explains. "It's for the dead we are unable to grieve for. For me, that's my Xia family. The family I'm not allowed to grieve for publicly, because I can't reveal they ever existed. I have a shrine for my parents in one of the other rooms, but this tree is for hidden women only, so I come here to pray for my sister's spirit." She hesitates. "After what you told me about your mother, I thought you might like a place to come to pray for her, too."
I'm silent for so long that her face drops. "I shouldn't have," she mumbles. "I overstepped—"
"No." I take her hands, our palms pressing together. "I needed this, Wren. You knew, even before I did."
Tears course down my face, but I ignore them, my breathing jagged. Because it's all so clear. Of course it is. I've been trying to convince myself, clinging onto the hope that my instincts are wrong. That the absence of my mother's name from the Night Houses lists was a mistake, or maybe she found a way to escape on her own, because she was my Mama and brilliant and of course she could find a way to escape from an inescapable fortress.
"She's dead, isn't she?" I choke out. "My mother is... dead."
The word is as ugly-tasting as it sounds, a solid slab of weight on my tongue.
It's the first time I have ever said it out loud. Ever admitted it to myself. I've thought it, felt the admission taking shape at the edges of my mind, but every time I wrestled it down. Now the truth hits me the way thunder strikes the earth—hard and fast, and with a flash that tears the sky apart.
It wrenches a rasping sound from my throat. Wren grabs me as I double over, holding me in silence as the gentle air of the temple courtyard fills with my cries.
You would think seven years would have dulled my wounds. But still they burn inside me, a fire too bright to extinguish. |
A long while later we settle back against the tree for Wren to finish her story. This time we sit closer, curled together like two puzzle pieces, her arms circling me from behind. Her breath is warm by my ear. The names of her sister and my mother flutter in the branches above our heads like protective charms, our own precious gods watching over us.
"I don't know how I survived the attack," Wren says, "let alone how I stayed alive for days afterward with no food or water, no shelter. Perhaps it was my Xia blood, or some last protective dao one of my family wove for me with the last of their breath. The mountainside was covered in bodies. I was hidden among them, the only living thing for miles. That's what my father says drew him to me—my adoptive father, that is, Ketai Hanno. He came to Rain after hearing about the massacre, hoping to find survivors. He's always believed the stories of the Xia. He wanted to learn from them, try to rebuild their presence in Ikhara."
My brow furrows. "But I thought the Hannos are one of the Demon King's biggest supporters."
"Yes," Wren says. "They are."
I wait for her to explain further. "Oh," I say eventually. "Another thing you can't tell me about."
She lowers her lips to my head, so I feel her warm breath mussing my hair. "I'm sorry, Lei. I want to tell you everything. The whole truth. But it would be too dangerous."
I'm stiff in her arms. "You still don't trust me," I murmur.
"Of course I do. I mean that it would be dangerous for you."
We sit in silence, the courtyard hushed with the rustle of the paper leaves, their faint chiming hum.
"So," I say, hugging her arms closer to me. "Ketai Hanno found you and took you back to Ang-Khen?"
"Exactly. Bhali—Ketai's wife, my adoptive mother—was sick. She hadn't been seen in public for two years, which fit perfectly with my arrival. They announced my birth late, saying that they were waiting for her recovery before sharing the news. No one questioned it. Maybe if I'd been a boy, it would have been different. But I was just a new daughter for the Demon King to eventually claim. My existence wouldn't have much consequence. And so I began my new life in the Hannos' palace, and grew up to love a new family."
"Do you?" I ask gently. "Love them?"
Wren replies after a beat. "As much as I can. I guess it's strange I should feel so connected to the Xia, seeing that I was just a baby when they were killed. But I can't help but think of them as my true family. Sometimes I'll catch scent of something that reminds me of them, of the mountains, and it strikes me so vividly then—the loss. The loneliness of being the only one left."
"I know," I say, tilting my head back to nestle my face into her neck. I breathe her crisp, blue-green scent in, so cleansing in my lungs. "I miss my family, too. Everyone keeps telling me to forget about them, but I can't just let them go."
Wren's voice is fierce. "Then don't. I haven't."
"Doesn't it make it harder?"
"Yes," she answers. "But I don't want an easy life. I want a meaningful one."
As we head back to Women's Court, and throughout the rest of the day, Wren's words play over and over in my head, building and strengthening, like a light growing brighter and fiercer the longer it burns, a candle-flame in reverse. Every time our eyes catch across a room—Wren's gaze soft with our secret but radiant with something else—or we stroll down a corridor, standing a fraction closer than before, the caged thing stirs inside me. Not just with desire, but for the kind of life Wren was talking about under the tree. The courage I heard in her words.
I don't want an easy life. I want a meaningful one.
The image of the old Paper Girl from the koyo party comes back to me: her melting face, her desperation. All this time I've been trying to adjust to my life here in the palace. To fit into the life expected of me. But am I losing sense of who I am, who I want to become?
Dzarja. The label is ugly, but only because I let it be. The realization strikes me with such force that I'm incredulous to have not thought of it before.
Perhaps being a traitor can be a good thing if you are betraying those who deserve it.
That night, I wait until the house is silent before going to Wren's room.
She is on her feet at once. "Lei? What are you doing?"
I cross the room. Push her up against the wall. "Telling the easy life where to go," I say, and lift my lips to hers.
"Wait," she murmurs against my mouth, stiffening.
My breathing is quick. "Haven't we done enough of that already?"
There's a moment's pause—and then her lips close on mine.
A sigh runs through me. Loosening a soft, sweet growl, Wren laces her arms round my neck, hands tangling in my hair, her mouth opening to move with mine. My world dissolves into heat and velvet touch. The two of us fall into rhythm, as natural and easy as if we'd done this a thousand times before. Has Wren done this before? The thought flares into my mind, almost taking me out of the moment. But I shove it away. Because maybe it's just like this because it's us, and it's right.
Desire charges through my bloodstream. Sighing, I draw Wren closer, our kiss growing fiercer. Urgent. Mouth wide, I brush the tip of her tongue with my own. She tastes like a monsoon, like storms and danger. In return, she nips my bottom lip, sending a sharp current of heat between my legs, where my pulse throbs, a fluid beat. My fingers skim over the silky fabric of her night robe. Her body is hard and muscled and so beautiful it hurts. I want to know every part of it at once. I want to melt into her. To disappear into the softness of her kisses, of her skin and smooth, liquid heat.
Sliding her hands down my back, Wren squeezes my waist, drawing a gasp from my lips. The flaring heat inside me swells. I have the wild notion that this must be what Master Tekoa's prediction was about: the fire, the red flames within me. But how would it bring down the palace? This is a secret fire that can only be kindled—and caught—by the girl whose lips are upon mine.
Eventually we pull apart, our breathing heavy.
Wren drops her forehead against mine, half panting. "All right," she says shakily, a trembling hand lifting to cup my cheek. "So maybe the hard life isn't so bad after all."
I laugh. "Was that a joke?"
"I am capable of them, you know."
"Prove it. Make another one."
She gives me a feline smile. "Can't I just kiss you again instead?"
My pulse flits as she dips her mouth toward mine. But just then, there's the sound of footsteps in the hallway.
We lurch apart. In the shadowy room, Wren's eyes are wide, moon-bright. We wait, breathless, the seconds ticking by slowly until finally the steps fade. There's the sound of a door closing a few rooms away.
"You should get back," Wren whispers once it's quiet again.
Our mouths find each other's one last time in the dark, and I sigh into her sweetness, her liquid warmth.
"Don't come tomorrow," Wren says when we pull apart. I freeze, but she continues with a smile, "I'll come to you instead."
"I'll hold you to that," I murmur.
Her expression sobers. "I keep my promises, Lei," she replies quietly. "Whatever they might cost me." |
When I wake the next morning, I lift my fingertips to my mouth, still lying tangled in my sheets, eyes shut. My skin is warm and mussed from sleep. There's a tingle in my lips where I press them, but otherwise there's no hint of what happened just hours ago. At least, not physically. My mouth seems the same, my lips just as they were before: smooth, small, lonely. I brush my fingertips over them, hunting for Wren's presence. Honeyed shafts of sunlight fall across my sheets. I forgot to close my shutters last night, and the warmth of the rays seems to indicate that the gods are aware of what occurred between me and Wren.
And some of them approve.
Stretching, I roll over with a yawn. My gaze lands on the shrine in the corner of my room. A trickle of unease slithers through me.
I'm not in a rush to find out what happens to us if any of them don't.
When she comes to collect me for our morning lessons an hour later, Wren gives no outward indication of what passed between us last night. But once we're outside, the other girls chatting easily around us, she slows her steps just enough for us to fall out of earshot.
"I can't stop thinking about last night," she murmurs, her beautiful black-brown eyes shining.
Her words are as sweet as a song. I can't hide my grin. I chance a quick press of my shoulder against her arm, angling my face into her. As if on cue, Blue flicks her head round, and Wren and I spring apart, pretending to be very interested in the hems of our hanfu.
If I thought the day before our kiss was hard, the day after is a million times worse. It becomes a practice in patience, something Tien would no doubt say I have very little of. Time stretches out, infuriatingly slow. I'm longing for the night to come so we can get past whatever function we have that evening and I can once again be alone with Wren. But then Mistress Eira reminds us at dinner that we'll be seeing the King at the shadow play performance we're attending tonight.
Something dark and red hums through my veins at the mention of him.
Across the table, Aoki shoots me a concerned look. She must be remembering what I said to her at the koyo party about how I won't let the King have me. She cocks her head, questioning, and I wrest a half smile to my face.
"Are you all right?" Wren whispers once the other girls sink back into conversation. She's kneeling next to me, our thighs almost touching under the table.
"Yes," I answer, and though my throat is narrow, I mean it. As a maid reaches across us to tidy the plates away, hiding us from view, I catch her fingers in mine. It's just a moment—like all of our stolen touches. But it reminds me that I have the strength to defy the King, even in small, secret ways such as these.
After dinner, Lill picks a vivid orange cheongsam for me to wear to the performance, gold embroidery shimmering across the fabric. She adds a slash of vermilion paint on my lips. Then she slicks my hair back into an intricate braid, twining it with flame-colored ribbons.
"Now you match the leaves," she grins, moving back to admire her work.
I lift a brow. "Isn't this is a bit... much?"
"Mistress," she says, serious, "the King still hasn't called you since that night. Don't you want him to notice you? To want you again?"
I quickly turn my cheek to hide my grimace. Sometimes I forget how young Lill is, but times like these remind me that she is just a girl. I recall how black and white the world seemed at eleven. How clear-cut life was, everything divided into good and bad, right and wrong, like two sides of a coin, and the edge between almost nonexistent, no bigger than a sliver. Lill believes I want the Demon King's attention. That my earlier slip was just a mistake, a moment that overwhelmed me. She thinks I want him because surely I must.
Because I am a Paper Girl and he is my King.
We make the now-familiar journey to the Inner Courts. Shadow play is a long-standing tradition in our kingdom. In Xienzo we had performances during certain festivals, with wooden cutout puppets on sticks moved by actors hidden beneath a makeshift stage. A small brazier created the fire that silhouetted the puppets against the rice-paper screen. As we arrive at the theater and enter a tall, stepped room with a wide stage and columns of billowing silks hanging from the ceiling at staggered intervals, it's clear that this will be a very different version of shadow play from the one I'm used to. Around the edges of the stage runs a deep recess, flames dancing from within.
"I'm a bit nervous to see the King again," Aoki admits as we take our seats toward the back of the theater, her voice almost swallowed by the noise as the audience streams in, snatches of conversations and bursts of laughter rising around us. She frowns. "He seemed different at the koyo party. Do you remember?"
Of course I remember. The King's drunken swagger. The human slaves he offered to the attending demons like a twisted kind of party favor.
"He hasn't asked for any of us since then," Aoki says. "He must be busy."
I shrug. "It's probably to do with the rebels. Or maybe the Sickness," I add, sending a mental thanks to both for keeping him away.
Wren leans in on my other side. "The King talked to you about that?" she asks sharply. "What did he say?"
"Not much. Just that it's getting worse. That nothing seems to be helping."
She turns away, a glazed look frosting her eyes.
"What?" I press as Aoki turns to talk to Zhin beside her.
"It's been going on for a while now," Wren murmurs, her nose pinched in thought. "All the clans are concerned. Just before I came to the palace, my father was arranging a meeting with the most powerful clans from every province to discuss how to manage it."
"Does he know what could be causing it?" I ask.
"Nothing for certain. One of his theories is that it's to do with qi-draining. Some overuse of magic that is putting Ikhara out of balance. But he has no idea who might be behind it."
"The King thinks the gods are punishing the kingdom."
The look she gives me is pointed. "For what?"
"I have no idea."
Wren turns back to the stage, the furrow in her brow deepening. "Me neither. But the reason doesn't really matter. The problem is that the King believes it. And I'm worried what it'll lead him to do."
To my other side, Aoki is still chatting with Zhin. "The King won't notice me in this at all," she mutters, picking at the draped sleeves of her beige ruqun, the fabric patterned with gold embroidery.
As Zhin starts to reply, Blue's voice sounds over her. "Of course he won't," she says crisply, glancing over her shoulder from the row in front of us with a toss of her hair. "That color makes you look ill. You should tell your maid to avoid it in the future."
"I think she looks beautiful," I say with a glare.
Blue's eyes flick to me, her chin tilted. "Looks like Master Tekoa was right about all that fire, Nine. You're practically a human lantern." The corners of her mouth tug up. "Such a shame how some girls have to be so obvious to attract the King's attention. At least little Aoki doesn't need to try so hard. You know, the King tells me her company is surprisingly pleasant."
To my surprise, Aoki beams at this. When Blue turns back round, she grabs my knee, leaning in. "Did you hear that? The King enjoys his time with me!"
I grimace. "And that's a good thing?"
Something darts across her face—hurt.
"I told you at the party, Lei," she says, shifting back. "He's kind to me."
"Only because he's getting what he wants!"
After my night with Wren—the softness, the fierceness, the tenderness of the hunger I felt in her lips, so different from how I felt under the King's touch—I can't imagine how Aoki could actually enjoy her time with him. And for the King to call her company pleasant. Pleasant. A word dull with mediocrity. Nothing like the dazzle and burn I felt at Wren's kiss. The way I hope for every girl to be thought of by her lover.
I open my mouth to say more, but just then the lanterns in the hall blow out. A hush falls over the crowd.
"I thought you'd be happy for me," Aoki whispers. Her face is shadowed in the now-dark hall, but I don't need light to know her expression. Even in the darkness, her eyes glimmer with tears.
My face twists. "Aoki—" I start, but she turns to face the stage, inching away.
Wren presses her shoulder gently to mine. "We of all people can't judge Aoki for what she feels," she says under her breath, chin tilted down. "Or for whom."
I go to retort, but the heavy beat of drums echoes through the room, silencing me. A lithe gazelle-form woman dances onto the stage. Unlike the typical shadow play performances I've seen, where the actors hold up puppets, this actress is the puppet. Her body is wrapped in a wooden cage mimicking her own form but making it twice as tall. A jewel-eyed gazelle mask perches at the top of the elongated wooden neck arching from the dancer's back. As she moves behind the rippling sheets of silk, her exaggerated horned shadow arcs and turns with every movement.
Murmurs rise among the crowd.
I shoot Wren a sideways look. "Where's the King? He should have been announced—"
A shout cuts me off.
At first I think it's part of the play, that the noise is coming from the stage. But then there's another shout, and another. In a handful of seconds, the whole theater erupts with cries, and I realize—this isn't a performance.
Something's wrong.
Panic floods the hall, a physical thing, buzzing and spilling over the edges with the rage of a monsoon tide. All around us, the crowd is scrambling to their feet, demons and humans, court members and their companions, stumbling over cushions and even one another in their rush to escape.
An object whirs over my head toward the stage. I catch a glimpse of it—a blazing arrow—before it strikes one of the hanging silks. The fabric bursts into flames, a waterfall of orange cascading to the floor. More fire leaps into life where the screen fell. A second volley of arrows whistles over our heads, so close it stirs the air.
Onstage, the gazelle-dancer runs through the blaze, her puppet silhouette elongated and ghostly, a horrible mimicry of the performance she was meant to be giving.
Wren seizes my hand. "We have to get out," she says, dragging me to my feet.
I barely hear her over the screams, the crackling burr of the flames. It's shocking how quickly the fire has spread; the hall is lit in flickering gold.
I stumble to keep up. "W-what's going on?"
"It's an attack. They must be after the King."
The stepped seats around us are deserted. Everyone has rushed to the exit at the back of the hall, causing a crush. Through the smoke, I spot Mistress Eira helping Zhen and Zhin, one of whom is limping. Ahead, Madam Himura marshals the rest of the girls.
There's a gleam of dark lapis hair. As Madam Himura pushes her forward, Blue looks around. Tears stream down her cheeks, her face white.
Aoki's fingers snap round my arm. "Lei!" she gasps. Her eyes are wide, the reflection of flames dancing within them.
"Don't worry," I say, gripping her hand. "I'm here."
I pull her along with me, following Wren to the end of the row. Just as we get there, there's a thundering crack. Dislodged from the roof, a burning beam of wood crashes down, landing right across our path. Flames lash out from it like fiery whips.
I stagger back, instinctively pushing Aoki behind me.
"We're not going to get out!" she sobs, squeezing my fingers tighter.
Wren whirls around. Without any explanation, she strides off again, picking her way easily down the cushion-strewn steps, in the direction of the stage.
"That's the wrong way!" I yell. But she doesn't change course.
Aoki and I take off after her into the smoke and fire-lit shadows. The roar of burning swells louder as we near the heart of the fire. And from under it, a new sound rises—the teeth-ringing clash of metal upon metal.
My stomach leaps. Swordfighting.
I'm just about to point this out to Wren when she comes to an abrupt stop. "It should be here," she says, so low I almost don't catch it. She drops to her knees, palming the floor.
"What should?" I shout back.
She doesn't answer. After a few more seconds, she lets out a little hiss of triumph and jumps back up. At first I can't see anything through the smoke, but she draws me into position at the edge of an opening in the floor. A trap door.
"It's a short drop," she says. "Move away when you're down."
I stare at her, blinking back the sweat stinging my eyes. "How did you know this was here?" I ask, but she turns to help Aoki, ignoring my question.
When she looks around to see if I've gone, she lets out an exasperated growl. "Just go!"
Jaw clenched, I move forward.
And drop into darkness.
The fall is short, as Wren promised. I land awkwardly. Pain shoots through my ankle, but I grit my teeth and roll out of the way as Aoki follows with a shout. I'm helping her to her feet when Wren lands, impossibly lightly, as graceful as a cat.
She strides down the tunnel, not even looking in the other direction. "This way," she orders.
We hurry after her. Seconds later, there's a fourth thud behind us.
The growl of a male voice.
"Stop."
In one quick movement, Wren shoves us back. It's dark here under the theater, the air still clogged with smoke, but some light sparks down from the flames above, casting eerie flickers through the gloom. It illuminates the intense calmness on Wren's face as she strides past us toward the shadowy figure. Despite the heat, horrible shivers run across my skin as I see that her irises have turned white—pure, startlingly white—the whole of the eyes solid like ice. Fire reflects off them, sliding yellow flames on white.
"Leave us," she tells the figure. "The King isn't here."
And I flinch—because her voice is different, too. It has a deep echo to it, as though many Wrens were speaking through her, and in the space where her words hang in the air, there's a current of coldness.
The only answer is the screech of steel as the man draws his blade from its scabbard.
With a cry, he moves forward. Wren ducks as the sword slices through the air. The man raises it again, thrusting toward her.
She dances out of his way. Rolls to field a third blow. She dips, skating away from another parry, then with a whirl of her silk robes she jumps. Her left leg flies up and catches the man on the shoulder.
He staggers. Recovers. Loosening yet another battle cry, he lunges at her with a curving cut of his blade.
Wren is too quick for him; too quick for anyone. The way she moves is unnatural, her hair and robes flowing around her as if sifting through water, her movements fluid and precise. She leaps easily aside. While he's still propelled forward from the momentum of his strike, she moves behind him and hooks an arm around his neck. He lets out a startled cry as she knocks the sword from his hand and catches the blade, turning it toward him—
And sinks it into his chest.
It happens so quickly, so smoothly, that the man doesn't seem to comprehend at first what has occurred. His mouth is stuck in a surprised, almost comical O. Then he lets out a deep, awful groan. His face slackens. One hand grasps weakly at the sword, but his fingers slip on the handle, coming away slick with blood, and he rocks forward, limbs limp.
Wren lowers him to the floor. Her hands make the sky gods salute over his slumped body before she looks up at me, still with that eerie white stare.
In an instant, her eyes return to their normal black-brown. The focused expression drops from her face. She gets to her feet. "Lei," she starts, coming toward me with her hands held out.
If it's meant as a calming gesture, it has the opposite effect. Her palms are dark with blood, and I jerk away from them, a ragged shudder rippling down my spine.
"You're Xia," I say in a hollow voice that doesn't sound like my own.
She wipes her hands on her dress. "I already told you—"
"No. I mean, you're Xia."
Because I'm not talking about what she's already told me about being born to the warrior clan. She's not just Xia by heritage.
She's a warrior.
Not just by blood, but in practice.
We stare at each other through the shifting smoke. It stings my eyes, and I double over, coughing. The smoke is growing thicker, pooling the tunnel in dark, swirling coils.
"We have to get out of here," Wren says, turning. "Where's Aoki?"
I spin around. It takes me a few seconds to make out her slumped form on the floor. At once, I hurry to her side, pressing two fingertips under the curve of her jawbone.
"Is she all right?" Wren asks.
A pulse flutters against my touch, weak but steady. "I—I think so. She must have fainted."
Reaching past me, Wren threads an arm under Aoki's back and slings her over one shoulder in an easy movement. "Let's go."
Though Aoki is small, she isn't so light that Wren should be able to lift her this way. I follow her in silence, scared to get too close to this girl with the bloodstained hands.
The tunnel isn't long. At its end, we open the trap door overhead. Rain greets our upturned faces. Wren helps me out first—I cringe at the smell of blood on her—and then together we lift out Aoki. With another easy movement, Wren picks Aoki back up and we hurry around the side of the building, keeping a safe distance from the flames.
A crowd has gathered. As we join them, my eyes alert for the other girls, a number of carriages pull up to the front of the theater. I recognize the black handprint symbol on the sides of their carriages as the same as those on the robes of the shamans who purified me before seeing the King—and the one who fixed my bruises after.
The royal shamans.
Wren sets Aoki down. I kneel beside her to check she's breathing, shielding her face from the rain with my arm before turning my attention back to the carriages. Black-robed figures are filing out of them, orderly and calm. Even though their skin is hidden, I can picture the dark web of tattoos on their bodies, their skin a forest of ink, like some kind of dark map of sacrifice and pain. The shamans form a ring around the theater. In perfect synchrony, they raise their hands and begin to draw glowing characters in the air in front of them, chanting as they write.
The warm prickle of magic radiates from them, a growing thrum. When the air is so full of pressure it's like being in the midst of a thunderstorm, the shamans whip their hands upward. A gust of wind bursts from their circle. It blasts in both directions, billowing into us—making our eyes water and clothes fly out—and rushing toward the theater, swelling and rising to tower over the domed building, solidifying into a roiling pewter cloud.
It hangs there, dark and growling. Then it drops from the air, transforming as it falls into a plunging torrent of water.
Water gushes over the theater, swallowing the flames. Hitting the ground, we're soaked through in an instant as the wave barrels into us.
Aoki comes round with a gasp. I help her up, shoving the wet hair from her face. I'm gasping myself, numb from the chill night air on my wet skin, and we clutch each other, both shaking.
"What—what happened?" she cries, looking left and right. "Did you see them, Lei? I think someone followed us into the tunnel—" She cuts off, coughing.
I rub her back. "It was just something falling. A piece of wood. Don't worry."
"But—"
"You fainted, Aoki. Take it easy. I'm going to get you something warm to wear. Can you wait here?"
Still trembling, she nods. As I get to my feet, Wren puts a hand on my shoulder. "Lei—"
"Look after her. I won't be long." I take a sharp inhale, continuing in a low voice, "You knew the trap door was there, Wren. You knew how to fight. How to kill."
The crowd is moving around us, and someone bumps into me, knocking me into Wren. She lifts her arms to steady me, but I jerk back, the image of her in the tunnel reentering my mind.
"I thought I knew you," I say weakly.
She flinches. "You do know me."
"I'm going to get some robes or a blanket for Aoki," I go on, avoiding her eyes. "We can talk when you're ready to tell me the truth about what the gods just happened."
Wren catches me as I turn. "I haven't lied to you, Lei," she promises.
"Well, you haven't exactly told me the truth, either."
Her mouth parts, something pained pinching her face, and I force myself to walk away. |
We spend a sleepless night back at Paper House, waiting in one of the parlors as a group of doctors and shamans check us over one by one. The hours slip by in shocked silence, all of us dazed. Madam Himura calls us to her suite early the next morning. We haven't even had a chance to bathe or eat breakfast, and our hair and clothes still reek of smoke. "The royal messenger just left," she tells us once we've all sat down. "Our guesses were right. The attack was an assassination attempt."
Wren shifts forward, her back rod-straight. "Who by?" she asks.
"All we know is that they were a group of ten Paper caste men. Three were taken alive. The other seven were killed at the theater by guards."
An image comes to me of Wren's white eyes as she turned the man's sword on himself. Not just guards. I sense her looking my way and stare ahead, my jaw set.
"But the King wasn't even at the theater," Chenna points out.
Madam Himura clacks her beak. "Thank the heavenly rulers! A messenger came to stop him just as he arrived. One of the royal fortune-tellers had a premonition of the attack. That's how they got the shamans to the theater so quickly."
Blue shifts forward, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. "Was anyone hurt?" she asks, and though her voice is steady, there's an undercurrent of something nervous in it. The gray morning light picks out her cheekbones, carving dark hollows beneath them. "From the audience, I mean."
"Two court officials were killed. Twelve more injured."
"Because my father was there," Blue goes on, "and I haven't heard from him—"
Madam Himura holds up a hand to silence her. She looks around at us down the hook of her curved beak-nose, her yellow eyes unblinking. "The King has taken the assassins for questioning. For now, he has ordered your usual schedule to be on hold. You're to stay in Paper House until further notice."
As the rest of us go to leave, Blue makes a beeline for Madam Himura. "My father," she starts again, but the eagle-woman waves her away.
"Not now, girl."
"But—"
"How many times do I have to tell you?" Madam Himura squawks. "Just because your father is a member of the court does not mean it affords you any special privileges! Open your mouth once more today, and I will not hesitate to throw you out."
Blue's lips flatten into a bloodless line. Glowering, she strides past us, Mariko hurrying after her.
Aoki and I are the last to leave. We walk slowly down the corridor. "Two people dead," she mutters. She gives me a sideways glance. "Can you believe it? It could have been us, Lei. Thank the gods Wren found that trap door."
I make a noncommittal murmur—because I saw the look on her face, and it wasn't surprise. It was surety.
The two of us head to the bathing courtyard. I'm eager to get the stink of smoke out of my hair, the traces of darkened blood on my skin from where Wren lifted me out of the tunnel. We're just passing through the corridor where our bedrooms are when there's the sound of a door opening behind us. Zhen's head pokes out of her room.
"Oh," she says, looking relieved. "We thought it might be Mariko and Blue. Do you want to join us?"
I know what they're doing, and talking about last night is the last thing I feel like. Not least because since I confronted her outside the theater, Wren hasn't come to talk to me yet, and I'm starting to wonder whether maybe I was too hard on her. She was just protecting us, after all, like Aoki said. But Aoki nods, and I follow her into Zhen's bedroom, not wanting to be alone right now, either.
Chenna and the twins are inside. They look grim, Zhin sitting against the wall under the window with her legs pulled up to her chin while Zhen kneels on the bamboo mat floor, her dirt-stained robes ripped at one shoulder. Chenna gives me a humorless smile, shifting slightly to make room for us. As I kneel, I smooth down the rumpled fabric of my cheongsam. My fingers catch on a torn slash. Through it, the skin of my thigh shines palely. Even burnt and dirty, the dress is still almost the same hue as the flames that scorched it, making me think of what Blue said to me before the play began.
Looks like Master Tekoa was right about all that fire, Nine. You're practically a human lantern.
Was that what happened last night? Did I somehow, unknowingly, cause the attack?
"You were saying you think the assassins are from Noei?" Zhen directs at Chenna once we're settled. "The same region as those slaves at the koyo party?"
Chenna lifts a shoulder. "It's just a guess. But it seems too much of a coincidence that this happens a week after they were brought here, don't you think?"
"I'm not sure," Zhin replies. She rubs her arms where they're looped round her legs. "There are so many Paper families and clans with reasons to hate the King."
"And the raids have been going on all over Ikhara," her sister adds. "Our father told us before coming here that the King is blaming them on the rebels. That they're doing it to discredit him with the Paper castes."
Beside me, Aoki shifts, fluting her fingers over her skirt. "I don't think the King would do that..."
"I'm not sure what the King wouldn't do," Chenna says stonily, and though I agree with her, I don't say so.
Aoki's cheeks color. "He has a lot to deal with," she mutters.
"Yes," Chenna retorts. "It must be hard for him here in this luxurious palace, with all these beautiful things around him."
"You mean like us?"
The girls stare at me, an uncomfortable silence descending over the room. I haven't ever told them what I really think of being here—excluding Aoki and Wren, of course—though I suppose my actions have made it explicit enough. I've guessed at Chenna feeling a similar way; she wears her duty well, but grudgingly. But Zhen and Zhin have always seemed happy to be here.
"Don't you feel bad for the things we've seen happen to Paper castes here who aren't protected by the King in the same way we are?" I ask into the quiet. "Didn't you feel anything for those slaves the other night?"
"Of course I did," Chenna says, shooting me a stern, almost hurt look. I remember the disgust in her eyes as we watched the slaves, side by side in a crowd of demons. Her prayer to Kunih. She lifts her chin. "But what can we do about it? It's the same outside the palace. Even my father, as well respected as he is in Uazu, has had to suffer bullying from Steels and Moons. I've seen the way they look at us. The whispers behind our backs. Most of the time, they don't even bother to whisper."
"It was like that for us, too," Zhen says. "Sometimes the worst of it even came from other Paper castes. Like we were somehow betraying them by being involved in the court."
"That's what I mean," I press. "Here, we're not experiencing life the way most Paper castes do."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Aoki's flush deepens as all of us turn to her. "I mean," she continues, more tentatively, picking at the torn threads of her hem, "we're treated well here. We're looked after—"
"Oh, like how I was chained to the floor and starved for a week?"
"Well," she says, her cheeks pink, "it could have been worse."
Her words hit me with the shock of a slap. The twins stare as Aoki and I glare at each other.
"Look," Chenna says, raising her palms, her voice steady. "You both make good points. I hear what you're saying, Lei. I'm sure we all do. We're not denying the privilege our status has brought us. But I don't see how we can change anything. Aoki's right. It could have been a lot worse for you—and what you went through was already so bad. And that was for offending the King in a personal way. This is Ikharan politics we're talking about. This is bigger than us."
That's exactly what I'm trying to say! I want to shout. But I'm still reeling from Aoki's comment, and underneath their wariness, Chenna and the twins look exhausted. The same fatigue hits me afresh. After what we all just went through, we don't need to be fighting among ourselves as well.
The pleading look on Wren's face last night comes back to me. How she must be feeling even worse, given what she did to protect us.
I shift my legs uncomfortably. Now I'm sure I was too harsh on her.
Zhin clears her throat. "So. What do you think will happen to the assassins?"
I look across at her, grateful for the change of subject. "Well, we know they're being questioned."
She shakes her head, brow knitted. "I mean... after."
"Court law for treason of any kind is execution," Chenna states matter-of-factly.
Execution. The word is as sharp as its meaning.
"And in the palace," she goes on, "executions are public events."
My mouth twists. "We'll have to watch?"
Chenna nods. The twins share an apprehensive look. Aoki stares fixedly ahead, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"Maybe they'll just imprison them," Zhin suggests eventually.
"And I suppose," Zhen says, "they could always, maybe, find them not guilty?"
Chenna and I both raise our eyebrows at her.
"They would have killed him," Aoki says, quiet and a little shaky, looking down at her palms. "Are we forgetting that?" When no one replies, she scrambles to her feet, hands clutched into fists. "I'm tired of listening to this," she declares, her face red. "The King might be scared, too. Did any of you think about that? And we're not even allowed to see if he's all right. He's worried, and hurt, and all alone..."
"Aoki—" I start, getting to my feet.
"Not now, Lei," she mumbles thickly. Rubbing her face with the heels of her hands, she puffs out a loud breath before rushing out of the room.
"Maybe you should give her some time," Chenna suggests quietly when I move to follow her. "She's probably just in shock after what happened. She needs to rest."
Zhin's eyes click to me. "I think we all do."
The three of them decide to get some sleep, but when I leave, I pass the door to my bedroom. I continue to the bathing courtyard as originally planned, half hoping to find Aoki or Wren there. Still, when I find it empty, I'm suddenly grateful for a moment to myself.
Hidden in the steam, I undress by my usual tub, throwing my dirty clothes to the floor with slightly more force than necessary before climbing into the water. It takes a long time to scrub the dirt from my body. Even after I'm clean, last night's smoke clings to me, an invisible second skin. I stay in long after my fingertips grow wrinkly, unable to shake the unease that's been coursing through me all night. Every time I close my eyes the image of Wren and the assassin is waiting for me—the surprised look on his face, the calm, focused expression on hers.
She's a true Xia. A warrior.
A girl trained to kill, in the heart of the kingdom.
A girl who can get closer to the King than most.
I can think of an explanation as to why, but I'm not sure I want to believe it.
Just as I'm about to get out, the sound of approaching steps makes me start. I swirl round, splashing water over the side of the barrel. Through the clouds, I make out a tall figure coming toward me. My belly loops. It's her.
I duck lower, crossing my arms over my chest, suddenly hyperaware of my nakedness.
Though Wren's face is composed, there's a tender look in her eyes. She stops a few feet away. "Can we talk?" she asks, and the tentativeness in her voice—the idea that she's even worried I could say no—strikes me with fresh guilt.
I nod, but she doesn't come any closer.
Even in last night's ruined dress she is beautiful. Though the jade-green silks of her hanfu robes are slashed and charred, the color still brings out the glossy tan of her skin, the definition of her long, muscled limbs. My instinct is to run to her, to hug her, kiss away her pain. But even if I understand why she did it, the memory of her stabbing the man in the tunnel holds me back.
That wasn't the girl I kissed two nights ago in a dark bedroom. The girl who held me as I cried under the whispering boughs of the paper-leaf tree, who made me feel so safe.
My eyes drop to the stain of blood on the collar of her robes. "You killed a man," I state, hollow.
"Only to protect you and Aoki."
"And that makes it right?"
"Of course not. But I had to do something, Lei. He would have tried to kill us all."
A bead of moisture slips down my temple, and I swipe it away, hurriedly crossing my arms again. "It wasn't us he wanted. They wanted the King. And he wasn't even there."
"Is that why you're angry?" Wren asks, an odd tilt to her voice. "Because you wanted them to kill him?"
I hesitate. "Maybe," I murmur, my cheek turned. Then I look back, forcing myself to meet her stare. "What do you think?"
Wren's expression is unreadable. She stands stiffly, arms rigid at her sides. "'Just as Zhokka and Ahla chase each other across the skies," she recites, "does darkness not follow light, and light follow darkness, neither one truly ahead of the other?'" The saying is old, familiar with everyone in Ikhara. "I like to think there's some good behind even the darkest sins. That death can be warranted if it paves the way for hope."
I edge forward in the tub. "Is that why you are a warrior? Because you are, aren't you, Wren? You fight like the Xia."
Her neck flexes as she swallows. I sense her wanting to refuse to answer, but finally she gives a small jerk of her head that I take as a nod. "I've been trained in the Xia form since I was young."
A flashback to the glimpse of her feet that morning before the Unveiling Ceremony, when she held up her robe as she stepped into my room. So that's what turned them rough.
"Trained by who?" I press.
"My father, partly. And my shifu, Master Caen."
"They can fight like the Xia?"
Wren shakes her head. "My father is skilled at qi work, and Caen is one of Han's finest fighters. But I'm the only one who can bring the two together properly, the way the Xia did. It's in my blood," she finishes softly.
I remember her sadness at the temple in Ghost Court, her longing for her lost family. The same sense of loss rings in her voice now.
"Why were you even taught?" I go on, more gently now. "I'm guessing daughters of nobility don't usually get trained in martial arts."
"Actually," Wren says, "they often are. Especially in Ang-Khen and Han. Though it's seen as more of a ceremonial skill than one to be used in real battle."
"But yours isn't just an aesthetic practice."
"No."
"And it's a style that the original King himself outlawed."
"Yes."
"So why was it allowed?"
"It... wasn't. I was trained in secret."
Silence unfurls between us at this.
Wren remains still, not breaking eye contact. There's a defiance, a pride to the set of her shoulders and the way she lifts her spine tall, chin slightly tilted, that brings me back to the aloof girl I first met all those months ago. But despite her posture, that girl is looking at me with such tenderness in her eyes it makes my heart lurch, and all the intimacies we've shared shine within her warm irises, as luminous and sweet as stars.
Part of me is hurt by how much Wren has hidden from me—and I can tell she's holding back even more. But tightness knits my chest at the thought of losing her.
It hits me then how much trust she's putting in me by telling me this. I could ruin her with this information. Her entire family. The Hannos are some of the King's most trusted supporters, and here is Lord Hanno's daughter herself, a warrior trained in a forbidden language of fighting, within the palace of the demon whose ancestor massacred those who practiced it.
And I think I know why.
I take a breath, readying myself to ask her. But before I can say anything, Wren crosses the distance between us. Without a word, she reaches back and releases the sash round her waist.
I splash back, gaping at her. "What—what are you doing?"
"There are some things about myself I can't tell you," she interrupts, quiet and fierce, "but that doesn't mean I don't want to give myself to you. I'm always truthful to you in here, Lei." Her fingers hover over her heart. Then, holding the collar of her robes, she draws them off her shoulders and lets them drop to the floor in a cascade of silky fabric.
Wren's body is so different from the other girls. Lives of luxury have kept their figures soft, but hers is muscled and strong. Beautiful and dangerous. My eyes travel over her long, elegant neck; her wide shoulders; the deep shadow down the center of her chest, a line I long to follow with my tongue.
I return my gaze to her shining face. "Wren," I begin, but she shakes her head.
Slowly, not taking her eyes off mine, she climbs into the tub. As she slides down in front of me, water rolls over the edges and up to my neck in a warm wave that reminds me afresh that Wren isn't the only one who's naked.
I shrink back. "We—we can't do this. Not here. Someone could see."
"They're all sleeping." Her voice is husky. Low. Wet fingertips lift to my cheek. "Don't worry, no one can see through the steam. We'll hear them coming anyway." She moves closer, her breath hot against my face. Something more than desire shimmers in her eyes, some tender vulnerability that is betrayed in her voice as she goes on, "Last night I could have lost you."
The steam lifting from the water swirls around us, a soft cocoon.
"You saved me, Wren," I whisper. "Aoki, too. You got us out safely. I'm sorry I didn't thank you last night. It's just—"
"I know."
"I was shocked."
"I know."
"Scared."
Wren scoops her hand behind my head, dipping her forehead to mine. Her lashes flutter. "Me, too," she sighs.
"You didn't seem it."
"I'm trained not to. I'm trained to be strong. To not let anybody see my weaknesses. My fear. But I'm scared, too, Lei."
I lean back to look at her. Her face is grimy from ash and sweat, and her black hair is streaked with more dirt. She looks just how she sounds—tired. Broken. The circles under her eyes are deep, like bruised fruit. Tangling my fingers in her hair, I draw her close. I kiss each eye, as gently as I'm able. Then her lips.
Compared to our first kiss, this one is gentler, but no less deep.
Mouths, and softness, and the liquid heat of the steam. Our hands holding each other's faces in tight, as though we'd be lost without the press of the other's mouth to ours. There are words in our kiss. I feel them between our lips, unspoken but just as clear as if we had been talking. Or perhaps more clear because we're not. There's no hesitation or misunderstanding to block or diminish their meaning. Just the simplest, most instinctive language of forgiveness.
Forgiveness, and hope.
One of my hands moves down Wren's back, skimming her shoulder blades to nestle in the low curve of her spine as our bodies arc together under the water.
Footsteps. Entering the courtyard.
In an instant, we untangle. Wren jumps out of the tub. She slings on a bathrobe as a figure comes into view through the swirling mist.
Blue smirks at the sight of us—me, breathless and flushed, water shifting around me; Wren dripping water onto the wooden boards, the sash around her robe hastily tied. My lips feel swollen from the press of Wren's, and I resist the urge to cover them with my hands.
"This is intimate," Blue purrs.
"I was just leaving," Wren says smoothly, pushing her hair back over her shoulders.
Blue arches a brow. "Already? You haven't even washed your hair."
I glance at Wren, my breath hitching. Her hair is still matted with ash, and knotted now from my fingers. Giving Blue a cool, I don't know what you're talking about stare, Wren strides out of the courtyard, every bit as composed as usual. But I can tell by the way Blue's smile widens that she has noted my alarm. And while she may not know what just happened, she can certainly make a few guesses. |
Four days pass. Four days of waiting, holed up in the mazelike corridors of Paper House, speculating with the girls on the assassins and what must be happening outside the palace until there's nothing new to discuss. Then, at lunch on the fifth day, Madam Himura tells us that the court has finally finished its interrogation of the attackers.
Just as Chenna predicted, there will be an execution.
The room goes quiet at the announcement. Zhen and Zhin swap dark looks, and Chenna quickly lifts one hand, forming the same prayer motion across her brow that I saw her make at the koyo party. Next to me, Aoki lets out a long exhale.
"Serves them right," Blue says loudly. "Let the King show everyone what happens to those who oppose him."
Mariko nods, though she stays mute, picking at her nails, fingers spread on the tabletop.
"The execution will take place at sundown tonight," Madam Himura croaks. "Attendance is mandatory. You will return to your usual schedule the next day."
I meet Wren's warm-centered brown eyes across the table. I want to hear what she thinks, steal a moment of comfort from her words and her closeness. But Madam Himura sends us straight back to our rooms to begin yet another long sequence of preparations.
Usually, Lill has some freedom in what she dresses me in, provided she follows certain customs and expectations. But as she unfolds the robes I'm to wear to the execution, she tells me they were selected specifically by Madam Himura. "She was very strict about it," Lill says. "For all the Mistresses."
She doesn't have to explain why she's telling me this. As soon as I see the robes, I understand.
"It—it's too cruel," I say, almost whispering.
Lill avoids my eyes. "These are the King's orders, Mistress."
We don't speak as she dresses me in the plain black robes. Black—not white. The very opposite, the very absence, of our kingdom's mourning color.
It's clear what the King's message is. White is a color to be respected, and to be used for those we respect. Criminals don't fall into that category. Instead we dress in black to demonstrate our indifference to the assassins' suffering.
The thought that they'll die looking out to this, a sea of night, doesn't seem fair. Before leaving, I take an ivory ribbon from Lill's box of silks and tie it round my wrist, making sure it's hidden beneath my sleeve.
Our procession is somber as we make our way through the Outer Courts. There's a heaviness about the palace this afternoon. Even the sky and trees seem gray, as though the smoldering air from the attack on the theater has settled over the whole of the palace, a veil of smoke. The streets are packed, but the only sounds are the dull treading of foot- and hoof-steps and the rustle of fabric, the metal chime of spirit-warding talismans, snatches of whispered conversations that the wind whips away.
When we get to Ceremony Court, my eyes widen at the sea of people filling the vast square. Everyone who lives at the palace must be here—there are thousands of humans and demons of all three castes. At the center of the court are a stage and a separate viewing platform for court members, headed by the King's golden throne. The oryx carry us past the crowds, everything a whir of swirling ink-black robes. As soon as we arrive at the viewing platform, I go to Wren, pushing past jostling court officials craning for a better view.
She clasps my hand, low, so no one can see. Though she lets go a second later, she stays close. "Are you all right?"
I nod stiffly. "But I hate having to be here."
"Me, too." She takes something out of the fold of her robes just long enough to show it to me: a white flower, a tiny valley lily. Then she tucks it away. "It felt wrong," she explains. "Coming here without something to pay my respects. Especially considering what happened in the tunnel."
The sight of the flower sends a warm rush through my chest.
Carefully, I draw back my sleeve to reveal the ribbon at my wrist, and Wren's face softens. She gives my fingers another squeeze.
It takes half an hour for the entirety of the palace to arrive, the King turning up last in an extravagant palanquin carried by eight oryx-demons. I don't have a clear view of him through the thick crush of bodies as he settles on the throne, but even at this distance the sight of his curved horns makes the hairs on my arms lift. Somehow, I can tell he's smiling.
Soon after, the carriages with the assassins arrive to the thunder of drumbeats. Each is pulled by a pair of muscled black horses and marked with silks of deep obsidian. They stop before the stage, the horses stamping, clouds of steam blowing from their nostrils. An expectant hush ripples through the crowd.
First, the executioners step out. The assassins follow, stumbling from the carriages, gold circles shackled to their necks like dog collars.
The skin at my wrists tingles. Their chains look similar to the ones the shaman put around my ankles and wrists when I was in isolation.
All around us, the court erupts in a roar. The drummers beat harder, stirring the frenzy. I don't know whether the crowd is pretending to be excited for the King's benefit; unlike at the koyo party, there is a mix of castes and positions here. But my stomach lurches anyway. The whole thing is like a performance, with the crowd willing participants. I thread my fingers through Wren's. No one's paying attention to us, their focus all on the stage, and I need her right now, need the familiar warmth of her hands to ground me, to calm my already frantic heart from spiraling so far out of control that it breaks free—and me with it.
I want to scream. Thrash. Run at the King and tear that cruel smile off his face.
Blank, beige-colored masks have been strapped over the assassins' faces, curving creepily over their foreheads and noses to leave only the small lines of their mouths underneath. Another trick of this awful performance. Hide the faces of the people you're about to kill, so they don't seem human.
Then I think of the slaves at the koyo party. The woman on the bridge the night of the Unveiling Ceremony, her head caved in by a demon guard. Maybe it wouldn't make a difference even if the masks were off. It seems that to most demons, being Paper caste already makes you less than human.
The executioners are three Moon caste demons. There is a gray-coated wolf-man; a hulking crocodile demon with leathery, russet-scaled skin; and the white fox female who escorted me to the King's room that night. They must be the King's personal guards. Dull light glints off their long armored overcoats as they lead the assassins to the stage. While the other two drop to their knees to face the King in silence, the assassin being led by the wolf struggles against his bindings. He's shouting, lurching toward the throne. Even from here I can see the slash of red around the man's throat from where the golden collar digs in. It must be agony, but he keeps rearing forward, screaming words I can't make out over the braying crowd as the King regards him coolly.
The wolf soldier jerks the chain back. He slams his foot down on the man's back, forcing him to the floor, before dragging him onto the stage. I get a view of the wolf demon's face for the first time as he turns and my breath hitches.
It's Wren's wolf.
So that's why he seemed familiar—the Unveiling Ceremony. He stood at the King's side along with the fox and the crocodile demon.
I turn to Wren. "That's him, isn't it? The wolf you were with that night." When she hesitates, I say, "Please. No more lies."
Her lips part. Then she answers stiffly, "His name is Kenzo Ryu. Major Ryu. One of the King's personal guards. He oversees all the royal armies and advises the King on military tactics."
"And the other two?"
"The crocodile is General Ndeze. The white fox is General Naja. She's the highest-ranking female in the kingdom."
My brow furrows. "What about the Demon Queen?"
"Until she gives the King a male heir," Wren replies, "she's pretty much insignificant."
A thread of pity runs under her words.
"You don't think she will?"
"I'm not sure she can. There are rumors about the King's... ability." She shoots me a sideways look. "No one would dare speak it here, but apparently some of the clans have given him a nickname. The Empty King."
It takes me a moment to understand. His fertility. Or rather, lack of it. A hazy memory returns of that first lunch in Mistress Eira's suites when Chenna asked whether the Demon Queen had produced any children for the King. Blue and Mariko had looked aghast. They must have heard the rumors before they arrived at the palace and couldn't believe Chenna would approach the subject so boldly.
Suddenly the King's anger makes even more sense. Not just anger—desperation. Because what is a King without an heir?
A warm, feather-light feeling rises in my belly.
Because what could Ikhara be without a Demon King?
Just then, the crowd falls silent as the King rises to his feet. He marches forward, his gold-plated hoof-fall punctuating the tense hush, a more controlled swagger in his gait than the last time I saw him. His gaze roams slowly over the crowd. I catch a glimpse of his arctic-blue eyes, the ugly smile on his handsome face.
"My loyal subjects, my fellow demons and humans." Magically amplified, his voice booms out, echoing off the walls. "It brings me no joy to stand before you today. Executions are ugly events—almost as ugly as the crimes from which they are born. As such, I could tell you that it would be better to close your eyes now. To turn away when the points of the blades pierce the black hearts of these criminals before us." The King rolls his shoulders back, chin tilting, voice gaining strength. "But that is the coward's way! Instead, we must watch. We must observe. To remind us of everything that has been built under the blessed rule of the Demon King. A rule that I share with each and every one of you. Because it is only together, demons and humans, good citizens of all eight provinces, working alongside one another in peace and alliance with all in their rightful place, that we can keep our kingdom strong!"
While the crowd cheers at this, I grind my jaw. With all in their rightful place. I know exactly where he believes Paper castes' place to be.
"When an attack like the one masterminded by these anarchists occurs," the King continues, shouting to be heard over the noise, "it is an affront to our unity. To the world we have built so tirelessly over these past two centuries, with our blood and sweat and tears and hope. And we must come together in that very unity to bring down those who try to destroy us." He clasps two fists, raises them to the sky. "Today we demonstrate that ours is a power that cannot be broken!"
The noise of the crowd mounts, almost violent, a deep, wild roar. Wren and I don't join in, but I spot Aoki's shining face at the front of the viewing platform, her fists raised in the air with the others.
It hits me like a punch to the gut.
When the crowd has finally calmed down, the King strides up to the assassins. He bends down to face them. "You failed," he says simply.
They don't react. But just as he's about to turn away, the assassin who was giving the wolf trouble earlier pulls on his binds, neck arced upward, and spits in the King's face.
The crowd bellows. I brace myself, expecting the King to shout or strike the man. But his expression is composed. Calmly, he wipes his face with the back of one sleeve and smooths down his robes. Then he settles back onto the throne, his face cold.
His voice colder. "Executioners, prepare your weapons."
The crocodile, fox, and wolf soldiers pick up their swords, the crowd's braying growing louder. Each jian is long and thin with a jeweled hilt. The blades glint silver in the lowering light as the soldiers step behind the assassins to clear the view for the King. It's almost dusk. As the sun dips beyond the palace walls, braziers around the stage burst suddenly into light, illuminating the scene in an eerie parallel of the attack on the theater.
Wind whips the flames sideways. I taste smoke in the air.
Shaking, I clutch Wren's hand tighter.
The soldiers draw back their swords—
The King raises his hand—
"Strike!"
I shut my eyes, but it's too late. The image of the blades disappearing into the men's torsos is there, a searing stain on the back of my eyelids. When I finally dare to look again, the assassins are slumped over, swords lanced through their chests.
Along with wearing black, the King sent out the order that we are not to make the sky gods salute to bless the assassins' souls as they rise to the Heavenly Kingdom. But the crowd is packed tight, so Wren and I make the sign with our free hands—her left, my right—our thumbs crossing together, palms turned out.
All around comes cheering and shouting. But though the King is talking, I don't hear a word. I can't tear my eyes away from the assassins, the jian sticking up from their backs like three broken spines and blood blooming across their clothes, winding down to paint the floor with ribbons of deep scarlet. The way they've collapsed is reminiscent of fallen dolls, discarded by their petulant owner.
Wren's heartbeat throbs against my palm, keeping time as anger rises within me. Hotter and fiercer than fear, stronger and surer than anything I've ever felt before, and as we stand hand in hand amidst the scream and bray of the crowd, there is no doubt when I promise myself that I will not give the King the chance to discard us.
One day, we will be the ones discarding him.
I go to Wren's room late that night, the house wrapped in postmidnight hush. She's awake when I come in, sitting up like she's been expecting me. She opens her arms and we lie under the blankets, limbs entwined, but it's not enough to stop the trembling, the wildness that's been rattling through me ever since the execution.
Wren is the one to break the silence. Her breath tickling my hair, she fans her hands across my shoulder blades and says, "I heard something about the assassins."
"What?" I murmur, face pressed into her neck.
"They were allied with the court. There are rumors that Steel and Moon officials were involved, too, and guards."
The news buoys me. "Why didn't the King say anything?"
"Because it would betray his weakness. It would be admitting he's vulnerable within his own palace. That there are those who defy him even in his own court."
"There are," I say, fingers threading with hers as I lift my face to kiss her. "Us."
The shadows are deep when I leave Wren's room. I head to the bathing courtyard to splash some water on my face—the memory of blood and gleaming blades still clings to my skin like dirt. But at the entrance to the courtyard, I stop.
A girl is sitting on the steps.
Moonlight catches on slender shoulders, the sheen of long, straight hair. The girl is hunched over, crying. It's barely audible, but I'd recognize the stifled sound of it anywhere. What I don't believe at first is who is doing the crying.
I pad forward tentatively. "Blue?"
She jerks at my voice, clambering to her feet at once. "Go away, Nine," she hisses. Her usual scathing tone is dampened by tears. Her eyes are swollen, red-rimmed, but she doesn't wipe her tears away, as if ignoring them would make them disappear.
Gods. She's so obstinate she'll even defy herself.
"No," I say.
She looks as though I'd struck her.
"I know you hate me," I go on, standing my ground. "And I'm not really that keen on you, either. But you're hurting. You shouldn't have to go through this alone. No one should."
"I'm not alone," she sneers.
My eyes sweep the empty courtyard. "Sorry. Didn't realize you could see ghosts." Then I say, more gently, "Look, I'm sure Mariko would—"
"I don't want her seeing me like this," Blue blurts out, blinking rapidly as tears keep coursing down her cheeks.
"There's no shame in being upset," I tell her, and take a step closer. "What's wrong? Was it the execution?"
She turns away. Shakes her head. "The attack."
"At the theater?"
She nods jerkily.
"Is your father all right? Did something happen?"
A laugh spurts from her lips. The sound snaps through the quiet, a bitter bark that sends tingles down the backs of my arms. "Oh, he's fine. Not that he checked if I was. Not that he cares."
"I'm sure he cares, Blue. He's your father—"
Her voice pitches. "All that means is I'm a pawn to use in his game! He only cares about rising through the ranks of the court. Giving me to the King was just a step to secure his promotion." She lets out another mad laugh. "I'm the only one of us with parents in the palace, and they haven't visited me once."
"I'm so sorry," I say, reaching for her shoulder. But she shrugs my hand away.
"I don't need your pity, Nine!"
"It's not pity," I retort, my face hot. "It's understanding." I scrunch my hands. "Gods, why are you like this all the time? You're so adamant to put yourself apart from the rest of us when we're all going through exactly the same thing. The rest of us are trying to look after one another, but you keep trying to divide us."
Blue's top lip peels back. "We're not going through the same thing. It's nothing similar."
"Are you or are you not stuck here, forced to serve a man you don't care about?"
"You don't get it at all," she says in such a low hiss I barely catch it.
"What don't I get?"
"The difference is you aren't expected to like it." She clamps her lips together, jerking her head stiffly to one side. "I have a family here, a father who is important in the court. I can't go around refusing the King or speaking out against being a Paper Girl. And I keep thinking, maybe now I've been chosen, maybe now my father is one step closer to his promotion, he'll finally be happy with me." Her voice cracks. "I've done everything he asked. Been the perfect daughter. But from the way my parents act, most of the time you wouldn't even know they have one."
"Oh, Blue," I breathe. But she backs away, her wet cheeks shining in the moonlight.
"If you dare—if you tell anyone about this..."
"I won't," I promise, and I mean it.
But she pushes past me as though I were the one threatening her, leaving me alone with the eerie hush of the empty barrels and the rustle of wind through the swaying bamboo. |
On the outside, life in the palace returns to normal in the weeks after the executions, the only main change for us being that we aren't allowed beyond Paper House without an escort of at least one guard. With the arrival of winter, the air grows icy, the wind hard and biting. Colors drain from the gardens like calligraphy paints being washed away. Since the executions, an air of unease has hung over the palace, and it seems a premonition somehow, all this gray and whiteness. A reminder that more death is to come. But while I continue to go dutifully with the other girls to classes and dinners, just as I had been doing all these months before, on the inside, everything is different.
With the increased security within the palace, everyone in Women's Court has been advised against leaving their rooms after nightfall. Even better, the King hasn't called for any of us in over a month, too busy with his hunt for the assassins' supporters and rumors of a dark new project that I suspect is just code for too much liquor. And as the days become shorter and the nights longer, this all gives Wren and me the cover we need to love each other in the dark.
As often as we can, we sink into the immediacy of our bodies moving together—our lips, fingertips, the hungry press of our thighs. Over the nights I learn how to lick the curving slopes of her skin, the way it makes her shudder when I run my tongue down the ridge of her spine. And even though I soon get used to Wren's body, I never lose any of the enjoyment. The wonder.
With every kiss, the pleasure is instant—a flood of heat, a fiery rush.
With every kiss, it consumes us.
In our first qi arts lesson, Master Tekoa told us that mastering control of our internal energy is about understanding the concept of "nowhere." Two words hidden inside the one: now and here. When we practice qi arts, he said, what we're really trying to do is to ground ourselves into the here and now. That being truly in the present means to disappear.
But with Wren it's the very opposite. Instead of disappearing, she makes me feel reappeared. Reimagined. Her touch shapes me, draws out the boldness that had been hiding in my core. Where the King's touch closed me, shut me down, Wren's opens me up. When I'm with her, every part of me is weightless and free, a soaring rush igniting my veins with desire as bright as sunlight.
Her kisses heal the parts of me that the King broke. They tell me: You are strong, Lei. You are beautiful. You are mine. And, always, most important: You are yours.
Because these kisses, these stolen nights with Wren, are the only thing I've had control of since coming to the palace, and it gives me satisfaction to know there are some things even the King does not have the power to stop. It builds my confidence that one day we'll be able to rebel with more than just our bodies and our love. That we will find a way to turn our growing hope and bravery into action.
Desire cannot be tamed, the King told me that night in his chambers. Well, he's got one thing right.
We might be Paper Girls, easily torn and written upon. The very title we're given suggests that we are blank, waiting to be filled. But what the Demon King and his court do not understand is that paper is flammable.
And there is a fire catching among us.
A month and a half after the executions, the King finally begins to summon us again.
Blue is first. After that night in the bathing courtyard, I can't help but feel sorry for her, knowing what I know about her now. But any pity I have is tempered by my relief at neither Wren nor me being called. These last few weeks have been a refuge, the two of us safe in the sanctuary of each other's arms, the spherical world of our small, secret geography. I always knew it was just an illusion of safety, a temporary reprieve. But I wasn't prepared for the fresh shot of fear at the moment the illusion is broken.
After that, the names click by, each bamboo chip delivered by royal messenger a countdown to the inevitable.
As is custom, Wren has to stay behind after her name is announced for the preparations. We're in Mistress Eira's suite. Winter sunshine streams in through the open doors to her garden, glancing off the half empty plates and bowls on the table. I meet Wren's eyes, struggling to keep my expression level. While the world is bright around her, she has her back to the doorway, so her face is shadowed. The corners of her lips lift the tiniest fraction, more a grimace than a smile, and I get the strange idea that she's apologizing for something. Then she turns aside as Mistress Eira asks the rest of us to leave.
Numb, I get to my feet.
Someone nudges my shoulder. "Come on," Aoki says. "We have to go."
I've been staring. "Sure. Yes, sorry." With one last hopeful look to Wren—who doesn't return it—I follow Aoki out of the room.
"She seems a bit different, don't you think?" Aoki murmurs as we walk down the corridor, the other girls chatting ahead of us. "Wren, I mean."
I hardly hear her, too busy trying to breathe normally, to force thoughts of Wren and the King from my mind. "Oh? How so?"
"Just... she doesn't seem as focused anymore." Aoki throws me a sideways glance, slowing her pace. "You must have noticed. Has she said anything to you?"
"Not really. I guess it's just the stress of everything. Maybe she's homesick."
Aoki nods, though she's still watching me with an odd expression. "Some of the girls think she might be sneaking off at night to meet with a man."
I push out a laugh that I hope sounds disbelieving, but from the way Aoki doesn't react, I can tell she doesn't believe it. I tuck my hair behind my ears and carry on walking, a little faster now. "Which girls? And why would they even think that?"
"Zhin said she saw her the night she was coming back from the King. Wren was leaving her room. She didn't seem to be going to the toilet or to the maids' dormitory, because that's the direction Zhin was coming from."
"Maybe she couldn't sleep."
"Apparently she had shoes on, and an overcoat. Like she was going outside."
"So she just needed some air—"
"In the cold?" Aoki's nose wrinkles. "At three in the morning? With the guards outside?" She stops me with her arm. "I know you're close with her, Lei, but Wren is hiding something. I'm certain. I don't want you getting caught up in it."
If only she knew.
But I manage a nod. I palm my hands on the skirt of my robes and stride onward, wresting my face into an unfazed expression. "Thanks for telling me. I'll ask her about it tonight—tomorrow. I'm sure there's a simple explanation."
That night, as I wait for Wren to return, the hours crawl by. Every second is a slow, pulling agony. I pace my room so many times that my vision spins, the floor seeming to careen sideways, and I eventually have to sit down before I faint. When footsteps finally sound in the corridor, I wait a few moments more before going to Wren's room. I don't mean to surprise her—I thought she'd have known I'd come. But I've only just slid the door shut behind me when she shoves me painfully against it, an arm across my neck, her eyes wide and alert.
She releases me immediately. "Lei! I'm so sorry." Blowing out an exhale, she circles her arms round my waist, dipping her forehead to mine. Her breath is sweet and warm on my skin. "I'm just on edge tonight. I didn't realize it was you."
"How was it?" I ask tentatively, shifting back.
She avoids my eyes. "He was... rough. More so than usual." I wince, and she carries on quickly, "But I expected he might be like this. The attack has exposed his vulnerability. He's angry. He's trying to reassert some of the power he's lost."
"So the rumors are true?" I say. "The assassins were helped from within the court?"
She nods. "I heard that he arrested eleven officials on suspicion of being involved with the attack just this morning. He's out for blood."
"Hasn't he had enough already?"
In the dark, Wren's eyes seem to flare as she answers huskily, "Not nearly."
Gently, I help her out of her clothes. She's wearing a tangerine-colored ruqun set with jewels, a slit running up the length of one side of the skirt. But as I pull her robes off, I discover that the slit isn't a part of the design; the skirt has been slashed clean in two. Only a makeshift knot at its waist was holding it up.
I swallow, a prickly sensation creeping across the back of my neck. The sky is clear tonight, a moonbeam slanting into the room. By its light, I make out the dark blossoms of bruises on Wren's skin. There's one on her shoulder. More along her hips. A huge handprint wrapped around her throat.
I stare at them, heart wild. Anger charges through me so forcefully I almost retch.
"How dare he," I snarl.
Wren grabs my hands. "Don't waste your thoughts on him," she says, lifting my fingertips to her lips.
"But—"
"Lei, please. At least not tonight. Not now. I can handle pain—it's only temporary. And Madam Himura will have a shaman heal me tomorrow."
I gape at her. "Do you realize how sick that sounds? 'Dear shamans, won't you please give us some magic so we can go back to the King and get broken all over again?'"
Wren kisses my hands softly. "No one said anything about breaking."
We lie down and draw the blankets over us. Moonlight silvers Wren's face, draws a sharp outline along the line of her cheekbone and the hollow of her neck. My fingers trace it down to the upward roll of her shoulder.
"Some of the girls are suspicious of you." I say. "Aoki told me earlier. Zhin saw you leaving your room at night, and they think you might be going to meet someone. A lover. You have to be more careful, Wren."
Her brow wrinkles. "They don't know where I'm going."
"Neither do I."
"Lei—"
"I know," I say before she can finish. "You're trying to protect me."
"You say it like it's a bad thing."
I sigh. "It's just, I'd prefer it if you let me decide whether to be protected." My thumb skims her shoulder, sloping up into the warm dip of her neck. "Maybe I can handle it. Whatever you've got going on, maybe I could help."
Wren closes her eyelids. Tiredly, she takes my hand and moves it to cup her cheek, her palm on top of mine. She opens her eyes. In the moonlight they are bright—the opposite of her voice when she whispers, "You can't. Not with this. No one can."
I want to press her more. But remembering what she went through tonight—the thought of it makes bile fly up my throat—I stop myself. Pulling her close, I burrow my nose in her skin, drawing her cool, ocean scent into my lungs. She smells like home, like happiness and safety and hope and... love.
I want so much in that moment to tell Wren how I feel. To offer her the words that come to my lips every time she kisses me now, every time she even looks my way. But I wait too long and my courage fades. Instead I murmur, "Can you imagine a world where we're free to be with each other?"
"Actually," she replies after a pause, "I can."
"Then take me there, Wren. Please."
She answers, so quiet I barely hear it.
"I will."
I leave her room shortly after, so full of the glowing thrum being with Wren brings, and the promise in her words, that a smile lifts my lips. So when I meet Aoki's eyes where she's watching from her own doorway, half wrapped in shadow, arms rigid at her sides, it takes a few seconds for the giddy look to drop from my face.
Perhaps if I'd not been smiling, I'd have been able to hide it. I could have said we were just talking, the same way Aoki and I still do some nights, though admittedly not as often recently. But I know that she realizes the truth the minute she sees my expression.
It's how she looks when she talks about the Demon King. Radiant. Lit from within.
Without a word, Aoki pivots on the spot and slams the screen door shut behind her. The sound has bite in the quiet of the hallway. I lurch after her, not caring in that moment who might hear. She backs away as I enter her room, and I falter, stung.
The look on her face. I never would have believed she could look at me that way.
"Please, Aoki," I say, my throat narrowing. "You—you can't tell anyone."
Her laugh is hollow. The scowl warping her mouth makes her look ugly, so unlike my sweet friend, the girl whose laughter lifts my soul like sunshine. She usually seems so young, full of lightness, her insides practically effervescent. But there's something about the way she's holding herself right now, as if she'd aged years in the blink of an eye.
"Is that how little you think of me?" she says, and there's hurt in her voice, too. "I thought we were friends. That we told each other everything."
"How could I have told you about this?" I cry, flinging my arms wide. "I know how close you are with the King! You wouldn't approve—"
"Of course I wouldn't! We're Paper Girls! We're not meant for anyone else."
My fingers tighten into fists. "He made that choice for us. How is that fair?"
"It's not about fairness. It's about duty."
"Gods, you sound just like Madam Himura."
"Good," Aoki flings back. "That means I'm doing my job well."
I scowl at her. "No. It means you're not thinking for yourself."
Aoki stiffens, anger rising from her like heat-shimmer on wet stones. Her eyes are fierce, and I realize what she's going to say a second before she speaks.
"I love him."
The sentence hits me with a physical weight. Silence stretches between us, a dark, pulsing thing.
I just about get the words out. "You hated him, once."
"I didn't know him then." Aoki softens, voice curling like a sleeping cat's tail, and she kneads her hands in front of her, wide eyes glowing in the dark. "He's good to me, Lei—kind and caring and fair. He's even said he'll consider making me his queen if I continue to please him."
I almost choke. "His queen?"
Her cheeks flush, and she shrinks back. "You don't think I'm good enough for the throne?"
"No! That's not it—"
"Because he could, if he wanted to. Instead of a Demon Queen, he could have a Paper Queen. I could be his wife."
My jaw slackens. Scenes from the past few months plow into me, one after the other: Aoki's eyes brightening when she talks about the King; what she told me that night at the koyo celebrations; her excitement at the executions; the look on her face every time the bamboo chip arrives and her name isn't the one on it. Like mine for Wren, Aoki's love for the King has been building over the months. I've just been so wrapped up in my own feelings that I didn't realize it.
I'm supposed to be her best friend, and I didn't even notice she was falling in love with a monster.
It takes me a while before I can speak. I lift my chin, looking her straight on. "You're too good for him. You deserve more."
"More?" Her irises are shiny. "What could be more than being his queen?"
After all the words we've thrown at each other, the silence that follows is horribly loud. It grows, stretches, spirals out, a physical distance, building feet and miles and whole countries and lifetimes between us, between me and the pure, beautiful girl who once blushed at the mention of just a kiss and worried that she wouldn't be enough for the King.
"I should go," I say eventually in a constricted voice. I wait in case she disagrees with me. But her expression is just as defiant as before.
I turn to the door, eyes prickling. As my hand lifts to slide it open, her voice sounds behind me.
"You really love her?"
There's a flash of the Aoki I know in her voice: tender, compassionate.
I spin round. "Yes," I reply eagerly, offering her a smile. I step forward. "Oh, Aoki, I'm so sorry—"
"You shouldn't."
The rest of my sentence tumbles away. In an instant, coldness returns between us, as jolting as a wave of ice water. Her look is so hard it's painful to hold, and I falter back toward the door, one arm wrapped across my chest, like a shield.
"At least I chose who I fell in love with," I say roughly.
As soon as it's out I want to take it back. But I can tell by the look on Aoki's face that it's too late, and I hurry from her room before I make it even worse, tears blurring my eyes as something splinters deep in my chest. |
Screaming wakes me the next day. Instead of the usual gong, and too early, the dark still shivering with almost-burnt-out candles and traces of moonlight on the floor. A horrible raw sound that tears through the night on broken wings. Not even screaming. Wailing... wild and untamed.
The sound is close. It's accompanied by shouting, sharp words, and the rap of talons on the floor. Madam Himura.
Something is happening to one of the girls. That's my first thought. My second is—
Wren.
I lurch outside, sucking in a hiss at the coldness of the floorboards on my bare soles. The other girls are already up, looking out from their doorways, faces tight with apprehension. From the room opposite, Aoki meets my eyes before quickly turning her cheek.
"Please!" a girl screams. "It won't happen again, I promise!"
Halfway down the corridor, Mariko is sprawled on the floor. The robe of her nightdress hangs open, revealing the heavy curves of her breasts, the pale flesh of her legs. She struggles, hanging on to where Madam Himura is gripping her hair to drag her down the hall.
"Let's just hear what she has to say," Mistress Eira pleads. She's crouching, trying to get between Mariko and Madam Himura.
The eagle-woman swings out with her cane. "You're too soft on them, Eira!" she snarls, and Mistress Eira doubles over as the cane cracks across her back. "I told you before, when Lei refused the King. You show them the slightest bit of leniency and this is how they repay you!"
"Blue!" Mariko cries. Her eyes are crazed as she seeks her out of the watching faces. "Blue, help me!"
Blue stiffens in her doorway. A glimmer of something passes across her face, but she doesn't move.
Wren steps forward instead. "Madam Himura," she asks steadily, "what is Mariko being punished for?"
Madam Himura's yellow eyes flare. "For being a slut! She was found by one of my maids last night, legs spread for a soldier."
I'm reminded suddenly of Wren's words that night in the isolation room. She said that the guard outside my room had slipped away to meet a girl. Was it Mariko?
"I'm sorry!" Mariko sobs, her face splotchy and red. "I won't do it again!"
"Of course you won't," Madam Himura retorts. "Because you're never coming back to the palace."
Mariko freezes. "Wh-what do you mean?"
A wheezing laugh escapes Madam Himura's throat. "You think you can defy the King in such a way and an apology is all that's needed to make up for it? Foolish girl!"
I wince, instinctively reeling back as she turns her attention to the rest of us. She glares around with her cutting eyes. The layered feathers on her humanlike arms ruffle open as they spread into the beginning of wings, making her seem twice her usual size.
"Come, the rest of you," she commands coolly. "You're about to discover what happens to paper that turns rotten."
Using her wings to steady herself against Mariko's struggles, she drags Mariko down the corridor. With no choice but to follow Madam Himura's orders, I pad behind them with the rest of the girls and our maids. Mariko's maid, a plump dog-form girl called Vee, is sobbing so hard she has to stuff her hands over her mouth to muffle the sound.
"It's all right," Lill whispers, helping her along. "It'll be all right."
She looks up, meeting my eyes where I'm watching over my shoulder, and it hits me that it's the first time I've ever heard her lie.
We trail Madam Himura to an empty room. She throws Mariko down the minute she gets inside. "Get Doctor Uo," she directs one of the maids as we file in with reluctant steps.
Mariko thrashes on the floor. "Please!" she begs. "I can't leave, not before I see Kareem! Where is he? Where did you take him?"
Madam Himura glares down her hooked beak-nose. "Your soldier is being dealt with by General Ndeze. He'll be stripped of his title and banished from the palace. That's if the King is feeling generous."
Mariko dissolves into wails.
"I can't watch this," I breathe to Wren next to me.
"We have no choice," she replies.
"I don't care." I take a step forward. Wren hisses at me, but I ignore her, rounding on Madam Himura. "Why can't we take lovers?" I ask her loudly, throwing out an arm. "The King has his pick every night, and when we leave, there'll just be a new set of girls for him to play with."
Her eyes widen. "What did you say?"
"Maybe if the King weren't such a cruel, disgusting excuse of a leader, we wouldn't look for comfort elsewhere—"
Though I knew it was coming, the crack of her cane still takes my breath away.
I double over, clutching my jaw. The metallic tang of blood fills my mouth. Wren pulls me back before Madam Himura can strike me again, but her attention is distracted just then by the doctor's arrival.
Doctor Uo looks as though he'd just woken up. His robes are mussed, his hair matted. "What's going on?" he asks, scratching at one curving boar tusk, blinking out from behind his round spectacles.
Madam Himura points to Mariko. "This girl has forfeited her place in the palace. She must be branded."
The doctor's expression is as blank as when he was inspecting me. "I see." Mariko scuttles away as he crouches down in front of her. "Someone hold her still," he commands, and I'm thrown back to the assessments shortly after I arrived, the helplessness I felt as the doctor stripped me.
I massage my jawbone, smearing blood across my sleeve.
Madam Himura waves at the waiting maids. "Help the doctor!"
They move forward reluctantly. Mariko lashes out when they get close, catching Lill in her ribs with an elbow. At once, Madam Himura whirls forward and slaps Mariko so hard it sends her cheek into the floor with a sickening crunch.
"Struggle all you want, girl," she spits. "You're just going to make the scarring worse."
It's not until the next moment, when Doctor Uo takes a knife from his bag, that I understand what is happening.
The doctor holds Mariko's face still. "Someone quiet her!" he orders as she starts to scream.
A maid brings over a wad of fabric. The doctor stuffs it into her mouth, muffling her cries. He raises the blade to her forehead.
The first incision heightens her shrieking. But by the last, her sobs are silent.
When he finally moves away, I see the bloody strokes of the character cut into Mariko's forehead: Lan.
Rotten.
"Now everyone will know what you did," Madam Himura hisses. She turns to us. "Remember this, any time you think you can defy the King." Her eyes land on me. "You will not get away with it." Then she flaps an arm, barking, "Back to your rooms! You have classes to get to. Don't think this has changed any of your duties."
I hesitate, and Wren draws me away. "Don't push it," she whispers.
"What'll happen to her?" I ask in a weak voice as we head down the corridor.
The rest of the girls are silent. As Blue shoves past her, practically running, Chenna stares down at the floor, her lips forming silent prayers. Zhen and Zhin walk hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. I try to catch Aoki's eyes, but she's staring glassily ahead, absently picking at the sleeves of her robes.
"Mariko's marked now," Wren explains under her breath. "She won't ever be able to get a job, be married. She'll either starve to death or find work in the only places that'll take her."
"Prostitution houses?"
She nods, and I press my lips tight, battling the urge to retch.
When we get back to our rooms, I knock on Blue's door. She doesn't answer, but I go in anyway.
She's standing by the window, staring out. Morning light filtering through the half drawn shutters frames her outline in pale gold. There's something so painful about the stiff way she's holding her body, as though to keep herself together. As though she'd fall apart—literally, piece by piece, limb by limb, joints unraveling in an inelegant dismantlement—if she released herself even the tiniest fraction.
"Blue—" I start.
She interrupts, quiet. "Go away." Her voice breaks on the words. She repeats it, louder, with a jerk of her neck: "Go away!"
"I'm here," I say, moving closer. "I just wanted you to know. If you ever need to talk or anything, I'm here."
Blue spins round, her face streaked with tears, her eyes manic. "I said, go away!" she shrieks, and lurches toward me.
I stumble out, not stopping until I get back to my room. Inside, I stagger to the window and gulp in air, fingers shaking where they're twined around the latticed woodwork. It takes me a long time to get my breathing to slow, and even then I can still hear the ghost of Mariko's screams.
That night, I write home.
For months I've kept my letters positive, cracking jokes as if it were just another day in the herb shop. But tonight I can't do it. Outside, the wind howls, making the building creak and groan. There's the growl of thunder in the distance. Winters are even harder in Xienzo, and I picture my father and Tien in the garden, wrapped in furs as they brush frost off our dying plants with frozen fingers, their breath curling before them.
It's not right. I should be there. I should be with them, my own fingers chilled, my own exhalations making clouds in the air.
It takes me a while to come up with a way to express myself in the letter without giving too much away, but I get it right on the third attempt. I have no idea if my father and Tien will even read this. I've still not heard a thing back despite writing regularly all this time, and if I'm honest with myself, I know why. It's not hard to notice how Mistress Eira evades my questions whenever I ask her about the letters.
Still. Something keeps me writing.
Maybe it's the feeling of connecting with my father and Tien, even just in my imagination. Or the knowledge that this is my last link with home, and if I stop writing it's like acknowledging that I've given up hope of ever returning.
Tonight, my letter is short.
Dear Baba,
Do you remember that day we went to the stream where you found Bao and we stayed until sunset, our toes dipped in the water, the air so still and quiet, and there was just that one lonely bird singing?
Well, today's been just about as good as that day.
Missing you more than ever.
All my love,
Lei
Tears cloud my eyes as I roll the letter closed. That day was the first anniversary of the raid on our village that stole Mama away.
It was one of the worst days of my life.
I'm just about to lie down when I sense movement in the hallway—and somehow, I know it's Wren, leaving Paper House.
Anger hurtles down my veins, so sudden and strong it surprises even me. I jump to my feet. How dare she. How dare she, of all the days, when she knows exactly what could happen to her if she's found out.
What that would do to me.
I wait as long as I can bear before following her. Wind lashes my skin as I charge across the dark gardens. The air is frozen. Before I left, I threw a heavy brocade coat over my nightdress, but my feet are bare, the frosted ground numbing my toes. My hair whips around my raw cheeks.
It takes me longer than I anticipated to reach the pine forest where I've seen Wren disappear to before. I trudge through it, keeping to a straight line in the hopes that it's the right direction. After a few minutes I start to worry that I won't be able to find her, but as I pick my way over mossy roots and brambles of thorns, sounds rise from up ahead. Half hidden under the noise of the wind, I make out grunts, panting, the crush of leaves. Something dark and awful flares to life in my belly. It—it couldn't be.
Could it?
A few seconds later I emerge into a clearing. The long trunks of pines close in tight, a leafy canopy overhead. And in its center: Wren and the wolf. Not doing what I feared, but something else, something worse.
Fighting.
My heart bounces to my throat. I'm about to dash forward to tackle him off her, when I notice how none of their blows are followed through, just quick contact to indicate they've landed. Their movements seem practiced and familiar, dancelike almost. Wren's hair flies around her as she ducks a sweeping kick. She retaliates with a jab of her hands, the wolf's powerful haunches propelling him back. They're training.
Just then, Wren makes a leaping turn—and spots me.
Her eyes are the same icy white as that night under the theater. It takes a second for them to drain back to their usual fawn-brown. She lands messily but is upright at once, brushing down her clothes. "Lei," she says, breathless, starting forward.
The wolf looks around. His ears prick when he sees me, and with a whip of his gray-white tail he flies around, but Wren grabs him.
"Wait!" she shouts. "It's all right, Kenzo—"
"She shouldn't be here!" he growls.
"She won't tell—"
"How do you know?"
"I just know!"
"How is that—"
"Because I love her!"
Wren's shout is almost swallowed by the wind, but her words reach me as clearly as if she'd bent to whisper them in my ears. Everything seems to still—the growl of the incoming storm, the sway of the trees in the wind. Our eyes catch across the clearing. Wren's look, vividly fierce and beautifully soft at the same time, wrenches something inside me. I feel her heartbeat as if we were pressed together, chest to chest, cheek to cheek; I know its beat as surely as my own.
She expels a shaky breath, her face softening, "And," she says quietly, turning to Kenzo, "I think she loves me, too. So yes, I trust her. We can trust her."
Kenzo is still glaring at me. Wren tugs on his arm, half human, half furred, muscled wolf. His lips uncurl, hiding his fanged canines. But his ears are still pointed, the tendons in his neck corded.
"So that's how it is," he says, breath furling from his long, muzzlelike jaw.
"Yes."
"Well, she still shouldn't be out here."
Wren nods. "Give us a minute?"
With a last terse look my way, the wolf turns on his heels and bounds into the forest.
Wren crosses the clearing. In an instant, my anger fades. Tears are wetting my face before she's even reached me, and she frowns, thumbing them away.
"Lei?" she says, her gaze moving over my face. "What's wrong? Is it what happened to Mariko?"
I curl into her arms. "Everything," I say thickly.
She holds me close, waiting until my breaths finally calm. Then she draws back, palms cupping my face.
"What you said," I mutter, my cheeks warm under the heat of her palms and the sweet softness of her look. "Just then. To Kenzo. Did you—do you—"
"I do," she whispers.
My breath catches. "Me... me, too."
Her lips part, a sigh escaping them. Gently, she presses her mouth to mine. Then she steps back. "I'm sorry, Lei, but you have to get back to the house. It's not safe for you to be here."
I scrub my tears away with the back of my hands. "I'm not going anywhere," I tell her. "Not before you tell me what's going on." As she starts to protest, I shake my head and wind my fingers through hers, pulling her closer. "You're risking everything. Your life, and mine. Because if anything happens to you, I don't know how I'll cope. You're all I have, Wren. I need you."
"You have me, Lei."
"So tell me. No more lies."
Our gazes are fixed together. And for a moment this is all my world is: the feel of Wren's presence, closer than a heartbeat, and the brilliant, deep brown of her soft-centered eyes.
I squeeze her fingers. "It's time."
She regards me in silence. Then, finally, she nods.
"Everything I've told you so far is true," she begins, gripping my hands. "I promise. But I've never told you why. Why Ketai rescued me and brought me up as a Hanno. Why I'm here in the palace." She wets her lips. "Because when my father went to the mountains of Rain following the rumors of the Xia's massacre, he wasn't just searching for survivors. He knew there'd be survivors. Or rather, that there'd be one." She loosens a long breath. "Me.
"The night of the massacre, the Hannos' most trusted fortune-teller had a vision of a baby nestled in the snow. My father set out to find it with the intention of training it to continue the Xia bloodline. Not only would one of the Xia be skilled enough to assassinate the King, but, just as important, only this sole remaining Xia—who'd had their entire clan murdered before them—would have the hunger to do so."
Assassinate.
The word hangs in the air, sharp as a sword edge.
"The fortune-teller hadn't known the sex of the baby," Wren continues. "My father had been expecting a boy, but when he found me, he realized it was better this way. There are countless male assassins. The problem is getting them close enough to the King in the first place. A young girl dressed up in robes and elegant manners might be able to gain access where others could not."
"But what about Kenzo?" I interrupt. "Couldn't he...?"
She shakes her head. "My father and his allies have spent years getting him to the position he's in now. We need him there. Assassinating the King is one thing, but if the court remains loyal to him, what good would it do? Kenzo is our highest-ranking infiltrator. He's integral to seeing this change through. Once the King is dead, he can help steer the court to where we need it. It won't work if he's under any suspicion."
"So it's all down to you."
Wren nods, lips taut. "That's how I knew about the trap door in the theater. How I get around at night without being caught. I've studied the palace since I was young, learned every corner of it. And as a Paper Girl, I'm able to get close to the King without any guards around." Her eyes are fire. "I'm going to do it, Lei. I'm going to kill him."
Thunder rolls overhead, the wind still ice-cold and lashing. But the world seems far away, a space of stillness opening up around Wren and me, filled with my fear and her words and our love and the meaning, the incredible consequence, of what she's telling me.
"You've been alone with him so many times," I say, the words sticking in my throat. "Couldn't you have done it by now? The first time he called you?"
She shakes her head stiffly. "Other things have to align first. The timing is crucial. Trust me, Lei, if there were any way I could've avoided sleeping with the King, I would have found it." She pauses. "My father would have found it."
"So you don't know when it will happen?"
"Not yet. But it won't be long. Kenzo says things are almost ready."
As if he'd heard his name, there's the sound of leaves crunching underfoot. The wolf slinks back into the clearing. He keeps his distance but watches us, tail flicking, bronze eyes glinting in the moonlit clearing.
Wren circles her hands around my wrists. "You have to go, Lei. We've still got some training to do."
Training. Understanding rolls over me again. I'd had suspicions that this was what she was up to, but it's different knowing it. I get a flash of Wren in the tunnel under the theater, with her white eyes—but this time it is the King she is approaching, the King's heart she is driving a knife into.
For the first time, I question whether he truly deserves it.
It's only a passing thought. Because an instant later I remind myself of the Paper caste slaves at the koyo party. The way he coldly ordered the assassins' executions. Mariko's screams, just this morning, a few short hours ago. The King's hot mouth on my skin, how easily he tore my clothes apart; the pain and hunger of the week that followed.
I recall my promise at the executions. More than anything, I want to be free. Not just free of the palace, but free once I'm outside of it, too. How can that happen in a world where its King allows demons to do whatever they want to those they deem inferior? How can I live in happiness when I know now what happens to Paper castes all across Ikhara?
Can you imagine a world where we're free to be with each other?
Actually, I can.
Then take me there, Wren. Please.
I will.
So this is what she meant.
"Lei," Wren says again, after a glance over her shoulder at Kenzo. "You have to go. Now."
But I don't move. "Let me stay." The words are out of me before I've even realized they were there. "I want to help."
She pulls back. "What?"
"You're going to assassinate the King, and I can help."
Wren flinches, a deep furrow lining her forehead. "I don't mind risking my own life," she says sharply, "but I will not risk yours." She tugs on my arm. "Come on. I'll take you back to the house."
"But—"
She closes her eyes. "Please, Lei," she begs, and there's so much tiredness in her voice that I can't bring myself to argue anymore. At least, not right now.
We trudge back to Paper House in silence. Wren plants a kiss to my crown when we reach the entrance. "I meant what I said," she murmurs. "I love you. And you are helping me already, whatever you think. Just by loving me back. It makes me strong. It gives me more to fight for."
I bite back a reply, not trusting myself to speak as she hugs me tightly against her before she turns and jogs back to the forest with long, loping steps.
When I'm back in my room, I lie on my sleeping mat, trembling despite the furs wrapped around me. I stare up at the ceiling until the shadows seep from the room and the weak light of a winter morning settles in its place. Since that night at the theater, I'd somehow known about Wren, known that her fighting skills and Xia heritage were not just coincidence. But now it's finally become real.
Sometime soon she will try to kill the King.
And it's a fight she might not win.
I want to jump up, run back to the moonlit clearing, beg Wren to reconsider. Even if the King must die, there must be some way it can happen without her life being in danger, too. The icy focus in her eyes as she approached the assassin in the tunnel under the theater returns to me. How the grip of Xia magic overtook her, giving her more strength than a human girl should have. Maybe that's enough. Maybe years of training and her warrior heritage can protect her.
But this is the King.
The King, with his bull-driven power and lean, ironlike muscles. His deep, booming voice. I remember the savagery in his eyes that night at the koyo party, and before that, when he threw me down onto his bed and I felt more like a fragile human than ever before.
I shiver, cradling my knees to my chest. Because beneath her Xia heritage, and no matter how incredible she is to me, that's all Wren is in the end—a human girl. And we have all been taught what happens to Paper that tries to defy demons.
It gets torn apart. |
The next morning, Aoki comes to my door just as I'm leaving to go to hers.
We say it at the same time. "I'm sorry."
I throw my arms around her, and she half laughs, half sobs, lacing her arms round my waist. "I thought it would be harder than that," she sighs against my chest.
"No," I reply, squeezing her tighter. "It should have been easier. I'm so sorry. Some of the things I said that night..."
She clears her throat. "Some of the things I said." We pull apart, and she gives me a wobbly smile, though her face is serious. "Just promise me, promise you'll be careful, Lei. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you. After Mariko yesterday..."
The echo of her screams seems to reverberate down the corridor.
"I know," I say. "It's terrible. And it made me realize just how stupid our argument was. It could have been me in her place, and if that was the last conversation we had—"
Aoki's freckled nose wrinkles as she says firmly, "It will not be you." Her fingers loop around my wrist. "You still haven't promised that you'll be careful."
"I promise," I lie.
Aoki nods, seemingly satisfied. Then she hesitates. "Lei?" she says gently. "You do know you'll be called tonight, right?"
Her words lift the hairs on my arms. Of course I knew it had to happen. The only reason I wasn't summoned last night was because the King was too busy dealing with the fallout of Mariko's affair. But all the other girls have been called already, so it was only a matter of time.
It's clear to me now that he purposefully left me until last to torture me.
I remember Wren's declaration last night, her heartbeat tripping against mine. I love you... It makes me strong. It gives me more to fight for.
"I'm sorry," Aoki murmurs. "I wish there was something I could do."
"I'm just glad to have you back." I force a smile, and say in the lightest tone I can manage, "Anyway, we've got loads to catch up on. In your absence, Blue's become my best friend and we've started a Madam Himura fan club. We're calling ourselves the Beakies."
Aoki giggles. "How do I sign up?"
But as soon as we loop our arms together to head to the bathing courtyard, our smiles disappear. We walk on in silence, Aoki's words about the King calling me tonight slinking round my neck like an invisible noose slowly tightening.
Just as Aoki predicted, the royal messenger delivers my name at lunch later that day.
I take the bamboo chip from Madam Himura with trembling fingers, not hearing a word she's saying. It's all I can do not to look across the table at Wren. She's watching me—her gaze is like a call, a song I always want to answer. But I keep my eyes down as Madam Himura orders the girls out. It's taking everything in me just to sit here feigning calm and not throw the chip squarely at Madam Himura's smug face. I can't handle seeing Wren's expression as well.
The girls file out. Wren's footsteps slow as they pass.
"You too, Wren-zhi," the eagle-woman snaps.
I stare down, waiting for Wren to leave. A few moments later, there's the sound of the door sliding.
"So," Madam Himura says once we're alone.
I look up, gold eyes meeting yellow.
"You know what'll happen if you fail me again."
I grit my teeth. "Yes, Madam Himura."
She stamps her cane and gives me a dismissive wave with a feathered arm. "Rika! Take Lei for her ye lesson."
The journey to the Night Houses passes in a blur. When we get to Zelle's room, I'm a little nervous to see her after what happened last time, but she greets me warmly, with no trace of anger or suspicion.
"I didn't get a chance to thank you," I say, kneeling opposite her on the bamboo-mat floor. "For not telling Mistress Azami what I was doing in her office."
She lifts a shoulder, her dark hair falling past her ears in soft waves. "It would have caused more trouble than it was worth. And I can't blame you for wanting to find out what happened to your mother." She pauses. "I'm sorry it wasn't the outcome you were hoping for."
I drop my eyes to my lap. "Thanks."
"I lost my mother, too, you know," she says.
My head jerks up. "You did?"
"She was a courtesan," Zelle continues, a stiffness to the lift of her neck. She runs a hand over the viridian-green silks she's wrapped in today, her fingernails picking at the silver threads patterning it. "Like me, here for any demons in the palace with a Paper fetish. Mistress Azami gives all of us medicine to keep us from getting pregnant, but it doesn't always work, and once a courtesan has a baby, she's not allowed to work anymore."
I think of Mariko. "What happened to her?"
"Right after she had me, she was sent as a gift to one of the court representatives in Jana. I've never even met her."
"I'm so sorry."
Zelle gives a little shake of her head. "That's just life in the palace," she says with a bitter echo of her crooked grin.
"Have you... have you ever thought about escaping?" I ask quietly.
Her eyes glint. "Every second."
I have no idea how to respond to that, so we fall silent. Eventually, Zelle says, "I heard about Mariko. You know, it's not the first time that's happened. Some girls manage to keep their affairs hidden, but it's easy to get caught. I've had a few close shaves myself."
"You have a lover?" I say, gaping at her.
"Of course," she replies airily with a twirl of a wrist. "Hundreds, in fact. That is my job, isn't it?" She gives me a wink, but there's something pinched about her expression as she continues, "Yes, I did mean a lover of my own, not a client. Though it was a couple of years ago now."
I shift forward. "Can I ask what happened?"
"He died," Zelle says simply.
"Oh. I'm—I'm so sorry."
"It's all right," she replies with an odd little shrug. She casts her face to the window, and the muffled light glazes it into a white-gray mask. "I've come to terms with it. Anyway, if he were still here, we'd have been caught eventually. Then we'd both be dead."
Again, we fall quiet. Zelle must sense my mood, because she doesn't press to start the lesson. It's the coldest day so far this winter, the wind full of bite, but her room is warm, lantern light flickering off her glossy hair and making our shadows shiver.
As we sit in silence, something wild starts to wing through me. A ragged, reckless feeling. I didn't sleep at all last night, thoughts about Wren and the assassination plans spinning on through the long, dark hours. Since finding out everything, my heart has been swinging between defiance and fear. Sometimes all I can think of is how powerful the King is, and how delicate Wren's human frame is. How futile it's been to believe we can defy him with just our love and hope. But seeing my name on the bamboo chip at lunch just made it even clearer how if we don't do anything, that's what the rest of our lives will be—waiting for someone to call us to do something we can hardly bear to do. Whether we become wives to generals after our year as Paper Girls, or stay on in the palace as courtesans, or artists, or teahouse owners, it will all be a performance. And all we'll ever be are actors in our own lives.
The first time I kissed Wren, I'd already decided that I wasn't going to let that life become my future. I might not have known at the time, but that's what that first kiss was—a promise. A seal. Not to Wren, but to myself.
I'm not spending the rest of my life a prisoner.
"I have one," I say suddenly. It comes out before I even know I'm about to speak. I risk a glance up, testing Zelle's reaction. "A... a lover."
She gives me a small smile. "I know," she says, and I can't help but laugh.
"Is it that obvious?"
"It was that obvious even in our first lesson." She tilts her head. "But it's progressed to something more now, hasn't it?"
I nod.
"You're in love."
My answer comes, bright and defiant. "Yes."
Zelle watches me, her face impassive. Then she lets out a sigh, folding her fingers in her lap. "I don't know what to tell you, Nine," she says, and her voice is weighted, a tightness to the cast of her shoulders. "I could say that I wish the two of you all the happiness in the world—and I do. Of course I do. But you're a Paper Girl. The King's concubine. That makes you his, and his alone."
Whatever reaction I'd been expecting, this wasn't it. Anger rattles through me. Out of everyone, I thought Zelle would understand.
"You told me that my thoughts and feelings are my power," I say, a ball in my throat.
"And they are. But I meant that you'd always have something the King could never take from you. Love will only make it harder."
"Did it? For you?"
"It still does." She cuts me a sharp look. "Falling in love is the most dangerous thing women like us can do."
"I don't agree."
"Oh? What do you think love is, then?"
"Necessary. Powerful. Maybe the most important thing women like us can do." I picture Wren's smile, the way her body fits with mine. My words shine with the truth of it, the truth of her, of us. "Love is what gives us hope. What gets us through each day."
Zelle lifts her chin, her brows arching. "And what about the nights? Will it get you through those?"
"I guess we'll find out soon enough."
For the first time, something almost angry flares across Zelle's features. "Don't deny him again, Nine. I'm sorry you have to go through this, I really am, but you have to find a way to endure it. To hold your true feelings back. Because if he finds out that you've given yourself to someone else, he won't just brand you—he will kill you."
"Let him try," I growl. My fingertips dig into my palms. "Maybe someone else will get to him first."
It's out before I can stop it.
Zelle blinks.
"I—I mean," I amend quickly, "maybe I won't take it anymore."
"And what do you plan to do instead? How are you going to stand up to the King? You aren't a warrior. I bet you've never even handled a weapon before. Didn't you used to work in an herb shop?"
Her words smart, even though she doesn't mean them cruelly.
Then I grin. Because yes, I used to work in an herb shop.
And it might just be what saves me.
My plan forms on the carriage ride back to Paper House.
When I knew the King would call me next, I thought that I'd just have to bear it. Wren told me last night that the assassination attempt will be soon. This might be the only time I have to go to his chambers before we get out of here. Just like Zelle asked me, I was prepared to endure it. That's why I avoided Wren's eyes earlier. Looking at her, seeing the hurt in them, would have made it a million times harder—when it's already impossible. But Zelle's throwaway comment about my herb-shop background reminds me that I might not be as helpless tonight as I believe.
I might not be able to kill the King, but I can at least stall him. And maybe this will prove to Wren that I can be counted on to help with the assassination.
"I need your help," I tell Lill the minute I get back to my room, my words coming fast. I crouch down and grip her shoulders. "There's something I need to do before going to the King tonight. Do you think you can distract Madam Himura and the maids for me? Just for a few minutes?"
She tenses. "But, Mistress, the maids are already here—"
"Tell them I'm not feeling very well. That I just need a bit of fresh air."
Her furred ears quiver. "Maybe we should call for a doctor if you're sick," she mumbles, teething her bottom lip.
"Remember how I grew up working in my parents' herb shop? I just want to make a quick remedy to calm my nerves." Lill still looks unconvinced, so I push on, "After what happened last time, I really need to impress the King. You understand that, don't you? Just a few herbs. That's all I need to calm myself. And then I'll be ready for him."
This last bit at least is true.
In an instant, Lill beams. "You should have said that's why, Mistress! Of course I'll help you with anything that'll win you favor with the King!"
I give her a hug, trying to ignore the squirm of guilt at lying to her.
Hours later: the sky strewn with stars, the palace streets flickering with lantern glow and the icy whip of the wind. This time, there are fifteen guards in my escort through the King's fortress. I bite down laughter at how ridiculous it is, all these armor-clad demons with weapons at the ready against a single human girl in flimsy robes, her only armament a handful of herbs hidden in the sash at her waist.
Major Kenzo Ryu—or Wren's wolf, as I have come to think of him, not without some jealousy—leads the group. He takes my arm when we near the King's door, shifting closer so I catch the musky, natural scent of him. It reminds me of long grass in the fields beyond our village, the smell of earth baking in the sun. Even though I only saw him last night, it's my first chance to get a proper look at him up close. He's young for a major, not more than ten years older than me, gray wolf fur poking between his armor and covering his handsome, long-jawed face. The sharp tips of canines are just visible under his top lip.
Over the last few months I've become used to being around Steel and Moon castes, but his predatory nature isn't lost on me.
He'd better not be in love with Wren. The thought comes to me in a burst of mad humor. Because I definitely won't be the one walking away from that fight.
The other soldiers drop back as the wolf leads me to the King's door, handling me with surprising gentleness despite his size. "I'm sorry," he says suddenly in a low voice.
My chin jerks up, and he squeezes my arm in warning.
"Eyes ahead." His voice is a deep, gravelly growl, yet somehow warm at the same time, like the comforting purr of a loved one's snore. "To have to deliver you to the King," he explains. "I'm sorry."
"Hopefully this will be the last time," I mutter.
His bronze eyes flick my way before he knocks on the door.
"Hopefully."
There is no shove this time. No hissed "whore." After the doors open, I take a deep inhale and step inside. Blackness swallows me. For a while I don't move, just trying to catch my breath, forcing down the liquid pull of nausea, the dizzying skip of my pulse.
"There's no point in hiding, Lei-zhi."
The boom of the King's voice startles me. Distance and the shape of the tunnel distorts it, giving it an almost physical presence, like a thunderclap in the dark. With a roll of my shoulders, I start slowly forward. While I'm still concealed in the shadowed tunnel, my footsteps echoing off the arched walls, I run my fingers along my sash. It's tied at my waist over the gathered silks of my ruqun robes, knotted firmly to keep all the material in place, and as I finger the comforting shape of the small leaf-wrapped parcel it's also holding, my heart skips faster.
Desire cannot be tamed. That's what the King told me the first time I was here.
Well, King. You should see how untamable love makes you.
His chambers are just as I remember. Candles fill the air, a ruby glow, and the overpowering scent hits the back of my throat. But there's something different this time as I pad across the cavernous room to where the King is watching my approach, sloped back in his massive throne.
Me.
The first time I crossed this room, my knees shook so badly I could barely walk. Fear seared every inch of me, like venom. Part of me even wanted to please him. I'd committed to being a Paper Girl, believing it was the only option I had to save my family.
Now I march toward him with the knowledge that that part of me is long gone.
"I was not hiding, my King," I say, my voice echoing off the high walls. I keep it steady. "I was just... readying myself for seeing you."
"You are still scared of me?"
His voice is gloating. He wants me to be scared.
"Yes," I answer, hating that it isn't entirely a lie.
The crooked grin he gives me is shot through with something tense, some raw, feral quality that reminds me of how he was that night at the koyo celebrations. His ebony robes hang open at the chest, revealing the hard swell of muscles.
My gaze slips to the vial of sake on the side table.
"Come here," he commands.
I do as the King says, the long skirt of my robes whispering across the stone floor. I've only just knelt at his feet when he grabs a fistful of my robes. He yanks me forward so hard I have to throw my hands out to stop from smashing my forehead into the marbled gold of his throne.
"No need to be so formal, Lei-zhi," he says with a cutting smile, leaning in close, frosted eyes leering. "I've seen you naked, don't you remember? Act coy, but I know all you Paper Girls are hungry for it. So hungry you'll even spread your legs for one of my soldiers. Imagine!" Flecks of spit hit my face as his voice rises. "A common soldier, when you have shared a bed with the King!"
His breath reeks of alcohol. I wince as he tears my robes open at the collar, baring my neck, the small swell of my breasts.
Panic flares through me. My eyes go again to the bottle of sake. I thought there'd be conversation like last time, time for me to carry out my plan.
"M-Mariko was thrown out by Madam Himura," I start, trying to keep him distracted. Twin currents of anger and fear twine through my voice, and they seem so much like the same thing now—hot, bright, defiant—that it's hard to imagine them unthreaded. "The doctor carved the word rotten into her forehead to make sure everyone knows what she did."
The King's laughter bounds around the room. "The girl got what she deserved. No one betrays me and gets away with it."
My jaw tightens. "Do many people betray you, my King?"
His nostrils flare. "A surprising number," he answers through peeled lips. "You would think my people would be grateful for what I have done for them. All the comforts and riches I've shared. The efforts I've made to stop the Sickness." He draws me closer, tracing a calloused fingertip along my chin, his hot breaths stirring the strands of hair around my cheeks that the maids earlier so carefully styled. "Tell me, Lei-zhi—are you grateful for what I've given you?"
"Of—of course."
"You ran from me last time."
I lick my lips. "I was scared—"
"I did everything I could to make you comfortable. I gave you a home. I made sure you had entertainment. And when you came to me that first time, I had your favorite foods prepared, I talked to you, shared things with you." One hand creeps round the back of my neck, and it's so big his fingers close at the front, pinching the base of my throat. His cold eyes bore into mine. "And still you ran. Still you humiliated me. So I ask you again, Lei-zhi. Are you grateful for what I've given you?"
I push the words past my lips. "Yes, my King."
He lets me go, and I gulp in a deep breath, lifting my fingertips to my neck.
"Then show me," he commands. "Show me how grateful you are."
The intent in his words makes my skin crawl. Out of the corner of my eye, I focus on the vial of sake, imagining releasing the crushed herbs in my palm, the poison drifting into the liquid.
"L-let me dance for you," I start, my voice pitching. Holding back my draped sleeve, I reach for the vial. "Madam Chu taught us a new routine I think you'd enjoy. I'll pour a drink for you while you watch—"
"Enough!"
The King's roar snaps me to attention. Knocking my hand away, he snatches the vial with such force the glasses beside it tip over, shattering on the floor. Scarlet candlelight glints off the broken shards.
"It's you who needs a drink if you think I brought you here to watch you dance!"
Seizing my face, he grips my cheeks to force my lips open, and pours the sake straight into my mouth. I splutter. The alcohol stings my throat. I gag, but the King laughs, holding me until my clothes are soaked and I'm coughing and spluttering, eyes squeezed shut, skin sticky with the liquid.
When the vial is empty, he flings me aside. I double over, retching. Wet drops splatter the floor around my hands.
"You think I don't understand what you're up to?" he roars, arms wide, fists curled. "You cannot hide from me forever, Lei-zhi. This is my palace. My kingdom!"
The boom of his voice shakes the room, sending a ripple through the floating candles. I sway to my feet. Cast a desperate look over the scatter of glass around me, the splashes of ruined rice wine. There's no more drink left to poison with the herbs I took from the kitchen gardens earlier; the ones that would have cramped the King's gut and made him too sick to move for the rest of the evening, sparing me at least one more night.
It would only have been a temporary reprieve. But maybe it would have been enough. Maybe after tonight, Wren would have managed to get to the King before he got to me.
As the King makes a lurch, I spin round, clutching up the layers of my skirt and stumbling into a run. But I've only taken a few steps when his hands seize me. Lift me into the air. With a bellow, he throws me to the floor.
My cheekbone cracks.
Pain splinters through me, fissures my skull.
The next instant, I'm swallowed by the King's shadow as he bears down on top of me. He brings his mouth to my ear and whispers, crooning almost, like some kind of sick, twisted lullaby, "I ordered the raid on your village, Lei-zhi. My soldiers told me they killed all the women they took that day—including your beloved mother." And then he grabs a fistful of the silks at my waist and tears them open as I let out a cry no one else can hear. |
Even the soldiers are unable to hide their shock when I finally stagger from the King's chambers.
I have no idea how long I've been in there. Only minutes could have passed. Or an entire lifetime. How long does it take to break a person? To take their will and fire and spirit and love and crush them beneath your fists?
As the doors swing shut behind me, my legs give way. Wren's wolf strides forward to catch me. He lifts me gently, the other guards watching in silence as he lopes past, cradling me to his chest. The torn robe I've wrapped around me is bloodied. Dully, I notice the servants as we go by, the way they avert their eyes. Even the Paper caste ones.
Shame flows through me, a constant, unforgiving ebb.
I look up at Kenzo. My voice is a croak. "They'll suspect you."
"No," he says, staring ahead. "They won't. This is not the first time a Paper Girl has had to be taken from the King's rooms in such a condition."
Underneath the pain and horror: a shot of rage.
"I hate him," I whisper with the last bit of strength I have.
Kenzo doesn't answer, but he holds me a little closer, and before I pass out I understand this to mean that he agrees.
When consciousness returns, the comforting scent of Wren's wolf is gone. There's the whisper of voices around me. The soft pressure of a warm hand on mine. I must be back in my room at Paper House. I try to move, but currents of pain snap and fizz through my body, forcing me to fall still. The pain wasn't so strong earlier. My mind must have blocked it out as the King took from me what I have denied him for so long.
That's what it felt like. A taking. A robbery.
I inch my eyes open, and even this hurts.
"She's awake!"
Aoki's face is the first I see. Her hand is the one wrapped round mine, and she leans over me, eyes so wide that my entire vision is an ocean of deep green. Then she draws away and is replaced by Wren.
The expression on her face. I can barely look at her.
"Oh, gods, Lei," she whispers, dipping her forehead to mine. "I'm so, so sorry."
I lick my cracked lips. "The wolf. He—"
She shoots me a warning look. "You mean Major Ryu? Yes, he brought you back. He escorted you all the way here."
My eyes drift shut.
"How kind of him," Aoki murmurs.
There's the sound of the door opening.
"The doctor's on his way, Mistresses. He won't be long."
My heart gives a little leap at the sound of Lill's voice. Even though my plan failed, she'd been the one who made it possible in the first place.
And then I remember. My plan. The herbs.
The poisonous herbs.
I jerk upright. Pain erupts, a starburst all over me. Aoki and Wren try to draw me back down, shushing, but I struggle against them, eyes wild.
"Where are my clothes?" I cry.
"Lei," Aoki pleads, "you need to rest—"
But I'm almost screaming now. "Where are my clothes?"
Lill snatches up a torn bundle of fabric, lantern light illuminating the layered pattern of my robes—wildflowers and vines, twisted in a kaleidoscope of deep magenta and lapis. "This is all you had with you," she says sorrowfully, holding them out for me.
I riffle through the flimsy material. A sob racks through me and I slump back as if winded.
"Lei?" Wren asks, fingers light on my wrist. "What's wrong?"
I close my eyes. "The sash," I whisper. "It's gone."
I have to wait until much later, until the doctor and shaman have checked on me and magicked away my wounds, and Aoki and Lill have gone to bed, to tell Wren about my plan to poison the King.
She lets go of my hand when I've finished, and the gesture loosens something in me. "So the herbs are still there?" she asks sharply. "In his chambers?"
"Yes."
"If he finds them—if anyone finds them..."
My teeth are gritted. "I know."
"What were you thinking? You shouldn't have taken such a risk."
I edge slightly away. "I was thinking," I say thickly, "that I couldn't bear having to sleep with him."
Wren's face drops. "Lei—"
"And I was thinking you'd understand."
"I do. Oh, love, of course I do. I'm so sorry." Warm fingertips trace my cheek, winding round to cup my head as she leans down and brings her lips to my hairline, holding me close. "You know how much this hurts me, too. But if you had managed to poison him, don't you think the royal doctors would have been able to figure out how it happened? It could ruin everything we've been working toward. They could increase the King's security. Stop us from seeing him. Even cancel the Moon Ball. Not to mention what the King would do to punish you."
Tears sting my eyes. "I—I didn't think about any of that. I just... I couldn't bear the idea of having to go through with it. Even once."
Sighing, Wren laces her arms around me, hugging me tighter. "Oh, Lei. Of course not. I'm so sorry. If there was anything, anything I could have done, any way to save you tonight..." Pulling back, she scans my face. "Do you want to talk about it?"
It.
Such a tiny word for everything contained within.
I squeeze my eyelids, trying to expel the images from them. But I know that no matter how hard I try, what happened tonight is going to stay with me forever. The shamans might have healed my bruises, but the King's brutality is still all over me. It lives in my skin.
It breathes in my bones.
More than anyone, I know how some wounds can stay hidden and yet still be felt so keenly, day after day, year after year.
"Not yet," I tell Wren eventually.
She takes my hands. "Well, when and if you need to, I'll be here."
I nod. Then, eager to change the subject, I ask, "What are we going to do about the herbs? Maybe I can get them back. I'll go back to the King's chambers, make up some excuse—"
"No." Wren stops me. "It'll only make them suspicious. And I'm not letting you go anywhere near that monster." She looks away, forehead puckered, then nods. "I'll get word to Kenzo. He should be able to get to them before the King."
"You think so?"
Her lips curve into a half smile. "It's Kenzo. He'll find a way."
I try to return her smile, but the tuck of my lips is wrong and all I can do is grimace. Then her words just a couple of minutes ago echo back to me.
"The Moon Ball," I say. "Isn't that the party the King is hosting to celebrate the New Year?"
Wren nods. "What about it?"
"You said you're worried they might cancel it." Her expression stiffens, and suddenly I understand. All this while we've been sitting on my sleeping mat, close enough to whisper, but now I shift back, my voice hollow. "That's when it's to happen, isn't it? You've been given the order."
She looks down, long lashes hiding her eyes. "Kenzo told me when he brought you back earlier. Everything's in place."
"The New Year is less than four weeks away," I choke out. I let out a dull, humorless laugh. "Did you know it's my birthday then, too? Some present you're giving me, Wren. You'd better not die, too, or it'll all be too much."
I mean it as a joke, even if it is a twisted one. But her jaw sets and her eyes flick away, and in that moment I know.
"Oh, gods." I scramble to my feet, something wild racking through me. Wren reaches out, but I back into the wall, shaking my head, my ears rushing with the whoosh of blood, the deep pulsation of my heartbeat. "Tell me there's an escape plan, Wren. Tell me they're going to get you out."
She falters. "They'll do their best."
Neither of us moves as the morning gong rings. Footsteps and voices began to spill into the corridor. The normalcy of it seems absurd, obscene even. How can the world still tick simply by when this beautiful girl is admitting her fate to me, when I can still feel the pain of the King's fury imprinted upon my body?
How can we just go back to that life, knowing what we know now?
Feeling the way we do now?
"You think you're going to get caught," I say, not taking my eyes from Wren's.
"Lei—"
"Tell me the truth! You think there's no hope of you getting out. That they'll capture you once you've killed him."
Something in her face slackens. After a beat, she whispers, "Yes."
The word cleaves me, splits me straight in two.
"That's why you didn't want to tell me. You knew what was going to... you didn't... didn't want to hurt me..."
She gives a tiny nod.
My breath rattles through me, almost painful, but I force myself to draw another. Then another. And with each new inhale the fire returns to me—the red flames that burned through my bloodstream when I walked into the King's chambers last night, the boldness of my love for Wren that sings in our veins every time we're pressed skin to skin, our hearts racing each other.
I recall Mama's saying: Light in, darkness out.
Perhaps it works another way, too.
Fire in, fear out.
"Let me help," I say steadily. I take a step forward. "You're going to kill the King, and I'm going to help you do it."
Wren tenses. "I told you the other night. No."
"Yes." I close the distance between us, my fingers sliding between hers. "When the world denies you choices," I say, echoing her words to me that night in the rain-filled garden all those weeks ago, "you make your own." I keep my eyes fixed on hers. "This is my choice. The King hasn't just harmed me and you. Think of all the Paper castes he has his soldiers capture as slaves and kill as easily, as if we weren't even human. All the families and lives they tear apart. Just like they did with ours." I grip her tighter. "I don't know how much longer I can bear it. So I'm going to help you, and then we're getting out of here—alive."
Her lips press. "Lei—"
"He gave the orders, Wren." My voice catches. "He told me. It was him who ordered the soldiers to raid my village." The wet kiss of a tear tracks my cheek. "How many others has he ordered? How many more families have been broken the way mine was? I can't take it anymore. I can't just keep sitting here doing nothing."
More tears flow. Releasing my hands, Wren cups my face to thumb my tears away, her dark eyes soft. Then she draws me to her. We kiss slow and deep, a kiss I feel from the very tips of my toes to the core of my being. A kiss I feel in my soul. And for a few moments we get a glimpse of what the future could be like for us—to be with each other, free, with no fear that our love might get us killed.
When I was young, my parents used to kneel by my sleeping mat at bedtime and tell me stories from the Ikharan Mae Scripts, the myths about how our world was born. According to the Scripts, the sky began as a sea of light. There were no distinctions between stars or moon or clouds. Everything was white.
Then Zhokka, Harbinger of Night, came.
He was jealous of the sky's brightness. Zhokka was originally an earth god, and he hated how he could see the sky gods dancing high up above, bathed in light. He wanted that light for himself, but also to take it away from them. So he gathered an army of creatures from the darkest parts of the earth and brought them to the sky.
The battle is supposed to have lasted over a hundred years. The sky gods fought valiantly, but Zhokka and his dark army finally defeated them, and as a victory prize Zhokka swallowed all the light of the sky. Now there was only darkness.
But Zhokka had been careless. With no light left, he didn't see Ahla, the Moon Goddess, creeping up on him. She'd fled when she saw he would win the battle, and had been waiting for the right moment to return. Taking her powerful crescent-form, she lanced herself through the darkness at Zhokka and split a huge, grinning gash through his face, blinding him in the process.
Some of the light he'd swallowed managed to escape through this tear, and these returned to their beloved sky as the stars. And for the rest of eternity, Zhokka is doomed to roam the galaxies, searching blindly for Ahla to take his revenge.
The story comes back to me now as Wren and I hold each other. I always wondered what that night-filled abyss looked like before Ahla cut Zhokka open. I could never quite picture it. But tonight I finally understand how it would have felt.
The King is Zhokka, swallowing everything. And Wren is Ahla—the moon, the light, the only one who knows how to bring the stars back to my sky.
"I'm going to help," I tell her when we finally draw apart. "I'm going to help you kill him."
And this time she agrees. |
There is an old proverb in our kingdom: "He who seeks revenge should dig two graves." I've already prepared to dig the Demon King's. The other is for the girl I used to be. The girl who was sleepwalking through her time here until she fell in love, until she had her eyes opened to the world beyond her walls. The girl who accused Aoki of falling for the King, for being seduced by palace life, when she, too, was embracing it.
Well, no more embracing.
No more sleepwalking.
I don't want an easy life. I want a meaningful one.
Now that I know what they're planning, Wren involves me in her secret meetings with Kenzo. It takes some convincing on Wren's part, especially because Kenzo narrowly missed getting caught when he went to the King's chambers to retrieve the poisonous herbs I'd left there. But the wolf eventually concedes, deciding that my role as a Paper Girl can be useful as a distraction while Wren gets the King alone. While it's not much, I'm pleased to be able to do anything to help. The smoother everything goes at the ball, the better Wren's chance to come away safely will be.
Every few nights, we wrap up in furs and overcoats and head into the forest, listening to news Kenzo has brought from the court—changes to the guest list for the Moon Ball, more signs that the Sickness is worsening, outbursts of rebellion in more of the provinces. Anything that could affect the plan. And though our everyday routine as Paper Girls continues as normal, I float through it with a kind of absent focus, tired from our midnight excursions but also too fixed on the approaching New Year to concentrate on much else. It's taken the form of a color in my mind—the brightest, sharpest white, like light catching the edge of a blade.
In a few weeks' time, I'll be at the Moon Ball, distracting the King's guards as best as I can while Wren steals him away to bury a knife in his heart.
One morning Lill says, "Not long now, Mistress."
She's in the middle of fixing my hair into its usual bun. I start, causing her fingers to tangle.
"What—what do you mean?"
"Your Birth-blessing pendant," she clarifies with a frown. "Isn't it your birthday on the New Year?"
I follow her gaze to the shrine in the corner of my room. Because we're not allowed to wear jewelry during our lessons, ever since coming to the palace I've kept my Birth-blessing pendant there, hanging from an unlit stack of joss sticks. It seems like another thing from the life of the girl I used to be. Something else to bury with her.
"Is there something you're hoping for?" Lill asks.
"Anything involving cake," I reply, and she laughs.
But the truth is I know exactly what sort of fate I hope to find within my pendant, and it's one that life within the palace walls could never offer me.
Freedom.
When there's less than two weeks to go, Wren and I sneak out to the clearing in the woods. I'm expecting for us to meet Kenzo as usual, but he isn't here.
"He's not coming tonight," she tells me. "This is something for just you and me to work on."
It's a still winter's night. The forest is wrapped in silence, the trees towering around us, shifting drops of moonlight filtering in through the canopy overhead. The air is cool with the promise of snow. The screech of some night bird cuts suddenly through the quiet, and I start, grabbing my fur shawl tighter around me.
"That," Wren says with a smile, "is what we're going to try to deal with."
"What do you mean?"
"You need to be prepared in case there's any trouble on the night. Kenzo's going to get a weapon to you—something small, easy to conceal. But in case you lose it, or for whatever reason he can't get it to you, you're going to have to know how to defend yourself without it. Have you ever had any martial arts training?"
I arch a brow. "What do you think?"
"Well, we only have a couple of weeks. We're just going to have to dive in."
Wren shifts into position, knees bent, arms raised, palms open. I'm just about to copy her because it seems that's what I'm supposed to do, when she lunges forward and strikes her right hand at my head.
I clamp my eyes shut, expecting a flare of pain. When it doesn't come, I inch my eyes open to find her hand hovering by my head. She draws back.
"How—how did you do that?" I gulp.
The corner of her lips tuck up, but her face is serious. "I'm one of the Xia, remember? I won't hurt you, Lei. I promise. But you have to act like this is a real battle."
"Sure," I mutter. "Let me just recollect the last time I was at war."
"It's a bit like what Master Tekoa teaches us," Wren continues, ignoring my quip. "You want to access your most natural instincts and allow them to control you without you having to think about it too much."
"If someone is coming at my head with their fist, my natural instinct is to run as fast as I can in the opposite direction."
After a moment, she asks, quiet, "Is it?"
The stillness of the forest seems to draw in. Wren moves closer, boots crunching on the frosted grass. Our breaths form clouds in the air.
"Think about all the times you've fought against what's been happening to you. I told you that night when the King had you locked up. You're brave, Lei. Braver than you think. You fought him then, and you've fought him since, and I know you are strong enough for whatever is coming next."
I drop my eyes, bunching my hands at my sides. "It wasn't enough. Not that night."
Even though Wren has made it clear she's willing to listen, I still haven't spoken to her about what happened in the King's chambers. I'd been close a few times, lying in her arms in one of our rooms, wrapped safely in the velvet darkness. But my thoughts never seemed to form into a language I could share. The only time we touched on it was the first time I was to see the King after that night, at a dinner a week later. She'd asked me how I felt; if maybe I wanted to feign sickness to try to get out of it. That she'd help me do the same if he called for me again. But somehow I know he won't.
At least, not for a while.
The King likes to prove his power, yes. But he's shown me his insecurities enough times for me to know that he also wants to be adored and admired. And he knows that those are two things he can never force from me.
Wren twines her fingers through mine, my numb skin tingling at their warmth. "You're stronger now," she says. "You're prepared. And you're not in this alone." She squeezes my hand. "Do you remember the day of the Unveiling Ceremony? Our maids got us ready together, and afterward you asked me—"
"How I looked," I interrupt dully. "I remember."
She loosens a long exhale, wrapping us in a cloud of hazy white. "I'm sorry for what I said then. I was so adamant when I first got here to not let any of you in. To not let any of you want to." She pulls me closer. "But when I saw you later in your dress, I couldn't help it. I had to tell you what I thought, because I understood then."
My brow furrows. "Understood what?"
Wren smiles. "You. The dresses were made to represent us based on the results of our assessments," she explains. "Mine was everything I've been trained to be. Strong, without compromise. Unforgiving. I knew what yours meant the minute I saw you. Your dress showed me that you had strength, but softness, too. A sense of loyalty, but not without fairness. Fight, and mercy. Things I wasn't allowed to feel. Things I didn't know how badly I needed." She brings her fingertips to my cheeks, lacing them through the tangles of my hair. "I knew from that moment that I would fall in love with you. And for a long time, I did everything I could to resist it. But you made it impossible."
With a sigh, I tuck my chin, nestling into her. Her heart thuds strong and steady against my cheek.
"Lei," she says softly into my hair, "we can do this another night if you're not up to it..."
"No," I say, drawing back. "Now."
Gathering a long inhale, I picture all the memories associated with that night with the King turning into little knives in my veins.
Fire in, fear out.
My hands bunch into fists. "All right—come at me."
The words are barely out of my mouth when she leaps back. With a spin, she slices the side of her hand toward my middle. This time, I'm a little better prepared. I manage to jolt out of the way, though she comes for me again a beat later and has to hold back, her open palm seconds away from cuffing my shoulder.
"Give me a chance!" I say, panting, but Wren moves again, this time lashing out for me with her leg.
She arcs it in a low sweep along the floor, catching my feet, and I fall back, letting out a puff of air as I land heavily on the mossy ground.
She rolls on top of me.
"I thought you weren't going to hurt me!" I groan.
She flashes a smile. "I only did that so I could do this."
Her mouth lowers to mine. A familiar heat fizzes along my veins as we kiss, tongue to tongue, lips to lips, our arms laced around each other. I slowly forget about the frozen ground beneath me, the eerie sounds of the forest replaced by the rustle of our clothes and bodies as we cling to each other, our kiss deepening.
Though flashes of that night still come to me every time Wren and I have touched since, and she's been careful to only take it further when I've made it clear that's what I want, there's something slightly different about our intimacy now. Still, each time it gets a little easier to stay in the moment, and right now I allow myself to let go. To lose myself in lips and sensation and heat and love.
We're both panting when we finally draw apart.
"Does every shifu do this with their students?" I say, breathless. "If so, then sign me up."
Wren gets to her feet, holding out a hand to help me up. "I can give you as many lessons as you like when we're out of here. But for now, we need to concentrate. I did that to get you fired up. To remind you how naturally you can move your body. You need to home in on that same passion when fighting." Then she's lashing at me again, spinning round with a high arc of her leg.
I flail back a split-second before impact. "Aiyah! At least go easy on me."
She doesn't smile. "I am."
Forty minutes later—though it feels like hundreds—I'm doubled over, gasping for air, a stitch winding up one side. I've just managed to counter one of Wren's attacks properly for the first time, ducking out of the way of her right leg as it kicked high toward my head, and knocking into her with my shoulder. It barely shifts her, and she lands easily. But still. It's a hit.
"That was great!" she says. "Really good!"
"Thanks," I mutter between gulps of air.
Wren closes the gap between us. She tugs my face up, smiling. "I mean it, Lei. You're so much stronger than I could ever be."
I roll my eyes. "What are you talking about? You're the warrior."
"Only because it's all I've known. I've grown up learning this, how to fight and be brave. You've had to find it within yourself, all on your own. That's real courage." She looks away, her voice growing quiet. "You know, it's not too late to back out. I'd understand."
I slide my arms around her waist. "Well, I wouldn't. I'm in this now, Wren. I'm all in."
Her eyes flick back to me, widening—warming—with the double meaning behind my words. I love you. The phrase hovers on my lips then, three words, three simple trips of the tongue. But ever since that night when we first admitted how we felt, I still haven't spoken them to her. However brave Wren believes me to be, I'm not yet brave enough for that. So instead I press my mouth against hers, hoping she can sense the words in my kiss and know that I mean them, that I love her and need her, and that I'm terrified for these weeks to end because our lives are about to change forever. And some part of me can't shake the premonition that it's not going to be in the way we're hoping. |
Preparations for the new year begin the day before the Moon Ball.
As soon as we wake, we're herded into carriages and taken to a bathhouse in Royal Court. It's an impressive four stories, a large central room divided into various areas, the upper tiers circled with balconies decorated with colored silks. I pick up familiar scents in the clouds of steam—calendula, mulberry, passionflower. Homesickness tugs so firmly on my soul that it actually hurts. I could close my eyes and I'd be back there, working in the shop with Baba and Tien, Bao barking and the mixing pots bubbling away.
By some unwritten rule, Wren and I haven't discussed what will happen after we escape. It would be too much like tempting fate, and from the way the gods have played with me so far, that's not a bet I'm willing to make. But alongside being with Wren, the only thing I really want is to go back to Xienzo and reunite with my family. Maybe we could even make a life there with them. Our little unit has been shattered so many times, but we've proven we have the strength to heal. To make something new and beautiful from the sum of our broken parts.
We're led to an enormous tub in the middle of the bathhouse. Water pours in from a waterfall-like feature, filling the air with its rich bubbling. Three black-robed royal shamans bless the water. Then, one by one, we step inside as they chant a dao, settling a soft, golden magic on our skin. The ceremony is to symbolize purification, helping us shed this year's sins before we enter the new one.
I stifle a grim laugh when it's my turn. If only they knew what Wren and I are planning. The only thing this bath is helping me shed is the ache in my muscles from our midnight training sessions.
Back at Paper House, we spend the next few hours having meetings with the court's most trusted fortune-tellers, qi doctors, and diviners. The New Year marks the halfway point in our year as Paper Girls. The results of these assessments will shape our training next year as we prepare to move from being the King's concubines to our next roles in the palace. Or in Wren's case and mine, they would have, were we staying in the palace.
I cross Wren in the corridor as our maids lead us between rooms for the final assessment of the day. She gives me a knowing smile that lights my heart up in an instant. As we pass she turns her hand so it brushes against mine, almost like a kiss.
By the time our assessments are over, night has fallen. The grounds are cloaked in darkness, the stars hidden. As Lill changes me for dinner, I gaze out the window, an uneasy feeling rippling through me.
Tomorrow.
That's it. Just one more day.
"Are you all right, Mistress?" Lill asks, fixing an ornament in my hair with deft fingers.
I shrug. "Just nervous for tomorrow's ball, I guess."
"Well, don't be. I heard the King has arranged a surprise for you!"
Despite her grin, her words make me cold. It's the worst possible time for surprises. Whatever the King's organized, I'm sure I won't like it. The only thing we have in common is that we both defend what's ours, and tomorrow night I'm going to prove it to him.
When I arrive at Madam Himura's suite twenty minutes later, one of her maids leads me out into the courtyard. A canopy of twinkling lights stretches overhead. At the center of the garden, the pavilion has been hung with heavy velvet curtains to keep out the cold. As I step inside, my eyes sweep the group for Wren. She isn't here yet. Instead, Aoki catches my eyes. She looks a bit panicked, and she opens her lips to mouth something at me, but before she's able to, Madam Himura waves me to a seat next to Blue.
"Now that we're all here," the eagle-woman says in her usual croak, "I want to go over tomorrow's proceedings. In the morning—"
"Aren't we waiting for Wren?" I interrupt.
The table falls quiet.
Madam Himura's head swivels in my direction. "We," she responds sharply with a flash of her bright yellow eyes, "are not waiting for anyone."
I blink. "What do you mean?"
"Wren-zhi has had to leave the palace."
My stomach gives a dull kick. The ground seems to take a careening slope underneath me. A high-pitched ringing enters my brain.
"Her mother has been killed," Madam Himura continues. "The King has ordered her to return to her family. It's uncertain when she'll be returning."
I gape at her. "What?"
Just then, Aoki jerks forward, knocking a glass of plum wine to the floor. Half of it splashes onto Chenna, who jolts back with a cry. A maid rushes over to clean the mess as Madam Himura shrieks at Aoki and Zhen, who was next to Chenna, who yanks the hem of her dress away from the spreading amber puddle. Amid the chaos, I breathe raggedly. My heart hammers painfully against my ribs. I know Aoki was trying to stop me before I said something that would have given me away or Madam Himura punished me for insolence, but though the rest of the girls are focused on the fuss at the table, next to me, Blue is still.
She watches me from the corner of her ink-black eyes. There's a knowing twist to her lips, and after a few moments she leans in close, cheek grazing mine, and hisses, just for me to hear, "So that's your dirty little secret. Won't the King be shocked to learn what you've been up to all this time?"
I don't know how I make it through dinner. Somehow I manage it, though I almost throw up a few times, and not from the raw fish we're served as part of more tiring New Year purification symbolism. As soon as Madam Himura permits us to leave, I get up from the table without meeting any of the girls' questioning looks and stagger back to my room.
"What's wrong?" Lill asks as I burst through the doorway, shaking.
I don't answer her. I lurch to the window and collapse against it, gulping in breaths, but the air is clotted, like curdled milk, and no matter how much I gasp I can't seem to fill my lungs. Lill tries her best to calm me. When nothing she says or does works, she even brings me a cup of sweet, milky teh tarik from the kitchens, but the sugar just spikes my nerves.
When she finally manages to get me to lie down, I'm shivering all over. "Please try to rest, Mistress," she pleads. "There's nothing to be nervous about. It's just a ball."
I close my eyes, feigning tiredness. But the minute she's gone, I shove back the blankets and get to my feet, pacing the short length of my room.
One more day. That's all that was left. One more day to keep our secrets. One more day and we were out of here.
We were going to be free.
Now Wren is gone, and all the years of careful planning and preparation have been ruined in just a handful of hours. And Blue—Blue—knows about the two of us. She could tell the King any moment now and that would be it. All my actions with him would confirm it. He'd know. He'd know, and my beautiful, ferocious-eyed assassin won't be around to take him down before he can punish us for it.
A thought comes to me, so painful I actually gag.
The next time I see Wren could be at our own execution.
I recall the last time I saw her. The brush of our hands in the corridor, just a second of contact. How can that go down as our last moment together? How can that be our last touch?
My room is too suffocating to stay in any longer. Without Wren here, I go to the room of the only other person in the palace I fully trust.
Aoki rubs her eyes as I shake her awake. "Lei?" she mumbles, her voice thick with sleep. "What's happening? What's wrong?"
"I can't sleep," I say.
Yawning, she sits up and opens her fur blanket. She drapes it around my shoulders as I nestle in beside her. She smells like sleep, like softness and safety, and I release a long exhale, leaning against her in silence. It reminds me of when I used to snuggle in with my parents when I had a nightmare. The thought that just a few hours ago I was so hopeful that I'd make it home lances me afresh, and I grind my teeth together to stop the tears.
Aoki wraps her arms round her legs, propping her cheek on her knees to look sideways at me. "I'm so sorry about Wren's mother. Do you know if they were close?"
It takes me a moment to untangle her question from Wren's original Xia family. She's talking about the Hannos, of course.
"I'm not sure," I admit. Wren has always spoken far more about Ketai Hanno than his wife. "I don't think so."
"Still, it must be awful." After a beat, she goes on carefully, "The King is close with the Hannos. I'm sure he'll do everything to look after Wren and her family."
"They're Paper castes, Aoki."
"And still one of his most trusted clans. You know, he even gave them a special guard made up of his own soldiers?"
"Maybe one of those guards was the killer," I snap before I can stop it.
Aoki winces. "I know you're upset, but what you're saying is—"
"Possible? Likely?"
"The King and the Hannos have always supported each other, Lei. Why would they turn on each other now?"
Because maybe the King suspects what the Hannos are planning. Maybe Wren's mother was murdered by the King's men to send a message to them. Or maybe, if he believes Wren to be involved, he had her mother killed as a way of getting her out of the palace. A death in the family is one of the only reasons a Paper Girl is allowed to take leave.
But I keep my thoughts to myself.
I walk out of Aoki's room half an hour later, feeling even worse than before. My mind is reeling, and I'm so distracted I don't notice the figure in my room until it's too late.
A fur-covered hand clamps across my mouth.
"Not a word," growls a low, husky voice. |
Kenzo doesn't let me go until we're outside, cloaked in the darkness of the gardens. His bronze eyes fix on my own as he glares down at me, waiting as I gulp in air, recovering. Our breaths spiral in the frozen air. It takes me a moment to notice that he's wearing silk robes, his marbled wolf's coat combed and slick. He must have come straight from the King's pre–Moon Ball banquet.
"You scared me!" I hiss at him once I'm able to speak.
"I'm sorry," he says, though his expression remains hard. "It was the only way I could get you alone. I was meant to meet Wren to finalize the plans for tomorrow. Then I heard the news. I waited as long as I could before coming to find you."
I blink. "Find... me?"
"The plan has to go ahead, Lei. Wren won't be able to return in time, but everything else is ready. You are going to have to kill the King in her place."
There's a pause.
Then I laugh. "You can't be serious."
"I am deadly serious," he replies, a growl deep in his throat.
"Look," I say, lifting my hands and taking a step back, "I want to help, but—"
"You didn't expect to have to get your hands dirty?"
My mouth snaps shut. "I didn't expect to be the one to do it. Last time I checked I wasn't a lost member of the Xia trained since birth to be a secret warrior-assassin-goddess."
Wind catches my hair, making it dance. I clutch my night robe tighter around me. The air is as frosted as the ground, and the flimsy material of my nightdress isn't much protection from the cold. But Kenzo doesn't seem to notice. I suppose having fur makes you forget how vulnerable bare skin can be.
He regards me impassively with his bright wolf eyes. "We can adapt the plan," he suggests eventually.
I goggle at him. "Adapt the..."
"All the elements are in place. You'll be taking over Wren's role, which you're already familiar with. Being able to get the King alone, for him to let his guard down—that's the important part. That's why Wren had to spend this time cultivating a relationship with him. Only a Paper Girl can kill him without us risking our position in the court or exposing our involvement." He pauses, something gentler in his look when he adds, "You have motive enough. It will look like a passion crime."
"But Wren will be coming back, won't she? She'll come back and then we can try again."
Kenzo shakes his head. "There's no time." Even with his voice lowered, it still has bite. He moves nearer to grip me by the shoulders and I brace at the sensation of demon hands on me. They're so large they easily span the space from my neck to where my arms start to slope down. Memories jolt through me from that night with the King. Noticing my discomfort, Kenzo lets me go, but he stays close. "Listen to me, Lei. It has taken us years—Wren's entire lifetime—to reach this point. You know how much we've sacrificed for this. We're so close. If we don't act now, we might not get another chance."
I hug my arms across my chest, shivering. "What—what do you mean?"
"The King has been growing suspicious. I fear the Hannos are losing influence over him. Since the assassination attempt, he's been hungry for retribution, to catch the court members who helped them. He knows there are those in the palace who'd betray him. I believe he's starting to look at me as one of them."
"But I thought you're one of his most trusted advisers."
"I am." Kenzo's lip curls, a wolfish gesture, his ears flicking forward. "And it's been many hard years to get there. But recently, the King hasn't been so receptive to what I've been advising. The Sickness is getting worse, and he's convinced it's because of the gods. That they're punishing him for being a weak ruler. He's been pushing ever more aggressive tactics to try to demonstrate his might."
I nod. "He told me the same."
"It hasn't been easy," Kenzo continues, rubbing a hand at the side of his neck, mussing his smoothed-down fur. "I've been trying to advise him differently, but I need to maintain my cover. It sickens me to think of all the deaths I'm aiding." He turns his face away jerkily and lets out a cold laugh. "You know, there are official royal executioners. By ordering me, Naja, and Ndeze to do their work that day, the King was sending a clear message—do not cross me. Look at what happens to those who do."
I squeeze myself tighter. "If he's suspicious of your loyalty, why hasn't he confronted you yet?"
"Because he understands the benefit in keeping his enemies close. Do you know how the Hannos even came to be aligned with him?"
I shake my head.
"They were one of the strongest clans in Ikhara before the Bull King's ascension two hundred years ago," Kenzo explains. "They occupied the entire Han territory. That's where they get their name—from the two ancient families in the region, the Hans and the Nos. The Bull King was originally from Jana, from a tiny trading post village in the southern deserts. He had no influence over Han. He was only able to take control because the Hannos were supporters of equality between demons and humans. They welcomed immigrant clans and were keen to develop bonds between all castes. By all accounts, the Bull King impressed them with his intelligence and ambition, and he rose quickly through their ranks. And what were the Hannos rewarded with?" Kenzo's nostrils flare as he lets out a hard puff of air. "Betrayal. The Bull King used his influence on the Hannos' rule to empower the demon castes, manipulating them, making them hungry for control, then used their power to overtake their court."
My eyes go wide. "And the Hannos still made an alliance with him after all that?"
"The Night War was devastating for Paper castes, Lei. We've all heard the stories passed down by our ancestors. Years of cooperation and partnership with demons, eradicated in an instant. Of course, there has always been conflict between clans. But now there was a force uniting the demon clans, giving them reason to forge alliances and maintain peace between their groups in order to hold power over Paper castes. You yourself have experienced this force firsthand. I am sure that the last thing the Hannos wanted was to pledge their allegiance to the very demon who betrayed them. But the clan needed time to recover, and Ketai's forbears understood that they needed the King's support in this new world. That they could later use his power as their own. So they went to him, groveling." A growl rises in Kenzo's throat. "How could the King resist the sight of his enemies, made to kneel at his feet like beggars?"
"But he knew what he'd done to them," I say, absently pushing aside the windblown hair from my face. "Didn't he worry they'd end up betraying him, too?"
Kenzo releases a rough laugh. "An arrogant warlord like him? I bet he didn't think of it once. All he saw was a chance to use their connections among the human clans. Look at the trouble the King is facing now. Winning a war is the easy part. All it takes is brawn. Maintaining your rule afterward is the real test."
I stare. "So the Hannos have been planning their revenge for two hundred years?"
"How many years would you wait for revenge against those who stole your kingdom from you?" Kenzo's bronze eyes fix me to the spot. "Who tore down what you had so patiently been building? Who slaughtered hundreds of thousands of your kind, and laughed while doing it?" The hatred in his voice is as powerful as thunder; it rolls through the air between us and into my bloodstream, an electric vibration that charges my whole body. He adds, quieter, but just as fiercely, "I'd wait a lifetime to gain my revenge against someone who hurt just one person I love. For an entire kingdom of them?"
I think of Mama.
Of Wren.
Kenzo watches me. "Two hundred years doesn't seem so long now, does it?"
"But... what happens after? Once they've had their revenge? If that's what it's all about—"
"Of course it's not. By all accounts, the Hannos were genuinely open to seeing how this King's rule developed. Along with needing to recover their military strength, I'm sure that was another factor in their waiting so long. But the Demon King's regime only proved to them the importance of claiming back the throne. Now, with the Sickness and greater rebel activity than ever before, the King's rule has grown even harsher. And not just for Paper castes."
He turns jerkily away, staring into the darkness. When Kenzo looks back, there's something sad and almost broken in his eyes, which makes me wonder if there's a story behind his words, what memories might be haunting him.
"Is that why you're helping the Hannos?" I ask. "Something happened to make you turn against the King?"
"Yes," he answers simply. He looks down at me through narrowed eyes. "Wren told me you're from a rural village in Xienzo. Maybe it's hard for you to understand, coming from somewhere so peaceful."
I take a shaky inhale, harden my gaze. "We were attacked by the King's men seven years ago. They took my mother."
"So you know what it's like to have a loved one stolen from you," the wolf says. With surprising tenderness, he reaches for my hands. His huge, pawlike hands easily swallow mine, but unlike his touch earlier, it's comforting this time, almost brotherly. The way he is with Wren. He comes closer, the earthy scent of him unfurling from his ash-gray coat, ruffled now from the wintry wind. "Wren trusts you, Lei. She believes in you, and that means we all do. Will you do this for us? Will you kill the King?"
And even though it terrifies me—even though all I want is for a laughing Wren to come out behind a bush to tell me this is all some crazy, horrid joke—there's no hesitation when I answer.
"Yes. I will."
Kenzo blows out a forceful exhale. Lowering his head, he brings the backs of my hands to his forehead in a light press and murmurs huskily, "Thank you, Lei. Eighty times, thank you."
"On one condition."
He looks up.
"My father and Tien are protected from any punishment should..." I swallow. "Should it go wrong."
"Of course. We'll look after them, whatever happens. You have my word."
I nod. Then I take a ragged breath. "Well. I guess it's settled, then."
In an instant, Kenzo's furred fingers wrap around my own, as though closing the promise into my skin. "Come," he says, and tugs me in the direction of the forest. Though I stumble to keep up with his long, loping gait, he doesn't slow. "Time to show me what you've learned from Wren."
The clearing is hushed, the heaviness of the cloudless night pressing down on us like one of the sky gods' mighty hands. Kenzo draws me into the center, and I think he's going to say something—I've just agreed to murdering the King, after all. But just like that first time with Wren, the swing of his fist takes me entirely by surprise.
I yelp, scooting back just in time. "Wait—"
He cuts me off with a spinning kick, the whir of his foot as it passes overhead making me flinch.
"The King will not wait," he growls.
"Don't you think I know that? At least give me a moment to prepa—"
He interrupts me with a thrusting punch to the gut. His pointed fingers catch me right in the middle, the contact throwing me off balance. I fall over, more out of shock than anything, a sharp exhale escaping my lips as I land painfully on my tailbone.
"Wren never hit me!" I shout up at him, rubbing my spine.
Kenzo's lips pull back in a wolfish snarl. "But the King will." Still, he holds out a hand, helping me to my feet. "This time tomorrow, you'll be alone with him. And unlike us, the King will not go easy on you. He will not hold back. You have to be prepared for what that will be like. The minute he realizes what you are doing, he'll retaliate. It'll take everything you have to stay alive."
I jut my chin, glowering. "Why did you even ask me, then, if you think I don't stand a chance?"
"I don't think that. It's just that your chance is slim. But this is how the earth and heavens work. How they have always worked. All that is needed for anything to happen is for someone—god or mortal, demon or man—to see that slim chance, and take it."
He fiddles with the tie at his waist, pulling up the hem of his shirt to reveal a leather band slung above his hips. Fixed to the belt is a short sword. I get a glimpse of a delicately engraved jade hilt before Kenzo's fingers close around it. The metallic song of the blade as he pulls it free from the scabbard sets my teeth on edge, reminding me of that night under the theater, the moment the assassin drew his blade on Wren.
The moment so many things changed.
"All court members carry a dagger like this one," Kenzo says. He holds it out for me to examine. "Including the King."
I finger the edge of the blade. The thought of it piercing the King's skin—digging in through muscle and tendon, spilling blood—seems unreal, something out of a dream.
Stowing the dagger, Kenzo steps back. "Take it from me," he says, and splays his arms.
My first few attempts are pitiful. I comprehend now just how easy Wren was being on me. Kenzo offers no such exemptions. He bats me roughly away every time I get close and attacks back at a relentless pace. In just a few minutes I'm sweating despite the cold, my panting breaths fogging the air. I can feel bruises beginning to flower under my skin.
"Maybe you were right," he says after my latest attempt has me sprawled on the ground where he threw me—and not lightly.
I clamber to my feet, massaging the cramp in my side. "What do you mean?"
"Maybe it is hopeless. We should have asked one of the other girls. Any of them would do a better job than you."
"I know what you're doing," I shoot back.
He cocks his head. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Wren got me fired up, too. But at least she did it with kisses."
Something twitches across his lips. "Would that work?"
I grin, half manic with exhaustion, and he returns it, his wolfish mouth widening, until both of us break into laughter, Kenzo with his head thrown back and me doubled over, clutching my belly. The noise is jagged and wild in the wintry hush of the forest. We laugh harder than his joke warrants. Tears fill my eyes, and suddenly I'm not laughing anymore. When Kenzo sees this, he hesitates, a tender look crossing his eyes, and it's this that reminds me so strongly of Wren—of the way she looks at me right before a kiss, or right after, open and vulnerable and full of hope—that before I even realize what I'm doing I'm lurching forward.
Kenzo reacts a second too slow. For the first time, my hands make contact. I push him back, clinging onto his rough fur as he grabs my collar to prize me off. With a grimace, I butt the heel of my right hand into his neck. At the same time, I bring my knee between his legs, and as he slackens, I tug aside his robes and wrap my fingers round the hilt of the knife.
I tumble off him, laughing again now, holding the blade up to the sky. "I did it!" I shout. My voice breaks. I swipe a sleeve across my face, and though the tears don't stop, I keep laughing anyway, the knife lifted high in my shaking fist. "I—I did it."
Kenzo gives me a half smile just as humorless as my laughter. "Yes. You did." His furred hand wrapping around my own, he brings the point of the blade to rest at the soft underbelly of his neck. "But do not forget the last part. Right here, Lei. This is where you aim tomorrow." He squeezes my fingers, the engraved edges of the jade hilt digging into my skin. "Push the blade deep, and do not stop." |
The eve of the new year, the palace is transformed. Decorations have been going up in all the courts. I'm kept busy as a small army of maids prepare me for the ball, but Lill manages to sneak me outside for a few minutes to see what's been going on. A tidal wave of scarlet and gold appears to have stormed through the palace. Women's Court is on fire, vibrant ribbons and streamers adorning every building. Lanterns of all shapes and sizes hang from the eaves, along with strings of copper coins, glinting as they turn in the breeze. Bowls of offerings filled with kumquats and stacks of succulent peaches and clementines sit on porches. Cracked mirrors to ward off evil spirits have been set beside every doorway, a New Year's superstition that we also followed back in Xienzo.
Lill tells me the King lent royal shamans to each court to infuse magic into some of the decorations. She points out a giant paper crane, symbolic of good fortune and longevity, that has been erected in a courtyard across the street. The bird is at least fifteen feet tall. Its garnet beak glitters in the winter sun. As we watch, it stretches its great wings, paper feathers rustling.
I lace my arm round her shoulders and smile down at her. My eyes sting. I blink quickly to keep the tears away. "Thank you, Lill," I say thickly. "For everything."
The smile she returns me is so wide and trusting I have to look away.
Over the next few hours, I, like the palace, am also transformed. My body is polished and oiled with an amberlike liquid containing flecks of gold that catch the light with every movement. Kohl rims my eyes, artfully smudged with bronze shadow; shimmering pearl-powder embellishes my cheeks. A pale paint is swept over my lips, enhancing the brightness of my irises. It's like putting on a mask, each dab of color, each stroke of a brush, and I imagine the paint as armor. My battle gear.
As they work, I visualize adding other, hidden layers onto my armor—all the reasons I am doing this.
What happened to Mama. What has happened to other mothers, other women and men and children of raids just like the one on my village. My love for Wren. My love for Aoki and even the other girls, and the hope that this can bring all of us freedom, along with every Paper caste slave. The executed assassins. On my second night in the palace, the woman who screamed at me a word I've been unable to forget since.
Dzarja.
It's not my own kin who I'll be betraying tonight.
And then, of course, the final reason: a night, just a few weeks ago.
A night I will never allow to be repeated.
Once my makeup is complete, the maids arrange my hair into a plaited bun at the nape of my neck, twined through with beads and tiny yellow chrysanthemums, before dressing me in a vivid red cheongsam with long lace sleeves. It's so tight-fitting it pins my rib- cage in place.
I repress a mad laugh. Well, at least I'm dressed the part. Because what reputable assassin doesn't wear perfume and a slinky dress?
By the time the maids leave, night is falling. They file out slowly. I'm about to turn away when the last girl pauses in the doorway, fiddling with the hem of her dress. I go forward to help her—it must have caught on something—but as I bend down she pushes something into my palm.
"Good luck, Lei," she whispers, pewter eyes meeting mine. She bows and hurries away.
As soon as I'm alone, I open the silk-wrapped package. Lantern light catches on a thin blade, barely longer than a needle. Its lacquered bone has been made to look like a hair ornament. Carefully, I tuck it into the top of my thick braid with trembling fingers.
This is it, the last piece of my battle gear.
My weapon.
Before I leave, I go to the little shrine in the corner of my room and take my Birth-blessing pendant from where it's been hanging. I loop it around my neck. It's heavier than I remember. Just like I used to, I cup it in my palm, wondering what future it holds for me. But this time there is an additional question I've never had to ask myself before.
Will I even live to find out?
Aoki meets me outside Paper House. She's also dressed in red, as is tradition for New Year celebrations, delicate robes, as thin as moth wings. Her lips look sensual painted in a dark ruby color, and she seems so far from the nervous sixteen-year-old girl I met on that first night in the palace that I have to blink back a sudden rush of tears.
"The King won't be able to take his eyes off you," I tell her, and from her smile I can tell that for the first time, she truly believes it.
The journey to the Inner Courts flies by in a whirl of color and noise. Every street overflows with decorations. Music sifts through the air, dancers performing in twirling dresses, the bells on their anklets chiming. Children scream with laughter as they chase each other down the streets, scarily realistic origami masks of the heavenly rulers strapped across their faces. One of them dashes so close to my carriage the oryx veer quickly aside to avoid her. The little girl laughs, long hair streaming behind the angry red face of Nizri, Goddess of Chaos. She waves as she watches us go, but there's something creepy about the contrast of that light, high-pitched laugh with the furrowed leer of one of the most dangerous gods, and I shrink away from the window.
By the time we arrive at the Moon Ball my heart is beating so hard it physically shakes me. The tree-lined avenue is busy. As my palanquin waits in a long line of others, I check again that the pin is still in place. My fingers tremble so much that I almost unravel the whole fancy hairstyle my maids spent so long creating.
Outside, I join the rest of the guests as we're led toward a large round building made entirely of glass. Its domed roof sparkles with streams of tiny lights. A ring of enchanted gardens surrounds it, fireflies shimmering over the treetops. Mistress Eira told us earlier that the building is called the Floating Hall, and I see now why—because of the way it perches over a lake, held up by thin crystal columns rooted in the water, it looks like it's hovering in midair. The aquamarine glow from the lake below sends shifting ripples of color across the glass.
Inside, the hall is packed. For the New Year, all the guests are wearing red, but instead of looking celebratory it's like being swallowed by a sea of blood. Bodies press from every side. Music fills the domed space, rising over the buzz of voices.
I try to stay close to Aoki, but the wave of the crowd separates us. I end up getting shifted toward Blue and the twins.
"Beautiful dress, Lei," Zhin remarks, her sister nodding in agreement.
"Yours too," I say, distracted, barely glancing at what they're wearing. "Both of you."
Smiling, they turn away to greet someone else. As soon as their backs are turned, Blue wraps her hand round my wrist, pulling me close. Her fingers dig into my skin. "I know what you've been up to, Nine," she whispers. "You and Wren."
I wrench my arm away. "Please, Blue. Please don't tell anyone."
She laughs, her eyes wild. It takes me a few moments to realize what it is I'm seeing in them.
Triumph.
"You've already told him," I croak. The words stick in my throat. "After what happened to Mariko—"
"You don't understand at all, do you?" Blue cuts in, scowling. "It's because it happened to her that I told! It wasn't fair, Nine. She was cast out to heavens know what kind of life and we're still here, living in luxury, and all this time, you and Wren, loving each other..." Her voice spits with venom. "Being happy."
"He'll kill us," I say.
Something broken crosses her face, making her look strange, not quite right, like the echo of a person. "So? You don't even want this life."
Just then, someone bumps into me, knocking me off balance. By the time I look back around, Blue is gone.
I make my way into the crowd, ice unspooling in my veins. The King knows.
As if what I have to do already weren't hard enough.
Laughter and the cascading song of strings whirl round me. I shoulder my way past gossiping court members and servants carrying trays of tiny cakes nestled on crystallized sakura leaves. Overhead, strings of lights drape from the dome like scattered stars. The sapphire glow of the lake shimmers up through the glass, giant koi and sea horses swimming in its depths. The ball is a dizzying kaleidoscope, but my focus is honed, and I whip my head left and right, hunting for the King. I can't act until Kenzo's signal, but I need to keep an eye on him.
And then.
There.
Thick, pointed horns. Mahogany-brown hair. That familiar smile, all teeth. The red of the King's robes is dark, almost purple, the color of plums or old blood.
Naja's with him. Her snow-white fur sparkles with silver powder, a long-tailed sari clinging to her lean, foxlike figure. She scans the crowd as the King gazes down the length of his smooth bovine nose, talking to a couple dressed in red baju sets, surprisingly plain for the occasion, their backs to me. As if sensing me watching, the King lifts his eyes.
His grin sharpens. He leans aside, whispering something to Naja.
The white fox glides over to me, slinking sinuously through the crowd. "Hello, whore," she remarks casually.
"Hello, jealous bitch," I shoot back.
No point acting polite anymore. One way or another, I'll be out of here tonight.
I can tell my comment catches Naja off guard. She stiffens, cool eyes gleaming. "I would be offended," she purrs, composing herself, "if I actually cared what Paper trash thought."
"Well, let me try harder, then—"
She holds up a hand to silence me. "Enough games. The King has a message for you. He's kindly invited a couple of people he thought you'd be pleased to see. He wants you to know that if you try anything tonight—run away, disrupt the ball—they will be killed." She leans in, her voice smooth, like the gleam of stones on a riverbed, and just as hard. "Don't they look happy? Such a shame they won't be that way for long." And with a flick of her tail, she stalks off.
I frown, peering ahead through the shifting crowd. The couple glance around as the King gestures to something on the other side of the hall, and I glimpse their faces.
My heart stutters. It's some trick of the light. A waking dream. Because surely it can't be real, the two of them here, so far from where they should be, safe and hidden on the opposite side of the kingdom.
But it is them.
Baba. Tien.
My eyes take in their pressed clothes, the self-conscious way they're holding themselves. And worse: the way they seem distracted despite the fact that they're talking to the King, because they are looking with hopeful, eager eyes for me.
"You bastard," I snarl.
Because now I understand what the King's plan is. This was the surprise Lill was talking about yesterday. Thanks to Blue, he knows I have betrayed him. That I've been betraying him night after night, with no less than one of my fellow Paper Girls. And as with the assassins, he's going to teach everyone what it means to betray the King.
Tonight he is going to kill me.
And he has brought my family here to watch.
I'm striding forward before I know what I'm doing, my hands curling in fists, a shout readying on my lips—
Someone grabs me by the arm.
"No!" I cry as they drag me away. I struggle, but their grip is strong. They lead me out of the hall and onto a balcony. A glimpse of night-cloaked gardens, fireflies dancing over the treetops, and then I'm whirling round, my voice rising to a shout. "How dare you!"
Zelle gazes back at me, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "I just saved you from doing something exceptionally stupid, Nine," she says calmly. "A thank-you would be preferable."
I fall still. "What—what are you doing here?"
She gives a little sigh. "I'm part of the plan, aren't I? Anyway, Mistress Azami always sends a few of the Night House girls to events like this. Good for trade." At my confused look, she says, "Oh. Kenzo didn't tell you."
I gape at her. "You're working for them, too?"
"Well," she replies with a sniff, "I prefer to think of it as working with them. But yes. I am."
Her words from the other week come back to me: Love will only make it harder.
"That's why you were like that in our last lesson," I say slowly, finally understanding. "You knew about Wren and me. And you knew I'd get hurt when Wren left the palace, or she—" I cut off. With a lick of my lips, I go on, "Was that why you covered for me when you found me in Mistress Azami's rooms?"
Zelle shakes her head. "I didn't know then. But I could tell you were telling the truth about looking for your mother, and I felt sorry for you. You have a good heart, Lei." Her voice hardens. "But you wear your emotions on your sleeve. You've got to keep yourself together, at least for a few more hours."
"He was talking to my father!" I burst out, splaying my arms. "And Tien! Blue told him about Wren and me, and he's going to use me as an example tonight. Punish me in front of everyone." My breath hitches. "He wants my family to see me die."
Zelle grips my shoulders. "We won't let that happen, I promise. Anyway, you'll get to him first, right?" She winks, shifting back, but her voice is serious and I look away.
"I wish Wren were here," I murmur.
"We all do."
"Do you think the King had her mother murdered to get her out of the palace because he suspects the Hannos?"
"I'm not sure about that," Zelle says with a frown. "The King is definitely suspicious of them—but he's suspicious of everyone right now after what happened at the theater. I don't think he'd attack some of his most prominent supporters without being certain they're working against him. It's different from acting out against the Cat Clan, for example. They've always been enemies. He'll want to maintain a good relationship with the Hannos. I think it's more likely that what happened to Wren's mother was a bad stroke of luck on our part." Gaze fixed on me, she asks, softer, "So. Are you ready?"
I swallow. "Yes."
"You have to be confident, Nine. Do it cleanly and quietly. This way, we take control from within, with the least amount of bloodshed."
"And if I fail? If the King discovers the Hannos' plans?"
"There will be another war."
War. It's a word in our kingdom that carries power, even though none of us have lived through one. The memories have been handed down to us, heavy handfuls of violence and slaughter, and the decades of rebuilding afterward, which, directed by the Demon King, inscribed prejudice into the landscape as deeply as if it were grooves of water in bedrock.
A group of female demons stroll by in a cloud of perfume and giggles. Once they've passed, Zelle moves to my side, elbows hooked over the top of the railing as she leans against it, gazing over the gardens. Something about the expression on her face makes me sure of who she's thinking about.
"Your lover," I ask. "Did the King...?"
She jerks her chin. "Not himself. But... on his orders. There was a rift in the court a few years ago after the way the King handled an uprising in Noei. The soldiers who spoke out against him were executed. Mistress Azami told Kenzo what happened—yes, she's working with us, too," she adds at my sideways glance. "He'd been looking to recruit one of us for a while. Courtesans have access to the court's most powerful members. With a glass of plum wine and the slip of a dress they can be easily persuaded to give their secrets away."
"It seems everyone's had someone they love taken from them by the King," I say bitterly.
Zelle's fingers lift to the base of her neck. "Well, not after tonight."
The cerise ruqun she's wearing is slung low, collar wide and hanging off her shoulders to expose the shadow of her cleavage and the gold choker sitting above it. The choker is emblazoned with the character ye, marking her as one of the palace's concubines. Her fist tightens around it, as though she wants nothing more than to rip it off and fling it out over the treetops. Then, pushing back from the railing, she shoots me a crooked smile.
"We're all behind you, Nine." Her fingers brush my arm before she glides back into the party.
I wait a bit more on the balcony, taking in the cool night air. I'm just about to leave when the tread of approaching hooves makes me freeze.
"My, my. Can this really be the same shopkeeper's daughter I met in Xienzo six months ago?"
Lights hanging overhead catch on the scar that snakes down the left side of General Yu's face, that familiar, scar-wrenched grin. Our paths haven't crossed, even after all this time in the palace, but I've felt him with me every step of the way; in the memory of his threat to Baba and Tien, everything he represents as the beginning of all this, the demon who tore me from my home.
But General Yu is right. I have changed.
When he reaches for my cheek, I step back before he can touch me.
"General," I say smoothly. I flash him a sweet smile, though my tone is acid. "You should be careful. I doubt the King would take kindly to seeing you touching one of his Paper Girls." My smile sharpens. "Actually, I don't take kindly to it, either. Touch me again, and I will cut your fingers off."
Biting back a grim laugh at the look on his face, I head back into the ball.
My heart beats quickly as I locate the King, this time keeping my distance as I wait for Kenzo's cue. The informal style of the Moon Ball is one of the reasons why they chose tonight for the assassination—chaos provides cover. But it's also the only time in the whole year when the royal shamans stop working. At the turn of the New Year, for one hour only, their protective enchantment on the palace lifts as they perform the customary rites of giving thanks to the heavens. This magic-free hour is our only chance at escape.
As the minutes tick by, the King keeps Baba and Tien close to his side. A few times I catch a glimpse of their faces, and the happiness that lights them—the hope—aches deep in my gut. It's all I can do not to run across the hall and throw my arms around them. To distract myself from my nerves, I plot ways in which to get them alone. So when a chance actually opens up, it takes me a while to realize it's more than just a fanciful daydream.
The King has stepped aside to discuss something with a group of intimidating-looking demons I take to be clan lords. Naja has joined General Ndeze to attend to some important business outside the hall. Before she goes, she leaves a couple of guards with my father and Tien, but I don't pay them any attention as I push my way across.
I stride right up to Baba and throw my arms around him. He bursts into tears at the same moment I do. Our bodies shudder against each other. Then Tien is joining us, her bony arms clutching me so tightly I'm amazed they don't snap.
"What happened to politeness and decorum?" I mumble through tears.
She squeezes me tighter. "Oh, be quiet, you little nuisance."
It's almost like being back in Xienzo. I'm wrapped in everything I've been missing so badly, the smell and feel and love of my lost home, and none of us needs to say anything because everything we could say is contained here, within the press of our bodies.
Then the guards wrestle us apart.
"No!" I yell, thrashing.
Around us, the guests are stopping to look. The guards don't hold my father and Tien once we're separated, just reaching out arms to keep them back, but the gorilla-form guard who's got me restrains me a bit too tightly, his huge furred hands easily spanning my shoulder blades.
"We were instructed to keep you apart," he tells me, pulling me away.
"Wait!" I cry. Baba and Tien look horrified, and I want just one more moment with them—even half a minute, a few seconds, just enough to tell them everything will be all right. But the guard is twice my size, and gods know how many times stronger, and soon I'm on the far side of the hall.
When he lets me go, I jerk away, puffing aside a loose lock of hair.
"I will wait with you," he says, the leathery skin of his face impassive.
Glowering, I turn away. There's no point in trying to get to Baba and Tien again, but I still look into the crowd, standing on my toes to try to catch another glimpse. Instead, I spot the sloping gait of Kenzo stalking toward me.
In an instant, everything stills.
Kenzo gives the guard a glance, but keeps his expression neutral as he strides past me, just close enough for me to feel the brush of his fur—and to slip something into my hand. Keeping it low so the guard won't see, I open my fingers. Inside: an origami bird.
A wren.
It's time.
With a deep inhale, I tuck the paper bird into my sleeve. But as I'm about to move, the music stops. Raised voices are suddenly loud in the quiet, and there is the clink of glasses being set down, murmurs of surprise, the trailing ends of laughter.
"Heavenly Master and honorable court members," announces an invisible voice, magically magnified. "Our esteemed guests. Please make your way to the stage for a special performance by this year's Paper Girls."
Fingers pinch my shoulders. "Come on, girl," snaps Madam Himura's hoarse voice. "The others are already dressed."
My stomach drops. The dance Madam Chu's been teaching us to perform tonight. I'd forgotten all about it.
Ignoring my objections, Madam Himura drags me across the hall and out onto the balcony, broader here at the back of the building, where a curved, weblike cage arcs overhead. A stage is set up beneath it, polished floor shining.
She pushes me into a curtained-off area where the other girls are waiting. "Get her into her costume," she orders the maids.
I try to object, but they crowd me, peeling my cheongsam off. They re-dress me in the multilayered gold robes of our dance costume. One of the maids picks at my hairstyle and the braid loosens. I clutch at my hair, swirling round just in time to see the blade fall. Light catches on its edge. Then it's hidden by the skirts of the maids as they usher me toward the other girls.
Panic unfurls, fast and hot.
"Please!" I say, batting them off me. "I can't do the dance! I need to go!"
Holding up the hem of her long skirt, Mistress Eira hurries to my side. "Lei? What's wrong?"
From behind the curtain, the musicians start playing. The murmuring of the crowd mutes as a melody rises.
Mistress Eira smiles. "There's no need to be nervous. Your dancing has improved so much over the past few months. You should be proud."
I crane my head to look past her, hardly hearing what she's saying. The blade glitters on the crystal floor, picked out by the aquamarine glow of the lake. "I—I dropped something," I say.
"There'll be plenty of time to get it after the performance."
"It can't wait. Mistress, please..."
And finally, she follows my gaze.
There's a long pause. She asks, sharp, "Is that yours?"
"Yes," I whisper.
In one quick movement, Mistress Eira goes over and snatches the blade from the floor, swiftly hiding it in the folds of her robes. Her mouth is set so tightly her lips have almost disappeared. "I am going to dispose of this, and you are going to go out onto the stage and perform as though this never happened. Do you understand me, Lei-zhi?"
That first night I arrived at the palace, Mistress Eira's use of the Paper Girls' honorific with my name was given with pride. Now it stings.
Know your place, she is telling me. Remember who it is you are.
I flex my fingers. Because I know exactly who I am, and it is not the perfect Paper Girl she wants me to be.
My gaze hardens. "Did you even try to send my letters?" I ask icily.
She just blinks.
"I thought as much." Then I turn my back on her, taking my place in the line of girls.
A moment later, the music swirls into a new chord. Our cue. One by one, we pad onto the stage, our arms raised high, the trailing sleeves of our costumes hiding our faces, and one of us hiding something more—a sinking heart, a pang in her chest, and the feeling that everything she has been fighting for has been lost. |
Madam Chu explained that the dance we're performing tonight is another symbolism of purification for the new year, though it seems to me more a way for the Demon King to show us off to his guests.
Over the course of the dance, each layer of our costumes is shed. Every robe we remove has to be cast off in the careful way we were taught, the fabric rippling through the air, a shining arc of gold in the lantern glow. Beneath the last layer is a thin slip that barely hides our modesty. As the best dancer of our group, Wren was chosen to have center stage during this final act to offer her last layer to the King, but in her absence Chenna was given the role. She moves gracefully across the stage, dark skin luminous under the lights. The mesmerized faces of the crowd follow her. But as she flutes out her wrist, angling her throw just right so her discarded robe settles in the lap of the King, it isn't her he's watching. It's me.
Me his eyes are fixed upon, bright and dangerous.
Me he coils his lips back at in a smile that shows every one of his teeth.
Hatred pulses inside me, a dark heartbeat. I might not have a weapon anymore, but I still have my fists. During our midnight lessons, Wren's shown me just how effective a properly angled kick to the groin can be. It won't be enough to take down the King. But it'll give me enough time to find the blade he always carries and turn it against him.
We leave the stage to the applause of the crowd. As soon as we're behind the curtain, I hurry past the swarm of maids, ignoring the curious looks of the other girls as I head back into the ball, still just wearing the tiny gold slip. At least it'll be easier to run in than that ridiculous cheongsam.
I haven't gone far when the sound of my name makes me look round.
Aoki's followed me. "What's wrong?" she asks, her breath catching. "Why haven't you changed back into your dress?" Her face is flushed from dancing, a gloss to her vivid emerald eyes. She looks radiant. Queenly.
I gather her into my arms. "I love you, Aoki," I whisper into her ear.
She jerks back, scanning my face. "Lei? What's going on?"
"I just want to wish the King a happy new year."
"But—"
I kiss her forehead. While she's still blinking in surprise, I hurry away before she spots the tears welling in my eyes.
How painful it is to say good-bye to someone who has no idea you are leaving.
The King is still on the balcony, servants fussing around him. I slow as I approach, trying to arrange my features into a calmer expression than what I'm feeling, but a jolt shoots down my spine as he sees me coming. His stare hardens. He waves the servants away. Behind him, Naja's lip curls. General Ndeze is nearby but too busy entertaining a giggling group of courtesans to take any notice. A flash of long, glossy hair, a revealing ruqun—Zelle is a member of his doting audience. As she swings her head round midlaugh, she catches my gaze and gives an almost imperceptible nod.
"Lei-zhi," the King greets me. Sparkling lights catch on his gilded horns.
I bow. "My King." I force my voice steady, though it sounds strange to me, too hard and low. "I hope you enjoyed the performance, even if you have seen us undressed before you so many times already."
Something stills in him. His smile sharpens. "Perhaps even more so," he answers coolly. "It's especially pleasurable to know that none of those watching have had the same privilege. Because, of course," he adds, leaning in, "your lover isn't here tonight, is she?"
Though my pulse skips, I furrow my brow, feigning confusion. "Forgive me, my King, but I don't know what you mean. My only lover is right here." And even though it sickens me to do it, I inch closer. My fingers quiver as I rest them against his chest.
Behind him, Naja starts forward. But she stops at the King's raised hand.
"I haven't been honest with you the nights we've been together, my King," I go on quickly, keeping my eyes on his. "I've—I've been scared. I admit that I didn't want this life at first. But after our first proper night together, my emotions have changed. My... desires." One hand still on his chest, I bring the other to my neck and trail it down the front of my slip, lingering at my navel.
The King regards me in silence.
"Please," I say. "May we go somewhere private? These feelings are overpowering me. I need to explore them with you, my King. Alone."
His expression remains unmoved for a few long, torturous seconds. Finally a lazy grin stretches across his face. "I knew you'd come around, Lei-zhi." Straightening, he circles his fingers round my arm, a fraction too tight. "We'll go to the gardens. They will be private enough."
He turns us toward the staircase winding down from the balcony. A few of his servants and guards hurry forward, but he waves them away.
Naja strides over, ears pricked. "My King—"
"Leave us," he orders.
As we start down the steps, I look around and find the white fox watching us with her cool silver eyes. Even when we're out of sight, I shiver, sensing her gaze still on me, like the hidden eyes of the moon.
The King leads me deep into the enchanted gardens. They're wilder, more wooded than the typical Han style, knotted banyan and katsura trees forming a leafy ceiling overhead. Light from the receding hall speckles the ground. A stone path cuts through the undergrowth, the shadows all around spotted with color: the pink leaves of hibiscus flowers, cobalt-blue orchids, yellow frangipani. We follow the path to a pond crowded with water lilies. Sweet fragrance honeys the air. Each lily sparkles, a tiny star nestled at the center of its petals, and I sense the warm brush of magic like a kiss in the air.
The King looks at me. "What do you think?"
"It's beautiful," I say.
He hasn't let go of me all this time. As we draw up to the water's edge, he pulls me close, one hand cupping my chin. "It is, isn't it?" he murmurs. He smiles, and it seems like he's about to kiss me.
Then his lips twist into a sneer.
"A beautiful lie."
Panic snaps through me.
I try to shift back, but his grip tethers me to the spot. "What—what do you mean?"
The words have barely left my mouth when his hands clamp around my neck. With a roar, he lifts me into the air, holding me out over the water. A group of nearby birds scatter into the night sky—and with them, my composure. With horrible choking sounds, I claw at his hand, gasp for air.
"That is what you are, Lei-zhi," he snarls. "What did you think? That you could fool me? I am the King!"
I dig my fingernails into his hide-wrapped wrist, but it's thicker than human skin and I can't get purchase. Distantly, I register music drifting from the party. The scattering of notes and lilting strings is half lost under the pounding in my ears, the King's heavy breathing.
The corded muscles in his neck tense as he squeezes my neck tighter. "What is it with you women, always spreading your legs for lesser lovers? Does it make you feel wanted? Loved? Never mind. The reason does not interest me. Only the punishment."
"You... bastard," I choke out.
He roars, slamming my head into the trunk of a nearby tree. The pain is instant, a crack so fierce it splits my vision.
When the King's face appears again, spit clings to his lips, a vein throbbing in his forehead. "I brought your father and that old lynx-woman here to watch you die. You know that, yes? But a public execution would have to be at the hands of someone else." A grin, all teeth. "This is better. Here, I can take my time. I can break every bone in your body, until the pain is so consuming you won't even know your own name."
He swings me round, smashing me into the tree a second time. The force makes me bite down on my tongue. Blood fills my mouth. Tears stream down my cheeks. But the pain helps sharpen my focus. Reminds me why I'm here.
Takes my hate and turns it into a blade.
I spit a wad of bloody saliva into his face. "You can kill me," I hiss, forcing each word past his tightening grip, "but it won't stop them. They are coming for you."
It's fleeting, but I see it spark across his eyes then—fear. And I comprehend now that it's not a new emotion to him. It's just been in hiding. All it needed was something to call it forth, to trip his mind into panic.
He stills. "You know." A pause, then his voice rises. "Who? Tell me! Tell me who dares plot against me!"
Blood trickles down my forehead. I blink it away. "Go ahead. Kill me. I'll never tell you."
With a deafening bellow, he rears down and plunges me headfirst into the pond.
Choking—
Spluttering—
So cold it's burning—
Water plugs my mouth and throat, clamps around me like a fist. I kick out, but the King holds me down. Lights burst in front of my eyes. There's rushing in my ears and my stomach is churning and my heart is pounding, pounding, pounding—
He pulls me from the pool, and I hang from his arm, retching and coughing, teeth chattering in the iced winter air.
"Who?" he demands again. "Is it the Cat Clan? The Hannos? What are they planning?"
I sneer at him. "You'll be dead before you know."
This time I'm expecting it, but that doesn't make it easier. Water rushes up my nose as the King pushes my head down. Something slimy brushes my face as it swims past. He holds me under for longer, until blackness creeps across my brain, a tempting dizziness that tries to spin me to sleep. Part of me is ready to let it take me. But the other part—the stronger part—rallies desperately against it.
This time when the King drags me out, he casts me to the ground. I skid along the grass. The earth is hard, frosted over. My fingers scrabble at the soil, trying to find purchase. Just as I push myself up, he kicks me in my middle.
I collapse, mouth wide in a silent scream. Something cracked; I felt the snap. A rib.
One more stomp and he'll crush my heart.
Rearing over me, the King pins my arms overhead. "I'll ask one more time, Lei-zhi." He speaks slowly, almost calm, though his eyes are wild with fury and something else, that mad look I first saw in him the night of the koyo party and worse each time since, like he's unraveling from within. His breaths steam in the frozen air. "If you still refuse to answer, I will go back to the ball and drag your father and lynx-woman here and kill them in front of you. Will that be enough incentive for you to speak?"
I growl, jerking underneath him, but he presses his full weight on me and it's useless, I'm useless, I can't win. How could I ever have thought I could win, a Paper Girl against her King? And then—
Shouting. The crunch and snap of plants underfoot.
Someone's coming.
The King looks up.
Just in time for the knife that is whirring through the air to embed itself hilt-deep into his right eye. |
Zelle charges into the clearing as the King pitches off me, blood streaming down his face.
"Finish it!" she screams.
Behind her—Naja.
The white fox is astonishingly fast. She catches up to Zelle in two bounds, her sari loosened at the front and flaring behind her, and in one swift movement she reaches out, clasping Zelle in her long, clawlike fingernails, and snaps her neck in two.
The sound is awful, a clean, high crunch.
I stagger to my feet. Naja looks up, Zelle discarded in front of her. There are noises in the distance—clashing weapons, screams, something like the deep churn of fire—and I see flames reaching into the sky, lighting the night with streaks of orange and vermilion.
The Floating Hall is on fire. Which means the palace must be under attack.
The knowledge hits me hard.
We failed.
Then I lock eyes with Naja and everything else is whipped from my mind, leaving only the burn of anger, hatred, darkest, deepest pain, and Zelle's last words to me, so simple, so terrible.
Finish it.
I lurch toward the King. The grass is wet with his blood and my feet skid, but the fall helps me, propels me forward. He sees me coming a second too late. His face contorts. Hands shaking, he reaches for the hilt of the knife embedded in his eye—but I get there first. Letting out a cry, I wrench it out of his blood-drenched socket.
And drive it into his throat.
Surprise. That's his first expression.
The second is fury.
He jerks under me, but I cling to the hilt, fingers slick with the blood gushing around it. I throw my whole body forward, using my weight to embed the knife deeper. Together we fall. I'm flung forward, sprawled over his chest, but I keep pushing the blade into his neck. The sounds he's making are horrible—gurgling, babylike. He thrashes. Lashes out. Even though they're sloppy, there is still power in his blows, and the pain of my broken rib flares with each one. But I grit my teeth against it and hang on.
One of the King's eyes is blue and piercing. The other is a vivid red mess.
I snarl like a wild thing and jerk the knife side to side. It barely moves, wedged into bone and cartilage, but I force it, feeling things breaking, the snap of living tissue. Over the King's choked noises, there is an awful keening sound, high-pitched and raw, and I think at first it's Naja, but of course it's not.
It's me.
Then I remember—Naja.
My fight with the King could have only lasted seconds. The fox female is upon me just as I turn to look for her, curved claws breaking skin, drawing blood as they dig into my shoulders. She tosses me to the ground. Kicks me again and again. The blows come too fast for me to escape. I can't even catch my breath, can barely see. The pain is agonizing, unbearable, the hottest heat and fiercest white, a widening sky opening to swallow me whole. I'm going to die, and the knowledge of it, the searing certainty, is the worst feeling I've ever known.
"Get off her, you bitch!"
Wren's voice rings out, as bright as a dream.
I don't see her until she tears Naja off me, and even then it takes me a moment to recognize her. She's wearing battle clothes, leather armor over a midnight-blue tunic and trousers, and her eyes blaze with the white of a Xia warrior, the same as that night under the theater. She draws two swords from the sheaths crossed at her back. Some unfelt wind moves the hair around her face, making her seem eerie, like some dark goddess, and even I get an instinctive lurch of awe.
Naja falters, just for a moment. Then she shakes herself. Draws tall. "I told the King it was you," she snarls, and lunges.
They fight viciously. Instinct overpowering form. Naja's all animal, the wildness of her demon form taking over. Gone is the composed court guard standing always at the King's side. The cool, still gaze. She doesn't even have a weapon because her body is the weapon. Hunched over in a crouchlike stance, she fights with spins and jabs, slashes and bites.
They move so quickly it's hard to follow. The clearing is a whir of limbs and blood sprays, the thud of bone on flesh.
"He defended you," Naja spits. Her mouth is foaming, blood turning it pink where it runs from a gash in her cheek. She blocks a parry from Wren and swipes a leg in a low sweep, which Wren jumps to avoid. "Even though you betrayed him by sleeping with that little golden-eyed slut, he said he couldn't punish you yet because the Hannos have done so much for him. He had his suspicions, but he still hoped. That's why he sent you home when he heard of your mother's death. He was showing your clan the loyalty he deserved."
Wren's knuckles are white where they grip her swords. "Loyalty?" she says with a disbelieving laugh. She lurches forward, arms arc overhead as she leaps, bringing down the two blades together as one.
Naja dances back just in time.
"He doesn't know the meaning of the word," Wren spits.
"And your people do?"
"They thought they did. They learned the hard way that it's a rare thing in this world."
"Ironic, isn't it? How now they're the ones teaching others that same truth. Tell me, how does it feel to betray the demon who has been unfailingly dedicated to your worthless keeda clan all these years?"
Wren ducks a blow. Naja recovers quickly, and this time her elbow catches Wren in the side, causing her to stumble.
"Bitch," Wren pants.
Naja laughs. "Manners, Paper whore." But I catch her barely veiled awed look again as she appraises Wren's unnatural appearance.
In the time it takes for the fox to hesitate, Wren strikes out. One of her swords catches Naja's shoulder. Blood spurts in an arc, staining her snow-white fur. Hissing, she lashes out, her heel cracking across Wren's jaw, making her head snap round and drawing a spurt of red, the crunch of bone.
The two of them drop back into defensive stances, chests heaving. Wren swipes a sleeve across her mouth.
Then Naja looks to me. Her eyes widen. "Watch out!" she yells.
Wren pivots to look, lowering her swords a fraction—and opening up space for Naja to attack.
But I saw what the fox was planning a second before she acts. As Naja kicks off her back feet, I lunge to intercept. We collide with a crunch. Pain screams through me as my broken rib is crushed even more, the gashes in my shoulders ripping open. I throw a punch, but it's weak and she overpowers me in a second. Tosses me aside. She swings an arm back, clawlike fingers aiming for my throat—
"Wren! Lei!"
Naja falters as Kenzo bounds into view.
He moves fast on his muscled wolf haunches. He's gripping a bamboo stick sideways in both hands. Its ends drip with blood.
"Go!" he roars. "There's no time!"
Naja's face is wild. "Keeda-lover!" she spits.
She starts upon him in a whir of kicks and claw swipes. Kenzo holds her off with his staff, his powerful wolf haunches digging into the earth as she pushes him back.
"Go!" he shouts at us again.
Wren hesitates, her eyes slipping back to their normal brown. "But—"
"Now!"
She stows her swords and grabs my hand. As she pulls me away, I look back over my shoulder and catch one last glimpse of the King's body sprawled upon the bloody grass. He looks strangely small. His limbs are thrown out at his sides, as if he'd fallen over from too much sake. At his neck, the knife juts, sticking up where I left it, and a ragged exhale escapes my lips.
It's over. It is done.
I did it.
The King is dead.
Wren leads me in the direction of the Floating Hall, the growls and thuds of Naja and Kenzo's fight fading behind us. As the trees start to thin, the hall comes into full view. It's utterly consumed by flames, a glowing dome of gold. Heat blazes off it. The noise is a living thing, full with electric crackling. From under it come the sounds of battle; metallic clash and hoof thunder, screams and yelling. Flecks of burning ash drift through the air, like the opposite of snow.
This is it, then. Master Takeo's prediction. A night of smoke and flames, the palace destroyed from the inside out by a girl with fire in her veins.
"What happened?" I call out to Wren as we run.
"Our cover was blown," she shouts back. Her hair whips behind her. "Someone must have given us away. You got to the King just in time." She squeezes my hand. "You did it, Lei. You killed him."
I almost trip. "But now the court knows who was involved! Everything you were working for, the care you all took to keep it secret—"
"We'll worry about that later."
"And why are you even here? You shouldn't have come back, Wren. You shouldn't have risked it."
"Of course I came back. I had to make sure you were safe."
When we reach the edge of the gardens, the ground shifts from loamy earth to a hard stone path. We're right by the hall now. Underneath, the lake glows from the blaze above. Its surface fissures with ripples—the fish are jumping, stirred by the heat. There are bodies in the water, and I cast a terrified eye over them, praying that none of them belong to Baba or Tien.
My stomach jolts. Kenzo promised to keep them safe. But how can he protect them when he's fighting with Naja?
"My father," I choke. "Tien—"
"They're being looked after," Wren promises.
Slowing, she leads us around to the east side of the lake. I'm finally able to breathe somewhat normally, though now that the shock is wearing off, pain replaces it. My wounds from the King's and Naja's attacks burn and throb. They're hurting more with every step, but I grind my teeth together, determined not to show it.
"How are we getting away?" I ask.
Wren looks round, firelight sliding across her face. "The same way I got here so quickly. Wings."
With a tug on my arm, she pulls me off the path and into the undergrowth. We swipe away the tangled branches. The ground is uneven, clumped with roots. I focus on my steps, trying not to trip.
I hear the demon before I see him: the deep rumble of giant lungs. Wren calls out, and a croaky voice answers.
"Did you find her?"
"Yes," she replies as we emerge into a dappled grove. "Merrin—meet Lei."
Wind tugs the furled petals of flowers from the magnolia trees lining the clearing, a whirling flurry of pink and white. Some of the leaves catch on the dusky pewter feathers of the huge bird demon rising to greet us. He is an owl-form, far larger than any demon I have seen, with an intelligent face—beaked owl features molded with human—and keen orange eyes. Like Madam Himura's, his arms are long and humanoid, rippling feathers wound over them and fluting out at the edges in the weird hybrid wings that all bird-forms share. He has his elbows cocked, his wings only extending halfway in the small grove, but still their span is impressive. Each feather is tipped with black. Power thrums from him, and as we approach he stands a little taller, the pierce of his eyes making me falter.
"Merrin?" I say.
He gives me a mock bow. "At your service, lovely. But I'm afraid we have to hurry the introductions." His head tilts, listening. "Someone's coming, and I doubt it's a welcoming committee."
He dips a wing to the ground. Wren leads me up along it and onto his back. I try to move lightly; his feathers are soft, downy-light.
Merrin laughs, a rattling sound at the back of his throat. "No need to be so gentle, sweetheart. I've caught mice for dinner heavier than you."
Behind me, Wren tucks her legs alongside mine and leans forward, gripping the back of Merrin's feathered neck. "Ready?"
Before I can answer, we jerk back.
There are shouts, thudding footsteps.
A blaze of arrows cut through the air.
"Hold on!" Wren yells, pinning me down as Merrin kicks off the ground so powerfully the shudder in his muscles ripples through my own.
We lift into the air, the forest rushing past. A second volley of arrows fly our way and Merrin careens sharply to the side to avoid them. An arrow tip grazes my cheek. He banks. One wingtip brushes the treetops. He rolls a tight corner, then beats hard to gain height. In just a few seconds we are soaring high, the clouds just above our heads, a dark, silver-glazed belly.
I've always wanted to fly, to know what it's like to dance on the wind currents.
The reality is nothing like I imagined. Merrin cuts fast through the air, the pounding of his winged arms rocking Wren and me, and I cling to his feathers, convinced I'm about to slide off his back at any second.
Far below, the palace is a blaze of lights and fire. Relief washes over me, as fierce and radiant as a sunburst.
We're free.
Then Wren cries out, "To the right!"
My head whips round and I spot them—a group of Moon caste bird demons. There must be more than twenty. I make out the shape of hawk, crow, vulture, eagle. Of all the demon forms, bird castes are the most foreign-looking, with their unsettling blend of feathers and beaks with humanoid form, and to see so many now, winged arms spread wide, racks fear through me.
They're approaching fast, not weighed down by passengers. Though they aren't as large as Merrin, everything about these birds screams predator. Glowing yellow eyes. Beaked, hook-tipped maws. Armor is strapped to their bodies, their taloned feet fitted with blades.
Merrin lets out a hiss. "Not these assholes."
"The Tsume!" Wren shouts in my ear. "The King's elite bird warriors."
"And of course," Merrin says, "they keep badgering me to join. How many times must an owl say no?" There's a pause. "Sorry about this, girls," he says, then tucks in his wings.
We flip upside down—
And plummet through the air.
I scream as we hurtle toward the earth, wind lashing my face, my gut lurching. Tears stream down my frozen skin. The drop is so fast that one of my hands slips from where I'm clutching at Merrin's feathers, and the wind tugs at me, trying to yank me away. With a twist of her arm, Wren grabs me. She digs her heels into Merrin's sides, holding us down. The caws of the Tsume follow us.
Ahead, the rooftops of the palace are getting closer, but Merrin doesn't slow.
"We'll crash!" I yell.
Neither Wren nor Merrin answers. I squeeze my eyelids shut; the last thing I see is the curved eaves of a temple roof hurtling toward us.
Merrin pulls out of the dive without a second to spare.
The movement is so sudden it almost jerks us from his back. Pain flares through my rib cage and shoulders. Wren and I grunt, our arms almost wrenched from their sockets, but we manage to cling on.
Thuds, shrieks, the sound of wood shattering behind us. Some of the Tsume didn't pull back in time.
I risk a glance round and my pulse stutters.
Some of them did.
They speed toward us. The hawk at the head of the group lets out an ear-splitting caw. He gains on us in seconds and slashes out with a metal-tipped talon, the blade catching Merrin's flank. He cries, dropping suddenly, but then he rights himself and takes a sharp turn, weaving between the rooftops.
The hawk follows. Smaller and lighter than Merrin and the rest of the birds, he gains on us quickly again, this time drawing up beside us. Garnet eyes glitter from under a hooded bronze battle helmet that wraps his upper face and covers the top of his short beak-nose, tapering to a sharp hook.
"Shame on you, brother," he says, his voice a high-pitched croak. "Letting Papers ride you."
Merrin shoots a quick look over his shoulder as Wren reaches back to draw one of her swords. "At least I'm not wearing that ridiculous hat."
The hawk hisses. With a flap of his wings, he swerves towards us, lashing out with his metal-hooked beak. Wren is ready for him. Still clinging on to Merrin's feathers with one hand, she arcs her other arm toward him, blade flashing. The sword catches the hawk across his helmet with a metallic crash. He squawks in surprise, faltering, just as we take a sharp turn.
There's a sickening crunch. I look round to see the hawk tumbling down the side of the tall temple pillar we managed to avoid.
Merrin flies between the rooftops, the palace a blur of shapes and colors. The perimeter wall rears up ahead. We fly straight for it. Again, Merrin turns at the last second. The bird demons following us hit the black rock at full speed, the sound of their necks snapping loud as a whip crack. Twisting round to look, I see the huge crow pull up just in time—though judging by the way he lands sprawling on the top of the wall, clutching a winged arm across his torso, he damaged one of his shoulders.
He lets out a furious shriek as he watches us fly on.
Below, the landscape changes to the shadowed stretch of bamboo forest. Darkness falls as the lights of the palace recede. Merrin keeps close to the treetops, but as time passes and no more of the Tsume come for us, he spreads his wings wide and takes us up into the clouds.
"Oh, dear," he says when there's nothing around us but white mist and eerie silence. "They'll only want me even more after that."
I let out a shaky laugh. My skin feels raw, lashed by the wind. The air is wet up here in the clouds. Beads of water cling to my body, making me suddenly aware that I'm still just in my thin dancing slip, though the gold fabric is soaked through with red: my own blood, and the King's.
"Is this a good time to wish you a happy birthday?" Wren asks, and I laugh again. She lowers her lips close to my ear. "You have it with you, right?" she asks, serious this time.
I know immediately what she's referring to. "Yes," I reply.
She plants a kiss on my cheek. Her breath is hot on my frozen skin. "You can open it when we land."
I sense the pull of my necklace, suddenly heavy where it's hanging, exposed, over my collarbones and swinging with Merrin's wing beats. All these years waiting for this day, waiting to discover the word—the future, the world—my Birth-blessing pendant contains for me. But now, flying through a sky that tastes like ash and endings, I'm not sure I want to know anymore.
We were meant to escape the palace quietly. Instead, the Hannos and their alliances have been exposed.
There is no doubt about it. A war is coming. |
Merrin flies on until we are far from the palace. The night is starless, snow clouds thick above. The air tastes like ice. Below: a carpet of darkness. There are no settlements here, or at least any that I can see. Wren tells me we're to the northeast of the palace, in the foothills of the mountains bordering Han and Rain—the infamous Kono Pass, impassable even by flight because of the turbulent currents and jagged peaks. We'll stay at a hideout tonight before leaving for the Hannos' fort in Ang-Khen tomorrow.
Or at least, that was the plan.
"We'll send a message to my father as soon as we can," Wren says as Merrin begins to lose altitude. "Ask him what we should do. I doubt our home is safe anymore, or any of our holdings. The ones the court knows about, anyway."
"Could you ask him about my father and Tien, too?"
"Of course. I'll make it one of his priorities. I'm sure they are safe, Lei."
My stomach is hollow. "The court know Kenzo is working with your father now. That he's been plotting against the King. He won't be able to take over the council."
Wren's voice is hard. "Not if he killed Naja."
I picture the fox female's wild eyes, her relentless energy. Somehow I can't imagine her allowing herself to lose. At the same time, I can't imagine Kenzo losing, either. The warmth of his fur as he carried me from the King's chambers comes back to me, the safe feel of his muscled arms and his smell, deep and almost sweet, like wind-stirred grass.
He'd better win. Not just for us, but for what Naja did to Zelle.
"She killed her." The words choke in my mouth and I have to clear my throat before I continue, "Naja. She killed Zelle."
"I know," Wren replies quietly. "I saw her body."
"She was kind to me," I murmur, my eyes blurring. "When I was scared, that first time before going to the King. And when I snuck into Mistress Azami's room. And at the end. The King was about to kill me. She saved me. But I couldn't save her."
I push my face into Merrin's feathered neck, tears sliding down my frozen cheeks.
The screeches of animal calls rise as we approach the forest. Merrin flies low. It's difficult to make out much in the blackness, but soon he shifts course, wings canted back to catch the air, and after a few wide, slow circles he brings us down through the treetops into a clearing, where we land with surprising lightness. He lets out a caw. As if in answer, lights spark into flame in the near distance. Through the matted vegetation, they illuminate the hulking silhouette of an abandoned temple, half of it seeming to be carved out of the very mountain itself. There's the glimmer of water from a lake stretching out to one side.
Wren and I climb down from Merrin's back. I stagger sideways as my feet hit land. It still feels like I'm listing from side to side, and every part of my body aches from clinging so tightly to his feathers. More of me is hurting than not, but I hold myself upright, forcing a grim smile when Wren tries to help me.
"I'm all right," I say. "Honestly."
With a throaty purr, Merrin shakes himself, stretching his arms wide. The feathers wrapping them flutter before half of them fold back down, lying flat over his arms so his wings are only half the size they were before.
"I take it back, lovelies. You're definitely heavier than mice. Palace food has spoiled you. I hope you brought some with you?" he adds hopefully.
"Actually," Wren says, "we should have. I'm not sure how long we'll have to hide out here."
"I think you're forgetting we're an elite pack of warriors," Merrin replies. "Hunting won't be a problem."
"I'm not a warrior," I say.
"Sweet girl," he replies, head swiveling in my direction, "you killed the King. You're the most warrior of us all." His beaked mouth lifts in a grin. "Besides, are you sure you aren't part demon? I guess you haven't had time to look in a mirror, what with all the assassinating and mortal danger and whatnot, but whatever those fools at the palace put on your eyes earlier has smudged." He flaps an arm. "You're looking a little... panda-form."
Before I can thank him for his kind assessment, the sound of footsteps makes us look round. Three figures emerge from the shadows of the foliage. Their lanterns cast an amber glow on their faces. One is a human boy, Paper caste, with a narrow face, a worried slant to his soot-black eyes. The other two are wiry Moon caste leopard demons—siblings even, judging from their appearance, and not much older than Wren and me. They approach in a feline prowl, tails flicking behind them. Their spotted heads are similar, with short, black-lined snouts and round ears beaded with piercings.
"Wren! Merrin!" shouts the female leopard, breaking into a loping run. She squeezes Wren before looping her arms round Merrin's neck. "You're late! We were so worried."
"I hope your lateness isn't a sign that things didn't go smoothly?" asks her brother.
Wren's gaze meets his. "I'm afraid it is." She pulls me forward. "But our main goal has been achieved, and we have Lei to thank for that."
The leopard-boy looks at me, his eyes wide. "The King is dead?"
I take a shaky inhale before replying, the answer still unimaginable even to me, with his blood smeared all over my skin.
"Yes."
The first flakes of snow are beginning to fall as I step out under the temple's eaves. The moss-trimmed lake spreads before me, dark and glossy in the starless night. I set the lantern down and take a seat on the wide stone stairs, clutching the fur cloak the leopard-girl, Willow, lent me. The temple looks like it's been abandoned for centuries. Weeds and wildflowers grow in thick sprouts from cracks in the rock. Birds have made their nests in the minarets and peaked rooftop. A great banyan tree towers from one of the temple's walls, roots as large as the rooms it has grown through, its vines dangling in netted curtains and littering the ground with leaves the size of Merrin's hands.
I pull my necklace over my head and sharply inhale at the fresh pain it flares in my shoulders. The gold shell of my pendant is still unbroken, perfectly seamless. Carefully, I cup it in my palm, looking for a way in, when its casing cracks neatly open in two. And, years after it was made, its secret is finally offered to me.
For a moment, I stare in silence. Then a laugh escapes my lips. Tears blur my vision. Because the word that floats inside, a single character in brushstrokes of softest black, is so perfect it's a wonder I never guessed it.
Flight.
I look a moment longer. Then I snap the pendant shut and run back into the temple, shouting Wren's name over and over, half laughing, half crying, heart bursting with the awe and sun-bright surety of it. Because that is what Wren is to me—my wings. And with her love, she's taught me how to use my own. To fight against what oppresses me. To lift and launch and soar into the air, just as we did tonight, just as we will have to do every day if we are to make the kingdom safe, just as we will continue doing for the rest of our lives, flying, dancing through the brilliant skies, reaching new heights together, always together.
A war might be coming.
But we have the wings to fight it.
In the flame and shadow of the burning night garden, the white fox crouches beside her King. The motionless form of the wolf is sprawled on the bloody earth behind her.
She doesn't care about him. She doesn't care that the two keeda girls have escaped. Let them run. Let them believe they have won.
She knows better.
Careful to avoid his wounds, she touches her hand to the King's wrist—and feels it. A pulse. Faint, but unmistakable.
He lives.
The fox caresses her King's face. "I knew a mere human girl couldn't kill you," she whispers. Then she stands and calls for one of the waiting soldiers to fetch a shaman. |
Chapter 1: Transmigration to Dating Sim
Chapter 1:Transmigration to Dating Sim
“TO THINK A COMMONER would even fathom sitting next to me. Know your place!”
When the young lady with golden curls spat these words at me, I didn’t really understand what was happening. She looked at me as if the very sight of my face infuriated her. I told myself to stay calm and assess the situation. Nothing good could come of panic.
I was seated in what looked like a typical high school classroom. It had far fewer desks than the high school I’d gone to, giving it a spacious feel, though a crowd had now formed around the girl with golden curls and myself. The problem was that no one I could see, including the young lady, looked even remotely Japanese.
Putting the young lady aside for the time being, I racked my memories to retrace my steps. I remembered finishing up some overtime work at the small business that employed me and then settling down to play a game. I didn’t have many hobbies, so my only real pastime was playing games; I loved everything from traditional board games like shogi and go to MMOs with beautiful 3D graphics.
My favorite games, though, were dating sims—the kind where you played as the heroine and got to romance a bunch of boys—though I tended to play them a little differently from most…
That was when I recognized the girl in front of me.
“Ahh,” I said. “Claire?”
“Well, I never! Who do you think you are, calling me by my first name?!”
That shrill voice was unmistakable. The girl with the golden curls was Claire François, a character in one of my favorite dating sims, Revolution.
But that would mean… It couldn’t be, could it? Had I been transported to a different world?
“Miss Claire.”
“That’s better,” Claire huffed. “A commoner should show respect.”
“Do you remember my name?”
“Are you stupid? You’re Rae Taylor.”
Revolution let you select the heroine’s first name, but her last name was fixed as Taylor. My name was Rei Ohashi. If I was Rae Taylor here—then this world was the stage where the game was set, and I was now its heroine.
It seemed I really had been transported to a different world.
“Yes!”
“What are you going on about?” Claire muttered, but I wasn’t paying attention. How many times had I fantasized about being transported into the game world, just like this? I could communicate with any character now, not just the ones the game allowed you to. And—
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it? It is most displeasing to have a commoner think she can simply call out to me.”
“I like you.”
“Huh?” Claire looked puzzled.
“Miss Claire, I love you.”
“Wh…wh-wh-what…?!”
As my words sank in, Claire rapidly grew flustered. She really was too cute.
My favorite character in Revolution wasn’t one of the boys the game set you up to choose from. It was Claire. Claire François, the villainess who bullies the heroine, becomes her rival, and finally loses to her.
This was Claire. This was the villainess, and I was completely smitten.
She had a shrill voice and thoroughly malicious demeanor, but even though she was standing before me in the flesh, remembering the game made me grin.
I could never find it in me to hate Claire. Her towering pride, the threatening gestures she made to hide the fact that she was easily hurt, her jealous rage after losing her love to another—those uniquely human qualities pushed all my buttons just right. If anything, it was the most popular male love interest who made me uncomfortable. The game made him out to be some kind of saint, and it was just a bit much for me.
“What in the world are you talking about?!”
“I just love you, that’s all.”
“Hmph! The likes of a commoner trying to get on my good side? Don’t waste your time.” Claire turned away in a huff.
“You’re so cute.” Oops—the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.
“Wh…wh-wha…!” Claire looked even more upset. “You… Are you trying to say you’re batting for that team?”
“Ah, I’m… Well, it doesn’t matter. I mean, it’s irrelevant to cuteness—because, Miss Claire, you are cute.”
“Huh?!” She pulled away. It was perfect—such a pure reaction.
“Miss Claire, you hate me, right?”
“Of course!”
“That’s fine. Please keep teasing me. I love it.”
“Wh-what in the world…?” Claire was starting to look seriously weirded out.
“Now, let’s get this super-fun school life started, Miss Claire! We’re going to have a great time!”
“What makes you think I’ll have anything to do with you?!”
And that was how I kissed my life of daily overtime goodbye and found myself in a place where I could spend every day with my beloved Claire, able to dote on her to my heart’s content.
My future was looking bright.
***
“Rae, I heard what you did. Don’t tell me you really attracted Claire’s attention on your first day of school?”
That mature, husky voice belonged to my roommate, Misha Jur. Her long, straight blonde hair swayed as she sat down on her bed in the room we shared in the Royal Academy dormitory.
The room was about two hundred square feet in size, with a desk for each of us and bunk beds that didn’t take up much space. The furnishings and decor were simple. It differed from modern dormitories in Japan in that everything was antique, but it was otherwise essentially the same.
Revolution was set at the Royal Academy, the most prestigious boarding school in the Bauer Kingdom. Regardless of family or financial status, students were treated as equals once enrolled in the Academy, so we all got assigned double rooms.
“I don’t know. Did I get her attention, or did she get mine?”
“What are you doing, Rae?” Misha sighed and looked down, exasperated. “You should stay away from House François. They eat ordinary people like you for breakfast.”
The noble house of François—Claire’s family—were one of the most famous in the country. They had headed up the Ministry of Finance for generations, placing them behind only the king and prime minister in terms of power and influence. And that was before you factored in all their intermarriage with the royal family.
While Revolution was set in a world similar to that of medieval Europe, the politics of the Bauer Kingdom, where the game was set, were noticeably corrupt. Nobles inherited most of the key positions in the country, and important government officials were appointed due to their personal connections. The disparity between the aristocracy and the commoners widened by the year, and the peoples’ discontent was so great that it was difficult to ignore.
This concerned the king, who began to promote a meritocratic policy. The idea was to vigorously promote talented people, regardless of family or financial status; the scholarship system at the Royal Academy was part of this policy’s implementation. Talented students who couldn’t otherwise afford higher education were granted government scholarships and allowed to enroll.
One of the students selected by this system was my character.
“But Misha, I love Miss Claire.”
“That selfish brat? You’re weird, Rae. To an aristocrat like her, scholarship students like us are nothing but obscene upstarts.”
The scholarship system had gained the support of the commoners but been poorly received by the aristocracy. Nobles, who valued tradition and formality above all else, couldn’t stand the thought of ordinary people attending the prestigious Royal Academy.
Misha was also a scholarship student. Her house had been noble in her childhood but had fallen into financial ruin; perhaps because of this experience, she was adamant she understood the nature of the world better than other nobles. At the very least, since we had attended the same commoner finishing school, she saw me for who I was without bias.
Unfortunately—I don’t know if you’d call this pessimism or something else—she was a little bit too helpful sometimes.
“I don’t mind being hated. Actually, I prefer it. It’s the best way to be avoided,” I said.
“You really have no idea what you’re doing.”
“Hey, what do you think the best way to maximize my time with Miss Claire would be?”
“Were you always such a pain in the butt?” Misha held her head in her hands as if she had a headache. “I suppose you’d need to be someone Miss Claire couldn’t ignore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Miss Claire is proud, right? She’s never satisfied unless she’s number one. So if you improve your skills and show her what you’ve got, she won’t be able to dismiss you anymore.”
“That’s it!”
It was so simple. If I just went about things the same way I would if I were actually playing the game, Claire would have to keep paying attention. The harder I worked, the more severe her bullying would become. She was the persevering type, so she wouldn’t back down—she would torment me, and I would dote on her. It was a win-win situation.
“Thanks, Misha. I can always count on you.”
“I don’t get it. All I did was tell you how to make her hate you.” Misha couldn’t hide her confusion, but, well, I couldn’t say I didn’t understand her confusion.
“Spending every day teasing and being teased by Miss Claire…such bliss.”
“Seriously, what has gotten into you…?”
***
As I walked down an Academy hallway, someone slammed into me from behind. I almost fell but caught myself just in time.
“Oh, I beg your pardon? You were standing there staring off into space, so I thought you were a statue.”
I turned to find my beloved Claire. She was a picture-perfect villainess as she stood there with one hand on her mouth, all smug giggles. This was going to be my new normal.
“Miss Claire…”
“What? Don’t bother asking for an apology. Like I would ever apologize to a daydreaming peasant.”
“You’re great!”
“Huh?” Claire looked like a pigeon nailed by a BB gun.
“You have minions that could do your bidding, but you do your own dirty work and don’t rely on others! I would expect nothing less from you, Miss Claire.”
“Huh…? Huh?”
“Just as I thought, you’re no ordinary bully. I love you so much, Miss Claire!”
“Wh-what are you…?” Claire abruptly fled the scene, muttering something about being creeped out.
“Oh, there she goes.”
“Why do you look so disappointed?” Misha asked, looking dumbfounded.
“Hmm? Because Miss Claire didn’t stay to taunt me, obviously.” I sighed. “Don’t you think Miss Claire is especially radiant when she’s insulting me?”
“At least you’re aware you’re being bullied…” Misha sighed too, apparently somewhat relieved. “C’mon, we need to hurry to the lecture hall. Class is about to start.”
“Ohhh, beg your pardon. I thought you were an insect.”
Such went the time Claire stepped on my foot.
“Please…”
“Huh? I can’t hear you, peasant. If you have something to say, speak up!”
“If you must step on me, then please stomp harder!”
“Eh?!”
Claire was so precious when she was caught off guard.
Another time, Claire hid my textbook.
“What’s wrong with you? Is the peasant too poor to even buy books?”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize how you felt, Miss Claire.”
“Huh?”
“You want to be with me all the time in class, right?! Yes, let’s share your book! We’ll be stuck to each other like glue!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
And another, we needed to find partners for an assignment.
“Oh, you don’t have a partner? That’s what happens when you’re a pathetic peasant.”
“It looks like Miss Claire will be my partner, Teacher.”
“I will not!”
“Hm?”
“Don’t play dumb with me!”
She ran away from me that time. Ahhh, she was killing me!
One day, she doused me with a bucket of water.
“Oh dear. You’re just so dirty that I thought you were mud.”
“It’s cold…”
“Oh ho ho. You poor thing!”
“Please warm me up!”
“Hey, don’t cling to me! Get off of me!”
She was so warm, so adorable. “Oh ho ho. This feels so good!”
And once, a flower vase was placed on my desk.
“A gift from Miss Claire!”
“No, it’s not!”
“I will press the flower and carry it with me always!”
“Why would I ever give you a flower?!”
“Did that hit on the head make you an idiot?!”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
It was after class. Claire stomped her foot as if she were having a temper tantrum; she was obviously displeased all her bullying seemed to be in vain, but I was just being genuine about my feelings.
Tangentially, I had noticed that even in this fantasy world, Claire’s tactics were of the variety you’d see in a typical Japanese school…probably because Revolution was made by a Japanese company.
“How are you so calm when I’m so mean to you?!”
“Mean? Isn’t this just your way of telling me you love me?”
“It is not!”
“So then what is it?”
“Why are you so weird with me?!” Claire’s shoulders shook, her breathing heavy. She reacted to absolutely everything, which was what made it too fun to tease her! “If you still don’t get it after everything I’ve done, let me give it to you straight.”
Claire fixed me with her sharp eyes as if I were a bug and she were the pin.
“This Academy is no haven for upstart peasants like you. Know your place and return to your life of menial labor!”
“My only job is to love you, Miss Claire… No, I am at your service.”
“Ugh. I’ve had enough…” Tears started to form in her eyes.
“Miss Claire, don’t lose heart. Slow and steady wins the race.”
“Seriously, what in the world are you thinking?!” Claire wailed and then left with her entourage at her heels.
“Hmph. She’s so childish.”
“I must agree with Miss Claire on this.” Even Misha was siding with her now!
“Ah ha ha. Don’t be silly, Misha.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t think this is all I’ve got, do you?”
“Would you be serious for one second? Aren’t you getting tired of this weird game of yours?”
“Nope, not at all.”
“Does this have anything to do with your bizarre notions of love?”
“A bit. I have my reasons.”
Claire was the villainess; there was no denying that. But I loved the way she went about her villainy. She did all her bullying herself, never calling on her minions to do it for her. That couldn’t be typical for an aristocrat. She was careful never to go too far. When she pushed me in the hallway, it was never by any dangerous stairs or corners, but in places where I’d be safe if I fell. Even with my textbook, she didn’t throw it away or tear it—she just hid it.
Of course, this was probably modern Japanese sensibilities at work, but I was in a world those sensibilities had made, and I was indeed being bullied. I wasn’t trying to make excuses for my perpetrator—it just really, truly, made me happy to be Claire’s target.
“How do you think she’ll come at me tomorrow?”
“I have no idea.”
I was thoroughly enjoying my life in this new world.
***
“Good morning, Miss Claire.”
Claire and her entourage were sitting in the front row when I entered the lecture hall, so I happily went to greet her. The lecture hall was twice as large as the ones at the high school I’d attended, and the rows got higher toward the back. A blackboard and teacher’s lectern stood in the front.
When I tried to approach Claire, her minions blocked my way.
“Would you stop talking to us like we’re friends? We live in a different world than you. Isn’t that right, Miss Claire?” one of them sneered. As if that had broken a dam, the others members of the entourage joined in a flood of agreement.
“Ahhh. I don’t have anything to say to you, minions. I’m speaking to Miss Claire. Good day, Miss Claire.”
“Wha?! Ingrate! Who do you think I am? I am of House Kugret, who have served the François family for generations!”
“So…minion, am I right?”
“M-Miss Claire…” The daughter of the Kugret family went crying to Claire. What a wimp.
“Ugh, peasant…” Claire sighed. “Get over yourself. She has nothing to say to you. Don’t you know ‘good day’ is used as a parting term?”
This was exactly what I was talking about. The minions just didn’t cut it—they couldn’t hold a candle to Claire’s abuse. For the record, there are many uses for “good day.” In present-day Japan it was perfectly acceptable to use it in place of “good morning” or “hello.”
“Oh, but whenever Claire talks to me, she teaches me the correct way to use words. I do love her so,” I mused.
“J-just shut up! Are you taunting me?!”
“Yes!”
“You don’t even hesitate?!”
It was a delicious reaction. Another glorious day.
“Control yourself, Rae. Good morning, Miss Claire.” Misha caught me by the collar.
“Mishaaa, let go of me. I’m playing Miss Claire now.”
“You forgot the ‘with’!” Claire was so good at comedic retorts.
“That’s enough.” Misha smacked me in the head.
“Misha…control your kitten, would you?” Claire demanded.
“Miss Claire, Rae is not my pet.”
“I would love to be your pet, Miss Claire.”
“Weren’t you told to shut up?!” Claire screamed, which left her out of breath.
“Miss Claire, you don’t seem well. You should get some rest,” I said.
“And whose fault is that?! Just get out of here!”
I sighed. As I expressed my disappointment, I heard a soft, tenor voice say, “A bit early to be so deep into your comedy routine, isn’t it?”
“Master Yu…”
“Good morning, Claire. I haven’t seen you fall apart like this in a long time.”
The person chuckling at us was the third-born prince of the kingdom, Yu Bauer. He had soft, curly blond hair and a gentle but cheerful smile, the very image of the ideal prince. Even his voice was perfectly prince-like.
Yu was one of the romanceable characters in the game. He was the second-most popular of the three love interests, all because he said things like “You’re so cute,” and “I will protect you,” or “I would love to marry into your family.”
“Master Yu, that’s not what I’m doing! This peas—Rae is acting disrespectfully, so I was warning her to watch herself.”
“Is that so?” Yu turned his gaze toward me.
“I wasn’t being disrespectful. Everything I said, I said out of love.”
“What in the world are you talking about?!”
Yu laughed at Claire’s outburst. “Rae Taylor, right? I remember you were at the top of the incoming class. I assumed you would be a bookworm, but you’re pretty funny, too.”
“Thank you.” Not being particularly interested in Yu, my reply was curt.
“Rae, don’t be rude, now,” Misha scolded. “Good morning, Master Yu.”
“Oh, Misha. Good morning.”
Yu was nice to everyone, but he was especially sweet to Misha. They’d grown up together and been very close before Misha’s family went bankrupt. Misha still missed their old relationship. If you chose to play Yu’s route in the game, you not only had to deal with Claire’s harassment, you had to navigate the conflict between your friendship with Misha and your yearning for Yu. The fanbase largely agreed it was the most complex scenario by far.
“I apologize for Rae. I will make certain to chastise her later,” Misha told Yu.
“Don’t worry about it. If anything, you could stand to speak to me less formally. We’re all equal here at the Academy, you know?”
“I will consider it…”
Their awkward conversation went back and forth in that manner, but I was just grateful for the excuse to turn my attentions back to Claire. “Miss Claire, what do you think? Have they rekindled their love?”
“Why is every thought that goes through your head so vulgar?”
“Hey, Yu and Claire. Morning, everyone.”
“Good morning, Master Rod.”
“Good morning, Brother.”
The lively voice that now greeted us belonged to a good-looking boy with spiky black hair. His name was Rod Bauer. He was the first-born prince of the kingdom and, of course, another of the game’s romanceable male leads.
“What’s going on here? It sounds interesting. I want in.” Rod laughed as he sauntered into our circle like he owned it.
“There is absolutely nothing of interest here,” said Claire. “Just one person who is trying to undermine the Academy’s morals!”
“Does that mean what I think it means?” I said. “You want to join me? Shall we undermine them? Shall we totally undermine them together?”
“I will do no such thing!”
“What…?” Rod watched this exchange as if he had come upon a rare animal at the zoo.
The game usually required the player character to introduce herself at this point, but it was Yu who introduced me, instead. “This is Rae Taylor,” he said, chuckling. “She was at the top of the class of the incoming students. She’s pretty amusing.”
“Yes, she’s certainly possessed of an uncommon character. You don’t normally see her type among aristocrats. It seems my father’s policy has given us all a good laugh.”
“Heh.” I couldn’t tell if he meant that as a compliment, so I kept my response noncommittal.
“A refreshing reaction. Rae…I’ll remember that.”
“Thanks.”
“Rae, respectful, please,” Misha chided again.
“Do you know how many girls would kill to be remembered by Master Rod?” Claire demanded.
Misha and Claire were both mad at me now, but it couldn’t be helped. I loathed arrogant characters like Rod, who demanded you follow them without question, always progressing directly onward with their route. Rod had a confident and vibrant personality, but I had no idea why he was always voted the most popular character. Didn’t it get exhausting to spend so much time around someone like him? Well, my tastes were obviously different from most, since Claire attracted me far more than the romanceable characters.
“Come join us, Thane,” Rod called out.
“Nah, I’m fine.” A silver-haired boy lying face down on a desk in the back of the classroom answered grumpily.
“I don’t think Thane likes this sort of thing.”
“Is there anything he does like?” Yu laughed uncertainly while Rod wore a sour look.
As their ambiguous reactions suggested, Thane was considered something of a nuisance. He was the second-born prince of the kingdom, and he was the final romanceable lead. He was also the least popular of the three. If Yu was prince-like and Rod was conceited, Thane was…complicated.
Yu was a natural-born genius who excelled at everything without putting in much effort. Rod was similarly brilliant, but he excelled at things because he worked hard. Thane, sandwiched between his talented brothers, was never the best at anything, even when he tried his hardest. The constant comparison to his brothers had given him a complex, keeping him from being genuine.
And yet, Thane was my favorite of the game’s romanceable characters. I liked him for the same reason I liked Claire: they seemed human. Perhaps because I was no longer a daydreaming child but an adult who’d already had a taste of reality, I found tangible, flawed characters more attractive than those that just seemed superhuman.
“Master Thane…” My beloved Claire said his name with a hint of suppressed emotion.
The truth was that Claire felt the L-word for Thane, which was one of the reasons why his route was the least popular. Claire did stick her nose in every route just because she liked to meddle, but she grew genuinely glum when a player took the Thane route. Additionally, when you finished the game with a Thane romance, you were unable to really give Claire her comeuppance, instead saying, “I understand how you feel… You were hurt,” and forgiving her. Similarly, the exhilaration that came with the conflict of other routes, like Rod’s, was nonexistent in Thane’s.
“Why don’t you go talk to him, Miss Claire?” I said. Thane wasn’t the type to take the initiative.
“Wh-why me?”
“You like him, don’t you?” I regretted the words the moment they left my mouth, but it was too late.
“N-no! I don’t think about Master Thane like that!” Claire shrieked.
Her voice echoed throughout the lecture room, meaning, of course, that it was audible to Thane. He picked himself up and left the classroom, his face expressionless.
“Oh… What should I do? I didn’t mean to…” Claire was flustered.
I really had messed this up.
“Let’s go apologize to him later, Miss Claire,” I said.
“And this peasant, acting like she knows things!”
“Miss Claire.” I focused on her, my voice controlled.
“Wh-what do you want?” she stammered.
“Master Thane is delicate.”
“I know that.”
“So you should apologize.”
“W-would you just shut up?!” Claire stood up abruptly. “I feel sick! I’ll be going home now!”
“O-oh, Miss Claire!”
“Please leave me alone!”
Claire didn’t even allow her entourage to follow her as she stormed from the lecture room. I watched her curls bounce as she left, filled with a sense of satisfaction. I said nothing, but I knew—I just knew she had gone after Thane.
This was exactly why she was cute. This was why I was infatuated with her.
***
“You sure are cheeky for a peasant!”
“Yes! Cheeky, that’s what I am. Please punish me more!”
The day I was transported to the game was the start of term at the Academy, the day of the entrance ceremony. It had been a week since, and I was getting used to the school. My connection with Claire had also steadily deepened—in my opinion, anyway.
When I went to greet her, as I did every morning, her reaction was the same as always. Her entourage had given up, perhaps because I remained unaffected by their jibes. They lacked conviction; they could learn a thing or two from Claire. Not that I was complaining—it was far easier to talk to Claire now that her minions no longer got in my way.
“I won’t be made a fool of every time!”
“Oh?”
There was something different about Claire today. She continued, smile unwavering. “You are aware of tomorrow’s test, are you not?”
“Of course.”
It wouldn’t be much different from the exams I had taken in Japanese schools, except in subject matter. Students at the Academy were assessed on culture, etiquette, and magic. Apparently, only culture and etiquette had been relevant in the past, but the introduction of the meritocratic system necessitated the inclusion of magic. At least, that was what I’d read in Revolution’s character guide.
The world of Revolution was in the process of, well, revolution. The catalyst had been the discovery of a special kind of stone, which had prompted the invention of magical tools and led to technical innovation. The magical tools were changing the world, and countries were competing to use them most effectively.
Speaking of which—the child version of Claire described in the character guide was a little angel. As I basked in that fond memory, though, Claire suddenly grabbed my chin and lifted it.
“The test will decide things, once and for all. If I win, you will leave the school.”
“What? No, I don’t want that.”
“Oh no?” Claire’s voice got sharper, but for once, it didn’t excite me. “Is the top-scoring new student a coward, then?”
“But if I leave the Academy, I won’t be able to play with you any longer, Miss Claire.”
“Would you seriously stop saying such things?”
“Ha ha ha. You’re so silly.”
“I’m the one who is silly?! Me?!”
However, as I indulged in my teasing, I remembered this was one of the events of the game. In fact, Claire presented the heroine with a variety of challenges through the entire course of Revolution, the first of which was beating her in the start-of-term tests.
“How about this?” I said. “If you can’t beat me, then you must grant me a favor.”
“Wh-what? Why in the world…?”
“Hmm? Are you the coward, then? I thought you were at the top of the class of continuing students.”
The Royal Academy encompassed kindergarten, elementary, junior high, high school, and university, and its students fell into two groups: those who had enrolled in kindergarten and continued on, and those who transferred in later. The player character was the best of the incoming transfer students, and Claire was the best of the students who had attended from the first. The continuing students were mainly aristocrats while the transfer students were mainly commoners, and the two groups generally didn’t get along. It was considered quite the tragedy when a noble student had to share a dorm room with a commoner.
“So you accept my challenge?” Claire demanded. “Very well. I accept your terms.”
“Heh heh. Thank you.”
“What do you imagine you’re thanking me for? You may as well pack your bags now.”
“Yes! Thank you for the encouragement!”
“I most certainly am not—ugh! Misha!”
“What is it?” Misha had been watching us from the sidelines, but she came over when Claire called her.
“Will you be our witness? If I achieve the higher score on this test, this commoner will leave the Academy. If, for some reason, I can’t beat her, I will grant her a single favor.”
“Expulsion and enrollment within the institute are decided by the King, you know. I don’t think such a condition can be enforced.”
“There will be no need to enforce it. The commoner will leave the school of her own accord, shamed by her lack of talent.” Claire let out her shrill laugh, as if she had already won.
“Are you really okay with this, Rae?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s decided. We can’t have her going back on your promise, so you will be the witness, Misha. That’s fine with you, isn’t it, commoner?”
“Yes! Just thinking about doing something for Miss Claire makes me so excited!”
“I will not lose! Now, swear to God!”
“Swear to God!”
“And I am witness to your accord…”
In this world, swearing to God was deeply significant. Breaking such a vow was nigh unthinkable for both aristocrats and commoners.
That was just how Claire and I finally broke the ice.
The day of the test had come.
The first subject was culture, which covered the history and literature of the Bauer Kingdom. For example:
Question:
Discuss the flaws of the policies of King Cooley III and how they were remedied during Bauer’s Great Famine of 1827.
Or,
Question:
Identify and discuss problems and potential solutions for one major industry of the kingdom.
Or,
Question:
Compose a poem using classical meter.
As you can see, the questions weren’t particularly relevant to daily life. In a world where relatively few commoners were literate, nobility like Claire possessed an overwhelming advantage when it came to the subject of culture. And since there were only two other tests, this also gave her an advantage when it came to our overall scores, which were combined from those three tests.
“That was hard…” I murmured.
Revolution allowed the player to gather information through actions like studying before they took the test. Though the questions were posed in essay format, the game itself presented you with multiple choice answers, so you just had to pick the right one. Most players tended to look up walkthroughs for the answer keys, which was still time-consuming, given the sheer number of questions.
The next test was on etiquette, conducted in the form of a formal meal. The exam began before students even entered the banquet room that served as its venue, with the examiner scoring them on things like their dress, their posture, the way they greeted others in the room, and even where their eyes lingered while they ate. It went far beyond such things as how to handle which of the twenty or so pieces of cutlery. Of course, Claire, as an aristocrat, had an overwhelming advantage here as well.
In the game, this test was also multiple choice. For example, you could choose whether you wore black or white clothes, or what greeting to give when entering the room, where to rest your gaze, etc. Most players looked up the answers for this online, too.
“It’s actually pretty tricky when you have to do it yourself,” I mused.
The last test assessed our magical ability, and it was the only one where commoners really had a shot at beating nobility. In fact, the king’s new merit-based policy could more accurately be called a magical power-based policy. An individual’s aptitude for using high-tech magic tools was innate and unrelated to their social status. The king feared Bauer would be left behind by the changing times if he continuing catering solely to the nobles’ wishes; the aristocrats, nevertheless, chafed at his supposed system of meritocracy because magical power had nothing to do with family or lineage.
The magic test took place outdoors. There were two assessments, one for basic magical power and another for wielding magical tools. Basic magical power was measured by a device, and it came in four kinds of aptitudes: earth, water, fire, and wind. A person generally possessed one aptitude, which was rated on a five-point scale: none, low, medium, high, and super. While magical ability could be improved through training, it was fundamentally an immutable inborn quality.
Claire had a high aptitude for fire, which really did suit her. The interests of the game developers were sometimes obvious.
The test of magical tool operation required wielding a wand, a general-purpose tool that could be used to create various phenomena. This test would be to see how far we could make a magic bullet fly.
“Well, that was easy enough.”
In the game, magical power could be increased through the “magic training” action, and in the test, the bullet’s flight distance was determined by a rhythm game. It was by far the simplest test and only required good timing, so there was no need to look up answers or anything. However, some players insisted on comparing their bullet flight scores, and Revolution had rankings on its website. First place scored some free gifts from the game developers, but anyone who went that far cared more about the record itself than prizes. My last personal best was tens of times higher than the average.
At any rate, those were the exams. After spending all day in testing, I was exhausted.
“And so, I’m here to reenergize!”
“Would you please go home?”
Claire shooed me off when I showed up at her room, looking tired herself. Aww.
***
The results were posted three days after the exam.
“You have dark circles under your eyes, did you know?” Claire approached me in the hall after class, where I was waiting in front of the bulletin board for the results.
“Yes, well, I actually didn’t sleep a wink…”
“Oh ho ho ho. How very unfortunate. But a promise is a promise now, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I just couldn’t stop daydreaming about what favor I should ask of you, and before I knew it, it was morning.”
“That’s what you meant?!”
Of course. I wouldn’t have been able to make any such requests of Claire in the real game—this was unbearably exciting.
“Do you really think you can beat me? You are so oblivious,” Claire was bursting with confidence, which made sense from her point of view.
“Well, we won’t know how it went until we see the results, will we?”
“It’s perfectly obvious.”
“Heh heh. You two certainly have become close,” said Yu, butting his way into our conversation. “How confident are you, Rae?”
“Well, a bit.”
“Heh. I’m looking forward to it. How about you, Misha?”
“I did my best,” Misha didn’t look particularly happy to be talking to the boy she was crushing on. She was convinced she wasn’t worthy of Yu, that ever since her house had fallen into ruin, she had nothing to offer someone as talented as he was.
Still, the most infuriating thing about love is that it can’t be stopped.
“All right then, who will be number two?” And there was Rod, implying, of course, that there was no doubt in his mind he had the top marks. He was so good at finding ways to rekindle my disdain.
Silence followed.
Far from Claire, who was first in line waiting for the results, and myself, who was standing next to her, stood Thane with a blank expression on his face. He probably wasn’t looking forward to being forced to face his own inadequacies. Don’t get me wrong, though—Thane only seemed inferior in comparison to his brothers. He was a completely capable person in his own right.
“It’s here,” Misha’s voice brought me back to reality. The office clerk was headed in our direction with a piece of paper.
“Are you ready?” Claire asked smugly.
“I am very ready to enjoy you, Miss Claire.”
The first score sheet to be posted listed the results of the culture test.
Culture Subject Results
1st Rod Bauer (100 pts)
2nd Yu Bauer (98 pts)
2nd Rae Taylor (98 pts)
4th Claire François (95 pts)
…
…
7th Misha Jur (90 pts)
…
…
10th Thane Bauer (87 pts)
…
…
“Wha?!” Claire exclaimed. Personally, I was disappointed that I’d missed two questions.
“Well! I expected myself and Yu to finish first and second, of course, but way to go, Rae,” said Rod.
“Great job, Rae.”
“Thank you very much.” I glanced at Claire while the two princes praised me. She seemed baffled that she, an aristocrat, could have scored lower than a commoner.
As I said before, most players looked up answers online. Not me, though. I’d gone out of my way to memorize every single one of the questions and answers on the culture exam. The reason was simple: I wrote Revolution fanfiction.
Short fanfiction can be composed without a complete grasp of the story’s world and perspective. However, I wrote fanfiction about Claire after she lost the game and truly became a villainess, charting her rise to power. To properly imagine how the game world would change in years to come, I bought the character reference guide and immersed myself in it. To be honest, I was confident I knew the world better than the game’s developers at this point.
All of which was to say that I wasn’t the least bit surprised by these results. Claire, meanwhile, was clenching her fists so tightly that her knuckles had turned white, trembling with rage.
Next, the results of the etiquette test were posted.
Etiquette Subject Results
1st Yu Bauer (100 pts)
2nd Rod Bauer (98 pts)
3rd Claire François (97 pts)
4th Thane Bauer (95 pts)
…
…
8th Misha Jur (90 pts)
…
…
22nd Rae Taylor (75 pts)
…
…
Color returned to Claire’s face after the shock of the culture results. She sneered at me with a triumphant expression. Augh, she was transcendently cute. Really.
“So, the first one was just a fluke. The wolf has been stripped of her sheepskin.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
Exactly right, in fact. I knew every criterion that would be evaluated in the etiquette test, but knowing them and implementing them in real time were two separate things. In high school, back in my world, I’d been a member of the Japanese Kimono Club. But etiquette differs from culture to culture, situation to situation, and I couldn’t hope to master Bauer’s rules in the short time I’d had so far in this world. There was no way I could compete with Claire, born and raised as an aristocrat. I actually felt like twenty-second place was pretty good for me.
Finally, the results of the magical power test went up.
Magical Power Subject Results
1st Rae Taylor (Immeasurable)
2nd Misha Jur (98 pts)
…
…
6th Claire François (92 pts)
…
8th Thane Bauer (90 pts)
9th Rod Bauer (88 pts)
9th Yu Bauer (88 pts)
“Wh-what is this…?” Claire was flustered again. I, of course, was elated.
In truth, the outcome of this test had been set in stone. As the heroine of the game, I was scripted to have aptitude in both earth and water. While having multiple aptitudes was already special, both of mine were at the “super” rank. As magical tool-wielding efficacy was proportional to the wielder’s innate magical power, the player character inevitably placed first in this exam.
Finally, the overall scores were pinned.
Comprehensive results
1st Rod Bauer (286 pts)
1st Yu Bauer (286 pts)
3rd Claire François (284 pts)
…
…
8th Misha Jur (278 pts)
…
…
10th Thane Bauer (272 pts)
…
…
*Note, due to the unprecedented results attained by Rae Taylor, her score will be handled separately at this point in time. The Academy will review its methods of evaluation going forward.
There it was.
“I don’t get it…” Claire bit her lip, and her minions rushed to reassure her.
“But you’re second after the two princes! That’s amazing!”
“That’s right! We knew you could do it, Miss Claire!”
“Yes… Yes, that’s right.” Claire looked like she was starting to feel a little better, when—
“Misssss Claaaaaire!” Of course, I dashed over to her as well.
“Huh?!”
“How cruel! You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I do not. What do you want? As you can see, our competition has been voided.”
“What are you saying? Miss Claire, you were unable to beat me.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t you remember your vow? If you beat me, I would leave the Academy. If you didn’t beat me, you would grant me a favor.”
“I am aware—and we were unable to come to a conclusion.”
“Right. So you didn’t beat me, Miss Claire.”
“Ah…”
Now she got it. The condition I’d set for my favor wasn’t “beat Claire,” it was “Claire doesn’t beat me.” As such, logically speaking, this included scenarios where the results were inconclusive.
“H-how cowardly!”
“Yes, I left the wording ambiguous to trick you!”
“Then it doesn’t count!”
“What? You’d break your vow? But you swore to God.”
“Err…” Claire’s beautiful face was conflicted. Hook, line, and sinker. “Well then… What is your request?”
“I knew you would come through, Miss Claire! I love you!”
“That’s enough. Just hurry up and tell me!” Claire was on the verge of losing her temper.
I clasped my hands in front of me and looked her directly in the eyes. “Please don’t give up.”
“Huh?”
“No matter how hard things get: don’t give up until the very end.”
Claire wore a puzzled look as she listened to my words. Silly as they sounded, there was a purpose to my request.
“And that’s all?”
“Yes?”
“I thought you would ask me for something completely unreasonable.”
“Would you prefer that?”
“No. This is fine.” Perfectly straightforward. Claire, whose shoulders had begun to slump, stood straight once more when her eyes met mine. “I swear to God that I will not give up. I promise never to abandon hope and to keep going until the end.”
“That’s wondrous, Miss Claire.” What a beautiful thing it is to make such an oath. This was exactly the response I’d hoped for.
“I won’t lose the next one.” With those words, Claire turned to leave. Truly, I thought, a graceful exit for an exquisite villainess.
“Oh, Miss Claire.”
“What is it now?”
“I love you.”
“Well, I hate you!”
And just when it felt like things between us were going so well…
Still, this was perfect. After all, this was exactly how my Claire ought to be.
***
Revolution was a dating sim. As I said before, I only cared about the male love interests insofar as they let me spend time with Claire. The romance that brought you into the most contact with Claire was the one with Thane, the second-born prince, and I was more than willing to take that route if need be—but there was a problem.
“Hey, Rae. Are you listening?” a clear baritone addressed me.
“I’m sorry… I was distracted.”
“You’re so funny. That’s all right; I forgive you.” Rod laughed, and the noble-born girls around us looked on with envy. No matter how rich their families might be, it seemed they didn’t have the courage to approach the first-born prince.
One of the early triggers for Rod’s romance route was achieving excellent results in the start-of-term tests. Checking that box got Rod’s attention and made him begin to flirt with you. That’s what was happening at the moment, and like I said, it was a problem.
When I turned to look behind me, I found Thane in the last row of the classroom looking bored out of his mind.
I did this to beat Claire, but…
If your test results were too good, Thane’s interest in you decreased. He was a tangle of inferiority complexes and not fond of people more skilled than himself. What an endearing character flaw.
“Master Rod, should you speak so casually to such a peasant? She will sully your noble blood.”
“Oh, Miss Claire!”
I brightened at the familiar pointed tone. Unlike the young women in her entourage, Claire never hesitated to approach Rod. That was natural enough, given her family’s status, but I thought it had more to do with Claire’s personality.
“She may be a commoner, but she has skills. And her reactions are interesting, too.”
“That teasing of yours is a bad habit, Rod. Rae, you don’t have to indulge him.” Yu joined us at that point. The exam results didn’t affect his route, so his behavior toward me hadn’t changed.
“I think Rae could suffer to show a little more respect for royalty,” said Misha, who was quietly studying in the next seat over. Misha was always by the heroine’s side, giving her advice. Of course, this also led to mayhem on the Yu route.
“I respect the royal family,” I said, “but my love for Claire runs far deeper than any respect.”
“What do you think about that, Claire?”
“I have no interest in the thoughts of peasants. …I do think she’s taking this a bit too far, though.”
“Yes! Please cut me down to size!”
“Why does that make you so happy?!”
Seeing Claire and I up to our usual antics made Rod laugh again. “Ha ha! You really are funny!”
Oof. This was starting to be a problem. I didn’t know what to do.
“Master Rod,” I said, my diction clear as possible.
“What is it?”
“I’m only interested in Miss Claire.”
“It sure does seem that way.”
“So, if you could please leave me be…”
“Hey, Rae!” Misha sounded flustered. She probably thought I was being too frank—that was the point! “Rod, I’m so sorry. Rae hasn’t learned how to comport herself around royalty yet.”
“Oh no, I don’t think so. Do you really think we should ignore what she just said?” Claire interjected. It was just like Misha to bandage my self-inflicted wounds and just like Claire to pour salt into them. “Ignorance is no excuse. Does she think she suddenly has status just because she did well on a test?”
“Well,” Rod mused. “Claire does have a point, but…”
“Don’t I? I beg of you to make sure her punishment is severe.”
“But this is the Academy. Here, I am merely a student. And above all else…”
“But to simply disregard what she—”
“Above all else,” Rod repeated. “I choose to forgive. This is the word of your future king. Do you disagree?”
He really did sound like a king when he spoke like that.
“Er! Understood.” Claire backed off, clearly frustrated.
“Miss Claire,” I said.
“Hmph… What is it? You must be proud of yourself for gaining Master Rod’s favor.”
“Not really.”
“Hmm?”
“You were just trying to be proper, Miss Claire. I respect you for that.”
Once again, Claire looked like a pigeon that had been nailed by a BB gun. I was sure she’d never imagined a person she was criticizing would back her up.
“Well—hmph! I still don’t like you! I will never accept you!”
“Yes! I’ll work my hardest to change your mind.”
“I’m saying it will never happen!”
“I will do my best to make it happen!”
“You two are quite a pair.”
“Yes!”
“No, we are not!”
Claire really was the cutest.
***
Even though I was attending the Academy on a scholarship and exempt from tuition, there were other costs that came with attendance. Since my character’s family was poor, the only way I could cover those expenses was to get a part-time job. Classes were generally held in the mornings, so I could work in the afternoons. The main character’s status changed depending on the job she took up, making the decision an important element of the game.
“Your application is rejected.”
“Please, isn’t there any way?”
“I told you already, you’re rejected!”
I was at the François family home, interviewing for the position of maid. The Academy allowed students, formerly only rich kids, to bring two maids to school with them. This was irrelevant to scholarship students, who didn’t have the funds to hire help, but it certainly wasn’t irrelevant to me. Becoming Claire’s maid would give me an excellent reason to always be by her side.
The senior maid normally decided whether to hire new staff, but Claire was attending my interview, too. After all, I’d told her of my application in advance.
“Miss Claire, are you sure we can’t hire her?” the senior maid said hesitantly. “She has such exceptional skills…”
While I wasn’t quite at the aristocrat level, I was much better versed in etiquette than the average commoner, which was an important trait for a maid. I could also work magic, meaning I could protect myself.
“The problem is her personality! I would never have a moment’s rest if I had to be around a maid like this all day.”
“But it seems she’s very loyal.”
“It’s not just loyalty, Madam. I am in love.”
“And I simply can’t have a maid who talks to me like that!” Claire squawked.
“What in the world is going on? What is this racket?”
“Master…”
“Father.”
The man who entered the room had the same bright blond hair as Claire, but his was combed back. He was of medium stature, with no memorable features other than his aristocratic mustache, but the way he carried himself made it clear he was of noble birth.
This was Dole François, Claire’s father and head of House François. Dole was the Bauer Kingdom’s Minister of Finance, which made him the third-most powerful person in the kingdom and also the most influential aristocrat. He’d been one of the first to oppose meritocratic policy, and it wasn’t an exaggeration to call him a thorn in the king’s side. In the game, for better or worse, he behaved with a noble’s courtesy, esteemed tradition and formality above all else.
