CH 366

Princess Mia’s Debauchery Festival 2: Mia’s Regret

That day, Mia was taking a leisurely walk through the palace. She let out a deep sigh as she looked at its different parts.

“The Whitemoon Palace has always been so pretty… I never thought it would look so…beaten up and abandoned.”

A single person walked few steps behind her. It was the young minister Ludwig Hewitt, who wore glasses. He watched as she went out on a balcony and looked down at the sprawling view of the capital. She let out another deep sigh when she saw the view.

“The capital city is also in pretty bad shape,” she said.

Ludwig said, “The biggest problem is that people don’t see a way out. There was a big famine, then a plague, then a civil war with the Lulu Tribe, and then riots all over the country. Despair is so big that you can’t see a bright future behind it. People are losing the will to live and giving in to their worst, most self-destructive tendencies.”

As Mia listened to Ludwig talk about how bad things were now, she whispered, “How could this have happened…? During my birthday party two years ago, there was so much food everywhere that we had to throw away most of it… So much food was there… What happened to it all?”

Now, she could barely feed herself. Every day, she was a hungry Hungry Mia.

“All I can say is that it was a little too late when I realized there is no magic urn from which food flows forever.” Ludwig shook his head in a tired way. Things wouldn’t have gotten as bad as they did if more nobles had understood this simple fact.

“Grrr… I don’t mind that they eat a lot, but why do they make so much extra food just to throw it away? What a terrible way to waste money! I don’t know why I let them get away with that. Oh no, that was the worst mistake I’ve ever made. I wish I could go back in time and give them some good advice.”

Mia clenched her teeth in anger. Ludwig looked at her for a moment and then gave her a shrug.

“Even if it were possible to travel through time, I don’t think it would be possible to do something like that. Sure, they would probably listen if they all knew what was going to happen. They didn’t, though. No one knew that a famine of this size would happen. Could you really convince people if they don’t have this important foresight?”

“Well, if I tell them to do it, then sure. What, are they going to go against what I tell them? I want to see who is brave enough to do it.”

She gave Ludwig a hard look to make her point, but he just shook his head again.

“His Majesty gave an imperial order that Your Highness’s birthday should be celebrated in the best way possible. Your words have weight, but not more than those of your father, right?”

At that point, he stopped talking and fell into a deep silence. A thought came to his mind. It was just a silly thought that was more of a “what if” scenario than anything else. In this case, though, it might be worth something. He could knock Mia’s argument down with the cold, unbending hammer of pure logic, but what would that accomplish? It would be better to use this conversation in a more useful way.

Ludwig finished organising his thoughts and he had made up his mind.

“But, even so, if you don’t directly contradict someone’s wishes and instead try to steer them in a different direction, then maybe what you suggest is possible,” he said, giving her a quick glance as he spoke.

This was also a part of his plan to learn. When it was time to start rebuilding the empire in the future, Mia would have to deal with a lot of difficult negotiations. She would have to go to all of them in person. Usually, this would never happen. No empire would send its princess running from conference table to conference table across the continent. It was the job of people who worked for the ministry. Or the chief diplomat. Or an important noble. It shouldn’t be the princess, no matter who it was.

But this wasn’t a typical time. If the princess’s presence could solve a problem, there was no question that she would have to be there. Even though she complained, Mia never showed that she really didn’t want to make the effort to travel and sit down at the negotiation table. She always paid attention to Ludwig and did what she could to do what he asked. At least she tried to do it. Because of this, he always found himself looking forward to seeing her grow as a person and giving her the educational support she needed to make that happen.

“Hmm, I see, I see… Make them want something else,” she mumbled, crossing her arms in a way that seemed to show she was thinking. “So, exactly what are we supposed to do?”

He gave her a sideways look.

Frankly, it’s not a very important observation, but I guess there’s something to be said for how she arrived to that process. It should help her get into the habit of asking questions. Even so, she’ll get plenty of practice soon enough, no matter what. Once this crisis is over and the empire is back on its feet, she will have plenty of opportunities to use her head.

He thought so. But, sadly, it didn’t happen. The future he had pictured, in which his careful teaching would pay off and Mia’s slow but steady efforts to learn would be rewarded, burned away in the flames of the revolution, leaving only cinder flakes to cover the cold, sad dew on the guillotine’s blade.

Even so, it wasn’t all for nothing.

A girl in a carriage would always remember the words they said to each other that day. Mia’s heart was still full of those unfulfilled wishes from the past.

Hmm… I see. He was right. I’m putting myself in that situation right now, and I can see how telling someone to “be more frugal” will be hard to do. Trying to convince my dad also feels like a dead end. I can’t stand to see them throw away all that food. I must be able to do something.

Mia thought and thought.

The best way to make sure food doesn’t go to waste is for me to eat it all myself, but there’s just too much. Even for someone like me who doesn’t eat a lot. Oh, how I hate my small stomach!

She couldn’t use this method because she was told she had a small stomach, so she kept thinking, and thinking, and thinking, and thinking.

“Shift their desires in a different direction, huh? So…,” she muttered as a thought came to her. “Yes… If all they want is to show off how much money they are willing to spend, why don’t they just—”

The carriage pulled up in front of the Whitemoon Palace at that moment.

“Ah, now we’re here.”

She looked at the back carriage. The one with Citrina and Bel had split up in the middle of the trip and was going to Anne’s old house, where the rest of Anne’s family lived. That was a precaution, because the Emperor shouldn’t be able to meet Bel in person. The other carriage came after her to this place. The two princes, Abel and Sion, were inside.

They came with me all the way here in the end. I owe them a proper welcome out of common courtesy. So, all right. Time to make some arrangements.

Not only did they go to the Yellowmoon manor with her, but they also agreed to help her celebrate her birthday by going to the festival with her. Mia was excited to have them there and ready to give them a big welcome. She was so eager to start getting ready for the party that she didn’t think about the fact that there might be a trap waiting for her in the middle of the capital. It was waiting right in front of the palace, and it caught her by surprise. As she got closer, it jumped out at her with all the deadly force of a knife pointed at her neck.

Next time Mia dies… out of shame.