Any time that was convenient for the king would be fine—that was what she had said when she requested an appointment with him. She never anticipated it would lead to something terrifying, like being called to his rooms.
If Mirika didn’t get everything settled here and now, there would be a lot of trouble down the line. Her two eldest brothers would definitely look into why she had met with their father and what the topic of conversation was. And the castle was teeming with servants who would supply them with answers. That was one of the reasons she couldn’t hope to win a war of information against them.
She had bested them once, but they would probably force something out of her next time. Whether she would be able to fight them off again, Mirika wasn’t so sure.
“Do you want a drink?” asked the king.
“I must beg your pardon. I’m not yet old enough.”
“Ahhh, is that right? You’re still fourteen, eh?” The legal drinking age in Hughlia was fifteen. “I really wanted to have a drink with my daughter before we become unable to see each other for a while.”
“…?!”
Mirika hadn’t yet told the king why she’d requested an audience with him. But somehow, he had accurately guessed the nature of her appeal.
The surprise on her face made the king smile with satisfaction.
“I am the king. How could I not know about your situation? I’m aware you’re preparing to leave the castle, as well.”
There was Kunon, accumulating a long list of accomplishments in a faraway land. And there was Mirika, in danger of having her fiancé stolen away from her because of his achievements. And now Mirika had requested an audience.
Perhaps from the bird’s-eye view offered by the throne, it wasn’t hard to follow the flow of logic. But from Mirika’s perspective, it had been a never-ending trek over very thin ice.
“In that case, may I have your approval…?” she asked.
“I need some pretense.”
“…Pardon?”
“Say I sent you out of the castle right now. What would happen? You would no longer be under my watch or my protection. You would be much easier to eliminate. Hughlian royal succession is rather strictly regulated when it comes to murder. That’s why no one tries anything so foolish. A fair few tragedies happened in days gone by, too.”
Members of the royal family had that information drilled into them over and over.
For generations in Hughlia, the throne had been passed on to a capable royal heir. Essentially, the reigning monarch’s children competed in a race to secure their inheritance, and whoever came out on top became the next king or queen. It wasn’t uncommon for a crown prince to lose his position. Consequently, while heirs were allowed to knock one another down the rungs of the ladder, killing was forbidden.
But in the past, the laws regarding such matters had been a bit lax. As a result of intensifying succession battles, the question of who would inherit the throne had devolved into an utter morass and nearly wiped out the royal family. That, in turn, had led to the strict regulations they had now.
“But once you leave the castle, it’s a different story,” said the king. “Anything could happen.”
Mirika agreed.
She wanted to believe her siblings wouldn’t go so far as to have her killed…
But Mirika knew never to rely on that hope. History had taught her as much.
“So—a pretense. Something to ensure your protection as well as set you up for the future. If you have that, I’ll give my permission. But I won’t send you off to a meaningless death. And besides,” the king went on. “Aren’t you close with Kunon Gurion?”
“Huh?”
The conversation abruptly switched topics.
“What do you think Kunon would do if he heard that you had died? He’d abandon Hughlia. He’d have no reason to return anymore. I’d rather keep the odds of that happening as low as possible.”
What would Kunon do if he heard she was dead?
Mirika didn’t know.
She wasn’t sure, but…she understood the king’s desire to avoid that situation precisely because he could not say definitively what the outcome would be.
And on top of that, the king had already taken notice of Kunon and was eager to bring him home to Hughlia.
Kunon really was popular.
“In that case, wouldn’t it benefit Your Majesty to provide me with a little more protection?”
The words slipped from Mirika’s lips unbidden, heavily charged with the resentment she had been amassing in recent years.
If the king had known that much about what she was going through—could he not have given her even a little support, made things just a tad easier for her?
Her engagement had been established by his decree, and yet there were scores of people trying to interfere with it. How dare he just sit by and watch as that—
“Ah-ha-ha!” The king burst out laughing at his daughter’s intense look of displeasure. “Of course, I’d like to protect you. But if I started giving just one of my children preferential treatment, that would make things even worse.”
He was right. If someone was thought of as the “king’s favorite,” they would be the first target in the race for succession.
“That’s just how the Hughlian royal family operates. I’m sorry, but my hands are tied. However…” Pausing, the king took a sip of his drink. “If you can give me a pretense for it, then I can aid in what you wish to do. That’s why we’re having this conversation. You’ll have to yield on this; it’s the best I can do for only one of my daughters.”