“We are hiring a maid to accompany Miss Claire at the Academy, but the Lady disagrees with my selection.”
“I see. Well, our senior maid would only select a candidate of high capability, so what is the issue, Claire?”
“Her personality is impossible. She is always attempting to make a fool of me…”
“Aha… So the issue isn’t a lack of qualifications but a lack of respect for her employer?”
As a side note, Dole adored Claire. He was undoubtedly a large part of why she had such a spoiled personality.
“I wouldn’t say that’s the case,” the senior maid said. “She applied for the position because she wants to serve the Lady Claire. Unlike most interviewees, she seems to have no financial motivation.”
“Well, she might just be saying that.”
“When I asked her how she would serve the Lady if she were hired as a maid, her answer was exceedingly well thought out and specific. I don’t believe it’s just lip service.”
Dole hemmed and hawed a bit, deep in thought. “But Claire is unfond of her. And if Claire dislikes her, I do not see how you can hire her.”
“That is true, but—”
“Exactly, Father!”
“Your Excellency! Please forgive me for my disrespect.” Sensing the tables turning against me, I played my trump card. Dole frowned at my outburst.
“You, a commoner, utter these words to a noble? And the Minister of Finance, no less? It seems Claire was correct in her judgment. One can only tolerate so much impudence.”
“Irvine Manuel.”
The instant I said this name, the color drained from Dole’s face. There was a hint of a smile on his lips, but his eyes were cold as stone.
“And who might that be?” he said.
“March 3rd, five hundred thousand gold,” I said.
“Father?”
“Claire, senior maid, please leave us.”
“But we must not! At least let me call for a guard—”
“That is an order.”
“Must I leave, too?”
“I’m sorry, Claire. I just want to confirm a few things. Please go,” Dole said to Claire in a soft voice.
“Fine…” Claire begrudgingly left the room.
“Now, then. Who are you and what do you know?”
Unlike when he spoke to Claire, Dole’s tone as he questioned me was harsh and cold. Depending on my answer, there was a possibility I wouldn’t leave the mansion alive. But my life had a very important purpose: I intended to live to love Claire. I wasn’t going to die.
I spoke with Dole for thirty minutes straight.
“You will hire this person as Claire’s maid.”
These were the first words out of Dole’s mouth after we were done talking and he called the senior maid and Claire back into the room.
“Why?!”
“We can trust her. She will be suitable as Claire’s maid.”
“I don’t accept this! What did you say to my father?!”
“Nothing special. I mean, I told him about my love for you, Miss Claire.”
“Would you stop joking around?!” Claire was even more upset than usual, and why wouldn’t she be? Her father, who had been her staunchest supporter only minutes before, had suddenly switched teams. “Father, do you mean that someone who speaks to me like this is to attend me?!”
“Having spoken to her, I am convinced of her earnestness. She is completely loyal to you, Claire.”
“But her loyalty is impure! She wants to make a fool of me!”
“Claire.” Dole dropped his voice a bit. When a crafty politician like him did that, it had an impact. “It’s easy to have an obedient person serve at your side. But as the eldest daughter of the François family, it will be up to you to take the reins someday.”
“Ugh…” Claire didn’t have a leg to stand on once he’d invoked her position as the eldest daughter. Her father knew exactly how to handle her. “So, you insist that we hire her?”
“That is correct.”
“Fine…” Claire was clearly dissatisfied, but she held her chin high and said, “As my maid, you must do as I say. Be prepared!”
“Thank you so much! I will do my best!”
And that was how I landed the job of Claire’s maid. Just don’t expect me to tell you what I said to Dole—that stays secret.
***
“Good morning, Miss Claire.”
When I entered Claire’s room to help her get dressed the next morning, she looked back at me with an uncertain expression. It was perfect.
“So you really have become my maid, then…” she said.
“Indeed. I promise to take very good care of you.”
“Don’t you mean, ‘Please take care of me’?”
“Huh? But I’m the maid, so I’ll be the one providing the care, right?”
“That’s not what I mean!”
“Yes. I was just kidding.”
“Argh!”
Claire was in good health, hooray!
“Rae, don’t trouble Miss Claire so much. Here, Miss Claire. I brought your clothes.” The quiet voice advising me was Claire’s other maid, Lene Aurousseau. She was a little older than us, had fluffy, flaxen hair, and seemed very patient.
“Good morning, Lene. Please dress me.”
“Oh, please let me do it!”
“Would you get away from me?!”
“My, you certainly are dedicated to your job.”
Lene grinned at my obvious ulterior motives while Claire shrieked. Lene was a commoner like me, but she was also the eldest daughter of one of the kingdom’s few wealthy merchant families, the Aurousseaus of the Aurousseau Commercial Firm. Her family lacked for nothing, and she was only serving as Claire’s maid to secure connections with Claire’s father, Dole, the Minister of Finance.
“Let’s use this opportunity to have Rae dress you,” she said.
“No! This peasant will do everything wrong!”
“Come now. There may come a time when I’m ill and can’t properly perform my duties. Shouldn’t Rae learn what to do in such an event?”
“Well… Perhaps that’s true…”
As was clear from this conversation, Lene liked Claire and was adept at managing her. Though she seemed meek and subservient, in reality, she had Claire eating out of the palm of her hand.
“Rae, you must also keep a rein on your teasing of Miss Claire. Even with all that overflowing love of yours.”
“Understood.”
“Lene!”
“Tee hee. Just a joke, Miss.” The way Lene laughed, it would have been easy to mistake her as Claire’s sister or some other close relation. They had known each other for a long time; Lene had worked as Claire’s maid ever since Claire could remember. The position of the second maid had a high turnover rate, due to Claire’s fierce personality, but Lene had remained in her service all along. This wasn’t mentioned during gameplay, but it was described in detail in the character reference guide.
“Now, let’s get dressed. Rae, would you please remove Miss Claire’s clothes?”
“Yes. Excuse me, Miss Claire.”
Claire trusted herself to my care in silence, perhaps with resignation. Everything she wore was custom-made and opulent, and of course, her pajamas were no exception. They were made of smooth silk, a rare sight in this kingdom where hemp and cotton were the norm.
Although, it wasn’t just her pajamas I was admiring. Up close and personal, Claire was incredibly lovely. Her skin was like fine porcelain, and while she wasn’t very tall, she had long, slender arms and legs, and curves in all the right places. She was flawless.
“Would you stop gawking?”
“Please excuse me. You’re just so beautiful, Miss Claire.”
“I’m really tired of your compliments. Aren’t you done yet?”
“I would really like to admire you a bit longer, but—”
“Hurry up with it!”
I collected myself and dressed Claire in her school uniform. The Royal Academy uniform was similar to the blazers found in modern Japan, but the design was exceptionally elegant. Most schools didn’t have uniforms in this world, since commoners often couldn’t afford to attend in the first place and nobles enjoyed dressing up. The Royal Academy used uniforms as a way to mark status. Only the chosen elite had the privilege of passing their arms through these sleeves. Unlike Japanese uniforms, which were designed for homogeneity, the Academy’s uniforms were a symbol of excellence and prestige.
Claire pushed her arms through the embroidered, frilly white blouse.
“Rae won’t be able to do your hair yet. I’ll manage it today,” Lene said.
Claire’s trademark golden curls weren’t natural. I was already practicing how to craft them on a wig, but hadn’t yet mastered the necessary technique, so it was up to Lene to skillfully style Claire’s hair.
Incidentally, there was no shampoo or conditioner in this world. People used soap to wash their hair, but it was made differently from the kind in my world and could get hair just as clean as the products I was more familiar with. I’d read a lot of stories of people transported to other worlds setting up shop to sell homemade shampoo and conditioner, but that wasn’t my cup of tea.
“You are so very skilled, Lene. It looks wonderful.” Claire gazed at the mirror, satisfied that she looked like a perfect young noble lady from every angle. She scored a critical hit on my heart, for sure.
“Don’t waste such compliments on me.”
“Well then, let’s go to the cafeteria.”
Academy meals were served in the cafeteria, and, of course, were extravagant. They weren’t presented in multiple courses, but each meal had a staple, a main dish, side dish, soup, and dessert. These wonderful meals were one of the things the commoner scholarship students most looked forward.
“Hmph… Look at these scraps.”
However, the meals fell far short of the standards of a purebred noble like Claire.
“Really? But it’s so delicious,” I was enjoying the heck out of my beef bowl. Claire would never deign to eat such an abomination.
“Perhaps to a commoner. They could at least serve something from Broumet.”
Broumet was the hottest restaurant in the kingdom’s capital. It specialized in developing new recipes and was frequented by nobles. It was also painfully expensive. A single Broumet course could cost half a commoner’s yearly salary. The Academy might have been established by royalty and have plenty of funds, but such extravagance would eat into even their deep pockets.
“Miss Claire, you mustn’t be picky,” Lene scolded, seeing Claire nudge the green peppers out of her food.
“Green peppers are not meant to be consumed by humans. Don’t let it concern you. There are more appropriate vegetables to sustain me.”
“That isn’t the point. These meals are paid for by the people’s taxes. As an aristocrat, you have an obligation to eat the food before you, Miss Claire.”
“Ugh…” Claire had no comeback once her duty as an aristocrat came into question. One more nudge, and she would cave.
“Well then, can I eat them?” I said quickly. “It’ll be like an indirect ki—”
“Bon appetit!” Before I could finish my sentence, Claire angrily shoveled all of the green peppers into her mouth. Hmph.
“Wonderful, Rae. You got Miss Claire to eat her peppers.”
Once we were done eating, it was time for class. The first lecture of the day was in culture; since I had the character reference guide memorized cover to cover, this was pretty boring for me.
“Now, regarding the impact of King Cooley III’s policies on international affairs… Miss Claire, what do you think?” Despite the fact that a teacher was addressing a student, Claire was ‘Miss,’ as she was with all the faculty. There were some nobility among our teachers, but none of superior standing to House François.
“King Cooley III’s agricultural policy quickly resolved the famine afflicting the Alpecian region of our neighboring country. The incident brought to light vulnerabilities in Bauer’s infrastructure, so the king subsequently invested a great deal in the development of the farm belt in the western region so as to improve self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imports.”
“That is exactly right.”
Claire was an exemplary student. She had been provided with the best tutors ever since she was a child, but more than that, she always wanted to be the best, so she studied hard. Ever since losing to me in the culture exam, she’d spent even more time with her nose in books. Part of my job, as directed by the François family, included the role of Claire’s at-home tutor, but at this point there wasn’t anything I could teach her.
Lene didn’t attend class with us. She was only at the Academy to accompany Claire, not as a student. There was a facility for servants next to the Academy student dormitory, and Lene stayed there, making her way to Claire’s location whenever necessary. The maids had plenty of work to do while their employers were in class, such as washing clothes, reporting to parents, or preparing for the winter social events. As I was both a maid and a student at the Academy, I was to leave those tasks to Lene and assist Claire within the Academy.
“I want to hurry up and learn how to do every little thing for Miss Claire. I want to help her as much as I can.”
“You know that as long as you keep saying things like that, I’m not going to let you do anything for me, right?”
The morning classes had ended, leaving us free to spend the afternoon as we pleased. Compared to schools in Japan, the schedule was nearly idle. There were no nasty obligations like homework; those who wanted to study did so, and those who didn’t study spent their time on other pursuits. Generally speaking, the noble kids mostly socialized after class while the commoner students turned to their books.
While I was a transfer student, I was now Claire’s maid and was obligated to follow her wherever she went. Claire loved to socialize and was always surrounded by people. Though she had a strong personality, she could turn on the charm as she needed.
“Miss Claire, did you hear Broumet has a new dessert?”
“Of course. I’ve tried it, too. It was exactly what you would expect from Broumet. It is called chocolate; it has a wonderful aroma and a delicate bitterness within the sweet.”
“Oh! What a subtle palate. I would expect nothing less from you, Miss Claire.”
“I brought some to the Academy, so if you’d like to try it, you may come by my room later.”
It seemed the topic on the young ladies’ minds today was dessert. Sugar was still a luxury item in this world, making sweets delicacies only nobles could afford.
“You must think you’re so lucky,” one of Claire’s minions smiled thinly at me. “Now that you’re always with Claire, you get all the handouts you want, don’t you?”
“Oh ho ho ho.” Claire laughed her shrill laugh. “Don’t be silly, Pepi. This is just a maid. There’s no need to give her special treatment.”
“Even if she doesn’t give me sweets, getting to see her take off her blouse fills me more than three rice bowls!” I declared.
“How dare you!”
Incidentally, the staple carbohydrate in the Bauer kingdom was bread, and rice was somewhat of a luxury item.
“Miss Claire… It’s not really my place, but are you sure you want someone like this to always be by your side?” one of her minions said worriedly.
“There’s nothing I can do… I said I didn’t want her, but my father insisted that I should tame her,” Claire complained, looking to her entourage for sympathy. Well, she wasn’t mistaken.
“I understand how you feel,” I said.
“I’m talking about you!”
“Rae, you really do like Miss Claire, don’t you?” Now that the lecture was over, Lene had joined us, laughing cheerfully. She had prepared tea for the young ladies and expertly poured for each.
“No. I don’t like her, not at all.”
“Huh?” Not only Lene, but Claire’s entire entourage—including Claire herself—looked surprised.
“Oh? Miss Claire, do you look sad? You do, right? Are you flirting? Is it finally flirting time now?”
“No! What in the world is flirting time?”
Really? I could have sworn she’d looked sad for a moment. “I don’t ‘like’ Miss Claire,” I explained. “I adore her. Actually, I love her.”
“Er…”
“Oh my.”
“Peasant.”
“My name is Rae, Miss Claire.”
“I will consider calling you by your name if you listen to what I’m about to say,” Claire said with a chuckle.
“Oh! Yes, then what is it?”
“Stop uttering this nonsense about liking or loving me.”
“Ah, then no.”
“Maybe you should take your time with that answer? You’ve only just met me.”
“Oh. Well, I suppose it does seem that way from your perspective, Miss Claire.”
“Do you have a different perspective?”
“I know everything about you.” After all, I had played the entire game, read the character reference guide cover to cover, and even read all the related secondary material.
Claire shook her head, bewildered by my claim. “It’s amazing how you keep going, with the way I treat you…”
“Oh, so you do notice it?”
“Would you just shut up?!”
“But that’s what I love about you, Miss Claire. Please take me to task.”
“You really have no idea what you’re doing, do you?”
That wasn’t true. I knew exactly what I was doing—doting on Claire.
Once the socializing died down in the evening, we went back to the dorms. Dinner was served in the cafeteria, just like breakfast and lunch.
“Ah, how perfect.”
“Who are you talking to?”
Claire had put her hair up, and her voice echoed off the walls. We were surrounded by steam, so I couldn’t clearly see her exquisitely proportioned body.
Obviously, we were in the bath. Heating that much water was no easy task, making baths a rare thing even in noble households, but the Academy dormitory had a large heated bath enabled by the volcanic vents near the capital. In other words, this wasn’t just a normal bath—it was a hot spring.
“Isn’t this indulgent?” I sighed.
“Tee hee, yes, it is. It’s far beyond what a simple peasant could even imagine.”
“Miss Claire, Rae, aren’t you cold?” Lene approached us from the washing area.
Claire sneezed, “Yes, we are. Hurry and wash me so I can get into the bath, Lene.”
“Yes, Miss.” Lene lathered up a sponge with soap and ran it over Claire’s back. “Rae, will you wash her hair, please?”
“Any funny business and I’ll slap you,” Claire sniffed.
Claire didn’t trust me at all. I took the soap in my hand and lathered it up. As I noted before, the soap here was made differently from my world’s; it had a wonderful fragrance and produced the fluffiest suds.
“Pardon me, Miss Claire.”
I started to carefully wash the golden threads of Claire’s hair. I also gently massaged her scalp, and she seemed to like that quite a bit.
“Oh… That’s very good,” Claire seemed surprised. “Have you done this before?”
“Well, yes.”
The heroine of Revolution was an only child, but in my previous life on Earth, I’d had a younger brother whom I often bathed. Only amateurs use shampoo hats! Once you got the hang of it, you could wash hair without so much as a speck of shampoo dripping into the person’s eyes. It also helped that the soap in this world was so finely crafted.
“I’m going to rinse it out now.” I made sure Claire had her eyes closed and poured the hot water over her head. The foam washed cleanly away, and our lady was clean as a whistle.
She really was beautiful. Sexual orientation aside, she was…breathtaking.
“It feels like you’re looking places you shouldn’t be…”
“It’s your imagination.” It wasn’t her imagination.
Once she was washed clean, Claire let out a deep sigh as she immersed herself in the bath water.
“Miss Claire, you sound like an old lady.”
“I-Ingrate! I just breathed out a little more than normal.”
“Yes, let’s say that was it, then.”
“Argh!”
“Settle down now, Miss Claire. Take some time to relax in your bath,” Lene soothed Claire after my teasing. It seemed this was becoming our routine.
Claire luxuriated in a longish soak. Once she got out and slipped into her pajamas, Lene returned to her own dormitory and Claire went to bed. Her roommate had the top bunk and she the bottom one.
You see, Claire was a bit afraid of heights.
“Good night, Miss Claire.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Do you perhaps need a good-night kiss?”
“Do you think I would let these lips touch a maid’s?!”
“I suppose not, I just thought I’d offer.”
“I really don’t understand peasants… Go to sleep.”
“Of course, good night.”
I always waited till I was sure Claire had fallen asleep before returning to my own room. There was silence for about five minutes, and then she spoke.
“Are you still there?”
“Yes, Miss Claire.”
“I see… Why do you say you like me?”
“Hmm? Because you’re so cute, of course.”
“So you like how I look?”
“Not just that. I love your personality, too.”
I gave that answer without thinking, and Claire fell silent. While I was trying to decide what to say next, breath caught in my throat, she spoke again.
“Contrary to appearances, I know myself.” She sounded half-asleep. “My personality isn’t one that earns affection.”
“That’s not—”
“There’s no need for empty compliments. I want to know what it is you’re really after.” Her voice was serious. She was truly convinced no one liked her for herself.
“Miss Claire, I intend to remain by your side because I truly like you. I have no other motives.”
“So, you’re going to play innocent to the very end…”
I didn’t care for the despair in her voice. “You don’t believe me?”
“No.”
“Then I will do my best to make you.”
Silence again.
A few more minutes passed with no response from Claire. I started to leave the room, thinking that at last she was asleep.
“Do whatever you want…” Her voice, echoing in the darkness as I left the room, sounded profoundly lonely.
***
The next afternoon, a group of noble-born boys were getting rowdy in the Academy lobby. At the center of the commotion was Rod Bauer. As I mentioned before, the oldest prince was, in a word, narcissistic. He was blunt, focused, and always single-mindedly moving forward. Definitely not my type.
He surrounded himself with similar people, too. Commoners and aristocrats didn’t cross paths much, but many shared the goal of establishing whatever connections they could with the most influential nobles. However, unlike Yu, who was often followed by a bevy of girls, Rod spent more time with boys. Apparently, he still found goofing off with his guy friends more fun than romantic pursuits.
“Oh look, it’s Rae. Hey, come over here.”
Of course, there were exceptions. He wanted the attention of people whom he found amusing, regardless of gender, and he was interested in me because of my test results.
“No, thank you. I need to attend to Miss Claire,” I said.
“It’s fine. You were lucky enough to have Master Rod call you by name, so go ahead,” Claire said. Of course, what she really meant to say was that I should get away from her. Lene was also smiling, if wryly.
“No. I must remain by Miss Claire’s side. See how loyal I am? Please reward me!”
“You can’t just ask for a reward for yourself!” Yup, Claire was clearly playing along with my antics again.
“C’mon,” Rod insisted. “Claire can come, too. We’re playing chess.”
“Master Rod is way too skilled. No one can beat him,” said one of the noble boys with Rod.
They weren’t hyping him up or anything, either—Rod really was a god of chess. He had been educated in the strategy and tactics of military command since he was young, and chess had been used to hammer those basics home.
“Claire, you’re pretty good, aren’t you? How about a game?”
“I must decline. I am no match for Master Rod.” Claire was competitive, but she knew Rod was a master who’d mop the floor with her.
“How about Rae, then?”
“I… Well, maybe just for a while.”
“Let’s play one game. I’m interested to see how it goes.”
“Fine, I suppose.”
And that was how I ended up sitting down for a round of chess with Rod.
There was silence.
“Check.”
“You… Peasant…” Claire said. It said volumes about her feelings that she would use such derogatory terms in front of Rod. The other noble kids hanging around us also seemed angry. I’d completely dominated the game so far, and Rod’s king had been in danger for some time now.
More silence.
Rod had lost his trademark composure and was staring intently at the board. How he handled his rook in his next move would determine the outcome of the game.
“Rae… You’re good.”
“Oh no, I’m all right, at best.”
“Don’t be modest. No one has given me this much trouble since Yu.”
“Do you surrender?” I asked.
“Hey! Watch what you say!” Claire cried.
“No, you really are good… But still not as good as me.”
Rod moved his rook between his king and my king, taking my queen, which had held his king in check.
“Checkmate.”
I’d seen it coming. Even if I were to take his rook with my bishop, that bishop would be taken by his knight, and my king would fall a few moves later, anyway. If I were to move my king away, he would follow me with the rook, trapping me against the edge of the board. It would only take a few moves to take the queen that I had traded a pawn in for. I was stuck.
“I lose,” I said.
“Whooo!” The spectators burst into cheers and jumps of excitement at this unexpected turnabout. Rod wore a smug grin.
“Man, it really was a close game,” I said.
Rod leaned toward me. “You figured out my strategy around the middle, didn’t you?”
“What? Did you notice?”
“I did. My victory was decided by the point my bishop took your rook.”
“Yeah, it was. That was a bit careless of me!”
A number of the noble kids were now focused on me.
“Rae, I can’t believe you hid this talent from us.”
“If you can hold your own against Master Rod, maybe you’re as good as Master Yu?”
“Play me next!”
“Hey, wait. That was intense. Let’s call it a day,” Rod said in a rare show of maturity. “Still, Rae, you really are skilled. Do commoners play chess, too?”
“Oh, no. I never played at home. I only knew the rules.”
“Wait, what?” Rod got a glassy look in his eyes.
It wasn’t an outright lie. The player character didn’t even have a chess board at home and had never had the opportunity to play. But as I mentioned earlier, my hobby in my former life on Earth had been playing games, and I’d devoted a great deal of time to board games, including chess.
Also, I’d spent a lot of time playing the chess mini-game in Revolution, which had an AI opponent. There were several AI patterns in the game, starting with the weakest, assigned to Thane, and ending with the strongest, Hidden Yu. Each opponent had characteristic offensive and defensive tactics, and except for Hidden Yu, you could learn to win consistently if you played a lot.
So yes, I could actually have beaten Rod if I chose. But if I did that, he’d grow even more interested in me, so I let him win. My objective was, as ever, to dote on Claire, not to win a prince’s heart.
As an aside, it was actually Yu who was best at chess, at least when he played seriously and turned into “Hidden Yu.” In front of others, he submitted to Rod and was therefore considered second best, but when he played seriously, he was far better. Hidden Yu in the mini-game was so skilled that it was hard to believe it was in a dating sim.
“You can play that well when you’ve never played before?”
“No, I, uh, do have experience playing. Elsewhere. I forgot.”
Silence.
“Come, Miss Claire. It’s almost time to eat. Please excuse us, Rod,” I said, attempting to leave.
“Let’s play again one day. And next time, I want you to play seriously, got it?” he said with a smile. Agh, he’d figured out I was holding back.
“If we get the chance.” I left the lobby, playing innocent.
“Peasant… Just who are you?” Claire asked me on the way to the cafeteria.
“Why, I am nothing but a slave to your love, Miss Claire.”
“And there you are, trying to play me for the fool again. That’s fine. I’ll peel that sheep’s clothing off of you eventually, wolf.”
“I look forward to it.” I really wasn’t concealing any ulterior motives, but I wasn’t going to complain about piquing Claire’s interest. “Oh, yeah, how about that reward for my loyalty we were talking about?”
“There is none!”
***
Of the three brothers, the youngest, Yu, was the most princelike in a traditional sense. His mild personality and good looks made the noble girls flock to him, and he was quite the strategist. He would deliberately make mistakes to lull his opponents into carelessness and then bend them to his will. He was like Lene in that way.
Like Rod, Yu was also always surrounded by people. The difference was…
“Master Yu, I ordered some marvelous tea from the south. Please try some?”
“Goodness, this is rare. The Huchet family do business in the southern regions, don’t they? Thank you.”
“I brought some of the new Broumet sweets. They say it’s called chocolate.”
“Really? I’ll take one. Mmm… It’s delicious. The bitterness and enticing aroma are lovely. Thank you, Mil.”
“Oh yes, Master Yu. I—”
He was very popular with the girls.
“Check.”
“So it’s come to this.”
I was playing chess with Claire in the corner of a courtyard, far from Yu’s fanfare. It seemed my game with Rod had sparked Claire’s competitive side, and at this point, chess was the only thing I could actually teach her anything about. She currently had me cornered. If I made a mistake now, the tables would turn instantaneously.
“Then I’ll go here.”
Claire groaned as I moved my knight, and the situation rebalanced just the slightest bit in my favor. Claire’s moves were easy to read. She pushed until she couldn’t anymore, and that was it. Since I had studied her strategy extensively in the mini-game, it was easy for me to counter her. My current stats were seventeen wins and three losses. Not a bad win ratio.
But that wasn’t the point. The fact that we had already played twenty games, less than a week after my game with Rod, was testament to Claire’s competitive streak.
“Hmm… Claire, Q to F4.”
“Huh…? Oh!”
Yu had shown up, breaking Claire’s concentration. And what he’d said was brutal. This single move would break my defense and instantly shift the advantage to Claire.
“Thank you very much, Master Yu,” Claire said. “But please don’t interject in the middle of my game. I noticed that move on my own.”
“Ah ha ha, sorry, sorry. I just know that Rae loves to bully you.”
“Huh?” Claire had a blank look on her face.
“Rae is deliberately baiting you into attacking her and then guiding your pieces to places that are convenient for her. If you want to beat her, you’ll have to change your strategy.”
“Were you really doing such a mean thing, Rae?!”
“Yes, but…I’ve explained that many times in our post-game discussions.”
No matter how many times I broke it down, Claire never switched up tactics, and her pieces inevitably fell into the exact traps I lured them into.
“Let’s all play poker for a change of pace.” Yu pulled out a deck of cards, a grin on his face. The nearby noble kids started to cluster around us, and I was pleased to see that Misha was part of the group, too. “Dede, would you deal?”
“Yes, sir.” The friend Yu appointed dealer had short black hair and a cool demeanor.
The rules were simple. Each person was allowed to draw twice, and whoever had the strongest hand at the end won the round. We weren’t wagering any money, so there were no rules like betting, raising, or calling to complicate things.
“Rae, my brother told me you were tremendously good at chess.”
“Well, I didn’t beat Master Rod.”
“I also heard you weren’t playing seriously.”
“Huh?!”
“Master Rod is just overestimating her.” Claire balked at Yu’s words. I resolved to feign complete ignorance. At least, that was my plan…
“Rae, were you going easy on Master Rod?” Misha demanded.
“Nuh-uh. Master Rod is imagining it. I played my best.”
“I certainly hope so. Master Rod loathes nothing more than people going easy on him in competition.”
“You really are interesting, Rae.” Yu laughed softly, which the noble girls around us clearly did not appreciate. They were so young… “Did you deal everyone in? Okay, let’s start drawing. You go first, Rae.”
I was dealt the two of clubs, four of clubs, three of hearts, ace of spades, and seven of spades. Not bad. I was just one away from a straight.
“I’ll draw one.” I discarded the seven of spades and the dealer dealt me one more card. It was the two of spades, which gave me a pair.
“You’re next, Misha.”
“I’ll draw as well. Give me two.” Misha’s expression didn’t change when she looked at her new cards. When Yu was around, she was the very picture of a sophisticated beauty.
The other young ladies took their turns drawing. It seemed we were going in order of status, from the lowest commoner to the highest noble, though I couldn’t see the point in it.
“Next is Claire.”
“I’ll draw one.” It seemed Claire had a pretty good starting hand.
“And finally, me. I stand pat.” Yu uttered the very phrase none of us wanted to hear. It meant he had been dealt an amazing hand.
“Second round. How many, Rae?”
“I’ll draw five.”
“Whoa.”
Since Yu stood pat, he believed he couldn’t be beat. I didn’t think a straight would be strong enough to win, so I decided to go all-or-nothing and throw away my entire hand. The result was…nothing. No pair.
“Misha.”
“I need two.”
Each player took their turn until it came to Claire.
“One, please.” Claire smiled at the card she was dealt. She was so easy to read.
“Okay, faceup. What do you have, Rae?”
“No pair.” It probably would have been better to go for the straight.
“Heh, unlucky.”
“How about you, Misha?”
“Three of a kind.” A pretty good hand. Considering that she drew two in the first round, she’d probably been dealt the three of a kind in her starting hand.
The other girls had the same nothing hand that I did, except one, who had two pair.
“How about you, Claire?” Yu asked. “I’m guessing you have something good, with that smug look on your face.”
“Heh heh. Full house.” Hence the grin. The only hands that could beat her were four of a kind or a royal flush.
“My turn. Four of a kind.” Yu turned over four aces.
That sneaky prince.
“Hmm? Do you have something to say, Rae?”
“No, not really.”
Of course, there was something I wanted to say. There had been an ace of spades in my starting hand. In other words, someone was cheating, and when I thought about it, the dealer was one of Yu’s buddies. He was undoubtedly in cahoots with the prince.
“Heh heh… I see. So that’s your response, Rae.” Yu smiled unapologetically. He seemed all too pleased with himself.
“What is it, Rae? Did you do something?”
“Not at all. Though if you insist on hearing my thoughts: you are too cute, Miss Claire.”
“You can’t mess with me with that every time!”
“Rae, Let’s play again.”
“I’ll sit this one out, please.” I nonchalantly declined the prince’s request.
***
Despite being adored by Miss Claire, Thane Bauer was a boy with low self-esteem. Although gloomy, good-looking teenage boys were generally popular, in Thane’s case, his stiff demeanor made people think that he was grim or antisocial.
While I had been shunned by Thane ever since the test, we still sometimes crossed paths because I was Claire’s maid, and Claire was doing her best to engage him. She would sit next to him in lectures, approach him during the afternoon social hours, and choose the same meal as him in the cafeteria as a conversation starter. I thought she was being terribly brave.
However, Claire’s abject talent made it difficult for Thane to open up to her, and time and again, her efforts proved fruitless. The prince might be a troubled young man, but I couldn’t have him avoiding Claire forever! My goal was to love Claire and ensure her happiness, which meant supporting her love life, too.
“Hey, what’s that sound?” I said.
“I hear it, too,” said Lene.
“Ah…” Claire frowned.
This was our chance.
One of Thane’s hobbies was playing the harp, and I now recognized what was happening: there was a game event in which the main character just happened to hear Thane playing. Thane felt inferior to the other princes in almost every respect, but neither of them could hold a candle to his skill with the harp. He was even better than world-class professionals.
In the game, the event consisted of the main character hearing him play and genuinely appreciating it. But that alone wouldn’t please Thane.
“Miss Claire, this way.”
“Hmm?”
“Wait, Rae…”
I beckoned for Claire, who was on her way to a tea ceremony for young ladies, to follow me. If we missed this opportunity, there was no guarantee another would arise. It might be rude to keep the young ladies waiting, but I would much rather have Claire prioritize Thane.
“Hey, peasant, where are you going?”
“Shhh! Look, there.”
Hidden in the shadow of the school building, we peered at a corner of the courtyard. As expected, in a small arbor by the pond, Thane sat alone playing the harp.
“Master Thane…”
“My… What an amazing sound.”
Claire and Lene were overcome with admiration. Thane’s music was like fine velvet, interwoven with subtlety and elegance.
“How marvelous, Master Thane!” Claire cried out without thinking and ran toward the arbor, ignoring the fact that Thane was still in the middle of the song.
“Miss Claire! Wait!”
Thane wouldn’t accept admiration no matter what you said. The best course of action was to wait until he was done playing to approach him. Sure enough, he stopped the instant he heard someone and looked moodily at Claire.
“You’re…from House François.”
“My name is Claire. It would honor me if you could remember it next we meet.”
“Oh… Right.” Thane started to put away his harp.
“Oh. Are you finished already? I would love to hear more.”
“This is just a bit of goofing off… It’s not good enough to play in front of people.”
“You can’t be serious. It was so lovely.”
“The harp… Its only value is aesthetic. It has nothing to do with the qualities required of a king.” Thane closed the harp’s case.
The only thing Thane cared about was becoming a great king, and as such, the only abilities he valued were those required to rule. He idolized His Majesty l’Ausseil Bauer but thought himself unsuited to follow in his footsteps.
“Well then, shall we play a game that tests the skills required to rule a kingdom?” I said.
“Huh?” Thane raised his eyebrows at my question. “You’re Rae Taylor. I heard you were Claire’s maid.”
Why did he have to go and remember my name? I wished he would remember Claire’s instead!
“Indeed, and my role brings me great happiness every single day,” I said.
“What’s this game you speak of? Chess? I heard you’re good.”
And why did he know so much about me? If he was that observant, I wish he’d use it to notice the furious glare coming from Claire, who had hit maximum jealousy levels.
“It’s called the King’s Game.” Or as we called it in Japan, the Ousama Game. I was lying, of course. The game in no way measured the skills necessary to rule a kingdom.
“Hmm… Sounds interesting. How do you play?”
I explained. Every round, each player drew a card with a number written on it, and whoever drew number one was the king for that round. The king then issued orders to the others without knowing who held what card, like “number X and number Y have to do Z.”
“And this really measures the qualities of a king?” Thane asked.
“Indeed.”
“Sounds good… Let’s do it.”
I quickly drew up sheets of paper and numbered them one to four. Thane, Claire and Lene each drew one, and I took the one that was left.
“Okay, who’s the king?” I asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“This is how the game is played. We check the numbers we drew, and then everyone asks who the king is together.”
“I see…”
“Okay then, one more time.”
“Who is the king? The first king is…”
“Oh, it’s me.”
It was Thane. As I’d expected.
Thane had a hidden setting called the “Hard-to-read, lucky prince.” Most Revolution players were confused by this title. What was lucky about being sandwiched between two highly skilled brothers, having an insurmountable inferiority complex, and being romantically pursued by the villainess, Claire? The official explanation was as follows: due to having such exceptional brothers, Thane was always surrounded by other talented people, which was good fortune in the long run. That explanation didn’t explain what was fortunate about Claire, of course, but the point was that Thane was lucky in a way that wasn’t immediately obvious.
“Now then, Master Thane. What is your order?”
“Er… Um… Well…” It seemed Thane couldn’t decide on a command. He might have been a prince, but he didn’t have much experience pushing people around. It didn’t come as naturally to him as it did to the self-absorbed Rod and sly Yu.
He hemmed and hawed for a while and finally settled. “Number two will hold hands with number three.”
“I’m number two!” I said.
“Er… I’m number three,” said Claire.
“Now, Miss Claire, hold out your hand.”
“I suppose I have no choice.”
I took Claire’s slender hand in mine. It was small and delicate, and I felt it might break if I squeezed too hard. Enjoying the sensation, I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb.
“Ergh! What are you doing?!”
“I just wanted to admire the smoothness of your skin.”
“Just hold it like normal! That’s enough, right? Let’s move on.”
“Ah, you’re right. Okay, second round.”
We drew again.
“Who is the king? The second king is…”
“I-It’s me.” It was Lene. She seemed flustered at the thought of her, a commoner, possibly giving orders to a member of the royal family. After thinking about it even longer than Thane had, she finally said, “Number four, please stroke the head of number two.”
“I’m number four…” Thane said.
“A-and I’m number two,” stammered Claire.
Now we were getting somewhere. Way to go, Lene! This was…not part of Thane’s unobvious good fortune.
“I don’t believe a woman’s hair should be stroked so frivolously…”
“But, Master Thane, these are the rules.”
“But…”
“Master Thane, I’m fine with it.” Aw, Claire probably wanted to tell him to hurry up and do it. She was so adorable.
“Well then… I apologize for this.” Thane bashfully reached out his hand and gently stroked her hair.
“Heh…” Claire was delighted.
“That’s enough, I think… Next.” Thane pulled his hand away before even ten seconds had passed, his face bright red.
“Yes. Okay, third round.”
“Who is the king? The third king is…”
“Oh, me.”
It was me, and I wanted to make sure to give an order that would get Claire and Thane closer together. I glanced at Lene, who met my eyes and blinked three times.
The truth was that Lene and I had gone into the game with shared plans to cheat. We’d decided that when one of us became king, the other would blink her eyes to convey her number. Lene’s three blinks put her at number three this round, making Claire and Thane numbers two and four. That meant I needed to issue an order that would work no matter which number each one had.
“Now, number two and number four, please kiss,” I ordered.
“What?!”
“W-wait a second, peasant!”
Thane had gone glassy-eyed, and Claire was distraught.
“This is going much too far,” said Thane.
“Th-that’s right,” said Claire.
“What?” I blinked. “But the king’s orders are absolute. Now hurry, please.”
“Okay…” Thane said.
“Master Thane?!” Claire opened her eyes wide at Thane’s unexpected response.
“Now, kiss—”
Thane changed tracks. “No, wait a second…”
“Master Thane?”
Where Thane was resolute, Claire sounded weak.
“What does this game have to do with the qualities of a king?” Thane turned to me, eyes hard. “Are you making fun of me?”
His face said my answer would determine if I would ever be forgiven. Hmm. Maybe this was where the tides turned.
“I knew you would figure it out, Master Thane!”
“What?”
“The real game was to see whether or not you would ascertain the truth.” More lies, of course. “If you, Master Thane, had accepted that order without question, it would prove you don’t have the qualities of a true king.”
“You were…testing me?”
“Please forgive me. But I thought you deserved proof that you truly do have the qualities of a king, Master Thane.”
A silence hung over us. Thane wore a confused expression; he clearly disliked the fact that someone had dared test him, but being simultaneously recognized for having the qualities of a king wasn’t altogether bad.
“I’m going home.”
“Master Thane!”
Thane stood and left the arbor without another word, expressionless. Claire watched him go, seeming anxious.
“Rae.”
“Yes, Lene?”
“Is what you just said true?”
“Oh no, I just wanted to tease Miss Claire.”
“What?! You peasant…!”
Either way, Thane hadn’t taken advantage of being king to give orders that pushed peoples’ boundaries, and he’d stood his ground instead of giving in to the pressure of the moment when ordered to kiss. In my opinion, these were profoundly valuable qualities.
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“How did it feel to have your head stroked by Thane?”
Claire’s response was explicit.
I was glad to hear she’d enjoyed herself.
***
“Hey, Rae. Are you what they call gay?”
Misha dropped this bombshell on me while I was eating lunch. Claire and Lene choked.
“Uh, Misha. Asking a question like that has no good outcome…”
“Misha, I don’t think this is something you should just ask in public.”
Both Claire and Lene were telling her to change the subject.
“I don’t mind,” I said. “Do you want to hear my answer?”
“As your best friend, yes.”
It touched me that she’d gone to the trouble of asking outright, even if it might make things somewhat awkward.
“Hmm…” I said. “Well, I’m not sure, but probably. I’ve never had that special kind of feeling for a guy.”
Claire inched away from me when I said this. I inched toward her the same amount that she had inched away. In turn, she inched away that same amount again.
“Why are you moving away from me?” I asked.
“Because I’m afraid of what you will do to me.”
“But I’m not going to do anything.”
“I wonder.”
I was used to this kind of reaction. My previous world often portrayed gay people as aggressively targeting all members of the same gender, making it common for people to say, “Well don’t hit on me,” once they found out you were gay. This world didn’t have the same range of media mine did, but queerness was depicted much the same way in music and fiction.
And that was why I was surprised by Misha’s reaction: “Miss Claire. You’re being prejudiced. I might even say discriminatory.”
“What? Why?”
“Think about it. You are heterosexual, are you not?”
“Of course!”
“And you like Master Thane, right?” I chimed in.
“Rae, don’t interrupt. Shut up for a minute,” Claire snapped. She looked genuinely angry with me. I held my tongue.
“How would you feel if a boy told you, ‘Don’t hit on me’?” Misha continued.
“How dare he think me so desperate!”
“Exactly. But that’s exactly how you’re treating Rae.”
“Oh…” Claire looked shocked, despite herself.
Misha had a surprisingly level-headed and balanced perspective on things. Queer people only differed from others in their preferences; they weren’t any more lustful than other people, and they didn’t indiscriminately pursue sex or romance.
“W-well… It’s just that Rae happens to like women, too, I suppose,” Lene said. “It just means that gender is irrelevant to romance for her.”
“That’s not right,” I said.
“Huh?”
“Gender is relevant.”
“R-really?”
Bisexual people existed, for one, and those who identified as gay or lesbian might consider themselves to not be attracted to a particular gender so much as to a particular person—well, it was complicated. But now that I thought about it, I, personally, wasn’t into men. Gender was definitely relevant to me.
“I see. I suppose I don’t really know much about these things.”
“Well, that’s normal. There isn’t much opportunity to learn.”
Queer people were still overwhelmingly closeted in this world, which was rife with prejudice and nurtured little understanding. As I noted, the queer people depicted in story were either the sex fiends Claire imagined or the free-loving sort Lene had in mind. Diversity and acceptance were a long way off.
“Is there any objectionable behavior I ought to change?” Lene asked.
“No, not really. I’m just happy to dote on Claire every day,” I said.
“It’s because you’re always saying those sorts of things that I worry!” Claire whined.
Perhaps that was true, and if I was overstepping boundaries, then that was my bad. But the fact of the matter was, Japanese entertainers in my past life had often used their sexuality as part of their brand despite the discrimination they faced. That was probably why I acted this way.
“I just can’t live without poking fun at you,” I said, laughing. But I was laughing alone.
“Rae… You…” Misha gave me an anxious look.
Ugh. This was exactly why I hadn’t really wanted to talk about this.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m used to my love being unrequited.”
It was true. No matter whom I had feelings for, they never liked me back. But there was nothing to be done about that; no one I felt for was in the wrong for not returning my interest. I was just unlucky.
Besides, it wasn’t just queer people who experienced frustration in love. I glanced up at Lene.
“Hmm? What is it, Rae?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“So, you’ve given up on Miss Claire then, Rae?” asked Misha.
“You are really trying to cover everything today, aren’t you, Misha?”
“I’m sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable.”
“No, that’s not the case. Well, I guess I have given up in a way, but in another way, I also haven’t.”
“What does that mean?” Lene asked.
“I don’t expect Miss Claire to return my feelings. Miss Claire is interested in someone else, and I want to support that. I’m happy just being near her. But even so—”
“But what?” Now Claire had joined in questioning me.
“But even so, I think it would be almost impossible to just completely give up on you, Miss Claire,” I teased, laughing again. No one else laughed this time, either. I needed to stop. “At any rate, Miss Claire, please continue to act the way you always have. I am quite happy with our current arrangement.”
“I see…”
“Of course, you’re welcome to fall in love with me at any time.”
“I will not.”
“Of course you won’t.”
Thanks to Claire’s immediate rejection, the mood returned to normal. That was perfect. All we had to do was keep the status quo.
“Okay, let’s change the subject,” I said. “Oh, Miss Claire, shall we go have our daily makeout session?”
“I will not, and I have never!”
“There you go again. It’s not that bad, you know.”
“Wait till you’re in bed to talk in your sleep!” Claire retorted.
“Ha ha ha.”
The serious talk had finally ended. I teased Claire, Claire got angry, Lene soothed her, and Misha watched it all happen with a resigned look. Things were back to normal.
Normal. And like always, I felt a tiny, little bit…bitter about it.
In my past life, there were a number of LGBTQ activists who had criticized the entertainers using their flamboyant sexuality as a selling point on TV. I think their criticism was likely on point. But here’s what else I think: Without going so far as to say it’s the right or wrong thing to do, some people out there can’t live their lives without making light of their problems.
Of course these entertainers were contributing to homophobic stereotypes. And of course I’d prefer it if we could eliminate homophobia altogether. But some queer people living in the real world will also, inevitably, act in ways that highlight the prejudices they experience. Maybe they’ll have other reasons for acting the way they do, but I think that need to lampshade their problems is one of them.
Some people can’t live with their burdens without cracking wise about them.
When you’re queer and you fall in love with someone who can never respond to your feelings in kind, they often still behave more intimately with you than they would with someone of the opposite sex. But after the moment you realize you’re in love with them, that just makes them feel even further away. If you run into this problem again and again, before you realize it, you might become the kind of person who can only helplessly laugh the whole thing off. Not everyone ends up like that, of course. It just so happened that I had.
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“You hate me, right?” It was my usual question.
I never asked her if she liked me.
I couldn’t.
I already knew the answer.
“Of course I do.”
“Yes, I know.”
And we continued as usual.
Even if she didn’t get me, even if my feelings were unrequited, I liked Claire. There was no future for us; I knew that. But even so, I couldn’t help hoping.
It would be so much easier if I just fell in love with another lesbian, I thought to myself. But love was something you fell into. You didn’t get to choose whom you loved.
Romance really was troublesome.
***
Magic was a state-of-the-art technology in this world. If this were Japan, magic would be the IT sector and magic tools would be cutting-edge home appliances. Of course, these things weren’t limited to home use in the Bauer Kingdom; magic and magic tools saw widespread use in the government and military. Like I said before, magical advancement and expertise were what distinguished a country in this age.
Our magic class was conducted on an athletic field outside of the Academy, bordering a wood. We stood in a loose group as our teacher took his place before us.
“A magical stone is the core element of a magic tool.” Our teacher pointed to the tip of a magic wand, the most basic of magic tools, in which a stone of mysteriously indistinct color was embedded.
Magical stones produced various phenomena in reaction to a wielder’s magical power. In general, the larger and purer the stone, the greater the intensity of the associated phenomena. The mining and sale of magical stones was managed by the government in every country. In the Bauer Kingdom, Lene’s family, the Aurousseaus of the Aurousseau Company, had been tasked with the mining and distribution of these stones under the king’s orders. That put them in a significant position of power.
“Now then, everyone. Please create a magic bullet and send it toward your target.”
Following the teacher’s instructions, everyone started sending their magic bullets at the target, which was about seventy-five feet away. This was mainly a form of combat magic. It was too weak for military use, but it did come in handy for self-defense—which didn’t just mean protection from human criminals.
“Monsters are weak against core magical stones. Each attribute has specific compatibilities, and there are four combinations that are especially effective.”
Yup. This world had monsters, too.
The monsters had appeared at the same as the discovery of the first magical stones. The generally accepted theory was that animals turned into monsters when they consumed said stones. Once they transformed, their strength skyrocketed and their forms changed. Some were no longer even recognizably linked to animals, instead resembling fairy tale creatures.
“Rae, you haven’t been paying attention. Are you all right?” Misha was eyeing me with a strange look on her face.
“Ah…Misha.” I’d been daydreaming.
“Even a dual-caster like you shouldn’t neglect her studies.”
“Yes, yes, you’re right.”
Deciding to get serious about my magic bullet practice, I aimed at the target and waved my wand. A black and blue magic bullet flew forth. Color represented attributes in magic: black for earth, blue for water, red for fire, and white for wind. Generally, the darker the color, the stronger the magical power.
The magic bullet I fired flew in a straight line, hitting the thick wooden target and shattering it to pieces. Silence fell.
“Oh.”
Everyone’s eyes pierced me like needles. Apparently, I’d underestimated my power. I looked regretfully at the target, which was busted beyond repair.
“Hmph!”
The target right next to the one I’d broken caught fire and fell to pieces. This time, it was Claire who’d demolished it.
“Don’t try to show off. You don’t need to be a dual-caster to do that,” Claire lifted her chin and laughed.
“Miss Claire…”
“Wh-what is it?”
“You’re so cool! Please marry me.”
“Why would I do that?!”
“Hey now, keep your wits about you. Magic is dangerous when used irresponsibly. Pay close attention when wielding it,” the teacher gently reprimanded us. I’d earned it; this was my bad.
“I’m sorry.”
“Please excuse me,” Claire also apologized, bowing her head low.
The teacher, a middle-aged man, was named Mr. Torrid. While his attributes were only of medium rank, he was the only confirmed tri-caster in the kingdom and its first real scholar of magic. The Bauer Kingdom had started a step behind other countries when it came to magical research. They dominated the surrounding countries in military strength, and this had made them complacent, leading them to underestimate the value of new magic technology until the best researchers had all been enticed to other countries. Even after the king came up with his magic-focused meritocratic policy, Bauer lagged behind.
That was when Mr. Torrid burst onto the scene like a comet. The reigning basic theories of magic—mining magical stones, the development of magical tools—the very foundations of magical technology in this kingdom had been determined by Mr. Torrid, who had been awarded the status of a knight for his contribution. Claire, who respected excellence, admired him deeply.
“It looks like you’ve all got the hang of magic wands and bullets. Let’s move on to systemic magic.” Mr. Torrid got the class’ attention by clapping his hands loudly. “Magic relies heavily on an individual’s innate ability but also depends on their attributes.”
With that, he aimed the palm of his hand at the target. The earth around it rose to form a wall.
“Earth magic is mainly used for defense. Building a wall is a basic skill. Some talented mages can even erect entire castle ramparts.”
Next, he threw a flame bullet at the earth wall. The earthen wall dried, cracked, and part of it tumbled down.
“Fire magic is primarily deployed for combat. Basic uses include shooting fire arrows and bullets. A more advanced example would be creating a sea of flames.”
Finally, Mr. Torrid approached the wall of earth and put his hand on the missing section. The wall rebuilt itself before our eyes, as if time had been turned back.
“Water magic is principally called on for recovery. It can be used to cure wounds and diseases. They say extremely skilled wielders can even regenerate lost body parts, though no one can raise the dead.”
Our teacher returned his earth wall to the ground.
“I am unable to wield the wind attribute, but it is mainly used in a supporting role. When combined with fire magic, an attack is made stronger, when combined with water magic, recovery is faster, and so on. However, be careful, as it is not quite as compatible with its opposing attribute, earth.”
The lecture complete, Mr. Torrid instructed us to try what he had shown us while he conferred separately with the wind attribute students. Misha, who had a high-level wind attribute, was first in line to consult the teacher.
“Hey, Rae.”
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, Master Rod. Master Yu.”
As the princes approached, I looked around for Thane and saw he was by Mr. Torrid. That was right—he had the wind attribute, too.
“You sure didn’t pull your punches on that target. It was exactly what we expected.”
“We’re not very good at magic, so we’re a bit jealous.”
“Heh.” I didn’t exactly dislike being praised by the princes, but there was someone whose compliments I much preferred. “Miss Claire?”
“What is it? I’m a bit busy right now.”
“Don’t you have any praise for me?”
“What brought this on all of a sudden?” Claire frowned with a look of resignation.
At our interaction, Rod and then Yu chuckled. “You guys really are close.”
“That isn’t remotely true. I don’t remember ever accepting this person as a friend.”
“What do you think about that, Rae?”
“This is exactly why I love Miss Claire.”
“That’s enough…” Claire looked exhausted.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
“And if I’m not, whose fault is it?!”
“It’s mine! I’m sorry! I love you!”
Another day, another episode arguing like an old married couple (at least in my mind).
That was when we heard the scream.
The monster was transparent and amorphous, like one of the slime monsters you meet in role-playing games, but nearly thirty feet tall and much scarier. Its surface was pale blue and spongy, and within its transparent body floated a magical stone just like Mr. Torrid had described. Slowly but surely, it rolled toward us across the field.
“It’s a water slime, and it’s big!” someone called out.
Water slimes were medium-threat monsters, meaning they could be defeated by five or six combatants working in concert. However, this water slime was unusually large—the size of a small house.
Most people thought of slimes as cute little creatures, but they were by no means weak. Physical attacks were pointless, and those who recklessly got too close could be swallowed whole.
“Everyone, get back!” Mr. Torrid moved in front of us, magic wand in hand. He threw a quick fire bomb, but it fizzled on the slime’s surface, leaving no injuries of consequence. Even so, he threw a second and third fire bomb, keeping the slime focused on him.
“Rae, you get back, too!”
Misha grabbed my arm to try and get me to evacuate the area with her, but I shrugged her off and rushed to Mr. Torrid’s side.
“You! Hurry up and get out of here!”
“That monster is of the water attribute. You can’t use wind, right?”
Wind was the most effective counter against water. It was like rock-paper-scissors: fire beat earth, earth beat wind, wind beat water, and water beat fire.
“Be that as it may, I must hold it off!”
“Let me help you.” I thrust my wand forward to deploy my magic and generate a wall of earth around the slime.
“Goodness. The ability to erect such a mighty wall in an instant… I can’t believe you’re a beginner.”
“Teacher, please tell the others to use their attack magic!”
“O-oh, yes.” Mr. Torrid called out to the rest of the class and instructed them to attack with all their might. “Fire!”
At his command, a storm of magic bullets and arrows rained down on the slime. Despite the variation in projectile size—due to differences in skill—the sheer number was impressive. One after another, the bullets hit the slime, and it started to emit smoke.
“Did we do it?” someone sputtered.
“GAAAAAAAHH!”
The slime was alive and well. Though I had no idea where its mouth was, it let out a high-pitched scream that echoed fiercely, forcing the students to cower and freeze. This was an ability monsters had, referred to colloquially as a “Hateful Cry.”
“Argh…”
Mr. Torrid and I were fine, but this was strange. In my head, I’d figured I would immobilize the monster and have everyone attack, and then the battle would be over. Since I was a dual-caster, I was able to erect walls and attack with magic at the same time, but I was already using my earth attribute for defense and my other, water, was the same as the slime’s—it wouldn’t do any good in this situation. I didn’t know what else to do.
“Let’s retreat! Leave it to the army.”
“We can’t—some students have been paralyzed. We can’t leave them!”
“Argh…”
Incidentally, when this event occurred in the game, a hero swooped in to save the heroine when the monster was about to attack her. The game presented the player with three names, and they selected one to call on for help. The options were:
Rod
Yu
Thane
Well, I wasn’t about to call any of those three.
Rod
Yu
Thane
Claire (NEW!!)
“Miss Claire! Save us!”
“Oh… Uh…” Claire, surprised at my call, couldn’t move. Had she also been affected by the Hateful Cry? This was bad.
“Hang on! Claire François!” Thane shook Claire’s shoulders. Thane, who was often thought of as incompetent because of his two brothers, actually had the highest aptitude for magic of the three, meaning he recovered more swiftly from the effects of the Hateful Cry.
“Thane…”
“I swear I’ll support you. Attack the slime with everything you’ve got.”
“I-I…”
“It’s okay. You can do this.” Thane’s attribute was wind, but he was a support magic specialist—another reason why his route wasn’t as popular as his brothers’. If he could support Claire’s magic, though, her attack would be fantastically effective.
It wasn’t a big deal or anything, but looking at this shared moment, I kind of wished the developers had included the heroine when putting together such a potentially moving scene.
“I-I got it!” Strength returned to Claire’s eyes. She stood tall, facing down the slime together with Thane.
“Okay!”
“Haah!” Claire fired a magic spear. Perhaps due to the love she felt for Thane, the flaming weapon was exceptionally large.
“Enchanted wind!” As Thane cast his magic, the color of the flame spear changed. Wind magic could combine with a spell to change its attribute—it was an advanced implementation, but Thane and his royal brothers had been practicing magic since they were children.
The super-sized magical wind spear tore a huge hole through the massive slime, which screamed as it melted and collapsed.
“It worked…” Mr. Torrid breathed a sigh of relief.
Recovering from the paralysis of the Hateful Cry, the students started calling out in belated appreciation.
“Amazing, Miss Claire!”
“How could you defeat such a fearsome monster?!”
Claire’s entourage rushed to her side, and they weren’t alone. Everyone heaped praise on Claire, who looked bashful, but smiled happily.
Only one person slowly peeled himself from the crowd. It was Thane. He’d played a key role in the slime’s defeat, but it was hard for amateurs to comprehend the degree to which he’d contributed. Mr. Torrid could, of course, but at the moment, he was scanning the area for other monsters.
One person did, however, run right up to Thane—Claire. She escaped from the crowd, calling out to him, “Master Thane!”
He didn’t answer, though he turned to Claire’s voice, looking like it was the last thing he wanted to do.
“Um, thank you very much. I could have never bested that slime without you.”
“That’s not true. You would have been fine even without me. But—” Thane’s blank expression softened for a moment, “You did a good job.”
With those words and a little smile, he stroked Claire’s hair.
“Thank you…” Claire stiffened in surprise, then relaxed and smiled more genuinely than I’d ever seen her smile.
What in the world was I doing in the middle of this romantic comedy?
“Oh, there she is.” I crouched down in the field. I had wandered off from the group as well; I was in search of something quite small.
Before my eyes was a tiny drop of water, only a fraction the size of the massive water slime we’d just defeated. When I held out my hand, it quivered on a blade of grass.
This was the massive water slime’s baby. She’d attacked us because of a fire arrow that missed its target and hit her when she was passing by with her baby. In other words, she’d been acting in self-defense.
“It’s okay. C’mon now.” I gently cradled the baby slime with both hands. She was shivering, probably still scared.
It was possible to tame monsters if you shared an attribute with them—which was the case here. Monsters that had been tamed were called familiars.
“Here, I’ll make you my familiar. You can sign the contract here.” With a gentle finger, I touched the magic stone at the slime’s core and fed a pulse of my magical power into it. At that, the core changed from blue to gold: the sign of a familiar. “I’m so sorry about your mom. But it’s okay; I’ll be your mom now.”
I stroked the surface of the slime. It was cold and a little wriggly, like gelatin.
“I’ll have to think of a name for you.”
So I said, but I’d already decided on a name way back when I was playing Revolution.
“Your name is Ralaire.” Rae and Claire together made Ralaire. I thought it was a fantastic name. “Let’s be friends, Ralaire.”
Ralaire made herself quiver again, as if in reply.
“Peasant! Where did you go?!”
When I got back to the class, for some reason Claire was angry.
“I was just taking care of something.”
I slipped Ralaire into my pocket. I figured I would introduce her to everyone eventually, but this wasn’t a good time.
“I wanted to go home, but I didn’t see you, so we had to stay and look for you,” Claire complained.
“Sorry!”
“Hmph. This is exactly what I’m talking about…”
I thought Claire would go on and on about her disgust at my insensitive peasant behavior, but there were no further jibes. I wondered why for a moment, but then—
“Well… You did quite well, for a commoner.”
“Huh?”
“I’m saying you faced the monster well!”
Oh, my. “Is it flirting time, then? Finally.”
“It is not?! What is flirting time?! That just sounds horrible!” Claire was squawking again, trying to hide her embarrassment.
Even if she didn’t like someone, she gave credit where credit was due. That was another reason why I liked her so much.
“Miss Claire.”
“Wh-what is it?”
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Hmph…” She turned in a huff and started walking away. “What are you dawdling for?! Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
I followed behind Claire, happy as could be. If I were a dog, I would have been wagging my tail.
***
A few days after the monster incident, I was sitting in front of Claire. Misha was present, too, with the expression of one who didn’t want to get involved. Meanwhile, Claire’s looked like she might never forgive me.
“And? Just what are you going to do with it?” Claire demanded.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb!” She was pointing to Ralaire, held in my arms, as if she were about to burst with rage. “Isn’t that a monster?!”
Let’s start over.
Since I was Claire’s maid, I was generally always by her side. This was a huge difference from the game, where the heroine was normally with Misha, but it was exactly what I’d always dreamed of, so I was quite pleased with the arrangement.
The problem was Ralaire.
Ralaire was a baby water slime. All living things have relentless appetites when they’re infants; even human babies have to nurse ten to fifteen times a day. Slimes don’t cry until they’re adults, but they do quiver with hunger if their stomachs are empty. Ralaire was still small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, so I was keeping her in my bag, but she was a mischievous little love. Since she didn’t have a fixed shape, she could slip out even if I closed my bag tight. I’d lost count of how many times she’d snuck out during lectures in order to tell me she was hungry. Each time, I rushed to tuck her back into my bag and surreptitiously feed her.
It might sound like she had me dancing to her tune, but I trained my pets well. I knew exactly how to train a water slime, thanks to my knowledge of the game, and Ralaire was gradually learning to wait before she ate her food, as well as where to relieve herself. Most of this training was done in my own room. I’d explained the situation to Misha, who was afraid at first, but she soon realized Ralaire posed no danger and began to help me out.
That was probably why we let our guard down.
“Hey, peasant, where did you put my brush? Lene has been looking for it all night,” Claire said as she burst into our room—and laid eyes on Ralaire.
“Miss Claire, as a noble, I would expect you to at least knock.”
“Aaaagh!”
“Agh?”
“Gaaagh?!”
The only reason Claire’s screams didn’t resonate through the dormitory, where everyone was sleeping, was thanks to Misha’s wind magic.
And that was where we were now.
“What are you thinking, bringing a monster into human territory?!”
“Ralaire isn’t a monster anymore, she’s a familiar—”
“Shut up! It’s a monster! Have you forgotten what happened a few days ago?!” The look on Claire’s face suggested it was painful to remember. “And you, Misha. How could you let this happen?”
“I have no excuse. But Ralaire really is sweet.”
“Ralaire?”
“It seems that’s her name,” Misha told her, expressionless.
“Rae and Claire make Ralaire! She’s christened for the bond of our love!” I declared.
“Don’t make me a parent without even asking me! What are you doing?!”
“Huh? It’s a good name, right?”
“Think about how I feel with my name taken by a monster!”
“You’re so selfish.”
“Me?! What have I done wrong?!” Claire was squawking again.
“Please, calm down and see for yourself. See? Isn’t she cute?” I held Ralaire up in front of Claire.
“It’s not cute! It’s a monster!”
“No really, when you look at her this way, isn’t she just adorable?”
“No!”
“You’re so selfish.”
“Me?! What have I done wrong?!”
It was like we were on loop.
“That’s enough,” Claire fumed. “I’ll tell Mr. Torrid, and he’ll get rid of it.”
“Please wait, Miss Claire,” I called after her as she turned away.
“What is it? You can’t stop me.”
“Can you please watch this before you decide?”
“Hmm?”
I dropped Ralaire on the floor. “Ralaire, stay.”
Ralaire stopped moving and waited.
“Sit,” I said.
She got a bit smaller.
“Lay down.”
She got even smaller.
“Turn around.”
She spun in place… At least, I think she did.
“What do you think?!” I asked Claire, excitedly.
“Don’t look so self-satisfied! It barely did anything at all!”
“Right?” Misha agreed.
I sighed, “If you can’t detect these changes, then you’re both unqualified.”
“I have no interest in becoming slime-qualified!”
“Okay then, last resort. Ralaire, undine.”
At my instruction, Ralaire shivered and began to change shape.
“Wh-what’s happening?”
“Just watch.”
Little by little, Ralaire morphed into a familiar shape—that of a miniature Claire.
“This is…”
“It’s undine!”
“Undine, as in the water spirit?”
“Yes!”
Undine was a water spirit who appeared in fairy tales and bestowed upon humans the bounty of water. While it was commonly believed spirits were different from monsters, being made of nothing but air, their existence was widely accepted, with even institutions like churches dedicated to their worship.
“Why does it look like me?”
“Water slimes have a custom of imitating the appearance of beautiful women.” That was only a half-lie—it was more true that water slimes could mimic their surroundings in self-defense.
“R-really?”
“Yes!”
“When you put it that way, it does look pretty charming…” Claire was now tickling Ralaire with her finger. She was so easy.
“Right? Right?”
At this rate, Claire might as well forfeit her title of villainess. Meanwhile, I could change mine from heroine to zero-ine!
“Well, fine then. I won’t have it disposed of.”
“Thank you! You are so kind, Miss Claire!”
“But you’d better train it properly. And you need to stop hiding it—you must introduce it to everyone.”
Claire was talking to me like a mother would talk to a child. Was this what they call motherly instinct?
“But,” she continued, “pick a name besides Ralaire. Don’t use my name without asking.”
“Oh, it’s too late now.”
“Too late?!”
Once a familiar recognized its name, it never forgot. That was why their names couldn’t be changed in the game.
“Let’s keep being good friends, Ralaire,” I told the slime.
“I object! I object to that name!”
I was ready to introduce Ralaire to everyone the next day, but ultimately, her namesake stopped me.
Come on, really? |
Chapter 2: Academy Knights
Chapter 2:Academy Knights
WHAT DO YOU picture when you hear the word “knight”? Probably a strong gentleman clad in plate armor, right?
Those kinds of knights existed in Revolution but were considered a bit old-fashioned. The troops who directly served the kingdom were now called soldiers. The army was mainly responsible for protecting the borders against encroachment from the neighboring Nur Empire, which had a contentious relationship with the Bauer Kingdom. Their gear was generally not full plate armor but leather and cloth that allowed for better mobility, primarily because the development of magical tools had done away with the need for heavy armor.
Back on topic. The reason I brought up knights was…
“And so, the Academy Knights selection test will be held again this year, for those who are interested.”
It was Saturday, and the man speaking in the Academy lecture hall was Lorek Kugret, current commander of the Academy Knights. The Kugrets were a military family, with many of their members holding important posts in the army. As one of the first houses to recognize the importance of magic, they had employed the teachings of Mr. Torrid early on and thereby maintained their power despite the changing times. I didn’t know much about the Kugret daughter, Loretta, who was a member of Claire’s entourage. However, her brother, Lorek, had a personality stiff enough to crack wood.
The Academy Knights was a self-governed organization within the Royal Academy. It was comprised of students selected from the Academy, traditionally from royal and noble families, the topmost of whom was given authority equivalent to a teacher. It was an elite, consciously exclusive group that resembled a combination of a student council and disciplinary committee at a normal school. Of course, as the name suggested, the Academy Knights were also expected to participate in defending the student body in emergencies, so it wasn’t just an honorary title.
“I’m going to take it, of course,” Rod volunteered first. Of course he’d jump at the chance to join an organization of power within the Academy.
“I’ll take it, too.” Yu was next to volunteer. His magic level was average, but he had defensive skills he had been honing since childhood. “Thane, you too.”
“Honestly… It just sounds like a pain.”
Rod smacked Thane on the behind, and Thane raised his hand begrudgingly. Given his personality, he probably wasn’t interested in being a part of such a group, but it would be bad for appearances if any royalty sat out.
“I appreciate the participation of the princes. Anyone else?”
“I want to try, too,” piped up Claire.
“Miss Claire, perhaps the load is a bit too heavy for a woman?”
“How prejudiced. I may not have as much muscle as the boys, but given the prerequisites of wielding magic and performing daily clerical tasks, I am more than qualified to take the test as well.” Claire was dignified in her justification. Commander Lorek seemed a bit reluctant, but as a capable commander, his hesitance was short-lived, and he agreed.
“Then I’ll take it, too,” I volunteered. If Claire was going to try, I had to join her. For love. Incidentally, in the game, it was possible to be selected even without taking the test.
Claire’s irritation when I raised my hand was blatant, “You can’t.”
“Huh? How can you say that after you lost to me in every test subject except etiquette?”
“Argh! I won’t lose to you on the next test, you watch!” Cute as ever. “Misha, you take it, too. If this peasant passes, someone will need to reel her in.”
“I’m not Rae’s keeper…” Misha said, but she raised her hand, as did a number of other students.
Lorek jotted down all the names.
“The test will begin tomorrow morning. There will be two subjects: clerical and magic. Now, excuse me,” Lorek said and left the room.
“Hmph. Someone as lowly as you could never become an Academy Knight.” Claire stuck her nose in the air.
“It’s exciting that all three of you will be taking the test,” said Rod.
“We’re going to have to work that much harder, huh, Thane?” said Yu.
“I don’t care.”
All three princes had come over to us. Rod had confidence to spare, Yu had just enough, and Thane just looked depressed.
“You’re very loyal,” Misha said to me, “but you don’t really want to be an Academy Knight, do you?”
“Mmm. I just want to be with Miss Claire.”
“I thought so.” Misha sighed, knowing she couldn’t change my mind.
“Master Rod, do you know what we will be tested on? All he said was that there were clerical and magic components,” Claire said. It was common knowledge that all generations of royalty had belonged to the Knights, so she probably figured he might know.
“You know I can’t tell you that. But you’ll find out tomorrow, and anyway, you don’t really have time to prepare.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
I, of course, knew what was coming since I had played Revolution. The exam was divided into a written and a practical portion. The written section covered Academy rules and clerical work. The Academy rules were common knowledge, and the clerical problems weren’t very complicated, making this a simple test of intelligence.
The real challenge was the practical section. This portion had previously tested students’ handling of weapons like swords and spears but had since shifted to assessing magical power. As I said before, innate magical power was unrelated to family status, but since most commoners didn’t consider being a member of the Academy Knights as great an honor as the nobles did, not as many bothered to take the test. Commoner students were far more concerned with the official government examination, which was more profitable than honor.
While I was recalling all this, Claire was glaring at me. “Commoner, this will be our battle!”
I’d been expecting this. Claire liked competition, and this would be our second opportunity to face each other in a challenge.
“If you don’t make the Academy Knights, then you will leave the Academy,” she declared.
“What? No, I don’t want that.”
“Just think about it for a minute!”
“Fine. Then let’s use the same conditions as the last test.”
“Wait a minute. Are you going to trick me again?”
Oh no. She’d learned from her mistakes! “No, I wouldn’t be that mean. How about this? If I fail, you lose. If I pass, I win.”
“Okay… Wait! That would mean I lose either way?!”
Ah, she’d noticed. I amended my conditions. “Fine, then. If I fail, you win. If I pass, I win.”
“Can’t it be that I win if I pass?”
“But you’ll definitely pass, Miss Claire. That would make it too easy for you to win.”
“Fine. So, what if you win?”
“The same as before. You will grant me one favor.”
“Fine.”
“Then the battle is on.”
Just like last time, we swore to God in front of Misha.
***
The following day, the Academy Knight candidates returned to the classroom.
“Good morning, Miss Claire. Let’s do our best today!”
“Shut up, peasant. I have no intention of failing.”
“Oh? So you’re worried about me? Thank you!”
“I said nothing of the sort!”
Commander Lorek appeared and dropped a stack of papers, which seemed to be the test sheets, on the table at the front of the classroom with a thud. “Everyone, thank you for your application. This year we are planning to accept five new candidates. Please do your best.”
There was a buzz among the applicants. Five was fewer than had been generally expected. I’d already known, of course.
“First, the written test. Please note that this is an elimination round. Those who fail to pass will not be invited to take the practical test, but are welcome to take the test again next year, so we will be waiting for your return.”
As the commander explained, a hazelnut-haired boy who seemed to be part of the Academy Knights passed out the test sheets, face-down. The lecture room had become so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The air was tense.
“You have sixty minutes. Begin!”
The written exam tested our knowledge of the school rules. For example:
Q2
List one or two acceptable punishments for a student who is late for morning class.
That was one of the easier questions.
Q13
Explain the objective of Article 21 of the Academy Regulations, The Duty to Suppress Monsters.
That was one of the difficult ones. Since the exact article number and name were provided, it wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the nitpicky, malicious questions that sometimes appeared on Japanese entrance exams. Of course, it was more challenging for transfer students like me, who had only just entered the Academy.
Furthermore, the questions didn’t just demand rote knowledge. Some also tested your responses to practical situations. For example:
Q18
Say you have taken over a position from your predecessor. Select the task that you should prioritize out of the following options:
1. Confirming the details of the job requirements
2. Brainstorming with your superior
3. Processing petitions from students
4. Notifications to outside parties
These kinds of questions didn’t give students of any background an advantage. If anything, they could be slightly advantageous for transfer students, who tended to have more experience with chores and practical life skills.
Once again, though these were multiple choice questions in the game, I had to answer them in essay format now. I had them all memorized, so I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be eliminated, though I didn’t know if I could score higher than Claire. I was more worried about making careless mistakes, so I reviewed my responses carefully once I was done.
“Time’s up. We will now collect the answer sheets.”
I could finally relax. The students immediately began chattering about the questions and how difficult they had been.
“Please wait until we have your scores. A list of those who have passed will be posted on the bulletin board before the afternoon, so make sure to check for your outcome. The practical exam will take place this afternoon. You are excused.”
The students scattered in groups of twos and threes.
“Miss Claire, how did it go?”
“Who do you think I am? I would never shame the François name by being eliminated.”
“I expect nothing less, Miss Claire. But these are the sorts of tests where you often get sidetracked by tangents.”
“I-I’m just fine. I would not…” She was looking around frantically.
“Are you okay, Miss Claire? Do you think you’ll be able to eat lunch?”
“Don’t worry about me! Forget about it. Let’s go to the cafeteria!”
“Miss Claire, are you inviting me out for a meal? Is this a date? A school meal for our first date?”
“Why would I go on a date with a pathetic maid?!”
Lene joined us for a quick lunch; the practical test was that afternoon, so we didn’t want to eat anything heavy enough to make us sluggish. By the time we arrived at the bulletin shortly before noon, it was surrounded by a crowd of people. It looked like the results had been posted.
“Excuuuse me. A François is coming throoough. Let us by, pleeease,” I announced.
“Would you please not use my family’s name in that way?!” Claire complained.
But the François name proved effective, and a path to the board opened for us like the Red Sea had parted for Moses. I bowed at the people that made way.
Written Test Results
1st Rod Bauer
2nd Yu Bauer
3rd Claire François
4th Rae Taylor
5th Misha Jur
6th Thane Bauer
-
-
-
In total, the list had the twenty names of those who would be permitted to take on the afternoon test.
Hmm, fourth place. Not too bad.
“Oh ho ho ho! Look at that, no peasant can beat me!” Claire laughed, looking cattily satisfied.
“It looks like you girls made it past the written test, too.”
“That’s good.”
The three princes had also arrived to check the results. They had passed without difficulty, of course, though the lowest-scoring among them was Thane. I suspect that bothered him; he had that old grim expression on his face.
“If I’d just failed this round, I’d be off the hook,” Misha sighed.
“Oh, Misha, you passed, too.”
“Well, it wasn’t too bad.” Misha was acting nonchalant, but as a transfer student, fifth place was excellent, especially considering that I’d technically cheated to get my results. Although Misha had attended the Academy in kindergarten, her house had only fallen into ruin after.
“I don’t mind saying this, but anyone who couldn’t pass that test has no business being an Academy Knight,” declared Rod.
“That’s right. The questions were so basic,” Yu agreed.
Only Thane was silent. The princes (well, two of them) made it sound simple, but of the fifty students who took the exam, more than half had now been eliminated.
“Those who passed the written test will now take part in the practical. Gather on the athletic field!” Lorek announced to the remaining candidates.
“Let’s go, Miss Claire.”
“You will not give me orders, peasant.”
“Heh heh. I can’t wait.”
“Huh?”
Already knowing the details of the practical test, it was hard for me to keep from laughing. I was going to enjoy this.
***
“The practical exam will be conducted as a one-on-one mock battle,” Commander Lorek explained.
The students before him stirred, perhaps recalling the slime they had faced a few days ago. Mock or not, actually fighting another person took courage.
“Those who prove they have what it takes to join the Academy Knights will be accepted, irrespective of whether or not they win their bout. Likewise, simply winning your battle will not secure a pass.”
I didn’t know much about boxing, but I had heard boxing licenses were issued in a similar way. The loser of a match could be granted a license if they proved their skill, while knocking your opponent out with one hit might be considered a fluke and not count as a proven success.
“If there are no requests, I will assign your battle opponents based on the results of the test you took after starting at the Academy. Does anyone have an opponent they want to fight?”
“Yes. I want to fight Rae Taylor,” Claire called out in her typical manner.
“Are you sure, Miss Claire? The opponent you have chosen secured historical results on the magic portion of the test.”
“That’s fine.”
“Okay then. Rae, do you have any objections?”
“None.” I was so excited I couldn’t sit still.
“Anyone else?”
“Fine, I want to fight Misha. I wanted Rae, but Claire beat me to her,” said Rod, who had ranked ninth in the magic test. You might think he was taking on a hefty challenge with Misha, who had ranked second, but, well, you’ll see.
“Then may I request to fight Thane?” Yu asked.
“That’s fine…”
Yu was ranked ninth, the same as Rod. Thane was eighth, so that would no doubt be an exciting match.
Incidentally, it was too dangerous to hold even mock battles using actual magic without protection, so a special barrier was set up around the athletic field through use of an expensive magic tool. The tool was primarily used for protective purposes during war and was extremely rare; furthermore, only a few people could wield it.
“Now, let the first match begin. Competitors, take your places.”
The mock battles proceeded solemnly. A number of nobles among the combatants had taken magic courses before secondary school, but that did nothing to improve their innate aptitude, so none of the matches were particularly spectacular. For fairness’ sake, the only magical tool allowed was a magic wand.
Finally, it was time for Thane and Yu’s battle.
“Competitors, are you ready?”
“Yeah…”
“Yes.”
“Then on my mark… Begin!”
Thane stomped his foot at the signal to start, punching the air with his fist while simultaneously closing the gap between them. Yu generated an ice shield to block Thane’s approach, but—
“Huh?!”
The ice shield shattered into pieces. Yu’s dignified expression wavered.
Thane’s fighting style was close combat, driven by his wind auxiliary magic, and it was dubbed the Magic Warrior style. He didn’t wield weapons and could generate power with his bare hands.
Conversely, Yu’s battle style was long-range, driven by his offensive water magic—though since his attribute was water, he could also use recovery magic. More importantly, his nickname was the Prince of Ice, though his aptitude was only moderate, he was versed in ice magic. If his opponent had been anyone but Thane, his barrier could never have been broken with a bare fist.
We watched in silence as, still expressionless, Thane took another step forward and released a magic-fueled kick. Yu realized he was at a disadvantage in close combat and tried to put distance between them, but it was no easy feat to shake Thane, who boosted the speed and power of his movements with magic. Determining he couldn’t dodge the kick, Yu quickly generated a barrier of water instead of ice.
“Ergh!”
Although the water barrier wasn’t as solid and strong as ice, it softened Thane’s kick. Yu fell back, freezing the ground as he retreated, making it harder for Thane to get closer.
“Heh… You’re so impatient, Thane. I think I’ll take my counterattack, now.”
Thane didn’t say a word. Yu lifted his hands, manifesting a number of razor-sharp ice arrows in midair.
“Go.”
The ice arrow barrage rained down on Thane at his command.
“Master Thane!” called Claire, watching from the sidelines, as if she thought he was in genuine danger. Ahhh, a girl in love!
But—
“Eh?!”
The ice arrows bypassed Thane as he rushed forward, colliding into the ground behind him. He had surrounded his body with a wind barrier.
“But the ground!”
I knew what Claire was worried about. But Thane ran across the frozen ground with sure footing—in fact, he had created a solid footpath out of wind. He closed in on Yu once more.
“Argh!” Yu’s expression stiffened… But only for a moment. “Did you think you had me?”
Once Thane was a mere step away, icicle spikes burst from the ground under his feet. He may have dodged the airborne ice arrows, but a wind barrier couldn’t hold back these, rooted in the ground.
“Hmph…”
Thane’s strategy was to kick down the ice blades. He then kicked up shards of ice, obstructing Yu’s vision and temporarily blinding him.
“Argh?!” Once the shards of ice had cleared and Yu could see again, there was no sign of Thane.
“Over here.”
He was in the air, directly above Yu. Thane dropped down behind him and held his sword to his brother’s neck.
Yu smirked. “You win.”
“That’s it! The winner is Master Thane!”
The match had been on an entirely different level from the others that had taken place so far, and the spectators roared with approval. Claire’s cheeks were flushed, and she looked like she was wiped out.
“You’re strong when you put your mind to it, Brother,” Yu said.
“You weren’t even trying though, right? And it’s like you’re saving your healing magic for a special occasion, come on.”
I listened to the princes bantering after their match. They were so cool. I mean, you’d expect as much from the game’s love interests. Many players decided to take Thane’s route after seeing this battle and then regretted it later. Though, in my opinion, Thane had a ton of great qualities.
I was sure they would both be asked to join the Knights after that battle. Well, I already knew what the results were going to be…but it was something else to see people actually using magic as they moved about.
Hurrah for this fantastical world!
***
“The Ninth Match is Master Rod and Misha. Take your places.”
Rod, lordly as always, and Misha, cool and composed, walked out to the center of the athletic field.
“Competitors, are you ready?”
“Yes.”
“Ready when you are.”
“Then on my mark… Begin!”
Rod moved at once. He took several large steps back and spread his arms wide toward the sky.
“Bring it!” As his voice echoed through the air, the temperature of the athletic field increased a few sharp degrees. Fire spread across the field at about knee-height. Upon closer inspection, the flames were shaped like small soldiers, about thirty in number.
This was Rod’s battle style, called The Flame Troops. As I mentioned before, he had a medium aptitude for fire magic, which wasn’t very high. However, Rod had an abundance of magical power, and he utilized that power to create a small army of flames to fight for him.
“Charge!” At Rod’s command, the army of flames rushed Misha.
Her expression remained unchanged, even though this was the first time she’d seen Rod’s Flame Troops. Misha had the same high-aptitude wind magic attribute as Thane—but there was a reason why’d she’d ranked second in the magic test and Thane had ranked eighth.
“Eeeeeeek!”
A high-pitched sound, like nails on a chalkboard, resounded across the field. At the same time, every single one of Rod’s thirty fire minions exploded. Misha didn’t move.
“Huh?!” Rod, who’d gone into the match full of confidence, couldn’t help but lose his composure. However, he faltered only for a moment and called up a fresh batch of minions. “Charge!”
The exact same thing happened again, as if we were watching a GIF loop. There was the strange sound again, and once it stopped, all the minions were gone. Misha had crushed the army of flames.
“So this is your wind magic.”
“Indeed.”
Unlike Thane, Misha’s wind magic was a rare offensive sub-type. She used magic to attack through sound, which had earned her the nickname Siren.
“This is annoying, isn’t it? Well, I’m not going to change what I’m doing.” Rod summoned his army for a third time. “Charge!”
The army charged again. This was the annoying thing about Rod’s magic; he had so much power that he could just keep making more minions, no matter how many times Misha struck them down. Furthermore, Misha couldn’t get close to him with the army in the way.
There was another reason she was sticking to defensive tactics. Unlike me, Misha had absolute respect for the royal family. I was sure she would rather fail the exam than take the initiative to attack Rod.
“This is boring…” Rod snorted after his minions had been eliminated for the third time. “You’re not fighting seriously, are you? Are you trying to go easy on me?”
“My blade is not worthy to be pointed at the royal family.”
“That attitude is far more disrespectful to me than any blade…”
“No matter what you say, this I cannot change.”
“In that case, I’ll force you to fight me for real.” Rod created thirty minions again, but this time, the soldiers surrounded Misha. “You really won’t stop holding back? Well, I’ll make you’ll regret that.”
He snapped his fingers, and the minions started to explode one by one, setting off a chain reaction that engulfed Misha. Rod laughed arrogantly, but then—
“You’re…unscathed?”
The flames dispersed, and there was Misha, smoke swirling around her.
“A wind barrier? But…that shouldn’t be enough to block out heat.”
“I used a vacuum rupture.”
“Eh?!”
The same principle as a thermos, in other words. By creating a vacuum fault line in the space around her, Misha had been able to shut out the heat.
“Heh… Interesting. I wasn’t expecting that. You certainly aren’t boring.”
“Thank you very much.”
“But we’re not done yet. We’ve only just begun.”
“Take as long as you need.”
For the fifth time, Rod summoned his flame soldiers. He really had an incomparable reservoir of magic. Just as before, the minions surrounded Misha, keeping a certain distance from her. But this time—
“Explode.”
The minions burst in a chain of explosions as soon as Rod snapped his fingers. He then summoned more minions directly around Misha, instead of in front of himself, continuing the series of detonations without a break. There were so many explosions that the wave of heat even reached the spectators.
Rod was childish, but I did admire him a bit for not pulling his punches even though his opponent was a girl.
“I surrender,” said a meek voice among the explosions.
“That’s it?!”
Lorek hurried to halt the match. Rod stopped snapping his fingers, and the sounds of explosions subsided.
“What happened? Why did Misha surrender?”
“Probably lack of oxygen,” I explained to Claire, whose confused look represented what all the spectators felt. Misha’s vacuum rupture created a severe lack of oxygen, and Rod’s flames burned up the rest. In the end, the sheer force of his power had squashed Misha’s technique.
“Well, that sounds about right,” said Rod.
“I was completely defeated,” Misha sighed.
“Don’t be stupid. If you hadn’t waited it out, it wouldn’t have ended that way.”
“I did my very best.”
Rod and Misha walked back to the spectator area, the crowd parting naturally for them. When you thought about it, the two of them could have taken down the water slime easily—if not for the Hateful Cry, which could immobilize opponents and drastically change the tides of battle. Meanwhile, Mr. Torrid and I had kept it at bay by nothing but sheer luck.
“Well, next up, the title match. This should be even more interesting.”
“Please, Master Rod. Stop making me nervous,” Claire said.
“But you don’t plan on losing, right?”
“Of course I don’t.”
“I’m rooting for you. And Rae, too,” Rod told us with a charming smile.
“Heh…”
“Rae, stop being disrespectful,” Misha chided me for my casual reply. I didn’t really care, because next was—
“Match 10, Miss Claire vs. Rae.”
—my turn with Claire.
***
“Oh ho ho! I’ll give you what you deserve,” Claire cackled.
“No, c’mon. Let’s have some fun,” I responded with a smile.
“Fun? I don’t believe a commoner can take me down.”
“Heh heh. Do your best.”
Claire was so easily provoked. She was going to give me a cuteness-induced heart attack.
“Competitors, are you ready?”
“I’m good.”
“Yes.”
“Then let the final match…begin!”
Neither Claire nor I acted on the signal to start. We were both waiting for the other to make the first move. Given her personality, I’d thought for sure Claire would go first, but she looked pretty calm.
And me? I was biding my time because I wanted to play with her for as long as possible.
“Aren’t you going to come at me?”
“I was going to ask you the same.”
“I have plenty of time.”
“Oh, is that so?”
A wave of silence fell over the crowd.
“You really aren’t going to make a move? Then there will be no battle.”
“No. I’m just happy gazing upon you, Miss Claire.”
“Are you trying to bait me?!” Claire ground her heel in frustration.
“Well, I can start it off, if you insist.” It had to be done. I raised one arm in Claire’s direction. “Shut.”
Claire disappeared into a shell of rock that suddenly burst from the ground. I had confined her through use of an earth attribute barrier, but the rock was soon shattered from within as Claire popped out in a cloud of dust.
“Hmph. Is that all you’ve got?” The rock had melted into sludge. No matter how weak the earth attribute was against fire, the melting point of rock was at least 700 degrees Celsius and could be as high as 1,200 degrees. Claire’s magical fire power had to be extremely high to be able to melt rock so fast.
“Just more teasing.” I created a number of small stone arrows to send toward Claire.
“Useless!”
The stone arrows were completely blocked by the flame barrier she conjured. A fire barrier without solid components didn’t provide much protection, but Claire could make one hot enough to dissolve stone in an instant. Her fighting style was standard for magic wielders, an all-purpose approach in which she controlled fire at will, favoring neither defense nor offense. For her skills, she was known as the Red Lotus Queen.
“I’m coming for you this time.” Claire deftly raised her hands, summoning the same massive flame spear she’d used against the water slime. It was shaped like a lance used by medieval knights on horseback.
“That’s great, Miss Claire! You have superb instincts and unparalleled skill at controlling your flames!”
“Shut up!” Claire let out a cough. “Disappear!”
She launched the flame spear. I responded by creating an earth magic barrier.
“Fool! Did you forget how I just melted your magic?!” Claire laughed, sure of her victory, but then… “It’s not melting?! Why?!”
Earth barriers in this world were often built of stone, but I had devised a tungsten carbide barrier. Tungsten carbide was twice as strong as steel, and its melting point was actually 28,800 degrees Celsius. Even Claire couldn’t melt this wall.
I admit it: science wasn’t advanced enough in this world to people to know about tungsten carbide. I was cheating—just a bit—by drawing on modern Japanese knowledge.
“So even a pathetic peasant can have sufficient aptitude. But how long can you keep it up?”
Claire generated another massive flame spear and launched it. It passed me, missing by a long shot.
“Turn!”
The flame spear turned sharply and hurtled toward me from behind. I raised a tungsten carbide barrier behind me as well.
“Burst!” Just before the spear hit the barrier, Claire snapped her fingers. The mass of flames turned into a shower of small bullets that whipped around the barrier. “I win!”
She kept saying such ominous things. But—
“Oh, so close.”
I repelled the flame bullets with tungsten carbide bullets that I’d created with a flick of my wrist.
“Whoa, that was fast,” I heard Rod sputter. Well, I was kind of cheating even more, because I also knew all of Claire’s tactics. No matter how much she tried to surprise me, I could tell what she was going to do next.
“Argh… You’re just a peasant…”
“Huh? What happened? Are we done?”
“No way,” Claire magicked up a small army of fire bombs. “Master Rod, thank you.”
“Huh?”
The fire bombs careened toward me, but I held them at bay with a barrier.
“It’s not over yet!” Claire kept hurling fire bombs nonstop, each exploding one after another against my barrier.
“I see,” Yu said, finally understanding what was going on. Claire was copying Rod’s Flame Troops. Claire had high aptitude, though not the sheer magical capacity that Rod had, so she couldn’t completely copy him, but temporary replication was within her abilities. She was aiming to use up my oxygen like Rod had with Misha.
“Okay then, how about this?” I moved my barrier outward, pushing back the fire bombs and securing space and oxygen. Then I expanded the barrier even farther and tried to use it to capture Claire.
“That’s not going to work, you know?” Claire was quick on her feet and dodged the barrier. Even without a wind magic boost, she was impressively strong for a young lady, having been trained in not only literature but martial arts.
Rod and Misha analyzed the match like commentators. “It’s not quite as exciting as our battle, but this match is incredibly impressive on a technical level.”
“Yes, you’re absolutely right.”
“Okay, Miss Claire. What are you going to show me next?”
“The insolence,” Claire stretched her arms out to her sides.
Four glowing crests appeared in the air and floated around her—the crest of the François family.
“I can’t believe I’m using this on a commoner… Shine!”
As Claire spoke, heat rays lanced out of the four crests. I rushed to throw up a barrier but didn’t make it in time.
“This is a warning,” Claire said as the heat rays flew past, searing the ground around me—actually, vaporizing it. This was her trump card, an ultra-high-powered beam weapon called the Magic Ray. It launched so fast that it was almost impossible to track its path with the naked eye. “I can only shoot it a limited number of times, but do you realize my power, now? You won’t survive a direct attack unscathed. Surrender.”
“Well, you’re right. But…”
“But?”
“Surrendering would suck, so I’m going to win.” I snapped my fingers. The soil under Claire’s feet disappeared.
“Aaagh!” Claire let out an adorable scream as she fell, unable to do anything. I continued hollowing out the earth beneath her, digging a pit about sixty feet deep. “Hey! Stop it! Stop it with that simple magic!”
“But it’s effective, right?”
Unless your opponent could move through the air like Thane, this pitfall was surprisingly effective. You couldn’t build a scaffold with fire attributes, and if the shaft was narrow, vertical flame propulsion could collapse the walls in on you. Someone with a water attribute could float up slowly, but it’d be hard to rise faster than your opponent could deepen the hole.
“I will not accept this outcome!”
“Then escape.”
“Wait! Use your magic to make the hole wider!”
“Claire…give up,” Thane, who had been silent so far, finally said.
“What are you saying, Master Thane?! I’m not done yet.”
“You haven’t noticed…? Rae still hasn’t used her water magic, which is most effective against your fire.”
I heard Clare gasp. Thane was right. The fire attribute was terribly weak against water, so I could have dominated Claire from the beginning if I’d wanted. But that wouldn’t have been any fun, now would it?
“You…were going easy on me?”
“Yes!”
“Argh! You’re making a fool of me!”
“So, Miss Claire, do you want to keep going?”
“Of course I do!” Claire wasn’t giving up. She set about removing the soil around her with spells and fire magic, trying to escape by widening the pitfall into a basin.
“Miss Claire, keep going!” I encouraged.
“You really are insufferable!”
My task was simple: all I had to do was keep replenishing whatever soil Claire had removed.
“Argh!”
“Miss Claire, I’m very sorry, but I’m going to call this match,” said Lorek. “The winner is Rae. Good work, ladies.”
And just like that, the curtain came down on the mock battle between Claire and myself. I brought Claire up to ground level.
“I hope you know that I don’t accept this result!” Claire was furious and covered in dirt, but I found that unutterably lovely, too. I wasn’t shallow enough to only want her when she was beautiful.
In the end, six students passed the Academy Knights Exam, not five, and they were the ones who had participated in the last three battles: Rod, Thane, Yu, Claire, Misha, and I. We received the crests proving we were Academy Knights and that marked the end of the selection test.
But I still had business to take care of.
“Misssss Claaaaaire!”
“I know, I know. What do you want this time?”
I had won our wager again. I already knew what my request would be.
“My favor is the same as before.”
“Huh?”
“Whatever happens, please don’t give up.”
“Hey, what is this about? I already promised that last time.”
“It’s fine. The same thing. Please promise me again.”
“Okay, but… That’s really all you want?”
“Yes.”
“Fine then… I, Claire François, swear to God to never give up. I promise never to abandon hope and to keep going until the end.”
“That’s great.” This was truly the end of all our competition. “Miss Claire, I’m hungry. Let’s go to the cafeteria.”
“You’re shameless! After beating me in such a pathetic way.”
“Thank you so much! I did my best!”
“I’m not praising you!”
And just like that, we were back to our usual bickering.
“Please never change, Miss Claire,” I said.
“Huh? What prompted this?”
“It’s nothing. Let’s go, Miss Claire.”
“Hey! Don’t just touch me whenever you want, peasant!”
Claire didn’t need to know what was coming. It would happen eventually, no matter what we tried to do.
***
The Academy Knights sounded cool, but the truth was that, much like a high-school student council in present-day Japan, they had a bunch of work to do. We had to deal with every little complaint submitted by the student body.
Starting with this one: it seemed there were multiple reports of ghost sightings in the girls’ dormitory at night. Claire complained about being paired with me to investigate the matter, but I was her maid, so it was a moot point. Today, we were questioning witnesses, one by one. I didn’t remember this event occurring in the game, so I was super curious to find out what was going on.
“Where did you see it?” I asked the girl student we were talking to.
“My friend said she saw it between the second and third floors, but I saw it in the kitchen.”
I scribbled down a note. “And what did it look like?”
“Well…I didn’t realize it was a ghost at first. I just thought it looked strange, but then it got closer, and it splashed water on me.”
“W-water?”
“Yes. It might be the ghost of the girl who drowned in the Academy’s river.”
“Er.” Claire took a deep breath.
“What’s wrong, Miss Claire?”
“I-It’s nothing.”
It was clear something was wrong, but I didn’t push further. “Thank you for your information,” I told the witness.
“Please get rid of it!”
As the girl left, I turned to Claire. “Let’s go check out the scene of the sighting next.”
“Don’t you mean you’ll go check it out?”
“What are you talking about? Two sets of eyes are better than one.”
“Y-yes, that’s true…”
I started off toward the kitchen, and Claire reluctantly came with me.
As is probably obvious by now, Claire didn’t care for ghosts. There was an annual summer event called the Undead Hunt in the game, and Claire was always so charming during it, being all genuinely afraid of the ghosts. As we went about processing these spooky complaints, she quivered in fear and I danced for joy.
“Here we are.”
“Oh dear, it’s locked. How unfortunate. I suppose we’ll have to come back.”
“I borrowed the key.”
“O-oh…”
I opened the old-fashioned cylinder lock, letting us into the kitchens. Various cooking utensils were neatly tucked away in their respective places. A subtle, sweet scent hung in the air. Maybe someone was baking? The three main meals of the day were served in the cafeteria, so the dormitory kitchen was mainly used by the maids of noble students baking for their employers or transfer students making themselves a snack.
“Miss Claire, please look around the entrance. I’ll look in the back.”
“You will not give me orders!”
“Okay then, do you want to look in the back?”
“It’s fine… I’ll let you do it.”
We investigated the premises separately for some time, and then—
“Ah?! Peasant! You! Rae!”
“What is it?”
“Ah… Um… Why are you giggling?”
“Oh, sorry. You’re just so precious.”
“This is no time to play the fool! Stop that and look over there!”
I looked where Claire was pointing; she had found a gel-like substance spilled on the floor.
“What is it…?” I got closer to try and take a sample.
“Don’t touch it! What if something happens?!”
“What? Are you worried about me?”
“I don’t want to get caught up in any trouble you invite!”
“Okay, fine. Let’s leave it for the research department.”
The Academy was an academic institution, yes, but it was also a state-of-the-art research facility with a setup similar to modern-day Japanese universities. The research department used to specialize in natural history, but since the discovery of magical stones, it had switched over to analyzing magical phenomena. Some of the researchers also specialized in the study of monsters.
“It looks like this is the only clue here.”
“Then let’s hurry up and go.”
“Yes, you’re right. Let’s come back tonight,” I said.
“What?!” Claire looked like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Once night comes, we might be able to see the apparitions ourselves.”
“B-but. What will we do if a ghost really does show up?”
“Then we’ll just catch it, won’t we?” I teased the petrified Claire.
“I-Isn’t that the army’s job?”
“Unless it’s a bona fide undead, the Academy Knights are strong enough to take care of a ghost.”
“Th-that may be true, but we did find that gel-stuff, and…”
“Fear not. I will protect you.”
“Don’t treat me like I’m stupid! I am perfectly capable of protecting myself!”
“Okay then. We’ll come back tonight.”
“Ahhh… Why do you look like you’re enjoying this so much?”
Once midnight came around, Claire and I returned to the kitchen together. We unlocked the door and crept inside.
“There’s nothing here…”
“It certainly looks that way.”
“See, the ghost-sightings were just mistakes.”
“Just in case, let’s keep watch tonight.”
“Here?!” Claire looked at me like I was crazy.
“It’s fine. I told Lene what we were up to, and she prepared bedding for us.”
She had left a pair of futons folded in the corner of the kitchen. Leaving Claire to panic alone, I began laying out one of them.
“Okay, sleepy time.”
“You’ve only laid out one futon! There are two! Put them both out!”
“Huh? But then I won’t be able to sleep on the same futon as you, Miss Claire.”
“That’s fine by me!”
“You’re so selfish.”
“Me?! What have I said wrong?!”
Alas. There was nothing I could do but give in and lay out both futons.
“Miss Claire, please lie down first,” I said.
“And what are you going to do?”
“I thought I would make a midnight snack.” I had permission to use the kitchen, after all. I started pulling ingredients from the drawers and cabinets, and measuring out portions.
“So…you can cook, too?”
“Of course. I’m a peasant.”
“Oh…that’s true.”
“But lately, I’ve been trying new recipes. It’s actually pretty fun.”
“Well, that makes sense. It’s a very peasant-like pastime.” Claire sounded like her normal self again, since nothing spooky was happening. “But you’re always right by my side. When do you have time to cook?”
“I do it in the middle of the night, when no one is looking.”
“Oh, is that…so…” Claire stopped short. “In the middle of the night… In the kitchen?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean… You are the kitchen ghost?”
“Yes! I think it’s me!”
“I’m going back to my room!” Claire rolled off her futon and started to leave—only to find her path blocked by a blue object. “Agh! There it is!”
“Look again, Miss Claire. Say ‘hi,’ Ralaire.”
“Huh?”
Ralaire was quivering, trying to look cute. I couldn’t keep an eye on her when I was cooking, so I let her out of my bag to roam freely.
“And that gel-like substance?”
“Yes, I think that was likely from Ralaire.”
“You and your pet really are a nuisance,” Claire moaned with a frustrated expression.
“I am sorry for not telling you. Please accept this as my apology.” I held out the dish I made.
“What is this?”
“It’s a kind of baked good. I hope you like it.”
“What are you talking about? That you would think I would like anything less than Broumet—” Claire said, but she did take a bite for me. Well, maybe she was just planning to taste it and then spit it out. “Huh?! It’s delicious! What is this? It’s like cake but thick and creamy inside…”
“It’s called fondant au chocolat. It’s chocolate cake with warm, melted chocolate inside.”
“Chocolate is a novel new ingredient that even Broumet has only recently acquired. How do you know how to cook with it…? Who are you?” Claire looked at me suspiciously, narrowing her blue eyes.
“Why, I am nothing but a slave to your love, Miss Claire.”
“Stop trying to trick me!”
“Come now. This dish isn’t very good once it cools down, so please finish eating it quickly. I’ll make some tea.”
“Ugh… Still, this cake is divine. I offer my compliments.”
“Thank you very much.”
Once Claire and I were done with our special little tea party, we got to talking. In the end, we wound up sleeping in the kitchen, after all. The overnight date was a great success, I rejoiced to myself as I watched Claire sleep.
“Shut up…” she mumbled.
Even in sleep, her face was angelic.
***
“Foundation Day Fair…?”
“That’s right,” Commander Lorek answered.
I was with the other Academy Knights in an office about the size of an elementary school classroom in Japan. It was furnished with desks and chairs, and the bookcase on the wall was lined with documents and manuals. Lorek sat in the commander’s chair, which wasn’t adorned in any specific way or positioned higher than others. However, Rod and the other princes sat in raised seats—one of the telltale signs that this was a school for aristocrats.
I was, of course, sitting next to Claire. And, of course, she wasn’t too pleased about it.
I remembered the Foundation Day Festival from Revolution. The event, which commemorated the founding day of the Royal Academy, was like the school festivals held at schools in Japan. Each class prepared something to show off, and outside guests were welcome to visit. It was so similar to Japanese school festivals, in fact, that it made it clear the game was created by a Japanese production company.
“We should be quite busy making preparations for the fair—approving class requests for goods, loaning out equipment, and such. Each of you will be assigned certain tasks, so if there’s something you don’t understand, please ask,” Lorek said.
“Commander, the Academy Knights are going to prepare something for the fair too, right?” Rod asked once all the duties had been delegated.
“Yes. Normally the Knights set up a café.”
“That’s boring. Let’s do something more unique,” Rod said. He really couldn’t tolerate boredom.
“What do you have in mind, Rod?” Yu sounded interested.
“I think normal is better.” Thane clearly didn’t want to take on too much.
“Cross-dressing cafés have become pretty popular in the capital lately. What do you think? We could do that.”
“What is a cross-dressing café?” Misha balked at the term.
“It’s simple. The waitstaff boys dress as girls, and the girls dress as boys. It’s just switching clothes but still more interesting than normal, right?” Rod smiled, his eyes shining.
“What do we think…? Master Rod, that means you’ll have to dress as a girl, you know? Is that…allowed of royalty?” Claire wondered.
“We just have to make sure we don’t get caught,” Rod said, laughing.
“Setting aside girls dressing as boys, I don’t know if I want to see boys dress as girls… Then again…maybe it could work.”
Claire seemed to change her mind as she took a long look at the princes. Personalities aside, all three boys were beautiful. They would probably look pretty good in women’s clothing.
“Don’t forget that we’d have to be part of the operation, too… Right, Lambert?” Commander Lorek turned somberly to the man next to him, but as he did, his face suddenly grew stern. Lambert, a beautiful young man with hazelnut-colored hair and eyes, had been the one handing out the answer sheets during the Academy Knights written test. As Commander Lorek had no doubt just realized, he would look great in women’s clothing, too.
Lambert Aurousseau, first-born son of the Aurousseau Company and Lene’s older brother. Lene worked under Claire as a maid, while Lambert had entered the Academy as a scholarship student. He was skilled at magic and had achieved a certain amount of fame for his work researching and developing magic tools. He also currently served as deputy commander of the Academy Knights. Considering his achievements, he could have made it to commander if his family had been nobility.
“Oh, I see… So the only laughingstock will be me,” Lorek held his head in his hands.
“So, no objections?” Rod ignored Lorek.
“It’s fine by me,” Yu agreed.
“If that’s what everyone wants, then…” Thane passively agreed.
“I have no objections,” Misha said.
“It’s fine with m—” Claire began.
“Miss Claire will wear men’s clothing… That will be precious…” I said.
“I changed my mind. One vote against,” Claire snapped.
“I also object…”
“Give it up, Commander.”
Lorek’s modest attempt to rescue his dignity ended with Lambert consoling him.
“It’s decided, then. This year, the Academy Knights will host a cross-dressing café called Cavalier.”
“Cavalier?”
“It’s the official name of the Academy Knights. ‘Cavalier’ means knight,” Lambert went on to explain that the term was rarely used anymore because it sounded pretentious. It reminded me that, back in my school days, my liberal arts teacher had taught us the difference between the words.
“If I remember correctly,” I said, “doesn’t ‘cavalier’ have the nuance of maintaining elegance, while also showing a lack of concern?”
“That’s correct. But I prefer to preserve an air of elegance, if possible, even when showing a lack of concern,” Lambert chuckled.
Moving on.
“So, Miss Claire, you are a lady of the cavaliers. That almost sounds like a lady of the cabaret!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I don’t think you’re complimenting me.”
“Of course I’m complimenting you! I would come watch you every day!”
“What are you talking about?”
There were no cabarets in this world. There was probably something similar, though.
“Miss Claire, let’s put your hair up!”
“What do you mean, put my hair up?”
“A special hairstyle that only cabaret performers wear!”
“Special… Hmph! Whatever. You can do anything, as long as it’s special.” She could be a little simple, my dear lady.
After the meeting, we ate dinner and adjourned to Claire’s room.
“What are you doing, Rae?”
“I want to turn Miss Claire into a cabaret dancer.”
“Huh?”
“Okay, Miss Claire. I’m going to begin.” I proceeded to work on arranging Claire’s hair into an updo. Luckily, I had a ton of hairpins at my disposal.
“So this is what it looks like?”
“Mm-hmm. You make a foundation with half of the hair in back and hold it in place with pins.”
Lene seemed really interested in the hairstyle and enthusiastically asked questions. I wasn’t an expert, but I excitedly taught her what I knew. The hardest part was getting the pins in right.
“At least Miss Claire’s hair is already curled nicely. It’s the curling that takes up the most time.”
“Lene took care of that.”
“Much obliged.”
After a few more minutes, it was done.
“Wow! Miss Claire, it looks wonderful.”
“It does look pretty good.” Claire seemed satisfied, checking her reflection from the front and on both sides.
“It’s great, Miss Claire! You look exactly like a cabaret performer!”
“I-I do?” Claire looked proud. She’d definitely be mad if I told her what it really meant.
“Miss Claire, do you want to keep this hairstyle for a bit?” Lene asked casually.
Claire, who had been delighted up to that point, lowered her voice, “No… My normal hairstyle is fine. Can you fix it, Lene?”
“Oh, is that so? Yes, Miss,” Lene answered in her usual soft voice, not making it clear whether she had or hadn’t noticed the change in Claire’s demeanor.
Claire’s corkscrew curls were an imitation of her deceased mother, who had always worn her hair that way. One might say she had mommy issues.
“I love that about you, too!”
“What are you going on about?”
“Sorry, my love was just overflowing a bit.”
“That’s enough… You go back to your room.”
But there was one more thing I had to say.
“I can’t wait to see you dressed in men’s clothing!”
“Hurry up and go to bed!”
***
“Hmmm…”
“What is it, Lene?”
The three first-year Academy Knights—Claire, Misha, and myself—were in the dormitory kitchen with Lene, coming up with recipes for the cross-dressing café. The boys weren’t with us, not because they thought women were inferior or anything, but because the princes had never cooked a day in their princely little lives, making them useless for this project. I personally thought they should at least stop by, though.
“This flavor…I think I’ve tasted it before.”
“Really? Well, I think she makes pretty good food for a commoner.”
Since we wanted something simple, I’d started by making some sandwiches, which were easy to iterate on. I began with a standard egg salad sandwich, which was what Lene was contemplating.
“Have I cooked for you before, Lene?”
“No, I don’t think so. But the sauce on this sandwich reminds me of something I’ve had before.”
Oh no.
“Oh, this must be mayonnaise,” Claire said smugly.
“You know what this is, Miss Claire?” Misha asked her.
“It’s the new sauce they announced at Broumet. It has a nice mellow taste with a moderate acidity.”
“Why would Rae know how to make something like that?” Lene peered at me, mystified.
I had been careless. I made the egg salad just like I always had in my previous life without giving it a second thought.
“Er, umm. I think I just happened to make something similar.”
“Really?”
“Yes, yes,” I desperately tried to convince them.
Sharper readers might have suspected by now that it was I who gave the chocolate and mayonnaise recipes to Broumet. While the plan to make a fortune from conditioner hadn’t enticed me, I had still been transported to a medieval-Europe-inspired world that lacked what I considered basic amenities. The salary I got as Claire’s maid was by no means meager, but the profits of selling a recipe to a fine-dining restaurant, where the price of a full-course meal was half a year’s salary for a commoner, was far more than I could make working any other job.
I was trying to save money in preparation for the future. If I was here to stay in the game world, the best-case scenario was that Claire would go bankrupt, and the worst-case scenario was that she would be executed. I had to prevent that either way, and so I needed money. Money that Claire couldn’t know about.
“Next, we have sandwiches with a bunch of different fixings.”
To cover for my mistake, I moved on to the roast beef sandwich. I’d added thinly sliced vegetables and basil sauce on top, as well as a bit of spice.
“This is delicious. The egg sandwich was nice and simple, but this tastes much fancier.”
“You’re doing good work for a commoner.”
“Thank you very much.”
Both Misha and Claire enjoyed it. I had them try ham sandwiches and vegetable sandwiches, too, and they seemed to like all of them. But Lene appeared to be thinking hard.
“What is it, Lene?”
“Rae, can I speak to you for a minute?”
We stepped out of the kitchen together.
“The new recipes at Broumet are coming from you, aren’t they, Rae?”
Uh oh. This was a problem.
“What? Of course not. I told you. The mayonnaise was just a coincidence.”
“That’s not all. Everything you make is extraordinarily similar to the dishes Broumet serves.” Lene wasn’t giving up. Unlike me, Claire had bought her Broumet dishes to taste before.
“You’re imagining it.”
“You used something that gave it a little kick, didn’t you? That was pepper from the Eastern country, wasn’t it? Miss Claire mentioned it before.”
“Well, I heard about it from Miss Claire, too,”
I was sticking to my story. But Lene didn’t give up.
“It was the same for both the egg and vegetable sandwiches. The way you crush the eggs is so precise, but the way you cut the vegetables is not.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“The things you spend time on and the things you rush through are the same as in the Broumet recipes.”
I was starting to get nervous. I had given the restaurant advice on its existing recipes, too, but most people wouldn’t notice such details. Why was Lene suddenly going all Iron Chef Morimoto on me?
“Then how about the way you cooked the roast beef? The meat is customarily cooked all the way through, but you made the roast beef rare, right?”
Phew, at least that wasn’t true. “That wasn’t rare. It’s called pink. When it’s freshly cooked, it’s a light pink, but as time passes, the hemoglobin changes the color of the meat.”
“See, this is what I’m talking about. Ordinary people simply do not have such knowledge.”
“Oh…” I’d been overconfident and fallen into the trap she set for me. Lene was shrewd.
“Why must you hide it?” she asked. “I think providing recipes to Broumet is amazing.”
After such an intense interrogation, it was a relief to hear her say that. Maybe I could tell Lene my plans? They wouldn’t come to fruition till far in the future, anyway.
“I admit it. I’ve been giving Broumet recipes.”
“I knew it!”
“But please keep it a secret.”
“Why?” Lene cocked her head to one side, puzzled.
“I can’t tell you more, but it’s for Miss Claire.”
“For Miss Claire?”
“Mm-hmm. Please don’t tell anyone.”
“That’s fine, but…” Her face made it clear she didn’t understand my reasons for secrecy.
“I have secrets, just like you do,” I said.
“Wh-what are you talking about?!”
“I wonder?” I mused. My expression was serious, so Lene would know I was warning her, but I think she understood I had no intention of letting her cat out of the bag, either.
“Fine. I’ll keep quiet.” Her face softened.
“Thank you,” I said.
“In return, teach me some recipes. I want to make them for Miss Claire.”
“Hm, okay. Do you have any requests?”
“Hmmm. I want to make sweets.”
Were sweets really that much of a delicacy? “Then come back to the kitchen tonight. I’ll teach you a recipe.”
“Thank you. I’ll ask for permission to use it.”
Right, Lene was a maid, not an Academy student. She wasn’t allowed in the dormitory after curfew unless she was with Claire or got permission to enter on her own.
“Heh heh. I can’t wait.”
“Hey, you two. What are you talking about behind your boss’s back?” Claire came out of the kitchen, either impatient or worried about us.
“We’re having a secret discussion. Right, Rae?”
“That’s right.”
“You are not funny.” Claire had too much pride to come out and say she didn’t want to be left out.
“Okay, Lene. See you tonight.”
“Yes.”
***
“Why are you here, Miss Claire?”
“She insisted on coming, no matter what I said.” Lene had showed up at the promised time, Claire in tow.
“Are you going to make something? I’ll taste it for you,” Claire said, dressed in her pajamas and fighting back a yawn. She was obsessed with getting her beauty sleep and would normally be in bed by this hour.
“Hey, Lene. I thought we were supposed to keep this a secret from Miss Claire.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t fool her.”
We had stolen away from Claire and were whispering. Well…as long as Claire didn’t find out I was working for Broumet.
“Miss Claire, will you be able to stay awake?”
“I’m not a child. I can stay up as late as I want.”
“Okay then. You take this chair, Miss Claire.” I took off my jacket and draped it over Claire’s lap.
“Huh?”
“It may be spring, but the nights are chilly.”
“Hmm…” Claire turned her head as if she were uninterested, but she probably was cold, because she left the jacket on her lap.
“Now then, Lene, let’s start.”
“Yes.”
“Tonight, we’re making crème brûlée. Lene, you can make pudding, right?”
“I can.”
There wouldn’t be too much to teach her, then. “First, put milk and cream into a small pot. Add the vanilla beans, turn on the heat, and bring it to a boil. The vanilla beans can be left whole or chopped a bit.”
“So you use not only milk but fresh cream as well?”
“Mm-hmm.” The fact that she’d noticed these differences so quickly was testament to her long years of service as a maid.
“In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until it foams. Add this to the pot with the cream and mix well, then pour it into another bowl, straining it through a colander. Next, put the bowl over ice and mix while cooling the mixture.” I checked to make sure Lene was keeping up and confirmed she was following my instructions while taking notes. As an aside, paper was a valuable commodity in this world. That was how dedicated Lene was to learning the recipe.
“Pour into ramekins and then bake in an oven preheated at 100 degrees Celsius for seventy minutes. Jiggle the brûlée, and if the center is just trembling, it’s done. Let them cool, in the refrigerator if possible.”
“The ingredients are slightly different, but it really is just pudding, right?”
“Lene, we haven’t reached the important part yet. Watch carefully.”
The last step was to toast the colorful top of the crème brûlée, but I wouldn’t find any convenient culinary blowtorches at this time in history. I could use the magical oven, but there was a better method. I fetched some sugar and liquor.
“Just before serving, sprinkle sugar over the top and add a little liquor. The liquor should be as high proof as possible.”
I took out a match, lit it, and moved it closer to the brûlée. It caught fire.
“I-It’s on fire!”
“Relax, Miss Claire. This is a cooking technique called flambé,” I said in a flurry. For someone with the fire magic attribute, she was pretty sensitive to fire. Or maybe it was because, as a wielder of fire, she was all too aware of its power.
“It turns out best if you let it cool and repeat the process. Then let it cool again, and it’s ready.”
I presented Claire with one of the ramekins.
“Now, Miss Claire. How about a taste? Lene, you try it, too.”
“Thanks…”
“Thank you.” Claire hesitantly reached out with her spoon. Then the spoon flew back. “It’s hard.”
“It’s been caramelized. Break it open with your spoon and eat it with the cream.”
Claire carefully tapped the top with her spoon, and the caramel surface broke easily. She scooped the crème up with her spoon and tentatively put it in her mouth.
“This—”
“It’s delicious! It’s really good, Rae!”
“Oh, I’m glad,” I took a bite myself. It was pretty good.
“It’s richer and moister than normal pudding. The crunchy part on top is amazing, too.”
“This crispy top is delectable. The last part… Flambé? That was so eye-catching, and fun, too!”
“You could use your fire magic to toast the top, Miss Claire.”
“I can’t imagine myself ever making this. I’ll leave the cooking to you, Lene.”
“Lene, did you get everything?”
“Yes, I think so. Thanks, Rae.”
“You’re welcome. You can have this, too.”
She looked puzzled as I handed her a folded piece of paper. When she looked at what was written on it, her expression went from puzzled to surprised.
“This is mayonnaise!”
“Shhh. Don’t let Miss Claire hear you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Mm-hmm. But please wait until I tell you it’s okay to make it.”
“Huh?” Lene’s expression changed to suspicion. I understood. Objectively, I was acting very strangely.
“This is insurance.”
“Insurance?”
“You’ll understand eventually.”
“I don’t really understand… But I will take good care of it.”
“If possible, please memorize it and destroy the paper.”
“Okay.”
Claire had finished her brûlée. “I want another. Make it.”
“Miss Claire, eating too many sweets at this time of night will make you fat,” Lene warned.
“Just one more. I’ll start a diet tomorrow.”
“But…”
“It’s fine, just make it. That’s an order.”
“It’s okay, Lene.”
“But if Miss Claire gains too much weight, she won’t be able to face her father.”
“Just the once is fine. We can do night-time exercises in Miss Claire’s room after this.”
“I will do nothing of the sort.”
I loved Claire’s look of utter irritation. “Oh, would you prefer we do it in my room?”
“That’s not what I mean!”
I was pretty sure she knew what I was implying, too.
We went through the process of making the crème brûlée again. It turned out so delicious that it was hard to believe Lene had never made it before, though she did get a little burned during the flambé.
“I’ll fix it for you. Hold out your hand.”
“It’s fine, this is nothing. I have ointment for it.”
“I want to fix it,” I said and forcefully took Lene’s hand so I could heal the burn.
“Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. I can’t allow a woman to have a burn on her finger.” This was my art. I was glad for my water attribute.
“You two sure are close…”
I couldn’t let such a comment from Claire go. “You’re jealous, aren’t you Miss Claire?! What a predicament!”
“I am not! Don’t push your luck, peasant!”
“Oh my.”
It was an ordinary, happy day. I wished we could always be like this.
***
“Now, Lene will give us a lecture on service.”
“My name is Lene. Thank you for having me.”
When I introduced Lene, she smiled and bowed her head. The Knights weren’t quite sure what to do, but they applauded her.
Except for one person.
“Hey, peasant. Where do you get off using someone’s servant without permission?” Claire rushed over.
“Oh, sorry, I requested her,” Rod said.
Rod had asked me to introduce him to someone who was good at serving customers and cooking to prepare for our cross-dressing café. Lene was the first to come to mind. After her many years of experience serving someone as difficult as Claire, I figured she would have plenty to teach us.
“Well then… That’s fine,” Claire reluctantly sat back down.
“We’re all yours, Lene.”
Lene smiled and took the measure of her charges. “I have one request before I teach you all how to serve and cook.”
“Hmm? What is it?” Yu asked, relaxed.
“Unlike all of you, I am a commoner. I understand there are some commoners in the Academy Knights, but they are still among the elite and have passed a rigorous selection test. I’m sure many of you aren’t pleased to be learning from someone like me.”
“And?” Thane prompted Lene.
“I know it is bold of me to ask this, but I would like to request that when I am teaching, we disregard all distinctions between royalty, nobility, and commoner. You cannot serve customers if you cleave to such particularities.”
“Hmm. I think it’s fine. It’s fine, right?” If Rod agreed to it, none of the other nobles could object.
“Thank you very much. Starting now, and until the Foundation Day Fair, please call me Ms. Lene.” Lene’s words sent a shock through the meeting room.
“Lene, don’t get too haught—”
“Ms. Lene, please.” Lene interrupted Claire’s rebuke with a soft but unwavering tone.
“Wh-wh…”
“Claire, please address me correctly. Go ahead.”
“Argh…”
“Ha ha! She’s funny. Claire, do it,” Rod joined in, thinking it a hoot.
“Argh… Ms.…Lene…”
“Louder, please.”
“You!”
“Heh heh. Claire, you gotta say it,” Yu chuckled.
“Ms. Lene…”
“Very good, Miss Claire. Please address me in that way from now on.”
“I will remember this for later…” It seemed there was a lot Claire was holding back. Well, she’d probably say it all later, but Lene was surely prepared for that.
“Now, Ms. Lene, what do we need to learn?” asked Misha, who was adaptable and never had such baked-in class biases in the first place.
“First, you need to prepare yourselves. What do you think the Way of the Maid is?”
“Th-the Way of the Maid?” Claire cut in, suspicion in her voice.
“Yes, that’s right. What I’m going to teach you is called the Way of the Maid.” Lene maintained her soft smile, but she was giving off a different vibe than usual. It was kind of scary. “There is a great deal to this discipline. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to master this method in a mere week.”
“Don’t worry, none of us are planning to master the Wa—”
“However!” Lene stopped Claire mid-sentence by raising her voice. “It is my desire to share our dedication and service with aristocrats and commoners alike. That is why I am here.”
I could almost see the wall of flames burning behind her. Uh-oh. Some ominous switch had definitely been flipped.
“Yes. Dedication and service are fundamental to the Way of the Maid. I’m sure these are unfamiliar concepts to you, but they are integral to keeping the world going around.”
She continued with passionate words. In the end, Lene held our feet to the fire for over an hour.
“Now, then. I think that should give you an idea of what the Way of the Maid is.”
“Yes, Ms. Lene.”
“A very good response, Miss Claire. Let’s review. What is the essence of the Way of the Maid?”
“Dedication and service, Ms. Lene.”
“That’s right. Well done.”
“Thank you very much, Ms. Lene.” Claire’s voice was flat and robotic. The sparkle in her eyes had disappeared, too. And it wasn’t just her…
“Now, Master Rod. Where do the basics of the Way of the Maid begin?”
“With a greeting, Ms. Lene.”
“Good. Next, let’s try it all together.”
“Welcome home, Master!” everyone called out.
“Louder, please!”
“Welcome home, Master!” everyone shouted again.
“That’s right. I think you’re starting to get it. Your teacher is very happy.”
Lene smiled, looking deeply satisfied. When had this turned into a brainwashing seminar? I was starting to feel like I was at the recruitment drive for a cult.
“Um, Lene?”
“Ms. Lene, please.”
“Ms. Lene, are we perhaps taking this in a strange direction?”
“No, not at all. I just would like everyone to understand the beauty of the Way of the Maid.”
“I-I see…”
“Now you, Rae. Welcome home, Master?”
“W-welcome home…Master.” There was nothing I could do. This room was currently under Lene’s complete and absolute control. Well, everyone would surely go back to normal once we left the room…wouldn’t they?
“What are the basics of the Way of the Maid?”
“Devotion and service!”
“And a strong greeting?”
“Welcome home, Master!” everyone called out again.
Would nobody come to our rescue?
“That was terrifying…” Claire declared as she returned to her room.
“I am so sorry. I got carried away.” Lene was smiling sweetly, but Claire was keeping her distance. This was the first time she’d ever stuck closer to me than to Lene.
“I don’t even have the energy to get angry… I didn’t know you had that in you, Lene.”
“It’s certainly a rare sight to see.”
“I would be happy never seeing it again,” Claire said, flopping onto her bed.
“You can’t sleep yet, Miss Claire. You need to take a bath and change.”
“I’m tired…”
“You cannot. Please stand up.”
“Mmm…”
“Stand up.”
“Yes! Ms. Lene! Ah…” Claire shuddered at own her reflexive reaction.
“Oh, an unexpected side effect…”
“Or perhaps an aftereffect?!”
***
While the Academy Knights would be hosting a cross-dressing café, the other students were devising their own shows. The work of overseeing it all took up the majority of our time.
“Thane, did you get the supply application form from Year 2, Class B?”
“I thought it was submitted yesterday…”
“It hasn’t come in yet. Check again.”
“Okay…”
“Rod, there is an inquiry from Year 1, Class A as to whether their application has been approved or not.”
“I just approved it now. You can take this approval certificate to them.”
“Got it.”
“Misha, Year 3, Class C—”
We were all stuck doing paperwork. Rod was in charge, and under his supervision our operation ran without a hitch, which forced me to admit he might really have the qualities of a true-born king. It didn’t make me like him any better, though.
“Claire, this ledger for Warehouse 1 is out of date. Please return to the site and revise the list.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s not have you do it alone… Rae, can you go?”
“Of course.”
“I can do it alone.”
“Don’t say that. All right now, get it done.” That was all Rod had to say before he moved on to the next instruction.
“Fine, then,” Claire sniffed. “Just don’t get in my way.”
I got the old ledger from Lambert, picked up a notepad and pen, and went with Claire to Warehouse 1. It was a massive building located outside of the Academy, and it was packed full of a wide variety of supplies, everything from spare desks to things I couldn’t even identify. We collected a key from the staff room and went to the front of the warehouse.
“By the way, did you hear, Miss Claire?”
“Hear what?” Claire asked while opening the padlock.
“They say that in this warehouse…there are sightings.”
“You’re teasing me with that again? There’s no such thing as ghosts!”
“No, it’s true. The ghost of a schoolgirl who got locked in the warehouse during a horrible cold snap and froze to death inside—”
“I-I don’t want to hear it! Just get in!” Claire interrupted me by dashing into the building. An A+ response!
Our instructions were to catalogue everything within, but the warehouse was so packed that—despite Claire’s protest—it would have been impossible for one person to tackle alone. Even with the two of us working together, we were going to be stuck here a while.
“Still, we have to get it done,” Claire said. “I’ll start from this end, you start over there.”
“Are you sure you’re okay alone? What about the ghost?”
“Hurry up!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Teasing Claire would have to wait; I got to work. We updated the items on the list one by one, starting from the entrance and the back respectively, and worked to meet in the middle.
“There are far fewer desks than previously listed.”
“And it seems there are extra black curtains.”
We traded idle conversation as we updated the ledger. It felt like it took us three years to finish, by which point the fading sunlight shone in through a high west-facing window.
“Let’s go back.”
“Yes, let’s.”
We returned to the entrance, but for some reason, the door was closed.
“That’s weird. I’m pretty sure we left the door op—”
“Oh.” I swallowed a gasp.
This was it. I remembered this event from the game.
“It won’t open!” Claire, who had no way to know that, was upset.
One of the patrolling teachers had found the open warehouse door, assumed it had been left open carelessly, and shut it. In other words, we were locked in. In the game, the player character got trapped in the warehouse with her target prince, but I was locked in with Claire. It was perfect.
“Hey… Somebody? Is anyone there?!” Claire cried out as she pounded on the door.
I shrugged. “No one comes out here unless they have a reason to.”
“Why aren’t you freaking out? We’ll be stuck here all night!”
“Well, if we’re not back by curfew, someone will come looking for us.”
“That may be so, but…” Claire was fidgeting.
“Huh? What’s wrong, Miss Claire?”
“I-It’s nothing…”
“Are you sure? You look restless.”
“You’re imagining it! Someone! Is anybody there?!” Claire kept pounding on the door. There was an unlocking spell, but it required the wind attribute, which neither of us possessed. We could just bust through the wall, but as members of the Knights, we were both reluctant to destroy school property.
“Unnnh!”
“Miss Claire, let’s just wait.”
“I will not!”
“Why?!”
“Why? Well…”
“Well?”
Claire blushed and said nothing.
That was when it hit me. “Wait, do you have to go to the bathroom?”
“Yes, I do! Do you have a problem with that?!”
Hmmm. All right, now this was a problem. “You can use that shaded area over there.”
“I can’t do that!”
“Yeah, you’re right.” If even I would hesitate to do it, there was no hope for aristocratic Claire. “Is it urgent?”
“Very…”
Oh dear. “Okay, how about this?”
She watched intently as I went to a corner of the warehouse and touched both of my hands to the ground, activating my earth magic. In just a moment’s time, I’d built a cube as tall as a grown man.
“What in the world is that?”
“A toilet. It’s simple, but I made it using my earth magic attribute. Would you like to look inside?” I opened the door.
“Well done, peasant!”
“Much obliged.”
“Well then, I’ll just—”
And with that, Claire rushed into the bathroom. She closed the door, and I heard the lock fall into place…and then, silence.
“Hey, I need sound!”
“I can’t help you with that.” I understood she was embarrassed by the sound of doing her business, but this world didn’t have the convenient white-noise machines Japanese bathrooms came equipped with. “Can’t you just run the water while you go?”
“Y-yes, I suppose I can.”
Thanks to my water attribute, the magic toilet’s plumbing was more than up to the task. I heard the sound of running water, followed by a sigh of relief…and then a cry of surprise.
“Ah… Ahhh?!”
“What is it?”
“What is with this toilet? Ahhhh, warm water!”
“Ohhh, that’s the bidet.”
In the spirit of maidly “dedication and service,” I’d used my water attribute magic to add some bells and whistles.
“You can’t afford to waste paper in a situation like this, right? So wash thoroughly and come out when you’re dry.”
“O-okay… Oh?!”
I could see how a bidet would give you a fright if you weren’t used to it. Wait a second. Could I use this to make money? Bidets would be hard to mass-produce, since both earth and water magic were needed in to create them, but maybe they could be luxury products aimed at aristocrats?
While I was counting my unhatched eggs, Claire finally emerged.
“Ugh. Such a weird feature…”
“But it’s hygienic!”
“That may be true, but still!”
We fell silent for a moment.
“Hey, don’t just clam up,” Claire muttered.
“I was just thinking how cute you are when you’re embarrassed.”
“You peasant! Do you know who you’re talking—”
“I am speaking to the Lady of the François, rescued by a peasant when she was about to wet her pants, right?”
I could almost see the steam rising from Claire’s ears. She narrowed her eyes, summoning a magical spear of fire. “Ah… Heh heh. That’s fine, then. Let’s just incinerate this black spot on my history.”
“Miss Claire, I apologize! Please put that away. We’re in a warehouse—just look at all the things that could catch fire.”
“If it’ll help me discover your weaknesses, I’ll burn everything to the ground.”
“Think about having to redo the ledger from scratch! It would be agony.”
“I’ll have new supplies delivered. Then the moving company can make the list.”
“Stop, Miss Claire! It was just a little maid joke.”
Just as Claire was about to literally explode, we heard Lene’s voice calling for us from outside. Well, that was what I got for taking my teasing too far. I needed to be more careful.
Well…maybe just a little more careful.
***
A few days before the Foundation Day Fair found the Academy Knights still swamped with chores, but also busy preparing our own booth.
“Okay, everyone, please stop what you’re doing and pay attention for a minute.” Lene clapped her hands in the front of the room. At the sound of her voice, the Academy Knights froze in place. It seemed the results of the Way-of-the-Maid boot camp were long-lasting.
“What is it, Le—Ms. Lene?” Even Rod called Lene by her preferred title. After all, as far as the café was concerned, she was in charge.
“The costumes you will wear at the fair are ready. Please try them on.”
A number of merchants from the Aurousseau Company brought in boxes of clothes at Lene’s instruction.
“The men will dress as maids, and the women will dress as butlers. I had them tailored slightly large to be safe, but if they’re too big, we can take them in,” Lene said as she handed out the costumes.
“We need a place to change… The guys can change here, and the girls can change in the empty classroom next door,” Rod suggested with a laugh. The room we were presently in was a bit of a disaster zone, so he likely considered this chivalrous. Following his directions, the guys and girls split off into their respective rooms.
“How ever does one wear butler clothing?”
“Oh. I’ll dress you.”
“I’ll ask Lene to do it…” It seemed Claire thought I was overeager, and she was right. Then again—
“Lene is dressing the guys in the conference room.”
“I suppose I have no choice, then…”
“It works…” Rod looked at himself and then at us.
“It does work,” Claire and I said.
“Something’s up with Rod…” Thane said with a sigh.
“Rod’s always like that,” Claire answered, shrugging.
“I hope this skirt stays up,” Yu chuckled.
“The butler outfit is more comfortable than I expected,” Misha said, looking satisfied.
The maid costumes were classic with a Victorian touch: black and white with a long skirt, designed with an eye for practicality, and just a few embellishments to the apron. When the guys put on their white-brimmed bonnets, they looked just like English maids, even though this world had no relation to England.
The butler costumes were also Victorian in design. They consisted of a black jacket, white shirt, gray waistcoat, and red tie, and the final effect was also reminiscent of an old-fashioned English steward.
“My lords… They look wonderful on you.”
“Ha ha, really?” Rod gave a strange laugh in response to Claire, who seemed stunned. He hadn’t skimped on the makeup, and with his natural good looks, he made a striking girl…though he could stand to tone his expressions down a bit.
In contrast, Thane was having the grump to end all grumps. He had beautiful features, too, and in this getup, he looked startlingly like Misha. Which was to say, icy. Claire was peering at him with a complicated expression.
“Hey, Misha, do I look strange?” Yu said, but he was clearly having fun.
“I think you look lovely…”
The pleasing princes were pleasing, even dressed as girls. When Yu noticed me staring at him, he winked. It was surprisingly cute, but completely ineffective, as I only had eyes for Claire.
“When we first talked about wearing men’s clothing, I had trouble imagining it… But it’s not bad.” Misha sounded almost a little too pleased by her costume. Her reserved personality had translated all too well into donning the mantle of a full-fledged butler. The nape of her neck peeked through her tied-back hair, which was, ahem, quite sexy.
And then—
“Why do I have to wear men’s clothes…and servants’ clothes at that…?” Claire looked sullen. “And you—you really are a peasant to the core! Servants’ clothes suit you perfectly.”
“Well, I am your servant, Miss Claire.”
“Hmmm… But this was unexpected,” Rod said, dissatisfaction in his voice.
“What is it, Master Rod?” Lene asked.
“When I suggested a cross-dressing café, I was imagining gaudier outfits that would look funny and make us laugh. No one’s going to laugh at this.”
I was about to retort that we didn’t need to make people laugh, but somebody else called out to Rod before I could. “If that’s what you want, you don’t need to worry.”
The speaker was Lambert, a pretty boy himself, who also looked gorgeous in the maid outfit. I was wondering what he meant, when—
“Ah ha ha ha!” Rod exploded in laughter.
“Master Rod! Please don’t!”
The reason was Commander Lorek. The sight of that rugged warrior dressed as a woman fulfilled all of Rod’s expectations. It looked like Lene had tried really hard to do his makeup, but there was only so much she could do.
“I told you I didn’t want to do it…” Lorek was crying, which only made his makeup run.
“Lorek… You pass. Actually, you’re the star of the show.” Rod continued to chuckle uncontrollably. Everyone else wore expressions that suggested they wanted to join in but didn’t dare.
“I’m not going to serve any customers!” Lorek declared that he would be holed up in the kitchen.
“Why?” Rod was completely bewildered by subtlety.
“Rod… That’s enough. Poor Lorek.” On the other hand, Thane was more emotionally savvy than his brother. Thanks to his graceful intervention, Lorek was allowed to take charge of the kitchen.
“But what’s the selling point of Cavalier, then? What’s the point of a cross-dressing café that’s not funny?”
Lene raised her hand. “Master Rod, I believe you will find there is demand for a café where beautiful boys and girls are the servers. And that this will prove especially true if the servers are royalty and nobility.”
“Is that so?” Rod still had his head cocked to the side, but I thought Lene was correct. Commoners would be attending the Foundation Day Fair, too. These were the princes of the kingdom, and tons of folks would jump at the chance to be waited on by them—for a variety of reasons. “Whatever, then. Just brace yourself for the day of the fair, I suppose.”
I did wish he would change his attitude. I detested the way he talked.
“What’s wrong?” Claire looked at me quizzically.
“Nothing. I was just trying to get a bad taste out of my mouth.”
***
“Table three, order up.”
“New customers seated at table five.”
“Table one, check.”
“Your total comes to 1,480 Gold.”
Lively voices echoed back and forth. We had carried a number of tables into the classroom rented by the Academy Knights, and they were all full. A queue ran outside, meaning the cross-dressing café was a qualified success.
The Foundation Day Festival happened to fall on a public holiday that year, leading to record attendance numbers. Our flow of customers hadn’t ever dwindled since the opening ceremony, and actually, it seemed like the lines were just getting longer.
“Excuse me, Miss? Is that right? You’re very pretty.”
“Ha ha ha! Thank you very much.” Rod laughed as he served the customers, clearly in a good mood.
“Wow, Master Yu! You’re so cute!”
Yu came back with, “Apparently, I’m much cuter as a lady,” and an elegant smile to boot.
“That one’s a bit dark, though.”
“But also so beautiful. Though I suppose a bit creepy?”
Thane was silent, plagued by a confused expression.
“Hey, I wonder who that is.”
“Looks like a cold but gorgeous nobleman!”
“Are you ready to order?” Misha was playing her role to a T, her face cool and composed.
“Did you see? Miss Claire is serving people.”
“Yeah. I never thought I’d see the day that selfish brat welcomed customers.”
I held myself back from cutting in. There was one person in our crew who was faking a smile, but that couldn’t be helped.
“There are so many customers. I haven’t been able to put the frying pan down once!”
“Busy is good. Here’s the next order, Commander Lorek.”
The kitchen was also going full-steam ahead, mostly run by Lorek and Lambert. Overall, it was safe to say the Academy Knights Cavalier Café was a hit.
“If this keeps up, we could easily be voted first place,” Rod said.
Visitors to the fair got to vote on which show they’d liked best, and the class or group that took first place won travel vouchers they could use at resorts during summer vacation. In the game, this translated into unlocking snapshots from special events. I personally didn’t care whether or not I went on vacation, as long as I got to go (or stay) with Claire.
“Master Rod, get back to work. You’ve been summoned to table six.”
“Oh, is that so? I’ll be right there.” With a light step, Rod went off to serve.
“What were you talking about?” Claire asked me.
“He was saying we might win first place in the popularity vote.”
“We shouldn’t be beholden to travel vouchers,” Claire complained. “As members of the Academy Knights, we ought to be able to organize our own vacation trips.”
That might have been true for the nobles, but commoners like me couldn’t really afford to go jet-setting off to resorts. “Come now,” I said. “Back to work. Le—Ms. Lene is watching.”
“Erk!”
“Rae, you’ve been summoned to table two,” Misha said to me as she brought some empty dishes to the kitchen.
“Huh, me?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, lucky you. I wonder what kind of eccentric would want to share a meal with a commoner, though?” Claire chuckled.
“If you’re going to abuse me, I’d rather it be in the bedroom.”
“What in the world are you talking about?”
“Just my true desires. I’m going now.”
I took a tray and headed to table two. When I saw who the customer was, I felt my stomach drop.
“No problem. Closer.”
They were foreigners, speaking a broken form of the kingdom’s tongue. The embellishments adorning their clothes made it clear they were noblemen. Furthermore, the well-built gentleman in the turban was unmistakably royalty.
“Graciously, this is His Royal Highness Marcel, Prince of Loro. He graces you with his company,” his attendant said.
The Loro Empire was to the west of the Bauer Kingdom, in a tropical region. It was an important transportation hub and did valuable trade with the Bauer Kingdom for various goods, such as spices. Marcel was the Crown Prince of the Loro Empire.
I was thrown off because I’d suddenly remembered this was one of the events in the game.
“Will you please take our order?”
“Please excuse me. What can I get for you?”
“Hmm. Get him something with dodo bird. His Imperial Highness is fond of dodo bird.”
“I’m very sorry. Unfortunately, we do not have anything with dodo bird.”
Prince Marcel frowned. Seeing this, his attendant stood.
“This is extremely disrespectful. Prince Marcel has placed his order; you must fulfill it.”
“Please forgive me. The dodo bird is rare and not easy to source in the Bauer Kingdom,” I tried to explain as politely as possible, but His Highness Marcel shook his head.
“This is what he wants. You will do something about it,” his attendant repeated.
It took everything I had not to sigh out loud. When this event occurred in the game, the prince whom the heroine was closest to stepped in to save her. But I wasn’t close to any of the princes. While I was standing there, my face about to twitch, wondering what to do—
“Please excuse me for interrupting your conversation, Your Highness Marcel.”
I was stunned. Claire had stepped in to take care of Prince Marcel, addressing his Highness in perfect Loronese.
“Unfortunately, we are unable to prepare the dodo bird that Your Highness enjoys so much, but I am sure royalty such as yourself would enjoy sampling some special new ingredients.” She gave Prince Marcel a bright, sweet smile I’d never seen on her before. It looked like her charm was working, since Marcel stopped his attendant from standing to complain again and addressed her himself.
“Y-yes. You speak excellent Loronese. What is your name?”
“My name is Claire François, Imperial Highness Marcel of the Empire of Loro. It is my pleasure.” Claire looked genuinely pleased to have met him. Prince Marcel frowned harder.
“Claire, are you saying you will serve me something I will find satisfying?”
“I guarantee you will enjoy it.”
“Good, then. I leave my order to you.”
“Thank you very much.”
Claire respectfully and subserviently took my hand and led me to the kitchen, where she lowered her voice so the prince wouldn’t hear her and let out a deep sigh.
“Ugh… Just talking to a pig like that is exhausting. A pig from a porcine, new-money empire…” Claire looked at me. “You were useless, too. You can’t behave like that in front of a person like His Highness Marcel. You have to flatter him.”
“O-oh…”
“Well, I suppose it would be impossible for a commoner who has never spoken to such royalty to learn,” Claire said haughtily. As the daughter of the Minister of Finance, she undoubtedly had experience managing the moods of foreign diplomats. “Peasant. Go into the kitchen and make that mayonnaise dish.”
“Mayonnaise?”
“That’s right. They definitely don’t have it in the Loro Empire yet. If we serve him that, I’m sure the pig will go home satisfied.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Hey, don’t just stand there!”
“Right! Um… Claire?”
“Wh-what is it?”
“Thank you very much!”
Taken aback, Claire said, “I-It’s not for you! If this becomes a diplomatic incident, it’ll be terrible for my father.”
There she was, making up excuses. She was so cute. “Thank you very much for playing at being cold.”
“Stop saying silly things I don’t understand and get to cooking!”
“Yes ma’am.”
In the end, Marcel enjoyed a mayonnaise shrimp dish that left him more than satisfied, though that was undoubtedly partly due to the magical smile Claire trained on him. Still, I’d never thought Claire would come to my rescue. This would have never happened in the game. Perhaps the heroine’s fate was changing?
“I would hate it if Miss Claire was the losing character,” I murmured to myself.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. I love you.”
“Stop saying stupid things and clear the dishes.”
***
“I just got back… Rae, time to switch.”
“Good work. Now I’m off.” I was trading shifts with Thane, who had just gotten off his break, so I could take my two-hour one. The cross-dressing café was as busy as ever, but the crowds were starting to thin. At this rate, I could leave it to the others to finish up.
“Two whole hours… What should I do?”
If this were a school festival in Japan, then I would go around the other booths with my friends. But the closest thing I had to those here were Misha and Lene, and they were both working.
“Bad timing,” I sighed as I took off my butler’s costume in the empty classroom next door that we were using as a changing room.
“Ugh…”
I looked up to see my beloved Claire enter the room.
“Good work. Are you on break too, Claire?”
“That’s right. I still don’t understand why I had to do vulgar things like serve customers,” she muttered as she unbuttoned her jacket. I offered to help, she refused, and then I helped her change anyway.
“But Miss Claire, you’re so good at it. I was really surprised.”
“I’m used to stitching things up on the surface. Don’t forget that I am the daughter of the Minister of Finance.”
“I like the normal, honest Miss Claire.”
“What about me is honest? Just quit it with the flattery. I’m perfectly aware I have a difficult personality.”
We’d had a similar conversation before, but it was really hard for me to watch Claire be this self-deprecating. She had such a reputation for being selfish, high-handed, and prideful; I was sure Revolution’s players could never imagine her speaking like this.
“You’re certainly not easy to handle, but that’s true in some way for everyone, isn’t it?”
“Are you telling me I’m nothing special?”
“Not at all. It just makes me sad to see you put yourself down.”
“Put myself down? I’m not…” Claire trailed off, probably realizing there was no other way to interpret what she’d just said. “Ahh, I must be tired from doing all this unfamiliar work. To think I would blurt out something like that in the presence of a peasant.”
“I’m glad you did. You’ve shown me your vulnerable side. May I capitalize on that?”
“Idiot. Come on, I’ll wait for you. Hurry up and change.”
“Huh?”
“Why are you looking at me like I fell out of the sky? I’m telling you to come and help distract me,” Claire said, looking away. I stopped in the middle of changing my clothes.
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“How do you think I look in this?”
“I told you already. They make you look like a servant, just like a peasant should.”
“So you mean they look good on me?”
“So what?!”
I held out my white-gloved hand to calm the squawking Claire.
“If only for a short time, I will serve as your escort,” I said, looking Claire directly in the eyes and smiling in my most gentlemanly fashion.
“Where shall we go?”
“I don’t want to go somewhere with food. It will undoubtedly not be worthy of eating.”
“Isn’t food what a school festival is all about?”
“I have the right to decide what I put into my body.”
Such was our conversation as I escorted Claire down the Academy hall. We passed a number of people, some clearly nobles, and others that were unmistakably commoners, judging by their clothing. It was a refreshing change from the usual sights of the Academy, where both nobles and commoners dressed to the nines. Claire frowned occasionally at the sight of the commoners but didn’t ultimately complain.
“How about here?”
“What is this?”
“It’s a haunted house.”
“Absolutely not!” Claire tried to run away, but I held her hand.
“Hey, Miss Claire. Are you scared of ghosts?”
“N-no, that’s not it. I’m just not interested in childish tricks!”
“Okay, okay. Sorry. Two Academy student tickets, please.”
Brushing off Claire’s complaints, I signed us up to go in.
“Miss Claire.”
“Wh-what do you want?”
“If you get scared, you can hold on to me.”
“Don’t be stupid… Agh!”
But Claire was already clinging to me. Mission successful.
“That was terrifying…”
“Thank you for letting me witness such an adorable side to you, Miss Claire.”
As we emerged from the haunted house, I was supporting Claire, whose teeth were chattering. We headed to the rest area in the courtyard, where a number of guests were taking breaks next to flower beds blooming with the colors of spring.
“Let’s sit for a minute. I’ll get us something to drink.”
“Don’t get anything weird. I just want water, got it?”
“Your wish is my command.” I grinned at Claire, who never missed a chance to give me a tongue-lashing, and went off in search of water. I got enough to share at a snack stand, and immediately returned to her. Almost immediately. I spied something interesting at a store I passed on my way and bought two.
“You sure took your time.”
“Please excuse me. Here is your water.”
Claire was still weary, but she put the water to her lips and took a sip. Life returned to her eyes.
“Miss Claire, I also got this for you. It’s not much, but…here you are.”
“What?”
It was an amulet with a magic stone set in the center of intricate silverwork. It wasn’t just an ornament but a good luck charm. The stated effects included…
“Luck in love?”
“I hope things go well with you and Thane.”
If this were Japan, I would buy something like this at a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine, but the closest thing this world had was the Church. The booth I’d stopped by was manned by the Academy’s chapter of that organization.
“You really are strange.”
“Why is that?”
“I know you’re just teasing me, but even so. You’ve been professing your love for me, right?”
“I’m serious.”
“And yet you support Thane and me. That’s strange,” Claire said, playing with the amulet in her palm. I thought she looked almost lonely, though I wasn’t sure why.
“I care more about your happiness, Miss Claire, than having my love returned.”
“That’s a hypocritical comment.”
“Well, that’s a fair opinion. But it’s the absolute truth.”
“Why are you so obsessed with me?” Claire looked at me, her eyes flickering.
“Because you saved me.”
To put it bluntly, my previous life had been completely devoid of hope. I was employed by a corrupt company that worked me so hard I only went home to sleep. The only things that made me want to keep living were my games, and there was no game I immersed myself in more completely than Revolution. I even gave up on sleep to write fanfiction. It was no exaggeration to say that Claire had given me the will to live.
“You’re teasing me again. I saved you? That’s stupid.”
Of course, Claire couldn’t understand. She wouldn’t believe me if I told her about my previous life or being transported to this world, and there was no helping the fact that she only ever thought I was teasing her.
“Well then, save me now. Specifically by hugging or kissing me.” So I just teased her, like I always did. That was all I could do. Nothing more.
“Stop saying stupid things. Our break’s almost over. Let’s go back.”
“Yes ma’am.”
I held my hand out for Claire, but she didn’t take it.
“Your time playing at being a gentleman is over. I am me, and you are you. I am a noble, and you are a commoner. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“That’s too bad. That means I’ve lost my excuse to hold your hand, Miss Claire.”
“You really are…”
And we were back to our usual selves.
But there were two things I didn’t notice at the time. First, that Claire had accepted the amulet I gave her. And second, that her expression bore a hint of sadness. |
Chapter 3: The Commoner Movement
Chapter 3:The Commoner Movement
“THIS SCHOOL IS RIFE with discrimination!” I heard someone call out one morning after the Foundation Day Fair. I was heading past the lobby to the cafeteria with Claire, and when I looked over, I spied five or six students gathered together, holding placards.
“Down with the aristocracy!”
“Abolish noble excess!”
They were chanting their messages in unison.
“Those commoners are really pushing their luck.” Claire frowned at having to endure such an unpleasant sight so early in the day.
“What are they up to?” I asked.
“It’s a peasant disease.”
Lene explained Claire’s sharp words. “Apparently, they’re representing the Commoner Movement. They’re calling for equality between the aristocracy and commoners.”
Ah, so it was time for that to begin. I remembered this part of the game.
“It’s completely scandalous! Commoners wanting to be treated as if they’re aristocrats? Ludicrous. The King bestows them with his grace and look how they behave.”
“Ah…” I glanced away.
“What an indifferent reply. Or…do you agree with your peasant friends?” Claire’s voice dropped in pitch.
“No, no, I’m not particularly interested in politics. All I care about is being with you, Miss Claire.”
I was in favor of class equality, generally, but to be honest, I wasn’t all that invested. However—
“Hey you! It’s Rae Taylor!” A group of people ran up to us, calling my name. “As a representative of the general public, what are you doing here?”
By “here,” they meant with the young lady heir of the François family, the epitome of conservative nobility.
“What? I’m Miss Claire’s maid.”
“What did you say?!”
My answer set the group abuzz. Claire dismissed them out of hand, which was what I would have liked to do, too.
“Listen! We represent the people’s hope and dreams. Will you allow yourself to be corrupted by the nobility after proving you exceed them in every regard?”
“I have no intention of being corrupted by the aristocracy.”
“Isn’t the role of maid equivalent to a slave of that very aristocracy?! Deplorable!”
These people really weren’t listening to what I had to say. “Um, can I go now? I’m not what you’d call a political person.”
“You don’t get it! Everyone is a political person!”
“Ahhh…”
Just when I thought I’d had enough, Claire cut in with a look of abject disgust. “It’s lovely that you have your principles and all, but don’t dare force them down other people’s throats.”
“Who are you to talk?! You aristocrats are the ones forcing your will on the people!”
“What did you say?!”
This was bad. Claire was hot-tempered as well as a noble, born and bred. She wouldn’t stand for being criticized for the sin of being who she was.
“You guys, that’s enough,” a cool voice cut in.
“Mr. Lambert…”
Lambert strode in to intervene in the standoff. Lene blinked in surprise at the sight of her older brother.
“I sympathize with your Movement,” Lambert told the protesting students, “but this is the Academy. You will gain no favor by disrupting daily life at an institute where nobles and commoners already learn together in an integrated environment.”
“Oh, would you get off your high horse, Mr. Lambert? The Aurousseau Company should be on the front lines of the battle to abolish the aristocracy!”
The Aurousseau firm was one of the most powerful organizations run by commoners, and it commanded the same status and influence as low-ranking noble houses. The activists clearly didn’t appreciate Lambert, the oldest son of Aurousseau, siding with an aristocrat.
“Equality is a worthy ideal. But you will get nowhere making such uncompromising demands in this kingdom, not as it is now.”
“But—”
“Miss Claire, I’m sorry to have kept you. Please, be on your way.”
“Lambert, be certain to discipline them harshly. I wouldn’t want these commoners getting any more ideas.”
“I understand.”
“Good.” Claire flounced away, and Lene and I followed. “Ugh… And you were totally useless, too. You mustn’t give such people so much as the time of day. In the future, ignore them.”
“Ah…” I said.
“But, Miss Claire,” Lene said. “You must understand why they feel that way. The life of a commoner is a punishing one—”
Claire slapped her across the face.
“Silence, Lene,” she said.
Lene was quiet for a moment. “I’m so sorry.”
“As long as you understand.”
Claire continued walking as if nothing had happened. Taken out of context, the incident might cast her in an especially villainous light, but the truth was that all aristocrats in this era—and perhaps even many commoners—shared the same unassailable belief in the natural, moral supremacy of the nobility.
Lene remained quiet.
She had a complicated expression on her face, and why wouldn’t she? As the daughter of a merchant, Lene was ultimately a commoner. She had worked under Claire, a bona fide aristocrat, since her childhood and had seen firsthand the stark differences in their standards of living.
“Lene.”
“What is it, Rae?”
“Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
“Okay?” Lene probably took my words to mean that I thought goals like breaking down the aristocracy and achieving equality were stupid. But I had something different in mind.
For now, I had to do something about the tension in the air. “Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“I’m hungry.”
Claire looked taken aback by my inability to read the room.
“You are such a…” She sighed and then continued with an unusually bitter smile, “It’s not too long till lunch, so you’ll just need to wait.”
“Yes ma’am. Lene, what are you going to eat today?”
“Well, probably a chicken-and-egg stew.”
“Good. I’ll have a beef bowl.”
“Just once, I’d like to see you two eat something a little more refined.”
And with that, we were back to our normal routine.
Despite myself, I thought back to what the protestors said. “Everyone is a political person!” I still didn’t consider myself one, though not for the reason the activists likely assumed. Just thinking about the encounter gave me a headache.
“Miss Claire, my head hurts. Will you feed me my breakfast?”
“What nonsense are you spewing now?!”
“Hmm? You prefer mouth-to-mouth? That’s a little too much, even for me.”
“I said nothing of the sort!”
Teasing Miss Claire was the best way to ease my stress. I wished we could stay like this forever.
“You’re so selfish,” I said. “Well, then—I’ll feed you instead.”
“Unnecessary! And what does that have to do with your headache?!”
“Huh?”
“Don’t look at me like you don’t know what I’m talking about!”
Doting on Claire. That was my politics, my principle, and my position.
***
“Now, Lambert, let us proceed with today’s agenda.”
“Yes, Commander. Please look at the materials in front of you.”
I was at one of the Academy Knights’ council meetings.
“It seems the friction between the nobles and commoners at the Academy has heightened as of late,” Lambert started. “Some scholarship students have started a movement calling for immediate, complete equality between social classes, which upsets the aristocrat students. A number of complaints have been registered with the Academy Knights.”
“I saw them in action. It’s wretched, isn’t it?” Claire sighed. “Can’t we crack down on these activities?”
“Freedom of thought is guaranteed both within and without the Academy. We can’t ban people from acting on their political ideology.”
“How annoying.” Claire had a confounded look on her face, as if she had bit into an apple and discovered a worm.
“How many people are part of this movement?” Rod asked with interest.
“At the moment, less than twenty, including potential supporters.”
“If that’s all, then why don’t we just leave them alone?” Yu asked, nonchalant as always.
“That was our intention, but a few of the more extreme activists have incited a few skirmishes on Academy grounds.”
“Skirmishes…?” Thane frowned.
“Yes. They seem to be clashing with nobles about giving way in the halls, sitting down first in the cafeteria, and other minor issues of the sort.”
“That is a bit troubling,” Misha said, sighing.
It seemed no one was sure what the activists’ intentions were. Everyone here was or had been a noble, except for Lambert, whose family was well-off, and me. They weren’t equipped to understand how a commoner might feel.
“I think it’s simple. They want to be equal to aristocrats, right?” I said.
“Equal to aristocrats? Risible.” Claire snorted. “This isn’t simply a matter of birth and upbringing—the lineage of nobility and common folk are fundamentally, completely divergent.”
The aristocracy of the Bauer Kingdom were descendants of powerful clans from the days before the establishment of the kingdom. Historically, these families had amassed power through agricultural surplus, which had enabled them to train and maintain armed forces. When the Bauer clan brought these other major families under their banner as would-be monarchs, the powerful houses who swore fealty to House Bauer became the nobility of the new kingdom.
“And what have the commoners contributed to this country?” Claire continued.
The nobility performed vital functions in exchange for the authority to collect taxes from their estates. These included stable governance of territories, promotion of local industries, and training and dispatch of soldiers. The way aristocrats like Claire saw it, they had the right to make political decisions because they kept the country running, while commoners weren’t even qualified to participate in most debate.
“You’ve got it wrong, Claire… Simply paying taxes is in itself a critical contribution to the kingdom. If the people didn’t pay taxes, Bauer would crumble,” Thane said, in an uncharacteristically long speech. His broad outlook was testament to his experience in imperial studies.
“Do you mean to say you agree with their views, Master Thane?”
“I didn’t say that… Among other things, there’s too wide a gulf between aristocrats and commoners when it comes to matters of education and intellect. I don’t think it’s realistic to have commoners participate in politics.”
“Exactly.”
Oof. That was about as much awareness as you could expect from the current royal family. A completely democratic system of elected representatives like modern Japan, where anyone of a certain age could participate in politics, regardless of gender or financial status…that was a fairy tale far out of reach in the Bauer Kingdom.
“Well, I still don’t see how this is a concern. We can just leave them be, like Yu said,” Rod said, trying to shelve the topic.
“There is one other issue,” said Lambert.
“Huh?”
“There are rumors that the Church is backing the Movement.”
“The Church?” All color drained from the princes’ faces.
“The Church has long taught that all men are equal in the eyes of God. This meshes well with the message of the activists.”
Like I mentioned when I adopted Ralaire, the prevailing religion of this land believed in the existence of spirits of earth, water, fire, and wind. These spirits were worshipped, as was the supreme spirit God, who was said to have given birth to the elemental spirits. The Church taught that the world had been created by the grace of that God and that the recent advances in magic came through the power of these spirits.
Worship of the elemental spirits had started among farmers, and though a simple notion, it was powerful in that simplicity. Fear and respect for nature’s power had grown into a major religion. Furthermore, the Church actively sought to educate commoners in a number of subjects, including the treatment of illnesses and injuries. Their influence on the people was too strong for even the royal family to dismiss.
“Has the Church said anything outright…?” Thane asked.
“Not at this time. It seems they are maintaining their official stance of political neutrality.”
“Then there’s not much we can do right now,” Misha said, voicing what the rest of us were thinking.
“As the Academy Knights, we cannot simply ignore the noble students’ complaints. For now, if you witness a confrontation, please intervene. And be careful not to place blame squarely on the commoners,” Commander Lorek said, ending the conversation.
We discussed a few more items on the agenda, after which the meeting was finally brought to a close.
“By the way, Miss Claire. Why don’t we go to the northern forest for summer vacation?” I said at the end.
“Isn’t that a bit off-topic?”
Our cross-dressing café, Cavalier, had been voted the best booth at the Founding Day Fair, and as luck would have it, we’d won travel vouchers to a summer resort. “All that serious talk made me tired. I want to relax.”
“You… And why would you demand such a thing of your master? You should be the one helping me to relax.”
“May I?!”
“I can tell by the look in your eyes that you’re thinking of something dirty!” Claire was ruining the mood.
“Miss Claire, your mind’s in the gutter.”
“What were you thinking, then?!”
“Would you like to know? Heh heh heh.”
“See? It is something dirty! You really are… Hey, where’s Lene?”
“Lene said she had to talk to Mr. Lambert about something,” I answered, pointing to where Lene was conversing with her brother, a serious look on her face.
Claire gazed at the siblings for a moment, contemplative. “If all commoners were as discreet and diligent as Lene, we could have some peace.”
“What about me, Miss Claire?”
“If all commoners were like you, then I would seriously consider fleeing the country.”
“Eloping? That sounds great!”
“I would not take you with me!”
Lene returned while we were in the midst of our usual old-married-couple routine (at least, that was what I thought of it as).
“Welcome back, Lene. What were you talking about?”
“Nothing important. Just…”
“Just?”
“I may have seen something.”
“Seen what?” Claire pressed.
Lene hesitated before answering, “A member of the Commoner Movement meeting with Master Yu.”
***
Yu, the third-born prince, didn’t share a mother with his brothers. Rod and Thane’s mother was an Alpecian princess from a bordering nation, but she had passed away after giving birth to Thane—another contributing factor to Thane’s general listlessness, but I’ll get to that story later.
The current queen, Yu’s mother, Riche, had originally been a cardinal of the Spiritual Church. Unlike with Catholicism back in my original world, women could hold high-ranking office in the Spiritual Church. In fact, they were widely considered to possess greater spiritual and mystical affinity than men. The current pope was, notably, a woman.
More importantly for our purposes, the king had married Riche in an attempt to bring the Church’s burgeoning power under royal control. Instead, their union had strengthened the Church’s ties to the royal family and given it even more clout than before. Yu could accurately be described as the fruit of the union of church and crown.
“I can’t imagine Master Yu would do something like that casually,” Claire said. Yu projected an air of carefree airheadedness, but he was cunning. He had to know he was in a delicate position, politically.
“No, I did meet with them,” Yu said, suddenly interrupting our conversation.
“Master Yu?!”
“They were asking me if the Church could help them. I turned them down, though,” Yu said, his grin unwavering.
“That was careless, Master Yu.”
“Was it? I refused their request, and I don’t think anything will come of it. But the Church’s doors are open to all, so I was at least obligated to hear them,” Yu responded gently.
“But Master Yu, don’t you think they might have approached you not because of your ties to the Church but because you’re of the royal family?” I blurted out.
“In theory, perhaps. But it’s well known that my mother was a cardinal of some influence.”
Claire wasn’t backing down. “If that’s true in theory, then in theory, couldn’t you have used conflict of interest as a reason not to meet with them?”
“Perhaps. But I’m not entirely averse to the Commoner Movement,” Yu said, surprising us.
“Have you lost your mind?!”
“Come now. Do you think equality is so morally objectionable?”
“‘Right’ and ‘wrong’ are being nonsensically applied in this context; it’s simply unrealistic. Who would run the country if not the nobility?”
“Well, the commoners, of course.”
“Ha! They have no idea how difficult it is, even for the most highly educated aristocrats. Can you imagine the illiterate and ignorant attempting to govern?”
“In other words, if the commoners were educated, it wouldn’t be a problem?”
“Well…” Claire was at a loss for words.
“Personally, I think the aristocracy will eventually come to an end.”
“What are you talking about?!”
“Leave aside your biases and think rationally for a moment. The nobility are far outnumbered by the commoners. Do you think we could win in the event of an armed uprising?”
“We have an army!” Claire, who couldn’t wrap her head around the idea of her social class ceasing to be, was visibly emotional. Yu, on the other hand, remained calm and collected.
“The army is strong. But now there’s magic to reckon with, too. We’re starting to see individual commoners powerful enough to match even the most exceptional soldiers. Soon, it will all come down to numbers.”
“But…”
“Anyway, the aristocrats live the lives they do because of the taxes paid by the people they control. What logic can justify ongoing control if the people refuse to be controlled?”
Claire was silent, upset to see the legitimacy of the aristocracy—that she believed in as naturally as she breathed air—be called into question.
“Miss Claire,” I said.
“What is it…?”
“All this serious talk has made me hungry.”
Claire nearly fell over. “Would you… Can’t you read the room?!”
“Ha ha ha, this was definitely a heavy subject. Sorry, Claire,” Yu chuckled.
“No…it’s…”
“Let’s go to the cafeteria. We’re already running late, so it’s going to be crowded.” Yu left the meeting room, musing over what he would have for lunch in the exact same tone of voice he’d used to talk politics. I really didn’t care for him.
“Hey, you,” Claire called when I went to follow Yu.
“What is it, Miss Claire?”
“What do you think of Yu’s argument?”
“I think it was complicated.”
“You mean you couldn’t understand it?”
“I understood, but…” I wasn’t sure what Claire was hoping to hear from me.
“Do you think that the aristocracy will fall soon, too?”
“I don’t know.”
“I see…”
“But even if you were no longer an aristocrat, I would still serve you, Miss Claire.”
Claire gave me a surprised look. “But why? If there were no aristocrats, and the world became what those in the Movement want, then there would be no reason to serve me.”
“Of course not. How many times have I said it? I serve you because of love, Miss Claire.”
Claire frowned. “Another joke.”
“I’m not joking. I am completely serious.”
“All right, fine. It was stupid of me to ask you,” Claire said. She set off toward the cafeteria, and I followed her.
“Miss Claire, I am serious, you know?”
“Yes, yes. So what are you going to eat today?”
“The beef bowl.”
“Again… You really like that, don’t you?”
“You remembered my favorite food, Miss Claire!”
“What are you so happy about? With how many times you’ve eaten it in front of me, any idiot would remember,” Claire sulked.
“How about you try it too, Miss Claire?”
“No, thank you. Dissatisfaction sours a meal.”
“Then I’ll share a bite.”
“I said: no, thank you!”
“What? You won’t open your mouth wide for me?”
“I said nothing of the sort!” It looked like she was almost back to normal.
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“I will protect you, no matter how this world changes.”
“I told you, you don’t need to protect me.”
“No matter what happens,” I repeated.
“Whatever…” Claire seemed flustered, perhaps by my uncharacteristic seriousness.
“For now, let’s start with this,” I said, pointing to the cafeteria. As Yu had said, it was extremely crowded.
She didn’t answer, lost in thought.
“Now, Claire, let’s go!”
I dragged Claire, dejected face and all, in after me.
***
“Wh-what? Why do I…” Claire was indignant.
“It’s work, and it’s time to do it.”
“I am aware. But why must I do it, when anyone else would suffice?”
“Miss Claire, we’re the newest members of the Academy Knights. That means that we have to do the most basic chores.”
We were on an errand for the Academy Knights to pick up sundries from the market in the capital. The stalls we passed seemed to mainly deal in fresh foods, boasting an array of delicious-looking fruits and vegetables. In a testament to the booming economy, the marketplace was overflowing with people.
“With a crowd this big, we might get separated. Shall we hold hands?” I asked.
“That’s fine,” Claire muttered.
“It’s fine? Then allow me.”
“I. Will. Not!”
“Ahhh.”
“You two really are close…”
“They really are.”
Misha and Lene were accompanying us on our errand. Although the princes were also new members of the Knights, they weren’t given such tasks for obvious reasons, so the job had fallen to us. Claire had wanted to stay behind, too, but we had so much to buy that we pushed her to come along. Of course, she wouldn’t be carrying anything. Her trusty attendant Lene would be doing that for her.
“And what are we buying?”
“Umm, ten sheets of parchment, twenty sheets of vellum, two bottles of ink, one set of paints, one leather strap, one set of nails, and some tea and biscuits.”
“So, mostly office supplies.”
“Most of the Academy Knights’ duties are clerical work, after all.”
“The biscuits are the only fun thing on that list.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s buy some new sweets from Broumet!”
“Impossible, Miss Claire.” Misha flatly rejected Claire’s suggestion.
“Why?”
“Broumet is too expensive. If you want to shop there, you’ll need to use your own money.”
“How much did I bring today, Lene?”
“We didn’t plan on private shopping, so only about one hundred thousand Gold.”
“That’s not enough…”
Think of one Gold as one yen. One hundred thousand yen was a princely sum to a commoner, but mere pocket change for a powerful noble; it wasn’t nearly enough to buy sweets from Broumet.
“Let’s just focus on work today, all right? We can buy sweets next time.”
“I suppose I have no choice,” Claire frowned and shrugged her shoulders, looking longingly down the road. Her expression pinched. “Ew…”
I followed her gaze at that last bit and saw two children dressed in rags, begging for alms. One had a bandage around her leg.
“There have been more beggars since the conflict with the Nur Empire began,” Misha said matter-of-factly.
“The price of food is rising, too…” Lene said, looking at the children with sympathy.
“But wages are increasing as well, aren’t they?” said Claire.
“Not fast enough. Employers tend to be conservative when raising wages, since it’s difficult to lower them once they’ve gone up,” Lene explained.
“Well, that’s their responsibility to bear, isn’t it?”
“Employers are commoners, too. Life isn’t easy for any of them.”
Claire stopped talking. It looked like she’d been given something to think about.
“Miss Claire,” called a familiar voice.
“Oh, it’s you. What a coincidence.”
It was the senior maid of the François household, whom I had met at my job interview.
“I am here with the master on a shopping errand, but when he saw you, he said I should ask you to come see him.”
“Father said that? I’m busy right now.”
“I thought as much, but he says it’s urgent.”
“It can’t be helped, then… Would you all accompany me?”
If one of the kingdom’s most elite aristocrats requested our presence, we could hardly refuse. We trailed after the chief maid to the main street, where a large, ornate carriage stuck out like a sore thumb on the side of the road.
“Hello, Claire. Hello, students. Pardon me for not disembarking,” said a good-looking man with golden hair like Claire’s as he opened the carriage door.
“Hello, Father. What need have you of me? We are shopping for the Academy Knights.”
“Hmm? Do I need a reason to call my daughter over if I spy her in passing?” Dole said indifferently.
“Father…I am busy.”
“I can’t imagine you have any business that takes priority over me.” Dole cocked his head to the side. It was like any conversation between parent and child, but for better or worse, Dole was the epitome of an aristocrat. “If you must go shopping, hop on. I’ll even let you commoners ride with us, just this once.”
“We aren’t going to the noble neighborhood.”
“That’s all right. It’s an aristocrat’s duty to see how the other half lives every so often.”
And so we piled into Dole’s carriage, which was pulled by three horses and large enough to comfortably seat five people. I didn’t know if it came equipped with some sort of suspension system, but the ride was surprisingly smooth.
At first, no one spoke. Misha and Lene were so clearly nervous that I felt sorry for them.
“How is the Academy, Claire?” Dole finally broke the silence. He grinned as he spoke, delighted to have a chance to talk to his daughter, who was living away from home.
“It’s fine. The Commoner Movement is a bit annoying, but other than that, all is well,” Claire answered shortly.
Teenage daughters sure were a lot to deal with.
“Ah, the Commoner Movement. The fool’s errand counterpart to His Majesty’s meritocratic policy. This is precisely why I opposed that policy from the start…” Dole rubbed his temples. “What do you think of it, Rae Taylor?”
Claire’s eyes went wide. “Father, what are you playing at? Not only do you remember the name of a commoner, but you actually address her by name?”
“I’m merely curious. I heard she has the best grades of any of the transfer students this year, and I would like to hear her thoughts,” Dole said, as if to emphasize that the question had been casual.
“Yes, well…” I said. “Miss Claire asked me the same thing, but I don’t care much about the Movement. All I care about is being able to spend time with Miss Claire.”
“I see. A good answer. But the fact remains that you are a commoner. Do you not yearn to live the life of a noble?”
“I’d rather see Miss Claire be happy than seek my own comfort. I don’t long for the life of a noble. As long as I have enough to eat every day, I’m content.”
“Is that truly how you feel?”
“It is.”
Dole was staring at me. There were no etiquette rules in this country about looking people directly in the eye, so I met his gaze evenly.
“I see. I don’t think the average commoner shares your views, at this point. I hope there will be more people like you in the future.”
“Much obliged,” I responded with a light bow. Thank you ve-Rae much, I thought.
To clarify, I didn’t find the Commoner Movement objectionable in the least. I agreed with its guiding principles and did think it would be good to reduce the kingdom’s ludicrous wealth gap. Personally speaking, though, I liked working as a maid for Claire much more than I wanted to participate in politics.
“Well, I must say I enjoy this company. Let’s get something to eat, shall we? Senior maid, take us to Broumet.”
“Yes, sir,” said the senior maid, who was driving the carriage. She had quite a wide variety of skills.
“Father, don’t make such a decision on your own. I told you I’m here on business.”
“It’s just a small detour. If you have any problems, just give them my name.”
“That’s not the issue.”
“Then what is it?” Dole knew he could do as he pleased. “Have you had Broumet desserts before? As a commoner, you’ve probably never had chocolate.”
“I haven’t,” Misha answered when asked. I had eaten it before in my previous life—and also happened to be the creator of chocolate in this world—but I said nothing.
“That’s what I thought. This will be a novel treat. Broumet really does have a grand development team.”
After that, the chatty patriarch of the François family really did take us to Broumet and buy us treats. With his carriage at our disposal to finish up shopping for the Academy Knights, we ended up back at school earlier than expected despite the detour. The praise the other Academy Knights lavished on us for the chocolate we brought back, on the other hand, is another story for another time.
***
“Commander, it’s bad!”
“What’s this ruckus?”
The boy who brought the message to the Academy Knight meeting was pale. “It seems a noble student has hurt a commoner student!”
“What?!”
The room was suddenly alive with action.
“Tell us the details.”
“Right. Apparently, this afternoon, the noble Dede Murray and a commoner boy got into a fight in the courtyard.”
“Dede did?!” Yu suddenly perked up. Dede was Yu’s attendant; he’d been the dealer when we played cards with Yu.
Once someone became an attendant to the royal family, they were promoted to the ranks of the nobility themselves.
“So that’s why he wasn’t around…”
“Let’s hear the report,” Thane prompted.
“Yes, please.”
“Right. It started as a simple disagreement, but more and more students nearby got involved, and it grew heated. Then…one commoner made an insulting remark about Master Yu, and Dede lost his patience and attacked him with magic.”
“Dede would never do something so…” Yu trailed off.
“Perhaps the facts as reported are garbled and more will emerge in time. But this much is clear: the commoner was seriously injured and has been taken to the Church clinic, and Dede has presented himself of his own accord to an army tribunal.”
Yu stared in disbelief, his princely composure gone.
Rod jumped to action. “Yu, go to the army headquarters and find out Dede’s condition. That’s fine, right, Commander?”
“Yes, that will be helpful. If he’s in the middle of an interrogation, you likely won’t be able to intervene, but if he’s detained after, only his family or Master Yu will be allowed to see him.” Lorek nodded. “Given the circumstances, Lambert will escort you.”
“I’ll go at once.”
Yu and Lambert quickly left the meeting room.
“I’d like to hear more of the commoner’s side of the story, too,” Rod said.
“Shall I go? Perhaps they will talk to me, as a commoner myself,” Misha volunteered. While she looked collected as ever, she had to be all torn up inside. No matter how you sliced it, Yu was involved in how this had played out. It was clear she wanted to help him if she could.
“I can’t allow you to go alone, Misha. Claire, go with her.”
“Understood.”
“Then I will, too.” I went wherever Claire did.
“Thanks. Let’s review the situation and take action where necessary. With any luck, we can nip this in the bud before it escalates.”
Commander Lorek was head of the Knights, but it was Rod who assumed the mantle of leadership in times like these. The commander understood the necessity of this and left the decisions up to Rod.
“Now, everyone, move!”
The clinic where the injured student had been taken to was run by the Spiritual Church. It charged for its services on a sliding scale: the wealthy paid high prices and the poor paid nearly nothing, and consequently the Church had earned massive goodwill from the common folk. There were several such clinics in the kingdom, but this one was located on Academy grounds. Being part of an institution where magic was practiced and the Academy Knights fought monsters, it was equipped with state-of-the-art technology and personnel—partly because most of the student-clients were nobles, of course.
When we arrived at the clinic and asked to see the student, we were told he was still undergoing treatment. We took up positions in the waiting room.
“The commoner probably said something outrageous. It’s his own fault,” Claire said as we waited.
“But isn’t attacking him with magic an excessive response?” Misha said.
“A commoner shouldn’t be mouthing off to a noble in the first place. Imagine if it were the other way around… When did commoners get so disrespectful?”
“So if the roles were reversed, it would be fine?” I asked.
“Well…I mean, a noble shouldn’t say anything untoward, either, but…”
“But you’re welcome to speak to me in that way. Please swear at me all you like!”
“Watch yourself.” Claire had to feel the gravity of the situation, because her response was more measured than usual. Ah, well.
When we were finally allowed in to see the injured boy, we gasped involuntarily at the sight of him. More of his body was wrapped in bandages than wasn’t. Even Claire, who had just said that he deserved it, was at a loss for words. Not even she could dismiss the severity of his condition.
“I am Rae Taylor. What’s your name?”
“Matt…Matt Monte.”
“Hi, Matt. We’re here on behalf of the Academy Knights to hear what happened to you. I know you must be in pain, but would you lend us a few minutes of your time?”
“No,” Matt said immediately. “The Academy Knights are on the side of the aristocracy. I have nothing to say to you.”
“The Knights are on the side of the students,” Misha said in a calm voice.
“Spare me your official stance. Leave me alone,” Matt said, and lay down.
So this was what they called a ship without a port, huh?
“Hey, Matt,” I said. “I don’t want to put it this way, but it would be better if you talked to us. Commoners like you and I are at a disadvantage when we’re up against aristocrats.”
“Right?! There is no justice in this country! That’s why we need to bring about—ow!”
It seemed my words had struck a nerve.
“Matt, settle down. We’re here precisely because we want to keep anything like this from happening again. Will you please talk to us?”
He was quiet.
“Please,” I said again. I tried to look him in the eye with the most honest and open expression I could muster. Matt remained quiet for a few moments, but finally, he opened his mouth.
“It was…it was just an argument at first,” he started.
Matt was the member of the Commoner Movement whom Yu had met with. He’d tried to request the Church’s explicit support, but Yu had turned him down. His fellow members had comforted him, telling him it couldn’t be helped, but their words did little to make Matt feel better, and he’d fallen into a deep depression.
That was when Dede told Matt to stay away from Yu.
“What’s so special about an aristocrat? Do you realize how ridiculous it looks to we commoners for you to hoard all that wealth and power? And now you say we’re not even allowed to petition the prince?” Matt had fumed at Dede, who responded with aplomb…until he thought his Lord Yu was being insulted. Dede asked Matt how he could be so ungrateful as to say such things about the nobility who protected him.
“A crowd started to gather around us…”
The argument soon turned into a debate over the very existence of aristocrats and commoners. The “discussions” heated up.
“It made me so angry…and then I said it.”
He’d said that the royal family was a parasite, preying on the commoners to survive.
“You said what?!” It was our noble representative, Claire, who was the most shocked by these words.
“Miss Claire, this is not the time. I understand how you feel, but it’s beside the point.”
“But!”
“I will listen to your protests later. Right now, our job is to listen to Matt.”
“Ugh…” Somehow, Claire brought herself under control. I would pat her on the back later—not that she would let me.
“And then? What did Dede do?”
“He looked upset the entire time, but when I said that about Yu, it was like a switch had been flipped. He pulled out his wand, and before I knew it, I was encased in a ball of flames.” Matt hugged himself and shuddered, as if reliving the moment. “When I woke up, I was in this bed. It was only then that I realized what he did to me.”
His face was full of frustration as he looked up at us.
“If the Academy Knights really are on the side of the students, then, please, make sure he is punished.”
“It’s ultimately up to the Academy to decide how to handle this. We have to hear out Dede’s side of the story, too. But we will do everything in our power to make sure you aren’t silenced.”
“Please…” Matt said again, before sinking into his bedding.
“Let’s let him rest. We got what we needed.”
***
“This is bad…” Rod groaned.
“The people are blocking the doors today, too. The Academy won’t be able to function if this keeps up,” Lambert said bitterly.
Word of the courtyard incident had escaped the Academy and spread through the general populace. Furious crowds were staging protests outside the walls, and though they hadn’t yet tried to batter down the doors, there was no telling what would happen if they weren’t appeased, and soon.
“Dede’s excuse is a little far-fetched, too…” Thane sighed.
Dede had told Yu and Lambert that he only pulled out his wand to scare Matt, not intending to use magic or cause him such serious injury. But Matt had been injured—burned all over his body, in fact—so that story was hard to believe.
“What’s the word amongst the citizenry?”
“They’re now saying an arrogant aristocrat committed grievous violence against a commoner for no reason.”
“Well, that’s not far from the truth… But that doesn’t help the matter.” Rod stroked his chin.
As Yu’s bodyguard and attendant, Dede was a skilled magic-user who had undergone strict training. He had rigid self-control and better skill with his magic than most people. So why had he flown off the handle for such seemingly little cause?
“Dede would never do something like that.” Yu was adamant.
“And yet, he did. I examined Dede’s magic wand, but there was no evidence of malfunction or tampering,” said Lambert. Like I said before, Lambert specialized in the development of magic tools. His opinion had weight.
“What is going on…?” Yu hung his head. I admit it was hard to see the usually cheerful prince so upset.
“Well, moping around will do us no good. We need to decide on our next course of action,” Rod said.
“Indeed,” Claire agreed.
“To be honest, the situation outside the school is beyond us. That’s up to the government…and possibly the military, to handle.” At the end of the day, the Academy Knights were a school organization, and there was only so much a handful of kids could do to do in the face of mass protests. “Let’s focus on what we can do. How is the mood among the student body?”
“Pretty much the same as outside. We have the commoners on one side and the high and mighty aristocrats they resent on the other. The commoners have even been disrupting lectures by directly criticizing the nobility,” Lambert answered Rod.
“How do you think we should address this?” Rod asked him.
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Lambert said. “Perhaps things will settle down if some sort of disciplinary action is taken against Dede…”
“What sort of punishment are we talking?”
“That’s a tricky question. It would be one thing if he were a low-ranking noble, but Dede’s family are mid-tier nobles with connections to the Church. If his punishment is too harsh, we’ll see backlash from both of those quarters.”
The fact remained that the injuries Matt suffered could well have killed him. The Church had needed to employ a high-level water attribute healer as well as numerous precious magic tools around the clock to save his life.
“And what of the noble students? How have they reacted?”
“No public demonstrations yet, but there’s some muttering about not granting commoners any more favors.”
“It’s finally getting dangerous…” Rod muttered bitterly.
“Miss Claire, what does he mean?” I asked Claire.
“Is your head screwed on right? Listen up. If the situation deteriorates any further, we’ll lose our point of compromise.”
“Point of compromise?”
“The middle ground that both nobles and the commoners can accept.”
“For the time being, Thane, Yu, and I will speak with the other noble students. A few words from their future king ought to make them see sense,” Rod said, crossing his arms. “Misha and Rae, you convince the commoners that we’ve taken charge of the situation. Let’s make sure this doesn’t escalate further..”
“I’ll do my best,” said Misha.
“Ahhh.” I wasn’t good at either politics or negotiation.
“Don’t complain. This is a direct order from Master Rod, so give it absolutely everything you’ve got.”
“Then, Miss Claire, please tell me to do my best. With love.”
“Stop acting the fool. This is an emergency.”
“I am completely serious. If you don’t say it, I won’t go.”
“Why not, Claire? Say it for her.” Rod tossed me a lifeline, albeit with a bitter smile.
“What are you saying, Master Rod?”
“C’mon, hurry up!”
“You’re…going too far!”
“Hurry!” I was persistent. It was a bit mean.
“Do your best, Rae…” Claire said reluctantly.
“There wasn’t enough love in that. One more time.”
“That’s enough, get to work!”
I gave in.
A few days later, we had done everything we could to mitigate the Academy’s internal conflict. The aristocrats had been persuaded to settle down by the princes, mostly Rod, but the commoners remained heated. There were far fewer scholarship students than nobles, but public opinion was with the commoners. Protests and demonstrations continued outside the school on a daily basis, only reigniting dissatisfaction on the aristocrats’ side in turn.
The day when Dede’s punishment was to be announced finally arrived, and people from all walks of life thronged the courtyard where the incident had taken place to await the proclamation. When the announcement was finally made…
—Notice—
Let it be known that Dede Murray shall be imprisoned for one week’s time.
“This…is not right.” Claire blinked.
It was a laughably light sentence. Shouts and screams rose up around us, as if the commoners were echoing my thoughts.
“Miss Claire, please come this way. This place is about to be dangerous for nobles,” Lene pulled on Claire’s sleeve.
“But we have to calm them down!”
“That’s not possible right now. They want blood, and they’re not going to listen.”
“Argh…”
“Miss Claire, Lene is right. We need to get out of here, now.”
Together, we somehow persuaded Claire to leave.
“What’s going to happen now…?” she muttered as we departed, giving voice to precisely what all the students at the Academy were thinking.
***
The Academy lost its ability to function. The protests at the gates grew more violent by the day, and the screams of the assembled citizens were like the roar of thunder. Soldiers were dispatched to protect the school gates, but they were vastly outnumbered. Fragile equilibrium tilted ever more toward danger.
“The Academy will likely close until things settle down.”
The Academy Knights were gathered once more. Rod stood at the front of the room, telling us the school officials’ decision. They’d determined they couldn’t guarantee the safety of the noble students under present circumstances.
“If that’s how they feel, they should have given Dede a different punishment,” Claire said furiously. Even she, a purebred aristocrat with a strong prejudice against commoners, found the lightness of his sentence unacceptable.
“It was…a bit weird,” Thane said.
“What was, Thane?”
“Just like Claire said… It doesn’t make sense.”
Indeed, coming at a time of such conflict between aristocrats and commoners, it should have been obvious that a light sentence would only fan the flames. It was a bad move no matter which way you sliced it.
“About that. It seems they acted on a request from some of the nobility,” Lambert said bitterly.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that some aristocrats who are unhappy with the Commoner Movement sought for Dede’s punishment to be reduced.”
Rod frowned at this news. “And just when I thought they were starting to see sense.”
“This is our fault.”
“It is…”
We’d thought the noble kids had been pacified by the princes, but instead, their smoldering dissatisfaction had redirected in the worst way.
“It seems like the Church had a hand in reducing Dede’s punishment, too,” Lambert said.
“What do you mean? I thought they supported the Commoner Movement?” Misha asked.
“Well, that’s just politics,” Rod answered with disgust. “What the Church really wants is to supersede the royal family.”
“They support the Commoner Movement in public and the nobility behind the scenes. They probably think pitting the social classes against each other gives them a chance to swoop in and seize power from both the royal family and the nobility,” Yu chimed in. It sounded ridiculously wicked when you said it out loud.
“A power struggle…” Thane said, bitterly.
The Church was a respected and powerful force. Much as it claimed to be motivated by charity and the desire to improve people’s lives, the people at the top were a formidable political force.
“It’s clearly the Church that most benefits from this furor. Yu, Queen Riche isn’t involved in this, is she?”
“I hope not…but I don’t know. I can’t say what my mother is thinking,” Yu mumbled. He probably didn’t want to believe his mom had had a hand in this, but he couldn’t rule out the possibility, especially since it was a known fact she wanted him to ascend the throne if possible.
“Have you spoken to her?”
“Nope. I requested a visit, but she refused.”
“Isn’t she your mother?” Thane demanded.
“Even so, she’s the queen. It’s not that simple, Thane.”
There was tension in the air.
“The Church may be trying to sow discord between the princes, too!” Claire suddenly burst out.
The princes whipped around to look at Claire. A moment passed, and they each began, little by little, to soften.
“She’s right. We can’t turn against each other now.”
“Yeah.”
“Ahh…”
“Either way, there isn’t much the Academy Knights can do,” said Rod. “Other than assist the military, if it comes to that.”
“All we can do is sit and wait,” Claire said, as everyone nodded in agreement.
“Miss Claire, I have a favor to ask of you,” I said on our way home through the dusk after the meeting.
“What is it?”
“Once you retire to your room tonight, please stay there until tomorrow night.”
“What’s this all of a sudden? I hate when you do that,” Claire peered suspiciously at me. “And what about school? Class may be cancelled, but we still have Academy Knights work to do.”
“Please take the day off.”
“I can’t take a day off in the middle of an emergency like this. This is exactly why we joined the Academy Knights,” she said, looking at me like I was crazy.
“Rae, is there a reason you’re asking this?” Lene asked me, but I couldn’t tell her. Explaining would just complicate things more.
“There’s no way to get you to take the day off?” I asked.
“I don’t want to.”
“I see… Then I’m left with no choice.”
Claire looked at me quizzically. I pressed my fingertip to her forehead.
“What…are…” Before she could finish the sentence, Claire collapsed.
“Miss Claire?! What did you do, Rae?!” Lene rushed between Claire and I, as if to guard her from me. Just like Lambert, her hazelnut eyes glittered with caution.
“It’s okay. She’s just sleeping.” One of the water attribute’s spells could put people into a sound sleep. It was meant to allow them to recover their energy and heal from injury, but with a little added power, it could work on a healthy individual, too.
“Why would you do something like this?!”
“There’s going to be a riot tonight.”
“Huh?!”
“You must hide in the dormitories with Miss Claire. Whatever happens, don’t do anything stupid.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lene,” I said, ignoring her question. “Do you like Miss Claire?”
“Why would you…”
“Just answer me.”
“Of course I like her. I have served her far longer than you have.”
“Then I’m entrusting her to you, Lene. I’m putting my faith in you,” I said, turning to return to the Academy building.
“Wait!” Lene called after me. “Are you…the same as me?”
It was a purposefully ambiguous question. Only someone who knew what she meant could answer.
“No.”
“I see…”
There was an awkward silence. We both knew that answering in the negative meant I knew what she was talking about.
“Please take care of Miss Claire,” I said.
“Okay…”
And with that, I headed back toward the Academy. There was a great deal left for me to do.
“I’m sorry, Rae… Miss Claire…”
I pretended not to hear the weakness in Lene’s voice as I walked away.
That night, the school gate was broken down.
***
“What is going on?!”
“The main gate is down! A mob is pushing into the school!”
“The young nobles are in danger! Protect the dormitories!”
“Evacuate the staff, too!”
“Hold the line until reinforcements arrive!”
I could hear the soldiers yelling outside the room where I stood in wait. It was around 11 p.m. at night. Eventually, I heard footsteps approach and stop in front of the room. The door was unlocked and opened, and a figure entered, moving toward the back.
“Were you going to take advantage of this opportunity, Mr. Lambert?” I said.
Lambert stopped in his tracks. He turned on the light.
“Rae Taylor…”
We were in a laboratory that belonged to the Academy’s research department. I had picked the lock and snuck inside.
“A bell that controls monsters… That was one of your inventions, right, Mr. Lambert?”
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to stop you.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Lambert responded curtly. “I heard the uproar and came to check on my precious magical tools—”
“You tampered with Dede’s wand prior to the incident in the courtyard, didn’t you?”
Lambert narrowed his eyes.
Yu was right about his attendant; Dede would never attack someone as he apparently had Matt. Personality aside, it was unfathomable that he would fail so catastrophically to control his magic.
“As the resident specialist, you were ideally positioned to make adjustments to people’s magical tools. You deliberately rigged Dede’s wand so it would explode.”
“What are these accusations? The wand was examined, and no defects were found.”
“But you were the one who testified to that, Mr. Lambert. You intended to accompany Yu to visit Dede in custody even if Commander Lorek hadn’t ordered you to, didn’t you?”
This silenced Lambert.
“You’ve been instigating the conflict between nobles and commoners at the Academy, haven’t you?”
“What proof do you have?”
“I have no proof. But I know everything.”
This was all knowledge I’d acquired by playing Revolution, so I had no decisive evidence. Still, I knew Lambert’s plan. In the midst of the chaos, he would activate his monster-controlling bell and try to call a powerful monster down on the school. In the game, the heroine and her chosen prince saved the school, but naturally, I much preferred we avoid that dangerous scenario altogether. Therefore, I’d taken steps to prevent it.
“Everything…?” Lambert asked.
“I know you don’t care about the Commoner Movement.”
The Aurousseau Company was the largest merchant business in the kingdom, commissioned by the government to oversee the excavation and distribution of magical stones. If the royalty and nobility who comprised that government were deposed of, their business would disappear with them.
“Then why would I do any of the things you’re accusing me of?”
“Because Lene’s life is at stake.”
Certain forces had told Lambert they would kill Lene if he didn’t do what they said.
“My sister is certainly important to me. But do you really think I would endanger the rest of my family for only her?”
“If she were only your sister.”
This time, Lambert’s eyes widened. He couldn’t have imagined I knew what I’d just implied.
“How much do you…”
“I told you, everything.”
Lambert was in love with Lene—not as a sister, but as a woman. To save her, he had no choice but to do as the people holding her hostage directed, even if it meant putting their family’s livelihood in danger.
“Mr. Lambert. Please give up.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Mr. Lambert!”
“He’s a terrible man. If I fail, he’ll kill Lene.” His fear was writ large on his face.
“I will protect Lene.”
“How?”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“He can’t be reasoned with!” There was a hint of self-scorn in Lambert’s face as he spat the words. He must have had this debate with himself many times before.
“Please trust me.”
“I can’t.”
“If you don’t stop, I’ll stop you.” I armed myself with my magic wand.
“I won’t let you,” said a familiar voice.
I turned, a chill running down my spine. There in the door stood Lene, accompanied by several men. One held Claire’s still unconscious body, a knife pressed to her neck; she released a small moan.
“Lene…” I murmured.
“I’m sorry, Rae. You must let my brother go.”
“Lene, think it over.”
“No.”
I didn’t respond. I wanted to trust Lene. I wanted to believe she hadn’t been lying about caring for Claire. But maybe it was impossible for love to alter fate.
“Rae, move over there,” Lene directed me.
“I can go, but it won’t help,” I said.
“What?”
“I already broke the bell, just in case.”
“What?!” Lambert slipped past me and ran to the back of the room. He opened the cabinet and withdrew the shattered halves of the bell. “What have you done…?”
I’d known it was possible Lene would take Lambert’s side. Breaking the bell had been my form of insurance.
“That’s enough. Please give up, Lambert, Lene,” I said.
“Brother…”
Lambert said nothing, seemingly overcome by despair. Lene rushed to his side.
“Hey, hey, we can’t have this,” said one of the men in a bright, cheerful tone that didn’t suit the mood. His face was concealed by a black mask. Who was this? This scene had never occurred in the game.
“Without the magic bell, there’s nothing we can do,” Lambert said.
“Let me see it.” The man took the bell from Lambert’s dejected hands. “Return.”
My eyes widened as I watched the two halves of the bell mend back together, as if time had been rewound. What was this magic?!
“This should do it, yes?”
“Yes…” Lambert sounded like he couldn’t believe his eyes, but he timidly took the bell and tried to activate it.
“I won’t allow it!” I cried.
“Rae, don’t move! Don’t make me hurt Miss Claire!” Lene said sharply. When I looked, a single red line ran down Claire’s neck.
Something inside me snapped.
I tried desperately to keep my bearings, despite the anger that flooded through me. This was all my fault. I’d been convinced that because I knew the game, I could control what happened. But now Claire was in danger because of me, and I had to do something.
Just as I was starting to despair…I heard another familiar voice.
“To think you could change the commoners’ lot on your own…was a flagrant, arrogant, mistake.”
As the voice echoed, the men were enveloped in flames. Their screams tore raggedly through the inferno.
“Even your screams are vulgar. It suits you, thieves.”
“Miss Claire!”
“I don’t get all of what’s going on here, but it sounds like the Aurousseaus were behind it?” Claire stifled a yawn, then laughed. Apparently, she’d been awake for a while. “That’s unfortunate, Lene.”
Lene was silent. Shame kept her head down, and she refused to meet Claire’s hostile eyes.
“Aurousseau siblings, stick to the plan.”
The flames were suddenly extinguished, and the cheerful-voiced man spoke once more. The other men had collapsed save for that one individual, who remained standing, untouched.
“Do your jobs, and I will help you escape overseas,” the man said. “Then you can change your names and live as lovers, not siblings.”
I thought he sounded just like the serpent, tempting Adam and Eve.
“Don’t listen to him. Surrender,” Claire told them.
“I’m so sorry, Miss Claire. We can’t turn back now.”
And with that, Lambert activated the bell.
The monster who manifested within the workshop looked like the work of an avant-garde artist. With a lion head, goat torso, the tail of a viper, and bat wings, it was even larger than the water slime we had previously encountered.
“Is that…Chimera?!” Claire screamed.
The chimera was a monster from Greek mythology, said to breathe fire and possess supernatural strength. Legend told that its flames could reduce entire mountains to ash. In this world, however, Chimera was a dangerous monster of a very special sort. While most monsters were animals who consumed magical stones and subsequently transformed, Chimera had been born of military-sponsored magical experiments.
“Claire, we have to run. Leave it to the army.”
I might have been transported to this world as the game’s player character, but I had no intention of becoming the heroine the game wanted. It was ridiculous to fight such a dangerous monster alone. The army was headed this way, and they could handle it. We didn’t need adventure.
“No!” Claire stubbornly stood her ground. “I’ll stop it here.”
“Miss Claire?!”
“Every second we wait, it wreaks more havoc! Everything I let it get away with will be taken out on Lene!”
“Miss Claire…” Lene was choked up at Claire’s words.
Yup, that was my Claire. She still cared about Lene, even after being betrayed. She was high-handed, arrogant, and selfish, but she was so much more than that.
“Ahhh…” I sighed. “You have a losing personality, Miss Claire.”
“Why?”
“Even in times like these, you’re worried about those who hurt you.”
“N-no, that’s not it,” Claire denied, flustered. “Lene belongs to me! She’s my servant, so it’s my responsibility to supervise—”
“Ohhh, right. Mm-hmm. You can keep pretending not to care, if you like, but this is an emergency. We don’t have time for that.”
“Whatever! You go call the army.” Claire motioned to shoo me away.
“What are you talking about? I’m going to help you.”
“I wish I could say I don’t need your help…but clearly, I could use it.”
“Does that mean I belong to you, too?”
“I haven’t accepted you yet.”
“There you go again.”
“Let me stop your fun right there, ladies.” The black-masked man interrupted our banter. “Mr. Lambert. Stop moping and get Chimera moving.”
“As you say…” Lambert hesitated, but he still rang the bell.
“Charge. Terminate the nobility.”
In response to the masked man’s command, Chimera let out an earth-shaking roar. It was the same Hateful Cry the water slime had used, with the same paralyzing properties.
“Er… Miss Claire, can you move?”
“Who are you talking to? I would never make the same mistake twice.”
The Hateful Cry was difficult to fend off if caught off guard, but it could be resisted by those prepared and ready to fight.
“Do you know Chimera’s magic attributes?”
“Of course.”
Chimera had three attributes: fire, earth, and water. The lion’s head was fire, the goat’s torso was earth, and the viper’s tail was water.
“I will be here to assist you, Miss Claire.”
“I’m ready.” The words had barely left her mouth when Claire summoned a fire spear. “Burn to ashes!”
She whirled her magic wand, sending the spear flying at Chimera. But the monster swung his tail with agility that seemed impossible, given its massive size, and struck the spear out of the air.
“It looks like straightforward attacks won’t cut it. It isn’t as stupid as it looks.”
“Then how about this?” I generated a stone arrow and fired it behind Chimera. My target was Lambert, who held the magic bell.
“Brother!” Lene cried.
“Don’t worry.”
Right before it reached Lambert, the stone arrow was repelled by a wind barrier the masked man threw up. Apparently, he was a wind-wielder.
“Aiming for the controller is smart, but you didn’t even hesitate to shoot at a guy who used to be your friend. You’re a girl with no mercy,” the man with the black mask said, disgusted.
My priority was protecting Claire and ending the battle. I liked Lene, and sympathized with Lambert, but if it was them versus Claire’s safety, my choice was obvious. Putting Claire at risk once had been more than enough.
That said, it would be difficult to target Lambert as long as the masked man was there to protect him. We were going to have to defeat Chimera after all. Speaking of which—
“Miss Claire!”
The monster opened its massive jaws wide, and I grabbed Claire, hugging her tight in anticipation of what would come next. She screamed in protest, but in the next moment, we were engulfed in flames.
“That was close…”
“What was that?”
“Chimera’s Fire Breath. It’s more powerful than you can imagine.”
I had thrown up the strongest water barrier I could summon, but the rest of the lab was in ruins. The magic tools used for analysis were reduced to cinders, and even the brick walls were partially melted. We were now in real danger of carbon monoxide poisoning with all the smoke, and the roof might collapse at any point.
“Let’s go outside,” I whispered to Claire, so Lambert couldn’t hear.
“But! It’ll do even more dama—”
“We’ll lead it to the rear schoolyard. People are still mostly congregated on the athletic field. The Academy students and staff are probably in the dorms.”
“Got it,” Claire nodded and threw a fire bomb at the brittle walls, melting a hole just big enough for a person to pass through. “Run!”
“She’s the daughter of the Finance Minister. Don’t let her get away!” we heard the masked man cry as we ran.
We didn’t respond.
Lambert rang the bell and ordered Chimera to pursue us. The research building collapsed behind us moments after we made it through the front door. Cold sweat ran down my back.
“Any chance they were crushed in the collapse?”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
Just as I said that—Chimera burst through the debris with an earth-shaking rumble, still in hot pursuit.
“Argh!” Claire launched flaming arrows at the approaching beast. These were smaller than a flame spear, but faster, and they surrounded the monster, exploding on impact.
But Chimera continued to bear down on us, seemingly unaffected by the arrows.
“Freeze!” I trapped Chimera’s massive body in a huge block of ice.
“What is this crazy magic?” Claire demanded.
“I’ll muster up anything to save you, Miss Claire.” My reply was lighthearted, but we weren’t safe yet. The monster’s lion head breathed fire, reducing the ice to water in a matter of seconds.
“Can’t you freeze it to its core?”
“That would take too long, and I think the water attribute tail would remain unaffected,” I said. “Miss Claire…for the first time in our lives, let’s work together.”
“What should I do?” Claire answered seriously; she knew this wasn’t the time for jokes.
“Like Thane did before, I’ll use my water attribute to boost your magic, so aim for the head.”
“Won’t Chimera just deflect the attack with his tail again?”
“Can you call up your special move from the Academy Knights selection exam?”
“I see… But I have to gather my magic a bit to cast that.”
“I’ll buy us time. Get started.”
Claire smiled fearlessly. “Are you saying I should trust you?”
“If you can.”
“Hmph! Well, fine.”
And that was that. All that remained for me to do was support Claire with everything I had.
“Flame!” Claire materialized countless small fire bullets and fired them at Chimera, peppering the goat torso. The monster kept advancing, unaffected. He opened his jaws to breathe fire—and I cast my magic.
“Freeze!” As before, Chimera was encased in ice, momentarily frozen. “Now, Miss Claire.”
Claire stretched her arms out to her sides. Four spectral images of the François family crest appeared in the air around her as the ice encasing the monster began to shudder and break.
“Light!”
The light of the four crests swallowed the incoming fire breath, turning it into a puff of smoke. Claire’s Magic Ray cascaded down Chimera’s open jaws, filling his throat, and searing through his entire body.
With a terrible cry, the giant collapsed. This time, he didn’t move again.
“We did it!”
“Good job. I knew you had it in you, Miss Claire.”
In that moment of relief, when the tension between Claire and I dissolved for once—we were caught off guard.
“Very impressive. You have proven yourself, young lady.”
The black-masked man appeared as if out of nowhere and swung a knife at Claire.
“Miss Claire!”
***
For one terrible moment, I thought it was over. But the blade that should have killed Claire was blocked by a powerful arm.
“Master Thane!”
“That was close…”
The black-masked man’s knife was embedded in Thane’s arm. Fresh blood dripped from the wound.
“Well now, what do we have here? A disgraced prince?”
“Insurgent.” Thane answered the masked man’s words with a magic-empowered fist. The man dodged, but the blow grazed him, knocking his mask to the ground. I tried to catch a glimpse of his naked face as he swiftly covered it with his hands.
“Ha. I thought I had you all figured out, but you still had a little something up your sleeve.”
“The army will be here soon. You should surrender.”
There were skilled mages in the army, but Thane’s body-reinforcing wind magic was in a league of its own. He’d probably arrived first because he could outrun them—though it was still absurd to let a prince go ahead by himself.
“Is that right? Then I guess I’ll just have to make a run for it,” said the masked man. As before, his bright, cheerful tone was jarring, given the situation.
“You think you can escape?”
“I’ll figure something out. Besides, it looks like I got what I wanted, doesn’t it?”
We stared at him, not understanding what he meant.
“My goal was to kill as many nobles as possible, but…something even better, something I’d never expected, has fallen into my hands.”
As I tried to wrap my head around what he meant, Thane suddenly cried out and fell to his knees.
“Master Thane?!”
Thane. Claire rushed to his side.
“It was…poison…?”
“Correct. A special new poison for which no antidote exists. Please, savor it.”
The man spat these words with joyful abandon as he disappeared into the darkness of night.
“Master Thane! Master Thane!” Claire clung to the fallen Thane and called his name. But there was no response. His breathing was labored, his forehead was slick with sweat, and he let out painful moans. Ominous black spots had formed on his skin.
“Call for a doctor! Call a doctor now!”
“Miss Claire, please step away.”
“But, Master Thane…!”
“It’s okay. I think I can neutralize it.” Somehow, I managed to pry the utterly distraught Claire from the man she loved, who was on the brink of death, and called up my detoxifying water magic.
“The spots!”
Under the touch of my magic, the black splotches on Thane’s skin faded. He remained unconscious, but his breathing began to even out.
“So, it was poison from the Nur Empire,” I said.
“What?! Is that where that man was from?!”
I nodded. The Nur Empire was a powerful nation that bordered the Bauer Kingdom to the east. A number of the game’s events were instigated by this enemy nation, including, in the second half of the game, the use of a poison called cantarella. There was a fan theory that cantarella was actually the poison known as arsenous acid in our world, which no one had yet figured out how to isolate as a pure material. But the heroine eventually determined the steps to magically neutralize the poison in the game, so I knew how to treat Thane.
“How do you know that?” Claire asked.
“No comment.”
“And why were you alone in the lab? It’s like you knew Lene and her brother would betray us.”
“I was suspicious of Lambert. Lene really surprised me, though.” I gave Claire a blend of truth and lies. Though she was single-minded, she wasn’t stupid, so I’d have to tread carefully if I wanted to trick her.
“Are you—” she started, but just then, Thane began to rouse. “Master Thane!”
“Claire… Is that you…? You’re safe. Good.”
“What are you talking about?! You were in danger… What would we have done if something happened to you?!” Claire clung to him, tears running down her face. Thane looked like he wasn’t sure what to do, but he finally held her back, stroking her hair.
“I’m sorry I worried you…”
“I… If you hadn’t woken up, then I…I…”
“I’m sorry…”
“Umm, I’m sorry to interrupt, but,” I said awkwardly to the couple, who were trying to take the spotlight from the heroine (me). “How about we move somewhere else? It’s cold here.”
“You…” Claire glared at me like she wanted me to drop dead, but it was the truth: the spring night was cold in a way that wouldn’t do our patient any favors. It wasn’t because I was jealous of Thane. Not at all. Not me.
And that was that. The soldiers arrived to take the other men, Lambert, and Lene into custody, and the Academy Knights showed up to collect us, led by Rod. The truth about the insurgents hiding within the Commoner Movement was revealed in the days to come, causing the Movement to lose steam. There was still plenty of simmering dissatisfaction with the nobility, but the protests seemed to have subsided for now.
The Academy had taken some significant damage. Claw marks were starkly visible amidst the rubble, and the prevailing air on campus was one of quiet caution as workers from the construction guild carried in lumber and bricks for repairs.
Claire, meanwhile, was often listless. Even as Rod briefed the Academy Knights on the state of affairs at our next meeting, she was distracted, continually glancing to her left: the spot where Lene usually stood, always waiting for her.
Lene and Lambert had been arrested for treason. They might have been blackmailed, but the fact remained that they had assisted a foreign invasion and been accessories to the attempted murder of aristocrats and a member of the royal family—dire charges even for nobles, and the Aurousseaus were commoners. The best-case scenario was that Lene and Lambert would be sentenced to death, and the worst-case scenario was that the entire family would face execution. Their assets had been seized, their contracts for the management of magical stones revoked, and the whole family now waited for the king to pronounce judgment.
“Will the Aurousseau family be…executed?” Claire asked Rod.
“It’s likely. I’m sure they had their reasons, but this is just too serious to overlook.”
“That’s true…”
The meeting room was silent. It wasn’t just Claire’s affection for Lene turning their stomachs; the Academy Knights had liked and trusted Lambert.
“Oh yeah! Claire and Rae, it seems you’re going to be rewarded,” Rod said, trying to dispel the gloom.
“Rewarded?”
“Of course! You identified the true culprits, and you took down Chimera. Rae even saved Prince Thane’s life.”
“I expect you’ll be summoned to the Royal Palace soon. His Majesty wants to present your reward in person,” Yu chimed in.
“I really didn’t do much—” Claire started.
“Oh, is that so? That would be a tremendous honor,” I interjected, cutting her off.
“Excuse you!” Claire snapped.
“Miss Claire, I have an idea.” I lowered my voice even further, whispering into her ear so no one else could hear.
“I see… I think it’s worth trying.”
“Right?”
Just as Yu projected, we were summoned to the Royal Palace a few days later.
***
It was my first visit to the Royal Palace. We passed through a majestic gate and walked along soft, expensive carpeting as we were shown to the waiting room. The king met with dozens of people every day. Claire and I were the only ones present in that room at the moment, but there had to be numerous other vestibules where people were waiting for audiences, too.
“Sit down. You’re being restless.” Claire was probably used to this. She was sipping tea and showed not the slightest sign of anxiety.
“I was just thinking that rooms in the palace are completely unlike anywhere else.”
“Naturally. The Royal Palace represents the pinnacle of the kingdom’s culture. Everything in it is made from materials of the highest grade—for example, this table is probably mahogany.”
“Heh…”
It all just looked expensive to me. The finer aesthetics of wealth were wasted on me, like casting pearls before swine, or preaching to deaf ears… Well, you get the gist.
“Thank you for loaning me clothes,” I told Claire as she returned her teacup to the saucer.
I’d planned to appear before the king in my uniform, since I was a student, but Claire had panicked when I told her as much. She’d rushed to find me something more appropriate, which turned out to be a pantsuit in formal black, with long sleeves. Apparently, there was an extensive dress code that stipulated what you could wear to a royal audience.
Claire was clad in an elegant dress—not an evening gown, but a conservative day dress that covered most of her skin, with an ankle-length skirt. I wore my outfit awkwardly, but Claire’s fit her like a glove. I suppose it went without saying that she was a noble, and it showed.
“I didn’t do it for you. I couldn’t have my maid’s lack of dress sense reflect badly on me with His Majesty.”
“That’s a nice excuse. I know you love me.”
“I really wish you would just shut up.” Despite the retort, Claire’s expression was satisfied and confident.
Eventually, an attendant came to fetch us. We walked down the palace corridor, stepping carefully on the plush red carpet. Claire walked with ease, despite her long-hemmed dress and high heels. Before long, we came to a ceremonial set of doors.
“I present Claire François and Rae Taylor!”
When the attendant announced our names, the intricately embellished door swung open. The man bowed to us, and Claire and I stepped into the room, keeping our heads down. On the throne before us sat King l’Ausseil and his queen, Riche, flanked on either side by guards and soldiers.
The attendant who’d escorted us approached the throne and then dropped to his knees, bowing deeply. Claire had grilled me on the necessary etiquette the night before, so I supposed I could give the “ve-Rae nice to meet you” joke a rest, just this once.
“Let me see your faces.” His Majesty’s heavy voice resounded through the room, giving us permission to look upon him and the Queen.
King l’Ausseil had black hair and black eyes. He reminded me of Rod, though not as vivacious, of course. His posture and presence brought to mind the kings you saw in a deck of cards, but more beautiful still. The crown upon his head glistened.
Queen Riche, meanwhile, had golden hair and blue eyes, good looks she had clearly passed to Yu. Her long hair was pulled back and the silver tiara on her head shone bright. She was covering her mouth with a fan, so I couldn’t read her facial expression.
“I am told you took the lead in resolving a series of incidents at the Royal Academy,” said the king. “You have done well.”
We lowered our eyes again at his words of appreciation.
“I also hear you saved my son Thane’s life. In gratitude for the great service you have done our land, I shall bestow upon you a fitting reward. Name your desire.”
At that, we lifted our heads again.
“We are Claire François and Rae Taylor. It is our honor and delight to meet you today,” Claire spoke. We’d agreed beforehand that she would handle this part; it hardly seemed proper for a commoner like me to address His Majesty.
“Mmm,” His Majesty nodded encouragingly.
“As our reward, we have but one request of Your Majesty.”
“Let me hear it.”
“Yes.”
This was the crucial moment. You got this, Claire.
“We beg that the lives of the Aurousseau family be spared.”
A stir ran through the room at Claire’s words, as was only to be expected.
“Silence,” His Majesty bellowed, and the room fell quiet once again.
The king was silent himself for a few moments and then spoke. “It is my understanding that the Aurousseaus were the primary culprits in what occurred. You would request their sentence be reduced?”
“I would. I humbly request that Your Majesty pardon them,” Claire repeated in response to the king’s flat, unreadable words.
“Salas, what say you?”
When addressed by the king, the chancellor stepped forward from beside the throne. This was Salas Lilium, a handsome man with silver hair and red eyes.
“This is difficult. Rewarding good behavior and punishing poor conduct is the principle of the kingdom’s law. There is no reason to commute the sentence of the Aurousseaus,” Salas answered flatly.
“The Aurousseaus have served this country faithfully until now. Their contributions, especially in the magical stone business, cannot be overlooked. I humbly request, once again, the pardon of Your Majesty.” Claire desperately pressed her appeal. This was our only chance to save Lene and Lambert’s lives.
“It is true that the Aurousseaus have served us well. Is it possible to commute their sentence in consideration of such merit, Salas?” the king mused.
“The crimes they committed include colluding with foreign invaders and the attempted murder of royalty and nobility. These are crimes too great to be offset by prior achievement and can only be answered by the destruction of the house,” Salas replied coldly.
“So be it. Do you have another request?”
We’d failed. Claire’s face was pale, her hands clenched into fists.
“Your Majesty, is there any way you can fulfill their requests?” said a familiar voice.
Thane had entered through a side door and now stood beside Claire.
“The incidents at the Academy were fueled by the general populace’s resentment of the ruling class. The courtyard incident, which led to the riots, invited criticism that the government unduly favors aristocrats.” Thane’s voice was clear and resonant. I’d never heard him speak like this before. “The Commoner Movement has subsided now that it’s been proven the Aurousseaus were at fault. But if the royal family does not prove itself capable of passing fair and impartial judgment on commoners, we will inevitably see a similar backlash.”
“Are you saying that sparing the lives of the Aurousseau family will prevent such dissatisfaction?”
“Yes…I am.”
“Your Majesty, Master Thane, with all due respect,” Salas interrupted, “the Aurousseaus are suspected of exacerbating the Commoner Movement. The royal family does not disregard commoners, but the aristocrats who were endangered by the Aurousseaus will not let this pass.”
He wasn’t wrong. The masked man’s goal had been to kill a noble child. If Chimera had been allowed to rampage unchecked through the Academy, he would have been successful.
“The issue is one of balance. The scales of the king’s favor are currently tipped toward the aristocrats. Considering the importance of magic, it is clear we must tip those scales further toward the commoners’ favor to balance them. Please reconsider this, if for no other reason than to keep Your Majesty’s meritocratic policy from becoming a dead letter.” Thane fell silent, his case made.
“I understand both of your arguments.” The king fell silent as well, deep in thought.
A few minutes passed, though they felt like an eternity. We waited to hear the king’s pronouncement.
“The Aurousseaus shall be deported,” His Majesty finally said. Claire and I looked at each other in relief.
“Your Majesty, with all due respect—”
“Salas, I have spoken.”
“Understood,” Salas reluctantly fell back in line.
“Claire François, Rae Taylor. You are excused.”
“Yes.”
“Thane, you will stay. I have something to discuss with you.”
“Yes, sir…”
Claire and I left the room.
We stayed silent for a while, even once we’d walked out of the palace. Once we were past the gates, though, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“We did it!”
“Hurrah!”
Claire and I pumped our fists in the air in unrehearsed synchrony. She looked at me looking back at her and quickly dropped her fist.
“Hmph! Would you stop copying me?”
“It’s like we’re reading each other’s minds. That’s a wondrous thing; let’s be happy.”
“I don’t see why we have to be happy together.”
“Then let’s just love each other.”
“What are you talking about?!”
And we were back to normal once more, with the slight difference that Claire was talking more than she typically did. We made our chattier-than-usual way back to the Academy.
***
On the day the Aurousseaus were banished, I accompanied Claire to a point on the kingdom’s border with the mountainous Alpes. This border crossing would be the one Lene and her brother used as they were expelled from the kingdom.
The Aurousseau family fortune had mostly been confiscated, leaving them only the bare necessities for their move to the Alpes, where they would rely on family. The Alpes were part of a friendly nation with a long history of diplomatic accord with the Bauer Kingdom. It was an agricultural region with fertile land, and politically stable, if not wealthy. A good place to start over in.
In contrast to our melancholy state, the weather was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. Claire dragged her parasol listlessly along the ground.
“The weather is nice,” I said.
“Yes, it is,” she replied indifferently. She was staring at the border crossing.
The crossing itself consisted of a building that had been constructed over the largest road connecting the Alpes and the Bauer Kingdom; it was equipped with a massive, sturdy gate that could be locked in case of emergency. The checkpoint was inside the building, and the Aurousseaus were currently going through it. They’d dealt in magical stones in the Bauer Kingdom, but it was forbidden to take that technology outside the country, so their possessions and documents were undoubtedly being thoroughly searched.
“I wonder if the Aurousseaus will be all right in the Alpes.”
“I’ve heard their father, Bartley, is a competent man. He may not get them back to where they used to be, but I’m sure he’ll do just fine,” Claire answered matter-of-factly, but her tone was somber, somewhat distant.
“It’ll be worse for Lene and Lambert.”
“Yes…”
Their forbidden love had nearly gotten their entire family killed. The Aurousseau family would disown Lene and Lambert once they’d migrated to the Alpes, forcing them to rebuild their lives alone in a new country without any support. In a world where most people inherited the family business, the implications of this were severe.
“All they can do is keep living. As long as they are alive, things will work out.” It sounded almost like Claire was trying to convince herself. As if she were willing it to be true.
“It looks like their inspection is over.”
The Aurousseau family moved toward the gate as we watched from just outside the fence surrounding the compound. Almost everyone the Aurousseau employed had been fired, leaving only the twenty or so family members to make the journey unassisted.
Among them were Lene and Lambert.
“Lene!” I called, running up to the iron fence. Lene approached from the other side.
“I’m sorry, Rae…and Miss Claire, too…”
“Miss Claire said she wanted to say goodbye.”
“I said no such thing. You insisted on bringing me along, no matter what I did.”
“Ah ha ha… It’s been a while, but I’m relieved to see you two are the same as always,” Lene giggled. Her laugh sounded weak. I understood.
There was a slight pause.
“Lene, do you resent me?” Claire asked timidly.
“Nothing of the sort!” Lene was flustered. “It was only fair that my family be punished. It’s thanks to you begging His Majesty for mercy that we’re even alive, now.”
“But I was the one who caught you,” Claire said, with only a hint of self-deprecation.
“No. I am grateful to you for stopping our violence.”
“My sister and I realize what we have done.” Lambert came over to join us, wearing a distressed look. “They say love is blind. Ours narrowed our vision, and this is the result. That man exploited my feelings to make me do his will.”
Lene nodded. “Rae, be careful. Don’t let anyone use the feelings you have for Miss Claire.”
“I won’t.”
“Lambert, Lene. It’s time. Let’s go,” someone from the family called.
“Lene, take this with you.” I handed Lene a bundle of parchment through the fence.
“This is…?!”
“They’re new recipes. Remember to use the mayonnaise.”
“Are you sure?”
“Mm-hmm. I think it’ll earn you some seed money.” This was all I could do for her now.
“Farewell, then. Miss Claire, Rae, thank you for everything.”
“Bye, Lene,” I said. Claire remained silent.
Lene smiled sadly and turned away. She and Lambert headed to rejoin their family.
“Miss Claire,” I said. “You don’t want to say goodbye?”
She didn’t answer. Claire had a conflicted look on her face, clearly processing a whirlwind of emotions. In that moment, I saw her for so much more than something as simple as a villainess.
“Lene!” Claire suddenly called. Lene turned in surprise. “I won’t say goodbye. I’ll see you again someday. Until then, stay healthy!”
I thought I saw Lene smile but couldn’t be sure. Maybe I just wanted to believe that was what I’d seen. They kept walking, and eventually, she and Lambert were gone from our sight.
Claire was silent again, but her eyes were dry.
“Miss Claire,” I said.
“What is it?”
“Can I hug you?”
“Of course not. I’m going home.” Claire turned away and walked ahead of me.
“You needn’t be so stubborn in times like this.” People are far more complicated than a book or a game can ever really depict. And I love that about them, especially the awkward ones. “Misssss Claaaaaire!”
“Aggh?! What are you doing?! Let go of me!”
“I won’t let you go, but I’ll let you talk.”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
Curse me all you like, Claire. Return to being your normal, happy self, if you can. And if you can’t—
“It’s okay to cry, you know?”
“D-don’t be stupid. I just lost a maid. Why would I cry over something like—”
“Miss Claire, I’m behind you right now. I can’t see your face.”
“I told you!”
I stayed where I was, embracing her from behind. “You didn’t want Lene to leave,” I said.
A few drops of water hit my hands, which were wrapped around her.
“Things don’t always turn out how you want. Even falling in love isn’t free.”
More teardrops. My hands were getting wet. We stayed there like that for a little longer.
“You really are cheeky for a peasant…” Claire said.
“Yes, I’m cheeky. You should punish me.”
“No. You’d just consider that a reward, wouldn’t you?”
“Miss Claire, you know me so well. Our only choice now is to get married!”
“I will not!”
And with that, we really were back to normal. I walked by Claire’s side, happy to receive her sharp words.
“I hope we can see her again,” I said looking back at the border crossing.
“I’m sure we will.” Claire’s voice was no longer clouded over. Instead, it echoed as clearly as the blue sky stretched above us. |
Bonus Chapter: My Lady, Claire François
Bonus Chapter:My Lady, Claire François
“LENE, ARE YOU READY?” my brother said to me once I’d bid farewell to Rae and Miss Claire.
“Yes. The longer we linger, the harder it will be to say goodbye.”
Secretly, I regretted not apologizing to Miss Claire in my own words. The crimes that my brother and I had committed were unforgivable, and I thought it would be presumptuous of me to even try. Besides, of course, apologies are more for the culprit’s benefit than the victim’s…
But my heart was so overburdened by guilt that, in the end, I couldn’t even give her a proper goodbye. My soul was overshadowed.
“Lene!”
The wind brought the unmistakable voice of my Lady to my ears. I turned back instinctively.
“I won’t say goodbye. I’ll see you again someday. Until then, stay healthy!”
I was sure that no one, not even my beloved brother, could understand how those words made me feel. I was just a servant—just one of Miss Claire’s many servants—and yet she had such kind words for me, someone who had viciously betrayed her. In that moment, I was more grateful than ever for her compassionate heart.
“She was a good Lady.” My brother smiled gently at me. I shook my head in disagreement.
“Not past tense. Miss Claire is, and will always be, my Lady,” I said, wiping a tear from my eye.
My brother just said, “I see,” and stroked my hair.
I had served Miss Claire ever since we were children. As we walked away, my head swirled with memories of the ten years we’d walked side by side. Of course, our relationship hadn’t always been all sunshine and sweetness. I thought back to when I’d met Miss Claire for the very first time, looking back at her faraway silhouette in the present.
***
“This is Lene Aurousseau. Starting today, she will serve as Miss Claire’s attendant. Lene, introduce yourself.”
“My name is Lene Aurousseau. I am pleased to meet you.”
“Hmm… I don’t care about your name. I’m sure you’ll quit in a week, anyway.” Miss Claire was two or three years younger than me, and I was seven. She spoke like a much older girl, her spiral curls bouncing cutely as she trained a grumpy expression on me. She was adorable and would have been even cuter if she smiled.
“Now then, Miss Claire, Lene will take care of you. Please excuse me.”
With that, the senior maid left the room. I would discover later that Miss Claire wasn’t fond of the senior maid and that the feeling was mutual. It wasn’t just the senior maid, either. Most of the maids serving the François household disliked Miss Claire, and my first impression wasn’t exactly the best, either.
“Commoner.”
“My name is Lene, Miss Claire.”
“I told you, I don’t care about your name. Commoner, turn into a horse.”
“A…horse?”
I take back what I said. My first impression of her was horrible.
I was a commoner, just as Miss Claire said, the eldest daughter of the Aurousseaus, who dealt in magical stones. The Aurousseaus, which did most of their business with the royal family, were commoners, but also wealthy merchants. We had enough assets that our standard of living was actually higher than some lower-tier nobles. I didn’t plan to get haughty about it, but I didn’t like being ridiculed for my commoner status on my first day of service.
But whether I liked it or not, my father had gone to great pains to explain to me that my service would strengthen the bonds between our company and House François. And, if I did my job well, it might benefit my brother.
My brother, Lambert Aurousseau, was exceptional. His magical talent had made itself evident at a young age and even earned him an invitation to study at the Royal Academy, which was just beginning to open its doors to commoners. I had deep respect for my brother. I would gladly watch over a selfish young lady if it might benefit him even the slightest bit.
“You don’t know what a horse is? Stupid commoner…”
“No, I know what a horse is. But why?”
“Because I want to ride a horse. Shut up and get on all fours.”
Claire, who was several inches shorter than me, stared up at me as she called me stupid. It would have been easy to give in, but if I gave her everything she asked for, her demands would only escalate.
“Miss Claire, please forgive me for not turning into a horse.”
“Wh-what did you say…?” Claire’s voice became even grumpier. “Are you saying you won’t follow my orders?”
“Yes.”
“You!”
Seeing she was about to launch into a temper tantrum, I said, “I cannot allow someone as noble as Miss Claire to ride on the back of someone as lowly as me.”
By faking humility, I could stroke Miss Claire’s ego while also bringing her around to my point of view. As a merchant’s daughter, I’d been raised to handle aristocrats and had a number of such tricks in my repertoire.
“Hmph! Well, maybe you’re not so stupid, for a commoner.” Miss Claire seemed satisfied with my answer, at least for the time being. I hoped it wouldn’t be as difficult to control the selfish lady as I originally thought. “You may actually have some promise. Good. I will allow you to be my attendant for now.”
“You have my gratitude.”
And such was the first time Miss Claire and I met.
It took me a while to master the art of Miss Claire’s curls. She was a selfish little girl who gave the many maids who diligently tended her no end of grief, but somehow, I could manage her better than most. I was paid exceptionally well for my service, and gradually, I gained Miss Claire’s trust.
During this time, I learned a number of things about the François household. Miss Claire’s parents, Master Dole and Madam Melia, left the house often. I supposed that was natural for Master Dole, the Minister of Finance, but Madam Melia rarely came home, either. She was a popular socialite, a social butterfly who pulled strings behind the scenes and was said to be Master Dole’s right hand.
Since they were gone so often, they spoiled Claire rotten when they were around. If Miss Claire said she liked strawberries, for example, they would upend the functioning of farms and cold-storage facilities to ensure she had a constant supply of strawberries throughout the year. With no one around to give her honest advice, Miss Claire grew into a more selfish young lady by the day.
Not long after I became Miss Claire’s attendant, the house filled with the hubbub of preparing for Miss Claire’s fourth birthday party. Servants rushed to mail out invitations, design the menu, and decorate the rooms. My main job was to stay by Miss Claire’s side. There was already an implicit understanding among the attendants that handling Miss Claire was primarily my task.
It was natural, therefore, that I accompanied Miss Claire when she went shopping. Miss Claire could have anything she wanted brought to her room, but she sometimes liked to go to the store on her own. On this particular day, she’d brought us to a boutique she frequented. However, she wasn’t shopping for herself. She was shopping for me.
“Um, Miss Claire, I don’t mind wearing a servant’s clothing…”
“No. I refuse to accept that my attendant does not own a single dress!” Miss Claire said. On her instructions, the store employees brought out a wide selection of clothing. I had dresses at my parents’ home, but they were made for a commoner. I thought my heart would fly out of my chest when I saw these glittering gowns for the first time.
Perhaps that was why I forgot I didn’t belong there.
“Hey, why’s there a commoner here?”
Just as Claire vanished into the back of the store with the clerk to select other clothes, I heard a voice behind me. I turned to see a man who seemed to be an aristocrat from another country.
“This store is for nobles. Commoner, go away.” The foreign aristocrat shooed me away with his large hands.
Frightened, I backed away and tripped, falling on my rear end. I knocked a rack of clothing down with me, sending a number of items worth several years of my salary to the ground. Horrified by what I’d done, I could only cower.
“Well, hello, Your Highness Darcel. Pardon me, I didn’t see you come in.”
“Shopkeep, this commoner is unsightly. Dispose of her. Unsightly.”
“I apologize, but…she is here with an aristocrat of the Bauer Kingdom.”
“I won’t say it again. Unsightly.”
It seemed that the arrogant Master Darcel wanted me gone, no matter what. And, judging by the way the shopkeeper addressed him, he wasn’t just an aristocrat but a member of a royal family. I decided it would be best if I just left.
But before I could…
“Your Royal Highness of Loro, has my servant done something to offend you?” Miss Claire came back, speaking fluently in a foreign language.
“You can speak Loronese? How impressive, for such a young child.”
“Much obliged, Your Highness. I am Claire François, daughter of Dole François, Minister of Finance of the Bauer Kingdom.”
“Ah, Dole’s daughter. I see. No wonder you are so well behaved and educated.”
“Thank you very much,” Miss Claire was having a casual conversation with royalty several times her age. All I could do was stare.
“However, Claire, it is inappropriate of you to bring a commoner into this store. My nation, Loro, has invested in this establishment with the intent that it will cater exclusively to aristocrats. Commoners must not be allowed inside.”
“Your Highness, have you heard of the new policy that King l’Ausseil plans to launch in the Bauer Kingdom?” Miss Claire asked.
“What?” Master Darcel cocked his head to the side.
“His Majesty l’Ausseil means to introduce new laws that will elevate and educate commoners. Perhaps this shop of yours, Master Darcel, will fall behind the times if it only caters to aristocrats.”
“How… Does King Bauer intend to bestow his grace on commoners, as well?”
“Exactly so,” Claire said. It hadn’t been made public yet, but a number of high nobles and the royal family knew of the meritocratic policy, including, of course, the François household. “I apologize, but I am practicing what the kingdom will soon enforce. This is my test subject.”
“Oh…is that right? Well, if Bauer intends to introduce such laws, Loro will not stand in its way. I will overlook this incident.”
“Thank you very much, Your Majesty.”
And with that, the encounter came to an end. Somehow, Claire had brought it to a peaceful conclusion.
“It’s fine. I won’t come to this store again,” she whispered to me as we left the store.
“Um… I’m sorry, Miss Claire. I was a coward…”
“Argh! That stupid royal family really makes me angry!”
“Oh, um… Miss Claire?”
“Loro is living in the past! They’re scum who couldn’t stand on two feet without Bauer’s support!”
“S-scum?!”
“And that scum dares to sneer at my belongings? If my father’s reputation wasn’t on the line, I would have slapped him right then and there!”
“What do you mean, your belongings?”
“Huh? I’m talking about you, Lene. You belong to me, don’t you? I won’t let that piece of royal scum hurt what belongs to me,” Claire said, staring at me. “Listen, Lene, you are my…you are Claire François’ servant. That makes you the most important commoner in the country. Have pride in that.”
The words echoed strangely through my heart. There was no doubt that Miss Claire was a selfish girl, a spoiled and beautiful aristocrat. But she was more than that. Once she decided you were part of her family, she would protect you at all costs.
In that moment, I decided that I wanted to stay with her.
“I, Lene Aurousseau, swear to become a servant worthy of Miss Claire.”
“Good. Give it your best!”
That was when my relationship with Miss Claire began to change.
On the morning of Miss Claire’s birthday party, an unexpected problem arose.
“I’m sorry, Claire. Your father and I have something that we simply cannot reschedule,” Miss Claire’s mother, Melia, said with heartfelt disappointment. They’d stayed home the night before, which was rare for them, to ensure they had no problems making it to their daughter’s birthday party. However, when the day itself came, they received a summons from a fellow aristocrat they couldn’t afford to ignore.
“No! Father and Mother must stay with me! Today is my birthday!” Miss Claire, who had been looking forward to spending time with her parents after not seeing them in a while, was naturally upset.
“Claire, don’t give your mother trouble. This is our duty as nobles,” Master Dole chided, but he was clearly upset, too.
“You always leave me alone… And now you won’t even come to my birthday…?” Miss Claire said, tears rolling down her face. The loneliness in her voice pulled on my heartstrings.
“I am so very sorry, Claire. I’ll make it up to you. That’s right! I’ll buy you anything you desire, Claire, anything at all. What would you like?” The look on Melia’s face suggested she thought she’d come up with an amazing idea, but I cringed internally.
“I don’t need a present! I hate you, Mother!” Miss Claire shouted. She turned on her heel and ran in the direction of her room.
“Claire…” Madam Melia watched her go with a sad look on her face, shoulders slumped.
“Claire will understand someday,” Master Dole soothed his wife. “An aristocrat’s duty takes precedence over everything, even family.”
“I know, and yet…sometimes I wonder if she wouldn’t have been happier if she weren’t born a noble,” Madam Melia said faintly. “Lene, please take care of Claire. Cheer her up, somehow.”
“Yes, ma’am. Have a safe trip, Madam, Master.”
I said goodbye to them and headed to Miss Claire’s room. After knocking three times, I tried the handle. As I’d expected, it wasn’t locked.
“Miss Claire?”
“My father and mother have left, haven’t they?”
Her voice was full of loneliness. I wanted to run up to Miss Claire and hug her, but the difference in our statuses didn’t allow such a thing.
Claire had been waiting with the door unlocked. She’d been hoping her parents would come after her. It was a childish, selfish thing to do, of course, but I understood how she felt.
“Master and Madam really want to be with you, Miss Claire.”
“I wonder…I wonder if my father and mother wish they had a boy.”
At those words, I realized the true nature of Miss Claire’s anxiety. Miss Claire feared she was an insufficient heir. No four-year-old should be worrying about such things on her birthday, but Miss Claire had already thoroughly internalized the rules and values of the aristocrat’s world.
“No, not at all. Master and Madam are truly happy to have you for a daughter.”
“If that’s true, then why won’t they celebrate my birthday with me?”
I had no answer for that innocent question. I could have recited the duties of aristocrats, but they weren’t what Miss Claire needed to hear. She wasn’t challenging the logic of the aristocracy but the desires of the heart.
“Leave me. I want to be alone,” Miss Claire murmured when I said nothing. With nothing else I could do, I left the room.
The birthday party began that night. The guest of honor, Miss Claire, appeared with a smile, like the morning’s incident had never happened. “Thank you, everyone,” she told the servants. “You have my heartfelt gratitude for putting together such a wonderful party for me.”
The smile was entirely for her attendants. There were still many servants who disliked Claire, but I no longer agreed with them. You were supposed to be selfish when you were four years old. You were still the center of your own world at that age, and besides, how many children could set their personal sorrow aside to play the hostess the way Miss Claire just had, at that tender age?
“Happy birthday, Miss Claire. This is from all your attendants.” I presented a gift to Miss Claire.
“Really? Can I open it?”
I nodded, and Miss Claire happily unwrapped it. “What a lovely brush!”
We had given Miss Claire a fancy brush with bristles made of fine, sturdy pig hair.
“But, it’s a bit big, isn’t it?”
“You will grow, Miss Claire, so it will be the perfect size someday. Until then—” I hesitated.
“Until then?”
“Until then, why don’t you use it to brush the Madam’s hair?”
Miss Claire wore a startled expression for a moment, clearly aware that I was implying she should make up with her mother.
“Oh, yes. I will do that,” she said at last, and grinned. I took this to mean that Miss Claire would be fine.
I was wrong.
“My Lady, it’s terrible!” A servant rushed into the party, her face pale. I recognized her as Madam Melia’s attendant.
“What is this commotion? If you have something to say, say it,” the senior maid said sharply.
“The Master and Madam’s carriage has been in an accident!”
“Father and Mother?!” Claire cried.
“Calm down, Miss Claire.” I took hold of Miss Claire to keep her calm, prompting the servant to continue.
Master Dole and Madam Melia had been invited to a party held by a powerful rival noble. While they were puzzled by the sudden invitation, their would-be-host’s social status left them unable to decline without giving offense, so they attended the party, where they were welcomed warmly enough to make them even more suspicious.
They eventually left, still puzzled. On their way home, however, their carriage collided with one belonging to a commoner.
“Are Father and Mother okay?”
“The Master was hurt, but his injuries are minor. But the Madam…”
“Mother?! What happened?!”
“Her condition is serious. The surgeons of the Spiritual Church are doing everything they can to save her.”
“Lene…”
“It will be okay. The Madam wouldn’t leave you, Miss Claire. Let’s trust in the protection of the spirits.” I didn’t know if I was trying to convince her or myself, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
And so, Claire’s fourth birthday party came to the worst possible end.
Madam Melia could not be saved. Her injuries were so severe that Miss Claire wasn’t even allowed to see her face again at the funeral. In the wake of her mother’s death, she shut down completely. Her selfishness disappeared, replaced with a sober maturity that made her seem like a different person entirely.
The François house was often filled with silence in those days. Miss Claire stayed in her room, gazing out the window. No matter what I said to her, it was like she was somewhere else—as if she would always be waiting for the Madam who had never come home.
That was just the beginning of her sorrow. Master Dole grew even busier consolidating support in Madam Melia’s absence, and Miss Claire was sent away to live with distant relatives. When she was told she was going to be separated from her father, too, she just nodded solemnly. It made me realize how long it had been since I had heard her voice.
“Miss Claire, How about some strawberries? You didn’t eat much breakfast. Aren’t you hungry?”
I showed Miss Claire a basket of strawberries, her favorite, but she just shook her head quietly, not even turning her eyes in my direction.
“Miss Claire… I won’t pretend to understand your pain or how you feel, but…if you don’t eat, you’ll get sick,” I said.
“If I were to die, I wonder if I could apologize to my mother,” Miss Claire said suddenly as if talking to herself. I was sure the words weren’t directed at me, but I couldn’t ignore them.
“I know you’re hurting, but please, don’t talk about dying. That would make the Madam sadder than anything.” I put the basket of strawberries on the table and sat by Miss Claire’s side. I thought it was dangerous to leave her alone right then.
Claire stared out the window as if she didn’t notice I was there, but finally, she spoke. “I told my mother I hated her.”
“I…” What could I do? How could I heal this wound?
“The last time I saw my mother, we were fighting…”
Her eyes were still dry, but she was obviously crying on the inside. Forgetting all about the difference in our status, I embraced Miss Claire. I didn’t care if I would be punished for disrespect; I was just afraid that if I let go of Miss Claire, I would lose her.
