CH 455

Actors Assemble

Sol Saliente – the sun-blessed capital of the kingdom of Sunkland. From a distance, the city looked like one huge castle. Solecsudo Castle, the real castle, was at the top of the hill. Built for war, the highly fortified building was in the middle of the city and looked out over the capital. The city was made of solid stone and had a solemn beauty. It was protected by a thick wall that stood taller than any would-be invaders.

Wow… If Tearmoon and Sunkland ever went to war, this would be one tough base to take down. I’m not sure how we’d storm this place, even with Remno’s aid.

Even Mia, who didn’t know much about the military, could see that Sol Saliente wouldn’t be easy to beat.

This makes saving Sion even more important. I want him to stay living as long as possible so that our countries can stay friends…

She was thinking about the effects of international fallout when she noticed that Tiona was acting strangely. She kept moving her head from side to side, like a tourist. She let her be and walked next to her on a beautiful stone-paved road. Soon, she started to feel very strange.

Who knew that one day I’d be walking with Tiona through the city of Sunkland? And we are doing it to save Sion’s life.

If it had been said to Mia while she was tied to the guillotine, it would have seemed like the craziest pipe dream. When she looked back, she saw Anne and Liora talking to each other like crazy. One of them was her most loyal friend. The other one was a Lulu who wanted her blood. As her chest filled with emotions, Mia thought about how amazing it was that she was living her life right now.

I never would have thought that such a scene could happen. When I walk with them like this, I feel like I’ve really come a long way…

“That was quite the journey, wasn’t it?” she said with a smile that was distant and almost wry. She then turned to Tiona and said, “I sure didn’t expect bandits to attack us.”

“Yes, that was a tough time…”

“I’m sorry I keep putting you in this kind of trouble.”

“Wh-What? No! That has nothing to do with you!” Tiona gave a nod. “Even if you knew there might be trouble, all that means is that you thought it was important to bring me along anyway. If that’s the case, I’m glad to be here.”

Mia’s conscience was hit like a hammer by the way she looked at her. She almost let out a grunt. “I-I get it. I mean, I guess you’re right. Now that we’re friends, it should be okay for me to ask for your help. If that’s the case, then consider this my late request. Oho ho!”

They laughed together, which gave Mia time to gather her thoughts. After all, she had set out to do just that in the first place.

Okay, then. Let’s think, since that’s why I’m here. The thing is, the more I think about it, the harder it seems to stop Esmeralda and Prince Echard from getting married…

At best, the relationship between Tearmoon and Sunkland was just okay. Mia and Sion got along well, which was helpful, but that wasn’t nearly enough to build a foreign policy on. A marriage between one of Tearmoon’s Four Houses and Prince Echard was the kind of thing that could really cement diplomatic ties. Like Ludwig said, it was a matter of great importance to the whole nation. It would be hard to turn it around.

Huh. When you mention Tearmoon and Sunkland, it makes me think of… If Sion and Tiona had gotten married in the old time, Tearmoon would have been safe… They seemed to get along pretty well, and it was good for politics for them to work together, so I don’t see how anything could go wrong…

Then she thought of something.

“Except for how the two people in question really feel. Huh.”

It was a very important thought that got to the heart of the whole problem.

Knowing Esmeralda and how much she likes cute boys, I can see why she would like Prince Echard…

Currently, Esmeralda was 18 and Prince Echard was 10. There were eight years between them, which was a lot but not unusual for marriages between nobles.

Yes, she would like him for sure. She only cares about how she looks, and Sion is so good-looking that it makes her mad, so she’d probably be fine with his little brother based on his future chances alone.

Because of this, Mia didn’t want to stop the marriage just for political reasons. That left only one thing to think about: Sion’s assassination. If she could find a way to keep Sion safe, she wasn’t really against Esmeralda getting a husband.

The problem is that all of this plotting against Sion smells like the Serpent, and even if they’re not behind it, I’m not sure I’d be okay with Esmeralda marrying someone who tried to kill Sion.

Her walk was giving her a lot to think about; she was getting to the heart of the problem.

“Huh? Basically, if the people on the other side of this marriage are good people and not snakes, I don’t mind if they go ahead—”

“Gosh, Mia, is that you?”

Mia turned around when she heard her name and saw someone she didn’t expect.

“Uh, Rafina-sama? What are you doing here? Is that…?”

Mia was even more shocked by the person next to Rafina.

“Abel! What in the moons are you two doing in Sunkland?”