In a luxury room in the Holy capital of the holy kingdom Lady Euphemia was deep in thought as she reread a letter her mother had handwritten to her.
Her mind went back and forth, trying to remember when she was engaged to marry a young royal from a poor kingdom that bordered her mother's duchy.
Many attempted unions between the two families had fallen through before. For this reason, her mother had on many occasions, warned her not to do anything that would jeopardize her union with the young prince.
She had no desire to go against her mother, but when she first saw Edwin she couldn't help but sigh at a future that looked bleak to her.
Everyone at the academy looked down on Highland, and while his personality was certainly better than those stuck-up nobles and royals, she still couldn't bring herself to look favorably on the marriage.
When Princess Siraye and Princess Louise both expressed the same views, her mind couldn't help but wonder about the possibility to annul the marriage. The only solution she could think of was to present to her mother, someone of higher standing to the prince.
She knew her mother would not object in such a situation. It was for this reason that her heart couldn't stop beating when she met Hans Varma Saifuddien. He was the rising hero of the war. With his good looks and fighting capabilities, no one looked down on him even when his kingdom fell. Rather he was a beacon of hope for the rest of the world.
When she heard of his rushed wedding, she was the first to suggest that they too should marry the hero.
She was happy to marry the hero, but over time doubt crept into her mind about how her engagement to Edwin ended and how she never gave him a chance. She brushed them aside every time she saw Hans, kissed Hans, and made love to Hans.
"Hans was worried because you didn't come you know." The one who just spoke was her friend and fellow wife of Hans, Princess Louise.
She and Princess Siraye walked into the room. Their body was sweating. You could tell they were doing heavy exercises, but it wasn't the form at athlete or worrier would do this late in the night.
"I will be sure to make it up to him before we head on our journey south."
"Please do. We did our best to destruct him, but in the end, it all about boobs isn't it." Princess Louise replied
"What are you saying? Hans is not like that."
"Every man tends to search for big boobs, even Hans is no exception to this." Princess Siraye was the one who replied,
"As I said, Hans is not like that..."
"Are you saying you haven't noticed him taking glances at your boobs when he thinks we are not looking?"
Euphemia could only blush and give a small wry smile, "I am sure it not like that." She mumbled softly.
"Enough of this. More importantly, why didn't you come to his room? The other wives are getting aggressive lately." Princess Louise uttered
"Can't be helped, everyone wants to be the first one to fall pregnant after all."
"True. I feel sorry for Hans. We would normally rotate the night duties throughout the week, but as it stands now, as soon as one woman leaves, another one sneaks in."
"Yes, as we left. I sensed the saint behind us. I think she entered his room after we turned the corner."
"Seriously!?" Princess Louise responded to Princess Siraye statement, "I guess she isn't so pure after all."
"Don't say that, Louise. I can only imagine the pressure she is getting from the pope right now."
"True. I definitely wouldn't want to be in her shoes right now, but it's not like we don't have troubles of our own."
"Agreed. With the fall of the Dukedom of Gillhearts. Both Everwood and Jarodor have become the next battlegrounds. Our forces are holding out, but I dare not think how long they can endure." Princess Siraye said with a sigh
"I am afraid another problem may have just been added." Euphemia, she said as she waved the letter in her hand. "I received a letter from my mother, it seems, Edwin Von William Highland has retaken his father's kingdom."
"Eh..."
"Haaaa"
Both Louise and Siraye were shocked at the news they had just heard. Siraye was even more shaken up. It was her disinherited older brother who works as a mercenary, who killed Edwin's father. It was not hard to imagine Highland attacking Everwood.
Such a move on Highland would be fetal to Everwood, that could not afford to have its forces split.
Siraye and Louise pressed Euphemia for more information. She told them of the contents of the letter her mother had written.
From the information that was written, it was clear that Highland was not seeking conflict with Everwood or Jarodor, but at the same, time Highland had cut off all trade and diplomatic relations with the two kingdoms.
It was also clear that the relationship between it and Vidfamne was still somewhat uncertain. No formal reply to the duchess proposal of Edwin taking concubines from among her granddaughter had been received a week after the proposal was issued, and travelers and traders were not allowed entry into Highland.
The letter conveyed the story of how Edwin won back the kingdom as told by Margarita to Shelley but the duchess and Shelley raised doubt about it being true.
"My mother curious about the possibility that I misjudged the prince."
"Humm...certainly that story of Margrave Lance Von Winters and Count Gunnleifus Varma having a falling out sounds suspicious," Louise replied
"But that would mean that in less than a week, he took out both of them, reclaimed the kingdom, and all of this was done with Everwood, Jarodor, and Vidfamne not hearing a word of it until his family's royal crest once again flew on the border towers. Is such a thing even possible without Count Gunnleifus Varma betraying Margrave Lance Von Winters?" Siraye was the one who pointed out the main sticking point in that theory. Wars are won in months or years, not weeks or days.
"That is why my mother is asking if I was wrong when I evaluated him."
"We all didn't spend much time with him when he was in the holy kingdom, but I don't think our evaluation was wrong," Siraye replied
"Then does that mean he had a third party help him?" Louise asked.
"My mother thinks that's a possibility, but she can't think of anyone within Highland with that capability."
"True, if such a gifted person already existed in Highland, the coup would have never been successful." Louise pointed out.
"Then does that mean he recruited someone from the holy kingdom?" Siraye asked, but Euphemia shook her head before replying.
"Isn't that impossible. He didn't have friends or associates. The only noble events he attended were the once held by the merchants who traded with Highland, and even they only invited him out of obligation."
"Then we can rule out the possibility of a third party, but that would mean," Louise uttered
"There is a high chance for our evaluation of Edwin Von William Highland to be wrong."