“Things seem to be going according to plan. I visited the site, and it looks just how you envisioned it.”

“Don’t you think our side of the levee should be finished faster? If things continue on like this, we’ll put too much of a burden on the other side.”

The five elderly men looked over the construction reports and exchanged opinions on them. There was just so much I didn’t know. It made me regret not spending more time in Japan cultivating more skills and knowledge. Then again, I had no time for regrets. I only had one pair of hands and eyes and only one brain. I couldn’t learn everything in the world myself. That was why I had decided to surround myself with people who could supplement the knowledge that I lacked.

Everyone has different interests. Everyone’s appetite for knowledge is stimulated by different things. Some people analyze and study practices in the past that have been generally neglected, such as flood prevention, and some dream of putting their skills to use by building aqueducts to bring water to crops. I had gathered all those people together to have discussions like this one.

These days, it was even easier to find those people hungry for knowledge, now that I had established the academy. I suspected this was also due to the request I had made to Headmaster Luka to make the academy library open to the public, to which he had agreed.

I’d had dozens of meetings like this so far, but at first, the attendees hadn’t been as open with their discourse as they were now. Once they realized that they could make their dreams a reality and see the fruits of their studies and plans, I saw the light catch in their eyes, and a new readiness to share their opinions bloomed forth. They began to exchange their opinions with each other, together generating even better ideas than they’d had to begin with. Since they were all so passionate about their interests, it was my job to manage the meetings and keep them all on task.

After we’d gone through basically everything, I called the meeting to a close. “I think it’s time to give out instructions. Luckily, we have someone from the contracting firm here, so I’ll check with him on this detail; how is the workforce replenishment coming?”

Even though I sprang the question on him without warning, the contractor readily answered without showing a hint of apprehension. “We’ve used several subsidies to hire day laborers. But we’re still scraping by at a bare minimum. If we need to get the job done faster, then we’ll need to hire more people.”

“Speaking on behalf of Borsa, it would be quite difficult to allocate any more of our budget toward this construction project.”

“I see. However, the problem here is that these workers aren’t accustomed to doing a job like this, so accidents have occurred more frequently, and quite a few people have been injured on the job. If these injuries continue, we’ll have a harder time retaining our workforce. Honestly, I’d like to be in a position where we can keep replenishing our people.”

“What’s happened to those who were injured?”

“They’re recovering at home or in the hospital.”

“And who’s paying for the cost of their treatments?”

“They’re covering the cost themselves, of course.” The contractor gave me a curious look, as if he wondered why I had asked such an obvious question.

“Hmm. Let me think about what we can do for that situation. But let’s adjourn this meeting for today. Thank you so much, everyone.”

After I called the meeting to a close, everyone reached for a drink. There had been much enthusiastic debating today, so everyone seemed to be parched. After everyone gulped down their drinks, they stood up and left.

“What did you think?” I asked the contractor who I’d brought with me.

He gave me an excited look. “I learned so much. Everyone’s enthusiasm lit a fire in my soul!”

“Really? I’m so pleased to hear that.” His eyes and voice were so earnest that they put a smile on my face.

“Thank you so much for allowing me to have such a wonderful experience.” With that, he excused himself.

Once he was gone, I looked down at the documents again. “Injured workers, hmm…”

“Is something the matter, Lady Iris?” Rehme asked from beside me.

“No, I was just thinking.”

“If there’s something on your mind, feel free to ask me any questions you might have. Speaking of catastrophes, though, I think it would be prudent to be wary of them this year.”

“Have you already seen some signs?”

“No, no, not at all. But it’s common in this kingdom to see several months of hot weather followed by long periods of heavy rain, especially in the western regions, maybe once every hundred years or so. It’s never affected Armelia, so it’s generally none of our concern, but I thought I ought to let you know.”

“Thanks. Could you write a more detailed report on that phenomenon and deliver it to me later?”

“Of course!”

“Wonderful. I have a feeling I’m going to be relying on you a lot from now on, Rehme.”

***

I reviewed all the fine details of the documents before me, filled them in, and signed.

“My lady, I have a letter for you.” I looked up as Tanya handed me the letter.

“Oh? I wonder who it’s from. Ah, my father. He’s included a letter from Lord Kataberia.”

Tanya visibly reacted to the mention of this name with a frown. Count Kataberia was Dorssen’s father, of course. It was clear that she was wondering about the contents of the letter. I smiled wryly at her reaction and read the letter from my father first.

“Father says, ‘Now we can reconcile.’ Hm? Reconcile what?” I took out the letter from Count Kataberia next. “Oh!” I let out a cry of surprise as I read it.

“What does it say, my lady?”

“Basically, I suppose you could say it’s a letter of apology. He didn’t sugarcoat it either; the sentences are all extremely frank and straightforward. Remember how Father sent a formal objection to Lord Kataberia when Dorssen came to Armelia? This is in response to that. It says the count has left the knighthood of his own accord, and that not only has he disinherited and disowned Dorssen, but he’s asking for our two families to bury the hatchet. I have to wonder what manner of objection Father sent to him…”

“Your father and mother were quite angry with Dorssen over his actions toward you when the prince broke your engagement.”

I was surprised to hear this news from Tanya. Quite some time had passed since then, so why was I finding this out just now? “Is that true?”

“Of course. You’re a lady, the daughter of a duke, and you were pinned down and injured. No matter what the second prince said, since at that time no official notice had yet been given, you were still in line to become a princess. A future member of the royal family.”

“True.”

But right after that, the royal palace had issued an official notice informing everyone that my engagement with the second prince was terminated. It was only a formality, of course, because I was almost certain that they had decided to break off the engagement the moment Yuri got Queen Ellia involved. Still, before that happened, and at the moment when Dorssen had me pinned down on the floor, I had indeed still been a future member of the royal family—and I had been and remained the daughter of the duke who was the prime minister.

“So in that regard, Dorssen committed a serious faux pas. I suppose you could call Lord Kataberia’s quickness to say he would immediately correct his son’s behavior an act of kindness on his part, but I’m sure it was also a way to protect himself. But Elulu told me that the duke, and especially your mother, were incredibly angry about it.”

“My…”

“When your mother lived at her family’s house, she had many interactions with the knights who admire Master Gazell. That’s why she was so much angrier than she might otherwise have been when Dorssen misused his status as a knight. Supposedly, she said, ‘It’s a disgrace to the knightly code of honor. Would a knight use force against a feeble woman? I have to question the judgment of a knight commander who would welcome someone like that into the ranks of his knights to begin with. It’s forgivable because you’re going to correct him, you say? His particular behavior is the outcome of your two decades of raising him, so what in the world are you talking about? Forgiving him is the same as doing nothing at all. In the end, he gets to keep the job and live the life he wanted all along. So he suffers absolutely no consequences. When did our family become so scorned?’ After that, she declared that she would no longer attend any party hosted or attended by the Kataberias.”

“Mother…” Hearing my mother’s words relayed by Tanya made the depth of her anger sink in.

“So the count has left the knighthood… In that case, does the vice-commander take over?”

“I believe so, but could you check and make sure? Oh, and take these documents with you.”

“Yes, my lady.”

I let out a deep sigh after Tanya left the room. I was still in a state of shock at these new revelations. But more than that, I felt happy. Despite my best attempts to suppress it, a smile crept up on my face.

My father had been angry on my behalf. At the time, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had abandoned me after all I had done to sully the family name. One of the foremost reasons I’d worked so hard after he appointed me acting governor was so that I wouldn’t disappoint him any further.

Now, of course, a different motivation drove me.

I was twisted. Someone else had suffered defeat, and here I was, happy at the reason for their suffering. But it was times like this that made me love my family so much, and that made me feel loved in return.

Just then, I heard a clink from the pocket watch that hung around my neck, almost as if to chide me for the silly grin on my face. At the same time, my morbid happiness and excitement at the situation waned. I decided that I should try to stop thinking about the matter. I didn’t pity the Kataberias, nor did I feel sorry for them, but to feel joy and excitement at their misfortune was another matter entirely.

I fingered the watch, the warm feeling inside me now coming from a different source. I wondered what he was doing. I hadn’t thanked him enough. All he ever did was save me. He helped me with my work, he gave me emotional support. I relied on him so much.

The burden of responsibility on my shoulders wasn’t so bad because it was tied to a bright future for our citizens, but sometimes, when I felt that burden was too heavy, he was always the one who helped me to my feet. That’s why I wanted to be the best person I could be, unashamed—for him. Even though, and perhaps especially because, we could never be a couple.

I took out the documents detailing the plans we’d been writing. Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Dean entered.

“It’s nice to see you again, my lady.”

“D-D-Dean!”

“Yes, that’s my name. What’s the matter? You look shocked to see me. Have I come at a bad time?” His face darkened.

“No, not at all. A-anyway, go ahead and have a seat. There’s something I need to ask you. Ah, tea…!” I certainly couldn’t say that I’d just been thinking about him, so I hastily urged him to sit down. Unfortunately, I was so nervous, I could barely speak. So many things had been going on when I realized my feelings for him; I’d never really had a chance to sit with them since.

“Don’t worry about that. I ran into Tanya on the way here, and she said she’d bring us some tea. Are you certain nothing’s happened, my lady?”

“Yes, it’s fine… I was just thinking, that’s all…” I answered vaguely, unsure of how to respond.

The air was so awkward that I hoped Tanya would come back soon. Thankfully, she entered the room a few moments later. I began feeling calmer after sipping some of her herbal tea.

“Thank you so much for coming,” I said at last. “As I said, I was thinking. I was surprised because you showed up the moment I thought that I needed to ask your advice about something. Forgive me for being so flustered. Also, I feel like I didn’t thank you adequately enough before.” I tried to speak calmly, pushing my feelings for Dean deep down inside. If I closed off my heart, surely I would be able to converse with him like I had before. I had to. Because if anyone picked up on my feelings for him, I wouldn’t be able to share these moments with him any longer. Thus, because I loved him, I chose to close my heart.

“There’s no need to thank me,” he said. “I did it because I wished to. In any case, I’m sorry for showing up unannounced. I was nearby for an unrelated matter and wanted to know how things were going, especially with regard to tying up the loose ends from the incident before. I should have sent word that I was coming.”

“Not at all. I’m incredibly glad you came, so don’t worry about it. At any rate, here’s the thing I wanted to run by you.”

I started telling him about my idea. It was a system of medical insurance. I’d spoken with him about this before and jotted down my ideas, gradually filling in more details. That was the content of the documents I held at that moment.

Some historians posit that the first insurance system originated as a traditional mutual aid enterprise in a European guild during the Middle Ages. If an individual was injured and couldn’t work, their income would dry up and thereby deal a blow to their family budget. That obviously put a lot of pressure on workers. The best course of action was to try to prevent accidents from occurring as much as possible, but if support systems were put in place in case of unfortunate events, workers would be able to perform their jobs with more confidence.

Hopefully, that would also encourage a sense of loyalty and belonging in Armelia’s people. I was hoping that we could implement such an insurance system not only for construction workers but for all Armelian citizens.

“Ah, the idea you mentioned before. It’s important that you start it now?”

“Yes. When I told you about it before, it was something I was hoping to implement sometime in the future, and I put it on the back burner. But all the other reforms we’ve undertaken have been making great progress. Additionally, a situation has arisen that makes the insurance system necessary. Of course, the duchy will supply subsidies. Recently, thanks to someone cutting the fat out of our budget, we should have plenty of money to allocate toward this cause. But it will be funded mostly by mutual aid from the citizens, in the spirit of helping their fellows.”

“Interesting,” Dean said with a sparkle in his eye and a grin on his face. He looked triumphant, like he’d just won a debate. “But at the same time, it’ll be difficult. If we collect money from the citizens, we have to make sure we do so fairly. Let’s gather more details before we bring it to the officials. First, we should decide how much to collect from individual payees.”

“We discussed that a little before too. I still think the insurance fees that each citizen pays should be income-based.”

“I don’t disagree. Now that we’ve finished straightening out the family registers, we aren’t collecting poll taxes anymore. Since we can determine any given individual’s income, we can use that information to set insurance fees,” Dean said.

“We just need to figure out how much of the medical treatment and medicine we can cover…”

“Perhaps we can gather those with knowledge on the subject to discuss it together? Luckily, Armelia has no shortage of such people.”

“That’s a good idea!” I nodded. “I’ll ask Headmaster Luka for some candidates. Moreover, medical treatments and medicines are advancing day by day, so it would be a good idea to touch base with him regularly anyway.”

“Indeed. It might be a good idea to cover basic medical treatments with insurance and to have more expensive treatments or check-ups paid out of pocket. If we pay for everything, the reserves won’t last very long.”

“Right. Up until now, each hospital has set their own price for each treatment, but we’ll need to adopt a universal pricing system for insurance purposes.”

“We should talk to Headmaster Luka about that too,” Dean agreed.

I was starting to get more excited as our discussion continued. “We need to clarify the means of payment to doctors as well. We should feel out trying to start a guild, like we discussed before.”

Suddenly, Tanya’s calm voice interrupted our enthusiastic conversation. “My lady, it’s almost time for your meeting.”

“Oh, you’re right…” I’d been so absorbed in chatting with Dean that I’d lost track of time.

“In that case, I’ll check up on the progress resolving the matters on my own. I’ll pop in to Borsa and see how much of the budget that we shaved away last time can be spared for the insurance, then go to Agio and check on the progress with the family registers,” Dean offered.

“That will help so much. I’ll check in with Headmaster Luka. I know we’re not ready to go full steam ahead yet, but we can at least get the ball rolling.”

After that, I switched mental gears and walked with Tanya to my next meeting.

“You looked happy, my lady,” she commented, catching me off guard.

“H-huh? I’m not sure what you mean, Tanya. I-I…” I’d finally regained my composure, and now I was all flustered again.

“I simply meant that you looked happy coming up with ways to improve conditions for the citizens and the government, my lady.”

O-oh, that. I let out an inward sigh of relief. “Yes, well… I love Armelia.”

So much had happened, but every time I overcame obstacles, I felt proud of the blood that ran through my veins, and I thought about how much I loved my homeland. That was why I was so happy, even if I had to suppress my feelings. In the end, I loved this place and its citizens, who had accepted me after I lost everything.

***

“We were able to make so much progress today,” I murmured as I looked down at the documents in my hand.

After finishing my meeting and my daily duties, Dean and I had been working on the insurance policy plans. It was the middle of the night. I looked out the window, thinking that we were in all likelihood the only house in the duchy with its lights still on.

“We did. Now we just need to get it approved by the officials and the merchant guild and lay the groundwork with the various businesses and doctors.”

“Oh, about that, Dean, it occurred to me that we need to lay the groundwork with the citizens as well.”

“The citizens?”

“Yes. We haven’t sufficiently explained to them why the flood mitigation construction projects are necessary. I thought perhaps that this would be a good opportunity to do so, but I think it’s a better idea to explain not only why we need it but specifics about just how the mitigation practices work. I’m sure there will be some skeptics, but it’ll be better to offer the explanations than to not explain it at all.”

“I see. That sounds just like you, my lady,” Dean said with a smile on his face.

For a split second, my heart surged. How had I ever maintained my composure in front of him before?

“Does it?” I pushed those feelings aside and focused on our conversation.

