33 Unmasked (2/2)

The smile on Queen Heloise's eyes slowly widened the more she listened. And when she answered, it was to lightly remark, ”Something has happened to you.”

Hilde's patience nearly snapped again. In a flat tone, she replied, ”I lost someone precious.”

”You nearly died,” the Queen said almost at the same time. When she continued, it was as if Hilde's words didn't register to her. ”That should knock some good sense into anyone. But…” Letting out an extended sigh, the older woman rose. From her new vantage, she told Hilde, ”There's no need to concern yourself over this. Why don't you focus on improving yourself even more, from here on?”

That jab couldn't be mistaken for anything other than what it was, not even if Hilde put her all into believing otherwise.

Everyone had known Prince Dieter hated his younger sister. He'd made no secret of it. But until this day, Hilde never had even a whiff of suspicion that Queen Heloise held her in contempt as well, perhaps even more than their brother did. Her eldest sibling simply made it a point to hide it.

Lady Saskia was right to wonder – how had Hilde stayed alive all these years? She had been so blind to so much of what's really going on around her, it was downright pitiful.

Upon receiving this latest hit, Hilde grew numb, and it was not through any conscious effort. There was simply no way around it – for any human to get past something of this nature intact, her heart had to retire in order to let her mind take over the reins.

Prick had better not try to tell her this wasn't the right way to handle it.

”You already suspect that this is another trap,” said Hilde without any inflection, likewise acting as if she didn't hear her sister speak. ”Laid for you this time – or at least, for you 'specifically'.”

For several moments, there was a heavy silence. As the sisters looked at each other steadily, it seemed a deep understanding formed between them. The younger had seen through the cracks in the elder's mask, and though the latter might not understand how it happened or admit to herself that it was through her own mistake, she also knew that Hilde was now seeing the world through a new pair of eyes. Ones that were wide open, unclouded, and unflinching.

”As I must,” the Queen eventually answered, utterly dismissive. ”But where will it end if I followed that road? We will wait, Princess. We will preserve our strength.” With that final word from her on the matter, the tall, proud woman stepped away from Hilde and began heading for the door. ”We've wasted enough time,” she said without stopping or looking back. ”Let us go bury our brother.”

Cold and composed, the younger woman rose from her seat and trailed after the Queen. Though it was together that the two traversed the corridor, which increasingly became more shadowed the farther they moved away from the single high window at its other end, Hilde put up a wall to match the one her sister had already raised between them.

Insulated and, on the surface, unaffected by the figurative distance, her mind went to work.

She still had no idea whether she was specifically being targeted by Queen Heloise or if she was merely one among many who was being neutralized as a precaution. All the same, the Queen had already made a move against her. Word was already out that Hilde had shown favor towards the Lyseans by opting to escort them. Her own stated motivations wouldn't matter – not even to those who believed them.

Again, a grain of doubt was all that was needed for this kind of smear tactic to work. Many might suspect her of trying to ”fraternize with the enemy,” and every other mistake she might commit from here on would only serve to add to that stray seed, making it bigger.

To counter this, she'd have to stay away from the Lysean delegates and deprive that particular suspicion of any more traction.

As for the events at the outlying village… the whole country knew Hilde was sword-obsessed. Her call to fight might eventually be painted over as her trying to slake her selfish desire to fight in real battles. On the other hand, if the Queen loses her gamble and the people's ”irrational” emotions doesn't eventually give way to reason, a Princess itching to fight might start looking better to them, faults and all.

Certainly, the highest military power in the land was already of that opinion, though it was too soon to tell if it was only due to his grief. If it wasn't… well, there'll be danger from that quarter too. Hilde wouldn't eagerly throw in her lot with the Lord General, not if other choices were to present themselves down the line.

Now – to give the Queen as good as Hilde had been getting all her life. To isolate, to slander, to back into a corner—

[I'll have to stop you there.]