42 The Funeral III (1/2)

Inge stared over Hilde's head as he waited for her response. She noted how a light sheen of sweat was already forming over the black-haired and sharp-featured man's forehead. It wasn't only the heat causing that, she wagered.

Refraining from letting out an impatient sigh, Hilde asked in an uninflected tone, ”What is this?”

Just as blandly, Inge answered, ”This is my punishment, Princess.”

From the stubborn set of his chin, she knew she won't get anything more enlightening than that reply. She didn't make another attempt and instead looked past his shoulder. Standing there, also saluting was Raban, whose unremarkable face was slightly lined and whose sideburns were beginning to gray.

”And you?” she asked him.

”Princess Hilde. I was charged to enforce his punishment.”

”I see.” She nodded towards the two other soldiers on either side of Raban. ”And them?”

”When the others drew lots on who would man the biers, they lost. Now they have nothing else to do.”

Hilde shrugged lightly, as if none of this meant anything to her. ”So you have been punished, charged, or led by circumstances to act as my guards for this day,” she said, letting a hint of affront flavor her tone as she enunciated each of their stated reasons. ”I assume I do not have a say in the matter?”

”With all respect, Princess,” Raban, who was the senior among the four, replied in a deadpan manner. ”You are in no position to meddle in how military affairs are handled.”

”Hm,” said Hilde, forcing herself not to laugh after her own words were thrown back at her. ”I'll leave you all to your sentences then.”

Despite her words and attitude, Hilde was of course relieved. This order would have been given to them BEFORE the Lord General publicly confronted the Queen, but it spoke volumes that it had not been retracted despite the result of that confrontation.

Actually, viewed from another angle, this would explain the Lord's rashness – and subsequent easy surrender. Behind the scenes, he had already set up the pieces necessary to shield against a backlash.

Unbeknownst to his opponent, he was already several moves ahead. Perhaps he thought it wouldn't matter in the long run that he had lost that particular contest – if his earlier gamble pays off, this loss could simply be written off as a ruse or a necessary sacrifice.

But for all that Hilde was glad at how this benefitted her, she was still being used as a pawn in someone else's game.

The knowledge chaffed. It hurt her pride.

But…

Hilde forced her spirit into calmness. Arrogance was her former identity's final downfall, she fully admitted. Having gone through so much, Yong Fan Shu had come to believe that nothing more could touch her – she'd seen every kind of evil in existence, she had either escaped or defeated them all, she had set every boundary and defenses necessary to never again be devoured.