After parting with Fiarca, Tishna took Ras to the east wing of the villa. While the west wing was used for entertaining guests, the east wing comprised the private quarters of Princess Tishna and Queen Maia.
Keeping in line with the nation’s historic reputation, the villa was grand in scale, but the decorations were tasteful and understated. In terms of grandeur, it clearly lost out to the more splendid royal palace, where the king and his first wife lived. The private east wing was even more modest than the parts the guests usually saw.
When Ras arrived there, a small child dressed in servant’s clothes ran up to him.
“There you are, Master! Master!” she cried. She had the ears and tail of some beast but otherwise looked like an ordinary ten-year-old girl. The short breeches of her uniform fit well with her androgynous appearance.
“Koko?!” exclaimed Ras when he saw her. “What are you doing here?”
“I brought you a change of clothes, Master,” the young girl said, cheerily lifting a stack of suitcases in one hand. There were three filled with dinner suits, and one with military dress, including a ceremonial sword. It was more than even an adult could carry, and all the other palace servants turned and stared in shock at this unimaginable feat.
Koko was not human, or even a living being at all. She called herself the “external access point” of Ras’s Chasseur, the Vildhjärta. Ideally, however, that was something Ras wanted to keep to himself as much as possible.
“Ras is my Master,” said Koko. “Wherever Master goes, I go.” Then, still holding the stack of suitcases, she ran up to Ras and attempted to jump into his arms. Ras used one hand to keep her at bay, then turned to Tishna with a bitter look.
“Erm… I’m afraid this girl’s telling the truth. Do you mind if she joins us?”
While Ras was nowhere near the level of a royal princess, he was still a noble. It wasn’t at all peculiar for him to have a retainer. What was strange was that he would bring that retainer along on an escort mission. Of course, Tishna was partly to blame for headhunting Ras out of the blue, but since Argyll also shared responsibility for the domestic assassins targeting her, it was only right that Ras obtained the princess’s approval before inviting Koko along.
Sure enough, Tishna appeared a little peeved by Ras’s suggestion. But the target of her annoyance didn’t seem to be either Koko or Ras. It was rather like she was frustrated at having fallen into the trap of someone not present.
“I see,” she muttered to herself. “So this is her way of countering my attempts at seduction… I don’t mind at all, Ras. Bring your servant with you, if it pleases you so.” A strained smile appeared on her face. Then she kneeled to match Koko’s height. “So your name is Koko, is it? Pleased to meet you. Please call me Tishna.”
“Tishna! It’s in my memory now! My name’s Koko! Master gave it to me!”
Tishna wasn’t the least bit offended by the young girl’s discourteous manner. Smiling, she reached out and stroked Koko’s head. Immediately, Koko was like putty in her hands. It seemed almost like the two had known each other forever.
Suddenly, a second girl in servant’s clothes appeared behind Koko’s shoulder.
“Welcome back, Your Highness,” she said.
Tishna stood up straight and adopted a regal posture.
“Thank you, Emma-Leonie. This is Sir Ras Talion Veredica, a Guardian of Silver from the Argyll Empire. Kindly show him the same respect you would me.”
“You are Sir Ras Talion?” said Emma-Leonie, turning to him in surprise. “Apologies, my lord. My name is Emma-Leonie Curbell. I work as private maid to Princess Tishna. Please let me know if there is anything you require during your stay.”
“Thanks. I’ll do that.”