“It was long before your time,” Mother explained.
Father nodded. “We’ve issued a hush order on such tales, after all.”
You really shouldn’t deal with an embarrassing past with that kind of suppression, Father… Though I suppose I’ve asked much the same of the palace’s servants on my own bratty youth.
“Now only We will know of Mariabel’s heroic past,” Father beamed proudly.
Er… Apparently, I was wrong. Is Elizabeth okay with in-laws this crazy? I glanced at her, but my worries were unfounded. She was beaming, face bright as a star.
“The Goddess of Destruction… My, it’s just like the old legends! I never knew your composure and capability came from such a young age. Could you please tell me more about those days?!” she asked.
“O-Oh… Er.” Mother blushed a bit, averting her gaze. “There’s nothing much worth telling, I promise you.”
I was impressed that Elizabeth could rattle Mother so severely, but not as much as Plum or Father were. They stared at her in shock.
Er, Father? Why are you so surprised at this?
Still, it was amusing that Elizabeth was so interested in such stories. And a little unexpected. She went through quite the phantom-thief-loving phase as a young girl, however, and she was eager to collaborate with Lars and me to pull off our elaborate act in Orion. Perhaps it was similar to how the best students seemed attracted to the delinquents.
Mother cut off my contemplation with a harsh glare. “You were thinking something rather rude of me, weren’t you, Vincent? It showed on your face even more plainly than it usually does.”
“Wh-What?! Of course not.”
I did my best to keep level eye contact with her. I’d always been scared of her on some level, but now that I knew she could kill me in an instant if she so desired, I was petrified. I was shocked I could defy her so openly as a child—not at my bravery but at my idiocy.
Frantically, I dug for some excuse, cold sweat drenching my brow and neck. She looked away before I could reply, to my relief. The steward knocked on the door a moment later, and without waiting for a reply, the door swung open.
“My apologies for interrupting, but a messenger has arrived from House Milford to the south! King Ricardo has crossed our border!”
“Ricardo?!” Father and Plum both exclaimed in horrified unison.
Why are they so surprised?
The pair continued to peer at the door dubiously, nervous to see what would happen next.
“Come in,” Mother commanded the steward, and he obediently entered the room. All eyes were on him.
I knew only one King Ricardo, and he certainly warranted the steward’s rush. Ricardo Louis Valeron was the king of our southern neighbor, Nieve. His skin was tanned with the sun, and he had strikingly long crimson hair that draped upon his sharp eyes and high nose. If I recall correctly, he was thirty-four.
Nieve was a large country nearly five times the size of our own, and they enjoyed temperate weather the entire year. That led to a wealth of crops and foodstuffs, which allowed the population to burgeon. They also had a robust communications network that encompassed the entirety of the realm, as well as industry refined enough to create and support such a network, making them the neighbor we could afford to ignore least.
As a child, I had often traveled there with my mother on diplomatic missions, and the then-prince Ricardo would likewise come to visit us on occasion. I was an only child, and as such, I looked up to him as a surrogate brother. That was likely the reason why I retained my memory of him alone. I also remembered that our relations with his country were fair, and that there was nothing that could warrant such an oddly-timed visit.
“King Ricardo crossed the border at House Milford’s domain,” the steward explained. “He plans to arrive at the palace soon.”
Mother sighed, expression souring. “He must’ve learned I’ve begun to lose my strength… Always frightfully well-informed, that one.”
I blinked. “You mean this isn’t mere coincidence?”
“Ricardo has countless spies watching our border. Should anything amiss happen, he’ll know almost immediately.”
“Scouts? He’s not one of our enemies, is he?”
If Nieve were to declare war on us, we wouldn’t last a month.
“Oh, he’s no enemy,” Mother assured us. “How could you say such a thing? After all the time he spent with you when you were a young boy? His visit is an annoyance, nothing more.” She sighed as though her non sequitur were obvious. “Ordinarily, the mana barrier at our border keeps out the untoward types, ensuring that he can’t visit without explicit permission.”
“Er… You’re sure he’s not our enemy?”
Mother didn’t reply, planting her hands on her hips and sighing. She was pretending not to have heard me.
Having a foreign king cross the border so frivolously was a serious issue and could even be considered a declaration of war. The steward had good reason to panic. From Mother’s tone, especially how she referred to him so casually, I got the sinking feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
Finally, after a long moment’s thought, Mother planted a hand on my shoulder, and my fears were confirmed.
“Vincent, I need you and Lady Elizabeth to meet him on the road.”
I knew it.
I watched as Lars tugged on the hem of Elizabeth’s dress and pointed toward the front foyer, pleading with her to leave and go back to her mansion. I didn’t blame him.
“And you, Mother?” I replied levelly.
“I must stay here and care for your poor, ailing father.”
“Not because this is an ‘annoyance’?”
“…Were you not thinking something rather rude about me earlier?”
“I, er… I’ll see you soon.” I turned away from Mother’s eerily friendly smile and locked eyes with Elizabeth. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not. I will gladly accompany you wherever you wish to go, Your Highness.”
Her response was instant. Despite being called out to the palace on a whim and being embroiled in one disaster after another, she hadn’t so much as hesitated to help once. If anything, she took them each on with dignity and grace. I was on the verge of breaking down in tears, thanking her.
“Lars and Harold should be all the protection we’ll need,” I thought aloud. “We’ll leave immediately.”
“I shall prepare the carriage,” the steward said before leaving.
I moved to follow him but stopped at the door. I’d nearly forgotten an important detail.
“Should I attempt to conceal Father’s ill health?” I asked.
Mother shook her head. “As soon as my barrier fell, it became clear that something went awry… Oh, and please try to remember that Ricardo isn’t our enemy.”
“Then is he—”
“He is not our ally.” Mother’s gaze dropped for a moment, and she sighed before looking back up at me. “You’re a grown man now, Vincent. You’ll understand when you meet him.”
Great…