Shi’shi’Jishi Amai, the captain of the royal guard protecting the Murakumo royal family, was in his private room within the palace on this day. He sat face to face with his adjutant bright, Adataka Kisaka, and growled from the back of his throat like a beast just awakened from hibernation, his face lacking in vigor.
“The devastating defeat in the south is slowly becoming a rumor among the commoners. We can’t keep hiding that matter from Her Highness forever. What do you intend to do, Amai?”
The man named Kisaka, who spoke with a frown, was the adjutant whom Amai had appointed as his assistant by his own will. Both families were native to the eastern lands, and both were declining clans, being pushed out by the immigrant nobles from the west and losing their power with each passing generation.
The Kisaka and Amai families had a long-standing friendship and were even distantly related by blood, forming a strong bond. The two had nurtured their friendship during childhood.
In contrast to the scholarly Amai, Kisaka had a warrior-like thick chest, black short hair that stood up at right angles, and a rugged face like a rock.
Amai’s desire was to regain the weakening power of the royal family and make a name for himself through his achievements. Kisaka, who was in a similar position, shared the same sentiment. As a relationship that could be called brotherly, Kisaka was an irreplaceable and trustworthy presence for Amai, who was in a situation like walking a tightrope.
“We have no choice but to keep it hidden at all costs. If it reaches Her Highness’s ears that her loved one has gone missing in battle, the consequences are obvious.”
Ever since Amai learned through his own channels that the commoner youth whom Princess Sa’salia of Murakumo had feelings for had lost contact during the war with Coral, one of the Southern Mountain Alliance nations, most of his efforts as the captain of the royal guard had been spent on concealing this information.
He had confined Sa’salia to her room under some pretext, cutting off her contact with others, and strived to prevent the fact that the Ode border guard had been defeated from reaching her ears.
If the princess learned of this, she would undoubtedly be distraught. Above all, the fact that they couldn’t even properly ascertain whether the youth in question was alive or dead made matters worse.
If he were dead, Sa’salia would be frantic and beside herself. If he had been captured by the enemy, the extremely unstable princess of Murakumo would undoubtedly use all the authority at her disposal and struggle to get her loved one back. However, the rampage of a princess who had not yet secured her throne would invite instability to the nation and could jeopardize Sa’salia’s own position, an act of recklessness.
“Her Highness is starting to grumble, it seems. It’s only natural, as we’ve locked her in her room without a good reason. We’re reaching our limit here. If we’re strongly ordered, we have no authority to refuse.”
Kisaka’s tone was tinged with a hint of reproach for Amai’s decision. But he didn’t know. He didn’t know what this seemingly healthy princess of the country was relying on and how much she depended on it.
Amai took a deep breath, interlaced his fingers, and rested his chin on top of them.
“…We may need to find some reason to take Her Highness away from the center for a while.”
“Then head east. Information is beginning to spread from the west like migratory birds. It’s only a matter of time before informants who have learned of Murakumo’s defeat in exchange for a few coins set foot in the capital.”
Nodding at his childhood friend’s warning, Amai stood up.
Taking Kisaka with him, he headed towards Sa’salia’s room, pondering the next course of action.
The current issue wasn’t something they could keep running away from forever. The secret would eventually reach the princess’s ears. But it had to be in a way that placed the least burden on her and the country.
He had already played the cards he could. He had sent people to investigate what had happened to the missing youth, but despite his exceptional talent, Shuou was merely a low-ranking soldier within the military organization. If he had been a general of a nation, it wouldn’t have taken this much trouble to obtain leads.
Before Amai could come up with an excuse to take Sa’salia out of the capital, he had already arrived in front of the princess’s room.
Signaling to the young knight standing guard, he knocked on the door and entered the room to find Sa’salia lying on a luxurious bed, dozing off in boredom. Her vacant eyes caught sight of Amai and immediately turned sharp and hostile.
“Long time no see.”
Brushing off Sa’salia’s sarcasm, Amai and the obsequious Kisaka bowed deeply.
“Are you not in a good mood?”
“…Yes. I was wondering since when the captain of the royal guard gained the authority to place his lord under house arrest.”
“Please don’t joke. There’s a reason for this.”