“I realize you’re technically the acting governor, but you are truly a governor. You can do anything you want as long as you issue an order, but you truly love Armelia and its people.” Briefly, I thought I saw his expression darken. “Pardon me. At any rate, we should let everyone know. I think it would be best to put out something in writing rather than to express it verbally; it isn’t realistically feasible to gather everyone who needs to know and tell them in person. Furthermore, if we send verbal messages, it’s easy for the information to get misinterpreted or twisted along the way. Luckily, since we have the academy, literacy rates in the duchy are high. As long as a household includes a school-aged child, they’ll be able to read the announcement.”

“Good point. Let’s distribute literature regarding the policy to all households throughout the domain. Perhaps in magazine form?”

“Excellent idea. In the capital, the upper class reads magazines for pleasure, but it might be possible to establish one in Armelia as a means to distribute information to the citizens. Actually, I’m sure it’ll be possible at some point, given how swiftly education is progressing here.”

“Indeed. How wonderful that will be when we do it!”

“The reason it’s so wonderful is because of your wonderful relationship with the citizens. The vast majority of nobles fear empowering the common person.” Dean’s voice became so serious that it frightened me, a sharp contrast to my excitement.

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Remember what you said before? Knowledge is power. That’s precisely correct. In this kingdom, knowledge grants a certain set of special rights and privileges. People who possess knowledge can suppress and control the citizens. In other words, you’re on your way to dismantling a cornerstone of the kingdom’s class system.”

“Goodness! Ha ha ha.”

I laughed, but Dean gave me a questioning look, as if trying to ascertain the meaning of my mirth. I didn’t respond right away. Instead, I went out onto the open balcony. It was pitch-black, and I couldn’t see a thing. But if I closed my eyes, I could picture the town perfectly.

“It’s true that it may be easier to suppress the uneducated,” I acknowledge. “I could technically do anything I wanted, and they wouldn’t understand. But that’s what I would have to do to suppress them, so I don’t mind getting rid of a burdensome system like that. If I make a grave mistake, then Berne will succeed me. And if Berne’s children or grandchildren make a grave mistake, then I want the citizens to be able to choose how to move forward. They have a right to do that, as citizens of Armelia.” I wondered if I thought this because of my past life. Either way, I took that knowledge, and Dean’s advice, and kept charging ahead. Although I’m sure some people in this world viewed my position as heresy.

“The future that frightens me most is one where the citizens move against me because they don’t understand something, because they assume I’ve done the wrong thing,” I said. “Lack of comprehension leads to anxiety, which in turn leads to dissatisfaction. With no outlet for those feelings, they can easily lead to violence. But if the people have the knowledge to make their own judgments, then making decisions reflecting those opinions leads to a well-ordered government. That’s the ideal situation.”

I turned toward Dean and saw that his eyes were wide with surprise. “Moreover, it’s impossible to fully suppress inquisitive minds,” I said firmly. “That’s what I think, anyway. Knowledge is power? No, because people are creatures who think, everyone has power. That’s why, eventually, the power will pass to the citizenry, regardless of anything I did or didn’t do.”

Dean laughed, the sound of it reverberating in the darkness. Now it was my turn to be surprised; it was so rare to hear him laugh out loud like that. “I suppose you’re right. The power will eventually pass to the citizens, you say?”

“I’m only speculating.”

“No, I have a feeling that you’re right. So if you think about it, that makes the battle for succession in the royal family seem even more absurd than it already does. It will be up to the future king whether the citizens, armed with their new power, despise the royal family and abolish it, or if they will remain admired and respected by the people. That’s not a matter of who becomes king, but more so what that king does. The people will decide whether his actions are just or unjust. I’ve never even thought about it before. How very narrow-minded of me.”

“Dean…you’re being too hard on yourself,” I said.

But for some reason, he looked happy—no, perhaps freed was the right way to describe it. “Forgive me, my lady, but can we keep what I said between just the two of us?”

“Ha ha ha. As long as you keep my words a secret as well. We’ll be equally guilty, then.”

He looked so very amused that I couldn’t help but join in and smile too.

“Yes, of course,” he said.

“Ha ha ha. Well, then. As my accomplice, would you like to join me for a drink? Think of it as your reward for keeping mum.”

“I feel like I should be the one rewarding you, but I’d love to.”

I went back inside and pulled a bottle of wine from the shelf. It was one my grandfather had given me. He liked to send me wine every now and then, along with the instructions to relax with a drink, but since I never really drank that much, the bottles just kept piling up.

Tanya always demurred, and even though Dida enthusiastically offered to drink them, Lyle and Tanya had banded together to stop him. The only ones who would join me for a drink were Merida and Moneda.

We took a seat on the balcony and poured a glass for one another.

“Going back to our conversation…” It sounded like Dean was choosing his words carefully. “What do you think about the notion of ‘ignorance is bliss’?”

“Are you asking because of a personal experience?”

“I’m not sure. But people aren’t strong enough to accept every bit of information they receive. Let’s take the flood mitigation, for example. Suppose we go to the people who live in those areas and we say, ‘Your land flooded one hundred fifty and one hundred years ago!’ and they become anxious and fall into a panic?”

“That is a concern.” I smiled wryly at this example. This result certainly wasn’t out of the question. “Ignorance is bliss, hm? I feel like only those who aren’t ignorant can say that. I could manipulate the information in my favor, but if I did that, then it might cause doubts in the future, which would be completely counterintuitive. I’m not saying I always have to act with complete transparency in every situation, but I want to be as honest with my people as possible.”

“I see…”

“So really, only the people in the know can look at others and say, ‘Ignorance is bliss.’”

No one can ever completely understand what someone else is feeling. And you can’t ever predict how someone will take information, or what they’ll think about it either. And so…no one can quite be sure that ignorance is bliss. After all, sometimes information you’re not privy to can bear fruit in unpredictable ways.

“I’m not sure what you’re hiding,” I went on, “but if you’re doing it to protect others, then that’s based on your speculation about how they’ll react to the truth. They could hold a grudge once they find out. They might even hold a grudge now, because they’re aware they don’t know the truth. It all depends on what it is. It also depends on how close of a relationship you have with those you’re concealing the truth from.”

“Why do you think I’m hiding something?”

“Aren’t you? I feel like you’re not talking about this in regard to me and the Armelian citizens. Although, I have no idea what you’re hiding or who you’re hiding it from.”

“I’m hiding something from many people. Including you.”

“Goodness. What is it?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore.”

I laughed. “That’s true. And what does it say about me, who continues to employ you despite this secretive behavior? Ah, we’ve had this discussion before, haven’t we?”

The wine was delicious, which wasn’t a surprise, since my grandfather had such wonderful taste in alcohol, being the heavy drinker he was. That thought reminded me of my previous life and how I had been in the habit of sitting at home after a hard day’s work and drinking by myself.

“I have one or two secrets of my own,” I said. “Everyone does. As long as it’s not something that could harm the people of Armelia, I won’t fault you for it.”

“My lady, you…” Dean’s tone was exasperated, but the smile on his face was incredibly tender.

To be honest, I was dying to know what he was hiding. But at the same time, I was frightened. I had plenty of grounds to be suspicious, especially considering the current state of affairs. But I’d spent so much time with him that I was naturally given to believe I could trust him. So it didn’t matter whether I was better off not knowing or if I’d regret the truth. Not as long as he had been honest with me about the path we’d taken together and that we were headed in the same direction.

A gust of wind blew past, carrying flower petals with it. A beautiful sight, befitting this duchy where spring eternally lingered. The flowers were a beautiful pale pink that reminded me of cherry blossoms. They filled my vision, almost like a veil of mist had fallen over my eyes. Even though Dean was right in front of me, I couldn’t make out his face. I wondered what expression he had on right now. The flowers obscured everything.

Suddenly, he reached a hand toward me. I silently stared at it. His hand stopped for a split second, so close to my cheek that if I moved ever so slightly, he might have brushed his fingertips against it. My heart swelled at that faint warmth. I caught a glimpse of his eyes between the pink petals, beautiful and serious.

Is it strange to describe a man as beautiful? I thought to myself sardonically. But that’s truly what I thought of him.

Then I thought: I love him. I meant it so earnestly, it was frightening.

“I just wish…” Dean whispered. But he didn’t continue. Maybe he hadn’t meant to say it out loud to begin with.

The wind stopped. His hand followed the curve of my cheek to the back of my head. “That was quite a gale, wasn’t it? You have petals in your hair.” The serious tone in his voice had vanished, just like the wind. When he removed his hand from my hair, he was indeed holding several flower petals.

“You’re right. But…they were so beautiful,” I said, and I smiled—swallowing the rest of my words as the expression spread across my face. He smiled too, but it almost seemed self-deprecating.

That night, I had a dream. It was one I’d had many times before. In the dream, I had survived the accident in my old world and made a full recovery, upon which I returned to my normal, everyday life.

Every time I had that dream, I grew anxious and frightened, since those memories of my past life were so freshly recovered. It made me wonder if this life I was living now was reality or just a dream. I had memories of my life in this world as Iris. But ever since I was a little girl, sometimes I would be overcome by a panicked feeling that I had forgotten something, and an incredible desire to go somewhere other than where I presently was.

Honestly, I’d been relieved when I finally remembered my past life. It felt like I had at last regained something inside of me that had been missing. At the same time, when I remembered that life, the lines between reality and dreams blurred, and I became like a lost little girl who had found herself in a world far, far away, who didn’t know where she belonged.

That fear tormented me at the most unexpected times. Was the life that I was living right now actually reality? Or was I still back in Japan, exhausted from work and dreaming this all up after falling into a deep sleep? The mind is a most unpredictable thing.

My family was the main reason I’d thrown myself into my work, but I had also done so because I wanted to do something meaningful, to feel like all of this was real. If I immersed myself in work, I could forget those worries. It made this unpredictable situation feel more tangible.

But there was more to it now. When I told myself that, the image of the woman wearing a business suit working in a busy office vanished. In its place appeared all the many people I’d met as Iris. The ones I’d grown up with or met at school, and the people I’d met through working as the governor of Armelia. And, of course, Dean.

My relationships, memories, and feelings for all those people tied me to this world. That was why I was able to believe that I was really here. It was why I was able to tell the “me” in my dreams that everything was all right. At last, she smiled.

***

Two days later, Dean left in a rush in the morning. At the time, I was meeting with representatives from the merchant guild. I would’ve felt more confident had Dean come with me, but he’d said he was busy, so I couldn’t possibly have asked him to accompany me.

“We can’t ever let our guard down in a meeting with you,” one of the leaders of the guild said with a sigh.

“Unlike last time, this isn’t a request. It’s already been decided.” I said this with a smile on my face, but for some reason everyone in the room looked very tense.

“Occupational accident insurance, eh? So we pay an insurance fee, and then if something bad happens, we get a payout. And each occupation has a different fee to pay depending on corresponding risk. Honestly, where do you come up with these things?”

“This practice will be mandatory for as long as an individual works. There are advantages, of course. The insurance payout will be sufficient to cover total financial loss and necessary living expenses.”

At present, if a worker suffered an injury on the job, they had to hope that their employer would compensate them. Most of the time, they received an advance on their pay and a lump sum on top of that. I had checked multiple sources regarding the lump sum, and it seemed like it was in truth a terribly small amount, barely enough to cover a one-time medical treatment. “Lump” sum didn’t even seem like the best way to describe it—it was maybe little more than a pimple.

“This insurance will lower the risk of skilled workers leaving, and it will certainly boost morale. Your workers feel like they’re being advocated for.”

I noticed several people reacting to my last sentence.

“It sounds like you have eyes and ears everywhere.”

“Oh? It isn’t like I’ve been watching you or anything. I just hear things here and there in town.”

Truthfully, it was a total coincidence that I’d found out that workers wanted more compensation when they were injured at work. It wasn’t that I was watching the merchant guild’s actions particularly closely. Tanya had discovered this information while conducting a different survey in town. She really had a knack for gathering essential information.

“Well, if it’s mandatory, then I suppose we have no choice. Although, you have prepared quite the substantial reward for us…”

“Indeed I have. Just think of these lump sums as an investment.”

“We hope to continue cultivating a long and wonderful relationship with you, Lady Iris.”

I let out an inward sigh of relief once the leaders of the guild gave their approval. Even though they said they couldn’t let down their guard with me, I actually felt the same way. I was always anxious about what they might say to me. “I’m honored to hear that.”

I exchanged firm handshakes with each of them, calling an end to the meeting.

Afterward, I headed to the academy so I could speak with Headmaster Luka.

“Are you here about that insurance system I’ve heard about?” he asked in lieu of a greeting, getting straight to the point.

“Yes. We’re introducing insurance for occupational hazards as well as medical misfortune. I’ve already met with the leaders of the merchant guild and secured their approval. This system will pay for damages incurred after an accident on the job. I’ll be discussing the particulars with them later.”

“The leaders of the merchant guild are a stingy bunch, but if you’ve already acquired their approval, then I’m sure everything will go smoothly from here on out.”

“I hope so. Anyway, I was hoping to discuss the medical insurance system with you, Headmaster.”

“Ah, yes. And what do you want this senile old fellow to do for you?”

“I’d like you to gather together some experts on the subject to determine which treatments and medications we can cover. If we cover every single expensive medical treatment, it won’t take long for the system to break down—the funds will simply dry up. That’s why I’d like to talk to you and other knowledgeable people.”

“I see…”

“Also, now that we’re introducing these systems, I’d like to establish a medical guild. We can determine which percentage of treatments will be a patient’s responsibility to cover, and insurance will pay for the rest. Doctors will send reports to the guild regarding the medical treatments each patient received, and the guild can cover any losses.”

In Japan, the insurance companies used a points system. After an examination and a diagnosis, each medical treatment was given a number of points, along with the medicine and medical supplies needed.

I’d also already discussed the medical guild with the other Armelian officials.

“From now on, we’ll charge a flat fee for run-of-the-mill medical treatments. That’s what I want to discuss with the experts.”

If we left it to the free market to determine, prices for medical treatment would skyrocket, because medicine was advancing by the day in Armelia. If things continued that way, the insurance system would quickly collapse. That’s why I needed to figure out where to draw the line across the board. I fully intended to ensure that the services that wealthy people desired—as well as expensive medical treatments—were paid for out of pocket. The insurance system itself would be administered by public management.

Individuals of all ages were covered by insurance. However, funds would be collected from all citizens except for children and the elderly through a flat tax and insurance fees. The payments would be doled out by public management. Anything public management couldn’t cover would likely eventually lead to a private insurance system. That had led me to another idea.

Since I was establishing an insurance system, I thought I could have Abitante and Borsa cooperate to draw up the insurance policies. But if I was going to centralize it under public management, then I could use the documents relating to the census that was currently in progress.

Basically, the point would be to ensure that people of Armelia felt they were accorded a special privilege for their citizenry. Those from other domains would still have to pay for everything out of pocket.

“General medical treatments, hm? That will be difficult to determine. Every doctor charges a different price for their services.”

“Yes, and the more reputable the doctor, the higher the price.”

“So going by what you’ve said, we’ll want to establish fixed prices for medical examinations. Insurance will pay a portion of that depending on the diagnosis, and the patient will pay out of pocket for anything insurance doesn’t cover.”

I jotted down what Headmaster Luka said.

“Different doctors will also prescribe different treatments depending on their diagnoses,” he went on. “Furthermore, any given treatment may rely on different medicines, from which a patient may choose. Therefore, the physicians will need to be made aware of which medicines are covered by insurance. They should be able to explain this to the patient and leave it to them to decide whether to use medicines covered by insurance or to pay for those that aren’t. The medical guild also ought to sponsor several classes a year to educate the physicians on this process, along with lectures detailing all the medicines covered under the insurance plans.”