Someone… Please help this girl… Please save this delicate soul.
I didn’t pray to the God of the Spiritual Church, who had failed to return the Madam to Claire, but I prayed to someone, somewhere, that I didn’t know.
“Lene, Lene! I met a prince!”
My prayers were answered. Miss Claire slowly returned to being her old self, partly because, apparently, she’d met a “prince” at the house of the distant relatives she’d been sent to stay with. I didn’t know the details, but I was relieved to see her excitement.
“That’s wonderful. What is the name of this fated suitor?” I asked. I would have to thank him for saving the life of the person I now thought of as my own little sister.
“His name is Manaria! He is wonderful!”
I was stunned. Manaria was one of the daughters of the Larnach family—Melia’s family. A woman, not a prince, though she had short hair and was known to be tomboyish.
“Oh…is that so? Can you tell me all about Master Manaria?”
“Of course! Manaria is slim and has a beautiful face—”
I didn’t dare correct Miss Claire about Miss Manaria’s gender. She needed something to keep her mind occupied, and I was happy to let the misunderstanding continue if it brought her joy. There are people who will tell you that painkillers don’t address the root cause of pain. For my part, I believe that some wounds can’t wait to be healed.
Still, someday…
I prayed from the bottom of my heart that a real prince would appear before Claire. I hoped he would be as wonderful as Manaria and that he would make Miss Claire’s heart race.
At the time, I had no idea that Miss Claire’s savior would be not a prince but a strange commoner girl.
But that is another story for another time. |
Chapter 4: The Scales of Love
Chapter 4:The Scales of Love
“EXCUSE ME. Are you trying to let my skin burn in the sun? Hold the parasol straight.”
It was Claire who grumpily said this, walking by my side one early summer evening. It was just starting to get dark, but the hot sun still beat down on us as we headed back to the dormitories, having finished our daily duties for the Academy Knights.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Miss Claire. I was just so busy staring at you, I lost control of my hand,” I said as I scrambled to fix the parasol. I couldn’t possibly let Claire’s porcelain skin sustain so much as a single blemish. They didn’t even have any good skin lightening creams in this world.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but would you mind doing your job?”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Hmph…” Claire turned her head sharply away with a huff. She was adorable when she glowered. I would’ve expected her to fling more harsh words my way, but she hadn’t been herself of late. Losing Lene had taken its toll.
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“Once school is out, how about I make you something sweet?”
“Why this, all of a sudden? There’s no need for that.”
“Even the crème brûlée you love?”
“That’s the recipe you gave to Lene, right?” Claire said in a sad voice. Ah. Here I’d been trying to make her feel better and ended up doing the exact opposite. This wouldn’t do.
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“C’mon, chin up.”
“I am perfectly fine.” It was clear that Claire was putting on a brave face, but I couldn’t think of a good way to console her.
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“Can I hug you?”
“What?!”
Oh dear. Coming up blank on other ideas, my brain had gone straight to my own simple, worldly desires.
“Of course you may not. What kind of servant asks their master for a hug?”
“Um? This kind?”
“Don’t play dumb with me!” Like the silver lining of a dark cloud, getting angry with me seemed to improve Claire’s mood. This was as good a time as any to say it.
“Miss Claire.”
“That’s the fourth time you’ve said that. What is it?”
“I like you.”
“Yes, yes. And I hate you.” She shot me down at once.
“That’s strange. I thought my timing was perfect.”
“Perfect for what?!”
“Oh, you want me to say it? Miss Claire, you have such a dirty mind.”
“You started it!”
It was perfect. She was warming up to me.
I escorted Claire to her dorm room, unlocked the door, and went inside. While unpacking and putting her things away, I noticed something in the letter tray. Inspecting and sorting the mail was another of my jobs as her servant, and I recognized the wax seal. It was the first time I’d seen it since being transported to this world, but I’d played Revolution enough times to guess at the contents of the letter, let alone the sender.
She was coming.
“Miss Claire, you have a letter.”
“Who is it from?”
“Manaria Sousse.”
“Sister?!” Claire walked briskly up to me and snatched the letter away, eyes fixed on the sending address. “Please open it.”
“Yes, Miss.” I took the envelope from her and carefully sliced it open with a silver letter opener. The contents were a single slip of paper. I handed it to Claire.
She read it in silence, but a happy look washed across her face. Claire yearned deeply for this person she called “sister.” As for who Manaria was—you’ll see soon enough.
“Miss Claire, shall we go to the cafeteria?” I asked.
“You go ahead. I’ll join you after I read this letter.”
“In that case, I’ll wait too.”
Claire didn’t answer, lost in the letter’s contents. It was like she was reading a long-awaited message from her sweetheart. Something unpleasant rose in my chest.
“My sister… She’s come to the Academy,” Claire eventually muttered in a feverish tone, finally finished reading.
Unable to remain silent, I said, “Your sister is this Manaria?”
“That’s right. She is the First Crown Princess of the Sousse Kingdom. I greatly admire her.”
“Heh…”
“It seems she is on exchange to the Bauer Kingdom and has enrolled here. The letter was an apology for waiting so long to contact me.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Your voice sounds excessively flat, or dare I say it, even dissatisfied?”
“It must be your imagination, Miss Claire.” My only wish was for Claire to be happy. I knew, rationally, that it didn’t matter who she cared for—but my heart wasn’t rational. “Shall we head to the cafeteria?”
“Yes, let’s… But my heart is so full right now, I don’t think I’ll be able to eat much.”
“Oh, is that so? Let’s go quickly.”
“See, you are dissatisfied, aren’t you?”
“Huh? No?” I don’t care one bit.
“Could it be you’re jealous?”
“Yes.”
“Such a prompt answer!”
I mean… “I already told you that I pine for you, didn’t I, Miss Claire?”
“I grow tired of you repeating that joke.”
“How can I convince you that I’m being serious?”
“Impossible… But, well—” Claire cut herself off and then broke into a sly smile. “Would you place an offering of the Flower of Flora on the scales? That would prove to me your feelings are true.”
This was an uncharacteristic show of romanticism, coming from her. “You mean Poesie Amour?”
“Oh, you know of it?”
Poesie Amour was an ancient legend in the Bauer Kingdom. The story went like this: Two men, one tall and one short, vied for the love of a shrine maiden. Each held a position of power in the kingdom, and as they neglected their duties to wage this romantic rivalry, the land and its people suffered. The shrine maiden prayed to her god that the men would end their feud, and the god presented her with a scale, saying, “Place their offerings on this scale. You will wed whomsoever the scale weighs in favor of.”
Based on the direction the scale tilted, the maiden wed the shorter man. The tall man, heartbroken, went on to become a great king. Claire had just recited the lines the maiden had said to the men as she presented them with the God’s Scale.
“Do you like such stories too, Miss Claire?”
“I don’t dislike them. But I’m not a romantic.” And yet, Claire’s steps were lighter than usual, perhaps buoyed by the good news that Manaria had come to the Academy.
“I don’t dislike love stories either, but I’m not a fan of Poesie Amour.”
“Oh? Why is that?” It was so cute when she cocked her head to the side like that.
“I just don’t see why the maiden didn’t choose one of them in the first place. To make them feud like that… She’s the worst kind of villainess.”
“That’s not true at all.” Claire frowned at me as though I were clueless. “The maiden was surely unable to choose. When you’re truly in love, it can’t be easy to decide who gets how much of your love.”
Her words were so young, and so naive.
“I don’t even know how much I love, let alone who. I almost wish someone would tell me,” Claire continued, growing more poetic with every word. Of course, she was well read in such things.
“Miss Claire.”
“How many times are you going to say that today?”
Despite her clear exasperation, Claire always responded when I said her name. So I replied with, “I’m hungry,” telling her frankly and truthfully what I was feeling.
“You are just—such a—!” Claire’s face turned red as a boiled lobster for a moment before she slumped her shoulders in disappointment. “Well, I guess I can’t expect someone who ridicules love to understand such nuance.”
She flounced out of the room.
“But I’m not joking…” I muttered to myself as I followed after her.
***
“My name is Manaria Sousse. It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Manaria said with an eloquent smile.
For whatever reason, the Academy had a homeroom hour before classes began every day, just like Japanese schools. Manaria, now attending as an exchange student, stood before the class and introduced herself—also just like in a Japanese school. Her platinum-blonde hair was cut short in a boyish style, and she had the full attention of not just the boys but all the girls too.
Claire, who sat next to me, had a proud look on her face. Her nose was practically twitching.
“As most of you probably know, Lady Manaria is the First Crown Princess of the Sousse Kingdom. Keep in mind that—”
“Mr. Torrid, that won’t be necessary,” Manaria interrupted. “This is not the Sousse Kingdom. In this country, I am just another student. Please treat me as you would anyone else. Everyone, I hope we will come to be friends.”
She bowed dramatically, placing her hand on her chest and bending at the waist. When she lifted her head, she gave another refreshing smile. I could almost see the flowery shoujo manga backdrop behind her.
“Brava, Sister,” Claire said, blushing—just as I expected her to.
“That is very gracious, Lady Manaria. But we cannot possibly treat the First Crown Princess of Sousse like an ordinary student.” Mr. Torrid seemed unsure of what to do. Although he’d been awarded his own noble title, he came from commoner roots, and he was visibly hesitant to drop all formalities in the presence of royalty.
“‘First Crown Princess’ is a meaningless title. I was part of a battle for succession that has essentially resulted in my being sent away,” Manaria said. Since she was still smiling, it took Mr. Torrid and the other students some time to process the meaning of those words. “The official story is that I’m studying abroad, but the truth is that for all intents and purposes, I’ve been exiled.”
The classroom erupted in chatter at this frank summary. I’d expected Claire to be shaken by this news, but she didn’t look shocked at all.
“Did you know?”
“Yes. It’s of little consequence, really.”
According to Claire, she frequently exchanged letters with Manaria and had already been informed that she would be exiled under the pretense of studying abroad. Claire, who admired and adored Manaria, undoubtedly found this outrageous.
“As you can see, I am no longer a princess. Once again, I ask that you all treat me as your equal,” Manaria said without a hint of despair in her voice. She was still smiling with utmost charm, as if she were thoroughly enjoying herself.
“A-ahem. We will continue to reflect on how to treat Lady Manaria. For now, let us resume class,” Mr. Torrid said, motioning for Manaria to take her seat.
“Understood, Mr. Torrid.”
Manaria headed toward us. She took the seat to Claire’s left, opposite me, and greeted her with a confident smile.
“Hey, Claire. It’s been a while,” she said.
“It has been quite a long time, Sister. I am glad to see you look well.” Claire smiled back. “I cannot believe the Sousse Kingdom would cast you aside in favor of that imbecile.”
“Ha ha ha. Don’t say that. I was illegitimate, after all.”
“But—”
“I’m actually quite relieved to escape all the family drama. Now, I’m free.” Manaria smiled innocently at Claire’s persistence. She sounded like she was being honest.
“Very well. If you say so, then I will not push the issue further.”
“Thank you. And who is this?” Manaria looked curiously at me with her brown eyes.
“She is my servant. You, introduce yourself.”
“I am Rae Taylor, slave to my beloved Miss Claire. I am pleased to meet you.”
“A slave?” Manaria laughed, seeming to appreciate my tasteless humor.
“What nonsense is this? You are a servant—a servant!” Claire scrambled to correct me.
“That’s an unusual name,” Manaria said. “Perhaps you’re an aristocrat from outside the Bauer Kingdom?”
“No, she’s a commoner. A pustule on the face of the Academy’s honor and traditions. It’s only natural that you wouldn’t have heard of her,” Claire said vehemently.
This information only served to make Manaria more curious. “Oh, but if she made it into the Academy as a commoner, she must be special.”
“She is far inferior to you, Sister,” Claire insisted before turning to me. “Listen, you. Don’t think you can start showing off that you’re a dual-caster, you hear? Sister is the world’s only quad-caster.”
Her pride in Manaria was so darling. And she was right too. I’ve said previously that Mr. Torrid was the only confirmed tri-caster in the kingdom, but Manaria was the only confirmed quad-caster in the world. Furthermore, while Mr. Torrid’s attributes were low in aptitude, Manaria’s were all maxed out, granting her unimaginable power. Claire was right to say I was no match for her.
“I see no reason to brag about abilities I was born with,” Manaria grumbled.
“What are you saying? Your very existence is a gift from the heavens,” Claire corrected her. She was definitely much too fond of Manaria.
“Lady Manaria, Miss Claire, forgive me—I must finish making these announcements. Would you mind rekindling your friendship at a later time?” Mr. Torrid said, genuinely apologetic.
“Oh. Excuse us, Mr. Torrid.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Now, the Amour Festival scheduled for the end of the month…” Mr. Torrid continued. As I sat with my head tilted to one side, listening to the professor’s voice, hoarse with age—
I heard a voice in my head.
Hey, Rae. Can I ask you something? Sorry, I don’t mean to startle you. I’m using magic to speak to you telepathically. Don’t worry—I can’t actually read your mind.
It was Manaria’s voice.
I understand, I replied.
You know how to do this? Manaria asked.
You’ve set up the channel, Lady Manaria. All I need to do is use it, I said. So, what do you need?
Mmm. I wanted to get to know you.
So, it had begun.
Manaria was one of the few characters in Revolution meant to serve as an ally for the main character, like Misha. She was distantly related to Claire, who had stayed with Manaria’s family for some time when she was very young, after her own mother passed away. Claire adored Manaria, thought of her as a sister, and was utterly unable to gainsay her on anything. This allowed the player to use Manaria as a seawall against Claire’s antics, letting her keep Claire distracted while the main character spent most of her time with the princes. It was a popular mid-game strategy, but—
I am merely a boring commoner. I have nothing to offer the Lady Manaria, I responded to her indifferently.
I had no intention of wooing the princes, and I actually wanted to spend time with Claire, so Manaria’s presence didn’t matter to me. In fact, I was a little jealous of how much Claire loved her. She was my rival.
Mmm. That is a refreshing response. I grow even more interested in you, came her reply.
I glanced at Manaria out of the corner of my eye and saw that she wore a smirk.
This is going to be a pain in the neck.
I kept that last thought to myself, far away from our telepathic channel.
***
Manaria assimilated to the school quickly.
“Claire, you haven’t changed one bit.”
“I’m glad to see that you haven’t either, Sister.”
“Lady Manaria, please speak to me too.”
“Hey, Pepi, don’t butt in. I want to talk to Lady Manaria as well.”
Today, Manaria had joined Claire’s entourage for tea. It didn’t take long for her to win over every member of Claire’s coterie; I’d thought Claire might not appreciate that, but apparently, Manaria was a special case.
“Thank you both, Pepi and Loretta. I’m so glad we can be friends.” Manaria’s royal pedigree was evinced by her social skills. She smiled suavely at the squealing girls rather than letting herself be overcome by their ardor—the exact opposite of someone I knew. I mean myself, of course.
“That poem you composed in our last class—why did you choose the wording ‘I send this song to you’ instead of the standard ‘This sonnet I devote to you’?” one of them asked.
“It’s an older form of prosody. I drew inspiration from a verse by the ancient poet Aine.” Manaria proceeded to recite the poem in question.
“I like Aine’s work too. Her Amour poems are particularly moving.”
“Ah, you must mean ‘Tip the Scales’? Gerle is also excellent when it comes to Amour poems.”
Manaria was royalty, through and through—cultured and educated in the classics. I knew what she was talking about from playing the game, but I lacked the confidence to converse about these things as freely as she did. Manaria was on a completely different level from Claire’s entourage, right down to the elegance with which she tilted her teacup to her lips. The only person who didn’t look out of place next to her was Claire.
“Why don’t you take a seat, Rae? Have tea with us,” Manaria invited.
“It’s fine, Sister. Rae is a servant. It wouldn’t do for her to join us.” Claire made it immediately clear she didn’t want me in her circle, and that was fine. I liked that about her.
But—
“Don’t say that, Claire. I’d like to get to know her,” Manaria said, prompting sour looks from Claire and her entourage.
“Sister, Why are you so interested in this commoner?”
“Who cares about status? I want to know all about her. Rae, come here.”
“No, Miss Claire is correct,” I said. “I will let you be.”
“Well! How rude of you to refuse Lady Manaria’s kind invitation!” Pepi gasped.
“Unbelievable—just because she has some skills, this peasant thinks she can do whatever she wants!” Loretta sniffed.
“Rae, are you really that skilled?” asked Manaria.
“No, she’s nothing like you, Lady Manaria—” Pepi insisted.
“You bet she’s skilled,” It was Rod, this time, who interrupted the entourage’s attempt to flatter Manaria.
“Well, well, Master Rod. How nice to see you.”
“It’s been a while, Manaria.” Rod approached us and took a seat without hesitation, as if he belonged at a table surrounded by only girls.
“Might I ask, Master Rod, just how skilled is Rae?” Manaria asked.
“She’s better than me. Her manners are only average, but she outshines aristocrats in every other area. Her magic is particularly fascinating.” Rod accepted a cup of tea from his servant. Since Manaria was royalty, she and Rod knew each other well—though it was primarily a diplomatic relationship rather than a familial bond like the one Manaria had with Claire.
“Goodness. I would love to face her on the dueling grounds, if that’s true.”
“Yeah, so would I, but she’s head over heels in love with Claire. It’s tough to get her to agree to be your opponent in anything. I challenged her to chess once, and she wiped the board with me.”
“So, she’s giving His Royal Highness, Rod, the cold shoulder? What a fascinating development.”
“Right?”
The two royal children met eyes, then broke out into delighted laughter. They had completely different personalities, and yet there was something similar about them—particularly their interest in me.
“Well, I’m interested in you too, Manaria,” said Rod. “I want to see what the rumored quad-caster looks like in battle.”
“Hm, I suppose I might like to see your Flame Troops with my own eyes.”
“How about it, Manaria? Shall we test our skills?” Rod baited.
“I wouldn’t mind that.” Manaria nodded nonchalantly.
“Let’s get down to the track, then.”
And with that, we were suddenly on our way to witness a royal duel. We stopped by the storage room where the tools used to reduce magic damage via the creation of barriers were kept—the same tools we’d used in the entrance exam for the Academy Knights—and went to watch Rod and Manaria face off.
“Don’t hold back, okay?” Rod said.
“Do what you will,” Manaria said.
“Okay, then… Show me what you got, Quad-caster!” And with that, an endless sea of flame soldiers appeared around Rod.
“My, how impressive.” A normal person might have flinched at the sight, but Manaria just smiled, unfazed.
“Charge!” Rod ordered, and his minions besieged Manaria.
“Hm. Well, let’s start with the textbook response, shall we?”
With a snap of her fingers, Manaria summoned ice arrows to counter the minions. The ice arrows and flame troops canceled each other out, both disappearing.
“It’s not over yet,” Rod said, immediately summoning more fiery minions. At the rate at which he was going, things might have ended up just like his battle with Misha. If Manaria stayed in defense mode, she would be able to hold off the minions, but she risked running out of oxygen.
“Hmm… They really are never-ending. I suppose I had better attack, then.” Manaria snapped her fingers again, and we were blasted by cool air. When the chilly winds died down, she was surrounded by what could only be called ice minions.
“Are you taking a page from my book?” Rod asked.
“Is that permissible?”
“I’m a little offended, but I suppose we’ll see how long they’ll hold.”
“What’s going to happen?” Claire looked anxious as she watched the miniature fire and ice soldiers collide violently with each other. Confident as she was in Manaria’s capabilities, she probably couldn’t help but worry about what would happen if Rod went all out.
“Lady Manaria isn’t even trying yet,” I said without thinking, unable to stand seeing Claire so worried.
“I know that, but the Flame Troops only work as a tactic because of Rod’s rare abundance of magical power. Isn’t he at an advantage if she uses the same tactic?”
“Lady Manaria has a trump card,” I said. Claire turned back to the match with a puzzled look on her face.
The battle had reached a standstill. The flame and ice minions were evenly matched, repeatedly slamming into each other exactly halfway between Rod and Manaria. As Claire said, if this went on too long, Manaria would be at a disadvantage.
“Ah, I have it,” Manaria said, abruptly.
“Have what? How I’m going to defeat you?”
“No. I mean this.” Manaria snapped her fingers again, not missing a beat. As she did, Rod’s flame soldiers suddenly disappeared.
“What the?!”
Rattled, Rod tried to summon his minions again, but not a single one appeared. The tables had turned quickly and dramatically in Manaria’s favor, and in an instant, Rod was surrounded by the ice soldiers.
An anticlimactic ending, but an ending, nonetheless.
“I…surrender.”
“Thank you for your time.”
“How did you do that?” Rod asked.
“I countered your magic. It’s my specialty.” Manaria smiled.
Manaria’s signature skill was known as “Spellbreaker.” She analyzed the structure of her opponent’s magic, then forcefully disrupted and disarmed it. Other mages could deploy Spellbreaker, but for the skill to work, the caster had to have the same attribute as the opponent whose magic they were trying to counter, as well as higher aptitude than that opponent. Not to mention, it was a real trick to analyze the structure of another caster’s magic on the fly. Magical analysis of that sort was normally only conducted in academic conditions and on a national level, but Manaria could perform it entirely on her own, and in the midst of combat. She was one of a kind.
“You’re unreal,” said Rod.
“I’ve been told so,” said Manaria.
“This is the first time I’ve been so thoroughly defeated. You took me out. I acknowledge your superior strength.”
“Thank you very much.”
The two shook hands, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
“Sister…that was amazing.” Claire’s eyes were full of passion as she gazed at Manaria. The sight filled me with conflict.
***
“Scales of Love…? That Amour poem?”
“Yes, that’s right. Those scales are used in the ceremony that ends the festival.”
I was attending another tea session in the role of Claire’s servant. Today’s theme: the approaching Amour Festival at the end of the month. In attendance were Claire’s entourage, Manaria, Yu, and, in a rare occurrence, Thane.
Yu, who was well versed in the religious ceremonies of the Church, explained the festival to Manaria.
“And here I thought the Poesie Amour was just legend,” Manaria said as she elegantly tipped her cup to her lips. Perhaps because they were similarly placed in the lines of succession to their respective thrones, she spoke more easily with Yu than she did Rod.
“Poesie Amour itself is said to draw on a number of different folktales,” Yu said.
“But the scales really exist?”
“Well…they’re probably just magical tools,” Thane said.
Yu nodded in agreement. “We’ve only recently begun deliberately designing what we call magical tools, but items with strange powers have appeared all through history.”
“And how are the Scales of Love used in the festival?”
“Well, it’s a sort of duel, I suppose. You might even call it a blind date… Basically, it’s a quest to secure a bride,” Yu said with a grin. “As is written in Poesie Amour, love has long been a seed of war. The Amour Festival is the battle for a bride spoken of in the legend’s verses.”
“Is there an offering?” Manaria asked. She was joking, but, well…
“That is exactly correct. Offerings of love are placed on the scales, and their weight decides the victor of the battle,” Yu affirmed.
“I’m stunned. I’ve studied the history of the Bauer Kingdom, so I knew the legend, but I had no idea the scales actually existed.”
“Well, our history is full of elaborate customs and rituals. Perhaps your instructor couldn’t cover everything in detail,” Yu said as I quietly filled his empty cup. He thanked me and continued, “Of course, when I say ‘weight,’ I don’t mean the actual mass of the objects. The scales are set to compare rarity. In other words, they tip in favor of the weight of love.”
“What? So, you could just offer up the Flower of Flora?”
“Based on the festival’s history, the Flower of Flora is undoubtedly the heaviest offering on record.”
“Which is in keeping with the legend, then.” Manaria looked impressed.
“You sound curious about the festival. Are you interested in participating, Manaria?” Yu teased.
“It’s intriguing, isn’t it? And so romantic. Even I can’t help but want to put my love to the test.”
“Sister, girls can’t weigh their love on the scales. We’re the ones the boys fight over,” Claire said with a chuckle.
“But no one needs to fight over you, Claire. You have Rae,” Yu said.
“What?! Yu!”
“Wait, what? That’s what’s going on between Claire and Rae?” Manaria asked.
“Don’t be silly, Sister. He’s just teasing me.” Claire raised her cup to her lips in a huff.
“I have confessed my feelings to Miss Claire many times,” I said, “but she keeps her guard up.”
“Well, now. So, your love is unrequited, Rae?” Manaria asked.
“For now, but not forever.”
“You’d better stop that nonsense right now, you hear me?” Claire glared at me. She was perfect. “Even if I were interested in other girls, I’d pick Sister long before I would ever look at you.”
Manaria laughed. “That’s so sweet of you. If I were interested in girls, I’d choose you over the average boy.”
“Sister!”
The two girls giggled together. Get a room.
“Oh, that’s right, Manaria was Claire’s first love, right?” Yu said.
“Hey! Please don’t bring up such ancient history, Yu.”
“I remember this,” Manaria chimed in. “You thought I was a boy.”
They were referring to the time Claire had spent with Manaria’s family. Claire’s parents had been in a carriage accident on her fourth birthday. Dole, her father, had survived, but her mother had not. Claire had lost all will to live in the wake of her mother’s death, and Dole, having no time to comfort his daughter while dealing with the consequences of losing his politically minded and sociable wife, had sent her to stay with Manaria’s kin. That was when the two had first met.
“Lady Manaria’s words saved me,” Claire said.
Manaria had been the first to realize Claire blamed herself for her mother’s death—something not even her own father had picked up on. “No one thinks this is your fault, Claire,” she’d told her. When Claire heard those words, she began to cry for the first time in years.
As she sobbed, inconsolable, Manaria continued:
“I swear here and now that I will remain faithful to thee.”
It was the vow of love from Poesie Amour. I don’t know if Manaria had actually been in love with Claire at the time, but regardless, having lines of love from one of her favorite stories recited to her had made Claire fall head over heels for Manaria.
This information wasn’t included in the actual game, only the character reference guide. That same guide, which expanded on Claire’s background and history, was part of what had inspired my adoration for her.
Of course, Manaria’s words, and later, Dole’s utterly spoiling Claire, had also played a role in making her as self-absorbed as she was today.
“That’s exactly why I love Miss Claire,” I said.
“What are you talking about?! What kind of non sequitur is that?!”
“I’m so sorry! I just love you so much.”
“I see, Rae. You really do like Claire. I see…” Manaria smiled, but I suddenly felt like a frog being eyed by a snake. She pulled Claire close and held her. “Unfortunately, Claire said she likes me better.”
“What’s wrong, Sister?” Claire asked.
Stay calm. Count to infinity…
“Claire, would you believe me if I said I like you?” Manaria said, voice suddenly layered with innuendo.
“Of course. I already believe that.”
“Heh, I see.”
It’s great that they make such a perfect couple. Stay calm. Stay calm.
“Rae, you’re spilling the tea.”
“Please excuse me.”
Yeah, I give. I wasn’t calm at all.
“What’s wrong? You don’t look well,” Thane said to me.
“It’s nothing. Thank you for your concern.” I tried my hardest to smile as I responded to this boy whom I had no interest in. But—wait a second. I thought Claire was supposed to be infatuated with Thane.
“Claire and Manaria really are close…” Thane muttered.
“Yes, they are… Would you like more tea?” I brushed aside his comment, offering to fill his cup.
“Rae…that’s the milk pitcher, not the teapot.”
Oh no. Ugh, this was going to be a problem.
Manaria watched me stumble through all of this, smiling like she was having the time of her life.
***
“Good morning, Miss Claire—”
“That’s right! Ha ha ha.”
“Heh heh, oh, Sister!”
When I arrived at Claire’s room to help her get dressed the next morning—the best part of my day—someone else had beat me to it.
“Hey, Rae. Morning.”
“Good morning.”
“You’re late, you know? I’m already dressed.”
“I’m so sorry…”
Not only was Claire dressed, her hair was arranged perfectly. It was tricky to get her curls just right. With Lene gone, I’d thought I was the only one who could do it.
“Did you do all this by yourself?” I asked.
“What? No. Sister did them for me. She’s quite skilled.”
“I used to take care of Claire all the time,” Manaria said, and they laughed together like a couple.
“Thank you very much, Lady Manaria,” I said.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“But taking care of Claire is my hobby—ahem—job, so I ask that you please refrain from doing this again tomorrow.”
“Don’t think I won’t notice your threats if you talk around them like that!” Claire said.
“No, no. You needn’t do such cumbersome work, Rae,” said Manaria. “I enjoy it. You can leave the mornings to me.”
“I enjoy it too,” I said. “Please leave it to me.”
“Yes, Sister. I…I can’t allow you to perform the duties of a servant.” Claire sounded hesitant.
“Are you dissatisfied with my service in this regard?”
“Stop teasing me, Sister!”
“Ah ha ha, sorry, sorry. You’re just so cute, I can’t help it.”
“Tee hee.”
They were getting along like a house on fire—without me. Well, whatever. “Miss Claire, it’s almost time for breakfa—”
“Oh, Claire. Aren’t you hungry? Let’s go to the cafeteria,” Manaria cut in as if to shut me up. The mischievous look in her eye confirmed she had done so on purpose.
“Yes. Let’s get going, then.”
“What are you gonna eat, Claire? I’ve been obsessed with the Eastern miso soup lately.” Manaria threw her arm over Claire’s shoulder and started to head toward the door.
Was she…getting back at me for something?
“What are you standing there for?” Claire shot at me. “It’s time to go.”
“I’m so sorry.” I gathered Claire’s things and started to follow them, but—
“Claire, have you heard of Broumet?” asked Manaria.
“Of course.”
“Word is there’s a new restaurant that’s giving it a run for its money.”
“Oh? What kind of restaurant is it?”
“I’ll take you there. May I escort you?”
“Oh, Sister!”
They were lost in their own little world. I usually hung back when Claire talked with others, anyway, but it felt like Manaria intended to exclude me. It was infuriating, the way she sometimes peeked back at me with a triumphant look on her face.
No. It was fine. If it made Claire happy, I didn’t care who she got cozy with. Manaria’s arrival had made Claire act like her old self again for the first time since Lene’s exile. For that, I could only be grateful to Manaria.
Or so I told myself. My heart clearly wasn’t on the same page as my head.
Manaria continued her spiteful antics from there. She frequently interrupted me, made Claire take an aisle seat in the lecture hall and then planted herself next to her, disrupted our chess lessons, and spoon-fed Claire at lunch right in front of me. Her intentions were painfully obvious.
“Hey, Rae. You all right? You don’t look so well,” Misha asked me when I returned to my own room that night. She had sensed right away that something was off.
“I’m not getting enough Miss Claire…”
“Ahh, so you’re fine, then.”
Dismissing this melancholy as completely normal for me, Misha started to get in bed when I stopped her, desperate.
“I can’t dote on Miss Claire because of Lady Manaria! She isn’t even bullying me anymore! I want to be the one feeding her with a spoon!”
“Oh no, you really aren’t okay. You’re even worse than usual.” Misha sounded as exasperated as always with my Claire obsession, but she heard me out, anyway. She was the best. She frowned at the end. “What did you do to offend Lady Manaria?”
“I can’t think of anything.” It was a half-truth, but I honestly couldn’t think of why Manaria might want to seduce Claire.
“Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity for you to separate yourself from Miss Claire,” Misha suggested.
“No! Miss Claire is my reason for living.”
“If that’s the case, isn’t your only choice to fight back?”
“Hmm. It’s just… I get the feeling that would be playing right into Lady Manaria’s hands.”
“Her hands?”
“I get the feeling she’s trying to provoke me.”
But why would Manaria, who served as the player character’s ally in the game, suddenly be going for Claire? I didn’t understand.
“Then you just have to put up with it,” Misha said. “It’s not like you’ve been separated from Miss Claire.”
“That’s the only thing I can do,” I said dolefully.
I got into bed but didn’t sleep a wink. That night, I had a dream in which Manaria and I were each pulling on one of Claire’s hands, playing tug-of-war.
Manaria’s spiteful behavior toward me continued the next day. I ignored her as well as I possibly could, but she was persistent in her provocation. Once again, I told myself this was fine. We were straying further and further from the Thane route I’d been trying to steer Claire onto, but she was happy now, and that was all I needed.
Or so I’d thought.
“You’re so patient, Rae.” Manaria finally approached me one night, after I made sure Claire was asleep and headed back to my own room.
“Is there something I can help you with, Lady Manaria?”
“Nothing specific.” Manaria was leaning against the wall right outside the room Misha and I shared, as if she had been waiting for me. She wore her usual bright smile. “You like Claire, right?”
“Yes.”
“And yet, you’re so restrained. Even after all my provocation.”
“I like Miss Claire, but all that matters to me is that she be happy. Even if that means she has no interest in me.”
“Hmm.” This was the first time I’d seen Manaria look discontented. “Is that so? So after all that, it wasn’t even serious… How disappointing.”
Annoyed, I replied curtly, “Huh? What do you mean?”
“Oh, did I offend you? So sorry. That’s right. You like Claire, after all. I’m sure you know her better than I do. At least well enough to give up.”
My temper was boiling. “Such pettiness, Lady Manaria. Is this how the crown princess of a kingdom behaves?”
“Yup. I’m a crown princess. That’s why I’m a far better match for Claire than you.”
“I may be a commoner, but there’s not a soul in this world who loves Miss Claire more than I do.”
“Even though you’ve given up?”
What was she playing at? “I haven’t given up. Miss Claire’s happiness is my first—”
“You’re just running away, aren’t you?” Manaria interrupted. “Why not say you’ll make her happier than anyone else could?”
“Well…” Because I was a commoner and a girl. I couldn’t be a partner who would make Claire happy.
“Stop running,” Manaria demanded.
“I’m not running.”
“Then I’ll steal her from you.”
“Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”
“That’s right. Have you finally figured it out?” Manaria’s face distorted. “I’ll nip this half-hearted love of yours in the bud. Claire deserves better.”
“Fine! I accept your challenge.”
“That’s better. I’ll see you tomorrow on the dueling grounds of the athletic field.”
And with that, Manaria left.
I was still struggling to process what had happened, but I knew this much: it made me angry to have her dismiss my love for Claire.
Thinking back…that was probably the day I began to lose control.
***
“Lady Manaria!”
“You’re the best!”
“Rae, you can do it!”
“Don’t lose this!”
The next day, Manaria and I were surrounded by an audience on the dueling grounds of the athletic field. I really didn’t want to be the center of attention, but somehow, word had gotten out that Manaria and I were going to duel. Unlike Manaria, who thrived in front of an audience, I was wary.
“Umm… Do you really have to do this, Sister?” The other spectators were excited, but Claire was frowning. We’d asked her to judge the battle. Despite the presence of a barrier that reduced the potency of magical effects, used in mock battles such as these, Manaria and I both had high aptitude, and we’d determined it too dangerous for someone with a mediocre aptitude to join us on the field.
“What’s wrong with Rae and I going at it?” Manaria asked.
“Fighting like this is uncouth. Why do you have to fight, Sister?”
“Just to test my skills.” She wasn’t telling Claire the truth. “I suppose I do bear her a small personal grudge. Rae isn’t suitable for you, Claire. I mean, you don’t want her stalking you like this, right?”
“W-well, I…”
“Do you?”
“I do not,” Claire squeaked out. My chest tightened.
Manaria turned to me. “And Rae, you don’t care for me, do you?”
“I don’t.”
“So, you see, we need to settle this once and for all.”
“I understand…” Claire said, stepping away from us.
“Are you ready, Rae?” Manaria asked me.
“I hope you’re ready, Lady Manaria.”
“Heh, you’re funny. That’s what I want to see,” Manaria laughed without a hint of fear.
“Now, are you both prepared?” Claire asked.
“Yeah.”
“Yes.”
“Then on my mark… Begin!”
The crowd broke into cheers as Claire gave us the signal to start.
“Now, now, what will you throw at me first?”
“I’ll start with this.”
I raised my wand, and Manaria was swallowed by the earth. It was the same pitfall I’d used against Claire during the Academy Knights entrance exam.
“Oh, you startled me. But that’s not enough to beat me, you know?” Manaria said nonchalantly as she floated up out of the hole. I’d expected as much. She could call on all four known attributes and possessed high aptitude for each; she could use her earth attribute to raise the bottom of the pit and probably use her wind attribute to make herself float too.
“I’m aware. I have something else in mind.”
“Oh?”
I swung my wand again, and a Water Meteor—earth and water composite magic—landed on Manaria’s head. This was one of the more powerful spells in Revolution, and it looked like it had landed a direct hit, but—
“Good grief. You got my clothes all wet.”
I turned to look behind me. Her clothes were a bit damp, but Manaria had suffered no damage. I knew what she’d done. She’d passed through the air using an exceptionally complex spell, Teleport.
“You don’t waste any time, do you, Rae?”
“It’s the only way I have a shot at beating you.”
Unlike the other characters in the game, the player character’s fighting patterns weren’t predetermined. The player could devise their own strategies to best counter Rod’s Flame Troops and Misha’s Siren, but that didn’t work with Manaria. She had Spellbreaker. You couldn’t afford to draw out a battle against her either—given enough time, she’d analyze your strategy and counter it.
In other words, the only way to defeat her was to rapidly attempt new strategies one after another.
That said, her earth, water, and fire attributes were high aptitude, while her wind attribute was ultra-high. I possessed ultra-high aptitude in both my attributes but there were only two of them. I’d hoped to slow her momentarily with the Pitfall and Water Meteor before I dealt a final blow, but she wasn’t going to go down that easily.
“You’re not out of tricks already, are you?” Manaria asked.
“Of course not,” I said, waving my wand again. A fog enveloped her.
“Hmmm, I’ve never seen this one before. But the only thing a fog can do is obstruct my vision—”
“Freeze.” Ignoring her taunt, I activated the spell. The air around Manaria instantly froze. This was a large area-of-effect water-attribute spell called Judecca—high-level magic that normally didn’t show up until the second half of the game.
I didn’t stop there. Stone drills emerged from the ground to impale the ice. This was the earth-attribute spell Earth Spike. Using these two spells sequentially created a combined effect known as Cocytus.
This attack, so powerful and wide-ranging that it warranted a special name, could not be overcome by a normal opponent—or even a seasoned one.
But—
“Mmm. You were so close,” said a voice right behind me.
I spun, reflexively slinging ice arrows.
“If your opponent had been anyone else, that probably would have ended it,” Manaria said stoically as she used Spellbreaker to make the ice arrows disappear.
“How did you ward it off…?”
“It’s. A. Secret.” Manaria put her finger to her lips. “But Rae, maybe you’re going a bit too far? I know there’s the barrier, but I would have been seriously injured if that hit me.”
“And yet you warded it off easily.”
“Well, this is me we’re talking about,” Manaria said, cackling. She grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “I guess it’s my turn. You showed me some interesting magic, so maybe I should fight seriously?”
Oh no… She’s going to use it!
I knew what was coming—I couldn’t help but know, with my knowledge of the game. Even though I knew it wouldn’t work, I activated Cocytus one more time.
But then—
“Dominator.” The instant Manaria’s magic wand lit up, the partial Cocytus froze. “This is the end.”
The next instant, I felt my blood start to leave my body. I collapsed, and everything went dark.
***
“—ae!”
I heard a comforting sound. It was high-pitched, probably too shrill for most, but not me. I loved this sound.
“Rae!”
When I opened my eyes, Claire was staring down at me, her face pale.
“Miss…Claire…?”
“Rae! Oh, thank God…” Claire gave me a rare glimpse of her face in relief.
“I told you she was fine. I treated her, after all,” Manaria said, aloof.
“Still, you went too far, Sister! To hurt Rae this much!”
I gradually regained my wits and took stock of my surroundings. It seemed I was in the clinic the Church ran attached to the Academy. This was where I’d come to ask Matt about the incident with Dede.
“I…uh…”
“You were hit with Sister’s magic and lost consciousness. Are you hurt anywhere?” Claire asked me, sounding worried.
“Oh, I—”
“Yeah, you lost,” Manaria said, like a judge delivering her verdict.
I’d lost.
Manaria’s last attack had been composite magic that combined all four attributes. Known as Dominator, it was an attack spell of unrivaled brutality that overtook all other magic in the vicinity and made it go haywire. Once hit by Dominator, Manaria’s opponent was unable to use their magic. Worse, the higher their aptitude, the greater the damage inflicted on their body by the loss of magical control. It was the ultimate weapon to use against another spellcaster.
I’d known Manaria could use Dominator. I’d known pretty much everything there was to know about her from playing the game. But I’d lost my cool because my love for Claire was being ridiculed, and now I—
“Now then, can we finally say Claire belongs to me?” Manaria whispered.
I’d never stood a chance against Manaria.
***
“Charge,” I commanded.
I was using stone cannons to punch through monkey-like monsters. The monsters exploded and scattered as I ruptured them, leaving only their magical stones behind. I somberly collected the stones and put them in a leather bag.
Several days had passed since my battle with Manaria, and everyone at the Academy was busy preparing for the Amour Festival. More specifically, they were clearing the festival grounds of monsters beforehand. Since the Scales of Love used magical stones, they attracted monsters. It was normally the military’s job to exterminate the beasts, but since there were so many of them, the students helped clear out the festival grounds each year.
Fortunately, the monsters in the area weren’t very strong. Even so, most first-year students weren’t used to doing battle with monsters just yet, so they worked in hunting teams. I was in a team with Claire and Manaria.
“Aren’t you overdoing it?” Claire approached after a while spent watching me dispassionately dispatch one monster after another.
“No, I’m fine,” I said, already searching the bushes for my next prey. My eyes found an amorphous green slime. For a moment, Ralaire crossed my mind—but then I obliterated it, using my stone cannon again. The slime melted into the earth.
“Oh dear, she’s lost it,” Manaria piped in. I looked up to see her with her arm around Claire, watching me with an annoying grin on her face.
“But she’s only just recovered.” Claire sounded concerned about me. I really hated that.
“I’m just fine,” I repeated.
“But…”
It was true that Manaria had dealt me more than just a scratch, but I was back on my feet now. Before, I might have rejoiced in Claire’s concern. Now, though—I couldn’t enjoy it.
“Hey, Claire, you’re not moving.”
“Y-yes.”
“Look, there’s a giant wasp there. You can take care of that by yourself, right, Claire?” Manaria coaxed.
Claire continued to look straight at me, distressed. Finally, she pulled her eyes away and started to drive the monster back. I drifted quietly away, leaving them to their own devices, and fervently slaughtered monsters as if I were carving my way through my own discontent.
Once we’d dispatched our quota for the day, Claire approached me once more. “Hey, you.”
“What is it, Miss Claire?”
“You are my servant. What good is a servant who leaves their master’s side?”
“You were sufficiently protected as long as Lady Manaria was there.”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m saying it’s your job to support me.” She was correct, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to listen like a good servant right now.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Do you understand what you did wrong? You’ve only just recovered. It’s extremely dangerous to go off on your own in this state.”
If I’d been a bit calmer, I would have realized she was concerned for my well-being. As it was, though, I was getting a little fed up with her lecturing.
“It’s not like I’m worried about you,” Claire continued, “but imagine what it would be like for me if my servant just up and got herself killed—”
“I’m so sorry. I will be more careful.” I tried to leave, but Claire grabbed my arm.
“You’ve been acting strange ever since your battle with Sister. What happened?”
“Nothing…”
“You’re lying. You’re usually all over me, but you’ve been hanging back the past few days.”
“We were battling for you, Miss Claire,” I said abruptly.
“Huh?”
I told her everything: the taunts, the challenge, the circumstances of our duel. I was surprised by the lack of emotion in my voice. Meanwhile, Claire’s face was changing inversely to mine.
“So, as you can see, I am no longer qualified to be by your side, Miss Claire,” I finished.
“Of all the selfish things to say!” Claire burst out. “Battling for me? What were you thinking?! I am not a thing to be won! To just selfishly—”
Claire was correct again. Who wouldn’t be angered to know they’d been made a prize without their consent? But there was something wrong with me. Something that made me say, “Really? But doesn’t it feel nice? To be wanted by someone as wonderful as Lady Manaria?”
In retrospect, it was the worst thing I could have said.
Claire’s eyes glazed over. “You take that back! That is no way for a servant to speak to her master. This is why I hate peasants…”
She was just lashing out in reaction to my harsh words. Under normal circumstances, I would have understood that. Instead, I was utterly offended.
“Then, I quit.”
“What did you say…?”
“I’m done being your maid. I’m too much of a commoner and no good at it.”
When I said those words, the color drained from Claire’s face. She continued in a flat voice, “…Are you being serious right now?”
“Yes.”
“You want to quit being my servant?”
“Yes.” All I wanted to do was get out of there as quickly as possible.
“Understood.”
That was when I realized that Claire’s voice was shaking.
“Miss Claire?”
“Your pay will be calculated up to today, so be sure to come collect it at a later date.” Claire was instantly matter-of-fact. “You’ve given me plenty of cause for complaint, but at the end of the day, you served me well. On behalf of the François family, I offer my gratitude. Thank you for your service, Miss Taylor.”
She gave me an awkward smile that even I could tell was forced. A single tear fell from her eye.
“Miss Clai—”
“Go, now. I am sorry for always being so selfish. I hope you live a happy life, Miss Taylor.”
I’d made a terrible mistake, but it was too late for regrets. There was no taking back what I’d said. I’d abandoned Claire.
“Goodbye…”
The only thing I could do was say my farewell and leave. All I wanted to do was go back to my room and crawl into bed.
“So, you’re going to leave me alone, then. You liar…”
Claire’s final words, said as I left, cut right through my heart.
***
“I misjudged you.”
When I opened the door to my room the next morning, Manaria stood outside with a grumpy look on her face. I had an idea of why she was there but pretended not to know.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb. I’m talking about Claire.” Manaria glared at me. “She came into my room last night and couldn’t stop crying. She wouldn’t tell me why, but I can guess.”
Hearing that made me want to run straight to Claire and hold her, even if she didn’t want me to. But that wasn’t going to happen. “Please take care of Miss Claire,” I said instead. “She gets lonely.”
I was asking a favor of my rival in love…but I could trust Manaria to take care of Claire. I bowed to her. When I did, she grabbed me by the collar, pulled me up, and shoved me against the wall.
“If you know Claire so well, why aren’t you running to be by her side?!” Manaria’s brown eyes burned with anger.
“You defeated me, Lady Manaria. I have no reason to stay,” I said, tears forming in my eyes.
Manaria’s face grew even harder when I said that. She was beautiful, with her clean-cut features, but her eyes were cold and full of rage.
“You’re giving up just because of that?! Your love is that weak?!”
“How can you say that?! It was you who took Miss Claire away from me!” I grabbed Manaria’s hands and tried to pry them from my collar, but she wouldn’t budge.
“I took her from you? No. You gave up. You ran away.”
“I didn’t want to give up! I never wanted to run away! If it weren’t for you, I—”
“Nope.” Manaria lowered her voice a notch. “Even if I never showed up, you would have given up on Claire eventually.”
“You have no basis—”
“You don’t need to be rewarded for your love. You said so yourself. You just want Claire to be happy.”
“What’s wrong with that?! Why can’t I want the person I love to be happy?!”
I activated my water magic, striking Manaria with icy stones. Caught off guard, she let go of me and stumbled back a couple steps.
“And nothing in return?” she asked. “How very noble of you. You sound ready for your sainthood.”
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Of course not. You’re afraid of being hurt. You can’t let go of the hope that someday Claire will love you back—so you gave up before those hopes could be disappointed. Your escape was assured.”
“No!”
Though I denied her words, deep down inside, I wondered if Manaria was right. I loved Claire. That truth had never changed. But I wasn’t so confident I was content to receive nothing in return. Didn’t I want Claire to smile at me? Didn’t I want her to hold me? Didn’t I want to kiss her?
Didn’t I want her to love me back?
“No matter how much I want it, it can never happen! Miss Claire is a girl. We’re both girls! And she loves someone else.”
“So, you’re not even going to try? You’re going to settle for a one-sided relationship? How long do you think you can keep that up?”
“That’s enough for me. I would stifle any feeling if I was doing it for Miss Claire!”
But even as I said that, something screamed in my chest. What I really wanted—
“It’s impossible. A relationship like that would be a lie that would never last. Do you want to know how I know? Because I’ve been there,” Manaria said. Her mouth twisted with self-loathing. “I removed myself from the line of succession because they found out that I love women.”
Like I had been hit by a stone, I remembered the rest of Manaria’s background in the game.
She was queer, like me. She’d fallen in love with a maid and, despite her best efforts to suppress her feelings, ended up having an affair with the woman. The relationship had proved to be one-sided, complicated by the power imbalance between a servant and a princess, and eventually, the maid left the palace. Manaria had regretted it ever since.
She took to visiting brothels, thinking she could avoid making the same mistake again if she kept things purely physical and professional. But someone caught on to what she was doing and ratted her out to the court. The ensuing scandal resulted in her being driven away.
“Love that seeks nothing in return always breaks. The human heart isn’t strong or pure enough for that,” Manaria said quietly.
“What are you telling me to do, Lady Manaria?”
“If you really intend to give up on Claire, then I will make her my plaything.”
What was that?
“Claire cares for me,” Manaria continued. “I can take advantage of that. Of course, I know it’s not the same kind of affection as yours or mine.”
“What…are…” What was she saying?
“Claire is a great deal like the person I loved. She’ll make a good replacement. I’ll treat her well,” Manaria said with a condescending chuckle.
“Are you being serious?”
“Utterly. Did you forget why I was banished? I’m a womanizer, and now I have nothing else to lose.” Her eyes were dark… Dark, bottomless, and staring at something that wasn’t me.
Manaria was dead serious.
“I won’t let you do that!” I snapped.
“Oh really? And how? You lost our match, and you quit being Claire’s maid. What power do you think you have?” she taunted me.
My mind raced. I had to keep Claire away from Manaria, no matter what. She wasn’t good enough for Claire. And I could make Claire far happier than she could!
“The Amour Festival is coming up, isn’t it?” I said.
“At the end of the month.”
“You know of the ceremony that features the Scales of Love, yes?”
“They say it measures the depth of your affection.”
“Let’s put our love on the Scales and let them decide.”
“Hmm? Not bad…” Manaria paused. “But we already settled this with our duel. We can’t just have a do-over, you know?”
“What do you propose, then?”
“If I win this time, I get you too.”
So, it had come to this. “Fine.”
“Are you sure? Once you’re mine, I’ll make sure you forget all about Claire, you know?”
“That’s fine. I won’t lose.”
“That’s some confidence. It’s a good look on you.” Manaria laughed, seemingly satisfied. “We’re on, then. You’d better work hard.”
She turned on her heel and walked away. I watched her go in silence, resolving to myself that I would do anything necessary to win this battle.
Miss Claire, watch over me now.
***
Claire’s Point of View
“Are you worried about Rae, Miss Claire?”
It was Rae’s roommate, Misha, who approached me to ask that question on the day of the Amour Festival. The ceremony hall was packed with people, and the Scales dealt out happiness and sorrow in turn. Fathers and sons vied for their wives and mothers’ love, and established couples joked around with friends. Almost no one here was actually competing for a bride.
As for me—I was restless. As people took turns presenting their offerings to the Scales, I paced back and forth.
“No, not really,” I said to Misha with all the indifference I could muster. An obvious lie, given my state.
“Rae has been especially busy lately,” Misha said. “She said she’s going to find the best offering she can make for you.”
I said nothing. Sister had told me how she and Rae intended to use the Scales of Love to once more fight for my affections. I’d pleaded with her not to do something so—so silly, but she wouldn’t be dissuaded. Instead, she asked, “Don’t you trust Rae?”
Why would she ask me that about Rae? Why not about herself?
“Who do you want to win, Miss Claire?” Misha asked.
“I don’t care.” I was furious. How dare they fight over me—like I was a prize to be won—while paying no heed to my feelings on the matter?
“It’s true, you’ve never had anything good to say about Rae. But this is the joy of being born a woman, isn’t it?” Misha said, a rare act of baiting from her.
“Who do you think you’re talking to? I am Claire François, daughter of Dole François, Minister of Finance. People love me; it’s what I was bred for,” I snapped back.
And yet…I couldn’t help but wonder if these two people were different from the rabble who’d sought my affections in the past. Sister had been my first love. Yes, I’d mistaken her for a boy when we first met, but she was wonderful. As we grew into young women together, I found myself lastingly happy that she cared for me too.
And Rae? From the very first day we met, I’d found her absurd. She brazenly flirted with me even though we were both girls, teased me all the time, and when I bullied her back in return—she seemed to enjoy it. Before I knew what was happening, she’d won over my father and become my maid.
“Does something amuse you?” Misha asked.
“Huh?” I said.
“You’re smiling.”
To think that it had taken Misha pointing it out for me to realize I was smiling… How embarrassing. I couldn’t believe just thinking about her made me smile. It was for the best that she was gone. Yes, I was relieved she was no longer my maid.
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“Now you look sad.”
Absurd. But I took out my hand mirror to check, and sure enough, the reflection peering back at me wore a long face. It was like I didn’t know myself anymore.
“I think I want Rae to win,” Misha muttered almost under her breath.
“Why is that?”
“Sure, she’s strange. I’m certain she’s given you a great deal of trouble.”
“She really has.”
“Yes… But her love is true and pure. She loves you from the bottom of her heart, Miss Claire,” Misha said warmly, as if she were describing a clumsy but adorable younger sibling. “And you don’t really hate her as much as you say, do you?”
“I despise her.”
“That’s not very honest of you, is it?” Misha giggled. “I have been watching you for the past few days.”
“How…did I look to you?” I suddenly wanted to know.
“You looked lonely. Even though you were always together with someone as amazing as Lady Manaria, your mind seemed far away. Just like you were after Lene left.”
“That’s not—” I couldn’t finish the sentence. Sister had been by my side ever since Rae selfishly fought with her and lost, and though I loved having Manaria around, some part of me had yearned for Rae’s eccentricities.
“I think,” Misha said, “that it’s Rae who makes you happiest right now.”
“That commoner…?”
“Her status doesn’t matter. What matters is Rae, the person. She’s strange, but she has a way of making the people around her happy. Not that I could ever say that to her face.” Misha laughed. “So please, Miss Claire. If Rae wins, give her another chance at being your maid. Ask her yourself, if possible.”
“That…I cannot do.” I was an aristocrat. Not just any aristocrat either, but a member of one of the most important families in the kingdom. It would be unthinkable for me to petition a commoner to enter my service.
“I see. Being an aristocrat sure is tough.”
“You would know.” Before their downfall, Misha’s family had been old money nobles.
“In that case, I will hope for a miracle.”
“A miracle?”
“Yes. A miraculous happy ending, like in a fairy tale.”
“That’s not—” …going to happen, I was about to say, but I was interrupted by Sister.
She approached us holding a strange, glowing flower. “Hey, Claire.”
“Sister…”
“I see Rae hasn’t shown up yet,” she said, showing me the flower in her hand.
“Is that flower…really…?”
“Mmm. It’s the Flower of Flora.”
The flower from the Legend of Amour. A blossom made of pure light. The ultimate offering one could place on the Scales of Love.
“It seems I will be victorious, after all,” Sister said, gazing at the legendary flower with a hint of sadness. For some reason, I glared at her. “Perhaps we should just go ahead and declare me the winner.”
The God’s Scales showed what was in my heart. I swear here and now that I will remain faithful to thee. Thus went the verse from Poesie Amour—the words the shorter man, who was chosen by the Scales, said to the maiden. That verse had once dried my tears at Manaria’s family home. Long ago, the maiden it was recited to must have felt the same way.
Sister put her hand under my chin and tilted my head up to look at her. I thought, in a daze, that our lips were going to touch. And if it was Sister…perhaps I wouldn’t mind.
But then again—
“Wait!”
It was the voice that I think I must have been waiting for.
***
“Wait a second!”
Manaria was going in for a kiss with Claire when I made it to the ceremony hall. All eyes turned to me, faces filling with surprise as they beheld my disheveled state. Whew. Just in the nick of time.
“Rae, you’re too late,” Misha said, trying to hide her anxiety.
“No. It just took me a little longer than I expected.” I quickly inserted myself between Claire and Manaria.
“So, you can do something other than run away. I’ll give you that.” Manaria looked annoyed.
“Who’s running? I told you I wouldn’t lose, remember?” I stuck my tongue out at her and took Claire’s hand.
“You…” Claire looked at me with a complicated expression.
“Don’t worry, Miss Claire. I won’t let this jerk take you away,” I declared, still out of breath.
“But you’ve already lost. I don’t know what you plan to offer the Scales, but I have the Flower of Flora,” Manaria said, holding up the glowing flower. “Even if you happen to have the same flower, I was here first. I remain the winn—”
“This is my offering,” I interrupted Manaria, pulling it out of my bag.
“A branch?” Claire said quietly.
She was right. My offering, at first glance, looked like nothing more than an ordinary tree branch.
“You’ll see when we present our offerings,” I said, confidently. Claire still looked worried, so I gave her a reassuring nod.
“Fine. Let’s do this, then,” Manaria said, moving toward the Scales of Love.
The Scales of Love were made of ancient wood but still sturdy. Their design was simple and elegant, lacking ornament, but imbued with a presence befitting a sacred treasure bestowed on us by the gods.
“I’ll start. I offer what is in my heart to be judged by God.” Manaria recited a verse from Poesie Amour—a bit dramatically, in my opinion—then respectfully placed her Flower of Flora on the Scales, where it glowed bright. It was an appropriate offering, a celebration of the legend. The Scales immediately plunged to one side under the flower’s weight.
“My turn. Here’s my offering.” I placed the branch on the Scales, not reciting any of the lines from the legend.
The Scales showed no sign of movement at all.
“I thought so. I wi—” Manaria started, but she was interrupted by a deep rumbling sound.
“Earthquake?!” Alarm ran through the assembled crowd, but it faded as they realized it wasn’t the ground that was shaking. It was the Scales of Love.
I watched as the branch I’d placed on the Scales suddenly sprouted new buds. It didn’t stop there. Roots burst from the other end, and in a matter of moments, the single branch had become a full-grown tree whose weight tilted the Scales back the other way.
“The Flower of Flora lost…? What is this branch…?” Manaria muttered, dumbfounded.
“The Branch of Eternal Love,” I answered.
These were not the intertwined branches described in Bai Juyi’s Song of Everlasting Sorrow, but they were similar. The Branch of Eternal Love was a rare drop from a powerful monster known as the Tree of Eternal Love, which lived deep in the forest behind the hall where this ceremony was held. The Tree of Eternal Love was nearly immune to magic, but it did have one weakness: slime solution could corrode its bark. With the help of my familiar, Ralaire, I’d gone on a desperate hunt through the forest and procured a branch just in time.
“The Flower of Flora isn’t the heaviest offering possible…?”
As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, it was my knowledge of the game that had led me to the Branch. There was a Scales of Love episode in Revolution, and while you could complete the quest with the Flower of Flora, the Branch of Eternal Love was a special, secret item that could be offered instead. If you happened to secure the Branch for your offering, you unlocked a bonus image for your gallery.
“Miss Claire,” I called out to my dumbfounded love.
“Huh?”
“Whether or not these divine Scales recognize it, I love you. No matter who I lose to, I will continue to love only you. So—” I stood in front of Claire and took her hand, “will you let me return to your side not as your maid but as your partner?”
It was the first time I’d articulated my hope that Claire would love me back. And I’d done it in my own words, not those from a poem.
I hadn’t initially planned to use my knowledge of the Branch of Eternal Love. It often felt unfair to rely on knowledge from my previous life, even against an opponent as detestable as Manaria. But then I’d realized I couldn’t hold back.
Love is a battlefield, they used to say in my previous world. Love couldn’t be rationalized or reasoned with. If I wanted Claire to be mine, I had to do whatever it took to show her.
“You…are really…” Tears welled in Claire’s eyes. I feared what they meant. But then…she smiled.
“Ah ha ha!” Manaria’s merry laugh interrupted the moment.
“Lady Manaria, please read the room,” I said. “You’re ruining the moment.”
“Nope. I’ve decided I want you. You’re the best,” Manaria said, throwing her arms abruptly around me.
“Wha—Lady Manaria…”
“I mean, I already thought you were fantastic, but this just proves you’re even more amazing than I imagined. You’re all I want in a companion.”
“S-Sister, what are you saying…?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Claire. Rae’s been my target from the start. She’s just so fun to tease, and I ended up roping you into it too.” Manaria chuckled, making a cheeky face.
That was when I remembered—in the game, Manaria fell in love with the main character. This Manaria had been so cruel to me that I’d completely forgotten that could happen.
“Hey, Lady Manaria,” I said. “Please get away from me.”
“Nope. I’m going to take you back to Sousse with me.”
“I won’t go!”
“Playing hard to get makes you even cuter.”
“Stop—”
“Nooo!”
No one was more surprised than me by the scream that cut through my words. Claire’s beautiful, high-pitched voice rang through the ceremony hall, stunning the crowd into silence.
“Rae is mine! Don’t take her from me!”
“M-Miss Claire…?” I said timidly. That seemed to make her realize what she’d just blurted out.
“N-no! That’s not what I meant!”
“Miss Claire!” I embraced her without thinking.
“Hey, let go!”
“No! I love you, Miss Claire!”
“Well, I hate you! Leeet gooo of meee!”
“You said I’m yours!”
“Shut up! Forget I said it!”
Overcome by emotion, we squawked at each other, blurting out everything we wanted to say. It felt like it had been forever since we’d just gone at it like this.
“Excuse me, Lady Manaria. Do you agree the contest is at an end?” Misha asked.
“Well, it seems that way.” Manaria watched us carrying on. “Love between women can be a thorny path. I hope Rae and Claire will be happy, but—”
“But?” Misha prompted.
“But, well. I don’t think they’ll have any regrets,” Manaria said, wearing a broad smile, as if something within her had at last burst free.
“Leeet gooo of meee!”
“Nooo!”
Claire and I, meanwhile, were completely oblivious to anything but each other. Needless to say, I was the happiest I had ever been in my life.
***
“What?! You’re returning to Sousse, Sister?!”
“Yeah.”
The morning after the Amour Festival, Manaria announced she was returning home. Claire was in disbelief, as was everyone else.
“The firstborn prince has abruptly passed away. That moves me up in the line of succession, so it looks like I’ll be turning cartwheels at court once again.” Manaria laughed, but she didn’t actually seem displeased by the prospect.
Rod scoffed at this in seeming discontent. “You’re just going to take your winnings and go?”
“I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities for a rematch in the future. Don’t you think so, future King of Bauer?”
“Hmph. I’ll keep my head in good shape so you can cut it off,” Rod said, laughing fearlessly.
“Ahh, Rae. Won’t you run away with me?” Manaria said, flirtatiously.
“You’re on your own,” I replied shortly, to which she pretended to sob. Not cute at all.
“Since Rae’s rejected me…I guess I’ll just have to go home and take the throne. Once I have a crown on my head, I can come back and be a thorn in your sides.”
“You don’t need to come back,” I said bluntly.
“Rae, don’t be rude,” Claire chided.
Setting that aside, Manaria was speaking awfully lightly of something like taking the throne.
“What about the scandal over your sexuality?” I asked.
“The populace at large remains unaware. It’ll work against me in our internal family feud, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.” Manaria said. “This last month has been the most fun I’ve had in my life. It’s really too bad that I must leave.”
“I feel the same way, Sister.”
“Hurry up and go…” I muttered.
“Rae!” Claire stomped down on my foot. Ow! Oh, I did love her. “Have more respect for the royal family!”
“My heart is just too full of my love for you, Miss Claire.”
“Ah, argh!” Claire turned red and looked away with a huff. She was so unbearably cute.
Maybe this had been Manaria’s plan all along. Maybe she’d made herself the villain on purpose in order to bring Claire and I closer to each other. If that was true, I owed her a debt of gratitude—but I was still eager to see her gone. She’d hurt me, and Claire loved her. And I knew I could never best her in battle.
“By the way, Master Rod, I have some bad news for you,” Manaria said, her face suddenly serious.
“What is it?”
“The firstborn prince of Sousse was assassinated, and the deed was done by means of the same poison used on Thane in the past.”
“What?! That means—”
“The Nur Empire…”
“Yes.”
It seemed the neighboring Nur empire, longtime rival of our kingdom, was still on the move.
“The firstborn prince intended to move aggressively against the Nur Empire. They can’t have been very happy about that,” Manaria explained. “And I don’t expect they’re going to change their approach once I take the throne. An assassination attempt on Thane and the successful assassination of the prince of Sousse… They’re getting bolder. We must be careful.”
“Thanks. You be careful back home too,” Rod responded.
“I appreciate your kind concern,” Manaria said and then looked at me. “Rae, you be careful as well. I’m sure you can neutralize cantarella in another person, but if you’re the one poisoned, you could die.”
“I’ll be fine. The Academy is working on an antidote.” Immediately after the attempt on Thane’s life, I’d given the Academy’s researchers the formula for the magic I’d used to counteract the poison so they could teach others to replicate the spellwork.
“I see. You really are remarkable. Claire, I think you should—”
“I’m not giving her to you.”
“You guys have really started to act alike,” Manaria chuckled.
Around this time, someone came to notify Manaria that her horse and carriage had arrived.
“Oh, I’ll see you off—” Claire started.
“Claire, you stay here. I need to borrow Rae.”
“Sister, you aren’t still…”
“Ha ha, no. I just have something I need to discuss with her in confidence before I leave. That’s acceptable, yes, Rae?”
“I suppose I have no choice…”
I begrudgingly walked with Manaria to her carriage. When we were some distance from Claire, she said, “Rae, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“What is it?” I replied.
“Just who are you?” Light flashed in Manaria’s eyes. “You can counteract rare poisons, and you know of secret, legendary offerings. Where did you learn such things?”
“I can’t answer that.” I couldn’t fool Manaria with a half-baked lie, so instead, I answered honestly with nothing.
“Are you a spy of Nur?”
“No, I am not.”
“Really?”
“I swear it on Miss Claire.”
“Hah. Well, in that case, I believe you. At the very least, I’m positive you won’t stab Claire in the back.”
“Is that all you wanted to ask me?”
“No. Do you still want nothing in return for your love for Claire?” Her eyes told me she wouldn’t let me avoid the question this time.
“No. I…I want Miss Claire to return my feelings,” I replied, looking Manaria straight in the eye.
“It’s going to be a difficult path.”
“I know.”
“Claire has always considered herself straight.”
“I know that too.”
“But you will persist?”
“Undoubtedly.” I answered each question without a hint of hesitation.
“Yes, that will do. Now I can finally entrust Claire to you.” Manaria had a look on her face like a father giving his daughter away at her wedding. Whatever her feelings for me, she also cared deeply for Claire. She held out her hand. “This was fun. Take care of Claire for me.”
“You don’t need to ask.” I shook her hand firmly.
“See you again,” Manaria said. And then, like a gust of wind, she was gone.
***
“Miss Claire—”
“What is it?”
“Please recite it one more time for me.”
After seeing Manaria off, we’d returned to Claire’s dorm room, where Claire now sat at her desk with a book open in front of her. I had my arms around her. What I was asking her to recite, of course, were the words she’d blurted out at the Amour Festival.
“What in the world are you talking about?”
“You’re playing dumb again.” I couldn’t help but tease her when she was being this adorable.
Claire’s face turned crimson. “Don’t go getting any ideas! I have no such—”
“Hmmm?”
“No such feelings about the matter either way…” Claire put her nose in the air and turned her head away from me.
“Name.”
She didn’t respond.
“You’re going to call me by it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I wasn’t yet convinced that Claire liked me. But still— “Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“I love you.”
“Hmph.”
I believed that Claire and I had taken a step forward. |
Chapter 5: School Holiday
Chapter 5:School Holiday
“WHAT ARE YOU ALL doing over the break?” Rod asked us in an Academy Knights meeting soon after. “We did get those free tickets at the Foundation Day Festival. I was wondering how many people are actually going to use them.”
“I’m going home for the holidays,” Misha said indifferently.
“I’m going to a beach resort, so I won’t be using a ticket either,” Claire declared.
“I guess that means I don’t have to ask you, Rae.”
“Yes. I will be with Miss Claire.”
Wherever Claire went, I followed. The usual strategy in Revolution was for the main character to use their ticket on a special event, thereby unlocking some images for their gallery, but I didn’t care about any of that.
“That leaves the three of us,” Rod said, clearly disappointed.
“That’s boring.” Yu shrugged.
Thane said nothing, looking uninterested.
“Why don’t you invite someone to join you? No aristocrats would turn down the royal family.”
“That’s true, but if we invite someone, it becomes a whole political thing…”
That makes sense. Aristocrats weren’t vying for the throne, but they formed factions and engaged in power struggles all the same, including for the royal family’s favor.
“Well, be that as it may… I hope none of you have forgotten your duties during the holiday as Academy students?” Rod asked.
“Our…duties?” I couldn’t think of what he could mean.
“Come, Rae. Did you forget? Such disappointing behavior from my servant…” Claire said, hanging her head.
“Rae, he’s talking about the Undead Hunt,” Misha explained. I finally remembered.
The Undead Hunt—officially known as the Undead Sending—took place every summer at the Academy. Come summertime, undead tended to appear, and Academy students were duty bound to exterminate a certain number. Revolution included an incident where a group of undead showed up within the castle, but that hadn’t happened in this reality yet. And it wouldn’t. I would make sure of it.
“Why the sour face, Claire?” Misha asked.
“I dislike the term Undead Hunt. It is insufficiently respectful to those who have passed.” Claire picked strange things to get serious about. This one was a bit harder for me to understand, coming from a more scientifically advanced and secular world, but it made me respect her even more.
“But Undead Sending sounds unpleasant too. Only the clergy use that term now.”
“That may be, but… Rae, say something.”
“Uhhh…” Claire was finally relying on me. I didn’t want to let her down. “Do you mean it’s like Obon?”
“What in the world is that?”
“A festival that we have back where I come from…”
“We don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about.”
Well, that made sense too. In that case… “Why don’t we go for something simpler?”
“Oh. That might work,” Claire agreed.
“An entirely new phrase will be hard to remember, but we could modify the original.” Rod was on board too.
So, it came to be that we decided to rechristen the Undead Sending as simply “The Sending.”
“Moving on. I don’t expect the Academy Knights to fall behind, but letting your guard down could prove fatal. Stay on your toes during the Sending.”
“I’m not about to be defeated by some undead.” Claire put a brave smile on her face. However—
“But Miss Claire, I thought you were afraid of—”
“We’re not talking about ghosts! These are undead!” Claire shrieked before I finished my sentence. Adorable.
“Rae, you protect Claire,” Rod directed.
“Leave it to me.”
“What do you mean, Master Rod?! I’m really not afraid of—!”
“Maybe we should tell some ghost stories to set the mood?” Yu interrupted teasingly. “Long ago, there lived a young priest who was excommunicated from the Church—”
“That reminds me! Misha, where do your parents live?” Claire forced a change in subject, and Yu chuckled to himself.
I’m the only one who gets to play with Claire, you jerk, I thought.
“Euclid. It’s a port town south of the capital. Rae’s from there too.”
“Oh, what a coincidence. The François estate is in Euclid as well.”
This wasn’t coincidental, obviously. It was a deliberate decision on the part of the game writers. Misha was the player character’s childhood friend because they came from the same town, and the François estate was located there so the main character could continue to be bullied by Claire if she chose to go home over break.
“In that case,” Claire continued, “you should journey with us. My carriage has plenty of room for one more.”
“I couldn’t possibly impose,” Misha said.
“What? You won’t ride in my carriage?” Claire frowned. I couldn’t tell if she was genuinely put out or just being mean. Maybe she just couldn’t bring herself to say directly that she wanted to ride with Misha.
“That sounds fun,” Rod said suddenly. “Boys, shall we go to Euclid too?”
“We can’t, Brother. Euclid is too far.”
“We have affairs of state to attend to…”
The princes couldn’t ever travel too far from the capital.
“Ugh, boring!” Rod pouted like a child. “Well, it can’t be helped. I suppose we’ll just enjoy our separate holidays and ward off the undead while we’re at it. I’ll say it one last time—don’t let your guard down, got it?”
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it now, Rae?”
I gathered Claire’s things and smiled. “Let’s enjoy the holidays.”
“What’s with that look?” she muttered.
I couldn’t help giving her another sidelong glance—she was apprehensive, but my heart was all delight.
***
With vacation around the corner, there was a spring in my step as I walked through the town. The sun was getting hotter, and I could really feel summer coming.
“Where are you going?” my beloved Claire asked me. I was holding a parasol over her to protect her pearly white skin from the sun.
“I need to take care of some minor business before we leave.”
“Minor business?”
“It’s really small. It’s like, umm… I want to nip some things in the bud before they can become problems.”
“I don’t understand.” Claire cocked her head to the side, looking confused. It was just unfair how cute she was, really.
“Anyway,” I said, “you’ve never accompanied me on personal errands before. Why the interest now?”
“Nothing… No particular reason. I just wanted to get some fresh air,” Claire said as she put her nose in the air and turned her head away. Wait. Was she in a bad mood?
“But, Miss Claire…you don’t like the heat or the sun.” I genuinely had no idea why Claire, who was twice as spoiled as any person alive, had decided totally of her own accord to accompany me out into the blazing summer heat.
“Give. It. Up! Just hurry up and do what you came to do!”
“Ohhh…” Maybe she was just in a mood today. Her mood swings could be as capricious as a cat’s, after all. As for me, I was just thrilled to spend more time with Claire, so I resolved not to think any deeper about it.
“And where are we going?”
“We’re almost…here,” I said, coming to a stop in front of a building.
“Tulle Trading Company? What are you buying here?” Claire asked, reading the name on the sign.
“I’m not buying anything. I need to talk to the shop owner about something.”
“Hmm…? Well, let’s go inside, then. It’s too hot out here.”
“That’s why I said you should wait at the Academy—”
“Hurry. Up!”
“Yes.” I followed Claire into the shop.
“Wel…come?! Oh my, Miss Claire. What would ever bring you to a place like this…?”
The kindly looking shopkeeper grew flustered the moment he saw Claire. His name was Hans, and he owned and managed the Tulle Trading Company on his own. It wasn’t a small company, but it wasn’t large either, and he’d probably never been patronized by someone of Claire’s status.
“We are not attending to my business. Go on, Rae. Hurry up and do what you came to do,” Claire said with an utter lack of interest as she sank onto the sofa in the corner of the store.
“Hello, Hans.”
“Hello, Rae. This is certainly a surprise. Is this the first time Miss Claire has joined you?”
“Yes. It seems she was simply in the mood to come with me today.”
“Well, then. What sort of proposal do you bring me today, Rae?”
With those words, Hans’ demeanor transformed from gentle and fatherly to strictly business. In the game, Hans was the merchant NPC who sold items to the main character. In this reality, we had a business relationship that had proved quite fruitful. He’d helped me procure the ingredients I needed for the new Broumet menu items, and he also helped me negotiate the sale of recipes to Broumet.
“Unfortunately, I’ve come to you today to ask you to squash a business deal.”
“Huh?” Hans looked puzzled.
“I have a hunch that you’ve heard rumors of a new magical tool.”
“What do you mean?” Hans tilted his head.
“Playing dumb won’t work on me. The magical tool I’m talking about can supposedly…bring the dead to life. Ring any bells?”
“Well…I didn’t really think I could fool you, Rae.” Hans threw both hands in the air in defeat. “You’re right, I have heard of it. It’s not cheap, so I was still pondering whether or not to stock it.”
“Please don’t.”
“Can I ask why?” Hans asked, raising an eyebrow.
“That magical tool, it’s a fake.”
“How do you know that…?”
“I can’t tell you. But if you try to profit from it, you’ll lose a great deal of money.”
“Hmmm…” Hans sat there pondering my insistence, as well as my unwillingness to offer proof. I’d already brought him some excellent business opportunities by way of my knowledge of the game, so he had reason to trust my word.
The magical tool in question actually turned the dead into the undead. In the game, an aristocrat of lower status bought the tool from Hans and used it. As a result, the grave of an aristocrat’s daughter became a nest of the undead, the aristocrats were enraged, and Hans’ business was ruined. It was part of the Undead Hunt chapter of the game, but for my part, I wanted to avoid such a tragedy happening in the first place.
“If this were coming from anyone else, I would chase them out of my shop right now. But you’ve never been wrong before, Rae…”
“Of course, I’m not asking you to surrender this business opportunity for free. I have a tip for you.”
“Of course you do.” Hans smiled mischievously.
“There will soon be a growing demand for weaponry and armor. And it has to be kept discreet.”
“Well, this sounds dangerous! Are we going to war?” Hans looked at me with inquisitive eyes.
“No, but something like that.”
“And you won’t tell me how you know this, right?”
“I’m afraid not. You’ll have to decide if you trust me or not.”
Hans looked deep in thought for some time. Finally, he let out a big sigh. “Okay. I’ll pass on the magical tool. But please just tell me one thing.”
“What is it?”
“These underground demands for weaponry—will it be safe to supply them?” Hans had a sharp look in his eyes. He was testing me.
“As a merchant, you should be fine. As a person…that would depend on your own personal beliefs,” I answered.
“Hmph…” Hans let out a grunt, indicating he understood. “Fine. It sounds shady, but no risk, no reward, eh?”
His expression softened.
“Really, Rae… What are you? Every time you come by, it’s like you’re telling me the future.”
“I have no comment.”
“Yeah, I bet you don’t. But be careful, Rae. If I were willing to make money at any cost, I might be tempted to take you prisoner.” He said those terrifying words so casually.
“I think you know that I’m a dual-caster.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t do it alone. I could hire someone or procure a magical sealing tool.” He had a point. “Well, I’ll keep my threats to a minimum today. But don’t forget how valuable you are—and how it makes you more likely to attract misfortune.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Please do,” Hans said, giving me a little smile.
“Are you finished yet?” Claire called out, seeing our conversation turn lighter.
“Yes, for now. Thank you for your time, Hans.”
“Sure. Please come again.”
“Goodbye.”
I followed Claire out of the shop.
“We still have a great deal of time before curfew,” said Claire. “I’m hungry.”
“Shall we go back to the dormitories? I can make you something,” I said as I pulled out Claire’s parasol.
“So insensitive…”
“What?”
“Oh, nothing. Yes, let’s go back. We’ll just go back!” Claire started walking briskly.
“Miss Claire, your skin will burn.”
“That’s fine, who cares?!”
“It’s not fine. Miss Claire, what if your beautiful complexion is ruined?” I rushed to catch up to hold the umbrella for her, but she stopped in her tracks.
“What, would that make you hate me?”
“Never,” I answered without hesitation, even though I had no idea what she was getting at. I could never hate her.
“I see… Hmmm.” Claire looked conflicted for some reason. What was up with her today?
“Miss Claire, you’re not quite yourself today.”
“And whose fault do you think that is?!”
“Uhhh…”
“Let’s hurry back! Once we’re at the Academy, you will make me crème brûlée!”
“Ohh…” And now it seemed she was back to normal.
“After all that effort to go out…” she murmured.
“What did you say?”
“I said it’s all your fault!” She stuck her tongue out at me.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I did know this: Claire was as cute as ever.
***
I’d been in this world for almost six months, and I still really missed cars.
I was jolting along in a horse-drawn carriage en route to the François villa, accompanied by Claire, Misha, and Dole. Claire and I were in the seat behind the driver, while Dole and Misha were in the back. There had been some fuss about the seating arrangements, but Claire got her way in the end.
“And then I said, ‘You lie. The kingdom would fall apart without the nobility to prop it up.’” Dole, the Minister of Finance, was waving his hands around dramatically. We’d been traveling for half a day, and he hadn’t stopped talking the entire time.
“Father, we already heard that story. How many times are you going to tell it?”
“Hmm? Have you? Well then, I’ll tell you a different story. This happened right after Claire was born—”
Dole was perhaps the most influential aristocrat in the country, second only to the royal family. If he wanted to talk, there were very few who’d dare interrupt him. Claire might, but etiquette made it difficult for her to talk over her father too. The best she could do was, as she had just done, redirect him when he took a breath here and there.
Almost everything Dole had to say was a boast about his own achievements. As the Minister of Finance, he basically held the purse strings for the entire country. No legislation introduced by politicians or bureaucrats could get off the ground without Dole’s approval. He played a part in the establishment of every administrative policy, and, therefore, saw them as his own achievements.
“Claire, you are still young…and a woman, so you may not understand this, but politics don’t conform to ideals.”
“Hm…” Claire said vaguely. She looked at me as if begging me to save her.
“Master Dole, what was Miss Claire like when she was little?”
“She was just an angel! The most adorable being in existence!”
I cast out the bait and Dole took it, hook, line, and sinker. He proceeded to ramble on in detail about Claire’s childhood, looking delighted.
I felt a poke in my side. It was Misha. “How can you speak so directly to Master Dole…?”
“Why not? He’s my future father-in-law.”
“And how can you joke about something like that?” Misha sighed. She looked exhausted. As a former aristocrat, unlike me, she couldn’t help feeling under pressure in Dole’s presence.
“Well,” Dole said, “I permit this commoner to speak with me because Claire permits her presence. Otherwise, we would never even be in the same carriage.”
“I am very grateful for the generosity of Your Excellency and Miss Claire.”
“Mmm.” Dole seemed satisfied with my humble comment. “Claire, you have become quite friendly with this commoner, haven’t you? What a turn of events after you started off hating her so much.”
“I have no intentions of being friends with her…”
“Claire, your heart is too gentle for an aristocrat. Be careful with whom you show compassion,” Dole said bluntly. “Otherwise, history will repeat itself…like that traitor Aurousseau.”
“Father!”
“After all those years, she turned out to be nothing but a disgusting whore. She should have been executed for conspiring with our enemies.”
Claire looked like she was about to explode. This wouldn’t do. I tried to change the topic of conversation again, but—
“And she was having relations with her own brother too. The very thought of you being contaminated by proximity to that filth, Clai—”
“That’s enough!” Claire cried.
“Claire… You have a kind heart, but you cannot defend—”
“Father, be silent. If you say another word about Lene, I will never forgive you.” Claire pinned a deadly serious gaze on Dole, who was speechless. “It’s true that Lene’s actions were unforgivable. In this you are correct. But she had her own struggles, her own pain…”
She bit her lip so hard it bled.
“Lene admitted her guilt. She accepted her punishment. Please speak no more of it. I still think her dear to me.”
Despite Lene’s betrayal, Claire sympathized with her. Her affections were not easily won, but once they were, they proved indelible. I loved her for this.
“Aristocrats are born to rule,” Dole shot back icily. “Kindness, personal sentiment—these are impediments to your obligation.”
“I am not being sentimental!”
“Then why defend a servant who betrayed you? What do you think would happen if another aristocrat heard you speak that way?”
“Th-that…!” Claire trailed off.
They were speaking from two completely different points of view. Claire spoke from the heart—about emotions that humans needed to live, which couldn’t be explained by logic alone. Conversely, Dole was purely analytical. He knew that unceasing calculations of profit and loss were what it meant to be nobility.
“Claire, I pray you do not disappoint me.”
She didn’t answer.
“Will you respond?”
Nothing.
“Claire.”
“Yes…” Claire’s voice was quiet, defeated.
I thought of saying something but stopped myself. I could say nothing to salve her wounds, because it wasn’t Dole’s words that hurt her but the realization that she was a poor example of an aristocrat.
Claire was clever. I knew that if she applied herself, she could refute her father any number of ways. But what would come of that? She, an aristocrat, who had only ever been an aristocrat, would be arguing against aristocratic logic.
For now, I did better by her to mark her anguish by observing it than to make my own comments. So: I would not speak.
But one day, I would affirm Claire and everything she stood for. A true affirmation, not platitudes or empty compliments meant to make her feel better. In order to do that, I chose to remain silent for now. But at the very least…
Claire glanced over at me briefly. I was holding her hand in a way that Dole couldn’t see. I squeezed it gently, and she squeezed back harder. Her hand was warm. I hoped I was conveying warmth back to her too.
We couldn’t say it out loud, but I wanted to believe there was something between us that we could both understand without words.
***
It was evening by the time we arrived at the François villa.
“This is amazing…”
“It really is.”
“It’s quite small compared to our residence in the capital, though, isn’t it?”
The villa, lit by the evening sun, was so massive you could scarcely believe it was owned by an individual. Misha and I let out gasps of amazement when we saw it, but Claire didn’t seem impressed in the least.
“I’m going to rest first. Head maid, take care of everything.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dole must have been tired from the long trip, for he retired to his room.
“Miss Claire, you should rest in your own room too. Rae will carry your things.”
“I can carry that much myself.”
“In other words, you want to spend some time with me, Miss Claire?” Thinking this the perfect time, I took the opportunity to tease Claire.
However, she didn’t react.
“Oh, ohhh…?”
I expected her to reject me immediately, but she showed no sign of lashing out. Claire had a complicated look on her face. I suddenly didn’t know what to do.
“I’ll be leaving, then. Goodbye, Miss Claire. Bye, Rae,” Misha said and left for her parents’ house, maybe because she sensed the awkward air in the room.
“Rae, stop dawdling and pick up the luggage.”
“Oh, yes.”
The villa had its own staff of servants to help, so the luggage was sorted quickly. I think it took about twenty minutes, during which Claire waited without a single complaint, watching as if in a daze.
“Sorry for making you wait, Miss Claire. Let’s go to your room,” I prompted, picking up her things.
“Yes…” She obeyed meekly. What was wrong?
Claire’s room was decorated in typical aristocratic fashion, with perfectly coordinated interior decorating. Despite its tidy arrangement, it wasn’t a very welcoming room. I observed Claire as I put away her things.
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“Where should I put these clothes?”
“Just hang them wherever in the walk-in closet.”
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“Where should I put these undergarments?”
“Just put them wherever in that dresser… What are you doing, Rae?” Claire changed tack mid-sentence when she saw me holding up each of her undergarments to check the shape.
“I just thought that, as your maid, I should know everything there is to know about you, Miss Claire.”
“You… No.” Claire started to puff up in outrage, then suddenly stopped and forced a smile. “You’re teasing me to try and make me feel better, aren’t you?”
“Huh? No, this is just me being horny.”
“You could just tell me I’m right!” Claire sat heavily on the bed, as if she was exhausted from it all. “I suppose I am a bit melancholy. I took pride in being an aristocrat, but now, at times, it feels a bit painful…”
I didn’t say anything. I realized this was the first time she’d confided in me.
“I understand what my father was saying. Casting Lene aside was the obvious choice, in my position, but…she was like an older sister to me. Even after everything, I can’t bring myself to hate her.” Claire let out a deep sigh. “It’s depressing to think that I have to spend my entire vacation with my father around…”
She stopped talking suddenly, as if realizing I was listening, and forced another smile. “Well, this has nothing to do with you, Rae. I’m sorry. Forget it—”
“Miss Claire,” I said, interrupting her. “Would you like to come to my house?”
“Y-your house?”
“My parents are peasants, so we can’t give you the welcome you deserve, but—”
“I’d like that.”
“Huh?”
“I want to visit your house. I’m quite curious to see what manner of home environment produces such a strange creature as you.”
That was harsh. “It’s just a normal peasant house, though.”
“That’s fine.”
“The food is ordinary.”
“It’s good to have some plain food now and then.”
“There’s nothing to do there…”
“You’ll be there, won’t you? It’s settled. When shall we go?”
“Er, how about tomorrow?”
“Understood.”
I hadn’t expected her to be this eager to visit my home. I wondered what had struck that chord in her.
“Oh, Miss Claire, do you have a swimsuit?”
“Of course. Why?”
“I live right by the sea, so I thought we could go swimming,” I proposed, but Claire looked at me with a bitter face.
“I’m not very fond of the sea.”
“Ah…” I’d forgotten Claire couldn’t swim. “I can teach you to swim?”
“Wh-who said I couldn’t swim?!”
“So you can?”
“Er…” Claire turned away in a huff. She was such a darling girl.
“In that case, I’ll teach you the A to Z of swimming and all the letters in between,” I said.
“That’s not how the saying goes!”
“You’re so spoiled.”
“Me?! What have I done wrong?!”
“By the way, Miss Claire… Please watch out for my mother.”
“Huh?”
“She’s, well, you know.”
“I know what?”
“She’s even more shameless than I am.”
“More than you…?” Claire looked taken aback. “Maybe I shouldn’t visit, then.”
“It will be fine.”
“Of course it will. I am, after all, the daughter of the François family. No one would dare—”
“It’s precisely because people like you are my mother’s favorite, Miss Claire.”
“Then how can you say it’ll be fine?!”
And that was how it came about that Claire visited my home.
***
“Hey, Rae. It’s been a while.”
“Hi, McCloy. How have you been?”
“Oh look, it’s Rae. You’re back?”
“Hi, Jane, how are you?”
Many people called out to me as we walked through my hometown the next day. I’d forgotten I was the heroine in a videogame aimed at young girls—in other words, I was popular.
“How have you been? They say the capital is dangerous, so we’ve all been worried about you,” McCloy, owner of the local hardware store, said to me.
“It’s okay. It’s not as scary as everyone thinks it is.”
“Is that right? Why, even this town has been getting dangerous lately. Just a few days ago, some aristocrats who came by for the Undead Sending went missing.” McCloy noticed my companion. “Who’s this young lady?”
“Oh, this is—”
“I’m a schoolmate of Rae. My name is Claire,” Claire cut in, hiding her true identity. But why?
“Oh my, you certainly are polite. With a friend like you, our little Rae must feel a bit safer even in the capital, eh?”
“Yes,” I said, “she takes very good care of me.”
“And how’s Rae doing, Claire? She was always the most capable kid in this town…”
“She’s very capable at the Academy too. Everyone is aware of her talent.”
“Is that so?!”
Claire’s answer seemed to delight the townspeople, probably because in their eyes, I was a representative of their town. But as I smiled along with them, I only had one thought.
Stop getting in the way of our alone time.
Instead, more and more people started to gather around us. That was when—
“Rae…?”
Argh. The one person I never wanted to see.
“Louie.”
“So it is you,” the boy said as he pushed through the crowd to get to us.
“It’s very nice to see you, Louie.”
“Why are you talking to me like a stranger? After all we’ve been through?” Louie said, chuckling at his own joke.
Claire looked puzzled. “Who is this?”
“This is Louie. He’s my umm…”
“I’m like Rae’s big brother. Miss Claire,” Louie finished my sentence for me. Wait. Did he suspect Claire’s true identity? Apparently so, for he continued, “I’m an adventurer. I know these things.”
As you might expect from a generic fantasy world, adventurers took jobs from guilds and were paid for them. It made sense that such an adventurer, who traveled all over the world, would recognize the only daughter of the Bauer Kingdom’s Minister of Finance.
“Rae, are you going to stay a while?”
“Well, just during the holiday.”
“I see. Stop by my house later. My mom has been asking about you.”
“Okay then. We’re in a bit of a hurry, so we’ll be off now,” I said, pulling Claire away from that place.
“Hey, wasn’t that a bit rude?” Claire looked at me quizzically.
“It’s fine. Louie is kind of a pain.”
“Louie is totally in love with you, Rae.” Misha suddenly popped out of the crowd to snitch on me.
“Hey!” I protested.
“Why, if it isn’t Misha,” Claire said.
“It’s only been a day, Miss Claire. What in the world are you doing in a place like this?” Misha had shed her school uniform and was wearing casual clothes.
“I was invited to visit Rae’s house.”
“Invited… Rae’s house isn’t exactly a place that you can be invited to.”
“Well, there’s a lot going on…” I stumbled, unable to mention the issues between Claire and Dole in front of Claire.
“Who cares about that?!” Claire demanded. “What do you mean when you say that boy is in love with Rae?!”
Whoa… That was the part she was hung up on?
“It’s simple. As you just saw, Rae is very popular in this town. Naturally, she has admirers.”
“Ummm… Hmmm.” Claire’s eyes glazed over.
“Louie is just one of those admirers. Before Rae left this town, she wasn’t completely—”
“There is no truth whatsoever to that. Claire is the only one for me,” I cut Misha off before she could say anything else.
Claire’s stare was ice-cold.
In truth, Misha wasn’t lying. In the game, Louie played the role of the boy the main character was closest to. In other words, he was a “boy from her past.” The main character wasn’t in love with him, but his presence in her backstory made things more exciting. If the player chose to not use the tickets from the festival and visited her hometown instead, they triggered a love triangle event involving Louie and the prince the character was romancing. I’d figured that wouldn’t happen, since none of the princes were here, but—
“Miss Claire, you aren’t jealous, are you?”
“I am not jealous! In fact, I don’t even know what you’re implying, though I have an idea!”
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“There’s nothing going on between Louie and me.”
“I wonder.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Umm…”
“What is it, Misha?”
“Would you please take your lover’s quarrel elsewhere?”
“This isn’t a lover’s quarrel!” Claire squawked, angry.
“Oh, is that so? Then I will be leaving. Have fun, Rae.”
“Wait, Misha!”
Having dropped that bomb on us, Misha left. What was she trying to do?
“C’mon, Miss Claire. Let’s go.”
“Hmmm.”
“It’s really just adorable when you’re jealous.”
“Do you think you can fool me with such words?”
I thought for a minute. Then I hugged her in the middle of the street.
“There.”
“Aargh?!”
“Hmmm. You’re so soft.”
“What are you doing?!” She smacked me, hard—it hurt! But I didn’t let go. “This is a public place!”
“I’m not letting go until you forgive me.” I squeezed tighter.
“Fine! Fine, now let go!”
“Ahhh.”
“Why do you sound disappointed?! Aren’t you asking me to forgive you?!”
“Yes, but it just feels so wonderful to be holding you, Miss Claire.”
“That. Is. Enough. Now. Let. Go. Of. Me!”
In a feat of strength, she broke free. Wow.
“Just as I was starting to think you’d matured a bit…”
“Nobody can stop this overflowing love I have for you.”
“Shut up! Argh… Now I’m exhausted before I’ve even been able to greet your mother and father…”
“You mean your future in-laws?”
“You get your mind out of the gutter, you hear me?!”
***
“Miss Claire, are you ready?”
“Aren’t you being a bit dramatic?”
Claire and I stood before the door to my parents’ home, which bore the name Taylor. Our name came from the word “tailor”, and, as you might expect, we owned a clothing store. I wanted a final confirmation beforehand, but Claire looked dumbfounded.
“So, you’re ready?”
“Hurry up with it,” Claire prompted, and I opened the door.
“I’m home.”
“Eh… Huh?”
From the back of the store came a young girl who looked like a teenager.
“Oh, look who it is! Rae! Welcome home.” The girl ran up to me and gave me a warm hug. Her chest, which was voluptuous enough to make me doubt we were related at all, pressed up against my face.
“I-I’m suffocating.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Might you be Rae’s older sister…?”
“Oh my, sister? You’re quite the flatterer, aren’t you?” The girl put her hand to her cheek, blushing, and swayed.
“This is my…”
“I’m Rae’s mother, you adorable thing.”
“Really?” said Claire. “Not your sibling, then?”
Yes—this was my mother, Mel Taylor. She definitely didn’t look like she could possibly have a daughter my age. We were often mistaken for sisters.
“Now, now. That’s enough flattery. Rae, are you going to introduce me to your friend?” My mother finally came back down to earth.
“This is Claire François. She is the only daughter of Dole François, Minister of Finance, and she is my employer.”
“Please, call me Claire. It’s very nice to meet you.”
My mother’s mouth was agape at this for a moment, but then she smiled and said, “Thank you for taking such good care of my daughter. I hope your relationship may continue.”
“Uh, Rae. What were you talking about before? Your mother is wonderful,” Claire whispered, accusingly.
“Well, she may look harmless, but…”
“But?”
“Miss Claire, where is your jacket?”
“Huh?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I do that…” My mother said, holding Claire’s jacket.
“Hey! What on earth?!”
“My mother has the bad habit of undressing people that she likes.”
“So it was true?!” Claire grabbed her jacket from my mother and took a step back as if she was afraid for her safety.
“I-I’m sorry. You just have such an ideal figure, I wanted to take your measurements…”
“And what does that have to do with undressing me?!”
“My mother acts on instinct. Apparently, she isn’t even consciously aware of what she’s doing until it’s done.”
“That’s not something you can do unconsciously!” Claire cried.
“What’s all the commotion?” A giant of a man—over six feet tall—appeared.
“Oh, honey, Rae is home. And she brought the cutest girl with her,” my mother explained.
My father turned his penetrating gaze to us.
“I’m home, Dad.”
“N-nice to meet you.”
I was used to him, but Claire looked a little frightened. As his daughter, I’d be the first to admit my dad had a scary face. But—
“It is most lovely to meet you, Miss Claire. My name is Van Taylor, and this is my clothing store. Thank you for taking such good care of my daughter,” my father said, showing her the utmost respect.
“You know who I am?”
“You are the most famous young lady in this country after the royal family. Of course I know who you are.”
“Is that so? Please, there’s no need to be so formal.”
“Dad, I was hoping to have Miss Claire stay here a few days. Is that all right?”
“Well, well, well. She is more than welcome. Right, honey?”
“We can’t possibly expect her to put up with such humble conditions…”
My mom was on board, but Dad was reluctant.
“Please don’t feel the need to indulge me. As your guest, I will be grateful for whatever you have to offer.” Claire surprised me with her gracious words.
“Oh my, my, my. What a modest and humble aristocrat. Please, you are more than welcome to request some indulgences,” my mother said, looking even more smitten with Claire than before.
“But…we don’t have a room?” my father pointed out.
“I can stay in the same room as Rae,” Claire said.
“But where would you sleep…?” my father asked.
“We can bring a cot in from the main house. Miss Claire can use Rae’s bed and Rae can sleep on the cot,” my mother proclaimed.
“Or we could sleep in the same bed!”
“Oh my, my, my? Do you two have that sort of relationship?”
“Yes.”
“No, we do not! I mean, if we must sleep in the same bed, that’s fine, but—”
What was going on with Claire? She was being unusually meek and mild.
“I’ll bring the cot…”
“Yes, please. And let’s close the store for the day. Oh, make sure you work up an appetite for dinner!”
My parents went off to prepare for Claire’s stay. Or so I thought, until—
“Darling, how could you act like that after Rae finally brought home a sweetheart for us to meet?!”
“Honey, have you lost your mind? That’s the daughter of the François family…”
Their conversation in the back room was entirely audible to us, but I pretended not to hear. Claire had a complicated look on her face. To escape the awkwardness, I showed her to my room, carrying the bag with her clothes and other items as we headed up the stairs.
My bedroom was even smaller than the dorm rooms at school. It was simple, about ten by ten feet wide, and had a bed, desk, and one dresser. As a commoner, even having my own room meant I had it better than most. It would have been different if I had any siblings.
I put the bag on the floor and let out a sigh.
“So this is your room, Rae?”
“It’s pretty bare, huh?”
“Well, yes. But there’s something comforting about it.” Claire sat on the bed and looked around. I took the chair from the desk and sat down as well. “Your parents are interesting.”
“I get that a lot.”
“Especially your mother. I see where you get it from.”
“I get that a lot,” I said again. My father was reserved, but he had plenty of common sense, while my mother couldn’t really be said to have any. Not to mention the thing with the clothes… Honestly, though, the strangest thing about my mother was that everyone liked her despite her oddities.
“Are you sure you’re okay staying here? There is an inn nearby, you know?”
“This is fine. But…”
I looked at her quizzically.
“We’re imposing on your family.”
“Well, yes,” I said honestly. The peasant life wasn’t easy. Guests showing up unnoticed, let alone the daughter of an aristocrat, meant everyone had to hop to it. “Still, my mom’s sure to whip up a feast for us tonight.”
“Sh-she will?”
“Just relax, Miss Claire. I’ll unpack our bags.” I’d brought Claire out here so she could get away from the mansion. If she spent her reprieve worrying, that defeated the purpose.
“Yes…I’ll do that,” Claire said and then lay down on the bed as if she were exhausted. She was soon breathing deeply.
Does that mean…you’re starting to trust me? I thought to myself. My spirits soared at the sight of Claire’s defenseless, sleeping face in my bed. I joyfully started unpacking.
***
“Now then, in celebration of Miss Claire visiting our home… Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
“Cheers…”
“Thank you so very much.”
We raised our glasses—filled with fruit juice—and began our evening meal. Our dining table was small, but it was laden with freshly baked bread, herb-seasoned grilled chicken, meatballs, vegetable soup, and fruit chilled in the river. My mom was a pretty good cook. It wasn’t the kind of haute cuisine Claire was used to, but for a peasant, it was a feast.
“Miss Claire, please eat as much as you’d like.” My mother, bursting with joy at the opportunity to entertain such a cute guest, encouraged Claire to partake.
“Y-yes…” Claire responded.
“Now, now, no pressure. If you don’t like something, you don’t need to eat it,” my father advised.
“Oh no, I would love to,” Claire said. She extended her fork to the herb-grilled chicken and daintily lifted a piece to her mouth. “…It’s delicious.”
Her smile was perfect, but I knew it was fake. Peasant food was hard for an aristocrat like Claire to stomach.
Completely oblivious, my mother continued to recommend each of the dishes. “Please, you must try this soup. We made a proper consommé today!”
“Thank you very much.” Claire kept her perfect smile painted on her face as she took a spoonful of soup and then praised it. My mom looked overjoyed to see an aristocrat enjoying her cooking.
But—
“Oh my, my, my…? You’ve barely touched your plate?” she exclaimed.
Though Claire claimed everything was delicious, she was only eating the smallest portions.
“Perhaps it’s not to her taste, after all?”
“No, Mom. Miss Claire always eats small portions. Miss Claire, would you like some fruit? It’s freshly picked and tastes really good.”
“Oh yes, please. Thank you, Rae,” Claire said. She was smiling, but I was certain she was having a lot more trouble than she was letting on.
Somehow, we got through the rest of the meal. I told my parents all about the Academy over some after-dinner tea, starting with the time Claire and I went in the haunted house at the school festival.
“Miss Claire was so frightened!”
“I-I was not!” Claire denied.
“My, my. So Miss Claire is afraid of ghosts?” My mother laughed as if she found the story heartwarming.
“In that case, you should probably stay away from the beach,” my father said.
“Why?” I had been looking forward to swimming in the ocean.
“It seems that undead have been spotted along the coast lately…”
“It’s really been a problem for the fishermen.”
According to my parents, undead had been haunting the coast for about a week now. There weren’t many, and the neighborhood watch were currently keeping them at bay, but it was starting to get out of hand.
On hearing this story, Claire declared, “In that case, we’ll destroy them.”
“Well, well! But it’s so dangerous…and besides, I thought you were afraid of ghosts, Miss Claire?”
“The undead are monsters. Not ghosts. We can go to the coast first thing tomorrow. Right, Rae?”
“Fine by me. Let’s take our bathing suits too. We can start your swimming lesson—”
“Shhh! Shhh!” Claire interrupted me, flustered.
“Oh my, my, my? Miss Claire, do you have trouble swimming?”
“N-no, of course not. I am able swim; I simply wish to improve. That’s all.”
“Why, that’s wonderful. Rae grew up by the water, so she should be able to give you some pointers. Rae, make sure you teach her well.”
“Yes.” It seemed like Claire wanted my mom to like her…but maybe I was imagining it.
“It’s getting late. Miss Claire, you should rest,” my father said, looking at the wall clock.
“My, my, my. Time flies when you’re having fun.”
“Yes. I’ll have a bath and then go to bed.”
“Umm…”
“I’m sorry, Miss Claire. We don’t have a bath here.” Peasants didn’t bathe daily. We wiped our bodies down with wet cloths and went to the bathhouse once every few weeks.
“Oh… I see. I understand.”
“I brought soap, so I’ll wipe you down in the bedroom.”
Such was the awkward atmosphere in which we ended Claire’s welcome party.
***
Claire looked thoughtful. “I really am fortunate,” she said quietly, almost to herself, as I gave her a sponge bath in my bedroom.
“You didn’t like the food, did you?”
“I am so sorry, Rae… I didn’t realize it would be this different.”
Peasant food had a far weaker flavor. It would have tasted exceptionally bland to Claire, who was accustomed to the ample use of spices and abundant condiments in aristocrat food.
“It’s not just the food,” Claire continued. “Not taking a bath…”
There was a bath at the Academy, so she’d never had to confront her privilege in that matter. She seemed to be wrestling with the realization that the things she took for granted in her daily life were actually luxuries.
“Well, peasants don’t live like aristocrats,” I said, wiping Claire down.
“I knew that. But I didn’t understand it. The Commoner Movement…”
“Yes?”
“I thought their demands were silly. But—”
“But?”
“If our standards of living really are this different, then I understand why people might resent aristocrats,” Claire said, her eyes downcast.
This wouldn’t do. I’d wanted to distract Claire from her troubles, not make them worse. I put the wet towel on the water basin and started to help Claire into her pajamas, saying, “Miss Claire, you are a powerful aristocrat, right?”
“Yes, I am.”
“In that case, why don’t you change the world?”
“Change…the world?”
“Change the world in a way that makes the lives of peasants even just a little bit easier. That shouldn’t be an impossible task for you, Miss Claire.”
“That…but…” Claire’s eyes lit up with understanding and then dimmed as she realized it wouldn’t be so simple a task.
“It wouldn’t be easy, of course,” I said. “And I don’t believe it’s something you’re obligated to do. But if it’s something you want to do…”
“Something…I want to do?”
“Yes. If it is your wish, then I will do everything in my power to help you,” I said, buttoning the front of her pajamas. Claire was speechless. She looked both happy and nervous.
“You really are brazen, for a commoner.”
“What do you expect from your maid?” The fact that she was insulting me meant that she was feeling a bit better.
“Hmm…”
“Now, let’s sleep. We’ll go to the sea tomorrow,” I said, turning off the light.
“Yes, that’s right…” But Claire made no move to get in the bed.
“What’s wrong?”
“This bed is pretty big, isn’t it?” she said, but it wasn’t. Even the bunk beds in the school dormitories were bigger.
“Is it?”
“It is! So…”
“So?”
“So… Ugh!” Claire was having a moment. “You can sleep here with me.”
“There won’t be much room, though?”
“It’s fine!” Claire grabbed my arm and shoved me on the bed, then lay down too. “Good night!”
“Good night…Miss Claire.”
Could this be…Claire showing affection for me? I didn’t want to get my hopes up and start imagining things.
No use overthinking it. I decided to get some sleep, switching my thoughts over to the sight of Claire in a swimsuit tomorrow.
***
“Okay, Miss Claire. First put your face in the water.”
“You better not let go! You hear me?!” Claire’s expression was pathetic, and her words just childish.
We were at a beach near my house. The sand was pure white and the water emerald green as far as the eye could see; not a sight you could easily find in 21st-century Japan. We were in the middle of Claire’s first swimming lesson. I started by assessing her level and discovered she couldn’t even put her face in the water. On my instruction, Claire screwed up her courage at length, as if preparing to jump off a building, then finally touched her face to the water.
“Blah!” She lifted her head in less than three seconds. “How’s that?! I did it, I put my face in the water!”
“Yes, you did. Now let’s try it for about ten seconds.”
“What?! You’re going to make me do such advanced moves on my first day?!”
“That’s…not advanced.” I was starting to realize she wasn’t going to be swimming today.
We were both in our bathing suits. Claire looked like a supermodel in her bright red bikini and white wrap. This world was theoretically supposed to resemble medieval Europe, so the presence of such modern swimsuits was a clear giveaway that it had been developed by Japanese people in the 21st century. The game developers would probably have been swamped by player complaints if the characters had showed up in historically accurate swimwear.
Actually, Revolution had been designed for a female audience, so more design work had been put into the male swimsuits than the female ones. Of course, there were no boys here, making that irrelevant.
“Let’s try for ten seconds.”
“Hmgh… Fine. I, Claire François, have mastered countless skills before and I shall do so again.” Claire talked herself up as she went through her tragic but brave preparations again before finally putting her face in the water. “Blah! How many seconds was that?!”
“Five.”
“Ergh…this is hard. I never imagined humans were capable of such things…”
“Most people can do it, you know?!” I never imagined Claire would have this much trouble with water. I wondered if it was because her attribute was fire?
“I wish to take a break.”
“What?! All you’ve done is put your face in the water twice!”
“And that was plenty. If I am already able to put my face in the water for five seconds, soon enough I’ll be able to swim.”
“You will not!”
“Rae! Miss Claire! I brought you lunch.” We looked up to see my mom waving at us with one hand and holding a basket in the other. In her swimsuit.
She was wearing a black one-piece suit. It had two white stripes on the side. In other words, it was a typical school-issued swimsuit. A woman, in her late thirties, wearing a school-issued swimsuit. Worst of all, she was rocking it.
“Perfect timing. We were just taking a break,” Claire said as she wiped herself dry with the towel I handed her.
“Oh, I see. How many meters did you make it to? You’re so talented, Miss Claire, I’m sure you could swim one hundred meters with ease,” my mother said with an innocent smile. She meant well. She wasn’t doing it on purpose.
“Oh, well…just about.”
Liar!
“Heh heh. I thought so. Oh, here is your lunch. I tried making some sandwiches,” my mother said, taking a cloth out of the basket to show us sandwiches and a thermos.
“Thank you very much,” Claire said sweetly, but her expression was stiff.
“It’s okay, Miss Claire,” I whispered in her ear.
She looked back, questioningly.
“The sandwiches have things I suggested, like mayonnaise and mustard.” Mayonnaise wasn’t that hard to make, and even commoners had access to the ingredients.
“Yes, I followed Rae’s instructions! Please try it,” my mom said, holding a sandwich out to Claire. Claire looked concerned but hesitantly took a bite.
“It’s delicious!”
“Well, well, well. That’s a relief. This mayonnaise thing really is delicious,” my mother marveled. “Rae, is it popular in the capital?”
“Yeah. It was first introduced by a restaurant called Broumet. Apparently, all the aristocrats are eating it.”
“Is that right? You must be taking Rae to some fancy places, Miss Claire.”
“Yup,” I said. I wasn’t about to tell them I was the one who’d introduced mayonnaise to this world.
“Really?” Claire said.
“Anyway, Miss Claire, you’re just lovely today. Is this swimsuit also the fashion in the capital?”
“I had it tailored just for me. This fabric wrapped around my waist is called a pareo, and they’ve been quite popular this year.”
“Oh… How wonderful.”
“Mom, settle down. We don’t need you activating your bad habit right now.”
Claire snapped to attention and moved back from my mother.
“I know that… Rae, you’re such a bully. And while we’re at it, your swimsuit is…uh…”
“Mom, don’t sigh like that.” Embarrassingly, my swimsuit had also been issued by the school.
“You’re right about the swimsuit,” Claire said, “but more to the point, your mother’s figure is so…so unlike yours.”
“Don’t say that,” my mother chided. “She’s still young.”
I don’t know if it was because I was the main character in a game aimed at young women, but my figure was profoundly average. I mean, it wasn’t bad. It was fit enough, and slender, but I looked utterly plain in comparison to Claire’s more mature figure and my mom’s voluptuous curves.
“I’m still growing. I’ll get bigger,” I said.
“Give it all you’ve got,” said my mom.
“Don’t give me that pitying look—hey, wait a minute…”
Something was happening while we goofed around. Clouds sailed over the sun, and a chill filled the air. Before we knew it, we were surrounded by swirling fog coming in off the sea.
Was this…magic?
“Rae! Look!” Claire screeched. She was pointing at the silhouette of a tattered ship, looming through the fog.
“Is that…a ghost ship…?” my mom asked in surprise. I was wondering the exact same thing.
***
The ghost ship’s appearance threw the entire town into an uproar. The local lord proclaimed a state of emergency, and would have sent a runner to request military aid, but—
“We’re trapped,” Claire complained, and she was right. The fog blanketing the outskirts of the town had us all penned in.
“This fog is magical in nature,” Misha said, calmly analyzing the situation. She, along with everyone in the town with the ability to fight, had come to the courtyard of the local lord’s mansion in order to discuss what could and couldn’t be done. “We need someone to step up and take charge. How about you, Miss Claire?”
“There has to be someone more qualified than my young, inexperienced self. And he isn’t about to let me tell him what to do.” Claire pointed at the person emerging from the mansion.
“Everyone, thank you for gathering here. Let me begin by expressing my gratitude.” Dole’s voice dripped with condescension, but he also sounded supremely confident. “I am Dole François, Minister of Finance of the Bauer Kingdom. Due to the extraordinary circumstances, the local lord has requested that I take command. I assume no one has any objections.”
His arrogance was a welcome sound—calming, even—to the townspeople, who were beside themselves with anxiety over the sudden appearance of the ghost ship.
“We have nothing to fear from a few undead. We have only to destroy them,” Dole declared.
“B-but, can we really defeat monsters that can conjure such a fog to imprison us…?” someone asked uneasily. Everyone gathered here was capable of combat, yet none shared Dole’s confidence. The ordinary citizens of Euclid had to be even more spooked.
“You are right to be concerned. But do not worry. We have more than enough firepower at hand. Claire, Rae, Misha, come up here.”
Caught off guard, we couldn’t hide our confusion, but did as we were told.
“These girls are star students of the Royal Academy. They outshine their peers when it comes to wielding magic.”
The crowd buzzed at Dole’s words. To them, we looked like nothing but young girls.
“Allow me to introduce them to you. First, this is Misha Jur. She had high aptitude in the wind attribute. In a mock battle at the Academy, she used her impressive skills to drive Prince Rod into a corner.”
Despite being suddenly put on the spot in front of a crowd, Misha bowed, keeping her cool.
“Next is Rae Taylor. She is an earth and water dual-caster. Furthermore, both her attributes are ultra-high aptitude. She is one of the Academy’s most powerful mages.”
I suspected he had an ulterior motive for heaping such praise on me. But I could read the room, so I bowed smoothly.
“Finally, this is my daughter, Claire François. Rather than explain Claire’s capabilities…it might be better to just have her show you. Claire, a tenth should do.”
“Understood.”
Everyone’s eyes were on Claire, waiting with bated breath. She slowly raised both arms. Four François family crests appeared above her head.
“Light!” Four heat rays burst from the crests at Claire’s command and zeroed in on a large, decorative boulder in the corner of the yard.
“Look! It’s turned to dust!”
“A-amazing… With power like that, the ghost ship could be smashed to kindling!”
“He said that’s only a tenth of her power… We’re saved!”
This was Claire’s specialty, Magic Ray. It wasn’t versatile, but in terms of raw power, it put her up there among the world’s foremost mages. Calling that only a tenth of her ability was a pretty big bluff, though. I was pretty sure Claire had put everything she had in those beams just now. She and Dole were certainly doing this to assuage everyone’s fears, and they’d worked in unison with no prior discussion too. They were on the same wavelength.
“You see, you have no reason to fear. We will restore peace to the town with our own hands.” Dole’s words were greeted with loud cheers. Playing a crowd like this was second nature to a politician like him. “Now, the Adventurers’ Guild will be in charge of strategy. Everyone, do as they say.”
With that, Dole went back inside the mansion.
“As one would expect of Master Dole,” commented Misha.
“He really is a politician through and through,” I added.
“My father only cares about making himself look good,” Claire said, but she looked happy, nonetheless. Though their relationship was fraught, Claire respected Dole.
“Aren’t you happy, Claire?”
“About what, Rae?” Claire looked at me vacantly.
“At this rate, everyone is going to be looking at you to save them. I thought you were afraid of ghosts?”
“Oh…” It seemed Claire had forgotten. “I-I-I’m j-j-just fine! And the undead are not ghosts!”
“You don’t have to pretend with the two of us. If everyone sees you grow flustered when we’re actually in combat, it’ll affect their morale,” I pressed Claire.
“That’s right.” Misha nodded in agreement.
“What should I do…?”
“Maybe we should work on our own, away from the others?”
“In that case, we should notify the Guild right away—before they devise a strategy that includes us.”
And so, we went to talk to the head of the Adventurers’ Guild. In an unfortunate turn of events, this turned out to be Louie, who chuckled when he heard what we came to say.
“Ah, so you have an unexpected weakness,” he said.
“Can we make this work or not?”
“To be honest, the three of you are in a league of your own when it comes to your combat abilities. Even if I teamed you up with the rest of these guys, they’d have a hard time keeping up. I was actually hoping you might go off on your own.”
Adventurers were a free-spirited sort who had little regard for status or social niceties; Louie spoke casually, even when addressing Claire. Claire understood this, of course, and she didn’t raise an eyebrow at his lack of formality.
“Based on my experience,” he continued, “I’m guessing that ghost ship answers to something bigger. How about we clean up the riffraff and you three go after the big boss?”
“That sounds like the only solution.”
“Ah, but—” Louie started again, a bit apprehensively. “Do you think you can help us out a bit, just to start? If you could use that spell again, even just for the first charge, it would sure boost these guys’ morale.”
“Just…just at first, right?”
“Yeah. Can you? We can come up with something else if not.”
“No… It’s fine. I’ll do it.”
“Great. Then you can leave the rest to us,” Louie said, and he returned to talking strategy with the rest of the guild.
“We’re with you,” I told Claire. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
“We will support you,” Misha agreed.
“Yes, please…” Claire had a dark look on her face. She somehow managed to make even that look cute.
***
The fighting force we’d mustered, which numbered thirty people in total, split up into smaller boats and rowed toward the ghost ship. We hadn’t yet encountered any foes, but we were on high alert as we came dangerously close to the ship.
Just as I thought that—
“They’re coming!” an adventurer in the first boat called out. I strained my eyes to pierce the fog and saw bird-like monsters flying toward us. There looked to be about ten.
“Miss Claire! You’re up!” Louie called out.
“Mm, understood,” she responded. Since the monsters were still far away, we couldn’t make them out clearly. Perhaps that helped, because Claire didn’t look all that scared. “Light!”
The heat rays struck the flock of birds, incinerating most of them.
“That didn’t get them all.” Louie clicked his tongue.
“Leave it to me.” Misha said. A high-pitched sound cut through the air, and the rest of the bird monsters fell.
“That many monsters in a single instant…”
“W-we can do this!”
Our overwhelming victory in this first skirmish raised everyone’s spirits. Louie gave us a thumbs-up to show his appreciation. We fought a few more monsters on the way to the ghost ship but made it through without a single casualty.
“Here comes the real battle,” Louie said after confirming that the entire team had boarded the ghost ship. “Just as we discussed. Groups A to E, clear the way. The girls and I will take the captain’s cabin.”
The other guys rapidly dispersed to take up their positions in accordance with Louie’s command. He was an experienced adventurer and a good leader, as evinced by his ability to give precise, efficient orders.
We had barely set foot on the upper deck when we were confronted by ten undead in the form of shambling skeletons. “Don’t hold back!” Louie ordered. “We have the advantage in numbers! Surround them and take them down!”
And so the battle to take back the ship began.
***
It took us two hours to fight our way through to the captain’s cabin, and everyone was exhausted by the time we got there. Louie was keeping me, Misha, and Claire back as trump cards, directing us to conserve our offensive magic and protect the rest of the team instead. The undead were weak, but there were a lot of them, and the team was tiring. Many of the men were wounded and flagging.
“Commander, it’s the captain’s cabin!”
Their faces lit up, however, when they heard those words from the adventurer scouting ahead.
“Okay,” Louie said. “The four of us will go in. The rest of you, secure the perimeter and keep the monsters off us.”
“Roger that.”
With Louie leading the way, Claire, Misha, and I ducked into the captain’s quarters
“Wait a second…”
The room was empty. I’d been expecting to face some kind of mini-boss, and the anticlimax left me deflated.
“Maybe we’re in the wrong room?” Claire suggested.
“No. This is the right one.” Louie was adamant. He pulled out a magic scroll. “I’ll set up a barrier.”
“But there’s nothing here?” Misha said, looking around the room.
“Not yet. I need to summon the boss, first.”
The moment I heard that, I jumped in front of Claire. Misha armed herself with her wand and took up a combat stance.
“It’s you…”
“You girls are so sweet. Trusting everything I say just ’cause I’m an adventurer.” Louie chuckled as he walked toward the back of the room.
“Louie—this is you? You’re the enemy?” Claire gasped.
“Enemy? Yes, I suppose I’m an enemy,” Louie said, holding out his left hand. On his finger was a ring I recognized.
“The magical tool to raise the dead!” I swore.
“You know what this is? I suppose you understand what’s happening here, then.”
“There are no corpses here for you to raise,” Misha pointed out.
“I’m about to make one.” Louie pulled a perfume bottle from his inside pocket. It was filled with a transparent liquid. “With this—the newest blend of cantarella.”
“What?! You’re a Nur Empire assassin?!”
“Yes, I am. Please forgive me,” Louie said, actually sounding genuinely apologetic.
“A bit arrogant to share that with us, isn’t it?”
“Maybe. But we all have our debts to pay.” He really did sound like he regretted this. However…
“This ghost ship,” I said, “it’s yours?”
“For now. Let’s say I’m borrowing it from some Bauer aristocrats.”
In other words, we weren’t Louie’s first victims. He had passed the point of forgiveness.
“Now that we know you have poison, we will respond appropriately,” I said.
“Are you saying…you know the antidote?” Louie laughed. “I told you, this is the newest kind of cantarella. Magic doesn’t work on anyone it infects, which means your detoxifying magic is useless too.”
“Then we just need to avoid being poisoned,” Claire replied aggressively.
Louie didn’t stop laughing. “No one said I was going to use this on you.”
“What?!” Claire’s surprise was genuine.
Louie opened the lid of the cantarella and emptied the bottle in one gulp. “Ugh?! Hngh…!”
“Suicide…?” Misha was the first of us to grasp what was happening. “No—he’s turning himself into an undead!”
“What?!”
“Cure him with your magic!”
“No! The cantarella is already working!”
“Monster…”
Louie’s skin stretched and tore as he writhed on the floor, exposing reddish black muscles, which began to swell. His young man’s body bulged, warped, and expanded until he was massive, like an ogre.
“Let’s run!” Claire yelled.
“You can’t,” Louie said, in a voice that was decidedly not human.
“The magic scroll he used…” The barrier had been meant to trap us.
“Now, be good little girls and let me kill you.”
“No, thank you!” Claire launched a fire spear. It struck Louie directly—and had no effect.
“I see… The poison nullifies all magic, not just detoxifying magic,” Misha said with analytical calm.
“So the reason you had us hold back was to wear down all the men who can fight physically?” I demanded.
“Now you’re starting to get it.”
Brute strength was not our forte. Without our magic, we were at a severe disadvantage, and there was no one left to rescue us. The looks on Misha and Claire’s faces matched my thoughts—this was bad.
“What are the people outside doing?!” Claire demanded.
“There are still monsters out there. And maybe they can’t come in through this barrier,” Misha answered, still calm.
“Give up. If you don’t resist, I’ll give you an easy death.” Louie stood, drawing a massive bastard sword.
“I have an idea,” I said to Claire and Misha. “Miss Claire, please use some low-level spells to hold him back a bit. Even if it doesn’t hurt him, enough force might knock him back.”
“Understood.” It seemed she trusted me enough to not ask for more. Claire switched from shooting fire spears to raining down fire bombs, filling the cabin with the sound of explosions.
“Misha, please use your magic to scan the rest of the ship for enemies.”
“Do you think we’re about to be ambushed?” A rare hint of despair showed on Misha’s face.
“Nope. I want you to search the entire ship, other than this room. Find me a spot with very few foes.”
“Why—”
“I don’t have time to explain. Trust me.”
“Okay.”
“Claire and I will buy time,” I said, conjuring some water bombs to throw at Louie.
“Your attacks are futile…” he said.
“You think that’s going to make us give up?!” Claire narrowly dodged the tip of Louie’s blade, catching his ankle with her foot as she passed him. He fell, clearly still unused to his newly swollen, cumbersome undead form.
“Miss Claire, be careful!” Claire was certainly the most capable of us in terms of physical combat, but she still wasn’t able to keep up with Louie.
“But if we don’t end this now, he’s just going to wear us down!”
“It’s going to be okay. I know how to get us out of this.”
“I can trust you, right?”
“Of course!” As I nodded to Claire, we rained down a storm of mingled fire and water bombs on Louie.
“I’ve finished my search. The room with the fewest monsters is the third one from the stern.”
“Thanks, Misha.” She was fast. “Now help Claire hold him back. I need to do something. Buy me time.”
“Okay.”
This was it.
“My body is for Miss Claire,” I started chanting somberly. “My blood is for Miss Claire. Every beat of my glass heart is for Miss Claire. Miss Claire, Miss Claire.”
“What in the world are you doing?!”
“Miss Claire, please concentrate!”
“What are you playing at?” Louie said inquisitively, plodding forward through Misha and Claire’s attacks. I had no intention of answering him. The spell I was chanting sounded strange to others, but I concentrated only on what I needed to do.
A loud rumble rose somewhere far away. The ship swayed violently.
“What is that…?”
“Miss Claire, don’t stop!”
But that moment of hesitation had been enough. Louie closed in on Claire and swung his sword at her. Without thinking, I stopped chanting and hit him with water bombs.
“Miss Claire!”
I was too late—but she didn’t need my help. Something repelled the sword and turned its tip aside. Claire seized that chance to regroup and resume her barrage of fire bombs, driving Louie back once more to give herself space. I was so anxious I thought my heart might stop, but I went back to work.
The sound grew louder and the swaying more violent. And then—the door burst off its hinges. A torrent of seawater surged in, carrying with it a flood of swords.
“Misha, Miss Claire! Use your magic to stab Louie with those swords!”
There was no reply, but they both worked fast. Instantly switching from bombs to propulsion, Claire used explosions and Misha used wind to drive the swords carried in by the water at Louie. I joined them.
“Unlimited Claireworks!”
Louie desperately tried to ward off the swords, but there were too many. He collapsed on the ground, run through from every side. As we watched, his tattered body began to shrink back to human size.
“I…lost…?” There was no sadness in his voice, just pure disbelief. “But how?”
“I have no obligation to answer.” I wanted to get out of here immediately.
“I want to know too. What happened?” Claire said.
“Me too…”
I gave in. “This room was sealed off by a barrier, but it wasn’t being cast by anyone. It came from a scroll, which meant it could only last so long.” That’s why I’d had us rain down a barrage of magic bombs under the pretense of holding off Louie. In actuality, we had worn down the barrier. “Misha, I had to scout for a spot free of enemies because that’s where the swords would be.”
“Are these silver weapons?” Misha demanded.
“Yes.”
Silver was extremely effective against the undead. The creatures on this ship had unconsciously given it a wide berth, which was why I’d had her scan for a place free of them.
“How did you know those swords were on the ship?”
“Remember what we heard in town? A ship full of aristocrats who came here for the Undead Sending went missing.”
And Louie said himself who he had “borrowed” this ship from.
“I just manipulated the seawater with my water magic to bring the silver weapons here,” I finished.
“I see.” Louie smiled as if he had been freed from something. “I’m in no position to make demands, but I have a favor to ask of you.”
“I refuse. Let’s go, Miss Claire, Misha.”
“We will listen to your request. Speak.”
“Miss Claire…”
“He tried to kill the person he loves. He must have had his reasons.”
Claire could be so kind—and so rarely when I expected it. What had happened to Claire the villainess?
“Thank you,” Louie said. “Please, I ask only that you take care of my mother. She’s sick.”
“Did the Nur Empire use that against you?” Claire asked. “Why didn’t you pay for her treatment by honorable means?”
“I spent all our savings to take her to a doctor in the capital,” Louie said. “He said she has a growth in her stomach. The magic potion she’d need to save her costs even more than the doctor’s fee.”
Claire looked at a loss for words.
“Even if I took on nothing but dangerous, high-paying requests, it would take me a year of adventuring to earn enough. She didn’t have the time. I swallowed my pride and begged everyone I knew for help, but even with their donations, I only had half of what I needed for the potion.” With every word, blood flecked from his lips. Claire couldn’t look away.
“Are you satisfied?” I asked her. “You said we would listen, and we did. Now, let’s go. This ship is going to sink.”
“But…”
“Miss Claire, Rae is right. We need to go,” Misha said in a calm voice.
Claire flinched from Misha’s calm. “Very well.” She turned to Louie. “I, Claire of House François, swear that I will take care of your mother. Now please rest.”
“Thank you. Ahhh, I wonder if they’ll forgive my debt…”
Those were Louie’s last words. We escaped the captain’s cabin and left the sinking ghost ship with the rest of the adventurers, who were waiting outside. The entire time, Claire didn’t say a single word.
***
Several days after our battle on the ghost ship, Claire and I visited Louie’s home. The reason, of course, was that Claire had requested we do so.
“Why, Rae, it’s been a while.” Louie’s mother, Ophelia, greeted us with a gentle smile. “I apologize for not getting up. I’m not feeling terribly well. It’s nothing serious, but…”
She broke into a coughing fit. But it wasn’t me who rushed over to her in concern—it was Claire.
“Please, don’t worry yourself,” Claire said. “You should rest.”
“My, who is this young lady? Is she your friend, Rae?”
“Oh, no—”
“I am, ma’am. My name is Claire. And I’m Louie’s friend too,” Claire said to Ophelia with a smile kinder than any she’d even given me. I was almost jealous.
“Oh, Louie too? I haven’t seen his face since the last time he brought me my medication. How is he doing?”
Claire froze at those words.
“Louie…has passed away,” she said.
“No… Please say it’s not true…” Ophelia’s face didn’t change at first, as if she couldn’t comprehend what she’d just heard. But Claire’s somber expression seemed to drive the words home. “Why… How did he die?”
“Louie…” Claire started, but seemed to think better of it and stopped. She tilted her head down in thought. “Louie died trying to take down the ghost ship that was threatening the town. He died protecting his friends.”
That was the official version of events we were going with. I’d been dead set against it, but Claire had stubbornly insisted.
“Louie was very brave. If it weren’t for him, this town would have suffered great loss,” Claire said, taking Ophelia’s hand. “He’s the hero who saved this town.”
Ophelia was speechless for some time after hearing Claire’s words. Eventually, she found her voice again and said, “I…see. Every little thing made him cry when he was little. I never thought he would grow up to do such a thing…”
A smile crept onto her face. Perhaps it was partly prompted by pride in her son. But the main reason for her smile was—
“Still…I wish he had stayed a crying child, if it meant he would have come back home to me…”
With nothing left to say, Ophelia wept.
***
“Poverty…really is a terrible thing,” Claire said abruptly. We were back in my room, preparing for bed.
“Miss Claire?”
“I had no idea what it really meant to be poor,” Claire said with a brooding expression. This didn’t seem to be the time to tease her, so I sat down next to her instead. “It’s not just having less money, is it? It means you might be forced to do terrible things to save someone important to you.”
“Not always. But it’s true that the poor have fewer options than the more fortunate.” I tried to be gentle, giving her space to organize her thoughts.
“What Louie did was unforgivable,” she said. “But denouncing him misses the point.”
“The point?” I could tell Claire was trying to articulate something.
“Poverty is evil. And our politicians are neglecting those citizens who live in this wicked condition. In other words, the flaw lies in the system itself.”
“That might be a bit extreme…” I tried to reel Claire in a bit—her language was beginning to make me anxious. “You’re right, poverty is terrible, and I can’t say the government of this country isn’t responsible for the current state of things. But politics isn’t solely a matter of beautiful ideas. You know that better than anyone, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. But—”
“But?”
When I prompted her to continue, she thought for a moment and then said, “Isn’t that just running away from the ideal and using the difficulty of reality as an excuse? What’s wrong with aiming for something good?”
I resolved to protect this precious person forever.
“I think you should do what you believe in. Like I told you before, I will support you in whatever you want to do,” I said, taking Claire’s hand.
“Rae…”
“Miss Claire, I respect your noble heart. I will protect your aspirations to not run from reality. Please, make use of me.”
I would do anything for Claire—even betray her, if I had to. I hoped it would never come to that, but if necessary, I wouldn’t hesitate.
“Thank you, Rae,” Claire said with a smile. But I couldn’t look her directly in the eye.
“Do you remember when Louie almost cut you with his sword?” I changed the subject to distract her. I was talking about near the end of the battle, when Claire had been distracted by the sound of flowing water I created.
“Yes. I was careless.”
“But Louie’s sword didn’t make it to you. How did you block it?”
“I’m not sure, but I think this is the reason,” Claire said, fingering an object on her chest.
“Oh, that…”
“Yes, it’s the amulet you gave me at the Academy Festival.”
I had forgotten all about it. “It’s cracked.”
“Perhaps it was a sacrifice charm.” In other words, Claire supposed that the amulet was a kind of magical item that could protect the wearer from danger, if only once.
“To think it had such an effect…”
“Of course I’m only speculating, but I can’t think of what else might have done it,” Claire laughed nervously and carefully returned the amulet to where it hung under her clothes.
“Ah—but then it was false advertising to call it a real good luck charm. Although, I suppose it did save you in the end.”
“What? Oh, yes! That’s right!” Claire’s reaction to my words was strange for a moment.
“Miss Claire?”
“It’s nothing. Come now, it is far past time to sleep! Good night!” Claire said, jumping right into bed, alone. What was going on with her?
“Miss Claire, are you hiding something?”
“I am hiding nothing, and it’s nothing, and why must you be so dense about this of all things?!” Claire was babbling, trying to shut me up. I gave up and got in the bed with her.
Changing how the story of this game was scripted was proving to be difficult. I’d tried to alter the course of events in the Sending episode, and it had come back to bite me this way, instead. If I really wanted to change things, from now on I would have to get to the root of the event. Superficial alterations only threw things into disarray and made it harder for me to use my knowledge of the game. I’d have to be more careful from here.
“By the way, Miss Claire?”
“What is it?”
“Are you romantically content?”
“Go to sleep!” She turned off the light, keeping me from being able to see clearly—but I thought her cheeks looked just a little red. |
Chapter 6: Yu’s Secret
Chapter 6:Yu’s Secret
“MISSS CLAAAIRE!” I came up behind Claire, who was reading a book at her expensive wooden desk, and draped myself over her.
“Argh… Rae, you’re heavy.”
She felt soft and smelled so nice. In the past, she would have shrugged me off at once, but now she let this sort of physical contact slide. We’d made amazing progress, if I did say so myself.
“What are you reading? Umm… Overview of the Bauer Kingdom Government System?”
“It’s a book about the political and social systems in this kingdom.”
“That sounds complicated.”
We were in the room Claire and her roommate shared in the Academy dormitory. Her roommate hadn’t returned to the capital yet, so it was just the two of us. There were still a few days before school started again, but Claire had insisted on returning so she could ask the history and political science instructors at the Academy for some reading recommendations. She’d had her
nose buried in heavy tomes ever since the incident in Euclid during our vacation.
Summer was coming to an end, but it was still sweltering. I was cooling the air around Claire to a comfortable temperature using my water magic.
“Miss Claire, how about taking a break?”
“I’m almost done reading this. I’ll be with you in a moment.”
The events in Euclid had shaken Claire. Ever since, she had thrown herself into the study of economic disparity in the Bauer Kingdom and how those disparities might be addressed. I was a little disappointed that she had less time to spend with me, but I didn’t want to get in the way of her newfound conscience. Doing something about the gulf between the rich and poor in this kingdom was in line with my objectives—not that I was going to explain that any time soon.
“Miss Claire, I’ll be right back. I’m going to prepare some tea and snacks.”
She didn’t answer, just waved her hand without even looking my way. She wasn’t giving me the cold shoulder—this was just how comfortable she was around me, now.
At least, that was what I told myself as I left Claire’s room and headed toward the dorm kitchen. I’d baked some madeleines and was about to take them up to Claire’s room when, oddly enough, Yu turned up.
“Oh, Rae. You’re back.”
“Master Yu… Hello.”
“What was it like to be back home?”
“Unremarkable.”
“I see… What’s that?” Yu asked, noticing the madeleines.
“Just some cookies. I thought I would make them for Miss Claire.”
“They look good. Can I have one?”
“You cannot.”
“Ha ha, yeah, I guess not. They’re for your beloved Claire, after all.”
Despite the fact that I was a commoner refusing the royal family, Yu was cheerful. As usual, I couldn’t read his true thoughts at all.
“Claire has really been studying hard of late, hasn’t she?”
“Claire has always been a serious student.”
“More than usual since the holidays, though. Did something happen?”
“No, not really,” I said evasively.
Claire’s insistence on painting Louie as Euclid’s hero had buried the truth of our experiences. There wasn’t really anything I could say, even if I’d wanted to.
I didn’t know what was going through Yu’s mind as he studied me, but his smile widened. “Servants really have it tough too, don’t they? Incidentally, if she wants to learn about peasant poverty, the Church might be able to help her out.”
“Huh?!”
“Don’t look at me like that,” Yu said chuckling. I hadn’t realized it, but my expression had gone grim. “I don’t know what went on during your vacation, but some of the Academy instructors are concerned. They’re wondering if Claire has developed an interest in the Commoner Movement.”
Now that he mentioned it—that was an inevitable reaction to a dyed-in-the-wool aristocrat like Claire suddenly showing interest in social systems and poverty in the peasant class.
“I’m not worried, of course. Claire was born to the nobility.” But Yu didn’t stop there. “I don’t believe this country can survive much longer on the path it’s taking. I’d be delighted to discover Claire shares my views on some of our present problems.”
“Wouldn’t the real problem be you calling it a problem, Master Yu?”
“Ha ha… That may be true,” Yu responded gently to my rebuke. “Please, don’t tell anyone I said that. Say only that I think it would be beneficial for Claire to seek out the Church. And I’m not just saying that because of my mother.”
“What does that—hey!”
“This is my fee for the advice. Mmm…delicious.” Yu stuffed one of the madeleines in his mouth and winked playfully at me.
I really didn’t care for him at all.
***
“Yu said that?”
“Yes.”
When I got back to the room, Claire was still engrossed in her book, so I demanded she take a teatime break. I thought she would say no, but she surprisingly wrapped up her studying without fuss. It was love!
“The Church…” Claire said thoughtfully as she put her teacup to her lips.
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea,” I affirmed. “Subsisting on recurring donations from aristocrats and income-proportional costs for medical treatment are both typical forms of wealth redistribution. I think there’s something to gain from learning from them.”
“That’s true…” Claire said, returning her cup to her saucer and picking up a madeleine. “To be honest, I have to say any path to the resolution of poverty led by the political institution of this kingdom would be grim. The royals and the nobility are the very deeply embedded systems siphoning wealth from the people, after all.”
I nodded, urging her to continue.
“However, it isn’t as though the aristocracy use this wealth solely for their own benefit; they conduct politics on behalf of their people, stimulate the economies of their territories, and protect them from enemy nations. But…”
“But?”
“Still water grows stagnant. There is corruption at work in this kingdom.”
Similar thoughts had driven the king to introduce his reforms.
“I won’t go so far as to say all the royals and nobles have forgotten that their purpose is to protect the people they rule over, but many see commoners only as a source of revenue—and the people can tell.” Claire groaned, adding that she learned this particular piece of information in a book written by a teacher outside of the Academy. “The more I learn, the more convinced I become that this country as it presently operates is simply unsustainable.”
“So what will you do about it, Miss Claire?”
“Rae?” Claire opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“You can’t change the past. This ignorance may be the sin of all aristocrats, but… Now that you know, what will you do? You come from a family with position and authority. If you change, then other aristocrats may change too.”
So I said…but I was mostly trying to embolden Claire. People didn’t change easily, let alone entire societies. I knew how the game ended, which meant I knew exactly how difficult Claire’s struggle was. But still—
“I know that much,” Claire tossed the rest of her remaining madeleine in her mouth, chewed carefully, and then washed it down with tea. It wasn’t very becoming behavior for an aristocrat. “You really are cheeky for a maid, Rae.”
“I’m very sorry. I love you.”
I would always prefer flirting with Claire to these painful discussions—so long as she wasn’t in immediate danger, I couldn’t help prioritizing her.
“Ugh! I’m going to the Church. Go ahead of me and let them know I’m coming.”
“Understood.”
***
Claire and I stepped through the exquisitely carved gate. The lit lamps inside the building highlighted the historical architecture of the inner walls, evoking a sense of spirituality I didn’t often feel.
We were in the Bauer Cathedral, head temple of the Spiritual Church. The Church was the dominant religion in this world, and the cathedral was appropriately magnificent. Not as grand as the palace, of course, but much larger than the François manor.
“Well, now that we’re here, who can we ask about things?”
“If we ask the reception, she’ll fetch the person in charge.” That was what I had been told when I announced Claire’s visit. But—
“That only gets you what the Church wants you to hear. I want the truth,” Claire said. And with that, she passed right by the reception and headed deeper into the cathedral. I rushed to catch up with her.
“I’m sure they have plenty of classified documents, but I don’t think they’ll just let you pick them up and look at them.”
“I don’t need documents. I can talk to people. Oh, excuse me—” Passing the entrance to what was probably a hall of worship, Claire approached a nun who was in prayer.
“Wh-what is it?!” The nun startled like a frightened squirrel at suddenly being spoken to. She was a slender young girl, wearing a black wimple that all but hid her silver hair and red eyes.
“I have some questions about this church. Do you have some time?”
“Oh uh… This is the hour for prayers,” the girl said, clearly implying we should ask someone else.
“Then I’ll wait until you are finished.” Claire was oblivious. She’d been acting so righteous lately that I’d forgotten she was an arrogant villainess too.
“Uh, umm…well…”
“What is it?” Claire had a fierce stare and an overpowering presence.
“Oh! I-I’m sorry…”
“You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Again. In any case, I shall be waiting for you to finish.”
“O-oh, yes…” The nun shot her eyes over to me for a moment, as if crying for help, but she returned to her prayer after I shook my head.
There was silence.
The nun looked completely in her element while praying. The fear she’d shown moments ago was gone, and instead, she looked like an ecclesiastical painting. Upon closer inspection, she had an attractive figure and pretty face. She seemed younger than Claire and me, but there was something about her that felt off.
“What are you gawking at?” Claire said.
“I wasn’t gawk—oh! Are you jelly, Miss Claire?!”
“What are you talking about?! I am not jelly! What is jelly?!”
“Be quiet in the prayer hall, mollusks,” the young girl scolded us. Claire and I couldn’t believe our ears.
“Huh?”
“Oh! Th-that… I’m sorry! Lilly sometimes says thing she shouldn’t…” So her name was Lilly, and she wasn’t entirely as meek as she seemed. Oh no. I had a soft spot for cute girls with a shy stutter.
“Lilly?” said Claire. “I believe I’ve heard that name before… In any case, are you done praying now?”
“Y-yes… I apologize for making you wait,” Lilly said, straightening her posture.
“I wish to ask you about the Church. Will you speak to me?”
“Th-the Church? It might be better if you speak to the public relations manager at reception…”
“I don’t wish to hear what the Church tells everyone. I want to know the truth about everything that happens here. Including the problems.”
“Oh, oh…?” Lilly looked puzzled.
“Miss Claire desires to address the issue of peasant poverty,” I said.
“P-poverty…?”
“Yes. She was hoping the Church might facilitate those efforts.”
“I-I see. There is certainly some truth to that. I-I would like to help you, but—” She turned her head and looked at me hard. “I-I’ve seen you somewhere before, yes?”
“I was actually just thinking that I’d seen you before, Lilly.” But I couldn’t for the life of me recall where.
“Not the most original pickup line, now is it?” Claire piped in.
“N-no! I had n-no intention of—”
“That’s right. I only have eyes for you, Miss Claire. Oh, Miss Claire, are you jelly? This time I think you really are jelly.”
“I am not jelly! I don’t even know what language that word came from, but stop it!”
“I said to be quiet in the hall of worship, senile eggplants!” Lilly barked.
Claire fell stone silent. So did I.
“Oh, no, no… I’m so sorry…” Lilly’s insults were so bizarre that it was hard to believe they were accidental, but she sounded genuinely contrite.
An elderly man approached us. “Is something wrong, Miss Lilly?”
“Oh, Bishop Rhona. These people wish to know more about the Church, so I was going to speak to them.”
“Miss Lilly, you needn’t bother with such mundane tasks.”
“B-but she is a noble… It’s not every day that the daughter of the Minister of Finance wants to talk to me.”
It seemed my hunch was right. Lilly held some sort of position in this church.
“I haven’t introduced myself yet, but m-my full name is Lilly Lilium. I am daughter of the Bauer Kingdom chancellor, Salas Lilium, and I serve as cardinal at the Spiritual Church,” she said with an awkward laugh. “Pl-please, allow me to tell you what you wish to know. The Church—”
Claire stopped her. “You can skip the establishment of the Church. I am well versed in history.”
“I-I see,” Lilly replied. “Then I will move on to our guiding principles.”
According to Lilly, the Church believed all people were equal in the eyes of the spirits. It sought the blessings and benefits of the spirits and prayed that be shared among all people.
“There are noble families in the B-Bauer Kingdom, but there is no social status in the eyes of the spirits.”
“And yet the disparity between rich and poor is very real,” Claire pointed out.
Lilly nodded. “Y-yes. That is why the Church is attempting to redistribute some of that wealth.”
The Church had two main sources of income. One was donations from aristocrats, which it attempted to redistribute to the poor as charity. The other was the clinic, which asked people to pay according to what they could afford.
“So, the Church depends on the royal family and nobility to survive?”
“N-no, that’s not the case. The Church also owns land throughout the country, and even does some business,” Lilly explained, adding that it was actually involved in a wide range of activities such as collecting taxes on its land, and dairy and crop farming. “Th-this allows the Church to maintain a certain degree of independence from the ruling powers of each country, which enables our goals to be fulfilled.”
“I see…” Claire nodded as she listened intently.
“Do you take donations from commoners?” I asked.
“Of course. But such donations are generally minor, and the greater ones are usually from prosperous merchants.”
“So, they don’t contribute much to the Church?”
“N-no, quite the opposite. The most important thing we receive from commoners is their faith. Faith is vital. It is what makes the Church a real church.”
“Is faith really that important? I’m an atheist, so I don’t really get it.”
“Huh?!” Lilly was speechless at my modern Japanese sensibilities.
“Rae, that was terribly rude. Apologize.”
“I’m very sorry.”
“N-no. I think I understand what you’re trying to say. There are communities in the lands owned by the Church where nonbelievers live. There are people there who say the same sorts of things as you, Rae.” Lilly continued, “B-but religion is real. Religion gives power to people who would not have had any, otherwise. To put it in a way that someone unfamiliar with religion might understand… Well, it is a well-scripted fairy tale that has been cultivated over the course of history.”
“Cardinal Lilly,” said Bishop Rhona, “if the Pope heard what you just said, she would faint.”
“Y-yes, you’re right. Sorry!”
She was correct, though. Religion depended on things that couldn’t be verified, but that belief, and history, also gave it real power. And that power was supported by the faith of the people.
“I-I think that religion can also provide a system of values,” Lilly said.
“A system of values?”
“W-well, I mean, what to value and what not to value. How to express the relationship between things with and without value.”
I’d read somewhere that Japanese people tended to think of religion as a “foreign” thing. But religion could interact closely with daily life and serve as a set of guiding principles for how to live that life—like doctrines against eating pork, for instance.
“I’ve always thought religion shows people how to live better,” Claire said.
“Hmmm,” I said. The problem was when people’s ideas of what constituted “better” came into conflict—but this world seemed relatively free of such religious wars or disputes, so I decided not to get into it.
“Let’s get to the point,” Claire said. “How does the Church feel about the poverty in Bauer? I see it as a path to eroding faith in the aristocracy and fomenting corruption in its ranks.”
“I-I don’t know much about such complicated things, but I think you are correct. However, I do not think this will last for long.”
“You mean…?”
“Prince Yu said as much. The aristocrats will soon fall.”
Claire paled at Lilly’s words. “What does he mean by that?”
“I-I am unsure of the details. B-but Prince Yu seems to think that the development of magical tools will usher in an era where an individual’s skill will speak louder than their lineage. He said that when it comes to that, the nobles won’t be able to stand up to the commoners who outnumber them…”
This was, more or less, what Yu had said to us when the Commoner Movement was picking up momentum at the Academy. At the time, Claire’s only reaction had been pure denial, but now she could no longer abjure the truth of his words.
“I don’t believe the nobles will simply stand by and see their titles abolished,” Claire said.
“O-of course, there will likely be resistance. But I do not think they can withstand the tide of history.”
“In that case, how can the aristocracy be abolished?”
“Th-there are many countries who have already done so. For example, a country called Phrance in the west.”
“How did they…?”
Lilly paused for a moment. “Th-there was a revolution.”
“A revolution?”
“Th-there was an uprising of the peasant class, and they tore down the nobility by force. In other words, it was a civil war between the new powers and the old.”
“Are you saying there will be a civil war…?” The blood drained from Claire’s face.
“I-I don’t think that will necessarily happen in the Bauer Kingdom. But looking at the tides around the world, I think the time when a minority of elite hold all the wealth is coming to an end.” In Claire’s eyes, meek, delicate Lilly probably looked like an oracle delivering a prophecy of death.
“After a revolution, what happens to the former nobles?”
“It depends on the country, but most are reduced to being citizens of the same status as the commoners. Some are executed.”
“Miss Claire!” I rushed to support Claire as she tottered.
“I-I’m fine. Just a bit dizzy.”
“Let’s stop here for today. It’s too much information to take in at once,” I suggested.
“I-I think so too,” Lilly agreed. She looked guilty to see her words so shock another person.
“Yes. This is plenty for today. Cardinal Lilly, may I come speak to you again?”
“Yes. If an aristocrat like you is willing to come talk to me, then I will do my best to make time as well.”
“Thank you very much.”
We thanked Lilly and the Bishop, and left the Cathedral. The carriage ride home was very quiet.
“Rae… About what the Cardinal said. What did you think?”
“It was complicated…and I’m hungry.”
“You’re doing it again. I know your results from the Academy aptitude test. I know you aren’t as ridiculous as you pretend to be.” Claire sighed. “I wanted to learn how the Church worked, but the conversation went in a direction I didn’t expect. Especially about the revolution… To think something so savage could occur.”
Savagery was subjective, of course. Some might consider the behavior of the royals and nobles far more barbaric.
“I wonder if we nobles are fated to disappear…”
“Even if you were no longer an aristocrat, I would still protect you, Miss Claire.”
“But she said that nobles were being executed…”
“That depends on the revolution. If you assist the revolutionaries, they may have reason to be grateful,” I offered, but Claire wasn’t hearing it.
“Are you telling me to betray my people?!”
“‘Traitor’ makes it sound like a bad thing. Think of it as being an ally to the common folk.”
“I am an aristocrat!”
“Didn’t you say you want to abolish poverty? What are you willing to give up for that cause?”
Claire stopped short, a complicated look on her face. She genuinely wanted to do something to address the pain of the people, but she had never considered that she might have to give up her own nobility in order to achieve that.
“Miss Claire, you received a great deal of new information all at once today. This isn’t something you can solve with ease. Let’s set it aside for tonight, eat, and get some rest.”
“Yes…you’re right…”
Even so, Claire remained deep in thought for the rest of the ride back. I wondered if she would be able to sleep that night.
Still, all said and done, today had gone pretty well. Now Claire understood the concept of a revolution. And she understood she had the option to stand on the side of the people.
A revolution…was coming. This much was certain. I knew that from my knowledge of the game. But I wouldn’t let things turn out the way they did there.
I would never let Claire be executed.
Miss Claire, I will protect you no matter what. I swore this in my heart to Claire, who still had her head against the window of the carriage, deep in thought.
***
After that, we visited Cardinal Lilly daily for some time. While Claire heard many things that shocked her, it seemed to me like she was seeking out an ideal society. For my part, I indirectly provided her an overview of Japan’s democracy to help develop her understanding.
During one of these discussions, I left to visit the ladies’ room when we took a tea break. On my way back, I overheard something unpleasant.
“Miss Lilly is meeting with the daughter of the Minister of Finance now?”
“I know… It’s disgusting.”
Two nuns, who’d probably been ordered to fetch tea, were talking about Lilly behind her back. I hadn’t planned on eavesdropping, but I couldn’t help but keep listening.
“It must be true that Lilly is a homosexual, then.”
“How immoral…and while engaged to Prince Yu too.”
It was then that I remembered where I had seen Lilly before. She was the character betrothed to Yu. It had taken me this long to remember because she didn’t even appear in the game, just the character reference guide, which never even gave her a name. Her description in the guide said she had a secret. Was that secret her sexual orientation?
“She’s only cardinal because her father is the chancellor, despite her perverted inclinations.”
“Apparently there’s more. Some expect her to be the next pope.”
“What a stain on the Church that would be.”
I couldn’t restrain myself anymore. “Isn’t that a little arbitrary?”
The filth the nuns had been whispering a minute ago was suddenly all swept away, replaced by expressions of demure devotion.
“And who are you?”
“I am Miss Claire’s servant,” I said. And, with absolute frankness, “Is same-sex love really such a terrible thing?”
“Ummm…” One grew evasive.
“At the very least, I don’t think it natural,” the other responded.
The one who’d avoided answering me signaled the other to stop, but apparently, she’d decided this was the hill she would die on. Nuns had a certain amount of status and power in this world. More than commoners, at the very least. Even the daughters of nobles sometimes became nuns. There was no reason for this woman to fear a mere maid.
“Natural? What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“Think about it. Same-sex partners can’t produce children—it’s a relationship that bears no fruit.”
“If birthing children is a condition of legitimate love,” I said, “then heterosexual couples who are unable to conceive must not be valid either.”
“Well…”
“And if being natural is desirable, should you refuse medical treatment when you’re sick? Medical science defies the course of nature in every instance of its use.”
The nun probably didn’t expect me to debate her like this. She grew red in the face and started tripping on her words. “Such sophistry…”
“Please, tell me specifically which part of what I said was sophism. Otherwise, I’ll take your dispute as nothing more than an emotional argument.”
“It doesn’t matter what sort of glib answers you come up with. Homosexuality is not normal, and it is practiced only by a heretical few!” So she had switched to the numbers argument.
“I’ll accept that there are fewer homosexuals than heterosexuals. But what does that prove? What is wrong with a number being smaller?”
“It’s proof that it’s not normal!”
“All right, so a higher number means something is ‘normal’? But you haven’t yet explained why the ‘abnormal’ smaller number ought to be considered bad.”
“Well…because…”
“Do you think happening to belong to a majority means you have the right to attack someone in a minority?”
“Argh… Never mind your logic! This—this heresy, it’s disgusting!”
“And there it is. Pure physiological disgust. You can’t understand it, and you don’t want to understand it, so you simply attack it.”
“And what’s wrong with that?!”
“But wouldn’t your own Church object to such rank discrimination? I thought you taught equality under the spirits. Are you sure these values of yours aren’t in violation of the Church’s teachings?”
The nun stopped short, the color draining from her face.
“I don’t want to refute or show you contempt,” I said. “I only want you to be freed from your bias against homosexuality.”
There was silence.
“I won’t even ask you to understand, then. But can’t you at least respect them?”
“Are you a homosexual too?” she asked, some of the hostility leaving her voice. This nun wasn’t a bad person. As I’ve said before, hers was the prevailing opinion in this world. All she did was give it voice.
“Yes,” I said.
“I…I cannot acknowledge this yet. But I believe I understand what you want to say. I will think on it. When—if I devise a rebuttal, then perhaps we might debate again.”
“Thank you very much. That’s enough.”
She turned and left with the nun who had been standing by, trembling.
Whew. I’d been gone much longer than I planned and gotten involved in a complicated discussion to boot. I needed a Claire refill, and fast. I was going to hug her so hard once I got back to her.
But when I turned, Lilly was right there, behind me. She didn’t say anything, just stood there, dumbfounded.
And jewel-like tears dropped from her eyes.
“Wh-what happened, Miss Lilly?!”
“Much…”
“What?”
“Th-thank you…very much…”
Lilly sobbed, wrapping her arms around me. Confused, I hugged her back. She was about two heads shorter than me, and her dainty body was surprisingly light. I had wanted a cheering dose of Claire, but, well, Lilly smelled nice too.
“I always thought my feelings were a crime…but you…”
Lilly was crying her heart out. Well, it seemed like those nuns hadn’t just been spouting rumors—I had no doubt now that Lilly was queer.
“No one has ever affirmed m-my feelings before… It was so cool, the way you said exactly what you think, Rae…” Lilly looked up at me with her tear-stained face.
She was really cute.
Remember, you have Claire…
“I-I think I might be in love with you, Rae,” Lilly said.
Just then, there was a sound behind Lilly.
Oh no.
Claire stood there, arms folded, incandescently livid.
***
“Here, Rae. Say ahhh?” Lilly had latched on to me, trying to get me to drink from her cup.
“Cardinal Lilly, that is improper,” my beloved Claire reprimanded as she tilted her own cup elegantly to her lips. Calm as Claire seemed on the outside, I knew the cup she kept putting to her lips had been empty for a while now.
“I-I’m sorry. But I’ve found the person of my dreams. I will marry Rae!”
“You can’t marry someone of the same sex in this kingdom,” Claire said.
“I-In that case we’ll just be lovers.”
“That won’t do either now, will it?” Claire said. I thought I saw a vein popping on her temple. She set her cup down with an uncharacteristic rattling sound.
“Are you jelly, Miss Claire?!” I gasped.
“I am not jelly! And you, Lilly—what about your engagement to Yu?”
“O-our engagement was decided by our parents. It has nothing to do with our feelings.”
“But that’s what marriage is, isn’t it?”
Marriage in the Bauer Kingdom was pretty different from the way marriage operated in modern Japan. In this kingdom, it was primarily an alliance between houses, and while that might have been partially the case in Japan’s past, nowadays we did things pretty differently.
“I-I would rather have love than marriage. In that way, Rae is perfect.”
There was a sharp sound as Claire’s teacup hit the desk. “Oh my, this cup was cracked. The handle came off. Will you please get me a new one?”
“Y-yes. But…that’s strange. This cup is brand new…”
It was pretty obvious what had happened, given that cup’s handle was partly melted. If Miss Claire was losing control of her magic, this was bad. I needed to firmly and clearly turn down Lilly.
“Miss Lilly, my heart already belongs to another,” I said.
“What?! Is that true?”
“Yes. I have already devoted my entire life to Miss Claire,” I said. When I did, Claire lifted her chin with a proud look on her face. She was so cute.
“Miss Claire, is that true?”
“I have no such intentions, but this person is free to think whatever she likes,” Claire said with a confidence that partially stemmed from hiding her embarrassment and partially from already being the winner.
“O-oh I see! In that case, I still have a chance!”
“O-oh? Umm…”
“If Rae’s love is still unrequited, I will win her over.”
“No, I mean I—”
“I-It’s fine!” Lilly insisted. “I heard that women are better off with people who love them, rather than people whom they love!”
Claire and I both put our heads in our hands at Lilly’s sudden increase in intensity. When we first met her, we’d thought her a timid, meek little creature, but we now knew that she had an aggressive, impulsive side too.
“Also…Master Yu likes someone else, not m-me,” she said almost under her breath. I sensed a hint of loneliness in that utterance.
“And who would that be?”
“I-I don’t know. But he told me that there is someone he has liked for a long time.”
I suspected it was probably Misha. Despite the desires of the game’s design, I hadn’t approached Yu, so the only likely candidate was her. They were childhood friends, after all, and he’d said, “for a long time,” so it made sense.
“Rae, what can I do to make you fall in love with me?”
“I can’t. I only have eyes for Miss Claire.”
“N-no! I won’t give up. This is…the first time I’ve felt this way. I-I finally know love,” Lilly said, looking at me as if she were dreaming. I wasn’t sure how to react.
“First loves never last,” I said.
“Th-then Rae’s love for Claire won’t last either, right…?”
“No, because it isn’t my first love.”
“Huh?!”
“Huh?!”
The two of them looked at each other.
“Rae, you’ve been in love with someone other than me?” Claire asked in a brittle tone.
“Ahhh. Uh…well, yes.”
“Oh, really. Hmmm.”
“What was your first love like, Rae?” Lilly asked.
“I’m not giving you any ideas, Miss Lilly.”
“I want to hear too,” Claire said firmly.
“It’s really not an interesting story. There was a girl that I was close to, and I liked her, but she turned me down.”
“I-I want to know more!” Lilly exclaimed.
“Stop grumbling and tell us everything.”
Ugh… It wasn’t a very pleasant story. “I’m telling you, it’s really boring. Are you sure you want to hear?”
“Yes, please,” Lilly begged.
“Hurry up with it,” Claire demanded.
“Ah…fine. It happened when I was in junior high…”
***
“Now remember, this guy’s a complete and total nerd. I wanted to say, ‘don’t make me laugh’ when he asked me to go out with him, but really, it wasn’t funny at all.”
“Don’t say that, Misaki. He must have been doing his best.”
“Aww, you’re so sweet, Kosaki. To even have sympathy for a mega-nerd like that…”
“Th-that’s not true… Rei, you agree, right?”
I turned around when I heard my name. A girl with short hair, dyed brown, and another with a black, medium-length bob were looking at me. We were in a classroom at Yurigaoka Academy Junior High, my name was Rei Ohashi, and my two best friends were having fun chatting about random stuff.
“Rei?”
“It’s nothing. Well…Misaki has all the guys chasing her, so she has really high standards,” I finally said.
“That’s true.” Kosaki nodded furiously in agreement.
Misaki was the queen bee of our class. She got good grades, was athletic, bright and outgoing, and good at expressing herself. Kosaki and I were her sidekicks. Kosaki was timid, the kind of girl other people rode roughshod all over, but she and Misaki had bonded over their similar names. They were known at school as the “Saki-Saki Combo”. If Misaki was a beautiful rose, Kosaki was a dandelion blooming by the side of the road.
The only thing I had going for me, meanwhile, was my height. I was ordinary in every other way. If I had to compare myself to a flower, I’d probably be a Canadian Goldenrod. I didn’t like being in the spotlight, but I had somehow been drawn into Misaki’s clique, though my reasons for being there were starting to change.
“I wonder,” Misaki said. “I mean, nerds like that think all girls are two-dimensional.”
“Y-you’re being judgmental, Misaki.”
“But it’s true. My older brother had a bunch of manga that he let me read. It was bad.”
I didn’t really read manga or watch anime, but I thought she wasn’t being entirely fair to assume all nerds were perverts who either fantasized about girls or idolized them. I didn’t say that out loud, of course. I wasn’t the best at reading the room, but I was sharp enough to realize that contradicting Misaki would be dangerous. Kosaki had been forgiven her tiny objection just now because she was Misaki’s favorite.
“Anyway,” Misaki continued, “some girls are nerds too. They read those…what are they called? Boys’ Love manga? The ones where guys are doing it with other guys? Gross.”
That shocked me, even though I wasn’t a big yaoi reader. The opposite, in fact. I forced myself to look away from Kosaki, whom I had been glancing at repeatedly.
I had been infatuated with Kosaki of late. She was adorable, like a cute little animal, and I was still a girl who liked cute things. At first, I’d thought that was all it was. But the way she flipped her hair, the color of her lip gloss, her bashful expression—every little thing she did made my heart flutter.
I wasn’t completely clueless. I’d read about lesbians in yuri manga, and I recognized myself in them. At that time, though, I still thought there was something wrong with the way I felt, and so I did my best to hide my feelings. Being an outlier at school made you a target, and more than anything I didn’t want Misaki to find out what I was really thinking.
“Someone like her?” Misaki pointed to another girl, who had naturally curly hair and wore glasses. “Katano is always drawing, isn’t she? Stuff like that nasty manga.”
“That’s not true,” Kosaki protested. “She’s really good.”
“Kosaki, why would you defend someone like that?” Misaki retorted in a voice much louder than the one Kosaki had used. Katano must have heard them, but she continued quietly concentrating on her drawing. “What do you think, Rei? Isn’t it gross?”
“Hmmm… I don’t really know much about that stuff,” I said.
“Right? It’s impossible to understand. It’s so sick.”
I’d tried to give a neutral response, but Misaki had twisted it into affirmation. I wondered what Katano thought of me. When I glanced up at her, she was looking my way, and our eyes met. Flustered, I looked away.
“What is it, Katano? You have something to say?” Misaki said threateningly, noticing Katano looking at us.
“Not really…” Katano replied meekly, then went back to her drawing.
“What’s up with her? Creepy,” Misaki spat out.
“Misaki! Jeez… Sorry, Katano,” Kosaki interceded.
Guilt welled up in my chest, But I couldn’t go explaining to Misaki what I’d really meant to say, not now. I’d just be giving her ammo to use against both Katano and myself.
“This is exactly why I hate nerds,” Misaki complained. “They can never read the room.”
She kept going, ranting about all nerds, including Katano. I thought she was going too far, but I didn’t dare protest. I was too afraid of being cast out of the fragile social network of our class. Even the littlest thing could get you ostracized.
Still, I envied Katano. She could say what she wanted without worrying about upsetting the balance. She had strength that I didn’t. I was jealous of how she seemed not to fear solitude.
If I could be like her, then Kosaki and I could—
I shook my head to chase away the dangerous thought I almost had.
“What is it Rei?” Kosaki tilted her head, looking at me.
“Nothing, nothing.” I laughed to throw her off.
It’s like they say, right? Young girls who are as close as we are sometimes feel something similar to romantic love. When I get older, I’m sure I’ll like boys just like everyone else. I’m not abnormal.
I was young and afraid. But people can’t stay children forever, and it wasn’t long before I learned that the hard way.
***
“Hey! Ohashi,” a male teacher called to me after class one day.
“Yes?” I stopped packing up my things and walked toward his desk.
“Sorry, but can you take these printouts to Katano’s house?” He handed me a stack of papers. The top one was for parent-teacher conferences. “She’s home with the flu. If she doesn’t get this printout in time, her parents may not be able to come.”
“Why me?”
“You live closest to her house. There’s the address.”
I started to notice the class watching this conversation with curiosity.
“Can’t you just take pictures and email them? Ask someone who knows her.”
“Well, I don’t know her email address. If you know someone who does have it, you’re welcome to ask them to do it. Thanks,” the teacher said, getting up to leave.
“Hey, wait…”
But he was gone. I shrugged and resumed getting ready to go home, a sinking feeling in my stomach.
“What a disaster. You can’t go to that mega-nerd’s house,” Misaki said.
“Misaki, don’t call her that,” said Kosaki.
“Ha ha ha… Well, it can’t be helped. See you at school tomorrow,” I said awkwardly. I hurried through saying goodbye to the Saki-Saki Combo and left the school.
It turned out the Katanos lived surprisingly close to me—pretty much kitty-corner to my house. Since my dad had to move a lot for work, I didn’t have any childhood friends around. We might have said hello to the neighbors when we moved in, but I hadn’t met every single one of them. I would never have known Katano lived there if my teacher hadn’t sent me to her.
I dropped my stuff at home and then picked up the bundle of printouts to take to Katano’s house. I took some deep breaths in front of the door. For some reason, I was extremely nervous when I rang the doorbell.
“Yes?” said a voice over the intercom.
“I’m Ohashi, a classmate of Shiko. I came to deliver the printouts we got while Shiko was absent.”
“Oh, thank you. Please come in.” The front door unlocked itself. I’d planned to hand off the printouts and leave, but flustered by Katano’s mom’s invitation, I couldn’t just stand there gaping. I went inside.
“Hello,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Come in, come in. I’m so glad to see Shiko does have such a good friend!”
“No, I—” What was I planning to say? That I wasn’t actually her friend? I stopped myself mid-sentence and instead decided to do what I’d come for. “Here are the printouts. Parent-teacher conferences are coming up, so the teacher asked that you please work out the schedule.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry, but will you take them to Shiko’s room? I can’t take my eyes off the stove right now,” her mother said.
“Oh… I don’t know where her room is…” I said confused.
“On the second floor, in the back.”
I couldn’t escape. I decided to just hurry up and hand them off. I climbed the stairs and stood in front of the room at the end of the hall, where a doorplate read “Shiko.” I knocked three times.
There was no response. I knocked again, but there was still no response. Was she sleeping? What was I supposed to do?
Wait. This was perfect. If she was asleep, then I could just put the printouts on her desk, tell her mother goodbye, and be on my way.
“Excuse me…” I said in a tiny voice, opening the door as quietly as possible. “…Wow. Amazing…”
Katano’s room was the epitome of nerd rooms. There were anime posters on the wall and rows of manga on bookshelves. A glass display case was filled with figurines and other kinds of merch that I’d never even known existed.
I caught myself. Glancing over, I saw Katano sleeping soundly in her bed. I didn’t want her to wake up while I stared at the wonders of her room. This was my chance.
The room might have been overflowing with anime merchandise, but the space around her desk was clean and neat. When I went to set down the bundle of printouts, I accidently moved the computer mouse, waking up the computer from sleep mode.
“This is…a manga?”
The image that appeared on the screen was that of two naked girls, looking into each other’s eyes. I’d heard people were drawing manga on computers lately. The illustration was what fascinated me. One of the girls looked shy and had a bob cut, while the other was tall, with an open, honest expression. Even though they were both naked, strangely, I didn’t find the picture vulgar at all. In fact, it was drawn with a delicate touch that made it beautiful.
“I used Kosaki and you as the models.”
I heard a barely audible voice and flipped around to see Katano sitting up in bed in her pajamas, looking at me.
“Oh…no… Ah…I…!” I was utterly confused.
“It’s okay. You came to bring me the printouts, right?” Katano was calm, which helped calm me down too.
“Sorry I looked without asking,” I said.
“Nuh-uh. I didn’t ask if I could use you as a model, so I guess we’re even,” Katano said, laughing a little. She looked much cuter without her glasses. And happier than she was at school too.
“What do you mean by models?” I asked.
“It sounds like Misaki thinks I’m a yaoi fan, but it’s actually the opposite. I’m into yuri,” she said, taking the conversation in a direction I hadn’t expected. Katano went on to tell me that she was writing a manga with the theme of love between women. “Do you think it’s disgusting?”
“I…don’t think it’s disgusting.” I hadn’t planned to tell the truth, but the words came out anyway.
“I suppose that’s true,” Katano mused.
“What’s…true?” I asked, immediately regretting it.
“I mean, you like Kosaki, don’t you?”
“Huh?!” Looking back, my expression must have been comical. But it wasn’t funny at the time. “What are you talking about?”
“You don’t have to hide it. I told you, I’m into yuri. I don’t have any problems with that sort of thing.”
The matter-of-fact way she said that scared me. If Katano knew about my crush on Kosaki, my social life at school could end tomorrow. I desperately tried to deny it. “No…not me! I’m not some kind of weirdo!”
“Weirdo? Is it weird?” Katano stayed very calm, even though I was getting worked up. “Isn’t anyone free to like whomever they like?”
I was too dumbfounded to string together a sentence in reply. Ignoring me, Katano took some books from her shelf and put them in a bag with a picture of an anime character on it.
“Try reading these, if you want,” she said.
I looked down. The book on top looked like a novel. There was a drawing of a beautiful young girl on the cover.
“I’m sure it will help you relax.”
For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse. Maybe, deep down, I wanted someone to affirm what I was feeling. Whatever the reason, I accepted the books.
“Let me know what you think after you read it,” Katano said and then crawled back into her bed. Her breathing was heavy with sleep again in a minute. Still dazed, all I could do was leave and go back downstairs.
“Oh? Are you leaving already? You’re welcome to stay for dinner,” Katano’s mom offered.
“No… I think my mom is making me something.”
“Oh? Well, next time, then.”
“Yes. Goodbye.”
I left Katano’s house.
That night I read the books Katano loaned me. And then—
My world changed forever.
***
The day after I visited Katano’s house, I stayed home from school with the flu. I’d probably caught it from Katano. Even though I had a fever, I engrossed myself in my borrowed novels.
What Katano had given me was a series titled Between Prayer and Love. It was set at a prestigious all-girl Catholic high school, and the main character was a devout Christian student who had feelings for one of her upperclassmen. The books dealt with the struggle between her conservative faith and her queerness, and her gradual growth over time. Her platonic relationship with her favored upperclassman was developed in fascinating detail, as were her heartwarming friendships with other girls, and the books had elaborate illustrations to boot. I was utterly captivated.
The series had one character who was openly queer. Her name was Hijiri, and she was one of the main character’s upperclassmen too. Hijiri was always there to validate the main character’s feelings, explaining to her that same-sex love wasn’t a sin. The main character resisted at first, but she slowly came to accept herself. Reading her journey, I felt like my own feelings were being affirmed alongside hers.
A few days later, I was in bed with a cool compress on my forehead, reading the book Katano had loaned me for the umpteenth time. My fever was gone, but my father was a worrywart who insisted that I rest, so I had nothing else to do. Then the door opened unexpectedly.
“Rei, you have a visitor,” said my mom.
“Mom, knock next time,” I said.
“I did knock. You just didn’t notice.” Must have been too absorbed in my book. “What should I do? Do you want her to come up? She said her name is Katano.”
I was quiet. I’d assumed it was Misaki or Kosaki, and…to be honest, I was a little afraid of seeing Katano. There was something mysterious about her. But I did really want to thank her for the book.
“Just for a bit,” I said.
“Okay,” my mom said, going back out. Soon after, someone knocked on the door three times.
“Come in.”
“Hello. Oh, you look better than I expected,” Katano said, dropping her bag onto the floor. “This is…a pretty plain room, isn’t it?”
“Don’t look at it. I already know.” I didn’t like feminine furnishings, at least not at the time. I liked cute things, but I was so big and awkward that I never felt like they really suited me.
Maybe I would get some more, now.
“The novel was good,” I said.
“Isn’t it? What part did you like?”
We chatted for a while, discussing each of the characters and what we liked about them, and commenting on our favorite highlight scenes. It was the first time I’d ever talked this passionately about a book to anyone. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
“It looks like you’ve treated more than just your influenza,” Katano said eventually.
“Yeah… Maybe I can face my own sexuality now.”
The series was still ongoing, so we didn’t know what the main character would ultimately choose. Unlike her, I had never been strongly possessed of any particular faith, and so I had no intention to keep denying my own feelings.
“It’s all thanks to you, Katano. I am really grateful,” I said.
“Then call me Shiko. It’s unfair if I’m the only one using a given name.”
“You’re right. Thank you, Shiko.”
“You’re welcome.”
In a way, I felt like Shiko was my Hijiri. Like Hijiri did for the main character in Between Prayer and Love, Shiko showed me a path forward when I was struggling with my queerness. Calling her by her given name felt right. I was bursting with newfound confidence, sure that I would never lie to myself again.
And yet.
When I returned to school the next day, something was off. When I said hello to someone, they ignored me. The girls who I would normally hang out with shut me out of their circle. At first, I thought it was just because I’d been absent for a while, but this was clearly something else.
They were avoiding me.
“Hey, Kosaki. It’s really rare to get the flu during this season, isn’t it?” Misaki said in a loud voice, looking in my direction.
“Y-yes…” Kosaki sounded uncomfortable, but she was looking my way too.
“Hey, didn’t someone else get the flu recently too?”
“W-well, yes.”
“Hmmm…how suspicious,” Misaki said, her voice dripping with venom.
Then a boy joined in. “Maybe they did something to transfer it?”
The entire classroom broke into laughter. The normalcy that I’d been so desperately trying to maintain was crumbling right before my eyes.
“No…!” I cried. “I haven’t done anything like that!”
“Why are you freaking out, Rei?” Misaki asked. “Who said we’re talking about you?”
I felt like a mouse being toyed with by a cat. “Shiko said this would happen,” I stammered. “That you’d get the wrong—”
“Shiko? Are you calling that nerd by her first name now? You must really like her.”
“N-no! That’s not true!”
“Then what? Why are you two such pals all of a sudden?”
“I just…got some advice from her…”
“Advice? About what? How to be good in bed?”
Crude laughter sounded all around me in the classroom. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.
And then—
“How can you be this stupid? What are you, some kind of monkey?” A sharp, clever voice cut through the laughter. Katano stood up at her desk, looking over at us.
“What is it, Katano? Something wrong?” Misaki asked.
“You’re being absurd. You’re so pathetic, you make me sick. How old do you think you are? Did your body grow up while your brain stayed in kindergarten?” Shiko pulled no punches. Misaki was speechless, caught off guard by such ferocity from someone who was normally so meek. Shiko seized the opportunity to push harder. “Anyway, Rei has someone she likes. And it’s not me. If you were really her friend, you’d know that.”
“What do you know about it?!”
“Oh, whatever. Just stop trying to drag me into your little kindergarten games. I’m not going to stoop to your level.”
“You!”
It looked like Misaki and Shiko might come to blows any moment.
“Stop! Will you just stop?! I hate this,” Kosaki cried. “Misaki… I hate it when anyone in our class fights…and I hate it most of all when you fight with someone…”
She burst into tears, rendering everyone in the classroom silent. Misaki, Shiko, and every other student in the classroom looked at Kosaki in amazement.
“Tsk… Fine. C’mon, stop crying. Sorry, everyone.” Misaki clicked her tongue and hugged Kosaki. The boys who had joined in the teasing also dispersed in groups of two or three.
Realizing that things had settled down, at least for the moment, I breathed a sigh of relief. Shiko had already returned to her own seat and was reading a book. She sure could switch gears fast.
But then—
I wonder if this is the end of my peaceful days.
***
Just as I expected, I was snubbed by Misaki’s group from the next day forward. Even though I had feared being alone so much, now that it had actually happened, it wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was refreshing to not have to keep up the charade of superficial relationships. Okay, it made things hard when it came time to pick partners for gym class or the school trip, but overall, my life was less complicated now.
I started partnering with Shiko a lot during gym class. We weren’t always the odd ones out in the exact same way, but we wound up together a lot. I used to go straight home after school, but now I started visiting her manga club and talking about manga with the other members too.
My relationship with the Saki-Saki combo remained fraught. Misaki openly avoided me, but Kosaki and I occasionally studied in the library together. Even so, Kosaki was concerned about what Misaki thought, so she wouldn’t speak to me out in the open much anymore. The only contact we had was in the library. I allowed myself to admit that I enjoyed these monthly “dates” with the person I liked (even if I knew only I thought of them that way).
One other thing changed. I decided I wanted to create something, probably thanks to Shiko’s influence, so I started writing fanfiction. Drawing really challenged me, but the written word just worked for my brain. I found it relaxing, despite my complete lack of skill. Shiko and her manga club buddies were huge nerds who had plenty of great manga, games, and anime to recommend. I read, watched, and played them all, then wrote fanfiction about the characters I liked.
“Yeah, I think it’s good. It’s pretty rough, but really passionate.”
“Yeah. It’s got this really fresh feel to it.”
“You should watch these sentence structures a bit, though.”
“I see…”
I was back at the manga club, and its members were reading my latest work. This was back in the days before the “Cool Japan” campaign, and otaku interests were still niche rather than mainstream. Most people had the same scornful opinion of fannishness that Misaki did. I considered myself lucky to have found such kindred spirits, let alone people who would read my terrible first drafts and give me honest feedback.
“Hey, Rei, have you read the latest Prayer-Love?” Shiko asked. This was the shortened nickname fans used for the series she’d loaned me.
“Not yet. I was going to buy it on the way home.”
“I see. You should prepare yourself. Something big happens.”
“What? Oh, I want to know!” I was looking forward to reading it, but Shiko’s expression was dark. “Is it bad?”
“I won’t spoil it for you. Just read it.”
***
“Agh…”
Like I told Shiko, I bought the new volume of Prayer-Love on the way home and read it right away. I soon found out why Shiko had worn such a disappointed expression.
The upperclassman whom the main character was in love with was named Shoko, and she was a well-bred lady born to an old family that went back to the Muromachi period. She was willful and eccentric, but very likable, easily the most popular character in the series. The last volume had ended with the heroine confessing her feelings to Shoko, and we’d all been waiting to find out what happened next.
But tragedy struck in this new volume, and Shoko was hit by a car on her way to meet the heroine in the park at night. The scene where the main character found Shoko’s body was so heartrending that I cried, a testament to the author’s skill. The book ended with Hijiri holding the main character as she grieved.
“I wonder if this means she’s going to end up with Hijiri…?” I said.
Much as the book had moved me, I wasn’t a fan of this new twist in the tale. I didn’t know what to do with the gloom that consumed me. The Rei of the past would have had no way to express her frustration, but luckily, I had the perfect hobby now.
I would write fanfiction where Shoko lived.
Writing alternate versions of canon events was common practice in fanfiction. It required a love and understanding of the original material but provided the perfect meeting point between your hobby and your own desires.
“If I were the author, this is what I would write,” I said, and I stayed at my computer late into night, completely absorbed in the version of the story as I retold it.
***
“You really did it…”
“I think your story works super well, Rei.”
“I think I like the original better, but yours made me cry a little too.”
The next day, the manga club read my fanfic and gave me their thoughts. Everyone had read the latest book by now and been shocked by it, so they all had something to say.
“What did you think, Shiko?” I was grateful to hear their thoughts, but I wanted to hear Shiko’s opinion most of all.
“I…I like both, but I think I prefer the original too.”
“I see…”
“I’m sorry. It’s not that I dislike yours.”
“Yeah, I know. Thank you for reading it.” I was just grateful that she’d read it and given me her honest opinion. “Shiko, do you ship the heroine with Hijiri?”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m not as upset by what happened in the latest volume. You were rooting for her to end up with Shoko, right?”
“Yeah…” I said, slumping my shoulders in disappointment.
“I’m sorry.” Shiko gave me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
“I don’t like what happened in the latest book, but it helped me realize something,” I said.
“I see. So you’re going to do it?”
“Yeah. I want to tell Kosaki I like her.”
In my fanfic, the heroine told Shoko her true feelings earlier than she did in canon, which altered the course of events so Shoko never had her accident. It wasn’t a particularly inventive change, but I wasn’t all that good at writing yet. I’d still poured my entire soul into the fic, trying to get across the message that you should express your love before it’s too late. You never know how much time you have left with someone you love. The latest Prayer-Love had taught me that.
I didn’t think Kosaki would die anytime soon, of course, but one of us might transfer schools, or we might go our separate ways after we graduated. She might even start seeing someone else. I needed to tell her how I felt so I wouldn’t end up like the main character in Prayer-Love.
“It’s about time.”
“You’re really going to do it?”
“Good luck!”
The manga club members encouraged me. I had already confided in them about my sexual orientation, and they’d accepted me, which was another thing contributing to my recent happiness.
“When are you going to do it?”
“Maybe tomorrow. We’re staying after school to work in the library.”
“I see. You can do this, Rei,” Shiko said.
If I’d paid more attention to her face, I would have seen that she wasn’t happy with my decision at all. But I didn’t realize that until much later.
***
“I like you, Kosaki. Would you go out with me?”
“Huh? Wha?! What?!”
We were in the library after school. I chose a moment when we were alone to finally tell Kosaki that I liked her. I couldn’t think of anything but the same old tired lines, so I just came out with it. Maybe I actually didn’t have any talent with words.
Kosaki looked at first like she didn’t understand. Then, as she absorbed what I was saying, her face grew troubled. “Huh? You like me… You mean not as a friend?”
“Yeah. In a romantic way.”
“So, it’s true you like girls?”
“I don’t know if I only like girls. But I like you.” I couldn’t back down now. “Don’t you have fun when you’re with me?”
“I’m not saying I don’t!”
“Do you hate me?”
“No, I don’t hate you. But…”
“Don’t you think we’re on the same wavelength?”
“Well, maybe, but…” Kosaki wasn’t giving me the answer I was looking for, and I was getting flustered. That was why what she said next made me so happy. “I think…I need some time. Do I have to answer right now?”
“No, not at all. I’d much prefer you take your time rather than say no right now. Please think about it.”
“Yeah. Thank you.”
“No, thank you. I’m sorry for catching you off guard.”
We smiled at each other.
“Were you surprised?” I asked.
“How could I not be? I mean, I thought if you were going to say you liked a girl, it would surely be Katano.”
“Shiko?”
“Aren’t you guys super close now?”
“I guess so,” I said. I didn’t have any romantic feelings for Shiko, though.
“Did you know that Katano is actually Misaki’s childhood friend?” Kosaki asked.
“What? Really?”
“Yeah. I guess it’s pretty complicated.”
“What is?”
“It’s really not my story to tell… I bet Katano would tell you if you asked her.”
Honestly, I didn’t want to know that badly.
“Anyway,” I said, “it’s closing time. Let’s close up the library.”
“Oh, you’re right. Rei, can you flip the sign on the door?”
“On it.”
I felt relief as I walked home that night. I’d confessed, and then Kosaki and I had talked just like we always did. It hadn’t been awkward at all. I even thought that maybe I had a chance.
I was wrong. Dead wrong.
***
“Good morning,” I said, as usual, as I entered the classroom the next day.
Not a single person replied.
In retrospect, I should have realized it then. But I was a fool in love, fresh off the high of professing that love. I looked quizzically around the class and headed to my seat.
Then I saw the graffiti on my desk.
“What…is this?” Words were scrawled all over my desk in permanent ink. One phrase came up again and again. Ohashi Rei is a lesbian.
My stomach dropped. I looked around frantically for Kosaki, and I found her sitting next to Misaki, who was eyeing me and laughing viciously. That was when I understood. Kosaki had told Misaki what happened.
Of course she’d want to consult someone about something as big as another girl saying she liked her. And of course the first person she’d go to would be Misaki. And of course this was how Misaki would respond. This wasn’t Kosaki’s fault. I mean, she was partially to blame, but in the end, the fault was mine.
I understood, now. Reality didn’t tie things up as neatly as fiction did. Friendship couldn’t always be trusted. Queer love wouldn’t always be understood or accepted.
I don’t remember exactly what happened next.
***
“Rei, are you all right?”
The next thing I did remember was Shiko, with a worried look on her face. School had already ended for the day, and I was sitting at my desk, lit by the evening sun. At some point the graffiti had disappeared. I learned later that Shiko spoke to the teacher and asked him to get it cleaned up.
“Shiko…”
“It’s horrible. Unbelievable.” Shiko was furious for me. She denounced the things that had been done to me as unfair and defended me from every angle.
“Thank you, Shiko.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” Shiko said, her eyes moist. I knew exactly what was coming. “Hey, Rei. Would you consider me, instead of Uchiyama?”
Uchiyama was Kosaki’s last name. I knew that much, but I didn’t really understand what Shiko was saying.
“I like you, Rei,” Shiko said more simply. I must have had a confused look on my face.
“Me…?”
“Yeah.” Shiko nodded and hugged me.
If this had been a novel, maybe I would have come to love Shiko at that point. Instead, my emotions had frozen over like ice. I didn’t feel anything.
No—that’s not true. The first thought that crossed my mind was that this was the reason Shiko first spoke to me, and that this was why she’d worked to separate me from Misaki and Kosaki.
I thrust her away.
“Rei…”
“I’m sorry,” was all I could say before I ran.
I was at my limit. I didn’t want to think or do anything else; I just wanted to get away from there. When I got home, I skipped dinner, shut myself in my room, and cried and cried.
I thought the world was full of nothing but hurt.
After that, I didn’t go back to school for a long time. My parents were worried, but I was afraid they would shun me like my classmates did. I couldn’t bring myself to tell them I was queer, and therefore, I also couldn’t tell them about the bullying (if you could call it that) that kept me out of school. It was about a month after I stopped going to school that I finally opened up to my parents.
“I see…” My mom looked surprised at first, but it only took her a moment to recover and give me a hug. “I may not be able to understand everything about you, but I am always on your side.”
I’ve never forgotten what it was like to hear her say those words. I might never have recovered, if not for that moment.
My father was silent, and he wore a complicated look on his face, but a few days later, he took me to a support group for queer people and their families. I knew then that he was trying really hard to understand me, and that made me happier than anything.
Thanks to the support of my parents, I was able to go back to school after two months. Listening to the stories of other queer people set me free. I knew I was lucky, compared to most.
Even so, the way my first love had ended always stayed with me.
***
I told this entire story to Claire and Lilly, altering or excluding details where necessary to conceal that it had happened in my past life.
Claire’s reaction was immediate. “That’s horrible. I’m furious to hear it. Rae, tell me where these people are. I’m going to set them on fire.”
“I’ll help, Miss Claire,” Lilly volunteered.
Well, that was a bit extreme.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I didn’t know it then, but Misaki’s home life was really rough at the time. She was going through a bad patch. We actually became friends again after we graduated. We even formed our own Cryptid Club.”
“Cryptid Club?”
“Yeah, we went hunting for the tsuchinoko.”
“Tsuchinoko?!”
“Um, sorry, forget it.” Some Japanese folklore was just never going to translate. Back to the topic at hand. “Anyway, there was a lot going on in our lives back then.”
“It sounds to me like this Misaki person is just evil.” Claire was still furious.
“It’s more complicated than that,” I soothed, trying to calm her down.
“Wh-what do you mean?” Lilly asked.
“Besides her problems at home, Misaki actually liked Shiko. But she couldn’t accept that about herself.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. The reason she banished me from her group was because she thought I would steal Shiko from her.”
“Wh-whoa…so it was a love triangle?” Lilly moaned.
“No, a love square.”
“What do you mean?!”
“Kosaki liked Misaki.”
“That’s…so complicated…”
Rei liked Kosaki, Kosaki liked Misaki, Misaki liked Shiko and Shiko liked Rei—in short, it was right out of a soap opera. I borrowed a pen and paper to draw the love square out for my companions.
“What an absolute mess,” Claire said.
“Y-yes,” Lilly agreed.
“Well, we were all very young…”
“You’re still only in your mid-teens!”
“Ah, I was so young.”
“Not was! Use present tense!”
Oops. I’d fallen down the nostalgia hole. “Anyway, all three of them eventually made up. Finding out about Kosaki’s true feelings was the most interesting part. We used to think she was our little angel, but really, she was pretty devilish.”
“I had a feeling,” Claire said. “She sounds like the kind of person who thinks her adorable features entitle her to get away with anything.”
“Miss Claire, you’re exactly right.”
Everything Kosaki said or did was calculated. Her bashful smile, her mild demeanor, wanting everyone to get along—she did it all on purpose, even the part where she got us to treat her like a darling pet. Everyone underestimated her. Once she had someone eating out of the palm of her hand, she’d use them as she pleased.
“In the end, Kosaki and Misaki got together. Oh, and it was Ko and Mi, not Mi and Ko.”
“What in the world are you talking about?”
“Every couple has an order their names must be said in!” I stopped myself. I was letting my nerd show. “Well, that’s the story of my first love. I told you it was boring.”
“It wasn’t boring,” Claire said.
“Y-yes. It was very informative,” Lilly added.
“Oh really?”
In truth, the incident with the love square had laid the foundation for the person I became. I’d only gotten geekier from there, and I’d started to make impulsive rushes at people I liked—but that had been during my later years at university, so I couldn’t tell these two about it.
“You’ve had a rough time of it,” Claire said.
“No, not really. And I can afford to laugh about it now. What do you think, Miss Lilly? Was it disappointing?”
“N-no. I think it actually made me like you more.”
“What?!” That was not what I’d been hoping for. “The point is, first loves rarely work out, and it’s even harder for queer people. That’s why you must prepare yourself for rejection.”
“R-rejection?”
“Yes. And that’s why I can endure Claire rejecting me all the time.”
“N-no, that only happens because you’re too brazen!” Claire stammered.
“Miss Claire’s first love was Manaria, right?”
“No! Sister…was just so incredible. I misunderstood.”
“How did we get here, anyway? What were we even talking about to start with?”
“The issue of poverty…” Claire’s eyes glazed over.
“It’s okay to go off on a tangent sometimes,” Lilly comforted us while Claire and I tried to pull ourselves together. “B-but to go back to what you were just saying, Rae… Ideals don’t always line up with reality, do they?”
“What do you mean?”
“Th-the Church has many ideals that we would like to see made reality, but politics get in the way,” Lilly said, suddenly sounding like a middle-aged lady. “I-I believe the Church is coming to the end of its ability to work with politicians.”
“But we can’t give up on our ideals,” Claire said. “If we do that, the people lose out.”
“Then chase those ideals,” I urged. “Work to make them a reality.”
“Rae…”
“You’re not alone, Miss Claire. I’m not much help, but I’m here for you.”
“Thank you.”
Claire and I looked at each other, sharing a moment of connection. But then—
“If you’re going to make out, get a room, you pustules!”
We looked at Lilly.
“Oh… I really didn’t do that on purpose, please believe me!”
“I believe you.” Honestly, her involuntary swearing was enchanting.
“Thank you so much for your hospitality, Cardinal Lilly. Please let us know if there is anything we can do in return,” Claire said.
“It’s my pleasure to help you learn about the Church, Miss Claire!”
“What is your biggest challenge right now, Miss Lilly?” I inquired casually.
“Ch-challenge?”
“Yes. You’ve helped us a lot, so we’d like to return the favor.”
“Ah… That makes me so happy to hear.”
“Don’t start making out with her,” Claire muttered.
“W-well…” Lilly said. “I’m researching something I could use your help with. It’s called the Crosswise Curse…”
“Ohh, that’s the one that affects someone’s gender, right?”
Obviously, curses and such didn’t exist in Japan, and this one in particular had some dubious implications outside of its fictional status in the game. The curse made a person appear as a gender other than their true one, and Revolution used it for comedic leverage. This frankly troubled me a bit, given some of my personal experiences…but more on that later.
In any case, the topic of cross-dressing and so forth interested the game developers and the players alike—as might be obvious from the cross-dressing café we constructed at the Foundation Day Festival, where the princes took on the role of beautiful maids. I have to admit the special illustrations from that event are pretty amazing.
My heart still fluttered when I thought of how Claire dressed in a tuxedo for the café. So dashing!
“Oh, but wouldn’t the power of the Church’s relic—the Tears of the Moon—cancel out the curse? Or at least dampen its effects.”
“Y-you know about the Tears of the Moon?!” Lilly gasped. “That’s one of the Church’s greatest secrets!”
“Oh…” I confess: I had forgotten.
The Tears of the Moon was a magical tool that absorbed moonlight during a full moon prior to activation. It had the ability to negate a variety of magical effects, similar to the barrier at the Academy dueling grounds—except the Tears of the Moon’s negation was permanent. The considerable power of this magical tool could rescue people from all sorts of terrible magical aftereffects, and therefore it was one of the most highly protected secrets of the Spiritual Church. It required two people, both at the cardinal level or higher, to handle it, and otherwise it was kept in the vault where the Church housed religious artifacts. In other words, bringing it up out of nowhere was a pretty huge oops on my part.
“Wh-where did you hear about the Tears of the Moon?!” Lilly pressed.
“Er, ummm… Master Yu told me.” At this point in time, the only people I knew who were related to the Church were Lilly and Yu.
“Th-that can’t be. If Master Yu knew of a way to reverse the curse, then why wouldn’t sh—ah!” Lilly put her hand over her mouth, flustered.
“Cardinal Lilly, What did you say?” I asked.
“Oh, no, no, no…”
“Is Master Yu afflicted with the Crosswise Curse?” Claire asked, joining me in staring intently at Lilly.
Lilly let out a sigh as if she had given up. “I-I will tell you—but only because it seems Rae may know a way to reverse this curse. Please, please do not let what I am about to say leave this room. If it gets out, your lives will be in danger.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
We were no doubt walking into true peril, but we nodded.
Defeated, Lilly started talking. “Th-the truth is…”
***
“Ah. So you heard about Yu, then?”
“I did.”
When I returned to my dorm room that night, Misha was back. She had stayed in Euclid longer than us, and her pure white skin was now a bit red. Apparently, she was the kind of fair that didn’t tan, only burned. It’s a common affliction among white people, but Misha’s skin was especially fair, so she inevitably suffered.
I had immediately told Misha everything that had happened at the Academy in her absence. Lilly had insisted we keep Yu’s curse an absolute secret, but… Well, Misha was involved, so I couldn’t help revealing the truth to her. Or, I thought that was what I was doing.
“You already knew? About Master Yu?” I asked after Misha confessed.
“Yes. When we were small, I did a great deal to help Yu conceal the truth.”
“I didn’t know anything about that.”
Right, so, the thing was… To put it simply, Yu was, in truth, a girl.
***
Yu was the only child of l’Ausseil Bauer, the current king, and Queen Riche; Rod and Thane had been born to a different mother. In the Bauer Kingdom, succession was determined based on order of birth, so Yu was third in line to inherit the throne. Even so, when Queen Riche found out she was pregnant, she believed that one day her own child would rule the country.
“On October 10th, she gave birth to twins, one boy and one girl,” Misha said quietly. She had soundproofed the walls of our room using her high-aptitude wind magic, and even so she spoke in a small voice so as not to be overheard. As Lilly had assured us, this was a dark and jealously guarded secret in the kingdom. We could take no chances with eavesdroppers.
“But, as you know, the time just after birth is one of great danger for infants. The boy died almost immediately.”
With medicine in this world still mired in the Middle Ages, the infant-mortality rate was high. Healing magic was no cure-all either, as it couldn’t always touch illness and infection. In the days while Queen Riche was away from the palace and in the Church for her birth, the boy died. Upon losing her long-awaited boy, the one she believed would succeed the throne, Queen Riche fell into despair, which led to a grave mistake.
“Lady Riche hired a…certain individual to nurse the babe. In truth, the nursemaid was hired to inflict the curse.”
As a result, the baby princess was cursed and was perceived by all to be a prince. That babe was Yu.
“Does the king know of this?”
“Indeed. Lady Riche considered concealing the truth from the king, but she ultimately couldn’t manage to do so; he rules this country.”
Even so, it wasn’t until after Yu was officially introduced to the public as the third prince that Queen Riche revealed the truth of Yu’s curse. For fear of losing face, the king resolved to treat Yu as a prince, and ever since, Yu’s gender status had been treated as a state secret.
“But…isn’t it true that the light of the full moon reveals the true self of those afflicted by the Crosswise Curse? I can’t believe they managed to hide it so long.”
“The royal family has a great deal of power to hide that which it doesn’t wish others to know. The secret was only shared with those who had been vetted with utmost care and who were deemed cooperative in their aim to conceal Master Yu’s condition,” Misha said. “I was one of those people.”
She went on to explain, “For generations, my family were aristocrats of highest status, and we maintained close ties with the royal family. In my childhood, I was always told to keep an eye on Master Yu.”
In other words, Yu and Misha weren’t just run-of-the-mill childhood friends. They were, in a sense, accomplices.
“But when our house fell from grace, that relationship fell with it. The only reason my family wasn’t entirely stamped out, the reason we were allowed to merely lose our noble status and live as commoners, is that the king took on our debt as a form of hush money,” Misha said, her expression never changing.
“In the meantime, His Majesty ordered the Church to study the Crosswise Curse in secret. However, his aim is not to reverse the curse, but to solidify it. He wishes Yu to not only appear as a prince, but to be one.”
In short, they wanted to fulfill the queen’s original goal. Was that even possible? Perhaps it was, with the magic in this world.
When I asked, Misha’s expression finally changed, growing more and more distorted with distress. It was rare to see her thoughts show so clearly on her face.
“I don’t know what’s possible,” she said. “All I know is that Yu hates it. Everyone sees Yu as a boy, but she’s a girl. Growing up, she was eternally confused. There was a gap between us—between what Yu knew to be true and what everyone else saw.”
I knew something about this kind of issue, in which a person feels their gender doesn’t match others’ perception of them. In Japan, it’s called gender dysphoria. You might call it a problem of a mismatch between one’s heart and body, which can create all kinds of problems for the person afflicted. Society can make people suffer for this in all kinds of ways, especially when they try to show their true selves in their daily lives.
“Yu always expressed envy of the dresses I wore, or the length of my hair. Once…she even put on makeup in secret and asked me whether I thought she looked strange,” Misha recalled with some bitterness. “And I… No. She was lovely.”
On the day of the Academy festival, when we were getting dressed for the cross-dressing café, I’d thought Yu was having more fun than the rest of us, but I hadn’t guessed at all the layers underlying that moment. Yu hadn’t been delighted by any sense of absurdity. Rather, she had been overjoyed to fulfill a desire that otherwise had to be hidden. I’d always thought Yu cunning; I now understand she had no choice but to be. Yu was cursed with a double life.
“Rae… You said you can reverse the curse?”
“Yes. In a way.”
“How?”
“The Crosswise Curse is, well, a curse, and there’s a magical tool the Church keeps in its vaults that can negate curses.”
“I…am not going to ask how you know that.”
I was glad Misha was good at reading delicate situations. Although, her main motive here was probably to avoid obstructing anything that might solve a problem for the person she loved.
I grimaced. “The only problem is, the palace and the Church both want Yu to be a prince, don’t they?”
“Yes. Or I should say, that is what the palace wants.”
“Huh? Not the Church?”
“The Church values women, you see.”
Oh, huh, she was right. I’ve touched on this before, but the Spiritual Church considered women to have greater inherent ties to mystic powers and consequently tended to see them as more religiously important. Unlike Catholicism on Earth, women could hold high positions in the Church as well. For example, Queen Riche had been a cardinal before she ascended the throne, and of course, there was Cardinal Lilly.
“Misha… Which do you agree with?”
“My wishes in this matter are utterly irrelevant.”
“They are a little. You like Yu, don’t you?”
“Who told you that…?” Misha wanted to deny it, but I didn’t give up.
“No one had to tell me. I just know. I’m your friend.”
“I think I’m your friend,” Misha murmured, “but at times I think I don’t understand you at all.”
“So, tell me, what do you think?”
Misha seemed to understand that I wasn’t going to let this go, and her voice went soft. “I…I am attracted to boys, so there is a part of me that would be happy, were Yu to become one.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“But Yu’s desires in this matter are far more important than mine. I want Yu to live a happy life, free of pain, no matter what.”
“Hm… Are you saying you like Yu for Yu?”
“That seems melodramatic, but I… Perhaps.”
Misha looked frustrated with herself. I figured she understood herself to be straight, but I suspected she had queer feelings.
Those words that turn up in narratives now and again, “I’m not attracted to gender, just people”—I’m not sure they’re the most realistic. People love to hear it, or even to say it, but I don’t think it always pans out that way in reality. But of course, everyone is different when it comes to what they like in people, and how they become attracted, and it’s really not nearly as clear-cut as I’ve described it.
“In that case,” I said, “I appreciate your support as I do what I can to ensure Yu is recognized as a girl.”
Misha frowned. “I told you, my opinion is irrelevant. The palace would never permit Yu to live as a girl. Especially not Lady Riche.”
“Why not?”
“Rae, I told you—Lady Riche’s dearest wish is that her own child ascend the throne. She wanted it so badly that she had her own newborn infant cursed. This goes beyond mere stubborn ambition.”
Misha was right. Even in the game, in the Yu route, Queen Riche considered it unthinkable for her son (or to be accurate, her daughter) to marry a commoner. She needed Yu to marry a woman suitable for a king, and she never accepted the main character. In the end, in the midst of the confusion of the revolution, Yu spirited the main character away to elope.
I grinned. “Then I guess you’ll have to elope, Misha.”
“Now what are you talking about?”
“Misha, if you want to marry Yu, are you prepared to elope?”
“Of course not,” Misha answered without hesitation.
Great, now I looked silly. “N-no?”
“Think, Rae. Yu and I were raised as nobles. We wouldn’t stand a chance at living a good, fulfilling life if we left it all to elope.”
“But…you’ve lived as a commoner all this time.”
“Yes, but only because of the palace’s discreet support.”
“Are you sure about that?”
In my opinion, Misha had a good head on her shoulders, and I was pretty sure she could have a great life no matter what she put her mind to.
But that was the end of our conversation that day. It was time for bed. I played our talk in my mind again and again as I lay under the covers.
I’d never realized Yu had such a dramatic backstory. So there were facts about this world that even a Revolution mega-fan like me didn’t know. Yu’s gender troubles hadn’t been mentioned in the fan disk, let alone the character reference guide. Maybe someone had decided it wasn’t “appropriate” subject matter for the game’s target demographic, and so it had been buried in the programming.
When I’d taken the culture subject test, I’d been confident I knew more about this world than even the game developers, but now I knew I was mistaken. There could be dozens, even hundreds of bad endings or hidden settings that I didn’t know the first thing about.
In any event, I needed to find a way to reverse Yu’s curse…and then maybe convince Misha to confess. After a great deal of mulling and reflecting, I found my answer.
“The only option is the magic of shock and awe.”
***
“One, two, three, four! Now bend forward—Rae, you’re behind!”
I was desperately trying to move my body to the somber music being played. But exercise wasn’t exactly my forte, and I was struggling to follow the priest’s directions.
“Everyone, stop. We’ll start from the top,” the priest said. We returned to our original positions and began the dance again.
The ceremonial dance we were currently practicing was usually performed by nuns at the Harvest Festival. Why, you might ask, was I practicing with them? The answer was simple—Lilly had asked us to.
“A-actually we don’t have enough people…” she’d said. “We’re looking for some volunteers.”
“There’s really no one at the Church who can step in?”
“N-not just anyone can perform the dance, you see. The dancers must possess a certain level of magic…”
Apparently, a highly skilled mage had recently left the Bauer Cathedral. The Church had a number of skilled water magic wielders, but they were all currently out in the field, providing healing services in the wake of skirmishes with the Nur Empire.
“Please, would you help us?”
“You’ve done a great deal for us, Miss Lilly. We’d be happy to help, but would it really be all right for us to participate in such a ceremony? We’re not nuns.”
“I-It’s true that the dance is usually performed by nuns, but we’re in a critical situation this year.” They really had to be in dire straits if they were loosening the requirements. Lilly blushed, suddenly coquettish, and added, “As f-far as I’m concerned, a chance to dance with my beloved Rae would be a dream come true.”
“Hmmm…”
I was torn. Lilly really had done a lot for Claire, but the ceremonial dance would require a ton of practice that would cut into my precious Claire time.
“Whyever not? Lend her your aid, Rae,” Claire said as I hemmed and hawed.
“Miss Claire?” I wondered what made her say that. “But I don’t want to lose out on spending time with you.”
“In that case, why don’t I join too?”
“M-Miss Claire, you would do that?!” Lilly clearly hadn’t been expecting Claire to suggest such a thing.
“Is that acceptable?”
“O-of course it is! It would be an honor! Oh, wow, wow… I must notify the Bishop…”
Lilly went on to explain that it would mean a great deal to the Church to have an influential aristocrat with high magic power, like Claire, participate in the dance. But—
“Please don’t turn this into some political matter, do you hear me?” Claire said, sternly.
“I-I’ll do my best,” Lilly sat up straight. “Still, Miss Claire…you really aren’t like what the rumors say.”
“What rumors?”
“Oh… Well, um…”
“Ah, well. They’re probably true,” Claire said self-deprecatingly, tipping her teacup to her lips.
“N-no they’re not! You’re an amazing person, Miss Claire! You aren’t arrogant or selfish at all—oh.”
“So that’s what.” Claire chuckled, having successfully tricked Lilly into slipping.
I wondered, uncharitably, how Lilly had made it all the way to being Cardinal. Didn’t her loose lips make it dangerous for her to know Yu’s secret?
“Well, Cardinal Lilly, I would say you are also quite unlike what the rumors say,” Claire said with an evil laugh befitting her villainess character.
“Ha ha ha… I get that a lot…” Lilly responded uncomfortably.
“How do people perceive you, Miss Lilly?” I asked.
“As a saint.”
“Huh?” I stared blankly at Lilly, then looked back at Claire. “No way.”
“Rae…that’s rude.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Lilly. I just blurted out what I was thinking.”
“Th-that’s a poor apology…” Lilly, meanwhile, was tearing up. Really? “I-I understand. I am no saint.”
“Where did that rumor even come from?”
“Chancellor Salas.”
Ah, that guy. I’d almost forgotten Lilly was his daughter. “I don’t like him.”
“Whyever not?” said Claire. “He is of the most upstanding character!”
“Because of how he treated Lene.”
“Oh… Well, that can’t be helped. He said what was natural for an official in his position—though I understand how you feel,” Claire soothed. What was up with her today? She was being sweeter than usual. “I certainly don’t intend to speak ill of someone before their daughter.”
“Sorry, Miss Lilly,” I apologized again. “I just blurted out what I was thinking.”
“Th-that’s still a poor apology…” Lilly was full on crying. It was like we were stuck in some kind of conversational loop. “A-anyway, will you join in the dance?”
“If Miss Claire will be participating too, then I have no reason to refuse.”
“I would love to join.”
“Th-thank you so much!” Lilly stood up with sudden force. She pulled her wimple back over her hair and bowed deeply.
“Cardinal Lilly, you needn’t do that. It isn’t so very meaningful.”
“I-It is! The Harvest Festival is one of the Church’s most important rituals. If we were unable to perform the ceremonial dance, it would be the most disgraceful thing to happen since the Church was founded.”
She looked up at us with a smile.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart. May you both be blessed with divine protection.”
This wasn’t the flighty, careless Lilly we were used to. In that moment, I thought I understood a little of why people called her a saint.
***
That was how we came to be practicing the ceremonial dance—which was way harder than I expected.
“Lift both hands slowly—now, ring the bells once. Bend your knees slowly—now stop in the half-sitting posture. Now, ring the bell once.”
The ceremonial dance was performed in costumes of light, fluttering silk, with a bell-adorned fan in hand. There were a lot of slow movements, and it was really hard to maintain my posture through them. The fast movements were difficult too, but I was learning at this age that moving slowly didn’t make things easier (although in this world I was only sixteen).
“Rae, you need to build up your strength,” said the priest. “At this rate you might not make it through the dance.”
“Yes.” I was already regretting agreeing to Lilly’s request.
“Miss Claire, you are wonderful. Your movements are so precise.”
“I’m trained in ballroom dancing. I can handle this sort of thing.” Claire, of course, was killing it. Naturally.
“Everyone, a ten-minute break. Make sure you’re drinking enough water,” the priest said, and half of the dancers promptly collapsed on the floor.
“If you’re this tired already, you must not be exercising enough.”
“No, Miss Claire—I think you’re just extraordinary.”
In addition to taking ballroom dancing lessons since she was little, Claire was also trained in the art of self-defense. She had more stamina than the average man. I, raised in a peasant home, could only fight things like Ralaire’s mother, Chimera, and Louie, because of my magic.
“You’ll start training tomorrow. As the priest says, you won’t last in your current physical state.”
“Maybe you could train with me, Miss Claire,” I said, thinking that this would be as good a time as ever to get in shape.
“R-Rae, I heard you are skilled in water magic. Is that true?” Lilly asked me bashfully.
“Yes. What about it?”
“Er, ummm… In that case, I think you can use recovery magic if you get tired.”
“I didn’t think of that. I’ll do that next time.”
“Absolutely not. I won’t abide that sort of cheating. You must train,” said Claire.
“Ahhh.”
“A-actually, the nuns who dance all use recovery magic…”
“That may be, but I can’t overlook the fact that Rae is unmotivated.”
“I’m not unmotivated,” I protested.
“Silence,” she snapped.
Yes, this was my reward.
“Still, at this rate…” Claire trailed off.
“At this rate…?”
“Nothing…”
What was she trying to say?
“Break’s over, back to work. Time for the second half of practice. Line up!”
The dancers returned to our positions at the priest’s command. As she walked away from me, Claire finally let a sad whisper slip from her lips.
“At this rate, how will I be able to dance with Rae?”
Needless to say, I danced my heart out during the entire second half of practice.
***
“See, your arm is dropping. Do it like this, here.”
It was early the next morning, and Claire and I were in a corner of the Academy’s courtyard. Claire was sitting on a blanket spread out over the grass, and I was practicing the ceremonial dance next to her, over and over again. My naive, optimistic heart had hoped she would guide me through every little hand, foot, and hip movement—but the reality was completely different.
“Miss Claire, what is this?”
“A training harness for dancers,” she answered matter-of-factly, as if clothes with weights sewn into them were completely normal.
“Ummm…where did you get it?”
“I sewed it last night,” Claire said, proudly.
Wait, so she’d made this by hand? I’d hoped for something sweeter for her first handmade present to me. Sniff.
“Now, once more from the beginning.”
“I need a break…”
“Don’t be lazy.”
Easy for her to say. It was exhausting to do the dance with all these weights on. I sank down to the ground right where I stood.
“And no using healing magic to recover,” Claire warned.
“I know. Because I won’t be building up my strength.”
“That’s right.”
You couldn’t use magic to recover from physical training if you wanted that training to yield any benefits. I think they call it supercompensation in the sporting world.
“Hey, you’re going to get the harness dirty. Come over here,” Claire said, patting her lap.
What, really? “Miss Claire, are you sure?”
“About what?”
“You want me to lay my head in your lap?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Claire looked puzzled. “See.”
“Oh…”
When I got close, she pulled my arm and laid my head down in her lap. Was I dreaming?
“What’s that face for?”
“Well I…I’m confused.”
My lovely Claire. Claire, the villainess. She’d put my head in her lap? Me, the heroine? It was impossible.
“Whenever I complained about ballroom dancing practice as a child, my mother did this for me,” Claire said, reminiscing. I reflected on my sinful heart and urged her to continue with just my eyes. “It’s not like I could move like this right away. At first, I hated it so much.”
“You, Miss Claire? But you never give up.”
“Should I tell you how I got to be this way? You see, whenever I learned how to do something, my mother would praise me. That made me want to try many things.”
Such was the unexpected way in which I learned why Claire hated to lose. I’d studied every piece of information I could about her, including her mother’s death, but there was still so much I didn’t know.
“When I wanted to give up on ballroom dancing, my mother spoke to the teacher. Instead of scolding me, she put my head on her lap, and even though I was only a toddler, she explained to me the significance of learning to dance,” Claire smiled happily.
“She was always like that. She never scolded me. Instead, she’d gently explain to me what it meant to be a noble. I’ve lived my life wanting to become the kind of noble she talked about.” Claire didn’t stop there. “I never thought factors outside my control might take that away from me…”
“Does that mean you’re not ready to give up your title?”
“I…I don’t think I can. I want to do something about poverty because I was shocked by my first experience of it. In other words, I couldn’t handle actually living like that, you see?”
“I see…”
“Now, stand up. Time to continue.”
“Just a little longer… Miss Claire, your thighs are so soft.”
“Stand up!”
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it?”
“Peasant life isn’t so bad once you get used to it.”
“I don’t know…” Claire chuckled.
“I will convince you.”
“I don’t think you will, but I look forward to you trying,” Claire said before returning to our lessons. For now, I concentrated on moving my body, all the while thinking of how I could change Claire’s stubborn mind.
***
“What I want?”
One morning not long after that, instead of attending class, Claire and I went to the palace asking about Yu.
Normally, any audience with a member of the royal family required applying for a meeting using a designated procedure and waiting for the request to be accepted, all of which took a great deal of time. Seeing Yu at the Academy was an exception to the rule.
However, today, we had passed a message on through Lilly: There is a means by which to resolve Prince Yu’s condition.
We were granted an audience right away.
As far as appearances went, Claire was designated as a witness and I was being presented as a doctor, of sorts.
If I was going to change anything about Yu’s life, I first needed to know what Yu wanted. I had asked Misha, yes, but indirect impressions tend to get distorted. I needed to ask Yu.
“This is not a matter of want, Master Yu.”
I had wanted to speak to Yu freely, so I had requested we be left alone, but since this was an issue that affected the entire country, we weren’t. Chancellor Salas was with us. I wished it could have been anyone else. Salas just kept finding new ways to earn my contempt.
Salad—I mean, Salas—looked directly at us and continued. “It pains me to say this, but Yu must remain a prince. The matter has long since surpassed the question of what he wants for himself.”
His tone clearly implied he thought this entire meeting a farce.
“We understand what you’re saying, Master Salas. Of course we grasp the complexity of the issue,” Claire said in a mollifying tone. “However, setting that aside, if we don’t know Yu’s true feelings, we won’t be able to provide the necessary emotional support when it finally becomes possible to confirm his manhood.”
Claire continued, urging Salas to consider planning for the future in every regard to ensure the success of the royal family. Every time I saw her engage in politics like this, I was blown away by her deft, intellectual arguments. Her usual haughty arrogance and selfish attitude were nowhere to be seen. In this instant, Claire was the perfect noble lady.
“In other words, you consider knowing Yu’s true feelings a matter of planning for the future, regardless of what might come to pass?”
“That is correct.”
Salas put his hand to his chin, thinking. He looked quite striking in that pose. He shared his silver hair and red eyes with Lilly, and his cold, clean features had earned him a large fan base both inside and outside the palace. He even consistently ranked pretty highly among players of the game. Just as a lot of guys will fall over themselves for beautiful women, a lot of women fall over themselves for beautiful men.
Not that he had an iota of an effect on me.
“I think there may be something to this argument. Well, Master Yu?” asked Salas.
“May I speak frankly, then?” Yu looked contemplative. “Personally…if it were possible, I would like everyone to know I’m a girl.”
“Master Yu…” Salas’s face creased with concern.
“Don’t look at me like that, Salas. There’s nothing that can be done about it, so here I am, performing the perfect prince you all see me as. But I can’t change my feelings,” Yu said apologetically.
“As of now, I’m able to be seen as myself once a month, under the light of the full moon, and in those moments, I finally feel a balance between my mind and soul. If—once I am put into a male body, I am sure I will never feel that peace again,” Yu said, all the while maintaining a perfect princely demeanor. But regardless of Yu’s tone, these words were unmistakably the truth.
Being queer in my previous life, I had met people with all sorts of queer experiences. A number of those people had struggled with gender dysphoria, and some had found wellness and peace in changing their mode of dress, or taking hormones, and other such things.
I don’t think that was enough for everyone, not all the time. I mean, 21st-century Japan’s advanced medical technology could do a great deal, including surgically, but sometimes that still couldn’t totally cure a person’s dysphoria.
However, even treatment aimed at merely alleviating symptoms can be absolutely critical, even lifesaving. In my opinion, that made all these changes utterly worth it.
“Claire, Rae, your thoughts?” Salas asked.
“Does Rae have permission to speak?” asked Claire.
“It’s fine,” I said. “I’m just here to get it done. I don’t need to—”
“Thank you very much,” said Claire when Salas nodded. “Rae.”
“Yes… So as I see it, there are two options.”
Salas perked up and leaned forward, hopeful. “Let’s hear them.”
“One is to continue with things the way they are.”
“But…what would that solve?”
“It would satisfy the palace’s need for Yu to be a prince, and Yu could continue to, on occasion, be true to herself. There is a sort of balance here.”
“And the other way?” Salas prompted, looking a little disheartened.
“The other would be for Yu to embrace her life as a girl…”
“Were you listening to a word I said?” Salas snapped. “That is simply not an option.”
“Obviously, Yu would be disinherited.”
“What is this?” Salas spluttered.
I remained firm. “It’s Yu’s obligation to play the part of heir that complicates things. So, if Yu were to cast off the restraints of that role…”
“Are you suggesting the palace exposes the years of this deception? The scandal?”
“Not at all. After Yu has been disinherited, the palace would announce the prince had taken ill, and Yu would be taken to the convent. Yu would stay there with a number of attendants, secluded for a time, but there, we could at last resolve the curse.”
“Do you understand what you are saying?” Salas bellowed.
Maybe I had rushed into this a little.
“That means…” Yu said, “I would have to spend the rest of my life confined to the convent?”
“Not quite—it wouldn’t be confinement. To start, you’d have to hide, but once your hair had grown out, and especially if you put on some makeup, you could go out as a new nun with none the wiser as to your royal lineage.”
I knew life in the convent would still be a bit difficult, especially to start. Yu would have to be a little patient.
“Rae,” Salas snapped, “what about making the prince a boy in truth?”
“I don’t think you can.”
“When you requested this audience, you—I only granted it because I thought you would have a real answer,” Salas dropped his shoulders, annoyed.
But it was a real answer.
“Master Salas, is it not a solution if Master Yu is able to live as her true self?”
“Of course not. The will of the palace is for Master Yu to be a man.”
“Even though there are two other heirs?”
“Listen to me, Rae Taylor. It may be easy for you to throw around words like ‘disinherit,’ but disinheritance is a punishment for royalty who have committed the most severe crimes. We could not impose such a fate on Master Yu.”
“I believe forcing Master Yu to continue like this is a far crueler fate,” I said, doubling down.
“You go too far!” Salas grimaced. “If Claire were to say such a thing, it might be permissible, but you, a commoner—you have no business discussing this private matter in the palace.”
“So you’re going to force Master Yu to bear the consequences of Lady Riche’s reckless selfishness for the rest of her life, even though she’s done nothing wrong?”
“This meeting is over,” Salas snarled. “Leave.”
“Master Salas!” I snapped back.
But I was interrupted by a soft voice.
“Rae… I’m grateful for your attempt. But the world won’t change for wishes,” Yu said with a smile. She looked like she could disappear at any moment. After putting up with this farce for over a dozen years, Yu was giving in.
“Rae, that’s enough,” said Claire, gathering herself again. “Master Yu, Master Salas, thank you very much for your time.”
“There will not be another discussion of this matter.”
“Understood…”
There was so much more I wanted to say, but Claire pulled me away and we left the audience chamber.
Outside, it was raining. We waited in front of the palace gates for a horse and carriage to retrieve us.
“Rae… You…” Claire started to say in a frustrated voice.
“Miss Claire, don’t tell me you think this is acceptable!” I said, unable to hide my anger.
It started to rain harder.
“I don’t think it’s acceptable,” Claire said tightly. “But as Master Yu said, the world will not change for a wish.”
“You would say that? You were the one who said you didn’t want to run away from ideals—did you not mean that?”
“And when did you grow so high and mighty that you imagined you could speak to me in this way?!”
“What does status have to do with this?! Claire, if we can’t even save one person, then saving our kingdom is a pipe dream!”
“Rae!” Claire said sharply.
I turned around. I’d said too much. “I’m sorry…”
“Whatever has gotten into you?” Claire asked, bewildered. “This isn’t like you at all.”
“I… My friend. Misaki. She…or, well, he…was forced to live as the wrong gender.”
I’d known this was part of my problem. The whole time we were trying to help Yu, I couldn’t stop remembering Misaki. He had been told he was a girl as a child, but he’d known he was a boy.
“Just like Master Yu, no one around him understood, and he was forced to live a lie…until, one day, he killed himself.”
Claire gasped. I was looking down, so I couldn’t see her, but I heard it.
“He didn’t die just because no one listened. He died because he was afraid of how he might be hurting others. And that—”
“That…is awful.”
After we went searching together for tsuchinoko, Misaki would often cry to me. Why hadn’t he been born in a body everyone would recognize as a boy’s? Why did he have to suffer over something that everyone else took for granted? If he were a “normal” boy, he could have made Kosaki so happy, and so on, and so on.
“I did my best to help Misaki,” I whispered, “but in the end, I wasn’t enough to heal his wounds. And there was no curse to lift. But with Yu… We can help Yu. And still—”
“That’s enough. Come now,” Claire said, and then she hugged me.
I couldn’t help myself. I clung to her.
“I still remember,” I said, voice shaking. “At the funeral, I watched Kosaki cling to Misaki’s coffin, crying.”
“I see.”
“But the world… Misaki’s parents blamed him. They called him weak, said he was wrong to feel how he did.”
“I see.”
“I don’t ever want that to happen again. After they’re gone, it’s too late,” I babbled. But I wasn’t crying.
“Yes,” Claire was being kind, as if soothing a baby, and she kept holding me for a long time.
Before we knew it, the rain was coming down in sheets, and we couldn’t hear each other anymore. Claire held me tight until the carriage came.
The rain never stopped that day.
***
Practice continued for the ceremonial dance. Classes were going to resume soon, so we needed to get the majority of it down while still on summer break.
“You’ve improved quite a bit, Rae.”
“It’s thanks to Claire’s loving whip.”
“Would you stop calling it that?!”
“You’ve certainly built up enough stamina to handle the moves. But…” the priest trailed off. “You have absolutely no sense of rhythm, Rae.”
It was true. I—well, the player character—had no dance skills whatsoever. In the game, she realizes this when she needs to dance with the princes in a social setting and keeps treading on their toes. In the game, the prince just laughs it off. Also, you could get a still shot of Claire blowing her nose somewhere off to the side during this particular event. She was so cute.
“Y-you’re still doing much better now than when we first started,” Lilly jumped in to reassure me.
“But we don’t have much time left.” Claire was right.
“It’ll all work out,” I said.
“Of course you’d say that,” Claire lamented. But it really would be fine. I’d pulled myself together in more ways than one and made all the necessary preparations. “By the way, I heard from Master Yu. We’re clear to go ahead.”
“Is that so?”
I’d concocted a plan to resolve Yu’s problem and put it in motion by having Claire send the prince a letter. If Yu’s answer had been no, the plan would have been dead in the water—but the answer was yes, so we were good to go. All the pieces were in place.
All but one.
“I wonder if she was the one who talked Yu into it?”
***
“Hey, Misha,” I said later that night, when we were in our dorm room.
“What?”
“Do you have any intention of becoming a nun?”
“Huh?” Misha looked over at me, understandably startled. “Where did that come from?”
“Do you?”
“Of course not.”
“I see…”
Misha turned back to her desk, muttering under her breath, “What is she talking about now?”
“But would you do it if it meant you could be with Yu?” I persisted.
Misha stopped writing, probably because she was having trouble concentrating. “Rae, what are you thinking?”
“About the happiness of my best friend.”
“You can’t trick me.”
“I’m not trying to trick anyone.” I climbed out of bed. “I might be able to do something about Yu’s situation.”
“How?”
“Well, it’s the same as what I already told you before with the curse stuff.”
“That’s not what I mean. How are you going to convince the court?”
“Shock and awe.”
“Are you planning something crazy again?”
“You make me sound like an evil mastermind.” I had nothing but good intentions. Well, mostly. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the royal family. “Actually…”
And with that, I explained my scheme to her.
“What are you thinking?” she demanded.
“I think this is the only way.”
“You realize that if they discover your involvement, you will be executed, yes?”
“I won’t let that happen.”
Misha put her hand to her temple, as if her head hurt. “Why are you so set on this?”
“I told you already. For my best friend.”
“A half-truth at best, wouldn’t you say?”
“Of course not.”
“Liar,” she declared. “You aren’t my friend.”
I was taken aback. “Why would you say that?”
“You aren’t Rae Taylor,” she said. “Not the one I know.”
I was starting to grow anxious. “Wh-what are you talking about, Misha?”
“It was like the day we enrolled in the Academy…you became someone else.”
Uh oh. I didn’t like where this was going.
“Until that day, you were strange, I admit, but you were still, at heart, an ordinary girl. But ever since we came here, you’ve been a completely different person.” Her cold, red eyes pierced through me. “At first, I blamed the stresses of our new environment. But, no. It’s something else, something more, and I see no sign of you changing back. You’ve become another person.”
“Misha, do you hear what you’re saying?”
“Of course. I know it’s ridiculous. But it’s the only explanation.” Misha wasn’t backing down. “So, who are you? What happened to my best friend, Rae Taylor?”
I couldn’t bluff my way out of this one. I had always thought Misha aloof—I never imagined she would study me like this. What could I do? What would make her understand?
“I am Rae Taylor.”
“That’s your answer? Then I regret to inform you, but I won’t be going along with your plan. And I won’t help you endanger Yu.”
It was useless. I wouldn’t get anywhere just bulling my way through this.
“Okay… Okay.” I took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you the truth. But I don’t think you’ll believe me.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
And so, for the first time, I told someone everything I knew—the entire story, from start to finish. That I remembered being a different person, in another world, and that in these memories, this world was the setting of a game I had played. That I’d somehow been transported to this world to be the game’s heroine, and that I’d been struggling, since then, to save Claire.
Misha looked flabbergasted, but she listened to the end without interrupting. “This world is the setting…of a game?”
“Can you believe me?”
“Honestly…it’s outlandish. Perhaps beyond me. You said the world you came from is more technologically complex, didn’t you?”
As Misha only possessed scientific knowledge equivalent to that of medieval times, it was tricky to communicate some concepts to her—like what a video game even was—but I took my time and did my very best.
“So, you…are Rae Taylor, but not Rae Taylor?”
“I think so. Kind of. I remember my life as Rae Taylor, but I also remember my former one. So…I guess that’s why I seem like a different person to you.”
Misha fell silent for a while, no doubt chewing over whether my story was fact or fiction. When she finally opened her mouth again, it was to say, “You truly believe revolution is imminent?”
“I do.”
“And when that happens, the royal family will be eliminated?”
“Yes.”
“I see… In that case, my answer is this.” Misha sat up straight and faced me. “I will help you. I will believe what you have said.”
I collapsed on the bed from relief. “Oh, thank God…”
“Were you so very nervous?”
“How could I not be? You might have thought I’d lost my mind.”
“I suppose that’s true,” Misha said, “but taking everything into account, what you said makes a great deal of sense, in retrospect.”
“For example?”
“Your test results. You never were very good at studying.”
“That’s the most mortifying possible reason for you to believe me.”
“There are others. The fact that you counteracted the Nur Empire poison.”
“Oh…right. Cantarella. Yeah, I was really glad I could do that.” Thane would have been a goner without me. “But, well, Misha. I’m glad you believe me. You’re…taking this unexpectedly well.”
“Unexpectedly? Your story isn’t as foreign as you might think to the people of this world.”
“What do you mean?”
“You describe your world as one ruled by science. Ours is ruled by magic. In fact, you remind me of a legend about a lost spirit.”
“Oh, huh, I remember that.” I had read it somewhere, hadn’t I? A legend describing how mysterious people with special powers sometimes appeared out of nowhere, and how these were the lost children of spirits.
“Does that not describe you?” Misha asked.
“I guess it does, yeah.”
In fact…Rae Taylor’s parents weren’t biologically related to her. She was their foster child, though they had raised and loved her as their own. Perhaps this somewhat explained my exceptional magic abilities.
“Well, I believe I understand a great deal more, now. Thank you for telling me, Rae.”
“I feel better too,” I confessed. “I was really nervous.”
“Were you? Then it must have been especially hard when you told your parents.”
“Huh?”
“Huh…? You mean you haven’t told them yet?”
“No?”
Misha put her head in her hands. “This is precisely the sort of thing you ought to explain to your parents straight away.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. They didn’t say anything when you were visiting?”
“No, nothing in particular.”
“I suppose they’re open-minded.” Misha sighed. “Goodness, it’s getting late. Don’t you have practice again tomorrow? Will you be all right?”
“Oh, yeah, no problem. I’ll use magic to sleep soundly tonight.”
“Yes. Please do so. I’ll wake you in the morning. Good night.”
“Good night.” I turned off the light and got into bed, then used the water magic sleep spell on myself, and it worked immediately.
I hadn’t planned on telling anyone about myself, but at least now I had Misha’s consent. All I had to do was wait for the show to start. I prayed it would go well.
No—I would ensure it went well.
***
The Harvest Festival was upon us. The capital filled with people that night, and dozens of stalls lined the streets. Food and decorations featuring autumn crops flew off the shelves as the capital welcomed the busiest time of the year.
In a chamber in the great cathedral, I prepared for the ceremonial dance. I had changed into my costume and now waited for my turn.
“Rae, do you have what you need?” Lilly asked.
“Yes. Everything is going smoothly.”
“I-I’m nervous…”
A passerby would assume we were discussing the ceremonial dance, but our words carried hidden meanings.
“Miss Claire, Miss Lilly, you know what you need to do, right?”
“You needn’t even ask.”
“Oh, yes.”
Everyone needed to do their part in this plan. Even Rod and Thane were part of it, though they weren’t with us. While Lilly’s penchant for blurting things out kept me uneasy, I could only trust her from here on out.
“Lilly, don’t forget the—” I started.
“I-I have it right here.” Lilly held out two bracelets, which I promptly slipped on.
At that, I left the two of them and approached the priest in charge of the ceremonial dance.
“I’m so sorry, your holiness,” I said. “May I please use the restroom?”
“The dance is about to begin. Can’t you hold it?”
“No, I really can’t.”
“Fine, then. Hurry up.”
“Thank you very much.”
I bowed once and left.
***
The ceremonial dance took place on festival grounds. A large marble stage stood in a central position, and the seats surrounding it were completely sold out. Including standing room, a few thousand people gathered to watch. I didn’t think the people way in the back could even see the stage, but more and more seemed to join the crowd. After all, the ceremonial dance was thought to bring good luck to attendees.
The royal family sat in the seats reserved for distinguished guests near to the stage. King l’Ausseil, Queen Riche, Rod, Thane, Yu, and even Salas were there.
A low bell gonged across the bustling festival site—the main cathedral bell. Finally, it was time for the ceremonial dance to begin. A wave of silence passed over the crowd. The light of the full moon illuminated the stage, accented by flaming torches, and a sense of mystery hung in the air.
The dancers—including Claire, Lilly, and I—gracefully took the stage in their gossamer silk garments. We wore fine, silver tiaras on our heads and held bell-decked fans in our hands. We formed a circle on the stage and kneeled. The high sound of a flute sang through the silence. Next, the low beat of a large drum resonated through the air. Stringed instruments joined in harmony and small drums set the rhythm.
Then the ding, ding, ding of our bells rose up. The dancers tied the music together as accompaniment, ringing the bell fans in our right hands. We started to move, slowly. The costumes were made to let us move freely, with pieces fluttering to accentuate our dance. The sleeves and hems drew lovely lines with the arc of our gestures.
The musical performance, at first quiet, grew fiercer with the dance. However, the dancers remained delicate and graceful. That gap roused a sense of wonder in the audience. It was as if the music commanded the dancers to dance with greater urgency and ferocity, but we resisted.
“That dancer is a vision!”
Even though speaking was forbidden during the dance, someone unconsciously cried out in admiration. Everyone who heard them knew who they meant. One dancer was a head taller than everyone else. While her movements synchronized with the others’, she clearly stood out.
“What is it…? It’s like she’s crying but happy…”
“Like her emotions are in conflict.”
The slow movements made us look like we were bound in chains. But for some reason, each sweeping gesture of the arm, each step of the foot, captivated the audience. Someone wrote later that the one dancer’s movements made it seem like she had, for the first time, allowed herself some forbidden feeling.
“That’s Rae Taylor, right? You know, the commoner they allowed into the Royal Academy.”
“Oh, that girl. But she’s not a nun, is she? Why is she performing the ceremonial dance?” The audience started to get confused. But—
“Who cares about that. She’s breathtaking.”
What’s that they say? Don’t sweat the small stuff. The crowd opted to do just that, bowled over by the dancer’s expressivity.
They wanted to keep watching forever. But alas, the song came to an end. The dancers gathered in the center and danced as if struggling, or perhaps rejoicing.
And then—
Ding.
We rang our bells loudly at the end and spread our arms wide, then knelt on the stage. After a moment of silence, just when the crowd was about to burst into applause—
***
“Listen, my people!”
The dignified voice booming through the venue was none other than the dancer that had left such an impression on everyone: “me.” However, the voice wasn’t mine.
The first one to realize this was Queen Riche. “Wha…Yu?!”
“I” bit into the bracelet around my wrist, tearing it away. The person who looked like me instantly transformed into Yu.
Well, that’s not entirely accurate.
While tall, Yu’s silhouette was curvy. Breasts pushed against gossamer silk. To put it bluntly, this body was unmistakably feminine.
“What is the meaning of this?! Who is this beside me?” Queen Riche turned to the Prince Yu seated beside her.
“My deepest apologies, Lady Riche. It’s me.” When I removed my own bracelet, the Prince Yu seated by the stage was revealed to be yours truly.
“Rae Taylor?! What is the meaning of this?!” the queen howled.
“Master Yu gave me my orders. I don’t know the reason. The prince simply told me to sit here with the royal family in his place.”
Of course, I had been the one to make this proposal, but we had to lie about whose idea this whole charade had been in order to ensure my safety. The bracelets Yu and I had worn were magical tools provided by Lilly that allowed us to take on illusory forms. They weren’t relics possessed by the Church but her own personal belongings.
Meanwhile, the audience was starting to get the idea.
“What do you mean? Isn’t that Prince Yu?”
“But she’s a girl.”
“Prince Yu is a girl…?”
However, their chatter abruptly stopped. The people had lost their voices.
Good job, Misha. She remained hidden, but we owed this moment to her. Only she could silence such a large crowd.
“I am deeply sorry for misleading you all, but this is my true form.” Now, the only sound anyone could hear was Yu—also Misha’s work. “I have been deceiving the entire kingdom. I am, in fact, a girl. I will no longer lie to you, or to myself. I wish to live out the rest of my days as my true self, the girl you see before you.”
Riche was moving her mouth, trying desperately to speak, but no words rose to her lips. Salas also strained to bark orders to his underlings, but he had no voice, so good luck to him!
“My people, please, forgive me,” said Yu. “In recompense for my years of deception, I hereby abdicate my seat in the line of succession.”
As Yu said this, the queen fainted. Apparently, the shock was too much for her.
At that moment, everyone’s voices at last returned. Chaos erupted around me.
“This was your doing, Rae Taylor,” King l’Ausseil said to me. For some reason, his tone was not accusatory but gentle.
“Whatever do you mean?” I said.
“Well… I’m sure you know nothing about it. Nothing at all,” King l’Ausseil said, chuckling wryly. “In the end, perhaps it’s better this way.”
And with that, the king left, saying only, “Salas, take care of this.”
“Hmph,” Salas rushed to give orders to his subordinates.
I was arrested.
***
“You look better than I expected,” Claire said.
“It’s because you’ve come to visit me,” I answered. The sight of her face filled me with delight. I wished I could reach through the bars to hug her.
“And how has prison been?”
“Not so bad, thanks to you.”
A week had passed since the Yu incident, and I’d been locked up the whole time. The investigation itself was going in our favor, largely because everyone, including Yu, had kept their stories straight. Yu confirmed that I’d acted on her instructions, and Claire and Lilly backed her up. Rod and Thane did the same. More importantly, King l’Ausseil himself was apparently on my side, as was most of the palace.
“Well, my food was poisoned, though,” I said. Likely retaliation from someone in Queen Riche’s camp. Thankfully, I diligently cast antidote magic on everything I ate.
“What?!” Claire exclaimed. “I’m relieved you’re all right, but…”
“It’s all thanks to Misaki.”
“What do you mean?”
“He showed up in my dreams.”
“I see you’re still completely incorrigible,” he’d said to me in his usual gruff tone. I hadn’t heard it in so long. Dream Misaki laughed awkwardly. “Thank you for saving someone who knows what it’s like. Now don’t be an idiot. Make sure you check your food.”
That was all he said. He disappeared right after, giving me no time to respond.
“Is that…something that can happen?” Claire asked.
“Well, it was probably just my mind manifesting my unconscious desires,” I admitted. Even so, I held that meeting close to my heart.
“I told you this was dangerous.”
“You were right,” I acknowledged. Claire had opposed my scheme more than anyone else, though I’d brought her around in the end. “What’s going on in the world?”
“It’s gone almost exactly as you planned.”
Claire continued on, explaining that Yu had been sent to the convent and she was now living freely as a girl.
In an attempt to resolve confusion, the palace had announced that Yu had been struck with a curse and that the shock of this had driven Yu mad. Yu had then entered the convent under the guise of receiving magical treatment. She was partially confined for now, but as I had explained to Yu before, her movements wouldn’t be restricted for long.
“I have brought a message from Yu,” Claire finished. “She said, ‘Thank you. I will be sure to repay you’.”
“Oh, is that so? And how are things with the curse?”
“Well, that has been something of an ordeal. Everyone assumed her return to her true form was temporary at first.”
