Chapter 10: Grantz, The Former Capital of Radius
MIA and the three boys headed straight to Henrik’s family home the moment Winter Break started.
Henrik’s house was located in Grantz, which was once the site of Radius’s capital. Their journey there took about three hours by steam engine from the city.
As they emerged from the old station building, Mia’s eyes widened in wonder.
There was a circular rotary area in front of the station, where little round horseless carriages were neatly parked.
Streets led off from all angles of the rotary like it was a massive sundial, and each road was paved in cobblestones of bright colors, including red and yellow. Little flower shops and restaurants were clustered along both sides of every street.
It was clear that this used to be Radius territory. The culture of Radius was still alive and well to this day. Here and there were unusual buildings to be seen, the likes of which Mia had never encountered anywhere before.
The little houses crammed along the streets had quaint triangular roofs, and the walls were all painted with different colors. The overall effect was completely charming. Little white puffs of smoke chugged out of the various chimneys and floated off into the bright blue sky.
The streets were paved with the same kind of stone as in the capital, and each house had the same type of chimney. But how different it all was from the dull brass and ashy gray tones of the city!
The blueness and clearness of the sky were the same as that of Mia’s childhood village, but everything here seemed so well-tended and cared for in ways Mia’s village hadn’t been. The whole town seemed like something straight out of a fairy tale.
“It’s so colorful and adorable!”
As Mia gazed around with delight, Henrik began filling them in on the area’s history.
“Isea has a lot of stone buildings, but the old Radius used to be the heart of forest country, so you’ll see we have a lot of wood buildings. All Isea has is rock and stone, right? So that’s why they build with stone. If you spot any stone buildings, that’s a sign they’ve been built more recently.”
“That’s really interesting!”
The phrase ‘the old Radius’ gave Mia pause. It immediately made her think of the great war—the Bruckestadt Conflict.
They were gone now, but the old Radius Royal Family built their capital city here. Then the land came under the ownership of Isea’s Royal Lohenstein family, and a long time had passed since then.
Mia had learned about those days during history class, but it seemed the scars of war still ached to this day. There were still many who remained loyal to the Radius royal family and waited for their revival. Mia had even heard that there were rebels who were secretly amassing power in the hope to one day overthrow the Isea Kingdom.
A cold wind whipped around Mia’s ankles, but the chill in her heart wasn’t from the weather.
She stole a quick glance at Felix. Considering his true identity and the position he held, Mia was concerned that being confronted with his family’s past deeds this way might be upsetting him.
He certainly had a gloomy expression on his face.
“So, in other words, that stone statue of King Leonard over there was built recently, huh?”
Felix was gazing at the stone statue standing in the center of the rotary. The statue was holding an oddly shaped stone in its hand. Clearly, it was meant to depict the king’s discovery of Neu-Aera.
The tales say that penniless King Leonard pioneered the Neu-Aera approach in order to seek the hand of Luludia, the princess of Radius. It was ingenuity, not riches, that won him his bride, or so the story went. What a cute fairy tale. Happy ending, right?
And with the power he gained, he destroyed the princess’s kingdom…
What kind of a horrible fairy tale is that?
King Leonard’s stone face looked like it was crying.
Mia and her friends weren’t alive when the Bruckestadt Conflict took place. In fact, there were none left living who had experienced those times.
But even with their country gone, its people remained. Life endured. And so did the truth, passed down over time.
Yes, there were scars on this land, all right.
And Mia was one of those who were still suffering because of those scars.
As she closed her eyes painfully, she felt a pair of hands clamp down on her shoulders from behind.
“Let’s get going, shall we?”
Henrik’s face was as impassive as ever.
“Are you all right?”
Felix was peering at her with concern.
“I’m…I’m fine.”
She blinked, focusing on the faces of her friends. Even Mathias looked concerned. She took a breath to steady herself. Yes, she was okay.
They headed north from the rotary, and soon a large building with a dome-shaped roof came into view.
“This was a church once, during Radius times. It was well built, as you can see, and so it remains standing.”
Each wall was decorated with a mural of glimmering turquoise. It was quite a splendid building indeed.
As Mia gazed up at the building in front of them, Henrik reached out to push a button beside the heavy front doors. Then with a clunking of gears and a hiss of steam, the huge doors began to slide slowly apart. On the wall above the entryway, a series of gears clanked together, helping to winch the doors apart.
Mia was taken aback. These doors were automated. She’d never seen anything like that before.
As the doors slid open, a gust of warm air swept invitingly around their ankles.
The interior was plushly carpeted. Once inside, they looked up to see holy images painted on the domed ceiling overhead. The circular walls were ringed with brass pipes, heating the building via the ingenious use of circulated hot water. This modern piece of engineering seemed at odds with the traditional splendor of the old church building.
As Mia gazed around open-mouthed, Henrik strode forward.
“Er, is it okay for us to just stroll into a church unannounced?”
Henrik turned to stare at Mia uncomprehendingly, then just as his expression changed…
“Welcome home, Master Henrik.”
A sophisticated-looking gent in a dashing frock coat walked smoothly forward to bow before Mia and the others.
“Sebastian, how many times have I asked you to drop the master-servant schtick?”
“Nonsense, Master Henrik. I do apologize for the delay in greeting your party. I am the Vigant family’s chief butler, Sebastian. It is an honor to make your acquaintance.”
Mia almost fainted.
A butler? But they’re doctors, not members of the landed gentry! Hey, wait a minute!
“Th-This is your house, Henrik?!”
“No, this is the clinic. The house is situated elsewhere on the property. It wouldn’t be comfy to live here, too cold, what with the high roof and all.”
There’s a whole other house, too?!
Henrik’s family had an old church and a butler. They were clearly wealthy, far beyond anything Mia had been imagining.
“W-Wow…”
She quickly glanced at Felix, wanting someone to share her shock with. But he seemed unsurprised. Then she remembered…
Oh yeah. He’s a prince.
There was no point expecting someone who lived in a palace to share her surprise over Henrik’s wealth.
She turned to old reliable Mathias, but he didn’t seem surprised either. It looked like Mia was the only commoner among the bunch after all.
“The Doctor is waiting.”
“…”
Ignoring the butler, Henrik waved a dismissive hand. “Show my guests around,” he ordered imperiously. The butler raised a single eyebrow and nodded.
“Please allow me to take your bags.”
The butler looked around at them all. He gave Felix a dashing smile and nodded politely to Mathias. Then when his eye fell on Mia, he seemed to struggle to withhold a grin.
Huh?
Mia was confused for a moment. Then she looked at Felix in his silk hat and frock coat. And at Mathias in his bowler hat and lounge suit. Then she looked down at herself. At the sight of her shabby dress, she felt her cheeks sizzle with sudden, red-hot embarrassment.
But of course. This wasn’t the academy. She’d forgotten that she was in high society company right now.
I should have at least bought a new dress for this trip…
But the only dresses Mia could afford would still look shabby in a setting like this. It wouldn’t have done her any good.
Feeling downcast, Mia hung her head. “Sebastian!” Henrik barked. The butler stiffened immediately.
“This way, please. A meal has already been prepared for your refreshment.”
Remembering his manners, the butler bowed sweepingly before leading them off.