“I see.”

“Regarding the medical guild, you should also employ physicians there to ensure the process goes more smoothly and so they can conduct audits of the process.”

I stared at Headmaster Luka. I’d been so preoccupied with concentrating on what he was saying that I only now realized that he was talking like he was already completely on board with the idea.

He noticed the surprised look in my eyes, and he gave me a wry grin. “Things are never boring with you around, that’s for certain. I’m no spring chicken, but for this project, you have my utmost devotion.”

The conversation had gone much smoother than I’d anticipated, much to my relief. He agreed to gather some authorities on the subject, whom I would be able to meet with at a later date.

With that taken care of, I returned to the mansion and got back to work. I didn’t have much choice, since I was actively making more work for myself. The government officials of Armelia were also bearing the brunt of the increased workload. Those working at Abitante and Borsa were especially busy, although the latter seemed to have a gleam in their eye because of it. Or perhaps “gleam” is too soft a word to describe the look they had. Glint was more like it. Honestly, it was a bit frightening.

I went to take a peek after adding more documents to their pile, and they were grinning like fools while working at breakneck speed, with some shouting “This is nothing!” Of course, I simply pretended like I never saw a thing and quietly took my leave. The officials at Borsa really were workaholics in the best sense of the word. After I shared that opinion with Tanya, she immediately replied, “You’re just like them, my lady.”

“Excuse me.” I heard a knock at the door and Sebastian entered. “May I have a moment, my lady?”

“What is it, Sebastian?”

“You’ve received a pile of invitations, my lady.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, it’s almost time for the social season, isn’t it? I can’t believe it’s already that time of year…” It had completely slipped my mind. I had been so absorbed in my work that I completely forgot about being social at all. That was quite unheard of for the daughter of a noble. “Social…yes, social.”

“Is something the matter?”

“I just can’t believe people want to throw a party in times like these.”

The king was ill and the fight between the first and second prince’s factions was worsening. Wouldn’t it be a better idea to quietly withdraw to one’s domain and hole up there for a while? I’m not saying it’s bad to want to have it both ways, but still…

“It’s quite the opposite, my lady,” Sebastian grinned, and it was quite an intimidating expression. “It’s precisely because of times like these that the families want to gather together—to gauge the situation.”

“Can’t Mother just make the rounds to the important households?”

“Surely you jest, my lady. You’ve officially made your debut into high society; if you don’t attend now, not only will you damage your own reputation, but the good name of House Armelia as well. Moreover, it’s for your benefit to go, since things have been so fishy in the capital of late. It will help keep you on top of things, the better to ensure you don’t find yourself trapped later.”

“I understand. I had to give it a good try, anyway.” I knew the importance of keeping up appearances. Mother always called high society a battlefield—it was a place where nobles both sounded each other out and kept each other in check. As the ruler of my domain, it was necessary for me to both keep myself apprised of other families’ actions and demonstrate Armelia’s power to them.

But I will admit to wondering if maybe, just maybe there might be a way around actually attending.

“At any rate, I’ve cleared your schedule for the day after tomorrow. You have an appointment with Madam Crejours to take your measurements and design your dress.”

“Oh, that’s right. I used to go to the madam’s place so often. I’ve heard rumors that she’s quite busy lately, though.”

Quite some time had passed since we discovered silk, but we were finally working on selling it. The country of origin had concealed the methods of silk production, but I knew the raw materials they used due to my past life. I had taken an interest in stories and anecdotes regarding the Silk Road in a history class I took.

You never know what might come in handy in the future.

After a lot of trial and error, we had established a means of production. We’d secured a limited number of resources and tried to place restrictions on exporting silkworms, but fortunately, from the standpoint of a country who didn’t know what silk was made from, the worms were nothing but bugs. Therefore, it had been easy to buy the silkworms from a separate country and begin to breed them. Now that we had a fair amount, we had been able to start the silk production. However, we didn’t yet have sufficient raw materials to begin full-scale production, so we were only selling silk garments at our flagship store in Armelia.

The madam also had a supply of silk, and once word got around that she was able to make her customers a dress on the cutting edge of the latest fashion, she’d been swamped with work.

“She’s busy because of all the ideas and fabrics you keep bringing her for your new dresses. She says she wants to prioritize your needs first, especially as she’s been having trouble coming up with new ideas lately.”

“O-oh.”

As promised, Madam Crejours arrived two days later to take my measurements. I wasn’t well versed in clothing and accessories, so after I’d placed a few orders for myself, Tanya stepped in and adamantly declared that I must have the very finest of clothes, at which point she descended into an enthusiastic discussion with the madam.

They discussed colors, patterns of embroidery, embellishments, and so on. I did love fancy things, but after they spent more than half a day discussing every possible detail of the dresses with no end in sight, all I could do was stare blankly at them. At that point, I didn’t even care what I ended up with.

The madam came off as a wonderfully businesslike and refined woman, but once she got to talking about clothes, her entire demeanor changed. Her enthusiasm was further stoked by Tanya, so it was even more overwhelming than usual.

Since production took a while, I was a bit worried that the dress wouldn’t be ready in time, but the madam said she would put her entire staff on the project to ensure that it would be. I was sure Sebastian had arranged for everything to go off without a hitch.

I was used to my shoulders being stiff from sitting at my desk and working for so long, but now they ached for a different reason. Nevertheless, I headed back to work.

***

“That’s all the news I have for you today. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Armelia’s economy is thriving,” Moneda said, in high spirits. He gave me regular reports on the economic situation of the bank in the duchy’s capital as well as its branches in other cities. We also discussed future plans. He was right; things were going swimmingly for Armelia’s economy.

The flood mitigation project was proceeding smoothly, as were other infrastructure improvements. At the same time, Armelia’s population was ever-increasing, resulting in a brisk trade with other kingdoms. Now that both domestic and foreign demand had grown, our employment numbers were very favorable, which had led us to a bullish market.

“Yes, that’s true. But Moneda, there’s something that’s been on my mind.”

“What’s that, my lady?”

“The cost of living in the capital is skyrocketing. Especially the price of food.”

“Oh, you’ve heard about that?”

“I make it my business to know all the details about the situation in the capital, no matter how small,” I said. “As of right now, it hasn’t affected Armelia, but what are your thoughts on the matter?”

Moneda nodded. “Well, I was also concerned, so I looked into the matter. But I haven’t heard of any regions suffering from poor harvests, nor have I found any evidence of companies buying up and hoarding goods. The situation is truly baffling.”

“I had a feeling. Even Tanya said it would take her a while to look into it.”

“I was merely using my past experiences to my advantage. Although I quit the merchant guild, I still check in with them—and companies in other kingdoms as well—because I still have quite a bit of influence in that arena.”

“I see. So there’s a shortage of goods despite no word of bad harvests. And it was gradual, so the citizens haven’t grown restless.”

“It’s possible that the regions producing food are holding on to product instead of releasing it. Or the palace might be placing a levy on the goods. But that’s about all I can think of.”

“Or Tweil is involved.”

“Pardon?”

I’d spoken so quietly, he hadn’t heard what I said. “Nothing. We have plenty of supplies stockpiled in reserve, correct?”

“Yes, we bought up goods to stockpile then when other domains were raising tariffs on Armelia.”

“Right…”

I couldn’t help but feel that we were playing right into the enemy’s hands. It was entirely possible that I was just being paranoid. At any rate, it was fortuitous indeed that we had plenty of goods at hand.

“It’s hard for me to believe that farms are withholding their goods. Keep an eye on what’s going on in those various cities of yours, Moneda.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“By the way, I’ve noticed that promissory notes and checks are being much more widely used. I’m sure it’s because the banks have been encouraging their usage. Thank you for that, Moneda.”

“I’m honored to hear that. It’s all due to your support, my lady. The special ink we received has provided the bank with the means to produce them at no cost to us. It’s therefore allowed us to build up our own supply.”

The Azuta Corporation’s research and development department had given the bank our recipe for our special ink. I couldn’t remember what they had been trying to make at the time, but the ink they developed changed color when you shined a light on it.

Recently, we’d invested in a great number of inventors and researchers, leading to a landslide of new products and technology. The researchers’ opinion by and large was that most of their innovations would be used as nothing more than toys if sold to the general public, and since they felt like that would be a waste of their efforts, I had decided to buy them up for Armelia. In this case, I had given the ink to the bank, which they were using to make checks and promissory notes that were difficult to forge. It was employed for other anti-counterfeit purposes too.

“There’s no other use for it, so this just happened to be the right product for the right place.”

“That reminds me, I brought you the thing we discussed before.”

“I was wondering why you brought up the ink all of a sudden. I haven’t even approved this one, correct? Let me see it.” I took the object from him and looked at it. “It’s very well constructed. Knowing you, you’re probably also using this to combat counterfeiting, aren’t you?”

“These documents will answer your questions.”

“Goodness, you certainly are prepared,” I said with a laugh.

“If you intend to attack the enemy’s castle, the first step is to fill in the moat. We can get this up and running at any time.”

“I see. You were a merchant, after all, so I shouldn’t be surprised. Let me think about it for a bit more.”

Just then, Sebastian entered the room. “M-my lady…” He looked unusually flustered, making my stomach tie itself in knots.

“What is it, Sebastian?”

“An emissary has arrived from Acacia, a neighboring kingdom. Apparently, the first prince has ordered them to observe the goings-on in Armelia.”

“What did you say?” For a moment, I felt just as flustered as Sebastian looked. Moneda’s eyes also widened with surprise.

It made more of an impact than I’d expected. The kingdom of Acacia lay across the sea from Armelia, and because of that location, it had treated Armelia like the gateway to Tasmeria for many generations through its diplomacy. Not only did they speak a different language, but their culture was vastly different from ours. Every few years, Acacia sent an envoy to the palace to pay their respects, but that was to the royal family. It was absolutely unheard of for another kingdom to single out a certain domain for their visit.

Was it because our trade had been so brisk lately?

“W-well, I’ll meet with the envoy. Moneda, would you mind…”

He bowed his head and excused himself before I could even finish my sentence.

“Will you see the prince?”

“I can’t. It would leave a terrible impression if I were to depart from protocol and bypass Tasmeria’s royal family to meet with him myself. I’ve already put Armelia in an awkward position, even within the kingdom. Worst-case scenario, I wouldn’t be surprised if people think we’re trying to break away and become independent.”

“So…you wish to decline?”

“I think that’s for the best. It’s better to cause as little offense as possible. At the very least, I’d prefer if they visited the palace and then stopped by here…”

“That’s true…” Sebastian was looking awfully pale. I couldn’t blame him; I was sure I looked no different.

“Sebastian. Have you informed my father?”

“I’ve already sent our fastest horse.”

“Of course you did. Well, there’s no reason for me to keep them waiting, so I’ll go ahead.”

“Very well.”

The long hallway felt even longer than usual. I didn’t want to go, but I had to. My sense of duty was the only thing making me drag my heavy legs forward.

“I’m terribly sorry to have made you wait,” I apologized as I began the meeting. A man around my age was waiting for me in the parlor. He had a scarf wrapped around his head and wore loose-fitting clothes—the traditional garb of Acacia. As soon as he spotted me, a soft smile spread across his face.

“And I am terribly sorry for my unannounced visit. My name is Hafiz Bent Mersid.”

Whenever an envoy from Acacia had visited the palace, the royal family had always thrown a party to welcome them. Since I was the daughter of a duke, I’d attended them before I was expelled from the academy, but I didn’t recognize this man. Of course, I’d only ever seen the main ambassador, so I could only speak about that fellow in particular.

“I’m honored to make your acquaintance. My name is Iris. Iris Lana Armelia. It’s a pleasure.”

“I have to admit, I was surprised to hear that a woman was in charge of this domain all by herself… But I also heard that Armelia is a most prosperous region. Your father had quite keen insight if he decided to entrust Armelia to you.”

“Goodness… I’m not sure I deserve those compliments.”

“Don’t be humble. Trade has increased by leaps and bounds since you became governor. My kingdom’s royal family is extremely impressed with your abilities. That’s one of the reasons why our first prince, His Royal Highness Prince Khadir, decided to visit.”

“I see…” I hid my mouth with my fan as I laughed.

My mind raced as I tried to figure out what to do so as not to be rude to the man in front of me. He was handsome, though simultaneously, he gave off a wild, passionate impression. He had a soft smile on his face, but the glint in his eyes seemed to say that he was very carefully sizing me up.

“I’m extremely honored, but I will have to ask my father’s opinion first…” I said.

“Do you? I heard you were endowed with all the authority of a true governor.”

You certainly have done a lot of research about this one domain of another kingdom! I thought as I let out an inward sigh, careful not to let my smile falter.

“But by all means, do so. However, if you speak with your father, I do have one favor to ask of you,” Hafiz said.

“Oh? What’s that?”

“To be honest with you, our visit to observe Armelia is merely a pretext. The real reason Prince Khadir has come is to propose to you.”

This time, I was so surprised that I thought my heart would stop. I knew what the phrase “propose” meant in this context, but it didn’t even register with me.

“It seems His Highness fell in love with you at first sight. It’s moreover quite a favorable proposal, one that will build a bridge between our two countries.”

I had no memory of the first prince being among the envoys at the prior parties. Was he lying when he said he’d fallen in love with me at first sight? Or had he disguised himself to blend in with his diplomats?

“Here is the formal offer.” Hafiz reached into his pocket and produced a folded piece of parchment. As he did so, the gold ring on his finger caught my attention. The top of it was flat, embossed with a design of a falcon. He handed the document to Sebastian, who then passed it to me.

“Thank you, Hafiz. Goodness, that’s a very beautiful ring you’re wearing.”

“Ah, this? It’s made from gold mined in my country.”

“Is it? The design is so gorgeous, it caught my eye.”

Hafiz’s smile deepened when he heard that. We stared at each other silently for a few moments. I knew we were both sizing each other up to glean as much information as possible and studying each other’s dispositions. The silent siege and defense filled the room with great tension.

“All right! If you’ll excuse us, Lady Iris.” Yuri and Ed quickly walked away, arm in arm.

“Phew…” I let out a sigh, suddenly exhausted.

“Would you like a new drink?”

“No, I’m fine. Thanks though, Berne.” I was grateful for his concern, but at the same time that meant the exhaustion was showing on my face, so I quickly drew myself up and regained my composure. Just then, a familiar face caught my eye. “Oh! It’s good to see you again, Rudy.”

It was my cousin, Rudius Gib Anderson. “It’s been a long time, Lady Iris. Lord Berne.”

“It’s unusual to see you at a function like this. Usually you say you’re too busy with work to attend such things.”

“I was ordered to attend.”

“Goodness!” I giggled at the exasperation in his voice. “Well, since you’re here, would you like to go over there and chat with us for a bit? Or do you need to continue making the rounds?”

“No, that’s fine.”

And so the three of us went out to the balcony.

“That looked a bit rough back there,” Rudy said.

I gave him a wry smile. “I know. I have no idea what she was trying to accomplish.”

“You must’ve learned a lot from that conversation. Eh, Berne?”

“Hm? Ah, yes…” Berne said.

I gave Rudy a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“About the facade women put on in public versus their true feelings. It becomes especially obvious to anyone who gets to watch a conversation like the one you just had with Lady Yuri.”

