“Thank you for such a swift response, Lady Lester.” It had been swift as well; only a day after Sasha informed me that she had sent the letters, we had received a response.

Lady Lester smiled, as radiant as the first time I had seen her, “But of course, it is only natural after all.”

Nope, not doing that again.

Fixing the woman with a level stare, I opted to ignore the political niceties, “Enough of this; we both know I cannot beat you in a verbal battle. I invited you because I have decided your assistance would be a great benefit for me. That is all.”

To her credit, she only reacted briefly before putting a smile back on her face, “I see. Yes, I can see why Rupert likes you as much as he does; very efficient.”

And she’s already resorted back to verbal trickery. Damnit, Edith better get here soon.

My friend declared she would arrive a few minutes late, so as to give me and Lady Lester some time to ourselves. While personally, I thought this was a horrible idea, there was merit to it. Though it was rather doubtful if Edith’s intentions were for me to dive straight in as I had done.

I crossed my arms, a defensive posture, but one that could also show discontent, “Lady Carla, I will not engage you in a verbal bout when I know I would lose. I am offering you a deaul; help me learn how to deal with my social obligations, and use your faction connections to protect me while I learn. In return, I’ll owe you a favor.”

When it became clear that I was not going to engage, her own mask fell off. In its place, was the look of a shark that smelled blood in the water, “A favor? That’s a dangerous offer.”

Scary. She even went to more casual speech. Granted, I did drop the pretense when I addressed her by her name and not her family...

“Unless you have something you want right this instant that is within my power to fulfill, then yes. A favor. I am well aware of how potentially dangerous an offer that is. A favor within reason, of course.”

After considering my blatant offer, her mask came back on, “Of course, I would like nothing more than to assist you. As a noble of this kingdom, helping the next queen in her time of need is my duty… If you would like, I could start now before Lady Claurence arrives…?”

My own mask is good at hiding emotion, but I just look impassive; I can’t fake things like happiness or anger like she can.

At the moment, Carla von Lester was the picture of demure if not slightly curious. Simply reading her body language, it would appear for all the world that she was earnestly intent on fulfilling her so-called duty. If she was able to teach me even a tenth of her ability I would consider it a massive victory. The only question was, how much of her ability came from the system, and how much was acquired through effort.

Even if she is reliant on talents and skills, it’s not like I’ll gain nothing. In the worst-case scenario, I could also buy them myself after leveling up… Though I would rather not.

“I would not be opposed.” There was probably a short bit of time left before Edith arrived, so I may as well hear her out.

Lady Lester bowed her head before continuing, “When making such a request in the future, you would do well to leave the compensation unsaid; by offering a favor I can now claim a favor. It would have been better had you made only a request and cited my relationship with his highness.”

Yea, I’m aware of that, but then I would still owe you. I’d rather be on the same page in this case.

“Thank you for that, but in this case, it would be better to have everything out in the open… I imagine we will be working together for some time.”

She smiled faintly and nodded, “That is also true, though still a risk on your part. Much like this outing… Was it your idea?”

Before I could answer, Frieda announced Edith’s arrival and showed her into the room. To my surprise, Sarala was with her, wearing a maid’s uniform; the invitation had specified that each of them could bring a servant along and Edith evidently used the opportunity to bring our mutual friend. That aside, greetings between Edith and Lady Lester were a bit tense; the two of them didn’t like each other very much, but as Edith was representing her family there was no overt aggressiveness.

I’d like it if they could be less frosty towards each other, but there’s probably no way for me to arrange that. Edith doesn’t like me siding with the Lesters, even if she knows it’s necessary. In a perfect world, I’d be able to side with the Claurences fully, but Edith doesn’t have the means to give me the protection I’d need. If only her mother was still around, then it might have been possible.

“Shall we go then?” At my idle question, the two of them hurriedly agreed and prepared to leave.

Really, I get that the two of them are in nominally rival factions, but both are behind Rupert now. Also, Lady Lester is old enough to be either of our grandmothers… by the standards of Earth. Edith is only just barely thirteen, so their little schtick just makes Lady Lester look bad.

Letting such a thing bother me would not accomplish anything though; the fact was I needed her help, so I was going to obtain it. From her earlier question, I could intuit that Lady Lester knew this outing was a front to denounce the Lawrences without actually saying anything. That was good for me, as having everyone on the same page as much as possible would lead to fewer headaches.

As we boarded, the guard knights that Lady Lester and Edith had been permitted to bring merged with my own and began to mount their horses. The carriage itself had a single unarmored guard knight, one of mine, who was only there for formality’s sake; in the exceedingly unlikely event that Lady Lester or Edith were to try something against me. Otherwise, it was occupied only by Edith, Sarala, myself, Sasha, Lady Lester, and a maid I neither knew nor cared about belonging to the duchess. It was rather large for what I had wanted, but the increased size would help it to stand out.

