Volume 7 Chapter 2 (1/2)

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It had been three days since the commemoration ceremony. The imperial court of Solon had, of late, constantly been wrapped in a gloomy atmosphere, but this morning, things were slightly different. The previous day, Colyne Isphan, who oversaw matters relating to the Emperor's audiences, had received a request for an audience from Princess Vileena.

Originally, the Princess' turn should have been in the evening but, when the Emperor had been personally reviewing the schedule, he had granted his permission for her to have the very earliest audience.

The audience hall was unusually full for that hour of the day, probably because people were curious about whether the Garberan princess had finally decided on her own course of action. Which day she would announce as her departure date had become the subject of many a bet, and most of the n.o.bles living in or around Solon had shown up.

”Lady Vileena Owell, princess of Garbera.”

With the announcement from the crier, a slender foot stepped onto the red carpet that was stretched out along the audience hall. The foreign princess who had been supposed to become the Crown Prince's wife walked forward, her back straight and her steps steady. Gossip held that she would be haggard from her fiancé's death and from fretting over the uncertainty of her own fate, yet her gaze was firm.

Her platinum-colour hair tumbling along her back, Vileena kneeled before the throne.

”It is a great honour to be able to meet with you, Your Majesty.”

After having given her greetings, Vileena imparted the purpose of her audience. And the a.s.sembled crowd, desperately trying not to let their curiosity show on their faces, heard something somewhat unexpected.

”I wish to be allowed to leave Solon for a short while.”

Solon? For a short while?

The people there looked at each other. They would have understood it if she had said that she wanted to leave Mephius, but she had expressly limited herself to 'leaving Solon'. And only 'for a short while' at that.

What now, at this point in time?

A disappointed expression appeared on the gawkers' faces. Among them, however, there were some who whispered -

No, don't be too hasty. She must be hesitant to suddenly bring up going back to Garbera, so she's saying things in a roundabout way.

However -

”I would like to go to Nedain. I have heard that Lord Rogue Saian is there.”

Silence descended upon the hall the moment that Rogue's name was brought up. Rogue Saian was being kept away from Solon, having incurred the Emperor's wrath for turning a blind eye when the Prince - against the Emperor's wishes - had taken reinforcements to Garbera. The people who had gathered out of idle curiosity all fearfully looked up to see what the Emperor's expression was.

Sitting on the throne in his usual posture, his chin resting on his hand, Guhl Mephius asked, ”What business do you have with Rogue, Princess?”

He was currently showing no hint of anger. Faster than the n.o.bles could pat their chests in relief, however, Vileena replied -

”I have heard that the survivors of His Highness the Crown Prince's Imperial Guards are with Lord Rogue. I have yet to thank them for rescuing my native country. Therefore, as a matter of honour, I wish to call upon them,” she announced in a clear voice.

It was silent no more as a babble broke from each person's lips. Vileena's words were endorsing Gil's action of defying the Emperor. Besides which, she had deliberately spoken of ”honour” with regards to the people who had allowed or a.s.sisted those actions. In other words, it was the same as her declaring to Emperor Guhl that - what you did was not honourable.

W-What is she saying? One n.o.ble stole a glance at his neighbour. I know that the Princess is valiant, but she can't possibly be defying His Majesty to his face?

No, she's just an ignorant kid. She thinks that it's fine for her to say whatever she pleases.

Entirely heedless of the tense atmosphere that had suddenly enveloped the great hall, the Princess awaited the Emperor's words with her head still bowed.

One second pa.s.sed. Then two. The three.

The aides to the Emperor had never felt time pa.s.s so slowly. It was as though the silence itself had turned into the fangs and claws of some demon which was ripping at their fragile hearts.

”Oh?”

When Emperor Guhl Mephius' voice sounded like a low growl, everyone's shoulders jerked. All of the retainers looked downwards, as though trying to avoid the roared rebuke which was about to descend upon the hall like a crash of thunder. However -

”Envoys from Garbera are expected to arrive next month, however...” what Guhl said made it seem like he did not mind the princess' words.

”I will take about a week,” answered Vileena.

”In that case,” Guhl gave a faint smile, ”you didn't need to go out of your way like this, Princess. What you have seen of Solon and Apta was also hurried. You should take this time to stretch your wings.”

The Emperor spoke generously, but given that Vileena had thus ”gone out of her way”, it could also be taken as her wanting to criticise the Emperor's way of doing things in front of both him and his retainers. Guhl being Guhl, he laughed at having ”gone out of his way” to point that out.