“Does it? What did it sound like to you, Rudy?”

“Well, what Lady Yuri really meant was, ‘How long do you plan on dragging your brother around to parties? You’re working so much you can’t even find a man.’ And then in response, you said, ‘That’s really rich, coming from someone who stole someone else’s fiancé. You’re really something else, pretending to be a royal even though you aren’t one yet.’ That’s about the long and short of it.”

I laughed. “I think that’s pretty accurate.”

It was true that I had interpreted Yuri’s comments just as Rudy had, and that was what had prompted my response. Even as we talked about dress designs, I knew we had each been thinking cruel thoughts about the other.

“You rarely come to events like this, but that’s not the impression I get from you at all. I genuinely think you’re amazing,” said Rudy.

“You’re complimenting me?”

“Definitely.”

“Oh, Rudy!” The three of us burst out laughing. It reminded me so much of our childhood days that a surge of nostalgia washed over me. “Seriously, though—it really does feel like I haven’t seen you in ages, Rudy. Was your boss mad at you because you haven’t been attending these functions at all?”

“No, not at all. My boss is away on a sensitive job at present, and generally he prefers that I not come to such things, just in case my attendance is scrutinized because of who our grandfather is. So I’ve just been doing my work here in the capital instead.”

“Oh, I see. I’m sure you’re under a lot of pressure working in the capital. There’s no room for error.”

“Isn’t that the same for you, Berne?” Rudy asked. Berne smiled wryly while Rudy continued. “I’ve heard you’re working quite hard. I’m sure you’re overwhelmed with all number of difficult tasks due to Uncle Louis’s state. In fact, I heard you’ve been doing almost twice as much your normal workload.”

“I am doing quite a bit, but I still have to get Father’s approval for everything.”

“Well, of course. Still, you’re doing a great job. That’s the Armelian blood in you.”

I was quite surprised at their conversation. I’d known Berne was working under my father, but I’d had no idea he shouldered so much responsibility. I mused over how close my brother and my cousin remained to this day. Since House Armelia and House Anderson were so close, the cousins saw each other often during the social season. But Berne and Rudy were also close in age, which I was sure contributed to it a lot as well. Now they traded jokes and laughed with smiles on their faces, just as they’d done as small boys. As they grew older, they had fewer chances to see each other. I watched over them fondly; seeing them together like this really brought back memories.

“Pardon me, you two.”

“Where are you going, Sister? I can come with you.”

“You’re coming with me to the powder room? Don’t worry. I’ll come straight back.” I left the balcony and headed back into the ballroom, then made my way to the ladies’ waiting room. At parties like this, there were always separate waiting rooms for ladies and gentlemen. One could take a rest or freshen up there. I was sure they were both a bit worried about me, but I really needed to take a break from the party before I did or said something that might cause a stir. I really was intending to go straight back.

It was eerily silent in the waiting room, despite the lively ball in full swing just outside. I’d assumed the ladies’ room would be packed, but there wasn’t another soul around. All of a sudden, I heard whispers coming from somewhere. Of course it wasn’t unusual to find people gossiping steps away from a ball such as this. I thought nothing of it as I started to walk past the room, but once I started to make out words, I stopped in my tracks.

“Dan, what in the world are you thinking, asking me to meet you here? I’ve got to get back to him.”

“You’re no fun at all.”

The woman’s tone of voice was different than usual, and the man didn’t say her name, but I was certain that the woman was Yuri. And the man she called Dan was none other than Mimosa’s brand-new fiancé, whom I’d just met minutes ago.

You’ve got to be kidding me, I thought as the blood drained from my face.

“I know you’re forcing yourself. You act so fake when you’re with him. I thought at the very least that you could relax and be yourself here.”

“I didn’t ask for your help. I have to get back.”

“Ahh, please wait, Lady Yuri!”

I knew it was her! I thought as soon as I heard her name, and I let out a sigh. And what did Dan mean by she “acted so fake” when she was around Ed? Did he know who she really was?

“Forgive me for making such a ridiculous excuse,” he said. “To be honest…I’m in love with you. That’s why I wanted to see you alone.”

I peeked through the slightly open door at the two of them. Dan was on one knee and had Yuri’s hand clasped in his. He planted a kiss on top of it.

“You always get the best of me, Dan… I wanted to see you alone too.”

“Oh, Lady Yuri…” His voice was strained with emotion as he swept her into his arms.

And she let him.

“I’m the daughter of a baron, yet my father told me to go find a good husband myself. I was lucky that Ed fell in love with me at first sight, but in exchange, I had to cast my true self aside. But you brought out the real me. That’s why I can always breathe easy when I’m by your side.”

I was starting to think that Dan didn’t actually know Yuri’s true nature. To put it simply, I suspected that he merely believed that the way she was speaking now was her actual personality, and the way she usually behaved was nothing more than an act.

“But now you belong to another woman…” Yuri trailed off sadly, and Dan hastily spoke up.

“My heart will only ever belong to you, though!”

Under normal circumstances, I would have thought that I should ask Tanya to look into the relationship between Yuri and Dan, or to see if he or his family had any connections to Tweil, but that was the last thing on my mind. Because that was when it really hit me—Dan was Mimosa’s fiancé.

Up until this point, I had only idly thought that Yuri had gained another pawn. But this pawn was my most precious friend’s fiancé. And given the happy letter Mimosa had sent me, she genuinely believed that she loved him and was loved in return. When the truth of this matter was revealed, I wouldn’t be watching some stranger in pain. This was my friend, and she was being betrayed by her fiancé, just as I had been. Imagining what was in store for Mimosa made me see red.

I whirled around and made a beeline for the ballroom, determined to find her. The only thing I could think at that moment was that I had to speak with Mimosa.

“Lady Mimosa.”

It didn’t take me long to find her at all; she was alone, leaning up against the wall.

“What’s the matter, Lady Iris?”

“Will you come with me? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“I’m sorry, but…”

“It won’t take long.”

Mimosa tried to decline, but I persisted. She seemed to realize it was serious, because she thought for a moment, then agreed to come with me, if only for a few minutes. I took her by the hand and led her to the first empty room I could find.

“Mimosa. Where is your fiancé right now?”

“I don’t know. He said he was going to rest for a bit in the waiting room. He’s probably tired from having talked to so many people tonight.”

She was right about one thing; he was in a waiting room, but he was with Yuri. I didn’t have to hear Mimosa tell me that to be sure of where he was, though. The reason I asked was because I was desperately hoping that somehow, some way, I had been wrong. That maybe it hadn’t been him after all. Some part of me still hoped that deep down inside.

“Mimosa, I don’t know how else to tell you this…but I think it’s for the best if you break off your engagement.”

“What are you talking about? You know that there’s no going back now that we’ve just announced it publicly.”

“There’s still time! He’s not right for you.” I wanted to tell her why, but I just couldn’t. The thought of hurting her was too much to bear—even though I knew that not telling her would also end with her pain.

“Stop it. I’m the only one who knows what’s best for me. If this is what you have to say to me, then I’m leaving.”

Mimosa turned her back on me, but I reached out and grabbed her hand. “Wait! He has an awful reputation when it comes to women. So Mimosa…”

She roughly shook off my grip. Her reaction made my mind go completely blank.

“I don’t care,” she said. “Not as long as he comes back to me in the end.”

As soon as I saw the look in her eyes, it hit me. “Wait… You know, don’t you?”

Mimosa’s eyes wavered slightly. “Who cares? I’m saying that it’s fine with me.”

“It’s not fine at all! You’re my friend, and I care about you! I can’t support your engagement knowing you won’t be happy.”

“‘I decide my own happiness. And being with Edward makes me happy.’ You were the one who said that after I raised my doubts about Edward. And I’m happy being with Dan. So I don’t want to hear another word about him!”

“The reason I’m saying this is because of what happened with Ed!” I cried impulsively, my emotions surging. “Until the end, I honestly wanted to be happy with Ed! I thought as long as he stayed with me, I didn’t care what he did! I thought that my family could give him power. I stayed by his side because I thought I had an obligation to him. But it was all meaningless!” Tears ran down my cheeks. I could no longer control my feelings. “At some point, I started to fill my heart with darkness. And I hated myself for it, but that just made it worse. Mimosa, I never want you to feel that way.”

“Iris, your behavior is unbecoming of a noble,” Mimosa said, expressionless. “You thought you’d be happy just being by his side? You didn’t actually think that. You just wanted him to give you his heart in return, didn’t you? That’s not the conduct of a noble lady.” Her voice was calm. “We’re bluebloods. It’s our duty to carry on our family’s lineage and protect it. That’s why our mothers and grandmothers, and their mothers before them, married for political reasons. That is the responsibility of the nobility, isn’t it?”

I couldn’t respond. She was right.

“So it doesn’t matter to me how many women he has on the side, as long as he comes home to me at the end of the day. The most important thing about a political marriage is carrying on the bloodline. And if what I’m doing benefits my family, then I can’t think of anything that would make me happier. That’s why you had the wrong approach to marriage, Iris.”

Her words cut into me like knives. “Are you sure about this, Mimosa?”

“Yes. I’d rather live with my feet firmly planted on the ground than chase after an unrequited love. That’s what I’ve made up my mind to do.” The conviction in her voice made me snap back to reality.

“I see. I’m sorry for meddling, then. If that’s your decision, then there’s nothing else I can say about it.”

Mimosa smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. They almost looked sorrowful. “Well, I can’t keep him waiting any longer. If you’ll excuse me.”

She left without giving me the chance to answer. She probably didn’t want to hear it.

“You haven’t made up your mind at all…” I murmured to myself as I watched her go.

A marriage of convenience for political reasons was a natural thing for a noble to do. It was our duty. Even I was thinking of how I could use a marriage to the prince of Acacia to my advantage, after all. So I knew that this was all just my own selfishness. But still…

“I don’t want you to marry for your family. I want you to be happy.” I wanted to see the genuine smile on Mimosa’s face again, the one I’d grown up seeing every day.

***

I trudged back into the ballroom. So much time had passed since I left that Berne and Rudy were likely looking for me. I let out a soft sigh as I moved my heavy feet forward, one step at a time. Just then, I spotted a familiar face up ahead.

“Oh, Lady Iris!”

And of course, it was the last person in the world I wanted to see right then. Her carefree tone perfectly matched the bright smile on her face.

“Lady Yuri… Whatever are you doing out here? I’m sure the prince is looking for you.”

“I’m sure he is. But I have business with you.”

I raised an eyebrow, wondering what in the world she could possibly have to say to me. She sashayed over to me, then leaned forward to whisper into my ear. “You saw, didn’t you?”

I didn’t even have to ask what she meant, but I was so surprised that I automatically took a step backward.

“I mean, it’s fine. It’s not like anyone would believe you anyway,” she giggled.

An icy shiver ran down my spine like a snake slithering in the grass. I couldn’t argue with Yuri. If I raised a fuss about what I saw without any proof, it was guaranteed that everyone would say I was just trying to ruin her reputation—and then I would be the one under attack.

“Remember what I said? Everyone’s so lonely here in the capital without you. So I asked the queen to at least make sure that your best friend wouldn’t be lonely.”

I bit my lip. If I hadn’t, the dark feelings inside of me would’ve exploded, and I would have screamed at her.

“You should worry about yourself and those around you. Or else I’ll be forced to do it for you.”

That was all Yuri said before she left.

I stood there alone, my hands clenched into tight fists. I have no idea how long I stood there for before I heard a voice.

“What’s the matter, Sister?”

“You look pale as a ghost! Are you feeling sick?”

Rudy and Berne found me standing there. As soon as I saw them, I thought I would burst into tears.

Don’t cry. Don’t you dare cry! I chastised myself. “It’s nothing. I’m sorry. I was just feeling a bit dizzy.”

“Maybe you should rest for a bit longer?”

“No, I’m fine now. Let’s hurry back.”

The two of them looked even more worried about me, but I started walking, telling myself the entire time to keep smiling. I was ashamed to have anything less than a smile on my face. No matter how sad I was, or how much my emotions swayed me, I absolutely had to keep my true feelings hidden behind the mask of a smile, because my father had entrusted the good name of House Armelia to me.

I told myself that I had to pay attention and analyze the motives of the nobles at court and the balance of power. I had to charm them. I had to steel myself and elevate my own worth and presence. I had to carry myself as a true lady in the manner in which my mother had taught me. I had to control the room. I had to go to the different crowds and get them to tell me all manner of things, then circulate the useful information I gleaned to my family. I had to do this to show House Armelia’s power.

That was what I had to do to survive in the lion’s den.

***

I wouldn’t have said that the ball ended smoothly, but at least it ended. I got into my carriage and returned to the mansion. Berne sat next to me, looking out at the scenery.

“How are you feeling, Sister?” he asked, having noticed my gaze.

“I’m feeling a bit dizzy again. I’m probably just tired. I’ll go to bed as soon as we get home.”

“That might be for the best.”

I quickly looked out the window to escape his look of concern and any other questions he might ask me. Silence fell upon the carriage once again. The clomping of the horses’ hoofbeats sounded especially loud now.

“Hey, Berne?” I asked, breaking the silence. “Why did you fall in love with Yuri?”

My brother looked at me, his eyes widening with surprise. “…Because I was dreaming.” But he quickly recovered, a sheepish smile spreading across his face.

“Dreaming?”

“Yes. A dream that seemed so sweet, I lost myself in it.”

“I see…” A dream… That was possibly the perfect word to describe her. “Must one always wake up from a dream?”

“Once one thinks they must wake up, yes.”

I wondered if Dan would ever want to wake up. No one but him could know the answer to that. All I could do was hope that the time would come.

Just then, we arrived at the mansion. I said my good nights to everyone and went to my room, where I immediately got into bed and lay down. I wrapped myself tightly in my blankets to try to stave off the tremors that ran through my body. At that moment, the emotion overriding all others within me was anger.

I was still too weak, and Yuri had only grown more powerful during my time away from the capital. I could never be sure if the sentiments others held toward her were genuine, but she’d still grown powerful enough that people no longer looked down on her as a baron’s daughter. She had bewitched people and built up her allies, and this was the result: I was powerless to help my friend. The only thing I had managed to do was be foolishly honest with Mimosa to the point that I almost begged her, which only ended in her hurt confusion.

I was frustrated with my own pathetic performance. I furiously raised my fist and started punching my pillow. The airy sound of the feathers filled the room. I did it again and again, searching for an outlet for my emotions. The pain distressed me to no end.

Even though I was lying down, my emotions were so intense that I didn’t feel sleepy at all. No matter how much I didn’t want it to be so, the darkness of night always gave way to the rising morning sun. I passed the night without sleeping at all.

Come morning, I let out a sigh and changed my clothes. I ate breakfast and went right to my desk to start on my work. I had a great deal of pressing business and reports that needed my approval. I had to focus, because I didn’t have much time to do work while I was at the capital. But I was just too tired to think straight. Actually, the real problem was probably that my emotions had carried over from one day to the next.

“Excuse me,” Tanya knocked on the door and entered.

“Tanya, there’s something I need to ask you.”

I’d agonized over whether to ask Tanya to investigate Mimosa’s fiancé the entire night. My father had cautioned me to steer clear of Yuri, and Mimosa herself had told me that she didn’t want me sticking my nose into her business. But I wouldn’t forgive myself if I never found out the truth, and I was sick of having regrets that came too little and too late. I could figure out what to do once I knew the entirety of the situation. That was the decision I’d made.