Unfortunately for my nerves, we were heading out in a procession with the intent of drawing attention to ourselves. This would serve the purpose of getting the desired rumors about the Lawrences started, but it also meant lots of people staring at me. That said, I should be able to handle it since I had not just Edith but also Sarala present with me to provide support.

The difficult part is going to be at the performance itself since all the wealthy commoner merchants in attendance will know that a high-profile group is coming. Edith and Lady Lawrence are both known quantities. I’m a political nobody by my face, but my name will have some weight in merchant circles from all the alchemical stuff I did. And now my knights have the crest of the Royal Family.

The engagement entitled me to use the crest, so there was no risk of anyone learning about the wedding from that alone. That being said, outside the nobility, the engagement had not been publicized. This outing would technically be doubling as my debut to the commoners. The official debut was scheduled for my fifteenth birthday, where I would also be made the Queen Regent in preparation for the wedding.

I’ve got to make a decent impression, since other than what rumors they might have heard from their noble patrons and sources, this is the first time they’ll see me.

It had been something I generally overlooked when planning the excursion, but I really could not afford to alienate the wealthy non-nobles. The sole saving grace was that I wouldn’t have to hold any audiences with them; one of the benefits of being so far above them.

There are the shadows to consider as well… Ferdinand should have that under control though.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Lady Ris, I must say you have excellent taste; this orchestra is comparatively avant-garde, but it is one of my favorites.”

Evidently the silence had begun to weigh on Lady Lester. Truth be told, it was weighing on me as well, so the distraction was welcome.

Though, I’ve never even heard of them before… But I’m not socially naïve enough to admit that this is thanks to Sasha’s efforts. Something like ‘the achievements and the failures of the underlings belong to the master.’

“It makes me happy that you think so, I am glad we have similar tastes.” As both of them were sitting across from me, a measure against Lady Lester accidentally seeing through my illusion, I was able to see Edith wince at my reply.

“Indeed! I am most curious though; what is your favorite piece by them? I myself prefer the Song of Caina.”

“…” As soon as she asked the question, I knew why Edith had reacted that way; it would be stupidly easy for Lady Lester to call my bluff. All she had to do was ask questions that there was no way for me to answer.

My silence was answer enough for her, and she went on to elaborate, “Lady Ris, while taking the credit for one’s subordinates is both commonplace and acceptable, it is also acceptable to give the credit to the subordinate, then take credit for having someone so effective in your employ.”

So this is how she’s going to go about teaching me social skills then. Regular doses of social embarrassment in a contained setting. Well, if nothing else, the constant threat will be an effective motivator.

I did my best to keep my cheeks from flushing at how easily my ignorance had been found out and adopted her suggestion, “Though it gladdens me to hear you say that, I cannot claim to be familiar with them myself; Sasha suggested you might be pleased by the arrangement. She is quite adept at her job.”

Lady Lester nodded in satisfaction, while beside me I noted that Sasha had shifted ever so slightly and affected a smug expression. Whether she was playing into the act or was genuinely pleased was anyone’s guess.

Well, embarrassment aside, things are going well so far. Edith is being quiet, but that’s probably a good idea on her part. This outing is meant to convey that I am close to their two factions; her presence is all that is required. If she were to interject, then Lady Lester would probably shut her down and run her out. I’ll need to set aside some time to spend with just Edith and Sarala later, but if that’s the worst thing to happen today I’ll call it a resounding success.

The bracelet I was wearing began to heat up.

Me and my big mouth. Shit.

It was a small but useful magic tool. It was linked to another, worn by my on duty knight captain and mine would heat up in response to mana he fed into his own. We used it as a means of silently conveying possible danger. That it was beginning to heat up now meant that there was a potential threat in the surrounding area. Claire would probably chide me, saying something about how I’d “raised a flag.”

Well, this was a possibility, but I didn’t think it would actually happen.

“Sasha, make room for a knight.” At my words, Edith and Lady Lester both stiffened and glanced at the knight already in the carriage; meanwhile, he became much more alert. My maid sprung into action, unlatching the door and sliding closer to me. A moment later the door opened and my knight commander slipped inside, taking the seat Sasha had just vacated before latching the door.

“Report.”

He glanced at the other two nobles likely wondering if making a report in front of them was alright, but it wasn’t like he would go against me when given a direct order, “Sir Gessel spotted three figures moving along the rooftops, it is highly likely they allowed him to see them.”

Great.

“Any ideas as to who they might be?”

After a meaningful look towards Edith and Lady Lester, he shook his head, “None, one of Lady Lester’s knights suggested they may have been sent by Duke Lawrence.”

“Preposterous! My guard knights would never be so daft.” My knight captain’s pronouncement drew the ire of Lady Lester, but that was as predicted.