The tension in the hall did not subside until the Princess excused herself from the Emperor's presence. Thinking about it calmly, Vileena was a guest from another country; even if what she said did not fit in with the Emperor's thoughts, he could not unilaterally punish her.

Everyone recognised, however, that if anyone other than the princess were to speak such an inconvenient truth then, even if they were someone of as much influence as Simon, they would only end up being imprisoned. It was easily the most difficult thing about the Emperor.

Or rather… There were probably one or two people whose thoughts ran along these lines: or rather, if he acted tyrannically even towards Vileena, a guest left in their care by a foreign country, it would indicate that he no longer had the calibre needed to be emperor, and there would then be a good chance that Mephius' retainers would unite and confront him.

The Emperor, however, remained entirely clear-sighted. It was just that, although he was clear-sighted, he was also unusually self-righteous.

Guhl Mephius was a difficult ruler.

Vileena left Solon three days after the audience. Arrangements had been made for an air carrier, but she had chosen to travel by horse-drawn carriage. Accompanying her were more than fifty soldiers, a.s.signed to guard her, and Theresia, her lady's maid who had travelled with her from Garbera. A ferry had been hastily sent to Nedain, and it was said that more soldiers would come from Nedain, and would meet up with them along the way.

”Princess, the weather really is lovely,” said Theresia, looking out of the carriage window.

Vileena smiled faintly. ”You seem to have something you want to say. Theresia, whenever you break the ice like that, it means you're either going to scold me or give me advice. And you first start talking about the weather to sound me out.”

”You are very discerning. Why did you not consult with me at all? About having an audience with His Majesty. Saying that you want give thanks for the reinforcements to Garbera simply sounds like sarcasm against the Emperor.”

”I thought that if I had told you, you wouldn't have agreed, Theresia.”

”Of course not.”

”Even I'm not just a thoughtless child. I only acted after very, very deep consideration.”

How so? Theresia did not say anything, but the curve of her mouth conveyed her feelings. Vileena pretended not to have seen and instead, like Theresia, looked up at the sky through the window. The weather was not as clear as the former head Garberan lady's maid had said, but a sky so blue it pierced the eyes occasionally peeped through the gaps in the grey clouds.

Still… Theresia studied her young mistress' profile. If Vileena had consult her, she would naturally have voiced her opposition, but she would also, from the bottom of her heart, would have supported her in whatever she wanted to do.

How long has it been now since Crown Prince Gil pa.s.sed away?

That confused and chaotic time in Apta Fortress spontaneously resurfaced in her mind. Prince Gil had been shot…

When she received the news, Vileena muttered a single word - ”Impossible” - and raced through the fortress. It was said that Gil had been shot when he had gone out onto a balcony, and that he had fallen into the River Yunos. A search party had immediately been a.s.sembled. Vileena herself had joined the line of airs.h.i.+ps. Flying in the middle of the night was, of course, dangerous; Theresia had called out to stop her, but Vileena did not even appear to hear her, and flew along the Yunos to the limits of her s.h.i.+p's ether reserves.

When she returned temporarily to replenish them, a new piece of information had arrived. A search party had seen soldiers from the Black Armoured Division racing along the opposite bank. Part of the search party had been sent out as messengers to the Taúlian side to request permission to cross the border. Meanwhile, with every second loss unbearable to her, Vileena flew as close to the border as she could.

Even when the river's surface started to reflect the morning light, there was nothing to show for these efforts. Having run out of ether and returned to the fortress for who knew how many times, Vileena received yet another fresh piece of news.

One of the Imperial Guards' search parties had run into the Black Armoured Division, which was attempting to flee by crossing the border with Taúlia. They had all but annihilated one another. Amongst those of the guards who had fallen victim during the fight, and who did not make it back to Apta, were two that the Prince relied on: Orba and s.h.i.+que. The Princess knew both of them.

Hearing of the deaths of those she knew one after another, and exhausted from having flown all night, the Princess was no longer able to stand. For a fourteen-year-old girl, it must have felt as though the world she had known was collapsing. Theresia had hurriedly run over, had called for help, and had brought the Princess back to her room in the fortress.

After that, time slipped by with dizzying speed. Help arrived from Birac and Solon to a.s.sist in the search, and a battalion's worth of airs.h.i.+ps was added. Taúlia also helped search along the border, but nothing came of that either. Even when she had been urged to return to Solon, Vileena had refused to give up until the very end and flown a s.h.i.+p as often as humanly possible, until finally, a messenger had come directly from the Emperor, whom she could not defy.