It was my own selfishness that got Tanya involved. I knew asking her to investigate Yuri might put her in danger, and I thoroughly explained those risks to Tanya.

But when I was finished asking her my favor, she merely smiled and said, “Of course, my lady.”

***

Once Tanya received her secret mission from Iris, she immediately got to work. Of course she would use caution while investigating Yuri, but she was always engaged in dangerous business, so this job didn’t scare her in the slightest. Yet she was fully prepared to never let down her guard, not even for a moment.

It didn’t take long at all for her to gather information regarding Mimosa’s fiancé. House Dungley protected their personal information quite closely, so this just went to show that Tanya was exceptionally skilled at what she did.

The problem was acquiring information concerning Yuri. Tanya tried every tactic she could think of, but she kept coming up empty. It was like all information on that woman had been very thoroughly erased, leaving only scraps that were too good to be true. Despite Yuri’s squeaky clean, adorable image, some very powerful person had to be backing her.

Tanya let out a sigh and turned a corner from the busy main street to a completely deserted back alleyway. She readied her hidden weapon and focused her senses on the presence she’d detected a few minutes ago. This always happened when she was trying to dig up information relating to Yuri.

She relaxed, and in the next moment, she moved as quickly as she possibly could. Her sudden disappearance must have startled the one watching her, because they froze. She aimed her concealed weapon, a very long, sharp, needle-like instrument, toward them.

“Waah! Stop, stop! I mean no harm!”

Her opponent seemed to be remarkably skilled. They immediately sensed that Tanya was moving toward them and made eye contact with her, raising their hands to prove their claim. Even so, Tanya did not drop her weapon, though she did stop to assess her opponent.

He was a man no taller than a youth, and he wore ordinary clothes that one might see on any commoner in any town. His keen, cat-like eyes were his only remotely noteworthy features. Otherwise, he looked completely unremarkable. If one saw him in a crowd, they’d think him nothing more than a young local.

“You really have grown,” the man murmured, sounding both exasperated and impressed, yet not the least bit frightened at having a weapon pointed at him. He introduced himself in a casual manner. “If you must know, I call myself Milo. Just don’t ask me who I work for. Oh, and the reason I said I call myself Milo is because it’s a fake name. But that’s what I go by just the same.”

Was he oblivious to the fact that he was in danger? Or perhaps it would take a great deal more than this to make him feel truly at risk? Tanya let out a quiet sigh, thinking it must be the latter. “Why are you following me?”

“Because you’re poking around in my mark’s business. You stopped investigating her once before, so why did you start up again?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Oh, but it is! If you’re not careful, the people around my mark will start to get suspicious of you, and you won’t be able to win against them. What do you want to do, anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean a deal, of course. I’ve already thoroughly investigated her and reported back to my master. I’m keeping my eye on her right now, so if she makes a move, I’m supposed to take care of it first. In other words, if you’re lurking around, it causes problems for me. You have no direct business with her. You just want to know her background and her motives, don’t you?”

Tanya didn’t answer. That didn’t seem to bother the man, because he continued.

“If you just want to investigate her, there’s no need to get too close. So I’ll give you a hint.”

“A hint? Not information?”

“I mean, I could give you the information directly, but then you wouldn’t believe it. Correct?”

Tanya had to admit that he was right. “But if you give me a hint, what’s in it for you?”

“Hm? I already told you. I don’t want you poking around.”

“Surely that can’t be all.” Tanya pushed her weapon closer.

Milo flashed her a sheepish smile. “No, no, it’s the truth! Let’s just say…part of it’s because I’m rooting for your mistress a little.”

“What…?”

“I’m—well, to be more precise, my master is—worried about her. For some reason, my mark holds quite the grudge against your mistress. The one who will suffer most because of it is this kingdom, although one might say it’s getting its just deserts… At any rate, the root of the problem is the kingdom itself. But your mistress is different. My mark is the one who instigated all this, and ever since then, she’s been harassing your mistress. And your mistress is the one who’s paid the most for it.”

It was abundantly clear that the man knew exactly who Tanya worked for. That only made her more cautious. Despite his happy-go-lucky tone of voice, she couldn’t spot a single weak point in his defenses. She could tell that he was exceptionally good at what he did. If she had to fight him, the best she could hope for would be a draw.

“So you see, I’m worried about my master, who in turn is worried about your mistress. Speaking along the lines of alliances, I’m not on the enemy’s side. Therefore, I don’t mind giving you a hint. At a very reduced cost too. Especially since it has to do with your mistress.”

If Tanya challenged him right here and right now, she had less than a fifty percent chance of beating him. She decided that, in that case, she should prioritize getting what she could and retreating. “Fine, then. Go ahead and give me the hint.”

“Which would you prefer? The toughest information that requires the highest risk of death to attain or information that requires just, oh, an average amount of danger?”

“I want details on both.”

“Both, hm? Well, it’s true that it might be prudent to hear details about both options before you decide whether or not to investigate further.” He spoke in an almost patronizing way as he cautioned her, but she gave him a puzzled look.

“What are you talking about? Of course I’m going to investigate further.”

Milo’s eyes widened in surprise at that declaration, and he suddenly burst out laughing. “I really want you! I really, really want you to come work for us. Is that greed the secret of your success? That’s fine. I’ll respect your audacity and tell you both.” He kept smiling, and Tanya silently urged him to continue. “But first, do you need me to explain the House Rubens?”

Tanya didn’t respond to his question, because she had a feeling that if she said even one word, he’d take some other kind of information from her without her even realizing it.

“It’s written right on your face. You already looked into them, didn’t you?” Milo grinned at her again.

He was so incredibly inscrutable that Tanya felt a cold sweat dripping down her back. But she was careful to school her expression; it was possible that he was trying to trick her into something.

“I’m only joking. When you were investigating, I followed you to check your information. So, of course, I already know that you’ve looked into House Rubens. The hint I’m about to give you would be meaningless unless you already had that information. You’re just so stone-faced that I wanted to tease you. Seriously, though—will you stop with the expressionless act already?!”

Tanya whipped her weapon toward him. He not only dodged it by only a hair’s breadth, but he effortlessly grasped her weapon and threw it aside.

“Lord Berne…!” One of his guards exclaimed in shock.

Berne turned back toward them, his gaze hard and cold.

His shorn locks fluttered in the wind. “The man I was yesterday died along with that little girl,” he murmured and turned on his heel. He was headed back toward the capital.

Berne was eerily silent during the trip home, and they moved quickly. All he and his guards thought of was hurrying, ever forward. As soon as they arrived in the capital, Berne went straight to the mansion to see his father.

“My…your face has changed, Berne.” Both Louis and Merellis looked shocked to see the change in their son. The light in his eyes seemed sharp enough to cut flesh, and his face was noticeably thinner. “What did you see?”

“I saw hell on earth,” Berne answered his father quietly, but fire burned in his eyes.

Louis let out a sigh. “Take this to the detached palace.”

Berne gave him a puzzled look.

“You’ve become painfully aware of your own powerlessness, have you not? And you wish you could do something from the bottom of your heart? Something that could change the kingdom?”

“Yes,” Berne answered without hesitation.

“Then hurry.”

Berne took the papers from his father and swiftly left the mansion.

***

The other domains were falling into disarray, and even Armelia was beginning to feel the aftershocks. An endless stream of people wanted to move to the duchy. I asked to see the situation for myself, and despite everyone’s objections, traveled to the border. I was left speechless.

“Please, let us into Armelia!”

“Please, have mercy! I walked all the way here with only water and nothing to eat!”

“Please, at least help my children! I don’t care what happens to me as long as my children are taken care of!”

“Don’t cut the line!”

Piercing screams came from all directions. The people looked haggard, frantically wailing at the top of their lungs. I desperately resisted the urge to cover my ears.

I hadn’t slept much since that sight. Every time I tried, I heard the people’s screams ringing in my ears. Each time that happened, I went to my desk, telling myself: Don’t run. Don’t lose. Don’t give up. I sent off orders to let in as many refugees into Armelia as we could afford to without inciting disorder within our borders.

I also had to deal with the Azuta Corporation. Fortunately, we had suffered no personnel losses due to the flooding, but we couldn’t begin to think of reopening those stores amidst such turmoil. I had no choice but to temporarily close all the shops that sold food in other domains. It pained me to do so, but there was nothing else I could do. Those employees were now out of work, but I had a responsibility to provide for their basic needs, so I was also dealing with that as well.

I’d heard that lately the Armelia estate was being called “the castle that never sleeps.” The other Armelian officials were working hard for me as well, despite their own troubles. How often were they even able to go home? When I asked one of them, he laughed.

“I’m not sure… I haven’t been keeping track. The last time I tried going home, my wife yelled at me. She said, ‘Don’t worry about us when Lady Iris needs you! She’s desperately trying to protect us all!’ Then she told me to get to sleep and go right back to work.”

On hearing this, the other officials in the room laughed and agreed; they’d had similar experiences. Even though I’d never met most of their families, I felt deeply grateful to them for that. At the same time, it encouraged me.

At some point, I stopped bothering to cover the dark circles under my eyes with makeup. I didn’t remember when. But I also no longer cared.

Don’t run from reality. Don’t lose to yourself. Don’t give up on your responsibilities. I told myself this as I sat at my desk, surrounded by stacks of papers. Everyone trusted me, and so they followed me. The kingdom was in turmoil, and the ones who suffered the most for that were the citizens. I couldn’t stand for this senseless reality.

The lives of those citizens, and the future citizens who waited at our gates, whose last hope was Armelia, depended on every paper I signed and every order I gave. I had no time to rest.

“My lady…” Sebastian called to me in an apologetic voice. I had a feeling that something bad had happened again. “This letter just came from the capital…”

I took the letter from him and read it. While I did so, my hand clenched the paper. When I finished reading, I tore the letter up in frustration and threw it away.

“What is the meaning of this?!” I snarled angrily. A maid who was standing in wait in the corner of the room flinched, looking frightened. “Ahh, I’m sorry. You can leave now.”

The maid hurried out of the room. Seeing her leave so swiftly cooled my anger.

“Yet another demand for food!” I snapped. “How many times are they going to ask? And on top of all that, ‘Refusing to supply aid will be seen as insurrection’?! Just who do they think they are?!”

To paraphrase the letter, it read: “You’ve got a lot of food stored up, right? Well, give it to us, because the kingdom is going to use it. And if you refuse, you’ll be considered a traitor, and we’ll send troops to take it by force.” The phrasing was more polite than that, but the gist was the same.

“We’ve sent them food three times now! If we send any more, we’ll have our own shortages!” I raised my voice, but Sebastian didn’t blame me for it. We’d set aside our secret stockpiles, but we’d already sent more than half our other food to the capital. That was about as much as the entire output of a smaller domain. And every time afterward, we’d receive another threatening letter, leaving us with no choice but to send more.

They’d only sent one such letter to my uncle and aunt of House Anderson.

So basically, they were just harassing me.

“We cannot possibly send any more. If we do, then our people will begin to starve here too.”

Sebastian didn’t know about the secret stockpiles, so the color had drained from his face as I said this.

“That’s right,” I shook my head. “We have no other choice but to decline.”

“But my lady…”

“I can’t help it if we don’t have anything else to send. And even if we did send something, they’d just keep asking for more and more.”

I attached a record showing our stockpiles were low and wrote a letter saying that we had no more to send, then handed it to Sebastian.

“I’m going to write a letter to my grandfather and uncle as well. Just in case something happens, I don’t want to make an enemy out of their domain, seeing as they border us.”

Sebastian nodded, a tense look on his face.

“I want you to call the officials from Borsa here. We need to increase our budgets and also increase purchases of foodstuffs from other kingdoms.”

“Of course. I’ll take care of it right away.”

I was afraid of what response might come. The only saving grace was that Mimosa’s wedding had been further delayed because of the troubles across the kingdom. While Father Rafsimons had put a stop to it on his end, neither family could spare the resources at the moment.

Deep in thought, I stared at the potted bugle resting on my windowsill. It seemed like a very long time since I’d bought it.

I smacked myself across the cheek. This was no time to be getting sentimental.

And so, once again, I immersed myself in my work. A few days later, another letter arrived from the capital, sooner than I expected. I hesitantly broke the seal and opened the envelope.

“Well?”

“It basically says ‘Enough with the impertinence and send us the food. We don’t have unlimited resources.’”

The end of the letter said that this would be our final warning. If we refused, they would send the military. I wanted to scream, “What are you, loan sharks come to collect your debts?!” But I supposed that would have been lowbrow of me.

“I’m going to the capital,” I said. “I heard that Queen Ellia and the other nobles are gathering to have a meeting anyway.”

“Now? In this situation?”

I couldn’t blame Sebastian for being suspicious. Why would the families be holding a meeting when we were in such dire straits?

“I have a feeling it’s because Ed’s position has been settled. It’s probably just a show, so that they can officially demonstrate that he will be ascending to the throne.”

“But my lady…”

“Unless I do something, they’ll just continue trying to squeeze us dry. And even when we truly cannot afford to give anymore, they’ll continue harassing us. I don’t see any other future. Once we got to that point, it would be too late. I absolutely will not accept that future for Armelia.”

“Yes…”

“There is one thing I’m worried about. Will you be able to take care of things here?”

“You’ve already put the plans and countermeasures in place, my lady. Not to mention, I have so many dependable officials I can count on for help.”

“So…?”

“Yes, my lady. Go to battle free of fear.”

“Thank you. I’m entrusting Armelia to you.”

“I understand. Please be careful on your journey.”

I ordered Tanya to make the preparations, and once again, we set out for the capital. Time was of the essence, so I took as few people as possible.

On the way there, I reminisced about my brush with excommunication. Dean had saved me then, but not just then…he’d saved me many times over. However, Dean wasn’t here now. I hoped he was safe during all this turmoil. I tried to push the worst-case scenarios out of my head. At present, I had no way of knowing how he was doing. That unfortunately made me worry all the more. It made my heart ache.

Still, I had no time for concerns such as these, so I tried to push them to the back of my mind. But every now and then, a glimpse of them resurfaced. When my anxiety felt like it was too great to bear, I took out the pocket watch and clutched it in my hand.

I would have dropped everything and rushed out to search for him if I had been the least able to. But I couldn’t. It was out of the question. All I could do was wait for Dean to return. If I dropped everything for him, I would never forgive myself. I clutched my pocket watch, trying to push down these fears.

When I arrived back at the capital, the changes I beheld took my breath away. Had it always looked so desolate…?

Lyle and Dida glanced around cautiously. They clearly sensed more danger here than on the road, and I could sense the rising tension in their posture. Nevertheless, we kept going and arrived at my family’s mansion.

I was relieved to lay eyes on familiar faces and promptly went to announce my arrival to my father.

“It’s so good to see you again, Father. I’m pleased that you look much better than when I last saw you.”

“It has been quite a while, Iris. I’ve recovered well, thanks to Merellis and the others.” My father had a smile on his face, but it struck me as weak. He was visibly thinner than the last time I saw him. It still seemed like it was painful for him to sit up. However, his complexion was much improved.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mother.”

“And you as well. I hear you’ve been working very hard.”

“Well, I’m trying,” I demurred shyly at my mother’s kind words.

“Iris, I heard what’s going on.” But my father quickly snapped me back to reality.

