“Lady Saya, the Sovereign’s Blood chooses who would be most suitable to rule among all members of royalty at the time of succession. No one may interfere.”
“I’ve heard of this theory,” Lernaean said. “That scholar came up with it, didn’t he?”
“No, it’s truly the case. It was common sense at the dawning of Agartha. That mad scholar simply discovered it in the ancient records. The Sovereign’s Blood chooses the most suitable ruler at the time. In the event that the Sovereign dies, as unforgivable as such an event would be, or if the Sovereign loses their qualifications to rule, the Sovereign’s Blood will be inherited by the next member of royalty.”
“So, Lord Kyou was chosen in such a way, you say.”
“That’s right. Pretty much all members of royalty lost their lives during the time of chaos. Only the twins here survived, and the Sovereign’s Blood deemed our liege fit to rule.”
“So, for argument’s sake—and I assure you, I mean nothing of it—say something were to happen to Lord Kyou. What then?”
“Say anymore and I’ll consider this treason, Granapalt!” Gratos roared.
Kyou held him back. “Calm down, Gratos. That’s why We’ve been saying that We should wed our sister. By doing so, everyone’s problems will vanish, won’t they?”
“I refuse,” Saya blurted.
Fires of rage blazed in her heart. Royalty? The Sovereign’s Blood? The order of succession? Hidden away due to a weak constitution? Having to wed Kyou? What were these people even talking about? How could they say such things as though she weren’t there? Why did they get to decide on everything of their own accord?
“Do you mean that, sister?”
“I have no intentions of marrying you.”
The Sovereign’s expression went blank, but only a moment later, his face contorted in anger.
“Curse you, Lernaean! You’ve tricked Our sister!”
Kyou moved to turn on Lernaean, but Saya shook her head.
“You’re wrong. It has nothing to do with him. I don’t know about marriage, but there’s someone I want to see again.”
Saya possessed very little of her own; all she had was a single, precious memory. She wouldn’t allow that to be trampled underfoot, which was why she couldn’t stop her mouth from moving.
“And who in blazes is that?! What sort of status does he hold?! It’s impossible for Us, the Sovereign, to be inferior to anyone!”
“He has no status at all.”
Saya met Jubilia’s gaze. As a lower-ranking member of nobility, Jubilia was not allowed to speak up here, so she tried to stop Saya with her eyes. She knew full well what Saya was about to say next, so she silently pleaded with her to keep her mouth shut. Saya understood, but she couldn’t help herself. She had to say it to reaffirm her own identity.
“The person dearest to me is a commoner, after all.”
A commotion broke out in the crowd. The guests had been enjoying themselves at first; it had looked to them like there was a rivalry going on over Saya’s love between Kyou and Lernaean. Before they knew it, it had become an extension of the debate going on in Congress. However, even if the ones participating were higher on society’s ladder than normal, this type of political debate was inevitable during evening parties. They could simply enjoy themselves while listening and having some wine.
But what about now? The Sovereign’s older sister, of all people, had just declared she chose a commoner over the Sovereign. The guests had no idea how to take it and were left in complete confusion.
Saya scanned the faces of the spectators. Completely shaken, Kyou couldn’t bring himself to speak. His handmaiden, Ivara, was glaring at Saya with burning rage. If it were possible to kill someone with a glare, Saya would have been dead by now. Jubilia looked like she regretted her inability to stop Saya, while also showing concern for her. Lernaean’s expression bore a mix of shock and irritation; it seemed this affair had thrown his plans into disarray.
As for Gratos, his eyes looked cold, as if they didn’t reflect a thing. Saya felt a chill run down her spine upon realizing what lay deeper within him. Gratos was exhausted. It was as if his long, long years had suddenly caught up with him. Weariness was written all over his face.
“My liege, let us depart,” Gratos said.
“Right...” Kyou replied in a dazed voice.
The two of them walked off. Ivara turned around to shoot Saya on more glare. It seemed this handmaiden couldn’t forgive Saya for hurting her liege.
“Lady Saya, we should also depart.”