Theresia remembered that last day in Apta.

Having asked permission from the chamberlain attached to the Prince, a boy called Dinn, Vileena had entered the Prince's private room. It seemed as though the Princess, having finally resigned herself, was looking for a keepsake with which she could immerse herself in memories or keep hidden on her person. However -

”He is a 'liar',” Vileena's blueish eyes glittered. ”The kind of person who deceives his friends to trick his enemies. At Zaim Fortress, at Mephius' Founding Festival, and also in the battles between Apta and Taúlia… he is always like that.

”How did I not notice until now? The Prince is deceiving us again so he must be planning something. How many times does he think he can trick me? Right, Theresia, lend me a hand. There is definitely a secret somewhere in this room. Or maybe a letter to me…”

With the acc.u.mulated exhaustion from the previous days, Vileena was in a kind of manic state. Sorrow and despair forgotten, her young mistress' face was wreathed in cheerful smiles - Theresia found it wretchedly painful. It seemed to her that during the time spent searching the Prince's room, each minute, each second, would erode the Princess' buoyant feelings, that cruel reality would sink in like water being absorbed by silk floss, and that in the end, she would be crushed by sorrow and despair even greater than before.

Her prediction proved correct. The sky outside the window had grown bright and the s.h.i.+p had arrived to pick her up, but up until the last moment, Vileena had stayed in the Prince's room. In the end, she had finally stopped walking around the room, stopped rummaging along the shelves, stopped talking to Theresia even, and had simply stood vacantly in place.

Theresia could not find the words to say to her mistress who was in that state.

Prince Gil Mephius is cruel.

To his fiancée, who had traveled far from another country - and one which had, until just before, been an enemy that fought continuous, b.l.o.o.d.y battles against them - he had never once spoken gently nor given a single gift. Even though her ever self-willed princess had made great efforts to repress herself, to grow familiar with this country, and to try and understand the Prince; every time, he would dodge the issue, immerse himself in his work, and leave the Princess to experience solitude.

Truly cruel.

Yet even so, finally... finally, Theresia had observed that a mutual exchange of feelings had started to bud between the young pair. Which was why she could not forgive him. For having disappeared so abruptly. For having left Vileena alone in this country.

After they had returned to Solon, Vileena had spoken less and less. It had been better in Apta, where she had gone searching each day until she was utterly exhausted. At least there had been something that needed doing. She had not been tormented then with her own ominous thoughts, nor had she felt as though her body were being ripped apart by grief.

It's like the soul has been plucked out of her body - Theresia had not been alone in thinking that.

Two weeks later however, Vileena changed again. She had been sitting alone on her bed, her head bowed and her expression listless, absorbed in her own thoughts.

I'm not doing this right - Theresia had thought suddenly as the conversation was about to peter out. Anxious not to run out of topics to talk about, she had brought up the Imperial Guards who had once served the Prince. Theresia had heard that the survivors from the battle with the Black Armoured Division had been incorporated into Rogue Saian's division. Among them were Gowen, the commander of the Guards, and Pas.h.i.+r, who had fought the masked Orba in the finals of the Founding Festival's gladiatorial tournament. There was also Gowen's adopted daughter, Hou Ran, who, unusually for a woman, worked as a dragon handler.

As soon as she heard about it, Vileena's eyebrows twitched. Dammit - Theresia instantly thought. She knew the habits of the girl she had served for many years, so how could she not realise that Vileena had hit upon some idea or another?

Rogue Saian had angered the Emperor and was currently being kept away from Solon, in a town called Nedain. Theresia had already somewhat resigned herself when she had brought up that last, desperate conversational gambit.

And, as expected, Vileena and Theresia were now being jolted along in a horse-drawn carriage on the highway to Nedain.

Theresia sighed. There was nothing unusual about the speed of Vileena's decisions and actions. Although Theresia had felt her blood run cold when she had heard that the princess had spoken what sounded like defiance towards the Emperor, she did not, in fact, think that going to Nedain was a bad idea.

She did not know what her mistress intended to do over there but, when someone close to you died, it was only by sorting through the many things coiled up inside you - including those that, from an outside perspective, seemed utterly unrelated - that you could learn to accept reality. Theresia herself had sometimes done as much when her parents and younger brother had pa.s.sed away.