Those who’d known of the curse had assumed Yu appeared as she did at the ceremonial dance because of the light of the full moon. However, in truth, we had broken the curse with the Tears of the Moon just prior to the performance.
The Tears of the Moon required two magic users of considerable power to wield, but it turned out that between Lilly and Yu, we had just who we needed. Lilly had been investigated for her role in all this, but she had explained she simply couldn’t refuse a request from Prince Yu.
“Also, as Miss Lilly possesses considerable status, she cannot be so easily punished.”
“What about Misha?”
“She is negotiating with her parents.”
Misha wished to leave the Academy and join Yu in the convent, but her parents were resisting. Well, it sounded like her mother was on her side. She kept pointing out that the Jur family has plenty of capable heirs, so they could let their daughter do as she pleased. She had also been swayed by Yu, who had specifically asked Misha to remain by her side in the clergy.
“Since it was her parents’ fault that Misha’s childhood was so rough, it seems like they feel obligated to give in a little.”
“Is that so?” In that case, it was only a matter of time until Misha’s wish was granted too. “But how have you been, Miss Claire?”
“I am perfectly fine. Except, of course, for the embarrassment of having my servant arrested.”
“That’s it? You’re not lonely? You don’t miss me?”
“Well, aren’t you confident?” she said.
But she didn’t deny it. Tee hee.
“Did Master Dole say anything?” I asked.
“Nothing.” Claire cocked her head to one side. “I thought for sure he would fire you, but that hasn’t come up at all… Exactly what do you have on my father?”
“It’s not like that. Master Dole is just a kind man.”
I was lying, of course. I couldn’t tell her the real reason.
As we talked, the prison guard came over to us. “Forgive me, Miss Claire. His Majesty wishes to speak to Miss Taylor.”
“He does?” I asked with some concern. Maybe the king wasn’t quite as much on my side as I’d thought.
“What could he possibly plan to ask her?” Claire demanded. “We have already confirmed she only acted on Lady Yu’s orders.”
“Either way, I must ask you to leave,” said the guard.
“Fine, then. I shall return shortly,” Claire said.
And with that, she left.
***
I was taken to the royal audience room, my hands bound behind my back. A criminal being granted audience with the king had to be unprecedented. I had a bad feeling about this.
“Let me see your face.”
I raised my head from my prostrated position to see King l’Ausseil, two guards, and no one else. Queen Riche and Chancellor Salas were nowhere to be seen.
“I asked everyone to leave,” the king explained, seeing my confused expression. “I am here to hear the truth.”
Ah, I see.
“I have been pained by Yu’s suffering,” the king continued. “She has been forced to deny herself for the sake of others’ egos.”
Lady Riche’s ego, namely. Not that he mentioned that. He was, after all, a monarch, and as I understand, they’re rarely forthright.
“I only know what I’ve already told you,” I said.
“You’re quite clever. I like it,” the king said, stroking his beard. He looked satisfied.
The sinking feeling inside me grew. I didn’t care what happened to me, but consequences from this moment could well spread to the princes, Lilly, and my beloved Claire.
“You shall be released today,” said the king.
“Thank you very much.” I heaved a sigh of relief, thinking my fears groundless.
But King l’Ausseil wasn’t done.
“You will also be stripped of your right to attend the Royal Academy.”
“What?!” Wait a second! “Your Majesty, with all due respect—!”
“Starting today, Rae Taylor, you will be an officer of the Secret Service. You will report directly to me.” The king smiled. “There are very few people in this court whom I can trust. I am in need of your assistance, Rae Taylor.”
Stunned into silence, all I could do was stare back at him. |
Chapter 7: The Palace
Chapter 7:The Palace
“SECRET SERVICE?” I eventually managed to say. “I don’t know what that means. What does Your Majesty wish me to do?”
King l’Ausseil regarded me for a long moment, as if testing me. When he finally spoke, it was to completely change the direction of the conversation. “What is your opinion of our current political situation?”
“I think it is far too complex for a mere commoner to comprehend.”
“Don’t be modest. I know your grades at the Academy. I’m aware you possess a deep understanding of this country’s inner workings.”
Obviously, I couldn’t tell him it was all just memorization from playing a game.
“I believe Your Majesty’s attempts to encourage meritocracy have been successful,” I said instead. “Not just for royalty and nobles, but for the talented people from commoner backgrounds who are being promoted to positions of power.”
“And yet, the Commoner Movement,” the king sighed. “We are stagnant, Rae Taylor. The aristocrats wield too much influence over government officials, and they resist every opportunity for change. I wanted us to reach for the future. That was why I introduced policies to elevate talented commoners.”
“Have you not seen that begin to happen?”
“We’re off to a decent start, yes, even if it’s slow. But the essential structure, the hereditary oligopoly in which aristocrats benefit from the oppression of the commoner class, hasn’t changed in the least,” the king said. “Hence, I need you.”
“I apologize for repeating myself, but what does Your Majesty wish from me?”
“You will expose the crimes committed by powerful nobles.”
“I decline,” I said immediately.
The king frowned. “Why is that?”
“My food’s already being poisoned. I have no wish to make more enemies.”
“Do not lie to me.”
“I’m not lying.”
“You seem perfectly healthy.”
“I counteracted the poison.”
“Then you have no real objection.”
Ugh. This was hard—wildly so. It was difficult to get anything past this man, which, I supposed, made sense. He was the king, and the foremost politician in this country.
“At least listen to what I have to say,” said King l’Ausseil. “I don’t believe the entirety of the aristocracy is complicit, but two in particular I suspect of underhanded dealings.”
“Ahhh…”
“First, the Chancellor, Salas Lilium, and second, the Minister of Finance, Dole François.”
I stopped short.
In the game itself, the king didn’t have much of a presence. Other than having put the new policies of meritocracy into motion, he seemed like a pretty generic monarch. If anything, he came across as kind of dumb, because—depending on the route taken by the player—he could make strategic blunders like stoking the flames of the Commoner Movement and precipitating the loss of his own throne. He might have been acting with the people’s best interests in mind, of course, disregarding his own fate, but I’d always gotten the impression he was more unable to control the nobility.
But if he already knew of Salas and Dole’s activities… I had to reevaluate my opinion of his abilities.
“What can a lowly commoner like me possibly do to challenge aristocrats important enough to hold positions such as Chancellor and Minister of Finance?”
“You are close to both their daughters,” the king said.
In other words, he wanted me to use Lilly and Claire.
“Again, I decline.”
“I see. In that case, I have no choice but to investigate not only you but Lilly and Claire for treason in this business with Yu.”
“We were only following Lady Yu’s orders.”
“So you say, but a case could be made for a version of events in which you three kidnapped my child.” He was threatening me.
“I don’t think Master Dole or Master Salas would stand by and let that happen.”
“Likely not. But, as king, I can overrule the two of them when necessary.”
I didn’t answer. Was he bluffing? If he was capable of bringing such power to bear on Dole and Salas, then why did he need my help to investigate them at all? That said, the Yu affair had caused an unprecedented scandal for the monarchy. In the unlikely event that the king was being serious, then Claire might well be in danger here.
I couldn’t be arrested for this, not right now. I’d happily suffer whatever fate it took to save Claire, but the king had frankly terrible timing. Soon, Claire would be in all too real danger, and until then, I couldn’t leave her side.
“I understand,” I said stiffly. “I accept the position as a member of your Secret Service.”
“Good.” The king nodded in satisfaction.
I accepted for several reasons, really, one of which being that the more I thought of it, the more I realized that this position might be turned to good use. I had already begun deploying countermeasures to rescue Miss Claire from the coming crisis, but I might be able to make something of this role as well.
“I have but two requests,” I said.
“Speak.”
“First, please afford Miss Claire and Lilly the same privileges. I cannot execute Your Majesty’s orders without their full cooperation. This is absolutely necessary.”
“Hmph. Very well. I expected you to object to their mere involvement.”
“The matter far exceeds my ability to handle on my own.” He was right; I didn’t want to involve the two of them. But I had no choice.
“And the other request?”
“In the event that I find evidence of injustices committed by Master Dole and Master Salas, I ask that Your Majesty grant Miss Claire and Miss Lilly immunity.”
“Hmph…”
“Destroying their noble houses may be unavoidable, but if Miss Claire and Miss Lilly will be punished for their fathers’ crimes, then I refuse to cooperate any further.”
The king thought for a moment. He stroked his beard, deep in thought. “Very well. The two girls will not be held accountable.”
“Thank you very much,” I said. Honestly, if he was already this ready to grant me what I asked, this whole thing might go better than I’d hoped. “Before I begin the actual investigation, what sort of authority does the Secret Service have?”
“They are not omnipotent. Powers and privileges are appointed as required by the job at hand. What do you require?”
“The bare minimum would be the authority to inspect the subjects’ finances and the authority to make arrests.”
“Hmph. Agreed.”
“One more thing. This one’s quite important. I would like to be granted the authority to make plea bargains.”
“Plea bargains?”
Oh. Maybe they didn’t yet have that idea in this world?
“In the event that a criminal admits to their crime,” I said, “and cooperates with the investigation by naming their accomplices, they may be given a reduced sentence or be acquitted of their wrongdoing.”
“And what would you do with the authority to offer such bargains?”
“A few things. Most importantly, it would help me secure information to move forward with the investigation of more serious misconduct.”
I was already generating a strategy for how to pursue Dole and Salas, and I laid it out for the king.
“I see,” he nodded. “In that case…you will find this useful.”
As I looked at him in confusion, the king called over one of his guards and took what looked like a playing card from him. He handed the object to me.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“A magical tool that allows one to record conversations. It cannot be duplicated, which makes it invaluable for important transactions and investigations,” he said. “It is a rare item; handle it with care. Now, is there anything else you require?”
“Not at this time,” I answered.
He looked surprised. “Aren’t you going to ask about compensation?”
“The guarantee that Claire and Lilly will not be held accountable is enough compensation for me.”
“You have no other desires?”
“I wouldn’t say that…” It was just that nothing mattered more to me than guaranteeing Claire’s safety.
“You said the same during the Chimera incident at the Academy, didn’t you?” the king mused.
“You spared Lene and her brother’s life. I have received all the reward I require.”
“If more people were like you, this would be a much better country.”
That was going a bit too far. I was very aware that I was a weirdo. If everyone were like me, before long, the Bauer Kingdom would fall to ruin.
“Now then, when you begin your investigation, you must speak with Rod,” the king said. Apparently, Rod had been in charge of the investigation thus far. I was then granted authority to meet freely with the eldest prince, as well as released from prison.
But how am I going to explain this to Miss Claire? What a royal pain.
***
“You must be joking!”
The first thing I did with my newly reacquired freedom was search out Claire. I might have been stripped of my enrollment at the Academy, but Claire didn’t know that yet, and the king had said I was allowed to stay in my dorm room at the school. However, when I explained the king’s request, Claire reacted exactly as I expected.
“My father would never behave in such a shameful manner!”
“Well, the king just wants me to conduct an investigation,” I said. He’d actually said they were highly suspect, but if I told Claire that, she might just storm the palace.
“The fact that he would suspect my father makes me suspect the king’s sanity! Has the François family not always protected the kingdom’s treasury with utmost honor?!” Claire revered her parents like gods. To her, Dole, her father, and Melia, her mother, were the platonic ideals of aristocrats.
“M-Miss Claire, this might present a valuable opportunity,” Lilly said, looking petrified. I needed Lilly’s cooperation to carry out the king’s mission, and she’d happened to be in Claire’s room when I showed up. I hoped she wasn’t neglecting her priestly duties.
“What could you possibly mean, Cardinal Lilly?”
“I-I also don’t want to believe my father is doing something corrupt. That’s why I think we should prove our fathers’ innocence.” That was an optimistic way of looking at it—though the burden of proof was on the prosecution. “Wh-what sort of crimes are our fathers suspected of?”
“I’m not that far yet,” I said. “The king told me to speak to Rod.”
“Then let’s be off,” Claire said with a snort. She looked ready to confront the prince on her own.
“It’s too late today. I’m sure you’ll both receive official instructions from the king tomorrow, so let’s wait until then.”
“I can’t wait that long,” Claire said impatiently. “Anyway, why is Cardinal Lilly involved in this?”
“What?” I said. “Well, I thought that since we have to investigate Master Salas, we could use Miss Lilly’s help—”
“You really don’t understand how dangerous this is, do you?” Claire demanded. “Prying into the affairs of powerful people isn’t something to take lightly!”
She was right. Especially as, thanks to my memory of Revolution, I already knew exactly what both Salas and Dole were up to.
“I-I can use water magic. I’m sure I can help.”
“It is far too dangerous,” Claire insisted. “Rae has me to guard her.”
Who was guarding who now?
“B-but I’m worried!” Lilly protested.
“You have nothing to fear,” Claire insisted.
“I-I don’t know what you’ll do to Rae if I leave you two alone!”
“That’s what you’re worried about?!”
“Huh? Are you going to do something to me, Miss Claire?” I asked sweetly.
“No!”
“Why not?!”
“Why are we even talking about this?!”
“Y-you won’t touch Rae?!” Lilly stammered. “Have you taken leave of your senses?!”
“Oh, you exhaust me! Both of you!”
It had been a while since Claire and I had bantered like this. Ah, yes, this was what I’d been missing.
“I suppose it can’t be helped,” Claire conceded at last. “I consent to Cardinal Lilly joining us, but please, be extremely careful.”
“Y-yes, of course,” said Lilly.
“You too, Rae.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After that conversation, we called it a night.
***
We visited Rod at the palace after class the next day. The eldest prince’s room was spacious and handsomely furnished in warm, fashionable colors that evoked his affinity with the fire attribute. Claire’s family home astounded, but it had nothing on this room. Lilly, who lived an honorable life of poverty at the Church, looked especially uncomfortable in the midst of this luxury.
As for me? It’s rude to get hung up on comparisons, so I’ll plead the fifth for now.
“I don’t care for small talk, so let’s get right to the point. Salas and Dole are embezzling,” Rod said plainly. He always reeked of confidence, but today his certainty was especially clear.
“Master Rod, you say this because you have definitive evidence, correct?” I thought Claire would blow up, but she started with sheer logic. Perhaps she had cooled off overnight.
“No, I don’t.”
“Y-you don’t?” Lilly said, sounding almost disappointed.
“Well, wait. The only thing I don’t have is definitive evidence. I have loads of circumstantial evidence,” Rod said, pulling out a notebook. “Salas and Dole are both smart. They haven’t exactly left a paper trail.”
He showed us records proving that, at the very least, money tended to disappear around Salas and Dole. He also showed us a list of nobles suspected to be tangentially involved.
“Can’t you just arrest those people?” Claire asked, suggesting she believed her father was innocent.
“They may be the ones getting their hands dirty, but they’re not the masterminds. It’d be like cutting off a lizard’s tail—it’d just grow back,” Rod explained. “We learned that the hard way. Took in a batch, but more just cropped up in their place.” He fixed his gaze on me. “So, what are you going to do?”
“May I have a copy of these materials?”
“I figured you would say that, so I had one made.” Rod rang the bell on the table. A servant came in with a stack of papers, which I took.
“Thank you, Master Rod. We will be going now,” I said.
“Wait one moment, Rae Taylor,” Rod said, stopping me as I rose to leave. He’d used my full name for some reason, which gave me a bad feeling.
“What is it?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just…thought I should ask you while you were here.” It wasn’t like Rod to hesitate.
My apprehension intensified. “I really don’t want to hear it.”
“Don’t say that.”
“May I leave?”
“Not yet,” he said. “Rae Taylor, would you do me the honor of marrying me?”
***
I didn’t know what to say. My expression must have been utterly dumbfounded. Everyone else froze too, but Claire recovered first.
“Have you gone mad, Master Rod?!” she practically screamed.
“A-are you suggesting a commoner marry into the royal family?!” Lilly asked.
“Yeah. What about it?” Rod answered coolly.
In other words, he’d just proposed to me. If I were a normal commoner, it probably would have been the happiest moment of my life. Or maybe I’d have thought he was mocking me. As it was, I thought neither. The only thing in my mind was: What could I possibly have done to lead him on?
I really didn’t feel like I’d had much contact with Rod. I might have caught his attention a bit during the first test at the Academy, and then when I beat him at chess. But I stayed by Claire’s side almost all the time, and I really hadn’t done anything during the game’s events to earn his affection. Maybe I’d made a mistake somewhere?
“Just to confirm,” I said, “are you making fun of me?”
“No, I’m serious.”
“Hmmm…” I frowned. “What is it that you like about me?”
“Your personality. Your abilities. At first, I didn’t think you were all that special,” Rod said. He looked like he was enjoying himself.
“Did I do something to change that?”
“You preemptively prevented an assault on the school, you cured Thane when he was poisoned, you saved the Aurousseau family from execution, you caught Manaria off guard, and you resolved the ghost ship incident in Euclid,” Rod rattled off.
When he put it like that… Wait a minute, how did he know the truth of what had happened in Euclid?
“No…almost all of that was Claire’s doing…” I said.
“Is that true, Claire?” Rod asked her.
“No. It was Rae,” she answered.
Wait, what?
“What really decided it for me was Yu,” said Rod. “You resolved a complex problem the palace had been wrestling with for years.”
“I really didn’t do that alone…”
“Don’t be modest. I know you were the mastermind.”
Ugh—I really wasn’t trying to be modest!
“I need someone like you at my side, not a dull noble lady who grew up coddled by a rich family,” Rod concluded. “So, how about it?”
“How about it? I decline.”
“Rae?!” Claire said. “Do you understand what you are saying?!”
“What? I was proposed to and declined.”
“But you could become the queen!”
“Well, I don’t really want to be queen.”
From my perspective, I didn’t understand Claire’s abject confusion. Her face was in complete shock, like she couldn’t believe what she was looking at.
“But it’s an honor beyond your wildest dreams!”
“It’s not an honor for me.”
“Why?!”
“Because I like you, Miss Claire.” Had I not conveyed that to her yet?
“Ha ha ha! That’s right. I should’ve known that’s what you’d say!” Rod slammed his hand on the desk, laughing. He looked thoroughly entertained. “Claire, it seems Rae values being with you over marrying royalty.”
“Please forgive her insolence,” Claire stammered. “She’s just confused by the suddenness of it all. I am sure that once she’s calmed down and thought things through, she will see things differently.”
“No, I’m perfectly calm—”
“Be silent, for one minute,” Claire interrupted me, sounding almost woeful. “Master Rod, please do not withdraw your proposal just yet.”
“Of course. No matter what Rae thinks, my feelings won’t change.”
“Thank you very much. Please, let’s continue this another time.”
“Of course.”
“It’s time to go! Rae, Cardinal Lilly.” Claire seized our hands to lead us out of Rod’s room.
“W-wait a second, Miss Claire…”
I started to protest, but she glared at me so hard that I swallowed my words.
We parted ways with Lilly at the entrance of the palace. Claire didn’t open her mouth to speak again until we were in the carriage, headed home.
“Rae… You took that joke too far,” she said, in a tone of fond concern that I’d never heard her use before.
“Joke? What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about! Rejecting Master Rod’s proposal!”
“I can’t marry someone I’m not even interested in.”
“Marriage isn’t just about what you want! If you were to marry into the royal family, imagine how happy it would make your parents…”
I hadn’t even thought about it from that angle. To a modern Japanese person like me, marriage was a fundamentally private matter. In this world, however, it was a contract between families, and at the level of royalty, it was almost always entered for political reasons.
“I can’t say for certain…” I said, “but I think my parents would respect my decision.”
“Of course they would. Your parents are wonderful. But are you content to let them spoil you so? Don’t you want to make them happy?”
“Well…”
This was really driving home the difference between Claire’s values and mine. To Claire, marrying advantageously meant repaying the family who had raised her. My casual refusal of Rod’s proposal had, to her, been so unimaginable that it looked insincere.
What could I do…?
“But, Miss Claire…I only want to marry you.”
“Rae, listen carefully,” Claire said seriously. She straightened her posture. “I understand that you are in love with me. I think it wonderful, even. But marriage is a completely separate issue.”
“Not to me.”
“No. Love may be indulged to a certain degree of freedom. But individual desire is irrelevant to marriage.”
“Miss Claire…”
“You must accept Rod’s proposal. Being married would not obligate you to end your relationship with me. On the contrary, if you were to become royalty, our relationship might even—”
“Miss Claire!”
I think that was the first time I’d raised my voice to interrupt Claire. She stopped short, startled.
“To me, marriage is just as—no, even more—intimate than love,” I said.
“Rae…”
“No matter what you say, I have no intention of marrying anyone other than you, Miss Claire.” Maybe she would never understand my point of view. But this was a hill I was willing to die on.
“Rae, think about it carefully. Women are not permitted to marry each other.”
“Then I won’t marry anyone. That’s it.”
“Even if I marry someone else?”
“Yes…”
I really didn’t want Claire to belong to someone else. I’d denied my own feelings in the past, but Manaria had forced me to get past that. Even so, that didn’t mean I was willing to marry someone other than Claire. Especially not someone like Rod. The thought was unfathomable.
“I thought I was finally starting to understand you,” Claire said.
“Thank you very much.”
“But now,” she continued, “I realize how very much I don’t.”
That one comment cut me to my very core.
***
Autumn arrived, and the fragrance of sweet olive floated in on the wind. It was an autumn fragrance in Japan too, and I gladly embraced that familiarity in Revolution. Only a Japanese developer would have thought to include it in the game. Some people in modern Japan thought the scent belonged solely in the domain of bathroom air fresheners, but this world didn’t share those prejudices, and saying you liked the smell of sweet olives didn’t get you odd looks. I inhaled deeply of it as I walked down the road.
Unfortunately, my mood wasn’t as sweet.
I started my investigation right after we spoke to Rod, though it seemed only I planned to do any actual investigative work. Claire and Lilly were more concerned with clearing their fathers’ names. I decided to start with a noble who had dealings with both Dole and Salas. The man procured military supplies for the kingdom, and according to Rod, he had shady accounting practices. His name was Wedge Thompson.
We were currently on our way to Wedge’s mansion.
We were on our way…
I was silent.
So was Claire.
“U-ummm…” Lilly started, as if mirroring our awkward faces.
I knew how she felt. Since meeting up at the Academy, Claire and I hadn’t said a word to each other besides hello.
“Th-the weather is so nice today!” Lilly finished.
“Except that it’s cloudy?” Claire said.
I didn’t answer. In fact, rain looked imminent.
“What did you two eat for breakfast? Lilly had rye bread and corn potage.”
“I overslept this morning, so I skipped breakfast,” I said.
“O-oh I see…”
“Yes…” I swallowed. “Umm…Miss Claire?”
“What is it?”
“Oh…it’s nothing.”
Her curt reaction brought me to a stop. How pointless of me.
Lilly continued to try her best to clear the bad air between us, but ultimately, we arrived at the Thompson mansion with the same dark clouds overhead. I had hoped things would improve before this.
“Augh?!”
An adorable scream interrupted my thoughts. I looked down to see Claire spread-eagled on the ground.
“Argh! Now I have to fight with both Rae and my shoelaces?!”
Upon closer inspection, the laces on her pumps had snapped.
“Rae, she just compared you to a shoelace. How does that feel?” Lilly asked.
“I want to dye myself red and wrap myself around a pinky.”
On my left hand, of course.
Claire had been surprisingly levelheaded of late, but she still tended to fly off the handle and overreact at trivial inconveniences. Rod’s proposal had strained things between us, but I couldn’t help finding her devotion to her different values endearing. Even watching her fall flat on her face in what would generally be referred to as disgraceful behavior endeared her to me.
She disagreed with my ideas about marriage, but she wouldn’t force me to do anything I didn’t want to. She wanted to respect me, in her own way. So what was I going to do about it?
This stiff, uncomfortable atmosphere just didn’t suit us. I decided to change the mood.
“I am infatuated with my clumsy Claire,” I declared.
“Clumsy?! What do you mean, clumsy?!” Claire erupted, as if I’d given the signal to start jesting.
“Please just stay there for a moment.” I took a strap from my bag and split it thinly to make a temporary shoelace.
“You’re so skilled…” Lilly said.
“I owe it all to Miss Claire.” I removed the broken shoelace and ran the strap through the eyelets.
“What does it matter, if I’m still clumsy…?”
“Of course it matters! Your clumsiness gave me a precious glimpse of your underwear!”
“What are you talking about now?!”
“Oh, umm…could it be my true desires…?”
“Don’t play dumb with me!”
I was infatuated with my angry Claire too.
“N-not fair! I want to play yuri-yuri too!”
“Wh-what is yuri-yuri?”
“R-Rae told me. When girls cuddle together it’s called yuri.”
“Who do you think you are, teaching Cardinal Lilly such things?!”
“Heh heh,” I giggled as I stood, sticking my tongue out a little, and then extended my hand to help Miss Claire up. “Miss Claire, let’s make up.”
“I wasn’t aware we were fighting.”
“Absolutely right. But our difference of opinion led to a bit of sensitivity, don’t you think?”
“I suppose you’re right.” Claire took my hand, and I heaved her up. “Ahh?!”
“Mmm, this feels so nice,” I said as Claire’s delicate body landed in my arms. “I want to hold you forever.”
“L-Let go of meee!”
“M-me too, me too!” Lilly cried out.
“Miss Claire, let’s set the topic of my marriage aside for now.”
“Huh?! Rae, you’re going to get married? To whom?! D-did you finally realize how I feel?!”
“Lilly, be quiet for just a minute.”
“Ohh…”
“Even if I do get married, it won’t be right away. I need more time to think, and either way, I don’t want this to ruin my relationship with you.”
“I don’t want my relationship with you to be ruined either,” Claire admitted.
“Then let’s put a pin in this for now,” I suggested.
“I suppose it can’t be helped…” Claire smiled as if she had been released from something. “Now then, let’s finish this job quickly, shall we?”
“Right! Sweet, modest Miss Claire is nice, but at the end of the day, I need my Miss Claire to be bold in bed!”
“Bold in where now?!”
“Just like you’re being now!”
“What in the world are you talking about?!”
And just like that, we returned to our usual antics. I was relieved. She really did know how to make me feel better.
“J-just…get a room already…you ugly shellfish…”
I fell silent, as did Claire.
“I-I’m sorry! It wasn’t on purpose!” Lilly wailed.
“I’m used to it at this point,” I said.
“The sudden change can be quite refreshing, actually,” Claire said.
“Anyway, let’s be off. In the name of Lady Claire François, I officially declare this the start of our Corrupt Noble Regulation mission.”
“Does that not make it sound too dangerous?!” Claire exclaimed.
“Pl-please don’t leave me behind!”
***
“Well, well, Miss Claire and Miss Lilly. Welcome to my humble abode.”
Wedge Thompson, head of the Thompson barony, greeted the three of us with a smile. He was younger than Dole and a bit pudgier.
The Thompson manor couldn’t measure up to the François estate, but it was large beyond the means of a lower-ranked noble. The interior was decorated with gaudy artwork that reeked of nouveau riche taste. Wedge play-acted the role of aristocrat as he led us to the parlor down the hall, prattling on about which piece of art was whose masterpiece and how many millions of gold it had cost. Claire and Lilly cringed all the while.
“Well now, what sort of business did you wish to discuss today?” Wedge asked Claire as we all sat down in the parlor. He never looked at me, probably assuming I was nothing but their servant. I mean, true enough, but that’s not the point.
“Actually, I have been appointed to the king’s Secret Service,” Claire said.
“Yes, I heard. What a wonderful achievement to be appointed to such a role as a woman,” he said.
So he was well connected enough to have heard the news.
“We’ve come to investigate the Thompson manor.”
“Well, well… That’s concerning, isn’t it?” Wedge conspicuously winced. “Don’t tell me you think some manner of illegal affairs have been conducted in this house?”
“We have our suspicions. Enough to warrant an investigation.”
“Well, well. This certainly isn’t what I expected to hear from an intelligent girl like you, Miss Claire,” Wedge said. His exaggerated gestures seemed to suggest Claire’s words bordered on slander.
“We hardly enjoy this. If you have nothing to hide, Baron Thompson, then please, cooperate with our investigation.”
“Fine, then. Investigate whatever you like,” Wedge chuckled. His countenance was confident, as if he silently dared us to find anything.
“Now then, can you please show us documentation of your finances from the past ten years?”
“Of course, ma’am. I will retrieve them from the safe. Please wait here.”
Wedge rang a bell to call a servant and gave him some orders. The servant, an older man, glanced at us for a moment, but said nothing and nodded before leaving the room.
“Please, enjoy some refreshments while you wait.”
“O-oh, thank—” said Lilly.
“No, thank you. We haven’t come to make a social call,” Claire sharply interrupted Lilly, who had looked excited. I hoped again that Lilly wasn’t neglecting her cardinal duties.
“Heh heh… Don’t say that. Did you see Broumet has a competitor now? It’s called Frater, and they make the most wonderful treats. The main restaurant is in the Alpes, but they recently opened a branch in the capital.”
“I very much doubt they could outdo Broumet.”
“You should try for yourself and see. I think their work at least as good as Broumet’s, and their flavors are more complex than the average maid can devise,” Wedge said. As if on cue, maids brought out trays with teapots and ramekins. “This is crème brûlée, Frater’s most popular dish. I don’t believe many people in the capital have yet tried it.”
“I have tried crème brûlée before. She made it for me,” Claire said, telling me with her eyes that she was rapidly losing interest.
“You what?! N-no, Frater’s creations are completely unlike anything an amateur could concoct. Please, just try it.”
Wedge had probably intended to use the crème brûlée to win us over, never imagining Claire’s servant could already make it. Not that I cared, but he really took every opportunity to insult me, huh? And he seemed to be the only person in the room who didn’t notice Claire’s mounting irritation.
“If you insist, then I suppose I will try it.”
Claire lifted the spoon and made eye contact with me for just a moment. I nodded. We had already discussed in advance that I would cast antidote magic on any food offered to us during our investigation. Once I confirmed that my magic had been applied, Claire finally took a bite of the crème brûlée.
“Well…it’s not bad,” she said nonchalantly.
“I-It’s delicious!” Lilly exclaimed, surprise and excitement writ large on her face.
“It’s exquisite, isn’t it? I was so surprised when I came upon it. My wife adored Broumet, but now she can’t get enough of Frater. Frater’s prices are far more reasonable, as well—”
“Still, I do prefer the crème brûlée my maid makes for me,” Claire declared in an uninterested voice.
This brought Wedge’s excited chatter to a halt. His face went white. “H-how could that be?”
“R-Rae can make it better than this?” Lilly boggled.
“Why, yes. Rae, please.” Claire offered me a bite of crème brûlée on a spoon.
“You realize this means we’ll share an indirect kiss?”
“How shameless! That’s enough, just try it.”
“As you say.” I took the bite without hesitation. Then I dramatically licked the spoon clean. I mean, I had to properly sample the flavor. “Hmm… Not enough cream. I imagine they added too much milk in its place.”
“What?!”
“And the sugar on top isn’t properly caramelized. I think whoever made this worked from a perfectly good recipe, but they need more practice.”
“Y-you! What would you know?!”
“Baron Thompson, I apologize for my poorly mannered servant. And yet, I agree with her appraisal,” Claire said in a calm voice.
“Oh, no! I didn’t mean to criticize you, Miss Claire!” Wedge switched to an appeasing voice, but his eyes couldn’t hide his irritation. This was getting tense.
Still, I was happy. I recognized this crème brûlée recipe—he said he had found it in the Alpes? Frater… It was a good name for a restaurant.
While I contemplated this, a knock sounded at the door. The older servant returned, holding a stack of papers.
“Now then, let’s take a look.”
With the refreshments cleared away, Claire took the stack of papers. I reached for the accounting books, trying to memorize what I saw.
“Miss Claire, you may have been appointed to the Secret Service, but you can’t expect me to show my family’s finances to a mere servant,” Wedge complained as I opened his ledgers.
“She is a member of the Secret Service herself. Did you not hear that there were three new inductees?”
“Th-this servant?!” Wedge’s eyes rolled in agony.
“Is there a problem?”
“N-no. Please excuse me.”
“Very well, then. Rae, get started.”
“Yes.” I began with the ledgers, grateful I could count on Claire to come through for me.
***
While theoretically based on medieval Europe, the fact that the world of Revolution had been designed by Japanese game developers in the 21st century meant that elements of Japanese culture could show up when you least expected it. I noticed one such element as I looked through Baron Thompson’s ledgers: the financial statements used double-entry bookkeeping. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice to say, 21st-century Japan used the exact same system of accounting. A lucky thing, as a ledger in the actual style of the Middle Ages would have been Greek to me.
“How’s it going? I trust you’re not finding anything out of the ordinary?” Wedge asked, his smile dripping with smug confidence.
“We have learned a great deal,” I answered instead of Claire.
“Oh, have you now?”
Despite having learned of my Secret Service officer status, Wedge clearly had no intention of being polite to me. That actually made things easier.
“For example, the Thompson family has been in dire financial straits for the past few years.”
“Indeed. Our territory’s harvest has been very poor the last few seasons, which left us in quite a strained position.” Wedge shook his head as if to convey what a headache it had been.
“A-and yet s-somehow, you’re able to afford luxurious furniture and purchase expensive desserts…”
“Miss Lilly, you may not understand this, since you live in the Church, but nobles use things like furniture and treats to evaluate each other. If an aristocrat lowers the quality of their lifestyle, they lose respect with their peers.”
“I-Is that right?”
“Are you just about finished? I don’t have all day. I would like to ask you to conclude, if you’re done.”
In other words, he wanted us out. Time for the real show to start.
“Miss Claire.”
“Are we really doing this…?”
“Yes. Definitely.”
“Hmph. Fine, then.” Claire let out a big sigh, but her determination showed through.
I stood and produced a pill case decorated with the François insignia. “Stand down! Stand down! Do you not see this crest?!”
Wedge stared up at me, eyes wide. “Wh-what are you talking about…?”
“Who do you think you’re talking to?! You are in the presence of Claire François, daughter of the Minister of Finance!”
“I am well aware—”
“Yes, she of highest standing! Stand down! Stand down!”
Wedge, utterly bewildered, looked to Lilly for help. “Do you happen to understand what this is?”
“I don’t really get it either…”
I sighed. I supposed none of them had the frame of reference to understand my pitch-perfect Komon Mito impression.
“Miss Claire, is Rae all right?” asked Lilly.
“I wasn’t sold on this, to tell you the truth, but Rae insisted…”
Alas, even Claire was confused. How disappointing.
“Well, whatever,” I said. “Wedge, you window dressed your accounts, right?”
“Excuse me?”
“I mean you cooked the books to make your financial situation look worse than it really was for reporting purposes.”
He looked stunned. “On what basis do you make this accusation?!”
“I have your tax records as previously provided to Master Rod. The numbers in these books entirely differ.”
Wedge had underestimated us because we were girls. His prior confidence likely stemmed from the assumption that we wouldn’t be able to read his ledger. Unfortunately for him, I’d been a corporate drone in my previous life. In fact, I’d worked in the Financial Auditing Department of a general trading company. In a word, reading ledgers was my specialty. The window dressing going on here was practically cute compared to the rampant corporate evils of Earth.
I had no calculator with me, but as it turned out, Lilly could do mental arithmetic in a flash. With her at my side, I’d reviewed the ledger top to bottom.
What about Miss Claire, you might ask? What skills did she bring to the table? Why, I couldn’t possibly ask an angel like her to trouble herself with such mundane work.
“Baron Thompson has been evading taxes,” I said. He pocketed the unreported revenue; a common method of feathering the nest. I wrote down a number. “This should be about how much he owes. Combined with the underpayment penalty—it’s quite a bit. It would ruin you.”
When I showed him the number, Wedge’s face paled. “H-how can you prove my tax records were not tampered with?!”
“We could always bring Master Rod here.”
“Hah…” That stopped him.
“Now then, Baron Thompson. Would you care to explain?”
“I…admit it…”
Wedge hung his head, dejected, and told us everything he’d done. I recorded his confession with the magical tool the king had provided me.
“What…are you going to do to me?”
“We shall report our findings to the palace, and you will be questioned. Be prepared for the worst,” said Claire. “At least, that’s what I would want to say, but there is a chance you will be pardoned, is there not?”
Wedge perked up as soon as Claire said those words.
“Not pardoned, Miss Claire,” I said. “Offered a plea bargain.”
“Ah, yes. Depending on the circumstances, your sentence may be reduced.”
“I’ll do anything! I’ll tell you anything!” Wedge took the bait hook, line, and sinker.
“Rae, what was it you wanted to ask him?”
“Right. The ledgers include some ambiguous entries that seem to indicate secret payments made to high-ranking nobles. Who were the recipients of these funds?”
Claire nodded and turned to Wedge. “Who did you funnel money to?”
“Th-that…”
“Do you plan to let the House Thompson fall to ruin on your watch?”
“Count Yale…” Wedge said in tones of utter surrender.
On a completely unrelated note, condescendingly interrogating a powerful man she’d brought to his knees was a good look for Claire. Kind of like an evil queen.
Now then.
Our strategy was basically this: We would investigate the minor nobles implicated by what Rod had found, offer them plea bargains in return for information, and use that to find our next leads. Count Yale possessed far more wealth and influence than Baron Thompson, which brought us one step closer to Dole and Salas.
“Thank you for your cooperation,” Claire said. “The palace will contact you with further instructions. We will put in a good word for you in the name of reducing your sentence.”
“I am ever so grateful for your generosity, Miss Claire,” Wedge said from where he prostrated himself on the floor before Claire. His arrogant, pompous air had all but disappeared.
“And with that, the case is closed!” I said happily as we left.
“What was that charade back there?” Claire demanded.
“That?”
How could I explain my pop culture references?
“There are a whole lot of servants in a mansion, right?” I asked.
“Indeed.”
“We can’t keep the staff quiet. With someone as important as Miss Claire visiting and all the commotion, people might have gotten the impression something untoward was going on.”
“I see. So you did have a reason then.”
Well, I might have pulled that reason out of my butt—I’d just wanted to play with Claire.
***
We made good progress on our investigation after that, arresting ten corrupt nobles. News of our activities spread fast, and nobles with something to hide rushed to conceal incriminating documents. However, ledgers couldn’t be rewritten overnight, and we also had the findings from the investigation Rod had been conducting for years. With my ability to sniff out window dressing, their attempts to cover up their wrongdoings went to waste, and Claire and Lilly started to gain popularity among the commoners due to their work taking down corrupt nobles.
That was when a problem occurred.
“We still haven’t found any evidence leading to Master Dole or my father…” Lilly mumbled as she organized documents in the private room we’d been provided by the palace.
It was true. There’d been a couple times when I felt like we were almost there, but we always ended up one step short. Dole and Salas were being very careful. We’d even heard from one mid-tier aristocrat that they’d tried to bribe him but found no evidence whatsoever to support that claim.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean that our fathers are innocent,” Claire said wryly.
As we contemplated that, our spirits flagging for a moment, the door swung open.
“Yo. It looks like you’re working hard.”
“Master Rod…”
“Thank you…”
“Whoa. You look like you’re in a bad mood, Claire.”
“The investigation has hit a dead end.”
“Well, I figured as much.” As the person in charge of the investigation until we were brought on board, Rod understood the difficulties we faced. “What if you just bit the bullet and spoke directly to Dole and Salas?”
“But we have no evidence.”
“No definitive evidence, but there’s some circumstantial stuff. Besides, if his own daughter were to confront him, maybe he’d let something slip?”
I saw the logic of Rod’s argument. More to the point though, we lacked a shred of any other ideas.
“Well, I’ll let you guys decide for yourselves,” Rod continued. “I have my own work to do.”
“M-Master Rod, what are you working on?” Lilly asked.
“Have you heard the two rumors plaguing the capital right now?”
“Oh, those absurd tales,” Claire scoffed at once, but I didn’t know what he was talking about.
“What rumors, Miss Claire?”
“Rae, how can you be so sharp and also so utterly airheaded?”
Ah, how I loved it when she scolded me.
“O-one rumor is about angry ghosts. The other is about Thane’s birth,” Lilly offered.
Claire explained further. “People have been saying that the spirits of the mountains are on the prowl, looking for corrupt nobles to punish. Probably spread by the masses in reaction to the scandals we’ve brought to light.”
Oh, that. It made me a bit nervous, but I held it in.
“The other rumor is that Thane isn’t truly King l’Ausseil’s child. Ugh…commoners can be so deluded,” Claire said angrily.
I didn’t know how she currently felt, but in the game, she started out in love with Thane. It had to be infuriating to hear people say such things about the person you liked.
“Setting aside the rumors about Thane,” Rod said, looking uncharacteristically serious. “There was in fact a documented incident of the mountain spirits lashing out in anger.”
“R-really?”
“The Spiritual Church called it the Taboo Flame.”
“Oh, you mean from Mt. Sassal—the volcano?”
“That’s right.”
I mentioned earlier that the Academy baths were connected to a hot spring. The capital was located in an area of volcanic activity, and Mt. Sassal was the volcano closest to the city.
“Mt. Sassal erupted several hundred years ago, during a time when the capital suffered from rampant misrule,” Rod said. Apparently, the eruption had wrought devastation upon the city. “Personally, I don’t think we’re in danger of something like that happening again. But it’s made the people anxious, so we’re looking into it.”
“What about the rumors about Master Thane?” Claire inquired.
“I can’t comment on that. If you want to know more, go ask Thane,” Rod said, evasively. “That reminds me, Rae. Have you decided to accept my proposal yet?”
“No, not at all.”
“Rae!”
“Ah ha ha! That’s fine. I don’t mind you playing hard to get.”
I wanted to ask him why he was so immature for his age. “We’re busy right now, Master Rod, and so are you. Please stop messing around.”
“Okay, okay. Anyway, regarding the rumors, let me know if you hear anything else of interest. See ya,” Rod said, moving to leave.
“Wait a second, Master Rod,” I said.
“Huh? What is it?”
“There is a small village at the foot of Mt. Sassal, right?”
“Yeah, there is.”
I knew he would know. He knew everything about the kingdom’s geography. The village was on the exact opposite side of the mountain from the capital.
“That village should be evacuated.”
“Why?”
“If the volcano does erupt, they’re right in the path of the lava,” I explained.
Rod stroked his chin. “I see what you’re saying, but I don’t think they’ll consent to being evacuated over a rumor about eruptions and angry spirits.”
“I suppose so…”
“Well, I’ll look into it. See ya.” With another wave, Rod ducked out of the room.
“Rae, you…”
“Stop, Miss Claire. Remember, we decided to put a pin in the marriage discussion?”
“Yes, we did.” Claire looked like she wanted to say more, but she held her tongue, respecting my request. Ahh, true love!
I noticed Lilly was silent too.
“What is it, Miss Lilly?”
She had a very serious look on her face. “W-well…it’s nothing.”
“It’s clearly not nothing. You’ve gone pale,” Claire said.
“Th-the Taboo Flame…worries me. I wonder…if the volcano really will erupt…?”
“There’s no way for us to know. The spirits of the mountain are beyond human understanding.”
“W-well…that may be, but…” Lilly said, “In our records, past eruptions did terrible damage. Shouldn’t we prepare, somehow?”
“Cardinal Lilly, the royal family and the nobles have plans in place for such events,” Claire pointed out calmly. “The capital stockpiles grain in case of poor harvests, and we keep troops and disaster relief squadrons ready to deploy in an emergency. Even if the volcano does erupt, quite a lot can and will be done.”
Claire was correct. Yet I knew it wouldn’t be enough.
After all… I also knew we didn’t have much time until the volcano erupted.
***
“Hey, isn’t that Master Thane?”
When we finally decided to call it a day, we saw Thane on our way back. He lingered alone in the courtyard right by the main palace gates, facing a painting of the royal family.
“Hello, Master Thane. What brings you here?” Claire greeted him on behalf of all of us. Thane glanced over somberly and then looked back at the painting.
“I was just looking at the portrait of my mother,” he said.
I followed his gaze to the portrait of the former Queen Lulu.
“Lady Lulu was beautiful. This painting doesn’t do her justice, though. It doesn’t capture the way her inner beauty shone through,” Claire said.
She wasn’t just paying Thane lip service; the former queen really was exquisite. Her silver hair shone and her ethereal red eyes captivated. I’d never dare say something so improper out loud, of course, but she made me think of a courtesan—heartbreaking and fragile.
The Bauer Kingdom had gained stability when Lulu became queen, and she was remembered as the country’s radiant savior. Unlike Queen Riche, who was tied closely to the Church, Lulu had come from an Alpecian background. She’d helped the Bauer Kingdom establish an alliance with the Alpes that allowed them to successfully drive back the Nur Empire.
“My mother wasn’t just beautiful. She was also kind…” Thane said sadly, not taking his eyes away from the portrait.
“You loved her so deeply,” Claire said. As Dole’s daughter, she’d visited the castle from a young age and shared memories of the former queen.
“Yeah, but I don’t remember her very well…” Thane said in a self-deprecating way. Queen Lulu had been unable to recover from Thane’s birth, leaving her bedridden. “I wonder…if she hated me?”
“Impossible. What mother could hate her own child?”
“But her life ended prematurely because of me. In her final years, she could barely get out of bed, let alone go to the social events she loved so much.”
According to the game’s character guide, Queen Lulu had loved high society life, with its parties and events. She had been right at home in the palace, surrounded by noble schemes and plots. Thane understood being bedridden had deprived her of those joys, and in that sense his sentiment was understandable.
“This may be hard for a man to understand, but a woman’s child is always special to her,” Claire said in an attempt to comfort Thane. Unfortunately, she was just repeating platitudes. I knew some mothers found themselves unable to love their children—not that I was going to bring up that inconvenient truth in front of Thane.
It wasn’t clear if Claire’s words actually provided Thane any comfort. He continued to stare at the portrait of Lulu with his usual sullen expression, and we fell silent for a moment.
“M-Master Thane, I think what Miss Claire said is correct.” Lilly offered a lifeline. Or maybe she just couldn’t stand the silence anymore. “M-my father once told me that Lady Lulu loved the princes in an extraordinary way.”
“Salas said that?”
Lilly nodded.
“He said Lady Lulu especially doted on Master Thane, because you weren’t born healthy.”
Thane’s had been a difficult delivery for a number of reasons. Lulu hadn’t just wound up bedridden; the prince had also been born premature and had often been sick as a child.
“It seems you might not have understood each other,” Claire said. I felt the same way, but one of the people involved had already passed. The truth was lost forever.
Thane didn’t respond. He was normally a quiet person, but he was especially quiet today. Wait a second…
“Master Thane, are you here because of the rumors spreading around town?”
“Rae!”
“Huh? Ah…”
“So, you heard them too, huh?”
“Master Thane, please pay no heed to idle rumors spread by commoners,” Claire said firmly.
“Y-yes that’s right!” Lilly chimed in.
“But…the king is often distant with me. He treats me differently than he does Rod and Yu.” Thane’s voice was flat and bitter. “I used to think it was because I was unworthy of my rank, but if the rumors are true, that would explain a lot.”
“Master Thane…” Claire said carefully.
“I can’t… It’s not like me to vent like this.”
“If you find us suitable confidants, we are happy to listen.”
“I appreciate that, but in the end, I am a prince. Someone in line for the throne cannot behave like this.”
“It is the duty of a king’s subjects to support him,” Claire pointed out.
“Yes… If I were to become king, I’m sure you would be very helpful, Claire.” Thane finally gave us his rare smile. It didn’t happen often, which made it all the more powerful.
“Miss Claire, what are you getting all googly-eyed about? Did you forget you have me?” I said, unfiltered, proving myself again incapable of reading the room.
“G-googly-eyed?! And just what are you suggesting?!”
“Well, you’d look like that at your missing half, right?”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it!”
“You’re all perverts, the lot of you…”
“Cardinal Lilly, hush!”
“I’m sorry!”
The somber mood evaporated as we squawked at each other again.
“Ha ha… Watching you guys makes my worries feel silly,” said Thane. “I’m sorry if I’ve caused you concern. I’ll be fine.”
“I wasn’t even that worried,” I retorted.
“Rae!” Claire scolded me. “Master Thane, if there is anything we can do, please let us know.”
“I-I can’t do much, but I’ll do anything I can!”
“Thanks,” Thane said and left.
Was he really all right? I wondered.
“He’s really hurting,” I murmured.
“You’re so daft! If Master Thane wasn’t such a kind person, your head would be on the chopping block right now.”
“Well, I wouldn’t talk like that to just anyone. Unlike Miss Lilly,” I said, doing my best to lighten the mood.
“H-huh?!”
Yes, I worried for Thane, but Claire came first. I had to do everything I could to keep the mood light, so Miss Claire wouldn’t be tempted to conceal her feelings.
Such was the path I chose.
***
We knocked on a door as plain as its owner’s personality.
“Welcome. Please enter.”
“Excuse us.”
Claire led the way, followed by Lilly and me. We were visiting the office of Salas Lilium, Chancellor of the Bauer Kingdom. The first thing I noticed in Salas’s office was the infinite number of glass-blown items. A variety decorated the shelves and his desk, ranging from paperweights to strange devices to large constructs of some kind.
“Is this blown glass?”
“No, it’s ice,” said Salas, who sat at his desk, writing something. “It doesn’t melt, courtesy of my ice magic.”
According to the extra game material, Salas had medium aptitude in water attribute magic. It wasn’t very good in combat, but I’d read something about his specialty being more on the mental-manipulation side of things.
“It’s a hobby. I’m not especially good, but sometimes people purchase my work—though they’re usually more interested in who made it than the craftmanship.” Salas laughed. He was being modest; I saw some exquisite pieces in the collection. “We can skip the formalities. You’re here because I’m suspected of fraud, correct?”
Salas showed no signs of shame or anxiety. In fact, he wore a smile.
He was right too. We’d decided to take Rod’s suggestion to try speaking to him directly, though we didn’t have high hopes of success—largely because we’d already failed at trying the same thing with Dole right before we came here. “Claire, I really thought you were smarter than this,” he’d said as we left his office. I’d known him for a liar, but Claire’s expression had been complicated, to say the least.
She’d remained subdued since our meeting with Dole. Instead, Lilly took the initiative now.
“F-Father! Be reasonable!” she chided.
“Lilly, not so loud. What part of me is being unreasonable?” Salas asked, with confidence to spare. He rose slowly from his chair and stood before the three of us.
“Th-there has been testimony from nobles friendly with you, Father. You asked them for bribes!”
“Is that so? And where is the evidence?”
“D-don’t play dumb! Do you know how many people have testified against—”
“So, you don’t have any evidence?” Salas’s voice was soft but powerful.
“Er…”
“Can we search your quarters?” I asked.
“You’re welcome to, but any documents related to the government are off-limits.”
“We have been granted full authority to investigate.”
“Authority to conduct a financial audit, yes. Records related to matters of government can only be accessed by order of the House of Lords. You are not authorized to view them.”
Ugh. He knew how to corner us—legally speaking, anyway.
“Whatever you’re able to show us is fine, then,” I said. “Please allow us to examine your ledgers.”
“Of course.”
We spent some time examining his books, but no matter how closely we scanned them, we found no discrepancies whatsoever. His accounts were immaculate—disgustingly so.
“May we examine that safe?” A solid-looking safe sat next to his desk.
“You may not. It contains confidential information relating to government and foreign policy.”
“You expect us to believe that?”
“If you don’t, feel free to go acquire the necessary permission to view those documents.”
He didn’t budge. With no direct evidence to suggest Salas’s guilt, we were out of ammo for the time being.
“Father… I’m hurt,” Lilly suddenly said as we were about to leave. “It’s true we have no real evidence, but after all the research we’ve done, we know. We know you’ve conducted yourself corruptly.”
“This is what you might call a false accusation.”
“No matter how you deceive us, you cannot deceive the eyes of the spirits. Eventually, you will be judged. I will pray you are able to confess your crimes before that happens, Father.”
“Lilly…”
“Goodbye.” Lilly started to leave the room, and we followed on her heels.
“Wait,” Salas called out. “Lilly, I hope you will remember one thing.”
She looked back at him, unsure of what to expect.
“Prayer alone gets nothing done. If you wish to succeed, you must get your hands dirty.”
“Is that what you did, Father?”
“Something of the sort. But…” Salas hesitated. “Lilly…you are a pitiful child.”
I wouldn’t understand his meaning until it was too late.
***
“In the end, it turned out exactly how Rod said it would,” Claire said glumly. She was right; it was like cutting the tail off a lizard. “It’s so frustrating, to get this far and still have no evidence…”
“I-I feel the same.”
Claire and Lilly were both earnest people with fathers who were, they were beginning to accept, committing crimes. No wonder they were anxious.
“It’s not like we’re out of leads,” I said, and they both looked at me.
“Do you mean other nobles?”
“No.” We’d never catch Dole and Salas that way. I already knew that for a fact. And I also knew what we needed to do. “I think we should try to reach out to the Resistance.”
“The Resistance?” Claire repeated.
Lilly went silent.
They both looked at me questioningly.
“The Resistance, or in other words, revolutionaries.”
Both of their faces went white as they stared at me, stunned. Claire and Lilly belonged to the privileged class. Any revolutionaries were their natural foe.
“Have you gone mad?! I can’t be involved with those people!” Claire exclaimed.
“I-I agree!”
“Then wait here, both of you. I’ll go alone.”
“You’re part of my household! Do you really think the revolutionaries would meet with you, knowing that?!”
“Yes, I do,” I said. Claire looked like she wanted more explanation, but I shook my head. “Anyway, leave the rest to me.”
“You can’t! I won’t forgive you!”
“Miss Claire…”
“It’s too dangerous! What if something happens?!”
“I’ll be okay,” I said, but I could tell she wasn’t convinced. What had gotten into her? “Well, how about this? Let’s go to the Resistance with the aim of negotiating ways to avoid violence down the line. We can discuss the corruption amidst the nobility while we’re there.”
“Are those people even capable of civil conversation?”
“I don’t think we need worry about them kidnapping us. They’re still a small organization, and real revolution is still a far-off dream.”
Claire didn’t answer, so I went on.
“We may be connected to the nobility, but we’re also working to hold corrupt nobles accountable for their crimes. I don’t think the Resistance will flat-out refuse to talk to us.”
“S-so you think those people have proof that our fathers are corrupt?” Lilly, unlike Claire, sounded interested in the plan.
“Cardinal Lilly, we aren’t even sure if our fathers are guilty yet—”
“I will guarantee that. They are definitely involved,” I said.
“How can you be so sure?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Claire. I can’t explain why, not yet.”
“Rae!”
“Miss Claire, let’s trust Rae.”
“Cardinal Lilly…you…”
“My father said it himself. If you want to succeed, you must get your hands dirty,” Lilly said. She let out a forced laugh. “Although I don’t know why he called me pitiful… I want my father to pay for his crimes. If he cannot surrender on his own, then I will find the evidence.”
Everyone would be judged for their crimes, eventually.
***
We found ourselves in a slum a short distance from the capital. Two stout men stood before the entrance of a battered, ramshackle building. Claire, Lilly, and I observed from a distance.
“Are you sure you don’t want to turn back?” Claire asked.
“We’ve already come this far.”
“Y-yes, that’s right. We even have disguises,” said Lilly.
We’d changed out of our school uniforms. We were confident we could defend ourselves if we had to, but we didn’t want the Resistance to be wary of us if we caused a commotion. So, we’d donned peasant clothing—pretty old clothing, at that. We also had hoods covering our eyes to make our age less obvious.
“Okay, let’s go.”
“Wait, Rae… Ugh.”
“L-Let’s go, Miss Claire.”
We started to approach the building, determined.
“Excuse me.” I called to the men at the gate, who looked at us suspiciously. Up close, one was tall and brandished a sword on his waist. The other was short and stout, and held something that looked like an axe. They both looked well versed in conflict.
“What is it?”
“No kids allowed in here.”
“We have business with the chief,” I said. “It’s an emergency.”
“I told you, no kids allowed. Go home,” the tall one said threateningly.
Hmph. I guess we weren’t going to be able to get in the front door. But I had a trick or two up my sleeve.
“How are the Luster siblings?” I asked.
“You… Where did you hear that name?!” The guard’s face suddenly went white.
“Are you going to let us see Arla?”
The guards went quiet for a moment.
“Hey, how do they know the chief’s na—”
“Shut up. You make sure these kids stay put. I’ll ask the chief,” the tall guard said and then disappeared into the building.
“Hey, Rae, what’s going on? Have you met these people before?”
“No.”
“Then how can you just rattle off their names?”
“Miss Claire, sometimes women have secrets.”
“This is no time for jokes—”
The guard returned. “The chief will see you. Enter.”
“Thank you very much.”
The moment we were through the gate, it locked behind us.
“Hey!” Claire cried.
“Miss Claire, it’s fine.”
“But!”
“Please trust me.”
“I…I will.”
Claire didn’t look happy about any of this, but she listened to me, at least for now. She looked ready to burst at any moment. I had to be careful in more ways than one.
The inside of the building proved cleaner and more organized than anyone could ever have imagined from viewing its exterior. Furnished with only the bare minimum in terms of furniture, it still met the standard of commoner towns. We proceeded to the hallway from the gate and then to the farthest back room.
“Chief, this is them.”
“Thanks.”
A tall woman with drab, loosely pulled-back blonde hair turned to us. Her face—actually her entire body—was covered in burn scars.
“There’s much I want to ask you, but first, let’s have you remove your hoods,” she said with a thin smile. This burn-riddled woman was Arla Luster. She stared at us with icy eyes, and even Claire, usually uncowed, shrank a bit under the pressure.
When we did as we were told and removed our hoods, Arla’s expression changed slightly. “Do you understand where you are?”
“The right wing of the Commoner Movement,” I said. “We know this is the headquarters of The Resistance.”
“Where did you hear that?” Arla asked, amused.
“From nobody. Please rest assured that none of your members betrayed you.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I need you to believe me, Arla Manuel.”
The second I said that, I felt a small pain at my throat.
“Rae?!” Claire and Lilly cried in unison.
They both drew their magic wands, and I held up my hands to stop them. A sword had appeared; its point pressed to my neck. Arla had moved so fast I hadn’t even seen her draw her weapon.
“You… Why do you know my family’s name?” She was unnerved, now. I could tell.
“I cannot tell you that. However, I know almost everything about you. I know what you’re doing and what you’re going to do.”
“If you know that much, do you think you’re going to get out of here alive? Do you have a death wish?”
“No. We came to propose a transaction.”
“A transaction?”
“Can you please lower your sword? It makes it difficult to speak.”
At that, Arla stared at me, wary, for some time, but she finally let out a deep sigh and lowered her sword.
“I will listen to what you have to say. After that, I’ll decide whether or not to let you live.”
“Thank you very much.”
I’d succeeded in getting Arla to the negotiation table. But the hard part was yet to come.
“I know you are lacking in funding for your activities,” I said. “I will give you two million gold.”
“Oh really? And where will you acquire such funds?”
“You needn’t worry about the source. In return, I want you to tell me where I can find proof of infidelity between the late Queen Lulu and Chancellor Salas.”
“What are you…? How much do you know?”
“As I said, I know almost everything.”
“Infidelity between m-my father and the late queen?! What are you saying, Rae?!” Lilly cried, unable to contain herself.
“Well, well, well. So, you’re Cardinal Lilly? That must mean you’re Rae Taylor, correct?” Arla smirked, as if to say “gotcha.”
“Spare us the poor acting,” I said. “You knew exactly who we were the moment we removed our hoods.”
Arla clicked her tongue as I called her bluff.
“And Miss Lilly,” I said. “I’m afraid Master Salas had an affair with the late queen. The result of that affair was Master Thane.”
“Wh…wh-wha?!”
In other words, the rumors about Thane were true. He was the child of the late Queen Lulu and Salas, making him and Lilly half-siblings. The proof? Salas, Thane, and Lilly all shared silver hair and red eyes.
“You’ve figured that much out without any evidence?”
“Yes. But you know where such evidence is, don’t you, Arla?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because you started the rumor spreading through the streets about Master Thane.”
“It seems you really do know everything…” Arla chuckled, raising both arms as in surrender. “Does that mean you also know who I am?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“You are Arla Manuel, the firstborn daughter of former Count Manuel, former attendant of Master Salas,” I said.
Arla’s only response was ironic laughter.
“Explain yourself, Rae,” Claire demanded.
“I-I want to know too.”
“Would you like to explain, Arla?”
“No. I’ll answer any questions you might have, but you do the talking.”
“Very well, then,” I said. “First of all, as I just said, this is Arla Manuel. She’s the daughter of Count Manuel, who was a close confidant of Salas’s.”
“You mean the count who went bankrupt about ten years ago?”
“Y-you know about that, Miss Claire?”
“Of course,” Claire said. “I’m a noble. We make it our business to know the fortunes and powers of other noble families.”
“R-really?”
Claire and Lilly both belonged to the nobility, but the difference between purebred aristocrats and ecclesiastical nobility always ended up making itself apparent.
“Count Manuel was well known and well liked,” Claire continued. “My father said he was known for honesty in his dealings.”
“Th-then why did such a person go bankrupt?”
“Much like the people we’ve been investigating, he was found to be using shady accounting practices.”
“You call that shady accounting?!” Arla cried out. Judging by her expression, she immediately regretted it.
Claire looked surprised at Arla’s outburst, but she continued. “When Count Manuel’s corruption came to light, it caused a huge scandal. No one could believe it.”
“In actuality,” I said, “Master Salas framed the Count. Salas made him take the fall to protect himself—made him one of the lizard’s tails, if you will.”
“B-but why is the daughter of a former noble working with, um, the Resistance?”
“Hatred for Salas, and by extension the entire aristocracy, perhaps?” I looked at Arla.
“That’s right,” she answered in a low voice. “My father was a gentle and honest man, and the other nobles knew it. And yet, they abandoned him on Salas’s word. Such a world should not exist.”
“Was that when you made up your mind, Arla?” I asked.
She nodded slowly.
“Revenge won’t solve anything,” Claire said.
“Are you speaking from experience, girl? I don’t care about the revolution. The only thing I want is to see the streets run red with noble blood,” Arla said with a cold chuckle.
“I’m sure I sound naive to you. But I’m not giving up on my ideals,” Claire declared.
Claire and Arla were both right—and they were both wrong. The world wasn’t black and white, only shades of grey. Even so, a thirst for revenge alone wouldn’t propel the Resistance to success.
“Where’s Irvine?” I asked.
“You know my brother too? He’s out fundraising today. We need more money.”
Arla’s younger brother, Irvine, oversaw the Resistance’s finances. If Arla gave the movement the heart and soul, Irvine gave it a brain. Together, the siblings would eventually be the spark that set the revolution alight.
“Let’s get back on track,” I said. “I think your father told you where to find evidence of Salas’s infidelity, Arla. How about it?”
This was the question I’d come here to ask. In one route of the game, the protagonist investigated Salas for proof of corruption, much like we were doing now, but the exact nature of the proof you could acquire was randomized from one run to the next. The variables only locked in after the player had this talk with the Resistance.
“Cash first. I won’t talk until I see the cash.”
“I guarantee you will get the money. I will transfer it from XX in the usual way.”
“You are XX?!”
XX was a mysterious patron from whom Irvine regularly received large donations. Their real identity was—not me, actually. I’ll get to that later, though you may have figured it out from hearing Irvine’s name.
“No,” I said. “But they’re a friend of mine.”
“If you’re truly a friend of XX… I’ll tell you.” Arla sighed. “I believe it’s in the safe in his office. However, no one can open that safe except for Salas.” She laughed, as if to tell us we’d just wasted our time.
“In the safe?” I said. “Thank you very much.”
“W-wait a second! So you know it’s in the safe, but you don’t know how to open it?” Claire objected.
“S-so we’re right back where we started?” Lilly added.
“No,” I said. “This is all we need.”
“Wait, Rae! Are you sure?!”
“It’s okay, Miss Claire. As long as we know the evidence is there, we can figure it out.”
“Are you asking me to trust you again?”
“Yes. I hope I’ve given you enough reason to do so.”
We were done here. Claire looked ready to explode, and Lilly looked frightened, but we needed to bid Arla farewell and take our leave.
As we turned to go, however, Arla called out to me. “Rae Taylor, are you not interested in joining the Resistance?”
“Ridiculous! How can you ask such a question? The answer is no!” Claire burst out.
“I was asking Rae Taylor,” Arla responded.
“I speak for Rae!”
“Settle down, Miss Claire. Let’s have that argument in a better place and time,” I soothed.
“This isn’t a joke!” Claire looked like she had more to say, but I turned to Arla.
“My answer is no.”
“And why is that? Did being adopted by nobles make you acquire a taste for luxury?”
“Not at all.”
“In that case—” Arla started.
I held up my hand to stop her mid-sentence. “All of me belongs to Miss Claire. If Claire decides to join the revolution, then I will reconsider.”
“Rae…” Claire smiled, relieved. I wanted to hug her.
“I see… You may regret this,” Arla said.
“I won’t.”
We said our goodbyes and left the Resistance hideout. Claire and Lilly seemed despondent, probably still viewing this as another dead end, but I knew we had a lot to do. We knew where to find the evidence. Time for the next step.
Everything was going according to plan.
***
“You lot again?”
We pushed into the Chancellor’s office to find Salas in a meeting with a subordinate and a man who looked to be a soldier. The room, filled with glass-like sculptures, also included four people in armor, who stood looking at us. The emblems on their armor identified them as belonging not to the imperial army but Salas’s personal guard.
“I’m in a meeting right now. If you have business with me, please make an appointment and return at that time,” Salas said, trying to shoo us out.
“We must speak with you about the issue from the other day. You would do well to send these fellows away.” I wasn’t backing down. Claire and Lilly looked on with worried faces.
“We have nothing further to discuss.”
“On the contrary, we’ve received some new evidence from the son of Count Manuel.”
Salas’s face changed the moment he heard that name.
“I’ll say it again,” I repeated. “Please clear the room.”
Salas let out a great sigh. He ordered the soldiers to leave, making a big show of being put out, but I wasn’t fooled. I saw the sharp flash in his eyes. Once the room was clear save for the four of us, he sat, put his elbows on his desk, and clasped his hands together in the classic evil genius pose.
“And? What are you going to say this time? That I’m corrupt?” he asked.
“You, Master Salas, are suspected of infidelity with the late Queen Lulu.”
“Ridiculous.”
“You manipulated the queen, then used your affair to threaten her.”
“And how do you think I did that?”
“With this.” I pulled out the magic recording tool the king gave me. “You recorded yourselves being intimate with a magical tool exactly like this. Then you used it against her.”
“Why would I ever do something so foolish? I’m not quite that eager to ruin myself.” Salas’s confident smile never wavered.
“At the time, you were a young noble of middling status. The queen risked losing far more than you did. But, more than that…Lady Lulu was in love with you.”
Salas had risen to his current position thanks to the full support of the late queen. There was no doubt that he was up to the task politically, but a mid-level noble didn’t become Chancellor of the entire nation on his own steam.
“You really do have an active imagination, don’t you? I’ll ask you the same question I did last time. Do you have evidence?”
This was where I would get him.
“Yes, I do.”
“Oh. And where is that?”
“In your safe, right there.”
Salas raised his right eyebrow.
“You threatened the late queen in order to gain your position. But after the queen passed, the blackmail you held became a weapon against yourself. So you kept it hidden in the safe.”
“You’re not making sense. Even if I did have an affair, I would have destroyed the evidence right after Lady Lulu’s death.”
A worthy point. However—
“The magical tool you used to record your blackmail material is extremely rare; they can usually only be procured with government permission. You, on the other hand, got yours on the black market.”
“If the tool is contraband, that’s all the more reason to destroy it.”
“No. You used the same magical tool to record multiple political dealings that are important to you personally. That’s why you won’t destroy it, despite your relationship with the late queen.”
The king had told me the recordings made by the magical tool couldn’t be duplicated or reproduced. This also meant that Salas couldn’t transfer certain recordings onto a different tool.
“False accusations,” Salas said.
“Is that so? In that case, let me investigate your safe.”
“How many times are you going to make me say it? This safe contains important secrets regarding the government and foreign policy. If you want to search it, you’ll need permission from the House of Lords.”
“But that’s not going to happen, is it? You have dirt on pretty much every member of the House.”
“They won’t grant your request, it’s true, but not because I have blackmailed them—simply because your accusations are baselessly incoherent.” Salas laughed in triumph.
But I wasn’t done. “That’s why I’ve decided to invoke the Royal Prerogative.”
Salas’s face suddenly went white. “Th-the Royal Prerogative?”
“You know what that is, right? A special power the king can invoke to overrule the House of Lords.”
He was silent. I continued.
“The Royal Prerogative will allow us to open that safe. When that happens, you’re finished.”
Salas’s expression was grim. “The king can’t recklessly invoke something as significant as the Royal Prerogative. Do you really think he’ll risk it with no guarantee of finding anything?”
“I will provide that guarantee.”
“Dare I ask?” Salas no longer had his confident expression, but he wasn’t backing down yet.
This was it.
“‘Lady Lulu, this is wrong,’” I began to recite. “‘I know, Salas. But I’ll brave hell if it means being with you.’”
Claire and Lilly wore dubious expressions. Salas’s face expressed nothing but shock.
“‘We are sinners…but we shall be sinners together.’ ‘Ahh, Salas. My love…’ Shall I continue?”
“You…” Salas growled. The intellectual, refined gentleman had disappeared, leaving behind only a cornered criminal.
“I just recited the beginning of the conversation recorded in your magical tool. I would be happy to recite the entire thing. How about it?”
“You…why…?”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that this is enough detail to persuade the king. Now, Salas, what would you like to do? I recommend turning yourself in.”
The Chancellor said nothing, his face wracked with fear. He was probably running through scenarios in his mind, trying to think of a way to avoid prison. However, I knew what he would do next.
Finally, his face distorted. “If my crimes become public, House François will go down with me.”
***
“Huh?” Claire started at the unexpected mention of her family.
“My tool contains recordings that prove Dole’s corruption. Do you not care what happens to the François name?”
“N-nonsense! My father would never—”
“Sweet, naive girl. He raised you like a princess, blind to his true nature.”
“I will not stand for you insulting my father!” Claire looked about ready to physically attack Salas.
“Miss Claire, please calm down,” I tried.
“Calm down?! Are you saying you actually accept what Salas is saying?!”
“I am not accepting it. But Salas is telling the truth.”
“Wh-what did you say…?”
“Can you prove it to us?” I said to Salas. “That you have clear evidence of Dole’s corruption?”
“Why not?” Salas said, standing from his desk and moving toward the safe. He unlocked it, hiding the dial from us with his body, and took out a magical tool like mine but more worn with age.
He activated the tool with magic power.
—This is all that splashed over this month?
—I’m very sorry, Master Dole. The inspector has been breathing down my neck of late.
—Heh, of course he has. I know you’re pocketing some yourself.
—You’re taking a number of bribes from other nobles as well, aren’t you, Master Dole?
—Don’t speak so carelessly. I simply receive contributions from those who wish to share.
—Oh, is that so? In that case, I’d like to stop my donations.
—Of course. You can stop being a high-ranking noble, while you’re at it.
—I can’t have that. So, I guess this is a bribe?
—Think of it however you want to.
“That’s enough!” Claire screamed.
“Miss Claire…”
“I-I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it… But… But!”
I hugged Claire as grief overcame her. My chest tightened in sympathy.
“Well then, shall we negotiate?” Salas had us where he wanted. “If you don’t wish for Dole’s crimes to be made public, I’ll need you to hold your tongues.”
“Miss Lilly and I are not members of the François family,” I said.
“You really shouldn’t try to play dumb. I know exactly what relationship you and Claire share. You’re not going to hang her out to dry.”
I didn’t answer. He was right enough. No point in arguing back.
“E-even if they won’t, I can file a complaint against you, Father!”
“No, you can’t. Not you.”
“I-I can!”
“No, you can’t,” Salas insisted. He was implying something, though I wasn’t sure what. “Now, what say you?”
He looked at us, waiting for an answer. I started to open my mouth.
“The answer is no!” Claire burst out.
I was shocked to my core. “Miss Claire…”
“If my father is involved in something illegal, I can’t stand by. In fact, I’ll be the one to report his crimes to the king,” Claire said. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but they shone clear. This was the true Claire.
“Idiot… You would bring down your own house?”
“An aristocrat must govern herself most strictly. Corrupt nobles are no better than the parasites that the Commoner Movement calls them!” Claire stood undaunted.
Salas looked completely taken aback. Although they were both aristocrats, they were as different as night and day.
“Salas Lilium,” said Claire, “if you are a true noble, then resign.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Salas shook his head. “Do you have any idea what I went through to get here? I will not let my family fall now.”
That dangerous gleam had reappeared in his eyes. Claire and Lilly braced themselves.
“Okay, fine,” I said, breaking the tension. “Let’s keep it to ourselves.”
“Rae?! What are you saying?!”
“Miss Claire… I’m sorry.” I put my finger to her forehead, and she collapsed.
“R-Rae?!” Lilly cried.
“It’s okay. She’s just sleeping.” It was the same spell I had used on her during the Commoner Movement’s invasion of the Academy.
“Hmph. At least you understand how things work,” said Salas.
“I do not agree with you one bit, but my priority is Miss Claire.”
“I wonder,” Salas chuckled, seemingly satisfied with my answer. “So, we agree to mutually hold our tongues?”
“Yes.”
“And you can convince Claire?”
“Leave that to me.”
“Hmph.” Salas looked like he had his doubts, but he didn’t say anything else.
“I’m disappointed in you, Rae!” Lilly scolded me. “Of all people, I never thought that you… I never thought you would say something like that!”
I shouldn’t have been surprised by this, and externally, I wasn’t. To Lilly, whom people called a saint, who carried strong moral convictions born of her faith—my actions were completely unacceptable. However, internally, I was flustered. I had forgotten to plan for Lilly’s objections.
“Ahh, please don’t worry,” Salas said. “Lilly can’t do anything to stop us.”
“What do you mean?”
“You convince Claire. I’ll take care of Lilly.”
I didn’t really understand, but neither could I press the issue further—Lilly flew out of the room before I had a chance to say another word.
“Are you sure she’s okay?”
“I guarantee it. I promise you that she can’t do anything. I won’t let her.”
Well, if Lilly did talk, Salas faced the most danger, so he was probably right. I had to trust him for now, much as it made me sick to think of it.
“Then, our deal is complete?” Salas held out his hand.
“I have no intention of colluding with you.”
“Is that so?” He smiled slyly, and my disgust grew.
“I have one piece of advice for you,” I said.
“What is it?”
“Your recording device will disappear from your safe tonight.”
“You’re making no sense again.”
“You’re right. It’s up to you whether you want to believe me or not.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“That’s all. Goodbye.”
I picked up the sleeping Claire and left the room.
Convince Claire? Impossible.
***
“What have you done, Rae?!” Claire cried out the second she woke up in her dorm room at the Academy.
“Calm down, Miss Claire.”
“How am I supposed to calm down?! I can’t just let this go! How can you call yourself my partner?!”
Normally, I would have teased her for that word choice, but this wasn’t the time. I was already on thin ice; I needed to explain, and fast.
“Miss Claire, I’m not letting anything go. I intend to make both Salas and Dole pay for their crimes.”
“Huh?” Claire’s tone softened as if she had never even been angry with me in the first place. “B-but Salas persuaded you…”
“I was only pretending. I had another objective.”
“Objective?” Claire’s face was full of questions.
“Yes. But more importantly, I need you to help me find Miss Lilly.”
“Cardinal Lilly? What happened to her?”
“It was my fault for not explaining my plans to her beforehand. She thinks I accepted Salas’s terms, just like you did. She ran away.”
“What a mess,” Claire sighed. “You should have told us what you were planning…”
“Anyway, we need to find her,” I said.
“Fine, then. Let’s split up.”
“No. It’s too dangerous to do that right now.”
“Dangerous?”
“I’m sorry, Claire… I don’t think I have time to explain.”
I grabbed Claire’s arm and pulled her off the bed, putting my body between her and the window.
“Please protect me, Miss Claire.”
“Huh?!”
There was a small sound as the window unlocked itself. Finally realizing what was happening, Claire drew her magic wand and prepared herself. The window slid open quietly and six men slipped in.
“Who are they?!”
“Salas’s assassins.”
Probably some of them were members of the personal guard we’d seen in his office, though now they wore neither armor nor emblems. Their bodies were wrapped in black cloth and white masks covered their faces.
I wasn’t the only one who’d pretended to be convinced. Salas had never intended to buy our silence.
“A real fireteam, huh?”
“A what?”
“I mean they’ll do whatever it takes to silence us.”
“Yes, that’s probably true,” Claire nodded, holding up her wand and facing the men. “Let’s do this. I am Claire François. I will not run nor will I hi—”
“Aieee! Murderers!” I screamed, interrupting her monologue.
I knew this scene from playing the game. The main character fights the assassins with her love interest by her side, which always made me wonder why she didn’t just call for help. This was the middle of the Royal Academy. There were people all around us in the dorms. Why fight two-to-six when I could just shout for aid?
“What on earth was that?”
“Who’s screaming?!”
“Are you all right, Miss Claire?!”
As I’d hoped, other students started pouring into the room. In the game, this would have ruined the player character’s chance to bravely fight alongside her interest, but I wasn’t about to risk Claire getting hurt. I’d learned something from my mistakes during the Commoner Movement, after all.
The assassins were clearly caught off guard, but they made no attempt to flee. Perhaps Salas had something to leverage against them too. Money, the lives of their family members—whatever it was, it clearly motivated them to face death. They fought to the end and, when it became clear they stood no chance of victory, took their own lives.
“How horrifying…” Claire muttered as she gazed at their bodies. She obviously meant Salas.
“Ah, it must be nice to be so naive,” said an inappropriately cheerful voice.
The door slammed shut on its own. Someone pounded on the other side, but it didn’t open. In the next moment, all the students trapped in Claire’s room with us started dropping like flies—dead.
“There!” Claire cast a powerful flame spear in the direction of where the last person had fallen. The spear was immediately snuffed out.
“Hey, you two.” A figure in a black mask was suddenly visible where the spear had disappeared. “Nice to see you again.”
I remembered that mask—that foreign voice. “You, I saw you that night…”
The night of the Commoner Movement, this was the assassin who had nearly murdered Thane.
“You did, didn’t you?” said the figure. “I got a little overconfident back then, but I’m back for my revenge.”
I hadn’t foreseen this. Why was this guy showing up again now of all times?
“Rae, think later. We need to take him out now.”
Claire was right. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Oooh, I’m so scared.” The black-masked man chuckled, and he readied a knife.
“Be careful, Claire. He might have cantarella on that blade,” I warned.
“Got it.” Claire kept her eyes focused on the target.
“Hmm… You think so?” the man said vaguely.
“If you’re not going to come at me, I’ll come at you!” Claire waved her wand, propelling another flame spear at the masked assassin’s feet.
“Hah. Useless.”
Right before it struck the assassin, the flame spear disappeared just like the last one had. What kind of magic was this?
“What’s the point of announcing your attack? If you’re going to strike—” The man disappeared before he finished his sentence. “Do it like this!”
He had closed the distance between himself and Claire in the blink of an eye, and he swung at her.
Claire somehow dodged and drew back, but it was close—far too close for comfort, even for Claire, who was skilled in martial arts. I didn’t think I would have been able to react in time.
“Freeze!” I initiated the Judecca water magic that I had used against Manaria to stop him from moving. If I could just connect it to Earth Spikes and complete Cocytus—
“I told you, it’s useless.”
For a moment, I thought the masked man had been frozen, but he recovered instantaneously. Was it possible he could use Spellbreaker, like Manaria?
“Hmm,” he continued. “Still, two against one is rather inconvenient.”
“You’re the one who came after us—” Claire started.
“Just following orders. I’m not here because I want to be. Ah, now there’s an idea. Let’s wrap up here, shall we?”
The masked man suddenly bolted toward the door, not slowing an ounce when he got there but breaking it down with a kick. The students out in the hall scattered from the shock of the door splintering open, and he used the opportunity to slip between them and run.
“Wait!” Claire cried.
“Miss Claire, no! We need to make sure Lilly is safe!” I stopped her from giving chase. If Salas had sent assassins to kill us, there was no telling what he might do to Lilly.
Or so I thought.
“Rae! Miss Claire!” Lilly appeared amidst all the commotion, rushing to us through the crowd that had formed.
“Oh, thank goodness…” Claire breathed. “You’re safe.”
“Miss Lilly… What are you doing here?” I was relieved, but I couldn’t help also being confused.
“I-I just was thinking that Rae wouldn’t give in to my father without good reason… So I wanted to come ask you why you did it, but you were being attacked!” Lilly bawled.
“Don’t worry, Miss Lilly. Miss Claire and I are both safe. I’m so sorry for making you worry.”
“Y-yes, you should be…” Lilly didn’t stop crying. I patted her head to comfort her.
“Rae, let’s explain what’s going on to the dorm monitor,” Claire said. “We also need to get Cardinal Lilly caught up.”
“Yes.”
The dorm was a hive of activity the rest of the night and into the next day. We were too busy trying to get things under control to take any real action until the next afternoon.
But our counterattack was yet to come.
***
The next day, we requested an audience with the king and were granted it immediately. These were extreme circumstances.
When we made it to the palace and entered the audience chamber, both the king and Salas were already present. The queen was not. Rumor had it that she hadn’t left her bed since Yu gave up her right to succession. A number of royal guards were also in the room.
“You’re late. What are you thinking, making His Majesty wait?” Salas said pompously.
“I’m very sorry. We had an errand to run,” Claire said in measured response to that caustic tone.
“Now, what’s this all about?” the king asked. Of course, we had already explained the situation to him when we requested an audience. Everything to come would be an act.
“Your Majesty, we are here to report the crimes of Chancellor Salas,” Claire said boldly. Salas’s expression did not change.
“And what crimes might those be?” asked the king.
“Your Majesty,” Salas interrupted, “these are nothing but false accusations.”
“Th-they are not false,” Lilly objected.
It looked like Salas intended to feign ignorance, probably because he knew the king had not yet invoked Royal Prerogative.
“Are you still trying to accuse me of infidelity?” Salas sneered.
“No, we’re not,” Claire replied to Salas’s evident surprise. She went on, “Salas’s crime…is instigation of foreign aggression.”
“Wh-what did you say…?”
I saw that sharp flash of light in Salas’s eyes again. Claire ignored it and continued.
“Salas is communicating secretly with the Nur Empire.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s completely unfathomable,” Salas shook his head, looking annoyed.
The king, meanwhile, leaned forward, listening quietly.
“Your Majesty, the violent fallout of the Commoner Movement is not solely the fault of your policies. Salas has been working with the Nur Empire to instigate conflict.”
“Absurd. Your Majesty, please pay no heed to such idle gossip.”
“We have proof. Don’t we, Rae?”
“Yes.” I pulled the item out of my bag.
“I-Impossible…”
Salas was struck dumb as he beheld the item in my hand—an old, time-worn magic recording device. I activated the tool with magic power, and a conversation began to play.
—If I help foment rebellion in the kingdom, the empire will guarantee me a position of power in the new administration?
—Yes, this I promise.
—How do you wish to go about this?
—Use the foolish king’s own policies. Spur the Commoner Movement to acts of violence.
—Ahh, I see. Simple, really. Commoners are fools, after all.
“That’s enough.” The king held up his hand, and I stopped the magical device. Salas stood there, frozen, all the color drained from his face. “Salas, what have you to say for yourself?”
“You… How did you get that?!” Salas demanded, indignant.
“Why, from the safe in your office, of course,” said Claire.
“Impossible! I’m the only one who knows the combination!”
“Well, that’s where Rae’s genius came in. Right, Rae?”
“Yes. Well, not my genius but hers,” I said, turning my bag upside down. A nearly transparent, amorphous being oozed out.
“A m-monster?!”
The royal guard drew their weapons at Salas’s scream, but the king motioned for them to stand down.
“She’s a familiar,” I said. “See? Her core is gold.”
“Hmph. I see.” The king hadn’t even flinched at the sight of my monstrous friend. He was no coward.
I scooped up Ralaire and showed her to Salas. “Does she remind you of anything?”
“What in the world are you talking about?”
“The ice sculptures in your office.”
“Ah…”
I’d covertly released Ralaire in Salas’s office on our last visit, where she’d used her mimicry ability, undine, to blend in with the objects in the room. The reason I’d told Salas that his recording tool would disappear was to make him paranoid enough to check it was still there before he left for the night—in other words, to make him use the dial while Ralaire watched. Later, I collected Ralaire, who could now perfectly mimic Salas’s safe-opening movements.
No scorn for former monsters. My baby was smart.
“You…deceived me…”
“Mmhm.”
“G-give up, Father!”
The guards surrounded Salas. Salas was a medium aptitude water attribute caster, but he supposedly hadn’t been in combat for many years. Even if the guards couldn’t take him, Claire and I could. He couldn’t win.
“It is time to pay your debts, Salas,” said Claire.
“Heh heh…”
We all stared at him in confusion.
“Heh heh… Ha ha ha!” Salas cackled. Had he gone mad? “Ahhh…you got me. Very impressive, Claire François, Rae Taylor.”
“And me,” Lilly shot back.
“No, you really didn’t do much at all. Think about it, Lilly. Did you ever do a single thing that might cause your father harm?”
What was he talking about? It sounded like nonsense, but as I thought back, I realized that Lilly had never taken substantial actions against Salas or any of the nobles.
“What’s your point?” I demanded.
“I just find it amusing, that’s all. What is it like to be betrayed by someone you thought was your ally?”
My eyes went instinctively to Lilly, who looked bewildered, like she didn’t know what her father was talking about. Maybe he was just desperate?
“Lilly,” Salas ordered, “save your father, now.”
“Wh-what are you talking about?! You need to pay for his crimes!”
“Very well, then, In that case, you must pay too. For your own crimes!”
“What are you talking about?! I have no idea what you mean!”
“Lilly…you’re such a pitiful child. Lord, have mercy.”
That final phrase seemed to have been a trigger of some kind—the second it reached Lilly’s ears, she collapsed.
“Cardinal Lilly?!” Claire flew to her side, panicked. I had a fiercely bad feeling about this.
“Get away from her, Claire!” I cried out, forgetting her title.
As I pulled Claire away from Lilly, a silver aura pouring off Lilly tugged at the curls of Claire’s blonde hair.
In the next instant, a familiar, uncannily cheerful voice spoke to us. “Now, now. There’s no need for this.”
“You…”
“Hey, Rae, Miss Claire. It’s been quite the day.” The voice and expression were unmistakable. The voice, in particular. It belonged to the assassin—the man in the black mask.
“Salas! What have you done to Cardinal Lilly?!” Claire demanded.
Salas ignored her. “That commoner was a dual-caster, right?”
“Answer my question!”
“I am. My specialty in my Academy days was suggestion. And my area of interest? Artificially reproducing the abilities of a multi-caster,” Salas explained with a dark smile.
“Guards, apprehend Salas and Lilly,” the king ordered, and the guards moved to surround them.
“You think this riffraff can stop me?”
I don’t know where she’d been hiding it, but Lilly flashed a small knife and the guards nearest to her went down in the blink of an eye. Only the most formidable warriors were selected for the King’s Guard, the very best of the best. Few could hope to take any of them on one-on-one. Neither Claire nor I would stand a chance.
In other words, to fell such guards in an instant…Lilly was extraordinary.
“Cardinal Lilly, stop!”
“It’s useless. That’s Lilly, but it’s not her,” Salas chuckled. “I was trying to artificially create a dual-caster. I was only partially successful, though.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Salas continued lecturing like he was explaining things to a failing student. “I originally intended to imbue individuals with a second attribute—but in the end I could only do so by embedding a second personality within that person. You see, the new personality naturally came with a new magical attribute.”
“So the masked assassin was Miss Lilly all along?”
“Correct. And she relayed everything your little investigation uncovered to me!”
This explained why the ledger we’d examined the first time we visited Salas’s office had been so eerily perfect. Lilly had told him just what to expect.
“But she looks completely different!” Claire cried. “How—”
“It’s probably a magical tool. Remember the one Lilly lent us so I could switch places with Yu?” I’d wondered at the time why she happened to possess such a convenient thing. “Does the original Lilly know about this?”
“No, she doesn’t. If she did, I imagine she would try to take her own life.”
He was a monster. A cruel, cruel monster who’d turned sweet, gentle Lilly into an assassin he could deploy to do his dirty work.
“Now, Lilly,” Salas ordered. “It’s time to kill all these people.”
“That’s quite an ask. Claire and Rae won’t go down easily,” the transformed Cardinal retorted.
“I’m sure you’re up to the task.”
“Of course I am. But I can’t guarantee your safety while I do it.”
“Hmph…”
Lilly sounded like a completely different person when she spoke to Salas like this. Something about her tone reminded me of the swear words she sometimes involuntarily let slip—maybe those too, were a by-product of the artificial dual-caster embedded within her.
“In that case, Lilly, let’s make escaping the priority,” Salas said.
“I will not let you escape!” Claire snarled.
To my surprise, Claire already had the François family crests floating in the air. She was ready to fire her Magic Ray.
“Salas, Cardinal Lilly. I cannot modulate the effects of this spell. Surrender, if you want to live,” Claire warned as she moved into a position where they were both in her line of vision.
“Well, what now?” Lilly asked Salas.
“Cardinal Lilly, stop! If you make one more move, I will fire!”
“Go ahead and try.” Lilly kept moving, and she felled another guard with her knife.
Claire hesitated for a moment. Then she took a breath. “I’m so sorry!”
She cast Magic Ray—but the spell didn’t touch Lilly.
“Wh-what?!”
Somehow, Magic Ray fizzled and disappeared like a mirage. Negating a flame spear was one thing, but if Lilly could render even Magic Ray useless… She had to be using Spellbreaker.
“Lilly here is my masterpiece,” Salas said proudly. “She wouldn’t stand a chance against Lady Manaria, but her magic is in no way inferior.”
“Is that Spellbreaker?”
“Nothing quite so eccentric. In this form, Lilly merely has a high-aptitude wind attribute. Her specialty is manipulating time.”
Time manipulation! Of course. When we first encountered the masked man during the Commoner Movement’s assault on the Academy, he had restored a magical bell that I’d destroyed. So he’d turned back time to do it.
“You called her your masterpiece,” I said. “Does that mean there are others?”
“Of course. What parent would test an unverified process on their own child? I didn’t start on Lilly until I’d perfected my technique. Let’s see, how many orphans did I break before I got here? Ten? Twenty? No, many more.” Salas confessed to this horrendous truth with utter calm.
“You fiend!” Claire glared at Salas and unleashed her Magic Ray at him.
“Oof.” Lilly, who’d finished off the last of the guards, deactivated the spell once more, dispersing it.
“Rae! You get Salas! Rapid fire!”
“Got it!” I conjured twenty ice spears and surrounded Salas with them.
“Whoa. You’ve done this before, huh?” said Lilly.
Even if Lilly could counter my ice spears, she had to stick by Salas’s side to block everything we threw at him. This way, I could at least slow them down.
On and on, Claire and I continued to rain spells down on them, and Lilly continued to counter every single one. It might have looked like a stalemate, but that wasn’t the case.
“Give up, Cardinal Lilly!”
“Why?”
“You’ll run out of magic before we do.”
It was true. Lilly was alone. Claire and I had each other, and we were casting elemental spears, the most basic of combat spells. I didn’t know how much magic power time manipulation used, but it had to be more than magic spears.
“Miss Lilly, please stop.”
“Tsk. I’m not doing this because I want to.”
“That’s all the more reason!”
“But—” Lilly stopped.
“I may not be perfect, but I am her father,” Salas said, pulling out a bottle of potion from his breast pocket.
“Is that cantarella?!” For a moment, I feared we were about to reenact our awful battle with Louie. I was wrong.
“Of course not. It’s quite a potent draught, and it allows an individual to fully recover their magical power,” said Salas, handing the bottle to Lilly.
“Sounds rare—you can’t have another.”
“Maybe not, but I’ve got this.” Lilly downed the potion and then stared hard at the empty bottle, which refilled before our eyes. She’d turned back time on the bottle! “Voila—just gotta think outside the box.”
This was bad. Very bad. With an unlimited supply of potions replenishing Lilly’s magic, we didn’t stand a chance. Claire continued to keep her eyes on Lilly, not letting her guard down for a second.
And then the ground shook with a terrible violence.
***
Everyone was caught off guard by the sudden tremors. I was probably the only one who didn’t wonder what they were, but I was hardly undisturbed.
It’s too soon! This isn’t supposed to happen yet!
Anticipating what would come next, I pushed Claire to the ground and shielded her with my body. Every piece of glass in the audience chamber shattered, and small, bright stones flew in through the windows—pyroclasts, burning earth.
Mt. Sassal was erupting, just as Rod and Lilly had feared.
“What in the world…” I heard Claire whisper in confusion.
I raised an earth magic barrier to protect us from the flames and debris, and we waited long minutes for the quake to run its course. Fire and rock continued to rain down upon us, but eventually, the ground grew still again.
“I think it’s okay now.”
The premature timing of the eruption worried me, but this particular earthquake wouldn’t have any aftershocks—if things were still on course.
I moved off Claire and stood up to survey the situation. The once-beautiful audience room was in ruins. The furnishings were smashed to pieces, and burning cinders littered the floor.
“Your Majesty!” cried one of the guards, drawing our attention to King l’Ausseil, who had fallen from his throne. He lay collapsed on the floor, bleeding from a head wound.
“Rae, heal him!” Claire cried.
Before she even said the words, I was on the floor next to the king, trying to use healing magic. But it was too late.
“I can’t… He has already passed.”
“What…?!”
This part was in line with the game. The king died at this point in fiction too.
“Where are Salas and Cardinal Lilly?!” Claire exclaimed.
They were nowhere to be seen. I knew from playing the game that Salas used the commotion to escape, though Lilly had never showed up in this moment, not even as the masked assassin.
And yet.
I was trying to avoid this…
Mt. Sassal wasn’t supposed to erupt for a few more days. If we hadn’t had to battle Lilly, and I’d been at full power, I could have used protective magic on the entire room.
Was King l’Ausseil fated to die, no matter what I did? Was there no changing that part of the game? And why had the eruption happened so fast…?
“Rae… Rae! Get it together.”
I realized I was looking up at Claire. When had I ended up on my knees?
“Forget about Salas and Cardinal Lilly for a minute,” Claire said. “We have quite a lot to do.”
“Miss Claire…”
“The last time Mt. Sassal erupted, it caused a massive famine and water shortage. The kingdom will soon be in crisis, and King l’Ausseil isn’t here to see us through it.”
That was right—the damage done by the eruption itself would be nothing compared to the aftermath. Volcanic ash had by now covered the entire capital, and it would ruin the crops in the middle of harvest season. What I knew from playing the game, Claire had learned by studying history.
Clever, capable King l’Ausseil was gone. We had to choose a new sovereign.
“Guards, contact the head of the House of Lords. Call an emergency meeting. Then ensure the safety of Master Rod and Master Thane.”
Dazed, I watched Claire issue perfect rapid-fire instructions to the guards. Suddenly, I felt my cheek burn with pain.
“Get it together! You said you would support me—was that a lie?!” Claire stared me in the eye. The dainty little hand she’d used to slap me was red from impact.
This fragile girl and her brittle soul were fully ready to bear the brunt of dealing with this crisis. Who would aid her? There was only one answer.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I’m fine—I’m here.”
“Good,” Claire said, and she hugged me for just a moment. I realized she was shaking and hugged her back, holding her close. “We shall overcome this.”
“Yes!”
We threw ourselves into the work posthaste. Claire’s quick thinking saved us time, marshalling the kingdom’s resources at once. We did, however, receive one piece of news that stopped us in our tracks.
Prince Rod could not be found. |
Final Chapter: Revolution
Final Chapter:Revolution
THE DAMAGE DONE by the eruption proved dire. Since most of the city’s wealthy estates sat directly on the slope of the mountain, the aristocrats had taken more casualties than the commoners, and the lost included many members of the House of Lords. Congress would have stalled out altogether if not for the Chairman miraculously making it and Lord Dole flexing his power.
An emergency session of both houses convened, with blood relatives filling in for dead or absent members. The first topic of discussion: who would inherit the crown. King l’Ausseil’s firstborn prince and heir, Rod, had gone missing during the eruption. According to his inner circle, Rod had been en route to the village at the foot of the mountain, intending to personally convince the residents to evacuate.
He’d been trying to do the job I set him to.
With the most terrible timing…
Possibly, the eruption had caught him. After five days of no word, the likelihood of his survival continued to dwindle. Despite their utter disarray, the House of Lords knew the situation called for immediate measures, and they decided Thane should take the throne. A monarchy was ill-equipped to respond to a natural disaster while its throne sat empty.
But it couldn’t be so simple.
“Honestly…what is my father thinking?”
We were back in the dorms at the Academy. Claire sat in a chair, her brow furrowed as she read the newspaper. Printing technology had progressed quite a ways in the kingdom, and while the habit hadn’t yet spread to the working class, aristocrats commonly purchased newspapers.
Claire had wanted to keep pursuing the issue of Dole’s crimes, but I had convinced her to hold off for now. For better or worse, Dole was an effective politician. We needed him.
“What does it say?” I hesitated to say anything, but Claire looked like she might explode if she didn’t get a chance to vent.
“Thane was passed over for the throne,” she spat.
She tossed the paper aside, and I picked it up to take a look. Just as Claire said, Thane’s succession had been stalled before he could take the throne. The article said that noble supporters of Rod, including Dole, would temporarily run the government instead.
“The ruler of a kingdom is the king. The only thing the aristocrats should be doing is working to select the next king as quickly as possible,” Claire said, grinding her teeth.
The article seemed to share her disapproval. Some people were even accusing the aristocrats of staging a coup d’état. It didn’t help that most of the House of Lords members who had been killed in the eruption had supported Thane and Yu. Although, when Yu surrendered her claim on the throne, most of her supporters had switched over to Rod. Thane had always been the least popular prince.
“We must face this crisis as a united front,” Claire went on. “Their feuding will only frighten the citizenry.”
Volcanic ash and projectiles had destroyed the crops around the capital. People were hoarding goods in anticipation of product shortages, and prices were skyrocketing. Dole’s provisional government—at least, that’s what he called it—was distributing supplies, but there was no telling how long they would last.
I hadn’t expected the eruption to happen this early, but I knew what came next. Naturally, I’d done my best to prepare. I’d used the money I earned from my business with Broumet to purchase nonperishable food items in bulk through Tulle Trading Company—the company I stopped by before summer break—and stored those supplies. I’d also experimented with cultivating potatoes, which hadn’t caught on as a food in this world, and buckwheat, which could grow even in poor soil. I’d even tried to use Broumet to introduce a trend of seaweed salads. I’d furthermore been the one spreading rumors about the volcanic eruption being caused by angry spirits. But in the end, this was all I could do.
A volcanic eruption is an unfathomable disaster, and it affirms or negates a nation’s collective efforts. Even 21st-century Japan would be hard-pressed to deal with a disaster of this magnitude, and I wasn’t a whole nation, just one young girl with foreknowledge of the future. I’d done everything I could to prepare, but there was much work ahead.
“I’m going to go see Thane,” Claire said. “Rae, go ahead and send word.”
“I don’t know if that’s possible,” I said.
“Why?!” Claire snarled back at me, as if I had woken a sleeping beast.
“Miss Claire, you are the daughter of the man blocking Thane’s ascension to the throne. Thane’s supporters see you as their sworn enemy.”
“Argh…”
Normally, Claire would have realized this without me pointing it out to her. She wasn’t herself.
“Miss Claire, please go easy on yourself. Ever since the eruption, you’ve been working too hard.”
It was thanks to Claire’s swift orders at the palace in the immediate aftermath of the eruption that the nation hadn’t spiraled into complete chaos. Between the volcanic eruption, disappearance of Salas, death of King l’Ausseil, lost members of the House of Lords, and inflation of agricultural products, the country was on the brink of collapse, and Claire was helping to avert disaster. This was partially because she had her father’s backing, but no one could doubt that she made excellent decisions under pressure.
“I only did what needed to be done. My father’s the one not fulfilling his duty!” The newspapers were rife with speculation that Dole planned to take the throne himself. Claire, who still held to her shining ideals of an aristocrat’s obligation to the people, couldn’t sit by as her father flouted that responsibility.
“Miss Claire, you have done everything you possibly can. You need to take a break. You’ve barely slept at all these past few days.” I could see fatigue starting to show on Claire’s lovely face. Her skin was breaking out, and she had circles under her eyes. She was working so hard, dismissing all chances to rest, and was even skipping her beloved baths.
“I’m fine. I’m absolutely fine, but—” Claire moved in closer and leaned against my shoulder. “I’m…just a little tired. May I sit here for a little while?”
“Uh, Miss Claire?!”
“I’m glad you’re here, Rae. I wouldn’t have been able to do this alone.”
“Miss Claire, are you all right? You just complimented me. Is something wro—”
“I’m showing affection. Isn’t that what you call it?”
“Umm, I suppose…”
“Lene used to let me do this.”
“Oh…I see.” So she was just seeking comfort as a friend. I was a tiny bit disappointed, but I couldn’t complain.
“I’m proud of my noble lineage, but sometimes…really, only sometimes…I dream of being freed from this sense of duty.”
“That’s an understandable desire. You could quit, you know. From being an aristocrat.”
“I can’t do that. I’ve lived in the lap of luxury my entire life. That means I have a duty to serve the people as best as I can, especially in this time of emergency.”
“You’re such an earnest person, Miss Claire.” That was one of the things I liked about her. “Okay, tell me this. I don’t care if it’s nonsensical, just tell me… Is there something you would want to do if you weren’t a noble?”
“Well…” Claire thought for a long moment. “I should like to learn how to cook and sew.”
“That’s hardly what I expected. You want to do peasant things?”
“You’ve taken such care of me. If I were no longer an aristocrat, such tasks would be the only way I could repay you.”
I was so surprised that my eyes bulged a bit.
“What does that look mean? Oh, I haven’t taken a bath in days. Do I smell?”
“No, not at all. You actually smell nice.” I was just taken aback by her unexpected words.
“Liar. This is perfect timing, actually. Let’s take a bath.”
“As you wish.”
We headed toward the Academy’s baths. Unfortunately, it turned out the hot spring’s waters had been disrupted by the eruption, so the baths were nonfunctional.
“Oh, curses!”
“Settle down. Settle down, Miss Claire.”
To talk Claire down her from her temper, I ended up fetching a tub of hot water and towels to her room. We ended the night with me giving her a sponge bath, just like we’d done when we visited my home.
***
The bad news kept rolling in.
“My father has lost his mind!” Claire blurted out after reading the morning paper.
“What happened?”
“It says he’s raising taxes.”
Claire handed me the paper in disbelief. I took it and ran my eyes over the article. It said that the provisional government was raising taxes as a post-eruption measure. They declared they needed a larger budget to deal with the damages suffered in the eruption.
“The people are already suffering from price gouging! And now they’re raising taxes?!”
Even someone as uninterested in politics as I was could see this was a horrible plan. To Claire, who had studied statecraft since childhood, Dole’s decision looked like the ultimate folly.
“This won’t end well,” she said.
“What does that mean?”
“The citizens will protest.” Claire didn’t know it, but her prediction was spot-on. If things went like they did in the game, the protests would start next week. “Hopefully that will make my father and the provisional government realize they’re looking at a complete civil uprising. It happened after the last eruption too.”
And it wasn’t going to end with riots either. If things progressed as they did in the game… A terrible fate awaited Claire and the other aristocrats.
“Do you remember the word Lilly used?” I asked. “Revolution?”
“Yes…”
“I think that’s what’s coming,” I said.
Claire laughed self-deprecatingly. “It wouldn’t surprise me. Especially if the aristocrats keep making these foolish decisions.”
“Miss Claire, what do you plan to do?”
“What do you mean? I’ve already done everything I can—”
“Miss Claire.” I held a small notebook out to her.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a list of my assets, maintained through the Trade Guild.”
“When did you…?” Claire flipped through the ledger, seeing herself listed as the next of kin—and the staggeringly large balance. “Where did you get all this money?! You couldn’t have saved this much from being my maid!”
“I had some other jobs.”
“How?! You’re by my side every day and night!”
“Yes, but the jobs I had didn’t require my physical presence.”
Claire looked unconvinced. I pushed on, regardless.
“What do you think we should do with all this money?”
“What should…we do?”
“How about distributing food and supplies?” I asked.
Claire scrunched up her face at my suggestion. “The provisional government is already doing as much. It would be more efficient to give them the money and let them allocate it as they will.”
“Do you trust the provisional government that much, Miss Claire?”
“Well…” Claire’s expression turned grim.
“Besides, Miss Claire, you should be the one handing out the supplies.”
“Me?”
“Yes. To show the people that not all nobles are corrupt.”
Claire fell silent, clearly thinking deeply about my words.
What I said was, oh, about half-true. The real reason I wanted Claire to be seen handing out rations was to buy her goodwill in the people’s eyes. It was the same reason I’d accepted King l’Ausseil’s request to investigate corruption among the nobility—so the people could see Claire bringing retribution to the guilty. She’d come a long way from the selfish villainess she used to be, but at the rate Dole was going, Claire was at risk of going down with her father’s ship. She didn’t believe in the same things Dole did, and I needed the people to see that.
“I used to think it hypocritical for aristocrats to bestow charity on the poor,” Claire said, laughing at herself in that same self-deprecating way. “But it isn’t. Not if it’s for the people. Are you really all right with this? You must have worked terribly hard to save up this much money.”
“I have no use for it, except to be useful for you.”
“I’m afraid I’m starting to believe that you mean such things.” Claire chuckled. “Let’s use my personal assets too. If we put them together, we should be able to procure quite a significant amount.”
“That sounds perfect. I wonder if we could get Yu to help us as well?”
“Yu? Isn’t she confined to a convent right now?”
“She’s still an important figure for them, and she was formerly in line for the throne. Without a king, I don’t think the provisional government can stop us from seeing her.”
“I see what you’re saying. The Church already has systems in place for distributing aid to the needy. They can help us do more than you and I could alone.”
“Exactly.” I’d factored this into my calculations too. I didn’t just want to paint a picture of Claire opposing Dole—I wanted the Church to come across as opposing the aristocracy.
“Fine. Let’s get going, then. If I write a letter, will you deliver it for me?” It looked like Claire was back to herself.
“Of course, Miss Claire.”
Helplessness is a terrible feeling. Taking action gives you hope. This new plan restored Claire’s energy, and she secured Yu’s cooperation even quicker than we hoped. We started distributing food by the very next day. The evening paper, covering the donations, credited both the Church and Claire. It described her as having a “noble heart,” and mentioned that she held to a different philosophy from those who ran the provisional government.
Claire showed up herself to help distribute the food, collecting used wooden bowls and serving the people with her own hands. The evil villainess was long gone. The peasants who lined up for food all freely expressed gratitude sans grudge or reluctance.
Naturally, not all of them were so easily won over. Many accused Claire of pulling a stunt to rehabilitate Dole’s political image. But that didn’t last long. The provisional government put out a statement saying they did not condone aristocrats acting alone and ran it in a major newspaper. This public criticism of Claire’s actions thinned the number of objectors who assumed she could only possibly be allied with the provisional government.
Bit by bit, things were starting to change. Some canny businessmen still hoarded supplies for profit, but eventually, some started to help Claire distribute rations to the people—including Tulle Trading Company, Broumet, and Frater.
“We’re as yet a small operation, but it looks like we’ve gained a number of supporters,” Claire said, reading the newspaper in her dorm room the next week. She flipped to the advertisements section, looking for groups she might recruit to her cause. Over fifty such charitable individuals and groups were out in the field as we spoke.
The world turned.
At times, it turned too quickly.
“Miss Claire, look!”
Claire shifted her gaze to where I was pointing out the window. Outside, peasants were gathering in a group.
“Throw out noble corruption!”
“No new taxes!”
“Bring back the monarchy!”
We were looking at a protest.
***
We observed the demonstration in detail from the school dorms, which faced the main street of the capital. People held signs and proceeded toward the assembly hall of the House of Lords. So far, no one seemed to be carrying weapons. The movement was still at the protest phase and hadn’t yet developed into a riot.
“I’ll stop them!” Claire started to rush out of the room.
I stopped her. “No. It’s pointless, and the timing is terrible.”
“Why?! As of now, I hold the people’s favor. My words have far greater impact than those of any other aristocrat!”
“It’s true that if you go out there now, you may be able to calm things down this once.”
“Yes, you see?!”
“But after that one time, if you keep defending the provisional government, the people will just think you were on the aristocrats’ side all along. Their trust in you will crumble.”
Claire’s face twisted in frustration. She slammed her hand on the desk—a pretty extreme move for someone with her upbringing. “They’ll think I’m on the aristocrats’ side? I am a purebred aristocrat!”
“Is that what’s most important to you, Miss Claire? Or is it helping the people?”
“Argh!” Claire was a smart person. Her temper flared easily, but she grabbed hold of herself quickly, listening to my rational argument. “Yes, you’re right. You are right, Rae. I don’t care nearly as much about my status as I do about setting an example.”
“And in order to do that, you can’t make your move yet. We need to watch and see. It’s still possible the provisional government will change their minds.”
“I hope so,” Claire said, gazing anxiously at the crowd she could see from the window. “But where is this coming from all of a sudden? I’ve been reading the papers, but nothing in them called for a protest.”
“I’m not sure, but it’s possible someone’s instigating things.”
“The Resistance!”
“On the surface, yes. But it goes deeper than that. Salas, and perhaps even the Nur Empire are pulling some strings.”
These protests were strange. A few small, spontaneous demonstrations were one thing, but looking out the window, I saw at least a thousand people in the crowd today. It was hard to believe that a protest of this size had arisen with no meetings or advance preparations.
“You think the empire is involved?” Claire demanded.
“Yes.”
She thought that over for a moment and then narrowed her eyes. “I’ve been going along with it so far, but I seem to have reached my limit. Rae, where are you getting this information?”
“I just overhear things here and there.”
“Stop lying to me. You don’t just stumble onto information as important as this.” Claire’s questioning switched to a gentler tone. “Rae, I trust you. Will you please just finally come out with it? How do you always know things that you shouldn’t?”
She was being sincere. If I kept deceiving her now, she might lose that trust in me.
It was time. I prepared myself.
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me…”
“Just try and tell me.”
“Okay, then. I am not from this world.”
Claire frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I came from another world, from a country called Japan.”
“Japan…”
“Yes. I lived there, for a time, and I think I may have died there as well. Regardless, I somehow found myself in this world.”
Claire looked like she was absorbing this, so I continued.
“I can predict, to a certain extent, what will happen in this world because I learned about it in my former life.”
“This world…and in your former life?”
“Yes. In my last life, there was a book of something like…like prophecies, predicting what would happen in this world.” I left out the part about it being a game. I’d been a bit careless with Misha, and I worried about what might happen to Claire if she were told she was a character in a story.
“So, you can predict what will happen next?”
“Yes.”
“Then what will?” Claire inquired fearfully. Her anxiety told me that she accepted what I was saying—at least to an extent.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“Knowing the future inevitably means tampering with it. I can’t say more than I have. If you know what’s coming, your actions may alter the future I expect. I’ve done everything I can to change our future for the better without changing too much and thereby losing that advantage.”
I was going to change the course of fate. I was going to ensure Claire’s survival.
“That’s all I have to say.”
“I see…” Claire nodded slightly.
“Do you accept it?”
“That’s all I can do. I’ve witnessed the results of your foresight with my own eyes time and time again.”
“Ahh, trusting me is all you can do? This must be love…”
“Are you even listening to me?” Claire flicked me on the forehead. Ow! “So you were a lost spirit, Rae?”
“I suppose so.” Misha had brought up the same story when I’d told her everything—the legend of mysterious children who appeared out of nowhere, bearing strange powers.
“I wonder if all lost spirits are visitors from your world, Rae?”
“I don’t know. But the world I used to live in had no magic.”
“Is that so? But your magic is so potent.”
“I don’t really know how that works. Maybe it’s one of those things that only God knows.”
“Perhaps so. In any case, if the empire is involved in these protests, we must intervene.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I’m going to advise my father. If the Nur Empire is behind these protests—”
“Then the provisional government will declare that these protestors are colluding with an enemy nation.”
There was literally nothing we could do. The Empire was cunning. This was why I hated both politics and family drama; if this weren’t a matter of life or death for Claire, I would have packed up and fled to another country long ago.
“Is there nothing we can do? Don’t you have any bright ideas, Rae?”
“Not just yet. Things need to change a little more.”
“But if we don’t do something, then the revolution—”
“It’s okay, Miss Claire.” I kept my voice calm. “I will protect you. No matter what happens.”
It was the truth. Just not all of it.
***
The peasant protests continued, and the crowd filling the street in front of the assembly hall grew by the day. The voices that criticized the provisional government and called for the return of the monarchy grew stronger and stronger. But the provisional government, especially Dole, showed no shift in attitude.
“Yes, come on. Line up! We have plenty for everyone!”
“Don’t rush—there’s enough to go around.”
Despite our anxiety about the protests, we continued to distribute food. More and more people were going hungry due to the increase in taxes, and our lines grew longer. We were still able to accommodate everyone, but if any more people joined the lines, we would soon run out of supplies.
Then, one day…
“There were fewer people today than yesterday, right?” Claire asked, seeing our leftovers.
“Yes.”
We brushed it off as a one-time thing, but then it happened again. And again. Every day, the number of people lining up for Claire’s food distribution gradually decreased.
“What is going on?” Claire asked. It wasn’t long before her question was answered in the newspaper. The headline read:
“Resistance Establishes Revolutionary Government: Abundant Rations Soon to Come.” Apparently, the revolutionaries had set up their own government in opposition to the provisional government.
We’re at this point already…
This was still within the parameters of my predictions. Many of Revolution’s routes ended with a tragic love story between the chosen prince and the main character, culminating in the middle of the revolution. But it also had a revolution route, where, rather than hook up with one of the princes, the main character led the revolution herself.
What had just happened resembled the revolution route—but led by Claire, not the player character. Unlike in the game, rather than me, Claire had the support of the people.
Now I just need to stay on course.
It wouldn’t be long before a certain person and I could realize our greatest ambitions.
“Rae, are you listening?”
“Argh?!”
Claire suddenly pulled my ear, making me turn to look at her. She looked pale.
“The revolutionary government has put us in a state of crisis. At this rate, our kingdom…”
“It’s okay, Miss Claire. Things are going according to plan.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Please, Miss Claire, continue distributing supplies.”
“I…I understand.”
And so, we showed up as usual to distribute food. As it turned out, however, the very next day, almost no one came. Claire was troubled, but I remained calm.
“Doesn’t this mean that the people now support the revolutionary government?!” she demanded.
“Possibly. But that’s not a problem.”
“How is it not a problem?!”
“Excuse me. Is this Miss Claire François’s food drive?”
A group of men had showed up together. Their clothes were too expensive to belong to peasants, but they didn’t look like nobles either.
“Yes. Who are you?”
“We are from the revolutionary government,” said the man who seemed to be in charge.
Claire’s expression was suddenly grim. “How may I help you?”
“Miss Claire François, we admire your attempts to aid the people. But from here on out, the revolutionary government will be handling the distribution of food and supplies. We were hoping you would cooperate with us.”
“Cooperate?” Claire sounded suspicious. “You said you’re from the revolutionary government, correct?”
“Yes.”
“I remember seeing you before. You were a subordinate of Chancellor Salas, were you not?”
“Yes.” He did not deny it.
“And you—” She turned her eyes to one of the other men. “You were one of the former Baron Thompson’s guards. And you were in the service of Count Yale. Why are you three in the revolutionary government?”
“They lost their jobs because you brought down their employers, Miss Claire,” I said.
“But we made sure to provide new positions for everyone!”
“And we were grateful for that,” said one of the men. “However, we received a much better offer of employment—under former Chancellor Salas.”
“Salas?! Where is he?!” Claire demanded.
But the man shook his head. “I cannot tell you that.”
“He’s working with the Nur Empire!”
“The Nur Empire is aiding the people in taking back this country.”
“No! The Nur Empire doesn’t care for this country at—”
I shushed Claire with my hand. “When you say ‘cooperate,’ what do you mean?”
“We would like to buy your food supplies. We have a decent amount ourselves, but the more, the better.”
“Fine. In return, we have some conditions.”
“Let’s hear them.”
“Please do not involve Miss Claire in whatever the revolutionary government has planned.”
“That might be difficult… Dole is a major member of the wicked provisional government, after all.” The man shook his head.
But I didn’t give up. “I didn’t mention Dole. I only asked that you not involve Miss Claire.”
“Hmm?”
“You know what Miss Claire has been up to, right? Miss Claire loves the people. She’s not like Master Dole or the other aristocrats.”
“In other words, you’d like us to simply overlook her?”
“That’s right.”
The man pretended to think it over. Miss Claire was trying to protest through my hand, which was still over her mouth, but I needed her to be quiet for a bit.
“And just how much stock can you provide?”
“Here.” I showed him our supply list.
He neglected to hide his surprise for a moment but swiftly resumed his poker face. “That’s not much for—”
“Okay, then forget it.”
He went quiet.
If memory served me right, the revolutionary government didn’t have enough in the way of food supplies right now. In order to get the support of the peasants, they put out newspaper ads saying they would provide ample food rations, but they were subsequently overwhelmed by the number of people taking them up on the offer. They needed enough to tide them over until the Nur Empire came in with reinforcements, and I was betting on that shortfall.
“Fine. I promise we will not touch Miss Claire.”
“Thank you very much. If you break that promise, please understand that all support from XX will cease immediately.”
“What on earth is XX?”
“Arla and Irvine Luster will understand what it means.”
“I understand. We will provide instructions for sending the food at a later date.”
With that, the soldiers left.
“Puaah. Rae! What do you think you’re doing?!”
“The ends justify the means, Miss Claire,” I said, trying to reassure her.
“The ends?”
“We need to get closer to the revolutionary government if we want to know what they’re thinking and what they intend to do. Providing them with supplies earns us their trust.”
“I will not join the revolutionary government!”
“Of course not. What we need to do is mediate between the provisional and revolutionary governments, trying to find a point of compromise. You’re the only one who can do that, Miss Claire.”
“What? Me?”
“Yes, and it will be a difficult task. Can you do it?”
“Who do you think you’re talking to? I am Claire François, daughter of Dole François, Minister of Finance. I can do that much before even sitting down to breakfast,” she said, laughing bravely.
“Thank you.”
“I…I apologize, Rae. I criticized you without knowing what you were thinking.”
“Don’t mention it.”
She really didn’t need to. If anything, I needed to apologize to Claire.
***
“It’s been a while, Claire. How lovely to see you.”
When we entered the revolutionary government’s camp, it was Salas Lilium, former Chancellor of the Bauer Kingdom, who came up to greet us, smirking all the while. Claire and I had come to discuss a potential accord between the revolutionary and the provisional governments. While not a representative of the provisional government, Claire was Dole’s daughter.
“Let’s let the past go, shall we? Water under the bridge. I hope we can reach a mutually beneficial arrangement.” Salas reached out to shake Claire’s hand.
Behind him stood rebel soldiers, mostly made up of Salas’s private security team—and Lilly. We needed to proceed cautiously from here.
Arla and Irvine, strangely, were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps Salas had taken over the diplomatic side of things.
“What are the revolutionary government’s requests?” Claire said abruptly.
“Now, now, let’s not jump ahead. I think it’s customary to start negotiations like this by laying some groundwork, don’t you?”
“I believe all parties involved are already quite familiar with each other. Let’s get to the point.”
Salas was at an overwhelming advantage in these negotiations. No matter how exposed Claire had been to politics as the daughter of the Minister of Finance, Salas was the former Chancellor. It was likely he’d outmaneuver her if these talks lasted too long; Claire moved forward with speed in the attempt to deny him that chance.
“Fine, then,” Salas said. “Our demands are simple. Abolition of the aristocracy and sovereignty for the people.”
“I thought the people were demanding the monarchy be restored?”
“At first, yes. But now, they’ve realized this is their chance to actively participate in governing the country.”
Such was the goal of the Commoner Movement. I found it ironic that King l’Ausseil’s commoner-focused policies and the aristocratic backlash to them had inspired a movement that aimed to strip power from nobles and royals alike.
“Do you really think those demands will be met?” Claire asked.
“We intend to make sure they are. No matter what it takes,” Salas said, undoubtedly implying they were prepared for an armed uprising.
“The provisional government has the army.”
“We have more people. And justice is on our side.”
“Are you telling the people to die for justice?”
“I would never ask such a thing of them. After all, if they die, it will be the army killing them, not I.”
In fact, imperial soldiers had infiltrated the revolutionaries, including a number of former private guards of the aristocrats arrested during Claire’s investigation. Combined with the peasantry, the revolutionaries outnumbered the kingdom’s army by a long shot. A number of them could even use magic, making them a truly formidable force. The army commanded by the provisional government, on the other hand, would be hesitant to attack their own people, whom they were sworn to protect.
“Salas. What is your ulterior motive?” asked Claire.
“What do you mean?”
“The revolution is but a means to an end for you. You don’t care for the people; you only want their power, don’t you?”
Salas remained calm, despite Claire’s acidic tone. “Even if I did, there is no question that this revolution is good for the people. If I were to end up at the top of the new administration as a result…that would merely be a bonus.”
He stared us both down.
“Please tell Dole to cease his selfishness and hand over power for the people’s sake.”
“That buffoon—he truly is full of himself for a criminal,” Claire fumed later. We stood in the assembly hall, waiting to meet with the head of the provisional government and convey what we’d learned.
Unsurprisingly, once Dole was brought up to speed, he denounced the revolutionaries’ demands as “idiotic.”
“These impertinent peasants misunderstand the goodwill of the king,” he declared.
“Precisely. We need to teach the peasants a lesson here, once and for all,” someone else agreed.
“But, Father,” Claire argued. “The revolutionary government has the support of the people. If we attack them, we disregard the people’s wishes.”
“The support of common folk does not confer righteousness. It is the nobility who decide right from wrong.” Even Dole was uninterested in what Claire had to say.
“Father! You are out of line. Sovereignty lies with the king. Why must you block Thane from ascending to the throne? Why take the government into your own hands?”
“You know very well that this is only a temporary measure, Claire,” Dole said in a tone that sounded like he was talking to a whiny child. “Thane is still young. In order to overcome this conflict, the nobles have been obligated to offer their assistance.”
“If that’s true, then all you need to do is put Thane on the throne and select a prime minister from the House of Lords!”
“Claire, there was no time. With the eruption of Mt. Sassal, and the commoners in revolt, the situation required urgency.”
“Father…”
I wondered if Claire noticed that all Dole did was repeat the same excuses he gave the public. He had never had any intention of giving up power.
“At any rate, how is the provisional government going to respond?” Claire asked.
“We demand an end to the protests and the immediate dissolution of the revolutionary government.”
“You have to meet them halfway, or there will be war!”
“Then so be it. We have no desire to hurt the people, but for the restoration of order, it may be inevitable.” The other nobles in attendance nodded in agreement with Dole.
Claire kept at it, trying desperately to sway their minds. “If you wish to address the root of the problem, the dissatisfaction first arose when the provisional government increased taxes. Can you not reverse the increase at the very least?”
“Of course not. The impact of the eruption only grows, even today. We need money for restoration.”
“In that case, isn’t it up to the nobles to donate their own coffers?”
“We are already doing just that. The nobles’ taxes have increased as well.”
But the rate at which the kingdom taxed the aristocracy was identical to that for the commoners. Taxation that registered to them as mild hardship could devastate a peasant family.
“Father… We are nobles because of the people.”
“No. The people endure because of we, the nobility.”
With those words, I could tell from Claire’s face that, at long last, she had lost all hope for her father.
“Rae, you said the negotiations would be difficult. But this…this is beyond what I ever imagined.”
We were in the dorms again, and Claire flopped onto her bed.
“Both sides dug in their heels. Is compromise even possible?” She sounded like she might cry; a vanishingly rare moment of weakness from the normally stone-stubborn Claire.
“There may not be,” I said. “In which case—”
“I know. Armed conflict. I want so terribly to avoid that if we can… Oh, Rae. Come here.”
Claire motioned to me. I approached, wondering what she wanted.
“Aaagh! Adults are the most selfish people in the world!” she cried out, grabbing hold of me as I approached her. Then she hugged me tight, as if I were a body pillow.
“M-Miss Claire…this makes me very happy, I assure you, but I can’t breathe.”
“Mmm!”
She had her way with me like that for three whole minutes. My honor was besmirched forever. Oh no, how terrible.
“The negotiations have only just started,” I said. “Let’s not lose hope yet.”
“Mmnn. I’m thirsty, Rae. Please get me some tea.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
For her, I headed to the kitchen.
I’m sorry, Claire. No matter how persistent you are…I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.
***
Claire worked incredibly hard.
She went back and forth, again and again, between the provisional and revolutionary governments. She listened patiently to the unyielding demands on both sides, searching for a point of compromise. I hated seeing her so worn out, but I put up with it, knowing that this, too, would soon come to an end.
And then the day came.
November 10th, 2015 in Kingdom Years. The protests escalated to an armed uprising, and conflict broke out between the revolutionary army and the forces of the provisional government, which numbered only half the former’s size. All of the newspapers reported that the revolutionary army had the advantage.
“I didn’t make it in time…” Claire said, deflated, as she watched the crowd battling imperial soldiers from her dorm room window.
I grabbed her hand and squeezed tight, trying to comfort her. “You did everything you could, Miss Claire. You couldn’t help that this happened.”
“But if I had only tried harder…”
“You tried as hard as you possibly could.” My attempts to comfort her weren’t working. Claire had a strong sense of responsibility, and as someone who understood the sentiments on both sides, this was too much for her heart to handle.
“All that remains for me to do now is admit defeat as a noble of the old era,” Claire said resolutely, the color returning to her face.
“No, Miss Claire. You will stand on the side that denounces what came before.”
Claire looked at me strangely. As I met her eyes, I straightened. The time had finally come to tell her everything.
“Rae, whatever are you talking about?”
“Miss Claire, you will see off the old era from your place in the new one.”
“You’re being ridiculous. I am the daughter of House François. I am the quintessential symbol of the world that preceded this one,” Claire said through a stiff smile.
“You aren’t. Master Dole is.”
“It’s the same thing.”
“It is absolutely not. You will spearhead the movement to convict Master Dole and the old ruling class—the aristocracy.”
“Wh-what are you saying?!” Claire was furious, and I understood why. It had to sound like I was asking her to betray the rest of the nobility. “You want me to depose the architects of the old era and then brazenly live my own life free of my connection to them?! Absolutely not, never!”
I’d expected this reaction. There was no way Claire would ever agree to this, not without knowing the full truth.
“This was Master Dole’s design as well.”
“Huh?! W-wait a second. My father?” Her fury washed away in a second. I perfectly understood the confusion that rose in its place. “Wh-what do you mean, Rae?!”
“It was your father who set the course of this revolution.”
“Just what are you trying to tell me?!”
“Let me start at the beginning. It’s long, so please, take a seat.”
I motioned for her to sit down. Claire did as I said, hungry to hear what I had to say.
“As you already know, the politics of the kingdom were corrupted beyond repair. Most of the nobles cared only for personal gain, vying for power with no intention of allowing meaningful change.”
“Yes… But what does that have to do with this?”
“A few nobles were still devoted to ensuring the country’s future. One of those was Master Dole.”
“Father? But he sidelined the royal family to take power himself…”
“Master Dole sacrificed himself to lead the corrupt nobles. He did so to ensure the commoners could finish it all today.”
Claire was speechless—understandably so. Dole was a master of diversionary tactics. His displays of contempt for peasants and reverence for other nobles were so convincing that not even Claire had seen them for what they were—an elaborate act.
I went on, “There was a time when your father unquestioningly accepted the superiority of the nobility. That all changed with your mother, Melia.”
“When she died?”
Melia had passed away on Claire’s fourth birthday. Dole had also been in the carriage accident that killed her, but while he had survived, Melia hadn’t been so lucky.
“Melia’s accident was contrived by another powerful noble. It was murder.”
“No…!”
“That day, Master Dole decided things had to change. He continued to play the role of a corrupt noble while secretly supporting the revolution. Do you remember the day I became your maid?”
“Yes… You said something to my father, and from that moment, his demeanor changed.”
“This is what I said to him at that time: ‘Irvine Manuel, March 3rd, five hundred thousand gold.’ That information pertained to the financial support Master Dole was secretly providing to the Resistance.”
Only Dole had known of the money he’d given Irvine, Arla’s younger brother and treasurer of the Resistance. He couldn’t fathom how I’d come by that information, but I’d used it all the same to make him agree to my being Claire’s maid.
“After everyone left the room, I told him, ‘Master Dole, your cause is admirable. But I am concerned that Miss Claire will be caught up in it.’”
“Why would you think that?” Claire demanded.
“Master Dole planned to sacrifice not only himself but you, Miss Claire. He loves you from the bottom of his heart, but he had given up on saving the country any other way.”
That was where I’d come in.
“I offered Master Dole another choice. I gave him an option that would let you live, Miss Claire, even when the aristocrats were defeated. Master Dole accepted my plan, as long as it meant his daughter could survive.”
What I presented to Dole was the scenario in which Claire would separate from the old era of aristocrats and join the new era, those who convicted the old.
“Everything I’ve done up to this point was for this plan. It was to improve your reputation, distance you from the rest of the nobility, and find a way for you to live in the new era to come.”
“So, then—you! You knew this from the beginning?!”
Claire’s face was pained. An echoing pain sharpened in my chest, but I continued.
“Yes. I knew the revolution would happen and that the result would be the downfall of the aristocrats. None of that could be prevented.”
“But I—I trusted you!”
“I’m so sorry, Miss Claire. I will accept any punishment you choose.”
The moment I said that, Claire lifted her arm toward me in anger. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the blow.
But the pain in my cheek never came. When I opened my eyes, Claire held the same position, but she was crying quietly.
“You and my father… You didn’t even consult me…”
Claire wasn’t stupid. She couldn’t forgive what Dole and I had done, but she couldn’t easily blame us either, knowing we’d acted to protect her.
“Miss Claire, you need to join the revolutionary government now. I’ve already arranged it with Arla. Soon, the royal family will pass the Royal Standard to the revolutionary government. When that happens, the aristocrats will become the rebels. You will convict them.”
She remained silent.
“Miss Claire?”
She stood and walked toward the window. Outside, the battle continued.
“Rae… What sort of life will I have, once I am a commoner?” she asked suddenly.
I was taken aback, but I thought for a moment. “Well… At first there will be a lot to learn. Like when you spent time at my house during vacation.”
“Yes,” Claire nodded without turning around.
I went on, “But you’ll get used to it quickly. And I’ll always be there to take care of you.”
“I see… So you will live with me?”
“Of course. I will work hard and do everything I can for you.”
“Yes. I think I will need that,” Claire said, and she fell silent again.
I was uneasy, so I kept talking to fill the silence. “Let’s get a dog.”
“I prefer a cat,” she responded to my useless suggestion.
“Do you want a yard?”
“Yes, and flowerpots.”
“How many children should we have?”
“We can’t have children.”
“Then let’s adopt.”
“I want two cute little girls.”
As long as we kept talking, I could tell myself she was on board.
Then, abruptly, she said, “I believe you would never let me be unhappy.”
It was like a dream come true.
A…dream?
“—‘no.’”
“Huh?” I had missed the rest of what Claire was saying. “Miss Claire?”
“I said ‘no,’” Claire said, turning to look at me with a clear expression, like a burden had been lifted. Her cheeks were still wet with tears, but her eyes were strong and shining.
“What are you saying, Miss Claire? This is the only way.”
“No. There’s another way. I can choose to fall with the old era and my peers.”
It was my turn to be confused. “No… It’s pointless! That wouldn’t make anyone happy!”
“No, probably not.”
“Master Dole—and me too, we did all this so you can live—”
“Yes, and I am grateful for that,” Claire smiled.
A chill ran through me.
“Wait…wait a second. Are you angry with us for not telling you what was going on? Please, I apologize. But if we had told you—”
“I’m sure I would have refused.”
No, no, no. I had done something wrong, I must have. I hadn’t seen this coming.
“I am sure you and my father were thinking of me the entire time. I understand that. And I am not angry.”
“Then why?!”
“Because—” Claire paused for a moment and looked at me directly in the eye. “I am an aristocrat.”
I didn’t know what to say.
“An aristocrat enjoys their stature and luxuries in exchange for acquitting their duties when called upon to do so. The reason I have been allowed to live such a selfish life is so I could, once more, when this day came, fulfill my duties.”
“You don’t have to! Not anymore!”
“No. I will see to my final obligation—and that is to submit to the will of the people, as an aristocrat and as a relic of the era coming to an end.”
I had underestimated her. I should have known, but I had failed to understand Claire as a person. I had failed to realize what it meant to Claire to be noble.
“Miss Claire, please think it through. We can make a future together—”
“I’m so sorry, Rae. I cannot grant your wish.”
“But you—you promised me. You said you wouldn’t give up, until the very end,” I said, referring to the promise she’d made me on the day of the Academy Knights entrance exam.
“Ah, you’re right. I remember that. It feels like so long ago.”
“No…no… Miss Claire, you can’t go!”
“I’m very sorry, Rae.” Claire came closer to me. She brought her lips to mine.
“To apologize for breaking my promise, I offer you my first kiss.”
That was when I realized it. Claire was really leaving me.
“Goodbye, Rae. Be well,” Claire said, and she turned to leave. I wanted to follow her, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t think of a single word to make her stay.
“Miss…Claire…”
I had done every last thing I could to keep this from happening. The only thing I had ever thought of was how to save Claire’s life, and now it was all for naught.
I remembered what Dole had said to me when I presented my plan to him.
He said, “Your plan is perfect. But…I don’t know if my daughter will accept it.”
The thoughts I couldn’t capture in words trickled as tears down my cheeks.
I couldn’t even tell you the taste of our first kiss.
***
I allowed myself a single day of devastation after Claire left me. Shocked as I was, I wasn’t ready to give up so easily.
I went first to the palace. To prove the righteousness of their mission, the revolutionary government had declared their intent to reinstate the royal family and their support of Thane as King l’Ausseil’s heir. In response, the royal family had passed the Royal Standard—the symbolic right to rule—to the revolutionary government.
Much as they resented the brazen aristocrats who had challenged their rule, the royals would never have legitimized the revolutionary forces who aimed to abolish the monarchy if not for the Nur Empire. Word had reached the capital of imperial troops closing in on the empire’s border with the kingdom. On hearing this, the royal family acquiesced to the revolutionary government in hopes of swiftly resolving the domestic situation and thereby averting a civil war the empire would take advantage of to invade.
As a result, Thane currently sat on an unstable pedestal. The revolutionary government supported his succession, but Dole and the other nobles still blocked his way to the throne.
“I see,” Thane said when I spoke to him. “So Claire chose to fall, herself.”
“Claire isn’t like those other, corrupt nobles. She shouldn’t be executed.” I pleaded with Thane with my eyes, begging for Claire’s life. In the past, a commoner would never have been allowed to meet with royalty, but Thane had granted special permission for us to speak.
“You are correct. But it is a difficult issue.” Thane wore a bitter expression. “Regardless of Claire’s individual character, she remains the daughter of Dole François, leader of the noble faction. Even if I forgive her, I doubt the revolutionary government will do the same.”
“But—”
“The royal family is in a precarious position at the moment. We have next to no real power. For all intents and purposes, the revolutionary government is calling the shots.”
“But the Nur Empire backed the rebels. Did you know that?”
“That’s not exactly right,” Thane gently corrected. “Salas and his followers have ties to the empire, yes. But the leaders of the Resistance, Arla and Irvine, are strongly opposed to the empire.”
“But…!”
“Well, listen. Do you know how the revolutionary government is distributing rations to the people?”
“Of course.”
“The reason they can do that is because the Nur Empire continues to provide them supplies. If we force them to cut ties with the empire, the people will starve.”
In other words, Thane valued the lives of the people above all other matters. To Thane, ensuring the people didn’t starve was far more important than who ran the country, and who suffered for its past sins.
“Arla’s people aren’t exactly letting Salas run rampant either. They’re using him. When the time comes, I believe they’ll find ways to expel Salas and the other imperial sympathizers.” Thane gave me another tight smile. “Again, I have very little power here. I may be the next king, but that’s more symbolic than anything, now. I do wish I could do something for Claire, though…”
“I see…” I said. Thane was fighting against the changing times too. His expression was entirely emblematic of royalty in name only; he had been rendered powerless and left full of regrets.
“Forgive me. Would that I could help you more.”
“No, I’m sorry for asking for the impossible. Thank you.”
My first idea had failed, but I wasn’t giving up. Not yet. Next, I visited the convent at the Spiritual Church.
“Hey, Rae. Thanks for coming,” said Yu.
“It’s been a while, Rae,” said Misha.
I had come to see Yu and Misha. Yu was still theoretically confined for her health by order of the royal family. Some still claimed she suffered deleterious mental effects from a curse, but in reality, the political faction supporting Thane had gone to great lengths to ensure she remained off the political table. Thane didn’t seem to be directly involved in this, but politics are never so simple.
I was pleased to see Yu looked healthy and happy. Likewise, Misha looked so perfect in her habit that it was like she’d been born to wear it, and she and Yu seemed like a perfect match, side by side.
“I can guess why you’re here. Is it Claire?” Yu asked.
“Yes,” I nodded.
“I want to help, but like Thane, there’s not much I can do,” Yu said, furrowing her brow apologetically. “The eruption and civil strife have caused many commoners to turn to religion for comfort, and as a result, the Church is rapidly consolidating power. I don’t think the revolutionary government can afford to ignore us.”
“In that case—!”
“But,” Yu interrupted, “Cardinal Lilly holds ultimate authority in the Church—and, of course, both Salas and the Nur Empire back her power. I’m sure this was Salas’s intent all along.”
“I believe Master Thane is being optimistic,” Misha said. “There’s a real risk that the revolutionary government will be taken over by the Nur Empire.”
“Can’t you advise Thane of the danger, Yu?”
“I have, many times. But he won’t listen. My brother is naive, and the people around him won’t give him accurate information. Nevertheless…I don’t quite understand. He’s normally so clever. Why would he dismiss the threat of the empire?” Yu frowned. “In any case, I will keep pleading Claire’s case to him, but to be honest, I wouldn’t count on Thane. Dole and Claire have come to symbolize the aristocracy and aristocratic politics. From the revolutionary government’s perspective, they’re the ideal scapegoats. And even if they weren’t, the Nur Empire surely has them at the top of their list of aristocratic threats to eliminate.”
“I’m sorry, Rae,” Misha said.
The conversation had lowered my spirits. But my friends had promised to help me. That had to be enough for now.
I thanked them and left the convent.
I visited a number of other places after that, trying and trying to devise a way to save Claire, but I struck out on every count. Salas and the Nur Empire’s forces were rooted deep in this country, and people turned me away wherever I went.
I was powerless and alone. I didn’t want to give up, but I was stuck. I ran all over the capital, stopping only when I made myself sick with exhaustion.
“This must be how Claire felt when she was facilitating negotiations between the aristocrats and the people…”
I’d done nothing but watch as she worked herself to the bone, certain it would all be resolved in the end. I’d been so sure that Dole and I were going to keep her safe.
“Miss Claire…”
It had only been a few days since I last saw her, but it felt like months. The person who had always been by my side was gone. I thought my chest would burst.
“I want to see you, Miss Claire.”
As I sank into terrified doubt, an epiphany struck me—I knew where Claire was being held.
This was my last chance.
***
Claire was being kept in the Second Hall of the former assembly hall of the House of Lords. It was a historical building that had been designated a national treasure of the kingdom. Gothic ornamentation adorned the main gate, and four guards stood outside.
“You there! Halt!” one of the guards called out to me as I casually walked toward them. I ignored him and headed toward the gate.
“You’re Rae Taylor, right? You are not permitted to approach this building. Leave.”
The soldiers formed up, clearly trying to intimidate me. I suspected their armor was magic-resistant and that the swords they held were magical tools, unusual as it seemed to bedeck regular soldiers with powerful magic items.
“I just want to see Miss Claire. Will you let me pass?”
“No. We were given strict orders not to.”
“I see…” That left me no choice. “Then I will go through you.”
I opened up a pitfall with earth magic. The heavily armored soldiers disappeared into the ground—and rose back up into view right away. Not only that, they now floated in the air. Wind magic, huh? I’d heard wind attribute mages were often selected to be armed guards, so the weight of full-plate armor didn’t slow them down. It reminded me of Thane’s fighting style.
“You can’t get by that easy!”
“Stop this pointless resistance!”
“Pointless resistance? No.” I held up my wand and cast water magic. “Judecca! Earth Spike!”
I froze the four guards in place and then impaled them with earthen spikes. It was the combo magic Cocytus that had I used when fighting Manaria. She had responded with ease because she was Manaria, but no one seeing it for the first time could counter it in time.
The four soldiers succumbed immediately to this, the strongest spell available to the player character. If they hadn’t had magical armor, it would have killed them.
“What?! What’s going on?!”
“Intruder!”
The soldiers inside the building heard the commotion and rushed out. Every single one of them wore magic-resistant full-plate armor. What a pain.
Massive tiger traps emerged from the ground, ensnaring the guards’ feet and sticking them to the ground. “Ergh…!”
“Just stay where you are,” I said, passing by them into the building.
It wouldn’t be so easy.
“Hey, hang on,” said a familiar, cheerful voice. I watched the traps dissolve back into the ground. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Miss Lilly…”
Lilly appeared in the entranceway, looking as if she had just taken herself on a casual stroll.
“We knew there was no way you wouldn’t show up after hearing Claire was captured. That’s why I was sent here.”
“Give Miss Claire back to me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Claire came here on her own. And we promised we wouldn’t touch her. How are we supposed to ‘give’ her back?” Lilly cackled. The sweet Lilly I knew was gone. Now, she just looked hateful.
“Say what you like. If you don’t let me pass, I’ll force my way in.”
“Go ahead and try. Time to make these guards earn their keep,” Lilly said.
At her command, twelve guards rushed at me.
“Judecca!”
The guards stopped, frozen. I immediately followed up with Earth Spike.
“How cute.”
However, Lilly canceled out my freezing magic before I could complete Cocytus. Once able to move again, the guards quickly avoided Earth Spike. They were well trained. Not quite as good as the King’s Guard but good enough to take down almost any enemy in these numbers.
And now they had Lilly’s backup too. While Lilly didn’t use attack magic herself, she made my spells disappear in an instant. It was like fighting Manaria all over again.
“Wait—I’ve got it!” I cried.
“Erk…!”
I blocked the sword swinging at me with my magic wand. My hand-to-hand combat skills were, ah, lacking. If I was going to stand a chance, I needed to use magic.
“Judecca!” I sent freezing magic at the guards again, but Lilly countered it in a second. At this rate, I would run out of magic power.
So, there was only one thing left to do.
“Ralaire!” I scooped Ralaire out of my pouch and cast Judecca on her. The magic didn’t freeze Ralaire—instead, it made her rapidly expand to five times her original size.
Mm-hmm! Water slimes had the special ability to absorb water magic.
“Wh-what is that?!”
“A monster!”
“It’s a water slime!”
Ralaire let out her Hateful Cry, paralyzing the guards.
“Ralaire, swallow Lilly!” I ordered.
“I told you it’s useless.” Lilly avoided Ralaire with ease. Water slimes just weren’t very agile, and there was no way even my baby could outmaneuver Lilly, Salas’s masterpiece.
This was my only chance. Once the guards recovered from Ralaire’s Hateful Cry, I was done. I had to take out Lilly before they could.
“Absolute Zero!”
This was the ultra-high-aptitude water-attribute attack spell that I hadn’t yet been able to use when I’d fought Manaria. It was violent magic that instantaneously froze the target and then shattered it into pieces. I aimed at Lilly’s wand as I cast.
But once again—my spell disappeared into thin air.
“I told you it’s useless.” Lilly closed in on me with terrible speed, grabbed the arm that held my wand, and threw me to the ground.
“How many times must we do this?” she laughed, standing over me. Ralaire tried to pounce on her, but Lilly returned my familiar to her original size with a graceful flick of her wand. “Now, I suppose I could just kill you here.”
“Ugh…!”
There was no escaping. I didn’t have the skill to free myself from Lilly’s grip; I didn’t think Claire could have done it either, in my place. Is this where it ends?
I bit my lip in frustration, feeling helpless.
“Erk…you!”
Suddenly, Lilly let me go and seized her head, face twisting in agony. I didn’t know what was happening, but I wasn’t looking a gift horse in the mouth. I knocked her away with an ice bomb, scooped up Ralaire, and ran into the building.
Finally, I—
Wait…
I was blinded by a flash of light. When my vision returned, a straight line was burned into the ground between the building and me, as if to block my way.
This mark. It could only be her.
“Miss Claire?”
I turned my eyes up to the window, broken, on the second floor directly overhead. Claire stood there, her expression resolute, as if denouncing me. Her Magic Ray had burned the line into the ground.
This…this…
This is rejection.
Claire didn’t want to be rescued. It didn’t matter what I did—all my struggles were in vain.
Another flash. As I stood there, shocked to my core, another ray streaked across the ground before me.
She was sending me away.
“Miss Claire, do you…do you hate me so?”
Claire disappeared from the window, not answering my question. I fell to my knees in despair.
I don’t remember what happened after that.
***
After being so thoroughly rejected by Claire, I descended into a kind of half-life. I left the Second Hall in a daze, walking like a living corpse, not feeling the passage of time, nor seeing what I did. When I finally came to, I lay in a room I didn’t know.
“It seems you finally woke up.” Manaria pinned me with a stern look.
“Lady Manaria…? What are you doing here?”
“I heard revolution was brewing in Bauer, so I rushed over. What happened to Claire?”
“Miss Claire…”
I haltingly explained everything: How I’d tried to break Claire away from the aristocrat forces and almost succeeded, and how Claire had decided she couldn’t go along with it and would instead accept her fate along with the rest of the aristocrats.
“I see. No wonder you looked so down in the dumps.”
“I’m sorry…” Her provocation made me feel nothing at all. Nothing mattered, not anymore.
Manaria looked discouraged by my lack of response. “You’re giving up? You just told Claire not to do the same thing, but it’s okay for you to throw in the towel?”
“But…there’s nothing else I can do.”
“Jeez…if I’d known you’d end up like this, I would never have entrusted Claire to you. I could have done a way better job.”
“You probably could have.” I wasn’t taking the bait.
Manaria let out a huge sigh. “I asked you before, and I’m going to ask you one more time. Is your love truly so weak?!”
Her tone wasn’t inflammatory anymore. If anything, it sounded like she was trying to soothe me. Color me confused.
“No matter how much I love her, some love is just never returned,” I said, though even I could hear my sulking.
“I see. Well, you should have no problem forgetting Claire, then.” Manaria pulled me close and put her face up to mine. She had boyish features but a beautiful face. She slowly moved closer, and I became vaguely aware that my lips were going to touch hers.
I remember, now. Claire did that too…
It had been a nightmarish kiss, one absent of any emotion or feeling. That—that kiss—
Is that my last memory with Claire?
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I realized I had thrust Manaria away.
“That’s right…” Manaria smiled like the Cheshire Cat.
“I’m sorry, Manaria.”
“Don’t worry about it. Now, if this were anyone else, I’d probably tell them to give up. But I believe that you and Claire have a bond that can’t be put into words.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because I lost to you—to both of you.” Manaria smiled mischievously. “A couple to whom I gave my blessing? There’s no wall you can’t climb.”
“But Claire and I—”
“Did you tell Claire you love her? Did you tell her everything that’s in your heart?”
“I thought I did…”
“Really? I’m sure you told Claire what you did for her, but did you ask for her to be yours? In your own words?”
I didn’t know. That parting conversation felt like a bad dream in my memory. I wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
“As you’ve seen, logic can’t stop Claire now,” Manaria said. “If anything can, it’ll be your own selfishness.”
“My…selfishness?”
“Rae, you’re extraordinary. I don’t think I could engineer half the plans and preparations you have, let alone devise a way to save Claire and then actually execute it. But you should allow yourself to fight with Claire. Even just once. You may act the clown, but you’re an intensely rational person while Claire is an emotional one. You did your best to stay calm for her, didn’t you? Don’t do that, not this time. And don’t try to fix things—just let her see your raw emotions.”
“My raw…emotions?” Would that make Claire come back? I didn’t know. But it was my last chance.
“So, what are you going to do? If you say you’re going to go rescue Claire, you have my aid.”
“I…”
“Yes?”
My numbed heart began to beat again. “I…am going to save Miss Claire.”
Manaria laughed, looking satisfied at my response. “That’s my Rae.” She patted me on the head.
“I am not yours, Lady Manaria. All of me belongs to Miss Claire.”
“If you can talk to me like that, you’re doing fine.” Manaria gave me a tight hug and said, “Let’s get started, then. Operation: Take Back the Princess.”
The newspapers reported that Claire would be publicly tried alongside Dole. The trial was a sham, of course—just a flimsy facade for what would be a public execution. Claire and Dole were kept under heavy guard at all times, making today our only chance.
The trial was to take place in the district court, separated by a fence from the courtyard of the assembly hall. I stood in the front row of the gathered crowd.
“There they are!” someone in the crowd called out.
“Miss Claire…”
Claire and Dole were led on stage, both garbed in expensive-looking mourning attire—perhaps to highlight the fact of their nobility. Their faces were resolute.
“Announcing His Majesty!”
Thane, who had been officially crowned the day before, entered the hall. The royal family might have seemed to be restored, but in truth, they’d lost nearly all power over the actual governance of the Bauer Kingdom. Like many countries back on Earth, Bauer would now be a constitutional monarchy and its king a figurehead, at best.
Thane showed no emotion, but that was par for the course for him. I couldn’t tell how he felt.
“Let this trial by the people begin!”
Salas made that declaration. I saw Arla and Irvine by the gate too. Salas scanned the crowd and continued speaking. “Dole François and Claire François stand before you, charged with the crime of using their status as aristocrats to exploit the people!”
Ha. He was one to talk.
“They also betrayed the royal family, attempting to seize power for themselves! These are unforgivable acts!”
The crowd roared as Salas fanned the flames of their discontent. I could barely contain my anger at these easily swayed masses, as those who had hailed Claire as a hero just days ago who were now ready to kill her.
The so-called trial commenced. Salas read out the list of crimes Dole and Claire were charged with and deemed them guilty on all counts. Then, he asked Dole if he had any objections.
“I have nothing. I dedicated myself to the kingdom. If the kingdom is to fall, then I shall fall with it,” Dole said, closing his eyes.
“He admits to the crime! There will be an execution!”
The soldiers entered at Salas’s signal, swords in hand. Dole knelt and faced the crowd, head bowed to expose his neck. The closest soldier lifted his blade to swing it.
Just then, a challenge echoed through the court.
“I object to this trial!”
***
“Who is that?”
“A student from the Royal Academy. What was her name? Rae Taylor?”
“Why is she speaking up now?”
Amidst the clamoring and commotion of the crowd, I climbed the fence and dropped into the courtroom. It wasn’t graceful, but I didn’t have time to worry about that.
“Guards, throw her out,” Salas ordered.
“Wait,” said a young man in the audience. “This person has been an invaluable contributor to the Resistance and revolutionary government. You’ll not force her out.”
“But, Lambert…”
Yup. It was Lambert Aurousseau, older brother to Lene, who’d been exiled from the country during the Commoner Movement.
“This is a time of transition. Shouldn’t we address any potential seeds of future discontent?” Lambert said loudly and then turned to face me. “You have your stage. The rest is up to you.”
“Thank you kindly.” I looked to the crowd and raised my voice. “I object to this trial. An even more dastardly villain has taken the stage—one who has exploited the people and caused national disaster!”
“What is this idiocy? Who would you accuse of such crimes besides Duke François?”
“I will show you now. Lene!”
“Yes.” Lene stepped forward from the crowd, causing another wave of commotion.
Claire opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“Isn’t that the young lady who owns the Frater Trading Company?” someone whispered.
“And isn’t that her husband, Lambert?”
After Lene and Lambert had been exiled from the Bauer Kingdom, they had started a company in the Alpes. That was the Frater Trading Company. Frater had “invented” the dish known as crème brûlée, which in turn had become an explosive hit. They had gone on to develop many inventive new dishes, becoming the darlings of the restaurant industry. The name of their company, “Frater,” was the word for “siblings” in the old language of this country. It could also denote allies, or friends, but it was clear what it meant to these two.
I had reunited with Lambert and Lene a few days ago. They’d been investing heavily in the Resistance and been invited to attend the trial as a result.
“Dole François is not a rebel but a true patriot,” Lene announced.
She went on to list all the details of Dole’s political accomplishments, including the secret actions he had taken to support the revolutionary government by destabilizing the provisional one. She also described Claire’s arrests of corrupt nobles and Dole’s financial contributions to the Resistance—all of it information I had given her, of course.
Dole and I had chosen my investigatory targets with care. Yes, they’d been engaged in illegal activities, but social reform hadn’t been our only goal—we’d also taken down families we knew would get in the way of the revolution. Dole had always planned tens of moves ahead, just like a chess grandmaster.
“When Miss Claire, Rae Taylor, and Cardinal Lilly brought corrupt aristocrats to justice, it was with Dole’s support and guidance. He has also donated funds to the Resistance under the name XX since the start,” Lene finished. “Dole François is a true patriot who would do anything for this country.”
“Ridiculous! He still tricked the provisional government into betraying the royal family!” Salas screeched.
“Are you in a place to make such accusations, Salas?” interrupted a cool alto voice.
“Yu!”
“I thought she had lost her mind!”
“She looks so beautiful.”
Yu appeared in the courtroom, wearing a habit and flanked by nuns. Her fluffy blonde hair had grown out a little. She looked radiant, finally allowed to be the woman she was.
“Yu, what are you doing here?” Salas demanded.
“Funny that. I have the same question, Salas. After all, you’re the real criminal here.”
As Yu dropped this bombshell, the entire court was shaken into whispers.
“Criminal? Salas?”
“Maybe Yu really did go insane.”
“Maybe, but I can’t read her at all—”
The crowd was buzzing, confused. But the sound of Yu’s voice cut clearly through the hubbub—all thanks to magic wielded by my best friend, Misha.
“Salas Lilium is a traitor. He has been working with the Nur Empire, trying to seize control of the country for himself.”
Yu’s accusation pierced Salas directly, but he was a canny old politician. As the crowd settled, Salas spoke. “What are you talking about, Lady Yu? You still seem to be suffering from some manner of hysteria. You ought to return to the convent, where you can find some peace.”
“Our investigation is already complete. Rae?”
“Yes.” As Yu gave me my cue, I produced my final trump card. “This magical tool holds proof of all Salas’s dealings with the empire. Everyone! Do not allow him to trick you!”
I turned the volume up all the way and played back the incriminating conversation of Salas’s treachery. Misha used her wind attribute to amplify the sound for all to hear.
“What is the meaning of this?!”
“I thought the revolutionary government were our allies?!”
“What’s going on?!”
The crowd erupted in commotion, like a nest of hornets that we had kicked. Salas did his best to make excuses, but no one could hear him over the din. Then, abruptly, he pulled what looked like a whistle from his breast pocket and blew on it, hard. The sharp sound cut through the roar of the crowd, and a group of men appeared as if summoned.
“Salas’s private army!”
His private troops were composed of the former personal guards of fallen noble houses. They were fully armed, and now, they surrounded the court.
“Take control,” Salas ordered.
“Not so fast!” An awe-inspiring voice rang out across the courtroom.
“Master Rod!”
“He’s alive!”
The missing prince was back—and leading the royal troops. Upon closer inspection, Rod was missing an arm, but his expression was energized.
“Sorry I’m late. But the hero has to make a dramatic entrance, right?” Rod said, and he let out a cocky laugh.
The volcano had erupted while he was in the middle of evacuating the village at the foot of the mountain. He’d taken a near-mortal wound while protecting the villagers and, with no one in the village capable of using healing magic, had wound up incapacitated while his injuries healed the old-fashioned way. It had been touch and go for a while, but he’d survived, and the loss of an arm hadn’t affected his personality at all.
“Hey, Salas,” he said. “Give it up. Most of your men have already bent the knee to me. You just can’t compare, you know?”
“Heh heh… Are you going to keep getting in my way until I kill you?” Salas snarled venomously. “I’m still not done! Lilly!”
“Ah, this again?”
Lilly appeared from the shadows at the back of the court, garbed in pliable black leather and a black cape.
“Kill Dole, Claire, and the princes!” Salas ordered. “As long as they’re gone, we can get away!”
“You make it sound so easy. I mean, I’ll do it, but…”
Lilly drew her knife, looking fed up. I knew she had poisoned the tip of her blade. The room fell into utter chaos as Salas’s men faced off against the soldiers commanded by Rod, and commoners rushed to get out of the way. In a situation like this, Lilly might just be able to assassinate someone important.
But my allies and I weren’t going to stand by and let that happen.
“Shame on you, Salas, for turning a girl into this! Spellbreaker!”
Manaria appeared in front of Lilly. It didn’t matter how strong Lilly was in her transformed state; if we forced her to revert, she’d be powerless.
However, despite Manaria’s incomparable skill, even a genius like her couldn’t undo the enchantment in an instant.
“The spell is too complicated…!” Manaria cried.
Her work was having an effect, though. Lilly was locked in place, a look of agony on her face.
“Stop,” she croaked. “Stay in there! This is my body!”
It sounded like her murderous black-masked alter ego was trying to resist the original Lilly. I called out to the Lilly I knew, my friend who I knew was trapped in there. “Miss Lilly, please come back!”
“Rae… No, stop!”
Lilly broke free of Manaria’s hold and closed the distance to me in the blink of an eye. If I was wrong, I was dead—but I took a leap of faith and held out my arms to her. Lilly spasmed and then collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. When I held her close, she slowly opened one eye.
“I-I…tried…”
That was all she said before losing consciousness. I gently laid her body down, stroked her hair, and then stood.
“Now even Lilly has deserted you. This is the end, Salas!”
“Argh… Damn it all!” Salas clicked his tongue, annoyed. As far as I knew, he had no more cards left to play. But he wasn’t finished. “Rae Taylor!” he snapped. “Open your eyes!”
I looked at him—sheer impulse. I knew right away that it was a trap, but it was too late. Our eyes met, and the world around me started to twist and melt together.
This was Salas’s power of suggestion.
“Ha ha ha!” he cackled. “You will be my second Lilly—”
“You think I’d let that happen?”
Manaria’s voice cut through my daze, and my vision cleared again.
“Once I learn how to counter a spell, I never forget. Pitiful,” Manaria said. She aimed the tip of her magic wand at Salas. “This is truly the end, Salas Lilium.”
Salas wailed and shrieked, resorting to alligator tears in his final desperation, but he was done and he knew it. Checkmate. The crowd bustled and roared around us, the people’s voices rising until they were a thunder.
“What’s going on?”
“Who’s the bad guy here?”
“Who are we supposed to execute?”
“Silence!”
A sound louder than the entire crowd filled the air. The entire area fell silent at once.
“So Salas was a villain, then. So what?” roared Arla Manuel. “He didn’t create the revolution—we did! And the revolution didn’t create him!”
The crowd murmured in agreement.
“The aristocrats abandoned us,” Arla continued, gesturing at Claire and Dole. “They left us to starve! Someone must pay for their crimes, and who better to represent all noble scum than these two?”
“Kill the aristocrats!”
“Long live the revolution!”
The crowd cheered along with Arla, gathering strength and conviction. I yelled out in concern, but Arla wasn’t listening.
“You, the people, listen—” I tried.
It wasn’t working. There was so much I wanted to say, but no one could hear me over the sound of people baying for Claire and Dole’s heads. As I struggled to figure out what to do—
I heard a quiet sound in the sea of noise. The pluck of a beautiful string.
Thane was playing the harp.
At first, the sound was drowned out by the anger of the crowd, but then it started to reach people close to Thane, and then their silence spread. Like a wave flowing outward, the harp’s melody gradually replaced the jeers throughout the court. Some people threw rocks at Thane, while others sneered, but Thane ignored them all and kept playing. He just sat there and played, blood dripping down his face, and eventually, his harp was the only sound anyone could hear.
When he finished the song, he said quietly, “My people. Listen to this girl, just this one time. She has something to say.”
His deep baritone was befitting of a king. Now the crowd, and even Arla, were quiet and listening.
“Rae Taylor, what do you have to say?” Thane prompted me.
“Thank you, King Thane.” I turned to face the crowd again. “Beloved people. What is your desire?”
I selected my words carefully, controlling my facial expression, as I looked to the people around me.
“Do you just want to kill aristocrats?” I asked. “I don’t think you do. What you truly desire is stability. Am I right?”
The crowd looked restless. Murmurs of objection trickled through them.
I continued, “Do you want to kill Dole and Claire, who worked harder than anyone to bring peace to us, the people?”
As I’d expected, the objections started at once. “We the people—!”
“You can’t fool us with empty words!”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
The boy I addressed clammed up at once. I switched targets.
“How about you, then, who threw the rock? Or you, next to him?”
“Uh…”
“You have names. You’re citizens of this kingdom. I want to hear what you have to say. Do you really want to kill Master Dole and Miss Claire, right here and now?”
There were more murmurs, but no direct objections. Asking individuals for their names had temporarily disrupted the mind of the mob.
“Certainly, many aristocrats disregarded the needs of the commoners. But these two are different.” I could tell the people were finally starting to listen to me. “If you execute them, will you be able to tell your children what you did with pride? Will you be able to tell them of the righteousness of the revolution?”
The person who’d taught me how to talk like this, to hold a crowd’s attention, was, of course…
“Miss Claire, you too.”
“Huh?” Claire looked like a pigeon nailed by a BB gun.
“Once peace is restored and everyone lives happily, if Miss Claire were dead, who would remain to appreciate Dole’s sacrifice?”
“Th-that…”
I pushed on before she could prepare herself. “Is it noble to take the blame for a crime you did not commit?! Is it noble to die like a dog?!”
“Wait, Rae. Let me speak—”
“Instead of dying for temporary honor, why don’t you live for me?”
“Rae, I—”
“Shut up!” I looked Claire directly in the eye. “Listen to what I want for once!”
“R-Rae…”
“Shut up! Miss Claire! Shut! Up!”
Something snapped inside of me, and I found myself unable to say anything else. So, instead, I just cried, sobbing like a spoiled child. Claire looked bewildered, but I didn’t care one bit.
“If you’re going to squabble, do it somewhere else,” Arla said, making a face like she’d just swallowed a fly. “Someone get her out of here.”
“No! I won’t leave Claire, not ever again. If Claire is going to die, then so am I!”
“W-wait, Rae!”
“Augh!” Arla groaned. “All right. Fine, all right, stop with the screaming and crying. No one’s going to be executed.”
“Huh?”
“See for yourself.”
Arla pointed to the crowd.
“You’re right…I guess if the aristocracy is abolished, they won’t be a problem anymore.”
“Miss Claire saved me from starvation, you know.”
“Me too. The aristocrat I served was corrupt, but Miss Claire found me a new post after she had him arrested. She saved my whole family.”
Once again, things were changing.
Arla cut Claire’s bindings and continued to look off in the distance.
“The people have started thinking for themselves. I don’t need to pull them by myself anymore.”
“Arla…”
“My mission is complete. As long as the system of titled nobility is abolished, I don’t care what else happens. I won’t take your life. Most of your lot aren’t going to make it in this new world, anyway.” Arla laughed. “I look forward to the day I see a former aristocrat begging a commoner for a loan. Well, get out of here. You can’t welcome the dawn of a new era dressed in mourning clothes.”
“Thank you very much…” Claire said and led me out of the court.
“You really are impossible,” Claire scolded me. We were in a park near the assembly hall, and I’d been made to sit on my knees. “You should be sorry for causing so much trouble to so many people.”
“Umm… Miss Claire? You usually look like you secretly want to praise me when you do things like this, but you didn’t actually say thank you or apologize…”
“What are you whining about?!”
“Nothing!”
“You’re always so reckless, Rae!” Claire lectured angrily. How had I ended up here?
“Well, don’t be too hard on her, Claire.”
“Master Thane—no, Your Majesty!”
“Is the trial over?” I asked.
“It’s been canceled, yes,” he said. “It was Salas’s idea to make an example out of you in the first place.”
“That reminds me, Your Majesty. I forgot to thank you,” I said.
“For what?”
“The harp. You were incredible.”
“You truly were,” Claire said. “Everyone was mesmerized.”
“Oh, that… That was nothing. It was just a gamble.” Thane seemed reluctant to talk about it.
“Who taught you to play like that?” I asked.
“My mother… When she was still alive, on her sickbed.”
“I see. Your Majesty…you are still so very loved by your mother.”
Thane’s eyes widened in surprise at my casual, unthinking comment. He wiped a tear away.
“Y-Your Majesty—” I stammered.
“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?!”
“It’s nothing. Nothing at all… It’s just…she’s always by my side.” He said it almost as if he were talking to himself. I knew what he meant, though. Queen Lulu had been with him for many years, and now he might finally be able to let her go.
“Rae, Claire, great job. I knew I had a good eye,” Manaria said, approaching us. She was accompanied by Lene.
“Claire… How have you been?!”
“Sister! And Lene!” Claire smiled, looking delighted to see them both. Lene grabbed Claire and held her tight, crying.
I understood what they shared. I understood, but still—
“Are you jealous, Rae? You’re still welcome to be my wife,” Rod said as he joined our growing gathering.
“I refuse.”
“I know.” He laughed. His cheerful, positive attitude seemed completely untouched by the traumas he’d endured.
“Rae… Miss Claire…”
“Miss Lilly.”
Lilly stood some distance away, flanked by a soldier on either side.
“I wanted to apologize,” she said. Apparently, her true self had at last gained the memory of the deeds she had committed as her alter-ego.
“No. It wasn’t your fault, Miss Lilly,” I said.
“Rae is absolutely right. Salas used you,” Claire added.
But Lilly shook her head. “E-even so, what I did was unforgivable. I will accept whatever punishment the people decree.”
“Very well. Be sure to atone for your crimes, then,” said Claire.
“Miss Claire, that’s harsh—” I started.
“And once you’ve done that, be sure you come back to us. We will always be waiting for you.”
This made Lilly smile. Tears started to pour from her eyes.
“Thank you, Miss Claire,” Lilly said as the soldiers led her away. “Please let me come join your fights again someday.”
“This is quite the party, huh?” Rod said, looking about at the assembled cast of characters. He was right. Lene and Lambert were there, as were the three princes (well, two princes and their sister nun), and even Manaria.
“It means the union between Miss Claire and Rae is blessed,” Misha said, sounding emotional.
“Not quite,” Yu interjected. “It’s more accurate to say that everyone here was saved by Rae and Claire. We are the fruits their relationship has borne.”
Lambert and Lene nodded in agreement.
Hmm. Claire and I had certainly been through a lot together, and we had done a great many things. Maybe this was their way of telling us none of it had been a waste.
“Hey, Rae. Wasn’t there something you wanted to tell Claire when you saw her again?” Manaria said teasingly, pushing Claire forward.
Claire slowly walked toward me.
“Oh, ummm… Miss Claire?”
“Wh-what do you want?”
“Er…it’s nothing.”
“If you have something to say, say it.”
I steeled myself. “Miss Claire!”
“What do you want?”
I took Claire’s shoulders with both hands and said it. “Please marry me!”
Claire looked startled for a moment. Then her face turned red. “You’re asking me this n-now? In public? Isn’t that something you’re supposed to do when we’re alone?!”
“Really? Then let me try again.”
“Fine. I’ll allow it.”
“No, not that.”
“Huh?”
I ignored the confused look on Claire’s face and put my lips to hers.
She froze.
Everyone around fell silent.
“I wanted a first kiss whose taste I could remember,” I said, laughing.
Claire blushed crimson all the way to her ears. “Ahhh. You are so, so, so! Rae you are so Rae, you’re always so—so Rae!”
“I think you’ve turned my name into a strange adjective.”
Coming to her senses, Claire smacked me lightly. Ah, it was such a way to remember I was alive.
“I won’t forgive you if you don’t make me happy…” she mumbled.
I gazed at her. Everyone around us watched with bated breath.
“What? Say something!” she demanded.
I released my own breath, and everyone around us broke out in cheers of celebration. Embarrassed by all the smiling faces around us, I took Claire’s hand and tugged her away until we were running.
“Where are we going?!”
“Anywhere! We can go anywhere if we’re together!”
I’d kicked that tragic ending in the pants. Now we could go write our own story.
Claire and me. Just the two of us. |
Epilogue
Epilogue
“MOTHER RAE!”
“Come quick!”
I was reading through my journal on the terrace when I heard my daughters calling to me. It was evening, just around sunset.
“May, Aleah, what is it?” I asked.
“Mother Claire—”
“—messed up again in the kitchen.”
Oh dear, not again. Just when I thought she was really improving. “Thank you for letting me know.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Please don’t scold Mother Claire…”
I didn’t know what to make of our five-year-old daughters already worrying about their mother, but I lifted Aleah into my arms. I looked into her big, round, concerned black eyes and said, “It’s okay. I won’t scold her.”
“Wheee!”
“No fair! Pick May up too!”
“Okay, okay.” I lifted May high into the air and then ushered them both inside the house.
When I entered the kitchen, Claire was despondently wiping the floor. A small pot waited on the stove, speckled with the remnants of an egg, and milk and cream sat next to that. I also spied sugar and liquor on the counter.
“I was trying to make crème brûlée,” Claire said. “And then the pot exploded…”
“As usual, I have no idea what you did. Show me your hand.”
Claire held out her hand for me to check. She used to have the dainty hands of an aristocrat who’d never known physical labor, but they had faint calluses now. I still took care of most of the groceries, but she helped where she could. She maintained an immaculate post-bath skincare routine, so her hands were far more beautiful than mine.
“You’re not burned. That’s a relief.”
“No, it’s not. I still can’t get even a single dish right.”
Claire was normally good at everything she tried, so she was having a hard time with the fact that she couldn’t cook. She was practicing as much as she could, but with no success as of yet.
“Well, that’s only one thing you’re not yet capable of doing perfectly, Miss Claire. If you were a perfect cook on top of everything else, you wouldn’t need me anymore.”
“It’s not just cooking. I’m a terrible seamstress too. I never thought embroidery would be so difficult.”
She said that, but at least when it came to embroidery, her standards for herself were impossibly high. In truth, Claire’s embroidery decorated our living room, and whenever Dole or Rod came to visit, they always asked if it was professional work. Selfishly, I hoped she never learned to cook.
“Mother Rae, Mother Rae?”
“What is it, May?”
“Why does Mother Rae call Mother Claire ‘Miss Claire’?”
I hadn’t thought about that. It had been habit at first, and then it had just stuck.
“See? It’s weird. We’re partners now, so you can just call me by my name, you know?” Claire said, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. For some reason I was embarrassed to call her just “Claire” out loud.
“Hey, Aleah, look, Mother Rae’s face is bright red.”
“It really is. She looks like an apple, May.”
“Both of you, stop your teasing,” I scolded. They were good girls, but they had a mischievous streak—like someone else I knew.
After the revolution, Claire and I moved away from the capital to begin our new life. While I’d proposed to her, and she’d accepted, same-sex marriage wasn’t yet legal in the country. The new government under Arla was in the middle of drawing up a constitution, and Claire and I had been invited to provide our expert opinions, but while there was a lot of support for popular democracy and a pacifist foreign policy, we couldn’t drum up much momentum for same-sex marriage.
There had been some confusion caused by the transition to constitutional monarchy, but we’d at least managed to stave off invasion by the Nur Empire, mostly because Salas and his accomplices had been arrested, and Manaria had brought reinforcements from Sousse.
Of course, our problems hadn’t ended there. The Mt. Sassal eruption had done a lot of damage, particularly to crop yields. Fortunately, we’d received enough aid from the Alpes and Sousse that it looked like it would get us through the winter.
Claire and I had decided to stay at the Academy—not as students, but as instructors. Even though Claire was no longer a noble, she was an exceptionally skilled mage. The times were changing, and proficiency with magic was a valuable skill. The school had been searching far and wide for someone like Claire to train the exceptional mages of the future.
“What’s wrong, Mother Rae?”
“Is there something on our faces?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
May and Aleah were orphans of disaster. The convents that took in orphaned children had quickly filled up following the eruption, leading them to be in desperate need of foster parents. Claire and I had been helping out with some Church business, but by a twist of fate, we’d ended up taking May and Aleah home with us. They were cheerful little girls who adored us, and in return, we loved them as if they were our own flesh and blood.
Maybe someday I’ll tell you the story of just how we took them home.
For now, let me catch you up on some of our friends.
Rod surrendered his claim to the throne and became commander of the new government’s army instead. He was a military genius, and I heard he was keeping the troops’ noses to the grindstone working on ways to integrate magic with combat. To hear him tell it, he’d finally reached a level where he could hold his own against Manaria.
As king, Thane was the symbol of the Bauer Kingdom. He was as poker-faced as ever, but the people loved him, for whatever reason. He was busy trying to find a suitable queen, but he grew grumpy whenever the subject was raised. Apparently, the person he’d had his heart set on didn’t return his feelings. As a king with a love for culture, he continued to hone his harp skills, and tickets to hear him play in concert were near impossible to secure.
Yu had finally been released from confinement, and she had set to work helping the kingdom regain its losses. It went without saying that Misha also dedicated herself to this work. They were a harmonious couple, and they were inspiring many other similar couples within the Church. That meant that some people who tried to join the Church for less than religious intentions, creating a bit of a headache for the elders.
Lene was making good use of her uncommon shrewdness as the proprietress of Frater. She was still attached at the hip to Lambert, who handled the business side, and their goal was to beat Broumet. She had mastered all the recipes I shared with her and was now thinking of completely original dishes. When she bragged to me about how she had discovered watermelon, certain I had never heard of it, I’d told her that salt brings out the sweetness, which had frustrated her.
Lady Manaria was now the queen of Sousse. There had been some concern about the succession when she revealed that she had no intention of marrying a man, but I was certain she would have no problem finding someone capable to follow her. As a side note, the court of Sousse had suggested Thane as a possible suitor for Manaria.
Lilly was ultimately not prosecuted for her crimes, due to the extreme circumstances of her situation. When she was officially pardoned, she disappeared from Bauer. She probably couldn’t forgive herself, and I suspect blamed herself more than anyone else. I didn’t know when she would be able to forgive herself, but I believed in my heart that she would come back to us. At which point she’d ask me if I were looking for a mistress, probably.
Dole lost his title and status, being reduced to a commoner, but he was brought on as an unofficial political advisor for the new government. The revolution meant his position couldn’t be made official or public, but apparently, he was contributing quite a lot. He’d shed his villainous persona in favor of being a good father and father-in-law to us. He doted on May and Aleah, who only knew him as their kindly grandfather.
Execution was considered for Salas, but he possessed enough valuable information that the new government decided to imprison him instead. Locked in the lowest level of a state prison, he served as advisor to the new government as well, much like the plot of a certain movie about a criminal psychiatrist. He had a perverse personality, much like the psychiatrist in the film, and was more likely to talk if the government agents sent to draw on his knowledge were women. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this turn of affairs.
“Mother Rae, Mother Rae.”
“What is it, May?”
“Ted’s saying strange things.”
“Hmm? Like what?”
Ted was a boy who lived in our neighborhood. He was sort of the ringleader for the children in the area.
“He said having two mothers is weird. He said that there has to be a father.”
“Ohhh… Er, ummm…” I tripped over my words. I wasn’t sure if this was an appropriate age to teach a child about queer families.
As I hesitated, Claire looked May in the eye and said, “There’s nothing weird about it at all. Don’t worry, May.”
“Really?”
“But Ted’s right. None of the other children have two mothers. And they all have a father.” Aleah, the more mature of the two, wasn’t letting it go. Both girls were at an age where they asked a lot of questions.
“What matters isn’t whether you have mothers or fathers,” Claire said. “What matters is being with someone you love. That’s the most important thing. Would you rather have a man here instead of me or Rae, Aleah?”
“No! I want Mother Claire and Mother Rae!”
“May too!”
And the two girls rushed Claire for a hug.
“Heh heh. You two are so spoiled.” Seeing Claire smile made me smile too, and I reflected on my own happiness. “C’mon now, Rae will have dinner ready soon. Why don’t you play outside until it’s ready?”
“Okay!”
“Let’s go!”
May and Aleah ran outside like the wind.
“They really don’t tire easily, do they?” I said.
“Why do you sound so old suddenly? We aren’t even really old enough to have our own children.”
“Do you regret taking them in?”
“Don’t be silly. I can’t imagine a life without them now.”
“But Miss Claire…do you regret becoming a commoner?” I asked offhandedly. I couldn’t help but remember the time Claire had said she didn’t think she could handle commoner life.
“I don’t. Not for a moment. Besides, it’s not like I could have stayed an aristocrat, whether I wanted to or not. The world changes, and things must change with it.”
Claire looked off into the distance as she said this. She’d once been willing to martyr herself for her sense of duty and family, but now, she was by my side. I wondered if I could be vain enough to think that, if given a real choice, she’d have chosen to be with me rather than live as a noble.
“For better or worse, humans are adaptable creatures,” Claire said. “People can get used to anything.”
“That’s true. Then, I hope I get used to this soon. Right…Claire?”
“What? Really?” Claire looked closely at me. “What did you say?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Again! Say it again! I’ll listen!”
“It’s fine! I’ll say it again after I’m used to it!”
“I can’t wait that long!”
“Waaah, Miss Claire, you’re so dominating! I love it, please don’t stop.”
“Don’t talk like that where May and Aleah can hear you!”
And just like that, we were back to squawking at each other the way we always did.
“Hey, Miss Claire?”
“What is it?”
“We’re so happy.”
“That’s right.”
When I hugged Claire to me, she hugged me back gently.
“I love you, Miss Claire,” I whispered.
Claire looked surprised for a moment. I expected a comeback like ‘Of course you do’, but instead, I got, “Yes. I love you too, sweet Rae.”
And then she smiled, sweeter than crème brûlée. In that moment, I believed, from the very bottom of my heart, that I could never be as good as she was.
I never have been, and I never will.
Time passes. Hearts change. No one knows the future, and yet—I was certain that my love for Claire would last forever.
Now and for all eternity, I choose the villainess. |
Bonus Chapter: Curses and Good Luck Charms
Bonus Chapter:Curses and Good Luck Charms
I OPENED MY EYES to an unfamiliar ceiling.
Groggy from sleep, I didn’t know where I was for a moment, but then it started to come back to me. I sat up and took in the new furniture and the fresh, pristine wallpaper around me. This was my new home. The building was old, but I’d had the interior reform—er, renovated?—before I moved in.
Something moved next to me, and I looked down to see a serene, blonde angel nestled deep in the covers. Claire wasn’t a morning person, but I was, which made it my job to get breakfast ready. I climbed carefully out of bed without waking her, changed into some simple clothes, and headed to the front door.
I regretted not putting on another layer when I felt the first winter wind wrap around my skin, but I decided I could handle it, young as I was. I drew water from the well, washed the sleep out of my eyes, and got started on breakfast. Today, we’d be feasting on rye bread, winter vegetables, and bacon with scrambled eggs. I wouldn’t have minded some more variety, but this was easy to cook up, and I was done before I knew it.
I returned to the bedroom, sliding the door carefully open so as not to make a sound. Claire was still asleep. Her petite face was serene, framed by her golden curls—a world apart from the forceful person she was when awake. As I drank in the sight of the person I loved, I noticed a blush creep across her skin.
“Miss Claire…would you happen to be awake?”
Her features clearly twitched in surprise, but she continued pretending to be asleep.
“Miss Claire, please wake up. Your breakfast is getting cold.”
No answer. What was going on?
“If you won’t wake, I’m going to kiss you.”
I was sure that threat would rouse her, but she said nothing. Huh.
“Miss Claire, could it be that you want a kiss?”
She remained silent, but her face looked like she was waiting for something. I leaned forward.
“Okay, then. Please wake up, Sleeping Beauty.” I leaned in and slowly pressed my lips to Claire’s forehead.
“Rae! Shouldn’t you be kissing my lips?!”
“Good morning, Miss Claire.” I smiled at Claire as she threw the covers off her, eyes narrowed in displeasure.
“Good morning?! Is that all?”
“I prefer not to ambush people while they’re asleep,” I said, then pulled her slender shoulders toward me and put my lips to hers. Caught off guard, Claire didn’t even have time to close her eyes. Our gazes locked at close quarters, and, feeling mischievous, I held her there. Claire rolled her eyes in surprise and anger for a moment, then gave in and closed them.
I drank in the kiss, enjoying it to the fullest. This kind of intimacy was still new to Claire, and her innocence made my desire well up in response.
“Miss Claire, look!”
“Augh?!”
Trying to distract myself from my sinful thoughts, I put my hand, cold from the outside air, to her cheek.
“Rae… Are you incapable of kissing normally?!”
“That wasn’t normal?”
“No, that was clearly a nighttime kiss!”
“Does that mean you didn’t enjoy it?”
Claire’s face was red all the way to her ears. “Shut up, Rae!” she said, throwing a pillow at me.
“Yes, I’m very sorry. I’ll be waiting in the living room when you’re done changing.” Cute as it was to see her pout, I decided to retreat for now.
The effort it took to restrain myself when she was being this adorable—Miss Claire had no idea.
“We’ll have to find some work pretty soon,” I said as we drank our coffee together after breakfast.
“Yes. The savings you had at the Trade Guild are just about gone too.”
Claire’s aristocratic assets had pretty much all been seized by the state. She’d had some savings in the form of donations from the citizens—no one called anyone “commoner” anymore—and more offers on the table. While at one point Claire had almost lost her life to the revolution’s judgment, many citizens thought of her as their savior. Between that and Dole’s increasingly well-known hidden role in recent events, Claire was now seen as one of the leaders of the revolution.
I’d had a fair bit saved up too, but we had spent a lot of it on keeping people fed after the eruption. We’d spent most of the rest getting this new life started, and altogether our finances had reached a critical tipping point.
We nevertheless kept the fact that we were struggling to ourselves. If someone like Lene found out, she’d try to give us money without question.
“I hope there are some good jobs to be had, but with everything going on…”
“I’m not picky. We just need to be able to live a normal life,” Claire said.
“Normal?” I chuckled. While we definitely lived more frugally than Claire had as an aristocrat, we also basked in quite a bit more luxury than the average citizen. I mean, no one our age had their own house.
“I know, I know. You don’t have to look at me like that. You’re going to say we need to cut back on our spending, right?”
“Well, yes.”
“Rae, you’ve been making extravagant meals and trying to take care of me, but I can live with more simplicity.”
“I’m glad to hear that, but…” We might have been overspending a bit, but I also felt like I didn’t want to make Claire worry about money. I wanted her to have all the comforts she desired. “Regardless, we need to look for work. Is there anything you have in mind, Miss Claire?”
Claire thought for a bit. “I would like to try and become a teacher.”
“A teacher?” That was a sound option.
“I don’t intend to brag, but I’m confident in my ability to instruct people. I know the ins and outs of teaching etiquette too.”
“I bet you do.”
“I also understand magic, which is almost certainly going to become a core subject in the future.”
“Definitely.” When she put it like that, I couldn’t think of a job better suited for her. I started to picture her wearing glasses…
“I actually just heard from Mr. Torrid,” she said.
“Oh?”
“Yes. He asked if I would stay at the Academy as a junior instructor.”
So she had connections too. “Let’s do it! Miss Claire, you should definitely take that offer.”
“Me? But what will you do?”
“I…hmmm.” I thought it over. “Maybe I should become an adventurer.”
“An adventurer?!” Claire’s smile turned upside down at my answer. “You can’t go around being a hired goon!”
“Adventuring is a respectable profession.”
“I am aware, but someone with your abilities should be doing more for society.”
“Really? If you set aside the magic, I’m not really good at much.”
“What are you talking about? I haven’t forgotten that you beat me on the academic test at the Academy.”
Ah, true, I had done that. It felt like a lifetime ago, though it hadn’t even been a full year. “I cheated on that test with the aid of the prophecy I told you about before.”
“Still, isn’t it true that you have extraordinary academic and magical abilities?”
“I guess so…”
“More than anything, you are my partner. You must remain beside me.”
“It’s really hard for me to handle you doting on me like that,” I said.
“Don’t make fun of me! Ugh.” Claire took a sip of coffee and continued. “Anyway, Mr. Torrid said he wanted me to approach you too.”
“To be a teacher?” I asked.
“You don’t like the sound of it?”
“It’s not that, just…”
“Say it.”
“Honestly, I don’t think it suits me.”
“Beggars can’t be choosers. We’re lucky to have job offers at all, so stop complaining.”
“Is there a test to become a teacher?” I wondered out loud.
“You’re skilled enough that I’m sure they’ll hire you as soon as you accept. There is some initial training, though.”
“In that case, I guess I can’t say no.” I’d never thought of myself as a teacher, and honestly, I was filled with apprehension at the thought—but as Claire said, we couldn’t afford to let this opportunity slide. “Let’s do it.”
Claire smiled with relief, which just made me want to kiss her. “I’ll get us some more coffee,” she said.
“I’ll do it—”
“Let me do this much. I can’t do anything else.”
Claire took our cups into the kitchen. Moments later, I heard her exclaim in surprise. I jumped from my seat and ran to the kitchen to see her standing stock-still in the center of the room.
“What is it?”
“Rae, look at that…” She pointed with a trembling hand.
This was certainly an unusual sight. Our sink, pots, frying pan, and metal furnishings were covered in rust. I picked up the frying pan to examine it more closely, and the pattern of the rust clearly wasn’t natural. It almost looked like bite marks.
“I know what this is,” I said.
“What?”
“A rust monster.”
Some game or another had, in a play on words, spelled the name of its final enemy as “rust boss” instead of “last boss.” This monster made metal items rust and then ate them. Unsurprisingly, it was the bane of adventurers everywhere.
“And it’s in our house?!”
“Yes, I think so. It doesn’t hurt people, so don’t worry. I’ll have Ralaire take care of it.”
“You’re always making Ralaire eat weird things… She doesn’t need more attributes.”
As suggested by the undine ability, water slimes could acquire the attributes of what they ate. Ralaire was a quick learner, and smarter than a cat or dog, so she had already acquired a variety of monster attributes. Not just cute ones either.
“What are you going to do if Ralaire starts eating frying pans?” Claire demanded.
“She’s too well trained for that, don’t worry.”
“I wonder…” Claire peered at me with doubt in her eyes.
“Anyway, let’s get this cleaned up,” I said. “We’ll have to buy replacements for the rusted stuff too.”
“Yes, let’s—”
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
“H-hi, Rae. It’s been a long time.”
Our visitor was a young girl with silver hair and red eyes. Cardinal Lilly Lilium.
“You’re on a journey?” I asked Lilly as I poured her a cup of coffee.
“Y-yes. I wasn’t prosecuted because of the extenuating circumstances, but I know what I did is unforgivable.”
“Well…” Claire looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.
She couldn’t even tell Lilly she was wrong. It was a fact that Lilly had taken the lives of many. Others might forgive her, but Lilly’s faith made it hard for her to forgive herself.
“I-I’ve decided to go on a journey of atonement. Maybe that’s naïve of me, but…”
The Spiritual Church had a story about a sinner who went on a journey of atonement and was forgiven by God at the end of it. Lilly was trying to face her sins in her own way.
“I understand. When do you leave?”
“Right away…but I had one last thing I needed to do, so I came to consult you,” Lilly said. “M-many people who were impoverished by the disaster are coming to the Church for aid.”
“We’ve heard. Children who lost their families, people who lost their homes… Right?” Claire confirmed.
“Are you asking us to help the Church?” I asked.
Lilly shook her head. “I-I have a different request. There are these two twin children…”
She told us about a strange rumor that had begun making the rounds after the eruption—a rumor of cursed children who turned everyone and everything that came near them into magical stones. At first, the Church had dismissed this as fantasy, but then people with items of clothing and even body parts transformed into magical stones had started showing up. The Church investigated, and they had found the culprits—twin girls—living in a corner of a slum in the capital.
“Th-they have a special power in their blood.”
Anything their blood touched turned into a magical stone. They were making a living by cutting themselves and using their blood to make magical stones they could sell.
“I-It took a long time for them to talk to us. They are quite traumatized…”
The twins, who were only four or five years old, had been abused by the rest of their family after their parents passed away. They’d been treated like geese that laid golden eggs, used to turn a profit, and told that their parents would come back for them if only they behaved. When those relatives were killed in the eruption, the girls had taken shelter in the slum. At least no one could hurt them—anyone who tried got turned into a magical stone.
“I-It’s not like their blood can transform anything, though,” Lilly explained. “People with powerful magic of their own are unaffected.”
After a great deal of effort on Lilly’s part, the Church had taken in the orphaned twins. Soon, however, they’d proved to be too much for the Church to handle. The girls were mistrustful, had a nervous habit of self-harm, and posed a threat to the clergy around them. Some people were even pushing for their execution.
“I-I can’t leave them behind. But they’re too young for me to take on my journey… R-Rae, you have special knowledge. Do you know anything about their condition?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t.” I was honored that Lilly would ask me, but unfortunately, I had never heard of anything like this.
“I-I see…” Lilly looked visibly disappointed.
“Don’t give up just yet. Can I meet them? I might know more once I see them in person.”
“That’s right,” Claire chimed in.
“You’ll help me?!” Lilly’s eyes shone at our words.
“We’ll do our best. I can’t guarantee we’ll find a solution, though.”
“Th-that’s plenty! Do you have time now?”
“Today… Sure, why not? We can buy kitchen stuff on our way home.”
And that was how Claire and I came to meet the strange twins.
“Hello, there.”
“Hi, girls.”
We greeted the twins warmly, but they just stared at us. They looked exactly alike; I could only tell them apart because one of them wore her blonde hair long, and the other had it cut short. Their brown eyes peered warily at us from behind Lilly, probably evaluating whether their power would work on us or not.
“H-hey, both of you! Say hello,” Lilly chided.
“Hi.”
“Hello…”
Their voices were exactly alike too, though the girl with short hair might have had a fractionally higher tone. Neither girl showed any real emotion, but the one with long hair seemed more guarded than her sister.
I kneeled so I was at eye level with them and asked, “What are your names?”
“Name…?”
“I don’t know…”
Surprised at the answer, I looked up at Lilly.
“Th-they won’t tell us their names. Or perhaps they were never given any… We’ve been calling them Un and Deux…”
“That’s horrible!” Claire burst out.
The twins looked startled, but she continued, “Listen to me. A name is a very important thing!” She thought for a moment. “You with the cute short hair! We will call you May.”
“Cute…? May?”
“And you with the lovely long hair—your name is Aleah.”
“Lovely…? Aleah?” The girls looked at Claire as if they were under attack.
“Why those names?” I asked.
“Ah…uh. They were names I thought of long ago—for if I ever had daughters, so…”
She was an angel. A perfect angel sent from above.
“Cardinal Lilly,” said Claire, “do you think we could keep the girls at our house for a while?”
“Uh… I don’t object, but…is that okay with you, Rae?”
“I will never defy Miss Claire’s wishes. But what are we going to do with them?” I was as confused as Lilly.
“We’re going to teach them how to live normal lives, of course!” Claire answered.
“I-I appreciate the thought, but is that doable?”
“I don’t care—we’ll do it all the same. I can’t stand by and let these children suffer like this!” It seemed Claire’s maternal instincts were in high gear.
“But what about the issue with their blood?”
“We’ll have to address that eventually, of course. But first, we must make sure that May and Aleah can live as normal children. Rae, you look like you have doubts?”
“No… Not at all.”
“You can’t fool me. Listen, if we can’t even take care of these children, how can we be teachers?”
I had my reservations, but Claire was so excited. I kept my mouth shut and just nodded.
“Is that okay with you, May and Aleah?” Claire asked.
They were silent.
“Respond!”
“Yes.”
“Yes…”
They nodded stiffly in unison, like a matching pair of robots. What were we getting ourselves into?
Claire and I cleaned up our spare room for the girls’ use. It was on the small side, especially for two children, but we’d deal with that later.
“How did you two spend your time at the Church?”
The girls looked quizzically at Claire, like they didn’t understand the question. She tried again.
“Did you read books or play with blocks?”
They shook their heads in unison.
“You didn’t do anything?”
This time, they nodded together. Claire put her head in her hands.
“What was Cardinal Lilly thinking…”
“Lilly has been very busy since the revolution,” I said. Mostly because of Salas.
“That’s right… It’s not her fault.”
“May, Aleah, is there anything you want to do?” I asked, kneeling to look them in the eyes.
“Rae, what are you doing? You did it at the Church too,” Claire asked, motioning toward my knees.
“Children can feel intimidated when adults loom over them. If I come down to their level, it puts them more at ease.”
“You should tell me things like that sooner!” Claire hurriedly knelt too. “Now, can you think of anything?”
They nodded again.
“And what is that?” I asked as gently as I could.
“Magic stones.”
“Make them.”
Claire and I were speechless.
“You don’t have to do that anymore…” Claire said.
“Isn’t there something else you want to do? Are you hungry?” I asked.
The twins shook their head.
“We can…”
“…only do this.”
We didn’t know what to say. This was serious.
“Okay. Then how about you play with us?” Maybe teaching them that would be the best start. “May, Aleah, do you like to play inside or outside better?”
“Outside.”
“Outside…”
Good thing I’d asked instead of trying to push something like playing house on them. “Okay. Then let’s play tag.”
“Tag?”
“What’s that…?”
I couldn’t imagine what kind of life they’d lived, to have never heard of tag at this age.
“One person is ‘it’ and chases the others, while the others run away. If the person who is ‘it’ touches you, then you become ‘it’, and you have to chase the others. ‘Do you understand?”
The girls nodded flatly.
With that settled, Claire and I took May and Aleah to the yard.
“I’ll be ‘it’ first,” I said, but the girls didn’t move. I gestured. “C’mon, you have to run away.”
Claire nudged them from behind to create some distance between them and me, but they moved sluggishly.
“Hey, I’m gonna catch you!” I warned as I started chasing the twins very slowly.
They still didn’t initiate movement on their own, so Claire pulled their hands to run away. Their expressions remained unchanging.
“I got you!” I announced as I tagged May.
She looked up at me, but she just stood there.
“Now you get to chase people, May,” I urged. “C’mon, Aleah, let’s run away.”
May stood there for a little while, but eventually, she finally started moving toward Claire—slowly at first, but when she got near Claire, Claire ran away faster, forcing May to run a bit before she allowed herself to be caught.
“Well done, May. That was great!” said Claire.
“Great?”
“That’s right. You’re a wonderful girl, May.”
May probably hadn’t been praised much before. She took some time to reflect on Claire’s words with a strange look on her face.
“Now I’m ‘it’,” Claire said and started chasing Aleah. Aleah ran slowly, and she was caught right away.
“Now it’s your turn to chase, Aleah,” she said.
“Yes…” Aleah nodded and started chasing Claire like May had.
Honestly, I felt a little left out.
“Oh, you caught me! You run so fast, Aleah.”
I wasn’t sure if Aleah realized she was being praised. She took in Claire’s words with a strange look on her face.
“Well, this is worrisome…” I said, uneasy.
And yet, a few minutes later, I had to eat my words.
“M-May, let’s take a break,” said Claire breathlessly.
“No.”
May clung to Claire, who stumbled, at which point Aleah tackled her.
“Run away.”
“Run away…”
At some point in time, the rules to our tag game had changed, and May and Aleah had become “it” together, both chasing Claire. You can’t underestimate kids. They had boundless energy. Claire had smiled at first, but they had rapidly exhausted her. She was really relying on the reserves built up by her years of training in self-defense and ballroom dancing.
“Let’s take a break, girls,” I called out to them. I had been making snacks in the kitchen since they left me out. I had tea in a pitcher, and my plan was to entice them with sweets.
“More tag.”
“More…”
Well, it looked like the girls liked the game.
“In that case, I’ll trade with Rae—” Claire started.
“No.”
“We want this…”
The girls had already grown attached to Claire.
I struggled to pretend not to be jealous.
“Aleah, you mustn’t call people ‘this,’” said Claire, crouching before them like I had taught her.
“Why?”
“It isn’t polite.”
“Polite?”
“That’s right. People shouldn’t be treated as objects. Treating them poorly is just as shameful as not wearing clothes.”
I was sure the girls didn’t understand everything Claire was saying to them, but Aleah nodded in response anyway.
“Then what do I call you?” Aleah asked.
“We don’t know your name,” said May.
Oh dear. They were right. I didn’t remember telling them our names. Due to their circumstances, we had completely forgotten that formality.
“I am Claire. She is Rae.”
“Let’s be friends, both of you,” I said.
They nodded—far less tentatively than before.
“Then let’s play tag again,” said Claire.
“Huh? Miss Claire, are you all right? You look so tired.”
“I’m not, no—but apply some of your recovery magic and I’ll be fine.”
I hadn’t thought of that. I quickly cast some of the requested water magic on Claire, and her body rejuvenated.
“Claire, are you okay?” asked Aleah.
“Can you still play?” asked May.
“I can! This time, I’m going to chase you. You better run, run away!”
The girls took off, and Claire pelted after them.
“They look like they’re having so much fun…” I murmured.
It was a simple game, but the girls seemed to be having the time of their lives. Their expressions were still completely void of emotion, but there was something lighter in the air that made me suspect they were feeling better. They probably enjoyed Claire’s reactions. I certainly understood that feeling.
In that case, I would set up the snacks and let them play as much as they wanted.
“Ahh—” May cried out as she fell down.
“Are you okay?!” Claire ran up to her. I also stopped preparing the snacks and flew to May’s side.
“You scraped your leg a little,” Claire said, checking for any other injuries and finding none. We were keenly aware of the curse coursing through this girl’s blood. It would always be our obligation to check her for injuries.
“That must have hurt,” said Claire tenderly. “You’re so strong for not crying. Rae, hurry and heal her.”
“Why?” asked May.
“Wh—why?” Claire demanded.
“Claire, you look sad,” said May.
“Of course I am. You’re hurt, aren’t you?”
“When we get hurt, everyone is happy,” said Aleah, coming up from behind us.
Claire’s face froze at Aleah’s words.
“Here.” May broke a piece off of her skirt—the part that had turned to stone due to her blood—and presented it to Claire. “Thank you.”
“What are you thinking?!” Claire burst out angrily.
“What…” murmured May.
“Thank you…” said Aleah.
“This is not reason to show thanks!”
“Why? We—”
“—were born to bleed.”
They spoke in eerie unison. This was the curse. This was definitely a curse.
“When we get cut—”
“—everyone is happy.”
“No!” Claire interrupted their heartrending words and pulled them close to her. “You were born to be happy! Never think that you were born to be injured!”
“But we—”
“—are cursed.”
“Forget the curse! May, Aleah, you were always in pain, right? It was hard, right?” Claire was crying. It was really such a rare thing to see her cry at all. But cry she did, embracing them and stroking their hair.
May and Aleah remained confused for a bit, but finally, they started to change. Their first true expressions were impatient, like they were trying to recall something but also were resisting the recollection.
“We—”
“—remember this.”
I had an idea of what “this” was. They remembered, somewhere, somewhen, that they had been embraced.
“Do you mean your mother?”
“Mo—”
“—ther?”
At that word, the hard masks they had maintained suddenly cracked.
“Ooh…”
“A-ah…”
As one, the girls began to sob.
“W-we—”
“—were waiting…”
They spoke in tones of delirium, crying all the tears they had saved up for years.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re both such good girls… You really are so good…” Claire diligently comforted them, but they didn’t stop crying, and neither did she. They sat there, all three together, crying for quite some time.
“May, Aleah, I want to tell you something,” Claire said, letting go of them gently.
They blinked blearily at Claire.
“This is good luck to sing when you’re hurt,” Claire said, tending to May’s scrape. “Ouch, ouch, nope, nope, pain, pain, fly away.”
They tilted their heads quizzically at Claire.
“How is it? Does it still hurt?” Claire asked, and May shook her head. “Really? Perfect.”
“Do it to me too.”
“You too, Aleah? Okay. Ouch, ouch, nope, nope, pain, pain, fly away.”
Claire’s chant was the most important kind of magic, the sort that worked not only on May’s scrape but also on the deep heartfelt pain the twins had endured.
“I remember that,” Claire recalled contemplatively as I poured her tea. We were having a little picnic in our yard. May and Aleah were playing tag with Ralaire.
Claire and I had decided to officially take the girls in. I say “officially,” but since same-sex marriage wasn’t recognized in the kingdom, all we could do legally was take them in as fosters. But they had long since become a critical part of our lives.
“Do you remember when the Academy was in an uproar over the Commoner Movement?”
“I remember everything that happens with you, Miss Claire.”
“Don’t make fun of me,” Claire flicked my forehead. It hurt. Ah, to reap the rewards of love. “During that commotion, I saw a beggar child in the town, and all I could feel was disgust.”
She had really grown, although she now looked disgusted at her past self.
“Oh, I remember. I saw her not too long ago. She was wiping windows in a church. It seems like she’s being taken care of.”
“Is that so… I’m glad to hear it.” Claire closed her eyes, relieved. She glanced at me. “May and Aleah are finally showing their emotions, but if you hadn’t done something about the curse, they wouldn’t be laughing right now. But goodness, I never imagined rust would be the answer.”
“Who could have?”
That day May and Aleah finally cried, I’d noticed their tears didn’t turn Claire’s clothes into magical stones. Tears and blood are elementally related, magically speaking, so I realized the issue was tied to some unique element of their blood. Furthermore, if we could isolate what component of their blood needed addressing, we could resolve the issue.
As I’d contemplated, I’d remembered that red blood cells are made of iron. So, I’d wondered what would happen if we “rusted” the cells. After I had Ralaire eat the rust monster, I asked her to mimic its ability to generate rust in proximity to May and Aleah. With this consistent help from Ralaire, the curse in their blood had, for the time being, been alleviated.
“Well, it’s only a temporary solution.”
In the end, I planned to ask Yu to use the Tears of the Moon. We had used the Tears of the Moon for Yu’s own curse not a year ago, so it needed to gather more moonlight before it could be called on again.
Normally, folks outside the Church would never be allowed to deploy the Church’s most closely guarded relic for such a thing, so we had to leverage our connections and past contributions. But Yu owed us one, and the Church now owed us another because of Lilly, May, and Aleah. I was sure I could negotiate.
“Cardinal Lilly is still traveling, isn’t she?”
“I hope so.”
Lilly had gone off on her journey as soon as May and Aleah moved into our home. She had been so grateful to both of us and still sent us letters from time to time. It seemed she was in Euclid, so she was visiting my mother to get some clothes made.
That girl really was so adorable.
“Now that we have the twins, we really need to ensure some stability in our lives,” said Claire.
“Let’s do our best to be good teachers.”
“Yes, but I was thinking on a more fundamental level.”
I frowned, confused.
Claire cleared her throat, a most mature look on her face. “We need to show we are prepared to live happily ever after, as a family of four. So, I swear to God: I will always love May, Aleah, and Rae.”
When Claire said this, she broke out into a tremendous smile, and I found myself once more overflowing with love for her. I held her close without saying anything.
“Mothers, what are you talking about?”
The girls had come looking for hugs too. These days, they didn’t at all resemble the emotionless girls we had met months ago.
“We were just talking about how much you both laugh now,” I said.
“We laugh because it’s fun.”
“You’re weird, Mother Rae.”
They looked at each other and laughed some more.
Augh, they were so cute!
They hadn’t warmed up to me for a good while, but once I resolved their curse, they’d slowly opened up to me as well. It had been way harder for me than it had been for Claire, though. I still got pretty depressed when I realized that even Ralaire was more popular than I was.
“Ralaire, hurry up!” May called.
“You’re so slow,” Aleah scolded.
Ralaire meandered up to us. She looked exhausted, probably because I’d made her play with the girls for so long.
“We don’t lose to Ralaire anymore.”
“We’ll be able to beat Mother Claire and Mother Rae soon too.”
Because my thoughts were full of how they’d been when we first met, my heart ached so fiercely now that I got to hear their innocent laughter.
“Mother Claire, what’s wrong?”
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
Claire was clearly thinking the same thing, because tears pricked her eyes. She brushed them away. “Oh, it’s nothing.”
May and Aleah still looked worried.
“May, Aleah, why don’t you do that magic for Claire?”
“What magic? Do you know, Aleah?”
“Oh, I know, May.”
They whispered together. Claire tilted her head in confusion.
“Mother Claire!” May and Aleah said in unison, laughing. “Ouch, ouch, nope, nope, pain, pain, fly away.” |
Chapter 9: Our New Life
Chapter 9:Our New Life
“DON’T JUST SIT THERE! Out with it already! What are your thoughts on my cooking?”
When the young lady with golden curls spat those words at me, I didn’t really understand what was happening. She looked at me as if the very sight of my face infuriated her. I told myself to stay calm and assess the situation. Nothing good could come of panic.
I was seated in an average-sized house—well, I say average, but it was really quite spacious compared to the house I’d grown up in. I was with the young lady with golden curls and two adorable little girls, all seated around a table. The problem: no one I could see, including the young lady, looked even remotely Japanese.
Putting the young lady aside for the time being, I racked my memory to retrace the steps I’d taken to get here. Ohh—I remembered now. I’d been transported to this world resembling medieval Europe (with strange touches of Japanese influence), where I’d met her.
“Ahh,” I said. “Miss Claire?”
“Well, I never! You’re back to using ‘Miss’ again! How many times have I told you to just call me ‘Claire’?!”
That shrill voice was unmistakable. The girl with the golden curls was Claire François, a character in one of my favorite dating sims, Revolution. She was also my beloved wife.
“Miss Claire.”
“That’s better,” Claire huffed. “I much prefer it when you’re not so formal—wait, you haven’t changed a thing!”
“Do you remember my name?”
“Whatever is the matter with you, Rae Taylor?”
I was beginning to understand what had happened. On the table in front of me sat a plate piled high with food—if you could call it that. Based on the circumstances, my guess was I’d suffered something akin to an out-of-body experience after eating Claire’s cooking.
My original name was Rei Ohashi, but Rae Taylor was the name I had in this world. As of this moment, I lived a life of domestic bliss with Claire and our sweet twin daughters, little May and Aleah.
“Yahoo!” I cheered.
“Wh-what? Are you feeling all right? And don’t use vulgar expressions like ‘yahoo.’ You’re setting a bad example for May and Aleah.” Claire began to spout complaints, but I paid her no mind. For a moment, I’d almost thought the past year had all been a dream—that meeting Claire, the bond we nurtured, the friends that supported us, the near-insurmountable wall known as revolution, and even the days of peace after it were all over.
But it hadn’t been a dream.
“Miss Claire.”
“What is it? And don’t you think it’s about time you dropped the ‘Miss’?”
“I like you.”
“Huh?” Claire looked puzzled.
“Miss Claire, I love you.”
“Wh…wh-wh-what…?!” As my words sank in, Claire rapidly grew flustered. She was too cute. Undoubtedly, the person I loved most in this world.
My favorite character in Revolution wasn’t one of the boys the game set you up to choose from. It was Claire. Claire François, the villainess who bullies the heroine, becomes her rival, and finally loses to her. The daughter of an aristocratic family, with a wicked personality to boot, who always caused the main character trouble. But that was all in the past, of course.
This was Claire. This was the villainess, and I was completely smitten.
She held on to her pride to the bitter end, and her beautiful voice rang like a bell. Her mean streak, however, had been absent as of late. Even though she was sitting right there, I couldn’t help but grin as I remembered our time together. Claire always behaved so cruelly to the protagonist, but I loved her so much that I welcomed the disdain. Each and every aspect of her was dear to me. Claire was a saint, and I her follower, helplessly in love. I had a bad case of Claire fever, and there was no cure.
“What in the world are you saying, Rae?! And in front of the children, too!”
“Is it bad if we’re here?” May asked.
“Why?” Aleah questioned.
“Ah, no, don’t worry about it, my dears. You’ll understand when you’re older. Honestly, Rae… There’s a time and place for these things!”
“What’s the matter?” I asked. “I’m just saying ‘I love you,’ that’s all.”
“H-hmph! You think saying that will get you on my good side? Well, it’s pointless. My affection for you is already as high as it can be!” Claire turned away in a huff.
“You’re so cute…” Oops. The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them.
“Wh…wh-wha…!” Claire looked even more upset. “You… Are you…horny?!”
“No, I’m—well, that’s irrelevant to cuteness, because, Miss Claire, you are cute.”
She went silent as her face turned crimson. How perfect—such an innocent reaction.
“Does Miss Claire love me?”
“O-of course!”
“Then everything’s fine. Please keep loving me as much as you can.”
“Wh-what in the world is with you today, Rae?” Claire began to look at me with worry.
“Now, let’s get this super fun dinner started, Miss Claire! We’re going to have a great time!”
“What is this sense of déjà vu?”
With the revolution over, I could now spend my days doting on my beloved Claire to my heart’s content. It was safe to say I’d earned it.
“Anyway, are you all right?” Claire pressed. “It seemed you weren’t with us for a moment there.”
“I was so overcome with awe at Miss Claire’s cooking that I blacked out.”
“Oh, please.”
“No, really. I saw a million-dollar view from atop the highest floor of a skyscraper!”
“A million dolls? Sky staple?”
Oops. I’d absentmindedly described the sights that had flashed before my eyes during my out-of-body experience, confusing Claire. I didn’t understand the scene I’d seen either, to be fair. I’d never actually laid eyes on such a vista in my past life.
“Never mind, it’s nothing. I’m okay now.”
“Really? If you say so…”
I was living the dream. To think a day would come when Claire would be genuinely concerned for my well-being! Now all that was left was for her to open those cherry-pink lips of hers and scold me!
“Rae?”
“Yes, yes, yes?” If I had a tail, it definitely would have been wagging. However—
“Are you really…okay? You sure you’re not just stressed because I was asked to go to the empire?”
Oh. That was right… The second act of my life in another world was looking bright—or at least, it had been. In truth, the months of peace we’d enjoyed were about to come to an end.
Let’s rewind a month.
***
It had been a little over a year since the revolution.
“Miss Claire, do you have everything?” I called out to Claire as she put her shoes on at the entrance to our house, about to head to work.
“Rae, just how old do you think I am?” She shot me a glare.
Even that glare of yours is wonderful, Miss Claire!
“I believe you’re turning seventeen soon.” It would be unthinkable for me to forget her age. In fact, I’d long been fantasizing about all the things I would do for her approaching birthday.
“That’s right, seventeen. The two of us are already adults raising children, are we not?”
“I’m well aware. Regardless, do you have your handkerchief?” I asked, also well aware of how overbearing I was being.
“Of course,” Claire curtly replied.
“And some tissues?”
“Of course.”
“And your lunch box?”
“Of course.”
“I spiked it with something special this time.”
“Of cour—you did what?!”
“Relax, I’m obviously joking!”
“It doesn’t sound like a joke when you say it.” Claire sighed, seeming exhausted all of a sudden.
“What’s with the long face, Miss Claire? You can’t go in looking like that.”
“And whose fault do you think it is?!”
It was mine, of course. All intentional, too. Tee hee.
“Mama Claire, you still haven’t gone to work?”
“Won’t you be late?”
Teasing Claire had run longer than I realized. May and Aleah approached, finished with their breakfast.
“Did you two clean up?” Claire asked.
“Uh-huh!”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Very good. I’ll be off, then. I leave them to you, Rae.”
“Of course. Have a nice day.”
“Have a nice day!” the twins called together.
We all waved goodbye to Claire’s bouncing curls. This was our routine. Claire and I now taught at the Royal Academy, meaning we usually both left for work together, but occasionally, one of us could stay home. Today was such a day.
“Shall we brush our teeth, then?” I asked the girls.
“Yeah!”
“Yes, Mother!”
May and Aleah generally obeyed directions, but they had grown more willful of late. Despite the added trouble this caused, I was glad they’d come to a place where they could both state their own desires, considering the difficult lives they’d led. I found myself smiling as I watched them brush their teeth.
“Mother Rae, check me, please!”
“Me too! Me too!”
“All right, one at a time now.”
Aleah climbed onto me right after I sat on the carpet. She opened her mouth wide, allowing me to brush her cute, neat little rows of baby teeth.
“All done. Next up, May.”
“Thank you very much, Mother.”
“Move, Aleah! It’s my turn!”
May—the rowdier of the two—practically pushed Aleah aside as she climbed into my lap. I gave her teeth a thorough brushing, like I’d done with Aleah’s. “All done! Make sure you gargle now.”
“Okay!”
May ran off to the washroom, her feet making adorable pitter-patter sounds as she went. In my former life, those of my friends who had children always described parenthood as an uphill battle, which made me thankful that May and Aleah were so easy to deal with. Claire and I lacked experience as caregivers, but the girls had yet to give us any real trouble. We occasionally struggled to calm them down when they cried, but I had a feeling that didn’t compare to the ordeals my friends had faced.
Soon, it would be a full year since we’d adopted May and Aleah. They’d changed so much in that time. It was hard to imagine now, given their current happiness, but their eyes had once been devoid of life, just like a doll’s.
Then again, perhaps the battles my friends had described were merely yet to come.
“Ah! Mother Rae, May spilled water!”
“Aleah! Why’d you tattle? I was going to wipe it! Meanie!”
This kerfuffle interrupted my thoughts. I picked up a couple of cleaning cloths and headed to the washroom, where May sheepishly met my eyes as she tried to wipe up the spill with a small towel.
“May, thank you for cleaning up your mistake,” I said.
“He he!”
“But let’s make sure we use a cleaning cloth, not the towels.”
“Sorry…”
“It’s okay, you didn’t know. Now then, shall we clean up together?” I handed one of the cloths to May and watched as she furiously got to wiping.
“That’s not fair! Only May got praised!”
“Do you want to help too, Aleah? I have another cloth here.”
“Yes, please! May, it’s a contest! Let’s see who can wipe more!”
“I won’t lose!”
I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the twins. Aleah was as stubborn as Claire, constantly challenging her sister at every turn. I guess children took after their parents, even if they didn’t share blood.
“We’re finished, Mother!”
“Done!”
“Spick-and-span. Good job, you two.”
I stroked the top of their soft heads. The girls smiled happily back at me, and we all lived happily ever after. The end.
Well, that was what I’d like to say. But—
“Who did better, Mother?”
“Yeah, who?”
“Umm…”
They inched closer to me. I thought they might be joking for a moment, but their serious eyes said otherwise.
“Can’t we just say you both did well?”
“Unacceptable! Please choose one of us!”
“Who won?!”
“U-umm…”
Children tended to get hung up on the strangest things. I couldn’t just play it off for now either; just a year of being a parent had taught me I’d regret that down the line.
“Do you know how we tell good cleaning from bad?” I tried changing the focus a bit.
“I don’t know.”
“How?”
“The first factor is thoroughness. We can say Aleah is a winner because she wiped the most vigorously.”
“So I’m the winner!” Aleah proudly declared.
In contrast, May furrowed her lips and began to pout. “Aww…”
“But cleaning a wide area is also important,” I continued. “In that sense, May is a winner.”
“Yay!”
“Huh?” This time, Aleah pouted as May celebrated.
“So it’s a tie.”
“Huh?!” And now they both looked displeased.
Good grief. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes, something’s wrong!”
“I don’t like it!”
“Would you prefer it if I chose one of you randomly?”
“I wouldn’t like that…”
“Yeah…”
“That’s why it’s a draw. You both did your best.” I stroked their heads again, but they still looked grumpy. “Why don’t you go play in the yard? I still have some cleaning to do. Ralaire, can you come here?”
A semi-transparent, amorphous creature came creeping forth at my call. This was Ralaire, my water slime familiar. These days, she was the size of a large dog, which was normal for adult water slimes. I missed the days when I could carry her in my school bag and feed her treats.
“Ralaire, can I have a piggyback ride?” Aleah asked. Ralaire extended her arms—or whatever you’d call her amorphous tendrils—and heaved Aleah onto her back. “May, you too!”
It seemed the competition was over. Perhaps Aleah wanted to make amends by inviting May to join her?
“Yeah! Ralaire, me too, please!”
Ralaire easily scooped May up as well before heading out the front door to the yard.
“Faster, Ralaire, faster!”
“Right! Go right!”
Ralaire was May and Aleah’s best friend. Other children their age also lived in the neighborhood, but our girls spent all their time playing with Ralaire. I didn’t know how to feel about that. I had to discuss it with Claire later.
“Well… I’m sure it’ll turn out all right.”
Parenting was about trial and error. Sometimes, that meant you had to let go and allow nature to take its course. No parent was omniscient, after all.
I never once regretted coming to this world. But after raising my own children, I wished I’d had a chance to thank my real parents for raising me. There were just some things you couldn’t appreciate until you had children of your own.
“Waaah!”
“Mama Rae! Aleah fell down!”
“Coming!”
Goodness. No time for being sentimental, it seemed. But strangely enough, I didn’t mind being kept busy one bit.
***
“Um, Mother Rae?”
“There’s something we want to ask.”
Just past noon on a holiday, May and Aleah approached me while I was reading a book at the table out on our terrace. They didn’t come to me like this very often—they usually went to Claire, who was currently working on her embroidery in the living room.
“What is it?”
“Um, what does—”
“What does Mama Rae like about Mama Claire?”
“Aleah!” May frowned. “I was asking first!”
How shocking. They were only six; had they already taken an interest in romance? While I knew girls tended to develop interest in such topics earlier than boys, this still seemed early. My, what precocious children.
“No fighting, you two,” I chided. “Hmm… That’s a tough question. I can only say I love everything about her.”
They squealed in unison, placing their hands on their cheeks. The reaction felt just a touch too mature for them. They couldn’t have been transported from another world like me, could they?
“Oh, but Miss Claire was pretty different when I first met her,” I said.
“How so?”
“Tell us, tell us!”
The two of them looked at me expectantly. They adored Claire. Of course, I considered myself second to none when it came to loving her—not even them.
“Well, she was a lot more high-strung when we first met. Of course, Claire’s great as she is now, but I’ll never forget how wonderful she was when her pride was stacked high as the ceiling.” Ahh, how I wish she’d scold me again… But those days were long gone.
“High…strung?”
“Stacked…pride?”
They seemed confused as to what I meant.
“Yes.” I thought back to when I had just met Miss Claire. “If I had to put it simply…she was the very embodiment of those confident aristocrats who put their hand over their mouth and laugh ‘Oh ho ho!’ She always bullied me directly rather than use her underlings to do her dirty work for her. She’d insult me to my face, telling me how she couldn’t stand the sight of me, but being the kind of person who acted first and thought second, she never anticipated that her insults would only make me happier—backfiring on her to the point where she’d break down in tears. Her voice is also just perfect: it’s energetic like a young puppy’s, but cute and high-pitched like a cat’s, so you’re covered irrespective of which you prefer, and—”
“M-Mother Rae, please stop!”
“Please, calm down!”
Oops—I’d gotten carried away. My daughters began to pat me, saying “there, there,” which I sometimes did to calm them down. I didn’t know how to feel about that.
“Do you understand now?” I asked.
“Not one bit!” they said in unison.
“Oh. Well, the main thing is that Miss Claire is cute.”
“I can understand that!”
“Mother Claire is always cute!”
“Very good! All together now, ready? Oh ho ho ho!”
“Oh ho ho ho!” we chorused together.
That was the end of that conversation. I was so happy May and Aleah had come to talk to me—so happy, in fact, that I never noticed Claire listening in.
For some reason, Claire stepped on my foot.
“O-oh, pardon me!” she stammered. “I-I-I…thought you were an insect!”
“Is something the matter, Miss Claire?”
“Huh? Umm…a-ah! You’ve been cheeky, Rae!”
“Hmm?”
I’ve been cheeky? Huh…
“I apologize if I offended you in any way, but I don’t recall doing anything.”
“Th-that’s not what I meant!”
“It’s not?”
“F-forget about it!” Claire stormed off.
What was that all about?
A while later, Claire hid one of my books. “What’s wrong? Is your measly salary not enough to buy books?”
“Our salaries are the same, though.”
“O-oh, right…”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure I have more savings than you.” I frowned. Why is she bringing up salary? Unless… “I’ll try my best to make more money!”
“N-no, you’re fine as you are! That’s not what I’m getting at!”
“It’s not?”
“N-ngh! Rae, you meanie!” Claire stormed off once again.
Huh? What in the world’s going on?
And now, I was being left out.
“He he. May and Aleah only want to play with me now! How’s that?”
“Oh…” A tear welled up in my eye.
“Y-you’re actually crying?!”
“It’s fine. I’m happy as long as you three are happy. I’ll just settle for watching from a distance…”
“Go comfort Rae, you two.”
“Okay!”
“There, there, Mother Rae.”
I was consoled by my daughters. Ahhh, bliss.
Later that night, Claire doused me with hot water—which didn’t feel out of place at all, since we were both in the bath.
“Oh, dear,” she started. “You were just so dirty, I th—”
“Oh, thank you very much. I was just about to wash my hair.”
“H-huh?”
I grabbed the soap bottle and began to wash Claire’s hair. “Your hair is beautiful, Miss Claire.”
“Th-thank you very much… Wait, that’s not it!”
“Is this too rough?”
“No, it feels wonderful.”
My talents had been recognized. I could die happy now.
After the bath, there were flowers waiting for me on the table.
“How about that?!” Claire declared.
“Oh, what lovely flowers. They’ve been arranged wonderfully, too.”
Claire was silent.
“Miss Claire?” Surprised, I looked over at her. She looked put out for some reason. “What’s the matter?”
“I’m fed up with this…”
“You’ve been acting odd today.”
“And whose fault do you think that is?!” Claire howled. Even her angry face was lovely.
“Miss Claire.”
“What do you want?”
“Thank you for showing me your villainess side again.”
“So you did notice?!”
Of course. It was obvious she’d been trying to replicate what she first did to me at the Academy. “I loved watching you try to play the villainess.”
“Of course you did. You were teasing me the whole time!”
“Yep! Thank you very much!”
“Oh! Well, you’re so very welcome! I’m going to bed!” Claire rushed to the bedroom. I stopped her by grabbing her arm.
“Miss Claire, won’t you try saying you hate me?”
“Huh? What for?”
“To put the finishing touch on your villainess routine.”
“Honestly…” Claire sighed. While she sounded like she dreaded the idea, she still turned around and faced me with a determined look on her face. “Very well then. I—”
“Yes?”
“L-L-Lo—no, I mean—h-h-haa…h-h-haa—”
“You’re almost there, Miss Claire! Don’t give up!” I cheered her on as her face turned red as a beet.
“—aaate you!”
“It’s over, Miss Claire! You did it! You really did it!” I praised Miss Claire as if she were a hero who’d just won an epic battle.
“It was difficult…so unbelievably difficult…”
“You’ve done well.”
“It seems I can no longer curse you as I once could.”
“He he. You must love me lots, then.”
“I do. You better take responsibility.”
“Of course.”
Claire smiled. She linked her arm with mine and rested her head on my shoulder. Together, we disappeared into the bedroom.
Meanwhile, our daughters were talking in their room.
“What was Mama Claire doing today?” May asked.
“I know! Sister Lene told me! It’s something called ‘S and M play.’”
Of course, Claire and I were oblivious to their conversation.
***
We stood on the Royal Academy’s athletic field as a tender sun befitting of early spring shone down on us, the chill of winter almost entirely gone.
“Good morning, everyone!”
“Good morning!” Twenty or so students cheerfully returned my greeting, all wearing Academy uniforms and radiating motivation. Today was the start of the spring semester, making this our first meeting.
My first year of teaching had taught me the importance of making a good first impression. If your students thought you weak, they’d walk all over you. It wasn’t as bad as when the student body had been mostly nobles, but even commoners could be ruthless if they smelled blood in the water. That said, you didn’t want to come across as too strict either. You had to strike a balance.
“Nice to meet you, everyone. I’m Rae Taylor, and I’ll be teaching you practical magic. Let’s have a good semester. Oh, please also be kind to Miss François, who’ll be teaching you magic theory.”
Practical magic and magic theory were new subjects established last year. As their names suggested, they covered practical implementation of magic and academic approaches to the same, respectively, and had previously been lumped together with general magic classes. I was better at practical magic, while Claire had a better grasp of theory. Combined with our high magic aptitude, this made us the best candidates to teach the new classes.
“Seeing as it’s only the first day and no one’s measured their magic aptitude yet, let’s start off by introducing ourselves and then going over what the class will cover.”
But first—
“As I explained earlier, my name is Rae Taylor. Please call me Miss Taylor.” Personally, I had no problem being called Miss Rae, but as a teacher, I had to set some boundaries. “Some of you are older than me, but please understand that I ask this not as a matter of age, but one of respect.”
The Academy differed from modern-day Japanese schools in that students of different ages could be put in the same class. It had been the same way back when I was a student.
“But of course!” a student exclaimed. “Miss Taylor, you’re the legend who achieved the highest test score in the history of the academy, all while in your first year!”
Oh, no… Not this again.
“Aren’t you also a hero of the revolution, Miss Taylor?!”
“It’s an honor to be taught by you!”
“Please show us your ultra-high aptitude magic!”
The students all began speaking at once. Jeez.
For better or worse, I had made a bit of a name for myself in the Bauer Kingdom. I hadn’t done much—a bit of this, a bit of that—and somehow, I still wound up being considered one of the key figures of the revolution. But I mean, really? The entire time, I’d had nothing on my mind but stopping Claire’s execution.
At any rate, I had to do something about this situation. Maybe I could try that thing I did last year again?
“Is anyone here afraid of heights?” I asked.
“Nope!”
“Not a problem!”
“More importantly, show us your ultra-high apt—”
No one? Up they go, then!
“Uplift!” The earth rose from underneath my students’ feet, lifting them thirty feet or so into the air. It was the opposite version of the pitfall magic I used to toy with Claire.
“Wh-whoa!”
“S-so high!”
“Eek!”
Psychologically speaking, thirty feet felt higher than it actually was. Furthermore, I lifted them each individually instead of as one big group, giving them frighteningly little space to stand on. Naturally, I was ready to catch any student who fell—but they didn’t know that.
“Please don’t interrupt me while I’m talking,” I called up to them. “If you do, I might have to punish you like this. Are we clear?”
The students furiously nodded.
“Very good. I’ll lower you all down now.”
The students breathed a sigh of relief as they returned to level ground.
“Let’s have you introduce yourselves, then. Starting from the right.”
The students gave me no further problems. Sometimes you had to show you meant business to make them listen to you. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, that didn’t mean you should be a tyrant. You needed to earn their attention by proving you had something real to teach them—hence the earth magic. While students of the Academy tended to be gifted or privileged, they still hadn’t received any training in the practical application of magic. Many students hadn’t so much as seen magic before.
But just showing off wouldn’t earn me their respect. That’s why I lifted them into the air—to show I was serious while also driving home how terrifying magic could be when handled correctly.
I listened to the students introduce themselves while observing their expressions. Most of them were still reeling from the shock of being lifted. Occasionally, a student would introduce themself with a shout, but that wasn’t anything more than false bravado. Charming in its own way, though, I had to say.
“Hey, guys! Nice to meetcha! I’m Lana Lahna and I come from Euclid, just like Miss Rae!” This girl seemed a bit of an oddball. Her brown eyes sparkled with life, apparently undeterred by my earlier demonstration, and a white headband adorned her red hair. She was about the same height as me, if not slightly taller.
Her carefree smile, combined with the way she talked, reminded me of the gyaru girls I used to see in Japan.
“I’m, like, suuuper bad at studying, but magic looks so fun! I hope to be like Miss Rae one day!” Lana finished her self-introduction in one breath and started to wave at me. It seemed I had another fan. Well, given how weird I was, she should be disillusioned in no time. My condolences.
“My name’s Eve Nuhn… Same hometown as Lana. Nice to meet you.” An incredibly gloomy-looking girl introduced herself after Lana. She didn’t seem perturbed by my display of magic either, but her personality was the polar opposite of Lana’s. She had long, black hair shaped into a braid and wore glasses—a rarity in this world that hinted she came from a reasonably affluent family.
None of that bothered me. Everyone had their quirks; her gloomy demeanor didn’t faze me a bit. But those eyes…
She had a death glare trained on me, like I had personally killed her parents. I racked my brain but couldn’t summon any memory of her.
“I’m Joel. Joel Santana. I’m from the kingdom.”
The next to introduce themselves was a tall boy with blue hair and brown eyes. The image of a lean wolf came to mind when I looked at him. Not a shred of excess fat on his body. Possibly from training?
“I come from a family of soldiers, so I can fight,” Joel finished up, keeping his introduction short, to the point, and almost mechanical. “I like studying but am not very good at it. Nice to meet you.”
The rest of the introductions were nothing to write home about. I finished the class by going over the warm-up exercises we would do daily at the start of each session.
“That’ll be all for today.”
“Thank you very much!”
Class ended and everyone dispersed. I started to make for the staff room when Lana called out to me.
“Miss Rae! There was a part I didn’t understand!”
“But I haven’t taught you anything yet.”
“The warm-up exercises! I need help on this one—look!” Or so Lana claimed, but I couldn’t see any problems in her form. I guess she simply wanted to talk to me. I didn’t mind having a fan, but I already had Claire. I needed to come up with a way to let her down easy.
Then I felt a sharp, sudden gaze pierce my back and turned to see Eve glaring at me. I didn’t know her deal, but if I could help it, I didn’t want to start the year on bad terms with a student. I smiled and waved to her, trying to invite her to approach me, but she just scowled before spinning on her heel and walking away.
“Yikes. What’s up with Eve today?” Lana said.
“I recall you and Eve both came from Euclid?”
“Ah! Miss Rae, you remembered!”
“I’m also from Euclid. Have we met each other before?”
“Nope! But we totes know about you! If anything, we’re fans!”
Her enthusiasm gave me an intense feeling of déjà vu… Just my imagination, right? Right.
“Oh, but Eve has, like, a bone to pick with you or somethin’.”
“Huh? Why’s that.”
“Something about you snatchin’ her lover or whatever.”
“I’m sorry, what? I’m pretty sure I’ve never done something like that.” My heart belonged solely to Miss Claire, after all.
“That’s enough about Eve,” said Lana. “Why don’t you ask about me now?”
“I’m sorry, but I have to leave for my next class.”
“Aww! Meanie! But I like that part of you, too!”
I somehow managed to give Lana the slip and made my way to the staff room. I couldn’t help but think about Eve along the way. I snatched her lover?
It was certainly a misunderstanding; the problem would be figuring out why such a misunderstanding happened in the first place. I need to make sure I talk to Eve later.
“Looks like this year’s students will be a handful.” I sighed. I watched as the vapor faded into the spring haze of the sky.
***
“We’re all ready, Miss Claire.”
“Good. Let us be off, then.”
At eight in the morning, the sun still hung low in the sky. It was hard to believe it could be so cold at this time when it was already the fourth month.
“We’re going on an outing!”
“Yay! Outing! Outing!”
May and Aleah wore warm jackets hand-sewn by Claire. A testament to her skill, the jackets were so high-quality that one could mistake them for products of the tailors’ guild. May held Claire’s hand and Aleah held mine as we walked along the path to the Bauer Cathedral.
“I can’t wait to use magic!” Aleah grinned from ear to ear.
“I want the same, umm…aptitude as Mama Claire!” May smiled at Claire.
The four of us were on our way to get May and Aleah’s aptitude measured. In the years post-revolution, the Bauer Kingdom had come to value magic even more highly than before. This led to compulsory magic aptitude evaluations for all citizens when they turned six. Magic aptitude could fluctuate in early childhood. Some people were born with low aptitude that increased as they aged, but even then, generally speaking, aptitude stabilized around the age of six.
May and Aleah’s birthday was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, meaning they had just turned six about four months ago. The two of them often watched as Claire and I used magic and were eager to try it for themselves. We could have started teaching them without first measuring their aptitudes, but that came with its own risks, so we’d decided to hold off until their evaluation.
“Mother Claire can use fire, right?” Aleah asked.
“That’s correct. I have high aptitude in fire.”
“What magic do you think I’ll have?”
“Hmm, I have a feeling you’ll have the wind attribute, because you’re so clever,” Claire answered without needing to think about it. It was true—Aleah was very clever. Perhaps it was because of her young age, but she was always a fast learner. Lilly had mentioned she learned reading and mathematics faster than May.
“What about me?” May asked, shaking Claire’s hand. “What magic do you think I’ll have?”
I couldn’t help but notice they both asked Claire. Which was fine. I wasn’t hurt at all. Sniffle.
“I think May will have the fire attribute. Because you’re always so lively.”
“Yay! I’m the same as Mother Claire!” May began hopping about like a rabbit, even though Claire’s prediction was no guarantee. While Aleah couldn’t be called by any means shy, May was undeniably the livelier twin. Aleah often tried to imitate adults by doing things such as standing on tiptoe to look taller, while May embraced her childish impulses.
“Aww, I wanted the same as Mother Claire…” Aleah whined.
“Well, we still don’t know your aptitudes, Aleah,” I said. “But even if your attribute is wind, you’ll still match Lady Manaria, whom Lady Claire respects.”
“I can be the same as Sister Manaria?!” Aleah’s dejected face lit up as she looked at me. “Then can I be a quad-caster, too?”
“Well, I don’t know about that one. The only known quad-caster in the world is Lady Manaria, after all.”
“But there’s a chance?”
“That’s… I suppose.” I didn’t want to get her expectations up too high, but I just couldn’t say no to that face. Children really were my weakness.
“We’re here,” Claire announced. Sure enough, a majestic cathedral came into view. Many families were already lined up, all with high hopes glimmering in their eyes. “Let’s get in line.”
“Okay!”
“Yeah!”
We joined the end of the line, which moved at a decent rate. Perhaps we wouldn’t have to wait long at all.
“May, let’s play the word chain game!”
“Okay!”
“You lose if you end a word with N! I’ll start: ‘dress.’”
“Squirrel!”
“Mmm, lizard.”
“D… D… Donkey!”
“Yard.”
“D… D… Dragon!”
“You lose!”
“Ah! Wait, that didn’t count!”
We had only just lined up and they were already playing games—but that was children for you, I guess. This word chain game helped with their vocabulary, so Claire and I often played it with them.
“Okay, May, one more time! Starting from D.”
“D… Umm, doom!”
“M? Hmm. How about mini?”
“Umm, intimate!”
“That’s not a word!”
“Yeah, it is! Mama Claire and Mama Rae are always intimate with each other in their bedroom!”
Wait just a moment—did I hear that right? I broke out in a cold sweat. “M-May? What do you think that word means?”
“Huh? It means you’re super nice to each other!”
“Oh… R-right…”
In my previous life, intimate could also have that kind of meaning. I looked over at Claire and saw a bead of sweat drip down her brow. Children could be frightening at times.
The line progressed quickly. Before we knew it, it was May and Aleah’s turn. A familiar face conducted the assessment.
“It’s good to see you, Miss Claire, Miss Rae.”
“Oh! It’s been a while,” I said. This was the priest who’d taught us to perform the ceremonial dance alongside Lilly a while before the revolution. She was strict—I still bitterly remembered her training—but a trustworthy woman.
“Good morning, Miss Priest!”
“Good morning!”
“Ah. Yes… Yes, good morning, children.” The priest stumbled over her words for a moment, taken by surprise as she recognized the twins. “I’m shocked. You’ve both become so expressive.”
Oh, that was right. No wonder she was shocked—May and Aleah had still been so closed off to the world when the priest last saw them.
After losing their family in the events surrounding the revolution, the girls had wound up living in the slums, selling magic stones to survive. You see, their blood was cursed. Anything their blood touched would turn into a magic stone. Thankfully, people with strong magic of their own could resist the curse. This had led Claire and I to adopt them—but I won’t get into that now. Suffice to say that before we met them, May and Aleah had been under the church’s care.
“I’m so glad you both found a home.” The strict priest gave us a rare smile. She must have been worried about the girls. Lilly often criticized the church for its many real problems, but people like this priest gave it meaning. “Now then, shall we begin measuring you two? Please put your hands on these crystals.”
“Okay.”
“Like this?”
The twins each put their hand on a spherical magic tool made of crystal. Dazzling light began to shine—but only from May’s crystal.
“Oh, dear.” The priest seemed troubled. She replaced the crystal under Aleah’s hand in case the tool was faulty, but the second one didn’t shine either. “Hmm…”
“Is there a problem?” Claire worriedly asked.
“No. At least, not from what I can currently tell. We will confirm the results and send them to you soon.” It seemed the results arrived by mail at a later date. “That concludes the assessment. Thank you for coming.”
Claire and I both had a bad feeling about this. Still, we decided the best we could do was to go home for now. As we headed back, May and Aleah began talking.
“I wonder what I’ll get.”
“Well, I just know I’ll get the wind attribute. Mother Claire said so!” Aleah proudly declared.
They were so innocent and excited. My heart sank as I imagined those smiles fading.
***
“Picnic, picnic!”
“We’re going on a picnic!”
May and Aleah held hands as they skipped before us. The trees rustled in the wind, their leaves just beginning to grow in anticipation of the coming summer.
“May, Aleah, you can skip, but you’ll fall if you don’t watch your step,” Claire warned the twins, her casual picnic dress fluttering.
“We’ll be fine!”
“Yeah! We’ll be—ah!”
May fell, despite Claire’s warning, bringing Aleah down with her because of their linked hands. Ralaire, oozing along by their side, tried to catch them but didn’t make it in time.
“Ah… I told you so. Are you two all right?” Claire and I ran to them at once, checking them for injuries.
As I mentioned earlier, the girls had a curse in their blood. We were safe for now; Ralaire used one of her abilities to nullify the curse. Still, that didn’t mean I could just go and let them sustain so much as a scratch. No girl would have her skin marred on my watch!
“Aleah, you seem all right. Good job stopping your fall. May, I see you’ve got a little scrape. I’m so proud of you for not crying.” I praised the twins and began healing them with my water magic.
“Thank you, Mama Rae.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
They immediately returned to skipping while holding hands despite their fall moments before.
“Oh, those two…”
“You’ve really grown accustomed to motherhood, Rae.” Claire smiled at me, basket swinging in her grasp.
“Not at all. Those two still run circles around me. More importantly, Miss Claire…”
“Yes?”
“Allow me to hold that basket!”
We’d brought a picnic blanket, boxed lunches, and drinks—quite the load. Ralaire held the heaviest basket, but Claire carried the rest.
“Absolutely not. You woke up early to make this lunch for us. I can’t make you carry it as well.” Claire grinned. My wife was so adorable, it hurt.
“Mama Rae, what’s for lunch?” May asked.
“I bet it’s rice balls!”
They must have overheard the word lunch because they both curiously approached us now.
“We’ll be having sandwiches today.”
“Yay! Sandwiches! Did you make ham ones?” May adored ham sandwiches.
“Of course.”
“I trust you made sure to leave the green pepper out, right, Mother Rae?” Aleah primly asked.
