"Please wait here for the physician," the servant said before giving a bow and leaving the room. Adam and I were left alone in the room so I walked over and sat down on one of the sofas. My cheek still stung, which was annoying, but it was a small price to pay to get some brownie points with Olivia when she comes to find me.
"Doesn't it hurt?" Adam walked over and cupped my cheek in his hand to begin examining it.
"Of course it does," I replied while adjusting my head to give him a better look. "I just got slapped by a future royal guard."
"Then why are you so happy about it?"
"…" I guess I was smiling too much to the point Adam couldn't ignore it. I turned my head back to face Adam to see there was an apprehensive look in his eyes as he looked down at me and I could detect some dissatisfaction from how gently he was rubbing my cheek. "Because a slap to the face is nothing compared to what comes next." I gave him a warm smile to try and alleviate his concerns.
"What comes-?" As Adam tried to ask his question, we both heard a commotion start to approach our room from outside the doors. "So," Adam realized when the voices got close enough for us to recognize, "This was your plan."
"Lucina!?" Olivia threw open the doors to our room and rushed inside while being flanked by Mary who had joined Olivia a few days after her arrival at the capital, another maid I didn't recognize, and a man who was holding a doctor's bag. The news certainly traveled fast in the royal palace. As soon as she saw me, Olivia hyper-focused on my red cheek and hurried to my side. "Check her!" Olivia shot a glare back to the physician.
"O-Of course, Crown Princess," the physician stammered before quickly giving me a check-up. I knew it wasn't that bad and wouldn’t take long, but a simple check took ten minutes because the physician couldn't concentrate while Olivia stared holes into the back of his head. "While it will sting for a while, her jaw is perfectly fine and there isn't any danger," he tried to placate Olivia.
"…Thank you, you may leave."
"At once, Crown Princess." The physician happily accepted the out and quickly left the room.
"Fucking brute," Olivia muttered as she inspected my cheek with great care to not touch me so it wouldn't hurt.
"Crown Princess!?" the unknown maid exclaimed as she moved to chastise Olivia. "Please hold your demeanor to a higher degree, especially in front of your subjects!" She sent an uneasy look to Adam as if she were looking down on him for being here to hear Olivia's vulgarity. Mary looked like she was holding herself back from reprimanding the maid.
"Adam Felswore greets the Crown Princess, Her Highness Olivia Ordrin," Adam gave a perfectly practiced greeting.
"Did you come with the Count?" Olivia asked while looking over her shoulder at my brother.
"Yes, my father is currently in a meeting about next year's harvest prices and distribution."
"Then you may return and wait for him, I will stay with Lucina."
"Thank you for your generosity, Her Highness." Adam trusted Olivia to keep her word and felt safe leaving me with her, so he exited the room to return to the main hall and wait for the Count to finish his meeting.
"Crown Princess?" This unknown maid seemed to be full of hot air and was desperate to make it known. "You have etiquette lessons this afternoon that we must get you ready for. I will ask a servant to stay with the young Lady in your stead, so please-"
"Then perhaps we should also schedule some etiquette lessons for my brother, as well," Olivia cut off the maid and sent her a glare that forced her mouth shut. "After all, how can the royal family possibly rest easy knowing their guards go around attacking children? Unless you're saying it's proper etiquette to allow my subordinates to harass and assault people as if I were the boss of a slum gang?"
"Crown Princess!?" I guess this maid was part parrot. "All I do is to help you rise to the position you were granted with as much grace as possible!"
"Position I was granted? Correct yourself." The air in the room took on a chill and I watched Olivia's face lose its patience. In a cold voice, Olivia addressed her unruly maid, "I was not granted the position of crown princess, I earned it after being chosen directly by His Majesty after reviewing my achievements and upon witnessing me during the selection process. You speak as if I am in a place I shouldn't be. Was the selection process a scam that put someone unworthy next to His Highness?"
"N-No!" the maid stammered out. "How could I call you unworthy after you've already proven yourself!?"
"Then are you, some maid whose name I don't even remember, questioning His Majesty's judgment?"
"!?!" The maid fell to her hands and knees and pleaded with Olivia, "I would never! Please, Crown Princess, forgive me for my words! I-"
"Enough." Olivia refused to give this maid any more of her time and looked to Mary, "Take her out, I wish to be alone with Lucina."
"At once, Her Highness," Mary happily complied and grabbed the maid by the back of her uniform before dragging her out of the room. Was Mary always strong enough to manhandle another person?
"…Ugh, that's the second one already." Olivia finally relaxed once everyone was gone and it was just the two of us.
"They just don't know how amazing you are," I offered my words to lighten her mood. "It's their own fault for not having good eyes for people and getting themselves in trouble."
"I don't want to hear that from you!" Olivia said and started pinching the cheek Derik slapped.
"Owowowow!"
"Don't think I don't know what you did." She sounded like a mother disciplining her child. "Why did you intentionally antagonize James?"
