TGS - Chapter 89
Chapter 89: The Bait
There was an inconspicuous yet very secluded room in the royal palace, built right behind the royal court.
The King of Solancia usually held secret talks with his ministers in this room. The walls were so well soundproofed that even the Royal Guard standing watch at the door could not hear any sound from within.
It was here that Horst and the old nobles of the Stubborn Faction gathered for a second time.
Most members of the Stubborn Faction wore sour expressions, their eyes fixed on Horst, waiting for him to speak first.
Horst, wearing his naturally righteous and awe-inspiring expression, said in a helpless tone, "I never expected this situation. Alyuin is being too reckless. Is that kind of vow something one can make so casually?"
An old man opposite him snorted angrily. "Who was it that sent her to a border temple as a child? With no one to teach her properly, of course she doesn't understand the bigger picture. Wouldn't you agree, Your Majesty?"
Horst shook his head, seemingly unwilling to discuss it further.
Inwardly, however, he couldn't stop sneering. These old fools know to blame me in secret now, but when I ordered Alyuin's exile a few years ago, I didn't see any of them jump out to object.
Unfortunately, now was not the time for recriminations. Horst suppressed his sarcastic thoughts and said magnanimously, "What's done is done. There's no point discussing the past. I, too, wish for my royal brother's bloodline to continue, but Alyuin is unwilling. We can't force her."
"That's because she's ignorant!"
"Even if this so-called vow is real, when you compare gaining brute strength to continuing the direct bloodline, isn't it obvious which is more important?"
"The Goddess Lotus is a protector of the royal family. She would surely be more pleased to see the royal line continue and wouldn't punish the Princess for breaking her vow..."
"How could that be acceptable? Just as Alyuin said, her strength is needed to guard the border and defend against the Sanur people." Horst sighed. "I am the King of Solancia; I cannot act on impulse."
The old man leading the Stubborn Faction, who had been silent until now, furrowed his long, grizzled eyebrows. He gripped his python-headed cane with both hands and tapped it on the floor, showing clear dissatisfaction.
"With all the soldiers we have in Solancia, can we truly not find anyone other than the Princess who is skilled at leading troops against the Sanur?"
If Alyuin's abilities are truly as the reports describe, Horst thought, then we probably really couldn't find a more suitable candidate.
But the news had come from halfway across the kingdom, so he couldn't be sure of its accuracy. It was more likely that the border generals were simply building up her reputation.
The Lord of Digebia had been a subordinate of the former king. Wasn't it perfectly normal for him to build up the Princess's reputation?
"It's too late to say anything now..."
Horst feigned regret.
The old man's face was grim. "No, it's not too late."
"As long as she's still here, there will always be a way."
Horst took a sip of tea, then put down his cup as if suddenly remembering something. "I almost forgot, I have something to ask Wick. If you have no other business, you may—"
"Wick? Oh, that boy who was born a slave."
Someone in the Stubborn Faction remembered the name. He was the envoy Horst had sent to the border to recall the Princess, and it had taken him nearly a year to return with her.
This meant that Wick might be able to provide useful information.
The old man immediately decided not to leave. "Once you get old, your back and legs ache. I can't seem to get up right now. Your Majesty wouldn't mind if I sat a while longer, would you?"
Horst said, "Be my guest."
Soon, Wick entered, following a cavalryman in white armor.
He saw the room full of people, and his steps faltered.
"I called you here to confirm a few things."
Wick bowed his head. "Please speak, Your Majesty. I will tell you everything I know."
"Tell me your impression of that lady-in-waiting who is always by Alyuin's side."
Wick's expression remained unchanged, but his mind raced. "May I ask which lady-in-waiting you mean?"
"The one who never leaves her side. Black hair, blue eyes. I believe her name is... Lorja."
Wick nodded and recounted in a flat tone, "Lady Lorja doesn't speak much, and there's nothing obviously wrong with her. The most notable thing is that she is rarely apart from Her Highness the Princess." He paused. "Her Highness calls her 'teacher'."
"Is that all?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Horst was somewhat disappointed but didn't show it. He only said meaningfully, "I trust you. I hope you haven't concealed anything."
Wick's heart tightened, and he immediately dropped to one knee. "I would never dare to conceal anything!"
"Of course, of course. I was just speaking casually. Consider it a reminder. You may leave."
Terrified, Wick gave repeated assurances before turning to follow the white-armored cavalryman out of the room.
The moment he turned his back, the look in his eyes subtly changed.
Wick had indeed not revealed everything he knew.
Over the course of nearly a year, he had inevitably overheard snippets of conversation from the Royal Guard, including the curious guards' speculations about the mysterious lady-in-waiting's identity.
Furthermore, his past life as a slave had made Wick quite adept at reading people. In his opinion, the relationship between the Princess and that lady-in-waiting was far too close, exceeding the normal bounds between a teacher and a student.
