“Huh?”
That lifeless, foolish utterance was not from Orania, but her master, Mia! This unexpected tsunami had come right at the end of her plot, and it swallowed her whole.
For a moment, Mia’s mind was blank. But after two or three moments...
H-H-Huh?! Wh-Wh-What in the moons?! What’s happening?! Why Orania?! I-I need to calm myself! Take deep breaths, Mia...
Mia panted out some heavy breaths before returning once again to her thoughts.
Wh-Wh-What in the moons?!
She was still bewildered!
“F-Father...? Wh-Why me...?” Orania seemed equally confused as she approached her father, but he failed to even look at her.
“You have some reason to kill me. You want to eradicate me, yes?”
“Huh...?” For a moment, Orania was lost for words.
That’s when Mia knew things were about to get worse. Oh, this is bad. Orania is trying to save the Visalians from persecution, and that could add credence to his suspicions...
Mia took another big, deep breath. Then, she marched right up to the king. The soldiers watched her, but she reflected their gazes with a cool grin, her eyes locked on King Nestori Perla Ganudos.
“Who are you?”
“Master Mia!” Orania’s words sounded like a pitiful plea for help.
Mia lifted her skirt in a curtsy. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Mia...” Her greeting was perfectly calm and relaxed. “Mia Lunya...”
She choked on her words! She wasn’t relaxed at all!
“...Tearmoon! Mia, the princess of the Tearmoon Empire,” she said, smiling as if nothing had happened at all. Mia had made it through enough social battles to feign composure and pretend like she had never messed up her words at all!
“The princess of...Tearmoon?” King Nestori stared at Mia before shifting his gaze to Ludwig, who was standing behind her. “I thank you deeply for the introduction. But what are you doing here, Your Highness?”
“I’m currently on a secret visit to do some sightseeing now that I’ve befriended Orania at Saint-Noel Academy.”
“Sightseeing, you say? And that’s why you’ve come to watch this ceremony?”
“Indeed. I did some shopping at the market yesterday and bought some dried queen squid as a souvenir. And...that’s right, poya! Its flavor was incredibly sophisticated, and the texture nice and tender. I could get hooked on that salty aroma of the ocean...”
“Whoa! So she even ate poya. She’s quite the connoisseur...”
“And bought dried queen squid as a gift! She has good eyes on her!”
Suddenly, the people around were bustling! The ones who were mainly looking at her with admiration were, if anything, older soldiers and bureaucrats...and they were all men.
“Yes, I was enjoying all the delicacies Ganudos has to offer,” said Mia with a smile. The murmurs seemed to be in her favor. She had succeeded in establishing a bond with the people of Ganudos via snacks! She was an almighty princess who could even handle the more mature delicacies!
“How impressive. It’s excellent that you were able to enjoy what the Galilea Sea has to offer. However...” The king’s gaze grew sharp. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t stick your mouth into things that don’t involve you.”
“My, but it does involve me! The man who saved your life was Dion, my own sword. And Orania is my...”
She was about to say “disciple,” but stopped herself. If she, the master, had gone out of her way to help Orania, the disciple...then whatever that accomplished would be attributed to Mia! And that would be bad. She needed to shift that responsibility to someone else.
“Yes, my school friend, who I’ve studied beside at Saint-Noel. I can’t simply sit back and watch when my friend is in trouble...as someone who has studied under the same roof, of course.”
Saint-Noel Academy was the greatest learning institution in the entire continent, so Mia decided to attribute all her accomplishments to the school.
“Master Mia...” Orania’s eyes welled with tears. She must have been moved to see Mia come to her aid.
“School friends? Aha ha! So that’s what you are. I don’t know what ideas you’ve instilled in Orania’s head, but...” King Nestori failed to look at Orania and instead spoke to his guards. “Ganudos will solve the problems of Ganudos, and I’d appreciate it if you stayed out of the matter. What are you all doing?! Capture her!”
“Huh?!”
The king paid absolutely no mind to Mia’s plea.
“Father... Wh-Why? Why are you...?” Orania was dumbfounded, and simply stared at her father with wide eyes as the soldiers outstretched their hands to her thin arms.
“Stop it!” But suddenly, a small boy stepped between her and the soldiers. “Don’t bully Princess Orania!” Kiryl glared at the soldiers, his arms open wide in protection.
“Kiryl, you can’t!” Yanna chased after her brother, and Patty stepped forward to stop her.
This seemed odd to Mia. Kiryl was in danger, so of course Yanna would follow after. But why did Patty, who was always so calm and collected, seem so panicked? She glanced at Ludwig only to find panic on his face as well.
“Oh...” Mia was the last to notice. M-Moons, this is bad! If we let Kiryl and Yanna go over to Orania, then...
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
“Hmm? You’re...” One of the soldiers grabbed Yanna’s arm before she could make it to Kiryl. He forcibly turned her around and violently grabbed her by the bangs.
“Agh!”
The soldier spoke as Yanna’s face twisted in pain. “Your Majesty, this girl’s...”
“Indeed.” For a moment, it was impossible to read the king’s expression. He didn’t appear angry or hateful, just...defeated. Or perhaps... “So these children are Visalians. Then it’s certain,” he spat before turning back to his soldiers. “As you can see, my daughter Orania must be the culprit. To reiterate, there is no need to chase the offender from earlier. Understood?”
As soon as he barked those orders, the king turned his back to leave.
“Wait, father...! These children are innocent...!”
But Nestori failed to look backward. It was as if he hadn’t heard her voice at all.
The soldiers violently restrained Orania—as well as Yanna, Kiryl, and even Patty.
“What shall we do, princess? We can still take them back by force,” suggested Dion, catching Mia by surprise.
“If we resort to violence...I feel that would only put them in more danger. For now... Your Majesty!”
Though Nestori didn’t turn to face Mia, she had managed to draw the attention of his soldiers.
“Orania is my friend, and these children are students of Saint-Noel Academy and under my care.” She boldly raised her voice so that everyone around could hear. “If you suspect them of wrongdoing, then you may restrain them. But I will not allow you to hurt them!”
Mia watched as a soldier about to raise his hand at Kiryl suddenly froze.
“And I will prove to you that Orania is innocent!”
“Oho! I’m excited to see the brilliance of the Great Sage for myself.” Finally, the king had turned around, but plastered on his face was a sarcastic sneer.
“And you certainly will! I implore you to treat Orania and the children carefully until that time comes!”
Detective...Mia, with a mind as supple as the aurelia, was on the case!