"B-Because he was neglecting you!" I expected this response from her and accepted my fate.
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"And that's something I need to deal with on my own," Olivia said and released my cheek. "There's no use crying over spilled milk, so I've already come to terms with the fact that getting James to like me is an uphill battle and that it's something I need to do, regardless." She softly rustled my hair and gave me an affectionate smile. "I don't want you to get dragged into my mess, you deserve better."
"Tha-" As I tried to thank her, a knock came from the door and a moment later James entered the room. I saw Derik outside the door when it opened, but he stayed outside while only sending me a glare before the door closed.
"…You're here, Crown Princess?" James seemed to be controlling his tone since Olivia was here, but I could tell he was uncomfortable about what happened earlier.
"It would be irresponsible of me to ignore the misdeeds of my brother as that would reflect poorly on both the royal family and the Ordrins." There was no hostility in Olivia's voice since she didn't want things to escalate further. "I've also known Lucina for a long time, so I thought it right to see her, anyway, since she's traveled so far." Taking the opportunity to rub it in, I nestled myself against Olivia's hand which was still on my head while giving James a cocky look.
"…I see." A weird smile played across James' face. What was he-? "I'm glad to know my fiancé has such a close friend, though it saddens me that she was hurt by my own guard." His tone was strangely friendly and sincere, his posture was relaxed, and his face was one of pity and comfort!?
"O-Oh?" Olivia also wasn't expecting this kind of talk from James, so she also was su-… Wait, is Olivia blushing? "It's not something you should feel guilty about, Your Highness, this is my brother's fault!" Why was she taking his side!? Don't fall for some average-looking face and some nice words, Olivia!
***
"I'm glad you're so understanding, Crown Princess." When James first entered the room, he was still upset that Lucina had gotten one over on him in front of so many people with her little word game. Derik said she was stupid and easy to deal with which was why he even confronted her in the first place. He was going to make some veiled threats to kick her back down to her place, but he stopped when he saw Olivia patting Lucina's head. Originally, he didn't really care much for Olivia since his father said she was only here to keep the Holst duchy in check. They had already gotten Derik under their thumb and willingly following James ever since the incident involving the Felswore daughter's legitimacy. All James had to do was give some understanding words and a few promises for Derik to become one of his lackeys; so he wasn't too concerned with dealing with Olivia. However, something about seeing Olivia give so much care to Lucina, the one who insulted him, didn't sit right with James. So, he tried something to see if Lucina would bite. "Though, this incident has made me realize something."
"…?" Olivia looked genuinely curious about what James would say, while Lucina narrowed her eyes cautiously.
"Perhaps Derik is on edge since you and I aren't very close despite being fiancés; he is your brother after all. And, admittedly, this distance between us is my own fault." Olivia already responded positively to some honeyed words, so a few more should do well to test his hypothesis. "If it's alright with you, I would like to work on improving our relationship. To start with, could I call you by your name?" James gave his warmest smile and even bowed slightly when making his request.
"I-I…" Olivia wasn't sure how to respond to James' sudden attitude shift. A part of her mind was telling her to proceed with caution since this was weird coming from someone who ignored her for a month, while another part was telling her to grab on as quickly as possible to work on avoiding her death. Plus, now that she was looking at him up close, James was already very handsome despite being only eight and she recalled what he looked like in his adult artwork from the game and blushed. "Then, could I also call you by your name, Your Highness?" She was pensive but hopeful.
"Of course, you can," James reached down, took Olivia's right hand, and gently kissed the back of it, "Olivia." James played his test.
"…" And it worked perfectly. While Olivia was developing an even deeper blush, the death glare from Lucina confirmed everything James needed to know. The best way to put Lucina in her place wasn't to confront her directly, it was to go after and win favor with Olivia. James chuckled to himself as he was looking forward to their continued relationship.
***
"My apologies for ruining your good day, Duke Ordrin," Duke Mordrist said while accompanying Richard Ordrin through the royal palace. They moved to the second floor and were on the balcony overlooking the entrance hall. "But, it seemed like your son was about to make a very big mistake, so I hope you can understand."
"I'm in the palace, Kyrie, it already wasn't a good day," Richard replied half-heartedly and leaned against the railing. Officials and servants bustled about below them as peak work hours hit the palace.
"True," Kyrie laughed before letting her eyes wander aimlessly over the people below them. "Though, I must say I'm impressed you've raised a son so willing to draw his sword on an unarmed lady."
"I could do without the sarcasm."
"Unfortunately for you, this is how I deal with headaches and my head hurts quite a bit." Kyrie looked like she was about to spit over the railings when a particular official passed under them, but decided against it at the last second.
"They're still pushing for increased military spending?" Richard asked while raising an eyebrow at Kyrie.
