"So your mother is talking to him right now?" asked Princess Louise
She, Lady Euphemia, and Princess Louise were currently at the castle. They were in what used to be Lady Euphemia's bedroom.
It was a big room with luxurious furnishings to house guests. Because no man would ever enter the room, Lady Euphemia had decorated it with a large assortment of stuffed toys that littered in between the furnishings.
Of course, the other two ladies paid no attention as their thoughts were needed elsewhere.
They sat around a white round table, with tea and biscuits placed there by the maids before they left the room as per Lady Euphemia's instructions.
The hot tea became warm and soon was turning cold and untouched.
"Yes. It seems they left the ballroom some time ago. I still can't believe the demon army was easily subjugated by Highland," answered Lady Euphemia with a pale look on her face.
"Whether you choose to believe it or not the facts are there to see. I believe we should come to face the reality of the situation at hand. Highland is not some poor kingdom anymore, but rather a powerhouse that might rival the two empires. If it were to attack Everwood or Jarodor, it will be the end of us." retorted Princess Louise
"Do you believe they would?" asked Princess Siraye with a serious expression on her face.
"We more or less had a hand in the coup by that Margrave Lance. While the report from Vidfamne's delegation to Highland shortly after Edwin reclaimed the throne was that Highland had no intention to start a war; they could have just said that to buy time to build this military power," Princess Louise concluded with a serious expression on her face
"Euphemia, what do you think about all this?" Princess Siraye asked the pale looking Euphemia
"I don't know. I am still can't believe the level of military might Highland has displayed. What are those flying things, and from the information I have gathered, it seems every Highland knight can use magic like they have a bottomless mana pool? Not to mention Edwin killed a noble vampire in one swing. This is too much to take in, all at once." She cried as she held her head.
Euphemia was an excellent judge of character. With a simple glance, she could evaluate the worth of someone. Of course, if she wanted to make absolute certainty that her evaluation was correct she would need to spend time with that person. However, she like the other princess avoided spending time with Edwin in the Holy Kingdom.
Their desire to avoid him when he was still crown prince went as far as having their retainers reply to his handwritten letters.
Normally, a letter written by a crown prince should be responded to by the receiver's hand, or it would be taken as an offense. The only exception would be if it was addressed to someone of higher rank like an Emperor or King and even the Holy pope.
"That is why I am worried. We can't ignore this military power" Princess Louise uttered with a bitter expression.
After calming down a bit, Lady Euphemia finally spoke with a calm voice.
"I don't think he will wage war. Everwood, Vidfamne, and Jarodor are part of the alliance against the demon king. Furthermore, we are the wives of the hero. The Empires and the holy kingdom won't sit back and do nothing, or that is the perception Highland should have. In any case, they won't declare war."
"I agree with her assessment. If they were planning on attacking us, they would ignore the Vidfamne situation, or they would have attacked us a long time ago. I don't think they seek war with us." Princess Siraye said as she finally took a sip of the tea.
[It's cold…I guess it fine this way…I have no right to eat comfortable foods here anyway] she thought to herself as she continues to drink it.
"That's right, the real problem here is that Highland is not part of the alliance against the demon lord. With their military power, we could probably turn the tide of this war quickly." Princess Louise pointed out
"Even if you say that. Do you think Edwin would join it in the first place?" Princess Siraye asked
"No, and my mother will probably prioritize Vidfamne. I can't imagine her asking him to join the alliance."
"Then should we ask him instead?"
The room went silent.
"Is that a wise thing to do?" Princess Louise asked with a somewhat trembling voice. Among the three, she was supposed to be his main wife and Queen of Highland, while the others would be queen consorts.
They knew that the way they treated Edwin was poor, and on top of that, they married another man - which leads to a coup that eventually cost his father's life.
Would meeting him be a wise thing to do?
The odds of a warm reception were nonexistent. Even a blind man on the side of the road could see that.
"The way I see it, this is a chance for us to apologies for what we did to him, and if he found out that we were here and didn't meet him; there is no way to tell how such a thing will be interpreted by him or the nobility of Highland."
Princess Siraye's argument was sound. When one nobility wrongs another, a formal apology in person is often required to amend the relationship or at the very least prevent hostilities from growing any further. If they did not meet him, here and now, it might be used as a reason to start a war later on.
"Then lets us go then. It would be best to get this done with." Lady Euphemia said as she stood to prepare with the waiting-maid outside.
[My mother surely made peace of Edwin. That is what she is good at. Therefore, should we be aiming to have Edwin join the alliance against the demon army? If we brought in a powerful army like Highland, wouldn't our standing as Hero Hans wives rise. Then I can spend more time with him...] Lady Euphemia thought as she walked towards the maids.
Princess Siraye stared at her now empty teacup, [Is Highland a threat or not to Everwood? How he reacts to my presence should tell me the answer. Louise was supposed to be the main wife, I can understand her uneasiness to meet him. Out of the three of us, she would most likely carry a heavier burden under normal circumstances, but it was my brother Theodemar that killed Edwin's father. He may be a banished prince, but that doesn't change the fact that he has my royal blood pumping in his veins. Rather than Louise, I might be carrying a heavier burden.]