It had been some time since the reorganization of the continent. In Castle Valois, the capital of the Euphoria Kingdom, Queen Jeanne sat with her royal consort and prime minister, Hakuya, in the audience chamber, receiving guests.
Today’s meeting was with representatives of the Great Tiger Kingdom of Haan—a familiar occurrence by now. The visitors were Magistrate Lumiere and General Shuukin.
“I’ve seen you often at summits, but this is my first time paying my respects like this!”
The passionate voice belonged to a youth standing beside Lumiere. He clasped his hands together, bowed to Jeanne, and spoke with fervor.
“My name is Kasen Shuri. I serve as lieutenant general under Sir Shuukin in the Great Tiger Kingdom’s forces, and also as assistant to Magistrate Lumiere. It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Lady Jeanne!”
This was Kasen, known as the Crossbow of the Tiger for his exploits under Fuuga’s banner. His baby face and energetic manner gave the impression of an affable young man, while his evident respect for Shuukin and Lumiere reflected his sincerity.
Watching him stand so confidently at Lumiere’s side and speak so boldly...
Jeanne was at a loss for words. Since the guest had gone out of his way to introduce himself, etiquette demanded that she respond, but instead a strange silence lingered. Just moments ago, she’d been greeting Lumiere as usual. But after Kasen’s introduction, she looked from him to Lumiere, then back again. Her head lowered, and she began to tremble visibly.
“Is something the matter, Your Majesty?” Hakuya asked, frowning.
Jeanne lifted her face.
“Now...”
“Now?”
“Now you’ve gone and done it, Lumi!”
Her sudden outburst made Lumiere’s eyes widen.
“What’s this all of a sudden, Jeanne?!” Lumiere shot back in her usual tone, unable to help herself.
Jeanne rose from the throne, strode over to Lumiere, and pointed straight at the bewildered Kasen.
“You’re making this clearly diligent, purehearted young boy wait on you?!”
“Huh? You mean Sir Kasen?”
“Yes, I do! He’s younger, earnest, and a purehearted pretty boy who respects you. Do you not remember what you said back in officer school?”
“What I said in... Ah!”
Lumiere paused, her face going blank as a memory surfaced. A moment later, her cheeks flushed so red it was as if you could hear a poof sound effect go off. She whipped her head towards Jeanne.
“Jeanne! You remember that?!”
“How could I forget?! That was one of the fun conversations from the days when I could speak frankly with a friend, with nothing holding me back. I remember every last word!”
“Well, forget it! I mean, I didn’t want to remember it myself!”
Back then, Jeanne and Lumiere had both supported the reign of Empress Maria, though they would later become enemies over their conflicting ideologies. Long before that, however—back in officer school, before an injury pushed Lumiere onto the bureaucratic track—they had been the closest of friends.
Both were strikingly talented and beautiful, which had naturally drawn the admiration of many boys. But as the younger sister of Empress Maria, Jeanne had been seen as unapproachable, so the young men had never dared pursue her. Lumiere, on the other hand, had been viewed as the “more realistic” option, and thus had frequently found herself the target of romantic advances.
The older boys from prestigious families had been the most persistent, but it had been obvious they were interested less in her than in her reputation as a “beautiful and talented woman.” To them, she was a prize to elevate their own standing, not someone to be cherished for who she was.
That shallow treatment had left Lumiere with a deep distaste for older men.
After fending off the advances of yet another upperclassman, Lumiere slumped into a chair on the café terrace where she and Jeanne were having lunch, venting her frustrations.
“Ugh! Why are they all so full of themselves? My family is every bit as good as theirs, and they’re nowhere near as capable as I am. How can they think they’re better just because they’re a little older?”
“You’re in quite a mood again today, Lumi,” Jeanne sighed. “Was this one really that bad?”
“The worst. I politely declined, but he wouldn’t back off, and when I got blunt, he looked at me like I’d slapped him. Just how arrogant can you get? Ugh, I hope I never grow into someone like that.”
