“But that — that’s rather…”
The Empress recovered herself and began to hedge.
“I haven’t actually decided on anyone for Crown Princess Consort yet—”
“Not long ago, Lady Adelina Weiss left the Empress’s palace and nearly struck Princess Marie with her carriage. Inside these palace grounds.”
I gave the last part a little weight, and the Empress’s eyes went wide.
“As you know, ever since Emperor Max was struck and killed by a noble’s carriage a hundred years ago, the use of carriages by nobles within the imperial palace has been strictly prohibited. As to whether this should be brought to His Majesty’s attention—”
“All right, all right!”
The Empress cut in urgently.
“I’ll change it. Marcella Weiss.”
My business was done. I smiled pleasantly and rose from my seat.
The Empress fixed me with a bewildered look and asked:
“…Why Marcella Weiss?”
She truly could not make sense of it.
“It’s still the Weiss family. I assumed you’d demand someone from a different house entirely.”
“Hmm — why wouldn’t I? The Weiss family is an excellent choice, isn’t it? They would be a strong ally for Prince Anton, exactly as Your Majesty intended.”
The Empress’s expression said: then why are you helping with that?
I answered with perfect sincerity.
“Because I want Anton to become the next Emperor.”
“…”
“You don’t believe me.”
I mean it. I shook my head slightly and took my leave, stepping out into the corridor.
The maids who had been craning their necks and peering through gaps all startled in unison and rushed back inside.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
“Are you all right?”
If you were that worried, you should have just searched me when you had the chance.
I shook my head at the absurdity and made my way back to Rene Palace.
There had been four reasons for asking for Marcella as Crown Princess Consort.
First — it is far more galling to see a cousin prosper than a stranger.
Second — Adelina would not be able to harm Marcella, not within the same family.
Third — swapping one Weiss for another would meet with the least resistance from both the Empress and Marquess Weiss.
And fourth — I genuinely wanted Anton to become Emperor, backed by the strength of the Weiss family. Is it really so hard to believe?
* * *
Adelina Weiss strode down the corridor with fury written across every feature. The servants she passed bent themselves into hasty bows, heads tucked low.
One look at their young mistress’s face was enough. On a day like this, the wrong word from the wrong person could earn a thorough beating without any particular cause.
Fortunately, Adelina’s anger had a very clear target. She bypassed the servants entirely and went straight to her father’s study.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The knock was more of an assault. Adelina pushed the door open before anyone could answer.
Her father, Marquess Weiss, was inside — and beside him was…
“Marcella Weiss.”
The girl the Empress had designated as the new Crown Princess Consort. Her own younger sister.
“Why? Why you, and not me?”
“Adelina, calm yourself first.”
“How am I supposed to be calm!”
Her father’s appeal only made her worse. Adelina’s eyes blazed.
“My entire life — my entire life, I have lived for one purpose! Swallowing my real self, smiling like a doll in public, being pleasant to everyone! And now, all of a sudden, the consort appointment goes to someone else? And that someone is Marcella?”
“W-well, look at it this way — I was terrified when the Empress said she was changing the appointment. At least it stayed in the family, with Marcella—”
“What is good about it? Why Marcella and not me!”
“Would you please keep your voice down, sister? This fell out of the sky for me too.”
Marcella furrowed her brow at the noise and gave her head a small shake. Adelina’s fury doubled.
“What? What did you just say? A bolt from the sky? Are you mocking me right now?”
“It is a bolt from the sky! Do you think I want to be Crown Princess Consort? Do you think I want any part of this? You can have it — please, take it!”
“Girls — please, enough—”
“Father, you have to speak to the Empress. This is absurd. An older sister passed over for a younger sister? When has that ever been the custom? When has a younger daughter ever been given a better match than her elder?”
“This is the result of you riding that carriage through the palace grounds!”
At last, Marquess Weiss lost his own composure and raised his voice.
Adelina’s expression went blank for a moment, then incredulous.