“I’m sure there is. You told me to go outside. To meet people, learn about the world, and gain enough experience and knowledge to govern. And now, suddenly, this is the situation. If there wasn’t a reason, I would have already silenced you.”
From behind, the sound of Kisaka swallowing his saliva could be heard, his head still lowered.
“Actually, we heard rumors that there are traitors among us plotting to assassinate you.”
That was a lie Amai had come up with on the spur of the moment. Upon hearing this, Sa’salia slightly relaxed the tension on her face.
“I see… And?”
“Yes, we just obtained solid evidence and had Kisaka here severely punish a woman who was among the lowest ranks of the court ladies.”
Suddenly called out by Amai, Kisaka let out a dumbfounded voice.
“Huh?”
Amai cleared his throat heavily.
“You, is what you just said true?”
Sa’salia sought an answer from Kisaka, who had raised his head, and Kisaka quickly nodded in response.
“Y-Yes!”
Sa’salia raised her lips and stared at Amai for a while.
Sa’salia: “Then, it’s all settled now.”
Amai replied immediately.
“Yes.”
“I see. Then, starting today, I’ll return to my official duties.”
As Sa’salia tried to get up from the bed right away, Amai stopped her with his words.
“About that, the weather is quite pleasant at the moment. Perhaps it would be good for you to go on an inspection tour to a distant region.”
“Distant? Perhaps, to the south?”
Sa’salia, who had made a convenient misunderstanding, suddenly had her eyes shining like a young maiden. But Amai had to draw the curtain on this innocent face that was like a child.
“No, for the sake of further learning, I think it would be good for you to visit the prosperous territories with thriving industries located to the east of the capital.”
Sa’salia’s expression quickly darkened, and she bit her lower lip while fidgeting with her fingers.
“I see… Has he… Has there been any word from that person?”
Amai wanted to feign ignorance about who she was referring to.
“Shuou-kun must still be getting used to his first posting.”
Sa’salia simply smiled sadly.
Faced with his lady’s ephemeral expression, Amai was tormented by an unbearable feeling. He was so frustrated with himself for only being able to run away from reality and maintain a false present that it was almost humiliating.
“Once he finishes his mission, we’ll arrange for him to work in a suitable department in the capital when the opportunity arises. So, please bear with it a little longer.”
Swayed by the compassion that welled up in front of his depressed lady, Amai found himself blurting out such words before he knew it.
However, upon seeing Sa’salia smile like a sweet flower blooming under the spring sunlight, the single drop of regret that was about to spill over disappeared somewhere.
After leaving Sa’salia’s room, as they walked down the long staircase, Kisaka muttered softly.
“I don’t know anything about it.”
Amai sighed and scratched his head.
“Please don’t say that.”
“I finally understand your concern. That’s a serious case. She had the same expression as when my sister said she was getting married and brought home a lanky, pretentious literary man.”
“…When swayed by love, anyone would become like your sister.”
“I don’t want to think about it. The reality that the only royal member of this country is infatuated with a commoner scum.”
While pondering about future matters and the aftermath of the big lie he had left behind, Amai silently agreed in his mind with Kisaka’s grumbling, which sounded like he was talking to himself.
“So, what should we do, Captain?”
“Just as I told Her Highness. We’ll select a few territories that will be enough to distract her, go through the official procedures, and make a move in the form of visiting the workers. We’ll be crossing the Abyss. Let’s request assistance from the Solid Left Army to arrange a sufficient escort environment.”
“Got it. Leave the liaison with the Left Army to me. Changing the subject, what’s going to happen with the Coral matter?”
“Well, that decision will likely be left to Lord Gwen’s discretion. The local commander has apparently been sending repeated requests for reinforcements, but the higher-ups are putting the decision on hold.”
“Don’t tell me they’re going to silently accept defeat at this point?”
“Probably. They haven’t actually been invaded up to their territory, and the base is unscathed. I believe Lord Gwen will use that as a reason to settle it as a draw for now.”
Kisaka clicked his tongue.
“Tch, that spineless commander.”
“It would be a problem if someone from the Imperial Guard heard you.”
While admonishing him, Amai secretly agreed with his friend’s complaint.
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