“He couldn’t have been more than a year or two older than you...” Jeanne said, half exasperated.
Stretching out across the table, Lumiere grumbled, “If he’s strutting around just because he’s older, then he’s already addled enough by old age. Men like that are the worst. An older guy would never suit me.”
“Oh, come on. You’ll start rumors that you’re into younger men,” Jeanne teased.
“I wouldn’t mind. Not like younger boys are interested in me anyway, so it’d just be baseless gossip.”
As a gifted and ambitious young woman, Lumiere was often pursued by older boys eager to ride her coattails to prestige. But that same strength made her intimidating to her juniors, and few dared approach her romantically. With visible irritation, she stabbed at the fried fish on her plate.
“Maybe I ought to start fancying younger men for real.”
“Whoa now...”
“If there were a pretty boy...someone younger, earnest, and who loved me with a pure heart...I’d be glad to have him as a partner. And if possible, he should be a strong warrior, not some bureaucrat.”
“Lumi,” Jeanne sighed, “I’m officially worried you’ll wait too long and end up never getting married.”
That was the memory from their school days—one Jeanne had never forgotten and which Lumiere had just been reminded of.
Now, as Queen Jeanne pointed straight at Kasen, she declared, “He’s younger, he’s earnest, he’s a purehearted pretty boy, and he’s even a lieutenant general! Look at you, Lumi! You’ve practically gone and caught yourself a dream partner!”
“Urgh... I won’t deny Sir Kasen fits the criteria! But is this really the time to bring it up?!”
“Sorry! But think about it! My friend, who once parted ways with me over our differing ideals, is now struggling to shoulder the nation for Fuuga’s heir. I was worried you’d be crushed by the pressure! Then I see you with the perfect partner, getting along so wonderfully—it makes me feel both relieved and foolish for worrying! My feelings are this jumbled mess of wanting to congratulate you, yet not being ready to accept it!”
“You don’t even know how Sir Kasen feels about me!” Lumiere snapped.
“U-Um...” Kasen stammered, eyes wide. “I hold you in the highest esteem, Madam Lumiere,” he said, bashful and red-faced.
““...””
Jeanne fixed Lumiere with a stare. With a soft poof, Lumiere flushed an even deeper shade of red. It was an expression Jeanne had never once seen from her back in their school days. A swell of emotion rose inside her, and she couldn’t help but smile with the serene satisfaction of someone who had achieved enlightenment.
“Congratulations. You have my blessing, Lumi.”
“Stop it with that enlightened smile! You went and landed yourself a reliable older husband too!”
“Don’t try to change the subject just because you’re embarrassed!”
“You think I’ll let myself be the only one embarrassed? If we’re dragging things out into the open, then I’ll tell Sir Hakuya exactly how much you used to swoon over older men!”
“Cut it out!”
At this point, they were no longer former colleagues, nor former enemies. They had completely forgotten they were supposed to be conducting diplomacy between the Kingdom of Euphoria and the Great Tiger Kingdom, and were instead bickering like schoolgirls. That in itself could have been seen as a heartening sign, given their complicated history, but considering this was supposed to have been a venue for bilateral negotiations, the atmosphere was far too relaxed. Which was why...
““Ahem.””
““Huh?!””
Hakuya and Shuukin loudly cleared their throats to put an end to the fight.
As silence settled over the chamber, Hakuya spoke first. “I must say, this talk of Her Majesty’s fondness for older men is most fascinating. I do hope you will indulge me with the details later...”
“Hold on, Sir Hakuya!” Jeanne protested.
“In order to make time for that conversation, let us first resume the meeting,” Hakuya continued smoothly, as if he hadn’t heard her.
Shuukin gave a sharp nod. “Yes. I shall send Madam Lumiere and Sir Kasen to you later, as a set. So let us return to negotiations.”
“Hold on, Sir Shuukin!”
“What do you mean, a set?!”
Both Lumiere and Kasen objected at once, but were promptly ignored.
Thus the negotiations resumed, with three of the five participants wearing looks of clear dissatisfaction.