For the next two years, there was relative peace within the royal palace as Olivia underwent her education to become the next queen of Urldrusk. Thanks to her low tolerance for being talked down to, the servants within the palace all quickly changed how they interacted with Olivia by showing her the proper respect she deserved as Crown Princess, or else they would be dismissed. The king and queen let Olivia do as she pleased with the servants so long as she didn't touch anyone blatantly protected by one of them, and James was always on Olivia's side in the matter. While she disparaged about having to kick out a few maids who didn't fall in line, Olivia was glad that she was finally able to start enjoying her time in peace now that things had settled down.

"Oh my, Crown Prince, don't you know that women hate overly clingy men? You should allow your fiancé to enjoy herself while with friends, by herself," Lucina said while cuddling up to Olivia's left arm.

"Why, what kind of man would I be if I didn't know my fiancé's preferences? I'm simply doing my best to show interest in Olivia, my fiancé, by wanting to spend time with and know her and her closest friend," James replied while taking Olivia's right hand and gently kissing the back of it.

"If you keep doing the same gesture over and over it loses its meaning, Crown Prince. Are you sure you're not just giving empty compliments?" Lucina's warm smile didn't match the venom in her words.

"How could anyone give empty compliments to a fiancé they genuinely enjoy spending time with? Perhaps your view of people has become unnecessarily skewed, Lady Lucina." James gave a laugh that sounded joyful but hid a scoff. "If you'd like, I could introduce you to some good friends of mine? Perhaps one of them would even find the spark in their heart and fall in love with you? That way you could feel just as I do with Olivia."

"I couldn't dare trouble the Crown Prince, who's usually so busy, with such a trivial matter. Speaking of, are you sure it's alright to be here when there's so much work to be done?" Lucina gave James a look telling him to fuck off.

"It's quite alright, I always have time for Olivia." James returned the look with one of his own.

"…Peace truly is a lie," Olivia dejectedly mumbled as she was caught in the crossfire, once again. It was a bright summer day and the flowers in the royal palace's garden were swaying in a gentle breeze. Olivia was sitting on a bench with a small table in front of her that Mary brought out so she could enjoy tea while the weather was so nice. She looked at the teacup on the table in front of her but couldn't even take a sip since both her hands were preoccupied with the two uninvited guests. Despite her best efforts, the relationship between Lucina and James was like oil and water. Thankfully their encounters never escalated to physical violence like they did for their first meeting, but these word wars they kept doing were possibly even worse since they never ended. "Lucina," Olivia kindly asked while turning to her friend, "Are you sure it's okay to keep pestering your father to come see me? Don't you want to go back to Gauldrin?"

"Am…I a burden?" Lucina deliberately made her voice quiver, her hands started to tremble, and she began to back off in an attempt to stir Olivia's heart.

"N-No!" Even after all this time, Olivia kept falling for it. "I'm just worried because I don't want you to strain your relationship with your family by being here too much. Your mother always stays home back in the Gauldrin and you keep visiting so I'm just thinking how sad she must be."

"…It's fine." Lucina knew where Olivia was coming from since she lost her previous life's mother and her duties as a Crown Princess kept her in the capital away from Alice. "I always make sure to spend plenty of time with her when I'm home and she understands why I keep coming here."

"You make it sound like I'm keeping Olivia hostage," James chimed in.

"Of course, you are, just look how frail she's become!" Lucina declared and squeezed Olivia's biceps.

"Lucina!?" Olivia felt weird having Lucina squish her arms.

"These arms look more like some posh noblewoman instead of the arms of an Aurister!" Lucina ignored the irony of calling the crown princess who was the daughter of a duke anything other than a posh noblewoman.

"What's wrong with her arms?" James asked and also started squishing Olivia's biceps.

"!?!" Olivia's face was turning red but she didn't know how to respond so she stayed still.

"There's no muscle! It's all squishy fat!" Lucina retorted despite Olivia not being overweight in the slightest. "All the work she put in is wasting away because her schedule is so full she can't even find time to train!"