“Of course not.”
“Bleh…”
Aleah had acquired her distaste for green pepper from Claire. While it was cute how she mimicked Claire’s speech and mannerisms, I really wished she wouldn’t take after her to the extent of picky eating.
“Why’d you put green pepper in?” she asked.
“Because it’s very nutritious.”
“But aren’t there other nutritious things?”
“Well, yes…”
“Then why do I have to eat green pepper?”
“Because one day there might not be any other foods.”
“I’ll be a good girl and eat green pepper if that’s all that’s left! But is there a good reason why I have to eat it now?”
“Well…” Oh, no. Was I seriously losing an argument to a six-year-old?
“That’s not the issue, Aleah,” Claire began. “You mustn’t be picky with your food.”
“But why?”
“All food is a blessing from our God, the Great Spirit. Thus, it is rude to play favorites on your plate.”
“I don’t get it…”
“We must show gratitude to all the food we receive. Green peppers are living things, too.”
“Really? Then green peppers are the same as me?”
“That’s right.”
Aleah thought for a bit. I was sure Claire’s explanation had won her over, but—
“Then I won’t eat them, because I’d feel bad for them.”
“I see…”
We could take the easy way out and say, “That’s just how things are,” or “Them’s the breaks,” but Claire and I always did our best to explain our reasoning to the girls. A difficult task, as the current situation proved. A child’s mind worked very differently from an adult’s. Sometimes, when an adult explained something to a child, the adult ended up with way more to think about.
But we enjoyed it. Kids gave you a new perspective on ordinary things.
“Will you stop eating meat, then?” Claire said.
“Huh? No! I want to eat meat!”
“But meat comes from chicken, pigs, cows, and many other animals. Everything we eat comes from something living.”
“Hmm…”
“All the animals and even the green peppers gave their precious lives for you, Aleah. That’s why you need to show them proper gratitude.”
“Hmm…” Aleah appeared deep in thought again. Surely, she was convinced this time, I thought. But: “Then why do you make a funny face whenever you eat green pepper?”
Children were formidable opponents.
We continued to talk back and forth until we arrived at a hill some ways from the house. It lay only a quick walk past the woods and was lush with short grass.
“Watch your step, you two!”
“Okay!”
“Yes, Mother!”
We had a bird’s-eye view of the Bauer Kingdom from atop the hill—everything from the towering palace and cathedral to the bustling markets and residences below.
“Where’s home?” May asked.
“I know! It’s that one!”
“Ah, you’re right. Whoa… It’s so small!”
“Around here seems good.” Claire placed her basket down. “Thank you for carrying that, Ralaire. Go ahead and set it down here.”
Ralaire obediently plopped her basket down, and Claire and I got to work laying out the picnic sheet.
“May, Aleah, come sit down. It’s time for lunch.” Claire gestured to the twins to sit with us.
“Yay!”
“Lunchtime!”
The girls, who’d been enthralled by the view, snapped to attention upon hearing the word lunch. They took off their shoes before hopping onto the picnic sheet, staring expectantly at the picnic basket.
“Open it, Mother Rae!” May urged.
“Quickly!”
“Okay, I’m opening it. Ready? Ta-da!” I paused to build up their anticipation before dramatically flipping off the cloth covering the basket.
“Whoa! It’s so pretty!”
“Indeed!”
Today’s lunch consisted of three types of sandwiches: egg and scallion with mayonnaise, ham and lettuce with basil sauce, and chicken and green pepper with sweet and sour sauce, as well as fried chicken and different vegetable and fruit smoothies. I’d put a lot of thought into the menu, adding lots of vegetables to balance out the fried chicken and provide contrasting colors and textures.
“I’m hungry! Can we eat?”
“Hurry! Let’s eat!”
“All right, all right. Ready? Hands together—”
“Bon appétit!”
No sooner had we said grace than May and Aleah were reaching for the food. May went for the ham and lettuce sandwiches, while Aleah opted for the fried chicken.
“Yummy!”
“Mmm! It’s delicious!”
“Glad to hear it.”
It was worth waking up early if it meant I could see these satisfied faces. Claire reached out and took a chicken and green pepper sandwich.
“Oh? I thought you used green peppers in this?”
“I did.”
“But I can’t taste it at all—it’s usually so bitter.”
“Ah. That’s because I chopped them up finely and made the sweet and sour sauce a bit stronger than usual.”
“Very clever. Aleah, why don’t you try some of this?” Noticing Aleah hadn’t eaten anything but fried chicken, Claire offered her a sandwich.
“But isn’t there green pepper in that?” Aleah grimaced.
“Trust me. It’s delicious.”
“Really?”
Reluctantly, Aleah put the sandwich into her mouth, gingerly chewing it. Her expression slowly brightened. “Ooh. It’s delicious!”
Those few words sent me over the moon.
“There’s no icky green pepper taste, and the sauce is yummy.”
“Ha ha, thank you, dear. Make sure you eat lots, then,” I said.
“Ah! Me too!” May said.
Walking must have made them hungry, as the sandwiches were gone in no time.
“That was yummy!”
“Yeah!”
“Truly. Thank you for another wonderful meal, Rae.”
“Anything for you three.”
Just seeing them eat so happily made all my efforts worthwhile. I chatted with the other ladies in the neighborhood every so often, and apparently their husbands didn’t so much as say a word of thanks after eating—even when they made croquettes! And making croquettes was far from easy. Incidentally, the one who distributed the recipe for croquettes after Mt. Sassal’s eruption was yours truly.
“Should we relax a little before heading back?” I suggested.
“Sounds good.”
“Can we go play?”
“I want to pick flowers!”
“Go ahead. But don’t go too far, okay? And take Ralaire with you.”
“Okay!” They dashed off to a flowery area with Ralaire in tow.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been able to relax as a family like this.” I spoke to no one in particular as the gentle breeze brushed my cheeks.
“Indeed. It’s not often we both have a day off that isn’t spent on shopping or housework.”
“Taking care of them doesn’t leave much time for rest either.”
“I’m glad we came today. Thank you, Rae.” Claire kissed me softly. It had been my idea to have a picnic.
“I know we’re both worried about the aptitude assessment, so I thought we could go out for a change of pace.”
“And it was a good idea. Just look how happy May and Aleah are.”
There was a decent chance the aptitude assessment result wouldn’t be great. That was why I’d suggested we go out. Perhaps for our sakes more than the children’s…
“I’m hoping for the best, but reality can be harsh.” Claire frowned.
“There’s no point worrying about it now. The results should arrive soon. Until then, let’s enjoy ourselves as much as we can.”
“Yes. Yes, you’re right.” Claire shook her head in an attempt to dispel her negative thoughts and then smiled. “We overcame that mess of a revolution together. I’m sure we can both overcome whatever lies ahead as well.”
“No, Claire. That’s wrong.”
“Hmm?” Claire tilted her head in confusion.
I couldn’t help but grin at her. “It’s the four of us from here on out.”
“Ah. He he, that’s right.” Her face seemed to say you got me there. I couldn’t resist her cuteness. This time, it was my turn to give her a kiss.
I held Claire in my arms as we enjoyed the quiet spring afternoon.
***
“How were they?” Claire asked.
“I managed to get them to sleep, but Aleah was acting strange.”
“I see…” Claire furrowed her brows with worry. It was 8:00 p.m., and she was already in her pajamas. but instead of moving to the bedroom like usual, we sat down across from each other at the living room table to talk. I’d brewed some tea, as I had a feeling it would be a long discussion.
“I still can’t believe Aleah has no aptitude.”
The assessment results had arrived, and it was just as we feared.
“She was looking forward to using magic so much.” Claire looked pained.
Both girls had been excited about using magic, but it was clear Aleah longed for it more than her sister. Aleah adored Claire and wanted to be like her in every regard, to the point where she mimicked her speech patterns. Naturally, this meant she wanted to use magic like Claire as well. Fire magic had to look astounding to a child’s eyes, even more so when Claire so elegantly controlled it.
“How should we tell them?” Claire asked. We hadn’t broken the news to them yet. The children, possibly sensing our unease, hadn’t asked us either.
“I almost wish they both had no aptitude—as cruel as it is to say.” The problem was the disparity. If May had no aptitude as well, then we wouldn’t have been so worried. They’d both be disappointed, of course, but they’d bounce back quickly and find new goals to pursue.
“Indeed. But May is a quad-caster. It’s practically her duty to learn to use magic.”
Indeed—May was now the second confirmed quad-caster in the world. As Claire said, this left her no choice but to pursue a magical path. Aptitude was immutable and inherent; neither hard work nor genetics could affect what elemental affinity you were born with. If they could, the twins wouldn’t have such drastically differing abilities.
“We can’t hide it from them forever. They didn’t say anything today on our account, but it’s only a matter of time before they ask.” Claire let out a deep sigh. Smart as she was, she clearly had no idea what to do.
“Maybe it’s best we tell them straight?” I suggested. “Get it over with, rather than beat around the bush.”
“Only someone who’s never had to worry about their capacity could say such a thing.” Claire frowned at me.
“Never had to worry about their capacity… That’d be you, wouldn’t it?” From my perspective, Claire was nothing if not gifted. Outside of her inability to cook, she was perfect in every regard.
“Don’t forget, Rae. You’re a dual-caster, with ultra-high aptitude at that. I still haven’t forgotten the humiliation I suffered when we competed over the first test results.”
“You’re not wrong.” But I was pretty sure that was as far as my notable talents went.
Claire sighed. “I’m aware I’m more gifted than most. Yet sometimes, I can’t help feeling I can never compare to those who’ve truly mastered their craft. You know what they call people like me? Jack of all trades, master of none.”
“Such a phrase doesn’t do you justice, Miss Claire. I think your many talents are wonderful.” I pointed at the embroidery on the wall as I spoke.
“Even so, being forced to face your own shortcomings can hurt.”
“I’m made aware of that every day I spend with you.”
“Don’t tease me.” Claire gently flicked me on the forehead.
I rubbed my temple as an idea surfaced. “Hey, Miss Claire.”
“Hmph. What is it?”
“There’s something bothering me about the aptitude results.”
Claire straightened and positioned herself for listening. “Go on.”
“Even if we chalk up Aleah’s results to bad luck, aren’t May’s results still astronomically rare? This feels rather improbable.”
“Improbable? How so?”
“Well, to start, Aleah having no aptitude at all can’t be right!”
Claire wore a sad smile. “Rae… I think your bias as a parent is affecting your judgment.”
“No, think about it. Their blood is cursed.”
“Ah.” My implication finally dawned on her.
Both girls bore a curse that made everything their blood touched turn into magical stones. Not just May—both girls.
“We don’t understand how curses and magic aptitude might be connected,” I said, “but isn’t it deeply unlikely that there’s no connection?”
“That’s true. But then, why does Aleah have no aptitude?”
“Well, I have an idea, but it’s nothing more than a theory.”
“I’m listening,” Claire urged me to continue. A glimmer of hope had returned to her eyes, as I’d been sure it would. The thought of only Aleah being deprived of magic had really been eating away at her.
“I think they were touched by something while they were in the womb,” I said. “Something that determines magical aptitude. And I think that it affected them on opposite ends of some spectrum.”
“Is such a thing possible?”
“We can’t say it isn’t.”
I’d seen an American movie about twins in my previous life, starring that super macho guy, Schwarz-something or the other. It was a story about two brothers, one incredibly gifted and the other incredibly inept, who were trying to find their mother. It was pure fiction, of course, but part of the plot centered on how all of the talent had been concentrated in one twin at birth. In this strange world where magic was real, I couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility of something similar happening.
“Supposing you’re right,” Claire said. “It still doesn’t help Aleah.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“And why’s that?”
“I have another theory, although it is reliant on the previous one being true. If we suppose Aleah isn’t naturally without aptitude but somehow became this way, then something must be causing it!”
“Even so, it doesn’t change the fact she’s currently stuck with no aptitude.”
“Yes, but that’s only within the scope of our current understanding of magic.” There was a chance—however slim—that whatever was affecting Aleah went beyond what we knew.
“You’re grasping at straws.”
“Perhaps.”
“We shouldn’t tell Aleah this. Nothing good can come from getting her hopes up over a fleeting possibility.”
“But—”
I tried to argue, but Claire raised her hand to stop me. “Calm down, Rae. We’re both too worked up right now.”
“You’re right… I’m sorry. I got a little heated.” I couldn’t help but worry about my daughters. If I were in their stead, I’d probably be thinking more calmly.
“There’s nothing to gain from arguing between ourselves.”
“You’re right. We need to come up with a solution together.” That being said, I couldn’t think of any solutions at all. Did a solution even exist?
“Let’s consider the inevitable,” Claire began. “We need to tell them the assessment results.”
“Yeah. Either we tell them together or we tell them separately.”
“As for Aleah’s potential unknown factor, I don’t think we should tell her.”
I hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. “You’re right. It’d be too cruel if nothing came of it.”
“All that remains is how to break it to them. But…I really can’t think of any method other than giving it to them straight.” Claire brooded, deep in thought. She would do anything to soften the blow for our children, even if by a little bit.
“We could fib about the exact aptitude level,” I said.
“What would that achieve? Aptitude level aside, May still has four attributes. That fact alone makes her one of two unique quad-casters in the world.”
“Then, what if we just told Aleah she had low aptitude?” I said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea either. She can’t ever use magic, Rae. Would you really be so cruel to give her false hope?”
“Yeah, no.”
We were at a dead end. No matter how much we brainstormed, no solution presented itself.
“If only I could give Aleah some of my magic,” Claire said defeatedly, her words barely audible as they slipped out of her mouth. I would share my magic in a heartbeat too, if I could. I wondered, did all parents harbor these kinds of worries?
A heavy silence formed between us.
“I guess there’s nothing to do but tell them.”
“Oh, Rae…”
“I’m afraid no matter how we go about it, Aleah will be hurt.”
“Mmm…”
“All we can do is let them know we will always equally love them both.”
“That’s really all we can do, isn’t it?” Claire hung her head.
I felt like I was giving up, but what else could we do? Some problems couldn’t be solved through love alone, no matter how much you tried. And while it pained me to admit it, this was one such problem.
“I can’t do a thing for her. And they called me the hero of the revolution. Some hero I am…”
“Miss Claire…” It hurt to see Claire talk about herself like that. Claire was just as important to me as May and Aleah. For her sake, I had to be strong.
Just then—
“Mothers, are you fighting?”
“Please don’t fight.”
May and Aleah appeared, walking into the living room while drowsily rubbing their eyes.
“Are you fighting because of me?” Aleah gingerly asked.
“Or is it because of me?”
They looked as if they could cry at any moment. Claire and I burst into a fretful mess.
“We’re not fighting, dears! We just wanted to talk a bit, that’s all.”
“That’s right! We would never fight! We’re always lovey-dovey—super-duper lovey-dovey even!”
Claire went for a serious approach while I went for a sillier one. But neither seemed to work.
“But you two were making super scary faces…”
“And were using big voices…”
The twins sniffled, a sign the floodgates were about to break. Wait—how much had they heard?
“I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to scare you. Come here, you two.” Claire hugged them to her as she apologized from the bottom of her heart. They wept in her arms as she whispered words of comfort in their ears and kissed their hair repeatedly.
Claire waited for the crying to die down and then looked them squarely in the eyes as she spoke in the gentlest voice she could muster. “May, Aleah, there’s something we need to tell you.”
They nodded before moving to their chairs.
“Before I begin, I want you two to remember that no matter what happens, Rae and I will never come to hate or abandon either of you. Okay?”
May and Aleah looked puzzled, but nodded.
“Remember when we went to the cathedral to measure your magic aptitude the other day? Well, the results have come in.”
“Really?!”
“Tell us, tell us!”
Their faces lit up. My heart ached as I thought of how those bright smiles would soon cloud.
“First, May. You have aptitude with all four attributes. Congratulations.”
“Like Sister Manaria?”
“That’s right.”
“Yay!”
May jumped off her chair in joy. Aleah eyed her enviously.
“And Aleah. I’m sorry, but you have no aptitude.”
“Huh…?” Aleah looked confused, like she didn’t understand the words. May abruptly stopped celebrating. “No aptitude? What does that mean?”
“You can do many things, Aleah. But magic can’t be one of those things.”
Aleah went silent. Claire’s phrasing was measured and careful, but the shock was still great.
“Mama Claire, Aleah can’t use magic?” May asked.
“Sadly, yes.”
“Because she has no aptitude?”
“That’s right.”
“But why? Why do I have four then?”
“Only the Great Spirit knows.”
May pondered a bit before breaking out into a grin. “Then I’ll give Aleah half of mine!” she innocently declared.
Aleah’s eyes widened in hope at the idea.
“That’s very kind of you, May. But I’m sorry, magic aptitude can’t be shared.”
“It can’t?” May said sadly.
“I’m sorry.”
Aleah looked even more dejected than before. “Mother, will I really never be able to use magic?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
“No matter what? Even if I’m a really good girl?”
“No… But being a good girl is a wonderful thing, so please continue to be one.”
Aleah went silent again. The mood weighed down on us all.
“Aleah, it’s okay even if you can’t use magic,” I began. “You’re good at so, so many other things.”
Aleah didn’t respond.
“Magic is just one thing in the end, and everyone has at least one thing they can’t do.”
“Mother Rae, please be quiet for a bit,” Aleah said.
“Okay…” I’d been shot down by a child. Sniffle.
Aleah appeared deep in thought. I could see her mind race as she desperately searched for a way to fight the reality that had been thrust upon her. “Mothers, will you be sad if I can’t use magic?”
“No,” said Claire definitively. “Even if you can’t use magic, we’ll be happy as long as you are.”
“You won’t hate me?”
“Never.”
“You won’t play favorites with May?”
“Of course not.”
“Oh.” Aleah looked relieved. “Then it’s okay. I don’t need magic as long as my mothers love me.” She gave us an undaunted smile.
“Oh, Aleah…”
“So, Mother Rae?”
“Yes, Aleah?”
“Can you teach me how to cook?”
“Cook? Of course, I can, but why?”
“If I can do something Mother Claire can’t do, then I’ll have her beat even more so than if I learned magic!” Aleah giggled impishly.
“Ah! No fair! I wanna learn how to cook, too!” May exclaimed.
“Nope! You’ll be busy with magic instead!”
“Aww.” May puffed up her cheeks.
“Sounds good, then,” I declared. “May will learn magic with Miss Claire, and Aleah will learn cooking with me.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Claire said. “Are you two okay with that?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah!”
Things had finally calmed down to the point where we could take a moment to breathe. I’d been so worried, but it looked like everything would be all right. Our daughters chattered excitedly about what food they would cook and what magic they would use, looking more eager than anything. Had our fears been unwarranted?
“You’re a very strong girl, Aleah,” said Claire. “And May, thank you for not saying anything mean.”
“He he!”
“Eheh!”
The girls clung to Claire, allowing themselves to be fussed over. The tension left my shoulders as I finally allowed myself to relax.
That was to say, I let my guard down.
“Have I been a good girl?” Aleah asked.
“Hm? Y-yes?” said Claire.
“I really tried my best to be strong, so…”
“Aleah?”
“So just for today…please forgive me…” Tears welled up in Aleah’s eyes. “Waaah!”
She sobbed at a volume you wouldn’t expect from her small frame. May followed suit, sobbing with an intensity that matched her sister’s. Tears streamed down their faces as they bared their sadness to the world.
“May! Aleah!” I hugged the twins, unable to help myself. Claire joined me, and we cried together as we held them tight.
I was sure the neighbors would complain, but regardless, the four of us cried our hearts out. May and Aleah would cry themselves to sleep that night.
***
“Thirty-two! Thirty-three!”
Early in the afternoon on a holiday, Aleah’s motivated voice rang out from the yard as she took practice swings with a wooden sword.
“Forty-nine…fifty!”
“Nice work. Go ahead and take a break now.”
“Yes!” Aleah gave a spirited reply, prompting the man clad in light armor to roughly pat her head with his one arm.
“Good job, Aleah. Thank you for coming today, Master Rod,” I called out to the twins as I brought tea and refreshments to the table on the terrace.
“Nah, don’t worry about it.”
This easygoing man was Rod Bauer, an ex-member of the royal family. A while ago, he’d abdicated his claim to the throne and instead became the commander of the army. Every now and then, he took advantage of his new status as an ordinary citizen to come visit us.
“Mother Rae, did you see me?!”
“I did. You did amazing, dear.”
“I swung it fifty times today!” Aleah enthusiastically announced as she tried to catch her breath. I wiped the sweat off her face, which seemed to tickle her, but she made no effort to stop me, instead basking in the glory of her accomplishment.
“She’s your daughter, all right. She’s got talent.” Rod dexterously scooped Aleah into the air with his one arm and began lifting her up and down, causing her to squeal in delight.
“We’re not related by blood, though.”
“Sure, but I still sense an innate talent for combat in her.” His words gave Aleah reason to smile, and me as well.
Rod was teaching Aleah swordplay, since she couldn’t use magic but still needed a way to defend herself in a world with monsters and all. Incidentally, demons were also a problem in this world—not that I was likely to ever see one here in the Bauer Kingdom.
We’d consulted Rod about teaching Aleah self-defense a while ago, and he’d offered to train her himself. It seemed that, though he relied on magic to fight in the past, he’d begun studying the sword in earnest once he became a commander. This, combined with the basics of hand-to-hand combat that had been drilled into him back when he was in line for the throne, made him a wonderful teacher.
But demons, huh? They’d only been referenced in passing in the game, but I supposed that if I continued to live in this world, I might someday happen across one. It wouldn’t hurt to have a plan in place.
“Am I good at swordplay?” Aleah asked.
“Oh, yeah. You’ll definitely get better than me one of these days. You keep practicing and you might even reach the level of the Sword God.”
“Sword God?” Aleah asked quizzically upon hearing the unknown term.
“That’s what they call the strongest swordsman. The empress of the Nur Empire.”
“Is she strong?”
“Legend has it that she annihilated an entire Sousse battalion single-handedly using just a sword, though I couldn’t tell you if that’s true.”
A battalion was a military unit denoting a troop of three hundred to a thousand soldiers. Someone single-handedly taking down that many foes armed with just a sword might seem far-fetched, but I knew it had actually happened. As for why I knew that, you’ll just have to wait.
“How strong does that make the empress?” Aleah asked again.
“Hmm, I guess the strongest in the world?”
“Stronger than you?”
“Hate to say it, but yeah.”
“Stronger than Mother Claire and Mother Rae?”
“If you don’t count magic, then yeah.”
“Stronger than Sister Manaria?!”
“Huh… Dunno. I did hear Manaria is also pretty good with a sword.”
Aleah’s eyes sparkled. She yearned to be like her idol Manaria, as well. “Can I become a Sword God, too?”
“Sure, you can. But you’re gonna need to work hard at it.”
“I will!” Aleah said as she began her practice swings again. Rod and I looked on with smiles.
“It’s not fair… Only Aleah gets to have fun!” May puffed up her cheeks. She was sitting in the yard with her eyes closed.
“Isn’t what you’re doing training, too?” Aleah rebutted.
“But it’s so boring!”
Claire smiled wryly as May complained. May was working on the first and hardest step in training to use magic—learning to be able to sense magic itself. To misquote a manga that I read a long time ago, “Only once you feel can you begin.” Even if May was a quad-caster, she couldn’t do a thing without first clearing this initial hurdle.
“Hey, focus,” Claire warned.
“Hmph.” May huffed before returning to meditation. Sitting still felt like torture to her, as she loved to do nothing more than move her body.
“Can you feel something warm inside you?”
“Mmm… I don’t know…”
“There’s no need to rush. Let’s do this slowly, at your own pace.”
“Okay…”
Sensing magic was an abstract concept. If May were better able to describe what she felt, then we could guide her better, but a six-year-old didn’t have the vocabulary to do that. If anything, we were already asking too much of her.
“Magic feels…like what you feel inside when you’re happy,” Claire explained.
“When I’m happy?”
“Yes. When your body feels light, or when your heart is afloat.”
“Hmm?” May didn’t seem to understand.
But Claire didn’t give up. Her teaching methods had improved since she became an instructor at the Academy, and she’d had a lot of practice explaining difficult concepts in the easiest ways for her pupils to digest. I had no doubt May would learn to call on her magic any day now under Claire’s direction.
But it seemed that day would not be today.
“Mmm… I don’t get it!” May let out one big shout before sprawling on the ground.
“That’s all right. This isn’t something you can learn in a single day.” Claire scooped up May, now sulking, and came to join us on the terrace.
“You tried your best, May,” I said. “You too, Claire.”
“But I can’t use magic…” May pouted.
“Not right away. We can take our time and learn, all right?”
“Ha ha ha!” Rod let out a hearty laugh. “I guess the world’s second quad-caster also has some way to go!”
“I’ll figure it out soon!” May pouted.
“Oh? Will you?”
“Master Rod’s a meanie! You always play favorites with Aleah!”
“May,” Claire warned. “We’re the ones who asked him to train Aleah, remember?”
“Hmph!” May fumed.
“Ha ha ha! It seems you dislike me! Very well, then. You can come fight me first thing once you learn magic!”
“I don’t wanna!”
Rod took May’s ill temper in stride, simply laughing her hurtful words away.
“How are things with you lately, Master Rod?” Claire asked.
“I’ve been busy testing that one large-scale technique I told you about.” He was referring to what was supposedly a new kind of magic he’d invented. Not even Manaria could beat him anymore, or so he claimed. “I’ve also been working on countermeasures for those earthquakes we’ve had of late. The citizens still haven’t gotten over that big one a while back.”
“Ah, yes. There have been quite a few of those lately…”
There hadn’t been any aftershocks following the eruption in the original game, yet there had been several earthquakes in as many months. Most problematically, the earthquake caused by the eruption of Mt. Sassal had set off the revolution that was so vividly burned into the people’s memory. Naturally, every time we had another earthquake, the citizens feared history would repeat itself.
Rod had his hands full dealing with that. Even modern-day Japan hadn’t developed perfect earthquake countermeasures yet. I was sure our administration was having no end of trouble as well.
“Other than that, we gotta deal with a bunch of diplomatic issues,” Rod grumbled.
“The army does? Oh, dear. I hope it’s nothing serious.” Claire looked genuinely worried. We had withdrawn from the political stage once the new government stabilized. At this point, the only things we knew about foreign affairs came from the newspapers.
“It’s not going so well, if I’m being honest. We might need to ask you two for help again, although we’re trying our best not to let it get to that point.”
“You better. Don’t get in the way of my lovey-dovey time with Claire!” I complained as I made a face at Rod.
“Rae,” Claire rebuked me.
Rod grinned. “You two seem to be doing well. Good. But if things ever turn sour, Rae, I’m still free.”
“No one likes an overly persistent man.”
Rod casually laughed my comment off. Actually, wait—this guy still hadn’t given up on me?
“Well, all jokes aside—things have changed since the revolution. We must work harder than ever to protect the happiness of the people.” Rod wore a complicated expression as he took a sip of tea.
Claire and I worriedly looked at each other. Perhaps things were even worse than he admitted.
***
The Academy had a test this time every year, the same one Claire and I had first locked horns over. A lot of things had changed at the Royal Academy since the revolution, but this test endured.
“The culture test will begin momentarily,” I told the students. I was serving as proctor, meaning I handed out sheets and made sure nobody cheated. On a scan of the room, I estimated roughly sixty percent of the students were nervous, thirty percent were normal, and ten percent felt something else entirely.
While the test remained, its contents had changed. The etiquette portion had been done away with, largely due to the abolishment of the aristocracy. Incidentally, the Academy no longer offered etiquette as a required subject. However, the Academy was still expected to train the next generation of the country’s leaders, which meant we expected our graduates to master a certain level of cultural knowledge. That said, some questions about ancient history had been replaced with ones about more recent events—kind of similar to what had happened in modern Japan.
Meanwhile, the magic test had been split into two parts: the basic magic power test and the magic tool wielding test. To be fair, the magic test Claire and I had taken so long ago had been similarly divided. The sections hadn’t changed; they were just administered as their own separate tests now.
“You have sixty minutes to complete the test. Please begin.”
The students simultaneously flipped their sheets over. Following that, the only audible sound was the scratching of pencils on paper.
While the Academy only accepted exemplary students who were unlikely to need to cheat, I still had to fulfill my duties as a proctor. I double-checked the magic-hampering magic tool to ensure it was indeed working as intended. The tool mainly blocked the usage of telepathy via wind magic, an ability I’d directly experienced via Manaria in the past. There might still be ways of cheating via magic that the Academy couldn’t anticipate, so we prohibited all usage of magic during the culture test.
I walked around the room, taking care not to make a sound. I recognized many familiar faces from my classes. Among them was Lana Lahna, the girl who always tried to talk to me after each class. It hadn’t been that long since the start of the test, yet her answer sheet was already more than halfway filled out. She’d claimed to be bad at studying, but maybe that had just been humility?
Or so I thought, until I saw her roll her pencil. On the sides of her pencil were numbers. She continued to roll her pencil, filling out her answer sheet with the number she rolled—just like the roll of a die. I’d expected too much from her.
The next familiar face I found was Eve Nuhn, the girl from the same hometown as Lana and me. She had filled out a third of her sheet and, from what I could see, all her answers were correct. Truly brilliant.
Suddenly, Eve turned to face me with her usual look of hatred. “Tsk…”
Lana had said something about Eve hating me because I stole her lover, which had to be a misunderstanding. I wanted to talk it out with her, but I hadn’t yet found a good opportunity.
The last person to catch my eye was Joel Santana. He scratched his head as he looked at his answer sheet, clearly perplexed by the questions. I snuck a peek at his answer sheet to find it mostly unanswered. The ones he had filled in were mostly incorrect, too. He’d also claimed to be bad at studying. I guess he wasn’t being modest.
The test finished without a hitch. I collected the answer sheets and returned to the staff room. Claire was already there, holding a matching stack of sheets.
“Oh, Miss Claire.”
“Hello, Rae. I see you’ve finished proctoring.”
“I see you’re done, too.”
“Yes. It seems we have many outstanding students this year. You’d never imagine they were commoners with scores like these.”
“No more commoners, Miss Claire. Just citizens.”
“Oops. That’s right. You must forgive me,” she said as she laughed off her mistake with an oh ho ho. Even her slip-ups were so adorable.
“It’s probably because your assigned class has so many advanced students. My class was about average, overall.”
“Is that so?”
One of the changes to the Academy was the separation of classes based on academic ability. Despite some opposition to the idea, Mr. Torrid—the school principal—had pushed the change through. To refresh your memory: Mr. Torrid was the kingdom’s only tri-caster, a man who’d made significant contributions to the kingdom’s magic technology.
The opposition had come from teachers who insisted that separating students by ability would lead to preferential treatment. While the idea of treating students equally was noble in theory, the fact remained that not all of them operated on the same levels of knowledge and skill. To ignore this would be a disservice to all the students—or so Mr. Torrid claimed.
I mostly agreed. People learned better when put in a class tailored to meet them where they were at. If someone lagged behind, sending them to the next level of class would only exacerbate the problem.
Claire had differing opinions on the matter.
I handed the answer sheets to the teacher in charge of grading.
“Next up is the basic magic test,” I said.
“Indeed. I look forward to seeing what diamonds in the rough we find this year!” Claire looked genuinely thrilled. She took great pleasure in being the one to discover new talent. She’d told me a while ago that she might actually be well suited to teaching, and I had to agree with her. Her only flaw was that she tended to expect too much from her students, causing her classes to be a little draconian.
“Hmph. You look like you’re having fun,” I said with a hint of irritation.
“Hmm? Is there something wrong with that?” Claire looked puzzled.
“No, nothing’s wrong with it.”
“Then what?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“C’mon, spit it out,” Claire urged.
Hmm… Should I say it? “Can you promise not to be taken aback?”
“Is it something I’d be taken aback by?”
“You can’t answer a question with another question!”
“So you say, but I’m the one who asked a question first! Just say what’s on your mind already.”
Hmm… Oh well. Guess I’ll just say it. “I’m sad.”
“What?”
“I’m happy to see you live a fulfilling life as a teacher, but I can’t help feeling sad over having less you-and-me time.”
“Wh-wh-what—” Claire covered my mouth in a panic. “What do you think you’re saying, Rae?! We’re at the Academy, and the staff room at that!”
“Mmghh!”
“Ah, sorry.” Claire removed her hands.
“What’s the problem? Our relationship isn’t exactly a secret.”
“That’s not the issue!”
As I said, our relationship wasn’t a secret. We didn’t flaunt it, exactly, but I was pretty confident almost all of our colleagues knew. Many of the teachers had been around when we were students and had witnessed my passionate pursuit of Claire.
“You need to draw a line between our private and public lives. As marginalized individuals, we must project an upstanding image of not being obsessed with the physical side of relationships. Or would you rather reinforce those stereotypes, Rae?”
“No, but…” What Claire said was correct in every regard. But I was seriously at my limit. My body was on the verge of a critical Claire-cium deficiency.
Claire sighed. “Bear with it for today, and I’ll pamper you all you want once we’re home.”
“Really?!”
“Aren’t you happy… You know, I can’t help but feel your mental age is younger than May and Aleah sometimes.”
“And I can’t help but feel mommy vibes from you.”
“Sorry, mommy vibes…?!”
“Ah, nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Oops. Watch yourself, Rae. “It’s a promise then, Miss Claire?”
“Yes, yes. Just make sure you do your work properly, okay?”
“Of course!”
I went on to magnificently proctor the remaining magic tests.
That night, I dosed up on Claire-cium to my heart’s content for the first time in a long while.
***
The doorbell rang.
I was currently home, cooking dinner while I waited for Claire to return from work. The vegetable pork soup simmering in the pot still needed more time. I couldn’t extinguish the flame like I could with a gas stove, so instead, I left it to simmer as I prioritized answering the door.
“Yes, who is—oh, Matt.”
“It’s been a while, Rae.”
I opened the door to find Matt Monte waiting for me. I suspect most readers have forgotten him, so to refresh your memory: Matt was a former student of the Academy, the one who was severely injured during the Commoner Movement in what came to be known as the courtyard incident. Claire and I had gone to ask him for his version of events as he recuperated in the Spiritual Church’s clinic. He had graduated after the revolution and become a bureaucrat in the new government.
“Something up? Actually, why don’t you come inside? I have to keep an eye on the stove.”
“Ah, thanks. Pardon the intrusion.”
I showed Matt to the living room and returned to the stove.
Good, nothing’s burnt. “You mind if I cook and talk?”
“Not at all. It might be a long talk, though. Where’s Miss Claire?” Matt had resented nobility ever since the courtyard incident, but he always addressed Claire respectfully. I thought it a little strange.
“She’s still at the Academy. Did you know she became a teacher?”
“I’ve heard. She’s amazing, you know? She was the hero of the revolution but chose not to take a position in the new government. She’s nothing like the other nobles, the ones who only act in their own best interests!”
Ahh, so that was how it was. Matt respected Claire for the role she’d played in the success of the revolution, despite being a noble herself, and for willingly living the life of an ordinary citizen afterward.
“So what brings you here today?”
“Well…to tell the truth…” Matt hesitated. I turned my eyes from the stove, looking over my shoulder at him. “We want Miss Claire to go to the empire.”
“So what’s the meaning of this?” Claire sternly asked Matt.
She’d made it home shortly after Matt’s arrival. It was dinnertime for our family, so we called the children over to eat and asked Matt to join. The children regarded Matt with curiosity, as it was their first meeting, but quickly lost interest and went to play in their room once they finished eating.
“Allow me to start by updating you on recent changes to our international ties.” Matt reached into his bag and pulled out a world map. “As I’m sure you know, the Nur Empire has aggressively invaded a number of other countries over the years. Many have been reduced to vassal states.”
He pointed to a large country bordering the eastern side of the Bauer Kingdom.
“Even we weren’t safe from the empire’s machinations. We would have become their puppet if not for Miss Claire and Rae’s efforts, and the aid from Sousse and the Alpes.”
“Yes, yes. But what of now?” Claire pressed Matt to continue.
“Sousse and the Alpes have also experienced acts of aggression from the Nur Empire. That’s why the three nations have decided to come together and form an allied force under the leadership of Queen Manaria of Sousse.”
“An allied force… I had no idea things were so dire.” Claire frowned as she muttered. We’d taken a backseat on political matters immediately after the establishment of the new government. It was hard to believe world politics had soured so much since then.
“But the Nur Empire is canny,” Matt said. “Before the alliance could be made official, they proposed a peace treaty to the Bauer Kingdom.”
“I see. So that’s what they’re aiming for.” Claire nodded, understanding the implications.
I hadn’t a clue what was going on. “Um, can you explain?”
“They’re trying to buy time. Isn’t that right, Matt?”
“It’s as you say.”
According to Claire’s explanation, it was like this: Despite being a military superpower, the Nur Empire didn’t stand much of a chance against the combined might of the Bauer Kingdom, Sousse, and the Alpes. They would need time to gather their forces—hence the peace treaty.
“The fact that they picked us to offer the treaty to is pretty telling with regard to our country’s circumstances as well. Let me guess. The kingdom is tight on resources, and—despite just moving to establish an alliance with Sousse and the Alpes—wishes to avoid war if possible?”
“You saw through it all, Miss Claire,” Matt said with admiration.
“What’s that got to do with Miss Claire going to the empire?” I asked.
“The empire proposed an exchange student program as a sign of goodwill between the nations. Claire’s name came up as a candidate.”
“Me? Why?” Claire looked bewildered. She was nothing more than a mere citizen now, after all.
“Purely political reasons. The Nur Empire sent their crown prince for the exchange. The Bauer Kingdom has to send someone of similar value in return.”
“Still, why me? I’m no longer even a noble.”
“Yes, but you are the hero who changed the foundations of the kingdom and thwarted the plans of the empire.”
“You want Miss Claire to be a hostage?!” I finally understood what was going on. They intended to sacrifice Claire. “That’s enough! We refuse!”
“Please, hear me out!”
“No!” Blood rushed to my head as I grew livid. We’d finally found some peace and quiet after the revolution. Why should Claire have to suffer again?
A calm voice called out to soothe me. “Rae, calm down. Let’s hear him out.”
“Miss Claire?!”
I couldn’t believe what she was saying, and yet those calm eyes of hers—still as the surface of a deep lake—shut me up more effectively than her scolding ever did.
“Please continue, Matt.”
“Yes. Officially speaking, the kingdom will be sending Lady Yu, as she was formerly third in line for the throne. Miss Claire will be going as her attendant.”
“Of course. No one would accept a former noble in exchange for a crown prince.”
“I’m sure you’ve already realized this, but we’re also choosing to send those whose absence wouldn’t greatly impact the kingdom’s ability to operate. We’d send government officials if we could, but the administration still lacks stability.”
“Naturally. Lady Yu has abandoned her right to the throne, and I’m nothing more than a citizen. It’s a splendid decision.”
I couldn’t keep up with the conversation. I felt like I didn’t know this Claire at all—like she had become a completely different person.
But deep down, I knew that was wrong. The Claire before me was the same noble Claire who had willingly walked to her own execution.
“We’re aware this request is unreasonable. Of course, we will prepare whatever compensation we can, but it likely won’t match the risk you’ll be undertaking.”
Claire said nothing.
“The kingdom has no other choice. I ask of you: would you please accept this unreasonable request?” Matt bowed deeply.
I prayed for Claire’s next words to be ones of refusal. But she simply replied, “Will you give me a week to decide?”
***
“Why didn’t you turn him down, Miss Claire?!” I hounded Claire the moment Matt left, clinging to her chest as she stood stock-still.
“Quiet down, Rae. You’ll scare the girls.” She was calm, a stark contrast to my frenzied state. I hated that calmness, but I didn’t want to scare the children either.
I spoke in as collected a tone as I could muster. “I’m sorry, but you should have refused him on the spot! There’s no reason to accept such a request!”
“You’re right. As a citizen, I have no reason to accept.”
“So you understand?” I was relieved. She could overcome her pride after all. “Then there’s no need to wait a week, let’s just—”
“But if I were to refuse, what do you think would happen?” Claire cut me off.
I was stunned for a moment but gathered myself and thought about it. “Won’t they just send someone else to go?”
“Indeed. They’ll find someone else who’d satisfy the conditions.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” I couldn’t understand what Claire was getting at, not one bit—and yet my heart drummed hard, warning me I wouldn’t like the outcome awaiting ahead.
“The empire is a dangerous place to be.”
“Of course it is! That’s why—”
“If I were to refuse, someone else would be sent into danger in my stead.” Claire looked me square in the eyes as she spoke.
Had she not changed? Had she not grown accustomed to civilian life since the revolution? Had she not wished to continue this ordinary yet happy life together with May, Aleah, and I?
No—she hadn’t changed.
At her core, she was the same person she’d been before the revolution. She was still proud and honest, and she never allowed others to suffer in her place—just like the virtuous nobles of the past. And, once again, that same Claire would sacrifice herself for someone else’s sake.
“Miss Claire, you’re not a noble anymore… You can think about your own happiness now.”
“That’s not it, Rae. I made this decision with my own happiness in mind.” Claire beckoned me to sit as she sat down herself. I was still unnerved but obeyed—partially to try to calm my nerves. “Nothing makes me happier than knowing you and my daughters are happy and well.”
“It’s the same for us. Your happiness is our happiness.”
“Thank you, Rae. But this happiness can only last as long as we have peace.” Claire spoke softly, as if soothing a child throwing a tantrum. “The kingdom is still unstable; it’s only been a year since the revolution. Matt is right. We have no other choice.”
“But that doesn’t mean you have to be the one to sacrifice yourself!” I raised my voice.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not sacrificing myself. I’m going so I can secure peace for the kingdom with my own two hands.”
The girl making this bold declaration was unmistakably the same girl I had loved for all this time.
“If I were to refuse Matt’s request,” Claire continued, “I would be entrusting our future to a stranger—and I will not stand for that.”
“Miss Claire…” This was Claire. The girl who always played the hand she was dealt and never sat idle. The villainess who was unafraid to get her hands dirty to have her way.
“I’m not one to throw my life away in vain. Trust me. I’ll have the empire dancing in the palm of my hand soon enough.” Just watch me, Claire seemed to say as she smiled. “I’m going for the sake of my family’s happiness.”
I saw the light of determination in Claire’s eyes.
Ah…I couldn’t do it.
I couldn’t stop her again.
I was going to lose her again.
I had given up all hope—making Claire’s next words all the more a shock.
“And you’re coming too, Rae.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean, ‘huh’? Of course you’re coming. Where I go, you go. Did you think you had a choice in the matter?” Claire tried her best to sound haughty, but I could tell it was an act. She couldn’t hide the overflowing trust and love in her words. “Did you really think I was going alone?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Actually, it’s my fault, isn’t it? I do have a prior offense.” Claire smiled wryly as we both recalled what had happened during the revolution. “I thought that was best for everyone. But I was wrong. It finally hit me when you cried at my execution, showing me your true selfishness for the first time.”
She stood from her chair and walked over to me, softly hugging my shoulders.
“I’ll never leave you alone again. No matter the danger, we’ll face it together.” She gently touched her forehead to mine, stared into my eyes, and asked, “Will you come with me?”
“Of course I will. I’d come with you even if you begged me not to.”
“He he. Good.”
We giggled before exchanging a quick peck on the lips.
“But what about May and Aleah? You’re not thinking of bringing them, are you?” I asked.
“While I feel bad for them, we’ll have to leave them in the care of someone we trust. Maybe the cathedral priest, or Master Rod—”
“No!”
“You can’t!”
Our beloved daughters ran in suddenly. I’d been wondering why it was so quiet in their room… They must have been eavesdropping.
“What are you two doing here?”
“Oh, May, Aleah…”
“I’m going wherever you two go!” May insisted.
“Me too!” Aleah insisted as well. The two rubbed their teary eyes.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t. The place we’re going is very dangero—”
“Nooooo!”
“We’re coming, too!”
They cut Claire off again. I didn’t think I’d ever seen them react to anything so strongly before.
“May, Aleah…”
“You can’t abandon us!”
“I don’t wanna be alone again!”
Claire looked like a deer caught in headlights. I probably wore a similar expression. How could we have forgotten?
May and Aleah had been passed on to their relatives after their parents died and then became orphans when those relatives died in turn. By the time we met them, their suffering had made them cold and blank—emotionless dolls made in the image of people. They’d recovered thanks to the love Claire and I showered them with, but the memory of those times still lived inside them. They couldn’t help but react now.
“Are you going to abandon us, too? Are we going to be alone again?”
“I don’t wanna be alone… I wanna be with my mothers!”
They sobbed, their small frames trembling as they pleaded with us. Claire froze up, unsure of what to do.
“Miss Claire… Let’s take them with us.”
“Rae, do you know what you’re saying?!” Claire seemed appalled I would suggest such a thing, but I pressed my case.
“It’ll be fine. I’ve made up my mind. We’ll face the empire head-on.”
“R-Rae?” Claire looked at me, nonplussed, but I smiled at her and approached May and Aleah.
“I’m sorry we worried you two. We’re not going to leave you behind.”
“Really…?”
“Really, really?”
“Yeah. So in exchange, can you two promise to be good girls?”
“Uh-huh!”
“Yes!”
May and Aleah leapt into my arms. It wasn’t often that they did this with me. We’d really scared them.
“It’s not like me to try to play things safe. I can protect my family myself.”
I’d made my decision. All that remained was to prepare and take action. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I kicked my brain into top gear.
***
“A spin-off?”
“That’s right.”
The night after we decided to go to the empire as a family, Claire and I began discussing our plans. May and Aleah were already in bed, so the only ones in the living room were Claire and me, along with a bunch of documents I had prepared.
“As I explained to you during the revolution, I’m able to predict the events of this world to a degree.”
“Right. Something about a book of prophecies.”
“Correct.” Although it wasn’t actually a book of prophecies but a dating sim. “The name of the book of prophecies was Revolution, and it had a spin-off called Revolution: Lily Side.”
Revolution: Lily Side, or Revo-Lily for short, was—as you might have guessed from the title—a yuri spin-off of Revolution. The truth was that I had actually played Revo-Lily before Revolution. I was the kind of nerd who played all kinds of games, but my sexual orientation had made me particularly fond of yuri games. Yuri games hadn’t been popular back in my first turn at youth, but Revo-Lily had still managed to be widely regarded as a masterpiece.
“Revolution: Lily Side—that’s a bit long, let’s shorten it—Revo-Lily has information about the empire that we can use.”
Revo-Lily was one of many spin-offs released after the success of Revolution. Its protagonist was the princess of the Nur Empire. You played by pursuing one of three love interests, which were the empress, a government official, and a classmate. Of course, being a yuri game, all the relevant characters were women. I eventually came to play the original Revolution after falling for Claire, who made a guest appearance in Revo-Lily as an exiled noble.
“If we guide Princess Philine down a certain route, the entire empire will fall apart.”
“R-really?”
“Really.”
There was a revolution route in Revo-Lily, too. You could opt to romance no one and instead lead a revolution to overthrow the imperial government—just like in the original Revolution, which was, in fact, the very same route I had taken a year prior.
“That said, bringing down the entire government of the empire would just open a whole new can of worms. It’s not completely off the table, but for now, let’s aim to bring down any elements agitating for conflict.”
“Sounds good.” It had to seem like I was pulling all this information out of thin air, but Claire agreed unhesitatingly regardless.
“I love you,” I said.
“Wh-what are you saying so suddenly?”
“Just thinking how nice it is that you trust me.”
“Well, why wouldn’t I?”
“He he.” I proceeded, having basked for a moment in Claire’s love for me. “We need the support of many people to make this plan work, but the most important person will be Philine. She’s extremely shy and has trouble speaking her mind.”
“Can such a person really start a revolution?”
“Not now, but it’s her character growth that makes her so interesting.”
“Growth? In that book of prophecies?”
“Ah, sorry. Just thinking to myself.”
In my experience, the protagonists of dating sims tended to be devoid of personality. I understood that this was meant to allow players to project themselves onto the character, but I still didn’t love it. Revo-Lily’s protagonist, Philine, started out as one such husk. But as the story progressed, she grew stronger and more independent. This growth was most notable in the revolution route.
Incidentally, Claire, as a guest character, always proved to be the greatest obstacle in Philine’s path. She played the role of villainess, just like in the first game, but had many more cool scenes than in the original. In one, Philine condemned Claire as a criminal and had her executed, but Claire just laughed defiantly in her high-pitched voice as they lopped off her head. I watched that scene countless times…and always fell into a three-day depression afterward.
“Anyway, our plan of action is to make contact with Philine and lead her down the right route.”
“Okay. What should I do then? I can’t let you do all the heavy lifting, after all,” Claire said, filling me with reassurance. This time, I wasn’t working alone. With Claire by my side, I could do anything.
“First, let me cross-reference the events I remember against the events that have occurred. In the version of events I remember, Claire was an influential noble of the empire.”
“Of the empire?! How could such a thing be possible?”
“Meh, let’s skip over that for now.”
“What?! Isn’t something like that important?!”
“We’re skipping it.”
“I don’t get you sometimes…”
I didn’t want to explain. It would take too long. “Anyway, the Claire from my book of prophecies supported the Nur Empire, which means you’re in the opposite situation now.”
“I see. In that case, your knowledge might not be too helpful here.”
“Compared to the revolution, yes. But that doesn’t mean it’s completely useless.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Her words made me so happy that I wanted to hug her tight right then and there. But we were talking about serious stuff, so I restrained myself.
“Actually, your current position might make things easier,” I said.
“What do you mean?” Claire tilted her head. She was just the cutest.
“Philine is shy, but she’s also kind. She doesn’t approve of the aggressive actions taken by her government.”
“Which means?”
“Which means she holds you in high regard as someone who achieved a nonviolent revolution while thwarting the empire.”
“Really?” Claire asked doubtfully.
“Well, I’m sure it’s not actually that simple. But she should have some interest in you that we can take advantage of.”
Claire sighed. “I feel like I’m a shameless adult trying to deceive an innocent child.”
“Perhaps that’s not too far off. Don’t worry, I’ll be a shameless adult with you.”
“I guess we have no other choice.”
I’d managed to get Claire on board so far. I continued as she sipped her tea. “There’s a good chance we’ll make contact with Philine during the exchange student program. Once we do that, things can begin.”
“So we’re leaving it up to luck?”
“I prefer ‘playing it by ear.’ For the time being, could you try to memorize all this information about Revo-Lily I’ve written down here?”
“I can, but is that really all right? Didn’t you say sharing the future might change it to something you can’t predict?”
I was surprised she remembered. That had been quite a while back.
“I couldn’t tell you back then because the matter directly concerned you. This time is different. We can work together to woo Philine.”
“Could you not say ‘woo’? It sounds like we’re trying to court her.”
“Perv.”
“Oh, so you want me to burn you that badly?” Claire asked as the François family crests floated above her head.
“It was just a joke, Miss Claire! There’s no need for your Magic Ray! Please, you’ll burn the house down!” I cowered. “L-Let’s start by discussing Philine’s circumstances. There’s quite a bit to cover.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Claire said. “Memorization is one of my strong suits.”
From that day onward, we began designing our plan to manipulate the empire.
***
“And that’s everything that happened until now.”
“Um, who are you talking to, Rae?”
“Oh, sorry. Just myself.”
And so, we returned to where our story started. The present day, right after Claire had given me an out-of-body experience by treating me to her wonderful home cooking.
“We’ve done all the planning we could. All that’s left is to put it into action,” I said.
“Yes. There have been a number of surprises along the way, but I have a feeling it will all work out… No, we’ll make it work out.”
“That’s the spirit, Miss Claire! You’re marvelous!”
“Don’t make fun of me.” Claire huffed, but I saw the smile on her face. She was so easy to please.
Our preparations involved many things, including having Hans—the shopkeeper from my hometown—send us information about the empire. I was confident this world was largely identical to that of the game, but I wanted to make sure the empire as it existed in this reality was faithful to its representation in Revo-Lily. I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths if it were just me going, but Claire and our two daughters were also coming. Better safe than sorry.
Other than Hans, I also asked Rod and my father-in-law, Dole, to thoroughly investigate the situation we were walking into. I couldn’t verify every minute detail from the game, but so far, it seemed the empire was as I remembered it. To say I could finally relax would have been a stretch, but at least I had something to count on now.
“In the end, how many people are traveling to the empire, Rae?” Claire had left the information gathering to me while she studied my Revo-Lily notes.
“About fifty.”
The centerpiece of the group would be Yu, just as Matt had said. Yu had once been third in line to the throne and was now cardinal of the Spiritual Church, giving her great value as a hostage. Of course, Yu’s close confidant, Misha, would also come. Some of the other participants included Lana, Eve, and Joel from my class.
We decided to enroll May and Aleah at the Imperial Academy’s elementary school. I couldn’t help worrying about what the empire would teach them, as I did have a rough idea of their curriculum, but we needed someone to look after them while Claire and I schemed.
“Sousse and the Alpes are also sending students. Lene will be among them.”
“That’s fantastic news!” Claire’s face lit up upon hearing Lene’s name. She loved Lene as much as ever. I made a sour face.
“Oh, my. Are you jealous?”
“Whatever. Hmph!”
“Don’t be like that. Lene may be a close friend of mine, but you’re my one and only lover.”
“I know… But I still can’t help but feel a little needy.”
“He he, you’re adorable.” Claire smiled angelically, then kissed me.
“Ah! It’s not fair Mama Rae is the only one! Me too! Me too!” May insisted.
“Me too, please!” Aleah insisted as well.
“Yes, yes, one at a time.” Smiling all the while, Claire gave May and Aleah a kiss on the forehead. The two girls looked ticklish but happily accepted their kisses regardless.
“Will we make friends?” May said.
“I’m worried…” Aleah said.
We headed out for the empire tomorrow and, as shy as they were, the girls were worried about moving to a new environment.
“I’m sure you two will be fine. You’re so cute, after all,” Claire said.
“I’m cute?” May asked.
“That’s right.”
“Me too?” Aleah asked.
“Of course.”
“Yay!”
“He he, Mother Claire said I’m cute!”
Claire smiled as May and Aleah kissed her on the cheeks.
“What about me?” I asked.
“Does Mother Rae want kisses, too?” May smiled.
“You have to say ‘pretty please’!” Aleah insisted.
“Pretty please!”
“Okay, fine!”
“Fine, fine!”
I received strangely different treatment but was kissed nonetheless. I seized the opportunity to grab them and began raining kisses down on their marshmallow-soft cheeks.
“Ahh! Nooo!”
“Let go, please!”
It seemed they truthfully didn’t like it, so I reluctantly let them go. That kind of reaction made Mommy sad…
“I think I understand the family hierarchy now,” I said. Claire was at the top, May and Aleah at the middle, and I was at the very bottom.
“Ha ha, our family has no such thing. May and Aleah both respect you very much. Isn’t that right, dears?” Claire tried to cheer me up.
“I really, really like the food you make!” May exclaimed.
“Now that I learn from Mother Rae, I understand just how good at cooking she is!” Aleah said.
My greatest asset was cooking, it seemed. That kind of hurt in its own way. No, I needed to be happy! I loved cooking, and it was a fine life skill… But I wouldn’t mind if they had said something a little nicer, you know?
“All right, time for bed, you two. We have to get up early tomorrow,” Claire said. It was almost 8:00 p.m., the children’s bedtime.
“I don’t wanna sleep yet!”
“I’m not sleepy!”
The girls objected, which was out of character for them.
“Oh really? You two look pretty sleepy to me,” Claire said.
“N-no…”
“I’m not…sleepy…”
Was something wrong with them? They usually went to bed when we asked them to.
“I don’t wanna sleep…because when we wake up, we’ll have to say bye-bye to the house…” May said as she rubbed her eyes.
“I don’t wanna say bye-bye…”
“Oh,” Claire said, shocked.
But of course. This house had been the first place they could happily call their own home. Neither the streets of the slums nor the communal living space of the convent had the hallmarks of a place where they truly belonged, and they would part with it tomorrow.
“May, Aleah, we’re not saying bye-bye to this house yet.”
“Huh?”
Claire grinned at their confused, sleepy countenances as she continued. “For moments like these, we say ‘be back soon.’”
“Really?”
“Are we coming back soon?”
“Yes, and this house will be here, waiting to say ‘welcome back’ to you.” Claire scooped them up. “How about we all sleep together tonight?”
“Yay!”
“Can we?!”
“Why not? If that’s okay by you, Rae.”
“Of course. I’ll fetch the futons.”
“Thank you.”
Claire carried the girls to the bedroom. I thought of the trials to come as I brought the lightweight goose-down futons over.
I’ll make sure everyone comes back to this house alive.
I was sure our life in Nur wouldn’t be as peaceful as our life here. Making contact with Philine and defeating the empire would likely involve difficult decisions, more difficult than the ones made for the revolution.
Even so, I’ll find that happy future for my family. For their happiness.
That night, we all slept side by side, with Claire and I sandwiching May and Aleah. The two girls argued over who would sleep on Claire’s side and played rock-paper-scissors, ending in May’s victory. My feelings weren’t hurt or anything…
The next morning, we packed our bags and left the house. A carriage waited outside, ready to take us to the empire. Claire locked the door behind us, and we were finally ready to make our journey. But before that, one last thing. We turned to the house and smiled.
“Be back soon!” |
Chapter 10: The Imperial Academy
Chapter 10:The Imperial Academy
THE NUR EMPIRE lay to the east of the Bauer Kingdom, Sousse to the south, the Alpes to the west, and the Loro Empire—separated from the Alpes by a desert—even farther west than that.
This meant that, of the countries participating in the proposed three-nation alliance, the Bauer Kingdom sat closest to the Nur Empire. In turn, we faced the highest risk. Of course, I didn’t think for a second that Manaria—who had proposed the alliance—would hang us out to dry, but the dog-eat-dog world of diplomacy didn’t allow for personal feelings. No matter what Manaria herself wanted, Sousse had its own agenda as a country.
The same went for the Bauer Kingdom. We had every right to refuse the empire’s peace treaty, form the three-nation alliance, and confront Nur directly. But such a decision could not be considered sound, at least not with the kingdom’s current need for resources. We had no choice but to take a stance of peace, even if only temporarily.
Shrewd Nur noticed this weakness in the three-nation alliance and took advantage.
That being said, while the empire was indeed a thorn in the kingdom’s side, not many Bauer citizens actually understood anything about it. The layperson on the street would likely describe it as a dictatorship that exploited its people and only used its budget on military spending. But reality had a way of surprising you.
“The empire is…not quite what I expected.” Claire gawked in surprise at the streets around her. “The city’s so lively, and there’s hardly a soldier to be seen.”
We had arrived in Ruhm, the Imperial Capital of the Nur Empire, and were making our way to the Imperial Castle on foot after leaving the carriage.
“Well, this street runs through the central market. If the central market wasn’t doing this well, I doubt the empire would have the leeway to even think about waging war,” I said.
The city teemed with life no matter where you looked. Citizens thronged around us, gleefully touting their wares or shopping for goods. The lines of stalls sold not only imports from abroad but also the local specialty goods of the many countries annexed by the empire.
“Wow… I’ve never seen so many different people in one place. I’ve never even seen some of these hair colors and skin tones in Bauer. And as far as I can tell, not one person is enslaved. Everyone treats everyone else as free citizens,” Claire said.
This was a new sight for me as well, who’d formerly lived in Japan, a largely homogeneous country. Of course, the European-style Bauer Kingdom had felt foreign to me when I first arrived, but the Nur Empire felt even more so with the diversity of its populace. This diversity was largely made possible by the Nur government’s policies.
“Miss Claire, do you remember the underlying beliefs of the Nur Empire’s policies?”
“I believe it was meritocracy, the same ideology the late King l’Ausseil supported.” As expected of an educated lady like Claire. She was well informed about neighboring countries, not just her own. But her answer lacked something.
“The empire takes meritocracy to a much higher level than our kingdom does,” I said.
“Oh?”
“You know how the empire is invading and annexing countries left and right?”
“But of course.”
“People from those annexed countries who show promise are given citizenship without question.”
The heads of the conquered vassal states despised this policy, but those in the lower echelons of society embraced it with open arms. For people whose talents might never otherwise see the light of day, being annexed by the empire could be a heaven-sent opportunity.
Of course, not everyone saw it that way.
“The empire’s minister of foreign affairs was originally from an annexed country to the north called Rasha,” I said.
“You’re telling me they let a non-native handle the country’s foreign affairs?!”
“Indeed. It wasn’t always like this, though. It took decades after the current empress came to power for these policies to become so well established.”
The empire had always taken an aggressive approach to diplomacy, but it hadn’t been until the current empress, Dorothea, unified it under her brand of rationalism that it achieved its current form. Dorothea Nur had been born the second daughter of the prior emperor. For generations, the eldest son had inherited the throne, with women shut out of the line of succession. But Dorothea had overcome that with her resourcefulness, willingness to use violence, and harsh rationalism. She had usurped her own father.
“This was simply the fastest way,” she’d said apathetically as she killed her father. At the time, she had been a mere seven years old. Of course, she’d had adults backing her usurpation, but they hadn’t been able to make her their willing puppet after the impact she’d had on the empire.
“That’s quite the harrowing story.”
“I can tell you for a fact that her talent is the real deal. She’s not just a strong leader; she’s an unparalleled warrior known as the Sword God. Master Rod mentioned her, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he said the empress routed an entire battalion of Sousse soldiers single-handedly. But that had to be an exaggeration.”
“Not at all. It’s the truth.”
The empire was a dictatorship, but it was held together by its charismatic and competent leader, Dorothea. Maybe you’ve heard something like this before? Better to live in a dictatorship with a competent leader than in a democracy with an incompetent one.
While I didn’t agree with the idea, there was some truth to it.
“Oh, Her Majesty isn’t that scary.”
The Nur man guiding us flashed us a wry smile. His tone wasn’t one of admonishment but rather of reassurance. He seemed used to correcting people about the empress.
“I’ll admit,” the guide continued, “there are a lot of unsettling tales about Her Majesty Dorothea. But everyone who meets her only has good to say. She’s charming. You’ll understand once you see her in person.”
He spoke as if she were a close friend. I assumed he had been granted audience with her before.
“You see, I come from a country to the south called Xixi. Back when it was annexed, I participated in protests against the empire. But those protests soon died down when it became apparent that life under Empress Dorothea’s rule was far better than life under the Xixi aristocracy.”
“I take it you don’t resent the empire?” Claire delicately asked.
“Of course not. If anything, I’m thankful.” The guide smiled at Claire. I didn’t think most people agreed with his point of view, but it still spoke to how much trust the people had in Dorothea. “We’ve about arrived at the castle.”
We looked in the direction the guide pointed and found ourselves faced with an enormous building.
“That’s…a castle?” Claire voiced the same thoughts I had.
It resembled a fortress more than anything. Bauer’s royal palace was regal and imposing, but the imperial castle of Nur was completely utilitarian in design. Clearly, its only apparent function was to resist invaders. Its forbidding facade was perhaps a reflection of the empress who lived within.
“Oh, I forgot to say one thing,” The guide came to a halt before turning to face us. “Welcome to the Nur Empire.”
***
In contrast to its spartan exterior, the inside of the castle was well furbished. Not in terms of fancy fixtures or artwork—I saw none of either—but it had evidently been constructed of the highest-quality materials, making it regal in a different way from the royal palace or Bauer Cathedral in the kingdom’s capital.
After arriving at the castle, we were seated in a waiting room until we could be granted an audience. Obviously, the entire group of fifty wasn’t going to be allowed to see the empress. Only the representatives—Yu, Misha, Claire, and I—would be permitted. The four of us had changed into formal attire and double-checked our gifts. All that remained was to wait.
“We’re finally going to see the empress. I wonder if she’ll live up to the rumors?” Lady Yu sat snugly on a sofa, which was positioned at the head of the table. With her hair grown out, wearing makeup that Misha had carefully applied, it was hard to believe people had once thought she was a boy. She moved with dainty grace, tilting her head slightly to the side as she mused. She’d always been rather androgynous, but finally being able to live openly and freely as a woman had brought her natural beauty shining forth.
“Lady Yu, I trust I needn’t remind you that we are not here for fun? Don’t neglect your duty as a representative of the kingdom.” The woman situated by Yu’s side, wearing a habit and warning Yu for the umpteenth time to take her role seriously, was Misha, of course. She’d taken rather well to life as a nun. Maybe it was simply meant to be, considering how humorless she’d always been.
“Me? A representative? Don’t you mean sacrifice?” Yu joked.
“Please don’t say such things. We’re here on legitimate diplomatic business. If anything were to happen to you, hostilities would resume immediately.”
“I know, but I feel like you only care about the politics. Aren’t you at all worried about me?”
“Please consider the time and place before making such remarks, Lady Yu.”
“So cold.” Yu shrugged at Misha’s curt reply.
Get a room, you two, I thought.
Yu turned to us. “Anyhow, it’s been a while since we last met, Rae and Claire. How have May and Aleah been?”
“They’ve been well. Thank you for your help last time.” Claire bowed her head.
“Not at all. I’m sorry we couldn’t be of more help. How’s their curse been?”
“We’ve tried many things, but to no avail,” I replied, to which Yu knit her brows.
Half a year ago, Claire and I had asked to use the Tears of the Moon to remove May’s and Aleah’s curse. The Tears of the Moon was a secret relic of the Spiritual Church, the kind we’d normally never have access to, but Yu and the church owed us a favor. While the higher ranks of the clergy were reluctant, Yu’s support and the pope’s final word got our request granted.
Yet the curse in May’s and Aleah’s blood remained. The Tears of the Moon was a magic tool that removed negative status effects, but its strength was proportional to the amount of time it spent absorbing moonlight. It had been used on Yu just half a year ago at the time, so perhaps it needed more time to recharge before it could dispel the curse. Regardless, the fact remained that we had yet to find a cure.
“What manner of curse is this? Most curses would be dispelled with half a year’s worth of moonlight,” Yu said.
“I don’t know, but we must find a way to dispel it. I don’t want those girls to suffer any more than they already have.” Claire’s expression was grim but determined. Of course, I felt the same way.
“Misha’s doing her best to find some information that can help,” Yu said. “She’s been poring through the old tomes stored in the church archives.”
“Thank you for all your help, Misha,” Claire said.
“Not at all. I’m sorry I can’t do more.”
“We’ll let you know if we find anything once we’re allowed to review the specific use history of the Tears of the Moon.” Yu said.
“Please do.” Claire bowed. I followed suit.
“Still, I’m surprised how much you two have changed. It feels like just yesterday you two were bickering with each other at the Academy, and now you’re together with kids.” Yu giggled as Claire blushed beet red.
“There’s no one more surprised than me, you know?” Claire sighed. “I feel like I haven’t had a moment’s rest since I met this girl.”
“Do you hate it?” Yu asked teasingly.
“Th-that’s, well…” Claire wavered.
“Lucky you, Rae. Your efforts paid off.”
“It’s an honor! I’m the luckiest girl in the world!” I proudly declared.
“Rae!” Claire stepped on my foot. It hurt, but pain was a reward in itself when you were in as deep as me.
Claire sighed heavily. “We both have it rough, don’t we, Misha?”
“We do indeed, Miss Claire.”
They seemed to have found common ground. Huh? What was so wrong with Yu and me wanting to show our lovers some love?
“Backtracking a bit: How much do you two know about the empress?” Yu asked.
“I only know the bare minimum,” answered Claire.
“I’ve only heard that she’s a dictator, but also a strong, fair, charismatic leader,” I said.
“I see. That’s about all I know, too. The problem is that everyone who meets her says the same thing. ‘She’s charming,’ ad infinitum.”
Come to think of it, our guide had said the same thing.
“I have a feeling there’s some magic at work,” Yu continued.
Claire frowned. “You’re suggesting she maintains her rule through mind control?”
“It’s not improbable. This is the same woman who usurped the throne at the age of seven. Even if we assume she was an early bloomer, there’s no way she could secure that many supporters at so young an age.”
“H-hold on, aren’t we in for it, then?” I said. “If you’re right, we’ll be brainwashed as soon as we meet her. And if they control all four of us, they’ll control the entire exchange student group.”
“Ah…” Claire’s eyes widened in understanding.
We four were the key members of the exchange group. Some officials were accompanying us for administrative purposes, of course, as well as some actual students, but we mattered more than anyone. If we got brainwashed, Bauer’s fate was sealed. Mind control hadn’t been in the plot of Revo-Lily, but Yu’s allegation had troubling logical weight.
“Indeed,” said Yu. “That’s why I brought this. Misha?”
“Yes.” Misha extended her right hand. Her palm cradled a small ring.
“What is this?” Claire asked.
“The Tears of the Moon,” Yu replied.
“What?!” Claire stared, astonished. “But…the relic used on May and Aleah was quite a bit larger…”
“That’s a decoy. This small ring is the real deal.”
In other words, the large ritual item they’d brought out for us back then was a fake.
“Then…the reason May and Aleah weren’t cured was because—”
“The church didn’t trick us, Claire,” I cut in to pacify her; she’d begun eyeing Yu and Misha with distrust.
“So you noticed, Rae?” Yu asked.
“Yes. I saw the real ring on your finger when the decoy was brought out.”
“I take it you don’t want us to ask how you know the true form of the Tears of the Moon?”
“That would be nice.”
“Very well, then.” Yu smiled bitterly. She was likely dying to know. “Moving along—this ring can keep at least one of us from being brainwashed. I think our strongest fighter, Rae, should wear it.”
“I’m fine with that, but are you sure you want to put your faith in me?”
“I know very well what kind of person you are. Just don’t tell the church or the kingdom. They wanted me to wear it.” Yu gave me a wink.
“Misha, aren’t you going to stop her?”
“Considering my position, I should. But I think Lady Yu is right this time. In terms of raw combat strength, Miss Claire would also be a wise choice, but she can’t use water magic to potentially dispel mind control effects. You’re our best option,” Misha said with a sigh.
There was a knock at the door. “Thank you for waiting. Her Majesty Dorothea is ready to see you.”
It was time.
Yu stood. “Now then, shall we go meet Her Majesty?”
***
A woman with long hair of deep crimson and eyes red as flame sat silently atop her throne. Her body was clad in pitch-black armor, draped in an equally black mantle. By her hip hung two swords. Her elbows listlessly rested on her armrests as her idle gaze trained on us.
“You have done well to come all this way. I am Dorothea, the Empress of Nur.” A surprisingly deep alto rang out. Her husky voice and masculine manner of speech were still simultaneously, unmistakably those of a woman. It was a voice of profound and regal power; one that compelled you to unconditionally obey.
“It is an honor to meet you. I am the representative of Bauer Kingdom’s exchange student group, Yu Bauer. Thank you f—”
“Enough. I have no interest in greetings smothered in meaningless diplomatic courtesy.” Dorothea looked annoyed as she cut off Yu, someone who always kept her true feelings hidden behind many veils.
Yu faltered, taken by surprise.
Dorothea continued, undaunted. “You’ve seen the Imperial Capital. Give me your thoughts.”
“The capital is marvelous. Its people are spirited, and—”
“I have no use for your empty flattery. That’s twice I’ve had to warn you, Yu Bauer. I won’t forgive you for wasting my time again.” Dorothea rested her head on one hand as her other hand tapped her armrest in irritation. “I’m getting nowhere with you. You, Rae Taylor, answer instead.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t dally. I asked for your impression of the capital.”
I was dumbstruck. I couldn’t just say nothing, so I simply said what was truly on my mind. “I don’t have much to say about the capital when we only just got here, Your Majesty. If you’re really going to squeeze me for an answer, then I guess ‘lively’ sounds about right?”
“Rae!” Claire scolded, even though I was tailoring my tone based on my knowledge of Dorothea’s personality from Revo-Lily.
“Do you mean to say my city was not enough to impress you?”
“It wasn’t too different from the Bauer Kingdom.”
“What of the myriad races my people represent? Surely that can’t be found in your kingdom.”
“Oh, yeah. That was a little impressive. Like, ‘Oh, wowzers, it’s really a meritocracy,’ you know?”
Claire stared at me, mouth agape. I was speaking to the monarch of a massive empire with an unimaginable degree of rudeness. But I had a feeling this was the correct way to proceed.
“Hmm…I see. So my empire was not enough to impress you. The Bauer Kingdom must be a more noteworthy nation than I first thought.”
“Oh, but I was impressed by how much the citizens adored Your Majesty. I figured they’d fear you.”
“There is logic to ruling through fear, but it can’t compare to adoration and respect. And I’m a devout believer in rationality.”
“You don’t say? I think it’s a pretty good way of going about things. By the way, can Your Majesty use mind control magic?”
“Rae?!”
“Wha—Rae!”
This time, it was Yu and Misha’s turn to be appalled.
Maybe that was a little too direct? I thought as I waited for Dorothea’s answer.
“Pfft… Ha ha…” Dorothea’s shoulders trembled as she hung her head. “Ha ha ha ha! You seem to have full knowledge of my nature, Rae Taylor! You’re as mysterious as they say.”
“Sure.”
“Brainwashing, you said? Did you bring that trinket from your house of worship because you suspected such a thing?” Dorothea scoffed.
Yu’s eyes went wide in shock. Dorothea knew. And about the true form of the Tears of the Moon at that!
Yu quickly lowered her head. “Forgive our rudeness… We…”
“Enough. Your actions are logically sound. Well then, I sit before you now. Do you feel some sort of artificial adoration for me?”
“No, not particularly. What about you, Miss Claire? Are you head over heels for Her Majesty yet?”
“Rae!”
“It’s fine. Speak your mind, Claire François. You’re Rae’s lover, are you not? Do you find yourself mesmerized by me?” Dorothea seemed to be enjoying herself now. So she even knew about our relationship?
“I think Her Majesty is a very interesting person, but I feel no artificial attraction toward you.”
“Of course not. Miss Claire is smitten with me, after all,” I added.
“Rae!”
“Ha ha ha ha! I see, I see! So I’m not even a threat? I find that slightly vexing.”
Dorothea stood up and walked toward us, her mantle billowing, before stopping in front of Claire and me. Her intensity from up close was searing. She was beautiful. I’d heard she was in her late thirties, but she didn’t look a day older than her mid-twenties.
“You two were doubtlessly the heart of the Bauer revolution.” Dorothea smiled confidently.
“Not at all, Your Majesty,” Claire replied. “The revolution was brought about through the power of the people. Rae and I played a very small role.”
“I don’t need your modesty. I regard you two quite highly. You managed to crush the plan I spent years preparing.”
Wait—had she just openly admitted she’d been plotting against the Bauer Kingdom? Here, on our first step toward peace?
“Won’t you two be mine?”
“Huh…?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself. Come serve me as my subjects. You’ve proven your capabilities. I can assure you you’ll be well compensated. How about it?”
Claire looked bewildered, and understandably so. We’d come here on a formal diplomatic mission, and now suddenly, we were being headhunted?
“Do you jest?” Claire asked.
“Claire’s already spoken for, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to woo her,” I stated.
“R-Rae!”
“Ha ha ha! The rumors were true—you really do like to play the fool, Rae Taylor. I’ll allow your transgressions to slide, so long as you continue to entertain me.”
“I didn’t come here for Your Majesty’s entertainment,” I said, which prompted Dorothea to clap.
“Oh! That’s right. This meeting was part of the plan to placate the Bauer Kingdom.”
“Your true thoughts are leaking through. This meeting was to formally greet the exchange students, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, I do remember something like that. Forgive me, I don’t see any merit in remembering such dull falsehoods.”
Was it really okay for the empress to say such things?
“Your Majesty!” A man beside the throne who looked like an advisor was growing panicked.
“Silence, old man. I’ll entertain your grumblings later.”
The advisor, who looked older than Dole, held his tongue. I felt for him, having to advise an empress like this.
“Well, this should be good enough for greetings. Do you have any further business?”
Yu returned to formalities. “We’ve come bearing gifts from our kingdom. Please accept them.”
Dorothea waved her hand disinterestedly. “Just leave those wherever. I’ll send something suitable to your country in return. Anything else?”
“That’ll be—”
“May I ask something?” Claire abruptly cut Yu off. “Does Her Majesty have no intention of ceasing her invasion of other countries?”
“Claire?!” Yu said, alarmed. Even I, who never really felt perturbed, was a little taken aback by the frankness of Claire’s question.
“Hmph… You’re bold to ask such a thing, Claire François.”
“I apologize for my rudeness. May I have your answer?”
I was certain we had crossed the line, but the empress just stood there, thinking. “Invasion… I suppose that’s how it must seem to your people.”
“Are we wrong?”
“No, not at all. No matter my true intent, from your perspective, it is but invasion. I think that logical.”
“Then what is your true intent?”
“I cannot tell you that yet. Unless you’d be willing to serve me.”
“Then it seems we have nothing further to discuss.”
“I see. That’s too bad.” Dorothea looked somewhat dejected. She was acting…right? “Any further business?”
“That’ll be all from us,” said Yu. This time, nobody interrupted her.
“Very well. Enjoy your stay in my empire. You may leave.”
And so our first audience with Dorothea came to an end.
***
“So that was Empress Dorothea. She’s a tyrant, all right,” Yu reflected as Misha helped her change.
We were currently inside a dormitory assigned to the Bauer exchange students. Well, I say dormitory, but it was actually an inn that had been remodeled to accommodate us. Each room was bigger than those in the Royal Academy’s dorms, a show of the empire’s wealth.
The four of us had gathered in the lounge after our audience with Dorothea. We wanted to reflect on what happened as we shed our formal outer layers.
“I didn’t expect her to entirely eschew diplomatic courtesy,” I said.
“That’s probably what seems logical to her. She’s the worst kind of opponent for someone like me, who uses words as weapons.” Yu sighed as Misha removed her coat. Dorothea had largely ignored her even as we left. “Rae is a better match for Dorothea. I’ll let you handle things next time we meet.”
“Don’t say that, Yu. Rae was only able to act without restraint because you showed the bare minimum of required formalities.” Misha was trying to cheer her up. They really were a good match.
“Miss Claire, cheer me up, too!”
“Why? You seem chipper enough to me.” Claire curtly denied my request, much to my dismay.
“Let’s hear everyone’s impression of Dorothea, starting with Misha,” Yu said.
Misha fell into thought for a moment. “She seemed to act without consideration of others. But…perhaps that’s more a quality of a ruler in itself.”
“What do you mean?”
“She doesn’t seem the type of person to let herself be swayed by those beneath her. That kind of single-minded focus might be necessary to unite people in pursuit of your goals.” Misha seemed to think Dorothea was the polar opposite of a less strident leader like the late King l’Ausseil or Thane.
“I see. She doesn’t have to weigh the opinions of her retainers, which would otherwise force her to perform an impossible juggling act. She can act without hesitation.”
“That’s it,” Misha affirmed.
“She’s a tyrant, no doubt. But she isn’t conceited, and she doesn’t ignore the needs of her people. Misha’s right—that’s leadership in its own way. What do you think, Claire?”
Claire frowned. “I don’t think I can ever see eye to eye with her.”
“Why is that?”
“Our values are too different. I don’t see any respect in the way Dorothea treats others, and I simply don’t like those who so thoroughly disregard decorum.”
I thought back to when Claire had taught May and Aleah the basics of etiquette. “To be without etiquette is to be unclothed,” she’d said. Claire valued the traditions of the bygone noble world. People like Dorothea, who spoke and acted without such mindfulness, offended her sensibilities.
“But I do understand why one might say she’s charismatic. She seems the type of person people want to follow, the type to never lose sight of her goal.”
You could see Dorothea’s beliefs reflected in her empire. Nur had a clear goal that all citizens jointly strove for. In pursuit of that goal, they sought out talent regardless of origin or creed, and they explicitly outlawed discrimination for the same reason.
“Yeah. To tell the truth, as someone who lacks that strength of purpose, I can’t help but admire people like her. Of my siblings, I’d say she’s most like my brother Rod,” Yu said.
I thought Rod and Dorothea were similar, too. They were both leaders who could act without hesitation and inspire people to their cause.
“How about you, Rae?”
“I think…she’s childish.”
“Hmm?” Yu looked confused. Misha and Claire also gave me puzzled frowns.
“She does whatever she wants and doesn’t listen to what other people say, but despite that, she still needs other people to help her. She’s basically a child.”
“I…hadn’t considered that.” Yu smiled as she nodded, realizing the truth of my words.
Dorothea was an adult, and a frightful one at that. It was easy to be intimidated by her. Yet my first impression was that she was childish. She stood at the head of the empire and was glorified by many, but at heart, she was immature. What she called “logic” and “rationality” were just excuses to do only as she pleased.
“Well, even if she is a little eccentric, she’s still the ruler of this empire,” I continued. “She’s clearly incomparable to a normal child. Just like my children.”
“Is that parental bias I hear?” Yu said teasingly.
It’s true, I swear! I moved on. “Seems there was no mind control involved in the end either.”
“Yes. It was just her natural charisma at work. That charisma wasn’t enough to win over Rae, though.” Yu fiddled with the box containing the Tears of the Moon. “I guess we brought this ring with us for nothing.”
“No, this is still an enemy country. You never know when we might need it,” Misha warned. She was right. We couldn’t let our guard down.
“Anyway, good work, everyone. We’ll be starting at the Imperial Academy tomorrow, so make sure to rest well tonight.” Yu’s words signaled the end of our meeting.
“Are you feeling tired, Miss Claire?” I worriedly asked as we walked back to our room. While she had more stamina than most people, our long journey from the kingdom, immediately followed by that audience with the empress, had to have been mentally draining.
“I’m all right. Thank you.”
“Are you sure? You’re not just putting on a brave front?”
“And what would that do for me? I’m fine, really. More importantly, I wonder if our luggage has been delivered to our room yet.”
“It should have been. I hope May and Aleah haven’t been up to any mischief.”
I opened the door to a wide room. Our luggage was there, but I saw no sign of the girls. The four of us were to lodge together—Yu had considerately traded rooms with us so we could have the largest one. It wasn’t the same as our beloved home in the kingdom, but for now, it would have to do.
“May? Aleah?”
“Mama!”
“We’re here!”
I called for the twins and immediately saw two small figures run toward us from the back of the room and straight into Claire’s arms.
“Boom!”
“Welcome back!”
“Thank you, May, Aleah. Were you two good girls?”
“Uh-huh!”
“Yes, Mother!”
We had kept them waiting alone for quite a long time, but the twins didn’t seem particularly put off. Come to think of it, back in Bauer, Claire and I had had to leave them home alone a lot. Maybe this wasn’t out of the ordinary for them.
“Shall we eat, then? Rae, could you prepare something for us?” Claire asked.
“Leave it to me.”
That overly formal, pain-in-the-neck audience with the empress was finally done. Claire, and even the children for that matter, had to be tired.
I’ll whip up something special, I thought as I headed to the attached kitchenette.
***
“Y-you’d dare oppose the empire?!”
“Oh, dear, whatever are you saying? Are we not both merely students? Your name wouldn’t happen to be ‘Empire’ now, would it?” Claire asked—a bold provocation. She smirked wickedly, the very image of a villainess. The man she spoke to seemed at a loss for words.
This clash unfolded at the educational institute run by the empire, the Imperial Academy. Behind Claire, who stood with her arms folded, a small girl trembled on the ground—Philine.
“U-um…”
“It’s okay. Let Miss Claire handle this,” I whispered into Philine’s ear as I took her hand and helped her stand. She seemed confused but nodded for the time being.
“Do you know who I am?!” the man demanded.
“I beg your pardon, but I’ve only just transferred here today. I haven’t the slightest idea.”
“You…you won’t get away with this!” The man stammered words befitting a henchman as he glared daggers at us.
As for why all this had come to pass on our first day—let’s rewind a few hours.
“These new transfer students will be joining you from today. Everyone, please give them a warm welcome.” The teacher introduced us briefly before assigning our seats and beginning class. I balked a bit in surprise; I’d expected time for self-introductions.
The teacher provided no review to help us transfer students catch up, nor did they ease us in at all. First period was a social studies course, but the difficulty of the materials and the pace of instruction far surpassed the mode of instruction at the Academy in Bauer. We didn’t know much about the culture of the empire either. With the exception of a few, we exchange students ended that class dead-tired.
“Class dismissed.” With those brusque words, the teacher left the classroom.
Who in the world could possibly keep up with these classes?! the transfer students unanimously thought.
At that point, a crowd formed around us. The teacher was cold, but the students didn’t seem much different from Bauer’s.
“Hey, hey, you guys are from the Bauer Kingdom, right?”
“Is it true you had a revolution?”
“What are your names?”
“Please, allow us to introduce ourselves,” Claire said.
Five Bauer transfer students were in this class: Claire, me, Lana, Eve, and Joel. I couldn’t see Yu or Lene, who had been assigned to a different class.
“My name is Claire François. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Claire introduced herself first. The moment she said her name, the entire classroom stirred.
“Aren’t you the hero of the revolution?!”
“Is it true you outsmarted and beat a thousand royal soldiers?!”
It seemed Claire’s fame had reached the empire, although the tale had clearly grown in the telling.
“I’m not that remarkable. The power of the people brought revolution.”
“But you’re, like, super strong, right?”
“Not even I could defeat a thousand people,” Claire demurred. “That part is exaggeration.”
“Hey, hey, who’s stronger, you or Her Majesty Dorothea?”
As I’d expected, Claire was popular right off the bat. Yet she turned to me. “How about we finish our introductions first? Rae?”
I stood from my chair at Claire’s prompt. “My name is Rae Taylor, and I’m Miss Claire’s wife. Don’t try to take her from me or I’ll bite.” I bared my teeth and growled a bit.
“Wha—Rae?!” Claire became flustered.
Sorry, Miss Claire. I have to do this to make sure everyone knows who belongs to whom!
“Huh? Is she with Claire?”
“She called her Miss Claire, though.”
“Ooh, Rae’s pretty funny!”
My introduction seemed well received. Perhaps they thought I was joking.
“N-next, then,” Claire continued. “Lana?”
“Heeey!” Lana stood and winked. “Name’s Lana Lahna! I’m a wicked girl trying to snatch Miss Rae from Miss Claire. Nice to meet you!”
“Huh? A love triangle?”
“Oh, man, that’s gonna be a bloodbath…”
“Just like Soap Opera.”
Seemed like Lana’s introduction had been well received, too. Hmm? Hold on…
“Um, did you say ‘soap opera’?” I asked.
“Yeah, you know, the novel series, Soap and Opera? It’s a masterpiece about messy relationships. I’ll lend it to you sometime.”
“Huh? Um, yeah. Thank you,” I said. So misleading!
“All right, next. Eve?”
“My name’s Eve Nuhn. Nice to meet you.” Eve introduced herself in her trademark blunt way.
“This time it’s a harsh, cold girl!”
“Hey, hey, want some candy?”
“Please step on me, Mommy.”
Eve’s introduction was also well received. Actually, were my ears playing tricks on me, or had there been something weird in the mix just there?
“Lastly, Joel?” Claire prompted.
“I’m Joel Santana. I’m confident in my physical strength. Nice to meet you.” Joel gave a passable introduction, although I thought it could be a little warmer.
“And now we have a level-headed cool guy.”
“That bluntness ain’t bad.”
“Please step on me, Daddy.”
Joel’s introduction was also well received. But also, come on, there was definitely one weirdo in this class.
Regardless, the students seemed welcoming enough. I’d been prepared for them to be more guarded, even for them to give us the cold shoulder, but they received us strangers amicably enough—perhaps because Nur prided itself in its diversity. As long as we put in the effort to get along, they would do the same.
“How about we introduce ourselves, too?”
“I’m Johann!”
“Wha—hey, I was going first!”
The students clamored as they introduced themselves one by one. I noticed that one person among them remained silent.
“Hey, Philine, it’s your turn!”
“Ah, y-yes…”
Claire glanced at me upon hearing Philine’s name. I nodded back.
“M-my name is Ph-Philine. N-nice to meet you…”
I couldn’t help thinking Philine looked like a small, timid animal as she shyly introduced herself. She sat down immediately afterward and hid her face behind a book.
“Philine’s actually Her Majesty Dorothea’s daughter—can you believe it? They’re nothing alike.”
“Is that so,” Claire responded.
No doubt about it, Philine was the girl we were after. I needed to think of how to engage her—
“Shut up!” A loud voice surprised us. I looked toward its source to see a rough-looking boy with his feet on his desk. “You guys are too noisy…”
“O-Otto…so you were here. Why don’t you introduce your—”
“And why the heck do I gotta do that?”
“N-never mind, then…”
The classroom fell silent. It seemed Otto was something of a problem child.
“Hey, that ringlet blonde and the rest are all enemies of the empire, right? Why the heck are you getting all chummy with them?” Otto’s chair creaked as he got up and lumbered toward us. A tall boy, nearly six feet already, he also sported impressive musculature. He was basically a walking boulder.
“Otto, was it? I’m Claire François. Pleased to meet you.”
“Don’t even try. I bet you’re just some sheltered rich lady like Philine over there.” Otto drew close to Claire, looking down on her from above. I itched to blast him with my magic, but Claire signaled me not to with her eyes.
“Me, a sheltered rich lady? Well, you’re not entirely wrong.”
“Heh, I knew it.”
“But I’d rather be a sheltered rich lady than a boy so poor in the head.”
Otto looked shocked for a moment before he fumed. “You tryin’ to get killed?!”
“Oh, my, you really are in want of a brain. Don’t you understand you’ll cause a diplomatic incident if you lay a hand on me?”
“Like I care!” Otto swung his arm at Claire, but she nimbly evaded it while hooking his foot with hers, sending him to the ground.
“Y-you!”
“Oh, dear, I beg your pardon.”
“You’re dead meat!” Enraged, Otto swung repeatedly at Claire, but—
“Haah…haah…I’ll…kill…” Each swing missed without so much as grazing her. A few seconds in and the result couldn’t be clearer. Otto had lost.
“Is that it?” Claire asked, brushing off her shoulders. “I suppose you make a poor delinquent, too.”
Otto seemed to be trying to deploy some sort of martial art against Claire, but he was completely out of her league. Claire had trained in the art of self-defense from a young age, and she had real combat experience from the events leading up to the revolution.
“Ugh… Fine, I’ll use this!” Otto reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a long cylindrical object.
A magic wand!
“Miss Claire, look out—” I lurched forward but was beaten to the punch.
“Stop!” A figure stepped in front of Claire and shielded her. Philine.
“Huh?! What are ya doin’? Get outta the way, Philine!”
“Using magic is going too far!”
“I said get outta the way!”
“Eek!”
Otto shoved Philine aside. I saw his lips move for a moment but couldn’t hear what he said.
Claire walked in front of Philine, who had fallen on her bottom, and shielded her.
“Magic? Sure, why not. Give it a shot, see what happens,” Claire goaded.
“D-don’t you look down on me…”
That about brings us up to the present.
“Eat this!” Otto waved his magic wand, and flame arrows burst forth from the tip toward Claire.
Claire lunged straight at them.
“Look out!” Philine’s shriek echoed throughout the room. But Claire quickly cast flame arrows of her own to extinguish Otto’s before running forward and kicking him in the chest.
“Guh!”
“Now then, time for your punishment.” Claire smiled down on the collapsed Otto.
Ah, she’s furious, I thought. She’s smiling, but she’s absolutely furious. Pushing Philine aside had been the last straw.
“W-wait! Y-you’ll cause an international incident, remember?!”
“No, I won’t. This is just a quarrel between students. Isn’t that right, everyone?” Claire smiled gracefully as she cracked her knuckles. Nobody dared say anything.
Go get ’em, tiger! I thought.
“B-but you said so yourself!”
“Obviously a bluff. You really are a boy of little brain.” Claire drew her own magic wand and touched its tip to Otto’s forehead. She’d said she was bluffing, but no matter how you looked at it, this was the real bluff. Killing someone would definitely have repercussions, even if both victim and aggressor were “just” students.
“Incidentally, I’m not just any sheltered rich lady. I’m a sheltered rich lady with high aptitude in fire magic. Would you like a demonstration?”
“W-wait, d-don’t!” Otto trembled in fear as he pleaded.
“St-stop!” Philine grabbed Claire’s arm right before she could wave her wand.
“What is it?”
“I-Isn’t this far enough?”
“Is it? Don’t you bear him a grudge?”
“Otto is…violent sometimes, but deep down, he’s a good person. He just happened to be in a foul mood today…” Philine earnestly pleaded with Claire. Tears welled in her eyes, undoubtedly from fear. Myself, I loved seeing Claire blow a gasket, but I could understand why someone else might think it frightening. Even the other Nur students had backed away.
“Very well. I’ll respect your wishes and yield. Let’s end our self-introductions here. I bid you all a good day.” Leaving those words behind, Claire took her bag and left the classroom.
“Damn it…” Otto growled.
“O-Otto, wait, let me heal you…”
“Leave me alone!” Otto shook Philine off as she tried to cast healing magic on him and stormed out of the classroom.
It seemed the brawl had come to an end.
“H-hey, Miss Rae? Was Miss Claire always that scary?” Lana asked.
“Huh? Scary how?”
“Whaddya mean, ‘how’?” Lana looked at a loss.
Hmph. Personally, I considered getting to see Claire’s fury a rare treat.
“Miss Claire can be scary when angry, sure, but she’s usually pretty nice. If anything, she’s absolutely charming.”
“Charming?”
“Yes. Observe.” I pointed toward the entrance of the classroom. As if on cue, Claire reappeared, looking visibly flustered.
“I-Is something the matter, Claire?”
“Um, did Otto do something again?”
The Nur students asked gingerly—they couldn’t imagine what else would have brought her back to the classroom.
To this, she responded, “…I seem to have forgotten we still have classes left.”
How embarrassing. Oh, how I adored her.
***
Things settled down after that hectic first day, and our life at the Imperial Academy began in earnest. Classes remained fast-paced and difficult, but Claire, with her natural smarts, and I, with my knowledge of the original game, managed to keep up. The same couldn’t be said for the other transfer students, though.
The Imperial Academy wasn’t a boarding school like the Royal Academy. Students commuted from their own homes or, if they hailed from a different country, lived in lodging paid for by the empire. Roll call began at nine in the morning, meaning we had more time to get ready than at the Royal Academy. At least, that was the case for most students.
“May, Aleah! Hurry up and get changed. It’s time for elementary school.”
“They have music class today, Miss Claire. Here, take this instrument.”
“I’m still hungry, Mama…”
“I’m sleepy…”
Every morning, we fought to get the kids ready for school. We had to make breakfast, brush their teeth, get them changed, and see them off, leaving barely any time to eat breakfast ourselves. This led to us cutting attendance close every morning, usually arriving between eight-thirty and nine on the dot. Our other classmates were almost always all seated whenever we arrived.
“Oh my gosh, Miss Rae’s sooo slow. Miss Claire, too.”
“Morning, Lana.”
“Good morning, Lana. But you don’t need to add Miss to our names anymore—we’re your classmates now, not your teachers,” Claire said.
“That’s right. We’re not that far apart in age either,” I added.
“Aww.” Lana looked displeased. “But I, like, totally respect you two, so I’m gonna keep at it, ’kay?”
“Suit yourself…” I said. Something about her words struck me as odd, but I decided it wasn’t worth following up on.
“Morning, Eve.”
“Good morning.” Eve returned my greeting but immediately averted her eyes. It seemed she still wasn’t a fan of mine.
“Excuse me, Eve?” chided Claire, ever the stickler for etiquette. “I won’t tell you to respect us as much as Lana does, but you should at least show some manners.”
“Sorry,” Eve said, but she didn’t look apologetic in the slightest.
“It’s fine, Miss Claire,” I said. “Eve and I just have something of a misunderstanding between us.”
“Is that so?”
“Do you have time to talk right now, Eve? I think we got off on the wrong foot somehow.” I’d never had the chance to clear things up back in the kingdom. Maybe now was a good time.
“There’s no misunderstanding here,” Eve curtly declared before turning her head away. Negotiations had already broken down.
This girl’s so stubborn! She could hate me all she liked, but I still wanted to correct the misunderstanding. Was there a way I could force her to talk to me?
“Morning,” a voice listlessly greeted us.
“Oh, Joel. Good morning.”
For a tough-looking guy, he was pretty friendly. He’d stopped addressing Claire and I as formally as he had when we were his teachers, which was just how we wanted it.
“Mornings must be busy for you two, with your kids and all,” Lana said.
“I suppose it is, but that also means there’s never a dull moment,” I replied.
“Wow, I don’t think I could handle that.”
Children weren’t for everybody.
Our first class began at nine-thirty and went on for an hour and a half. Like I mentioned before, the contents were difficult and came quick. After taking the classes for a while, I came to realize that the curriculum progressed at a rate determined by the top students of the class, as befitted a nation that advocated meritocracy.
Otto’s performance surprised me a bit.
“Let’s see… Otto, could you answer this question?” The teacher asked.
“Huh? Make someone else do it.”
“Do you want your evaluation to suffer?”
Otto mumbled something under his breath before standing up and walking toward the blackboard. He took a glance at the math problem before effortlessly writing out the answer.
“Done. You happy?”
“Very good. You have a good head on your shoulders, Otto. You just need to work on your attitude a bit.”
“Oh, lay off.”
Otto walked back to his seat with his hands in his pockets. Despite being a problem student, he was by no means dumb. His attitude remained terrible, but he listened in class and always answered the questions correctly. I’d had a bad impression of him because of the first day, but he seemed to be a truly gifted student.
I didn’t remember anyone named Otto from Revo-Lily, so he must have been a background character. Though for a background character, he sure had a lot of personality.
Morning classes tended to end around noon. The academy had a cafeteria, but it wasn’t too popular; most students brought their own lunch instead. I’ll get into why later. For now, just know that Claire and I brought our own lunches. I also made lunches for May and Aleah. It wasn’t too hard to make lunch for four, but having to devise meal plans daily proved to be a bit of a hassle. Oh, I missed the days of looking up recipes on my smartphone.
“Lady Philine, may we join you for lunch?”
“Oh, um…”
Philine was something of a loner and usually ate lunch by herself, which was perfect for us. Unfortunately…
“I-I, um… Excuse me!” Frightened, Philine ran away—leaving her lunch box behind.
“I know you said she was shy, but this shy?”
“Hmm… She’s worse than I remember.”
I’d thought this would work, seeing as there was a scene where you ate lunch with the girl you were trying to romance in Revo-Lily. Maybe there was another factor at play?
“You think it’s because of what happened on the first day?” I asked.
“Come again?”
“You know, your fight with Otto.”
“Oh… But I helped Philine then, so it couldn’t be that.” Claire frowned.
“I’m sure she knows that, but you were so dazzling—er, I mean—frightening then.”
“Shouldn’t you be correcting that the other way around?”
Oops. I’d let my true feelings slip for a moment there.
“But, supposing you’re correct, isn’t that a problem? That will make it harder to get close to her.”
“Yeah. Well, nothing we can do about it now. We’ll just have to take our time wooing Philine.”
“Like I said, please stop using ‘wooing’ in that way…”
At around one o’clock, lunch break ended. After two more hour-and-a-half classes, putting us at four o’clock, we finished with classes for the day and went to pick up May and Aleah at the elementary school. I broke off from the three to do some shopping and met them back at the Bauer student dorm before beginning to cook dinner. We spent the rest of our evening the same way we did back in Bauer: playing, bathing, and then finally going to bed.
“We’ve grown accustomed to life in the empire,” I said one night.
“Yes, but we haven’t made much progress with Philine.”
“Baby steps. Hey, Miss Claire?”
“Yes?”
I sensed Claire turning to face me, even with the bedroom light extinguished.
“It’s been a while… Can we…?”
“Oh, jeez… What am I going to do with you… Come here, Rae.”
Needless to say, our night went long.
***
“Excuse me… Would you mind if I joined you for lunch?”
I was eating lunch alone for a change when I heard someone talk to me. To my surprise, I raised my head to find a trembling Philine.
“Not at all—please do.”
“Thank you.” Philine took the next desk and pushed it up against mine before bringing out her lunch box. It was jam-packed with various ingredients, likely prepared by a palace chef.
“Your lunch looks wonderful, Lady Philine.”
“Huh…? O-oh, really? Um… Thank you…?” Philine looked bewildered, like she wasn’t used to conversing with others.
“Those meatballs look nice. Can I have one?”
“Uh, yes… It’s really nothing special, but here…”
“Thank you very much.”
I took a quail-egg-sized meatball from Philine’s lunch and gave it a taste. Ah, not great. It seemed the empire’s cuisine wasn’t up to snuff. But that wasn’t my problem.
“Delicious!”
“Really? Th-that’s good.”
“Then how about as thanks, I answer any one question you have?”
“Huh…?” Philine’s mouth went wide, like I had just read her mind.
“I’m assuming there’s something you want to ask, since you made the effort to come eat with me.”
“Um, well, that’s…yes.” Philine was flustered. She wore a look of shame, like she had been caught stealing cookies from a jar. “I want you to teach me about Claire.”
“Oh?”
Claire was currently in the neighboring classroom with Lene. She dearly wanted to rekindle their bond, but Lene had her own diplomatic duties as a representative of the Alpes to consider. Their schedules had just so happened to align today, so they were taking the chance to catch up without being disturbed.
“I’ll answer what I can, but wouldn’t it be better to ask her directly?”
“Um, Claire is…still too scary for me…”
Ah, figured. Seemed I was right. “What do you want to know?”
“Um, well, I was wondering what led Claire to start a revolution,” Philine nervously asked. Just as I predicted—despite her fear of Claire, Philine was interested enough in the revolution to bite.
“Oh, that? That’s actually a misunderstanding. The one who started the revolution wasn’t Miss Claire.”
“Huh? Then why is she called ‘the hero of the revolution’?”
“Miss Claire played an important role in the revolution, but make no mistake—the ones who started the revolution were the people of Bauer Kingdom.”
“O-oh, okay…” Philine looked conflicted. “Then let me rephrase the question. Why did Miss Claire support the revolution? Wasn’t she part of the establishment, and a high-ranking noble, no less?”
“That’s a difficult question to answer, but to put it simply, it’s precisely because she was a noble.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand.” Philine tilted her head.
Mmm… Cute. “Miss Claire didn’t support the revolution from the start. In fact, she initially rejected the very notion of it.”
“Why did she change her mind?”
“A certain incident led her to question the system where nobles lorded it over commoners.” I began telling her about the ghost ship incident that had occurred on our visit to Euclid, my hometown, going into detail about my childhood friend Louie and how he had attacked us to save his kidnapped family.
“That’s terrible…”
“That was when Miss Claire truly learned what it meant to be poor. She examined her life and power as a noble, and she wondered how she could allow such things to happen.”
I went on to explain how Claire had begun to think about ways to address poverty and wealth disparity, and how that, in turn, had led her to realize the deep-rooted problems with the aristocracy.
“She wanted to help the people, so she strove to find a way to bridge the gap between commoners and nobles.”
“Something she could do…” Those words seemed to resonate with Philine.
“And the rest is history. Claire gained the support of the populace by exposing the corrupt nobles and then by siding with the commoners against the provisional government after the Mt. Sassal eruption.”
I’d left out some details and mixed in some half-truths, but I finished my mostly true recounting of events leading to the revolution.
“Claire is so…strong.”
“I wholeheartedly agree, but she couldn’t do it alone.”
“What do you mean?”
“Miss Claire is gifted, but even she can’t do everything herself. She only managed to come this far because she had the help of many people.”
If she were alone, she would have been executed that terrible day as a symbol of the corrupt nobility—leaving her name forever besmirched in the annals of history.
“To achieve something, you need allies,” I said.
“Allies…”
“If you have any doubts about the current empire, Claire and I would be happy to lend our aid.”
“Huh?!” Philine went stiff as a board. Maybe I’d gone too far? “M-my stomach hurts—I’ll be taking my leave!”
“Um, Lady Philine?”
“Pardon me!”
And off she went. Aw, shoot… It had been going so well, too. Why did I have to rush things?
But her already knowing about Claire was a godsend. And now that her impression of Claire was more than just “that scary person,” we could move on to the next step—putting them in direct contact.
“Did something happen? Philine just ran by in a hurry,” Claire said, finally returning.
“We were eating lunch together. She asked about you. Things are looking up,” I said before filling Claire in on what had transpired. “Philine appears to have doubts about the empire. I think we should try to raise her awareness on certain issues.”
“Sounds good. Although I still feel kind of guilty, given our ulterior motives.”
“Nothing else we can do.” Diplomacy was never pretty. “Did you eat lunch, Miss Claire?”
“I did, with Lene. She treated me to Frater’s latest item.”
“Oh, really? What was it?”
“She told me to keep it a secret from you, saying she’d kick herself if you were to happen to already know it.”
“Ah ha ha…”
Maybe I teased Lene too much?
“You should eat, Rae. Before the bell rings.”
“Oh, right.”
I ravenously dug into my lunch. The way I ate was impolite, but you know what they say—can’t eat your omelets without breaking some eggs.
“But I wonder,” I said through bites, “is Philine already on anyone’s route right now?”
***
Revo-Lily had three romanceable characters.
One was Dorothea, with whom we’d had an audience the other day. That might come as a shock, considering Dorothea was Philine’s mother, but that forbidden love was the selling point of the route. After seeing Dorothea in person, I couldn’t help but think she would be a terrible romance partner. Yet she was somehow a popular choice with the game’s players.
Being a devotee to the church of Claire, I’d initially thought I might be attracted to Dorothea too, since their personalities had some similarities. But no matter how many times I replayed Revo-Lily, I remained indifferent toward her. In my heart, Dorothea could never hold a candle to Claire.
Another romanceable character was Hildegard Eichrodt, a government official who got close to Philine to further her own career. Her relationship with Philine started for selfish reasons but slowly turned into true love. I thought it was a decent story. I hadn’t met her in person yet, but it was likely just a matter of time.
The final romanceable character was a student of the Imperial Academy by the name of Friedelinde Eimer. She had chestnut-brown hair and reddish-brown eyes, and she was currently standing in front of me.
“Salut, Rae.”
“Good morning, Friedelinde,” Claire greeted.
“Non, non, please call me Frieda.”
“Very well, then. Frieda it is,” Claire replied.
This girl, with her peculiar way of speaking, was Friedelinde, nicknamed Frieda. She had an archetypal Empire-sounding name, but she was from another country, like us.
Today, we’d arrived early to the classroom this morning, thanks to May and Aleah getting ready quicker than usual.
“You two look oh-so-lovely today. Like apples to my eyes.”
“Thank you very much. I have my mother to thank for that,” Claire responded, unfazed.
“Um, thank you…?” I wasn’t quite as cool.
Frieda’s words always put me on edge. Claire magnanimously let it slide, but I just couldn’t stand it. Like, what kind of person started commenting on another’s appearance as soon as they met?
As was likely already evident, Frieda was a bit of a smooth talker. She had nothing but girls on her brain, and she spent every free moment trying to talk them up. Her eccentric behavior was borderline tolerable in the game, but actually dealing with her in person was rough.
“My dear mademoiselles, could I interest you in dinner this evening?”
“I appreciate the offer, but unfortunately, Rae and I have our children to look after.”
“Quoi?! You two are married with children?! At such a young age?!”
“Yep. Through adoption,” I replied.
Come to think of it, we hadn’t told our classmates about May and Aleah yet.
“Magnifique! They must surely be beautiful children, like their mothers!”
“Ugh. Like I just said, they’re adopted.”
“Non, non, children take after their parents regardless of blood. How about you bring the children to dinner?”
“I humbly decline.”
I wasn’t letting her anywhere near my daughters. Frieda’s route stood out from the others because it got pretty stalkery in the worst kind of way—you know, the full yandere experience.
Despite her happy-go-lucky attitude, Frieda’s life was turbulent and full of strife. She was royalty from Melica, a country the empire invaded that had resisted to the bitter end, only to wind up not annexed but utterly destroyed. Frieda harbored a deep grudge against the empire, which conflicted with her love for Philine. Not everyone who came to the empire had been as fortunate as the man who’d been our guide when we first arrived.
Frieda’s route had numerous game-over sequences and was infamously scary. I wasn’t letting a person like that anywhere near my daughters.
“C’est la vie. We’ll have to rain-check, then. Anyway, have you two grown used to life in the empire?” She didn’t back off, but at least she showed some concern for us. Despite being a total yandere, she could be nice. At least on the surface level.
“Yes, the empire is much more comfortable than I expected,” Claire answered honestly. For the briefest of moments, Frieda’s face went dark before returning to her smiling facade. Claire didn’t seem to notice, but I definitely did. Maybe we did need a bit of distance from her after all.
“Oui, the empire is very comfortable! And I hear the Bauer Kingdom is very comfortable as well!” Frieda smiled as she gave Claire a friendly pat on the shoulder.
“Claire belongs to me, Frieda. Please don’t touch her so carelessly.”
“Oh! Sorry, sorry. But this much is just right between friends, is it not?”
“She’s right, Rae. You’re worrying too much,” Claire chimed in.
“Being too clingy is no good, you know?” Frieda said.
You’re the last person I want to hear that from, Yandere Stalkersdottir!
“Oh, Philine! Salut!”
“G-good morning…”
Philine arrived later than us, a rare occurrence. She seemed a bit down. If memory served me right, she wasn’t much of a morning person and was often easily overwhelmed by Frieda.
“You look oh-so-lovely today. Like apples to my eyes,” Frieda said.
I guess she was using that line with every girl she met today.
“Th-thank you…” Philine cowered.
My condolences. I finally had a moment of respite now that Frieda found a new target.
“Whether it be Dorothea or Frieda, all the individuals in your Revo-Lily prophecy seem a bit…odd,” Claire commented.
“Yeah. I suppose the devs tried to make them memorable characters.”
That said, I did think the game designers had gone a bit too far. In fact, so did the fanbase. A lot of people had complained they could have toned it down a bit, or that there should have been at least one morally righteous character. The fact that Revo-Lily was still widely regarded as a masterpiece was thanks to its brilliant writing and perfectly executed revolution route.
“Just making sure—we’re aiming for the revolution route, correct?” Claire asked.
“Definitely.”
Several conditions had to be met to trigger the revolution route, the most basic of which was to not be romancing any of the love interests. It was currently the fifth month, so we were some ways from the point where the routes diverged. Even so, I wanted to verify the state of Philine’s affection for the romanceable characters.
“How can we check what route we’re in?” Claire asked.
“We can ask her. Hey, Anna? Can we talk to you for a moment?” I called out to a red-haired girl sitting behind Philine.
“Morning, Rae.”
“Morning. I was wondering if we could ask you some questions about Philine.”
Anna frowned at me, puzzled. “Well, sure, I guess?”
“Does she have anyone she likes right now?”
“Oh, are we gossiping?” Anna leaned forward with interest.
Anna was similar to Misha in that they were both stoic characters who acted as the protagonists’ buddies. She was a useful source for a great deal of information, but right now, I really needed to know Philine’s feelings.
“Hmm, let me think… I don’t think she has feelings for anyone in particular right now.”
“I see. Then, who do you think she’s closest to right now?”
“I’m thinking she’s closest with Frieda. Despite Frieda’s one-sided pestering, she is one of the few people I’ve seen Philine talk to.”
Hmm. So Philine was closest to the Frieda route, then?
“How is she with Lady Dorothea?”
“You mean Her Majesty? They don’t get along very well. Something happened between them, I think.”
So things weren’t moving along with Dorothea.
“Is that right. What about Hildegard?”
“Hm? Have you met Hildegard before, Rae?”
“No, but I heard she was hitting on Philine.”
“Oh, I see. Philine’s relationship with Hildegard is…normal, I suppose? She tries to hit on her just like Frieda does, but Philine seems more guarded around Hildegard.”
“You don’t say?” In other words, Philine had the most affection for Frieda, then Hildegard, and lastly, Dorothea.
“Oh, but there is someone else she seems to have a good impression of.”
“Oh? Who might that be?”
“Claire.”
“Wha…what?!” Hold the phone! “I thought she was terrified of Miss Claire?!”
“She is, somewhat, but she’s also interested in her. It’s one of those things…y’know, where the soft-spoken introvert looks up to the outspoken extrovert? Hildegard may have Claire’s confidence, but she comes off as cold and calculating, unlike Claire.”
This threw a wrench in things. Who would have thought the protagonist might actually fall for the villainess? …Not that I was one to talk.
“But I’m sure she knows Claire’s already with you, and the two of you aren’t from the empire either. She’s probably just interested in Claire as a friend.”
“Right…”
So she said, but it was better to play it safe than sorry. I was absolutely prepared to fight Philine to the last breath in the unlikely event she stepped onto the Claire route. Not that I actually believed things would escalate to that point, but you never knew.
“Good grief. Things just got complicated…”
***
“Excuse me, Lady Philine? Do you have time to—”
“S-sorry! I’ve gotta go do something!”
Claire cordially called out to Philine, but the latter dashed off.
“How many times does that make? Are you sure Philine likes me?”
“She should, but she certainly doesn’t act like it.”
We’d tried to approach Philine countless times since discovering her interest in Claire, only for her to flee each time. I had to find a way to counteract her fear. Naturally, this didn’t involve letting her have Claire.
“If only there were a way…” Claire pondered.
“Yeah…”
We looked at each other when suddenly—
“Salut, Claire, Rae! Oh dear, why the sad faces? You waste those beautiful looks of yours!”
The annoying one showed up.
“Oh, hello, Frieda. Rae and I were just wondering how to get closer to Philine.”
“What’s this? Is Claire trying to rendezvous with Philine now? Are you through with Rae?”
“Like hell. Are you trying to get hit?” I snapped.
“P-pardon.”
Shoot. I’d spoken my mind without thinking.
“Oh, dear me, I seem to have used some vulgar words just now,” I said.
“Oh, yes. I feel like they were directed at me, but that must have been my imagination!” Thank goodness Frieda was a simpleminded girl. Or rather, thank goodness she pretended to be. “Putting the jokes aside, I think I have a way you two can get closer to Philine!”
“Really? Please do tell,” Claire urged her.
“What is it?” We were grasping at straws. We’d accept help from anyone at this point.
“It’s very simple! Bait her with food!”
“Excuse me, Lady Philine, is now a good time?”
“U-um, I have to go do something today as well!”
Claire tried to call out to Philine again after school, but this time—as Philine turned away to flee—I pulled something out from my bag.
“Are you leaving already, Philine? And here I was thinking you might like to try this.”
Philine’s feet stopped as her gaze turned back toward my hand. “Th-that’s Broumet chocolate!”
“Indeed, it is.”
In my hand, I held chocolate brought from the Bauer Kingdom. Broumet only did business in Bauer and the Alpes, so chocolate was largely unknown in the Nur Empire. But being the imperial princess, Philine had caught a whiff of the latest trend in the world of sweets.
“A-are you giving that to me?”
“We will, as long as you don’t mind joining us for tea,” Claire said.
“The cafeteria should be pretty empty this time of evening. Can we count on you to join us?” I asked.
“Um… Well, I…” Philine hemmed and hawed.
Just one more push.
“I also have this.” I reached into my bag and pulled out one more object.
“Um, what is that?”
“This is a new confectionary called rakugan. It was announced by Broumet just last month.”
“Rakugan? I can’t say I’ve heard of it…”
I’d sent this recipe to Broumet around the time we left for the empire. Rakugan is a traditional Japanese confectionary made by pressing starch and sugar together—it’s often found in Japanese gift shops. It can be molded into a variety of pretty colors and pleasing shapes, such as flowers or animals, while retaining its sweet flavor. I was confident the empire had never seen anything quite like it.
Making rakugan was surprisingly simple, as was sourcing the ingredients. I only needed powdered sugar, rice flour, and food coloring. I got the powdered sugar by using a mortar to crush sugar I’d bought at the market. The rice flour was fairly easy to buy, as rice existed in the Bauer Kingdom. The only challenge was food coloring, but I managed to make a substitute with cocoa powder and ground tea leaves for a lovely red shade.
To make the rakugan, I mixed the powdered sugar with the red food coloring while adding just a slight bit of water. Then I added the rice flour and mixed it some more before putting it all through a sieve. Time was of the essence here, as the mixture quickly hardened. I then put the sifted mixture into a wooden mold and pressed it in. Once it took form, I let it dry, and voilà.
You could create as many different designs as you wanted simply by changing the food coloring or mold, meaning it was quite a treat for the eyes as well.
Philine stared at the rakugan with deep interest.
“How about we talk for a while, Lady Philine?” Claire asked.
“S-sure…”
Hook, line, and sinker.
***
“Haaanhnnn…” Philine sounded like she was melting as she bit into the chocolate. Broumet sold many varieties of chocolates, including low-sugar ones, but the variety Philine favored made liberal use of sugar. “This rakugan is so good, too… Such refined sweetness.”
I’d been worried about how well the rakugan would go over, but to my relief, she adored it.
“Was it to your liking, Lady Philine?” Claire inquired.
“Yes! I had no idea such delicious sweets existed.” Her eyes shone with excitement. I had forgotten until Frieda reminded me, but Philine was actually a gourmand—especially for sweets. This got her in trouble later in the game, but that was a story for another time. One would think being the imperial princess meant she could have all the sweets she wanted, but Dorothea disliked sweet foods, leaving Philine few opportunities to try them.
I’d never imagined sweets would be the breakthrough we needed. I needed to thank Frieda later.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Claire began. “I’m actually fond of chocolates myself. It’s good we have something in common.”
“You are? Sweets are the best, aren’t they?”
“Indeed.”
We’d also succeeded in getting Claire and Philine to talk to each other.
“I’m glad we could talk like this,” Claire said. “You seemed to be afraid of me until just now.”
“Th-that’s…”
“Am I wrong?”
“I’m sorry. I was afraid,” Philine admitted.
“It’s all right. It happens quite often. I seem to invite misunderstandings.”
“I don’t think it’s misunderstandings so much as you’re flat-out scary when you snap,” I chimed in.
“Rae, please be quiet.”
Yes, ma’am.
“I really did want to talk to you, though,” Philine said. “You remind me of my mother in some ways.”
“Her Majesty Dorothea? Really?” Claire seemed perplexed.
It was true, they did share some traits. They were both confident, arrogant, and strict, but I thought Claire was far and away more mature than Dorothea. Claire had respect, kindness, and virtue, none of which Dorothea possessed in any amount.
In other words, Claire was a far more dazzling gem than Dorothea.
“I’m honored to be compared to Her Majesty. On the other hand, you don’t take after her much, do you?” Claire said.
“I get that a lot.” Philine laughed derisively. “I’m nothing like my mother. I’m nothing even compared to my siblings.”
“Lady Philine…” Claire seemed hurt by Philine’s self-deprecating words.
“How can I be more confident—like you, Claire?” Philine put on her bravest face as she asked.
Claire thought for a moment. “Well… It isn’t easy, but you should focus on making small steps first. Try doing something you’re good at, or something you enjoy. You might fail, but as long as you keep trying, you’ll eventually improve and succeed.”
“I see…”
“If you keep doing that, then eventually you’ll be confident enough to walk with your head held high.”
Philine appeared to slowly absorb Claire’s words.
“Nobody is confident right off the bat,” Claire continued. “And if they are, it’s an empty confidence.”
“That’s true…” Philine nodded.
“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and take that next step, that next leap. You can worry about what comes next afterward.”
“I think I understand now.” Philine nodded deeply. “I may be shy, but I’ve been using that as an excuse for inaction. But if I don’t try, I’ll be like this forever.”
“That’s right.”
“I think I get it now. Thank you, Claire.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
Philine extended her hand. Claire took it and held it tight.
“Would it be okay if we talked again sometime?” Philine asked.
“Of course. Let’s be friends, Lady Philine.”
“Yes!”
And with that, we’d made a connection with Philine.
***
Intermission—Song of the Caged BirdPhiline’s POV
I returned to the Imperial Castle after parting with Claire and Rae. I entrusted my bag to a servant and began the walk back to my own room.
I was in a good mood. Claire’s words had struck a chord with me and still rang fresh in my mind. I felt like there was something even someone like me could do. I felt like real change could come.
“Well, if it isn’t the princess. How do you do?”
“Hello, Hilda.”
Hildegard Eichrodt was a government official. She had silver hair and red eyes, and she wore a monocle, something seldom seen on a woman. Though she seemed cold and unfriendly at first, she was actually quite kind. In fact, we’d first gotten to know each other when she helped me find my lost cat.
“Home from the academy?”
“Yes.”
“Welcome back. Did something good happen today?”
“Huh? Y-you can tell?” My hands flew to my cheeks. I had been smiling this entire time without realizing.
“It’s not your face as much as it’s the entire way you carry yourself. I’m often watching you, so I can tell when you’re in a good mood.”
“R-really? How embarrassing…”
How silly of me, I thought. But still, I held on to the spark Claire had given me.
“What happened? Would you mind telling me?”
“The truth is…”
I told Hilda of today’s events: the novel confectionaries I received, the wonderful conversation I’d had with Claire, and even how I felt like we might be friends now. I was surprised to hear the passion in my own voice—I must really have wanted to tell someone about all this.
“And that’s what happened today. Do you think there’s something even someone like me can do?”
“Lady Philine, may I say one thing?” Hilda’s voice was firm. I thought it a little strange.
“Um, yes?”
“I think it’s best if you don’t make contact with that person anymore.”
“Wh-what? Why?” I was confused. Why would she say that? When Claire had finally become my friend?
“That girl is from the Bauer Kingdom. It could cause problems if you spent too much time with her.”
“Problems? Claire isn’t a bad person.”
“That may be true, but she’s still the hero of a revolution, and you’re the princess. You can’t be certain she didn’t approach you with an ulterior motive in mind.”
Her words surprised me. I was prone to forgetting I was, in fact, the imperial princess. I’d lost count of how many times people had approached me with hidden intentions, to the point that I dreaded dealing with people altogether. But even so—
“Claire is different. She actually listens to what I have to say.”
“That could just be what she wants you to think. What if she’s taking advantage of your weakness?”
“I…” I could say nothing to that. I knew well enough how weak-willed I could be. Claire had given me courage, and I wanted to grow closer to her, but what if Hilda was right and Claire’s friendliness was nothing but a facade?
“Princess, I’ll always be there for you if you need someone to talk to. There’s no risk in talking to me, unlike those two.” Hilda’s eyes softened as her cold expression warmed into a smile. She cared about me.
“Yes… Thank you, Hilda. But I think I still want to be friends with Claire.”
“Making friends is a good thing. It’s sometimes even necessary in politics. But be careful not to cross a line. For your sake, and for our country’s.”
For our country’s sake. I had no defense against those words. I had a responsibility as an imperial princess, even if I could never live up to the title. The spark Claire had given me flickered away.
“I’m terribly sorry, Princess, I didn’t mean to ruin your mood. I just wouldn’t be able to stand seeing your kind heart be hurt in any way.”
“It’s okay, Hilda. Thank you.” She didn’t have to warn me like this. She did it for my sake.
“Thank you for your understanding. Now then, may I walk you to your room? I’d love to hear about your day at the academy.”
“That’s quite all right, Hilda. I’ve taken enough of your time already.”
“Not at all, I’d be more than happy to walk you there.”
“Please, I would like some time to think alone. Excuse me.”
I turned down Hilda’s kind offer and briskly took myself to my room. I cleared my servants out before collapsing onto my bed, still in my uniform.
Claire…
Despite Hilda’s warning, I still wanted to talk to Claire. I wanted to talk to her more, about anything and everything, even all sorts of trivial, meaningless things. I wanted to know more about her. I had a hunch.
Claire might be the one I need.
Despite my timid personality, I was a member of the imperial family. I cared about my country’s well-being. My mother was a capable ruler, but I had doubts about the empire’s future. Our current approach to diplomacy was incredibly aggressive—no, invasive, even. We’d won every war thus far, but that success wasn’t guaranteed to last.
The Nur Empire had made too many enemies. Our failure to infiltrate the Bauer Kingdom’s government had allowed the three-nation anti-Nur alliance to form. We were currently buying time to build up our forces, but the expenses were mounting. At this rate, we would have to recall troops from our annexed territories. And if the anti-Nur alliance were to incite other countries to fight against us, the empire would be surrounded by enemies on all sides. We would stand no chance of winning.
Invasion has its limits…
The empire had to choose to reconcile, sooner or later, and I believed that now was the time.
But there’s no way Mother would ever listen to me.
Mother always stuck to her beliefs. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she would never change her foreign policy.
What can I do…?
There wasn’t much I could do, despite being an imperial princess. I wasn’t resourceful like Hilda. I wasn’t outgoing like Frieda.
But that didn’t mean I should just sit and watch it happen.
I won’t let that happen again.
A crimson memory from my youth had etched itself into my mind. I recalled the events as clear as day, despite the pain they brought to my heart, in hopes I would never forget them.
Claire…
I wanted to talk to her again. I wanted to lay bare all these worries plaguing my heart. Even now, her confident smile remained in my mind.
Oh… What’s wrong with me?
My chest hurt. It felt tight whenever I remembered Claire’s face. Even if Hilda were to reproach me, I still wanted Claire.
I wish tomorrow would come soon.
If I went to the academy, I could see Claire again. Yes, I would finish my business quickly so I could sleep. I would slowly ease my body out of bed and then ring the bell for a change of clothes. Then, after changing, I would study.
“I’ll do what I can. Small victories, little by little.”
While reflecting on Claire’s words, I started to stand.
***
“Morning, Claire.”
“Good morning, Lady Philine.”
“Good morn—”
“Morning, Rae. Hey, Claire, I—”
Philine cut my greeting short with a smile before diving into a conversation with Claire. She’d been like this for a few days now, her fear of Claire replaced by infatuation—rendering me the third wheel. We wanted to encourage this closeness, but I found it hard to suppress my jealousy.
The school bell rang, signaling the start of class. Just an aside, but things like this really served as a weird reminder that the game had been developed in modern-day Japan.
“Aww. Already? See you later, Claire.”
“See you.” Claire smiled as Philine reluctantly departed. The moment Philine was out of sight, she relaxed, allowing herself a look of exhaustion.
“Good work, Miss Claire.”
“Thank you, Rae. Philine’s not a bad girl, but she’s just so earnest. She can be hard to deal with.”
“That’s a princess for you. Sheltered upbringing and all.”
Claire used to be sheltered as well, but she’d changed. She could no longer be called a villainess, ignorant of society’s ills. Although, personally, I never minded seeing a bit of that old side peek through.
“I still feel guilty. It’s like we’re tricking her.”
“We’re not tricking her, Claire. We’re just not telling her the entire truth.”
“What’s the difference?” Claire sighed. “But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up. Our family’s future is on the line.”
“That’s right. On another note, do you think Philine is cute at all?”
“Huh? Well, I suppose she’s cute?”
“Guh!”
“Ah, not in that way! Objectively speaking! Objectively speaking, she’s cute!”
“My wife’s cheating on me…”
“Stop! People are going to misunderstand!”
The Imperial Academy didn’t have anything resembling a homeroom. Instead, the teachers made announcements before class if they had anything important to convey to us. Today, they did.
“The pope will be visiting our academy next month. We’ll be assigning duties to everyone in preparation.”
The pope led the Spiritual Church. They usually stayed at the Bauer Cathedral, but as the Spiritual Church had followers all over the world, the pope had to travel every so often to visit different locales. According to the teacher, the pope was coming to the capital for a conference with Dorothea. I hadn’t thought Dorothea particularly devout, considering how she dismissively referred to the church as a “house of worship” during our audience. I wondered what they could possibly have to discuss.
“What kind of duties will we have?” a student asked.
“You’ll be clearing monsters from the pope’s planned route. The military will handle the more dangerous areas, while we’ll take care of the less fraught ones.”
Monster extermination. Just as with Bauer’s Amour Festival, the military often lacked the personnel to tackle all the beasts alone, relying instead on support from local militias and other citizen volunteers. The Nur Empire actually had it worse than the Bauer Kingdom, being closer to demon territory. Demons sat at the peak of monster hierarchy, making monsters far stronger and more numerous in the empire’s vicinity.
“Form teams of four and report your members to me after school. Now, with that out of the way, let’s begin class.”
Class began like normal. As always, the teacher hated wasting time on things not pertaining to our studies. The same couldn’t be said for the students.
Psst! Rae, Claire! Would you like to party with moi?
Um, I-I’m here, too…
I heard two voices in my head. Had to be telepathy. The first was Frieda—using her wind-attribute magic—and the second, Philine.
Will it be the four of us, then? Claire asked.
Oui! The four of us are very strong, no? Frieda said.
Sure, but are you allowed to team up with us? We’re from the Bauer Kingdom, you know?
What’s the problem? Frieda asked.
Philine is a princess of the Nur Empire, Claire explained. Is it really all right for her to work with people who were so recently the empire’s enemies?
It was a good opportunity for us to strengthen our rapport with Philine, but we had to consider her circumstances.
W-we’re friends now. It should be okay! Philine said.
Yes! A-okay! Frieda said.
Color me unconvinced. I had a feeling the teacher would say no. But to my surprise, the teacher didn’t object in the least when we reported our group after school. Really, Nur Empire?
While we were reporting to the teacher, I tried to negotiate exchanging monster extermination for a different task. I hadn’t ruled out the possibility of an assassination attempt on the Nur Empire’s part under the pretense of an incident out on the hunt. But the empire and the kingdom both had appearances to maintain for sake of diplomatic relations, so I was shot down. I swore to myself that no matter what happened, I would at least protect Claire.
“Let’s go over what we’re each capable of,” Claire began. “I have high-aptitude fire magic and am somewhat proficient at close-quarters combat.”
“I have ultra-high aptitude earth and water magic and am terrible at close-quarters combat,” I said.
“What?! Rae is a dual-caster?!” Frieda exclaimed.
“A-amazing…” Philine said.
Even in a country as advanced in magic as the empire, dual-casters were a rarity.
“I only have medium aptitude in wind. But I am good at close-quarters combat!” Frieda said.
“I have medium-aptitude water magic. I’m no good at close-quarters combat.”
Claire and I had already known their abilities, but we needed to keep that mum, of course.
“What type of magic are you two most skilled at? I specialize in attack magic, and Rae is an all-rounder who can do just about anything,” Claire said.
Claire praised me! Yahoo!
“I am skilled in body-reinforcement magic,” Frieda explained. “But I cannot use it on other people well.”
“I can use healing magic,” Philine said.
“In that case, Frieda and I will fight on the front line while Rae and Philine provide support from behind,” Claire said.
“Sounds perfect,” I said.
“No complaints from me,” Frieda said.
“Me too,” Philine said.
And just like that, it was settled.
“We start tomorrow, correct?” Claire asked.
“I believe that’s what the teacher said,” I said.
“Did you have something in mind?” Philine asked.
“I was thinking we could do some practice beforehand.”
“Oh? Why practice?” Frieda asked.
All eyes turned to Claire as she continued. “We ought to coordinate our teamwork before the real thing. For safety reasons.”
Like the Royal Academy, the Imperial Academy also had a field with a magic-dampening barrier that we could use to plan our tactics.
“Sounds good,” I said.
“Sounds fun!”
“No problem here.”
With that, we moved to the field.
It turned out our team was well balanced. I already knew Claire’s strength, but Frieda and Philine could hold their own as well. Frieda’s fighting style resembled Thane’s in that she used magic to boost her physical abilities. But while Thane preferred to fight empty-handed, Frieda used a sword. She could even use magic to sharpen her blade, and she cut my earth dolls in half like butter.
Philine’s healing magic impressed me as well. Despite only being medium aptitude, she had a wide variety of spells in her arsenal. Light wound-healing magic, sleep magic, detoxifying magic, de-paralysis magic, even concentration-boosting magic—she could do it all. Not to brag or anything, but I could dispel most debuffs with my advanced healing magic, meaning I didn’t need to learn as many spells as Philine. That said, her medium-aptitude healing magic consumed less magic power than mine, so in a sense, she was the more skilled healer.
I should have her teach me later, I thought.
Incidentally, both our magics paled in comparison to the effects of the Tears of the Moon.
“This seems a good place to stop,” Claire said, after we’d sorted out a few basic tactics. “We should be able to operate with these parameters. Let’s give it our best tomorrow, everyone.”
“I’ll protect you, Claire!” I declared.
“Rae? You’ll protect us too, no?” Frieda asked.
“Ah ha ha…”
I mean, sure, yeah, but a lady’s gotta have priorities, you know?
We called it a day just as the sun started to set.
I woke up with muscle soreness the next day, having not exercised so hard in a long time—though let the record show that my night with Claire had absolutely no involvement in said soreness.
***
The afternoon of the next day, we began clearing monsters from the path the pope would travel. We planned to work at it for about an hour and a half each day, and our efforts earned us a credit in practical magic.
“Frieda! Look out!” Claire exclaimed.
“Leave it to me!”
A monster resembling a bear attacked Frieda, swinging its sharp claws at her chestnut-brown hair.
“Non, non, not so easy.” Frieda dexterously parried the claws with her sword—throwing the monster off balance. “Now, Claire!”
“Got it!”
Claire sent a flame spear directly through the monster’s now exposed side. The monster let out a cry before collapsing and fading into nothing, leaving only a magic stone behind.
“Phew. This area seems clear.” Claire wiped the sweat off her brow. The weather wasn’t that hot yet, but all the moving had made us work up a sweat.
“Good work, Miss Claire, Frieda. Any injuries?”
“I’m all right, Rae. Thank you,” Claire reassured me.
“I’m okay, too!” Frieda said.
“The two of you are so strong,” Philine remarked, astonished. Claire was one thing, being used to actual combat, but Frieda truly shone out on the field. Neither of them had yet suffered more than light abrasions.
The area assigned to us that day was populated by larger and stronger monsters, but in fewer numbers. So far, we’d taken down water slimes, grand wasps, and grizzlies, all of which proved easy to beat when fought individually.
“I wonder how the other students are doing,” Claire said.
Scanning the area, we caught sight of other teams of students fighting monsters some ways away. Students of the Imperial Academy received excellent combat training, and, as far as we could tell, they handled their areas just fine.
“I hope Lana’s group is okay,” I said.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine. I could see Lana having problems, but Eve and Joel are with her,” Claire reassured me.
From what I remembered while teaching at the Royal Academy, Lana was a complete beginner at magic. On the other hand, Eve and Joel were true adepts, particularly Joel, being the son of a soldier who’d had some martial training. They were probably fine, but—
“I’m worried about their fourth group member.”
“Oh, right… Otto.”
Otto hadn’t found a group until the very end, when Lana invited him to join theirs. He hadn’t seemed too enthusiastic about joining, but Lana—being Lana—cajoled him into it. The delinquent and the gyaru—now that was an amusing tag team if I had ever seen one.
“Isn’t it fine? I hear Otto is actually quite strong,” Claire said.
Like her, I’d heard that Otto, despite being a problem child, was as gifted a fighter as he was a student. His father apparently served as a soldier in the military. I recalled Joel’s ears pricking up in interest at that little tidbit.
“They should be fine. There are other teams around anyway,” Claire said.
True enough. If worse came to worst, they could run for it and get help. But I still couldn’t shake this nagging bad feeling.
“Hey, girls, worrying about your countrymen is okay, but maybe focusing on the task at hand is more important?” Frieda’s words brought me back to reality. Before us, a wolf-like monster with three heads growled—a cerberus.
“This one’s strong. Everyone, be careful!” Philine warned.
Cerberuses were monsters with bodies as thick and solid as cows. Their sharp claws and fangs posed a problem, but even a body slam would do a number on someone. I eyed the creature before us with due caution.
“It’s coming!” Claire shouted.
The monster charged the second before Claire could warn its target: Philine.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Frieda cried as she leapt into its path. But the cerberus showed no sign of stopping, ready to send them both flying.
Not if I could help it.
“Marsh!” I cast earth magic on the ground before the cerberus, causing the hard earth to instantly turn to boggy mud. The monster’s legs disappeared into the ground.
“Got you!” Frieda swung her sword. I was certain it was over but… “What?!”
Frieda’s sword was blocked by the cerberus’s snapping fangs.
“Frieda, move!” I yelled.
Frieda left her sword behind as she jumped away. The cerberus spat flame at her, missing by a hair’s breadth.
“That was close.” Frieda breathed a sigh of relief. Her sword was gone, caught by one of the cerberus’s heads. “Hey, give it back! That sword’s special!”
“Stand back, Frieda. Let me handle it.”
“Oh, pardon. Go get her, Claire.”
Claire confronted the cerberus with her wand at the ready. The cerberus eyed her, growling, waiting to see her next move.
“How about…this!” Claire instantly summoned five flame spears and shot them at the cerberus. Each one traced a different arc as they careened toward the beast.
The cerberus snarled as it took a massive leap to the side, dodging all the spears. It was nimbler than its form suggested. But that wouldn’t be enough to stop Claire—or me.
“I’ll stop its movements—be ready!” I instructed.
“Yes!”
I created a pitfall where the cerberus would land, and it fell straight in. No matter how nimble it was, it would take some time to clamber out. Claire looked down on the struggling monster as the François family crests appeared above her head—her signature spell, Magic Ray.
“You’re done!”
A blazing beam shot from the crests, directly piercing the cerberus. The monster, now horribly charred, ceased to move. It faded away soon after, leaving behind a magic stone.
“Phew,” Claire exhaled. “That took some effort.”
“You were wonderful, Miss Claire!”
I showered Claire in praise as she retrieved the magic stone alongside Frieda’s sword.
“Here, Frieda. Let’s be careful next time.”
“Merci, Claire. Will do.” Frieda returned her sword to its scabbard.
“You were wonderful, Claire! It was like you were on the same wavelength as Rae.” Philine lagged behind before catching up to us. Her expression seemed a bit muddled, perhaps from jealousy?
“Well, Rae and I have been a team for a long time now.”
“Together forever!” I said.
“Um… Yes,” Claire said.
“Wife for life!”
“Okay, enough with the joking, Rae,” Claire spat.
I feel your love even when you berate me, Claire!
“Oh… How nice…” Philine grumbled enviously. Was Philine entering the Claire route?
“Lady Philine,” I said.
“Hm? Um, yes?”
“She’s mine.”
“Ngh—y-yes…” Philine sagged her head dejectedly. I felt a bit bad, but Claire was where I drew the line.
“Shall we head back?” said Claire. “We may have handled today’s combat well, but we still need to rest up and restore our magic.”
“Sounds good,” I said.
“No objection!” Frieda said.
“Let’s go home,” Philine agreed.
That was when we heard someone else speak. “Impressive. You managed to defeat the cerberus.”
Startled, the four of us spun around toward the source of the voice. I hadn’t noticed their presence at all.
“To boast this much power before reaching maturity… Quite impressive for humans.” The figure sat, watching us from a boulder a short distance away. He wore what appeared to be a black frock coat, and he could easily be mistaken for a human if not for the bat-like wings protruding from his back. His eyes, full of intelligence, had vertically slit pupils.
“A demon!” Frieda exclaimed.
Demon—a higher order of being that ruled over monsters. This was my first meeting with one.
***
“Who are you?” Claire glared at the demon.
“Oh? And here I was, thinking you were a noble. Did no one teach you to give your own name before asking another’s?” The demon frowned as he ridiculed Claire, unmoving from his perch on the boulder.
“How rude of me.” Claire smiled thinly, still guarded. “I am Claire François, former nobility of the Bauer Kingdom, as you say.”
“Mmm… I see. So it was you. I am known simply as Aristo. Unlike you humans, we demons bear no surnames. I serve as one of the Three Great Archdemons.”
Everyone froze upon hearing Aristo’s words. The demon slowly stood from the boulder and stroked his chin, upon which he had something not quite resembling a beard. He watched us with an air of utter composure.
Not much was known about the enigmatic race called demons. Even I, with my memory of the original game, knew little. They were mentioned in passing in the original Revolution and Revo-Lily but never actually made an appearance in either game. Even the games’ setting and supplementary material barely touched on demons, saying only that they ruled over monsters and stayed within their own territory east of the Nur Empire.
I hadn’t heard the term Three Great Archdemons before, but it was clear this demon was of high standing, not just from some low-level mob. We might be in real danger.
“Thank you for introducing yourself, Aristo. Do you have business with us?” Claire asked.
“Mmm… No, not quite. I was in the area on some unrelated orders when I saw you humans around. I figured I might as well fulfill another task while I was here.”
Aristo nonchalantly strolled toward us. He appeared unguarded, but I hesitated, not sure if I should preemptively strike.
“And what is this task, pray tell?”
“Nothing serious, Claire François. It just involves you doing one thing for me.”
“And what might that be?”
“Mmm… To put it simply,” Aristo sneered. “I need you to die.”
“Miss Claire!” I caved in the ground at Claire’s feet, causing her to plummet to safety just as a black flash of light streaked across where she had stood moments prior.
“Oh, ho. You dodged.”
“Why, you fiend!” Claire’s scowling visage slowly rose back into view as I returned the ground under her feet to normal.
Aristo simply stood there, unfazed. Had that really been magic just now? I’d never seen an attack like it before.
“Madame Claire, let’s run!” Frieda cried.
“We can’t fight a demon with our numbers!” Philine agreed.
I was wholly on board with this idea.
“I’d very much like to run right now, but I get the impression our friend here isn’t so willing to look the other way as we do,” Claire said.
“You’re all free to try and run regardless,” said Aristo. “I believe humans have the right to choose how they end their fleeting mortal lives.”
“And I choose to stand my ground!” Claire called up ten flame spears, twice the amount she’d summoned against the cerberus earlier, and fired them at Aristo.
“Is that it?” Aristo made no attempt to dodge, taking the full impact of the barrage.
“Impossible…” Claire’s eyes widened.
The demon stood there, untouched.
“Such low-level magic cannot possibly harm me. Now, cease your struggle and die.” Aristo waved his hand horizontally, sending bullets of concentrated darkness at Claire.
“No!” I created a wall of earth before Claire, but—
“Meaningless.”
The black bullets pierced the wall with ease, continuing toward Claire.
“Hiyah!” But right before they could hit, Frieda lunged forward and knocked them away with her sword.
“Oh, you could repel that? I must reevaluate you, then. You’re stronger than I thought.”
“Merci!” Frieda summoned her magic to empower her legs and instantly closed the gap between her and the demon, slashing down with her magic-veiled sword.
“Mmm… I’d prefer not to be hit by that.” Aristo took a step back, dodging the blade.
Seeing this, I readied a medium-level earth attack spell. “Earth Fang!”
The ground rose to ensnare Aristo’s feet, stopping his movements.
“Got you!” Frieda swung her lowered blade back in reverse. It looked like it would hit this time for sure, but—
“What?!”
“You were close. But not close enough.”
Frieda’s sword was blocked by nails that had rapidly grown from Aristo’s hand.
“A blessed sword as well as medium-level magic… I’d best get a little serious, then.” Aristo effortlessly pulled himself free of my foot bindings.
So medium-level magic only amounted to that much…
“I’ll be striking from above. Block it if you can.” Aristo drew back his right arm as Frieda moved to block with her sword.
I felt a sickening lurch in my gut. “No, Frieda! Dodge!”
At the last second, Frieda abandoned her attempt to block and did as I said. The blow barely missed her body but clipped her sword, snapping it clean in two. Those nails were stronger than her magic-empowered blade.
“Oh, non! I can’t believe it…”
“Frieda, get back!”
Frieda jumped back at the sound of Claire’s high-pitched voice.
“Light!” Claire unleashed Magic Ray at Aristo.
“Hmph.” Aristo expelled a dark beam of his own. Light and darkness briefly clashed before canceling each other out.
“Not even Magic Ray could best him?” Claire bit her lip in frustration.
Aristo was strong. We were already exhausted from our work slaying monsters, but I had a feeling we would have been no match for him in top form either.
“Everyone!” I began. “Retreat while I stop his—”
“I won’t let you.” He cut me off before raising his hand to the air. Darkness began to swell around him…
And exploded forth to surround us.
I regained consciousness moments later.
The ground around us was carved into a massive crater, as if a bomb had gone off. Frieda and Philine lay gravely wounded on the ground, trying to stand and failing to.
“Miss Claire!”
“Ngh…”
Claire was on her knees before Aristo. She glared up at him in defiance, but he remained impassive.
“It’s over, Claire François. Perish, for what you have wrought.”
Time moved with excruciating slowness as his nails swung down.
I was such a fool. Why had I assumed we’d never encounter a demon just because they weren’t in the game? Despite the very real in-world history of demons invading human territory since time immemorial? The promise I’d made to protect my family—had that just been empty words?
In desperation, I tried to cast Cocytus, but my magic was too far drained.
Just when I thought it was all over, something struck Aristo’s nails away.
“I-I won’t let you!”
Standing between Aristo and Claire was a small figure.
“You’re…”
“L-Long time no see, Miss Claire.”
The figure, clad in a nun’s habit, held two short swords that glistened in the light. Beneath her fluttering wimple were silver hair and red eyes. We knew her well.
“Miss Lilly!”
Former cardinal Lilly Lilium had arrived just in the nick of time.
***
“I-I made it!”
“Hmph. So you’ve appeared again, Saint,” sneered Aristo.
“Pl-please stop calling me that.”
“You always seem to find the perfect timing. What’s the secret?”
“Wh-who knows? Love, perhaps?” Despite her usual shy stutter, Lilly gallantly stood her ground before the demon.
“Miss Lilly…” I tried to stand but couldn’t due to exhaustion. I couldn’t even call on my healing magic while so tapped.
“I-It’s okay, Rae. I can handle him.” Lilly flashed me a smile before turning back toward Aristo and readying her two shining swords. “Why don’t you turn back now, Aristo? Reinforcements are coming. I’m sure you’d rather not die here.”
“You mock me. Do you think I can be defeated by some humans banding together?”
“W-with me here, I do.”
“Mmm… I’ll admit, you are a formidable opponent, Saint.” Aristo raised an eyebrow. He seemed wary of Lilly. “But not even you could fight me unscathed.”
“True… How about we agree to a draw then…?”
“Hah. Don’t be like that. Let’s enjoy ourselves some.” Apparently not in the least inclined to back down, he sent another salvo of black bullets at Lilly.
“Y-you know, despite what you might think, I’m actually quite busy!” Lilly wove through the bullets, occasionally blocking with her swords, as she closed the gap to Aristo. Once in range, she swung down with her right.
“Mmm… A blessed shortsword—and a real one, unlike that imitation. I’d rather not be hit by this either.” Aristo leapt back, opting not to block with his nails as he did with Frieda’s sword.
“Rae, use this!” Lilly reached into her pocket and threw something toward me. Four objects resembling vials rolled closer. “They’re high-grade potions. Drink one and help the others.”
“Thank you, Lilly.” I uncapped and downed a potion, and magic power surged up within me. I scrambled up and beelined toward Claire. “Miss Claire, I’ve got you.”
“Leave me for later, heal the others—”
“Oh, don’t even. Be quiet and drink.” I helped Claire swallow a potion and watched with relief as her wounds faded.
“Thank you, Rae.”
“You should thank Miss Lilly instead.”
“You’re right.” Claire staggered up and nodded toward Lilly. “I’ll go back her up.”
“Got it. I’ll help Frieda and Philine.”
I parted with Claire and headed toward Philine. I held her upright as I administered her a potion.
“I’m okay now. Thank you, Rae.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m going to go help Claire and a friend of ours. Can you heal Frieda?”
“Of course.” Philine nodded. I passed her the final potion and dashed off toward the fight.
“I-I’ll hold him off! Support me with magic!” Lilly commanded.
“Understood!”
“Roger that!”
This was our first time fighting all three together.
Lilly advanced on Aristo with her swords. Wary of the blades, Aristo continued to dodge, still not using his nails to block.
Lilly’s skill surprised me. I had seen her fight before, but that had been in the grips of an alternate personality. The real Lilly was just as strong, if not stronger.
“Insolent!” Aristo fired black bullets at her from close range.
I was certain Lilly couldn’t dodge, but she did—reacting in the blink of an eye, moving with unbelievable speed. It was incredible, even considering the fact her physical abilities were boosted by magic.
“Stand still!” the demon snarled.
But dodging had left Lilly off balance. Seeing an opportunity, Aristo swung with his nails.
“Don’t you dare!” Claire fired her Magic Ray, forcing Aristo to stop mid-swing and counter with a black ray of his own.
“Earth Spike!” I formed an earth spear to try to pierce Aristo, but he effortlessly avoided it by flying into the air with his enormous wings.
“Mmm… So you were all simply exhausted earlier. Your magic is leagues stronger now. It seems I’m at a disadvantage.”
“Come back down here so I can burn you to ash!” Claire demanded.
“I think I’ll decline. It’s best I flee, especially with that Saint here.”
“I won’t let you!”
“W-wait, Miss Claire! Let him go. You’ll want to hear what I have to say before you fight him again,” Lilly said.
“Ngh…” Claire grimaced. She was undoubtedly frustrated, considering her pride. She had never been so thoroughly thrashed by an opponent. “Fine.”
“Thank you, Miss Lilly,” I said. “You really saved us back there.”
“Allow me to express my thanks as well,” Claire added. “Things would have turned dire if you hadn’t come.”
I’d been so sure it was all over for a moment. I couldn’t thank Lilly enough.
Lilly smiled bashfully. “N-not at all! I’m deeply indebted to you two, so something like—”
“Merveilleux!”
“Eek!”
Frieda suddenly crashed into Lilly’s side, nearly taking her to the ground.
“Who is this jolie lady? She must be an angel to save us in our time of need, no?” she prattled excitedly.
“U-um, hello?” Lilly looked bewildered. She looked to me for help, but frankly, this tickled me pink.
“What is your name, little angel?”
“L-Lilly Lilium.”
“Oh, even your name is so charmant! My name is Friedelinde Eimer, but please, call me Frieda!”
“Um, sure… Miss Frieda.”
“Non, non! Just Frieda! We are good friends, no?”
“B-but it’s our first meeting?!”
Frieda was laying it on a little thick even for her. Was Lilly now on the Frieda route? She had cut a pretty gallant figure just then. I wouldn’t have been in the least surprised if Frieda confessed to falling for her at first sight.
“Frieda, how about we move from this place for now?” Claire said. “I think the danger has passed for the moment, but we still need to report this to the empire…and the Bauer Kingdom, for that matter.”
“Oh, pardon. I was too mesmerized by Lilly’s beauty. Let’s go back.”
“Lady Philine, are you okay with that?”
“Yes, let’s return.” Philine nodded.
All in agreement, we hastily made our way back to the relative safety of more people.
Demons… It was hard to believe they were so strong. They were far more powerful than the monsters we had fought before. They seemed likely to surpass any opponent we’d ever fought.
I need to rethink my countermeasures…
I spent the journey home thinking of nothing but how I could protect Claire from this new threat.
***
“I-It’s good to see you two again, Rae, Miss Claire.” Lilly bowed deeply.
We’d returned to the Bauer student dormitory to talk after reporting the incident to the academy. I’d thought the Nur Empire would be more concerned about the appearance of demons, but it seemed to be a fairly common occurrence around here. The person receiving our report didn’t react much at all to the news.
“Let’s leave the pleasantries at that and get down to business. What are you doing here in the empire, Lilly?” Claire said, asking what was on everyone’s mind. Currently gathered were the core constituents of the Bauer Kingdom exchange group: Claire, Yu, Misha, and me.
“R-right. I’ve resumed my duties at the cathedral. I traveled ahead to the empire to prepare for the pope’s visit.”
“Oh, I see.”
Oh, yeah. We’d been slaying monsters to prepare for the pope’s visit in the first place, and it wasn’t like the head of a global religion could suddenly pop in unprepared. They’d send someone ahead to handle negotiations, preparations, and the like, and Lilly was apparently that person.
“So I take it you’re a cardinal again?” Claire asked.
“Ah, no. I’m acting as an ordinary nun now. The pope was kind enough to forgive me, but I couldn’t take advantage of her kindness more than I already have.” Lilly forced a smile as she spoke. She still hadn’t forgiven herself for her crimes. How very like her.
“Um, b-back on topic. My main task is to plan countermeasures for the high-ranking monsters and demons in the empire. As you likely know, the empire shares a border with demon territory, so encounters with demons are more frequent here than in the kingdom.”
I’d realized intellectually that the chances of demon contact were higher here, but I’d never imagined they could be so powerful. The four of us, albeit already exhausted, had been powerless against Aristo. We would have been massacred if Lilly hadn’t arrived.
A flash of memory came to me—Aristo’s claws swinging down on Claire—and I shuddered.
“Are all demons that strong?” I asked.
“N-no, Aristo is special. He’s part of a powerful group called the Three Great Archdemons. Meeting him was a spot of bad luck.”
I felt some relief on hearing Aristo was a rare exception. I didn’t know what I would do if all demons were that strong.
“Th-the Three Great Demons—no, all demons—generally don’t leave their lands. Demons usually dispatch monsters on their behalf when they wish to fight humans.”
“So why would a powerful demon turn up then?” Yu mused.
“I-It’s likely because of the pope’s visit. The church and the demons have been mortal enemies throughout history.” Lilly bowed profusely in apology.
Was that really it? I’d witnessed the demon targeting Claire…though Aristo’s words had made it seem like he was in the middle of another mission when he spotted us and chose to attack.
I had my doubts, but I listened as Lilly continued.
“The church cannot tolerate the existence of demons. W-we believe they can’t be reasoned with and must be destroyed on sight, for their goal is to bring about the end of the world.”
That sounded excessively hostile of the Spiritual Church, a religion that extolled the virtues of impartiality and benevolence. What would demons even gain from ending the world? Claire met my eyes with a dubious look of her own. It seemed she harbored the same concerns.
“By end of the world, do you by chance mean the end of human society?” Claire asked.
“No. The end of the world the demons seek is a literal one that includes their own ruin,” Misha answered. As a nun, she presumably knew a few things about demons herself.
“Their own destruction as well?” Claire asked, confused.
“Y-yes. The values of demons are beyond human understanding. That’s why they can’t be reasoned with.”
That made a certain amount of sense. There could be no negotiating with a race that wanted to destroy the world in its entirety, themselves included.
“B-because of the empire’s proximity to their lands, people here sometimes encounter demons. We’re unlikely to meet any big-name demons again as long as we remain far from their borders, but let’s stay cautious, everyone.”
“So we just cross our fingers and pray we don’t meet a demon again?” Claire grumbled.
“Well, the church has some measures to combat demons. This being one of them.” Lilly unsheathed a sword. “Th-this sword is a magic tool enchanted by a water spell called Blessing. Weapons with Blessing are able to wound demons more grievously. Perhaps you’re aware Frieda’s sword was enchanted with a weak blessing?”
Frieda had said something about her sword being special. Aristo had still broken it in two. He really was something else.
“Th-the cathedral has ordered me to loan everyone Blessed magic tools for the sake of this mission. Since everyone here is a magic user, I’ll be supplying you with wands.”
A member of the church stepped forward with a bag for each of us. Lilly took a bag and opened it, revealing its contents.
“Th-the magic stones on these wands have been enchanted with Blessing. Blessing itself is water magic, but you can use any magic type with an enchanted item. Keep in mind that Blessing only has an effect on demons.”
“Can you teach us how to cast Blessing ourselves?” I asked.
“Th-that I cannot do… It is one of the church’s most closely guarded secrets, of an order higher than even the Tears of the Moon. Only the current pope is permitted to know it.”
Lilly went on to explain that Blessed magic stones were an important source of income for the church. I could put the spell to good use if I learned it, but I understood the reasoning in this confidentiality.
“Bl-blessed magic tools are incredibly valuable, so I can only loan up to one per person. Please be careful with them.”
We each received a Blessed magic wand from Lilly. Inspecting the wand, I noticed that its magic stone was colorless and transparent, rather than one of the four attribute colors. Ordinary water magic would cause the stone to turn blue. There really was something peculiar about Blessing.
“D-demons have the same weak spots as monsters, a magic stone that acts as their core. Th-the reason why is unknown, but their magic stone is often located where the human heart would be. Don’t forget this.”
With that, Lilly’s lecture on demons came to an end.
“Thank you for teaching us, Miss Lilly.”
“N-not at all, Rae.”
Even so, I was grateful to learn anything that hadn’t been explained in the game. She’d even armed us with Blessed weapons to boot.
“Is there any way I can show my appreciation?” I asked.
“Th-there’s no need for that, I was just doing my job… But, um—”
“What is it? Request away!”
“Well, um, I was thinking, you see, if you’re free right now, maybe we could have tea toge—”
“Gladly! We have so much to catch up on anyways,” I said. That was such a small request. I was willing to talk for as long as she wanted.
That was when my…you know, my wife loomed over with a frightful face. “Hello, Lilly. I hope you wouldn’t mind me joining your tea party, would you?”
“O-of course not. I definitely had no intention of trying to get closer to Rae while you weren’t around and—guh.”
Miss Lilly… Your true thoughts are leaking out.
“Honestly…” Claire sighed. “I can’t let my guard down with you.”
“Lilly, you harebrained fool,” Lilly muttered. “You messed things up again…”
“Miss Lilly?”
“Um, Lilly?”
“Ah. I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
It had been a while since we’d heard Lilly’s involuntary cursing.
“Miss Manaria helped remove my second personality, but lately, the words just find their way out again…”
“It’s fine,” Claire assured her.
“If anything, you wouldn’t feel like Miss Lilly without that,” I said.
“I-Is that how you guys see me?” Lilly asked through tears.
We invited the teary-eyed Lilly to our room and talked away until dark. We ate dinner together with May and Aleah, after which Lilly got ready to go home.
“I-I’ll be going then. L-Let’s have our lover’s rendezvous some other time, Rae.”
“Just hurry up and leave,” Claire spat.
They squabbled briefly, and then we bid her goodbye.
***
“Are your injuries feeling better now, Claire?” Philine asked the next morning in our classroom. She’d been lavishing Claire with concern ever since our fight with the demon, even though she had been heavily injured as well.
“Thank you for worrying, Lady Philine, but as I said yesterday, I’m completely fine.” Claire was doing her best to be nice, but the endless worry understandably tired her out.
“So you say, but are you truly sure? While your body may have healed, I worry you might still be scarred by the memory of the event.”
“I am not so soft. If anything, I feel the opposite. I want nothing more than to defeat Aristo, should we ever cross paths again.”
“Goodness…”
They went on to have essentially the same exchange every morning since.
I knew it was a good thing that we’d become friends with Philine, but I couldn’t help feeling like the girl was weird. She was too friendly. And also too close. Like, way too close. She kept making just a bit too much physical contact with Claire, raising all too many red flags in my eyes. Her feelings for Claire were definitely not those of friendship.
I’d seen this person before—every time I looked in the mirror, as a matter of fact.
“Excuse me, Lady Philine? For the umpteenth time, Claire is mine. Think you could stop clinging to her like that?”
“Ah. R-right. I’m sorry, Rae, things just kind of happened…” Philine put her hands on her blushing cheeks and squirmed.
What do you mean, ‘things just kind of happened’? I thought. I swore to not let my guard down with this girl.
“You’re imagining things, Rae. Lady Philine and I are friends. This level of intimacy is completely normal.” Claire wore a thin smile as she took the mediating role.
“Th-thank you, Claire!” If Philine were a dog, her tail would have been wagging furiously right now.
Um, Miss Claire? What are you, some thickheaded light novel protagonist? She’s clearly fawning all over you.
“Lady Philine, you’re a member of the imperial family, right? Don’t you have a fiancé or something?” I asked.
“No, not yet.”
“Really? How unexpected. I figured an imperial princess would have a political marriage arranged for her.” At least, that was what Claire had said. I wasn’t too familiar with high society.
“Mother prefers to conquer through force rather than politics…” Philine muttered sadly. Certainly, Dorothea seemed the type to take what she wanted rather than negotiate for it. Not that I thought she was all brawn and no brain.
“So, yes, I currently have no partner right now.” Philine glanced at Claire.
“O-oh… Is that so,” Claire said.
“Why did you try to announce your availability to Claire just now?” I demanded.
Philine was definitely, definitely interested in Claire. What happened to her being a shy character? I mean, sure, this was still nothing compared to my advances, but still.
“Me? Announce? I’m just being friendly with Claire, that’s all…”
“I think you’re being a little too friendly though…”
“Am I? Oh, dear…” Philine put her hands on her blushing cheeks and squirmed for the second time.
Stop that. It’s not cute. Okay, it’s kind of cute, but you’re not fooling me! I straightened, fed up. Time for a curveball. I was sick and tired of this. “Lady Philine, is it your intention to start an illicit relationship with Miss Claire?”
“Wha—Rae?!”
“I-I don’t love her or anything…”
Whoa, who said anything about love? Don’t just go putting words in my mouth! This is why ditzy princess characters are insufferable…
“What would the imperial family think if they found out about you flirting with a taken woman?” I asked.
“The Nur Empire practices polygamy,” Philine said matter-of-factly.
“Uh…”
Oh, right. The Empire had different marital practices than Bauer. Here, monogamy wasn’t enforced, and same-sex marriage was recognized—the latter largely due to Revo-Lily being a yuri game.
“Besides, you two aren’t legally married yet, right?” Philine asked.
“Y-yes, but, um…”
“Besides, as a member of the imperial family, I’m a much better match for Claire, a former noble.”
Huh? Why do I feel backed into a corner all of a sudden?
“That’s not it, Lady Philine.” Claire stepped in to chide her. “It’s true, Rae and I are neither legally married nor from similar social backgrounds.”
“So I’m right,” Philine said.
“But I’ve come to realize something, you see. Marriage isn’t just a political tool or a way to repay the parents that raised you. Marriage is for your own happiness.”
“Your…own…happiness…?” Philine murmured.
“I’m not saying entering a political marriage or marrying to make your parents happy is wrong, but it’s also important to marry someone special to you.”
“I…see.”
“In that regard, Rae is perfect for me. Even if we are not legally married, she is my irreplaceable partner. Please understand that.” Claire, now completely finished, smiled sweetly. In contrast, I wore the smuggest look ever.
“I see… I understand.”
Even Philine had to reconsider after hearing all that. She was a reasonable girl who’d just gotten a bit carried away by making a close friend. Now, we could all go back to—
“I understand completely. I would like to formally announce my interest in being Claire’s partner.”
Come again?
“Wh-what are you saying, Lady Philine? Didn’t you hear what I said?” Claire asked.
“Of course. I believe I can also be an irreplaceable partner you won’t regret being with.”
Her curveball left both Claire and I speechless.
“I understand now that Rae is a special person to you, Claire. So I’m going to try my best to be the same thing to you.”
“W-wait, that wasn’t what I was getting at!” Claire exclaimed.
“It’s okay. Remember what you taught me? Little by little.”
“That’s completely out of context!” Claire was flustered.
Had Philine always had this reckless side? I suddenly saw a bit of her mother in her.
“In any case, I promise to become a fine lady you can both be proud of,” Philine proudly declared.
Claire and I looked at each other, thinking, What just happened?
It seemed I had a love rival now. And, of all people, it had to be the one person whose cooperation we needed most.
Good grief, I thought, exhausted to the core, when Yu suddenly appeared. It wasn’t often she visited different classes.
“Claire, Rae.”
“Hello, Lady Yu. Is something the matter?” Claire asked.
“A letter arrived from the kingdom. Bad news.” Yu looked grave. “Ex-chancellor Salas Lilium has escaped from prison.” |
Chapter 11: The Assassination of the Pope
Chapter 11:The Assassination of the Pope
“SALAS ESCAPED?”
That sly schemer… I knew nothing good would come of pardoning him. There was trouble brewing, I was sure of it.
“But how?” Claire asked. “I thought he was confined in a special high-security prison?”
“Someone from the kingdom is here to explain what happened. Come to the exchange student lounge after classes.”
“Understood.”
Having delivered her message, Yu returned to her own class.
“Miss Claire…”
“I know. I have a bad feeling about this…”
“Oho, Claire, Rae. Have you two been well?”
“Father?!”
“Master Dole?”
When we went to the lounge after classes, we found my father-in-law, Dole François, waiting for us. Apparently, this was the messenger Bauer had sent to bring us the news.
“Where are May and Aleah? I can’t wait to see how much they’ve grown.”
“They’re in our room,” Claire answered. “It hasn’t even been two months since you’ve seen them, you know.”
“And? Children grow so much in a short span of time. Why, I remember when Claire was little—” He was about to launch into a story about Claire’s childhood when Yu politely interrupted.
“Excuse me, Dole. Might you convey the news from the kingdom? We’re still not aware of what’s going on.”
“Oh, dear, you’ll have to excuse me. My daughter and granddaughters are just far too adorable—”
“Father, please cut to the chase.”
“You lack patience, Claire. You’re just like Melia in that regard,” Dole said with a tinge of melancholy—Melia being Claire’s deceased mother. He cleared his throat before continuing. “Salas Lilium disappeared from his high-security prison cell beneath the palace around the middle of last month. It’s assumed he somehow broke out.”
In other words, he’d escaped shortly after we left the kingdom. The prison was the same one I’d been temporarily held in after the incident with Yu’s gender reveal. It should have been far more closely guarded than an ordinary prison.
“We don’t know how he escaped, but we can assume he had help from someone influential within the palace. Our number one suspect is, well…” Hesitant to finish, Dole looked at Yu.
“My mother, I suppose?” Yu said, to which Dole nodded. Yu sighed, looking unsurprised.
“Unfortunately, yes. Lady Riche and Salas seem to have, uh…history with each other.” Dole was skirting the truth.
“It’s all right. You can say it, Dole. Mother was in love with Salas. Even after he was imprisoned, she met with him regularly.”
Salas was popular with women, for reasons that escaped me. Thane’s mother, the late Queen Lulu, had carried on an illicit affair with him—just like Riche, it seemed. The late King l’Ausseil had been a wise king, but apparently he lacked whatever it was women looked for in a man. Personally, I’d liked the late king a hundred times more than Salas. All Salas had going for him was his looks.
“She’s just a suspect. We have no proof. But she has taken some rather suspicious actions of late. We’re keeping an eye on her.”
“Father, what do you mean by ‘suspicious actions’?” Claire asked.
“Well, you know how Riche relinquished the title of queen dowager?”
“Of course. I recall she returned to the church as a cardinal?”
To remind readers who might have forgotten—Riche was formerly a cardinal of the Spiritual Church. She’d married King l’Ausseil as part of a political union meant to strengthen the king’s control over the church. Riche had been queen dowager for a time after late King l’Ausseil’s passing but soon gave up the title and returned to the ministry. Within the church, her position was technically equivalent to Yu’s, but being the former queen dowager gave her authority second to only the pope.
“Lady Riche has dipped back into politics ever since she resumed her position as cardinal. She’d been gathering supporters within the church while undermining the influence of the current pope,” Yu explained.
“I think I see where this is going.” Claire looked at Yu with concern. Dole nodded with a worried expression.
“Sorry, can someone explain?” I hadn’t a clue what was going on.
“Lady Riche probably hasn’t given up on Yu. Now that making Yu the king has failed, she’s trying to make her the next pope instead.”
Well, that made sense. The cat was out of the bag now: whatever the royal family might claim, the people knew Yu was a woman. Combined with how well received Thane’s rule had been, Yu had little to no chance of ever succeeding the throne. But both Yu and Riche held positions of power within the church, and Riche additionally had her former supporters to draw on. The Spiritual Church favored women, considering them more naturally spiritual than men, and the previous top choice to succeed the pope, Lilly, had removed herself from consideration. Riche must have thought the time was ripe.
“But the current pope is still young, right? It’d be a while before Yu could take over,” I said.
“About that…” Dole frowned. “It’s just a rumor, but…I hear there is concern that some individuals intend to assassinate the pope.”
“What?!” I exclaimed. That was no laughing matter.
“You heard the pope is due to visit the Nur Empire next month, right? I suspect an attempt will be made then.” Dole’s expression was bitter as he shook his head in abhorrence.
“Couldn’t we have Lady Riche arrested, then?” I asked bluntly.
“We can’t,” Claire answered. “She’s a cardinal of the church and the former queen dowager. It’s hard to lay a hand on a lady of her influence.”
“She’s shrewd, too. I’m sure she has people do all her dirty work for her, hence why we’ve yet to find a single piece of hard evidence against her,” Dole went on.
I supposed they would have arrested her a long time ago if they could. Riche pulled strings from the shadows the same way Dole had when he was a noble. He no doubt understood better than most how hard it would be to catch her red-handed.
“That being said, we’re actually not a hundred percent sure that Lady Riche is the puppet master,” Dole continued.
“Isn’t the circumstantial evidence damning enough?” I asked.
“The problem is that Lady Riche volunteered to be in charge of security for the pope’s visit. If she were the mastermind, she wouldn’t need to take such a risk.”
I saw his point… If something were to happen to the pope on her journey, Riche would be the first person to take the blame.
“Maybe it’s a diversion?” I asked. “Or maybe she took the job precisely to discover the gaps in the pope’s security?”
“It’s possible, but I’m not so sure. She says she wants to put the actual security detail under someone else’s command. Well, more specifically…” For some reason, Dole looked directly at me. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. “She wants you to be in charge, Rae.”
Say whaaat? I couldn’t help but mentally retort.
Trouble was definitely brewing.
***
“Thank you for coming, everyone.” Former queen dowager and current cardinal Riche Bauer greeted us with a warm smile.
We were at Ruhm’s main cathedral. It was smaller than Bauer’s but still quite large. With me were the same people who’d met with Dorothea: Yu, Misha, and Claire.
Riche had come to the empire to prepare for the pope’s visit, arriving around the same time as Lilly. She summoned us the day after our talk with Dole.
“It’s been a while, Mother. I hope you’ve been well,” Yu greeted her mother as the three of us knelt on the ground, heads bowed.
“Thank you, Yu, I have. Everyone, please, be at ease.”
I raised my head and looked at Riche. She’d shielded her face from view with a fan the last time I saw her, but I got a good look now. Her eyes, blue like Yu’s, seemed to smile softly. Her golden hair, which had hung long when I last saw it, lay hidden beneath her wimple. The habit she wore was different from Lilly’s and Misha’s, as it was elegantly embroidered in the same style as Yu’s, signifying her position as cardinal. She’d given off an unfriendly impression when we last met, but now she seemed gentle—perhaps indicative of her current mood.
“Now then…” Riche began. “I summoned you all here today to ask something of you.”
The four of us already knew what was coming.
“As you’ve likely heard, the pope is coming to the empire next month. I wish to enlist your help as escorts.”
Dole’s words were spot-on.
“Especially you, Claire François. I want you to be in charge of guarding the pope.”
“Me?” Claire asked, taken aback.
Huh? That was strange… According to Dole, it should have been me. Had Riche changed her mind?
“While I’m ashamed to admit it,” Claire began, “the truth is I don’t know the first thing about security escorts. Certainly there must be somebody more suitable than I?”
“Oh, dear… But the Pope herself requested it. Is it really not possible?” Riche made a troubled face, cranking up the pressure.
“Well… If Rae and Misha can assist me, then I’ll accept.”
“Oh, thank goodness! Of course, that would be fine. In fact, I had something to request of Rae as well.”
“What is it?” I asked, puzzled.
Riche called for an attendant, who arrived carrying something. “What I’m about to show you must stay a secret. Not a word of this must leave this room.”
With profound reverence, the attendant held up what looked to be a framed portrait.
“Is that…me?” I blinked in confusion. Pictured within the portrait was none other than myself. But why was a picture of me being handled with such religious zeal?
“Not you, Rae,” said Riche.
Then who?
“This portrait is of the pope, Her Holiness Clarice Répète III.”
The four of us let out a gasp of surprise. This went beyond simple resemblance—her face was practically a carbon copy of mine.
It could have been a coincidence. Lilly had once mentioned seeing someone with a face like mine on her travels, so maybe my face was just common in this world? Come to think of it, when I’d first met Lilly, she’d thought I looked familiar. Perhaps she had been reminded of the pope.
“As you can see, the pope and Rae look identical to one another. For that reason, I want Rae to act as her body double,” Riche explained.
A dangerous request. Dole claimed the rumors of the pope’s impending assassination had some truth to them, so it was safe to assume being her body double meant risking my life. And while Riche’s request was reasonable if she had the pope’s well-being in mind, if we did as she asked, we might well be playing into her hands.
“There is something I would like to ask, if I may.”
“Of course, Claire.”
“Are you not at all concerned that the pope and Rae are so similar in appearance?”
“Ahh, that. It’s a closely guarded secret, but it is understood that those who look like Rae—er, rather, the pope—are born every so often. We believe them to be blessed by the Spirit God. Many popes throughout history have borne this face. The church goes to great lengths to watch over those who bear these features.”
So my face held some significance in this world… But why? Was it because it was the face of the Revolution protagonist?
“Perhaps you were once under the care of the church, Rae,” Riche said.
“Uhh, is that right…” I muttered.
Come to think of it, Elie—a look-alike of mine whom Lilly had run into—had been adopted by the church. If I hadn’t been adopted by my parents, I might have met a similar fate.
Well, putting matters of my face aside for now, there was one other thing I wanted to ask. “I have a question, if I may.”
“Go ahead.”
“Is it true? Is there a group with designs on the pope’s life?”
“That’s…” Riche hesitated. I wasn’t sure what to make of this. “It was Dole, wasn’t it? His lips are far too loose. Well, no matter. I would have told you regardless. Yes, it’s true, there are rumors that some people intend to take the pope’s life.”
Riche shook her head, as if the very thought were abhorrent. “Some malicious gossip has it that I’m the ringleader of said plot, but that is simply untrue. The pope is the leader of the Spiritual Church. To hurt her would be to invoke the wrath of followers the world over.”
In other words, she was saying she wasn’t that foolish.
“The role of a body double is a dangerous one. But you are the only one who can do it, Rae. I wouldn’t ask this if you merely resembled her; I’m asking because I’m confident you can protect yourself if worse comes to worst.”
High praise indeed.
“So please accept this request. For the pope.” Riche bowed deeply, shocking Yu and Misha. I would later learn they had never seen her bow to anyone before.
“All right. I’ll do it,” I answered after deep consideration. We had no way of knowing who was planning the assassination, but my best chance of stopping it came in working within the church.
Sticking my neck out like this would have been unthinkable of the old me. It seemed I’d changed because of Claire.
“I’m…surprised,” Riche said. “I was sure you would resent me too much to accept. I tried to have you killed after the incident with Yu’s gender. I’m sure you noticed.”
She was talking about how my food had been poisoned while I was imprisoned. For my part, I was surprised to hear her admit it.
“Considering the circumstances, it was only natural you’d hate me. I prioritized Lady Yu’s feelings but disregarded yours,” I said, which seemed safe. I wasn’t sure if her words were an act, but I wanted to avoid making enemies if I could.
“It seems I have misunderstood you, Rae Taylor… Please forgive me for the foolish mistakes I’ve made.” Riche bowed deeply once again. “Claire, Rae, I’ll be leaving the pope’s safety to you both. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility. Please do your best. Yu, Misha, please support them in any way you can.”
We dropped to a knee and lowered our heads once more before being dismissed.
***
“You’re being stubborn, Misha!”
“No, you’re just too emotional, Yu!”
Claire, May, Aleah, and I were eating dinner when we heard loud arguing from the room over.
“Are Lady Yu and Sister Misha fighting?”
“Their voices are scary…”
May and Aleah voiced their concerns with worried faces. Actually, if Misha lacked the composure to use her wind magic to muffle the sounds coming from their room, the argument was pretty heated.
“Go check on them, Rae,” Claire said.
“What about the cleanup?” I asked.
“I can do it—just hurry up and go.”
“Right, going.”
I said, “Don’t worry,” as I gave May and Aleah a quick pat on the head and made for the room over. I rang the doorbell, and their arguing abruptly stopped, after which I heard footsteps approach the door.
“Oh…Rae.”
“Good evening, Misha. Is something wrong? It sounded like you two were having a disagreement.”
“I’m sorry you had to hear that. It’s nothing serious.” Misha smiled as she spoke, but her naturally red eyes were red in a different sense.
“Forgive me for prying, but would you tell me what’s wrong?”
“That’s…”
“Why not, Misha? Let’s share our thoughts with Rae,” Yu said from inside the room, having heard our exchange.
“Come on in…” said Misha.
“Thank you.”
This was the first time I’d been in their room since we arrived. They’d furnished it since then, making it much cozier than before. Being members of the church, they both had a number of relics and prayer objects here and there, but their overall lifestyle seemed modest.
“I’ll put on some tea,” Misha said.
“Oh, no, I’m all right.”
“It’s fine. I need to go cool my head a bit.”
Misha went to the kitchenette to prepare some tea. The awkward atmosphere that lingered from their fight began to ease as the scent of tea wafted into the room.
“I’m sorry, Rae,” said Yu. “I didn’t realize we were loud enough for you to hear us.”
“It’s fine. I’m more worried about you two. Neither of you are the type to raise your voices like that.”
“We were just…exchanging opinions about Mother.”
“Yu kept insisting we shouldn’t trust her,” Misha said, returning to the living room with a tray of teacups and a displeased look.
“And I still think we shouldn’t. There’s a high chance Mother was involved in Salas’s escape. It’s only natural not to trust her.”
“She’s your own mother!” Misha insisted. “We don’t know if she’s conspiring, but as her daughter, you have to at least have some faith in her!”
“Faith in her? When all she ever did was force her desires on me?”
“Even so—”
They broke into bickering again.
“All right, stop, both of you. Let’s take a moment to calm down,” I interrupted.
“You’re right… Sorry,” Yu apologized.
“Sorry…”
The couple wore uncomfortable expressions, perhaps embarrassed. They had a habit of getting lost in their own little world regardless of who else was present—whether it be flirting or arguing.
“In short, Lady Yu distrusts Lady Riche, while Misha wants to trust her?”
They nodded.
“You agree with me though, right, Rae?” said Yu. “Mother only ever thinks about herself. This time is no different.”
“Leaving her personality aside, I think Lady Riche is trying to act in your best interests,” Misha said.
“Like when my best interests somehow involved forcing me to live as a man?”
“That’s…”
“All right, all right, that’s enough.” I stopped them yet again as they rapidly approached a third shouting match.
Seriously, what a handful these two could be.
“We don’t yet have enough information to know for sure whether to trust Lady Riche.” I kept my voice level to try to enforce calm. “Salas’s disappearance is fishy, but it’s still a mystery. Jumping to conclusions now will only hurt us down the road.”
Misha and Yu listened quietly. They were both sensible people who understood my logic. But feelings could so often run counter to reason.
“I think I understand how you feel, Yu,” I continued. “You lost your freedom because of your mother. You can’t bring yourself to trust her.”
“That’s right.”
“But…!”
“On the other hand, I don’t understand your sudden change of heart, Misha. You were never fond of Lady Riche.” Misha had even helped us break the curse on Yu in defiance of Riche’s express desires.
“I’m still not fond of her. Even in the convent, we don’t get along. She tries to separate Yu and me at every opportunity—even compelling Yu to use her own influence to defy hers… But this can’t be right. No mother and child should have to feud like this. Lady Yu matters more to me than anything else—that’s why I can’t bear to see you estranged from your mother like this.” Misha’s true feelings spilled from her lips. “I’m not saying every family gets along. If this were someone else’s family, I’d likely agree with Yu. But this isn’t someone else. It’s Yu. And I want Yu to be happy.”
“In other words, you believe Yu needs to reconcile with Lady Riche to be happy?”
“At the very least, the two of us will never be happy together as long as Lady Riche stands opposed to us.”
“So, it’s less about wanting to trust Lady Riche and more about ensuring Yu’s happiness?”
“Yes.”
Now I got it. I turned to look at Yu. “Lady Yu.”
“Yes?”
“I understand where Misha’s worry comes from now. Lady Riche is a very influential person who tries constantly to separate the two of you. You can see how this is a problem, I’m sure?”
Yu remained silent.
“So now I ask you: Why do you still distrust Lady Riche? I understand you resent her for how she caged you before, but you’ve been freed. You’ve said yourself that she relented once you abandoned your right to the throne.”
I still distrusted Riche myself, but Yu’s point-blank rejection of Misha’s words—to the point of having an open shouting match—was odd.
“It’s because…I can’t forgive her for how she treated my dear Misha.”
“At the convent?”
“Yes. Misha is my everything. And I won’t forgive anyone who hurts her, even if they are my mother.”
Now I got Yu’s feelings, too. I looked between them.
“So let me get this straight… You two are arguing because you love each other.”
They went silent. They stared at their feet as their cheeks reddened. As for me? I was done with this whole mess.
Get a room, you normies!
“It’s clear you two had each other’s best interest in mind, so how about you try sorting this out again—honestly this time? Not being upfront with each other is what led to this misunderstanding in the first place.”
“You’re right…”
“Sorry…”
It seemed my work here was done. “I’m going back to my room. Try not to get too impassioned again, okay? Oh, but getting passionate in a different sense might do you two some good, you never know!”
“Rae!”
Misha shot me a glare while Yu simply laughed defeatedly.
Leaving them to their own devices, I returned to my room.
“Everything all right? Nothing too serious, I hope,” Claire said worriedly.
“Nothing at all. Just a lover’s spat.”
Honestly, what a couple!
***
We began preparations the following day. There was much to do: delegating tasks, scheduling shifts, and reviewing the floor plan of the town hall in which the conference would take place. Of course, we were exempt from attending the academy while we worked. I worried about our grades taking a hit, but it seemed they would overlook our academic performance on account of the circumstances. We still had to take tests, of course, so we needed to keep up with studying whatever we missed in class.
“The name’s Hildegard Eichrodt, but please call me Hilda.”
During this time, we finally grew acquainted with the last romanceable character from Revo-Lily. She introduced herself as the head of security on the empire’s side.
Obviously, the church wasn’t preparing for the pope’s visit alone. With the empress in attendance, the empire needed security measures, too. Much of the empire’s strength lay in its military, due in part to its extraordinary investment in magical research. This stood in stark contrast to the Bauer Kingdom, which had initially neglected magic. In fact, the empire’s Department of Magic Technology was so influential that they were second in power only to Dorothea herself. And Hilda had deep ties to that department.
Hilda came off as a sharp and capable person. She wore a monocle, seldom seen on a woman, and her silver hair and red eyes reminded me of Lilly. But in contrast to Lilly’s timidity, Hilda emanated ferocity. Philine claimed Hilda was scary at first glance but genuinely a nice person—but I knew Hilda’s real personality. She was nothing but raw ambition and would stoop to anything to achieve her goals, even feigning kindness toward Philine.
To Hilda, Philine was nothing but an opportunity to increase her own power.
“This is the empire’s security plan,” said Hilda. “Please review it.”
That said, she did excellent work.
This meeting was held in a shared conference room reserved for those working the security detail. The room was quite large; it had to be, to accommodate all the people involved. Desks and chairs had been arranged in rows, and the lists of required materials covered the walls.
“Thank you, Hilda. This is the church’s security plan. Let’s compare notes and assist each other.”
Claire led the church’s security team with Lilly acting as support. As Claire was inexperienced in these matters, Lilly had been assigned to assist. Their combined efforts had allowed planning to progress smoothly.
“Will Her Holiness grace us with her countenance this time?” Hilda asked.
“Unfortunately, she will not. Her Holiness does not often reveal herself to others.”
See: Claire’s and my surprise at the pope’s true face. She was typically hidden by a bamboo blind whenever she talked to or met people. Even when she moved, she rode in a palanquin.
“Oh, dear. It will be difficult to convince Her Majesty of this… I wouldn’t be surprised if she slices open the blind to forcibly reveal the pope’s face. Her Majesty Dorothea is short-tempered, after all. Even the conference staff are terrified of her.” Hilda shrugged, but her expression seemed far less bothered than her words implied.
“You don’t seem too concerned,” Claire said.
“Well, truthfully, I doubt even Her Majesty would do something so impolite to the pope in the current climate. Inviting the ill will of the Spiritual Church’s followers would only cause trouble for the empire.”
“You have a lot of faith in Her Majesty,” Claire said.
“Of course. Her Majesty loves nothing more than rationalism. Barring unforeseen circumstances, she won’t transgress, not against the pope.” Hilda smiled reassuringly.
Yeah, okay, but why are you trying to reassure us when you brought the possibility up yourself? I thought.
“By the way, have you met Philine?” Hilda asked.
“I have,” said Claire. “She’s very sweet. You wouldn’t think she was the daughter of someone as stern as Her Majesty Dorothea.”
“Ha ha, everyone says that. But the two are actually quite alike.”
“Oh? How so?”
“She’s strong-willed, like her mother. She stumbles from time to time and loses heart over small things, but when it matters the most, she stands her ground.” Hilda sung Philine’s praises, and to be honest, I agreed with her. “I hope everyone from Bauer will get along with Philine. Especially the two of you, who led the revolution.”
Hilda’s lips loosened into a smile, her cold demeanor suddenly warm. Countless players fell for that smile in the game.
But I wouldn’t be deceived. I had a feeling that behind the scenes, Hilda was telling Philine the exact opposite—warning her not to get close to us, so she could stay number one in Philine’s mind.
“Of course. We hope to be good friends with her.” Claire had studied Hilda’s personality in preparation for our stay in the empire. She knew Hilda was likely feigning friendliness, yet she managed to respond with a superb smile of her own.
“Incidentally…” Hilda lowered her voice. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about a group aiming for the pope’s life? I can safely say the culprit isn’t associated with our government in any way. As I noted, making an enemy of the church would be terrible for us. And while this entire affair somewhat embarrasses Dorothea, she understands we have no choice at present.”
The objective of the pope’s visit was to dissuade the Nur Empire from continuing military aggressions. War brought suffering, and with the three-nation anti-Nur alliance taking shape, a mighty war loomed on the horizon. Consequently, the pope wasn’t just visiting the empire. She had just finished holding a similar conference with Thane in the Bauer Kingdom, and she planned to visit Sousse and the Alpes after the empire. According to Lilly, she grieved how violent the world had become.
Dorothea had intended to refuse the meeting, as she believed religion had no place in politics, but the empire wasn’t in a position to do that. They were already staring down the barrel of a potential war with three other nations. Earning the enmity of the Spiritual Church on top of that would be reckless.
“We hope the church will take adequate steps to protect her Highness’s safety, too. If anything were to happen to our empress, however unlikely, it would be a great blow to our people,” Hilda said.
“Understood.”
“As for your former chancellor, was he ever caught?”
“That… No, unfortunately we are still looking for him.”
So the empire knew of Salas’s escape.
“It would be a relief to catch him before the pope’s visit,” Hilda said. “Just so we have one less thing to worry about.”
“I agree wholeheartedly.”
“I’ve heard through the grapevine that he has strong ties to someone high up in the church. Unexpectedly, it seems the one plotting to harm the pope is—”
“That’s enough, Hilda,” Claire interrupted before Hilda could lay out a direct accusation. “We’re no fools. We have already devised countermeasures for this matter you’re so concerned about, so let’s end the baseless speculation there.”
“I apologize. That was rude of me.” Hilda bowed slightly.
Now that I thought about it, Salas had originally been working with the empire. They probably didn’t want us asking them too many questions either.
“All is forgiven,” Claire said. “As co-head of security, I understand your concerns.”
“Thank you. Now, shall we review the plans?”
This first meeting between security teams went on to finish without a hitch. Having been in charge, Claire was understandably exhausted by the time we returned to the dormitory.
“So many unexpected things keep occuring… What happened to our plan to manipulate the empire?”
“Nothing we can do about it. The circumstances have differed too drastically from my book of prophecies,” I said as I ran a comb through May and Aleah’s hair. May’s hairstyle resembled mine, while Aleah’s took after Claire’s. May had always preferred her hair short where Aleah liked hers long, so the styles fit nicely.
“But still, something must be done. We might as well start with what’s ahead of us,” Claire said.
“I’ll be there for you.”
Finished with the girls, I combed Claire’s hair. She had quite a few split ends. Must be from stress.
“Thank you, Rae.”
“Anything for you.”
Repeatedly dropping kisses on her head, I swore to myself again that I would ease her burden, if even just the tiniest bit.
***
Preparations continued steadily, and before we knew it, the day of the pope’s arrival was upon us. The sky was clear, the air brisk, and the earth warmed by the sun’s gentle rays. Claire and the personnel she led awaited the pope at the western city gate. Lilly had responsibilities elsewhere, but Yu, Misha, and Riche stood with us.
“She’s late…” Claire mumbled. Transportation in this world wasn’t punctual down to the minute like in modern-day Japan, but the pope was an hour late—long enough to make us worry something had happened en route.
“Are you concerned?”
“Of course. What if the pope was assas—ahem! There’s that rumor to consider.” Claire stopped herself before saying “assassinated.” While information pertaining to the issue had been shared with the security team, we had to watch what we said while in public earshot.
“Who knows, maybe she slept in.”
“Why, Her Holiness would never. She’s not you, Rae.”
It appeared Claire was still on edge.
“You’re horrible! Just who do you think wakes up early every morning to make everyone breakfast and lunch?” I covered my face and pretended to cry.
“H-huh? Wait, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that, Rae. I really do appreciate what you do, okay? It was just a slip of the tongue. I’ll take it back, so please don’t cry—”
“No! I’m hurt! I won’t stop crying until you kiss me!” I continued to pretend-sob.
“Wh-what are you saying?! W-we’re outside, I can’t kiss you when there’s people watching…”
“No. I. Won’t. Stop! Not until you kiss me!” I tried adding a tantrum to my act, but—
“Rae…you’re not actually crying…are you?” Claire stared at me with glazed eyes.
“Tee-hee.”
“Don’t ‘tee-hee’ me. We don’t have time for your games—this is serious business.”
“I did it precisely because it’s serious business, Miss Claire.”
“Quit joking around,” Claire huffed.
“You’re being too doom-and-gloom. Look, I read in a book a while back that in times like these, you should assume the worst-case scenario and therefore take the best-case action to address it. Shall we try it?”
“Sounds easier said than done… All right. What’s the worst-case scenario?”
“Let’s say…it’s the pope already being killed.”
“Then what’s the best course of action from there?”
“How about sending someone to go check?” I offered, when we were suddenly interrupted.
“Emergency!” someone called. “The pope and her entourage have been attacked by a pack of monsters! Requesting aid!”
Everyone snapped to attention.
“How many, how strong?!” Claire swiftly asked.
“About ten mid-strength monsters!”
“Dispatch security units one through three. The rest are to stay and defend the gate.” Under Claire’s orders, the reinforcements quickly assembled. “Will you go for me, Rae?”
“If that is your order.”
“Go. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
I joined the reinforcements, which consisted of about fifty soldier priests from the empire’s church and a hundred imperial soldiers. I was the only Bauer student. Sped up by those who could wield wind magic, we took off from the city at a blinding pace.
“They’re in sight!” a voice exclaimed from the front.
Ahead, the pope and her entourage were encircled by monsters, barely managing to defend themselves with a perimeter defense.
“Attack!” the leader of the reinforcements ordered.
Most of our units were composed of mages, but I spotted some swordsmen in the front. The mages in the back rained down magic, instantly taking out a third of the monsters, which were too distracted by the prey in front of them.
“Don’t let up!”
The military escorts guarding the pope promptly repositioned to catch the monsters in a pincer attack. The number of fiends rapidly dwindled.
As the last of the monsters were slain, the pope’s escorts voiced their relief. “W-we’re saved…”
“Not yet!” I shot an ice arrow at a shadowy figure creeping behind them.
“Feh… So there’s a sharp one among the bunch.”
The shadowy figure avoided my attack by beating the large wings on its back and bursting upward into the sky.
“A demon?!”
“I don’t care what you humans call me, but I have a name: Platos. Remember it.”
“Platos?! Isn’t that one of the Three Great Archdemons?!” a soldier exclaimed.
Platos—unlike Aristo, his fellow Great Archdemon—wore nothing but animal skins. His speech and attitude were rough, strikingly unlike the calculating Aristo.
Wasn’t meeting big-name demons supposed to be super unlikely? Yet here I am, facing a second!
“Taste my strength and die!” Platos slammed a club into the ground, sending ripples through the earth that knocked the soldiers down. “Eat this!”
He raised his hand into the air, and stone spikes exploded from the ground. It was the medium-level earth spell known as Earth Spike, but the number of spikes he summoned was irregular—more than a hundred, all bursting forth at once.
“Muddy Soil!” I used my earth magic to change the spikes to soft mud moments before they could pierce our flesh. Stopping more than a hundred Earth Spikes took a toll on me, even with my ultra-high aptitude magic, but I had no choice. It was that or be slaughtered.
“Not bad. Bet you’re Rae Taylor, huh? One of the humans that idiot Aristo let slip away.”
I felt a disturbing lack of magic left in me…right as I caught Platos’s eye.
Shoot.
“I bet Aristo spent too much time playing around with you, huh? Well, I ain’t like that. I’m gonna end you nice and quick!” Platos charged toward me as he swung his club.
He’s fast!
“Stop!” Soldiers stood in the way of Platos, readying their lances, swinging their swords, and firing their magic.
“Move!” The demon didn’t even flinch. Their attacks bounced off him as he tore through, knocking the soldiers out of the way. “Hnnh—die!”
He grinned, confident in his victory, as he swung his club at me.
“Judecca! Earth Spike!”
I froze Platos in place mid-swing, then attacked him with the same spell he’d used earlier, forming my trademark combination technique: Cocytus. But before Earth Spike could connect, Platos wrested free of the ice through sheer strength and flew into the air.
“Whew. You nearly screwed me of all people… Man, and right after I was done bragging. You humans are freaks.” Platos glared down at me from above. “But hey, know what? I bet you’re at your limit. You humans got crazy small magic reserves. Just those few spells probably got you near empty.”
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. After countering his hundred-something Earth Spikes and then casting two of my strongest spells, my magic was nearly depleted. That wasn’t to say I was completely tapped, but I only had about one, maybe two casts of a spell that could damage him.
I was about to consider retreat when a dignified voice rippled through the battlefield.
“Fill.”
Light began to envelop the area, the illumination somehow palpable and soft. Power swelled in me where it touched. Fallen soldiers rose one after another. I, too, felt my magic power restored in its entirety.
From near the pope’s palanquin, a clergyman called out. “Her Holiness the pope has granted us her blessing! Today, we shall not know defeat! Stand and slay the demon!”
In unison, the escorts, the soldier priests, and the soldiers responded with a war cry.
Was that…a wide-range healing ability? Does such magic exist? I wondered.
“Hmph. Couldn’t finish you off. Whatever, let’s just call it for today. Later.” Seeing us recovered, Platos indifferently prepared to retreat.
“Chickening out?” I called after him.
“Hah! Wait until you can hold your own against me before talking smack,” Platos spat with derision. I would much rather have taken him down right then, but he didn’t take the bait. The demon left, flying to the east.
“Was that Her Holiness’s power?”
“It’s a miracle!”
Here and there, the soldiers began to exclaim words of praise for the pope. They’d been near death moments prior. I hated to think of what would have happened if the pope hadn’t saved us with her magic.
“Rae Taylor, this way, if you would.” The clergyman who had rallied the soldiers beckoned to me. I approached, though I didn’t yet know what for. “Thank you for buying us much needed time. Her Holiness’s magic is powerful but takes time to prepare.”
Have I seen this person before? I was pretty sure he was a bishop.
“Oh, no, if anything, I should be doing the thanking. The pope’s magic saved us all,” I said.
“You flatter me,” a voice answered from within the palanquin.
“Y-Your Holiness?!”
“It’s fine, Bishop Rhona. It’s only a matter of time before she and I must see each other.”
The blind on the palanquin lifted, and as it did, I came face-to-face with a girl who looked exactly like me, though the aura she exuded was unmistakably different.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rae Taylor. I am the pope.” The girl’s voice was alarmingly monotone, and her expression didn’t so much as twitch.
She was Clarice Répète III.
***
“Thank you very much for coming to our aid earlier.”
We welcomed the pope at the empire’s main church. Claire and I faced the pope’s palanquin as we knelt on the ground, though she had her blind lowered, so we couldn’t actually see her face. Adjacent to the palanquin were Riche, Yu, Misha, and then Lilly, as well as other members of the church. Everyone looked tense, thanks to the recent attack.
In contrast, the pope thanked us in a calm—no, a mechanical voice, one that lacked inflection and was devoid of emotion—yet, somehow, was not uncanny in the slightest. Her face was identical to mine, as was her voice, if I listened carefully enough, but we had entirely different airs.
“Thank you for gracing us with your presence. My name is Claire François, and I am in charge of the security for your visit. I am relieved to see Her Holiness was not harmed earlier,” Claire said as she formally introduced herself.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things about you. Everyone praised your handling of the recent situation as well.”
“Thank you very much.”
Claire conducted herself with utmost decorum. She never ceased to amaze me in formal situations, ever the perfect lady. It was hard to think she was the same person who grew flustered every time May and Aleah cried at home—not that I did any better in that case.
“Your partner is very strong,” said the pope. “I likely wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Rae Taylor.”
“Thank you very much for your kind words.” I bowed deeply together with Claire.
“I’m sure you’ve already heard from Cardinal Riche, but it seems there are those who desire my death. While it pains me to know some believe I have not fulfilled my duties as pope, I cannot afford to pass from this world yet. Will you lend me your aid?”
“Of course, Your Holiness. We’ll do everything in our power to protect you.”
“Thank you very much. Now then, I must now speak on a different matter. I ask all clergy other than Cardinal Riche, Cardinal Yu, Lilly, and Misha to take their leave.”
The members of the clergy whispered to one another in confusion.
“I’m sorry, did Her Holiness not make herself clear?” Riche’s sharp, sagacious voice ripped through the murmurs. She’d spoken softly when she summoned us the other day, but I thought this tone sounded much more authentic. But that was probably my bias talking.
At her urging, the clergy members vacated the area.
After making sure all but those specified had left, Riche said, “Now then, let’s swap Her Holiness and Rae. Misha, the blind, if you will.”
“Certainly.” Misha lifted the bamboo blind, revealing the Pope’s small frame sitting on a modest white chair. She wore a white vestment embroidered with golden threads.
“Your Holiness, I beg your pardon, but may I ask you to leave your seat so we can begin exchanging clothes?”
“Understood.” The pope’s expression never flickered as she stood and slowly walked toward us.
At the risk of sounding narcissistic, I simply must make clear that the pope was bewitchingly beautiful. While we had the same face, she exuded an aura of mysticism I simply couldn’t match. There’s a fine line between the chilling and the divine, and her indifferent, emotionless visage wavered over it, but it landed, in the end, at divinity. Perhaps being the pope meant she had to maintain constant control of her expression?
Such were my thoughts when I heard a thump.
No one spoke.
She tripped. The pope had tripped. And squarely on her face, at that. Unable to process what had just occurred, Claire and I stared, our mouths agape. The idea of offering a hand didn’t so much as surface in our minds.
Then, as if nothing had happened, the pope stood and resumed slowly pacing toward us with her coolly composed expression.
Then another thump.
She fell a few steps thereafter. On her face. Again.
“Your Holiness?!” Claire regained her senses and rushed to the pope’s side to help her up. The pope, still expressionless, took her hand and stood.
“Forgive me, I’m afraid I’m not athletically inclined.”
But you’re just walking? I thought. Can walking really be considered something athletic?
Her vestments did seem heavy, and they dragged on the floor as she walked. No sweat appeared on her brow, but she seemed to struggle to move. I’d thought it strange that she walked so slowly, but perhaps that was just as fast as she could go?
Or maybe she’s just really physically weak? I pondered.
She eventually reached me and took a single deep breath, like she had accomplished a great feat—despite merely walking forty feet or so.
“Now then, Misha, Lilly, please help her change,” Riche said.
“Certainly.”
“Y-yes.”
Lilly rushed over to the pope and began stripping her heavy vestments off, piece by piece. I stripped my own clothes and donned the vestments passed to me by Misha. Oh, they are pretty heavy. Perhaps because of their ornamental nature, the vestments restricted my ability to flex my limbs and were difficult to move in. While I still thought the pope frail, these clothes were partially to blame.
“Please wear these if you would like, Your Holiness.” It would be outrageous to make her wear my used clothes, so Claire handed over a washed set we’d brought from home.
“How are these worn?” The pope looked at my clothes in puzzlement, like they were a foreign object.
“I-I can help you change.”
“No, Lilly,” Lady Riche cut in. “If Her Holiness is to live as Rae for the time being, she needs to learn these things. Please teach her.”
“Please do, then, Lilly,” the pope asked.
“Y-yes.”
The pope seemed to lack basic common knowledge, as if she’d lived under a rock her whole life. I guess she’d just been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, leaving her no need to learn such things? Thankfully, she seemed to get the hang of normal clothing quickly. She moved her arms and legs about curiously, looking very cute—was that also narcissistic of me to say?
“It’s light and easy to move in. A bit cold, however.”
“Please wear this if you’re cold, Your Holiness.”
“Claire, if I’m to live as Rae, I need you to treat me like her.”
“Oh… B-but, of course. You should wear this then, Rae.”
“Yes, Miss Claire.” The pope put her arms through the jacket Claire handed her. I always added “Miss” when I said Claire’s name, and it seemed she would do the same to maintain cover.
“Rae—I mean—Your Holiness, take care to watch your speech and behavior as well,” Misha warned me.
This might be a whole lot more tiresome than I anticipated.
***
It had been a few days since my swap with the pope.
The conference with Dorothea was still days out, but the pope always had various small tasks she needed to see to. I generally left them to others and focused on not blowing my cover, which was easier than I thought, as the pope rarely saw people herself. Even so, on the rare occasions I did have to deal with someone directly, I occasionally slipped up and spoke unnaturally or mistook the order of formalities.
“Ugh… I’m exhausted.”
Finished with meeting clergy from the empire’s church, I returned to the room that had been supplied to me and sloppily sprawled onto the bed with a deep exhale. Keeping up the facade was difficult because, to no one’s surprise, my personality was the polar opposite of the pope’s; it took everything I had to prevent myself from fooling around. Of course, the worst part of everything was not having Claire by my side.
When this is all over, I’ll toy with Claire to my heart’s content! I promised myself, when I heard a knock at the door.
I hurriedly got up and sat neatly on the bed.
“Come in.”
“Pardon me, Your Holiness.” Riche entered the room. She peered at me, eyebrow raised for a brief moment, before fixing her expression. “Your duties are concluded for the day. Good work. I brought a change of clothes.”
She brought out some plain, unadorned vestments that acted as casual wear and unfolded them for me to see.
“Furthermore… Please take care not to lie down with your formal vestments on, or they’ll grow wrinkled.”
Ah. She’d seen right through me. Yeah, I supposed the real pope wouldn’t be flopping around on a bed like this.
“I’m sorry, Lady Riche.”
“Try again.”
“Riche.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
Riche smiled in contentment after I hurriedly corrected myself. She began helping me change clothes.
“That said, I understand you must be exhausted. Acting as the pope must not be easy, having to be composed all the time.” She spoke with consideration, her voice low enough that only I could hear.
“Oh, yes. Especially since I usually act like a wild animal.”
“I’m sure that’s not true. I hear your grades in etiquette were quite high back when you were a student.”
As the outer tunic was lifted off, I responded, “I can’t hold a candle to real nobles. We live in different worlds, after all.”
“Well…that’s all in the past. Now, there’s no distinction between noble and commoner,” Riche muttered, sounding unsure whether the change was for better or worse.
“I recall you were originally a member of the church?”
“Yes. But if you trace my lineage back, I descend from prominent Bauer aristocrats.” Naturally. No common-born clergywoman, not even a cardinal, could so easily become queen.
“Was it difficult adjusting to life as royalty?”
“Oh… In its own way. I learned etiquette at the church, but the formalities expected of the royal family were much more complex. I had to practice so much.” She sounded nostalgic. “But I had help. I know you don’t like him too much, but back then, Salas was good to me.”
So he’d actively supported Riche even before she became queen?
“Everyone only speaks ill of him since his imprisonment. Of course, not even I can forgive his ties to the empire, let alone what he tried to do to the kingdom. And yet, I don’t think it right to deny what he did for the kingdom either.”
Her words had some truth. Salas had been an excellent chancellor who brought stability to Bauer. Even the late King l’Ausseil’s push for meritocracy would have ended before it began if it weren’t for Salas’s help in making it a reality.
“He used to be a dreamer with a beautiful ideal in his heart. But that all changed because of her… Because of Lady Lulu.” The queen before Riche. The one who’d had an affair with Salas that resulted in the birth of Thane. “Lady Lulu was constantly falling in love with new people. A typical noble lady, if you will. She seduced Salas all too easily, naive as he was.”
My impression of the events was quite different, but I knew when to keep my mouth shut. Instead, I asked a different question. “Did you love Salas?”
She didn’t respond for a time. Only the sound of rustling clothes filled the room.
“Personal feelings matter little in a political word. I was l’Ausseil’s wife, and so I could never be wed to Salas. That was all.”
Her words sounded like they were meant for herself rather than me.
“At any rate, I became queen, then gave birth to Yu… She gave my life meaning. I’m sure you…and Yu don’t think too highly of me, but I truly do love her.”
Her expression softened when she spoke Yu’s name. I would remember the look on her face for a long time to come.
“What I did to her was unforgivable. I don’t know if I even have the right to call myself her mother anymore. But everything I’ve done, I did with her best interests in mind. And no matter what anyone might say, that is the truth.” She stared intently at me as she spoke. I felt sincerity in her words.
“What do you think of Misha?” I asked.
Riche wore a thin smile upon hearing my question.
“I think Misha is a wonderful girl. Her family used to be nobles of good repute, and she cooperated with us in hiding Yu’s true gender. You might not believe me, but I was certain she would be Yu’s future spouse. That is, until her house fell to ruin.” She spoke nostalgically, as if envisioning a young Yu and Misha together.
“What about now?”
“Now…I’m not so sure. Yu’s a woman now, but she still wants to take Misha as a lifelong partner. I just can’t understand why one would choose to love someone of the same gender. I’m sorry if I offended you.”
“It’s all right. I don’t mind.”
Straight people might never completely understand how queer people felt—and vice versa. Neither party was at fault.
“And yet, I do envy you and Yu. You both chose to live lives that were true to yourselves, choosing your paths despite knowing the hardships ahead. I think you’re all wonderful. I really do.”
Her words took me by surprise. I thought she simply loathed our kind of love, but to hear her admit she didn’t understand it, and even envied it…
“Perhaps the times are changing. When I was your age, whom I loved or married wasn’t my decision to make. They say the elderly tend to look back fondly on the past; I think it’s because we envy our younger selves, who had yet to make the mistakes we’ve made now. It’s easier to wish to change your past than to acknowledge what you’ve done.”
Her words didn’t match her still youthful appearance. Her voice seemed to age when she spoke of the years long gone.
“Rae, one day you’ll become an adult and understand what it means to be trapped in the past. There will be children who show you the world to come, and then you’ll understand how enviable—yet oh-so-brightly—they shine.”
The words she spoke this day would stay with me forever. Even after what would come to pass, I would still look back and think on the truth of Riche’s words.
***
Intermission—Adultery (Accidental)Claire’s POV
A few days had passed since the pope and Rae swapped roles, and things seemed to be going well for Rae, considering she hadn’t exposed herself. The same could not be said for us.
It was evening, almost time for the guards to change shifts.
“Don’t you think Miss Rae’s been kinda quiet these last few days?” Lana—who was helping with guard duty—asked, full of suspicion. By her side, Eve looked over toward us, doubtful as well.
“Not at all. I’m just as I always am,” The pope responded. Her words resembled the sort Rae might say, but her tone remained flat and emotionless.
“Th-that’s right. Oh, I know, she’s probably just tired from guard duty.” I tried my best to work up an excuse.
“Hmm, really? Something’s not right… Was Miss Rae always, like, this expressionless?”
There it was—my biggest cause for concern. Unlike Rae, who was incredibly emotive, the pope’s face never so much as twitched. We couldn’t avoid arousing suspicion.
“Th-the truth is that Rae and I have been fighting for a while now. That’s why she seems a little stiff.”
“Ohhh, I see, I see. Hey, Miss Rae, if you’re bored with Miss Claire, then why not start a secret relationship with me?” Lana said, joking around with Rae—who was actually the pope—like she always did.
Seeing Lana’s suspicion pass, I breathed a sigh of relief—but I was getting ahead of myself.
“What do you mean by ‘secret relationship’?” the pope asked in her impassive voice. My blood pressure shot through the roof.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you giving me the okay? Oh, my gosh, this is my lucky day!”
“Filth…”
Lana seemed to be in a state of euphoria while Eve made no effort to hide her disgust. My concerns just kept growing.
“Whatever are you saying? Rae would never cheat on me,” I said.
“Whaaat, but you said yourself that you were fighting. I’m not lettin’ an opportunity like that slip by, you know?”
The pope’s deadpan eyes stared at me. It didn’t seem like she was going to lift a finger to fix this mess. It was up to me to drag us out of it.
“W-we may be fighting, but that doesn’t change the fact we both love each other deeply,” I said. “We’re just having a small…tiff.”
“Yeah, but isn’t, like, a ‘small tiff’ already a reason to end things? What’s the point in forcing a relationship that’s not working out?”
“Lana… Just what kind of relationships have you been in so far…?”
I wasn’t even inquiring about her relationship history—just expressing my exasperation with her dismal view of love.
“In the first place,” I continued, “why are you so interested in Rae? You’ve been approaching her since the first day of class.” Rae told me she had no recollection of ever meeting Lana prior, so why was she so infatuated with her?
“Huh? I mean, like, c’mon—Miss Rae’s sooo cute and smart! And I just love how clingy she can be.”
“Oh. Well, I’ll give you that.”
Cute—check.
Smart—couldn’t disagree.
Clingy—absolutely correct.
“Besides, I feel like Rae would never cheat romantically, but she would be totally up for a purely physical affair.”
“N-nonsense!” I rebuked Lana, not least because I didn’t want the pope to hear any more on this topic.
“Is there a difference between a romantic affair and a physical one?” the pope innocently asked, tilting her head.
I’m begging you, Your Holiness, please don’t pay her any heed!
“Absolutely!” sang Lana. “A physical affair’s not cheating if there’s no love!”
“You know that’s not true! Keep spouting nonsense and I’ll burn you!” I raged.
“Oh, no, help me!” Lana said in a deadpan voice as she hid behind the pope. “Save me, Miss Rae!”
“Miss Claire, it is wrong to burn someone for mere jests. That would not be moral conduct,” the pope chided me.
“It was a joke… You really take such matters seriously, don’t you?”
I felt like I was surrounded by enemies, no ally in sight. Rae, I feel your absence keenly. Come back soon.
“Aha! You like me too, Rae! I knew it! So how about you and I get dinner tonight?”
“No, thank you. May and Aleah are waiting for me at home.”
“Aww, figures. Kids add an extra challenge to the pick-up game. But that just makes it even better!”
“Goodness, do you ever stop spouting nonsense? Oh, look, it’s time for shift change already. Good day, Lana, Eve,” I said.
“See you later, Lana, Eve.”
“Laters!”
“Goodbye…”
We parted company with the two and hurried home.
“Mother Claire, Your Holiness, welcome home!”
“Welcome home!”
May and Aleah greeted us as we returned to our dormitory. Ahhh, I thought, nothing is better after a day’s work than seeing those smiles. I hugged them both and rained kisses onto their cheeks.
They already knew about the switch between Rae and the pope. They’d actually realized something was different before I even had a chance to explain on the first day, simply taking one glance at the pope’s face and asking—
“Who’s this person?”
“Where’s Mother Rae?”
I was surprised—they tended to be comparatively lukewarm around Rae, but I suppose they were paying attention to her all the same. Rae would be ecstatic to hear it. I couldn’t wait to tell her.
“I’ve prepared dinner!”
“Aleah’s amazing! She’s just like Mama Rae.”
“Thank you, Aleah.”
“Thank you very much.”
The pope and I both thanked Aleah. While I was ashamed to admit it, neither I nor the pope could cook. I had considered hiring someone with the funds provided by the church when Aleah suggested she do the cooking herself.
I worried whether she could handle it at first, but all doubt went out the window on the first day, when she lined the table with irresistible dish after dish. She’d only been taking lessons from Rae for a month, but she proved an exceptionally fast learner. Of course, May helped her sister a little, but it was mostly Aleah.
We changed, ate, bathed, and played with the children. Before we knew it, it was time to sleep.
“May, Aleah, time for bed.”
“Okay!”
“Yes, Mother.”
They said their good nights and returned to their room.
“They’re good kids,” the pope said. Her face was as devoid of emotion as usual, but something about her felt gentler than usual.
“Yes. I’m proud of them.” I truly was, from the bottom of my heart. At first, I’d been worried about whether I was equipped to raise them—but those worries had long since passed. I had misunderstood what parenthood was in the first place.
Parenthood wasn’t just raising a child. Parenthood was watching over a child as they raised themselves. We weren’t meant to force our children to become something, but rather to help them grow into what they wanted to be. At least, that was my take on it. Naturally, I still believed in a certain level of discipline to ensure their safety.
“Now then, shall we go to sleep ourselves?”
“Yes.”
We headed to the bedroom and got into bed. The room, originally meant for Rae and me, only had one bed. This unfortunately meant the pope and I had to sleep together. At first, I’d had misgivings about sleeping beside a woman who looked identical to Rae, but the pope was a quick sleeper—unlike my mischievous wife—so I adjusted soon enough.
“Good night, Your Holiness.”
“Good night, Claire.”
That was when I felt something soft touch my lips. I sat up in shock.
“Y-Y-Y-Y-Your Holiness?!”
“A…physical affair…isn’t cheating…right?” She spoke drowsily before she drifted into sleep completely.
I was in turmoil.
Oh, Rae! Please, forgive me!
With this new strangeness hanging over my head, I prayed for Rae to visit me in my dreams as I closed my eyes for the night.
***
Three days remained until the conference. I was getting used to my role as body double, albeit with the occasional verbal slip-up here and there.
But I don’t think I could ever get used to this food…
Despite being the leading figure of the church, the pope’s meals were incredibly modest: hard bread, bland pottage with beans, a boiled egg, and some fruit. It was basically the same diet Claire and I had lived off of for some time after the revolution. The church didn’t forbid the eating of meat, so I could only assume this was part of their religious self-discipline.
“I shall now begin the poison testing,” said the attendant by my side.
My appetite, already low because of the bland food, sank even lower at the mention of poison. I understood it was a necessity, though, given the pope’s status and the rumors.
I couldn’t just use my detoxifying water magic either, as the empire had a poison called cantarella that was resistant to it. I’d been able to detoxify the old variant used on Thane, but if the variant Louie used—or a newer variant, for that matter—was mixed in my food, I’d be dead. It was easy to think magic was all-powerful, but it had its limits.
The attendant who was testing my food for poison was a nun by the name of Sandrine. She took regular care of me as well. She seemed to be a fervent believer in the pope and had been doing this work since a young age. She looked like most other nuns, about the same height as me, her eyes soft and kind. I’d say she was in her twenties. She was also a bit thin, perhaps from this diet the clergy lived on. Come to think of it, every clergy member I had seen so far was on the thinner side.
“It’s safe.” After trying a part of all my food, Sandrine returned to my side on standby.
“Thank you, Sandrine.”
“Not at all. This is merely part of my duties,” she said with a warm smile.
I felt a pang of guilt as I spooned the pottage into my mouth. Sandrine was unaware of the swap and still thought she was risking her life for the pope. If she were to be poisoned and die, it would be for some stranger she had never heard of. I didn’t quite like the thought of that.
“Your first order of business will be meeting with Lady Riche to discuss the coming conference.”
“Understood.”
I didn’t meet very much with people, in part due to being a double. The majority of my work was handled by Riche. In fact, she did a lot of things, such as handling the conference preparations, collecting information the pope would need for the conference, and keeping me up to date on Claire and the real pope—as well as May and Aleah. It was thanks to her that I could focus on my role without those worries.
I continued listening to Sandrine recite the day’s agenda while finishing my meal. Maybe I should ask for different options, I thought, as I moved to get changed. My heart sank when I thought about having to wear those heavy vestments for another day.
“I think you’ve gained a little weight, Your Holiness,” Sandrine said. Her words startled me. I shared the pope’s face, but our figures weren’t quite the same. “It must be because of the empire. I’m sure they’re giving you the best quality ingredients out of consideration for you.”
Thankfully, she explained away the difference herself. Whew.
“I’ll do the buttons on your back,” she said as she moved behind me. It was annoying how you couldn’t don these vestments alone. The buttons were too far back to reach. Maybe I could get Broumet to start selling zippers…
“I graciously thank thee for bestowing the honor of touching Her Holiness’s body,” I heard Sandrine whisper from behind me. Every time she touched me, she offered her gratitude to God and kissed her rosary. No doubt, she was doing it today as well. But she was taking an unusually long time.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
Suddenly, I felt the presence of strong magic behind me. I tried to turn, but I found my neck compressed, unable to breathe. Something thin and cord-like had wrapped around my throat.
“San…dri…ne…why?!”
I abandoned searching for an answer and devoted myself to finding a way out of my predicament. Survival first—interrogation later.
I summoned a bead of magic as fast as I could behind my back and fired, sending Sandrine flying straight to the wall.
I gasped for air while eyeing Sandrine warily. Her gentle expression was nowhere to be seen, her eyes now glazed over and her hands gripping a rosary. That rosary—it had to be what had choked me. Any normal cord should have snapped; I suspected it had been specifically made to double as a garrote. In fact, some strange light emanated from it—was it a magic tool?
Interrupting my thoughts, Sandrine charged, cord in hand. But she was slow. She expected to be facing the physically frail pope.
“Gotcha.” I grabbed her right wrist and twisted it, applying pressure on the joint. I’d figured it was about time I learned some practical combat skills, so I’d had Claire teach me the basics of martial arts.
Sandrine resisted for a while, but she gasped with pain and released the cord.
“Sleep.” I pressed my fingertip to her forehead and cast another of my trademark water spells, the same one I’d used on Claire during the Commoner Movement. It was strong enough to make even the magic-resistant Claire faint—so of course, there was no way a simple nun like Sandrine could resist.
“Phew…” I was out of the woods. I picked up the rosary and thought about calling for someone when—
“Your Holiness!”
Someone came bursting through the door.
“Lady Riche…”
“Are you all right? I heard a noise and came as soon as I could!” Riche spoke between gasps. She had run here full speed. “Y-you’re bleeding!”
“Huh? Oh… I must have been cut when I pushed her back.” I couldn’t see, but apparently there was a scar around my neck.
“Did Sandrine do this?”
“Yes, but I have a feeling she wasn’t herself.”
“Is she still…alive?”
“Don’t worry, she’s just unconscious.” I couldn’t have her dying on me before I could collect information.
“Such a terrible scar… I’m so sorry. I thought I had removed anything that could be used as a weapon, but I hadn’t considered a rosary,” Riche said worriedly as she started to cast healing magic on me.
That’s odd, I thought as I stashed the rosary underneath my vestment. But I can’t jump to conclusions yet.
Following Riche, clergy members came pouring into the room.
“What happened?!”
“Your Holiness, are you safe?!”
“Sandrine did this?”
Things were getting noisy in here. A soldier priest pinned Sandrine down as she began to rouse.
“Ngh… Where…am I?”
“Sandrine, you are under arrest for your attempt on Her Holiness’s life.”
“What?! I would never!” she insisted.
“You still feign innocence? I see no reason to wait for a trial. Execute her here.” Riche’s harsh words took me by surprise.
“Wait,” I said, disturbed. “We still need to question her.”
“That’ll take too…” Lady Riche cut herself off. “Her crime is clear. I see no reason to waste time.”
“Lady Riche, I’m fine,” I whispered in a voice only she could hear, but she didn’t stop.
“Execute her, on the spot!”
Riche left me with no choice.
“Are you disobeying the orders of your pope?” I asked coolly.
This was my last resort. Those words wouldn’t have meant anything if the two of us had been alone, but Riche had the onlookers to consider.
“Forgive me… We will obey Her Holiness’s decision.” Starting with Riche, everyone began to kneel before me.
Ugh. This feels terrible.
After that, Sandrine was questioned by the church. She claimed she was in the middle of changing me when she blacked out. She also seemed to blame herself greatly, as—no matter the true circumstances—she had attacked the pope, and she even now wished for her own execution.
I ordered the questioning to be carried out with at least one member from the church and one member from the Bauer Kingdom always present. I suspected Sandrine wasn’t the sole perpetrator, which left her at risk of being silenced by conspirators to hide information.
I visited Sandrine a while later.
“Why did you go so far as to save me after what I did to you?” she asked me through tears.
I couldn’t think of a good response, so I simply answered, “Do I really need a reason if it’s you, Sandrine?”
Overcome with emotion, she started sobbing even more.
Your Holiness, I might have accidentally put you on the Sandrine route. Sorry!
I made it clear to the others that Sandrine should not be punished until the full circumstances behind the case were made clear.
“Have this analyzed for me.” I also covertly handed Sandrine’s rosary to a Bauer Kingdom clergy member on the side—without Riche’s knowledge.
***
Intermission—The Anatomy of a SmilePope Clarice Répète III’s POV
“Your Holiness, what’s wrong?”
“Is something stuck on our faces?”
The young twins—named May and Aleah—looked at me skeptically. No, perhaps skeptically wasn’t quite it. They simply regarded me with unbridled curiosity.
I was living in Rae and Claire’s room for the time being. Claire was currently out, leaving me alone with May and Aleah. I had no knowledge of housekeeping tasks, so I looked after May and Aleah instead—although it might be more appropriate to say they looked after me.
“Nothing is wrong. I was simply thinking about how cute you two are,” I answered truthfully. As pope, I did not often have the chance to freely express myself, and this was a good opportunity to learn. I’d been taught to watch my words, expressions, and even my thoughts to best serve the church, but I’d never thought of it as a burden. This was how I’d been raised. My purpose was to be the symbol of the church. It was what I had been created for.
“Are you praising us? Hey, hey, are you praising us?”
“Yes.” I nodded, causing May to smile happily.
However, Aleah seemed a little put off. “You’re supposed to smile if something’s cute.”
“Smile?”
“Yeah. Even if you say we’re cute, we don’t know if you mean it with a face like that. If anything, it’s scary.”
“How does one smile, Aleah?”
“Huh?” Aleah looked at me in surprise, caught off guard by my honest question.
“Do you not know how to smile?”
“I do not.”
“Haven’t you smiled before?”
“Not that I can recall.”
“Oh, no! May, we need to do something!”
The twins began conferring. Smiling seemed to be terribly important.
“I know!” May began. “We just gotta do this!” She began tickling my sides.
“Huh? Aren’t you ticklish?”
“It is very ticklish.”
“But you still won’t smile.”
“It seems not.”
“Then you join too, Aleah! Two is better than one!”
“Okay!” Aleah joined in the tickling. But it didn’t seem to change anything. “She still won’t smile?”
“I thought that’d do it…”
I didn’t smile. I was ticklish indeed, but it didn’t result in a smile. The two girls continued to try various things, but to no avail.
“I’m sorry, girls,” I said.
“It’s okay. I guess some people just don’t smile very easily.”
“But the two of us smile all the time, don’t we, May?”
“Yeah…”
“But, Your Holiness, you really think we’re cute, right?” May asked.
“Yes.”
“Then I’m sure you’ll smile one day! Because Mama Rae always says ‘cute is justice’!”
“Cute is justice?” The connection between justice and smiling eluded me. Just how deep down the rabbit hole did smiling go?
Claire returned home soon after, and our conversation came to an inconclusive end. But the fact that I couldn’t smile lingered in the back of my mind.
The next day, I visited a convent in the empire with Claire. I wasn’t supposed to go out often, since I was being targeted, but staying cooped up at home wasn’t something Rae would do. That being the case, I asked Claire to bring me to the convent.
I’d picked this place because I heard there were many children here.
“Look, it’s Miss Claire and Miss Rae!”
“May and Aleah, too!”
“Hello, everyone. Have you been well?” Claire said.
“Yes!” they all cried.
Apparently, Claire and Rae often visited a convent in the Bauer Kingdom, helping through donations and charity work. They’d continued this work in the empire and were already familiar faces at this establishment.
“Now, now, children. Let’s not cause trouble for Claire. Welcome, Miss Claire, Miss Rae.”
“I hope it’s okay we’ve come by again, Kaja.”
“Of course. The children were waiting for your visit.”
“Really? That’s good to hear. I brought some sweets for everybody.”
“Yay!”
Claire handed over the basket she’d brought, and the children shouted in glee.
The nun known as Kaja looked troubled and said, “Oh, dear. That’s not how you show your gratitude, children. What do you say?”
“Thank you very much, Miss Claire, Miss Rae!”
“You’re very welcome. May, Aleah, go ahead and play with everyone.”
“Okay!”
“Yes, Mother.”
The children carried the basket to the yard. There, they sat down next to a flower bed and began divvying up the sweets.
“Miss Rae, is something the matter?”
I looked blankly back at Kaja. Had I done something considered unusual?
“You don’t seem very energetic. Normally you would go and play together with the children. You seem…different today.”
It seemed those who knew Rae well could feel something off about me. It wasn’t too surprising; no matter how alike we looked, it didn’t change the fact we were separate people, even if this body had originally been hers.
“Do I often play with the children?” I asked.
“Huh? Um, yes, I believe so?” Kaja answered.
“It’s because you’re a child at heart,” Claire chimed in. “Playing with children is right up your alley.”
“Do I smile when I play with children?”
“Why, of course you do! You smile so happily,” Kaja said.
“I see…”
I stepped away from Kaja and Claire and walked toward the circle of children. As I came close, the children looked up at me.
“Hello, Miss Rae!”
“Miss Rae, are you eating, too?”
“There’s enough for everyone!”
“Come sit with us.” Aleah took my hand and pulled me into the circle. “We’re playing house with the sweets.”
“I’m the big sister!” May said.
“And I’m the mommy!”
“I’m the father.”
“I don’t wanna play house. I wanna play tag!”
“We can play tag after,” Aleah said. “We just got snacks to eat, so we might as well play house, too.”
I listened, fascinated by the conversation. Despite their young age, their communication was complex. They had a range of vocabulary, intonation, and expression; I couldn’t even begin to imagine the degree of permutations and combinations they could use to communicate. It made me feel light-headed, but not in a painful way. It felt pleasant.
I’d asked to come here to see more children and experience more of the same cuteness I’d observed in May and Aleah. But I now understood children were unimaginably complex and full of intriguing surprises when placed into groups.
I’d learned something new—children were far more than just cute.
“Are you gonna eat?” A shy little girl held out a sponge cake to me. I’d noticed her sneaking glances at me for a while now. How was I supposed to react?
“Wow, Julia. You’re usually so scared of Miss Rae.”
“Miss Rae isn’t scary today.”
Julia plopped herself down by my side and smiled up at me. Every person I’d met since swapping with Rae had described me as strange or odd. Julia’s kind words, the first positive evaluation I had received, warmed my chest. But that warmth couldn’t last long, for that was not how I had been made.
And yet, before I knew it, my hand was on her head, gently patting her. Children’s hair was soft and thin. She giggled and shut her eyes as if ticklish.
“Are the sweets to your liking, Mother Rae?” Aleah asked impatiently, perhaps because I had yet to eat my sweet. She’d made all the sweets we brought today. She claimed they were nothing compared to Rae’s, but they looked wonderful to me.
“It’s delicious…”
The sweetness of the sugar and the richness of the butter filled my mouth as I bit into the sponge cake, followed by a citrusy smell wafting up to my nose. It was a brand-new experience for me, as I hadn’t had many chances to eat something sweet.
“Was it to your liking?”
“Aleah’s sweets are good, right?”
“Aleah made this?”
“Awesome!”
“It’s just like Rae’s.”
The children seemed to agree it was delicious as well. I felt joy knowing I had shared the sensation with them.
The children and I played various games together. They teased me for my low stamina, saying things like “Rae’s so weak today!” I felt joy well up inside me countless times, and every time, I had to snuff it out.
“Goodbye, everyone. We’ll come by again sometime.”
“Thank you. Until next time.”
“Bye-bye!”
Kaja and the children waved goodbye as we left the convent.
“How was it, Your Holiness? I’m sure you don’t often get to do things like this,” Claire said.
“Indeed.”
As pope, I mainly met with nobility and high-ranking officials. Of course, I did visit convents and the less fortunate, but those were mainly politically motivated performances. Playing with children like this was a first for me.
“I learned a lot today.” I meant it. Today, I had learned things I might have gone my whole life without knowing. My chest was tight with emotions I had never felt before.
“Oh, my. Look, Your Holiness,” Claire said with a chuckle. I looked to where her finger pointed and saw the children waving goodbye.
Julia was there, waving her small arm with vigor. I waved back to her. Seeing this, she began to wave as hard as she could.
“Your Holiness, do you know what face you’re making right now?”
“I do not, but I imagine it is the same as always.”
“He he… You’re smiling.”
“Oh…!” I touched my face. The corners of my eyes had lowered, and the sides of my mouth had risen together with my cheeks.
So this was what it was to smile.
“Let’s come again sometime,” Claire said.
“Yes, definitely.” I might not be able to come again as Rae, but I swore to myself I would come, regardless. “Thank you for today, Claire.”
“Not at all. I’m happy we came as well.” Claire smiled sweetly.
I’m sure she smiles more when she is with Rae.
I looked at her warm smile and made a wish, knowing full well such a wish could never be granted.
I wish them the strength to brave the truth of this world.
***
The day of the conference was finally upon us. I had assumed the pope would attend as herself, but it seemed the one sitting behind the blind would be me, while Misha used her wind magic to project the pope’s voice.
“Empress Dorothea would fly into a rage if she knew about this, but we have no other choice,” Riche explained in a pained voice. The church was reluctant to deceive, but, well…
I sat behind a blind that had been set up in the conference hall. We awaited Dorothea and her people, who were scheduled to arrive later than us. Security guards stood around the blind, among them Claire, Lilly, Misha, and the real pope, posing as me. The pope would be standing just behind the blind as well, so even if she moved her lips, Dorothea wouldn’t be able to see her.
“Her Majesty Empress Dorothea has arrived.”
Dorothea entered through the door, clad in her usual pitch-black armor. I could only presume it to be her formal attire. Her mantle waved as she strode to her seat, stopping before it to name herself.
“Dorothea Nur. Let this conference be productive.” She gave a brief introduction before sitting. The advisor by her side turned pale, but the empress remained composed. Egocentric as always, doing what she believed to be logical.
“Clarice Répète III. Thank you for meeting with me today.”
In contrast, the pope took her time to speak. She’d abandoned most formalities, likely out of consideration for Dorothea.
The pope continued, “Before the conference begins in earnest, there is one thing I would like to ask.”
“Speak.”
“Did you make Sandrine attack me?”
The conference hall stirred at this frank accusation. I was surprised, too. No matter how straightforward Dorothea liked to be, this had to cross the line.
“Hmph… So the rumors were true. Well, I did not order it. Though I doubt you’d place much weight in my words.”
“I believe you. I do not think you the type to lie.”
The conference opened with this intense exchange. The atmosphere in the hall grew tense, everybody sitting on the edge of their seat.
Dorothea suddenly erupted into laughter. “The current pope is amusing indeed! I’ve taken a liking to you!”
“Thank you very much.”
Both sides, the empire and the church, heaved a sigh of relief as the tension dissipated.
“I have no interest in taking your life,” said Dorothea. “There’s nothing to gain in the church’s enmity. I guarantee your safety as long you remain in my empire.”
“Thank you for your reassuring words. Shall we begin?”
As planned, I extended my hand below the half-raised blind. Dorothea met my hand and gripped it. Hard. Really hard—ow!
“Hmm… I see.” For reasons beyond me, Dorothea wore a knowing sneer.
The discussion continued smoothly after that. The pope admonished the empire for their aggression while Dorothea objected, demanding the pope stay out of their domestic affairs. I sat alert, but nothing of note occurred. Only near the very end did something unexpected happen.
“On another note, is it customary for you to use a proxy when meeting with dignitaries? Don’t you think it a little insulting, even with your life being targeted?” Dorothea sneered. The conference hall lurched into its most intense state of apprehension yet.
Was the jig up?
“What do you mean?” the pope asked.
“So you choose to feign ignorance? Fine. I’ll overlook it. But I can’t do the same for that woman.” Dorothea looked to the side of the blind and smiled—directly at Riche. “You must be wondering why your magic tool won’t activate.”
“Wh-whatever are you talking about?” Riche responded.
“That ring you’ve been trying to activate is a magic tool, is it not? I’m sorry to inform you that it’s not going to work.”
“Wh-what?”
“Your hint proved useful after all, Rae Taylor.”
Dorothea looked back at the blind and grinned. Riche did the same, but with a face bitterly warped.
“Rae, you couldn’t have…”
“I’m sorry, Lady Riche. I had the teleportation magic tool you tried to bring swapped out.”
“Y-you!” Riche’s face twisted with indignation. It seemed she was behind the plot after all. “H-how did you know?”
“Your behavior after Sandrine’s attempted assassination was odd. You called the rosary the weapon, but you never saw the rosary itself.”
“B-but the marks around your neck made it obvious!”
“You’d think of a cord or a rope, then. A rosary is quite a leap of logic.”
Riche bit her lip in frustration, trapped by her own mistake. “I see… So you had already figured it out. Then the order you gave at the time was to seek retribution against me?”
“Not at all. I really hoped I suspected you wrongly and that I could trust you.”
“You’re naive. If I were you, I would have had me killed at the moment of doubt.”
“I couldn’t. Not Yu’s mother.”
“You…” Riche’s eyes widened.
“Enough of this charade,” Dorothea said. “Hilda, arrest her.”
“Right away.” Hilda ordered her soldiers forward. Riche seemed to resign herself to her fate, showing no signs of resistance.
But things never could go that easily.
“Oh, no, no, no. We can’t have that, can we, Lady Riche?” A familiar voice dripping with malice echoed through the hall.
I knew that voice. “Salas!”
“Where are you?!” Claire demanded.
“Why, hello, Rae Taylor, Claire François. And goodbye.” Magic filled the hall as Salas’s condescending voice echoed around us.
“Hilda, sitrep,” Dorothea commanded.
“Right! I-It’s…” The color drained from Hilda’s face. “Teleportation magic! Something is teleporting here!”
“Hmm…” Dorothea turned on Riche. “You. What do you know of this?”
Riche didn’t respond, but one look at her face made it obvious she knew what was going on.
“What are you doing, Mother?!” Yu yelled at the top of her lungs.
“It was all for your sake, Yu.” Riche gave us a broken, joyless smile.
The next moment—it appeared.
“A demon. Interesting…” Dorothea sounded genuinely amused.
The demon that appeared before us was unlike its comrade in human clothing, Aristo, as well as the one who’d looked like a human barbarian, Platos. This one had an enormous black body that gleamed with a metallic shine, the upper half humanoid, the lower half insectoid.
“Name yourself, demon,” Dorothea began. “I shall grant you the right to speak as a parting gift before I send you to the next world.”
“I am Socrat, of the Three Great Archdemons.” The upper humanoid half of the demon pointed toward me. No, not toward me—but behind me, toward the real pope. “We come only for her life. Comply and yours shall be spared.”
Socrat crept closer toward the pope.
“All hands, battle formation! Rae, you too—the body double plan has failed!”
The guards obeyed Claire’s swift commands. I leaped past the blind and joined everyone else.
Standing at the front, the soldier priests flailed their morning stars at Socrat.
“Hindrances.” Without so much as slowing his stride, Socrat used the first of his three pairs of legs to sweep the soldier priests aside, sending them flying against the wall.
“Get back! We’ll stop him with magic!”
Seeing melee combat prove nigh impossible, Claire ordered a change in tactics. The soldiers unleashed an onslaught of magic bullets. The hall was big, but it was still indoors; Socrat couldn’t dodge with his large frame. Sure enough, the magic bullets hit their mark.
“Did I not make myself clear?” The demon stepped out from a billow of smoke, his pace unchanged—not recoiling one bit from the attack.
“Well, how about this?!” Claire readied her Magic Ray. Unlike during her confrontation with Aristo, she was in peak condition. “Light!”
“Darkness.”
Claire let off four rays of light, but they were intercepted and swallowed by four rays of darkness—which continued to fly at her.
“Miss Claire, look out!” I jumped to push Claire down just before a streak of darkness whizzed over her head. The darkness collided with the wall behind us, destroying—no, erasing it from existence.
“He’s too powerful…” Claire muttered. Everyone could see that Socrat’s magic far outstripped Claire’s Magic Ray.
“That magic… You must be Claire François. You’ll be next after the girl, so wait your turn.” Socrat spared a sidelong glance for us as he continued his deadly advance toward the pope.
“Your Highness!” I yelled.
“St-stop right there!”
Standing before the pope was Yu. The other soldiers had completely lost their will to fight.
“Icicle Blade!” Yu’s sword took on a chilly glow. As I once explained, Yu’s nickname was the Prince of Ice—although, I supposed Princess of Ice would probably be more appropriate now. Her wimple fluttered in the air as she closed the distance and sliced at Socrat’s front leg. “Nngh?!”
The blade couldn’t penetrate his carapace, inflicting only a superficial wound. Socrat kept moving, about to trample Yu.
“Socrat?! What of our agreement?!” Riche shrieked.
The leg about to crush Yu halted.
“Ah, indeed. I shall honor the agreement and overlook this one. Now, be gone.” With a swing of his leg, Socrat sent Yu flying through the air. Lilly bolted forward and caught her.
“Uhh…”
“Stay with me, Lady Yu!” Lilly began to heal her, but Yu’s wounds weren’t minor. We’d exhausted nearly everything we had, yet not one attack had done meaningful damage to Socrat, who stood mere steps from the pope. We watched in horror, thinking all hope lost.
But it wasn’t over yet.
“Did you really think I’d let you do as you please, demon?” Unsheathing her two swords, the woman sneered like a wild beast eyeing its prey.
Empress Dorothea—bearer of the title Sword God—now stood in Socrat’s path.
***
“Another hindrance?” Socrat casually swung his front leg at Dorothea. He’d cut down everyone he’d hit thus far, the impact rivaling that of a battering ram.
“Hm?”
Something flew through the air. Yet Dorothea still stood. An object hit the ground with a shuddering thud—Socrat’s front leg.
“What?!”
“I don’t know who you meant to address with your drivel, but you’re in my presence now. Kneel.”
Something flew again. The end joints of Socrat’s remaining four legs were cut away.
“Y-you—?!”
“I am Empress Dorothea.”
Accompanied by a sharp slicing sound, one of Socrat’s human arms flew off. To my eyes, it didn’t seem like Dorothea had moved at all. She appeared stock-still, standing at rest with her two swords lowered in front of her, yet the proof of her actions lay in Socrat’s halved limbs.
“Hmph, this will not do.” Socrat leapt back to the safety of the wall behind him, allowing his legs to begin regenerating.
“Too slow.” But Dorothea was faster. She already awaited him at his landing point. This time, I saw her take the time to ready her swords, positioning herself to intercept him. “Sever.”
A high-pitched shrill rang out as Socrat was bisected cleanly down the middle. An instant later, Dorothea landed on the ground, and the two halves of Socrat’s body crashed down behind her.
I hadn’t seen her swing at all. Impossible as it seemed, Dorothea had just overwhelmed a high-ranking demon with her skill in swordplay alone.