So, he thinks they’re remnants of the shadows then. I’m inclined to agree.

Before leaving, my retinue had worked out a set of simple codes and actions in case something might happen. In the event that former shadows did show up, the idea was to blame Duke Lawrence and name one of Lady Lester’s knights as the information source. It was rather roundabout, but would hopefully prevent her from thinking too hard about it.

“My apologies, Lady Lester. That said, my own captain would not make a report unless he was certain there was a potential threat; Duke Lawrence or not, please remain calm. Captain, your priority is to ensure the safety of me and my guests.” That had always been his priority, but saying it out loud would probably work to keep Edith and Sarala calm. Lady Lester… would be fine, in all likelihood.

“As you command.” He performed a seated salute and then unlatched the door and exited back onto his horse. Sasha promptly relatched the door.

“Sasha.” My maid made a rueful face, but my intentions were pretty obvious; I wanted my weapon. Though there was a dagger tucked into the folds of my dress, it was on the smaller end. Sasha reached under the seat, and passed me a short sword which I promptly began inspecting.

The surprisingly nervous voice of Lady Lester pulled me away from that, “Lady Ris…?”

When I looked up, to my surprise Edith and Sarala were the ones who seemed rather nonplussed. Lady Lester was barely holding herself together if the way her hands were shaking was anything to go by. Perhaps this was a case of someone who could spar verbally but began to unravel when the steel flashed.

“Yes?”

“The way you are acting, makes me think you might have known this was going to happen.”

I paused.

Ah, that shaking isn’t fear. Well, it might be partly fear, but it’s also anger.

“I knew it was a possibility. But then again, assassins are always a possibility.”

“…Then, why are you being so calm?” Her own shaking had begun to slow so it would seem her immediate anger was beginning to fade, or perhaps she was becoming less scared.

In response to the question though, I had to stop and think.

I am being rather calm, aren’t I? I struggle to face a room of people just looking at me, but if people are coming to kill me, my response is “I’d like a weapon please.” Yea, no way would that be normal. No wonder Carla got suspicious.

“Someone in your position should be relatively informed regarding my circumstances. Is it any wonder that I would be calm under threat? Frankly, if all the nobles could just try and kill me instead of seeking favors, that’d be great.” Intentionally letting my speech slip at the end, I effected a sad grin.

“…Lady Ris, you really are awful at putting up a social front, but I suppose you do have a point.”

Now that Lady Lester was no longer on the verge of doing or saying something rash, I could look elsewhere, “Miss Sarala, I am still not able to fully use my magic after what happened last summer, would you please be ready to put up a barrier?”

Getting into the carriage should in theory be rather difficult, but the remnants were nothing if not resourceful. They would not waste resources on an attack unless they were truly desperate or had a chance of succeeding. There was a lurch, and the carriage accelerated. Something must be happening outside, but the question was, what? Sarala waited a moment, long enough for Edith to give a sharp nod, then bowed her head to me. She was, after all, nominally Edith’s servant at the moment.

Ferdinand should already be aware of what’s happening, and since we’re over halfway there, the plan is to rendezvous with additional guards at the gate.

If the shadows had been only a few minutes faster, then we would have gone back towards the palace instead. It indicated that they had some level of intel, a source within the palace ranks.

Dammit, who though?

Suddenly, the carriage jerked to the left and tilted up to a forty-five-degree angle, throwing all of us against the right wall. It was rather fortunate that I had left the blade sheathed after finishing the inspection. Belatedly, I also realized why the onboard knight hadn’t been wearing his armor.

What the hell!? We’re going that fast!?

A combination of springs and some magic made the palace’s carriages remarkably stable, so though I had known we were accelerating, the degree to which we were moving had been something of a shock. As soon as the carriage landed back on its wheels, Sasha leaped off of me, “My lady, my apologies!”

I waved her off; it had obviously not been her fault, and I was more concerned about Edith, Sarala, and Lady Lester. And Lady Lester’s maid. The four of them seemed to be fine and were disentangling themselves, but that only shifted my mind to other worries.

This isn’t good. We shouldn’t be moving that fast, something is really, really wrong.

I would have liked to get a look outside, but that wasn’t going to happen as the carriage was one of the more secure ones; the windows were both small and positioned near to the roof. To look outside I would have to open the door or stick my head out, something I could not do for obvious reasons. The uncertainty bred worry, and a cold sweat began to form on the back of my neck. I hadn’t felt this helpless since… I put the thought out of my mind.

“Any word?”

Sasha shook her head, “No, my lady.”

Before I could say anything further, the carriage lurched to an angle again, then continued tilting. With a deafening crash, it began to tumble. Inside, we were all tossed about like coins in a dryer. Gritting my teeth, I fed mana into my body, reinforcing it.

Shit! What the hell happened!?