"So? Why would the crown princess need muscles when she'll have the royal guard protecting her? Muscles aren't even that great."

"…What?" A chill went through the garden and a smile crept across Lucina's face as a coldness entered Olivia's voice. A lump formed in James' throat as he felt Olivia's eyes stare into him.

"My Lady!" Mary quickly tried to intervene as she had done her best to keep Olivia's weird tastes in check while in the palace these past two years. "Would you lik-" But it was too late.

"Muscles are the cornerstone of society!" Olivia bolted up from her seat, slammed her hand on the table, and stood proudly before James who was in complete shock. "From the contractors who build our homes with their very hands! From the knights who guard our lives with sword and shield! From the gardeners who toil away to bless our eyes with beauty! Even the maids who serve us by lugging around bins filled with laundry and water! As the future king, to not know the necessity of muscles is to not know your very subjects!" James had never seen Olivia so passionate about anything in the two years she'd been in the palace; it kind of scared him. Should a ten-year-old talk like this?

"That's right!" Lucina jumped in and gave James an innocent smile that held daggers. "To think, even after all this time together and you still didn't know your fiancé's deepest passion?"

"…" James recovered from his shock and cleared his throat; he wouldn't lose this fight. Even if it embarrassed him to do so, he wouldn't dare let Lucina get one over on him. "I believe you've misunderstood me." James stood up, took Olivia's right hand, and placed it on his chest. "I don't see how great it is since I already have perfect muscles."

"!!!" Olivia lost her composure and her face became red as James held her hand on his chest. Even for a ten-year-old, James had a great physique that was hidden underneath his ornate clothing.

"Well?" James leaned in and put on the charm while looking past Olivia at the death glare Lucina was giving him.

"I-I-…I see, James," was all Olivia could stammer out as she desperately fought to restrain her mind. She shouldn't be ogling the body of a ten-year-old when she was, technically speaking, twenty-six! Tanaka had a good build in her previous life, but James was raised in a world of knights and swords so he was already leagues better.

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"Hmm, but alas," James said while letting go of Olivia's hand, "While it would be nice to enjoy the weather some more, I do believe we should return to the palace."

"Why?" Lucina wanted to spend more time with Olivia outside.

"Because my father will be making an important announcement today," James replied with a rather unnerving smile on his face. "Olivia and I must attend since he will be making an official address before the nobles."

"Is that why the palace is so crowded?" Olivia asked. She had seen her father walking through the halls earlier along with counts, and even a few barons, she didn't recognize from the other territories.

"Yes. You should also attend, Lady Lucina," James deliberately called out Lucina who was still fuming about having her time with Olivia cut short. "Since I was told your father will be receiving a special mention, I believe you would do well to join us."

"…Very well, Crown Prince." Lucina felt uneasy about this and judging by Olivia's concerned face she also had no clue what was going on. With a gesture from James, everyone returned to the palace and headed for the throne room. James chuckled silently to himself as he recalled what happened just a few weeks prior that he waited to see the fruits of with bated breath.

***

"Let us begin," Marcus Arlexton, the king of Urldrusk, addressed his faithful followers. Despite not being an Aurister or a Magister, Marcus held an imposing stature that bordered on divine with all the shining gold he accented his clothes with. His golden hair was cut short as well as the beard that filled his chin, and his eyes were like portals of gold as they scanned the room. Marcus sat at the head of a long table that had every seat filled with nobles who sided with him. He turned to the man sitting to his right and asked, "Duke Hoffman, where do we stand?"

"At once, Your Majesty," Hoffman replied and stood up to begin addressing the room. "Using the Crown Princess's birthday celebration last month as a distraction, we were able to move more weapons and armor from the capital across my territory near the border, and have accelerated our timetables." Hoffman slicked back his greasy brown hair and gave a broad smile. "This month's shipment will be the last and once my men finish distributing that we will be fully prepared for war. And, according to our intelligence, Peltaira is none the wiser as their troop movements do not indicate them preparing for a fight." The gathered nobles started nodding to one another and giving themselves pats on the backs for a job well done.