“This is…the Sword God,” Claire muttered deliriously by my side. The title wasn’t for show. Dorothea’s strength quite literally surpassed the realm of man.
“How unexpected. You’re quite powerful.” Socrat, whom I’d thought dead, spoke nonchalantly. The two halves of his bisected body melted and pooled together before clumping into a mass, his carapace re-forming.
“Hmph. I suppose a Three Great Archdemon wouldn’t die from something like that,” Dorothea muttered, unamused.
Socrat had reconstituted, smaller than before but without any wounds.
“So you’re the Sword God. I heard you were strong, but to this degree? I should have listened to my subordinates.”
“Don’t worry about that. In a moment, you’ll have no further regrets.”
“Because you will have killed me?”
“Exactly.” Dorothea walked calmly toward Socrat.
“I’ll admit, your skill with the sword is divine. But how will you handle this?!” Socrat opened his mouth wide, and a thick beam of darkness spewed out.
“Your Highness!” Hilda screamed.
“What?!” Socrat watched in confusion as Dorothea closed the distance by lunging entirely into the dark beam. Her two swords blurred, and in the next moment, Socrat’s head fell to the ground.
“Too bad. Magic has no effect on me.” Dorothea crushed Socrat’s head underfoot.
The empress possessed a unique ability called Magic Nullification. This ability had allowed her to single-handedly annihilate an entire battalion of Sousse soldiers. In an era shifting toward magic-focused combat, such an ability was unequaled.
But the ability was a double-edged sword. While magic attacks were meaningless against her, support magic and healing were ineffective, too. She was abnormally strong but could only ever fight alone. I found it kind of sad—strength that only made one lonelier.
“Goodness, such stupendous power.” A neck grew from the stump of Socrat’s decapitated head.
Look who’s talking, I couldn’t help thinking.
“Fill.” The pope used her area-of-effect healing ability. The collapsed soldiers began to rise, their wounds healed.
“Freeze.” I cast my own area-of-effect freezing spell, Judecca. I’d normally never cast it while an ally stood near the enemy, but I didn’t have to worry about Dorothea—she would be untouched.
“You even have tactical talent. I want you even more now,” Dorothea said.
“Just hurry up and hit him!” I shouted.
I opted not to use Earth Spike, instead relying on Dorothea to deliver the finishing blow. Understanding my intention, she sliced the frozen Socrat into fine pieces.
But even that wasn’t enough.
“The moment after you learned magic doesn’t affect her, you mercilessly attacked while she was in range… You’re bold, Rae Taylor.” Socrat regenerated for a third time, smaller again. How many times did we need to do this? “Oh, dear… I imagine I could handle the empress alone, but dealing with Claire François and Rae Taylor alongside the Saint and the pope is a bit much for me.”
He hesitated for a moment—or at least, he pretended to. “Ahh, but of course! Let’s see how well you can deal with this.”
I sensed a surge of magic power as his body unnaturally swelled. He looked like a balloon on the brink of bursting.
“You’re going to self-destruct?!”
His laugh creaked and echoed through the hall. “Well, I won’t die. But everything within two hundred feet of my body will be wiped from this earth.”
He’s serious! “Miss Claire, get behind me!”
“But the others!”
“Quickly!”
I raised multiple layers of tungsten carbide barriers and pushed Claire down behind them.
What followed was a roar louder than the eruption of Mt. Sassal.
When I next opened my eyes, I was greeted with a gruesome sight. The meeting hall was nowhere to be seen, wiped off the face of the earth as Socrat had claimed. Socrat himself was gone, presumably having fled.
Not a single one of us had come out unscathed. If there was a silver lining, it was that the pope, Misha, and Claire had each respectively been protected by Dorothea, Lilly, and me—so at least the main constituents of the conference were not severely injured.
However…
“Mother! Why?!”
Yu was injured as well—but not lethally so, as Riche had protected her daughter with her own body. Yu frantically began trying to heal her mother, who lay on the floor in a pool of blood, but it was clear that she was beyond saving. The lower half of her body was shredded. She had moments left before the shock and blood loss took her.
“Ah… Yu… You’re all right…”
“Mother… You… Why…” Yu stammered, the words stuck in her throat, as her mother looked up at her absently. She had too many things to ask, too many things to say.
“Yu… I’m sorry. In the end, I couldn’t do a single thing for you.”
“That’s… That’s not true…” Yu gripped her dying mother’s hand, desperately trying to let her mother know of her presence.
“I thought…if I couldn’t give you the throne…I could at least make you pope… But I failed… I’m sorry.”
“I…I never wanted such a thing! I just… I just…”
“What is it, Yu…? You’re getting harder to hear…”
“Mother!”
Riche’s life faded ever further. Even Yu understood her time was running out.
“Your Holiness, please heal her!” Yu cried.
But the pope only shook her head. “Doing so now will only extend her suffering.”
“No… This can’t be…” Yu’s eyes clouded with despair.
“Yu… Live freely after I die… Find…your own…happi…” Riche passed away before she could finish. Yu watched in a daze, slowly realizing she was gone.
Misha dragged her injured body along the floor and embraced Yu from behind. Yu leaned against her and began to cry.
And so the attempt on the pope’s life ended in failure.
***
Starting with Yu, every person close to Riche was investigated. Gradually, the whole picture became clear.
The mastermind was Riche after all. She tried to make Yu the pope by killing the current one. By becoming head of security, she learned the inner workings of the security arrangements and smuggled in a magic tool to summon a demon. This plan had failed, but Salas had finished it for her. Based on the testimony of those who’d helped Riche, Dorothea and I had also been targeted for assassination—Dorothea because she posed a threat to the Bauer Kingdom, and me, because I had lost Yu her right to the throne.
Salas’s whereabouts still eluded us. We found testimony of Riche helping him escape prison, but the trail went cold after that. We only knew for sure that he had been at the conference hall, presumably disguised with a magic tool, and had disappeared in the aftermath. He had also caused Sandrine to attack me. An expert from the kingdom looked into it for me, confirming the rosary’s role in the attack. Salas had switched the rosary Sandrine always kissed before touching the pope’s body, replacing it with one embedded with a hypnotic suggestion to kill the pope. Was nothing sacred to that man?
With this, the church acquitted Sandrine, freeing her of all suspicion. I wondered if she would go back to poison tasting for her beloved pope. Maybe she’d be surprised to find the pope suddenly thinner again, now that we had switched back, although I heard Aleah’s cooking had allowed the pope to gain some weight. Perhaps our swap would go unnoticed.
Yu endured a thorough investigation, but her innocence was more than evident. Every single one of Riche’s conspirators unanimously testified that Riche planned everything without Yu’s knowledge.
This was nothing more than conjecture, but I suspected some part of Riche had expected things to end like this. Just as Dole had said—if she’d really wanted to, she could have acted without leaving a trace of evidence behind. I believed she’d left a trail on purpose so suspicion would never fall on Yu.
Not that we’d ever know the truth now.
On the surface, Yu continued on, the same as ever. She fell into a depression for some time, but she soon recovered her usual tender smile. Yet every now and then ever after, I spied Misha gazing at her with sorrowful eyes.
About a week after the incident, Claire and I were spending the evening relaxing in our room when we heard shouting from the next room over.
“Rae…” Claire nudged me.
“Going.”
I took myself on a visit to the room next door. I rang the bell, and shortly thereafter, Misha appeared. Her naturally red eyes were even redder than the last time I’d interrupted their shouting match.
“Sorry,” she murmured.
“And good evening to you, too. Can I come in?”
“Um…”
I pretended not to see Misha’s tears and waltzed on through the door.
“Hey, Rae. Sorry, were we too noisy again?” Yu looked as she ever did, wearing a composed smile.
“What’s going on?”
“Misha says I haven’t smiled since the incident, which obviously can’t be true.”
Weird thing to claim, I thought. You’re even smiling right now.
“You’re forcing yourself,” Misha accused. “You can fool the others, but you can’t fool me.”
“You’re overthinking it, Misha. I’m fine already.”
“You’re lying!”
It wasn’t like Misha to get this worked up. I realized the difference might be something only she, having been by Yu’s side for so long, could discern.
“How could she?” Misha cried. “Your mother! How could she be so foolish as to make her child feel this way?”
Her stance had shifted since their last argument. She had to feel betrayed for having urged Yu to put her trust in Riche. From Misha’s perspective, both the incident with Yu’s gender and the assassination attempt appeared to be sheer selfishness on Riche’s part—actions she’d taken without a shred of consideration for Yu.
“Even so, Mother cared for me. I’m sure of it.” Yu’s voice was tinged with a mixture of resignation and love.
“Lady Yu…” Misha could do nothing more than look sadly at her.
“Mother was wrong. What she tried to do was unforgivable. Her actions only ever hurt me.”
“Then why—”
Yu cut her off. “Because now…I think I understand. That was her way of trying to show her love.” Yu interrupted Misha’s next attempt to speak as well. “What she did was wrong, but it wasn’t just selfishness. She did it all for me, even if she never understood what I truly wanted. As twisted as it was—it was love.”
Yu smiled as she spoke. Misha stared at her, stunned.
“I didn’t understand her. I thought she only wanted to hurt me. But I was wrong. There’s no doubt in my mind now that the one who gave her life to save me was someone I could call my mother.” Yu clenched her right hand, perhaps remembering her mother’s final moments.
Seeing this, Misha overlapped her own hand onto Yu’s. I had a feeling she no longer thought Yu’s smile fake. There would be no further misunderstanding between them.
“Mother and I never truly understood each other. I regret that now. That’s why I never want that to happen to us.” Yu took Misha’s hand and stared deep into her red eyes. “Thank you, Misha, for always being there for me. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, till death do us part.”
“Lady Yu!” Tears spilling from her eyes, Misha dove into Yu’s arms. I had never seen her cry like this before.
“I’m sorry I made you worry. I’m sure I’ll make you worry from here on out, too. Will you stay with me regardless?”
“Yes! Always.” Misha continued to nod wordlessly as Yu gently stroked her hair.
They would be fine now. That being the case—
“Um… Should I…go?” I gingerly suggested. I’d come over because I was worried about them, but I’d ended up not doing a single thing. The lovebirds were deep in their own world again.
“Ah. Sorry, Rae! The mood was just kind of right—and before I knew it, this happened,” Yu said.
“Don’t give me that! Do you have any idea how awkward it is to see your friends profess their love to one another?”
“What? Like you did during the revolution?” Yu teased.
“Wha—well, that’s…” Ugh. Why did I ever think I could best Yu at her own game? I sighed. “Anyway, I take it you two are fine now?”
“Yeah, we’re fine. Right, Misha?” Yu grinned.
“No, we’re not fine. If you really meant what you said, then prove it to me, right here and now,” Misha challenged.
I couldn’t believe my ears, and neither could Yu, whose eyes had gone wide.
“Prove it?”
“Yes, prove it.”
“Hmmm… Well, there you have it, Rae. Gonna stay and watch?”
“Good night!” I turned on my heels and fled the room.
A brief instant before I turned, I saw their shadows overlap.
“How were they?” Claire asked. She was waiting for me in our room, looking concerned.
“I feel stupid for even worrying…” I chuckled. “Hey… Tonight, can we, you know?”
“Hm? Oh—jeez… Don’t try to seduce me, it’s time to sleep.”
“I can’t sleep. I need to work off my frustration over what I had to deal with over there.”
Plus, I was still in Claire withdrawal from my time acting as the pope’s body double. Normally, I’d be able to reel myself in, if only just barely, but I just couldn’t do it after watching those two flirt.
“W-wait, if we’re going to do this, then do it properly—”
“Nope.”
I sealed her lips with mine and allowed my desire to take over my body.
“Love is blind”—perhaps that was the phrase that best described Riche. I didn’t agree with many of the choices she made, yet as someone who also lived for the sake of love, I couldn’t help thinking she’d shone oh-so-brightly when she made her final choice.
If it were me, would I be able to give my life for May and Aleah like she had for Yu? What if it were Claire’s life on the other end of the scales?
I chose to run from such torturous thoughts, instead allowing myself to be lost in Claire’s body.
Even if such a time must come, for now—please allow me to feel your warmth a little longer. |
Bonus Story 1: Things Gained, Things Lost
Bonus Story 1:Things Gained, Things Lost
THE BAUER KINGDOM was in a period of transition.
The revolution had sent ripples through the land, affecting not only the nobles but also the commoners. The future ahead looked uncertain. We’d succeeded in thwarting the Nur Empire’s schemes and achieved a bloodless revolution, but that didn’t mean life was suddenly changed for the better. On the contrary, the eruption of Mt. Sassal and the chaos surrounding the revolution had devastated most people’s quality of life.
In other words, we were going through tough times.
I released a long sigh. I know things are tough for us all, but still…
Claire wasn’t with me at the moment. She was off working to establish the new government. I wished I could help—and I did, in my own way—but I was a layman when it came to politics. I knew well enough that I had no role to play in something as significant as establishing a brand-new government. The most I could do was be Claire’s errand girl or do what I was preparing to do right now—tend to her when she came home tired.
I was in the Academy dormitory kitchen making cream stew. Goods were in short supply, so I had to limit my ingredients. Vegetables, in particular, were hard to obtain due to the volcanic ash from Mt. Sassal having ruined multiple harvests. Most of the ingredients left in the kitchen were bottom of the barrel. The Academy had definitely seen better days. Regardless, I found a scrawny carrot and an onion to cook with. Meat—a valuable source of protein—was also hard to come by. Even so, I’d managed to obtain some chicken and was thinking about the best way to prepare it.
“Rae,” a familiar, high-pitched voice called out to me. I turned.
“Welcome back, Miss Claire. You’re early today.”
“Our session got a bit heated today. Everyone agreed to call it a day and cool our heads.”
“Is that right? Sounds rough.”
“It really is.” Claire sat on a chair and rubbed her eyes. I stopped cooking for a bit, washed my hands, and brought over a towel I’d warmed with hot water.
“Here, put this over your eyes. You’ll feel better.”
“Thank you. Ahh… This feels great…” Claire stayed like that for some time. It must have been a tiring day. “Today, we were discussing whether women should be allowed to vote. I, of course, said we should, but many others insisted otherwise.”
“Figures.”
Women’s suffrage was so natural a right in modern-day Japan, it was hard to imagine not having it. But things weren’t so simple in this world.
“They skirted around the issue on account of my gender, but it’s clear the men all shared the same doubt: ‘Do women even understand politics?’”
Such a statement sounded utterly nonsensical to me and my inherited sensibilities, but I had to remember that Japan and the kingdom were very different. Firstly, the literacy rate and level of education among women was low. I kid you not—things were so bad that if you asked a woman for their opinion on politics, chances were they’d answer, “What’s a politic?” Of course, women from the now-deposed nobility and well-educated commoners might be well versed on the subject, but they only made up a fraction of the nation’s women.
The second problem was that there were too many women. A lot of men had been conscripted for the war with the Nur Empire, leaving a greater ratio of women than men. In light of this critical lack of education in a majority of the populace, the government might not even function if women were given the rights to vote.
“Despite the issues, I believe we need to at least give it a shot. There might be some bumps in the road at first, but I’m sure it’ll gradually work itself out,” Claire insisted.
If we waited for the country’s education system to evolve to serve women as well as it did men, we’d be waiting a long time. Besides, participating in local politics didn’t just require a formal education—it also required an awareness of the issues that plagued our day-to-day lives, of which all women had plenty.
But Claire’s logic hadn’t convinced the big shots of the new government.
“Their misogyny runs deep,” Claire said sadly.
“Indeed.” I hugged her from behind. She relaxed, leaning onto me.
We stayed like that, basking in each other’s warmth for some time.
“Mmm. It smells good. What’s for dinner?” she asked.
“I made cream stew.”
“Sounds delicious. Wasn’t it tough finding ingredients with things as they are?” Claire was no longer an ignorant noble. She knew full well how scarce food had become, and she understood how difficult it must have been for me to prepare dinner.
“Anything for you. Now, let’s return to our room and eat.”
“Thank you, Rae, I really do appreciate all you do for me.”
Those words alone made everything worth it.
I returned to our room and set some stew and a baguette on the table in front of Claire. Normally, we’d have some salad to go with our meal, but I’d splurged on the stew today, so this was it. I set out my own portion and then took a seat.
We put our hands together and said, “Bon appétit.”
“My! The chicken is so juicy! How’d you find such good chicken?”
“The chicken’s nothing special. Just ordinary breast meat. The real secret is in the preparation.”
“And what’s that?”
“I rubbed it lightly with salt and cooking wine, then left it to sit. After that, I coated it in flour.” Breast meat tended to dry out when you cooked it, which made the prep extra important.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. I hope I curbed the dryness a little.”
“A little? I thought I was eating thigh.”
“Such kind words.” I was glad she enjoyed it. With a little thinking, even the most meager ingredients could become something delicious. Of course, I’d take better ingredients over this any day.
“Whew… That was delicious. Thank you, Rae.”
I made some coffee for Claire, who flipped through a newspaper as she drank. I turned my back to her and began washing the dishes. Alas. I enjoyed cooking, but I didn’t care much for the washing.
“Rae.”
“Yes?”
“When are we doing…‘that’?”
“Hm? What’s ‘that’?” I responded confused, not looking back.
“You know… Our wedding.”
“Wha—” I almost dropped a plate. “Our wedding? You’re not teasing me right now, are you?”
Times weren’t exactly great—not to mention that this would be a same-sex marriage. There were so many reasons why it wasn’t realistic to have a wedding, at least not right now.
“Oh? Do you not want to marry me?”
“I do!” I responded instantaneously. Of course I wanted to marry her. The problem was whether we could. “I thought the constitution they’re drafting didn’t recognize same-sex marriage.”
Done with the dishes, I sat down across from her.
Claire folded up her newspaper. “You’re right. Legally, we can’t get married.”
“So why bring it up now?”
“Because I don’t think a wedding itself poses any legal issue.”
“Go on…”
“Regardless of what the law might recognize, I believe a wedding is an occasion where two people who love each other can reaffirm their bond, witnessed by their family and friends.”
What Claire was describing was similar to what we called a civil wedding in modern-day Japan. Wedding ceremonies could be held in a variety of ways: there were traditional Japanese weddings where you made your vows before Shinto gods, Buddhist weddings where you made your vows before Buddha—and many other kinds, including civil weddings.
Civil weddings weren’t religious ceremonies but occasions where you and your partner said your vows to each other in the presence of your family and friends. They were popular among the younger generation in Japan, but hearing Claire suggest one took me by surprise. It was so starkly opposed to the old-fashioned beliefs of this world that she usually subscribed to.
“I agree, but where would we get the money?” I asked.
Weddings involved banquets. That cost money, and it wasn’t like the invitees could just take a day off work, with the current state of the country. I wouldn’t be surprised if many found themselves unable to attend.
“Let’s keep it small. Most of the people we know have some position in the new government. I’m sure they can afford to attend the ceremony.”
“Now that you mention it, yeah…”
“Of course, I’ll pay for your parents to attend. There’s no point in a wedding without them.”
“No, let me pay for them.”
Most of Claire’s aristocratic assets had been seized after the revolution. The only reason she could maintain her current lifestyle at all was because the citizens had raised some funds for her in recognition of her contribution to the country. In truth, I currently had more savings than her. I’d suggested we share our assets when we moved in together, but she refused. Right now, we were splitting living costs but managing our own personal expenses ourselves.
“Let’s meet halfway and split it. I just want to make sure your parents can attend, no matter what,” Claire said.
“Right…”
She kept talking, making plans for our wedding. Happy as I was to hear her do so, I still thought it might be better to wait until circumstances improved. But I also didn’t want to rain on her parade. I’d just let her keep going and see what happened…
“Who else do we need to invite? There’s the royal siblings, Lene, Lambert, Misha, Father… Sister and Cardinal Lilly might be a bit difficult.”
“The royal siblings, Lady Manaria, and Cardinal Lilly probably can’t come.”
“I understand Sister is too far away and Cardinal Lilly is still under investigation, but why the princes?”
“Did you forget you’re an ordinary citizen now? Royalty can’t just show up to our wedding.”
“Ahhh… That’s right.”
Despite her best efforts, Claire still sometimes forgot she wasn’t nobility anymore—perhaps because she spent so much of her time meeting with members of the new government, debating them on equal footing. Despite being a citizen, her social circle remained composed of powerful people.
“I should have known that… Oh, well. That means the only ones we can invite are your parents, Father, Lene, Lambert, and Misha.”
“What about your noble friends?” I asked.
“Some of us still write, but I doubt they can come. It’s taking all they have to adjust to life after losing their titles.”
I could only imagine the shock of losing the wealth and privilege one had enjoyed since birth. I wouldn’t be surprised if many former nobles had been rendered homeless. Many had the funds to survive life as a common citizen—it was just a question of whether they could.
“Maybe it’s better to wait for the situation to improve,” I said. “That way we can invite your friends, too.”
“You’ve been pretty against the idea for a while now. Were your words about wanting to marry me a lie?”
“Of course not! I really do want to marry you!”
“Then why are you against it?!”
For reasons beyond me, Claire seemed in a rush to marry. I grasped her hand and asked, “Miss Claire, why are you hurrying this?”
She was silent.
“We’ve already confirmed our feelings for one another. Something like a wedding can wait. So why?”
“I’m…worried.”
“Huh? Am I doing something to make you worried? Tell me what it is, I’ll fix it!”
“That’s not it! There’s nothing wrong with you… What’s wrong is…me.”
“What do you mean?”
Claire was the epitome of perfection and cuteness. What could possibly be wrong with her? “I’m no longer a noble…”
“Okay, yeah?” At a complete loss, I accidentally gave a ruder response than I intended.
“That’s it. I’m no longer a noble. No status, no prestige, no assets—all I have is an education no longer fit for my station and meaningless pride. How much longer could you love such a person…?”
“Oh, Miss Claire…”
How could I have not noticed?
Some part of me wanted to believe Claire had grown accustomed to her new life. But she was a former noble—and a high-ranking one at that. Of course she would have insecurities about becoming an ordinary citizen. All this time I’d spent telling myself I was supporting her—did I ever stop to really look at what she was feeling?
“Miss Claire, everything’s going to be okay.”
“Rae…”
I stood and hugged Claire from behind, trying to ease her worries, even if just a bit. “Even if you’re not a noble anymore, my feelings for you are unchanging. I didn’t fall in love with you because you’re a noble.” I spoke from the heart.
“I know… That’s just how you are. But what about your family? What about Lene or Misha?”
“Miss Claire…”
To her, being a noble was a way of life—one she’d once quite literally chosen to die for. She welcomed her new life with me, but it didn’t change the fact that one of the pillars she’d founded her identity on had disappeared.
“Miss Claire, you should run for election.”
“Huh? Rae, what are you talking about? We’re discussing our wedding right n—”
“I know. But I have a feeling if we hold a wedding as you are now, you’ll regret it.”
“Why?”
“What you need right now is a new way of life. Something to give you purpose, something that’ll guide you. Until you find that, these worries will stay with you.”
Claire grew silent. Something told me she’d already been aware she was searching for a new pillar to lean on in her life. I wouldn’t lie—I kind of wanted to be that pillar. Somewhere in me was a dark desire to lavish my affections on a version of Claire that was completely emotionally dependent on me. But that wouldn’t be right for her. If, by some odd chance, I were to die, then she would truly be left with nothing to support her. I couldn’t allow that to happen.
“I think…I understand what you’re trying to say,” Claire murmured after a long silence. Her face lit up as her determination gradually returned.
“So how about it?” I asked.
“No. I’m not running for election.”
“Huh?”
Claire smiled at my confusion. “I think joining the new government as a politician would be respectable work, one that could give my life new meaning.”
“So why not do it?”
“Because it wouldn’t be right. If I, a symbol of the old system, were to take office, then the revolution would have no meaning.”
I had no good counter. Examining the history of the world would show you many examples of former government officials staying in power after revolutions or coups. But that wasn’t what Claire wanted. That being the case, I would simply have to respect her decision.
“But I’ll look for something. A new way of life.” I could tell Claire’s worries had been dispelled.
“Yes. And I’ll be there to help you.” I kissed Claire on the head. She giggled, ticklish.
I hoped she’d find a way to live the life she wanted to lead. And when that day finally came, we would get married. I would wait, no matter how long it took, because the only one for me was my ever-so-marvelous Claire. |
Bonus Story 2: Wedding
Bonus Story 2:Wedding
CLAIRE HAD ONCE TOLD ME a wedding wasn’t so much about the ceremony as much as it was about our own feelings. What truly mattered were the vows to live your lives together, vows that you made before friends and family. I think I understood what she meant now.
“Nervous?” Claire stood by my side, looking amused—relishing my rare moment of anxiety. Her face was covered by a veil.
“I think so…”
“So even you have moments like this. I was under the impression you weren’t afraid of anything.”
“That’s not true. There are lots of things I’m afraid of.”
“He he… I suppose even you’re only human in the end.”
“To give an example, I’m afraid of you when you’re drunk.”
“I don’t recall being so terrible!”
“You were so cute, it was scary.”
“A-again with your jokes… Enough, it’s time. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” Claire held out her white-gloved hand and squeezed mine. I squeezed back.
Today was the day of our wedding.
Some time ago, Claire abruptly said, “Hey, Rae. Don’t you think now’s a good time?”
We were sitting outside on the terrace as the sky grew dark. May and Aleah ran around the yard with Ralaire. I’d been thinking of calling them in soon when Claire suddenly popped the question.
“I’m sorry, good time for what?” It was a good time for many things. We’d grown accustomed to our new life and were currently taking a short break from teaching.
“Do you not remember?” Claire frowned. “Our wedding. Don’t you think it’s about time, now that I’ve found my own way of life?”
“Oh, right.”
We’d become teachers at the Royal Academy since that discussion, and mothers to May and Aleah. It was safe to say Claire had indeed figured out what she wanted her life to be.
“My school friends have also settled into their new lives, so they should be able to come. We even have proper salaries now; I imagine inviting your parents won’t pose a problem.” Claire tried her hardest to sell the idea to me. She looked absolutely adorable.
She had to be an angel sent from heaven.
“Yeah,” I said. “Now might be a good time.”
“So…?”
“Yes.” I stood and walked toward Claire. I got down on one knee and took her hand. “Will you marry me, Miss Claire?”
Claire looked shocked for a brief moment before erupting into a wide smile. “Yes!”
“Are Mama Claire and Mama Rae getting married?”
“Will there be a wedding?”
Two sharp-eared twins came riding over on Ralaire.
“Yes, we’re having a wedding. Will you two attend?” I asked.
“Yeah!”
“Of course!”
The two girls began to chant, “Wedding!” over and over. I suddenly felt embarrassed.
“Now that we’re settled, we need to start preparing. How does holding the wedding in two months sound? Enough time?” I asked.
“Sounds about right to me. We’re not doing anything too fancy.”
From then, the two of us spent day and night planning our wedding. We decided to hold it not in a church but in a restaurant affiliated with Frater. We were swearing our bond to our friends and family, not God—not that we could use a church, given that the Spiritual Church didn’t approve of same-sex marriage. Regardless, Lene’s influence nabbed us a pretty lovely venue.
We sent invitations to Dole, Lene, Lambert, Claire’s school friends, my parents, and Misha. We decided not to invite the royal siblings or Manaria, given the difference in our social status now that Claire was an ordinary citizen, but we still wrote them letters letting them know we were getting married. Unfortunately, we also couldn’t invite Lilly, as she was off wandering who-knew-where.
“It seems we’ll have to rent our wedding attire,” I said.
“Looks like it. I wish I knew how to sew for times like these.”
“I’m not sure an entire wedding dress is something anyone would consider sewing on their own…”
Claire would later go on to learn sewing in earnest, but that’s a story for another time.
Two months passed in a flash and before we knew it, the day of our wedding was upon us. Our guests arrived at the restaurant, their lively chatter audible all the way from the dressing room Claire and I waited in. We’d had the restaurant prepare a buffet, so the guests enjoyed food and drink as they chatted.
“It’s almost time, Miss Claire, Rae.”
“Got it.”
“Thank you for all your trouble, Lene.”
Lene—the young proprietress of Frater, a trading company that was practically a household name in the Alpes and the Bauer Kingdom—was our mistress of ceremonies for the night, garbed in a modest dress that complemented ours. She and her brother Lambert had amassed a small fortune through their trading company, but even though she now technically had higher social standing than either of us, she remained loyal to Claire. She’d helped us with a number of things, not just finding us a venue. Even now, she was personally running the show rather than delegating it to a subordinate.
“Not at all. I have to say though…you two look beautiful.” Lene was overcome with emotion as she dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief.
Claire wore a pure-white mermaid-line wedding dress, while I wore a white pantsuit.
“Claire being beautiful goes without saying, but I’m not so confident I look acceptable,” I said.
“Nonsense,” Lene said. “If you kept that mouth shut, anybody would find you wonderful.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Of course.” Lene smiled.
“The stage is set. All that’s left is for you two to make your entrance,” Lene’s brother, Lambert, prompted us, garbed in a morning coat and holding open the door.
It was time for our wedding to begin.
“Shall we, Miss Claire?”
“I suppose we shall, Rae.”
We held hands as we made our way through the door.
We were greeted with applause as we made our way to the front.
“Everyone, thank you for gathering here today.”
Claire started with an opening speech, and I gazed at her profile. Her contented smile made me emotional as the memories of all the trials we’d faced leading to this moment came to my mind.
“Today, Rae Taylor and I will marry. While our union may not be recognized by law, I believe what we share to be something greater.”
The guests applauded Claire’s confident declaration.
“As many here likely know, my first impression of Rae was—to put it plainly—the worst. And yet here I am, marrying her. It just goes to show that life is full of surprises.”
The guests burst into laughter as Claire recounted the past.
“But as I am now, I don’t think I can imagine a life without Rae. To the one who stayed by my side and supported me through it all, I want you to know that I’m truly glad I met you.” She looked deep into my eyes. None of what she’d just said had been in our rehearsals.
That’s not fair, Miss Claire. What am I supposed to do with these feelings all of a sudden?
“Mama Rae, are you crying?”
“Did Mother Claire make you cry?”
May and Aleah approached with a handkerchief.
“I’m all right, you two. Just got a little too happy.”
“Mama Rae’s being weird!”
“How odd!”
The mood in the venue returned to normal, thanks to the twins.
Now’s not the time to get overly emotional, I thought as I wiped my tears.
Claire continued her speech with a smile. “I wish for everyone who gathered here to stand witness to the bond Rae and I share. We vow to live proudly, sincerely, joyously, and happily together for the rest of our lives.”
Applause again. As we waited for the applause to die down, Claire took my hand.
“Once again, thank you all for coming. Please, enjoy yourselves to your hearts’ content.”
The venue roared with applause as we bowed our heads to the guests.
“Congratulations, Miss Claire!”
“I’m so happy for you!”
“Thank you, Loretta, Pepi. I’m glad you two could make it.”
The first ones to congratulate us were two girls I didn’t recognize. I assumed they were former nobles based on how naturally they wore their party dresses and the way they carried themselves.
“But still… To think you would marry her…”
“We’ve done some terrible things to her…”
Hm? Have I met these two before? “Miss Claire, who might these two be?”
“E-excuse me?! Do you not remember us?”
“Even after all the torment we put you through?”
They looked so alarmed by my question. I felt bad, but I truly couldn’t recall them at all.
“These are Loretta and Pepi, our classmates from school. Don’t you remember? You used to tease them a lot.”
“Ohhh!” Thing One and Thing Two from Claire’s entourage. Yeah, no surprise I didn’t recall them. “I remember now. Pardon my rudeness.”
“No, perhaps it’s best if you don’t remember…”
“What we did was terrible. Could you find it in you to forgive us?”
“Well, to tell the truth, there’s nothing to forgive,” I said. “I don’t remember a thing.”
“Ah, but of course! You were always a peculiar one, after all…”
“Unbelievable… I apologize for my rudeness, but just what do you see in her, Miss Claire?”
They seemed genuinely worried for their friend.
“I love her for her virtues, even if I am alone in understanding them,” Claire said.
“Oh, my!”
“To think I’d ever hear you speak so fondly of another!”
“Rae’s actually quite endearing once you understand her. A little too endearing, sometimes… I always have to worry about her attracting the eyes of others; it’s happened more than I care to admit.”
No, that’s all your misunderstanding, Miss Claire!
“You better—er… Please, take good care of Miss Claire, okay?”
“You absolutely must make her happy!”
They left those words behind as they departed.
“You have good friends.”
“He he. I do, don’t I?”
I had once seen Claire’s entourage as a single entity, but I now understood that Claire had enjoyed real, living, breathing friends back at the Academy. No wonder she’d been so upset when I first started pursuing her.
“You know, it’s thanks to you that they weren’t executed,” Claire said.
“But also partially my fault the aristocracy was deposed.”
“Come on now, none of that.” Claire smiled wryly.
The next ones to congratulate us were Lene, on break from running things, and Lambert.
“Congratulations on getting married!”
“Congratulations, Miss Claire.”
“Thank you.”
Lene hugged Claire as she cried tears of joy. “I just know Rae will make you happy.”
“Oh?” Claire said. “What makes you so sure?”
“Call it a maid’s intuition.”
“I see.”
Lene seemed to put a lot of stock in me for some reason.
“You’ve grown so much. I remember when you were little and threw tantrums whenever the tiniest thing didn’t go your way.”
“Oh, stop it, Lene. You sound like my parent.”
“Why not? Just for today. You used to be such a handful when you were younger. Why, I remember—”
Claire looked like her soul was leaving her body as Lene dredged up the past. My wife was just the cutest.
“Please, leave it at that, Lene. I’m about to lose all face here.”
“What’s wrong with that? You’re not a noble anymore.”
“I’m still in front of my beloved!”
“You catch that, Rae?”
“Already etched in my memory.”
“Augh! You two!”
Lene and I teased Claire to our hearts’ content. Such a scene had seemed impossible at one point. Back when Lene and Lambert were first exiled, we’d said goodbye for what we thought would be the rest of our lives.
“Hey, Lene.”
“Yes, Rae?”
“Are you happy with the way things are?”
Lene blinked in surprise at my question.
“Of course. I have Lambert, and two people very important to me are getting married!” She smiled broadly.
“We are gonna be just as happy as you two, if not more!” Lambert said, putting his arm around Lene.
“Oh, my, is that a challenge?” Claire asked.
“I suppose it is. May the better couple win.” Lene shook Claire’s hand before returning to her post.
Before she left, she handed us some letters—and quite a few at that. Among them were messages from royalty: Rod, Thane, Yu, and Manaria. The contents of the letters all congratulated us on our marriage—save for Manaria’s. Her letter contained this one sentence alone.
“Come to me if you split up. I’ll welcome you both with open arms.”
Get real, I thought.
There were some other letters, but only one of them really stood out. It was a worn-out letter with a single name on the envelope—Lilly. Written in immaculate handwriting, the letter explained that in the course of her aimless wanderings, she’d stopped by Manaria’s place and learned of our marriage. She gave us her congratulations, followed by a postscript.
“P. S. Is the mistress spot still open?”
“There never was one!” Claire said, about to tear up the letter. Thankfully, I managed to calm her down. “Goodness… If only you weren’t such a womanizer, Rae.”
“Huh? It’s my fault?”
“Whose else could it be?”
What did I do?! I thought. Still, seeing Claire get jealous was adorable in its own regard.
The next to congratulate us was Misha.
“Congratulations, you two.”
“Thank you very much, Misha.”
“Thanks.”
Misha had shown up in her nun’s habit rather than a dress, but she wore it so naturally that she didn’t stand out at all. That was a former noble for you.
“Yu wrote a letter, but she also wanted me to convey something in person. She says your marriage has the blessing of the Great Spirit.”
“But I thought the Spiritual Church didn’t approve of same-sex marriage?” Claire said.
“You’re right, the church doesn’t. But the original scripture itself never condemns it. According to Yu, all are equal in the eyes of God.”
“How very like her.” Claire smiled.
“I agree,” I added.
“She’s done nothing but look for trouble ever since she left the royal family.” Misha sighed deeply.
“Are you worried about Yu as her partner?”
“Partner? Me? You realize the gulf in status between us, right?”
“You could say the same of Miss Claire and I.”
“That’s…true, but…” It appeared Misha still had doubts about her relationship with Yu.
“Why don’t you just take the plunge and go for it?” I asked.
“It’s easy for you to say.”
“It is. I’ve done it, after all.”
“Oh, right.” Misha smiled bitterly. “That’s enough about me for today. Congratulations, you two. I mean it. Come by the convent sometime.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Catch you later, Misha.”
Misha left, not staying to attend the party.
“Congratulations, Claire, Rae.” A composed voice congratulated us. It was Dole, accompanied by May and Aleah. He’d mellowed out greatly since his time in politics. Not a trace of his former arrogant noble facade remained.
“Congratulations, Mamas!”
“Congratulations, Mothers.”
“Thank you very much, Father, girls.”
“Thank you very much,” I agreed.
We exchanged hugs with Dole and the girls.
“Rae… I really can’t thank you enough.”
“I haven’t done much at all, Master Dole.”
“Nonsense. If things had gone as I originally planned, a great deal more blood would have been spilled during the revolution. Neither Claire nor I would be here to see the new era.”
“But it wasn’t through my efforts alone. We achieved this because of you, Claire, and many others.”
“You’re far too modest.”
“You just give me more credit than I’m due.”
Neither of us gave an inch until—
“Grampa, are you and Mama talking about something hard?”
“We’re hungry.”
May and Aleah tugged on Dole’s clothes.
“Ha ha ha, sorry, sorry! All right, what’ll it be? Grandpa will grab you two whatever you want.”
“Crème brûlée!”
Dole broke into a grin, becoming the very image of a doting grandfather. The mastermind who’d once supported the revolution from the shadows was long gone.
“Oh, one last thing. Claire?”
“Yes, Father?”
“Do you love Rae?”
“I do.”
“Well, judging by what I’ve seen from long before the revolution, she loves you at least a hundred times more. Do your best to reciprocate those feelings.”
“I’ll keep that in mind…”
“Very good.” With that out of the way, Dole left for good this time, bringing May and Aleah with him.
“Seems like not even you’re a match for Master Dole.” I grinned.
“Indeed.”
We giggled before seeking out the last group we needed to meet with.
“Congratulations, Rae, Claire. You both look wonderful.”
“Congratulations.”
A youthful woman and a reticent man congratulated us as we approached.
“Thank you very much, Mother-in-Law, Father-in-Law.”
“Thank you.”
My parents. They had prepared their best clothes and traveled all the way from Euclid just for our wedding. But that wasn’t all.
“I’m glad we made your wedding clothes in time.”
“I’m sure they’re nothing compared to what a former noble is used to.”
“Not at all. What you made for us is wonderful,” Claire reassured my parents.
In case you’ve forgotten, my family were tailors. Claire and I had planned to rent our wedding attire, but my parents had offered to make them for us instead. We paid for the materials and labor, of course, but it was still nothing short of an incredible feat that they’d sewn them from scratch in the span of two months. It was starting to dawn on me that my parents might just be masters of their craft.
“Thank you, Mom, Dad,” I said.
“Of course. Anything for you, dear.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Tears began to leak out of their eyes.
“You were always a bit odd as a child, but you’ve grown up so splendidly. I guess our job as parents is really over…”
“Of course she turned out wonderful. She’s a lost child of the spirits, after all.” My dad wrapped an arm around my mom, the latter’s tears showing no sign of ending.
“That’s not it,” I began. “I’m your child and your child alone. And I’ve always been proud of that.”
They weren’t my biological parents. They weren’t even the parents that had raised me, Rei Ohashi. But I knew, from the memories of the Rae Taylor I also held, that the love they had for me was real. It was thanks to them that I could be who I was today.
“Rae…”
“I see… Thank you, Rae, our beloved daughter.” My dad hugged me tight. “Miss Claire, please take care of Rae.”
“Of course. I know we’re going to be very happy together.”
“Thank you.” My mom hugged Claire.
Today, we’d become a family in the truest sense.
“Everyone, I’m sad to say it is time for the banquet to come to an end. But before it does, our brides would like to show you all something.” Just as the first empty trays began to appear and the guests’ spirits were buoyed by alcohol, Lene made an announcement.
Huh? Was there something else left? I thought. I looked at Claire in confusion, only to find her equally perplexed.
“Our two brides would like everyone to bear witness to their vow of eternal love!” Lene smiled impishly. Excited cheers came from the guests.
Ah… I see what Lene was doing.
Claire looked like a pigeon nailed by a BB gun. I figured I should help her out.
“Miss Claire, they’re waiting for the kiss to seal our vows.”
“Ohhh, yes, that… Wait, what?!” Claire looked visibly flustered. She was the very definition of cute. “K-kissing isn’t something you do in front of other people!”
“It is at a wedding.”
“Th-that’s true, b-but…!”
“Ready? I’m starting.”
“W-wait! Let me sort out my feelings fir—”
“Not happening.” I put my hands on Claire’s shoulders and looked solemnly into her eyes. Claire shifted in her seat before regaining her composure.
“Miss Claire.”
“Yes…”
“I love you.”
“As do I, Rae.”
“I vow to love you for as long as I shall live.”
“And I vow to support you for as long as I shall live.”
The venue erupted into cheers as our lips met.
“There’s no turning back from here, Miss Claire.”
“That’s fine. I have no intention of turning back.”
“Are you absolutely sure?”
“That’s what I should be asking you.”
There was neither artifice nor elegance to our words. But that was fine. We were perfect as we were.
“Let’s be happy together, Miss Claire.”
“No. We’ll definitely be happy together, Rae.”
We sealed yet another vow with one more kiss. |
Bonus Story 3: Sweet, Sweet Alcohol
Bonus Story 3:Sweet, Sweet Alcohol
“WHEW…”
“Are they asleep?”
“Yep, out like a light.”
It was just past nine o’clock, and I returned to the living room after putting the children to bed to find Claire waiting for me. Having finished bathing, she was already in her pajamas, sitting alone at the living room table and enjoying what seemed to be a drink. On the table sat a bottle that held about a liter of a tawny liquid.
“What’s that, Miss Claire? I thought we were out of juice.” I had plans to go to the market for some more tomorrow.
“This? It’s alcohol,” Claire said plainly.
“Huh?” I froze.
Alcohol? As in, alcohol-alcohol?
“Miss Claire! You can’t be drinking that!”
“Hm? Why not?”
“Because you’re under twenty!”
“Okay? And?” Claire looked at me quizzically, after which I remembered—the drinking age in the kingdom was fifteen. In other words, we could drink with no legal repercussions whatsoever. In fact, we had good reason to, as some kinds of alcohol were cheaper than water—though I suspected what Claire was drinking was of the premium variety.
“It was a gift from Lambert. It’s quite quaffable.”
“How nice of him. Try not to drink too much though; it’s not good for your health.”
“I know. Always in moderation.”
I suspected Claire had been drinking at aristocrat parties and other social events since before she was of legal age. She probably knew her limits better than I did.
“How about I make some snacks to go along with the drink?” I offered.
“No need for that. Just come join me.”
I saw no reason to refuse, so I fetched a glass and sat down with her. She poured me some of the drink, which looked like mead.
“Cheers, Rae.”
“Cheers.” After clinking glasses, I gingerly brought the alcohol to my lips.
While mead contained honey, it wasn’t necessarily sweet, as the fermentation process broke down the sugars. It was closest to beer in terms of taste, although beer wasn’t really ever sweet, so perhaps that was a poor comparison. This mead seemed to have spices mixed with it—perhaps cinnamon? Claire was right; it was quite quaffable. An uncomplicated yet delicious drink.
“How is it?”
“Delicious. Not harsh at all.”
“Isn’t it? Lene remembered the brewery I was fond of and had Lambert deliver it.”
“Oh, really.”
That was Lene for you. Even if she was no longer Claire’s maid, she still respected Claire as her master.
With gratitude toward Lene in our hearts, we drank glass after glass.
“Hey, Rae… This is happiness, isn’t it?” Claire spoke softly, as if in a dream.
“Huh?” I looked at her in confusion, only to see her whole face lit up in a smile.
“There’s you, and May, and Aleah… Every day feels like I’m living in a dream.”
“It’s not a dream. This is the future you’ve earned.”
“The future we’ve earned. Clear distinction, Rae.” Even after a few drinks, she remained as sharp as always. She didn’t think for a moment that this happiness was hers alone.
“How’s teaching going?” I asked.
“It’s rewarding work, though the students can be awfully unruly at times.” Contrary to her words, she sounded utterly delighted.
Claire and I had begun teaching at the Royal Academy. The students were no longer predominantly children of nobles but talented children chosen from the populace at large—a sign the Academy was changing. The curriculum had also begun to focus less on culture and etiquette and more on specialized fields of magic.
“I can’t have my way in all things, like I could when I was a noble. But I suppose that’s what makes life so enjoyable now.”
“Is that so? I’m glad to hear that.” I’d secretly been a bit worried that Claire’s pride would negatively influence her teaching, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. I was happy to see she found meaning in her new work.
“How about you, Rae? Are you enjoying life as is?”
“As long as you’re with me, life’s perfect. It’s also nice that May and Aleah have warmed up to us.” I was content to just have Claire in my life, especially after I had come so close to losing her. May and Aleah opening their hearts to us was wonderful, too. It was as Claire said—this really was happiness.
“Good. Although, there’s one thing I’m dissatisfied with.”
“Oh? What?”
Claire set her glass down before looking at me sheepishly. “I feel like you’re not as assertive recently.”
I choked on my drink. Her words reached my ears but ran just shy of reaching my brain. What had she said just now? “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”
“Ugh! I said I’m sad because you haven’t been all over me lately!”
I understood her words clearly this time, but now I couldn’t believe they had come out of her mouth. Had the haughty Claire just said what I thought she did?
“Miss Claire… Are you drunk?”
“I am not drunk!” she said, but her face was utterly red and her speech was turning slurred.
Come to think of it, no drunk person ever admits they’re drunk.
“How many glasses have you had?”
“What? There’s still half a bottle. Something this light wouldn’t get me drunk.”
I checked the bottle to find it nearly empty. I’d only had two glasses, meaning around eighty percent of the missing liquor had gone down Claire’s gullet. She was so far gone that she couldn’t even tell how much she’d drunk.
“Miss Claire, let’s call it a day here.”
“Nooo! I wanna talk with you more.” Claire pouted.
She avoided my hand as I tried to reach for her glass and took a large gulp.
“Miss Claire…”
“You were so aggressive back when we were students, clinging to my side, saying ‘Miss Claire! Miss Claire!’ Oh, how cute you were.”
Now she was being outrageous. If I didn’t stop her here and now, she would die of embarrassment later.
“Hey, Rae. Do you love me?”
“I do.”
“Really, really?”
“Really, really.”
“He he… I see.” Claire smiled, as if in a trance.
Oh, man. While I did love her usual determined smile, I was weak against this kind that she so rarely showed. It took everything I had to restrain myself.
“Come on, Miss Claire. It’s time to go to bed.”
“Nooo! I wanna flirt with Rae more!”
I was struck dumb. What was this being made of pure cuteness before me?
Claire was always adorable, but something about her right now was unreasonably cute. I supposed the alcohol was making me feel a certain kind of way, too. My judgment was weakened. If this went on, I might make a mistake. Claire and I were close, but it didn’t feel right to let alcohol dictate my urges.
“Raaae?”
“Y-yes?”
Her sickly sweet, coquettish voice called my name. It suddenly became far more difficult to resist the temptation to give in. I thought my heart would stop beating at her irresistible cuteness.
“Will you kiss me?”
“We should stop here. I don’t think I can resist your temptations any further.”
“Why do you need to resist? Rae is mine and I am yours.” Claire tilted her head teasingly. I felt the last of my good judgment start to crumble away.
“Claire, I really do love you.”
“He he. Thank you, Rae. I love you, too.”
“That’s why… You can’t keep saying such adorable things, or else I might really do something.”
“Eh he he, really? That makes me happy.” Claire’s smile was that of a goddess’s.
I didn’t care what happened anymore. I tried my hardest. Everything was Claire’s fault for being too cute.
I stood and knelt by Claire’s side, taking her hand.
“Miss Claire, may I carry you?”
“He he, so you’ve finally come around? Of course, with pleasure.” She kissed me. I used magic to supplement my strength and lifted Claire’s dainty little body up.
“To the bedroom?” I asked.
“Yes.”
All that was left was to spend the night in each other’s embrace.
Or so I thought.
“Ah.”
“Oops.”
I stood there in shocked silence.
“What’s the matter, Rae? Weren’t you taking me to the—?!” Claire noticed as well.
Peering out from the children’s bedroom were two sets of eyes.
“They found us, Aleah!”
“We’ve been caught, May!”
They cried out without an ounce of guilt.
“Why are you two awake?” Claire asked.
“We could hear Mama Rae and Mama Claire having fun from our room—”
“—so we were watching to make sure nothing bad happened.”
Claire and I gasped, mouths agape. Try to imagine, if you would, how we felt at that moment.
“What are you going to do now?” May asked innocently.
“Are you going to play in the bedroom?” Aleah followed up.
My head, ablaze with lust just moments prior, had completely cooled off. I imagined Claire had sobered up in a hurry, too.
“We’re not going to do anything. Just say ‘goodnight,’ then go to sleep,” I reassured the two.
“Really?”
“That’s dull.”
“That’s why you two better go to sleep, too. Stay up too late and you won’t be able to play as much tomorrow.”
“I don’t want that!”
“We’re good girls, so we’ll go to bed.”
With that, the two girls obediently crawled back into bed. There was one thing left to do before I could truly breathe easy.
“Hey, Miss Claire.” I looked down at Claire in my arms to see a look of great shame on her face. “I take it you’ve sobered up?”
“Yes.” Her voice was faint.
I get it. I want to crawl into a hole, too. “Let’s add a new rule.”
“Agreed.”
In this house, we had some ground rules. That night, a new one was added: Drink responsibly. |
Bonus Story 4: Birthdays
Bonus Story 4:Birthdays
THE END OF THE RAINY SEASON finally came to the Bauer Kingdom, and with it summer. The Academy was on break, so we spent the day relaxing as a family.
Claire and I were helping May and Aleah with their studies. They had been taught basic reading and writing at the orphanage, but they hadn’t had much time to familiarize themselves with it. Even so, they proved to be fast learners and could now write as well as anyone in their age group.
“Mama Claire, what’s this say?” May asked from atop Ralaire. She’d taken a liking to sitting on the water slime as of late.
“That says ‘birthday.’”
“What’s birthday?” May asked curiously.
“I know what it is,” Aleah cut in with a proud look. “It’s a day to celebrate someone being born.”
“That’s right, Aleah. Do you two remember when your birthday is?”
“I forget. Do you remember, Aleah?”
“Of course. It’s the thirteenth day of the twelfth month.”
Dates in this world were based on the solar calendar, just like in my world, but they ran a bit simpler. This world had twelve months, each with thirty days.
“That’s right. We’ll celebrate your birthday then.”
“Yay!”
“Sounds fun!”
Claire watched the two fondly as they rejoiced before looking my way. “Come to think of it, I don’t know Rae’s birthday.”
“Of course you wouldn’t. Not even I know my birthday.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you forget? I’m a lost child of the spirits.”
“Ah…”
As a young child, Rae Taylor had been found wandering Euclid and taken in by the couple who adopted her. Hence, my true birth date was a mystery.
“So you didn’t celebrate birthdays?” Claire asked.
“Commoners don’t have the financial leeway to celebrate birthdays. At most, we celebrate New Year’s and the Harvest Festival.”
Bauer commoners were poor and tended to have many children. Celebrating birthdays regularly could put a real dent in a household’s finances. Extravagant birthday parties were a luxury that only nobles enjoyed.
“I see… Then what was your birthday in your previous life?”
“My previous life?”
“Yes. I believe you were from a well-off family, were you not?”
Some time ago, just before the revolution, I’d told Claire how I’d once lived in another world. She seemed to remember the details quite clearly.
“Let’s see… The calendar in the other world was a bit different, but in this world, I think my birthday would equate to around the nineteenth day of the seventh month?”
“That’s right around the corner! You should’ve said something sooner!” Claire said angrily.
“Is it Mama Rae’s birthday soon?”
“Are we going to celebrate?”
We’d caught the children’s attention. They seemed to be quite taken by the topic of birthdays.
“It’s fine, we don’t need to worry about my birthday. Let’s just use the money on your birthdays.”
“Absolutely not!” Claire protested. “You’re a precious member of our family. We have to celebrate your birthday!”
“Yeah!”
“Indeed!”
I gave in, unable to resist all three of them. Birthdays weren’t exactly something I’d looked forward to in my previous life, especially when I’d reached an age that didn’t make me want to acknowledge I was getting on in years. Even now, I couldn’t say I was too thrilled about celebrating my birthday.
“We only have three days until Rae’s birthday! May, Aleah, let us get to preparing!”
“Okay!”
“Yes, Mother!”
“Um… What should I do then?”
“You don’t need to do anything special, Rae. Just do your usual chores, like you normally do.” It seemed Claire and the girls would be handling the preparation themselves. “Things are going to get busy around here!”
The next three days went by quickly. Claire and the twins cut and folded colored paper to decorate the rooms, making our house suddenly feel a lot more festive. Claire seemed to be planning a surprise for me, but, as I wasn’t part of the preparations, I wasn’t allowed to know what it was. I felt a little left out, yet I found myself actually starting to grow a little excited.
“Happy birthday, Rae!”
“Happy birthday, Mama Rae!”
“Happy birthday, Mother Rae!”
We decided to celebrate at dinnertime.
“Thank you, Miss Claire, May, Aleah.” I hugged them each individually with all my heart.
“Now then, let’s sit down and eat,” said Claire. “Today’s dinner is quite the feast… Although Rae is still the one who made it. Sorry.”
“Ha ha, it’s fine. Thanks for covering the cost of the ingredients.”
“It wouldn’t be much of a birthday party if I didn’t.” Claire had insisted she would cook right up until the very end, but unfortunately, cooking happened to be one of the very few—if not only—things she was still hopeless at. She settled for covering the cost of the ingredients, allowing me to go all out for the first time in a long while, as we’d kept meals on the frugal side ever since the revolution.
Today’s dinner consisted of roast beef, potato salad, onion soup au gratin, baguette, and crème brûlée.
“Time to dig in.”
“Would you please wait a moment, Rae? May, Aleah, can you fetch it?”
“Okay!”
“Yes, Mother!”
The two girls disappeared to their room, immediately returning with something in hand.
“Here you go, Mama Rae!”
“It’s your birthday present!”
They politely handed me a wrapped package.
“Can I open it?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Of course.”
I wonder where they got the wrapping paper? The clumsy wrapping made clear that the twins had done it themselves. I carefully unwrapped the present, taking care not to tear the paper in case it could be reused.
“Oh, a portrait?” Drawn in crayon on paper was a picture of me. I took up the whole space and had a big smile plastered on. Was this how they saw me?
“We worked really hard to draw this.”
“How is it? Does it look like you?”
“It looks just like me! Thank you, May, Aleah.” Nearly moved to tears, I hugged them again. The twins hugged me back, smiling.
I had the best daughters in the whole wide world.
“I also have something for you.” Claire handed me something as she blushed profusely. That face alone was a gift in itself.
“A handkerchief?”
“It’s nothing special, but I hope you like it.” Claire was being beyond modest. The handkerchief was embroidered with myriad small flowers. It was far fancier than the sort an ordinary citizen would usually possess, more befitting of a noble, its beauty so fine you might hesitate to even use it. She had doubtless embroidered it herself.
At the edge, I found delicate writing: For my beloved Rae, from Claire. And to think she’d done this in only three days! This was nothing short of a treasure.
“Thank you, Miss Claire.”
“He he, I’m glad you like it.”
I honestly hadn’t even expected to receive a present, so I was caught off guard by all of this. If May and Aleah hadn’t been there, I might have cried.
“Let’s eat, shall we? I’m sure Rae’s cooking will be delicious.”
“Mmm, it’s yummy!”
“Ah! May’s already eating!”
“He he!”
The four of us enjoyed a boisterous birthday dinner together.
“The birthday went by so quickly.”
“Indeed,” I replied.
May and Aleah were already fast asleep. After helping them get to bed, Claire and I quietly drank tea together.
“Did you enjoy it?”
“I did. This was the most enjoyable birthday I’ve ever had, previous life included.” I’d gotten along with my family in my previous life, and birthdays had been pleasant. But celebrating with the family you’d made for yourself was a joy all its own.
“He he. Glad to hear it.”
“Thank you for today, Miss Claire.” I meant it. Thanks to Claire, I’d learned how wonderful it could be to spend your birthday with the ones you love.
“If it weren’t for you, I’m sure my life would be dull indeed. Thank you for being born, Rae.”
“Miss Claire…”
Her words had a special meaning—she was saying she loved our current life more than her old life as a noble, where she had enjoyed everything she could have ever wanted. That made me unbelievably happy to hear.
“I actually…have one more present left for you…”
“What is it?”
“You have to guess,” Claire said bashfully. I had an idea of what she meant.
“Today’s been so much fun, I don’t know if I can control myself tonight,” I said. “I might just devour you whole if you’re not careful.”
“I’ll allow you to try, just for today. But I get the feeling the one who’ll be devoured won’t be me.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“It might be.”
I grabbed Claire’s hand and headed to the bedroom.
As for her last present? Let’s just say it was wonderful. |
Bonus Story 5: Holy Night Festival
Bonus Story 5:Holy Night Festival
TODAY WAS THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY of the twelfth month. In the modern world, today would have lined up with the day called Christmas Eve.
But this was the world of Revolution. There was no Christmas here—or so you might think. Instead, you see, we had this holiday called the Holy Night Festival.
“The prevailing belief is that the Great Spirit descended to the earth on this day. That’s why the Holy Night Festival is an important event to the Spiritual Church.”
“Uh-huh.” I already knew that, but I let Claire talk anyway. She looked so cute when she haughtily explained things to me.
As you might have guessed, the Holy Night Festival was a game event modeled after Christmas. Yet another aspect of Japanese culture inserted into the world-building—although I suppose Christmas was originally European in origin.
“So what do you do on this day?” I asked.
“Well, nobles often held marvelous parties and invited guests, but I believe the common—ahem, the citizens didn’t celebrate so lavishly.”
As a noble, Claire did seem the type to like parties.
“To my knowledge,” Claire continued, “citizens would decorate their rooms and set up fir trees, then invite family, friends, and lovers over to exchange gifts.”
“Oooh, that sounds wonderful.”
It sounded exactly like Christmas in Japan. I’d thought it might be a bit different, since I’d heard Christmas in Western countries was more of a quiet affair spent with family. Christmas in Japan was a party, kind of like New Year’s Eve in the west, while New Year’s Day in Japan was generally the quiet family event.
“Will we be celebrating like citizens?” I asked.
“Of course we will. Do you have any idea how much it’d cost to hold a party and invite people?”
“That’s true.” We’d have to reserve a place, pay for food, and prepare entertainment for the guests. We weren’t poor by any means, but that wasn’t feasible on the salary of two teachers. If we had that kind of money, I’d rather use it on Claire, May, and Aleah first.
“But I do want to have a small celebration with our family.”
“As do I, Miss Claire.”
Spending the Holy Night with family without having to worry about guests sounded pretty great. A good way to end the year with the ones you love.
“We can afford to indulge ourselves with a feast, I think. Can you do the cooking, Rae?”
“Of course. Leave it to me!” I struck my chest with pride. This was a good opportunity to show off my stuff.
“All that’s left are the presents, then. For us and the kids.”
“Let’s go shopping first thing tomorrow.” We could leave the two children behind and go on a shopping date. No impure motives—we just needed to keep the presents a surprise from the girls.
“Sounds like fun…”
“Sure does,” I said. Although I did relish the thought of a little alone time with Claire for other reasons as well.
“All right, here it comes!”
“Whoa!”
“It’s huge!”
On the night of the Holy Night Festival, Claire, May, and Aleah sat around the dining table as, wearing oven mitts, I carried an herb-roasted whole chicken over and set the heavy platter down on the table with a thud. Many dishes were already set out in addition to the chicken: roast beef, green soybeans and burdock potage, root vegetable salad, and a decorated cake.
I’d learned the herb-roasted whole chicken recipe from my mother in this world, but I’d added salt, pepper, and extra herbs to make my own deluxe version. The roast beef was lovely, especially as it was our first time having beef in a while. The potage was made with green soybeans and burdock that was boiled, mashed, mixed with milk, and then seasoned with salt and pepper. I made the salad by cooking up lotus root, carrots, potatoes, and onions, then covering them in dressing for a simple but flavorful dish. The decorated cake—the highlight of the spread—was a bit misshapen because I’d had May and Aleah’s help in decorating it.
“Shall we eat?” Claire asked.
“Yeah!”
“Yes, Mother!”
And so our party began.
Ornaments made from colored paper decorated the walls—May and Aleah’s handiwork. We hadn’t been able to get a fir tree and instead had made our own miniature one out of colored paper and placed it in the center of the table. We’d poured our hearts into making our own inexpensive yet special Holy Night Festival.
“The meat’s yummy!”
“This potage is delicious.”
The children sang the food’s praises as they ate. Everything but the soup was served in large communal dishes, so we each had our own small plates to transfer portions to. Little by little, we whittled the food away.
“It’s all so delicious. I especially like the salad.”
“Thank you, Miss Claire. Feel free to eat as much as you like.”
“Of course.”
I took a slice of roast beef and nibbled on it. I’d cooked it in my own brand of onion sauce, and I had to say the outcome was so-so.
May and Aleah had eaten only a small lunch in anticipation for tonight, and they were now stuffing their faces enthusiastically. With their help, all the food was soon cleaned away. We finished the whole cake as well, sharing it two slices per person.
At last, I carried the empty plates to the sink with a satisfied smile.
“Rae, can you do the washing later? I don’t think the kids can wait for their presents any longer.”
“Oh, all right! I’ll go get the presents, then.” I went to and from the bedroom, returning with wrapped presents in my arms.
“Here you are, May, Aleah. Happy Holy Night Festival.”
“Thank you!”
“Thank you very much!”
Claire and I had chosen their presents. Inside the wrapping, they found—
“Shoes!”
“So cute!”
The shoes were on the expensive side, cobbled and sold by Frater. Made from water python leather, they resisted water and stains. They were also quite cute, being meant for children.
“They’re so light!”
“Yeah!”
Most leather products were heavy, but water python leather was light—perfect for children who liked running around.
“Thank you, Mama Claire and Mama Rae!”
“Thank you, Mothers!”
The twins hugged us. Claire and I happily hugged them back.
“This is for you, Rae,” Claire said as she handed me a present.
I didn’t know what I’d find in the wrapping, as we’d agreed to keep our presents for each other a surprise.
“And this one is for you, Miss Claire.” I handed Claire a present.
We opened our presents at the same time.
“A comb? Such delicate fretwork…”
I gave Claire a brushing comb made from boxwood crafted by the guildmaster of the woodworking guild. Astute readers might notice the significance of gifting a boxwood comb. (In Japan, boxwood combs symbolized an eternal bond and were well known for being used to propose during the Edo period.)
“Looks like my present is a scarf. Wait, did you make this?”
“It’s nothing special, but yes, I did make it.” Claire blushed.
“Nothing special? The pattern is so beautiful, you’d think it was made by the tailor’s guild.” It had an argyle pattern, for goodness’ sake! That wasn’t something an amateur could pull off. “Can I put it on?”
“Of course.”
“Hmm… Wow, it’s warm.”
“I knitted it from snow rabbit wool.” Snow rabbits had soft, bushy fur, and they didn’t hibernate in winter. No wonder the scarf was so warm.
“Thank you, Miss Claire. I’ll treasure it.”
“Thank you for the comb as well, Rae.”
We moved closer and kissed.
Such happy times.
“Look, Aleah! It’s snowing outside!”
“It is!”
Prompted by the children’s voices, I looked outside the window to see heavy white snow falling from the sky.
“It looks like it’s a pure-white Holy Night,” Claire said.
“Is that something like a white Christmas?”
“Sorry?”
“Ah, nothing. Just talking to myself.”
The four of us just stood there, watching it snow for some time. No words needed to be shared, each of us comforted by the presence of our family.
“It’s been a busy year, Rae. I look forward to spending the next with you.”
“As do I, Miss Claire.”
We shared a kiss before pulling away and smiling at one another.
That night was a passionate one, but that will be a story for another time. |
Bonus Story 6: Your Pain Is Not Punishment
Bonus Story 6:Your Pain Is Not Punishment
IT WAS LATE EVENING when I knocked on the door. The dim twilight allowed me to make out the shape of a feather on the wood, the symbol of the Spiritual Church. I’d arrived at a branch of the Spiritual Church located in Sousse, known as the Northern Sousse Convent.
“Yes? Who is it?” An elderly nun peered out from within.
“H-hello, my name is Lilly,” I stammered. “I-I’m a nun of the Spiritual Church and am currently on a pilgrimage of sorts. Would you be willing to share some food with me?”
The nun took a long, scrutinizing look at me before saying, “Why, only the truly devout go on pilgrimages these days. I’m Sister Rellette, and I’d be more than happy to share what we have with you. Please, come inside.”
She smiled, deepening the many creases around her eyes.
“Th-thank you very much.” I brushed some dust off my habit before entering.
The Northern Sousse Convent was far smaller than the Bauer Cathedral. That wasn’t a fair comparison, as any convent was small in comparison to the cathedral, but this one struck me as particularly tiny. The building was old, too. Old enough that it might have been better off being demolished and rebuilt.
I followed Sister Rellette as I continued to observe the interior.
“You’re no doubt shocked at the state of this place.”
“Y-yes… I mean, n-no!”
She was so nonchalant about the matter that I inadvertently spoke the truth. I tried to cover for my mistake, but words really weren’t my strong suit.
The elderly nun laughed heartily. “It’s okay. It’s true, after all. This convent and I are both old grannies now.”
“Wh-why not have it rebuilt?”
“I’ve thought about it, but it’s already been decided that this convent will end with me. A bigger, newer one was built nearby, you see.”
“O-oh…”
“That’s why I’m keeping it as is. It’d be a waste of funds to repair it, so instead, we use it knowing full well it’ll be torn down someday.”
Convents were often not monetarily well-off institutions. Funds were provided to them by the Spiritual Church, but an old convent like this one, situated close to a newer one, was not likely to be high on the priority list. There was even a good chance the newer convent had been specifically commissioned by the Sousse Spiritual Church to replace this old one.
“Oh, dear, I’m sorry. Not many people come by here, you see, so I just started jabbering away about unimportant things.”
“N-no, it’s quite all right. U-um, do you live here alone?”
“No, I live here with two younger nuns. They’re about your age, I’d say.”
Just as she said that—two nuns, slightly taller than me, appeared.
“A guest, Sister Rellette?”
I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Rae?!”
The taller of the two nuns looked identical to Rae. She looked quizzically at my outburst while the other nun hid behind her back.
“Um, no. My name is Elie…”
“Not…Rae.”
Their words brought me back to my senses. Of course Rae wouldn’t be here. She was off enjoying her newlywed life with Claire.
That was right… Newlywed…
“Uunh…” I sniffed.
“Wha—hey, are you all right?” asked the nun who looked like Rae.
“I’m okay,” I said between tears. “Just remembered something sad all of a sudden.”
“This person seems…emotionally unstable.” The other nun just seemed exasperated.
“Oh, my, what should we do? I was going to ask you to eat with us, but perhaps it’s best you stayed the night as well?” Sister Rellette asked upon observing my state.
“N-no! I couldn’t possibly impose.”
“Oh, you’re not imposing at all. Elie, Marie, could you prepare Lilly a room?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The taller one seemed to be Elie.
“Yes…ma’am.” Which meant the quiet one was Marie.
“N-no, really, I’m fine!”
“Hey, don’t worry about it, just accept her kindness. And, with all due respect, I don’t think you’re in any shape to decline.”
Elie put a hand on my back and urged me toward the room with surprising force. I looked down at myself, realizing my habit was torn here and there and covered in grime.
“Do you know how to mend clothes?” Elie asked.
“N-not really,” I said, faltering.
“Figures.” She smiled wryly and passed me some casual clothing once we reached the room. “Wear this in your room for now. I’ll mend your habit.”
“S-sorry…”
“It’s fine, we nuns have to look out for each other, you know? All right, let me know when you’ve changed.”
“Dinner…soon.”
They left the room, leaving me behind.
I guess I’m staying, then. I’ve stayed the night at many a convent over my journey, but this was the first time I’d been so openly welcomed. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
“We thank thee, Almighty Great Spirit, for the nourishment we shall now receive.”
“Amen.”
The four of us ate dinner together in the refectory. Well, I say refectory, but it wasn’t as big of a room as the word might suggest.
I started with my bread after saying grace. The meal consisted of bread, fava bean potage soup, and a boiled egg—a standard meal for clergy. Apparently, Elie made the food.
You know who else could cook? Rae. My heart ached once again.
“Are you feeling better now?” Sister Rellette inquired as I finished my bread.
“Y-yes, sorry about earlier…”
“Ha ha, not at all. Did you remember something painful?”
“Y-yes… Heartbreak…” I reluctantly confessed.
“Oh, my.” Sister Rellette smiled kindly.
“How could they turn down someone as pretty as you?”
“They have…no taste.”
The other two nuns chimed in sympathetically. I couldn’t bear it. I was about to change the subject when—
“What kind of person were they?”
“Yeah… What kind?”
The topic seemed to have caught the two young nuns’ attention. Living out at this convent, I imagined they were starved for entertainment, and my love troubles were just the thing to satiate that hunger.
“Sh-she’s wonderful. Very wonderful. But she already had her heart set on someone…” I mumbled.
“Oh…”
“That’s…too bad.”
They sympathized with me further. I had yet to realize my careless blunder.
“She?” Sister Rellette didn’t appear taken aback but was clearly eliciting further information out of me.
“Ah… Um…” I floundered. Should I say it?
“Did you perhaps have feelings for a woman?”
“Y-yes…” I couldn’t lie in the face of Sister Rellette’s calm but clear voice. The Spiritual Church disapproved of same-sex relationships. They didn’t go so far as to openly persecute people, but it was clear they believed love should only exist between a man and a woman.
I braced myself for a scolding.
“I…see.”
But it never came.
Sister Rellette said no further than that, quietly returning to her meal.
The atmosphere after that was hard to describe. It was awkward, yes, but there was something else in the air. I ate my meal silently, not understanding the meaning of that strange tension.
“Lilly, are you awake?”
I heard a knock on my door just as it was time to sleep.
“Y-yes, I’m still awake.” I rose off the bed and fixed my clothing.
“May I come in?”
“G-go ahead.”
It was Elie who had knocked.
“Sorry to bother you so late at night.”
“I-It’s fine. Did you need something?”
“Yes… I was hoping I could have your advice on something.” She looked serious. Her face looked so much like Rae’s—so much so that it felt like Rae herself was before me, eliciting my help, making my heart ache yet again.
“O-of course, anything.” As a cardinal, I’d been trained in giving effective counsel. Unfortunately, I couldn’t often make use of this skill at the Bauer Cathedral, as they didn’t offer such a service. But now, I finally had a chance.
“Thank you. I wanted to ask you about… Well…” Elie hesitated. It had to be something difficult to talk about.
“Please, sit down, Elie.” I slid over and opened a spot on my bed, inviting her to sit with me. She hesitated but eventually did so.
“Some worries are hard to talk about,” I began.
“Yeah…”
“The person I like, Rae—the one I talked about at dinner—she helped me with my own worries.” I started by talking about myself. I told her how I’d met Rae and how she had shown me my love wasn’t something to be ashamed of. I told her of how we had helped Claire expose corrupt nobles, and finally, I told her of my betrayal.
I left out the fact that I was technically a cardinal, as well as some details about the people involved, but I gave her the gist of everything that had occurred before my journey.
“I never would’ve thought you’d lived such a rough life. I mean…you seem to not have a care in the world.”
“Th-that’s mean!”
“Ha ha, sorry.” Elie laughed for a moment before growing grim again. “I need some advice about me and Marie.”
“The other young girl? You seem to get along well to me…” I recalled seeing Marie hide behind Elie. She seemed to put a lot of trust in her.
“Yes, we do get along. We do, but I think the feelings she has for me…aren’t the same as the feelings I have for her.”
“Ah…” I understood where this was going.
“Hah. I think I might be homosexual, too.” Elie spoke jokingly, but her smile was pained. “I’ve been with Marie ever since I was young, you see. We were both abandoned by our parents, but Sister Rellette took us in and raised us as a family. From the outside, I bet I look like Marie’s older sister. And I’m sure Marie and Sister Rellette think the same. But I don’t. I can’t anymore.”
The guilt of having romantic feelings for your foster sister. The fear of being found out. And the teachings of a church that so clearly labeled such feelings impure. It was as if the world itself was rejecting her, Elie explained to me.
“What am I supposed to do, Lilly? Why am I like this? I…I wish I wasn’t.” No longer able to fake a smile, Elie hung her head and cried.
Unable to do nothing, I hugged her as she did. I stroked her hair and tried to think of a way to comfort her scarred heart.
“Elie, I want you to know that the pain you feel is not punishment,” I said as Elie raised her head. “Love is not bound by logic; it is out of our hands. Therefore, your love cannot be sin.”
“But the church—”
“Do you remember the most important of all the church’s teachings?” I interrupted.
Elie looked at me doubtfully yet racked her brain regardless. “All are equal in the eyes of the Great Spirit?”
“That’s right. All other teachings were merely added over the course of history.”
“But what does that matter?”
“If we are all equal, then why should we alone have to deny our feelings?”
“Ah!”
That must have been unthinkable to her. I saw my past self reflected in her.
“I think Rae explained it more logically back when we met, but I’m not as wonderful as she is. Even so, there’s one thing I can confidently say.” I chose my next words carefully. “God would never create a world where you alone were a sinner.”
This was the answer my faith had led me to. Such words might be meaningless to those without faith, but to those who believed, it was an undeniable truth. “The world may seem unfair because of our sexual orientation. But know this—that unfairness isn’t willed by God but humankind.”
Faith was built upon trust in God. To the faithful, to believe yourself rejected by God was to have the very core of your being invalidated. All that you could hope for after that was to be rejected by your faith and rejected by the world, and this ultimately culminated in an attempt to escape one’s self. In other words—death.
“You first need to understand that your feelings are not wrong. Then you can take the next step.”
Elie fell silent, deep in thought. Night in the convent was still, the two of us seemingly removed from the world. But we of faith knew: God was always by our side, watching over us.
“But…Marie might not return my feelings.”
“That’s just how love is. It’s the same for straight people. That part, you’ll just have to accept.”
There was some truth in Elie’s words. Our feelings often didn’t bear fruit because of the prevailing social norm being heterosexuality. But that wasn’t the fault of those we loved, just the fault of those social norms themselves. I believed we had a duty to fight to change those norms for the better. At the very least, I knew the person I respected more than anyone had always been fighting against something.
“I…still need some time to think this through, but I think I understand now. Thank you. For telling me my pain wasn’t God’s punishment,” Elie whispered as she rubbed her eyes and smiled. “I don’t know if Marie will return these feelings, but…that’s all right. From now on, at least I won’t deny I have them. Thank you.”
Seeing her break through her own doubts, I couldn’t help but think she truly reminded me of somebody else I knew.
“And then?! And then?! What happened after that?!”
“U-um, well…”
“Ease up a bit, Miss Claire. You’re scaring Miss Lilly.”
I had since returned from my journey and was visiting Rae and Claire at their house, recounting the events of my travels. Claire seemed utterly fascinated by this one story in particular, not giving me time to so much as drink the tea I was served. Seeing this, Rae tried to reel Claire in a bit.
“U-unfortunately, I don’t know what followed. I embarked for my next destination the next morning.”
“Let’s write a letter to her!” Claire suggested.
“U-uh, I don’t know… That seems a bit much.”
“Not at all! She looked just like Rae, right? I absolutely must meet with her, then!”
Claire really did love Rae. Not that my love would lose out to hers.
“I can’t believe it! Miss Claire’s trying to cheat on me?!” Rae lamented as she poured me a new cup of tea.
“Of course not. You know my heart’s only for you.”
“Miss Claire…”
“There’s no need for formalities between us!”
“Claire!”
“Rae!”
“Should I leave?” I gazed blankly off into space as I took a sip.
In truth, I was curious about what had happened to Elie. But I was also afraid. I’d done my best to help, but human emotion was an unpredictable thing. There was no knowing if her love would bear fruit, nor knowing how she would fare after.
Yet, in my heart, I believed—no matter how much pain one might suffer, God never forsook those who had faith. |
Bonus Chapter: The Lady Who Leapt Through Time
Bonus Chapter:The Lady Who Leapt Through Time
“OH, ISN’T TODAY the first day of the fourth month?” Rae asked me out of the blue.
The arrival of spring brought with it kinder weather, allowing us to comfortably spend the night chatting over tea in the living room. May and Aleah were already asleep in their room.
“It is—why?”
“Well, it’s a bit of a strange day in my old world, you see.”
“How so?”
“It was a day where it was okay to lie.”
Rae brought up some nonsense I couldn’t quite wrap my head around. Then again, most of what she said was nonsense I couldn’t wrap my head around.
“Your world must have been pretty strange to have a day like that.”
“I suppose. Although I guess it wasn’t a custom from the country I lived in but one adopted from somewhere overseas.”
“Is that right? That happens everywhere, it seems.” Even Bauer had customs adopted from the Alpes and Sousse. I even heard
that the Alpes were starting to adopt the Amour Festival. As long as countries interacted in some form with one another, there would be cultural diffusion.
“But the tradition of lying on this particular date gained a lot of traction in recent times,” Rae explained. “Even commercial businesses, ah—they’re kind of like the trading companies in my world—would pull pranks and such.”
“Trading companies would pull pranks?”
“Yeah. Like making a weird announcement or changing the name of their business for the day, for instance.”
“What’s the point of that?”
“People simply liked doing those kinds of things.”
Rae talked about her world every now and then, but my image of it remained that of a strange and peculiar place. All I understood for sure was that she’d lived in a peaceful country with values far different than Bauer’s.
“I don’t understand. Wouldn’t it cost money and labor for a trading company to do that? How could a silly prank be worthwhile?”
“You’re right about it just being a silly prank, but if people found it amusing, the company’s popularity would soar. There were even some that became famous overnight.”
“Tr-truly?”
“Truly. My world was advanced in fields other than magic. It was possible for such companies to send information across the world in the blink of an eye.” Rae often claimed magic was convenient, but it seemed to me her world was far and away more convenient to live in despite the lack of magic.
It was hard to believe… So much so in fact, I had to wonder if it was true.
“What you said just now wouldn’t happen to be one of those lies, would it?” I asked.
“Wow, you got the point of the day rather quickly. Lies were frequently exchanged in conversations like this in my world. But no. What I said was all true.”
“Really?”
“Yep!”
It was difficult to accept that a prank could so easily change the success of a business. But while Rae did sometimes lie, she never did so maliciously. She was probably being truthful.
“Who knows? You might even have a strange dream tonight.”
“Is that a thing?”
“It is. On April Fool’s Day—oh, that’s what the day was called—you’re supposed to see a strange dream. And for a main character such as yourself, I’m sure quite the terrifying nightmare awaits.”
“Oh, stop it. If I’m going to dream, I’d rather it be a good one.” Besides, the main character here was Rae. I was more like the heroi… No, I was being overly self-conscious.
“If you’re worried about sleep, we can do some ‘exercise’ before bed.”
“Quit it. I’m not in the mood today. Let’s just go to sleep.”
“Aww.” Rae gave up with ease.
That was one of her virtues. Despite having a higher-than-average sex drive, she never once pressured me into anything. I appreciated that about her, but sometimes, I wanted her to be more aggressive. Just imagining the look of rapture that might appear on Rae’s face as I tried to resist her sent tingles down my spine.
But what was said was said; I couldn’t eat my words now. I just needed to go to sleep without making a fuss.
“I’ll be retiring for the night first. Good night, Rae.”
“Okay. Good night, Miss Claire.”
I kissed her once before retiring to the bedroom alone.
Our bedroom was plain, containing only the most basic of furniture and a slightly wide bed. In truth, I wanted to add more furnishings, but money was tight, and we had to be careful about making impractical purchases. Besides, if we had excess money, I’d want to use it on clothes for May and Aleah first.
The old me would never have thought like this. I could tell deep down that I had changed greatly since my time as a noble.
Part of that change had been caused by my meeting with Rae. According to her, in her book of prophecies, I was swept away by the great wave of revolution. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be here, alive. I wouldn’t have met May and Aleah, and my name would be forever besmirched as a wicked symbol of an old era. I owed the peaceful life I could now lead to Rae.
A strange thought came to mind. What would have happened if Rae and I met under different circumstances?
What kind of life would I have led without her, whose presence I took for granted? It was impossible to envision.
The past won’t change, so what’s the point of thinking about this now? I was being meaninglessly sentimental. I slipped under the bed sheets and came to yet another realization. The bed was far too wide and cold for one person. I longed for Rae’s warmth.
If I called for her, she would surely come running. That was simply how she was. But I felt particularly stubborn that night. I suppressed my feelings and closed my eyes.
I better not see any strange dreams…
The Sandman visited sooner than I anticipated. I relaxed my body and soon found myself drifting into a deep slumber.
“Is something the matter, Miss Claire?”
“Hm?” When I came to, I wasn’t on my bed anymore but a different place entirely. I recognized the face before me; a small, oval one with chestnut-brown hair and hazel eyes.
“Pepi?” I asked.
“Yes, Pepi Barlier. Thank goodness. I was worried something was wrong—you’ve had this blank look on your face for some time.” By her side, a round girl with black hair and dark-brown eyes nodded in agreement. “It’s quite unusual for you to be like that.”
The two girls in front of me were Pepi and Loretta, my close friends from my time at the Academy, the very same who had attended my wedding. In fact, I noticed we were all wearing the Academy uniform.
“We’re at…the Academy?”
“Um…maybe you aren’t so well after all. Do you feel sick?” Loretta asked worriedly, but I felt perfectly fine. I appeared to be in a Royal Academy lecture hall. Looking around, I saw many familiar faces from before the revolution but not a single one I’d met since becoming a teacher.
“Loretta, what’s the date?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Just answer me, quickly!”
“B-by the royal calendar, it’s the second day of the fourth month, 2015!”
The color drained from my face. That was the day I’d met Rae.
“Is this…a dream?” Rae had mentioned I might see a strange dream. In that case, this was a nightmare.
“What are you doing, Miss Claire?!” Pepi exclaimed in shock as I pinched my cheek.
“This is a dream. I have to wake up.”
“What are you saying, Miss Claire?! Get a hold of yourself!” Loretta tried to pull my hand away, but I wouldn’t stop. My cheek hurt from my pinching, yet no matter how much pain I felt, I wouldn’t wake up.
“Why…?” I was dumbfounded.
That was when a most dreadful thought surfaced to mind: What if that turbulent year itself was the dream?
Could this be reality, and the days I’d spent with Rae were the dream? The word despair didn’t even begin to describe what I felt.
“Um… You don’t seem too well. Maybe you should go to the infirmary?” A female student spoke to me, noticing my sudden pallor. My head went blank the moment I looked at her.
“Rae!”
“Huh—whoa!”
I hugged her, released from the depths of my despair. Thank goodness she was here. As long as she was with me, I could bear something like being sent back in time.
“Um… Is something the matter?” Rae looked at me, bewildered, regarding me as if I were a stranger. My heart sank as I slipped back into the depths of despair.
“You’re…Rae Taylor, are you not?”
“I am. And who might you be?” She regarded me with suspicion as she asked.
Did this Rae not know me?
“Excuse me! Who do you think you are to address Miss Claire so impolitely? Do you not see these curls?! Do you not see how clearly charming, albeit tiresome, she is?!”
“Yeah! I haven’t seen your face before; you must be a commoner. Know your place! I especially don’t approve of girls prettier than me!”
I wasn’t sure if Pepi and Loretta were trying to support or embarrass me. They weren’t bad girls, but they could be a bit absentminded at times, frightfully so.
“Is that right? Pardon me, then.” Rae began to briskly walk away.
“W-wait!” I yelled.
“What?” she said, a little sterner this time.
“Uh, well, umm…” I floundered, not knowing what to say.
“I’ll be off then, seeing as you have no business with me.” Rae left for good this time, rejecting me flatly with a turn of her heels.
“Rae Taylor…isn’t that the name of the top student in the incoming class?”
I already knew that.
“How awful. I bet her house is some old clothing store.”
I already knew that.
“What was she thinking? She should know we nobles live in a different world.”
I knew it all, more keenly than anyone else. And despite all that, Rae had found a way to surmount those obstacles and find a place in my heart.
“Excuse me, I’ll be taking my leave for the day,” I announced.
“Huh? Miss Claire?!”
“G-good day!”
Pepi and Loretta called after me as I ran off, but I didn’t listen. I had my hands full holding back my tears.
I couldn’t believe Rae could look at me with such indifference. She’d always openly displayed her affection for me, ever since the very moment we first met. Not once had she looked at me as coldly as she had just then. I’d toyed with the idea of what it might be like if I hadn’t been the object of her love, but I could never have imagined it would be this painful.
Out of shock, I holed up in my bed for two days. The first time I slept, I hoped I would awake back in my world, but no such luck. Pepi and Loretta paid me a visit, worried, but I wasn’t in the mood to see them. My heart hurt, the memory of Rae’s cold, piercing gaze still fresh in my mind.
“Good day, Rae.”
“Hm?”
On my first day back to the Academy, I worked up the courage to talk to Rae. Even if my year with her had been a dream, I could at least try to make my current reality similar to what I remembered.
“M-Miss Claire?!”
“Wh-why is Miss Claire bothering to greet an inferior like her?!”
Pepi and Loretta were spouting off something or another, but I paid them no mind. I wore my best smile and continued to talk to Rae.
“Are you not going to greet me back?” I asked.
“Forgive me… Good day, Miss Claire,” she responded impassively, eyes regarding me with suspicion.
I felt hurt but continued, nonetheless. “Have you grown accustomed to the Academy? Let me know if you need any help with anything, okay?”
“Right… Thank you very much.” Rae responded flatly, without so much as a smile.
The conversation petered out immediately. I never would have imagined talking to Rae when she had no interest in me would be so difficult.
“Th-the weather is nice, isn’t it?”
“I guess.”
“How about we go for a walk?”
“No, thank you.”
She curtly denied my attempts. Each time she did so, motivation drained from my body.
“Why, you! Who do you think you are, taking that attitude when Miss Claire is so kind as to talk to you?! Although I must say, I’m absolutely delighted at how depressed she looks! Well done!”
“Yeah! You think you’re special for a commoner just because you’re a little smart?! You should be tutoring me!”
Pepi and Loretta snapped at Rae. Once again, it wasn’t clear if they were supporting me or not. They likely thought they were helping me but were in truth hurting my chances at getting closer to Rae. Even if I couldn’t have the relationship we’d had before, I wanted to be her friend, at the very least.
“Pardon my impoliteness, then. I’ll be off.”
But such a wish seemed impossible to realize. Rae kept me at arm’s length as she returned to her seat to study.
“Honestly… This is why commoners are no good.”
“Don’t waste your breath on her, Miss Claire. She doesn’t know her place.”
Pepi and Loretta’s words made my head hurt. But I didn’t blame them; their values were the same as the ones I’d once held, after all. Just how hard had Rae worked to change those values of mine? Just how spoiled was I to have her?
“Hey, let’s make it so she can’t bear to stay at the Academy anymore. Either she leaves or I get to see Miss Claire grieve—it’s a win-win for me!”
“That sounds great—let’s do that, Miss Claire. After she quits the school, I’ll be kind and hire her as a maid.”
Pepi and Loretta grinned sinisterly. Really, what was going on with them? Regardless, they seemed to be suggesting we bully her. I was about to object when an idea came to mind.
“Yes… Why not?” I agreed, though for a different reason. You see, I’d suddenly remembered how Rae had been back when we were students—particularly how she’d taken joy in being bullied.
Wouldn’t she enjoy this then? I thought. I was getting desperate.
I pushed Rae down in the hallway. “Oh, I beg your pardon. You were standing there staring into space, so I thought you were a statue.”
She fell, catching herself. Previously, this was where she said: “You have minions that could do your bidding, but you do your own dirty work and don’t rely on others! I would expect nothing less from you, Miss Claire.”
I prayed in my heart she would say those words again, but—
“Is that right? I’ll be more careful.” That was all she said before standing up and entering the classroom.
“You did it, Miss Claire! I just love how uncouth you are, deigning to dirty your own hands!”
“That was perfect! That unhappy look on Rae’s face was just… Ehe… Eh he he.”
Ignorant of my true intent, Pepi and Loretta took innocent pleasure in my actions… Actually, maybe innocent wasn’t the word. Regardless, I felt miserable.
But I couldn’t stop here. Next time, it would work for sure.
“Ohhh, beg your pardon. I thought you were an insect,” I said as I stepped on her foot.
Rae looked at me doubtfully.
Th-this feels terrible, I thought. How could my past self bear to do such an awful thing?
“I apologize if I’ve done something to displease you. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She brushed me off curtly before leaving to who-knew-where.
“She’s a stubborn one. Miss Claire, if you’re to beat her, then tomorrow you must put an extra ringlet in your hair to increase your curl power!”
“Don’t give up yet, Miss Claire. I still haven’t seen Rae suffer enough. For my sake, you mustn’t give up!”
Pepi and Loretta were all worked up. In contrast, I just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.
Next time, surely.
“What’s wrong with you? Is the peasant too poor to even buy textbooks?” I hid Rae’s textbooks. I felt terrible. This was going too far. How could I have done such a thing?
Rae just sighed; she knew exactly what I’d done.
“It’s true, my family is poor. But I’ve already memorized the contents of my textbooks, so you don’t need to worry about me.” Unfazed, she took class as she was.
“She thinks she can be cheeky just because she’s a little smart?! How dare she! Doesn’t she know being cheeky is Miss Claire’s job?!”
“Good…good… We’re making progress, eh he he he…”
Pepi and Loretta were getting progressively more twisted, while I simply wanted to stop all of this nonsense.
“Oh, you don’t have a partner? That’s what happens when you’re a pathetic peasant.” I tried excluding Rae from my assignment group. It was childish. I wished I could slap my past self for coming up with such a pathetic idea.
“It’s fine. I’ll partner with the teacher,” Rae said as she went to explain the situation to the teacher.
“Miss Claire, please remember this is a place of learning.”
“I’m sorry…”
I got scolded by the teacher. I felt so pathetic, I wanted to cry.
“Oh, dear. You’re just so dirty that I thought you were mud.” I doused Rae with water.
She didn’t say a word, just stared daggers at me as water dripped down her face.
“Wh-what?”
Silence.
“If you have something to say, then say it!”
“Nothing,” Rae said plainly before stripping off her uniform—despite the boys present in the room.
“What are you doing?!”
“Taking my clothes off so I can dry them with my water magic.”
“But do you really need to undress here?!”
“Why do you care?”
Not wanting others to see Rae’s bare skin, I scowled at everyone around us, causing the boys ogling her to turn away.
Good.
“Give me that.” I snatched away Rae’s uniform and began drying it with my fire magic.
“Trying to make yourself look good now?”
“Did you say something?”
“No, nothing.”
I didn’t understand the point of what I was doing anymore, but seeing as I’d come this far, I might as well see it through to the end.
I placed a flower vase atop Rae’s desk. This would be the end.
“Oh ho ho ho! Serves you right!”
Personally, I thought this kind of bullying was in particular bad taste—it implied the victim’s own funeral. But Rae simply looked at the vase. Thinking this would have no effect on her either, I figured I could finally bring an end to the bullying. But then—
“Unh…” Rae fell to the floor on her hands and knees and started crying. “Aaah…”
I wanted to run away.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I’d just wanted her to see her smile again. That was all I’d ever wanted.
But now that I looked back, I knew all I’d done was pure, unbridled bullying. To this Rae, who knew nothing of our time together, I was just some powerful noble whose eye she’d had the misfortune to catch. How painful it must have been.
I watched Rae cry and wondered how I could be so terrible.
“Unh… Unh…” I sat down next to Rae and began to cry as well. The two of us cried together, surrounded by Pepi and Loretta and all the other students who watched, confused. But I didn’t care about any of them. The Rae of this world and I would never reconcile, and knowing that broke my heart.
I cried ceaselessly for some time, until—
“—aire… Miss Claire.”
I awoke, someone shaking my shoulder.
I opened my eyes to a loving smile waiting for me. Her eyes weren’t cold, nor distant, nor full of rejection. They simply held sincere love—for me.
I had returned.
“Are you okay, Miss Claire? You sounded like you were having a nightma—oh?”
Without waiting for her to finish talking, I hugged her tight, burrowing my face into her chest and crying my heart out.
“Thank goodness… Thank goodness…”
Our year together hadn’t been a dream. Rae’s cold eyes, which had turned on me—they weren’t real.
Overwhelmed with relief, I cried on her without a care—it didn’t matter if it was embarrassing. Rae said nothing and just stroked my back.
“I’m sorry,” I sniffed once I’d calmed down a bit.
“Not at all. Did you have a nightmare?” Rae wore a warm and reassuring smile as she kissed me on the cheek.
Yes…
This was how Rae should be.
My beloved Rae.
“I was scared… So scared… I’ve never had a dream so frightening.”
“That bad? Do you mind telling me what your dream was about?”
I told Rae what had happened, everything from how I’d returned to the day we met, to how I met a Rae who didn’t know me and coldly rejected me, to how my attempts to elicit her affection backfired, and finally, how we cried together.
“That must have been terrifying.” Rae spoke tenderly as she wrapped her arms around me again, hugging me tight as if to reassure me this was reality, here and now.
“It was, terribly so. I never want to have a dream like that again.” I wiped the tears from my eyes.
“It’s probably my fault. I shouldn’t have said those weird things before bed. I’m sorry, Miss Claire.”
“Not at all. I’ve learned an important lesson from this dream. You are irreplaceable to me.” I wasn’t about to cling to her and ask her to pamper me, but life without Rae was impossible to imagine. Rae was just that vital to my life.
“It’s an honor. I feel a little embarrassed you’d go that far…and a little guilty.”
“Guilty?”
“Nothing, just thinking to myself. Shall we get up? I’ll get breakfast, so can you go wake May and Aleah up?”
“Of course.”
Everything was okay now. I was where I truly belonged. This world was my reality, and while I had endured its challenges in the past, I was sure today would be the start of many peaceful days to come. Now it was time to wake up my beloved twin daughters.
“By the way, Rae…”
“Yes, Miss Claire?”
“Did you have any weird dreams last night?” I asked only in passing curiosity. No real motives laid behind my question—yet her answer surprised me all the same.
“Oh, I suppose I did have a dream.”
“Oh, really? What happened in it?”
“Well… I was back at the day we first met. I pretended to be a meek and quiet girl, and that somehow made Miss Claire cry.”
Interesting. That was quite a strange dream, too… Hmm?
Wait a minute.
“Sit down, Rae.”
“Huh? But I need to get breakfast—”
“Do I need to say it twice?”
“No, ma’am.”
What followed was a scolding that lasted well over an hour. Goodness! What was with this girl?
And yet, despite her flaws, I really did love her for who she was. Truly, from the bottom of my heart.
But she could still be really vexing at times! |
Chapter 12: The Ball
Chapter 12:The Ball
“I DON’T WANNA go to school!”
It was a morning a few days after the assassination attempt on the pope. My twin daughters had just woken up, only for one of them to say the most unexpected thing—unexpected from May, at least.
“What’s the matter, May?” Claire asked. “Did somebody say something mean to you at school?”
“No, they’re being mean to Aleah! And I don’t wanna go somewhere where everybody’s being mean to Aleah!” May puffed out her cheeks in defiance.
“Aleah, is this true?” Claire asked.
“It’s not. But…” Aleah hesitated.
“It is true!” May cut in. “Everybody only talks to me and ignores Aleah! I hate them!”
Recognizing this would need some time, Claire and I had the two take the day off school. We postponed breakfast and sat them down at the table with Claire, while I prepared black tea for Claire and me and warm milk for the girls.
“Could you tell me in detail what’s been going on?” Claire asked as soon as I sat down.
Sounding like a little ball of anger, May mumbled, “It started when I learned to use magic after memorizing the, uh…Borrid Method?”
“That’s wonderful, May! Congratulations,” Claire said.
“Congratulations, May,” I echoed.
“No! It’s not a good thing!” May yelled. “Ever since they found out I can use four kinds of magic, the teachers only pay attention to me! Even when Aleah and all the other kids are trying their best!”
She stopped momentarily and took a sip of milk to calm down.
The meritocratic beliefs of the Nur Empire extended all the way down to its elementary school, thanks to which even exchange students like the twins were accepted without prejudice. But the system had its downsides: tremendously gifted students like May were welcomed, even celebrated, but average students found their efforts unrewarded.
That being said, we hadn’t expected May to be the one complaining about the system being unfair. Aleah was more precocious than her sister in many regards, so Claire and I had figured she’d be the one to see the injustice first.
“And now the teachers want me to go to a different class than Aleah, but I don’t wanna!” May grumbled.
With that, the pieces of the puzzle all snapped together. May wasn’t rebelling against the bias inherent in the empire’s meritocratic beliefs—she was simply angry at a system that didn’t treasure her beloved sister. A system that wanted to separate them.
Claire and I locked eyes for a thoughtful moment. She was the first to speak.
“May, I understand what you mean to say. We’ll talk to the school about Aleah’s treatment. But insisting you stay in the same class as Aleah is just being willful. You—”
“Let me, Miss Claire.” As bad as I felt, I had to cut Claire short. “May, we’re very happy that you told us your honest feelings. And we’re very happy you thought about your sister’s feelings too.”
“Really?” May asked.
“Mm-hmm. This problem is a bit difficult, but your mothers want to take the time to think it through with you two. Is that okay?” I asked.
“Yeah.” She nodded.
I stood up, walked over to the two, and hugged them. Unlike usual, they hugged me back without any fuss. This matter must have been weighing heavily on them.
“So what do you two want to do?” I asked, looking them in the eyes.
May answered, “I don’t wanna go to school anymore.”
While Aleah answered, “I…want us to go to school.”
Their opinions were divided.
“But Aleah! Don’t you care if we can’t be together?!” May exclaimed.
“I do! But I don’t want to be the reason you can’t go to school…” Aleah said.
May was as true to her desires as ever, but Aleah was more mature. She had to have her qualms about the favoritism her sister was shown, but regardless, she cared deeply for May.
“Do you not like me anymore…?”
“That’s not it! I don’t want to be apart from you either…”
“Then why?!”
“You have the same talent as Sister Manaria. It’d be wrong for you to waste it.”
“I don’t care about that! I wanna be with you!”
“All right, that’s enough!” I put a stop to things, as they were both getting too worked up. “Let’s get this straight. May, you don’t want to be apart from Aleah?”
“Yeah.”
“And Aleah, you want May to learn more about how to use her magic?”
“Yes.”
“Hm… Okay. Let me discuss this with your mother.”
I parted from the two and returned to my seat at Claire’s side. Her expression was stiff, which worried me.
“Miss Claire?” I asked.
“Huh? Oh… Wh-what is it?”
“I was thinking we could discuss our daughters’ situation?”
“R-right, yes, let’s. Of course…”
Her response was a bit strange, but she seemed up for it. This was definitely a problem I couldn’t deal with alone, so knowing she was with me right now was reassuring. At least, I hoped she was with me. Her head did seem to have been in the clouds just then. Oh dear.
“They certainly know some big words for their age…” Claire said.
“Isn’t that because they love to ask questions and listen to us talk?”
“Perhaps, but even then…”
“The two of them were clever enough to survive in the slums, Miss Claire. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with them being a little more knowledgeable than other children their age.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” Claire said. I could tell something else was bothering her, but for now, she seemed ready to move back to the topic at hand. “Couldn’t they put Aleah in the same class as May?”
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. Knowing the empire, they probably want to put May in the hardest class at the elementary school, and I think that’d be a bit too difficult for Aleah.”
“I see… May, will you be moved out of all your classes?” Claire asked.
“No, just magic class.”
“Then can’t you bear being away from Aleah for just that one class?”
“No! I wanna be with Aleah,” May grumbled.
“May, you treasure your sister, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And you love her?”
“Yeah!”
“I thought so. You don’t want to make her sad, right?”
“Never!”
“But forcing her to take magic class with you might make her sad. Are you still okay with that?”
“Huh?! Really, Aleah?”
“I can’t do anything in your class, May. I can’t use magic,” Aleah answered.
“Oh…”
“I don’t want to be apart from you either, but there’s this swordplay class I can take while you’re in magic. I was asked to join it at the same time you were asked to join yours.”
“And that’s what you want to do?”
“Yes, because I don’t want to fall behind you. But I’m happy you said you wanted to be with me. Thank you.”
May grew silent, clearly conflicted. She didn’t want to be apart from Aleah, but she also didn’t want to make Aleah sad. But if Aleah herself wanted things to be this way…
“Just for magic class?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yes. I’ll be with you the rest of the time, like always.”
“Mm-hmm… Okay, but only for magic class!”
“Hee hee. All right, all right.” Aleah smiled and patted May’s head. May still looked sulky, but we finally had a solution. I could breathe easy.
“Okay, so May will do her best to take magic classes alone, while Aleah learns swordplay. The rest of your time, you’ll be together, just like you’ve been so far. All good?” I asked.
May nodded. “Yeah.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“May, thank you for being so understanding. And Aleah, thank you for being so considerate toward your sister,” I said.
“Of course! I would do anything for my sister,” Aleah proudly declared.
“Ah, me too!” May quickly perked up upon hearing Aleah’s words.
And so, May’s truancy came to an end, at least for the time being.
***
“Miss Claire and I will be going to school now, so you two be on your best behavior at home, okay? Aleah, can you take care of lunch? Just warming what I left out is fine.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Shall we be off, Miss Claire?”
“Yes…let’s.”
“Have a nice day!” our two daughters said as we left.
We exited the Bauer student dorm and made our way through the main street toward the Imperial Academy. Foot traffic was high, as always, so we had to weave through a crowd of mixed nationalities to proceed.
Since the twins were taking the day off, we didn’t need to drop them off at elementary school. This left us more time to appreciate our surroundings, even after our long morning discussion.
“We haven’t been able to walk to school this leisurely in a while, have we?” I asked.
“Indeed…”
“Miss Claire?” I could tell something had been weighing on her mind for a while now. “Is something wrong? Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”
“Why do you always assume something is wrong?” she huffed. “Well…I suppose you’re right on the mark this time.” She smiled wryly and let out a deep sigh. “I just…lost some confidence, is all.”
“Confidence? In my love for you? Please, give me a chance to reaffirm my love tonight!”
“Rae, I’m being serious here. Now’s not the time for jokes,” she said soberly.
“Ah. Forgive me.”
“Yes, well, I’ve known you long enough to realize that you’re just trying to cheer me up. But right now, I want you to listen seriously,” Claire said. “Earlier today, when May said she didn’t want to go to school, I tried to use logic to convince her otherwise. But you moved to comfort them instead.”
Oh. So that’s what was bothering her.
“I don’t think what I said was wrong, but I didn’t consider their feelings. I was…forcing my solution on them.” She frowned. “You, on the other hand, asked how they felt and what they wanted to do. I think you handled it correctly—no, I think you handled it better. I feel a bit pathetic, realizing how rigid my thinking was.”
She sighed deeply for a second time. This wouldn’t do at all.
“Can you wait here for a bit, Miss Claire?” I asked.
“Huh? Um, Rae?”
I left a bewildered Claire behind and waltzed over to a nearby fruit stand. “Excuse me, young lady, some strawberries, please.”
“Young lady? Dearie, I’m already a mother with a daughter your age.”
“No way! You don’t look a day over twenty!”
“Oh, my! Well said, dear. Here, I’ll give you a discount; they’re out of season anyway.”
“Thank you very much!” I paid for the paper bag of strawberries and returned to Claire. I held a strawberry out to her. “Here.”
“There you go, snacking again,” said Claire. “And we were just in the middle of a conversation.”
“I know, I just thought it’d perk you up a bit.”
“Goodness, what am I to do with you?” She sighed but took the strawberry I offered regardless.
I bit into one myself, my mouth filling with the sour-sweet taste. The fruit seller had said they were out of season, but I had a hard time believing that, considering how fresh they tasted.
“Delicious,” Claire murmured.
“Indeed. You can tell a skilled farmer grew them. Growing food’s a bit similar to child rearing,” I said.
“Hm? In what way?” Claire took another strawberry from my hand.
“They both require experience.”
“Huh?! You’ve raised a child before?!” she exclaimed. Of course, she meant in my past life.
“No, no, no. I meant my own experience being raised as a child, not my experience raising one. Do you remember how I told you about my first love?”
“Of course,” she answered. “How could I forget such a messy, overcomplicated love square?”
In my past life, I’d fallen in love with a girl named Kosaki and been burned. It had left me depressed for a while, and it still affected me to this day.
“Just like May, I didn’t want to go to school for some time after that. At least, not until my mother comforted me—like I just did with May and Aleah. That experience stuck with me, so I was able to draw upon it.”
“But I—”
“I’m sure you listened to everything your parents said as a child, Miss Claire,” I interrupted. I’ve said this before, but Claire truly had been an obedient little angel before she became a villainess. Perhaps excessively so.
“Um, so?” she asked.
“Being nobles, both you and your mother were probably brought up to follow and act in accordance with society’s rules and morals.”
“That…may be true.”
“That being the case, the response you gave May earlier was what you believed to be correct. While you might think it a mistake now, I see nothing wrong with imparting the same beliefs Madam Melia taught you when raising your own children.”
Claire grew silent, a wistful look in her eyes. She was likely recalling the bygone days she’d spent with her mother—whose name was Melia, in case you forgot.
“Even in my past life,” I said, “people had conflicting ideas about how to raise children. Should they be raised to prioritize social norms and expectations, or should they be encouraged to live in accordance with their individual wants and needs? Your upbringing was more aligned with the former, whereas mine was more like the latter. Both have their pros and cons.”
I bit into another strawberry before continuing. “Your method—convincing May it was her responsibility to attend school—might have worked perfectly. And while it succeeded this time, there was a chance my method might have ended in them both refusing to go to school. Neither approach was a guaranteed success.”
“But in the end, yours was right,” she said.
“We’re both drawing on our lived experiences. You have your experience with your mother from when you didn’t want to learn ballroom dancing, and I have mine from the time I didn’t want to go to school. I interrupted you this time because I thought my experience was closer to May’s situation, but it was really just pure luck that things turned out the way they did.”
It also didn’t hurt that our girls were really smart for their age and therefore able to talk through their problems.
“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that your method of child rearing isn’t wrong. The right technique just depends on the situation.”
“That’s not just lip service?” Claire asked haltingly.
“I mean it. One hundred percent.”
“Thank you, Rae.” Claire reached into the bag and pulled out the last strawberry. “As a reward, you can have the last one.”
“Please feed it to me.” I opened my mouth.
“Hee hee. Oh, you idiot.” Despite her harsh words, she fed me the strawberry.
Mmm… It was at least fifty percent sweeter than the ones before.
“I’m sure I’ll make a blunder with the children one of these days,” I said. “I’ll be counting on you then.”
“Hee hee. All right, Rae. Let’s give it our best.”
“Yes!”
With that, a burden fell from Claire’s shoulders, restoring her to her usual spirited self. We both loved May and Aleah dearly, and that sometimes led us to worry. But I believed that as long as we could speak our minds to each other, we could overcome every obstacle.
I truly believed that Claire felt the same way.
***
The bell chimed, informing us it was time for our lunch break.
“Class is dismissed.” With those few words, the teacher promptly left the classroom. Unfriendly as always, though they impressively always finished their lesson on time.
Then the ground began to shake.
“It’s an earthquake!” somebody yelled as panic filled the room. I grabbed Claire to shield her with my body, and a minute later, the tremors came to a halt.
“Quite a long one this time,” said Claire.
“Indeed,” I said. “Haven’t they been rather frequent of late?”
This had come up in conversation with Rod some time before we left the Bauer Kingdom. Earthquakes had grown increasingly common, which worried many people in Nur, having heard what the eruption of Mt. Sassal did to Bauer. They honestly didn’t seem so remarkable to a Japanese person like me.
“Claire, Rae, are you two okay?” a worried voice called.
“Oh, Lady Philine,” I said.
“Thank you for your concern, but we’re all right,” Claire replied.
“Thank goodness… Shall we have lunch together, then?”
Normally, we ate lunch in the classroom alongside Lana and Frieda, but this day was different.
“I’m sorry, but we didn’t prepare any lunch today,” Claire answered.
Because of our discussion with May and Aleah that morning, I hadn’t had time to make lunch—or rather, I’d been halfway through making lunch, but it had wound up becoming May and Aleah’s breakfast instead. Claire and I were famished, since we’d left without eating breakfast. Yet for some reason, Claire didn’t look particularly thrilled that our long-awaited lunchtime was here.
“Oh. So you’ll be eating in the cafeteria, then…” Philine smiled wryly.
“Yes…”
The reason for Claire’s reluctance? Simple: The food in the cafeteria was less than great.
“Would it be all right if I sat with you two?” Philine asked.
“Of course. The facilities themselves are fine, thankfully,” Claire answered.
“Indeed. They do serve the Nur Empire’s formal cuisine, after all. It would be quite the problem if they weren’t up to snuff.”
I listened to them chat as we walked to the cafeteria. They always got along well. I wasn’t jealous or anything. Not one bit. Why would I be, when I was Claire’s wife? Yeah!
We reached the cafeteria after a few minutes of walking.
“Empty as usual,” Claire commented.
“This place just isn’t popular,” Philine added.
Despite my griping, the cafeteria itself was clean and spacious. Its size was comparable to college cafeterias from my past life, but the building was made of wood rather than metal and concrete, lending it a cozy ambience. The tables and chairs were well made too.
The food was the only problem.
“Excuse me, what is today’s lunch?” Claire asked.
“Mutton and vegetable soup, sausage, sauerkraut, and bread,” the cafeteria lady replied, cold and concise—she was a well-built woman who seemed like the no-nonsense sort.
That was essentially the same as the last time we ate here. The cafeteria didn’t have menus—instead, the spread depended on the day of the week, and everyone got the same thing.
“Two of those, please,” Claire said.
“Right,” an unmotivated voice replied from within the kitchen. I stood behind Claire, waiting for our food.
“I’ll go find us a table,” Philine said.
“I doubt we’ll have any trouble finding a place, given how empty it is.”
“Yes, but the food being what it is, I’d like us to at least have a nice place to sit.”
“I see. Good idea.”
With her lunch in hand, Philine left to find a table. I followed her with my eyes, watching her choose a sunlit table by the window with a nice view.
“Here’s your food. Carry it yourself now.” The cafeteria lady handed us two trays with food inelegantly plopped onto them. It hadn’t even been five minutes. I suspected they simply heated up some premade food, which was fine—restaurants precooked some of their food too. In fact, I didn’t think any restaurant in existence made everything on the spot from scratch. No, the problem was—
“Ngh…”
“Miss Claire, staring at it won’t make it any better. Let’s go.”
“Right…”
At my nudging, we walked to the table Philine had secured.
“Shall we?” I put my hands together. “Bon appétit.”
“Bon appétit.”
“Guten appetit.”
The two put their hands together too. Moments like this really drove home that the world this game was set in had been developed by a Japanese company. If this really had been medieval Europe, they would have more likely offered a prayer before a meal.
Such were the thoughts running through my mind as I started with the bread, tearing off a piece and eating it. It was hard. Low-quality wheat mixed with barley was my guess. High-quality wheat by itself would have yielded a better texture. The yeast must have gone bad too, and it lacked butter. It wasn’t inedible, but it certainly wasn’t good. And that was just the beginning.
I tried the soup next. It smelled as though it had been salted too sparingly and spiced far too heavily. The meat wasn’t tender lamb but gamey mutton. While I generally enjoyed well-seasoned food, this soup was overpowering, as though they’d tried to drown the gamey taste with spice. The vegetables were cooked to a mush. It just wasn’t especially good.
The sauerkraut was sauerkraut, nothing more. There wasn’t much to critique about what was literally just fermented cabbage.
The one saving grace was the sausage. It was edible. Enjoyable, even. But as the main protein of the meal was mutton, the sausage was small—nothing but a side dish. I wished they’d used it for the soup instead.
In conclusion, the empire’s cuisine was pretty disappointing. This was already a well-known fact in this world, much like the infamy of English cuisine in my old world. But unlike English cuisine, this world’s cuisine was very much real and very much in front of me. To give you some perspective, I could see Claire—who never complained about the food she was given—struggling to finish her lunch. Yeah, it was that bad.
Of course, there were a few reasons for this. One lay in the food culture of the empire. The upper-class citizens of the empire traditionally ate simple rather than extravagant meals, which led to public establishments following suit—similar to how the English gentry’s love of simple foods had influenced their country’s cuisine.
Another reason was the empire’s social system. Many people left their family homes early in life to work as live-in apprentices, leaving them little time to learn proper home cooking. Poor cooking skills meant poor cuisine, further feeding into the vicious cycle of a mediocre food culture.
The low social status of chefs and pâtissiers likely contributed too. With the empire having been at war for such a long time, the most respected profession was that of a soldier. Chefs, pâtissiers, and other non-combat related occupations were the victims of implicit prejudice—despite both military cooks and army rations being an integral part of warfare.
Just to be clear, everything I’ve described so far only applied to the Nur Empire’s formally recognized traditional cuisine. We’d already seen just how many foreign ingredients we could buy in the central market, and the empire was brimming with exchange students and immigrants from other countries. Naturally, this meant many citizens preferred foreign cuisine over their own, so the people of the empire actually ate quite well. It was only the imperial family and the nobility who obstinately refused to change.
You could see this reflected in Philine’s lunch, no better than our own. No wonder she’d been so taken with the chocolate and rakugan we offered her. As an imperial princess, she had likely never before had an opportunity to taste such sweetness.
“Rae, your displeasure is showing on your face,” Claire warned.
“I’m sorry, but this food is far worse than I even imagined. It should be blasphemy to use ingredients this way,” I fumed.
“I-I’m sorry…”
“It’s nothing you need to apologize for, Lady Philine,” Claire said. “It’s the empire’s culture, nothing more.”
“But it’s beginning to pose a diplomatic problem… Many foreign dignitaries complain about it when they visit,” Philine said.
Of course they complained. If I were served this, I’d think the empire was trying to poison me.
“Aye, even we don’t wanna serve this stuff,” a voice suddenly said.
I looked up to see the cafeteria lady approach. It seemed she’d heard us.
“I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to—” Claire began.
“It’s fine; we know. The food here is terrible. But that don’t mean we like it.” She gave us each a small plate of butter. “For yer bread. Of course, yer free to use it differently if ya’d like.” She smiled meaningfully.
“Um, what does she mean?” Philine asked.
“She’s saying we can do something like this.” I took half of my butter and dropped it into the soup, which would make it taste fuller—incomparably better than before.
“My, this is so much better,” Claire said.
“Why not cook it like this from the start?” I asked.
“They got angry the last time we tried to change things. The empire once had many delicious foods, y’know. Zwiebelkuchen, spargelsuppe, eierschecke… All forgotten,” she muttered as she made her way back to the kitchen.
I recognized the things she’d listed as German regional cuisine from my world.
“Can’t you do something about this?” I asked Philine.
“I want to, but my mother doesn’t see it as a problem…”
Right. I really didn’t think I’d ever see eye to eye with Dorothea.
Regardless, wasting food was wrong. The three of us took our time, finishing up our far-from-satisfying meals.
“That was…nice?” I said.
“Don’t phrase it as a question,” Claire shot back.
***
“A ball, huh?”
In class the next morning, the teacher told us the Imperial Academy was hosting a ball, and a lavish one at that, as it would double as Philine’s society debut. That much was fine. In fact, I thought it was wonderful news. The problem: my participation was mandatory.
“You seem displeased, Rae,” Claire said. We were in the classroom, eating lunch with Philine, Lana, and Frieda.
“I am displeased, Miss Claire. You know better than anyone how bad I am at dancing!”
“My, how unexpected,” Philine said. “I thought you were the type to do everything perfectly.”
“Dance is easy! Just let your fiery hot passion take control of your body!” Frieda said.
“We’re talking about ballroom dancing,” I retorted. Sure, there was room for self-expression in ballroom dance, but that kind of flourish was better left to the experts.
“Isn’t this a good opportunity to learn?” Claire asked. “We can practice like we did for the ceremonial dance.”
“Oh no, do I have to wear that training harness again?”
“Is that a problem?”
I enjoyed having Claire fuss over me, but that training harness seriously wore me out. In fact, simply recalling all that practice made me tired.
We’d brought lunch from home today, having learned our lesson with the cafeteria. White rice, seasoned fried chicken, rolled omelet with scallions, and green pepper namul. All simple dishes, but I was confident in their taste.
I’d noticed Philine had her eyes on Claire’s lunch for a while now.
“Miss Claire, how is today’s lunch?” I inquired nonchalantly.
Claire smiled. “Delicious. Thank you for making lunch every day, Rae.”
That smile alone could have fed me for days.
I needed to eat too, so I got started on the fried chicken. We had no problem affording food, since Bauer provided us with financial aid as part of the exchange program—hence why this fried chicken wasn’t breast meat but thigh meat. I’d rubbed it with cooking sherry and salt, let it marinate in my very own special sauce, and then coated it in potato starch before frying it in a small amount of oil, resulting in fried chicken that exploded with the aroma of my special sauce when you bit into it. We were eating it cold, so the meat wasn’t particularly juicy, but it was still delicious.
I tried the rolled omelet next. I don’t think I need to explain my process in much detail—I just mixed diced scallions with egg and fried it, as you usually would. I supposed I had added some mayonnaise and sugar to bring out the omelet’s natural flavor. I didn’t care much for sweet omelets myself, so it was just a pinch of the latter. Claire liked this dish a lot, so I often included it in our lunches.
The namul was the last thing I ate. Back in modern-day Japan, this dish would have been the easiest to make, but in this world, it was the hardest. In Japan, I would have simply finely chopped green peppers and mixed them with salt, sesame oil, and chicken bone broth powder; microwaved the result; and then sprinkled sesame seeds on top. But in this world, I was missing the most critical component: the microwave.
Okay, I’m kidding. I was also missing chicken bone broth powder.
Consommé powder, chicken bone broth powder, dashi soup stock, MSG—these flavor enhancers were the culmination of my world’s culinary science, but I hadn’t truly understood their impact until I came to this world. I’d thought I might make my own substitute—until I realized it would take ages. I would have to cook various different meats, fish, bones, and vegetables for a long, long time while also skimming off any scum that formed. Consommés and dashi-based soups did already exist in this world, but they were all closely guarded restaurant secrets.
In the end, I settled on making a faux consommé powder. I took carrots, onions, celery, ordinary mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms, and I sliced them all ultra-thin. I then dried everything under the sun, dry-roasted the onions with a frying pan, and ground up the results with a mortar and pestle. The absence of meat meant it lacked richness, but it was far better than having to make broth from scratch every time. I was thinking I might be able to mass-produce it and sell it through Broumet. Then again, if it really took off, I worried I might earn the ire of restaurant chefs the world over.
But I digress.
The takeaway here was that this namul was made with my faux consommé powder and tasted pretty good. People who disliked green pepper could enjoy it to a degree, and people who didn’t mind green pepper could eat it endlessly. In fact, the Japanese recipe I based it on was called “Endless Green Peppers” because—you guessed it—it made people want to eat green pepper ad nauseam. That’s a recipe I’ll have to skip over for now, however. Just know that I made it for Claire and Aleah, being the green-pepper-haters they are.
I looked at Claire’s lunch and confirmed the namul was being eaten. Mission successful. Woo-hoo!
“Miss Claire, feed me please, aaah.” I opened my mouth wide.
“Didn’t I do this just yesterday?”
“What’s that matter? C’mon, aaah.”
“A-aw, I wish that were—I mean, h-how shameless…” Philine muttered.
“Oh! I want to feed Rae too!” Frieda exclaimed. “Lana, you too! Let’s feed Rae!”
“Huh? Me?” Lana said after a delay. She seemed somewhat distracted.
“Oh, goodness! Why is everyone making such a fuss about this?!” Claire complained as she picked up a piece of fried chicken, presumably for me.
“Wait, Claire!” Philine said. “Why don’t you practice feeding me before Rae?”
“Lady Philine?!” Claire gasped.
“Hey, you’re just trying to take advantage of the situation to get Claire to feed you!” I complained.
“If you don’t, I’ll feed Rae first! I mean it, I’ll really do it!” Philine declared.
“What kind of threat is that?!” I exclaimed.
Needless to say, it was a lively lunch.
“Whew… Returning to our previous topic, do you like to dance, Lady Philine?” Claire inquired as she cut her rolled omelet.
“Truthfully, not very… Well, I don’t mind dancing itself, as I’ve taken lessons from a young age, but I don’t care much for dancing with men,” Philine answered dejectedly. She was slightly afraid of men, as a result of her sheltered upbringing. She was a princess, after all.
“What about you, Claire?”
“I enjoy dancing. It’s a form of expression for me. I believe those who have trouble speaking their mind can communicate their feelings through dance. I’ve even heard of cases where dance brought people together.”
While she was but a common citizen now, she’d been one of the belles of high society in the past. She had likely danced with many men since her youth—which made me realize something important: I had yet to dance with Claire.
We’d practiced together for the ceremonial dance but hadn’t actually danced together for the ceremony itself. Well, no…I supposed we had danced together during practice, but there was a fundamental difference in what together meant in ballroom dancing. We had yet to dance hand in hand, bodies close to one another.
“Miss Claire, can you teach me how to ballroom dance?” I asked.
“Oh, but of course. But why the sudden change of heart?”
“I just thought it’d be nice to dance with you.”
“Rae, you realize ballroom dancing is typically done by a man and a woman, right?” Claire reminded me. Normally, she would have been right. Normally.
“Oh? Is that a rule in the Bauer Kingdom? I don’t think anyone will question it here,” Frieda said.
“Really?” Claire asked.
“Yes,” Philine answered. “Same-sex marriage has been recognized in the empire for a long time.”
“See? Nothing wrong with it. So will you be my partner for the ball, Miss Claire?” I asked.
“Hee hee, all right. In exchange, you have to wear a dress, okay?”
“Whaaat?”
“Don’t ‘what’ me. You realize I still haven’t seen you wear a dress once, right? You even wore a pantsuit for our audience with the late King l’Ausseil.”
I didn’t like skirts much. I wore the Royal Academy uniform because I had to, but I preferred no skirts at all if I could. For a ballroom dance, I would have to wear that…whatchamacallit? An evening gown? Bleh.
“Oh, don’t make that face. I want to see you dolled up for once. Can you wear an evening gown for me? Please?”
“Ugh. I’ll think about it, but only because you asked.”
“Hee hee. I’m looking forward to it.”
That was when a voice suddenly called for me. “Rae Taylor, a moment please.”
Wondering who it could be, I looked toward the entrance of the classroom to see a familiar face beckoning me.
“Oh, it’s Hilda. What could she want?” Philine asked.
Indeed, it was Hildegard Eichrodt, an extremely talented official of the Imperial government and someone with whom we’d worked closely during the pope’s visit. Notably, she was also a love interest in Revo-Lily. Her monocle glinted in the light, as it always did.
“I’ll be right back.”
Most of my lunch was gone at that point anyway, so I left Claire behind and went over.
“Yes?” I asked Hilda.
“Sorry to call on you so suddenly. I have a request,” she replied.
Mmm… I have a bad feeling about this.
“Would you please assist with the refreshments for the ball?”
***
“The refreshments for the ball?”
“Yes.” Hilda adjusted her monocle before continuing. “As you likely already know, our empire’s cuisine is not held in particularly high esteem. I was hoping you could help us improve it.”
Her countenance and tone remained sharp, but her body language communicated sincerity. Of course, I knew it was all an act. But it was an impressive act, nonetheless.
“But why me? Why not somebody from the empire?”
The cafeteria lady, for instance, certainly seemed concerned about the empire’s culinary situation. Besides, wouldn’t this have been better off left to a professional in the food industry?
“There are a few reasons, but…we should sit down first. Could you follow me to the parlor?”
I followed Hilda to the room the academy used to entertain guests. Nothing extravagant, but it was comfortable and furnished well enough.
“I’ve come to request your assistance for three reasons,” she resumed. “The first is that I desire insight into your extensive culinary knowledge.”
“Er, I’m really nothing special, you know?” I liked cooking but didn’t really consider myself an expert. I was nowhere near the level of professional chefs, even in this medieval European-esque world.
“You’re far too modest. You’re the brains behind Broumet, are you not?” Hilda’s expression loosened into a smile. She’d done her research.
“I’ve shared a recipe or two with them, yes, but my cooking skills are nowhere near as good as those who make a living off it.”
“We can leave the actual cooking to the professionals. What I want from you is your creativity.”
“Uh-huh…” She was still giving me far too much credit. I wasn’t particularly creative; I just had knowledge from my old world.
“The second reason is your social skills. In the span of a few months, you’ve managed to forge meaningful connections within the empire, even with Lady Philine herself.”
“No…that’s all thanks to Claire,” I said. I wasn’t introverted or anything, but I certainly wasn’t the type to actively expand my circle of friends. Claire, on the other hand, could definitely have been considered a socialite. Almost all of our connections in the empire were her doing.
“You two are practically one and the same. Having your support naturally means we’ll have hers, will we not?” she said.
“No. I am me, and Miss Claire is Miss Claire.” It might not have sounded convincing coming from me, with how I followed Claire around, but individuals were ultimately just that—individuals. To me, Claire was irreplaceable, and hopefully I was the same to her. For an outsider to reduce us to a package deal was incredibly uncalled for.
“Forgive me. I’ll extend my hopes to her directly later, then. The final and most crucial reason why I chose you is that Her Majesty Dorothea has taken an interest in you.”
“Oh, now I get it.” In an instant, I grasped the bigger picture.
“I’m glad you understand. Yes, the greatest obstacle in our food troubles is Her Majesty herself—more specifically, the fact that she doesn’t recognize the problem exists at all.” Hilda put a hand to her forehead and shook her head, frustrated.
The reason the empire’s formal cuisine had remained so poor for so long was because its highest authority—the Empress—saw no reason to fix it. Knowing her personality, convincing her otherwise would be a challenge. Hence why the task was being thrust onto me, someone Dorothea had taken a peculiar interest in.
How crafty, I thought. But what could possibly make a government official like Hilda go this far?
“Can you help me?” Hilda asked with her classic soft smile. I knew the smile was an act, but it was still enchantingly beautiful.
I said nothing, but I thought it over for a moment. I could easily refuse. This was the empire’s problem. There was no reason for me to help, but…
“I’ll do it,” I said.
“How…unexpected. I didn’t think you were the type to do things out of the kindness of your heart, like for instance Claire might. I’m grateful, but may I ask why you’ve accepted?”
She certainly didn’t mince her words, but she was right. I had a feeling she and I were similar, personality-wise.
“I figured it wouldn’t hurt to make the empire owe me one,” I said.
“To make us indebted, then.”
“Yes.”
The imperial government hadn’t yet made any attempts on Claire’s life, and I wanted it to stay that way. Plus, there was another thing I needed to prepare for.
“Let me guess…the demons?” Hilda said.
“Has no one ever told you that it’s creepy to predict someone’s thoughts that way?” It was rude to say, but it was true.
With the empire so close to demon territory, the threat of demons was high. The Three Great Archdemons we’d met were powerful, and they had named and targeted Claire specifically. Lilly had said we weren’t likely to run into them at all, yet we’d already been attacked by all three since we’d come to the empire. It would have been foolish not to prepare countermeasures.
“Heh heh, you’re everything I hoped you were,” Hilda said.
“I don’t think I’ve done anything worth getting your hopes up for.”
“That’s not true. Everybody had their eyes on Claire, the hero of the revolution, but I’m more impressed by you, Rae Taylor.”
“Is that right? Thank you very much.”
This was likely another one of Hilda’s acts. Even if she did mean what she said, it was likely in the sense that she thought I’d be useful for furthering her own career.
“May I ask you something?” I said.
“Of course.”
“Don’t you think you’re dreaming a little big?”
For a brief instant, Hilda’s facade slipped away. But it was back as quick as it went.
“Whatever do you mean?” she said, playing dumb. How crafty.
“Oh, nothing. Just making sure someone knows not to try anything.”
“Is that so. I haven’t a clue what you’re trying to imply, but you continue to intrigue me even more, Rae Taylor.”
“Is that so. What an honor. Ha ha ha.”
“Heh heh heh…”
Two vixens trying to outfox each other… Jeez. All this probing each other for information was tiring me out. Wasn’t there a saying for this? Something like “if opposites attract, likes repel”?
“Anyway, just let me know if you need anything. We’ll spare no effort, now that you’re helping,” Hilda said.
“Really? Then there’s something I’d like to request right now.”
“Yes?” She seemed a little more on guard than before.
“Two things: let me borrow the Academy’s cafeteria workers—and grant me an audience with Her Majesty Dorothea.”
***
“Welcome, Rae.” Dorothea, whom I hadn’t seen since the conference with the pope, seemed to be in a rather good mood as she greeted me.
I had been invited to the Imperial Castle’s audience chamber. Dorothea sat atop her throne clad in her usual armor with two swords by her side. Her sharp, composed gaze homed in on me, matched by a faintly amused smirk.
“What brings you here today? Have you finally decided to pledge your services to me?”
“No. I’m here to discuss improving the empire’s food situation, Your Majesty.” I rejected her invitation for what felt like the umpteenth time, getting straight to the point.
She made no effort to hide her displeasure as she grimaced. “How dull. Don’t bother—food’s only purpose is to nourish soldiers.”
“I see. Well, let’s put that aside for now. Here, take a look at this.” I took something resembling a biscuit from my bag.
“Hm? What is this?”
“It’s a ration packed with nutrients that combatants need. Please, try it.” Provisions—in other words, military rations—was food that soldiers ate.
“Hmm. I see…”
“Your Majesty, you mustn’t,” said the man beside her. “Please, let the poison taster try it first.”
“Silence, old man. Rae is not one to use such underhanded tricks.”
“That’s not the issue! Your own safety is at risk!” The elderly man, who I assumed to be Dorothea’s manservant, shouted until he was blue in the face. He was right; the Empress had no business eating unknown foodstuffs so carelessly.
“How about I eat half first?” I offered.
“Humph. Please do. I’m sorry about the old man.”
I ate half the biscuit. I tasted sweetness—not just from sugar but from dry fruits as well—alongside the richness of butter.
I’d asked the cafeteria ladies to help make this special biscuit for me. It was similar to the empire’s official military rations, but it had more sugar and butter, as well as the dried fruits. Not only did it taste better, but it also had more calories and was nutrient-dense.
“Humph. It’s good,” she said.
“Here’s the recipe, and here’s an estimation for ingredients and labor cost.”
“Quite cheap. But even if it tastes good, it isn’t better than what we already have,” she said disapprovingly.
It seemed she didn’t get it yet.
“I wonder about that,” I said. “Compared to your current field provisions, this is three times more nutritious at the same weight. And as you’ve said yourself, the flavor is noticeably better.”
“Hmm… So it would incur no extra transport costs while improving morale. Humph. Not bad.”
“This is but one example. We can make different types as well.”
“Very well. Rae Taylor, I’ll leave production to you. Use any personnel as you see fit.”
Huh? No way, I thought. If I did the labor for you, I’d get pulled into the empire for real.
“You can’t put a foreigner in charge of your own military,” I said.
“The Nur Empire welcomes all individuals of talent, regardless of origin.”
“How do you know I won’t make something highly addictive or unhealthy?”
“You wouldn’t say that if you were planning to.”
“I might just be employing reverse psychology.”
I’d just learned something new: Dorothea had no sense of caution regarding those she took an interest in—likely as a result of her excessive confidence. She probably considered herself a perfect judge of character, or she believed she could solve problems with violence after the fact if she were somehow mistaken. Her sloppiness surprised me. Though I supposed if it had worked for her thus far, I couldn’t really call it sloppy.
“Humph… Then what do you propose instead?” she asked.
“Well, I wouldn’t implement the change right away, for sure. I’d test its safety over a year, then officially adopt and mass-produce it.”
“Too slow. Your exchange program will have ended by then.”
“Indeed. Let Lady Philine handle it. I can train her.”
“Philine? You think she can handle this?”
“Philine is more talented than you think.”
“Humph… Let’s do that, then.”
Whew, dodged that bullet. But the real deal began now.
“Your Majesty,” I said, “eating is more than the process of acquiring adequate nutrition.”
“What’s this about?” she asked.
“Are you aware of the general consensus on the empire’s formal cuisine?”
“I am not, and neither do I care.”
“‘I thought they were trying to poison me.’”
“Hmm…?”
“A certain diplomat spoke those words after eating the empire’s food.”
Dorothea grimaced. “Go on.”
“The only country with such awful formal cuisine, bad enough to be considered blasphemy against food itself, is the empire. It’s so bad that it’s costing the empire diplomatic opportunities.”
“Is it truly that awful?”
“Yes. Definitely, yes,” I asserted.
Dorothea groaned. “Then what do you suggest?”
“Culinary reform. Luckily, the empire has a wealth of ingredients at its disposal, thanks to its various vassal states. We should definitely make use of them.”
“Hmm…” Dorothea seemed deep in thought.
Just one more push would do it.
“I recall Your Majesty was a devotee of rationality?”
“Naturally.”
“Then shouldn’t you amend any irrationality within the empire?”
“What is this irrationality you speak of?”
“Your chefs are forced to intentionally make unpalatable food. Their skills are deteriorating.”
“Is that really a problem?” she asked.
“Yes! People eat every day. If the empire’s chefs were given the opportunity to really flaunt their skills, you could develop a far more impressive food culture.”
“Culture, hmm? I don’t quite understand that field…”
Dorothea’s obsession with rationality had become a problem. Under the lens of rationality, culture was often seen as wasteful and indulgent. As a book I read long ago had put it, If all that was excess were trimmed, there would be nothing left to call culture.
“That’s all right,” I said. “We don’t need to go into detail about the benefits of improving your food culture. Just understand that improving the empire’s formal cuisine will at least yield results in the diplomatic field.”
“Humph. Very logical.”
“With that all said and done, could I have your official approval?”
“Hmm?” Dorothea’s face made clear her confusion. “Is my approval somehow necessary?”
“Huh? Er, didn’t Your Majesty prohibit extravagant meals?”
“I myself do not care for extravagant meals, but I’ve never once spoken out against other’s eating habits.”
“Ohhh, I see what’s going on.” The people around Dorothea had probably come to their own conclusions about what she wanted—well intentioned, but ultimately completely missing the mark. “Your Majesty’s influence is far greater than you realize. Please be a little more careful about what you say and do.”
“Humph. It would seem that is the case. Your advice is appreciated.”
“Great. Also, could you make an official announcement stating people are free to modify food as they see fit?”
“Is that necessary?”
“It is. Otherwise, the people will be wary of defying what they thought was your decree.”
“How complicated.”
Don’t talk like you’re not somewhat at fault… I thought. “I was also asked to lead the efforts in these first culinary reforms. Do you object to that?”
“None. Do what you must.”
“Even if it means you’ll owe me one?”
“Why not?”
Nice, that’s a verbal promise.
“Is that all?” she asked.
“Yes. I’ll return and get to work right away.”
“Good. I like fast workers like you… Heh, I want you even more now.”
“Haven’t I told you I belong to Miss Claire?”
“Why don’t you both become citizens of my empire? You can even get married here, if you’d like.”
“Mmm…” To be honest, the offer was tempting…but I wouldn’t be swayed. “We don’t need anything official. Knowing our love is mutual is enough.”
“Humph, that’s too bad. We are done here, then. You may leave.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
After my audience with Dorothea, I returned straight home to the Bauer student dorm.
Now, let’s get this cooking boom going!
***
“Scram! I don’t need nobody tellin’ me what to do!”
The day after my audience with Dorothea, I paid a visit to the Ministry of Culinary Affairs, which oversaw the Nur Empire’s food situation. Of course, I had come to improve the empire’s formal cuisine like I discussed with Dorothea—but the moment I stated my business, I was met by the head chef’s shouts.
The head chef wore a white chef uniform and a chef’s hat, but he looked quite young despite his high position. His facial hair made him seem older, but he couldn’t have been past his thirties—maybe even his twenties. While most chefs tended to be on the plumper side, his body was toned, much like an athlete’s. Judging by how brazenly he addressed us, he was definitely the head honcho here.
“Why, I never! How rude!” Claire, who had come along, was furious—being the stickler for decorum that she was.
“Oh, sure, I’m the rude one here!” The head chef didn’t seem to like the idea of being bossed around by a stranger, likely due to his professional pride.
“Now, now, no need for that. You too, Miss Claire,” I tried to soothe them both. Picking a fight wouldn’t get us anywhere.
“I can make tasty, brand spankin’ new dishes well enough without yer meddlin’! I’ve just been holdin’ back on Her Majesty Dorothea’s account!” the head chef spat.
According to him, all the miserable fare he’d churned out thus far was due to his not being allowed to shine—and that was probably true. He held office in a ministry of the Nur Empire, one of the most powerful nations, so he was probably an elite in the culinary world—perhaps even the best chef in the empire, considering its meritocratic practices. Even if the empire itself didn’t respect chefs as a profession, his skill was still most certain.
But skill wasn’t enough.
“I’m sure you’re right,” I said, “but just making new, delicious dishes won’t be enough, so—”
“Zip it! Whatever yer plannin’, you can leave me right out of it! I ain’t puttin’ up with outsiders lookin’ over my shoulder an’ orderin’ me around!”
He was leaving us no room for negotiation. Now what?
“Is something the matter?” someone called. Presumably having overheard us, Hilda entered the room, a puzzled look on her face.
“Oh, Miss Hilda,” the head chef said. “Nothin’ the matter, Miss, just a coupla brats talkin’ smack.”
“Is that so? Could you explain what happened in detail?”
I quickly briefed her. Once I finished, she nodded in understanding. “I think it will be best if you ascertain each other’s skills. Why not have a cook-off?”
“A cook-off?”
“Yes, seeing as bickering back and forth here won’t accomplish anything. If the ministry chefs win, that will be proof of their skills, and the culinary reforms will continue according to their wishes. But if Rae wins, you chefs will have to recognize her skill and accept her advice. Will both parties agree to this?”
What in the world? What kind of development is this? I thought, greatly taken aback.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way!” the head chef declared. “We’ve been workin’ this kitchen for generations, all the way since the late Emperor’s time, and we ain’t about to give it up to some nobody!”
“Then you have no problem doing what the winner says if you lose?” Claire asked.
“Sure, but there ain’t a snowball’s chance in hell of that happenin’!”
I personally didn’t feel the slightest bit inclined to participate, but Claire and the head chef were at each other’s throats. My choice was made for me.
“All right. I’ll do it,” I said.
“Wonderful. And you, chef?” Hilda asked.
“You betcha. I’ll show ya the cooking spirit of an imperial chef!”
And thus I found myself forced into a cook-off.
***
“Which is why I’ve gathered you all here. Please help me!” I lowered my head to everyone present.
Gathered in the Bauer student dorm’s kitchen were seven people: Lene, Misha, Frieda, Eve, Joel, Aleah, and me—everybody who could cook. Claire wanted to participate as well, but I’d asked her to refrain on account of her disastrous skills in the kitchen. She had a good palate, though, so I intended to ask for her help with taste testing later.
“I don’t mind, but have you decided on what kind of dish you want to cook yet?” Lene asked.
It had been a while since we could properly talk like this. We’d both been busy since coming to the empire.
“Well, we’ll be competing with a three-course meal: an appetizer, an entrée featuring meat, and a dessert,” I said. “So we can work from there.”
“That’s quite a bit…” Misha said with a frown.
I couldn’t argue with that.
“How long do we have?” Frieda asked.
“One week,” I answered. Far too short a time to invent a three-course meal’s worth of new dishes.
“And why am I here?” asked Eve, her words dripping with displeasure. She still hated me for some unknown reason.
“Sorry, Eve, but I need all the help I can get right now,” I answered.
“So you’d be fine with anyone then?” she seethed.
The misunderstandings just kept piling up.
“Isn’t seven people too many?” Joel asked. It was a good question—too many cooks spoil the broth, after all.
“I’ll be overseeing everything while you six work in pairs on a single dish.”
“Huh? I’m making something too?” Aleah asked with surprise.
“Yes,” I answered. “I’ll help some, of course, but I think you’re a good enough cook already.” I meant it. Aleah might not have been able to use magic, but she was an astoundingly fast learner in every other regard.
“Okay, Mother… I’ll try my best,” Aleah said, nervous but happy.
“Does anyone have preferences as to which part of the meal they’d like to make?” I asked.
“I’d like the dessert, if possible.” Joel was the first to answer. I found it a little surprising he’d picked dessert, considering his usual brusqueness. “Confectionery is more up my alley than the rest.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll leave it to you, then,” I said.
“You can count on me.”
That was one person down for dessert.
“Why don’t I work on the entrée? It sounds like the most trouble,” Lene said.
“That would be great.”
Lene offering to work on the entrée was a big help. Being the highlight of the meal, it was better to leave it to the most experienced member. Lene had years of serving the François house under her belt and was one of the key figures at Frater, a trading company at the forefront of the culinary industry. We had no one more experienced than her.
“Can you work on the entrée too, Aleah?” I asked. “There’s a lot you can learn from Lene.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Let me help with the appetizer. I’m somewhat familiar with formal dining, so I think I can manage it.”
“Thank you, Misha. I’ll leave it to you.”
That left two people to assign.
“Hmm… Are only the appetizer and the dessert left? Do you have a preference, Mademoiselle Eve?” Frieda asked.
“No.”
“Ooh la la, very shy girl! Your bluntness is so very cute. Why don’t I do dessert, then?”
“Then I’ll be on the appetizer with Misha,” Eve confirmed.
“Please and thank you,” I said.
It was settled: Misha and Eve on the appetizer, Lene and Aleah on the entrée, Joel and Frieda on dessert, and me overseeing everything.
“Are we allowed to do as we see fit for our dish?” Lene said, always asking the right questions.
“For the most part. There’s just one thing I want everyone to uphold,” I said, before explaining my one key condition.
“I see… That’s very much like you, Rae,” Lene commented.
“Always thinking ahead,” Misha said.
“How shrewd,” Eve muttered.
“Non, non, Mademoiselle Eve. Not shrewd. Say it’s nice!” Frieda said.
“Mmm… That is important,” Joel agreed.
“Okay, Mother!” Aleah said.
It seemed everyone was in agreement.
“All right, let’s win this cook-off!” I declared.
Thus began our preparations.
***
“Ladies and gents, it’s time for the long-awaited First Imperial Formal Cuisine Cook-Off! I’m Lana Lahna, here to bring you play-by-play commentary. I’m joined today by Marthe Borel, the Imperial Academy’s cafeteria lady, here to provide a running analysis!”
“This whole ordeal’s taken an unexpected turn, but it’s a pleasure to be here nonetheless.”
Lana’s and Marthe’s voices echoed far across the venue, amplified by wind magic. We were at a temporary event venue set up in Ruhm’s central market. In the middle of the venue was a kitchen, which was surrounded on all sides by spectators.
“It’s become quite the event,” Claire said incredulously.
I agreed. “I had no idea it’d become something like this.”
A truly breathtaking number of spectators had gathered. The citizens were apparently tremendously invested in this event.
Initially, the cook-off was to be a quiet affair, but it seemed Hilda had pulled some strings and turned it into a large-scale event. Her reasoning was that it would help bring the citizens around to the idea of changing the empire’s cuisine, but I was sure it didn’t hurt that an achievement like this would look good on her record. That sly fox…
Three judges sat in front of the kitchen. One was Philine, which wasn’t strange at all, given that she was an imperial princess and this event would decide the empire’s formally recognized national cuisine. She was visibly nervous in her seat.
The second judge was Dorothea’s elderly manservant, whose name I had learned was Josef. He seemed used to making public appearances and, in fact, looked somewhat bored.
The final judge was, shockingly, Empress Dorothea Nur herself.
It’s an honor, but are you sure you don’t have better things to do, Your Majesty?
From the moment she took her seat, Philine restlessly sneaked glances at her mother. Dorothea, on the other hand, didn’t seem to even notice Philine. This mother and daughter were clearly distant, in multiple meanings of the word. I supposed that, seeing as Philine had chosen Claire’s route, their relationship hadn’t had the chance to improve.
“Heh. Well, ya didn’t chicken out, I’ll give ya that,” sneered the head chef, wearing his white uniform. Alongside him were who I presumed to be his sous chefs, standing imposingly with their arms crossed and glaring our way.
“Whyever would we?” Claire asked. “Our victory today is guaranteed.”
“Ha! Don’t get yer hopes up, lady!”
“I could say the same to you!”
In mere moments, Claire and the head chef were at each other’s throats.
“Oh, and would you look at that? We haven’t even started and this kitchen’s already getting heated! Looks like we’re gonna have quite the match on our hands today, don’t ya think, Marthe?”
“Perhaps, but I personally dislike all the bickering. A real chef fights with nothing but their food.”
“I couldn’t agree more! Oh, would you look at that? It’s about time for this cook-off to get cookin’! This event is sponsored by Frater Trading. Frater Trading: We’re there for you.”
Hwuh?!
Hearing Lana announce something I would never in a million years have expected to hear, I looked over at Lene, who stuck her tongue out at me sheepishly as though to say “Whoops!”
A businesswoman’s acumen wasn’t to be underestimated.
“Now for the opening address! Your Majesty Dorothea, if you would?” Lana asked.
“Very well.” Dorothea stood and walked to the front.
In an instant, a hush fell over the crowd. The respect her citizens felt for her was palpable.
“Today, you bear witness to an event that will change the cuisine of our empire forever. Never again shall our food be called poison.”
Dorothea kept her opening address short and sweet—very true to her nature—but the crowd went wild, nonetheless. Her popularity astounded me.
“Thank you very much, Your Majesty Dorothea! Now then, time for the rules! The contestants are to prepare an appetizer, an entrée featuring meat, and a dessert for a best-of-three match. The first side to score two points wins the cook-off!” Lana explained.
We’d put some serious effort into planning our dishes, but we were up against professionals who cooked for a living. Victory would be hard won. Then again, seeing how much attention this event had already focused on the empire’s cuisine, it wouldn’t have been a stretch to say we’d already accomplished our goal.
“Our first bout is appetizers,” Lana said. “Ready, set…cook!”
The deep reverb of a drum signaled the chefs to leap to action.
“Misha, Eve, anything I can do to help?” I asked.
The two shook their heads and gave curt responses.
“Just watch us, Rae,” Misha said.
“Please sit down,” Eve added.
I knew they were both the cold, blunt sort, but being shot down like that still hurt. Then again, some people considered being given the cold shoulder by a beautiful woman a reward in itself.
“Sister Misha, Miss Eve, try your best!” May cheered from the stands by the Bauer side of the kitchen, helping in her own way. She could cook, but nowhere near as well as her sister. Her voice seemed to reach them, as Misha waved at the stands and Eve turned and nodded.
“What’s this? The imperial chefs seem to be preparing mushrooms!” Lana said.
“Those are shimeji, hen of the wood, king trumpet, and oyster mushrooms. I’m impressed they could procure them at this time in spring,” Marthe elaborated.
“Oh, so they’re, like, rare ingredients? On the other hand, I only see some plain old onions and bacon from the Bauer team.”
“Onions are most delicious at this time of year. A fine choice of ingredient.”
Lana and Marthe’s live commentary echoed throughout the venue. They might have been an impromptu pair, but their teamwork was perfect.
“Eve, is the dough ready?”
“Yes, it just needs to be baked. The oven is preheated.”
“Thank you. I’ll take things from here.”
“Please do.”
Misha and Eve’s teamwork was perfect as well, perhaps due to their similar personalities. Their cooking proceeded smoothly.
“We’re finished,” Misha announced.
“As are we!” the head chef said. It seemed neither side had faced any complications.
“Both teams have finished! Let’s see what our judges think, starting with the imperial team’s appetizer!”
Prompted by Lana, the head chef set the dishes before the judge. Their dish was—
“Four-mushroom roast wi’ a lemon marinade!” the head chef announced. It had been bothering me for a while now, but what was up with his thick Tokyo accent?
“Why, I’ve never heard such a crude imperial dialect,” Claire remarked.
“Imperial what now?!” I exclaimed. The revelation shocked me, having up until then assumed everything about the empire was based on Germany, given their naming schemes. Then again, their food situation was more like the United Kingdom’s… I supposed the empire was just a jumbled mess of my own world’s cultures.
But more on that later. Back to the head chef’s appetizer.
“I took four kinds a’ mushroom and roasted ’em up nicely, takin’ care to not let ’em burn, then marinated ’em in a lemon sauce. All the mushrooms are a rare, off-season variety. Fragrant and tasty, it’s the perfect dish to start off a meal,” he explained.
Marinated mushrooms, huh? That did sound pretty good. Even back in my world, marinated mushrooms had often been served as appetizers in Italian cuisine.
“Now, time for the judging! Judges, please eat your dish!”
Following Lana’s prompting, the judges took a bite of the dish. Their eyes shot open wide with surprise.
“It’s…delicious. The mushroom flavor just fills my mouth…” Philine said.
“The marinade is wonderful too. The refreshing taste of lemon elevates the dish even further,” Josef said.
“I don’t understand such minute details, but this is good,” Dorothea agreed.
The appetizer had been favorably received.
“Up next, the Bauer team’s appetizer!” Lana announced.
Misha and Eve set their dishes before the judge.
The Bauer team’s appetizer was—
“Seasonal onion and bacon pie,” Misha said.
Eve followed up with an explanation. “We slow-fried a large quantity of fresh onions together with bacon to draw out the gentle sweet and savory flavors of the ingredients, then baked it into a pie. Please help yourselves.”
Appearance-wise, the dish looked more like a quiche than a pie. Quiche was, of course, just as delicious when fresh from the oven.
The three judges moved their forks to the dish.
“Oh, this is delicious as well. It has a very nostalgic flavor,” Philine said.
“You can taste the sweetness of the onion. What a wonderful seasonal flavor,” Josef said.
“Mm-hmm. This one is good as well,” Dorothea said.
It seemed our appetizer had made a favorable impression too.
The judges soon finished off both dishes, and it was time for the results.
“Now, which appetizer tasted the best? Get ready for the reveal in three…two…one!” A needlessly dramatic drumroll played out. The moment it stopped, the judges each raised a placard for the dish they’d liked most.
“Two votes for the Nur Empire! One vote for Bauer! Incredible!” Lana exclaimed.
“Yeah, saw that coming,” Marthe commented offhandedly.
“Let’s ask why our judges voted the way they did!” Lana said.
“Umm… They were both delicious, but I chose the head chef’s appetizer because it felt more original,” said Philine.
“I liked the seasonal flavor of the Bauer team’s dish more,” said Josef.
“The marinated mushrooms tasted better. That is all,” said Dorothea.
The end result wasn’t as favorable as I’d hoped.
“I’m sorry, Rae,” Misha apologized.
“Sorry,” Eve apologized as well.
“It’s all right. We still have two rounds left,” I said.
This cook-off was just getting started!
***
“And the first match goes to the Nur Empire!” Lana said, eliciting a wild cheer in the crowd for the imperial team. The majority of the spectators were citizens of the empire, making us exchange students unmistakably the away team. “Coming up next, we have the entrées! Any thoughts on the upcoming entrée bout, Marthe?”
“The entrée is the highlight of a three-course meal. It’s important enough that you could argue this round should be worth twice as many points.”
“Insightful! But that’d cause some problems, competition-wise!”
“A shame.”
It would have been nice to have this round worth double the points, but things are never that easy. Regardless, we couldn’t afford to lose.
“Lene, Aleah, give it your all.”
“Leave it to us, Rae.”
“I’ll do my best, Mother!”
The two reassured me and entered the kitchen.
“Sister Lene, Aleah, go get them!” May cheered passionately from the stands, watching her dear sister with excited eyes.
“Why don’t you two give up and save face while you can?” the head chef taunted. His gaze was fierce, but Lene and Aleah wouldn’t back down. They were used to Claire’s far fiercer gaze.
“Laugh while you still can,” Lene said.
“We won’t lose,” Aleah declared.
They stood strong…
Which means there’s no need to boo, May, my dear. That’s inappropriate.
“It’s now time to cook your entrées! Ready, set…cook!”
As soon as Lana finished, both teams set about their work.
“Well, would you look at that? The Bauer team has quite the cute chef with them!” Lana said.
“According to our data, Aleah is only six years old, but she’s already a talented cook.”
“Really? Well, let’s see what she’s got!”
I might have been the one to add her to the team, but I still had some concerns about how she’d perform under pressure. But as far as I could see, she was doing just fine. Lene played the role of lead chef while Aleah did an excellent job of supporting her. As my daughter’s cooking teacher, I was proud.
“Hey, you!” the head chef suddenly called.
“Me?” Aleah asked.
“Yeah, you! I thought it weird yer entire team was just a bunch of brats, but then ya bring out an actual child?! Ya all tryna mock me or somethin’?” he yelled.
Grr, you’re the one heckling!
“I may be young, but I’m a proper cook who’s been entrusted with the kitchen at home plenty of times. Don’t you think you’re setting yourself up for embarrassment by mocking me?” Aleah replied.
“Damn brat…” The head chef trembled with rage and shame.
Yeah! You tell him, Aleah!
“Let’s take a look at what our competitors are doing! First off, the imperial team is… Oh? They seem to be preparing a long skewer!” Lana said.
“Ah, I see what the head chef’s tryin’ to make.”
“Ohhh, I think I know what you mean!”
“Yeah. It’s been all the rage in the streets lately.”
I watched as the head chef took thin cuts of beef and beef tallow and skewered them, alternating between each. A giant kiln-like structure was being prepared for him. I had a sense of what he was making.
“And what about the Bauer team?” Lana asked.
“My, looks like they’re usin’ beef and asparagus. I can guess what they’re making too.”
“Wow, that’s a pro for ya! You haven’t been in the business for thirty years for nothing!”
“You flatter me.”
“Things are getting heated! Once again, this event is sponsored by Frater Trading. Frater Trading: We’re there for you.”
That sponsorship stuff was seriously spoiling the mood. Although, I supposed it wasn’t spoiling Lene’s, who was currently all smiles.
“Aleah, how’s the meat?”
“It’s ready! Please check it!”
“Looks good. The soup is done too. Let’s put them together and let it simmer.”
“Yes, Sister Lene!”
Aleah was working hard under Lene’s guidance. Claire and I watched worriedly from our seats.
“Both teams have finished their entrées!” Lana said. “Let’s see what our judges think! Starting with the imperial team’s dish, we have… Wow, what’s this?”
The imperial chefs brought over a huge chunk of meat that had been cooking in the kiln. The smell of spices wafted heavily through the air, eliciting a rumble from a stomach next to me.
“Miss Claire?” I asked tentatively.
“Y-you’re hearing things. There’s no way I’d react to the enemy’s cooking,” she said.
“You sure? That dish is genuinely delicious.”
“You’ve eaten it before…?”
“Yes.” In my past life, that was.
“Traitor.”
“I’ll make it for us at home some time. A smaller version that’s easier on our budget, of course.”
Now, back to the main show.
“What we got here’s called doner kebab!” the head chef said. “I’ve been dyin’ to make it myself for a while now, seein’ how popular it’s been in the capital. You can eat it with veggies between some bread, but this time, I’m servin’ it up as is—just meat and spice!”
His line chefs held the huge chunk of meat as the head chef carved away at it with a long knife. Dishes like these weren’t just a feast for the taste buds but a feast for the eyes as well.
“Now, judges, please try your dish!” Lana announced, and the judges did just that.
“It’s delicious. I’ve been wanting to try this ever since I heard about it a while back. A bit spicy,” Philine said.
“The beef tallow seems to be the critical component. I can’t get enough of the juices,” Josef said.
“Mm-hmm, it’s good,” Dorothea said.
Once again, a favorable impression. Despite his obnoxiousness, the head chef was indeed a formidable chef.
“And now for the Bauer team’s entrée!” Lana announced.
“Our dish is veal and white asparagus soup,” Lene said as Aleah laid out the dishes. “We roasted the tender veal to bring out its flavor and combined it with the Nur Empire’s traditional white asparagus soup. We hope you enjoy its simple taste.”
Pieces of veal shimmered in the white soup, and the aroma of rich butter mixed with that of seasonal white asparagus. It wasn’t as flashy as the doner kebab, but it did have a certain elegance—one that made you want to correct your posture in your chair.
“Now, to the tasting!”
The judges brought the soup to their lips.
“This is…delicious! It tastes nostalgic, like the pie, but also somewhat original…” Philine said.
“Ah, the taste of spring… White asparagus certainly is a must in this season,” Josef said.
“This is good but too little. Can I have more?” Dorothea asked.
The dish was raking in the praise. That was Lene for you. She wasn’t just canny—she also had the skill you’d expect from the proprietress of an up-and-coming trading company.
“It’s time for the results! A loss here is a nail in the coffin for the Bauer team! Will they hang in there?” Lana said.
Another drum roll. The judges raised their placards, revealing—
“One vote for the Nur Empire! Two votes for Bauer! The Bauer team takes the round! Woo-hoo!”
“An unexpected result,” Marthe commented.
All right! We’re tied now!
“Let’s see why everyone voted the way they did, starting with Philine!”
“The kebab was delicious, but I think the soup had a more elegant feel that matched the theme of formal dining.”
“Oho, I see! And Josef?”
“I enjoyed the seasonal taste and elegance of the soup, but the deciding factor was the fattiness of the kebab, which was a bit too much for an older gentleman like myself.”
“Uh-huh, I see, I see! How about Your Majesty?”
“The kebab was simple and tasty. That’s how I enjoy my food.”
Close call—if Josef hadn’t been an older man, we might not have won.
“Thank you very much! Looks like we’re tied now. Things sure are getting interesting, aren’t they, Marthe?”
“Yes, the Bauer team is doin’ better than I expected. That little girl—Aleah, I believe her name was? She did pretty well earlier. We can expect good things from her in the future.”
“Glowing reviews from a thirty-year veteran in the field! You’re going places, kiddo!”
“Th-thank you very much!” Aleah replied nervously. Things hadn’t been going great at school for her, what with May being shown favoritism and all. With any luck, this would give her some much-needed confidence.
“Humph. Ya guys got lucky, but don’t count on it a second time!” the head chef said.
“The next round is the last, huh? Please don’t go too hard on us,” I said.
“Dumbass, what’s the fun in holdin’ back? No good citizen of the empire holds back in a fight!”
The empire sure doesn’t hold back with their warmongering either. Sheesh.
“It’s now time for the last match: desserts! Don’t change the channel yet—you won’t wanna miss this one!” Lana said. Of course, by “channel,” she was referring to the wind magic channel being used for the live coverage. It had nothing to do with my world’s modern-day television.
“This event is sponsored by Frater Trading. Frater Trading: We’re there for you.”
Again? Really?
***
“It’s about time for the grand finale! The score’s currently one-to-one with the imperial team taking the appetizer round and the Bauer team taking the entrée round! All that’s left is room for dessert!”
“The dessert is the finishing touch on a three-course meal. The adage ‘all’s well that ends well’ couldn’t be truer here. Let’s hope they finish strong.”
“You got that right! Once again, this commentary is brought to you by me, Lana Lahna, with expert analysis by Marthe Borel. Let’s give it our best ’til the end, Marthe!”
“Yes, let’s.”
We’d managed to tie. All that remained was the dessert round. Our chances of winning were now fifty-fifty—perhaps less, considering we were up against pros.
“Ya ready to end this?” The head chef glared daggers at me, but as I had previously mentioned, Claire’s gaze was far fiercer.
“Are you?” I glared back. Of course, the one actually doing the cooking would be Joel and Frieda.
“Good luck, you two,” I said.
“We got this.”
“Pas de problème, on s’en occupe! Leave it to us!”
The two responded reassuringly. The ever-composed Joel and Frieda the unstoppable bulldozer—if they were nervous, they sure didn’t show it.
“It’s time for the final round of the cook-off! Ready, set…cook!” Lana said, beginning the final round.
“Joel, Frieda, try your best!” May cheered from the stands with the last of her energy.
Joel returned with a slight nod while Frieda sent her a wink.
“Let’s start off by checking in on the imperial team, like before!” Lana said. “Interesting—it looks like they’re cracking eggs and separating the yolks from the whites!”
Marthe elaborated. “I see someone grindin’ almonds too. Even I don’t have a clue what they’re making. It looks like we’re seein’ some new innovation to match the times.”
“Embracing new things is very much in the spirit of Nur! Will the head chef show us that same spirit as a chef of the Nur Empire, right here, right now?!”
From what I could see, the head chef was separating the yolks from the whites to whisk the latter into a meringue with an eggbeater. This, combined with the almond flour—in other words, the ground almond—gave me a pretty good idea of what he was working on. Another strange instance of Japanese influence making an appearance in this world…
“Now, then, why don’t we take a gander over at what the Bauer team is doing? Oh, what’s this? They seem to be using eggs just like the imperial team!”
“It looks like that boy is making a custard while the girl is working on cookie dough.”
“Do you have any idea what they could be making, Marthe?”
“I believe so. There’s a runnin’ theme across their dishes, after all.”
“Really? What is it?”
“Oh, you’ll see soon enough. That head chef might get the carpet pulled out from under him yet.”
That was the cafeteria lady for you. Her thirty years in the culinary business weren’t just for show—she realized what was going on. We just had to pray the judges realized it too.
“Frieda, is the dough done?”
“Oui! Should I put it in?”
“Go for it.”
“Roger that!”
I’d had some doubts about whether the mismatched duo could work well together, but it seemed they did just that without a problem. Joel gave the orders while Frieda provided support, although their personalities might have made one think it would be the other way.
“We’re approaching the end of the end here! Let’s watch as our contestants put on the finishing touches!” Lana announced.
“Bake’s done!”
“Plate’s ready, head chef!”
“Frieda, cream and mint!”
“Oui!”
Finally, both teams finished their desserts.
“To the judges, starting with the imperial team!” Frieda said.
“What we’ve got here’s our own take on a dessert known as dacquoise, from the fallen western country of Reims,” the head chef explained.
My prediction was right on the money. Dacquoise was a baked sweet that used almond-flavored meringue and originally stemmed from French cuisine. Around the time I was originally born in my old world, a certain Japanese individual had introduced dacquoise to Japan in the same shape as Japanese monaka sweets. Those same monaka-shaped dacquoise had gone on to be sold in modern-day France. Their outsides were crunchy and their insides soft, giving them an interesting mouthfeel. I liked them a lot, myself.
“And what about the Bauer team?!” Lana said.
“We’ve made an everyday, run-of-the-mill sweet. If I had to name it…it’d be an egg cake with chocolate cream, I guess,” Joel said.
The two of them had made a triple-layered baked sweet with cookie dough on the bottom, cream cheese dough embedded with dried fruit in the middle, and butter and custard dough on top. Each layer was a different color, making for an aesthetically pleasing effect.
“For the last round, please try both dishes at the same time! Feel free to start with whichever you like!” Frieda said.
The three judges tried the two types of cakes.
“Oh, I see…” Philine remarked.
“Hm, how clever…” Josef said thoughtfully.
Dorothea said nothing.
From the look on their faces, I could tell…our intent had made it through.
“All right, it’s time to crown our winner! Judges, get ready to raise your placards for the dessert you think was best! Let’s find out who the goddess of victory will smile upon in three…two…one!”
A third drum roll. The result…?
“Zero votes for the Nur Empire! Three votes for Bauer! It’s the Bauer team’s victory! Yahoo!”
“I figured as much. Congratulations, Bauer team,” Marthe said.
We won. It had been a gamble, but the risk had paid off. We’d gotten our point across.
“We did it, Rae.” Claire put her hand on my shoulder. I looked around to see everyone else wearing looks of triumph and relief. It might have been a close match, but it had been a good one, nonetheless.
However—
“What in the blue blazes?! That’s impossible!”
There was still a sore loser left.
“How could my new recipe lose to some old-fashioned egg cake?! I ain’t tryin’ ta be a bum here, but I’m gonna lose sleep if I don’t get a real reason why!” The head chef slumped down in his chair, adamantly refusing to acknowledge our victory.
“Your behavior is unsightly, Chef,” said Dorothea. “The match is over. You lost.”
“I mean no disrespect to Your Majesty, but when it comes to food, I’m the expert here, and I just know there’s no way my cookin’ could lose! I won’t accept this outcome until I hear a satisfactory explanation!” It was a testament to the head chef’s pride in his work that he dared address the much-respected Dorothea this caustically. No ordinary person would dare talk back to her.
“Humph. You really don’t understand why you lost?”
“Not one bit!”
“Care to explain then, Rae Taylor?”
“Umm…” I hesitated. Would an explanation from me really convince him? Still doubtful, I was about to reluctantly begin when—
“Pathetic… It’s ’cause yer like this that you’ll never be as good as yer father!” A voice rebuked the head chef.
“M-Mama…”
It was Marthe, the cafeteria lady and the expert analyst for the event.
“Ya went and got yerself a nice lofty position as head chef, only to make an arse of yerself now?”
“Sh-shut it! I ain’t buyin’ these results! It don’t make sense that my cookin’ lost, and ya know it don’t!”
“No, I get why ya lost. What ya cooked wasn’t the Nur Empire’s food. Ain’t that right, judges?”
The judges all nodded at Marthe’s words.
“What…? What do you mean?!”
“Think back to the dishes the Bauer team presented,” Dorothea said. “Onion and bacon pie, white asparagus soup, egg cake… They have been improved upon, but they are all traditional dishes of our proud empire.”
“Ah…”
Dorothea’s words finally made him understand.
This was the condition I’d given everyone at the start—to make new dishes based on the empire’s existing ones.
“Your cooking was delicious,” Dorothea continued. “But that was all. On the other hand, the Bauer team’s were all reimagined dishes that I could still proudly call the empire’s. The pie was zwiebelkuchen. The soup was spargelsuppe. The cake, eierschecke. Do you understand why you lost now?”
You could find delicious food anywhere, especially in the Nur Empire, where ingredients from annexed countries were abundant and citizens came from all over the world. What could the empire, where culinary fads came and went with the breeze, present to the world that they could call uniquely their own? Surely not another country’s food.
Finally finding my words, I said, “Every country struggles to find food they can proudly present as their own. Your culinary skills are by no means inferior. To be able to make what you did today after living and working in the empire’s stagnant culinary world for so long is amazing. However—”
“What’s expected of us imperial chefs right now is cooking that we can show the world with our heads held high.” Marthe finished what I wanted to say.
“I…see… I get it now.” The head chef hung his head.
I meant it when I said his skills were good. We’d need him if we wanted to shake up the empire’s culinary world from here on out, so I hoped this ordeal didn’t break his spirit.
“Heh heh…”
“Um?” I looked at him.
“Heh heh… Aha ha ha ha! Ya got me good. I lost for real!” He started laughing madly before bounding to his feet like a rabbit. “Ah, jeez. No two ways about it. I lost. I thought the never-changin’ cuisine was the lamest crap ever, but the real lame one was me. Ya got me good.”
He smiled as though the debacle of moments ago no longer concerned him in the least. What was up with this guy?
“All right, I admit my loss. Yer all quite impressive, but I’m different now. I won’t lose next time, ya hear?”
I’d thought he was just some obstinate jerk, but he was actually a pretty nice guy. He accepted his defeat and even acknowledged our skill.
“There won’t be a next time. Cooking is your battle, not ours. Leave us out of it,” I said.
“Quittin’ while yer ahead? Can’t have that.”
“Instead of another cook-off, how about you help us change the empire’s cuisine? I ask again, will you help us?”
“That was the deal, wasn’t it? A man never goes back on his word.” He extended his right hand—his knife-wielding hand. I wasn’t so dimwitted as to miss the significance of his action. I shook his hand firmly.
“I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“Right back at ya!”
And so, amidst the applause of the spectators, our cook-off came to a close.
“This event is sponsored by Frater Trading. Frater Trading: We’re there for you.”
“Oh, give it a rest already.”
***
“And there ya have it. This girl will be trainin’ you lot startin’ today.”
We were in the Nur Empire’s Ministry of Culinary Affairs’ cookhouse—a wide, immaculately clean space with multiple large kitchens and what appeared to be a cold room in the back.
Standing in front of the chefs was a little girl.
I cheered her on from the sidelines. You got this, Aleah!
As agreed upon, we were now helping the imperial chefs improve the empire’s cuisine. What was unexpected, however, was the fact that Aleah would be spearheading our efforts, as the other members of the cook-off were too busy with other responsibilities. She was about to begin a lesson for the younger chefs.
“Head Chef, is this for real?” a young chef asked.
“Is what for real?”
“Are we seriously being taught by a little girl just because you lost some cook-off?”
“Ya got a problem with that?!” barked the head chef.
The young chef clammed up for a moment, but he shortly continued. “I mean… We may be young, but we’re still proud chefs of the empire. So yes, I do have a problem with it.”
“Did ya not watch the cook-off?”
“No, I did. But from what I could tell, you didn’t really lose in terms of cooking skill but in terms of theme, right?” The young chef was right in a sense. If it was just a contest of better cooking, they might have won instead.
“Well, yeah…” the head chef admitted.
“What do we have to learn from them, then? When it comes to the empire’s cuisine, we know far more than these outsiders.”
“That is wrong,” a voice suddenly said from the entrance.
“Y-Your Majesty?! And Lady Philine.”
With the appearance of the Empress and the imperial princess, the chefs all dropped to a knee and bowed, starting with the head chef.
“As you were. I care not for formalities,” Dorothea said.
“Has everyone been well?” Philine asked.
“You insist you have nothing to learn from this young girl, but that is wrong,” Dorothea stated with solemnity. “The head chef and the other experienced chefs will handle improving the empire’s formal cuisine. You greener chefs will instead focus on introducing new dishes to the empire. Aleah here is Rae Taylor’s student and is well versed in a variety of new dishes.”
The young chefs looked at Aleah again, who was standing as imposingly as she could with her arms crossed, chin raised, and a smug look on her face.
“But surely Miss Rae would be a better teacher?” a chef asked.
“Rae is busy with other matters… Or do you mean to say you are dissatisfied with my decision?”
“N-no, not at all!”
I understood why the chefs might object to being taught by a child, but everyone else from Bauer was simply too occupied.
“I realize you have your pride,” Dorothea continued, “but you must swallow that pride for the sake of the empire’s future. Philine and I shall join you as well.”
“Your Majesty?!”
Dorothea ignored the shocked chefs and walked over to Aleah. Philine followed behind, a bit flustered.
“Aleah. Your performance at the cook-off was exceptional. I look forward to your lesson.”
“As do I,” Philine said.
The two bowed their heads to the girl only half their height, further confounding the chefs.
“Understood,” Aleah said. “But your dress is unacceptable.”
“Hm? Is there a problem?”
“Yes. In what world do people cook while wearing armor?”
“I see. I shall take it off then.” Dorothea touched the imperial crest on her pitch-black armor, causing it to disappear. Her armor was a magical tool. She might not have been able to use magic herself, but there was a workaround—and that’s an explanation for another time.
“Wha—Your Majesty?!” a chef exclaimed.
With the armor gone, what lay underneath was bared—leaving Dorothea in her undergarments. She didn’t seem to care herself, but a lot of the chefs were male, and they certainly did. Her true age aside, her physical appearance was somewhere around that of a beautiful woman in her late twenties or early thirties. To a one, the men immediately turned away.
How gentlemanly, I thought.
“Your Majesty, that is unbecoming of a lady. Please put this on at once,” Aleah said.
“I doubt my body is anything to look at, but I suppose you are right.” Dorothea put on the chef uniform Philine had brought with her, allowing us to finally continue. “As I said, Philine and I shall learn to cook with you all. I once considered cooking a useless pursuit, but the cook-off has me thinking otherwise. Good food is good.”
The chefs cheered. Understandably so, as the main reason they had been unable to cook freely until now had just said she’d gained an interest in their craft.
“I personally chose Aleah as my instructor. I will brook no objections. Learn what you can from her,” Dorothea said with a tone of finality.
The chefs still seemed a little reluctant, but they accepted Aleah’s position.
“I shall now begin my cooking lesson. But first, one thing.” Aleah cleared her throat, then sternly stated, “You must call me Ms. Aleah from now on. And when you address me, you must start and end with Ms. Aleah.”
Oh dear. I buried my face in my hands. This was definitely my fault—and Lene’s.
You might recall that when Lene was at the Royal Academy, she taught us something called the Way of the Maid in preparation for the cross-dressing café, during which some ominous switch was flipped within herself. It seemed Aleah had flipped a similar switch just now.
Before we’d come that day, Lene and I had crammed as many new recipes from Frater and Broumet as we could into Aleah’s head. At that time, however, Lene had completely reverted to the strict “Ms. Lene.” My guess was that Aleah now believed this was the standard approach to teaching.
“Is such a thing necessary?” Dorothea asked.
“At the start and end, Your Majesty.”
“Ms. Aleah, is such a thing necessary, Ms. Aleah?”
“It is in order to uphold mutual respect between teacher and student.”
“Ms. Aleah, I see, Ms. Aleah.” Dorothea seemed to find it amusing and played along.
Everyone else wore looks of protest, but how could they object when the Empress herself obeyed?
“I shall now begin my cooking class. What do you say?”
“Ms. Aleah, yes, Ms. Aleah.”
“I can’t hear you!”
“Ms. Aleah, yes, Ms. Aleah!”
“Good. Let’s start with the most basic of basics: how to cook rice.”
And with that, the young chefs of the empire began their lesson with Aleah.
“Do you sincerely believe you can make fondant au chocolat like that? Measuring your ingredients perfectly is of utmost importance in confectionery work! Measure that chocolate like your life depends on it!”
“Ms. Aleah, yes, Ms. Aleah!”
“You mustn’t cut bread with an ordinary knife! Cut it with a bread knife after warming it over a flame!”
“Ms. Aleah, yes, Ms. Aleah!”
“Use more fresh cream for the crème brûlée! Are you trying to make pudding?!”
“Ms. Aleah, yes, Ms. Aleah!”
Aleah’s lesson involved a lot of shouting, but it progressed smoothly. Dorothea and Philine both tried their best to follow along. Dorothea seemed to be enjoying herself—Philine, not so much. She occasionally glanced at me as though to complain.
Oh dear…
The lessons went on for a few days. By the last one, the light had faded from everyone’s eyes as they droned, “Ms. Aleah…yes…Ms. Aleah…”
I decided to pretend I wasn’t seeing any of it.
Dorothea seemed unaffected. “Hmm… Perhaps Aleah has brainwashing magic that exceeds mine?” she mused.
My ears just so happened to fail me as well.
***
“One, two, three. One, two, three—ow!”
“I’m so sorry, Miss Claire!” I hurriedly apologized, having stepped on Claire’s foot. How many times did that make? I felt terrible.
“It’s fine, Rae. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough,” she said with a bright smile.
She just might be an angel.
We were in the Imperial Academy’s dance hall. A spacious room with sakura wood flooring and mirrors lining each of the four walls, it was typically reserved for dance classes. Presently, it was open for students to practice in after school, in preparation for the ball.
Little-known fact—what we referred to as “sakura wood” was often actually birch, not cherry, like the name would suggest. It was a smooth, firm wood, well suited to be flooring for a dance hall.
Lana, Eve, and Philine were also with us. Philine watched with envious eyes as Claire taught me, making me want to exclaim, Don’t you know how to dance? You’ve been an imperial princess all your life!
“Perhaps I should just be a wallflower at the ball,” I said, thoroughly demoralized. Even Claire’s instruction couldn’t salvage my horrendous dance skills.
“What are you saying? Do you intend for me to dance alone?” she replied.
“Well, no…” I did want to dance with her, but at this rate, I would just be stomping Claire’s feet flat.
“Why not dance with me instead, Claire?!” Philine’s hand shot up as though to say ‘Pick me, pick me!’
“I wouldn’t mind dancing with you after Rae,” said Claire.
“No fair…”
“Forgive me, Philine, but Rae is my significant other, you see.” Claire accompanied these words with a dazzling smile. That confirmed it—she was an angel, no doubt about it.
“Hey, Rae? How do I make Claire fall for me?” Philine asked.
“I feel like that’s not something you should ask Miss Claire’s lover,” I answered. What made her think I would answer such a question?
“Why not? Who better to ask than somebody who has already succeeded in winning Claire’s heart?”
“I can’t tell if you’re being logical or just plain stupid…”
Philine should have been a lot smarter than this, but it seemed whenever Claire got involved, she became something of a ditz.
“Is it breasts?” she asked.
“Just who do you think Miss Claire is? A perverted old man?”
“There isn’t a soul in this world who hates a beautiful bosom, male or female. Oh, I see. It can’t be breasts…mm-hmm, nope.”
“Where were you looking just now?”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“Oh, so we’re doing this, then?” If it was a fight she wanted, it was a fight she would get!
Kidding, of course.
“Haven’t you two been getting along rather well without me lately?” Claire said, a bit glassy-eyed.
“My, are you perhaps jelly, Miss Claire?” I asked.
“I am indeed,” she replied.
“Huh? You’re just up and admitting it?”
“I see no reason to hide my jealousy when I love you so.”
Gah, so precious.
“Are you doing this to me intentionally?” Philine asked mournfully.
“Ah! Forgive me, Lady Philine,” Claire said.
“It’s all right. It must’ve taken Rae a while to earn your love to such an extent. I just need to take my time and do the same,” Philine said.
“Um, no. Like I’ve said, I’m not looking for a second partner.”
“I’m. Not. Listening!” Philine covered her ears and shook her head. She’d definitely been ditzier than usual of late.
“I think your dancing’s, like, loads better than when you first started, Ms. Rae! I’m sure you’ll learn to dance before Ms. Claire’s feet are squashed totally flat!” Lana joked.
When I looked over toward her, I saw Eve practicing dance steps alone—without Lana.
“Are you not going to practice?” I asked.
“Hm? Me? I’m…not good at this kinda stuff.” Lana’s expression clouded slightly, but she still smiled. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but she continued before I could. “I may not be dancing, but I at least get to see Ms. Rae in a dress!”
“Oh, so you’re not dancing at the ball?”
“No plans to. Oh, but maaaybe if you were to teach me, I might?”
“Sorry, but I’ve got my hands full trying to learn myself.”
“Aha! No kiddin’!” Lana seemed to be her usual self. So what was with that brief change in her expression just then? “Eve’s fine practicing on her own. Even a know-nothin’ like me can tell she’s good.”
“Thanks,” Eve said shortly before continuing to silently practice. True enough, her steps were fluid. She had experience.
“You’re quite good, Eve,” I said.
“Humph.”
She still seemed to hate me. I really would have preferred to be on her good side than her bad, but there hadn’t yet been a chance to clear up the misunderstanding between us.
“Hey, Eve—”
“Focus, Rae. From the top again,” Claire said.
“Oh, yes.”
Another opportunity to clear up our misunderstanding, gone with the wind. Alas.
“You’ve been practicing the first movement for a while now, but didn’t you two take dance lessons at all in Bauer?” Philine asked. “I figured Claire would be experienced, as she’s a noble.”
“I do have a wealth of experience with dancing, but the dances of the Nur Empire are slightly different from Bauer’s,” Claire explained.
“Specifically, there are different roles for same-sex pairs,” I elaborated.
“Ah, I see.”
As I’ve mentioned previously, the empire recognized same-sex marriage. Naturally, this meant they had dancing roles for same-sex pairs that differed from the traditional mixed-sex ones. What Claire and I were practicing right now was the one for two women. Since Bauer didn’t have such dances, we were both learning everything from scratch.
“That said, there’s quite a gap between you two,” Philine observed. “Claire is already accustomed to it, but Rae looks like she’s dancing for the first time.”
“Miss Claire has far better motor control and more training than me,” I said.
“I’m really nothing special, but dancing is certainly not a strong point of yours, Rae,” Claire said.
I’ve mentioned this before—around the time we practiced for the ceremonial dance—but this body was unbelievably awful at dancing. Even more so than my previous life’s body! That was simply how the protagonist of the original Revolution was written. My body was otherwise superb though, so I had no complaints.
“I see… But I’m a little envious of Rae getting to take lessons with such a lovely partner,” Philine said.
“Oh, but I’m sure you had a splendid teacher as well,” Claire said.
“Yes, but they were very strict. Your teaching has far more love.”
“You hear that, Miss Claire?” I asked.
“Yes. I teach with plenty of love, but I also remember to crack the whip sometimes.”
Claire with a whip—could there be a better combination? Just putting it out there. But I’m not a masochist.
Probably.
“Still, I’m happy to hear there’s an official same-sex dance,” Claire said.
“A lot of foreigners say the same thing,” Philine said.
“If this were Bauer, we’d be met with strange looks,” I said. I’d had a terrible impression of the empire during the revolution in Bauer, but now that I’d actually seen it for myself, I realized it wasn’t all that bad. I’d have to accept Dorothea’s offer, but if we lived in the empire, I could even marry Claire.
“Miss Claire, do you want to marry me?” I asked.
“Pfft! Wh-wh-wh-wh-what are you saying all of a sudden?! Ah, I beg your pardon.” Claire made her first mistake, treading on my foot.
Granted, my proposal had been a bit sudden.
“Sorry, I was just thinking that if we became citizens of the empire, we could get married,” I said.
“Are you the type to care about such formalities?” she asked.
“Well, no. I guess not.”
“Then we can just stay as we are. No matter what the law might say, we’re partners. As long as we both agree on that and those close to us acknowledge it, I have no problem.”
“Neither do I.” Thank goodness. We both felt the same way.
“Besides…” she said.
“Hm?”
“We promised May and Aleah we would return to that house, didn’t we?”
She was right. Both we and the kids had promised the house we would “be back soon.” We couldn’t be getting too comfortable in the empire.
“Thank you, Miss Claire.”
“You’re very welcome, Rae. Now, let’s continue.”
We resumed our dance practice. I even felt as though I had improved somewhat.
“To borrow your words, Rae… Get a room, you normies…”
I pretended not to hear Philine’s grumblings.
***
“Uh, which way was it again?”
“Right, Rae. After turning right here, it should be soon to the left.”
“Aha ha, I didn’t know Ms. Rae was so directionally challenged!”
“What am I doing here?”
Claire, Lana, Eve and I were on our way to pick out dresses for the ball. As always, the imperial capital was flooded with people moving hither and thither, with shops on all sides brimming with clientele.
“I’m not directionally challenged; I just haven’t had time to look around and get my bearings,” I said.
“But didn’t Philine draw us a map?” Claire asked. “We just need to go past this and we’re there.”
“Look, I never claimed to be directionally gifted.” Wasn’t directionally challenged a bit harsh though?
“Aha, you wouldn’t think it, but I’m actually pretty good with directions,” Lana said. “Never been lost in my life, not even as a kid!”
“Impressive,” Claire said.
“How are you with directions, Eve?” I asked.
“Fine,” she replied, cold as ever. She was always the impassive sort, but my presence seemed to make her even crabbier than usual. She normally never even consented to walk with me, but our circumstances had forced her hand.
The cost of our dresses would be covered by Bauer, as attending the ball was considered one of our responsibilities as exchange students. While the others had already bought their formal wear for the ball, the four of us hadn’t, having been too busy with the cook-off. As a result, the treasurer of the exchange student group had pestered us to go shopping, bringing us to the present moment.
“A dress, huh?” I said sadly.
“Why do you sound so depressed about it?” asked Claire. “We’re shopping for dresses. Surely that’s a joyous thing?”
“Yeah, yeah! And, while there’s a limit, it’s on somebody else’s dime! It doesn’t get better than this!” Lana crowed.
“You’re awful,” Eve said.
“Huh?!” Lana protested.
It wasn’t that I didn’t get where they were coming from. Even I liked buying clothes, especially when I wasn’t paying for them. The problem was that I had to buy a dress.
“I went with it at the time because you agreed to dance with me, but I really don’t like wearing skirts that much,” I said.
“You’ve mentioned that before, but I just don’t understand why,” said Claire. “Aren’t women who don’t wear skirts a minority?”
With this world’s values so closely resembling that of medieval Europe’s, the standard lower garment for women was a skirt. Some artisans and farmers wore trousers, but in general, skirts were the norm.
“Skirts are so breezy…” I complained.
“Well, aren’t trousers too tight?” Claire asked. Perhaps it came down to preference. “Could this perhaps…have something to do with your sexual orientation?”
“Huh? Uh, I really doubt that.”
“Really? But don’t men detest wearing skirts?”
“Er, perhaps, but I’m a woman.” Oh, I saw what was going on. “Miss Claire, are you wondering if I consider myself a man?”
“Not at all. I just figured someone who loved women would like the sorts of things that men do.”
“No, no, no, that’s completely wrong. Sexual orientation and gender identity are entirely different things, although you might not be familiar with those terms.”
“What’s gender identity?” Lana inquired.
I didn’t know what Eve was thinking, as she was expressionless, but Claire wore a puzzled look.
“Gender identity is what gender you consider yourself to be, male or female. For most people, it’s a straightforward thing; but for some, their gender identity differs from their body’s sex.”
“Uh-huh… So, like, someone could have a man’s body but identify as a woman, or the other way around?” Lana asked.
“Exactly.” That had been the case for my friend Misaki. In my world, it was called gender dysphoria.
“That sounds…hard to live with,” she said.
“Yeah. It’s probably unimaginably painful.” Enough to make people turn to suicide, as Misaki had. “Anyway,” I continued, “my own gender identity is female, so it’s not like I want to become a man or anything.”
“I see,” Claire said.
“I will admit some of my preferences are a bit boyish, but doesn’t that go for everyone?” I asked.
“Oh, yeaaah! I know what you mean ’cause, like, I totally hate sweet things, but my friend thinks that’s weird!” Lana agreed, head bobbing up and down.
I wasn’t opposed to the traditional male-female gender binary system. In fact, I believed it was a well-established model that explained the undeniable biological differences between people. But I also believed society had advanced to a stage where the two traditional classifications were no longer sufficient.
Contrary to what the gender binary dictated, I believed everyone had some degree of both masculinity and femininity within them. I also knew there were people who identified as a gender that wasn’t male or female, or who couldn’t connect well to any gender at all. For such people, the enforcement of the gender binary was simply cruel.
“Does any of that really matter?” Eve asked.
“Well, for most people, probably not,” I said. “But I’d be happy if you remembered it anyway.”
Eve frowned. “All right.”
Hm? Had Eve just agreed with me? Could it be? Was she warming up to me?
“Huh? Hey, ain’t that Joel?” Lana pointed out a tall person. There weren’t many people with blue hair in this world, so it likely was Joel.
“Joel!” I called out, but he didn’t seem to hear us, turning at the next street corner instead.
“Wait… Isn’t that the way to the red-light district, according to Philine’s map?” Claire asked. Even in Ruhm, the Imperial Capital of an influential superpower—no, precisely because it was Ruhm, I should say—there existed shops that dealt in sexual favors. “He’s usually so straitlaced, but I suppose he is a man.”
“Huh… He didn’t seem to care at all when I changed in front of him though,” Lana said.
“Pervert,” Eve said.
I took a neutral stance on sex work, but that didn’t mean I could just ignore the dangers of such places. “I’ll be right back.”
“Wha—Rae?” Claire said.
I left the three behind and ran after Joel, but…
“He’s…gone?”
I’d chased after him pretty quickly, but once I rounded the corner, Joel was nowhere in sight. I looked in all directions but couldn’t catch a single glimpse of his characteristic blue hair.
A voice came from behind me. “What were you thinking? What if you got lost by yourself?”
“Eve…”
“You understand how dangerous it is for a woman to walk around here alone, right?”
“I’m sorry.”
But if Joel was visiting the red-light district, I wanted to at least make sure he was going with proper knowledge in hand.
“Let’s go back. It’s not a good idea to linger here too long,” she said.
“Yeah… It kind of feels like you’re the teacher now, huh?”
“Well, I am a good deal older than you.”
“Wait, what?!”
“What’s with that reaction? You can learn at any age, you know?”
“Yeah…I guess you just look so young.”
“Don’t flatter me.” Eve turned away with a huff.
I’d absolutely thought she was younger than me. Just how old was she, then?
I was worried about Joel, but I couldn’t loiter in that kind of place, especially not with Eve. Her age aside, she looked like a beautiful young girl and that wasn’t the sort of person who ought to just walk around that kind of neighborhood. I didn’t want to cause her any more trouble either, not after I’d made her go through the trouble of chasing after me.
“Let’s go back,” she said.
“Right…” I felt a tinge of reluctance, but I left with her.
Looking back on it now, at that moment, I was completely wrong about Joel. But it wasn’t until later I found out how.
***
Despite getting sidetracked, we managed to make it to the dress shop. It was a normal shop, catering to regular citizens—not some kind of exclusive boutique meant for the imperial family, as one might hope from a recommendation from the imperial princess. Still, Philine had clearly recommended it for good reasons. The storefront alone was stylish, a carefully balanced mix of opulence and charm.
“Shall we enter?” Claire asked.
Lana, Eve, and I were—quite frankly—too daunted to do anything. Only Claire stepped forward and pushed open the door like it was nothing. That was a villainess for you. Even something like this wouldn’t faze her.
“You’re amazing, Miss Claire,” I said.
“Sorry?”
The way she didn’t even know why I was complimenting her was just so darling. Mwah.
We entered the shop and were promptly greeted by an employee. “Welcome. Are you here to buy a dress?”
“My name is Claire François. Lady Philine referred us.”
“Indeed, Miss François. Right this way, if you will.”
The moment Claire mentioned Philine’s name, the employee smiled brightly and led us farther into the shop. All manner and color of beautiful dresses were on display. Just looking at them gave me a pleasant, uplifting feeling—or at least, it would have if I actually liked dresses.
“May we attend to you?” the employee asked.
“Please,” Claire said.
I’d thought we’d just pick out whatever dresses we liked and be on our way, but it seemed it wouldn’t be that simple, as an absurd amount of employees had appeared, all smiling from ear to ear.
“You needn’t be so overly courteous with us, you know?” Claire said.
“Oh, but we must. Miss François is a very important person who accomplished something grand with naught but the help of other women. There’s also Lady Philine’s word to consider.”
They seemed to hold Claire in high esteem.
“So you know about us? Then you must also know we were enemies of the empire,” Claire said.
“Certainly, we haven’t forgotten that. But as fellow women, we still respect you, Miss François. Please allow us to attend to you.”
“If you insist…” Claire said, a little ill at ease. Being treated as the hero of the Bauer Revolution always made her slightly uncomfortable.
Each of us wound up with two employees attending to us, helping with dress selection and changing.
“I understand you are here to pick a dress for the ball?” an employee asked.
“Yes,” Claire answered.
“Might I inquire if you’ve picked a dress before?”
“I have, many times. And you three?” Claire asked.
“It’s my first,” I said.
“Saaame,” Lana said.
“Me too…” Eve said.
The difference between former nobility and former commoners was great.
“That being the case, why don’t we have Miss François pick her own dress while we assist the others with their selections?” the employee offered.
“Splendid. Are you three all right with that?” Claire asked.
“Yes, please do,” I said to the employee.
“Pretty please!”
“Please do.”
For the time being, the three of us split from Claire.
“For starters, please feel free to select any dresses that catch your eye. We can examine them in greater detail afterward.” At the employee’s urging, Lana, Eve, and I began choosing dresses. It didn’t take me very long.
“How about this?”
I’d chosen a black A-line dress. An A-line dress was a dress with the shape of an “A”; in other words, a dress that flared out toward the bottom. This one had a rounded boat neck for the neckline, well suited to my small bosom. Boat necks had also been a favorite of Audrey Hepburn—not that I was trying to compare myself to her beauty.
It also had french sleeves—made from plentiful amounts of lace—that just slightly covered the shoulders. Normally, evening gowns weren’t supposed to have sleeves attached, but a french sleeve didn’t really count. It was perfect for someone like me, who wanted to limit the amount of skin I showed.
“My, you seem quite accustomed to selecting clothes, Miss Taylor. If you don’t mind me asking, does your last name come from what I think it does?” the employee asked.
“If you mean the fact that my family are tailors who run a clothing store, then yes,” I answered.
“I thought so. I think you chose a wonderful dress.”
I let out a sigh of relief upon hearing a professional affirm my selection. The protagonist’s mind had some attire-related knowledge, but this was my first time actually making use of it. I was glad this had ended without me embarrassing myself.
“I want this one!” Lana said. She had chosen a white empire-waist dress. An empire silhouette cinched under the bust and continued straight down after. It featured a high waistline, so it was well suited to women with smaller builds. Its neckline was also rounded, which lent a gentle, feminine impression.
“Seeing as you’re so well endowed, Miss Lahna, why not try one with a sweetheart neckline?” an employee suggested.
A sweetheart neckline had no shoulder straps, exposing everything from the neck down to where the cleavage began. The neckline formed the shape of a heart, hence the name. Only people with ample chests could do it justice.
“Oooh, cute! I’ll go with this one then!”
“Splendid choice.”
And with that, Lana had chosen her dress without issue.
“Perhaps…this one?” Eve picked a black sheath dress. A sheath was a slender silhouette that emphasized the natural lines of the body. Eve was fairly short, so a dress like this, which made her seem taller, was a good pick. The neckline was the same as mine, a boat neck—because she had no breasts either.
“The color overlaps with Miss Taylor’s. Why don’t we change it to this light-blue one?” an employee suggested.
“Pretty…”
“It’s the product of a young, up-and-coming designer. I’m glad you like it.”
With this, Eve was also finished.
“All done?” asked Claire, arriving with a dress in hand.
“Please try on your selections, ladies,” an employee said.
We changed in the fitting rooms. Dresses were seriously a pain to put on. Even back in my old world, when I’d been Rei Ohashi, I’d felt the same way whenever I had to put one on for a friend’s wedding.
“My…”
“What is it, Miss Claire?”
Being the most accustomed to wearing dresses, Claire was the first to exit the fitting room. She had chosen an eye-catching, crimson mermaid dress. A mermaid silhouette hugged the body from the shoulders to the knees, then flared out widely—an elegant design that emphasized her femininity and exuded grace. The voluminous dress accentuated her hips and legs, making her look absolutely captivating as she walked. It had an asymmetric, one-shoulder neckline—a stylish choice.
But that’s enough prattling about the little details. All you need to understand was that Claire in an evening gown was so dazzling that she was hard to gaze upon directly.
“You look wonderful in that dress, Rae.”
“Oh, please. It just sounds sarcastic when you look that beautiful.”
“I mean it. I didn’t think I liked black, but after seeing you, I’ve changed my mind. You look most elegant.”
Oh, gosh. Could she see me blush?
“Yours appears to be a bit tight around the chest, Miss François,” an employee said. “Allow us to adjust it slightly and send it to your residence at a later date.”
“Please do,” Claire replied.
“Your dress appears to be a bit loose, Miss Taylor. Allow us to tighten it slightly and send it at a later date.”
“Please do,” I replied.
Loose, huh? Heh, it’ll take more than that to get under my skin.
“Ms. Rae, Ms. Claire, how do I look?”
“Putting this on was exhausting…”
Lana and Eve also exited their fitting rooms. Out of the four of us, Lana was showing the most skin. She also had the biggest breasts and, therefore, the most raw sex appeal.
Eve, like me, didn’t have the most curvaceous of bodies. I couldn’t help but sympathize, seeing her lined up next to Lana.
“Your dresses fit well. Feel free to take them home as is,” the employee said.
“Okay!”
“Okay.”
And with that, we were finished. We all changed back, paid for our dresses, and then left the shop.
“I’m glad we came today,” Claire said.
“Me too. Seeing Miss Claire in an evening gown almost made me ascend,” I said.
“Almost made you what now?” Lana asked.
“Just ignore her,” Eve said.
Weren’t these two students of mine starting to treat me less and less like a teacher? Well, whatever. I was just happy I’d gotten to see something divine.
“I’m looking forward to the ball,” I said.
“Took you a while to come around.” Claire grinned wryly.
I wouldn’t mind some even more vigorous dance practice if it meant I could dance with her in that dress.
I would later receive my wish, undergoing intense training under her tutelage, only to wake with sore muscles the next day—but that was a story for another time.
***
It was finally the day of the ball, which was being held not at the academy but at one of the many dance halls the empire had built—a spacious and extravagant building that rivaled even the finest of Bauer’s structures. Most buildings in the empire were lifeless, purely practical, but I guess even they could be lavish when it was called for. Such were the thoughts running through my mind as I eyed the chandelier dangling from the ceiling.
Being a ball, it was currently late in the evening. The sun had long since set, so magical lamps lit the ballroom in its stead. Young boys and girls in formal dress engaged in chatter as they waited for the ball to officially begin.
“Whoa!” Unaccustomed to high heels, I nearly fell. My feet were definitely going to have blisters later. Feminine clothes and I had been bitter enemies my whole life—and in both of them.
“Are you all right?”
The one who grabbed my arm to stop my fall was none other than Claire. Her long hair was done up, her evening gown was tailored, and her makeup was perfect, making her the very personification of beauty itself. She was too radiant to gaze at straight on. But I stared at her anyway.
“C-cease your staring. It’s embarrassing,” she said.
“Is there some part of you that mustn’t be seen?” I asked teasingly.
“There is not, but it’s still embarrassing!” Her entire face flushed as she turned away with a huff. She was simply the cutest.
“Ms. Rae, you look so cute! Whoa, Ms. Claire, were you always that beautiful?!”
“How shameless.”
Lana and Eve had done their hair differently than usual. Lana’s long hair, usually in just a headband, was in an updo, though the headband was still present. Perhaps that was just her thing? Eve, on the other hand, had her usual braids wrapped into a bun, which was covered with a chignon cap, giving her a slightly foreign feel.
Long story short: Many cute girls, me happy.
“You guys came. Took you a while.” Joel was already there as well, dressed in a tailcoat with his hair combed back—a standard formal men’s look.
“Good evening, Joel. You look very dapper in that tailcoat,” Claire said.
“Thank you, Claire,” he replied.
“Hey, Joel. We actually saw you out in the city the other day,” I said. “What were you doing in the red-li—”
“Rae!” Claire stopped me for some reason. “Surely you don’t mean to lecture him here? Now’s not the time.”
“But those kinds of places can be dangerous. Somebody needs to let him know,” I said.
“Even so, you shouldn’t shame him in front of a crowd. Do it another day when it’s just the two of you.”
“Oh. I suppose you’re right.”
It was culturally acceptable to publicly reprimand someone in modern-day Japan, but that did invite its own set of problems. It might be considered efficient, as it served to warn others from making the same mistake, but it was questionable whether that benefit outweighed the negatives of the shame it brought the target. This world might have been more culturally Japanese than European, but personally, I agreed with Claire’s opinion. I decided to put off lecturing Joel.
That said, I will mention now that there was a discrepancy in what I meant when I called those places dangerous and what Claire thought I meant. This came to light only later. She thought I was referring to the illicit nature of the red-light district, when I was actually speaking of venereal diseases. The way her face turned bright red like a tomato when she realized her mistake was wonderful.
Now, back to the story.
“It seems we’re starting,” Claire said as the lamps began to dim.
“Everyone, thank you for attending today.” Near the front of the dance hall was Philine, illuminated by a spotlight. Wind magic amplified her voice. “This ball marks my debut into society. It is an honor.”
She curtsied with elegance befitting an imperial princess. She wore a cream-colored gown with an abundance of drapes. It was surely the work of a talented artisan, a true masterpiece of a dress—and yet somehow, the dress didn’t outshine Philine herself. I’d had her pegged as a girl worthy of pity, but that night, I only saw the finest of princesses.
“But that’s enough from me. Please enjoy yourselves tonight.” Philine finished her opening speech and received generous applause. When the applause died down, triple-meter ballroom music began to play.
“It’s time,” Claire said. The ball had begun.
“May I have this dance, Miss Claire?” I asked.
Many people, male and female, desired a dance with her. I couldn’t even begin to count how many had glanced her way since our arrival. Thankfully, I was her lover, which put me at the front of the line.
“Hee hee, of course. I’ve been wanting to dance with you all dressed up for the longest time now.” She placed her dainty porcelain hand over the one I extended. “Will you show me what you learned?”
“It would be my pleasure.” I put some strength into my arm and pulled her forward. Her small frame quickly assumed position.
I was nervous, fearful I might tread on this angel’s toes. But to my surprise, I perfectly carried out the dance steps she had drilled into me.
“Hee hee, you’re wonderful, Rae,” she said.
“You’re teasing me.”
“No, I mean it. You’re really wonderful. This is the happiest I’ve felt since coming to the empire.” Claire smiled as beautifully as a blooming flower. Oh, no—that smile, at this distance, left me reeling. “Rae, do you realize you’re blushing?”
“And who’s to blame for that, Claire?”
“Hee hee, oh, you… Hm?” She stepped on my foot. “F-forgive me! B-but it’s because you so suddenly—”
“It’s okay, Claire,” I hushed. “Ready? One, two, three…”
“R-R-R-R-Rae?!”
Don’t look at me like that. I want to stand equal to my beautiful partner, if just for today. I put strength into my hand on her waist.
“This is unfair…” she said.
“You know how I am,” I replied.
“Indeed, I do. You’re always unfair. And yet I love even that part of you, Rae.”
Aw, jeez. There she went, saying adorable things again. If we hadn’t been surrounded by people, and if we hadn’t been at a ball, I would have pushed her down and made a mess of those lips right then and there. My love for Claire was just that overflowing.
“This is nice, isn’t it, Rae?”
“Indeed, it is, Claire.”
I wholeheartedly wished that moment would last for eternity.
For I still didn’t know just what “eternity” entailed.
***
After dancing with Claire, I decided to take a breather and went to the end of the dance hall to check out the food. The culinary reform appeared to be a success, as the spread on display looked absolutely delicious. Slightly reimagined regional Nur dishes were featured alongside new dishes from vassal states. They were all lined up on the table, plate touching plate.
“This is delicious!”
“It’s nothing like before!”
The voices of those trying the food reached my ears, bringing a smile to my lips. But citizens of the empire weren’t the only delighted parties.
“Whoa, how many different kinds of sausage do they have, anyway?”
“This pretzel thing’s pretty good!”
“I feel bad that I ever looked down on the empire’s cuisine… I’m still going to eat though!”
Even students from the Bauer Kingdom partook, experiencing some culture shock as they did.
One mustn’t turn up their nose at other cuisines because they assume their own culture’s food is superior. Food is an ever-evolving thing.
Having completed my main objective of dancing with Claire, I continued on to my secondary objective: eating. Starting with the sausages, I rapidly began filling my plate with a little of this and a little of that, when—
“Oh, there you are, Rae.” Hilda appeared. She wore an evening gown as well, a long blue dress. It looked so good on her that I couldn’t help being intimidated.
“Is something the matter, Miss Hilda?” I asked.
“Not at all, I just wanted to give you my thanks.” Her usual soft smile crossed her face. “Thanks to you, the empire’s cuisine has greatly improved. We even made it in time for the princess’s debut. I can’t thank you enough.”
“No, I hardly did anything.”
“Modesty isn’t always a virtue, Rae. You’ve done well. Be proud of it.”
“Right…” I wasn’t being modest; I really didn’t think I’d done much.
“Hilda, you came!” a voice called out.
“Good evening, Princess,” Hilda said.
Philine approached. I’d seen her dancing with a number of people earlier, so she was presumably taking a short break.
“Have you eaten yet?” Hilda asked. “The food is wonderful.”
“Thank you, but I’ll hold off until I’ve finished my engagements. Ah, Rae, where might I find Claire? I want to ask her to dance.”
“Miss Claire should still be out there. Perhaps you passed her?”
“I see… She would be popular, wouldn’t she?”
“Indeed. As her partner, I’m both proud and jealous of that fact.”
“Yeah…” Philine looked a bit downcast when I said the word “partner.”
I’m not giving her up even if you make that face, you know.
“How about a dance with me, then?” Hilda offered.
“Oh, sure,” Philine answered.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Princess. I was asking Rae.”
“Huh?” Philine’s face paled.
Hilda gave no indication that she noticed. “How about it, Rae?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t intend to dance with anyone other than Miss Claire.”
“I see. A pity.”
“Plotting something?” I asked.
“You can tell?”
“All too easily.”
As Hilda and I crossed swords again, Philine stammered, “I-I’m going to go back out and dance…”
I watched her go before I turned to Hilda. “Was that intentional just now?”
“You could tell?”
“Is that wise? Won’t this hurt your career?”
“The princess’s stock has dropped of late. I believe you will prove far more useful to me.” Hilda wasn’t even bothering to hide it anymore.
“You realize I’m not a citizen of the empire, right?”
“Even so, you are close to Her Majesty. Perhaps even more so than the princess.”
“You’re overestimating me.”
“Am I? Her Majesty doesn’t so much as notice the princess anymore, but she has eyes on you. You and Claire François.” Hilda smiled curiously—not the usual soft one but an expression that hinted at her genuine scheming self.
“You’ve done something awful, Miss Hilda.”
“Have I?”
“Yes, to Lady Philine. Of all the people working with the imperial family, she likes you the most.”
“Oh, really? And how might you know that?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Even an ordinary student at the Imperial Academy can see it.” I was referring to my classmate Anna, who was the font of all our reports on Philine’s affection levels. Anna really was as ordinary as they came.
“Heh heh, you’re good. I see leading questions won’t get me any information.”
“I don’t care what you think of me,” I said. “We’re talking about Philine right now. She might be a strong girl, but everybody has a limit. Being betrayed by someone she trusts will be too much for her.”
“You sure know where you stand on the issue.” Hilda snickered.
I believed Philine to be a touch unstable at the moment. The person she liked, Claire, was already with me—someone who, not to gloat, had a long list of achievements that only began with a revolution. To make matters worse, Dorothea—her own mother—favored me. And now Hilda did too? There was no way she didn’t have an inferiority complex where I was concerned.
“Why don’t you work together with me?” Hilda asked. “You want to change this country, don’t you?”
“I don’t think this is the place for such a conversation,” I said before walking away.
The empire wasn’t a threat to us at present, but it was entirely possible that that wouldn’t remain true in the future. I didn’t want to take any chances.
Ugh… What a pain.
I wasn’t quite sure if this had helped or hindered the plan Claire and I had hatched to manipulate the empire, but my gut told me it was a problem. We’d initially intended to use Philine to change the empire’s aggressive foreign policy, but the wedge between Philine and I kept getting larger. Perhaps we should change our plans.
After walking for a bit, I came across Lana.
“Is something the matter, Ms. Rae?” she asked. As she had said a while ago, she wasn’t interested in dancing, filling her plate with food instead.
“Oh, nothing. Where’s Eve?” I asked.
“Dancing with Joel. You wouldn’t think it of her, but she’s the type to get swept up by a crowd.” Lana laughed happily.
Her easygoing nature was just what I needed after my exhausting encounter with Hilda.
“Do you not dance much, Lana?” I asked.
“Nope. I suck at dancing,” she said with a smile.
“Didn’t you have dance classes back at the Royal Academy?”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t really suited to it.”
“I see… You’re like me, then.”
“I’d have liked to dance with you if I knew how to. Oh, why don’t we dance under the bedsheets tonight? That’s more up my alley.” Lana shimmied at me teasingly.
“Don’t spout such drivel!”
“Ow!”
Claire had taken a brief break from the dancing and appeared just in time to give Lana a quick chop to the shoulders.
“Did you meet Philine, Miss Claire?” I asked.
“I did. She asked me to dance, but I was a little tired, so I declined.”
“Oh dear…” Bad luck.
“Is something the matter?” she asked.
“Well…” I proceeded to explain what had just transpired with Hilda.
“I see…”
“Why not dance with her now?” I suggested. Even if Philine disliked me, our plan had a chance as long as she still liked Claire.
“That would have the opposite effect, I’m afraid. She would think I had some ulterior motive if I asked her to dance after turning her down.”
“I see…”
In the end, the ball ended without any events of further note. Save for one thing, anyway. The guest of honor, Philine herself, announced she would be leaving early.
***
“Welcome. You may approach.”
Dorothea had summoned me to her audience chamber—alongside Aleah, strangely enough. We hadn’t brought any of Aleah’s formal wear with us to the empire, so we had to put in an emergency rush order at the same shop where I’d bought my dress. She looked absolutely, positively adorable.
Claire had come with us but was currently waiting in the antechamber, as she hadn’t been personally summoned.
Dorothea leaned back deeply on her throne, Josef as ever by her side.
“I hear the culinary reforms bode well. Well done, Rae,” she said.
“Yeah, well, the imperial chefs already had the skills. I just gave them the chance to use them,” I replied.
I honestly didn’t think I deserved the credit. All I’d done was persuade Dorothea, participate in a cook-off, and send Aleah to train the young chefs—as well as a variety of insignificant things not worth mentioning.
“I shall grant you a reward,” Dorothea said. “Name it.”
“All right. I’ve already asked this of Hilda, but I reiterate my request that the Bauer exchange students receive special protection from the demons.”
“Mmm… Very well. Did you have anything specific in mind?”
“That’s for you to think about. The details would fall to your national security, would they not?”
“That is true. Very well, I shall think on it.”
“Is that all for today, Your Majesty?” I wanted to go home and flirt with Claire—my every second was valuable.
“Not yet. I shall grant Aleah a reward as well. What will it be?”
“Huh?” Aleah froze up.
“The chefs you trained have unanimously praised your work,” Dorothea explained. “You have restored their pride.”
“They did?” Aleah muttered.
Dorothea regaled us with their words. It seemed the young chefs who had originally resisted the idea of learning from a young child had gradually changed their minds.
“Now that I think about it, the lot of us were probably stuck in the status quo.”
Despite being in the Ministry of Culinary Affairs, where the Nur Empire’s very best chefs gathered, chefs lacked social status on the whole. They took pride in their skills, but no one gave their craft its due.
“But Ms. Aleah told us that wasn’t how things ought to be.”
At some point during her lessons, Aleah had told them something that banished their fears once and for all: Good food is magic. The work you do as chefs is amazing.
In Nur, many chefs had come to the profession after they failed the cut to join the military. Like Aleah, many of them had low or no magic aptitude. Thus, hearing her say that they had magic in their own right had struck a chord.
“Ms. Aleah gave us back our pride. So if you must reward someone, please reward her.”
“All the chefs wished for you to be rewarded thus,” said Dorothea. “Accept it.”
“Y-yes!” Aleah cried enthusiastically, looking delighted.
I was so proud of her. That night we’d cried together, after she discovered her lack of magic aptitude, felt like forever ago.
“Good. What will it be?” Dorothea asked.
“I can ask for anything?”
“You must.”
“Then…then make me as amazing as my quad-caster sister.”
I gasped at this request. Even if Aleah refused to voice it, I had always suspected she had an inferiority complex with regard to May.
“Mmm, I see…” Dorothea nodded. “That will be difficult.”
“Is it impossible?” Aleah asked.
“The empress of Nur never goes back on her word. I’ll train you myself.”
“Huh?!” I blurted out, unable to believe my ears. The empress of Nur was going to train my daughter? As in, the Sword God herself would take Aleah as a disciple?
“Your Majesty?!” Josef exclaimed. “It is unheard of for the ruler of Nur to offer guidance to a citizen of another country!”
His complaint was valid. Another fact to consider was that Bauer, where Aleah was from, had been at war with Nur not too long ago.
“Well, you’ve heard of it now,” Dorothea responded.
“Spare me the sophistry and think of your position!”
“Old man, do you really think the one you’re risking your life to admonish is so contemptible as to go back on her word?”
“Must you really train the enemy, Your Majesty?!”
“If you’re so worried about enemies, you can protect me yourself.”
Josef was at a loss for words. To protect Dorothea—again, the Sword God—one would have to be stronger than a demon.
“We’ll start tomorrow…no, right now,” said Dorothea. “Come, Aleah.”
“Yes!” Aleah said.
“Your Majesty!” wailed Josef.
“Huh… No, wait, hold on a minute, Your Majesty,” I said.
“What? You too?” she snorted.
“Aleah is only six!”
I knew Aleah had talent—I’d seen her train with Rod. But this was enemy territory, and Dorothea wasn’t exactly a person I could trust.
“I’ll have someone cast strengthening magic on her and arrange for a healer,” Dorothea said dismissively.
“Even so—”
“What kind of mother denies her own daughter’s wishes?”
I don’t want to hear that from someone who won’t even look Philine in the eye! That was what I wanted to say, but I narrowly stopped myself.
“She may be young, but your daughter is already a blade drawn from its sheath,” Dorothea said.
I was still worried…but this had been Aleah’s own request, and if she were to go down the path of the sword, then she could have no better teacher than Dorothea. Still, I hesitated.
“Mother Rae, please.”
“Aleah…”
“I want to become strong. Like Mother Claire and Mother Rae.” Aleah’s eyes burned with conviction.
I finally made up my mind. “All right. Please teach her,” I said to Dorothea.
“Leave her to me. Oh, right. Philine wanted to see you. Go to her.”
“I will. Try your best, Aleah.”
“Yes, Mother!”
With that, Aleah left together with Dorothea.
“I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you, Josef,” I said.
“If you’re sorry, you should have stopped Her Majesty,” he grumbled.
“I couldn’t possibly pass up the opportunity to have the Sword God train my daughter.”
“It could be a trap, you know?”
“That’s unlikely, considering her personality.”
“Indeed, indeed.” Josef sighed as he rubbed his eyes.
“May I ask the way to Lady Philine’s room?”
“I’ll send someone to guide you. You are dismissed.”
“Thank you very much.” With that, I left the audience chamber behind.
“We just can’t seem to get enough of each other lately, can we?”
“Oh, just terrific.” I grimaced when I discovered that Hilda was the person Josef had sent to guide me—which surely no one could fault me for.
“It seems your stock in the empire has risen yet again,” she said with great interest. She’d clearly already heard about Dorothea training Aleah.
“I think you mean Aleah’s has. This is all her achievement.”
“She’s your foster daughter, is she not? It’s just as much your achievement.”
I supposed there was some truth to that.
“Oops, I better leave it at that,” Hilda said. “There’s no merit in getting on your bad side any more than I already am.”
“Sure…” I didn’t hate Hilda or anything, but I certainly didn’t like her either. If anything, I supposed I found her difficult to deal with because she was so similar to me.
“The princess’s room, correct? Right this way.” Hilda led the way. “I heard through the grapevine that you can predict the future. Is that true, Rae Taylor?”
“Of course not.”
Hilda had probably heard rumors from undercover spies in Bauer around the time of the revolution, but I wasn’t about to confirm anything.
“Then what was that you said to me earlier about me ‘dreaming a little big,’ I wonder?”
Crap. I had said that, hadn’t I? I’d just been trying to keep her in check, but maybe it had backfired.
“Just some good insight,” I answered.
“Truthfully? I’m impressed. But that insight, or whatever it may be, appears to be a bit flawed.”
Huh? What does she mean by that?
“We’re here,” Hilda said, standing before what had to be Philine’s room. “I shall take my leave then.”
“Thank you very much.” I watched her go before knocking on Philine’s door.
“Yes…?” a voice said from inside.
“It’s Rae. I heard you wanted to talk with me?”
“Please enter.”
“Pardon me.” I opened the door and stepped inside. It had been unlocked. A bit careless, no?
The room was dark for some reason. The lamps were all off, preventing me from seeing very far.
“Lady Philine?”
“Back here, Rae.”
I moved toward her voice. I have a bad feeling about this…
“Rae…” Philine was standing in her bedroom, before her bed, facing away from me.
“Why are the lamps off?” I asked.
“I didn’t want you to see.”
“Huh?”
“I’m surely making…an awful face right now.” Without a pause, she lunged at me.
“Lady…Philine?!”
She pinned me to the ground, her hands locked around my neck.
“Please…die…Rae Taylor.”
***
My mind raced to find a way out of my predicament. Luckily, I had instinctively managed to wedge some of my fingers under Philine’s, so I wasn’t suffocating just yet. That didn’t change the fact I was pinned down, nor the fact that I wasn’t particularly versed in any martial arts.
If I’d known this would happen, I’d have asked Claire to teach me more than the basics of self-defense!
It would have been a simple matter to just send Philine flying with my magic, but that would most definitely injure her. Even if I was the true victim here, this was the empire, and moreover, we were within the Imperial Castle. The truth of the incident would no doubt be covered up, and then—
“It’s…all your fault…? You took everything from me…!” Philine whispered deliriously as she tightened her grip. Her bloodshot eyes told me she wasn’t herself. There was something else at play here—but figuring that out would have to come after I was safe.
Now, then, what to do?
Philine panted heavily, her face contorted into an expression I won’t describe for fear of besmirching her reputation. It was safe to assume she was under the influence of some magic or drug.
“I held it in…as you took Claire…Hilda…even Mother from me!”
“Lady…Philine…”
She wasn’t herself at that moment, but the malice in her voice was all too real. As I mentioned when I spoke with Hilda at the ball, Philine’s resentment toward me had been building for a while now. Even while under the influence of some other power, she couldn’t have attacked me so fiercely if she bore no real hatred for me.
“Give them back…! Give them back…!” Philine’s breathing grew further ragged, her hands clenching tighter around my neck.
It hurt. It felt like my fingers would break.
“Give them…back…!” Abruptly, Philine’s face contorted in anguish, her trembling lips opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. “What…did you do…?!”
I hadn’t done a thing. This was simply a natural physiological response within her body.
Philine was a delicate and introverted girl. Attempting something like murder caused her an extreme amount of stress, hence why her breathing ran so ragged. That breathing in turn lowered the amount of carbon dioxide in her blood, which forced her to breathe even faster, again lowering the amount of carbon dioxide in her blood—looping ad nauseam.
Chronic hyperventilation syndrome—more commonly known as simply hyperventilation.
“Why… How…” Philine’s grip gradually loosened before she passed out entirely.
Whew… I don’t know if it was her chronic bad luck or plain bad planning on her part, but either way, I’m saved.
I caught my breath as I racked my brain. Should I call for someone? What would I even say? The imperial princess tried to choke me? No, nobody would believe that.
Seeing no other choice, I carried Philine to her bed and began first aid treatment. I cast detoxifying magic on her, just in case she had indeed been drugged, and I stroked her chest to try and calm her down. Her hyperventilation would resolve itself if she could breathe deeply, so a brief period of unconsciousness would enable her to recover.
In no time at all, she began to rouse.
“Hello, Lady Philine,” I said.
“I…what?”
“You went a bit cuckoo on me. That’s supposed to be Frieda’s thing, you know?”
“Ah!” Philine’s eyes burst open, and she made some distance between us. “I-I…”
“It’s okay, Lady Philine. You weren’t yourself.”
“But I—I…!”
“It’s okay.” I approached slowly, like one would a frightened animal, and hugged her soft body.
Philine was tense at first, but then she gradually eased into me. “I…I hate you, Rae… I hate Miss Claire and Hilda and Mother, I hate everyone…”
“I know.”
The floodgates finally burst, and she sobbed in my arms.
Uhhh, what am I supposed to do now?
“But the one I really hate—”
She was about to say something, but just then—
“Princess Philine?!”
“Rae?!”
The door to the room swung open and two people stepped in—Hilda and Claire. I imagined Claire had come looking for me after I’d been gone for some time. As for Hilda, she and I would need to have a chat later. A nice and thorough chat.
The two of them stared at us. More specifically, at my neck.
“Lady Philine…y-you couldn’t have,” Claire muttered.
Philine had tried to strangle me with everything she had, so to no surprise, her fingers had left marks on my neck. Now how was I getting us out of this one?
“Oh, but she did, Miss Claire,” I said.
“No… But why?”
“Why, because I asked her to practice strangulation play with me!” I chirped.
“Huh?!” Philine looked like a pigeon nailed by a BB gun.
More people were gathering, having heard the commotion.
“Yes, I asked Lady Philine to choke me, but she couldn’t bear it and broke down crying halfway through,” I said.
“What?!” Philine exclaimed.
“Just go with it for now,” I whispered in her ear.
“But why would you request such a thing, Rae?!” Claire demanded.
“I wanted to practice before doing it with you, of course! It’d be rude of me to pass out midway through our session!”
“Miss Claire has such a fetish?!” the crowd whispered furiously.
“I do not!” she insisted. “And you, Lady Philine!”
“Ah, y-yes?!” Philine straightened her back at Claire’s sharp tone.
“You mustn’t accept such requests! There’s a limit to how kind one can be!”
Philine sniffed heartily. “Uunh…waaaah!”
“You’ve even made her cry, Rae! Get down on the floor and get on your knees!” Claire barked.
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Who said you could sit down?!”
“You did, just—”
“On your knees without sitting down!”
“How?!”
Our strange comedy act was interrupted by Josef. “Rae Taylor, I ask that you not practice your peculiar fetishes with our princess,” he said after heaving a deep sigh. “All right, everyone, disperse. And not a peep of this to anyone, all right?”
He clapped his hands, signaling the onlookers to shuffle out of the room. At length, he left himself, but not before stopping to quietly whisper, “And now you owe me one, Rae Taylor.”
Oh. He totally knew.
“Was that convincing enough?” Claire asked as soon as it was just her, Philine, and I left in the room. Amazing. She’d realized I was acting and played along.
“Yes, that was perfect. Thank you very much,” I said.
“Why did you cover for me?” Philine asked. “I tried to strangle you…”
“Well, it wouldn’t be my first time being strangled,” I said.
“Huh? So you two really do that kind of thing?” she asked.
“We do not!” Claire said.
“Sadly, it wasn’t with Miss Claire.” I was referring to that time with Sandrine, in case you were wondering.
“If you covered for me out of pity… I’d rather you didn’t,” Philine said self-derisively.
Goodness, this girl… I sighed. “Don’t say that. I care about you. If you weren’t around, well…that’d be a problem for me.”
“I don’t understand.” Philine looked at me dubiously. “We aren’t close. If anything, we’re rivals, fighting over Claire.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. I’ve been watching you for a while now. In a sense, I met Miss Claire because of you.” I was thinking back to playing Revo-Lily, the game in which I’d first met Claire—not as Rae Taylor, but while playing in the role of Philine. “If things had been just a bit different, I might have been in your shoes. Besides…”
“Yeah?”
“The villainess may have won my heart, but the princess has won my respect. Well, I also respect Miss Claire, but you get the idea.”
Philine was shy and timid—in other words, just an ordinary girl. But if given time to grow, she could be strong enough to overthrow the Nur Empire. I genuinely liked her.
“I really believe we can be good friends,” I said. A relationship like the one I had with Claire was likely impossible, but one closer to that of friendly rivals definitely wasn’t out of the question.
“Even after what I did to you?” Philine asked.
“That was nothing. At least, not between kindred spirits.”
“What do you mean?”
“C’mon, you really don’t know? We’re both devotees of Miss Claire!”
“Ah! You’re right!”
Philine and I shared a firm handshake.
“Unbelievable… Must you two end things on a joke?” Claire seemed greatly perplexed by the outcome. |
Chapter 13: To Change the Empire
Chapter 13:To Change the Empire
“I THINK THE NUR EMPIRE is heading toward ruin as it is.”
It was currently lunch break, a few days after Philine and I had come to an accord. The classroom was unusually empty, with only Claire, Philine, me, and a small handful of other students present. The three of us were chatting over lunch when Philine said those words seemingly out of the blue.
“What do you mean?” Claire asked as she shot a glance my way. Her meaning was clear: This could be our chance.
“The empire has taken aggressive action against many countries, not just the Bauer Kingdom,” said Philine. “We’ll be surrounded by enemies on all sides at this rate.”
As I expected, Philine had been concerned about the state of her country this whole time. For now, she was a princess in name only, lacking in both authority and ability, but she still cared for her country’s well-being.
“Certainly, the empire has made a great number of enemies,” said Claire. “They’ve managed so far thanks to the strength of
their military and their focus on domestic industries, but that’s a poor reason to assume they’ll manage as well in the future.”
“Exactly. I’m especially worried about what would happen if the current ruler changed.” Philine hesitated. “If…if something were to happen to Mother, I fear the empire would lose its foundation. I wish to do something before that happens.”
“What do you think should be done, then?” Claire asked, wisely judging that Philine had broached this topic in hopes of seeking advice.
Put on the spot, Philine thought for a moment. “We have to shift the empire’s current foreign policy from one of aggression to one focused on reconciliation.”
Yes, yes, yes! I thought. If Philine hadn’t at least been aware of the problem, we would have gotten nowhere. This was a big step forward.
“I see…” said Claire. “But such change would be difficult to achieve with the empire in its current state. There are a number of problems that need to be fixed first.”
“That’s true,” Philine agreed.
“What problems do you see?” Claire asked.
Philine thought for a moment once again. “I think the biggest issue is the fact that Mother doesn’t see a problem with her current policies. But in another light, that also means we can change the empire’s policies if only we change my mother’s mind.”
“Oh, indeed. For better or worse, Her Majesty has great influence over this country,” said Claire. “It would be no exaggeration to say all your foreign policy is dependent on her.”
“But I really don’t get the feeling she’ll change her mind so easily,” I added.
This was the stubborn Dorothea we were dealing with, after all. She seemed to have put a lot of thought into her current policies, based on what little I had gathered from my audiences with her.
“We’ll need evidence to support our case, but with the empire as well-off as it is now, finding any might be difficult. It’d be nice to at least have more people who shared my cause, though…” Philine didn’t have many allies to turn to, as evidenced by the fact she’d brought her woes to a couple of foreigners. “Still, it’s not like I have nobody on my side. Mother’s manservant seems to agree with me.”
Oh, that worldly wise elderly manservant… I think his name was Josef?
“But as her manservant, he can’t openly oppose my mother. He does what he can to persuade her against her…stronger impulses at every possible opportunity, but that’s the limit.”
I remembered the elderly manservant becoming a reliable ally to Philine in Revo-Lily, but I doubted the two were as close at the present moment. He wasn’t an enemy, but he wasn’t entirely on our side yet.
“There’s also a certain group that, well… I don’t know if I’d call them allies, but they seem to respect me…?” Philine said.
“Really? That’s great. What group is this?” I asked.
“Well, it’s…the army.”
“The army?!” I exclaimed. Hold the phone—did that mean Philine was already talking with their higher-ups?
“Oh, sorry! By army, I meant a small group of noncommissioned officers and soldiers.”
“Ohh…” I nodded. “That surprised me.”
“For what reason do they respect you?” Claire asked.
With some embarrassment, Philine explained. “As part of my imperial duties, I once had to observe the armed forces at work. I saw a group of noncommissioned officers being overworked by their drill instructor. They told me it was normal for the army, but I just couldn’t bear it, so I stepped in…”
Harsh training was par for the course for the military, no matter what country you were in. Luckily, Philine’s intervention had turned out to be the right course of action. The drill instructor was found to be overworking his soldiers far beyond conventional limits and was later punished by military law. Since then, a portion of the noncommissioned officers and soldiers had held Philine in high esteem, or so she explained.
“Wow, I didn’t know you could be so well liked,” I said.
“Why do you have to sound so surprised?! I’m well aware of how unpopular I am. You don’t need to rub it in…” Philine protested, but her words went straight through one ear and out the other as my mind raced to think of ways to best utilize this information. “Still, it might not matter, seeing as Mother’s influence is strongest with the army. If they were commissioned officers, it might be a different story…”
Philine smiled feebly as she said this, but I disagreed. I saw potential in this nugget of information, which I tucked carefully away in a corner of my mind.
“What about Hilda?” asked Claire. “Isn’t she closely involved with the empire’s Department of Magic Technology?”
“Yes, she is,” Philine answered. “Hilda’s network is something of a marvel. The empire’s growth owes much to magic, giving that department influence, second only to Mother herself, and Hilda much political sway. But…”
“But?” Claire urged Philine to continue.
“It seems she’s grown tired of me.” Philine smiled faintly. She was likely thinking back to what had happened at the ball. “Hilda only has eyes for Rae right now. If anyone were to ask for her help, it should be—”
“That’s not right, Lady Philine,” I interrupted. She looked back at me with surprise. “Hilda’s not the type to become infatuated with someone. She simply aligns herself with whomever she thinks will benefit her the most.”
“You sure know her well,” she said.
“Now’s not the time to be jelly.”
“Jell…I’m sorry?” Philine asked, confused.
“Don’t worry about it. Anyway, mucking about and hoping Hilda will come back around to you will achieve nothing. You’re going to have to show her you have value, and you’re going to have to do it yourself.”
Hilda really wasn’t all that complex. She gravitated to those who seemed useful and nothing more. If Philine wanted to gain her support, she needed to prove her worth.
“We also need to make allies with the rebel forces inside the empire,” Claire said.
“Wh-what?!” Philine’s eyes widened with surprise. “Th-the rebel forces?”
“Did you think there weren’t any?” Claire asked. “There are quite a few religious states under the empire’s rule, no? Even if they’ve been conquered by force, it doesn’t mean they’ve given up spiritually.”
Dorothea allowed the citizens of her empire freedom of religion and freedom to proselytize. While this sounded good on paper, her real intent was to keep the various sects in check by pitting them against each other to squabble among themselves for influence.
But she had underestimated the power of faith.
“I’ve caught wind of rumors,” said Claire. “They tell of rebel forces secretly gathering under a certain person’s lead.”
“I had no idea… Do you think they’ll help me if I meet with them?” Philine asked.
“Before that, I need to know if you’re ready, Lady Philine.”
“If I’m…ready?”
Claire nodded. “Seeking Hilda’s aid is one thing, as you both serve the empire. To discuss allying with the rebel forces is a completely different matter. You would, without a doubt, be opposing the empire…as well as Her Majesty Dorothea.”
“I…” Philine paused. Resolve wavered in her eyes. She wanted to fix the empire, but did she have what it took?
“If you really wish to change the empire, you must eventually confront Her Majesty. Can you do it?” Claire asked.
Philine was silent for a few moments. Slowly, and with great effort, she found her words. “A long time ago, Mother brought me to a certain place.”
“Huh? What are you—”
“Miss Claire,” I hushed. “Please, continue, Philine.”
“I was so happy to have Mother spending time with me that I didn’t even think to care where we were going. I…I didn’t know, then…”
Her gaze fell downward as she spoke. This was an important memory—the moment when she had begun to harbor doubts about the empire.
“She took me to see an execution.”
That memory was a deep wound carved into her mind.
“The man was being executed for plotting against the empire. I was too young to understand quite what he was saying, but he spoke out against the empire until the bitter end.”
And then he was decapitated, right before her eyes. To this day, she couldn’t forget that scene, dyed deeply red.
“I clung to Mother out of fear. But all I received from her were those cold, frightening words.”
“All who defy me meet this end. Does that scare you?”
“I couldn’t answer her. I was terrified, completely and utterly terrified. But not of what I saw befall that man. I was terrified of Mother.”
From that moment onward, Philine could no longer gauge where she stood with regard to Dorothea.
“Mother is a charismatic person. But part of that charisma comes from fear. It’s the same for the empire. If you oppose the empire, you die. That’s why so many countries fear us. But that can’t last.”
Philine raised her head and looked us confidently in the eyes.
“Somebody needs to stop Mother. And I want to be that somebody.” She spoke with conviction, her eyes no longer betraying doubt. “Claire, Rae. Will you help me stop her?”
“Of course,” Claire said, nodding deeply. “And Rae will too, right?”
“Yes. I’ll do everything I can to help,” I said.
“Thank you both.”
“We’re finally making progress, Rae.”
“That we are, Miss Claire.”
We talked as we climbed into bed together for the night.
“I’ll try my best. For May and Aleah’s sake too,” she said.
“Yes, I will as well.”
There had been some complications along the way, but we could now finally start what we’d come here to do.
It was time to begin our plan to change the empire.
***
“Hilda, do you have a moment?”
“Oh, Princess Philine. Forgive me, I’m a little preoccupied right now. Allow me to come by later.”
“O-oh, okay…”
“I’m truly sorry. Until next time.”
Philine watched sadly as Hilda paced away.
It being Sunday, school was out. We were in a corridor of the Imperial Castle. In order to establish contact with Hilda, Philine had granted Claire and me permission to enter the palace grounds. Claire had suggested we go talk to Hilda as a group, but Philine insisted she do it alone. It was good to see her taking initiative, as she would need to be the driving force behind shifting the Nur Empire’s foreign policy toward reconciliation, but things just weren’t panning out.
“She gave me the cold shoulder,” Philine sniffed.
“You need to be more forceful, Lady Philine,” Claire said. “You’re the imperial princess, and Hilda is but a mere official. Be more assertive.”
“Assertive…” she mumbled back.
“That’s right, Lady Philine,” I said. “Learn from Miss Claire’s example. She could suck up at least an hour of someone’s time, easy—even if they had important business to attend to.”
“I’d never!” Claire exclaimed.
Hmm…really now?
While she had mellowed out a lot, back in the original Revolution, she had often sought out Thane and taken him hostage with conversation in the corridors of the Academy, despite his clear lack of interest. Of course, that always ended with her blowing a gasket once the protagonist walked by and stole his attention.
Hours passed. It was now around noon and time for another pass at Hilda.
“Hilda, I have something to discuss with you,” Philine said.
“May we do this later? I’m actually on my way to report something urgent to Her Majesty.”
“Oh… I see. I understand, later is fine.”
“Once again, I’m truly sorry.”
And so, Hilda managed to brush Philine off yet again.
“Th-this is hard…” Philine said.
“Don’t give up,” Claire said. “If you stumble here, at the very first step, you can say goodbye to your chances of ever convincing Her Majesty.”
“You’re right. Oh, you’re absolutely right…” Philine said dispiritedly.
Aw, jeez… I patted her shoulder. “Why not practice with Miss Claire a bit?”
“Huh?” Philine said.
“Me?” Claire asked.
“We’ll act it out. Lady Philine will try to keep Miss Claire here, while Miss Claire will do what she can to leave. Sound good?” I asked.
“L-Let’s try it!” Philine said.
“Why does it feel like I’m being cast as the antagonist here?” Claire sighed. “Oh, no matter. Let’s give it a go.”
Actors, take your places. And…action!
“My, Lady Philine. Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon, Claire. Are you free for a moment?”
“I’m so very sorry, but I’m feeling a little under the weather right now. Is later all right?”
“O-oh, of course…”
“Cut, cut!” I yelled. That was terrible! “You know she’s feigning illness, so why in the world are you backing down?”
“But if she were actually sick, what else could I do?” Philine asked.
“At least ask questions to make sure she’s really sick—not faking it—before giving up.”
“Yes, only relent once there’s no room for doubt,” Claire added.
“This is harder than I thought… Could you show me an example, Rae?”
“Sure, why not?”
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Claire muttered.
Role change: Rae swapping in for Philine. Take two. And…action!
“My, Rae. Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon, Miss Claire. You’re abso-tremendous-lutely stunning today, as you are every day. Oh, how I adore you!”
“Th-thank you very much. I’ll be on my way, then.”
“No, no, no, let’s talk some more! The night is still young, is it not, my fair lady?”
“What in heaven’s name are you saying, Rae?! …I mean, forgive me, but I feel a little under the weather, so—”
“That won’t do!”
“Eek!”
I abruptly swept Claire into my arms.
“I’ll nurse you back to health, so please converse with me in return,” I whispered lovingly into her ear, my face inches from hers.
“Stop! I said stop!” Claire exclaimed.
Darn. And things were just getting good.
“Have you forgotten the point of this practice?!” she exclaimed.
“Hm? It’s to stop someone from leaving and make them listen to you. I’m pretty certain I’m doing this right,” I said.
“There’s no way anybody could replicate what you just did!”
“Huh? Really?”
“In the first place, you’d get in trouble doing that to anybody else! You were clearly coming on to me!”
“Oh, I get it. We’re supposed to make Hilda come on to us?”
“Yes—wait, no!” Claire’s shoulders heaved as she gasped for air.
Yup, wifey was cute today as well.
“Well, there you have it. Easy enough, right?” I said to Philine.
“It sure looked like you two were just flirting to me,” she said.
Whoopsie.
“The wrong people were in the wrong roles. Let’s have Lady Philine play Hilda, while I play Lady Philine,” Claire said.
“Oh, that sounds like a good idea,” Philine agreed.
“Let’s give it a go,” I said.
Enh, another casting change. Take three.
“Oh, good afternoon, Claire.”
“Good afternoon, Lady Philine. Are you free to talk right now?”
“I’m sorry, Claire. I have a previous engagement to uphold. Is another time all right?”
“I don’t mind waiting for you to finish.”
“U-umm…I probably won’t finish within the day. Perhaps another day would be best?”
“I understand. What day works best for you?”
“Ugh… I-I surrender…”
Claire cleverly guided the conversation, eventually forcing a promise to meet. As a former belle of high society, something of this level was but child’s play to her.
“That was amazing, Claire,” said Philine. “Like magic.”
“That was nothing. Just remember to make your voice heard without being rude.”
“I see, I see.”
“If the other side still tries to avoid you while you’ve maintained civility, you can then reprimand them for their rudeness. I cornered you just now because you realized it would be rude to deny me any further.”
“I see. Thank you, I think I can use this.”
Claire was openly antagonistic toward the protagonist in the original Revolution, but when among her noble peers, she pursued her goals through indirect means such as these. Her family and others close to her never saw her villainess side, so you might say the protagonist got special treatment—special in the sense of Claire’s starting prejudice against commoners, that is.
“Let’s have you try it yourself,” Claire said. “Rae, this time you will take the role of Hilda.”
“All right.”
“Are you ready, Lady Philine?”
“Y-yes!”
Aaand take four.
“Oh, Rae. Is now a good time?”
“It is not.”
“Huh?”
“Pardon me.” Taking advantage of her hesitation, I walked away.
“What are you doing, Rae?!” Claire exclaimed. “Hilda would never be so rude!”
“Well, we don’t know that for sure. We’d best be prepared for anything.”
“We need Lady Philine to have some confidence first! Just look at what you’ve done to her!”
I looked over at Philine to see her on the verge of tears.
“Don’t you think she looks kinda cute when she’s about to cry?” I asked.
“I do not! Take this seriously!” Claire scolded.
In the end, we practiced until the sun went down. I don’t know how much our practice actually ended up helping, but—
“Very well. I shall meet you in your room tomorrow afternoon, then.”
Philine somehow succeeded in getting Hilda to promise to meet her.
***
There was a knock at the door, causing Philine to shoot a nervous look my way. Claire and I nodded, prompting her to nod back before calling the visitor in.
“Pardon the intrusion… Oh?” Hilda raised an eyebrow upon noticing Claire and me. “I came because Princess Philine requested we talk, but I wasn’t aware you two would be present.”
“This conversation will concern us as well,” said Claire. “I trust our presence won’t be an issue?”
“Of course not. I am quite busy, however, and would prefer to keep this brief if possible,” Hilda said, polite but assertive.
