「Straf! We need to fix that! Right away!」

Cycelia exclaims while looking at Stripe at her fluffy ears.

「Right. And that's why I'm sending my slave to do this tedious task for me!」

Pat.

Straf declares, and heavily places his hand right between Stripe's ears.

「Hey!」

She wiggles in response, trying to get his hand off to no avail.

「You're going to see Lily again and tell her about that little loophole. Tell her Lia wants her to amend the law so that the almost-people like you can feel safeish at night.」

He ruffles her black hair, and points his free hand at Stripe while tasking her.

「And what if she doesn't want to!?」

She shouts, clenching her teeth in anger while her head wobbles and bobs around under Straf's hand.

「Then I will get upset. Again. And when you're done with that, I guess you can, uhh…」

He replies, looking at the ceiling as he thinks.

「…Clean the workshop, I suppose.」

「What!? Why should I-!?」

Zap.

Stripe quickly protests, but the collar shocks her just as quick, causing her to wince.

「That's why. Now off you go, I have a busy day. I have to see a whole bunch of people and make a whole bunch of stuff…」

Smirking, Straf lets out an amused huff from his nose, then places his hands in his pockets as he heads for the door.

「…I'll leave the rest to you, Lia. Unless y'know, you don't mind vampires eating the cat.」

He shrugs as he opens the door and steps out with Stripe.

「I'll handle it, don't worry!… I might have to entertain a guest first though.」

Cycelia nods as she follows them out into the hallway.

「A guest? Who?」

Straf looks at her over his shoulder, furrowing his brows.

「King Rankor. Remember? You turned his invasion force away.」

She says, tilting her head.

《What? He's a general too?…》

Stripe narrows her surprised eyes at Straf, looking at the two from the side as they talk.

「Ah… That guy… He's still here? Tell him to fuck off before I make an unexpected appearance at his palace.」

Straf rolls his eyes in response.

「Straf, that's rude. I'll host him for as long as he intends to stay, that's the proper etiquette among nobility.」

Cycelia pouts, crossing her arms in a disapproving look on her face.

「Tsk… Fine, your home, your choice… If my neighbor randomly showed up and asked to sleep on my couch, I'd kick him out the next morning… See you later, Lia.」

He shrugs, and walks down the hall with Stripe before disappearing beyond the corner. Cycelia turns the other way and heads for King Rankor's room…

…

Five minutes later…

Cycelia arrives to a room guarded by many knights. They observe her with wary gazes through the horizontal slits in their helmets as she approaches the door.

Knock knock.

Her small, dainty fist knocks softly on the door.

「King Nide? Are you awake?」

She asks loudly towards the door. It abruptly swings open.

「Why yes, I am. And I was about to go see you, Queen Cycelia. Good morning.」

The young king appears in the doorway, and ever so slightly bows his head in a greeting.

「Yes, good morning to you as well… What are your plans for today, King Nide? Will you perhaps return tomorrow?」

Cycelia returns the bow, and tilts her head gently as she asks.

「Perhaps. But I've heard from your maids that you have a maze garden. I'd like to see it, have you guide me through it should I get lost… And discuss a few things.」

The king nods and steps out of the room. The knights' armor clatters as they begin standing at attention.

「A few things?… Like what?」

She asks, following him after he gestures her to do so.

「A few private things best discussed between the two of us, your highness…」

King Nide responds vaguely, causing Cycelia to furrow her brows. She continues to follow him while the knights' armored footsteps flood the halls with noise…

…

Less than fifteen minutes later, by the gazebo outside the palace…

「Here it is. There's actually two entrances.」

Cycelia says as she approaches the tall hedgerow, and points her hand at a doorway-like arched gap in the hedge.

「And the goal is to get to the other side?…」

「Correct. There's branching paths that lead to nowhere. Quite a few maids got lost and had to be rescued back in the day.」

The young king asks, and she nods her head in response.

「Well, will you come with me then? I don't want unnecessary ears around us.」

He steps closer to the entrance, and points his hand inward. Cycelia looks at the knights standing around. A patrol of plumed guards marches past, staring at them.

「Very well…」

Cycelia shrugs, and enters the maze with King Nide. A few minutes pass, and it doesn't take long for him to arrive at a dead end.

「Ah. And I thought I was doing so well…」

He spreads his hands, smirking slightly before turning back.

「What was it that you wanted to discuss, King Nide?」

Turning back as well, Cycelia asks while she walks by his side.