Saya nodded back at Lernaean. “Of course. Lord Rudike, I’m sorry for being a bother.”
“Erm, please, think nothing of it.”
“Wait a moment; allow me to fetch my sword.” Jubilia ran off and retrieved her weapon, then stood next to Saya. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
As they left, all the guests watched them go with bated breath.
Lernaean let out a deep sigh after boarding the cogwagon. He managed to get his emotions under control.
“You’ve done something terrible. You’ve brought disgrace to the Sovereign.”
His voice was extremely calm. It was his usual tone, as if he was making fun of her somehow.
“You’re going to be dragging him off of his throne anyway, right?”
“In the end, yes. But it’s too early. You have insufficient allies in the capital as of now. And yet, we’ve meddled this much...”
“You let your mouth run a bunch yourself.”
“Some things needed to be said. This is just stating the obvious, but there’s no way I’ll allow a wedding between yourself and the Sovereign. We had to object to it no matter what.”
“So, I objected.”
“In the wrong way. You completely threw any and all rules to the wayside. What do you think, Jubilia?”
“With all due respect, sir, I believe Lady Saya’s life will be targeted.”
“That’s probably true.”
“Huh?”
Jubilia’s comment surprised her.
“Your statement denounced and ridiculed the Sovereign’s authority. At least, that is how many nobles will take it. Furthermore, you are royalty. It wouldn’t be strange for people to interpret it as a declaration of rebellion.”
“I don’t plan on doing anything like that.”
“Nobody believes your... bold statement, either.” Jubilia stopped there. Saya implored her to continue with her eyes. “That you wish for marriage with a commoner boy over the Sovereign, that is.”
“Then how did they take it?”
“Many nobles believe it was just nonsense said purely for the sake of humiliating the Sovereign. Those angered by this will target your life.”
“We should get her out of the royal palace as soon as possible. It will take some time to prepare, however. Lady Saya’s escape should originally have taken place a little later... around the time a particular rumor reached their ears.”
“Rumor?”
“You’ll know sooner or later. I’m reluctant to say this, but with all that’s happened, there’s only one person we can rely on.”
“Who?”
“Gratos.”
Saya was confused. Gratos was supposed to be Lernaean’s political enemy. They had even had a heated argument just moments ago. Hadn’t this crisis come about because Lernaean had said needless things to Gratos to begin with?
“You made Gratos an enemy with your statement. He surely wouldn’t think of killing you, though. He believes you belong in the Garden. He should provide his cooperation in getting you away from the palace. In return, he will request you to be sent to the Garden.”
“I don’t want to go back there.”
“Is it better to be killed, then? I don’t plan to abandon our agenda over such a small roadblock. Cobalt is also gathering allies. As such, when we are victorious, you should be able to reunite with him.”
I want to see Nagi again. When I do, I wonder what will happen to this feeling in my heart? What kind of face will Nagi make? How will he look? If I can see him once more, I don’t mind returning to the Garden for a short while.
Once she had gathered her thoughts, Saya nodded. “Very well. I’ll call for a meeting with Gratos tomorrow.”
Lernaean and Saya confronted Gratos in his office. Jubilia wasn’t allowed to enter. The private office of the leading figure of the royal palace was far simpler than Saya had imagined. One could say it was a separate space from the rest of the palace, which was decorated with opulent grandeur. The scrupulously maintained furniture in the room was straight out of another era. The fact that it had all been in use for so long yet had no visible defects was proof of its quality.
One of the few decorations in the room was a box made of clear glass. The box was completely airtight and had no visible seams or lid. Enclosed within was water, aquatic plants, and small fish. The fish appeared to be alive and were nibbling at the plants. It was a mysterious scene, as if one section of a river had been cut away and isolated within the glass.
There wasn’t a single ornament aside from that. It was like a representation of Gratos himself. Only his deep eyes revealed his immense authority and personality to others. His well-groomed beard and combed hair gave the impression that Gratos was a sculpture created long, long ago. His eyes, which were like gems that had lost their luster, stared at Saya. Just from that, she felt like she was being sucked into them.