“Princess Mavis! Cesia attacked me!”
“Cesia…? Is this some sort of mistake? She would never.”
Though her jade green eyes widened in surprise, Mavis defended Cesia. For a moment, Cesia was relieved, but Anita ran to Mavis’s side as if to protect her and, unbelievably, shook her head.
“Your Royal Highness, she’s correct. I saw Cesia swing the teapot at Lady Juliette.”
“That’s a lie! I didn’t do anything!” Cesia shouted shrilly, but Anita shook her head again. Covered by Anita, Mavis looked around the room, trying to discern the truth.
If they brought a highly skilled magic user to the room, they might be able to use the high-level magic that allowed them to reconstruct past events, but the drawing room was for royal use. First, they would have to dispel the large-scale defensive spell cast on the room to prevent any magical interference like people listening in, then cast the spell of past sight. However, that would take too much time, and it would be impossible to see anything.
Mavis didn’t want to believe that Cesia had done it, but Juliette hadn’t been the only person there; even Anita had testified against her, so there was no room for doubt. Mavis bit her lip, then spoke as the person in the room with the greatest authority.
“Cesia Kathrin. You are under arrest for disrespect and violence toward Princess Gwyllt… I’ll investigate everything properly, so come quietly.”
Mavis’s words were stern, but her gaze was sincere. If it had been any other situation, Cesia would have complied. But, right now, she couldn’t.
The Second Division didn’t yet have the crucial evidence to show that Juliette was the mastermind behind the criminal syndicate. Yet, she had gone as far as exposing that Anita was the spy for a chance to bring Cesia down. That meant Juliette and Anita had orchestrated this whole situation. There was no way a proper investigation would be carried out if Cesia was captured here—the truth would remain hidden. It was possible they had already prepared evidence that made Cesia look bad.
With all those thoughts going through her head, Cesia started to run.
Guards were in front of the door leading to the corridor, and Mavis and Anita were in front of the door leading to the inner room. The only escape route left was the large, open window leading out to the balcony. Cesia raced outside and set her hands on the balcony railing.
“Cesia!”
She could hear Mavis scream. My deepest apologies for showing the princess something too exciting for her. But her capture here meant not only her defeat, but also Marcus’s and the others.
The balcony was higher up than she had thought. It protruded from the rest of the building, so it was a long distance to the balcony of the neighboring room. It didn’t look like she would be able to make the jump.
She was five floors up. She might not die if she jumped off, but she definitely wouldn’t come away unscathed. It would be far too much to hope for to expect the trees to cushion her fall.
While she used wind magic to contain the guards trying to restrain her, she ran around the cramped-feeling balcony. She missed a few times, and bolts of magical energy flew into the room, piercing the floor. The remaining guards and Anita protected Mavis and Juliette and shepherded them into the inner room.
Thanks to that, Cesia finally saw an opening. She fired wind magic and another type of magic into the room, then, without looking back, kicked the railing and jumped off the balcony.
The hem of Cesia’s skirt gently fluttered in the wind, and before anyone could react, she disappeared.
“Cesia!” Mavis screamed again, falling to her knees.
Surprised, everyone headed to the balcony and checked down below. Even Anita and Juliette had returned to take a look, but Mavis couldn’t bear to witness it. She covered her mouth with a trembling hand, suppressing another scream.
There had to have been a reason for Cesia’s outrageous actions. She did tend to behave recklessly, but she always knew what she was doing, no matter how rash it may appear. Mavis couldn’t understand why she had jumped off the balcony without even an explanation.
Trying to stand up, Mavis put her hands on the floor and noticed something.
“This…” she said to herself. After some thought, she nodded once and hid it under the hem of her dress. Then, she grabbed the edge of the tablecloth on a table next to her and pulled it.
With a succession of loud crashes, the remaining cups, dishes, and pastries fell to the floor, adding to the chaotic scene. Everyone in the room felt sympathy for Mavis, who was still sitting on the floor in the middle of everything and dejectedly hanging her head. They could tell from the earlier exchange that she and Cesia had been close, and they carefully contemplated the sheltered princess’s feelings after seeing her friend jump off the balcony.
“Princess Mavis, we’ll…”
“It might be best if Your Royal Highness returned to your room for the time being.”
Supported by Anita and the guards, Mavis gradually stood up.
“You’re right, sorry. I have to pull myself together… First, escort Princess Juliette to her room,” Mavis mumbled, her face still pale.
Juliette anxiously looked at her. Mavis spent the utmost effort trying to conceal her emotions. If she didn’t, she felt like she would burst into unsightly tears.
“Princess Juliette, my apologies that someone from our country has caused such trouble for you. I’ll report this to His Majesty, and I’ll make a formal apology.”
“Princess Mavis, please, don’t worry about it. It’s that Cesia who was in the wrong.”
Mavis nodded thankfully at Juliette’s kindness and ordered the guards to escort Juliette to her room.
“I will explain this to the crown princess,” one of Edith’s lady’s maids said.
Anita tenderly put a hand on Mavis’s shoulder.
“I believe it would be best if Your Royal Highness also returned to your room and rested.”
Mavis paused, then said, “Yeah. Thank you.” Pretending to grab the skirt of her dress, she gingerly lifted the object she had hidden within. Then, feigning exhaustion, she slowly left the room.
To be continued in Volume Two