“I’m sorry, Father. It’s all my fault that I’ve caused so much trouble for the family.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve never regretted making you governor, not for a single moment. Besides, even if you weren’t in a position of power, House Armelia has always stood in House Marea’s way. They would have tried to overthrow us sooner or later regardless.”

“That’s right, Iris. Please stop speaking as if you’re not needed. You’re so precious to us, and to the citizens of Armelia.”

“Mother, Father…”

“We hope you realize that. We—and all your citizens—trust your judgment.”

“Thank you.” My eyes burned with tears. How did my parents always know how to say exactly what I needed to hear?

“It pains me that I can’t take action alongside you, Iris,” my father murmured guiltily.

I shook my head. “It’s fine, Father. Your sentiment alone is more than enough.”

My conversation with my parents filled my heart with warmth. They trusted me explicitly, and they validated me. I couldn’t think of anything more encouraging than that.

“Please go lie down, Father. I’m going to rest for a bit too, so if you’ll excuse me.”

With that, I went back to my room.

A few moments later, Tanya entered. “Pardon me, my lady.”

“What’s happened?”

“The investigation is finished, thanks to Moneda’s cooperation. We have the full support of the Andersons, including your grandfather.”

“I see. We can rest easy if worse comes to worse. Tanya, were you able to contact Milo?” She nodded silently. “And what did he say regarding Queen Ellia’s summons?”

“He was all smoke and mirrors, but he basically said this: ‘She’s not the kind to pick a losing battle.’ By which he meant to refer to you, of course.”

“I see…”

Tanya’s answer gave me a sense of reassurance so strong that it felt as if Dean were by my side.

“Maybe it’s just my imagination…” I placed a hand over my heart. Beneath it, I could feel the pocket watch that I wore around my neck.

“What’s the matter, my lady?”

“It’s nothing. Go ahead and distribute the other letters to those I’m going to negotiate with. I’ll be taking action.”

“Very well, my lady. I’ll let you know their responses as soon as I can.”

“All right. Thank you, Tanya.”

***

As soon as Lyle arrived in the capital and escorted Iris to her parents’ mansion, he headed for the castle. Dida was by his side, as usual. But he hadn’t said a word. This was on account of Lyle’s expression, which looked unusually sinister. Not even Dida had ever seen Lyle look so severe. It wasn’t cold, per se. It was more that his typical upstanding and noble demeanor had vanished.

A servant by the entrance to the castle showed them inside and led them to a room, where Yuri waited for them.

“I knew you’d come, Lyle. Although there’s someone I didn’t ask for here with you.” Yuri’s eyes sparkled as soon as she saw Lyle, but her expression changed into a pout when she noticed Dida next to him.

“Why does it matter if he’s here too?”

“It doesn’t, as long as it’s all right with you.” Yuri’s mouth twisted into a sarcastic smile.

Dida was dizzied by the sharp contrast between this expression and the innocent, absentminded girl Yuri pretended to be. At the same time, he was suspicious toward Lyle, who didn’t seem surprised at all.

“Why did you call me here?” Lyle asked.

“Oh, please. As if you don’t already know. Do I really have to say it?”

“I’m asking because I don’t know.”

“Honestly…” Yuri let out a sigh, but she didn’t seem the least bit annoyed. To the contrary, she looked thrilled. “I’ll keep it simple. I want you to join the knighthood. I’ll put in a good word for you.”

“I already said no to that.”

“I know. But this time, you’re going to say yes,” Yuri said, brimming with confidence. “If you join the knighthood, then I’ll lend you the power to become the next Lord Meleze.”

Dida was shocked. What in the world is she talking about?

“How do you know where I’m from?” Lyle asked Yuri quietly.

“I’m the future queen. I’m in a position to easily obtain any information I desire. Here and there, I noticed that your gestures were so elegant, and I thought it strange, so I looked into it. I was surprised. I couldn’t believe you were the illegitimate son of Lord Meleze. Your poor mother—having a man who was old enough to be her father fall in love with her. She didn’t even have feelings for your father, yet his wife’s jealousy got her killed. As a woman, I sympathize with her.”

Dida was so stunned at this revelation that he forgot to maintain his composure. His mouth flapped open and closed, but no sound came out.

“It seems like you didn’t ever tell your partner about your past, hm?” Yuri smirked at Dida’s reaction. “It’s horrible, isn’t it? His son, the current Lord Meleze, has no idea. Your mother was killed, you were nearly killed and banished, and yet not only does he have no idea, but he actually tried to recruit you! You want to avenge your mother, don’t you? It’s a shame the former Lord Meleze is already dead, but why not take revenge on his son? Well? That sounds good, right?”

There was a wild frenzy in Yuri’s eyes. She didn’t hesitate at all to suggest this. It almost looked as if she personally hated Count Meleze.

“Unfortunately, that’s unnecessary.” But Lyle did not share that enthusiasm. He just quietly stared at her.

“What…are you talking about?” Yuri stared, clearly stunned.

“I said, it’s unnecessary.”

“You’re lying!” Yuri’s face twisted with anger, and she grabbed Lyle’s arm. “You have to hate him! That’s why you once tried to join the knights, isn’t it? That’s what I heard. Don’t tell me that airheaded, goody-two-shoes duke’s daughter seduced you?!”

Her intensity made Dida’s eyes widen.

But Lyle only coolly looked down at her. “I cast aside the Meleze name. I was told long ago that I had no right to use it in the first place. I died when my lady took me in. I died, and I was reborn. So, I am no longer interested in House Meleze, and I have absolutely no desire to join the knighthood.” He calmly pried Yuri’s hands off of him and stared her down with complete composure. “The only reason I came here is because I wanted to sort out whether you knew about my past. It was my gestures, was it? I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Wh-what proof do you have of this claim?” Marquis Marea shouted anxiously.

“Step away! This man is His Highness, Prince Alfred!” A man appeared from behind Dean, chastising the marquis. “How dare you doubt a member of the royal family! You do realize that’s grounds for treason, don’t you?”

When I saw who it was, I couldn’t believe my eyes. My own cousin, Rudy. I had never been more confused in my life.

“Now, I just heard some very interesting things in this chamber,” said Dean. “‘No one is more well suited to ascend the throne than Edward’? That’s simply false. Because the rightful heir to the throne is the first prince—me. That was the first law put to writing when this kingdom was founded; why, it’s written in our constitution. And absolutely no one has the power to break that law. In fact, you are all under arrest for treason under the grounds of plotting to usurp the crown.”

“Wh-what?! What proof—”

“Proof again? Well, this very meeting is proof enough. Isn’t that right, Father Rafsimons? You aren’t a noble of this kingdom, so I shall ask you. Did I imagine everything I just heard in this chamber?”

“No, Your Highness. I heard exactly the same thing.”

“That’s what I thought. Quite foolish of you to rush things without confirming my death.”

“No one will follow you, anyway! Why, your mother was nothing more than the daughter of a count!” Queen Ellia screamed. Her face was twisted with rage, her eyes filled with hatred. As I stared at her, it almost looked like the face she had taken such pains to beautify with makeup was crumbling before our very eyes.

“Is that right? Many in this room rank below a count. How dare you say such a thing? I don’t believe I can allow you to be in this room any longer. Take these two away at once.”

The guards immediately sprang into action.

“What?! How dare you?! Let go of me at once!”

They resisted, but it was useless. The guards dragged Ellia and her father away.

“Grandfather! Mother!” Ed cried to try to stop them, but they were already gone. “You bastard! How dare you…!”

Ed lunged toward Dean, but the remaining guards surrounded him and Yuri. She was trembling with fear.

“I can understand why a person might think that Queen Ellia’s claims make sense,” I said to break the tension. I looked straight at Dean. “I wouldn’t say that Prince Edward should be king, but what will change if you ascend the throne? Prince Alfred, it seems as though you have not forsaken us, but if I am to be confident that you won’t, I must know your plan.”

For a moment, Dean seemed shocked by my challenge, but then he flashed me a confident smile.

That’s the smile of his that I love the most, I inadvertently thought.

“Forsake you? I should be afraid that you might forsake us.” Dean turned to the rest of the gathered. “To you fools who agreed with my younger brother when he foolishly said these two should be arrested and their domains seized: Think carefully. Armelia provides forty percent of the aid to this kingdom, yet life in that duchy remains more prosperous than anywhere else. No other domain could possibly amass as many resources as they have. If Armelia withdraws their aid, where will your domains source their food and goods? Your aid will be nearly halved. Even if you don’t presently require assistance, if the Armelian businesses in your domains withdraw to their homeland, your economies will suffer a serious blow. They continue to do business with our kingdom so long as they see profit from the relationship. But if the disadvantages outweigh the benefits, they’ll merely start doing business with other kingdoms instead. Armelia has a port; this would be easily done. The only reason they haven’t done so yet is because it would require slightly more effort.”

“B-but if we arrest these two, then we can take their goods for the kingdom!” a noble from the second prince’s faction said.

“As I said, that would be foolish. My brother said he would send the military, but the leader of that military is General Gazell. Not only does the general belong to House Anderson, but that house has a long-standing connection with House Armelia. Moreover, the two domains border each other. If these houses are allied, we cannot send the military to face them.”

“But…”

“Enough. Even if we took Armelia by force, the kingdom would not have the means to govern it. The citizens would not obey. They are loyal to her—that’s the domain she’s built.”

The other nobles flinched at Dean’s words.

“I’m so happy to hear you think so highly of my domain,” I said. “And that is why I shall ask again—how do you plan to deal with the difficulties that plague our kingdom?”

Dean had defended Armelia, so now it was my turn. I needed to give him the opportunity to have his moment—and to defend his plan. Hence why I sounded so harsh.

“I’ve already started. I’ve recalled the majority of the counterfeit gold coins in circulation. Only a small number are left floating at the marketplaces. And if any further counterfeits are found, I vow to exchange them for genuine gold. I’ve also developed a means by which to notify the public and spread word about this plan.”

“My, you’ve already taken them out of circulation? How did you do that?”

“The nobles who sold their stockpiles to a certain merchant immediately used their profits to begin doing business with other merchants.”

This clearly rang a bell, as the color drained from several nobles’ faces.

“I used the belongings of the former pope as bait. I couldn’t believe the speed and passion with which they parted with their new gold. It would have been one thing if they were to spend it for the sake of the citizens, but to use it for their own selfish desires? I was speechless.”

“I see… So that’s how you got the counterfeit coins out of circulation. You didn’t even impact the kingdom’s economy by doing so. And by using items that had once been owned by the pope, you ensured they were tempting. Additionally, if these nobles had enough gold on hand to purchase them, then the chances were good that they used the counterfeit gold they had just received.”

“That’s right. Then I had the counterfeit gold coins melted down and the impurities removed, then smelted back into pure gold coins. Having confiscated most of the counterfeit gold in this manner, I kept tabs on your actions and immediately confiscated counterfeits from whatever your own people collected. Of course, it will be impossible to catch every single coin, but we’ve done the work. I must credit Marquis Anderson with his tenacity on this issue.”

My uncle bowed his head.

“But Prince Alfred, what about the critical issue of the food shortages?” I asked.

“I have traveled across the sea to another kingdom and negotiated with them. At first, I was planning to recover enough to replace the stockpiles that had been sold, but I could not have foreseen the natural disaster that occurred in my absence. I’m terribly sorry to see my people endure such pain. But the goods I secured from the other kingdom have been delivered upon my return. All that’s left now is to distribute them to each domain. For this, I must thank Father Rafsimons for his help. He sent valuable monetary aid during this crisis on behalf of the Darryl Church.”

“Despite the mistakes the Church made, Your Highness was so lenient with us,” said Father Rafsimons as he bowed his head. “All I wish is for the money to be used for the citizens of this kingdom.”

I was amazed that he’d so deftly used this opportunity to restore the Darryl Church’s status. Bowing his head to Dean demonstrated his obeisance, while at the same time this public gratitude demonstrated the power of the Church. I was certain that he was doing this to show both publicly and privately that the Church was acting in the right, just as he had aimed for.

The same Church had once demanded donations from the nobles and thrown charity galas. I had a feeling that these events were where the Church’s new donations had come from. There had likely also been some help from whatever funds the queen dowager had secretly stowed away.

“Then I am certain this kingdom will know peace and prosperity should you ascend the throne,” I said and bowed my head. “As acting governor, I pledge Armelia’s full support to your claim.”

I had shown my and House Anderson’s support. Dean had already explained the power of our two domains to the gathered. On top of that, he had just illustrated his own sterling track record. By his own hand, he had laid the path for the kingdom to recover. Anyone who stood against him now would in essence be rejecting the only path to salvation. The only others they could turn to—Queen Ellia and Marquis Marea—had been arrested.

“Wh-what a splendid birth of a king we just witnessed.”

“I-I agree. We just witnessed something magnificent indeed.”

One by one, those nobles who had supported Ed now praised Dean. The waves of affirmation gradually increased until the entire chamber was filled with applause.

“Don’t be fooled!” Ed had been standing there, completely flabbergasted, but now he screamed angrily. “It was said before—there’s no proof that he’s my older brother! His attendant there belongs to House Anderson! He’s nothing more than an impostor, dead set on usurping the crown!”

All of a sudden, Yuri turned toward the doors and shrieked. “S-somebody! Help!”

“What is it?” a voice called in response.

At her cry, several men wearing knights’ armor rushed in. Ed and Yuri let out sighs of relief at the sight of them.

“Arrest them! They’re impostors trying to usurp the crown!” Ed howled, but the knights did not move. “Why aren’t you moving?!”

“Your Highness, I’m terribly sorry, but that is Prince Alfred. We live to serve the royal family. We cannot possibly turn our sword against one of them.”

“What are you talking about?! Where is the proof that he is my older brother?!”

“Well, we had the honor of serving him at the detached palace.”

Watching this exchange, Yuri was completely astonished. “No…” she murmured. “No… I don’t know these knights… Where is the knight commander?!”

“The knight commander is under house arrest,” Dean said gaily. “Lord Meleze was a knight in name only, so he never had any right to become the knight commander. There were several such unqualified persons in the knighthood, and they have all been removed from their posts. Now, to continue with what I was saying, I must attend to more pressing matters, so there is nothing more to say on this matter. Shall we move on to the next subject?”

Everyone stared, wondering what he would want to talk about—including me.

“But first—guards! Arrest by brother and Yuri.”

“What?!”

“What?!”

Before the two of them could even shout, the guards surrounding them sprang into action and seized them both.

“Why…?” Ed croaked as he was arrested.

“I told you why. You, your mother, and your grandfather were engaged in a plot to usurp the throne. So it’s only natural that you must face the consequences for that.”

“But Yuri has nothing to do with this!”

“Perhaps. But she is not a member of the royal family, yet she walked into this room through the door reserved for royals, and furthermore, she’s been using funds from accounts reserved for royals. That is nothing less than fraud: impersonating a member of the royal family. Or have she and Edward already been married? Father Rafsimons?”

“No. The Darryl Church has no record of such a union.”

“Then she must be arrested as well.”

“Let me—” Edward was still trying to protect Yuri. He loved her so much that he wanted to take the arrow for her.

“I’d say the larger problem is that you did nothing to stop her,” Dean said to him. “But the responsibility lies with her. Even if you tried to protect her, she has committed various other crimes. You will be jailed separately until sufficient evidence is gathered to prove the case against her. Take them away.”

“Please wait! Your Highness! Why would you punish your own flesh and blood, your own younger brother like this? Please reconsider!” Yuri resisted the soldiers and tried to approach Dean.