「…Queen Cycelia, you have no surviving family members, correct?」

He asks, navigating through winding the maze in a slow, unrushed, leisurely step with his hands behind his back.

「…No. They all have been murdered in the plot. I am the only survivor, and only because of Albus, my court mage. He died too.」

After a moment of silence, she shakes her head and explains.

「I see. It must be a terrible feeling, being alone in the world…」

He nods, speaking calmly and softly while he looks at her somber face. Her emerald eyes turn to his, and she gently shakes her head again.

「No, I never felt alone. Albus cast a spell and made me unable to remember what exactly happened. I do feel sad sometimes and miss my family a lot, but…」

She turns her gaze away down to the grass before them with a wistful expression.

「…Straf was always there when I needed him. Life was too hectic for me to sulk, and when it calmed down, he was there with me- King Nide?」

Cycelia pauses when she realizes she's walking alone. The young king is standing a few steps behind her, staring at her with a tight-lipped grimace.

「…This man Straf… Is sure helpful. I'd like to meet him, see what impression he imparts on me.」

Nonchalantly acting like nothing happened, he quickly catches up to her side, and they resume meandering through the maze.

「Ahh… He's very busy right now. I feel sorry for him, he's the most overworked man in the entire kingdom…」

She apologetically shrugs her shoulders with a faint smile on her face as she replies.

「Many would consider service for such a beautiful woman a reward in and of itself.」

King Nide remarks, briefly glancing at her with a light smirk.

「Eheheh…」

Cycelia giggles softly from the casual off-hand compliment.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

「So you are the last of your line, and have no heirs… That is a difficult position to be in.」

「Huh? You mean it could cause a succession crisis?…」

「That, and less scrupulous rulers could exploit your situation.」

The young man says, and stops to face her with his head held high.

「In what way?」

Furrowing her brows, Cycelia tilts her chestnut head, blinking her emerald eyes at him.

「Queen Cycelia, your innocence is very appealing to a righteous man such as myself. It makes me want to protect it. But it is also a dangerous quality to possess as a queen…」

King Nide maintains eye contact the entire time he speaks, and she quietly listens.

「…I will speak plainly. Other kings may sense that you're desperate to find a husband-」

「But I'm not desperate.」

Cycelia replies calmly, sounding almost confused.

「…Be that as it may, they will try to exploit you. Given the friendship between our fathers, I would hate for that to happen, so I propose an alternative.」

A little surprised she cut him off, he continues.

「Huh?」

Confused further, she tilts her head.

「Queen Cycelia, marry me. A personal union between-」

「I refuse.」

Cycelia bluntly cuts the young king's proposal off.

「Wha-? But- Why?」

His mask of nonchalance slips off as he throws his hands out in front of himself, wiggling them in shock.

「I am not interested, and I have made something of a promise.」

「To who!?」

King Nide shouts, spreading his hands in exasperation.

「That's not important. I am sorry if you came all the way here for this, but I am not seeking marriage or a personal union with your kingdom. I hope we can remain friends.」

Cycelia replies, and continues onward through the maze. The young man continues staring blankly at the space she occupied before him as his hands slowly drop to his sides.

「King Nide, are you coming? The path splits here, which one do you want to take?」

While the path continues straight, she stops in front of a passage that leads to the side and waits.

He stares at her with his mouth ajar, shambles up, then wordlessly take the side path. Cycelia follows as the awkward atmosphere grows…

…

An hour later, inside the palace, in the strategic planning room…

Rubbing his chin, Straf is standing over a large table, with a map of matching size stretched across its entire surface. The steward stands beside him, watching the map with him, though his interest in the map is not as intense as Straf's. His gaze constantly jumps away from the table to Straf's face. The marshal enters through the open door in a hasty step.

「Minister Vindict! I made it here as fast as I could.」

Ursa says, giving Straf a quick salute as he approaches the table.

「Yeah… I've been picking the steward's brain in that time…」

Straf nods without turning his eyes to the marshal. He stares at the small portion on the map where the Redwing Kingdom borders Parnatau. The mountains in that sliver of land form a narrow funnel right after the kingdom's provincial flatlands. Any tactician could see with bare eye that the flatlands beyond the pass are effectively impossible to defend in the event of a war, and would serve as a handy staging area for incoming troops.

「I have been informed by Sir Vinis about the recent situation unfolding… Is this about the ultimatum?」

The middle-aged, scarred marshal asks as he leans over the map right across from Straf.

「Yup. I want to know a few things…」

He nods again, still rubbing his chin.