"So, we're ready to begin?" Marcus asked while leaning back in his chair.

"You may declare war immediately, or wait until we've finished distributing my troops so we may launch an immediate offensive, Your Majesty."

"Then we wait," Marcus didn't give it a second thought and nodded to Hoffman. "This plan took years and I will not jeopardize it by getting ahead of myself. We wait for word that your men are fully prepared, only then will I make the declaration." Marcus always dreamed of one day ruling the entire continent; it was a dream he inherited from his father while on his deathbed from disease. It was his goal, his passion, and he would see it done right. He looked down the table at another noble, "Count Barrington, any news of Einbore's movements?"

"None, Your Majesty," Barrington replied. "The Duke of Lorn is still locking himself away in the north. I do not believe we can count on him to send troops unless it is with a royal decree." The gathered nobles started bickering about Einbore. While they could force him, that would tip the scales of power in the Duke of Holst's favor as taking Einbore's troops would obviously enrage the northern duke. Others also argued that Einbore should be left alone since he was using his men to combat the increased demons in the north that, if left unchecked, could spill out into the other territories and the capital.

"No," again, Marcus answered without a second thought. "Einbore will be exempt from having to send troops to Peltaira; that might tickle his fancy enough to not side with Ordrin in the meantime."

"But if we exempt an entire duchy, how will we combat Peltaira?" a nobleman voiced his concern. "We would be down around a fourth of our expected military strength, plus the men of the north are battle-hardened with their constant subjugations against demons so their strength is invaluable."

"If I may?" Hoffman asked while looking to Marcus for permission to speak.

"Speak," Marcus answered.

"In order to launch a successful first offensive, I've been preparing the troops of my vassals more so than any other time before. The Relsh duchy will be dedicating more troops to this war so why not have Sevette and Holst do the same to pick up the slack?" Hoffman proposed. The other nobles whispered skeptically amongst themselves.

"Even if we get the numbers," a noble complained, "that wouldn't make up for the experience Einbore would bring. All we would be doing is sending more men to their deaths."

"It sounds to me," Hoffman bickered with a scowl on his face, "like you have no faith in all the planning we've done for the past ten years! Do you doubt His Majesty?"

"What!?!" the nobleman scoffed at such a claim. "I would never doubt His Majesty! I doubt you, Duke!"

"Listen here-"

"Enough!" Marcus intervened with a shout that silenced the room. His fingers tapped on his chair in annoyance at all the noise. He addressed the man sitting to his left, "What do you make of this, Archmage Mystyr?"

"If I had to critique," Mystyr began while adjusting himself in his seat. Mystyr was a spindly-looking man with lanky limbs and shallow cheeks that he hid beneath his flowing yellow robe; the yellow robe was his show of rank as the owner of the wizard's tower and a sign of his closeness with the royal family. "We can easily make up for Einbore's men if we send more Wizards to the front."

"Did the Wizard's Tower enroll more promising individuals to warrant such an idea?" Marcus asked since the wizard's tower was the only source of magic support for the military.

"There are quite a few promising pupils we've had the grace of bringing into the fold, Your Majesty," Mystyr replied while giving a confident smile. "The Wizard's Tower will be able to provide more Wizards to this campaign."

"Good."

"That being said," a slyness entered Mystyr's voice as he cautiously spoke. "Since we will be sending more Wizards to the front, I would like to ask your permission to begin a Calling." A Calling is an event where the masters of the wizard's tower travel across the kingdom to find and recruit any promising wizards to join the tower. Since wizards only used a staff or orb to harness magic the requirements for a potential wizard were rather lax, some might say too lax. While this event was presented as noble by allowing children from noble families to join, in truth the masters of the tower would send men into the various slums around the kingdom to gather orphans to be raised as wizards. Since the children would be given room, board, and could learn magic they rarely complained and often went willingly.

"The temples will push back." The religious fanatics within his kingdom always made a fuss whenever the wizard's tower did a Calling, saying they were kidnapping and brainwashing innocent children away from the Violet King. "Their hypocrisies get rather tiring to listen to, especially when they sing the praises of that Thing."

