“IT seems most people in the castle are taking yours and the Gardener Cats’ side of things, my lady.”
It was the morning after the incident in the field. Lucian came to me and reported his findings. It was like a weight had been lifted from me.
“That’s good news,” I said. “I don’t know what I would have done if the Gardener Cats became villains to everyone.”
“This is the natural result. The difference between you and Princess Ileze, both in trustworthiness and good will, is greater than the span of any ocean. She gets what she deserves.” Lucian smiled as he insulted the princess with his sharp tongue. This time, I fully supported his choice of words.
Princess Ileze probably didn’t expect this outcome, even if she’d brought it on herself entirely. Maybe some people would have taken her side if this had happened within the Maldion Empire. But it was an entirely different story in Wolfvarte.
This kingdom was full of beastfolk, many of them with dogs or cats they called their companion animals. No one could harm or entrap a dog or cat in this country without facing severe backlash.
As the Gardener Cats became a familiar sight within the palace territory, they also became a beloved presence to people both near and far.
Then there was Princess Ileze. She’d made plenty of trouble for people other than myself and wasn’t looked at fondly by anyone around her. They couldn’t outwardly reject or harass her, seeing as she came from a very powerful country, but the Wolfvartian people had long run out of good will toward her.
It seemed that, when trouble arose between Princess Ileze and the Gardener Cats, most people were more willing to take the Gardener Cats’ side.
“In that case, things shouldn’t get worse for us as long as we don’t make any mistakes…”
However, I was still eager to find the culprit who threw the rock at the Gardener Cats. If I could prove they had connections to Princess Ileze, I could eliminate the last of her credibility and probably ward off any future attempts at harassing me.
I’ll find the culprit and force them to apologize to the Gardener Cats.
With that newfound resolve, I headed to the front door when I heard nimble footsteps darting toward me from behind.
“Peep peep!” It was Tweety, the Cuddle Bird. He puffed up his cream-yellow feathers and nuzzled up against me. “Pip! Pip! Peep peep peep peep!”
“Out of the way, furball. Lady Laetitia is trying to leave.” Lucian tried to peel him away, but Tweety refused to budge.
Tweety physically resembled an adorable baby bird, only he was taller than me and rather heavy. He dug his feet into the ground to resist Lucian’s pulling.
“You leave me no choice. Won’t you join us, Tweety?” I invited.
“Peep!”
Tweety let out a happy chirp and cuddled up to me with even more force. He’s so heavy…
“Are you sure you want to take this furball with us?” Lucian asked.
“It shouldn’t be an issue. The people at the Bureau of Magic raised him, after all. Besides, Tweety’s been lonely now that the Gardener Cats don’t play with him as much as they used to.”
Tweety and the Gardener Cats were fellow furry residents of my villa. They used to get along quite well. However, ever since the Gardener Cats started to focus so intensely on their work, they no longer had the time or energy to play with Tweety.
Tweety consumed magical energy as his main source of food, so playing with the Gardener Cats, themselves possessing that energy, was like having a little snack. His stomach and his heart both seemed to miss them now that they were absent.
Our first stop was the Gardener Cats’ second field. We left Tweety in the carriage so we wouldn’t startle the cats, then I went up to them to get their report about recent events.
“I see. So there hasn’t been anything strange since we left yesterday?” I asked.
Wheat nodded back at me. That was a relief. But then Wheat shared something peculiar.
“What?! Poison?!”
“Meow meow!”
He stuck out his claws, revealing some sort of shimmering liquid dripping from them. Apparently, this type of poison wasn’t meant to kill, but to put someone to sleep without causing any harm. The Gardener Cats were expert farmers and knew how to extract the drug from the plants they grew. They saw it as a convenient sleeping drug.
Wheat also explained that they would be using it as a self-defense measure. They were particularly on edge after yesterday’s incident.
I warned them not to use too much of it and told them to flee and find me if they were up against someone too dangerous. That was when Orth arrived from the Bureau of Magic.
“I’m not getting any reaction on this side either.”
“I see…”
Orth and I used detection crest tools to survey the area, but sadly, there were no traces of anyone using a spell.
“…Does that confirm that they had to have used a crest tool to shoot the rock?” I asked.
“That’s the only explanation I can think of. A high-efficiency crest tool won’t lose much energy from its magic stone, so it wouldn’t show with our detectors.” He was nodding his head, but the expression on his face told me he still wasn’t satisfied. “However, the tool would really have to be the best of the best to shoot a rock at that speed without leaving any trace of magical energy. It would be a large device too. Even if they were really rattled, I don’t see how the Gardener Cats wouldn’t have noticed someone carrying that thing.”
Orth was exactly right.
The two of us were putting our heads together when the driver of my carriage ran up to me.
“Queen Laetitia, please return home at once. His Majesty has summoned you.”
✦ ✦ ✦
KING Glenreed is so busy. I can’t believe he came all the way out to my villa.
I’d assumed it was about yesterday’s incident with Princess Ileze, but I was wrong. His Majesty had received intelligence from one of his spies. It was a blueprint for a new kind of crest tool weapon from the Ringrard Empire.
“…Is this something I, a temporary queen from a foreign country, should participate in?” I asked.
This was clearly classified information and would influence this country’s military. While I had no intention of using it for personal benefit, it was a great responsibility just to know about it.
“I need your help specifically. I summoned Director Bodorey from the Bureau of Magic yesterday, where he told me you carry unique knowledge and concepts relating to the development of crest tools. Those talents of yours are a necessity right now. We have to analyze Ringrard’s military actions as soon as humanly possible.” King Glenreed’s eyes were locked on mine.
Faced with the sheer earnestness I saw in them, I decided to answer him honestly as well.
“…I understand. I’m not a specialist and may not be able to provide the help you need, but I’ll do everything I can to analyze the blueprints.”
Once I said that, King Glenreed handed me the classified documents.
“It can’t be…”
I couldn’t stop myself from gulping quietly.