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WHEN Agnes, Claude, and Ciel arrived at the royal palace, they were immediately shown to one of the royal family’s private rooms.
Chairs were arranged around a large table, and several people were already there. Agnes sat down in one as she clutched Ciel in her arms, feeling a little nervous.
The king was seated in the seat farthest from the door with Crown Prince Xavier to his right; both Prince Gerome and Charles were sitting on either side of them, and Agnes and Claude were a little further away.
“Gerome, so you’re back, are you?” Claude spoke to the second-born prince with golden brown hair. They’d been together in the Kingdom of Oreille until recently, and it seemed Gerome had already made his return home.
“Yes, how’ve things been with you?” Gerome asked.
“All good now. No problems.”
“Glad to hear it. And your cute little sacred beast seems to be doing well, too.”
Ciel sat up in Agnes’s lap and mewed, apparently sensing Gerome talking about him.
Everyone in the room seemed to know exactly what the white kitten-like creature really was, but it was still hard to resist its allure as everyone cooed in response to his mewling, making Agnes wonder how nice a life it would be for Ciel to be a true lap cat.
“Now then. The reason why we’re all gathered here today is to learn more about Gerome’s negotiations with Oreille,” the king declared, making the atmosphere suddenly tense.
“In summation, we have reached a compromise regarding the crowning of the new king of Oreille and the continued secrecy of Agnes’s true identity,” Gerome began.
“Just to confirm,” Crown Prince Xavier nodded along, “it was definitely the king of Oreille’s order to kidnap Agnes, correct?”
“Yes. After talking with Philip, he set his sights on Agnes. It seems that Philip, who had lost badly at cards, offered to kidnap her to offset his debt. The disgraced king himself admitted this,” Gerome confirmed.
“Philip, honestly…” the king murmured under his breath. He sounded disgusted with his sister’s son and the way his name always accompanied some sort of scandal.
But seeing as he was still a member of the royal family, to borrow Claude’s phrasing, Philip couldn’t be squelched so easily.
“Agnes’s late father, Josse Murre, was the king of Oreille’s half-brother,” continued Gerome. “In addition, he was the King of Mushrooms, the highest of the four levels of the spirits’ divinity. He was believed dead and lost his status. His daughter Agnes is an Oreille royal, and, similar to her father, she is now the Queen of Mushrooms.”
“Just like the Dragon Crest decides the order of succession to the throne in Visage, the strength and type of spirit protection determines the same in Oreille,” the king said. “I’m astonished Josse was willing to step down.”
This was exactly why Claude, as the fourth-born prince, was second in line to the throne. It wasn’t strange then for the king of Visage to be surprised by Josse stepping away from his rightful claim to the throne as the King of Mushrooms.
“The behavior of the disgraced king could very well have sparked a war,” Gerome said. “However, the existence of Agnes remains a secret, and she herself does not desire the throne. Prince Nathan also wants to avoid war and make amends with Agnes.”
The king nodded at Gerome’s explanation, but now Xavier frowned.
“Is the new king trustworthy?” he asked.
“He immediately apologized for his father’s actions and had him arrested. No doubt, he will be able to quickly restore the stability of the throne,” Gerome explained. “Prince Nathan will now be the King of Leaves, replacing the previous King of Flowers. No doubt the defenses of the country will be much stronger as Leaves outrank Flowers.”
“I see. With that settled, are we fine with leaving things at that with Oreille, Claude?” the king directed his attention his way.
Claude, who’d been listening intently, seemed to be mulling something over. “Are you asking me for my personal opinion? Or my opinion as the fourth-born prince?” Claude stated, his face expressionless.
Agnes sensed trouble.
The king seemed to have had the same inkling. He exhaled a little, looking concerned. “…As the fourth-born prince, let’s say.”
“From a defense standpoint, it’s not a bad idea to offer benevolence to the new king of Oreille,” Claude stated matter-of-factly. “Furthermore, I think it is a good idea to keep Agnes’s identity a secret and for the Queen of Mushrooms to stay here, in Visage.”
“And your personal opinion?” the king prompted.
“I want to punch the previous king in the face and roast him alive with lightning bolts.”
The king and the princes exchanged exasperated looks and shook their heads when Claude spat out these words.
“I thought you did that already,” proffered Gerome.
“I lacked power. Just charring him around the edges isn’t enough,” Claude responded in a deadpan voice to Gerome’s teasing. He was deadly serious.
Agnes didn’t want to believe that Claude would actually do it. But if Claude really did manage to get his father’s permission, no doubt he’d head straight to Oreille and enact his revenge.
“Cl-Claude…”
He looked her way as she stammered his name. Agnes wanted to stop him from taking further action.
“But to do such a thing would break Agnes’s gentle heart,” Claude rationalized after sliding his eyes shut to make peace with his feelings. “So, I will refrain.”
“Good. So then, things with Oreille are thus settled. I’ll leave the various negotiations and cleanup to Gerome.” With that declaration, the king indicated the matter was settled.