Still -

”Princess,” in this situation, Theresia definitely had to give her mistress a warning. ”Princess, I am on your side no matter what.”

”Of course I know that.”

”That being the case, there is one thing that I would like you to listen to me about. The lord of Nedain, Jairus Abigoal… I believe that you are already familiar with the name, Princess.”

”Uh humm…”

Vileena gave a slight nod. That sound, which was like a cross between 'uh huh' and 'hmm', was very much like the one that her grandfather, Jeorg, made when he wanted to show someone he trusted that he was listening to what they were saying. When Vileena imitated her grandfather like that, it was usually when she was putting on an important air and wanted to hide her intentions from the other person.

”I earnestly ask you not to interrogate Lord Abigoal directly, or to scold him, as you did with His Imperial Majesty. Princess, your position here in Mephius is currently a very delicate one. Please do not stir things up even more.”

”I know,” answered Vileena, resting her cheek on her hand.

She had heard that Lord Jairus and a young n.o.ble who served him, called Raymond, had quarrelled in the Emperor's presence. Afterwards, Raymond had summarily been dealt with by being thrown into prison. Theresia naturally understood that her mistress was uneasy about this. Knowing Vileena's personality, she might well berate the domain lord to his face and cause an unnecessary uproar.

”Promise me, Princess.”

”You're so persistent. I won't interrogate him and I won't scold him. I promise,” Vileena said, unconcernedly.

The carriage continued along the highway at a leisurely pace. They were to arrive in Nedain on the evening of the third day after they had left Solon, and it was that day that they met up with the guards which had been sent from Nedain.

”Princess,” Theresia called out as she looked through the window. Leading the horse riders was an old soldier with tanned skin: Gowen, who had once been the commander of the Prince's Imperial Guards.

He came up to the carriage and gave his greetings to the princess. At the same time, he said not a word about the Crown Prince.

”Uh hum,” Vileena nodded graciously while casting a somewhat thoughtful eye on the veteran soldier.

On the day of the Garberan princess' departure from Solon, Imperial Princess Ineli Mephius was irritably pacing around in her own room.

She was the daughter of Melissa, Guhl's second wife, and she too had tended to stay indoors ever since she had been informed of the Crown Prince's death. Although in Ineli's case, the reason was slightly different than it had been for the royal princess. When she had gone to Apta, the suspicions she had harboured that the crown prince might actually have been an impostor had turned into conviction. Just when she had believed that things would be turning interesting, she had heard the news that the Prince had been killed.

It can't be.

Ineli could not accept it. Not only because her hard-earned amus.e.m.e.nt had fallen apart in her hands, but also because she had a.s.sumed that the impostor, who had survived the imperial palace and the battlefield, would not die so easily.

Who was that man?

His face was so like her step-brother's, it was almost scary. Even his father, Emperor Guhl, had not noticed anything when they met. The person inside, however, was completely different from the Gil that Ineli knew well. This man made brilliant use of soldiers, had seemed almost indifferent when confronting Zaat Quark who had a gun pointed straight at him, and on top of that, he was a outstanding swordsman.

She had once wondered whether he was someone of high standing, however, if that was the case, it was inconceivable that someone so talented and whose face looked exactly like the Crown Prince's could have failed to attract attention within Mephius. Had someone brought a boy from another country, or found a slave or some other lowly person who happened to resemble Gil? Had that someone, judging that he could be of use as a body double, then trained him through long years of education?

Then, that someone…

While Ineli was chewing her thumb and deep in thought, there was a knock at the door. She frowned, narrowing her eyes.

”Didn't I say that no one was to come in?” She demanded in a shrill voice. Recently, she had often raised her voice against the ladies' maids and n.o.ble young ladies that she normally got on well with.

”I beg your pardon, Princess. Your sister, Princess Flora, says that she earnestly wishes to see you.”

”Flora?”

Ineli twirled her golden hair around her finger. It was unusual for her younger sister to come and see her in person; she reluctantly gave permission for her to be allowed in.

Lead in by a tall lady's maid, Flora timidly made her appearance. Like Ineli, she was Melissa's child from her previous marriage, and she was five years younger than her sister. She had just turned eleven during that year's Founding Festival.

At eleven, Ineli had already made her debut in high society and had been a.s.signed a great many private tutors, so she remembered being busy every day. Flora however was introverted by nature and, in the past, her health had been frail. She did not have any close friends, and since her mother had become empress, she had rarely had the opportunity to leave the Inner Quarters.

”What do you want? Please make it short.”