The old Philine would have been overwhelmed by those words, allowing the reins of the conversation to be snatched from her. But now?
“I understand. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to come here. I’ll strive to keep this brief, but please do take a seat.” Philine calmly urged Hilda to sit down.
Hilda looked slightly startled, likely realizing this wouldn’t be as cut-and-dried as she first thought. I’d always believed Philine had it in her to put her foot down. She’d just needed some practice was all.
With resignation, Hilda sighed and sat in the chair. The smile she always plastered on when in front of Philine was gone, replaced by a cold, indifferent visage. “So? What is it?”
“What do you think of the current state of the Nur Empire?” Philine asked without pause. She was past getting hung up on changes in other people’s facial expressions.
“That’s quite an abstract question,” Hilda said. “The empire is a wonderful state, perhaps the greatest in the world.”
“I agree. But are things really sustainable as they are? Don’t you think the empire is making too many enemies?” Philine didn’t let Hilda’s cookie-cutter answer stop her, pressing forward.
Hilda’s face remained as expressionless as a Noh mask. “Certainly, the empire has many enemies. But the empire also has the strength needed to bring those enemies under its rule.”
“Does it really?” Philine challenged. “What about the three-nation alliance between Sousse, the Alpes, and Bauer? While we managed to maneuver against it this time, if their alliance had come to fruition, the empire would be in danger, would it not?”
“Hypotheticals will get us nowhere. All that matters is that the alliance didn’t come to fruition, and the empire is prospering,” Hilda said, dismissing Philine’s hindsight-based proposal.
“If the hypotheticals were groundless, perhaps. But the potential threat posed to the empire is very much real. I agree that the empire is prospering right now, but don’t you think it’s also walking on thin ice?” Philine didn’t give an inch, asserting the validity of her supposition.
“I see. Certainly, there is an element of danger to the current state of affairs, but such is always the case with diplomacy. There is simply no perfect way forward. All we can do is weigh the risks of the options available to us and choose as carefully as we can.” Hilda refuted the argument, seeming to imply Philine’s concerns were idealistic armchair theorizing.
“As insignificant as I am, I’m still a member of the imperial family. I know well enough how complex diplomacy can be. But is the empire’s current foreign policy truly the wisest? Are we really choosing the best options?” Philine pushed forward even further, hinting at an alternative.
“What do you mean to say?” Hilda asked.
“I believe it’s time the empire put an end to its aggressive approach to foreign policy and adopted a more reconciliation-focused tack.”
Philine threw the first punch. Now, how would Hilda counter?
“Did these people of Bauer put you up to this?” Hilda glared our way.
“No, I’ve always felt this way,” said Philine. “I arrived at this conclusion myself.”
“Do you realize the implications of what you’re suggesting? You’ll be defying Her Majesty’s own decree.”
“I’m well aware.”
“You of all people should know what happens to those who defy Her Majesty. Do you have a death wish?” One corner of Hilda’s mouth curved into a scoff.
“As a member of the imperial family, it is my duty to think of the future of my people. I will change any foreign policy that endangers the citizens, even if it means defying Mother.”
“And how do you propose you will do that? Pardon my rudeness, but for a member of the imperial family, you have little to no power to speak of. You’re not the heir, nor do you have a large faction backing you.”
“I know. That’s why I want you to help me,” said Philine.
Hilda fell silent.
Philine continued on regardless. “You have great political insight, as well as close ties to the Department of Magic Technology. If I had you by my side, I wouldn’t be a powerless princess anymore.”
Hilda remained silent, simply staring at Philine. To me, it seemed as though she were peering into Philine’s heart to try and ascertain the truth of her.
“Please lend me your aid—for the empire, for its people.” Philine made her plea with sincerity, then bowed her head. An imperial princess bowing her head to a subject, even a gifted government official like Hilda, was no small gesture.
And yet, Hilda’s reply was: “What do I get out of this?”
“Huh?” Philine was taken aback by Hilda’s tone, no longer formal, but frank and rough.
Hilda frowned, took out a cigarette, and put it to her lips. “You didn’t seriously think I’d help you for nothing, did you, Philine? What’s in it for me?”
“Well…”
“Did you expect me to help you for the empire’s sake? The people’s? The future’s? Oh, how noble. It brings a tear to my eye to hear this from someone born with a silver spoon in her damned mouth.”
“Hilda…?” Philine was left bewildered by Hilda’s drastic change. Apparently, we’d hit the limit of what a day’s worth of practice could achieve.
Hilda continued. “Do you have any idea what it took to get to where I am? Do you have any idea what I had to go through just to no longer worry whether I’d have food to eat the next day? Do you?”
Philine said nothing, unable to do anything but tremble.
“So? What’ll it be, then? What’s my reward for helping you, huh? Surely you wouldn’t be stupid enough to think I’d help you out of the kindness of my heart?”
Philine still said nothing as Hilda continued to berate her.
I was about to say something to back up Philine when Claire stopped me with a look, her eyes telling me to let things play out some more.
“If you want someone’s help, you need to give them something in return. If you can’t do that much, then keep your trap shut and your head down like the damn ornament of a princess you are!” Hilda snarled.
Silence swallowed the room.
Moments ticked by. No matter how you looked at it, negotiations had ground to a halt. I was wondering if it would be best to end things then and there when Philine bravely cut through the silence.
“Are you finished?”
***
“Huh?” Hilda seethed. “Enough of this nonsense. Yeah, I’m finished here—”
“Sit down, Hilda.”
“No, I told you—”
“Sit down,” Philine said sternly, leaving no room for argument.
Hilda, about to stand, found herself sitting back down, abruptly overwhelmed.
“I understand what you mean to say. Certainly, I need to offer something in return for your service.”
“Right. And if you can’t do that, then you’re just wasting my—”
“Watch your tone,” Philine said. Her usual timidity was nowhere to be seen as she firmly reprimanded Hilda with composure and dignity. “I may be powerless, but I’m still a princess. Surely you understand what it means to insult me?”
“Hah! You’re resorting to authority now? Do it then. Try to punish me,” Hilda challenged.
“I may not be able to punish you for speaking down to me. But what about for drugging a princess?” Philine asked calmly.
“Wha—?!” Hilda was at a loss for words.
Philine was referring to the time she’d almost strangled me. I’d told her something was strange about her condition afterward, and I’d linked it to the suggestive words Hilda had said to me moments before I entered the room. But was it really wise to play that hand here and now?
“I haven’t a clue what you mean,” Hilda said.
“So you’re choosing to play dumb. Understandably so, as you’ve left no evidence.”
“We’re done here, then.”
“But I wonder what the people over at the Department of Magic Technology would think if I accused you?”
“Are you blackmailing me?”
However involved Hilda was with the department, that didn’t mean they considered her irreplaceable. There was no guarantee that an official with a blemish on their record would remain in their good graces, and judging by Hilda’s reaction, she knew it.
“Threaten me all you like, but I won’t yield,” Hilda snapped. “Even if you do go through with it, I’ll retaliate. With my connections, I can have your status—”
“No, Hilda. You’re missing my point.” A smile returned to Philine’s face, as though her way of speaking up until now, akin to Dorothea’s, had been but an act.
Hilda frowned in confusion.
“What I demonstrated just now was Mother’s means of negotiation. Having your way by forcing your opponent to submit, only engendering enmity. Unpleasant, isn’t it? That’s not how I want to do things,” Philine said.
Hilda said nothing.
“I saw something peculiar some time ago. A group of small children were bullying an even smaller girl. When I went to admonish them, do you know what they said?” Philine asked.
“What?”
“They said they were just imitating Her Majesty Dorothea. What could I say to that?”
The Nur Empire’s philosophy of complete meritocracy was a double-edged sword. For the strong, it was paradise, but for the weak, it was hell. Of course, the empire had some relief measures in place for the less fortunate, but they were nothing in comparison to the Bauer Kingdom’s, which had undergone democratization.
“The empire has taken survival of the fittest too far,” said Philine. “Someone needs to fix it.”
“I understand what you mean to say,” said Hilda, “But that changes nothing. You still haven’t offered me anything.”
“I’ll appoint you to be my knight. Serving an imperial princess will give you the status and prestige you desire, will it not?”
Hilda’s eyes went wide, as did mine. To tell the truth, I’d still underestimated Philine. I hadn’t thought she could pull off something like this.
Philine had possessed the chips to negotiate with Hilda from the very start, but she had been unable to play them effectively so long as Hilda was leading the conversation. That was why she’d shifted to a confrontational approach to instill a sense of danger—then broken that tension and started negotiations from square one. Her ability to negotiate put even Claire to shame.
“Do you think that would be enough for me?” Hilda said.
“On the contrary, I’m curious as to why you’re so hesitant to work for me. Certainly, you have your ties with our magic researchers netting you a fairly high position, but that’s hardly stable. As I noted, they are free to cut you off whenever.”
“It’d be the same if I served you.”
“No, it wouldn’t. We would be accomplices of sorts. I would be unable to betray you, and you would be unable to betray me.”
Hilda stared intently at Philine. She was no doubt weighing the pros and cons carefully inside her head.
Philine continued. “Hey, Hilda? Don’t you think it’s about time we spoke frankly to one another? I’ve told you my true intentions already, so won’t you drop the act for me?”
Hilda’s eyes went wide again. Philine’s intent was clear—she was overlooking Hilda’s earlier, foul-mouthed transgressions.
Philine smiled faintly. “I cannot offer you much. But I still want you by my side. Will you be my first ally in my mission to change the empire, Hilda?”
Once again, she asked for Hilda’s help. In a sense, she was just repeating what she had said before, but this time around, the circumstances were different.
Hilda was silent for some time.
“Ha ha…ha ha ha…” Her shoulders trembled as she began to laugh. “Aha ha ha! Oh dear… You got me, Princess. Wonderful job. You truly do have Her Majesty’s blood within you.”
Tears filled Hilda’s eyes, but she was smiling, bright and cheerily, as though the Hilda of moments prior were another person entirely.
“I don’t much like being compared to Mother,” Philine said.
“Oh, pardon me. Indeed, you aren’t very much like Her Majesty at all. Her Majesty would have forced me to obey. But you didn’t do that,” said Hilda. “And I think that difference will prove useful.”
“How so?”
“It would be contradictory for the person advocating reconciliation to use forceful means.” Hilda appeared to value Philine’s earnestness. “But please remember, my princess, that idealism is a rough road to walk in the world of politics and diplomacy. There will be times when you must make decisions that go against your beliefs.”
“Hilda…”
“But I want you to remain as you are. Leave the dirty work to those beneath you.”
“I could never!”
“Your role is to be someone people are willing to rally behind. You must remain faultless and pure, to the extent that others are willing to soil their hands for you. It’s as daunting a role as being the ones who take on the grim and the filth, for no matter how backed into a corner you may feel, you can never stain your own hands.” Hilda turned to us, then. “Claire, Rae, thank you for listening and holding your tongues. If either of you had stepped in at any point, I believe I would have left immediately.”
“Because if Lady Philine is to achieve what she seeks, she has to at least be able to convince you by herself, correct?” Claire asked.
“Indeed. I see she has found some reliable allies.” Hilda nodded, satisfied.
“So you’ll help us, Hilda?” Philine asked.
“I will…is what I would like to say, but I can’t without demanding one condition,” Hilda replied.
“Name it,” Philine said.
“If I’m to serve by your side, I need something to placate the Department of Magic Technology—a gift or offering of some sort.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know much about what they research.”
“I’m aware. But I think I know just the thing you can do for them.”
“What is it?” Philine asked.
I never could have predicted what Hilda would suggest next.
“I want you three to solve the mystery left behind by the former chief researcher, Torrid Magic—the Box of the Forbidden.”
***
With Hilda leading the way, we arrived at one of the Department of Magic Technology’s research facilities. The guards posted at the entrance asked for identification, signifying the importance of the work done within.
Once we entered, I saw researchers dressed like alchemists working with various laboratory instruments I didn’t recognize. The ages and genders of the researchers varied, but I could presume they were all the cream of the crop, gathered in accordance with Dorothea’s meritocratic beliefs.
They glanced briefly our way upon noticing us, but they soon turned back to their work. I wondered if it was really all right for them to be so dismissive of outsiders, but perhaps that was what the guards were for, while theirs was to devote themselves to their research.
“We’re here,” Hilda said, gesturing us into a room at the back of the facility. The room was small, about the size of a single bedroom, and it was empty save for a pedestal toward the back, with what looked like a small strongbox atop it. “This is the Box of the Forbidden.”
The imposingly named object was almost two feet cubed and made out of an unknown material that was neither stone nor metal. Three magic stones were embedded in its front face, which emitted faint black, blue, and red lights, respectively.
“You mentioned that somebody named Torrid Magic left this behind, but would that happen to be the same Torrid as the one now in Bauer?” Claire asked.
“Indeed. Torrid Magic, multi-caster. He was of the empire before he left for the Bauer Kingdom,” Hilda answered.
As a reminder in case you forgot, Torrid Magic was our old magic teacher at the Royal Academy. He was the Bauer Kingdom’s only multi-caster and currently acted as the Royal Academy’s principal. In the past, he had greatly advanced the kingdom’s knowledge of magic after they had fallen behind, having grown complacent due to their military strength. He had subsequently been knighted some time before the revolution.
I knew of the existence of the Box of the Forbidden from playing Revo-Lily, but I never would have imagined Mr. Torrid had made it—or even that he’d been in the empire at any point. His name had never come up once during any game scenes concerning the box.
“So this box won’t open?” Philine asked, examining it up close.
“Correct. The researchers have made many attempts since Torrid left, but they’ve yet to open it,” Hilda said. “The box is immensely durable too. Not even Her Majesty could leave a mark on it with her sword.”
No surprise there. If things were the same as in Revo-Lily, then this box was made out of adamantite, a metal said to be forged by the Spirit God itself. It could only be processed by magic and was near-impervious to physical force.
“It’s said that a magical secret that Torrid discovered lies within this box,” said Hilda. “A secret that cost many lives to uncover.”
“So that’s why it’s called the Box of the Forbidden.” Claire made a pained face.
“This box has stumped our researchers for years. The Department of Magic Technology will gladly support you if you can open it, Princess.”
“I see…” Philine said.
“But is this all right?” Claire asked astutely. “Should you really be showing us something this important when we might not even be able to open it?”
“I won’t lie; it is a gamble,” said Hilda. “But I wasn’t necessarily counting on you three to figure out how to open it yourselves.”
“What do you mean?” Claire asked.
“Torrid is part of the Bauer Kingdom now, as are you and Rae. In fact, you’re his coworkers, aren’t you?”
“So you want us to ask Mr. Torrid how to open it?” I asked.
“You catch on quick, Rae Taylor.”
If you can’t open something yourself, contact whoever made it. Logical enough.
“But did he not seal whatever is in this box precisely because he wanted to hide it from the world? I highly doubt he’ll tell us,” Claire said.
“That is for you to figure out. I’ve stuck my neck out far enough already. It’s your turn now.” Hilda grinned wryly.
“Hey, Hilda. Do you think we could take the box ou—” Philine started,
“That would also be forbidden, of course.”
“Right. Of course.”
“Please notify me once you figure out how to unseal it,” said Hilda. “After I’ve confirmed it’s open with my own eyes, I’ll arrange for the Department of Magic Technology to join Princess Philine’s faction. That is all I can do for you at this point.”
“I understand. You’ve done enough,” Philine said.
“We’ve come to an agreement, then. I wish you all the best of luck.”
“All that and I’m still stuck, completely reliant on you two…” Philine said.
We were walking home from the research facility. The sun had already begun to set.
Dole was looking after May and Aleah at home. Knowing his lack of homemaking skills, I suspected Aleah was cooking dinner about now. Then again, he might well have just taken them out to eat instead.
The three of us picked up our pace as we discussed what to do next. Philine sounded exhausted, likely from the demanding negotiation with Hilda.
“I see nothing wrong with that. You did your part by negotiating with Hilda—quite wonderfully, might I add—and now it’s time for us to do ours,” Claire commended her.
I had to admit that Philine had been kind of cool back there.
“Yeah,” I said. “I see you in a new light, Lady Philine. You’re not such a wimp after all.”
“W-wimp?” Philine stammered.
“Rae! How could you say such a thing to a princess?!” Claire exclaimed.
“Whoops. Pardon me.”
“No, it’s fine. A wimp is exactly what I was up until now.” Philine laughed sadly. “But I’ll change. I’ll get Hilda’s support, and I’ll somehow persuade the rebel forces, and I’ll change Mother’s mind—all for the sake of the empire’s future.”
“That’s the spirit, Lady Philine,” Claire said.
“Looks like you’ve got a loooong way to go,” I said.
“Rae!” Claire exclaimed.
“Ha ha ha…” Philine laughed weakly.
What can I say? I just don’t do well with serious situations.
“We’ll send a letter to Mr. Torrid tonight,” Claire said.
“Thank you,” Philine replied. “Let me know if he requests a reward in return, I’ll do everything in my power to procure it.”
“That’d be pointless,” I said. “Mr. Torrid isn’t the kind of person to care about rewards. He won’t budge, no matter what bait we dangle in front of him.”
“Rae! What on earth is the matter with you?” Claire demanded. “Why are you trying to shoot Philine down at every turn?!”
I humphed. “I’m jealous because you’ve only been praising Philine!”
“But you didn’t do a single thing this time,” she said.
I will admit, she was right.
She continued, “If you want me to praise you, you need to achieve something first.”
“That’s true. Well, my time will come soon enough, I’m sure.”
Perhaps it would come very soon.
You see, even without Mr. Torrid’s help, I already knew how to open the Box of the Forbidden.
***
It had been around a week since we’d undertaken the request to open the Box of the Forbidden. We returned from the Academy to find a letter from Mr. Torrid waiting at home. In immaculate handwriting, the letter said:
“It is with a heavy heart that I implore you to give up on opening that box. The things in it are better off left unknown, for they risk breaking this world’s most sacred laws. If you do not wish to live the rest of your life being watched, you must not open that box.”
“Unbelievable. He refused?” Sullen, Claire furrowed her brow. She was adorable when she was crestfallen too. “What should we do? Do you think you could open it with what you know?”
“I could, but I’m a little worried by what he said,” I answered.
A sacred law of the world, being watched—both quite unsettling phrases, to say the least.
“Do you know what’s in the box?” she asked.
“Yes, a magical tool he worked on while he was in the empire, and a notebook compiling his research.”
“What does the magical tool do, and what’s in the notebook?”
“The magical tool is a ring that amplifies magic. It’s unstable, due to being unfinished, but if a person learned to use it, it would greatly increase their magic ability.”
“I see…”
As many readers have likely already guessed, the one who learned to use said ring in Revo-Lily was the protagonist, Philine.
“As for the notebook, I don’t know much. It should contain data on human experimentation conducted in the empire, as well as some writing lamenting said human experimentation. The notebook was only ever referred to as some anonymous researcher’s work in Revo-Lily. Mr. Torrid’s name never came up, but if everything else is the same, then he lost his own daughter to that research.”
“How awful…”
I recall the research notes being quite vivid in their description and many of the experiments being inhumane. I had a hard time believing a gentle person like Mr. Torrid could author those notes.
“But I don’t see what he could mean by ‘this world’s most sacred laws’ and ‘being watched,’” I continued. “We should ask him again after we open the box.”
“He’ll probably be furious with us,” she said.
I agreed, but this was Mr. Torrid we were talking about. He would probably understand and relent, saying, Oh, what’s done is done. He’d also likely be willing to elaborate on his unsettling words, as he wasn’t the type to leave someone in the dark.
“So how do we open the box, anyway?” Claire asked excitedly. The mystery had intrigued her.
“Do you remember the magical stones on its front?”
“Yes. They were black, blue, and red, so they must be correlated with earth, water, and fire magic, no?”
“That’s correct. To open the box, you need to send the corresponding magic attribute into the stones.”
“That’s it?” Claire said, disappointed.
“Not quite. If it were that simple, it would have been opened long ago. You see, the source of all three attributes has to be the same person.”
“Huh? You don’t mean to say…”
“I do. Only a multi-caster or quad-caster with earth, water, and fire magic can open the box.”
In this world, where dual-casters were scarce enough, multi-casters and quad-casters were few and far between. There might well have been more, but the only ones I knew of were Manaria, Mr. Torrid, and May. In Revo-Lily, Manaria helped open the box while on a visit to the Nur Empire, but that would be difficult, given the current state of affairs.
“Are you planning what I think you are?” Claire asked.
“Yes. We have to rely on May.”
“Did somebody say my name?”
“Do you have business with May, Mothers?”
Two sharp-eared twins appeared from their room.
“We do, but first we want to ask you some questions, May,” I said.
“Okay.”
“You’ve learned to use magic, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Which attributes can you use, then?”
“All of them!”
“My little girl’s a genius,” I cooed. May’s aptitude was still growing, but being able to use all four attributes at the age of six was incredible enough. “I see, I see. You must’ve practiced a lot. Do you think you could use three attributes at once?”
“Hmm… I dunno. I’ve never tried.”
“Makes sense.” Using multiple attributes at once was complicated. I was used to casting compound spells like Water Meteor, which I’d used when I fought Manaria, but the idea wouldn’t even cross most people’s minds.
“Let’s try it. Start with two attributes: earth in your right hand and water in your left. Think you can do it?” I asked, demonstrating what I meant. This was just circulating magic, not weaving it into a spell.
May watched, rapt, before trying herself. She focused hard and clenched her hands open and closed. “Like this?”
“Wow, good job!” It should have been a fairly difficult task, but she’d pulled it off like it was nothing. “Now one more. This time, add fire between your hands.”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
I only understood what lay beyond this point in theoretical terms, but I was willing to work with May every day until she learned.
“Oh, I think I did it,” she said.
“Seriously?” Sure enough, there was fire magic between her hands in addition to the other two attributes.
Turned out we wouldn’t need to wait at all. May wasn’t an especially fast learner like her sister, but she wasn’t a slow learner either, merely average. The only exception seemed to be in regard to magic.
“Perfect. You can stop now, May. Thank you.”
“Whew… I’m tired…” May said, hugging Claire.
“No fair! Me too!” Aleah said.
“All right, all right, come here.” Claire opened her arms to both.
“You can hug me too, you know?” I said.
Aleah sniffed. “Mother Rae’s chest is too hard.”
Mommy’s not sad to hear that or anything…
“Looks like we can count on May,” Claire said.
“Yes. I’ll tell Hilda we can open the box then.”
“Please do.”
“There is one thing I’m worried about, however.”
“What?”
“You see…” I went on to tell her about a certain problem that might occur.
“We can’t bring May if something like that can happen!” she exclaimed.
“But we need May to open the box.”
“I won’t allow it! We’ll have to find another method!”
“I understand how you feel, Miss Claire. Even I’m reluctant to go through with it.”
“Then why are you suggesting it?!”
“Please calm down, Miss Claire.” I put my hands on her shoulders and soothed her. “I know it’s not one hundred percent safe, but I have my plan to counter it. Meanwhile, I want you to focus on protecting May.”
“But I don’t want you to be in danger either.”
“I’ll be fine. I have knowledge of what happens from Revo-Lily. I know how to deescalate the situation.” Truth be told, I had some concerns, but voicing them wouldn’t convince Claire. “Please, Miss Claire.”
With some hesitation, she acquiesced. “All right.”
It was finally time to open the Box of the Forbidden.
***
“Forgive me, I’m running a little late.”
The next day, Claire and I went to the research facility again, and we brought May with us. We met up with Philine but couldn’t enter without Hilda, who had just arrived.
“I assumed it would take longer to learn how to open the box and had busied myself with some other business,” Hilda said.
“It’s quite all right,” Claire said.
“Thank you. Who might this child be?” Hilda’s sharp gaze fell on May, who nervously gripped the hem of Claire’s clothes.
“This is May, one of our daughters,” said Claire. “Her help is needed to open the Box of the Forbidden.”
“Oh?”
“What do you say, May?” Claire lightly pushed May forward.
May still looked a bit overwhelmed, but she said, “Hello, my name is May. I am six years old. Nice to meet you.”
She bowed deeply, for which Claire praised her.
Hilda bent down to May’s eye level. “It’s nice to meet you, May. My name is Hildegard, but please call me Hilda. That was a wonderful little self-introduction.”
She donned her classic swindler smile and gently patted May’s head. May’s expression was still a bit stiff, but her wariness seemed to ease.
“You mentioned we would need her help to open the box, but what exactly does that entail?” Hilda asked.
“Allow me to explain as we walk,” Claire said.
“Very well. Right this way.”
With Hilda as our escort, we were allowed to enter the facility. Like last time, the alchemist-like researchers were absorbed in their experiments. They occasionally sent a confused glance May’s way as we passed. May was briefly intimidated by her new environment, but curiosity seemed to win out, and she began studying her surroundings with evident excitement.
“Did Torrid tell you how to open the Box of the Forbidden?” Hilda asked as we walked the corridor.
“Unfortunately, he did not,” Claire said. “But we know how to open it regardless.”
“Eh? But how, if Torrid didn’t tell you?” Philine asked, confused.
“That, we cannot answer. Forgive us.”
“No matter. How does it open?” Hilda looked doubtful for a brief moment, but she elected to prioritize moving forward.
“It opens when a single person uses three specific attributes of magic on it. That’s why we brought May along. She’s a quad-caster.”
“A quad-caster, you say?” Hilda asked, surprised.
“She is, and I’m very proud of her.”
May looked pleased by Claire’s praise. Of course, as her mother, I was proud of May as well.
“Hmm… I see. So that’s why nobody’s been able to open it,” Philine said.
“Are there no multi-casters or quad-casters in the empire?” Claire asked.
“As far as I know, there are not. We have quite a few dual-casters, however,” Philine said.
It appeared that even a nation as magically advanced as the empire couldn’t artificially increase the number of magical attributes a person had. I now saw why Salas had considered his secret, inhumane experiments so important.
“Looks like we were right to bring May,” Claire said.
“It would seem so,” Hilda said.
“Try your best, May,” Philine said.
“Okaaay!”
We finally reached the room with the Box of the Forbidden.
“Please begin,” Hilda said.
“Yes, ma’am. Right here, May.” I brought May right up to the box. “Do you see those three magical stones?”
May nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
“Can you send your earth magic into the black one, your water magic into the blue one, and your fire magic into the red one?”
“I’ll try.” May put her hands on the box and closed her eyes to concentrate.
“She’s already learned how to use three attributes at the same time?” I overheard Philine ask Claire in a barely audible whisper.
“Indeed. She has also already learned to use all four attributes. May’s a genius when it comes to magic,” Claire bragged.
“That’s amazing,” Philine said with awe.
“Mother Rae?” May asked.
“Hm? Yes, May?” I replied.
“Is it okay to break the box?”
“Huh?”
“I think the box will break if I pour any more magic into it. Is that okay?”
While shocked to realize May could sense that much, I raised an eyebrow at Hilda.
Hilda nodded. “As long as the contents are safe, you may break the box. Please open it.”
I smiled at my daughter. “There you have it, May.”
“Okaaay. I’ll try to open it without breaking it,” she said light-heartedly. “I’ll be getting a little serious now.”
The room immediately filled with the sensation of powerful magic.
“Wh-what is this?”
“It’s May’s magic,” Claire answered. May was releasing magic so dense, you wouldn’t have thought the source was a six-year-old girl. The magic remained unstructured and therefore didn’t form a spell, but the sheer quantity of raw power alone was breathtaking. It occurred to me that one day, her magic might well rival the ferocity of Claire’s Magic Ray.
“Boom!” As May said this, the three colors of magic light shone even more brightly, enveloping the room in light.
Everyone covered their eyes when suddenly, we heard a heavy mechanical thunk.
“It’s open!” May declared.
Once the light faded, I beheld the Box of the Forbidden still intact, its top open. May stood beside it, smiling happily.
“It opened…” Hilda murmured.
“Well done, May,” Claire said.
“Well done,” I echoed.
Philine stood silently, her mouth agape.
“Please confirm the contents,” Claire said.
“R-right.” Hilda approached the box. “It’s…a ring and some documents?” She picked up the papers and scanned them. “It seems…to be a research report on magic amplification.”
The documents seemed to line up with what I knew from Revo-Lily. I was a bit curious about the more minute details but doubted Hilda would let me read the report. I would just have to ask Mr. Torrid later.
“Then…this must be the rumored Ring of the Forbidden…” Hilda said as she reached out to the ring with a trembling hand.
“Please wait, Miss Hilda,” I said. “It’s better if you don’t touch that.”
“Why is that?”
“You’ll understand once you read the research notes in more detail. That ring is an unfinished artefact. It’ll overwhelm anyone not fit to wear it.”
Hilda retracted her hand. “And how do you know such a thing?”
“Like how I knew the way to open the box, I can’t explain that. But I’m certain it’s true.”
“Then who might be fit to wear it?”
“That’s complicated. Not even Mr. Torrid himself knows the conditions required to wear it.”
“So nobody can for now?”
“Not quite. There’s one person I know for sure who can wear it: Lady Philine.”
“Huh? Me?” Philine hadn’t expected to hear her name.
At the same time, Hilda scowled. “Unbelievable.”
“Hilda?” Philine asked with worry.
“Why’s it always like this? The ones who have all the power, money, and status keep gaining more and more, while the ones at their feet are always left to toil for what little they have.” Hilda swept up the ring and made to put it on.
I grabbed her arm to stop her. “I thought you were smarter than this.”
“Unhand me, Rae Taylor,” she demanded.
“I will not. You are not fit to wear this ring,” I insisted. “I guarantee it’ll overwhelm you.”
“Then kill me when that happens. It shouldn’t be hard for you.” Hilda sneered, her true self rearing its ugly head. And yet, something about her expression looked pained.
“I could never do such a thing,” I replied.
“And why’s that?”
“I could never kill a comrade. We fought against that demon together, didn’t we? Didn’t that bring us closer at all?”
While Socrat had been ultimately almost single-handedly vanquished by Dorothea, Hilda had still risked her life to fight with us.
Hilda said nothing.
“Miss Hilda—no, Hilda. You do not need that power. Your wits aren’t meant to be wasted like this. Your enemy isn’t Lady Philine. You know this.” I stared into her eyes as I spoke, as sincere as I could be. Hilda was smart. She wouldn’t give in to a momentary outburst of emotion.
“Heh. You think we’re comrades just because we fought together once?”
“We’ll fight together many more times from here on out.”
“What, you expect me to play along with your schemes?”
“Hm? Did you forget? You promised to help us in exchange for opening the box.”
“Right. Yes, a promise is a promise…” Hilda’s arm went slack—right before she flicked the ring with her thumb. It traced a high arc through the air, landing in Philine’s hand.
“Huh?” Philine startled, caught off guard.
“Go hand it to the chief researcher for me,” Hilda said.
“B-but, shouldn’t you do that?”
“I need some fresh air. Excuse me.” With that, Hilda left the room.
“Hilda!” Philine attempted to follow her out.
“Give her some time, Lady Philine,” Claire said. “She’ll be okay.”
“But…”
“She needs to sort her feelings out.”
Philine acquiesced. “Okay…”
Discreetly, I let out a great big sigh of relief. In Revo-Lily’s version of this exact scenario, Hilda put on the ring and went on a rampage. If Hilda’s affection level for Philine was high enough, Philine would stop her by using the power of love (whatever the heck that was), but that obviously wouldn’t work right now.
Hilda’s current affection level for Philine clearly wasn’t high enough, and even if it were, I wouldn’t want to risk lives over such a vaguely defined power. I’d been prepared to knock Hilda out if necessary, but thankfully, she’d given up of her own accord. I preferred not to resort to violence in front of May.
“Looks like everything worked out, Miss Claire,” I said.
“It came fairly close for a moment there. I’ll have to punish you when we get home.”
“Your punishments are but a reward to me.”
In any case, we could now expect the backing of the Department of Magic Technology. Our plan to change the empire was one step closer to fruition.
***
We gained the support of the Department of Magic Technology relatively smoothly. Resolving their biggest concern, the Box of the Forbidden, did the trick, but it helped that Hilda kept her promise—and that some people in the department already recognized the dangers of letting the Nur Empire’s prosperity rest solely on Dorothea’s shoulders.
The Department of Magic Technology was in a difficult situation. While Dorothea’s presence prevented them from gaining more political sway, the empire itself likely wouldn’t last without her, leaving them with no better option than to maintain the status quo. That was why they were thrilled to back Philine, who offered them the opportunity to lessen the empire’s reliance on Dorothea while simultaneously becoming bigger political players through greater influence on foreign policy. Whether things would go entirely as they hoped, however, would depend on Philine’s efforts from here on out.
“And there you have it: We have a new ally on the team,” said Philine. “Please give Hilda a warm welcome.”
“Just what manner of introduction was that, Princess?”
Currently gathered in Philine’s room were Philine, Hilda, Claire, and me. Yu and Misha weren’t there—for reasons I’ll disclose later.
“I’d like to forge an alliance with a new group now,” Philine went on.
“Do you have one in mind?” Claire asked.
“I was thinking maybe the one you mentioned a while ago—the rebel forces.”
“Ohh, them.”
“Yes. I’ve made up my mind. I’ll do anything for the sake of the empire’s future.” Philine really had become more reliable as of late.
“Please wait a moment,” Hilda interrupted. “You want to work with rebels? This is news to me. I’ve never even heard of such a group before.”
“Of course you haven’t,” Philine said. “They’re putting their lives on the line just by existing. If someone close to the government, like you, discovered their existence, they’d be purged.”
“I suppose…”
The circumstances here were different from those the Resistance had dealt with in Bauer. The Resistance had been able to operate in the open because the kingdom had been weak and the government had lost the backing of the commoners. Most would-be revolutionary forces recruited in secrecy, amassing numbers so they could one day strike before the government knew what hit them—and because if they didn’t, they would be crushed.
“I’m against this alliance,” Hilda declared.
“Hilda…” Philine frowned.
“A princess’s actions must always be just, and anti-government forces are the precise opposite of that. Joining hands with them will only—”
“I wonder about that,” Philine cut in.
“Eh?”
“While the way you say it—‘anti-government forces’—sounds bad, Claire tells me they’re actually a group of people from religious nations that were destroyed by the empire. Do you think they would consider the empire that took over their countries ‘just’?”
“That’s…” Hilda hesitated.
“They have their own grievances and their own notions of justice. I have no intention of joining hands with evil to succeed, but I can confidently say that they are not evil.”
Floored, Hilda remained silent.
“U-um, Hilda? Did I say something wrong?” Philine gingerly asked.
“Not at all. I’m just surprised. You’ve changed…” Hilda shook her head. “No, maybe you’ve always been like this, but can now speak your mind.”
“Are you praising me?”
“I am. You’re correct—the rebel groups have their own sense of justice, and the wars that brought such groups into existence were not wars of justice against evil, but of justice against justice. I’m glad you understand.” Hilda smiled.
“W-well, it wouldn’t do for me to remain a useless princess forever. That’s why I had Claire and Rae train me.”
“Indeed? You’ll have to fill me in on that later.”
“Absolutely.” Philine smiled. “Oh, we got off topic a bit there, didn’t we? Claire, can I leave the explanation of the rebel forces to you?”
“But of course,” Claire said. “There are currently three rebel groups active in the empire. Melica, Dana, and Kiko: all countries with state religions that were destroyed by the empire.”
“So there’s three of them…” Hilda shuddered.
As an aside, Claire knew this information because I’d drilled all that Revo-Lily knowledge into her before we left for the empire. I was so proud of her.
“The three countries’ religions were all different sects of the Spiritual Church, so their doctrines and interpretations differ,” Claire explained.
It was similar to Buddhism in my old world, in that there were various sects with the same foundation that had at some point in time branched off from each other. The oldest and most influential sect was the one based in the Bauer Church, but many other sects were influential enough to claim a whole country for their own.
I hadn’t invited Yu and Misha because this was a bit of a touchy subject, considering their religious ties to the Bauer Cathedral, heart of Bauer’s sect. I intended to ask for their approval later, once things were underway. For now, it was better to keep this discreet.
“The three groups originally acted independently,” Claire continued. “But they’ve lately started pooling their efforts—probably because of the proposed three-nation alliance between Sousse, the Alpes, and Bauer.”
“We think they’re taking advantage of this opportunity to strike against the empire,” I said.
These particular nuggets of information had been gathered by Dole, who had his own information network even here in the empire.
“The group taking the lead seems to be the most influential one, the one from Melica. The congregations from Kiko and Dana seem to have yielded authority to them,” Claire said.
Rather than squabble amongst themselves, they’d decided to cooperate to strike back against the empire together. Perhaps they believed the opportunity created by the alliance was their last chance to avenge their homelands.
“So we just need to meet with the Melica people and gain their support?” Philine asked.
“I wish it were that easy, but I doubt it will be,” Claire said.
“Why is that?”
“They’re concealing their backgrounds and are fully prepared to commit suicide on the spot if they’re outed as part of the brewing rebellion.”
“Th-they would go that far?” Philine whimpered.
The things that faith compelled people to do were sometimes incomprehensible to those who lacked it. It was hard for me to understand, as someone who was raised in an irreligious country, but some people valued their faith over their own lives. Back when a certain viral disease ran rampant in my old world, quite a few priests risked their lives to give proper funerals to people who couldn’t be with their family in their last moments. Those who lived by faith sometimes valued it over their own lives.
“Is it impossible, then?” Hilda asked, looking about ready to give up.
“There’s a way, but it’ll be difficult,” I said.
“What is it?” Hilda pressed.
“We need to find someone from Melica who’s in no position to commit suicide. Like…former royalty, for example,” I answered, pausing for dramatic effect.
Some readers might already have an idea of who I had in mind. But to Hilda, my words likely sounded like grasping at straws.
“Yes, that might work. But such a person would undoubtedly be careful to remain hidden. How would you find them?” she asked.
“There’s no need to find anyone. I already know where they are.”
“I’ve been wondering this since the Box of the Forbidden incident, but exactly where are you getting your information?”
“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” I joked. I mean, I couldn’t just up and tell her that her reality was a game I’d once played.
“Enough putting on airs, Rae. Who is this person?” Philine asked impatiently.
Hey, I wasn’t putting on airs! I glanced at her. “It’s someone you know very well, Lady Philine.”
“Huh?”
“Frieda.”
“Ohh, Frieda… I see.” Philine froze up. “Whaaaat?!”
The shocked look on her face told me just exactly what kind of person she’d taken Frieda for.
***
“You wanted to talk with moi?” Frieda placed a tray of five teacups on the table. A slight hint of confusion crossed her otherwise jovial face.
We were at Frieda’s place, a room in a boarding house. My first impression of her room was that it was too normal, as though it had been deliberately modeled to resemble the idea of an average citizen’s room. It lacked any religious designs, altars, or ceremonial objects, which only made it feel more artificial, as the Spiritual Faith was practically universal in this world.
“I sincerely apologize for dropping by unannounced. We are in great need of your assistance,” Claire said.
“Non, non,” Frieda said. “Beautiful dames like yourselves are always welcome! Claire, Rae, Philine, I thank you for coming! And of all people, Lilly as well!”
“Th-thank you for having me,” Lilly said.
Indeed—Claire, Philine, and I had been joined by none other than Lilly. You might think bringing someone from another religious sect along could only be a recipe for disaster, and I was inclined to agree, but this was necessary. Why? You’ll see soon enough.
“Please, drink some tea. It’s from my homeland. I hope you like it,” Frieda said, passing out the teacups. The tea had a curious hue and gave off a sugary fragrance. It looked to be black tea, but I knew of no black tea with this particular smell. Perhaps it was flavored?
“Oh, it’s delicious,” Claire remarked.
“Indeed. Quite a unique flavor,” Philine said.
“I-It’s delicious,” Lilly stammered.
The three of them seemed to enjoy the tea. I cast some detoxifying magic on mine, only then taking a sip.
Mmm. It really was good.
“I’m glad you are enjoying it. Would you like sweets?” Frieda offered.
“That’s quite all right. We’ve already overindulged in your hospitality as is,” Claire said.
“Oh, that’s too bad.” Frieda seemed genuinely disappointed. I wondered just how much of her was a facade.
“Allow us to cut to the chase. Lady Philine, if you would, please.” Claire, having led the conversation to this point, passed the baton to Philine.
“Thank you, Claire.” Philine seemed a bit nervous as she stood up and took a deep breath. “Frieda, please lend us your assistance!”
“Of course, my dear Philine! Why, I’d do maybe anything for a belle fille like yourself!” Frieda met Philine’s earnest request with her usual carefree delight. From how brightly she smiled, you’d never think she had a darker side to her.
And yet—
Philine continued, “We want to use your connections to the citizens of Melica to—”
The sound of metal striking metal rang out.
A beat later, Philine froze, having just then noticed the blade mere inches from her neck, stopped by another blade.
Frieda, the same bright smile still plastered on her face, had swung at Philine—only for her blade to be met by Lilly’s.
I had predicted some violence, but the suddenness almost gave me a heart attack.
“F-Frieda, please listen to what I have to say first,” Philine said.
“Non. I refuse.” Frieda twisted her short sword, parrying Lilly’s own away and swinging again toward Philine’s neck.
Lilly lost her balance for a brief moment, but she instantly stepped forward to recover her balance and blocked the incoming blade with her other short sword. She then shoved Frieda’s blade away, creating some distance between Frieda and Philine. That said, we were indoors, and in a fairly narrow room at that. Frieda could easily strike again. Claire and I were already up and ready to fight.
“How did you know?” Frieda asked, bracing her short sword with the same smile still on her face. The disconnect between her actions and expression was a little unnerving… No, it was downright terrifying. “Ah, punaise! Did someone betray me? Tell me now, who was it?!”
Her sword gleamed as she leapt forward. She’d once boasted that she was skilled at close-quarter combat, and it seemed she wasn’t lying. I would have been sliced to ribbons in seconds if I were her opponent, and I had a feeling Claire wouldn’t have fared much better. It was a good thing we’d brought Lilly, who proved strong enough to stave off Frieda.
“Frieda, please hear us out! We want to help you!” Philine pleaded, causing Frieda to stop. Seeing this, Philine smiled, but that smile soon slipped away.
“Help…me?”
Frieda’s smile was gone—no, that wasn’t quite right. Her face was still shaped into a smile, but the chills running down my back told me it was anything but.
“The saleté de princesse of the country that destroyed my homeland says she wants to help me? What joke is this?” Frieda’s face was filled with rancor that had built up over the years, which now seeped through the mask that was her smile.
“F-Frieda…” Philine said weakly.
“Now that you know my secret, you all must die.” Frieda readied her sword once again.
“Are you really going to let anger steal a chance to revive your country?” I asked.
Frieda’s face twisted. “Explain.”
“Lady Philine aims to change the foreign policy of the empire,” I said. “In exchange for your help, she can also pursue the restoration of your country.”
Frieda didn’t lower her sword, but an ounce of reason returned to her face. “You think those lies will trick moi?”
“It’s not a lie,” Claire said. “Lady Philine intends to change the empire.”
“If it’s not a lie, then I question her sanity. Dorothea is Philine’s mother, no?”
“Please, hear me out, Frieda…no, Friedelinde Ur Melica!” Philine said.
“What?! How do you know that name?!” Frieda stared, shocked. Her true identity was a secret kept from even most of her allies. “Sacrebleu… Who betrayed me?!”
“Nobody did,” Philine insisted. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about the heroes of the revolution? Well, Claire and Rae have the power to foresee the future.”
“Impossible…”
“I ask you then, do you believe there are any among your comrades who would betray you?”
Frieda said nothing, her eyes still hesitant.
Philine pressed on. “I plan to challenge Mother for the throne. I’ll make her abdicate, and then I’ll change the empire itself. No longer will it be a force of torment. I’ll make it a gentle place, where no one need cry again.”
“You truly think you can do that?” Frieda scoffed. I thought I heard a tinge of self-derision in her voice, but it could just as easily have been regret for how she and her allies had achieved nothing of note, even after all this time.
“Not alone. But I know I can do it with your help, Frieda.”
Frieda went silent again.
“Please. I need your help.” Philine pleaded from her heart.
But it wasn’t enough.
“I can’t trust your words alone,” Frieda said.
Claire cut in. “I had a feeling you might say something like that. Lilly?”
“Y-yes!” Lilly brought out what looked to be a letter and placed it on the floor.
“What’s this?” Frieda asked.
“I-It’s a secret message from the Spiritual Church. Pl-please, read it.”
Frieda looked uncertain for a moment, but she cautiously approached and picked up the letter. “This is…a cardinal’s seal of authenticity!”
The secret message within contained the Church’s assurance that Philine’s words were genuine. As I touched on before, to swear by God in this world carried significant meaning. A verbal promise between common folk was binding enough, but the word of a cardinal of the Spiritual Church was even more so.
Naturally, the cardinal who had issued this message was Yu. Once it was certain we were going to seek alliance with the rebel forces, we had gone and asked Yu for help. She had been shocked, of course. She and Misha initially objected but eventually relented. They were citizens of Bauer before they were members of the Church.
“Frieda, won’t you at least hear us out?” Philine met Frieda’s eyes head-on.
Frieda studied Philine’s expression for a while, but at length, she let out a deep sigh. “Okay. I will listen some. But it better be worthwhile.”
Finally, she lowered her weapon.
***
“You may have the Church’s backing, but that doesn’t mean my people and I will help you.”
We’d finally made Frieda listen, but we were still a long way from getting her support.
“But why? What more could your people want than the revival of your country?” Philine naively asked.
It was an ignorant question that didn’t take Frieda’s feelings into account.
Fried still wore her hollow smile. “The empire itself destroyed my country. How arrogant you are, to demand my help in return for undoing what you wrought yourself.”
“I apologize. I lacked understanding,” Philine said.
Frieda was in the right here. Asking her to treat Philine as her savior was the same as expecting a reward for putting out a fire you’d started.
Frieda continued. “That said, I am willing to turn a blind eye to some things for the sake of my country.”
“Really?! Then—”
“Be quiet. I’m not finished speaking.” Frieda cut Philine’s words short. “I take it you know who I really am if you know my true name?”
“Indeed,” Claire answered. “You are Friedelinde Ur Melica, supreme leader and living god of the conquered nation of Melica.”
“We also know the former people of Melica are joining hands with those of Kiko and Dana to amass rebel forces,” I added.
I mentioned Melica’s state religion was a sect of the Spiritual Church before, but I have yet to explain how it differed from the most widespread sect, the one based out of the Bauer Cathedral. In Melica’s religion, a single person was worshipped as the incarnation of the Spirit God itself. Currently, that person was Frieda.
“Just how do you know that, I wonder…? But yes, I am Melica’s ruler. The citizens will do almost anything I say.”
“In that case—” Philine said.
“But that only goes for the citizens of Melica,” Frieda continued. “And right now, our three-sect alliance has a problem, one that threatens to collapse our coalition.”
“Hm?” Her words caught me by surprise. There’d been no mention of the three-sect alliance having such problems in Revo-Lily. Sure, there was some friction between the sects but not to the degree where the whole alliance was at risk of falling apart.
“A follower of Melica was murdered, and the culprit hasn’t been found. It’s likely not a coincidence either, as the one killed was an important person,” Frieda said.
“Please, continue,” Claire urged.
“Many people of Kiko and Dana are unhappy with Melica’s leading role, and they therefore might have had reason to do it. Of course, they deny this, but I don’t believe them.”
“What do you want us to do?” I asked, seeing where this was leading.
“Find the killer for me. If it’s a misunderstanding, then all is well. The alliance will be reaffirmed, and if I have my way, Kiko and Dana will help you too.”
“W-wait! B-but what if the killer is actually from Kiko or Dana? Won’t the alliance fall apart?” Lilly asked. She was right—finding the culprit might not yield the results we desired.
“If so?” Frieda shrugged. “You will have to curse your luck and give up.”
“That’s…not fair,” Lilly said.
“But as things are, the alliance will fall apart. That will be a problem for you too, no? What choice do you have?” Despite her usual flippant attitude, it turned out that Frieda had the negotiation skills befitting a ruler of a country. “So what will it be?”
“I understand. We’ll search for your killer,” Philine answered.
“But, Lady Philine…” Claire said.
“Regardless of whether it ends in earning their support, a murder in the empire is something I cannot ignore.”
Spoken like a true royal. Even if Philine was working toward a grander cause, she wouldn’t ignore the problems before her. I was impressed by her nobility.
Th-that doesn’t count as cheating. Okay?!
“Oh? You pity even those who oppose the empire?” Frieda asked.
“It’s the empire’s own actions that made them oppose us. Besides, as a member of the imperial family, I have a duty to secure the well-being of every citizen, even those who plot against us.”
Frieda made a face at Philine’s words, caught between respect and doubt.
“Do you have any leads we can use?” I asked Frieda. This likely wouldn’t be a cut-and-dried case, for if it were, Frieda and her people would have solved it themselves. I at least wanted a clue to go off of.
“The victim’s name is Arnaud Jannsen, an ordinary citizen of the empire,” said Frieda. “He was once a merchant of Melica.”
Age: 21. Occupation: Worked as a competent merchant in the Nur Empire while secretly procuring supplies for rebel forces. Cause of death: Knife wound.
“We have narrowed it down to three suspects. We haven’t questioned them directly yet, but they are the only ones with motive,” Frieda explained. She reached into her desk and pulled out a paper, likely an investigation report. “The first suspect is Achim Baltzer, a prominent merchant in the capital.”
Age: 60. Boss of the victim, Arnaud. A rumor suggests he killed Arnaud for being too successful, threatening to inherit the trading firm over Achim’s only son.
“The second suspect is Ilsa Gröllmann, an administrative official,” Frieda said.
Age: 25. Employed at a municipal office in the capital. Has had prior work complications with Arnaud.
“The third suspect is someone you all know well. Anna Gesner, a student of the Imperial Academy,” Frieda said.
“Anna’s a suspect?!” Philine exclaimed.
Anna was one of Philine’s few friends, as well as the one who could report the affection levels of Philine’s love interests to us. Apparently, she’d been in a relationship with Arnaud and had been seen quarrelling with him after they apparently split up.
“That’s all the information I can provide,” Frieda said. “The rest is up to you.”
“Understood,” Claire said.
“Any other questions?” Frieda asked.
There was, in fact, something I wanted to ask—something that had been bugging me since the time I played Revo-Lily.
“Frieda, you’re a living god. In other words, the most important figure in Melica’s religion, correct?”
“Oui.”
“Is it really acceptable for such an important person to live alone in a place like this? No security or anything?” I always wondered why there weren’t at least one or two security personnel living here under the guise of roommates. Of course, it was that same lack of security that had allowed us to even get to this point.
“Oh, that. Well, you know…I am very strong,” she answered.
“You are indeed superb at close-quarter combat, but is it not a bit careless?” Claire asked.
“I do not wish to say. Leave it at that.” Frieda seemed uneasy and even less open to discussion than when she had been swinging her sword around earlier. I was curious as to why, but I doubted she would talk.
“Good luck on your investigation. Au revoir.”
With a lingering sense of unfinished business, we left Frieda’s place.
***
“You needed something? Please make it quick. I may not look like it, but I’m quite a busy man.”
So we were greeted by Achim Baltzer, our first suspect.
We had been invited into the drawing room of Baltzer Trading. Finely made chairs accompanied a finely made table, paintings decorated the walls, and vases stood tall in the corners. Everything looked antique. The firm was clearly doing well.
Achim was an elderly man with a proud beard. According to Frieda, he was sixty, but he definitely seemed younger.
“We’re sorry to trouble you during your busy day,” said Claire. “We wanted to ask you about Arnaud.”
“Arnaud? What about him?”
“He’s dead,” Philine said.
“Wh-what? Truly, Princess?” Achime seemed to be in disbelief. “That can’t be… Since when?”
“A mere three days ago,” Claire said. “Were you not made aware? I was under the impression he worked for you.”
“Arnaud was supposed to be out of the capital, purchasing more product. He was to return next week. I can’t believe he’s gone…”
“Do you have any idea why someone might want to kill him?” Claire asked.
“Somebody killed him? Unbelievable… I knew the man well. While he vexed me occasionally, he was by far my best employee. But he never let that get to his head, and he always worked well with others. I can’t think of a reason anyone would want to kill him.”
“I heard you two had your disagreements regarding inheriting the business. Care to explain?” I asked.
This difficult question earned a frown from him.
“For a brief while, yes. But he made clear he had no interest in taking over the business. My son Bruno will be assuming control instead. The preparations are already complete.” Achim looked uncomfortable, but he answered calmly.
“Y-you look a bit young for retirement, sir,” Lilly said.
“You flatter me. I am already an old man. My memory’s been spotty as of late, a disastrous thing for a merchant,” he answered calmly yet again. It seemed he wanted to pass things to the next generation while he was still well enough to do so competently.
“May I ask what you were doing at the time of his death?” I asked.
“Wha—do you suspect me?!” he asked, now not so calm. A normal reaction, I supposed. Nobody enjoyed being under suspicion of murder.
“We simply wish to clear your good name, sir. Please,” Claire said.
“Very well. When was he killed?” Achim asked.
“Oh? Have you already forgotten? We said he was killed three days ago,” I purposefully teased.
He sneered. “And I told you, I’m a busy man. I meet a number of people and visit many places every day. Do you want me to recount everything I did three days ago?”
Clocks hadn’t been invented in this world yet, so we could only tell time roughly by the hour instead of minutes. Hopefully, that would be enough.
“Arnaud was killed three days ago, sometime in the early morning between five and six o’clock,” Claire answered.
“At that time, I was out of the capital for a meeting,” Achim said. “A merchant I’ve been in contact with for a while. I needed their assistance for something concerning the succession.” As though rewinding his memory, he looked to the upper-right.
“Might we have a name?” I asked.
“Skeptical girl, aren’t you? His name was Kato. That should be enough, right? Please leave.”
With that, we left the firm behind.
“Yes, there were some slight complications between us.”
Our second suspect, Ilsa Gröllmann, readily admitted to having had trouble with Arnaud.
We were in the lounge of one of the empire’s municipal offices. The furnishings were modest, with nothing that really stood out save for a thoughtfully placed vase of flowers. The four of us sat on a sofa across from Ilsa, who was tall and slender, with her long hair bundled up in a professional style.
“What was this complication?” Claire asked.
“Nothing, really,” Ilsa said. “I thought there was an error on his tax payment form and inquired about it. It turned out to be a misunderstanding on my part, and I apologized, but he never forgave me for it. Such things are common in this line of work, I suppose.” She sighed deeply.
“Was it really a misunderstanding?” I asked.
“I’m sorry?”
“Perhaps he was committing tax evasion and you overlooked it for a bribe?”
“Absolutely not. We municipal workers have been entrusted with this work by Her Majesty Dorothea herself. We would never commit such injustices.”
I should mention that asking these tough questions was my role as the bad cop. You see, police did this thing in interrogations called “good cop/bad cop,” where one officer sympathized with the suspect while the other antagonized them. Or at least, they did in the mystery novels I’d read.
“Were you aware Arnaud was murdered?” Claire asked.
“Yes. I heard from a coworker. It’s truly regrettable.” Contrary to Ilsa’s words, I saw a tinge of relief on her face.
“Can you think of a reason why anyone would want to kill him?” Philine was the next to ask.
Ilsa thought for a moment. “As big a firm as Baltzer Trading is, I’m sure he had his fair share of enemies. Maybe one of them did something? I really don’t know.” The vagueness of the answer spoke to her indifference.
“What were you doing at his time of death, three days ago, between five and six in the morning?” Claire asked.
“I would have been asleep then. Unfortunately, I have no way to prove it. But I swear, I am not the culprit,” Ilsa asserted, her face expressionless.
“A-Arnaud’s…dead?”
Anna covered her mouth in shock as we broke the news. We were at her home, the inside of which was decorated with small, cutesy trinkets—exactly what one would expect from a young girl’s place. We had moved into the living room to sit down and talk.
She began to cry, and Claire, sitting next to her, gently rubbed her back.
“Were you and Arnaud in a relationship?” Claire asked after Anna had calmed down a bit.
“Yes. We were childhood friends. There was an age gap between us, but we were raised like siblings… I had loved him for the longest time, so I confessed to him, and we started seeing each other. But lately, he’d been acting a bit strange…”
“How so?” Philine pressed.
“He didn’t make time for me anymore. He said it was because he was having some problems at work, but…I started thinking that maybe he had fallen in love with someone else. Arnaud said it was a misunderstanding, that he still wanted to be with me, but I was confused and…suggested we take a break… If I’d known this would’ve happened, I wouldn’t have bottled everything up inside! There’s still so much I want to say to him, to do with him, I, I…”
Anna began crying again, and Claire hugged her to comfort her.
“Anna, have you any idea why someone might want to kill him?” I asked.
“No…that’s impossible. Arnaud was so kind. Everyone loved him. Why would anybody ever want to kill him…?” she said with teary eyes.
“I’m only asking because it’s part of our procedure, but can you tell me what you were doing three days ago between five and six in the morning?” I asked.
“You need an alibi, right? I would’ve been running around the neighborhood then. I run daily, you see. Somebody might have seen me, but I’m not sure. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help,” she said weakly. “Please find Arnaud’s killer.”
She saw us off with grief-stricken eyes.
With that, we’d met with each of the suspects. But which of them was the culprit?
***
Two days after our initial visits to the suspects, a figure slipped out of the imperial capital to go visit a particular merchant in the dead of night. Their eyes darted about, paranoid.
“How can this be?” The figure seemed to mumble something fearfully.
A voice reached his ears.
“Why…Mr. Achim…”
“N-no, no, that can’t be…” The figure, Achim Baltzer, heard a voice no longer of this world. “A-Arnaud, you should be dead!”
“Yes…you killed me.”
“I-I had no choice! If I didn’t, my son would have been… Agh!” Achim covered his ears to escape the voice, shaking his head in denial. But the voice wouldn’t stop.
“Why did you kill me…after all I did for Baltzer Trading…?”
“I did what I had to! I—I…”
“Murderer… Murderer…”
“No… Please, no more…!”
Achim fled from the voice, leaving the capital farther behind. He ran straight toward a building a short distance away, but before he could reach it—
“Would you care to explain yourself?” A sharp voice pierced the darkness, belonging to none other than my beloved Claire.
The voice Achim had been hearing had been projected via wind magic by Misha, also present.
“Wh-why are you here?” he stammered.
“We’re here to arrest you for the murder of Arnaud Jannsen,” Philine said.
“Princess Philine…” Achim muttered. His eyes went wide as he realized what had just transpired.
“Your words earlier will be taken as a confession,” she continued. “Do you plead guilty?”
In the democratic countries of my world, making an arrest based on a confession alone would have been absurd, but this wasn’t my world. Here, a confession was as damning as evidence.
“How did you know it was me?” he asked.
“Your own words gave you away,” I said. “You claimed to be a busy merchant with a tight schedule.”
“Yes, and what’s wrong with that?” he asked, confused.
“When we asked you for your alibi, you answered immediately, without needing to check.”
“That’s all? But wouldn’t it be more natural to believe I had a strong memory? I am a merchant, after all.”
“You said yourself that your memory had been failing you of late,” I said. “I also have a hard time believing that you wouldn’t double-check the accuracy of your alibi in a murder investigation, especially as a merchant.”
Claire followed up. “The man you claimed to meet, Kato, also confessed. You bribed him into lying.”
“I see. You two weren’t called the heroes of the revolution for nothing, then. Perhaps I can entrust this matter to you…” he said cryptically.
“What do you mean?” Philine asked.
“I—”
“Oh? Mr. Achim?” Someone emerged from within the building. It was Kato, the man who had confessed to being bribed to fake Achim’s alibi. “What brings you all the way out here?”
“Kato! Save me!” Achim—who had been calm up to this point—did an about-face and shamelessly clung to Kato, begging for help.
Huh? Does he still think he can get out of this mess?
“I see what’s going on. Do not touch me, lowly human.”
“Ah! Be careful, everyone!” Claire braced for a fight upon noticing the change in Kato’s tone.
At her warning, we did the same.
“I see my plans have failed, then.”
Kato’s form began to shift before our eyes. His skin melted into a smooth, liquid, metallic substance, a single large eye formed on his face, and bat wings sprouted from his back. There was no doubt about it. He was a—
“Demon!” I called.
“Call me Kato, human.”
What was going on? Was a demon involved in this murder case?
“Foul humans, I shall kill you where you stand. Achim! How long do you intend to cling to me, you failure?!” Kato sneered at Achim as though he were filth, raising an arm that had at some point morphed into a longsword.
I hurriedly prepared to fire an ice arrow, even knowing I wouldn’t make it in time.
That was when Achim said: “All according to plan.”
“What?”
“Kato, you’re the mastermind behind this all!” As soon as those words left Achim’s mouth, his body began to burn.
“Graaah! You fool!” Kato exclaimed.
“Heroes of the revolution! I left a letter in my desk! The rest is up to you!” Achim yelled as he clung to Kato, burning all the while.
It was clearly no ordinary flame, as his body was entirely consumed in moments. We had no clue what was going on, but that didn’t matter. There was only one thing to do.
“Miss Claire, let’s take this guy down!” I yelled.
“Yes! Lilly, take the front. Misha, Rae, get behind! I’ll take the middle!”
“Y-yes!”
“On it.”
As we moved into battle formation, Kato stood back up. “Lowly humans… Don’t underestimate me!”
His wings had been left in tatters by Achim’s fire. I didn’t understand why Achim had done it, but thanks to him, Kato couldn’t flee.
“Injuries of this level won’t stop me from killing all of you!” Kato’s arm stretched out. The tip tapered to a sharp point like a lance, aimed at Claire and Lilly.
“N-no you don’t!” Lilly dodged and parried the arm-lance before closing the distance to him with blinding speed. Misha must have used her wind magic on her at some point.
“Oh, but I think I do, Saint!” Kato’s outstretched arm went limp as Lilly passed it, then turned to attack her from behind.
“A-ah!”
“Not on my watch!” Claire let loose a flame spear, striking and melting Kato’s arm.
“Gaaah?!”
“Now, Lilly!”
“R-right!” Lilly moved just before him and swung down her right short sword.
“As if!” Kato’s face twisted with delight as a lance-like shape erupted from his chest, aiming for Lilly. “What?!”
But the lance only hit air, as I had lifted him a full head off the ground with my spell, Uplift. “It’s over.”
In the blink of an eye, Lilly was behind him with her short sword flashing crossways. An instant later, Kato was sliced into four pieces, his heart at the center of the X.
“Foolish humans… Why do you not accept your fated ruin?” he spat, reduced to a head on the ground.
“What kind of question is that?” I asked, still guarded. “I don’t know, maybe I’m just not suicidal?”
“Rae Taylor… One day, you shall know.”
“Know what, pray tell?”
“What it means to desire an end.” Leaving behind those foreboding words, he withered to dust.
What did that mean? I shook my head. “Any injuries, Miss Claire, Miss Lilly?”
“None, Rae.”
“N-none here too.”
We’d killed a demon without a single injury this time around. It seemed that regular demons were nothing compared to the Three Great Archdemons.
“It seems I wasn’t needed much in the end,” Misha remarked.
“That’s not true. If you hadn’t been here, we wouldn’t have been able to back Achim into a corner in the first place,” I said.
“About Achim… He said something strange, didn’t he?” Claire asked.
“Y-yeah, something about leaving the rest to us…?” Lilly asked.
We all looked at each other, puzzled.
“Anyway, let’s head back to the capital for now,” I said.
Mysteries remained, but all we could do for now was return.
***
There was a letter in Achim’s desk, as he had claimed there would be. In it was an explanation for everything that had transpired, along with a confession.
As I likely needn’t remind you, demons were powerful beings. If they ever attacked cities in full force, there wouldn’t be much humans could do to fight back. Yet human cities endured—even the empire’s, with their close proximity to demon territory. This was all thanks to the barriers.
“Th-the Church provides powerful barriers to all major cities. No demons can pass through them, no matter how strong they are.”
According to Lilly’s explanation, the barriers were formed by concealed magical tools installed around cities. Demons had no hope of getting in without finding the magical tools and breaking them. Socrat’s attempted assassination of the pope was an exception, as teleportation magic cast from within the barrier had been used to bring him in.
In other words, we were safe as long as we stayed within Ruhm. No wonder Dorothea could afford to be so careless.
“We’re merchants, you see,” Achim wrote. “We can’t just hole up within the city walls at all times but must brave the dangers outside to venture out.”
On one such occasion, Achim’s son was taken hostage by a demon.
“Kato took my son and threatened me into poisoning the Bauer dorm’s food.”
This was news to me, but apparently the Bauer dorm’s food was provided by Baltzer Trading. Wary of being poisoned by the empire, we’d been casting detoxification magic on everything we ate, but Achim had found a way around that by gradually mixing nutmeg into our food—a spice that causes organ failure when consumed in large quantities. Being an ordinary spice, nutmeg wasn’t affected by detoxification magic. This method served the dual purpose of tricking Kato.
“It will take time, but eventually, the toxins will build up and cause their organs to stop.”
Those were the words he used to buy time from Kato. During that bought time, we’d arrived to interrogate him. As it turned out, his slip of the tongue had been intentional. He’d meant to lead us to Kato without breaking the curse placed on him.
“Do not cross me, Achim. If you so much as speak a word of who I am or strike against me, your body will be engulfed in flames.”
Despite being bound with this geas, Achim hadn’t feared death. He’d simply wanted to save his son. Though he had suspected, deep down, that his son was already dead, he had clung to hope, continuing to poison the dorm. Arnaud had caught him in the act and, after a quarrel, had been murdered by Achim.
“I’ve…killed the man who was like a second son to me.”
Despite the conflict over who would inherit the business, Achim had thought of Arnaud like his own son. He deeply regretted his death.
“That demon said he took my son, but he never said a word about keeping him alive, nor of returning him. In hindsight, it’s so obvious… My dear sons, my beloved wife, forgive me. I will be joining you soon…”
Achim had been unwilling to remain dancing in the palm of the demon’s hand. He had the resolve and fury to strike back.
“…but not without bringing him with me.”
And the rest was history. Achim had used his life to weaken Kato and left the rest to us. His crime was unforgivable, but I could sympathize somewhat, considering the situation. In the aftermath, it came to light that his son had indeed already been killed. Yet another victim of the demons.
We informed the newspapers that the demon had been looking for ways to harm the capital without passing the barrier. Of course, we said nothing about the rebel forces.
In the end, we’d proved the murder had nothing to do with the internal tensions between the rebel forces. Our investigation was at an end.
“Well done. We will support you as promised,” Frieda said.
Afterward, Frieda arranged for us to meet with the higher-ups of the Melica, Dana, and Kiko sects. Philine debated them with dignity, having clearly honed her arguments, and she even promised that the late Arnaud would receive proper funereal rites. He was apparently being considered for canonization by the sects.
With this, Philine had succeeded in gaining the support of both the Department of Magic Technology and the rebel forces.
“Welcome, Rae Taylor, Claire François.”
Days after the incident, Dorothea summoned Claire, Philine, and me. This was the first time this particular lineup had been called before her. Why the three of us, I wondered?
“I-I’m here too, Mother!” Philine asserted her presence.
“Mm-hmm, indeed. Welcome, Philine.” Dorothea addressed her daughter flatly. This seemed to be enough for Philine, who smiled. “I shall give you a reward for stopping the demon. Name it.”
As always, Dorothea spoke haughtily, her elbow resting on her throne and propping up her chin. Beside her was Josef, a gloomy look on his face. He was always pained to see Dorothea’s slovenly mannerisms—or not? I got the impression that something else was on his mind.
“I have nothing in particular to request,” Claire answered. “I would appreciate it if you continued training Aleah in the art of the sword, however.”
“Ah, yes, Aleah. That girl has talent. She might even be the one to inherit my blades. There is meaning in teaching her; I would continue even if you didn’t ask. I would go so far as to say her training has become a pastime.”
I didn’t quite like her calling it a “pastime,” but I was glad to hear her praise Aleah. Claire seemed pleased too, as she smiled.
“I don’t need anything either,” I answered. “Let’s just say you owe me one.”
“The prospect of owing you is an intimidating one, Rae Taylor. But very well… I’ll overlook what you’ve done this time.”
Hm? What does she mean by that?
“Philine,” Dorothea said.
“Yes, Mother. I humbly request that you—”
“No. I have no reward for you.”
“Huh?”
Philine had meant to take this opportunity to request that her mother change the Empire’s foreign policy. But it wasn’t meant to be.
“Philine Nur,” Dorothea’s face remained expressionless as she spoke her daughter’s name, her dignified voice echoing throughout the audience chamber. “You are hereby exiled for high treason.” |
Chapter 14: My Dear Student
Chapter 14:My Dear Student
“E-EXILED…?” Philine’s voice trembled in disbelief.
“Please wait, Your Majesty! For what—”
“Silence, Claire François. It is not your place to speak in matters of the empire.”
“B-but…” Claire refused to back down.
Dorothea wore a sadistic smile. “Or what? Would your plans go awry if Philine were to disappear?”
She knew. She knew we were turning Philine against her.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? Even if she’s useless, Philine’s still a princess. She is always under protection, her every action monitored.”
We’d been careless. Philine hadn’t realized she was being watched. I’d thought we were careful to not be seen, but it seemed Dorothea was just leagues ahead of us.
“I could overlook the connections you made with my researchers. I even wanted to commend you for taking action on your own, for once.” Dorothea glared at Philine. “But I can’t overlook
conspiring with rebel forces. They dare to rebel against me, and by association, so have you.”
She made a beckoning gesture, and the audience hall doors opened to admit armed imperial guards. I rose to my feet, taking a position in front of Claire, and prepared for a fight.
“At ease, Rae Taylor,” Dorothea said. “I’ll excuse your actions on account of how you handled the demon incident, as well as my prior debt to you. But don’t think I’ll show such kindness twice.”
The guards restrained Philine as Dorothea spoke. Philine didn’t attempt to resist. But just when I thought she had resigned herself, she raised her voice.
“Mother! Please, hear me out! At this rate, the empire will fall!” A fierce light shone in Philine’s eyes. She hadn’t given up yet.
“Oh? Interesting. Let’s hear it, then.” Dorothea grinned as though expecting a show.
“The empire has made far too many enemies! Soon, there will be too many of us to resist!”
“If our foes stand in our way, we trample them. That’s what we’ve always done, and that’s what we will continue to do.” Dorothea’s words reminded me of what Hilda had once said.
“That might work so long as you’re alive, but what happens when you’re gone?! The empire has grown dependent on your presence! That can’t last!”
“I’m not about to die just yet, and what happens after my death is a concern for those that come after me.”
“That’s absurd!”
How irresponsible. I didn’t expect those in power to always be paragons of virtue, but it wasn’t unreasonable to expect them to at least strive toward a better future for their country. Philine was right—the empire’s future seemed dark. How could Dorothea openly admit she only cared what happened during her rule?
“Mother, just what do you think it means to wear the crown?!” Philine cried.
“The crown? It means nothing to me. I simply do as I like. If you want to change my mind, do so through force.” Dorothea just kept spouting nonsense. “You have your own sense of justice. That much is a given. But you’re naive to think politics is about justice opposing evil. Politics is always a conflict of justice against justice. If you want to enforce your vision of justice, you need the power to back it up.”
“Mother…”
“If you wish to change something, you must do it yourself. Those without power have no voice.”
Nonsense. Everything she said was illogical nonsense…and yet, there was truth within it. No matter how lofty your ideals, they meant nothing if you didn’t have the power to put them into practice. No wonder they called politics a struggle for power. Even so—
“Mother… Acquiring power in itself is adding zeros.”
“What are you saying?”
Philine wouldn’t bend. In the face of Dorothea’s overwhelming authority, she continued, unfaltering. “No matter how many zeros you add up together, their value remains null. Only when you put something before those zeros, like justice, does the number have value. But if that justice were twisted, the number would only equate to the degree of violence you’d incite.”
What Philine was trying to say was this: No matter how many zeros you had, they would always equal zero. But the moment you put an integer in front of them, the zeros transformed into a mighty number. But if that integer was something negative, then the more power—in other words, the more zeros—you had, the more terrible the end result.
“If your notion of justice is flawed, all the power in the world can’t right it. I accept that power is important, Mother, but being just is even more so. Your way of thinking is wrong.” Philine, still restrained by the guards, declared this with resolve. The once weak-willed girl now debated her mother on an equal footing.
“You would say I’m wrong?” Dorothea asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m impressed. You’re the first to speak out against me like this. I’m sure you know what this means?”
“I do.”
Philine’s face was as tranquil as a martyr’s.
No. This isn’t the way, Philine.
She was betting her life to try to appeal to her mother, but that wasn’t going to work for her.
If one wanted to preach their justice, their ideals, they had to live long enough to see them through. Dying achieved nothing. Claire had thought to do the same during the revolution, but there was nothing noble about dying for your ideals. I wasn’t about to let her go like this.
But just as I was about to beg Dorothea to spare Philine, a voice interrupted.
“Please wait, Your Majesty.”
It was Josef.
“Stay out of this, old man,” Dorothea said.
“I’m afraid I cannot do that. Lady Philine is an extraordinarily brilliant individual. I believe she is more suited to rule than your other children, who don’t have the heart to speak against you.” He spoke calmly, as though trying to pacify her.
“But she has defied me.”
“Lady Philine is still young. Children make errors. Once she sees more of the world and learns the reality of governance, she’ll come to understand the truth in Your Majesty’s words.”
“I—” Philine started.
“Lady Philine,” Josef cut her short. “I implore you, hold your tongue.”
Faced with his earnest request, Philine reluctantly stayed silent. Studying him closely, I saw sweat lining his brow. It seemed to me that he had foreseen where this conversation would lead if he stepped in—not exile but execution. He didn’t want to lose Philine, who was perhaps the empire’s sole chance for reform.
“Humph… So you’ll go that far, old man?” Dorothea snorted. “Very well. Philine’s sentence will remain as it was. Exile.”
“Thank you very much, Your Majesty.”
“Take her away.”
Philine looked like she still had something to say but kept quiet, obediently allowing herself to be removed from the premises.
“Rae Taylor, Claire François. I originally intended to exile you two as well, but I will dismiss your transgressions on account of my debt to you. However, there will be no such clemency in the future.”
With those words, Dorothea stood. Claire and I could do nothing but bow as she left.
***
“It’s over.”
A few days had passed since Philine had been sentenced to exile, and Claire, Hilda, Josef, and I had come to see her off before she left the country. Frieda wasn’t with us, as Dorothea had caught wind of the rebel forces and thereby sent most of them into hiding.
We were seeing her off from Ruhm’s eastern gate. I was reminded of the time we said our goodbyes to Lene after she was banished from Bauer, but the imperial gate was far grander in terms of size, security, and traffic. The number of inspections was higher as well. I couldn’t help but think Philine, the truth of her departure a secret, looked small and insignificant in the long line of others awaiting their inspections.
“I’m so sorry. After all the trouble everyone went through to help me, I couldn’t achieve a single thing…” Philine looked deeply apologetic.
Officially speaking, she was visiting a neighboring country. But the period of her visit was indefinite, meaning she was effectively banished. She had been given five attendants who were allowed to carry the absolute minimum of luggage—far from a leisurely vacation an imperial princess might take.
“We’re the sorry ones—sorry we couldn’t help more,” said Claire. “We desperately underestimated Her Majesty Dorothea.”
Philine demurred, dismissing Claire’s words of comfort. “No, it’s all my fault. I should’ve been more aware of my security detail.”
“Hey, things might not have worked out, but at least you avoided the death penalty,” I said. “It looked like you were going to be executed on the spot for a moment back there.”
My comrades might have disagreed, but I truly believed that as long as you were alive, there were always things that could be done.
“I may have survived, but what can I do now that I’ve been exiled?”
“Oh, Lady Philine…”
All this doom and gloom…you’d think they were at a wake.
“You can do whatever you want now,” I said. “Being exiled just means you’re no longer tied down by your country. The world’s your oyster.”
“Ha ha. You always were the optimistic one, Rae.” Philine laughed.
“No, she’s simply too simple-minded to take things seriously,” Claire said.
“That’s not true,” I protested. “I understand the sadness you might feel at times like these, but you’ll always eventually need to move forward. Once you’ve hit rock bottom, you can only go up.”
So I said, but it really depended on the person.
“That being said,” said Claire. “I must confess I’m terribly disappointed in Her Majesty.”
“With Mother?”
“Yes.” Claire frowned. “I knew she was a tyrant, but I thought it was for her country’s sake. I may not agree with her methods, but she is undeniably talented. I wanted to believe her rule was worthy, in its own way.”
“Ah, I get it,” I said. “You don’t like that she said she doesn’t care what happens after she’s dead.”
“Yes. No ruler should ever say such a thing,” Claire declared with a huff.
“Aha ha… I’m sorry about my mother.” Philine apologized weakly.
“Remember when we discussed our impressions of Her Majesty after our first audience with her?” Claire asked. “Your assessment of her was the most accurate, Rae. She’s a child. A child with too much power.”
I think Claire felt betrayed. She might not have liked Dorothea personally, but she had at least respected her as a ruler. But that respect had been betrayed, which infuriated Claire.
“You misunderstand Her Majesty.” A calm voice gently rebuked us. It was Josef. “Her Majesty is not as quick-tempered as she appears. Her declaration that what comes after her death falls to others to decide, it…does invite misunderstanding, but she has given the matter proper thought.”
“She has?” Philine asked curiously. Even after being exiled by her, she held a deep fascination and respect for her mother.
“Her Majesty is aware the empire is too dependent on her presence, as you all stated,” Josef said.
“But then why would she say such an awful thing?” Philine asked.
“Her Majesty once let slip that she regretted undertaking so much herself, and she wished that those who came after her passing would work together to govern the empire. …Her Majesty, you see, isn’t very good at explaining herself.” Josef muttered the last words sadly. “You misunderstand how she feels about you as well, Lady Philine.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes. Her Majesty has always wished for your well-being.”
“But…no, that can’t be true.”
“It is. Her Majesty didn’t wish for you to be involved in political struggles, and so she arranged for you to be moved to another country.”
Philine wore a complicated expression. She couldn’t so easily believe his words, yet she wanted to.
“Lady Philine,” Josef continued. “Your actions were not wrong. I believe it’s time for the empire to reconcile with other countries as well. But please understand that Her Majesty does not uphold the current policy by choice.”
“Then why?”
“That, I do not know. I only know Her Majesty has suffered for a horribly long time and that she was never the type to spill blood needlessly.”
It was hard to believe his words. It was an undeniable fact that Dorothea had put the empire on a militaristic path and invaded countless nations. Even if she had her reasons, that was small comfort to those who’d suffered at her hand.
“We must be off soon, Lady Philine,” the coachman called.
It was time.
Philine looked crestfallen as she boarded. We didn’t even have time to exchange words of parting before the coach moved forward.
Suddenly, Philine stuck her head out of the coach window. “Claire, Rae, Hilda, Josef. I’ve made up my mind!”
“Lady Philine?!” we exclaimed in unison.
“I’m going to believe in Mother! And because I believe in her, I won’t give up on the empire’s future! I swear, I’ll be back one day!” A powerful conviction burned in her eyes. The shy, powerless girl she’d been when we first met was gone. The next time we met, she would surely have grown even more.
The coach gradually faded from view. We stood there and watched as it left.
“She’s really gone,” Claire said.
“Indeed…” Hilda said.
“Are you okay leaving things like this, Hilda?” I asked. “You didn’t say a word to her in the end.”
“Yes, well… I didn’t have anything in particular to say. Actually, I think she ignored me entirely throughout.”
“Ah. Must be revenge for the ball.” I bet Philine had things she wanted to say to Hilda, though. “It looks like our plan to change the empire is back to square one, Miss Claire.”
“Indeed, Rae.”
“Ahem… I ask that you not discuss such things in my presence.” Josef looked visibly uncomfortable.
“Oh? Don’t you also oppose the current empire?” I asked.
“I do, but first and foremost, I support Her Majesty Dorothea.”
“Ohh, I see.”
Such a worldly-wise man, I thought, impressed.
That was when a young man in a uniform approached us.
“So this is where you were, Sir Josef.”
“Is something the matter?”
“A letter has arrived from Sousse. Her Majesty has already seen it, but you should as well.”
“Hm?” Josef took the letter and swiftly looked over it. His expression stiffened.
“Did something happen?” I asked.
“Rae, stop,” Claire said. “It’s a correspondence between two nations; he isn’t going to tell us what it says.”
“Actually, I can, as I’m sure the Bauer party has already received a similar letter.”
Josef passed us the letter, which read:
I request a summit between Sousse, the Alpes, Bauer, and Nur.
—Manaria Sousse
***
“Oh, Rae, Claire. Welcome home,” Dole welcomed us as we returned to the Bauer dorm, which seemed more hectic than usual, with people and objects racing back and forth.
“I take it the dorm has already been informed, then,” Claire said.
“You mean that Sousse proposed a summit? Yes.”
Dole suggested we talk inside, so we followed him to our lodging. Once there, May and Aleah immediately rushed to Claire.
“Welcome home, Mama Claire!”
“Welcome home, Mother Claire!”
“Thank you, dears. I’m home.” Claire smiled happily and kissed their foreheads.
“Um, I’m here too, you know?”
“Welcome home, Mama Rae.”
“Welcome home.”
“So cold.” I sighed. It’s fine… I’m not sad, not one bit.
“The two of us have to talk with Father. Can you girls go play in your room?” Claire asked.
“Is it something bad?” May asked.
“I wish to talk with Grandfather as well!” Aleah said.
Hmm? Is Master Dole more popular with the kids than me? I’m not jealous… No, definitely not.
“I’m sorry, May, Aleah,” Dole said. “But we need to talk about grown-up things. I’ll come play with you later, so please let it slide this once.”
“Okaaay, but you need to pinky promise!” May said.
“Pinky promise, Grandfather!” Aleah said.
May and Aleah made pinky promises with Dole before going to their room. It was a minor detail but still odd to see someone make a pinky promise in this medieval Europe-based world. Just another strange, out-of-place touch of Japanese culture rearing its head.
“Will the living room do, Father? Rae, can you serve some tea?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Thank you.”
I started to prepare some black tea as they sat at the table.
“Is it true Sousse is proposing a summit?” Claire asked, too eager to wait for the tea—which was fine, as I was still in earshot.
“Yes. The notice arrived a short while ago. It seems Queen Manaria is the one who proposed it.”
Manaria was putting everything she had into being a diplomat. She was even the one who’d suggested the three-nation alliance.
“I don’t understand why she wants this now, of all times,” Claire said. “Shouldn’t the establishment of the three-nation alliance take precedence?”
I brought over the tea, passed it to the other two, and sat down myself.
“This is just my theory, but I think Queen Manaria is worried that establishing the alliance will create a clear divide between the Nur Empire and the three nations.” Dole sipped the tea, then complimented it, much to my delight.
“But hasn’t that always been the case? I thought the three-nation alliance was meant to prepare for the coming war with the empire?” Claire asked.
“Not quite. The goal of the alliance was to prevent the empire from taking further aggressive action—in other words, to achieve a peaceful victory by amassing more force than the empire.”
“So that’s no longer possible, then.”
“Indeed.” Dole grimaced. “The peace treaty the empire sent Bauer before the alliance could be formed bought them time. They’ve spent the last few months expanding their forces. Of course, the other three nations haven’t been idle either, but the empire has overtaken us nonetheless.”
It appeared Dorothea had far more diplomatic savvy than we gave her credit for. I hadn’t thought she could be so crafty, but the results spoke for themselves. Maybe she just had talented people working under her.
“Regardless, doing nothing will only put us back where we started. That’s why Queen Manaria is hoping to add the empire to the alliance to create a new, unified international front. This summit is to lay the groundwork for that,” Dole said.
Rather than create a three-nation alliance to fight the empire, it would be better to wrangle the empire by including them in the alliance—or so Manaria believed.
“Now wait just a moment. Is this really viable? The empire’s the most powerful state at present. Wouldn’t they just exploit a unified international power however they saw fit?” Claire’s concern was warranted. Even in my old world, the United Nations had often been at the beck and call of the world’s superpowers.
“That will depend on how well Queen Manaria and the rest can maneuver. Besides, if it does go that way, the other three nations can reverse course to face the empire as their own united front.”
“So all this is being done under the assumption of possible failure?”
“To put it bluntly, yes. But that’s just politics—excessively roundabout.” Dole shook his head and sighed. “Claire, Rae, what are your thoughts on the empire? How do you think Empress Dorothea will respond?”
Claire thought for a moment. “I cannot see Dorothea’s aggression relenting.”
“Why is that?”
“Only moments prior, we saw off Princess Philine as she went into exile. I believe Dorothea wouldn’t have exiled her daughter if she had even the slightest inclination toward reconciliation, as her daughter was heavily in favor of it.”
“Hmm… I see. And you, Rae?”
“I agree with Miss Claire. But it seems Dorothea has some reason for her aggressive stance. We might be able to sway her if we discover those reasons.”
Josef had said Dorothea wasn’t upholding her current policy by choice. Of course, I didn’t think I could forgive her, no matter her reasons…but now that I really thought about it, she had never once tried to justify any of her actions. When we’d had our first audience with her, she hadn’t protested Claire’s condemnation of the empire’s actions—in fact, she’d said Claire’s words were logical. I was starting to think she viewed whatever she was doing as a necessary evil.
“Do you have any idea what that reason might be?” Dole asked.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t a clue. In fact, not even the person closest to Dorothea, her manservant, seems to know. I suspect only she could explain herself,” I answered.
“It seems there’s nothing we can do there, then,” Claire said.
“Yeah…” Although, I did recall that during our initial audience, Dorothea had said she would explain herself…if we agreed to serve her.
“Rae, what about that…what was it again, a book of prophecies?” asked Dole. “Was there any information in it about Empress Dorothea’s motive?” He was referring to my Revo-Lily knowledge. I had given him the same explanation I’d given Claire, way back during my interview to become Claire’s maid.
“Not a single thing. Her true motivations remained a mystery in each and every possible scenario,” I answered.
In the Dorothea route, where the mother and daughter pair became lovers, Philine and Dorothea teamed up and ventured forth to conquer the world. In the revolution route, Philine began a revolution in the Nur Empire and fought against Dorothea to the bitter end. The other routes featured Dorothea less but still shared one common feature: they never revealed Dorothea’s true motives.
“Perhaps this summit Queen Manaria proposes will be a chance to learn Dorothea’s true motives, then,” said Dole. “If there’s a reason she can’t curb her state’s aggressions, like Rae thinks, then perhaps we can hear what it is and try to change her mind from there.”
Her reason, huh? You know, I’d really thought there was a good chance Dorothea was just a warmonger… But then again, perhaps the world of politics was just a dog-eat-dog world and her actions were par for the course. But I wasn’t a politician, nor did I care to view the world in such a way.
“Whatever the future may hold, we’re bound to be busy. I’ll have even less time to play with May and Aleah now, I suppose,” Dole grumbled.
“I thought you withdrew from political matters?” I asked, refilling his cup.
“That was the idea, but I was badgered into assisting with this whole affair. I insisted I wouldn’t, but they forced my hand by saying they’d go to you two if I didn’t.”
It seemed Arla and Irvine had had no choice but to basically strongarm Dole back onto the political stage. Bauer seemed to still be struggling to get back on its feet.
“I wouldn’t mind if you left it to us, Father,” Claire said.
“Yeah. You’ve done enough already,” I said.
“Ha ha ha, thank you. But you overestimate yourselves. You still don’t have what it takes to stand at the forefront of the political world.”
“I can’t argue otherwise.” Claire sighed.
“Indeed,” I said.
Claire and I often insisted the revolution hadn’t been achieved by our efforts alone—despite being heralded as the heroes of the revolution—because, well…it was true! Dole had assisted my every action from the shadows, and he’d even been the one to initially set the stage for commoners to overthrow the nobility. You could even say that Claire and I had been nothing more than pawns in his game, although that might be stretching it. I could guarantee Dole would insist otherwise.
“Bah, if my efforts mean a better future for May and Aleah, then I suppose I can give it a shot,” he said.
“If you need any help, please let us know,” Claire said.
“Yes, anything,” I affirmed.
“Ha ha, thank you, you two.”
Suddenly, there was a frenzied knock at the door. Claire and Dole looked at each other, wondering who it could be, while I left my seat to open the door.
“Yes? …Oh, it’s you, Lana. What’s up?”
“I-It’s Joel! Th-they—”
“Whoa. Okay, calm down and breathe. What happened?”
Lana’s face was pale, and she fought to catch her breath. “The imperial soldiers took Joel away!”
***
“I didn’t do a thing.”
That was the first thing out of Joel’s mouth. We were underground in a section of the Department of Public Safety—the equivalent of a police department in my old world. Joel sat in a cell with his hands bound behind his back and a surly look on his face, which was bruised.
“Why did the imperial soldiers cart you off then?” Claire asked, partially out of doubt but mainly out of worry.
“I don’t know,” he answered. “But there was this woman stalking me. Maybe she had something to do with it.”
“Is this a lovers’ spat?” she asked.
“Of course not. I didn’t even know her name before I was arrested. She just kept one-sidedly pestering me.” Joel’s face was weary, and he looked genuinely fed up with the whole ordeal.
But was he telling the truth?
“I’ll go ask what happened upstairs,” I said. “Can you stay here and hear what Joel has to say for me, Miss Claire?”
“Of course.”
I left them behind and moved to the aboveground portion of the building to find the soldier in charge. “Excuse me, I’m here about Joel Santana.”
“Are you family?” the soldier at the reception desk asked.
“No, but I am something like his guardian. He’s my student back in our homeland.”
“Oh, I see. Right this way then.” The soldier manning the reception desk led me to the soldier handling Joel’s case—a woman, to my surprise.
“On what charge was Joel arrested on?” I asked.
“The bastard assaulted an upstanding citizen of the empire.” The soldier made no effort to hide her disdain.
“Just to make sure: Is the one pressing charges a woman?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course, obviously!”
It might be obvious to you, lady, but that’s not always the case…
“Is there evidence?” I asked.
“Yes. Her body is covered in bruises. She’ll likely have lasting scars.” The soldier grimaced as though remembering the state the woman had been in.
“I understand there’s no doubt the victim was assaulted, but is there any proof the assailant was Joel?”
“The victim herself testified as much, and it was daytime, so there’s no doubt she got a clear look.” The soldier spoke as though it were a cut-and-dried case, but the only evidence was the victim’s testimony.
“Isn’t there a chance she might be lying?” I asked.
“What reason would she have to lie? The one hiding the truth is your student. He won’t say where he was at the time of the crime or what he was doing.”
Oh, really? I thought. “Might I be able to meet with the victim?”
“You’re joking! The poor girl is frightened out of her mind right now. And I’m not so foolish as to let an acquaintance of the assailant meet the victim!”
“I see…”
This was a problem. Both science and the judicial system were underdeveloped in this world, meaning criminal investigations relied heavily on testimonies and eyewitness accounts. As someone with 21st-century sensibilities, this kind of investigation felt shallow and spotty, but it was likely the best they could do with what they had available.
Furthermore, I couldn’t rule out the possibility Joel had committed the crime. He was my student, and I believed in his integrity as a person, but I couldn’t let preconceptions sway me. If, by some chance, he had indeed committed the crime, I wanted him to atone for it.
That being said, nothing was set in stone at this point. Seeing how the soldiers appeared convinced that Joel was the culprit, I wanted to make sure he got a fair shot at proving his innocence.
In any case—
“I need to meet up with Miss Claire first.”
“First off, the woman’s name is Berta.”
Claire summarized the information she had received from Joel. He had first met Berta while drinking alone at a pub in the shopping district. Berta, who worked there, had incessantly tried to talk to him, but Joel, completely disinterested, had ignored her. That apparently hurt her pride, as she was well known as a beauty, causing her to pester him even more, which in turn caused him to pay and leave the establishment.
Their second meeting was the day of the incident. Joel went out to the shopping district on some business and met Berta in a certain store.
As for the rest, Joel refused to say. He wouldn’t say what store he’d gone to or even what business took him there. It was no wonder the soldiers had thought him guilty.
“It’s hard to deny the possibility that he might well have done it,” Claire said.
“Indeed. Still, I can’t imagine him ever doing such a thing.”
“Neither can I. But I don’t intend to let my opinion of him obscure the truth.”
In other words, we couldn’t let our biases cloud our judgment. Now, what to do?
“Miss Claire, let’s trust in Joel while fully doubting him.”
“You…realize that’s contradictory, Rae?”
“I believe in Joel’s innocence. But that doesn’t change the fact that someone was assaulted here.”
“I suppose… Wait, are you sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong again?”
“You bet I am.”
“By the look on your face, it doesn’t seem I can stop you.” Claire sighed. She’d really come to understand me as of late. Oh, how happy that made me!
“Stop me? If anything, you’re going to help!” I said.
“Goodness. All right. What are you planning then?”
“We’ll begin by asking around for information, starting with where Joel was and what he was doing at the time of the crime.”
“Haven’t the imperial soldiers done that already?”
“They likely have, so we might as well ask them too, but I really want to get first-hand information.”
“So you really believe Joel’s innocent then? I’m surprised.”
“Hm? Did you think I hated Joel or something?” If anything, that was what was surprising here.
“Not at all. I just had you pegged as the type to unconditionally take the woman’s side.”
“Ohh… I certainly do tend to, I’ll admit it. But I don’t despise guys or anything, you know?”
I was a woman who liked women, so I naturally leaned toward supporting women more often. But it was precisely because I was aware of that bias that I tried my hardest to remain neutral at times like these. Completely excising your internal biases was close to impossible—that was why you had to be aware of them and work to counter them.
“Men have their own good qualities. I won’t deny that. I just don’t believe I could ever love a man romantically. Nothing more, nothing less,” I said.
“I see. I’m a little relieved to hear that.”
“We’re still discovering new things about each other even after marriage! This relationship isn’t cooling off anytime soon, it seems!”
“E-enough fooling around. This is important, Rae. Shall we split up and investigate?” Claire suggested.
That did sound most efficient, but…
“No, we should ask around together.”
“Why is that?”
“Even if it’s just for a little longer, I want to be together with you.”
She gave me a look.
“Oh, do I adore that cold stare of yours!” I exclaimed. “But all jokes aside, I think we should play it safe after what happened with Philine, even if Dorothea says we’re off the hook.”
“Oh, now that you mention it…”
We’d attempted to conspire with rebel forces on foreign land. Normally, that would impel the death penalty, no questions asked. I didn’t think Dorothea was the type to go back on her word, but I also didn’t think that meant we should be careless.
At any rate, we had reached an agreement for now.
“We’ll start tomorrow then,” Claire said.
“I look forward to our special little date.”
“It is very much not a date!”
***
“Quiet please. The court is now in session,” the elderly presiding judge solemnly announced.
Claire and I were at one of Ruhm’s courthouses, attending Joel’s trial as his character witnesses. Trials in this world were different than in modern Japan because, while still conducted by law, verdicts weren’t entirely objective. Instead, they were heavily influenced by how well one could appeal to the presiding judge. Because of this, the defendant tended to be at a disadvantage, compared to the prosecution. This world could really choose weird ways in which to be antiquated.
I should also mention that the presiding judge was a clergyman sent from the Spiritual Church, as the Church handled the administration of justice in this world.
There were other spectators too, all standing, as there were no audience seats.
“The prosecution may begin their opening statement.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
The man sitting opposite us, who had to be the attorney, stood up. He was incredibly average in terms of build and height, but he had sharp eyes, giving him a shrewd look. He said something to the woman by his side—Berta, I presumed—who then went to the witness stand.
“My client, Berta Bahlke, was assaulted by the defendant, Joel Santana. The crime in question occurred on Imperial Date…”
Standing at the prosecution’s table, the attorney outlined Berta’s account of the events in a clear, sonorous voice. I was impressed by the confidence he exuded in his tone and body language, but then again, he was an expert who had likely done this dozens of times before. He had prepared his client beforehand too, as she shed tears the moment he recounted the violence that had occurred.
“From these facts, the defendant’s guilt is clear.”
“Hmm…” The presiding judge nodded thoughtfully. Things weren’t looking great for us. “The defendant may begin their opening statement.”
“Thank you, Your Honor,” our side’s attorney replied as Joel took the witness stand. “The prosecution’s case rests entirely on circumstantial evidence. Even more concerning, there is no evidence outside of the plaintiff’s testimony.”
“Objection, Your Honor,” Berta’s attorney interrupted. “The plaintiff’s body is covered in injuries, amongst which are some of the most severe and terrible wounds a woman may suffer. My client has no reason to lie.”
“Objection sustained. The prosecution makes a fair point.”
Oh dear. This wasn’t going well at all.
“B-but, Your Honor! There were no witnesses at the location where the crime allegedly took place! It would be illogical to let a single person’s testimony deem a man guilty!”
Our side’s attorney was the equivalent of a public defender in my world—in other words, an attorney appointed by the country for those who couldn’t procure their own. I didn’t think he was incapable, but he was definitely less skilled than an expensive attorney.
“I shall give the defendant a chance to rebut the claims, then. Where were you and what were you doing at the time of the incident?” the presiding judge asked Joel.
“I decline to answer,” Joel replied curtly from the witness stand.
As he did so, I saw a smile rise to the face of Berta’s attorney.
“Did I hear that correctly? You decline your right to rebut?” the presiding judge asked. “If that’s the case, then I’m left with no choice but to deem you guilty.”
“I am innocent of any crime,” Joel said. “But I cannot answer the question you’ve asked me.”
“I see.”
The fact that the presiding judge didn’t deem Joel guilty on the spot showed that he did possess patience. I dread to think what would have happened if he’d been a more quick-tempered man.
I raised my hand. “Your Honor, I request the right to speak.”
“What is your relationship with the defendant?” he asked.
“We come from the same country, and I am his teacher.”
“Hmm… Very well. You may speak.”
“Thank you very much, Your Honor.” I stood and looked at Joel. He regarded me coldly. “Joel, I looked into where you were and what you were doing at the time of the crime. You were at Berta’s house, were you not?”
The spectators began to murmur.
“Hold on, you’re here to defend Joel Santana, correct?” the presiding judge asked.
“Yes, without a doubt,” I answered.
He didn’t look wholly satisfied. “Very well then. You may continue.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.” I turned my gaze from Joel to Berta. “While Berta works at the pub, she has another job, a secret one.”
“Objection, Your Honor. She has no evidence,” Berta’s attorney said.
“But I do have evidence. If you would, Miss Claire.”
Claire brought the documents to the presiding judge.
“These are testimonies of Berta’s side job,” I explained. “I would like to submit them as evidence.”
“These are from stage actors and actresses who commissioned…makeup?” the presiding judge asked.
“Yes,” I answered. “Berta worked as a makeup artist on the side.”
Berta’s face contorted with shame. As I touched on a bit when discussing the empire’s food situation, the empire looked down on occupations that were considered nonessential. Anyone would be hesitant to say they worked as a makeup artist, even if makeup was considered normal for women, so it came as no surprise that Berta hid this fact.
“Berta is well known for being a talented makeup artist. Joel visited her for that reason, not knowing her identity. Am I right?” I asked Joel, who didn’t reply.
“I don’t understand,” the presiding judge said. “What does that have to do with this trial? You’ve proved Joel went to meet Berta, which only serves to further incriminate him. What point do you intend to make here?”
He was confused, and understandably so. I only hoped that what followed wouldn’t confuse him even further, as not many people understood the subject.
“Joel, is it all right if I continue?” I asked. “If you’d rather keep this to yourself and accept these false charges, I’ll respect your wishes and back down here.”
Joel didn’t respond.
“If I do continue, you probably won’t be able to stay in the empire, no matter the verdict,” I continued. “So I won’t force you to do anything. But even so—” I looked him squarely in the eyes, “—allow me to say one thing. I don’t want to see you accept these false charges, and I’m ready to accept you for who you are. Let me help you, Joel.”
Joel’s face twisted with agony. He had to be conflicted. How could he not be with such a burden? I waited patiently for his answer.
At last, he said, “Do it.”
“Okay.”
He had made his decision. All that remained was for me to clear his good name.
“As I said earlier, Joel went to Berta’s house to avail himself of her services as a makeup artist.”
“I don’t understand. Joel is not a stage actor. What reason would he have to visit her?” the presiding judge asked.
“Nothing special, really. She just wanted her makeup done.” As looks of confusion rose to everyone’s faces, I said, “Joel is a woman.”
***
“P-pardon? Joel Santana is a man. It even says so on his immigration form.”
“Yes, Your Honor. Biologically speaking, Joel is indeed a male.”
“I haven’t a clue what you’re trying to say here.” The presiding judge looked perplexed, which, again, was understandable. This perspective was fairly uncommon in this world—and it wasn’t even fully accepted in mine.
“Besides the gender of the body, there also exists a gender of the mind, Your Honor,” I explained.
“A gender of the mind?”
“Yes. For most people, the two correspond. But for some people, they don’t—which causes them great hardship.”
“And you’re saying Joel Santana is one of these people?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
The presiding judge looked unblinkingly at Joel, whose build and facial features could only be described as masculine.
“Certainly,” he said, “I’ve heard of plays in which men look like women or women look like men, but I can’t see Joel here as anything but a man.”
“It’s not a matter of appearance. It’s a matter of which gender they understand themselves to be,” I replied. Joel had gender dysphoria, something I’ve previously explained in regard to Yu’s plight. “Joel, can you explain a bit of what you’ve gone through and how you feel?”
She pursed her lips in hesitation, but eventually, she began to speak.
“I was born the eldest son to a family of soldiers,” she said in her baritone. “I was raised as a boy, and I was taught I needed to be a strong man to become a soldier.”
It broke my heart to hear her sound so indifferent.
“But I always wondered to myself: Why was I trapped in this body that wasn’t mine?”
Such a question was common amongst those with gender dysphoria.
“The more I trained, the burlier my body became, and the more I grew, the greater the sense of unease inside me. At some point, the revulsion I felt toward my own body became unbearable.”
Joel spoke flatly, as though she were doing everything she could to prevent any emotion from surfacing.
“Sometimes, I would secretly put on my mother’s makeup. Of course, it looked terrible on a face like mine, but it was the only time I ever felt at ease.”
Some might call this sort of thing compensatory behavior, or tricking oneself, or even dancing around the problem with symptomatic treatment. But I believe there are times when people need alleviation from their pain, even if the thing they do does nothing to change their circumstances.
“While at Bauer, I heard a rumor about a talented makeup artist in the Nur Empire known to be a miracle worker. So I looked for them when I got here, thinking maybe…they could change me, even with a face like this.”
That would explain why we had spotted Joel in the red-light district. She hadn’t been looking to play with girls but been hunting down the rumored makeup artist.
“That was when I met Berta. I heard she was a skilled artist, so I went to her home. I didn’t realize we had met before, but she remembered me, and when she asked me why I wanted my makeup done, I answered honestly. But…” Joel grimaced. “She told me to pay her or else she would expose my secret. She demanded an exorbitant amount, far higher than her standard fee. I refused, after which she said she would tell everyone. I left fully prepared for her to do so. The rest is as Rae said.”
Joel’s voice remained devoid of emotion the whole time. But she hadn’t clarified one important element of this story.
“Joel, I know this is a tough question to answer, but there’s just one more thing,” I said. “Romantically speaking, do you like men or women?”
“Men.”
A murmur ran through the spectators. I hated how they gawked at my pupil like some exotic animal, but right now, clearing Joel of suspicion came first.
“Your Honor, as established, Joel had no reason to assault Berta,” I said.
“Hmm… But then where did her wounds come from?” he asked.
Claire cut in. “I believe I can answer that, Your Honor. Permission to speak?”
“Granted.”
Claire stood. “Berta and a man named Damian Carossa have been…involved for quite some time. According to testimony from one of her coworkers at the pub, Damian seems to be blackmailing the plaintiff and often extorts money from her. I have Damian’s own testimony attesting to this.”
“What do you mean?” the presiding judge asked.
“Damian has been using unlawful narcotics and is currently not of sound mind. This is only conjecture, but I believe the one who truly assaulted Berta was Damian. Am I right, Berta?”
Berta said nothing, simply hanging her head.
“Objection, Your Honor! Her claims are baseless!” Berta’s attorney exclaimed.
“Objection overruled. Berta Bahlke, I ask you to swear to God and tell the truth: Was Damian Carossa the one who assaulted you?”
Berta remained silent. She’d likely been instructed by her attorney to say nothing that would worsen their position.
“You may choose to remain silent. However, I must dismiss your accusation against Joel Santana then. Is that what you wish?” the presiding judge asked.
“Please wait, Your Honor!” Berta’s attorney exclaimed.
“Please dismiss the complaint,” Berta said in a feeble voice.
“Berta, no! We can still win!”
“No, it’s all right. It’s…all right.” Her voice was a barely audible whisper as she sat down at her stand.
Why she’d covered for Damian and pinned the crime on Joel was a mystery only she could solve. In my past life, I’d read many novels and seen many anime wherein malicious women pressed false charges of sexual assault against men—but such things rarely occurred in reality. I didn’t mean to say it never happened, but these cases were few and far between.
Even a woman like me could understand men’s fear of false accusations. But one had to remember that most women had no reason to do such a thing. Of course, that didn’t mean women were always telling the truth when they accused someone. I’d be the first to admit that trials in Japan were sometimes guilty of condemning people on testimony alone—but we must examine each case on its own merits.
In the end, I didn’t know Berta’s circumstances. Perhaps Damian was the one to blame for all this, or perhaps Berta had acted entirely of her own accord. We could only speculate.
“One more thing,” the presiding judge said. “Joel Santana, I have a separate sentence for you. Your right to remain in the Nur Empire as an exchange student is hereby revoked.”
I wasn’t surprised. I’d had a feeling this would happen.
“I understand your circumstances, but your body is a gift from God. To deny it is a sin, and I cannot allow a sinner to remain in the empire.”
Joel showed no surprise either, as though she had expected this and had already resolved herself to her fate. Her circumstances were decidedly different from Yu’s. Yu—despite what the upper crust of Bauer might insist—had reverted back to her original body, whereas Joel was denying the body she had been born with. The two cases were worlds apart as far as the Spiritual Church’s doctrine was concerned.
In modern Japan, such a verdict would never occur. But this world was far, far behind mine in some of its values.
The presiding judge continued. “Joel Santana, you are to be deported to the Bauer Kingdom. You will have one month to depart. Court adjourned.”
And with that, the trial ended—with no victors to be found.
***
“Where are you taking me, Rae?”
“Don’t worry about it!”
“Yes, don’t worry. We’re not taking you anywhere bad.”
Two weeks had passed since the trial. Having received a certain notice we had been waiting for, Claire and I were now taking Joel to a certain place.
“All right, I might as well. I do owe you two, after all.” Joel smiled weakly. She had to be referring to the trial.
“That’s not true,” I said sadly. “It’s our fault you’re being exiled.”
“Even if it was to clear your name, we still brought you great shame,” Claire added just as sadly. It hurt not being able to help your own pupil.
“Don’t say that. I actually feel better now, like a weight’s been lifted off my shoulders.” Joel smiled weakly again. “Anyway, don’t you think it’s about time you told me where you’re taking me?”
“Right here,” I said.
We had arrived at a Spiritual Church clinic.
“Why here?” she asked.
“Let’s head in first.” I took Joel’s hand and pulled her inside. The clinic was bigger than the one at the Royal Academy, and a few people were in the waiting room, awaiting their medical exams. The interior was immaculate and spotlessly clean.
“Hey, you came.”
“You’re late.”
Yu and Misha greeted the three of us. They volunteered here as members of the Church, despite their busy schedule as students. We were meeting up because I’d asked for their help on something.
“Where’s Julia?” I asked.
“This way,” Yu answered before leading us farther into the clinic. She stopped before a door. “Julia, can we come in?”
“Yes,” a voice replied. We all entered the room to see a familiar person lying on the bed.
“How are you feeling, Julia?” Claire asked.
“I’m okay, Miss Claire.”
The patient was Julia, one of the children we occasionally visited at the convent. She didn’t seem to like me much, but she had completely opened up to Claire—as well as to the pope, apparently, for the duration we had switched places.
“Um…?” Joel seemed confused by why she had been brought here.
“This girl’s being treated for a particular curse,” said Yu. “One that Rae asked me to alert her to, if I came across it. The Crosswise Curse.”
Joel’s eyes went wide with realization. For her sake, I had been searching for someone with the Crosswise Curse. If this were modern-day Japan, leaking a patient’s private information would have been a problem, but such things were more lax in this world. Still, I’d never expected Julia to have the curse.
“Rae, you didn’t…” Joel said.
“I did. How would you like to try contracting the Crosswise Curse?” I asked.
A quick explanation for those who forgot: The Crosswise Curse was communicable, and it effectively transformed one’s body into that of the opposite gender’s. For most people, having your gender suddenly swapped was an unwelcome experience, but it was a gleaming opportunity for someone who desired that change, like Joel.
“Just to temper your expectations a bit, there’s no guarantee the Crosswise Curse will give you the ideal body you desire, especially with how masculine your current body is,” I explained.
Yu’s case had gone as well as could be hoped, but she’d had a feminine face to start with—and had been born female in the first place. Not only that, if Joel did contract the Crosswise Curse, she would still have to be careful on nights of the full moon; under that light, her former body would be revealed.
“If you’re still okay with that,” I said, “I can transfer Julia’s Crosswise Curse to you.”
“Is such a thing…possible?” she asked.
“Mm-hmm.”
“I find myself yet again curious as to how you know these things, Rae,” said Yu. “But I suppose you’d rather I not ask?”
“I would rather. Sorry, Yu.”
“So, what will it be, Joel?” Claire asked.
Joel thought for a moment. As she’d mentioned during the trial, she had been born to a family of soldiers and raised in hopes that she would become a soldier as well. While there were plenty of female soldiers around, it was undeniable that a female body came with some handicaps.
Even so, she wanted to change.
“Do it. No, I mean… Please do it, Ms. Rae.” Joel straightened herself before bowing deeply.
“Got it. Let’s do it right away.”
To cut straight to the point, it was a success.
“Wow… I can’t believe you became so beautiful,” I said.
“Truly,” Claire agreed.
“Quit it,” Joel replied sheepishly.
We had left the clinic, and we were walking back to the Bauer dorm together.
Yu grinned. “She became a beauty, just like me. A different type, though.”
“It’s shameless to call yourself a beauty, Lady Yu,” Misha chastised.
“What do you think, Joel? How’s the body you wanted?” I asked.
“I still can’t believe it. It feels like a dream.” Joel stared at her now-slender fingers as though uncertain they were real, but when I saw her smile, I knew I was glad that this was a world of magic and curses.
In my old world, people with gender dysphoria couldn’t achieve physical transition so easily. In fact, too few—whether they be male-to-female or female-to-male—could achieve a transition they considered successful. It was a different story if one started hormonal treatment before the development of secondary sex characteristics, but for those that couldn’t—especially those whose bodies had fully matured—that degree of change was extraordinarily difficult.
Misaki, my close friend with gender dysphoria, had started hormonal treatment after his secondary sex characteristics had already developed. Because of that, his stature and build had remained fairly feminine, and his voice hadn’t dropped much. This had made him apprehensive about communicating with people, and, well…you know the rest.
To clarify, I don’t mean to say that one has to look beautiful or handsome to have “successfully” transitioned. I did wish we lived in an ideal society where trans individuals could live happily as they looked regardless of conventional attractiveness; but unfortunately, society puts great weight on appearance. I even recalled a study in my old world that showed attractive job applicants tended to get hired more easily.
No…my idea of a successful transition was one that brought a person’s body closer to their identity. All the theories and support in the world didn’t mean a thing if they didn’t bring the change people needed to live with themselves.
This world I was in now wasn’t always perfect, but it had shown Joel kindness. Wherever Misaki was now, I hoped it was a world like this.
Joel grabbed my attention again. “Thank you, Ms. Rae. I’ll never forget this debt.”
“Oh, please. It’s nothing, really. More importantly, things are going to be tough for you from here on out. I wish you luck.”
“Yeah… I dread the talk I’ll have to have with my parents, but I think I can do it.” Her smile seemed softer than before. Perhaps it was because her heart now matched her body.
“Oh, right. Here, take this, Rae.” Yu handed me something. “A lot of unexpected things can happen after transitioning. Use this on her body to temporarily undo the Crosswise Curse if needed.”
I looked in my hand to see the Tears of the Moon. “Is it really all right for me to take this?”
“Of course. I know just how painful gender can be at times. Let me help, if even just a bit.” Yu smiled radiantly.
“Thank you very much. I’ll take great care of it.”
The sun had already set by the time we reached the dorm. I like to think the beauty of that evening glow wasn’t my imagination.
***
“And that’s everything.”
“Whaaat, no fair! I wanna see what Joel looks like now!”
“I don’t particularly care.”
I was regaling Lana and Eve with the latest news while we went to the imperial government offices on some business.
“He’s—er, she’s already back in Bauer by now, right?” Lana asked.
“Yup,” I answered.
Nothing of concern had occurred with Joel’s body since, and she had grown accustomed to it. Eventually, with the deportation deadline looming, she had left for Bauer. I’d never needed to use the Tears of the Moon, which currently sat in my pocket.
I’d best return it to Yu soon.
“She was too shy to say goodbye in person, but she wanted me to give everyone her regards,” I said.
“Awwww, why’s she gotta be such a stranger?” Lana expressed regret at not getting a chance to say goodbye. Eve seemed to genuinely not care. “Was she pretty?”
“Yup. You’ll definitely be surprised if you ever meet her again in Bauer.”
“For real? I’m totes looking forward to that!” Lana bounced with excitement.
“Whatever,” Eve said, indifferent to the end. She sighed. “Look, I won’t tell you not to talk, but if you keep stopping, we’ll never get this done.”
“Ah, sorry, Eve,” I said.
“Sooorry!” Lana said.
We were drafting documents for the imminent four-nation summit—more specifically, compiling information on the Nur Empire for the bigwigs of Bauer. Of course, this government office was an imperial facility, so foreigners like us couldn’t access all its records, but what we could access was plentiful enough.
The information we were compiling concerned public records and statistics about the empire, among other things. This world didn’t have the internet, so such information was usually communicated to other countries by way of letters and, as such, was always slightly out of date. Our purpose was to supplement the information Bauer already had with more accurate, updated statistics.
“Oh, but I’m basically done.”
“That was quick, Lana. I shouldn’t be long, either. How about you, Eve?”
“Just a bit more.”
Surprisingly, Lana was a fast worker. Her grades in school were far from flattering, but it seemed she was in her element with clerical-type work.
“Oh, hey, you’re not with Ms. Claire today,” Lana said, only now noticing.
“Miss Claire went to welcome some political VIPs. Master Dole is with her as well,” I answered.
“Huh? Then who’s watching May and Aleah?”
“They’re at home by themselves right now. They’re at an age where they can manage that.” That said, I still worried. They went to elementary school most days and had Dole with them on days off when Claire and I were too busy, meaning this was their first time home alone in a long while.
“Is that really safe?” Lana asked.
“I can’t say I’m not worried, but I think it’ll be all right. They’re surprisingly reliable.”
“They’d have to be, with a mother like you,” Eve said coldly.
Things hadn’t improved between us.
“Why don’t I head back to the dorm first and check on them?” Lana offered.
“Huh?” I blinked.
“I mean, I’m about done here, and I’m sure you’re still worried, even though you say they can take care of themselves.”
My two girls knew Lana. She came over to our room to play with them every now and then—really just an excuse to hit on me—so they weren’t shy around her.
“Come on, let me help out. Our relationship’s at that level at least, right?” Lana teased.
“What relationship?” I grinned at her joke.
“Disgusting.” Eve stared at me coldly.
How was that my fault? I shrugged it off. “Please do then, Lana. I’ll head over as soon as I finish too.”
“Right-o. Oooh, why don’t you two take this time to clear up the bad blood between you?” She clearly meant the way Eve had it out for me.
“Mind your own business, Lana.”
“Oh, good idea,” I said.
“This is my own business,” Lana insisted. “My teacher and my best friend have been at odds with each other for months. It’s honestly hard to watch.”
“Well, I don’t particularly dislike Eve or anything,” I said.
Eve stopped working and glared at me. “Tsk…that’s exactly what—”
“Okaaay, gonna cut you short there, Eve,” Lana interrupted. It was strange to see her mediate. I’d had her pegged as the frivolous, airheaded type, but she was acting pretty mature right now. Perhaps her usual personality was more of an act? “Look, Eve… You gotta tell her what’s botherin’ you, or nothing will change. It’s probably just a misunderstanding, like she says.”
“It’s not a mis—”
“All the more reason to tell her what’s got you riled. It’s no fair to be so crabby without telling her why.”
Eve said nothing more. She probably understood her actions were logically wrong but couldn’t help it, emotionally.
“Anyway, I’m done now, so I’ll be heading over to your place. Catch ya later!”
“Thank you, Lana,” I called.
“It’s nothing. Oh, but you could give me a kiss as a reward.”
“Unfortunately, these lips are reserved for Miss Claire.”
“Darn, you’re a tough nut to crack. But that’s exactly what I love about you!” Lana wiggled with delight. I wondered for a moment if this side of her was an act too, but I concluded it had to be her true nature.
“Just hurry up and leave,” Eve said.
“I’m going, I’m going. You two make sure you talk things out, all right?”
“We will. Take care, Lana.”
“Humph.”
“Leave May and Aleah to me! I just know today’s the day I get them to call me Big Sister!” Lana waved us goodbye and left.
“That girl’s like a storm,” I said.
“You’re one to talk,” Eve said.
“Am I like that to you?”
“Basically. You both do what you like without caring who you trouble. Lana does it because she’s an airhead, but you do it intentionally.”
“Whaaat, that’s definitely a misunderstanding…” Why was her impression of me so negative? “Hey, don’t you think it’s about time you told me what’s up? I heard from Lana that it had something to do with a lover, but I seriously haven’t a clue who that could be.”
“Really now? The fact that you don’t even realize it, that’s what I hate most about you. Just what is it about you that other people find so…?” Eve’s hand stopped writing. “‘I’ll only ever love you’—even though I got to hear those words…”
“Is this the person Lana mentioned? Are they from Euclid?” I asked, a possibility occurring to me. “Was it Louie?”
In the original Revolution, Louie had been in love with the main character—in other words, me. If he’d given Eve the cold shoulder as a result, then her frustration made sense.
But it appeared I was wrong.
“Huh? Who in the world is that?” Eve gave me a puzzled look.
“Er, that’s a no then?”
“What do you think? Besides, that’s a guy’s name, right? In the first place, I have no interest in guys.”
Whoa, did she just come out to me like it was nothing?
“Then who is it?” I asked.
“You still haven’t figured it out?” Eve stared at me resentfully. “The one you took from me was Lady Manaria Sousse.” |
Intermission: A Reunion with the Past (Manaria Sousse)
Intermission:A Reunion with the Past(Manaria Sousse)
“SISTER!”
“Hey, Claire. It’s been a while.”
After a long carriage ride, I arrived in Ruhm to find my dear “little sister” waiting for me.
“You’re as cute as ever, Claire. Is it just me, or have you grown even more beautiful in the time we’ve been apart?”
“Hee hee, oh, you flatter me.”
The way she giggled was simply lovely. She had once been thorny and guarded, but she had mellowed these days. “I mean it, though. You really are just so cute. Perhaps I should thank Rae for that?”
“O-oh, stop it! You sound like Rae, Sister!” she complained, cheeks flushed red, but she certainly didn’t seem wholly displeased.
“I take it I’ve hit the mark then, seeing as you won’t deny it. I’m sad, you know? It feels like my little sister was swept away from me.”
“What are you saying? I’ll always be a little sister to you.” Claire hugged me. There was a time when she had viewed me
as an object of affection, but no longer. I hadn’t returned her feelings at the time, and now and again, I wondered if that was for the best. Perhaps it was only human to regret.
“Heh, that’s good to hear. You look well, Claire.”
“I am well. You look the same as ever, Sister… Oh. Should I be calling you Your Majesty now?”
“Don’t. Being called that gives me goosebumps, even now. I put up with it in formal settings, but I’d rather we be as we always were, otherwise.”
“Hee hee, most certainly.” Claire looked at me teasingly. She really had changed. If this were the old Claire, I would have seen mischievousness in her eyes, but at present, I only saw warm tenderness.
“How’s Rae been?” I asked.
“Well enough to cause me trouble.”
“Figures. I’m sorry I couldn’t attend the wedding.”
“Nonsense. You’re the ruler of a country now, and we’re but ordinary citizens. You couldn’t help it.”
“Thank you, Claire.” It had hurt to not attend my dear little sister’s special day, but this was the path I had chosen to take. “I saw Mr. Torrid earlier, but have His Majesty Thane and the others arrived yet?”
“Yes, they arrived just moments ago. I showed them the way before coming to welcome you.”
“I see. Thanks, Claire.” I shot her a smile.
She returned my smile. “You’re so very welcome.”
“How’s life in the empire?” I asked. “It was quite a shock when I heard Bauer was sending you. I was so angry, I even considered cutting off support to the kingdom.”
“Jeez, you fret too much, Sister. Life here is surprisingly comfortable. I will admit that I was apprehensive at first, but the empire’s been good.”
“Because you’re with Rae?”
“Cease your teasing at once.” Claire turned away with a huff. It was terribly cute.
“Aha ha, sorry, sorry. Just write it off as my chagrin at having drifted apart from my precious sister.”
“I wouldn’t say we’ve drifted apart, though? I still wish for you to dote on me, Sister.”
“Oh, how happy I’d be if that were true.”
“It is true, though.”
That was when a servant urged us to move forward.
“Shall we continue our conversation as we walk?” I asked, offering her my arm.
“Yes, let’s.” Claire took my arm, and together we walked.
“Regarding the three-nation alliance… I feel I must apologize for what happened to Bauer,” I said.
The alliance between Sousse, the Alps, and Bauer ultimately had not come to fruition. Far from it. The Nur Empire had narrowed its sights on Bauer alone, leading Claire, her family, and her students to be sent as what might as well have been hostages.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” she said. “You have a responsibility to place your country first. As a former noble, I understand.”
“Thank you, Claire.”
Claire was better at seeing the bigger picture now. She had once seen things solely in her own terms—which had been cute in its own way—but she had matured. It pained me a bit to think the one that changed her wasn’t me.
“Was Rae angry about it?”
“At first, yes. But once she saw I was determined, she immediately shifted to planning with me. I’m sure she doesn’t blame you either.”
“I’d hope so.”
Rae Taylor—the second love of my life. She loved Claire beyond all else and was the one who had changed the look in Claire’s eyes. Despite what Claire said, I was certain Rae resented me. Perhaps she indeed understood that I was bound by duty, as Claire said, but she would surely still criticize me for doing nothing as Claire was sent into harm’s way.
“Don’t worry, Sister. Rae thinks dearly of you as well.” Claire smiled in an attempt to comfort me. She really had grown.
It was a shame I’d never fallen for her. She’d grown into a spectacular woman. I didn’t think I could ever bring myself to love her in that way, though. She was too similar to a certain other girl, both in appearance and personality.
My first love—one mired in pain and regret.
“Where’s Rae?” I asked. “It’s not often you two are apart.”
“His Majesty Thane asked the same thing earlier. Goodness, I’ll have you know, the two of us aren’t always together!”
“Bet you wish you were,” I teased.
“I do not!” Her reaction was perfect. This part of Claire reminded me of that girl as well. “Rae’s busy compiling information with some other Bauer exchange students.”
“Is that right? I bet Rae gets along well with her students.”
“You’d be surprised. She’s well liked by most of her students, but one girl in particular seems to have something against her.”
“Oh, really? What kind of girl is she?” I found myself a little curious. Just what kind of person could hate the girl I loved?
“She’s a bit withdrawn, doesn’t speak much, and has a rather sharp tongue. Oh, and she also wears glasses—a rather uncommon feature.”
“Oh?” How curious. That description matched the certain someone I’d been reminiscing about just moments prior. “What a strange girl. She sounds like someone I know. What’s her name?”
“Eve, I recall. Eve Nuhn.”
“Huh?” That name sent a shock through me. “W-wait, you said Eve? Eve Nuhn?”
“I did. Is something the matter, Sister?”
“That…that can’t be…”
A mistake that could never be undone…
I’d hurt her, the one so dear to me. And she’d disappeared from my life like a phantom.
“Sister?”
“Claire, take me to her! Right this instant!”
“Wh-what?! Calm yourself! What do you need to see Eve for?” Claire was flustered, but not as flustered as I, for—
“That girl was once my maid—and my first love!”
***
“Lady Manaria? Really?” I asked.
“You still have the gall to feign ignorance after seducing her?” Eve said.
“I’ve done no such thing, though.”
Eve was Manaria’s lover?
“Manaria loved me. I left her for her sake, but I will never forget her love.” Eve stared me down, perhaps madly so. Something was wrong here—I could feel it in my gut, but I couldn’t place the source. “And yet, you…you! How could you?!”
“You misunderstand, Eve. There’s nothing between Manaria and me.”
“Liar!” Eve swung at me.
I hurriedly twisted my body to dodge, then distanced myself as she stumbled. Regrettably, she was between me and the door, and the reference room lacked windows to prevent the books from deteriorating.
“Eve… Where exactly did you know Lady Manaria?” I asked.
“What’s it matter?”
“I just want to make sure of something.”
“Like what? That she loves you more than me?”
“Like I said, you misunderstand!”
Eve ignored me as she withdrew a small knife hidden in an inner pocket of her shirt. “Lady Manaria belongs to me… I devoted my body and soul to serving her!”
Serving her? Oh.
Eve had to be the maid Manaria had mentioned. The one who’d left the Sousse Royal Palace, leaving Manaria distraught. There seemed to be quite an age gap between them, but I recalled Eve mentioning she was older than she looked around the time I’d chased Joel into the red-light district, which meant the age gap couldn’t be the source of unease I felt.
What was it, then?
“You took Lady Manaria from me! Give her back! Give her back to me!” Eve lunged forward with the knife, which I dodged by a hair’s breadth. Her close-combat skills were poor, but the same was true for me. Claire had tried teaching me a number of times, but it still hadn’t really stuck.
If I used magic, I would win hands down. I remembered Eve being much better at magic than close combat, but I was still leagues ahead of her. The problem was that I likely couldn’t use my magic without harming her, and I wanted to avoid that if at all possible.
I was reminded of my fight against Louie long ago.
Wait a minute.
“Wait, Eve. You said you were from the same hometown as Lana, right?”
“Is now really the best time for this?”
“Just answer me. Are you or are you not from the same hometown as Lana?”
“I am.”
Right… So something was strange after all.
“Then how could you have met Lady Manaria? Did you really work in the Sousse Royal Palace if you were born in Euclid?”
“H-huh?” Eve’s eyes shot wide.
Sousse wasn’t a complete meritocracy, unlike the empire. I could understand somebody with status like Claire having crossed Manaria’s path, but a commoner like Eve couldn’t even visit the Royal Palace, much less serve royalty.
In peacetime, it might have been possible. But even then, as Manaria had been vying for the throne, she likely wouldn’t have risked hiring an unknown foreign commoner as a maid.
“Think carefully, Eve. Were you really Lady Manaria’s maid? Or were you born in Euclid? Which is it?”
“Ngh, I…” Eve grimaced, as though fearful of what was to come. She grabbed her head and writhed in pain, breaking into a scream. “Ah…aah…aaaagh!”
“Eve!” I drew close, knocking the knife out of her hand and grabbing her. The light was gone from her eyes, her face overtaken by a dangerous look. I had seen something similar to this before, and very recently at that.
Suggestion magic!
I didn’t know how, but Eve was under the effect of Salas’s hypnotic suggestions, meaning she wasn’t in control of herself. That being the case, I drew the you-know-what from my inner pocket.
“O moonlight, drive out the evil dwelling in this body!” I chanted the Tears of the Moon’s activation phrase, causing the ring to glow. A soft light began to shine on Eve.
“Ah…ngh…” The pain gradually faded from Eve’s face. It had been a gamble, but it seemed Salas’s hypnosis was indeed considered a status ailment.
Eventually, Eve stopped struggling and collapsed. I hurriedly caught her.
“Eve! Eve! Pull yourself together!” I gently slapped her cheek. Thankfully, she had only lost consciousness, and she soon woke up.
“Ms. Rae…? Where am I?”
“You’re in a reference room in the Nur Empire. Do you remember what happened?”
Eve was still disoriented. She turned side to side, scanning the room. “I was…working on something with you and Lana…then…”
“Go on,” I urged.
“Then…I…ah!” Eve shot up to her feet, wide-eyed. “No, how could I have…”
“Calm down… None of it was your fault,” I soothed.
“But—”
“It’s fine. Calm down. Let’s take some deep breaths, okay? In…out…”
Eve did as I said, taking deep breaths. Her piercing, hateful stare was gone. I could surmise that whatever had been affecting her—likely Salas’s power—was dispelled.
“Okay, let’s clarify some things,” I said. “You are, without a doubt, Manaria’s ex-lover and maid?”
“Yes.”
“And because of that, you hate me?”
“I thought I did, but now I’m not so sure. I don’t know why I felt that way…”
“Right, so…it looks like you had a form of hypnosis cast on you. Don’t worry, none of what you did is your fault.”
I hugged Eve tightly and felt her sag in my arms with her head facing down.
“I…don’t belong by Lady Manaria’s side anymore. My presence was a problem, so I left her…”
“I know.”
“I left Sousse and worked as a maid in various places. Then…then…” Eve looked up suddenly, as though remembering something important. “Ms. Rae, you need to go back to the dorm now!”
“Huh?”
“May and Aleah are in danger!”
“Wh-what?!” Her sudden urgency bewildered me. But her next words quickly pulled me back to reality.
“The one who put the suggestion on me was Lana!”
***
“Rae!”
“Miss Claire…” I could only let out a weak murmur as Claire burst into the room. I moved to hug her, and she reciprocated, squeezing me tight once before looking me in the face.
“Is it true May and Aleah were kidnapped?” she asked.
“Yes… I let my guard down. I’m so sorry…”
Crying wouldn’t achieve anything; now was the time to think and formulate a plan. But I just couldn’t. My emotions were like a tempest, and my mind wouldn’t work. Just the thought of what May and Aleah might be going through left me paralyzed. If something were to happen to them, I—
“Calm down, Rae. You’re not the only one at fault,” Claire consoled me.
“But…but…” I should’ve been more careful. How could I have left them home alone? How could I have put off dealing with Eve until now? How could I have let this happen?
“Rae, look at me.”
“Miss Claire?” As I lost myself to panic, she looked me square in the eye with her powerful gaze. She had to be as worried for May and Aleah as I was, if not more, yet her eyes had lost neither her determination nor the light of reason.
“Rae, if we’re to get our children back, I need you. Come back to me. Show me the strong Rae I know and love.” She spoke slowly, choosing each word with great care. I could feel her trust in me reflected in those words. She didn’t blame me in the slightest. The only thing she felt was a sincere desire to rescue our children, together. That realization washed over me, calming me down.
“Forgive me. I’m okay now,” I said.
“Thank you, Rae.”
“No, thank you, Miss Claire.”
I wiped my tears with a handkerchief, then gently slapped my cheeks with my hands to motivate myself. Let’s do this!
“Let’s confirm what we know first,” Dole said, stroking his moustache. “Are we certain May and Aleah were kidnapped?”
“Almost one hundred percent certain. According to Eve, Lana is definitely involved with Salas in some way,” I replied.
Eve had told me of her first meeting with Lana in Euclid. Eve had been working at a pub when Lana came by. The two hit it off surprisingly well, and Eve ended up telling Lana about her past.
That was when Lana said, “Wow. That’s, like, rough. I know some magic that can help with painful memories, though… Wanna try it?”
Eve refused at first, but she eventually gave in to Lana’s persistence under the condition that the magic not go too far. The one who ultimately cast the spell on her was a silver-haired, red-eyed person with a handsome face. Her memories after that were a jumbled mess.
Eve had been used. Salas had likely taken advantage of her feelings for Manaria to control her, making her believe she was both from Euclid and Lana’s friend.
“The neighbors say they saw Lana take the girls outside,” I continued, “but the gatekeeper was knocked unconscious…”
“Hmm…” Dole continued to stroke his moustache.
“There was also this letter left in their room,” I said. The sender of the letter was one Salas Lilium.
“Have you read it?” he asked.
“Not yet, I wanted to wait for Miss Claire,” I replied.
“Go ahead and open it,” Claire urged.
We looked inside to see:
Rae Taylor, Claire François, you have until sundown to come to the specified location. Bring no one else, or the lives of your children will be forfeit.
The specified location was a slum on the outskirts of the imperial capital—outside the range of the anti-demon barrier.
“This is most certainly a trap.” Dole furrowed his brows.
“But what choice do we have?” Claire asked. “They have May and Aleah hostage.”
“I understand, but it’s too reckless to go without a plan.”
“There’s no time to plan anything; it’ll be evening soon,” Claire said, a bit more impatiently.
“Don’t rush this, either of you. You know how twisted Salas is. There’s no guarantee May and Aleah will be safe even if we do what he says.”
“Still—”
“I know. Even I wish for nothing more than May and Aleah’s safety. But it’s precisely because we wish for their safety that we need to do everything we can before we act.” Dole was our voice of reason, calming us both. It helped to have someone with many more years of experience at times like this.
He continued. “We can assume you two have no choice but to go alone, as they’ll likely be watching our movements. That means you will have to manage without backup.”
“Right,” Claire said.
“We don’t know what he’ll demand, but it likely won’t be good. The most important thing is to not give in to his demands until you can negotiate May and Aleah’s safety.”
“What if he threatens them?” I asked.
“You mustn’t give in, even then. I know it sounds harsh, but if you let him hold all the cards, all four of you will be beyond saving. We have to avoid that at all costs,” Dole said firmly. “I’ll teach you how to counter some of the things he might demand. There’s not much time, but do your best to memorize these ploys.”
“Please do, Father.”
“Please do.”
With that, Dole taught us his negotiation techniques, making full use of our remaining time.
“Rae, I have a request to make of you,” Claire said out of the blue. Having received Dole’s instruction, the two of us were hurrying to the location Salas specified.
“I refuse.”
“You haven’t even heard what I have to say yet.”
“I can guess what it is, and I refuse.”
“Rae…” Claire frowned. I knew what she wanted to say: If it comes down to it, let me be the sacrifice.
Like I would let her.
“If you sacrifice yourself, I’ll follow you shortly after,” I said.
“You mustn’t!”
“That’s…what I might have said in the past.”
“Rae?”
“But that’s not an option anymore. Let’s make sure the four of us make it home together, Miss Claire.”
“Yes, let’s.”
To save a life at the cost of another would leave permanent scars on the survivor’s heart. I didn’t intend to give such scars to my daughters, nor to Claire. We would take two back and return home as four. I would make sure of it.
“We’re almost there, Miss Claire.”
“Yes.”
The designated location was a half-crumbled, dilapidated house. Perhaps once a grander structure, its size stuck out like a sore thumb against the surrounding slum. Of course, that didn’t change the fact that it was in tatters now.
“I’ll enter first,” I said.
“Be careful.”
I opened the door to the smell of dust and the sound of a voice.
“Took you long enough, Ms. Rae.”
The one waiting for us in that place was Lana Lahna. |
Intermission: Papa's Voice (Lana Lahna)
Intermission:Papa’s Voice(Lana Lahna)
“I DON’T THINK you should be doing this, Lana.”
“Indeed. This won’t end well for you.”
Two innocent voices spoke to me. One belonged to a little girl with a haircut like Ms. Rae’s, and the other belonged to a little girl with long hair like Ms. Claire’s—May and Aleah, Ms. Rae and Ms. Claire’s adopted children.
Something akin to a collar encircled May’s neck; this magical tool sealed magic. As a quad-caster, May could likely have hurt me if she wanted to, so I’d tricked her into donning the magical tool, which I got from Papa, by telling her it was a gift.
Meanwhile, Aleah was supposedly a talented swordsman, but without a weapon, she was just another powerless child. I easily tricked both girls into coming with me by telling them Ms. Rae was waiting for us.
I studied their familiar faces and found I couldn’t find any trace of despair or worry in them. Something about that irritated me.
“Hahhh, aren’t you two rather calm right now? Or do you not
realize what’s happening to you? You’ve been kidnapped,” I said threateningly.
But they didn’t react as I wanted.
“We’ll be okay, right, Aleah?”
“Right!”
The twins looked at each other.
“And what makes you think that?” I asked.
“Mama Rae and Mama Claire will definitely save us!”
“Yeah! So we’re not scared!”
The twins smiled. It pissed me off. “How do you know that for sure? They might not come, you know?”
“No, they’ll come!”
“They’ll absolutely come!”
Their faith in their mothers was unshakable.
“How can you trust them so blindly? Disgusting.”
“Huh? But wouldn’t your mommy and daddy do the same for you?”
“If Lana were in trouble, they would come, right?”
Their innocent question made my blood boil. Why couldn’t I just kill them now?
“Lana. You mustn’t.”
“Papa…”
A quiet voice admonished me, and I loosened my grip on the knife in my hand.
Papa—Salas Lilium—continued, smiling. “These children are the bait with which we will lure out Rae Taylor and Claire François. You mustn’t kill them.”
“Okay. I’m sorry.” His calming voice reverberated in the back of my mind. Oh, what was I thinking? How could I imagine doing something that went against Papa’s orders?
“Lana…my dear Lana. Listen carefully. I’ll explain what you need to do from here.”
“Okay.”
Papa’s voice was music to my ears. Listening to him intoxicated me like drinking alcohol. I wanted to listen to him forever. I wanted to obey him forever.
“Is that person really your papa, Lana?” May asked.
“Why is your father making you do bad things?” Aleah asked.
But two noises obscured Papa’s voice. These twins were getting on my nerves.
“You two wouldn’t understand. A parent’s orders are absolute to a child. There is no room for right or wrong.”
Yes, exactly. All I needed to do was follow Papa’s orders.
“Huh? Really? But Mama Rae is always making mistakes, right, Aleah?”
“Indeed. Mother Claire has to scold Mother Rae daily.”
The twins disagreed. They were annoying little things.
“Papa, let these children hear your voice too. Shut them up for me,” I said, but he shook his head sadly.
“These children have a special disposition that doesn’t allow my voice to reach them… But even if they didn’t—” Papa put his hand to my cheek. “You’re the only one I need to hear me.”
“Papa…”
“My dear Lana… I know you will succeed, for you are my masterpiece, my cute little doll.”
Masterpiece. I couldn’t help but get hung up on that word.
“Wasn’t Lilly your masterpiece, Papa?”
What a terrible daughter I was to doubt Papa’s words. And yet he smiled at this terrible daughter of his. “Lilly was a failed creation. You are far, far, greater than she ever was, Lana.”
“Really?” I was happy. No longer was I beneath Lilly. Papa only had eyes for me now. If I succeeded here, then surely…
I gently brushed the headband on my head. This headband was precious to me, a gift from Papa. I couldn’t take it off or else I wouldn’t be able to hear Papa’s voice.
“Who might you be talking to, Lana?” Aleah asked.
“I’m talking to Papa, of course.”
“Who’s ‘Papa’? It’s only the three of us here.”
“What do you mean? Papa’s right here.”
The twins looked back at me, confused. Poor things. It appeared they couldn’t perceive Papa.
“Papa’s always here, right by my side. I hear him, only me, just me…”
“It’s okay, Lana. Our mamas will help you too!” May said.
“Indeed. I’m certain Mother Rae and Mother Claire will figure out some way to help you,” Aleah said.
“Shut up.” I didn’t want to hear it. The only thing I needed to hear was Papa’s voice. He was all I had, and a child who couldn’t do what their Papa said was abandoned.
“Papa…it’ll only be a little longer. Watch me. I’ll do it… I’ll show you I can do it!” I was no longer an unwanted child. I was better than Lilly now. Papa said so. He said I was his favorite. So I had to show him that I was worthy of being his favorite.
Then I heard footsteps approach the building.
“Mama Rae! Mama Claire!”
“See? I told you they would come,” Aleah said.
“And I told you to shut up.” Their blind trust in their mothers irritated me to no end. Why, though? I wondered. Why does it irritate me?
“Huh… Are you jealous, Lana?” May asked.
“Is that why you look so sad?” Aleah asked.
Krk.
I heard something crack. But I ignored it.
“Don’t be stupid. Who would be jea—”
“But I feel sorry for you, Lana,” May interrupted. “I don’t know hard adult things, but you look like you’re really sad.”
“Having no one to scold you after you do bad things isn’t good, Lana,” Aleah said.
Krik—the crack widened. I ignored it again.
“Lana… They’re here. Do as I said.”
“Yes, Papa.”
The door swung open with a creak. The first to step forward was Ms. Rae.
“Took you long enough, Ms. Rae,” I said.
It was time. I had to do things right so Papa would praise me… But why did I already feel like things wouldn’t go well?
***
Lana looked no different than she always did as she greeted us, a bright smile on her face.
A lamp, caked in dust, barely lit the room. The ceiling was in shambles and even revealed a glimpse of the overcast sky in one spot. Lana stood at the back of the room in front of May and Aleah, who were tied up.
“May! Aleah!” I cried.
“Mama Rae!”
“You came!”
The twins were unharmed, at least for the time being. I discreetly looked over them to see they were in their outdoor clothes and were properly wearing their shoes. Most importantly, however, May held her usual pouch. Good.
“Wait for me, dears. We’ll save you soon,” Claire said.
“Okay!”
“Yes, Mother!”
Claire also looked somewhat relieved to see them safe and sound.
“Hahhh, what a heartfelt reunion.” Lana held a knife in her hand, pointed at May and Aleah. I was about to take a step forward when she said, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. One more step forward and one of these girls is losing an ear.”
“Don’t!” I yelled, hurriedly stopping my foot. My plan to get in leaping range to knock the knife out of her hand had failed.
“No magic either,” she said, “or one of these girls is losing an eye.”
“We understand, so please don’t hurt them,” Claire said. Their safety came first, above all else.
“Hmm? You two seem worried. Are these children really that important?”
“Of course they are. They’re our daughters,” Claire answered.
“Even though you’re not related by blood?”
“Even then.”
“Hmm.” Lana’s bubbly smile disappeared for a brief moment as her eyes darted between Claire and the children. “I seriously just don’t get it. Children are just pawns for their parents. Aren’t you two idiots for coming here knowing the danger?”
“That’s…” Claire began, but she stopped.
Lana didn’t seem to understand our affection for our daughters. Perhaps it was something that could only be understood once one became a parent themselves.
“Well, whatever. Let’s finish this. You two want to save these children, right?” Lana asked.
“Of course,” I answered.
“Yes,” Claire said.
A cruel smile rose to Lana’s face. “Then, Ms. Rae…kill Ms. Claire.”
“What?” I asked.
“Didn’t you hear me? I said kill Ms. Claire. Do that, and I’ll free these children. Chop-chop now.”
“Lana, quit being stupid and let the children go,” I said.
“I don’t really like repeating myself… Perhaps I should cut off a nose to help you understand?” Lana wore the same easygoing smile she always did as she said those disquieting words. She moved the knife closer to May’s face, making the girl stiffen.
“Well? What’ll it be?” she said, pushing me to make a decision as she flaunted the knife.
I had to kill Claire to save May and Aleah. If I didn’t kill Claire, I couldn’t save May and Aleah. Claire or my children.
An impossible choice.
The worst-case scenario I had envisioned shortly after the pope’s attempted assassination had come to life.
My answer?
“I refuse.”
“What?”
“I said I refuse, Lana.”
A resounding no.
“H-hah! Figures your lover’s life would be more precious! Of course! That’s all children amount to for parents!”
“You’re wrong, Lana. We’re saving the twins, no matter what. But sacrificing ourselves isn’t the way.”
“There will be no negotiations until our children’s safety is guaranteed,” Claire said.
We stood our ground, following Dole’s teaching. The first thing we had to do was ensure that Lana wasn’t the one in control.
I had long racked my brain about this impossible choice and concluded the best option was neither of the two options presented, but a third: To be greedy and protect both Claire and my children. Who said I had only two choices in the first place?
Dissatisfied with our answer, Lana’s expression became villainous. “Oh, really?” she asked threateningly. “I guess you don’t care if I—”
“If you so much as scratch the twins, I’ll turn you to ash right where you stand,” Claire interrupted coldly.
“Ngh.”
Of course, we didn’t want our daughters to be hurt, but we could at least hold Lana in check by threatening her life. I couldn’t be sure, but I suspected she hadn’t realized our trump card was already on site. We’d had the upper hand in this negotiation from the start.
“Well, I don’t really value my life, so—whatever!” Lana said. “If it’s for Papa’s sake, I don’t—”
“By Papa, do you mean Salas?” I asked.
“That’s right! Papa said if I dispose of you, he’ll love me and me alone!”
“Lana…”
She smiled, but something about it felt hollow. Even her gaze, full of joy, was somehow empty and vacant.
“Mama Rae, Mama Claire, please help Lana,” May said.
“She has something bad in her,” Aleah said.
The twins showed concern for Lana even after what she’d done to them. They believed she wasn’t herself and that the nice girl who occasionally played with them was the real Lana.
“Of course we will, dears,” Claire said.
“Leave it to us,” I said.
“Shut up!” Lana suddenly shrieked. She had been acting strange for a while now. I was worried she might hurt the twins in her agitation; perhaps it would be best to tread lightly from here on out.
“I’m…I’m fine… As long as I have Papa… As…as long as I obey Papa’s voice…” Lana mumbled. She appeared to be under Salas’s hypnosis as well. “Papa, tell me…what do I do?”
In an instant, her face went expressionless, and she spoke in a flat, toneless voice that was not quite her own. “Kill one of the twins. They will reconsider things then.”
“Okay, Papa!” With a look of glee, Lana gripped her knife and swung down at May’s neck. Claire and I sprang forward immediately.
Just when I thought we wouldn’t make it, our trump card played itself.
“Agh, what is this?!” Lana exclaimed.
Something soft and translucent intercepted her knife before it could reach May’s neck. It was Ralaire, who had been hiding in May’s pouch up until that moment. She was always by the twins’ side, both as a bodyguard and to neutralize the curse in their blood.
“Absolute Zero!” I cast the fastest spell I knew at the knife in Lana’s hand.
“Ngh?!” The entirety of the knife and her hand froze.
Now without a usable weapon, Lana fell into panic. Claire and I took the opening to continue our onslaught.
“Flame!”
“Uplift!”
Claire made an opening in the already half-crumbled ceiling, which I then lifted May and Aleah through. The spell I used was one of my own creation, far faster to cast than the spell I’d based it off of.
“Wh-what?” Lana was bewildered.
Claire took advantage of Lana’s bewilderment to close in and put Lana’s frozen hand into an armlock on the ground. “Surrender yourself.”
“Ngh… Let me go!”
“Rae, use the Tears of the Moon!”
“Right. O moonlight, drive out the evil dwelling in this body!” A soft light began to shine on Lana, but…
“Let me go! Papa! Papa!” Lana was unaffected and continued to thrash underneath Claire.
“Mama Rae, it’s the headband!” May said from above.
“Lana said she got it from her father,” Aleah explained.
“No! Don’t!” Lana began to thrash even more furiously at the mention of the headband. Was it a magical tool? “You can’t take this from me! It’s the only thing Papa’s ever given me!”
“Lana,” Claire said, “I sympathize with your plight. But it is time you were freed from Salas’s binding. Do it, Rae.”
With Claire’s hands occupied with restraining Lana, I removed the headband in her stead.
“No! Stop it—” The moment I removed the headband, Lana’s eyes rolled back as she lost consciousness—likely the effects of being freed from the magical tool’s power. Her thrashing came to a stop as well.
“Whew… I suppose that’s it, then?” Claire asked.
“It would seem so.”
Lana was neutralized, and May and Aleah were both safe. So why did I feel such a sense of unease? Would that schemer really be satisfied with such a simple plan?
“Mama Rae, there’s something in the sky,” May said.
“A lot of scary black things are flying this way,” Aleah said.
I felt a chill run down my spine. “May, Aleah, get dow—”
Before I could finish, a torrent of dark beams struck the abandoned house.
***
“Ngh.”
I returned to my senses to find my surroundings changed. The half-crumbled house had been fully destroyed, a crater carved into the earth where it had stood.
The moment my mind registered that we had been attacked, I began looking around and calling for my family. “May?! Aleah?! Miss Claire?!”
“I’m here, Rae.”
“Miss Claire! Thank goodness.”
“More importantly, where are May and Aleah?”
Having been caught off guard, I hadn’t had time to put up defensive magic. It was a miracle we’d come out unscathed.
“We’re okay!” I heard May’s lively voice from above the pillar I’d made with Uplift.
“May and Ralaire protected me!” Aleah said. As I peered, I saw a magic barrier was spread above them, created by May and Ralaire. I later learned that the magical tool sealing May’s magic had been destroyed by a piece of rubble when I cast Uplift.
I let out a sigh of relief knowing that the twins were safe.
“I’ll let you down now,” I said, lowering the pillar until it was level with the earth.
The twins ran up to us.
“Are you two okay?! Any injuries?!” Claire worriedly asked.
“We’re okay, but—”
“Mother, more of those black lights are coming!”
I looked in the direction Aleah pointed to see black beams fast approaching. I hurriedly put up a barrier with my earth magic.
Just then, a figure creeped out from the safety of my barrier.
“Lana! What are you doing? Get behind the barrier!” I yelled.
“I can’t… I…betrayed everyone…” she muttered, the color drained from her face.
“That wasn’t your fault! You were being controlled!”
“Even so… Life’s not worth living if Papa’s abandoned me.”
So that was how it was. The barrage of black beams were targeting not only us but Lana as well. Salas intended to kill us all, her included. She was despairing, having realized she’d lost the only thing she clung to.
“Just…let me die.”
“No!” Maintaining the barrier with one hand, I pulled Lana back with my other. It was difficult, on account of my exhaustion and her heavier body, but I managed to pull her back just as what I presumed was demon magic impacted the barrier.
It’s a longer barrage this time!
“Just let me die, Ms. Rae…”
“I refuse!” I stopped Lana as she tried to leave the safety of the barrier again.
“Why…? Why are you doing this for me?”
“Something like that should be obvious! You’re my student, Lana! I won’t abandon you, not as long as you call me ‘Ms. Rae’!” Mustering all my strength, I pulled her back. She fell toward me just as the barrage of magic ended.
“You…you idiot,” she mumbled.
“I get that a lot.”
“Why won’t you let me die? I did something terrible to your children.”
“And you’ll be chastised for that dearly later,” Claire said.
Lana began to cry, even as she smiled faintly. The twins rushed over to her.
“Lana, you did something bad,” May said.
“You’re supposed to be scolded after you do bad things, you know?” Aleah said.
They put their hands on Lana’s back and pushed, saying, “One, two, I’m sorry,” as they lowered their heads with her.
“Hick…guh…waah! I’m sorry… I’m sorry!” The dam finally burst, and Lana sobbed, bowing profusely all the while.
May and Aleah comforted her as she did so. It was a strange sight—in that moment, they looked far more mature than the much-older Lana.
Perhaps Lana’s mental growth had been inhibited somehow. I couldn’t be certain, but if Lana had been experimented on like Lilly and her mind had been controlled by Salas, then it wasn’t unreasonable to think that, as a result, she might indeed be mentally younger than May or Aleah.
“Don’t cry, Lana…”
“If you cry, then we’ll start to cry too…”
The twins began sniffling, the terror of being kidnapped perhaps only now finally catching up to them.
“Mama!”
“It was so scary!”
The two girls threw themselves into Claire’s embrace. Claire began to sob as she held them tight. She must have been worried sick, despite the brave front she’d shown me.
“It’s all right, dears… Everything’s all right now…” She wore a look of relief as she tearfully hugged them. It felt like our ordeal was finally over.
No more barrages of black beams came after that, and we were able to return to the capital. And so came an end to the kidnapping incident.
Afterward, Lana was privately questioned by people from Bauer. Kidnapping was a crime, of course, but Claire and I didn’t want to file a report with the empire’s authorities.
According to her, she had been one of Salas’s human subjects, like Lilly—just as I thought. She and the other subjects had been made to compete with each other and raised to be dependent on Salas.
After his success with Lilly, Salas abandoned Lana and the others…until a year ago, when someone calling themselves a representative of Salas approached her.
“I was so happy. I thought I was needed again,” Lana explained. Salas took advantage of her loneliness to control her. She had long come to dearly treasure her only gift from Salas, a white headband. Of course, it was actually a magical tool he used to manipulate her, but Lana had only known it as proof of his trust in her.
Like with Joel, Lana and Eve were both to be sent back to Bauer. The two would receive more thorough questioning there and assist with Salas’s capture.
We spoke a bit before they departed.
“Thank you for being my teacher, Ms. Rae.”
“It was a pleasure to have you as a student, Lana.”
“Papa ordered me to say I liked you, but…I think I’ve come to really like you now.”
“I can’t return those feelings, you know?”
“Ha ha, I know!” Lana smiled. “Ms. Rae, Ms. Claire, I’m really sorry about what I did. I don’t deserve to be forgiven, but I’ll at least try to make it up to you one day. If I can ever help you with anything, please, let me know.”
“Those words alone are enough,” I replied.
“Indeed. Rather, please focus on capturing Salas for now,” Claire said.
“Right. It’s time I overcame my Papa.” While I could tell Lana felt guilt and regret for what she had done, part of her sounded as though she’d been freed from something holding her back. “C’mon, Eve. You say something too.”
“I don’t even know how I can begin to apologize,” Eve said uneasily. She was to return to Bauer temporarily, and from there she would go to Sousse—at Manaria’s request.
“You’re not at fault either, Eve. The only one to blame here is Salas,” I said.
“But had I been stronger-willed, I—”
“No, Eve,” Claire interrupted Eve’s self-disparaging comment. “Magic is a powerful force. It isn’t something one can resist by will alone. None of this was your fault.”
“Still…”
“If there’s anything you need to reflect on, it’s leaving my sister without saying a word to her. Make sure you have a nice, long talk with her when you return to Sousse,” Claire said.
“I’ll think about it.” Eve grinned wryly. She still had some reservations, it seemed. Her relationship with Manaria was none of my business, but I really wanted to help somehow.
“We’ll be departing soon,” the coachman called. It was time.
“So…until we meet again, Ms. Rae. Later,” Lana said.
“Thank you for everything,” Eve said.
“Be well,” I said.
“Stay safe, you two,” Claire said.
We shook hands before they left.
The moment before she boarded the coach, Lana turned as though she’d just remembered something. “Hey, Ms. Rae? Can you tell the twins something for me?”
“Of course,” I replied.
“Can you tell them…I’m glad I got scolded in the end.”
“I’ll tell them.” I nodded, which made Lana smile broadly.
Claire and I watched as the coach faded into the distance.
“Miss Claire?”
“Yes?”
“Salas is a monster.”
“He is indeed.”
“I despised him before, but this incident was the final straw.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Claire nodded deeply.
“We’ll capture him—won’t we, Miss Claire?”
“Absolutely.”
The two of us wordlessly—yet resolutely—nodded at one another. We would bring that man to justice no matter what.
“Shall we return?” I asked.
“Yes. To where our beloved daughters await us.”
Having learned from this incident, the security around the Bauer dorm was strengthened. May and Aleah were also never left unattended again. At that moment, Dole was watching them.
I wouldn’t let what happened that day happen ever again.
Never again. |
Chapter 15: The Summit
Chapter 15:The Summit
“AND WITH THAT, our plan to change the empire is back to square one.”
“I see.”
Claire and I were visiting Thane in the lodging provided to visiting Bauer delegates. We told him everything that had happened, from how the empire reacted to our scheming to the incidents with our students, and we even described the kidnapping incident. We’d brought May and Aleah as well, though they were off playing in another room.
Thane’s accommodations were far neater and tidier than our own, with a bluish hue to the furnishings that gave it an oceanic feel. We were meeting in the study.
Once we were done with our report, he nodded. “I understand. Thank you for your report. There’s something I must apologize to you both for, however.”
“Apologize? What for?” Claire asked.
Thane frowned, looking uncomfortable. “I apologize for sending you to the Nur Empire as exchange students.”
“You needn’t worry about that, Your Majesty. We both understand Bauer had no other choice.”
“Besides, it’s not your fault,” I added. “If anything, the blame lies with Lady Manaria for stirring the pot, or the empire for being the cause of all the pot stirring in the first place.”
“I wonder…” Thane grinned wryly, not wholly convinced. “Regardless, I am the highest authority in the Bauer government, and as such, I bear responsibility for what happened. Forgive me.”
He slowly rose from his chair and bowed his head.
“Wha—Your Majesty, you mustn’t!” Claire exclaimed.
“Just let him, Miss Claire,” I said. “I’m sure His Majesty wants to make amends.”
“It’s as Rae says. Please accept my apology, Claire.”
“Very well, then,” Claire reluctantly said.
That was when the fourth person in attendance spoke up. “Why don’t we leave it at that and turn our attention to what lies ahead?”
“Anything to report on the empire?” Thane addressed my father-in-law, Dole François. Assisting with political matters per request of the current Bauer government, Dole had tagged along to report to Thane, too.
Now would be a good time to explain the governmental structure the Bauer Kingdom had settled on.
Thane was the king of Bauer. He represented the kingdom and had both official and ceremonial duties to uphold as part of his position. The executive power, however, lay entirely with the government, the current chancellor of which was Irvine Manuel. It was similar to the system of government used in Japan and the United Kingdom in my old world.
As a quick refresher for those who forgot, Irvine Manuel was the younger brother of former Resistance leader Arla Manuel, and he had formerly served as treasurer for the Resistance. Arla was technically part of the new government as well, but she only served as an honorary advisor and didn’t take on any real duties. Her job had ended with the triumph of the revolution.
A parliament had been established, with the members all voted to power by the citizens—now granted universal suffrage. You might remember how Claire fought for women’s right to participate in government. Well, she was ultimately successful, and there were now female members of parliament, if only a few.
The Spiritual Church served as Bauer’s judiciary, as it always had. That said, a vote of no confidence had been passed against the judges—in other words, the clergy—somewhat limiting the influence of the Church.
And that was the gist of Bauer’s current state of governance. Now, back to the story.
“The empire is as uncompromising as ever. Dorothea is being stubborn to the end,” Dole nonchalantly said. He had been a harsh man, but he had mellowed—softened, even. Still, you can’t judge a book by its cover. He remained a frighteningly capable politician despite his genial demeanor.
Of course, that wasn’t all he had going on for him.
Dole continued. “It’s merely a rumor, but I’ve heard word that the recently exiled Princess Philine, of the reconciliation faction, has been assassinated.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. Philine was…assassinated?
“Father, is that true?!” Claire asked.
“It’s unconfirmed, but a lock of her hair was sent to the imperial family. The blood was confirmed to be hers by magical tools,” he answered.
“That can’t be…” Claire was dismayed, and who could blame her? We might only have known Philine for a few months, but we were close friends. How could she not feel anything?
I tried to comfort her. “Miss Claire, I’m sure Philine is all right.”
“B-but…”
“Trust me.”
My words didn’t ease her worries completely.
“This is a significant blow to reconciliation efforts with the empire,” Thane said. “That being the case, how likely do you believe the empire is to accept our demands at the summit?”
“At best, around thirty percent,” Dole answered. “Queen Manaria is capable, but she sorely lacks experience. The same can be said for Irvine. Dorothea is much shrewder than both of them.”
“Hmm…”
“Bill should be able to perform, however. We should let him take the lead at the summit.”
“Who is this Bill, Father?” Claire asked.
“Oh dear, I seem to have used his nickname by accident. I meant William. You’ve met William before, Claire. The king of the Alpes.”
“Ahh, His Majesty William,” Claire said. The two seemed acquainted with the Alpecian king—especially Dole, who had a nickname for him.
“But before we continue, I think it would be best for you two to head home,” Dole said.
“Huh? Why, Father? How are we supposed to prepare if we don’t know what’s going on?” Claire asked.
I wondered the same thing as well.
His next words surprised both of us. “There’s nothing to prepare for. You won’t be attending the summit.”
“Huh?” Claire said.
“Bauer has relied on your help far too much. As your father, I can no longer turn a blind eye.”
He went on to explain. “You’ve both been far too involved in our political affairs. You were even before the revolution. Not only is it not in Bauer’s best interests for you to be such lynchpins, but as a father, I can’t stand to see my daughter—and daughter-in-law—exploited any further.”
“I agree with Dole,” said Thane. “You two have done enough. We couldn’t possibly ask you two to do anything else.”
“But we came to the empire of our own volition! To create a better future for May and Aleah! We can’t just stop now!” Claire protested.
“I understand how you feel. But practically speaking, there is no need for either of you to be at the summit. Leave this to the political experts,” Dole said.
“But…” Claire frowned.
“Claire, you’ve done enough. You can live your own lives now. No—in fact, I’m sorry. You should have been living your own lives long before now,” Dole said with sincerity.
This was just my speculation, but I believed Dole was afraid that Claire would end up like him. He’d been involved in politics since he was born, which had led to him masterminding a revolution in a way that should have ended with his execution. Now, even after the turmoil of the revolution, he still couldn’t escape the world of politics. I believed he didn’t want her to endure the same hardships.
“Let’s do as Master Dole asks, Miss Claire,” I said.
“Rae…”
“There are ways for us to help outside the political realm.”
“Indeed,” Dole said. “You are both intelligent and adept at magic, and you can study at school and raise your daughters. Isn’t that a good enough life already?”
When he said it like that, it sounded like archaic gender roles of the variety that society forced on women…but perhaps that was the life Dole himself wished he could have led.
“I shall take my leave!” Claire declared.
“Ah, wait, Miss Claire! I shall take my leave here as well.” I chased after Claire, who stormed off, feelings clearly hurt.
“Forgive me,” I heard Dole murmur as I left. “Even if the world were to need you both, I would still wish for your safety instead.”
Those words were probably what he truly wanted to say to her.
***
“Thank you for taking the time to come,” the middle-aged man said as he prepared us tea.
“Not at all, Mr. Torrid. Rather, I’m sorry we didn’t visit earlier,” Claire said.
It had been a full day since Dole told us to withdraw from political matters when Mr. Torrid called us to him. He had arrived around the same time as Thane and the other attendees of the summit.
Torrid Magic: One of the world’s few multi-casters and a brilliant scholar of magic. He had once been a researcher at the empire’s Department of Magic Technology, but he had left after his inhumane experiments led to the discovery of what he called forbidden magic. He was currently the principal of Bauer’s Royal Academy.
As for why such a man would want to return to the empire…
“I see… So you’ve opened it, then,” he said, a pained but somewhat resigned look on his face.
Back when Philine was trying to gather support for her reconciliation efforts, we had opened something he left behind known as the Box of the Forbidden. It supposedly contained the culmination of the inhumane research he had conducted and, in his own words, was best left unopened. Of course, we had opened it anyway.
“I cannot apologize enough for what we did,” Claire said. “Even if we believed it to be necessary, we still went against your wishes.”
“Thank you. But perhaps this was simply meant to be. Human curiosity knows no bounds. I’m sure someone would eventually have discovered the same things I did, even if you hadn’t opened the box.” He smiled weakly. “I’ve returned to the empire to set things right. I doubt they’ll extend me a warm welcome, but that research is simply too dangerous. I must warn them.”
“Warn them?” Claire asked.
“Come to think of it, didn’t the letter you sent us contain a warning? Something about being watched,” I said, remembering the missive we’d received after asking him how to open the box.
“I cannot go into detail,” he said. “I don’t want to see you two dragged into this.”
“Can’t you, please?” Claire asked. “Right now, we need all the power we can get.”
“Ms. Claire, you are more than powerful enough. I doubt there are many in this world who can best you or Ms. Rae when it comes to magic.” He addressed us in that way because he insisted on treating us as fellow teachers of the Royal Academy.
“But the demons remain leagues above us,” I said. “Miss Claire and I have been made painfully aware of this fact many times already.”
By human standards, Claire and I were certainly powerful. But the Three Great Archdemons were far stronger than us. Even if you claimed Aristo and Platos had run circles around us because we’d been half-spent at the time, we’d fought Socrat at our best and hadn’t so much as scratched him. If Dorothea hadn’t been there, we would all have been wiped out.
We needed to be stronger.
“I don’t mean to be unreasonable,” Claire said, “but we simply cannot remain as we are if we are to protect those dear to us…like May and Aleah.”
“Please, Mr. Torrid,” I said, “can’t you teach us something that will allow us to become stronger? Anything that can help will do, even that so-called forbidden whatnot you fear so much.”
He pondered quietly for a while. Minutes passed before he finally said, “Have you two ever wondered just what magic is?”
“I’m sorry?” I asked, caught off guard. Just what kind of question was that?
“The ability to cause phenomena through the usage of magical power to activate magic stones…perhaps?” Claire answered.
“An exemplary answer, Ms. Claire. Then for you, Ms. Rae. What is this magical power?” he asked.
“Um…a power each person has that corresponds with their magic aptitude?” I asked, unsure.
“Precisely,” he said, to my surprise. “Then to go one step further, where does this power come from?”
“Huh? Well, it comes from the body, does it not?” Claire asked.
“That answer isn’t wrong, but it is hardly the whole story. There exists a step just before it forms in the human body.”
“And that is…?” I pressed.
His expression stiffened suddenly. “To continue the discussion beyond this point will take us into heretical territory. To know is to live being watched by the Church.”
“Huh? The Church?” I asked. What did the Church have to do with this? And what did he mean by watching?
“This world has secrets,” he said. “I learned but one of those secrets, and I have been monitored by the Church ever since. I fear they might be watching us at this very moment.”
I hadn’t a clue what he was talking about.
But it didn’t matter.
“I don’t care. If it gives us the strength to protect our daughters, I will do anything,” Claire said.
“I feel the same way,” I said. Claire and I had the resolve. How could we protect those we loved if we weren’t prepared to brave a few dangers?
“You two remind me of my daughter,” Mr. Torrid sighed.
“The one who died during your research?”
“Rae!” Claire rebuked.
“So you knew,” he said. “Yes, my research killed my very own daughter. She couldn’t bring herself to abandon the pursuit of truth, believing what lay beyond would bring happiness to many.”
He looked at us with pained eyes, as though the image of his daughter were overlaid upon us. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid I cannot tell you after all. I just know you would follow the same path she took, and I do not wish to see any more victims.”
“Mr. Torrid, please!” Claire begged.
“Forgive me. This conversation ends here,” he said with finality—when suddenly there was a knock at the door. “Hm? Who is it?”
“My name is Lilly Lilium. Do you mind if we talk a bit?”
Lilly? Why would she be visiting Mr. Torrid? I wondered.
Claire seemed to be wondering the same thing. But Mr. Torrid’s reaction was far more severe.
“Th-the Church?!” he exclaimed. The color drained from his face, and sweat beaded his brow. He regarded the door with an air of great vigilance. “What does the Church want with me?”
“Mmm…how about you let me in first?” Lilly asked.
“State your business!”
“Right… How about…I came because I heard Rae and Miss Claire were here?”
I was about to reflexively respond when Mr. Torrid stopped me.
“You must have misheard. They are not,” he said.
“I know they are. I have some business with them, so—oh, just open the damned door already.” Lilly’s voice turned cold and harsh, a far cry from her usual bouts of involuntary swearing.
“Ngh… Forgive me, Ms. Rae, Ms. Claire. It would appear I was too late,” Mr. Torrid said.
“Wh-what do you mean?” Claire asked. We couldn’t hide our confusion as to what was going on.
Mr. Torrid reluctantly walked over and unlocked the door.
“Good afternoon, Rae, Miss Claire.” The one who walked in was unmistakably Lilly…but something was off about her. “You need to quit being so stubborn, Torrid. We’re always watching you. There’s no point in trying to trick us.”
“I beg you, leave them out of this!” he pleaded.
“Oh, stop it… You’re making me look like the bad guy here. Far from it, I’m here to help these two.” Lilly smiled coldly. The sense of unease I felt heightened.
“You’re not Lilly, are you?” Claire asked, her magic wand already at the ready.
“Very astute, Miss Claire. I figured you’d be the first to realize. You’re correct, I am not Lilly. But that doesn’t matter right now. I’ll free her once we’re done.”
“It couldn’t be—Salas?!” I exclaimed, thinking he had used his hypnosis magic on Lilly.
“No, that man has nothing to do with this,” Mr. Torrid said. “She…is an apostle.”
Lilly—rather, the apostle—smiled broadly at Mr. Torrid’s words.
***
“Apostle?” Claire said, puzzled.
Even I, with my knowledge from having played Revolution, didn’t know what Mr. Torrid meant.
“Why don’t we sit down and talk? Oh, no tea for me, thank you,” the apostle with Lilly’s face said.
Mr. Torrid, Claire, and I looked warily at each other, but we ultimately concluded it would be best to do as this entity said.
We sat around the four sides of the table, with the apostle sitting nearest the entrance and Mr. Torrid sitting furthest. Claire and I took the remaining sides.
“Why don’t I start by introducing myself? Oh, I already know all about you three, so don’t worry about introducing yourselves,” the apostle teased. I nodded, seeing no reason to object. The apostle smiled, satisfied, before continuing. “We are known as the apostles. We carry out the will of the Spiritual Church by intervening behind the scenes to maintain the balance of the world.”
“What’s your connection to Lilly? Are you her split personality?” Claire asked. There were a lot of questions dying to be asked, but this seemed the most pressing. No matter how you looked at it, Lilly wasn’t herself right now. I hoped she was all right.
“Lilly Lilium is indeed asleep at the moment, but I am not some split personality of hers. That personality is a product of Salas Lilium’s meddling, and he is already a part of her,” the apostle answered.
What did she mean by that? Had Lilly’s split personality already been synthesized into her or something? But there were more pressing questions.
“Just what in the world are you, then?” Claire asked.
“Like I said, an apostle. An individual who borrows the bodies of Spiritual Church members to maintain the balance of the world. We’re the fixers, if you will.”
I felt out of my depth all of a sudden. What was she talking about?
“You mentioned you intervene with the world, but what exactly does that entail?” Claire asked.
“I can’t quite tell you our secrets, but it involves warning and monitoring any humans who come too close to learning the inner workings of the world.”
Essentially what had happened to Mr. Torrid, then. Did that mean the inner workings of the world had something to do with magic?
“So you’re here to issue us a warning?” Claire asked. That seemed like the obvious assumption, with how things were going, but to my surprise, the apostle shook her head.
“No. I’m here today to make sure you get the strength you seek.”
“Huh?” I murmured, perplexed. Why would a group focused on manipulating the world behind the scenes want to help us?
“You are both too weak to fight the demons. I thought granting you blessed weapons would be enough, but apparently not,” the apostle said.
“Wait…were you Lilly at that time?” Claire asked.
“No, that was the true Lilly Lilium. However, the one who granted her the weapons to offer was us, the will of the Church.” So she claimed. She was the spitting image of Lilly, though. If the apostle had been imitating her speech and conduct, I would have had no way to tell them apart.
“Let’s get back on topic,” the apostle continued. “I want Torrid Magic to teach the two of you the basics of true magic.”
“Enough! Don’t involve them any further!” Mr. Torrid exclaimed.
The apostle smiled thinly. “You misunderstand, Torrid Magic.”
“How so?”
“These two aren’t involved in anything due to your actions. The Spiritual Church simply needs them alive, and you just so happen to be useful for that purpose.”
I took a quick glance at Claire. She looked back at me and nodded, having arrived at the same conclusion as me: The apostle’s manner of speaking resembled that of the demons we’d met. We didn’t yet know the significance of that, but it was clear they both regarded Claire and me as special in some way.
“What do you mean?” Mr. Torrid asked.
“That is not for you to know, Torrid Magic. Rae Taylor and Claire François, on the other hand, will be told when the time comes.” The apostle coldly brushed off Mr. Torrid’s question before turning to Claire and me. “You must increase your proficiency in magic at least to the point where you can do tandem casting.”
“Tandem casting?” Claire asked.
The apostle nodded. “Common spells are performed by a single individual, and these fall under the category of solo casting. The opposite, tandem casting, involves multiple casters performing one spell.”
“Is such a thing even possible?” Claire asked.
“It is. You can ask Torrid Magic for the details. He’s already figured out the underlying theory.”
“Wait!” Mr. Torrid cried. “Tandem casting is too risky! The conditions are exceptionally difficult, and if you fail—”
“Right, right. The casters will experience backlash,” the apostle said nonchalantly.
Judging by Mr. Torrid’s reaction, said backlash was something to be feared.
“There’s no need to worry, though,” the apostle said. “I guarantee these two girls won’t experience any backlash.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Again, that is not for you to know, Torrid Magic. All you need to do is teach these two how to perform tandem casting.”
Mr. Torrid wore a vexed look. The apostle’s attitude toward him had been awful so far—as though she considered him nothing more than a tool, meant to be used.
“How rude!” Claire exclaimed. “If you’re going to ask someone for something, the least you can do is show some courtesy!”
The apostle looked bewildered for a moment, before bursting into laughter. “Hee hee…aha ha ha ha!”
“Wh-what’s so funny?” Claire asked.
“Oh, forgive me. I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of your statement. It’s as though you think we apostles are human.”
“Huh?! Are you not?!”
“No, we are not.”
I felt like the more I heard, the less I understood. The ones controlling this world from the wings weren’t even human? Then just what were they?
And what was this world?
The apostle continued. “We… Yes, for now, you can think of us as someone with ties to the Spirit God.”
“Huh?” Claire frowned.
“There’s a more fitting term, but I doubt you would be familiar with it, Claire François. Although…” The apostle paused and looked toward me. “I suppose Rae Taylor might be.”
I hadn’t a clue what the apostle could be alluding to—or much else of what she had been saying, for that matter.
“Anyway. Rae Taylor, Claire François, please learn the basics of tandem casting from Torrid Magic and master it as best you can.”
“And if we refuse?” Claire asked.
“You won’t.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I know you won’t pass up the opportunity to obtain the strength needed to defend your family.”
“Humph.” Claire huffed. The apostle was right on the money. Claire and I would do anything to better protect our family.
“I shall take my leave, then. This girl’s about to wake up soon, anyway.” The apostle vacated her seat. She moved toward the door, then stopped and turned. “Oh, right, one last thing. Keep this a secret…or something just might happen to May and Aleah.”
Claire shot the apostle a fierce stare, but she simply left, showing no indication of caring.
That was our first contact with the apostle—no, the truth of the world.
***
“I don’t quite understand what’s going on, but…I cannot defy the apostle’s orders. I’ll teach you everything I know.”
As soon as the apostle left, Mr. Torrid agreed to teach us the basics of a new form of magic. We moved to a vacant lot to the rear of the Bauer dorm. I thought it was a little narrow for practicing magic, but he said it would do fine.
Claire and I withdrew our wands and waited for his instruction.
“The apostle already said as much, but I’ll reiterate just in case: I’ll be teaching you a technique called tandem casting. Think of it as multiple people working together to cast a single spell.”
“Is such a thing even possible?” Claire asked.
“Yes. Well, in theory it is,” Mr. Torrid replied. It sounded like it was tricky to put the theory into practice. “Are you familiar with the fact that there are different types of human blood?”
“I’ve heard of it. Something about certain types not being compatible with others,” Claire answered.
They were talking about blood types. This world lacked my world’s level of medical knowledge, but it seemed they had still somehow managed to work out blood had a variety of compositions.
“It’s as you say, Ms. Claire. Magic, like blood, can be compatible or incompatible as well. Tandem casting requires the casters to mix their magic, but if their magic is not compatible, there will be a rejection. At worst, this can lead to death.”
He paused for a moment.
“Using this theory as a basis, I made that ring I sealed away in the Box of the Forbidden. The ring amplifies a certain type of magic but causes those incompatible with it to go berserk. I’ve…sacrificed countless people, including my own daughter. And yet my research has accomplished next to nothing,” he said, voice laden with self-derision.
“Oh, Mr. Torrid…” Claire tried to comfort him.
“Ah, forgive me. Now’s not the time for me to wallow in self-pity, is it? Let’s continue. The mixing of magic is a requirement for tandem casting. Let’s start by having you two practice overlapping your power.”
I was suddenly reminded of my time as a student at the Royal Academy. Claire and I had received our first lesson with Mr. Torrid in a moment quite like this, not long before I encountered Ralaire. It hadn’t been more than two years, but it felt like an eternity ago—perhaps a testament to just how fulfilling my time with Claire had been.
“Please start by holding hands,” he said.
“Like this?” Claire asked as she held my hand. If this were the old Claire, she would have complained about having to touch a filthy commoner’s fingers. Oh, how she had changed…
“Tighter, please. Interlace your fingers one by one,” he said.
“Oh, like lovers?” I said.
“L-L-L-L-Lo-Lovers?!” Claire exclaimed. Despite her shock, she obeyed his instruction. We’d long been close enough to share nights in each other’s embrace, yet there were still times when she acted like a child experiencing her first love. Oh, how adorable she was.
“I understand your hesitation, Ms. Claire, but this is a necessary step. Now, please focus on each other’s presence,” he said.
“Rae makes her presence known enough already…” Claire muttered.
“Ahh, Miss Claire’s hand is sooo soft.”
“Eeek! Cease stroking my palm at once!”
C’mon, it’s not every day we hold hands like lovers. I’d be remiss not to enjoy it as much as I can!
Mr. Torrid continued. “Next, try channeling a small amount of pure, attribute-less magic through your hand.”
“Right-o,” I said.
“Wait just a moment, Rae! What are you thinking, Mr. Torrid?!” Claire said, incredulously.
“Is something the matter?” I asked.
“Yes, of course! Sending pure magic into another person is extremely harmful. This is elementary magic theory!”
“Ohh, really?” I asked.
“You didn’t know?!” she exclaimed.
Such a fact hadn’t been anywhere in Revolution. I suspected it was such common sense in this world that it wasn’t even worth mentioning.
“You are correct, Ms. Claire,” Mr. Torrid said. “Under normal circumstances, it isn’t safe. I lost my daughter in just such a way. But the apostle insisted you two would be fine, so…”
“So we have no choice but to try it,” I said.
“Fine. In the event something goes wrong, I’m trusting you to heal us, Mr. Torrid.”
“Don’t worry, I will.”
What we had to do was similar to what May had done when she opened the Box of the Forbidden. Attribute-less magic dispersed rather easily, so controlling it proved somewhat difficult. Taking extreme care, I slowly sent my magic into Claire’s hand.
“How is it? Do you feel sick in any way?” I asked.
“No, not particularly. In fact, I feel something warm flowing from your hand. It’s comforting.”
“Well, your magic makes me feel all hot and tingly inside.”
“Phrasing, Rae.”
What? It’s true.
“Hmm… It would seem the apostle was telling the truth,” Mr. Torrid said. “Your magics must be compatible—they’re melding together very well. Tandem casting shouldn’t be a problem, then. Let’s give it a go. You should be able to jointly cast any magic either of you have an attribute for.”
“Meaning, between Rae and me, we can cast earth, water, or fire magic?” Claire asked.
“Indeed,” Mr. Torrid confirmed. “It’ll likely be a bit hard to control at first, so start by casting an extremely simple fire bullet.”
“Understood. Are you ready, Rae?”
“Yes.” Fire magic was uncharted territory for me. I wasn’t certain how well I could do.
“Extend your connected hands forward,” Mr. Torrid instructed.
“Like this?” Claire asked.
“Good. Now imagine a fire bullet forming in front of your hands. Let’s have Ms. Claire focus on controlling the magic while Ms. Rae focuses on supporting.”
Positioned as though we were about to begin ballroom dancing, Claire and I focused as hard as we could. We held our wand hands forward as we kept our other hands joined together by our opposite sides. But nothing happened.
“Take your time,” Mr. Torrid said. “Tandem casting is an incredibly difficult technique. It can take upward of months or years of study to—”
“Oh,” we chorused in unison.
A fire bullet shot from our outstretched wands, turning the tree we were aiming at to ash. The size of the projectile surprised me, as I had been limiting the strength of my magic as best I could.
“Or…I suppose not?” Mr. Torrid was at a loss for words.
“I…guess we did it,” I said.
“It would seem so,” Claire said.
It had taken Mr. Torrid and his daughter an inordinate amount of time to achieve tandem casting, and here we were, doing it like it was nothing. It felt…strange.
“Er, right, I suppose congratulations are in order. Well done, both of you.” Mr. Torrid smiled kindly, despite being so outdone. What a heart of gold he had.
“Thank you very much, Mr. Torrid,” I said.
“Thank you very much,” Claire said.
“As you’ve experienced just now, tandem casting can create tremendously powerful magic,” he said. “That was just a simple fire bullet, but imagine how devastating it would be if it were Ms. Claire’s Magic Ray or Ms. Rae’s Absolute Zero instead. Just remember to be careful where you use this technique—and to not to lose control.”
“I see… Thank you,” I said.
“I recall you could use compound spells, Ms. Rae?” he asked.
“Yes, a few.”
“You should have the fire attribute available to you now, through tandem casting. If you have time, I recommend devising some compound spells with Ms. Claire.”
“Thank you, we will,” Claire said.
“We have lots to practice, Miss Claire.”
“Indeed…but do we have to hold hands every time?” She blushed.
“What? You don’t like it?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just…embarrassing.”
“Bit late for that. We’ve done far more embarrassing things than this, you know?”
“Rae!”
“Ha ha ha!” Mr. Torrid laughed. “It’s good you two are getting along, but aren’t you forgetting my presence?”
“Oops. Forgive me,” I said.
“Rae, look what you’ve done now!”
Sorry, but I saw a chance to tease and had to take it. Everything’s been so serious lately, I just want my flirting time with you.
“That’s all I can teach you about tandem casting itself. Let’s end by discussing a few practical applications of the technique,” Mr. Torrid said.
He proceeded to instruct us until late into the evening. We had successfully added a new weapon to our arsenal, and I was glad for it. But there were some things I couldn’t help but wonder about, such as: How had Claire’s magic and mine so easily mixed? And how had the apostle known they would?
I wouldn’t get my answers until much, much later.
***
The day after we had received Mr. Torrid’s tandem casting technique, we were attending class as usual—as it was a weekday.
I looked around, taking note of how few of us remained. Lana was being questioned in Bauer regarding Salas. Eve was being questioned as well, but she should soon be sent to Sousse. Joel had been deported to Bauer on grounds of blaspheming against the Spiritual Church’s doctrine. Philine was exiled and rumored to be assassinated, which of course I didn’t believe. And lastly, Frieda had disappeared around the time of Philine’s exile.
The classroom felt empty with so many people gone.
“Rae, you’ll be reprimanded if you’re not paying attention.” Noticing I had my head in the clouds, Claire poked my hand with her pen.
“Sorry. I was just thinking about how everyone’s really gone, you know?”
“I understand what you mean, but please focus on class right now.”
“Right.” I picked up the pen sitting on my notebook and turned my attention forward.
“Let’s see…” the teacher said, “Otto, can you come up and answer this question?”
Otto silently stood and walked over to the blackboard, a disgruntled look on his face. He quickly answered the problem.
“Very good. You may sit back down.”
As silently as he stood, Otto returned to his seat.
Something was up. As I mentioned before, Otto was a bit of a problem child and would always, without fail, complain when asked to do something by the teacher. Yet he seemed meek today, not offering the slightest complaint—although his face still betrayed his irritation.
“Something’s different about Otto today,” Claire said, also taking notice.
“Yeah.” We’re on the same wavelength, Miss Claire!—is what I would have exclaimed if class weren’t in session.
“I wonder if something happened,” she said.
“Are you worried for him?”
“Of course. He’s my classmate.” The fact that she could have genuine concern for someone just because they were her classmate spoke to her virtue. I, on the other hand, didn’t quite share the same goodwill, having only mild curiosity to spur me on.
“Why don’t we try talking to him after class?” I suggested.
“Yes, let’s do just that,” she agreed.
“Huh? Why the hell would I eat lunch with you two? Get lost.”
Yup, I knew it, I thought. It was actually kind of refreshing to see Otto’s regular rudeness return.
We had tried inviting Otto to lunch, but he rejected us flatly. Of course, Claire wasn’t the type to give up so easily.
“There’s something bothering you, isn’t there, Otto? Please, let us be of some help.” Claire stubbornly persisted. She was the type to go out of her way to help someone once they got on her good side. Of course, she was also liable to torment those who got on her bad side…but I digress.
“There’s nothin’ bothering me! Now leave me alone,” Otto spat, but there was no real harshness to his voice, as though his mind were preoccupied with other things.
Oh, my. Could it be that one rumored sickness? I thought.
“Psst, Otto…” I whispered.
“What? Not you too now,” he groaned.
“You seem a bit…distracted.”
“You’re imagining things.”
“Am I? Or are you…” I paused for suspense. “Lovesick?”
He sighed. “Like hell I am. I’m not some nutjob with nothing but love on their mind—like you.”
Oh. I guess not. And I was so certain of it too… “Well, whatever. Why don’t we eat lunch here, Miss Claire?”
“Great idea, Rae.”
“Wha—hey! You can’t just sit where you like!”
We ignored his complaints and spread out our lunch.
“Lunch looks as delicious as ever. Thank you, Rae.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Claire.”
“Oh, do what you want!” Otto said, fed up. He pulled out a lunch of his own and began eating.
“Did you make your lunch yourself?” I asked.
“Yeah. Got a problem with that?”
“Not at all. I just thought it looked well made.”
“Not really. This stuff’s pretty whatever,” he said as he thrust a fork into a rolled omelet and took a bite.
“I’m not so sure I’d call making rolled omelets ‘whatever’…” said Claire.
“Huh? Omelets are as whatever as it gets. You just add seasoning and heat it,” Otto objected.
“But my omelets always turn out strangely crunchy even before I season them…”
“What are you—wait, do you not even know how to crack eggs right?!” he exclaimed.
Nice retort, Otto!
“I heard you come from a family of soldiers,” I said. “Does that include your parents, Otto?”
“Huh? Why do you care?”
“I was just wondering if that’s why you make lunch yourself.”
“Yeah, I guess. No one else has the time to make it.”
This was an unexpected side of Otto. Our first impression of him had been terrible, but maybe we could actually get along.
“Is your family just your parents? No siblings?” I continued.
“Why’re you pelting me with all these questions?!”
“Nobody said you couldn’t ask me questions back. Ask away!”
“Ugh.” Otto scratched his head. “I have an older sister, I guess.”
“Really? What’s she like?” Claire asked. “Does she attend the Academy as well?”
“Nah, she’s already graduated. She’s…training to join the Imperial Army now.” His tone dropped at the end. Was something up with his sister?
“So your older sister’s going to become a soldier as well?” Claire asked.
“I guess. Mom and Dad were against it, but she ignored them. Wouldn’t listen to me either…”
“You don’t want her to become a soldier?” Claire asked.
“Well, duh. It’s dangerous.”
“Indeed,” Claire said. “The empire is always at war with some country or another. She’ll be sent to the battlefield one day—”
“One day, my ass!” he suddenly yelled. Confused, Claire and I looked at each other. “She hasn’t even been assigned anywhere yet, but she still—”
“She what?” Claire asked, but Otto seemed to have come to his senses and stopped.
“Nothing. Forget about it,” he said.
“Otto, please, let us help you,” Claire said.
“I said forget about it!”
Otto stood, slamming his hands on his desk. The classroom went silent.
“Hm? What’s this?” I said. Something had fluttered out of his desk when he slammed it. With no particular ill will, I picked it up.
“Give that back!” Otto shouted as he snatched the paper out of my hand. “Did you see it?”
“Yeah. Sorry,” I said.
“Rae?” Claire asked, confused.
His eyes turned bloodshot. This wasn’t good.
“Let’s move to a different location,” I suggested. “We need to have a nice, long talk.”
“Tch.”
“What in the world is going on with you two?” Claire said.
“You should come along too, Miss Claire. You okay with that, Otto?”
“Whatever.”
The three of us put away our half-eaten lunches and relocated to the ever-unpopular courtyard.
I sat down on a bench. “All right, start explaining, Otto. What made you plan such a thing?”
“What thing? Don’t leave me in the dark here,” Claire said, confused.
Otto remained silent, so I answered in his stead. “Otto is planning to assassinate Dorothea.”
***
“There’s…a group of those who support Philine within the army.”
After persistent badgering from Claire and me, Otto gradually began to talk.
“Like a faction?” Claire asked.
“Nothing that grand. Just a small number of people at the military training camp who idolize her.”
“Huh? Idolize?” she said.
“Isn’t this that one thing Philine mentioned, Miss Claire?” I cut in. “You know, about how some people in the army respect her for helping them?”
“Ohh, yes. She did say something like that.” Back when we had been brainstorming plans to change the empire, Philine had recounted the time she saved a group of non-commissioned officers and soldiers from an instructor who was overworking them, thus earning their respect.
“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Otto confirmed. “They keep passing down the story of what she did over at the military training camp. That place is mentally and physically grueling, and it’s kind of the only thing giving them hope. Eventually, a group formed with the intent of supporting her. One of the non-commissioned officers Philine directly helped was a senior member whom my sister respected. Before long, she too became a devotee of Philine.”
“I see…but what does any of that have to do with wanting to assassinate Her Majesty Dorothea?” Claire asked. I was dying to know as well.
He said, “You know how Philine got exiled? Well, that sent her supporters at the military training camp nuts. And then there was that rumor of her being assassinated. I’m sure you heard it.”
“We did. But it’s just a rumor, isn’t it?” Claire asked.
“Dunno, but her supporters sure don’t think so. They blame Her Majesty Dorothea for Philine’s death, saying it wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t exiled her. There’s also the fact that she overlooked you two foreigners, which is a whole ’nother can of worms.”
“Ah, right…” I muttered. As far as those soldiers devoted to Philine were concerned, Dorothea might as well have ordered Philine’s death herself. The fact that Dorothea pardoned a couple of foreigners at the same time only added fuel to the fire as, from what I could gather, those soldiers were fairly nationalist.
Otto continued. “Because of all that, the group’s thinking of starting a coup d’état.”
“A c-coup d’état?!” I exclaimed. That had come completely out left field. I was expecting them to maybe protest or submit a formal complaint, but overthrowing the government? You’re kidding.
“That’s reckless!” Claire exclaimed. “I don’t know how many people they have, but surely they realize they would be up against the world’s greatest army—as well as Her Majesty Dorothea herself, right?”
“It’s reckless, all right, and they know it. They don’t plan to succeed,” Otto explained.
“Then why?” Claire asked.
“Y’know why people become soldiers?”
“Huh?” Claire said, surprised by the sudden change in topic. “Um…because they want to protect their country?”
“Yeah. There’s also some who do it just ’cause their family’s been doing it for years, or for the money, or whatever. But deep down, everybody’s doing it because they want to defend their country. Nobody’d put up with the grueling training for that.”
“I imagined as much,” Claire said.
“But what do you do when that same country goes to hell, and the elites at the top don’t have the slightest inclination of fixing it? Or worse, they kill those that try?”
Claire could say nothing to this.
“This coup is their message. An appeal from a bunch of guys wanting to change the sorry state of this country,” Otto said. His sister and her comrades didn’t expect success in the slightest. They simply wanted Dorothea to know they were serious, even at the cost of their lives.
“I doubt Her Majesty Dorothea would care,” said Claire. “Their deaths will be meaningless.”
“Honestly, I think so too,” he said.
“Then tell your sister that, Otto. Don’t waste your life on this coup,” Claire insisted.
“The heck? I ain’t a part of the coup.”
“Huh?”
That was unexpected. I had been certain he and his sister were working together.
“Then why did you have a rough blueprint of the Imperial Castle with guard shifts in your desk?” I asked. “You even had arrows pointing out an infiltration route.”
“How’d you figure out that much?” he asked.
“The two of us worked security for the pope’s visit,” Claire answered.
“Just from that? Man, what a mess this turned out to be…” Otto scratched his head. “I found a suicide note my sister wrote for the family.”
“O-oh…” Claire said.
“I noticed she was being weird when she stopped by home a week ago. Like, acting all nice even though she usually ignored me. So I sneaked into her room after she went back to the military training camp and found the note in her desk.”
I couldn’t imagine how distressed he must have been. It had to have been horrifying to find a family member’s suicide note.
“She wrote, ‘There’s something important I gotta do. I’ll be crossing over first, but you gotta live on, Otto.’ Can you believe the nerve?” He clenched his fists and hung his head. Maybe he was crying; I couldn’t tell. He’d done nothing but complain about her so far, but from what I could tell—
“You love your sister, don’t you, Otto?” I said.
“Wh-what?! Oh, shut up,” he said.
“Oh, yeah. One hundred percent.” My bad habit of joking around when things turned serious had reared its ugly head again, but I earnestly believed Otto cared deeply for his sister. Whether he had feelings for her romantically or as family was lost on me, but he had said he wasn’t a ‘nutjob with nothing but love on their mind’ like me, so it was probably just familial love.
“So essentially, you’re planning to kill Her Majesty Dorothea before your sister tries to?” Claire asked.
“Got a problem with that?”
“I do. It’s suicide,” she said.
“I know that already! I don’t need you to tell me!” And yet he had planned it. He probably couldn’t bring himself to do nothing.
“We should consult with Father,” Claire suggested.
“Yes,” I replied after a moment’s hesitation. “Master Dole might come up with a good plan.”
“You’re going to help me?” Otto said, nonplussed. I understood his surprise. We stood to gain nothing from this. But even so—
“We won’t assist with any assassination plots, but we can’t very well do nothing while a classmate needs our help,” Claire said.
“I…tried to punch you before, though.”
“Did you? I only recall you making a fool of yourself.”
“Sh-shut up!” He blushed like an abashed child. I had been older in my past life, so part of me saw Otto as a young, immature boy.
“Do you know when the coup is meant to take place?” Claire asked.
“You know that summit coming soon? It’ll be the same day,” he said.
“That doesn’t leave us a lot of time. Rae, let’s take a half-day to return to the dorm and form a plan.”
“Good idea.”
“Should I do anything?” Otto asked enthusiastically.
“Nothing, for the time being. Take particular care not to do anything rash, unless you want to ruin everything,” Claire said.
“Ngh…”
“Just leave things to us and wait. We’ll make sure your sister stays safe,” she continued.
“All right. I’m counting on you.”
We’d succeeded in preventing Otto from doing anything reckless. Now we just had to deal with Philine’s supporters.
The bell signaling the end of lunchtime rang.
“Can you tell the teacher we left early?” Claire asked Otto.
“Yeah.”
“Let’s hurry home, Rae.”
“Let’s.”
Jeez, Claire was truly too sweet-natured for her own good. But that was exactly what I loved about her.
***
“A coup d’état…”
After returning from the Academy, we went to Dole’s lodgings and told him everything we’d heard from Otto. His apartment was slightly smaller than ours, with only a kitchen, a living and dining room, and a bedroom. The furniture was plain, valuing function over form—especially the sort of form an ex-noble would be used to.
The three of us sat around a table with full teacups in front of us. Dole was wide-eyed with shock at first, but he gradually grew despondent.
“More young lives will be lost at this rate,” he said.
“Can you lend us any wisdom, Master Dole?”
“Please, call me Father-in-Law, Rae.”
“You’re quite particular over something so trivial, Father-in-Law.”
“There’s nothing trivial about it.”
The two of us bantered, but I could tell his smile didn’t reach his eyes. Dole made me uncomfortable when he acted like this. It meant he was thinking up something grim—something I wouldn’t like. It didn’t help that he was often justified too.
“Where are May and Aleah?” he asked.
“They’re playing in their room,” Claire answered. “Don’t worry, the guards you hired are with them.”
“Good. Any price for my granddaughters.”
After the kidnapping incident, Dole had hired guards for the twins. Both were women, former bodyguards of Dole’s from back when he was a noble, so he could attest to their skill. They looked like nothing more than shrewd career women to me, but apparently, they were both experts in hand-to-hand combat as well as magic. Of course, that meant their services cost a pretty penny, but Dole generously paid for it all out of the salary he had come to earn after returning to the political scene.
I actually knew one of the women, but that’s a topic best saved for later.
“They truly are a big help,” I said. I couldn’t help but wonder why he was so interested in confirming May and Aleah’s whereabouts all of a sudden. Was he about to say something he didn’t want them to hear? I had a bad feeling about this…
“Claire, Rae,” he said.
“Yes, Father?”
“Did you come up with a good idea?”
The two of us urged him on hopefully. But those hopes were soon dashed.
“Give up on Otto’s sister and the rest,” he said.
“Give…up? What do you mean?!” Claire exclaimed.
“Just that. Don’t try to save them. Let them attempt their coup.”
“How could you say such a thing?!” Claire looked at her father with disbelief, as though she were regarding a stranger. “You want us to do nothing as they die?!”
“That’s not how I’d phrase it. I’m saying we should respect their wishes,” he said.
“That’s the same thing! I won’t accept such a reason! Explain yourself!” Claire pressed him, raising her voice.
I felt the same way she did…but I’d also had a feeling it would end this way from the very moment she suggested asking Dole for help.
“The coup d’état is the empire’s problem,” he said. “It’s not something we should concern ourselves with. Surely you understand it’s not our place to intervene in another country’s politics?”
“But—”
“Most importantly, Claire, the coup will be beneficial to Bauer.” Dole stroked his moustache. His usual gentle expression was gone, replaced by the impersonal one he reserved for work. A chill ran down my spine.
“Wha—do you realize people will die, Father?!” Enraged, Claire stood—slamming her hands on the table as she did so.
“Please calm down, Miss Claire,” I said.
“Not you too, Rae! How can I be calm when—”
“Please, Miss Claire. I sympathize with you so much, it hurts. But let’s hear him out. We’re the ones who came to him, remember?”
“Gah!” Claire, with a fierce look of indignation, relented and sat down. Her anger still raged, but she couldn’t forgo civility. She scowled at Dole as the discussion resumed.
“By beneficial, I assume you mean politically?” I asked Dole.
“Exactly.” He nodded, then took a sip of his tea. Perhaps hoping to calm Claire, he took ample pause before continuing. “We don’t know the scale of the coup, nor how it will affect Dorothea, but it is a coup nonetheless. It will be a blow to the empire, and an opening for us.”
He spoke in a frighteningly matter-of-fact tone. I was reminded of the time he’d insistently defended the nobility to Claire.
“Think about it: The coup will happen on the day of the summit. With so many foreign leaders present, the empire will have to take responsibility, no matter how easily the attempt is suppressed. That is a powerful diplomatic advantage to have.” A faint smile rose to his face. His explanation was clear: Bauer’s prosperity came first, even at the cost of lives.
“You would use the lives of those youths as political bargaining chips?!” Claire asked, incredulously.
“They are not my people. And if we do not strike the empire while we can, it will be the lives of our people instead.”
“That’s…that’s…!” Claire couldn’t accept it. She knew, however, that if she were to weigh the lives of Bauer’s youths against the empire’s, the scales would not be even. But that didn’t excuse doing nothing as people died. Not to Claire.
Seeing his daughter so worked up, Dole sighed understandingly and looked her in the eyes. “Claire, you’re too arrogant.”
“I am? Are you sure you don’t mean yourself, who sees human beings as mere pawns?” she seethed.
“Since when have you been mighty enough to save everyone?” he asked.
“Wh-what… I…” That was all it took to leave Claire at a loss for words. She hadn’t intended to think so highly of her own ability, but that only made it all the more painful a realization.
Dole didn’t relent. “Man is not God. We must choose the few we can save. I won’t disavow having ideals, but you must realize they are nothing more than that, ideals. You cannot escape reality.”
Claire could say nothing in return.
“Or what? Did being called the hero of the revolution make you think you actually were one?” he asked, a clear malice in his mocking tone.
Claire snapped. Her face twisted with rage as she raised her hand. Dole didn’t so much as blink, calmly watching his daughter move.
“All right, that’s enough.” A hand caught Claire’s before it could strike Dole. A hand that wasn’t mine.
“Bill…”
“Master William?!”
“Hey, Dole. Hey, Claire. It’s been a while.” That casual voice felt entirely out of place in this tense situation. The speaker was a man in the prime of his life who had seemingly appeared out of thin air. I was about to pull out my wand when a woman next to him stopped me.
“Hey, Rae. It’s been, what, how long since the cook-off?”
“Lene? Then this must be…”
“Yup.”
Lene, now a citizen of the Alpes, appeared to be attending to this man. I connected the dots and realized who he was.
“You must be Rae Taylor,” said the man. “I’ve heard a lot about you… Though you look more normal than I thought you would.”
“O-oh, really?” I said.
“Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. Well, you can probably already guess.” With that, the man gracefully put his hand over his chest and nonchalantly said, “I’m William. I may not look it, but I’m actually the King of the Alpes. Feel free to call me Bill.”
***
“This isn’t your place to interfere, Bill,” Dole said sternly.
William countered with a tactful smile, playing with what I assumed to be naturally curly hair as his olive-brown eyes calmly surveyed Dole. His build and height were similar to Dole’s, but he had a different air. Dole’s was that of a shrewd politician, while William had the loose aura of a pick-up artist or a swindler.
“You’re too serious, Dole, and too clever for your own good. You’re so clever, you’ve gone full circle back to foolish,” he said.
“Don’t patronize me. We’re discussing something serious here,” Dole replied.
“Hey, I know. I can be serious too, although nobody ever believes me for some reason. Aha ha ha!” he laughed.
“How do the two know each other?” I asked Lene.
“Master Dole studied abroad in the Alpes when he was younger,” she said.
According to her, the two had hit it off right away. They’d both been gifted students looking for someone they could debate with as an equal and quickly recognized each other as a once in a lifetime rival. Their bond had lasted for almost twenty years now.
“You’re trying to play the villain for Claire’s ideals, aren’t you, Dole?” William asked teasingly.
Dole glared at him.
“What do you mean, Master Bill?” Claire inquired, surprised.
“He’s trying to protect you and your lofty ideals. He knows you can’t succeed based on ideals alone, so he’s trying to be kind by shooting you down instead.”
“Father…?” Claire looked over, but Dole awkwardly averted his eyes. It appeared William was spot on.
Dole’s number one priority was, without a doubt, Bauer. He wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice his daughter in pursuit of a better future for his country—that much had been made clear during the Bauer Revolution. But that didn’t mean he didn’t love his daughter. He just loved her in his own way, even if the way he expressed it wasn’t the clearest.
“Why, Father? You could have told me from the start. You didn’t need to insult me. I would have listened,” Claire said.
“What difference does it make? I still believe we should allow the coup to occur.” Dole crossed his arms and shut his eyes. I couldn’t help but think it was clear which parent had given Claire her stubborn nature.
“Oh, you needn’t be so obstinate, Dole,” William said.
“Humph. Let’s hear it then. What’s your opinion on the matter?”
“A coup d’état would be unseemly. I say we prevent it.”
“Master Bill!” Claire smiled, overjoyed to finally have a supporter.
“You’re going to allow this opportunity to slip by?” Dole said.
“This isn’t an opportunity, Dole. If anything, it’s a risk.”
“How so?”
“The coup will be on the day of the summit, right?”
“Yes,” Dole replied. “It’s perfect. The empire will be at fault for endangering everyone.”
“Who’s to say the empire won’t blame us for inciting the coup?”
“That’s a baseless fear.”
“Is it though?” William tilted his head. “The truth is, you see, we’ve known about the planned coup for a while now. And yet we haven’t done a single thing about it.”
“Knowing and inciting are completely different things.”
“Sure. But do you really think Dorothea will care about that if she suspects us?”
“Humph.”
“They could even, say, torture those involved with the coup until someone ‘confesses’ that they were supported by Bauer.”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” Dole protested, and understandably so.
William nodded. “Right. But is it any more ridiculous than thinking a coup would be purely beneficial to us?”
“That’s…” Dole hemmed and hawed.
“And did you forget who we’re dealing with here? Dorothea’s the kind to declare war with the same composure with which one pours milk into their tea. No matter what path we take here, the end result is going to be messy. So we might as well take the path where we stand to lose the least.”
“So that’s it then? You’d stop the coup just to defend Claire’s naive ideals?” Dole scoffed.
“Don’t be an idiot. What matters here are real human lives.” William paused. “Look…being able to view things through a political lens is good and all, but once you forget the value of life, you’re nothing but a monster.”
“Sophistry.” Dole dismissed him out of hand.
“I still haven’t forgiven you for what you did during the Bauer Revolution,” William said. “Without even consulting me, your friend, you tried to kill yourself, and you were even ready to let Claire die. You’re too willing to sacrifice lives for the greater good.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” Dole challenged.
“Everything. Is that the kind of world you want your grandchildren to live in?”
“Ngh…” Dole was at a loss for words, unable to refute such a statement. One more push should be enough.
“Master Dole, may I speak?” I asked.
“You needn’t ask permission from your father-in-law. Speak.”
“Thank you. Even supposing allowing the coup to happen were the diplomatically practical option, don’t you think it would leave a bad taste in your mouth? At best, those involved with the coup would be given the death penalty. At worst, their families would also be executed as a preventive measure.”
“That is true.”
“It’s also a fact that the citizens adore Dorothea and are more likely to believe her than foreigners. She could easily turn the coup into an opportunity to rile the citizens against Bauer. If anything, this coup might strengthen the empire’s unity.”
Dole said nothing, thinking.
I continued. “If the coup truly was nothing but advantageous for Bauer, then it would be best to make use of it as you say. But as it stands, I don’t believe that to be the case.”
“Hmm…” Dole thought quietly for a moment. “Claire, let me hear your thoughts.”
“I…” Claire cast her eyes down once before looking up and firmly meeting Dole’s gaze. “I want to help those people. I think they will be the key to changing the empire.”
“Go on.”
“Princess Philine planted the seed of hope within them. That hope is still only a bud, but if we stand by doing nothing, it will be nipped before it blooms.”
“Is that a decision based purely on emotion?”
“No,” she resolutely declared. “If Dorothea’s dictatorship is to end, it needs to be at the hands of the empire’s own citizens. If the people learn to think for themselves and come to question the status quo, the dictatorship will naturally be undone.”
“In other words, the survival of those planning the coup is beneficial to Bauer?”
“Yes. We mustn’t allow them to die if we’re to change the empire.”
Dole carefully considered Claire’s words. No doubt, countless profit-loss calculations, strategies, and numbers were flitting about in his head. Eventually, he said, “Very well. We’ll try to stop the coup.”
“Oh, thank you, Father!” Claire said, overjoyed.
“It’s still too early to rejoice, Claire,” William warned. “We still haven’t any idea how to stop the coup in question.”
“Then…what if Rae and I tried to convi—”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea. The two of you are partially responsible for Princess Philine’s exile, right? I doubt they would be so inclined to listen to you,” William said.
“That’s…true…” Claire began to brood.
“Um, I have an idea,” I said.
“Oh? What is it?” William asked.
“If they won’t listen to us, why don’t we bring a third party to our side and send them over?”
“That could work. You got anyone in mind?”
“In fact, I do. Josef Gesner, Dorothea’s manservant and a sympathizer of Princess Philine’s. I think we have a good shot at convincing him to join our cause.”
***
We had come to the barracks adjoining Nur’s military training camp. After saying we were there to meet with Otto’s older sister, we were taken to a reception room. Outsiders wouldn’t usually have been admitted, but thanks to a certain person’s influence, we were allowed.
Being merely a place for non-commissioned officers and soldiers-in-training to live, the barracks were practical without so much as a hint of elegance. Even the reception room was no different, which really drove home that this only functioned as a place for people to sleep and eat.
“Adelina Reiner, reporting!”
Whoa—that must be a military thing.
The booming voice of Adelina, Otto’s older sister, could be heard before she opened the door. She was a tall woman with a short, masculine haircut and a well-built body. I could certainly see a bit of Otto in her. She wore a brown uniform tailored with practicality in mind. I assumed this was the uniform provided to all soldiers-in-training.
Noticing Claire and me, she glared and bellowed, “What are these Bauer dogs doing here?!”
Such a reaction was undoubtedly due to the circumstances surrounding Philine’s exile, but still! What a thing to call someone.
“That’s quite the greeting. Are all imperial soldiers so crass?” Claire asked.
Ah… I knew Claire wasn’t the kind of person to take an insult sitting down, but I would have preferred if she refrained for the sake of our objective.
“There’s no need to shout like that,” said a calm voice.
Adelina’s eyes widened in surprise as she noticed the speaker. “M-Master Josef?!”
“Yes. I apologize for our sudden visit.”
Accompanying Claire and me was none other than Dorothea’s manservant, Josef. It was thanks to him that we’d even been allowed into the barracks.
“Why are you with the enemy?!” Adelina asked, glancing back at our faces.
“They are not our enemy,” Josef said more severely. “We have an armistice with Bauer.”
“Only on the surface,” she replied. “Besides, it’s because of them that Lady Philine…”
“We’re here today to talk about that very Philine. Please sit down first,” he said.
You wouldn’t think it, what with how easily Dorothea blew him off, but Josef conducted himself with the skill expected of one who served an empress. He was able to talk Adelina down—and although she still wore a look of protest, she obeyed, sitting down.
“We know what you’re plotting and have come in hopes of stopping you.” Josef skirted around the truth, but his meaning was clear.
Adelina’s face whitened. Still, she attempted ignorance. “I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.” She was probably trying to protect the others involved in the coup.
“Then allow me to be more direct,” Josef continued. “We know you’re planning a coup d’état on the day of the summit and have come to stop you.”
This time, there was no ambiguity in Josef’s words. Adelina went pale as a ghost. The man who served as Dorothea’s personal manservant knew of the plot, which had to mean that, by extension, the empire knew as well.
“You can still turn back. Her Majesty Dorothea is unforgiving to those who defy her but tolerant of those who repent. I implore you to make the right choice,” he said.
“The right choice?” Adelina muttered. “Then I ask you, was exiling Lady Philine, Dorothea’s own daughter, who so cared for the future of this country, the right choice? It’s because of her that Lady Philine is…is…”
Adelina couldn’t bring herself to say those last words. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes as she clenched her fists. She had clearly adored Philine.
“While a soldier such as yourself would normally not be privy to such details, Her Majesty’s decision was made with Lady Philine’s best interests in mind,” said Josef. “Her Majesty was thinking of Philine’s well-being, in her own—”
“But Lady Philine died because of her!” Adelina yelled, cutting him off. She made no attempts to hide the tears spilling forth as emotion overtook her. “Lady Philine wasn’t meant to die in vain! She was meant to build a new future for this country, together with us! So why…why?!”
The Philine I knew was an introverted, weak-willed, and clumsy young girl. The Philine these soldiers idolized was someone else entirely. To be blunt, I never would have imagined Philine could garner such a following. Maybe it was some kind of hidden advantage she got for being Revo-Lily’s protagonist, like plot armor?
Josef allowed her to agonize uninterrupted for a while before solemnly stating, “You are a soldier. It is not a soldier’s role to think about the empire’s future. Your role is simply to obey the orders that come from above. Were you not taught that?”
“I’m well aware of what I’m meant to do! But do you really believe the empire is well?! Are we not slipping further and further from our ideals with every passing day?!”
“Know your place, Adelina Reiner.” The gravity with which Josef said those words caused not just Adelina, but Claire and me to straighten in our seats as well. “Do you know why you soldiers are allowed to carry weapons? Because the empire grants them to you.”
His words were cold and blunt. He reminded me of the way Dole got whenever politics were involved.
“Do not misunderstand. The power you have is not your own. it is the empire’s. The money used to train you comes from the empire. The army exists to serve the empire and nothing else.”
Every word he uttered had been drilled repeatedly into the minds of every soldier here. He was deliberately trying to dredge up those memories.
“And another thing…I believe you misunderstand Lady Philine’s present circumstances. She is not dead,” he said.
“What?” Adelina looked like she couldn’t believe her ears. That was probably the last thing she’d expected to hear.
He continued. “As you know, the empire has many enemies. Her death was faked in order to circumvent the possibility of assassination.”
“B-but a lock of her hair was sent to the imperial family!” she said.
“The hair, as well as the blood on said hair, were real. We needed to make her death look all the more convincing,” he said matter-of-factly.
But Adeline remained skeptical. “I understand… But can you prove she’s alive?”
“Why would we leave proof behind if we’re trying to fake her death?”
“I…don’t know what to believe,” she said hesitantly.
Josef rubbed his temples. “Adelina… I don’t understand why your people didn’t question such a thing in the first place. Think about it: Her assassination was only days after her exile, and we announced it all too quickly. And do you really believe Her Majesty of all people wouldn’t try to take revenge if her daughter were killed? Most people would realize it was all an act.”
He looked over our way as he said that. I, for one, had indeed figured such was the case.
“Then…Lady Philine is alive?” she asked.
“That she is. She should be poring over her studies as we speak.”
Adelina buried her face with her hands and wept, saying, “Thank goodness…thank goodness,” over and over.
Wow. Philine, you got a real die-hard fan.
“Do you understand now?” he continued. “You have no reason to start a coup. It’ll only cause trouble for—”
“No,” she stated clearly. Wiping away her tears, she continued, “My convictions are only stronger now that I know she is alive. We will carry out the coup and install Philine as the new empress.”
***
“Were you not listening, Adelina? Lady Philine is alive.” A hint of alarm crossed Josef’s face as things took an unexpected turn.
“That is all the more reason to go through with the coup. We must succeed so she can return.” In contrast to Josef, Adelina appeared as though she had cast away all her worries.
Personally, I thought she sounded insane.
“Please reconsider,” he pleaded. “Surely you know Her Majesty’s strength? Your little insurrection will amount to nothing.”
“Then so be it. My comrades fear not death but rather an empire without a future.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa! This isn’t going anywhere near according to plan!
That was when Claire interjected. “Excuse me, but what in the world are you thinking? Was the coup not planned because you believed Lady Philine had died? What meaning is there in carrying it out now?”
“Silence, dog of Bauer. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Pardon?” Claire’s countenance changed completely.
Oh, she’s pissed. I mean, I do love her angry face, but now isn’t the time for it… I interrupted, “Please calm down, Miss Claire. And Adelina, I believe you’ve said a little too much.”
“Humph!”
“Humph!”
The two of them both turned away with a huff.
Yikes… I shook my head. “Why are you so insistent on going through with the coup?”
“I’m not repeating myself again.” Adelina shot me right down.
Jeez. “I see. By the way, are you aware that treason is a crime?”
“Of course.”
“Right, of course. You’re a soldier, after all. But were you also aware that all men within three degrees of kinship to you will be executed, and that all women and children over six will be sentenced to work at mining camps for life?”
“I’ve known. I’ve sent my parents a letter telling them to leave the country that should arrive around the time of the coup.”
It appeared she’d put some thought into this. But—
“Where will they go?” I asked.
“That’s… M-my family will figure it out; I believe in them.”
“Would the family of your collaborators be as safe though?” I asked. “There’s also the fact that escaping the empire would mean forgoing its protection. I’m sure you’re aware how other countries view the empire. You wouldn’t be planning a coup, otherwise. What kind of welcome do you think they’d give those who ran from it?”
A look of shock crossed Adelina’s face. It seemed she hadn’t thought that far.
“What are you trying to say?!” she demanded, still stubborn.
“I’m saying your actions will have consequences for people other than you.”
I genuinely believed she’d come around if she thought this through clearly. So I continued, speaking calmly so as not to agitate her. “Let’s assume your families don’t escape the country. Even if they avoid being sentenced by amnesty or pardon, they’ll still never be able to return to their old lives. Their friends will stop associating with them. Their workplaces will fire them. Stores might even refuse to sell them food. That’s what happens to the families of traitors.”
“Th-that’s…”
Betraying your country carried lasting consequences. That wasn’t to say I believed one should never rise up against oppressive dictatorships—which Adelina believed was now the time to do—but one needed to be aware of all the risks inherent in doing so.
I continued. “Above all else, the family you leave behind might come to resent you.”
“I wouldn’t mind that. For the greater good, I—”
“It hurts, you know. Being hated by your own family.”
I thought back to Misaki, my friend from my past life. The only ones who mourned him after he committed suicide were his friends—the ones who understood his plight. That included Kosaki, Shiko, and me, of course. Misaki’s family had ended up resenting him.
When someone commits suicide, people’s reactions generally take one of two forms: sympathy for the victim and/or blame for those around them. People can’t help but question why such a thing could have been allowed to happen. Misaki’s family never accepted him being gay nor acknowledged him as a man, so when they wound up being blamed for his death, any love they’d ever had for him died an all too easy death. From their perspective, he’d said some nonsense and then died, leaving their family to bear the disgrace.
My heart hurt every time I remembered it.
“Otto’s worried about you, you know,” I said.
“He is?”
“Yes. He might not be all that forthright about it, but he’s worried about what you’re trying to do. Are you really willing to trample his feelings?”
Adelina went silent. Not all families got along, but from what I could tell, the Reiner family was tight-knit. Could she really ignore her brother’s concerns?
“I also don’t believe Lady Philine would want a coup to take place,” I went on.
“What do you know about her? You’re the reason she was exiled in the first place.”
“That way of thinking is disrespectful to Lady Philine. She isn’t the type to be so easily deceived. She took action because she wanted to change this country herself.”
I couldn’t deny that Claire and I had our own ulterior motives, but Philine had acted in pursuit of her own beliefs. We’d only ever given her the opportunity and support she needed.
“Going back a bit,” I said, “remember how Philine’s hair was sent as proof of her death? Why do you think she would send her hair?”
“What do you mean why? It’s not like she could cut off bits of her ear or nose, now could she?”
“I think her hair was a message to Her Majesty.”
“Huh?” Adelina looked puzzled.
“‘The Philine you know is dead,’ or something along those lines. Like a Dear John letter…although I suppose that might not be a thing in this world. Erm…a declaration, perhaps.”
A look of understanding rose to Adelina’s face.
“I don’t think Lady Philine’s given up. She still has things she needs to do,” I said. Of course, I was possibly wildly off the mark, but hey. “That being the case, would it not be better to wait for her and find out what she truly wants instead of digging your own grave now? She will need people like you when she returns.”
“And if she doesn’t return?”
“If she doesn’t return, then somebody will need to carry on her will. And who better to do that than you guys, as her followers? For now, I recommend you rise up the ranks within the army. You’re going to need influence if you’re to achieve anything.”
The Nur Empire was a military state. Gaining rank in the army could give Adelina the chance to influence the country the way she wanted.
“And…personally, I don’t want to see one of the few precious things Lady Philine managed to earn for herself be so meaninglessly lost,” I said.
“You mean…?”
“Yes. You all.”
Back when we’d first started strategizing together, the only people Philine had on her side, other than Claire and me, had been Adelina and the other soldiers. They were the only allies she had gained through her efforts alone. I couldn’t bear to see them lost for no reason.
Adelina pondered pensively for a time. Her inner turmoil was surely intense. The decision to attempt a coup d’état couldn’t have been a whim, but the result of much thought and deliberation. No matter how much logic I used to refute her, the decision to back down at this point was not an easy one.
“Just what about this is so difficult for you to understand?” Claire said impatiently. “If you go through with the coup, you are all but sure to fail. Your households will be left in ruins. What more is there to consider?”
“You’re not from the empire. You wouldn’t understand,” Adelina said.
“It’s precisely because I’m not from the empire that there are some things I can understand.”
“And what would those be?”
“I understand you and your people care about the future of this country.”
Adelina’s eyes opened wide.
“But for that future’s sake, you must wait,” Claire went on. “Now is not the time.”
Adelina said nothing, listening.
“Your people have an unwavering will, and you do not fear Her Majesty. That fact won’t change, will it?”
“Of course not,” Adelina replied.
“Then you must endure the wait for now. You mustn’t do anything rash. At least not until Lady Philine makes her intentions known.”
At Claire’s words, Adelina seemed to come to some realization. She remained silent, as if turning those words over in her head.
“I implore you as well, Adelina. Please reconsider.” Josef lowered his head.
After some further deliberation, she reluctantly said, “All right. I’ll try talking to my comrades.”
***
Several days had passed since we managed to talk down Adelina, and now the four-nation summit was upon us.
The summit was held in one of the Nur Empire’s finest hotels, a lavish, elegant building that sharply contrasted with the cold practicality the empire was known for. The sculpted reliefs adorning the entrance were just one of many fine examples of craftsmanship that could have put Bauer’s Royal Palace to shame.
With so many high-profile people present, the security was understandably through the roof. A number of soldiers were posted at the entrance, carefully performing body searches on anyone passing through. I underwent a body search as well, although I felt they took a particularly long time to check me. Thankfully, they made sure the people performing the pat downs were of the same gender as the ones being searched.
Why was I attending the summit, you might ask? Well, I’d been hired to help out with security. Claire and I were some of Bauer’s most distinguished magic users, so the security team had headhunted us. Dole and Thane protested to the bitter end, of course.
Claire and I were searched, then received our wands from an attendant, since obviously, we needed our wands to do our jobs. We could use magic without wands, but nowhere near as proficiently. Naturally, our wands were also blessed, as we’d had a number of run-ins with demons since coming to the empire.
The Bauer dignitaries were searched after us, among them Thane, Dole, and Mr. Torrid. A few people were accompanying them for secretarial purposes, but those three formed the main contingent, while Claire and I served as their escorts.
After the Bauer dignitaries were searched, the dignitaries from Sousse and the Alpes followed. Among the Sousse dignitaries was Manaria, and among the Alpes dignitaries were William and Lene. Manaria’s presence was a given, but it was a surprise to see Lene—formerly an exiled vagabond without a country to call her own—attending an international conference as an advisor of sorts. It felt like destiny had brought us back together again, but I knew it was her hard work that had made this possible.
The empire’s staff led the three groups to the venue. Flowers and paintings lined the corridor, meant to engage guests throughout the walk. Few of us felt inclined to appreciate them, however, with somber looks on our faces as our thoughts fixed on the conference ahead.
“We have arrived.” The attendant pushed open the door. My eyes fought to adjust to the blinding light for a moment. Once they did, a large round table came into view.
“You’ve come. I am Dorothea Nur. Let this conference be productive.”
The attendees from the empire were already seated, and Dorothea greeted us as their representative. As with the conference with the pope, she kept her words short and succinct.
“Please be seated,” the attendant instructed us. The three groups obeyed.
In all—with the entrance situated to the south—we sat at the table with Bauer to the east, Sousse to the west, Nur to the south, and the Alpes to the north. In Japan, we had something called kamiza, or the seat of honor, where the distinguished guest sat furthest from the entrance, but it appeared that wasn’t a custom in this world. Perhaps that was why they used a round table, so nobody would argue about who got what seat.
“I would like to get straight to the point, as I’m not one for wasting time. Any objections?” Dorothea said, scanning the table. No one objected.
And so, the summit finally began.
“Let’s get to the point. What are your demands?” The first to get the ball rolling was Dorothea, barreling through with her own brand of logic.
“We ask but one thing,” Manaria replied. “Cease your aggression and start working toward peace.” Instead of the Royal Academy uniform I was so used to seeing her in, she wore a dark-blue suit jacket with gray slacks—looking killer as she broke gender norms.
“Hmm…” Dorothea frowned.
“I mean, you don’t really believe the empire can keep going if it continues making enemies at this rate, right? If we’re ever to reconcile, now is the time,” William said, half-joking and half-serious.
“I see no reason to,” Dorothea said. “The empire has strength to spare.”
“So you say, but the rest of us are prepared to join hands and fight if need be,” Thane replied concisely, face fixed in its usual dour expression. “Our kingdom still hasn’t forgotten the underhanded schemes you subjected us to during our revolution.”
“Humph. All is fair in war. Or were you under the false impression that those schemes were carried out because we were weak?” she asked.
The air grew charged between them. This was exactly why I hated politics. Just watching made my stomach churn. Never in a million years would I have gotten involved if I hadn’t had my daughters and Claire to think about.
Of course, Claire’s opinion on the subject differed.
“Besides,” Dorothea continued, “Bauer isn’t one to shy from scheming either, are you?”
“What do you mean to say?” Thane asked.
“Did you not try to entice my soldiers to revolt? I’m not as blind as you’d like to believe.”
She was talking about the now-abandoned coup d’état headed by Adelina and her fellows. I didn’t object, not wanting to out their identities, but I didn’t like Dorothea framing the coup as something Bauer had tried to instigate.
“What’s that? You’re such a poor leader, you can’t even keep your own army in check?” William cut in as the situation turned precarious.
“Why, you—”
“Aha ha ha! Hey, now, it’s just a joke! But really, I think it’s best you leave the baseless accusations at that.”
On the surface, William’s words sounded like simple buffoonery, but I could tell he was skillfully maneuvering the conversation. I could see why Dole trusted him so.
“You mean to say it’s a coincidence that a coup d’état was planned for the very same day you all just so happened to be in my empire?” she asked.
“No, no, I doubt that’s a coincidence at all. That’s probably the way they figured they could best get at you, Dorothea.”
“Is that right? But from my perspective, it’s plain as day that Bauer tried to spur those fools to rebellion.”
“Uh-huh, and let me guess: You’re going to torture one of those fools until they tell you what you want to hear?” William asked.
“That’s not a bad idea. Then I could even go public and demand reparations.”
“Sure, take credit for putting out the fire you started.”
While roundabout, the conversation was tense—one slip and we would have a full-scale conflict on our hands. Still, I found myself surprised. I hadn’t thought Dorothea had the patience to talk at such length. Perhaps I’d been unfair to call her a child given too much power.
“Let’s leave the jokes at that, if you would,” Dole said.
“You’re Claire François’s father, if I recall,” Dorothea said.
“Indeed. The name is Dole François. I am humbled to make your acquaintance.”
“Very well then. What do you have to say?”
“Before I begin, may I have permission to be so impudent as to criticize Your Majesty?”
“How amusing. I’ll allow it.” Her lips curved into a smile. Absolutely incredible. Dole had a perfect handle on Dorothea’s personality.
“Thank you. Now then, allow me to explain the current state of the empire.”
For the first time ever, Dole François, the mastermind who had orchestrated the revolution in Bauer from behind the scenes, bared his fangs in public.
***
“As we all know, the Nur Empire has boldly waged war all over the world.” Dole flipped through the documents in his hand and, without pause, began listing more countries than I could count.
“I didn’t think you would actually dare to be so impudent,” Dorothea said.
“You don’t particularly mind, do you?” he asked.
“It continues to amuse, so I’ll allow it. Go on.”
“Then I shall,” he said, before going on to explain that if push came to shove, the empire could be fighting against a united front composed of not just Sousse, the Alpes, and Bauer, but myriad other countries as well.
“You really believe such a thing is feasible?” she asked.
“I do. And while the territories under your rule are obedient for now, who’s to say they wouldn’t rebel, given such an opportunity?”
The empire was spread thin and surrounded by enemies; if relations soured all at once, things could disintegrate pretty quick.
Even so, Dorothea remained unfazed. “The outskirts of my territory matter not so long as its heart is safe. For as long as I stand, so shall the empire.”
Not many in this world could declare such a thing and mean it, and even fewer could do so with such confidence. Luckily, Dole was also one of those few—and her equal.
“Decay begins at the extremities,” he said. “You can find data regarding the empire’s food self-sufficiency rate in these documents here. Funding has gradually shifted away from sustainability and toward the military.”
“We are at war. Such things are necessary,” she stated.
“Perhaps. But if the fields near your borders were continually burned… Well, you would be met with a terrible famine in but a few years’ time.” A cruel smile graced Dole’s face as those unsettling words so nonchalantly left his mouth. “If anything, I look forward to it—watching our mortal enemies waste away from afar, that is. We wouldn’t even need to overstep our bounds and pursue offensive action. No, simply defending the right locations while our countries provided ample supplies from behind would do the trick.”
“Humph. We could just loot what we need from you.”
“Could you really? Your country is strong, but in the end, it is but one country. For every successful act of pillaging, would you not be met five times in return?”
“Well spoken, Dole François.”
“I am humbled to have my name remembered.”
There was sense in Dole’s words. No matter how strong the empire was, they couldn’t win if surrounded by enemies on all sides. Of course, I doubt it would go as smoothly as Dole said, but it was feasible, and that was enough.
Even so—
“Huh…”
“Is something on your mind, Rae?” Claire asked me.
“Yes, well… I can’t help but think Dorothea reminds me of someone. Not in appearance but more so that overbearing high-handedness…”
“I doubt there are many as tyrannical as her.”
Perhaps, but something about her was familiar… “Oh, I got it. She’s just like Master Dole before the revolution.”
“What are you—oh.”
There was a time Dole had made himself out to be the villain in order to serve a greater cause. I saw a bit of overlap in Dorothea’s demeanor, but I could have been imagining things.
“In the first place,” Dole continued, “I cannot comprehend why you are so desperate to achieve something as unrealistic as bringing the whole world under your empire’s rule, especially when you’re so soft.”
“Soft? Did you truly just call me soft?” Dorothea’s tone turned threatening, but Dole paid it no mind.
“You exiled your daughter, who planned treason against you, to save her. You even forgave her foreign collaborators. What can that be called if not soft?”
I recalled Josef saying something similar—something about how Dorothea had Philine’s well-being in mind. Perhaps Dorothea was indeed…soft.
“Humph. Don’t speak as though you understand,” Dorothea said. “Only those who’ve borne children can comprehend the bond between a mother and her daughter.”
“Such a truth is every father’s regret. Even so, there remains one thing I know we share.”
“Is that so? And what is that?”
“Love for our daughters.”
Dorothea’s eyes widened with surprise.
Dole continued. “I thank you for the kindness you’ve shown Claire and Rae.”
“Enough. Now is not the place for that,” she said, taken aback by his sudden words of gratitude.
“Dorothea, I think it’s about time you told us what you’re really planning. I know you’ve been working alone toward something this whole time, but is it not possible for us to work together?”
Dorothea didn’t respond. Numerous mysteries surrounded her motives. While she had provided a variety of justifications for her aggression, her true goals remained unknown to us even now.
“I could very well let this summit be our final warning to you before hostilities commence. But after what you’ve done for my daughters, I would rather not. Please, would you be willing to tell us what’s really going on?”
Dole wasn’t so much asking as he was pleading at this point. The politician in Dole respected Dorothea as a ruler, and he didn’t want to see her life lost in vain.
But things could never be that easy.
“You’ve overstepped your bounds, Dole François,” she replied coldly. “You’re a fool if you think I, of all people, would be so weak as to show kindness.”
“How long do you intend to keep up this act?” William interjected. “If this were chess, you would already be in check, you know?”
Manaria and Thane nodded at his words. But Dorothea was stubborn.
“If you wish to make me—that is to say, my empire—surrender, then do so through force. Go on, establish that alliance you’re so eager for. I’ll crush it like it’s nothing.” As Dorothea made this declaration, her expression bordered madness. Such a feat was surely impossible, but it sounded believable when it came from her mouth.
Manaria gave the last ultimatum. “Dorothea, this is your last chance. Reform your policies and join us as part of a new, unified international power.”
But all she received in reply was: “This grows tedious. I bend to no one, for I am Dorothea Nur.”
Clear refusal. Starting with Dole, a look of disappointment washed over the rest of the participants. The room fell silent for some time.
“Humph. So negotiations have broken down,” Dorothea eventually said. “In that case—”
“Rae, look out!”
I’d never dreamed she would dare do such a thing. But before I knew what was happening, Manaria was on her knees with blood flowing from her shoulder.
“Sister Manaria?!” Claire exclaimed.
“Lady Manaria?!” I exclaimed as well.
I hadn’t yet fully grasped what had happened yet, but I knew Manaria had protected me. The assailant—
“It’s common sense to start with the biggest threat, is it not?”
—was Dorothea, her sword drawn before anybody could react.
“What is the meaning of this, Dorothea?!” Manaria demanded as she applied pressure to the shoulder of her blood-stained suit jacket.
“Do you really not understand? It’s simple. My enemies have seen fit to gather in one place, so I might as well take care of them all at once.”
“You monster!” Manaria snarled.
“Rae!” Claire’s shrill voice reached my ears. Before I had realized it, Dorothea was right before me.
“No, you don’t!”
Dorothea’s sword had come rushing toward me faster than the eye could see, but stopping it was Manaria’s own blade.
“Manaria Sousse. Your weakness is your inability to abandon the ones you love.”
“That’s very much fine by me if it means I’m not like you!” Manaria lunged forward and parried Dorothea’s sword, causing the latter to move back.
“Tch…”
“Lady Manaria!”
“Rae! Heal me, quick—”
“It’s futile. All futile.” Dorothea raised her sword above her head. “Now you’re all going to die for me.”
***
The summit descended into chaos. It was clear none of the soldiers had been informed this would happen, as they seemed at a complete loss as to what to do. In contrast, our three-nation group responded quickly, with noncombatants falling back while those who could fight encircled Dorothea, who held her sword at the ready, completely still.
“Those who value their life may flee…” she began. “Or, that’s what I originally intended to say, but the circumstances have changed. Forgive me, but you must all die.”
“Not if we can help it!” said Claire, launching a flame spear—a single massive one, just like the spell she’d fired at Ralaire’s mother all that time ago.
However—
“Do you wish to be the first to die, Claire François?” Dorothea rushed forward, ignoring the flame spear and appearing before Claire.
“Ah!” Claire exclaimed.
“Pitfall!” I collapsed the ground under Dorothea’s feet, ruining her balance. Her blade swung a hair’s breadth short of Claire. “Be careful, Miss Claire. Magic doesn’t work on Dorothea.”
“How could I have forgotten? This isn’t going to be an easy fight…”
I agreed. Dorothea’s immunity to magic left us with little in the way of options. Indirect tactics like the pitfall I’d just made had worked, but direct attacks like flame spears or ice bullets had no effect whatsoever. The same went for Claire’s Magic Ray, of course.
“Protect His Majesty!”
“Somebody heal the queen!”
The escort soldiers quickly scrambled, but none of them dared to carelessly approach Dorothea. One false move meant death. They surrounded her instead, swords and spears pointed inward toward her.
“You think common soldiers…are worthy of being my opponents?!”
There was a gleam of black light as her pitch-black sword glided through the air, dropping the soldiers like flies, one after another.
“Rae, heal Sister, quickly!” Claire yelled. “She’s the only one who can match Dorothea’s sword!”
“Her wounds are deep! I need more time!” I snapped.
Dorothea was sly. She knew the only one who could hold their ground against her, Manaria, had a weakness. That was why she’d attacked me.
“This is enough. Let me go.”
“Lady Manaria… I can’t. You—”
“My soldiers are dying. As their ruler, how can I turn a blind eye and do nothing?” Manaria gripped her sword with her left hand and stood. It seemed her dominant right arm wasn’t working.
“You can’t, Sister! You’re in no condition to fight her!” Claire protested.
“Even so, I must. Dorothea was right. The moment she attacked, I prioritized Rae’s life over my own. In the grand scheme of things, that was clearly a mistake.”
As queen of Sousse, Manaria should have prioritized herself over me. But she hadn’t. She had thrown herself into harm’s way for my sake.
“I won’t make that mistake again. So, Claire. You need to protect Rae for me.”
“Sister…”
“Take her and run. I’ll buy you two some time.” Manaria’s face was pale, yet she smiled. It was a weak smile, so very unlike her.
“Wait, Lady Manaria,” I said. “It’s too early to give up hope.”
“Always cracking the whip, Rae. Got another plan up your sleeve?”
“Yes. But we’ll need to buy as much time as possible.”
I’d received some important news before the summit that I hoped would prove useful. The odds were against us, but what other choice did we have?
“Is your little strategy meeting done?” Dorothea slowly paced toward us. Countless bloodied bodies littered the floor behind her.
Her eyes suddenly darted to the side. I followed her gaze to see an imperial official leave the room.
Strange… For the first time ever, I feel like Dorothea’s full of openings.
“Now, Miss Claire!”
“Back me up, Rae!”
What followed was a blur. I did what I could to support Claire as she fought Dorothea directly. Claire’s martial arts experience showed in her movements, and she empowered her sword with her magic, all while Manaria provided cover—but even all that wasn’t enough. Dorothea was just too strong.
“It’s over, Rae Taylor,” she declared like a judge passing sentence, or the grim reaper itself. Claire and I were battered, our magic power almost depleted. Manaria, already drained of magic, now lay unconscious.
There was nothing more to do. But that didn’t mean we could just kick the bucket without getting a few words in.
“Haaah…haaah…” I panted. “You’re strong… I’ll admit that, Dorothea.”
“That goes without saying,” she replied.
“But…to be blunt, you’re third-rate at best.”
“What was that?”
“Haaah…haaah… What Rae’s trying to say is…for an individual, you are strong. Perhaps among the strongest in history,” Claire said.
“I don’t need your flattery.”
“But that’s ultimately only a single person’s strength,” Claire went on. “There’s so much more to being strong than you understand.”
“Hah. What nonsense. You wish to say the masses have strength? Laughable. It’s because they are weak that they swarm together.” Dorothea sneered contemptuously.
“You only see people as sheep. That is your weakness, Dorothea.”
“The words of a sore loser. Pathetic.”
Dorothea only believed in the strength of the individual. I admit, she was strong. But there was so much more to people than that.
“You’re wrong,” I said. “There’s a power that connects people. A power called bonds.”
“How childish. You believe you can defeat me with these bonds?”
“Oh? Have you forgotten already?” I teased.
“What?”
I clasped Claire’s hand and felt her squeeze back. A steady warmth came to life between our connected palms and flowed into us. “You tried stirring internal conflict within Bauer, remember? How did that end again, Miss Claire?”
“Hee hee… We overcame it using the bonds between us—and so many more people.”
Bonds were not imaginary or fantastical. They were real.
“I’ll admit, that plan failed…” Dorothea said. “Yes, I should have crushed Bauer in the aftermath, right then and there.”
“Are those the words of a sore loser?” I asked impishly.
Dorothea’s eyebrow twitched. It appeared she didn’t like having her own insults used against her.
“Enough. It’s time you two died.” She held her sword high.
I felt magic gradually seep out of Claire’s hand as she entrusted the last of her power to me. “There’s a saying where I come from,” I said. “It ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings!”
I used the last dregs of our magic to cast what would truly be our last spell. Dorothea deflected it with her sword and backed away.
“So you kept a secret weapon tucked away. But such cheap tricks won’t—” She stopped mid-insult and looked toward the entrance of the room. Faintly, the echo of footsteps could be heard. The footsteps grew louder, and it gradually became more apparent that they belonged to not one person but a group.
Thank goodness. They made it.
“Have you realized it yet, Dorothea?” Claire asked.
“What?”
“You lost long ago. Long before this summit. In the very moment you released that girl. Ha ha… Ha ha…”
If she were so inclined, Dorothea could have closed the distance and cut us down in an instant. There was no way we could have fought back at that point. Claire was terrified. Hell, I was terrified. Even so, my beloved proudly declared our victory with that resounding laugh of hers.
“Oooooho ho ho ho ho!”
“What are you doing?” Dorothea clicked her tongue in irritation.
That was when our savior arrived.
“Haaah…haaah… I made it!”
Bursting into the room and panting heavily was—
“Philine…?” Dorothea murmured.
Indeed.