“I took the carriage because it was blazing hot — surely that can’t—”
“And you nearly ran Princess Marie down while doing it!”
“Nearly! Nearly! I didn’t actually hit her. It was only an attempt!”
“Attempted or not — if His Majesty learns of it, do you imagine he’ll simply let it go? Find a better match in time. For now, be discreet and keep a low profile.”
“You can’t do this to me. You cannot do this to me! Everything I’ve worked for my whole life—!”
Adelina pressed her hands to her head and crumpled, and Marcella, watching, remarked with evident irritation:
“This is what happens when you start acting like royalty before you even are one. Look at the mess you’ve made.”
“You—!”
Adelina lunged at her with blazing eyes. Marcella found her hair seized before she had time to react.
“Augh! What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?”
“Yes, I have! You try having everything you’ve ever dreamed of snatched away and handed to the sister who never even wanted it — let’s see how sane you stay!”
“Ow! My dreams are being ruined too! I never wanted to be Crown Princess Consort! I don’t want it! You take it, please!”
“Are you trying to pour salt into my wounds on purpose?”
“Girls, that’s enough! Stop it this instant! Steward, what are you standing there for? Separate them!”
The study descended into chaos. Adelina wailed and sobbed and knocked her head against the wall in anguish, certain she was living in a nightmare. Marcella wore her reluctance openly and made no effort to hide it.
The outcome satisfied no one — but in the end, it was still Marquess Weiss’s daughter who would one day be Empress, and he chose to hold onto that thought and make his peace with the rest.
* * *
The days deepened into the full heat of summer. It was the kind of heat that clung and suffocated — standing still was enough to break a sweat.
I left early in the morning for the library and returned to Rene Palace only as the sun began to set.
I still had no meaningful results to show for it. I had simply become, inexplicably, a person of remarkable scholarly dedication.
Though it wasn’t as though nothing had changed in the meantime.
“…What are you all doing out here?”
When I finally reached Rene Palace, I stopped at an odd sight in the colonnade.
Friedrich, Marie, and Joachim were sitting huddled together among the columns — outside, in this heat — reading.
Why are they sitting outside in this weather? Have they all had heatstroke?
“Your Highness!”
Marie spotted me, sprang up from her place, and came running.
I erased my baffled expression and opened my arms with a wide smile.
She’d been so light before. Lately, she was finally beginning to have some weight to her.
“What are you doing out here? It’s too hot.”
“We were waiting for you.”
“You could have waited inside.”
“But then we wouldn’t see you right away.”
Oh, you sweet thing. I ruffled her hair with considerable enthusiasm — and before I knew it, two very large men had lined up behind her, apparently waiting their turn.
“In good conscience, in this heat, standing here asking for a hug is a bit much, isn’t it?”
“You embraced Princess Marie, Your Highness. Is this not a case of discrimination?”
“Marie is small.”
I looked at the two men — each of them easily twice Marie’s size, possibly more — with an expression of pure exasperation.
“Get inside. Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”
I took Marie’s hand and set off toward the dining room, and Friedrich and Joachim came pattering along behind.
…Like ducklings following a mother duck. Except the scale is completely reversed.
When we were all seated in our customary places, the food began arriving in short order.
Marie buried herself happily in her egg dish. Friedrich sliced through his steak and set a portion in front of me. Not to be outdone, Joachim deboned an enormous sea bass fillet and presented it from the other side.
“Meat in this heat, Your Highness? Just looking at it makes me feel warmer.”
“It’s precisely in times like these that you need to keep your strength up. The flesh should be tender — I think you’ll find it pleasant, Your Highness.”
“I’ll have both. Don’t waste energy competing over this in the heat.”
Those two remained, as always, in a state of being simultaneously friendly and not.
All in all — a peaceful sort of everyday life. Apart from my magic refusing to return, and Friedrich turning into a small child every night.
“By the way — when exactly is Prince Anton’s engagement ceremony?”
And of course, I had no idea whatsoever what that newly-arranged engagement was about to set in motion.