“Perhaps that argument would carry weight if we were normal siblings.” Dean murmured, bringing hope into Yuri’s eyes. “But we are royalty. Each drop of blood that flows through our veins exists for this kingdom. And anything that serves to hurt this kingdom must be cut away.”

“No!” Yuri cried weakly, shedding tears—playing the role of the damsel in distress. Several witnesses probably felt sorry for her, the poor girl pleading for her fiancé despite being under arrest herself.

Dean walked over to her. She gazed up at him with desperate eyes.

I wanted to scream. Don’t you dare look at him like that!

“It seems as though your friend let many of his comrades into this castle,” said Dean. “I had them all leave, along with him. So don’t imagine that you have a chance to worm your way out of this one.”

“What?!”

Dean leaned toward her and whispered something into her ear. I don’t know what he said, but it must have been something meaningful, because as soon as he pulled away, she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Everyone in the room stood shocked at her sudden change in demeanor.

“Yuri!” Ed slipped out of the guards’ grasp and ran over to her. “Yuri, are you all right? Yuri!”

But Yuri did not answer him. All she did was mumble, “It’s a lie, it’s a lie…” over and over again with vacant eyes.

Ed stood protectively between her and a guard. “There’s something wrong with her! Take her to the hospital!”

“A doctor can examine her after she’s jailed. Guards.”

The guards moved once more to seize them.

“Stop it! Yuri!”

Yuri wept. Ed reached toward her, trying to take hold of her hand. Dean coolly watched as he once more told the guards to take them by force. He was obeyed.

“Now, we got quite off track there, but let’s get back to business,” said Dean. “Shall we, Berne?”

Hearing that name come from Dean’s mouth shocked me. I turned to see Berne walk through the doors the other nobles had entered through. The entire chamber was filled with confusion as Berne strode toward Dean. I couldn’t even believe the person I saw was my brother. His hair was cut short, he was incredibly thin, and there were bags under his eyes. The naivete in his eyes was gone, replaced now with a sharpness I’d never seen before.

Berne bowed his head before Dean.

“You heard everything, didn’t you? The voices of these fools agreeing with Edward that we should seize Armelia and Anderson’s domains?” Dean chuckled with amusement.

Berne was completely expressionless. Instead, he looked around the room. His piercing gaze shot through everyone.

“I’m sure they will agree with Your Highness’s plan if it benefits the citizens,” Berne said, his eyes growing even more intense.

“I’ll have Berne explain our plans moving forward. Everyone, listen carefully to him.”

My brother took a step forward and spoke. He began with a list of nobles. The point was not immediately apparent.

“The nobles I just named will forfeit their domains and be stripped of their titles.”

Berne’s statement rocked the chamber. This was without a doubt the first time in the history of Tasmeria that so many nobles would have their titles removed. The room was suddenly filled with cursing and shouts. Berne seemed intimidated by this, and he lowered his gaze. The yelling grew even louder at that.

They looked to Dean, demanding to know just how their domains would be controlled without them, but he just smiled. Meanwhile, Berne looked up.

Suddenly, the people cursing him all fell silent as they saw his face—or more accurately, his eyes. Berne looked around the chamber, expressionless. His eyes were filled with hatred…and violent anger. Anger so intense, it made the fury displayed earlier seem lukewarm. He didn’t speak, but the way he stared at them made it seem like he was saying “Is that all you’ve got?”

“He reminds me of your father,” my uncle murmured with amusement.

“The people whose names I just listed sold their stockpiles for their own profit—even the bare minimum of rations they are, by law, required to keep. Leaders who wrong their own citizens should be removed from their posts at once,” Berne said quietly. But what was quiet about it was his expression, for his voice was filled with just as much malice as his eyes.

“Y-you’re saying we have to give up land that’s been in our family for generations for such a small offense?!”

“A ‘small offense’? That small offense cost thousands, no—tens of thousands of lives!” Berne snarled. His rage seemed to fill the entire chamber.

“Wh-what else could we do? My family has been impoverished for quite some time!”

“We didn’t know a flood was coming! Even Prince Alfred said he couldn’t have foreseen it!”

“Those rations were supposed to be in place in case of that exact kind of unforeseen disaster. Even if the flooding hadn’t occurred, you were still in the wrong and would still be punished accordingly,” Berne responded coolly to those who protested and complained.

“Why?!”

“Because as I just said, you broke the laws of this kingdom. You didn’t realize you were using counterfeit coins to do business, you wastefully expended your domains’ fortunes, and you brought chaos to the kingdom.”

“That’s—”

“But your greatest crime was making deals with an enemy kingdom while we were under a cease-fire.” Berne didn’t say that last sentence loudly. But the words fell heavily on every person in the room.

“Wh-what did you say?!”

“You didn’t know? The merchant you did business with—Divan? He’s a vanguard from Tweil. The reason he bought so much food is because he’s sending it back to his kingdom, and in doing so, depleting our kingdom of its resources.”

“What proof do you have?!”

“Stop with the lies!”

None of them would accept Berne’s words—because the moment they accepted it, they knew no mercy awaited them.

“I have proof.” Berne wasn’t worried. He reminded me of how I had been back during my excommunication scandal. I’d had that same look on my face—a confidence that I really had my enemies where I needed them. “Lord Messi has already captured citizens from Tweil who were traversing back and forth across our borders. They told us all about the relationship between Divan and Tweil.”

My brother had changed so much since the day he yelled at me about my broken engagement… In a good way, of course.

“Furthermore, thanks to Lord Messi, we’ve recovered a portion of the food that was supposed to be sent to Tweil. Some was hidden or already sent by Divan, but the stores we recovered were marked with the family crests of those families I named.” Berne smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “How lucky for us that noble families take so much pride in their name that they brand everything with it, hm? They’re so dedicated to the practice that not even Divan could erase it off everything. Family crests are quite wonderful, so I very much understand the urge.”

To me, it sounded like he was saying: “You lot take pride in nothing but for your family name. And that’s what wrapped the noose around your neck.”

I was all but certain that this was what was going through his mind.

“You can take a look at the recovered crates later, if you’d like,” Berne said. “Although I’ve already shown the prince, and he agreed that it was sufficient proof.”

“Then, once you take all of that into consideration, look into a certain baron. Ask yourself why he doesn’t even stay in the capital during the social season.”

These were the words Milo had said that Tanya had reported to me. Of course, she had looked into it. Divan’s company was based in Count Monroe’s domain. No matter how well Divan hid his spoils while they were in the kingdom, ultimately he sent them to Tweil—which meant he had to travel from Count Monroe’s domain through Baron Messi’s. Once Divan reached the Monroe domain, he had a free pass to deliver his goods.

When Baron Messi wasn’t in the capital, he was patrolling the border of his domain, which was also the border of the kingdom with Tweil. Lately, he’d spent much more time patrolling the border between his domain and Count Monroe’s. In other words, he had worked vigorously toward gathering evidence to expose the corruption within the kingdom, including Divan’s plans and the secret exchange of goods between Monroe and Tweil.

“As such, I’m always in a war frame of mind, if you will.”

Baron Messi said that to me on the night I met him. He was right. It was a war, even though there were no actual battles taking place. Dean wasn’t just fighting for the throne against Ed, nor was he merely fighting for power against House Marea in the nobility’s game of musical chairs. He was fighting for the entire kingdom, a much graver responsibility than I had.

And yet he had given me so much help. That thought made tears spring unbidden to my eyes.

Dean took a step forward.

“Your Highness,” said Berne cautiously.

Dean smiled and held up a hand, so Berne quickly bowed and stood back.

“Nobles are exalted people,” Dean said. “But they are not exalted by birth. No, they were chosen by the citizens to stand above the rest to guide and protect the people. But some among those who call themselves nobles are arrogant and ignorant; they have forgotten why they stand so high, and instead they look down on those below.”

Once again, Dean’s voice struck the room like lightning. This time, there were no arguments or objections. “When one has committed the crime of treason with an enemy kingdom, social status no longer matters,” he said. “No status can change the fact of treachery against your own kingdom, and it must be punished accordingly. Isn’t that correct?”

The members of the first prince’s faction, who had remained seated after Dean appeared, slowly began to stand up, one by one. Then they bowed, one after another, showing their respect to their chosen prince. It was a deep bow, the kind one would perform in the presence of one’s king.

I followed suit and curtsied.

“Arrest the persons from the list of names Lord Berne read! And I call this meeting adjourned.”

“Finally, if you could all remain in the capital for the time being,” said Berne. “In a few days, His Highness will summon you for another meeting.”

***

That meeting shook the kingdom to its core. A few weeks passed, but it felt like longer, because in that short amount of time, the capital changed drastically. Thanks to the aid that Dean secured from other kingdoms, in addition to the stockpiles recovered from the border, life in the city was almost back to normal.

The food and goods I sent to the capital from Armelia were indeed found to have been at the castle and with nobles belonging to Prince Ed’s faction, just as Berne had claimed. These were confiscated and redistributed to the citizens. But perhaps the greatest change was that the vast majority of counterfeit gold coins disappeared from circulation. The marketplaces were once again beginning to bustle with activity.

There were many changes inside the castle as well. The nobles on Berne’s list were being held under house arrest until their trials. I had a feeling more charges would be filed against them before their trials, as well. Furthermore, due to their crimes, Queen Ellia and Marquis Marea were beheaded. Count Monroe met that same fate.

The treacherous nobles were stripped of their titles, and their lands were confiscated. Not even their distant relatives were allowed to take over for them. Plotting to disrupt the lawful order of succession and bargaining with an enemy kingdom were severe crimes. The close family members of the guilty parties would either be killed or sent to live out the rest of their lives in monasteries and convents.

There wasn’t as much of an interruption in the governance of the kingdom as I feared there might be. Those in the first prince’s faction who didn’t resume their posts were so well regarded in their fields that they took to work for Dean like fish to water.

On one particular day, I was headed to House Anderson. Their mansion was quite close to the Armelia mansion. It didn’t take long at all for my carriage to arrive at their gates. A servant showed me into a room where my uncle awaited me, along with my aunt and my grandfather.

“Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to meet with me today,” I said.

“Iris, we’re flesh and blood. There’s no need for those formalities. Now sit down,” my uncle said kindly as I bowed to him.

I did as he said and sat. “Grandfather, Uncle, I can’t thank you enough for your help with recent matters. I’d like to personally express my gratitude, as well as on behalf of Armelia. Thank you so much.”

“Nothing could make me happier than helping you, Iris!” My grandfather let out a hearty chuckle, as he always did.

“It was a winning strategy. You’re the one who came up with the idea to get out of the deadlock, so there’s no need to thank us.” My uncle smiled gently at me. He had the same smile as Rudy.

“Honestly, why can’t you just admit it?” my aunt said. “Your uncle was terribly worried about you and Merry, but he said it wasn’t easy to take action just because of his position as governor. So he was thrilled when you came to him with your idea, Iris.”

“I wasn’t worried about Merry! She’s the kind of person who wouldn’t die even if you killed her!”

“Goodness!”

The turn in the conversation immediately relaxed me, and I joined in on the laughter.

“Well, we can’t rest easy just yet,” said my uncle. “Not until we see which direction Prince Alfred leads this kingdom in.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” said my grandfather. “Rudy thought him worthy enough to be his master, and I trained him myself. I can vouch for his fighting spirit.”

“That’s true. He has the power to make ideals into reality,” I said. “And his little sister is simply wonderful. I know that she’ll give him a great deal of support as part of the royal family.”

My uncle looked a bit surprised. “You’ve met Leticia?”

I’d let my guard down during the course of the conversation, but it was too late to regret it now. “Y-yes, my mother introduced us. She’s a truly lovely person.”

They must have accepted my answer, because no one asked me anything else about her.

“By the way, Iris,” said my grandfather. “I heard something through the grapevine that I need to ask you about.”

“What is it?” I tensed up; it was unusual for my grandfather to beat around the bush.

“I heard the prince of Acacia offered you his hand in marriage.”

I froze.

“Are you going to accept?” he asked.

Naturally, I couldn’t answer him.

“Father, you’re putting Iris in a difficult position here,” said my uncle. “This isn’t the sort of matter for us to meddle in.”

“Ah, forgive me. I was just worried. Iris, I want you to put your own future first. You remember what I said before? I meant it.”

“You don’t have to force yourself to marry. You can stay at home and do whatever makes you happy. And if you ever find yourself with nowhere to go, you can always come to me.”

I smiled, thinking of these words that he’d said to me so long ago.

“Thank you for your concern,” I said. “I will be discussing that matter with my father, and we shall decide from there.”

My heart ached a bit when I said that. Truthfully, I already knew my answer. My heart just hadn’t caught up.

I thought of how Dean had looked in the chamber before the nobility. I wanted to see him. At the same time, he was the last person I wanted to see, because he was the only one who could sway me from my decision. I needed to take action as soon as possible, before any lingering feelings or regrets forced me to stall.

***

Not long afterward, I received an invitation, just as Berne had said we would. There were even some individuals in attendance this time who hadn’t seen fit to be present at the previous meeting. I attended to represent my father, just as I had last time. Once again, I was the only woman in the chamber.

Everyone took their seats. A few moments later, Dean entered the room. Rudy and Berne followed him. “Thank you all for coming. I’ll get straight to the point—I’d like to discuss my future plans for the kingdom, and I ask you all to listen to me with open hearts and open minds.” He glanced at Berne.

Berne nodded and began to speak. While everyone focused their attention on my brother, I stared at Dean while I listened.

He seemed so far away.

It was profoundly disrespectful to think of a member of the royal family in such a way, but in some ways, he was much closer to me now than when he had been merely Dean. Yet for some reason, he also felt much, much farther away from me than when he had been in Armelia by my side.

I suppose that only made sense. We both had our own responsibilities and duties to bear. I would never compromise on that, and I knew he wouldn’t either. Once, we had been walking down the same road in the same direction, but things were different now. We had started down different paths. He was so close—so close that I could reach out and touch him…

I never imagined my heart would ache with such sadness. I reached up and clasped my hand to my chest.

Never could I have dreamed that our first meeting would lead to such things. I’d come prepared that day, but this one was different. The distance between us made that all too clear.

Berne continued speaking as I lost myself in my reverie. He declared that all the confiscated domains were to be claimed under the crown. Officials from the palace would be sent to each domain as inspectors, to ensure something of this nature never happened again. They would furthermore be granted the power to interfere in the governance of domains. This was done with two goals in mind. First, to better enable the spread of policies set forth by the kingdom. Second, to engender mutual accountability between the governors and inspectors sent from the castle.

I was sure it wouldn’t be long before an inspector was sent to Armelia. Up until now, I’d had complete freedom to reform Armelia as I saw fit, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be so simple anymore. Not only that, but after I saw Berne’s performance at these meetings, I had a hunch that my days as acting governor of Armelia were numbered either way.

The meeting continued smoothly. No one really objected to anything. That made sense, as the vast majority of attendees were members of the first prince’s faction. They were already in his camp to begin with.

I found myself recalling when Count Sagitalia had leaked these ideas to me at his party.

“I’m confident the prince could succeed. He can change our systems and build the one true kingdom.”