The one and only, supposedly exiled, Philine Nur.
***
“Haaah…haaah… I’ve returned, Mother.”
“Philine? Why are you here?” Dorothea looked doubtfully at Philine, who fought to catch her breath. Her confusion was understandable; Philine was probably the last person she’d expected to appear.
“Please wait, Lady Philine!”
“Princess Philine!”
A crowd of people poured in behind her. Many of them wore military uniforms—more specifically the uniform of the soldiers-in-training.
“You’re…Adelina Reiner, Otto Reiner, Hildegard Eichrodt, and Friedelinde Eimer?” murmured Dorothea.
“We’ve come to make an appeal, Your Majesty.”
“Hey.”
“Forgive me, I just couldn’t say no to the Princess.”
“I’ve come to avenge my homeland!”
Each of the people who appeared to stand against Dorothea had something to say to her.
A patriot who had once planned a coup d’état to try to save her country, Adelina.
A boy who had plotted to assassinate the Empress out of concern for his sister, Otto.
An official working toward peace with Philine, Hilda.
And a princess trying to revive her country, Frieda.
“What farce is this, Philine?” Dorothea demanded.
“This is no farce, Mother. We’re here to tell you it’s over. You’ve been beaten,” Philine boldly declared. Not a trace of her former weakness remained.
“Ha…ha ha ha…ha ha ha ha ha! You, of all people, think you can win against me, Dorothea Nur?” Dorothea broke out into wild laughter, as if the very idea of Philine beating her was a joke. She continued to laugh for some time before saying, “How humorous. Show me how you’ll beat me, then. If you can’t, I shall cut you down here and now.”
For the time being, she had agreed to hear Philine out.
Philine reached into her bag and pulled out a sheaf of papers. “I spent my exile visiting various countries to negotiate the establishment of an anti-Dorothea alliance.”
Dorothea’s eyes opened wide with shock.
Around the time that we had managed to convince Adelina to abandon her coup, Josef discreetly informed me that Philine would be returning on this day. I had always believed she wouldn’t give up, and sure enough, I was right. She had spent her exile meeting with influential people across many countries. Through a mixture of perseverance, incentives, and cunning, she had gained their support.
“This is an agreement between six countries bordering the empire, with oaths signed in blood stating they will no longer submit to you, but will commence hostilities against the empire if it doesn’t join the new unified national power.”
“Philine…!” Dorothea seethed.
Philine had succeeded in what Dole had only threatened just earlier. She, the former crybaby, now dared to strike back at her mother, thought to be indomitable, and she had succeeded. Perhaps the apple really didn’t fall far from the tree.
“Are you going to kill me here? You could, if you like. I’m ready for it,” Philine said.
“Are you now…”
“But regardless of what happens to me, regardless of what you do, the empire is diplomatically cornered. This is checkmate, Mother.”
“Ngh…!”
It was over. Dorothea was strong, stronger than any individual person, but she wasn’t stronger than the connections Philine had built herself. In the end, Dorothea had lost to the very bonds she held in such contempt.
“Damn you!” Dorothea held her sword aloft. Philine didn’t so much as blink, staring back at her mother.
“Are you sure you want to do that, Dorothea?” I asked.
She stopped her sword a hair’s breadth from Philine’s head. “You have something to say, Rae Taylor?”
“Your defeat is certain already. So don’t be a sore loser. Accept it.”
“I can still—”
“If you kill Philine here, you’ll only be immortalizing her as a martyr who died at her beloved mother’s hands as she tried to save her country.”
“It will be easy to gain the public’s sympathy for someone who lost their life for a just cause,” Claire added.
The two of us rubbed salt in Dorothea’s wounds. She had caused us a great deal of grief up until now, so surely nobody could fault us for getting back at her a little.
It was true that killing Philine would change nothing for Dorothea. While Philine had indeed established the anti-Dorothea alliance, she wasn’t integral to its survival. Dorothea’s defeat was certain, even with Philine’s death.
“Then I’ve…I’ve really lost…” she muttered.
“Yes. You’ve lost completely, Mother,” Philine said tenderly.
“And to a powerless little girl…”
“Indeed.”
Dorothea sat down on the floor with a thud, allowing her sword to fall as she stared up at the nothingness above. She seemed at peace, as though freed from some madness.
“So it’s over, then,” Dole said, being the first noncombatant to step out of cover. As luck would have it, none of the noncombatants seemed harmed.
“Yes, it would appear so,” Claire said. “But many soldiers lost their lives in the process.”
“Indeed…” I said. The soldiers had given their lives to protect everyone…or so I had thought.
“No. They’re all alive,” Dorothea muttered absently, shocking everyone. I sprang to check on the knights and found them bloodied and hamstrung, but as she claimed, their hearts still beat.
“Dorothea?” I muttered, confused.
“Why?” Claire asked.
“Rae Taylor, Claire François, Philine—the three of you have defeated me. I entrust the rest to you.”
Her words were incomprehensible. “What are you talking about?” I demanded.
“Build up your forces. The demons will soon advance upon us.”
I grew worried. Had Dorothea’s first defeat broken her mind? But she immediately dashed the thought.
“I’m sane. The demon spy I deliberately allowed to escape from this room earlier should have reported that I killed everyone.”
“What?” Demons? What did she mean?
“Mother, please explain yourself from the beginning.”
“There is no time. I’ve begun a war with the demons, and the ones to continue it will be you three.”
I hadn’t a clue what she was talking about. Would it kill you to explain yourself more?!
“Fine. Then at least tell us the bare minimum,” I said. “How are we supposed to know what to do if you don’t?”
“Humph… I trust that you’re aware that the Nur Empire is the front line between the human countries and the demon territories?”
“Of course.”
“It was on that very front line that I…I met her.”
“Who?”
Dorothea paled at my question. Dorothea, of all people.
“The ruler of the demons—the Demon Queen.” |
Intermission: The Beginning of the End (???)
Intermission:The Beginning of the End (???)
THE MESSENGER returned.
Now is our chance. The world leaders have gathered in the Nur Empire and have been slaughtered by Dorothea.
Indeed, this was a splendid chance. Perhaps even a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
For what, you might ask? That much should be obvious.
“To bring about the end of the world, of course.” |
Bonus Chapter: Hot & Cold
Bonus Chapter:Hot & Cold
I WAS CLEANING THE ROOM when I found a narrow box about a foot long that I had never seen before. I figured it had to be Claire’s, since it definitely wasn’t mine.
“Miss Claire, what’s this?” I asked.
“Oh, that? That’s my whip,” she answered.
Her what?! I thought as she opened the box to reveal a somewhat short leather whip. It looked to be of rather fine make, perhaps even commissioned.
“I didn’t know you were a queen, Miss Claire…” I said.
“Sorry? Rae, I’m not nobility anymore, much less royalty. You know this.”
“No, I mean the…fetish kind of queen.”
“The what?” She wore a look of absolute confusion.
At this, I whispered into her ear what I meant.
“A-are you daft?! I have no such inclinations! This whip is for horse riding!” she exclaimed.
“Ohhh, I see. From back when you were a noble,” I said. Huh? But I thought most of her possessions were seized after the revolution?
I was about to ask Claire for clarification when she said, “It’s a memento. Do you see how short it is? That’s because it was mine as a child, back when Mother was teaching me how to ride.” She sounded wistful, as though reliving an old memory. “I was told to discard anything nonessential, but I just couldn’t bring myself to part with this.”
“Because it’s one of the few things you have to remind you of Miss Melia?” I asked.
“Yes…”
Oh, jeez. I felt terrible for doing that whole fetish queen bit now.
“I should have known,” I said. “You’re not a queen but a tsundere.”
“I’ve heard you say that word quite a few times before, but just what does it mean?” she asked. Having finished her affectionate reminiscence with the whip, she carefully placed it back into the box.
Oh dear. She’d only just been embarrassed by learning about queens, and she was already running headlong into more trouble. Did she not know that curiosity killed the cat? Or was her thirst for knowledge simply too great to care?
“A tsundere is a person who normally treats their significant other coldly but fawns over them in private,” I said.
“How absurd!” she exclaimed, blushing. “Just what about me qualifies as a tsundere?!”
“Well, there’s how you’re acting right now, for starters. You’re harsh now, but when we’re in bed—”
“Not. Another. Word.”
She didn’t let me finish, but you get the idea.
“Goodness, such nonsense…” she muttered.
“But I really do love the tsundere side of you, Miss Claire.”
“E-enough…” she said, blushing from the straight ball I’d thrown right down the center.
“C’mon, Miss Claire. Show me more of your cold side again.”
“I-I will not!”
“Good, just like that!”
“Wha—it’s not like I’m being cold toward you or anything!”
She said the line, folks! What an angel!
“Sublime. Absolutely sublime. Could you keep that cold treatment going for me a little while more?” I asked.
“Humph!” Claire turned away with a huff, but I could tell she wasn’t wholly displeased.
Much as I welcomed the cold treatment, I could never in my wildest dreams have foreseen the effects it would go on to have.
“Dinner will be ready soon, Master Dole. May, Aleah, you two get ready to eat as well.”
It was evening a few days later, and Dole had come over to play with the twins, leaving me plenty of time to flirt with Claire before preparing dinner. Having mostly finished setting the table, I went over to the twins’ room to fetch the three of them.
They appeared to be playing with wooden blocks, as a plethora of differently shaped pieces were scattered about on the floor. Dole, for some reason, was on the ground looking as though the world were ending.
“M-Master Dole…?” I ventured.
“Rae…I don’t think I can live on anymore…” he murmured. I wondered what could possibly have caused the tears streaming down his gentlemanly face.
“Is something the matter?”
“Observe, if you would.” He wiped his tears, forced a somewhat strained smile, and turned toward May and Aleah. “Oh, is that a castle? Very well done.”
He praised the twins, as he often did. He would scold them when it was necessary, but praise was the far more common occurrence.
The twins’ faces brightened for a moment, but they just as soon turned away with a huff.
“Something like this is nothing worth praising,” May said.
“I-It’s not like I’m happy to be praised by Grandfather or anything!” Aleah said.
Dole’s face stiffened. “That’s not true. You did very well, May. And Aleah, do you not like it when I praise you? I really do mean it, you know?”
“Humph!” They turned away.
Dole fell to the ground again.
“Hey, now, you two. That kind of attitude isn’t okay,” I said.
“Huh? But why?” May asked.
“Mother Claire was doing it,” Aleah said.
“Miss Claire was?” I asked. How strange.
There’d been some discord between Claire and Dole once upon a time, but their relationship had improved since the revolution, hadn’t it?
“Hmm… Well, let’s clean up and have dinner for now,” I said.
“Humph!” May huffed. “I know to do that much without you telling me!”
“I-It’s not like I’m doing it because you told me to or anything!” Aleah said.
There really was something up with these two.
“Is something the matter, Rae? Father?” Claire showed up, likely wondering why we were taking so long.
“Oh, Miss Claire,” I said.
“Claire…” Dole groaned.
“My, you two cleaned up so wonderfully.” Claire praised the twins just as Dole had moments ago. Like father, like daughter.
“Humph!” May huffed.
“It’s not like I’m happy you praised me or anything!” Aleah said.
Claire looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I could only weakly shake my head.
“Rae, did they…”
“I fear they did. They seem to have learned from your example.”
Children were constantly observing adults. Naturally, they often also imitated what they saw, from the slightest of gestures to the most complex of sentences. Such imitation was how they learned, and as such, it was typically welcomed by their parents.
The problem, however, was that children frequently didn’t comprehend the intent behind adults’ actions, leading to incidents like this, where they inadvertently imitated things you’d prefer they didn’t.
“Put that attitude to rest, you two,” Dole said sternly.
“Why? Mama Claire was doing it,” May said.
“And Mother Rae was happy about it,” Aleah said.
“Sh-she…was?” Dole looked at me sharply, making me sweat. It was certain now. The twins were, in fact, copying us.
“That kind of conduct is for grown-ups, dears,” Claire said.
“Well, I want to be a grown-up as fast as I can!” May said.
“Indeed. And Mother Rae and Mother Claire are always telling us to become big girls.”
“Those are different matters,” I said. Oh dear. We might have really screwed the pooch this time.
“I’m hungry!” May said.
“Me too!” Aleah said.
The twins slipped past Claire and into the living room—after they had already cleaned up their toys, of course, those little angels.
“Ah, wait just a moment!” Claire said to try to stop them.
“Oh dear…” I sighed.
What had started out as a bit of fun between wives had developed into a full-scale problem. The two of us could probably overlook their behavior with a wry smile, but letting them interact with Dole or the neighborhood kids like this would end in trouble.
“What do we do, Rae?” she asked.
“Hmm… We’re just going to have to overwrite their behavior, I think.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s eat for now. We can discuss things later tonight.”
We managed to get through the day with no further disasters. Consoling Dole was a real challenge, but when we told him we would do something to fix our mistake, he looked us in the eyes and said, “I’m counting on you,” as though the fate of the world were on the line.
That night, Claire and I had a strategy meeting.
“It’s morning, girls,” Claire called. “Time to wake up.”
“Mhn… I’m still sleepy…” May said.
“Five more minutes please…” Aleah said.
On the morning of the next day, I opened the curtains as Claire tried to rouse the two sleepy, mumbling girls.
“They don’t seem to want to get up, sw…sweetheart. What should we do?” Claire asked.
“Hmm… How about we let them sleep for just a bit more, my beloved?” I replied.
“Mh?” Still on their sides, the two girls opened their eyes, curious, and looked over.
“Oh my, it would appear they’re awake now, h-honey,” Claire said.
“It would appear so, Miss Claire. They must have noticed how much cuter than usual you are today.”
“Mmmh?” The twins were now looking at us with great interest, as though something entirely new had appeared before them.
As you’ve probably realized by now, this was the plan Claire and I had come up with, dubbed Operation Sweetheart. Children always craved new things, so what better way to change their behavior than by presenting them new behavior to imitate? Imitating such over-the-top sweetness would surely be good for them. By no means had I suggested this just so I could enjoy Claire fawning over me. No, never in a million years.
“Mama Rae, Mama Claire, what’s going on?” May asked.
“You two are acting really nice to each other,” Aleah said.
Despite their young age, they knew when something was up. But that didn’t mean we could back down.
“What are you saying?” I asked. “Miss Claire and I are always this lovey-dovey.”
“Th-that’s right,” Claire affirmed. “We’re always obviously madly in love with each other.”
I was completely fine spouting such words, but Claire was greatly embarrassed. It was absolutely lovely. Just a side benefit of this plan.
“C’mon, girls. It’s time to eat,” I said.
“Rae made an absolutely wonderful breakfast for you two,” Claire said.
“Okay.”
“Yes, Mothers.”
The twins still looked suspicious, but they got out of bed regardless. I had a feeling our plan was going well.
“Open wide, Miss Claire.”
“O-okay…”
We continued the plan throughout breakfast.
“Mm-hmm… The scent of Miss Claire…”
“What do you think… O-oh, Rae, you silly goose…”
And throughout laundry.
“Pardon me, honey. Could you move your angelic little feet out of the way for just a moment?”
“You’re like a completely different… Er, y-yes, of course.”
And throughout the cleanup afterward.
“Aw, you’re both just so cute. You must take after Miss Claire!”
“Isn’t this plan just Rae doing what she wants? N-no, that can’t be… It’s just a coincidence…surely.”
And even throughout playtime with the kids.
“It’s morning, girls,” I called. “Come get breakfast.”
A few days later, I came to wake the twins just as I would on any other day. I opened the curtains to let sunlight fill their room, finding the weather outside to be pleasant yet again.
“Mhn… Mama Rae?” May said.
“Is it morning already…?” Aleah said.
The twins were awake.
“Good morning, you two,” I said with a smile.
“Morning… I love you, Mama Rae,” May said.
“Good morning…my dear Mother Rae,” Aleah said.
The two of them hugged me.
“…Wuh?!”
Whoa—I’d almost lost consciousness for a moment there. The girls always went to Claire for hugs instead of me, so the sheer shock of being hugged had entirely bowled me over.
“What’s wrong, Mama Rae?” May asked.
“I want to hurry up and eat Mother Rae’s delicious, delicious breakfast,” Aleah said.
I stared blankly down at the two.
Whoa?! I almost lost consciousness again. Their sweetness was possibly even more destructive than their prior cold attitudes.
“What’s taking so long? Breakfast is getting cold,” Claire said.
“Good morning, Mama Claire. I love you!” May said.
“You look beautiful yet again, Mother,” Aleah said.
The two turned their sweetness on Claire next, causing her to freeze in place.
I get it, I really do…
And there you had it: We’d successfully brought an end to their cold attitudes, but at what cost? Despite normally being shy, the twins rained destruction on the neighborhood kids, knocking them all out with sweetness with no regard for gender. I feared we’d created two little forces to be reckoned with.
“I love you, Grandpa!” May said.
“Hold me, Grandfather!” Aleah said.
Dole, who’d come by to play with the children again, wasn’t spared either. He fell to the ground once more but for different reasons this time. |
Chapter 7: Dependable Rae and Me
Chapter 7:Dependable Rae and Me
“YOU MUST BE JOKING!” My shout shook the room.
It was already late in the evening. We were in my dorm room at the Royal Academy. Ralaire cowered back on the desk, trying to make herself small.
After being freed from prison, Rae gave me some unbelievable news. First off, she was no longer a student of the Academy but had been appointed to the Secret Service, reporting directly to King l’Ausseil. Lilly and I were to aid her. Though surprising, this made sense. I even felt a little proud of her—a commoner—for rising above her station. But I was galled to find out she was tasked with investigating nobles for corruption, including my own father.
“My father, corrupt?! You must be out of your mind!” My father was the very embodiment of a perfect Bauer noble. He had dedicated his life to serving the kingdom as its Minister of Finance. I would not stand to hear his name sullied.
“Now, now, the king just has some doubts. Nothing is set in stone yet,” Rae said. But I did not believe King l’Ausseil to be thekind of man to act on mere doubts. He had to have some basis for suspecting my father.
“The fact that His Majesty would doubt my father at all makes me doubt His Majesty’s sanity! Has the François family not always protected the kingdom’s treasury with the utmost honor?!”
Ever since my vacation with Rae, I’d come to question the edifice of the nobility as a whole. I’d even done some investigating of my own and learned of some nobles who were likely corrupt. But my father could never be one such person… Right?
“M-Miss Claire, this might actually be a valuable opportunity.” Lilly, who looked terrified of me, spoke up all the same. She had just happened to come by my room before Rae returned to make her report.
“How so?”
“I-I also don’t want to believe my father is doing something corrupt. That’s why I think we should take this chance to prove our fathers’ innocence.”
Lilly was being optimistic about this, and rightfully so, as she had a point. But it was harder to prove the absence of guilt than it was to prove guilt. Investigating our fathers and procuring nothing to prove their innocence could ruin their standing and result in them being wrongfully punished.
“Wh-what sort of corruption are our fathers suspected of?” Lilly asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Rae answered. “His Majesty told me to speak to Rod.”
“Then let’s go see him already,” I said. I was eager to learn what manner of hogwash my father was suspected of.
“Not today; it’s already dark out. I’m sure you’ll both receive official instructions from the king tomorrow, so let’s wait until then.”
“…How vexing,” I said. Rae was staying calm to balance out my loss of composure, it seemed. Or perhaps she was just always this calm. “And why have you dragged Cardinal Lilly into this, anyway?”
“Well, I thought that since we have to investigate Master Salas, we could use Miss Lilly’s help—”
“You really don’t understand how dangerous this is, do you? Prying into the affairs of powerful people will make us equally powerful enemies.”
Investigating lesser nobles was dangerous enough, but my father and Salas were some of the highest-ranking nobles out there. If, by some minuscule chance, we found evidence of wrongdoing, it wasn’t out of the question that they might do unthinkable things to keep our mouths shut.
“I-I can use water magic. I’m sure I can help,” Lilly said.
“It’s not a question of whether you can help; it’s a matter of safety. Rae is only fine because she has me protecting her.” I had high aptitude in fire magic. It would take a lot to get through me.
“B-but I’m worried!” Lilly said.
“You have nothing to fear. All these suspicions will prove unfounded,” I replied.
“I-I don’t know what Miss Claire will do to Rae if you two are alone!”
“That’s what you’re worried about?!” And if anything, shouldn’t it be what Rae would do to me?!
“Huh? Are you going to do something to me, Miss Claire?” Rae asked.
“I am not!”
“Why not?!”
“Because why would I?!”
“Y-you don’t want to do anything to Rae?!” Lilly stammered. “Have you taken leave of your senses?!”
“Ugh, you exhaust me! Both of you!”
It had been a while since we’d had such nonsensical banter. We’d been busy lately, after all. Ralaire, sensing the mood had lightened, seemed to grow cheerful once more.
“I suppose it can’t be helped,” I said. “I consent to Cardinal Lilly joining us, but please, be extremely careful.”
“Y-yes, of course,” said Lilly.
“You too, Rae.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
And that was where we decided to call it a night.
***
The next day, we visited Rod in the Royal Palace first thing after classes.
“Oh, there you are.”
Rod’s room, as befitted a member of the royal family, was spacious and filled with tasteful, expensive furnishings in warm colors. My own room was nothing to scoff at, but it certainly wasn’t as grand as a prince’s. Lilly—having led a humble life at the church—seemed uncomfortable in the lavish room. Rae, on the other hand, appeared rather unimpressed.
“I don’t care for small talk, so let’s get right to the point. Salas and Dole are embezzling,” Rod said with certainty. He always spoke with utter confidence, but this particular matter was something I simply couldn’t agree with him on.
“Master Rod, you say this because you have definitive evidence, correct?” Remembering Catherine’s advice from the previous night, I questioned Rod calmly.
“Nope. I’ve got nothing of the sort.”
“N-nothing?” Lilly said in disbelief. I felt the same way. On what basis were they suspecting our fathers if they had no evidence of wrongdoing?
“Well, kind of. I don’t have any definitive evidence. But I do have loads of circumstantial evidence,” Rod said, showing us documents with his findings so far. “Salas and Dole are both smart. They haven’t left a paper trail, and their underlings are the ones doing all the actual dirty work.”
The records showed that a significant amount of money tended to disappear around the two. The names of some nobles found to be involved were included, but there was nothing pointing directly at Salas or my father.
“Can’t you simply arrest the nobles named?” I said. Even now, I still believed my father was innocent.
“They may be the ones getting their hands dirty, but they’re not the masterminds. It’d be like cutting off a lizard’s tail—it’d just grow back,” Rod explained, “We learned that the hard way. Took in a batch, but more just popped up in their place.” He looked at Rae with a hint of a challenge in his gaze. “So, what’s the plan?”
“As I discussed with His Majesty, I’ll start with the underlings you mentioned. May I have a copy of these materials?”
“I figured you would want some, so I had one made. Here.” He rang a bell on the table, and a servant walked in carrying some papers.
Rae took the papers, then turned to leave the room. “If you have no further business, we will be going now.”
“Hold on, Rae Taylor,” Rod said, using Rae’s full name for some reason.
She looked back at him with a grimace. “…Yes?”
He hesitated, something uncharacteristic of him. “Oh, nothing. Just, well…there’s something I want to ask you while I have you here.”
“I’d rather you not. Rain check?”
“What? C’mon, it won’t take long.”
“I’m sorry, but I’d very much like to leave right this instant.”
“You can leave when I’m done with you,” he said. “Rae Taylor…would you do me the honor of marrying me?”
Lilly, Rae, and I were all left frozen by the sheer absurdity of what he’d just said. Had Rod Bauer just proposed? To a commoner, of all people?
I fought to recover my senses, then politely questioned Rod. “Have you gone mad, Master Rod?!”
…Now that I think about it, the inquiry might have been less polite than I would have liked.
“A-are you suggesting a commoner marry into the royal family?!” Lilly asked.
“I am,” Rod answered coolly.
What did Rae make of this? I looked over to see her deep in thought, face serious for once. I didn’t blame her. A member of the royal family had just proposed to her. It would be strange for her to not be bewildered.
After some pondering, she said, “Just to confirm, this isn’t some kind of joke?”
“No. I’m serious.”
“You’re kidding me… Just what is it you like about me?”
“Your personality and…well, I guess how capable you are. I’ve actually had my eye on you from the start,” Rod said. He looked like he was enjoying himself.
In contrast, Rae wore a complicated, unreadable expression. “I doubt I’ve done anything worth your attention.”
“Are you kidding me? You’ve done so many crazy things. You prevented an attack on the Academy, cured Thane when he was poisoned, saved the Aurousseaus from execution, pulled a fast one on Manaria, and got rid of that ghost ship in Euclid.”
He listed all of Rae’s accomplishments with great accuracy. There was no doubting Rae was exceptionally skilled. Perhaps it was no surprise Rod wanted her, given that he cared more about how talented and amusing someone was than their social background. But he couldn’t have Rae. Because Rae belonged to…
“I’m sorry, but almost all of those accomplishments belong to Miss Claire,” Rae said.
“Is that true, Claire?” Rod asked me.
Hearing my name pulled me back to my senses. I suddenly became aware of how flustered I was—which only made me more flustered—but I managed to compose myself and reply, “Not at all. Everything was made possible through Rae’s efforts.”
It was true that many of the things Rod listed couldn’t have been achieved by her alone—but just as true that none of those things could have been achieved without her. Much as it chagrined me to admit it, her accomplishments were rightfully hers and should be recognized as such—even if that meant she would leave my side.
“I see. Well, what really decided things for me was what happened with Yu,” Rod said. “You resolved a complex problem the palace had been wrestling with for years.”
“But that accomplishment isn’t mine alone,” Rae said.
“Don’t be modest. I know full well you masterminded things.”
Rod was right. If it weren’t for Rae, Yu would have had no choice but to continue living her life as a man against her will.
“I need someone like you at my side, not a dull noble lady who grew up coddled by a rich family,” Rod concluded. “So, how about it? Wanna marry me?” He took a teasing tone, but his eyes were serious. His proposal was genuine.
“Yeah, no. Obviously, I decline.”
“Wha—Rae?!” I was astounded. I hadn’t thought for a moment that she might turn him down. No commoner had ever risen to become royalty before. This was an unparalleled honor. Her parents would surely be thrilled. How could she say no? “Do you have any idea what you’re refusing?!”
“I believe so. He proposed to me, right?”
“You could become the queen!”
“Yeaaah, but I don’t want to become the queen.” She spoke with her usual indifference, like she had merely refused a request to help with someone’s schoolwork.
What is with this girl?!
“But it would be an honor beyond your wildest dreams!” I exclaimed.
“Nah, it wouldn’t be an honor for me.”
“Why?!”
“Because I like you, Miss Claire.”
What utter nonsense. I understood well enough she had feelings for me, but marriage and love were two completely separate things. Marriage was a union of two households. Personal interests had no place in the matter.
“Ha ha ha! That’s right! I should’ve known that’s what you’d say!” Rod slammed the desk, laughing. “Claire, it seems Rae values being with you over marrying royalty.”
He looked thoroughly entertained, despite having his marriage proposal declined. I paled and tried to walk things back before Rae’s opportunity was gone for good. “Please forgive her insolence. She’s just confused by the suddenness of it all. I am sure that once she’s calmed down and thought things through, she will see things differently.”
“No, I’m perfectly calm—”
“I beg you, be silent for just one moment,” I interrupted. Rae genuinely hadn’t a single clue how important this was. This wasn’t remotely similar to two commoners marrying out of love. If it ever got out that she’d rejected a prince, the myriad nobles who were trying to marry their daughters into the royal family would throw a fit. She was basically painting a target on her back. Even if Rod himself wasn’t offended, others would consider her refusal a blatant insult to the royal family.
As wise as he was, Rod was likely ready to suppress such sentiments, but he couldn’t do anything to prevent people covertly making moves—or even assassination attempts on her! Rae’s best option was to accept Rod’s proposal and be under his direct protection.
I asked, “Master Rod, please do not withdraw your proposal just yet.”
“Of course. No matter what Rae thinks, my feelings won’t change.”
“Thank you very much. Please, let’s continue this another time.”
“Sure thing.”
“It’s time to go! Rae, Cardinal Lilly.” I grabbed Rae and Lilly and pulled them out of Rod’s room.
“Wha, hey, Miss Claire!” Rae looked at me like she had something to say, but I shut her up with a glare.
I didn’t speak again until we’d bid Lilly farewell and were taking the carriage home.
“Rae… You took your joke too far,” I sternly chided.
“What joke?”
“You know what joke! I’m talking about how you turned down Master Rod’s proposal!” My words came out inadvertently harsh as my frustration mounted.
“But I mean…come on. I can’t marry someone I’m not interested in.”
“Marriage is about more than your interests! If you were to marry into the royal family, imagine how happy it would make your parents…”
If she married into royalty, her parents would receive a dowry—and likely even more money, under other pretexts. But even setting money aside, the sheer honor of their daughter becoming royalty should be reason enough. They would be the proudest parents in the world.
“I can’t say for certain, but I think my parents would respect my decision,” Rae said nonchalantly. But that wasn’t the issue. She really just didn’t understand a thing.
“I’m sure they would. Your parents are wonderful. But are you content to let them spoil you so? Don’t you want to make them happy?”
“Well…”
Rae wasn’t thinking about what marriage truly entailed, in the broad sense. She wasn’t the only one being affected here. By rejecting a proposal from a prince, she might as well be saying she did not wish for her parents’ happiness.
“But, Miss Claire…I only want to marry you.” I could tell she was being genuine. Part of me reeled at her declaration, but I fought to keep my calm.
“Rae, listen carefully.” I made my tone firm to drive my point home. “I understand you are in love with me. I think it wonderful, even. But marriage is about more than just love.”
“It’s not.”
“It is. Love may be indulged to a certain degree, but individual desires are irrelevant to marriage.”
“Miss Claire…”
“You must accept Rod’s proposal. Being married would not obligate you to break ties with me. On the contrary, if you were to become royalty, our relationship might even—”
“Miss Claire!” Rae raised her voice, making me stop short. This might have been the first time she’d ever interrupted me in such a way. “To me, marriage is just as—no, even more—intimate than love.”
“Rae…”
“No matter what you say, I have no intention of marrying anyone other than you.”
As she said those words, looking directly into my eyes, I allowed myself to imagine what life with her would be like for a moment. The two of us would live on our own. Occasionally Catherine, Misha, and Lene would pay us a visit. We’d go shopping with Pepi and Loretta, and Lilly would show up every so often to poke her nose in our affairs. I would reluctantly tolerate her, even allow her to be Rae’s lover on the side, and…wait, no. What was I thinking?
Did I really think things could turn out that conveniently? I couldn’t avert my gaze from reality.
My values and Rae’s differed greatly. Marriage had proved to be a more personal matter for commoners than I expected—I would concede that much. But I was sure, given enough time and the proper scrutiny, that she would eventually come to see my perspective was correct.
“Rae, think about it carefully. We’re both women. We can never marry one another.”
“Then I will never marry. Simple as that.”
“Even if I marry someone else?”
“…Even if you marry someone else.”
I was a lady of House François. No matter how I felt about Rae, I would one day enter into a political marriage with another high-ranking noble. I didn’t think that strange or unreasonable—it was simply what marriage existed to do. Rae said she was fine with that, and yet she had no interest in marrying royalty.
“I thought I was finally starting to understand you,” I said.
“Thank you very much.”
“But now, I realize how much I truly don’t.”
I saw her flinch in pain at my words. Those words hurt me too.
***
“What happened then? Did you make up with Rae?”
“Well…in a way.”
It was the night of the day we paid a visit to the Thompson estate. Rae went back to her room upon our return to the Academy, while I went to mine and chatted with Catherine before bed. Catherine was already under the blankets, but I, not quite ready for bed yet, sat in front of the dresser.
“Perhaps it’d be more accurate to say we tabled the issue instead of making up…” I said. In the end, Rae and I had shelved the marriage discussion for the moment.
“I don’t see anything wrong with that,” Catherine said with her usual sleepy drawl. “Some things can only be fixed with time. Oh, could you grab me a candy?”
“There you go acting wise again… Make sure you brush your teeth later, okay?”
“Okaaay.” |
Chapter 7: Dependable Rae and Me
I reached into the candy pot on Catherine’s desk and took out a piece, something I was long used to doing by now. “You’ve gone through these quite quickly. There are only three left.”
“I can’t help it, they’re too yummy. I thought I took my time savoring them, though.”
I handed her the piece of candy, which she received with a brimming smile before tossing it into her mouth. I then climbed into my own bed.
“I’m sure things will be fine between you and Rae,” she said.
“…Really?”
“Really. So let’s just put that issue aside for now. How’d investigating corrupt nobles go?”
“…About as you’d expect. Baron Thompson was guilty.”
Rae had looked through House Thompson’s ledger and found a number of inconsistencies when she compared it against the documents Rod provided. Thompson wound up admitting his guilt. Rae offered him a plea bargain in exchange for information, and we learned of House Yale’s involvement. I’d been positively taken aback to see Rae being so cutthroat. She did do a strange impression of a character from some story named “Mito Komon” that I’d never heard of, but she ended up explaining herself afterward… Though in retrospect, I found myself wondering what that had all been about.
“Oh, I see, I see. And then?” Catherine urged.
“And then nothing. That’s it.”
“Oh, Claire… How long do you think we’ve known each other? I can tell when you’re trying to hide something from me.”
“…Hmph.”
“What else happened?”
“We…learned some disturbing news.” I’d originally intended to tell her the moment I returned but, the news being what it was, had hesitated until now. “The documents we confiscated from Baron Thompson included a passage regarding House Achard.”
“I…see. What’d it say?” Her tone remained the same, but there was a slight tremble to it.
I hesitated to continue. But it had to be said. She was a noble; it was her duty to know her family’s wrongdoings. “Catherine… We have reason to believe Marquess Achard is running a human trafficking ring with Baron Barlier.”
No reply came from the bed above mine, only a heavy silence.
What Baron Thompson had was a letter from Patrice Barlier, Pepi’s father, asking that they reduce the volume of their trafficking. There was mention of Kristoff supporting the decision. Of course, this alone wouldn’t be enough to incriminate Clément, Catherine’s father. He could easily just hang Patrice out to dry and slither away scot-free. But there was no denying that there was a significant amount of circumstantial evidence.
“Will my father be…arrested?” Catherine asked.
“Human trafficking is a grave crime. He must be punished. I’ll…see to it that he is punished.”
“…I see.”
I heard her roll over in her bed.
“Catherine, did you know?” I felt ashamed to even ask such a question.
“No, not at all. But my brother Kristoff knew, huh? It seems only I was left out.”
“You have my sympathies.”
“Thank you.”
There was nothing I could say to offer any real encouragement. Not given her family circumstances.
“I’ll try my hardest to have your punishment reduced as much as possible,” I said.
“Nah. It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine! You haven’t done anything wrong!”
“Well…I wouldn’t say that,” she said in a sudden, self-deprecating tone.
“…Catherine?” Worried, I got off my bed and climbed up to look at her. She had her back turned to me, though, so I couldn’t see her face. “Don’t tell me you had a hand in the human trafficking after all?”
“No, no. I’m not involved in that. But…I may have done something worse, in a certain sense.”
“…Like what?” I questioned. She rolled back over, showing me a face that bore no resemblance to her usual nonchalant mien. “…Catherine, you look awful.”
“Aha ha ha. I had a feeling.”
“You’re as pale as a sheet.”
“Hey, Claire?” Her tone was as light as ever, but it was clear she was forcing herself. Her face was pale, and her gaze wandered restlessly. What could have made her so unsettled?
“Yes, Catherine?”
“Do you have anything you wish you could go back in time and redo?”
“…Where’d that come from?” I questioned her intent.
“Come on, just tell me.”
“…Of course I do. Many things.”
“What do you wish you could redo the most?”
“Hmph. I’d rather you not ask questions you already know the answer to, Catherine.”
“Right… So it’s that after all.”
The fact that my mother passed away before I could make up with her haunted me more than anything.
Catherine said, “You know, there’s something I wish I could redo as well.”
“What’s that, then?”
“It’s a secret for now. I’ll tell you one of these days.”
“…Is that so?” Why had she brought this up now of all times? What guilt was she carrying with her, and what was it she so wanted to redo?
“It looks like it’s time for my father, my brother…and I to be held accountable for what we’ve done.”
“Catherine…”
“Don’t hold back in your investigation, Claire. And don’t bother trying to get me a reduced sentence either. Just see to it that justice is served.”
“…All right.” I could do nothing but nod along to what she asked. She looked tormented with grief. I felt as though she would crumble before my very eyes if I answered differently at all. She and I had known each other long enough to be as close as sisters, and yet I’d never seen this side of her before.
I wasn’t being entirely truthful, however. She’d asked me to forget about trying to help her, and though I said I would, that was something I could never ever do.
“Thaaanks, Claire.” She rolled back over and began to breathe softly, as though asleep. She seemed back to her usual self, sleepy drawl and all.
I returned to my bed and began to think. Everyone had a secret or two they wanted to keep, but it was clear Catherine’s secret was something a bit graver than most.
“Hey, Catherine?” I said. No response came. Perhaps she had fallen asleep. I continued regardless. “I don’t know what burden it is that you carry, but is it not a burden I can help you shoulder?” Again, no response. Only the soft sound of breathing. “Happiness shared is doubled, and burdens are halved when shouldered together. That’s something Rae told me. Won’t you let me shoulder your burdens with you?” Still no response. It seemed she was fully asleep. I felt drowsiness gradually take hold of me as well. “Catherine…I think of you…as…a real sister…”
I felt my consciousness slowly fade. As I slid into sleep, I did not hear her next words.
“I’ll let Rae be the one to take my place. I…have no right to stay with you.”
***
Rae and I were at the palace, in an office provided to us for the investigation. Along the wall and blackboard were scattered a number of documents, which I stared at while reflecting on recent news. Rumors regarding Thane’s parentage were spreading, as well as rumors of an impending Mt. Sassal eruption. Our investigation into corruption among the nobility was proceeding well, despite all that…or at least it had been.
We’d found more than twenty nobles complicit in crimes by this point, and we finally made our way up the chain until we were implicating middle- and high-ranking nobles. But the higher we went, the craftier the culprits became at hiding their involvement. We’d found solid evidence on just about everyone, save two critical people: Salas and my father. Marquess Clément Achard, on the other hand, was plentifully incriminated, with proof to boot.
To think it would be this scandalous… I stroked Ralaire’s head as I organized my thoughts. There were about ten nobles involved in Clément’s trafficking ring. Among them were people of House Barlier, Pepi’s family. We already had enough evidence to implicate most of them—we just needed some solid proof of Clément’s involvement so we could have them all rounded up in one fell swoop.
“What’s the plan, Miss Claire? Personally, I feel like we have enough circumstantial evidence to corner him as is,” Rae said from next to me.
I shook my head. “No, it’s not enough. If we don’t guarantee Marquess Achard is arrested as well, he’ll just shift the blame and rebuild.”
“B-but it’ll be difficult to find any more evidence than we already have,” Lilly said. She was right. We’d already scoured the financial records Rod provided, the testimonies and letters received from our plea bargain negotiations, financial statements, and a plethora of other evidence. There wasn’t much left to be found. If we were to progress, we needed to take a risk.
“Let’s visit House Barlier,” I suggested.
“H-huh?”
“That’s Lady Pepi’s household, right?” Rae chimed in. “Their territory is where the trafficking took place.”
“O-oh, right. Th-then we’re going to arrest Baron Barlier?” Lilly asked.
“No, not yet,” I answered.
“Why not?” Rae asked.
“Baron Barlier is too close to Marquess Achard. If we arrest Baron Barlier, Marquess Achard will just pin everything on him and get away scot-free.”
“H-how troubling…”
Clément was thorough. There was no doubt he’d already laid the groundwork he needed to shift the blame.
“Then why bother visiting House Barlier?” Rae asked.
“We may not be able to arrest him, but we can arrange for the Baron to cooperate in secret by negotiating a plea deal like Rae did before.”
“I-I see!”
Baron Patrice Barlier was close to Clément, so he was likely to have useful information for us—especially since his territory was the one being used for the human trafficking. If we offered him a reduced sentence in exchange for evidence on Clément, we might find the last piece we needed to bring this all to a close.
“But…are you sure about this, Miss Claire?” Rae asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“House Barlier is the house of your friend, Lady Pepi.”
“…And what does that have to do with anything?”
“Even if House Barlier’s punishment can be reduced with a plea bargain, human trafficking is a serious crime. There will be no avoiding them losing their title, at the very least.”
In other words, she was asking if I could remain committed to justice even if it meant losing a dear friend.
“You don’t think I already understand that?”
“…So you’re prepared for whatever may come?”
“I am. It’s true that Pepi may come to hate me…but she is a noble of the house of Bauer too. She will accept her fate. I have faith in the strength of her character.”
She might resent me, of course. But even so, I had to do what I had to do. If I faltered here, how could I ever hope to convict my own father?
“I-I don’t understand…” Lilly began. “H-how can you be so righteous, even if it means ruining your own friend?”
I was confused by her question. Was being righteous not the obvious choice?
Rae clarified, “I think what Miss Lilly is trying to ask is how you can be so strict…especially when your position would allow you to be lenient if you so wished.”
“Showing favoritism would make us no different from the very corrupt nobles we pursue,” I answered. “If I am to believe myself righteous, then I must be impartial.”
“…E-even if that means you’ll have to convict your own father?”
I hesitated for a moment before answering, “…Even then.”
At this point in our investigation, it was almost certain that Salas and my father were corrupt. Lilly seemed to be on the fence regarding whether or not she should proceed, though. Did she have what it took to arrest her own father?
“Cardinal Lilly, if this is too much, you’re free to step away from the investigation,” I said. She averted her gaze. I continued, “You’ve already done more than enough. Nobody will blame you if you want to leave the rest to Rae and me.”
I could see hesitation on her face. For a moment, I thought she might actually pull out. But then she shook her head, as though to banish her own doubts, and firmly said, “N-no, it’s okay. I want to see this through to the end.”
“Are you sure? You’re not a noble. You have no obligation to—”
“I-I am a woman of the cloth,” she interrupted. “My faith teaches one to live righteously and morally. J-just as nobles are bound by their code of honor, men and women of faith must live in a way that upholds their faith’s teachings. B-besides, I may not be a noble, but my father is. H-he had a duty to act justly. A-and as he has failed to do that, the duty now falls upon me to stop him.”
“Cardinal Lilly…”
Ralaire nuzzled up against Lilly’s hand to soothe her. Lilly’s stiff expression eased. “Th-the Spirit God sees all. Finding evidence of my own father’s crimes is a trial God has given me, and I intend to see it through, for all wrongdoing must be judged.”
There was no hesitation in her now. Lilly was by no means a strong-willed woman, but she was honest and just. She might be my rival in love where Rae was concerned, but I could respect her.
“Very well. Then let us work together until the end,” I said. “Rae, compile the evidence we have for me. Once you’re done, we’ll head for the Barlier estate.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt. I would rather not have done this, if possible. But I was a noble, and this was my duty. Pepi…I won’t ask you to forgive me. But please understand, this is something I must do.
I reflected on my mother’s words: Be a noble who can make ideals into reality. Oh, how painful it was to put her words into practice.
***
“Do you have anything to say for yourself, Baron Barlier?” I said.
Rae, Lilly, and I were at the Barlier estate, sitting across from Baron Patrice Barlier in the parlor. We’d shown him our evidence of his human trafficking, and now he stared at his feet, speechless.
“Can we take your silence as an admission of guilt?” Rae said. “I see no chance you could argue your innocence at this point.”
“W-we’re prepared to lessen your punishment if you cooperate. Please come clean and work with us,” Lilly said.
Rae and Lilly played carrot and stick. Most nobles would fold at this point, but Patrice remained silent.
“Though they say silence is golden…I do not think that applies here, and I’m sure you’re aware of that yourself,” I said. He remained silent.
Rae said, “We have evidence the human trafficking was done within your territory. As things stand, you’ll be taking all the blame.”
Lilly said, “You don’t want that, do you? If you don’t lessen the punishment, your wife and Lady Pepi—”
“There’s nothing I can say to defend myself,” he flatly interrupted.
“Pardon?” I asked.
“I admit my crimes. But I planned it all alone. I’m willing to accept whatever punishment awaits.” He kept his head bowed so we couldn’t see his expression. His voice, while weak, showed he was resigned to his fate.
“Even if Pepi and your wife are punished alongside you?” I asked.
“It pains me to see them dragged into this, but yes. I’ll likely be executed, and House Barlier ruined.”
“Yes, that is the most probable outcome.”
“They will likely experience much hardship…but this way is for the best.” His voice had a tremble to it. He was well known for being a cowardly man, so the knowledge that the long Barlier line would come to an end, coupled with his impending execution, undoubtedly shook him. And yet, he was obstinately refusing to give up any information on his collaborator. I was at a loss as to what to do.
Then suddenly, the door swung violently open.
“Father!” Pepi appeared. She seemed furious, probably because she’d been eavesdropping on our conversation. The room should have been soundproofed, though. How could she have heard us? No—I suppose that didn’t matter right then.
She stormed up to her father, then grabbed him by the shoulders. “Just tell them, Father! Tell them everything! Tell them it was Marquess Achard who told you to do everything!”
“That’s enough, Pepi.” Even with his daughter shouting at him, Patrice kept his head down.
“This isn’t right! Why do you have to bear all the blame alone?! They said they’ll reduce your sentence if you cooperate, didn’t they?! Then why not just tell them ev—”
“I said that’s enough!” He raised his voice, interrupting his daughter. “I have nothing to tell them. Let me bear the blame alone.”
“Father…but why?”
“Lady Claire, thank you for being a good friend to my daughter. It is a shame things had to end this way.”
“Baron Barlier…are you truly fine with this?”
“I am.” He lifted his head, revealing the face of a man who had made up his mind.
“Father…Father, you fool!” Pepi fell to her knees in tears.
The sight was difficult to endure, but it was my duty to do so. Patrice had made up his mind and would not budge. We had no choice but to give up on collecting evidence against Clément and instead arrest Patrice.
“Don’t be too harsh on him, Lady Pepi. Your father is keeping his mouth shut for you and your mother’s sake,” a soft voice suddenly said. I looked toward the doorway and saw an unexpected face.
“Master Kristoff?”
“Hello, Lady Claire. Mind holding off on the arrest a bit? I’ll explain what’s going on.” Kristoff was holding on to a servant. Sensing something was up, Rae took over restraining the man for Kristoff, who then walked unhurriedly over to Pepi, lifting her up and setting her gently next to her father.
“What do you mean, Master Kristoff? Is my father being threatened?” Pepi asked.
“Indeed he is, and by none other than my very own father Clément. He’s threatened to hurt you and your mother if your father doesn’t obey him.”
Pepi’s eyes went wide with shock. She looked at her father, next to her, and he hung his head once more, trembling slightly.
“It makes sense when you really think about it, doesn’t it? I mean, why else would a man famous for his timidness partake in such a grand crime?” Kristoff said.
“I did think it was strange,” I said. “There was certainly no reason for him to take such a risk.”
I’d known Patrice for about as long as I’d known Pepi. By all accounts, he was not the type to do something this audacious.
“It’s all part of my father’s schemes. Baron Barlier shoulders all the risk while my father reaps all the rewards. Despicable, really. I’m ashamed I’m even related to him.” Kristoff’s tone and expression were soft, but his words were scathing. “That servant there works for my father. He’s been ordered to kill Pepi and Madam Barlier in the event Baron Barlier sells my father out.”
“I can’t believe it…” Pepi said.
“It’s the truth. Your father wouldn’t be so tight-lipped, otherwise.”
I did think such underhanded actions seemed like something Clément might do.
“Your father is really a wonderful man, Lady Pepi,” Kristoff continued. “He tried his hardest to lessen the number of people being trafficked, despite his family being held hostage. He and I even worked to secretly release people.”
“He did…?”
“Indeed, but that’s not all. Baron Barlier did all he could to put a stop to my father. The newspaper article on human trafficking that surfaced was his doing. Isn’t that right, sir? Your father is by no means a bad man. Please, be proud of him.”
Pepi looked up at her father with questioning eyes. He finally broke his silence and said, “Pepi…I’m sorry for not telling you a thing until now.”
“F-Father…” She clung to him and broke down in tears, this time out of the relief of knowing her father was innocent.
“Is it all right for you to be saying all this, Master Kristoff? You’ve essentially confessed your own involvement in the crimes,” Rae said.
“It’s fine. It’s high time my father paid the piper. If anything, I wish I could’ve come clean sooner.”
“Thank you for your cooperation, Master Kristoff,” I said.
“Not at all. I’m sorry for all the trouble we’ve caused you. Baron Barlier…could you do the honors?”
“Yes, of course.” Patrice gently peeled Pepi off him and stood up to leave the room. He soon returned clutching a bundle of papers. “I have here proof that Marquess Achard had a hand in the human trafficking, as well as the records of the deals.”
“Not even my father can talk his way out of punishment with that evidence,” Kristoff said.
“I prepared this in the hope that a day like this would come. I entrust this to you, Lady Claire,” Patrice said.
“Thank you. I swear I’ll see to it that Marquess Achard meets his comeuppance.” I accepted the documents from him. They recorded every act of human trafficking that had been committed in excruciating detail.
“My father is a poor judge of character, it seems,” Kristoff said. “To think he’d try and frame Baron Barlier, of all people.”
“Indeed. He should have known cowards like me always make preparations for the what-ifs.”
“A real coward wouldn’t have shown the courage you have.”
“Ah, well. I suppose people can be full of surprises.”
That was a line I’d heard Pepi say from time to time.
“Thank you for all your help, Baron Barlier, Master Kristoff. I do believe this will be enough to corner Marquess Achard. Rae, Cardinal Lilly, it seems this is finally checkmate.”
“Indeed. Let’s give it our best, Miss Claire.”
“Y-yeah!”
***
“It has been decided that Marquess Achard will be apprehended tomorrow at the music festival,” I said.
“I see… So the time has finally come for my father to pay for his crimes.”
It was the night before the national music festival. I was talking to Catherine before bed for what could very well be the last time.
Clément seemed to know we’d visited the Barlier estate, as he’d been making himself scarce ever since. Not even his son, Kristoff, knew where he was, but odds were high he was destroying as much evidence and preparing to shift whatever blame he could. He was the organizer of the music festival, though, so he had an obligation to show. We were planning to catch him tomorrow and indict him.
“Be careful, though, Claire. My father isn’t someone who would go down without a fight.”
“I’m aware.”
Catherine gave me a soft smile, making me shift uncomfortably. Tomorrow, if we arrested Clément, House Achard would be done for. Catherine would be without a home. How could she smile despite knowing that?
“You don’t need to force yourself to smile, Catherine.”
“What do you mean?”
“No matter what face you make, my resolve won’t waver. So please, stop forcing yourself to smile.”
“Aha ha ha… You saw right through me. There’s really no tricking you, huh?” Despite her words, her expression remained unchanged.
“Catherine…what if you became a child of House François?”
“What? Claire, you must be joking. You know that would never happen.” She laughed. But I was serious.
“Adoption is an option for us. Being a child of House Achard is enough pedigree to warrant it.”
“Perhaps, but Master Dole would never agree to it. He’s famous for showing no mercy to his enemies.”
That was true. My dad was well known to never forgive someone who made an enemy of him. That was one of the reasons why he was so feared. But I wouldn’t give up just because of that.
“I’ll convince him.”
“How?”
“I just will. Whatever it takes.”
“It’s impossible, Claire. It would stain the François name if the fact he took pity on the daughter of a criminal and a political enemy got out.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. People might think him rather compassion—”
“Claire.” Catherine gently but firmly interrupted me as I continued to try to argue. “Don’t fill your head with unnecessary things. Just focus on making sure you corner my father tomorrow, okay?”
“…Okay.”
I agreed out loud, but internally, I hadn’t given up on helping her in the slightest. I tried to think how I could save her. If she couldn’t live on as a noble, then maybe she could as a commoner, or a nun in a convent?
“Hey, Claire?”
“Yes, Catherine?”
“Just how long have we known each other again?”
“I’d say it’s been about ten years already now.”
“I see… It feels like it’s been both forever and only a brief moment.”
I didn’t like how she used the past tense there. “We’re just getting started. I wouldn’t dare leave someone as troublesome as you alone.”
“Says you. I’m pretty sure you’re the real troublemaker here.”
“Oh, you’ve said it now!” I began tickling her.
“Ack, uncle, uncle! Claire, stop it!”
“Good grief…”
After some goofing around, a sudden silence formed. Silence wasn’t particularly uncomfortable for us, given how close we were, but something about it didn’t sit right with me now. Feeling restless, I began thinking of something to say, but she broke the silence before I could.
“Claire, could you grab me a candy?”
“This late, again? I’m surprised you haven’t developed cavities by now…”
“Ehe heh.”
“Hold on, I’ll fetch you one.”
“Grab one for yourself too.”
“I’m all right.”
“Please. I want to share my candy with you. This might be our last chance to.”
“…Catherine.” I wanted to insist otherwise, but I swallowed my words. I reached into the candy pot on her desk and took out two pieces, giving one to her and putting the other in my own mouth. I immediately tasted the unique flavor of licorice. “Now there’s only one piece left.”
“Looks like it.”
“If you remain on your best behavior tomorrow, I’ll buy you some more, Catherine.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then I’ll eat the last piece myself.”
“Oh dear, I wouldn’t want that. I guess I’ll just have to behave.”
“Indeed.”
The candy’s flavor wasn’t quite to my liking, but I did enjoy making small talk with her.
There was a knock at our door. “It’s me.”
“Emma? What brings you here at this time of night?” I asked.
“Oh, I called for her. For tomorrow,” Catherine said.
“Tomorrow? What do you—”
“Emma, go ahead and come in,” Catherine interrupted.
“Pardon my intrusion.” Emma entered, still in her servant uniform.
“I don’t want you to worry about me, Claire. But please, look after Emma once I’m gone,” Catherine said.
“There you go aga—”
“Please.” Her face was serious for once, her usual lazy look nowhere to be found. I couldn’t say no to such a face, and she likely knew that too.
I sighed and said, “…Fine. I’ll help her look for work once—”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to refuse,” Emma sternly said to Catherine.
“Emma…?”
“There is only one master I will ever serve, and it is you, Lady Catherine.” Her somber, unyielding expression did not shift as she pledged her loyalty.
“Emma… I appreciate the sentiment, but come tomorrow, I won’t be able to keep you in my employ.”
“It matters not. I do not need pay to serve you.”
“Oh, Emma… That can’t be true. Please, try to understand…”
“I refuse, my lady.”
Seeing Emma not budge an inch, Catherine looked to me for help.
“Tell me, Emma, why are you so fixated on serving Catherine?” I asked.
“Because if she hadn’t taken me in, I would have long since died a dog’s death. I owe my life to my lady.”
According to her, there was once a time when she lived in the slums. She used to be a person of standing in another country but was ruined after she lost a political battle. Drifting aimlessly, she found her way to the Bauer Kingdom, where she was caught stealing and subsequently beaten. That was when Catherine intervened and saved her. From that point onward, she served as Catherine’s personal maid.
I’d thought she was simply following Clément’s orders, but it appeared she’d done it all out of genuine concern for Catherine. I couldn’t help but giggle. “Oh dear, I’m not so sure what to say, Catherine.”
“Don’t just laugh! Help me convince her,” Catherine pleaded.
“I’m afraid I cannot be swayed on this matter,” Emma said.
“Emmaaaa…” Catherine groaned. The sight of her so stumped made me continue to laugh.
“Come on, Catherine,” I said. “Stop being so stubborn. Let’s think of a way we can stay together past tomorrow. Okay?”
“Claire…”
“You have a friend and a loyal servant by your side. Please, lean on the two of us.”
She sighed. “The two of you can be so obstinate, really.” Raising her arms in surrender, she stared up at the ceiling. She seemed happy, though. There was a mountain of problems that needed to be cleared up, but I felt as though, somehow, everything would be okay.
…But of course, life was never so convenient.
***
The Bauer Music Festival was an international event hosted by the king himself. King l’Ausseil and the other members of the royal family would be in attendance. Many prominent musicians from Bauer would perform, as well as musicians from our neighbors in the Alpes and Sousse, and Loro to the west. This was an incredibly prestigious event. In fact, there was no greater honor for a musician than to be invited to perform at the Bauer Music Festival. One could go so far as to say it guaranteed you a successful career.
“Allow me to apologize for ruining what should be such a wonderful opportunity for you two.” I bowed apologetically to Pepi and Loretta, who were dressed for their performance. The two frantically shook their heads.
“Please raise your head, Miss Claire!”
“Please! It’s true the music festival will be ruined, but we will have other chances to make names for ourselves.”
Lifting my head, I saw they both looked resolute. They’d been so weak-willed when I first got to know them. They really had changed greatly since then.
“This is all Master Clément’s fault, anyway.”
“Yeah! You didn’t do anything wrong, Miss Claire.”
“Thank you. And I appreciate your help,” I said.
We believed Clément would show himself at the very end of the music festival for the award ceremony. As King l’Ausseil would be in attendance, security would be strict. Naturally, that meant people would be examined as they entered, and only select persons would be allowed near the stage. For that reason, I needed Loretta and Pepi’s help.
“For the time being, I want you two to focus entirely on your performance,” I said.
“We will!”
“We’ll make it a good one!”
And so the music festival began. The Royal Academy concert hall was filled to the brim, mostly with nobility invited from various countries. They listened raptly as the musicians performed, none the wiser to the chaos that would shortly ensue.
“Lady Loretta and Lady Pepi will be up soon, Miss Claire,” Rae said, her eyes on the schedule.
“I know,” I replied.
“I-I hope they can focus on their performance,” Lilly said with worry.
“I’m sure they’ll be just fine,” I soothed. I kept a watchful eye on the concert hall but couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding… There are too many soldiers present. There must be private troops belonging to House Achard among them. What are you plotting, Clément?
Pepi and Loretta took the stage. I remembered Pepi telling me it was her dream to play violin at a concert with Loretta accompanying her on the piano. It seemed her long-held dream was finally coming true, here and now.
Pepi readied her violin and smiled at Loretta. Loretta took her place at the piano and signaled to Pepi that she was ready. Together, they began to play.
Loretta, lauded as the pianist with a rainbow palette, added her vibrant melody to Pepi’s transcendentally precise and technical playing. Their styles, so different, should have clashed—but instead, they blended paradoxically into one another, entwining to form a sound like never before.
Pepi, Loretta… You’re both so wonderful.
A number of people in the audience took out handkerchiefs to wipe their tears. The two were simply that moving.
Their performance would likely last for around ten minutes, the standard for a violin-piano piece. But as everyone listened, the same thought was shared: More, more. Please don’t let this performance end.
Eventually, however, it had to cease. When the last note faded into silence, the concert hall erupted into applause.
“Bravo!”
“May these new prodigies be blessed!”
“That was a wonderful performance! Good show!”
The audience showered them with praise as they left the stage. I, myself, clapped hard enough for my hands to sting.
“I don’t know much about music, but I can tell Lady Pepi and Lady Loretta are incredible,” Rae said.
“Y-yeah,” Lilly agreed.
“Of course they’re incredible,” I said proudly. “They’re dear friends of the Claire François, after all.”
Things continued on until only the award ceremony was left. All the musicians who’d performed gathered on stage for the audience to applaud them. King l’Ausseil and Thane could be seen watching from the upper gallery.
The master of ceremonies said, “And now, a word from the organizer of this event, Clément Achard.”
The place grew quiet. I shared a look with Rae and Lilly, and the two nodded back at me. I turned my attention to the stage and focused. A spotlight shone down as an elderly gentleman appeared from the wings, leaning on a cane. It was Clément—or at least it seemed like him. We couldn’t rule out the possibility of a body double quite yet.
“It has been an honor to once again organize the prestigious Bauer Music Festival for His Majesty. We have been joined by many splendid performers this year, and I would like to take this opportunity to…” There was no doubting that sonorous voice belonged to Clément. This should be enough. The man on stage couldn’t possibly be a double. “…and with this, I conclude my address. Thank you for listening. And now for the awards.”
“I object!” A shout came from the same stage Clément stood on. “A man who threatened and tried to pin his crimes on my father, Patrice Barlier, has no right to hand out awards at our honorable music festival!” It was Pepi. Her accusation echoed throughout the whole concert hall.
“Oh, you’re that Barlier girl… How foolish. What is this nonsense you speak of?” Clément said.
“What she’s saying is true!” I stood up and raised my voice as well before he could begin making excuses. He took one look at me and clicked his tongue in irritation, glaring. That wouldn’t stop me, though. I was no longer the powerless woman I’d been when I visited the Achard estate before. I had friends I could count on, connections, and Rae.
“You as well, young lady of House François? Oh, how far the noble houses of Bauer have fallen. I can’t believe I’m hearing such baseless accusations.”
“Will you still be able to say that after seeing this?” Using the light from my fire magic, I projected a summary of the data on human trafficking we’d found onto the stage curtains. The crowd began to murmur.
“Clément, what do you have to say for yourself?” From up high in the gallery, King l’Ausseil questioned Clément.
I thought Clément would panic at this point, but instead he remained calm. “I have no knowledge of any of this. This is all news to me. I swear, this must be a plot of Dole’s to—”
“Enough of the farce. I’m sure you’re aware yourself that the evidence presented is not something you can talk your way out of,” the king sternly said. Clément replied with silence. “Hmph. I’ll hear your excuses once you’re locked away. Soldiers, arrest this man.”
On the king’s orders, the soldiers moved to apprehend Clément. At least, they were supposed to.
“…What is the meaning of this? I said arrest—”
“I guess that’s it, then. Seeing as there’s no going back, I might as well take a souvenir with me.” Clément lifted his cane and pointed the tip at King l’Ausseil. “Soldiers, bring me His Majesty l’Ausseil’s head.”
***
“Enough of this, Marquess Ach…Clément! End your vain struggling!” I yelled.
“Vain? I think not, child. You may think you had me cornered, but it is you who has been placed in checkmate.”
We were naive. We’d thought simply finding evidence and making his guilt undeniable would be enough, but of course, he wouldn’t go down so easily. Clément was prepared to flee—and with King l’Ausseil’s head if he could. It wasn’t hard to imagine who he might present King l’Ausseil’s head to.
“Clément, you’re working for the Empire, aren’t you?!”
“Don’t be silly. The Empire is nothing more than a useful tool to me, just like Barlier. I do not work for anybody.”
“Miss Claire, please get back!” Rae shouted.
“Let me go, Rae! I will not stand by and watch as His Majesty is put in danger!” It wasn’t just King l’Ausseil we had to worry about. The concert hall was filled with prominent people, many of them political figures. This was no time to even think about capturing Clément anymore.
“Your Majesty, please leave this place to me and flee.” Up in the gallery, Thane encouraged his father to leave without him.
“Thane?”
“You must remain safe, for the good of Bauer. You are meant for greater things than to fall to the likes of Clément.”
“Thane, you—”
“Go now. Quickly.”
“…Very well.” The majority of the few knights accompanying them left with the king. It appeared Thane was prepared to fend for himself.
“Oh, goodness… Master Thane can be so gallant!” I exclaimed.
I lightly charred the private soldiers of Clément who approached us, a wry grin on my face. Thane probably knew the rumors concerning his parentage and had his own doubts about his origins—which was to say he suspected King l’Ausseil might not be his true father. But even so, he prioritized the king’s safety. His respect for the king ran deeper than blood ties ever could.
“Meanwhile, this man’s as despicable as they come!” Clément had taken the musicians on stage hostage and was watching the chaos unfold as if it were a show, while his private soldiers did all the work. He was probably forcing his men’s compliance with threats, like he’d done with Patrice Barlier. That was the only reason I held back on my fire magic at all.
“You girls are persistent,” he said in a low voice. “But it ends here. You’d do well to pay attention too, Prince Thane.” I looked over at the stage to see he was holding a dagger at Loretta’s throat. “Nobody move or I’ll kill the girl.”
“Just try it. I’ll burn you to a crisp the moment you do,” I said.
“Can you? Alongside her?”
“…You’re scum.”
“I prefer ‘shrewd’ myself.” The folds of his face deepened as he smiled. He looked monstrous.
Loretta was a strong girl who would normally not have allowed herself to have been made a hostage, but she was unarmed now. It’d be one thing if she could have snuck a wand through inspections, but alas. As the organizer, Clément likely had no trouble sneaking his dagger in.
“Miss Claire, don’t worry about me. Just do it,” Loretta said.
“Don’t be foolish!”
“I mean it. I’m willing to die if it’s for your sake.”
“Don’t say that, Loretta! I swear I’ll save you, so just be quiet!”
“No!” she shrieked with grief, making me flinch.
“I see you’re still no more than a child, daughter of Melia,” Clément taunted. “You can’t even understand what the Kugret girl is trying to tell you.”
“…And you’re saying you can?”
“How could I not? The girl is trying to tell you she has feelings for you. It’s a mystery how you can be so dense.”
“Wha—Loretta, you…?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Claire. I have no right to fall for you. But the thought of you being harmed terrifies me, so please…” She cast her gaze to the ground, shadowing her face. I saw something glisten as it fell from her face to the carpet.
“Surrender, child,” Clément said. “I’ll be gracious and call this a draw, for now. You’ve trumped me in the scheme of things, at least where this country is concerned, but our real showdown has yet to take place.”
“Do you think we’ll just let you walk out of here?” Rae said.
“I do, commoner. And there’s not a single thing you can do about it.”
“Is that right? But I don’t care what happens to Lady Loretta. Or to Master Thane or King l’Ausseil, for that matter.”
“Rae?!” Eyes wide, I gawked at her.
“Ah, yes. Your top priority is the François girl there, isn’t it?” Clément said.
“Correct. I’m surprised you pieced that together, despite your senility.”
“But if that’s the case, stopping me at the cost of the François girl’s friend will only make her lose all faith in you.”
“…Damned old coot.”
“Again, I prefer to be called ‘shrewd.’”
Even Rae seemed to be in the palm of his hand. Wasn’t there something, anything we could do?
“All of you stay right where you are,” Clément said. “Soldiers, chase after l’Ausseil. I’ll be—”
“You think that’s enough, Pepi?”
“I’d say so, Loretta.”
Just when it looked like all hope was lost…
“Angelic Howl!”
A sound—of great volume, but so low in pitch I could feel it reverberate through me—made everyone present, including us, fall to our knees.
“What…is this?!”
“This is checkmate, for good this time! Right, Loretta?”
“Yeah.”
Before he could stand—much less understand what had happened—Loretta seized Clément and tied him up with one of the strings of a nearby bass.
“Y-you, Barlier girl! What was that?!” Clément shouted.
“Are you familiar with Hateful Cry, Master Clément? What I did was recreate that with an instrument. I didn’t think it’d be so powerful and widespread, though.”
Pepi grinned broadly as she revealed her secret. Hateful Cry was a type of intimidating roar used by monsters. Hearing it without protection left one unable to move for a brief time. Ralaire’s mother, the giant water slime, had used it before—and apparently, Pepi could replicate it with magic.
“…Then that instrument there is a magic tool?” Clément asked.
“That’s right. I disguised it a little, though.” Pepi stuck her tongue out impishly, like a child after a successful prank.
“I…I was defeated by such a parlor trick?”
“That you were. It’s over, Clément.”
“This cannot be! Soldiers, what are you dawdling for?! Stand up and do something already!” he ordered.
Not a single person obeyed. After observing Clément be captured, his private soldiers turned themselves in one by one. The man who could only threaten his way into being obeyed was rendered toothless the moment he was captured. A pitiful end, indeed.
After recovering from Pepi’s magic, I ran over and hugged her and Loretta. “Well done, you two!”
“Ow, ow, ow! You’re hurting me, Miss Claire!” Loretta said.
“Oh, you can bear this much. I can’t believe you went so far with your act. I was worried, you know?”
“Act…?”
“You know, that thing where you pretended to like me,” I said, assuming it was all an act. For some reason, Loretta released a terribly grandiose sigh. “Loretta? Is something the matter?”
“You have my sympathies, Lady Loretta,” Rae said.
“Yeah, this seems hopeless,” Loretta groaned.
“You’ll be fine. You have me, after all,” Pepi said.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Just as the seeds of yet more chaos were being sown, the king walked back in. “Everyone, you’ve done well.”
“Your Majesty!” We all kneeled.
“At ease. You all handled the situation wonderfully. Especially you two, Lady Barlier and Lady Kugret. You both deserve to be rewarded appropriately.”
“Not at all!”
“Such kind words are wasted on us!”
Pepi and Loretta remained humble before the king.
“Claire François, Rae Taylor, Lilly Lilium.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
“Y-yes?”
“I remember your report called for House Barlier’s punishment to be reduced?”
“That is indeed the case, Your Majesty,” I answered.
“I will consider it. Expect a favorable answer soon. In the meantime, I ask that you continue your work in the Secret Service.”
“As you wish.”
He gave an approving nod and left the concert hall with his soldiers in tow.
“…That was kind of a close one with Clément there, huh?” Rae said.
“Indeed. Not even you knew what to do, for once,” I said.
“Yeah. It’s because he and I are alike in a way, I guess.”
“Wh-what do you mean?” Lilly asked.
“We both do whatever it takes to achieve our goals.”
“A-ah…” Lilly seemed to understand.
“I disagree. I don’t think you two are alike at all,” I flatly said.
“And why’s that?”
“Because your goals would never be anything so malicious.”
“…See that, Loretta?” Pepi whispered.
“It’s not fair. They’re practically on the same wavelength,” Loretta groaned.
“Whatever are you two talking about?” I asked.
“Not a single thing!”
“Just talking about how you can be really dense!”
“Pardon?!”
As we shared a moment of conversation and laughter, I spotted someone at the edge of my vision. I excused myself and followed them.
***
“You—stop right there,” I called out.
We were just outside the employee exit at the rear of the concert hall, in a dark alley. The man I’d stopped was dressed in a tailcoat and looked for all intents and purposes to be a musician. There was nothing overtly off about it, but I found it strange that he was sneaking out through the back like this.
“Er, can I help you?”
“I’d like to ask you a few questions, if that’s all right. Do you have the time?”
“I’m afraid I’m in a bit of a rush. If that’ll be all, then I’ll excuse my—”
“Move and I’ll shoot.”
“Wh-what?!”
I took the wand I had returned as I left the concert hall and pointed it his way. I wasn’t certain, but something didn’t feel right about the man. I felt a sense of déjà vu talking to him.
“What is the meaning of this?” he asked.
“…Show me your hands.”
“Okay…?” The man obeyed. I neared slightly and carefully inspected his hands and what he held. He had a violin just like Pepi’s, as well as a violin bow. Nothing seemed unusual, but my suspicion still remained.
“The bracelet, Claire,” someone drawled sleepily.
“The bracelet? A transformation magic tool!” I exclaimed.
“Blast!” The man clicked his tongue and broke into a run.
“That’s far enough.” A woman appeared and pinned the man to the ground.
“Emma?! Are you betraying me?!”
“My master has always been Lady Catherine and none other. I have no recollection of ever serving you.”
“Unhand me! Unhand me right this instant, or else!”
The one restraining the man was Emma. The way she held him in place certainly didn’t look like something an ordinary maid would be trained to do.
“Emma? Catherine? What are you two doing here? Wait…” From their conversation, I pieced things together. “Then this man is…”
“Yeah. Emma, take off the bracelet,” Catherine said.
“Yes, my lady.” Emma pulled the man’s bracelet off, causing his figure to warp before my eyes.
“Clément Achard? But how?” I asked.
“He had a musician who could use magic ready to swap places with him just in case. Kind of like…castling magic, if that makes sense,” Catherine answered, using a chess metaphor. She approached, wheeling her chair closer.
“Catherine, you fool! Have you forgotten who it was that raised you?!” Clément said.
“And I greatly appreciate all you’ve done for me, Father. But please, let’s put an end to this. Don’t drag the Achard name through the mud any more than you already have.”
“Nonsense!” He writhed in Emma’s hold, still trying to flee. “I am House Achard! So long as I’m alive, House Achard lives on!”
“No, Father. Our house has been doomed for a long time now. Ever since that day ten years ago.”
“…Ten years ago? Catherine, what are you saying?” I asked. I had a bad feeling that something I wouldn’t like was about to follow.
“I must apologize to you, Claire.”
“…Catherine?”
“Ten years ago, the one who killed Lady Melia, your mother…was me.”
“…What?” I couldn’t make sense of her words for a moment. I was sure my ears had heard her correctly. But my heart just refused to understand. How? How could such a thing be possible?! “What are you saying, Catherine? My mother died in an accident.”
“That accident was arranged. I assassinated her on my father’s orders.”
“What…? No… No, I don’t understand!” Feeling terribly confused, I lifted my wand to point it at her.
She didn’t move, but just smiled. Smiled the same smile she always did.
“On that day, the commoner carriage that collided with your parents’ carriage had me and three other assassins inside. After stopping your parents’ carriage in a way that looked like an accident, we attacked them. The one who stopped our attack was Lady Melia.”
“My mother…?”
“I assume Master Dole’s magic isn’t suited for combat, as we only fought against Lady Melia. She sealed her carriage with Master Dole inside it using protection magic, then faced us empty-handed.” She closed her eyes as though remembering the moment.
“…And then?”
“It was a draw, I suppose. Lady Melia was left unable to fight, but so were we. I injured my left leg and could no longer move. And then Lady Melia…died protecting me.”
“…What? I…I don’t…understand.”
She opened her eyes again, her face warped with self-hatred. “We were being monitored. If we failed, another group was in place to make sure we were eliminated, thereby silencing us. But I survived…thanks to Lady Melia.”
“Mother…”
“After it was all over and done, my father ordered me to use my magic to make it as though nothing ever happened. Those at the scene only remember it as an accident now.”
“Catherine…? I can’t…believe this.”
“Claire… Your mother died because of me, and I’ve always wanted to apologize for it. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m sorry.” She bowed as deep as she could from her wheelchair.
“Why…why tell me now of all times?!”
“I won’t ask you to forgive me. I know I don’t deserve forgiveness. But let me at least atone.”
“Catherine…?”
She lifted her head. I could now see she held a wand in her hand.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to cause any more harm than I already have.” She took her wand and pointed it at Clément.
“Catherine?! What do you think you’re doing?!” he shouted.
“This is goodbye, Father.”
“St-stop! I’m still not finished! I’ll flee to the Empire and—”
“Erase.”
I felt powerful magic come from her wand. Something my eyes couldn’t see began to envelop Clément.
“N-no! I don’t want to forget myself! My being! Somebody! Somebody…help…me…” He went limp with a thud.
“…Did you kill him?” I asked.
“No. I just tampered with his mind a little.”
“I thought your magic only allowed you to hide?”
“It can be used that way. But its true nature is something entirely different.” She issued an order to Emma, who began hauling Clément off. “My magic erases memory. I hide myself by erasing people’s memory of seeing me.”
“How clever.”
“Ehe heh, thank you. But this magic’s original purpose was for a different thing.” She pointed her wand my way.
“Catherine?!” I was careless. I shouldn’t have taken what she said about doing no further harm at face value.
“Claire. I’m going to erase your…no, everyone’s memory of me.”
“…Catherine?”
“Not even death would be enough for me to atone for what I’ve done. So instead, I’m going to live my life forgotten by everyone.”
“But…that’s no different than not existing!” Living life unnoticed, unremembered—such a thing could not be called living. That was a fate worse than death.
“Yeah. But such a cursed life is all I deserve.”
“Don’t do this, Catherine!”
“I’m sorry.”
I felt strength drain from my limbs as something dear faded from my mind. “No! I won’t forget, I swear! No matter what!”
“Claire…”
“Just you watch, Catherine! …No matter how strong you act…I know you…you…” My consciousness grew distant… Who was I talking to again?
“…I don’t want to do this…really. But…I have to.” In my last moments of consciousness, I heard somebody force those words out through sobs. I could no longer recall who they were, though. Their final words were full of sadness. “…Goodbye, Claire.”
Unable to stop the tears streaming down my cheeks, I fell into a deep slumber.
***
When I awoke, I was in my dorm room. The last thing I recalled was cornering Clément, and then…and then what? |
Chapter 7: Dependable Rae and Me
I rewound my fuzzy memory as far back as possible while I looked around the room. Nothing seemed off. It was an ordinary room with a bunk bed that only had a mattress on the bottom bunk, a single desk, and a dresser.
It was bright outside. Warm rays beamed into the room, telling me it was closer to noon than morning.
“Miss Claire!” a voice called. The door burst open right after.
“Rae? Goodness. Even if it’s you, you should at least knock,” I said with a scoff.
“Even if it’s me…? Are you saying I’m special to you or something?!”
“Urk… I swear, you’re getting too full of yourself these days.”
“Ehe heh, my bad. Anyway, how are you feeling?” She turned serious and gave me a worried look.
“Pardon? I feel fine.”
“Good, good. I was worried for a second.”
“Did something happen?”
“Well, yeah. Don’t tell me you don’t remember?” She put her hands on her hips and gave me a stern look.
“My memory is a little fuzzy. Fill me in.”
“We found you collapsed outside the concert hall’s back entrance. What were you doing there? You completely disappeared on us.”
“I…indeed. What was I doing there?” I couldn’t remember. I felt as though I had been chasing someone, though.
“I guess even wise old Miss Claire has lapses of memory from time to time, huh?”
“But of course. My memory may be good, but even I am only human.”
“Yeeep. Incidentally, I have every outfit you’ve ever worn and every hairstyle you’ve ever sported, all the way from the day I met you to this day, perfectly memorized.”
“What a meaningless thing to waste memory on!” What sane person would even bother to memorize such things?
“It’s not meaningless to me. We all have things we want to commit to memory, right?”
“Well… I suppose.”
“For me, it’s everything to do with you. I want to remember as many things about you for as long as I can.”
“Yes, yes, I get it. I think that’s quite enough of that,” I said in exasperation.
Rae frowned then, thinking. “Huh…”
“Is something the matter?”
“No, it’s just… I feel like I’m forgetting something important.”
“What a coincidence. I feel the same way.”
“Oh, I know what it must be! We forgot your good morning kiss—”
I threw my pillow at her. “Go ahead and forget that idea for all eternity!”
“I’m kidding, sheesh. I want you to initiate our first kiss, anyway.”
“Which will never happen, just so you’re aware.”
“Boo, you can be such a spoilsport… But I love that about you too!”
“…You exhaust me.” I didn’t even bother to hide my fatigue.
“Anyway, it’s the truth that we found you collapsed on the ground, so try to get some rest today. You can take time off from your Secret Service duties today and tomorrow.”
“Absolutely not. We still have Salas and my father to catch.”
“Clément was a big fish. I’m sure His Majesty would be fine with you taking some time off.”
“But…”
“Listen here, Miss Claire.” She lifted a finger like a stern teacher admonishing a pupil. “There’s no good work to be done without good health first.”
“Is that so…?”
“Only scumbag bosses enjoy forcing people to work while they’re unwell.”
“And who would our boss be? Master Rod?” If so, she was making quite a rude statement.
“Er, no. I was speaking more abstractly.”
“Really? It sounded quite personal, though?”
“Well… Let’s just say I have some strong opinions regarding unlawful worker exploitation.”
“I, um, I see…” I wasn’t quite sure what she was on about, but I think I got the gist.
“At any rate, please stay in bed and rest for the day. I’ll bring you breakfast…or rather lunch, given the time.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you have an appetite?”
“More or less.”
“All right. I’ll bring you something soon.”
“Thank you, Rae.”
She left the room to prepare lunch for me then.
“…Am I really just supposed to stay in bed all day?”
I knew Rae would complain about it once she got back, but I figured my time was better spent reading instead of trying to sleep again. I got up and walked over to my desk.
“Hm? What’s this…?” On my desk was a candy pot I’d never seen before. I wondered if Rae had bought it for me, but there was only a single piece of candy left inside. “Is this…licorice?”
Its unmistakable scent tickled my nose. I wasn’t particularly fond of the smell of licorice, but before I even knew it, I was putting the piece into my mouth.
“…Huh?” Tears abruptly streamed down my face. I did not know why I was crying, but no matter how much I wiped the tears away, they wouldn’t stop coming. I felt as if someone dear had just left my side, though I didn’t have even the faintest memory of who they might be.
“…Just what in the world has come over me?” After some time, I finished the candy and my storm of emotions subsided.
“Thank you for waiting, Miss Cla—hey! Didn’t I tell you to stay in bed and rest?”
“It’s not like I can go back to sleep when I’ve only just woken—wha, hey!”
The instant she saw my face, she put her tray of food on the desk and brought her face right up to mine. “Did something happen, Miss Claire?”
“Wh-what? Why are you so close to me?! Back up a little bit!”
“Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?”
“My eyes are red because I’ve just woken up. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“But your eyes were normal before. And there’s no way I could be wrong. After all, my ‘Miss Claire’ memory bank is flawless!”
“I said it’s nothing to worry about!” I didn’t know how I would even begin to explain why I had been crying, or why I had felt such sadness. I didn’t know myself, after all. “I’m fine, so let’s just eat, okay? Now, what did you bring us?”
“You’re not getting off that easy. We’ll continue this discussion later. But for lunch, I brought us…”
Thereafter, the two of us were the same as we ever were.
Such was the manner in which I lost all memory of a friend who had been dear to me—and didn’t even know it. |
Interlude: Even If All Should Forget You (Catherine Achard)
Interlude:Even If All Should Forget You(Catherine Achard)
STARTING WITH CLAIRE, I erased myself from the memories of everyone I knew, save for one person. I intended to keep doing this for the rest of my life, even with the people I went on to meet from here. It would be my way of atoning.
I looked at Claire, now unconscious. She was so fierce, but she looked so terribly youthful when she was asleep like this. The same youthful girl whom I was supposed to kill long ago.
I’d refrained from telling her this part, but the truth was that it was no coincidence she and I became childhood friends. My father had secretly ordered me to get close to her, all so I could patiently wait for an opportune moment to end her life. Of course, I only pretended to follow through with his orders. I could never kill Claire—especially not when I owed my life to her mother, Melia. But by feigning obedience to my father and pretending I was waiting for a chance to kill her, I could prevent my father from sending further assassins her way.
Of course, all that pretending ended today.
I picked her up for one last hug, then gently laid her down. I couldn’t stay long. My preparations were already made. All that remained was to quickly leave Bauer.
I cursed how slow the wheelchair made me as I traveled to the royal capital’s west gate. Nightlife in the capital was lively. The moon was already high in the sky, yet cheerful voices could still be heard from the diners and pubs I passed. People gathered to celebrate the end of a day’s work together with friends—something I would never experience again. The only thing that awaited me was solitude.
I’d lived most of my life with Claire by my side. I had no clue how long I would hold up on my own. But I had to try and persevere regardless. Suicide was too cowardly an escape for someone who’d done the things I had. I had to atone the hard way.
“I hope Claire made it back to the dorms safely…” I mused. I was sure she would be fine even if I were gone. She had Rae to look after her. Claire hadn’t fully opened her heart to her yet, but it seemed only a matter of time at this point. Those two were sure to get together before long.
Claire had many people by her side, in fact. She had Pepi, Loretta, and until recently, Lene too. The one who left the strongest impression on me, though, was Manaria—the girl Claire claimed was like an older sister to her.
The first time I met her, she canceled out my magic right away and asked me, “Are you Claire’s enemy? Or her ally?” She’d seen right through my magic, identifying what it really was and understanding its affinity for assassination work. I knew she might kill me right then and there depending on how I answered, so I told her the whole truth.
She replied, “…I see. Come to me if you ever need help, then. I might be able to do something for you.” In that moment, when she accepted and acknowledged me as a friend of Claire’s, I understood how much she cared for her “little sister.”
“How nice…” I found myself a bit jealous, even though I shouldn’t. I had no right to desire people like Rae or Manaria in my life. I’d made my choice. I would live in solitude from here on out. “But at the very least, I want you to be happy, Claire.”
Eventually, I arrived at the western gate.
“Hm? What are you after, then?” the gatekeeper called out upon noticing me.
“Good evening. I was hoping you could let me through?”
“Sorry, gate’s closed for the day. Come back tomorrow.”
“Oh, but tomorrow’s a bit difficult for me.” There shouldn’t be anyone left who remembered me, but given what had just happened with my father, things were going to get hectic soon. I’d rather leave before border inspections grew tighter, if possible.
“No means no. Gate’s closed.”
“Well, I guess you leave me no choice.” I gathered what remaining magic I had left in me and took the gatekeeper’s memory of me. I gently caught him as he lost consciousness and collapsed. “Sorry, but I really do need to get through.”
I placed him gently on the ground and began to wheel my way through the gate.
“And where do you think you’re going without me, my lady?”
“…Huh?” Right as I passed under, I heard a voice call out. I turned around and saw someone I’d never expected to see again. “…Emma?”
“I’ve been looking all over for you. I take my eyes off you for one second and you up and disappear.”
“But…I…”
“If you have plans to go somewhere, please inform me first.”
“…How, Emma?” I should have erased all of Emma’s memories of me. How did she still know who I was?
“How what?”
“I…I should have erased all memory anyone has of me. So how do you still remember me?”
“Oh, I see,” she said matter-of-factly. “I suppose it’s because my body is naturally resistant to magic.”
“…It is?”
“Indeed. Nobody quite knows why, but my daughter is wholly resistant to magic, so perhaps it’s something hereditary.”
Emma had told me in the past that she was once a member of the royal family of a country that no longer existed. She had abandoned her country after its ruin, but apparently had had a daughter before then who was completely resistant to magic.
“That is why I’m afraid to inform you that erasing my memory will be impossible. You will simply have to give up and accept me staying by your side,” she said.
“I…I can’t allow that, Emma. I’ve decided myself that I’m going to live my life alone. I can’t make an exception, not even for you.”
“And I’ve long since decided that you will be my lifelong master, my lady. I will not change my mind…not even for you.”
Emma was a stubborn woman. Convincing her would be difficult, if not impossible. But I had to do it. “I’m no longer a lady of House Achard, Emma.”
“I am aware.”
“I have no money with which to pay you.”
“I am aware.”
“You have no reason to serve me any longer.”
“That is not true. I still have not repaid the debt I owe you.”
“Emma…” She seemed to have her heart set on following me.
“I owe my life to you, my lady. You took me in when I was hopeless and lost and gave me a second chance at life.” Her eyes were full of sincerity. “Allow me to repay you by joining you on your path of atonement.”
She gave me a servant’s bow. I sighed heavily and said, “Do whatever you want.”
“Thank you, I shall.”
“…You’re so stubborn, you know that?”
“As are you, my lady.”
I began to wheel myself away when I felt her begin pushing the wheelchair from behind me. “Thanks, but I can move myself.”
“I do recall you asked me to do what I please, my lady?”
“And I recall you didn’t like it when others pushed me, as I needed the exercise?”
“You’ve moved quite a bit more than usual today. I’d say you’ve had enough exercise already for the day.”
Emma seemed intent on serving me, no matter what. I felt a keen sense of guilt in bringing her along, but at the same time, I was immeasurably happy to not have to make my journey in solitude. “…Emma.”
“Yes?”
“…Thank you.”
“You are ever welcome, my lady.”
I had no idea how I would live, or for how long, but I had a feeling my journey of atonement would be a long one. Even so, I would continue it—together with my awkward but kind-hearted servant.
***
CLAIRE’S POV
I felt a deep sense of loss in me but never quite learned what caused it. Regardless, we continued to expose corrupt nobles and even contacted the Resistance. Somehow, by following what Rae said, we were able to meet with their leader. I didn’t quite understand the meaning or significance of her actions, but Rae seemed to find value in going out of her way to meet the Resistance.
We then cornered Salas with tremendous help from Ralaire, bringing us to the present moment when we were about to settle things once and for all.
“Lilly, you poor soul… May the Spirit have mercy on you.” The moment Salas said those words, Lilly collapsed as though she had suddenly been cursed.
“Cardinal Lilly?!” I cried out, running up to her.
“Get away from her, Miss Claire!” Rae pulled me away by tugging my clothes. I saw a metallic gleam appear where I had just been standing, as a few strands of my hair fell through the air.
“Good grief… You couldn’t make things easy for me, eh?” A casual voice, out of place in the tense moment, spoke up.
Warily, Rae stepped between me and Lilly. “You…”
“Heya, Rae, Miss Claire. It’s been, what, since yesterday?” Lilly spoke as though she were a completely different person. I recognized this new persona, however. It was the masked man who had stood in our way a number of times now.
“Salas! What have you done to Cardinal Lilly?!” I yelled.
Salas ignored me. “Commoner, you are a dual-caster, right?”
“Answer me!” I yelled.
“Oh, but I am. My specialty in my Academy days was suggestion magic…and my research was in artificially giving someone multiple attributes.” Salas gave a sinister smile.
“Guards, apprehend Salas and Lilly,” King l’Ausseil ordered. The guards surrounded the two, but…
“You think this riffraff can stop me?” Lilly produced a dagger from nowhere and immediately forced the royal guards on the defensive. These royal guards were, by all means, the best of the best. I doubted even Rae could come out unscathed in a battle against them all. But somehow, Lilly overpowered them all with ease. She was just that much better in combat.
“Cardinal Lilly, stop!” I yelled.
“It’s useless. That’s Lilly, but it’s not her.” Salas laughed scornfully. “I was trying to artificially create a dual-caster. I was only partially successful, though.”
“What do you mean?” Rae asked.
“I originally intended to imbue individuals with a second attribute,” he said, like he was explaining something to a student in danger of failing the class. “But in the end, I could only do so by embedding a second personality within that person. You see, the new personality naturally came with a new magical attribute.”
Lilly’s magical attribute should be water. If what Salas was saying was true, then she had to have another attribute now. But was such a thing even possible?
“So the masked assassin was Miss Lilly all along?” Rae asked.
“Indeed, and she relayed everything your little investigation uncovered straight to me. Though I suppose I was still outwitted in the end,” he said with a wry smile. That had to be why we couldn’t find any issues when we first checked his ledger that one time. Lilly had been feeding him information.
“But she looks completely different!” I cried. “No disguise should be able to change her that much.”
“It’s probably a magical tool. Remember the one Lilly lent us so I could switch places with Lady Yu?” Rae said.
I recalled exactly what she was talking about. I had only thought it was awfully convenient Lilly had such a thing, but now I understood it was what she used to disguise herself.
“Does the original Lilly know about this?” Rae asked. From her stiff tone, I could tell she already half expected his answer.
“No, she doesn’t. If she did, I imagine she would try to take her own life,” Salas answered.
How despicable. How could he take such a pure-hearted girl and use her as a pawn for his own schemes?
“Now, Lilly,” Salas ordered. “It’s time to kill all these people.”
“That’s quite an ask. Claire and Rae won’t go down easily.”
“I’m sure you’re up to the task.”
“Of course I am. But who’s to say I’ll be able to keep you safe at the same time?”
“Hmph…”
The two talked as Lilly defeated the royal guards one after another. There was no hesitation in her strikes. I couldn’t bear to watch her hurt others so casually.
“In that case, prioritize my escape,” Salas said.
“As if we’d let you get away!” I yelled, already preparing my Magic Ray. I didn’t want to fatally wound Lilly, but the situation being what it was, I was prepared to do what I had to. I moved to a spot where I could keep my eyes on them both and warned, “Salas, Cardinal Lilly. I cannot modulate the effects of this spell. Surrender, if you want to live.”
“Well, what now?” Lilly asked as she defeated the last of the Royal Guards surrounding her. She began working on the Royal Guards surrounding Salas next. She seemed to be ignoring my threat entirely.
“Cardinal Lilly, stop!” I warned her. “If you make one more move, I will fire!”
“Go ahead and try.” She ignored me, continuing to swing her dagger. I couldn’t allow her to do any further harm.
“…Forgive me!”
I steeled my will and fired Magic Ray at Lilly. Four beams of light shot forth toward her small frame, but…
“Wh-what?!” My magic scattered like mist before reaching her.
“I forgot to mention, but Lilly here is my masterpiece,” Salas said with a wide grin. “She’s not on Princess Manaria’s level, perhaps, but she can rival her in one particular regard.”
“…Is that Spellbreaker?” Rae asked.
“No, no, nothing as grand as that. This Lilly has high aptitude in wind magic. Her specialty is manipulating time.”
Manipulating…time? Then my Magic Ray must have been rewound to a time before it was structured into a spell—when it was just the component magical energy. What an absurd ability.
“You called her your masterpiece,” Rae said. “Does that mean there are others?”
“Of course. What parent would test an unverified process on their own child? I didn’t start on Lilly until I’d perfected my technique. Let’s see, how many orphans did I break before I got here? Ten? Twenty? No, maybe more,” Salas answered coolly, despite the horrific nature of his words.
“You fiend!” I changed my target to Salas and fired Magic Ray once more.
“Whoops. Not so fast.” But Lilly, now done with all the Royal Guards, canceled it out in just the nick of time.
In that case… “Rae! You get Salas! Rapid fire!”
“Got it!” Rae understood my intent right away, conjuring an impressive twenty ice arrows and surrounding Salas with them.
“Whoa. You’ve done this before, huh?” Lilly clicked her tongue. She had to stay by Salas’s side to nullify the ice arrows, preventing her from making any moves. We continued to rain magic down on them while Lilly defended. We were at a stalemate. Or at least, that’s what I thought.
“Give up, Cardinal Lilly!” I said.
“Why?”
“At this rate, you’ll run out of magic before we do,” Rae said. Lilly was on her own, while Rae and I were working together. We were only using basic magic arrows too. I didn’t know how much magic time manipulation consumed, but it had to be more than magic arrows did.
“Miss Lilly, please, let’s put an end to this,” Rae pleaded.
“Heh. It’s not like I’m doing this because I want to, y’know.”
“Then why?!”
“Because…” She gave us a self-deprecating smile and pulled out a potion. “He may be a bastard, but he’s still my father.”
“No—is that cantarella?!” Rae practically shrieked at the sight of the potion. I recalled our fight against Louie in Euclid. He was only an ordinary adventurer, but drinking cantarella had made him absurdly powerful. I hadn’t the slightest clue how we could possibly fight Lilly if she became undead, when our magic already didn’t work on her.
“What? Of course not. It’s a superior magic restoration potion,” Lilly answered. I found myself relieved.
“Sounds valuable. I doubt you have many,” Rae pointed out.
“Maybe not, but I’ve got a little trick up my sleeve.” Lilly downed the potion, then stared hard at the empty bottle, which refilled before our eyes. She’d rewound time on the bottle. “Voilà—just gotta think outside the box.”
I gritted my teeth. Her magic should be nearly fully restored after drinking the potion. If she could repeat the process as many times as she wanted, then the ones who would run out of magic first would be us.
“Sorry, but this fight’s gonna be a long one,” she taunted.
I racked my brain, trying to think of a way out of our predicament. Then suddenly, the earth began to violently shake.
While I was left bewildered by the sudden shaking, somebody suddenly pushed me down. Not even a moment later, the window glass in the audience chamber shattered.
“What in the world…?” I began to say, before realizing it was Rae who’d pushed me down. She’d lain down on top of me as if to protect me, so for the time being, I remained still.
“…It should be safe now,” she said, rising to her feet and then helping me up as well.
I looked around the audience chamber in confusion and astonishment. The beautiful room was in tatters. Furnishings lay broken, and stones were scattered on the red carpet.
“Your Majesty!” a royal guard cried.
I looked around to see somebody run over to the throne. I felt myself go pale. King l’Ausseil lay collapsed there, bleeding profusely from a wound to the head.
“Rae, heal him!” I cried. Before I could even finish my words, she ran over to him and tried her healing magic, but…
“…It’s no use. He’s gone.”
“That can’t be…”
Bauer had lost its wise King l’Ausseil. This was a crisis unlike anything the country had ever faced.
“Wait, where are Salas and Cardinal Lilly?!” I looked around but could not see the two. They must have escaped during the chaos.
I fought to calm myself and assess the situation. I could only speculate at this point, but it was likely Mt. Sassal had erupted. There were historical accounts of such an event taking place before. But if that were the case, then what followed the eruption was what we truly had to fear. Dark times awaited Bauer. As for what I could do at this moment…
While in thought, I noticed Rae had fallen to her knees with a distant look in her eyes. I couldn’t blame her, given the situation. But we needed her strength right now. “Rae… Rae! Get it together.”
Rae’s eyes slowly regained focus. Her mind still seemed elsewhere, however.
“Forget about Salas and Cardinal Lilly for a minute,” I said. “Right now, there are much more pressing matters we must attend to.”
“Miss Claire…”
“The last time Mt. Sassal erupted, it caused a massive famine and water shortage.” Volcanic rock and ash would have a significant effect on crops. If we just stood by and did nothing, many in the kingdom would starve. We had to take action to prevent such a thing. “The kingdom will soon be in crisis, and King l’Ausseil isn’t here to see us through it.”
Our wise king was now gone. We had to choose a new king, and fast.
“Guards, contact the head of the House of Lords. Call an emergency meeting, then ensure the safety of Master Rod and Master Thane.”
I temporarily ignored Rae, who was still in a daze, and issued orders to the Royal Guards who could still move. This would be a race against time. The Royal Guards seemed bewildered as well, but they held themselves together and obeyed my orders, their training keeping them sharp.
Rae was still out of it. I didn’t want to have to go this far, but she left me no choice. I slapped her cheek and said, “Get it together! You said you would support me—was that a lie?!”
I was practically pleading for her to come back to her senses. I needed her. I could not stand up alone against the coming trials. I needed Rae by my side.
She rubbed her cheek, still in a slight daze. Gradually, however, light returned to her eyes. “I apologize. I’m fine now.”
“Good.” I briefly hugged her, as though to make certain she was truly here with me. “We shall overcome this.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The two of us wasted no time getting to work. While we’d responded with acceptable promptness, a certain piece of bad news arrived to stop us in our tracks: Rod could not be found. |
Chapter 8: My Dearest Rae and Me
Chapter 8:My Dearest Rae and Me
THE DAMAGE CAUSED by the eruption of Mt. Sassal was great. A full third of the House of Lords died in the incident, almost bringing parliament to a standstill. Thankfully, the head of the House of Lords survived. With the presence of the head and my father’s quick wit, the parliament remained barely functioning.
An emergency session was convened, with blood relatives filling in for dead or absent members. The first topic of discussion: who would inherit the crown. King l’Ausseil’s firstborn prince and heir, Rod, had gone missing during the eruption. According to his inner circle, Rod had been en route to the village at the foot of the mountain, intending to personally convince the residents to evacuate. Rae had been the one to mention the village there to him, but to think he would actually go… And with the worst possible timing too.
It was likely he had been caught by the eruption. It had already been five days with no word from him, and the odds of him being safe seemed slim. Parliament argued greatly about it, but it was understood that a king was needed urgently, so Thane was quickly ushered in. Given that the country was in a state of emergency, the throne could not be left vacant for long. That being said…
“Honestly…what is my father thinking?” I inadvertently clicked my tongue in irritation as I read the newspaper in my room at the Academy. Rae turned to look my way.
I had insisted we keep investigating the issue of my father’s corruption, but Rae objected, claiming we needed his power right now. Corrupt he might be, but my father was a skilled politician with no small degree of clout. Rae had said he was a necessary evil at the moment. But that same father of mine was doing something utterly ridiculous.
“What does it say?” she asked. She seemed to sense that I needed to vent or I’d explode.
“That Master Thane’s coronation was canceled!” I spat. I tossed the newspaper her way for her to look at. According to the article, talk of Thane taking the throne had gone nowhere. Instead, the faction of nobles supporting Rod, helmed by my father, would run the government. Utterly preposterous. “The ruler of a kingdom must be a king. The only thing the House of Lords should be doing is working to select the next king as quickly as possible.”
The article’s author shared my opinion. Some newspapers were even accusing the nobles of staging a coup d’état.
Of course, not all nobles agreed with the decision to cancel Thane’s coronation. But many of the members of the House of Lords who’d died in the eruption were part of Thane and Yu’s factions, and with Yu conceding her claim for the throne entirely, many of her supporters had gone on to join Rod’s faction instead. It certainly didn’t help that Thane’s faction was already the smallest of the three. Most problematic of all, however, was the fact that Rod was missing. The largest of the three factions had lost the very person who kept them in check.
“We should be working as one to overcome this crisis. Feuding amongst ourselves will only frighten the citizenry.”
The volcanic rock and ash from the eruption had ruined crops all over the kingdom. Anticipating shortages, heartless merchants bought up food, causing prices to soar. My father’s provisional government—at least, he called it provisional—was rationing food out, but there was no telling how long supplies would last.
I wasn’t keen on standing idly by, however. If my father and his people were straying from the right path, then as his daughter, it was my duty to set him right. That being said, I doubted he would listen to me, even if I did object to his actions. To make him bend, I had to go a step further.
“I’m going to see Thane. Rae, go ahead and send word.”
It was my plan to appeal to Thane. He may have lost his chance at the throne because of my father, but he was still the person most likely to be the next king. If I could get the court’s support, then maybe I could sway my father’s mind on things.
“…I don’t know if that’s possible.”
“Why?!” I inadvertently yelled. I knew I shouldn’t be taking things out on her, but after running this way and that after the eruption, I didn’t have much restraint left in me.
“Miss Claire, you are the daughter of the man blocking Thane’s ascension to the throne. Thane’s supporters see you as their sworn enemy.”
“Argh…”
She was right. There was no way the royal court would entertain the daughter of the one who took their power. I couldn’t believe such an obvious thing had slipped my mind.
“Miss Claire, please go easy on yourself. Ever since the eruption, you’ve been working too hard.” Rae tried to comfort me, but I could not agree with her.
“I only did what needed to be done. If only my father would do the same…”
My father’s actions had been incomprehensible. The newspaper even suggested he might be trying to usurp the throne. Was this really the man who taught me how a Bauer noble was meant to act? What happened to all his lofty ideals of justice? Father… What has happened to you?
Rae said, “You have done everything you possibly can. You need to take a break. You’ve barely slept at all these past few days.”
I touched my face, feeling how dry my skin was. Rae had been diligently doing skincare for me every day, but I hadn’t properly bathed in a while. My lack of sleep was also dire. I could last another couple days like this, perhaps, but not much longer before I gave out.
“I’m fine. Really. But…” I stood up and moved closer to her. “…I suppose I’m just a little tired. May I stay like this for a little while?”
“M-Miss Claire?!”
Gently, I leaned against her shoulder.
“I’m glad you’re here, Rae. I wouldn’t have been able to do this alone.”
“Miss Claire, are you all right? You never act this lovey-dovey with me. Is something wro—”
“I’m showing you affection. Isn’t that what you call it?”
“Umm, I suppose…” She seemed bewildered by my actions.
“Lene used to let me do this.”
“Oh… I see.”
Lene wasn’t here anymore, though. The thought of Rae also leaving my side one day made my heart sink.
“I’m proud of my noble lineage, but sometimes…really, only sometimes…I dream of being freed from this sense of duty,” I said.
“That’s an understandable desire. You could do it, you know. Quit being a noble.”
“I can’t do that. I’ve lived in the lap of luxury my entire life. That means I have a duty to serve the people as best as I can, especially in this time of emergency.”
“You’re such an earnest person, Miss Claire.” She smiled wryly. “All right. Just as a what-if, if you weren’t a noble, is there something you would want to do?”
“Well…” I thought for a long moment. What a question. Being a noble was the most natural thing in the world to me. It was hard to envision a life where I wasn’t one, but… “I should like to learn how to cook and sew.”
“How unexpected. You want to do peasant things?”
“You’ve taken good care of me. If I were no longer an aristocrat, such tasks would be the only way I could repay you.”
Her eyes went wide.
I said, “What does that look mean? Oh, I haven’t taken a bath in days. Do I smell?”
“No, not at all. You actually smell nice,” she replied. What an absurd thing to say.
“Liar. This is perfect timing, actually. Let’s take a bath.”
“As you wish.”
Together, we made for the baths. Unfortunately, the spring water had been disrupted by the eruption, so the dorm baths were out of order.
“Oh, curses!”
“There, there, Miss Claire. There, there.”
In the end, I had Rae wipe my body down in my room. I let out a contented sigh, basking in the hot towel’s warmth, and thought about what was to come.
There must be something we can do… Something…
Unfortunately, my thoughts only went in circles, and no way forward made itself apparent. |
Interlude: Reminisce (Dole François)
Interlude:Reminisce(Dole François)
“VERY WELL THEN. Does anyone object to the proposed Restoration Tax?” I asked. I waited a moment and met everyone’s eyes, but everybody seemed fully on board. “Then let’s call the session there. Gentleman, let us reconvene tomorrow.”
After I called the session to a close, the parasites who’d taken the bait and joined my provisional government left, one by one. I watched them go with emotionless eyes.
Two men came up to me. One said, “That was splendid, Master Dole!”
“Hmph. I’m simply doing what is natural, given my position. Restoration is costly. We nobles are prepared to shed our blood, sweat, and tears to overcome this trial, of course, but the common folk must shoulder their share of the burden.” I’d long since grown weary of all the vain attempts at flattery put on by these people, but I returned the man a cocksure grin all the same. I was accustomed to maintaining this farce. “I owe you two thanks, Count Ardouin, Earl Lelong. Your support for my proposal was a great help.” I didn’t even hesitate to dish out hollow gratitude.
“Oh, but of course we’d be in agreement with you, Master Dole! Why, we’ve always believed that there is no noble who has the kingdom’s future in mind better than you!”
“Yes, yes, indeed!”
Despite what they said, Count Ardouin and Earl Lelong had originally been in Marquess Achard’s camp. They simply tried to switch sides the moment Marquess Achard fell from power. Of course, I welcomed them with open arms, for they were deplorable politicians with no sense of morality or justice. All the better to fall to ruin with me.
“I do not deserve such kind words, but I thank you all the same. I shall take my leave here, if that’s all right. Oh, and thank you for your financial contributions. I shall make great use of them.”
Before I left, I made sure to thank them for their “financial contributions,” which were nothing more than bribes.
“Yes, yes, absolutely!”
“Have a swell day, Duke François!”
The two continued to flatter me as I left the assembly hall. I felt a slight pang of guilt over having used what should be sacred ground in such a manner.
I returned to my estate and sank into a chair in my study, leaning back. My fatigue was mounting. While I was fully prepared to sacrifice myself alongside the rest of the corrupt nobility, I could not risk bringing the common people down with me. Handling the aftermath of Mt. Sassal’s eruption would require everything we had to give. Rae’s warning had allowed me to make some preparations beforehand, but the damage was far greater than I’d expected.
“Hmph. Those fools. How can they so blindly support the Restoration Tax? Do they know nothing of governance?” I mumbled.
Raising taxes now, of all times, was guaranteed to invite backlash. The nobles, in their corruption, saw the common folk as nothing more than obedient slaves. I looked forward to seeing the moment they realized their foolishness.
“…Having my own daughter look at me like that was quite painful, though.”
Before the eruption, the king had ordered my daughter to investigate the aristocracy. She eventually denounced me, giving me, in the process, a look I would never forget. Seeing her ideals be betrayed had brought her to despair. I couldn’t care less about the opinions of other nobles, but to have my dear daughter look upon me with such loathing hurt.
“…But it won’t be much longer. Just a little while, Melia,” I whispered, voice filled with emotion, to the photo frame on my desk.
In truth, I had not always been such a virtuous man. It was Melia who changed me—she, who was virtuous in every way. Despite being born into the household of a marquess, she had managed to come away with a loathing for corruption in every one of its forms.
“May I have a moment of your time, Duke François?”
She had called out to me at a soirée. She didn’t cower before me or my title in the slightest, but instead, openly criticized the nobility. As someone who had never thought to consider exactly what it meant to be a noble, I was awed by her.
For some time after that, we proceeded to have debates whenever we met. Others might have found our conversations unromantic and dull, but I was having the time of my life. It wasn’t long before I proposed to her. She replied: “Will you shoulder my ideals with me?”
She was not a woman who threw the word “ideals” around lightly. To shoulder her ideals with her meant one thing and one thing alone—to stand against the corrupt bastion of the aristocracy. Was I prepared for such a thing back then? I don’t know. But I was young and had no way of knowing the hardships to come, so I said yes.
Our married life was good. I fought for our ideals on the political stage, and she did the same in high society. We were even blessed with a child, whom I named Claire.
Claire was like her mother in many ways. Not just in appearance but in other regards as well. She grew a bit spoiled because of my reckless doting, but deep down they were the same. She was strongly aware of the fact that she was a noble and was strict with herself.
Of course, Melia was also strict with herself. The world of nobility was full of fiends, but she remained ever virtuous. Perhaps too much so. She publicly denounced Marquess Achard at a time when there were many ill rumors surrounding him but none dared to publicly stand against him out of fear of his status and influence. Melia was different from the rest, however, and chose to overlook none of his wicked dealings.
And then the incident happened. The whole thing was concluded to be a carriage accident, but I knew better—it had been an assassination, plotted by House Achard. My memory of the incident itself was unclear, but I could never forget what Marquess Achard said to me when I returned to my duties.
“Ah, so you lived. Such a shame.”
Not killing him in that very moment was both my greatest regret in life and the most important decision I’d ever made. I could have used my influence to have him secretly assassinated in turn, but I chose not to. I held myself to a higher standard. Returning to being the conceited noble I once was would make everything meaningless. It would make Melia’s death meaningless. I chose not to give in to my rage.
It was only then that I truly understood the weight of the ideals Melia spoke of, and how cruel they could be.
I began to plan a different form of revenge. I decided I would purge the corrupt system of nobility as a whole. House Achard and the rest—all of it. That goal became the only thing I lived for.
Since then, I’d done much to make myself deserving of the things people whispered about me. Before I knew it, I’d become a villain to rival Marquess Achard. I committed wicked deeds but made sure I never fell into the grip of vice—though the temptation had anguished me numerous times. Now, at last, I was nearing my goal. It would take one more step… Just one more step.
“It won’t be long now, my love. We shall meet again, soon.”
As soon as I said those words, I thought better of it. Melia was virtuous and noble. A man steeped in sin, like me, was not meant for the pearly gates she’d passed through. Men like me were destined for hell.
“Ah. Perhaps I won’t be seeing you again after all, Melia.” The thought was a little…no, greatly disheartening. But I could not change my course now. I had to see things through. “At the very least…let Claire come out of this unscathed.”
I had entrusted my daughter to Rae. Rae swore she would protect her, but I couldn’t help but worry. Claire took after Melia greatly. Far too much, in fact. Would she allow herself to live on in disgrace?
“It seems I have no choice but to stake it all on you, Rae Taylor.”
Rae Taylor was an enigma of a girl who claimed to be from another world. I found that hard to believe, of course, but her achievements were undeniable. She was different somehow, and she was slowly becoming someone irreplaceable to my daughter.
Perhaps she could change the fate my Claire was headed toward?
“…I could wish for nothing more.” It was my wish that my daughter live on, not be martyred for her ideals. Seeing someone die for their ideals once was more than enough for me. “Melia… Please, protect Claire.”
Her picture smiled at me. She could not answer my request. Of course she couldn’t. But that was only a fitting punishment for a man of my sins.
***
CLAIRE’S POV
Protests broke out in the Royal Capital only days after the provisional government announced they would be raising taxes. I opened my dorm room window and looked out to see angry commoners marching down the capital’s main thoroughfare with placards raised.
“Of course it came to this…” I sighed.
Most of the kingdom’s crops had been ruined by the eruption. Merchants bought up all the food on the markets, causing prices to rise exponentially. Life had already been hard for the common man, and it was only going to get worse. It was no wonder they were taking to the streets.
“Will the rationing be enough?” I wondered out loud. Acting on Rae’s suggestion, and with Yu’s help, we’d been distributing rations and free meals to the needy. I’d received many words of gratitude from the commoners, but an equal share of hurtful words too. A major reason for their suffering was the very provisional government my father led, after all.
“I don’t know, but let’s do what we can anyway,” Rae consoled. “I’m sure things will work out. And if they don’t…at the very least, we should make it so we can look back and say we tried our best.”
“You can be so hopelessly optimistic sometimes, Rae…” I closed the window and sat down. Rae began making me tea. I didn’t have it in me to be as optimistic about the future as she was.
“And you’re too pessimistic at times. Looks like we balance each other out perfectly.”
“…Perhaps so.” I had to admit she was right about me being a pessimist. I often demanded perfectionism, but at the same time, I knew all too well where I fell short. My disappointment with my own performance had sapped me to the point where that pessimism was deeply rooted in me. There was always a voice within me telling me not to even bother trying because failure was guaranteed.
But Rae was different. She saw things for how they were and accepted that. For better or worse, she always kept her frivolous attitude. She never overestimated things, but she never belittled them either. Perhaps it was that power that allowed her to accept someone as hopeless as me?
“Miss Claire, are you thinking yourself into a negative spiral again? Your brow is creased with worry.”
“…Nothing ever gets past you, does it?”
“Only when it comes to you. Now, have some tea and relax.”
“I shall.” I picked up the teacup and inhaled its sweet fragrance. “What a lovely smell.”
“It’s chamomile. It has a calming effect.”
Serving such luxurious tea in the current economic climate would seem galling to most, but I knew this was actually something Rae had cultivated herself. She’d predicted the coming crisis and rented out a flower bed here at the Academy to grow various plants.
“It’s just what I needed. Thank you, Rae. I feel better now.”
“…Do you really?” she asked, worry on her face.
“Pardon?”
“It’s not like you to be this meek. You usually say something with more of a bite to it, like ‘This is surprisingly tolerable, considering it was made by you.’”
“Excuse me? I’m capable of showing proper gratitude every now and then. The only reason I have to fuss at all is because you always say such crass, uncalled-for things.”
“Is that right? Then maybe I should try saying some of those crass, uncalled-for things right now. Maybe it’ll lead to a little bit of this, or a little bit of that…”
“I respectfully decline.”
“Decline what, Miss Claire? Just what were you imagining? Perv.”
“Wh-what?! I, but you…wha…” I grew flustered and annoyed, but then realized what she was doing. “…You’re trying to cheer me up with all this, aren’t you?”
“Aww. See, you really aren’t your usual self. Normally, you’d play along like the gullible noob you are.”
“I haven’t a clue what a ‘noob’ is supposed to be, but I can tell you mean no harm.”
“Oh, come on! You’re no fun to tease when you’re being like this!” She made a face and stamped her feet in irritation. My shoulders felt a bit lighter than before.
“Anyway,” I said, “I believe today is the day we negotiate with the provisional government and the revolutionary government?”
“That’s right. We will be meeting with Master Dole and the other heads of the provisional government in the morning, then Arla and the other revolutionary government leaders in the afternoon.”
I was currently in a complicated situation. I was a noble with a lot of support from the commoners, so I became a middleman between the two sides to find a compromise. The problem, however, was that the wants of both sides did not mesh in the slightest.
The provisional government saw the revolutionary government as nothing more than a mob. They had no intention of hearing their demands and just wanted them out of the picture as soon as possible. On the other hand, the revolutionary government only saw the provisional government as something they had to overthrow. They demanded nothing less than a full transfer of power as soon as possible. A compromise could not be found between the two groups. Rae warned me beforehand that this might be the case, but it was still disheartening, nonetheless.
The only way forward I saw lay in a theory made by a political scientist from Phrance. Some time ago, a revolution had occurred in Phrance that led to almost all of its nobility being killed. Grieved by the tragedy, the political scientist proposed the nobility might have lived if they had granted the commoners suffrage, the right to vote. I saw potential in the idea.
If we gave the commoners of Bauer suffrage, allowing them to influence government matters, the revolutionary government would be able to say they had succeeded and that their efforts weren’t in vain. It would be a compromise on the provisional government’s part, but this way of doing things allowed them to retain their status of nobility. Neither side would be perfectly satisfied, but this was the only compromise I saw that could be made… The only problem was that it was currently infeasible.
The provisional government would laugh at the idea of giving commoners suffrage, and the revolutionary government seemed hellbent on overthrowing the current government. There would be no attempt at a compromise from either side until things escalated and blood spilled.
“What do you make of things, Rae?” Realizing my thoughts were spiraling yet again, I sought Rae’s opinion.
“Hmm… Personally, I don’t think either side will relent until they take some damage. They’re both too worked up right now, they’ll get even more worked up once things get violent, but eventually they’ll realize things can’t go on.”
“But it’ll be too late by then!” Without thinking, I stood up and raised my voice. “If things turn to conflict, then it’ll be the powerless who suffer the most—the women and children!”
There might be a few commoners who could use magic to defend themselves, but they were the overwhelming minority. One couldn’t use powerful magic without a magic stone, and even the cheapest magic wand was prohibitively expensive for most commoners.
“We must end things before it reaches that point.”
“All we can do is give it our best effort.” Rae put her hands on my shoulders from behind, gently pushing me back down onto the chair. “I don’t want to see blood spilled either, so let’s just do all that we can.”
“Will you help me, Rae?”
“Of course. Your wish is mine.” She smiled, making my heart race slightly.
Looking back on things, however, I realize Rae was off at this moment. Despite her smile, what she was really saying amounted to nothing more than a “Just do what you please.”
Rae always thought ahead, anticipating events and planning countermeasures. It wasn’t like her to be so dismissive. Her mind had already moved to other matters.
And like a fool, I put my full faith in her, suspecting nothing.
***
Weeks passed with us going back and forth between the provisional government and the revolutionary government. Both sides doggedly refused to concede anything to the other. Rae supported me to the utmost of her ability the whole while, not just helping me with her usual maid duties but also planning and formulating arguments to help convince both sides. I was truly thankful to have her.
Unfortunately, things reached a boiling point despite our best efforts. It happened on November 10, 2015 in Kingdom Years. The protests escalated into an armed uprising. Half the provisional government’s army defected to join the revolutionary government as conflict began. Every newspaper reported things as being in the revolutionary army’s favor.
“I was too late…” I watched the mob fight the kingdom’s army from my dorm window, feeling powerless, useless, and bitter about it. I clenched my teeth. It was too late to do anything about it all.
“You did everything you could, Miss Claire. Things were just too far along to be stopped,” Rae said.
“But if I had only tried harder…”
“You tried as hard as you possibly could.” She tried to comfort me, but I was inconsolable. My head was full of what-ifs—what if I had started working sooner? What if I had found a better compromise? The thought of commoners, the people I had a duty to protect, being hurt this very moment tore at my heart.
And yet, I had no right to play the tragic heroine. I was a noble. If the times had chosen to move in this direction, then I had only one duty left to fulfill.
“Now that things have come to this, all that remains is for me to graciously admit defeat, as a noble of the old era.”
The commoners had chosen to rid themselves of the nobility. It was our duty as nobles to accept the wishes of the commoners. House François was the most prominent of the noble families. Thus, as a representative of the nobles, it was best for House François to announce our time had come to an end before the damage on both sides mounted any further.
I was aware this would probably end in our deaths, just as it had in Phrance. The wrath of the commoners was simply too great. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid of death. But I didn’t want to go so far as to hurt commoners to cling to my position.
I was ready to accept the choice the commoners made. But Rae could not say the same.
“No, Miss Claire. You will stand on the side that denounces what came before.”
“…What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. I gave her a questioning look, making her straighten her posture. “Rae, whatever are you on about?”
“I’m saying you will stand in support of the new era and see off the old.”
“You’re being ridiculous. I am the daughter of House François. I am the quintessential symbol of the world that preceded this one.”
Rae was talking nonsense again. Her expression was serious, however. This didn’t seem like one of her usual jokes. “You aren’t. Master Dole is.”
“What’s the difference? We’re both François.”
“There is a difference. Because you will be the one to spearhead the movement to convict Master Dole and the old ruling class—the nobility.”
“Wh-wha…what are you saying?!” Upon finally understanding what she meant, I raised my voice. She wanted me to forsake the nobility. “You want me to depose the architects of the old era, then brazenly live my own life free of any connection to them?! Absolutely not! Never!”
I didn’t want to die in vain either, but I still had my pride as a noble. There was no meaning in living a life of disgrace. I was just about to try and make her understand that when she said something I could never have expected.
“This was Master Dole’s design as well.”
“…Huh?! W-wait a second. My father?” I was in shock. Why was she bringing up my father now, of all times? Was he not one of the corrupt nobles who only acted out of self-interest? “I…I don’t understand. E-explain yourself, Rae!”
“The one who put this revolution into motion was none other than your father, Master Dole.”
Her words only made me even more confused. My father planned this commoner uprising? “I don’t understand a single word that’s coming out of your mouth!”
“Then let me start from the beginning. This’ll be a long story, so please take a seat.”
Despite how worked up I was, Rae remained calm. After she made me sit down, she slowly began to reveal everything.
“As you already know, our kingdom’s government is corrupt. Most of the nobles only care about personal gain, vying for power with no intention of allowing meaningful change.”
“…I’m aware. But I don’t see what that has to do with this.”
“There were a few nobles who still worried about Bauer’s future. One of those nobles was Master Dole.”
“My father? But he sidelined the royal family to take power himself…” I knew this fact better than anyone else. After running back and forth between the two sides for weeks, it was apparent to me that my father didn’t have the country’s future in mind. He couldn’t even consider what tomorrow might hold.
“Master Dole sacrificed himself to gather all the corrupt nobles in one place. He did so to ensure the commoners could finish it all today.”
“…What? No, that’s…preposterous.” All my father’s wicked actions had just been an act?
Rae continued. “There was a time when your father unquestioningly accepted the superiority of the nobility. That all changed after what happened to your mother, Melia.”
“…After the carriage accident?” That day had left me with a deep wound that would never heal. Just what had it done to my father?
“It was no accident. The incident was contrived by another powerful noble. It was murder.”
“No…!” I said in disbelief.
“That day, Master Dole decided things had to change. He continued to play the role of a corrupt noble while secretly supporting the revolution.”
Then the father I knew and loved hadn’t actually gone anywhere. Even now, he was still the same patriotic man I once knew.
“Do you remember the day I became your maid?” Rae asked.
“…I do. I recall you said something to my father, causing his demeanor to change.”
“This is what I said to him at that time: ‘Irvine Manuel, March 3rd, five hundred thousand gold.’ That information pertained to the financial support Master Dole was secretly providing to the Resistance.”
According to her, that was information only my father should know. The amount of monetary aid given to the Resistance’s treasurer, Irvine Manuel. She’d hinted at the fact she knew about my father’s secret plans to convince him to hire her.
“After everyone else was cleared out of the room, I told him I found his cause admirable, but I was worried you would get caught up in it.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Master Dole planned to sacrifice not only himself, but you as well, Miss Claire. He loves you from the bottom of his heart, but he had given up on saving the country any other way.”
That was understandable, given our duty as nobles. Even after hearing my father planned to have me die alongside him, I held no grudge against him. If anything, I thought he was right to make such a choice.
“So I offered him another choice. I gave him an option that would let you live even when the nobles were overthrown. And he took it.”
That must have been where the plan for me to split off from the nobles of the old world and oppose them came in.
“Everything up to this point was all to make this possible. We’ve improved your reputation, distanced you from the rest of nobility—all so you could live in the era to come.”
“So, then—you! You knew this from the beginning?!”
I had trusted her. I had trusted her to the point life without her became unthinkable. She had stayed by my side to support me all this time…but it was all for a lie?
“Yes. I knew that the revolution would happen, and the result would be the downfall of the aristocrats. None of that could be prevented.”
“But I—I trusted you!”
She closed her eyes and said, “I’m so sorry, Miss Claire. I will accept any punishment you choose.”
She sounded so indifferent that I unwittingly raised my hand in anger. I swung my hand at her cheek…but I couldn’t bring myself to hit her.
“…I can’t believe you two.”
Rae and my father had lied to me. A tremendous lie too. Not one I could easily forgive. But I wasn’t so foolish that I couldn’t understand why they did what they did. They lied for my sake. They lied so I could live, even if the nobility met its end. It was a fatherly lie. It was a lover’s lie. It was a lie that made my emotions overflow and stream down my cheeks.
“I want you to join the revolutionary government now. I’ve already arranged things with Arla.”
I didn’t say a word. Rae seemed to have everything planned out for me. She’d probably predicted all this a long time ago, accounting for each and every little detail.
“…Soon, the royal family will pass the Royal Standard to the revolutionary government. When that happens, the aristocracy will become the rebels. You will convict them.”
But she forgot one important, important thing… Oh, Rae. How could you forget…
“…Miss Claire?”
I ignored her and stood up, nearing the window. Nothing had changed. The fighting still continued outside. “Hey, Rae? What sort of life do you think I would have if I became a commoner?”
It was an impossibility. But I still wanted to know what she thought.
“Well… At first, there will be a lot to learn. Like when you spent time at my house during vacation.”
“Indeed.” I nodded without turning around to face her. It hadn’t been that long since I visited her family home, and yet it felt like an eternity ago.
“But you’ll get used to it quickly. And I’ll always be there to take care of you.”
“I see… So you will live with me?”
“Of course. I’ll work hard and do everything I can for you.”
“Yes. I think I will need that.”
The life she spoke of would be a pleasant one, I was sure. So long as she was there to support me, any life would be joyous.
“Let’s get a dog,” she suggested.
“I prefer a cat.”
We would live a modest life.
“Maybe start a garden?”
“So long as I can grow some flowers.”
A life humbler than what I knew, but peaceful.
“How many children should we have?”
“We can’t have children.”
“Then let’s adopt.”
“I want two cute little girls.” I answered her questions, then paused. Eventually, I said, “I believe you would never let me be unhappy.” But I was not meant for such a thing, Rae. “I…”
“Huh?” she said. My voice had been too shaky for her to hear. “Miss Claire?”
“I said I refuse. I refuse to join up with the revolutionaries.” I turned around and looked at Rae head-on, my voice firm now. She seemed taken aback, making a face I couldn’t help but find comical.
“What are you saying, Miss Claire? This is the only way.”
“No. There’s another way. I can choose to fall with the old era and my peers.”
Rae, I understand well how you and Father feel. But this is who I am.
“No… It’s pointless! That wouldn’t make anyone happy!”
“No, probably not.”
“Master Dole—and me too, we did all this for you, so you can live—”
“Yes, and I am grateful for that.”
I was calm. Calm enough to put my true thoughts into words. It was all so clear to me now. Rae…I…
“Wait…wait a second. Are you angry with us for not telling you what was going on? Please, I apologize. But if we had told you—”
“I’m sure I would have refused.”
I loved you more than I even knew.
“I know you and my father had my best interests in mind. I’m not angry.”
“Then why?!”
“Because…” Forgive me, Rae. “…I am a noble.”
She was at a complete loss for words.
I continued, “An aristocrat enjoys their stature and luxuries in exchange for acquitting their duties when called upon to do so. The reason I have been allowed to live such a selfish life is so I could, once more, when this day came, fulfill my duties.”
“You don’t have to! Not anymore!”
“No. I will see to my final obligation—and that is to submit to the will of the people, as an aristocrat and as a relic of the era coming to an end.”
Rae…you were more than just someone I admired. You are my first, and only, love.
“Miss Claire, please think this through. Wouldn’t you like to live in the new era together with me?” I could hear the sorrow in her voice.
“I’m so sorry, Rae. I cannot grant your wish.”
“But you…you promised me. You said you wouldn’t give up until the very end.”
The days I spent with you were a treasure I wouldn’t give up for the world.
“Ah, you’re right. I remember that. It feels like so long ago.”
“No…no… Miss Claire, don’t leave me!” she begged me, like a child. So unlike her.
“I’m very sorry, Rae.” I put my hand on her cheek, then gently…stole her lips. “To apologize for breaking my promise, I offer you my first kiss.”
With this, I had no more lingering regrets.
“Farewell, Rae. Be well.”
I departed the room then, leaving her in a daze.
Rae, Rae, my dearest Rae. I’m sorry. I cannot sacrifice everything for love like you. I won’t ask for your forgiveness, but please…
“Live on in the new era.” |
Interlude: Royal Academy Defense (Pepi Barlier)
Interlude:Royal Academy Defense(Pepi Barlier)
“THE BACK GATES are about to be breached!” a soldier from House Kugret yelled.
“Don’t falter! We’ll stop them here!” Loretta yelled back. She and I were situated at the back gates of the Royal Academy to defend the school. The commoners’ protest had finally escalated into an armed uprising. They grabbed kitchen knives, hatchets—anything they could get their hands on—and stormed the wealthier districts. The Royal Academy was not exempt from their rage, of course.
More than a thousand commoners were gathered outside the main gates trying to break in. Loretta’s father, Count Kugret, took command of the provisional government forces. Loretta was assigned to protect the back gates, and I was designated as her aide.
“Pepi, you don’t have to force yourself to stay with me if you don’t want to.” Loretta forced a smile despite her nerves. But those words weren’t what I wanted to hear from her.
“Aren’t you the one forcing yourself? Just say what you really think. You want me to stay with you, don’t you?”
“Ngh…” She blushed red. Ever since the music festival, I’d been aggressively making moves on her. Her heart was still set on Claire, but I was making progress. I was sure she would be mine one day. For that reason, among many others, I couldn’t let her die here today.
“C’mon, Loretta. Enough zoning out. The soldiers are awaiting your orders,” I said.
“Oh, right. Squadron three, advance!”
The soldiers of House Kugret began moving on her orders. I admired how cool she was for a moment but quickly focused. Now wasn’t the time to fawn over her.
“Death to the nobles!”
“Freedom for the common man!”
I heard the commoners’ angry shouts and began to think. Was our time over? Was the nobility finished? Yu had predicted something of this nature before, but I never thought it would actually come to pass.
This was really happening, though. The commoners were trying to overthrow us.
I don’t care if the nobles are stripped of their status… House Barlier is already a thing of the past, anyway.
The incident with Marquess Achard had lost House Barlier its title. We were spared the death penalty only because of our efforts in helping convict Clément. My parents were currently relying on some influential people who lived in what had once been our territory. Despite being a noble, my father had always had the goodwill of the people in his territory, so he was able to count on merchants to help with expenses while he got back on his feet. Until then, I was in House Kugret’s care.
That was why the nobility being deposed didn’t bother me too much. But Loretta was the lady of a military family sworn to protect the nobility. She had a duty to do battle here—while I wanted to avoid her coming in harm’s way, however possible.
Maybe I should knock her out and forcibly remove her from the battle…? I considered it, but it wasn’t realistic. The battle was currently evenly matched. If I removed Loretta, the acting commander, the commoners would breach the gate and make escape difficult.
Ah, jeez! Then just what am I supposed to do? I felt like stomping my feet in irritation.
“The mob is only getting bigger! We can’t hold them off forever!”
“Damn…” Panic showed on Loretta’s face. I didn’t blame her.
“Lady Loretta, please permit us to use offensive magic!”
“It’ll only be a matter of time before they get through!”
“No!” Loretta had forbidden the use of offensive magic. If we used it, there was a chance we could win, but… “It is our duty to protect commoners, not harm them. We must hold out by using our magic only to strengthen and heal ourselves.”
Once again, she ordered them to refrain from hurting the commoners. Perhaps she had adopted the same ideals as Claire…or perhaps it was our experience over the summer that changed her.
“Not good! They’re breaking through the gates!”
Just as that report reached us, the back gates collapsed. The commoners pushed their way through the opening like an avalanche. The soldiers were swallowed up by the mob, which soon laid eyes on us.
Was this the end?
“Lady Loretta, please, permit the usage of offensive magic!”
“Never! If you call yourself a noble, then live as one until the end!” she yelled. She seemed prepared to face death.
“Well said,” commented a wise voice.
A mist began to rise from the ground. It seemed to have a life of its own, moving to envelop the commoners, who began to go limp.
“Don’t worry. They’re just asleep.”
“Master Kristoff!”
It was Kristoff. With a magic wand, he manipulated a magic mist and put the commoners into a deep sleep.
“You saved us, Master Kristoff!”
“No need to be so formal, Lady Loretta. I’m just a viscount now.”
In the end, the only member of House Achard who was punished was Clément. It was customary to execute all blood relatives and servants for such an egregious crime, but House Achard simply had too much influence to be so severely punished. Rae likened the issue to being unable to close down a big bank, not that I quite understood what she meant. At any rate, the head of House Achard changed, and they were demoted to the rank of viscount. Kristoff was now formally known as Viscount Achard. |
Interlude: Royal Academy Defense (Pepi Barlier)
“Look out. There’s more coming,” he said. He pointed his wand toward some commoners who seemed a bit different from the rest.
“Adventurers!”
Adventurers were what we called people who undertook requests, big and small, for the adventurer’s guild. Being familiar with combat, they were somehow able to resist the effect of Kristoff’s mist.
“Let’s get ’em, guys!”
“Yeah!”
Somebody who seemed to be their leader shouted, and a dozen or so adventurers charged forth. They were few in number but clearly more skilled than the other commoners, based on the way they worked in concert. They couldn’t overwhelm us with numbers, but they could prove to be a bigger problem in another way.
“Please fall back, Master Kristoff!”
“Leave this to us!”
A young man and a young woman, not far in age from us, appeared before Kristoff.
“No, you two should be the ones to fall back,” Kristoff said. “This is my fight as a noble.”
“Nonsense!”
“We owe you, Master Kristoff! Let us repay what you’ve done for us!”
I would later learn the two people protecting Kristoff were orphans he’d saved from Clément’s human trafficking. They could have lived out their lives as ordinary commoners, but they admired Kristoff’s character so much they chose to serve him instead.
“…Hmph. You’re all just children.” The adventurer leading the charge, a man wielding a well-worn short sword, came to a stop upon seeing who he was up against. I recognized his face from somewhere.
“You’re that man we met in Euclid…”
“Seems we meet again, Barlier girl.”
“I don’t mind fighting you, if that’s what you want.”
“Hmm, naw… I don’t mind most jobs, but…” The man reached into his pockets and took out a heavy-looking bag. He tossed it toward the man who seemed to be their leader.
“Huh? What’s this for?”
“Payment for breaching the contract. Should be three times my promised reward.”
The leader scoffed. “The hell? Are you abandoning the job?!”
“I never would’a taken it if I knew it’d have me killing kids! An adventurer’s got the right to pick what jobs he does, surely.”
One after another, the other adventurers quit as well.
“Where do you guys think you are going?! These guys are nobles!” the leader yelled.
“You don’t say. But y’know, this lady here may be a noble, but she’s different from the rest. She cried for our fallen comrades before.”
“That was probably just an act!”
“No noble would go so far as barfing just to put on a show. Right?” The man looked Loretta’s way. She averted her gaze uncomfortably.
“You’re pulling back?” Kristoff asked.
“For the time being. We don’t want to see blood spilled either, if we can help it.” The adventurer sheathed his sword. “Still…I get the feeling this revolution won’t be done anytime soon.”
“…As do I.”
Though we had avoided conflict here, the battle was not going in our favor. Sure enough, the Royal Academy announced a full surrender to the revolutionary government not long after. As the children of nobles, we were placed under surveillance and confined to the Academy.
“…What’s going to happen now?” Loretta uneasily asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure things will work out so long as we’re alive.” I squeezed her hand, swearing to myself that I’d ensure we both made it through this.
***
CLAIRE’S POV
“Right this way, Lady Claire.”
A soldier of the revolutionary government brought me to the out-of-use second building of the House of Lords, a historic edifice that had been designated a national treasure. The room the soldier led me to had a familiar face waiting for me.
“Claire…”
“Father!”
My father got up off the sofa, rushed over, and hugged me.
“I was so worried about you!” I said.
“I’m sorry.”
I wanted to cry in his arms that very moment, I really did. But this was no time for tears.
“Please wait here in this room. Feel free to ring the bell if you need anything.” Saying no more, the soldier left the room.
The room’s fixtures were quite classy, as befitting a building used by the former House of Lords. The place showed signs of being abandoned for a time, however. There was dust here and there, and the furniture seemed comparatively cheap, as though hastily procured. The mismatch in quality between the fixtures and the furniture was jarring.
“I take it Rae failed, seeing as you’re here?” my father asked. He avoided revealing any information with his question, instead probing to see how much I knew.
“She tried until the bitter end to follow through with the plan the two of you devised. But I have my pride.”
“…How foolish.” My father grimaced, as though that answer told him everything he needed to know. He tightened his embrace and said, “As a noble, I am proud of your decision.”
“Thank you, Father.”
In a pained voice, he continued, “But as a father, I cannot help but be disappointed. You should live freely, Claire.”
“This is how I’ve chosen to live.”
“Then I’ve forced a terrible life onto you.”
“Not at all. I accept my fate as a noble. I’m fine with this.”
I’d had a good life. There had been sorrow, but it was a blessed life nonetheless. I’d been born into a wealthy noble house, had a respectable and loving father, made good friends, and…I was able to meet you.
Rae. My beloved. Leaving her behind, alone. That was my only regret.
The door swung open without a knock. An out-of-place, cheerful voice called out. “My, my. You noble folk sure take defeat graciously!”
“Cardinal Lilly…”
“Call me ‘Alter,’ would ya? I’m not quite the Lilly you know.” Lilly—or rather, Alter—gave us a sarcastic smile that would never have been seen on Lilly’s face.
Alter was the black-masked assassin of Nur we had seen before. His true identity was the alter ego of Lilly, created by Salas’s magic.
“Leave it at that, Alter. There’s no point in explaining anything to these two when they’ll soon be dead.”
“Salas! How dare you show yourself here?”
“Ah, Dole. I’ll miss you, you know. The world needs capable politicians like you.”
“Spare me,” my father spat.
Salas smiled calmly. “No, I mean it. I really do. Though, I suppose it’s true I’ll be more relieved than anything to see you gone. You always were a bit of a thorn in my side, weren’t you?”
“Salas… Do you understand what you’re doing? You’re selling out your own people for your ambitions.”
Salas sneered. My father, by contrast, maintained his earnest politician’s face the whole time. He wanted to stop whatever Salas was plotting. It was my father who put the revolution in motion, but it was not in his design for the Nur Empire to take advantage of it.
“Why should I care about the people of Bauer? All my politicking has been for my own sake, not theirs. And I’ll have both Bauer and Nur dancing in the palm of my hands soon enough,” Salas said.
“…You’re incorrigible. Not being able to bring you down was my greatest failure.”
“Ha ha, say whatever you like. There’s nothing you can do at this point. Or would you like to challenge me now, alongside your daughter?” Salas darted his red eyes tauntingly at us.
“Why you—”
“Don’t, Claire. Ignore his cheap provocations. He may be weak, but the same can’t be said for his experiment there.”
“Heh heh. Why, how mighty kind of you.” Alter bowed like a performer would.
“What do you intend to do with us then, Salas?” my father asked. “Hand us over to the Nur Empire?”
“No, no. Your heads aren’t worth that much. I’ll have you two executed as symbols of the old order.”
Executed. The word made me grow pale. Belatedly, I realized how real this all was. I was going to die.
“Oh? Is something the matter, Claire? You’ve come a bit too far to start fearing death all of a sudden, don’t you think?”
Salas’s taunting was insufferable, but he was right. Suddenly, I was afraid of death. If I were lucky, I’d be beheaded. That would be over quickly. But I could just as well be burned alive. I trembled at the thought of the agony.
“No matter how brave you might pretend to be, you’re just a child. You can’t help but fear death. Perhaps I should be merciful and grant you an alternative.” He grinned. “Become my puppet, like Alter, and I’ll let you live.”
“Wha—don’t be ridiculous!” I shouted, incensed at the idea. I wouldn’t work for Salas, no matter what terms he offered.
…But with my life hanging in the balance, I had to admit I found the offer ever so slightly tempting. As a noble, that hurt my pride.
He laughed, seeming genuinely amused. “Ha ha ha, Is that so? What a shame. Then I suppose you’ll be departing this world, together with that haughty, noble pride of yours.”
“…Talk about bad humor,” Alter muttered under his breath.
I understood then that Salas had had no intention of letting me live. He just wanted to mess with me, the daughter of his old political enemy, as much as he could.
“What a waste of our time. Leave at once,” I said with a scoff.
“Oh? Should you be taking such an attitude? I do believe your life is in my hands at this very moment.”
“Claire is my flesh and blood,” my father said. “She’s prepared for whatever you throw her way.”
“Is that right? The thought of death seems to terrify her, if you ask me.”
“All people fear death. But a noble finds meaning in death, despite their fear.”
I gasped at my father’s words. I was, indeed, afraid of death. But would my death be meaningless? No. No, it certainly wouldn’t. My death would help mark a new era for the commoners—one in which they lived under a government that treated them properly.
Rae was a commoner. My death would pave the way to a brighter future for her as well. Gifted as she was, I was sure she would get along just fine. No…I was certain she would thrive in the new world.
Gradually, my trembling came to a halt.
“Oh? Putting up a brave front, are we, little lady?” Salas teased.
“Say whatever you like. Your comeuppance will come sooner or later,” I replied. My mind was calm now.
Who knew? Perhaps it would be Rae who’d deliver Salas’s punishment. I believed she was capable of putting a stop to him and saving Lilly.
“…Hmph. How dull. That’s enough, I suppose. Let’s be off, Alter.”
“Later then, you two. Don’t do anything hasty now, ya hear?”
Salas left the room with Alter in tow.
“Are you sure about this, Claire? I’m sure you could easily escape if—”
“I’m sure, Father. My will is set.”
I was ready. I might not have lived a long life, but it had been a life befitting a noble. Besides… Now I can finally apologize to my mother for that day.
My mother might be cross with me for dying so young, but I was sure she would praise me for staying true to my noble ideals until the bitter end.
“…I see. I understand.” My father hugged me once more.
Several uneventful days went by. Salas dropped by to taunt us every now and then, but my father and I were hardly bothered at this point. I fought to keep my heart calm for my impending death, but…
“It’s Rae Taylor! Stop her!”
Her arrival was more than enough to shake my resolve.
***
“…Rae?” I couldn’t see her, but just hearing her name was enough to make my heart stir. I thought I had resigned myself already. I thought I was prepared to die so she might live on in the new era. I thought I was ready to spend my numbered days without her. And yet…
Rae…you came!
I hadn’t eaten much these past few days, nor slept much, for that matter—perhaps because I kept seeing her in my dreams. I was at my limit, physically and mentally, so I couldn’t help but be excited at her arrival. I got up, about to burst through the door and break out of the room—then stopped.
I turned and saw my father’s gentle but sad expression. My heated emotions cooled all at once.
…If I leave, my father will be all alone, I realized. Of course, he probably wanted nothing more than for me to go. But I could not bring myself to let him die alone.
“Father, come wi—”
“I’m afraid I cannot, Claire.” He turned me down before I could even say the words.
“Why, Father?!”
“The people need something to make the end of our era feel real. My death is perfect for marking the end of the old world.” He stood by the window and looked outside. “You are loved dearly, Claire.”
His tone was hard to describe, a complicated mix of exasperation and envy. I neared the window and looked out as well. I was not surprised by what I saw.
“Rae…”
She’d come alone. Salas’s private soldiers blocked her way, their bodies clad in magic armor. Her expression was one of desperation as she flung her magic outward like it was the last chance she’d ever have to do so.
“It’s not too late, Claire. You can still go to her,” my father said. His gaze remained fixed on Rae. I didn’t say a word in response. I couldn’t. He sighed. “I was ultimately unable to do so myself, but a life lived solely for the sake of love is by no means a poor life. I can shoulder the sins of the old world well enough on my own.”
Feeling his gaze on me, I turned to look at him. On his face was an expression I had never seen from him before. “…Father?”
“I haven’t been a very good father to you, have I, Claire?”
“That’s not true!”
“No, it is. Ever since I lost Melia, I devoted myself to nothing but trying to bring down the nobility.”
I couldn’t make sense of what he was trying to say. Did he feel like he hadn’t been there for me? But I’d never once begrudged him for anything.
He continued. “To that end, I’ve sacrificed many things. My beliefs, my ideals, my money, my pride…even my one and only beloved daughter.”
“Please stop, Father. I understand very well why you did what you did. I’ve never once doubted you loved me.” I grew up spoiled. I was a selfish noble, and I was not afraid to admit it. But I knew my spoiled nature was a result of my father’s doting love.
“I raised you as a noble should, Claire…but I cannot say with confidence that I have raised you with the love of a father.”
“Father…”
“I planned to have you die with me for the sake of my scheme, for crying out loud. Even a complete outsider like Rae could see plain and clear how wrong of me that was.”
This was the first time I’d ever seen my father so vulnerable. He doubted the sincerity of his own love for me, and whether he’d been wrong to place his grand plan before my life. He’d probably never shared these thoughts with another living soul. He’d kept them bottled up inside for who knew how long, being tormented by them.
“…Father, could you please step away from the window for a moment?”
“Claire?”
“Quickly, please.”
“…Of course.” Though confused, he obliged.
…Rae, thank you for coming. I’m happy I could see you one last time before dying. I raised my magic wand up high. Salas hadn’t had our wands confiscated. Perhaps he had predicted this far?
“Claire? What are you doing?”
“Light! Magic Ray!” Four beams of light shot from the François family crests I summoned. The light tore through the window and seared the ground of the courtyard, leaving a mark. Just past the point of impact, Rae looked up at me in a daze. I was certain she understood what I meant to say.
“Claire…”
“This is my choice, Father.”
I watched Rae collapse to her knees. Manaria appeared out of nowhere, scooped up Rae, and fled with her in her arms.
“I, Claire François—beloved daughter of Dole François, Bauer’s great Minister of Finance—shall meet my end in November of Kingdom Year 2015.” Once Manaria and Rae were completely gone from sight, I turned around and faced my father. “Father, you were the greatest man Bauer has ever known, both as a noble and as a politician.”
“Claire…”
“You were also the most loving father there ever was, and the greatest father I could have asked for.”
“Oh, Claire…” He wrapped his arms tightly around me.
“It is my honor to die as a noble. This pride I hold on to is something I’ve inherited from you and my late mother. I wouldn’t give it up for the world.”
“Thank you, Claire. I understand what you mean.”
My feelings seemed to get through to him. With all my love, my resolve as a noble, and everything else, I hugged my father back.
“You truly are Melia’s child,” he said.
“Of course. Let’s go apologize to her together once this is all over,” I said.
For a brief, brief moment, my father frowned. Before I could think much of it, however, his usual dignified expression returned. I assumed I’d simply been mistaken about what I saw.
“Indeed… She deserves an apology.”
“Mother is kind, though. I’m sure she’ll forgive us.”
“…Yes, I’m sure she will.”
There was a great commotion downstairs. I later learned Rae’s raid had almost been successful. Salas’s private soldiers were defeated, as was Alter. In a panic, Salas came by and announced our execution was being moved up.
My lingering doubts were gone. Rae should have given up after the message I’d just sent. My resolve should have been made clear to her. Manaria had come to take her away, and I was sure I could count on her to comfort Rae when I was gone. I could meet my end with no regrets now.
I wouldn’t realize how wrong I was until much later. But for now, in this moment, I genuinely believed I was ready. |
Interlude: Behind the Scenes 1 (Manaria Sousse)
Interlude:Behind the Scenes 1(Manaria Sousse)
AFTER RETURNING from Bauer, I was thrust straight into the frustrating mess that was my family’s power struggle. The rotten nobles were fixated on predicting who the next ruler would be and which faction they should support to line their pockets as much as possible. They thought only of themselves, not their citizenry.
I was by no means a virtuous woman, but I was still royalty. I had little interest in tawdry politics, but I’d been raised to love my people. So when I returned to my country and saw it on the precipice of ruin, I did what I knew I must—I announced my candidacy for the throne. I was reluctant to return to this life, but I could not allow the people to suffer. As someone with the means to do what was right, I had a responsibility to take up the mantle. That was what it meant to be royalty.
“…But what is it that I can do?”
Having been exiled once, I received little support. The memory of my womanizing scandal was still fresh in the minds of the citizens. But I persisted in my campaign, promising to pass policies that would help the common man.
“Manaria Sousse, is it? Nice to meet you.”
The tides turned when Sousse’s largest newspaper interviewed me. Until then, they’d only interviewed the candidates higher in the line of succession for the throne. A young journalist named Bettina Ermini sought me out, though. It was surprising to see a woman in such a male-dominated profession. She wore black-rimmed glasses and had disheveled hair. At first, I was a bit unsure if she could write a proper article for me, but my doubts were dispelled in moments.
“Allow me to get straight to the point. Are you an ally to women?”
Even though she was speaking to royalty, she did not mince her words. She possessed a biting eloquence that ran contrary to her slack appearance. My opinion of her reversed in an instant. She was the real deal, unlike the many journalists who were only capable of writing puff pieces. She was the kind who’d show up on the scene and drag the truth into the light herself, pen in hand.
Her questions were numerous and varied. Obviously, she asked about the scandal. But she also asked about what kind of government I hoped to run, what kind of person I was, and what kind of future I envisioned for Sousse. The interview took a whole five and a half hours, and she never let up once. It took all I had to match her pace.
Looking back on it, I doubt I’d ever talked about myself at such length to anyone else. Among the questions she asked were a few personal ones that I would normally have declined to answer, but I understood right away that she wasn’t asking out of curiosity. She was asking so she could better paint an unbiased image of who I was as a person.
“Special Interview: Manaria Sousse and Her Vision for the Future.”
Bettina’s article caused waves. For what might have been the first time ever, the people of the kingdom truly saw me.
Opinion of me still remained divided, but I was being noticed far more than before. Gradually, more and more people began to praise the policies I proposed. I continued to promote myself but started soliciting the opinions of the people as well, incorporating their thoughts into my suggested policies and thereby winning the public’s favor. It hadn’t originally been my plan to take things in such a direction, but in hindsight, it was an obvious thing to do, and one that was far better received than I could have anticipated. I felt ashamed on behalf of the royal family—to think something as obvious as listening to the people’s thoughts had never occurred to us!
The citizens were fed up with royals and nobles, neither of whom ever stopped to consider what the people wanted. Hence, their support for me grew stronger. My opponents, who could only try to slander me, began to fall by the wayside.
Months later, the previous king appointed me as ruler. The whole process was more cut and dried than I expected. It was anticlimactic, really—but there was no doubt in my mind that it was what the people wanted, even though it resulted in some of my political opponents abandoning the country and drifting off elsewhere.
The responsibilities that came with leading a nation were great, but also more fulfilling than I’d expected. I’ve never had a child before, but I imagined raising one would be as similarly amusing as watching one’s nation grow. Of course, I never voiced this thought, knowing it would invite backlash.
I focused for a time on reforming the internal government. Then one day, unexpected news reached me.
“Your Majesty! A volcano has erupted in the Bauer Kingdom!”
To honor the terms of our alliance, I began at once to prepare to send aid to Bauer. A chill ran down my spine when I learned the nobility of Bauer had put themselves in power by establishing a provisional government. They were trying to depose the royal family, all while continuing to ignore the people’s wishes—and they were led by Dole François, of all people.
I couldn’t understand why he would do such a thing—but I didn’t have the time to try and consider his motives either. There were signs of the Nur Empire at work here, acting from the shadows. Prepared for the worst, I took the Sousse army and set out for Bauer.
Despite a few complications, we reached Bauer. Both the provisional and revolutionary governments seemed troubled by our arrival. I could understand the revolutionary government’s hesitation, given they were secretly backed by Nur, but it was odd for Dole’s provisional government to not want our aid.
I tried to meet directly with Dole to talk, but the revolution kicked off right then, with me as its direct witness. Dole was apprehended by the revolutionary government, and Claire surrendered herself shortly afterward. The unease I had felt only grew greater.
“Something’s not right…”
It was strange to think Dole would both allow himself to be vilified and not try to help Claire. But it was even stranger to think Rae would not stop both of them.
I gathered information as carefully as I could. Eventually, I found Rae—just as she was in the process of trying to save Claire. Though she fought hard, Claire ultimately shot her down.
It was then that I understood: This whole revolution was staged. In all likelihood, it was Dole who planned it. Rae might have had a hand in things too. But it was ending with both Dole and Claire dying, and Rae wanted none of that, so she was trying to save Claire…and Claire had just made it known she didn’t want to be saved.
Rae fell to her knees in a daze, staring at a broken window on the second floor of the government building before her. She was completely out of it.
“This way! Back Master Alter up!”
“Don’t let her escape alive!”
There was no time to dawdle. If Claire would answer even Rae this way, then there was nothing I could do to sway her mind. The only smart decision was to get out of here.
I picked Rae up. She was surprisingly light. It was hard to believe this small frame had shouldered so much. Dole really could be as cruel as his daughter.
I carried Rae away to the inn the Sousse forces were using, but she was still out of it. I didn’t blame her. She truly loved Claire. She had proven that to me beyond a doubt. Back then, I’d thought leaving Claire in her hands was for the best…but it seemed I was wrong.
It took days for Rae to come back to her senses.
“Lady Manaria…? What are you doing here?”
Her eyes, however, were still clouded with despair. I could see just how important Claire was to her.
To tell the truth, I was tempted. Part of me thought of taking advantage of Rae’s vulnerability and making her mine. She was a captivating woman. I hadn’t lied when I claimed to have feelings for her, back when we fought over Claire with the Scales of Love.
…But even if I did take advantage of her vulnerability and confess my feelings for her, what would be the point? A Rae without Claire wouldn’t be the same. Claire was already an irreplaceable part of who Rae was. If I made Rae mine here, she would just be an empty husk. The Rae I liked was the Rae who was hopelessly in love with Claire.
So I decided to encourage her, instead. I narrowly succeeded, helping her regain the will to steal Claire back. That made it twice now that I’d had to play the bad guy to bring the two of them together. Good grief. Rae was such a heartbreaker, and she didn’t even know it.
But this was fine. I was royalty. Love wasn’t in the cards for me; that much was inevitable. The only thing I wished for was for the one I once loved and the one I considered a little sister to welcome the new era together, hand in hand. |
Interlude: Behind the Scenes 2 (Lene Aurousseau)
Interlude:Behind the Scenes 2(Lene Aurousseau)
AFTER WE WERE EXILED, a harsh world awaited my brother and me in the Alpes. Our family was able to use their connections to continue doing trade, but my brother and I were disowned, left with no one to rely on.
“We have to hang in there, Lene.”
“I know…”
I understood this was a fitting punishment for what we’d done, but the two of us needed a way to make a living, regardless. After much asking around, we were lucky enough to find an inn willing to let us be live-in staff. The innkeeper was a cranky man, but he was kindhearted. My brother and I would never forget the debt we owed him for taking the two of us in.
At the inn, my brother handled customers and office work, while I cooked. My brother had always been the amicable sort, so he quickly got used to the work. I did my best too.
“…I’ll write you a letter of introduction.”
After some time, the innkeeper referred us to our next place of employment. Our original agreement had only been for us to work at the inn until we saved up enough money, so it was a stroke of fortune to have another opportunity land in our laps. What’s more, he was introducing us to a famous, high-class Alpecian restaurant. I knew this was the time to go all out.
At first, all I did was handle odd jobs. I had to learn how the restaurant and people worked before I tried anything. My chance came soon, however. Once a month, the restaurant held a contest where the employees submitted their own self-made dishes. I took the opportunity to use one of the recipes I’d gotten from Rae.
“What is this flavor?!”
“I’ve never eaten anything like this before!”
What I made was shrimp and broccoli mayonnaise stir fry. Mayonnaise was still rather uncommon—even in Bauer, only Broumet had adopted it—so my dish was well received. The recipe was added to the restaurant’s official menu, and I was put in charge of preparing the core components.
From there on, my streak of good luck continued. The shrimp and broccoli mayonnaise stir fry dish became an overnight sensation, bringing in a flood of customers. One was a wealthy gourmand by the name of Edgar, who was thinking of someday opening his own ideal restaurant. He offered me money multiple times to one day run that restaurant, but I dismissed it for a scam at first, thinking it sounded too good to be true. I had my brother, who was studying clerical work and Alpecian law, investigate Edgar a bit—and it turned out he was indeed a famous gourmand, and had invested in a number of chefs who went on to establish their own restaurants. My brother and I decided to take up Edgar’s offer.
“We did it, Lene. Things are truly beginning for us.”
“Indeed, Brother.”
We named our restaurant Frater, meaning “siblings” in the old Bauer language. We thought of using the word for “lovers” instead but ultimately refrained. Our restaurant’s name signified hope. We would not forget our past mistakes. We would work to grow past them.
Using Rae’s recipes, Frater quickly became famous. Our most popular item by far was a dessert, crème brûlée. So many of my memories of Rae and Claire were bound up in this dish that it felt like fate for it to become our bestseller.
Another big factor in our success was the magic-stone-powered cookware that my brother created. Apparently, he’d gotten the idea from Rae back when we were still in Bauer. The new cookware allowed us to do more with less staff, and even sell our crème brûlée to other restaurants, greatly expanding our business. We also began selling the cookware as well. It was safe to say my brother was a big reason why we were able to make it as far as we did.
One month after we established Frater, my brother and I went to Bauer, which was where we were currently located. We had heard of the eruption of Mt. Sassal, as well as the chaos in the kingdom that followed.
Under normal circumstances, exiles like us would never have been allowed to set foot back in Bauer. However, an organization calling themselves the revolutionary government came to us requesting financial support. We knew something was going down in Bauer, so under the pretense of doing business with them, we returned.
“Well, this is…”
“…Just terrible.”
The royal capital had none of the beauty I remembered it for. Many buildings were visibly damaged by the volcanic eruption, but most harrowing of all was the lifeless look in the people’s eyes. I had to do something to help them.
I ended up offering more financial support than the revolutionary government requested. I planned to make up the difference from my own savings, but my brother insisted otherwise.
“It is by His Majesty King l’Ausseil’s kindness that we are alive right now. He may have departed this world, but I want to show my gratitude to him as well.”
In the end, we decided Frater itself, as a business, would send financial aid. Unsurprisingly, the revolutionary government welcomed us with open arms for our donation. What was surprising, however, was learning more about their operations. Since we were donors, they were willing to give us detailed reports of their activities—which led to us learning Duke François and his daughter had been apprehended.
I thought I would pass out the moment I read the report. The revolutionary government was trying to bring down the nobility-based one. As things stood, Claire’s life was in danger.
Canceling my support would’ve been easy enough, but by that point, the revolutionary government had enough funds to be secure without Frater’s backing. And so, I stayed on the revolutionary government’s side so I might continue to monitor them from within.
The days crawled by at a snail’s pace. Even though I knew Claire might die, all I could do was keep watch and hope nothing happened.
Then one morning, a letter arrived from Manaria.
“Rae!”
“Hey, Lene. It’s been a while… I’m sorry.” The moment we reunited, Rae bowed her head low. She apologized for hiding her true plans and for being unable to stop Claire.
“You have nothing to apologize for. If you couldn’t stop her, then I’m sure nobody could,” I said. “Besides, it’s not like you’ve given up, right?”
“…Right.” I saw determination swell in her. She seemed ready to get Claire back, no matter what.
“Then let’s work together.”
“Yes, let’s. Thank you, Lene.”
And that was how I became Rae’s coconspirator in her plan to save Claire while our restaurant, Frater, remained a supporter of the revolutionary government.
“Miss Claire…” Even now, I adored her. I considered her my mistress, and would always do so, no matter how much time came to pass. I understood very well why she was trying to die in this revolution, but… “I would rather you live.”
As someone who once betrayed her, I might not have had the right to say such a thing. But even so, I meant it.
“Let’s do this, Lene!”
“Yeah!” I wasn’t alone. I had Rae, Manaria, and even my precious brother with me. “Just you wait, Miss Claire.”
My desires thus united with Rae’s, I awaited the arrival of the fated day. |
Interlude: Behind the Scenes 3 (Misha Jur)
Interlude:Behind the Scenes 3(Misha Jur)
OF THE THREE ROYAL CHILDREN, the one furthest removed from the revolution was undoubtedly Yu. With the Harvest Festival incident we helped her pull off, she’d abandoned her right to the throne. Even after the country’s government split into the provisional government and the revolutionary government, both sides kept their distance from her.
“It looks like Claire’s making her move. I’m thinking I’ll help out as well.”
When Claire first told us she was going to begin helping with the rationing efforts—presumably alongside Rae—I didn’t want Yu to get involved. She was finally at peace, after so many years of being forced to go through life in the guise of a gender she didn’t want. I didn’t want that peace to be disturbed.
Yu, of course, saw right through me and laughed. “There’s no need for the frown, Misha. I may have renounced my bid for the throne, but I still care about my people.”
She told me in her own words that this was what she wanted. She could be rather hard to pin down at times, but there was no denying that she was raised with the noble values of royalty.
We started helping with rationing efforts at once. The Church already opened soup kitchens in the winter anyway, so the whole process wasn’t unfamiliar to us. Financing appeared to be a problem at first, but Claire and Rae provided plenty of funds sourced from who-knew-where.
Things eventually got worse than they’d already been, however. About half of the provisional government’s army switched sides and joined up with the revolutionary army, the two sides then beginning to skirmish. Public safety took a turn for the worse, and the rationing provided by both governments was suspended. The needy came to us all at once for food. I suggested we stop rationing until things cooled down, but Yu stubbornly insisted we continue.
“Right now, the ones suffering the most are those fighting for neither government: the powerless common people.”
She insisted we continue rationing for their sake. As a former noble myself, I was familiar with the idea of noblesse oblige. But what Yu had was something far grander. Perhaps that’s just what it meant to be royalty.
If the revolution continued to intensify as it had, there was a chance the royalty would become targets alongside the nobility. Yu didn’t seem to care about that possibility one bit, however. Nor did Thane, for that matter. The revolutionary government supported his ascension to the throne, but he didn’t let that go to his head and still did all he could. Rod’s well-being was unknown, but I was sure he was doing the same somewhere. The three of them all were doing what they could for the people. Perhaps, then, I ought to reconsider what I should be trying to do.
After some time, our financial support from Claire and Rae ceased. I became unable to contact Rae as well. Without money, we could not provide food. I thought we had hit the end of our road when Manaria and Lene suddenly showed up.
“You’ve done well to hold out this long. Let me lend you a hand.”
“Lady Misha, let me do what I can to help as well.”
Manaria brought a number of resources from Sousse, while Lene provided a small fortune she’d somehow procured. Thanks to them both, we were able to continue distributing food to those who needed it.
Even better—Rod eventually arrived on the scene too.
“Yo. Sorry I’m a little late.”
His body was covered in wounds, but he still had his usual big, reassuring grin on his face. He’d been caught in the eruption, as we’d feared, but narrowly escaped death—albeit at the cost of losing his arm. He should have been on bed rest, but the sheer force of his pride as royalty brought him back to the capital after receiving only the briefest care from the village he saved.
Later, Rae joined us. Now we only needed Claire back before we’d have all the Academy Knights reassembled.
“Leave the soldiers on both sides of this mess to me. I’ll cool their heated heads down,” Rod said.
“I’ll take care of exposing Salas’s dirty workings. Rae, could you compile Dole’s achievements?” I said.
“Of course.”
“That leaves taking care of Alter to me, huh? I might be able to use Spellbreaker to free her from whatever spell she’s under,” Manaria said.
The day before the public executions, we all gathered to work out our plan. We were dead set on saving Claire and Dole, and not just for selfish reasons either. Of course, everyone here owed both Claire and Rae a lot. But we also believed Claire and Dole were both people the world needed, even after the nobility fell.
I could not save them myself. But I would watch and do what I could to make sure things went right.
An anonymous message reached us. It seemed Thane was doing what he could from where he was as well.
Our preparations were done. All that was left was to wait for tomorrow.
“…Say, when we were kids, we took day naps together a lot, didn’t we?”
“We did. I remember it was always a struggle getting you to wake up.”
That night, we stayed over at the place where the people from Sousse were lodging. As there weren’t enough beds, Rae and I shared one.
“Rae?”
“Yeah?”
“…Are you worried?” She seemed kind of restless. I figured talking about it might help.
“Yeah. I’m a bit worried.”
“I see…”
“But the thing I’m most worried about is how I’ll make Miss Claire change her mind.”
“That does seem like it’ll be a challenge.”
Claire had changed. When I first met her at the Academy so many years ago, she was your typical selfish and snobby noble. But she now bore the values of an old-fashioned noble, the very same values I saw in Dole. Out of pride and a sense of duty, she was welcoming her death. It would take a lot to sway her will.
“Lady Manaria suggested I hold nothing back and tell her I want her to live, but I don’t know if that’ll be enough…” Rae grinned wryly.
“It’s not like you’ve held back with Miss Claire up until now or anything. Would that really cut it?”
“That’s what I’m saying. But Lady Manaria keeps insisting it’d be enough.”
“Is that so…”
Why was that, I wondered? Rae wasn’t the type to conceal her true feelings. Of course, she could hide things when needed, like the plan she made with Dole, but when it came to her love for Claire, well…she wore her feelings on her sleeve. I swear, she whispered sweet nothings to Claire every opportunity she got.
Ah. But then again…
“Rae… Don’t you think you’re a bit too used to failure?”
“Huh?”
“I’m sure it’s partly because of your past life’s experiences, but I’ve hardly ever seen you flustered by a setback.” And I was sure Claire would say the same. “Rae…to be in love is an unsightly thing.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Well, to give an example… When you and Miss Claire came to us asking for help with the rationing efforts, I actually wished Lady Yu would turn you down.”
“Whoa. That’s quite a confession.”
“Focus, Rae,” I chided. She sulked and urged me to continue. “You always act like whatever’s happening isn’t a big deal.”
“What? No, I’m not.”
“You may not realize it, but that’s how it seems to others. I’m sure part of why Miss Claire was willing to die for the revolution was because she thought you would be okay without her.”
“Oh…” Rae went silent.
“…Rae?”
“That’s certainly a novel idea.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, sorry. It’s just that I’ve never stopped to think that might be how others saw me.” She scratched her head awkwardly.
“I apologize if I upset you.”
“No, not at all. What you said was a big help. Few people are lucky enough to have a friend as sweet and caring as you.”
“How glib.”
“Ehe heh.”
Seeing her joke around like this, I figured she would probably be okay. “All right, let’s get to sleep. We have an early morning tomorrow.”
“Right. Good night, Misha. And thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. Good night.”
The morning of the public executions was here.
“You ready, Rae?” Manaria asked.
“Ready. This time for sure, I’ll make Miss Claire understand just how hopeless of a human being I am!”
“You’ll what now?” Rod, overhearing Rae’s reply, laughed. Yu and I were present as well, as were Lene and Lambert.
“Oh, you’ll understand. I’ll rescue my princess, not with grace or gallantry, but unsightliness!”
“You’re not making any sense, Rae,” Lene said with a sigh.
Rae was her usual chipper self. This unique brand of off-kilterness was similar to how she had declared she would accept Claire’s bullying if it meant she would get her attention way back when we first enrolled at the Academy. I didn’t know what to say to her then, but I did now.
“I’m glad to see you’re yourself, Rae. Now go break a leg.”
***
CLAIRE’S POV
“Let this trial by the people begin!” Like a performer on a stage, Salas loudly announced the trial’s start.
My father and I had both been dressed in formalwear, our hands tied behind our back. The fact they hadn’t had us come out in rags was likely meant to elicit further animosity from the commoners.
“Dole François and Claire François stand before you, charged with the crime of using their status as nobility to exploit the people!” Salas proclaimed. He acted as though he hadn’t exploited the people himself. I had already fully accepted the fact that I was dying to help usher in a new era, but I didn’t quite like that this man was the one who would be standing at the top of said new era. “What’s more, they’ve attempted to seize power for themselves while the royal family was recovering! A heinous act!”
Angry shouts came from the crowd of commoners. I did not blame them for despising us. We nobility have done awful things, things well worth their ire.
The trial continued. Salas listed off our crimes and deemed us guilty on all counts. After finishing, he asked my father if he had anything to say for himself.
“I have nothing to say. I dedicated myself to the kingdom. If the kingdom is to fall, then I shall fall with it.” My father was intent on playing the fool until the very end. He was certain to go down in history as a villain of sorts. He loved his kingdom dearly, yet he would be remembered in infamy. The thought tore at my heart.
“He admits to the crime! There will be an execution!” On Salas’s signal, a few soldiers entered. It was time.
My life had been a well-lived one, neither too short nor too long. It had both bad and good in it, and I could remember it all. But right now, only the happiness-filled days flitted through my mind.
The executioner who would bring the sword down on my neck asked, “Do you have any last words?”
“I do not. I lived a life of no regrets. Do what you shall.”
“…Very well.”
Without looking, I sensed the executioner lift his sword. I closed my eyes and, in my heart, said farewell one last time. Goodbye, Rae.
“I object to this trial!”
I heard a voice from someone I never thought I would hear again. Especially not here. With a start, I looked over to see a small-statured girl desperately trying to get past the soldiers.
“Guards, throw her out,” Salas ordered.
“Wait,” a man said. “That woman has been an invaluable contributor to the revolutionary government. You will not force her out.”
“But, Lambert…” Salas said hesitantly.
I hadn’t noticed at all, but the man who spoke up was Lambert, who should have been exiled from the kingdom. He had changed greatly. His appearance was roughly the same, but he seemed more unshakable now, like a firmly rooted tree. I was still left wondering why he was here when things kept moving along.
“I object to this trial. The true villain who exploited the people and put our nation into such a crisis is someone else!” Rae’s voice rang as loud and clear as a bell. I never thought I would hear that voice of hers again. My chest tightened.
“What is this idiocy? Who would you accuse of such crimes besides Duke François?”
“I will show you now. Lene!”
“Right here, Rae.” Lene appeared beside Rae. What was going on? First Rae arrived, then Lambert, and now Lene—all three of them shouldn’t be here. “Dole François is no traitor to his country. In fact, he is nothing less than a true patriot.”
She began to list all of my father’s actions, including his support for the revolutionary government.
“When Miss Claire, Rae Taylor, and Cardinal Lilly brought corrupt aristocrats to justice, Master Dole was secretly supporting and guiding them.” She spoke boldly, acting nothing like the Lene I knew. She had changed greatly in the months we’ve been apart. “He has also donated funds to the Resistance under the name ‘XX’ since its founding.” Wait, no, at this moment, her change wasn’t what was important. What was she doing here? My mind still hadn’t comprehended what was going on. “For those reasons, I say Dole François is a true patriot who would do anything for this country.”
“Ridiculous! He still formed the provisional government, taking advantage of our lack of a king!”
“Are you in a place to make such accusations, Salas?” a cool alto voice interrupted.
“Lady Yu? But what are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing. After all, you’re the real criminal here.” Yu’s proclamation made the crowd stir.
“Salas is the criminal?”
“Maybe Yu really did go insane.”
“But she doesn’t look insane…”
Everyone seemed bewildered. Yu’s voice cut through all their murmurings, however. I was willing to bet Misha’s magic was to thank for that.
“This man before you, Salas Lilium, is the true traitor to Bauer. He has been working with the Nur Empire, trying to seize control of the country for himself.” Yu’s accusation was biting. A commotion swept through the crowd.
“What are you talking about, Lady Yu?” Salas said. “You still seem to be suffering from some manner of hysteria. You ought to return to the convent, where you can find some peace.”
“Our investigation is already complete. Will you do the honors, Rae?”
“Of course.” Rae took something shaped like a card out of her pocket. “This magical tool holds proof of all of Salas’s dealings with the empire. Everyone, do not be deceived by him!”
With Misha’s wind magic, the voice recorded in the magic tool was replayed at full volume for all to hear. Salas’s guilt was now exposed.
“…You all leave me no choice.” Salas took a whistle out from his pocket and blew into it hard. Its sharp sound pierced through the uproar of the crowd. Moments later, a group appeared—likely Salas’s personal soldiers. “Take control of the situation.”
The moment Salas gave the order, an explosion stopped the soldiers in their tracks.
“Not so fast!” an awe-inspiring voice said. “Sorry I’m late. But the hero has to make a dramatic entrance, right?”
It was Rod, laughing after being missing for all this time. His right arm was gone, but his old overbearing personality was still very much there.
“Just give it up, Salas. Most of your soldiers have already submitted to me. Just call it a difference in charisma.”
“Ngh… You couldn’t just stay dead, could you? You just had to get in my way…” Salas glared bitterly at Rod, who scoffed back. “But it’s not over for me yet! Lilly!”
“Ah jeez. It ended up like this after all, eh?” Alter stepped out of the shadows with a dagger on his hip. He wore black leather armor paired with a black cloak.
“Kill Dole, Claire, and the royal children! With them gone, we can spin whatever story we like!”
“You make it sound so easy. I mean, I’ll try, but…” With an annoyed look, Alter drew his dagger. The gray blade was wet with what looked to be poison.
Alter was strong. With how chaotic things had turned, he might be able to fatally wound someone. Just as I thought that, however, Manaria gallantly appeared before Alter. “Shame on you, Salas, for turning a girl into this! Spellbreaker!”
“Stop it! Stay inside! This body is mine, I tell you! Mine!” Alter screeched, as though fighting for control of his body with Lilly.
“Miss Lilly, come back to us!” Rae yelled.
“R-Rae—shut uuuuup!” Alter brandished his dagger and charged toward Rae.
I worried for a moment Rae would be harmed, but she surprised me by stepping forward and hugging Lilly. After a big twitch, Lilly went limp like a puppet with its strings cut.
“I…did it, Rae…” After saying that, she fell unconscious in Rae’s arms.
“Now even Lilly has deserted you. This is the end, Salas!”
“Argh… Damn it all!” Salas spat.
Rae pointed her magic wand toward him.
“Rae Taylor!” he snapped. “Open your eyes!”
He still wouldn’t give up. He cast his suggestion magic on Rae, trying to take control of her like he did with Lilly.
“Ha ha ha!” he cackled. “You will be my second Lilly—”
“You think I’d let that happen?” Manaria said. I looked to see Rae was herself again. “Once I learn how to counter a spell, I never forget. Pitiful.” She aimed the tip of her magic wand at Salas. “This time it’s truly the end, Salas Lilium.”
It was time Salas paid the price for his actions. He was arrested by the government soldiers who had served him before.
“What’s going on?”
“So, who’s the bad guy here?”
“Who are we supposed to execute?”
Confusion rippled through the crowd. It started small, then gained momentum, building until the chatter was like rumbling thunder.
“Silence!” A voice drowned out all the noise. All at once, everything became quiet. “So Salas was a villain, then. So what?” The voice belonged to Arla Manuel, the woman who stood at the helm of the revolution. “You think we’re just going to call the revolution off because of that?”
***
“We weren’t manipulated into starting this revolution by anybody. This revolution has been a long time coming.” Arla’s voice was by no means beautiful, but something about it made one want to listen. Like my father, she had inborn charisma. “The nobility abandoned us. They left us to starve! I don’t care what reasons there were, someone must pay for their crimes, and who better than these two elites of the nobility?”
Unlike Salas, Arla had no dirty secrets we could reveal. It was hard to argue against her.
“Down with the old world!”
“Kill the aristocrats!”
“Long live the revolution!”
It certainly didn’t help that the commoners were on her side, their shouts only gaining in intensity. Rae tried to speak, but nobody cared to pay her any mind at this point.
But then a soft sound rippled through all the noise. At first it was too faint, drowned out by the voices of the mob. It slowly became heard, however, the soft, undulating tones washing away the anger of the people. It was the sound of Thane’s harp. He stopped and spoke in a low baritone voice, bearing all the grace of a king. “My people. Listen to this girl, just this once. She has something to say.”
Everyone—even Arla—went silent.
“Rae Taylor, what do you have to say?” Thane prompted.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Rae addressed the crowd again. “My beloved countrymen, what is it you desire?” She spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. I could tell she was focusing on her tone and expression as well. “Is it to kill nobility? I would think not. I believe what you truly yearn for is stability in your lives.”
The crowd was perplexed. The majority still seemed out for blood, but some—a few—connected with Rae’s words.
“Master Dole and Miss Claire have worked harder than anybody to bring peace to us all. What reason do we have to kill them?”
A man shouted, “But we, the people—”
“You are individuals before you are a group! You there, what is your name?” Rae questioned the man. He clammed up, so she moved on. “Then what about you, who threw the rock? Or you, next to him?” Another man went silent, so she continued. “You’re all living, breathing people. Tell me your thoughts, not what you think the group thinks. Do you really want to kill Master Dole and Miss Claire?”
Nobody spoke up in opposition this time. Rae had craftily dismantled their mob mentality by reminding them of their individuality.
“Certainly, many nobles disregarded the needs of the commoners. But these two are different,” she continued. It was clear the commoners were fully listening now. “If you execute these two today, will you be able to tell your children you did so with pride? Will you be able to tell them of the righteousness of the revolution?”
To think I had been the one to teach her to speak like this.
“And don’t think I’ve got nothing to say to you, Miss Claire!” Rae said.
“…Huh?” I made a face like a pigeon hit by a peashooter, not having expected the topic to shift to me.
“If you’re dead, then who will restore Dole’s honor once peace returns?”
“W-well…” I hadn’t thought of it like that before. She had me there. I hemmed and hawed, unable to answer.
“Does being a noble mean you have to take blame for crimes you didn’t commit? Do you feel pride in sacrificing your life for nothing?!”
“Wait, Rae. Let me speak—”
“Why not live for me instead of dying for temporary honor?”
“…I’m sorry, but I—” I believed dying here to give the commoners closure was my duty as a noble. But Rae didn’t approve.
“Shut up! Can’t you just listen to what I want for once?!”
I felt my heart stir as she shouted at me for the first time ever. “Rae, I—”
“Shut up, shut up! How could you be so stupid?! I can’t believe you!” She was in tears. The ever-aloof and teasing Rae, in tears. Her face was a sorry mess that was hard to look at, and it was all my fault.
What are you doing just standing there, Claire François? The woman you love is crying. Quit dawdling and go wipe her tears!
“Look…if you two are going to squabble, could you do it somewhere else?” Arla’s voice brought me back to my senses. She made a face like she’d just swallowed a fly. “Someone get this girl out of here.”
“No! I’m not going anywhere without Claire, not ever again. If Claire is going to die, then so am I!”
“W-wait, Rae!” I yelled.
“Augh!” Arla groaned. “All right. Fine, all right, stop with the screaming and crying. It’s not like we can have an execution now, anyway.”
“…Huh?” I said.
“See for yourself.” Arla pointed to the crowd.
“Huh… I suppose if they’re not nobles anymore, then it’s not a real problem, I guess?” someone said.
“Miss Claire saved me from starvation, you know.”
“She helped me too. The noble I served was corrupt, but Miss Claire found me a new post after she had him arrested. She saved my whole family.”
The crowd’s opinion had shifted. Arla untied the rope binding my hands and looked off into the distance. “The people have started thinking for themselves. I don’t need to pull them along anymore.”
“Arla…”
“My mission is complete. So long as the system of titled nobility is abolished, I don’t care what else happens. I won’t take your life. Most of you nobles probably aren’t going to make it in this new world, anyway.” Arla laughed. “I look forward to the day I see an ex-noble begging a commoner for a loan. Now, go on and get out of here. You can’t welcome the dawn of a new era dressed in mourning clothes.”
“…Thank you.”
Together with Rae, still in tears, I left the courtroom behind.
“You really are impossible, you know that?” I sighed. In the nearby park, I made Rae sit on her knees in the grass, preparing her for a lecture. She looked like she had complaints to make, but she certainly wouldn’t make them before me. “Do you realize how much trouble you caused everyone?”
Under her breath, she mumbled, “Uhhh, that’s weird… Isn’t this supposed to be the part where the rescued damsel showers me in love and gratitude…?”
“What nonsense are you muttering there?”
“Nothing!”
“Goodness, Rae. I just don’t know what to do with you. You’re always so reckless and—” I began lecturing her at length. Of course, I was just being bashful. I wanted to hug her right this very moment, to tell the truth.
It wasn’t just Rae I was thankful to, of course. I was happy beyond measure that everyone had worked together to help me. If it weren’t for my pride as a noble and my desire to look strong before Rae, I’d probably be on the floor in tears this moment.
“…Don’t be too hard on her, Claire.”
“Master Thane! I-I mean, Your Majesty!” I exclaimed. “Is the trial over?”
“It’s been canceled, given all that happened. The trial was only for Salas to make a public example of you and Dole, anyway. The revolutionary government considers the whole thing behind them.”
Rae spoke up then, seeming to remember something only at that moment. “That reminds me, Your Majesty. I forgot to thank you.”
“For what?”
“Your harp. You were incredible back there.”
“You truly were,” I said. “Everyone was mesmerized.”
“…Nonsense. I didn’t do anything special. Playing the harp is just something I do to kill time,” he said. He seemed to still not like being praised for playing the harp even though he was so wonderful at it.
“Who taught you to play like that?” Rae asked.
“My mother… When she was still alive, on her sickbed.”
“Oh, I see.” Rae paused for a moment like an idea had come to her. “Then I guess her love lives on in you through your music.”
Thane’s eyes went wide. I wondered what might be wrong, when suddenly a single tear streamed down his cheek.
“Y-Your Majesty?” Rae stammered.
“Your Majesty, is something the matter?” I asked, worried.
“…I’m fine…I’m fine, it’s just…to think she’s always been with me this whole time…” His voice was only a low murmur, but it was full of reflection.
I had liked Thane in the past. But having now learned what love feels like from Rae, I can safely say my feelings for him were never anything more than admiration. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t care about him. Seeing a long-held burden lift off his shoulders like this brought me relief.
I noticed my father watching us from a short distance away. He seemed like he still had some regrets, but he wore a look of relief as well. I could just imagine the words he might say: So in the end, we failed to die…
Indeed, Father. We failed to die. But I’m sure there is meaning to be found in living as well.
“Hey, Rae, Claire. That was nicely played back there, not that I expected any less.” Manaria arrived, accompanied by Lene.
“Miss Claire! It’s been too long!”
“Sister! And Lene!” I was overcome with joy to see the two. I had thought I would never see either of them again. Lene seemed just as overjoyed by our reunion, perhaps because our last parting had been for what we thought would be life. She hugged me with tears in her eyes, and I began to tear up as well.
“Are you jealous, Rae? You’re still welcome to be my wife,” Rod said as he joined our growing gathering.
“I refuse.”
“I know.” He let out a roar of laughter. He was as cheerful as ever and would probably continue to be the way he was, never faltering, for as long as he lived.
“Rae… Miss Claire…” Lilly stood some distance away, a soldier on both sides. “I want to apologize.”
“Oh, Miss Lilly… It’s okay. None of what happened was your fault,” Rae said.
“Rae is absolutely right. Salas used you,” I said.
Lilly’s split personality, Alter, was something made by Salas. All the blame lay on him. If anything, Lilly was a victim here.
“E-even so, what I’ve done was unforgivable. I will accept whatever punishment the people decree.” I could tell her will was set in stone. That being the case, halfhearted platitudes weren’t what she needed.
“Very well. Be sure to atone for your crimes, then.”
“Miss Claire, that’s a bit harsh…” Rae said.
I continued, “Once you’ve done that, come back to us. We will wait for you, as long as it takes.”
Tears began to well up and pour from Lilly’s eyes. “Thank you, Miss Claire. I hope I can fight over Rae with you someday again.”
She was taken away by the soldiers then. I didn’t know what her punishment would ultimately be, but I truly wished her the best.
“This has become quite the party, huh?” Rod whistled as he looked at the assembled faces. He was right, of course. We had all three royal children now gathered, as well as Manaria, Lene with Lambert in tow, and even Misha.
“It would seem Lady Claire and Rae are blessed with good company,” Misha emotionally said.
“Well…” Yu gently interjected. “Everyone here has been aided by Rae and Claire at some point. I think it’s more appropriate to say their actions are what have brought us together like this.”
Her words resonated deeply with me. Mother, are you watching? Together with Rae, I’ve done many things. I acted a bit rashly for a moment, but even a girl as selfish as I was able to make this many wonderful, wonderful friends.
“C’mon now, Rae. Wasn’t there something you wanted to tell Claire when you saw her again?” Manaria took a teasing tone. I felt her push me from behind.
Caught off guard, I stumbled a few steps forward. Before I realized it, I was standing right before Rae, who had a serious look on her face.
“Um… Miss Claire?”
“Wh-what?”
“W-well… Actually, never mind…”
“If you have something to say, say it.”
The important things needed to be said right away as one never really knew if another chance would come. Sooner was better than never. I’d learned that lesson the hard way.
Of course, that lesson applied to me as well. I had nearly walked to my death. There was something I needed to tell Rae.
“Miss Claire!”
“Yes, yes, out with it already,” I said curtly to hide my embarrassment.
She grabbed my shoulders and said, “Please marry me!”
It took a few moments for her words to process in my mind. When they finally did so, I went as red as a tomato. Cheers erupted from the peanut gallery.
“You’re asking me this n-now? In public? Isn’t that something you’re supposed to do when we’re alone?!”
I hadn’t the slightest idea how I should respond to such an unexpected proposal. Of course, I understood the actual act of responding was quite a simple matter: I merely needed to nod and say “With pleasure,” did I not? But alas, even in such a critical moment, I could not swallow my pride.
“Really? Well, give me a redo anyway.”
“F-fine. I’ll make a special exception and allow it.”
“A redo of this, Miss Claire.”
“Huh?”
She drew close while I was still confused and gently stole my lips. My thoughts stopped a second time, and our surroundings went silent.
“I wanted a first kiss whose taste I could remember.” She smiled impishly like she had pulled off a prank.
“Wh-wha, Rae, you are just so, so, so…! Rae, you are just so… You’re always so…so Rae!”
“I didn’t know my name was an adjective!”
When I came to my senses, I began gently pounding my fists against her. For some inexplicable reason she had this peaceful, enlightened look on her face. Honestly, she was just…just so Rae.
“You better make me happy, okay?” I mumbled.
“Huh?” Rae and everyone around us froze stiff.
“I-I said, you better make me happy!”
Everyone looked at me in silence.
“Wh-what? Say something, will y—”
Everyone around us broke out in cheers of celebration. I was too embarrassed to look anyone in the eyes when, suddenly, Rae took me by the hand and pulled me into a trot.
“Where are we going?!”
“Anywhere! We can go anywhere, so long as we’re together!”
I once gave up all hope for the future, but now a blank canvas stretched out before me. I had no idea what kind of future I would paint, but there was one thing that was certain: I would paint it with Rae by my side. |
Epilogue
Epilogue
“WOOOW. So that’s what was running through your mind back then.”
“Hmph. I can’t believe you hid such thoughts from me.”
Several months had passed since the revolution. Rae and I now led a modest but peaceful life in the outskirts. Today she and I found out we both kept diaries, so we gave each other’s a read out on the chairs of our house’s terrace.
The past year or so from her perspective was quite a bit different than mine. I had only thought of her as a complete nuisance around the time we first met, but she was already head over heels in love with me. I wanted to curl up into a ball of shame just reading how I acted back then. I’m impressed she put up with me for so long, honestly.
“So, what’d you find most unexpected?” she asked.
I took my time to think before answering. “Your plan with my father, I suppose. That wasn’t even that long after we met.”
“Oh yeah, that. Man, it was a lot of fun plotting behind your back.” She grinned like a mischievous little rascal. The two of them had kept their master plan a secret from me, but given how I was, I could hardly fault them for it.
“What about you, Rae? What was the most unexpected thing from my diary?” Rae said she had a way of seeing the future, including things that concerned me, so there was a chance there was nothing unexpected at all for her in my diary.
“Hmm, there’s too much to narrow it down to just one thing.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. Like for instance, you weren’t ever really that much of a villainess, even when we first met.”
“Oh…? Is that right?” It seemed she expected me to be more heartless and cruel, not the caring, upright noble lady I was.
“And I guess I’m surprised to learn Lady Pepi and Lady Loretta weren’t just your minions.”
“Of course not. The two of them are my dear friends, and don’t you mistake it.”
“My bad.”
Some of what happened to Pepi and Loretta was also written in my diary. Rae didn’t have a high opinion of the two, but that seemed to have changed slightly after reading my diary. It would be a problem if she couldn’t get along with my friends, so it was best we cleared up her misunderstandings sooner than later.
“What you wrote around the time of the Amour Ceremony was pretty interesting, Miss Claire.”
“Excuse me? I told you not to read those parts!”
“And by that you meant you actually really wanted me to read those parts, right?”
“How does that make any sense?!”
The Amour Ceremony ultimately pulled Rae and I closer together, but the whole ordeal was still embarrassing. I couldn’t even recall the events without blushing.
“But, wow… You were already all over me back then, huh? I had no idea.”
“Honestly, it’s a wonder how you couldn’t tell. Just how dense are you?”
“Sorry.” She smiled a bit sheepishly. “Oh, right. Seeing how much you grew as a noble through your diary was pretty interesting.”
“Ugh. I was such a child when we first met. Just thinking about it brings me grief.”
There was a time I only thought of commoners as people to be ruled over. I even looked down on children for panhandling. Oh, how immature I was. Such was not befitting a lady of House François.
“But you grew. People are even calling you a hero of the revolution now, aren’t they?”
“You embarrass me. Most of what I did was secretly arranged by you and Father. I’ve hardly done anything worthy of praise.” I would not claim the accomplishments of others as my own. It didn’t matter if I was no longer a noble; I still had my pride.
“There was one entry in your diary that I found strange, though,” Rae said.
“What’s that, then?”
“Did you have a roommate?”
“No? I’ve always lived alone at the dorm.” Presumably, I was given special treatment as I was a duke’s daughter.
“That’s what I thought. But according to your diary, you had a roommate: a noble lady you’ve known since you were a child.”
“Pardon?” That couldn’t be right. There weren’t that many people I’d known since I was a child. There was only my family, the head maid, Lene, and maybe a few others.
“It was definitely written in your diary that you had a roommate named Catherine Achard.”
“Catherine Achard… So she was a lady from House Achard?” The name was unfamiliar to me, but for some reason hearing it made my heart race. I racked my brain trying to remember when a voice spoke up.
“Catherine? Oh, that girl?”
“Sister!”
“Hey, Claire. You two look like you’re doing well.”
It was Manaria. We hadn’t met her since she helped us during the revolution, so it’d been a few months. But there were more pressing matters that came before celebrating our reunion.
“You know about this Catherine, Sister?” I asked.
“I do. That Catherine girl is, well…somebody who met a tragic fate.”
“Oh dear. I’m sorry to hear that,” Rae said.
“Oh, I don’t mean like that. She’s alive. But I don’t think she’ll come see you two ever again.” Manaria knew something, but she seemed to be thinking over whether to tell us. “She made the tough choice to wipe herself from your memories, and I’d like to respect that if possible.”
“What? But—” I tried to stand, but she gestured for me to stay seated.
“I get it, Claire. I wouldn’t want to forget my childhood friend either. But your memory of her includes tragic recollections as well. You might come to hate her if you ever remember again. Would you still want to, even then?”
Manaria’s eyes were sincere. She was asking out of genuine worry. She wanted what was best for me, more than she cared to respect whatever Catherine’s decision was. But even so…
“Tragedy, too, is something that lets us grow.”
“Claire…”
“I’ve experienced a number of tragic events in my life, but there are none I can say I wish to forget. Even the painful memories are a part of who I am. And it should stay that way.”
Memories were precious precisely because they weren’t all of good times.
“I see. Then I won’t argue further. Let me return your memories of her.” She cast Spellbreaker on Rae and me. I felt memories rush back into me like a wave.
“Miss Claire!”
“I-I’m all right. I just felt a bit dizzy.”
Rae caught me as I almost fell out of the chair. The memories I had lost were just that extensive.
“Catherine…why?”
“She did it because she couldn’t forgive herself. You remember now, right?”
Catherine had approached my mother as an assassin, only for my mother to save her at the cost of her own life. The guilt she felt tore at her, driving her to erase herself from my memory.
“I’m going to look for her,” I said.
“I’ll come with you,” Rae added.
“Good grief. I had a feeling things might come to this.” Manaria pulled out a slip of paper.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“It’s where Catherine’s currently staying. She lives out in the Alpes now.”
“Sister! I love you so much!” I hugged her without a moment’s delay, making her smile broadly. Rae seemed a bit displeased, but surely she could put up with this much.
“You better make your move sooner than later. She never stays in one place long.”
“Let’s start packing then, Rae. Call May and Aleah over too.”
“Sure thing.”
A few days later, Rae and I were aboard a carriage to the Alpes. I couldn’t help but feel excited at the prospect of meeting Catherine again.
“You look happy, Miss Claire.”
“Of course. Catherine is like a little sister to me.”
“…Just a little sister, right?”
“Pardon?” Confused, I gave Rae a look.
She blushed and said, “You wouldn’t happen to have any feelings for her, would you?”
“…Rae?”
“Yes?”
“Are you by chance jealous?”
“You bet I am, gosh darn it!” She began slamming her head against the wall of the carriage.
“Cut that out, you’ll hurt yourself!”
“Ugh… I hate how clingy I am, but…it’s also your fault for being so cute, Miss Claire…”
“You’re talking nonsense again. I think of Catherine as a little sister and nothing more.” Honestly, this girl… What a strange thing to be bothered over. “…Hee hee. But I have to admit, seeing you jealous doesn’t feel all too bad.”
“Sadist.”
“Call me all the names you like. Hee hee. To think you would be jealous of Catherine.” I teased her, making her sulk. “I’m only joking. The only one I love is you, Rae.”
“Hmph.”
“Oh dear… Come on, chin up already.” I put my hands on her cheeks and planted a kiss on her.
“Who do you think I am?! A kiss isn’t enough to win me over.”
“Then what do I have to do to make you feel better?”
“…Gimme a lap pillow.”
“…Very well.” Exasperated, I tapped my lap.
“Yaaaay!” She happily laid her head on me.
“Is something like this really enough for you?”
“But of course! Claire’s lap pillow is a special privilege, and only I have a right to it out of everyone in this world!”
“Well… I suppose that’s true?”
“You better not let Lady Catherine do this, you hear?!” she insisted. She seemed giddy, like a child.
How cute. I watched her slowly nod off to sleep. To think this girl was the one to steal my heart. My, how cheeky for a commoner. |
Bonus Story 1: Echoes of a New Era (Loretta Kugret)
Bonus Story 1:Echoes of a New Era(Loretta Kugret)
SWEAT FORMED ON MY BROW despite the chill of January. The layers of volcanic ash I shoveled slowly gave way to the wreckage underneath. I was used to physical exertion, but this kind of labor demanded more of me than my military training ever did.
I inhaled deep to steady my breathing, and the cold air chilled me from within. Thinking it would be bad to catch a cold, I tightened the towel on my neck.
A whole month had breezed by since the revolution. Bauer was still unstable, leaving everyone to do what they could to survive. Both former commoners and former nobles alike had it rough. Commoners already lived in poverty, but things were only worse for them now with the shortage of commodities leading to prices rising. The ex-nobility lost their special privileges and many of their assets, leaving them floundering. I, Loretta Kugret, was of course one of the latter, being an ex-noble.
House Kugret had served as officers in the kingdom’s army for generations. We used to be of a lower rank, but my grandfather saw the value of magic early on and actively encouraged the study of it while the traditionalists stuck with old-fashioned, non-magic means. The late King l’Ausseil’s meritocratic plans came into effect around that time, allowing our house to rise in status unusually fast for a conservative organization like the army.
Of course, things were different now after the revolution. The kingdom’s army still handled national security and public safety, but the structure was currently being revised. My father never did anything corrupt, but it was undeniable that he was an influential figure in the pre-revolution army. His position, and our household by extension, was in a difficult situation now as ex-nobility.
“Snap out of it, Loretta. You’re blanking out.”
A cute girl with peculiar hair that curled inward snapped me out of my thoughts. Pepi Barlier. She was a former noble as well and, for reasons, was staying at our home for the time being.
“Sorry about that, Pepi.”
“Keep it together, will you? We’re nowhere near done.” She sighed and returned to shoveling. What used to be immaculate, uncalloused hands that never knew a day’s work were now covered in dirt and grime. Even so, she hadn’t complained once. That was just the kind of girl she was.
The two of us were working to restore the capital. The city was left covered in volcanic rock and ash in the wake of Mt. Sassal’s eruption, leaving much work to be done. Pepi and I offered to help, which is why we were now working beside commoners—or rather, fellow ordinary citizens, as they now were.
That being said, we didn’t offer to help purely out of the goodness of our hearts. As I mentioned, House Kugret was in a bit of a bind. Currying favor with the citizens like this was a tactical decision. Not that we didn’t want to help out as well.
Most ex-commoners probably thought otherwise, but it was a fact that nobles were supposed to be self-sacrificing. We were taught from an early age, in fact, that selflessness was one of the hallmarks of nobility. Of course, the problem was that there were many nobles who forgot this and abused their privileges to instead indulge in depravity. Having been trained under strict military code, such behavior was deplorable to me. Perhaps it was only right that we were overthrown by the people.
Not that any of that really mattered. What I was actually trying to say was that it was originally our duty to serve the people, so this restoration work didn’t come as a particular bother or anything.
Not being able to play the piano kind of sucks, though… I was raised to be a military officer, but I was still an ex-noble. I was trained in the arts, including the piano, a talent and passion of mine.
My family hoped for me to become Bauer’s first female military officer, but I actually wanted to pursue the piano. Piano was wonderful. The slightest changes in the way you played made all the difference in how you sounded. I became the center of my own world on the piano, a world I could manipulate however I pleased. There was nothing that could replace the sense of power and ecstasy I felt when I played.
But the piano was a noble’s hobby, as well as a luxury. Now that I was no longer a noble, my piano was gone, and I didn’t know when I might next be able to play. That left me saddened, of course, but I understood there was nothing that could be done. It would be nonsense for me to indulge in music while ordinary citizens were only barely scraping by. The piano could come later. As someone raised with the values of nobility, I knew better than to place myself before the people.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t miss my piano… Once all the dust settled, I wanted to take it up again. Even as I worked now, I took care not to injure my fingers. The call of the piano was just too great to ever give up on it.
I bet a good part of that is my last performance being so great.
The last time I played piano was before the revolution, around the time we cornered the corrupt noble Clément Achard.
I glanced Pepi’s way. The two of us played together in the autumnal music festival. She was a violinist who played a more precise and technical style, in contrast to my free-spirited style. We were polar opposites in that regard, but we meshed surprisingly well together in practice. I would challenge her, and she would one-up me in kind. Like that we would compete with one another, taking ourselves to higher and higher heights. I found the moments we played together to be sublime. I could not forget the exhilaration I felt, even now.
I wonder how she feels… Pepi was behaving the same way she had before the revolution. Her household had lost its status because of Clément’s actions, not because of the revolution, so in a strange way, the revolution hadn’t really affected her. She’d been raised with the same old-fashioned noble values as me, so perhaps she was helping with the restoration efforts out of a sense of duty too.
Then maybe I’m the only one who feels so lost? Pepi and I weren’t just friends anymore. We were in a relationship now. Or at least, we were supposed to be. Ever since the revolution began, not a single thing of note had happened between us.
I mean, I get that now is not really the time to be worrying about that kind of stuff, but still… I was a girl of age. Having a significant other made me feel butterflies and what have you. Even if we couldn’t flirt out in the open, I at least wanted to be able to do stuff together when no one was around… Oh jeez. How embarrassing.
Is she fine with things staying like this? Pepi wasn’t the type to reveal how she felt that much. She acted careless but could actually be quite the schemer. She was also more easily hurt than her carefree attitude let on. I loved how complex she could be, but it did leave me unsure what to do in times like this.
Maybe she doesn’t fully trust me yet. I originally liked another girl, Claire François. Even just remembering her name made my heart stir. Claire was a noble among nobles, as well as my first love. I now understand my feelings for her were more of adoration than of love, but crushes didn’t so easily fade. Perhaps Pepi sensed my lingering feelings for Claire and was bothered by them?
“Hey, Pepi?” I said.
“What’s up? You’ve stopped working.”
“I, uh…never mind.” I felt like she would slap me if I asked her if she really loved me. It was wrong of me to doubt her feelings, anyway.
“How are you two gettin’ along? I see you’re working up a sweat.” A deep, throaty voice called out to us. Pepi and I looked over to see a familiar rough-looking man.
“Oh, you’re that one adventurer,” I said.
“Well I’ll be, you remembered me. But I guess a lady of House Kugret would have perfect memory,” the man joked. We had fought undead in Euclid with the man and had been near enemies during the revolution.
“Please. I’m just a normal citizen now.”
“Is that right? Well, I suppose a noble lady wouldn’t be shoveling ash, now would she?”
“Are you here to mock us?”
“Not at all. Just here to say work’s done for the day. The overseer’s been trying to tell you guys for a while now, but it didn’t seem like you two could hear.”
Pepi and I had been too focused on our work, it seemed. Well, I was more lost in my thoughts than anything, but yeah. “Oh, I see. Then I suppose we shall take our leave.”
“Oh c’mon, don’t be such a stranger,” he said. “How about we get something to eat, huh?”
The adventurer was inviting the two of us out for a meal. How daring.
“I’m afraid I have to decline. I do not feel like sharing a table with a commoner,” I said.
“Ouch.”
“Wait, Loretta…”
“Pepi?” Just as I was about to turn around and walk away, Pepi stopped me.
“You said it yourself. We’re no longer nobles. What’s the problem with us eating with our fellow citizens?”
“What? Pepi, what are you say—”
“Times have changed, Loretta,” she chided. I felt like she had become distant all of a sudden.
“I don’t mind going with just the Barlier girl, if you’d rather not come,” the man said to me. He grinned vulgarly. In retrospect, he probably had no ulterior motives, but I somehow convinced myself at the time that I had to protect Pepi from this man.
“No, I’m coming too!” I said. I didn’t even realize he’d played me.
“Then it’s settled.”
***
“…What is this?”
“What do you mean? It’s meat. You know what meat is, right?”
“I know what meat is, thank you very much!”
The man brought us to an inn often used by adventurers. It looked like a pretty beat-up place to me, but I could see it being fancy by commoner standards. A number of places damaged by the eruption had already been patched up. This particular establishment probably had some pull in the community, to be among the first buildings to be fixed.
We sat ourselves down at the counter. The tables were full of citizens drinking themselves silly after a long day of labor. We had no choice but to sit at the counter to escape the smell of cheap booze.
A large-built, muscular man who seemed to be the innkeeper greeted the adventurer like a familiar face. The adventurer greeted him back and quickly ordered for us. We were soon served what was clearly ungarnished cooked chicken. There was no sauce to speak of, and I could only smell the faintest traces of seasoning. To call this food was blasphemy against the culinary arts.
Pepi and I gawked at our plates, but the adventurer said, “Just close your eyes and give it a bite. If you don’t like it, they’ll make it on the house.”
“I’m not so shameless that I’d deny them their livelihood…” I grumbled. That said, I didn’t even know how I was supposed to eat this. Even if I’d had a knife and fork, I wouldn’t know where to begin with such a rustic meal. There did seem to be some paper wrapped around the leg of the meat, but…no, surely not?
“You just grab the leg ’ere and tear into it, like this.” The adventurer demonstrated for us by biting directly into the chicken.
“How vulgar,” I said, horrified.
“It tastes best like this, really.”
“Loretta, let’s do what we must,” Pepi said.
“…Right.” I lifted up the meat, ready to complain to no end if it was awful, and took a bite. “…Hm? It’s actually good?”
“How…? It’s just cooked chicken, isn’t it?”
“Ha ha ha. Surprised? This place serves good food. Their chicken legs, in particular, are just unforgettable.” The adventurer spoke proudly.
The chicken looked plain, but it was actually quite well prepared. Not much seasoning, to be sure, but once I bit into the meat, I found it rich and flavorful. It was fresh and tender, with none of the chewiness or gamey quality chicken often had, and juicy enough that I almost expected to see it dripping all over me. It was the perfect remedy for an empty stomach after a day of labor. Appealing on an instinctual level.
“I’m flattered that a former noble like yourself finds it to your taste,” the innkeeper said.
“You can tell I used to be a noble?” I asked.
“’Course. The way you eat is different. Only nobles act with such grace.” He laughed gently.
“This meal is really wonderful,” Pepi said. “I mean it. This might be the best chicken I’ve ever eaten.”
“Thank you. I’m very happy to hear that. It makes it worth waking up early every morning to prepare this.”
I felt the same way as Pepi. I’d had finer chicken in terms of meat quality, but none as tasty as this. I’d turned up my nose at it for being food made by an ex-commoner, and for looking crude, but I could see now that it had been cooked with love.
“The liquor here is pretty good too,” the adventurer said. “Hey, get us three of the usual.”
“Sure thing.”
“Hold on, I never said we’d drink,” I complained.
“Come on, Loretta, we might as well. It’s his treat,” Pepi said. “Right?”
“Ha ha, sure thing, let’s make it my treat!” the adventurer said. He and Pepi seemed to be really hitting it off, which kind of bothered me. Pepi didn’t have a thing for him, did she…?
“You really wear your heart on your sleeve, huh, Kugret girl?” the adventurer said.
“Wh-what?”
“I’m saying you’re a little simple, girlie.”
I raised my voice. “Are you making fun of—”
“Loretta, stop. Don’t cause a scene,” Pepi chided.
“…Hmph.” I was miffed. The two were getting along and I felt like I was just a third wheel.
“Cheer up, lass. Here, your mead.” The innkeeper brought us our drinks, seeming to take pity on me. I calmed down a bit at the knowledge not everyone here was out to tease me.
I reluctantly picked up my cup and drank. “Oh… It’s good.”
“Right?” the adventurer said.
I had thought Broumet made the best mead, but what I just drank undid everything I thought I knew about the drink. The inn’s mead lacked the high-class taste of Broumet’s, certainly—I’m sure many nobles would knit their brows at it—but its strong fragrance and full-bodied flavor was unlike anything else. It was so unlike Broumet’s mead that it felt wrong to even lump them together in the same category. It was like a whole other liquor entirely.
“Surprised? This mead here was made by the up-and-coming Frater,” the adventurer said.
“The same Frater that makes crème brûlée?” I asked.
“Oh, that’s an ex-noble for you. You’re on top of all the trends, I see.”
“I didn’t know they did mead, though.”
Unlike Broumet’s mead, Frater’s was meant to be savored slowly. It paired well with the chicken leg.
“I apologize for my impoliteness earlier, adventurer,” I said. “I was wrong. The food here is excellent.”
“The name’s Gray, not ‘adventurer.’ Remember that for me.”
“Sure. Let me introduce myself properly as well while we’re at it. I’m Loretta Kugret.”
“And I’m Pepi Barlier.”
“Nice to meet you two. You know, ordinary people don’t talk so stiff. Feel free to loosen up a little.” He let out an energetic laugh.
More food continued to arrive. Everything was unique and delicious, and the liquor and conversation was good. At some point I forgot about my worries and simply enjoyed myself.
***
“You can be such a blockhead, Loretta.”
“Huh?”
Pepi’s comment came out of the blue. Quite some eating and drinking had been done by this point. I was comfortably drunk, but not to the point I was out of it. The innkeeper had carefully spaced out the alcohol with softer drinks in between.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Pepi?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. You’re a blockhead, blockhead.” She gave me a look, then took another swig of her mead. Now that I was looking at her, I could see her eyes were starting to glaze over and her face was red. She was drunk. Not much of a strong drinker, it seemed.
“Something ’bout Miss Loretta here bothering you, Pepi?” Gray asked.
“You bet there is! We finally began dating, but she won’t make a single move. I’m about fed up!”
“Wh-wh-wha, Pepi, do you hear yourself?!” I exclaimed.
“Now hold on, let’s hear the girl out,” Gray said.
Pepi continued. “I’m over here doing all I can to pretend like her each and every little move doesn’t send my heart racing, but it’s like she doesn’t even care we’re in a relationship! I’m sick of it!”
“Whoa, sounds rough.”
“Don’t egg her on, Gray!” I chided. “And you, Pepi, I think you’ve had enough to drink for one day.”
“Nooo, I’m—I’m nnnnot drunk!” she slurred. “Loretta, you just don’t get how charming you can be, you know that?!”
It didn’t seem like there would be any stopping her. Helpless, I watched as she started to drunkenly ramble.
“You’ve always had a bit of a tomboyish appearance, but you’ve only grown more handsome of late. And the way you smile is just downright cheating. Do you enjoy making a mess of my poor, poor heart?”
“Like you’re any better! You can be so careless with the way you dress sometimes! Do you have any idea how badly my heart races when I see the bare nape of your neck?!” Realizing I had to get on her level, I downed my drink and ordered another. The liquor wasn’t strong by any means, but I felt my inhibitions fade regardless. “And the way you smile is just downright cheating! I let my guard down because I expect one of your usual carefree smiles, but then you hit me with a real smile and send me reeling!”
“Oh, I’m carefree, am I? If I look that way, it’s only because I’m trying my hardest not to be a burden on you because you’re always trying to look out for me!”
“Hey now, don’t you think you two are gettin’ a little heated?” Gray interjected.
“Shush it, Gray,” I said. “I don’t need you to put up a brave front for me, Pepi. I’m your girlfriend! You should lean on me more, rather than pushing yourself. Or am I not dependable enough?!”
“You just don’t get it, Loretta! Not one bit! Can’t you see that if I start to depend on you I won’t be able to stop until I’ve spoiled myself rotten?!”
The other customers had noticed us shouting and were watching us like we were tonight’s entertainment. The two of us didn’t notice, being off in our own little world at this point.
“The girls sure are openly flirtin’, eh? You think maybe people are more accepting of this kind of thing now?”
“I dunno about that. Sure would be nice, though.”
“Why’s that? You want to do the same?”
“…Shut up.”
“Heh, that doesn’t sound like a no.”
Some conversation was being had in the peanut gallery, but their voices didn’t reach us.
“Grow some guts already, Loretta!” Pepi shouted.
“Oh yeah?! Guts to do what, then?!”
“Guts to, I dunno, marry me or something!”
“I’ve been ready to marry you from the moment I fell in love with you, you idiot!”
“Huh?”
“Uh…”
The onlookers began cheering all at once. How embarrassing. I’d said something stupid in my drunken stupor. But it was too late to take back my words. I downed the remaining mead in my cup and, with my face burning red, hugged Pepi.
“Once our lives have calmed down a bit, let’s get married, Pepi.”
“…Okay.”
The sight of her smiling at me, tears in her eyes, was the last thing I remembered from that night.
***
“Ugh…”
“Heya. Finally awake?”
The place was silent when I woke up. The boisterous customers from earlier had cleared out, and the lights were all down except for the one by the counter. Gray and the innkeeper were still here, drinking together in the faint glow. To my side, Pepi slept peacefully with a blanket on her shoulders.
“…What happened?” I said groggily.
“You drank a bit too much. Don’t worry, your stuff’s all paid for.”
“…Sorry for the trouble.” My head felt heavy. I tried to pick up Pepi but found I lacked the balance.
“You’re not going anywhere like that,” the innkeeper said. “Stay the night. I’ll lend you a room on the second floor.”
“Oh, I really shouldn’t impose…”
“You sure about that?” Gray said. “It’s dangerous for you to head home as you are. All the more so for Pepi there.”
“…I suppose you’re right.”
“Here’s the key. The room will be the one at the end,” the innkeeper said.
“Thank you, innkeeper. And you too, Gray. Tonight was nice.”
“Glad to hear it. Have a good night now,” Gray said.
“Good night,” the innkeeper said.
“Good night.” I focused on my balance as I made my way upstairs, carrying Pepi in my arms. I was using magic to strengthen myself, but my drunkenness made my concentration sloppy. It took all I had to not drop her.
“I was worried where the kingdom might be headed from here, but looking at those two, I get the feelin’ we’ll be all right.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
I was too distracted to hear the conversation of the adults behind me, but the clink of their cups did reach my ears. The sound echoed through my mind—a sharp “La” on the music scale, the first for this new era. |
Bonus Story 2: Things Passed On (Melia Larnach)
Bonus Story 2:Things Passed On(Melia Larnach)
RAIN POURED OVER ME as I lay there, unable to move. The moment I understood I wasn’t long for this world, memories overflowed within me. Perhaps this was my life flashing before my eyes.
With difficulty, I moved my gaze to the side and saw a man reaching out to me.
“…Melia!”
Oh, Dole. My beloved Dole. I am truly blessed to have met you.
I was known as the “Iron Lady of House Larnach.” House Larnach was the household I was born to, headed by an earl. I was not very expressive as a child, but I was a quick learner. From an early age, I excelled in studies, etiquette, and magic. I was particularly good at using magic to fight, able to go toe to toe and then some with even the soldiers of the Royal Guard. As many found it ridiculous for a woman to wield such skill in combat, I was called the “Iron Lady” in mockery.
I always struggled to connect with others. I enjoyed talking to people, but the conversations were always one-sided. Being the daughter of an earl, I was never by myself—but even so, I felt alone. I threw myself into the glitzy world of high society and met many people, but even then, found few outside my family whom I could open up to.
Everyone I met would claim I was too fastidious. I considered my values normal for someone raised with the strict guidance befitting the daughter of an earl, but the other nobles I met called me inflexible. This went both ways—I, in turn, found them lax and couldn’t understand how they neglected their duties so.
If I were more experienced in interacting with others, then maybe things would have turned out better. Unfortunately, my time spent with other people did nothing to heal my sense of solitude. In what felt like no time at all, I’d grown convinced I would never find someone who truly understood me. I resigned myself to that fate. Even so, I swore to live true to who I was and be a proud Bauer noble. I grew even more isolated from others in the years to come, but I stopped caring.
At some point, a change in my relationships with others occurred. It began when I met three men. The first man was l’Ausseil, eldest son of the royal family and the man expected to be the next king of Bauer. He and I were able to connect over talk of a merit-based society.
“Melia, I do not believe people are meant to be divided based on the circumstances of their birth.”
The concept of judging people based on ability instead of social standing was a dangerous idea that could shake the very foundations of the aristocracy. It was impractical and terribly idealistic—and yet, it fascinated me. L’Ausseil and I met numerous times to discuss the feasibility and merits of his plans. He was already engaged, so our relationship never veered into the romantic, but for a time, he was the man I was closest to.
The second man who changed my life was Clément Achard. He was a citizen of Bauer as well, and hailed from a household that held the title of duke. He was a number of years older than me but always made an effort to talk to me in social settings.
“As a lady, you could do to conduct yourself with more grace.”
Clément was, for better or worse, your stereotypical old-fashioned noble. As a woman who fought with magic and debated politics with men, I was always rebuked by Clément for how unladylike I was. I would argue back, of course, never failing to earn a disapproving frown from him. Strangely enough, he never grew tired of having the same exchange again and again.
The third man to change my life was Dole François, the man I would eventually marry. He was a shrewd man who inherited the title of duke at a young age and acted as the kingdom’s Minister of Finance.
Our first meeting was far from cordial. At the time, the Bauer nobility were starting to show signs of corruption. Many nobles took advantage of their position to line their own pockets instead of working for the kingdom’s people like they were meant to. This was, at its core, an issue of money. I questioned—no, interrogated Dole on his opinion of the Bauer nobility, as the Minister of Finance.
“Hmm… How very interesting.”
His reply was short and simple. The look on his face was one of genuine interest. Even l’Ausseil seemed bewildered by me when we first talked, and Clément, of course, only ever had frowns for me. I worried Dole might be too naive for his position. He was already well into his twenties at the time, but he still felt green. Was a man like him really fit to be Minister of Finance, especially with all the vultures circling the treasury?
The four of us would often meet when the occasions arose. L’Ausseil would quietly listen to us speak, I would bicker with Clément, and Dole would try to calm us down. Things continued this way for years. For the first time, I felt as though I had gained friends.
Of the three, Dole captured my interest the most. He was the first man I developed a romantic interest in. One time, the two of us went for a stroll in town. We were talking and greatly enjoying ourselves when a boy bumped into him, falling to the ground. The boy was clearly a commoner. Any other noble would have scolded him severely, but Dole instead reached out to help the boy up.
“It’s good to be lively, but take care you don’t hurt yourself.”
A woman I would assume to be the boy’s mother ran over and apologized profusely before leaving with the boy as fast as she could. The boy, not quite aware of what was going on, waved goodbye to Dole, who smiled back. I stared at him, awed.
“Is something the matter?” he asked.
“That was a commoner. Are you not cross with him?”
“Not at all. As a Bauer noble, I consider all Bauer children something like my own.”
From that moment on, I knew I wanted to spend my life with him.
The pleasant friendships I shared with l’Ausseil, Clément, and Dole changed greatly once l’Ausseil took the throne. He quickly became preoccupied with business and stopped appearing at social functions. He had the talented and renowned Salas Lilium supporting him as Chancellor, though, so I was sure he would get along fine.
“I miss the time I spent with you three,” he told me once with a wry grin. He seemed to be struggling with something private, but as he was king and I but an ordinary noblewoman, I could not pry. The most I could do was support his Queen, Lulu, as best as I could.
“I’ve made the necessary arrangements to take you as my wife.”
Things with Clément grew even more complicated when he sought my hand in marriage. Having thought he disapproved of me, I was shocked by his proposal. My parents were elated at the idea of me marrying into a duke’s household, but I was more bewildered than anything. I couldn’t grasp what he was after. There were rumors, of course. House Larnach had ties to Sousse royalty, so some thought he was trying to utilize our influence for himself. Others thought he was trying to antagonize Dole, who was increasingly becoming a political enemy of Clément’s. I never did figure out what Clément was really after.
Marriage was a contract between two households. By all rights, I should have married Clément for my family’s sake. I did not dislike him, despite what our bickering might have caused some to think. Unfortunately, my heart was already set on another.
One night, I visited Dole alone. At this point it was already widely known that Clément had proposed to me, so when I arrived at the François manor, Dole scolded me.
“Do you realize how bad it looks for you to visit another man’s house this late? This could affect your marriage.”
Seeing the cross look on his face, I only grew more certain that what I felt for him was love. It was my feelings for Dole that made me hesitate to marry Clément. Before I knew it, I had moved in to kiss him. That face he made then was one I would never forget.
“The one I want to marry is you,” I said.
I did something unspeakably daring then to force his hand. When we woke up in the same bed the next morning, I asked him to take responsibility. Together we went to the Achard manor to announce our marriage to Clément.
Looking back, it might have been all my fault that Clément ended up the way he did. After having his proposal rejected in such an awful manner, he began antagonizing Dole and me at every turn. He’d been by no means a perfect noble before, but he’d had the sense to not cross the line. After Dole and I were wed, however, he descended to new lows of corruption.
“Clément… It is a shame things had to come to this.”
l’Ausseil, unable to overlook Clément’s actions, was forced to punish him, downgrading his title from duke to marquess. Clément ceased to publicly harass us from then on but continued to behave in corrupt ways behind the scenes. There was no doubt in my mind that it was my fault he’d ended up like that.
I was stricken with guilt for some time, but eventually, that passed. I was too preoccupied to linger on the past. My marriage to Dole was going smoothly, absent of trouble. We were both in good health, so it was only a matter of time before I was pregnant. Dole and I both worked hard to welcome our coming child. Though I still felt bad about what happened with Clément, this was more important. Our discord had nothing to do with my child.
By this point in time, the political stances of our original group of four were clear. L’Ausseil continued to follow his ideals of a meritocracy, Clément was your archetypal conservative, and Dole and I were progressive idealists. L’Ausseil preached plans to support commoners while Chancellor Salas did what was necessary to actualize them, Clément opposed the plans, and Dole and I voiced our support. Things between the conservative and the progressive factions gradually grew more and more heated. Eventually, it became commonplace to see houses in good standing ruined overnight.
House Achard and House François came to lead the conservative and the progressive factions, respectively. Clément and Dole’s influence grew to a point where many of the other nobles would wait for their opinion on matters before daring to speak. Meanwhile, the tension between the two houses only grew with each passing day. Dole worked hard on the political stage, while I did my best to do the same in high society.
The only reprieve from our difficult lives was the birth of our daughter, Claire. Of course, raising a child was difficult as well. For an idealist like me, Claire was the cold wakeup call of reality. No matter how lofty my ideals were, they meant nothing before her cries. Raising her was hard work, but Dole and I got through it by working as a team.
Oblivious to our struggles and worries, Claire grew up quickly. Dole spoiled her terribly, and I admonished him for it numerous times, but he never did stop. I wanted to spoil her myself, to tell the truth. It wasn’t fair that I was always the one stuck scolding her. I complained about this to her wet nurse, our head maid, but she replied that that was what it meant to be a mother.
Alas. Our lives were turbulent. But I was strangely happy.
“Mother!”
No matter how many times I scolded her, Claire always happily leapt into my arms. Sometimes she would cry after I lectured her, sometimes she would need to be cheered up after making a mistake with her dance, and sometimes she would come running to our bed because she was scared of the lightning outside. But no matter the occasion, I always found my worries blown away by her wholehearted, pure love and trust in me.
Claire turned four today. The maids and I prepared a wonderful party for her, but before we could celebrate, a letter arrived. The sender was Clément Achard. He was inviting us to a discussion with many other influential nobles, several of whom had signed the letter as well, making the invitation difficult to ignore. It sounded like many members of the progressive faction had been invited too, and the letter mentioned something about the conservative side being willing to make a compromise. As the leader of the progressive faction, House François had to attend.
“No, you can’t go! Today’s my birthday, you two have to stay with me!” Claire protested with tears in her eyes. She so often had to endure Dole and I being absent. She hardly complained, but we knew it was tough on her, so we’d made an effort to plan for us to spend her birthday with her.
“Claire, don’t cause problems for your mother. As nobles, we must put our duty first,” Dole said with a guilty look. I’m sure he would have chosen to stay with Claire in a heartbeat if he could.
“But I’m always putting up with you two being away… Can’t I have you here on my birthday?” Claire said through tears.
I felt like my heart would tear in two. Shaken, I thoughtlessly said, “I’m truly sorry, Claire. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Oh, I know! I’ll buy you a birthday present, anything you want. What would you like, dear?”
She froze stiff, before yelling, “I don’t need your presents! I hate you, Mother!” She then ran away to her room.
“Oh, Claire…”
She was too young to understand a noble’s duties. We tried explaining it to her a number of times, but some things were simply beyond a four-year-old’s comprehension.
“She’ll understand one day, Melia,” Dole said. “The responsibilities of a noble come before all. Even before family.”
“…I know. But sometimes I can’t help but wonder if Claire might have been happier if she were not born a noble.” Perhaps Claire was meant for a life of freedom, not one of duties and ideals. Either way, it did not matter now. I could not turn down Clément’s invitation.
“Lene, please look after Claire. Cheer her up if you can,” I asked.
“I will try. I wish you both safe travels.”
Our new maid, Lene, was a favorite of Claire’s. I hoped she would be able to cheer Claire up and asked her to do just that. She accepted, but the look in her eyes seemed to fault me for my choice not to stay. I did not blame her.
“Let’s be off, Melia. For Claire’s future,” Dole said.
“Let’s.”
There was a chance today could bring an end to our political divide. Dole and I steeled our wills and departed, intent on making sure Claire’s tears today wouldn’t be in vain.
“What a waste of time…”
“That was nothing more than a get-together, wasn’t it?”
Dole and I could only sigh despondently on our way back from the Achard manor. What we were told would be a discussion to find middle ground between the conservative and progressive factions turned out to be a mere social gathering. There were no political discussions to be had, only insubstantial, trivial talk that barely touched on the issue. To think we’d made Claire cry for such an inane event… Dole and I were livid to say the least.
“At least we were able to leave early. We should be able to make it back in time for Claire’s birthday,” Dole said.
I didn’t reply, as my mind was elsewhere.
“…Melia, is what happened still weighing on your mind?”
“…It is.”
“We did what we had to. Clément may be a political opponent, but he is still a high-ranking noble. We couldn’t refuse his invitation, even if it was sent at the last minute. Especially not with how he framed it.”
I knew Dole was right. We had no choice but to go. Even so, the image of Claire’s tearful face was seared into my mind.
“Hey, Dole? I—”
Just then, there was a great impact against the carriage.
“Melia!” Dole covered me with his body, putting himself in danger in the process. There was a moment of weightlessness, then a mighty thud.
By the time I regained my bearings, the two of us had been tossed out of the carriage. My arms and legs hurt, but I forced myself to stand and assess the situation. It appeared we had collided with another carriage and fallen off a cliff. Our carriage was broken, with Dole and the coachman lying nearby. The horse lay on its side, braying, with what I presumed was a broken leg.
My consciousness was fading. I looked down and saw my thigh had been pierced by a broken shard of the carriage. I was bleeding profusely. It was clear I would die if nothing was done, so I seared the wound shut with my fire magic.
I looked around and saw four figures approach from the darkness of the surrounding deep forest.
“…I take it this is no accident, then,” I said.
They were all clad in black. They looked like children, but the way they moved told me they were trained. In their hands were knives.
“Quit while you still can. You’ll only be throwing your lives away,” I warned.
I put up a magic barrier to protect Dole and the coachman, both of whom were unconscious. The barrier was the physical type, so it would remain for some time, even if I were to die. The two of them would be fine for now. I needed to think about what to do with the children.
I couldn’t let my guard down, even if they seemed young. Assuming this was Clément’s doing, these were no ordinary children. I tore the hem of my dress to free up my movement, then pulled out a magic wand.
To my surprise, the children began to fade from my sight. They seemed to have magic that obscured them. But I had ways around that.
“Flame Blossom!”
If I couldn’t see them, then I simply needed to attack in every direction. I sent fire blazing all around me, landing a hit on one and knocking them down. That left three.
“Give it up. You have no way of defeating me.”
I went on to take down two more by relying on sound, but the fourth continued to evade me.
“…Perhaps they gave up and ran away?” I wondered out loud. I continued to remain vigilant and guard Dole and the coachman.
At some point, it began to rain.
“There you are!” Noticing a gap in the rainfall, I fired off a fire arrow. The moment I hit them, they and the other three children became visible. It seemed this fourth child had been the one using the magic.
I pulled down their black hood and was shocked by what I saw. “Such a young child… Clément, how could you?”
The child, unconscious and drenched with rain, couldn’t have been much older than Claire. To be forced to commit such violent acts at such an age… It was terrible. I was sure Clément was the one behind this. There were rumors he had a hand in human trafficking, and it was hard not to imagine these children were a part of that.
“Just you wait. I’ll make sure you’re free soon.”
I laid the child down and went to check on the others. I had held back some, but there was no knowing where I had struck them. I couldn’t use healing magic, so I planned to just give them basic first aid. But as I neared the first child—
“What?!” A hail of ice arrows rained down on the children and me. “How…could you?”
I’d taken a good deal of damage, but I could still move. My assailant saw that, however, and rained down ice for a second, then a third time. I tried to intercept the attacks with a spear of fire, but the number of ice blades was too great for me to stop. Everything in my surroundings, including the children, was skewered through. The child with the obscuring magic had her leg pierced and was bleeding profusely. I used my fire magic to staunch their bleeding.
“Clément…why?!” Did he hate Dole and me that much? Enough to kill these children who bore no fault of their own?
Only one of the child assassins was still breathing. Swearing to myself that I would at least make sure she survived, I played my last gambit.
“Ngh…” After enduring countless ice arrows, I pretended to take a direct hit and fell to the ground. After some waiting, three men emerged from the darkness.
“You get her?”
“Looks like it.”
“Hmm… It doesn’t look like this barrier can be dispelled.”
“Get up, Catherine. Hurry up and erase the evidence.”
I needed them to come just a little closer. Then I could end this without the child getting hurt. The wound on my thigh had reopened at some point. I felt my consciousness fading with each moment. But I can’t give up…
I sprung up and launched spears of fire at the three men. The action brought me swiftly to my limit, and I fell to the ground once more. I couldn’t check to see if my strikes had landed, but as the minutes ticked by, no follow-up attack came. It seemed I’d been successful. But this was the end of the line for me.
“Why… Why save me?” The child assassin who’d survived roused herself and looked down at me. There was confusion on her face. She probably wanted to know why I had bothered to help her. Great big eyes looked at me from under her hair, hair the same color as Claire’s.
“What is your name, child?”
“…Catherine.”
“I see… Catherine… I suppose I saved you because I consider all children of Bauer something like my own.” That was what Dole had once said. It was the way I believed all nobles should be.
Catherine looked at me with eyes full of shock. “But…but I—”
“It’s fine, dear… The truth is, I have a little girl around your age myself. A cute, willful little girl.” I reached out and patted her hair, wet from the rain. “She has the same honey-colored hair you do. She’s strong of heart but becomes saddened easily. I’d be happy if you’d be her friend.”
I was able to say that much before I lost the fight to stay conscious.
Forgive me, Dole, Claire. I’ll be departing this world before you, but at least I was able to live as myself to the very end.
It would be a lie to say I didn’t regret leaving the two of them behind. But even so, I believed what I had done would one day find meaning.
Dole, Claire… I love you both so very much.
Dole must have woken up at some point, for he was crawling toward me in the mud, ruining his best clothes. I flashed him a smile…and then I knew no more.
***
“I had no idea such a thing happened to you, Lady Catherine.”
“Enough of that, Emma. Lend me a hand here.”
The two of us happened across a village while I was on my self-imposed exile. The village was having monster problems but was too poor to hire adventurers, so Emma and I took it upon ourselves to help them out. The monsters were nothing special. Even Emma would have been able to handle them alone.
“Thank you so very much. Your help is duly appreciated.” The village chief thanked us, bowing his head deeply after we returned. “It’s not much, but please, take this.”
He offered us a reward, but I had no intention of taking it. “Use that money for the village instead,” I said. “If that’s all, then we’ll be on our way.”
We left, Emma pushing my wheelchair onward. All the exercise had made me rather hungry, so I was eager to leave.
“Lady Catherine, why did you not take his reward?”
“I haven’t the right, Emma.” I would be bearing this cross for the rest of my life. I had to atone as much as I could. “Plus, a certain woman’s selflessness is still vivid in my memory.”
There was once a woman who protected me, a complete stranger who had tried to kill her only moments ago. I had no right to try and carry on her will. That was for Claire to do. But if it was at all possible…
“…I want to be like her, if only a little bit.” |
Bonus Story 3: Misunderstanding (Claire François)
Bonus Story 3:Misunderstanding(Claire François)
“SO THE THING IS…Rae and I got into a fight.”
“Oh my. How unusual.”
Some time had passed since the Bauer Kingdom’s revolution. I sat across from Lene in a restaurant meant for ordinary citizens, not nobles. The building had been damaged by the eruption of Mt. Sassal, but Lene’s business—Frater—had financed its restoration. The interior was tidy, and the chairs and tables—also supplied by Frater—were all neatly arranged.
Frater mainly operated in the Alpes, but they were thinking of expanding business to Bauer as part of the restoration efforts. For both moral and financial reasons, it sounded like a good plan and a wise move on Lene’s part. She was staying in Bauer for the time being to help with restoration efforts.
As for me, I lost my status of nobility and was rendered a common citizen. Or at least, common enough. People seemed to celebrate me as one of the key figures of the revolution for some reason. That aside, I worked behind the scenes with the new government to draft their new constitution, acted as a middleman between citizens and government, and was kept overall quite busy these days.
Rae made herself useful in her own way. Being a dual-caster with high aptitude in earth and water magic, she was often called upon to help with restoration efforts. Her earth magic could be used to remove volcanic ash and rock, as well as restore buildings; and her water magic was crucial for healing the wounded. These days, she was often seen running this way and that around the capital with a mana potion in hand.
As a result of our new busy lives, Rae and I hadn’t had much time to spend together. We’d made our feelings clear to one another and were planning to have a wedding ceremony one day with people from our inner circle present, but as one would expect, not being able to see each other much had put some strain on our relationship. Things wouldn’t be so bad if we talked it out, but instead, we were both pretending not to be stressed out by the situation. This caused us to misunderstand one another, each believing the other didn’t care about spending time together…until things hit a boiling point three days ago.
“I can see you getting cranky, but it’s quite a surprise to hear even Rae got like that,” Lene said.
“Excuse me? I do not get cranky.”
“If you say so. You can be rather blunt when expressing your qualms, though.”
“That’s not… Well… Okay, I suppose you’re right.” She had me there. I was not one to mince my words, and that was a fact. There weren’t many who understood me as well as Lene. Perhaps Rae and my father, but that was it.
“On the other hand, Rae isn’t one to openly show how she feels,” Lene said. “The way she expresses her affection for you may make her seem unreserved, but I get the impression that’s all calculated.”
“Really?” I said, uncertain. It was my opinion that her fawning over me was made to look calculated to hide how much she truly adored me, as strange as that sounded. But I did agree on Rae not being one to openly show her true self. “But what happened this time is all Rae’s fault! I heard from Lilly herself that Rae gave her her first, if you’d believe it.”
“Whaaaaaaat?!” Naturally, this news came as a surprise to Lene. She and I were both on the conservative side when it came to sexual mores. Personally, I believed one only ever gave their first experience to the one they married. “Is that true?” Lene asked. “I mean, I find that a little hard to believe…”
“I asked Rae and she denied it. But do you really think that Lilly would lie?”
“Erm, well… I don’t really know Miss Lilly myself, so I can’t comment there.”
Come to think of it, Lene and Lilly had only met at what was to be my public execution, and that was when Lilly was Alter too. They were hardly acquainted.
“Well, for what it’s worth, I do not think Lilly is someone who would lie. She’s a pious follower of the Spiritual Church,” I said. The Spiritual Church forbade deceit, and it was hard to think Lilly would break its tenets.
“But Rae denied the claim, right?” Lene asked.
“She tried to, yes.”
“Then don’t you think there might be some misunderstanding in play?”
“Do you really think so? You said yourself moments ago that Rae was a woman who liked to keep secrets, didn’t you?”
“That wasn’t quite how I put it…” Lene frowned, unconvinced.
“Lene, I am not angry that Rae didn’t keep her chastity. I could find it in me to forgive her for sleeping with Lilly. But I cannot forgive her for keeping me in the dark and lying about it. Such behavior is unacceptable.”
“All right, I understand how you feel on the matter. Anyone would be hurt if their significant other lied to them.”
Rae once told me she came from another world. That being the case, it wouldn’t be strange for her values regarding sex mores to be different from mine. I was willing to overlook some of her more eccentric beliefs—after all, it wasn’t even all that uncommon for nobles to have to make compromises to respect the culture of foreign dignitaries. But I could not overlook her lying about her actions.
“That being said, I still think there’s some misunderstanding at play here,” Lene said. “But let’s keep things moving along for now. As things stand, what do you want to do, Miss Claire?”
“…I’d like to make up with her, I suppose,” I muttered in a tiny voice. “I got angry at her because of what the lie was about, but I do think I overreacted. If she, of all people, lied to me, then she must have had a good reason. Or maybe she just didn’t want to hurt me.”
I loathed lies, but as someone who was intimately familiar with the politics of noble society, I knew that lying could be necessary at times. The fact that Rae felt she needed to lie about her fidelity did hurt me, but now that I was calmer, I understood she might not have had any ill intent.
“Are you going to apologize, then?” Lene asked.
“I already did. But she didn’t accept my apology.”
“Huh? Wait, Rae didn’t accept your apology?” she said incredulously. I expected such a reaction.
It was crude to sing one’s own praises, but Rae was—beyond any doubt—head over heels for me. We’d had arguments before, but Rae was almost always the one to fold first, and she always accepted my apologies. And yet, she’d been cross with me for the past three days.
At first, I was livid she would dare take such an attitude when she had been the unfaithful one. But by the second day, I realized she meant it. We’d never been this distant with each other for more than a day. On day three, my worry peaked, and I hurriedly made Lene take time out of her busy schedule to talk with me. That brought us to the present moment.
“What do I do, Lene? What if Rae leaves me?”
“That’ll never happen, don’t worry.”
“But—”
“Not even if hell were to freeze over and pigs were to fly,” she asserted. “Miss Claire, I understand you’re worried, but this is Rae we’re talking about. Do you really think she would leave you? After all the devotion she’s shown you?”
“…No.” I knew better than anyone how deep Rae’s love and loyalty ran. Even if she had made a slip in judgment with Lilly, I doubted she would ever forsake me. “But then why won’t she forgive me?”
“That, I don’t know. But, well…”
“Yes? Do you have an idea or something?”
“I suppose you could call it that…” Lene thoughtfully closed her eyes, her expression shifting as she tried to recall something. Eventually, she opened her eyes and said, “There is this one thing I’ve heard from Rae that you could try.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“It’s a bit difficult for me to fully grasp, but apparently it’s the highest form of respect one can show a significant other.”
“That’s perfect! You simply must tell me what this is, Lene!” I felt elated, like I was seeing storm clouds give way to rays of sunshine.
Lene frowned and said, “Oh, I don’t know… This might be a bit too much for you.”
“Nonsense. If it means Rae and I can make amends, then I’m willing to do anything.”
“…If you say so. So, it’s a little something like this…” She drew close for some reason, then whispered in my ear.
“Whaaaat?!”
Her suggestion was nonsensical—no, downright lunacy! And yet…
***
“…I’m home,” I heard Rae say as she returned. Her tone was stiff, evidence she was still displeased with me. It made me sad to have things be like this between us. But that was exactly why I was now going to such lengths to fix things.
“Welcome back, Rae.”
“…I’m tired, so I think I’ll hit the sack now…wh-wh-what?!” She took one glance at me in the kitchen and went wide-eyed. Understandably so. The way I looked right now was as shameless as could be. “M-M-Mah, M-M-Miss Claire?!”
“Th-this is a token of my appreciation for all you do. Please, forgive me already, Rae.”
“Wh-wh-whuh…”
I had never, ever seen her blush this hard. But who could blame her? I was wearing a frilly apron (handmade by Lene) with only underwear underneath.
“I-I believe this is called a ‘naked apron’? I’ve been told this is the highest display of affection one can give their significant other. You’ll have to forgive me—I kept my underwear on, as I was a bit too embarrassed to attempt this fully nude.”
“W-w-wait, hold on. What’s going—”
“Oh, right! There’s something you have to say when you wear this, isn’t there? Welcome back, dear. Would you like to cook dinner? Would you like to prepare a bath? Or…”
“Isn’t that backward? Wait, no, that’s not what’s important here! Why are—”
“O-or would you like m-m-m-me…?”
Rae dropped to the floor, clutching her head.
H-huh?
“Who put you up to this? Wait, no, I already know… It was Lene, wasn’t it?”
“…It was. She told me to do this after I told her I wanted to make amends with you. Did I do it wrong?”
“You did so many things wrong, but—”
“I knew it. I shouldn’t have even tried.”
“No, this was wonderful, Miss Claire.” She got up to her feet and slapped her cheeks, as if to smack some sense back into herself. “That Lene, just what was she thinking… No, wait, I should be thanking her… Yes, thank you, Lene, wherever you are.”
“Er, Rae?”
“I’m sorry for sulking like a child, Miss Claire. Your feelings have reached me.”
“Th-then you’ll forgive me?”
“Of course! How could I not when you’ve gone so far?! Thank you so much! Thank you so so much! I’m so lucky to be alive! Thank you, God! Thank you, Spirit God!”
“R-Rae?” I was a bit bewildered by her sudden elation.
She hugged me gently, our first physical contact in three days. All at once, I felt at ease. Oh, Rae. You’ve come back to me.
“O-okay then, I’ll start preparing dinner now,” I said bashfully. “That’s what this apron is for, after all, ha ha.”
“No, wait. Go change, Miss Claire.” |
Subsets and Splits