"And they did it before you arrived as if to exclude you," Kyrie answered with a sly smile. "It's the same as last year, and the years before that; despite being at peace they want to increase the budget for the royal knights and the wizard's tower. The amount isn't even that much, I'm more annoyed that they seem to want to keep doing this every year as if it will accomplish something." For the past eight years, the officials in the palace have been pushing for small increases to the military's budget during the end-of-year meetings. It wasn't big, only a one percent increase in spending, but what had Richard worried was that it was increasing by one percent every year. "If they want to prepare for a war, then they should just do it all at once so we can properly prepare for it."
"Preparing for war is messy," Richard remarked as he spoke his thoughts aloud, "If you're too blatant, then we'll receive international ire from Yulash and Peltaira who will increase their spending in turn. They're probably doing it this way to try and throw any foreign diplomats off the scent until it's too late."
"Then, you also think Marcus is preparing for war?" Kyrie lowered her voice to be drowned out by the people below. She leaned against the railing to face away from the hall and faced the closed door to their balcony.
"Without a doubt," Richard admitted as he followed Kyrie's lead. "Since there haven't been any new warship projects put forth in the meetings, the target is probably the kingdom of Peltaira."
"A unification war, then?" Peltaira was a kingdom that bordered Urldrusk to the east and was the only other kingdom on the continent since Urldrusk absorbed the southern kingdom of Sevette centuries ago. The conquered land became the Sevette duchy with small pieces being split off and given to the Holst and Relsh duchies. Peltaira's size was comparable to Urldrusk, as were their militaries so the king was most likely preparing all he could to finally unify the continent under one banner. "My ancestors fought and died to resist the old Arlexton's greed, and now it seems the Children of the Twins will be next." Peltaira's state religion was an offshoot of the pantheon that Urldrusk worshiped with only Nuz and Muz being allowed within their borders. "Perhaps it will also be their turn to send their family to that hyena."
"…" The current queen, Stephany Arlexton, was actually the second queen and mother of the second prince Terence Arlexton; she was also Kyrie Mordrist's niece. However, despite Stephany's son being the second prince, Terence was older than his half-brother James by four years since Stephany was Marcus' concubine and gave birth before James' mother. After the first queen died under 'mysterious circumstances' three years ago Stephany was made queen, but her son was still regulated to being the second prince. "Stephany was too eager and ruined the chance she had."
"I've already had a few words with her about it, and she's been better at keeping her head down."
"She's lucky my knights found the surviving coachman before the royal knights, otherwise things today would be very different." Richard glanced over to Kyrie who was giving him a devil's smile while softly chuckling to herself.
"And I'm eternally grateful that our houses are good friends, it would be a shame to pluck such a beautiful hawk's feathers," Kyrie joked.
"You speak as if snakes could ever reach the hawk," Richard refuted while ignoring Kyrie's laugh.
"You're more of a snake than me, Richard." Kyrie changed the subject and started to probe Richard for answers, "How could you hide such a useful card like the Felswore's daughter from me? She's got such a nice tongue on her that I'm half tempted to send them a marriage request on behalf of my grandson."
"…Your jokes need work."
"Who said I was joking?" Kyrie put her hands on her hips. "You don't find a kid like her just anywhere, she'd do my Harold some good."
"Ugh."
"Plus, I'd always welcome such a talented Magister into my house." Kyrie's devilish smile broadened when Richard glared at her. "Don't look at me in that tone of voice. You seem to forget who owns the Silk Sparrows, and that your daughter just launched the most sought-after product in high society in decades; even I ordered some of her teapots."
"Has anyone bought this information?"
"That's classified."
"Then give me good friend privileges."
"…No one's paid me enough to burn my bridge with you," Kyrie admitted and gave a shrug. "We've certainly been flooded with requests, but as soon as I learned who the Magister was and how connected she was with your daughter I backed off and put a gag order on it. I can't speak for the other guilds, though."
"So long as yours is silent, then that's fine." Richard was starting to get a headache now that he confirmed Kyrie knew Lucina was the one who made the teapots.
"She could be a useful piece against Marcus," Kyrie stated seeing how annoyed Richard was getting.
"I'd rather not use an eight-year-old girl to fight a king."
"Even when said king is using your own son against you, and holding a leash around your daughter's neck?" Kyrie countered.
"Derik…is someone I will speak with later." Richard was always hesitant when it came to pushing back against what Derik wanted since he knew how fragile Derik's self-worth was; he wasn't an Aurister. While he struggled to become a knight worthy of the Azure Hawks, his sister who was five years younger than him was already a prodigy Aurister and launched a successful product to high society. He was being overshadowed so thoroughly that Richard had even caught some of the servants in Wortrest whispering about Olivia possibly being named heir instead of Derik. He did his best to quell such rumors, but not fast enough to not reached Derik's ears which was why he wanted to join the royal guard so that he could make some achievements for himself while away from his sister.
"…" Kyrie gave Richard a pitiful look since she knew all this and that Richard genuinely loved both his children. "It's not easy being a parent."
"No," Richard somberly replied before getting up from the railing and moving to leave, "It's not." The two dukes parted ways and their conversation was buried along with all the other whispers and schemes of the royal palace.