Once he said “yield,” it was over. There was no retort Mirika could make.
He had even told her why he wasn’t able to fulfill her request: She would be in danger if he simply turned her loose.
He couldn’t give his permission, even if he wanted to. The king needed some pretense to keep her safe along with some reasoning for it. That was what he was trying to tell her.
“…Would this work?”
Mirika didn’t have many cards in her hand. Because of that, she had to play them one at a time. She took out a piece of paper and handed it to her father.
“Hmm… Ah yes. I see. Not bad at all.”
“Really?”
“Yes. With the Aglia family’s backing, it won’t be easy to make a move against you.”
The paper Mirika had handed over was her contract with the Duchess of Aglia. Simply put, it was a document she’d drawn up with former Third Princess Miressa at their previous meeting.
“When Kunon Gurion returns to our country, he’ll be given a title and territory,” said the king. “I intend to have him establish a new settlement in an undeveloped region. The location has already been decided. With this document, you can obtain support from the Aglia estate. Though it will lead to trouble eventually if you rely on them too much. They’re essentially giving you an advance. Still, this bodes well. At the very least, with this, those with the power to do anything won’t be able to target you. Even Quill would be forced out of his position as crown prince if he incurred the wrath of the Aglia family.”
Yeah, probably, Mirika thought.
Dukes were second only to royalty in the hierarchy of nobility. Both their influence and wealth were considerable. There wasn’t a soul who would want to interfere with a promise made to a duchess. But considering the contents of the document, Mirika didn’t want information about it getting around.
The contract would go into effect once Mirika and Kunon were married. In other words, if the Aglia family felt like it, they could draw up an identical document with Mirika’s name swapped out for someone else’s. The safest plan would be to reveal to her siblings only that she had the support of the Aglia estate without letting on to the details of the arrangement.
“You’ve already discussed this with the Aglia family, I assume?”
“Yes. I told them in advance that I would leave the castle once I had Your Majesty’s permission. They will assist me as much as they are able to at that time.”
“Very well.” The king gave a stately nod. “Mirika Hughlia, I order you to aid in your fiancé’s development work. You may set off whenever you like.”
“Understood, thank you very much.”
At long last, Mirika had gotten the words she’d wanted to hear. With this, she could leave behind the foe-riddled castle at any time.
Her relief was so great she could feel her knees threatening to give way, but she needed them to hold out for just a little longer. Now was no time to lose focus, she thought, summoning her remaining courage.
“In light of this, Your Majesty, I do have one request.”
“Go on, then. Let’s call it a farewell present. Even if it’s a bit excessive, I’ll consider it. You could ask for money or even manpower.”
That was exactly what Mirika had hoped he would say.
“If someone wishes to assist me, may I take them along?” she asked.
“I’ll allow it. But you may take no more than five people from the castle.”
“Five including lady’s maids?”
“Yes…is what I’d like to say, but it is a farewell gift, I suppose. The maids won’t count.”
“Thank you very much.”
It wouldn’t be long at all before the king regretted making that promise.
Having succeeded at the most critical moment, Mirika vanished from the royal palace in the middle of the night.
Mobilization began immediately following her secret meeting with the king. All the necessary preparations had been arranged in advance, and she was truly grateful they had not been done in vain.
First, Mirika took refuge at the Aglia family’s villa in the royal capital along with her maid, Laura. From there, she reached out to various people. Then, before her siblings could find her, she completed her final preparations.
It took a mere three days for her to get everything done and leave the capital with her small group in tow. Her elder brothers and sisters stood no chance of keeping up with her.
Mirika’s haste, combined with her long-standing reputation for misbehaving, led to some wildly unflattering rumors such as “the Delinquent Princess was exiled from the capital.”
As agreed upon, Mirika took five people with her from the castle, not counting her maids. They were Sir Dario Sanz, her swordsmanship teacher; Warner Founds, the civil official who had served as her private tutor when she was very young, and who would hereafter teach her what she would otherwise be learning in senior school; Dame Ravielt Huus, a colleague of Dario’s; Second Princess Raysha, Mirika’s elder sister who was also a Royal Sorcerer; and finally…
“Ha-ha-ha! Now that’s a bold move, Mirika!”
On the evening of the day Mirika left the capital, King Guorios received a report in his executive office that made him roar with laughter.