"Very true, Your Majesty, but they can be easily silenced." Mystyr gave a dismissive wave at the thought of the temples trying to stop him. "It will be done during a time of war, so it is a matter of the kingdom's security and prosperity that we seek to use the Calling to replenish our numbers. Any oppositions from the temples can be quelled with this logic, and if they continue to push then they can be branded as traitors during a time of war and you may seize their holds and begin purging those zealots from your lands."

"…True," Marcus pondered aloud as he went over the idea before making his decision. "Once the war begins, see to the Calling, Archmage."

"Thank you for this opportunity to strengthen Urldrusk, Your Majesty," Mystyr said while giving a deep bow.

"Do you think you could focus the Calling on Holst?" Marcus asked as an idea came to him.

"Unfortunately," Mystyr sheepishly replied, "Duke Ordrin has his lands infested with the Violet King's roots. We've already had many 'accidents' during previous Callings while in Holst, and even if we do manage to reach his cities there aren't many impoverished. I'm told the Duke's daughter, Lady Olivia, has a soft spot for the poor which has led to the Duke funding the temples to shelter and even educate many of them into more mindless zealots." The room grumbled as the nobles offhandedly gave their thoughts on the matter.

"Hmm." Marcus stared off into space as he pondered how best to mess with the Duke of Holst while he would be away for the war. Marcus hated the Ordrins since he knew, deep down, that they had something to do with the death of his first love, the first queen who died in a carriage accident. However, assassinated would be the more accurate term since there were too many coincidences for it to be a simple accident, especially with how quickly the Azure Hawk knights responded despite the first queen not announcing her visit to the Holst duchy. But, any evidence Marcus had was all circumstantial, and the matter was dropped with the second queen quickly stepping up to take the position; which was why Marcus never fully trusted Stephany and refused to allow her or her son to ever enter his heart.

"Your Majesty?" As Marcus was lost in thought, one of the servants spoke up and bowed before the table of nobles. "The Crown Prince wishes to enter."

"James does?" Marcus refocused and seemed intrigued since James rarely took an interest in the meetings regarding Peltaira. "Send him in."

"At once, Your Majesty." The servant bowed and returned to the door to open it for James. Derik wasn't with him as he was busy attending the royal academy, so James was with a different guard.

"Greetings, Father. Thank you for allowing me to join you," James said while walking around the table to approach Marcus. All the nobles stood and bowed as James passed.

"You've piqued my curiosity. Since you only entered now, I assume you have something to say regarding the current matter we were discussing?" Even if James never participated much, Marcus knew he would often times hang around outside the door and listen in on what they were discussing.

"I do, Father." James held a stack of papers in his hand and offered them to Marcus. "I recently…acquired some rather interesting information that I believe would be of interest to you; the name of the Magister that helped my fiancé shake up the social world with her teapots two years ago and who gave Wortrest street lamps." The gathered nobles started whispering again, and Mystyr's eyes glinted with interest. Around a year ago, Lucina found a way to replicate the capital's street lamps by enchanting a piece of melzquartz, a light orange mineral originally mined for jewelry, encased in glass to glow using fire magic. Upon her success, the Trent company began working with Duke Ordrin to distribute and set up the lamps across Wortrest with plans to light up his other cities in the future.

"Really? If it's a Magister then the temples will already…" As Marcus skimmed through the documents, his voice trailed off and the gears in his mind started to turn.

"With Duke Einbore's men preoccupied, I believe the other duchies should step up to fill the gap, as you've already wisely decided," James said confidently to the gathered nobles. "I believe all with talent should fight for their beloved kingdom as it is the most noble of pursuits, wouldn't you agree, Father?"

"Yes, a most noble pursuit." Marcus smiled as he read the stolen Silk Sparrows report on Lucina Felswore before passing it to Mystyr. "Truly, such a young woman would make for an excellent Wizard wouldn't you say, Archmage?"

"The Wizard's Tower accepts all those who wish to study and learn magic, Your Majesty," Mystyr replied as he read the documents with extreme interest. "We would love to take her."