But Wick said none of this.
He was simply hoping to secure another path for himself.
The door closed.
The old man was silent for a moment. "...Teacher?"
Horst replied, "That's right. It's said this lady-in-waiting met Alyuin at the temple in Kadera. Since she's called 'teacher,' I assume Lorja was the one responsible for teaching Alyuin there."
He took a slow sip of tea. "My poor niece seems to trust her a great deal. However, there is one very strange thing."
The old man's eyelid twitched. "Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."
"Then I'll be direct. I suspect she is one of Selina's people."
Although it was just a suspicion, the eyes of the old Stubborn Faction noble, hidden beneath his aged wrinkles, immediately widened, revealing a sinister glint.
Selina.
The madwoman who had killed the former king and then taken her own life out of guilt. It was she who had bewitched the former king, causing him, then still a prince, to act so willfully. It was also she who had caused the direct royal line to wither to its current state, forcing them to rack their brains and pin all their hopes on the Princess!
And someone she left behind had now become the Princess's teacher?
"Don't be hasty. As I said, it's just a suspicion." A perfectly measured look of concern appeared on Horst's righteous face. "But Alyuin's behavior is so outrageous, and this woman has taken on the role of her teacher. It's truly difficult for me not to be suspicious."
After a long silence, the old man spoke slowly.
"Your Majesty makes a great deal of sense."
The secret meeting ended not long after.
The members of the Stubborn Faction left the room. When they reached a secluded spot, one of them asked in a low voice, "Big Brother, should we..."
"Think it over. His Majesty wouldn't tell us these things for no reason."
The one who had asked sighed. "That's true."
"But it must be done. We can't delay any longer; we have no other choice." The old man looked at his withered, wrinkled hands, his voice flat and world-weary. "I don't have much longer to live. My only hope is to see a true royal heir before I die."
For that, he would stop at nothing.
Lotus put down her book and looked out the window.
The trees in the garden had shed their winter monotony, now tinged with a fresh, tender green. Tiny flower buds were faintly visible.
Akhet was located in central Solancia, slightly to the north, so its winters were not long. Less than two months had passed since Creation Day, and the temperature was gradually rising. The ice on the Yilu River had long since melted away.
In the eyes of the Solancians, it was the River Goddess who made the waters surge, the Earth Goddess who gave life to the plants, and the Sun God's chariot that cast down more light and heat. The Goddess of Spring had taken over from the God of Winter, her steps never ceasing for a moment.
Over the past month, Alyuin had clearly become much busier.
She always had her own ideas about whom to befriend, how to achieve her goals, and how to quietly establish her footing in the royal city.
The Princess quickly and naturally integrated into Akhet, filling the void left by her exile as if she had never left at all.
At the same time, as "the lady-in-waiting highly regarded by the Princess" and "the teacher from distant Kadera," the image of Lotus's incarnation was quickly committed to memory by the nobles.
Life in the royal city was different from life in the border military camps or the cities they had passed through on their journey.
In the military camps, the atmosphere was stricter yet also more casual.
Stricter in terms of discipline and combat training, but more casual in social interactions. People weren't so formal, and there certainly weren't constant invitations from various nobles to banquets, the theater, or the arena. At most, they would celebrate victories by sitting around a bonfire and drinking.
The social atmosphere in the cities along their route was similar to that of the royal city, but they had been transient then. Moving from one city to the next, each with its own customs, had felt like nothing more than a long journey, leaving no deep impression.
Here in Akhet, however, the social circles and forms of communication were fixed. One day, a noble would invite people to a banquet at their residence; the next, a young lady would book seats at the open-air theater for a play. Different occasions, but always the same proper smiles and the same blatant or cautious probing.
The only difference was that no one invited Alyuin to the arena to watch the beast fights.
Lotus reasonably suspected that word of the Princess's actions in the previous major city had spread, which was why no one dared to choose a troublesome place like the arena.
Alyuin began to avoid attending these events with Lotus as much as possible.
One very important reason was her concern that the River Goddess was unfamiliar with such occasions. She also didn't want Lotus to be subjected to the varied, probing gazes of the cheerfully chatting nobles.
In truth, Lotus was very familiar with it all. While the form of modern and ancient Solancian social events might differ greatly, their core was much the same, and she was used to it.
Besides...
Here, Lotus made little effort to hide the sense of incongruity about her. Her etiquette was perfect, but her attitude was indifferent, and she simply waited for the nobles to imagine the truth behind her story.
Sooner or later, she was bound to catch something.
But whoever was hiding in the shadows was surprisingly patient. Lotus had previously sensed someone following her in secret, but they never attacked. They just watched.
Quite patient, indeed.
Even now, no one had made a move against her.
This made Lotus feel slightly regretful.
Not long after Alyuin had left, the River Goddess, leaning by the window, thought for a moment and decided to go visit the temple.
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