「Yes, minister?」

「Hypothetically speaking… How fast could the troops be mobilized into full readiness?」

Straf asks as he looks inquisitively at the serious-faced man.

「…That really depends, minister. A week for the knights, lesser nobles, and their retinues. Two weeks or so for the troops in the current levy cycle, and three for the peasantry.」

Ursa replies, and shrugs his shoulders. His breastplate gets in the way of the motion slightly.

「Three fucking weeks? Why so long?」

Straf's face gains a frustrated grimace as his head perks up in surprise.

「Well… I don't know what to tell you, minister. Ours is amongst the fastest-mobilizing kingdoms in the known world. Most of the time spent is the peasants' foot travel-」

Taken aback a little, the marshal attempts to calmly explain.

「Foot travel!? No shit! It's war! Spend some fucking money!」

Straf shouts, spreading his hands in exasperation.

「…Sir?」

Somewhat confused, Ursa shakes his head and furrows his brows.

「You're making the peasants walk!? Tell them to walk to the closest city, and then load them up on wagons with shitton of horses! Rush them to the closest big town!…」

Still shouting, Straf walks his fingers from a village to a city, then slides his fist to a major population center within the kingdom as he speaks.

「…And then, an even bigger wagon with fresh horses takes all those fucking guys, and rides them to the capital into a training camp!」

He then slides his fist all the way towards Draconis, then hammers it on the drawn city a few times.

「That… Yes, with enough horses and wagons, we could cut the time to gather the peasants to two weeks. Likely less…」

The marshal begins rubbing his chin in deep thought as his gaze drifts down to the map.

「…They would probably be ready and given rudimentary training by the time the current levy cycle troops are mobilized. But it would cost us.」

He adds, wide-eyed, appearing almost enlightened.

「Steward!」

Straf shouts out seemingly at random. The steward jumps up.

「Y- Yes, minister?…」

He hesitantly asks with a tight-lipped grimace.

「Since I took over you barely have any work to do, so here's some… You're going to buy all the wagons and horses fit for this. All of them!」

Straf points at the man next to him, and he nods his head rapidly in response.

「Yes, minister!…」

The steward says, and the two stare at each other.

「…I mean now! Go!」

With an incredulous expression on his face, Straf points his hand at the open door.

「Yes, minister!」

The man nods again, and rushes for the door.

「Wait, wait, wait! I forgot to ask the most important thing!…」

Straf briefly follows the steward, halting him. Confused, the man turns to face him once more.

「Yes?…」

「…From where do we buy the bulk of our gems?」

Straf asks, pointing his hands at the map. He and the steward return to the table.

「…That would be Telas Kingdom, sir. It's a small kingdom known for its vast deposits of gems and beautiful jewelry.」

The man points to a small, irregularly circular kingdom bordering the Redwing Kingdom not too far from the mountain pass to Parnatau.

「Not for its vast military or genius tacticians?」

Straf asks with one brow raised while inquisitively rubbing his chin.

「Wha-? Er… No… Not that I've heard of…」

Confused by Straf's apparent non-sequitur, the steward rubs the back of his head with brows furrowed in confusion.

「Great!- I mean, that's very educational! I feel like I learned something new!…」

Grinning, Straf rubs his palms in glee. He notices both the steward and the marshal are staring at him.

Snap.

「…You know what they say, you learn something new every day!」

He snaps his fingers and points at the steward. His gaze darts between the two warily.

「…I'm glad I could have been of help, minister. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go buy those horses.」

The steward bows, and walks out of the room.

「Marshal! You're going to mobilize everyone! I want them ready in no more than three weeks!…」

「Yes, Minister Vindict!」

「…And I want to see the 1st Rat Hunters in exactly a week in front of the capital's gates at noon! Use those wagons! I want the knights and the nobles there too!」

Straf demands in a loud voice, pointing at the marshal who stands at attention.

「Yes sir!… But, the levy cycle is over in a month, sir! We risk demoralizing the troops if we mobilize them outside of a war!」

Ursa cautions with gently furrowed brows.

Slam!

「We don't have the time to wait for war! I need troops now!」

Straf replies after slamming his hands down onto the map.

「…Understood, minister! I will get it done!」

The marshal salutes, and runs out of the room. With his fists on his hips, Straf nods in approval.

「Good man. Asks no questions. Well…」

Straf lets out a sigh, placing his hands in his pockets as he heads for the exit as well.

「…Guess it's time to spool the military-industrial complex up.」

He shrugs, thinking out loud, and walks out into the palace hallway…