CH 221

The Libra King and Mia’s Loyal Servants

The Moonhorse Court was a large paddock tucked away in a corner of the imperial capital. It was mostly used by young nobles to practice riding, but Mia was using it today as well.

She yelled, “Let’s go, Silver Moon!” as she flicked the reins of the horse, whose name was definitely not Silver Moon. Still, it did what it was told and moved into a trot.

Mia smiled happily as she felt the horse’s back move in a way that was getting more and more familiar.

“I’m getting pretty good at this, I think. Silver Moon, don’t you think so?”

In response, her horse gave a snort.

She couldn’t help but feel like the horse had just insulted her with that snort, as if the horse was telling her… Buddy, all you’re getting good at is getting heavier.

She gave it a mean look. Yes, she was talking to a horse and didn’t like what it said back. It might have been a sign of how good her imagination was.

Mia had kept the same riding schedule ever since she got back to Lunatear. She would practice for two hours every day.

On top of that, she kept practicing dancing. She had never worked out or done anything so hard before in her life.

As spring turned into summer, she spent her days doing a lot of things that got her moving.

“I have to say, getting the body moving does feel good… Oh? What is she doing?”

Anne, who was supposed to be waiting for her in the changing room, was standing at the entrance to the paddock. She looked at her maid with interest and turned Silver Moon toward her.

“Anne? What’s going on?”

“Your Majesty, both Sunkland and Remno have sent envoys.”

“Oh, yes. Those people. I guess Keithwood is one of them?”

Mia said as she got off her horse.

Anne gave her a soft towel right away. She took it and wiped her face to get rid of the sweat before taking a deep breath.

Anne turned around and said, “Uh, well, about that…” but she didn’t finish the sentence.

Three people in hooded travel cloaks were coming toward them.

Mia thought, Huh. I thought they would be taller.

Her excitement started to fade a bit.

Since it’s Keithwood, I thought one of them would be shorter, so I’m surprised that the other two are the same height. It looks like Remno didn’t send that Diamond Legion guy after all. Shame…

Her cool, logical demeanor only lasted ten seconds, until the figures took off their hoods.

Well, the other two. The first to reveal himself was Keithwood, as she expected.

“It’s great to see you again, Princess Mia.”

“It’s my pleasure, too, Keithwood. Thank you very much for helping me with this. I’m going to put myself in your care,” she told him before looking at the two people behind him.

“And these gentlemen, I’m guessing I haven’t met them yet?”

She smiled at them in a perfectly polite way, but when she heard their voices, the smile froze on her face.

“Oh, I don’t think we need to introduce ourselves, Princess Mia. I see you’re quite the diligent rider. Impressive. Not everyone can stick to a practice schedule during the summer break.”

The voice was one she knew.

“Wait. What? How? Why?”

She made several sounds of confusion as the two figures took off their hoods.

“Abel? And Sion? What are you both doing here?”

The two princes gave each other cheeky grins.

Abel said, “I was a little worried about you, so I asked Sion what to do.”

“Huh? I don’t, so… what?”

“In short, we decided that we would both follow you as guards. It really is a great idea. I never thought it would be this easy to sneak out of a country.”

“But… Is this, uh, okay?”

She had a worried look on her face as she looked from one prince to the other.

“I guess it depends on what you mean by ‘okay,’“ Sion said with a shrug.

“It’s not exactly going well, but I think we’ll be fine. After all, you and Miss Esmeralda and I are just going on a cruise. How could anything go wrong?”

He really meant what he said, based on how he said it. Keithwood, who was standing behind him, rolled his eyes and let out a long sigh.

Keithwood said, “Well, it won’t be the first time His Highness has given everyone a few heart attacks.” He was trying to calm everyone’s fears, but mostly his own.

“I guess sneaking into another country to go on a cruise isn’t as crazy as some of the things he’s done in the past.”

Oh, Keithwood, you really get your work cut up for you, don’t you? Even though Sion is your boss, I understand how hard it is for you. It must be hard to keep up with all of his strange ideas… Taking care of the mess he made… I feel sorry for you.

She felt bad for what he was going through. She was the one who started the horse sandwich trouble, so she understood how hard it was for Keithwood to deal with Sion’s whims.

She wasn’t very good at noticing irony that had to do with herself.

“Your Highness, I’m sorry to bother you, but I need a moment of your time.”

Ludwig showed up and rushed toward her.

“As for the rest of your plans for the day—”

“Hey, good to see you, Ludwig. I think the last time we saw each other was in Remno.”

Ludwig turned around in shock and blinked at the person talking.

“Who? Whoa… P-Prince Sion?! And Prince Abel? Why are you here in Tearmoon?”

Keithwood stepped in to help Ludwig figure out what was going on.

“I see… To escort Her Majesty…”

Ludwig said when he understood what was going on.

“At least on paper. Well, as official as it can be when you don’t have permission to go on a foreign cruise,” Sion joked.

“For me, it’s more like a vacation with the people who will have my back in the upcoming battles. It’s an honor to go on this trip with you all.”

Ludwig made a respectful bow.

“You are a gift to all of us. Knowing that two well-known princes will be joining Her Highness gives me a lot of peace of mind. Thanks to you both.”

Sion regarded Ludwig. For a while, the prince’s face was hard to read.

“I don’t know why… I’m happy—no, I’m happier than that… Your words, Ludwig, bring me a lot of comfort. But I don’t know why. We’ve only talked to each other once before, briefly, in the Kingdom of Remno. Still, your approval makes me very happy.”

“It makes me happy that you like what I say. I’m sure you’ll take care of Her Highness well. I want to thank you for your kindness on behalf of the whole empire.”

Ludwig looked at the two princes and then bowed his head even more deeply.

On this day, the loyal servant of the Great Sage of the Empire, Ludwig Hewitt, and the future Libra King, Sion Sol Sunkland, made a connection.

In the previous timeline, the two souls’ paths eventually went in different directions. Now, however, they are finally united under Mia’s banner.

Mia, on the other hand…

“Wait, if they’re coming as guards, they’ll have to go on the cruise with me. And we’ll be wearing swimsuits on the cruise, so… Oh my!”

She lightly patted her stomach.

It was moving.

Only a little bit.

But it could just be that her mind is playing tricks on her. She didn’t try again, though. She did try harder the next time she went horseback riding or danced.