Interlude:
Behind the Scenes 1
(Manaria Sousse)
AFTER RETURNING from Bauer, I was thrust straight into the frustrating mess that was my family’s power struggle. The rotten nobles were fixated on predicting who the next ruler would be and which faction they should support to line their pockets as much as possible. They thought only of themselves, not their citizenry.
I was by no means a virtuous woman, but I was still royalty. I had little interest in tawdry politics, but I’d been raised to love my people. So when I returned to my country and saw it on the precipice of ruin, I did what I knew I must—I announced my candidacy for the throne. I was reluctant to return to this life, but I could not allow the people to suffer. As someone with the means to do what was right, I had a responsibility to take up the mantle. That was what it meant to be royalty.
“…But what is it that I can do?”
Having been exiled once, I received little support. The memory of my womanizing scandal was still fresh in the minds of the citizens. But I persisted in my campaign, promising to pass policies that would help the common man.
“Manaria Sousse, is it? Nice to meet you.”
The tides turned when Sousse’s largest newspaper interviewed me. Until then, they’d only interviewed the candidates higher in the line of succession for the throne. A young journalist named Bettina Ermini sought me out, though. It was surprising to see a woman in such a male-dominated profession. She wore black-rimmed glasses and had disheveled hair. At first, I was a bit unsure if she could write a proper article for me, but my doubts were dispelled in moments.
“Allow me to get straight to the point. Are you an ally to women?”
Even though she was speaking to royalty, she did not mince her words. She possessed a biting eloquence that ran contrary to her slack appearance. My opinion of her reversed in an instant. She was the real deal, unlike the many journalists who were only capable of writing puff pieces. She was the kind who’d show up on the scene and drag the truth into the light herself, pen in hand.
Her questions were numerous and varied. Obviously, she asked about the scandal. But she also asked about what kind of government I hoped to run, what kind of person I was, and what kind of future I envisioned for Sousse. The interview took a whole five and a half hours, and she never let up once. It took all I had to match her pace.
Looking back on it, I doubt I’d ever talked about myself at such length to anyone else. Among the questions she asked were a few personal ones that I would normally have declined to answer, but I understood right away that she wasn’t asking out of curiosity. She was asking so she could better paint an unbiased image of who I was as a person.
“Special Interview: Manaria Sousse and Her Vision for the Future.”
Bettina’s article caused waves. For what might have been the first time ever, the people of the kingdom truly saw me.
Opinion of me still remained divided, but I was being noticed far more than before. Gradually, more and more people began to praise the policies I proposed. I continued to promote myself but started soliciting the opinions of the people as well, incorporating their thoughts into my suggested policies and thereby winning the public’s favor. It hadn’t originally been my plan to take things in such a direction, but in hindsight, it was an obvious thing to do, and one that was far better received than I could have anticipated. I felt ashamed on behalf of the royal family—to think something as obvious as listening to the people’s thoughts had never occurred to us!
The citizens were fed up with royals and nobles, neither of whom ever stopped to consider what the people wanted. Hence, their support for me grew stronger. My opponents, who could only try to slander me, began to fall by the wayside.
Months later, the previous king appointed me as ruler. The whole process was more cut and dried than I expected. It was anticlimactic, really—but there was no doubt in my mind that it was what the people wanted, even though it resulted in some of my political opponents abandoning the country and drifting off elsewhere.
The responsibilities that came with leading a nation were great, but also more fulfilling than I’d expected. I’ve never had a child before, but I imagined raising one would be as similarly amusing as watching one’s nation grow. Of course, I never voiced this thought, knowing it would invite backlash.
I focused for a time on reforming the internal government. Then one day, unexpected news reached me.
“Your Majesty! A volcano has erupted in the Bauer Kingdom!”
To honor the terms of our alliance, I began at once to prepare to send aid to Bauer. A chill ran down my spine when I learned the nobility of Bauer had put themselves in power by establishing a provisional government. They were trying to depose the royal family, all while continuing to ignore the people’s wishes—and they were led by Dole François, of all people.
I couldn’t understand why he would do such a thing—but I didn’t have the time to try and consider his motives either. There were signs of the Nur Empire at work here, acting from the shadows. Prepared for the worst, I took the Sousse army and set out for Bauer.
Despite a few complications, we reached Bauer. Both the provisional and revolutionary governments seemed troubled by our arrival. I could understand the revolutionary government’s hesitation, given they were secretly backed by Nur, but it was odd for Dole’s provisional government to not want our aid.
I tried to meet directly with Dole to talk, but the revolution kicked off right then, with me as its direct witness. Dole was apprehended by the revolutionary government, and Claire surrendered herself shortly afterward. The unease I had felt only grew greater.
“Something’s not right…”
It was strange to think Dole would both allow himself to be vilified and not try to help Claire. But it was even stranger to think Rae would not stop both of them.
I gathered information as carefully as I could. Eventually, I found Rae—just as she was in the process of trying to save Claire. Though she fought hard, Claire ultimately shot her down.
It was then that I understood: This whole revolution was staged. In all likelihood, it was Dole who planned it. Rae might have had a hand in things too. But it was ending with both Dole and Claire dying, and Rae wanted none of that, so she was trying to save Claire…and Claire had just made it known she didn’t want to be saved.
Rae fell to her knees in a daze, staring at a broken window on the second floor of the government building before her. She was completely out of it.
“This way! Back Master Alter up!”
“Don’t let her escape alive!”
There was no time to dawdle. If Claire would answer even Rae this way, then there was nothing I could do to sway her mind. The only smart decision was to get out of here.
I picked Rae up. She was surprisingly light. It was hard to believe this small frame had shouldered so much. Dole really could be as cruel as his daughter.
I carried Rae away to the inn the Sousse forces were using, but she was still out of it. I didn’t blame her. She truly loved Claire. She had proven that to me beyond a doubt. Back then, I’d thought leaving Claire in her hands was for the best…but it seemed I was wrong.
It took days for Rae to come back to her senses.
“Lady Manaria…? What are you doing here?”
Her eyes, however, were still clouded with despair. I could see just how important Claire was to her.
To tell the truth, I was tempted. Part of me thought of taking advantage of Rae’s vulnerability and making her mine. She was a captivating woman. I hadn’t lied when I claimed to have feelings for her, back when we fought over Claire with the Scales of Love.
…But even if I did take advantage of her vulnerability and confess my feelings for her, what would be the point? A Rae without Claire wouldn’t be the same. Claire was already an irreplaceable part of who Rae was. If I made Rae mine here, she would just be an empty husk. The Rae I liked was the Rae who was hopelessly in love with Claire.
So I decided to encourage her, instead. I narrowly succeeded, helping her regain the will to steal Claire back. That made it twice now that I’d had to play the bad guy to bring the two of them together. Good grief. Rae was such a heartbreaker, and she didn’t even know it.
But this was fine. I was royalty. Love wasn’t in the cards for me; that much was inevitable. The only thing I wished for was for the one I once loved and the one I considered a little sister to welcome the new era together, hand in hand.