The purpose of today’s meeting was clear: it was the first step to strengthening the monarchy. Even though the neutral faction understood this, they did not object. Perhaps they found it difficult to speak up when the majority of the attendees were of the first prince’s faction, but likely they also feared causing a commotion. They sensed that no matter what objection they raised, Berne would swiftly refute it with sound reasoning. While his outer change had come as a surprise, he had clearly changed within as well.

Berne faced the cunning vipers and the sly foxes that had vied with each other in the castle for decades and silenced them all without budging one bit. Word of his intimidating presences had already traveled around the castle. I wasn’t sure who had said it first, but word was that the fire in our bloodline certainly hadn’t died out.

Now, when Berne received new information, he had it thoroughly investigated before coming to a conclusion, so unlike that time when he had confronted me about my broken engagement. He’d really grown up and shed his old skin.

While I was lost in my thoughts, one of the nobles spoke for the first time at this meeting. “May I say something?”

“As you wish, Lord Dungley.”

Speaking of the Dungleys, I was certain that Mimosa’s wedding had been called off, given that her fiancé belonged to one of the families on Berne’s list. I had also sent him the lists that Moneda and Tanya had made to ensure these families wouldn’t escape from their crimes. I’d have to send a letter of congratulations to Mimosa soon, although the idea of congratulating someone on a broken engagement seemed odd.

“I understand your proposals going forward very well, but I’d like to ask about His Highness’s coronation.”

“I can answer that,” Dean answered before Berne could. “As you all know, this matter has left lasting effects on the kingdom. Therefore, I am prioritizing settling the matters at hand, so my coronation won’t be for another year.”

“I understand Your Highness’s arguments. However, and please forgive me for saying this, it’s an undeniable fact that the flames of the opposing faction are still smoldering. The fact that Prince Edward has not yet been punished is proof enough of that. I believe His Highness should take the throne immediately to solidify his position and demonstrate to all that he is our king.”

“I take heed of your warning, Lord Dungley. I’ll make arrangements to hold the coronation as soon as possible.”

Marquis Dungley bowed his head and took his seat.

Shortly after, the meeting was called to an end. We were told we were free to either return to our domains or remain in the capital. Personally, I wanted to hurry back to Armelia, but I hadn’t decided what to do just yet.

I was about to leave when a servant stopped me. “Lady Iris, His Highness Prince Alfred wishes to see you.”

I froze for a moment. The servant handed me a letter, and it was indeed penned in Dean’s handwriting. I couldn’t believe he was summoning me now, of all times.

“All right. I’ll go right away.”

The letter was genuine, but one could never be too careful, so I elected to have Tanya come with me. The servant led me to a courtyard inside the castle. Dean was already sitting there. He gestured for me to sit in front of him, so I did so. For a moment, Tanya looked surprised when she saw Dean, but she soon recovered her poker face.

“Lady Iris of Armelia, I welcome you.”

I plastered a smile onto my face. “I am honored to be here, Your Highness.”

“Please allow me to introduce myself to you once more. I am Alfred Dean Tasmeria, the first prince of this kingdom.”

This was his farewell. Perhaps he didn’t think of it that way, but that was what it sounded like to me.

“And I am Iris Lana Armelia.” Even though we knew each other well, we introduced ourselves as if we were meeting for the first time. Since he was so far above me in status, I couldn’t call him by name until he introduced himself to me, and I to him.

In this instant, Dean was in all ways a prince, and I a noblewoman. Here, the past we shared together did not exist.

“I’m terribly sorry for the trouble I’ve caused for both you and Armelia. Please allow me to formally apologize.”

“I don’t deserve such a thing, Your Highness. I only performed my obligation as a noble.”

“Iris, you—I mean, Lady Armelia, you are more of a noble than any other I’ve ever known,” Dean said with a smile.

I wasn’t entirely sure if that was a compliment, but my heart ached. I had seen that same smile so many times.

Silence fell between us, a stark contrast to all those days when we were so pressed for time, neither of us could stop talking to the other.

Dean waved his hand, dismissing his servants from the room.

“Tanya. Leave us,” I said when she didn’t move.

“But…” Tanya hesitated and looked back and forth between me and Dean.

“It’s fine.”

It was slightly inappropriate to be alone with the prince, but this wasn’t a private room—we were outside under the vast sky.

“Yes, my lady.”

Now it was only me and Dean.

His manner of speech immediately changed. “So were you surprised?”

“Yes, quite. Never in a million years did I guess that I would see you there that day.”

Even though I couldn’t see them, I knew there were people nearby—guards, at the very least. That was why his question was so vague, and I kept my answer the same.

I went on. “But at the same time, I finally understood why someone like you had appeared in front of someone like me.”

I knew better than anyone that Dean was highly educated, so much so that it had never seemed plausible that he came from a simple merchant’s family. In that sense, I wasn’t so much surprised that he’d turned out to be the first prince as I was satisfied by the explanation. I suspected he’d come to Armelia to observe me. After all, I was the daughter of a duke who had been expelled from school, suddenly made governor, yet I wasn’t just sitting on my hands—I had instantly taken action.

Dean laughed wryly. Apparently, my hunch was correct. I laughed inadvertently as well.

“What is it?” Dean looked at me curiously, given my sudden change in demeanor.

“Ah, it’s not important. I was just thinking.”

It really wasn’t that important. I had only been thinking of why he came to see me. Then I’d realized it didn’t matter anymore. I didn’t hold his deception against him, and it didn’t upset me either. I couldn’t be angry or alarmed that he had kept his true identity from me. After all, I had accepted his subterfuge from the beginning, even though I had nursed suspicions all along about his origins. Furthermore, both my grandfather and mother had both known and trusted him.

No, that was pure sophistry. At some point, neither my acceptance of his artifice nor his apparent accolades had even mattered anymore. I’d told myself that as long as Dean was by my side, it didn’t matter who he was. I’d thrown out all questions of why. That was why I had absolutely no right to blame him.

As I thought about that, I laughed. I laughed at myself for still being captivated by him even this late in the game. It seemed that love was a terrible illness.

“By the way, Your Highness… Why was Berne with you?” I pushed away my feelings and changed the subject.

“Lord Louis recommended him to me. Apparently, Berne went through quite the shocking experience. He showed up before me one day, saying he’d do anything as long as we could change the direction in which this kingdom was headed. I could tell he’d become quite a different person from the Berne I remembered.”

“I was surprised to see that too. When I saw him at the meeting, I nearly didn’t recognize him—inside or out. Especially the inside… I wondered what must have happened, to give him such resolve.”

“I wondered the same thing, and I asked. All he said was, ‘I saw hell on earth.’ It seems he visited a domain of one of the nobles who he named, and the conditions there were most cruel.”

“I see.”

“After seeing this, perhaps because he once took pride in being a noble, he came to despise the nobility, including himself. That was why he came to work under me. He was the one who devised the majority of this system that will give the monarchy more direct control. He worked tirelessly with both my people and Armelian officials to gather sufficient evidence to ensure those guilty nobles will be held accountable. He barely stopped to take a breath while he gathered the evidence to shed light on this situation. He worked so hard that I really do have to wonder if he was sleeping.”

“I see. Well, I’m most pleased to hear that he’s been of service to Your Highness.” I was staying in the mansion in the capital, yet I’d not seen a speck of Berne. I had thought he was merely busy, though it seemed that he certainly was. As a member of House Armelia, I was awfully pleased by his growth.

“I’d like to thank you for letting me have Berne. We’ve made various decisions about numerous things, but this issue is far from resolved. It has left lasting effects on each domain. There is still so much left to do.”

“I understand,” I said. “This kingdom has lost so much.”

Dean gave me a troubled smile. “I did the best I could. I did everything I could. But I don’t hear the screams of those we’ve lost. I understand that there are things we can’t recover.”

If this were a game, this would have been the happy ending. The moment would fade to the title screen, and the player could reset and do better next time.

But this was reality. By no miracle could I start all over again. I wasn’t God. It was ridiculous of me to even think that I could save everyone and everything.

Then again, I didn’t regret a thing. I wasn’t going to run away or give up on anything. However, the idea that I could have done a little bit more plagued my thoughts.

“The results are everything,” said Dean. “Even if we do all we can, it doesn’t change reality, where there were people neither you nor I could save.”

“You’re right…”

“But that burden isn’t yours to bear. You did do your best. And the one who is ultimately responsible for it all is the one who sits on the throne: me.” The expression on Dean’s face was one of resolve—as if he had tried to swallow up all of his sadness and anger at once. His tone was the same as the one I’d grown so used to hearing back in Armelia.

“De—” I started to say his name.

But the wry smile on his face stopped me. It was like he was telling me to go no further.

“May I ask something?” he asked.

“What do you wish to ask, Your Highness?”

“Would you grant the kingdom’s officials the chance to learn at Armelia’s academy of higher learning?”

I had to let out a chuckle at the sudden change of topic. “Local and national governments are very different. I’m not sure how helpful they would find the courses at the academy…”

“I believe it is important for the monarchy to learn from local governments. Besides, that’s not all they can learn at the academy. They should be educated in far more than bureaucratic policy.”

“I see. Forgive me for saying this, but there is still a shortage of teachers in Armelia. It would be quite difficult for us to take on kingdom officials at this point.”

“I’m not saying I’d send them all at once. I could assign them in small groups, just as you do with the Armelian officials. And I think it would be best for them to study for a fixed period of time, like an exchange program.”

“I see. Well, it would depend on how many officials and for how long. Allow me to consult with the headmaster.”

“Thank you.”

“I think you should bring this opportunity up with Berne as well, since sooner or later, he will become governor of Armelia.”

“Are you resigning…?”

“Yes. I’m a woman, after all. Sooner or later, I’ll have to go off and get married.” I didn’t even mean to blurt it out. But it was already a foregone conclusion in my mind. My heart just hadn’t caught up yet. Perhaps that was why the words fell so naturally from my mouth.

Dean looked shocked. “You’re saying yes to his proposal?”

His expression was so serious, and that shocked me. But I supposed it was only natural for the first prince, the future king of this nation, to know everything that happened within the borders of his kingdom.

Why in the world had I brought it up in the first place?

I debated long and hard over whether to deny it, even so. At last, I forced out a word. “Yes…”

“I see…”

That was his only response. A reaction neither negative nor positive. Just a reaction. But to me, it sounded as if he approved.

The shock of that filled me with sadness. How unbelievably selfish of me. I was the one who’d brought it up, so what right did I have to be heartbroken? I couldn’t stand it. Somewhere deep within me, I had hoped he might object…and ask me to be with him instead. That shallow desire made me sick with myself.

“What is it?” asked Dean.

That was the second time he’d asked me that in this courtyard. That simple inquiry, and our solitude, just went to show how terribly I’d let down my guard.

“Pardon me, Your Highness. But is that all?” I asked.

“What?”

“I’m terribly sorry, but I haven’t been feeling well lately… So if you’ll excuse me.” I stood up, forcing the meeting to an end.

I bowed, then fled the courtyard. Why? I thought, again and again, and I blamed myself the entire time.

Hadn’t I learned anything from Ed? Love makes everyone a fool. You fall and you fall, until you drown. You hope that happens to the one you love as well. You hope they fall and drown as terribly as you do—no, even more. You want them to lose themselves so hopelessly in you that they can’t even breathe.

That’s what I wished for. Without even considering his feelings, I had done the same thing again. I got my hopes up and then grew upset when things didn’t go my way. I was pouting like a child whose toy had been taken away.

At some point I realized that Tanya was walking behind me. She must have followed me the moment I left the courtyard. She didn’t say a word; she just silently shadowed my footsteps.

Once I reached a spot near the entrance, I stopped. Even though my heart felt so heavy with emotion, for some reason, my chest felt lighter than usual. I reached up to my bosom.

I lost it! I always wore my pocket watch around my neck, except for when I wore low-cut dresses to parties, but it was gone. Lost. The revelation made every last drop of blood drain from my face.

“My lady?” Tanya paused, concerned.

“Tanya, I’m sorry…but I forgot my pocket watch back there. Will you go back and get it for me?”

“But…”

“Please. I can’t lose it, no matter what. But I also can’t go back there. I’ll stay here and wait. Please.” I was fully aware that I was revealing more weakness than I ever usually did. But I could not leave this pocket watch behind, especially now of all times.

“All right. Stay here then, my lady.” Tanya hesitated a bit before leaving my side, but she finally relented.

“I will.” I watched her go and obediently waited for her. I placed a hand on my chest. That gesture had become such a habit of mine. Honestly, though, what was I hoping for? Even if the pocket watch were returned to me, what would it do? Looking back on those happy times would only grieve me further.

I stared absently out at the garden until I felt someone approaching me. I thought it was unusual that Tanya had come back so soon, but when I turned around, I laid eyes on Dean.

Before I could even ask what he was doing there, he took me by the hand and started to walk. This unusual assertiveness filled me with confusion. He pulled me into a nearby empty room and let go of my hand.

“Dean!” I finally said the name that had been so difficult for me to articulate before.

He held something out toward me. “Here.”

It was the pocket watch I’d sent Tanya back for.

“You picked it up for me? Thank you.” I looked at him, waiting to take it back. Then I suddenly remembered I’d called him by his name, just like I’d done before. “…Forgive me, Your Highness, for addressing you so rudely.”

The moment I said that, a sad and troubled smile spread across his face. “I thought perhaps you left this behind because you didn’t need it anymore.”

“Your Highness…”

“Are you really going to say yes?”

It took me a moment to realize what he was referring to. When I did, I looked into his eyes. They looked so weak, as weak as his voice when he asked me that question. I’d never seen him like this before.

Without thinking, I reached up to caress his cheek. I’d forgotten every bit of decorum, it seemed.

“I’m sorry for asking such a question,” he said as he placed his hand over mine.

“No… No.”

Dean wanted to know if I was serious. That was why he’d come after me, to ask again. That was more than enough for me. His eyes said more than his mouth ever could. He was so conflicted that he couldn’t even say it out loud.

“As the future king, I should be congratulating you. This union could be of no greater benefit to this kingdom.” It almost sounded as if he were making an excuse to himself. “And yet…”

No other words were necessary. Or rather, my good sense was telling me I couldn’t let him continue. My love was nothing more than a burden to him.

First of all, he was right; a marriage between an Acacian prince and House Armelia would greatly benefit the kingdom. I hadn’t thought of a single reason to turn down the prince’s offer. Furthermore, staying in Armelia would never bring me any advantages. I was Ed’s former fiancée, a man who was currently jailed on suspicion of treason. Even though our engagement had been broken long ago, it would still forever be associated with my name.

So even if I were to become engaged to the first prince, there would surely be nobles who objected, even among those close to him. Although, it was possible that the noble closest to him, Rudy, would think it only natural for me to marry Dean, when you considered the influence and power of our family.

But it was far too risky for Dean to choose me. He was to become the next king, and I was a liability. If I became his fiancée, House Armelia would in time turn into the next House Marea, whether we liked it or not. Moreover, the people would fear that the nobility was once more controlling the monarchy, which would only serve to weaken the royal family’s authority. Discord remained among the nobility, and the situation in the kingdom was in disarray. I couldn’t possibly permit myself to plant more seeds of strife.

Even if I weren’t such a problematic choice, there were always other women, many far more suitable as a match for a king—someone who would be of greater political benefit. I had known it all along. I knew it. I just didn’t want to admit it. No matter what.

“Dean.” I whispered his name. He lifted his gaze and met mine. “You were already mine a long time ago, weren’t you?” I asked.

His eyes opened wide with surprise, but then he smiled.

“Yes, I was.”