Agnes breathed a sigh of relief the matter wasn’t going to drag on any longer.
“Hmm, I’m wondering when I’ll ever get a day off, but you can rely on me,” Gerome muttered, looking as if he really didn’t want to put any more effort in, when a mushroom appeared with a pop on the back of his hand. He waved the yellow-capped Pleurotus citrinopileatus languidly in the air in amusement. Maybe it was Agnes’s imagination, but this kind of mushroom seemed to appear often on Gerome.
Claude, who’d been scowling, suddenly perked up when he spotted the mushroom. Gerome perhaps sensed the silent pressure Claude was imparting and dutifully plucked the mushroom and handed it over.
The mushroom trade between brothers was still going strong, it seemed.
“Well, let’s talk about something more cheerful,” the king interjected. “Preparations for Claude and Agnes’s wedding seem to be going well. Are there any issues with the new house?”
“All is progressing well. It’ll be ready in time for the wedding,” Claude replied just as a popping sound resounded throughout the room.
Growing on Claude’s shoulder was a white, fan-shaped mushroom in mottled gray and purple. He narrowed his eyes fondly at the Schizophyllum commune mushroom before pocketing it carefully.
Agnes found herself wondering where all the harvested mushrooms were going. The other day, when Agnes was in Claude’s bedchamber, she hadn’t spotted any conspicuous mushrooms. Perhaps he kept his stash in a separate room?
A mushroom playroom for a mushroom fetishist. The thought reeked of danger—Agnes never, ever wanted to see such a place.
“Then, as planned, Claude will leave the royal palace and become Duke of Aznavour upon his marriage,” continued the king. “The order of succession to the throne will not change. And since he has a Dragon Crest, he will not be removed from the royal family.”
“Duke of Aznavour…” Hearing the title for the first time, Agnes couldn’t help repeating it in a whisper. Gerome grinned at her.
“You’ll be a duchess, Agnes,” he stated cheerfully.
“D-Duchess!”
Since she was marrying Prince Claude, she knew from the beginning that she would join the royal family. Agnes assumed her status would be higher than presently as a count’s daughter, but the reality of it was a bit nerve-wracking.
Wow… I’m really getting married.
The realization hit her all over again, making her heart thump.
“But it’s not all happy news. There are reports that the hole in the wall is widening,” Xavier imparted, sparking an increased feeling of tension in the room.
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Mushrooms of the Day
Cuphophyllus virgineus
Milk-white caps. A small and cute mushroom. It’s easy to eat and goes well in vinegared dishes or in a sauce. It blooms when it senses an innocent young woman and loves to peek at romantic scenes.
It came out screaming, “He loves you! I knew it!”
Coprinellus disseminatus
White-gray caps that are only about 1 centimeter. They grow in clusters. They look like a white chocolate version of the Apollo chocolates you can buy in Japan. They’re kind of cute! They’re not poisonous, but they don’t seem to be edible, either. Maybe they just don’t taste very nice.
“These arena seats are great!” it yelled, overexcited.
Lyophyllum decastes
An edible mushroom with an ashy gray umbrella-shaped cap. It looks rather like a shapeless, unenthusiastic Shiitake mushroom. Also known as Chicken of the Gravel. Firm-textured with a rich flavor, it cooks up well. It likes Kevin, who’s good at raking neat rows.
“I want to grow in a garden like this!” it cried, and indeed it seems to enjoy its spot on the dirt row.
Amanita muscaria
Red caps with white polka dots. Like the poisonous mushrooms you find drawn in storybooks. It may resemble the 1-Ups from a certain video game franchise you might have heard of, but you wouldn’t want to try eating a real one! It felt the red filament of fate and sprouted. The mushroom Claude fell in love with.
Being summoned by Agnes was the greatest mycelium blessing. “I’m so happy I wouldn’t even mind if all my warts fell off!” it cried.
Amanita cokeri
A white mushroom with big warty bits and a flaky stalk. It looks kind of like an all-white Amanita muscaria. Nobody knows if it’s poisonous or edible, but I wouldn’t want to take a bite and find out! An alert mushroom who’s always worried about Agnes’s situation and mental state.
“Listen up, ’shrooms!” it announced, drawing attention to the fact that Agnes was speaking.
Pleurotus citrinopileatus
An edible mushroom with bright yellow caps. It grows in clusters and is very tasty. Fetches a good price, too. A member of the Wood Deterioration Club. It’s grown on Gerome several times and has started to get attached. Gerome seems so busy, and it wants to help.
Schizophyllum commune
Semicircular or fan-shaped brown caps, covered with coarse gray hairs. It is a mushroom that spreads throughout the world, distributed on all continents except treeless Antarctica, and boasts a strong vitality that allows it to adapt to dry conditions. Its spores can get into people’s lungs and cause strange ailments, but it can also be used in cancer treatment. It’s unclear whether it wants to hurt humans or help them.
A mushroom with a name that reflects its contrast. It sprouted to bless Agnes and the others.