Chapter 8:
My Dearest Rae and Me
THE DAMAGE CAUSED by the eruption of Mt. Sassal was great. A full third of the House of Lords died in the incident, almost bringing parliament to a standstill. Thankfully, the head of the House of Lords survived. With the presence of the head and my father’s quick wit, the parliament remained barely functioning.
An emergency session was convened, with blood relatives filling in for dead or absent members. The first topic of discussion: who would inherit the crown. King l’Ausseil’s firstborn prince and heir, Rod, had gone missing during the eruption. According to his inner circle, Rod had been en route to the village at the foot of the mountain, intending to personally convince the residents to evacuate. Rae had been the one to mention the village there to him, but to think he would actually go… And with the worst possible timing too.
It was likely he had been caught by the eruption. It had already been five days with no word from him, and the odds of him being safe seemed slim. Parliament argued greatly about it, but it was understood that a king was needed urgently, so Thane was quickly ushered in. Given that the country was in a state of emergency, the throne could not be left vacant for long. That being said…
“Honestly…what is my father thinking?” I inadvertently clicked my tongue in irritation as I read the newspaper in my room at the Academy. Rae turned to look my way.
I had insisted we keep investigating the issue of my father’s corruption, but Rae objected, claiming we needed his power right now. Corrupt he might be, but my father was a skilled politician with no small degree of clout. Rae had said he was a necessary evil at the moment. But that same father of mine was doing something utterly ridiculous.
“What does it say?” she asked. She seemed to sense that I needed to vent or I’d explode.
“That Master Thane’s coronation was canceled!” I spat. I tossed the newspaper her way for her to look at. According to the article, talk of Thane taking the throne had gone nowhere. Instead, the faction of nobles supporting Rod, helmed by my father, would run the government. Utterly preposterous. “The ruler of a kingdom must be a king. The only thing the House of Lords should be doing is working to select the next king as quickly as possible.”
The article’s author shared my opinion. Some newspapers were even accusing the nobles of staging a coup d’état.
Of course, not all nobles agreed with the decision to cancel Thane’s coronation. But many of the members of the House of Lords who’d died in the eruption were part of Thane and Yu’s factions, and with Yu conceding her claim for the throne entirely, many of her supporters had gone on to join Rod’s faction instead. It certainly didn’t help that Thane’s faction was already the smallest of the three. Most problematic of all, however, was the fact that Rod was missing. The largest of the three factions had lost the very person who kept them in check.
“We should be working as one to overcome this crisis. Feuding amongst ourselves will only frighten the citizenry.”
The volcanic rock and ash from the eruption had ruined crops all over the kingdom. Anticipating shortages, heartless merchants bought up food, causing prices to soar. My father’s provisional government—at least, he called it provisional—was rationing food out, but there was no telling how long supplies would last.
I wasn’t keen on standing idly by, however. If my father and his people were straying from the right path, then as his daughter, it was my duty to set him right. That being said, I doubted he would listen to me, even if I did object to his actions. To make him bend, I had to go a step further.
“I’m going to see Thane. Rae, go ahead and send word.”
It was my plan to appeal to Thane. He may have lost his chance at the throne because of my father, but he was still the person most likely to be the next king. If I could get the court’s support, then maybe I could sway my father’s mind on things.
“…I don’t know if that’s possible.”
“Why?!” I inadvertently yelled. I knew I shouldn’t be taking things out on her, but after running this way and that after the eruption, I didn’t have much restraint left in me.
“Miss Claire, you are the daughter of the man blocking Thane’s ascension to the throne. Thane’s supporters see you as their sworn enemy.”
“Argh…”
She was right. There was no way the royal court would entertain the daughter of the one who took their power. I couldn’t believe such an obvious thing had slipped my mind.
“Miss Claire, please go easy on yourself. Ever since the eruption, you’ve been working too hard.” Rae tried to comfort me, but I could not agree with her.
“I only did what needed to be done. If only my father would do the same…”
My father’s actions had been incomprehensible. The newspaper even suggested he might be trying to usurp the throne. Was this really the man who taught me how a Bauer noble was meant to act? What happened to all his lofty ideals of justice? Father… What has happened to you?
Rae said, “You have done everything you possibly can. You need to take a break. You’ve barely slept at all these past few days.”
I touched my face, feeling how dry my skin was. Rae had been diligently doing skincare for me every day, but I hadn’t properly bathed in a while. My lack of sleep was also dire. I could last another couple days like this, perhaps, but not much longer before I gave out.
“I’m fine. Really. But…” I stood up and moved closer to her. “…I suppose I’m just a little tired. May I stay like this for a little while?”
“M-Miss Claire?!”
Gently, I leaned against her shoulder.
“I’m glad you’re here, Rae. I wouldn’t have been able to do this alone.”
“Miss Claire, are you all right? You never act this lovey-dovey with me. Is something wro—”
“I’m showing you affection. Isn’t that what you call it?”
“Umm, I suppose…” She seemed bewildered by my actions.
“Lene used to let me do this.”
“Oh… I see.”
Lene wasn’t here anymore, though. The thought of Rae also leaving my side one day made my heart sink.
“I’m proud of my noble lineage, but sometimes…really, only sometimes…I dream of being freed from this sense of duty,” I said.
“That’s an understandable desire. You could do it, you know. Quit being a noble.”
“I can’t do that. I’ve lived in the lap of luxury my entire life. That means I have a duty to serve the people as best as I can, especially in this time of emergency.”
“You’re such an earnest person, Miss Claire.” She smiled wryly. “All right. Just as a what-if, if you weren’t a noble, is there something you would want to do?”
“Well…” I thought for a long moment. What a question. Being a noble was the most natural thing in the world to me. It was hard to envision a life where I wasn’t one, but… “I should like to learn how to cook and sew.”
“How unexpected. You want to do peasant things?”
“You’ve taken good care of me. If I were no longer an aristocrat, such tasks would be the only way I could repay you.”
Her eyes went wide.
I said, “What does that look mean? Oh, I haven’t taken a bath in days. Do I smell?”
“No, not at all. You actually smell nice,” she replied. What an absurd thing to say.
“Liar. This is perfect timing, actually. Let’s take a bath.”
“As you wish.”
Together, we made for the baths. Unfortunately, the spring water had been disrupted by the eruption, so the dorm baths were out of order.
“Oh, curses!”
“There, there, Miss Claire. There, there.”
In the end, I had Rae wipe my body down in my room. I let out a contented sigh, basking in the hot towel’s warmth, and thought about what was to come.
There must be something we can do… Something…
Unfortunately, my thoughts only went in circles, and no way forward made itself apparent.